6339/Sand in your...

Sand in your...
Date of Scene:	01 February 2019
Location:	"Jessica's Island" in the Florida Keys
Synopsis:	Spider-Woman discovers Panther-powered water skiing and gliding
Cast of Characters:	Black Panther, Spider-Woman (Drew)

---

Black Panther has posed:
The idea had been offered over breakfast that morning. Grab a swimsuit, beach towels, and anything else Jessica might need, and get accustomed to the controls of his jet on a trip down to a nice isolated stretch of beach in the Florida Keys. Maybe an overnight bag as well in case they ended up making a day of it.

T'Challa took care of packing plenty of food, and brought his own bag to the hangar bay. The quinjets in the hanger already look fancy enough. The Wakandan plane has a sleek look to it though that really stands aloe.

T'Challa waits at an entry ramp that lowers from beneath the plane. Double checking that he has everything as he waits for Jessica.

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
There is no such thing as "fashionably late." Not where Jessica is concerned. She packed and unpacked her bag so many times - started lists over every time whe made a mistake on her "To Do" list. Put "Make a Packing List" on her original list. And completed filling her bag so she could mark that list off her list. She went back three times to check the door. Was it really locked? What if she assumed she had locked it out of habit, but hadn't at all. Pity she didn't put locking the door on her list.

Fashionably late looks harried. Tousled. Flustered. And...just late.

"Sorry I'm late," she says as she arrives in the hangar. "I had too many lists "

Black Panther has posed:
T'Challa had begun checking over the exterior of the plane. Just to pass the time, not finding anything needing repairs. He looks up as he hears the footsteps of Jessica's approach long before she emerges from the hallway. Likewise, she can hear his footsteps as he takes a few steps to meet her.

"That is alright, Jessica," T'Challa says in his mixed African-Oxford accent. "I would be sad to ever find you listless," he tells her, the man's countenance serious, though the dark eyes shine with a bit of extra light. "Welcome aboard," he says, motioning to the plane and walking up the ramp with her.

The inside has an instrumentation panel that Tony would lose it over. Holographic, with manual controls only in case of emergency. "Do you feel comfortable taking off?" T'Challa asks her. "Or would you prefer to take over in the air?" he finishes, once he has finished going over the systems. It is not terribly different from a quinjet in how it is flown. There there are all sorts of different options that T'Challa said he can explain on the flight.

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
"Are you kidding?" Jessica asks. "I'm like a kid in a candy store in here!"

Jess looks over some of the controls, and tilts her head at others. The lack of this or that puzzles her. Lacking some of the controls that a Quinjet has? It's probably fine. Lacking all of them?

"Well...a kid in an invisible candy store ...Maybe you should let me watch you...."

Black Panther has posed:
Black Panther smiles and motions to Jessica to sit down in one of the seats. He sits in the other and reaches out his hands, the holographic controls forming around them. "Much quicker reactions this way. You just need to move your hands," he tells her. "Also, you can turn on auto-pilot. If you wish to talk and you are Italian." He hits a button to open the hangar.

T'Challa looks over to Jessica. "Not many Wakandans are Italian, however." He looks back out the cockpit window and seems about to launch, before looking back to her. "Except for Guiseppe."

And then the plane is rocketing up into the New York skies. Grey clouds close in the skies above them. The city skyline may be beautiful, but the weather leaves something to be desired. The plane climbs though, soon reaching those clouds and passing through. Finally it bursts through the top, out into bright, warm sunshine. The sun lights the top of the clouds, fluffy white, like a sea of cotton just daring them to bounce from cloud to cloud.

T'Challa motions to the space in front of Jessica. "Just reach out and the controls will form around you."

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
Jessica narrows her eyes at T'Challa's discourse on Italian Wakandans, and her smirk grows as he continues. But she's got it under control. Until he says Guiseppe. Then...she loses it in a fit of laughter.

Breathing, and recomposing herself, Jess reaches up toward the invisible candy store, as the controls form around her hands. "Wow," she says, seeming truly awed. "Yeah, this is pretty amazing." She tests the controls, which are more forgiving than she expected, considering there is no resistance to speak of. "But she realizes, too, how one wrong move could cause problems. "God, this must be hell on Guiseppe. For everyone's sake, I hope he is a cobbler or something."

Black Panther has posed:
"He is the one who helps the royal family dress," T'Challa tells her, still looking straight ahead. "It can take all morning." Though this time he can't stop the small, telltale smile from forming.

T'Challa says, "If you wish more of a feeling of feedback? This will use sonic waves to create it." He turns it on, adjusting the setting and sure enough, there is a sense of touch to the holograms. "You can also keep your arms back. It does not require reaching out in front very far." Because that would be like, torture on a long flight.

The jet zooms through the sky, the sun glinting off the dark metal that coats the plane. "Feel free to have fun with it. It is a very maneuverable plane," he shares. And buckles his seat belt.

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
It was like Jessica was just waiting for the green light. Because, mostly, she was. No sooner has T'Challa given her free reign to play with the plane, than she is already maneuvering them into a corkscrew pattern. Luckily, the Panther has fastened his seat belt /just/ in time.

"This is unbelievable!" she exclaims breathlessly as she evens them out, and puts the jet into a steep climb, only to round the top of the hill and bring it swiftly back down to their original altitude. "You have NO idea how long I've wanted to do this. They banned me from the quinjets."

It's probably fine. She's probably just trying to make him squirm. Probably.

Black Panther has posed:
Probably. And perhaps in that moment T'Challa finds out just how much trust he has in the remarkable young woman. It seems it is a lot, as there is only one moment that he seems to consider reaching out for the controls. And even then, he only considered, he didn't reach.

"If you were banned?" T'Challa starts in that soft way he has of speaking so precisely. "I suspect it was because you kept out-flying the others. We may have dog fight sometime," T'Challa remarks. And then he's quiet, because she's doing a loop somewhere over South Carolina that leaves his stomach back somewhere over North Carolina.

"Woman. You can fly!" he intones.

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
"Not really," she replies. "I'm just wingin' it..." She tromps a foot as if looking for the brake and looks over her left shoulder out to the side of the plane. "Where's the blinker on this silly thing, anyway?"

Black Panther has posed:
Black Panther breaks out in warm laughter. "Later, I will show you some of the other things the plane can do," he tells her. "Though it seems we are nearing Florida already." Indeed, there's a big dotted line across the ground in front of them, reading Georgia on one side and Florida on the other. No really, there is! The holographic system makes it look that way, along with labeling other interesting features on the ground.

T'Challa brings up a map display showing their path and destination. "I picked a small island. White sand. No inhabitants. The Stark satellites say the weather is perfect," T'Challa says. "I hope you brought sunscreen. Temperature is... 87 degrees."

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
"Ohhhh god," Jessica coos at the very thought, letting T'Challa take over the controls. "I am SO tired of being cold...I need this..." Did she bring sunscreen? She's going through the 'To Pack' list in her head. Nope, not there. Maybe the 'Personal Items' list...yesss...yes, that's where it is. "How long has it been since you were on a beach?"

Black Panther has posed:
Black Panther takes over the plane as Jessica goes through her lists. He brings the stealth vehicle in for a landing, setting it down on the small island. There is about 200 feet on each side of the plane to the water. The water is a beautiful light turquoise color, the beach only gradually dropping away as if one could wade out quite a distance.

T'Challa unbuckles and gets out of his seat. He grabs his bag and then opens a compartment and pulls out... boogie boards. Two of them. "Welcome to not-New York in winter," he says as he lowers the ramp. The warm air and the smell of sea salt drift into the plane right away. The cries of sea gulls can be heard as they drift back overhead now that the plane is landed and quiet.

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
"Oh, you DID think if everything..." Jess grins as she unbuckles and rises to grab her bag, too.

Jessica isn't proud. She's already unzipping her black fleece sweatshirt, and then the pink fleece sweatshirt under that by the time T'Challa is ready to disembark. It would seem that Jessica probably has her bathing suit on under her clothes to save time and the situational hazards of changing. Either that, or she has the total wrong idea about this island. We're hoping for the former.

"A Black on a boogie board...that is /definitely/ on my list of things I doubted I'd ever see."

Black Panther has posed:
Black Panther carries the boogie boards and his bag down to the beach. "And I owe you an answer to your question," T'Challa intones in that smooth, measured cadence in which he speaks. "The last I was on a beach. With pure white sand? Three years perhaps? A state visit to Greece, I think," T'Challa tells her. "And what about you?"

He spreads out a large blanket for them on the sand. Sand which might be a little warm, but not terrible. "I do hope you can swim, little spider," he tells her with a smile. He tosses one of the boogie boards over to her. "The myths about cats not liking water? Not true in this case."

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
By the time Jessica hits the sand, her demeanor has brightened dramatically. She helps to carry whatever she can to where T'Challa lays down the blanket, and she sets the things she carried down at the corners. She catches the boogie board and leans it against her knee as she stands in the sun, peeling away her winter layers. "Well, it sounds like you were due a bit of beach time," she chimes, looking out over the beauty of the seascape as she slips off shoes and sets them on her folded shirts. She's down to a black swimsuit top that ties behind the back of her neck in halter-style, and her jeans. The swimsuit top is reminiscent of the style women wore in the old classic movies, during synchronized swimming numbers. Esther Williams, eat your heart out. Jessica's already moved off the blanket to wiggle her toes in the warm sand.

Black Panther has posed:
"Absolutely," T'Challa agrees. He removes his shirt, revealing a well-muscled physique on par with that of Captain America. He has his black bathing suit on beneath the track suit pants he's wearing, slipping them off. It is a normal one, not a speedo.

"The water here is gorgeous," T'Challa says as he gazes out at the ocean. The waves are small, breaking on the shore when they are only four or five feet tall. Enough to play in, and a boogie board is perfect. A surfer would be disappointed.

But the view! The water is like something out of a postcard. Stretching in that direction to the horizon, the blue turning deeper quite a bit further out. T'Challa walks down to the water, leaving the board on the sand for now and just starting to wade out. He turns his back to a wave as it breaks on him, and then does something like a Nestea plunge into the water.

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
Watching T'Challa plunge into the water, Jess looks envious. "Hey no fair gettin' firsties!" She slips off her jeans, revealing swimsuit bottoms that would make Janet facepalm. High in the waist, and fitting like boy shorts, matching the top in modesty. She looks like she stepped out of one of those old musicals. "Hang on, I've already got sand in my..." she shakes her leg as she pulls off her jeans. The grit against her leg evokes an "Ugh." She steps out of the jeans, leaving them in a pool on the sand without a second thought as she races into the waves and dolphin-dives over a breaking wave directly in front of her, surfacing again somewhere near T'Challa. She comes up with her hair all plastered straight down over her head and face and sputters, before dipping again and coming up with it slicked back by the water. "I feel like we should be looking for some sort of aquatic life, and narrated by Morgan Freeman."

Black Panther has posed:
Black Panther lets out a warm laugh. "I brought masks and snorkels as well. Though I have not been here before. It may be that Jessica's Island only has sandy bottoms to look at," T'Challa admits. He ducks another another waves as it comes to break over top of them. Popping back up and not needing to do the head dunk to keep his hair out of his eyes, as short as it is.

"Have you spent much time at the beach?" T'Challa asks her. "We do not have more than lakes. Though the rivers and waterfalls? Some rugged terrain that makes for beautiful views." T'Challa pauses for a moment, looking down and then ducking under the water to grab something he felt with his foot. "A sand dollar," he says, passing it over to her.

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
Jessica takes the sand dollar from T'Challa, admiring it in the sunlight, then holding it close to her chest to save the shell from a crashing wave until she can get it back up to the beach. "I have really never spent that much time on the beach. The few times I've been to the beach, though, I've loved it. I always swore that someday I'd have a little beach house with a terra cotta floor, right on the sand, in Mexico. So I could watch the storms come down over the Sierra Madre every afternoon, and live in the sun every waking moment of my life. But then I realized that'd mean I would have to go to sleep the very moment the sun went down, and that idea just sort of went out the window..."

Black Panther has posed:
Black Panther breaks out in soft chuckles at that. "Well. You could have the house. But maybe stay up late and sleep in a few times too," he says in his cultured African tones. "So how did you find your village? The one in the Dominican? Villa Altagracia," T'Challa asks, having remembered the name. "And how did you come to know this place in Mexico?" T'Challa asks her. "Do you have an affinity for this area of the world?"

As another wave comes in, T'Challa turns and then pushes off in the same direction. He ends up body surfing the wave in partway to shore until it gets too small or too shallow. T'Challa stands up and then trots back out through the water, diving in and swimming underwater to come up back near Jessica.

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
Jessica watches as T'Challa makes the most of that wave, and she smiles as he comes back up beside her. "I sponsor a child through one of those World Organizations where you pay $20 a month to help feed a child and give her an education. The girl's name is Anna...I wasn't sure that she really existed until I went to Villa Altagracia and met her myself." Jessica smiles a moment to herself at the memory, then shakes her head. "But the beach...well I went to Mexico with some friends, some years ago. Puerto Vallarta. I didn't care much for the touristy locations, but the countryside is amazing..."

Black Panther has posed:
"I have not been to Mexico at all," T'Challa says after a moment's thought. "Other than perhaps flying overhead. But that does not count." He looks over at Jessica, seeming thoughtful as he listens to her explanations. "Tell me about Anna?" he asks her as they half-float, half bounce off the sandy bottom as waves comes through. Lifting them and then setting them back down again gently.

Up in the sky the gulls are wheeling, examining the two strange figures down in the water. Their soft calls to each other carry on the salty breeze. Higher above, the warm sun shines down on Jessica and T'Challa as if it intends to leach from their bodies every memory of sleet and chill and cold. Every last effect of the New York City winter that has gripped them for the last two months.

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
Jessica leans her head back in the water, closing her eyes in the sun. "Anna is beautiful - vibrant. She's smart...she'll be five years old now, and she's started going to a school in there in her village. One day soon, I'll have to get back down there. It's been nearly a year since I met her."

Jess raises her head out of the water and looks at T'Challa. "Have you traveled widely? Do you have a favorite location outside of Wakanda? I can imagine nowhere compares to Wakanda..."

Black Panther has posed:
"Things are settling, in New York," T'Challa tells Jessica, words slow and precisely uttered. "I will make a short trip back to Wakanda soon. A few days. On my return, if it is quiet? If the Avengers are not needed? Would you take me there? I would very much like to meet Anna," T'Challa tells her.

The question makes T'Challa think. "I have visited many nations. State visits mostly. Tours rather than travel. I think you know what I mean?" T'Challa tells Jessica. He lets himself lie back. The salt water supports better than fresh water, allowing more of his dark body to be on the surface, exposed to the warm sun. "I studied in Oxford though. Traveled Europe. I love the Alps. Vienna. Switzerland. The small villages in Italy." His hands swirl in the water, turning him slowly as he floats. "I also love Southeast Asia. Very beautiful land. And Pacific Islands, they can be even more stunning than this," T'Challa tells her.

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
"Oh, I'm sure they can. All those places sound amazing. I haven't traveled as much as many of the Avengers. I haven't been with them as long as some of the others. But someday..."

Then, she considers T'Challa's question. With a handful of simple words, he has stepped inside her walls, and the alarm didn't sound. Why? Because he was close enough to them that the intrusion was not detected until it was too late. "I'll think on it, when I go," Jess replies to T'Challa. "Certainly it'd be good for you to see the area. It's a people who could easily be helped, in many ways." Jess is still bouncing on her toes, with each new wave threatening to submerge her. It's a strange feeling - like almost drowning.

Black Panther has posed:
T'Challa gives Jessica a small nod of his head as he stands back upright in the water again, floating or standing as the flow of water dictates. "I know we had spoken of it the other night. The pizza by the fire," he says. After the wintery rescues in Minnesota. "I wanted a chance to talk to them. To get to know them. Then see if there are ways Wakanda might and they might become friends," T'Challa tells her. Or reminds her. It was a long day, and she was tired, he remembers.

"If you would rather visit them first without? I understand," he tells her quietly, giving her a quiet smile. "What do you say that we try out those... the 'boogie boards'? he asks her. "I think with your ability to keep your feet on them? That you may find you can do some amazing things."

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
"Absolutely!" Jess replies, glad to be on to conversation that is less...personal. She bounces toward the shore until she can touch bottom without floating, then sprints to the beach. She emerges from the water and grabs her board, also grabbing a black hair clip from her bag and twisting her hair up out of her way before securing it. "Have you used these before?

Black Panther has posed:
"Only when I was very young," the Wakandan king says as he picks up his board. "When I was slightly less coordinated. My sister and I? We used them on the beach in Hawaii. Of course I was not content to body surf. Not like she was. I had to... well, do this," T'Challa says.

With that he takes off running at the water. He runs fast by normal standards, if not what he is capable of. As he reaches the water's edge, he puts the board under his feet and lands on it. He slides across the water, leaving a little wake behind. As he hits the crest of a wave he catches a little air, reaching down like a skateboarder to grip the board, his feet flaring to the side until he comes down on the water again, the boogie board guided back beneath his feet. His momentum dies after traveling about thirty or fourty feet, and he ends up sinking back into the water to his waist. Smiling over to her. "I expect you can do far better," he says with a grin.

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
"Actually..." Jessica begins, narrowing her eyes for a moment. "I think that gives me an idea. But I'm going to need your help, I'm afraid." She grins as she positions her board in the shallows, the waves lapping over the board gently. "Think you can run that fast down the edge of the water for any length of time? I'd be keen to race you. Me on the board, and you running on the sand." Jess' smile is a little crooked and mischievous.

Black Panther has posed:
Black Panther wades back towards shore. "Length of time?" T'Challa repeats. He tries to look thoughtful, as if he is having to decide whether he would be able to. "I might be able to manage it, yes," he tells her with an impassive look and nod of his head. He tosses aside his boogie board onto the sand so the waves don't take it, and moves over even with her.

"Just say the word when you are ready," he tells her, his words with that African accent that seems to have been marinated in Oxford-precise English. T'Challa manages a secret smile to himself then. Will she note the pride for her in his eyes? He seems to think that Jessica's intuition has already divined his intent in bringing the boogie boards. An idea that was first hatched as he thought of ways they might work together. His respect for the young lady seems to grow by leaps and measures the more time that he spends with her.

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
Jess feels like she's been discovered, given T'Challa's expression. But she doesn't care. She's not about to miss out on this fun. They're both there, and Jess may not have this chance again for awhile.

"All right....On your mark...

Jess draws on the static electric charge in the board, firmly planting her feet on it so she won't slip off. "Get set..."

Readying herself for the impending jolt, she watches T'Challa with narrowed eyes as he prepares to run. "GO!"

Jess gives him about a ten foot head start, then thwips out a web that catches his shoulders and back. Holding tight to the web, she finds herself propelled quickly by the strength and power of his stride. She leans toward the shore, causing the boogie board to be propelled out farther into the water, where it would be about waist deep, if not deeper, and she surfs the waves that batter her board, crossing over each at a perpendicular angle until she's far enough out to skim the water without pulling him too hard toward the surf. "SUCCESS!!!"

Black Panther has posed:
Black Panther lets out a loud, joyous laugh as Jessica begins her Panther-ride, skiing behind him as T'challa runs along the shore line. He's running a little below Olympic sprinter speeds for now, as Jessica starts skimming over the water like a water-skier behind a boat. T'Challa isn't showing any signs of slowing as they travel along one side of the small sand island, which is probably as long as two or three football fields before the shoreline bends.

T'Challa keeps glancing over, not wanting to miss Jessica's ride. He keeps a steady pace for now, giving her time to experiment however she likes. His eyes shine bright for the young woman, that amazing agility she has combined with the board being secured to her feet should allow for some amazing trick opportunities.

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
Jess catches sight of a larger wave offshore ahead, and she leans into it, until she intersects it, pushing the board up the wave with her feet, then over, effectively negotiating a somersault over the wave's crest. With a matching wave right behind it, Jess holds tight to her web as she slips partway up the second wave, then jettisons the other way, flipping the opposite direction over the second wave. A squeal of delight escapes her as she lands the second time, squatted to absorb any impact before she stands up again and lets go of the web, leaving her skimming toward the shore, untethered. "I JUST HAD THE BEST IDEA EVER, T'CHALLA!"

Black Panther has posed:
Black Panther feels the web let go and he slows down so he doesn't run away from her. "I was just going to say," T'Challa tells her. "I can speed up quite a bit if you wish." He turns, watching the grace with which Jessica rides the boogie board. Likely not even needing to make the little adjustments a person would on a surf board, while she has just a fraction of the surface area to balance on.

She can likely ride it all the way to nearly ankle-deep water when it will finally hit the sand. T'Challa is there waiting for her. If she comes right to him he'll light catch her and laugh warmly before setting her down and letting go. Though if she heads beside him he just lets her find the sand on her own. "That was fantastic," he tells her, either way. "What is your idea, little spider?" he asks her.

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
"My suit," Jessica replies, as T'Challa sets her down. "It has a gliding apparatus built in, right? Well...what's to keep us from doing the same thing as /that/ only while I glide? It could come in handy sometime....Other than flying me like a kite..." She presses her lips together thoughtfully.

"If I were on a higher plane than you, and I glide, you /could/ fly me into close quarters and keep me aloft longer. But say you were to run out of land while I were above you. You could lift yourself using my web, and I could glide you down to someplace safer. Upward would be possible, but not probable, unless I found a hell of an updraft."

Black Panther has posed:
Black Panther can't hide his smile. His own train of thought had started with pulling her into the air, letting her rocket up high. And then when he'd thought of the island get away, the idea of towing her over the water like a skier had occurred. With Jessica, her thoughts came from the exact opposite direction until she reached his starting point. "I think if we brain storm? We can come up with many uses," T'Challa agrees.

"I can pull you twice as fast at least. You should be able to get quite high," he tells her. T'Challa rubs at his chin, musing. "I agree. We could navigate difficult terrain. Little bursts of running to lift you. You glide us to the next running spot. And maybe we can make alternate gliding wings. Ones that would help you carry my weight for further distances without losing as much altitude?"

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
Jessica nods excitedly as T'Challa follows her train of thought to its completion. "The idea has profound implications for rapid mobility in terrain like that. I think we could be a formidable force. Even in pursuit of something faster. Because a web fired from above could effectively bring down just about anything we were pursuing." Jessica grins. "I think I like the way you think."

Black Panther has posed:
The young woman's excitement is infectious. "I have an idea for another move we can do together. I had not considered pairing it with you flying, though," T'Challa says, looking thoughtful. "Your bioshocks are already impressive. This could perhaps add extra sting. Or be a weapon you could use should something have a counter or immunity to them. But it could also have use from above, now that I consider it," he tells her.

"I was going to show you the other in the training room. If you like we could do it now. Or, this would be a good place to practice flying. If we mess up you can just splash down in the water after all. Better than the Training Room even?" T'Challa suggest, looking about the island. It's narrow enough she could glide to the water on either side easily enough.

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
Jessica looks around the island, as well, then nods. "This might be a good place to try." The rocky outcropping in the center of the island is higher, but it doesn't give Jessica much room to run. "I can't get a running start up there, but it's got some height to play with. I guess I'd just have to trust you to pull me up from the sand, if you think you can do it from a dead stop. But if we do that I'm going to need two webs, not just one. Like a trick kite. Otherwise, with my body weight distribution, I'll be like a big Spider-Woman shaped kite without a tail: flip and crash headfirst on the sand. I...I can trust you."

Trust is /not/ Jessica's strong point.

Black Panther has posed:
Black Panther smiles to Jessica and says, "For you? It should be like gliding with a 40 mile per hour wind to give you lift." T'Challa looks about and says, "We might be best to start at the water's edge. So the water is as close at hand as possible. Or... even better! We do exactly what we just did. You start in the water. On the boogie board and I will jog. You shout and I will quickly go to full speed. You let the board drop from your feet. See how much lift you gift? Worst case? Let go of your web and you land in the water." He checks to see how that sounds.

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
"That sounds perfect!" Jessica is already rummaging in her bag to pull out her spider-suit. "I'll just...put this on over my swimsuit," she says, stepping into it and pulling it up, albeit slowly, because she has wet skin. "OH GOD it's like putting on pantyhose wet, all the way up to your neck...."

Once the suit is in place, after a little pulling of different spots to make it feel right and picking a dreaded crooked wedgie, Jessica is ready, and she moves to the water's edge, kicking the board into the edge of the water, and stepping up on it. "This time, take off when you're ready and I'll zot you. I can release more line once you sprint, so I can rise higher. Ready?"

Black Panther has posed:
T'Challa gets his necklace and puts on. "Good science. Limit the number of factors we change," he says, more to himself than to Jessica. He activates the suit so her webs will attach to it rather than to his skin. T'Challa's face is left revealed though as he turns to make sure she is ready. He gives her a thumbs up and then begins running, feeling her webs connect to his back. Only running at about half the speed he did previously. Enough she can boogie board easily and stay on the surface. But he wants the sudden burst of speed to be as close to what it would be on land as possible.

He'll glance back and yell, "Here I go!" And then he's taking off. Going from about 10 miles per hour to nearly 40 in a short space of time. Not his maximum acceleration, but fast.

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
Jessica takes off skimming across the water, leaning away to speed and spreading her arms out wide just before T'Challa breaks over to full speed, at which point windspeed and lift hit critical mass, and Jessica lifts off the water with the board. She doesn't release the board as planned, however. With arms spread wide, her gliding gear is fully engaged, and Jessica can feel herself rocketing skyward as she releases more web to allow her more height. "It's working!!"

Black Panther has posed:
Black Panther sprints forward, the vibranium lining the soles of his shoes helping him run across the sand without it slowing him. He can actually run across water with those for a good distance, so the sand doesn't seem to slow him. T'Challa is soon nearing the other end of the island, and just follows the curve of the water. Brief glances are given back, but not many. Making sure Jessica is safe, but not wanting to risk stumbling. He'll literally do a lap of the island if she wants to keep seeing how much height she can gain. Though after that distance he might start to tire a little.

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
The wind at this height is much stronger than it is at lower levels. Jessica soars with exhilaration as T'Challa runs below. Sensing an updraft, Jessica shouts down to him. "Get ready to fly!"

She catches the updraft with a sharp turn toward the center of the island, rising quickly and pulling the web with both hands outstretched to lift T'Challa onto the flat surface in the center of the outcropping. "I'm going to bounce you up again and back down to the sand before I let go!" And she does so, lifting him again, but the updraft is lost, and she suddenly loses altitude without the resistance, speed, and updraft. She releases the webbing, gliding in a long, slow circle back toward the shore. The board, still firmly attached to her feet, skims along the water's surface until it hits the sand, at which point Jessica does a somersault and sprawls on the beach with a tumble.

"I guess I should work on my landing..."

Black Panther has posed:
Black Panther trusts Jessica. Turning towards the rocks, and he jumps to aid her in pulling him up to the height he would have had to stop and climb. Instead he clears the top easily, though it costs Jessica altitude. He runs across the top before she drops him back down to the sand.

When the webs go free, T'Challa is grinning and he jogs over towards the water where he sees Jessica come in for a water landing. He smiles, until she hits the sand still going a little fast.

He's too far away to help. Wincing at the landing, but knowing the young woman is tough. He reaches her and drops to his knees, breathing a little heavily from the high speed sprint. "The Wakandan judge gave it high ratings, even if the rest did not," he tells her with a smile. T'Challa lets himself collapse in the sand next to her. "Trying it out here first? Probably a good idea," he says with a nod.

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
Jessica nods breathlessly in agreement as she lies on her back in the sand. "I don't know where else we'd have tried. The training room has nowhere near enough room to get that kind of speed or height. And I don't care about all those other judges. /I/ count it as a success." She shifts now, a little uncomfortably. "But to be brutally honest...now I've got sand in my /everything/."

Black Panther has posed:
Black Panther breaks out in soft, warm laughter. He turns on his side as he lies there next to Jessica. "A little swim should help at least some of it," he tells her. "I can work on a design for some alternate gliding wings for you. More lift, but that might make them a little more cumbersome. So, an option if we know we need to do this. And also ones that you can jettison then. When they are not needed." He considers. "You might even be able to form something. With your webs, to help. We can work on that another time." He rolls back over onto his back. "The sun feels good. Does it not? Maybe we can get the Mansion moved down here instead?"

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
"The sun feels WONDERFUL," Jessica agrees, closing her eyes. "And once I get this suit off, a swim should get all the sand off me. I may have to burn the spider suit, though," she laughs. "I wonder if Tony would object to moving the mansion down here...I mean, there's a beach, and probably alcohol on the mainland, right?"

Black Panther has posed:
"Tony likely has a few homes down here already," T'Challa says. "Though I do not know what it would take to outfit them like what we already have." His Black Panther suit retracts into his necklace, letting the warm sun bathe the bare skin of his chest and shoulders. "If it gets a little too cold for us? It is not that long of a flight back to here," he says in his slow, cultured accent. "I think Jessica Island is a nice name for it. Since there is so much of the island currently lodged within your suit."

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
"And I'm TAKIN' IT home with me," Jess announces proudly, like a child shoving jello into her pocket.

"But you're right, it's not so far to here, for warmth. Or to someplace even closer to test our training in more difficult terrain. We'll definitely have to scout some places for that sort of thing."

Black Panther has posed:
Black Panther smiles at that and says, "As long as you leave enough sand for our next visit." He rests his head back in the soft sand and says, "Yes, when we return? I will set Jarvis to locating some suitable areas. Varying elevations. And obstacles. But with soft landing spots." He smiles as he looks up at the sky. "I bet at night the stars would be beautiful here. No New York lights to hide them. That is one thing that I love about Wakanda. Once you go outside the protective field? Most of the lights in the country are concealed. The people in the city do not know what they miss," he says.

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
"Yeah," Jess replies thoughtfully. "I bet the stars at night here are gorgeous. Doubly so because they'll reflect off the water." She turns her head to look at T'Challa. "You can't see the stars so much from inside Wakanda? I dunno why I sort of figured they'd be beautiful there. But then...I've pretty much assumed everything is perfect there."

Black Panther has posed:
Black Panther gives a quick shake of his head. "I chose my words poorly," he says. T'Challa actually probably rarely does that. But he did here. "The people in the city of New York, do not know what they are missing. Most likely do not know what the sky looks like. Without city lights concealing it." T'Challa gives a little shake of his head. "The stars are visible from the city, in Wakanda. Though the best viewing is outside of the barrier at night." T'Challa turns his head to look over to Jessica. He doesn't tell her what he's thinking. How the most beautiful view he's ever seen, is the one he has right now. "Will you come to visit with me, on one of my trips? I would like to show you my home," he tells her.

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
"I'd LOVE to see Wakanda," Jess gushes at the very thought. "It's hard to even imagine, though I've heard stories. I've always sort of wanted to see it for myself. Such tradition, and technology, and....just everything that our cities SHOULD be...but aren't..."

Black Panther has posed:
"I am pleased with how we have kept our identity. Despite our technology. Blended the two, without losing too much of our past," T'Challa tells Jessica. "I will love showing it to you," he tells her. "There is a waterfall, over a tremendous cliff. The field where challenges for the throne take place is there. Right at the edge. But the view is stunning. And the flowers that grow along the river bank, it is the end of summer there, south of the Equator. And I just realized. I don't know, do you like flowers much?" T'Challa asks.

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
"I like them, I suppose," Jessica replies, shifting a little and then sitting up. "I'm sure that's lovely," she adds, getting up and stripping down the spider suit to dump half the island out of it. She's changing the subject. That much is clear.

"So the challenges to the throne...those take place often? Are you in some danger of losing the throne? What's the challenge like?"

Black Panther has posed:
"There was a challenge. After my father and mother were killed by Klaw, and I was to ascend the throne. From Umbaco, the leader of one of the other tribes. They are reclusive, isolationist to the extreme," T'Challa tells her. If he noticed the intentional redirection of the conversation, he doesn't let on, or seem to try to swing it back around the other way.

"It must be a fair fight. So the blessings of Bast that are given to the Black Panther, are removed. And we fight. Either until submission, or death," T'Challa says. He gives a wry expression. "I am a fan of democracy. Though I also see how people fail to use the power of their vote, to choose wise leaders. I do not know that our method is better," he says, sitting up as well and looking down at his hands for a moment. "But I try to be a leader worthy of being followed," he says.

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
"You're an amazing leader. I don't think anyone could question that, even if they aren't your biggest fans." Jessica shrugs, shaking out her spider suit and ppffft'ing at the sand that blows into her mouth, before she folds the suit and sticks it back into her bag, to share its island bounty with the rest of her clothes. "When you undertook that challenge...Did you fight to submission...?" The 'or' is simply implied.

Black Panther has posed:
T'Challa's eyes drift away as the question brings the memory of it back to him strongly. "I do not have any doubt, which Umbaco would have chosen," T'Challa says softly. He trails off, quiet for a few moments as he lives with the memory. "I wrapped him into a choke hold. On the edge of the cliff. Until he finally submitted," T'Challa says finally, looking up from the memory and over to Jessica. "His clan withdrew back to their mountain after. That they came to the challenge at all, was a surprise. They isolate themselves even from other Wakandans. I have hopes for reconciliation one day." He holds up his hand, fingers very close together. "Small hopes. But I keep them alive."

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
Jessica pauses in her sand-tending duties and looks up into T'Challa's eyes with an uncharacteristically serious and sincere gaze. "If anyone could ever reconcile with them, T'Challa, it's you."

Black Panther has posed:
Black Panther sits quietly as he looks back over to Jessica. He looks down finally, the soft, tilting smile coming to him that starts on the one side of his mouth, grows larger than on the other. Not so much a charming smile this time, as a charmed smile. "Thank you. It means a lot to me that you feel that way," T'Challa tells her. "Thank you for coming down here with me. The time in the sun, and in your company, has made this the most pleasant of days."

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
"It /has/ been a pleasant day. More than pleasant, really. I think I really needed this. Some time to unwind, and time to really put some thought into our cooperation, as well." Jessica smiles and goes back to shoving sandy clothes in with not sandy clothes, which is an awesome strategy by any standards. "Maybe it's time we should think about having something to eat. It'd be a shame to waste the food you brought by eating it on the way home, right?" Jess gives him a lopsided smile.

For the first time in a very long time, she's let her guard down. She can't say it feels /good/, but at least it isn't terrifying. Baby steps, after all...