RP:Beach Date

Summary: Hudson and Alvina go on a cute date to the beach, and Alvina gets to meet Hudsons mom! They have their first kiss, it's an embarrassing disaster of sun, surf, and sudden encounters!

Sea Breeze

Hudson had perhaps suggested hanging out at the beach because it was a short jaunt from his new place on Sea Breeze, and there was little chance for him to get lost. He's early, and he has the time to unfurl his towel and pin it down at the corners with his shoes and small rocks. Situating himself, he shucks off his shirt - revealing near-reflective levels of paleness - and tosses it beside the basket of provisions he'd packed. He has a pair of binoculars among said provisions, and he looks out for mermaids, rather shamelessly passing the time (in the name of research!) until Alvina's arrival.

Alvina arrives, already clad in her swim wear but over which she wears a modest covering akin to fishing nets (but with more fashion and sewing involved surely). Her crimson crown is by no means hard to spot on the beach front, nor is Hudson, who stands out much like a specter against the blue backdrop of the waves and sky. "Ahoy Alchemist!" She cries, bare feet kicking up sand as she rushes to meet him. Her hair is styled back in a long braid nearly touching her waist line to suit the ideal of water and mermaids (though sadly she is but a human). "Are you bird watching?" She asks him coyly while she unfolds her own beach towel to lay on the sand near his. A few choice stones and the rest of the woman's belongings do well to weigh the edges down. "Or would fishing be a more appropriate term?" She jested, remembering his previous worry about her spending time at the party that might contain more than a little on the subject of mermaids.

Hudson brings his binoculars along the shoreline and, finding no mermaids to study in the name of science/but perhaps kind of also boys being boys, begins to study a group of gulls picking at the remnants of what appears to be a muffin. As Alvina calls out for him, he turns about to face the direction of her voice, forgetting to remove his binoculars from his range of vision. He in turn is greeted by a very magnified Alvina. The very magnified upper half of Alvina's torso, even. He rather abruptly drops his binoculars - they make a light grating sound as they connect with the sand. "I didn't realize you were so close," says Huds with a sheepish grin. "This is a serious study happening here. I want a mermaid scale or two for my experiments," he explains with a somewhat self-conscious scratch of his chin. His gaze briefly touches on Alvina, respectfully, not lingering too long. "I like your... dress," he says, gesturing at her fishnet covering. "Not very good for the sun, though. We're going to both burn I expect. But what a pleasant change from the Eyrie, no?"

Alvina smirks at Hudson, nodding as if she believed him entirely, keeping that modest hint of suspicion to herself. "Oh no, of course we will be good to sell on the streets in a few hours time; done to a crisp I imagine. I brought some sun screening lotion? It's suppose to help with those like us; poor pale skinned souls that we are, to survive in sunny conditions." Her fleshed palm digs the glass jar from her satchel and holds it out for Hudson to examine. "Will you hold it a moment?" she asks, though she thrusts it into his hands without waiting for a proper response. Shyly, she shrugs off her fishnet covering to reveal her modest and fashionable bikini looking all the more magnificent with the canvas of her skin to project against. Small hibiscus flowers (hand stitched) flared out against the light blue fabric it was composed of. The only thing that set the bathing suit apart would be the high mid-section that covered her belly button (assuming she has one, it's impossible to tell in this attire) and the small jacket-like covering that only covers her shoulder and shoulder blades respectfully. She takes the jar back with a slight blush, tugging on the small wrap with concern. "I always worry about the scars from my arm," she admits, screwing the lid off the jar and dipping her fingers into the white cream. She smears a playful dab on Hudson's nose before laughing. "I also brought snacks, much to Aria's dismay. She wanted nothing to do with the water."

Hudson watches Alvina's hand dip into her satchel and come up with sunscreen, and he tempers a smile as she thrusts it into his hands. He obediently holds it, using the opportunity of his assistance to gaze in her direction and watch her quasi-disrobe, insofar as the covering is concerned. He carefully steels his expression into the blank slate of patient politeness, but inwardly he is congratulating himself on an outing well planned. And so one mystery is solved: she does have a bikini, albeit the sort of bikini that his mum might wear... Well, it looks quite a bit different on Alvina than it does his mum. He reminds himself to focus his attention into her face, and in this concentration, he nearly jabs the jar into her hand when she reaches for it. "Whoops," he says with a chuckle, his amusement fading as Alvina begins to talk to him about the reason for her shoulder covering. His eyes instinctively go to the place, and, pursing his mouth, he shrugs in what he hopes is an insouciant manner. "I'm sure it's nothing to worry about, but I think it looks nice the way you have it," he tells her, wondering after he's said it if he couldn't have done a bit better than 'nice.' Oh well. He closes his eyes as she touches his face to smear sunscreen on him. His own hand comes up to touch his face, and he begins to massage the cream around a broader area. "Thank you," he side-eyes Alvina for her help. "Very effective application. If you brought snacks, well I brought wine. Or water. Both."

Alvina just smiles, a little flattered at how off kilter Hudson seemed when she took the jar back. Thankfully, it did not break. She'd paid a hefty sum for the cream but she wasn't all together convinced it wasn't more than an old maid's tale and some enchanting...but if it worked it would save the pair a rough few days nursing possibly blistered skin. She shifted the wrap around her shoulders and tucked the few stray bang hairs that refused to be braided behind her ear. "One day I'm going to have to explain to my husband why he can't see my shoulders. They are the most eye catching part of a woman you know." She laughs, making a joke to keep the mood light and upbeat. Today wasn't about physical deformities or sad inclinations; it was about celebrating proper their achievement and partnership...and well, dang it, above all it was just to relax and have fun! "Wine? I will know my limit this time." The bard's brow quirked as she giggled and hoped that this time she would find a way of not making a fool of herself. She took a moment or two to smear the cream on her own features; concentrating on the upper portion of her body as her legs never seemed to be above water enough to burn. Her face held a few white marks that she tried to smooth with her hands, but she may have missed one or two on her cheeks or chin. "Is it all rubbed in?" she asked, reaching out to smear one standing white mark left on Hudson's own face. "Did you find any scales?" She asked, as an afterthought, stretching her arms skyward to better enjoy the warmth and sun. "I would come to the beach over Frostmaw any day! But, you can't always pick the weather of the places where people need your excellent and rare talents." She laughed at her own joke, trying to be modest but feeling proud all the same.

Hudson looks at Alvina as she tries to make light of her insecurity, and his expression softens. He offers her a sad smile. "I'm sure it's not as bad as you think," he tries to reassure her, although he has the feeling of it falling flat. It's a hard subject. His brow creases somewhat. "I'm sure he'll think you're beautiful," he tacks on, feeling moderately better at his effort now. He is grateful when things shift to the subject of their snacks, and he points a finger at the basket of provisions he'd brought with himself. "Right in there, along with a lot of ice," he explains, holding still as Alvina's hand brushes up against his face and rubs out a white smear of sunscreen he hadn't blended. He wonders what he'll look like, burned to a crisp everywhere but on his face, and he stirs a smirk out of his features. "Thanks," he comments, still grinning as he turns to look at her. Her laughter is contagious, and he laughs beside her, gesturing at her back as they seem to lapse back into silence. "Maybe I need to take up a winter sport," he muses, gesturing at her back. "Um, do you need help? No scales, not yet at least."

Alvina tilts the open jar back to him. "You can put on more." She smiles affectionately, "We aren't wearing the same amount of clothing and I wouldn't want you to get burned." The cut of his shoulders, even the dip of skin below his clavicle make her feel a small blush of embarrassment. It wasn't something she was use to seeing, though not at all an unpleasant sight, to be sure. No one really likes being stared at...right? At the mention of winter sports, the bard blinks, a bit confused. She attempts to look over her shoulders, as if she might see some clue to explain it on her back before realizing he's asking about the sun cream! "Oh! She says after a small pause, and laugh, "Oh, if you wouldn't mind," before turning her back towards him and kneeling down on top of her towel. Granted he was taller than her already, but it wasn't easy to effectively apply anything comfortably while standing.

Hudson takes the jar and, as he does so, catches Alvina's eyes on him. Huds wonders if Alvina is checking him out. He thinks she must be, and he feels a prickle of self-consciousness. He's rather pale, and not exactly muscular; he's of the perfectly average build you'd expect to see on a man who plays kickball and enjoys a pint now and then. She will let him rub cream on her back, though, and that does a bit to build up his confidence. And so, with a private smile to himself, he gets over the issue. Moreover, he scoops out a small amount of the cream to assist. He is quick but respectful with his touches of her exposed skin, leaving the lower part of her back to her to rub in herself. No doubt she could reach there. "Left the last bit for you to rub in, as I figured you might prefer that," he tells her, as he switches gears and begins to rub cream on his exposed limbs and chest. "When I'm done this, do you want me to make you a wine? It's rather hot, might be nice to cool off while you read your romance novel or whatever it is ladies do at the beach." His gaze shifts to her satchel, as if trying to divine its contents. At the very least the odds were slim that it would be his mother's books. She hadn't made that connection yet!

Alvina was thankful that Hudson was such a gentleman, while at the same time she was a small bit disappointed. Women, she thought to herself with a chuckle, before reaching back to smudge the last bits of white on her skin, careful to keep from staring at Hudson for too long while he applied his own portion. "Wine would be wonderful! Feel free to help yourself to anything in my Satchel. I did bring a bit of reading material. It was the strangest thing but I found a book in the woods this morning and I have a notion that it was meant for me to find." Shrugging, she pulls out an unmarked leather binding, flipping through the pages to show Hudson with curious excitement. "Isn't it strange? I'm going to give this lotion a little while to settle on my skin before I adventure out to swim. Are you going to resume bird watching?" She nudged him playfully.

Hudson does a bit of a slipshod job of rubbing cream on himself, his focus already on the provisioning of wine for their outing. He caps the sunblock and passes it back to Alvina with a murmured thank you, his gaze traveling to the leather book she is flashing at him. "Is it fiction or nonfiction?" he asks her as he reaches into the basket by his towel to retrieve a metal canteen of water and two earthenware mugs. The exterior of the canteen is wet with condensation - it had been cradled in ice - and Hudson bends over the two mugs as he pours some of its contents out. "Well you're here now," he tells her as he replaces the cap on the canteen and slides it back into the cooler. With the heat, there's a wet spot on the sand beneath the basket, which means he might have to make more ice later. Huds' hand hovers over the mugs, which he balances between his legs. "I expect I'd rather watch you having a swim," he says, his brow knitting with fierce concentration. He moves on briskly after that, his mouth opening to whisper the ancient name of water. The liquid in the mugs darkens on his command, and he passes one to Alvina, meeting her gaze with a boyish grin. "You know, for safety purposes? Here you go. Cheers, then?"

Alvina continues to flip through the pages, reading a section to determine what sort of genre the book is while Hudson attends to his alchemy. Before she gets too immersed, however, she does watch him work and notes the furrow of his brow with a girlish grin. “Not much of a swimmer?” she inquires before laughing out loud at the passage she just skimmed. “I don’t think this was meant for me after all,” She laughs, handing him the book to read the passage himself. “It seems a little…too ‘romantic’ for my tastes.” The use of the word romance was clearly a bit mocking. Her face was flushed with rogue just from reading a section. There was no way she could read the entire thing without turning into a sun spot in the sand. “I think it might be a..” She searched for a tactful way to say what she wanted, but every word that came to mind just sent a fresh surge of blood to her cheeks. “…a fiction novel of rather racy subject matter. I would have much preferred a historic document. At least something telling me how to assemble something…” She frowned, leaving Hudson to examine the book that he would recognize as his own mother’s writing.

Hudson receives the novel with his free hand, his other being occupied by his mug, which he sips from. "Oh, I'll swim with you a bit. Got to cool off somehow," he tells her, glancing Alvina's way to observe the flush that's spread over her features as she attempts an explanation of what he's got in front of him. "I thought women liked romance novels? 'The rakish captain's eyes did not stray far from her heaving bosoms, and beneath his penetrating stare a heat erupted within her' and all that," he comments with a smirk as he begins balancing the book open on his lap and prying it open to skim a few pages. It doesn't take long for his eyes to pass over the famous name 'Mr. Neigh', and his countenance likewise abruptly turns a reddened shade. "Oh, this one," he says, abruptly shutting the novel and shifting it to a space between them. His forefinger and thumb press his eyelids shut for a moment, and he drinks from his mug of wine to collect himself. When he looks at Alvina again, he is rubbing at his lower lip with his index finger, as if choosing his words carefully. "Well I should come clean and say I'm familiar with the genre because my mum wrote that book," he says, flushing anew despite his best efforts to deliver the message with a straight face. "It did quite well, I am not surprised you should run into it."

Alvina had been successful in stilling her blush after she giggled at his interpretation of a romance novel. “Well the falling in love part is grand,” she confirmed, “But I’m not one for the following sections. It feels too intrusive a thing to read about…” It was clear the bard was a romantic of old and sensible fashions. Flights of fancy or passion plays fit snugly into her vocabulary, but the things to follow were more of the soft, intimate and secret variety. “Books like that tend to lead people to the idea that it should be boasted, like a victory, tacking a flag or marker on a…person…” She coughed, now thoroughly embarrassed as Hudson’s gaze finds her with pink cheeks of his own. Instead of laughing or finding any suitable reaction, she blinked heavily at him. Did he share his views of romance with his mother’s writing?!? Her manners and warm affections came back in an instant. “That’s…wonderful.” She chimed in, trying not to sound anything but supportive, but feeling as if she was failing miserably. “It must be hereditary,” she says, trying to drag the conversation from such personal matters, “Your imagination, I mean. Your mother must have quite a wild one.” She smiled, the red wilting from her face as she took the book and tucked it back into her satchel. Maybe she would try to read it where she couldn’t feel the heat of Hudson’s eyes watching her do so. “I dare say I’m warm enough to swim now!” The bard jumped to her feet and stretched out in the sand, doing anything to keep her eyes on the ground or the water. Why was she the one who was so embarrassed anyway!?

Hudson tries to take refuge on his drink, but he finds that his face continues to flame with this latest revelation. So now everything's out in the open, then, about mum. That thought is little consolation, because the conversation very quickly segues toward his direction. "Erm, well I don't think I can say I've ever had centaur-related fantasies in any form," he comments, wondering if it's possible to feel more embarrassed. "Mum has a good eye for what sort of story will become popular," he adds, trying to be delicate about the whole situation. At least that's what she'd told him! So embarrassing! He drains the last of his wine and wonders if perhaps he should have another, when Alvina announces she's going to have a swim. Rummaging about for the water canteen to fix himself another glass, he manages to control the blood flow to his face. "I'll join you in a bit, I'm going to just have another," he tells her, offering her a brittle smile as he goes about refreshing his drink.

Alvina smiles softly, feeling bad all of a sudden. “In the form of imaginative properties I mean. Alchemy takes a lot of work and requires the ability to see things that other people might overlook. To see something’s potential. It sounds like your mother sees the potential of story lines, where you see the potential in various items and people.” After standing, she leans down to press her cool hand (from holding the wine glass) to his flaming cheek. “You’re cute when you blush.” She adds, taking a sip of wine before slowly starting towards the ocean waves while her fishtail braid sways in full length behind her.

Hudson blushes anew when it becomes apparent that he'd misinterpreted Alvina's comment to go toward the subject matter of his mum's oeuvre. Her hand does feel cool against his cheek, though her comment does little to lessen his overall embarrassment at his mum's secret being thrust into the open. Well. It was bound to come out sooner or later. He pauses in his wine-making and watches her figure, silhouetted against the sun, as she walks down the sloping sand toward the water. He of course felt overheated himself now and wanted to cool off, but he couldn't join her right away, not after protesting that he needed a moment. So, he bides his time making another glass of wine, and sits upright on his towel to watch Alvina in the water, making use of his binoculars and waving to her at intervals. He reflects on his mum, lover of floral sundresses and owl-themed jewelry, so unlikely the infamous author of Fifty Shades of Neigh. A little distance goes a long way toward allowing him to recover from the great reveal, and after he's drained his wine, he sets the mug on the corner of his towel to further hold it down, pushing himself upright to go plod down the sand, where he wades into the water, set on joining Alvina.

Alvina slips into the water between the crashing waves almost effortlessly. For a moment, her entire body disappears beneath the surface and she watches with blurry vision as the water distorts the sun in the sky above. The moment passes and she breaches the surface, the sun cream holding fast to her face as far as she can observe. Her braid immediately sponges up all the available water and becomes somewhat of a force to battle against. The bard brought her own personal anchor. Her laughter likely reaches Hudson from his position on the towel, Alvina can make out the glint of the wine glass and his binoculars as she waves from the…waves. Sighing contently, she floats around the top of the ocean, letting the current guide her to and fro, her weighted braid hanging down below her to keep her steady until Hudson joins her. “About time!” she calls, jokingly, before diving under the surface to remain hidden until he reaches her depth. At which point, she’d surface and splash a tiny wave of salt water his way with a grin. “Did you see any mermaids?” she asked, “I wonder if I could convince one to braid my hair differently.” She laughed, acting vain but really just looking to make the Alchemist smile.

Hudson treads into the water slowly, relishing the refreshing change in temperatures from the heat of the sands. With a boyish grin, the alchemist widens his stance to hold firm in one place as Alvina dives beneath him, evidently half expecting her to surface behind him and dunk him. She doesn't, though, and he returns her laughter as she splashes him. He returns the favor, his hand skimming the water to make up a prolonged but finer spray in her direction. "No mermaids, unless you've gone and turned mermaid on me," he says. "Even if there were mermaids about, I'm not so sure I'd let you talk to one to braid your hair. Mermaids are for looking only. My roommate told me a grisly story about his old roommate, who got too close I guess and didn't live to tell the tale." He pushes off his legs, then, reaching to grab Alvina about the waist. Assuming that's a success, he pulls his weight downward so that they sink toward the bottom of this shallow ledge of water. Nothing like a quick dunk to diffuse things; he releases her once his purpose is accomplished, and, surfacing, he's quick to tread backwards, his body lunging out of the way as he anticipates a retaliatory splash coming from her direction. He offers her a shameless grin and cant of his head. "Had to."

Alvina giggles as her attack hits, laughing all the more when she receives his rebuttal. “Hey!” she chides, in a pouty tone, “That’s hardly fair!” Her laughter ripples about the top of the water as they tread, speaking for a moment. “I’ve never seen a mermaid, but I’ve seen a naga…and if they are comparable I would avoid both all toget-HER!” The last bit turns into a screech of surprise as she’s dipped below the surface, a few air bubbles bob towards the surface as she continues to scream until she notices that it is Hudson at fault. Once the pair separate and she grasps another lung full of air, she’ll give back down and circle him like a shark, before pushing all of her weight down on his shoulder to drag him down with her again. Even as he tries to dodge, she’ll be persistent. Giving up only if the first two tries fail. When she finally comes back up, she’ll laugh, light headed from the bit of wine and all the diving and tread close to Hudson so they can talk if he wishes too. For the moment, though, she takes a few deep draws of air and the scent of the ocean and wades about.

Hudson knows that some payback is due, and so he pivots a little in the water but finally allows her to push him under. He comes up beside her and shakes the shaggy cut of his hair to and fro like a dog out of a swimming pool, spraying water in all directions, but most notably directly at her, as she's well within range. "Better," he says once he's had his fun. He treads water in place beside Alvina, grinning at her and keeping his chin above the water to avoid drinking ocean. There's a small breathless silence, now that they've had their fun and are struggling to keep afloat. To escape the threat of impulsive behavior, which always tend to loom in silences where alcohol is concerned, Hudson dives beneath the water, swims a circle around Alvina, and then surfaces some paces away. He struggles to his feet to stagger to the shore, in search of water, possibly wine. Wine after the water. Drinking responsibly. "Come sit with me," he calls out to her.

Alvina floats breathless in the waves before moving shoreward. “Only if you read me a story,” she jests, tumbling not so gracefully back onto the sand. Getting in the water was always a piece of cake…the getting out part? Less so. By then her muscles were tense but pleasantly so. The weary aftershock of exercise always made her feel accomplished in lazing about the rest of the evening, and it seemed as good a time as any to do just that. She flops down on her towel beside Hudson’s and drinks her still slightly cool wine while she uses her extra towel to shake off bits of clinging sand to her feet, eventually unraveling her braid to let her hair drip dry down her back in the sun. The bard’s joy in the moment is intoxicating, maybe more so than the wine, even though that’s hardly an excuse to stop partaking. Another content sigh issues forth from her lips and she beams at the fading sunlight. “You had better eat some of my snacks, or I’ll be offended.” Playfully, she tosses a bag of snack mix towards Hudson, a good addition to the wine (or maybe not).

Hudson smirks privately at the thought of himself reading aloud the 'story' Alvina's brought. That would certainly provide comedic relief. He wordlessly likewise sinks into his towel, reaching for the water to pour them both some of the stuff in fresh cups - hydration was necessary. He then goes about refilling their wine. He makes little divots in the sand to prop their drinks up and rolls up onto his side to face Alvina, in time for her to pitch some snacks at him. He manages to protect himself from taking a snack mix to the face, and, chuckling, begins to open the clasp that opens the bag. "Well I didn't bring a book. So. A little snack mix to go with your centaur fantasies?" he inquires, popping some of the crispy snacks into his mouth and chewing, eyebrows lifted so that his expression is much like an owl's, opposite Alvina. Lest he hog the entirety of the bag, he places it between them and reaches for his wine to wash some of the salty stuff down. "Or perhaps you brought another book along similar vein of interest?"

Alvina reaches across the space between them to shove Hudson’s shoulder as he lays facing her. “I told you I found it!” She laughs, plopping a few bits of mix into her mouth, chewing happily. “But if you want so badly to read to me, you can try some of this…” The bard shuffles around in her bag to withdraw a small leaflet of poetry. “Can you read with feeling?” Her eyebrows lifted, teasing him a bit more before thankfully drinking more the wine he provided. Such a useful skill, she thought, settling down on her side to face him, digging a few more nuts from the bag to chew as she looked him over. Shards of light caught in his eyes and smile, absorbing warmly into his shoulders and torso, settling into the shade of beneath his chin.

Hudson, now that the mum-related embarrassment has dissipated, is not too shy to roll his eyes in response to Alvina's denial, an arm propping himself up against the push he receives for his teasing. "Found it in a bookstore perhaps?" he queries with a grin, this time dodging what he anticipates will be a second shove. "Centaurs are like mermaids for women. It's alright. If you feel like ever coming clean about it, I'm sure mum will be happy to sign your copy," he comments with a boyish grin, reaching to accept the book she's extending to him. He rolls onto his back on the towel, pulling up his discarded shirt to use as a pillow as he begins to flip through the pages. "Can I read with feeling," he murmurs at the pages, his gaze darting reprovingly Alvina's way. He drinks from his wine mug before digging his elbows into the sand to sit upright somewhat, clearing his throat in the process. He seems absorbed in one of the pages, and he flips it, making a 'hmm' noise at the base of his throat. "Looks like I've fallen into some womanly trap here, all of these poems so far are romance ones. Oh, here we go, I love this one..." He adjusts his elbows in the sand, looking at Alvina as he speaks with some amount of roguish showmanship: "This is just to say. I have eaten the plums that were in the icebox, and which you were probably saving for breakfast." He grins and continues: "Forgive me. They were so delicious so sweet and so cold." He flips the page and lets his eyes meet Alvina's. "Seems legitimate. I can take requests if you're keen to continue enjoying this weak performance."

Alvina smirks at Hudson, the only assault she has the energy for is to stick her tongue out in his general direction before rolling onto her stomach to lay her face against her forearm. “Centaurs are not! Centaurs are less fictitious I imagine,” she laughed, a light blush from the wine allowing her to be a little bold. “What would you do with a mermaid anyway? At least with a Centaur there might be some follow through. Mermaids are the invention of men who love being teased with no conclusion.” Shaking her head, she settles back down to listen to him reading the poem, a guffaw bursts from her lips. Of course he would pick that one. “Hey! You were the one that wanted me to sit with you! The least you can do is read some proper romantic poems! Here, hand me that…” Her left palm juts out to take the booklet from him, to flip through the pages and find her favorite. Clearing her throat, she winked at him. “Part of being a successful bard is knowing how to impress your audience, and Master Alchemist, I am not impressed.” With that, she closes, her eyes, taking a moment to still her wavering mindset of fun and frolic from the beach trip thus far, before lifting her lids with convincing passion and even though she held the book open to the correct poem, she never diverted her eyes from Hudsons’ as she spoke it aloud. “I carry your heart with me (I carry it in my heart) I am never without it (Anywhere I go you go, my dear; an whatever is done by only me is your doing, my darling) I fear no fate (for you are my fate, my sweet) I want no world (for beautiful you are my world, my true) and it’s you are whatever a moon has always meant and whatever a sun will always sin is you. Here is the deepest secret nobody knows (here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud and the sky of the sky of a tree called life; which grows higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide) and this is the wonder that keeps the stars apart.” The woman pauses, drawing a soft breath, a hint of a smile on her lips as she closes her eyes in the final confessing line, “I carry your heart with me (I carry it in my heart).”

Hudson allows Alvina to swipe the leaflet from his hands. "It was a sight reading!" he protests, looking behind him to shift his shirt in a better pillowing position for his elbow, on which he's leaning. He reaches for his wine and drains the last of his glass, setting it down empty in its sandy coaster as Alvina prepares to read. Her delivery of course is impeccably earnest, with a great deal more flair than he had managed, and he finds himself drawn in, naturally. He isn't sure whether he should be looking at her directly - given the subject matter - or elsewhere. He settles for meeting her gaze, the foolishness all drawn out of his as she begins to speak; it's appropriate enough because she's performing, but the effect of the circumstances is a crackle of intimacy. This precisely had been why he'd chosen the poem about the plums! He doesn't even know what to say after she's done speaking. Huds finds himself tracing a lazy circle in the sand as he collects his thoughts, biding time. "Much better than I did, but you knew that," he tells her, meeting her gaze again. "I happen to be fond of that poem too. It probably would have been the one I'd chosen if you'd told me I couldn't read the plums in the icebox."

Alvina kept her intense stare on Hudson even when he breaks eye contact,handing him the leaflet. "Then you read it." She said simply, reaching for her glass to drink another mouthful of wine without breaking eye contact. What was she wanting from this? She asked herself as she watched him draw in the sand. This is a bad idea, she thought with a foggy awareness of what she secretly wanted to come from all this. Finally, she blinked and averted her gaze in mild shame, trying to muster a smile as if it had all been a very intense performance. "I know you can put those eyes to good use." She laughed, another sip gone from her wine glass, which was almost empty now. The bard knew her face should be flushed but instead her heart thunders in her chest as she awaits his response with her hopes neither settled on his acceptance or decline of her challenge. "I want to see how you would do it then, since you're being so evasive."

The lift of Hudson's eyebrow suggests surprise at her insistence. He opens his mouth to respond and promptly feels his face heat. A low chuckle gives the alchemist a few moments to collect what he's going to say. "You know, Alvina, I like that poem, but I'm going to pass on that one," he tells her, meeting her eyes. He holds up a hand in surrender. "I know, the worst, yes, but I'm saving you the horror of having to listen to me stumble over it." A pause here while he chews on the inside of his cheek. He releases the leaflet and pushes a palm into his towel to prop himself upright into a seated position, and he waves his hand over his water glass, a word murmured to turn it to wine. "How about," he continues, "as a counterproposal: we NOT listen to me recite - and ruin - good poetry. But instead, we lay back on our towels and I somewhat drunkenly..." He pauses to drink from his newly transmuted wine, "...will sing you a song that I promise you will probably know, and you can clap along or whatever."

Alvina huffs in a timid sort of pout before relenting. "Aaaallll right," she resigns with a smile, falling back onto her towel, using the previously damp one to support her neck. Her hair is already soaking wet, so she doesn't see the harm. "This will be the first time I've actually heard you sing something that wasn't involved in alchemy, " she comments, tilting her head to look at him through still dripping wet weighted ribbon of deep autumn, darkened by the dipping sun and ocean dampness.

Hudson drains his cup - it wouldn't do to let the wine heat, and in any event, a little liquid courage is always appreciated - and likewise settles back on his towel, hands folded beneath his head to support it. He looks over at Alvina, who seems to be struggling to hide her disappointment. "Don't be grumpy at me, I promise you're getting a better deal!" he insists, and he extends out an arm in Alvina's direction, inviting her to come in closer and put her head against his chest for a cuddle. "It's nice out and I'm a little drunk," he says, his gaze scanning the color-shifting skies. "Ahem...Totally not pretending you're a mermaid right now." He preemptively winces, expecting an elbow in the side for that comment. "I said totally not, for the record. Anyway, I sing all the time when out with my mates, or drunk, or both generally. I've got serenading skills." His gaze dips to the crown of Alvina's head, and he grins privately as he begins to snap out a beat with his free hand before belting out "Wouldn't it be Nice" by the Hollow equivalent of the Beach Boys bardic group. This must be a personal karaoke favorite of his, because he has the familiarity and confident delivery of someone who's performed it many a time. He claps for Alvina as he sings, encouraging her to likewise do the same. It's not exactly a polished performance that will be heralded by the more practiced of bards, but it's fun and charismatically done and has no glaring flaws.

Alvina smirks, and does nudge him a little before scooting over to rest her head on his chest. "You know the difference between me and a mermaid? I won't take your head off unless you deserve it." While the idea of him singing seemed a reasonable second place, it was all for fun that the bard resisted. She smiled to herself, nuzzled into the crock of his arm as he gloated about his serenading skills. "Oh? Is that so?" she teased, giving him a crocked grin, "Is that why you are swarming with broken hearted damsels so frequently? Pawing at your cloak with doe eyes, begging you to charm them away from their dismal lives?" She leaned up and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek; half an apology, half because she was warm and fearless with the wine bubbling inside her stomach as he starts clapping and singing. Warmly, the familiarly of the tune lulls her into a comfortable state of mind, and she claps softly beside him. He seems to be very excited by the tune, and while she does enjoy the upbeat tempo, it's the smile he wears as he sings it that captivates her attention. When he finishes, she leans up a bit to meet his eyes, clapping and making whooping noises to mimic a crowd's roar. "Ahhh!" she continues through cupped hands, halting only because she can't stop giggling.

Hudson mirrors Alvina's grin and, propping himself up onto his elbows, reaches around her for a mug, which is empty. And then he checks the contents of another mug, and finds that it too is empty. Huds curses, and then promptly finds himself unable to resist joining Alvina in laughter. He's of course aware that when their amusement tapers off - and it does, pretty shortly - they're left staring in each other's faces in a romantic setting to a deafening silence. It's both unclear and totally clear to Hudson how best to proceed. Well, on one hand, it's not like they've stopped working together...? On the other hand, this sort of interaction between drunk people who are attracted to one another is basically scripted. For a drunk person to resist the obvious impulse in the name of - what? prudent relations between guildmates? what is that even? - would take a Herculean effort of self-control, and Huds takes approximately 0.5 seconds to assess his reserves of self-control. Alvina really is awfully pretty, and on the list of things he'd like to do right now, behaving responsibly ranks rather low. He just sang her a song, and they had a cuddle. It's totally fitting for him to kiss her, in fact she probably expects it, he reasons, after all, she hasn't moved back to her towel, so. Yep. Self-control totally depleted. In that case... woooo, assess consequences later, have fun now! he concludes. And so, the pregnant silence does not go on forever, because Hudson shifts his posture just enough to bridge the distance between their faces. He kisses her tentatively... and inadvertently bumps his face just slightly against hers. Ah well. With a faint snort for his motor skills, he makes a less clumsy second attempt.

Alvina was not wholly aware they were kissing until Hudson knocked into her just a bit and snorted. Her first reaction was to laugh, but the slight bubble of noise ended before it really begun. Instead, she made a soft, womanly sound of surprise when he moved closer again. The warmth of his lips seemed to spread over the entire length of her body, giving her the sensation of levitation. She held her breath before sighing into him, and resting her hand on his cheek ever so softly. The flutter of her eye lashes would bring her back to the present for a split second, just long enough to smile at the unexpected but slightly hopeful turn of events. Now she just had to pray she didn't muck it up. "Hudson..." she whispered, pulling her lips back in a rich smile, pressing her forehead against his to meet his eyes. It sounded like she wanted to ask a question, but truthfully she just wanted to make sure this wasn't a dream.

Hudson doesn't know what to say in this pause Alvina has inserted. He wonders if she's about to tell him that this act of spontaneity is perhaps ill-advised. He'll have to find out later, because, suddenly a feminine "Yoo-hoo sweetie!" erupts like a geyser from behind them. A fine-boned woman in her late forties and a sundress like whipped frosting advances in their direction. Huds' gaze assesses this approaching peril and slides to meet Alvina's, conveying wordless alarm. There isn't time to rearrange themselves and act nonchalant, though he tries anyway, pushing himself up to a seated position and turning to face the direction of his mum. Up close, E.L. has the glow and relatively unlined face of someone who is aging gracefully. She casts a shadow over himself and Alvina with her delighted expression. "Mum, this is my friend Alvina," Huds hears himself saying amid the roaring in his ears. "Alvina, this is my Mum."

"Hi Alvina. What a sweet name! Please call me Elle," says E.L., bending to offer Alvina a hand. She looks at Hudson with a simmering mischief to her gaze. "I was just coming to see your new place, I'm glad I bumped into you here though." As opposed to at home! The implication makes Hudson blush. "One day when you're not busy you owe me a proper tour."

"Maybe a little advance notice would be good," says Hudson dryly. At this, E.L. throws her head back and cackles.

"I should let you enjoy your evening," she comments once her amusement has subsided. She touches Hudson's hair with affection before using the hand to wave at Alvina. "I just thought I would say hi and embarrass my son. So, it was lovely meeting you, Alvina. Be safe!"

"Bye, Mum," Huds hears himself say, otherwise stunned into silence as she turns to stride up the beach and away from them.

Alvina breathlessly feels like she might say something of very minor importance, perhaps comment on his smile or just lean forward to kiss him again when his eyes lit in panic. The look was hard to disguise. Her first immediate fear was that Hudson already had a lady whom was now stumbling upon them in this disgraceful position and she felt a hodgepodge of guilt and shame and rage before turning to see a beautiful older woman strolling towards them. Suddenly, even though she was well covered, the bard felt naked and blushed as the pair silently moved to make the situation look less like what it was. Alvina finds herself smiling pleasantly at the woman, standing to take her hand and offer her a formal bow. “It’s my pleasure, Ma’am.” After that, she folds back down onto her knees and does not make a sound until the woman is leaving. At which point the bard echoes, “It was lovely to meet you as well,” as she scooped her hand into the air and waved her goodbyes. Once Hudson’s mother is well out of sight the bard looks at the alchemist with a very confused and irrational facial expression that was too wildly vivid for words. All the strength and pose left her then, causing her to fall backwards and stare at the sky in bewilderment. How much had she had to drink exactly? Maybe this was a fated sign that the two should give up on romance and just stay co-workers. She pouted skyward, thinking of the moments before when they had cuddled and he sang…Alvina closed her eyes and pictured his face; smiling and carefree even though he was right beside her, stiff with nervous at his mother’s sudden arrival and just as sudden departure.

Hudson may well be mirroring the look of confusion and wildness that Alvina turns on him. "Well," he says uncertainly, his voice breaking the radio silence that has descended upon them. "Classic mum..." He looks at her, and then in the direction of his mum's departing figure. Her dress is blowing back behind her in the wind. He smiles wanly, his gaze drifting to Alvina, gazing up at the sky. The silly mood has rather deflated, hasn't it? Feeling a little overwhelmed, he takes his cues from her and lies back on his own towel, likewise staring at the sky. Rather unclear where to go from here, and he turns his head to look at Alvina. "I should probably go see what it is she wanted me for, really," he says, knowing that careful filial advocacy would be necessary to prevent her from gossiping to approximately all of Cenril. "Is it alright?" he asks.

Alvina opens her eyes and looks over at him with glimmering green galaxies, taking a long moment to stare at his face before forcing a smile and nodding. She was drunk, and conflicted. Maybe she just needed some time to process her thoughts and feelings accordingly. A small part of her felt like he was running off to avoid talking about something between them, but the bard almost preferred that idea over trying to articulate anything about anything serious. She liked him, it was painfully obvious by now to the both of them, and it seemed like he felt the same but…alcohol had a way of casting a shade of doubt over the whole thing. It made her stomach churn. Alvina wished back the moments they had been laughing and playing in the sun as she nodded. “Of course, I’m going to stay here a while longer I think…” Her tone was pensive but bright. She did her best to hide the inner turmoil she was struggling with. “She’s very pretty,” she said, before Hudson would run off.

Hudson reaches for his shirt and goes about pulling it over his head, casually trying to take the measure of Alvina's expression as he does this. She seems a little downcast, and he feels not a little irritated toward his mum for interrupting, even if she had done it gaily and with no mean purpose. Of course, now that he's announced he needs to go chase after her, he hardly feels he can unwind the thread of time and go back to that moment where they'd been freely enjoying themselves. He frowns as he reaches for all the various mugs to toss back into his basket. As he collects his shoes, he abruptly leans toward Alvina and kisses her on the cheek. "You are too," he tells her, offering her a rueful grin of sorts. He seems to hesitate before ducking away, as if calculating some other course of action. He settles on an enigmatic, "It was fun today," before picking up his towel and things and heading off in the direction his mum had gone.

Alvina was set to drunkenly mope after Hudson left, but after a comment like that and the warmth he left in his kiss, it was hard not to blossom into an earnest smile as she watching him leave. The stars lent enough light to watch him into the distance before she moved to gather her own things. She took her time; slowly and deliberately picking up her fish net coverings and her two towels, holding them with matched up corners before tucking them into her satchel where she found his mother's book. The impression of there towels was still in the sand as she turned to leave. Before she did, however, she knelt down as if they were both still there, and smiling and spoke to the emptiness that had been Hudson. "I like you." She said, optics wavering in the cooling ocean air before she picked up her things and started the brief journey home.