[Kitsumi]

"Hey, I understand," Walter offered her his kindest, most comforting smile. "I mean, I guess I am practically a stranger. But I'd be mighty happy if you were willin' to give me a shot. And trust me, I'm not the type to judge. If you start feelin' uncomfortable, you can just let me know and I'll back off. Okay?"

[Jedi]

Now, she fully looked back at him from under her hat. "Thank you," she said, unsure of what else to say. "I don't want you to get the wrong idea. I enjoy talking to you. I guess I'm just shy." She extended her hand, in offering to him. "It was certainly nice to meet you, Walter." She did want to meet him, and for a second, she thought she should let him stay longer, but couldn't bring herself to ask.

The rest of the day was relatively busy, with vacationers and travelers crowding the beach. She kept to herself, hoping not to be noticed. The next day, she stayed inside. She'd gotten a bit too much sun the day before and needed to recover a bit. She spent a lot of time in an ice bath or rubbing aloe on her arms and face. The following day, she strolled the beach, hoping she'd get to see her new friend again.

[Kitsumi]

"There's nothin' wrong with being a little shy," Walter assured her. "I really don't mind if you wanna take things nice an' slow with gettin' to know each other. I'll be happy to have these conversations at your pace, or not at all if that's what makes you comfortable." He got the feeling that she was trying to politely ask him to leave, so he stood and began gathering up his items. "Well, hopefully I'll see you around."

He went out to the beach again the next day. Although he tried to tell himself that he wasn't looking for Melanie, he found himself scanning the others on the beach, hoping to see her. But she never showed up, and he couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed.

So when he saw her the next day, he was excited. He started to raise his hand to wave at her, but then paused, unsure of whether or not she wanted to be alone or not.

[Jedi]

When she saw him wave, she waved back, though her hand barely peaked above her shoulder. She was definitely the timid one of the two. But she adorned a friendly smile. Enough time had passed that she was sure she could get to know him. Granted, she always looked for any red flags she might happen to catch, a nervous habit that left her untrusting of others way too often.

She walked up to him, slow but sure. "Hi there," she started. "I'm sorry for kind of brushing you off the other day. I hope it didn't hurt your feelings." She wore the same straw hat, hoping it hid a bit of her sunburn. She also wore a long, sleeveless watermelon pink sundress with a black sash wrapping around the stomach.

[Kitsumi]

When Melanie waved back, Walter found himself smiling widely at her. He couldn't be sure, but she looked happy to see him, which made him incredibly glad. He started to jog towards her, meeting her halfway as she made her way towards him as well.

"Nice to see you out here again, Melanie," he said. As she apologized, he quickly shook his head and held up his hands, trying to stop her. "No, no, don't apologize," he said. "A lady never needs to have a reason to tell a man to hit the road. You don't need to explain nothin' to me." He smiled again. "But I sure am glad to see you again. You look really nice, too - and don't worry, I'm not sayin' that trying to hit on you. I'd just feel bad if I didn't point out how pretty you look today."

He himself looked more like a beach bum today: sandy blonde hair tousled, cut-off jean shorts, flip-flops, and a t-shirt with the sleeves cut off.

[Jedi]

Her sheepish smile peeked up into a full smile when he assured her feelings. He definitely knew how to make sure she wasn't uncomfortable. "And I'm glad to see you too..."

She took a second to realize what she said, and that it was true. She also realized that her tan face was flush with rosy red, an obvious result of his flattery. She turned to hide her face, a bit embarrassed at her state, though not wanting him to stop.

[Kitsumi]

Realizing that he made her feel even more shy - something that he had certainly not intended to do - Walter tried to ease into a more comfortable subject. "So, have you been in the water yet?" he asked. "It's really nice, always warm from the sun. Really salty though, so I wouldn't advise drinkin' it. Not that I know from experience or nothin'." He winked, not a flirty gesture, but a playful one meant to put her at ease. "Do you know how to swim, Miss Melanie?"

[Jedi]

She eased out of her embarrassment, realizing he was trying to change the subject. "I haven't gone swimming since I came here. Just relaxed on the beach." She wasn't one for physical sport, however, swimming was definitely something she enjoyed. "To be honest, I haven't gone swimming in years. The pond back home gets a bit gross from time to time. I'd enjoy it." She was about to take her sun dress off, revealing the bathing one piece under, but she glanced at him. "You wouldn't mind if I..."

[Kitsumi]

"Heh, a little gross pond water never stopped me," Walter chuckled. "When I was little, my parents could barely drag me away from our little swimmin' hole. I love the water." When he realized what she was trying to do, he quickly turned his back, trying to be polite. "Go on ahead," he said. "I promise I'm a gentleman, I won't try to sneak a peek at ya." As he spoke, he began pulling off his own shirt, and kicked off his flip-flops. The jean shorts, which were baggy enough to be worn over his swim trunks, were also shed and left in the sand.

[Jedi]

She disposed of her hat, then her dress. Beneath, she had a black one piece swimsuit, decorated with green and pink lightning patterns streaking through it. She folded her dress and placed it in the hat, hoping that would keep at least some sand out of it. The hat was set gently on the ground. She then turned to Walter and had a fun idea, which rarely happened. "Hey Walter," she started, giving a second to reply first before she made her move. She then reached out her hand and tapped him on the back. "You're it," she stated before running for the water.

[Kitsumi]

Once his clothes were off, Walter simply stood and waited for Melanie to tell him that it was okay to turn around. When he heard his name, he started to turn, but then felt her touch his back. It took him a moment to make sense of her words, but once he realized what was happening, he let out a howl of laughter.

"Oh, you have no idea what you're gettin' into, little missy!" He immediately chased after her. She may have gotten a head start, but he was a fit young man who made a living out of chasing down cavallians. Just as she reached the water, he reached her.

"Upsie-daisy!" he said, scooping her up in his arms and carrying her deeper into the water. He was so caught up in the game, that he forgot how shy she had been earlier. Once he remembered, he hesitated, giving her the chance to ask him to gently put her down if she didn't want to be dropped in the water.

[Jedi]

The shoreline grew closer.. and closer... and was gone. She let out a small screech, followed by a fit of playful laughter. Walter was much faster than she was, being that she lived a life of slow days, watering patches and pulling weeds. She wrapped her arms around him, partly to keep from being dropped into the water. He'd said it would be warm, but that instinctual half-fear of it being cold moved her hands to grip him. She looked with a beaming grin at him, but climbed down into the water with her face flush again. "Sorry. I got carried away."

She didn't know if she liked this fun side of her, or was a little afraid of it...

[Kitsumi]

It was a relief for Walter to hear her laughter. He was an outgoing person who liked to treat everyone as if they were already friends, and sometimes he got too carried away. At least she seemed to be enjoying their playful romp, instead of being afraid of him.

He allowed her to lower herself into the water, releasing her once he was sure that she had her footing. "Nah, I'm the one who was about to dump you in the water without so much as a warnin'," Walter said. "Besides, what's so bad about getting carried away? I think we all need to let loose a little bit sometimes. And bein' on vacation and all, this certainly seems like the place to do it."

[Jedi]

Melanie listened intently on what he was saying. And for once, she realized that she could just let loose. She waded her hand through the water, wondering why she always kept herself so locked up. Of course, this wouldn't change how she lived her life back home. But he was right. She was on vacation. She deserved a chance to let loose. "I guess I've been too caught up in my personal bubble." She splashed him once, and let a giggle out, then tagged him once more and started running once more. "C'mon, Walt. Catch me again... if you can."

[Kitsumi]

Before Walter had the chance to assure her that it was okay for her to be in her own bubble if that was what felt comfortable for her, Melanie was splashing him. He laughed at her, catching her hand as she attempted to run away. "Oh no, missy, I'm not falling for that again!" he said. "Tag, you're it this time!" Then he started running in the opposite direction, going slightly below his full speed so that it wouldn't be impossible for her to catch him.