Kio
Location: River is about to head back to the cabin
Interactions: Hiro @Takumi
Kio gently smiles, then says, "Yeah, that's fine. You can keep that one I have spare. Also, as mentioned before, quickly go and get change when we get back. It also wouldn't surprise me if there were more people when we got back.". He pauses for a few moments or so, then says, "I left a week of food and water for my lizard, but it's probably empty by now, so I need to take care of that.". He turns around and starts to head back, but at his pace, Hiro could keep up with him. 'I wonder what the new members are going to be like; the last thing I need is more misunderstandings and such'. 'I'm curious to see what Haru does next and how the others will react to the new challenge'. A slightly devilish smile came on his face as he started to think about what's to come next.
Location: Forest clearing, then making her way to the cabin
Interaction: none
Mention: Aya @YetieBetie
The roar of the chopper can be heard in the not-so-far distance, and she says, "Uncle Tomas, why didn't you say no to your sister, aka my mother? Now I look like a spoiled brat, Aya. In the future, I'll deal with my mother when it comes to these things because you don't have the balls to do it.". Uncle nervously laughs, then says, "I'm really sorry she put me on the spot. I promise to mention you were really pissed, so please don't make my life harder.". He looks at her with a begging eye. Misty looks at him with a firm and cold gaze, then says, "Fine, but if you fuck up like this again, I won't be pulling punches.".
'She gets her temper from her dad. I really hate being the middle guy when it comes to things like this'.
After a few minutes or so, the blades of the helicopter slowly start to slow down, and Misty jumps down with her medium-sized bag over her back, and her cat Nio jumps on her shoulder and meows happily. Misty then stands up straight and starts to walk towards the cabin.
Haruhi Nakamura
Club President | Location: Island Building --> Speedboat
Interactions: Solaris (@xLarius), Aya (@YetieBetie), Medrin (@Jig The Zom-B)
Mentions: Ren (@Monbon)
Still clinging to Solaris' shoulder, Haruhi let Aya take the puzzle piece from her hand. Then that hand's arm flung itself over Solaris' other shoulder, almost like Haruhi was pulling him into a hug. She leaned in close to him. "I'd say the one who we need to bubble-wrap the most is you, Sol," she muttered. Her lips curled into a smirk as she stared at him.
"As for being soaked, well, that's because I look sexy this way. Don't you agree?" She gave him a wink. She released her grip on his shoulder and gave his cheek another poke. "Don't be shy, we all know how hot you think I am." Her poke then turned into a pinch as her fingers took hold of some of the skin on his cheek. However, it was hardly anything that would actually hurt him.
For a moment though, Haruhi's smile faded away. "If I could really wrap you in bubble-wrap, I would," she whispered under her breath. Her hug around Solaris suddenly tightened. Another drop of water from her hair slowly slide down her face. The thoughts she had when she first thought Solaris, rather then his phone, was down at the bottom of the lake briefly ran through her mind.
She rested her chin against his free shoulder for a moment as she closed her eyes, then suddenly pulled him into a full hug from behind. She squeezed him tightly. She quietly released a hidden sigh, then suddenly opened her eyes again and squeezed even more tightly.
"Oh dear me, have I gotten you wet too?" She muttered with her smirk again. Clearly, she was playing it off like she had simply hugged him in order to get his clothes wet as well. She let out a laugh.
"Sometimes the most interesting things are at the bottom of the water," she replied with a smile. But as his hand brushed against her hair and he pulled the leaf out of it, then pressed her head, a faint shade of pink tainted her cheeks. She raised up her hands and pushed them into Solaris' face as she looked away like she was trying to hide something.
"Careful Sol, your gigolo is starting to come out. And we wouldn't want to scare miss Aya now would we," she replied. It was then that Medrin revealed the metal fish he had gotten from the pit of water.
"Great job, Medrin," she muttered. She watched as he impressively found his way back to ground level. It was quite interesting to watch, but perhaps also interesting to think that it was specifically him and Sol who ended up in this particular area. After all, Haru doubted anyone else on the trip could easily do what he did. It made Haruhi wonder, maybe Solaris was right, and her maids really did pick up some things from Haruhi.
She glanced back over towards Solaris with a slight pout at the thought. She nudged him slightly and then finally scampered back over to where Aya was.
"It's nice to officially talk with you too, and don't worry, Medrin. That piece is yours. We already have ours and there was no race." she assured him. "As for transportation, no, we didn't row here. We took the speedboat. You're welcome to join us in it on our way back. You're free to leave that row boat on this island. There's no need to worry about it."
When Medrin mentioned the hoodie Haruhi was wearing, she suddenly made a pose like she was modeling it for them. "Actually, this is a my new boyfriend hoodie. Blessed to us from the god of relationships himself, Ren Fujiwara. Originally given to Aya, she graciously gave it to me out of worry for her good friend's health. Apparently, it's even signed by Lebron James himself, according to it's owner. But you know, I was thinking I might keep it. Wouldn't it be funny to return in it and tease the hell out of Ren."
Her eyes glanced over at Solaris with a smirk on her face. It was clear she knew the way those two interacted with each other. Then her gaze turned towards Aya and gave her a wink. "You should take Medrin's coat. It'd be rude not to after he offers it so gentlemanly. You're too cute to get a chill out here anyway. And like the boys said, we don't want anyone catching any colds. But if you do, don't worry, I'd take care of you."
"But if I do, I'm sure you'd gracious take care of me, right, Sol?" she added with a slight gaze over towards him for a moment.
"Now, we should start heading back. I'm sure some of the others have already found their piece and are waiting back at the cabin. Let's get going." She took hold of Aya's hand again, just as she had done earlier and started to head out of the old building. "Don't get jealous now boys, I think it's best if I hold the cute girl's hand..."
"Unless you want to get jealous of Aya instead." She gave them both a wink. "Or maybe the both of us." Speeding up with Aya by her side, she returned back to the shoreline where their speedboat was waiting for them. As soon as they arrived, she let go of her hand and hopped back into the boat, then waited for the others to join her.
"Don't forget to check your fishing rod, Medrin!" Haruhi shouted out as she waited for the boys to join them in the boat.
Ren had seldom ever encountered someone who didn't show even the smallest of reactions to his teasing. Daichi's stoic response left Ren feeling an unfamiliar sense of loss. "Are you ignoring me? You're going to hurt my feelings Daichi-kun." Crushing a twig on the ground, a loud snap sounded beneath his shoe. "Do you hear that? That's the sound of my heart breaking in two."
Ever quick to toss in a joke, Ren was just as quick to change the topic. "Don't tell me you're still mad. I really wasn't going to hit you." He swore, the smile on his lips about as insincere as one would expect. "I wouldn't have gone for the face anyway. I like pretty things, you know? It'd be somewhat distressing messing up that gloomy face of yours-."
'CRACK'
Putting an end to his never-ending torment, a sharp cry followed the loud crack that pierced through the quiet forest like the cool steel of a dagger. It wasn't a happy cry or a sad cry but one terrified, coming from above. Startled into action, Ren looked up and found the figure of a girl falling.
No time to think of who it was or where they even came from , he ran over and caught her, the force knocking him onto the ground with her. Ren grimaced, letting out a sharp hiss of air as a jolt of pain shot through his leg, the dull throbbing pain in his ankle told him he probably sprained it.
However it would go ignored as the freshman took a moment to catch his breath. Eyes peering up into the canopy, he found exactly where the girl had fallen from. A tree house hidden in the foliage.
One question answered.
As for the rest… Ren opened his mouth, fully prepared to give the girl the obligatory 'So, did it hurt… when you fell from heaven?' line. When he felt a hand on his chest freely exploring to their heart's content. Their fingers were understandably cold, fear and adrenaline no doubt pumping the blood away. The feeling of her cool fingertips against his heated skin was strangely calming and refreshing to the touch. Regardless, he tenderly took her hands in his warm ones and forced himself to sit up, leaving her practically sitting on his lap. "Come on, at least buy me dinner first… Ah."
That long brown hair… those hazel eyes and mouse like demeanor. It was Mariko. Composure rocked, Ren could feel his face heat up, a blush no doubt painting across from ear to ear. She was right there in front of him, her hands in his. Her body warmth only inches away. It was like all of his dreams were coming true all at once. His heart raced a mile.
Then it plummeted off the edge of the earth into a cold abyss just as abruptly.
Any other time, he probably would have been overjoyed. But when he recalled those clasped hands from earlier that day, Ren felt as if someone had just poured a bucket of ice cold water over him.
"Tanaka-chan." He mumbled gently as if unsure he was even allowed to speak her name. Unable to meet her squinted gaze, Ren released her hands and averted his eyes, carefully scooting back away from her. He wanted to put some distance between them but took care to be as gentle as possible. If she was hurt and he made it worse, he'd never find a way to explain it to Sol.
"Are you alright? You're not hurt are you?" He questioned, taking a moment to look her over from the corner of his eye. In his brief inspection, he couldn't help but notice something felt off about her. 'Did she change her hair? Cut her bangs?' He wondered, trying to pinpoint exactly what about her was off. It wasn't strange for girls to try to look cuter when they started dating. Unable to find the change with his peripheral vision, Ren finally gave in and took a good look at her.
She looked lost. It was almost as if she couldn't…. Oh.
Her glasses were gone.
A quick look around and Ren found several items lying not too far from them, the contents of her bag scattered all over the forest floor. Surely her glasses had to be among them. "One moment." He reassured her, giving her a brief pat on the head as a promise he'd return. With a grunt got up to be helpful in a way that didn't involve touching Mariko. After testing to see how much weight his ankle could handle, Ren picked up her bag and began refilling it with its contents, a light limp in his step.
It didn't take him long to find her glasses. They were cracked but thankfully somehow in one piece. After picking up a few more things, he eventually came across the opened sketchpad in front of Daichi.
Bending down to reach for it, Ren paused. The figures in the art piece were very familiar. Too familiar. The facial features, the accessories, the proportions. There was no doubt about it. It was him and Solaris locked in an embrace. While that in itself was nothing too out of the norm, their lips…
"Kiss…" The word tumbled out of his mouth, both stating the obvious and pointing out his inability to fully register just what he was looking at. Transfixed on the drawing, Ren couldn't help but blush at the sight, hands reaching for his own lips. As if on cue, the feeling of Solaris's lip came to mind. He only bit the other's lower lip then but it really made one wonder…
Why was there a very detailed drawing of the two of them here of all places? Why did Mariko have something like this? Was it even Mariko's? The Mariko he thought he knew would never… Would she? Weren't Mariko and Solaris dating? Why would she have something like this? What kind of expression was Solaris making when he…
Mind racing with thousands of unanswered questions, Ren pulled on the corner of the page, hurriedly tearing it out of the sketchpad.
… Only to be met with another picture. This time, the features weren't as clear as if the artist was rushing to get it on paper, every stroke was smooth and clearly hurried. However the scene this time was even more scandalous.
Rather than the poses, it was the expressions confusing him. Was Solaris even capable of such a gaze? This time he flipped through the pages, curiosity getting the better of him, stumped even further with every scene. Some images were familiar scenes of them feeding each other chocolate or mild skinship. If it wasn't an image, it was a poem carefully scribbled in a corner.
Truth be told, he probably would have been impressed if not even flattered had it not been so creepy. Taking into consideration just how many scenes were definitely of past events that were still rather fresh in his memory, it was clear someone was keeping an eye on the two. Had a stalker infiltrated the Love Club?
With a turn, Ren was about to press Mariko for answers when he realized she couldn't see. Yet another thing to save for another time. With a sigh, Ren shut the sketchpad and stuffed it into Mariko's bag. He then carefully folded the page he had torn out and stuffed it into his own pocket. His best bet was to ask Solaris and Mariko about it once everything settled down. If it really was a stalker, they might have to even get Haruhi involved.
However, there were more pressing matters to attend to. "You saw nothing." Ren shamelessly decided for Daichi who had seen the sketchpad's contents. "Unless you know who drew that." Raising a brow, Ren slipped the bag up onto his shoulder and returned to Mariko's side, kneeling beside her.
"So where's your partner, Tanaka-chan? It was… Shin-nii right?" Smile not quite reaching his eyes, Ren questioned, vaguely recalling what team she was on. "What is with him and forcing girls to climb trees?" He mumbled more to himself than Mariko. After taking a moment to inwardly curse his doppelganger, Ren pulled out her glasses and gently set them down in the palm of her hand. "They're cracked. I don't know how much good they'll do you. Can you get up?"
Reaching his hand out to help her get to her feet, Ren found it was shaking again. Pulling it back, he turned his shoulder to her instead. "You can use my shoulder for leverage if you need it... or I can carry you?" The pain in his ankle told him it was a bad idea but he wasn't about to just leave her there either. "Shrimp over there can probably help too." Ren joked lightly, wanting to make Mariko comfortable relying on either of them.
Briar's words of comfort and reassurance went in one ear and out the other. Sayuri didn't want to yell or cry or anything. They wanted to just stuff everything back into its neat little box and be fine. Any other time, Sayuri probably would have found some humor at Briar threatening to fight the ghost but the day had been long and they were mentally and physically exhausted.
Sniffling in the other's embrace, they trembled as the foreign entity approached. One moment it was like their emotions were a turbulent storm pouring out of them uncontrollably, the next, it was as if a warm wave of nothing but care and comfort hit them all at once, turning the storm into a light drizzle at best. Sandwiched between the ghost and Briar was strangely comforting. There was a sense of security and calm that was so soothing, Sayuri gradually stopped shaking. For a ghost, they were really warm and their voice was so soft and soothing, Sayuri felt they'd melt or fall asleep if she didn't keep the hug as brief as she did.
It really wasn't a ghost after all.
Letting out a breath of relief they didn't even realize they'd been holding, Sayuri slumped to the ground, strength completely gone from their legs. "Thank god. I thought I was going to die." They complained, hand pressed to their chest where their heart continued to thump away persistently though much calmer than before.
"En Kusari." Sayuri mumbled her name after her, dazed at the girl's actions. Though part of them wanted to help, the pinkette also felt they'd get in the way or cut themselves on a shard if they tried. From the girl's movements, it was pretty easy to guess she couldn't see.
As they wondered just how En knew where everything was, Akari showed up, puppy still in her arms. "Ah." Startled, Sayuri wiped at their face, making sure there were no tears and pulled on their bright smile. "Hey wanna take a shower together?" Directing the question to the puppy, Sayuri got back up to their feet and made their way to Akari, hands open to take the doggy. "We're all so dirty we may as well, right?"
"Unless you want to go first, Domo-kun?" Turning back to their partner, Sayuri tilted their head in question. "Or join us? Now that we have the piece, do we still have to stick together?" Sayuri had no problem with it. The bathroom was large. It wouldn't be any different from using the locker rooms at school. "Either way, We should make it quick. Wouldn't want En-chan's tea to get cold. We still got a story to tell~"
Joe smiled as he heard Hanae say her brother beetles and pill bugs. "I'm sure your brother is a sweet boy…" Joe said silently. After Hanae said a reason why insects get killed, "Maybe…" Joe looked down and mumbled inaudibly, "But that isn't every case…" When Hanae complimented Joe's illustrations, the corners of his mouth curved slightly. "Thank you… It is nice to study them…" When Hanae asked about his favorite insect, Joe immediately knew his answer. "Dung Beetles…" The corners of Joe's mouth curved more and became a smile. "They're the strongest insects, capable of pulling 1,000 times its body weight."
At the mention of Hanae diving underwater, Joe felt like he should speak up. "No, no, no… I couldn't ask you to do that… I can easily do that type of thing myself…" He raised his hands a little to express his worry. At the mention of the other person checking under stones, "You could do that, I wouldn't want you putting yourself into any danger…" At the mention of hidden caves behind waterfalls, Joe thought for a few seconds. "I think they do…"
Joe was thankful that Hanae made little pictures next to the words/sentences. Hanae mentioned exploring things before we search for the piece. Joe didn't want to mention his training, as it is quite serious and he didn't want anyone to worry about his condition. "Not really… But I'm willing to do whatever you may like to…"
Location: Treehouse! Then his mind. Then the woods where the gang b.
Interactions: Mariko @ScarletNova, Ren @Monbon, a crazy ex (also mon), and Daichi @The_Queer_Alien
Mentions: Sol @xLarius
Mood: Ends pretty moody heh get it? :D
View attachment 251543Too close. Why was everyone here getting so close! It made it impossible for him to think. Then she made a noise and- oh hell, he couldn't even breathe. All he could do was stare at her. Mind blank, world empty and oh god wait he was staring at her lips. Look away look away look away... Phew, he'd looked away... now- Why couldn't he move?!
Her hand left him, allowing him one sharp inhale before she spoke again.
"Thank you, really, t-that could have been really bad and hurt a lot. I'll be s-sure to pay much better attention as to where I'm going now."
His eyes fell to her mouth once more before snapping up to her eyes. There went his ability to breathe again.
She was so very close. It was all his mind could think of. Like how smooth her skin looked. Or the flecks of color in her eyes... he could almost count them. They kind of reminded him of stars. Calm... relaxing... breathtaking-
Let go of her.
"ah..." He was repeating her earlier noise. Though the sound from him came more as a cough. He let go, taking a quick step back as his hand went to cover his mouth. His hand staying there as a foolhardy attempt to cover some of the unsightly red he was certain his face was buzzing. His head turned to the side, though he didn't quite know what he was looking at. Everything looked blank. Covered by the hovering image of Mariko-san standing inches from him. It was like it had been seared into his vision. Every blink only making the image more stark in his head. Worse: it was stuck on repeat. Like a broken record, replaying in his head. "I-i-it's n-n-n-n-n-no pr-problem M-Marik-" The last word cut short as his voice pinched an octave higher, his own embarrassment turning the word into another cough as his hand stayed firmly over his mouth. After a swallow, he managed to speak once more. Grateful that the tones came out right. "Mariko-s-san."
He spent the rest of their walk stuck in an internal battle of trying to get the recent events out of his head. Walking in complete silence a few paces away from Mariko-san as he looked at anywhere and everywhere save her. Then he saw the treehouse and... exchanged all previous thought in return to staring up and gawking.
The place was HUGE! His eyes widened as the flush of his cheeks switched from embarrassed to excited. Memories of his friends and their treehouse flooded through his mind. Childhood games spent playing and planning and strategizing and talking secrets all wrapped inside the single term of 'treehouse'. None of their treehouses compared to the grandeur of this. Rather, theirs had been merely a few wooden boards crudely hammered over the branches of a tree. But this.... this was massive. It made him wish his buddies weren't overseas. If they could be here to see... to imagine what they all could have done with something like this as kids.
"It's like a tree mansion." His words came in a hushed, almost reverent tone. Words he hadn't realized he'd spoken.
He supposed this is what it might have looked like if the Fukushima's had ever built a treehouse. Something they probably would have done in a heartbeat had either Aya or Shin ever remotely expressed interest. But Aya had been far too afraid of Akui to suggest more than the things she thought might please the demonic man. As for himself... it just felt wrong to ask for anything from two people who'd already given him far more than he deserved.
"O-oh, here...let me take my bag back. It'll be too much to climb the ladder with both of them."
His head jerked to Mariko-san as her voice tugged him back into reality. Though seeing her face again only revived the looping memory of her falling into his arms... immediately his eyes shot down towards the ground. The offering only made his stubborn skin deeper shades of pink. She truly was a kind person...
Nodding, he shifted her back off his back and offered it to her. Letting her take the bag and making sure she was ready before giving a timid smile and heading up.
In truth, it was a relief when Mariko-san suggested they split up. A moment spent not tied in knots under the pressures of another would do him a world of good. He was starting to feel feverish from all the blushing. A chance to cool down and recuperate would be most welcome. Besides, the interior of the treehouse didn't seem deteriorated in anyway. With a nod of gratitude, Shin eagerly made his escape to the upper floors.
The view was exactly was he'd expected. That is to say absolutely stunning. He spent more than a few minutes simply staring out the sides. Enjoying the spread of trees and valley below him. There were quite a few things strewn about on the top floor. Things Shin was more than happy to pick through. Yet just as he took a step towards the mess, the sound of a phone chimed.
Then it chimed again.
He'd barely taken a breath before a long string of chimes filled the air. Going off in succession without pause or break. His lips tugged downward as he looked around the room. Weird. His phone was silenced so whose-
The sound of ringing accompanied by buzzing made him realize it was coming from his back pocket. Curious, he pulled out a phone he'd only seen once earlier.
Ren's...
The word 'pita chip' flashed across the screen. Only for the ringing to stop as the screen switched to a series of text notifications. Mostly threats on what would happen to his counterpart if he didn't pick up. A few seconds later, the phone was ringing again.
Curious and not particularly keen on his newly acquainted club member being 'drowned in the depths of Lake Biwa' due to Shin's own forgetfulness, Shin hesitantly swiped to answer the call.
"um... hello?"
The string of cuss words that followed was one that could match his friend Nabu's infamously vulgar mouth. He almost expected her to switch to other languages as she went off.
"L-look I'm not-" The girl wouldn't even let him peep a word before yelling at the top of her lungs. His body jerked back as the loud noise screamed from near his ear.
"HOW DARE YOU CHEAT ON ME! I'M TIRED OF YOUR STUPID GAMES THIS IS THE LAST TIME I'LL FORGIVE YOU FOR SOMETHING LIKE THIS! YOU HEAR ME???!" Something switched in the shriek. Shin wasn't sure if it was an impression of a screeching chinchilla or... was she crying? Damn, Ren really knew how to pick them.
"You left me all alone just to be in that club of yours and I'm so tired of being ignored. I know you only went cause you wanted to get closer to that club member of yours! Don't think I haven't noticed!"
Shin stared around the area, suddenly wishing he hadn't decided to leave Mariko-san merely for the fact that he had no idea how to get out of this. "Actually, this isn't-"
"I'M TIRED OF BEING STRUNG ALONG LIKE THIS! PROMISE ME YOU WON'T DO ANYTHING ON THAT TRIP OF YOURS OKAY? DON'T LOOK AT ANYONE, DON'T TALK TO ANYONE, AND YOU SURE AS HELL BETTER NOT KISS ANYONE! I expect you to make this up to me when you get home. K, love you bye~"
Click.
Shin blinked in confusion. Staring at the phone a full minute before slowly sliding it back into his pocket. There were questions of course. Many. Like why anyone would willingly choose to date someone as loopy as that and... god rich people had to worst taste in partners didn't they? Somedays he was more than glad he didn't talk to the people Aya chose to go out with. It really was a phenomenon he was more than happy leaving alone. Just so long as it didn't effect him and his life... except this did.
He rubbed his jaw shaking his head. Brows furrowing in frustration. Yes, it very much did. Ren's girlfriend had mentioned something about him going after someone in the club? If he were going to be a part of this club, stuff like that could and would be very personal to anyone and everyone tied to the club itself. A bit selfish for someone dating another to bring such stupidity into a place like this, and very inconvenient for the rest of the club.
'YOU SURE AS HELL BETTER NOT KISS ANYONE!'
oh...
Oh god.
The vice president's swollen lip flashed through his eyes. Their clothing in disarray as the others in the room looked disappointed to have missed the action. This... this wasn't a drama club or anything right? But then why was everyone so excited to see Ren cheating? Geez Aya really knew how to find the worst situations.
He was so wrapped up in his recent findings, that he'd nearly missed Mariko-san's calls towards him. "Oh! N-no! N-n-nothing y-yet!" He sputtered, chewing his lip as he tried to sort out his thoughts. Did Mariko know about all this? Was she in support of it? Well... it wasn't like she hadn't been immersed in asking Kousei-kun about... everything.
A knot was tying in his stomach, the kind he was used to feeling right before a close friend pulled a knife on him during his 'missions'. Turning to a small pile of dusted papers, Shin began sifting through them, eager to get his mind on something else. He was in the middle of eyeing a few scribbled papers when Mariko's excited cries filled the air. Catching his breath and slowing his doubting thoughts, he turned to the noise. Standing straight and allowing a smile to spread across his lips. She'd found it! Thank goodness this was over! Now all he needed to do was brace himself for the walk back-
Crack!
Everything seemed to stop for a moment. Freezing in time as the vibrations of wood snapping violently struck the air around him.
"MARIKO!" His body rushed forward, startling into that frozen moment as he was so trained to do. The sound of Mari's voice shrieked through the air. Matching the sound of the wood in that everything about it just sounded wrong.
His body slammed into the railing at the 2nd floor as he looked over it's edge just in time to see-
Nothing.
His grip on the rail tightened as adrenaline pumped through him. The balcony below was completely empty. Broken bits of wood laying at it's railing. His eyes scanned the tree tops frantically, hoping to see something, anything that might clue where she was. Each detail, the leaves, the hums of birds or lack thereof, seemed to scream at him. His breath growing heavy with each pounding of his heart. She wasn't there. She wasn't there.
"Mariko!!" He screamed again, his hands shaking as he shoved himself away from the edge. He very nearly tripped as he raced down the ladder to the first floor. The place completely and utterly e m p t y.
How high up where they?!
'High enough for her to have at least broken something. If she landed on her head or neck-'
He threw himself down the ladder. His hands burning as he slid down rather than walked. Jumping the last few rings before sprinting towards the place where he could only guess she had landed. Each step felt like a punch to the gut. Each step feeling far too slow and far too short a stride. Why had he allowed them to split up? How could he have been so stupid as to-
'S-s-shi... m-m-my leg hurts...' Aya's sobs rang through the air as her cut fingers dug into his chest. She was shaking and wierdly cold as she trembled in his arms. She was getting paler... she was too pale already... tears dripped down her cheeks. Her eyes, usually full with confidence and mischief now full of haze he didn't like.
'Stay awake Aya. Don't you dare fall asleep!' God he could barely see through his own teary eyes. 'R-remember the game! W-w-we n-need to stay awake!'
His words jolted her a bit. Her grasp on him gaining strength for a split second before fading back to it's loose hold. 'I- I...'
'Don't talk okay?! Just focus on staying awake!'
'I w-wanted them t-to l-like m-me... I just... I just wanted them t-to...' She choked, her voice fading as her mouth whispered a name that only filled Shin with more determination.
It was so dark. How did they get out of this place?! He didn't know! His stupid self had been so panicked about reaching Aya in time that he hadn't been paying attention to where he was going-
Snap!
Something was tearing into his legs, scratching into his skin. The unexpected bite was just enough to bring a sheen of tears to his eyes. Terrible timing really, as it only made him stumble more through the bit of thorn bush. All he could hear was Mariko's screams running through his mind. A haunted laughter filling his head.
No. No, no, no! Forget. Forget. Forget.
Forget...
forget...
...
Shin shoved his way into a clearing. Taking more than a few seconds to blink away the fog of memories and force himself back into reality. Ren was saying something about shrimp, finishing a limp towards Mariko as he held out a hand to her. Shin doubled over, eyeing the scene set before him.
His eyes stayed on his partner. Watching her as the few tears that had pricked his eyes slipped away and mixed with the sweat on his face. For such a short distance, he was weirdly out of breath. Why was he sweating so hard? He typically ran more than a few miles everyday... a hundred meters or so really shouldn't have knocked him out as much. Yet there was a heavy pounding in his chest. He felt as though he'd just ran a marathon. Not to mention the edge in his nerves. Like he'd just finished watching waaaay too many scary movies and things had gotten a little too realistic.
Relief was all he could gasp in as he scoured Mariko-san standing. Ren-kun had said something about having someone carry her hadn't he... though shrimp wasn't the kindest term to use. Another person he hadn't yet been able to meet stood nearby. Watching the events unfold as well. Most importantly, Mariko-san was up and moving.
Relief. Calming, soothing relief.
Then...
Anger.
"What the hell were you thinking?!" His gaze hardened, his entire body shaking as his hands clenched into fists. "Are you an idiot?! Why the hell would you risk yourself for a stupid puzzle peice?!"
His vision had turned red. Adrenaline still pumping through his veins. All he could see was the sight of that empty treehouse, the snapped railing, and the sound of Mariko-san's screams. "In what world do you think that would ever be a good idea?!" Then his gaze snapped to Ren, the guy who was apparently cheating on his girlfriend and making a giant show of it. Trash who was happy to be carrying a girl back to the cabin. Of course he was, as long as they had two legs and a mouth, Shin was certain Ren would be more than happy to do anything for anyone. Not bothering to hide his look of disgust, Shin returned his focus on Mariko.
"Nobody is moving anywhere until we make sure nothing's broken." He muttered, yanking off his backpack and ripping it open. Curses on curses (props to his military buds including the afore mentioned Nabu for teaching him the Earth's dirtiest) stringed out of his lips in hushed muttering as he stomped his way towards them. The sooner this was over, the sooner he could go hit something. He was certain Haruhi's home had to have something worth hitting.
The Summary
Shin b struggling with girls -nothing new- cannot function because 'ohmigodshe'ssocutewhatevenislife?' Then sees big treehouse and is like a kid at Christmas. They split up, Shin gets a call from one of Ren's crazy follower exes? A crazy admirer? Idk, but totally thinks he and the club might be flouncing around looking for ways to cheat on her... *judgmental stareeeeee. Mari falls, Shin has a flashback of Aya being hurty hurt. And then does as he typically does and pop's it out of his mind like 'YEET' and then becomes medic mom for the group... also yells at Mari.... :)
Interactions: None yet but maybe
Mentions: chaos unfolding
Location: Soon to be in the dorm
Misty comes up to the cabin, goes to open the cabin door, and a few moments later turns the handle and then pushes it open. She walks through with her cat Nio and sees chaos from the edge of the kitchen door. She is thinking, Wow, not fully sure what to make of this but it seems like there's chaos in there for the time being but it does seem like a fun group, never the less'. i'm glad i prepared my stuff a day early and made sure to use good body wash and conditioner'. The smell of a flowery meadow comes off Misty's body as she is about to continue to make her way up the hall, then turns and heads towards the stairs that she assumes will lead up to the dorm with her large camping bag.
It's not long before she's up in the girls dorm, finds a free bunk, and starts to unpack her stuff.
Hiroki Niwa
Location: River → Cabin
Interactions: Kio (@Rads)
Mentioned: none
"Yeah, that's fine. You can keep that one I have spare. Also, as mentioned before, quickly go and get change when we get back. It also wouldn't surprise me if there were more people when we got back."
'Kio has a nice smile.' the pinkette thought. He hadn't expected such a gentle smile to be sent his way by Kio of all people (if at all, really), especially when Kio seemed like the kind of guy to smile like that at just anyone any time. Maybe he'd get the chance to know Kio well enough to figure that out by becoming good friends!
"Yessir," Hiroki almost immediately responded, giving a two finger salute when told to change when they got back to the cabin.
"I left a week of food and water for my lizard, but it's probably empty by now, so I need to take care of that."
"Eh? Your lizard probably ate a week's worth of food already?! Wow he must be a happy chunky boy."
The sound of breaking glass hit Briar's ears, causing them to almost instinctively tense, their golden eyes still squinting into the cabin where the 'ghost' was.
Approaching the duo, En knew she had left her cane at the table and was walking completely blind here. But she wanted to do this first. Once she knew she was stood before the duo, gently reached out. She could hear the breathing of the yeller, she could tell where they were so long as they didn't flee. She moved slowly so as to not scare them just in case. Her middle finger brushed what felt like a shirt. Reaching out with her other hand, met a similar feeling as both hands rested gently against the two for a moment. With a warm smile, dull eyes looking to the two, she took a step forward. Both arms reached slowly up and over each person's shoulder and pulled the two into a hug. She had to stand on her tippy toes to keep them both in the hug for a moment, "I promise you both, there are no ghosts here. Just a safe warm cabin." Letting the two go from her hug, looking up to at least attempt eye contact. Even with the light above them, no light seemed to stir in her eye's. "You both have a heartbeat like that of war-drums. I'm not certain what has happened, but if there is anything I can do to help or comfort you with. Please do let me know." Her voice was soft, trying to be comforting.
Ba-bump
Once again Briar's heart stuttered from the sudden hug, like when Sayuri hugged them earlier in the day. They couldn't remember the last time they got hugged by someone around their own age until today. It was a warm and comforting hug.
Blinking, Briar wasn't sure what to do as their free hand hovered with uncertainty. The hug didn't last long though as she pulled away, further confirming that she wasn't a ghost outside of physical touch.
"Ahh, why not let me make you both something to drink? You must both be tired and something warm will always help!" Taking both their hands and leading them towards the table.
"I should clean this. Please leave this to me and both of you take a seat. If you would humor me, perhaps I could please ask what you have been up to while I clean up the mess?"
"Do you want help with any of that?" Briar asked, leaning against their chair a moment, tired, but feeling a bit bad that they had caused the strange blind girl to have to clean such a mess (that they likely helped make with their noise).
"I will pay Nakumura for a new towel another time. I would not like to risk the shards coming free and sticking to other people's clothing in a wash cycle and injuring someone. Before I forget my manners. I am En Kusari! Wonderful to meet you both. And I am sorry if I scared you in any way."
"I'm Briar Mori, sorry if we were in any way rude, Kusari-chan." Briar greeted.
"Hey," Akari muttered. "So...what do you all want me to do with the dog?" It seemed to be starting to get restless in her arms.
Briar turned at the sound of Akari's voice, eyes training on the restless pooch in her arms and was going to take a step forward to take him from her but Sayuri beat him to it.
"Hey wanna take a shower together?" Directing the question to the puppy, Sayuri got back up to their feet and made their way to Akari, hands open to take the doggy. "We're all so dirty we may as well, right? Unless you want to go first, Domo-kun?" Turning back to their partner, Sayuri tilted their head in question. "Or join us? Now that we have the piece, do we still have to stick together?"
"Would it be faster if we bathed together?" They blurted their thought out loud. There was no telling how long the restless little guy was in the wilderness to get so dirty. On the other hand, Briar was sure if they sat in a tub of warm water long enough they'd fall asleep at some point.
"If you all wish to go bathe, i can wait until you are all finished. I can imagine that being out and about in the forest has made you all rather dirty. Changing into something clean after a warm shower or bath is always pleasant!" Not facing away from the boiling kettle, both hands resting on the head of her cane with the wet sock sandwiched between them. The rumble of the kettle filling pockets of silence. "Once you bathe and are feeling a bit more refreshed, i can make you all that drink!" A chipper tune to her tone. She was concerned for the duo that first came in, hoping that they had both had a moment to calm down and breathe. A wash would most certainly assist! The sound of the kettle switch clicking, indicating the water was done boiling. With a careful motion, picked up the kettle and moved it over to the prepared mug she had gotten out for herself. Adding in the tea bag, a small spoon of sugar and then moved towards the fridge. Running her fingers over the fridge, fingers managing to find the door handle, pulled it open and reached for where she had left the milk lastime. With milk in tow, moved back to where she had her mug, adding a little milk and taking up the steaming cup. Smiling at her new prize, turned towards the sounds of conversation.
"Ahh, Sayuri-san, Briar-San. I do have a question." Approaching the group. "I had arrived earlier whilst everybody was still out. I took some time to explore, but one thing i couldnt quite figure out is the difference between the two bunk rooms. I take it the females and males rest in seperate rooms for this trip." Taking a small sip of her drink, "Could either of you let me know what room the girls sleep in?" Turning her head towards the sound of the third individual. Giving a small bow, "Hello there. I am En Kusari. It is nice to meet you all!" She could smell the puppy in her arms, her small smile growing just a fraction more. "If you wish to bathe before showing me where the girls bunk room is, then that is completely understandable. I'll have one myself later toni-" Cutting herself short as her attention shifted. It was a quiet noise at first, but got swiftly louder and louder. "Helicopter?" Confused as her head turned in the direction of the noise. The louder it got, the more En squinted. The roar of the chopper approaching ringing more and more in her ears. As the noise of the chopper passed over head, her shoulders hunched, she wanted to plug her ears, but she were holding both her cane and her drink. She was not about to drop another one. "Of all the way's one might arrive, why would they choose the most ear scratching way?" Whining the words as she hoped the helicopter would kindly fuck off.
Sure enough, the sounds of it arriving were as swift as it leaving, giving the girl some relief. She looked less than impressed. Shaking the ringing from her ears, turned back to the trio. "I won't ask why there is a helicopter coming and going, i just hope it's only the one time. Those things genuinely hurt to listen to." Sighing and taking a sip of her drink, some of her smile returning. "Anyway, do not let me keep you. It sounds like the little one is restless." Turning back towards the room and taking a seat back at the table. Leaned back in the chair once more, let herself melt a little as she relaxed.
Mention('s) - N/A
Interaction('s) - Sayuri - @Monbon : Briar - @Takumi : Akari - @ScarletNova : Ruby - @Rads
Location('s) - Still in the kitchen
As Ren kept yapping, Daichi kept ignoring him, eventually mastering the art of tuning him out. As he kept walking Daichi listened to the sounds of nature instead of Ren, and let his thoughts take him away instead. Just got to survive a couple of hours with this prick and then I can be free, he thought. His plan of keeping his head down had not only failed but it failed HARD. He should've known that so much as bumping into the wrong person would land him in so much mess to begin with. Daichi let out a deep sigh, I could always just quit while I'm ahead, maybe I can check to see if they have any vacancies in the video game club, as long as I don't have to be in this guy's radar anymore I'm good.
As Daichi began to mentally lists all the different clubs he could join he heard the sound of leaves ruffling above him, followed by a girl falling from a tree branch, and landing on top of him. With her sketch book landing a couple of inches away from him which contained some very...interesting illustrations. Daichi carefully considered taking this opportunity to take the map and running off while Ren was still holding her and would be unable to run after him.
"What the hell were you thinking?!"
FUCK
a random guy appeared and started glaring at Ren, Is this guy even part of the club, now his plan to make a run for it had fallen apart. The guy looked absolutely pissed, whatever beef he had with Ren, Daichi wanted nothing to do with it, also why are there so many hot headed blondes in this damn school.
Interactions: Hiro @Takumi
Mentions:
Location:Lake—back to the cabin
Kio gently laughs as he turns, then starts to walk back, then says, "It would have been cute if a girl had reacted to it the way you are now, but it's amusing nonetheless still amusing, and it's true he does love his food but doesn't like most women or even some of the guys given he's had a rough life". " I'll have to put him on a diet after this camp". He pauses for a minute, then says, "If you're lucky, he'll let you pet him while I'm around." He starts to hum gently as he continues to walk back and a slight smile crawls upon his face as he is enjoying this moment and teasing hiro just a little bit.
Akari Morita
Music Club | Location: Kitchen --> Heading for stairs
Interactions: Sayu (@Monbon), Briar (@Takumi), Ruby (@Rads), En (@Jig The Zom-B)
Mentions: Haruhi, Helicopter
Ruby mentioned something about Sayu normally teasing her back like he supposedly often did. Akari shrugged at the thought. She wondered if that was just when it wasn't something that really upset or freaked him out and that there was levels in the difference. She would have thought a 'sister' would know those, but perhaps they were still learning things about each other. You could know someone for years and still be learning about them, after all.
But all those thoughts dissipated as Akari saw Sayuri walking over towards her with his arms stretched open while he asked if he wanted to shower together. Ba-dump. Ba-dump. Ba-dump. Her heart rate shot up. A shade of red plagued her cheeks. Hearts swarmed around Sayu's body as he walked closer towards her. The visual popped into her head for just a moment.
"I-I'm not sure if I'm ready for something like that yet!" She blurted out. She suddenly looked away, clutching her chest with her free hand as if she was having a heart attack. "We should go on a date first at least!"
And then she heard the next part as he addressed Briar instead and Akari deflated. She curled up into a little ball, still holding the dog in her arms, but pressed him against her chest and stomach to hold him close. A few purple and black swirls hovered around her.
"Stupid. Of course he wasn't talking about you. Why would he ask you that?" Akari muttered under her breath. Would anyone else be able to hear it, that depended on if they were paying attention enough to notice. "He probably doesn't even think you're cute enough to match him. He needs someone who matches perfectly with him. Someone like that nice good looking fella he has as his partner. Or that cute petite girl making him something to drink."
Akari pouted. "I'm not cute like that...I'm just...scary."
And the Briar seemed like he was comfortable with the idea of bathing with Sayuri! It was like a bunch of arrows were being shot into Akari one after another!
As Akari drowned in her sorrows, the loud sounds of a helicopter pierced the air, pulling her away from her darkness. She stood back up and looked around.
"What the hell? Did that club president of yours call the marines or something?" As her eyes darted over towards the others, she noticed En struggling. Akari's instincts kicked in and she took a step closer to help the girl, but soon after the helicopter went away.
It was then that the dog in Akari's arms barked and she remembered the task at hand. Carefully, she handed the pooch over to Sayuri. "Go ahead and take him to get bathed, Sayu-san. And Ruby, I guess we should find something for him to be able to eat. I'm sure your cooking skills can handle something appropriate for dogs, right? Whatever that is."
She glanced over towards the red-head. Ruby had mentioned cooking, so Akari was sure she could figure out something that the dog could eat while they were there. Or at least, for now. With the way the lovers club president was, they could probably get some dog food easily once Haruhi found out about it.
Finally, Akari's pink eyes landed back on the other girl. Though some of what En had said Akari had missed, she had heard enough to finally know who she was and that she needed some help to find the girls room.
"I can help you, if you'd like," Akari said. "While Ruby's working on some food for the dog, I can take you to the girls room. Besides, I should probably change too. Some of that dirt from the pup got on my clothes." She wasn't really dirty like the others were, so there wasn't need for her to shower like the others needed, but a few marks had gotten on her shirt, at least.
Akari stepped forward. "Come with me," she muttered as she tapped En on the shoulder as she passed by her to head for the stairs. "I'm Akari Morita, by the way. But you can just call me Akari, if you wanna. And...just let me know if you need any other kind of help, alright?"
Ruby gently chuckles after taking it all in, then says, "Say Kun and Briar, I'll get the food ready, and please don't take too long getting changed, and all that I'll be done with in twenty minutes."
then gets to work on ideas as she moves to the fridge for the young puppy. She remembers boiled chicken as long as there are no bones in the mix, which is one option. She could always make a vegetable and rice dish if not to the pups liking. She finds a chicken in the fridge, takes it out, and puts it on the side as she closes the fridge again. A light bulb clicks in her mind: "Ah, I need to wash my hands first, and rice should be in the cupboard'. 'I also need to wash the chicken before the prep of the dog food'. After she washes her hands, she finds some clean cloves near by and puts them on before she starts on the chicken as planned. She then undoes the packaging and throws the plastic and holder for the chicken in the bin. 'Aki Chan has it bad, so I'm going to enjoy teasing her in a loving way, that is'.
She turns the tap to warm to get most of the germs off the chicken when she does the next step. Once that's done, she starts to clean the chicken, and within a few minutes or so, it's done. She turns the tap off and then goes over with the chicken to the cutting board and gets to work, It's not long with her skills that whole chicken is deboned and cut into puppy-ready chunks. She puts the chicken in a medium pot and then goes over to the sink and turns the tap to warm again.
Once the pot is filled, she puts it on the stove along with the lid and sets it on a medium heat setting. Once that's done, she goes to the bin, takes her gloves off, and starts to look for rice in the pantry, and so on. It's not long before she finds the rice. 'Maybe i should of talked to Enchan more but at the same time, i didn't want to overwhelm her and things this week so far haven't been ideal, ugh, me and my thoughtlessness at times' ' As for the others, I wasn't fully sure what else to say and do'. After she had gotten the warm water into the pot, she brought it over to the stove and turned it to a medium-heat setting. She then goes to get another pot for the rice and then says, "Oh, before I forget, can someone find me a doggie bowl? If possible, it would save having to use a plate.".
She gets a measuring cup and remembers how much rice to put in; she then goes over and brings the kettle to the sink to refill so she can start the rice part of the dish. It's not long before she puts the rice in the second pot, then turns on the kettle and waits for it to boil so she can cook the rice. "Oh i forgot to mention puppies stomach lining isn't super strong so we should be careful on what we give it to drink as well".
When Ayame had asked him whether he deserved many more titles, in all honesty he had been called things explicit to say whether it was appropriate or not. He simply offered a polite smile before humming softly, "Be careful about offering me too many sweet titles. If you try and get my attention using a pet-name then call someone else the same one, confusion might ensue." He'd had that happen before and the results were not of the peaceful sort.
"No need to worry, Hymm-san. The wait wasn't too long." The vice-president leisurely tapped on his own wrist, "We're not on a particular time-crunch. I don't think we'll be the last group with how quickly we found our clue, anyways." Not that timing particularly mattered. The club always found something fairly odd to do during their downtime.
If Haruhi was shy, certainly Solaris would mistake the way she clung to him for the President being timid. However, this was something entirely different that he wasn't quite understanding. Though there was still a smile on his face, there was sort of a questioning expression to it now as he leaned forward and down as Haruhi wrapped an arm around his shoulder. She was only a few inches shorter than he was so it wasn't that much of a stretch to do so, luckily.
"I don't think so?" His voice soft in reply to her 'bubble wrap' claim, Solaris's gaze slowly shifting away from his president's. He almost said something along the lines of that he didn't try to leap straight into the arms of danger, but that wouldn't have been entirely truthful words. In all honesty with a few calculations and the promise of exhilaration, sometimes Solaris's rational mind went straight out the window... Not that he'd ever admit that to Haruhi. The former kleptomaniac would rather not get scolded or stuck with a penalty of her choice if he could help it.
On the topic of 'sexy', Solaris's gaze strayed further. Sassy? Yes. Adorable? Occasionally. Sexy though? His gaze flicked upwards as he thought of his pre-established vision of 'sexy' and decided that Haruhi definitely didn't fall under that category. "... how could I disagree?" The vice-president simply allowed her to pinch at his cheek, his eyes squeezing together at the punishment. The taller male didn't particularly think he deserved the pinch considering he agreed with her in the end though it was apparent his voice wasn't in full support of the notion.
When she mentioned the bubble-wrap once again, his expression blanked as he attempted to read the sudden change in her expression. Had something particularly catastrophic happen between the time she dismissed them and now? It was strange to hear the Haruhi Nakamura's voice sound so... Small. The president in terms of presence and physical height was anything but this tiny.
Solaris's hand once again moved to gently pat at her head once again when she was suddenly back to her coy-self. Solaris certainly wasn't going to drop this matter, however he would do so for now considering they were in the company of two people he wasn't particularly close with. The last thing he wanted to do was have her spill a secret, or simply make something up on the spot to avoid seeming anything but strong and capable.
When her hands suddenly slapped against his face and under his glasses, he wordlessly stood there with a rather blank, confused expression on his face. Question marks were sparking all around him when she suddenly mentioned him being a... Gigolo? He thought about it for a long moment. He couldn't really deny it.
"Ah. Sorry. It must be a habit." He muffled against her hands in a rather nonchalant manner. "I didn't know being a Gigolo was scary though." He pointed out, allowing her to still push her hands against his face. Were her hands always this small though? As the heiress eventually seemed to release him from what seemed like an especially long scolding, he let out a long sigh. His sweater-vest wouldn't dry easily after all.
At the note that they wouldn't have to paddle back was a relief... Though it wasn't as if Solaris had even paddled the boat once in the first place.
Upon the revelation that it truly was Ren's hoodie that Haruhi was wearing, Solaris nose scrunched up. It was typical of Ren to get everywhere it seemed. Inescapable. Giving his sweatshirt to Haruhi, having his ex-girlfriend steal his glasses, for all he knew, Medrin was his other cousin or something. No matter where Solaris went...
Perhaps the most frustrating (?) part of it all was just how straightforward Ren could be. It made him rather predictable which in turn enabled Solaris to know just exactly what would happen if--
When his name was abruptly mentioned, the vice-president flinched. Oh that wasn't good, did he lose focus again? For once, Solaris hadn't kept track of his expression, something dark had swept over it though it had only been for a few mere seconds. The expression that had briefly flicked to something akin to 'bitter' soon reverted to his usual kind expression. "Hm? I don't think I'd be the best at taking care of James-san." Was there a Lebron James on the trip or something? Either way, if he didn't know them, how could he take care of them?
Eventually, Solaris allowed Medrin to collect his hook before ushering him onto the boat. Once he took his seat, the vice-president leaned back and closed his eyes. He had looked forward to being done with the task for the moment. There was way too much bustle when they arrived for him to take a breather, much less after once the activity had started. He was simply glad that it was ending without another crazy event to follow up with.
Solaris gently pushed his glasses upwards as he eyed the way the two were holding hands. Was it simply a girl thing to do so or did they become rapid friends over this little trip? When it came to the boisterous somewhat ginger-haired president, he wouldn't have been surprised had it been the latter.
When they finally arrived on the other side of the shore, Solaris motioned towards the cabin. "Hymm and Fukushima-san, feel free to run along ahead. Nakamura-chan and I have some business to take care of before we return back to the site." Flowers practically bloomed around Solaris as he donned his practiced smile. His hand reaching up and suddenly patting down on Haruhi's head.
Was he avoiding the cabin?
Perhaps a little.
Who was going to know?
Absolutely nobody.
Besides, this gave him time to figure out what was going on in the president's mind. He genuinely preferred that they always stayed on the same page.
It was as if the movement was in different manga panels. Panel One: Solaris hoisted her off the boat. Panel Two: Solaris offered one more wave goodbye. Panel Three: Solaris moving so his fingertips faced the floor as his hands pressed against her back, promptly pushing the president away from the boat.
"Now then, let's have a proper conversation, shall we?" With his back towards the two and once they had navigated away enough of a distance, Solaris slowly crossed his arms. His emerald eyes slowly training on Haruhi before he took a step back. His back comfortably pressing against one of the trees behind him as he tilted his head. "Has something already gone wrong with the trip?" Solaris slowly asked, his voice rather monotone compared to before, but in all honesty it was a lot less energy for the vice-president that way.
"Did Fukushima-san push you into the water? I know you're more than capable of handling yourself, but it wouldn't be fun to find this whole trip converting into some kind of twisted murder mystery." Solaris sighed as a stray breeze blew through the hair, patting down at his slightly damp clothes.
"So if she's trouble, let's report her now and get it done and over with. If the process is too much work for you, I can see about getting half of the report drafted now." Solaris furrowed his brows as he thought back to how Ayame and Haruhi held hands and slightly pivoted, "Unless she pushed you in as a joke? In that case you should have made your way back to the cabin promptly." Solaris sighed before his venomous-colored eyes flicked in the president's direction.
It was best to promptly scoop a problematic weed whilst in bloom, heaven forbid the weed took root and spread beyond their control.
"Haha, if she didn't already know, I'd bet it'd only take her seconds to find out! Nakamura-senpai is just an incredible showstopper after all." A slight amused expression sprung onto Tsukiko's face as he set his hands on his hips. He patiently waited for the other to decide their route as she suggested looking inside. The jubilant student had no reason to disagree so he began moving towards the shrine.
There weren't any particular 'Do not enter!' eerie signs that would deter someone from entering, so he saw no reason to really be cautious. The inners of the room were rather small. There wasn't much to look at though he hadn't quite spotted their goal... Well, what he thought was their goal anyways. Though Haruhi explained what it was they were actually supposed to find, a visual representation would have been reaaaally nice.
All things considered, even if she had showed them an example, there was a high likelihood that Tsukiko was just... not paying attention. That was a very real explanation as to why he couldn't spot the object from his first glance around.
"Calling your name... I wouldn't be too surprised. The supernatural-- especially those who have passed have odd ways of trying to communicate their wishes." Tsukiko mentioned in a casual manner, something strange reflecting in his eyes before he was usually to his usually perky self, almost teleporting around the room with how quickly he was investigating the scene.
He went back to attempting to reference the riddle, rubbing the back of his neck in thought. "Below?" He repeated before turning back to Mirai. He wasn't sure if there was a below. The flamboyant student didn't see a staircase anywhere after all. There wasn't even a staircase up much less a staircase down. The violet-haired boy blinked, at first at a loss of exactly what to do before a twinkle appeared in his eye. "Do you think there's a trapdoor we could trigger?"
The student placed down his bag, beginning to merrily rummage in it before snatching something up in his hand, twirling it between his fingers before placing the tip to his mouth. As he blew air into it, bubbles emerged from the 'gentlemen's pipe' he had stuck in his mouth. "There's a mystery to be found below foot, my dear Nono-chan and we're going to get to the bottom of it!" He declared, running a hand through his bangs before letting out a smug 'hm!' noise from his lips.
He stomped his foot on the floor twice before listening for some kind of indication that there was something below... To find nothing. There honestly was a very real possibility.
"... HAHA I'm out of clues." He shrugged once he took a good look around, "The biggest prank of all would have been if Nakamura-senpai didn't really have anything hidden and we're just running around the woods to get some good exercise... GASP! A distraction mayhap?!" His hands flew to his mouth before he dramatically laid his arm across his forehead and his back thumped against the wall behind him.
"Oh woe is me! To be of the servitude of the holiest contributor to the art of love!" His other arm slowly descended down and the moment was like in slow motion as he knocked one of the books on the shelf downwards... Except it didn't fall off the shelf.
Tsukiko could only watch as the floor opened up under Mirai and.... She felt straight through.
"UENO-SAN!?" He yelled for a moment, running around the hole for a moment before both hands smacked over his eyes and he forced himself to at least face down.
"A-Are you alive down there? You're not hurt are you?!" He asked, finally pushing down on the ground as he knelt. "I was really kidding about the trapdoor I didn't know that there was one-- UENO-SAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!?!!" He squeezed his eyes shut as he finally uncovered one of his eyes... Was she okay? Maybe this was the kind of thing that uncovered the puzzle piece they needed but uh.... At what cost?
Why was the ground talking? Mariko thought as her hands were grasped by something that felt strangely like other hands and her position shifted. The warmth radiating into her fingertips reminded her of earlier when she held Solaris' hand. Could it be? Was it really possible? Did she not actually fall onto the ground at all?
"Tanaka-chan."
A few more moments and it suddenly clicked. She hadn't hit the ground at all, hence why she wasn't in too much pain, but rather landed directly on someone. And that she hadn't been feeling the ground, but the person instead...
A sudden deep red enveloped her face at the realization. Heat ran through her entire body. She had just felt someone up!? Her mind began to spiral farther into embarrassment and shame. Too many thoughts. Panic. Unknowingly, she held in her breath, until she heard the individual speak again. The voice sounded familiar. She knew that voice.
"F-Fujiwara-san...?" she muttered. She squinted her eyes towards him. She could make out the blob of a person, a mix of blonde on top of a head and, suddenly, bright blue circles turning to look directly at her. "I...I think...I'm okay." Her thoughts were still twisting around in her head. She had no idea which one she was supposed to address first. As Ren mentioned for her to wait a moment, she took that time to gather her thoughts as best as she could.
First of all, she had fallen from the tree house. It was a pretty scary moment. But she did seem to be okay, for the most part. There were a few scratches on her arms and legs from branches that had hit her as she fell. She could feel the burning sensation from them. But other than that, it didn't feel like anything was badly hurt.
Second, she couldn't really see anything, which meant that her glasses had fallen somewhere. She needed her glasses. She couldn't really address any of the other issues without being able to see properly. Placing her fingers onto the actual ground this time, she gently patted around to see if she could feel them out.
By that time, Ren had returned and he questioned her about her partner. She looked upward towards the blob, or what she hoped was Ren anyway. "H-he's probably back at the tree house...it's...it's my fault I fell. The wood broke...but I probably should have waited for him instead. I...I was just too excited about finding the piece and being...helpful."
A sudden tinge of guilt hit her stomach. What about Shin? He probably saw her fall and heard her scream out. He had no idea that she was okay. And he'd probably be blaming himself for it when it was all her fault. She bit her lip. Her hands went to grab her hair, but instead her glasses were set into her palm.
"T-that's okay. I can still see better with cracked glasses then none at all," she replied as she placed them on her face again. Finally, Ren's features became clear, despite cracks getting in the way. "Yes, I can get up. I think." She was about to reach for Ren's hand for help, then remembered that it had touched the ground.
First wiping her dirty hand on her clothes, Mariko then finally took his offer for help, took his hand, and stood up. But it was fairly impossible not to notice Ren's own hands were shaking. Why? Why were they shaking? Was he...? Ah!
"R-Ren-san! I'm so sorry," she suddenly blurted out. "I didn't mean to touch you so inappropriately. And fall on you, of course. I deeply apologize. It's so awful for me to have...touched someone else's boyfriend like that so...so...lewdly..." The words were causing that blush of hers to return.
"I promise you I'll make sure to apologize to Kousei-senpai as soon as I can and make sure he understands that you had no part in the act."
She bowed quickly to Ren, doing so a few extra times over and over again. Then she caught the sight of someone else in the corner of her eyes. Ah! Right! Ren's partner for this adventure! It wouldn't be good to say such things in front of him. Ren and Senpai wanted to keep their relationship secret!
Mariko stood up straight and stepped closer towards Ren, close enough so that only he would be able to hear what she said. "Don't worry, Ren-san, I didn't mean to find out, but I'll be sure to keep your relationship with Senpai a secret," she whispered to him. Then she turned towards Daichi and bowed towards him.
"I also apologize to you for interrupting your search for your piece," she said. "And probably making you feel uncomfortable during all of this. If I can make it up to the both of you in any way, please let me know."
"What the hell were you thinking?!"
The sudden shout startled Mariko that her body jumped in response. Her eyes darted over towards the source, spotting the familiar sight of her partner running over to her.
"S-Shin-san." Was the only words that came out as he continued to yell at her. "I...I'm sorry." Suddenly, Mariko felt like she wanted to cry. Not because she was getting yelled at by him though, but because she completely understood why he was yelling at her the way he was. He had been worried about her. Most likely panicked. Who wouldn't after seeing someone fall from that height. He might have even thought she had...
"I'm really sorry." She took a few steps towards him and reached out. Then she touched his hand and she squeezed it. "I'm okay." It was all she could do. She hoped it might help him feel better.
"I'm a little scratched up from branches, but I'm okay. Fujiwara-san caught me before I hit the ground. He saved me," she said. "I...I promise that I'll ask for help next time." Her gaze looked over towards Ren for a moment, giving him a grateful smile, then her eyes fell back on Shin.
"I...I promise you guys that I won't...I won't do anything like that ever again. I'll...I'll ask for help next time," she muttered. It was at that point that everything really hit her and the tears welled up in her eyes. Soon they were falling down her cheeks as she began to cry.
"I'm really sorry. Really really sorry everyone."
Truthfully,Sayuri wasn't sure how to answer that. While it could be faster, they could also see themselves falling asleep in the tub or getting distracted and outright pouring their feelings onto Briar once they'd calmed down enough.
Now THAT would be embarrassing. The last thing either of them needed was a therapy session. Though they could keep each other from drowning, it was best to just exclude the bath entirely and stick to a quick shower.
"Actually, you're right." Sayuri thought out loud, taking the puppy from Akari and handing them over to Briar. "I don't know if it'd be faster." Hearing Ruby calling from the kitchen saying something about puppy tummies, Sayuri came to a second realization. "I also don't know if my products are safe around doggies. Take care of the Komainu, ok? Speaking of, he needs a name."
"Ko..ko…" Repeating the first syllable over and over, Sayu clumsily created a name. "Koda? Koda will do." With one final pat, Sayuri bestowed the name onto him and left Koda in Briar's care. "To save time, I can use the girl's bathroom and you can use the boys. We'll just have to be quick."
Then it hit him.
"Date?" Turning to Akari this time, Sayuri finally registered what she was saying while they were busy stuck in their own head. Did she mean with the dog? Or with them? Was she joking? "Do doggies go on dates? We can find Koda a wife later, I'm sure." Sayu joked back with a giggle.
Eyes bending into crescents, their cheerful smile slyly widened soon after as if containing the mischief within. As usual, the mischief could never truly be fully contained. The pinkette had a habit of dropping bombs every time they opened their mouth. There was just something fun about getting reactions out of people. "Unless you mean me. That's really bold of you, 'Kari-chan." On a naming spree, Sayuri planted the nickname in like it was the most natural thing.
Taking hold of one of her colored hair strands, Sayuri gazed down at it with mild interest. Though they had opposing styles, hers wasn't bad. At the very least it looked good on her. There was something pretty about the contrasting blues and pinks in a sea of black. It was kind of cosmic in a way. "Bath dates… scandalous but transparent. Maybe at a later time. A hot spring date under the moonlight sounds pretty romantic, right?"
Leaving the invitation hanging in the air, Sayuri brushed their lips against Akari's colored strand, green eyes never once leaving her pink ones, taking in her reaction for a moment before breaking off the interaction with a silly grin. "I really gotta shower now, ciao." Turning on their heel, Sayuri bounded up the stairs and into the boys dorm.
Unlike before, they chose something plain, unwilling to see any more of their good outfits ruined. The outfit they chose was a large cream colored t-shirt, a yellow/blue hoodie, and a pair of black shorts and worn sneakers, Sayuri gathered their things and hopped right into the girl's bathroom shower, taking only enough time to get all the dirt off and calm down. When Sayuri began to nod off on their feet, they turned the water to the cold setting to shock themselves awake.
In no time at all, they got dressed again, towel dried their hair, leaving it damp and messy, and rushed back down. "So what kind of tea is it?" They asked En as they took a seat at the table in a clearly better mood. That was the magical thing about showers. They not only washed off dirt, but your troubles as well.
Upon hearing Mariko confirm she was alright, Ren let out a sigh of relief. However the sight of her defending Shin's carelessness only made his brows furrow. 'Why? Just why was she trying to make it out to be her fault?' Feeling that further digging at Shin would make her retreat more, Ren held his tongue. Instead he focused on the important thing, her wellbeing. Gently touching her arm, he noted the scratches. "It's not your fault. Accidents happen. If anything it's Haruhi's maid's fault for putting the piece somewhere stupid. You really should head back and get treated. It would suck if you got sick before we could do anything fun on this trip, right?" Beaming, Ren tried to keep the mood lighthearted to make her feel better.
Only for her to apologize again. Blinking, he patiently listened. "Who said you're not allowed to touch-?!"
Hold up. Someone else's boyfriend? At first Ren thought she meant his most recent ex. It wouldn't be unusual for people to not have heard about their break up yet. He broke up with her over text the day prior to the trip after all. "We actually already brok-"
"-I'll make sure to apologize to Kousei-senpai as soon as-"
"Senpai? What? Why?"
Blanking out for the rest of the apology and her rambling, Ren stood there thoroughly confused, his friendly smile frozen on his face as he took the sudden info dump in. Since when were he and Sol dating and who told Mariko this?
Were one of the girls playing tricks on her? However the only other girl he'd seen around Mariko during the trip was Hanae and she didn't seem the type to spread rumors. He had already been rejected by the wardrobe fanatic at the start of the year so it was unlikely she'd start anything for his attention. The tactic wasn't an uncommon one to run into, sure, but definitely not one someone like her would employ.
The only other people around Mariko that he could remember were Shin and Sol… Between the two, it was painfully obvious who the source of this rumor was. But why would his favorite senpai do such a thing?
At a loss, Ren sighed and rested his cheek in his hand. It really was a curse to be so attractive. One couldn't even trust their closest peers. As he connected the dots from the drawings in Mariko's bag to their strange behavior from before, it all began to make sense.
The blonde's attraction to Mariko was no secret to the vice president. As one of the few members in the club Ren would actually consider dating, it was only natural for Solaris to take out that threat if he really had hopelessly fallen for him.
The handholding from earlier must have been an attempt to make him jealous. Yes. That had to be it. Yet another common tactic his exes have attempted time and time again.
There were a few uncertainties to these theories however. It'd all require Solaris to have feelings for him or at the very least a goal. Even if he did, would he really resort to these cheap tricks? There was a chance he was just pranking him for some reason but.. this was going really far for a prank. If he had a goal, what was it? To keep him from dating other members? …Why?
There was no way Solaris would risk losing out on money either. Though the male was greed personified… he'd done a good job keeping a neat line drawn between them. A perfectly neat little…
The kabedon scene from earlier replayed in his mind like a broken record. Giving him a moment of pause. Was that also a part of this? Was Mariko in on it?
"-Did any heartbeat skipping happen?"
He recalled her saying something along those lines, taking notes like their little spectacle was nothing but a little science experiment. Did that make him a chimp in a cage? He'd been to angry to notice it before but now… What kind of expression was he wearing? If Solaris was the one orchestrating everything, there was a chance she was just a tool.
But… Why?
His head began to ache as he struggled to make sense of everything. Even if it was the most logical explanation, the thought of Sol developing feelings for anyone much less him was unthinkable. Even if he did, was it so hard to just talk to him about it? Theoretically, Solaris could have anyone he wanted. He was intelligent, looked well put together, his cooking was fantastic, and his looks… Although they didn't rival his own, they weren't bad.
'Does he even have a type though? Wait if he's into me, why didnt he take that chance? ' The near kiss popped up in his head again. Ren had delivered himself right into his arms and wasn't taken advantage of. There was something endearing about it but at the same time he couldn't help but feel a mixture of disappointment and nerves. It felt as if someone had set up a house of cards and was just waiting for it all to come crashing down with the smallest gust of air.
Just thinking about it felt as if he was going in circles. The best way to know for sure was to just ask him. Before he could delve deeper into it, Ren jumped at the sound of someone yelling in their direction. In seconds all his thoughts were pushed back as pain shot up his leg. With a silenced hiss, Ren inwardly cursed his ankle but turned his glare to his doppelganger instead as if he was the one to blame for it all.
'Wait did that bastard just…'
"What the fuck is your problem? Don't yell at her when you weren't even there to take care of her! What happened to not taking your eyes off your partner?" Jabbing his finger into the other's chest Ren scolded him right back. In doing so, he couldn't help but notice the strange stare the other shot him. It was one he'd seen before, quite often in fact. It was as if he was staring at trash. No, even trash had use to the broke and pitiful. A worm perhaps?
It was strange and abrupt considering they were on good terms the last time they'd interacted. To a point it also felt really unfair. First the majority of the group in the boys room earlier assumed he was in the wrong in the confrontation with Daichi earlier without even knowing what led to it, now it felt as if he was being blamed for something else. Except this time, he wasn't sure what he was being blamed for.
Quite honestly, it was infuriating. Why was the world so against him for simply existing?
If Mariko wasn't there, there was a good chance that Shin would have gotten more than just a jab in the chest. With clenched fists, Ren stifled his feelings to keep from scaring the already shaken Mariko. Instead, he stepped aside and let her calm Shin down in her own way while he took a deep breath to collect himself.
The moment she grabbed his doppelganger's hand, Ren's gaze centered on it, staring at it as if he could separate them with just a glare. 'What did this bastard do to deserve such a blessing?' As much as he wanted to complain, he continued to restrain himself. With a defeated sigh, he crossed his arms before him, carefully watching their every movement to ensure Shin didn't make it worse.
And then the tears came.
In an instant his glare dropped. swiftly replaced with concern and anxiety. Mariko was crying and he had no idea how to fix it. Mind reeling, Ren found himself pulling blanks. There were no jokes he could tell. A hug maybe? His hands started to reach out but were pulled back just as fast. That was inappropriate when she thought he was dating Sol. Ren didn't need her thinking he was trash and this was not the time to correct her. His gaze anxiously swept between the other two members.
Shin was the cause of this mess. By all rights he should be the one fixing it but Ren couldn't trust him to not make it worse. If it weren't for Haruhi's dumb rules, he'd have taken Mariko away and had her join his team instead.
Then there was Daichi who had been ignoring everything from the start. Even now it looked like the brunette wanted nothing more than to run away. The shrimp by then had made it very clear he did not want anything to do with him.
Why was everyone so useless?
With a groan, he accepted his own helplessness with the situation. "Alright." He spoke up, coming to a decision. Grabbing Mariko's shoulder, Ren shoved her fully into Shin's arms against his better judgment. "Look at what you did! Hug her and apologize, doofus. Once you're done, take her back to the cabin and take care of her properly this time. If she's not better by the time I return, I'll-" Tell Sol?...
Wait.
'Damn it. If Mariko thought He and Sol were dating… that meant that she wasn't dating Sol or even interested in him in that way. The epiphany had to come at the most awkward moment, didn't it?
"I guess if she's not better, we'll have to have a nice chat about life, won't we?" Ren promised with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. With someone like Ayame on Shin's side and Haruhi keeping the club harmonious, there was no way he could harm the other physically. But that didn't mean he couldn't be a pain in his ass.
Shifting his weight onto the leg that wasn't in pain, Ren turned back to Daichi with a subtle limp in his step. "Let's go." As worried as Ren was for Mariko, there wasn't anything he could do. She barely knew him. He didn't need to deepen the misunderstanding. Since he couldn't do anything about Mariko, Ren focused on what he could do; find that puzzle piece.
"You said the… sundial?" Throwing his arm around the smaller male's shoulders, Ren tried to remember what they were doing before the other two interrupted them. Focused back on their goal, Ren stubbornly focused on it as if it would make his ankle hurt less. All at once his plans to have Daichi waste time and tire himself out went to shit. As disappointing as it was, he didn't need to make his injury worse. "Let's get this over with so we can head back too. I could use a nap."
The sudden approach of the newer voice made her flinch, ears still sensitive from the drilling of the blades of the helicopter that passed by, the girl placed her mug down and stood, giving a small delicate bow to Akari. The offer of being shown about was something she wasn't going to pass up. "If you would be willing to show me about, I would really appreciate it! Again, i found two rooms for those to rest in, but not quite sure what one is for the girls and boys." Pushing her chair back under the table, although not quite getting it there. Hand reaching for the familiar ears of her cane, took it up and let some of her weight lean on it. "My name is En!" Reintroducing herself. She wasn't sure if Akari was present when she had done so before, but she wasn't wanting to seem rude if she hadn't.
Seemed the opportunity appeared just as things were starting to get noisy. Someone was starting some prep in the kitchen, although she did hear about making the pup some food. Figuring the meal prep was to make dog chow, even more reason not to loiter. "Any other places you would show me i would greatly appreciate! Although i imagine you would like to get a shower yourself if everybody else is vying to get one in." Starting to walk towards the doorway, her cane bumping the doorframe and letting her know what way to face. "Akari, such a pretty name. I can't thank you enough for the help." Her spare hand blindly feeling to her side, a finger brushing the wall every now and then to let her know she was on the right track. Soon enough she came to stairs and climbed them. "If I have any other problems and you are nearby, i shall let you know Morita-Chan." Reaching the top of the stairs, took care not to trip or fall backwards. "Ahh, uhm. If I could ask of a favour. In one of the room's i had left my belongings. A simple pack of spare clothing amongst some books. When i couldn't figure out what room was the one i needed, i just left my stuff behind the door of one of the rooms. If you could please peek and tell me what room i left them in, i can retrieve them and place them in the correct room. And after that, when everybody has showered i may get one myself."
Letting Akari show her around, finding the female dorm room and placing her belongings in the correct room, "I am sorry about breaking the mug earlier. Sharp sudden sound is startling. My hearing is very good, but unfortunately it is easy to become surprised because of it. The helicopter was far too loud for comfort." She had heard someone about in the female dorm, normally she would stop by to say hi for a moment, but only needed to know where it was. Her stuff placed inside the room behind the door to be placed on a bunk at a later time of the day, let Akari lead her back down the stairs towards the kitchen.
She wasn't sure if the person who was cooking was still doing so or not, although from the smell it seemed like that wasn't the case anymore. "Ahh, Morita-Chan. If you would like to join Sayuri, Briar and myself for a warm drink, i can make you a mug?" Talking back over her shoulder as she found her way back to the kettle. With all the ingredients left where they were from her last brewed cup, began to set out a few cups. one for herself, one for Sayuri, one for Briar, one for Akari and even one for Ruby should she want one. The sound of rather jovial steps reached her, a seat pulled free and sat upon. The voice of Sayuri asking what tea it would be. "This will be a nice cup of Matcha. A nice brew that warms the bones and helps to relax." Pouring out the drinks one by one and bringing them each to the table. With the collection of drinks set, spent a moment searching for a chair she could use and got herself comfortable. Taking up her own mug, smiling towards where she thought Sayuri was sitting. "Please, enjoy! You can let it cool if it is too hot, but it's temperature should be just fine!" Taking a sip of her own cup and placing the mug back on the table. "You sound like you have been rejuvinated by the warmth of a shower! It's nice to hear that you're in much better spirits so swiftly." A warm smile to go with her words. "So then, if it isn't intrusive, may i ask what adventures you and any friends may have been on?" She couldn't help but be curious after all.
Hanae beamed with pride at the mention of her little brother's sweetness. "Hehe it's true, he's the sweetest." She bragged, repeating the compliment and cementing it as pure fact. "Hopefully I can introduce you to him later, Tsuyo-sa-san." Though he wasn't a club member, she was sure she'd at least run into him at school events. Shouldn't be too hard to find him considering he towered over everyone at school, if not the entire country.
When Joe named dung beetles as his favorite insect, Hani's face froze in a polite smile. Weren't those bugs that played with… excrement? His description helped ease her confusion. A bug that never skipped leg day… that was… Looking at Joe's figure, it actually made sense. "That's… a lot. Like really strong. It must be nice being really strong." Not wanting to ramble on nonsensically, she moved on to the topic of diving in to search for a piece.
"Danger? You have a point but… If it's dangerous for me, wouldn't it be dangerous for you too? I don't want you to get hurt or sick. Do we even have towels?" Looking through the bag, Hanae dug around for a bit and pulled out a towel. Peeking between the towel and Joe, she couldn't help but wonder if it'd really be of any use. His long hair would use up one towel alone.
"This might not be the best idea. What if you catch a cold? If we don't find the piece here, won't you be uncomfortable?" Face heated from overworrying, Hani quickly stopped herself from nagging him to death by patting her cheeks down. "Alright. Okay. If you can handle it without getting hurt, I'll trust you. Let's try it. If you feel uneasy at any time, come right out, okay? Don't swim too deep."
Giving his arm a soft pat, she gently reassured him and started looking for any rocks that seemed unusual or out of place, carefully flipping them over one by one. All the while, she didn't turn away from the lake itself. Drownings were silent. If Joe really wanted to dive, she'd have to keep an eye out just in case. As his senpai, she had to make sure they both made it back in one piece.
