I just thought up this idea today and decided to go for it. Hope you enjoy!
Beach parties were a summer tradition that Tear could not rightfully claim to be familiar with. The sheer artificial banks of Yulia City were not at all intended for lounging and socializing, and even if they were, the muck of the Qliphoth stamped an authoritative negation on any edge of town exploits. Odd hometown aside, Tear felt confident in her belief that beach parties demanded a bright, fine-sand bank and warm ocean water to be considered a success. Any activities therein were objective and open to the whims of the party attendees, although she knew that swimming and light-hearted games where extremely common.
Although with Luke, she supposed not much could be considered common.
The mitten adorning her hand did little on its own to abate the northern chill swirling about her as she cautiously descended a small, rocky hill. Coupled with with the gentle grasp of a certain redhead's own gloved hand, however, she felt that no low degree could pentetrate the cozy heat warming her slim digits. Guided by Luke's quiet (though largely unnessecary) instructions, the brunette alighted on vaguely uneven ground, side-by-side with her crimson-haired companion.
Casting an inquisitive glance at the young man, Tear was not at all taken aback by the light smile gracing his youthful face. No longer burdened by the stress of halting Van's planned atrocities or the weight of taking over the Kimlascan throne (a task he had not cared to allow Guy to overtake), a comforting lightness had washed over Luke. The pair's round-the-world trip had been extremely laid-back, and any time-chart they had constructed was carelessly forgotten as they curtailed or extended their stay in various towns and cities. Keterburg had been their current station for the past two weeks, the days spent aimlessly wandering through shops and streets dusted with powedery snow that persisted to fall upon city despite the numerous claims that summer had indeed set in over the northern hemisphere.
And according to Luke, a summer trip would not be complete without a summer beach party.
Catching Tear's questioning look, Luke responded by enlarging his content grin and raising his free hand to ruffle the tail of his scarf that was messily bunched upon his left shoulder. "Hey, Mieu, wake up. We're here," he commanded gently. After a short lapse, the red cloth rustled slowly, the folds falling away as a fluffy green ear poked into the frigid air. Tear couldn't supress the grin working onto her face at the sight of the tiny, adorable creature. His sleepy blue eyes scanned their surroundings dazedly before honing in on his ride's cold reddened face.
"But I don't see anything, Master," Mieu droned, his squeaky voice muted by freezing winds and fatigue.
"Well, okay. Maybe we're not entirely there," Luke mumbled as he lifted his gaze toward the sky. "Close enough though."
Ignoring Mieu's slow moan, Luke tossed another grin towards Tear as he began to pull her further down the drab ocean bank. Her boots ground against coarse grains of sand as she and Luke weaved through the smattering of snow speckled rocks adorning the beach. The ocean waves rolled in lethargically, lazily advancing up the shore before deciding the ascent wasn't worth the effort and doubling back toward the shallows. While the watery hills were not even close to where Luke and Tear were walking, the latter could not help but shiver at the thought of coming into contact with the near frozen liquid. Whatever Luke's party plans were, Tear could only hope they weren't so hare-brained as to into involve a wintry swim.
Fixated on the waves as she was, Tear almost didn't notice Luke's abrupt stop in front of her. Her vision was obscured by the male's bulky winter coat, leaving her unsure of why they had suddenly stopped. "Luke, we should keep moving," she stated practically. "It's too cold to stay still for very long."
Luke tossed a lightly irritated glance over his shoulder at her sound advice. "I know that," he defended. "But I just thought you'd like to know that we're here," he announced. "For real this time," the redhead added to the cheagle snuggled back into the woolen scarf.
Curiosity piqued, Tear shuffled around Luke to see what he could have discovered on such a desolate and rocky beach. The sight warmed her heart immediately. A large fire roared a few yards ahead of them, encircled by large, dry logs. A wicker basket lay before the fire, three long metal rods resting atop the lid. "Luke," Tear began, her voice warm but curious. "What is all of this?"
"A beach party. I told you we needed one," he answered in a matter-of-fact tone. "Although, it's different from the ones Guy and Natalia always told me about," he admitted quietly.
The quaint scene before her was definitely a contrast to tales Tear herself had heard from the young, giggly teens flitting about Daath. However, Tear found that she already perferred the silent comfort of Luke's beach party to the cacophonous chaos that seemingly accompanied more traditional ones. As Luke led her to a seat near the fire, she uncharacteristically allowed herself to rest her head against his shoulder. She giggled lightly as Luke jumped in slight surprise at the action, enjoying his returning chuckle. Once seated, Tear quickly peeled off her mittens and placed her hands before the fire as Luke snatched up the basket and plopped down next to her, Mieu launching off his shoulder to rest nearer the fire.
"How did you manage to set this up?" Tear asked after a moment of silence. She couldn't recall Luke disappearing for the lengthy amount of time it would have taken to trek to this isolated location and back. Plus, she knew Luke wasn't quite sly enough to create a legitamate excuse able to allow him to slip away anyway.
Luke grinned with self-satisfaction as he pulled a bag of marshmallows from the basket before setting about the task of affixing one of the fluffy treats atop the three metal rods. "I asked Nephry to help me out," he answered simply as he handed a marshmallowed rod to Tear. "Turns out she's a ton nicer than Jade. I still can't believe they're actually related." He chukled good-naturedly as he placed the shortest of the three rods into Mieu's outstretched paws.
"They are very different from one another," Tear agreed as she dipped the marshmallow toward the fire. A comfortable silence reigned as the trio waited for the marshmallows to roast. Luke, impatient wait for the entire treat to brown, pulled his marshmallow from the fire earlier than the others and fished about in the basket for graham crackers and chocolate bars made in Keterburg. "Nephry told me all of this stuff is the best Malkuth has to offer," Luke chimed in as he slapped together his s'mores with clumsy impatience. "I didn't tell her, but I'm pretty sure a Kimlascan s'more is better than a Malkuth one," he murmured in silently, as though admitting a long-buried secret.
"You haven't even tried a Malkuth s'more though," Tear chided lightly as she broke apart a graham cracker and chocolate bar for the tiny cheagle at her feet, laughing when she saw marshmallow smeared on Mieu's face as he nibbled on his unevenly roasted marshmallow.
Luke shrugged. "Doesn't matter. I just know a Kimlascan one is better." He bit into the messy treat, smearing chocolate and graham cracker crumbs on his face in the process. "Yup," he managed after a few moments of chewing. "They're better in Kimlasca. This one's still pretty good though."
Tear laughed once more at her companion's firm statement. Pulling, a couple of graham crackers out of the basket for herself, Tear began to construct her own treat. "I take it you think everything is better in Kimlasca," she teased gently.
"No, not everything," Luke conceded. "Most of our friends are from Malkuth, and there are great places here that I couldn't even come close to in Kimlasca." He paused for a moment to take anoter bites of his s'mores. "Also, I don't think I'd ever have found someone like you in Kimlasca," he bluntly stated.
Tear paused in shock, her gaze flying to the young man beside her. Not a hint of jest or shyness showed on his face as he continued to enjoy his snack. His statement had been sincere, pure, and honest, fitting for someone of his innocent and naive nature. A blush forming on her face, Tear floundered silently as she tried to think up a response. No words came to mind to accurately follow such a wonderfully chaste admission.
However, judging by the way his face reddened, Tear decided a kiss on the cheek did the trick just fine. "Thank you for my first beach party, Luke."