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"Can you believe it? We're actually taking a break!" Margaret sighed with a small smile as she leaned against one of the many lockers. There was a slight hint of sarcasm in her voice but it was tuned down a lot compared to her usual attitude. Louisa watched it with an uneasy smile creeping to her face. Margaret tied her towel around her waist, giving her a look of suspicion.
"You aren't going to change?"
Louisa gave a squeel as if she'd just been caught doing something illegal, her tiny cheeks flushing bright red. She brought her hands up to her face, attempting to hide behind them but Margaret was already standing right by her, picking up the large beach bag and looking through it. That made the short girl deflate against the locker behind her, visibly embarrassed. Mitchell gave a small frown at what she found inside – or rather at what she didn't find.
"You didn't take your swimsuit with you." She pointed out, fishing out at least a lighter beach dress. "Well, just take this for now. And don't try to tell me you aren't going to wear it. No way am I letting you go in that warm dress you wear all the time. You'll get a heatstroke."
"But... There's simply no way I can go out in clothes that revealing!" Louisa squeeked, making Margaret lean away and click her tongue in annoyance.
"Well, if that's how you want it to be..." She trailed off. With a snap of her fingers, a strong wind engulfed Louisa, drowning another one of her confused screams. As it settled down, the tiny girl found herself stripped of the usual heavy dress, instead with the beach dress she brought stuck on her head, blocking her sight spectacularly but otherwise covering just very little. It was Mitchell's turn to come to the scene and pull it down and fix it on her.
"Knock it off you two!" Lucy suddenly frowned at them from the end of the alley of lockers. Being on the other side up till now, she wasn't aware of anything that went down just now. "Nobody wants to hear you fighting!"
"Lucy, come here." Margaret's tone allowed no defiance. Lucy muttered something under her breath but even she knew better than to go against her.
"What is it? You better hurry up, I don't wanna spend the whole day here with the two of you."
"Give me your swimsuit." Margaret smiled in Louisa's direction, causing the already distressed girl to press closer against the locker.
"What?!" Lucy's face went red as well now. "What the heck do you need my swimsuit for?!"
Mitchell, however, was quick to shrug and point towards Louisa's bag. "With all she brought together with her, our dear strategist forgot about her own. You brought two to switch when you want to sunbathe after swimming, right?"
"And what makes you think I'd want to-" Lucy stopped mid-sentence as the realization dawned on her. She gave a critical look to Louisa before a smirk took over her expression. "What is that, Loui? You don't feel like swimming with us?"
"N-no, that's-"
"I'm so hurt by that, you knooow?" Lucy stretched the word as far as she could, putting on a hurt face. Margaret was quick to join her. "Yes, Louisa, don't you see how mean that is from you?"
"But, that's not-"
"Well, I suppose I could lend you my bikini but what what if they don't fit?" Lucy kept up the act while the corners of Margaret's lips started twitching upwards.
"I would love to go swim with you really-"
"Then what's the issue?" Lucy cut her off once again, grinning innocently. "If my bikini don't fit you, I'm sure we can fix them somehow for now!"
"I..." Louisa shrank even further as if waiting for the locker to absorb her. Then, at long last, she let out in a small voice "I don't know how to swim."
Silence fell upon the group for a while as none of the three was sure what to say to that. Just as it was starting to get really uncomfortable however, slaps of bare feet echoed the hallway and before long, there came a ginger-haired boy with a childish grin, throwing what appeared to be a balloon in their direction. Margaret ducked, sacrificing Lucy who was hit right in the face. The balloon broke and she let out a scream as water splashed all over her.
At the end of the alley, Mark was breaking down in laughter. Several other full waterbombs laid scattered at his feet, probably in case he needed to repeat his shot. Margaret had to admire his determination. However, his happiness was short lived.
"TWAIN WHEN I CATCH YOU I'M GONNA FREAKING KILL YOU!" Lucy yelled as she stormed towards Mark, who was quick to get the hint and dart away, leaving all his water balloons behind even, just to quickly get out of her reach.
Margaret watched after them for a while before picking up the balloons and carrying them over to her beach bag. As she wrapped them in a towel and settled them in, she stole a glimpse at Louisa and pressed her index finger against the shorter girl's lips. "Not a word about this. Let's go now, we're probably keeping them waiting."
~~~
Finally they were all settled down. Louisa put her towel down on the warm sand and sat down, pulling her straw hat out of her bag. It was best to be careful about the sun even if she was already wearing the short beach dress. On a deck chair next to her, the eldest Guild member was already comfortably seated and slightly dozing off. Looking around, it didn't take her long to spot the others as well. Francis was building what appeared to be a sandcastle with some random child, Nathaniel laid on a nearby lounger and read a book, Lucy was still chasing after Mark and Margaret was swimming together with John. She couldn't spot Howard or Edgar anywhere but it was safe to assume they're just lurking not too far away.
"It sure is nice today." Herman next to her suddenly spoke up, momentarily startling her. She gave a small nod but didn't know what to say in response.
Smiling down at her, he reached for his waterbottle next to the chair. It was wrapped in a black t-shirt that seemed soaked wet, much to her confusion. Seeing as it puzzled her, he handed the bottle to her. "This is just a little something to keep it cool in this weather. As the water from the t-shirt evaporates, it drains the warmth from the water in the bottle as well. Handy little thing, isn't it?"
Louisa watched the simple thing amazed before looking back to her coworkers.
"But, wouldn't it be easier to just leave it in Anne's room?" She eventually asked. It wasn't like she wanted to complain about how he was doing things, it just surprised her that they didn't put Lucy's ability to any use.
Herman merely gave her a shrug and a hearty laugh. "Can't have the girl keep that place up even on a break like this. We're already putting a strain on you lot. You're all still young so you shouldn't stress so much."
She couldn't really muster up more of a response than a simple Thank you but his words made her smile, even if just a bit. It took her a bit before she found her words again.
"I don't mind working a lot. It is for mr. Francis and for everyone too so I'm glad to do all I can!"
"I expected that much from you." He smiled right back at her before getting up. "It's pretty hot, I'll go buy some ice cream. Do you wanna come with?"
Louisa gave it little thought before getting up from her towel as well, dusting her dress of the sand that the wind blew there. "I would love to!"
~~~
"Waah, this is worth all that hard work. Right, HP?" John asked, floating comfortably on the waves. After not getting any response, he pushed his eyes open, only to notice he was all alone in the water. He turned quickly, treading the water so that he wouldn't sink. His friend was nowhere to be spotted and it unsettled him for a bit. They swam quite a way from the shore to have their peace but now Lovecraft disappeared from his sight.
John heaved a sigh. Normally, he'd use his ability to find out his location but he didn't have any grape seeds with him in the sea, and why would he anyway? It wasn't like he expected Lovecraft of all people to get lost in the sea. In fact, Howard seemed even excited to visit a beach, as much as he could even be. And while it was a bit of a hassle to get him to change into swimwear, even that was eventually achieved and nothing was in the way of their peaceful messing around in the waves.
Well, nothing except Lovecraft poofing all of the sudden.
Taking a deep breath, John dived. Maybe he had better chances of finding Lovecraft that way. And if he did find him, at the very least he could surprise him by pulling him down as well. Immediatelly after he opened his eyes, he got a harsh reminder why wasn't it a good idea to dive without swimming goggles, especially in the sea. The salt stung in his eyes, causing him to come up again before he could even get a proper look around.
Squinting, he tried rubbing his eyes clean, alas the salty water from his palms wasn't very helpful either. Finally, he gave up and lied back on the waves, letting the breeze and the slow torrent relax him. Before long, something rubbed against his leg. Instinctivelly, John kicked at it, expecting it to be just a curious fish or a loose piece of seaweed. The more surprised he was when his foot actually hit something solid.
Before he knew it, a dark shadow went under him and sprung up directly behind him. This startled John but only before he realized his lost friend had just been found. He gave a grin to Lovecraft's tired face. "What's up? You don't look like you're enjoying it very much."
There was just a grunt back as Lovecraft laid back on the water, floating effortlessly in a sort of stiff position. "I want to sleep..." He mumbled. John gave a hearty laugh at that, settling down next to him, enjoying as the sun tickled his nose. It wasn't until something brushed against his arm that he looked up again.
"You'll get burnt like this." Lovecraft was looking down at him, holding handfuls of seaweed. There was already some tangled in his hair and he obviously intended on doing the same to John.
"Or worse," he didn't let his friend's startled stare bother him, "a heatstroke. You need to be more careful when out in the sun."
"Lovecraft, wait! Don't-" John's protests were ignored and before long, something vaguelly resembling a hat sat comfortably on top of his head. He gave up the fight early on, realizing it was just Lovecraft's way of caring for him. Although weird and kind of gross.
~~~
Nathaniel had to admit a day off like this was pleasant. Reading in peace in the warmth of a beach wasn't something he could afford to do very often so there was no way he would just pass up an opportunity like this. And while Lucy and Mark were causing quite a fuss ever since they all met up, at least they kept their distance. Sadly, sometimes it just wasn't enough.
He looked up after finishing another page, only to find him chasing her down the beach with a watergun. Well, that explained the squeeling and yelling at least. Bothered by the noise, he reached in his camelbak and got his earphones. When he got them from Margaret a while ago, he wasn't too appreciative of them but right now, they came in very handy. Although focusing on reading with music playing wasn't the easiest, it was still better than trying to focus with those two causing a commotion.
Just before he returned his attention to the book, he spotted Mitchell getting out of the water. It looked as though she was calling for him but he simply continued his reading, not paying her any mind. It was getting a little windy but luckily, his glasses protected his eyes from the sand to some degree. Just as he was about to start a new chapter however...
SPLASH!
Out of the blue, there was a bucket of water emptied right on his head, soaking completely both him and all his belongings. Rightfully angered, he peered around to see who was responsible for such a dirty trick. It didn't take him long to notice the victorious smirk on Margaret's face as she waited ankles-deep in the water, a small pocket of wind swirling behind her, carrying another load. It was flung his direction as soon as she caught his glance and he only barely avoided, throwing himself down in the sand and ripping the earbuds from his ears.
With a frustrated glance, he found out his book didn't make it and was now in tatters. Turning to her, he only found her expression all the more annoying.
"You can read at home, Nathaniel." If he didn't know her, he'd say she was almost jealous he wasn't paying her any attention. "Beaches are meant to be all about swimming and fun in the water. Don't be so stilted now."
"Stilted?" His voice rang icy cold even on the hot beach. "Aren't you the one who's just being vain? Interrupting my reading seems well-mannered to you?"
"For everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.*"
Nathaniel could only grit his teeth at that. It wasn't the first time she used one of the basis of his faith to tease him. With a sigh he got up. Instead of going towards Margaret, however, he headed towards the two redheads first. Lucy managed to steal Mark's gun in the meantime and they were having a struggle over it currently before he approached them.
"I will need that gun." He announced, simply taking it from Lucy's hands. Seeing this, Margaret could only give him a smug look. If he expected her to be hit easily, he was in for a surprise.
~~~
It's been some time since Poe has approached the ice cream stand, still unsure of what to take for himself. There were too many options that seemed alluring and yet nothing that would exactly stand out to him. His eyes skipped over the possibilities opening before him and from time to time wandered over to Louisa and Herman standing by his side. He preffered their company to the crowded beach so he tagged along but now he was clearly just keeping them behind.
It took but a few more minutes till Karl decided he didn't feel like waiting any longer and, perhaps having heard their merry coworkers, left the group, heading further to the beach. That only stressed Edgar a bit more. Eventually, it was Herman who spoke up, his voice not nearly as bothered as Poe had expected.
"You can't pick? Maybe you could assign each flavor a number and ask ms. Louisa to pick a random number then."
"W-why me?" Louisa stuttered, red seeping in her cheeks once more. But the idea seemed good enough to Edgar.
When they finally reached the beach again, the scene opening up before them was truly a sight to behold. Nathaniel's lounger laid abandoned, although looking like it just got pulled out of the water and the man himself was chasing after Margaret with a watergun, John returned from his swim, his head wrapped in seaweed, much like Lovecraft's who was floating face-down in the shallow water near the beach, Mark found entertainment in letting a bunch of children burry him in the sand, Lucy was inflating a floaty apparently for the satisfied-looking Raccoon at her feet and Francis was nowhere to be found but the castle he was helping to build earlier was broken down now.
They settled down on their earlier places, Edgar putting his towel next to Louisa's. For a while, they watched their coworkers' shenanigans unfold in silence before the sun started becoming unbearable. With their ice creams eaten, there wasn't much else they could use to keep cool, except for the water they intended to save a little to have enough for the rest of the afternoon.
"Why don't you two go splash around in the water a bit?" Melville spoke once more. From his smile, it was obvious he was a little worried for the pair of them.
Giving each other a look, they nodded in sync, this drawing small smiles on both their faces. They got up from their towels and headed towards the sea. Before they got there, though, they had to avoid the waterballoons Margaret formerly stole from Mark and now was using as a defense against Nathaniel as well as the minister's surprisingly good shooting skills.
Once they finally reached the water, it didn't take them long to start splashing around happily like two little children. Herman watched them with delight. They could be troublesome at times but at the end of the day, they just needed to stop being so self-conscious all the time.
~~~
Lovecraft was slowly starting to doze off. It was quite some time since someone last checked if he wasn't drowning and it seemed like he would finally get some of his peace. As much as he enjoyed John's company, the boy could get exhausting after some time. Understandably, when something pat his back once more, he was becoming a little frustrated with the constant interruptions.
Looking up, though, he found a furry creature sitting in a pink floaty, washing its front paws in the water. Lovecraft sat down in the shallow water, watching it for a while before reaching out to it, letting it hold his finger.
"You're that writer's pet, aren't you?"
The creature blinked up at him before returning to investigating his finger properly. It bit down at one point but Lovecraft was far from minding.
"Did you come to play with me?"
With a sound that resembled a chirp, the raccoon plopped down on his vessel and started paddling further in the water. Lovecraft followed it further to make sure it was safe. Of all people, he knew best what dangers the sea could hide. Luckily, it didn't seem like the animal wanted to get too far from the shore.
"Do you like sleep?" Lovecraft asked after a while, only to receive another chirp from Karl. He nodded seriously. "You're right, it's the best. Days like this are exhausting."
He was splashed with water as a response but didn't mind it one bit. He returned the playful gesture at the creature, watching in awe as it shook off, then continued to splash him. He supposed there was no harm in playing for a while.
~~~
Francis didn't expect his subordinates to get very enthusiastic about this trip. But now as he was returning from the nearby food stand with everyone's lunch, he was pleasantly surprised to be proven wrong. He set down a picnic blanket, settled down and called for everyone. The responses he got were truly worth all the planning this trip took. He needed to remind himself to thank Louisa for the idea later.
Margaret and Nathaniel arrived first, both out of breath and wet from head to toe but with satisfied smiles playing on their faces as they eyed each other suspiciously. They fought briefly over some of the fried chicken wings but eventually came to an agreement. Herman was the next one to treat himself to a good snack, in his case consisting mostly of baked potatoes. Lucy and Louisa helped themselves to some fish and John, once he finally unwrapped the seaweed from around his head, lunged for the corndogs. Edgar brought some sandwiches himself but he agreed to eat together with the rest of them. Last of all showed up Lovecraft and Karl, taking what remained of everything.
It wasn't until they were almost done that they noticed Mark didn't bother to come. They found him soundly asleep still burried in the sand. Nathaniel shared a look with Margaret and Lucy and before long, Scarlet letter cut out some of the sand around him and lifted him up together with it. Helped by Margaret's wind, it carried the sleeping redhead over the water before dropping him in.
Fitzgerald watched it from the shore, sharing a hearty laugh with everyone else. And while some of the other beach guests seemed slightly bothered by them, they couldn't care less. It was, after all, their last day off before they were to head to Japan.