Test Drive Meme #1

[proximods]

The sun is shining and the weather is nice and toasty. Overly toasty one might argue, even. It's a great day to be laying around at the beach, so it's a good thing that that's where you've found yourself today, whether you'd made plans to be there or not. Bathing suit and sunscreen ready, you're going to get your tanning time on.

But with heat comes the expected side effects for a place like Proxima Gamma. While the cool water can sometimes slow the effects, the heated beaches and freshly popped flowers seem to have made getting close to someone else just seem like a really great idea. You can try to fight off the side effects much as you want, but the scientists like to believe everyone has a breaking point.

Comments

[leekspins]

[Orihime grins. That's how she likes to order new things as well! Now she notes the tail, and curiosity sparks in her eyes. Oh cool...! It isn't often she meets someone who isn't an ordinary sort of human being, like herself.]

I think I can make you something good. Do you like your drinks plain, or with alcohol?

[She digs through the assortment of bottles and canisters of fruit resting in a bed of ice. If he prefers a virgin blend, then she can add yogurt, and maybe some chocolate hazelnut spread too.]

[monkeythief]

You can serve it to me plain for now. [Sun had never been all that big into alcohol, and given what he was slowly starting to feel because of the beach, it was probably best not to have any right now.]

But if it's really really good, don't be surprised if you see me here a dozen times today, because I'll be wanting more.

[leekspins]

Ah ha ha! I'll have to do my best, then, I love having visitors!

[Whether it was at work or during her free time, Orihime definitely preferred the company of friends to being alone. She adds a heaping spoonful of the chocolate spread, and another spoonful of peanut butter. She breaks the banana into chunks, placing it in the blender followed by a scoop of ice and a teaspoon of malt powder. WHIRRRRRRRRRRRRR. She smiles back over her shoulder at Sun, saying something, but the blender drowns her out.]

[When the mixture looks smooth, she pours it into a plastic cup, tops it with a spritz of whipped cream, and plunks a bright red cherry into the middle. Naturally, she serves it with a crazy straw, because those make everything better.]

Here you are. It's a little sweet, so if you'd prefer something with more fruit, I can mix you up something different.

[monkeythief]

[Crazy straws do totally make things better. He picks up the drink with his tail, coiling it tightly around it to hold it securely and he brought it up to his lips. He took a small sip of it, just to test it out. A look of pure delight spreads over his fast. It is pretty sweet, but that wasn't a bad thing. It all mixed and played well with the coolness and the flavor of the banana. He took another sip from it, this one bigger than the one before.]

This tastes amazing! [He takes his wallet from his pocket and takes out the money to pay her.] I think this is the best banana flavored drink I've ever had.

[leekspins]

Really? I'm so glad!

[She accepts the payment with thanks, even bowing lightly. It's not easy to earn money in this place, especially when she deals with perishable goods. If something goes bad, that's money down the drain!]

To tell the truth, I was a little nervous about mixing drinks. Baking is my true specialty. So I'm very glad it turned out well!

[monkeythief]

I think you have a good sense of flavor. [She kind of had to if she didn't do this sort of thing often and it came out this well. He takes another sip from the drink.] I'll need to try your baked goods too if they taste anywhere near as good as this does.

[leekspins]

That would be great! Here...

[She takes out her business card, with the address of her bakery printed on it.]

I've got a bigger selection over there. And if there's something special you have in mind, I'll be happy to bake it for you!

[She leans her elbows onto the countertop, feeling relaxed and comfortable around this person. There's something very open and friendly about him that she likes. He seems positive, and kind.]

Orihime Inoue. It's nice to meet you!

[monkeythief]

[He takes the card and looks it over briefly before placing it into his pocket. He would definitely be stopping by there when he had the chance.]

Alright. You can expect to see me there in the next few days. [He says as he gives her a smile and nods.]

I'm Sun Wukong. It's nice to meet you as well, Orihime.

[leekspins]

Yay! You'll be an awesome customer!

[She's absolutely delighted at the prospect of seeing him again. He's so interesting...!]

I like your tail. It must be useful for all kinds of things!

[monkeythief]

Hm? [He looks to his tail and then back to her and he gives a little laugh. Yeah, this sort of thing wasn't normal here, was it?]

Thank you. It does come in handy. It's like a third arm. Minus the fingers.

[leekspins]

Wow...! That's really cool!

[She has powers, but not an extra limb. And she can't really apply her abilities in everyday circumstances.]

Does everyone have a tail where you come from?

[monkeythief]

No, not everyone. Some people don't have any animal parts. But people like me are call Faunus. We have animal parts, like ears, tails, tusks, horns. Parts of all type.

[leekspins]

Really?

[She's clearly fascinated. She knew someone who could turn into a cat, and one of the captains was some sort of dog or wolf spirit? Fox? She wasn't sure. Something vulpine! But beyond that, her world's inhabitants seem boring by comparison.]

You're the first I've met! What do you think about this place, then? Is it similar to where you're from?

[monkeythief]

I think..this place is a bit more advanced than where I'm from. Not completely so, but there is some technology here that I haven't seen before. [It was hard to say, though.] But it's not so different that it feels foreign.

[leekspins]

That's good. I know it can be a little difficult to adjust at first.

[Or ever. But she doesn't want to bring down the mood, so she keeps the conversation light.]

Have you been here very long, Wukong-san?

[monkeythief]

About a week or two, maybe? Not very long at all. [He hasn't had too much trouble adjusting to the place, but it still felt kind of weird being here.]

[leekspins]

[Orihime nods. So he probably already knows about the experiments and what's expected of them. She'd explain it otherwise, but that's always awkward. Well, at the very least, she knows if they did wind up tossed together, she doesn't think it would be a bad experience. He seems really nice, and with an attitude like his they might even be able to laugh about it later.]

Are you settling in okay? Did you find a place to live yet?

[monkeythief]

I am. I've been staying at this motel that I found. They have pretty good prices for rooms. [He hadn't found a job yet, but he was sure he could fix that.]

[leekspins]

Really? I hadn't considered a motel...

[If it's cheaper than an apartment, maybe she should follow suit. Ah, but there's something kind of nice about owning her own place, and decorating it the way she likes, and cooking and cleaning. It keeps her grounded to have something familiar.]

Are you the only one here from your world?

[monkeythief]

[Only problem was he would eventually run out of money. But he could probably find a nice free place to stay. Maybe.]

As far as I know. I haven't seen anyone else from it around.

[leekspins]

[Entirely possible. Orihime herself was a walking doormat, so if he asked, she would almost definitely share her space.]

Really? Have you made many friends here, then?

[She can't imagine otherwise, he's so outgoing!]

[monkeythief]

[Sun couldn't treat her like that. He'd definitely get a job or at least help free of charge at her bakery to help pay for his room and board.]

Of course! I'm talking to a friend that I have made right now, aren't I?

[leekspins]

[She laughs, delighted at his answer, and gives a single firm nod.]

That's true! If you want, we can do something fun after I close up the shack! It gets quiet around sunset, so that's about when I finish. But feel free to stay and enjoy the air conditioning as long as you like!

[monkeythief]

I'd like that! [He takes another sip of his drink. Sun was always down to do something fun. Sitting around idle for too long just got really boring to him. He'd rather be out and about doing this.]

What sort of fun thing did you have in mind?

[leekspins]

Hmmm... Well, it should be cooler, so we could do something outside. But it'll be darker too, and harder to see.

[Not for him, being that he's a Faunus, but she can't see in the dark the way he can.]

How about roller skating?