Crouched behind some boulders where they were out of sight, Hannah and Destiny watched the trap they'd set with bated breath. Keeping tight hold of the chain tied around a rock, neither spoke since they weren't sure if the sound would carry. Destiny glanced unsurely to her, and Hannah nodded the once while they waited.

After the Kobber's season had ended, Hannah had done what she did best and kept at it. Making a place for herself in Argo, going to work for full days of civil engineering, reading at the Library, working out, and eating healthy had all been hallmarks of her simple, quiet life. It was second nature now to her to put her head down and flourish through effort. After her birthday she'd headed to Whalestrand to spend some time with Violence and the coven, wanting to touch base at the place a part of her had never left. Plenty had happened since she'd first washed up there, but she still loved the cold seas and the Glaseteran countryside. Destiny likewise had taken a trip, back to Tennessee for a little while. While she'd helped with the transition from Benedictine's regime to a free state and visited her mother in the holding facility, she'd treated it with a little levity in between the serious stuff. When they'd both returned to Argo they'd fallen back into familiar routines, texting every now and then and more often than not meeting at the Crown Jewel for dinner. Already pretty good friends, it wasn't hard for them to stick together. At one point both discovering they'd never been camping before, Destiny had floated the idea of a weekend trip that Hannah had agreed to since it sounded fun.

That was how they'd found themselves on Ulimaroa's northern coast, Hannah setting up the tent and Destiny getting a fire pit ready while she watched videos on how to do it on her phone. The beach had been pretty nice, secluded and a little coarse and gravelly but with plenty of sun and surf for that. It was backed by a slope of fallen rocks, and stretched to either side for miles. While Destiny had gone swimming Hannah had built a sand castle, making structures and digging waterways around them before decorating it with shells. Taking wet sand to hand, she'd let it slip out of her grip and pile atop itself to create little spires on the high points.

Neither of them had noticed the person watching them, but that was to be expected; Bhandeth had shifted her skin coloration to the rocks around her that she was peeking out from behind, not just the color but the appearance of their texture and the way shadows lay across them. She didn't know what to think about the two... Whatever they were, except that they only resembled her but didn't look like her. They didn't even have tentacles, which she found very weird. Up until now she hadn't seen any other things with her shape, just animals and water that scared her a little. From when she'd awakened on the beach until now, she'd been alone. One was frolicking in that same water, moving around and splashing, while the other was crouched and making designs in the sand. Not sure what to do, she'd stayed motionless since it seemed safest until the bigger one had walked over to the blue and white square they'd brought with them and opened it up, taking out something Bhandeth couldn't make out and unwrapping it before she bit into it. The octopus girl's eyes narrowed, considering the square a little closer...

"Hannah, come on in! The water's fine." Destiny called, waving to her. Hannah smiled and shook her head. "No, I'm okay. Muscle doesn't float."

"Suit yourself. More ocean for me." Destiny shrugged. "Can't you swim?"

"I can, but I'm fine right here. Destiny? This was a really good idea." Hannah said, Destiny's turn to smile before she held her nose and went under the surface. Eventually she'd made her way out of the surf, moving her hair out of her face and heading over to the sand castle.

"Well, you've been busy! I like the little canals." She said, Hannah nodding and putting her hands on her hips. "I think it's pretty good! I'm almost ready to start adding infrastructure. It needs a dam for power... Here, are you hungry?"

"I could eat. Do we still have any granola bars?" Destiny asked, the two of them turning to the cooler. Hannah walked over to it and flipped the lid open before blinking and pausing. Destiny had watched her pick it up and peer inside. "Oh, are we out?"

"No, it's- Our snacks are gone!" Hannah gasped.

"What do you mean, gone?"

"They're not in here! Even those sandwiches in the little baggies, they're-" Hannah turned it over, nothing falling out. Destiny tilted her head in confusion before it cleared and then gave Hannah a knowing look. "What is it?"

"Did you eat them all? It's fine if you did."

"Wha- No! I mean, I ate some, sure, but not everything." Hannah admitted, looking around. "...Maybe an animal got to them."

"Well, there's only your footprints around it, Hannah." Destiny pointed out. Not liking the way she was making too much sense or her expression, Hannah had walked over to the slope and the rocks and then paused. Destiny joined her. "What is it?"

"...These aren't my footprints." She pointed out, showing her the indentations in the sand. Destiny blinked down and then considered the differences between the spot and the cooler. Unless whoever it was had very, very, very long arms, it still didn't make sense. "Destiny? Will you scan the area? Maybe you'll be able to see whatever it was."

Destiny nodded before her Radiance materialized, the gold glowing with it's own internal light. Her eyes likewise lit up as she panned her gaze around, shaking her head and then leaving the ground to float about thirty feet in the air for a better look with the small whine of thrusters. After a few more seconds she shook her head again, looking down to Hannah. "No, I don't see anyone. Are you sure you didn't eat them, Hannah?"

"No! I promise, it wasn't me." Hannah said, and Destiny believed her. She'd never known Hannah to lie or fib, even when it came to unimportant things. That still left the mystery to be solved. Touching back down Destiny crossed her arms as her Radiance faded from around her. It's background hum slowly disappeared just as the armor did. "How weird."

In her new position behind another strand of rocks, Bhandeth had frozen when the girl had grown a golden shell and then rose upward. Eyes atop her head and the ones on her face tracking her as she hovered, she'd drained the last of a juice box before popping it into her mouth and chewing the cardboard thoughtfully. She hadn't been able to help herself from taking the snacks, although she had been surprised at the tastes of the food of the two people. It was all so much more flavorful than her ordinary fare, that being rocks, rainwater, or whatever animals she had been able to catch and eat raw.

Eventually after doing some more searching they'd given it up, Hannah a little uneasy but Destiny unbothered. IF it were an animal or even a person that had eaten the snacks, she didn't see much point in worrying about it when she could almost instantly become a small flying tank that shot lasers. Finishing up the fire so she could light it with matches, she and Hannah had eventually sat down on the sand and grilled up some staples of camping, namely hot dogs and smores. They were a little sloppy, but still good for that. After that they'd talked about the future while the fire burnt down, Hannah optimistic as ever and Destiny feeling a similar way. She'd felt watched, but after asking Destiny to scan the area again and nothing turning up she resolved to find a solution to whatever was going on. In the darkness Bhandeth didn't look away, too entranced by the dancing fire. She'd expected them to leave by now.

The next day Hannah had gotten up early, already seeing just what she would do in her mind's eye. Walking back to the slopes and then heading amongst the rocks, she'd poked around until she'd found a small hollow surrounded by boulders that was big enough for her purposes. Conjuring up a crucible and then balancing it's lip on the rocks, she also manifested a chain that she used to counterbalance it and delicately lock it in place so the big metal pot would fall straight down when the chain was pulled. Finishing up by putting food in the center of the open space (The last of the hot dogs, a single smore, and some baggies of trail mix) she'd dusted her hands and turned around only to find Destiny had snuck up on her.

"What's all th- Hmmph!" She started when Hannah put a hand over her mouth. She shook her head and then pointed, Destiny blinking and then following after her to the end of the chain where they could see the top of the Crucible but be hidden from view. Holding the chain taut, Hannah narrowed her eyes, tensing up and getting ready. Destiny had to admit it was a good plan- Chris had once told her that it was more important to outthink your enemies than it was to be stronger than them, and if there was an animal shadowing them it was the best way to find out.

Bhandeth had woken up with a raspy squeak and a stretch down in a hole, preferring to sleep underground and plug the entrance up with her coiled tentacles. It was safe that way, and it was what she preferred. Wriggling out and blinking in the sun, she checked to see if the two interlopers and their little structure were still on the beach. Seeing the tent wavering in the breeze but not the creatures, she settled down to keep her vigil up before pausing and looking askance. Just like the food she'd taken, she could smell something delicious on the wind... Skin changing colors in time with her movements as she crept toward the hollow in the rocks, she gave the crucible a cursory glance before her tentacles reached out and seized a hot dog. Biting into it, she made a satisfied sound at the taste before coming closer to the rest.

When Hannah heard the sounds of munching she hauled hard, pulling on the chain and moving the braced rock out of the way before the crucible fell with a booming sound. Hannah was sure it had worked, and after a second of stunned silence a high pitched shrieking sound seemingly confirmed it. Straightening, she let out the breath she'd been holding before turning to Destiny. "Well, let's go see just what we caught."

Trapped! She was trapped! Bhandeth shrieked again, mind whirling in a panic as she pushed on the sides of the crucible and her tentacles thumped around in a frenzy for a weak point. One moment she'd been chomping down on the food, and the next there had been a heavy boom and she was in darkness, total and complete. She couldn't move whatever had encircled her, and she hysterically banged on the sides of the big metal rock that was hollow inside. Her instincts took over as she exhaled a cloud of black ink that was indistinguishable from the blackness around her, something meant to camouflage her and help her run away if there had been anywhere to run to.

"That doesn't sound like an animal." Destiny pointed out worriedly after they'd hustled over. Hannah nodded and walked up to the crucible, putting her hands on her hips as she leaned in toward a vent. "...Hi, hello."

The screeching stopped, and silence fell. Hannah blinked and tapped the side of the crucible with a thick pinging sound; Something tapped in return. Hannah knocked on it twice, and two knocks came back. "Just calm down, I'm going to free you. Okay?"

Moving the big metal pot and flinching at the billowing clouds of inky smoke that flowed outward, Hannah coughed and waved a hand in front of her face. Something rapidly backed up, and she and Destiny both stared at the figure that was revealed by degrees as the ink cloud dissipated. The sight of coiling tentacles was the first thing Destiny saw, the thick black and white limbs spreading and their tips waving in the air like cobras while Hannah was struck by the eyes of the creature in front of them. Almost all purple, she didn't see the thin sideways slit pupils until she realized they were focused on the pair. Bhandeth hugged herself with her arms, tensing and preparing to flee.

"What is i- she?" Destiny asked once she saw Bhandeth's body, Hannah opening her mouth and closing it. She wasn't sure, she'd never seen anything like the octopus girl before. The feeling was mutual, Bhandeth looking between them and indecisively hanging back. They looked so different from her in so many ways... Hannah saw the fear in her expression and put her hands up, relaxing a little and trying to project calmness. "It's okay. It's okay... Are you the one that was eating our food?"

Bhandeth looked down at her mouth as it moved, not sure what the sounds it made meant. Even though she suspected they had trapped her, they seemed just as surprised and nervous as she was. One of her tentacles slowly reached to her side and picked up half a hot dog before popping it into her mouth, chewing thoughtfully. While the action hadn't been directed to her, Hannah took that as an answer. "What's your name?" She asked gently.

When no reply was forthcoming, Hannah turned to Destiny to demonstrate something. "Give me your hand, please."

Destiny did so, and Hannah took it and put it on her shoulder while looking to Bhandeth meaningfully. She watched, no longer chewing as Hannah took a step toward her and held her hand out. Bhandeth looked over at Destiny, who smiled encouragingly before holding her hand outward for Hannah to take. Her skin was thick and sort of rubbery, and there was a pronounced web between her fingers... Hannah put her hand on her shoulder and then gestured at herself. "Hannah."

"Haa-naa." Bhandeth repeated in a wispy voice. Hannah nodded and smiled at her, since it was close enough. Gesturing for Destiny to approach, she repeated the action. "Destiny."

"Distinee." Destiny giggled since it sounded silly, and Bhandeth relaxed another fraction at the sound. Hannah put her hand on Bhandeth's shoulder this time and looked at her encouragingly, Bhandeth blinking between the two again.

"...Bhandeth." She supplied. Hannah patted her and turned to Destiny, who was watching closely. "I wasn't expecting something like this. What do you think she is?"

"Maybe a space alien?" Destiny suggested. "Or some kind of deep sea creature? Your guess is as good as mine."

They watched as Bhandeth sat down and pulled the rest of the bait snacks to her with her tentacles, looking up at them as she munched. "Do you live here, Bhandeth?" Hannah asked. At the sound of her name Bhandeth focused on her but didn't answer, still not sure what the words meant. Hannah saw this and gave her a second before looking back to Destiny. "Maybe we should take her to Argo. Someone there will probably know more about her."

"Is that a good idea? What if this is her home?" Destiny asked. Hannah considered this before kneeling down in front of Bhandeth, who paused. "Do you want to come with us?"

"I don't think she understands." Destiny pointed out. Hannah searched Bhandeth's expression before getting up. "Let's try something- walk with me a little bit."

They took a few steps away, and Bhandeth got up and followed. They stopped, and so did she; Hannah took another step, and so did Bhandeth. Hannah gave her a big, sweet smile, and Bhandeth's mouth quirked before she returned it. It made her feel a spark of happiness. Seeing this, Destiny sighed. "Well... If she wants to come, I suppose that's that."

"I suppose so! Come on, Bhandeth. We've got more snacks."

"Snakks." Bhandeth agreed, following the two down toward their campsite. She wasn't sure what was going on, but now that they were in a group she found she liked it more than being alone.