aterat | [Open] The Sun Is My Friend

Who; Tommy Shepherd, OTA
What; ~~the anime beach episode~~ Enjoying the Beach
Where; The Newly Uncovered Beach
When; Weekends Mid-July
Warnings; N/A

He hears the talk of a beach rather quickly. It wasn't that Tommy had more inroads to the gossip of the city than other people not native to this world that led to him finding out so fast. No, it was entirely just his business. Businesses reappearing and thus reopening around the shore meant goods needing delivered there for beach season. And urgent deliveries meant quick deliveries.

It meant Tommy's delivery service doing some seriously brisk business. Even if he wasn't the most fond of running on sand. But a beach was something he could get behind anyway, even if it wasn't normal to New Yorker life. No, he'd visited Kate a few times in California, which meant he'd gotten even more used to the idea of it, and the idea of something like home made Tommy act.

An ocean that he wasn't living under? Definitely worth visiting. Which was what Tommy found himself doing every weekend when he wasn't working. It hadn't taken much effort to find himself a big beach umbrella, a long blanket to lay upon on the sand, and of course, it was simple to gather snacks for himself too.

Was he wearing anything more than some short square-leg swim trunks in white and green? Nope. Was he absolutely laying there on the back sometimes, umbrella down, sunning so he could enrich his tan? Absolutely. Was there periods of time Tommy laid around, snacking and watching the waves? Totally.

Did Tommy seem likely to go into the water himself at all? Nope. Not without prompting.

But hey, good news: any time anyone at all walked nearby he smiled and offered a wave.

"Hey! Fucking beautiful, right?"

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Dogs. Tommy was not the biggest fan, but that one was small so it was fine. Totally fine. It's fine.

"There wasn't, a few weeks ago. This place, it changes. We don't know why. Locals don't seem to realize it."

Angeal turned and looked back at the water, while keeping a good eye on the little leashed furball. Training him took up some of his time which was good because it gave him something to do. He planned to teach it to run with him without a leash as he used to do with Zack in the mornings.

But that was a little ways off as of yet because the pup had to get bigger.

His gaze came back to Tommy as he nodded once. "Seems I've heard something about that. But does everything that comes in always stay?"

It was a question he hadn't asked yet.

"No," Tommy said, his voice briefly dark and pained. Billy, Gar, gone. Leaving him alone. Wanda gone, leaving him alone. Everyone he loves...

Easier not to love anyone but Speedy probably. That's the safest.

"People get to go home too."

Angeal didn't know what was with that answer but he knew pain when he heard it. So he wasn't going to ask. And this was where he nodded. His next question was to ask about dead people but that was a secret he wasn't going to give away.

"Even if they don't want to, it sounds as if there's no vote."

His blue eyes narrowed a bit. "I take it the Aspects or whatever they're called have no control over this except to bring us here."

“No clue,” Tommy admitted with a shrug. “Like, I don’t talk to them. Got enough of a fill of gods at home.”

Given the ‘god’ he has a fill of is literally his twin brother. Damn nerd.

Angeal nodded and sighed. "In that case, I'll have to find out how to locate them and see if I can get any more information."

How he was going to do that he wasn't sure. But the one thing he did want to know was why take someone who'd passed on? That should at least get an answer of nothing else.

Thinking on this now made him wonder how Genesis would react to this place and all of this news.

But he turned back to Tommy and shook his head. "It makes me wonder if this beach is some sort of a distraction for whatever it is that they want us to do."

"Good luck with that. I dont' even bother asking. Gods are tedious."

That had been true of the Sphere, and it was definitely true of Billy. But for now he looked out over the waves and thought about the observation.

"I don't know. Maybe... Maybe they just want to make a real world but they aren't strong enough to do it all in one go?"

There was a slight smile. Well if this guy knew that, it might not be worth asking. And then again it might.

However he remained silent as the other seemed to be lost in thought about something and he had to lean down and get the pup to not chew on whatever it had found at the moment.

Straightening back up he heard the answer. That made him think and rethink a few things as he considered this new angle. "If this place isn't real, then what about the people who are here already?"

"I don't know if this place isn't real, or if it's, like, becoming real?"

Is that an option? Is that a thing a place can be? He doesn't know. Fuck, but he doesn't know.

"Shit, this is way above my pay grade."

Serious blue eyes blinked at Tommy's answer. Well that wasn't something he'd even thought of really. "That would make the townspeople something like puppets." There was a sort of question in his tone regarding this but it was something he hadn't considered.

Still, he half smiled at the pay grade. "Seems this is a question that needs to be answered by the people who brought us here, provided they'll talk."

"I don't know. They could be really truly people," Tommy counters. He doesn't know. It's hard to figure anything out.

"Good luck with that."

Angeal smiled. He half figured people who had been here longer would have ore intel on the Aspects, but if not he was totally fine with that. So he nodded at Tommy and then looked at the pup.

"I'll let you know if I find anything out."

"Thanks," Tommy says. "I'm just, you know, doing my best."

And his best was the only thing he could ever begin to offer. Asking the gods for help would never help him he thought. Hadn't gotten him home before. Why would it do it now?

"Sorry man, I just wish I could do more for you."

The former Soldier gave Tommy a smile. "That's all anyone can do here." Especially with the current circumstances. These gods or whatever they were seemed mysterious and erratic, but Angeal was going to do what he said.

And then he shook his head. "No need for an apology."

Are gods ever not erratic? Even Tommy's brother was a little erratic.

"Offering it anyway, because it's polite, right?"

Wow Zack could learn a thing or two from this kid. So Angeal nodded.

"Polite is usually a good way to go if you're in doubt."

Hey, it took him some time to get this polite. It's just not that easy.

"I'm never in doubt," he lies easily.

Angeal smiled. "You'd be one of the few people I know that do that then." But he smiled at the small pup. "I should get going, but thanks for your time and the chat."

Tommy nodded and offered a brief salute. He should really get going.

"Have a good one dude."

[Open] The Sun Is My Friend

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