Sentinel Beach, Near Sandover Village, Saturday Morning

[unborn_renegade]

The blue portal still stood happily where it always did, in a small arm just off the path between Sandover and Sentinel Beach, still a little whiles away from the Lurker sand snakes that had a habit of popping up out of nowhere sometimes. The sun beat down on it. Seagulls screamed happily above

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[blondecanary]

Dinah looked around, spinning to see everything at once, then grinned hugely at Jak. "Yay! We're here! And not a bus station in Toronto or something!"

[unborn_renegade]

Well, right now, they were in a rocky crevice that didn't show much at all, but it smelled like home and had the sun, so he was going to give her that. Jak grinned at her, reaching over to snag her wrist. Sandover's to the left, he said, Sentinel Beach's to the right. You choose.

[blondecanary]

Beach! she sent then, No, Sandover, so I can dump my bag. She bounced on her toes and grinned. "Thank you so much for this."

[unborn_renegade]

He shrugged. No problem, he said, guiding her through the crevice towards the end. If you see any sand Lurkers, just hit them. They were easy. The trail, short as it was, led them to the edge of Sentinel Beach, the green eco vents still vaguely visible in the distance and large, rock pillars rising up out of nowhere.

Jak nodded towards the left. The little pathway held some unused torches and the heavy blue glow of blue eco globes.

[blondecanary]

Sand Lurkers? Are these those gorilla things? Dinah asked, a little nervous. Dinah hurried to keep up, blinking at the pillars, and then had to stop and "Ooooo" at the blue eco globes.

[unborn_renegade]

They're like snakes, he said, Don't worry, they're weak. Give it a shot?

Then he grinned, letting go of her hand, and tried to scoop her up in his arms, one arm by the knee and all.

[blondecanary]

"Give what a --whoa!" Dinah laughed, clutching onto his shoulders and arms as her feet left the ground. "Okay?" No snakes, yeah!

[unborn_renegade]

Jak grinned at her, only slightly burdened by her weight, and ran - past a bunch of empty boxes sitting somewhere in a corner, two palm trees, and under the overhanging cliff above, past one of the torches. He struck the first glowing ball of eco soundly.

It had been a while; he nearly closed his eyes at the sensation of electricity screaming back through his veins, pumping it into his legs. He suddenly accelerated past human speed, glowing a bright, crackling blue; the next ball came soaring towards him as he kicked off against the sand, towards a couple of ledges up ahead.

[blondecanary]

Omigod!! Dinah was squeaking too hard for coherent words, clinging to Jak and watching the world accelerate and then blur around her. Eco superpowers, you weren't kidding! And wooooo! No dropping her, but Jak seemed to be doing just fine, zipping from one blue ball to the next and awesome!

[unborn_renegade]

Jak's grin got a little more manic - and then they'd hit the ledges, one, two, three jumps, and they were up on a plateau that was about as green as anyone could make grass, by the side of the sculptor's hut. There was a little bridge just up ahead, and past it, more huts, including a really huge one to the right.

Jak kept moving until he hit the bridge; then the blue started to fade, and his gait became slower. Above them, a large beam of blue eco cut through the sky into a windmill on top of one of the huts. Stop one: Sandover, he announced.

[blondecanary]

"Dude," Dinah managed to articulate. "That. Was. Wicked." She hugged Jak hard, squishing him as much as she could, still buzzed on the adrenaline of the run-jump-rush. "Sandover!" She took his hand, and looked around, eyes and smile wide. It's so pretty! And cute!

[unborn_renegade]

Jak grinned. Wait till you hit the platforms, he said, like the real adrenaline junkie he was, hugging her back before tugging her onto the bridge. More huts, and the fountain, and-- well, something that giant could only be Samos's. Drop off your luggage?

[blondecanary]

Works! She just had the one shoulder bag anyway, and then she thought, Change into my swimsuit and cover-up, if we're going to the beach? Aloud, with glee: "Platforms. Yes!"

[unborn_renegade]

If you can move in it!

Jak was almost eighty percent certain all of the Lurkers had been cleared out of the beach recently! He guided her across the plane, down one ledge onto another grass-covered one, and then to the right, into one of the huts. It looked otherwise empty, barring the bed, a few plants, and some other random crap.

And a tiny Ottsel cot. But shhh.

[blondecanary]

Of course

Dinah would be so reassured by that 80%. "I'll just get changed, then we'll go, 'kay?"

[unborn_renegade]

Sure!

Give Jak five... four.. three-- Clearing out, he said, turning around quickly and, uh. Heading out of the hut.