Vanilla had heard about the opening of the new zone, though debated on whether or not it would best benefit her to go to the grand opening. Sure, there wasn't really any kind of event in Nadir Beach, but perhaps some new scenery would be just what the doctor ordered to get her out of her mental funk. A lot was on her mind, Caitlyn, her other roomies, and whether or not she felt like she was making a difference here. It wasn't exactly a sort of mid-life crisis from the sound of it, but maybe she was just some kind of early adopter? Whatever the case may be, she decided to go and check it out. Maybe, at the very least, there would be something interesting present. "Maybe it'll be a slow day and I can think to myself some." She threw on something quick and plan, much like herself, and wandered into the newly opened zone in a hurry. The shop was closed up behind her, though she realistically could have just found a bus bench somewhere and done the exact same thing.

With a quick step through the zone walls, Vanilla was transported elsewhere...

That elsewhere came in the form of a beachside area that now stood before her. The sun stood out in a cloudless sky, with nothing but the crashing waves and people scattered about by the warm sands to keep her company. "Amazing. I never would have expected such a beautiful view...and so many people." She adjusted her glasses once more and slowly made her way through the opening crowds of people. Doing such was fairly difficult given the size difference in height between her and other people present. Even before all of this, it was horrible being mistaken for a primary school student by adults and having to have her ID ready to flash at a bartender to ensure that she was of age.

She would kill for a beer right now, though not one of the overpriced American ones.

About ten minutes later and Vanilla had purchased a generously sized ice cream cone that she had been snacking on while walking through the sands of the Nadir Beach. It didn't help her issue with seeming like somebody half her age, though the refreshing mint chocolate chip flavor did wonders for her enjoyment factor. She walked along, looking at all of the other beachgoers until one person in particular had caused her to stop just in front of her parasol.

"Summer?" Vanilla asked, looking at the other woman until the biggest smile crept onto her face. "It's been so long! How are you?"

Vanilla came dressed in a casual white hoodie, with some splotches of ice cream draped across the front, alongside black leggings and worn looking sneakers. It wasn't entire beachwear as what somebody else would wear, though Vanilla was just happy to see a familiar face here. Vanilla did feel her eyes glance down to the swimsuit that Summer wore. The curves her body had, the confidence to wear that, the size of her...Vanilla felt her lips purse together in frustration for a moment before looking back upwards at the other woman.

"I wasn't expecting to run into you here. How're things with Hana? Do you need any help or things that need charming?"

Summer

"It's nice to-" Two soft pillows pressed against the tiny woman's back, causing her brain to temporarily freeze in place. The feeling of Summer's body pressed against hers was enough to cause the smaller woman to let out a soft and murmur-like noise, though she hugged the other woman back with just as much energy after a little pushing. Her cheeks flushed a shade of pink similar to her hair. It wasn't to say she hated the hug, it was quite the opposite! She enjoyed it a little more than Summer likely knew. It was just that physical displays of affection were still a somewhat new concept for her post coming into her tutorial.

"Y-You look amazing! The swimsuit really, ah, fits you!" She spat out after realizing her eyes were beginning to wander a bit too much and motioned to her own attire. Compared to the sakura blossom beauty, Vanilla looked about as plain as her namesake. "I wanted to try and search for a swimsuit for me since my things were still at home, b-but I have some trouble sometimes with shopping for clothing." A brief pang of jealousy rang in her heart, alongside the confusion she had at why she felt so sheepish around Summer. Some people had all the luck in the world, and here she was, some petite woman who couldn't buy cigarettes at a corner store without getting weird looks from the cashier.

She sat down on the towel next to Summer, looking up at the other woman began to tell her about how she had been faring as of late. Hana missing did raise some concerns, but whatever the other girl was doing, Vanilla was certain that she could handle herself. The irony that Summer could be named after the hottest and most carefree time of the month was palpable though. It made Vanilla snicker to herself. "I'd say so. It's nice to go to a beach for the first time in a while. I haven't been able to really go since a couple of years ago." She moved her head along as some hair fell down her shoulders, reminding the tiny woman of somebody she had once known. Focusing back onto her usual duties, Vanilla was pleased to hear that Summer didn't need any help, far be it from somebody as strong as her, but what she did need help with was something far more suited for the season.

"Sure, how may I..."

It took a moment for her to register what Summer had suggested, with a bottle of lotion tossed her way, which the woman fumbled to catch. Then it took even longer to form a sentence in her head after watching Summer's shirt fall down to exposed her swimsuit. Vanilla's entire face turned from pink to red, slowly uncorking the bottle with her red face splurting some sunscreen out into her hand.

You can do this, Vanilla. You've stared death in the face so many times. You can handle a friendly gesture. Friends help friends apply sunscreen, don't they? Don't overreact.

Her hands slowly approached Summer's shoulder and arms. Anxiety filled her body, as Vanilla bit her bottom lip in worry. She worried she was going a little bit too slow that it looked weird, and Summer would think she was stupid or something. So Vanilla took a breath and slowly pushed forward to touch her bare shoulders and arms as she felt how warm her body was.

Once she had made contact with the other woman's body and began to rub, Vanilla made a noise resembling a murmur and a shocked squeak. Out of reflex, her arms felt along Summer's arms, squeezing the muscle there to feel how toned it was, only to then have her lips betray her. "I'm sorry! Sorry, I...I haven't really...You're just..." She struggled to find the correct word until, once again, the words flopped out of her mouth.

"H-Hot."

Vanilla could feel every bit of her tense up as she realize what she had uttered and blush deeper. "L-Like warm! It's really hot out a-and I think we should...um, stay hydrated? Yeah, overheating is kind of serious!"

Summer

She had been expecting something worse in her mind, though Vanilla did feel her entire body experience a wave of relief at her misstep. "O-Oh, right. Yeah, I tend to space out sometimes. Tali was trying to teach me about focusing on things rather than overthinking." How was that man anyway? They had only really talked a long while ago, picking mushrooms in the forest and reflecting on life. Regarding the comment, she wasn't sure why that had come out of her lips so suddenly and made a mental note in her head to tighten down that filter of hers. Summer at least found the display cute and humored the smaller woman, saving her from the embarrassment. Vanilla fiddled with her glasses again out of habit and continued to apply the sunscreen to her friend's back. While she returned the favor, calling her pretty hot. It did make sense, given the hoodie. This thing was fairly warmth trapping in terms of cooling down. Even with the small distraction, she had gotten most of the lower and mid back areas. Enough to ensure that the fellow pink haired woman wasn't going to end up looking like a tomato at the end of the day. Summer shifted around to face for a moment while Vanilla looked at her with anxious eyes.

"Sorry, I'm still working on your-"

Her mind froze at the kiss planted on her cheek. While a small peck, the impact on the woman was anything but. Vanilla's entire face turned beet red as she replayed the sensation over and over again inside of her head. The look on her face made it clear the tiny woman was lost in her thoughts. Just unable to comprehend any other words coming out of Summer's mouth for the next few moments. All she could do was to nod her head up and down. A few seconds later and the small businesswoman was back into a normal, if somewhat complicated, state of mind just in time for Summer to make an offer to help her find new clothing. Clothing and Vanilla had a very sort of estranged relationship, as one could already tell. "Really? Ah-I would love to go with you one day. It's hard finding things in my size, especially after being sucked into the game. Usually I have to scavenge through the young adult sizes." Vanilla huffed and reached the upper part of Summer's back, her hands spread sunscreen across the back of her neck. She was still blushing, but doing her best to hide it.

"I hate how I look. It sucks being so short and getting mistaken for a high schooler all the time. Whenever I went for a pint with my roommates, I had to have my card ready to go at the door, and then have my friends vouch for me. All for one glass. One example of many."

She had finished off Applying sunscreen and leaned away while beginning to pull at her own hoodie, starting to feel overheated. The refuge of the shadow of the umbrella was twice as valuable as before, especially so as people continued to pass them by. Her eyes strayed to the woman around, eyes filled to the brim with envy.

"I tried even finding a way to change my appearance in this game, but nothing seems to be doing it. There's some ability that lets you do so from some event or whatever, but that's it. I don't want to be some shrimp forever. I just want to look normal.."

Summer

The feeling of Summer's hands helping her pulled the hoodie from her body had surprised the little shopkeeper, though she was at least somewhat thankful that it was covering her face. Vanilla's head popped out as the hoodie was quickly moved away. She had on a t shirt underneath, that was easier to breathe in. One of those touristy shirts that one bought while on vacations, usually American. But Summer moved closer and the other girl froze on the spot again. her warm hands on top of her beet red cheeks was torture enough for Vanilla to process. Affection had never been a strong suit for her, even when she had remained "friendly" with Caitlyn. But this woman was pushing farther and farther into territories she had no experience in. Her mind blanked when Summer was close as she spoke about "normal" stuff in this post Earth-chan. All of it was reasonable, but Vanilla just looked too focused on her closeness, as her heart continued to race more and more. Eyes locked into Summer's as she finished and leaned forward for another kiss. Vanilla squirmed a bit more, though it wasn't unwanted. She rather kept her hands on Summer and felt the taller woman coil around her. She remained quiet for a bit and then rose up to face Summer and-

Her lips planted themselves on Summer's, with her glasses ajar and nearly falling off, she continued for a few seconds and pulled away with a worried, red face. A feeling of euphoria washed over her, a great relief that had been forthcoming for what felt like an eternity. Vanilla was flabberghasted, stunned at what she had done and quickly tried to hide her face from Summer, who was no doubt furious at her. "Augh-I can't hide it anymore. I think you're hot, okay? I don't know why I feel this way o-or if it's right to do so with another woman. I've tried some stuff, b-but I just don't know any of it. Myself, what I like, what I think you'll like. I get all gully when you're close to me, a-and I just don't know what to do." She was panting a little, though trying to keep a brave, if pained and uncertain face. She scooched up to remain closer to Summer without thinking, her hands digging into her softly. "And-And I don't want to make you look like some weirdo because I'm like this! But god, I can't get you out of my head. When I'm just by myself, I sometimes just wonder how you're doing, and wonder if we can ever go out and hang out or whatever normal people do! I know that sounds weird, but I wanna do all of it! Shopping trips, walks in the parks, dates, everything. But if you're not interested, just...don't lead me along."

Summer