[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

[gonna_live]

And when it's dark out, the beach changes.

The boardwalk leads down, eventually, to a series of restaurants -- some shacks, some a little nicer. Music comes from several of them, and at least a few of them have floors set out leading down to the sand, with torches illuminating dancers. Up by the bars and the restaurants, people laugh, talk, chatter, deal, drink, dance, play. Down by the water -- it's less crowded than it was during the day. It's also low tide, with a full moon hanging heavy.

There's room for Simon and Kaylee to walk down where the waves come in, barefoot, shoes in their hands.

(She'd nearly had a meltdown earlier that afternoon, when she realized that when Simon told her to wear something nice -- nothing fit right any more.

So then she went out, alone, and when she got back she kicked him out, and didn't let him see until she was ready to go. We're already sneakin' out, she told him, might as well let me make an entrance somehow.)




"You got no idea," she says to him now, "how glad I am I'm wearin' flats."

[simon_doctor]

He's been waiting for this since they talked the other day.

It's a beautiful night, and Kaylee's radiant enough to outshine the moon.

(When she stepped out of the room, the sight of her actually stopped his breath for a moment. The new dress -- something full-skirted in green -- was part of it, of course, but what drew his immediate attention was her smile.

And the handmade shell necklace around her neck.)

"So where shall we go first? There's a lot of places to choose from."

[gonna_live]

She shifts her shoes off, one-and-two, and holds them in one hand.

"You got to play in the water earlier," she says -- looking close to impish. Certainly younger than she has in months.

[simon_doctor]

"I'm not dressed for it now," he points out ruefully.

"But if you want to...."

[gonna_live]

"Just walkin'." The moonlight's bright enough that she can see his face -- and make sure she looks imploring. "Nothin' more than that. It's been such a while."

[simon_doctor]

"..."

It's a very effective imploring face.

"You realize if my clothes get wet," he tells her, reaching down to pull off one shoe, "we'll have to go back to the ship to change."

[gonna_live]

She reaches out to steady him. "So we won't get wet."

If they got wet, they'd have to sneak back in and then back out. Kaylee thinks that is probably pushing their luck.

[simon_doctor]

He takes the offered support gratefully, standing on his bare foot to pull of his other shoe.

"Ready?"

[gonna_live]

In response, she slides her arm in his, and tilts her head.

[simon_doctor]

They walk down to the water's edge, under the stars.

The sand is first warm and dry underfoot, then damp and firm and cool.

[gonna_live]

"Should've had somethin' shaped like liquid courage with dinner." She's laughing a little. "Gonna need to warm up, later."

[simon_doctor]

He glances down the beach, to where the first bars are.

"I think there'll be plenty of opportunities for that."

[gonna_live]

Her skirt's swirling in the constant wind, and her shoulders are bare. It's a little chilly. "Let's?"

[simon_doctor]

A few moments at the edge of the boardwalk to dust the sand off their feet and put their shoes back on, and soon Simon and Kaylee are moving through the crowd of nighttime revelers outside the restaurants.

There are brightly-colored paper lanterns strung along the edge of the walkway, here, and music spilling out from somewhere.

[gonna_live]

"You know what I could do?" She sounds a little wistful, as they walk. "I could lie out under some real sun, see about not bein' near this pale."

[simon_doctor]

"You could," he agrees, smiling. "On the beach, or ... there are parks, not too far from here."

[gonna_live]

"...there's that whole time thing." She looks up at him. "Remember?"

[simon_doctor]

"...there is that," he sighs.

"We'll see, then. Maybe there'll be time."

[gonna_live]

"Maybe I could sneak out again."

[simon_doctor]

"Also a possibility," he says, without missing a beat.

His face is perfectly deadpan, until his eyes flick over to her, and then there's a conspiratorial grin.

[gonna_live]

"...you gonna be that helpful when I get a sunburn, too?" She might (might) have a little color in her cheeks that wasn't there before.

[simon_doctor]

"If you want." A pause, and he offers: "Though I have something you can use to prevent sunburn, if you'd rather."

[gonna_live]

There: the sound of a shakuhachi fusion quartet, floating on the wind. Kaylee turns her head to catch the music. The columbine in her hair loosens; she raises a hand to stop it from falling --

And shrugs, and tugs at Simon's arm. "Hold still."

[simon_doctor]

Agreeably, he slows to a halt. "What is it?"

[gonna_live]

She puts the flower in his buttonhole.