only the ocean and me !

alex eyes them hesitantly, opening his mouth to answer their question when they’re quick to keep speaking…and don’t stop for another few minutes, and once they finally do, he raises a brow and waits for a second to see if they’ll do it again before actually speaking up this time. “…right…sounds to me like you might need something strong for…all of that.” he gestures vaguely at the…everything about them, but he wouldn’t lie, there was something about the other that also reminded him a little bit of riley so he decided to play nice this time, or, well…his version of nice. “…i’ll see what she’s having and send her another and say it’s on you.” he decides, gesturing to the girl they had mentioned with a tilt of his head. “that way she’ll come to you and i’ll make something to help with…the rest of that.” he makes a face as he says the last bit but it’s not as biting as it usually is.

♡

“Strong? I don’t know, I don’t drink a lot...” Melody was afraid if they had too much, they’d make a fool of themself. An even bigger fool than usual. They’d rather take it slow, but he also might’ve been right. They needed to get completely out of their head. “You would?” Their eyes lit up, stealing a glance in her direction before looking back at him. “That would be so cool! Oh, gosh, do you think she’ll actually come over here? And talk to me?” That would be the point, right? But the idea of being approached in thanks, they probably wouldn’t even be able to form words if they didn’t relax at least a little. That would be completely embarrassing . Even more so with a witness. “Gosh. Okay. On second thought, maybe I do need something strong.”

Coulter Beach was one of the prettier coastlines Bex had seen since finally venturing outside of Townsville, and she couldn’t help but keep coming back to it. The water, the air, the sand, everything was just so clean and felt so safe. Almost magical, in a way. She wanted to bring her sisters here, one of these days, had half a mind to share in the beauty, maybe even make a day out of it with all of them and their father. She was even welcomed by one of the beachgoers this afternoon, them turning and looking over at her with a wide, dazzling smile. “ Well hey yourself, ” she greeted in return, smiling her famous half-smile. She’d never ignore a pretty girl. “ Nothin’ but the sand, marchin’ band. ” Oh, that was stupid stupid. But it was just the most natural thing that fell out of her mouth. Quickly, they recovered, nodding to the other’s hand and the pretty shell they’d picked up. “ What’cha got there ? ” they asked as they continued to approach, the epitome of casual and cool.

♡

Melody laughed, admittedly a little harder than they should have. The rhyme caught them off guard, and it didn’t help that it came from the mouth of someone so... attractive. For a moment after the giggling died out they sat silently, unsure how to respond, seemingly forgetting how to make words until they were finally able to pull themself back to earth and function again. “What do I what? The--... oh, the shells? Just some seashells,” they informed Bex, pushing the bag closer to them. “Do you wanna see? You can see! They’re not perfect, but it took me all day to find ‘em all. They’ll fit quite nicely with my collection.”

Eric let out a laugh at their exclamation. “Melody, what a pretty name.” They seemed to freeze a bit at the mention of the bonfire, though he had no idea why. Had he said something wrong? “No, nothing weird, why? I was kind of helping work the event, since my family owns this beach,” he admitted, gesturing to the sand before them, “and I’ve hosted beach parties before. Is there something I should’ve known about? Not that it really matters now that the party is over and I can’t really do much about it anyway.”

♡

Melody would’ve thanked him, but they were too busy trying to figure out how to get their foot out of their mouth. Why had they asked if he’d seen anything weird? They should not have asked if he’d seen anything weird. “Your family owns the... wow, that’s crazy, you can own a beach?” They shook their head, blurting out he first thing they could think of. “Nothing, no, nothing important, I just... heard some kids talking about a whale washed up on shore.” They were a horrible liar. Hopefully he wouldn’t notice. “But they could’ve been playing around, you know. Weird thing to play around about isn’t it? Ah, kids these days, being weird like that.”

Vanessa had seen this person before, but she could not place why that mattered to her. Their face was so familiar and it reminded Vanessa of something that made her blood boil, but she just couldn’t name it. She wasn’t going to be rude outright because that would not help her image at all, but the thought of helping a rando with their bike made her skin crawl. “I don’t, I’m sorry, sugar,” she said with as much fake earnesty as she could manage. “I got a car though. Do you need a lift?”

♡

“No, no, it’s okay. I’m not too far, I’ll just... push it home.” They didn’t want to burden some poor stranger over their carelessness. This was a lesson they needed to learn: if you’re going to leave the house, leave the house prepared. “You know what they say,” they grinned, “a few miles of uphill walking a day keeps the doctor away. Or something like that.” God. Why did they always have to be so weird around pretty women?

“Ooo shells?” Lindsay perked up, looking at them with interest. “I’m sure you got, like, the prettiest shells. This beach is always so good for them!” She had never actually listened to the ocean before. At least, not intentionally. She was sure she’d heard the sound before though, right? Her and water had a complicated relationship after TDI, but that doesn’t mean she wasn’t gonna give it a proper shot. “What does the ocean sound like? I don’t think I like, ever really listened to it before.”

♡

“It’s the best place to find them,” they nodded eagerly, as if there was any point in saying that. Of course it was the best place to find them. Where else would shells be? “Really? You’ve never listened to the ocean? It’s like... it’s relaxing and it just... it’s like a woosh, but not quite. You’ll have to come listen a night sometime when there’s not people around, it’s so pretty!”

“Honestly, I’d pick comfort over fashion so when you get both it’s like unbeatable. I have these pair of canvas shoes and they’re so ugly but they’re the most comfortable shoes I’ve ever worn!” Not to mention they were perfect for slipping on and off when she was working on the beach. The amount of sand that ended up in her shoes after a day of work was enough to make a person beach in her own backyard. When it came to the arcade though, she was less versed. This was a place she’d only explored once or twice but never enough to get a good grip on the games. Growing up in Atlantica meant electronics were a wonderment and here they could play any of them in seconds. “I’m terrible at all of them so I’d say let the professional pick,” she said with a smile, motioning for Melody to pick first. “I’ll pick second, after I get warmed up, you know,” she said laughing. 

♡

“Who doesn’t want to be comfortable?” Looking cute was great, but it wasn’t really worth giving up comfort. Maybe once in a blue moon, for some really special occasion, but otherwise they would also choose comfort over fashion. “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder!” They laughed. Melody had some of their own clothes that were questionable, but they were too attached to to get rid of. “Don’t leave the decision to me! I’m the worst at decisions! I’ll flip a coin!” They joked, taking a quick sweep around the room to figure out what was calling their attention. “Okay, let’s give the racing games a shot. I’m not gonna say I’m the best at them, but they’re a lot of fun, and we can get warmed up together.”

“I handled it awkwardly,” Melody corrected, letting out an exhale that felt like it would last forever. It was so embarrassing trying to socialize sometimes, especially when attempting to talk to a girl that had caught their interest. They stumbled over their words, couldn’t maintain eye contact, forgot their own name. It was even more embarrassing Ariel was there to witness it this time. “I’m a mess,” they whined, dropping their head into their hand. “I’m a mess and I’m never going to get a girlfriend.”

Lindsay beemed. “Great! Thanks!” She set out her towel properly and leaned back a little bit once she sat back down. She really loved the sun, did she mention that already? “It’s soo nice to meet you, Melody! That’s such a pretty name. It’s like…the same name as music. So cute.” She closed her eyes for a moment while she let herself stretch. “I’m Lindsay! You can call me Linds if you want. A lot of my friends do. Are you here to soak up the sun too? Or just enjoyingthe nice day?”

♡

“Oh, thank you.” They felt their cheeks growing warm at the compliment. “I like your name too. Uh, y-yeah, both, I guess. I’ve been collecting shells.” Hopefully Lindsay didn’t think that was stupid. There was nothing spectacular in their little bag, but they thought they were pretty. Some of them odd shaped. “And listening to the ocean,” they added after a second. “It’s so mesmerizing, you know?”

Having people around her was sometimes the only way she got by. Ariel missed her family. Even though she knew she had to go and that this was the right decision for her, she thought about her father and sisters often. She wondered what they might be doing and wishes she could tell them all the amazing things she’s discovered. If only she were able to be two places at once but if she had her voice she couldn’t touch the sea, a sacrifice Ariel felt like she needed to make. This was her home now and she could only hope they understood that. Melody was amazing company, someone who understood Ariel right away. They were easy to be around and their offer to come to the arcade was cause for an immediate yes. Ariel didn’t mind waiting, off in her own little world as normal. “Don’t even sweat it, I was looking at all the cool games anyway, didn’t miss anything,” she said with a smile. “Glad to know no sea life was harmed in the finding of the shoe though and they are extremely cute.” Ariel giggled, looking down at their shoes and thinking of whatever might’ve happened. “All that matters is your here now!”

♡

“Aren’t they? They’re comfy, too!” Melody spun their foot around, staring down at them with momentary admiration before laughing and looking back to Ariel. There were so many burning questions on their tongue, but they had a feeling they’d swallow them down like always, never knowing where to start. Even so, they would still have a good time playing the games. Ariel’s energy seemed to perfectly compliment their own, and they’d always be happy to see her, even if she wasn’t the direction Morgana had pointed them in. “Alright, what do you want to play first?” Melody asked, leaning against the machine they were closest to. They’d played most of the games before, but always on their own, so they weren’t actually sure how good they were, but they’d still put on a front. “You ready to get your butt kicked?”