Finally!

Summer!

It had been a long, grueling winter for this particular blonde and she was more than thrilled to be back on the beach with the sun in her hair and sand between her toes. The reigning surf champion was exited to see Tommy, Lena and some of the staff from the shop (which she was a frequent customer) as well as her fellow wave worshipers. She'd used the board she won last year many times, and was ready to ride it again.

While Rhydin was certainly not Terra Australius, at least the warm current off the coast and the superior trade winds here helped to provide the perfect swells and surfing conditions. So, she guessed it wasn't all bad. And what was more, she had some new gear for the event. Today would be a great day!

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Sapphire was splitting her time between her own dimension and this one, but she made a note on her calendar to absolutely be in town for the RhyDin Surf Contest. She was determined to give Janie a run for her money.

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Oh, this was perfect. Just what she needed to forget for at least a day all the responsibilities back home. After all, who'd think to look for the Crown Princess of Tirisano and her Prince Consort at the annual SURF'S UP competition at King's Cove"

And for once, Dru had managed to find a solution to her modesty problem. Surf wetsuits were perfect for maintaining her delicate equilibrium - thank the gods that Lena and Tommy had decided to expand their stock to include suits as well as everything else necessary to surf like a pro. She'd improved this year, too - with any luck, she wasn't going to wipe out by midday.

It was a fun day, though. And so many familiar faces! Janie, she'd seen regularly when she was in Rhy'Din, since they both haunted Custom Kings and the beach to catch the perfect waves when the weather was just right. Sapphire and Jewel Ravenlock were familiar, too - not just from the last competition, but from various public events in and around Rhy'Din itself. Hope looked vaguely familiar ....was she a duelist or something" Josh should have been familiar; they had been married for almost two years by now.

And, of course, there were the ever present Tommy and her sister, Lena, organizers and shop owners, who not only sold those beautiful boards, but produced and hand-painted them, too. Their son, Nicholas, was toddling by now, always attended by their dog, Luna, and full of jabbering nonsense to regale his Auntie Dru and Uncle Josh with as the competition got underway. Sunburn or not, it was going to be a very good day.

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Unable to join in for her favorite sport in the world, Claire was still at least there to spectate from start to finish. Likely with a cowboy and two little minis with them as well. The Surf & Turf from Incredible Edibles was a particular favorite along with the flatbread dessert pizza.

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A water baby since birth and an avid surfer, and against his better judgement, Jake grabbed his board and hit the waves to participate.

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Always ready for games of sport or a playful contest, Lisa was sure to come out to King's Cove and join in on the fun. The wolfish grin was unlikely to fade after spending the day in the sun and surf with Nayun, Liyun and her visiting friends on another Sunday Funday.

Surfing, heck yeah! The schmooze remembered how much fun he had at the Summer Surf contest a couple of years ago (the one last year missed for obvious reasons) so he certainly made an appearance at this one. He even brought some bikini clad eye candy too! Well, ok, some more eye candy actually as obviously the schmooze fit that role too (though more speedo'd than bikini clad)! Were they there to win it' Sort of? but maybe not given the only one actually entered into the competition was Lexi, and Mach had sort of taught them to surf just the week prior to the competition. But that didn't mean they wouldn't try!

As for the man himself he actually sat out most of the competition part citing a lack of water and sand tightness with his swanky prosthetic bit. Something he had learned about teaching the fiery haired woman how to be a wahine. Who knew all it took was a few wipeouts before his arm would start acting funny and making terrible grindy sounds as it milled sand into silt!" What he did know now was that field stripping his arm was most certainly not one of his prefered ways to spend an evening after some wet and wild fun! So yeah, best to avoid that as possible.

And so while he'd have loved to surf proper the schmooze was instead relegated to the sidelines. Still, there were plenty of other activities which the man could entertain himself such as savaging the bar and food stands, leading a few impromptu beach volleyball games, being a speedo clad cheerleader for those he knew, working the bar with his particular brand of schmutzy service, or starting off a miniature Frisbee golf tournament before the lifeguard took offense to their tower being used as a "hole?" the killjoy. All in all a rather productive and fun filled time with friends and acquaintances alike which the man would have been content with' until somebody had made mention that full arm gloves "were" a thing!

Racing off to the nearest landscaping store the man would soon return decked out with his snazzy new accessory which just so happened to match with his bottoms! And so armed with this newfound bit of protection (and a tri-fold hat he'd acquired somewhere since, you know, he naturally carried that pirate one eyed look) the man would catch some wave time near the very end. He wasn't particularly good but he more than made up for such with with moxy and daring hedging his bets with that which he knew best " idiocy and brass.

Would it win him the day' Who knew" who cared!" The man was there to have fun and the fact he could catch some hang time with his surfer protege and friends alike was more than reward enough. And after the day was done he'd merrily take the woman home and strip for her" his arm that is. Yeaaaaah, apparently he'd forgotten that sand could get into every nook and crevice of the human form no matter what activities or protection was used! Well, whatever, a little grinding was a small price to pay for the memories made.

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It appears Claire's fam wasn't the only pink hair on the scene! Arya joined in the festivities in full energetic swing. She spent less time with food and more time in the water.

This gal enjoyed the water (must be a family thing) and could be seen catching waves as the sun started to dip low. What' Nobody said that they had to leave when it got dark, right' May be harder to catch waves but didn't mean she couldn't boogie on the board until she was shooed to go home.

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Lena was having a fantastic day. Between painting the boards, serving the shop with Jack, keeping an eye on Nicky, and watching the competitors on the waves, it was turning out to be her favorite day of the year so far. There really was nothing like seeing Tommy so in his element, even if he wasn't competing. He loved the surf, and the surf loved him, and boy, did it show.

And, of course, there were so many faces! From old friends, like Janie and the Ravenlocks, Mach and Thorn; family, like Dru and Josh; to the new faces she wasn't so familiar with, there was so much to see and do, so many people to talk to. She was more than happy to stop and chat to anyone, glad to see her eighteen-month-old son toddling over the sand with Luna, their dog, in tow just to introduce himself to Claire Gallows and her twins. She was vaguely familiar with a few of the other faces, known around the city from the duels mostly - Hope and Nayun and Lisa - happy to see them out on the sands, taking a little time to enjoy King's Cove and the entertainments it offered. Clara's friend Jake gave her a moment's pause - the man was the spitting image of Lena's little brother-in-law, who was also here today; a close enough resemblance that she had to pry Nicky away from the poor man's leg more than once. And of course, the other unknown faces, names she picked up from chatter on the beach around her - the Halycon and Arya. Everyone was welcome, and with Elena Donnelly's Incredible Edibles spread, it was no wonder people were enjoying themselves.

All right, so they'd missed a year when it came to SURF'S UP, still struggling a little with having a child and a business to run, but now things had settled again, it was good to throw this little meet and see people try their board on the waves. Sometimes the surf played nice, and sometimes it didn't. It was the luck of the day that would determine who won, but did winning really matter all that much' It was fun.

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It was only natural that Tommy and Jack would act as judges in the contest.

It came as no big surprise when the winners were announced later that day and trophies were handed out: First Place went to Janie, Second to Arya, and Third to Jake.

Even so, there were no losers today. Everyone who was there, whether they were surfing or not, was a winner, so long as they were having fun. That was what this was really all about - it was about people getting together to enjoy the sun and sand and surf and forget about their problems for a while. It was hard to think about your problems and those of Rhy'Din when you were trying to stay on top a surfboard, after all.

It wasn't until later that night when the bonfire had burned down and people had returned home that the day at King's Cove finally came to an end. Hopefully, everyone had enjoyed themselves and would be back to take part again next year. Until then, there was plenty of surfing to be had at the Cove and elsewhere in Rhy'Din.

But for those who lived at King's Cove, life would go on as usual. Tommy and Jack would continue to greet each morning by catching a wave together, just like they had back home at Half Moon Bay. And they'd continue to teach anyone who wanted to learn how to surf because no matter what was going on in the rest of Rhy'Din, everyday at King's Cove was like a day at the beach. ((Note: Winners were chosen completely at random. Icons have been distributed to everyone who posted. Many thanks to everyone who participated! Hope you all had fun with it and hope to see you back here next summer! Also, don't be afraid to mention King's Cove or Customs Kings in your RP. Drop Tommy or Lena a PM if you have any questions. As always, thanks for reading and posting! This thread is now closed.))