Forums » General Roleplay » [Closed] Summer Soirée - 🎤Karaoke on the Beach🏖

He stood quietly for a couple of seconds longer than was comfortable and Ellen started to doubt herself.

Oh no, Kali's always said be more forward, but have I been too forward?

The bubbles and adrenaline flooding through her body started to die but then he just wordlessly reached up and softly touched her face, rekindling the passion that flowed through her. Ellen closed her eyes and submitted herself completely as his huge hand gently caressed her glowing cheek. She stood silently as he said he'd like to get to know her more, and as he offered to make her dinner, her heart felt like it would leap from her mouth.

She opened her mouth to talk, but words failed her, no witty comeback not even a yes as her eyes opened and met his, her visage full of love, pure an simple, not trusting her voice, Ellen just nodded and smiled like a lunatic. As he asked if she wanted to go back down to the breakers she nodded again, a simple girlish glee radiating from her.

She would go wherever he wanted to.

She slipped her hand into his as they walked from away from the fire, her heart pounded - nothing like this ever happened to her, she was just a boring schoolteacher, but this swarthy pirate from a saucy fiction seemed to like... No, want her too. The grin on her face was etched in stone as they approached the loamy shore and he mentioned kissing her.

"I-I... I would like that very much."

She almost giggled with excitement, dancing as her feet entered the surf and she pulled on his hand to turn him towards her. She decided to gamble, leaning in, standing on her tiptoes she closed her eyes and put her hands on his powerful arms as she pressed her lips to his and let the fireworks go.

Kali was still catching her breath as the last note of Single Ladies dissolved into applause and whooping from the crowd. Glitter clung to her shoulders, her cheeks were flushed from laughing, and sand stuck to her bare feet like a badge of honor. Ellen had vanished toward the firelight like a woman on a mission, and Charlie had twirled away into the night with her sparkling fiancé.

Kali turned toward the crowd to soak in the moment only to feel it before she saw it. That ripple again.

She glanced toward the edge of the gathering where the light thinned and the shadows curved. Two figures were emerging like the night itself had peeled open to let them through. One of them was tall, sharp, and gleaming in garnet red. She moved with the kind of confident grace that demanded attention, and Kali gave it freely. The man beside her was solid and calm, the kind of presence that made flames want to behave.

Kali’s smile curled with curiosity. She crossed the sand lightly and raised her voice with cheerful warmth. “Hi! Welcome! I’m Kali. This chaos is my fault.”

She laughed softly, eyes bright, and extended her hand first to the woman. Her gaze danced with intrigue as she took in the woman’s stunning silhouette, the leather cords and thigh-high slits, the hair like a storm pinned in place by a bronze circlet.

“And you…” Kali turned to Meph with a knowing glint. “Are the calm one on the outside. You watch, listen, and protect.”

Her voice softened with playful reverence. “You both look like you stepped off the cover of a forbidden novel. Please tell me you came to sing.”

She stepped slightly aside, making space in the gathering, in the firelight, in the moment. “You’re right on time, by the way. We just closed out an impromptu Beyoncé tribute, one proposal down, at least three budding love stories in progress… and I’ve still got drink tickets.”

She gestured toward the bar, smiling more earnestly now. “Seriously though, thank you for coming.” She glanced at Victoria, hesitated for half a beat, then just smiled. “…anyone brave enough to walk through a beach party dressed like that is already my favorite kind of trouble.”

She tilted her head, tone dropping conspiratorially. “So… which one of you’s going to be the first to grab a mic?”

Victoria’s eyes sparkled as Kali spoke, the corner of her mouth twitching upward. She hadn’t expected this particular brand of chaotic warmth, but she wasn’t put off by it either. It intrigued her. Made her curious in a way most people didn’t anymore.

She glanced sidelong at Meph, then took Kali’s offered hand, her fingers cool and delicate but steady as stone. “The invitation said raise hell… or sing it. I plan to do a little of both.”

Her voice was smooth, poised, with a velvet undertone that hinted at both amusement and challenge. She didn’t let go right away. “Victoria. And if this chaos is your fault…” Her eyes slowly traveled from Kali’s glittered cheeks to her bare feet, then to the moonlight still tangled in her hair. “then I’m certain we shall enjoy it.”

Only then did she release Kali’s hand and step just slightly forward, shifting her weight like a woman who knew how to command a room with a breath. Her dress caught the firelight like embers clinging to dark wine. “As for the mic…” She cast a glance toward the stage where the last echoes of Beyoncé had just faded and the crowd was still humming with energy. “It’s tempting. I think I’ll start with something slightly stronger. They serve anything here that burns?”

She turned her attention back to Kali, her smile sharp but not unfriendly. “You’re not what I expected.” A beat passed, then she added more softly, “That’s a compliment.”

She looped her arm gently through Meph’s and gave him a knowing nudge with her shoulder as she led them a little deeper into the party. “We’ll circulate. Might sing. Might not. But we’ll definitely make it worth your while.”

Victoria was so caught up in the magic of the party, and in the magic she always felt with Meph. She didn’t just look like some type of goddess, she felt like one. “You heard the woman, darling. We’re already her favorite kind of trouble. Let’s not disappoint.”

Fingers entwined and the rolling sea before them. Victor walked with a practiced pace through the loose sand, guiding Ellen with a sturdy hand. Once they got to the sand that was packed tighter together by the saturating water, he was less worried about either one of them toppling over and his grip loosened a little. His eyes were set on the waves that had become a little rougher since they were last out in the surf. The wind was coming in stronger, causing the waves to build a bit higher and crash a bit louder.

His feet had just gotten wet when he felt his arm tugged backwards. He turned and was met with Ellen standing very close to him and looking at him with wanting eyes. She lifted herself up onto the balls of her feet as she steadied herself with her hands on his biceps. He leaned down to meet her and pressed his lips to hers in an earnest but gentle kiss.

Victor’s hands found her waist and lifted her from the sand that was threatening to swallow her feet if she stood still for too long. He lifted her so she could easily wrap her legs around his waist should she wish to. He pulled back from the kiss only to open his eyes and check that she was okay before he closed the distance and kissed with a bit more fervor than before.

With her in his arms he started walking out into the water. He was built powerfully enough that the crashing waves barely rocked him when they collided with his legs and then hips. He carried her out into the water that hit him about at his rib cage. He had barely stopped kissing her this entire time, only taking small breaks for them both to catch their breath before starting again.

Meph moved like a bodyguard who had hit the jackpot and got to have a romantic connection to his charge. This wasn’t the case between them, though. He was not her employee, he was her lover, he just moved with a sense of protectiveness that would put members of the secret service on edge. His eyes scanned the party and sensed no danger that he needed to keep an eye on. He relaxed a little as he moved with his Victoria through the people and was greeted by the hostess of the event.

Meph’s stormy violet-grey eyes turned to look at Kali when she pegged him almost exactly. His eyes traveled the length of her body as he tried to find a trace of what she might be. She had such a precise knowledge of him that it unnerved him and made him want to move away from her. But Victoria was speaking to this Kali girl right now so he would stand his ground.

Meph was captivated when the hostess mentioned singing. Singing had always been incredibly important to Meph. He used to sing his prayers to his Gods. Singing was something he lived to do. Was he good at it? He had never received a complaint from anyone who had heard him sing. He still sang to himself in the firetruck when they were headed to emergencies. He sang his prayers to keep his fellow ‘warriors’ safe and for the souls they would save and, especially, for the souls that fail would fail to save.

If he sang here, he wouldn’t get up there and do an old Viking prayer. He would have to find a song that spoke to him in the same way a prayer would. He wasn’t the type of man that would get up there and jam out to some boy band bullshit. He would be drawn to something soulful, that spoke to his heart and embodied a prayer.

Victoria reclaimed his attention when she looped her arm around his and gave him a nudge. He gave Victoria a loving look and walked with her into the party. Meph offered her a warm smile at her pride of being acknowledged in such a way. Meph had no intention of disappointing anyone as he was having an internal debate with him over whether he would sing or not.

He paused in his walking and addressed his love. “Victoria,” he said in his soft way, “I think I want to sing.” This was out of his wheelhouse, and he knew it might shock Victoria a little bit.

Victoria paused mid-step, her body still angled toward the bar, but her attention shifted entirely to Meph. The crowd, the lights, the heat of the fire, they all seemed to melt into background static.

She looked up at him, eyes flickering with something that wasn’t quite surprise. There was reverence in his tone. That same soft gravity she’d heard in him when he whispered her name while brushing damp hair from her face, or when he bent to kiss her shoulder after a nightmare had torn her from sleep. It wasn’t casual. It wasn’t for attention. This meant something.

Her lips parted, then slowly curved into a quiet smile. Not her usual sharp-edged smirk. This was softer. Warmer. The kind of smile only Meph got to see. “Then you should.” Her voice was low, but clear. Encouraging, not coddling. “Whatever it is that’s pulling on you, follow it. I’ll be right here.”

She turned toward him fully, both hands lifting to rest against his chest, right over the buttons that strained ever so slightly with the breath he drew. Her thumbs brushed along the fabric slowly, like she was grounding him. “But if you go up there and sing Nickelback, I am walking into the ocean.”

The teasing spark returned in her eyes, but it was brief. Underneath it, there was only affection. Deep, unwavering affection.

Victoria leaned up and kissed him once, slowly, without theatrics. When she pulled back, she kept her fingers laced lightly in the front of his shirt. “Pick something that shows everyone the man inside, love.”

She stepped aside. Not away, never away, but just enough to let him lead if he was ready. Her trust in him wasn’t performative. It was ancient. Elemental.

And if he sang, Victoria would be his number one fan.

The silvery moon seemed to set the peaks of the waves alight as the sea rolled around them and the tide came in, the sounds of merriment and music on the beach carried down to them. But Ellen only had any interest in one thing and that was the handsome giant in front of her. Even standing on tiptoe she got nowhere near his mouth and he'd had to lean down to press his lips to hers, her hands holding onto him so she didn't lose balance as the waves rolled about her shins.

The kiss was gentle, like he was scared to break her or frighten her off. Ellen showed him that she could take more than that, in fact gentle was probably the last thing she wanted tonight, turning her head slightly and closing her eyes she hungrily returned the kiss, touching his lips with her tongue, a little soft moan escaped her and her hand moved to his chest, exploring his hard, toned body with inquisitive fingertips.

Her eyes opened as he put his hands on her hips, nearly encircling her waist as he lifted her effortlessly off his feet until her face was even with his. She took the hint and wrapped her legs about him, crossing her ankles and looping her arms about his powerful neck. She linked her fingers and smiled at him, now she did feel like his Daenarys. He opened his eyes to check on her and she stole a little kiss to show him she wasn't just okay, she was happy. He descended on her then, the force of his passion was like a tsunami and Ellen was happy to be swept along by it, her mouth locked to his, losing herself in desire as they kissed in a frenzy, her mouth slightly parted now as her tongue danced with his.

She felt him moving, but didn't care. If he was a merman she'd happily have let him kidnap her away to a watery fate, content she'd die happy. Heart thundering now and stopping only to breathe, no words just pure passionate embrace. The water had cooled in the night air and she gasped as the water came up to her core, but then resumed her kissing. Lips locked happily against his as she pressed herself against him, kissing and moaning with ecstasy.

She could stay in this moment forever.

Meph looked at Victoria, the only woman who had evert caught his attention and made him feel like he was more than a peasant. It was the way she presented herself with a razor-sharp wit and treacherous tongue to anyone who came her way. Getting close to Victoria took more than a wink and a smile. But for Meph she had never been harsh or uncouth. Maybe it was his underlying innocence that was covered by all the muscle and the mentality that he could easily crush someone’s skull should the desire come upon him. Meph had only ever known the encouraging and gentle Victoria. It wasn’t until they were together, he realized who she was to the world at large – but instead of turning him off, it did the exact opposite.

His arms wrapped around her petite frame as her hands rested on his chest. He laughed quietly at her request for him to stay far away from Nickleback. He was tempted to bury his face into her neck and start singing Far Away just to her to make her laugh. But the was something they did in private. He wasn’t sure she would enjoy him making her turn into the laughing, bubbly girl she was when they were alone. She looked fierce and he wasn’t going to ruin her image in front of an audience.

Meph kissed Victoria back in a way that let the entire room know he belonged to her. Meph’s heart was on his sleeve, and it had her name, Victoria, engraved in gold filagree on it. She gave him the same level of encouragement she was always generous with when it came to him. It was the push he needed to follow through with his impulse to get up and sing in front of this group. She stepped aside and missed the feel of her in his arms instantly. He turned his head to look at her, giving himself a moment to take a deep breath before taking to the stage.

He climbed the stairs and went over to the screen with the song list. He entered the name of the song into the search bar and the song instantly popped up. He closed his eyes and lifted his hand to hover over the song name. He clinched his fist, second guessing himself, but then extended his index finger and tapped the screen to cue up the song.

Meph was accumulatively almost twelve hundred years old. He had been born a Viking and was taught to kill at a very early age. He had become a berserker and was one of the most vicious killers in his clan. When he went into a frenzy no one was safe from him, and he killed without mercy. He was eventually killed in his Viking life only to be reborn as a peasant in a grand kingdom. He had been sold into servitude as a young boy and was, again, trained to fight. He was never honored but he was sent into battle after battle for kings he never knew the names of. He was just told to kill. Lifetime after lifetime he was a natural born killer, and he had sent thousands of people to the grave.

Now, in this modern world where he wasn’t forced to fight and kill, his memories and heightened emotional climate had conjured up the faces of his nameless victims. He was working to atone for his previous sins. Music therapy was one way he had tried to explore his emotions and this was a song that had come up and spoken to him, bringing him to tears as he realized he would never be welcomed into heaven for all he had done in his existence. When he dies, he goes to Valhalla and waits for a new life to be created for him. He fears if ever gets released from this cycle to go to heaven he will be faced with the thousands he has killed.

The soft piano began to play and Meph took up the microphone. His eyes were lowered, not looking at the crowd as the song started.


“Would you know my name,” his voice was higher than people would have expected from a man his size, but it was mournful and full of emotion and meaning.
“…if I saw you in heaven?
Would it be the same if I saw you in heaven?
I must be strong and carry on
'Cause I know I don't belong
Here in heaven”

It was clear the song had a deep-rooted meaning for him and that his emotions were being stirred. He still refused to lift his eyes to look at the crowd. He projected his voice and his sorrow, but his eyes stayed lowered.

“Would you hold my hand if I saw you in heaven?
Would you help me stand if I saw you in heaven?
I'll find my way through night and day
'Cause I know I just can't stay
Here in heaven

A tear brimmed in the corner of his eye and cut a slow path as it followed the curve of his nose. When the next verse of the song started some more confidence had entered into his voice, but his eyes still stayed down.

“Time can bring you down, time can bend your knees
Time can break your heart, have you begging please
Begging please

Beyond the door, there's peace, I'm sure
And I know there'll be no more
Tears in heaven

Meph finally lifted his head, his eyes scanning the crowd as he searched for Victoria. This last verse he sang only to her. His heart bared and his eyes full of sorrow and grief. His cheeks were wet with fallen tears.

“Would you know my name if I saw you in heaven?
Would you feel the same if I saw you in heaven?
I must be strong and carry on
‘Cause I know I don't belong
Here in heaven…
Here in heaven

When the song ended, he put down the microphone and jumped off the stage. He wasn’t ready to be faced by anyone from the crowd. He headed away from the party and towards the darkened beach.

Victor might have been a cutthroat pirate once upon a time, but he was no merman who would steal her away to a watery grave. He was just a private kind of guy who would have felt awkward showing this kind of attention to a woman with an audience. It wasn’t shame, on the contrary, it was respect and a desire for personal contact without eyes on them.

When her tongue touched his lips, his mouth opened against hers, accepting her tongue. Her moans of lustful delight were speaking to parts of his body that were uncouth to display in public. With gentleness forgotten, their kisses only got more and more passionate as they lost themselves in the silence of the calm water with only the occasional wave that would swell up around them and then move on.

With the buoyancy of the salt water and Ellen’s arms wrapped around his neck, Vic didn’t feel the need to keep both his hands on her waist. He did keep one of his hands on her waist, but his other hand slid up her back, his thick warm fingers caressed up her spine and lingered near the strings that held her bikini top in place.

Before he became too tempted to pull the string, he started to slowly end the kiss. His eyes opened as he looked into Ellen’s eyes. His breath was heavy from the intense kissing, and it took him a moment to address her. “Ellen,”[/color] he wanted to make sure he had her attention, “are you okay with this?” Passions were running high, but he wanted to make sure she was still comfortable.

His fingers toyed absently with one of the strings of her bikini top. His mouth was hungry, and his eyes dipped from her eyes to gaze at her mouth. “I just want to make sure we aren’t moving too fast.”

Kissing and writhing against him, Ellen could feel the effect her moans were having on Vic. It didn't stop her of course, she was completely lost in the moment, a willing slave to her own arousal. Her body reacted to his growing passionate embrace as the waves rolled around their linked bodies, the motion soothing and somewhat ethereal in the light of the moon.

He moved a hand from her hips, and trailed it down her spine, settling gentle fingers in the small of her back, one of Ellen's erogenous zones. The soft touch causing her to shiver with delight and her back to arch, pushing her pelvis further into him as her head rolled back and she let out a long, drawn-out, soft cry of deep satisfaction. Every nerve in her body seemed to light up like a switchboard.

She opened her eyes and looked to see his deep, soulful eyes looking into hers. His fingers toying with the ties that held her top in place. Then he did the sweetest thing and asked her permission!

Ellen's skin was alive, she could hardly think over the pounding of her own heart. The butterflies in her belly had moved south and were awakening her desire, her breasts had also reacted and goosebumps were raised all over her flesh.

She briefly parted her lips as if to speak then bit her bottom lip as she looked at him, big, brown eyes shyly hidden under long, pretty lashes.

She just nodded to him and started to plant soft little pecks along his jawline.

Marionne had been lingering in the shadows listening to people sing their versions of songs ... some known to her; some obscure. She had managed to get to the bar for a traditional margarita before moving closer to the stage without being noticed. She sat in the flicker of the firelight and watched and listened to a guy do a wonderful rendition of Eric Clapton's 'Tears in Heaven'. It was captivating and it had Marionne linger in nostalgic memory of when she first fell in love with the guy who would become her ex-husband. That's the thing with memories. One tended to smile at the glitter and lock the pain in the closet.


Marionne was startled out of her waking dream-state by a random guy walking by who decided to get her attention and take a quick picture capturing her in startled surprise.

"You got me." she said shaking her head.

"That was good Clapton. Did it take you somewhere?" the guy asked as he turned his phone to her, showing her the picture. "... and should I delete it?"

Marionne was used to getting unflattering photos taken of her, and she was now assuming he was going to want to send it to her, thereby getting her phone number. "No, you can keep it. If you want me to have it, then email it to MSey @ KOL94FM . com." She hoped that would shut it down before it got started, because her second look at the guy reminded her too much of her ex.

"Ok, sure." He tapped away on his phone as he went on talking... "You know, you should get up there and give us a song since the mic is free."

"Yeah... maybe I will..." Marionne nodded as she drained her drink, giving herself a bit of freeze-brain in the process. Going up on stage, she picked up the mic before looking up the song that came to mind from her reminiscence and reminder. She knew exactly what song she would do, planning to gender-reverse it...

Picking up the mic, Marionne looked out at nobody in particular and said, "This song had always affected me inside, but it became clearer when a relationship of my own was ended." She paused to start the song, and as the drum intro started, she said over it, "This is 'Do Me A Favour' by the Arctic Monkeys ... but with a twist."

Marionne swayed her hips to the bass as it started in and looked down, her long curly hair swaying about as she brought the mic to her lips...


She pulled the mic back and didn't look up to see if anyone was actually paying her any attention. She continued in a shoe-gaze style; her feminine voice that carried out on radio-waves over the Seattle area managing to integrate into the lyrics of the heart-wrenching breakup song...



Throwing her head back letting her curls fly as the chorus came; turning this way and that; meeting eyes of anyone who was looking as she danced a little on stage...


As the music retreated back into the rhythm and the guitar chimes out its chords, Marionne again looked down; her hair obscuring her face as her denim skirt swayed with her hips. He voice softened for the next touching verse; changing some words to have it fit her own experience...


Marionne fell into her changed verse so much she almost missed the quick follow of the next verse, but she recovered...


Marionne let herself go and she threw her arms out and started headbanging as she pogo'd on her feet to the twenty seconds of heavy guitar riffs that came before the last verse; turning as she bounced and looking to the sky then out from the stage before getting herself back together to finish the song.


Marionne took the mic away and looked down again, swaying her skirt as she made her way to the side of the stage as the song ended. She hoped she didn't kill the whole 'loving make-out' vibe that was going on with her choice of songs. Stepping off stage, she made her way back to the bar for another margarita...

Jenna stepped out of the Uber, sandals tapping softly against the sidewalk, the scent of the salty sea water hanging faintly in the air. Her white mini dress fluttered around her knees, light and gauzy, held up by delicate spaghetti straps that kissed her shoulders. The fabric moved easily with the breeze in an elegant, understated, and far-removed manner from the sharply tailored lines of her usual wardrobe. Her sandals, also white, crisscrossed neatly up the front of her ankles in slim, clean straps, just polished enough to give off her usual clean vibe but not enough to scream she was trying too hard.

This wasn’t her usual scene. Not by a long shot. Jenna wasn’t the type to spend weekends sipping drinks beachside or singing off-key in front of strangers. Her life was spent working way too hard on a career she sunk her entire life into. She didn’t do last-minute social events, didn’t do spontaneous detours. Yet here she was, standing at the edge of a beachside karaoke party, voices already rising in laughter and music from the deck speakers ahead.

The invitation had come unassumingly. Just an envelope on her desk, as if someone out there knew exactly how long it had been since she’d done something just because. It had nearly been trashed, unread. On any other day, she would’ve tossed it in the junk drawer labeled “Distractions” and kept working, but she didn’t. Instead, she’d lingered. Her eyes had drifted toward her closet. Her mind, without permission, had begun assembling outfits. White for summer. Light fabric for wind. Flat sandals in case it was actually on sand. Then came the songs. Melodies hummed under her breath while answering emails. Lyrics scribbled in the margins of a meeting notebook. Just ideas, at first. Then, quietly, choices.

She’d rearranged her workload without really admitting to herself why. Moved a call. Pushed a deadline just slightly. Told no one. And now, standing here, the ocean within earshot and the soft din of conversation ahead, it felt surreal. Like she’d stepped into someone else’s afternoon. Someone freer. Softer. Still Jenna, but a version of her that wasn't constantly working. She smoothed the hem of her dress, took a breath that smelled like sea breeze and faint grilled pineapple, and finally started walking toward the party where a woman was already serenading the audience with a song she'd vaguely recognized by some of the lyrics. She had a beautiful voice, which helped ease Jenna into the idea of relaxing and not thinking about work for once.

Ladon is sitting in the shadows, and watch party , humming, Eminem song venom.

Victoria didn’t breathe. Not through the first haunting note. Not through the weight of his voice threading sorrow through the summer air like a funeral shroud made of silk. Not when the words reached into the part of her that still mourned her own sins. And especially not when he looked up.

That look, soft with regret and trembling with old pain, it cracked something in her. Not shattered, but cracked. The kind of break that lets the light in.

Then he sang to her, and the whole world fell away. The party didn’t matter. The crowd didn’t matter. The stars could have gone out, and the moon sunk into the ocean, and she wouldn’t have noticed.

Meph’s voice was a prayer. Not the kind that begged forgiveness, but the kind that bore witness to pain, history, and everything he had ever been and feared he still was.

When the final chord dissolved into night, Victoria still didn’t move. Her hands had gone cold. Her throat tight. Her spine a taut string keeping her from collapsing into something raw and wordless.

He left the stage with no bow, no nod, and no basking in applause. Just Meph, disappearing toward the shadows, like the grief he’d carried for a thousand years had grown too large to share with anyone.

She moved. Quickly. Quietly. Her steps were sure, but not loud, gliding over the sand as though the firelight and curious stares couldn’t touch her. She followed him away from the pulse of the party, toward the hush of the sea where the night was thick and cool and full of salt and memory.

Victoria found him with his back to her, just beyond the flicker of the torches. She didn’t speak at first. Just reached out, gently, and slid her arms around him from behind. Her cheek pressed to the space between his shoulders.

She held him, not like a woman comforting a man, but like a soul anchoring another. After a long moment, she whispered: “I knew your name long before this life.”

Another breath. Slower now. Steadier. “I will know it in all the lives to come. And in every one, Meph… I will choose you.”

She turned him slowly, looking up into those grief-soaked eyes. Her fingers touched the track of one tear like it was sacred. “You were never meant for heaven,” she said softly. “You were meant for me.”

Then she rose on her toes and kissed him firm, sure, and utterly present. Not to erase the sorrow, but to honor it. To answer the prayer, and to promise, in silence, that he would never walk through it alone again.

Kali stood motionless for a breath longer after Meph’s song ended, the echoes of his voice still drifting over the surf. That wasn’t karaoke. That was confession and ritual. That was something ancient and aching cracking wide open for anyone brave enough to feel it.

She pressed her fingertips gently to her sternum, grounding herself. Then she whispered into the firelit air, “He sang like he’s carried every one of those tears on his back.” It wasn’t for anyone in particular, just reverence and truth.

A quiet energy had settled over the party in the song’s wake, but slowly, as the flames crackled and conversation returned in soft hums, Kali felt the rhythm of the soirée begin to stir again.

That’s when she spotted them.

First, the woman emerging from the stage like a storm that had just spent itself, curls wild, skirt swaying, voice still lingering in the crowd’s chest like smoke. Kali approached her first, weaving easily through the bodies with bare feet and a presence like gravity. “Hey.” She caught Marionne’s eye. “That was fierce and honest and gutsy as hell. You didn’t just sing that, you lived it on stage, in front of strangers. That takes real fire.”

She extended her hand, sincere. “I’m Kali. I don’t know you, but I’m really glad you showed up.”

As she turned, Kali’s gaze landed on another newcomer just past the firelight. White dress, wind-kissed hem, sandals too neat to belong to a local. She had the look of someone who didn’t do this kind of thing often. Maybe her heart had RSVP’d but her nerves hadn’t confirmed.

Kali approached with a gentleness that matched the sea breeze. “Hi,” she said with an easy smile. “First time?” She didn’t wait for an answer. “I’m Kali. And I’m guessing you didn’t plan on singing when you got here. Sometimes that’s how the best nights start. No pressure. Just… glad you’re here.” Her tone was warm, inviting, and without a hint of expectation. “If you need a partner, or a drink or a minute to breathe, I’m around.” She let that linger and moved on, the way a tide retreats gently from shore.

Then, from the corner of her eye, she spotted a tall figure seated in the shadows just outside the firelight. Quiet, observing. Humming something low and rhythmic under his breath. She cocked her head, recognizing the cadence even before the lyrics kicked in.

Eminem. Venom. Kali made her way over, her curiosity piqued. He was sitting still, but he radiated energy. Not the flashy kind. The kind that says: I don’t need the spotlight to own a room.

She didn’t recognize him. Kali crouched a short distance away, not invading, but close enough to be heard over the music. “That’s quite a choice for a mood piece.” Her smile was quick, not teasing. “You new around here? Or just lurking like a secret weapon?”

She extended a hand casually toward him, palm open. “I’m Kali. I don’t know your name, but I think I just heard it humming through your chest.”

She nodded toward the stage, her voice low and inviting. “If you ever feel like letting that voice off its leash… the mic’s open.”

Just like that, she rose again already weaving through the next moment, carrying the music forward one heartbeat at a time.

Victor had just met this girl. He barely knew her name and here he was ready to take her bikini top off under the cover of night with the waves obscuring them from view. It’s didn’t help his conviction that her body was responding to his – giving him all the green lights he needed for a physical connection to start. He was standing at attention, if you will, she had just given him permission to remove her top. Lustful desire aside, he wasn’t that guy.

Victor looking longingly at Ellen and said softly, “Ya think ya are really ready to go all the way with me?” This wasn’t a form of rejection, this was him making sure she was in full control of her faculties, and this wouldn’t end up being a situation she looked back on and regretted. Victor was a sincere and big-hearted guy. The last he would ever want to do would be to take advantage of someone else. “How about we put on the break here. Head on in so I can grab me board and then go spend some time on me boat?” He was trying to give her an option that wouldn’t leave her getting banged in the water right outside of a party.

He had made his proposition, but he felt he needed to reiterate that he was attracted to her. “I’m serious that I want to get to know you, Ellen. I think you’re awesome. But knocking it out in the surf doesn’t seem good enough for ya. Ya deserve better treatment.” He offered her a small smile, “I want to offer ya more than just a few stolen moments. Let me show ya around my world.”

Meph sucked at expressing his emotions. He buried them and dealt with them as he needed to. He got triggered, had his moments of intense anxiety, and then pushed them down again. Victoria had been a witness to his night terrors before and knew how he handled the pain of his past. It was why he wasn’t shocked or startled when he felt her arms wrap around him.

His hands lifted and rested on her arms, letting her know she was there, and he accepted her comfort. Her words reached him and caused his tears to stop. What she said made him pause she had known his name before this life? What? How? His heart raced at what her words implied.

She turned him and he put up no resistance to her hands moving him. He turned in the sand to face Victoria is eyes alight and full of curious wonder. The grief was still there, but she had overshadowed it with her telling him she knew him.

When she lifted up to kiss him, he didn’t hesitate. His lips met hers and felt the calming safety in her presence. The kiss was grounding and carried with it the kind of love that could make him even him forget his past trespasses. When the kiss ended, he looked at her and asked her with every fiber of his heart, “I was meant for you. I was born in this time to find you. I am realizing that more and more. But what do you mean you knew my name before this life?”

He knew about his fate of being reborn over and over as a sick experiment of the old Gods, but Victoria? Was she fated as well? Was she another soul destined to never rest?

Not normally that kind of girl, Ellen had got a little caught up in the moment, the booze, the moonlight, the excitement - someone being genuinely interested in her for just being her. It had lowered her inhibitions. She would have let him take her bikini bottoms off as well, she had never ever got caught up in the moment before and just for once was willing to just roll with it.

She could feel his arousal brushing her so she knew he wanted it too. But he just suddenly seemed to come to his senses, and asked if she was ready to go all the way, but something in his tone suggested he wasn't. Her heart stopped and she opened her eyes, looking wide-eyed at him.

Have I done something wrong? Was I too easy? Does he think I'm a slut?

His voice was calm as he suggested getting his board and looking around his boat, but she only heard one thing.

Rejection. She had scared him off. Stupid girl...


She didn't catch the part about seeing his world, panicked and uncurled her legs, dropping awkwardly on her back into the ocean. She went completely under briefly, swallowing some of the salt water down as it went up her nose, she thrashed and surfaced, eyes streaming, coughing and spluttering.

Embarrassed beyond immediate reconciliation, she turned from Vic and had to swim a little way before she could make it to wading depth where she made her way to the sand to look for her dress.

Stupid, stupid girl, you should have known better! What would he ever see in someone like you.

She searched around, unable to locate it and desperately fighting down tears.

Victor was confused to say the least. He had been asking Ellen to go out with him. To be more to him than a quicky in the waves. She untangled from him so fast and immediately pushed away from him that he was too stunned to go after her right away. “Ellen?” he said like it was a question he had no answer for. “ELLEN!” he yelled from where he stood. From where they had both been together only seconds ago.

Guilt. Confusion. Rejection all coiled together and flooded his mind. He was never the one women ended up wanting. It hurt his feelings more than anything, but he couldn’t blame the girl. Maybe he had offered her too much too fast. A date she seemed to have been fine with, but becoming a girlfriend seemed not to interest her.

He lowered himself into the water and started his powerful strokes towards the shore. He tried to angle himself so he wouldn’t end up right next to her. As fast as she ran away from him, he assumed she wanted nothing to do with him.

He came on shore and immediately found her dress where she had taken it off. He looked down the beach and saw her searching the sand for something – he assumed it was what he held in his hand. He took a deep breath and readied himself for harsh words or more rejection as he headed towards her.

“Ellen,” came his deep voice over the waves. “I found your dress where I came ashore. Seems we drifted a fair amount.” He wanted some closure before he left her side. He wanted to apologize for upsetting her. He lifted one of his hands and ran his fingers through his hair. “Listen, please.” It was clear what just happened had saddened him. “I didn’t know asking you to be my girlfriend would send you flying. I’m…I’m truly sorry I misjudged…yeah.”

He swallowed hard and lowered his head in a surrendering bow. His shoulders slumped as he headed to get his surfboard from where he had stuck it into the sand. Coming ashore had been a mistake.

It was dark and she couldn't find her dress anywhere, Ellen started to freak out.

Perhaps someone stole it, or took it for a joke? But why would someone take my clo...

Ellen!

She heard Vic's voice and saw him coming towards her. Her pink dress held in his hands like it were the Turin Shroud, his face looked just as down as she felt. Her heart almost broke to see him look like that. But he had wanted to call it off. Hadn't he?

He explained how they must have drifted, plus her run up to do the Beyonce song, they had probably gone in at a different place this time. She took her dress and looked up at him, unsure what to say, then he said about asking her to be his girlfriend... Had he said that? Really? He turned, shoulders hunched and started to walk back to where he had driven his surfboard into the sand in the afternoon. Mere hours ago, but now it seemed like a lifetime had passed.

Girlfriend?

"Vic! Victor wait!" She just clutched her dress as she chased after him, he was only walked and she scampered to his side and took his hand by two of his massive fingers and gently pulled, moving around to look at him.

"Y-y-you want to date? I-I-I thought you weren't... Well I thought you didn't want ME!"

Her hair had been tousled by the wind, a dip in the sea water and her little scramble. She probably looked frightful but she just stood her ground bravely. She had to get the truth.

"Do... Do you want me to be your girlfriend? I... I didn't hear you say that. I just thought you thought I was being too pushy, a bit needy." She bit her bottom lip. "I'm so sorry I can be such a ditz at times. I... I really like you Vic. I fled because I thought you didn't like me."

She just looked up at him, big, pretty brown eyes glistening, already shrink-wrapped in tears. Expecting him to push her away or say something mean or derogatory. Then her nervousness took over and she started to laugh. The tears flowed as she giggled harder.

"We're both so silly!" She sat down heavily on the sand, clutching her hopelessly creased sundress to her chest now as tears rolled down her cheeks. When she finally composed herself she smiled up at him.

"I would love to be your girlfriend, if you'll still have me?"