[OPEN] if you're lost and alone

[relentlesstide]

Characters: Arthur Curry and unsuspecting bystanders YOU
Date: Several
Location: Various
Situation: Open log for the month. PM or plurk me for any specific starters you want. Actionspam or prose welcome equally.
Warnings/Rating: Uh... Nonsexual Atlantean skinny dipping/nudity in A.

A - OPEN
Sometimes Arthur likes to reconnect with the sea. Sometimes a pool full of seawater in a climate-controlled suite just isn't enough, and he wants to slice through the cold ocean waves and feel a little more at home. The water feels perfect today; he doesn't hardly seem to feel the cold as he cuts through the water at speeds more common to quicksilver-fast marine animals than people. A ways out to sea, the foam he kicks up can be seen bubbling to the surface and floating on the waves as it dissolves in his wake. There are very few ways Arthur is comfortable letting off steam, and this is one of them, going back to a simpler time and a simpler him when it was just a man and the open ocean, no responsibilities, no worries, nothing to weigh him down. Like this, he just lets himself be, works his muscles in the drag and flow of the water until he can feel it, until he doesn't feel so cooped up in a fishbowl anymore.

After a long, long swim, a golden head pops up above the waves, and Arthur runs a hand over his hair, squeezing water from it and slicking it back from his forehead at the same time. His arms and shoulders are visibly bare, but that in itself doesn't necessarily mean anything. He's Atlantean, and he doesn't feel the temperatures. His swim back to shore is leisurely, a graceful front crawl until he can emerge from the water, dripping wet and... well, completely bare. He's not bad to look at if you're into that kinda thing, with a tightly muscled swimmer's build, but most people probably don't want to see this side of him.

Unfortunately for those people, he is completely unashamed of his state of undress, making his way a short distance up from the water to where he's left his things, trident stuck prongs-down in the sand, fishing net and pole, a small bag for his catch if he did any fishing, money for a few groceries on his way back home. "Oh for Neptune's sake," he mumbles to himself, toeing the sand with a frown as he searches for something.

It would seem everything is there except his pants.

B - OPEN
Arthur's errands these days generally mean he's accompanied by a massive baby turtle ambling around with him. There isn't much that he needs done, he picks up a few things from the market, he delivers some fish to a couple of restaurants in the Water Sector, he strolls by the canals to check up on the marine creatures that live there. Today he's doing his business on a street in the Water Sector full of various shops, talking to an apothecary at a small outdoor stall about something to do with his two fish companions at home, Verne and Nemo, when suddenly there's a rather large crashing noise behind.

Rio'era the turtle has knocked over - something. A cart? A stall? A person? Arthur doesn't even look, scrunching his eyes closed for a moment before he raises a finger. "I'll pay for that."

C - OPEN
Another evening, the sun starting to sink below the horizon, Arthur finds himself at a small cafe, sitting on the abandoned (due to the chill) outdoor patio at a small table with a drink, watching the sun go down. There's an almost melancholy expression on his face as he swirls the unidentified (this time non-alcoholic) liquid in his glass, and he's obviously thinking about something. The street is mostly quiet at this time of day, and that's probably why he's here, taking a few quiet moments to himself somewhere that isn't his lonely suite, without Rio, who he loves dearly but is also a bit of a handful (let her other parents handle her for a while).

Eventually, he drains the glass and stands up to leave, but he wouldn't be adverse to someone coming by to strike up a conversation.

Comments

A

[backinakidflash]

None of this would have happened if it weren't for the near invisibility of fishing wire and, perhaps, the rubbernecking of speedsters. While staring at the water, in order to figure out which nut thinks it's bikini season, it would've been prudent to stand still. However, Bart had not done this, because why waste time?

Unfortunately, that meant he wasn't watching where he was going when his toes caught the line on the fishing pole. Luckily (for the fishing pole) slamming into a trident face first kept the fishing pole from getting drug along. The trident was none the worse for wear. Apparently, when Aquaman sticks that thing in the ground, he means it to stay.

A golden opportunity such this couldn't be wasted, though, and Bart had helped himself to the man's pants and headed off to wait. When Arthur returned and began looking for his clothes, he blurred into focus in front of him, wearing the missing article and a crown of seaweed. The pants are so big that, not only do they fit over his own, he has to hold them up at the waist and they spill over his bare feet. "Landlubbers! Don't you know that every plankter is sacred!"

It's very easy to scowl when one's nose was still broken as recently as 23 seconds ago. "Who knew that plankton had a singular f- um. Where are the orange Speedos?"

[relentlesstide]

And here Arthur had thought the tide had just washed them out to sea. It wouldn't be the first time, he remembers fondly that time he and Mera had to spend at least an hour trying to find their clothes again off the shore of Hawaii because they'd been a little overzealous. He's glancing out to sea again for a glimpse of green when there's suddenly a speedster there on the sand, and he's-

Is he seriously wearing Arthur's pants? Seriously, kid? At first, he's too stricken by the sheer ridiculousness of it to be mad, raising an eyebrow and resting a hand on one hip. One very bare hip. No, he's not going to bother to try and cover himself, and no, there are no Atlantean underwear in the vicinity. Bart brought it on himself.

"I'm not sure I've ever said 'landlubbers' out loud."

[backinakidflash]

No regrets. Even if he is keeping his tightly eyes focused on Arthur's nose, there are no regrets here.

"Sure you have. Just now." Literal trumps figurative every time. While Bart isn't sure that Arthur has said before now, he knows he's heard a few 'surface dweller' remarks. Or where those all Eridan? The complaints of the sea people are starting to blur together, really.

Although he likes Aquaman considerably more than he likes Eridan, which is, in part, why he's already taken the pants off and is offering them to him. Put some clothes on, sheesh. People complain about the younger generation being indecent. "It's in the realm of things you'd say. Anyway. Totally worth it. Your fishing pole tried to kill me. How's your day going? Good swim?"

[relentlesstide]

"Does Barry know you're out stealing other people's pants?" Is his oh-so-clever retort to Bart's little landlubber jibe. He's definitely heard surface dweller and surfacer remarks, though, there are no shortage of those, even if he'd much rather not be lumped in with trolls.

He does take the pants, but he doesn't make any move to put them on just yet. It's not his problem, after all. "Not really, more something Aquagirl would say while making fun of me." He quirks an eyebrow slightly. "Maybe it's a friendly reminder to watch where you're running. I hope you didn't break my line."

[backinakidflash]

"If Barry knew half the stuff I do, I'd be grounded until I was 50."

The moment that a second has passed, hindsight is available to walk up and slap you in the face. Which, incidentally, it has just done. Perhaps Bart should not have told one of his grandfather's friends that he's been Up To Stuff, but he laughs anyway. What else is there to do? He can't take it back, and he'd meant it as a joke.

The lack of pants, though, is getting less funny. "Yeah. But if I were Aquagirl, I'd be cuter, and you'd have pants on."

Hint, hint. Bart rolls his eyes at the worry that the fishing line is broken. They break all the time, don't they? He's not sure, really, as he's never fished in his life. Too slow, too boring, and the end result is something he doesn't want to eat anyway. No, thank you. "I dunno. Pretty sure my nose was though. So I wasn't real worried about the stick at that point."

[relentlesstide]

That gets a slight smirk out of Arthur. "I'll be sure to let him know." Though he's mostly giving him a hard time. He's not so great with teenagers who aren't his own bunch or somehow like his.

"I'm going to ignore that you called her cute." He picks up the fishing pole and checks the line, the bend of the wood, the mechanism to reel it in. Nothing broken, at least, which is good because then he'd have to make a new one himself to his liking. Then and only then after checking on his equipment does he pull on his pants again, because hey, it's not his fault that surfacers are weird about naked bodies. "And again, friendly reminder to watch where you're running. Want me to set that nose for you?"

[backinakidflash]

Well, that's just fantastic. Aquaman is a real pal. "Great. He'll be thrilled."

Bart looks incredibly dismal at this prospect. He and his grandfather aren't as close as he wants them to be - he's working fumbly at that - but Barry doesn't treat him like Wally does. He had hoped that, maybe, he might be able to not be a screw-up in this Flash's eyes. He supposes that it's inevitable. Time to leave that topic in the dust.

"Why ignore it? Is she your kid or something?" Actually, why are they talking about her in the present tense? As far as Bart knows, she's deceased. She might've been brought back, too. Resurrection seems to be going around, but he won't make that point. Seems the better choice. "I think the nose is OK."

He reaches up and touches it gently. No searing pain, even when he scrunches it. "I heal pretty quick. Is it straight?"

option A! asscreed spoilers, avoid if bothered

[aread]

There's nothing in all the world like the ocean, and it's her best and first home on Earth. Tulum took her in, aye, taught her the ways of the world. But she was on the deck of a ship, in one capacity or other, for near two decades, and there was nowhere finer or freer, that she knew or needed.

She misses it, here. Being aboard a turtle - a turtle, for Chrissake! - isn't near the same. You don't feel the roll of the deck beneath your feet nor the spray of salt in your face.

It's a prison, this. Same as Kingston. Same as any place with bars or cages. Aye, it's a fairer one than most, but she dislikes it all the same, and as an escape and refuge both, she's drawn to the ocean and all its wonders. One of which, today, is a naked man.

She's standing by the trident when he surfaces, dressed as James Kidd, and her expression is an amused one. "Not cold, are you, mate?" she asks, not quite managing an innocent tone. It's not every day you see someone braving weather quite this cold for the joy of a swim.

[relentlesstide]

Arthur wasn't exactly expecting to see another person down on the beach this time of year, in this weather. Most people are driven inside by the cold, or at least stick close to the city. It makes his occasional swims a lot more quiet, otherwise he probably would have stuck the trident down somewhere else than on the open sand. Not that anyone else can really make use of it; it only responds to Atlanteans and those descended from the sea gods, so far.

He slicks his hair back as he walks out of the waves, dripping wet and entirely unselfconscious about his state of undress, quirking an eyebrow at the tone he gets from the man standing a little too near his things. "Not really, this is the closest to home the water's felt all year." It's true enough, he likes the cold, it's more like the bottom of the Atlantic than the warm tropical waters Asti had previously sailed through. "Out for a winter beach stroll?"

[aread]

"Thought I'd take in the ocean, aye." Mary studies him a moment longer, and then slips away from his items. That trident might seem a fine bit of plunder, but she's never been one for trinkets the way Kenway is. All she's done has been aught but cover for her other life, besides.

"It's a sort of home to me, though you'd not catch me bathing nude. I'd freeze before I was a fathom out. Odds are I'll be raising a glass to the Caribbean before I set foot in these waters."

[relentlesstide]

Well, anybody who calls the ocean some sort of home can't be too bad. He notes approvingly the way the man moves away from his trident, and steps over to his things to find his pants. "In my defense, not many people out here this time of year. My kind like the cold, though. Reminds me of the bottom of the Atlantic."

His smile is slight and wry at that comment. "The Caribbean around where you're from?"

[aread]

The words about 'his kind' raise her curiosity, but she elects not to pry. Surely he's not bothered by it, if he talks about it so freely, but has no burning need to know, and sees no point in it besides. He's some manner of creature beyond human, to not only tolerate but revel in these climes, and so long as he offers her no harm she'll ask him nothing more intrusive than she needs.

"By way of England, aye." And if she appreciates the look of him while he hunts around for his clothes, well. She's always had an appreciation for the male form. The shamelessness makes it all the more attractive, confidence that lacks arrogance has always been a pleasant thing in her mind, and rare among the men she calls comrade.

"I don't suppose you know Nassau? On the isle of New Providence?"

[relentlesstide]

Always the politest approach to take, though he doesn't mind talking about his people and his country. He gets asked about Atlantis a lot, after all.

He keeps up a conversational tone as he searches, wading out a bit and calling a little help to find said green, lightly armored pants. "I can't say I do, not off-hand. I've some time in those waters, I think, but I'm not very familiar with the land locations- Hah, there those are." They finally turn up, draped across the back of a helpful fish, and he gives the fish a light pat as he picks them up again.

B

[andaway]

A person indeed.

Clark has, of course come across one of the little turtles before. He hadn't created a bond with any of the eggs, but they had still interested him- and now that they have finally hatched (and erased all of the suspicions Damian might have cast in his mind), he has been following their growth with quiet interest.

And maybe he's begun feeding them whatever he has on him. And maybe in this case it happened to be something he'd taken to call 'carrot', for lack of actual ones. And maybe Rio had been a little overexcited when she'd realized Clark was holding and maybe now Clark is in the floor with a turtle on top of him nomming on the food, unable to get up without hurting her.

"Something tells me this is yours."

[relentlesstide]

Yeah, feeding the babies is a surefire way to get knocked over by several hundred pounds of boundless enthusiasm. As it turns out? Rio'era is also very fond of what passes for carrots in this world.

Arthur finally turns around to survey the damage that's been done now, but instead of cringingly offering to help fix whatever it is up again, he just raises an eyebrow at the sight of Clark on the ground beneath the turtle baby, then laughs a little. Well, he officially doesn't feel as bad. Clark can handle her weight, he's not hurt, and better him than another fruit cart. "This is Rio'era, yes. Sweetheart, get off the nice man please- Oh, he had food, huh?"

[andaway]

The look Clark is trying to give the man would probably be more efficient if his lips didn't keep on twitching upwards. Arthur is right, he isn't hurt- and if it were the other way round Clark, being the manchild he can be would probably be laughing his ass of. He can hardly blame him.

The orange vegetable is soon gone, so Clark takes to petting the turtle's head. "Hello, Rio'era. I am Clark" And then back to Arthur. "If you tell her she will get more food if she gets off me, will she listen? I'm not sure how much they have learned."

[relentlesstide]

"She's very intelligent, she just needs to be taught things. Right now we're working on personal space." Arthur chuckles a little, stooping down over by the turtle's head and Clark, resting a hand atop her head between her eyes. "Rio, you can't do that with everyone. Now, if you let him up, he says he has more food."

She seems to look at him, and then at Clark as if processing what they're saying. 'More food' seems to do it, and she wiggles her way off, looking at him expectantly with big bright eyes.

[andaway]

"Good girl." He reaches to pet the turtle's shell, giving Arthur a thankful smile.

Even before Krypto his family had always had a dog with them, not to mention all the animals in the farm. So he's had more than his fair share of experience with animals- just hardly this big, and not often this eager. He hands her a little more of the carrot, but now he's ready to step away if she tries to tackle him.

"How much does she understand?"

[relentlesstide]

She's more polite this time, taking the carrot as delicately as a minivan-sized turtle can and crunching on it with obvious glee. She's a pretty easy going hatchling, all things considered.

"Quite a bit, actually. She probably understands most of what we're saying. Like Asti, she's very advanced, and she picks up on things almost immediately."

a

[animosus]

Hal had been flying overhead when he'd noticed the small crowd and dropped down to take a closer look. A few kedan were outright oggling but most were attempting to be a little more discreet. Whatever it was, it had to be pretty exci--

"Arthur!"

Hands instantly slap over his eyes because Hal was your average male who believed that seeing those kinds of things tarnished their masculinity. Arthur will also be getting a construct towel wrapped around his waist and he swears he hears people huffing in disappointment behind him at that.

Whatever. They could deal with it.

He doesn't put his hands down just yet and peeks out from between them instead. "I've met a lot of different species and cultures and almost all of them wore clothes so while it may not be considered necessary in Atlantis, could you please put some pants on?!"

[relentlesstide]

He honestly hadn't really noticed the onlookers coming up the beach. They hadn't really merited notice and he'd chalked it up to people being confused as to why he's out in this weather. Arthur is frowning slightly as his eyes scan the sand between where he parked his things and the waves, idly remembering the time it took he and Mera about an hour just to find their clothes again in Hawaii, when he hears the shout.

And glances down at himself and the new glowing green construct towel.

"Really?" He gets a raised eyebrow, and no, he does not look embarrassed or ashamed. "Almost all of them? Hm. Frankly if you don't want to see it, you should probably go, because I think I'm going to be here a little while longer."

[animosus]

Don't look is not the response he was looking for. He already saw something that could never be unseen, not looking wouldn't change that. Neither would Arthur putting on some pants, but he'd feel a lot better about it knowing that no one else would suffer like he did.

"I'm pretty sure there's a law against indecent exposure." There is now a green, construct police car to go with the towel. "Unless you want to make this difficult."

Basically Arthur was going to put on some clothes even if he had to beat him unconscious to do so.

[relentlesstide]

"A law that applies, no doubt, in the city. The sea is my territory, though," he says with a loftily raised eyebrow and a somewhat arrogant look. "The laws of the ocean are different. Always have been." Yeah he's not going to go for the 'indecent exposure' thing, he's spent too much time having diplomatic immunity. Being a country's ambassador is a sweet deal sometimes.

But then his smirk takes on a hint of amusement. "Am I making you feel inadequate? I'll put on my pants as soon as I find them."

[animosus]

That sort of talk wasn't going to fly with him. "And I'm a Green Lantern, the whole universe is my jurisdiction." The Guardian's didn't acknowledge planetary borders let alone country borders. And that jab at him wasn't making Hal feel any good will to his fellow leaguer.

"I'm giving you one last chance to take the easy route." Inwardly, he's hoping Arthur will be difficult. He's been cooped up for too long and hasn't taken off the ring since Sinestro's execution had been announced which was before that whole mess with the Black Lanterns. He hasn't realised it, but he's getting antsy.

[relentlesstide]

"I know you like to think that." Sorry Hal, Atlantis doesn't recognize Green Lanterns as having any authority that Arthur or Mera don't give them. It's not personal, it's just a thing - they've been isolated and unknown to the world above for so long that old habits are hard to break. And needless to say, the League and the Lanterns have rarely been there when the sea found trouble.

"I said I'd put them on when I found them. Do you want to make this difficult?" he asks with a raised eyebrow, standing his ground and reaching for his trident stuck down in the sand, unashamed and dripping still.