Neela and River | 8:30ish
The idea of a beach party was just the type of thing to get Neels all kinds of excited. She loved the beach, loved being outside near the water and in the sun, and parties were the most fun when mixed with those two things. She might not have been the seasoned, or even the same type of, partier that everyone else was but that never bothered her. She was always a little different than her peers. She wasn't going to sit inside just because she didn't want to get wasted and act mean or stupid.
Not to mention, there were legitimate mermaids at Mystic Veil. There was no way Neels was going to pass the chance to play with them up.
After getting dressed in simple shorts and a lacy tank top that exposed her toned midriff, Neels was ready. She left her hair down, with a type of circlet atop it that she found rather princess-like, and was done getting ready. It was a beach party, after all, and she had never really been the high maintenance type of girl. Neela liked looking pretty, of course, but it never took too long or too much work. Grabbing a light patterned chiffon cover up for when night fell and it got cooler, the halfbreed slipped into her sandals and practically ran out the door. She met River outside, knowing he was going to walk with her to the party so they could arrive together. Neels gripped his hand as she bounced around the sand, moving from place to place and taking everything in as soon as they got there.
She watched the surf contest, watched the dancing (and partook in it herself), found food to eat, people to talk to, and best of all...PLAYED WITH MERMAIDS. A few girls had been nice enough to let her swim with them, indulging her more than most probably would have. It was a perfect day, and by the time the sun started to dip into the water on the horizon, Neels was sure her face might split apart from smiling so much. She and River had made their way to the edge of the water, and she leaned against his shoulder now as she watched the moonlight start to spill over the rippling waves. She was wearing her bathing suit top that he'd given her over her shirt, but with the way the breeze was ruffling over her skin Neela figured she might need her cover up before too long.