“Sand castles are great,” Drew smiled as he and Mallowsweet wandered the water’s edge, discovering all sorts of treasures. The dark haired Slytherin grinned at the centaur’s collection. “You got a bunch of cool ones,” he said. He showed his own findings which included several cockle shells of assorted sizes and colors, an Arrow Dwarf Triton, an assortment of olive shells, and a sand dollar. Holding up some small, dainty looking shells, he smiled and said, “Mum always called these butterfly shells, even though when I was older she told me the real name is Coquina. I still like butterfly shells better. I mean, it’s what they look like after all.” He handed Mallowsweet one that was a rosy pink, leaving a pastel yellow and blue one as well as one with amber and orange-red stripes on it in his outstretched hand. “I think they’re my favorite type of shell. Of course I also really like sea glass too.” He carefully put away the shells and then held out a few pieces of sea glass he’d found, mostly green and light blue. “We’ve got a variety to decorate a sand castle with…if we want to use them,” Drew smiled. “I’m hoping to take some home and I’ll have to look in the gift shop and see if they have any kind of decorations made with shells or sea glass. Mum loves beachcombing and the items made from the sea’s treasures.”

“Exploring is fun,” Flora smiled. “Drew is the family explorer for the most part, but I do like a good ramble in the woods to look for plants and flowers. And of course I’ll teach you to ride a horse,” the younger girl grinned.

As they reached what seemed a great spot for their construction project, Flora nodded at Lena’s request. “Alright, water coming up,” she smiled and half skipped to the edge of the surf to scoop up two buckets full. The return trip was done slower and more careful, but she set the water down and said, “I’m glad to see that you do it without magic. It’s so much more fun. Da says we shouldn’t resort to magic until we’ve tried it on our own first, but then we use it for the trickier parts and all the extra details.”

((ooc: sorry everyone. Real life has been crazy and draining lately))

"Thank you so much.", Elizabeth replied to Parker (). "I'm not used to trips to the beach to be honest. We do live in a rather rural area.", she explained with an encouraging smile before she reached for some grilled turkey with seasoning on a stick. She inspected it shortly before looking approvingly at Parker's selection of food which was a healthy one. A low scream of a seagull caught her attention and Elizabeth looked curiously at the sky while carefully keeping her hat in place. The animal flying through the air was a mesmerizing sight.

Low chatter made her gaze shift to the other students who seemed to be back from swimming and diving. They looked like they had a lot of fun and some of them already headed for the souvenir shop.

((jeez louise I am getting so behind on this. I'll do my best to keep up)) "I sink I will join too, eef you do not mind?" Sauvage asked Millie and Zoe then followed behind next to Jona who had eagerly nodded his head about lunch. He rushed over to buy all his sweets, then once everything was in bags he marched along to the buffet table. Jona and Sauvage chatted a bit, talking about how their summers went mostly. Jona remained vague about his summer, even to Sauvage, although he did tell her that there were some people he was glad to get away from. She gave him a hug and they continued to walk behind the others in silence.

As they walked, Jona noticed the two girls from earlier making sand castles. "That looks fun!" He ran over to watch, then shyly stepped back. "Er, I, uh, got these for you guys. From the gift shop. Hope you like chocolate!" He headed two chocolate bars, one each to Flora and Lena. "Anyway...." He toed the sand gently. "See ya 'round," He squeaked as he ran off to join the others at the buffet table. Boy, was he starving! Piling the plate high with carbs - mostly sweet ones, he then went in search of a good spot for sitting.

Once at the table, Sauvage grabbed a vegetarian sandwich and a pina colada and walked up to Millie and Zoe. "I sink I may 'ave found a geeft for Fade at ze shop," she said. Pulling out a small bundle from her bag, she unwrapped the tissue paper to reveal a fist-sized mirror lined in seashells. "Eet was ze only one in zee shop, so I felt eet was special. And Fade 'as been doing a lot of work wiv 'is morphing abileety, so I sought zis eez somesing 'e could keep on 'and to use. Plus, 'e can use eet to do self-portraits for drawing." She bit her lip and looked at the girl apprehensively. "What do you sink?"

Kiara squirmed a little in her chair. She'd never had sushi before, always being deterred by the idea of eating anything raw, but she decided to be brave. "Sure, I'll try some, thank you. Which one would you recommend to a beginner sushi eater?" she asked with a nervous laugh.

“Sure Sauvage,” Zoe said with a smile. She took made her summer sound vague mostly because she didn’t want to think of leaving Hogwarts. “Great then we can join building the castles after we eat. And look for shells!” She smiled when Jona gave some sweets to the two girls. When Sauvage showed her the mirror, Zoe ooohed. “So nice. I think he’ll like it. He’s gotten so much better at his ability too.” Zoe picked some fried chicken, chips, salad, a bowl of fruit and a large smoothie before finding a seat. “Looks so good.”

-- and everyone else

Toru pondered a bit and then gently picked up a larger round piece of sushi, it had a little bit of pink meat, a white square, and a bit of green inside a ring of rice inside a ring of seaweed. "T-This one is my f-favorite, it's not t-too fishy." They could tell she was a little nervous about trying something new, and Toru couldn't blame her. The thought of eating raw fish would make anyone squirm, but it was normal for Toru to do, given their family's traditional meals. They glanced at Magnus with their brown and blue eyes and grinned. "It's not f-for everyone..." They smiled and offered Magnus one of the little triangles of rice. "T-This has a s-sweet filling if you w-wanna try...?" Their rice balls had the sweet red bean paste in the middle.

Toru noticed several of their friends heading toward the shop and wanted to join them. Perhaps they would in a minute since it would be rude to leave mid-conversation. They did however begin eating a little faster, wanting to catch up. They didn't get to spend much time with Jona or Blade during the trip and was trying to be better friends with both the boys.

(and anyone else who is currently in the shop)

Niamh smiled at Blade's enthusiasm, "how about I get you the tank kit and a critter, and I can swap some galleons for muggle money if you want more fish to go in there? That way I'm getting you something, but still have a bit left over to get myself something as well." She watched the fish swimming around a display tank, "it's tempting to get one of these for myself, if only I could guarantee Lick and Rish would stay away from it."

Magnus' enthusiasm for shopping was almost as high as Paddy's enthusiasm to go swimming. "It's going to seem strange shopping with muggle money," she said as they neared the shop, letting Magnus go in first, as she wanted to see what caught his eye so she could get him a suitable 'thank you' gift for him buying her wetsuit.

Millie smiled and nodded at Zoe () as they left the shop. "Of course you can join us, Sauvage (). She turned slightly and waited for Jona to catch up with the group. While waiting, Sauvage showed the gift she picked up for Fade. "That's really pretty. I'm sure he'll really like it."

They walked as a group to the food area. Millie walked to the table and helped herself to some fruit salad, shrimp cocktail, a few oysters on a half shell, two shrimp tacos, and a glass of lemonade.

She sat down at the table and whispered to Sauvage, "I've been meaning to tell you something. Before the trip, I talked to Professor Torres. She made me a prefect! There's something I've always wanted to do. Have a party in the prefect bathroom on the fifth floor. We could get snacks and butter beer from the kitchens. What do you think?"

((and anyone else who's eating with us. I can't keep up lol))

Blade smiled. “That sounds good,” he agreed. He was really getting the kit. He couldn’t help but feel very excited. His parents wouldn’t be but he’d deal with them later. He was thoughtful since he had a cat as well. “What about a spell? Like the ones to keep muggles away, only directed at animals?”

Magnus smiled. "Oh I've 'ad those before. Thanks Toru." He took one and ate with a smile.

“I can elp you, Paddy,” Magnus said. “I’ve used both. See you inside, Toru.” They entered the store and first thing Magnus found was a large whale plushie which he put in his basket right away. Even if he was still trying to get used to having a baby brother he could at least get the kid something.

Zoe was happy to be eating since she was hungrier than she thought. She heard Millie whispering but didn’t mind so she just carried on with her lunch.

Kiara made a brave face, and put the whole sushi in her mouth. She chewed it thoughtfully. It wasn't too bad, actually. She smiled at Toru and gave her a thumbs up.

There did seem to be a lot of activity in the shop, and like Toru, she hurried to finish her food. She wasn't sure that she really wanted to buy anything - being a bit of a minimalist, tourist items didn't really interest her - but it was always fun to look.

They watched as Kiara put the whole roll into her mouth and Toru gently held her breath hoping she would enjoy it. Kiara did give them a thumbs up so that eased their concerns. They finished the rest of their meal and moved to throw away their trash in a nearby bin. They took the environment very seriously after all. Since Kiara seemed interested in shopping, they waited for her to join them before heading in. The small novelty trinkets didn't really interest them. Unlike many students, Toru's family had a home near the beach in Japan and had access to plenty of shells and other items found around the shop. Instead they decided to browse. However something did catch their eye.

Swimming in a small bowl of water was a bright red Betta male that instantly reminded them of a certain someone. Toru gently bit their lip in thought, would it be too forward to buy the person a gift? They weren't particularly -close- friends but Toru wanted to try being closer. The Huffepuff stood their fidgeting as they processed their thoughts.

-- and everyone else.

Outfit Not Found

Callista hadn't known quite what to say when Zoe said she couldn't afford the bracelet.

Apparently she had been wrong about how far Zoe had managed to move up in the world, but she let it drop when she saw another girl buy it for Zoe as a present. She had had the same idea, but wasn't sure how it would have been received when Zoe was so emotional today and they apparently didn't know each other as well as she had thought they did! Zoe wandered off before she could answer the question about what she had bought.

That was fine with Callista; she wasn't sure she could have brought herself to show Zoe everything she'd purchased for herself after that admission.

Callista packed everything up in her tote bag and followed a rather impatient Sabrina to the buffet. There had been sushi earlier today but this was fresh and she filled up a plate, now much hungrier than she had realised she was. She gave Toru a thumbs-up for getting Kiara to try the sushi.

She wandered back over toward Elizabeth and Parker, one of the newest girls in the House, to check in for a moment, and to flash Wayland a smile on the way. Having friends outside of Slytherin as well as within it was fun, but it meant she had to move around a lot at parties to make sure she spent time with everyone that she liked. She didn't want her old friends to think she didn't like them any more!

"Hey Liz, are you having fun? Toru showed me a lot of cool fish underwater. Also, they actually have good pearls over there, if you ask politely to see the good stuff." she told her friend and prefect, indicating the shop with a tilt of her chin. "I got a few good deals and also some pearls for crafting--they're on strings, but they haven't been properly strung, and I'm going to make accessories with them."

She turned to Parker. "Nice pin-up style look. I approve! I love high-waisted shorts with buttons. Very mid-century. You're Parker, right? I'm Callista Zabini, sixth year, aspiring fashion designer."

"Thank you," Parker blushed. She was pleased with the pretty older girl's () assessment of her outfit. "Gold really suits you."

"It was nice talking to you," Parker said shyly to Elizabeth (). "I haven't spoken with many students besides the Slytherins in my year. See you around Elizabeth and Callista." She wanted to sit before she did something embarrassing like dropping all of the nice buffet treats on the sand in front of the girls.

Parker retreated to a lounge chair positioned under a wide umbrella. She cleaned her hands, then people watched while she ate her beach lunch. Most of the other kids on the trip looked older, and many of them seemed close with each other. It was notable that people were mixing pretty freely regardless of house, something that Parker wasn't accustomed to during her first three years at Hogwarts. "This year I will try to meet more diverse people," she thought. Souvenir shops didn't interest her much so she decided to search for beach glass and have another swim to conclude her day.

((OOC: When does this RP end? I wanted to leave mine open to keep going or wrap up because I'm not sure of the closing date.))

((and all)

Magnus saw what Toru was looking at and smiled. He remembered the day they all said what fish the other reminded them of and Toru had picked a red betta for Blade. "You getting Blade it?" he whispered.

Since Callista seemed to have been in her own world, Zoe let her be, not knowing the Slytherin had been shocked about the lack of funds. Zoe had really only done the modelling for the one designer and had used most of those funds to pay for the souvenirs during their trip. She was still pleased with what she could buy though, since she got Jona and her parents gifts and the fish for herself. She left a spot at the table for Callista to join them for lunch if she chose.

"Thanks," Callista told Parker, and was surprised when the girl ran off so suddenly. "Is everything quite all right?" she asked Elizabeth. "I didn't interrupt anything sensitive, did I? I seem to have two left feet today and both of them keep ending up in my mouth..."

Toru was deep in their thoughts and didn't hear Magnus approaching. When the older Ravenclaw whispered to them, Toru nearly lept out of their skin but was able to keep from screaming aloud. Instead they made a cute startled sound in the back of their throat. "Y-You scared me into n-next Tuesday. Magnus!" They said with bright pink cheeks and nudged him softly. "Y-Yeah, I was..."

Lena was using one of their many tools to flatten the sand in the spot they had chosen. Surveying the area a bit she moved a little closer to the water and started to dig. They would be using water but having a bit of a wet sand quarry would help immensely.

Once Flora brought the first bucket, Lena scooped some into the ready hole. "Walls or towers?" she questioned. "Both have their advantages."

As they set about working their castle began to take shape. Sitting back on her heals Lena noticed the young boy they had met earlier. Jona? she thought. She smiled at his kind assessment of their project and accepted the sweet gift with a quiet thanks, but before she could invite him to join them, the quick footed youth was off again. He reminded Lena so much of her younger sister. Only two speeds, zero or one hundred.

Magnus giggled. The squeak was just too cute. "Sorry Toru, didn't mean to startle you." He nudged back with a smile. "But you jumped like twenty feet in the air. It was brilliant. That'll really sweet. I think he'd like that. Surely the fish could help him relax a bit."

The girls had started with the walls but now their castle sported towers as well. As she paused to survey the nearly completed structure and decide where to put the door and drawbridge, Flora was surprised to see Jona come over. She sat back slightly but before she could really say anything he’d shoved a chocolate bar at her and taken off again. She looked at Lena.

“Who doesn’t like chocolate,” Flora said, “but he is so weird! Normal people stand and talk and act nice.” Shrugging, the girl decided not to worry about the weird boy with the strange hair. There were other people who acted better to make friends with and Lena was certainly one of them.

“What do you think of the door here?” Flora asked Lena, pointing out where she’d been thinking. “And our towers need windows. I’m sure we can find a piece of driftwood to use as the drawbridge and maybe some shells for decoration. Do you happen to have any kind of cloth? We could make flags for the top of the towers if we have some cloth.”