Summer Fun (First RP Ever!)

((A Few Ground Rules/Notifications before we start:
1.This is set in a AU where we people on the forum can come and go from the BLOSC Universe whenever we please. So you're welcome to join in!
2.This AU, Warp is in between jobs and on Zurgs most wanted list and under Star Command Protection much to his chagrin. Warp has also been forced to live with Buzz. Don't worry he still causes a healthy amount of trouble.
3. You can only have one OC per player. Sorry!
4.This is my first RP Ever. If you have any tips please share. Other than that, have Fun!))

It was an typical summer day at the Lightyear household. The sun was burning bright in the sky and everyone was relaxing. Ty was lying out in the grass with his eyes closed, almost looking like he was alsleep. Beside him, was  Max, Tessa's pet Terulian cat, which towered over everyone since he was big enough to ride, laid down next to Ty for a nap. Ty didn't notice or even care.Warp was lying out on a beach chair in his purple swim trunks and sunglasses . It was the closest thing he could get to what he used to have on his old asteroid. Beside his chair was small folding table with an empty glass and a Star Command grade scanner that also doubled as a radio as a weather announcement came on.

Temperatures have reached an all time high all across the galaxy. The tempurature right now is 90 degrees Fahrenheit and its not even 10 AM! Highs will reach 107 and 110 with the heat index. People are calling this the hottest summer of all time! Now back your favorite summer songs!

A Beach Boys song started to play as Tessa came out in her short shorts and a tank top showing her midriff with a jug of fresh lemonade and set it on the small table. The song was cut off as Buzz swiped the scanner.

"Hey! I was listening to that!"Warp sat up and raised up his sunglasses.

"This radio is supposed to be set to listen to criminal activity, not the radio." Buzz, agitated, set the scanner back to proper station and then put it back on the table.

"Buzz, its called a vacation for a reason. It goes with this little thing called 'relaxation', you should try it sometime." Buzz just glared for a minute then sat down in the grass. Tessa went get her own spot to sit down in the grass when Warp noticed his glass was still empty.

"What, you're not going to pour for me?"

"You have 2 hands. Pour it yourself."

Warp was unimpressed. "You may have attitude but that one doesn't suit you." Buzz and Ty rolled their eyes. Warp and Tessa were always like this. Though the two did argue a lot, they cared for each other and were good friends.

After Ty rolled his eyes alongside Buzz, he retreated back into his resting place in the warm grass. The sun's rays shined down upon the Ranger as he thought of nothing in particular. A gentle breeze picked up, caressing Ty's face and lightly blowing into his pompadour. Why was he here with Buzz, Warp, Tessa and Max, one might ask?

Someone had to keep an eye out for Buzz and Warp. When the Ranger asked Ty, it was quite a surprise for the man. He didn't think that Buzz would want him to aid in protecting the former Ranger against Zurg. Then again, given their histories together from the glory days long past, it was only fair that Ty be asked to help his friend out... and Warp as well, considering he was an "old friend" of the duo. And it was also only fair that Ty acted as a balance for the Pride of Star Command, in case he went out of line with Zurg's former number one agent... sort of like he did now.

So far, Warp was behaving quite appropriately and didn't try any tricks to deceive them... well, ones that could risk any Star Command secrets, anyway!

Although why Tessa and Max were here, the man didn't know, but somehow, she got through to Warp's heart, able to tame him in a way that neither Buzz nor Ty could. And if she could get the job done, then he shouldn't be one to complain.

However...

With eyes closed as he basked in the golden sunlight, Ty dryly remarked, "Even so, Warp, Buzz and I have to do our jobs of making sure you don't do anything odd. So it's a job for us, but I guess for you, it's always been a vacation."

"Oh, Ty, you know that's not always true."
The aforementioned man smiled at who that voice who playfully chided him was. Peeking through his eyes, he turned his head off to the side to see Simone coming from Buzz's house towards him, in the casual off-duty Ranger uniform that Ty and Buzz wore.
"And why's that?"

Simone chuckled lightly. "Because even Rangers need vacations as well." She came over to sit next to him while waving politely at Tessa and Max.

Tessa energetically waved back at Simone. They had only met that day looked forward to knowing more about her. Tessa looked at Ty for a moment.  He had been a bit inquisitive about her lately, especially regarding how she met Warp. Should she tell him? Tessa shrugged and laid back using Max as pillow leaving to worry about the matter later.

"Oh, you'd like that wouldn't you, Parsec? Tessa being odd however... that's another story." Tessa growled at Warp in agitation.

"Warp, stop teasing her. You've been at it all morning. " Mira came out and  found her own spot in the grass next to Tessa and Max. Mira was just on vacation like everyone else and ready to relax. Warp took a look at the four rangers dressed similarly out in grass.

"What is it with you Rangers and the white and green?"

"I think they look good! Besides they can wear what they want."

"Yeah, if you like grass stains." Warp muttered to himself.

"Hey Tessa, can you plug in your radio? I think we need some music here."

Tessa got up and turned on her bulky silver and blue radio and turned it to the station the scanner was originally on. A bouncy tune began to play.

"EEEEEE!" Everyone jumped in response to Tessa's ecstatic squeal.

"Its Miku Hatsune's new song 'AgeAge Again'! I love this song!" Everyone else gave an exasperated sigh. Tessa was a major fan of Miku Hatsune and since her new single came out, she had been listening to it for weeks.

"The songs do get stuck in your head."

"Tell me about it. I was humming 'Viva Happy' for a week."

Warp plugged his ears. "As long as they don't play that stupid vegetable juice jingle she sings during the commercials, I'm good. "

"Hey, why don't we go somewhere today?"

"If we do, it'll be packed. Every beach, boardwalk, and water park. And besides we're all going inside when noon hits. I don't want anyone getting heat stroke. "

Tessa sighed in disappointment. She had been inside all week and wanyed to get rid of all her pent up energy.

"Now, now, dear, the good ranger has a point."

The voice that suddenly spoke up emanated from the sidewalk, coming from a figure that, despite the intense sun, was dressed almost completely in black. A light coat was draped over an advanced biosuit that revealed the person's bird-like leg structure, and a hat, held on with an elastic strap, shaded the stark white beaked mask that looked over the group, its green eyeports glinting with the light that reflected from the grip of a walking cane.

Senior Doctor Thalassi then tilted her head, an amused tone creeping into her voice. "Then again, with the activity levels you all are displaying, heat stroke might not be what you have to worry about." With a short chuckle to herself, she touched the brim of her hat with two fingers in greeting. "I hope you forgive my intrusion. I was taking the opportunity my day off provided me to explore the planet when I happened upon this neighborhood...and this home in particular."

Buzz stood up and motioned Tessa to stand as well. "Ah, Hello Doctor. Oh thats right, you two haven't met officially.  Tessa, this is Senior Doctor Thalassi. Doctor, Tessa."

"Pleased to meet you." Tessa grinned and the good doctor nodded in acknowledgement. She was looking forward to knowing Doctor Thalassi. The rest of the group returned Doctor Thelassi's greeting. Warp sat up in his chair and lowered his sunglasses for a moment.

"Hey Doc. So why did you happen to stop by the house of Lightyear? It can't be because of Tessa here. She's nowhere near as interesting just for a visit."

"Thin ice, Warp. Thin ice." Tessa said through her teeth.

"To be serious,  what does bring you here, Doctor?"

Ty didn't notice Tessa give him a curious glance, but Simone did. But she hid her observation underneath her calm smile as she sat next to the man.

The Ranger opened his eyes and gave his girlfriend a coy smile. He greeted her with a nonchalant hey and she returned the quiet greeting in return. But their smiles dropped when Warp decided to make a crack towards Tessa. They looked up at him to give him blank stares.

But then another voice, lining with a gentle yet royal assurance, came out to defend Tessa against Warp's verbal attacks. When Mira came towards them, the couple waved to her and she waved back. About to start another conversation, Ty was suddenly interrupted by Warp's comment about their suits.

"Don't forget, Warp, you yourself used to wear these 'grass stains.'" Ty smirked as Simone playfully scolded him and pushed him in the shoulder.

At Mira's request for music began to be fulfilled, Tessa suddenly shrieked which made the couple slightly jump in shock at her squeal of joy.
A sigh or two to come from Ty and Simone. Teenagers.

The topics shifted gears as Tessa asked if the two of them could go to the beach for fun. And after Buzz voiced his disapproving opinion on the subject, not wanting to attend the shoreline.
Ty and Simone eyed each other; some things never change. And Buzz was one of those things.

A change in the group. A new stranger came from the sidewalk; a tall and dark-dressed Grim Reaper entered onto the scene. But this Grim Reaper sought no need to pick up those who were dead. This was a person who helped the living; a doctor of life.

At the doctor's introduction, Ty and Simone greeted in unison with a 'hello'. A peculiar figure to enter a lively household with these characters, but the figure must have had a reason for why she-apparently one-decided to grace the land.

And then Warp decided to take up more fun at Tessa's expense. "And what are you, Vicki Vortex?" Another playful push and scolding.

Buzz and Senior Doctor Thalassi continued to talk as Warp retorted with his comeback.

"Maybe not, but Tessa's no supermodel either. I mean come on, who would want to see her." Everyone could see Tessa was about to blow her top but all of a sudden she seemingly cooled off.

"Doctor, Buzz, would you you excuse me for a moment? " She was excused and Tessa calmly walked over to where Warp sat in his beachy throne. Then... she picked up the jug of lemonade and splashed its remaining contents in Warps face! Mira knew it wasn't funny but she couldn't help but snicker and Simone and couldn't help but smile either.

"Gaah! Plegh, Bleugh! Hey!" Warp tried to wipe the lemonade off his sunglasses as Tessa set down the jug.

"There's your lemonade, your highness." Tessa pretended to curtsy and it even made Buzz chuckle a little.

"Heh heh heh! Thats what you get for ticking her off Warp."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah..." Warp grumbled as he stood up, dripping wet with lemonade, trying to shake it off. Tessa was one of few people who got away with these sort of things.
Suddenly all this splashing got the gears turning in Tessas head.

"Hey, that just gave me an idea! Sorry about the interruption Doctor, I'll be right be right back!" Tessa then dashed inside and upstairs.

Buzz and Warp knew that look all too well.

"Oh, no..."

"Oh boy, there she goes, planning again."

"'Planning?' Is that a bad thing? "

"Tessa has a habit of planning things ahead even if it's not to everyone's tastes. Once she gets an idea, she doesn't stop."

"Mmm, I think I know what's going on. "

"Oh, really? If you know what's going on in the mystery that is Tessas mind, please, share."

" It's a case of cabin fever. Just listen to what she has to say."

"Whatever. Now if you don't mind, I'm going to wash off my lemonade bath." Warp then followed Tessas path upstairs.

"Now where was I? Ah yes. Pardon the interruption Doctor. As you were saying? "

The greetings were friendly enough, but the questions had the Bubonese tilting her head to one side. Didn't she just say why she was here?

"I believe I just said that I was exploring this planet and had found this neighborhood," was her reply. "I don't have many opportunities to leave Star Command because of my work, and Capital Planet is a large place."

She kept one ear on the jabs being thrown around to one side, until a sudden yell grabbed her attention. Luckily, no one was hurt, unless you counted Warp's ego. A chuckle came out before Thalassi could stop herself, then she watched as Tessa flew into the house.

"Quite the energetic girl," she commented, before looking around the yard. "Though it seems like she doesn't have very many channels for that energy. Now, I have to ask, did you all just experience a loud event of some sort? Am I going to have to set up some appointments to check for ear damage?"

She may have been joking about that last part. Maybe.

Ty rolled his eyes at Warp's superficial behavior. Same old Warp, same old snark, it seemed.

That shallow remark left Tessa in quite a rage. A tranquil and silent rage before she walked over to Warp.... picked up the jug of lemonade... and, like a waterfall, dropped the liquid onto Warp's face!
Ty couldn't resist a small teethy smirk while Simone smiled and hid a chuckle underneath a hand. "My goodness... he IS attractive now; the lemonade goes quite well."

Ty sat up and playfully swatted Simone's shoulder this time. "Nice comeback."
His girlfriend shrugged and innocently smiled. ]"I try, Ty, I try."

Seeming inspired by this event, Tessa suddenly had an idea and sprang to the house. What it was, the Rangers didn't know. But she was off and away, and left Ty and Simone to their own devices.

The doctor herself was left to a question of her own about a loud noise. Ty and Simone didn't reply but only shook their heads. "No. Unless you count the music that Tessa's been playing."

"I think we'll live. Tessas always been energetic,  imaginative too." Buzz then heard someone run down the stairs. He looked up to see Tessa in a white, pink,  and orange plaid bikini with an orange cloth wrapped around her waist as a sort of makeshift skirt. Buzz wasn't very approving of a young lady showing quite that much skin. "Tessa what on earth are you wearing? "

"My swimsuit, I figured if we couldn't go to the beach, we'd bring it to us."

Warp came down with a towel draped around his neck. "We're doing what now?" Warp took one glance at Tessas outfit and it made him do an akward double take. Tessa was his friend and on occasion it made him a little overprotective.  He knew all the teenage boys in the neighborhood would be gawking at her once they caught a glimpse. It also made Warp a little uncomfortable because he had been with women with less clothing than that. If it was a total stranger, he would be all over her, but this was someone he knew personally. To Warp, Tessa would always be a kid (even though she was a legal adult). He thought of Tessa as a little sister of sorts and it kind of freaked him out that she would be dressed this way. Warp snapped out of his 'big brother' mode and went back  to his normal self.

"Taking the beach to us."

Warp couldn't believe Tessa thought of an activity so childish. "You're not serious, are you?"

"Oh c'mon it'll be fun! Itll give us a chance to exercise,  cool off,  and loosen up. It'll help get rid of that cabin fever we've been having.  Buzz, Warp, don't deny it; I  know you guys have been restless too. So what do you say?" Tessa eagerly awaited Buzz's answer since he had the final say on everything. Buzz wasn't sure what to choose and was open to possiblities so took a vote. Max purred in approval.

"Mira, what do you think?"

Mira shrugged.  "Well, it's worth a try." She then hushed her voice so Tessa couldn't hear. "Might as well indulge her for an hour or two."

"Ty? Simone?"

And when Tessa returned...

Ty perked a brow and Simone tilted her head in confusion a little...

What in the galaxy was she wearing?
...Her SWIMsuit?

...That seemed a little too much for the young woman..

TessaLovesOzzy wrote:"My swimsuit, I figured if we couldn't go to the beach, we'd bring it to us."

Ty crossed his legs and leaned on his resting arms as Tessa repeated herself with the idea. So instead of going to the beach, they'd bring the beach to them, huh? Girl's got a lot of spirit and optimism.

Buzz didn't seem too sure on what to think about Tessa's explanation for the idea, and so he asked Mira, and eventually the couple.

Ty and Simone looked at each other. Was it really a good idea? Would it work or would it fail?

"Uh... well, I don't really care. I'm not opposed TO the idea, but I haven't experienced a case of cabin fever to really want this."

Simone was a little more direct. "Neither am I. Of course, if we were to go to it, that'd be one thing, but since we need to keep an eye on him," she nodded her head towards Warp, "I don't really have a say to it either."

A flash of plaid out of the corner of her eye drew Thalassi's attention towards the door until Tessa was in full view.

Huh. You don't normally see humans in that little clothing outside the medical bay.

Tessa's idea, while certainly...interesting, seemed to be nonetheless gaining ground in the impromptu vote. Thalassi, for her part, kept silent, as she rather doubted that speaking to these people for a few minutes would make them consider her enough of a part of the group to have a voice in this decision.

Though now she was very curious to see just how they were going to "bring the beach" here....

Buzz then turned his gaze towards Warp. Warp sighed and grumbled again.

"I don't really get a choice because I'm stuck with the golden boys here, so why not?"

Buzz then pulled out his own surprise. "Well, there's a fair going on today, but it won't open until 4 pm because of the the heat. We'll ride a few rides, what do you think? "

"I'll only agree if it's a consolation prize for everyone putting up with me." Tessa said with a smile.

"Deal." Buzz smiled back. The only reason he made the decision to go to the fair was to test Warp and see if Tessa really tamed his heart and won Warp over enough to have him change his criminal ways or if Warp was just using Tessa like Warp used him to get close to Star Command. He'd fill Ty and the ladies in on the way upstairs.

"Hope you rangers brought your swimsuits." The 4 rangers began to head inside as Warp still stood next to Tessa.

"Putting up with Tessa any day of the week has got to put out one hell of a consolation prize."

"Oh, don't start that again! Besides, is that any way to talk to a lady? "

"Relax. I've heard worse."

The rangers were already halfway upstairs when Warp said, "I don't see why I have to follow you like a lost pup, Lightyear. I mean, I've got the Doc and Tessa to keep an eye on me."

"Warp!"

"Alright, alright, I'm coming. " Warp drudged his way into the house.

Tessa then smirked. "I'm confused. Who's supposed to be the one who's immature, you or me?" Warp made a face and stuck out his tongue.

"WARP!!!" Buzz yelled from the top of the stairs.

"Coming, Captain Bossy!" Warp quickly made his way up the stairs to avoid anymore orders being barked at him.

With the adults upstairs changing, Tessa went to work on making this 'beach at home' adventure as fun as possible. Tessa then noticed Senior Doctor Thalassi was still there.

"Oh! I didn't mean to ignore you Doctor Thalassi! I'm sorry! If you're wondering how I'm going to bring the beach here, I'm only going to focus on one aspect of it; specifically the water aspect. It won't be the ocean, but I figure some friendly competition with some water games will get things going.

Tessa didn't want to be rude or let the doctor feel left out so... "Um, you're welcome to join us if you like. If not, thats okay..."

Oh brother, Warp. "It's better than being stuck with Zurg. Did you think about that, Darkmatter?" A smirk from Ty and another silly chiding from Simone. Sometimes Ty could be so mean... in a playful way, which is what his girlfriend loved about him. Still...

"A fair? Where is this fair, Buzz?" Indeed, where could it be? Hopefully it wouldn't be on Carniworld. That place was horrible enough with its food and service! So if that were the place to go, Buzz could forget it!

Tessa didn't want to forget it, however. Already she was on the ball and agreeing to this compromise.
Hey wait a minute... why even go in the first place?

To make sure that Warp was behaving?


Wait, wait... what?...when did Buzz suddenly change his mind? This wasn't like him to suddenly drop everything for the sake of....
Ty perked a brow and after shooting a quick confused glance at Simone, he shot up from his place on the grass as he followed Buzz and company. Simone followed suit.

"Buzz what are you-"
And then more commotion came up; arguments with Buzz, Warp and Tessa. Ty suppressed the urge to groan. Not again...

His girlfriend patted and gave her boyfriend a sympathetic smile.
He in turn grimaced back at the ridiculousness of it all. Craters... things were going to take more swan dives, weren't they?

Ty was getting angrier by the minute and he deserved an full explanation. A "relationship" problem wasn't going to cut it. Buzz went on to explain what was going on and his strange behavior. There was a lot more than just a relationship.

"Sorry about that. I know you guys deserve an explanation for I did back there. Turns out this isn't a vacation anymore."

Buzz pulled out his smartphone and it had video message on it.

"Its from Commander Nebula.  I got it just before Doctor Thalassi came by."

Everyone gathered around as the message played.


"Lightyear, Sorry to do this to you on your time off but I've got a mission for you and Parsec. Theres a local fair going on and its suspected that some kind of trade off is going to go down there between Kentrix and Torque. We think it'll be just before opening.  You two will use Darkmatter to find out what this trade off is about and take 'em down. Rangers Nova and Caldera will make sure Tessa stays out of this since she has a nasty habit of stowing away on missions. Kids got a sixth sense about these missions. If I catch Tessa anywhere near this mission, I'll make sure she gets sent home...for good. And if Darkmatter gives you trouble, tell him this will keep him away from wearing any prison jumpsuits that much longer. We don't want to raise any suspicions with Tessa so when the opportunity presents itself, you know what to do. Nebula out.

The message ended and Buzz put his smartphone away. "Not that I'm complaining,  but you'd think that Nebula would send another team in."

"It's not my favorite thing in the world either but we've got to follow orders. Now the fair won't open until 4:30 this afternoon because of the heat. We've got to be on our guard Ty and so do you two. Tessa is more cunning than she seems thanks to a certain someone. "

Buzz glared at Warp when the criminal came up the stairs.

"What can I say? I have an influence on her. I heard something about orders? Whats going on?"

"Later. Besides the less you know the better. "

Warp knew something was up an he was going to find out what. The guys went in one room and the ladies the other. Though Tessa had quickly become their friend, she was a civilian and civilians weren't supposed to be allowed on missions. The missions Tessa had been on were minor and possed no threat but this mission was different. Buzz didn't like hiding things from her or treating her like a fugitive and neither did Mira since they have known her the longest besides Warp. But this was to keep their friend safe and that gave it some justification.They all knew Tessa could be strange,  too energetic, and even intolerable at times but she ment well. Treating Warp like a criminal was one thing, but a 19 year old kid?

Ty quirked a brow. "Go on."

As soon as Buzz heard that request, he pulled out the source of the mission via video message. On the screen was the gruff and determined leader of the Space Rangers, Commander Nebula. The group gathered around to hear the man speak.



Once the message was done, Buzz further elaborated on the mission, but not before Mira decided to carry in a not-quite there complaint.
Simone gave a pat on Mira's shoulder and a calm smile.
But once Buzz gave his orders, Simone turned her attention and put on a neutral face.



Ty slightly rolled his eyes. Who else but Darkmatter? A voice rang out from the stairs. Speak of the devil.

"And believe me, Darkmatter, it's better for us, ESPECIALLY for us, that you don't know anything at all."

Simone sighed and patted Ty on the arm before she turned to Mira. "Come on Mira, let's go keep an eye on Tessa." And so she and Mira went off.

As the ladies headed downstairs,  the guys still continued to change. Buzz knew Ty wasn't all that thrilled with Tessas idea. Ty and Tessa didn't know each other very well since they met only a few weeks ago and the visits were few and far between.

Buzz went to try and reassre Ty a bit. "Look Ty, I know Tessa can be a bit...um, ..."

"Weird? Crazy? Immature for her age?"

"Exaggerated but somewhat true. Tessa means well. She usually just wants make  people happy or try to help. Even when sometimes others don't need help. Once you get to know her better you'll get used to it."

"Oh yeah, you'll get used to her; once you find out about her obsession with anime and cartoons, the fact that she constantly contradicts herself contantly, an uptight goody two shoes half the time, that the second shes alone she spends her  waking moments either drawing or on the internet, and shes a drama queen. Yeah Parsec, you're going to have loads of fun."

"He over exaggerated that last bit. Now lets head downstairs. "

Warp was reminded of Tessas plan for the day and drudged down the stairs right behind Buzz and Ty.

"Yay." Warp said in a flat monotone.

"I'll try to make it an hour and cut it short."

"You better. I don't think I can handle this until noon.

Buzz leaned over to Ty and whispered as softly as he could."Remember that deal between Kentrix and Torque won't happen until just before the fair opens. Being it'll still be in daylight it'll be risky but an abandoned fair is an ideal location."

Ty nodded in acknowledgement.

"What are you two whispering about? I can't hear you..."

Buzz and Ty simply ignored him as if he wasn't there and said nothing. Warp was intent on knowing what was up and saw Buzz put his phone away after he came up the stairs the first time. That was probably the key knowing what was going on. He had to get that phone.

((Ack! Sorry for how late this is. I plead work, writer's block, and lack of access to a proper computer. >.>))

As the decision was made and the others started to file their way into the house, Thalassi remained where she was. She briefly considered going on her way, but then she noticed that the girl--Tessa, if she heard right--was still there.

Ah, so they were going to do water games. Thalassi nodded in understanding, though she paused upon hearing the offer to think it over.

"I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to decline," she said. "Even with the cooling features in the suit, vigorous activity in this heat and with this color will be a sure recipe for heat stroke, and I can't exactly change out of it." That would be a sure way to dampen the fun for everyone.

Thalassi glanced over as the two female rangers exited the house, when an idea struck. "However...perhaps I can offer my services as a referee?"

((Thats okay. I know all about it. All is forgiven. ^^))

Tessa just smiled at Doctor Thalassi. "Thats okay. I figured I'd offer anyway. Hey I think having a referee would be great! You make sure Warp doesn't cheat!"

Tessa continued to fill up water balloons and didn't hear Mira and Simone come down.

"So, what exactly are we doing for this game?"

"Oh, Hey guys I didn't hear you come down. Looking good!" Mira was wearing her pink and green one piece bathing suit and Simone was wearing a one piece also.

((I'll let you go in detail Fox))

"Hey Simone, That little number ought to turn Ty's head. " Tessa remarked in a semi-hushed tone as she gave Simone a reassuring wink. As for a response to Mira's question...  "Well first, we're going to have a little battle of the sexes then the second round,  it'll be everyone for themselves.  I'll go into detail when the guys come down here.  Speaking of, whats taking them so long?" Mira and Simone looked at each other knowing that the men were talking about the mission. Simone quickly responded.

"Wait,  here they come now."

Warp was still in the same oufit he had when he entered the house with the others. He came down with  Buzz and Ty in their swim trunks.

"All right, lets this over with."

"At least give her a chance. Well, this whole thing was your idea Tessa. What are we doing and what are the rules?"

"I'm glad you asked. There will be 2 rounds and upon request, both rounds will be refereed by Senoir Doctor Thalassi. First round will be Guys versus Ladies. Teams will receive penalties for using anything except the water balloons, any tackling, and any other actions deemed unnecessary by the referee. Warp, I'm looking at you. At the end of the 30 minutes, the team with the least amount of penalties wins. Second round will be a last-man-standing sort of deal. Same rules as the first round apply with one exeption. If a person gets hit five times, they are out. The person with the least amount of penalties or is the last man standing at the end of an hour wins. Any questions? All right lets go!"

Tessa paused for a second and looked at Buzz. "Anything wrong? "

A bit of silence. Tessa pondered for a moment. Was she onto them that they had a mission? The rangers tensed up for a moment. "Oh nothing. I just thought for a second,  you guys had a mission.  But then I remembered that you guys were on vacation, so that wasn't possible. "

A collective sigh of relief came from the rangers. "Hey, before you do anything, you put on some sunscreen, young lady."

"Yes, Dad."

Buzz did not take kindly to that remark. "Just do it, will you?"

"Alright, alright. I was just teasing. Warp was right; you to need to have more fun."

A short while later, things were about to get under way. Max took a seat to Doctor Thalassi as Tessa handed her an umbrella. "Just in case it gets a little crazy."

((Gaah! Why do alwsys write such long responses?! DX))

It wasn't that Ty didn't like Tessa, in fact, he found her rather amusing, but....he still didn't exactly feel confident in this idea.
Even as Buzz tried to reassure him, and Warp complaining about the girl, Ty had his own doubts. This mission concerning a citizen?...this still didn't feel right.

Would he voice his opinion? As much as he felt the need to, he and the rest of the Rangers had a job to do. And so, he'd do it. Ty nodded to confirm himself when Buzz reminded him of the deal between Kentrix and Torque.

And off the men went.

Meanwhile, outside....

Tessa and Doctor Thalassi caught up on conversation when the two female Rangers, both veteran and rookie, came down, now clad in bathing suits. Both female Rangers greeted the doctor when they came down.
Mira smiled at Tessa's earnest compliment on her suit and thanked her for it while Simone quietly smiled and blushed, covering her arms over her light blue bathing suit. Her ink black hair hung loose behind her back and reached the tip of her bluebell sarong, which ended just barely above her feet.

Simone blushed even further when Tessa remarked on her outfit. But she took it with stride and smiled and nodded in thanks.
Luckily, the moment ended when Tessa asked about the men.
After sharing a glance with Mira, Simone assured, "I'm sure they're finishing getting ready. Let's give them a few more minutes and then we can-"

"Wait, here they come now." wrote:

And they did. Now all three were clad in appropriate attire.

When Ty and Simone met each other, each couldn't help but be a bit flabbergasted in their own way at how the other was dressed. Ty with his appealing eye and small blink, Simone with her blushing and shy smile. This lasted for a few seconds before the rules were brought up. Rules set in place, they prepped up to get the game started until...

A long sigh from Ty. This was going to be tougher than he thought at keeping Tessa in the dark.

But then the game was on.

As the rest of the group joined up, Tessa started to explain what she had in mind. Thalassi listened intently as the rules were stated, nodding to show that she had memorized them. At Tessa's pause, however, and the unusual reaction from the others, she tilted her head. What had that been about?

It only took a few more minutes for everything to get set up. As the large feline set up shop next, Thalassi found herself the sudden recipient of an umbrella. "Oh! Thank you."

After setting up a timer in one corner of her suit's HUD, Thalassi looked over the soon-to-be battleground. Both sides clearly seperated, ballon supplies ample...yep, everything ooked good to her.

"Ready?" She lifted the umbrella, pointed straight up into the air, then brought it back down again with a slashing motion. "Begin!"

Everyone got into position and waited for the signal to start. Each person already had a water balloon in hand, ready to throw. Warp was starting to get cocky as he remarked:

"Only have to worry about Caldera and the princess. Taking Tessa out is going to be easy."

Buzz and Ty looked at Warp, both agitated. "Come again?"

"Come on, she doesn't know a Zeta Formation from a Gemini Split. She's going to be easy pickings."

Buzz just rolled his eyes.  "We'll see about that."

Meanwhile, on the ladies side, Tessa came an unfortunate realization.

"Aw Crud."

"What?"

"It just hit me. In the second round, I'll be going up against four space rangers and a trigger happy criminal.  I'm going to get creamed!"

"Well lets just focus on this round first. Don't worry about it. "

Doctor Thalassi gave the signal and the battle began! Water balloon were being thrown everywhere, bursting as they hit the ground. Tessa was the first to take several hits while Mira and Simone dodged. Tessa shivered as the icy cold water splashed her, hit after hit, but it felt good considering how hot it was. One could easily tell that that out of everyone there, Tessa had the slowest reflexes.  Buzz took a shot to the shoulder from Mira. Mira grinned as she and Buzz began to really get into this water battle.

"So, ready to lose Lightyear?"

Buzz grinned back and was up for a challenge. "Are you, Nova?"

Meanwhile, Tessa tryed taking shots at Warp but ended up missing several times or failing miserably.

"You call that a throw, Tessa?  A two year old has better aim than you!" Splash!  A cold water balloon burst as it hit Warps face, the ice water dripping from his head.

"You were saying? Now are you going to stop underestimating me or are still going to be an ass?"

"Tessa!" "Tessa!"

"What? I'm an adult!"

"Alright, no more kid gloves." Warp loaded his arm cannon with a few water balloons and began to fire.

"What are you doing?! You're going to give us a penalty! "

"If it means taking down lil' miss smartmouth, I don't care!" Warp didn't get very far and of course was penalized for it. He continued to give his team more penalizations and Warp continued to break the rules Tessa set.

As the temperature rose, the battle escalated as well. Time passed and everyone took shocks to their systems from the chilly water, trash talked a little as they threw, and laughed a bit. By now everyone had taken several hits and to their surprise,  they were actually starting to have fun. Before they knew it time was up and in the end, the ladies were victorious. They cheered while the men were a bit dejected. Everyone was soaking wet but they had a good round.

"So did I have a good idea? "

"I've warmed up to it."

"I do admit it was a little fun. But did you see Warp? He really got into it."

Warp grumbled. "Well, I just can't stand loosing."

"Well it wouldn't have happened if you just listened for once in your life. "

Tessa a little overconfident as she proceeded to rub her victory in Warps face. "So tell me Warp. Which hurt more, the fact you lost or the fact you lost to a teenager?"

Warp quietly steamed for a moment but then his face quickly changed to an slightly unsettling grin."If I remember right, you were the one who losing to me before the round ended. Just watch yourself in the second round 'cause you're gonna get reamed.

Tessas confidence wavered as she was abruptly reminded of who she would be going against. " Oh yeah? W-well you may be surprised about my abilities and what I can do."

"What abilities? Oh yeah, you don't have any."

Tessa growled at him. "Sometimes I wonder why I like you."

Warp chuckled in response.  All of a sudden, Tessa took notice of something.

"Uh, guys? I think we started a chain reaction."

The rest of the group turned to see about half the neighborhood doing something similar to what they had done. Well, what do you know?

As the rest of the group began to get ready for the second round, Tessa grabbed a bucketful of water balloons as she tiptoed past her would be opponents. She spotted a tree in the yard earlier and thought it would be a perfect vantage point. Tessa began to climb as she said to Doctor Thalassi in a hushed tone:
"Don't give me away. Please."

Tessa finally shimmied high enough up the tree so she (hopefully) wouldn't be seen and quickly brought up her ammo with a rope tied to the bucket. Just in time too. The rangers and Warp were about to get in their own positions when Mira noticed Tessa was gone.

"Where'd Tessa run off to?"

"Oh, shes around here somewhere. Just a matter of time."

Everyone scrambled to find a good position as Doctor Thalassi once again gave the signal and the second round began. Buzz was one side of the house and Warp the other and Mira was somewhere in the bushes. Ty was getting a little too close to the tree so he became the unsuspecting victim of a water balloon dropped on his head. Tessa held her breath as Ty looked around to find out where the water balloon came from.

The signal would start soon. The teams bickered and chatted while they waited for the opportunity to strike. The men, save Ty, argued about Tessa's abilities. On the female team, Tessa's epiphany and Mira's assurance caused Simone to quirk up a brow. "And besides...what makes you think you'll be going up against four Rangers and Warp?"

The question would be left unanswered.

Let the games begin.

Flying projectiles made of water and rubber hit their targets on both sides, with Tessa receiving the most hits while Mira and Simone avoided almost all balloons thanks to their Ranger training. The men were just as sturdy in battle as the female Rangers, with the men getting the occasional splash here and there. The competition grew hotter, just as hot as the day itself.

Ty and Simone succeeded in hitting each other with water, each wearing a competitive smirk. Balloons thrown at each other in the sides, the back, the legs, the arms, and yet the two enjoyed it. When was the last time the two of them had this much fun? They couldn't recall.

Sometime in the later afternoon, the battle ended, with the women emerging victorious. The men looked a little miffed at losing. But Ty decided to be the graceful one and congratulate the opposing side. "Hey, you girls did pretty well. Congrats."

Simone smiled. "Thanks, Ty. That's gracious of you."
Ty gave a small smile back.

The two walked over to each other to poke fun at each other's wet appearance for a few minutes, before they took to watching everyone else bicker like old couples.
Ty placed a hand on his hip while Simone crossed her arms as they stood and observed more talk taking place.

When Warp then picked on Tessa, Ty gave Simone a knowing glance and a roll of his eyes. Simone smirked a little in amusement.
Oh brother...

More splashing and jeering and shouting then echoed into the area.
The two Rangers looked around and noticed that other neighbors followed the group's example of having fun in the sun.
This was quite entertaining, actually.

Ty was the one to smirk now, while Simone hid a chuckle behind a hand.
They watched for a few minutes before they and everyone else decided to set themselves up for the next round. It was by then they noticed Tessa's disappearance. But they didn't think much of it, since Tessa did seem the type to vanish in and out at times.

They went off and got prepared for whatever surprises this round would bring. Ty thought about settling near a tree, since it was far away from the battlefield and provided a good scale of the whole place. But just as he was experimenting with the perfect spot...

WHOOSH!

He was the victim of a surprise water attack. "Ack!"
Simone heard Ty emit a shocked yell and turned to see...a very grouchy Ranger standing with soaked hair.
She resisted the urge to giggle. But she asked, "Ty! What happened?"

The Ranger sighed. "What else? I got attacked on the head by a water balloon..."
It was then he had struck an epiphany.
"...And I think I know who."

Would Ty look up?

Almost as soon as the umbrella went down, Thalassi found her work cut out for her.

"Darkmatter! No arm cannon!" She was rather surprised, however, that Warp's robotic arm apparently had a feature for water balloons, and found herself wondering what Zurg's lackeys were thinking when they added that in.

Her thought process was cut off, however, when she spotted Warp throwing a rock in the general direction of Tessa, and then pelting her with a balloon while she was distracted. "Darkmatter! Water balloons only!"

She turned away to glance over the other participants, looking back at Warp just in time to catch him in the act again. "Darkmat--ugh." She reached up with one hand to cover her eyeports as she slowly shook her head. "How did that man even graduate from the Academy in the first place?" she muttered to the feline.

Realizing the futility of calling the evil agent out, she resorted to keeping a mental tally. Once the timer on her HUD reached 0, she raised the umbrella again. "Stop!"

Once the air was cleared of water balloons, she stepped forward. "By my count, the score is twenty-three to twenty-one, in favor of the men." She quickly held up a hand to stave off potential complaints. "However, that's before taking penalties into account. So, thanks to the arm cannon, the rock throwing, and everything Darkmatter did, the score is now..." she briefly paused to mentally calculate "...negative three to twenty-one. Victory goes to the ladies."

She paused to allow the reactions to play out before continuing. "Alright, you have five minutes to restock and find a starting position, and then the free-for-all round will begin."

As she reset the timer, this time for fifteen minutes, she looked up and down the street, watching as other households started up their own water wars. With a slight chuckle to herself, she started to move back to her own position when a flash of orange caught her eye. She tilted her head at the sight of Tessa climbing up a tree, contemplating the girl's plea for a second before shrugging to herself and moving on. For all the teasing Warp sent her way, he did have a point; she was going to need every advantage she could get.

After seeing everyone had found a position, Thalassi once again raised the umbrella before bringing it down again. "Begin!"

Then she stood back and watched the events unfold with ever growing amusement.

((Sorry for the wait! I've been swamped with work from my summer classes. Not to mention I've been a little under the weather. ))

Uh-oh. Busted. Ty's comment to Simone was enough to make Tessa retreat to another spot in the tree. She climbed down a branch or two and tryed not to make too much noise. After taking notice of Ty's incident, Buzz and Warp saw some movement in the tree and automatically knew who it was. Then it stopped. Warp knew it was a bit like finding a needle in a haystack but he decided to take a stab in the dark and throw a balloon and hope he hit Tessa. With his metallic arm, Warp gave a mighty throw and through the branches he heard...

"Haah! Cold! Very Cold!"

Warp chuckled. "Gotcha..."

Tessa knew her position had been compromised and had to find another but where? Whatever scenario she played out in her head ended with her being the first one out of the game. Ty was closing in as he started to make his way up the tree to get a better shot to get back at her for that attack. She had to think fast and she thought, 'why delay the inevitable? ' Tessa jumped down from the branch she was perched on as a last resort. Fortunately, it was a short drop but her landing was less than graceful as she landed flat on her back. Before the rangers and Warp had a chance to ask if she was alright, Tessa was already up and ready for someone to make a move. Warp took a shot at Tessa and missed then Ty threw as Tessa took a hit from Ty. Dodging water balloons, she made a mad dash for the bushes only to realize she left her ammo behind! Mira threw this time and Tessa took a third hit. Two more she'd be be out. Tessa dove back to the tree where her ammo laid at the trunk dodging a few more hits and threw as few at Ty but he dodged as well as anyone else she threw at.  Tessa just wanted to find cover but suddenly she found herself inbetween Buzz and Warp as she took a hit from both of them! With that, Doctor Thalassi officially declared Tessa out of the game.

"Dang it!"

"Told you you'd be the first one out.You really should thought this through."

"Well, no one said I was smart."

"Good try though, Tessa. Better luck next time."

With a thank you and dividing her remaining ammunition amongst the others, she sat down in the grass next to Max and the Doctor and the game continued. The players that remained were the four rangers and the criminal, all of them not going to back down. Oh boy. This was going to be a long (but interesting) 60 minutes.