Sun and Sea

The sound of waves lapping against sand was always soothing, no matter where on Mobius he found himself. The cool, clear water pooled around his ankles, and damp sand shifted pleasantly between his toes. An soft breeze heralded the coming evening, and carried with it the smell of the ocean.
Haydrian looked out over the gently eddying ocean, and his sigh was content.
Though he had traveled to many amazing places inland, places that had been like nothing he had seen before, and had captivated his attention, always the restless urge came sooner or later to return to the ocean. It was this same urge that had brought him once again to the coast, and this time the city of Kawa Crossing.

He'd only been here a few weeks, but some how it felt longer, and yet, at the same time, shorter. Though he'd settled in with Al at the inn, and business had been slow, the last few weeks still seemed a blur with learning his position as Al's help, and the demands of unrolling to his new teacher all of the knowledge he had gained as an apprentice healer.Books, recitations, bandage weaving, potions, salves, they had discussed it all, and more then that. And for all that he'd left the old woman's presence every night ready to drop once he hit his bed, his only thought was to how lucky he had been to find not only a place to stay, but a teacher as well in such a short time. He really needed to thank that fox if he saw him again.

It could wait till later..... and so could reflecting on other things.

With great appreciation, the small yellow hedgehog sank down on the soft beach sand, reclining against it's familiar presence. The wind, the sound and the smell of the ocean, the setting colors of the sky; the world seemed right for now, and he finally had some spare time to himself.

Just a few feet down the shoreline, another hedgehog was taking in the evening sights and the salty sea air. With his favorite volleyball tucked under his right arm, Strider gazed at the setting sun. Mizugiwa Beach always did have the best sunsets.

But the sereneness of the setting couldn't keep the teal hedgehog's mind off the upcoming volleyball tournament he was to compete in. The Downunda Invitational was a big deal- it was one of the most well known beach volleyball tournaments, as well as the first of the season. It had been 8 months since he had last competed. "Am I ready for this?" he thought to himself. Kawa Crossing's Mizugiwa Beach was his off-season quiet escape from the party atmosphere of his volleyball partner Ace's Downunda residence. It was much needed, but there was no volleyball court- the beach just wasn't big enough for it.

"I'm sure Ace has been practicing for weeks" Strider thought. He knew Ace was a very competitive red fox- and losing was not an option. Since his parents were beach volleyball stars back in the day, Ace had a reputation to uphold. "And I'm sure he's on his way..."

With Ace imminent arrival looming, Strider decided to continue the volleyball exercises he'd been working on all day. After adjusting his sunglasses and green trunks, he took the volleyball from under his arm and began to practice setting it, hitting it up in the air with both hands over and over again. Of course, this left him looking up in the air constantly, not where he was going. True to Murphy's law, Strider's left foot landed squarely on the tip of a medium sized conch shell sticking out of the sand, which caused him to tumble, sending the volleyball flying. It landed right next to a small yellow hedgehog sitting at the water's edge, one who Strider had never seen on Mizugiwa Beach before.

Ears the color of pale sun, with odd blue tips twitched and shifted instinctively, the quick step scuffle of broken foot falls in the sand reaching them just seconds before the muffled fump at his side. Stirred from his half nap, Haydrian's eyes opened and he turned his head to consider the object that had landed next to him. He knew it right away, and an unconscious hand reached over to rest on it's smooth, sun warmed surface as it nested in the sand. With mild surprise his gaze swept from the volley ball and across the beach till the figure of another Mobian, a hedgehog in fact, came into view. The boy's large eyes were a color mirrored in the hues of dawn or dusk, and for but a moment considered the sea blue hedgehog with wary regard.
In the next moment, the younger hedgehog was sitting up in the sand, gathering the lost ball up in his grasp.
"I think this might be yours?" He asked, though his tone said he was fairly sure the question was rhetorical.

Lifting up his head from the sand, Strider caught a glimpse of his volleyball through his shades, which were cock-eyed and dangling off his nose. How embarrassing, he thought. That embarrassment only heightened when he noticed that the volleyball was being held by a young Mobian hedgehog. Just play it cool, Strider thought to himself. As the teal hedgehog got up and dusted himself off, he fixed his shades and casually went to take his volleyball back. "Yeah, thanks kid!" he said. The more Strider looked at the youngster, the more curious he was as to who this was. He knew every local from Kawa Crossing- this wasn't a tourist area, and this kid sure wasn't one of them. "Don't think I've ever seen you here before." he casually mentioned to the yellow hedgehog. "You from around here?"

Haydrian held up the ball as the other approached, better facilitating the exchange. He gave a small smile, his head cocking slightly to the side to look straight up at the taller Mobian as he leaned back on his palms. "Sure." He said with a small, breathy chuckle, his voice still that of a child. "The ball seems to be alright after it's fall." His brow shifted to casual question. "I'm presuming you are too? And you would be right, and no," he shook his head, "I'm not from around here."

Strider smiled as he began lightly tossing his volleyball with his left hand. "Kinda figured." he said. "I'm here most of the year, and I know all the locals." He turned his head to the side and looked out at the sunset again. "Mizugiwa Beach is really amazing. It surprises me that we don't get more tourists." Looking back at the youngster, Strider knew this was someone who was comfortable with the beach scene- and anyone comfortable on the beach was a friend worth making. He pointed to a spot on the sand next to the kid. "Mind if I sit here?"

Haydrian followed the other's look and gazed out across the waves. "It is very pretty here." He replied with a nod, then a shrug. "Can't say. I've only been here for a little while." Privately he wondered if distance didn't play a part of it. The ferry ride that had brought him into Kawa Crossing's port had been a long journey, and the majority of Mobians didn't have the luxury of making such a long trip, not with the daily things that were required to maintain their homes and livelihoods. But in his case, while there were places he would always call home, they were only temporary stops on his journey, and sooner or later, he would move on again, never staying in one place for long. Information, books, tales, those were what he sought, and some times he would stay as much as a few months, to wait out foul weather, or other things that would slow his journey. Other times he found some one who could continue his studies, and he would stay longer. Still, he had not yet found his answers, and as with the last place he had made home, it would be time to go out and find them, fore he had no hope that they would ever come to /him/.

He took his gaze from the calm waters. They helped to lessen the feelings of regret for leaving yet again. They had all known it would happen when the urge become strong enough to push him onward, but it had not softened the goodbyes any. "I don't mind." He said as he considered the older Mobian again, deciding that maybe the company of another would be nice. The water also reminded him of Amma, and maybe having some one else around would help keep that sudden melancholy at bay. It was also true he had not had much time yet to meet the locals.

Seeing that the young Mobian was fine with having company, Strider set his volleyball down and sat down next to him. The sand was still warm and comfortable from having the sun beat down on it all day. As he got situated, the teal hedgehog remembered how relaxing it was to just sit and do nothing. That was the point of the beach- just live, and let those troubling thoughts wait for another time. So what if a tournament was coming up, that was no reason to take the fun out of being at the beach.

As he was calming his thoughts, Strider noticed that the yellow hedgehog next to him seemed to have a bit on his mind. Maybe he's homesick or something since he's not from here, Strider pondered. Knowing that he wasn't a true local himself, Strider became curious if this kid was from a place close to where he'd grown up, though his lack of accent signaled quite clearly that this youngster wasn't from Downunda, and he probably wouldn't know Ace. Unsure what to say, Strider reached out a hand to the kid. "I'm Strider. Nice to meet you."

The younger hedgehog had also returned to simply enjoying the relaxing things the beach had to offer. This culture was vastly different from anything he'd seen yet, he'd learned that much in the time he'd already spent here. But when he was around the ocean, he could feel at home anywhere, even if only for a time. It's very sound was something he had not thought he would ever miss, till the first time he'd been away from it for more then a few days at the original outset of this quest. He'd spent his own life, till that moment, never without it's constant music. It was good to be back. To be away from the great body of water was to do without an important part of himself.

It was the other Hedgehog that brook the silence first. Haydrian had questions of his own, but they had both seemed content to put them off. He turned to look at the hand extended to him, but he met the other Mobians eyes, hesitated a moment as if looking for something, then smiled lightly and took it. "And I'm Haydrian. Nice to meet you too." As if it has been a simple signal, he no longer seemed to worry about breaking the silence. "You were practicing?" He indicated the volleyball, inferring a guess from the lack of others to make up a game.

Strider looked down at the volleyball and back at Haydrian. "Yeah, actually, I was. Haven't played in a while, and a friend of mine asked me to compete with him in a tournament later this week." The teal hedgehog hesitated a moment before continuing- he knew he had a habit of giving lots of details about a topic he loved before finding out if the other person was even interested. Might as well find out how much this kid knows about the volleyball circuit, he thought. "Have you ever heard of the Downunda Invitational?"

After a moment of thought, Haydrian shook his head. "Hm-um..don't think I have." He knew there were tournaments, and that in other places around Mobius, to compete on a larger scale had become a big thing, but his journey some times made it hard to keep up with them, and he was more familiar with bits and pieces. He shrugged, leaning back on his palms and considering the way the colors of evening changed the hues of the clouds. "I travel a lot." Was his simple explanation, though it may have seemed like odd logic.

"That's cool." Strider responded, realizing Haydrian probably wasn't as into volleyball as much as other things. But the comment about travel gave him a new avenue to carry the conversation, especially since the yellow hedgehog seemed really interested in the evening sky. "If you've never been to Downunda, I'd really recommend it. Spent a bit of time there. The beaches are just as beautiful as they are here, just a bit more crowded during the daytime. If you go around this time of evening, though, there's some hideaway areas that are really fantastic. Real nice sunset watching spots."

"Are they?" The boy smiled, letting his gaze leave the sky and regard Strider. He seemed to have caught his interest. He'd never been to Downundra before, though he'd heard of it. Infact... "This is the first time I've been this far east." Maybe he's be there to see them some day.
Unlike a lot of children his age, he seemed more reserved with his words and even with the spark of curiosity now in those brilliant colored eyes, he kept his questions from over running each other, and the person he was speaking with.

Strider could tell very quickly that Haydrian was curious. It would be really easy to sell his favorite beach spots to the younger Mobian, although secretly he didn't want to admit that there were many places he hadn't been to outside the beach scene, and he was glad the kid wasn't so inquisitive as to be asking about all those locales. "Well, it's great you finally got out here! This is a really great part of the world for beach lovers," Strider said. "And Downunda is the king of all beach areas- so says my friend Ace."

The mention of Ace suddenly broke Strider's focus for a moment. He would be arriving anytime, and Strider didn't want to disappoint Ace by not being ready. "Truth be told, kid, my buddy Ace is a really good volleyball player, and he's on his way here now, which is why I've been practicing all day. Not sure if I'm ready to meet up with him though, it's a little hard to practice when you have no court or other person to play with." He began to toss his volleyball up in the air again.

He didn't know when it would be, but at least from what he was hearing, Hayde knew he'd have a real treat if he ever made it to Downundra. "It sounds like a great place!" His ears twitched lightly at the mention of the other name. So Strider had a friend that was from Downundra? Maybe it would be worth while to stick around longer. He had some time to himself after all, and he needed to start his search some where. He just had to figure out how to bring it up, and what to say with out things getting too into the region of questions he could not answer.

Strider broke off his own train of thought and switched the topic from beaches else where, to more area relevant news. "It can be...." was his reply to Strider's lament of lack of companion as well as court. "Hmmm....." The boy gave a quick nod to himself and readily climbed to his feet, dusting sand from the backs of his legs with a casual flick of his hand, though he was careful not to send it right into the pair of boots that had been resting beside him just out of the reach of the surf. "I might not know much about actual Tournaments." He did know more though than he was going to mention now. "But grew up in a fishing village just off the beach....." He looked down at Strider with a pause, letting the other grasp the implication of what he meant. "And most of the time, we didn't have a court, or other times, even a net...." He paused again briefly, then walked a short distance back up the beach and found a hardened sea frond that had washed up in the flotsam. Eyeing the sand for a moment, he then dropped the frond end to the sand and began dragging it along the beach.

Strider's eyes lit up in amazement and pleasant surprise at the fact that this boy he'd been talking with WAS familiar with beach volleyball, even if it wasn't at a professional level. The ingenuity Haydrian was displaying in setting up this impromptu court with the frond was impressive, why couldn't he have thought of that? It certainly appeared that Haydrian was up for playing, and that made Strider beam from ear to ear. "Awesome idea, dude! You'd think in all my years of playing beach volleyball that I'd have come up with something like that!" Strider stood up and began to walk up the beach to carve court lines in the sand, but then decided to make sure the kid was actually interested in playing. "You up for a quick round of one on one volleyball?"

"I had others show me." He replied as he continued to fashion the outline of a rough court. There was a certain concentration he put into the pacing he used will doing so, and it wouldn't have been too hard to tell that he was marking the size based on a roughly memorized number of standardized steps. "This was the easiest way to do it when you decided you just wanted to play a quick game with your friends." He scratched of the end of the last line making up the outer box, then moved to the middle to make the division line, again counting with measured paces. It was a rough court, lacking much of the other markings used, but it set up the boundaries at least. "If people felt like making more of a day of it, like in the evening after a good catch, then you could set up a more formal net." If his description lacked details, it was just a casual explanation while he was otherwise distracted in his task. Eventually he looked up, tossing the frond a bit off to the side, and looked around the beach. "Now what to use for a net marker.....?"

Watching the kid put the volleyball court together got Strider's ingenuity starting to flow as well. He noticed two long pieces of sturdy driftwood at the beach's tide line, and quickly grabbed them. "How about these?" he said, as he brought the large sticks to the center of the court. "And the local fishermen tend to leave their broken nets along the rockier parts of Mizugiwa Beach." Stirder then pointed to a small cove just to his left. "I'm sure we could find one just around that corner."

"Those should work fine!" Hayde grinned.
"Hmmm...even if we can find a few, even just parts, I might be able to make at least something rough that would fit...." He glanced toward the cove Strider had pointed out. "It's worth a try."

Strider quickly shoved the two driftwood poles into place, and the two walked just a short distance to the tiny rocky cove. "This is one of those all-purpose beaches," Strider explained. "There's a few fishermen who bring in a haul early each morning, but most of the day this is just a hangout spot for the locals." Knowing the beach like the back of his hand made Strider the perfect tour guide for any new beachgoer to Mizugiwa. However, hearing Haydrian say he'd played before on a different beach made Strider curious about where the youngster was from. "And you mentioned something about fishing a bit ago- your local beach have fishermen too?"

As they rounded the corner, there was an overwhelming scent of dried seaweed that permeated the air. Mounds of the kelp lay all around the rocks that made up the left edge of Mizugiwa Beach. Amid the kelp were several shards of broken sea glass and a few small sections of what used to be fishing nets. Strider looked at this mass residue of oceanic chaos with disapproval. "Hmmm. I was really hoping there would have been an intact net around here, but i don't see one."

The smaller yellow hedgehog looked up at Strider the quick quirk of a grin. "More then that...." he said, again watching the route they followed. "It was a fishing village." There was a slight emphasis on the last word. "And about the game..." he shrugged, "I wouldn't mind. It has been a few months at least since I last had the chance to play."

Following Strider around to the alcove he had been speaking of, Haydrian suddenly found his nose assaulted with seaweed so strong it reeked. "Ugg..." the boy gasped in surprise as he brought the crook of his elbow up to cover his nose. Seaweed was a smell he was all too familiar with, but even things you liked could be bad in over large quantities. His brow wrinkled as he let down his arm, the startling effect of the sudden smell starting to dim out. The taste was already in his mouth, one he /wasn't/ fond of, but he ignored it, and glanced around the cove at the sea glass, litter of sea weed, and broken bits of net.

Unconsciously a disapproving look crossed his face as shifted the pouches he carried on a belt at his waist, and he started to pick his way among the rocks and kelp, gather up pieces of net with out comment, holding up a few and glancing at them with the look a person might give something needlessly wasted. As he moved around, he had also scooped up some of the larger masses of rotting weed and threw them up on the beach. He seem to forget for a time that someone else was watching what he was doing as he made little motions to help clean up the cove.

Strider was awestruck as he watched the young Mobian not just grabbing bits of net, but actually cleaning the beach. "Man, the locals are gonna love you, after they find out that they can actually use this edge of the beach!" He could tell right away that Haydrian had an idea for the net. Taking his cue from the yellow hedgehog, Strider began to pick up some of the netting himself. Once he had a fistful, he called out to Hayde, holding up his scavenged finds. "Think we have enough?"

Haydrian started slightly as he was lifting up another mass of the smelling weed. At least on the beach, the sun would bake the smell out of it as it dried. He glanced up at the other hedgehog, suddenly aware of what he'd been doing as he searched for the netting, and that Strider had still been with him.

"Um........." His ears tilted back, revealing his feeling of self consciousness and mild embarrassment, but he finished the motion he had started and carried the last glob of seaweed back up to the shore line and spread it out on the sand. "I guess I got a bit carried away....." he mumbled, then turned a bit stiffly back to the surf to wash the reek from his arms and gloves. ".............."

His ears slowly drifted back into a more casual position as he finished up his washing off, and his embarrassment faded into the water with most of the smell. He stood and walked back up the beach to collect his own pile, and compare his with Strider's find. After a moment, he nodded. "I think this should do. I should be able to make at least something that will work.... Let's go back our court."

"Sounds good to me," Strider replied, as the two headed back to their makeshift volleyball court. The teal hedgehog shifted his gaze for a moment to the now cleaned up rocky alcove. It was so much nicer- the locals were sure to be buzzing over how much more scenic it would be. Knowing that Haydrian had shown some sense of embarrassment over the seaweed collecting, Strider gently put his hand on the youngster's shoulder. "You did a great job back there making our beach look better. Thanks, Haydrian. That's a cool name- a little long though." Strider chuckled, "Mind if I just call you Hayde?"

The hand on his shoulder caused him to glance up at the taller hedgehog, and the compliment caused his ears to shift again, but this time the look of humble embarrassment was more mild, and the younger hedgehog even added a smile as he hefted his small bundle of net. "Uh...sure. Thanks." His ears quirked up again at the change to his name. "....Hayde?" Huh...he'd never been called that before. Most of the places he'd been, no one seemed to bother with shortening his name past it's formal length, though plenty of times it had eventually gained an affectionate ring to it. He wondered it if was just Strider, or the change of culture. Hayde....he rolled it over his mental tongue. It was different...but not bad.....
"I don't mind." He decided all at once. "No one has ever called me that." As they reached their impromptu volleyball court, he carefully set down his arm full of netting and indicated that Strider could put his there as well, then walked over to where he had left his boots, and his other belongings. "The cove...." he spoke up, pausing for a moment, "I guess it just kind of bothered me...we always did what we could to keep the beach off the village cleaned up. It had a lot more importance to us then just a view...." He reached into the back pack that was propped up, and quickly produced a small traveler's knife in a leather sheath and upon returning to where Strider stood, he took a seat in the sand next to the netting. "This shouldn't take /too/ long..."