The Beach | Birthday Blues {BYOA}

[healsforjustice]

With the will of the hotel to create just about any scenario it wished, it was often hard to keep track of the seasons going by. However, if one was to find themselves wandering along a long stretch of sand as the sun slowly began to dip below the horizon, it would truly feel like summer. It was obviously fated that Amelia found herself wandering

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[onlysanechimera]

Zelgadiss hadn't expected to wind up at the beach, but then, he hadn't really been expecting anything in particular. He'd just set off walking - but then, at least the hotel had the courtesy to wait for that for once rather than just dumping him where it wanted him to go, usually without any clothes.

He slipped off his shoes before stepping out onto the sand, leaving them just inside the doorway - he was obviously unsurprised at the way the door seemed to vanish when he closed it. A way out would probably present itself eventually. He was more interested in the line of bare footprints across the beach, still visible in the light of the setting sun.

He was sure of just who the figure at the end of the trail was even before her features became really distinct; it was easy to recognize Amelia by now. He approached quietly, not wanting to disturb her apparent thoughts, but unless she noticed him coming he was going to walk right up next to her and put a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Amelia?"

[healsforjustice]

Approaching would have been an easy task, considering how lost in thought Amelia was. It seemed like the more she stared, the more came to mind. She could have almost swore she saw images and memories in the reflections of light that shimmered across the water. The longer she looked, the more real it seemed.

The cool breeze brought her back back to reality somewhat, the material around her legs whipping in the wind as she rubbed her bare arms. This contrasted heavily to the sudden warm hand on her shoulder. If not for the well known voice saying her name, she would have been rather startled.

"Oh, Mr Zelgadiss, what brings you out here?" she asked, offering her usual happy smile.

[onlysanechimera]

"Just wandering, really. I found the beach, then followed the tracks in the sand. Is everything alright?" he asked, looking a bit concerned. Even if she was smiling happily now, she hadn't looked that way a moment ago - she only usually looked that quiet when something serious was happening or something had upset her.

He slipped an arm around her awkwardly. Comforting people wasn't exactly his strong point, but he at least had to try.

[healsforjustice]

Nodding, Amelia cast a glance back at the footprints a moment before answering, still keeping the smile in place. "Of course, why wouldn't everything be alright?"

As she felt his arm move around her, the princess found herself leaning against the chimera, relaxing somwhat. Having him there did make her feel a little better, but she was still weary. After all, she was getting worked up when Zelgadiss had been stuck at the hotel for much longer, even if he hadn't been specific about it. It wasn't fair for her to get upset, when he had no doubt gone through a lot more.

[onlysanechimera]

"You looked upset," he replied quietly. "You're not usually that quiet unless there's something wrong."

He sighed a bit as he felt her relax against him, curling his arm around her. He had to admit, it felt good knowing he had that effect on her, but he was still worried.

[healsforjustice]

The hold was doing a good job of making her more comfortable, leaving Amelia to feel like she wasting time when she should have been enjoying the moment with him. Needless to say, that weakened her defenses significantly.

"Nothing's wrong...exactly." she managed to say, eyes glancing away from him. "I'm just feeling a bit homesick today, that's all."

[onlysanechimera]

"Mm, I guess I can understand that." He sighed and kissed the top of her head gently. He had a feeling she wasn't telling him everything - but he figured either she'd end up telling him what was really wrong eventually, or it was personal enough for her to keep to herself, in which case it was really none of his business. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

[healsforjustice]

She felt her face tinge slightly pink at the kiss, the affection making her feel warm despite the breeze. Tilting her head up, she nuzzled her cheek against his chest, one hand sliding down to cover the one that was wrapped around her form. "This is enough, thank you."

It would be, for the moment, until she felt more at ease with telling him the whole truth. "You've been here longer...does it get any easier Mr Zelgadiss?" she asked

[onlysanechimera]

"A little, eventually," he murmured. He blushed a little himself when he felt her hand cover his, giving her a slight, gentle smile as he tried to comfort her.

His other hand came up to stroke her hair gently as she nuzzled against him, holding her close. "Mm... you must be cold. Why don't we get you out of this breeze - I think I saw a house up on the cliffs."

[healsforjustice]

Amelia hummed softly at the fingers touching her hair, lulling back against him for warmth as the wind picked up, making her shiver. Nodding, the girl laced their fingers together as she let him lead the way back to the house.

"Mm, I'm still sorry that the hotel haven't let you go home after so long." she sighed, squeezing his hand a little.

[onlysanechimera]

"Don't be," he murmured, returning the squeeze gently. "You don't need to worry about that; I'm fine."

When they reached the house, he pulled the door open for her, beckoning for her to enter. He still didn't know what was really wrong, but he still wasn't going to press her - not yet, at least.

[healsforjustice]

While Amelia might have had more to say, she held back. After all, she was trying to hold back on any sad thoughts; going further with this topic wasn't going to help matters. Instead, she squeezed back, smiling hopefully up at him. "Well, when the time comes we can all go back together."

She still did her best to be upbeat as she went inside the house. However, she soon found herself looking out of the window towards the ocean. Fighting back the urge to fall back into a daze, the princess let her fingers toy with the material of the sarong absentmindedly. The last thing she wished to do was drift off and cause Zelgadiss any more trouble.

[onlysanechimera]

Zel nodded as he shut the door, smiling back at her. "Of course. All of us. If I have anything to say about it I'd rather get everyone out of here." He hoped she wouldn't dwell on the 'if' part.

He came up behind her as she looked out the window, slipping his arms around her waist again gently. He didn't want her to start moping again. "Are you sure everything's okay?" he asked softly.

[healsforjustice]

Luckily for Zel, Amelia was ever the optimist, so to her there was no 'if' in the matter. "That's the spirit Mr Zelgadiss!" she beamed, sounding a bit more like her usual cheerful self.

As she felt his hold around her once more, her eyes slipped shut, allowing the familiar security and warmth to spread through her. Really, it was silly to think she could keep things from Zelgadiss; she trusted and loved him far too much to keep secrets from him.

"I was just wondering if that bottle I threw into the sea could reach home. Probably not, but I still put a message inside for Daddy. I just...wish I could see him, and visit my mother, like I usually do today..." she spoke quietly, feeling her body relax against him. She sighed a moment before finishing, something telling her letting him know would ease the ache she had been coping with. "...for my birthday."

[onlysanechimera]

Well, that explained a lot. It was no surprise he hadn't known, really - even if he'd been able to keep track of the date that well in the hotel, there'd never really been a reason for her to tell him her birthday before unless she was desperate for him to do something.

"I'm sorry, Amelia," he murmured softly. "I didn't realize..." He ended the sentence right there - it wasn't likely to turn out to be a particularly useful one. Finally, his voice almost a whisper, he settled for "Happy birthday."

[healsforjustice]

By nature, Amelia was the sort to make a fuss about justice and other people, but not over herself. That was a bit of a task when you were royalty, but she had often insisted on keeping things to a minimum in regards to her birthday. If she wasn't about to let her father or kingdom fuss over it, then there was no way she would allow her friends to either. It would have been wrong in her eyes to ask anything of them, so naturally, she shook her head at his words.

"It's okay, you don't need to apologise. I wouldn't have wanted anyone to make a big deal of it anyway." she replied. Of course, on hearing the last two words, she smiled warmly, cheeks going red more from happiness than embarrassment. Turning around in his arms, she pushed her body up, balancing with her hands on his chest as she planted a chaste but loving kiss on his lips. "But thank you for that."