Who: Roberto + Doug NPCs: People on the beach When: During the Rio Trip Where: Rio! A fabulous beach What: Roberto and Doug sit on the beach and talk during the Rio trip. Rating: G
Roberto loved the sun, not only because it gave him his powers but because it was warm, and nice and -and when it was out and strong it was like women just started shedding some of their clothes. Really - what was not to love about the sun. Laying on the beach, with his shirt off Roberto had his sunglasses on, and his earbuds in his ears. He was trying to be a good-ish host but he had been a good host last night. He had shown people were the best parties were! Today he was going to lay on the beach, soak up some sun and -
Nope. He couldn’t do it. Something had been bothering him since they had arrived at the beach.
He pushed himself up into a seated position and looked over at Doug.
“Please. Do something about the sunscreen on your nose. It looks ridiculous.”
~~~~~
Doug wasn’t exactly averse to vacations, but he wasn’t exactly one for the heat and sand type of getaways. Sand was itchy, and while he didn’t think the sun was evil, he was rather pale so he learned long ago they didn’t exactly get along. Yes, the Doug type of vacation tended to be much more... geeky. Still it was fun to be around friends. Also, it was fun to talk to locals in their native language. Besides, his girlfriend was in a swimsuit most of the time. Who could complain?
Roberto apparently.
He rolled his eyes. “Not going to miserable and peely for my vacation. Shut it, or I’m hacking your phone.”
~~~~~
“So you're going to look silly.” Of course he was, although Roberto guessed that having a peely nose would also make him look silly. At the mention of his phone, he went to reach for it, as if Doug couldn’t hack it if it was physically in his hand. “Could you just not wear a hat?” A nice hat. Maybe Amara could pick him out a a hat ….
~~~~~
“Probably, but then it wouldn’t annoy the hell out of you.” He replied simply. He didn’t know what it was exactly. He and Roberto were kind of friends, but Doug could admit he could be a prick sometimes. That was probably why he couldn’t help himself to keep from trying to annoy the hell out of him. Not that the sunblock was meant to annoy him in the first place. “I’m not trying to impress anyone anyway.”
~~~~~
“You should always be trying to impress someone.” Roberto didn’t mean that meanly, he just meant that as a fact. Doug was - Doug. He was very nice and all, but he was Doug. And he was dating Amara. He should always be trying to impress her. Well that was how Roberto saw things.
~~~~~
“I’m on vacation. So I’m leaving everyone elses issues at the door. Thank what they want. Outside of you all, I’m never seeing these people again... ever.” Argumentative. But Doug really didn’t care. Roberto could get over himself. He gave him a look daring him to say something else.
~~~~~
Roberto sighed, the sigh of someone who was sure that he had great advice but that no one was ever going to listen to him. Fine. So be it. “Yes. You're on vacation. A nice change from the snow, yes?” He gestured at the beach around them, and the women in colorful and often very revealing bathing suits.
~~~~~
He was not going to argue about the snow. He was not going to argue about the snow. He was not going to argue about the snow. Doug didn’t mind the snow, really. He liked a lot of winter activities, and he wasn’t the biggest outdoors person either. But defending blizzard conditions would be ridiculous. He looked along the beach, and his eye line fell on his girlfriend and he smiled. “There’s advantages to warm weather.” He admitted. Besides it made Amara happy.
~~~~~
Roberto followed Doug’s gaze and didn’t give a snort, or a shake of his head although he wanted to. He liked Amara, he enjoyed her company and he felt like she understood what it was like to call Brazil home. He liked Doug (he did) but he just didn’t understand Doug and Amara. But since he wanted to remain friends with Amara, and since he liked Doug (and Doug helped him with his computer issues) he didn’t say anything about that.
Instead he gave a nod of his head; “Yes. Many advantages.”
Stretching his hands up above his head, he dug his toes into the sand. “And then when we go back, more snow, more layers of clothing.” Lame in other words.
~~~~~
“It doesn’t last forever.” Besides it wasn’t that Doug loved snow, but he was a fan of hot chocolate and fireplaces and cozy things. “Before you know it the pools will be open in New York. And Chicago.” Just then a rogue volleyball landed on his feet. He leaned forward and tossed it back to the game that was happening a bit away. He couldn’t help it. He was a Salemite his whole life. New York was home, not just because of a school, but because his actual home was there.
~~~~~
“Feels like forever.” He watched Doug toss the volleyball back to the game and said; “Nice throw.” Sometimes he forgot that Doug wasn’t a complete and utter you know - nerd. And didn’t have a pocket protector or had glasses and the whole computer guy schickt.
~~~~~
No, Doug wasn’t complete physical helpless dork. He wasn’t the most active, but he was technically an X-man even if he didn’t tend to be out in the field ever. Doug scratched at his nose and looked at some of the sunblock on his fingers with a great amount of disgust. He wiped it off on the towel.
“Forever? You’re being dramatic.”
~~~~~
The look of disgust that Doug gave the sunblock on his fingers, matched the look of disgust that Roberto gave the sunblock. It was necessary he got that, but to put that large quantity on your nose, in a streak like that? It just seemed … silly to him. And yet, Doug had Amara. Possibly he should look into sunblock on his nose.
“I’m being colorful.” He corrected after Doug said he was being dramatic. “That’s how I am. Colorful.” And dramatic, but whatever.
~~~~~
“Fairly positive you look dramatic up in the thesaurus and colorful isn’t there.” He mentioned with a shrug. Words were his thing. He checked his phone that was beside him for the time. “It’s probably almost time to head up for dinner.” He mentioned but made no move to move an inch.
~~~~~
“Maybe in your thesaurus its not.” That was - not the greatest comeback, but Roberto said it before he could really think about it. He didn’t move either when Doug said it was almost time to head up for dinner, if he was late for dinner? He was late. His mother wasn’t in residence at the moment,so she wouldn’t try and correct any of his bad habits.
“Then after dinner- more carnival.” Roberto gave a grin. “You know. She’s Brazilian.” He gestured to Amara. “And she likes it here, I hope you like it too.” Because, they were together and you had to respect each others likes. Or something.
~~~~~
Doug gave him a certain “Are you an idiot?” look when Roberto snapped back that it wasn’t in his thesaurus, but he didn’t comment back. Roberto was talking about Amara, and Doug didn’t argue. Doug didn’t really think of Amara as Brazilian. Sure Nova Roma had been in Brazil, but everything Amara had been taught, her entire being had been Roman. As strange as such a thing was, so sometimes he forgot that this was technically her home country, and as such possessed all the landscapes and weather she grew up with and loved.
As much as Salem was home for him, this area was for her. “She loves it here.” He smiled in her direction. He was lost in thought for a second before randomly tacking on. “I’m going to marry her.”
~~~~~
Roberto had been going to lay back down on his towel, and really focus on soaking in some more sun, when Doug dropped his bombshell. Roberto sat up, and took off his sunglasses so he could really look at Doug.
Had he heard that wrong? Did he have sunstroke somehow? Did Doug? What was going on?
“What?”
~~~~~
Doug glanced over at Roberto. He had a feeling that Roberto had heard him very plainly, and now he was beginning to feel a bit self conscious. “I said, ‘I’m going to marry her.’” He then picked up his phone and began fiddling with it. Jeez...
~~~~~ “When?” Roberto had all his attention on Doug now, was the other mutant planning on doing that on this trip? Roberto assumed he would wipe the sunscreen off his nose before he did that. “Do you have a ring? Is it here?” Yes Roberto wanted to see, and possibly pass judgment.
Carnivale was always exciting but he was rather hoping that Doug was planning on asking that question say - tonight. Over dinner. It would make the trip that much more eventful.
~~~~~
Doug shrugged at that answer. “No, I don’t have a ring. I just meant, you know, one day.” Though not too too far away he thought. But Roberto was kind of looking at him like he had a ton of secrets and plans. “Honest. Nothing here.”
~~~~~
That was - disappointing. And also now back to being something that was a bit of a head scratcher. Doug, Doug Ramsey was going to ask Amara to marry him. It was truly a strange world that they lived in. “You should do it soon.” Because. He thought that Amara was very much out of Doug’s league and maybe someday she’d realize that.
~~~~~
And here he was expecting Roberto to just make fun, instead he seemed to be trying to give advice. “Why?” He asked. Because if there was something he was missing he really felt he should know. “We’ve been dating just over a year. Might be premature.”
~~~~~
How did he put this delicately … well maybe he didn’t put it delicately at all since he didn’t think there was a nice way to say that Doug had best propose before Amara maybe re-thought what was going on here.
“Do you love her?”
~~~~~
He looked at Roberto as if he didn’t actually believe that was what he’d been thinking. “Of course. Wouldn’t have said that if I didn’t.” He shrugged. Roberto wasn’t someone he genuinely thought about confiding in. Really he should have had this conversation with Kitty.
~~~~~
“Well. Good.” Roberto wasn’t sure what he should say there. “Then I hope she says yes.” Because there was always that chance that she might not after all. “Shouldn’t waste time if you love someone.” He sat up a bit straighter, and began to gather up his things. He wouldn’t point out that surely Doug knew the stats about how many marriages ended in divorce, and all that.
Roberto thought for the most part, marriage was a misery that other people could trap themselves in.
~~~~~
Doug tried to not think about her saying no. After all he was entirely positive that Amara was out of his league. So she thought that at some point she might realize that. Though he tried not to dwell on his own insecurities. He didn’t respond to Roberto, but he picked back up his phone to check the time once more.
Roberto was already collecting his stuff. “Yeah, about that time.”