[center][b]Carmen[/b] - we're gonna need a bigger [s]boat[/s] sun hat[/center]

[quote=Carmen's mind]Wait...what are "beach clothes"?[/quote]

That was the first problem.

Upon the reveal of the beach vacation back at the Academy, Carmen had no idea what she was in for. She had slightly more of an idea when everyone else started discussing "beach clothes" - an idea that she would have no idea what she was doing. She had exactly zero beach clothes, or even casual clothes for that matter, and that was manifested when the students piled onto a ship to go to the island. In her long formal gown, she looked moderately ridiculous getting on the ship and marginally more than moderately ridiculous getting off it. She had heard that there was a clothing store in the resort at the center of the island, and she immediately made her way towards it once she set foot on the sand. Soon she reached the resort, and stood there admiring the architecture for a few minutes before finding the beach store and walking in.

It was a small little store, filled with items Carmen was unfamiliar with and making her immediately confused. At the time she walked in she was the only one in the store besides the cashier, and she needed that space and time to figure out exactly what "beach clothes" were and which ones she wanted. After approximately 37 minutes, she found [url=http://images.asos-media.com/inv/media/3/6/9/1/2281963/multi/image1xxl.jpg]a sundress[/url] and [url=http://i01.i.aliimg.com/wsphoto/v2/565478409_1/Hot-Sale-Popular-Wedges-Flip-Flops-With-Bowtie-And-Rhinestone-Ladies-Fashion-Beach-Sandals-Black-White.jpg]some flip flops[/url] that she was happy with. How do you find fancy designer wedge flip flops in a small beach store? Be Carmen Calandra, that's how.

Carmen was about to be ready when she happened to glance out the window and notice something: some people were wearing sun hats. [i]Wait,[/i] she thought. [i]Those hats...I must have one. Bigger must be better [s]when it comes to sun hats[/s], right?[/i] And so she began searching for the biggest sun hat she could find. Unfortunately, she didn't have much luck. The store didn't seem to carry anything but plebeian-sized sun hats, [u]obviously[/u] not meant for her. She was about to give up when she spotted something in the back of the store that piqued her interest. It was buried under a pile items but she was persisted, and was rewarded with [url=http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2008/01_03/kimcattrallREX_468x558.jpg]the biggest sun hat ever[/url] [s](this post sponsored by Sex and the City)[/s]. She [u]had[/u] to have it. She was nearly ready to dominate the island's fashion scene, but she had to tackle one more obstacle:

The cashier.

She walked up to the cash register with her items and placed them on the counter, greeted by a tall surfer dude with wild blonde hair. She watched as he scanned each of the items, and became inwardly crestfallen when he, although predictably, gave her her total price. "That'll be $72.49, miss."

Carmen blinked. And then thought. And then blinked again.

Carmen: "...you work here?"
Cashier: "Totally. This shack is groovular."
C: "So you regularly see Athalia Academy students?"
C: "Like, all the time. It's [u]uber weird[/u] when someone isn't an Academian. ...I just made that word up. [i]Righteous[/i]."
C: (confused at his word choices) "...so you know that a lot of us aren't human?"
C: "Totally. It's all like ET and stuff."
C: (even more confused) "So do any of those said non-humans have no experience with money?"
C: "Ah yeah, that's [i]totally[/i] a thing."
C: (her signature one eyebrow raised is now in full effect) "...so what happens if I'm one of those?"
C: "Ahhh...yeah. Don't sweat it, miss. You're square - we just let the ol' double-A foot the bill."

While she wasn't sure what he had even just said, she knew she was off the hook and was very happy. She immediately changed into her new beach outfit, brandishing the sundress, designer flip flops and especially ridiculous sun hat with pride. She was the [i]pinnacle of beach fashion[/i] - according to herself, anyway. Clearly the right thing to do in this situation was to go to the bar and get a nice, [i]sophisticated[/i] cocktail. After finding her assigned house and dropping off her trumpet (she wouldn't be needing that for a while, and she was the only one who was able to pick it up anyway) and her formal gown in her room, she went to the bar. She saw that a large group of Athalia students had had the same idea - there were a few she recognized, and many that she didn't. Sitting down on a barstool in the midst of the group, she smiled at all of them, then turning to the bartender. "I'll have a [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmopolitan_(cocktail)]cosmopolitan[/url], if you have that."