Once everyone was coated in sunscreen and Mea had his special hearing aids in and adjusted correctly, Nani plopped on her own chair. Kinzlie was sitting in the water near enough to the kids, while she and Laili had opted for a sort of headquarters under a big beach umbrella. She watched curiously as her wife signed along with Bryn, who was concerned about Chabbit. Nani quickly grabbed one of the smaller kids chairs (that had been used when she was just a tot!) and draped a smaller towel over it. There. A perfectly cozy chair for a special bunny friend.
After Bryn had moved over to helping Mea with his slightly floppy sandcastle, Nani then noticed their other kiddo having some big thoughts. She sat up a bit, then stood. Stopping to give Laili a little smooch, Nani walked over to Rey, who hadn't started moving toward the water. "Hey, my little Rey of sunshine. Do you want to talk, or do you just need someone to sit with? I'm here for either. Or we can go into the water, we can help the boys on their castle... or we can rest under the umbrella." She knew that Rey had lived in Tramore for a while, which meant she was likely having memories of her most recent past family. But either way, she wanted her daughter to know her support system was still well in place.
xx✴ Wʜᴇʀᴇ Aᴍ I?The Beach! xxx✴ Wʜᴏ Is Wɪᴛʜ Mᴇ?The whole family, plus friends! xxxx✴ Wʜᴀᴛ's Gᴏɪɴɢ Oɴ?Trying to make a sandcastle xxxxx✴ Wʜᴀᴛ's Iɴsɪᴅᴇ Mʏ Hᴇᴀᴅ?Bryn's a genius!
Mea was super good at building snowmen... so why was sand so tricky? He debated on asking for help, but his mums were busy and the others were either swimming about or talking with a mum! What was he to do? Maybe he could take a break and try to find some neat shells for eventual decoration? But how would he know what decor he'd need until after it was built?! Mea sighed, trying again to get some walls to build up. Thankfully, someone tapped upon his shoulder! Looking up, he watched Bryn's careful signing. They needed mud? That made sense!
He watched his younger brother walk into a spot closer to the water, then sign that it made better walls. Mea stood up, signing toward Bryn. "That's really smart! We can use these buckets, then fill the castle molds up there. That way we can keep our castle safe from the waves." He offered one of the buckets to Bryn, then lifted the other two. Walking back over to the spot he'd been shown, Mea pulled out two little shovels. One was for him, the other was handed to his brother. "Let's scoop!" He set to work, scooping as much of the muddy sand as he could fit.
Next was bringing the buckets back, then starting work on the actual castle. Filling up one of the wall molds, Mea flipped it, hoping it would actually keep shape. And.... it did! There was a perfectly shaped wall bit! After getting Bryn's attention, he signed over, "That was super smart! Now we'll be able to make a super awesome castle! After that we can look for shells and stuff to decorate!" His signs were a bit slower, since Bryn was still learning. It wouldn't do for him to miss half the words, after all!
xx✮Wʜᴇʀᴇ Aᴍ I?Summer Cottage xxx✮Wʜᴏ Is Wɪᴛʜ Mᴇ?A bunch of people xxxx✮Wʜᴀᴛ's Gᴏɪɴɢ Oɴ?Summer Vacation xxxxx✮Wʜᴀᴛ's Iɴsɪᴅᴇ Mʏ Hᴇᴀᴅ?Oh gosh, I'm nervous...
Oh, Alice guessed that made sense, Ella not knowing how to swim. She had the thought that everyone was made to learn to swim, but with Ella's upbringing... "Don't worry Ells, Lins and I are here. I'm pretty good at swimming so I can watch out for you too." Alice rolled in the water so she was floating on her back, then smiled again, enjoying the sunshine. "Here, watch this." She stood up in the water and since Ella and her were about the same height, she was also up to her chest in the water. Once she had a secure footing, she dove forward, dunking her head under the water and surfacing a little further in. "You gotta kick your feet but you'll stay above water. Wanna try diving out to me? I'll catch you and can bring you back if you don't enjoy it." Alice smiled while she treaded water. That was how the camp counselors had taught her to swim in the deep parts. She would dive over to them and they would catch you so you could tread water and learn to float. Learning to float was the first step to learning to swim.
Linsey Grey-Cavendish Ravenclaw Alumnus │ Eighteen Years Old │ Fashion Designer and Artist │ Single
“Its okay to be nervous, but just look around and know we’re all around you, and you’ll be fine,” said Linsey taking in the presence of Alice and Seb and the others present with a nod of her head. Learning Seb was an expert swimmer was almost as big a surprise as finding out Serghei was as much a stranger to water as Ella. With their father and his whole ‘perfecti soldati’ diktat, she kinda pictured Serghei and his brothers being subjected to physical regimens like what one saw in the old Soviet-era propaganda films about the dominance of their athletics teams. She expected Ella’s lack of skill, as the Antonovs neglected a bunch of other things when she was subjected to their dubious care. “We’re all here to help you, Ella,”
While still holding Ella’s tiny hands, which had squeezed her own even tighter as they ventured into the water, Linsey leaned over backward and immersed her own head in the water as the sun was getting warm on her face. After seeing Alice leaping forward into the water and surface a moment later, Linsey touched off from the sands and stretched out so she was somewhat horizontal in the water, while still holding on to Ella, and gently kicking her feet just enough to stay afloat. “You can do this, Ella. I have confidence in you. If you can float in the water, the rest can come next.”
OOC: Taken by Serghei Emil Antonov
Cinnabun Gryffie
AliceInWonderland0921
Yukina101
[
"All my life I never really knew me till today Now I know why, I'm just another step along the way
I lie awake for hours, I'm just waiting for the sun When the journey we are making has begun Don't deny the feeling that is stealing through your heart Every happy ending needs to have a start
All my life I never really knew me till today Now I know why, I'm just another step along the way "
Racheal 'Rey' Eir Ross-Heulwen Hufflepuff │ Third Year │ Thirteen Years Old │ Single
.
‘Dammit, dammit, dammit why can’t I be like the others? Mea and Bryn are making sandcastles, and the others are swimming. This is supposed to be a vacation, I should be having fun here too,’ was what was going through Rey’s mind, as she stared at the cityscape not so far away. ‘I know I’m damaged goods, but playing at the beach should be as easy as … as easy as … well, easier than it is for me. Dammit, I shouldn’t come here, but everyone else was looking forward to this too.’ As pain started to clutch at her heart once more, she felt Nani come towards her. Calling her ‘Rey of sunshine’, was enough to get the little redhead to smile and lean against her mom.
“It’s been three years since … since, well, everything,” said Rey quietly, not wanting to spoil the fun for anyone else. As she spoke the image of her foster father’s bleeding body in her lap flashed behind her eyes, accompanied by the stench of cordite and blood, followed up by Grandma Kinkade telling Nora her decision, before she was returned to the here and now. “Since the Kincaids decided they didn’t want me anymore. The day Grandma Nora came for me, when I was packing to go, Holly asked me if I was going to be a good witch or a bad witch. We watched the remake of ‘Wicked’ not long before, so it made sense at the time. Told her I just wanted to be a competent one before worrying about anything else. She used to follow me around like I was important, like I had the answers.”
Snuffling softly, Rey added, “I-I miss them; Da—Mister Kinkade, Ma—Mrs. Kinkade …” she forcibly corrected herself, reminding herself she had no right calling them anything more than that now. “Grandma Kinkade, even Zac and Ben, but Holly most of all. They won’t miss me, I know this, the Men in the Black Coats made sure of that, I never existed, but I just want to know they’re doing okay.” Rey sighed before saying, “Its been three years … why can’t I be like Ella and Alice and Linsey, and have it all together like they do?”
OOC:
Cinnabun Gryffie
"I've faced my demons, Wrestled these angels to the ground And all that I could find, was a thin line between All the saints and villains, it was crossed in my own eyes
Someday I'm gonna find it, wish I knew what I was looking for Inside the disarray
I woke up this morning, don't know where I'm going But it's alright, I wouldn't have it any other way "
Posted: Wed Jan 15, 2025 11:24 pm
xx❅Wʜᴇʀᴇ Aᴍ I?Beach House - Tramore, IR xxx❅Wʜᴏ Is Wɪᴛʜ Mᴇ?Friends and Family xxxx❅Wʜᴀᴛ's Gᴏɪɴɢ Oɴ?Beach Vacation? xxxxx❅Wʜᴀᴛ's Iɴsɪᴅᴇ Mʏ Hᴇᴀᴅ?Am I swimming?
When given reassurance, Ella sent a look toward her friend. Here she was with two of the very, very few people she trusted. Her big sister and her best friend.... and both were saying it was safe! That swimming to them wouldn't cause her any harm, but that they'd be there to help her. Maybe she should've just stepped out in her float ring that mum had been kind enough to pack with her. Even though everyone else (except, apparently, Serghei) seemed to know how to swim, they probably wouldn't mind if she was in a loop. But instead, she was here, in the water, clinging to her big sister's hands.
Linsey reminded her that they were around her, so the small brunette nodded a bit. Sure, she didn't want to let go, but she did at least feel a bit safer.... "I-I know, I'm just... nervous." She wanted to even step a bit closer, but instead Alice swam over and stood beside her. With a quick "watch this," she was under the water for a moment before reappearing a few feet away. But then she asked her to try the same thing?! Oh man, no way! Ella didn't want to go underwater before she knew how to swim! Wasn't that.... backwards or something?
Honey brown eyes, shimmering in the bright sunlight, watched as Linsey slowly stepped back. Ella stepped forward, only a few tiny steps before her shoulders were at the surface. Her little feet tipped up, the girl trying to keep herself grounded. But then Linsey was floating up, almost laying as she kicked lazily. Ella sent a look of concern toward Alice, before she drew in a shaky breath. Still clutching her sister's hands, she also kicked her feet a bit, shifting to now treading water. Her eyes were wide, but she was successfully keeping herself afloat (well, Linsey was for sure playing a part, but at least she was trying. "M-my feet aren't touching anymore... I just... kick, right?" It seemed to be working so far! Linsey probably couldn't hold them both up while she was floating... probably.
oOoOoOoOoOoOo
Seb was eyeballing Serghei, who very clearly didn't seem to trust him. Fair enough! He'd earned something of a "goofus" sort of reputation. But for now, he was the expert! "Okay, so first, you're gonna want to lean your chest out. Then scoop the water, like this right? After that, you'll lift your feet. So's long as you're kicking and paddling, you won't drown!" Seb grinned, pushing off to demonstrate. He happily paddled around, glad to help. He then rolled over, floating on his back. "There's also the backstroke, which lets you float and also not worry about your face getting as wet. You don't have goggles on, unlike me. This one's good if you want to try floating first! Here. Lemme just..."
Seb carefully adjusted, setting his feet on the ground. This way, Serghei would have a spotter, of sorts! With a bit of help and showing the moves again, he was doing a (kinda rough) swim of his own. "It is difficult to time breathing doing this." Oh right, breathing! Seb laughed, nodding about the situation. "Right, in the breaststroke, you turn your head to breathe to whichever direction your back arm is. So when your right arm is extended, turn left. Then switch. Or you could just do every other and keep your head one direction. Or you can dive and eliminate the problem with just a real big breath!" He drew in a big breath, then dove under, kicking calmly to propel himself forward as Serghei did his best to tread water with his arms paddling slowly. "Ah, yes. I see. That may work. I am good at holding breaths." Sure, it was because of his Father's proclivity to use the stop-breath hex.... but that was neither here nor there.
Standing beside Rey, Nani wrapped an arm around the girl's shoulders when she leaned in. The redhead spoke softly, and the brunette nodded slowly. From what she knew, Rey had had probably had the most tumultuous living situations. Plural because she'd been bounced around from family to family following a string of deaths. Heck, the poor kid was probably still waiting for tragedy to befall the Heulwen or Abrams family. Lucky for them, they were a pretty hearty stock.
She went on to explain what had happened the day Ma had gone to pick her up. That she had to explain to her foster sister that she wanted to be a competent witch before the girl was tapped by the Obliviators. Rey continued, saying she missed the Kinkades.... after correcting them from Da and Ma. She then asked why she couldn't have "it all" together like the others. At that, Nani gave a small chuckle.
"First things, my Sunshine. It is okay to still call them Ma and Da. My two little brothers were adopted, and I know oodles of others. Including your mum." Nani paused to glance over at Laili. "They will always take a place in your heart, and it is okay. It's okay to miss them and to mourn your relationship. You're never going to offend us, okay? Never ever."
Nani shifted her stance, now holding Rey's hands so they could look at one another. "Secondly, there's not a person alive that's got everything together. Not Alice and Ella, not Linsey, not even Mum and me. Half of life is learning and growing, and if you ever say you've got it all figured, well, you're not able to grow anymore. Heck, you're not even the only one that gets nightmares. I still do, your brothers do, even Mum's great-grandmum does." Hopefully that would help. Laili's Nan was like.... a thousand years old by this point.
"But, how about if we visit Grandma after our trip? She can check in on the Kinkade family, if only to ease your mind. We can also plan a mum-and-daughter day, with just us. We can talk, share stories... maybe make a bunch of sweets and get all tummyachey from them." She smiled softly, squeezing Rey's hands to try and relay a bit of confidence. "Even on days like this, or days where sometimes those bad thoughts come back, Rey, I want you to know you have so many people that love you. Not just our little family, but the... what, ten-zillion people in Grandpa Milo's family? You've got friends, like Finn, Ella, Alice, and Seb too. And I have a feeling that even if you didn't want to share feelings aloud, you can always ask for love."
Nani reached out, gently caressing the girl's cheek. "Just promise that you'll never forget all the lives you've touched, Sunshine. All the people you've made smile or laugh. All the people you've sat with and comforted when they had bad days. Even though things have been far from perfect, you've done so much to bless everyone around you. Me included. You're the best daughter I could've asked for." She pulled her daughter into a hug, rubbing her back and gently kissing her cheek. Hopefully her words helped. It was more her mum's thing to give inspirational speeches, after all.
xx✮Wʜᴇʀᴇ Aᴍ I?Summer Cottage xxx✮Wʜᴏ Is Wɪᴛʜ Mᴇ?A bunch of people xxxx✮Wʜᴀᴛ's Gᴏɪɴɢ Oɴ?Summer Vacation xxxxx✮Wʜᴀᴛ's Iɴsɪᴅᴇ Mʏ Hᴇᴀᴅ?Oh gosh, I'm nervous...
Sparkling blue eyes watched Ella as she struggled with the concept of swimming, but she could see that Ella was starting to get more... not really comfortable, but accepting of the idea. Having both herself and Linsey there encouraging her seemed to be helping. "You can do it Ella!" Alice cheered, a big smile on her face. Alice continued to carefully watch as Ella took several small steps forwards until she was barely above water. Then Ella commented that her feet weren't touching the ground anymore and Alice smiled widely. "That's cause you're swimming! Well, sorta. Treading water, but it's still technically swimming." You can lean forward a little and move your arms like this..." She demonstrated by leaning forward as well and paddling a little towards Ella so that she was now closer to her friend. "And then you are officially swimming. Linsey and I are here too, alright Ells? We're gonna take care of you." Alice smiled again, then dove under the water and swam a little ways away before resurfacing, that way Ella could try swimming towards here.
