Truthfully, Sterling hardly thought moving was really 'running away'. After all, he'd already faced Henry's infidelity head-on. He was already dealing with heartbreak and loneliness. Moving away was unlikely to change any of that. But....sometimes a fresh bit of scenery, a fresh start...how could that truly be a bad thing? How inclined he was, momentarily, to contemplate simply leaving behind Sacrosanct. There wasn't anything...or anyone there for him, beyond Harley, of course. A soft contemplative hum left Sterling's lips as Harley insisted she refused to miss the good parts of life by simply 'running away' from her problems. Though frankly, the warlock was rather certain she had far greater problems than he did. It was the girl's movement that caused Sterling to glance towards her and with a soft sigh the man sat up, hardly as perturbed by the sand that had stuck onto him, thanks to Harley's antics. Removing it would be...a futile endeavor, really. He watched as Harley stretched out, only to grasp the handle of the case and drag it through the sand and towards her. Sterling listened as she spoke of stripping into her undergarments, her state of dress...or lack thereof...so restricting the pair's eating options to something more akin to fair food on the boardwalk than any real restaurant. How...unfortunate.

His realization, of this, however, only caused a retort on Harley's lips. His brow rose as he listened to the young woman in a distinctly unimpressed manner. "Harley, I'm a warlock, not your fairy godmother. Spouting fire from my fingertips isn't going to cause a hostess at a five-star restaurant to allow you to eat there...even if we did have the money in our wallets." He pointed out, hardly considering his realism as moping. The bright blue of his gaze shifted down to her gently prodding finger, as if that was supposed to suddenly cause him to learn some sort of...what...sand...cleaning....spell? Was that truly how she thought his magic worked? She'd seen what he did with it first hand...more than once. His head shook ever so slightly, the lack of reaction enough to cause the woman to turn towards the case within her hands. He watched as she opened it up, only to reveal another box nestled inside of it. Her inquiry of what it was, however, only caused the warlock to state what he was fairly certain was obvious. He was hardly surprised as Harley rolled her eyes at him, only to reach instead for the small black box nestled within the otherwise mysterious case.

Harley flipped the lid of the second box, the contents inside wholly unexpected. Sterling's brows furrowed as she turned the box towards him and inquisitively he reached for the 'rocks' within. "I don't know Harley, these don't look like ordinary rocks..." His voice trailed off uncertainly, they would definitely have to look into this find more...probably later, when they had a computer to plug in the USB into. Sterling handed the contents back to her as Harley dumped it all into the oversized beach tote she'd brought with her. After all, the box and its contents wouldn't be going anywhere anytime soon and food was a far greater pressing issue for them both - the energy drinks and gas station snacks they'd consumed over the last day were not cutting it. Either way, the young woman managed to convince Sterling to at least list one place he wanted to eat that was food he deemed 'acceptable'. The pair meandered into the restaurant, Sterling well aware of the looks they received, and yet, nevertheless, some twenty minutes later and they were walking out with a take out bag dangling within Sterling's fingertips. Harley was quick to lay claim to a picnic bench - their meal spread out before them in all its delicious glory. There was something almost...tranquil about enjoying dinner on the boardwalk with the sun's setting before them, casting colors in the sky above.

That groan upon Harley's lips prompted a soft chuckle from Sterling as he leaned against the picnic bench. "It was good though." He commented, glancing down at the empty containers in front of them. It was with some bemoaning that Harley managed to eventually pull Sterling off that picnic bench, insistent on a need to 'walk-off' the food she'd consumed perhaps a bit too enthusiastically - their takeout containers tossed in the trash like the socially responsible people they were. Sterling's hands settled into his pockets as they strolled down the boardwalk - the temperature of the city finally dropping now that the sun was out of view. The bright blue of Sterling's gaze inquisitively eyed the booths they passed - the pier had its fair share of tourist attractions and carnival games, complete, of course, with a brightly lit Ferris wheel at the very end.

Abruptly, Harley seemed to stop within her tracks, Sterling taking several steps more before he noticed the woman was not at his side. His eyebrows furrowed as he turned back towards her almost questioningly. He was hardly prepared for the intensity of her stare as her hands settled onto his shoulders. "Wait, my two or your two?" THe boy inquired, wholly unprepared for this entire situation that Harley threw him in as he glanced over his shoulder. "He is not Harley." The boy continued when his gaze finally did land upon the man Harley must have been talking about. There was no denying he was...attractive. Really, more like..completely hot, who was Sterling kidding. A soft breath left the Warlock's lips as Harley insisted he hardly had to have sex with the guy. "I dunno if this is such a good idea." Sterling insisted, he might have been more inclined to drag his feet were he not entirely aware that Harley fully had the capability of utterly humiliating him if given the chance. He sighed softly, "Fine. I'll go say hi. Just this once." He added pointedly before turning on his feet, the bright blue of his gaze momentarily locking onto those brown eyes that had been so staring at him. God - how many years had it been since he'd done this?

"Hey, um, you have a cute dog...what's its name?" Sterling inquired, as the guy in front of him easily gestured to let Sterling pet the beagle.
"It's Ranger....does...your girlfriend...want to pet him too?"
"Huh? Oh..." He glanced behind him vaguely at Harley, knowing all too well the opening he could provide, "Nah, she's just a friend....we uh...took a road trip down here to get over my ex-boyfriend." Oh, how well aware he was of that look the guy provided him, his brow rose as those dark brown eyes began to eye him with a renewed sort of interest.
"Ex, huh? Well...maybe I can help you forget him...you know, show you what California has to offer. My name's James."
"I think I'd like that...I'm Sterling." James gestured further down the boardwalk, Sterling entirely inclined to fall into step with him, only after offering Harley a brief wave. It was hardly the wink she'd ask for but...he was certain she'd get the hint.

STERLING TENEMBRAGE