[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

[badinlatin]

"I thought Tom instilled you with a sense o' wanting learning, and -- and what about me? I don't have -- " Pointing at Ingress' arms, " -- what are those things, anyhow?"

[(Anonymous)]

"Floaties!" She takes one off. "Here, you can have one. I know how to swim just fine without them, but Tom insisted because this is strange water and Mr. Julia's not around."

[smallestopener]

"Floaties! They help you float so you don't drown." She takes one off. "Here, you can have one. I know how to swim just fine without them, but Tom insisted because this is strange water and Mr. Julia's not around. He put charms on them."

[badinlatin]

...>O

Mal does not approve.

"You keep it. I can swim perfectly fine, young one. I did live on a watership for months."

[smallestopener]

"A watership? Like a spaceship but under water? Did you wear flippers and breathe through a snorkel?"

[badinlatin]

"No, it was on water, not under it. And I never had flippers."

Ingress has gotten exponentially more difficult to comprehend in the past ten minutes of this conversation.

"Look -- " Mal's eyes dart from Ingress's thankfully-un-blue hair to the allergen-ridden water, " What fun could I possibly be, right?"

[smallestopener]

"Maybe if you had flippers, you'd have more fun. You can kick and swim like a fish, then."

She wrinkles her nose in mischief and splashes him. Or splashes at him. He's not too close.

"Oh!" A thought dawns on her. "Oh, you can't swim, can you?"

She says it with a tone much like an adult saying "Oh, you have three days to live." How sad!

[badinlatin]

"I just said I -- oh, nevermind."

Mal bends down with a groan, untying his pseudo-Nikes.

[smallestopener]

She glees and splashes at him again. Sometimes grown ups say one thing, but mean another.

"Don't worry, I won't let you drown if you come swim."

Her floaties are magic floaties.

[badinlatin]

Oh, that makes Mal feel better.

"You'd probably be the one to push me under."

The shoes are stowed away, under a bag that has Ingress' towels inside. The shirt and pants are next.

Black board shorts. How boring.

[smallestopener]

"I won't push you under, silly. Hey, can we play Marco Polo?"

[badinlatin]

"Who?"

[smallestopener]

"It's a game," she says, now realizing that she's never explained how to play it. You just play. "Um, I swim over here, and you close your eyes, and you say 'Marco' and I say 'Polo' and you try to find me and tag me and then we switch."

[badinlatin]

"Hmph."

Mal never grew up around water -- it's a first, for him.

"Shi a. Okay." Mal closes his eyes obediently.

[smallestopener]

Ingress paddles away with plenty of splashing and waits for her cue. He's going to have to come in deeper if he's going to catch her though.

[badinlatin]

Mal knows.

Never again, Tom. It's halfhearted, regardless.

Without moving in any deeper just yet, "Uh. Marco."

[smallestopener]

"Polo!" she shrieks and then paddles as quietly as she can to a different location.

[badinlatin]

She's loud.

Mal grumbles in a bit deeper, to his waist, vaguely in the direction of where he thinks she's traveled, but with the sound of the waves it is definitely harder to follow.

It takes him a full minute before he remembers to yell 'Marco' again.

[smallestopener]

"Polo!" She practically yells it in his ear, as she's managed to paddle closer. Then she splashes away, giggling.

This could go on all afternoon! Unless she gets distracted.

[badinlatin]

"Gotcha!"

Mal launches sideways, eyes still closed.

Oh. Ow. Bellyflop.

He can already feel the itching.

[smallestopener]

"You missed me, you missed me! Okay, now it's my turn." She closes her eyes, breaking all rules of Marco Polo. "Marco!"

[badinlatin]

Still. Itching.

"Do I get to open my eyes?"

[smallestopener]

"Yes, yes - now you have to try to trick me and keep away."

Tom'll have a healing spell for that itching later. Hopefully.

[badinlatin]

Surely Mal can outswim Ingress.

So he keeps telling himself.

He opens his eyes and very very slowly edges another two feet backward away from her before yelling 'Polo!' and diving down under the water.

[smallestopener]

She flails over, peeking just a liiiittle tiny bit as she does. Alas, he is too quick. "Marco!" she calls again.