Summer Blues[Kenichi, Priscilla]

There was definitely a part of Kenichi's proper judgment that told him he should have diverted better efforts toward searching for his boss in the aftermath of Africa. There was certainly no shortage of stress in his spirits concerning what happened, with him wholeheartedly wondering if it was a good idea to let her operate alone even if she was a formidable warrior in her own right. Reversely, another part told him to maintain a positive point of view regarding the situation.

No dire message had been brought to his doorstep, and no report had came back that something had indeed happened. In other words, he could allow himself to relax for a day. And then he could go back to searching for her again. Right now, there was a resort with his name on it. He bought his tickets, paid the right fees, and ensured he would run into no issue today as he traversed the beautiful fusion of golden sand and azure waters.

He held a long duffle bag over his shoulders, sporting a long white shirt and a black pair of swimming trunks. Since he didn't want to draw too much attention, he avoided looking like a dork by wearing his favorited headband. At the moment, he's finding the best place to test himself against the seas by running on the water itself. What was this place like? He wondered. And would there be anyone of particular note that stood out to him? Ah, the beauty of mystery and discovery truly knows no bounds!

The Sun shone high the sky, bathing one of Brazil's more unblemished beaches in rays of heat and light. Crystal blue waves lapped at the burning sand, providing cool relief for those staying at the nearby resort. One such person was Priscilla Tintalla, Arrancar and recent resident of the upscale retreat she traveled to from Hueco Mundo. Behind black sunglasses her eyes, as blue and sparkling as the nearby ocean, scanned the beach for anybody or anything interesting. Nothing!

In a childlike huff, Priscilla raised and dropped her arms onto the sand on either side of her wicker lounge chair. On a beautiful day like today, there was nothing to do! Sure she could go get a bunch of those fruity drinks that makes her head feel weird, or she could hunt down Manasa for more of that strange blackout-inducing sap, but those just help pass the time. She wanted to have fun, to meet interesting people and do wacky things. Around her were just loads of boring people though, living their boring lives. One thing she'd learned since coming here was just because it's a cool place to spend time, doesn't mean the people there were cool as well. Oftentimes they were just regular, albeit rich, humans on vacations.

Upon standing from the lounger she'd been relaxing in, Priscilla stretched her body, every muscle in her body tensing for a brief second before her arms dropped back to her side and she finished yawning. Her two-piece azure dancer's outfit worked just fine on the beach and in water, as did the white headpiece and blue sarong she wore. A short distance away, amongst the random and aging businessmen who often vacationed at the resort, was a man who stood out both physically and spiritually to Priscilla. At the very least he was no regular human.

In terms of overall decorum, the resort proved sufficiently amusing. On the other hand, no one of general note had stood out as particularly interesting. There were those who were relaxing under the bright sun, of course, but none of them seemed intent on humoring physical activity. The most ideal source for entertainment likely lied up ahead in a different section of the resort. Of course, no sooner than he intended to walk further ahead did someone finally pique his curiosity.

There, a few meters in the distance, there was a woman who wore a two-piece outfit that befit the atmosphere exceptionally well. He couldn't tell if she was looking in his general direction, but she was decidedly on his radar. After all, though he undoubtedly recognized he could spend the day to himself, entertainment on the beach was meant to be spent among others! Since he held no intentions of merely resting against the golden sands, he boldly strode toward her, gazing down at her with a pair of curious hazels. He was far from the type to beat around the bush, so he offered a hand as he flashed a playful grin.

"Name's Kenichi Murata. Care to break away from here and go indulge in something more entertaining than relaxing under the sun? There's plenty water up ahead, and I'm sure someone with an appearance as vibrant is yours has no intent of wasting their hours away around these old businessmen, right?"

Bold was he to assume her intentions, of course, but that was how he always carried himself. Direct and unafraid. If she turned him down, he would simply carry on as he always did. He was fairly confident in his chances, though.

Here he comes. Priscilla watched the young human man saunter over to her. It took a certain amount of confidence to walk up to a stranger on the beach like this, particularly when that stranger is a beautiful woman with horns. Not, apparently, the most common sight in the Living World. Priscilla had gotten more than one request to touch her horns. "They're just mask fragments!" she would tell them, but it didn't deter those brave enough to ask.

As a bit of an airhead, it took Kenichi reaching his hand out and speaking to break Priscilla away from her distracting thoughts. She had even begun rubbing her left horn absentmindedly. Priscilla wasn't sure why he was reaching his hand out to her. What are they, strangers? He introduced himself! They're friends! Instead of taking his hand Priscilla immediately stepped forward and pulled him into a hug, with perhaps a little too much force given for all she knew he was a random weakling human.

After a few seconds Priscilla released Kenichi and stepped back again. "I'm Priscilla Tintalla! Nice to meet you Kenichi!" Though unsure if she should take vibrant as a compliment, Priscilla figured he was just trying to be nice. Either way, he was offering to disrupt an otherwise-boring morning and that was good enough for her. Mimicking what Manasa had done with her a few days prior, Priscilla reached out and grasped Kenichi's hand and accepted his offer in a whirlwind of an introduction "Sounds like a plan to me, Kenny. Lead the way!"

Now, that was unexpected. He was confident enough to earn approval, yes, but a hug with vigor and strength behind it? It was enough to brighten his already upbeat expression. Boasting physical strength well beyond the realm of the average human, Priscila had little to worry about as he returned her embrace with considerable force, though far from enough to overwhelm her to any noticeable degree. When they parted from the mutual hug, Kenichi wrapped his hand around her own after her explosive display of an introduction. There was no doubt about it.

"Roger that, Priscilla. Let's be off, shall we?"

He was definitely going to keep his word about treating Priscilla to a wonderful day on the beach. Now, where to first? What did she prefer first? Since she accepted, he supposed he would steer the ship first and lead her toward the waters. Fun in the sea first! And then probably food! And then drinks! And then something else! Variety was the spice of life, after all, and he wasn't gonna waste a single effort in making sure the woman had been assured of her choice.

"To the seas, we go!"

Without so much as a warning, he wrapped the woman up into his arms as he charged headfirst toward the seas. Playful and lighthearted in nature, he leaped up high into the air, crashing toward the seas like a speeding rocket. On his way there, he grabbed a bag of beach balls and anything else that could prove entertaining as they reached the waters. Of course, he didn't hold onto her so tight that she couldn't let go if this wasn't her speed, but he had a feeling she would take to it well! Who didn't enjoy flying through the air before they landed in a sea of water?

With not an ounce of hesitance within her, Priscilla gladly followed Kenichi's lead as they headed toward the water lapping at the beach's shining sand. Something about water had always been just so enticing to her. Perhaps it was due to the lack of it in Hueco Mundo, that horrible barren wasteland home to only vicious memories and ghosts of her past? She was never sure. All Priscilla could be sure of was any time she had come here, to the Land of the Living, she just had to go for a swim.

A swim seemed to be first on the docket as Kenichi swiftly, though not roughly, pulled her into his arms and rushed forward. Priscilla threw her arms around his neck, his intentions clear to her as they lifted off the ground and catapulted into the cool ocean water. "Eeeeek!!" yelled Priscilla as they soared, her body weightless in Kenichi's arms. Then the world disappeared as they plunged into the depths. Water rushed around them as they sank deeper, until Priscilla found herself released from her new friend's clutches and she broke through a cerulean ceiling.

As if it came to her more naturally than it would a mermaid, Priscilla floated effortlessly despite many decades without practice. Hair clung to her face and shoulders. Her eyes were made to appear like glistening oceans in their own right, even moreso than the water around her. Priscilla turned to face Kenichi, her mouth upturned in a giddy smile.

"Isn't the ocean just so heavenly, Kenny~?"

The descent into the sea filled Kenichi with an overwhelming sense of exhilaration. As a man born around the islands, the ocean may have as well be his second home. Waves of water splashed in their wake, creating a glimmering cascade of blue as they separated from one another. The effortless movements on display did not go unnoticed by the man as he floated around in her general radius, his gaze following her with awe. Although there wasn't a high bar to pass, she was making fine impressions left and right. His face upturned in its own grin, he grabbed a pair of beach balls floating around in the water. Swimming was fun, but swimming and indulging in playful competition was even better.

"Of course it is. It's like a wide and expansive paradise, you know? You can dive as deep as you want, explore the depths until you cross unknown creatures, and any number of things. Oh, and you can also do things like this!"

Throwing the two orbs with resounding quickness, his intent was to turn it into something of a game. Nothing too extreme. Whoever caught the most won the most? Trading throws back and forth. Maybe they could race each other too? Whatever they did, he was excited. And he certainly wanted to spend his day enjoying her company.

"What brought you here to this resort, anyway, Priscilla?"

Exploring the depths sounded like a great way to spend the day to Priscilla. Maybe she could let the current take her wherever it pleased, like driftwood in a glittering ocean. But that could wait! Right now she had this guy throwing her into water and flinging beach balls at her. She would teach him a lesson...SMACK! The sound of Priscilla slapping one of the beach balls rang out rather loudly as it zoomed high into the air before slowing to a crawl, then a stop, and then finally it fell back down to the water at a relaxed pace. That was disappointing...

When the second beach ball neared her, Priscilla came up with a new plan; if slapping it hard wouldn't do the trick, maybe headbutting it would! Instead of a smack sound, this time when she struck the ball a high pitched squeak sounded out followed by a slow wooshing from air. The ball had been pierced by one of her horns and now sat atop her head as it slowly deflated. "Oh. Whoops!" said Priscilla before she reached up and tugged at the flattening ball, throwing it to the side to float away in the ocean.

Kenichi's question forced Priscilla to take a second and think about. Surely this human knew about Hueco Mundo? He's playing around with an Arrancar on a beach resort, after all. Then again maybe he didn't know she was an Arrancar! Priscilla couldn't be sure. Oh well, maybe it'll freak him out, maybe it won't. "Easy! I wanted some fun and there's none of it in dusty old Hueco Mundo. I've had a blast so far, so it was a good decision! How about you Kenny? What brings you here?"

Whoa. This lady was an absolute riot! Chuckling heartily through a booming voice, he found himself entertained by the humorous display. Priscilla was a breath of fresh air and every quirk she displayed reminded him of the wonderful choice he had made. Floating along the waters, Kenichi flashed a wide smile as he motioned toward her, curiously tilting his head at her question.

Hueco Mundo? He was familiar with that place, though that was simply by merit of the multiple excursions he'd spent assisting Saber in fighting other hollow, one of which led him to fight in the forest of Menos. To be honest, if he was given the option to live there, he would have turned it down every time. For a man who enjoyed exploring the colorful world of the living realm, occupying even a few hours in a place filled to the brim with sand and hollows would have been utterly insufferable.

"I've been there once or twice, and I agree! That place has way too much sand. I prefer the water and lively people compared to that. What brought me here, hm? The same thing as you, of course! Fun in the sun. Enjoying this colorful resort, and interacting with all these interesting people. Chancing across someone as lovely and entertaining as you has made this my trip ten times better!"

It was nice Kenichi had been to Hueco Mundo, thought Priscilla. It meant he knew just as well how much of an utter bore that sandy old place would be. At least here the sand was accompanied by glistening blue ocean as far as the eye could see. The cold sting of water on her skin was much preferable to the chilly, lifeless air of her homeland. She had only been here a short time and was already much happier than she had ever been in Hueco Mundo.

Flattery will get you nowhere said every dummy ever, at least that's what Priscilla thought about it. She was only all too glad to be on the receiving end of Kenichi's compliments, and voiced her approval to the man "Aren't you a sweet thing? You sure know what to say to flatter a girl, Kenny~." As she finished speaking a sly smirk spread across Priscilla's face as a sinister idea came to mind.

Priscilla sank down into the water until only the top half of her face and head were visible, and slowly crept her way towards Kenichi after. She kept her azure gaze locked on Kenichi's own. Everything she did made it appear more and more she was up to...something. Then with a start, she dove down into the water and rocketed forward until she came upon Kenichi's legs where she promptly placed a hand on either side of his trunks and swiftly pulled down before fleeing in the opposite direction. Afterwards, she emerged from the water, lost in a fit of laughter.