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Since my first foray into beach exploration with Alastor was a resounding success – in the end, at least – I decided to invite Charlie and her friends for a revisit. Upon hearing my suggestion, Charlie was absolutely delighted and rounded up the gang immediately.
“The beach, huh?” Angel Dust mused. “A lot of sweaty, semi-naked studs to spectate. I'm in, most definitely!”
“Trust that to be your reason for going.” Vaggie remarked.
“Hey! There will be plenty of beach babes for you too!” He tried to reason. “Equality exists on the sands, after all.”
“The only 'babe' I am interested in is right here.” She responded, gesturing to Charlie.
“Awwww, you are so sweet.” Charlie cooed. “How about the rest of you? Do you want to join us?”
“If I can bring booze then sure.” Husk answered with a shrug.
“Since I had such fun last time, I definitely want to partake in a repeat performance.” Alastor said, his comment causing my pulse to skyrocket.
“Well then, let us all get appropriately clothed and away we shall go! We are wasting daylight dilly dallying, after all!” I prompted.
“Of course!” Charlie said before scurrying away, dragging Vaggie along for the ride.
“Let us meet back here in ten minutes and no later!” I announced as I watched them retreat. Then I followed suit.
Nine minutes and fifty nine seconds later, we were gathered in the foyer once more, all of us appearing equally stylish. Charlie and Vaggie were wearing matching attire, a plain white vest and stripey shorts. Angel Dust was wearing a skimpy outfit that would pass as lingerie which was not unusual for him. Niffty was wearing a flowing pink dress that came down to her knees. Sir Pentious had stripped down completely, removing his top hat and jacket and leaving behind a mankini and naught else. Leaving absolutely nothing to the imagination.
I personally was wearing a plain t-shirt and shorts. Alastor and Husk had gone down a similar route; Alastor wore the same outfit that he had the last time we made this venture – an exposed chest and three quarter length trousers – he could not bear wearing shorts of any kind; Husk retained his bow tie but had also slipped into shorts.
“I feel so underdressed.” Alastor grumbled.
“The fact that you will happily expose your chest but not your legs is baffling to me.” I told him.
“Would you rather I display nothing at all?” He asked, flashing me a cheeky grin.
“W-well...” I stammered, embarrassed about being put on the spot.
“Enough flirting, you two, let's catch some rays, as they say!” Angel Dust ordered, deciding to lead the charge.
“I wasn't flirting!” I protested but it sounded feeble, even to me.
And, since there was no point arguing further, I set my mind to gathering items that would be important for us.
Despite the hassle of getting everything packed – sun screen and the like – we reached the beach in record time and, fortunately for us, it was relatively empty.
“So, what would everyone like to do?” I asked, knowing that there were various awesome activities that we could be dabbling in.
“Sand fortresses!” Alastor answered immediately, triggering a chuckle to escape my lips.
“That does not surprise me in the slightest.” I teased. “Anyone else?”
“I want to sunbathe.” Angel Dust answered. “I will look even more handsome with bronzed skin, you know.”
“I would like to take a dip in the water.” Charlie spoke up. “Just imagine if I swim out far enough and I encounter dolphins!”
“You are far more likely to encounter sharks out there.” Vaggie warned.
“Yay! I love those, even more so!” Charlie cheered.
Vaggie simply shook her head and sighed at my daughter's naïve comment. “I will accompany you then. Just in case. Besides, we can race.”
“Oooh, that sounds fun!” Charlie clapped her hands together.
“I am just going to sit here and watch the world go by whilst I drink.” Husk announced. “My favourite past time.”
“If that is all you are going to do, why did you bother coming?” Sir Pentious asked, taking me by surprise. He was not usually the confrontational sort.
“A change of scenery is always nice now and then.” Husk answered. “Why? What is your plan of action, mister judgemental?”
“I am going to play a ball game, of course!” He replied, making it sound like the most obvious answer ever. “If anyone is willing to join me in the endeavour.” He added, rather sheepishly.
“Can I join you?” I asked, realising that I had not yet chosen an activity for myself.
“Of course you can!” He replied brightly. “You can be my opponent. If you are willing, that is.”
“More than willing!” I exclaimed, before feeling a wave of embarrassment envelope me for sounding so eager.
“Perfect! The net is over there.” He said, gesturing towards it. “Let the ball battle commence!”
And that is how I passed part of my time, diving for the ball before bouncing it over the net with vim and vigour. By the time the match ended, I was gasping for breath, sweat dripping down my face. Yet I was victorious so the windedness was worth it.
I then decided to join Angel Dust in his sunbathing session whilst I caught my breath. I sprawled out on the sand itself, desiring no blanket, and closed my eyes, allowing the heat to permeate over me. Unfortunately, this did nothing for my hotness – it exacerbated it, in fact – so my next stop was the sea with Charlie and Vaggie.
As soon as my toes touched the cool liquid, I gasped in utter appreciation. It was the absolute perfect temperature and I quickly submerged myself within the water entirely. Charlie and Vaggie were quite far out and I decided to join them but I took my time, swimming at a leisurely pace.
“Greetings, daughter. Vaggie.” I told them once I was within their earshot.
“Hey, dad.” Charlie replied. “Are you enjoying your swim?”
“Very much so. It was just what I needed after a sweaty sports session. I am now cool and content.”
“I know that this defeats the point of your swim entirely but...how about a race back to shore?”
“Definitely!” I announced, not one to ever avoid a challenge.
“Are you sure?” She asked, sounding a tad doubtful. And guilty too, perhaps? She knew about my competitive nature, after all.
“Perfectly.” I reassured her.
“Then let us go in three....”
I tensed my body, ready to set off.
“Two....”
I wiped the water droplets out of my eyes so my vision was perfectly clear.
“One....”
I took a deep breath, knowing that I was now fully prepared. And when I was in the zone, so to speak, nothing could distract me.
“Go!” She yelled, before taking off speedily, Vaggie following behind.
I moved my limbs as though my life absolutely depended on it. I seriously refused to lose this race, despite there being no reward for my efforts, monumental or otherwise. And my hard work paid off.
While Charlie and Vaggie were giggling as they swam, splashing one another with water as they did so, I zoomed forwards, overtaking the both of them with ease.
“Another victory!” I announced triumphantly, raising my fist in the air once I was treading sand once more.
“I never realised that this was a competition.” Husk remarked to me as he downed another bottle.
I slightly blushed at this. We were supposed to be having fun, after all, not taking it too seriously and challenging one another.
“Apologies.” I said, averting my gaze from the group who had now gathered together once more.
“There is no need to apologise, dad.” Charlie comforted me. “We just hope that you enjoyed yourself for non-competitive reasons, besides.”
“Of course I did! I spent my whole day with you - all of you - the most important people in my life, after all. What more could I possibly ask for?”
“Awwww. Group hug?” Charlie suggested, quickly initiating it before anyone had the opportunity to object.
As we were all suddenly squished together, I took the time to appreciate the feel of my friends and family, all of us absolutely buzzing with sheer delight at the day we had had. Yet again, I had arranged an adventure that proved to be even more brilliant than I had previously planned.
Some of us were soaked, the rest were sweaty, but, in this moment, it did not matter in the slightest. We had all had a joyous day, despite embroiling ourselves in entirely different activities. With the exception of myself, of course, who had quite literally dipped my toes in various scenarios.
“Thank you for arranging this.” Charlie spoke up once more, a slight wobble in her voice. “It was wonderful for us all to come together via various means and I definitely want to do this again in the future.”
“Me too!” The rest of the group chorused, even the more skeptical members like Alastor and Husk, and I felt truly touched by this overwhelmingly positive reaction. It most definitely spurred me on to concoct even more ideas that would help us bond further.