Beach BBQ [Open]

[asharpertongue]

Levi's idea for a beach party had been a good one. After the past few weeks they both needed to blow off a little steam and Lara had taken to the idea like the proverbial siren to water, inviting all her employees and friends. Levi had put the word out at the police station and among his closer friends so between them a decent crowd was forming.

The tables lining the beach were piled high with food and drink, a DJ was already in full swing and people were drifting over to the large bonfire for warmth as the chill started to cut through the summer evening. A few of the Heart of Gold employees had brought their kids along for the festivities and a friend of Lara's was performing little glamours and tricks to keep them entertained. Large clusters of huge pillows were dotted about the beach just a little way from Levi's house and lanterns and firelight bathed the whole area in a warm glow.

Maybe Lara had taken it a little far but she liked to treat her friends and everyone could use a little R&R.

OOC: Levi and Lara's friends have been officially invited, but everyone else feel free to wander in at your leisure~.

Comments

[jasonwright]

He raises his eyebrows at that. "It is?"

[littleredsiren]

"Yeah," she shrugs, focusing on the water and scrunching up her nose. "I mean, not the 90-year-old part because I'm only 25, but the ageing slowly thing. Lara told me we kind of hit a peak age, then our ageing slows down? It kind of confuses me."

[jasonwright]

He finds the slow-aging fact interesting, and he's even more intrigued that Iris seems so unsure about it. "Why is it confusing?"

[littleredsiren]

"I don't know," she shakes her head, smiling wryly. "It's just, there's nothing set in stone with this stuff. Not every siren functions the same, you know? There's no set age where we slow down or anything, there's no rules on what a siren will look like, what level of influence we can wield..."

[jasonwright]

"Is that such a bad thing?" he asks, moving along with the gentle waves. "I mean, it sucks not knowing exactly what'll happen, but...that also means you don't necessarily have to behave like the other sirens, right? I mean, you don't want to influence people too much. Some do. At least there's not rule book that says you have to stop aging at 30 or you have to influence others to do what you want."

[littleredsiren]

Iris rolls in the water, thinking it over. "I guess so, yeah. I'd rather have a lack of rules and be able to follow my own moral code than to just... have to make people do what I want."

[jasonwright]

"Exactly," he says, dunking under the water to get the hair out of his face. "Time to live by your own rules, right?"

[littleredsiren]

"Mmmm... No family to hold me back, no monster rules to hold me back... I should just become a total rebel," she grins.

[jasonwright]

Jason laughs. "A rebel huh? What's your first move gonna be?"

[littleredsiren]

"Well, clearly to get drunk and go sleep around with a bunch of people. Although... That would kind of be the opposite of rebelling against my siren side, huh?" she asks, pulling a face. "It'd definitely be rebelling against my family though."

[jasonwright]

He shakes his head. "Are you going to rebel against your family or being a siren?"

[littleredsiren]

She scrunches up her nose, like she's working hard to decide. "Hmm... I mean, I only just learned I was a siren. It's hard to rebel against something when you've barely got a taste for it, right? So... Family it is."

[jasonwright]

He raises an eyebrow. "Watch out, Siren Cove, Iris is going to woo everyone into her bed."

[littleredsiren]

She pauses for a moment before bursting into laughter. "I don't think this is going to work. I've got the seductive powers of a leaf."

[jasonwright]

"Okay, I call bullshit. How can you be a siren and not have some kind of ability to seduce??"

[littleredsiren]

"By being raised by very religious, very 'you must be pure, Iris!' relatives? I couldn't even wear shorts until I moved here and I love shorts," she snorts. "The day I manage to seduce my way out of a wet paper bag is the day the world stops spinning."

[jasonwright]

He shakes his head. "Nah, I think you got it in you. Lara will just have to help break that side out of you."

[littleredsiren]

"She's been trying," she admits with an embarrassed shrug. "That's what the whole 'getting me to kiss Michael' thing was about. She wants me to get in touch with my... y'know... um. Sexual side to my powers. And I mean, I got my first kiss out of it? And kind of got in touch with them for a minute or two..."

[jasonwright]

"Who's Michael?" Jason suddenly feels like he needs to make sure this guy's legit, his natural protectiveness flaring up, but he reels himself in. Michael was practice. He probably doesn't need to have a stern talk with the guy about what'll happen if he hurts Iris. "That's good. I mean, even if it was just a moment or two, that's progress, right?" Jason feels his cheeks are a little flushed, just because this is a weird conversation, even for a man who's been in touch with his...sexual side. Talking to Iris about that makes him flush though.

[littleredsiren]

"The bartender at the Watersong," she explains, oblivious to that flare of protectiveness. "He's a really good kisser, I can't lie. Not that I have a comparison but it was... nice."

Iris does catch his slight blush at the sexual side of the conversation. Oddly enough, she's not that bothered by this part of things. It's too technical and she feels very detached from it all, so seeing him get blushy kind of delights her. "Yeah! Hopefully I'll be able to grasp it more firmly, next time. Get used to the feeling of that kind of power. Lara says it's a lot more potent than the general 'good' feelings I've been using up until now."

[jasonwright]

"Kissing is very good," he admits. He's feeling oddly uncomfortable. Hearing Iris talk so flippantly about sexual desire is throwing him off and he finds himself focusing on the water. "Good feelings? What do you mean?"

[littleredsiren]

"Like, normally I grab onto just general pleasant sensations. The happiness that comes from seeing people enjoy my baking... The joy of hanging out with my friends..." she explains with a smile, even though he's not looking at her anymore. "Those feelings can get someone to listen to my persuasion, but it's actual proper seductive feelings that make someone listen. I guess eventually I'll have to delve further into those. Thank god for Michael, right?"

[jasonwright]

"Yup, thank god for Michael," he says, still staring at the water like he sees something swimming around. He doesn't. It's too dark now. "So what, are you supposed to practice these...seductive feelings?"

[littleredsiren]

"Yup!" she shrugs, braiding her hair idly as she talks. "Eventually, I guess, I'll actually have to, y'know... Do the deed. You can only seduce so much when you've never been seduced, really. But for now, it's just flirting a lot and kissing."

[jasonwright]

Yeah, his face is burning now and he starts swimming to distract himself. "You make it sound like orientation at a new job."