The beach was a blaze of parasols, hot colours to match the burning sand underfoot. Against the percussion of the waves was the laughter, coming in bursts and rolling like the ocean.

"Wow!" Susan said, in the total joy that only a child her age could say. "This is going to be a magical day!"

Magical Day.

Susan would use that phrase all of the time. But Delilah was certain that somehow this phrase was really something used at the beach, even though she had never been at the beach with Susan before.

Magical days used to be for the first snow. Or when the field was overgrown with dandelion puffs. Now it could be for hunting seashells, hitting the waves and getting cris-crossed tan lines. Delilah ran after her sister. Grains of hot sand kicked up behind her.

Susan eyed the shoreline with a practiced glare. It was clear that the water appeared to be higher and more rough on one side, the tops of the blue and green waves frothing with movement.  As if to catch the waves, Susan began to run down the side of the beach, the sound of water crashing, the cool water rushing up against Delilah's toes.

"They're getting away!" Susan said with fright, the prospect of missing out on the best waves suddenly settling upon her with the weight of responsibility.

Catching up to the shoreline where the waves were crashing, Susan cried out "Come on Delilah!" as she crashed into the water, slowing down considerably as she trudged her way inward to where the waves were forming.

Delilah jogged after Susan. The sun began to bake her shoulders and the cold water lapped at her feet. When she looked down, she saw her footprints washed away by the surf. This was her life now. Daddy and the kids from Minnesota were gone. But, Mr. Clayton and his puppeteer fixed her life better than she could have done on her own. It wasn't over. The weirdo puppet would be back. And the hit and the clown were still out there somewhere, but for now things were good.

"Yeah! Coming!"

Delilah tried a handspring. It felt like she hadn't done one in ages. She wanted to land in the water and float until she forgot all the bad things she'd seen.

There was a crashing sound as the ground rumbled, the faint smell of salt and the rush of cool mist against Delilah's face...

OOC: Delilah Rolls Reflexive Strength

Sorry, is Reflexive Strength the same as Strength?

08:15, Today: Delilah Gray rolled 1 success using 2d10 with the World of Darkness nWoD system with a target of 8, rerolling 10s ((7,10(+7))).

Definitely out of practice.