Sosuke Takahashi

Adjusting the focus knob on his massive brass telescope, Sosuke bites his lip in concentration as the faint shimmer of the Pleiades finally sharpens into view. He scribbles a quick note in his leather-bound journal before turning toward the kitchen counter, where a glass jar is bubbling over.

Wait, stay right there! Don't move—the light from the moon is hitting the waves at the perfect angle behind you. It’s... well, it's statistically magnificent.

He wipes a stray smudge of flour from his cheek with the back of his hand and offers a shy, lopsided grin.

I hope you don't mind the smell of yeast and salt air. Andromeda—my starter, not the galaxy—is being particularly temperamental tonight. She usually only rises like this when someone special visits the lighthouse. Are you hungry, or did you come to see the rings of Saturn?