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[In lieu of an answer, Venkman just pushes his sunglasses up to cover his eyes again, and settles back onto the towel.

Sigourney looks from the ring to the necklace to Annie. Something like guilt bubbles up in her, and she takes a moment to try to conceptualize it. It's... ok. You can take one, and they'll put the other on the castle!

Compromise!

A bird lands on the castle again, dislodging some of the sand. It's not Kildarby, this time- it's Venkman's Wingull, MJ. She has a half eaten pizza slice clenched in her beak. She thumps it on the ground, rolls it up a little, picks it up again, throws her head back, and swallows it whole.

It kind of looks horrifying.

Alfred nods- it's important to prepare for possibilities, yes, but you have to remember that they're just possibilities. The future isn't always set in stone.]

[...

You know what?

Ray's just going to pick you up right now. This is what happens.

Annie immediately cheers up at Sigourney letting her keep one, giving Sig a tight hug before letting go, giving her the ring. She seemed to really like that ring anyway-

Uh.

Annie then just... blinks at MJ.

She's both amazed and terrified at this.]

[Egon can't be bothered to look up at what's going on. If Venkman calls out for help, his protests will fall upon deaf ears.

Delphi nods slowly, still somewhat nervous. Thanks, Alfred. Even if it doesn't really help her, she appreciates it. She rubs her forehead, gazing down at the water and keeping a tight grip on the Mantine's antennae.

Meanwhile, Cucumis is getting a little pissed at the ruckus happening outside of her Bag Cave. She pokes her head out, spines bristling slightly as she glances over at the sand castle babies. She lets out a firm squeak--quiet down over there, you crazy kids!]

Hey!

[Venkman cries out in alarm as he gets lifted up in the air. Absolutely none of his Pokemon bother to look over or help.

Sigourney pops the ring back into place on the castle, blinking sheepishly after the hug. She doesn't seem too concerned by MJ's eating- she's seen it before.

MJ tilts her head at Annie once she notices the Cubone watching her. Her eyes pin as she flares her wings and squawks. Hey. This is her food. Not yours. Steal your own, kiddo.

Neither she nor Sigourney appear phased by Cucumis.

Alfred reaches Axle's side at last. Greetings, dear boy! Would you mind floating back towards the shore? It would mean a great deal to this little one here.]

[Ray wordlessly drags Venkman to the shore and dumps him into the ocean. Get fucked, Venkie.

Annie looks nervous when MJ squawks at her. She didn't want to steal it, honest!

She then turns to Cucumis and waves at her. Hi auntie Cucumis!

And hi Alfred and Delphi! Axel nods and slowly turns around to face the other way.

... Yeah he might need help.]

[The splash at least makes Egon look up, surprised. He notes Venkman in the water and quietly takes his samples and inches a little further up the sand before wordlessly returning to his observations.

Delphi peers at Axle, waving a hand for him to grab on. This way! Hold her hand so he can climb on!

Cucumis grumbles a little, using her gut hand to drag herself out of the bag and onto the sand. She wiggles her spines in a greeting before starting to make her way towards the sand castle. She's going to give those kids a stern lecture on being considerate towards others.

...

If she gets there before sundown, that is.]

[Venkman struggles in Ray's grip, laughing and shouting, all the way until he gets unceremoniously tossed into the water.

He's not going down without a fight. After a few seconds, he resurfaces and grabs Ray around the waist, before yanking him down with him with a yell.

His Pokemon still don't care.

MJ bristles a little at Annie, but she's much more interested in the approaching Cucumis. She hops off the sand castle and runs over to Cucumis, tilting her head at the angry grumbling. Then she just. Picks Cucumis up in her beak and runs off, flaring her wings out as she does so.

Kildarby returns. She has a fucking knife clenched in her beak, because none of Venkman's Pokemon can be normal.

Except for Alfred, who obediently swims a little closer to Axle. Yes, he should be able to support Axle's weight if he climbs on. He can also cling to Alfred's tail and be pulled along, if he prefers.]

[Ray shouts in surprise as he's dragged into the water, and starts playfully wrestling with Venkman after the initial shock and spitting out salt water.]

You jerk! That's cheating!

[Cubone lets out a squeak in surprise as MJ takes the sea cucumber. Should... should they do something about this????

Tail is good, he doesn't want to get out of the water, anyway. He lightly grabs a hold and lets himself get taken away.]

[Egon seems oblivious to the chaos that's happening right in front of his nose. He adjusts his magnifying glass before letting out a surprised noise.]

Ray, Venkman, come quick--I see something in the water! I believe it's some sort of phytoplankton, or maybe a mycoplankton--

[And then he looks up to see what's going on. Egon jumps to his feet, frowning lightly and moving closer to the edge of the water--a dangerous move. In a concerned tone, he asks:]

Is everything alright?

[He apparently doesn't realize that his precious sea cucumber has been stolen away by Venkman's bird. Delphi watches as Axle clings to Alfred's tail--ah! Danger! Delphi shoots up onto her feet, trying to maintain her balance as she looks up at the sky, staring at MJ flying off with Cucumis.

Cucumis squeaks indignantly, wiggling violently in MJ's beak to no avail. Eventually, she cranes her head to face MJ and spews out her guts, trying to punch her right in the wing.]

[A very dangerous move. Venkman looks up from trying to dunk Ray's head under the water to the new, approaching target. Immediately, he lets go of Ray and grins at him.]

Get 'em, Ray!

[MJ doesn't fly far, at least. Before Venkman captured her, she preyed on Pyukumuku- while the urge to actually eat Cucumis is gone, she's an expert in catching the little bastards, and she knows better than to try to fly high when she could get punched down. The hit to her wing proves that. She lands and unceremoniously drops Cucumis, and starts prodding at her with her beak like she's a toy.

Sigourney takes the knife. She tilts her head, thinking to herself about how dad usually doesn't let her around these things. After a moment of thought, she decisively sticks it into the packed sand. Kildarby flies off to find more terrible things.]

[Ray grins, and grabs Egon by the waist to drag him into the water. He's giggling like a maniac as he does so.

Annie watches Sigourney stick the knife into the sand with interest, and grabs a nearby stick to shove into the sandcastle as well. She hears this is called symmetry!]

Wh--

[Before Egon realizes what's happening, he gets pulled down into the water. By some miracle, his glasses manage to stay on even as Egon tries to go back towards the surface, sputtering and coughing. He shakes his head to try and shake off some of the water in vain. His suit completely soaked, Egon stares down at his partners.]

Very funny.

[It's hard to tell if he means it...sarcastically or not, based on his stoic expression? He's not getting out of the water, at least. After another moment or two, he submerges himself a little deeper in the water and just. Sits there.

Cucumis lets out a series of angry squeaks as she's poked and prodded at. The nerve of this creature to treat something like her so poorly! She's a trainer's Pokémon and she deserves respect!

Her face suddenly cringes in on itself, and her eyes completely disappear. A few seconds later, copious amounts of slime begins oozing out of her skin to try and discourage MJ.]

[Venkman laughs as Egon gets dragged in, and leans over to kiss him once he settles down.]

Now we're all soaked. It's equality.

[Sigourney looks approvingly at the stick. Yes, she thinks this sand castle is nearly finished. All it needs now is-

Kildarby lands nearby with a plastic toy shovel in her beak. The final piece. She offers it to Annie- here, kid. You do the honors. Stick it in the top of the castle.

The Wingull rolls Cucumis around a bit more, covering her with sand. Taste is never something that really bothers her- she's eaten all kinds of garbage over the years. But eventually, MJ loses interest and just sort of. Hops away. Leaving Cucumis on the ground while MJ goes in search of food she can actually eat.]

[Ray grins and clings to Egon in almost an attempt to apologize (although he's definitely not sorry).]

Besides, what's the point of going to the beach if we don't go into the water?

[Annie starts tearing up at the realization that she gets to put on the final touch! She hugs Kildarby and gratefully takes the shovel.

She's honestly nervous about screwing it up, but gently she places the shovel on top of the sand castle...

And it's perfect! Their dads will love it!!!]

[Egon can't be mad if any of his partners kiss him and Venkman knows it. Infuriating. After a few minutes of sitting, he gets up, dripping wet.]

Well, this was rather informative, but I should be getting back to collecting samples and writing down my observations. Have either of you found anything out here?

[Cucumis is just going to bake in the sun for a little bit while she waits for Egon to notice her. Meanwhile, on the other end of the beach, a Shuckle pokes his head out of his shell, squinting up at the sky and a Wingull flying overhead.]

Yeah, Egon. Why don't you take a closer look at the water over here? seems pretty interesting to me.

[Is he coming up with an excuse to keep Egon over here, or is he planning to dunk Egon's head in the water as soon as he leans close enough? No one knows. Probably both.

As soon as the shovel is placed, the air itself seems to change. The beach feels colder, somehow, at least around the sand castle crew. Kildarby croaks softly, fluffing out her feathers and leaning in a little closer. Sigourney just waits.

The sand castle appears to shift. No- it's definitely shifting, grains falling as the turrents and towers move, and- is that a hole opening up in the middle? Are those eyes?

Like the world's worst knockoff of Frosty the Snowman, that shovel appears to have brought some life to this mound of sand. The new eyes blink as they take in the world around them for the first time. The Sandygast holds its knife up curiously, watching the sun's rays glint off the blade.

Kildarby speaks up first- she's glad to see that her fellow Murkrow weren't lying about this. How does it feel to have created life?

Sigourney thinks it over. Good. Very good, she blinks.

... Anyway, MJ is absolutely gonna fuck with the Shuck, circling overhead and slowly spiralling down towards him. She lands on top of him and starts to peck at the shell, before realizing that won't work. She pokes her beak into the openings.]

[Ray starts giggling, practically giving himself away already.]

Yeah Spengs! I'm sure there's some fascinating microorganisms here!

[Annie, meanwhile, is instantly terrified of the sandcastle moving as soon as she puts the shovel on. She scurries to hide behind Sigourney for protection since she's cool and strong.

H... hi sandcastle? Please say you're friendly.]

I'm not an idiot, Venkman. I know which specimens are of value and which ones to ignore.

[Said while sloshing through the water to go look anyways.

The Shuckle sort of blinks lazily at MJ before slowly slorping itself back into its shell--not that it's particularly bothered by being pecked at, but it would rather not have to deal with this. Score. Now the holes are handholds.

Delphi lets out a loud, sudden squawk, nearly falling off Alfred's back. Doom! It has arrived! It's closer than they think!

...All the while, apparently not seeing the Sandyghast on the shore.]

Never said you were, Egon.

[He makes eye contact with Ray. He slowly approaches Egon from behind, and gestures for Ray to follow his lead. It's dunking time.

Sigourney just... pats Annie on the head, once. She's not really good at comforting. She barely understands what that is. She explains- Kildarby mentioned this ritual to her, and they both wanted to try it out. It should be friendly.

Kildarby preens her wing feathers. Possibly friendly, she adds. We did just create a ghost out of thin air. No telling the personality.

The Sandygast appears too invested with taking in the world around it to even realize they're talking about it. It shuffles forward, granules of sand falling from its body as it moves. It notices Cucumis, and begins to slowly shuffle closer. It's still brandishing the knife.

MJ picks up the Shuckle with ease, chirping to herself. She flies off with the Shuckle- not far, just bringing it closer to the rest of the Pokemon. As for Alfred, he's finally gotten Axle back to the shore, and he looks alarmed by Delphi's reactions. What's wrong, little one? What do you see?]

[It takes a moment for Ray to realize what Venkman's hinting at, but when he does, he nods and gently follows.]

Yeah, you know you're a genius and we love you.

[>:) He will never suspect a thing.

Annie is slightly comforted by this. She doesn't mind ghosts! Her best friend is a ghost herself after all, so surely a lot of them have to be nice.

Oh wait a minute! Her club is still on the sand castle! She scurries out from behind Sig and nervously confronts the Sandyghast.

Hello sir, the club was from her mother, can she please have it back?

Axle idly looks up from the water. If doom has arrived, it's a beautiful day for it. That's nice.]

[Egon stands in the water for a few moments, staring straight into the water. When Ray and Venkman are just about to creep up on him, however, he dives down, disappearing below the waves. Sand gets kicked up and clouds the water where he was.

If Ray or Venkman try to peer into the water where Egon disappeared, they'll hear something splash behind them as Egon tries to push them both into the water. Revenge Time, Boys.

Delphi waves frantically, her arms pinwheeling as she tries to maintain her balance. Doom! A new presence coalesces, formed by fools pursuing a higher knowledge. Tampering with forces unknown to them, they see not the consequences lain before them--!

And then she falls into the water with a loud QUACK!

Cucumis sees the Sandygast coming towards her with a knife, and she squeaks in alarm, trying to scoot out of the way. She came to the beach to have a relaxing time, and what has happened so far? She's been disturbed in her nap, nearly eaten by a blasted Wingull, and now she's being accosted by newborns with knives. She splurts out her guts, raising a fist in warning. Step back, or she'll punch ya!]

[Well. He didn't expect that. Venkman is successfully dunked into the water, and comes back up spluttering.]

You do learn from your mistakes! I can't believe it!

[He's laughing as he tries to drag Egon down again.

The Sandygast pauses at Annie's plea. It has no idea what a mother is. But it will listen to its creators. It allows her to pry the club free, before continuing its slow approach to Cucumis. The fist doesn't bother it- it doesn't even know that's a threat.

Alfred dives underwater after the fallen Delphi, asking if she's alright. Once he's got her on his back, he'll gently deposit her back in the sand.

MJ is poking around at her prize when Kildarby notices. She croaks irritably, and flies over to shoo MJ away. Come now, you're owned by someone, you can't go around preying on the wildlife. The Wingull shrieks in anger- she wasn't gonna eat it, just, you know, maybe take a bite outta it.

Kildarby takes the Shuckle, and is about to fly it back over to where MJ found it, when she notices Egon in the water.

An idea comes to mind.

Ever heard of Aeschylus? How about the way that he died?]

[Ray certainly didn't expect it either and goes down, but he quickly recovers and goes after Egon.]

That's no fair! You can't sneak up on us!

[He doesn't seem at all bothered by this.

Oh! Thank you so much! Annie is now no longer afraid of this scary living sandcastle and is now curiously following him. That's Aunt Cucumis! She's mean sometimes but Annie just knows that she's a good person deep down. c:

Axle gently lays on the shore as well, and pats Delphi on the head. There there. At least we're at water .

... And maybe their dads brought snacks. Do you want a snack?]

[Egon gets dragged down again, but he's not going to take it quietly. Egon immediately goes to try and drag both Ray and Venkman down into the water with him. He's not doing this for fun--this is war.

He's always serious.

Speaking of fun, Cucumis doesn't seem to be having any sort of fun right now. For the love of Arceus, get rid of that knife before she takes it from you!

Delphi sort of flops down onto the sand, quacking in a slightly panicked manner. The mental load of predicting the future is too much for her--she's just gonna lie here for a bit. Snacks would be nice.

The Shuckle remains firmly in his shell while Kildarby does whatever she wants with it. He just hopes that eventually they'll give up and leave him alone.]

[Venkman gets yanked into the water again.

The Sandygast approaches Cucumis. Closer. Closer.

Kildarby picks up the Shuckle in her talons and flies over the trio of Ghostbusters, circling them once or twice. She aims.

The Shuckle is deployed.

Delphi is probably about to have a heart attack.]

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