The ship docks at the planet the following morning, and I'm awoken by the sound of a loud crash outside of my door.
My eyes fly open and I sit up, looking around the room in a panic. It takes a moment for me to remember where I am and what's happening. When I do, I relax a little, but I'm still confused. I don't hear anything else. Maybe it was just a random noise? This is a ship after all, it's possible that something just fell in one of the halls.
I'm about to lay back down and try to get a little more sleep when there's another loud crash and a thump against the wall that's definitely my bedroom door. I groan and push myself out of bed.
I don't even bother getting dressed before I go to the door and open it. Outside, in the hallway that connects our rooms, Mira is pinned to the ground underneath a comically large backpack. It's nearly as tall as she is, and she's wiggling underneath it trying to get it off of her. On the other side of the backpack, Llywelyn is rubbing the side of his face, a scowl on his lips. There's a small bruise forming on his cheekbone.
"Mira-" I start, and she turns her head to me, her eyes wide and worried.
"Sarah! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to-" She starts to explain, but Llywelyn cuts her off.
"S'nilia! Are you intending to build a fis'ia house out there? It's a two day beach trip! We don't need your whole room and mine in a bag!" He growls and pushes himself to his feet, grabbing the top of the backpack with one hand. He yanks it off of Mira and she lets out a small squeak.
It's. Quite a sight, given that he casually lifts something so huge with one arm. I feel the tiny pang of something I choose not to identify in my stomach, and then mentally slap myself.
This is not the time, damn it.
In fact, it will never be the time.
And I'm certainly not impressed.
"Hey!" Mira stands up and dusts herself off, her brow furrowing. "It's not that big! And anyway, I need it for when we go to the beach! I'm going to need shade and snacks-"
"You need neither of those things, you emerald glutton." He snorts and turns away from her, tossing the bag on the ground. It creates an almighty crash. "I'm going to go get dressed. Go put your cur'oih away. We're not taking all of it."
She huffs and crosses her arms. "That's not fun at all."
"So don't go, then." He says, disappearing into his room and shutting the door behind him.
Mira stomps her foot, but then looks over at me. "Sarah, tell him that it's not too much, right?" She begs.
I open my mouth to respond, and then glance at the backpack.
That's way too much. She can't possibly need that much stuff for a beach day.
I reach out and pat her on the head. "Maybe just bring a purse of things instead?" I suggest. "We don't want to be weighed down when we play, right?"
Her eyes light up, and she beams. "That's true! I hadn't thought of that! We can't play properly if we're too heavy!" She claps her hands together. "I'll go get my purse!"
I nod, and as she grabs her backpack again and just...sprints off with it.
I'm still pretty sure I can't lift that thing an inch. What the hell is she keeping in it?
I shake my head and wander back into the room I share with Llywelyn. He's reclining on his bed, messing with some sort of device on his wrist. I don't pay too much attention to it, instead just going over to my things to grab some clothes to wear.
"Try not to drown today." He says, not looking a me.
"Can't, that was actually my whole plan." I respond with a shrug. "Can't go back and change it now."
He clicks his tongue. "I'm not rescuing you if you're swept off to sea."
"Then I'll drown with some peace and quiet." I say, and grab a dark blue sundress I found in my closet. I don't remember seeing it before, but it must have been put there recently. It's cute, and a little bit fancier than the things I've been wearing, but it should be appropriate for a summer-y day, or if I actually do decide to go out into the water. I like how it looks, anyway.
There's a pause after I say that, and then Llywelyn scoffs. "You'd find peace, but you'd still scream at me..."
"Don't complain because I'm a multitasker. I can drown and also blame you for it."
He rolls his eyes and glances over at me. His eyes flicker over me for a moment, and I feel... a little self conscious. It's the first time he's just. Looked looked at me since that... incident.
"You should wear a hat." He says, after a moment. "And some kind of sunscreen."
I blink. "Sunscreen?"
"The sunlight might be a bit harsher than you're used to." He explains, and then turns his attention back to the device on his wrist. "It's not that hot, but you could get a sunburn."
A sunburn, huh. That makes sense. I suppose the atmosphere could be different enough to let in more UV than Earth does. I'll just have to listen to him on this, I guess.
"Guess I'll look for some." I say, and then walk into the bathroom to get changed. "I'm sure you'll help me put it on my back, right?"
"What? No! Put it on yourself!" He yells after me, sounding horrified.
I snort as I close the door. Sometimes he really is too easy to annoy.
The ship settles on the water, rather than the land, and the ramp leads directly down to the beach itself. Or at least one of the beaches. It doesn't look like a particularly large beach, nor is it directly connected to any buildings, so I suppose it's probably not the one they were speaking of.
Still.
Walking outside of the ship... onto the beach. Warm sunlight and salt air hit me all at once, and I pause.
There's a smile tugging at my lips as I close my eyes and take a deep breath of the air. It's not the same as home. It's not the same ocean, or the same sun, or the same sand. But it's close enough. It feels... like summer. Like a day at the beach. Like peace.
The toxic tide on that other planet still had some elements of 'home' and 'the beach', despite being so deadly. But the smell of the chemicals always drifted in the air alongside the smell of water, and the salt was thicker, too.
This place is much milder. Much nicer. Even with the giant ship blocking off the view of most of the water.
I feel the heat of the sun on my skin, and I sigh, happily. I never thought I'd miss the sun after being stuck in it for so long. But it's... different here. It's not oppressive. It's not making my skin feel like it's going to burn and melt off. It's just a warm, comfortable heat.
A hand taps my shoulder, and I open my eyes to look over at Mira. She's wearing a dress similar to mine, but like all her clothes, it's shaped out of her gem. I can't tell if it's really a fabric or if it's like a part of her. I don't know why I haven't asked her, I just assume it's a weird question and she'd be offended.
"Are you going to stay there all day?" She asks, smiling widely. "There's more to see!"
I smile back at her. "I'm just taking it in. It's nice."
"It is!" She nods, and then grabs my hand, pulling me toward the ramp. "But it'll be even nicer on the beach!"
She drags me along with her, and I follow without much resistance. It is a nice day, after all. I can take the time to enjoy it a little. There will be plenty of time for brooding and being serious and focused later.
I look up at the sky. It's... almost like Earth's sky. A little paler, maybe. The sun is smaller, and there's an odd ring around it, but it's still a truly blue sky with a sun and clouds. That's more than I ever thought I'd see again.
So...
That's not bad at all. For a weekend trip.