Hearing Doreen's consideration about living on this island, Erik's heart started racing somewhat. He had hoped she'd come to say that. A few weeks ago, he had asked Benjen what his mother likes in terms of landscapes and eventually realised this archipelago would be perfect. It's why he already had plans made for the Corvin Estate to be rebuilt here, whenever the flora issue would be resolved. The rest of the family didn't mind. Everyone else appreciated the choice, since it was quite a tranquil set of islands and not too far from the main business centers.
All in all, his plan was going - at the very least - as expected.
The next hour went by without much happening. The boys eventually settled for trying to build a sand sculpture while Erik and Doreen kept each other company, discussing various topics of little relevance, other than to hear the other speak. At some point during this time, Erik decided to lose his shoes near the ship and continue walking on the sand barefoot.
As the first threads of twilight were starting to show, the view from the beach took an interesting turn. The islands's plant-life shifted slightly in colour too, as if preparing for the day to end, even though there were at least a couple of hours left of sunlight. You could now see the calm waves sparkling now with a fiery touch. Looking around and taking in a deep breath, Erik built up a bit of courage, then pressed a button on his wrist-device. He had preset this function a few days prior and discussed it with the ship's captain in advance.
Suddenly, a slow and steady musical tone began to rise above the sound of ocean waves. Eventually, a classic guitar boomed clearly. Before the song's verses could begin, Erik took Doreen's hand and asked with love and determination in his eyes "Would you allow me this dance...?"
And behind the attention of the two adults, Peter had heard the music starting and realised his cue. As such, he took Benjen with him back into the ship to look for something.
![[Image: JNC-sig2.png]](https://discoverygc.com/wiki/images/7/7c/JNC-sig2.png)