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[Caius Dolan]

Caius hated beach day the way he hated most school activities. Too many stupidly happy people making too much noise and being generally difficult to keep up with. Being an ankou had made Caius hyper-aware of most potentially-dangerous activities, and beach day never failed to stress him out. It wasn't that he necessarily cared whether or not any of his classmates died; he didn't really know any of them on too personal of a level, and those that he did he didn't particularly like. It was just that he didn't want to have to watch it, to witness it up close and personal as he had so many other deaths. He also didn't want to have to shuck any of their asses across the divide, because teenagers were the worst when it came to resisting him. They all felt so freaking invincible and all that, like they for some reason couldn't die, and Caius would end up having to pretty much drag them into the next life. He could technically give up and let them wander the earth aimlessly as ghosts, but he never felt right about doing that. He had been given a job, so the least he could do was do it right.

He had tensed up three separate times for three potential drownings, but all had been averted so far. He sighed from his place on his towel where he was baking in the sun, wishing the day would just end already so he could go back to being indifferent and callous.

[Delaney Donovan]

Despite having nearly killed her best friend, Delaney was in a positively wonderful mood. It was gorgeous and sunny, and she'd spent most of her time in the water, which was perfectly fine with her. However, hunger had lured her from the ocean and onto the beach, where she meandered around, wondering if they should have brought their own lunches.

She spied an unattended sack on a blanket though, and casually walked over to it. After rummaging for a moment, she withdrew a sandwich, looking pleased. She discarded the bag and walked around munching contentedly--and then she spotted someone being no fun. Well, that was unacceptable! It was a day at the beach! Fun was to be had!

If nothing else, she was going to have fun.

Still nibbling at the sandwich that was not hers, she went and sat next to the grumpy-looking fellow. "'lo," she said, smiling (without food in her mouth, for once). "Now, I see just about ev'ryone else havin' themselves a good ol' toime, ruhnning around, swimmin', all that good stuff, and then I see this fella just sittin'. Not doin' ennehthin'. So I say to m'self, I ought t'go and see if thehre was somethin' th' matter." She took another bite of the sandvich, then looked at him. "So, s'there somethin' th' matter?"

[Laku Nicolita]

Laku scanned the shorelines for familiar faces, dare he say, friends?. Oh, but this would do nicely. He found his new entertainment here, on a particular stretch of beach where a few loners had sprawled out in the sun.

Clio's presence not too far off gave Laku the excuse to walk past Caius' little space. He kicked some sand out behind him as he passed the underclassman, making it seem accidental, but also not acknowledging his error in any way. There was just no explanation for it: he did not like Caius Dolan. And as far as he knew, the feeling was delightfully mutual.

He walked on a few yards (he hated the sand under his hooves) and plopped down next to Clio Maera. He rather liked Clio-not at all in a romantic way, of course. She was incredibly quiet, almost ghost-like. To be honest, had Lee not dated her best friend, Laku probably never would have spoken to the girl. They knew each other in such a way that all they had to do was offer maybe a line of simple greeting each, before settling down and quietly going about their business.

Things went no differently today, as Clio kept on reading a book while he picked sand and sea-junk out of his feet-fluffs.

[Caius Dolan]

Caius looked up and made an effort not to sigh impatiently as a short girl with red hair sat down beside him and smiled in a way that could only mean that he was about to be confronted with mandatory fun. He didn't greet her back when she gave her casual "'lo," only waited for the real reason for her visit. She gave her dissertation on why she had come, then got to the point: "So, s'there somethin' th' matter?"

Caius was shaking his head in response and hoping (though not really believing) that that response would suffice when a jet of sand shot out from under the hoof of someone walking by and made its way directly into his face. He growled and sputtered and began rubbing the hateful stuff out of his eyes, which were now in agony and filling with instinctive tears in their efforts to eradicate the intruding grains of sand. When he could see again Caius looked up and, sure enough, there sat Laku Nicolita. When Caius had first met Laku it had been hate at first sight, and ever since that first day the two boys had tormented one another like it was their job.

"No, yeah, I'm having an awesome time," Caius growled, his glare never leaving Laku's back. "Beach day rocks."

[Laku Nicolita]

It didn't take too long to pick the seaweed and most of the sand out of his leg-fluff. He ran his fingers through it next, and tried flattening it down. Laku looked over his shoulder once to see Caius glaring. Naturally, he couldn't keep a satisfied smirk off his face. He looked the younger student right in the eye and waved with mock-familiarity, before turning back to Clio. "Why aren't you out swimming? Don't want anyone to see your bobber?"

[Clio Maera]

Clio was not the beach person that played volleyball, or swam in the ocean, or built castles, or strutted around in a swimsuit to try for some male attention. Oh no. She was the one who sat on a towel under two giant umbrellas, with just a book and a cooler full of bottled water beside her. She had to drink water almost constantly; she perspired nonstop. That was probably the only reason she wore a swimsuit, in fact: so as not to ruin her actual clothes. As a water nymph, she needed to stay hydrated, but the salty ocean water did nothing for her. So, she just had to try and keep out of the sun.

By the time company arrived, Clio had gone through about half of her water supply. Empty Deer Park bottles were piling up beside her towel. Then Laku arrived, his dark coat practically exuding heat. Of course, he did sit in such a way that he blocked even more sun, so she didn't say anything, but placed a bottle of water near the hoof he was grooming and went back to reading.

After a couple minutes, she laid back and dropped another towel over her face with the intention of taking a nap. Laku interrupted her almost right away. To his question, she held up the towel enough that he could see her glaring. "You know," was the only answer she gave, before going back to naptime.

This time, however, when she lay back, she uncomfortably went down on something under the blanket. She sat up, fished around, and produced what had been a half-buried conch-shell. She huffed with distaste, and tossed it over Laku's shoulder. She had a strong throw, and from the angle, she did not see that she had actually thrown it in the direction of the boy whom Laku had kicked sand at earlier.

[Delaney Donovan]

Delaney frowned after the centaur, grumbling. She couldn't think of anything she could do that wouldn't be petty, so she settled for settling down next to the frowny stranger.

"Eh, fuck 'im. Prolly isn't gettin' laid or somethin'." She sighed and leaned back a little, looking out over the ocean, then looked to Caius and smiled, extending a hand.

"I'm Delaney, by the way. Not that you seem ta care. Jest thought ye ought ta know the name of the girl who's buggin' ya." She was good at annoying people, but sometimes, she honestly wanted to help. Of course, like now, she usually just ended up right back at annoying.

[Caius Dolan]

Caius rolled his eyes at Laku's sarcastic little wave, then actually cracked the barest hint of a smirk at the redhead's comment about him not getting laid; this girl might be irritating, but she certainly had a sense of humor, that was one thing. He took her hand and shook it, wondering if her hands were really that warm or if his were really that cold and deciding that it was probably the latter.

"I'm Cai - " is as far as he got in introducing himself before he was nailed in the shoulder by a conch shell. He shot Laku another acidic look before picking the shell back up and chucking it back his way as hard as he could. Then he turned back to his new tag-along. "Caius," he said, finally finishing his curt introduction.

[Laku Nicolita]

Not paying attention, Laku did not notice Caius' angry look nor the projectile. He was, it fact, busy drinking down half a bottle of water when the shell hit him in the back of the head. He swore VERY loudly, then felt where he'd been hit. When his fingers returned from scouting with the tad bit of blood, he looked about ready to go on the war path.

And that is just what he did. He got up and stomped over to where Caius was talking to Laney. He stooped a bit to achieve a good talking-down-to distance from his old nemesis' face before announcing his challenge. "Hey man, you got a problem?"

[Caius Dolan]

Caius squinted a little as if trying to remember something before coming back with, "I've got some sand in my eyes, but other than that..." He shook his head and shrugged. "No problem here. What about you? Look like you've got kind of a headache." All of this he said in a perfectly calm, quiet, conversational tone of voice, no emotion passing over his face whatsoever.

[Clio Maera]

Before Laku could further pursue a fight or whatever he was trying to do, Clio decided to interfere. She impatiently tossed the towel away from her face and sauntered over, half-empty water bottle in hand. Careful to stand to the side, let reflex set in and she be kicked, she tugged Laku's tail. "Dude. Chill. Leave the guy 'lone, you'll have plenty of time for this later." As she spoke, Clio, rather than looking toward the object of her speech, stared evenly at Caius from her dark, almost black eyes.

[Caius Dolan]

Caius stared evenly back at Clio while she attempted to talk Laku down, wondering if he'd listen to her. Caius half-hoped he wouldn't; he loved any excuse he got to drive his fist into Laku's face. A fight would also get him out of the painfully-formal conversation he would otherwise be having with the redheaded girl, Delaney.

Of course, with the pros came the cons: Laku was in his true form right now, not his glamored-up one, and that meant Laku currently had hooves and a whole lot more body weight than he would in the common room or the hallways, where they'd usually duke it out. Caius was proud, but he wasn't stupid, and he realized that pissing Laku off any further right now would probably end in several broken bones.

Having taken all of this into consideration, he bit back the several acidic retorts that had risen to his tongue and turned his cool gaze on Laku, indicating that it was his move.

[Delaney Donovan]

Fun versus morals. Lighting the fire to start the fray, or keeping her mouth shut to keep the shit from hitting the fan. Decisions, decisions. It wasn't often that she didn't immediately react in a way that would cause mayhem--she was so fond of mayhem!--but, for once, she was considering other people. Caius was already a gloomy sort, and judging by the sort of gloomy, she didn't think picking a fight with a rather large centaur would help that very much. Especially if she picked the fight. Besides, she barely came up to the centaur's elbow, and she wasn't very good at fighting. Running? Running she could do. But she couldn't throw a punch to save her life.

She looked up at Laku, smiling in a way that she knew was infuriating, but not inherently fight-inducing. "Lissen to your girlfriend, fella. I'm hearin' talk that the sphinx is arrivin' shortly, and I hear she's a right bitch, 'specially when it comes to fightin'." Make fun of his horse butt. Make fun of the fluffy feet. Tease him about being whipped. All she wanted to do was poke fun and instigate, but she was letting her morals win this time. She'd just make up for it later.

[Laku Nicolita]

He lurched forward, quite ready to have a good old-fashioned face-smashing contest with Caius. Then, Clio just had to intervene. He generally wouldn't have listened to her, but on this particular occasion...

Laku snorted, kicking angrily behind him and stomping once with a fore-hoof. By principle, he tried to keep fights even, so he would HAVE to glam-up to take on Cai. And, in accordance to his poor choice of glamour-wardrobe this morning, he would have been standing quite nude on the beach that day. Not wanting to deal with all that, he turned and marched over to Clio's little space, dragging his 'friend' along by the wrist, grumbling angrily all the way.

[Caius Dolan]

Caius glanced at the Delaney girl when she told Laku to listen to his friend and noticed that her eyes were sending a very different message from the one her mouth sent. Don't even worry about missing one brawl, he thought at her. You'll get more than your fair share before the year's out, that's for sure.

Caius sighed, half-disappointed and half-relieved, when Laku finally walked away. They would just have to bash each other's skulls in another time. Probably tonight in the Terdor dormitories. He laid back down on his towel and closed his eyes, trying to will time to go faster. He had been ready for this day to end since it had started.