subnautica | [OPEN MINGLE: SEPT 8-16]

[OPEN MINGLE: SEPT 8-16]

[So what are you up to as we pass out of the first hectic week of September and into the second? Calm strolls with alien elephants or fast swims with alien sealife? Flashing your sunglasses at crime scenes? Dreaming and building dreams? Waking and building...buildings? There's always a lot to do here, whether it's formal missions or just shenanigans with friends.

Zenning out is fine too!]

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Oh. [He moves a little closer, narrowing his eyes at the pearl as if he can figure out how strong it is by staring.] Huh. Didn't know people did that.

You just bite it an' see if you can dent it or something?

[ She nods, though frankly, she doesn't understand all the logic behind it. ]

The fake pearls can't stand up to it, but real pearls can. I don't know if it matters either way.

[ Still, she offers up her hand full of these pearls to him. There's five or so resting there, all about the size of her pinky nail. Just in case he wants to try too? (Chihiro if he has super strength it doesn't count...) ]

[Thankfully, Kon realizes the problem before he crushes the pearl and waves it off.]

Nah, I'd just crush it, even if it is real. Super strength is such a burden, y'know? [His tone says otherwise as does the smirk on his face.] I'm Superboy, nice to meet'ya!

[ You know, a month ago she'd have had to ask if that was a real name. Right now, she mostly looks surprised. Chihiro lowers her hand, giving him a very serious nod. (Yeah, she thinks he's kidding about the burden, but... she sees that as being an honest assessment at the same time.) ]

It must take a lot of concentration not to accidentally hurt things around you, Superboy...san. [ Then, with a hint of a smile: ] It's nice to meet you. I'm Chihiro Ogino, but you can just call me Chihiro.

[Chihiro is one of the only people so far who hasn't had a comment about his name and he likes her all the more for it.]

Just Superboy is fine, or Kon. It's not so bad, I've got it pretty under control, just not sure how it would work with chewing things, especially if I'm tryin' to see how hard something is.

Okay but the suspense is killing me, you gotta tell me if it's real or not. [He's curious now, okay?]

[ She pauses to consider what he's saying, then nods. It makes a lot of sense that walking a fine line there won't really help things be mangeable. How is he testing things for breaking points when by default he's restraining himself from crushing things? He's kind of an outlier.

Kon strikes her as (bizarrely) being more personal, so she'll likely stick with Superboy for now. She made friends with someone named, literally, Baby, so it's not so strange in the end. Chihiro shoots him a small smile, then places the pearl between her back molars. When she bites down, she meets some resistance... but applying the full pressure of her jaw ends up cracking the pearl wide open. Her look of surprise is probably comical, but her reaction is to look at Superboy with wide eyes and thrust out her hand with the pearls sitting in them.

Her other hand covers her mouth so she doesn't show him any food when she speaks. ]

You have got to try this, Superboy! Make sure you break it open!

[ Sorry if you hate sweets, Kon... but that's one heck of a sugar substitute she just blindly bit into. ]

[Kon looks dubious but he takes one of the pearls from her hand and after a short hesitation, pops it into his mouth, entirely unsure what to expect. When the sweetness hits his tongue his eyes widen in surprise.]

Whoa! Talk about a sugar rush, where'd you find these things?

In these pretty blue and black clams.

[ She sets the rest of the pearls into an empty cup on the table, glancing up and shooting him a grin. ]

I had no idea they'd be edible! That tasted just like sugar! Not even super salty.

Yeah, I bet if someone got a bunch of these, they could use 'em to cook and such. Nice going Chihiro! Think that's the sweetest thing I've had since I got here.

[ She keeps grinning, kicking her feet underneath her chair. ]

Mm, they come from those clams... I wonder how? If we can feed them right, maybe we can collect them like you collect eggs from chickens!

[ ... sure, it's not like sugar pearls taste anything like chicken, but it's also not a grown plant and much closer to something edible being "laid" by another animal. Sorta. ... sure. ]

I bet we could do some experimentin' and figure it out. Maybe if we go an look around the area where you found these ones, we can see what the clams might be eating? [Well. "Eating."]

Mm! Or we could ask URSULA. She might have an idea! Or Jotaro-san, he's a biologist.

[ marine biologist, which is what makes him relevant to her right now. ]

I think they eat really really little things though. It's not like they have big mouths! Though huh. You know how pearls are spit around something like a grain of sand?

[ She glances at the sugar pearls in their container. ]

... I'm going to think of these like honey.

That's a better idea, I bet she'd know something about them. Or that other guy.

[Kon continues to nod along at Chihiro's ideas since she seems to know a lot more about this than he does.]

They sure are as sweet as honey. You know, I really need to go out and do some gathering on those islands. There must be tons of stuff to add to the menu here. Who knows how long these honey pearls have been lying around without anyone noticing.

[ She thinks she does, at least. How much she really knows is up to debate. Still, at his thoughts, she gives him an enthused nod. ]

Yes, I'd think so! Though you should make sure to bring a friend when you go. Like the buddy system, since the mind talking only works so far. I'm not sure if the network thing has a limit... but even if it doesn't! Friends can help carry more back, too.

[ To be fair, how many people were going to try and crack pearls with their teeth? Chihiro is just young enough to go for it with different, interesting, apparently nonlethal investigations of her environment. ]

Yeah, that's a good idea. [Plus, things would probably just go more smoothly if he wasn't left to manage himself. He has the tendency to make stupid decisions.] You wanna go with me sometime?

[ She grins. Excuses to go off base? Are great by her. By and large she doesn't wander far on her own, though she's been going further out each time for the sake of her own curiosity. ]

I'd really like that! My schedule is super flexible, Superboy, so anytime that's good for you should be good for me, too.

Alright great, I'll find a day to be free and we'll make it happen!

[ For that, he gets a great big thumbs up. Or more the exact size thumbs up Chihiro can give, but it's an exuberant motion. ]

Got it. It's a plan!

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[OPEN MINGLE: SEPT 8-16]

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