&&--Of tourists and tee-shirts [open]

[cc]

C.C. figured that, perhaps if she squinted her eyes and plugged her ears with her fingertips, Barceloneta beach would probably be one of the most beautiful places she'd ever seen.

It had all the qualifications to be beautiful. A white sand beach, crystal clear, aquamarine salt-water, and a beautiful selection of trees and flowers that wrapped their way along the outskirts of the trees.

With the addition of noisy tourists, bickering locals, and fast food vendors littering the perimiter, the beach's offered trainquility was warped into an over-crowded waste-land. Yet still, despite her negative feelings and impressions toward the beach, you could be sure to catch C.C. there every single Saturday afternoon. Why?

Pizza, of course. No one in Barcelona sold better pizza than Juan did, and his pizza joint sat right on the ocean-front. Any other reason, and C.C. would've given the beach a wide berth every single time. Juan's pizza was the only exception.

The lithe girl stood near the top of the beach, finishing her final slice of pizza. She curled her toes into the warm grains of sand beneath her feet out of boredom. She was trying to seem busy inspecting the beach, but that was a harder task to manage than one could imagine. Espeially since every sight seemed to be the same. Rows and rows of tourists and screaming children as far as the eye could see.

Secretly, C.C. wished that she could just once see a shark attack. Maybe kill off one of the really fat tourists stupid enough to swim too far out. As the girl popped the last bit of chese-filled crust into her mouth, she brushed her hands off on her exposed thighs. She may not have liked the beach, but she wasn't about to come to the beach in snow gear.

The cartreuse-haired girl wore a navy-blue one piece swimsuit. It was decorated with a ruffled skirt-like apparatus at her hips, with a graphic design of a white phoenix on the front. Made by herself, of course. The girl didn't have much to do between classes and eating, so she often made clothes in her free-time.

She sighed, placing her hands on her hips and walking forward. Through the screaming children and tanning women she trekked, side-stepping stray volley-balls and trying to ignore the pain caused by the blistering hot sand. Around the giggling teenagers and fat men in tee-shirts she ventured, reminding herself that the destination would be worth the journey.

Finally she made it to the ocean-side after her daring quest. Oh sure to the average on-looker it may have looked like a leisurely stroll through a crowded beach, but there was little C.C. disliked more than being so close to so many people. Luckily, the ocean was always a bit less occupied. She'd realized long ago that most people just came to the ocean to either wear skimpy clothing and show off their bodies, or to appease their whiny children who weren't content to stay in hotel room.

C.C. let out a soft sigh of relief and took a seat on the moist sand. She felt instantly cooled off, and waited impatiently for the next wave to wash onto the shore. It did, covering the entirety of her legs and lower body for only a moment before sliding away yet again.

She tried once again to drown out the sound around her, hoping to find that trainquility that the beach was said to offer in pamphlets and brouchers.

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[kamina]

Kamina had no classes and he wasn't about to sit around doing homework all day and that meant only one thing, beach day. Normally he would have his entire gang on an excursion like this, but considering they were thousands of miles away, Kamina was just going to have to make due on his own. Not that he cared, he could conquer anything, even a trip to the beach. Besides, most people were friendly, he was sure he'd be able to run into someone to talk to, and if not, he could just play in the ocean. That's what a beach was there for anyway, swimming.

He arrived at the beach and stopped, closing his eyes and inhaling deeply as the tangy scent of salt filled his nose and the crashing waves resonated in his ears. The call of sea gulls and the endless squealing of kids at play assault his ears as well and he opened his scarlet eyes to view the crowded sands. Kamina really didn't mind kids in general, but kids at a beach where an entirely different manner. He watched as two siblings chased each other, kicking sand on the picnic their parents had made, he watch as another start burying an old sleeping man where he lay, and more often than not, the young child gripping onto their mother's hair as she took them into the water. He frowned in horror, nasty little things when they were here.

He stretched a bit, his lean muscles feeling stiff after his run over here. His blue tattoos were visible as he wasn't wearing a shirt and his black swim trunks were adorned with red flames at the bottom hems. Being tan, he didn't have to really worry about being sunburned as much as others and that sort of thing never crossed his mind anyway. Kamina pushed his rather audacious sunglasses further up his nose before heading into the mayhem. He looked around for a good spot to kip up when he noticed her.

A hottie by herself sitting at the water's edge. Kamina grinned. Excellent. Without a second thought, Kamina walked over to the Chartreuse-haired girl and squatted down close to her, keeping enough space between them so he didn't come off as invasive. "Oy, you come to the beach by yourself too?" he asked.

He wouldn't be surprised if she just fixed him with a cold glare only to tell him that she was here with a boyfriend or something. Or worse yet if she went to La Campana (he was horrible with faces) that she had a girlfriend. The school was a trap, he swore that it was. How was he supposed to prove he was straight when it seemed that there was no chance for him? Kamina shook the thought from his mind and grinned at the girl. "The name is Kamina, by the way," he added.

[cc]

Almost as if she had been expecting the company, C.C. did not flinch when she was approached. She merely turned her head upwards to see who it had been who approached her. She wouldn't mean to sound egotistical if she said it out loud, but she was well used to strangers talking to her in public places.

Now was no different. She stared indifferently at this newest man. Her amber eyes travelled the length of his body, trying to determine through appearances what this boy was like. Handsome no doubt, but quite clearly very well aware of it. Blue tattoos that almost matched his hair--probably gang affilliation, or just some spoiled rich kid who had the money to ink so much of his skin.

She lifted a hand to shield her eyes and take in the boy's face. Strong facial features, ridiculous glasses, and a cocky grin. Had the boy not been so tan she would've immediately pegged him for some college boy away on spring break (if it had even been spring break, too).

Her own eyes turned to the boy's. So, she had a vague notion of the boy, next came the important part. What should she do? If she were to go by her true personality and act on that, she would probably just give her name and then turn back to the ocean apathetically. But C.C. did not do that. Instead, she put on a soft, almost pouty smile and gave a chuckle. "Wouldn't you agree that it's a bit hard finding someone willing to come with you to the beach during the peak tourist hours?" She asked him, raising her eyebrow at the slight sarcasm intended in the question. She hoped that the boy both wasn't a tourist, and would be able to infer from her question that she wasn't a tourist either. That would make her perogative easier to acheive. "I'm C.C."

While C.C. wasn't the type to call boy's stupid, she was certainly aware of how easy it was to manipulate them. A flirty question, a well placed hand on a hip, and a girlish chuckle were all it usually took to get a boy to do what you wanted. She wouldn't call herself manipulative, but if she could get the boy to like her enough to buy her some more pizza, she would certainly do it.

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[kamina]

Come onnnn just one smile at least Kamina thought at the girl regarded him. He wasn't vain enough to think that all girls who laid eyes on him would immediately fling themselves at his feet (which would be nice, but ridiculous to expect) but he thought that he was friendly enough to at least merit a smile. Even if it was forced and clearly told him to get lost. But this was worse, almost as if this girl was deliberating whether he was even worth the time or not. But while she looked at him it gave him an excuse to take in more of her details. Long hair (that was always a plus), a nice figure and a pretty face he definitely wouldn't mind being able to hang around her for a little bit.

Kamina's confidence soared with the appearance of her smile and the light chuckle that issued from her lips. Phew, that had been a close one. Kamina wasn't sure what he was going to do if she had just turned him away without sparing...anything. It wouldn't keep him down long, but having her smile was putting him in a good mood. What she said hit him suddenly and he laughed and shrugged a bit. "You could say that again, you'd think it'd be easier to find more of the locals here but so far no such luck, you must be the only other local here besides me."

He grinned at her and nodded. "C.C. huh? Well I don't mean to...intrude if you were trying to...think or something, but I hope you don't mind some company," he said. It was spoken both as a question so that she could easily reject his offer, but also in a way that stated that he was quiet comfortable staying right where he was for the time being. If Kamina had a weakness (which he would never admit) it would have to be women. He wasn't as bad as some of the guys around, who'd leave their jaws on the floor at the sight of a pretty girl, but chances were he'd probably ditch common sense a bit more easily in the presence of a girl than he would in any other situation. And as Kamina didn't have much common sense to begin with, this could lead to quite the scene.