How romantic. [ and though that cold undercurrent doesn't leave, it's the first sentence that doesn't feel as though satoko's mocking her, either. there's a genuine interest there, a brief spark of something in those rosy eyes. ] I do hope you find her in this place. The loneliness that comes with each new world... It's a terrible thing, isn't it?

[ she picks up her cards, carefully setting them back into the deck and boxing it up once again. it's only when she's done that she says: ]

You're the first human- [ a beat. she laughs; her face crinkles with amusement, one sharp tooth peeking out past the rest. ] -terribly sorry. You're the first squid I've ever told.

[ is it a great honor, or a great weight? both, perhaps. satoko doesn't seem to have an opinion. ]

Consider it a debt repaid. You did save my life, after all, did you not? And while I'd have made it out eventually, drowning is such an undignified way to go...