Eventually, the Obs Deck made its way through the planet's atmosphere. There was a notable lurch, and then gravity returned to the Obs Deck.

Several minutes pass, and there was a loud thoom as Obs Deck landed. A large section of wall opens up to become a wide access ramp, revealing the bright, blue sky.

As the crew stepped out of the Obs Deck, they could see that they were on a landing pad of some sort. To the side, they could see another hatch on the side of the Obs Deck pod open, with large tendrils reaching inside and pulling out the vehicles Stacy mentioned earlier.

Out in the distance, they could see a large, technologically advanced city, and even further down they could see the long tracks of beach, filled with hundreds of tourists of all different species.

As they stood around, taking in the sights, a rather perky looking, green-skinned alien attendant came up to greet them.

"Greetings, everyone!" she said. "Welcome to Zokez II! My name is Kyzket, and I'll be your liaison for the duration of your stay. I'll have to ask everyone to please leave any weaponry you may have on your person aboard your vessel, as all weaponry is strictly forbidden on the planet's surface."

"Your ship's AI has already handled all the booking, and has keyed your communicators to have a line directly to my own if you need any help."

"Now, does anyone have any questions?"

[ooc: IT BEGINS! After this post, everyone is free to post their own threads on-planet. HAVE FUN GUYS.]

For once since being released, Shadow as free. No missions, no being stuck in the ship, no zombies, no mindscrews. Just the open air and the wind blowing past him. He could understand now how Sonic felt - it was nice to be free.

Upon arriving and checking in, Shadow raced off into the city. Nothing more than a black and red streak, Shadow raced his away across the city, enjoying every last minute of it. It was real, it was enjoyable and he was going to savor it.

Landing on a rooftop, the hedgehog looked out towards everything. It was like he could see forever.

"Hmph... never thought I'd say this, but... I like this." Shadow uttered.

"REAL BEAAAAAAAAAAACH!" Irma said, having dragged Hay Lin to a nearby shore. While the sensorium beaches were nice, nothing beat a REAL LIFE BEACH. "Oh, my god, this is just great!" She turned back to face the dark-haired girl she just so happened to drag with her.

"Not only do I get my best friend back, but we got a vacation! A real life vacation! With real food and real clothes and..." Irma said, getting more excited. "I don't know how this could get any better!"

She looked down at the fact that she was still sporting those ridiculous plantsuits.

"Swimsuits."

The very first thing Tycho did after he disembarked, was to buy a pair of shorts and a shirt, in a lightweight summery material (along with some underwear) and some sunglasses. He stashed his plantsuit in the shopping bag, and then, pulling up a map of the city on his omicom, set out to familiarize himself with the environs.

As much as Tycho liked the idea of getting some drinks and hitting the beach, it was impossible to say how long Stacy would actually allow them to remain on this planet. The smart thing to do would be to get the needed supply gathering done first so that in the event of anything unexpected happening, they would not be forced to leave without stocking up.

Tycho gave a cursory examination to the shops meant for tourists, but he had no doubt the prices were inflated there, and they would not have things in the amounts he needed. No, instead what he wanted was to find where the shops purchased their supplies from.

It would take some sleuth work, but Tycho was sure he was up to the task. He headed down another commercial street that looked promising.

Wags had one target, and one targetonly, and as soon as they had landed he gone out in search of it. It had taken some searching, but he'd finally reached it. A bar with an Open-Mic Night. Prized guitar in hand, he entered, and seeing no-one up, he vaulted onto the stage.

"Uh, hey all. Names Wags-Tail-A-Lot." He said to the various beings gathered on the floor. "Not gonna waste your time with a bunch of chitchat when I'm supposed to be playing music, so I'll get to it."

Slapping the body of the guitar in lieu of drums, he started in on his song.
( Cut for Lyrics )

The first thing Katara would do once she got her shore leave and money would be to head to a shop a buy a bathing suit: it nothing too bare, she preferred one pieces to bikinis anyway, and she got one with a pretty interesting design decked in blue. When that was done, she purchased some suntan lotion and made straight away for the water, laughing and giggling as she playfully had the tide come to meet her. When she got close enough she turned in the air and landed neatly into the water, using her hands to have the water sweep her out as she dove in and out. She did just about everything she could there: water surfing, exploring the sea creatures within, and bringing the waves up and down to take her higher in the air. Anyone who could have observed the girl would have known immediately her element, and when she finally DID get out of the water, she wasn't tired but in fact more pumped up and ready to see more of this place.

Also, she could eat seafood, couldn't she? The possibilities were endless!

Tsukasa, despite getting a little lost doing some additional exploring, actually made it to his destination: A hardware store.

"Let's see..." He said, running through his mental list of supplies. I'll need something akin to nails, hammers, wood, shingles, roof tar...I think that's it, but I better see if there's anything else I need.

He headed in, fully intending to stimulate the local economy with purchasing items.

Shinn had gone for one of the motorbikes as soon as they’d touched down, driving it straight off the obs deck and into the resort town. He passed a few solid blocks of shop fronts filled with sarongs, driftwood jewelry, and the alien equivalent of tiki torches before running into a larger and exponentially less kitsch store stocked with clothes not just meant for hanging around the beach. He’d mentally run down what he’d usually pick up on a chance to disembark and realized that the only things Stacy wouldn’t supply were real clothes and food. Food would go bad, but the mismatch of casual clothes he picked up would last long enough if Stacy had somewhere to wash them.

But that was all he wanted from the busy part of town. He hit the island’s approximation of a highway and took off for the opposite end of the place. It was a good bike, the tank was full – he could blank out for an hour or two, racing the breeze.

He stopped, finally, where the road widened into some sort of “look at the beautiful view” spot, or maybe it was just some place for trucks to pull over. He didn’t really care. At a glance, the area was deserted, and there was a stairway of sun-bleached wood down to a white, sandy beach. He parked the bike and stepped down to the shore, stripping down to lightweight shorts at the stepping into the surf. The waves seemed erratic – probably thanks to the new sentient moon parked in orbit – but he’d been swimming almost as long as he could walk, and further out the water was calm enough to float. The sun was warm, the sea was gentle, the breeze was clean…

How long had it been since he’d wound up swimming…? As far as he could remember, he’d been on leave at Diocuia only months ago, but he had no way of knowing how long he’d been sleeping on Stacy. It could have been years, and… the little cove by the cliffs was gone now. So was the memorial at Onogoro, the dunes he and Mayu had played at… And someday this postcard world would probably end up just like Orb.

Knowing the Ohm would wipe the whole "no weapons" planet out of existence made the place a lot harder to enjoy.

It took a lot to contain the Doctor’s excitement, and they hadn’t even started looking inside the Hangar yet.

The first time he and Jamie had passed by here, they hadn’t ventured far enough inside to warrant any definite recognition of proximity towards his ship. Now that he was here again, of course (and he had his suspicions well fueled), the TARDIS was giving off clear, if not somewhat distant, locating signals. Her distinct signature flitted about his brain like a fly around his ear, making him anxious, energized. She was symbiotically connected to him, after all. Finding her even nonfunctional would be like meeting a long-lost twin sibling, albeit one of a different species that could travel through space and time.

For fear of taking this analogy too far—overuse of extended metaphors can be hazardous to one’s health—the Doctor focused again on the many rows upon rows of impressive looking space fighters, mechas, motor scooters, etcetera, waiting patiently (or not so patiently) for the others to receive his message over the comms. Part of him was worried that Jamie might not make use of the established network as readily as some other crewmembers, but frankly he’d been here long enough to understand how it worked. Besides, the Doctor probably drilled the time and location into his brain while he was pacing around the room the night before, muttering the notice and possible formats to himself as he distractedly took apart his omnicom, put it back together, took it apart again, rearranged some components…

No sleep for weary Time Lords, so the saying goes. Or something like that.

[[ooc: Mainly for the designated Who crew DW characters and those that know about the TARDIS (Kaylee, Billy, Renne, anyone else I haven't mentioned), but if you want to pop in, let one of us know and we'll see what we can do. :3 ]]

Shore leave! A time to kick back, enjoy the sights, play around in the great weather, and maybe go swimming. Unless you're Satori.

Satori had, until coming to the ship in the first place, spent her entire life underground. After that, it had been the artificial glow of the ship. This place was, in fact, the first time she had ever come in contact with a real sun. It was too damn bright.

Nevertheless she had come down, both on principle and because hey, anything to get a change of pace from Stacy. Thus, she found herself down on a beach, parked on a towel under an oversized beach umbrella. In her hands was a glass of something that had been described to her as "iced tea," although she was beginning to question the validity of the "tea" part. Nevertheless, it was real, so she sipped it slowly, squinting into the eye-searing brightness of the sunlight shining down on the swarms of people all having a great time running around and playing in the ocean.

She was already starting to miss the caves.

It was nice to be out on solid ground, to breathe fresh and salt-tinged air, and to feel the real warmth of the sun on her neck and shoulders, Nanoha thought. She felt a very deep urge welling up within her breast to just take flight, to soar through an actual sky in the first time in months - and she had no doubt that she would.

But there were other things she had to take care of first. Like, for instance, swimsuit shopping with her best friend.

"Ooh, this store looks like it might have some cute ones!" Nanoha tugged on Fate's hand, pulling her towards one of the storefronts that lined this street of the bustling shopping district. Even if it didn't, there were still plenty of others to try, and plenty of cute outfits to convince Fate to try on.

(ooc: It might help to have just one thread for ALL YOUR SHOPPING NEEDS? Feel free to tag in and mingle, if you're shopping for clothes, groceries, games, whatever!)

[Takes place after this post]

After he had left Tay, Cas had found his way back to hydroponics, back to the beer tree. He'd filled up his trench coat pockets with bottles, then set off looking for an out of the way place where he wouldn't be bothered, a place where he wouldn't be found.

Eventually he'd ended up in an out of the way corner of the hangar bay, sitting on the floor against the wall. He started working his way through the beer, and soon had a collection of empty bottles around his feet.

She had wings.

It hurt Castiel without even having to think about it, because he could still feel their loss, like a part of him was missing. A part of him was. And right now, trapped in this unfamiliar place, all he wished was that he had the freedom to fly. He wasn't used to being stuck in one place, unable to just leave with a thought, to be able to go anywhere he wanted. He was trapped, he was doubly trapped, and right now, it was breaking him a little.

He raised the next bottle to his lips.

Here's someone you probably wouldn't expect to enjoy themselves on shore leave.

Cargn, being an Astartes Adept, never really took shore leave, just sabbaticals in between missions for training and meditation. But he could understand the importance and appeal for others, and he decided to take the time as a small indulgence he would allow himself.

So there he was, sitting at a table in an outdoor beachside cafe. A cup of tea in hand, he stared (as much as one can stare without eyes) out at the horizon. On the table before him was a dessert plate, with what appeared to be a half-eaten, multicolored, semi-fluorescent gelatin cube.

He seemed to look rather content. After all, this was the kind of peaceful world that practically could never exist in his own reality.

It had been ages since he felt earth under his feet, and a sky overhead. A real one. Not like the flights over the city or even in the Sensoriums. Nathan breathed in deep, relishing the feel of the wind on his face. He could see some of the crew milling about, looking to shop or stock up on supplies. There were a few things he wanted. Some suits eventually, he had a feeling he'd need them to look professional soon. Things were shaping up and power was shifting. An election was coming up and he wanted to be prepared.

But right now. Now. He felt pressed in, even as large as the ship was, it was still finite. Granted so was this planet, but it was different. Weather patterns, air, more like home. He then shot up into the air, and took to flight. God it felt damn good to just let go. He wouldn't be surprised if others with flying ability felt the same way. The warm beat of sunlight, the air trailing over him as a boom sounded across the sky.

Rei had taken the phrase 'Shore Leave' a bit literally. After a quick shopping trip to pick up some real clothes and a pair of swim trunks, he'd made his way down to a beach. Like usual, he was smiling like mad, though this time it was different. This time the smile actually made it to his eyes. He was actually happy now, instead of just faking happiness. Sure, he felt a bit self conscious, standing there in just trunks - without a shirt it was obvious how scrawny and out of shape he was, and though he hated having hair anywhere but his head, he hadn't shaved his legs in months. And this was the first time he'd ever exposed the long, diagonal claw scars on his back that he'd received during the craziness with the Nightmare King. But, hey, he still had his watch, chain looped around and worn around his neck like a pendant. He didn't feel all too exposed as long as he had that.

He'd grown up around beaches, and regularly used to go to them with his family. Standing there in the sand reminded him of those trips, and while he felt the familiar pang of sadness he did whenever he thought of his lost family, it brought back happy memories. Plus, he was finally on an alien world, and there was no way he couldn't be happy about that.

And he wanted - no, needed - to go swimming.

Good news, denizens of the good ship Stacy: Zokez II had quite the night life.

There was a club a short distance from the beach that promised "the hoppingingingest night in the city" in multiple languages (the message got across, at least) and once dusk had fallen you could hear the music from blocks away. Venturing inside would show off an interior design that looked like somebody had fallen in love with the neon black light posters of Earth's 1970s, with brightly colored and oddly shaped couches, stools, tables and bars. Even the drink cups looked like they'd taken a spin in a too-hot dishwasher, all varieties of strange and squiggly shapes. Aliens of all shapes and sizes had taken up along the walls and the holographic dance floor and the good times were certainly rolling.

As was the alcohol.

[ooc: OH GOD IT'S A *SPACE NIGHTCLUB*. Have at, party animals.

Here's some terrible mood music.]

Something about this whole experience feels familiar to the short, pink-haired woman padding down a side-street, arms dangling limply at her sides as she peers into shop windows, into the faces of passersby, into vehicles and restaurants, and it takes her almost four hours to figure out that it reminds her of movies from the twentieth century, of TV shows depicting happy (or miserable) men and women going about their daily, robot-free business, walking to work, eating with friends, buying a new pair of pants. She almost cries when she realizes that she, for once, is actually living that moment of normal humanity, and she takes this as a cue to sidle into the next clothing boutique she runs across and buy herself a few articles of dearly yearned for clothing: jeans, a T-shirt, a sweater (not that she needs it in this climate), and shoes.

Thus adorned, she continues her wandering, hands now hidden in her pockets, and only now does it occur to her that she has greatly missed pockets--they really do aid in her natural slump, as having her arms positioned thusly helps her spine to bend just so...

Somehow, she manages to wish Dustin--or, better yet, Chief, because cats can't hurt your feelings while they're having emotional crises--was here very rarely. The few times he flickers across her mind, she blinks and winces and sighs, and pretty soon, she finds herself sitting on a bench, a carry-out plate of Zokez II's interpretation of sushi on her lap.

How she has managed to be on-ship for... well, who knows how long (long) and not have gone on a single shore leave escapes her.