Selkie Cove, Early Monday Morning

[afraid_of_marshmallows]

Arden woke up a little after dawn, curled up on the ground near selkie peak after apparently being a forest all weekend. She generally didn't worry about temperatures unless they hit extremes, but even so, she felt very lucky that it was early summer and not, say, winter, where she could have woken up covered in snow, or a very rainy springtime. The grass was even surprisingly soft to lay on.

But that didn't change the face that she has, in fact, been sleeping on grass and dirt.

"This fucking island," she groaned, pushing herself upwards and dusting herself off.

...Which was how Arden discovered that, much like transforming back from a random animaling, the island had neglected to provide her with clothing to celebrate her return to personhood.

Sometimes this place really was the worst.

[Open if anyone wants to run across a naked and blushing Elemental trying to make her way home!

Comments

[afraid_of_marshmallows]

"A forest," Arden said with a sigh. "A wholeass magical forest. Because the island looks at me and thinks ecosystem, I guess?"

[carbsliftthespirit]

"I was a guy who wanted to fight people," Raiden volunteered. This was, of course, about as far from normal Raiden as possible. "I haven't heard from Gray yet." Here was hoping he had not been a manifestation of the color gray all weekend.

[afraid_of_marshmallows]

Or worse, fifty shades of it.

"Well, it's still really early, so hopefully he's just sleeping?" Arden suggested. She also didn't have her phone on her, so she couldn't check in with anybody...or call for a sudden clothing drop-off which was what she'd really be doing with a phone.

[carbsliftthespirit]

"He doesn't really have a sleep schedule," Raiden said, wry. "So who knows? Oh! Do you want me to get you some clothes? Uh, one of my shirts, maybe?" Because she could totally wear it as a dress.

[afraid_of_marshmallows]

"I would love anything I could wear from here back to my place," Arden admitted with a small laugh. "I've been debating the benefits between sneaking my way back to Midnight and hopefully nobody spotting me, or just accepting that I live here now."

[carbsliftthespirit]

"After one of those weekends I'd hope people would be understanding," Raiden said, but, y'know, people. "I'll be right back. Don't--don't go anywhere." Unless somewhere had clothes, then he would completely understand.

[afraid_of_marshmallows]

"Oh, don't worry," Arden said. "I'm not so into my Eve cosplay that I'm willing to bring it on the road."

Her stomach rumbled. Great. She was naked and hungry. Sometimes she really hated this island.

[carbsliftthespirit]

Raiden was about to take off when he heard that. "Oh, no, are you hungry?" Arden! How was he supposed to feed you when he had to go get you clothes?

[afraid_of_marshmallows]

"I was a forest all weekend," Arden said, sounding chagrinned. "I don't think I really ate other than photosynthesis or whatever."

[carbsliftthespirit]

"That's not food," Raiden protested. Poor plants. Well, except for the Venus flytraps. They got to eat. "I would just carry you to my place and make you breakfast, but, uh..." Clothing. Lack thereof. "I'm testing some recipes for the new restaurant, and half the time Gray has to complain that it's not waffles before he'll give me feedback."

[afraid_of_marshmallows]

"With clothes, I'd love that," Arden assured him, because she knew the direction her priorities went in and that was definitely clothing first.

[carbsliftthespirit]

Awful priorities, Arden, but he knew other people who shared them. "Right," Raiden agreed. "Clothes. I'll be right back." And off he flew.

[afraid_of_marshmallows]

"Thank you!" Arden called after him, still kind of hiding behind a big rock.

Like a champ.

She didn't add 'Please hurry!' out loud but she did think it really intensely, on the off-chance she might suddenly have ended up in the brothers' telepathy web.

[carbsliftthespirit]

Alas, that was still Nephilim-only (except for that weird offshoot line Alastair had to Lazarus), but Raiden was back just about as fast he could fly. "Okay, we've got one of my t-shirts, and some basketball shorts and a t-shirt Gray left at my place for some reason that you won't drown in. He's got like a zillion pairs of Chucks in my office that'll fit your feet at least better than my shoes, if you wanna come back for breakfast and then borrow some. I doubt he'll notice." Sorry, Gray. "Or I could fly you over to the boarding house after you have clothes on," he added reluctantly. He was sure she had her own food she could feed herself there. Probably.

[afraid_of_marshmallows]

WHO COULD POSSIBLY KNOW WHY ALASTAIR HAD THAT WITH LAZARUS? NO GOOD REASON PROBABLY AND EVERYBODY SHOULD JUST STOP THINKING ABOUT IT!

"Thank you," she breathed, reaching for the oversized t-shirt and pulling it behind her modesty rock. "Life-saver, really. And I'd love breakfast if you don't mind making me something," she added, because, yeah, while the boarding house had her clothes (and her bed and her shower), Raiden had definitely saved her here and she knew he'd be happiest getting to feed her. "And I'm fully capable of giving non-waffle-centric feedback."

[carbsliftthespirit]

"Yeah?" Raiden asked, trying not to sound too excited. "Okay, I've got two pancake problems going--I'm tryin' out this cinnamon roll pancake situation with a cream cheese swirl, and I'm tryin' to decide if the lemon ricotta pancakes are better with blueberries in them and maple syrup on top or with blueberry syrup--and I think I've perfected my crabcake benedict. Because you've gotta have crab. It's Maryland. So. Which of those sounds good?" He anxiously twiddled his thumbs.

[afraid_of_marshmallows]

"They all sound good," Arden said with a soft smile. "How am I supposed to choose? Do you think it would be okay if you made more than one?"

...she asked, Raiden, Avatar of Gluttony.

[carbsliftthespirit]

Raiden stared at her for a long moment, then held out a hand to her as if to shake. "I'm sorry," he said, "I must not have introduced myself properly. I'm Gluttony."

[afraid_of_marshmallows]

Arden laughed. "I know," she said. "But I also don't want to assume that you'll just make all of those! It seems rude."

[carbsliftthespirit]

"I don't mind," Raiden assured her. "I like feeding people." He had the gene.

[afraid_of_marshmallows]

"Still polite to ask though!"

Look at her, asking for things. How far she'd come in practically two years.