The Lightness of Clouds (Coco Kiumi)
| The Lightness of Clouds (Coco Kiumi) | |
|---|---|
| Date of Cutscene: | 02 October 2024 |
| Location: | Pearl Pier |
| Synopsis: | Coco comes back to the Pearl Pier to a Hippo hopelessly in love. |
| Cast of Characters: | Coco Kiumi |
"Hey, I am back!", Coco cheerfully announces herself, entering the Pearl Pier, bringing with herself an empty bag, indicative of all the fliers Nikora had given her for the Pearl Pier's grand opening having been hanged up everywhere it was allowed. Now all they needed to do was wait for their technological specialists to come over.
"Welcome back, Coco", Nikora smiles, drying her hands off in her apron and taking her chef's hat off from her short fucsia hair. "I just finished preparing dinner for us. How did your patrol go?"
Coco folds the bag and places it on a nearby table. "All good, just the usual. No big name dark general, though", she explains, quite glad nobody seemed to be causing problems today. Not even Yuri had shown up again after the fight from the other day. "So, how are things going on here?" she peers around at the empty place. Madame Taki and Hippo must both be in their rooms.
"Well, the Harp is safe and I would say both Hippo and Taki are fine", Nikora replies closing her eyes. Coco raises her eyebrows, sensing the "but" in the air. "Just, Hippo has had his head up in the clouds and smiling all afternoon. Trying to make him talk is fruitless. I thought Madame Taki was the oyster, not him", The Pearl's manager looks to the left, at the staff rooms. "He has even just come back from a shift at some place close by he got himself hired at. I don't know what is going on with him."
She sighs deeply at this point, like she is exhaling the fatigue of 10000 years. "And Madame Taki, you know her, she is trying to peer at the cause in that crystal ball of hers. Try to avoid her if you don't want to be pulled into her more inane predictions. I wish she took her art more seriously. I will never understands why she likes to use those trinkets."
"I will go talk to him, see what I can find", Coco smiles at Nikora, placing a hand on her shoulder as reassurance before walking away, making sure not to be detained by any eccentric seer on the way there. Arriving in front of his room's door, Coco finds it open. "Hippo, is everything alright?", the yellow mermaid says, stepping closer to him, finding him just as Nikora said, his head looking at the ceiling with a blissful expression.
"Alright, what happened that has got you so happy?", Coco smiles at Hippo, sitting next to him on the bed.
"Coco!", he exclaims suddenly, getting up with the pillow between his arms. "Nothing really, I have just been walking around and stuff", he hangs onto his pillow like it's a anchor.
"Come on, Hippo, you feel like you are going to drift in the wind from one moment to the other", the mermaid smiles with excitement.
"A happy occasion? No occasion, why should there be one? Can't I just be happy because I happen to today?", the sea fairy murmurs, hugging his pillow tighter with a stronger happy blush.
Coco shakes her head with a smile at the reticence he is showing. She isn't really going to stop at this, the happiness he is feeling is quite adorable. "Well, you do know that everyone has noticed. Madame Taki is even trying to divine the cause."
At the alarmed look on Hippo's face, she quickly moves to reassures him. "Don't worry, she is using her hackneyed methods. Besides, you don't need her actual ones to guess what's going on here. Who are you in love with and what does she look like? You know you can trust me" Coco puts a hand on his arm, as if that's supposed to convince him.
"Well, ok, just try to get the others to calm down", he finally gives up. "I just met her at that shack on the beach. She has green hair styled in long twin tails with red ribbons and she has these green eyes that feel really perceptive clever. She looks to be really nice. I feel like I actually know her in some way, and I want to get to really know her. That's all", he places the pillow aside, looking hopelessly in some vision only he has.
"And that's why you are working?", Coco lets go of his arm, looking softly at how sweetly pining he seems.
"Well, yeah, when I met her she got hurt because she didn't have any shoes, so I would be giving her something both useful and pretty", he says, looking calmly in front of himself now.
The blonde girl smiles at Hippo brightly, really reading care and love on his face. "I am sure she will appreciate it. Why don't you come with me? We can get some drinks and talk about it. I have some ideas you might want to hear", she says, stepping out of the room, signing at him to follow.
"Ok!", he replies eagerly, skipping after her with the lightness of clouds.
