"You make it sound like it's a bad thing."
He gestured at the guys on the sand playing a version of volleyball sans net. "There was a bit of an adjustment period. Not just for Pallas and the guys, but for me, too. It's strange. I still have to report back to the Navy but I'm part of a Marine team. It's okay as long as I don't offer anyone crayons."
Kawehi frowned at him in confusion. "Crayons?"
Riptide winced. "I probably shouldn't have said anything, but you can ask Pallas about it later."
"Maybe I shouldn't?" She saw his shrug and decided it wasn't worth asking Dom. If she was curious, she could always look it up online.
"Hey, Aussie!"
Riptide looked over at the game and Twinkie was standing there with his hands on his hips. "What?"
"Are you going to play or flirt with Pallas' woman?" A moment later the volleyball bounced off of his head. "Hey!"
Twinkie turned around and saw Pallas' raised hands.
Riptide got up off of the sand and dusted off his backside. "I better go and play before Twinkie starts to cry. And we know what happens to sugar when it gets wet." He laughed. "Seriouslythough, I want you to know that Pallas is a great guy. He's someone you can count on. We all do."
"Thanks, Riptide."
He gave her a quick salute and jogged off toward the volleyball 'court.'
He gave Dom a high five and took his place.
While Dom made his way across the sand, she looked down and dusted off her suit and tried to make sure she was sort of presentable before he sat down beside her.
The speakers that Maile had brought with her were playing the end of a song by the Makaha Sons of Ni'ihau, a favorite of Kawehi's, and by the time Dom sank down onto the towel beside her, she was relaxed.
"Everything okay today?"
She reached out and put her hand on his arm. "It's great!"
"Even with Axl and your cousin?"
She waved off his concern. "I think they're starting to enjoy themselves more than the rest of us." When she looked across the sand, she laughed out loud.
Kawehi saw her cousin jump on Axl where they were standing in the ocean and try to push him under water, she laughed out loud. “Uh, are you thinking of rescuing him?”
Dom pushed up from the towel and squinted into the light. “He’s a good swimmer. She probably can’t do much to hurt him.”
Kawehi grinned at him. “Oh, I think she could if she really wanted to.”
Dom sat up, folding one leg under him. “Well, we need to hope that she doesn’t really want to.” He lifted a hand and dusted some of the sand off of his chest. “But knowing Axl… she might have a reason.”
Kawehi looked across the sand and barely held back a laugh as Axl rose up out of the surf with Maile on his back.
“You’re an ass!”
“No one asked you!”
Axl shook her off his back and took off running along the sand.
Kawehi laughed and got up on her knees. “Oh. This should be good.”
“Yeah?”
She felt him move closer until she felt his arm brush against hers. “Watch.”
