[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

[still-a-cop.livejournal.com]

"It's like it's a lot further off. But it's still warm."

He pauses.

"I'm gonna try the worst fried thing I see. And I don't think that's it."

[simon_doctor]

"...Something to be said for the spirit of inquiry, I suppose."

The other man's first sentence sounded like a non sequitur, though. Simon follows his gaze toward the sky.

"The sun, you mean?"

[still-a-cop.livejournal.com]

"Yeah." Charlie shoves his hands in his pockets -- and looks down.

It'll still be there when he looks back up. And there are spots in his eyes. "I don't know. Do you think it's off?"

[simon_doctor]

"Well, it's a little different from where I grew up, but I've gotten used to that."

They're walking slowly. A group of teenage girls saunters past them in the same direction, talking and laughing, bright sarongs fluttering in the breeze; some of them throw glances back at the two men, and giggle.

[still-a-cop.livejournal.com]

"...yeah." Charlie shakes his head a little. "Yeah. I guess you would. Sorry."

A lot of the signs are labeled in Chinese, or what he's pretty sure is Chinese, and the English doesn't always make sense. LUCK ATTEMPT is a frequent phrase.

[simon_doctor]

"No need."

Simon's looking at the stalls again.

"Fried pickled beets. Does that sound horrible enough?"

[still-a-cop.livejournal.com]

"...I think I'm gonna hold out a little while longer."

He looks to his right, where the water is. "You know if there's an equivalent to the Pacific Coast Highway out here?"

[simon_doctor]

Simon follows his gaze out to the sea.

"I ... sorry, I'm afraid you'll have to tell me what that is."

[still-a-cop.livejournal.com]

"State Route 1." He's still focused on the water. "Runs along the Pacific Ocean. On the California coast. You get far enough north and it's two lanes, on cliffs. Really windy. Some of it crumbles a little."

[simon_doctor]

"A road, you mean."

He shakes his head. "I don't know. I could call up a local road map, if you're that interested."

[still-a-cop.livejournal.com]

"Not unless there's a place to rent a car."

Simon gets a sidelong look -- or what's probably a sidelong look, considering Charlie's sunglasses. "Or a flying car."

[simon_doctor]

"There should be. I know Santo relies heavily on its public transit system, but there must be some commercially available private vehicles."

A beat.

"Though I'm afraid I'm not qualified to teach you how to operate one."

[still-a-cop.livejournal.com]

"That's okay." Charlie doesn't seem too bothered. If anything, he's more cheerful than before. "Maybe flying cars will happen next year. Where I'm from. I can wait."

[simon_doctor]

Simon can't remember when the aircar was invented, but he's not about to confirm or deny this in any case.

"Everyone from Earth -- from around your time -- always seems interested in the flying cars," he says instead.

[still-a-cop.livejournal.com]

"Well, yeah," Charlie says, surprised. "It's a flying car."

[simon_doctor]

He smiles. "Enough said, I guess."

There are benches along the boardwalk; they're passing one now. An old man in sandals and a violently colorful shirt, the kind Wash favors, is sitting there throwing bits of rice cake to the seagulls.

[still-a-cop.livejournal.com]

"I get why people want to come here for vacations." Charlie watches a seagull arc across the boardwalk and head for the sand. "And it's a lot of people. Really a lot. But I gotta wonder -- does anybody actually live here? They have to, right?"

[simon_doctor]

"Well, there needs to be enough of a population living here to provide services to the tourists, or the world wouldn't be viable. I don't have any idea what their emigration statistics are like, though -- being born here doesn't necessarily mean you decide to stay here."

[still-a-cop.livejournal.com]

"If you get a choice in it."

He's still watching the seagull. "L.A. is like this. In parts. Sometimes getting away from it won't work. That's the thing about being a cop. Anything you want to find out about a good side to a city you have to find when you're off-duty. Because that's not your job. Not really. The PR department might say it is but it isn't."

[simon_doctor]

"The PR department?" he asks.

A seagull flaps down onto the boardwalk a few feet in front of them, and eyes them beadily before stalking out of their path.

[still-a-cop.livejournal.com]

"Public relations. They're into acronyms. That's why they gave themselves one."

[simon_doctor]

"Ah. And in the interests of public relations, they'd prefer policemen to be familiar with their city's good side?"

[still-a-cop.livejournal.com]

"Nah." He watches another seagull. "They want to make sure the public thinks the LAPD is on their side. There've been problems with that in the past. Pretty big ones."

[simon_doctor]

"I see."

A slight shadow passes over Simon's face.

"I can see how that ... could be a problem."

[still-a-cop.livejournal.com]

"Yeah." Something in Charlie's voice has darkened. "You're telling me."