Out for a Stroll (Nox and Kardus)

Jemmy watched Nox's transformation with disbelief. Now they had two wolves with them. So much for going unnoticed. Frowning, Jemmy shook her head at her balloon. "I don't think they get it. Well, at least nobody is likely to mess with us, having two wolves and all." In any case, nobody liked a worrywart. Jemmy wasn't even sure why she cared so much. It wasn't like The Hat would suddenly be unable to find her if she blended in a little better. If anything, having two wolves with her could possibly keep him away.

It wasn't likely, though.

Jemmy jumped on Nox's back. If she was going to walk with two wolves, then she was going to ride one of them. She turned Red back into an umbrella and pointed him forward. "Onward, sir Nox."

"I guess that's one way to look at it.." Annie responded to Jemmy when she said nobody would mess with them now that two wolves were walking with them. "But I guess it kind of fits now, with two girls and two wolves... And he doesn't stick out as much as he used to. I think his disguise works really well."

Kasha was finding Nox's transformation, as well as what he turned into, quite interesting. He leaned in toward the shadow demon to sniff at him curiously again, though it was kind of pointless. You can't smell a shadow, nor were shadows very good at smelling. He moved back again, though, when he saw that Jemmy had decided to go for a ride. Annie couldn't help but have found that funny, smiling and laughing at Jemmy's energy. She could be really fun sometimes. Watching Jemmy get on the wolf to ride him made Annie look at Kasha. "Mach-ta fey cha?" ^^ Kasha supposed he didn't see any reason why not, and if Nox was okay with it, then he was too. Annie proceeded to climb onto Kasha's back gleefully, smiling happily and ready to keep walking.

It gave Nox a surprise when Jemmy jumped on his back.  Was it normal for little girls to ride on wolves through the city?  Then again, as Jemmy had pointed out, a wolf wasn't exactly a regular sight, let alone two of them.  Regardless, he was fine with being used as a mount, Jemmy was small and light, after all.

Nox began walking, staying careful not to make Jemmy lose her balance. He found it ironic, a child riding an arch-demon as if he were a pet. He really didn't mind, after all, it would be a good exercise of humility for him. Humility was a virtue after all, and Nox would need to practise the virtues as part of his journey away from evil.

"So, to where are we travelling?" Nox asked through a set of vocal chords he'd added to his canine form.

Annie said that she liked Nox's disguise, and that she thought it would work well. That was so...silly. Sometimes Jemmy forgot that real children didn't have the same perspective as she did. Annie was just a little girl, one who hadn't spent thousands of years hiding her identity.

Jemmy grinned. At times like this, she felt like Annie's older sister; the rebellious, bad influence kind of older sister. When had Jemmy stopped being that carefree? Maybe she was too worked up about this whole disguise thing.

Nox asked where they were going. He was acting as a good mount, so Jemmy patted him on the head. "Our destination is the same place we came from. We'll see some pretty sights, we'll do some fun things, but in the end we will return home. Walks are kinda like life. It is what you make it. What do you want out of life, Nox?" She looked out again at the water, hoping that she wasn't being too philosophical for Annie's taste. "Nothing wrong with that, of course. Maybe we should go for a swim later. Annie, what do you want to do?"

Annie looked over to watch Nox and Jemmy striding along. He seemed to be okay with it, though it wasn't quite something he was used to. Annie thought this was really cute; two friends riding wolves made of shadow. Where was a camera when you needed one? Kasha, likewise, seemed pretty happy with the current situation.

Jemmy's comment didn't sound too confusing to Annie; in fact it sounded like something Kasha would say. When asked what she wanted to do, Annie looked to Nox. He was the guest here, he probably should get to do what he wanted. In fact...why was Jemmy riding him? It wasn't very nice to do that to someone you've just met.. But Nox didn't seem to be upset by it, so she decided not to say anything. Instead she thought of something they might do, since no-one else knew it seemed.

She thought. "Ummmm...." What did she want to do... "Does anyone want to go to the beach? Maybe get some ice cream?"

What was there to want from life?  Nox hadn't considered it, to be truthful.  He'd had no ambitions during his life as a harvester, and only desired to resist evil in his new earthly life.  Walking in silence for a bit, he pondered Jemmy's question, before eventually speaking.  "I'm not sure, exactly.  What do most people want from life?"

Nox listened patiently to Annie's input.  The beach did indeed sound nice to him, but...  "What is... ice cream?  I've never heard of it, is it a sort of formation, like an iceberg or glacier?"  He wore a genuinely puzzled look on his face as he asked Annie this.

Nox had no answer for Jemmy's question. Instead, he asked what most people wanted out of life.

"I have no idea," Jemmy said. "I just want to have some fun. What about you, Annie?" Maybe Kasha would have some insight on the purpose of life. He seemed to have a lot of wisdom, whatever that was.

The beach and ice cream both sounded fun. When Nox asked what ice cream was, Jemmy perked up. "That's it. We're going to the beach to get ice cream. They have a little ice cream stand there these days. Of course, we can stop by the house quick to get some swimsuits first, but Nox has to know what ice cream is if he's going to hang around with us."

The small group turned around and made a lazy trek to the home Jemmy and Annie had shared for a few months. The girls put on the swimsuits that Marleigh had helped them buy at the start of summer, and then they set out again to the specific part of the beach where a small ice cream shop stood. Jemmy took pride in knowing where every ice cream store was in Jump City.

There was a line, but nothing too long. When they got up to the front, Jemmy put a $20 bill on the counter, which came up to her nose, and asked for a strawberry cone. She looked at Annie, remembering that the girl didn't like the idea of stealing. "This money was a gift from a friend of mine. I didn't steal it, and I didn't blackmail him, so have whatever you want." Jemmy wasn't sure if Kasha wanted any ice cream or not. The whole not-having-hands thing was kind of a problem. For Nox, Jemmy decided it was best to give him a gentle introduction to the amazing world of frozen treats. She bought a vanilla cone for him.

However, between her own ice cream cone in one hand and her umbrella in the other, she had no way to hold Nox's ice cream for him. Jemmy looked at the clerk, who was already used to strange things happening when this particular girl was around. "Stay cool, that shadowy demon wolf thing is going shapeshift. Keep the change." Jemmy looked at Nox. "You'll need some thumbs for this. Other fingers would also help."

It seemed that Nox wasn't sure what he wanted from life; but then again, there were a lot of humans that felt the same way. Come to think of it, did Annie know what she wanted? She thought for a minute about Jemmy's question. At first she wasn't sure what to reply, before Kasha helped her form her feelings into words. "I guess I don't want much from life. I'm happy as long as I have decent food, shelter, basic comforts like a soft bed, safety from harm, basic freedoms, a beautiful world and explore, and people to love and be loved by." Annie felt like this actually summed up her basic desires pretty well. But then again, these were things that most everyone desired. Annie just couldn't think of very much that she wanted other than these things.

Annie blinked and looked an Nox when he asked what ice cream was, kind of surprised. She looked to Jemmy and nodded in agreement. "Totally! He has to try some ice cream!"

When they got home, Annie changed into a yellow, one-piece swimsuit with pink flowers on it. She also brought with her a bag stuffed with four towels, inflatable water wings for Jemmy, sunscreen, and a Frisbee. Annie kept her red baseball cap on her as they walked to the beach and got in line for ice cream. Jemmy put down the money to pay for it, then turned to Annie to inform her that it wasn't stolen. Annie blinked; the thought honestly hadn't crossed her mind, and she wasn't sure how to respond. "Um...thank you?" she replied, not sure what else to say to that. Annie got a chocolate cone with sprinkles, intending to share it with Kasha. He didn't eat much anyway; nor did he have any germs or slobber or anything, so it's not like it was gross to share food with him.

The ice cream vender blinked at Jemmy when she mentioned the 'shadowy demon wolf thing' was going to shapeshift. He looked between Kasha and Nox in confusion, then looked back to Jemmy and replied; "Which one?" Kasha blinked and looked at Nox at that response, while Annie found it funny and started laughing. "Sen mancha de petchek, tsee?"

Nox followed Annie and Jemmy back to their home, but waited outside for them. He simply watched the pigeons flutter around. Once they had changed, they all walked to the beach. The feeling of sand in his paws greatly intrigued Nox. But before they did much in the sand, the ice cream stand needed a visit.

Watching Jemmy carefully, he observed the transaction. What was this "vanilla" she spoke of? Jemmy mentioned that a shadow demon wolf thing would shapeshift, but, as Annie pointed out, there were two of them. perhaps Nox should clarify for them.

"This one." Nox said, looking up at the man.  He changed his form back to that of a humanoid, and stood up.  Gingerly, he took the ice cream cone from Jemmy in the tips of claws.  "Thank you very much, Miss Jemmy."  He held it up at eye level, studying it closely.  It certainly was nothing like a glacier.  With a sudden motion, Nox stabbed the treat with a claw.  "Just want to make sure it's dead..."  He watched the girls, and followed their example of liking the heap of cold stuff on the top of the cone.

"So, I presume one swims at the beach, judging by the water.  I've never actually swam before, maybe I should mimic a fish's fins."  He knelt down to look at Kasha.  "What do you think would be the best way to swim?", he said as he gently scratched behind the wolf's ears.

Jemmy finished her ice cream quickly, eating most of the cone itself in a single bite. As she chewed up the last of it, she checked her red two-piece swim suit. It was very cute, she thought, but she wasn't used to showing so much skin. Maybe she should have gotten a one-piece like Annie.

Annie and Kasha were sharing an ice cream cone. Jemmy looked up at her umbrella. Gross. "You're not getting any." The umbrella did not reply. Jemmy stuck it in the sand near the shore, so that it would be able to stay close to her without drawing any attention. She wouldn't be going too far out into the water, anyways. This was her first time in recent memory swimming.

Apparently Nox had never swam before either. Jemmy shook her head at his question. "I'm not going to cheat, so you shouldn't either. I want to do this on my own, without using my powers. I want to...accomplish something."

Looking at the water, Jemmy took a deep breath, as if to fill herself with air to make floating easier. She looked at Annie, expectantly. "Okay. I can't hear Kasha anymore, so you'll have to translate, Annie. How do I swim?"

The ice cream man seemed surprised by Nox's transformation.  But then, this was Jump city.  All kinds of weird people showed up here, and he was told in advance.  Annie looked up and Nox and watched him stab the ice cream.  "Um...ice cream alive to begin with."  It seemed Nox had figured this out, though.  

Annie and Kasha listened, and it seemed that neither Nox nor Jemmy had much (if any) experience swimming.  Kasha would have thought about answering their questions, until Nox started scratching behind his ears.  Kasha sat in place, narrowing his eyes and leaning into the scratching.  He seemed to be quite enjoying it.  Annie looked at him, noticing him get distracted.  She blinked.  "Kasha?"  Kasha blinked, pausing only a few moments more before sending Nox a telepathic message that basically read; ("Keep your hand on me, and I can inform you on how to swim in the form of a human.")

Kasha then got up and moved to press his head up to Jemmy's hand.  ("You can still hear me for as long as you keep physical contact.  As for swimming, this is what I can show you.")  Kasha then began to directly share feelings of what it's like to swim, giving them both a general feel for it before ever getting in the water.  The way he did this was by imagining a human figure out in the ocean, swimming; while not only showing them the image, but also allowing them to experience all the feelings that the figure felt.  They could feel how he moved the water around him while he swam, treading water; as well as the motions he made with his limbs.  The experience was similar to recalling a memory, but more vivid.  The mental figure then began to demonstrate basic swimming methods such as treading water, diving, and the like; as well as informing them of 'rip tides' and that if caught in one, to swim to the side, not against it.  

Annie stood by and watched them from the side, able to feel all this without touching Kasha.  She licked her ice cream silently as she stood and observed.

Having never received a telepathic message before, Nox was caught a little off guard by it.  He noticeably flinched, but managed to keep contact.  Learning this way seemed very efficient, and Nox though it a shame that not everyone had access to it.  Then again, limited access is what made such things special.  If everyone can do something, it has lost it's uniqueness.

"Thank you for the lesson, friend." Nox said, retracting his hand.  Before he went to the water, Nox finished eating his ice cream.  It took him a good while, as the dessert was almost painfully cold to him. once he'd gotten it finished, he walked out the the water, and did his best to swim.  There was difficulty with the waves, but he managed well enough to enjoy it.

Before Jemmy knew it, she was having sensation flowing into her mind, showing her what it was like to swim. This was...strange, even for her. When she had still possessed her telepathic abilities, she had never used them in quite this way. Kasha's psionic powers were quite impressive.

After taking in the feeling of how to swim, Jemmy tried to test it out herself. Nox was already swimming around, seemingly pleased with himself. Jemmy tried to motivate herself. She would not be outdone by a mere demon!

Jemmy jumped into the water with confidence...and sank like a rock. She panicked for a moment. She was drowning! It took Jemmy a few seconds to remember that she couldn't drown. She was immortal, after all. Taking a moment beneath the waves, she thought hard about those sensations Kasha had shared with her. She started moving her arms and legs the way she had felt them moving before. All the sudden, she was moving. She was swimming! Jemmy was so excited that she tried to laugh, still underwater. She got a lung full of water. As she reached the surface, she spit out a full gallon of water, unintentionally in Nox's direction.

After swimming a few circles around the beach area, Jemmy looked back at Annie. "I'm doing it! This is awesome. Thank you, Kasha. You're the best..." Jemmy hesitated. This was the ultimate test. Which gender was Kasha again? It seemed that Jemmy always guessed wrong, only to be corrected time after time. She thought harder, searching the slightly deeper recesses of her shallow mind. Annie had made sure it was clear that Kasha was...a... "pet that a girl could ask for."

(O.O.C. Sorry about tardiness. Been busy the last month or so and forgot about some stuff like this.)

It seemed that both Jemmy and Nox heard Kasha's lesson loud and clear, and began to put it to good use. He blinked at the sensation of Jemmy panicking, until she remembered she couldn't drown. Annie felt it too, tensing up and eyes going wide when she felt it; almost diving in after her before she felt Jemmy relax again and start to swim. With a sigh, Annie relaxed as well. She had gotten scared there for a little bit...

At this time, Annie laid down her things by Jemmy's umbrella and headed for the water as well. As she stepped into the waves, she looked up to the sound of Jemmy calling out to her. She smiled back, then blinked as she felt Jemmy contemplate Kasha's gender. A smile and laugh came to her face when Jemmy seemingly couldn't remember, and just called him a pet. "He really is...isn't he?" Annie soon followed the others into the water, swimming with ease. Kasha decided against swimming and instead lay himself down on the beach, just out of range of the oncoming waves.

While swimming was quite enjoyable, Nox decided that he'd like to relax for a bit.  He swam to the shore, and sprawled himself out onto the sand, belly up.  The heat of the sand on his back and the sun on his face made him feel very relaxed.  As he lay with his eyes closed, he drifted off to sleep.


(O.O.C. I apologize for the extreme delay.    I didn't know where to go with this for a while.)