Some Time Away ((Zade))

[Hirosame]

Alex sat on the beach of the warm Costa Del Sol. His eyes were closed, and he could hear the waves going up along the shoreline. He opened his eyes and looked to the water for a minute. He saw his sister playing around in the water. He smiled, and went to his pack. He pulled out a beach chair, umbrella, and a towel, and set them all up on the beach. He positioned the umbrella in a way so that the sun wouldn't burn him. Laying on the chair, he wondered to himself. Why was it so quiet that day?

There was a band playing in the background, and Alex could've sworn that he'd heard that song before. He smiled. "Oh, yeah. It's the theme for Costa Del Sol." He enjoied the music as he shut his eyes once more. But, they opened when Maria came out of the water. She looked at him.

"Big brother?" She began. "Can you set up another chair and umbrella for me? I've had about enough of the water for now."

Alex smiled. "Sure, sis." Going back into his pack, he pulled out another chair and umbrella for her, and it formed a shield-like protection from the sun. Maria laid down in the chair, and slowly closed her eyes, soaking in the music.

[zade]

"It's about time!" Zade yelled at the top of his lungs. He laughed annd then walked over to the sand and laid all his stuff down. He opened up an umbrella, set a chair up, and got a towel ready. "Woooooohoooooo!!!!!!!" he yelled as he made a full-out sprint to the water. Did it seem childish to him that he was acting...well....childish. Not really. After being cooped up like a farm animal on patrol every day in a dirty smelly city, it really can change you attitude towards vacation.

He landed with a big, "Kersploosh!" The cannonball he had made had splashed a couple people close to the water. They probably thought he was nuts. But he didn't care. "Ahh.... sweet, sweet vacation. How I love you so. To your serene waves, and the creatures down below." And it was the truth. He loved vacation, but was often denied it to be sent on patrol missions. His friends got pissed that he was always sent on missions and he got to go on patrol, but they got 10x the vacation Zade had.

After a while, Zade decided to get out of the water and catch up on a poem under his umbrella.


"Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore,
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.
`'Tis some visitor,' I muttered, `tapping at my chamber door -
Only this, and nothing more.'

Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December,
And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor.
Eagerly I wished the morrow; - vainly I had sought to borrow
From my books surcease of sorrow - sorrow for the lost Lenore -
For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels named Lenore -
Nameless here for evermore.

And the silken sad uncertain rustling of each purple curtain
Thrilled me - filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before;
So that now, to still the beating of my heart, I stood repeating
`'Tis some visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door -
Some late visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door; -
This it is, and nothing more,'

Presently my soul grew stronger; hesitating then no longer,
`Sir,' said I, `or Madam, truly your forgiveness I implore;
But the fact is I was napping, and so gently you came rapping,
And so faintly you came tapping, tapping at my chamber door,
That I scarce was sure I heard you' - here I opened wide the door; -
Darkness there, and nothing more.

Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing,
Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before
But the silence was unbroken, and the darkness gave no token,
And the only word there spoken was the whispered word, `Lenore!'
This I whispered, and an echo murmured back the word, `Lenore!'
Merely this and nothing more.

Back into the chamber turning, all my soul within me burning,
Soon again I heard a tapping somewhat louder than before.
`Surely,' said I, `surely that is something at my window lattice;
Let me see then, what thereat is, and this mystery explore -
Let my heart be still a moment and this mystery explore; -
'Tis the wind and nothing more!'

Open here I flung the shutter, when, with many a flirt and flutter,
In there stepped a stately raven of the saintly days of yore.
Not the least obeisance made he; not a minute stopped or stayed he;
But, with mien of lord or lady, perched above my chamber door -
Perched upon a bust of Pallas just above my chamber door -
Perched, and sat, and nothing more.

Then this ebony bird beguiling my sad fancy into smiling,
By the grave and stern decorum of the countenance it wore,
`Though thy crest be shorn and shaven, thou,' I said, `art sure no craven.
Ghastly grim and ancient raven wandering from the nightly shore -
Tell me what thy lordly name is on the Night's Plutonian shore!'
Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.'

Much I marvelled this ungainly fowl to hear discourse so plainly,
Though its answer little meaning - little relevancy bore;
For we cannot help agreeing that no living human being
Ever yet was blessed with seeing bird above his chamber door -
Bird or beast above the sculptured bust above his chamber door,
With such name as `Nevermore.'

But the raven, sitting lonely on the placid bust, spoke only,
That one word, as if his soul in that one word he did outpour.
Nothing further then he uttered - not a feather then he fluttered -
Till I scarcely more than muttered `Other friends have flown before -
On the morrow he will leave me, as my hopes have flown before.'
Then the bird said, `Nevermore.'

Startled at the stillness broken by reply so aptly spoken,
`Doubtless,' said I, `what it utters is its only stock and store,
Caught from some unhappy master whom unmerciful disaster
Followed fast and followed faster till his songs one burden bore -
Till the dirges of his hope that melancholy burden bore
Of "Never-nevermore."'

But the raven still beguiling all my sad soul into smiling,
Straight I wheeled a cushioned seat in front of bird and bust and door;
Then, upon the velvet sinking, I betook myself to linking
Fancy unto fancy, thinking what this ominous bird of yore -
What this grim, ungainly, ghastly, gaunt, and ominous bird of yore
Meant in croaking `Nevermore.'

This I sat engaged in guessing, but no syllable expressing
To the fowl whose fiery eyes now burned into my bosom's core;
This and more I sat divining, with my head at ease reclining
On the cushion's velvet lining that the lamp-light gloated o'er,
But whose velvet violet lining with the lamp-light gloating o'er,
She shall press, ah, nevermore!

Then, methought, the air grew denser, perfumed from an unseen censer
Swung by Seraphim whose foot-falls tinkled on the tufted floor.
`Wretch,' I cried, `thy God hath lent thee - by these angels he has sent thee
Respite - respite and nepenthe from thy memories of Lenore!
Quaff, oh quaff this kind nepenthe, and forget this lost Lenore!'
Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.'

`Prophet!' said I, `thing of evil! - prophet still, if bird or devil! -
Whether tempter sent, or whether tempest tossed thee here ashore,
Desolate yet all undaunted, on this desert land enchanted -
On this home by horror haunted - tell me truly, I implore -
Is there - is there balm in Gilead? - tell me - tell me, I implore!'
Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.'

`Prophet!' said I, `thing of evil! - prophet still, if bird or devil!
By that Heaven that bends above us - by that God we both adore -
Tell this soul with sorrow laden if, within the distant Aidenn,
It shall clasp a sainted maiden whom the angels named Lenore -
Clasp a rare and radiant maiden, whom the angels named Lenore?'
Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.'

`Be that word our sign of parting, bird or fiend!' I shrieked upstarting -
`Get thee back into the tempest and the Night's Plutonian shore!
Leave no black plume as a token of that lie thy soul hath spoken!
Leave my loneliness unbroken! - quit the bust above my door!
Take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form from off my door!'
Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.'

And the raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting
On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door;
And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon's that is dreaming,
And the lamp-light o'er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor;
And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor
Shall be lifted - nevermore!"

"Wow. That's pretty deep." He said to himself. He didin't want to think to much about the poem; it would put a damper on his vacation. So, he just decided to take a nap under his umbrella.


OOC: All copyright stuff goes to Edgar Allan Poe.

[Hirosame]

Alex noticed that a crazy guy had jumped into the water with a huge explosion. Alex laughed at the guy. He went on to thinking again and noticed again when the guy came back out. Alex hadn't changed his clothes so that he had his regular clothes. The guy had sat and began to read. Maria looked to her brother with a big grin. "Alex, I wanna say hi to him!"

Alex patted Maria's head. "Let's not, Maria. He looks like he needs to be on his own for a while. Let's just leave him be."

Maria had been crushed. "But, I wanna say hi!!!" She frowned. "Please?" She looked so pathetic and so needing of sympathy. Alex kept his expression and idea. So, when Alex went to close his eyes, she crept away without him noticing. Maria slowly walked over to the man, and began to talk. "Hello! I'm Maria! That's my big brother, Alex! We're An-" She was cut off by Alex's blinding speed and had covered her mouth.

"Sorry, sir." He shrugged. "My sister just wanted to say hello," He looked at her, smiling. "Which you did! C'mon, Maria, let's go." Alex maintained a calm disposition, and slowly lead Maria back to the place they set up.

[zade]

Zade could use some socializing time. "Wait! No, it's quite alright. I actually needed some socializing time." He didn't like letting little kids down. He new she wanted to talk to him. He had just finished his poem and was practically sleeping when she came, but he didn't mind. He was actually going to be going into town to find something to do, and I guess this substituted that.

"Hi there! What's your name?" He asked with a bright smile.

[Hirosame]

Maria, slowly sitting down, saw the guy come over to her. "I'm Maria!" She yelled, and Alex tried to calm her down. "Sorry, she's a little hyperactive today. I can't understand why." Alex stuck out his hand to be shaken. "I'm Alex, Maria's older brother."

"Yeah, not by much." She said, grumpily. Alex looked down to her.

"Hey, just because you're six years younger than me doesn't mean you can get all pouty because of it. Now just kick back and chill. Here," Alex formed a drink from mid air. "Drink your coca-cola. Anyway," He turned to face the other guy. He made the guy's chair and umbrella float over next to Maria and planted them on the ground. "Would you like to hang out here?"

[zade]

"Nice to meet you Maria. I'm Zade!" Then Alex made soda out of mid air. "W-w-h-h-how did you do that???" He tried to do some weird hand motions and copy it. He didn't even know that kind of stuff existed! Alex was proabaly overdosed with mako...yeah that's it. There's no way he can be like a wizard, or something. "That was amazing..." He then almost forgot about his other question. "Oh, yes, I'd love to hang out there!" He said with a smile. He couldn't get that trick out of his mind. "Wow..."He said to himself.

[Hirosame]

Alex formed another drink. "Here, try it yourself. You'll feel lighter than a feather." He formed another out of the air for himself. "The magic powers posessed by Maria and I are of an anciet Arcane Holy magic." Maria cut him off. "We're Angels from Earth!" She exclaimed. Alex sighed, and nodded. "We are." Maria giggled. "Aren't I the cutest Angel you've ever seen?" Alex shook his head, and drank a little. Maria relaxed and leaned back in her chair, dirnking a little.

((OOC: Sorry it's short. I'm just a little out of it at the moment. Been replying all morning.))