"Wow, Presea! You look so…um, tanned!"

"I…do?" Presea looked down at herself as she sat upright in her deck chair, placing the book she was reading on the ground. "Oh…you are correct Genis, I appear to have been burnt by the sun."

"It's not that bad yet," replied the half-elf with a smile as he sat down beside her on the sandy beach. "It looks…um, cool."

"Cool? I do not understand – the sun has raised the temperature of my skin to a high level – how can it look…cool?

Genis blinked and rubbed the back of his head. "Ah, I…I didn't mean cool as in cold, I meant it as in…well…it looks good on you, that's all."

"Oh, so that was a…compliment then. Thank you Genis. Have you enjoyed your day at the beach?"

"Yeah!" Genis nodded enthusiastically. "Me and Lloyd made sand castles, then we went swimming and then we buried Zelos in the sand." He chuckled in remembrance of the last event. "He was so mad."

"Sand castles?" You made a structure as large as a castle out of sand?

"Um…well, no…they were quite small."

"I see. What is the purpose of making them then?"

"Well…you kind of have to make them when you're at the beach. It's like…um," Genis thought for a second, "…like making a snowman when it snows. It just needs to be done."

Presea remembered the construction of the snowman. "I understand…it is purely for recreational purposes then. I will remember to do that next time."

"Did you not make anything then Presea?" Genis leaned back onto the warm sand.

"I attempted to construct Octagon-Shell Turtle Twins…but failed."

"Turtle twins?"

"Yes. They are charms. I was making them to ward away danger at sea."

"Oh right." Genis stretched out. "What happened to them?"

Presea closed her eyes against the brightness of the setting sun's reflection in the sea. "A wave destroyed them. I did not account for that when I selected the location to create the charm."

"Oh…" Genis sounded genuinely sympathetic. "…That was a shame."

"It was inconvenient, yes." Presea reached down for the drink she had set down earlier. "I decided to enter the sea anyway and spend some time swimming…"

"Cool!" Genis sat up at that. "Did you have fun?"

"…I was stung by a jellyfish."

"Oh…um, really?"

Presea took a sip of her drink – it had gone warm. "Yes. It was probably because there was no protective charm present. As I left the water to tend to the sting I cut my foot on a sharp fragment of shell."

"Ah…"

"It was not a serious wound, but it did make me fall over. Now there is sand in my bathing costume – which is fairly uncomfortable."

"I see…"

"I thought I would read for a bit, although the sun is too hot and I cannot really concentrate. It is an odd feeling to perspire when you aren't even doing anything."

Genis looked at the sand, downcast. "Oh…you didn't really have fun then?"

Presea stared at the young half-elf, confused. "Huh? No…that is untrue; I had lots of fun today." She smiled, "This is…my first time at the beach."

Genis blinked, "…Um…what? All of that and you still had fun?"

"Hey Presea, Genis! Come and help me make my sand castle bigger than Lloyd and Colette's."

Genis looked up too see Sheena waving at them, her already large construction holding itself admirably against her opponents' castle.

"Affirmative." Presea emptied her glass and set it down before rising off the chair.

Genis watched her as she ran over to join Sheena, feeling a mixture of awe and confusion. "She's amazing," he whispered to himself.