Wriggling her toes down into the damp sand, Chariklo stood for a moment, simply admiring her world. It might only be her and some crazy birds occupying the place, but that was no bother at all. The fact that there were even birds at all was a miracle. She hadn’t been able to figure out where, exactly, they’d been hiding, but did it really matter? They were here now and their raucous calls healed something within her soul. Crouching, she laughed a little as she gave the sand a fond pat and murmured, “Just full of surprises, aren’t you, love.” But it was true. Her world was a source of continual wonder and amazement. She could still recall the trip up where she’d realized that the air had smelled clean, with just a hint of ocean salt. She’d been so used to the smell of dead water laced with rotting seaweed that the freshness of the breeze had nearly bowled her over. And now, she could pick up whiffs of the sweetgrass that grew amongst the dunes.

“I really need to gather some of that and dry it,” she muttered, eyes sweeping over the landscape. “Bet it would make the Nest smell ******** amazeballs.”

But even as she thought it, she dismissed the idea. She hadn’t been able to figure out how robust or fragile all of this was. Yes, there were plants that appeared to be growing and thriving. She’d seen some little crabs not too long ago. And, of course, there were the gulls. There was magic involved here and she had no wish to disrupt it. She really hadn’t even ventured out to the islands to inspect the state of things there. But, wouldn’t it make sense that they were having a similar renaissance? Maybe the gulls had flown in from one of the islands. And speaking of…

Chariklo glanced up, watching the birds that circled lazily overhead. It was only a handful. And other than the splashes of bright color across their feathers, they looked much like any seagull she might find on Earth. But she’d noticed one or two key differences. These gulls weren’t quite as unruly as the ones on good ol’ Terra. When they looked at her, she felt like they were figuring something out. Granted, they still went feral whenever she tossed some food out for them, but it almost felt like that was fading the longer she was here. What she wanted was to coax them to her. To see how smart they were, how much they might understand. But mostly, just to touch them and feel that her world had forgiven her. This life was a sign of that in a way, wasn’t it?

Sighing, the tall senshi sank down to the ground, digging her fingers into the sand and stretching out her bare legs. The tide was out, but would come back in within the next several hours. That was plenty of time to explore the shoreline and see if she could find anything interesting. But later. Right now, she just wanted to bask in the dim sunlight and soft, everpresent fog. To listen to the gulls and the lapping water. This was peace of a sort that she didn’t get terribly often. She wanted to enjoy it.

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