Cool [open]

['Ace' Julia Dale]

Ace sat on the dock of Soto Island, looking out at the water in the hot summer sun. Her jacket was sticking to her skin in the heat. She grumbled a bit at this, and part of her wanted to go into the shade but she refused it. Looking down at the water, she took a final drag of the cigarette in her hands and put it out against the wood of the dock, throwing the butt into the water and watching the filter float. She watched it like a little tiny boat on the big ocean.. until it floated underneath the wooden panels and she could see it no longer.

She glanced around her, and seeing no one there at the moment, she decided to cool herself off. She took off her jacket, socks and shoes, and fearlessly stood up and leaped off the edge.

The salt water swirled around her and she felt the strong currents. She came up then to the surface and took in a breath easily, wiping some of the saltwater off her face, kicking at the water beneath her to stay afloat. Much better. Not nearly as warm now. She thought with a small grin, letting out a sigh of relief as her temperature lowered.

[/blockquote]

[JDGreat]

"Been looking for you, Boss Lady." a voice rang out over the beach, accent slightly playful but otherwise British through and through. "Man, oh man, do we have things to discuss."

Walking along the pier and sitting down on the edge of it, Rust just grinned down at Ace, but pointedly looked up at the sky after giving her the needed wave and greeting. After all, wouldn't be good manners to stare now at where the water made her shirt cling, now would it?

He himself was clad in a sky blue tank top and white swimming shorts. He'd left those annoying flip flops at home, thank Christ. His bandanna was tied securely around his upper arm, over the bandage on his shoulder. However, his face was completely devoid of the cut Secernia had delivered, Mrs Ze's power having worked it's magic.

Still looking skyward, Rust continued to talk.

"So, do you want to start with the good news, the middle news or the bad news first? Then we can discuss the house warming party we've been planning. After all, you're the boss, right?"

Then he clicked his fingers.

"Oh yeah!" An unopened pack of cigarettes made their way into his hand and the mechanic stuffed them inside one of Ace's discarded shoes.

"Payback for dragging me out of my funk."

['Ace' Julia Dale]

Ace turned herself around in the water to look at Rust approaching. Crap. Awkward. she thought to herself, moving to keep her arms under the water. The scars are mostly faded now anyway. She didn't even seem worried about the state of her shirt. It was a rare event for Ace to see herself as female, let alone anything to look at.

"Things to discuss, eh? Well let's get it over with, what's up?" She asked him, eyebrows furrowing as she wondered what he could be talking about. She noticed that he didn't have his scar anymore but figured it had just healed up fast.

"Yeah okay fine, let's start with the medium news, and then we'll see where natural conversation goes, eh? What'dya think?" She wondered with a half-grin. She swam over to the pier about a foot or two from where he was sitting and climbed back up so they could have civilized conversation. She crossed her arms to hide the scars. The sun would dry her quickly enough, she figured.

"Cigs? Awesome, dude, Appreciate that." She said, grin widening. She picked up the box, wrapped in plastic, and observed the brand, before placing it back in her shoes. "Nice, these are fancy." She glanced back, "Okay you said news." She blinked somewhat boredly, and tried to pay attention.

[JDGreat]

"Thought you'd like 'em. Was my brand back home, so..." Rust shrugged, again not looking at the currently wet through Ace. Therefore, he didn't notice anything odd about her arms. He did stare a little longingly at the pack of cigarettes for a moment until swallowing down his temptation.

"Anyway, medium news to start? Fair enough. It's actually the most boring of the lot, but just something I found kinda funny to be quite honest." the mechanic smirked, looking out to sea. "Basically, got talking with a certain Mrs Zeobrillia. She ran one of my Ethics classes earlier. One hell of a teacher and I think she's somehow managed to get some heat off my back about the whole Secernia incident."

He blinked owlishly for a second.

"Wait a minute, that was the good news. Bugger."

Shaking his head, he continued.

"Anyway, long story short, she healed me up then revealed a VERY interesting little tidbit."

Rust shot Ace a sidelong glance.

"So when were you gonna tell me your first name was actually Julia? You matched my mom's."

['Ace' Julia Dale]

Ace nodded, "Yeah, awesome. They are good smokes, but kinda pricey. Good job." She nodded again her thanks. She noticed he was pointedly not looking at her, but didn't know why, and figured she'd ignore it. It was for the best anyway, she figured, that he didn't see her without a jacket.

Whenever he mentioned Mrs. Ze, Ace noticeably froze up for a second, in anticipation of what would come. What exactly had the bitch told him?! She wondered. Then he explained that she had helped clear up some of the Secernia issue. "Ah that's good." She said, suppressing the urge to sigh in relief. "What exactly'd she say that helped?" She wondered.

Ace shook her head whenever he said that was the good news, "Dude keep your head in the game." She said with a laugh. She healed him? That would explain the scar missing, she realized. Her eyebrows furrowed whenever he mentioned the presence of an interesting tidbit.

They furrowed more whenever he said her name. "I don't go by that anymore..." She hardened up slightly, but eventually, after a moment, just gave a sigh. "She shouldn't have said anything. Do you know my full name or just my first?" She asked, giving him a hard look.

"I'd appreciate if you didn't spread it around... " She said simply. She broke open the new pack of cigarettes, worrying about what the medium or bad news might be, after that...

[/justify]

[JDGreat]

"She basically said the same things you did, albeit with an adult's opinion, less swearing and a bit of touchy feely." Rust admitted. Then he realised what that could sound like and hastily began to correct himself. "I-I mean that she poked me in the nose and ruffled my hair, that's it!"

Welp, now you sound even lamer. Great going, genius. Wanna try telling her anything else that could be misconstrued?

Dude, this is Ace. It's no biggie.

Still, awkward.

Isn't it?

Stopping his mental argument, the mechanic sighed and brushed his hair back out of his eyes slightly. He flinched slightly as Ace hardened beside him.

Woah, what the hell?!

Seeing her very seriously ask her question and explain her reasoning however, Rust sympathised slightly. He gently shook his head, still looking out to sea.

"Only your first name, Ace." he assured her, pointedly using the name she'd introduced herself by. "And I won't. I promise." Ace had been the most polite Rust had ever known her when she had asked to not reveal her name.

"Anyway, we'll go bad news next. A friend of yours popped round a few days ago." the mechanic continued after a moment. "Said his name was Rags. He hit on my mom, we beat the shit out of each other. He pulled a gun, then you decided to ring me. He..."

Rust sighed.

"He didn't take kindly to that. Thought we had something going on. Like, romantically or something, I don't know. That's when he said he knew you for five years. Also mentioned a guy named Will and...can't remember the other name right now."

Rust looked over for the first time at his best friend.

"So, yeah...this guy is looking for yo-"

He stopped. He'd seen the scars on Ace's arms.

['Ace' Julia Dale]

Ace listened to his explanation about Mrs. Ze, and laughed at him, "That slutty bitch! Touchy-feely eh? To which base?" She joked. Then he tried to correct himself. "Awww!" She brashly exclaimed, "What a shame. High and Dry, eh, Rust?" She teased, continuing to chuckle to herself as she put the cigarette between her lips and reached out for a lighter her jacket pocket. The cigarette became slightly damp whenever she held it but she'd dealt with worse things.

"First name only. Good." She affirmed his statement. She flicked the lighter to flame and took a deep much-needed drag of the cigarette. She didn't feel the need to explain the circumstances to her privacy, or the need for it. She nodded whenever he promised, "I'll hold you to that." She gave him a look that said that there might be consequences if he betrayed that trust. She let out a sigh, smoke coming with it.

Bad news next, he had said. She figured there was more to the Secernia story and waited to hear about it. She was more than shocked to hear what he actually had to say. Her jaw parted and she searched Rust's eyes as he spoke. Said his name was rags

"... Did you say 'Rags'? ... At solstice?" Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion, "No, couldn't be, he doesn't have a power..." Her eyes darted around the shoreline frantically, as though she might spot him. Even if she did see him though, she wouldn't know what to do or say.

But the description that Rust gave did indeed sound like the Rags she remembered. Mentioned a guy named Will. The name struck her in the heart and her expression softened almost instantly. ".. will?" She said feebly. She looked at the wooden panels of the dock for a moment, "Did he say where they were? What he wanted?" She asked, probably sounding a bit desperate. She looked to Rust for answers, but soon realized he probably had no idea.

She noticed the way he trailed off at the end there. She raised an eyebrow at the pause, then followed his eyes to her arms, glanced away and slowly crossed them nonchalantly. There was nothing to see here.

".. .. What exactly did Rags tell you..." She wondered slowly.

[/blockquote]

[JDGreat]

Jolted from his internal thoughts, Rust guiltily looked at Ace's eyes for a moment before turning away again.

"He said it'd probably be best if I stayed away from you. Said you'd just build up pressure and tension until you exploded. I told him exactly where he could stick that opinion. All he told me was that he was your best friend, he hadn't seen you for years and that he'd seen you rock bottom. And got MASSIVELY heated at me for assuming he was the bad guy in this. Judging by your reaction right now, I guess my first impression was correct, huh?"

Rust had been meaning to ask Ace at this point what 'rock bottom' actually was. But judging by those needle marks on her arms, he could probably make a guess.

"He...started asking me where you were, what you were doing. I made him leave. I told him nothing else other than the fact we knew each other and one time we were in the forest. That's it."

An awkward silence lingered in the air for far longer than anyone meant it to. Rust himself idly played with his bandanna for a moment, before giving a sigh and turning to Ace.

"Look, you're probably my best friend here." the mechanic admitted. "And I know you're massively secretive about your past. The fact you fed me a nickname tells me that. But I'm telling you what I told him. If you don't want me to? I'm not going to pry. What you did before isn't going to colour my opinion and the good times we've had since we met each other at the island, alright?"

He offered a small sheepish grin.

"Just...trust me on this one, okay? I know it's a tall order, seeing as I've basically been thrust into your past life by Rags, but... Well, I've seen your arms. And I honestly don't care. You're clean now, right? All that matters."

The silence lingered a little longer, Rust smiling at Ace for a bit, before the smile turned just a little bit too evil.

"And now, for the medium news."

The Astral Arm, summoned near silently during Rust's little speech, pushed Ace back into the water. Snatching out with his regular hand, Rust caught her lighter and flicked it shut.

"THAT was for the remarks about me and Mrs Ze." he cracked, sticking his tongue out at the girl.

['Ace' Julia Dale]

Ace listened to what Rags had said to him, her eyes becoming downcast. "No, no, he's not a bad person..." She defended, giving a small laugh, "He just knows me too well..." She shook her head, "Sorry about that anyway, he's always been a little bit hot-headed." She grinned. "Birds of a feather, eh?"

Ace just nodded whenever he said that he had made Rags leave. "It was probably for the best honestly..." She looked up at Rust, "Know what, I don't want to see him. He shouldn't be here, and I don't know what he's trying to achieve... He probably hates me now, based on what he had said... Hypocrite." She mumbled.

After an awkward moment of silence, Rust started spouting a lot of cheesy things about accepting her as she was at that very moment. 'You're clean now, right? All that matters.' He had said. She winced at the fact that he had seen her arms. Great. I'm getting pity talks now... She sighed.

"Look, Rust, I see what you're trying to say and all that... But you shouldn't have said anything... " her expression was somewhat dark, "I can't help it if my past haunts me, It shouldn't get involved with you too, it's not... what's meant to happen."

She took a long drag of her cigarette, "You're one of the better bros I've got too, dude..." She said finally, "... I guess I've always had the problem of being unable to forget, despite trying... many times..." She glanced at the scars she referred to. "That's all I'll say on the matter..."

And suddenly, an astral arm appeared. She let out a small shriek that was soon covered up by the water. She stayed under the water for as long as she could, holding onto the lower part of the dock's supporting plank, having lost her cigarette. The soggy mass of it floated up to the top of water while Ace remained down below, holding her breath.

[/justify]

[JDGreat]

Laughing aloud, brightening up the mood somewhat, Rust eagerly awaited Ace's return. She was bound to be pissed off or laughing and that would have been the desired effect. Mopey Ace was something Rust was not keen to see that often.

Any she'll be right up any second now...

Any second now...

Now...

...okay, now?

...oh fuck.

Leaning out as far as he could over the peer, Rust looked down into the water, searching.

"Ace?" he hesitantly asked, before seeing the cigarette butt float by. "OH FUCK!"

The Astral Arm plunged into the water, it's glow illuminating the waves around it as Rust searched for the blonde girl. He was starting to panic. What if she'd knocked her head off the rocks or something?!

['Ace' Julia Dale]

Ace saw the hand coming towards her, knowing that she was going to run out of breath soon. She moved herself to be under the dock, using the support of the dock to help her turn around. She pushing at the water and surfaced underneath the dock, looking up to see him up there, searching over the edge with the Astral Arm. He was thrashing around in the water so much she doubted he'd have heard her surface. She snickered a little, hoping he wouldn't hear her laughter.

A part of her wondered how he'd act if she just climb back up the other side while he was busy searching for her... She figured it sounded like a plan, and carefully made her way to the other side of the dock, pulling herself up whenever she was sure he was making a lot of noise with the astral arm.

She crept up behind him as he searched and gave him a light push.

[/justify]

[JDGreat]

Rust felt the slight push and stiffened.

Over I go.

Being forced to think quickly to avoid a watery....well, not grave, but a predicament nevertheless, Rust lashed out with the AA and latched onto the edge. It just about stopped him falling all the way in, but he was still too far gone to pull himself in fully.

Teetering on the edge with his feet and AA, his regular arms were held out to the sides to try and keep his balance. Slowly he wobbled and looked to first to his bare exposed feet on the edge and then to Ace with a worried expression.

"....you wouldn't DARE..."

['Ace' Julia Dale]

Ace grinned from ear to ear at this one. She watched him tetter and totter at the edge of the dock. "Hmm... I wonder which way you'll fall... " She took a step back. If she had physically given him another push, or stepped on his feet he would have fallen in. There were, however, more entertaining ways to have him fall. After all, she did have her powers.

"I bet..." She said, feeling her lucky streak building within her, "That the probability of you losing your balance in the next 3 seconds is around... 86 percent." She nodded, pushing it, "87... 89...."

She squeezed out her hair and went for another cigarette, grabbing her lighter. "90..."

[/justify]

[JDGreat]

The AA had grabbed the dock edge too hard. The wood cracked and splintered and finally gave way entirely.

"YOU BITC-"

Rust's voice was cut off as he bombed into the salt water. A few seconds later, he surfaced, grumbling.

"Freaking luck powers and girls spiteful enough to use them like that and cigarettes and salt water and..."

Continuing to rant as he swam his way back to a point on the dock he could clamber up on, he marched back up to Ace. By the time he reached her, it seemed like he finally finished.

"...and shoddy worksmanship on the dock!"

Rust then shook his head and grinned.

"Alright, alright, you win this round." he admitted, "Next time, I won't use my Arm to push in the girl who I was having a serious conversation with. Point taken."

Seating himself back on the dock, he let out a breath then looked up at Ace, who was still standing.

"Feeling a bit better about the whole situation or you wanna talk it out some more?"

['Ace' Julia Dale]

Ace laughed brashly whenever he fell in, holding her sides. "THAT WAS AWESOME!" She laughed, occasionally pointing at his face as he grumbled at the world. "You -- you should have seen it, it was a work of art!" She said with a grin.

"Damn right, dude, I win every round." She said confidently, "Besides, serves you right jackass." She said jokingly, obviously not taking it to heart whatsoever.

She watched as he took a seat and shrugged and his question, plopping herself down on the salty wet wooden planks once more. "Rags being here? I can deal with that. I can take whatever shit he gives me, if he actually finds me... I'll figure out what he wants, tell him he can't have it, and that will be that." She said prophetically.

"What's there to talk about? Facts are facts, what you want to keep talking about it like pansies who do nothing? Face it. Or run. But don't just sit and talk about it." She said to him with a grin. It was her personal philosophy anyway. She hoped that they would be wise words to him, but doubted it.

"Right, right right. You and I..." She began, glancing over to him, "Were gonna throw a 'shin-dig' " She said raising her pinky and smiling somewhat mischievously."Tell me more."

[JDGreat]

Figure out what he wants, tell him he can't have it...? Oh man, does that mean what I THINK it means?

Not gonna pry. We just agreed on that.

"Talking ain't exactly a bad thing to do every now and then, Ace." Rust fired back, actually looking at her this time. He was wet too, so now it was less awkward. "And besides, I think you and I both know that if there's anything I'm good at, it's when to put my dukes up."

He grimaced slightly, but went with his next joke anyway.

"Ask Secernia, kid gloves came off when she said I didn't love my mom."

Rust blinked for a few seconds, looking incredibly confused with himself.

"Wait...that didn't happen...why did I even say that?"

Shaking his head, he tried to ignore it and just carried on with Ace's line of thought. He grinned back at her.

"Yep, that's what we're gonna do. We're gonna need a room, a big TV, consoles, music, food, drink, alcohol, party guests, the works. BUT first thing we need is a room. It's gotta be the biggest one out of our dorms and while I would offer mine, it's a little cramped in Dorm 9.

We'd also probably need a room that can handle that many people at once. I mean, Soundproofing would be a start." The mechanic joked. "Or a pre-emptive letter of warning."

He though for a few more seconds.

"Maybe a place with an outside balcony so you can smoke when you need to?"

['Ace' Julia Dale]

Ace shook her head, disagreeing with him. "People don't need to know shit. Problem shared is a problem doubled, seriously." She gave him a look, "Speaking of... I just want to add what you.. well, guessed, saw, call it whatever... But that," She glanced at her arms, "You know nothing about, okay? I don't know if you get how many people freak out over that shit."

He made his joke about Secernia and she raised her eyebrow, looking almost amused, "Damn, she's a total bitch, Good job smacking that one- said she deserved it didn't I?" She shook her head with a small smile, as though proud of her own judgement and shocked at the story she'd missed previously.

Then he changed his mind and Ace looked at him with confusion. "Wait what? Dude you feeling alright?" She shook her head, but figured maybe he had confused Secernia with someone else that that had happened with... but it seemed fairly huge a thing to just forget or confuse. Regardless, she decided to continue the conversation about other things. The party for example.

"Wait what? I can't smoke inside in my own party? What the fuck. Look I don't know where could even have a balcony-- Maybe a rooftop or something, but I've seen some pretty dark things happen on rooftops." She said simply.

"Nah fuck all that. Lets just have it in my dorm. It's big enough, and Jack was gonna make med food. Like, you know, Mediterranean stuff. I don't know, but he does. It'll be great. " She grinned, "And as for the sound issue? We'll just explain that a sound manipulator is going, they'll understand or not, whatever." She grabbed the pack for a second cigarette out of it, considering her first was now floating in the water.

"Now, before I light this." She said looking between Rust and the cigarette, "Gonna let me finish this one?" She asked with a laugh, turning her head.

[JDGreat]

"We'll agree to disagree on that one, Ace." Rust countered with a sigh. "And fine, I already said I wasn't gonna pry. You haven't mentioned it and I saw nothing, alright? Try and trust me on that, for once?" he muttered, a tad irritated. She couldn't just accept that he would keep schtum about this stuff? He knew tact!

Her concern about his sudden weirdness was comforting though, like maybe it had been his imagination or something. At least he knew he wasn't going mad just yet.

Stilll...what the hell WAS that? I was certain that never happened, yet part of me remembers it clear as day...or do I?

He rubbed his head as he de-summoned his arm, headache beginning to show. He still stuck his tongue out playfully as Ace acted offended by not being allowed to smoke indoors at her own party. "You do know that was a joke, right? And Jacob cooks? Awesome, MEd food is always good, albeit rare in Britain." the mechanic admitted, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "I can lug in my TV and consoles and stuff for party crap. I'm still King of Smash Brothers where I'm from so it'll be funny to see you guys flail around in horror as I whup you mercilessly."

Rust continued to think.

"What's your poison gonna be if you're drinking? Regular beer or should we splash out on special stuff?"

['Ace' Julia Dale]

Ace grumbled at his defense about his tactfulness. She did believe him but she just wanted to be triple sure that it was established where she sat on the matter. There was a reason she didn't bring it up, there was a reason she hit it. She still wasn't sure if he completely understood that, but figured the media had put such a hype on it that he had to have some knowledge of the assumptions people made.

She noticed him looking distant but didn't say anything about it. It wasn't her business, and they had established a lovely tradition of not prying that she didn't want to be the one breaking.

She sighed, "Thank god you were joking, don't mess about that sort of thing." She gave half a smile, obviously being sarcastic herself.

Whenever Jacob was mentioned Ace had to think to realize he was talking about Jack. "Yeah he said that the food was gonna take like the whole fuckin' day, so we better get people in the door." She laughed.

He mentioned smash bros and she gave him a curious look. "Smash Bros? What's that?" She wondered without any regret in asking the question.

"Anyway, for Drink I'll take anything if it's strong enough, I only drink beer because it's cheap and plentiful. Hey we can splash out, money is no issue," She said, flashing him a wide grin but only for a moment, "Let's just throw everything together and see how horrible it is. We'll play a game of Kings!" She exclaimed.

[JDGreat]

Rust grinned slightly at that.

"With your luck, the four Kings won't be picked until the last four cards." Rust muttered quietly. "We'll be hammered by the end of the first round. Not a bad thing, but not necessarily a good thing for the next morning."

The talk of partying made Rust feel...weird.

Not weird as in OH MY GOD I CAN'T DO THIS! But he didn't exactly feel completely and utterly thrilled either. For some reason, this place tended to give out the good experiences with the bad. And seeing as this party was looking incredibly good...

He began to space out, nearly completely. His arm went to his shoulder and gently stroked it, thinking about what exactly was gonna happen there.

What if I get violent again?

He shook his head. He couldn't afford to think like that. It would have thrown both Ace's and Mrs Ze's efforts in the garbage and ultimately, he would have been a nervous wreck.

GAH! C'mon Kekise! Head back in the game! Party! Things supposed to be going well!

"...can I ask one thing, Ace?" he started, still spacing out slightly. "Can we at least send an invite to Alora in Dorm 1? I don't know, maybe it'll help me feel better about the entire thing. I doubt Kikime would let her, but..."

['Ace' Julia Dale]

Ace laughed, "Damn right! Hammered it is, sounds like a real party, nah?" She grinned. "I'll try not to cheat, but sometimes I just can't help myself." She said with a wicked smirk.

Once again she noticed him space out and this time she thought she might as well say something about it. "Dude, I know there's something bugging you, what's up." She took a drag of her cigarette and looked over to him, watching him shake his head as though in response.

He asked his question and Ace blinked. "No problem, dude, invite the whole school. If that Alora kid will make you feel better, go for it." She said, taking another drag before continuing, "Might cheer her up as well as you, never know." She shrugged.

"So, when will we make it happen?" She asked. It was the ultimate question after all.

[JDGreat]

He nodded at the blonde girl, still looking down slightly.

"I just want to help her out. I know this sounds stupid and stuff, but she needs to have a good time and if I can somehow make up for acting like a child, then, well, that'd be peaches. Only problem is Kikime, who seems to think I'm the same as the guys who..."

He stopped, noticing his knuckles turning white as he gripped the pier.

10, 9, 8, 7...

Rust let out a breath.

"When we're gonna make it happen?" he echoed, thinking to himself. He continued trying to ignore the smoke coming from Ace and mentally asked himself that question again. "I reckon...next week, possibly the Friday. No one will have class the next day and it'll give you and Jacob time to get the place sorted for our arrival. Plus, y'know...invites and what not."

The sea gently lapped against the dock as Rust looked back up at Ace.

"This party's gonna be awesome."

He held up a hand for a high five.

"To an awesome time?"

['Ace' Julia Dale]

Ace nodded, "That's fine, I don't mind. Look, invite that Kikime one too, she might be up for a party, eh?" She said with a half grin. "That way she could look after the kid, I mean, if that's what she wants to do." She shrugged easily.

She took another drag, about half way through the cigarette now. That was like a new record with Rust around. She blinked whenever he finally said when he was thinking it would be. "Next friday? Why such a huge wait? Lets make it this friday! Listen, getting word out? That's easy, people will know and people will come, no problem. Food? Jack never stops eating and cooking, I'm surprised he's not a whale." She said with a wave of her hand.

"The place doesn't need to be sorted. What you think we'd clean for a party? What a waste of time."

She looked up at his hand for the high five. "That... is so cheesy." She said, giving him a look, "I'm not gonna high-five." She held out her fist. "To an awesome time." She repeated, taking another drag with her other hand, a corner of her mouth turned up.

[JDGreat]

Rust felt a sudden pang of uneasiness at the idea of Kikime being invited. He had no idea why either. All the girl had asked him to do was politely leave after he upset Alora.

...after she accused you of being the same who raped her...

THERE it was again! What the hell was that? He strongly considered slapping himself before he decided to just answer Ace.

"Yeah, might help me get back in her good books as well." he replied, without much conviction however. Though Ace's next words made him stare at her with an awkward expression.

"Ace. Today IS Friday."

Crickets could have chirped for the next few minutes before Rust burst out laughing and reciprocated Ace's proposed fist bump.

"What the hell are you like, Boss Lady? Goddamn it, I knew you were blonde but I thought you broke the mould on that score!"

Cackling some more, he clutched his gut and rolled onto his gut, sides nearly splitting.

"OH GOD! YOU'RE GONNA KILL ME!"

['Ace' Julia Dale]

Ace blinked. Her face grew red at the idea that it was friday today. She glared him down as there was silence for the few minutes. Don't... say... anything. She mentally warned him. But of course, the silence was quickly broken by the boy returning her fist pump and starting to laugh.

She went to wack him hard over the back of the head with the flat of her hand and tell him, "Shut up! So what, I might have thought it was like some other day, I don't keep track!!" She defended, with a face turning bright red.

Her eyebrows furrowed at the idea of herself being a blonde. However, she couldn't say anything to the contrary. "Fine, Next Friday then, jackass." She said, giving him a look that said 'Don't mention this again.' She crossed her arms, feeling that her clothes were mostly dry now from just sitting in the sun, but were still starchy with salt from the water.

"Damn right I'm gonna kill you, if you keep laughing." She said, somewhat sour at being caught out, glancing over to him.