A Wave's Lullaby

The beach was always brimming with life this time of year. The water's slow methodical pull against the sand, the sounds of buns playing and laughing together, and the nice glow of the cavern above them made for the perfect ambiance. Shibani took no time setting up his towel and umbrella when they arrived to the beach. As much as the bright blue light was pretty to look at, they were a bit too bright for a good nap. 

He waved at Dan, who went off with a bucket in hand to collect seashells. The walk here had been quite tiring, although any excuse to sleep was good enough for Shibani. He took the time to position himself on the beach towel, a rolled sheet acting as a makeshift pillow in place for those he left at home. He didn't want to bring one of the pillows from his pile, unless he introduces sand into his endless collection of lost trinkets among the sea of cushions. 

Once everything was comfortable, he stared over at the sea once more. Sighing sweetly and closing his eyes. Rhythmic sounds of water washing over shore, wave crashing over wave. It was soothing, any thoughts seemed to be swept away by the water pushing and pulling from the sea. The occasional talking or laughter would cut into the waves, this made Shibani smile. Knowing that other were having fun and enjoying the beach, it was a perfect day. 

This train of thought was interrupted by a loud thump right next to his head, one that kicked up sand into his face. He bolted upright, shaking his head to remove as much of the grainy particles from his cheeks and eyelids as possible before opening his eyes. A volley ball had landed right next to his head. Thankfully only making it to the sand and not to his face. He looked up to find the owner of the ball, which didn't take long as an envy horned girl paced up to Shibani's spot on the beach. 

"Oh shit dude. My bad, I didn't catch that in time. You okay?" She was genuinely worried, which made Shibani feel a bit better about being sprayed with sand. That was a very real possibility when resting on the beach. He couldn't blame her for that.

"You're okay. I just wasn't expecting that." He reached over and lifted the ball up to her. She sheepishly collected it, bowing her head slightly before thinking about something. "You all sound like you're having fun. So don't let me hold you up." He gave her a reassuring nod. 

"Would you be interested in playing with us? I mean. It's the least I could offer, considering I am kinda down a team member, only five of us could make it out today." She looked back to the group that was impatiently waiting for her to return with the ball. She gave a slight smile and shrug to Shibani, which was returned with a smile of his own. 

"I am okay. I really want to nap here right now. But thank you." His drooping eyes seemed to give enough information. She nodded and dug around in her shorts for something. Retrieving a pair of sunglasses before tossing them at Shibani.

"Here. This should keep the sand out of your eyes in the case I can't catch the ball again " She stuck her tongue out playfully, coaxing a laugh from Shibani. "If you change your mind. You know where to find us." She pointed a thumb back to the group of other envy horned buns. 

"Jackal! Come the hell on!" One of the other players shouted. Waving her back over. This caused her to sigh and puff her cheeks before turning on her heel and running back with their ball in hand. 

Shibani looked at the sunglasses, a perfect line of defense against the light, and any future sand attacks. He put them on before dusting off his towel, and laying back down. This interruption to his nap made him even more sleepy, and before he knew it, he was snoring peacefully to the sounds of the waves. 

He had no idea how long has passed since he drifted off to sleep, but the beach had grown quiet since then. A soft nudge in his side woke him from the peaceful slumber. Looking up through the tinted shades, things were a little difficult to focus on at first. But once his eyes could make out his surroundings, he saw Dan towering over him. A smug smile plastered on his face, he lowered down to Shibani's side and removed the long string of shells from around his shoulders, gently placing them over Shibani like a sling. 

"I got you some things." Dan reached into the bucket, retrieving a beautiful purple conch shell. "And as I promised." Shibani could tell he was excited to show off what he had found. It made his heart warm to know that he had someone so kind by his side, he leaned up to hug Dan tight. This caused him to clear his throat, moving an arm to return the hug back to Shibani. "It is... uh. Late. Perhaps we should head back." 

"Mhm. You do need to unwrap your present. " Shibani said into Dan's shoulder, causing a shiver to run up his spine. "Mmn. But can you carry my stuff? I'm too tired."