#(I know nothing about Ki.ng.dom He.arts except the most important things)

[more-than-a-princess]

Continued from here for @litoredeem!

It was kind of him, Sonia thought, to play along with her whims. Though, beyond protecting her life, that was what Riku was hired for. Except this time, Sonia's whims were entirely focused on his appeal and benefit. Not that she greatly opposed a beach day: it was rather like having a small holiday. Once that would unfortunately end sooner than she'd like, but that made it all too similar to a week or two spent in St. Tropez, or Cannes, or Capri.

Just as well: it wasn't anything like her extravagant beach holidays at home, but it seemed to bring peace to him. For once, he didn't look so stone-faced: he actually looked content, which was close enough to happy for Sonia. "Yes you, of course," She smiled, pushing her hair out of her face in order to keep the wind from blowing it back in. "You are the one between the two of us who had a childhood by the sea. Mine was surrounded by mountains, lakes, rivers, and plenty of green hills. At least when there wasn't snow on them. But no beaches to be found."

It stood to question then, if Riku was asked to accompany her to Novoselic, how much he'd enjoy it there. The climate, for one: not only a lack of beach but summer was only three months out of the year, and it didn't get terribly hot to boot. Nothing like the heat and humidity of a Japanese summer. Breezy weather, rain, and snow were much more prominent: excellent for that multitude of green hills, but not so much ifone preferred the tropics.

"I am not sure about that, I can imagine all sorts of things," Sonia retorted as she, with her sandals in one hand and her tote bag in the other, stepped into the surf in her bare feet. She shivered: she hadn't expected it to be so cold, but it wasn't unpleasantly so. Just a surprise, and a refreshing one at that. "Have you, for example, ever cut a watermelon with a sword whilst blindfolded like they do in the anime?" She asked, wiggling her toes in the water and clumpy, wet sand. It felt nice all the same. "Or built a large fire and told stories deep into the night? Both of those sound like great fun!"

But Riku seemed to have other plans, ones that made Sonia's eyes light up as she stepped out of the water and back onto dry sand, to see where he was pointing. "I have not been in a rowboat!" She exclaimed, far too eager to tell him that they were against the rules with a big smile on her face. "My family always deemed them far too unsafe for me, like motorcycles and roller coasters are. Though I would very much like to experience all of them! There was a park, near my old high school, that in the spring and summer they would have similar boats with oars, or grandiose boats shaped like swans or some such thing that you pedaled, rather like a bicycle. I remember during the cherry blossom season I wanted to try them, but I was determined to row and pedal myself! My friends or lovers at the time, well, they did not have much faith in my abilities to keep the boats afloat and moving along on my own so we never tried them. I wonder, then, if it would be the most awful thing to capsize."

If anything, it was a rowboat, not a ship lost at sea in a violent storm. They'd probably just need towels and a warm drink after. And besides, she doubted Riku would hold the same scruples. At least if she asked nicely, he'd likely let her row for a bit. And she wouldn't take no for an answer this time, or give him a chance to talk his way out of it. "Come on," She said, taking his hand in hers, beginning to lead him towards the boats. "Let us inquire how we may go about renting one! And you could tell me about the places you've rowed to at home. Perhaps Okinawa has caves or lagoons of some sort to explore?" It wasn't the sort of boat one took for travels, but for a day's, or a couple hours at least, excursion? It looked ideal, and far more exciting than going laps around and across a pond.

"I have never used oars, but there shall be a first time for many things!" Would she be taking their lives into her hands? Possibly. But certainly it was worth it, for the smile on her face.

#litoredeem #Non-Despair AU: University verse #(If a crab starts singing to them I will laugh-) #(The sea life realizing they have to intervene or else these two are hopeless) #(At least Sonia can talk!) #(Though this could be seen as Riku kidnapping a princess. Yet again.) #(I know nothing about Ki.ng.dom He.arts except the most important things) #(Sonia dislikes being compared to Dis.ney princesses but she has some things in common with a few)