428/Out of Bounds, Grotto with Bonds

Out of Bounds, Grotto with Bonds
Date of Scene:	15 September 2023
Location:	Beach
Synopsis:	Miya meets Coco in her mermaid form at a grotto. Despite Coco not being able to reveal who she is, the two of them enjoy a nice chat
Cast of Characters:	Coco Kiumi, Miya Sakamoto

---

Coco Kiumi has posed:
Coco is still recovering from the bad time she had from the memories that resurfaced after the fight with Lamya, so as soon as she could districate herself, she went to the sea for a swim, taking some time to connect back with herself. The mermaid spends a few hours swimming there, letting herself rest among the currently placid currents of the sea, water whispering in her ears the lull of the waves, leaving her feeling a bit more connected to home.

After a while, Coco decides to emerge, and starts swimming upwards, breaching the surface in just about a few seconds. She looks around, noticing the rocky wall of a grotto, the shimmering stone reflecting the water at the center with pale undulation. The yellow-haired girl hoists herself onto the stone of the ground, leaving her yellow tail submerged to enjoy the freshness of the water.

Miya Sakamoto has posed:
Summer is ending. It might sound like a bittersweet time of year, a time of passage where the dreams of sun and freedom slowly fade, and swimsuits and beaches slowly give way to school uniforms and classrooms.

But not yet. Beaches are still an option, and a modest one piece swimsuit is exactly what Miya is wearing right now.

If there one thing one can say about Miya, it's how she seems to have this knack for being overlooked. As if she was an unimportant, uninteresting part of the scenery. And that's it, right now: she doesn't run, she walks, casually, along the beach, the most uninteresting of background figures.

And when her interest is piqued by the entrance to a cave, she looks around. There are no explicit signs forbidding entrace, so she assumes it safe to do so.

Equally as quiet, she makes her way along the walls, her feet not even producing the quiet splashing, slapping noise one would expect.

She does, however, freeze in surprise upon noticing that there is someone else here.

Coco Kiumi has posed:
Coco sighs, breathing in the salty sea air that permeates the grotto, the silence giving her overstimulated ears peace and relief that she has come to forget when on land. Her tail plays with the water, swaying back and forth as it produces miniscules waves. "Ah, if only life could be as leisurely as this a little more often..." she says out loud, staring ahead at the crystal formations on the wall of the grotto, noticing the curious reflection of a face with brown hair right onto it.

She turns her head around anxiously, not expecting someone else to be there besides her. "Miya?!" she exclaims instinctively upon noticing the minute figure of her classmate. Her first instinct is to dive back underwater, but the Veil will help her from being recognised as Coco, so she shouldn't have to worry. 'I should have paid more attention', Coco thinks, regretting having let that "Miya" slip out, but she can probably play it off. It's not like there is only one way she could have heard of her name.

Miya Sakamoto has posed:
"Oh my goodness!", Miya exclaims, her voice squeaky with excitement. She's shivering with emotion, and she looks left and right. "I can't believe it! I can't believe it! That creature... that creature..."

She points where Coco was one moment ago. "I... I have found... I have discovered... the tail... she is... she must be..."

She swallows, and while she carefully lowers herself to a portion of the rocks where standing is easier in her currently agitated state, she takes a few deep breaths.

"Oh my goodness I've found a Pokemon named like me!", she exclaims!

And then she slaps herself.

"No, Miya! Brain! Kickstart brain!"

She takes another slow breath. Closes her eyes. And opens them again. "Just because now you're more open-minded about the world at large, you don't have to jump the gun and go for such absurd flights of fancy. There is certainly a more logical explanation."

She thinks for a few moments.

"Oh my goodness, it's Yellow Pearl Voice!", she finally realizes. "That's where I had seen that face before! Loved you at the concert by the way!", Miya says. "I- I am not a paparazzi or a stalkery fan!", she hurries to explain, waving her hands in worry and taking one step back, as emotions and thoughts rush to her head. "I just happened to be walking around here, and stumbled upon this grotto and- and-"

A moment of silence, as realization hits. "Wait, how do you know my name?" She leans back, in mild worry. "Are you... some sort of stalker, or paparazzi?", she asks, just before finally blinking once more, and returning to stand, leaning neither backwards nor forwards, she asks, with the calmest, most nonchalant tone of voice, "...oh, you're a mermaid?", apparently so overloaded with conflicting questions she's no longer sure what emotions to feel.

Miya Sakamoto has posed:
"Oh my goodness!", Miya exclaims, her voice squeaky with excitement. She's shivering with emotion, and she looks left and right. "I can't believe it! I can't believe it! That creature... that creature..." Gasping at Coco, barely able to articulate, she continues, "I... I have found... I have discovered... the tail... she is... she must be..."

She swallows, and while she carefully lowers herself to a portion of the rocks where standing is easier in her currently agitated state, she takes a few deep breaths.

"Oh my goodness I've found a Pokemon named like me!"

And then she slaps herself. "No, Miya! Brain! Kickstart brain!"

She takes another slow breath. Closes her eyes. And opens them again. "Just because now you're more open-minded about the world at large, you don't have to jump the gun and go for such absurd flights of fancy. There is certainly a more logical explanation."

She thinks for a few moments.

"Oh my goodness, it's Yellow Pearl Voice!", she finally realizes. "That's where I had seen that face before! Loved you at the concert by the way!", Miya says. "I- I am not a paparazzi or a stalkery fan!", she hurries to explain, waving her hands in worry and taking one step back, as emotions and thoughts rush to her head. "I just happened to be walking around here, and stumbled upon this grotto and- and-"

A moment of silence, as realization hits. "Wait, how do you know my name?" She leans back, in mild worry. "Are you... some sort of stalker, or paparazzi?", she asks, just before finally blinking once more, and returning to stand, leaning neither backwards nor forwards, she asks, with the calmest, most nonchalant tone of voice, "...oh, you're a mermaid?", apparently so overloaded with conflicting questions she's no longer sure what emotions to feel.

Coco Kiumi has posed:
Coco stares incredulous and unsure as Miya goes through the whole thought process of determining who she is. "Hmm, is everything alright?" Miya is so excited that Coco is afraid she would slip and hurt herself if she didn't calm down. "Be careful, the ground here isn't quite safe", she warns the brunette.

She breathes a sigh of relief once Miya lowers herself down to a more stable position, but the other girl gives her something else to focus on. "I don't know what's a Pokemon, but yes, I am not one. I am in fact, a mermaid. I assume this is your first time seeing one", she says, giving her a quick playful slap to the side as a demonstration, just enough to drive the point home, not to hurt her or disrupt her balance.

"You were at the concert?", Coco asks inquisitively, trying to remember if she saw Miya there, but nothing comes to mind. "I don't recall anyone like you there, I must have been rather distracted. That concert turned... unexpectedly." she says hesitatingly. That's certainly one way to put it. She clears her throat before resuming "Yes, we can say that. But I am glad you are safe, and that you enjoyed my songs.

Coco smiles at Miya. "It's ok, there is no harm in being here. I don't own the grotto" she reassures her. "I found it by chance myself. It's rather beautiful, don't you think? Were you out exploring?"

She starts fidgeting and looks flustered at Miya. "What, a stalker? Me? N-no, I just heard your name from a friend! She was complimenting you since you did some repairs for her. She was quite happy with your assistance, you kept praising you nonstop!" she quickly throws out.

"Hmm, would you like to sit down?" Coco asks, waving at the rocky ground next to her. "If you have been going around, you may have walking a lot. And the water here is quite fresh and nice."

Miya Sakamoto has posed:
"Yes. No. YES!", Miya replies to the question about whether or not everything is alright. "Thank you."

"...does...does it show much?," Miya asks, on the matter about it being the first time seeing a mermaid. "I mean, I suppose you would know better than me. You probably have more experience in being seen for the first time than I have in seeing you for the first time. I'm kind of new to this whole seeing mermaids thing. But I'm trying to learn!"

The slap drives the point home! This is the REAL DEAL!

"I was at the concert! I was staff! I helped set up the stage beforehand, keep things going smoothly during the concert, and clean up afterwards!", Miya explains, with enthusiasm. "Granted, uh, I was at the far off end of the plain, hidden behind the fences, among the trees..." a slight hesitation. "...most of the time," she adds. "So... I probably wasn't really visible from the stage."

"You- you heard my name? From Whom?" Miya hasn't been around for long, but there are a few people she's helped fix things for. "-I got praise?", she then asks, pleased and surprised.

"Sit... oh! Sit down! Sure!"

She lowers herself to sit down to the point indicated by Coco, next to her. "You had legs during the concert, right?", Miya remarks. And then wonders about the social property of asking people whether or not they had legs at some specific social event. Ah well, too late for that now! "So you're intimately familiar with the mechanics of walking. Makes sense."

"Wait, you have human friends?", she asks abruptly, once again. "Does that mean... that you aren't just running away never to be seen again? You actually build relationships with we humans and-"

Silence.

"-wait, it could be another mermaid with legs I've fixed things for. I mean, it's been established that you mermaids can have legs."

Miya scratches the back of her head, and looks away. "...sorry for the barrage of questions, but... it's my first time seeing a mermaid... uh.. as... your... experience in being seen for the first time has probably made you aware of, by now."

Coco Kiumi has posed:
"Not that actually more experience", Coco admits. There are about 10 people to know about me being a mermaid, and only 2 of them paid it any mind, never mind the close call with..." Coco bites her tongue at this point, holding the words back, realising she was about to make a fatal mistake. "Anyway, those people were all people with an affinity for magic, so I guess they are kind of desensitized by now, and a mermaid isn't all that weird."

"Ah, so you have been working behind the stage to make sure everything goes smoothly. That's neat! You did a really good job, because Makuga's concert was doing very well before the monster appeared!" Coco compliments Miya, laying on it a bit thick, but she has picked up the other girl's esitation, and attributed it to a self-esteem issue. Her work is important, so she should think that too!

"O-oh, a friend of mine", the mermaid replies, slightly blushing awkwardly. "It was quite a while ago, so you probably don't remember her." Masterful lie, Coco. Surely nobody is going to see through it.

"Oh, yes, I do have legs at times", Coco laughs, showing she had taken no offense at the question. "It would be rather troublesome if a monster appeared on land like it did at the concert, and I couldn't help, since the protection of both land and sea is the duty we have been born for."

"Hmm, well, I do have human friends, though a few of them still don't know I am a mermaid..." she reveals hesitatingly. "As you have guessed, I intermingle quite a lot with humans. I am not forced to run away anywhere in those cases, but I am forbidden from being the one to reveal myself, on penalty of turning into seafoam. You would have to discover my identity on your own."

"Don't worry, Miya", Coco smiles, putting her hand onto Miya's as a sign of comfort. "I know you are really nice, and I don't mind answering your questions."

Miya Sakamoto has posed:
"That is still nine more first contacts than me," Miya encourages Coco.

"A mermaid isn't that weird?!" is the first thing that Miya blurts out in reaction to the Coco's comment, but once realizing it, she hurries to add, "-affinity for magic? Are you a -magic- mermaid?"

She can't go around letting people know she is privvy to magic! What if they knew of the SECRETS that- ok, fair, this one is a mermaid, so she knows things the general populace doesn't already. But still. Secret identity! Can't be too careful! It is a well known fact that a magical girl should not go revealing her secret identity to the first mermaid she meets. She thinks. Miya's already kind of scarce past social interactions did not prepare her for this case. But she certainly can extrapolate.

That would be the same reason for her hesitation. Miya -technically- hasn't stayed behind the whole time. There was that confusing parenthesis as Cure Spanner.

Miya does notice Coco's hand on hers. She looks down, then up at Coco. "Can we be... friends then?", Miya asks. "If it was long ago, your friend will certainly know that I used to live in a different city. I didn't really have many friends there. So..."

Coco Kiumi has posed:
Coco is about to blurt out that of course she is, even if Miya was there at the backstage, she should have taken notice of the monster and the fight that ensued, before realising she is being dumb, the Veil works, of course Miya wouldn't realise what that part of the events truly were.

"I shouldn't have talked quite so much, I revealed something that I shouldn't have", she sighs. "This is going to be frightening to hear, but the monster at the concert was real, and my performance there actual magic. I do have magic, one out of 7 mermaids to have it in fact. I did say we have been born for the duty to protect both land and sea, and that magic is how I do that. The thing was being hurt by my songs, and they were helping the people in the audience not be as consumed by the creature's dark influence. This is going to be a lot to accept, sorry."

Coco looks at Miya with a somber expression. "In the case that you still remember me after we leave today, rest assured that either me or others will be there to help defend people in case of more monster attacks, so you just focus on running away, alright?"

"A different city?" Coco blinks, of course not having known that. "N-no, my friend didn't tell me about that, but about us, I really liked having spent time with you, so I will be friends with you even if you forget about today", Coco smiles, her heart both warmed by Miya's request and sad at the prospect of nobody having been friends with her, the two emotions making her a bit more careless than she should be. "I am sure we can have lots of fun times together. I don't know what has been going on with people that they didn't want to be with someone as friendly as you."

Miya Sakamoto has posed:
"It was... magic?!"

Miya's boggling is completely honest. She may have been aware of having been involved in magic fighting; Enji probably explained some basics since. But the part about Coco's song protecting people from Dark consumption is something she wasn't aware of. Thanks to the ambiguous wording, it might look like she's referring to the whole event being magic. And being shocked by the revelation.

There is another moment of somber reflection. "I might... forget this? About us?", she asks, head lowered but eyes glancing sideways at Coco, with restrained concern. Her worry is genuine as well -- she is a newbie at this whole magic thing. She still isn't intimately familiar with how things work.

"Oh? Oh. OH. No, no, no, people were largely innocent. I'm sure they'd have liked to be my friend. It was me who... you know. Wasn't much the social type," Miya hurries to add, not without some embarrassment. "I was the kind of student who went straight home after school, did not take part to any club, and did not meet many fellow kids in her free time." She leans over, and with earnest determination, she adds, "But now I am making a honest effort to change! New city, new me!" She even clenches her fist to show she's all in about this!

"I will be friends as well, even if I forget about today. We can be secret friends! So secret not even I know about us!"

Coco Kiumi has posed:
"There is a very real chance you might. I know of some people that despite not having magic themselves can remember the magical events around this city", she says, thinking about Naru. "I would say 'let's hope that's the case for you too', but being able to remember magic despite not having magic yourself might paint a target on you, so perhaps it would be better if you don't" Coco says, her body back to being tense.

She would really like to put this conversation behind herself, think about anything else, or return back to the watery depths below her to escape the negative thoughts, but Miya can't leave without any answer, can she?

"I am glad to be your friend, regardless of what was the reason back then", Coco goes back to smiling at the comfort Miya's promise gives her. The mermaid looks at Miya. "Are you the type of person that enjoys hugs?" comes out of her mouth reflectively selfishly.

Miya Sakamoto has posed:
"Is it a secret mermaid ritual thing?", Miya asks Coco when she asks about hugs, instinctively pulling her body back, but leaning her head forward. Hesitant, but apparently willing to go through if it means bridging cultural differences. "Is it how you mermaids seal friendsips?"

"Given a choice... I... I would rather remember this." It might have taken Miya a little extra courage to search her feelings and fully form the sentence, but at the end, she sounds quite convinced of what she's saying.

Coco Kiumi has posed:
"A secret mermaid ritual thing?" Coco looks at her quizzically. "It's not anything that deep, just something everyone does as a measure of closeness. Coco perceives Miya's uncertainty, and becomes insecure on her own. "It is a gesture of friendship among our kind, but you can forget I asked if it made you uncomfortable!"

Coco's brain scrambles for something that might put Miya in a better mood and cover up her own gaffe. "What about otters, you like those right! I can call you some!"

"Yes, I really hope you remember things, too!" Coco says, still riding the wave of nervousness from being caught in this situation. "Like I said, some people do remember! So we don't have to fear the worst yet!"

Miya Sakamoto has posed:
"I'd love to meet some otters!", Miya exclaims! . o O (Wow, otters must be a super popular pet in Tokyo! Just wait until my parents hear about this back home!) O o .

"And yes! This is just too unforgettable to be forgotten! Magic songs? Magic battles? Magic mermaids? Fiendship? Seriously, how can one forget -this-?"

She gives the thought of a hug some consideration, and after reaching an end to her deliberation, she offers, "...we can meet halfway through and have a small hug, for starters?", Miya offers, spreading her arms. But not much! Just enough.

Coco Kiumi has posed:
Coco isn't quite of what a small hug looks like. Should she use a single arm? Is it just a slight contact with the other person? Should she avoid getting too close to Miya and just extend her arms towards her shoulders? What even is this hug in the end? Just one-sided fulfillment of emotional closeness?

"A small hug is fine too!", Coco blurts out with a small smile to convince herself this isn't going to go wrong, that she probably isn't going to upset Miya, that the minute girl won't disappear on her, slowly approaching Miya, slightly putting her arms around her in a loose manner.

Once that is done, she jumps in the water. "I will be right back with otters!" she says, and soon enough, about three minutes later, Coco is sitting on the rocky ground again and 4 otters are scampering onto the grotto.

Miya Sakamoto has posed:
Turns out that Miya's 'small hug' was meant to be 'brief' and 'not very tight'. Still involving both arms! The attempt might or might not have ended up awkward.

Miya squeals at the sight of more otters. "They're tiny otters! They are adorable!", she exclaims, tentatively reaching out for petting them, but first, stopping and giving Coco a look as if asking for permission.

The request for permission is implied rather than stated explicitly. What she does ask, though, is, "Do they have names?"

Coco Kiumi has posed:
The short hug is soon over, and Coco goes to address Miya's questions, both implicit and explicit. "It's ok, you can pet them", Coco smiles, doing so herself with the otter closest to her. "Yes, they do have names: Beanie, Dandelion, Layla and Nastya", Coco explains pointing to each of them as they get mentioned. "I'm glad this was the right choice", she comments, her heart still a bit fluttery from her previous unease.

Miya Sakamoto has posed:
"Beanie, Dandelion, Layla, and Nastya.", Miya replies, as she reaches for the otters and begins her attempts at petting.

So many questions. Miya has so many questions about everything that is going on. Magic. Battles. Forgetting about things. Mermaids. Magic mermaids. Magic mermaids doing battles. Friends. Heck, mermaids. Mermaids... Idols... singing..."

Gears start to turn inside Miya's brain. Some... connection. What does this remind her of-

Of course!

So many similarities! Singing at idol level! Coming from a far-off place! Mysterious behaviour! Water-related secrets! Human-sized fish tails slapping things! There is one specific person that this brings to mind, and one specific event!

Miya straightens up, with a gasp. Of course! OF COURSE! That explains it!

She turns to her new friend. "...Yellow Pearl Voice...", she begins. "...have you...by any chance.. been hanging around Radiant Heart Academy of late? Hiding away in a bathroom?"

And then, leaning over, almost whispered, "...hiding tunas with your magic?"

Coco Kiumi has posed:
The pensive atmosphere surrounding Miya creates a block in the mermaid's sternum. A block of ice that radiates cold to the rest of her body.

"Did I say something wrong?" Coco starts panicking. "Was it the hug? It was the hug, wasn't it? I should have said nothing, I am sorry, I will bring the otters to you every time we see each other. Not only that, I can bring them to your room everytime classes are over!" she start blabbering confusedly, everything she thinks being blurted out.

The mention of being hidden in the bathroom doesn't help her any in her confused state. "Listen, it's not what you think. No, maybe it's exactly what you think... But I had no choice! I was about to lose my balance! I can't stand while I am like this!" Coco keeps apologising for hiding things from Miya.

"Eh, a tuna?" Coco blinks, the sudden mention of the fish casting aside her stress and confusion for the time being. "What do you mean, a tuna?"

Miya Sakamoto has posed:
Miya narrows her eyes. "You know. Tuna. Large fish tail. Slapping against a 10x10 ceramic tile. Hidden away from mortal eyes. I probably forgot about it because of the Forgetting Magic!" She punches her fist. "That's GENIUS! Just make the tuna magical! Then there is no need to hide it! Mere mortals just cannot see it! Or if they see it, they promptly forget about it!", Miya exclaims, continuing her line of reasoning.

She waves one hand with a smile. "Don't mind me, I'll respect your secret if you don't want to let people know about the tuna Coco keeps in her bathtub. I understand that a tuna might not fall into the list of approved pets!"

"So...what do you mermaids like to do for fun? Maybe we could... I don't know, set up an appointment and go together to do... friend stuff?", offers Miya.

Coco Kiumi has posed:
"Pff", Coco barely holds back a laugh from the ridiculous thoughts Miya just laid out. "What's that, you seriously thought a tuna was my..." She takes a few breaths to calms herself down, realising she should have kept her cool and go along with Miya's thoughts.

"Uhm, so well..." she says indecisively. 'I put myself in a big pinch this time', Coco thinks. "I guess there wasn't a tuna?" She smirks nervously. "I mean, it would be hard to go along with what you said now I let that slip out."

"I would love to do lots of stuff with you!" Coco exclaims. She would have to use her magical girl form to be around Miya as the mermaid for now, but it could be done. "As long as you don't mind me going around in my idol form, I mean. As for activities, we can choose anything. I am open to lots of possibilities", she smiles.

Miya Sakamoto has posed:
"Oh. OH. Idol form. I suppose it'll have to be somewhere out of public sight then. Keep your privacy and all that." Miya (aka Cure Spanner) is familiar with the concept of having to keep your secret out of sight!

"Don't worry, we can go that! So... I don't know, uh... were you thinking of something like... swimming?", asks Miya. Hopefully that's not racist. "That way you don't have to use your Idol form. "You can utterly trounce me at competitive swimming, so I will get salty about it and will never want to do that again! But at least we've bought some time to think of more activities in the meantime!"

Coco Kiumi has posed:
"Aww, thank you a lot for your concern, Miya, you are really nice, do you know that?" Coco exclaims, finding heartwarming, how the other girl's first thought was to keep her privacy.

"Swimming sound great! And don't worry, we can do it leisurely, no need go all competitive", Coco chuckles as finds all the accomodations Miya is giving her quite endearing. "I really like going swimming, and I love the sensation of water rushing around me. We can decide to do that anytime you want. Want to give me your number so I can call you up later?"

Miya Sakamoto has posed:
"Don't mention it, Yellow Pearl Voice!", Miya replies. "You are probably the one who's nicest among the two of us. Mermaid hanging out with a human? That's amazing!"

"And sure, my number is- wait, do you have anywhere to write it down?", she asks. Without waiting, she gets up, and after looking around for a moment, she heads straight for a pile of small stones; she picks up a sizable number of them, returns to the rocky area close to Coco, and begins spelling out the phone number by grouping the rocks in little groups, each digit represented by the number of stones in that group. "Issues of going around with a swimsuit -- nowhere to store things to write with... or on!"

Coco Kiumi has posed:
"It would be quite rude of me thinking being a mermaid makes me superior", Coco observes, not sure why the other girl regards her merely hanging out as an act of special kindness due to her being a mermaid. She isn't really sure she likes that. Does Miya see this only as hanging out with a mermaid, rather than hanging out with Coco herself?

The mermaid memorises the number Miya communicates her with her curious method, the choice of that particular way earning a raised eyebrow from her. "Thank you, Miya, I will remember it", she goes to hold Miya's hand one last time as a sign of gratitude. "I have to go now, I will call you." What has she gotten herself into, she needs to buy another phone now. After waving at Miya, the mermaid slides down into the water, quickly swimming away.

Miya Sakamoto has posed:
"A superior?" Miya asks, surprised. She wasn't expecting that angle. "Uh. No, I mean, you don't of hear many mermaids hanging out with humans. In fact, I never heard of anything like that before today. I think of it as... a super rare thing. Something few people get to do." But by now, Miya is probably talking to herself.

"...I'll have to tell that over the phone later, when she calls me."

"...If I still remember her..."