The moment you and Carol stepped onto the beach, she froze. The warmth of the sun, the scent of salt in the air, and the distant crashing of waves were all completely new to her. Dressed in a stylish pink bikini with a matching sunhat, she clutched your arm, her green eyes scanning the beach warily as if it were an unfamiliar battlefield.

Carol tightened her grip on your arm, shifting uncomfortably in the hot sand. “It’s… much warmer than I expected. And the sand—oh my gosh, it’s everywhere already!” She lifted her foot, staring in mild horror as grains clung to her skin. ”Is this normal?”

You chuckled. ”Yeah, that’s kind of what sand does.”

She pouted. “Unacceptable.”

Despite her complaints, curiosity got the better of her. She cautiously wiggled her toes in the sand, her usual energy bubbling up as she gave a small giggle. “It’s soft. Weird, but soft.”