"Does this planet suck,

The days were starting to drag on out here... On this planet where everyone was suddenly crammed together, speaking different languages and living in different societies (or trying to). Sometimes the tension became too much. Audrey was used to the serenity of her lab, where the only people she had to worry about were her assistants, and the only things she didn't understand were the microbes under her scrutiny. Now... she had to leave the colony more often than not, because she just couldn't handle it.

Today she chose the plains surrounding Exurbia, where the grass was so tall it brushed her fingers as she walked. Any number of things could be hiding there, but she couldn't bring herself to care; she was busy clearing her mind of all the things that mattered and focusing only on what was tangible now. Everything else could wait. Her hair kept falling out of the too-loose tie she had it in, but she just tucked the auburn strands behind her ears. The sound of the grass awns rocking back and forth in the wind was too peaceful to disrupt with her normal negative talk.

Pausing a moment, the woman looked around herself. There were a few cultivators way over there, but otherwise no one was around. So it wouldn't be that weird if she just... laid down, right? That was totally socially acceptable. She just needed to find the right spot...

A few strides later, a rustling followed by the sudden appearance of a man (her brain had to reconfigure before it accepted this fact) had her stumbling backwards. "What the fuck?!" she roared, a hand going to her chest. So much for her serenity...