Clueless

[Astra Creed]

Part 2
Cerulean Town – Just after 3:30pm
Main Street

Astra Creed chewed happily on a bagel as she walked down the unusually crowded street in Cerulean town. She had decided to go out on her own, leaving Lamia Scale behind for an afternoon to do a bit of adventuring. She was glad she’d had practice going out with other Lamia Scale members beforehand, because she had discovered before that people were highly insulted when you tried to take their food without paying. Some of them got insulted when you tried to use your cute charm to get away with it too. This time she’d remembered to pay the baker man. Funny the things you could forget about, really. She assumed she had known that before.


“Hah! Cheese bagels really are good,” Astra decided as she took another bite. She looked around at all of the people, most of which ignored the petite girl with the red streak in her hair, despite the fact that her baggy t-shirt still revealed her stomach and the neck was wide enough to reveal a shoulder – currently her right one. She discovered she rather liked clothing like that. She didn’t know why. She ran her hand through her admittedly not well-brushed hair and decided she should do something she hadn’t been able to do yet. She looked around, her eyes landing on a sign reading ‘coffee.’ So many people loved coffee, she’d noticed, and yet none of them had offered it to her. Ugh! She wanted to know what it tasted like, and if it was good with a cheese bagel. “To coffee!” she effectively shouted to herself, taking off at a brisk walk in the direction of the sign.


On the way there, she started paying a little bit too much attention to a little jewelry shop on the side of the street where a man was trying to get the attention of every girl around him. Astra didn’t need to be around him. She was drawn to his shouting and then the shiny expensive jewels. She didn’t own any jewelry. That was her last thought before she bumped into a rather oval-shaped man in the street, stumbling backwards in surprise.


“Watch it, girl,” the apparently grumpy man warned her, turning and glaring down at her. He was over a foot taller than her, and if Astra had understood fear, she would have probably shrank away. “Well, where’s my apology?”


“Why, have I been doing something strange again?” she responded, as if the man would know what she was talking about. She nibbled the bagel again, only for him to slap it out of her hands and onto the ground. “Hey, if you wanted a bagel so badly you should have paid for it!” she reminded him heatedly. She was starting to get mad. That was her bagel he'd slapped!


“Why… I aughta teach you…” the man was apparently a very angry man. His face was turning rather red as people simply backed away from him like they knew of his temper. He rolled up his sleeves. “I don’t care who you are, no punk kid who can’t even dress proper is gonna give me lip and get away with it!”

[Kasimir Sewik]

Kaz leaned casually against a nearby pole to the jewelry shop. The merchant certainly had the right idea, causing at least every woman he encountered to pause. More importantly, he'd gathered at least a few girls together. The flocks came and went. It was business for the man, but personal interest for Kaz. Not for the jewelry. He was trying to make it not exceedingly obvious that he was checking out each girl who walked by to the shop. ...And probably failing, but it was still worth the effort. There were quite a few beautiful women in Cerulean Town. All he needed was the right time to approach one of them. So he waited, looking for an opportune time to talk to one of the passing by girls. The day was nice and he didn't mind just standing around town like this. It was a nice chance from his last adventures.

Since he was doing nothing but literally people watching... it was hard not to notice the ensuing commotion. He saw the girl and man stagger back from the collision, and heard a few snippets of the conversation - not enough to understand everything, but he understood enough. The man was just generally being a jerk... but he definitely crossed a line when he slapped the bagel out of the girl's hand. Kaz moved towards the two before he even registered what he was doing. It wasn't because the girl was pretty or anything (although that helped), it was just because the man was being a bully.

While everyone else backed away, Kaz pushed his way through the crowd to get closer. Just in time. The man was rolling up his sleeves like he wanted a fight. Really? He was going to hit such a tiny girl? Without any hesitation and without even getting a proper look at who he was saving, he stepped between the two, lightly pushing the girl back. Forcing the man to face him instead. "Hey, it was just an accident," Kaz defended her. "I'm sure she didn't mean anything by it, no need to get upset." Although not quite up to the man's height, Kaz was much closer than the girl. Although his sword was still strapped to his back, the hilt was clearly visible. If the man threw the first punch, he'd have much more to contend with than a petite little girl.

[Astra Creed]

Astra meeped in surprise when a young man forced his way in between her and the bigger man. Was he trying to defend her? She didn’t exactly need it, as far as she was concerned, but it was a welcome change to the current situation. She wanted her bagel back, but she would have felt bad having to clobber the mean man just to teach him for punishing her poor, innocent bagel. She stood back once she’d realized what was going on, crossing her arms. The man had a sword. That meant he could fight! Or he liked to carry swords. Or possibly some third option involving cats. She wasn’t sure which.

The man in front of Kaz looked at him angrily, then at Astra, then back at Kaz, then at Kaz’s sword hilt. Then he looked back at Kaz. “Well make sure she doesn’t do it again, kid.” Roundy told him. That was the name Astra had given him by this time in her head. “Tell your girl she should say she’s sorry when she bumps into her elders.” He huffed, turning around and waddling off down the sidewalk.

That was when Astra re-entered the conversation. Only this time it was with Kaz. “Wow. You’re great with fat guys,” she told him with a grin, her arms dropping to her sides again. “Thanks! I thought he was gonna make me buy him a bagel.” She hadn’t really figured out what was going on just yet. Sure, she knew people could just be grumpy, but she was rather scatterbrained and she could be slow. This was one of those times.

[Kasimir Sewik]

Kaz watched the other man warily until he eventually walked away. He ignored the man's words and simply turned to the girl. The onlookers were already beginning to disperse, now that a fight had been avoided. Kaz had barely turned around when the girl started talking. He blinked, not really understanding what she was saying. "Uhhh...." He was momentarily stunned. So she was crazy. Got it. That was probably how she'd gotten in trouble in the first place.

Now that he also had a proper look at her, he realized just how strangely she was dressed. Heck, her shirt was practically sliding off her small frame, half sliding down one of her shoulders. He could feel a small amount of heat rising to his cheeks. It didn't help that he was so much taller than her and was literally looking down, but it was like he was frozen in place and couldn't look away.

"Thanks, I guess?" Kaz looked away, getting ahold of himself. Somewhat. He got the feeling she didn't realize how much danger she'd just be in. Wait, this was his opportunity! The one he'd been waiting for earlier! Sure, maybe she was a little on the crazy side, but she was still a totally cute girl. As long as her crazy wasn't on the psychotic side, that was fine.

"Lucky I came along, huh? You should be careful with guys like that in the future," he winked at her. "I'm sorry about your food though. Can I get you something else to make up for it?" He offered. "My name is Kaz, by the way."

[Astra Creed]

“Keep that in mind. Be careful around angry fat guys. Got it!” Astra told Kasimir cheerfully. She even saluted… kind of. She tried to salute anyway. He introduced himself rather charmingly, at least in her opinion. Not that she had a lot of experience. Anymore. She suddenly wondered if she ever had. Some things about having no memories could be really weird to think about. Especially when she wasn’t sure why she was thinking about it all of a sudden.

A slightly wider smile crossed Astra’s face as she looked down at her poor defeated bagel and remembered what she had been headed this way for. She jabbed her finger at her chest. “I’m Astra. Astra Creed,” she introduced herself in return. She didn’t mention her status as a wizard or that she was with Lamia Scale, though with the way her shirt had needed adjusted after getting ruffled up, her left shoulder was now exposed instead, and her jade colored Lamia Scale tattoo could be seen poking out of it. “I was just about to go try coffee until I got distracted by the jewelry guy. I’ve noticed most people require it. And the signs wanted me to buy some, and who am I to say no to a friendly sign?” she reasoned. She had jewels she’d been given – she had yet to go out on a mission on her own, and this was her first time being trusted to do so. And by trusted… well she’d just decided to walk out despite their insistence she should be careful.

“Soooo, Mr. Handsome Kaz, if you really wanted to do something, you could help me pick out a good coffee. They have more than one coffee right?” She’d called him handsome. Well ,that wasn’t so unusual. If she found someone attractive it usually wasn’t long before they knew. And usually it was because she’d told them, even if it was just so they would know. Who didn’t want to be attractive?

[Kasimir Sewik]

Being careful around fat guys... that wasn't what Kaz had meant at all. But he figured it was all over and done with, so the little details didn't matter much. He was back to staring again as the girl introduced herself as Astra Creed. But this time, he was looking at the half-hidden mark on her shoulder. Or maybe not really hidden at all. He recognized the insignia as Lamia Scale. He didn't really know much of the guild beyond its tough reputation... perhaps this girl wasn't as much of a damsel in distress as he originally thought.

"That's a lovely name, Astra," he kept his smile. Her head certainly seemed like it was in the sky, like her name. She'd just called him handsome in response to basically asking her out, though. That had to be a good sign. And she just agreed to going out, more or less... even if she didn't seem aware of what she was doing. "A lot of girls pick out jewelry because they think it makes them look more pretty. But you don't need something like that - you're already very beautiful." He meant it. Even if her taste in clothing was a bit... strange, the baggy style on such a tiny girl was oddly endearing.

He only faltered for a moment when she asked about coffee. It took him an extra second, before he laughed it off. "The truth is, I'm not very familiar with coffee either," he admitted. And by not familiar, he meant that he'd never had it before. It was something so simple, yet one that he'd overlooked in his past two years of freedom. There had to be a cafe or something nearby... he scanned the area, hoping to find something she would like. He spotted a small cafe with a great sign that read, 'coffee'. How convenient. Underneath that was another sign, which also read, 'world's best coffee here!' Kaz was pretty sure he'd seen cafes with the world's best coffee at least a dozen times by now. But one place was as good as the other. "Shall we try it out together, then?" He asked, feeling oddly hopeful with how this encounter was going so far. Maybe he was finally getting lucky.

[Astra Creed]

Astra liked her name too. She wasn’t really sure why. Maybe it was the one relic from her past she was really holding on to. She couldn’t say. She couldn’t say much about anything that used to be her. The old her was gone, save for that name and the magic she remembered. “I’m a fan of my name too,” she answered lightly, also staring at the coffee sign for the moment. She looked back at him when he started to talk about Jewelry. She knew what jewelry was for! She just didn’t own any because she was poor… ish. She almost said something about it but he’d turned the explanation into telling her she didn’t need any because she was beautiful.

“B-E-A-utiful,” she chanted in response, giggling. It probably made her seem more airheaded than even she was. It was actually her absorbing the comment. It meant she was good looking. Which she’d thought… and she’d heard a time or two before. But it didn’t mean she didn’t like hearing it. This guy was fun. And knew how to talk to her. “Thanks!” she told him after a rather short moment of contemplation. “I guess that means I don’t need to spend my jewels on shiny things then.” Not that he’d tried to dissuade her from doing so, most likely, but it was the way her mind worked. She had also listened to a coffee shop sign.

Kaz told her he wasn’t familiar with coffee either. He also offered to try it out together with her. She burst into a larger grin than she had had before, spinning and stopping facing Kaz again. “That’s great news!” she told him in response. “That will make the experience sooo much more fun.” She decided. “Especially since that place has the world’s greatest coffee. That’s pretty lucky.”

She led him to the coffee shop, seeming enthralled by the idea of being in the small building. She stopped at the back of the line. They had a few people in front of them to wait for, and she stared at the menu, having no idea what any of the flavors or types of java were. “Kaz, huh? Your name is short.” She commented, leaning close to him as she talked. “Why do you have the large sword, anyway?” Astra could make a sword of equal size with her magic if she wanted, but she wasn’t exactly showing off her magic at the moment. Kaz knew she had magic because of her tattoo, but proud of her magic as she found herself for some reason, it wasn’t the driving force in her life. At least not anymore. She practiced it because it was useful, but she much preferred running around and being random unless someone wanted her to use it in some sort of competition.

[Kasimir Sewik]

When Astra paused, Kaz dared to think he'd finally gotten through to her. But just as quickly he dashed his own hopes away, and sighed lightly. At least they'd have the experience of sharing coffee together. Her animated response had his smile back - he really couldn't get over just how adorable she was. She was like a wind-up toy that just never stopped going. Trying new things with her would be even more excited. He walked with her to the line, a bit surprised at its length. Well lines meant it was popular, right? Hopefully that meant the coffee was good. If it wasn't the best in the world... well, Kaz wouldn't be the one to judge.

He stared up at the menu too, not sure what to make of some of the flavors. Vanilla and chocolate were easy enough, but what was... macchiato? Matcha? He was starting to feel slightly overwhelmed. The scent in the air was unfamiliar... but he thought it smelled good. His attention turned back to Astra when she spoke. Lightly he blinked, carefully remaining still as she leaned closer. It was almost comical, as it seemed to only accent their height difference. "I think you've got me beat in terms of shortness," he joked, extremely tempted to pat her on the head and show the difference. But he stopped himself, careful not to cross any boundaries. They'd only just met, and Kaz didn't want to scare her off. "It's a nickname. My full name is Kasimir," he added more helpfully. Although really, there were plenty of people in the world with 'short' names. Astra had two syllables, but it wasn't much longer. And his last name... well, honestly, Kaz rarely gave it. Because in truth, he didn't have a last name. Sewik was like a secret name that he'd taken for himself; legally, it didn't belong to him.

The comment on his sword caught him off guard - he faltered for a moment. He hadn't expected the question, but was caught off guard because it indirectly linked to his past. "Yeah, I was trained in all sorts of martial arts. Hand-to-hand, and different kinds of weapons." His smile had grown a bit thinner. "But this particular sword belonged to my late mentor." At first, Kaz had taken the sword as a physical weight; a constant reminder of the last life he'd taken. A solid memento of where he'd come from. Just thinking of Gunther... made him feel strange. He didn't know how he was supposed to feel about his late teacher, but it wasn't a pleasant sensation. No fond memories, even if he thought he was happy at points in the past.

He needed to get away from this topic, even though he was the one who had indulged her question. "So you're part of Lamia Scale, huh?" He said the first thing that came to his mind, eager to get away from the last topic. "What's it like there? I've heard a few stories, but I don't know much about guilds outside of what other people say." At least that was true. When he thought of Lamia Scale, he thought of tough old balding guys. Certainly not petite little airheads.

[Astra Creed]

At first, Astra was distracted by the sights and smells despite her questioning of the weapon on Kaz's back, so it took a moment for her to realize that he'd commented on her short stature. A frown crossed her face as she puffed up as much as she could, which really barely made a difference. "I'm not that short!" She informed him insistently. She stood up straighter as Kaz continued to answer her question.

Astra was also told that his sword belonged to his late teacher. It was a memento of some sort then. She started to contemplate the fact as he spoke, but then she was asked about her guild, Lamia Scale. "It's got all kinds of people there!" She told him happily. "There's all kinds of things to do, too. Since there's so many people and all." It was a bit of a blanket statement, but what did Kaz expect from a 'petite little airhead?'

"I've been there a little over two months," she continued, not worried about giving out information about herself. What little she had. "I joined after I woke up and they told me they'd found me." She scratched her nose and stepped forward as the line moved. She didn't think to include her amnesia in the comment, even if it was the biggest part. Nor she think to comment on the reason she was trying new things.

[Kasimir Sewik]

Kaz was grateful that he was able to lead the conversation away so easily. Astra's explanation of the guild was hardly informative, but more importantly, there weren't any follow-up questions to their earlier discussion. And he did learn a little more about her... a new member to Lamia Scale, huh. That timeframe put her close to joining when the Council outlawed guildless wizards. But he did pause at her last strange sentence. She had said it so casually, like there was nothing strange about it. Yet that was hardly a comment one would make without expecting questions.

"You... what? After you woke up? Don't tell me you were sleeping for a few years or something," he grinned. Now wouldn't that be interesting, a real-life sleeping beauty story. Wait, did that mean someone had kissed her to wake her up...?! Okay, now he was just being silly. There was no need for such a wild imagination.

They were progressing closer to the counter, and soon enough would be ready to order. Kaz barely knew the difference between espresso and normal coffee, and had little idea what would be the best thing to try first. He decided on a combination of strange names that he'd never heard of before. Since he was trying something new, might as well go all out, right? There was still the matter of what his companion would order, too... "What are you going to have, by the way?" He asked, seemingly innocent. A little ploy he'd learned while on the road. Most people would refuse to let him pay for stuff if he outright offered. But if he asked what they were going to have first, then ordered his own plus whatever they said... Well, it was harder for them to refuse when he'd already gotten their order.

[Astra Creed]

Kaz was pleasant to talk to, even if he was a little bit weird, in Astra’s opinion. Then again she knew she was probably weird to him too, so she didn’t exactly dwell on this fact. He seemed shocked about the fact that she’d commented on joining Lamia Scale after she woke up. She hadn’t thought about it until he asked. At first, she blinked like he made less sense than her, but then she grinned and even chuckled quietly, amused. “Nooooo,” she thumped him in the arm. “I mean, I don’t think so anyway.” That made her pause. She assumed she hadn’t been asleep that long. It wasn’t like anyone knew. Still, she figured she should explain. “I woke up with something called amnesia a couple of months ago aaaand I don’t remember a thing. Like if I’ve ever had coffee before.”

About that time, the person at the counter asked what they were having, and Kasimir asked her what she was getting. She only stared at the menu blankly for a moment, not knowing what a bit of it was except for the words chocolate and vanilla, just like Kaz. “I… will have whatever you’re having,” she decided with a nod, running a hand through her hair. She was rather lucky that despite her lack of taking proper care of her hair like her roommate insisted, she looked rather nice with the bedhead look. As far as the coffee went, she had no idea what he was ordering even when he said it, truth be told. It would hopefully be a surprise as pleasant as her fallen bagel had been.

[Kasimir Sewik]

Well at least Kaz's sleeping theory was debunked. That was good, because it would have been ridiculous if true. The world was full of unfamiliar magic though, and he was slowly becoming less surprised at the possibilities in Fiore. He chuckled back at her own response – at least she seemed to respond to his humor. Astra's explanation was far from funny though. He had never heard of amnesia before, but it had to be serious if Astra had no memories. She said it so nonchalantly though, like it didn't matter one way or the other. He supposed that without any memories, it would be hard to know exactly what one lost. He didn't know what he would do if he was in a similar situation. Surely she'd lost more than just personal preferences – what would it be like without having a past? Kaz could barely imagine.

They were at the counter before he could contemplate further. He changed his mind last minute on what to order after hearing she'd take whatever he had. Vaguely he remembered hearing that espresso was a stronger coffee or something, and he wasn't sure just how much coffee could affect someone. In the end he ordered two caramel-flavored coffees, figuring that a girl would like something on the sweeter side. He was determined to pay regardless of whether she protested or not; it was what guys were supposed to do, after all.

After a small amount of waiting, Kaz retrieved their coffees, and picked out a table near the front window. It gave a nice view of the outside and was somewhat away from the main traffic of the shop – it seemed like a popular place for others to lounge around. “That condition seems pretty rough... Can't imagine what it's like,” Kaz admitted, returning to her last comment. “So how do you get your memories back? You just gotta see or experience the right things?” He guessed. Maybe it was like trying to remember a dream or something from a long time ago – some memories were hidden until the right trigger happened. “Or... maybe a doctor could help, with medicine or magic?” Although she had probably already seen a doctor if the condition was medical... Or at least, Lamia Scale would have forced her. “To be honest, I'm surprised your guild is letting you just wander alone... I mean, it would be easy to get into all sorts of trouble without realizing it...” Like her encounter earlier with that angry man... Yeah, that could have gone wrong in all sorts of ways.

[Astra Creed]

Astra walked away from the counter, her new, warm cup of coffee in her hands. She was more focused on the conversation than her new beverage at the moment, however, since Kasimir returned to their previous conversation. The lamia scale mage looked thoughtful, possibly more thoughtful than she had at any point so far. “I dunno… maybe,” she answered when he asked how to get her memories back. She honestly had no idea. She knew as much about amnesia as he did, only she was the one living with it. “I’m not really sure I want my memories back though. Maybe my past is a burden and I would be unhappy as my old self, and this is my new chance at life,” she decided. She’d had a couple of months to puzzle her new life out, and as far as she was concerned, her past was gone. She had now, and she was happy, even if everything was completely different. Not that she knew if it was.

He brought up that he was surprised Lamia Scale just let her wander all alone without their supervision. That she could get into trouble since she didn’t know so many obvious things anymore. It was at this that she returned to her more carefree state, at least compared to how she seemed a minute ago when she was commenting on her own mental state. One side effect of her condition was that while she had moments of clarity, she usually found it troublesome to think too much for some reason. “IIIIII snuck out,” she told him proudly, nodding with a big grin on her face. She left it at that, not explaining why or how.

Astra took that moment to try her coffee, closing her eyes to take in the flavor as she sipped. She grinned widely, making an “mmm” noise afterword. She liked the strangely sweet yet bitter taste her flavored coffee had. Plus she was generally addicted to caffeine, though she had no idea that was in the coffee. It didn’t help her airheaded disposition at all. “Wow, you have good taste, Kaz,” she told him with a grin. She was standing unusually close for someone who had no idea she was on an impromptu date with Kaz. A lack of working social knowledge could be rather beneficial for people like him.

[Kasimir Sewik]

Kaz had never even considered that Astra had no intention of trying to recover lost memories. It seemed like such an integral part of one's identity, that he really couldn't understand why she wouldn't want them back. If he was in the same position... he was pretty sure getting his memories back would be his first want. How else would he know who he was without knowing who he used to be? He listened quietly, noting the change of her voice when the topics switched. Maybe this wasn't something he should be pressuring her about.

He took a small sip of his coffee. Too hot. He sputtered and jumped a bit, burning his tongue. Ugh, it tasted so strange too. He wasn't sure if he liked it or not. Originally he had disliked the taste of liquor too, but he'd grown numb to the taste. Usually one didn't drink to marvel at the alcohol's flavor. But coffee, that was supposed to be something people liked just for the taste... or at least, as far as Kaz could understand.

At least Astra seemed to be enjoying it. He spared her another glance, catching her grin up at him. "...." He was struck speechless again at her cuteness. She was standing so close too, with the compliments, could she really be playing along with him? He looked away; back to his coffee. If she was enjoying it, he was going to try and like it too. Maybe if he just believed enough, it would taste better. Who was he kidding, he was barely paying attention to the coffee now. Already he was wondering how bold or subtle he should be. ...Although if she really had no memories, maybe he was thinking about this the wrong way. Maybe just keep it fairly simple and open-ended for now.

"Just a lucky guess," he dismissed her compliment, although he smiled back. At least he'd done something right with the coffee. "Well you don't need to wander around all by yourself, you know. How about a tour of Cerulean Town?" He offered. Really, just an excuse to spend more time with her once they finished their coffee. "If you haven't seen the sea before, we should check out the port - plus you can see all the different boats and seagulls, it's a relaxing place."

[Astra Creed]

Astra had to pause for a moment when he offered to take her to see the sea. Not because he’d said anything wrong. If he had she wasn’t aware of it anyway. She blinked for a second as she tried to think. Had she seen the sea before? She’d been to Cerulean a couple of times in the last two months…. But no she didn’t think she had seen the sea since waking up. That was quite the exciting thought. “Seagulls? What are those?” she asked curiously, taking another sip of her coffee. It was pretty obvious she had no memory of the ocean so near them. At least not up close. You would be hard pressed not to have noticed it when approaching the city, but seeing it up close was completely different. At least according to most people.

Astra continued to stick close to Kaz. There was a certain comfort to being near someone who was with you by choice rather than as one of her usual babysitters. Another coffee sip. Man, she wanted to know how a bagel would taste with the coffee so badly now. Maybe next time? Her mind turned from the fog that was her strange obsession with her lost bagel and back to the subject at hand. “Relaxing? Like the second floor of Lamia Scale?” she asked. When she wanted to relax, it was usually near railing looking down at other people. It was pretty rare though. Being around other people was amazingly fun. Kaz was no different. Or maybe he was. But in a good way? Astra had no idea, though it didn’t stop her from subconsciously inching another inch closer to him during her next sip.

[Kasimir Sewik]

The comparison between Lamia Scale's floor and the ocean was... well, Kaz was starting to become immune to Astra's surprises. “Well I haven't been to Lamia Scale's guild hall so...” He grinned, knowing he'd definitely picked a winning option with the ocean. “The sea is totally unlike anything else in the world. You've got to experience it first-hand to really understand. And, you'll get to see the seagulls there as an extra bonus, too - they're birds that usually hang out around the ocean.” They were standing so close, and this was the perfect opportunity. Kaz took Astra's free hand. “Come on, let's go now!” He could barely wait to see her reaction. Firmly but gently he lead her to the docks. Hand in hand, each with a coffee, they probably really did look like a couple to the casual eye.

Kaz didn't stop until they reached the docks. Cerulean Town's port was on the smaller side compared to port towns like Hargeon. Perhaps that only enhanced the ocean's natural beauty, however. The sea practically sparkled in the sunlight, the water here a clear cerulean, true to the town's name. There were a few boats at the dock, and a few gliding out at sea. Kaz took Astra down to the beach side. It was only here that he finally released her hand.

Before stepping on the beach, Kaz kicked off his boots. The sun was a bit hot too, so he extracted his black coat from his shoulders, placing it on a nearby pier. “You can't walk on the sand with shoes on; the whole point is to feel the sand with your feet,” he told Astra matter-of-factly. He turned to face the rolling waves, taking a deep breath of the salty sea wind. Seagulls cawed loudly from above, a few circling above the waves, and others idling on the pier.  The first time Kaz had seen the ocean... he still remembered that moment. He had been in complete awe of how the waves never stopped moving, how endlessly far it stretched, the sounds and smells... That had been many many years ago, back with his teacher...

There were a few others wandering the beach, but Kaz and Astra had their own little section to themselves. Too bad this hadn't been planned out a little more, or Kaz could've seen Astra in a swimsuit. He stole a glance to some other girls in the distance – dang, now they had the right idea, if only... He forced his attention away to make it not look like he was staring, wiping his nose a little. Okay, the grass was not always greener on the other side, and he really had to make sure he didn't mess up such an important moment. Right now, he was able to see Astra's first impression of the ocean. “Pretty cool, right?” He asked after giving her a moment to absorb some of what she was seeing. He actually wasn't that fond of traveling on the sea, but... just looking at it from here on solid ground was fine.

[Astra Creed]

Astra’s eyes went wide at the sight of the beach. It was much more beautiful up close. She and Kasimir were among the few that weren’t in swimwear though. Astra actually had swimwear, against all odds since she had been in charge of buying her own clothes. She’d managed to remember she needed a swimsuit amongst all of the other distractions that floated around in her head. It was actually kind of frustrating that she didn’t have it. Even in her skimpy outfit she felt a bit out of place if only because she knew what people were supposed to wear here somehow. Her strange and fragmented mind could remember the attire for things she barely remembered existed.

Kasimir commented on how she would have to take her shoes off, and Astra looked down. She was in sneakers with baggy socks. Yeah those wouldn’t do for beach walking at all. Astra shrugged the shoes off without using her hands, then stuffed her socks in the shoes and left them there. She gingerly stepped into the hot sand with a bit of a cringe, but it was nothing the girl couldn’t handle. With a sharp inhale from the unexpected heat, she stepped up next to Kaz again. “It’s very pretty,” she told him, sounding a bit distracted. Her eyes kept darting around. “I didn’t remember ever being on a beach but I thought to buy swimwear last month…” she commented. She honestly had no idea who or what she was or why she acted the way she did, and was discovering herself as much or more than she was discovering the world around her. Even Kaz could probably see that by now.

[Kasimir Sewik]

Kaz glanced at Astra as she kicked her shoes off. Her reaction wasn't quite what he'd expected... well, maybe that was a little unfair. It wasn't Astra's first time at the ocean, it was just her first time that she could remember. There was a lot to take in and absorb. Maybe some of her old memories were trying to resurface too, and that was creating conflicted feelings.

He took one last swig of his coffee, the cup more or less empty. Her last comment nearly made him choke on the last sip though. "Really?!" He coughed, trying not to sound too excited and failing. Dang, he knew his thoughts were probably unrealistic though. There was no way this girl was just conveniently wearing swimwear underneath her clothes. No that was definitely impossible, because he'd gotten a pretty clear view from above earlier, and she definitely wasn't wearing a bathing suit under that. "Well, that just means we'll have to come back again sometime, and we'll both be more prepared..." Wait... what Astra had just said was only now hitting him. Why had she bought swimwear without knowing what a beach was or where she was supposed to wear a swimsuit? ... No, there was probably no use pondering about those kind of matters.

Another idea entered his head. He popped off the top of his coffee cup. Walking across the sand, he bent and filled it with the sea water, rinsing the coffee out. After he'd dumped the water, he turned back to Astra. "For now I guess we'll have to make do with what we have though. Can't say I was really expecting to be here today either." He scooped up some of the darker, wet sand in the cup, walking back out of the tide.

"How about sandcastles? You remember how to make those? They're literally just castles made of sand, using buckets or cups or whatever to make a form," he wondered, not really expecting her to remember. Yeah, right now she was probably always trying to remember important things, like her past or social interactions. Things like coffee and the ocean and seagulls and sandcastles weren't as important, but because of that, they were somehow more important. At least in Kaz's mind, that's how it worked. "How about a little friendly competition?" He offered, deciding to make things interesting. Bending like this was starting to hurt, so he gave up and just sat down on the sand. He could worry about his clothes getting dirty later. Instead he packed the sand into the cup tightly, before plopping it on the ground, forming a single turret.

"Let's both make a sandcastle, and then compare which one is better. Whoever has the biggest and coolest looking one wins, okay?" He scooped up another cupful of wet sand, packing it in tightly. Looking back up at her, grinning mischievously. "You're not still drinking that coffee, right? You'll fall behind otherwise."

[Astra Creed]

Come back again sometime? Was he planning on sticking around then? Astra glanced at him, probably staring at him a bit too long, blinking a few times as she pondered his words. “You’re staying here then? Do you live here?” she asked him curiously as she wiggled her toes in the sand. It was a  strangely familiar feeling, and one she enjoyed immensely. It made her grin a little wider.

For now, they would have to make due with what they had at their disposal, which for Astra was literally what Kasimir could see on her - baggy but short shirt with a wide neck and short shorts. She crouched down next to him on the bright sand as he asked her about sandcastles. She looked a bit confused for a short second, but as he described them she realized she could see some in the distance. Those were familiar too, as the entire beach was. She looked at him with a wide and strangely sly grin when he challenged her to a competition. “I love games,” she told him, looking like she was already absolutely determined to win. “Let’s do it!”

She was then asked if she was done with her coffee, and was informed she would fall behind if not. She realized he planned on using the cup as his scoop for the sand castle as he asked. “Nope! I’m still drinking it. It’s too good to just waste,” she insisted. “Don’t worry, I can make something.” She plopped down in the sand finally as well, not really caring that her shorts probably had wet sand stuck to the back now. “Ready?” she asked as a red, glass-like shovel and pale materialized in her hands. They were a fair bit bigger than the small coffee cup he was using. She chuckled to herself, obviously rather pleased by her idea. There was no way she was losing. He hadn’t made a rule about her not doing anything like this! "Go!"

[Kasimir Sewik]

"Hm?" Kaz hadn't expected Astra's conclusion about him living in Cerulean Town, although he supposed it made sense. "No, I kind of just wander around, I don't really live anywhere. I just meant that we should come back here, together," he grinned at her. One day was easy. The real test was getting together again in the future. "Or who knows? Maybe next time I'll visit you in Lamia Scale - if you'd let me, of course."

His train of thought was interrupted when Astra crouched down next to him. Before he could start staring again he quickly averted his gaze back to the sandcastle turret he'd just made. Astra seemed oddly excited about the competition offer. Well she'd been curious about mostly everything so far, but she seemed particularly psyched about the competition. Hm so she liked games... he'd have to remember that in the future. But really, this wasn't going to be much of a contest if she finished her coffee late-

"Whoa what?!" Kaz exclaimed when a strange shovel and pail materialized in Astra's hands. That had definitely not been part of the equation! "I never said you could use magic-" He began, before changing his mind. "Whatever, that just means I can too!" He smirked mischievously, dropping the coffee cup from his hands. If she was going to take this seriously, then he was too. Clapping his hands together, he summoned forth magic to his fingertips. Reaching to the wet sand, as soon as his fingertips hit the ground, he cut through like butter. Sure, sand was naturally soft. But his technique made his hands like a scalpel, able to cut away and make the sand he touched even softer like liquid. It was like making a sculpture, chisling away at a giant block of rock until a work of art surfaced. Except that in this case, Kaz was cutting away at the sand. Yeah, most sand castles rose up from the ground, while he was creating a depression and cutting away instead. But still, that didn't mean his method was wrong; just that the other method was typically easier. He could probably form more details this way than the average sandcastle builder, and make one even faster. "I'm not going to go easy, so I hope you don't mind losing," he laughed, digging away with probably too much enthusiasm.

[Astra Creed]

Astra might have surprised Kasimir when she materialized an aura-make shovel and pale to build sandcastles with, but he surprised her even more when she turned and saw that he was the one causing the mini earthquake. He used earth magic and was using it to build sandcastles! “Hey no fair!” Astra cried in distress, throwing sand onto Kasimir’s work to try and slow him down before hastily starting to build her own. She adopted a very determined look as she started working. She had to win! Something just drove her to do so despite the obvious fact that an earth-based magic could easily outstrip even a magical pale and shovel.

As she looked over, she saw Kaz was still winning, and a catlike grin appeared on her face. She looked from his beautiful in-ground sandcastle and to his concentrating face. Without warning, she yelled and tackled the poor man, pushing him to the ground and stopping him from using his magic. She didn’t move, pinning him to the ground and looking a combination of pleased with herself, and slightly scary because she was in competition mode. She chuckled and stuck out her tongue. “Distracted yoooou~” she said in a singsong voice. She didn’t immediately get back up and go to the sandcastle she was making though.

[Kasimir Sewik]

"Hey, you're the one who decided magic was fair!" Kaz protested when Astra started flinging sand into his creation. Man, not like they'd set up any rules beforehand, but she really knew how to test the limits of his hastily thrown together competition. He just laughed - her reaction was so childish it was kind of funny. Rather than retaliate and sabotage Astra's work, Kaz just smirked and continued his own progress. They had only been at for a few minutes, and already it was pretty clear that his earth-magic gave him an unfair edge in the sandcastle creation.

He definitely wasn't prepared for Astra to tackle him. "Oof!" He hit the soft sand, now staring up at the cat-like girl who had pounced on him. A blush was beginning to creep into his cheeks while staring up at her. Oh, he was distracted alright. He'd take this over winning the sandcastle competition any day. "Okay, I guess you got me," he surrendered. "But I think I've got you beat in the sandcastle department. How about we call a truce for now?” He suggested, although he really didn't mind their current positions. His hair was getting a littly sandy, but it would wash out easily enough.

Kaz laughed. This was the first time in a long time that he felt legitimately happy. No Magic Council, no bounty hunters, no life or death struggle, no drowning time away with alcohol. Astra seemed honestly happy just to spend time with him. He wanted this to last more than just one day; to spend more time with her. Yet even if it didn't, even if their time together was somehow cut short and this was all that happened with Astra, Kaz thought he could be content.

[Astra Creed]

Kasimir wanted to call the competition a draw. Astra did not want to lose, but she also wasn’t happy calling a competition a draw either. “Nope!” she responded as soon as he asked such a silly question. She kept grinning, sitting on his chest. “You have to say I win,” she told him as her grin widened almost triumphantly. She was going to win whatever it took. Even if it meant tackling him to the ground and trying to make him give up.

She had no intention of moving just yet, though she would get up when she was satisfied of his answer. Her mind wandered a bit. What was that look on his face? That was odd. Most people didn’t turn red when she tackled them. At least as far as she knew. For the most part she didn’t tackle people. Unless she was having a magical duel for training purposes or something. She should probably do that more. Astra blinked after a moment, realizing she had spaced out.

“Maybe as the competition’s winner I get to pick what we do next?” she suggested as if that was what he had said or he was going to say. That sounded fun. Had he already answered? She hoped not. She’d wanted to hear him give up so she would get to have her moment of triumph. Maybe not her proudest win, but a win was a win as far as she was concerned.

[Kasimir Sewik]

Wait what?! This girl really was ridiculous. Kaz was doing her a favor by offering to call it a draw. "Don't push it, if we tally up the total score, I'm the one who would win hands-down!" He smirked back, not willing to admit defeat when he'd clearly won. Of course, the competition had hardly been fair with the addition of earth magic. But that was Astra's fault, not his.

Honestly he was perfectly content laying in the sand being pinned by her, and was in no rush to move her off. Well, except that the tide was rising slowly towards his hair, but he figured it would take quite a while before it rose high enough to cause a problem. He was fairly sure he could get Astra off if he really wanted, she was so tiny, after all. "Well you picked the coffee, I picked the beach and sandcastle thing, so I guess it's your turn to pick next," he at least agreed on that, although the reason for letting her pick was completely different. "Does that mean you had something in mind?" He realized. Another competition? Or something else she wanted to explore or see? She had certainly taken the sandcastle competition more seriously than he'd intended. At least it had peaked her interest. He would definitely remember that for the future – if she could get competitive about sandcastles, he was pretty sure she'd get competitive about anything.

[Astra Creed]

Astra frowned more when Kasimir told her he was winning hands-down. Her mouth twisted into a frown that said she wasn’t very happy with him claiming he was winning, even if it were true. She opened her mouth to argue, or possibly to declare she was continuing the challenge, but by then he had already moved on and said she could pick what happened next. She decided that meant he had given up even if he hadn’t admitted it and she suddenly looked happy again.

“Hmmm” she pondered happily, seeming to get comfortable on his chest for the moment rather than climbing off. It was better than sitting down in the sand, after all. And she didn’t hear him complaining. “Hmmm” she made the noise again. Obviously she hadn’t thought of something before she asked. And she wasn’t exactly sure what there was to do. “I’ll pick something simple,” she decided after a moment. “We should walk like those people over there!” she glanced at a man and woman walking on the beach with their feet in the water. That looked fun. She wanted to get her feet wet. And to get the sand off of her bare feet. It felt weird. Kasimir was fun, and despite earlier words of how she acted she felt like he didn’t treat her like she was going to hurt herself. Astra gave him another grin and chuckled. She was having a great time as well.

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