".....I should have expected an answer like that!" She laughs. "The philosophy of seduction. I guess that's part of the difference between Skill and skill. One gets you an aggregate of common knowledge that can be usefully applied, the other is so deeply ingrained in your mind that it spills over everywhere. I was more asking for you to point someone out than a real lesson anyway, so thanks. Lemme just take a minute to cast Hale, for that natural healthy beauty look... Or your Skill, which is going to make me forget that particular spell."

Ame giggles.

Why not both.

"Have fun."

"I will!" She flounces walks casually over towards the soon-to-be-alone guy hopefully.

"...Let's get in the water already. How about you, Theo? It's not a real beach trip if you don't swim."

"...Maybe later." He grabs a lemonade, holds it out above him, and starts chanting. "Oh spirits of ice, know the physical space..."

Ame listens to Theo cast his drink-chilling spell.

Then she turns to Bys with a playful smile. "Come catch me."

She takes off toward the water, moderating her acceleration so as to not alarm anyone but still picking up enough speed that when she leaps into the water her arc carries her over most of the shallows before she crashes into the sea with a dramatic splash a considerable distance from shore.

She attracts attention and excited murmurs with her running leap. Adventurers are awesome, everyone on the beach seems to agree.

...Heh. Abyssia can't pull off the same thing. She's strong and that can be turned into speed but it's not quite the same. So her running cannonball kicks up a good chunk of wet sand, but lands her well short of Ame. She hits the water hands first and swims like a dart, trying to hit Ame's legs under the water.

Ame has come a long way since she let Arwen strangle her for science. She doesn't even know if there still is a limit on how long she can hold her breath.

She flips over as Bys goes for her legs and dives hard, swimming down toward the sea floor.

Ame might be faster on land, but raw strength counts for more under water. She can't actually out-swim Bys, but she's maneuverable enough to make it fun.

Raw strength and technique. Oh, she's missed this. But her body and mind still know how to move, you don't lose skill levels over time...

They quickly end up further from the beach, where the water is fifteen feet deep, then twenty or thirty. The water isn't perfectly clear here, but it's never that clear anyway. Seaweed and stones and the odd shellfish live on the bottom. Her endurance isn't any better under the water than above it, so before she catches Ame with more than the tips of her fingers she pops back up to the surface, grinning.

Ame follows her up and wraps herself around Bys, restoring Bys' stamina while she's at it.

Her hands roam over Bys' swimsuit-clad body, then her arms tighten as she flips backward and drags them both under. Ame continues feeling Bys up as they slowly sink to the sea floor... and then Ame swims away again, less than half as fast as before as she contorts her body into alluring shapes with each stroke, grinning at Bys invitingly.

...Oh, she knows exactly what Ame is doing.

And why the hell not? Bys will catch up to her hot adventuring buddy and grope her from behind and kiss her, water be damned.

She should know, Ame's not playing coy.

Ame wriggles against Bys and braces herself on a rock and goes along happily with whatever underwater lewds Bys is in the mood for.

It's pretty weird, having sex actually underwater. But she likes it.

The rest of the beach trip is pretty uneventful, all things considered. Though Ameron does overhear a pair of men at one of the beachside picnic tables looking worried and talking about how they can't go home because of 'the doom fog'. That's... Probably important?

Yes. They were specifically warned to pay attention to rumors about mist or fog. Ame stops and shares a look of significance with Bys, then heads over toward the pair of men.

"Hi." Ame puts on a friendly smile. "Mind if we join you?"

They both tense and glance at each other, holding themselves cautiously. They're muscled, tan-skinned and clean shaven, in ordinary swim trunks. Something about their demeanor whispers 'cop' to the back of Ame's mind.

Then they smile. "Hello, ladies. Sure! That's a great body, I assume you don't mind being looked at considering... Want me to fetch you a drink?"

"And your bodyguard there can get one too if it makes her stop frowning," the other says a bit sardonically, gesturing to Bys. She rolls back on her heels and makes a small motion towards Ame, silently pleading for her to handle this.

"C'mon, Senk, that's what I was telling you about earlier. No need to be rude, yeah?"

"What'cha want with us stick in the mud off-duty guards? No reason for a bombshell to walk up to us and not some swimming hunks." Senk demands. The other guy makes a face as if he wants to facepalm.

"Not drinks," Ame deadpans.

She ushers Bys to sit down at their table and then plops herself on Bys' lap. (Putting Bys on visibly more-equal-and-intimate terms than 'bodyguard', putting herself between Bys and the rude guys, and setting the not-cops at least slightly more at ease, all at once.)

"Call me Ame," she says to the good cop nicer one. "And as much as I'd like to thoroughly refute your... partner? Partner's understanding of my various reasons for doing various things," she toys idly with one of her nipples, "we might actually have something less fun but more urgent to talk about."

"If you need to report a crime," facepalming guy says seriously, expression snapping into soberness, "You have come to the right people. I can take down the information and then show you to one of my on-duty colleagues if you want to be sure it's being handled."

"Kind of the opposite, actually. My adventuring party and I were sent to this city to seek out 'rumors of mist or fog'. Unless I misheard, I think maybe we're here to help you."

"...Ah. You overheard."

"That's what you get for mentioning it in public," Senk says.

"I'm not really sure if we should be telling you too much about that. Word is to keep it quiet, the Silver Spears are investigating and they'd rather it be resolved without any panic or interference. Adventurers... Can makes things messy."

"Wish I could argue with that, but."

Ame considers for a moment.

"What's the deal with the Silver Spears? We haven't been around Silversand long. I haven't heard anything about them yet."

"They're a warrior order. Sworn to protect and uphold order in the Ilsos region, according to their charter. Ordinary threats, pirates, low-level monsters, rogue Lions, they call in the guard for. But extraordinary threats require extraordinary response."

"Very serious people. Quite used to being obeyed." comments the rude guy. "Built on good principles but they see the forest, not the trees, if you take my meaning."

"That is... Something that's been said of them, yes. But they are very good at their job. If the Silver Spears can't resolve something, hardly anyone can."

"Then working with the Silver Spears is our only realistic option, and it's not going to be fun."

Ame snuggles into Bys' lap a bit more.

"We're getting involved," Ame says before either of the not-cops can suggest they not. "I hate to be That Adventurer, be we're not going to ignore the very reason we were sent here in the first place. So. Can I convince you guys to tell me what you know?"

"I'm serious about how it's better to let the Spears handle it, you know."

"They're going to go running off anyway, it sounds like," rude guy responds. "Adventurers going to adventure. We might as well give them the public story, so they don't start interrogating folk and spreading worrying rumors."

"Ugh. Fine, fine. We don't know too much ourselves, mind you. We're just grunts. But starting about a month ago, a relic of the city went missing, the Diamond Bell- Probably stolen, but nobody has a clue how they did it. Not that I can tell you anything about the security, but they beat it all somehow. Right after that this - weirdly solid fogbank rolls into the shore up north. Ever since then, it's been slowly expanding and moving south. Nothing comes out, but it slowly advances, and it's cut off traffic. It's supposed to be freezing cold and give off a foreboding feeling."

Abyssia tenses up and nods into the back of Ame's neck.

"Mm."

Ame gives Bys' hand an acknowledging squeeze.

"Started a month ago, coming from the north," Ame repeats to herself.

"Are there any stories about the Diamond Bell?"

"Sure, lots. But we don't exactly have the advantage on telling you those, anyone could."

He maybe feels a bit sour about being approached for information, perhaps unreasonably but it is what it is.