trans_9 | Shore Grumpiness [OPEN]

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Shore Grumpiness [OPEN]

Shore leave! A time to kick back, enjoy the sights, play around in the great weather, and maybe go swimming. Unless you're Satori.

Satori had, until coming to the ship in the first place, spent her entire life underground. After that, it had been the artificial glow of the ship. This place was, in fact, the first time she had ever come in contact with a real sun. It was too damn bright.

Nevertheless she had come down, both on principle and because hey, anything to get a change of pace from Stacy. Thus, she found herself down on a beach, parked on a towel under an oversized beach umbrella. In her hands was a glass of something that had been described to her as "iced tea," although she was beginning to question the validity of the "tea" part. Nevertheless, it was real, so she sipped it slowly, squinting into the eye-searing brightness of the sunlight shining down on the swarms of people all having a great time running around and playing in the ocean.

She was already starting to miss the caves.

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Koishi, on the other hand, was already taking full advantage of shore leave. Even though she had wanted to stick with Sasami for a while, she had eventually wandered off on her own for a while. She had found clothes that were close enough to what she normally wore, ditched that gross plantsuit as soon as she could, and was now walking barefoot along the beach.

And of course, her wandering eventually led her over to her sister.

"Hey, sis!"

Satori had also shunned her plantsuit in favor of something more akin to her traditional outfit. She looked up at Koishi from her position on the ground, shading her eyes from the sun with one hand.

"You seem to be enjoying yourself."

"I am! I've never been to a beach before, so it's really exciting!" She flopped down in the sand nest to Satori, smiling ear-to-ear.

"What about you? You're hanging out outside, so you must like it!"

Billy had no intention of staying on the beach for too long. It was strictly a shortcut to the next supply area he needed to scope out. There were far too many hazards lurking here: strange sea creatures from the deep, tidal waves ruining glorious sand masterpieces, and the ever-present threat of being spotted by someone personally invested in getting him to stop working.

As he walked, he couldn't help but spot a young woman he'd seen on the ship looking distinctly out of step with the happy beach environment. Almost like him. Was there something she'd rather be doing? He noticed her squinting---oh, he knew how that was. Making a note of her location, he strolled up the beach and purchased some shades from a nearby stand. A simple, sleek, and efficient pair. While he was at it, he found lenses that would attach to his normal glasses and slipped those on as well.

Not expecting much of a response, he walked back toward her umbrella, staying outside the usual personal space bubble. "Here," he offered the simple shades. "It's not quite as uncomfortable when your eyes aren't being strained by excessive light."

Her two light-detecting ones, anyway.

"Well, it's different from the ship, at the least, which is more than welcome." Satori squinted accusingly at the blazingly bright sand. "I don't know how people on the surface put up with this glare."

Well, the third one wasn't particularly bothered by the light, since that's not what it tended to see. Satori looked up quietly, accepting the shades, and put them on.

"I see." Satori actually opened her eyes properly, for the first time since coming to the surface. "Goodness, this is much better."

"Sunglasses are a vital invention where I come from. I'm just glad they're available here too."

Pleased that she seemed to be a little more comfortable (hey, he did something right!), he smiled slightly and moved to the side to avoid obstructing her view of the seascape. If she was as busy and out of place as he felt, he thought she probably wouldn't want annoying strangers taking up her time. He'd just answer questions if asked and offer one last word from one stressed beachgoer to another.

"If you weren't coerced into spending the day here, there are quieter beaches on the smaller islands. I haven't had a chance to visit them yet, but the ferry's not too far from here."

"It's not the noise that bothers me." Satori peered out from under her umbrella, now that she had a suitable line of defense against the outdoors. "It's this dreadful sun. I didn't know it would be this hot and bright."

That was interesting, and it definitely sparked some genuine curiosity (and sympathy for the uncomfortable environment). "You never experienced one? Or was it further away from your planet's surface? The climate's somewhat hotter than my location on my former planet, but massive shifts in temperature and brightness are always unpleasant."

He looked curiously at her, all concerns about getting work done, being caught by his personal Fun Patrol, and general anxiety forgotten. Getting to know this person for a few minutes seemed like a better idea.

THERE was Satori! Operation "Make a new friend" is a go!

After disembarking, Sasami decided the first thing she needed was a new set of clothes. Going for a simple summer dress, she began looking around for some more elsewhere when she spotted Satori looking... pretty miserable.

Curiosity got the better of her and she went to approach the girl. "Hi! You doing okay?"

"I think that's how." Koishi said, pointing towards a passing tourist, who was wearing a pair of dark sunglasses. "Maybe if you get a pair of those, the light won't bother you so much!"

"It's too bright here. I can barely see."

Before furthering any conversation, Satori turned the Third Eye to Sasami, picking up a bit of context for her sudden approach. "I gather you're a friend of my sister's."

"I couldn't tell you much about the sun from my world." Satori idly scanned Billy's surface thoughts, not finding anything particularly worth commenting on. "My home was in the Underground City, so I've never seen it."

Sasami blinked a few times at what Satori had said next. How did she know?!

"I, um... y-yeah! Yes, I am! I'm Sasami! It's nice to meet you... Satori, right?" she said, trying to recover.

"Hmm." Satori eyed the dark glasses with skepticism. "Could a little glass be that effective?"

"Satori, yes." Satori smiled wryly. "'How did I know?' I wonder."

Sasami blinked in utter surprise. That was what she was thinking. H-How...?

"How did you do that!?" Sasami asked, jaw dropping in surprise.

"Ah, so she didn't tell you?" Satori's eyes took on a slightly ominous glint. "My Third Eye can see into the minds of others with ease."

Sasami pulled back in surprise. Satori could read minds? That would mean nothing would be safe in terms of secrets, but yet...

"...that's amazing!" Sasami said, surprised. She didn't have to ask if she could read her mind again - she'd done so earlier, that was enough. "But... isn't that a bit... wrong? Well, to do so towards others?"

"Who would I do it to if not others?" Humans. Always fussing over the ethics of things. "Besides, it's not like I'm going to use anything I hear against you."

"Y-You would do that? I-I mean, I..." Sasami stammered. Why is she so stubborn? I just want to be friends with her!

"But, still, it's not nice to do something without someone's permission...!" Sasami said. "...though... if you want to... you're free to do so with me. I... don't really have much to hide..."

Satori was about to make a witty reply of some sort, when she caught that last line in Sasami's mind. She drew the necessary conclusions.

"Koishi put you up to this, didn't she?"

"I, um..." Sasami stammered before lowering her head in defeat. "Yes... she wanted you to be happier..."

"Honestly." Satori sighed in mild exasperation. "That girl ought to stop fussing over me so much. I'm the older sister, not her."

"But, even still! She's worried about you! The fact that she wants you to make friends shows that she cares about you!" Sasami said. "And... and I want to be your friend! I really do...!"

Friends? Hmph.

"Even knowing that I might be reading your mind at any moment?"

Koishi shrugged. "I'm not sure. But a lot of people are wearing them, so I guess it is."

"If that's what it means... yes." Sasami said.

Satori gave Sasami a long, hard look, with all three eyes. She really was serious about this.

Then she leaned back, closing her eyes. "Do what you want."

Satori shouldn't of done that, as the second she closed her eyes and said those words, Sasami reached over and hugged her. At this point, she's realized that this was going to be a long fight - but she was going to be dedicated to it, no matter what!

"Wha-"

Satori reacts poorly to the sudden contact, simultaneously floating several inches into the air and struggling to escape the hug. "Stop that!"

Sasami noticed Satori's reaction and when she told her to stop, the girl instinctively let go, then looked away, slightly ashamed.

"I-I'm sorry..." Sasami said, fidgeting a bit.

"Thank you." Satori straightened herself out awkwardly. "That was rather sudden, considering we've known each other for all of five minutes."

"I know, but still... I just wanted to show you that I was glad to have you as a friend, but... if you don't want me to do that again, I won't..." Sasami said, looking down.

First Alessa, now her... I don't want to upset anyone else now...

Satori sighed again. Sasami was a fairly tiring person to be around.

"As you may have noticed, I'm not exactly an enthusiastic people person."

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Shore Grumpiness [OPEN]

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