[Public] Snacks, Sand and Swimwear

[Carmine Crest]

The reveal that Evergreen didn't have a lot of friends beforehand was something a bit of a surprise to him considering just how outgoing the faunus seemed... Then again, considering Vlithra just smashed a can into his forehead and he still considered that to be a joke, Carmine could see why that would happen. Although the insight the girl just provided had gave him another thing to consider, silliness for a purpose of disarming people's comfort, a usually valid tactic if how relax the atmosphere almost seemed to those actively partaking in the party. Only exception was Vlithra as far as he could tell but then again, that could just be how she usually is, Evergreen would probably know her better than he does after all.

Speaking of the woman, she added onto Ciendra's suggestion to grab some food and Carmine only shook his head. "Not hungry. Thank you for cooking however." It was a simple refusal however he couldn't help but lower his mask back down, alongside his drink. His eyes opened once more and turned to the ocean as it gently crashed against the sand, part of him wondering if they'd go swimming or what else would be offered and rather or not he would even partake in those activities. He knew he was welcomed to the group or at least tolerated but he wasn't certain if he fit in with the group, only one who seemed similar to him was Vlithra and she was already irritated and working to disarm would only be impossible with Evergreen riling her up.

He should at least stay a bit longer, lest they think he left due to the food. Turning his attention back to Erin, he was slightly surprised that she had apparently abandoned her sweater at some point. "Isn't it bad to eat before we go swimming actually?" Carmine would comment as he wondered just what exactly was the plan for the party as his eyes drifted toward the swim suit Vlithra currently eating a good portion of food.

[Erin Cherrywood]

Erin couldn't help but frown at the attention Bartok was getting, she was used to him being her friend and not having to share. Maybe she was just territorial? She shook her head to try to push the feeling away, lest Bartok sense her jealousy. She wanted to go help him but the others had it covered so she turned her attention to Vlithra. She wasn't sure if she'd ever seen anyone hit Bartok the way she did, at least not without Erin stepping in to put a stop to it. There was a kind of kinship forming between her and Vlithra, even if Vlithra couldn't see it.

Before she knew it, Vlithra and Al were telling her and Carmine to hurry up lest they go hungry. She glanced down at her stomach, well the top of her boobs really, but she imagined her stomach in the bikini top and inwardly frowned. She didn't usually care what people thought of her but she was surrounded by taller, equally curvy girls, and couldn't help but want to keep up the sex appeal.

Carmine declined and she smiled. Now she wouldn't be the only one not eating. "Thank you, but I'll also pass. Wouldn't want to eat too much too early and not be able to swim. Speaking of," She began, looking up at Carmine again. "Since neither of us are eating, would you like to swim with me?"

[Al Ciendra]

While it was a shame that Carmine and Erin did not want to eat anything Al did not mind, it just meant there was more for her and Vlithra, who seemed to be the only people that were currently hungry, kind of strange but perhaps the others did not feel comfortable grabbing a bite or had just already eaten.
Hmmm...
Al finished her plate up, by quickly and literally wolfing down the food that was on her plate, forsaking the usage of the cutlery and instead just eating as fast as she could without choking.
And got back to the grill, she took a few steaks and other items and put them on the grate again, letting some small embers glow inside, this should keep this food warm for anyone else to eat it later on.

After this Al turned back to the rest of the party.
Bartok was still talking to Ax and cooling his forehead, from what she heard of their conversation, and Al heard it all even though Bartok was whispering.
He was still as confident as ever, it really made her wonder what it would take for Vlithra to deter this bat.
Well, either way it would be entertaining for her.

Carmine and Erin seemed to get along, the two were just talking, oh wait did they want to go swimming ?!
Wait...was it really dangerous to eat before swimming ?
WHAT EVER!
Al was on board with swimming, that's the whole reason people came to the ocean right ?

Well if they wanted to swim there was only one good way to invite everyone.
"WHO EVER IS LAST IN THE WATER HAS TO DO THE DISHES!"
Al shouted, towards the group before she turned tail and started running towards the ocean.
She would make extra sure that she would be the first!
Al's hands were lit ablaze and a fiery discharge could be seen as Al blasted herself forward like a rocket, she was a few feet in the air and already above the deep blue she plummeted downwards head first and submerged herself, barely even making a splash.
Al resurfaced, giggling to herself, quickly making sure that her bandages were still on before turning around and looking for everyone else.
She would swim just a bit back to the shore, so that she could stand with her head poking out of the water.
Let's see who else would join her, anyone hopefully, or she would probably try and drown herself from sheer embarrassment.

[Ax L Rose]

Ax's metal hand gently zapped Bartok with a stray hint of static as he accepted her hand and she pulled him up with ease like the showoff she secretly was - effortlessly. She idly brushed a bit of sand off of Bartok's shoulder and took a step back. She shot a glance back over at Vlithra as Bartok referred to her as a "Personal Can Compactor", her eyebrows raising in surprise. It took her a second to actually see what he did there.

"Personal- oh. I get it. Yeah dude, maybe your charm and good looks are just too much for all of us ladyfolk. But hey, you could always try boys," Ax suggested with a sly smirk, a lazy shrug, and a good-natured pat on the shoulder. With that, she turned and followed on the heels of Al over toward the others, her tailfeathers bouncing contentedly. She strode forward with apparent confidence, her eyes flicking over the rest of the group as she followed the wolf over to the grill. She figured Bartok would follow.

As she approached the others she became acutely aware of the overlapping emotional feedback of each person manifesting in her mind like a sort of pressure in her temples. It wasn't painful, but it was a reminder that she needed to stay in control of her emotions. It was possible that even if she couldn't sense anyone else's emotions precisely, others could potentially still pick up on her own.

Ax stood over by Al as the girl started to prepare more food, watching briefly as meat sizzled on the grill. While Ax waited, she turned and gave Vlithra a look. The tigress seemed to be feeling a bit pensive, maybe lonely - Ax got that impression just by looking at her. She followed her gaze out to the clear, beautiful blue ocean, before looking back over at her. Yeah, Ax was definitely going to go bother her at some point. Vlithra somehow struck her as someone who probably secretly wanted to be talked to.

Not wanting to cross the thin line between a cursory look and an impolite stare, Ax turned her head next to Erin and Carmine. She immediately perked up as they conversed and she sensed a chance to actually involve herself in the conversation and break some of the ice.

"Is that really true? I've had someone tell me that the eating-after-swimming thing is actually a m-,"

"WHOEVER IS LAST IN THE WATER HAS TO DO THE DISHES!"

Ax's head snapped back over to Al, but the wolf was already running ahead. She stared blankly for a moment before she fully registered what she said. Right around that time, Al blasted herself forth with her semblance, and Ax watched with wide eyes. Man, everyone else got the cool semblances.

Well, she supposed she'd have to eat later. Good thing she wasn't too hungry. After shooting a glance back at the others, she shrugged, smiled, and she began to gingerly jog ahead toward Al through the sand, deliberately kicking off her flip-flops as she moved. She could up her pace to a sprint if anyone passed her... she didn't need to be first, but she sure as hell wasn't about to be last. She hated washing dishes, even if she hadn't actually seen a single dish so far. She'd just have to hope everyone else didn't have semblances that gave them huge advantages like Al did.

[Bartok Evergreen]

Ax made a suggestion that to the Bat Faunus, was a bad taste in his mouth. He made a face as if he had eaten something two years past it's expiration date, teeth scarping against his tongue to clean it from something. "Boys? No, too solid and stupid." He said as he followed. "Not to mention ungraceful and uncoordinated. All adjectives that don't apply to me, of course."

He reclaimed his plate of food and began eating as he watched everyone with his ears. Everyone seemed to be getting along well, besides Vlithra who sat alone on a bench. He'd go and give her company, but despite what he said outloud, he knew that she wasn't pleased with his accusations, for to her they were accusations, of being engaged. But how else would she show everyone else the cold demeanor that he thought was cool to everyone? By sitting in the corner drinking far too many soda's and making tiny chit chat?

Carmine and Erin seemed to be getting along well, he hadn't missed the conversation about him, even with the can crushing against his skull. Ok, those few seconds he didn't hear anything but the crumpling of metal, but before and after he heard perfectly. But people didn't really like it when he revealed that he heard everything they were saying about him when he wasn't part of the conversation. Not like Erin would be embarrassed or anything, they'd known each other for ever, and what she was saying wasn't untrue, though he surely didn't think of himself as such a guy.

And then Al was screaming about dishes and water. Bartok would be fine doing the dishes, and even more fine with not getting water in his ears. However, someone volunteering to not take the dishes would ruin the fun of the race that, even as he though of it, heard Al win, her flames scorching the seawater as she landed. Then he remembered that the girls would be in there, in their swimsuits or whatever they were or weren't wearing. Heck if he knew. Well, the race was on.

He made sure to act hurriedly as he licked his tongue, moved to place his food carefully on something, move it more securley as to not tip over, and then start running for the beach. He didn't quite care where he ended up in the race, but he'd make it look like he was going to fight.

[Vlithra Qing Long]

Looking around in the group Vlithra wouldn‘t miss a few glances she was getting by the others. She usually ignored this kind of attention, her gaze usually continuing its journey around without dwelling on one person too much. Except for one… Ax. Since the moment the bird faunus arrived, there had been this odd feeling of mutuality. Not that they were similar, but literally a feeling that Vlithra couldn't quite describe at the time.
Her ears then picked up on the conversation Erin and Carmine were having about swimming after eating. If memory served well, eating before swimming was only really dangerous if you were to go in on an empty or full stomach. Otherwise you were fine, aside a slight feel of nausea that was easy to dismiss. Vlithra was almost about to add to that when Ax joined in the conversation.

"WHOEVER IS LAST IN THE WATER HAS TO DO THE DISHES!" Al blurted out as she sprinted to the water. Such a declaration didn‘t went unnoticed to the white tigress. She stared in awe as Al literally rocket propelled herself into the water. Damn, that was a versatile semblance. Ax soon ran after, setting a steady pace for those following.

While Bartok was busy tidily putting away his plate of food, Vlithra shot up from her seat. This was a challenge and Vlithra reveled in such challenges, which was the main reason why she had a big cheeky smile on her face. For a brief moment she put her right hand onto her left shoulder and stretched her neck left and right as a little bit of exercise.

"I‘d say screw caution! It‘s time to swim!“ The tigress shouted as she shot forward running towards the water after Ax. There was no way she was going to wash the dishes, she was going to give it her all to be as early in the water as possible.

Good thing her semblance can assist here, hell it was the entire reason Vlithra didn‘t flat out start with a sprint. Vlithra grit her teeth and clenched her fists as she started fueling her semblance with aura. As usual, lightning started erupting out of her body as she ran after Ax, the gap of her steps getting bigger and bigger with each step but keeping a moderate tempo. Her stripes and eyes, glowed and then... lightning struck.

With the sound of thunder erupting from her body, the green streaks of lightning enveloped the tigers limbs like a storm. Her hair left only a green afterglow behind as she zoomed past Ax with one huge kinetically enhanced step forward. As her other foot touched the fine sand, she could already feel the soreness and pain in her other leg kicking in. However she kept going and made another huge step forward, even closer to the water.

This next one was going to bring her to the goal. Vlithra landed with both feet in the sand and slid forward a bit more, due to the momentum, before then using her last bit of kinetic energy in her legs to jump forward head first into the water, a bit further than Al did and fully submerging herself into the cold refreshing saltwater with a moderate splash.

With one more kinetically enhanced stroke of her arms, Vlithra shot through the water back to the surface. Upon resurfacing, her body leaves the water up to her midriff before sinking back in up to her neck. Her arms were aching a bit, her legs… were in pain. The strain put on them by the outward kinetic force applied was apparently too much for her to handle. No wonder if she barely ever uses it, she really had to use this more often to get used to it. It made her flinch for a moment before she masked the pain with laughter and then slowly swam to where Al was so she could stand in the water aswell.

[Carmine Crest]

Hm... The question of swimming, it was something he was expecting to do at some point given his clothing but he certainty wasn't expecting to be asked to go swimming one on one with somebody, even if it was only because everybody was currently eating it left him with an odd feeling. Not unpleasant but it did feel a little off, two people swimming while everybody else rested at the beach after a meal just didn't exactly seem common. Then again, what exactly did he know about normal? A small smile crossed his lips as he prepared to answer Erin's request.

Which is when the new faunus, Ax attempted to explain that the food thing was actually a myth before she was cut off from a sudden call to action by Ciendra, the one eyed girl exclaiming the last one in the water was to do the dishes before taking off to the ocean. There was a small pause as everybody turned to watch her sprint to the waves, in that time she decided to ensure her position as leader by unleashing jets of flame behind her and propelling herself forward and above the water before disappearing beneath the sea.

As everybody moved to join the race, Carmine found his shoulder aching once more as his right hand curled into a fist and he couldn't control the slightest shake in his arm. The small smile that had formed had died an ugly death as he only frowned and closed his eyes once more, listening to everybody spring into action after Ciendra, the distinct sound of what best could be described as a tesla coils told him Vlithra was also capable of using her semblance for speed, the sound allowing him to simply pause and listen in, allowing himself to focus on something else.

He wasn't certain who else would join the race but the lack of movement would make it clear that Carmine wasn't going to be joining them anytime soon. Besides, the dishes were a good distraction and he'd be left alone with time to think and recollect himself, it worked out well enough for him.

[Erin Cherrywood]

Apparently, more people were listening in than she had thought. Ax had started to talk about the swimming and eating myth but was cut off as everyone burst into action around her at Al's sudden call to action. She frowned and couldn't hide the disgust on her face as Al exploded in a ball of fire towards the water, there was a certain level of disdain for people who had to make things a circus, not to mention the fact that someone could get hurt with everyone just firing off their semblances left and right. Just because they could control theirs and work their aura didn't mean everyone else could.

Shaking her head she watched everyone else make their way towards the water. Ax moved with careful consideration, she clearly didn't mind not being first but it looked like she wasn't going to be last either. Bartok took the time to put his food aside before making his way, which surprised her; she couldn't imagine water and sand in his ears as a good time but maybe he had a plan to keep them dry? Vlithra, like Al, didn't seem to care what her semblance might do to others and that was another nerve struck. She didn't say anything though, maybe her semblance didn't react like normal electricity would with water; no point in raising a stink with her new acquaintances if there was nothing wrong.

She felt weird about not rushing to the water, especially since she had expressed an interest in going, but it was entirely too rowdy for her liking now.

She glanced at Carmine, who seemed to be in some kind of pain again, and decided to stay put. "Hey? Do you mind if stick with you?" She asked softly. "I'd say we both don't really seem to fit in much..." She let her words trail off, not sure if he wanted her to go away.

[Al Ciendra]

Al was just watching the others approach, it was kind of a shame that Carmine, Erin and Bartok had stayed back.
She wondered why Bartok did not jump at the chance to get to swim with some hot girls, maybe he had some other "great" plan ?
Though she really wasn't super surprised by Carmine and Erin staying back.
Carmine seemed just a bit to shy or akward to do much of anything, plus he seemed to be in pain and Erin just seemed to hate fun, she saw the look the racoon faunus had shown her and Vlithra.

Speaking of Vlithra, Al was amazed by how far the tigress could launch herself, easily beating her own leap into the water and she even made a cool looking re-emergence!
Al was looking at her with stars in her one green eye as Vlithra swam closer to her.
"Awesome jump Vlithra, you gotta show me more of your semblance sometime!"
She was still grinning and had already forgotten about how the first use Vlithta's semblance had scared her, well the first time "shocked" her because it did come as a surprise, by now she was used to it.

Al then turned back to the shore, seeing Ax jogging towards them.
"Come on in Ax, the water is great!"
Al made a little hop in the water, so she could be seen a bit better and waved over to the bird Faunus.

Al would still wait for Ax to come over, but she was wandering what they could do in the water ?
Of course they could swim, that was obvious.
But swimming was only going to be fun for so long.
Hm, maybe she could think of some games...thinking wasn't her strong suit, she would just wait and see what the other two girls wanted to do.

[Ax L Rose]

There were a few problems with Ax immediately hustling off to the water as Al suggested. For starters, Ax's pockets were full of things she didn't want to lose or bring into the water, and Ax awkwardly remembered this as she began to move. She was also still wearing her denim shorts, which weren't really for swimming. She had to pause and unload her scroll and some other odds and ends. Fortunately there was a leaned-back beach chair situated just a little out of her way that didn't have any towels or personal items beside it, which seemed to suggest it wasn't currently being used. It would be Ax's now, and she could drag it back and maybe sunbathe a bit with the others or alone whenever she decided she'd had enough time in the water.

Vlithra flew past her in a blur as she absentmindedly considered all this. It took her a full second or two to even realize what had happened, and she had to slow her roll a little to gawk after the tigress in shock, her blue eyes wide and her lips forming an 'o'. She then quickly twisted her head to look back and see who else was coming, only to find that she wasn't in any danger of being last. It appeared that Erin and Carmine weren't interested in joining, and she had a few moments before Bartok caught up with her. It was kind of a bummer, but it was what it was. Maybe she'd get a chance to get to know the masked man and the pretty raccoon faunus another time.

She moved to deposit her keys, a full pack of cigarettes, her earphones, and a few other odds and ends near her newly claimed beach chair, figuring she'd have to keep an eye on her stuff from the water or hope the others noticed if anyone went rifling through her things. She then stuck her thumbs in the waistband of her short shorts and wiggled her curvy hips, shimmying out of her shorts and revealing a small black bikini bottom that could only be described as similarly scandalous as her top. Her long pink-white tail feathers obscured most of her backside, downplaying this.

Her detour had cost her; by the time she was heading back to the water she had to up the pace a little to catch up with Bartok. Since Erin and Carmine weren't coming and Al and Vlithra had already rolled and smoked her pretty much, she found herself no longer feeling as competitive. She decided to more or less head to the water with the bat, rather than ahead of him.

"Welp, looks like we're off the hook when it comes to dishes," Ax mused with a hint of dry humor as she caught up to Bartok, aiming to match his pace as they reached the shore, their feet leaving prints in the wet sand at the edge of the beach. She sucked in a breath between her teeth as she marched deeper into the water. The waves swept in where the water was shallow and crashed into her shins and her knees, making a shiver run all through her body. She all too eagerly bent her knees and sank into the water as soon as it was deep enough, submerging herself up to her chest tattoo in the water in hopes of adjusting to the temperature quickly. She shot a grin over at Al as the firestarter welcomed her. Her attentions shifted back and forth between her and Vlithra as she swam closer, her eyebrows raising as she bobbed her head with approving enthusiasm. Ax was clearly impressed at their displays from before, even if she really had no idea what Vlithra had even done.

"Clearly I never had a chance! I didn't even catch what you did," Ax turned her head to speak over to Vlithra. "You were just a blur! I blinked and it was over. Ain't racin' neither of you again any time soon!"

[Bartok Evergreen]

Bartok almost went deaf when Vlithra activated her Semblance and shot off like a rocket. He had to cover his ears after the boom had already happened, and they were ringing. He slowed, cringing heavily with pain evident on his face before he seemed to shake it off with the attitude of "be a man", pushing the pian down to act as if it hadn't bothered him. His ears rang, all four of them, and his steps were uncertain and heavy, hitting the sand harder in some places than he needed to to step. It would look as if he was running blind, literally.

He ran past Ax unloading stuff into a chair. One of the items shook, something inside it. He couldn't get any clearer of a picture because of his ears and the ringing, but he frowned as he passed her. "You pack candy along?" He asked, unknowingly referring to the cigarettes. He didn't wait for an answer as he continued to head for the soft wall of noise that was the ocean.

Ax caught up to him and told him that they didn't have to worry about the dishes. At that, he realized that he hadn't heard Erin and Carmine move. He turned in his run, legs switching to run backward and he clicked his tongue loudly. They really were staying behind. That slowed his gait to a stop. Ax might feel a sudden pang of lonely sadness, despite heading to an ocean full of hot girls in bikinis. He looked back towards Erin as Ax plunged into the water and he just kicked the wet sand, getting his toes wet with an incoming wave.

Bartok had gone from seemingly excited and sort of drunken with how he had run after Vlithra's display, to sullen and depressed. He looked like if he had a leather jacket on, he would throw on his hood, stuff his hands into the pockets, and find a dark corner to slide into. But Bartok knew he couldn't be the bum at his own party just because his oldest friend didn't want to join in the water and hang out with some other guy. He had to be energetic, he had to keep the party going.

Then a lightbulb went off in his head, and a wide grin spread over his face. It turned ravenous, shark-like with his too-sharp incisors, and he turned to all the girls in the water. "CHICKEN!" He shouted, fists clenching and raised as if his favorite sports team had won a championship game. "We're playing chicken!" He announced, wading into the water with ease. Dang it was cold, but he couldn't show it. "Teams of two! One gets on another's shoulders, and we struggle against one another until only one team is still left standing. Winner gets to bury someone of their choosing to the chin in the sand! Pair up! And NO Semblance usage!" He declared boldly. He wanted to see who would volunteer to be on his team, though he was pretty sure Vlithra wasn't going to. Ax was a good friend of his, and so was Al.

[Vlithra Qing Long]

Hearing Al‘s amazement about Vlithra‘s display sure made the white tigress feel proud of herself. However as she tried to stand in the water, she noticed just how much of a toll her little stunt had put on her. Her legs felt like mush trying to support her already decreased weight in the water and caused her to stagger backwards a bit, almost falling back into the water as she stood up, fighting through the pain. In the end she sank back into the water with a pained wince to allow her legs to rest. Yeah, there was no way they would carry her anywhere for the next few minutes.

Soon after that Ax arrived with Bartok and even she was amazed by what Vlithra did, which resulted in a wide grin being plastered onto Vlithras face.
“Well, I charged my legs with my semblance. Makes for quite the big power-boost sure, but there is a catch.“ she explained to Ax, all the while she tried standing up one more time. With a groan of pain Vlithra managed to barely stand upright to raise herself to chest height out of the water.
“The strain is huge. So much so that I can barely stand in the water right now.“ she continues as she hides the pain again with a small giggle and a smile. Smiling through pain made it at least a tad bit more bareable, even if the aching feeling became worse as she stood upright.

Vlithra couldn‘t help but notice a bit of gloomyness in Bartok as he halted right before jumping into the water. He seemed let down, depressed even. She didn‘t even know he could have such emotions, because he always seemed so positive. However there was not much time for Vlithra to develop worry for the bat, because as quickly as he was gloomy the quicker he was being his jolly old self again.

“CHICKEN!“ Bartok announced. He then went on to explain the rules of the game they were about to play. Two teams and no semblance, fine by Vlithra, but there were two more things that were certain in this scenario.
One, Vlithra was under no circumstance teaming up with Bartok. And two, she certainly wasn‘t ready right now to carry someone above water, her legs would give out almost immediately. She kinda shot herself in the foot here trying her hardest in the race and she seemed to visibly regret it aswell.

Vlithra‘s gaze looked over Al one more time to make sure her assumption are right. She was small, lean and seemed more like the kind of girl who relied on speed rather than strength. She was out of the question, at least if Vlithra wasn‘t the one to carry someone.
Vlithras eyes shot over to Ax to size her up. She wasn‘t all too small and seemed more capable to lift weight than Al did, at least. That could work. Vlithra also couldn‘t help but notice the black ink she wore over her chest, earlier she also noticed some thorns around the hip area. This made the bird faunus all the more interesting for the tigress. She straightened her hair one more time.
“What do you say Ax? Wanna team up?“ she said with a grin that made it clear that she was confident of victory with her.

[Carmine Crest]

As the others sprang into action, Carmine couldn't help but notice that Erin had yet to make any sort of movement herself and so he opened his eyes once more, his eyes glancing out toward the majority of the group with both Bartok and Ax just now near the ocean, the latter of which just now entering the waters while Bartok seemed hesitant to join them. Well at least that cut out the teleporting semblance theory since he couldn't see the racoon faunus in the water yet.

Turning his attention to where the girl was, he couldn't help but tilt his head as he looked at her still by his side with what appeared to be a mixture of concern and uncertainty on her face while asking if it was okay that she remained here with him, expressing her concern that she didn't felt she didn't fit in with the others. "You may do as you please..." His own answer came with uncertainty, unsure why she felt she didn't fit in, Bartok had seemed so excited to see her again and Al has been very welcoming while Ax seemed friendly enough for somebody who unexpected showed up at a party.

Really only person he could think of as somebody she wouldn't like was Vlithra for the whole future wife thing but even then, that could've been nothing more than a joke... Besides, Erin seemed friendly enough to have kept him company, maybe she felt she needed to keep him company since she had invited him to go swimming before everybody rushed in and he didn't. Social interaction was hard. "I am accustomed to not fitting in so please don't feel the need to keep me company." He'd reassure her with a plain, if not bored tone. It was a fact he had accepted so long ago that he no longer felt any real feelings toward it, nobody would be upset that the sky is blue or that the water is wet and as such, he wouldn't be upset he was an outsider.

"Actually... Where is the soap and how am I supposed to clean these things?" Carmine would question as his eyes closed in on the paper plates the others had left behind, only now realizing that he had no clue where the soap was and more importantly if he was supposed to clean the paper plates that he was more than confident in saying they were supposed to be one and done type of deal.

[Erin Cherrywood]

Erin frowned when Bartok looked back at her and Carmine, he was clearly upset by her sudden lack of interest in the water, probably compounded on by the fact that it had been her suggestion in the first place, but she just couldn't bring herself to join in with the rowdy crowd. She wasn't a people person, but a huge wave of guilt washed over her. Not wanting to give him the wrong idea, but wanting to make him happy, she sighed and waved at him in what she hoped was an encouraging gesture. She may not like being surrounded by people but for whatever reason he did and she didn't want him to miss out on socializing because of her.

Crossing her arms over her chest, she looked at Carmine who expressed that he didn't care much either way if she stayed or went. "It's not that I feel like I have to spend time with you, it's more that I don't want to spend time with everyone else." She admitted with a frown. "I am not exactly what you would call a people person, especially when things get loud like this." She said shaking her head as Bartok yelled out chicken fight. "Aaaand with that, I couldn't join in anyway. Chicken is a two person per team game." She said with a shrug.

Turning her attention to the dishes she tilted her head and raised an eyebrow. "See, I was thinking the same thing. Even if it made sense to do the dishes now where would it even happen?"

[Al Ciendra]

Chicken ?
She had no idea what that was, oh Bartok explained it already, oh yeah this sounded fun!
Even with her not being allowed to use her semblance she was sure that this would be a fun game, especially if...oh.
Vlithra had already asked Ax if they could team up, well it was fair.
Vlithra was in no real condition to lift someone up right now, so it made sense for her to pick someone that could lift her instead.
And she herself was way to weak to lift a woman as tall as Vlithra and the tigress probably wanted nothing to do with Bartok.
Well, she did probably want to bury him in sand, or atleast Al hoped so, this game sounded fun but being buried in sand really did not.
Eh, she would just have to win!

Al went over to Bartok, laying a hand on his shoulder.
"Well looks like it's me and you then."
Al said, yet not in an annoyed or otherwise negative tone, fighting along side Bartok was just fine.
Though she really would have liked to fight along side Ax instead...
Either way!
"I'm a bit to weak to carry you, so guess you have to play horsie instead."
Al waited for a response, as cheeky as it may be, before grabbing hold of his shoulder with her other hand aswell.
"Ok, here I come you better hold onto me."
Al said, and using the grip she had on Bartok to, she easily jumped out of the water and pulled herself up.
Despite her small size Al was still rather atlethic and this was just too easy for her.
So, Al now sat on Bartok's shoulders.
It feel a little strange sitting like this, half nude and with a guys head between her thighs but it should be fine!
Just a slight blush was on Al's face as she yet kept sitting there, turning to Ax and Vlithra, she hoped they were ready so they could start and she could keep her mind of any stupid comments Bartok may make.
"So, are you two ready ?!"

[Ax L Rose]

It was impossible to know for sure if Ax had deliberately dodged Bartok's question or if she simply hadn't heard him as he ran by. Either way, she didn't see much point in drawing much attention to her personal belongings before she moved to catch up to him. She had expected him to follow along, so she didn't notice right away when he started to lag behind. While Ax's attentions were mostly on Vlithra after she spoke, she couldn't help but shoot a brief glance back at Bartok to see if he was alright. Her brow creased slightly in concern for a brief, almost imperceptible moment before her deep blue gaze shifted back to Vlithra and she gave the green-eyed girl a playful grin to match her own as their eyes met. Ax tried hard to focus with her semblance - it was a little less crowded, so maybe she could get a vague idea of what the unfamiliar woman was thinking by sensing her emotions.

Her grin and her focus alike were short-lived. While Ax could and would appreciate the sight of the tall, toned tigress half-emerging from the water like she did, her grin shrank a bit as the tigress let out a sound that seemed pained. The smile on Ax's lips looked vaguely uncertain before Vlithra more or less laughed her pain off.

Around this point, Ax turned her head to glance back at Bartok again, unable to resist following Vlithra's gaze over to him. She caught sight of his grin and immediately got a bad feeling about it.

"CHICKEN! We're playing chicken!"

Of course they were. As the only guy here, he'd probably love a chance to roughhouse with a bunch of attractive ladies. But on that note, maybe Ax didn't have much room to talk... she turned to look first at Al and then at Vlithra again.

Ax pursed her lips to the side in thought for a moment, before she rose to her full height in the water to get a better, more immediate idea of how everyone stacked up in terms of build while also comparing them to herself. Bartok was easily the tallest, so it made sense to pair him up with Al so one team's height advantage wasn't too much bigger than the other. Maybe the water would help him stay oriented? She didn't actually know if the water around them necessarily helped with the problem of Bartok's blindness.

On the downside, Vlithra had apparently just strained her legs. Since the tigress was a little taller and sturdier-looking in build than Ax was herself, Ax would've normally proposed Vlithra take the bottom position... but if her legs weren't able to stay steady, maybe it was better to try something else. She shot Vlithra a grin back in reply before turning to look over at Bartok.

"Hope you don't mind sand in your shorts, Casanova. Maybe we'll show a lil' mercy and try to keep it out of your ears at least," Ax said, her grin taking on a vaguely sinister quality. Seeing no point in delaying the inevitable, she lowered herself back into the water and edged over to Vlithra, turning around and facing away to make it nice and easy for the tigress to hook her legs over Ax's shoulders.

"I'll give your legs a break, m'kay? I gotchu."

Her mind was already thinking strategy. She'd make time to appreciate Vlithra's thighs later. She rose her arms to show Vlithra how to climb up, making a point to flex her shining cybernetic arm. Ax was feeling very confident, and she'd always been maybe a little excessively competitive. She had pretty much the baddest looking chick on her team, and while Al definitely looked scrappy, it seemed to Ax that Vlithra would have a pretty strong advantage in the grappling game simply due to their differences in weight and build. All Ax needed to do was keep her steady, stay attentive, and keep her arms good and locked around Vlithra's legs.

[Bartok Evergreen]

Bartok was fine teaming up with Al. Heck, it was better than all of them arguing over who wouldn't be teaming up with him. But the cheery and firey girl was more than alright putting her legs around his head. Maybe that sounded weirder in his head, but only Ax had a chance of knowing his thoughts. "I'm more than ready to hold you." He said before squating down in the water to help Ax get onto his shoulders, the water only going up to his normal ears.

She hopped up onto him easily enough, and he rose back to his full height while holding her thighs, her feet getting hooked below his armpits and his biceps locking her legs to him. It was the most stable position he could give her, not because he wanted to touch her legs. Which, he had to admit, were really nice to touch.

Vlithra was on Ax's shoudlers without too much time being wasted, and Bartok knew of a strategy to help them win. Bartok called out, loudly, "Erin! Carmine! Come be judges! Don't worry about the dishes!" He wanted this to be fair and although his echolocation served him well enough, he still didn't have his sight. Another part of his strategy was to use the ocean they stood in against his opponents. The waves came in intervals, pulling and pushing. That would be their greatest advantage in this fight.

"Alright, let's get this going!" He would say if Erin and Carmine came along. If they didn't, he would say it anyway. Once it was clear that they were starting, he began circling the other pair until he was the one closest to shore, but still in the water. He knew that Al was a Wolf Faunus, and should have some good hearing. THen again, the other pair were Faunus and could have some of the same capabilities. Instead of speaking, Bartok listened and felt for the push and pull of the waves. With one finger on her thigh, Bartok pulled back when the tide pushed on them, and pushed forward when the tide pulled. He would do this a couple of times, pushing forward more forcefully than he pulled back. With that, he turned his head to her thigh and although it would look like he was kissing it, he gently spoke, so softly that it was quiet to even him, "Push when the tide pulls them."

Then he advanced hard as the tide came in, reaching them once the waves were pulling them back. It would pull Bartok just the same, but there was less water exerting force on his body than Ax's. They could utilize the force of the waves back, pushing with the water's force behind theirs, but the water wouldn't push on Bartok as much because of Ax breaking the water first. They'd get an advantage when it pushed, but Bartok and Al would get an even bigger one when it pulled.

[Vlithra Qing Long]

Perfect, Vlithra not only had Ax on her side, but also wouldn‘t have to carry her. This relieved the tigress quite a lot as the aching in her legs was getting more unbearable with every minute passing. As Ax knelt down, with no hesitation and a bit more effort, Vlithra hooked her legs over Ax‘s shoulders. She really needed all the relief she could get here. Would you look at that. When Ax stood up she and Vlithra were overall taller than Bartok and Al, this would push the already existing advantage Vlithra had in terms of strength even further. This however still didn‘t assure their victory.

"Thanks a bunch. Just make sure we don't get knocked over.“ She audibly cracked her knuckles and went into positon to engage. Her hands were like tiger claws, ready to clench down on whatever got into their grasp. “We‘re ready!“

Vlithra‘s goal was very direct. Get the enemy into a grapple situation as soon as she would get close. If Vlithra could get a hold of either Al‘s arms or her shoulders she could direct where she was going. In any case the tigress had the clear advantage when it came to that, what with her heigth and strength.

The fact that Bartok at first moved around them wasn‘t something that Vlithra heeded any more attention to than she had to. However as much as Vlithra wanted to immediatly grab Al and toss her to the side along with Bartok, it wasn‘t the best idea to go on the offensive. It would just destabilize them, and as Vlithras legs still didn‘t have enough strength to cling to Ax, she relied heavily on her holding the tigress steady.
Instead, Vlithra would attempt to catch Al‘s hands as soon as she tried going for a push. Of course this entirely relied on Ax being able to keep them steady while Vlithra mingled with the wolf faunus. This meant that this would be a waiting game for now. Al would have to go into the offensive first for something to happen.

There was something wring about this. Were they waiting? Were they waiting for the right time to strike? Something definetly felt of and the tigress knew something would be coming. And soon enough, Bartok went towards them, the only cue she and Ax would get that announced the incoming attack. “Dodge!“ Hopefully Ax had the same or at least a similar idea.

The push was most certainly coming and it had to be a very direct one, if Vlithra guessed right. She would try to catch Al‘s wrists in one motion from below, raising her arms to the air to try and redirect the momentum she had upwards instead of towards them. Her grip would hold them there, tight as iron if she nailed the timing, she would then try to redirect Al away from the shore, forcing Bartok to follow if he didn‘t want to be off-balance. Then they wouldn‘t be able to take advantage of the waves anymore and were now playing Vlithra‘s game.

Then again this all relied on wether or not Ax managed to step at least a bit to the side. Even if Vlithra managed to nail the timing, the remaining momentum could knock them both over.

[Carmine Crest]

As the woman explained her reasoning, he found himself nodding along and gaining a sense of understanding of her a bit better. Social pressure hadn't forced her to stay be because she felt compelled to provide him company but rather it to avoid the boisterous group who took to the waves quickly. Suppose that's why she had chosen to him as her company for the party, everybody seemed quite sociable and outgoing with one another with only two exceptions, the first of which was Vlithra who may not seemed as approachable or friendly as the others was still actively involved in the party unlike himself. His attempt at social interaction when the party started was dead in the water and before he could try more... His eyes turned to the one eyed girl of the group as she begun talking to Evergreen, whatever was being said was lost to him due to the waves and his own senses dulling as the memory of the flames that easily spawned from her hand without a second's thought replayed in his head.

"I see, suppose we're in a similar boat then." He'd force himself back to the conversation, his eyes turning back to Erin. "I'm not entirely opposed to loud and energetic gatherings but I do find them to be... draining." He admitted as his eyes drifted back to the group in the water, curiosity stirring inside him on how they all managed to do all of this so effortlessly.

However with the call for Erin and himself to be the judges of the game, he'd have to put those thoughts aside for now as he simply nodded to the bat faunus and moved right where the ocean met the sand to get a better view of the incoming fight, assuming Erin would join him. He was almost certain Ciendra would've tried to team up with Ax considering the warm welcome she had given the bird faunus but then again, the combo of Vlithra and Evergreen was just asking for trouble, trouble that easily could result in having to give CPR to the nearly drowned Evergreen.

"My lien's on Vlithra and Ax." Carmine would comment as the match begun, his eyes focused on the fight developing before them, part of him not entirely certain of the duo he "betted" on but with Vlithra going hand to hand against Ciendra, it was a safer bet since those serving as the pillars only had to stand upright and the only advantage Evergreen gave his team was that he probably wouldn't have to worry about stepping onto any slopes or unexpected rocks.

[Erin Cherrywood]

Erin watched the game start up with everyone getting situated with their partners. No semblances meant it was a relatively safe game where she wouldn't have to jump in and save her moron of a friend.

At Carmine's words she nodded in understanding. "Similar. I don't mind situations where I don't have to touch anyone and semblances aren't fired off every two seconds." She frowned as she mentally tallied all the times she'd seen a semblance today already. "But I suppose that's just daddy issues and a drive to make sure people don't get hurt needlessly." The "daddy" part, while probably true, was more of a joke for her. She loved deadpan humor, even when others didn't get it.

Following Carmine to the edge of the water she eyed the teams. "I'd probably go Bartok and Ax." She admitted as she stood with her feet just in the water. "Your team seems to want to rely and brute strength which won't really work against the others. Height does come with power but it also leads to more instability, especially with the leg issues Vlithra seems to be having." She watched their calculating eyes and purposeful shifts of power and frowned. She leaned towards Carmine and lowered her voice, though she was sure no one was listening to her anyway. "But, if someone decides to play dirty and splash water, especially at Bartok, I'd wager you win." Sitting down, her tail swished aimlessly while she watched, intent on being a fair judge.

[Al Ciendra]

Al was feeling a little nervous as she now got a chance to look at Vlithra and Ax.
She had never really realized how much bigger Vlithra was than her, and she looked a lot stronger as well...most people here did.
Man!
Couldn't they have played something like catch instead ?!
Al shook her head, despite the disadvantage she was at, she would try her best to keep Bartok out of the sand.
She didn't mind his antics, probably because she had not been involved in them yet...or well at least not in a way that annoyed her.

As she was sizing up Vlithra, Al could feel Bartok move a single finger up and down her thigh, she had just defended him!
Wait, if he wanted to grope her he would have used his whole hand...
No, this was a rhythm, back and forth, in tune with the waves!
But why was he keeping a rhythm with the waves, was it some sort of crutch for him, he needed due to his blindness ?
Nah, he should be able to hear everything, she could and Bartok's hearing was miles better than hers.
"Push when the tide pulls them."
Speaking of hearing, Al now finally understood what Bartok's plan was, while she was still not super comfortable with him rubbing her thigh, he could have just told her, she was still on-board with this plan of his.
She tapped her foot against his side just so he knew that she understood.
Al just showed Vlithra and Ax a toothy grin, her fangs shining in the midday sun as Bartok charged forward.

Then she heard Vlithra call to dodge, it seemed she had realized what Bartok had planned and wanted to deny the advantage Al and her partner would get once the waves shifted.
Not with her around!
Al leaned forward, over Bartok's head so that her stomach was pushing against the back of his head, and she had all the reach she needed!
Like this Al could finally grab Vlithra, her hands were aiming for her shoulders, if she could grab them she would try and drag Vlithra with her, more or less relying on Bartok's momentum to do any kind of pulling.
This should work, right ?
Right ?

[Ax L Rose]

Ax had played this game many times before, but never before at a beach. She was used to being on the bottom for this game thanks to having been taller than most of her friends growing up, but the first thing she really noticed as she rose from the water with Vlithra above her was the way they both seemed to sink a little into the sand beneath her feet as more of their collective weight was brought above the water. It was an important reminder - the uncertain footing and the subtle flow of ocean water would make it pointless to overthink every part of this game. This game wasn't about winning, after all. It was about everyone having a good laugh together as one or both groups tumbled into the water! It was important to remind herself of that and not let her more competitive instincts take hold.

"I gotchu, babe," Ax assured Vlithra, her arms locked tight around her legs. She flexed her shoulders and subtly adjusted - the two quickly found what seemed to initially be a fairly comfortable position for movement.

They had a few very notable advantages - Ax was pretty sure that she and Vlithra had both the height and weight advantage. Ax and Vlithra also had a natural intuitive link through Ax's semblance that would help her position in accordance to Vlithra's intent. Hypothetically they would have both the proverbial "stat" advantage in terms of raw strength as well as a positive advantage to their teamwork. She briefly considered speaking up and pointing out that her semblance couldn't actually be turned off, but she didn't get a chance. Oh well. It wasn't like she hadn't told Bartok about it before.

“We‘re ready!“ Vlithra declared. Ax nodded, that same devilish grin on her lips as her eyes scanned Al and Bartok up and down as if they were a singular entity. Sensing Vlithra's immediately aggressive and proactive intent, Ax began to advance immediately, rationalizing it as she went; they would ideally deny Bartok or Al any extra time to come up with clever or cunning plans, which they would almost certainly need in order to make up for the advantages that she and Vlithra had. Her smile, however, shrank with her very first step. It was impossible not to notice the subtle influences of the water around her lower body. Her feather-tipped ears flickered slightly as she heard the sound of the waves, subconsciously bracing herself for them in tandem with the ocean's natural rhythm. Ax also had bigger pressing concern that gave her pause - Vlithra's legs.

Ax's semblance didn't share the literal pain of people, but pain did tend to elicit some general emotional patterns, such as subtle hints of irritation and stress. With their auras in direct contact, Vlithra and Ax's signal strength was strong, and Ax was suddenly acutely aware of the subtle ways her current grip would potentially impede her partner's performance. This bought Bartok time to circle them and think through his ploy as Ax paused in place and took an extra few moments to adjust her grip in an effort to minimize both her own discomfort as well as Vlithra's. She wasn't prepared to injure Vlithra further to secure a win - she didn't need the win that badly.

Ax's hesitation would seemingly prove advantageous as Vlithra's emotions shifted towards caution. Ax felt Vlithra's instinctual desire to evade their attackers in perfect tandem with her and subsequently reacted without thinking. She shifted away as Bartok and Al advanced literally just as Vlithra barked the order to dodge! The water made it impossible to avoid the clash, but Ax was able to delay impact long enough to screw up the timing of the critical moment Bartok was aiming to take advantage of.

Bartok and Al had committed to their gambit, and as a result, Al and Vlithra would clash too late for Al to fully take advantage of the waves. Ax felt it in her knees as she strafed perpendicular to the force of the water and the first clash of the game began, droplets of water showering the four of them as the waves broke. This was all Ax could do - play defensively and have faith in her partner. She'd have to hope that Vlithra would take advantage of Al's extended position and pull instead of push. For the time being, Ax remained on her feet, paying close attention to what was happening above. She felt like she could dense desperation, but she wasn't sure whose it was anymore now that they were all in such close proximity.

[Bartok Evergreen]

When everybody started moving, Bartok was more or less blinded by the noise. Ok, he was diagnosibly blind as it was, but the waves and the splashing and the sounds of bodies moving and Al pushing his ears down with her stomach sort of destroyed any 'visual' he had. However, he still had his sense of touch and balance.

He heard Vlithra's call to dodge and could tell that they did so. With the water retreating, even if they lost their critical moment, it would rob Ax a lot the support the water gave just by being there to be pushed against. It wouldn't be much, especially if she was thinking about it and strong, but it would be something. Even with them moving out of the way, he was unsure exactly where they were, and with Al's movement forward, he figured she was reaching out. He had to keep moving on.

Bartok's legs kept pushing forward, turning slightly towards Ax and Vlithra as he did so. It would only be a moment more before the water pushed back in, and that could be a danger to all of their balances unless they were ready. He would move past them, turning all the while to face them more or less before he took a wide stance. He was tempted to burry his feet into the sand, but rooting himself with how tall he and Al now were spelled 'tipping over' in his head. Bartok would need to keep up his footwork when the water came back, adjusting for where the water would push him rather than resisting.

[Vlithra Qing Long]

Right when Vlithra noticed the pull the waves had on her and Ax she would realize what was going on. So, this was what they were doing, they were trying to use the tide. Clever indeed, but they had missed the timing. The delayed impact only weakened Ax‘s footing a bit form what Vlithra could guess and didn't knock them over as planned. Ax's almost immediate reaction was probably to thank for that, impressed by that a smug grin formed on the tigresses face.

Now here it goes. This was the clash Vlithra had been waiting for. Al extended forward in an attempt to grab the tigresses shoulders. She was bent forward trying to reach her, Vlithras grin shifted from smug to almost devilish in response. They should have waited for the next opportunity, because now... they were playing Vlithra's game.

While Al was going for her shoulders, Vlithra deflected her arms outward with her own, to throw the push timing completly off. Now with most of the momentum gone the tigress could safely start a clash. While she could have grabbed Al by the wrists like she originally planned, she wouldn‘t get enough leverage from there to do more than lightly yank her around.

Instead she went for the upper arms. By grabbing them, Vlithra would force her opponent into a contest of strength, one where the stronger side had enough leverage to pull or push all they wanted. Perfect for Vlithra and Ax as they hold th eadvantage in that situation. Right after deflecting Al‘s arms Vlithra immediately reached for Al‘s upper arms to grab. If she got her, her hands would be like an iron grip with which she would then pull Al towards her to take advantage of her extended and rather unstable position. This would force Bartok to follow, if he didn‘t want Al falling off. Vlithra twisted her upper body to pull Al around past her to prevent her from directly crashing into them. Best case Bartok wasn‘t able to follow and keep Al on top if him, the game would end. Worst case Bartok and Al were put into a position parallel to the Beach with Ax and Vlithra, preventing them from taking advantage of the waves. Either way, Vlithra wasn‘t going to let go unless she was prompted to by Ax. She felt more than just confident at this point.

Meanwhile her legs were still hurting, actually they were aching even more than before as Vlithra tried clinging to Ax as much as possible to remain stable on top of her as the clash began. Vlithra was way too competitive to not give it all she had and this meant fighting through the pain with gritted teeth. She wanted to bring them down quickly in all honesty which is why she put as much strength as she had into her grip and pull. Only thing left was to see wether or not that would be enough to end this fight.

[Carmine Crest]

A drive to help people and daddy issues... Not... Not quite the same reason why Carmine chose to remain alone, in fact it wasn't even remotely similar to his own reasons... Or at least he was was fairly certain he didn't have daddy issues nor would his own desire to help prevent him from partaking social activities. His judgement of the girl being a loner had checked out although how similar she was to him was another matter entirely, perhaps one that was born out of his own hope. He'd need to be careful of that in the future.

The mention of who'd win however had allowed his focus to turn back to the ongoing battle between the majority of the party, the team he had bet on seemed to be the ones gaining the upper hand if he had to guess since Vlithra was reaching over to grab the smaller girl both in terms of build and height while Evergreen had attempted to pass by them. However there was no telling what the leg injury Vlithra had apparently sustained would do to the team and Ax seemed a little strained under the tigress' weight, a comment he was going to keep to himself. Then again, if one of them decided to exploit Evergreen's apparent weakness, the game could still go to them, although that would require them figuring it out.

"While it's true their height makes them more likely to topple, I'd say Vlithra has more experience when it comes to grappling and as such, she'd have an easier time pushing Al over. Al's body is more toned suggesting a more agile strategy while Vlithra is more bulkier suggesting a more power based strategy." Carmine would provide his own reasoning, admittedly it would be one based more on ground combat than this game of chicken but he never played it before and was just making guesses on how being on top of somebody else's shoulders would affect things. "Besides, if push comes to shove, I think Ax can knock over Bartok with a well timed bump or extend of the leg." Carmine would add with a shrug, uncertain if that would be against the rules or not... Which probably wasn't a good thing since he was apparently a judge.

[Erin Cherrywood]

As Erin watched the battle play out she couldn't help but tilt her head. Chicken, oddly enough, played most to her own fighting style of constantly being off balance and exploiting everyone else's lack of practice with it. Most people fought to keep control rather than rolling with nauseating twists and turns. A sudden change in style wouldn't give the mastery needed to truly understand how to move. She couldn't help but wonder if Bartok learned anything about her style from their time together, though that seemed unlikely. No matter how close they were, they had their own styles.

Maybe the reason she sided with Bartok and Al was because she prided herself on being able to outmaneuver larger enemies. She frowned as she considered her own bias then quickly shook her head and averted her eyes. She couldn't risk becoming too interested and activating her semblance, that would be cheating for sure.

Looking up at Carmine she nodded. "Probably, but that would split attention between balance and holding onto her partner. A split focus is a recipe for disaster."

[Al Ciendra]

While she wasn't strong, nor the most expiernced when it came to these sorts of games, Al was fast.
Fast to move and fast to react and fast to grab onto any opportunity that presented itself and as such Al saw Vlithra deflectet her own arms and then try to reach for her upper arms.
If the tiger faunus actually grabbed on to her she would be in big trouble, but why not use this instead of Bartok's failed planed ?

Al grinned as she gathered herself and the hands Vlithra had just deflected moved forward, grabbing onto Vlithra's shoulders and began to push.
Al held on to Vlithra as much as she could and with her arms now fully extended and holding onto the Tigress they would be hard to move even for a girl that was much stronger than Al.
"RUN TOWARDS THEM!"
Al shouted to Bartok, knowing that her stomach was currently deafening his ears, but he should still hear her.

But like this, their victory would rely much more on Bartok's strength vs Ax strength rather than herself vs Vlithra, which she knew was a losing mathc.
And if Bartok could push the two girls, Ax would be on the literal backfoot as she would have to walk backwards to not get toppled over.

[Bartok Evergreen]

Bartok felt the struggle up top through Al's body, the pushing and parrying of arms and hands as her and Vlithra made contact. He held his ground and rechecked his hold on Al's legs, how they were making contact with him as much as possible so he had a firm hold on her. Then Al gave a suggestion of her own. She was the one who could see and wasn't blinded by sight and sound, so he trusted her judgement and leaned forward, digging his left foot into the sand as he heaved and pushed, his right foot quickly finding purchase and digging into the sand, though a bit wide to compensate for the wave about to hit them. "Get 'em Al!" He shouted.

[Ax L Rose]

Ax's plan had more or less been to focus what she could control and try not to waste brain power on what she couldn't. There was a lull in Ax and Vlithra's momentum as Ax attempted to shift from a tactical retreat to a better stance for staying steady when the clash began, and Ax couldn't help but notice how slippery they now were after the waves broke and scattered water all over both teams.

With how far Al had extended, Ax didn't need to think about advancing safely - Al and Bartok had already closed the distance. It was a bit of a morale boost. She felt like she could do this all day! More importantly, Bartok and Al's mistimed aggression should have been an advantage that Vlithra could capitalize on! Unfortunately, Bartok's movement was on point and the bat, blind as he was, was effectively backing up his partner and preventing Al from getting too easily punished for her extension. Ax had been hoping for a brief clash and an easy win, but it seemed her desired outcome simply wasn't in the cards.

The errant physics of the clash unfolding above her could only be meaningfully adapted to so quickly thanks to the slog of trying to move nimbly against the natural resistance of the ocean water all around her. She lowered her body a bit into the water, bending her knees both to reinforce her stance while also aiming to bring a little more of their collective mass into the water to maximize her own endurance. Ax and Vlithra's minds were in sync when it came to strategy - pull in order to take advantage of their opponents' mistake. She focused on keeping Vlithra as steady as possible, leaning in an effort to compensate for Vlithra's aggression. Unfortunately, their shared aggression was a double-edged sword. Ax's arms increased their grip on Vlithra's legs to compensate for the forces acting on them both, and in the heat of the moment she didn't even consciously realize she was doing it.

The sand was uneven in places beneath her feet, and there were rocks and shells aplenty. While she wasn't in any danger of being meaningfully injured by stepping on anything thanks to her aura, the added distractions weren't particularly appreciated by the competitive bird faunus. Frustration bubbled up inside of her and emanated from her aura as both Al and Bartok spoke to one another, one loudly announcing their plan while the other offered encouragement. Ax had, on the other hand, been being deliberately quiet in an effort to prevent Al and Bartok from simply reacting to what they spoke aloud as she was doing to them. She trusted in her psionic link with Vlithra to give her an idea of how to adapt to her.

Ax wasn't particularly sure how Al had somehow managed to change up her tactics so suddenly without either of them toppling over or sinking into the water, nor was she sure how Bartok managed to keep a solid grip on her with how far forward she'd extended. Did bats have unusually grippy skin or something? She didn't have time to analyze it and it wasn't like there was anything she could do to change reality - she'd just have to do her best to adapt and stay composed. She wasn't getting buried in sand! As Al and Bartok's intent was loud and clear, Ax immediately shifted her stance in an effort to start strafing to the side again, hoping to diminish the force of the opposition's charge and give Vlithra a chance to punish their telegraphed tactics like a bullfighter.

It seemed Ax's forethought wasn't really amounting to any sort of palpable advantage so far, which was thus far serving only to irritate her. She and Vlithra had every advantage! Why hadn't they won yet? Al and Bartok's gambit had failed! She couldn't think of a reason why Vlithra might have been struggling to punish their miscalculation, but she had to trust in her teammate if they were going to win this.

[Vlithra Qing Long]

Al‘s offensive wasn‘t apparently done yet, after their initial attempt had whiffed. The wolf faunus despite having her hands knocked away, quickly refocused her attention to Vlithra‘s shoulders, even as she got pulled by Vlithra. And she declares her intention very audibly, she intends to press on with Bartok moving forward. In this moment a sharp pain in her lower body disturbs Vlithrta's concentration on the battle a bit.
‘Crud.‘ the tigress thought to herself as she realized that the strength in her legs was fading. She had strained them too much, leading to Vlithra letting out a frustrated snarl as her legs were slowly loosing strength. She tried keeping them clinging to Ax as much as she could, however if this went on their stability would be soon enough entirely in Ax‘s hands, literally even. She felt the tight grip her partner had on her legs and frankly she didn‘t mind. Anything to win this after all, she put all her faith into Ax hoping she could manage to keep her steady for whatever was going to come next.

Vlithra still had to do something here, otherwise she would just be pushed off if Ax couldn‘t hold her for the more than announced push from Bartok and Al. She could try and let go and get Al‘s arms off, but that‘ll just put her back to square one. She then noticed that Ax not only had lowered herself to have more of their weight in the water, but additionally was strafing appropiately to diminish the impact of their aggressors. Good, that should be enough to keep them stable, allowing Vlithra to continue the clash. She felt relieved knowing she had such a competent teammate at her side. However the feeling of relief quickly made way for another emotion entirely.

Anger. The tigress, who already had a rather short temper concerning competitions, was getting continuously more frustrated by the second knowing that they held every advantage they could have and still hadn‘t finished this fight. Her aching legs and Ax‘s passive semblance only fueled this emotion so much more, making Vlithra bare her gritting teeth to Al combined with a gaze that would most certainly kill if it could. In response Vlithra‘s iron grip on Al‘s upper arms tightened even further and, fueled with said anger, she yanked Al‘s upper body to the side and downwards with all her might trying to get Al off Bartok. And afterwards she would keep pulling Al like that in an attempt to get her into the water.