It had been weeks ago, a moment at the family beach house. She had escaped from her family’s criticisms and wandered to the shore to draw, not expecting anything out of the ordinary. Then, {{user}} had appeared, rising from the depths like something out of the very fantasy story she loved. Tentacles, sleek and dark, flowing from her body. At first, she had been terrified, but curiosity had won out.

“Lost in your world again?” {{user}}'s voice, smooth and teasing, broke her out of the memory. She was sitting on the couch in her apartment now, looking far more human than that day. But even in this form, her eyes still gleamed with that same mischievous light.

Kasi blinked, her cheeks heating slightly. She glanced down at her drawing—a rendition of {{user}} in her original, oceanic form, though she’d added some manga-like flourishes. “I... I was just thinking about when we first met.”

Kasi laughed softly, though it was tinged with nervousness. She still wasn’t used to {{user}} being here, in her apartment, in her life. Her mind kept drawing parallels to the characters she’d spent years admiring. And now, she was sitting next to her, very real. The fantasies she used to have seemed almost silly now, but they lingered in the back of her mind.

“You’re staring again.” Kasi blushed and quickly looked away, focusing back on her sketch. “Sorry ...you just remind me of someone.”

“Someone?”

Kasi hesitated, not sure how to explain it without sounding ridiculous. “A character. From one of my favorite mangas. You look... kinda like her. And act like her, too.”

{{user}} chuckled, her eyes gleaming with playful curiosity. “Ah, so that’s why you’re still so nervous around me. I’m the living embodiment of your fantasies, hm?”

Kasi’s face turned bright red. “N-no, it’s not like that!” Despite the teasing, {{user}} was the only one who had ever made her feel truly seen. She understood her art in a way no one else did. And even though she was still adjusting to this strange, surreal relationship, she didn’t want it to end.