There was this air of, she didn’t know, mystery around this? Chase spoke so low his words nearly vanished in the steady breaking of the tide and the delighted shouts and laughter echoing along the beach. It seemed a strange thing—but, she amended quickly, she really had no base line for what was normal or not in the area. Carys tucked a wayward bang behind her ear as he began to answer questions that had lingered since she’d first been given the deed. The internet was as bad as people had mentioned? Well, that sucked. But the rest of it was…well, it wasn’t that bad. Maybe she’d lose her mind, maybe she’d fall in love with it. 

For now, it was fresh and new, and that was enough.

“Hmmm,” she remarked, tapping her lips. It was an answer, if not the most satisfying one. There had seemed like a real story behind it—but it must have been her curiosity eloping with her imagination. Before she could comment, Mason had broken in with an invitation; to surf, not a ticket to axe town, and she offered a little huff of laughter. Well, that was—forward. Maybe she was reading too much into it. A very loud part of her was demanding she say yes, that she chase the next adventure.

She might have, had they not been distracted by the return of the shortest of the trio (Ryan! She was determined to get their names right), with what looked to be a younger sibling or cousin guiltily in tow. Chase was polite enough to explain and Carys made a sympathetic ‘aww’, glancing in the direction they had gone.

Chase and Mason were debating their policy of guest qualifications, and Carys huddled into her flannel, content to listen for the moment. They were lively, which provided great amusement, filing away little nuggets of information in the flow of words.

“You have a sister?” She’d asked Chase, rather surprised. On reflection, it wasn’t [i]that[/i] strange. She was an only child and she always seemed to assume that everyone else was too. Not that she hadn’t wanted siblings—they always seemed like great fun—but it still seemed so novel. Siblings seemed like something almost unreal, like something only in movies or television.

There was something odd about Mason’s insistence of their…she didn’t even know. The usual, twenty something male bravado, she suspected—young and seemingly invincible. Carys didn’t think on it more as a newly familiar voice called her name.

“Carys!”

Carys turned, brightening at the sight of Audrey, who paused, something indescribable flashing over her face. Audrey smiled suddenly, and Carys didn’t have time to wonder if she had imagined it.

“Sorry for abandoning you,” Audrey spoke, “It was important.”

“No problem,” Carys laughed, “I ruined your shirt, because I am really spectacularly awful at first impressions. The stout deserved better.”

“That’s what laundry is for, dear.” Audrey looked between Chase and Mason, her brow arching impossibly high. “You’re not getting her into trouble, right?”

Carys found this idea both incredibly amusing and incredibly appealing, her eyes lighting up with fiendish delight. Perhaps drinking on an empty stomach had been stupid, and she’d probably regret it in the morning, but that was Future Carys’ problem. Present Carys was perfectly pleased.