[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 is confused too, now.

But the general impression seems to be: ...okay! That'll do. Sure?

She heads up the ramp, anyway, one hand dangling towards Stitch as if to hold hands. Not that this is possible with a quadrupedal theoretically-dog, but perhaps it's the thought that counts.

[evil_koala_626]

He walks alongside because, while 'ladies first' is a very admirable sentiment... he's excited. And there's FOOD up here somewhere.

The snuffling recommences for a few moments before he tugs urgetly at the hem of River's dress and points at a nearby stall.

"Eh! Eh! Eh!"

[river_meimei]

He has found the fabled land of Fried Things On Sticks.

"Okay," River says happily, and lets herself be steered into line.

[evil_koala_626]

Stitch's grin is huge. His estactic fidgetting is halted for a breif instant as he catches a glimpse at a departing customer's purchase.

It appears for all the world as if someone has coated the carcass of a large gecko in batter, fried it up and stuck it on a short wooden skewer.

Interesting...

[river_meimei]

Possibly because that's exactly what they did. After marinating it for a while.

Sadly, River does not buy Stitch a Crispy Citrus Gecko. Because she's mean. "Ice cream," she says instead, pointing in the vague direction of a row of battered blobs-on-skewers in the freezer section.

Beat.

"And one for my dog."

...Uh says the shopkeeper's face, especially after he gets a look at that 'dog.' But, hey, she's the paying customer; with a shrug, he immerses two ice cream skewers in the hot oil.

"Unusual breed you got there," he tries, and holds out his hand for the money.

"Yep," River says cheerfully.

Beat.

Beat.

Oh yeah, her expression says, and she belatedly hands over a few credits. One too many, but the man's honest enough to give it back. (River blinks at the coin as if she'd hadn't held it just three seconds ago.)

[evil_koala_626]

Stitch who has been doing his absolute best to remain incospicous during this transaction can stand it no longer. He begins to make grabby hands at one of the skewers.

[river_meimei]

"Wait," River says sternly. "Insufficient caramelization."

Mommy, a little boy whispers, that dog has hands!

His mother nods tolerantly without looking over.

[evil_koala_626]

He heaves a put upon sigh and drops back down to all fours yet again. The observant child is treated to a wide, toothy grin.

[river_meimei]

The child stares.

And then starts to giggle.

The shopkeeper, having mercifully missed this interlude while he was turning the ice cream skewers, fishes them out of the oil now and sets them to drain for a minute.

"Here y'go, fū rén."

River accepts both skewers happily.

[evil_koala_626]

Awhile later the pair are seated away from the noise of the boardwalk on an (for the moment) otherwise vacant strand of beach.

Stitch receives his skewer happily and makes short, sloppy work of the first mouth sized blob. Very short work. Ow.

[river_meimei]

River is nibbling delicately. This way she doesn't burn her mouth!

She does get ice cream dripping down her chin, though. Oops.

She doesn't seem too concerned.

[evil_koala_626]

After a few moments Stitch cheerfully points at her chin and snickers. He does not appear aware of the hypocrisy, given that he's wearing quite a bit of ice cream himself.

[river_meimei]

River blinks at him.

Wait for it.



Waaaaiiiit for it.




Oh, there's the comprehension. She scrubs at her chin with the back of a hand, getting some off and smearing the rest around, and giggles. "You're a hypocrite."

[evil_koala_626]

It takes him a second as well. A claw manages to hook some off the side of his own chin. It's brought up to one large eye fro close scrutiny.

...


He shrugs. And clears the majority of it off his lower jaw with a long sloppy sweep of his tongue. The ice cream on his finger is consumed shortly thereafter.

[river_meimei]

...And now River's just plain giggling.

At the dignity of that, of course.

[evil_koala_626]

Stitch is far to engrossed with consuming another blob of ice cream to respond. He's slighlty more careful this time around, but there is still much crunching and gnashing of teeth. He grins in contentment, twin streams of chocolate slithering down the corners of his mouth.

[river_meimei]

River really should eat her ice cream before it melts more than the frying already made it.

Stitch is being deeply diverting, though!

[evil_koala_626]

Stitch never has been one fro caution. Or patience. He hurriedly blows on the two reamining blobs of ice creambefore sliding them off the skewer. The end of said skewwr having been angled direcly above his cavernous maw.

There may be mild unplesantness due to the heat. There may be brain freeze due to the cold. There is very little reaction to either. It's so worth it.

[river_meimei]

"You're very efficient."

--Oh hey she has ice cream still! How about that.

River eyes her skewer dubiously, and then attempts to eat an ice cream blob in one bite. She gets about two-thirds of it; the rest falls, and spatters into the palm of her hastily raised hand.

[evil_koala_626]

His grin widens at her comment. The companionable silence is intersperced by small inquisitive noises as he carefully searches out and and devours all remnants of batter from his own skewer. Which is then used to pick his teeth.

[river_meimei]

River takes her time, savoring each increasingly messy ice cream ball happily.

She does manage to restrict the ice cream smears to her chin and hands, at least.

[evil_koala_626]

Surprisingly, Stitch does not eat the skewer itself. Instead, it is spun on a four fingered hand and subsequently used to doodle a few simple images (and scrawl a rather rude phrase in an alien alphabet) in the sand.

[river_meimei]

"Mĕilì." River has no idea what it means, mind you, which is probably for the best.

She uncoils, planting the skewer upright in the sand near Stitch's drawing, and takes a few steps towards the sea.

[evil_koala_626]

"Emba-chua." It certainly is!

He keeps pace easily enough, though when it becomes apparent where they're headed, he can't help but grimace slightly.

[river_meimei]

River's back is to him, so she doesn't notice. Probably.

She just wades ankle-deep in the surf -- her boots were abandoned by the boardwalk some time ago, to be retrieved eventually -- and bends over to rinse her hands.