Beached (OPEN)

Sun bleached sand stretching as far as the eye can see, both residential and commercial buildings stretching on one side and a crystal-blue expanse rolling on the other. The tourist beach, that which makes the tropical island experience complete. Meng walked down onto the beach, able to feel the heat from the sand through his sandals. This was the life! He moved further down the beach before dropping the load he had been carrying. Sun chair, tanning lotion, cooler, a good book, he had come prepared. He hummed to himself, some tune he heard on the radio, as he set up the chair. It was something of a luxury, lined with cushions and made of white plastic. The sun was creeping through the midday sky, and there was plenty of time to relax by the seaside and soak in some rays.

Meng began to unbutton his obnoxiously colorful shirt. It was one of a growing collection of tacky Hawaiian shirts, proper attire for a retired man living on an island paradise. He peeled the shirt off and dropped it on the sand, stretching and letting out something between a groan and a yawn. The years had been far from kind, and Meng had a considerable gut. Old scars were covered by body hair, and the physique enviable by athletes had melted into flab. He scratched his left breast before sinking into the chair and putting his still-thick arms behind his head. He closed his eyes, feeling the sun spreading across his dark, exposed skin. The heat rolled through him, wrapped around him, soothed him. He was able to relax, truly relax, under the benevolent glow of the sun. For now, all Meng could do was lie there, perfectly relaxed, not having to do anything.

Meng opened one eye, looking to see who was talking to him. Upon seeing who it was, his opened eye roamed over her figure, soaking it in as a small grin moved over his lips. "Sure thing, babe." She was quite appealing and why not have her lie down next to him? There was a lot of room on the beach but she chose to set up right there of all possible places. Meng shifted, stretching and moving to sit up slightly. He pulled his cooler open and reached inside, grabbing a beer from the ice and pulling the tab on it. There were some soft beverages in among his beers, bottles of colorful liquid among the silvery cans.

"Want a drink?" As he asked he sipped the beer and exhaled. The coldness of it flowed down into his gut and created a brief but novel dichotomy, considering how the sun was baking him like a massive seasoned roast. He wasn't an appealing site, not by a long shot. definitely some scars distorted by age and weight gain in plain sight, and his gut hung over his shorts slightly, even when pooled out in his beach chair, but he gave the newcomer a friendly enough grin as he took another sip from his can.

Meng turned slightly and looked into the cooler. Had he brought some bottled water? Nope, just soft drinks and beer. Judging by how the girl looked and her response she was either too young or too much of a lightweight for the beers. "Got soda and beer, We can wait for the ice to melt if you want water." His accent was thick and almost sounded Australian. No, no it was New Zealand. He raised up slightly and shifted the cooler, making it easier for Aivia to see into it.

Meng let his eyes roam over Aivia as she was setting up. She looked kinda young, probably too young for him. Nah, she'd have been all over him if he was twenty years younger. Lamenting the past is best done drunk on something harder than beer. "You here to work on your tan?" Meng took another sip of his beer, a slightly longer one as he listened to Aivia's answer.

"Fair enough. Pretty calm, ain't it?" Meng shifted back, starting to chug his beer as he lay back in his chair. He exuded comfort, emptying the can before crushing it casually and dumping it back into the cooler. Interesting girl, Meng shifted and put his thick arms behind his head, looking over at her as he spoke. "And when you got beaches like this one, eh?" He checked her out again, drinking Aivia in with his eyes once more. He was a bit more subtle about it this time, though. He wasn't a complete creep. Mostly, yes, but not completely. She was interesting enough to talk to, as well. Was she a student up at that weird academy? Meng mulled through his thoughts but listened to the girl's response.

[color=]"Ah, I see."[/color] Personal connection with beaches, childhood nostalgia, both good and valid reasons to visit a beach. Meng looked out to the ocean, done checking out Aivia for now. She posed a question to him that he took a few seconds to mull over, shifting slightly in the chair before looking back to her with one of those 'I know something you don't' smiles. [color=]"I earned my beach time and I'm gunna enjoy it."[/color] Meng shifted a bit in his seat and reached into the cooler, pulling out another beer and opening it up. He didn't drink, though, not yet. He savored the coldness in his hand before taking a sip.

[color=]"So you local or from the school up there?"[/color] Meng nodded the in general direction of Starlight Academy, never quite sure why this island was the one chosen for his 'retirement'. Maybe someone wanted an operative close to this X-Men B plot school. That wouldn't matter for now, he had a honey to talk to and a cool beer on a warm day. He was going to enjoy this as much as he enjoyed any aspect of his retirement.