It's getting dark, darling, too dark to see

[patternprophet]

Characters: Leoben Conoy and anyone who wishes to join him.
Where & When: The beach, varying points throughout the day
Rating & Why: PG? Rating may change depending on what comes up in conversation.
Summary: Leoben has finally ventured out of his house and could use someone to talk to. Delayed aftermath of the Black Bean plot

Comments

[whataprettyname]

Chihiro had already been shown the beach by Miss Taiwan a few weeks ago. It wasn't the first time she'd been back since then.

The beach...specifically the ocean...entranced her. This wasn't the first time that she's simply stood, toes making impressions in the wet sand, and stared out over the endless blue.

What was on the other side of that ocean? Was it home? Her family? Maybe it was another world entirely. Either way, there were no train tracks to walk and no train to ride and no tickets to be had even if those things existed.

That didn't stop her from staring and wishing. But even her wishes...wishes she'd gotten so good at making since her arrival...had failed her now.

Chihiro isn't hard to miss. Her pink shoes are held loosely in her hands as she simply stands at the tidal line and stares. Honestly, she's probably fairly easy to trip over in this state as well.

[patternprophet]

Leoben is a bit surprised to see that he is not alone on the beach, but at the same time, he realizes that he should have expected it. It's not like the beach is hidden or secret or that he's the only one around. He assumes that the surprise came from the fact that the person standing there was a stranger to him.

He pauses for a moment, watching her, and a small smile can't help but cross his face, the first smile in what seems like a long time.

Leoben knows wonder when he sees it. He's had a similar reaction. The first time he landed on the colonies, seeing real greenery and water for the first time, it was all he could do to not stop and stare for hours. But that was a long time ago, and Leoben fights to push the thought from his mind.

He walks a bit closer.

"Mind if I join you?" he asks, quietly.

Sorry for the delay, computer totally died

[whataprettyname]

Chihiro looks up after a second or two, blinking as though dazed. She gives Leoben a curious once over before shrugging.

"That's okay." She smiles faintly. "It's really kind of nice here."

No worries

[patternprophet]

"Indeed it is. It's easy to forget how nice it is just to watch the ocean," Leoben replied, taking a moment to sit down in the sand.

[patternprophet]

It's amazing how one can get so caught up in just watching the waves roll up on the beach, or maybe it's just normal for Leoben. He's so focused in his task that it takes him a moment to realize that someone's calling out to him.

He returns the gesture, and is about to respond but catches himself at the last minute. He has to remind himself that it's not Helo he's talking to, but Washington. He doubts that Helo would be that friendly with him, all things considered.

"Hey," he says finally.

[patternprophet]

"I've been busy. The past two weeks have been trying, to say the least."

He supposes that that is the nice of saying that he died and came back to life, and for some reason or another is feeling the weight of everything he's ever done wrong in his life. At least, he perceives it as wrong.

[richest_heart]

The prince stands at the edge of the water, just above the tideline. He's something of an unusual sight, for as light as his clothing is, it's still decorative royal attire. The small, solemn slant of his mouth is reflective as he tries to let the water calm him, tries to let the rolling waves bring peace to his gaze, where nightmares linger. He conceals it in the cottage as best he can, but his own recent death and... if he is to be truthful, this entire place... still leave him reeling.

Holding back a heavy sigh, he pivots away from the ocean, and faint shock strikes his troubles from view more easily than anything else could have. Even not knowing this person, it would sting his pride for his shame to be seen. After a moment, he nods quietly, simply to be cordial.

[patternprophet]

Leoben returns the nod, having been caught by surprise by the other. It seems like the beach was the place to meet people, even if that had not been his original intention. He would have been able just to pass him by but there is something about this boy that Leoben finds familiar. He to seems to bear some sort of burden.

"It's calming, isn't it? The water."

[richest_heart]

Again, he nods, still withholding words for a moment as he chooses them. His stance soon shifts to one less guarded, if still threaded with hints of tension. He faintly considers that meeting someone might be for the best, when all he was doing alone was to cower and try to dodge weakness within his heart- No, it isn't behavior for a prince. Anything to pull him from it is welcome.

"Yes. Something so vast is wondrous, is it not?"

[patternprophet]

"It is indeed. We're quite lucky to have this beach," Leoben replies. Since arriving, he considers it one of his favorite spots in Splendor. At the same time, it brings back a lot of memories, ones that he is trying not to dwell on.

"Were you just watching the waves?"

[patternprophet]

It was interesting to watch the way the sun moved over the water. Leoben had been watching it all day, from time to time. Sunset was probably the most beautiful he had seen it. Granted he had missed sunrise, so he couldn't really compare them.

He walked the beach slowly, noting the changing light, and wondering when the tide would change. It would probably come in soon, he figured. It didn't take him long to realize that he was, once again, not alone on the beach, and again, he didn't recognize who it was. He offered a wave, more to be courteous than anything else.

[patternprophet]

By now, Leoben had gotten a bit closer, assuming it was alright since his gesture had been returned.

"Find something interesting?" he asked, when Rory bent down. It wasn't uncommon to pick something up on the beach. He hadn't told anyone, but he did have a collection of shells going.

[immamartillo]

Freezing your ears off in the Alpine District gets old pretty quickly, but for once Firo's not in the mood to wander the Metropolis District and contrast it with home. His homesickness has been worse ever since getting killed, though he's not sure exactly why. He doesn't want to know either and tries to push every hint of it out of his mind.

Nearly an hour of aimless roaming takes him to the beach. A shiver runs down his spine; he's only been here once before, and that was the first time he saw Alex before the murders. He sighs to himself; he hasn't seen him since and he won't let himself get killed again. There's nothing to worry over. As he walks closer to the water he stares blankly out at the horizon and tries to relax.

He slips off his shoes and stuffs his socks down into their toes. A few moments later he's contentedly splashing in the shallow water, meandering over to where Leoben is. When he glances up and notices the familiar face he smiles and dashes over, waving his shoe-free hand.

"Hey!"

[patternprophet]

Leoben had spotted Firo before the other noticed him, and had watched him splashing in the water. He'd join Firo, but lately he's preferred to stay on the shore, rather than stand in the water. He's afraid of drowning, in a metaphorical sense but that's transferred over into reality.

Still, when Firo called out, he returned the wave, and walked over to meet him.

[immamartillo]

Firo leaves the water to meet up with Leoben and lets his shoes drop onto the sand. Any metaphorical fear of the water is lost on him, he simply assumes that his friend isn't one for frolicking in the sea. He smiles, but he's quietly watching Leoben for signs of trouble. He's still worried about him. Fortunately for Leoben, Firo's not quite perceptive enough to notice something's wrong.

"What'cha doin' here? Thinkin' of goin' for a swim?"

[patternprophet]

"Felt like a change of scenery," Leoben replied. "I've been hanging around home for the past week and needed a different place to think."

He felt better being by water, having an affinity for the element. And while he usually thought about streams and rivers, the ocean had the most draw for him. He was amazed by the vastness of it.