dig a hole, you sucka' [byron&roark&whoever]

[Fidge]

[/color]
All he wanted was a freakin' cup of coffee-- but the persistent acne ridden youth behind the booth of the snack pavilion persisted he get something really fancy and more expensive.
No-- he just wanted coffee. Being the age he was, Byron needed caffeine. Anybody would disagree with this statement, for the man who was two years over forty constantly showed enthusiasm.
Truth be told, though, he felt exhausted and refused to show it. He gazed behind his dark, rosy-brown locks that fell into his face at the teen behind the counter as he rambled on and on about coffee and the different flavors they had-- along with pastry treats.
Byron's teeth clenched behind his lips, slowly getting irritated at the boy. He opened his mouth to speak, but got interrupted by the pavilion youth again. Finally, he yelled suddenly,"I just want COFFEE! I LOVE coffee! I don't want anything else! Coffee-- I NEED it!"
"... Oh, why didn't you say so..? Well, uhm, I hate to disappoint you.. but we're out of just plain coffee right now," the boy said timidly, unsure of how the robust man would react.
His eyebrow lifted. No coffee? Well, that was alright, he guessed.
Byron's black eyes shifted to his son who lingered behind him. Maybe he wanted something. After all, Byron loved to surprise Roark with all sorts of things-- being his father, and all. He did it quite a lot.
Dramatically and unexpectingly, Byron throw back an arm and pointed at a chocolate chip cookie that sat behind a small, glass window, "Gimmie THAT cookie! I'm getting it for my son! .. But don't tell him!"
You see, the two were here on a little father/son vacation. The rides and games that flourished through the area were getting less interesting by the second-- especially when they saw the sandy beach nearby, just BEGGING to be dug. People dropped things on the beach all the time, and the ocean washed up so many different treasures. This definitely gave the duo something to occupy themselves with since Byron had already ridden the rollar coaster at a count of nine times.
The boy wrapped the cookie in a napkin and little bag before charging the tall, muscular man a dollar eighty-two. He paid and turned on the heels of his boots, chocolate colored cape whipping behind him as he took long, ungraceful strides to the red haired young adult nearby. His eyes danced over to the shore nearby, and he merely grunted in anticipation and quickened his pace, passing Roark as he eagerly approached the shore, holding within in his hand the cookie he had bought for his son.
Whether Roark liked cookies or not-- he didn't exactly know for sure. But he did know for a fact Roark loved them as a kid. If he didn't want it, well, he'd eat it himself.
The other hand gripped the mahogany handle on his faithful shovel he didn't go anywhere without, smiling pleasantly.
"Look at this sand! It's great!" The man boomed out, pushing his shovel into the ground and letting it stand there. He pulled the cookie from the bag and took a bite out of it before sliding it back into the bag, hoping Roark hadn't seen him take a nibble.
Glancing over his shoulder at his son, he then offered the bag to the Gym Leader of Oreburgh, "Mmm. You can have it-- I bought it for ya. You still eat these, right?" The Leader of Canalave asked, an eyebrow quirking upward.
Before Roark could really respond, Byron let out a string of explosive laughter, "This SAND. IT'S AMAZING. Think of the holes we'll dig-- the things we'll find, my boy! Now," he started, looking down at the stretch of seemingly endless beach, ".. where to start, hmmm..?"
The question was directed towards Roark as Byron looked over at him. He took in a breath of fresh, salty air and heaved it out, arms folding across the white tanktop he sported upon his torso.
He very much enjoyed the breeze that weaved through the wrinkles in his cargo pants as it passed around his form.
It had been awhile since Byron had been on a beach-- even though he loved it.[/ul]

[Dragon]

A vacation? Well, as long as Dad was coming along, it was bound to be interesting.

Roark had been skeptical at first about leaving the region at all, what with the Mines and his Gym to attend to (how could he possibly leave behind the possibility that a new fossil might be discovered in his absence?). Still, the idea of visiting a new region and potentially making new discoveries had been enough to rile the young redhead into a flourish of excitement, fueled doubly by the fact that he hadn't seen his Dad for quite a while. Then again, digging usually kept both of them extremely busy and, in turn, extremely content.

Several days of travel and a box of Dramamine later, the duo made port in Vermilion City only to be immediately drawn into the summer festivities. Even Roark had to admit that although there was a definite lack of fossils, the event was vibrant and exciting. Between the rides to get your blood pumping and the fresh, salty air rolling off the beach, everything just seemed to work as one giant pick-me-up. Speaking of the beach...

THE BEACH! Roark had just about squealed in excitement as his bright, wine-colored gaze spread across the wide expanse of ivory sand. Fists clenched tight in anticipation even now as he waited for Dad to get back from his coffee-obtaining ritual, scanning the area for what would most certainly be 'the perfect spot.' It had to be away from large groups and families, that's for sure. The amount of rubble both he and Byron could put aside in even an hour's time was staggering -- probably enough to bury a small city if they desired.

The sudden flap of a familiar cape was enough to snap Roark back into the present, a smile curling up the Oreburgh Gym Leader's face as he tapped up the edge of his bright red mining helmet and followed along. While Byron had been too enthusiastic (or simply unwilling) to change, Roark had opted to simply wearing his black undershirt and a pair of gray cargos. It was the right kind of outfit for the environment, after all! Still, he wasn't about to go anywhere without his helmet -- like Byron's cape, both accessories were pretty much glued to their respective persons (without all that nasty, sticky residue, of course).

"Wait up, Dad! The beach isn't going anywhere!"

The way father moved and son spoke, however, told a completely different story. Chuckling contentedly, Roark's eyes grew a little wide with surprise as Byron's offering was suddenly shoved into his hands. As he opened the bag, Roark looked up towards his Dad and smiled, nodding his thanks before tilting his head a bit towards the open shore.

"Let's make our way down the beach a bit, away from the others. Don't want any casualties and there's bound to be better finds in the deserted areas."

Looking off into the distance, Roark took an oblivious bite of the bitten cookie with a widening grin, chewing quickly and pointing the cookie in his intended direction. This was going to be, well, PERFECT! Digging by yourself is one thing, but digging with someone you care about? Even better.

[Fidge]

[/color] He said, maintaining his usual animation which was either intimidating or amusing to others nearby.
The leader of the Canalave got a sturdy grip upon the wooden handle of his trusty shovel, and he pulled it out of the sandy gravel and heaved it upward, letting it rest against his thick shoulder.
Once again, he darted ahead of Roark, allowing his tattered cape to lash behind him from his brisk movement. He eventually slowed, letting the younger miner catch up to his side. It was then he realized he wasn't sure where he was going, but that was alright-- he only wanted to find a secluded area like Roark suggested. It didn't matter where, but it had to found as soon as possible. He couldn't contain his excitement much longer.
"Mmm. I'm happy you still like cookies. Cookies are the best dessert-- they're my favorite. I love cookies."
A little off topic, but okay, Byron.
A quiet looking area was seen up ahead, away from all the festivities and the loudness of cheerful children as they ran to their parents, begging for more money to waste on the rigged games.
As eager as Byron was, he kept his walking as easy paced strides, resisting the urge to bolt forward without warning again.
"Hey Roark! What ya think we're gonna find first? C'mon, let's make it a game-- see who can find what they think is in the sand first!" He challenged, sounding very casual about the idea-- but knowing Byron, he would soon obtain a ridiculous competitive behavior over something like this.. especially since Roark would be the opponent if he accepted.[/ul]

[Dragon]

Taking another bite of his cookie, Roark could only acknowledge his father through a powerful nod and a series of quick chews before attempting to match the boisterous man's pace. Swallowing back any tasty distractions, he was finally able to call out across the beach to Byron, now several good feet away.

"Anywhere around there is good! Just pick a spot and we can get started!"

A bit of childish enthusiasm was beginning to creep into the young man's voice, Roark stuffing the rest of the cookie into his mouth and redoubling his efforts to catch up. Grasping onto his father's shoulder (finally!), he was about to demand they simply stop walking and start digging when Byron turned and brought up the idea of a challenge.

A challenge? Against Dad?

Oh man, he should have never even suggested it. There was no such thing as a challenge against Dad because DAD was no match for HIM. Swallowing back a little more than just the remains of his cookie, Roark lifted his chin a little in pride and flashed his father an eager grin.

"A game? You're on, Dad! No way are you ever gonna beat me, because when it comes to digging for fossils, I'm just plain better than you. Prepare to LOSE!"

And in that moment, Roark was laughing, trotting ahead of Byron down towards the water and nearly tripping into an oncoming wave as he knelt near the wet sand. Wiping his forehead quickly in preparation, fingers dug eagerly into the malleable substance, pulling away considerable sized piles and plopping them aside in order to begin the process again.

The feel of the sand between his toes and slipping under his fingernails -- it was priceless! Oh man! This beach was great! Focused on his work, Roark was truly amidst what others would call 'vacation'.

[Fidge]

[/i] it.
In fact, he looked over Roark when his hand fell upon his shoulder, eager to see if there was any more of the cookie left he could steal.
Nada. Roark had gobbled it all up. Byron's nose wrinkled up slightly.
But what was this? Roark was accepting his challenge..? You'd think by now it wasn't very surprising to Byron, considering Roark accepted his challenges to just about everything all the time.
From who could finish their plate first, to pointless staring contests, Byron wanted to make a contest out of everything to prove that he was better than his son. After all, he was older and had a very stylish looking beard.
Then Roark proceeded to taunt him-- and that just made the ridiculous, childish competitiveness flare up within his bones. He threw his arms back in a most dramatic fashion and pointed at Roark. His son had now drifted a distance away and started digging, "NO! You're going to lose, son! I've been diggin' holes since WAYYYYY before YOU were even born! I'm going to win!"
Yeah. How many times had Byron said that? It didn't matter what they were competing against, Byron always used that to try to prove his point, even if digging was irrelevant to the competition.
He lifted his shovel from his shoulder and heaved it into the ground, proceeding to dig a hole.
Dig, dig, dig.
He was shoveling up a sizable amount than Roark was digging, and he only hoped his son hadn't noticed that using a shovel was probably cheating. Byron even stopped for a moment and thought about it. Was he cheating..? It was a serious question here.
His father-like conscience fell on him for a bit, and he appeared pensive for a brief moment as he stood there, frozen.
'.....No! It isn't cheating! Roark didn't bring his shovel! That is his own fault. Mm! I'm gonna win!' Byron concluded in his head, and instantly, any guilt he felt subsided and he resumed digging.
Dig, dig, dig.
Hopefully Roark would feel the same about him using his shovel-- or else another drama llama argument might would break out.
This contest was srs, srs bsnzz. Afterall, it was rather pointless and nobody would win anything at the end of it.[/ul]

[Dragon]

By now, the act was no longer a contest.

Roark was in his element, namely digging, and currently having the most wonderful time of his young life. The fact that he was constantly digging and having such 'wonderful times' on a daily basis isn't the point.

Another wave crashing in a frothy swirl onto the shore, the young miner sat back after a few minutes and looked out across the ocean with a smile. The salty air made him feel alive and almost at home in a way. All those years spent in Canalave had given him an appreciation for the water, though it was still quite a nuisance when it decided to flood into his mines every once in a while.

"'Scuse me!"

The voice was enough to have wine colored eyes focusing upwards, a pair of wide blue eyes blinking back at him in return from beneath a messy crop of blond hair.

"Um, my friend and I, we um...wanna make a sandcastle! Can we borrow your sand, please? W-we'll give it back!"

A tiny hand pointed at the large mass of wet sand piled next to Roark's side, the boy putting on one of the most polite smiles he could possibly muster.

Well, this was unexpected!

"Sure you can! I'll be digging here for a while, so take as much as you need."

Roark's voice was warm, a friendly grin coloring the edges of his cheeks even as the young boy squealed in gratitude, laughing and taking as much sand in his arms as they could carry.

"Thanks, Mister! Thanks a lot!"

As he toddled away, Roark couldn't help but watch the child for a minute longer than necessary. It had been such a simple gesture, but it had brought so much joy. Besides, the beach was for everyone to enjoy. Renewed with a sense of goodwill in his heart, fingers once again began to scrape into and away at the wet sand.

This hole was finally starting to shape up!