Since Hide had been here, she had really been slacking on her physical fitness routine. She blamed herself and getting a bit overexcited, but at the same time now she knew the Scions were around and hiring guns.

So she needed to be at the top of her game. First mission: a good run. And sand offers a lot of benefits. There’s more resistance which helps burn more calories (and she had been eating more fried food since she got here) while also being much gentler on the joints.

And so she found herself jogging along the public portions of the beach, avoiding people as they walked about.

There was another getting a bit of exercise in on the beach. Taiguno was jogging on the beach, well back from the waterline. His focus was straight ahead initially, but drew to the Lion as their paths got closer to one another.

"Good morning," he says breathily due to the exertion.

“Good morning!” Hide seemed to have a lot of energy still, not breathing hard at all. And it’s obvious why, despite her worries of getting out of shape after being here only a week, bodies don’t work that way and she’s very much in shape. “How’s the view that way?”

"Pretty nice. Though I have to say I prefer the moonlit version," the monk replies. "Getting a physical start to the day? I find that's the best way to wake myself up."

“Yeah! It’s a great way to start the day, and I must admit I had been slacking.” Hide let out a slight chuckle as she jogged in place. “Want a jogging partner today?”

"I'd be glad for the company," the monk replies with a nod. "Have you been on the world of dreams long?"

He adjusts to keep pace with the Matsu.

“Just about a week.” Hide kept a comfortable pace for the monk, trying not to wear out her newfound company. “You a local here?”

"Nope. Been here about as long as you have. New to the world and still trying to figure it all out. There is so much going on," the monk replies.

“Ah! Interesting! Are you on some kind of pilgrimage? Or did your temple need you here? I must admit I’m not fully aware of the workings of monastic orders.” Hide seemed genuinely interested, as she didn’t get to talk to monks everyday especially being ship-bound for so long.

"I'm here to try to expand and promote the following and blessings of Uzuki the Immaculate. I'd like to see a temple built here someday. She is my patron fortune."

A Dark Fortune? Well, it wasn’t Hide’s thing, but whatever floated the monk’s boat. “You come alone or with others of your order?”

"I came alone, rode on a Spider ship from Dark Forge. Well, I didn't come alone, but I was the only member of my party. Everyone else came for other things," he explains with a light shoulder raise while running.

"Oh, rough. It sucks being on your own for this kind of thing. It might take a while to gain traction." Hide glanced to the monk as a slight frown of sympathy formed. "I'm used to being around Lion, so it's foreign to me to be so alone."

"That is okay with me honestly. I have an entire life to seek that goal," he replies. "And I'll make friends and allies in the process. You will probably do that too." The monk smiles supportively even as he was breathing slightly heavier due to the exercise.