[Event] From Day to Night (Akeya/Leila Vergious)

Event Details:

Akeya gazed up at the scorching sun high up in the sky from her position on top of one of the mountains that helped form the Phoenix Mountain range. Summer had arrived, and as usual that meant that the world below was a sea of verdure and the world above was a vast expanse of azure. Fiore seemed to consistently be blessed with warm summers, to the point that people rarely considered the possibility that their plans for the hottest time of the year would be hampered by bad weather.

Here amidst the mountains the temperature was still fairly low, despite being so close to the sun: in fact, most mortals would find this level of cold barely bearable. The dragoness cast her gaze from the heavens above to the coastline to the south, too far away to make out any details beyond the fact that there were far more colours present there than just the usual ochre and aquamarine.

Whoever could get time off during this time of the year was going to the beach, arguably the best way of dealing with the heat and enjoying the good weather. Akeya had tried it out for herself several times by this point, and while she still preferred her own hobbies she could at least understand the appeal.

And now that Leila was back, maybe she should consider her beloved's preferences as well. Not that she knew for certain that Leila would also be jumping at the opportunity to go to the beach, but at the very least she could see if the edenchild wanted to go.

Standing up Akeya looked around, then jumped into a nearby shadow cast by an outcrop of stone blocking the sun's rays. The moment the sharply defined shadow had swallowed her form she disappeared, leaving the mountains to their silent vigil over the blue heavens.

---

Stepping out of the shadow of a large tree Akeya scanned her surroundings quickly. She knew where Leila was, but that didn't necessarily mean she knew the environment the edenchild was in.

This time it was some kind of forest, flourishing in summer's heat with tall trees spreading their branches wide to cover the ground with plenty of shades in which the wood's denizens could find respite. However, the dragoness noted that she was fairly close to the edge, where instead of the usual grasslands she saw sand dunes and much longer, yellow-ish grass forming ridges and waves. Close to the edge of a desert?

Leila's presence was in the other direction, so the raven-haired assassin turned her back to the forest's edge and headed deeper into the realm of the trees, the shadows cast by their leafs forming shimmering patterns across her midnight blue scales. As she got closer to the edenchild's location the trees were joined by decayed structures of stone, partially sticking out of the ground with an abundance of plants slowly working on reclaiming territory lost to whatever civilization had laid these stones before.

But the history of this place wasn't Akeya's priority. She kept going until she spotted familiar silver-white hair in the distance, at which point she shifted her location to appear in a shadow close to Leila, emerald eyes showing up first before the rest of her followed.

"Busy?"

Appearance:

WC: 546
PWC: 546 / 2,000
TWC: 546 / 4,000

@Leila Vergious

"I've yet to personally see ruins that would do such a thing, but given everything else that I've seen it would hardly surprise me."

Akeya's response to Leila's joking answer was rather dry as the dragoness was used to her beloved's sense of humour and reacted to it smoothly. Her gaze first went to the half-made tent and the tools one would use while out adventuring in the wilds... as a human, that was.

The first couple of times she'd been rather bemused by Leila's very human attitude, but by this point she shrugged it off. It wasn't like she was without her quirks.

Looking up at the edenchild in question she tilted her head and raised an eyebrow, her tail swishing from side to side behind her once.

"Given that we've got many years ahead of us I could be patient for much longer, but I won't deny that I'll often find myself seeking your company, especially if I've got little else to dedicate myself to."

A strange admission, at least from a solitary dragoness for whom the majority of people were little more than either nuisances or useful variables. But Leila was far from the average person, no matter how much she might still act like a human.

The dragoness let a small smile show, stepping closer until she was almost directly underneath the branch Leila was resting on.

"But I've come here because, being your partner, I should at the very least consider possibilities that you might be interested in. To put it more plainly: most humans have a strong desire to spend the summer at the beach. Do you also have that wish, or are you happier here, exploring the world as you always do?"

Leila's wanderlust was well-established, and the dragoness would not be surprised if her beloved's answer was that she would prefer to keep doing what she was already doing. However, the question could still be asked, and the chance of an affirmative answer was definitely there: it was worth verifying, rather than making assumptions and possibly missing opportunities.

Especially since, while Akeya might not find much joy in going to the beach by herself, going to the beach with Leila might be a different story. That possibility also existed.

"In recent years the local governments of Fiore have become more comfortable with organising activities at the beaches during summertime, so even with little preparation from either of us there might be something you would enjoy partaking in."

Appearance:

WC: 415
PWC: 961 / 2,000
TWC: 1,206 / 4,000

@Leila Vergious

The smirk that was growing on Leila's face as Akeya explained her reason for visiting did not escape the dragoness, even though she couldn't figure out what it was that her beloved was thinking of that was so amusing. Given her position all she really had to do when the silver-haired maiden let herself practically fall off the branch was hold out her arms, the smaller humanlike female safely landing in her grasp: she might as well have been weightless, Akeya's arms barely budging from the added weight.

The eventual explanation for Leila's amusement did catch Akeya off-guard: the dragoness blinked, unsure what to make of the comparison. The tip of her tail tapped against the ground as she pondered for a moment, then shrugged.

"I... don't really think there are any newlyweds which would sound like me, but if you say so. Regardless, The time we spend apart does mean that we rarely plan things out in advance."

Even if they were life partners they both still lived their own lives: Leila was a born adventurer, seeking new and exciting experiences in strange places, while Akeya was more interested in self-improvement to the point of often isolating herself from the outside world. Contrast to mortal partners, who would try to spend most of their limited years together, and they would probably come across as rather distant.

But it did mean that when Akeya came up with such an idea she basically just had to pitch it at Leila and see if the edenchild was actually interested, and if she said yes immediately go for it. Such was also the case now, as the silver-haired maiden followed up her amused commentary with an affirmative response... although the last part made Akeya roll her eyes.

"Ideally we'd find a spot where we aren't in the thick of things, but we'll see how the situation develops. In any case, do you need time to collect your equipment? I can move us to and from the beach quickly, but wild animals might snatch your tools if you leave them spread out like this."

Notably, she hadn't made any attempt at putting Leila down yet, simply holding the edenchild in her arms as she discussed things as rationally and pragmatically as she always did... or at least with the usual lack of social grace.

Appearance:

WC: 390
PWC: 1,351 / 2,000
TWC: 1,800 / 4,000

@Leila Vergious

Akeya let out a slightly exasperated sigh as Leila reassured her that they'd have to deal with the crowds whether she liked it or not. The dragoness wasn't one to be very emotional, so the fact that she even showed this much annoyance at the thought made it clear that she wasn't looking forward to it.

"That's... fair enough. But we can still avoid the worst of it: certain activities are going to be more crowded than others."

As Leila rightfully pointed out, competitiveness played a big role in the popularity of such events. Which meant that if they could find activities which weren't about being the best they might be able to deal with smaller crowds. At least, that was Akeya's train of thought: it was entirely possible that Leila had other plans, and given that the dragoness was primarily doing this because she thought her beloved edenchild may enjoy it (and it was an opportunity for them to spend some time together), she'd most likely end up being dragged along.

Leila's confidence that her tools either wouldn't be stolen or wouldn't be a huge loss was met with a nod, the dragoness hardly surprised by the answer.

"I'm still somewhat puzzled you even bother with this much, given that your abilities would allow you to do the same and more. Regardless, if you're ready we might as well depart: regretfully, most of the activities are planned to occur during the day, so we've got a limited span of time."

With those words Akeya walked over to the base of the tree Leila had been resting in, circling around it to locate the most solid part of the shadow thrown by the brown giant. Once she stepped into it the both of them disappeared, leaving the small clearing a little bit emptier, with only the array of tools and a half-finished tent as evidence that somebody had been there.

---

Given that Akeya's preferred method of travelling relied on connecting shadows, it was little surprise that the other end would be another tree, this one at the edge of a beach filled with many, many people. Parasols of endless colours and sizes covered most of the otherwise barren sands: if looked from above a spectator would probably have a hard time spotting any patches of sand.

Although there were areas without parasols, mostly closer to the edge of the water and where events had been set up. The waters were busy as well, children and adults alike swimming through the sea's shallow edge or throwing water at one another, or a bit further in the distance surfing on waves which Akeya suspected were magically created to ensure they were of the right quality.

In comparison to the forest, where the trees had cast plenty of shade, here the sun beat down on the area mercilessly, the rays as hot as they were bright. Akeya's scaled feet pressed against hot sand as she walked forward, only pausing to put Leila down once they'd gone far enough that they also had to deal with the sea of parasols.

"Sadly, I think this is still one of the less busy beaches at the moment."

Exaggerations aside, at least this beach still had spots without people, its remote location meaning that it was only visited by those who'd planned to do so in advance, or who had the means to quickly go on extended trips.

"If we stayed on the mainland most likely we'd have a hard time getting to the water."

Akeya tilted her head as a thought occurred to her, then looked at Leila.

"On that note, do you need to change into a swimsuit?"

Appearance:

WC: 613
PWC: 1,964 / 2,000
TWC: 2,584 / 4,000

@Leila Vergious

Humans were one of the many things Akeya studied from an outside perspective, and Leila technically counted if only because of how much her character and behaviour matched that of humans. However, that outside perspective also meant that Akeya had a rather detached understanding, and her overall lack of interest in others also meant that she wasn't as eager to truly understand them as another person might have been in her shoes.

"Possibly, although there's a good chance it will always remain somewhat puzzling for me."

After all, it seemed like an illogical choice to her, and while Akeya wasn't without her own quirks and irrationalities she had difficulty understanding irrational behaviour, even her own.

---

She smirked at Leila's provocative comment, the dragoness raising an eyebrow as if questioning her beloved's words.

"Personally I'd consider that the better option, yes, but human culture doesn't support such practices in public."

She rolled her eyes.

"Remarkable how common prudishness is in human cultures across the world."

Given that Leila tended to resort to the more mundane solutions to problems Akeya had half expected the edenchild to simply have suitable swimwear with her as part of her adventuring gear. Which meant she was actually surprised when a magical glow surrounded Leila for a moment, barely obscuring her before disappearing to reveal that her usual fancy outfit had been replaced by a bikini which would be considered neither conservative nor provocative... at least, by those who were used to beach wear.

"Agreed. It does also look good on you... although that's hardly a challenge."

The dragoness had no intention of changing her clothes: her usual outfit was resistant to water, and probably close enough to a bikini anyway that her choice of attire would certainly draw less attention than the fact that she quite clearly had draconic blood in her veins. When you had horns, scales, and claws, your exact choice of clothing was not the first thing people commented on.

Something caught her attention in the corner of her eye, emerald gaze turning to the distance where a stage had been set up. It was clearly an event of some sort, but it took someone walking up and down the stage for Akeya to realise what it was meant to be.

"Hrrrsss... In fact, you might be able to show up those who rely on more elaborate swimsuits to make up for their inferior appearance."

Perhaps a tad mean-spirited, but Akeya did genuinely believe that Leila was much more attractive than... well, anyone currently inside her field of view, and given how busy the beach was today that was a lot of people. Part of her opinion might be subjective, and she'd heard that affection also messed with one's perspective, but the twilight dragoness still was quite confident that Leila would catch a more positive kind of attention if she stood on that stage.

Appearance:

WC: 481
PWC: 2,445 / 2,000
TWC: 3,390 / 4,000

@Leila Vergious

"Humans have their prudishness and dragons have their pride..."

Akeya mused this response even as Leila latched onto the dragoness's arm. Her tail moved to lightly curl around one of the edenchild's legs as well, not to hold it but as an affectionate gesture while the owner of the tail let the words tumble around in her head before shrugging.

"That is one way of looking at it, although I'd say that the dragons have the better end of it in that comparison."

Overall, it wasn't exactly a huge deal: just something Akeya noticed and which she found mildly exasperating. In the end, the dragoness was perfectly fine with seeing her beloved in a bikini. Either way, Leila was beautiful so far as she was concerned.

The suggestion of a bikini for herself did catch her attention, looking at Leila with a half-raised eyebrow and a slight smirk, almost challenging.

"If you really want to we can do that. I think my current outfit serves as an acceptable substitute... but it's not like we don't have an abundance of time."

Her smirk grew a little.

"Although I'll be very surprised if you somehow manage cute. Especially if you make me go along with your choice."

Cute was not a descriptor often applied to the dragoness. Physically she was too intimidating, and mentally she was... also too intimidating, to put it bluntly. Of course, Leila got to see a softer side to her than almost anybody else, but even so it would be a challenge to find an outfit which would fit the criteria of cute without Akeya refusing to wear it.

Unsurprisingly Leila wasn't very happy with Akeya's rather dismissive attitude towards others, scolding her for her blunt words. The dragoness frowned slightly at her beloved's critique, then inclined her head.

"It's true that it's no fault of their own, but the very existence of such competitions is proof that how your appearance can get judged better or worse. I just think that in your case you stand far above most in that regard."

She raised a clawed hand and lightly rested it on her partner's head, gently stroking her hair in an attempt to placate her.

"But let's not get dragged into a discussion about the fairness of superficial judgement. Do you feel like taking part in that competition, or would you rather do something else?"

Their different perspectives could cause them to form rather distinct disagreements at times, but Akeya thought it better to avoid extended arguments during such outings. After all, the idea here was to enjoy their time together at the beach, not get on each other's nerves.

Appearance:

WC: 442
PWC: 2,887 / 2,000
TWC: 4,061 / 4,000 (Completed)

@Leila Vergious

"I would be more surprised if you had seen swimwear identical to what I'm wearing, since that's not what it was designed to be."

So far as Akeya was concerned her outfit was good enough for the beach, given that the material was water resistant and revealing enough that it didn't get in the way of swimming and such, but it wasn't exactly a swimsuit. Leila's next words almost seemed like a threat, although a harmless one as it was difficult to be threatened with "I will make you wear cute and revealing clothes". The dragoness raised her eyebrow again.

"Hrrrsss... I look forward to the attempt then. That said, if you're planning to put me in clothes you know I won't approve of I'm curious how you'd convince me to go along with it."

While Akeya was a lot more amiable with Leila than she was with most people she was still a fiercely proud dragoness, a trait she was keenly aware of as well. Leila knew that as well, so if she was planning to dress Akeya up in swimwear she must have some ideas for how to persuade her draconic lover to go along with the plan.

A snort escaped her as Leila pointed out that Akeya's suggestion sounded a lot like she was trying to show Leila off. The dragoness hadn't actually made that comparison, but she was visibly amused by the idea before she shook her head.

"I suppose so, yes. I'm sure you'll make a good impression."

Given that her beloved did sound a bit uncertain about exposing herself to so many people Akeya looked at the contest again, noting how it appeared pretty straightforward.

"From what I can see it's as simple as walking up and down the stage and striking a pose. No strange criteria or anything."

Contests could get a bit crazy with the amount of additional content crammed into them, such as multiple rounds with various themes and challenges. Whoever was in charge of this event had opted against that, instead sticking to the core principle: show up, show off, impress the audience. And the judges.

Given that Leila had already agreed to the idea Akeya led the way to the stage, where sign-ups were still happening. With so many people on the beach it was no surprise that the competition had already begun while there were still new contenders joining in: the judges certainly looked like they were prepared for the long haul, with plenty of refreshing snacks to help them get through the summer heat while beauty after beauty paraded themselves in front of the audience.

The one taking care of the sign-ups was a solidly built human male, towering above most of the contestants even if he still fell short of Akeya's amazonian figure. With smooth brown hair reaching past his shoulders and a surprisingly gentle face he could have been a contestant himself, although he seemed quite happy to sit on the sideline and help other people get on the stage.

"Greetings, ladies!"

He greeted the two of them with the same cordial smile he'd shown every other contestant, and while he did give them a look-over his gaze for the most part focused on their faces.

"I'm guessing you both are looking to enter? You'll have stiff competition, but that can be said for everyone here!"

Akeya tilted her head at the suggestion that she enter as well. Big crowds didn't exactly bother her, but at the same time assassins weren't exactly known for seeking out attention.

"I wasn't planning on joining, but I convinced my partner to give it a try."

She would probably get a reaction if she joined, but realistically speaking people would be paying less attention to her beauty or her clothes and more to the horns, the scales, and the claws. Not exactly what you wanted during a beauty contest.

Appearance:

WC: 650
PWC: 3,537 / 2,000
TWC: 4,940 / 4,000 (Completed)

@Leila Vergious

Leila was correct that Akeya had caught quite a few looks, and that not all of them were focused on her draconic features. She was far from the only non-human person to walk around, although dragons (or dragonkin, for that matter) were still relatively rare. Still, the edenchild had a point that Akeya might not receive as negative a reaction as the assassin herself expected, even if it didn't make the dragoness change her mind.

"Given everything that has happened between now and then? Possibly not many."

It wasn't an angle Akeya had given serious thought, the dragoness tilting her head slightly as her emerald gaze went from her beloved to the other people on the beach. Leila had at some point been a figure of importance in Ishgar... before she'd gone on her own journey, leaving everything behind until the continent moved on without her. In fact, she'd been gone for long enough that the continent was now caught in a war of staggering proportions: the amount of people who'd even heard of a comparable conflict was rather small, and the amount of people who could remember such a conflict even more so.

"Regardless of whether they remember you from back one, I imagine you'll make an impact..."

Akeya still held that Leila was outstandingly beautiful: even if she wasn't remembered as one of the Wizard Saints, her presence alone should make her participation in the contest worthwhile.

Of course, that was under the assumption that Akeya herself wouldn't make a bigger impact by being very visibly inhuman. Beautiful as Leila was, the strange and the unusual still lingered longer in the mind.

But Leila apparently disagreed with the twilight dragoness's plan to remain on the side while Leila stepped onto the stage. Having her partner override her decision earned her an annoyed look from the assassin, but after a quick shake of her head Akeya sighed.

"...As you wish."

She wasn't a huge fan of being the centre of attention, but she didn't hate it to the extent that it was worth an argument. Although she might think of a way to show her displeasure to the edenchild later on, after they were done enjoying the day.

The man responsible for the sign-ups didn't comment, instead just smiling and nodding as he scribbled on his notepad.

"Understood. Don't worry, everyone's just here to have fun, so don't get nervous and just show the crowd what you've got! I'll definitely cheer you on!"

The thought that she was nervous made Akeya raise an eyebrow while the tip of her scaled tail struck the hot sands, leaving a small indent before it lifted up again.

"Let's get to it then."

With the amount of contestants they couldn't immediately take the stage, of course: Akeya led the way towards where the contestants could wait until it was their turn, the backstage hidden from the audience using a clever combination of illusion magic and simple curtains. While one might think that the audience could just walk around the stage to view the upcoming contestants, those within the waiting area would mysteriously remain hidden from sight.

Fortunately, the simplicity of the contest meant that none of the contestants took long once it was their turn, so the wait didn't take that long: contestants left the waiting area about as quickly as new participants joined up, and it wouldn't take long before Akeya and Leila were up.

"If I'm also taking part in this I might as well go first."

Pushing the curtain aside she stepped through, holding her wings a bit closer to her back so they wouldn't get in the way before she ended up on the catwalk, with many eyes upon her draconic self.

Leila wasn't wrong that there were many people who could look past the parts of Akeya's body which were clearly neither human nor harmless, but having a dragoness walking up and down the stages still provoked a visible reaction, with members of the audience blinking and doing a double take as they watched the way Akeya's clawed and scaled feet moved her forward without making a sound, the way her strong tail followed behind her with a faint sinuous, almost serpentine sway.

However, many eyes were also on the rest of her: flawless olive skin, only interrupted by magical tattoos matching the hue of her midnight scales. Her impressive, amazonian figure, with generous curves which balanced out the toned muscles defining the contours of her limbs and torso. Long, raven-black hair which flowed past her waist, parted by smooth horns on her head but otherwise allowed to hang freely.

In the end, surprisingly, what elicited the strongest response wasn't her draconic features, but rather her visage. While Akeya was undeniably beautiful, with striking features and a bearing which spoke of stoic confidence, her brilliant emerald gaze was as intimidating as it was hypnotic: as she walked forward and cast her gaze upon the audience those who actually met her eyes would either flinch or look away.

There was no aggression, hostility, or malice in Akeya's gaze, but it did betray a mind like a pristine dagger, piercing everything she looked at with a razor-sharp intellect and a distinct lack of warmth.

Akeya, for her part, didn't bother with any fanciness: she walked up to the end of the catwalk at a slow pace, paused for a moment to make sure everyone got a good look, then turned around and walked back, returning to the waiting area as soundlessly as she'd left it.

"Your turn."

Warmth did enter her eyes when she looked at Leila, or at least as warm as Akeya could be under normal circumstances. She imagined that after her appearance Leila would actually be received even more positively, as her pleasant demeanour would stand out compared to Akeya's stoic and cold attitude.

Appearance:

WC: 977
PWC: 4,514 / 2,000
TWC: 6,141 / 4,000 (Completed)

@Leila Vergious

Akeya's ears were sharp enough that, even if the curtain prevented her from getting a good view of Leila's performance, she could hear the crowd's approval perfectly. While they weren't as rowdy as they were when she had shown up, scales and all, she didn't catch any unrest either: Leila lacked Akeya's exoticness, but she also didn't provoke any uncertainty or fear like the dragoness did when she looked at people.

Once Leila returned the dragoness raised an eyebrow, raising a scaled hand to pat her beloved on the shoulder.

"You seemed to handle it quite well, so I don't think anybody noticed... or minded."

For Akeya the stares of others weren't very important, but she could imagine that Leila, having travelled alone for so long while still having a mostly human psyche, struggled a bit more when she suddenly occupied the spotlight again. Raising her hand a bit further Akeya stroked Leila's hair, then cast her gaze across the waiting area.

"With how many contestants are still waiting it might be smarter for us to find another activity while we wait for this contest to come to a close. I imagine that they'll make sure anybody who actually stood a chance at winning will be alerted regardless of where they are, and if they don't contact us we can just move on."

So far as she was concerned Leila stood a good chance of either winning or at least scoring very high, so she didn't doubt that the organisers would contact them once the contest was over. As for herself... well, she didn't really care much in the first place, and she figured that she'd lose quite a few points because of her intimidating... everything, really.

Guiding Leila out of the waiting area Akeya wondered about their next activity, emerald gaze going from one part of the beach to the next, until she found two activities which might be worth the interest.

"There's a limbo contest over there, and they're holding volleyball matches over there."

She pointed at two different parts of the beach, her sharp eyes letting her notice the events despite the numerous people around.

"Surprisingly I have tried limbo before, and while my stature does put me at a disadvantage I am quite skilled at it. Do you have a preference?"

The silver-haired maiden might prefer a match of volleyball, but Akeya wouldn't mind leading the way towards the limbo contest if her beloved didn't have any objections.

Appearance:

WC: 412
PWC: 4,926 / 2,000
TWC: 6,873 / 4,000 (Completed)

@Leila Vergious

"Indeed. Fortunately I'm flexible enough that I can mitigate that disadvantage... For the most part."

At the end of the day there was only so much you could do about being tall. If nothing else, Akeya's physiology meant that beyond a point her own legs would just prevent her from going any lower. And that was without considering the issue of the tail... limbo hadn't been designed around people with a tail, but the standard rule was that if the tail touched the ground it still counted as a loss.

Leila's remark regarding volleyball did earn her a snort of amusement from the dragoness, who turned her gaze back towards the volleyball field.

"You're not wrong there."

Raising one scaled hand she wiggled the clawed fingers slowly and deliberately.

"Whenever I interact with people I have to be careful, so I'm used to it. Still, it might be more fun to not enter a competition where I'd be encouraged to hold back a little less."

It wasn't like Akeya was deliberately feigning weakness: it was just that for her most of human civilisation was extremely fragile, despite her not even focusing on cultivating overwhelming destructive might as some dragons did. She glanced sideways at her companion, the edenchild who looked and acted a lot like an innocent human female most of the time but was also a being of immense power.

"I know that you're not as physically oriented as I am, but wouldn't the same problem exist for you to some extent?"

She couldn't quite remember how good Leila's physical abilities were, as her beloved rarely, if ever, relied on her own body to address dangerous situations: she had an abundance of spiritual friends to assist her, after all. However, even something as simple as using magic to reinforce herself would logically already result in superhuman ability.

Not that this was relevant: if Leila was willing to go along with Akeya's whims the dragoness would take her beloved by the arm and lead her towards the limbo competition, where there were notably only people old enough to legally drink within Fiore's borders.

Fun as limbo was, it was more fun when you were also intoxicated.

"It's a rare individual who would consider my presence to make activities more fun... but I won't argue in your case."

Breaking through the circle of people so she and Leila were at the front of the crowd Akeya indicated the limbo bar, turning back to face the silver-haired maiden.

"Given that I went first with the other contest, you'll be the lead this time."

The limbo contest didn't seem as thoroughly organised as the swimsuit contest: rather than having an exact list of who wanted to take part people just stepped out from the crowd to join a rather disorderly queue, with cheers, laughter, and jeers depending on how well they performed. The limbo bar itself was a bit fancier: rather than resting precariously on two poles it hovered with magic, the height easily adjusted by hand to then remain solidly in place.

Until somebody failed, that is: more than one limbo dancer accidentally brushed the bar, at which point the faint glow of magic surrounding the stick promptly disappeared and it fell down just as you'd expect until the magic was restored.

Appearance:

WC: 550
PWC: 5,476 / 2,000
TWC: 7,596 / 4,000 (Completed)

@Leila Vergious

"I see..."

Leila's decision to keep herself largely human would, no doubt, remain a point of commentary throughout their many years together. For now, however, Akeya just moved on from it, as the suggestion hadn't been of great importance anyway: even if Leila had shared Akeya's physical power, the adventuress would also have known how to restrain herself appropriately.

Folding her arms Akeya watched as Leila stepped forward towards the floating limbo bar, the dragoness tilting her head slightly as the edenchild brought the bar lower and lower, until it was low enough that one might think that it was physically impossible for the silver-haired beauty to pass underneath.

However, even if Leila lacked superhuman strength she was still an experienced traveller and adventurer, and flexibility was an important quality out in the wilds, where the terrain hadn't been carefully shaped to the convenience of humans. As Leila made her way underneath the bar Akeya smirked slightly, tapping her arm with one clawed finger as she kept her emerald gaze solidly on her beloved.

Everything else aside, it was quite enjoyable to watch Leila show off her flexibility.

Once the edenchild had gone as far as she could go (to the cheering of the onlooking crowd) Akeya stepped forward, her confident stride preventing anyone else from taking the position after Leila had passed the bar.

"I won't be able to match that, but..."

It wasn't like Leila was small, but the difference between the edenchild and the dragoness was unmistakable. All the flexibility in the world wouldn't let Akeya compete with Leila when it came to this particular challenge, so she wouldn't even try. Instead, she'd grab the bar and place it... fairly low, although compared to Leila's performance it was completely unremarkable.

But she would show that, size aside, she was quite good at this.

Folding her wings as close to her body as possible Akeya got in position, her upper body going lower and lower while she spread her legs so she could stick her tail between. It was actually somewhat cheating, as it meant that her tail also acted as a counterweight for her upper body, but given that overall Akeya was still at a disadvantage she didn't think anybody was going to complain.

Slowly moving underneath the bar, the main challenge ended up being, rather embarrassingly, her chest: the wings on her back combined with her generous front meant that she had to very carefully pass her upper torso underneath the bar without either knocking the bar off or scraping her wings across the sand.

However, precision and care allowed her to complete the challenge without issues, quickly straightening back up once she was in the clear. Like Leila she received some cheering, although not as much: the onlookers understood that Akeya had to deal with her own size, but at the end of the day Leila had slithered underneath a very low bar as if it was nothing.

"That's as low as I can go, unfortunately."

Appearance:

WC: 501
PWC: 5,977 / 2,000
TWC: 8,390 / 4,000 (Completed)

@Leila Vergious