Breezes Are Better On Vacation.
(There is mention of nudity here, but nothing at all explicit about it.)
A warm, salty caress of air woke Belle on their first morning in the new realm. Even with her eyes closed, she could envision the elements of the Mediterranean in this place. Perhaps it was something about the warmth of the sun or the taste of the sea. Maybe it was the sound of the birds or the accents of the locals that wandered under their always-open window. Whatever sensory combination created the sense of belonging, it was welcome to stay.
This was their visit to a place where they had no plans, there would be no exploration. For this visit, time would be kept only by the number of waves crashing on the nearby shore. That decision had been made on their arrival. The Golds had taken one look at the beautiful blue water surrounding the realm's islands and decided that this time, in this place, there would be no exploring.
"It will be a vacation," Rumple insisted.
"A vacation when we're always traeveling?" Gideon frowned. "How do we do that?"
"We do absolutely nothing," Belle told him. Which was exactly what they'd all done. They hadn't even lifted a finger to make a snack, keeping their vow of laziness by eating at a one of the local food stalls for lunch and a restaurant for dinner. Tea was the only thing Belle allowed herself to make and that only because the blend here, poured over ice, was the perfect contrast to the humid afternoons.
"You're awake." It was impossible for Belle to trick Rumple into believing she was still slumbering away.
Instead of responding to his statement, she stretched and let out a hum of delight.
"Our son has been up for a while," he whispered as his arm shifted beneath her. "Out on the balcony. I think I should check he isn't burned."
Reluctantly, Belle adjusted her position so that her husband could extricate himself from their tangle of limbs. "We have aloe gel in our bathroom. Make him use it."
"I-" The beginning of Rumple's sentence turned into a chuckle. "Son. What /are/ you doing?"
Now more curious than lazy, Belle twisted herself around and sat up in the bed until she could barely catch the sight of Gideon through the bedroom's doorless arch. He was stretched out on his stomach, head right at the edge of their small balcony and his chin resting on his crossed arms. From there, he extended in a perfect line, log legs reaching well into the living room. Though the position was peculiar by itself, their son's complete lack of clothing was what had both his parents shaking their heads in disbelief.
"Basking," he said with a shrug, not even taking his eyes away from the activity below. With one hand he gestured at some houses farther down the hill. "Everyone here does it."
There was a pause before Rumple tipped his head to one side. "He's right."
Belle adjusted her nightgown and left the bed to pad over to them. "That doesn't mean we need to follow their example."
Below her, residents who were fully clothed went about their daily routines, walking up and down the cobbled streets, greeting their neighbors, or purchasing goods. Meanwhile, blissfully contented individuals were stretched out as Gideon was, fully unclothed, bodies aligned perfectly with whatever rectangular rays of sun fell on their balconies. She turned around and tried to peer beyond their house, but the angle of the hill prevented it.
"Enough of them seem to be comfortable," Rumple said, glancing around as if taking count.
"You're visitors," a voice chimed in, lifting and falling with amusement.
Belle turned and smiled at an older woman standing out on the next balcony. "How did you guess?"
She nodded their way. "Your lack of love for the breeze. Here we all spend some time with the salt on our skin. We see it as a form of cleansing. It's one of the reasons our homes are designed to let air flow through."
"That and the heat, I imagine," Rumple added with a smile.
The woman grinned. "That too." She picked up a cup from some surface hidden from Belle's view and nodded at her own building. "So long as your air bathing remains respectful and limited to your balcony or your home, no one will think anything of it."
"Thank you," Belle called out before stepping back in their own building so she could stand next to Rumple.
Out on the balcony, Gideon let out a contented sigh. Then he closed his eyes, rolled over, and folded his arms behind his head to make a pillow. "Breezes are so much better on vacation."
---
Crazy schedule today. It took me all day to write this, in 5 minute spurts, but I got it done in the end. That's why this is such a disjointed thought flow. Again, these are very rough drafts and might get properly written into real stories some day.
Image prompt was from Samuel Jerónimo at Unsplash:
https://unsplash.com/photos/roof-of-a-building-j73rdhsRE7o