no matter where you go, there you are

While much of her travels were spent alone, it didn't mean that she craved solitude. In fact, Makara was always happy to welcome another traveler - she was a natural chatterbox and would talk the ear off anyone who would listen. It was a trait that had been tempered by time as she grew older, but it was still easy enough for her to get carried away on a wild tangent. When she heard the soft voice of a stranger, Mak spun around with excitement and a flagging tail. "Oh, certainly, certainly!" she said, her tone bright and easy-going. "You're not intruding at all. It's always lovely to have an extra set of helpful paws." Makara took the extended banana leaf and placed it in the same pile as the others she'd been collecting.

The sun was getting higher in the sky now, reflecting brightly off of the warm, tropical waters - and heating up her googles. They were getting a bit misty from the humidity of the trapped water after her swim. Makara wiped them off quickly on her right forearm then straightened up again, squinting at the young female. "Ah, yes - I'm making a quick shelter for the height of the afternoon sun. I still want to do some exploring on this beach - I don't have high hopes I'll find what I'm looking for, but you never know! Always best to do a second and third look when you're somewhere new, so I don't want to stray too far inland yet and I get the most wretched sunburns if I stay exposed for too long in this heat." The tips of her ears, soft delicate pink, were already heating up. "These leaves are nice and thick, if we can find something to prop them up against, I'll be good to go for hours as long as I have a place to retreat to!" This beach was just like many she'd seen before, although the sand did glint a lovely silvery color depending on which way you looked at it. There were no rocky outcroppings or significant landmarks - just blinding, beautiful sand as far as the eye could see. It was lovely, but boy did it reflect the sun back into her goggles until her eyes were sore.

She scanned the shoreline. The tide was beginning to come in, the waves lapping further and further up the shore as it went. They'd still have plenty of time. A few hundred yards down the shore she spotted the remains of a structure - poorly crafted with some canvas on supports that seemed too weak, but it would do for now. "Bingo!" Makara gathered half of the banana leaves in her mouth and headed towards her target, gesturing for Lumine to grab the rest if she so pleased. When she had made it about halfway there, she realized she'd never given her name. "'Mhmh Makharahs!" she mouth loudly over her shoulder around the stems of the leaves jammed in her mouth.

Speech