The Stars Align, Poolside Party Goes Wrong

[Kami-Gaz]

Life had taken a massive turn for the better recently, the sun was out, the weather hot and for the first time in years he felt safe. That was what it meant to be on Fluffy, an island turtle so docile that it loved to have people crawling all over his back. It was by accident of sorts that the onsen and casino that had birthed the small resort settlement had come into life. When running away from his past with the twins and the other kids that needed protection this ended up being the best of the selection.

William Savage had decided that today was going to be a day for himself, to feel what it was to relax and unwind… which was difficult when having to take into account the gaggle if kids that ranged in ages from three to twelve. Once he had said he was going to take the time to go to the pool and have a swim more than half of them had demanded to come with him. Not wanting to bring out any tears he relented and had gone to the biggest fanciest pool in the resort town that had a kiddie area.

The albino goat looked proud as he stepped into the poolside area, wearing blue floral swimming shorts and an unbuttoned Hawaiian style shirt. The fact that he had a child clinging to his side in her cute little straw sunhat cramped his cool style and gave his menacing look a more paternal feeling. One of the older children that came was walking to the other side and looking down at the pale blue sandals he wore, then up to the horned man.

“I thought you had hooves Billy!” He finally said after what seemed to be minutes of deliberation in his young mind.

“Nope. Feet.” He replied, looking down with a soft smile. “Dandy and Zoe don’t have claws or big lion teeth do they?” He asked before getting to an area of sun loungers that were closer to the kids pool and putting a selection of towels over four of them with one hand.

“Right.” He said as he placed the girl down on the lounger with the cute pink towel. “I will be here if you need anything, go and have fun and make some friends.” Billy said with a smile as he leaned down and pulled out a drink from the cooler that the last child had placed down. William had no choice in bringing them, but if they were coming they could help out and make what time he could get to himself enjoyable.

“Freddie, look after the girls. Nina make sure you wear the floaters and Annie don’t wander off to any cute boys.” He said in a caring tone, turning menacing at the end. The 13 year old girl was getting to that age now and he was the closest thing to a father figure she had.

The three of them nodded with Freddie running off and instantly jumping to climb up the slide into the kiddies pool where as Annie puffed her cheeks out ready to make this a conversation. Nina on the other hand climbed off of her sun lounger and moved to sit on the one Billy had claimed with his black and red flame patterned one.

“What? Why do you think I’ll run off at the sight of a cute boy? They are so ew!” Annie complained as her guardian had taken a seat to get on a similar level to her. “Besides I don’t think I will find any here. All spoiled rich kids, all they are good for are deep pockets to pick.” She chimed, in their past experience… she wasn’t wrong they were the perfect people to steal from.

“I told you we don’t need to do that anymore, we escaped Mamma Mia.” He said before taking a nice long sip of the canned cola beverage Pipsi. “Take Nina for a swim, she wanted to come to have fun.” He added, ending that line of conversation the way parents did to stop kids when they didn’t want to talk about it anymore.

Annie puffed her cheeks out but complied and picked the younger one up in her arms in a big hug. Nina was mute but looked so happy to be held, taking her sun hat off and letting it fall to Billy’s sun loungers. Leaving the quarter mink on his own for the first time in weeks to actually relax.

[pepsi]

-- CHAPTER 1 // THE STARS ALIGN

The black wolf huffed. He was sure that the hands of the clock on the other side of the pool had moved forward by five minutes in the last thirty. Time just wouldn't pass.
Shido was only allowed to enter the pool area after he proved he wasn't carrying any weapon on himself; and by the poolside he stood, clawed feet firmly planted on the ground and arms behind his back. Through a set of sunglasses he watched over the bathers: two, in particular, he followed with his gaze.
"Hah! You dare splash me?" Lola chirped, shaking the water off of her face; "Now I splash you!" she said, and retaliated with a water spray worthy of a Fishman Karateka. The kid on the receiving end laughed at the bunny Mink before ending up drenched himself.

They had been hired - or, rather, Shido had been hired - to keep watch over the child of a very rich and influential man that had arrived on Fluffy, the Island Turtle's onsen. His pay was hourly, but they already agreed to a fixed number of hours as well as a very specific list of activities for the little Marvin to do, something that would give Shido nightmares.
Of course, Lola immediately agreed to help him despite not being part of the agreement. On paper, it was only Shido's job, but could she really leave him to babysit? According to Lola, he couldn't even babysit a tree stump.

Marvin had really taken a liking to the girl, Shido thought; and in his mind he thanked her for it, because if he really had to babysit as Marvin's father wanted him to, he'd be either dead or in serious trouble after some five minutes.
After all, he wasn't even interacting with the child, and he was nevertheless dreading the job. Plus, he needed to look out just in case Lola suddenly fainted in the middle of the pool; she wouldn't misbehave all of a sudden, but she wasn't at all used to having Devil Fruit powers. Luckily, she preferred to sit by the poolside and keep the water at shin length - that would avoid most trouble, Shido thought.

"So, Marvin," Lola said, "don't you want to make some friends? There's a buncha children over there. Go! Make some friends!"
On his side, Shido audibly sighed. They had already one weight and she wanted to add more on the plate? He was starting to feel weak in the knees. "Yes, aunt Lola," Marvin replied, "but only you and me. Big bad wolf is scary."
Shido's sunglasses almost fell off as he snorted out his disapproval. The little pest...

-- NAME // Shido Akaito

-- CLASS // E

-- TECHS USED // None.

-- NAME // Lola Avery

-- CLASS // E

-- TECHS USED // None.

[Kami-Gaz]

Now with children gone and playing Billy was free! He could lean back under the parasol and just do nothing. He could finally process everything that had happened since the incident back on Dressrosa and Mama Mia. It was something that utterly pissed him off, he was blind to what was going on for years. It was his fault…. Or so he had led himself to believe, but looking back on the issue there was one glaring failure. He was weak, he knew there was something going on in the back of his head, all of the sings were there… just ignored.

With his sour look firmly in place the goatman placed a pair of sunglasses on his face and watched the kids splash around in the water, and generally having fun. This was what he did everything for, those kids, Dandy and Zoe. So, they could all live normal lives where they weren’t forced to be criminals. They had that now, he just had to protect it, get stronger and prove he was to keep those kids safe.

That was when movement caught his eye, something broke his train of thought. Were there full animal people here?! Wow that was a sight to behold, actual minks in the world that weren’t the same as the Savage family. Why was Annie heading there way? She was heading straight for the bunny lady and the boy that was nearby… This is not going to end well. She was saying something… the goat could barely make it out.

Annie was stood staring up at Lola and had a wide grin on her face as she pointed back towards the sun loungers where William was… well lounging. “Our big brother thinks you’re pretty! Will you go out with him?“ She asked earnestly, this was her revenge for making her drop the conversation earlier. This was obviously a hired body guard and baby sitter pair for the rich snob in the pool. “He told me to tell you that you are adorable and the light of his world.”

Billy meanwhile was looking between Annie and her diabolical scheme and the other two who were currently climbing up the large green frog slide. He couldn’t respond without looking like an arse and he couldn’t leave Nina and Freddie without supervision for too long.

“Well played…” He muttered before taking another long drink from his can of Pipsi.

[pepsi]

-- CHAPTER 1 // THE STARS ALIGN

The black wolf's tail swept from side to side as he observed the scene unfold from afar, just shy of being out of earshot. His red pupils shone through the sunglasses, swapping their focus from the boy to the bunny and back; that was when a third figure entered the scene. A girl, the wolf identified, most likely not a threat.
Lola's eyebrows curved upwards as she heard the little newcomer speak. Lola awkwardly glanced back at Shido, who was equally confused by the girl's words. "Uhh..." the bunny Mink said, turning back to the little kid, "How old is your brother? I mean, I know I'm short but... I'm twenty-two, you know!"
Lola rocked back and forth a little bit, trying to see if there was any other young human looking towards the pool. After all, if that girl's "older brother" really liked her, he would be on the edge of his seat. A quick scan revealed nobody she could reasonably call a brother for that kid. "Well," she said, tilting her head to one side, "if your bro is really that interested, tell him to come over here? We can all have some fun in this pool."
Swinging her feet above and below the water, she continued: "I'm Lola, by the way. What's your name, hm?"

-- NAME // Shido Akaito

-- CLASS // E

-- TECHS USED // None.

-- NAME // Lola Avery

-- CLASS // E

-- TECHS USED // None.

[Kami-Gaz]

William Savage had his attention split between the two playing in the water in the kiddie pool and the mischievous little brat that was talking to the mink lady and the boy she was with. That was going to be an issue. The man sat forward so he could react to events going on easier, sitting on the edge of his lounger. The can of Pipsi dripping cool condensation beads onto the hot paved floor.

“I’m Annie!” She called out before pointing over to Billy excitedly then leaning closer to give a stage whisper that only Lola and the boy that was nearby were meant to hear. “We’re all orphans and he is the oldest so he looks after us all.” She then pulled away and giggled as she then pointed to the other two, Freddie and Nina. “He couldn’t come and say himself because he has to keep an eye on those two as well.”

What she said wasn’t a lie, mostly. He was an orphan that was the oldest, he was caring for the rest and he did have to keep an eye on Freddie and Nina… he just hadn’t said a word about Lola. The girl was grinning with pride as if she had done exactly what she was told and was expecting praise.

Billy on the other hand looked over to Annie for the first time in a few moments and sighed before pressing two fingers to his lips and giving a sharp whistle to get her attention. “Hey Annie! I thought you said you wanted to go swimming! Jump in the pool.” He called over, making the girl jump on the spot and spin around, sticking her tongue out before cannon balling into the pool and aiming to splash Marvin.

“She’s weird…” he said with a soft shake of his head and then a long drink from his can, finishing it as he did. Once the final gulp had gone down his throat the can was pulled away and crushed in one hand, placed back into the cooler so there was no litter. Billy was a considerate man after all.

[pepsi]

-- CHAPTER 1 // THE STARS ALIGN

The girl, Annie, explained that she was there under the tutelage of her older "brother"; they were all orphans, and just as she said that, the expression on Lola's face relaxed. At the same time, the expression on Shido hardened. They, too, were orphans.
Lola never knew her parents, and the only parental figure in her life had disappeared. Shido never knew his parents, and the only parental figure in his life gave everything to make sure he could escape Wano.
The wolf looked away, hidden by his sunglasses, and fanned himself with the tail a couple of times. He needed to give the impression that he didn't care about it - after all, Lola was already going to care: "We're orphans too, Annie. What your brother is doing... it's a nice thing."

Lola and Shido's attention moved to the one guy screaming at Annie from across the pool. The girl responded playfully before disappearing under the water; Lola reeled back to avoid the splash, and pushed herself on the dry floor. She shaked her leg to dry out all the water, and turned to Shido: "I'll be right back." "Wait-" the wolf replied under his breath, his eyes becoming twice as big, "you can't leave me alone with a bunch of..."
But the bunny Mink was already well on her way. She circled around the pool, approaching Annie's older brother; "Hey!" she called, a smile on her face.
"You're looking after those children, right?" Lola asked, pointing at the kids in the pool not far from the black wolf Mink. "Annie told me. I think that's great! What's your name? Where are you from?"

-- NAME // Shido Akaito

-- CLASS // E

-- TECHS USED // None.

-- NAME // Lola Avery

-- CLASS // E

-- TECHS USED // None.

[Kami-Gaz]

"Hey!" A chipper voice called from nearby. It wasn’t expected but the quarter blood didn’t jump in fright, he just calmly turned around from the cooler to see the very same Bunny Mink getting close. He eye brow raised at her question, what was little Annie’s game here?

“Yeah… I am” He replied, peering over the short woman’s shoulder to see Annie playing with the young lad Marvin. Then the follow up question came and his skeptical look melted into a slight smile. This woman was just nice and wanted to know more about Billy. Was she and the Wolf Mink not an item? He was looking at the kids as if he had just been given dirty nappy and was told to throw it away… fearful.

“Oh!” He chuckled warmly before carrying on. “Billy Savage. I don’t know where I was born but I lived on Dressrosa for quite a while before coming here with all the kids.” He said, peering over to the younger of his charge that were splashing about with a beach ball that was left in the water by someone else.

He raised his large hand and returned to look at Lola. “So what about you? What’s your name? Where are you from?” He asked, letting his eyes wander her features for the brief moment that he was looking at her. She was short but carried herself with a more mature air so she had to be around his age, no? Or was his judge of character off?

[pepsi]

-- CHAPTER 1 // THE STARS ALIGN

At the mention of Dressrosa, Lola's hands grasped her swimsuit by the collar. An instinctive reaction, to hear of the land she considered her home for years and years. "I'm Lola..." she said, her mind still floating all over the memories of Dressrosa.
"I'm Lola," she repeated, this time much more confidently; "I was raised in an orphanage in Dressrosa. I know most Minks come from Zou, but I have no memories of that place. Dressrosa is my home too." She glanced over at Shido. The black wolf seemed rather calm, even though clearly his sunglasses were hiding a pair of panicked eyes - a silent call for help, masked by his solid pose and slow tail movement.
"He was born on Zou too, but Zou isn't his home either. Don't worry, he's with me, and we're looking over the kid playing with Annie." She took a few steps towards the pool, reaching a spot paved with stone where she could sit and keep a watch over Shido while she spoke to the curious horned man. "Were you paid for this?" she asked. "I'm glad there are others who look over children that can't look out for themselves. I have a big one to look after myself all the time!" Lola smiled, chuckling at her own joke.
"Don't you want to take a little bath too? Or are you like big guy over there, who doesn't even want to be near the water?"

-- NAME // Shido Akaito

-- CLASS // E

-- TECHS USED // None.

-- NAME // Lola Avery

-- CLASS // E

-- TECHS USED // None.

[Kami-Gaz]

Lola… that was such a nice name for a friendly person to have. She was quick to mention her heritage too, the fact that she came from another orphanage on the very same island that he came from made him smile. Yet it also made him a little sad, it meant that more kids had been through such rough times like he and his adoptive siblings had. This was something he buried as Lola continued to talk about herself and her wolfman companion. He had heard of Zou, never been. “Ahh, good. Annie needs to make some friends.” He said with standard stoic look.

“Paid? No, we ran away and i do it because i love them all.” He said without hesitation after she finished her talking. She had fired so many questions and statements at him he was going to reply in order. As he did he looked down at his own open fronted Hawaiian shirt and blue swimming shorts. “I came ready for a dip, what big brother wouldn’t want a chance to destroy his siblings in a splash fight?” He jokingly asked, whilst moving to stand and slip the shirt off of his torso to reveal Muscular body. The fabric hit the sunbed and he sat back down and slipped his sandals off.

“I’ve got a cooler full of Cola, do you and your boyfriend want to come over and have a Pipsi?” He asked, nodding over to Shido and the pair of kids that were basically dancing around him and splashing water everywhere. It may save his bacon from what was terrorising him.

[pepsi]

-- CHAPTER 1 // THE STARS ALIGN

When Billy explained that he was looking after those children out of love alone, Lola absolutely beamed. She never had someone like Billy in her childhood, but she sure wished to have one.
And before she could become that person, Fate had set her plans in motion for her. She was taken, and then she was rescued; she moved so often from place to place that the idea of keeping may orphans under her didn't even cross her mind.
"Well said!" she agreed, "I'd do the same, but I can't really get in the water more than calves deep or I'll get sick." She wasn't really sure if the cause was the Devil Fruit or something else, but either way, the reason why she couldn't follow Billy was clear.

Lola's smile quickly turned to an embarassed expression when Billy mentioned the word "boyfiend"; quickly fanning with her palm in front of her face, she went: "Nono! He's too old, he could be my dad! No boyfriend!"
Looking over at the cooler, she decided she could go for a fresh drink - and the same could be said for Shido.
He was still trying his best to keep his eyes on the pests surrounding him, always at a safe distance; she waved at him, signalling him to come to her side of the pool. After a little resistance, Shildo yielded, and calmly walked over.
"Want a Pipsi?" Lola asked. "A peepo-what?", Shido replied. "We are to supervise Marvin, not fool around with the locals, Lola. This isn't our vacation."
The bunny girl sighed audibly. There was an ocean between the chill approach of Billy and the incredibly stoic behaviour of Shido. "Billy can help us with that! He's got other kids to watch over too!"
The wolf looked at Billy, though one wouldn't see that through the sunglasses. And those sunglasses he removed, showing the deep red irises and the gash over his left in full. "Come on! Don't be the big gruff wolf! One time we go to a nice island!" Lola whined, gently pulling at the wolf's elbow - as she often did, when she needed him to listen.
"Alright, alright" Shido said under his breath, "I don't see any immediate threat anyways." Cashing in on her success, Lola smiled at the wolf and turned her attention to Billy again. "So this is Shido. Shido, meet Billy: he comes from Dressrosa, like me!"

-- NAME // Shido Akaito

-- CLASS // E

-- TECHS USED // None.

-- NAME // Lola Avery

-- CLASS // E

-- TECHS USED // None.

[Kami-Gaz]

The large wolf man had limbered over at Lola’s call, it was cute how they interacted with each other more like a close family than anything else. It was easy for Billy to see that they cared for each other, his stone-cold look melted with that family feeling he never had. Shido was a father figure it seemed. Lola being an orphan in the past seemed to have found the perfect way out with this man. “I couldn’t tell! Those sunglasses do wonders.” He joked dryly as he pulled out a can for each of them as the man approached.

Ther interaction was amazing, something Billy would pay to watch before he was roped into their task of taking over the kid they were charged with. He raised an eye brow then nodded to the pair as he held up the cans towards them. They were ice cooled and had condensation dripping off of the side of them, a perfect drink for this sunny heat.

“Hi Shido, it’s good to meet you!” He said with a smile breaking his usual calm expression, his eyes looking past the wolf man to notice Annie and then darting to the kids pool to see that the other two were playing around. “Rough job babysitting at a pool when you hate water mate.” He joked, giving the cans that were pushed forward a little wiggle so they could be taken.

He was ready to bite the bullet and take a plunge in the refreshing water to keep the kids happy and show them how a real splash fight is won! That included Lola and Shido’s charge who seemed to be getting swimmingly with little Annie. “I’ve more than just Pipsi in the cooler if you prefer something else?” The man questioned knowing he had juice drinks for the smaller kids, sandwiches and his hidden weapon… just in case.

[pepsi]

-- CHAPTER 1 // THE STARS ALIGN

The wolf squared the Pipsi can up and down. He never had one of those before, the only real drink he ever had beside water being sake. And knowing his pride, would he ever...?
Shido's fingers curled in a fist over his chest, except for the index and middle which pointed at the sky. "I cannot!" the wolf declared. "Ninja rule #678!"

規則番号678!
"You shall never drink anything other than sake!"

"Just drink the damn Pipsi, Shido" quipped Lola, cold can already in her hand. The proverbial large drop of sweat formed on Shido's head, and he reached for a can of his own. The crack in the sound of a cold can being opened, music to Lola's ears.
She took a sip of the drink and... it was true delight. The sweet, almost sugary taste of the dark beverage softened her palate first; right afterwards, the hint of lemon would open the gateway to an explosion of that sizzling, bubbly carbonation. "Waaah! It's amazing!" Lola chirped, "So fresh! Thank you Billy!"
The little girl was loving the experience and while it didn't look like it, so was Shido. He was just quietly tasting his Pipsi, trying not to give any sign of just how much he liked it - after all, his pride as a ninja needed to stay intact. Instead, he preferred to change the subject.
"This has been the hardest challenge so far. There aren't many places where the kid can go, and we cannot." "Yeah, I quite liked the sauna, for example." Shido's memory of the sauna could be summed up in: Lola having a great time with Marvin while Shido was trying not to pass out from the heat. Coming to think about it, most of the "fun activites" they had so far were nearly detrimental to Shido's health.
"Something else?" Lola continued, "Nah, how about we get some food together afterwards? Marvin's dad has agreed to pay any and all expenses. I'm sure he won't mind paying a bit more for a lunch..." Shido's expression hardened. "Lola, what are you suggesting? That we use his father's money as our own?"
The wolf reasoned it over for a couple of seconds, and then concluded: "Fine by me. The guy is an asshole."

-- NAME // Shido Akaito

-- CLASS // E

-- TECHS USED // None.

-- NAME // Lola Avery

-- CLASS // E

-- TECHS USED // None.

[Kami-Gaz]

The horned man watched the pair a bit more as they drank their drinks and had their back and forth. Though when Lola thanked him for giving them the drink he simply nodded with a soft smile. Looking after people was his job, and now because of Annie he had made some more friends to take under his wing. These friends however looked competent. They looked as if they could handle a situation similar as to what him and the twins went through… maybe if he could convince these two to stick around, he could keep not just the kids safe bit his lion cubs too!

The thought vanished from his mind as Lola spoke up asking if they should all out for a lunch after their time spent around the pool. That… isn’t actually a bad idea… and on the dime of their client? If he was rich enough to fire two bodyguards just for his son then there must be a lot of money being thrown around. He looked thoughtful for a moment before peering to the other kids, Freddie and Nina, who were playing on the slide and making a fun splash.

Billy looked back to Lola and Shido and cracked a grin, free food was never something you turned down. His life in the orphanage had taught him that first. “Sure! I’m sure Annie, Freddie and Nina would love to play with Marvin too and have a nice lunch.” In a quick motion he downed his can of Pipsi Vanilla flavoured and crushed the empty can as he brought it away. This vacation was going amazingly well for him, it made him think the decision to truly leave was what they should’ve done sooner.

“Right.” He spoke, standing as he did. The quarter mink was tall, a lot taller than Lola but Shido even made him feel short. Wow that wolf mink was an absolute unit, fighting him must be a real pain. Billy was happy to be on the scary looking mink’s good side. “Time to teach these kids the art of a splash fight!” Billy announced before charging past his new friends and leaping into the air with powerful legs. As he was in the air he brought his legs up and tucked them into his belly, this was going to be a cannon ball of epic proportions.

In a mere moment the goatman's body impacted the water and caused a massive splash, falling just short of the wolf minks feet. The wave he created buffeted everyone in the pool, throwing them off their swims and out of what they were doing. The mass that caused it surfaced moments later with a grin on his face as he pushed his wet mop of hair back behind his horns. “Splash fight!” The big kidd called.

[pepsi]

-- CHAPTER 1 // THE STARS ALIGN

"Ack!" hissed the wolf, shaking the water away from his paw. The horned boy managed to splash water all over the place - and much like some other kinds of canine, Shido didn't like water very much. Back when he was training under Yatake, he absolutely dreaded all the ninja techniques involving water. Water breathing, water walking... all tricks, of course, but well executed tricks at that.
Lola sighed. "It's been a while since I took a dive like that" she said, nodding to herself. "If you try that now, you won't get back to the surface." The bunny girl sighed once more at Shido's reply. "Strange to think I can't enjoy it anymore. Used to love swimming."
The wolf's tail swung from side to side as he crossed arms. "Just make sure there's someone to save you if you ever get nostalgic."

But Lola, being the playful girl that she is, already was playing by the side of the pool - water reaching her ankles. With weak little kicks she tried her best to splash the kids and Billy, although the reach wasn't quite enough.
But it didn't matter to her, she just tried. Shido approached the edge of the pool slowly, trying to dodge the absolute liquid hell the kids were causing; putting on his sunglasses, he stated: "We'll have lunch in half an hour."
"Why?" asked Lola, reading the time off the clock on the far end of the pool. "It's going to be midday by then." "A ninja always must have lunch at noon," Shido said, "it's a ninja rule."
The bunny girl shook her head, and laughed it off.

-- NAME // Shido Akaito

-- CLASS // E

-- TECHS USED // None.

-- NAME // Lola Avery

-- CLASS // E

-- TECHS USED // None.

[Kami-Gaz]

The call to battle was made and the entire pool erupted into a sense of chaos, it had been barely a heartbeat since the shout had been made and the kids from Billy’s group had darted towards him like vulture to a carcass. This was their chance to get a one up on the goatman, to claim to Dandy and Zoe that they beat the Billy in a splash fight. With the orphans making their way over the rest of the kids in the pool followed the commotion, a big kidd had just called for a splash fight! There was no way they were going to sit out on this fun.

With a twist Billy raked his arm over the water and sent a massive wave that washed away Freddie and little Nina. In the next breath the goatman hopped back to avoid a major splash from Annie as she bombed into the pool from the side. Her splash was nowhere near as massive as Billy’s but it was still impressive none the less. With a chuckle a random kid was splashed by a simple forward thrusted water slap that pushed a small orb of water right into his face.

“Come on! I’m not even trying here!” The quarter blood announced with a grin as the chaos spread and kids started splashing each other, billy took a few shots of water but ultimately avoided the worst hits. Though at one moment he did a dive and took a large splash that was heading for both Lola and Shido like a secret service guard leaping in front of a bullet for their client. As he did it, he even did the slow motion “Nooooooo!” and everything in a goofy fashion to make some of the kids laugh.

As he stood up and looked back to the ankle dipping bunny he cracked a big smile, hearing about Shido’s plan to get lunch. “I just saved you from getting wet Big man! My payment? We go for lunch a little later.” He said, a genuine smile appearing on his usually stoic face. Billy had officially let his guard down around these strangers… that was when it happened. The worst possible thing. Nina in her littler pool floaties had drifted up to Billy and got him in the back of the head with the most adorable little splash she could muster.

With a start he turned around and was about to destroy whoever splashed him in a tidal wave of unrivalled proportions. However, when he spotted the little mute girl, he stopped with a grin and held his hand over his chest. “Ack! You got me!” His acting was terrible, all of his movements over laboured and the noises unnatural. “Dead goat down!” He fell backwards, not realising that his head was going to splash down between the dangling ankles of Lola. All the while the little Nina was grinning away as happy as can be paddling up to tug on Billy’s arm to make him keep playing.