[ open ] Valparaíso, Jewel of the Pacific

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Characters: OPEN to all!
Location: The city of Valparaíso, Chile.
Date/Time: The first weekend of March (1st & 2nd).
Summary: The first group of Cadets are finally released on the city of Valparaíso. With a curious city wanting to meet them, both Cadets and Staff of the Shatterdome itself will find plenty of people willing and curious to hear what it is they're up to - not to mention complain about the unapologetic ugliness of the Shatterdome.
Additional Notes: Cadets are expected to be in uniform and represent the PPDC at it's best. For more information and any questions, please refer to this post in the OOC community.

Valparaíso is a city with an old reputation, struck hard by the Panama Canal back at its completion, and struggling and rising to a place of cultural prominence since. Nowadays it remains an important sea port along the Chilean coast, though not as busy as San Antonio, and has helped foster artistic communities and a wealth of Chilean culture well worth recognition and appreciation on its own.

For such a beautiful city, the Shatterdome is both an honor and an eyesore. The Cadets from the new program are a subject of gossip and fascination, novelty selling them in the short term in ways that weren't sustainable over time.

For those who hadn't been able to spend time outside looking over the city, Valparaíso provided all kinds of sights and hidden gems, from murals on stairs to a hundred plus year old tram that runs the hillsides, museums paying homage to the 16th Century roots of the city, to statues and architectural structures and beaches galore. Free from the industrial efficiency of the Shatterdome for a short time, where will the Cadets and Staff find themselves today? The possibilities might not be endless in actuality, but they were a far cry more varied than the last two weeks had been!

Comments

Chuck - Open

[suicidemission]

Finally - finally they're allowed a little bit of freedom. Chuck immediately grabs his dog and crams a beach bag full of supplies and books it outta the Shatterdome and heads straight to the shores.

He rents an umbrella for Max and jams it into the ground to secure it, looping Max's leash around it so he can't escape while Chuck's otherwise occupied. He flops under it, digs around in his bag for a bowl and bottle of water and sets it in front of his dog. Then and only then does Chuck strip out of his shirt down to his board shorts, complete with Striker's new logo, and head to take a quick dip to cool off.

Maybe if he's lucky, he can find somewhere to get a surfboard, and he can take Max surfing some time.

[righthemisphere]

The beach might not be a new thing to Chuck, and to be fair, it isn't to Raleigh either. But the warm beach, now there's a novel idea. He hasn't been since he was a kid on vacation and after the last few weeks of settling in and acquiring something between heatstroke and cabin fever he's chomping at the bit to get some fresh air.

Valparaíso is great. The Beckets have been into the city before and while small..ish and largely touristy, the general vibe is nice and Raleigh likes the graffiti. It's fun to just wander around and he's found he doesn't get as swarmed as he might somewhere a little more populated. There's a restaurant in the old quarter whose owner has already attempted to marry his daughter off to both brothers. A shame, really, because the food is good and they really can't ever go back without the proposition being made again. The people here aren't shy.

Not that it hasn't happened before. Something Chuck can look forward to.

For now, though, Raleigh's focus is on the warm sand and the cool surf, a small reprieve from the polluted ocean. It might not be great to stay in the water all day and he kind of doubts the validity of the fresh fish in the area, but there aren't any major systems in place to regulate the water so it must be fine. Especially if the people swimming are any indication.

The Beckets have decided to split up for a little while so Raleigh is plodding along alone when he sees Max digging up the umbrella he's clipped to up ahead. He whistles and approaches, thinking he might just know whose dog this is. Unattended towel and bag? Yeah they're definitely not a native. A check of the tag on the collar and there's no question about it.

By the time Chuck comes back from the water Raleigh thinks he might have to adopt the dog and run away. But he hasn't...yet...and is crouched down in his swim trunks and aviators scratching Max behind the ears, a beach bag slung down in the sand beside him.

[suicidemission]

Take his dog and Chuck will end you Raleigh Becket, no matter how much he likes that pretty face of yours.

Chuck's jogging back up from the water and there's a figure kneeling by his dog and he starts to bark out a snarl, a get the fuck away from my dog until he realizes who it is.

He slows his roll and strides up, dripping wet as he drops down beside Raleigh and reaches for his bag, dragging out a towel.

"Max, meet Raleigh. Raleigh, this is Max."

[righthemisphere]

Raleigh looks up over the rims of his sunglasses and smiles before coming back to Max.

"Hey buddy, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Then, to Chuck.

"Hope you don't mind, I saw him digging the umbrella up. Figured you might need a second pair of eyes while you're in the water."

[suicidemission]

He rubs his towel over his hair then lets it fall around his neck as he reaches to shove the sand back in around the umbrella, packing it down tight.

"Tsk. Bad boy, aren't you?" He coos a little at the dog, rubbing his head before grinning.

"Yeah mate, thanks. Still a little bugger, barely a year old. Little shit keeps chewing all my goddamn shoes up."

[righthemisphere]

Raleigh snorts, playing with the wrinkles behind Max's ears. Bulldogs. What weird little animals...must have been hilarious as a little puppy.

"He'll grow out of it."

He guesses in any case and flops back into the sand, looking out over the ocean.

And then waiting all of three seconds to scoot out into the sun and lay down. In the sand. No fucks given.

"You're lucky no one saw him out here and snatched him." Could have been a major score for a small time crook. Then again that would mean incurring the wrath of the Hansens.

[suicidemission]

"Mhm. Hopefully."

He snorts as he watches Raleigh, and leans back on his hands, letting Max crawl over him in order to flop between Chuck and Raleigh, his head poking out into the sun and resting on Raleigh's thigh.

"I was watching. They wouldn't've gotten far, 'n when I caught my fist woulda been up their ass. No worries, mate."

[righthemisphere]

"Oh, I don't doubt it." He answers, moving one arm to prop his head up a little and the other to absently pet Max. He's always wanted a dog.

Oh- Raleigh props himself up and gropes for his bag, pulling out two glass bottles of what he's pretty sure is sparking lemon-aid and offering one up. Only right to share seeing as he's crashed your beach spot. It's not beer..which damn he could go for one right now, but there have been weird tremors coming out of the breach and so none of them are allowed to drink. Soda it is.

"So you're you settling in? Feel weird to be back at an Academy?"

[suicidemission]

Max snuffles and shoves his head against Raleigh's hand, adjusting a little to be more towards the petting hand than his owner.

Traitor.

But Chuck's relaxed anough to not really give a fuck and he takes the offered soda with a pleased expression, twisting it open.

"'S a little weird, but seein' as I'm not really a cadet..." He shrugs, and takes a sip. "'S just like other 'Dome's, I guess."

[righthemisphere]

Raleigh answers with a sort of non-committal shrug, not exactly sure what response he was expecting. Something along the lines of the one he got, actually.

Chuck is more or less right. A little more staring, more questions, a lot of prancing around in his drive suit, but hey. Free food.

"Brand spankin' new and you'd think they'd put air-con in the Ranger quarters."

[suicidemission]

Chuck barks out a laugh.

"Too hot for you, Becket?"

It doesn't really bother Chuck - he's used to heat, high temperatures. Humidity, too.

[righthemisphere]

He whines for emphasis before laying back in the sand.

"Sometimes I'm pretty sure I'm dying."

Which is dramatic, he knows, and it really isn't that bad...just culture shock. For someone with such a reputation for being adaptable to any situation this is just one big ol' exception.

"If you're cold you can just put on another layer. If it's hot you're out of luck and the last option is to peel your skin off which I'm pretty sure sucks."

[suicidemission]

"I hate being cold," he says decisively, taking another sip of his drink, squinting out at the sparkling water. "This is much better. 'S fuckin' gorgeous out here."

Bundling up sucks. He hates it.

[righthemisphere]

Ugh, no, Chuck you obviously just don't know how to bundle up correctly. There is an art and a science to it.

"Yeah it is.. it's been ages since I've gotten to go to a beach." He says before adding, "Outside a Jaeger." with a small laugh.

"There's this beach in California we used to go to when I was a kid. Hardly anyone knew it was there, more of a local thing. It was special because it was enclosed by these huge cliffs on either side and all the rock in the area was volcanic so the sand was black. No one cared about the fire permits so we had cookouts and would spend the whole day just throwing seaweed at each other."

[suicidemission]

It's been a while since he's been to Sydney's shores for pleasure, too.

"You and Yancy?" He ventures, reaching to rest a hand on Max's back, carefully running his hand over short fur, smoothing it out.

Sounds like a nice memory. Chuck doesn't have many of those.

[righthemisphere]

"Yeah, our parents and our little sister, Jazmine. All five of us."

Together. As a family. It's a bittersweet thing to remember, but what's the point if you only choose to remember the bad things that happen?

They've all got enough bad memories.

[suicidemission]

"I think...we went camping once," he finally says after a moment, glancing down and tracing a pattern into the sand with his fingertip.

"Me 'n dad. Mum stayed home, wasn't interested in roughing it."

[righthemisphere]

"In the outback?" A low whistle and grins, recalled every horror story he's ever heard about being outside...anywhere in Australia.

"Can't blame her. I like camping. We used to go with Scouts..Wish there was time to do stuff like that these days."

[suicidemission]

"Yeah."

Oh c'mon it's not that bad.

...All the time.

"Scouts?"

[righthemisphere]

It's pretty bad.

Raleigh looks over and lifts his shades to pull a face. Are you actually surprised?

"BSA Troop 176, Anchorage, Alaska."

A pause.

"Uuuntil they kicked us out."

[suicidemission]

Chuck snorts into his drink.

"How d'you get kicked outta somethin' like that?"

Seriously?

Please tell him.

[righthemisphere]

A bright grin takes over Raleigh's face as he remembers it.

"To be fair-" He preambles, "it wasn't my fault. Yancy got it in his head-"

Raleigh stops short and points a finger.

"-If you sell this story to anyone I know where you sleep, okay?"

[suicidemission]

"The fuck--"

Like Chuck would do that.

"Seriously Becket? C'mon."

Scowling.

[righthemisphere]

"Okay, okay." Yeeesh.

Just covering his bases. And also acting as the reflective middle child because you can never be too careful. Chuck is lucky he's never had to deal with sibling sabotage. Yancy is probably out in the town trying to sell him to a restaurant owner or a ferryman or something.

"Just sayin'. Anyway, we were camping and Yancy got it in his head that it would be really funny to go AWOL during the snipe hunt. So we hid out in the bushes for ever to catch the other scouts..and..well..Maybe I scared this one kid a little too good and it turned into this huge thing and. Long story short my brother is demented."

And that is the whole story. Scout's honor.

[suicidemission]

Chuck's laughing.

"I dunno mate, y'both sound a bit demented. You really make some kid shit his pants?"

Because that sounds like something Chuck would do, not the great Raleigh Becket.