Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, Saturday Afternoon

[not_every_mage]

Anders had planned to go to the hotel first when he and Nathan got to town, but when the portal deposited them within sight of the ocean being inside seemed decidedly beside the point. He hesitated on the sidewalk and turned to his companion.

"Are you going to be disappointed if I want to swim before we do anything else?"

[OOC: For the guy with him, please. NFB due to distance.]

Comments

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

Nathan snickered. "No, I won't be disappointed. I didn't realize the sight of the ocean would be such a big thing for you."

[not_every_mage]

"Are you joking? It's huge," Anders explained, gesturing toward the water as if to make his point. "Huge, and free, and -- I swear it's wilder than it is around the island. Look at the waves."

He was maybe a tiny bit excited about the company, too.

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"There's an ocean back at the school," he teased, unable to help himself. "This one is very different?"

[not_every_mage]

"Well, obviously," Anders said, as if it were a ridiculous question. "This one is here and that one is there. And that one doesn't have a boardwalk or" -- his attention was drawn to a ruckus at a nearby bench -- "ten thousand seagulls fighting over pizza crusts."

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

Nathan squinted. "You can make out pizza crust? Good eyes. I guess them being distracted by pizza crust means they'll stay away from us."

[not_every_mage]

"As long as we don't get pizza, anyhow," Anders said, shrugging at the question about his vision and turning to walk toward the beach. "Those things look vicious. They might take our eyes out."

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"Or relieve themselves on us," Nathan added, wincing. "I haven't had that happen before but it's been a close call."

[not_every_mage]

"Watch," Anders warned darkly. "It'll happen on this trip now that you've mentioned it."

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"Well, if it does, there's a whole ocean right there to clean off in," he joked lightly.

[not_every_mage]

"There are definitely worse places it could happen," Anders agreed, and frowned thoughtfully at the beach. "Hmm. Looks like there's some space for our stuff over behind that family. Should we take it?"

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"Seems as good a place as any," Nathan agreed. Not that he knew that much about positions on a big beach. "Sure. Lead the way."

[not_every_mage]

"Fantastic." It wasn't a bad spot at all -- not too far from the water, and with a sliver of shade from someone else's umbrella. Anders seemed satisfied as he pulled a towel out of his bag and spread it on the sand before tugging his shirt off. He'd worn swimming trunks as shorts, so all that was left was his shoes and the sunblock.

He pulled the sunblock out of his bag and frowned at the bottle. "I never like the way this stuff smells."

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"You'll burn a lot faster than I will," Nathan told him, burying his toes in the sand because he never got tired of how that felt. "And then you'll feel terrible for a week."

[not_every_mage]

"You aren't wrong about that," Anders said, and squirted some into his hand to slather his arms, legs and chest. The scent wouldn't be so bad once it had dried, and it was definitely better than a burn. "You're supposed to wear it anyhow, aren't you?"

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"Yeah." He didn't really like it and he'd never worn it before but he knew he should. "I guess I should. I don't usually but I also tend to not be out on a beach for long periods of time."

[not_every_mage]

"Me either, plus it's easy to be lazy when you can heal," Anders admitted. "But I'm trying to act sensible anyhow."

He offered the tube of lotion to Nathan. "I'll get your back if you get mine?"

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"And I was so looking forward to watching you try and reach for your own back," Nathan joked, holding a hand out for the lotion.

[not_every_mage]

"Excuse me, I'm very flexible," Anders teased back, squirting the goo into Nathan's had. "I just wanted you to touch me."

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"You could have just asked me to do that," Nathan pointed out, rubbing his hands together before scooting around so he could reach Anders' back. "I'd be happy to do that."

[not_every_mage]

"I'm trying to remember that," Anders said, and closed his eyes against the sun. "I'm not always great at asking instead of hinting."

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"Outright asking is probably your best bet with me," Nathan told him, nodding and pressing his hands against Anders' back, smoothing the lotion into his skin. "I'm not always great with hints."

[not_every_mage]

"I noticed," Anders said dryly, and rolled his shoulders under Nathan's fingers. "You have good hands, anyhow."

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"Thank you," he replied, sliding his fingers over Anders' shoulders and down his back until he was pretty certain he'd gotten all the lotion rubbed in evenly. "I think you're good now."

[not_every_mage]

"Feels like it," Anders said, and moved to sit behind Nathan. "Your turn."

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

Nathan hunched forward a bit, squinting out at the ocean. "Do your worst."