[ The first thing he feels is the sand underneath his feet. ]
[ CHANCE had never felt this before- the slight unevenness, the shifting of every step. He’s only ever been on the most stable of locations- his sets, the ship. It almost takes him by surprise. But he finds it intriguing all the same.]
[He looks around himself. It’s a beach- even he knows what that is. The water crashing against the sand, reflecting the night sky above it. He peers out into the expanse. It almost feels too large to be real. He can’t help but laugh a bit.]
[CHANCE]: Wow, those two weren’t joking! They really know how to reward someone- I bet the others didn’t get anything as sick as this…
[ He hesitantly takes a step towards the water. Such fluidity. Going every which way, almost in constant motion. As he takes another step closer, a voice shouts out from behind him. ]
[???]: Yo, I wouldn’t jump in there if I were you!
[CHANCE]: Huh?
[ The aerobics instructor turns to find a young man with an interesting piece of eyewear hanging out in the branches of a palm tree. The man does a yoyo trick, before hopping off the tree and walking towards him. ]
[???]: That water is frigid, man. Super chill. In like, a bad way. Not the good chill. You know?
[CHANCE]: Yeah, I get it.
[CHANCE]: Is it because of the-?
[ He points out into the water once again, just now noticing a towering iceberg docked just offshore from the island.]
[???]: Yeah, yeah. Mainly the giant iceberg.
[???]: Being honest? No clue why that’s here. But I don’t really care all that much, y’know? Not a huge beach guy.
[???]: …Wait, right. You’re totally a newbie to the island, huh?
[AARON]: The name’s Aaron. Check it. [ He does another cool yoyo trick, before landing on a boy band-esque pose, smirking. ]
[CHANCE]: I’m Chance- [He spins and strikes a workout pose in response, nearly falling over due to the uneven sand.] and yeah, I guess I’m a bit out of my depth here.
[AARON]: Heh, no kidding. You’ve still got your blades on while walking in the sand. Easy mistake to make.
[ AARON taps his heel with his hand, popping out his heelies to show to CHANCE, before retracting it again. CHANCE reacts with amazement- oh how far tech has come... ]
[AARON]: Let’s get to some place where we can do some real damage, you know? Believe me, this beach is just the beginning of this resort.
[ CHANCE shrugs, trying to be casual, but is infinitely curious about looking around a real life resort. As AARON starts to walk towards a path, his excitement (and wheels) get the better of him, and- ]
[CHANCE]: Oof…
[ …he falls face first into the sand. AARON helps him up, careful not to dig his wheels even further into the beach.]
[AARON]: …You alright, dude?
[CHANCE]: Just a little rusty, I guess. Hard to be prepared for this sorta climate when you’ve never had a vacation before!
[He shakes his head, getting all the grains of sand off of his hair and sweatband.]
[CHANCE]: Alright, let’s do this!
[AARON]: Sick! Come on, I’ll get you back to some concrete, then you just follow my lead.
~
[ The paths of the resort are large and winding, many buildings can be seen in the distance- some as large as sports arenas. CHANCE stops himself from peeling off and checking them out- AARON is probably the one to trust here, especially since there’s hardly anyone else on the island it seems- or at least, not anyone out at this time of day. ]
[ Once they reach a long stretch of straight road, AARON spins around, now heely-ing backwards, letting his yoyo pull himself all on its own. ]
[AARON]: Neat trick, huh?
[ CHANCE gives him a thumbs up as he attempts to do the same- without a third wheel to keep him centered he gets close to falling off balance, so he gives up. ]
[CHANCE]: Whew. Not as easy as it looks.
[CHANCE]: …What about those? Can you do tricks with the other stuff? [He points to the various floating trinkets surrounding him.]
[ AARON laughs. ]
[AARON]: Nah, I’m mainly profish’ with the yoyo, the other stuff is just my collection. Well- about like, 1/50th of it, I’d guess? I got a LOT of stuff back home. Happy meal toys, some pogs, heck, if you saw a commercial on TV for it, I’m bound to have found it somewhere!
[CHANCE thinks to himself. A collector, huh? He starts to focus more on what’s actually circling him. A fish stuffed animal, a cube, some sort of musical instrument-]
[AARON]: You lookin’ for something specific? ‘Cause if you’re looking for the Freddie Flintstone figure, that’s straight up in the TRASH, man. I don’t even know why I even got that thing, I feel like it was watching me in my sleep, eugh….
[CHANCE]: No, no- I was looking for my figure.
[AARON]: Your figure? No way, are you like, from some cartoon or somethin’?
[CHANCE]: It’s sort of hard to remember now- I might have gotten one at some point? Probably came with the cereal deal. But right now, the big pull is my Aerobics Party tapes. I’m sure you’ve heard of it. You probably just don’t have it with you on that 1/50th.
[ AARON takes a moment as he thinks to himself. His eyewear seems to click through itself, almost as if giving him a view of his home collection while traveling down the path. After an uncomfortable pause, he responds. ]
[AARON]: …Sorry my guy, I don’t remember getting anything like that.
[CHANCE]: …
[ CHANCE’s smile falters, even just for a moment. ]
[CHANCE]: Are you sure? I mean, I looked a bit different- more of a square, and-
[AARON]: I’m a fanatic, dude. I know all about the variants and the special editions figures can come in, I got nothing there from you. But don’t get all worked up, I’ll def swing by a thrift shop one of these days and see if I can find one. You seem chill, I don’t mind shelling out some beans for a real collector’s item.
[ CHANCE almost stumbles after hearing that- a… thrift shop? He tries to rationalize out why his figure would be in a place like that- ]
[AARON]: Woah woah woAH-
[ -only to find him just barely saved from running straight into a brick wall. AARON’s yoyo tied around one of his gloves at the last second, yanking him away to safety. ]
[AARON]: You gotta be careful, dude. You were headed straight for the wall, gotta keep your eyes peeled for those rough turns.
[CHANCE]: …Right, haha.
[AARON]: Anyway, here’s the place!
[ It isn’t anything necessarily flashy and big, but it’s a cozy little cabana- opening the door, CHANCE could see the inside decked out with styles he couldn’t really recognize- they remind him almost of the set, but…something more than that. A decent collection of trinkets find themselves in here too, along with what seems to be a whole arcade cabinet, and a tube TV next to a giant wall of video games. ]
[AARON]: Well come on, you gonna stand out there like a square? I can load up some Mario Party, I’ve got both. In the second one they even get fun costumes for each board.
[CHANCE]: Yeah, yeah- I’m coming! Just be warned- for any party situation, I’m a bit of a natural, so don’t feel too bad if you lose.
[AARON]: Psh, you wish, dude.
[ CHANCE smiles as he follows behind, hopping up the steps. He turns to take one last look at the expansive resort, the distant shore, and the dark, cloudy skies, before silently shutting the door. ]