The Beach | Friday Afternoon

[bookbeltof_love]

Honestly, like, Nina didn't hit up the beach very often. The beach itself was okay, she supposed, though it was too rocky to be properly romantic and the porgs, while cute, were also not really conductive to romance either. The real reason she didn't hit up the beach much was the ocean.

It was huge. It felt empty.

She didn't like it very much, despite all the torrid romances she'd read about dashing pirates.

Traveling over the ocean was fine since, like, that served a purpose and she did enjoy that, with the rocking of the ships and the sea breeze tangled in her hair and salty spray everywhere. There was something energetic about it.

But she didn't like the ocean much just by itself.

Still, today was a lovely spring day and her walk had led her to the beach. The walking she was enjoying. The ocean… well… Nina gave it a go at pretending it wasn't there.

Because, sure, that would work.

[Open, naturally!]

Comments

[cypher_can_fly]

"That has... got to be the most eerily specific walk along the beach I have ever seen anyone do," Owen called.

He'd been bored. He was wandering around. He was maybe contemplating a sandwich, because he was Owen.

"Though, to be fair, not a lot of beach walks where I come from. Or at least not ones that don't end in death and dismemberment."

[bookbeltof_love]

"I don't like the ocean," she admitted, casting her glance over to him. He was much easier to rest her eyes on! "So I'm pretending it doesn't exist!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

On a beach. Like one does.

"Your beaches end in death and dismemberment?????????????????"

[cypher_can_fly]

"I mean, it's not particular to beaches. Anywhere that isn't encased in massive, and I'm stressing here, massive walls tends to get you very dead of scorpions and wyverns and wolves and just... general fits of Anthem, really."

He stuck his hands in his pockets as he wandered towards her.

"Why hate the ocean in particular? It's just... big water."

[bookbeltof_love]

"Exactly!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's just big and it exists and it doesn't need to do anything!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You can't even drink the water but everyone loves it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Nina maybe took the ocean a little personally.

She pointedly turned her back on it and not just because it meant she could smile at Owen.

[cypher_can_fly]

"I mean, okay?" Owen offered, tilting his head. "I mean, swimming's nice... or well, wading. I'm more of a wading person."

What with the lack of open bodies of water he could have learned how to swim in.

[bookbeltof_love]

"I mean, like, if you're using it for something it's okay," she said, because this discussion really was going to make no sense to anyone but her.

... And possibly Liam.

"Travelling by ship is pretty fun too................."

[cypher_can_fly]

"Can't say I've ever done that," Owen said. "But I'll bet it beats a Strider?"

[bookbeltof_love]

"What's a Strider??????????" she asked, finally focusing on what he was saying instead of just on her own complaints. "And you don't know how to swim??????????????????? Did you want to learn???????????????????????????"

[cypher_can_fly]

"It's like a big, metal box, held up on big, metal legs, that walk... very... slowly."

A pause.

"And no, I don't know how to swim. Not a whole lot of chances to, where I'm from."

[bookbeltof_love]

"Boats are definitely better than a Strider, going from that description!!!!!!!!!!!!! And, like, there wasn't a lot of water around my home either, but I still picked it up," she admitted, because... well... it had seemed useful to know. "Did you want to learn????????????????"

Because, you know, his cute girlfriend could teach him...

[cypher_can_fly]

"Depends," Owen said, looking thoughtful, "On who's offering to teach me, obviously..."

[bookbeltof_love]

"I mean, like, it would be a terrible hardship to be around my boyfriend," Nina said idly, "but I suppose I could, like, try to fit you into my schedule???????????"

[cypher_can_fly]

"Only if you can find a free place," Owen said brightly. "Wouldn't want to put you out!"

[bookbeltof_love]

“Simplicity provides!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” she said, just as brightly. “There’s a pool in the basement of the dorms!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

[cypher_can_fly]

"One which I hope doesn't have some kind of evil monster in it?" Owen said.

He was joking! Mostly.

As much as a kid from Coda could joke about monsters.

[bookbeltof_love]

“The closest I think the pool has come to a monster swimming in it is us students!!!!!!!!!” she said, giggling. “To be safe though, we can check before we get in——the water is clear!!!!!!!!!!”

[cypher_can_fly]

"Are you going to protect me if you're wrong?" Owen inquired. "I mean, not that I need someone to protect me, but I feel like survival chances probably go up if there's backup."

[bookbeltof_love]

She blinked, taken off-guard.

“I most certainly wouldn’t leave you to fend for yourself???????????”

Though she did rather feel that guys were supposed to protect the girls, even if she knew good and well that she was more than capable of protecting herself.

[cypher_can_fly]

While Owen was going to steadily become convinced he could be some kind of punching hero type later, the truth was he'd be bad at it and he was much better at sensing danger than fighting it.

He held up his hands. "Nina. It was a joke," he said quickly.

[bookbeltof_love]

"I mean, like, maybe," she said, rather doubtful of that. "But I'll protect you nonetheless??????????????"

Even if it left her feeling distinctly weird.

[cypher_can_fly]

He had really stepped in it somehow, hadn't he?

"Look, just... forget I joked it," Owen said, a little piece of him shriveling into a familiar and painful sense of inadequacy. "Ha-ha."

[bookbeltof_love]

Mostly because Nina was positively steeped and reveled in out-dated gender roles, yes, yes he had.

"Okay........," she said doubtfully. "I mean, like, what's the problem?????????????????"

Forgetting things was... not her best skill, Owen.

[cypher_can_fly]

"No problem," Owen chirped. "No problem at all. I mean, I forgot I had a gym appointment I had to get to, anyway, but swimming later, right? That's exercise. Yep. Lots of... swimming."

[bookbeltof_love]

"............................"

A beat.

"Are you, like, attempting to run away because I didn't like your joke?????????????????????????"

She was still pretty sure--and only growing more sure--that it hadn't been a joke in the first place but, like, what, Owen?

[cypher_can_fly]

It had been a joke! If one, like, grounded in his realistic knowledge that he wouldn't be any good against any monsters.

Except the way she reacted made it feel like that last part was some kind of personal failing on his part and yes, he did want to get out of here before she discovered he was... not great... at monster-punching.

"I'm not running," he said defensively.

[bookbeltof_love]

“Then why do you have to leave so suddenly?????????????” she asked, growing more confused. “Are you embarrassed?????????????????”

[cypher_can_fly]

"No! I just.. clearly..." Owen said, and groping for words was not a situation he was used to, thank you, "...need to spend more time at the gym if, uh, monster-fighting is going to be one of my jobs, which it clearly is, so-- yes."

[bookbeltof_love]

Oh!

Oh, well, Nina had never thought of that as a possibility, actually, which was probably a failure on her part but then all the guys she had massive crushes on could take care of themselves and so--

"You don't know how to fight????????????????????"

[cypher_can_fly]

"They don't train cyphers to throw punches, oddly enough," Owen said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Something about us, err, not getting our brains smushed out on the front line."

[bookbeltof_love]

"Then............. like............. why not just say that?????????????" she asked, confused.

[cypher_can_fly]

"I have a very kneejerk reaction to pretty women looking at me with disapproval pouring out of their face?" Owen tried.

[bookbeltof_love]

"I was surprised," Nina allowed, since disapproval was both too true and more complicated than that. "I don't want you to run away from me..............."

[cypher_can_fly]

"I wasn't... running," Owen said slowly, "I was just... trying to, uh. Get you to stop looking at me like that."