[Santo - The Beach]

[walk_ins]

[master post]

You have to walk down a ramp to get to the sand. The ramp stretches over sand dunes, with sea oats dotting them, blowing in the near-constant breeze. On the same level as the ramp: a boardwalk, dotted with places to get sketchy-looking fried food, to try your luck at a number of games of chance, to watch performers, to ride roller coasters of the future!!!!

When you walk down the ramp, it's all white sand and blue water. Down about half a mile is a pier that juts out several hundred feet.

It's a nice beach. Not too crowded.

Comments

[river_meimei]

River isn't wincing, but neither is she making the oh, how CUTE! face the poodle's owner is.

She's just casting a bemused and slightly dubious look at the dog, while it bounces on the sand with the oblivious fervor of its barking.

[wolflord_andain]

A second dog pokes its head around the side of the first one.

Then it, too, begins yapping loudly.

They both have red ribbons in their hair.

Galadan's lip twitches.

It twitches more when a tall and hairy gentleman runs toward the dogs, dropping to his knees and cooing.

Apparently he had two more with them.

Galadan shoots another sideways glance at River.

Shall we move on? Quickly?

[river_meimei]

"You're biased against the fluff," River informs him sadly.

But, agreeably, continues on.

For a few steps, anyway; that's how long it takes before the man tears his attention away from his collection of poodles long enough to wave frantically at them.

"Excuse me!" he calls. "'Scuze me, you haven't seen another poodle wandering around, have you? Bites a bit, the silly lad, but he's a softy really."

[wolflord_andain]

"Pardon?"

Galadan's eyebrow almost hits his hairline.

"I do hope he's not prone to swimming. The current seems particularly strong today."

His voice is full of purely intellectual curiosity.

[river_meimei]

Galadan is a jerk.

Uh, in case anyone was wondering about that one.

River casts him a glance that informs him of this, with more amusement than rancor. "Hides in the sand dunes," she says, though the beach is mostly flat. "Check the fried stands."

Thankfully, Santo is not one of those places where a stray poodle is likely to end up in the fried stands.

[wolflord_andain]

The man starts to scowl at Galadan, hands going to his hips--

But then he's distracted by River. Or the thought of fried food.

The remaining poodles certainly seem to approve.

"It does seem to be a popular choice among your brood, such as it is."

Galadan's voice is dry as dust, though his look at River carries something of amusement in it.

"I believe we shall leave you to it."

[river_meimei]

The man waves a hand in friendly acquiescence. He's busy now with looking bemused at his tangled flock of poodles, all of whom have sidled as far away from Galadan as their leashes will permit.

"You got it, chief," he says, and immediately contradicts himself by adding, "Hey, weird. Usually they're much friendlier."

"Go on, boys," he chivvies, with a completely ineffectual tug on the handful of leashes. "Who's a good little hellhound? Say hi to the nice folk!"

River's letting Galadan lead the way, if he wants. She has no dislike of poodles, though no particular desire to stick around either, and she's amused.

[wolflord_andain]

Galadan bares his teeth in what might be a smile.

The poodles are not quite stupid enough to believe that.

"I find myself almost hoping you find your prodigal. Though you'd be better served to train them to heel."

His lips twitch in faint amusement, and he inclines his head just slightly to River.

Shall we?

[river_meimei]

"Okay," River says amiably, and takes a step away.

She does bend over to pet one poodle quickly, though. It whines quietly at Galadan's ankles; River scratches its fluffy ears for a moment, and then straightens with a quick cheerful grin and moves on.

"Nice to meet you!" the man calls to their backs.

[wolflord_andain]

Galadan fails to reply.

And the poodles begin barking again, twice as loud as before.

They do, however, wait until the Wolflord and the gunslinger are ten or so yards farther down the beach.

Galadan does not laugh, but the corners of his mouth flick upward for a few brief moments.

[river_meimei]

"You're antisocial," River informs him.

Mournfully. Really.

[wolflord_andain]

"You might also say I'm merely selective in what company I choose to indulge."

He only sounds mildly chiding, and even that is tainted with a sardonic amusement that never really goes away.

"There are worse things. Tying ribbons on lapdogs, for instance."

[river_meimei]

"They're very pretty."

River is totally just saying that for the reaction.

[wolflord_andain]

"I'm now forced to question your taste level, though I suppose it's largely irrelevant."

His lips twitch again.

"You do seem enamored of fried foods, for instance."

[river_meimei]

"Impeccable," River says primly, veering slightly to avoid a dozing sunbather.

River's definition of good taste does not always quite align with everybody else's.

Speaking of fried foods, they're coming near another cluster of stalls. What a coincidence!

[wolflord_andain]

Somehow Galadan thinks this word does not mean what River thinks it means.

Ah well.

One grows almost used to it.

"In some things, I suppose."

He hardly sounds grudging at all.

There is little point in it. And Galadan has eaten stranger things, in the past.

[river_meimei]

"I'm right," River says with all the cheerful smugness of the bratty little sister she is.

Fried food is INFINITELY preferable to human flesh, she feels.

Honestly, now.

The only question is which kind of fried food. Santo has... lots.

[wolflord_andain]

In this (so far, at least) Galadan has no preferences.

"You have your moments."

The Wolflord is hardly a bratty younger sibling.

But he, too, has had his moments.

[river_meimei]

Perhaps for a very different definition of 'bratty.'

River's studying the stalls, now, with cheerful interest. Fried custard, fried battered fruit on skewers, fried dough puffs, fried and dubiously identifiable meat...

Plus whatever extra hallucinations River sees there, of course.

[wolflord_andain]

The scent of fried food is rather overwhelming.

And hardly pleasant.

But Galadan appears to bear up well under it, casting the occasional glance at River to see if she's discovered something to stop for.

He has, as is rarely the case, no personal preference here.

[river_meimei]

What she settles on is a stick threaded with small balls of dough, about the size of doughnut holes, each filled with chopped fruit and the whole thing dusted with sugar.

Galadan gets one too.

(She'll eat it if he's too much of a snob to do so.)

[wolflord_andain]

Galadan accepts his with what might seem to be weary patience.

"You do make every effort to keep things interesting, certainly."

His tone implies that this is not appreciated.

The quirk of his mouth suggests something different.

[river_meimei]

River eats a strawberry doughnut thing, with great dignity and self-satisfaction.

Why yes. Yes she does.

Because, as previously stated, she's right.

[wolflord_andain]

The first one Galadan tries--and the strange thing is that he almost makes eating fried fruit dough-balls elegant--is mango.

"Hmm. Well, I daresay I won't die of food poisoning any time soon. It may be enough to be going on with."





The second one is raspberry.

[river_meimei]

River makes a face at him for that bit of overwhelming enthusiasm.

A slightly sugar-sprinkled face. River, while not exactly untidy, is not entirely matching the elegance here.

"We can add it for flavor."

Mm, apple.