[❤] The Uprising of Delra (accepting, pm me)

[asphodelian]

Keelan-Rose Major

Keelan blushed slightly as she waded a little further into the water. She was in up to her chest now, and she could feel the prince look back at her. She turned around again and waved slightly so as not to make an awkward moment. With a small smile, she splashed the water a bit, the temperature perfect. Her arms had a few goosebumps because it was cooler than she was used to, but it was pleasant overall.

[so sorry for the short post, I don't know what else to write >^<]

[anathema]

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𝐀 𝐃 𝐃 𝐈 𝐒 𝐎 𝐍x𝐂 𝐀 𝐑 𝐀 𝐖 𝐀 𝐘

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Addison remained silent as the group of volunteers mulled over possible course of actions and threaded her own hands together in front of her as Brenn and Demetria spoke. Commander Atlanta eventually came over and gestured over at one of the small houses in the near distance. The door was open and a raven-haired woman with bright blue eyes shyly sat in silence on the porch.
That must be Nessa. She paused in her thoughts. Well... at least I hope it is.
"I'll go over," Addison suddenly piped up, smiling faintly. "She looks a little reserved, and I'm a pretty big extrovert. If one other person wants to come along, feel free to follow after me. I'll beckon the rest of you over once she warms up a little."
With that, the girl headed over to Nessa and folded her hands behind her back. A peaceful breeze rustled her black t-shirt as her boots squished the dew-slick grass beneath them. Man, the weather's nice here. She was sure to keep a comfortable distance and came to a halt about six feet away from the porch where Nessa was perched.
"Hey there," she said softly, offering the woman a cordial wave. "Nessa Lowke, correct? I'm Addison Caraway." She smiled. "It's nice to meet you. I'm part of the Phoenix Squad and so are all those people back there. You wanted to show us the damage fishers have been doing to Forell's oceans, correct?" She took a cautious step forward and put her hands in the pockets of her black jeans. "You can show us whenever you're ready. I'm sure you're a bit overwhelmed by all of us, so take as much time as you need."

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𝐓 𝐇 𝐈 𝐀 𝐆 𝐎x𝐃 𝐄 𝐒 𝐎 𝐓 𝐎

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Thiago came barreling out of the tall, dense thicket in a pair of gray-and-blue plaid swim trunks. A huge grin painted his face as he sprinted towards his friends near the ocean, flicking up warm sand with each stride. This is awesome!
"Incoming!" He cried out, running past the breakers and diving into a wave as it crashed. He swam under it before popping his head back above the water and beaming at his friends. It was a little cold, but even more so refreshing!
Thiago then sent the group an apologetic look upon realizing he might've splashed them as he jumped into the ocean. Oops. He was sure they didn't really mind, though. After all, they were standing pretty close to the surf!
"Come on in!" He then exclaimed, beckoning the group in his general direction. "You'll get used to it the longer you're in here. It's like being in a cold shower or bath, but this time in particular there's a lot more water!"
He didn't even notice how social he was being until he replayed his words and heard them shake and trip over themselves. At least I'm getting a little bit better at this, he thought. Addison would be proud if she was here!

[Stumpy.]

(I'm so so sorry for my abscence!! I've finally had a chance to catch up on what's been happening. I've kinda lost my place with Aida, so I'll just slip her back in when I've got the time. Again, I apologize! :'0)

Robin had remained silent throughout the entirety of the planning. Robin had began to wonder if she'd got a bit ahead of herself, considering that she didn't even know the first thing about life in her own district besides what she'd read from books. Robin mentally brushed the thought away. She could learn. She was here to help, not to be a perfect imitation of a citizen, after all.
When Nessa opened the door, Robin still felt some slight nerves tingling in the back of her mind. When Addison volunteered to go first, Robin nodded towards her gratefully. It would be a bit much to have an entire herd of people coming over to Nessa at once, after all. It didn't take a native Forellian to say that, at least.

[Pistol Annie #1 NPC]

Gavotte Tenuto
Water manipulation
Location: Beach
Tags: Jen

Gavotte's heart warmed at Jen's reaction and the faint peachy glow on her cheeks. It was something to be cherished, such genuine sweetness from a woman who had been through hell. The sun caressing her blonde hair made her look like almost angelic, surrounded by a halo of reflected light.
He was speechless. I wish I could freeze this moment, right here, right now, and live in it forever.
By the time Gavotte regained his faculties of speech, Jen was wading back through the water. "Maybe when we get back to Headquarters, I can try making it into a necklace?" He suggested, rubbing his arm as he smiled awkwardly. "If you'd rather not have random, er, jewelry, that's okay too. Y-you're beautiful enough as you are."

(See if you can find the Hunger Games easter egg!)

Sycamore Jin
Phoenix
Location: Beach
Tags: Diana, Thiago

Sycamore was prepared when the splash came, although not from where she expected. A birdlike chirp of surprise could be heard as the wave of cold water slapped her in the back. She hugged herself, instinctively trying to wrap her soaking shoulders with her wings, but then she remembered her arms were bare. No more wing feathers to keep her warm.
"How did you splash me from behind?" She asked Diana, defeathered eyebrows quirked in confusion. Was this another superpower that humans had?
She turned around, even though the wave was already gone. Only its maker remained. After a moment of staring, Sycamore realized there was no waterbending involved, just an excited-looking Thiago (Mother Solara bless his soul). The phoenix laughed at herself. Humans were tough, but not that magical!
Thiago's sudden burst of confidence was contagious. "Look at me!" Sycamore called out, forgetting the cold for a moment. In a moment of recklessness, she ducked underwater, plunged herself into a personal hell of stabbing icy knives that twisted into every inch of her skin. She returned to the surface with a gasp. Terrible idea. Shaking uncontrollably, she waded to Diana and clung onto her, teeth chattering behind purplish lips. Of course, she tried - and failed - to laugh it off.

Alastair Brungard
Prince of Delra
Location: The waterside
Tags: Quinn, Ardai, Keelan

Upon closer observation, Keelan no longer seemed to be distressed. She even waved over in their direction. So his fears of her drowning were baseless after all.
Relieved that his ally seemed fine now, Alastair returned the hand gesture with a polite smile. They had never spoken, not even during the interrogation, but it was basic decency to treat all allies with kindness. The Prince was not one for ignoring others, even strangers.

◆ Nessa Lowke
Forell resident
Location: Beach
Tags: Addison, other kids

Seeing such a large, diverse group of youngsters was a shock to the system. She'd originally planned to slip quietly into the waters for her morning swim, but the destruction of her favorite coral reef had sunk her into a deep melancholy. Morning had passed without any motivation to rise from her unmade bed.
Now, the sun shone high in the sky, and rowdy teenagers splashed through the shallows. This was... not the ideal time to go swimming. Nessa turned to return indoors, hoping the kids wouldn't come to bother her.
Just as her hand touched the doorknob, a girl's voice told her otherwise.
Timidly, Nessa turned to face another human for the first time in ages. She introduced herself as 'Addison Caraway', a member of the Phoenix Squad. From atop the stilt house porch, she and her distant companions looked so small. Or maybe Nessa, standing at a statuesque six-foot-three, had simply forgotten what other humans looked like.
"Hello." Words didn't come easily. "You're the Phoenix Squad?"
A long, awkward silence as Nessa glanced at the juvenile delinquents. They were making quite a racket, splashing and shouting... and they looked completely normal. She'd have to confirm, somehow, that these teenagers were the real Phoenix Squad. Brushing a stringy forelock of hair out of her face, Nessa descended the stairs until she stood on the final step. She was unsure how to express herself apart from the concerned look on her face.

(The noise isn't actually that bad, Nessa's just sensitive to it. She hasn't had social interaction in years! Although she seems weird, manage to gain her trust and all will be revealed.)

[Zyn]

◤xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx◥
xxx♕xxC i a r á nxxQ u i n e l l yxx♕
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♕ Male || Eighteen || Telekinesis
♕ Location: The Beach
♕ Tags: Ardai, Alastair. Thiago
♕ Mood: Amused, Confident, Cocky
◣xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx◢

.
Quinn nodded in a thoughtful way, he had expected such a calculated response. After all the prince was very careful with the way he spoke and the words he used. Which made sense, after all anything could be used against them and so misspeaking back at the palace would probably lead to bad things happening. So he could understand how careful the prince was. He was pulled from his musings when Ardai spoke up, of course his tall friend could find a way to lighten the mood. It was one of his friends many talents. Letting out a small chuckle he shook his head slightly. "In a way I suppose but it is more like hovering? Since I am using my telekinesis to hover above ground. Kind of like what I am doing right now" he said while casually indicating the fact that he wasn't actually touching the ground. It was hard to tell if someone wasn't looking forward to it since he was so close to the ground. His attention was again pulled away, this time by Thiago. Shaking his head at other male. "Wish I could but I have strict orders from the medics to not even look at salt water" he said with a smirk. Then he patted his side where the bandages where hidden by his black shirt. "Something about it ruining the bandaging and the ocean not being clean enough for a healing wound" he explained. Thiago hadn't been on the last mission so it was possible that he just didn't know about Quinn's injury.

◤xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx◥
xxx☯xxA i s l i n gxxM c C a r t h yxx☯
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☯ Female || Eighteen || Shields
☯ Location: The Beach ⇛ Nessa's House
☯ Tags: The Volunteers, Demetria, Robin
☯ Mood: Curious, Intrigued, Excited, Confused
◣xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx◢

.
Aisling was a bit surprised when nobody other than Demetria seemed to acknowledge her. It didn't really bother her since she didn't let the small stuff get to her. Instead she just ignored it and returned Demetria's kind smile with a gentle one of her own. She almost suggested that she could go give that she was much shorter than everyone else in the group. While being four foot ten usually pissed her off she figured it would be useful now. However she didn't pipe up when she heard the other suggesting other people instead of herself. The only reason for that in her mind was that perhaps she was more intimidating than she thought. Maybe her dark clothing made her look scary even though she was small. She didn't get to linger on that for very long because Nessa stepped onto the porch and Addison was moving forward to greet them. Without skipping a beat she hurried after the taller girl coming to pause by her side. "My name is Aisling McCarthy it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. That's correct, we are the Phoenix Squad" she responded. With a gentle nod to the group behind her she then returned her attention to Nessa and Addison. Watching as Nessa made her way down the steps she offered them a warm smile. "We are here to help."

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x❤xxD i a n axxS c h i r m e rxx❤
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❤ Female || Twenty-Two || Unknown
❤ Location: The Beach
❤ Tags: Aida, Sycamore, Thiago
❤ Mood: Curious, Hopeful, Confident, Torn
◣xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx◢

.
Diana chuckled when Sycamore boldly declared that she was going to jump right in, it was something even she had a hard time doing. Quickly her friend seemed to back down from that declaration and requested her assistance. However she quickly found she didn't have to move a finger as a splash of water washed over both herself and Sycamore leaving them both sputtering a little. A burst of laughter lept from her lips when Sycamore asked how she managed to splash her from behind. Peering past her friend she spotted the culprit, one of the other members of the phoenix squad. A young lad by the name of Thiago, she hadn't actually spoken to him before but from the reaction from Sycamore she assumed the two were friend. Watching silently she raised a brow as Sycamore dove under the water, she could only image how cold it was for her warm blooded friend. She quickly found out when Sycamore popped back up and then wadded back over to cling onto her. Wrapping her arms around her friend she tried in vain to warm her up by rubbing Sycamore's arms. "Do you want to stay a little longer so you can play with Thiago or do you want to get out and warm up?" she asked. Either worked for her.

[hellb0und]

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❛ ( 🔥. // ＪＥＮＮＩＦＥＲ！) ❜
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name. // jennifer dire. x • x gender. // female. x • x power. // pyrokinesis. x • x tags. // gavotte.

"i am as deadly as fire itself."

Right after rejoining him he proposed turning the small pebble into a necklace for her. It was an unexpected proposal that earned a eager nod from her, “I would love that, then I never have to worry about losing it.” When he was done stumbling over his words she replied, “Thank you Gavotte, but it wouldn’t be a ‘random piece of jewelry’ by any stretch of the meaning. It’d be very special to me.” She had meant all of that wholeheartedly. The simple gift would become something else she carried with her everyday. Much like the two bows - one of which was her father’s and the one tailored to her as a kid - back at headquarters, or the unexpected book she discovered with a note after her father’s passing. From her mother she had her weapon too and the blanket she passed down from her childhood to Jen when she was a newborn.
Over Gavotte’s shoulder she saw a figure standing contemplatively at her front doorstep. This must have been that obscure Nessa Atlanta mentioned. She wasn’t greeting her so she really wasn’t of her concern. Unless she did something which inflicted harm. She watched her turn around before being stopped by one of the members. Jen couldn’t see her reaction from here and that was when she quit looking and refocused.

( I’ll do Dem tomorrow. )

[Pistol Annie #1 NPC]

Gavotte Tenuto
Water manipulation
Location: Beach
Tags: Jen

Gavotte was flattered she took him up on his offer. It surprised him - he never would have assumed Jen as the type who wore jewelry often. That only made her acceptance all the more heartwarming.
She then reassured him - It'd be very special to me. Shock, then adoration flashed through blue eyes. Jen meant it sincerely, too, and her eyes gave away the truth.
"Wow, I..." He stammered, rubbing his neck. Once again she'd left him at a loss for words. "I'm so glad you feel that way," He finally finished his sentence with a soft smile.
Jen appeared to notice something behind them. Gavotte turned to see a ridiculously tall stranger around Ardai's height. Stringy dark hair fell about her shoulder like a ghost. "Is that Nessa?" Gavotte murmured, noticing how the strange woman was talking to a couple of his teammates. "It looks like the mission's about to start for real. Maybe we should go back to shore soon." His voice was reluctant - he'd rather spend a bit more time in the water with Jen. His favorite thing and his favorite person.

Sycamore Jin
Phoenix
Location: Beach
Tags: Diana, Thiago

Instinctively, Sycamore snuggled up to her friend in an attempt to seek warmth in her arms. Defeathered and soaked, she looked a lot more miserable than she felt. It probably came as a surprise when she began to laugh.
"Actually, I... I think I'll stay!" She managed through chattering teeth. Straightening up, she turned to fix Thiago with an evil smile before turning back to Diana. "It's time to get some revenge. You can come!"
Of course, Sycamore was not the most vengeful person in reality. It was only fun to retaliate in the context of play. She waded aggressively towards Thiago, trying (and failing) to look angry and hide her grin. "Take this, villain!" Sycamore exclaimed as she flailed at the water. Laughing, she turned away so it wouldn't backfire in her face.

(This is what Sycamore snuggling up looks like)

Ardai Fairchild
Shadow puppets
Location: Beach
Tags: Quinn, Alastair, THIAGO CAN YOU HEAR ME

Ardai's eyes widened in curiosity at his friend's explanation. Hovering was even better, since it would probably be more accurate than normal flight. Quinn, with the precision of his telekinesis, could levitate exactly an inch off the ground while a flying person might need more altitude to be safe.
But the best thing about it?
"Dude!" His eyes practically sparkled. "Can you make me hover, too? I've always wanted to fly!"
Alastair looked intrigued at Quinn's power, but he started chuckling at Ardai's comment. This brought a rush of pride to the redhead, but before he could dwell on it, Thiago was inviting everyone into the water.
"NO!!! I'm staying with Quinn and he can't get rid of me!" Ardai yelled at the top of his lungs, to make extra sure his buddy could hear him over the waves. He then swiveled around with slight panic in his eyes. "... Wait, Quinn, you're not supposed to be looking at the water? Oh no!" He immediately moved to cover Quinn's eyes.

◆ Nessa Lowke
Forell resident
Location: Beach
Tags: Addison, Aisling

A fleeting expression of shock appeared as a newcomer arrived, but the look turned to panic momentarily. She could hardly remember the last time she interacted with two humans. Fortunately, the smaller girl introduced herself in a polite manner accompanied by the gentlest of smiles. This soothed Nessa's worries just a bit.
"Ah..." She struggled to introduce herself. This was always the hardest part. "Hello, Aisling."
These humans were so small, their mannerisms so kind. After thinking it over, Nessa found it improbable they were faking being Phoenix Squad. Teenagers did not often work in league with a tyrannical government. She could relax - these people were unlikely to sell her out to whoever ruled this empire these days.
Nessa removed her shoes before stepping off the final stair. Long, webbed feet sank into the sand.
"I'm terrible with crowds," She explained, fidgeting with her hands. Now that she stood on the same level as the two girls, her towering height became even more apparent (and made her even more self-conscious). "Could you two possibly... speak to your friends for me? I'll explain."
"I was out swimming near my favorite coral reef, and I saw it. The fishing boat. It was nothing like the ones that normally come - at least twenty times their size. It terrified me, so I... I hid." She didn't disclose many details on that. "It destroyed the entire reef. Fish, coral, even the creatures living in the sand... it took them all."
The horror in her eyes was still fresh, tinged with a note of pleading. "You'll stop them, right? I'm scared there'll be no fish left in the ocean if this keeps happening."

[hellb0und]

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❛ ( 🔥. // ＪＥＮＮＩＦＥＲ！) ❜
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name. // jennifer dire. x • x gender. // female. x • x power. // pyrokinesis. x • x tags. // gavotte.

"i am as deadly as fire itself."

Jennifer briefly overheard Gavotte's question but didn't answer as she assumed he was only speaking to himself. He would have asked her directly if he wanted an answer.
"Yeah, I'm gonna head out now actually to go get changed. It looks like we'll be called over soon."
Jen turned back towards the shore of which she was walking upon just moments ago. Trudging through the sand with her wet feet, she went ahead and dug through a separate bag where a couple of towels were. All she truly needed to do was clean her feet as the rest of her was just wet. Throwing it over her shoulder she scooped up her folded belongings and left her boots. Back into the tall grass she went in order to hide her naked body from any prying eyes. Not that anyone was focused on her anyway. Stripping down she left her wet bathing suit in a bundle on the ground. Drying herself off and putting her old clothes back on then braiding her hair to the side afterward. Now that she felt more like herself, she wrapped the swimsuit up in the towel and got her shoes before retrieving the pebble that sat at the bottom of the right one. Her toes wiggled around comfortably in the worn leather when she had them back on (yes she's wearing socks!).
Jen decided her safest bet now for not losing the gift was putting it in one of the front pockets of her jeans. That was just what she did. Now that everything was taken care of she waited for Gavotte.

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❛ ( 🐉. // ＤＥＭＥＴＲＩＡ！) ❜
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name. // demetria greene. x • x gender. // female. x • x power. // dragon shifter. x • x tags. // none - only mentions.

"she was not fragile like a flower; she was fragile like a bomb."

Robin had completely ignored Demetria which soured her. She hadn't said a thing when she asked her to possibly go first. Perhaps she wasn't the best candidate after all. Greeting her was going to require speaking which... she'd done none of thus far. Why had she even volunteered if she was just going to sit back and stare? No matter it wasn't her problem. Maybe she was in her own world or something. Who knew.
When Addison offered to go she nodded her approval. Aisling followed after her.
Now they just had to wait and see how this went.
Demetria took the time to turn around and see what the others were doing. When she saw Diana she couldn't help the immediate pink that coated her cheeks. She looked gorgeous and automatically left Dem regretting volunteering herself for this. They really probably had more people then they needed anyway.
She turned back around before Diana caught her staring and instead focused on the odd-looking Nessa. Tall as ever with scraggly ebony hair and eerie blue eyes. If she was being truthful she looked akin to something straight out of a horror movie.
Well that was mean.

[anathema]

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𝐀 𝐃 𝐃 𝐈 𝐒 𝐎 𝐍x𝐂 𝐀 𝐑 𝐀 𝐖 𝐀 𝐘

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Addison felt appreciative as Aisling came to stand beside her. She nodded to the girl before returning her gaze to Nessa. The woman was very shy, but Addison understood. “Of course,” she murmured, tone warm and soft. “We’ll tell them everything.”
The latter then spoke of large fishing boats and oceanic destruction. The coral reefs and wildlife were being decimated by such ignorant trawling practices. It saddened Addison to see the fearful, almost defeated look in Nessa’s eyes. She couldn’t even begin to imagine what it felt like to watch the ecosystem surrounding your home be torn apart.
“I’m so sorry this is happening,” Addison replied with a contrite shake of her head. “We’ve only been in Forell for a little while now, but it’s beautiful. My fellow squad members unanimously think the same.” She offered Nessa an apologetic smile. “We’ll do whatever it takes to restore the environment and put a stop to all this unethical wrongdoing.”
These disdainful, negligent fishermen would pay for their actions. Addison would make sure of it. She was more than ready to fight for the people of Forell. It was her first mission, but she couldn’t wait to get started. They could so do this!

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𝐓 𝐇 𝐈 𝐀 𝐆 𝐎x𝐃 𝐄 𝐒 𝐎 𝐓 𝐎

▬▬▬▬▬ ▬▬

Thiago’s eyes widened as Sycamore abruptly ducked under the water. It must’ve been freezing for her! He laughed as the girl came up for air, but was mostly doing so because he was trying to hide the fact that he was nervous for her body temperature.
A few of his fellow squad members had responded to his invitation to come swimming with him. Quinn was injured and couldn't risk the wound getting infected while Ardai was opting to keep the former company. “A-all good!” He called back to the duo.
Diana warmed her up and asked if she wanted to stay in the water and, to Thiago’s surprise, she said yes. “Yay!” He exclaimed. “B-but if you get too cold and wanna get out, that’s fine too!” The last thing he wanted was for his friend to get hypothermia!
Thiago let out a squeak as Sycamore went to splash him. “Aah!” He said, pretending to faint dramatically. He fell back into the water and hid beneath the surf as he came up with a spur-of-the-moment plan to shoot back up and surprise her.
After waiting a few more seconds, he burst out from under the waves with the biggest of grins. “Boo!” He shouted, waving his arms about. “I’m a super-scary sea monster and I’m gonna get you!”

[honeybee.]

⋯⋯⋯⋯ ❄️⋯⋯⋯⋯
Brenn Lucasta
Location: Near Nessa's house
Tags: The Volunteers
⋯⋯⋯⋯❄️⋯⋯⋯⋯

As they discussed who was the best option for the explanation Brenn noticed the door to the house on stilts open, and someone walk out onto the porch. Maybe they'd been talking too long, Atlanta's encouragement seemed to echo that sentiment. Demetria's suggestion that Robin, with her animal related ability, go was a good one, but in the end it was Addison and Aisling that headed off towards the house. From this distance away, Brenn couldn't hear the words being spoken but he could see that Nessa didn't look entirely comfortable.
"I think sending fewer people was definitely the right idea." There was something else off about the Forellian too, aside from the clear discomfort in her posture, but Brenn couldn't quite pinpoint what he was seeing. It was like looking at a drawing done from memory, the basic concept of a person was right but there was something strange in the proportions that was leaving him with a sense of unease. Still, she didn't seem unpleasant and it was hardly surprising that she wasnt entirely comfortable when there was a bunch of illegal teens splashing in the ocean outside her house.