when she was in his presence. She couldn't explain it, but even though she knew he didn't want to talk to her, she had to convince him otherwise.
"I'm a photographer in a city a few hours away from here. That's why I came to the beach today, to take some pictures." She thought perhaps if she offered some information about herself that he might feel more inclined to share with her in return. She still had an hour before the photo she really wanted to capture would be finished, and she thought she wouldn't mind spending it like this even if he ignored her the whole time.
"My parents live near here, so I drove down to visit them for the next couple of weeks. I have time to kill while I wait for my camera to finish processing the sunset, so I think I'll stay here for a bit and keep you company, then I'll head back home."
The silence was heavy around her as she wondered if Egrix was even listening. With little else to do, she investigated the cavern from her perch next to the alien pod. It was oddly round, with no traces of water. There were no stalactites or stalagmites to prove that there had ever been any water present in the large space. Inspecting it now, the ground was also incredibly flat for a cavern. It didn't make any sense that this room of the cave could occur naturally. She made a mental note to ask Egrix about the strange phenomena but decided to let it go as she tried to engage the alien man in conversation again.
"I know this may be bothersome for you, but you did disturb me first when I was only minding my own business. I've been exploring these beaches since I was a kid and I'm not going to leave anytime soon. I don't much feel like ignoring you either, so sitting here seems like the best option since you can just pretend I'm not here if you'd like and I can pass the time without being lonely up by the water."
A loud whooshing noise directly beside her made Cara jump away from the pod wall with a small shriek. The panel of the sea shell structure lifted up again to show Egrix standing just inside. Behind him, Cara could make out a few mechanical objects with her peripheral vision, but Egrix had captured her attention, and she couldn't seem to break her eyes away to get a better look. Just as before, she felt mesmerized by him, still bracing her arms against the ground beneath her after being spooked by the door. Egrix glared at her with his yellow eyes, but there was a gentleness to his face.
"Are you really just going to sit out here talking to yourself?" he grumbled at her bewildered expression, causing her senses to return to her slightly.
She shook her head slightly to clear the strange trance she had fallen into, before pushing up from the ground to stand. "I was hoping not to," she replied while brushing her legs off, "but I suppose that is entirely up to you." She grinned at him, lacing her fingers together to clasp her hands behind her back.
"Yeah," he agreed, looking at her face for a moment longer than necessary before stepping out of the doorway and letting the panel close behind him. "Well, if you're going to stay here anyway, then I guess it doesn't make much sense for me to lock myself in there."
He gestured to the alien pod as he casually walked to one of the containers on the ground. With the light touch of his hand, the top of the crate lifted, and the sides folded away, turning into a table and 4 chairs, all connected together and made from the same shell-like alien material. Egrix took a seat and motioned for Cara to do the same as she marveled at the stunning and strange technology that he had just casually introduced her to. She sat across from her alien companion, her glee at the situation purely evident on her face. Egrix looked as if he might want to smile back at her but instead, furrowed his brow further. Even though he was trying to be cold to her, she could sense a curiosity there in his eyes too.
"So, what do you want? You have things you want to ask, right?"
Cara looked up at him and nodded from across the table.
Egrix avoided her gaze,