Jiro, Glard and Sitara are sitting along main street. They have bubble tea. Glard is all dressed up fancy in a frilly dress and a bonnet.



Sitara
* ...

  Glard Gorpnan
...

—Jiro—
...
Nice weather.
Do we have some kind of plan for the rest of today?
...





Sitara's phone chirps.

Sitara
* ...Ah!
* I just got a text from Sunny.
* She says she's working things out with Moon-Soo, so she might be a while...

  Glard Gorpnan
Oh, okay...

—Jiro—
...
Working what out?
Did she say what was so important she had to leave right away?
Got it
I trust her. If she thinks this is important to take care of, it probably is.
Whatever. Doesn't matter either way.









  Glard Gorpnan
I am enjoying the air pressure here.

Sitara
* Ah! I'm glad.








Jiro stiffly pushes himself up from the bench.


—Jiro—
...
It's quiet
I'm screwing up this social outing
We should do something

Sitara
* Like what...?

—Jiro—
...
I don't know. Something. Anything.
What do you want to do?
Perhaps you could share a list of activities available in this town?
Go... fishing...?

Sitara
* Ah, well...
* It's nice to just sit sometimes??

  Glard Gorpnan
I'm not sure I can handle much more, uh, "earth culture", today...

—Jiro—
...
Sure, if you want
Don't pretend like you're fine to make me feel better
Come on, you must be bored.

Sitara
* No...?

—Jiro—
...

Sitara
* Are you?

—Jiro—
...
Am I?
I feel awkward just... sitting here
I don't mind the quiet, but...

Sitara
* We can, ah, talk, then??












They don't talk.













Sitara
* Okay admittedly this is a lot harder without Sunny here to keep the conversation going

—Jiro—
...
So we're just going to talk about Sunny, are we??
Is that it, like I need her? Like I can't function without her?

Sitara
* Ahh--!! S-- sorry.
* I didn't realise things were, ah, not okay between you two...

—Jiro—
...
Things are fine
Better than fine...
It's not that.
I can't let myself be like that. It's pathetic.
I can be a miserable worthless piece of shit but I don't want to be pathetic about it

Sitara
* Okay.
* Then, what do you want to talk about?

—Jiro—
...
Anything
Nothing
I don't know
I just don't want us to sit here stewing in this awful silence

Sitara
* ...
* Is it, ah, "awful"?
* I love our friends, Sunny and Jasper and Moon-Soo, but, ah, they can be a lot...
* Sometimes I like a break from having to think about the right thing to say all the time.

  Glard Gorpnan
Ohhhh, oh Helix I know exactly what you mean...

  Glard Gorpnan
I think maybe grunts are not meant to think as much as I've been thinking, lately?
I was... also... enjoying not having to do that. For a little while.

Sitara
* Do you want to maybe join us, Jiro?
* In, just, not worrying?

—Jiro—
...
Is that an option?
You make... a lot of sense
Maybe I used to know how to do that
...




Jiro lets himself back down onto the bench.




—Jiro—
...




He sits in the moment. It's a quiet midday with not a lot of walkers. A gentle breeze brushes against his face. Leaves flitter down from the overhanging tree beside the benches and settle against the tiled footpath.




Sitara
* ...




  Glard Gorpnan
...




—Jiro—
...















The Bastard CRASH LANDS right in front of them!!! Fucking damn it!!!