As the horn of the ship blew, Suzhen lifted her eyes to look at the noisy contraption. A part of her had wanted to either row or swim south from Fiore's south eastern coast to Crescent Island, but she had eventually decided against it, and not because she felt it an impossible task to perform. Suzhen was blessed (or cursed, depending on the shades with which she regarded her powers) with an incredible, perhaps almost godlike body, and her vitality was amazing, to the point that she had, on occasion, dared to throw herself into situations that would have killed, or severely incapacitated, someone on her strength level, if they tried the same thing. And she was sure, thanks to her powers, that she could not drown as easily as normal folk. So either rowing or swimming to Crescent Island would have been her most likely choice, except that the single reason she had decided to temporarily abandon Fiore and jump into a ship headed for this resort island was because she felt that, for her own physical and mental well being, she needed to take time off to rest.
Life had, of recent, been a weird spin for Suzhen, and not exactly in the best of ways, as far as she was concerned. First it had been the war between Bellum and Pergrande, and while Fiore was technically not supposed to be involved, Suzhen had found herself on the Pergrandian border, fighting for her life and the lives of the soldiers with her, even though she had initially joined the war effort only to serve as a medic. It had left her wondering whether she was actually willing to leave the life of violence that seemed to always interrupt her at every turn. Then her guild had folded up, and left her on her own once more, guildless and without allegiance. Then things had turned for the better. Suzhen had found admittance into a new guild, the hostilities between Bellum and Pergrande had ceased (although it appeared that Bellum had come out on top when the numbers of the dead were reckoned), and to an extent, she felt she had made peace with the fact that one could still walk a virtuous path and be a warrior at the same time. All that was left was to have a retreat, rest her body, mind and soul, and then take on the next challenge that came her way. And that was how she found herself on Crescent Island.
Three hours later, it was noon time, with the sun shining brightly overhead, the sky a clear blue, and the air sultry. Being indoors was torture, and while most of the rooms of the resort hotel in which she had lodged had effective cooling systems, it was almost like this heat was more subliminal than physical, and the only thing that would assuage its oppression was the sea breeze. This was why Suzhen had quickly left her room, and found her way to a section of beach designed and set apart for those who wanted to play in the sand, and those who wanted to recline and sunbathe, or enjoy the wonderful sea breeze. Suzhen did not care for sunbathing. She was tanned enough for her own tastes, and besides, sitting or lying under the hot sun when she had a special yet uncanny case of hyperthermia was never a good idea. For this reason, she set out to locate a comfortable reclining chair fitted with a large parasol, positioned in the way of the prevalent breeze.
Anyone who saw Suzhen would immediately be aware of some sort of contrast which manifested itself in her presence and occupation. She was clad in nothing but a rather skimpy hot pink bikini, designed such that she could show off as much of her curves as possible, and yet trust in the integrity of the swimsuit to not disgrace her if she had to perform energetic tasks (trouble could yet come to this island, and it would be very bad for her reputation if her reason for being unable to go into hero mode was because she feared what would happen to her apparel). Of course, it was expected that someone in such an exiguous outfit with such an eye catching color would be here for the attention that would undoubtedly be drawn to her presence. And that would make it difficult to explain the mountain of books she currently carried in her arms. Still, the pile of books did not deter those who would wish to socialize for whatever reasons humans engage in such activities, and one such... socialist(?) approached her, a fetching smile on his face.
"Hey, beautiful, need a hand?" he asked, taking the books from the Dongxian girl before she could protest. Too late did he realize that these books were much heavier than Suzhen had made them seem, but he had a girl to please, so he managed to maintain his dignity and bear his load to where Suzhen had found a perfect spot. "Such a gentleman," Suzhen cooed, smiling at him before settling on her chair and putting on her reading glasses. Encouraged by her compliment, the young man ran a hand through his black hair, then asked, "uh, so... you come here often?" He was trying to make conversation. He certainly wasn't the best in that department, but Suzhen's empathy wouldn't let her strike him down socially. Besides, he was easy on the eyes. She instead smiled brightly but said nothing, enjoying watching his responses to her somewhat ambiguous cues.
WC: 1163