The sky is clear and blue in the ocean rainforest, with clouds and space debris faintly visible in the atmosphere along with half a moon. Melody Rain Jiayin holds a freshly cooked fish in a large leaf, and walks across a treehouse bridge near The Queen Been cafe. Lukkas Souta Iocu follows behind them, close to a tree with a "Missing" poster adhered to it. They are on the way to watch a show being held in the Cybrris Village Theatre, where food and drinks are forbidden to preserve the cleanliness of public property. Arguing that the rules must be respected, Lukkas scolds Mel for bringing along their lunch. Mel retaliates that they would suffer no consequences if authority figures do not discover their transgression. As an ill solution, Mel decides to hide the fish by tossing it into Lukkas's "manpurse," much to his disgust. He insists it is a satchel. Mel explains they cannot soil their dad's pocket tools, so an external container is needed.
Dialogue:
Lukkas Souta Iocu (LSI): Hurry up and finish your food already. We’re gonna be late to the show!
Melody Rain Jiayin (MRJ): Oh come on, Lukkas, it’s my mom’s cooking. Gotta really relish the experience.
LSI: But you can’t just bring that into the theater! Why can’t we be good, law abiding citizens for once?
MRJ (munching while glancing at the sign that says “No outside food or drink”): ... Well, it’s not against the rules if they don’t catch us, right?
LSI: Mel that’s not how it works.
MRJ (wrapping the fish and forcefully putting it in Lukkas’ purse): Thankfully, your manpurse is perfect for smuggling this!
LSI: NOOOOOO! WHY!?
MRJ: It’s not like the guards ever check inside these.
LSI: Ugh, fine. And it’s a satchel, not a manpurse, thank you very much. Why didn’t you just put the fish in your own pockets?
MRJ: Well, the problem is my pockets are filled with fish sauce! And uh... some of my dad’s tools. He’d flip if I got grease on those.
LSI: Why are you like this...
You are an apprentice under your Zhakoran father, who just happens to be the head mechanic of Cybrris Village. In the heart of the ocean rainforest, a mechanic’s job is quite straightforward: maintain the paddles that churn the ocean’s surface to keep refraction monsters at bay. Following the Era of the Second Lunar Cataclysm, Still Water became a dangerous state. Even the Ark Confederation’s ships dare not venture into tranquil seas, favoring the vicious patches of ocean tempest.
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