The small sea plane waited in Miami Harbor. A warp sizzled into life on the harbor's edge, showing a cheap apartment somewhere. Through the hole stepped three people, a woman dressed in black and two men. The woman had on a pair of blue jeans and a baggy long-sleeved shirt. The men were as different as night and day; the taller of the two was blonde and thin, while the shorter was dark-haired and built like a brick. The short man was dressed in shorts and a t-shirt, and looked like he was actually going to their destination, the beach, while the taller was wearing leather pants with a jacket over a bare chest.

Infinity Jones was trying to ignore her shadows; Katsuro had insisted on coming, and then Stanley couldn't be convinced to stay behind. "Sorry, hon, if he's coming, then I'm coming too," Stanley had said firmly when she'd argued. In the end, she'd agreed to stop the arguing.

Now, she was regretting it all over again. Katsuro was being a pain in the ass again, making little jibing comments at Stanley constantly. Infinity had wondered why he was doing it, but she'd finally figured him out. Spinning, she planted a finger in his chest, earning a wide-eyed stare from him. "You."

He grinned at her, his dark eyes flashing with amusement. "Me."

"Yes," Infinity said. "You're going to behave here. No, stop laughing." Katsuro did stop laughing, his face becomeing somber and a little irritated. "These people are important to me. You want to be my bodyguard, then you'll behave while we're here, or you'll stay here, waiting for me. And I'll call Sasaki and let him find a replacement for you."

"I got you here," Katsuro said, stabbing his finger at the dock below them.

"Yes, you did," Infinity said, softening her stabbing finger and pressing her whole hand to his bare chest. "But I could have flown on a plane. You saved me some effort and I appreciate it." It was push and give with this man; push enough to get what you wanted, and give him enough to keep him happy. Infinity sensed that he had a bad temper, and she didn't want to set it off. But she couldn't let him embarrass her in front of her friends in the Teragen either. "So please, best behavior."

He caught her hand. "I'll expect a reward for that."

Infinity hesitated, unsure if she should accept that nebulous agreement. But the plane was waiting. "Fine." Katsuro's eager grin made her nervous, and Infinity turned and walked toward the plane.

The crew helped her on board, giving her a hand she actually needed to climb up the gangplank. The cabin was full once she and her shadows took their seats, and the plane began to taxi away. Turning in her seat, Infinity looked to see who was here.

[OOC: I thought I'd jumpstart this by having Infi be the last onboard. If you want to ride out with on this trip, just post that you got on earlier and however far out you want to post. Since the other fic is waiting on this, we should be quick with this one.]

Connor looked up from a novel and saw Infinity board the plane. He waved politely and smiled. "Thanks for the lift. It's nice to be able to relax for a bit." There was plenty of room on the plane and thus no need to sit next to anyone in particular. Indeed they were all going to the same place. He watched as the plane began to take off and somewhere part of himrailed against being so mundane about flying.

Two seats behind, at the rear of the small cabin, Ptesan-Wi fidgetted once more. It had been eight years since she had flown on anything that wasn't under her own power - indeed, she'd gotten as far as the seaport that way - and even then it had been something with wings that were very much alive and fur to dig her fingers into. Climbing into this little box of metal and glass was anything but comforting.

Nor did it make her any happier to be relegated to the back seats. Her intent had been to sit in the front, next to the pilot, where she would at least have the view to which she had become accoustomed. But the only place to stow the large leather-and-bent-wood "snowshoe" was behind the last row of seats, and the pilot had insisted that she stick with her luggage. Not that she wanted to be far from it, anyway; if something went wrong and this fragile creation dropped from the skies, that disk was both her parachute and her ride home.

Still, she looked up to see the latest - and apparently last - arrival clambor onto the plane with what was obviously a pair of bodyguards, even as the engine began to rev and the little craft taxied out from the dock. The man with his nose in the book had required a light brush of the mind to recognize as Connor 'Mech' Fontenot; Ptesan-Wi wasn't exactly a regular at the Oglala Cinema. The strange man who had stepped from the shadows had to be Netherworld. But when the newcomer turned in her seat to look around, there was no mistaking either the girl or her own surprise: Mal's Infinity was on the plane.

With a warm smile despite the surroundings, Ptesan-Wi sent to the girl as the plane lept into the skies, *Hau, Infinity. It is good that we finally meet, I am Ptehehincalasanwin.*

A well of darkness grew underneath a nearby fuel truck. The shadows underneath it appeared to waver and move, then stretch outward from the truck. A moment later, a young man pulled away from the shadows. As he did, tendrils of grey held on to him like he was pulling himself free of a tar pit. When he did free himself, the sun shone off of pure white stone, his skin and hairs.

He looked around him and saw the sea-plane. Mom told me about these things. She said they were an inneffective mode of travel. He began walking towards it. I will find out for myself.

He reached the small set of stairs leading into the plane and stopped. He reached out his hand and caressed the wing, while his eyes noted it's dimensions and coloration. He closed his eyes so he could see the wing on it's own, cutting through the air to make sounds that only he could hear. After what seemed like a year, he opened his eyes and stepped into the plane. He found himself a place near the back of the plane, where he could see and visualize the others as they came on the plane.

Somewhere mid plane sat a man that looked ... well he looked rediculous. He wore baggy shorts and a Hawiian shirt that was at least a few shades too bright. He grinned and it was such that people couldn't help but chuckle at him. The flight crew had been more than amsused as he boarded but as professionals they had at least let him do that. Unfortunately for the other passengers the cabin has quickly filled with ethe odor of fresh grapefruit, as though somebody had picked and supremed a dozen of the fruit right on board. Pleasantly acidic and yet sweet, the smell would have been pleasant if not for the sheer volume of it within the confines of the plane.

As the plane taxied down the runway Ralph Stevens, aka Citronic, looked out the window. A party full of novas, this should be fun!

Katsuro gave the other passengers a smile, and by keeping it small and his teeth hidden, he actually made it look polite. Stanley sat down next to her, making Katsuro take the seat across the aisle, which he did without complaint. It was like she had another man there, a polite if eccenetritic looking on. Infinity answered Mech's smile and wave with one of her own, not sure if she was pleased to see him or not.

The other novas got nods and waves from her as well. They were her brothers and sisters, and Infinity was unfailingly polite to them.

There was nothing Infinity hated more than being tapped mentally for casual conversation. What was wrong with speaking, for fuck's sake? She still forced a smile and turned to the young "goddess". "Ptehehenschwin, it's good to meet you, too," she said, nodding to the young woman. The back looked a bit crowded, so Infinity added, "Would you like to sit up here next to me? We can talk a lot easier that way."

Ptesan-Wi's brow furrowed a bit. Aside from the mangling of her name, Infinity's insistance on verbal communications meant endeavoring in likewise herself. Entirely aside from the volume needed to overcome the drone of the engines, that in turn would mean breathing deeply. And that meant contending with the extremely strong scent of Citronic. Couldn't this girl, the one designated "the Future" by Divas Mal, see the obvious advantages to a more direct conversation under these circumstances?

With a longing glance at her "snowshoe" (maybe just flying there myself wouldn't have been such a bad idea), the Lakota goddess sighed and made her way forward in the cramped quarters. Holding her breath as she passed the living grapefruit, she finally reached and took the offered seat next to Infinity.

"Thank you," she finally spoke, the sound of her own voice seeming a bit foreign in her ears. "I am not used to airplanes, or to speaking out loud very much."

Infinity nodded at Ptesan-Wi's words though in truth she had little experience with that situation. "You just need to come down off your mountain more," Infinity said with a grin. "There's a wide, wide world out here, with all sorts of pretty things."

"Yes," Katsuro said suddenly, jumping right into the conversation. "If you like mountains, Mount Fuji is quite lovely, even just from a distance." He extended his hand. "I'm Katsuro."

Stanley paused with surprise, startled out of silent, stoic bodyguard mode. He leaned over Infinity and offered his hand as well. "Stanley Gallini."

"This is nice," Infinity said, but she didn't feel very certain of that sentiment.

A sudden intense burst of citrusy goodness wafts over as Citronic extends his hand. "Hi! Name's Ralph, but you might know me better as Citronic." He smiles pleasantly enough, though the effect is one of a slightly mad tourist who spent a night wandering in the produce section at the local market. "Thought I should introduce myself as well, since we're going to be on this plane for a couple of hours I figure!"
He leaves his hand out in offer of a handshake and reciprocal introductions.

Repressing the chuckle was surprisingly difficult, Ptesan-Wi found. Refusing the sudden forest of offered hands was a good deal easier; she simply raised her own, palm outward, in a traditional Plains Indian greeting.

"Hau, Citronic. I am Ptehehincalasanwin. And yes, you are known by your reputation. Hau as well to you, Katsuro and Stanley." The chuckle fought once more to escape, but with an iron will the psiad forced it back to the bottom of her throat. Only a slight quiver at the corner of her mouth managed to show.

"Citronic?" Katsuro asked with the manner of a circling shark, but a glare from Infinity reduced that his orginial intention to a handshake. Stanley, silent and a little put off, simply shook Citronic's hand.

"Hi, Ralph," Infinity said, ignoring the offered hand. She wasn't that fond of grapefruit perfume. She frowned at his enthuastic statement, asking, "A couple of hours? Where the fuck is this island anyway?" Next time, I will just take a teleport jump, and fuck this being social bullshit.

Citronic withdraws his hand, to Infinity he replies, "Well miss sadly these old puddle jumped don't have the speed that modern airliners do."

He leans over and smiles at Ptehehincalasanwin, "Greetings returned, Ptes ... Pehen ... Greetings!" He smiles broadly to cover his embarassment at being unable to wrap his tongue around Ptehehincalasanwin's name. For a moment the cabin is filled only with the rumble of the engines and then Ralph leans forward once more. "Could I offer any of you a fresh grapefruit juice?"

All he could do was watch the others assemble and greet. There were a range of emotions from them. Some of them looked to be irritated, others happy. The one who was dressed oddly, with the long and strange sounding name, was aloof yet uncomfortable. As he watched them, he was unsure as to how to properly introduce himself to the others. Instead he looked out the window. His mind wandered as he measured the designs and dimensions of the wing outside.

The plane's vibration was accompanied by an awful grumbling noise. Was it starting up its engines? Was the fruity smell part of the plane?

"Could I offer any of you a fresh grapefruit juice?"

"Eh-heh... why don't you save that for the party?" Infinity asked quickly. Where we can escape your 'juice'.

The conversation continued to be stilted and uneasy. Ralph was a nice guy, but looking him in the eye and talking to him required a level of will that Infinity lacked. Ptesanpesenwakinschwin was creepy with her god complex, while the albino freak in the back was just creepy. And Mech was... Mech was ignoring her, anyway. Stanley and Katsuro were behaved, amazingly.

It was a long two hours - she'd already decided that Kitty was bringing home, fuck the return flight - but ended, thankfully. The plane stopped about twenty feet out in the warm surf, and the pilot opened the door. Dark face beaming warmly, he began to help them out of the plane, if they needed it.

[To be continued in It's my Birthday and I'll Party if I Want To]