DanganRonpa: Royal Descent

Peacey

Edgebabby
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The date is XX March 20XX.

As stipulated in the instructions annexed to each invitation, today is the very day a select number of graduates of Hope’s Peak Academy are to gather to make the trip for a long-awaited high school reunion.

Five years ago, they graduated as a proud cohort of talented students with inextinguishable hopes for a brilliant future. Today, they reap the rewards of their excellence once more. Each alumnus bears an invitation of great value, granting them permission not only to visit and observe, but to mingle and to live among the prestigious Blackmore family for a considerable length of time.

To the graduates, not much is known of their elusive host. The members of the family, the extent and source of their wealth, and even the exact location as to where their residence can be found… much of this remains a mystery.

Nevertheless, their reputation as affluent and respectable members of upper-class society has compelled these ex-students to have made whatever sacrifices necessary to enable their attendance. Beckoned by insinuated promises of opportunity, luxury and boundless revelry, this five-year school reunion is sure to be unforgettable.

If the graduates were to closely abide by the instructions they were provided, they will now find themselves gathered at the airport of a small country located in Central Europe. Some may have had to travel great lengths to reach this airport; others, perhaps a less arduous distance. Regardless, the directions to attend Terminal TX of Concourse C at this airport, by no later than exactly 04:30, are detailed very clearly and with emphasis.

Some may have struggled in locating the terminal. It is, after all, seemingly located at the far end of the (already relatively small) airport. As graduates make their way towards it, luggage in tow, the fewer people they encounter, the emptier the corridors. It would be easy to believe they were headed in the wrong direction altogether… were it not for the fact that they would begin to encounter one another as they drew closer to the terminal. With so many familiar faces gathered in what would otherwise be considered the middle of nowhere, there is certainly promise to this invitation after all!

It is early morning, but a mere half an hour before the time of departure as indicated by the letter. The gates to Terminal TX are closed and seemingly unmanned, but surely they will soon be joined by flight attendants and other officers who will lead them onboard the private jet they were promised. In the meantime, the graduates are free to mingle about the small lobby… catching up with those they have likely not seen for very many years, or fussing over their luggage… perhaps lounging about on the seating provided, or staring out the windows at tarmac runways and a dark blue sky growing lighter by the second…

@Vitreus @Peacey @Aravhorn @Neobullseye @Huneypie @MikaStarrydust @Variel @tis author @slayersinbad @Merchedesi @Drama Fraud @aurelia_rain @meimoku
 
In what chances would the Ultimate Private Investigator find herself on a trip to some random castle upon request by some shady family? Yeah. Funny.

This young woman doesn't need any introductions. But if you need a reminder on who she is, she'll certainly give a helping hand. Himari Rikimaru. SHSL Private Investigator, a student of Hope's Peak Academy. A silent person since attending attending the school, but she has a considerable amount of connections with her classmates.

After graduating from the school, she's remained under the radar and perhaps non-existent to most eyes. Though given her status as student of Hope's Peak Academy, that didn't mean she was without any work to deal with. Her services have gotten relatively popular (or at least that's what she thinks), and she's been living a comfortable life. She did wish for something interesting to happen though... but she didn't think she'd trade her current life for anything else.

Himari checks her phone for recent messages. One from her older brother - he'd been fussing over her visit to the Blackmores, constantly rambling about how she should take the chance since it was a once-in-a-lifetime chance. Another from her younger brother, who she had entrusted her pet bird with. He had also been fussing over the invitation. It's not much of a bragging right she'd tell them to be honest. A few pictures of her pet budgie was sent to her - she's going to miss the little guy.

Her eyes finally loomed over to the last message she had yet to read.

"Have you arrived yet?"


One of her clients. A request to get information on the Blackmores. At first, Himari was hesitant to take on the job - not much information was around regarding the family, even she, a student of Hope's Peak Academy, was struggling to find anything regarding them. But the payment was too much for her to pass it down. And the invitation - it came at such a convenient time. Were they actually luring her through the means of this invitation? Did they really want to host a reunion with her old classmates? She didn't know, but there wasn't much room to remain with idle thoughts and conspiracy theories.

Putting her phone away for the mean time, Himari goes to sit down by herself. There wasn't much that she had to worry about muge, luggage-wise. It's not like she needed much, just enough clothes to last the visit, a few notebooks and pens to record her stay, plus some extra essentials, of course. Himari pulls out a book from her luggage to keep herself entertained. Without her phone to keep her company, there was no way in which she could play some music, look at her saved pictures or play a few mobile games she'd download on the device. Just simply a book she had yet to read. Although the Private Investigator wasn't a huge fan of Shakespeare, the title was loud and clear to those who had seen it.

"Macbeth." She'd murmur to herself, finding a spot to sit down and read. "Well, well, who would've ever thought I'd ever come to reading an overly flowery piece of fiction."

Hopefully, this book would keep her company until the end of her travels.
 
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Kai Suzuki

With a spin of her heel, her lovely flower dress flowing freely around her, a simple sun hat being held down with her hand as she did this motion. The Former Ultimate Florist was a stride or two ahead of her companion as she walked backwards. A smile that could light up a pitch dark room spread across her face as she couldn't help but gush a little~ "Ah the sights are spectacular! I wish we had time to sightsee in this area, did you see some of those trees in the center of the town as we were flying over?? They looked gorgeous! I could see their greenery from the skies, I want to meet whoever is taking care of them! I would think those types would be a duller color this time of year but they are already so healthy!" A mirthful tone in her words as she spun once more, pivoting and changing her speed so she now was lined up with the other.

"If that was simply a town! Can you imagine how a royal garden would look???" She chirped as her arms wrapped around the muscular arm of her companion. "I just wish customs wasn't so stubborn and would've let me bring a few flowers or twenty---- My poor flowers-----------" A light sigh escaped her, recalling the whole debacle when Kai had called ahead of time to see if she could bring a few flowers with her. Of course, she was denied no matter how much she protested and ensured she wouldn't allow anything to happen to cause harm to the environment. Only that she wished to show her flowers to a royal.... It was safe to say that the conversation did not go in her favor-

That was the only reason her hat was missing her usual fresh accessory, but no matter she'll fix that soon enough~

After a few moments of silence Kai's attention shifted to the area around them. "The difference of this airport and the one at home is striking isn't it? I'm so used to the bustle it's almost weird that my voice has a little echo to it. Do you think the Blackmore bought this entire wing just for this occasion?? Or---- Uh---" Kai let out a bit of a laugh and a shy smile. "We are going the right way aren't we? It was a bit confusing back there but the translator did assure we were heading in the right direction-"

No sooner did she say this did they turn a bend and before them stood the terminal that they were meant to arrive at. As soon as she saw it any worries of them being wrong washed away. Instead a bit of a giggle slipped from her as she got a bit on her toes to whisper to the other~ "It looks like my competition is here already~ Please do me a favor? Try not to get swept off your feet by him okay? The heartbreak would be too much if I catch him in your arms or visa versa~" Stopping her words she glanced over at the terminal another giggle leaving her. "I think he's already starring at you~" Giving him a kiss on the cheek she let go of the other as she adjusted the bag over her shoulder and waved at some of the people that were already there.

"I guess we're right on time!"
@Vitreus


Eiji Hashimoto

"Oi-" The start of almost any sentence that was certain to have some form of a compliant began leaving the lips of the Former Ultimate Tattoo Artist. "Ya positive we didn't take a wrong fucking turn? Was the translator bullshitting us or fucking what?" Eiji started as he slumped into one of the many free seats in the area, his gaze not fixed to anyone in particular though he was clearly talking to a specific individual that was with him. "Gods, one time I decide to actually be on time I'm fucking early or lost either way-" Raising a hand he casually scratched the top of his head as he soon enough shrugged in defeat. "Guess we'll give it what....another 20 minutes and if no one shows up we fucked up?"

Stretching out some he adjusted the coat that he had over his shoulders rather than on his body as he turned his attention to the other person in the area with him. "Come on no need to scowl at the world- We're about to meet some royal fuckers~" He asked before snickering a little as he teased the green hair man that stood only a few feet from him. Resting his hands in his pocket as he scooted down a bit till his neck was up against the back of the chair his body outstretched.

"At least the shit up to this point wasn't the worst huh? Don't know about ya but the flight here was relaxing as fuck despite the bit of turbulence near the end~ Though have to admit there was this one moment when I was having a conversation with the flight attendant and some type of janitor asshole fucking stopped me from getting her number. OTHER THAN THAT! Nice flight~" Loud as always, Eiji couldn't help but laugh as he perked up when he took notice of another a familiar face.

Sitting up a bit so his elbows were on his knees he grinned as he gave the woman a wave. "Oi! Been a hot second hasn't it~?" He called out though....she was without a doubt engrossed in her phone. Fair enough~ He didn't go out of his way to say hi to her, it's not like they haven't seen one another within a relative recent timeframe. If anything he wouldn't be surprised if she was purposely ignoring him- However his attention snapped to something else as he heard talking just before another person came around the corner.

Or rather, a couple-

There was was no hesitation in Eiji's expression as the literal second he saw who the girl....Tiaaaaa Tali...Ta something whatever ANYWAY! The second he saw who she was clinging to his heart skipped a several beats. For a moment he couldn't believe it but it was hard to deny what was before him- Tatsuya had actually came?! From their time at Hope's Peak Eiji was certain he'd never see him again. Yet there he was in the flesh. The man he lost and never thought he could ever get back--- But now? This trip? This trip would be different. He would get what he wanted and wouldn't back down as easily as before. He didn't care at all about the woman attached to the street fighters arm. He'd be certain to get it..

With a wave he grinned at the two of them. "Or early~ Nice of ya to join the party~ Didn't think you fuckers would make it or even come! Haha!"

"Eiji, it's been a bit!"

"Yup, haven't seen you in a hot second flower girl- T---"

"........."

"Ma-"

"..........No no. Don't let me stop you go ahead~ I'm sure you remember my name! You sounded so confident a second ago. I mean you wouldn't forget my name given how often you were around me and Tatsuya in our last year" ^^

"Hahaha Of course! Lisa-"

"..............................................."

"Nope? Okay ya uh-" Eiji just looked to the side slowly at Hara, and not so casually whispered. "Oi--- What's her name again-"
@Merchedesi @tis author @Vitreus
 
Ah. Just as when Himari believed she came to a good part (are there even any good parts in the beginning of the story? She's coming into this absolutely blind) in the book she had be holding, she had been called out. Speak of the devil, that bastard Eiji was talking to her.

"Definitely been a hot minute, buddy. Though you mind saying my name? It would be sad if you'd forgotten it, wouldn't it?" The Private Investigator says, sneering to herself.

She didn't think she'd be interacting with anyone so early into her time at the terminal. She especially didn't think it would be Eiji out of all people. She admits she was surprised by the fact that he had come here at all - seemed like his pride wouldn't let him come to a reunion out of all sorts of events. Ah, maybe she was wrong. People do change, and she should be expecting that. Especially when she was the one who had been silently observing her classmates back in their highschool days.


Either way, that snarky grin on her face was wiped off with a slight smile. Oh, now she sees who else have come here. Kai and Tatsuya, those two lovebirds. Himari had to admit that she was envious of what they had - given her own misfortunes during her dating life, it was to be expected. But there still was enough admiration to go around. The fact that they've managed to stay together for so long and things seem to be going together so smoothly - that, by itself, deserved some form of respect.

"Hello!" The young woman says, greeting the couple. It would be rude not to acknowledge their presence, wouldn't it? "Good to see you two." She'd add, before setting her sights elsewhere.

And another sight brought her lips to a smile, the person who was beside Eiji.

"Hara!" Himari says, retaining that joy she had. She still wonders how he and the Tattoo Artist were friends, simply too different, yet alike at the same time. Opposites attract, many say, but she wondered just what the limit for that attraction was. "What's up? Been some time we've seen each other."

The Private Investigator leaves it at that and goes back to reading her book. She didn't intend to steal the spotlight, had there been any. She was just alright with watching the others chat and she observed, just as she always had. Keeping quiet and not making a fuss, that was one of the things she knew to do best.

Something told her that there was a lot more interacting she'd be doing in this trip.

Ah, whatever. Literature waited for no one.

[ @Merchedesi, @Peacey, @Vitreus ]
 
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This trip was already a bit of a nightmare, all the way from departure to arrival.

Firstly, particular to contemptible clients; the Former Ultimate Janitor, Hara Diwa, should have respectfully declined the moment they start harassing for credentials that attest to services beyond what he was asked for. He left the phone hanging on them as he proceeded to peruse over his next agenda, his next client. What was he to do? He draws the sharp margin at dog-walking.

Secondly, particular to the less than impressive cleaning regulation of the airport terminal; Perhaps, the Former Ultimate Janitor has had skewed expectations after constantly taking off from Haneda airport for his work travels. With touted "facilities second to none", how was he to expect the light powdering of dust atop a chrome waste bin that they passed-- the distinguishable whiff of piss from a deserted terminal restroom to their left-- the imperceptible crunch of a half-opened, bag of chips under his boot.

"We are at the right place, Eiji.", Hara rolls the airline map and pamphlet and deposits it in the waste bin. He perceives it to be half-full.

Thirdly.

Particular to the gentleman standing beside him...

Perhaps, the Former Ultimate Janitor thought, if he tried hard enough, he could have convinced his oh-so irrefutably principled companion that ignoring the letter invitation was the far superior option than being plucked from this shit-piss airport terminal, and whisked off towards distant, map-voided hinterlands. The letter temptingly mentioned, they will be staying at the manor for "a considerable length of time".

Even at almost 04:30, in the midst of a truly deserted terminal, no growing longing was stronger than the will to turn back and buy the tickets going back home. He had already accounted for the sordid costs, and can afford to skip a month of grocery.

That is, until said principled companion woke him from his musings, hovering close beside.

"Workplace distractions aside, Eiji, the flight attendant was two words away from giving you the speed dial to the airline customer service for lost items and parcels."

Hara had already spotted three other people-- their classmates, in fact, within the same space as they were.

Miss Himari has been a consummate professional like him, but it is curious, why she would have agreed to come to something like this. And that book-- it must be severely hard to swallow even after a red-eye flight.

To the other side of the terminal, Hara finds a fairly stand out couple. It was Miss Kai, with her silken floral dress and wicker hat that stood in contrast with the pallor of the floor tiles, and her tall, seemingly genteel companion, Tatsuya, emerging just by her side. They seemed to be just as lost as they were, but they looked quite absorbed in what they were talking about.

"Kai-san. Tatsuya-san." Hara interjects before Eiji makes a bigger fool of himself. "Good morning." His eyes pass Tatsuya's and there was a wordless acknowledgement, and a nod. He was admittedly pleased that he and Eiji were not alone at that moment. "I hope your flight was well."

"Himari-san, good morning."
There was a meaningful exchange of glances. "Big book you have there. Are you looking to pass the time to miss the flight?"

His gut still told him to book those flights back.

| @Peacey , @Vitreus , @tis author |
 
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Meanwhile, at roughly the same time as the others, a certain brunette arrived at the airport, holding her phone in her left hand. Sure, she'd have to give it up in a moment, but that didn't mean she'd have to give it up now -- and she was going to make sure to record as much of this trip as she was allowed to. Which, granted, was not a whole lot, but still! The least she wanted to do was make pictures of all of her classmates that would turn up for this reunion trip. ...She couldn't help but wonder who would show up, and perhaps more importantly who would not. Kai probably would. And if Kai did, Tatsuya would likely be dragged along too; those two were almost inseparable, at least when it came to things like this. If Thalia knew anything about Himari, the PI would never let a chance to learn something about the Blackmores go by. Heck, she herself was quite interested too. As for the others... Lucius, maybe? If only to get inspiration for his writings? Of course, it wasn't quite his genre specialty, but that didn't mean that it would be completely pointless. Aside from them... Surely a good few more? There wasn't anyone that instantly jumped to Thalia's mind, but surely there'd be more than just four people

A short while later, Thalia arrived at the hall where everyone else was waiting too, instantly seeing her suspicions at least partially confirmed. Kai was there, indeed with Tatsuya in tow. Himari was reading a book of some sorts, though she couldn't see the title from this distance. As for the others, Hara's green hair was about as obvious an identifier as a full face tattoo. And speaking of tattoos, was that Eiji? Wow, that was a face she hadn't expected to see here. He's going to cause such a scene.

"Oh, hey, everyone! How have you all been? Wow, it's been ages since I last saw some of you... ," Thalia said, raising her right hand in greeting. ...It really had been. Most of the people here, she hadn't seen even once since graduation. Sure, she met up with Kai (and per extension Tatsuya) every now and then, and chatted with some of the others on a semi-regular basis, but actual, physical contact? That had become a rarity. Oh well. Such is the fate of someone who travels a lot, never really settling down, nor quite having enough time to herself to keep up lasting social contacts. Well, one of them in particular drew the actress's attention. Himari, and the book she was reading. "Hey, isn't that-"

"Macbeth, Macbeth, Macbeth," another voice chimed in from behind her, cheerful as always. Thalia didn't even bother to turn around, already knowing exactly who it was. In between the energetic voice and the need to make a joke of some kind before even introducing himself, it could only possibly be one person. The actress shook her head, then started speaking, still not facing the person behind her. "First of all, we're not in a theater, so you can say that without any problem. Second, Bloody Mary is the one where you repeat the name three times. Third, you're supposed to do that in front of a mirror. Fourth, be quiet, Jonathan." It had been almost five years since they last saw each other, but still, she'd recognize that voice anywhere. ...The poor Blackmores had no idea what they were getting themselves into, did they?
"Aww, you're no fun," the Comedian pouted. "But anyway! Like Miss Mask over here asked, how've you all been! Me, I've been great! Busy as heck though, plenty of long nights. But thank God for coffee, right?"
"I... I don't even wear a... You know what, never mind. I'm not even going to bother. It's 4:30 AM, for god's sake. How are you this awake?"
"Coffee."
If you'd ask someone from his surroundings, you might get the feeling that Jonathan might have an addiction to coffee. If you'd ask a doctor, he'd definitely say he was addicted. But if you asked Jonathan himself, you'd know that he wasn't addicted. After all, he could stop whenever he wanted to! ...He just didn't want to.
 
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The sound her suitcase made as it clicked off of the carpet floor and onto the hardwood flooring was enough of a wake-up call for the short girl. The increase in volume made her dreary eyes widen the tiniest bit, but her lips remained pursed as annoyance was littered all over her face. At one point while on her way to the terminal, she stopped walking altogether, huffed, and slammed the handle of her suitcase into its encasing. It's then that she attempted to pick up her suitcase, only to waddle forward a few steps and have it drop back onto the floor. With a groan, she dug her nails into the sides of her suitcase. She was making this so much harder for herself. She figured it was to delay seeing her old classmates if she was even going the right way at all.

Any looks shot her way from passerby's was deflected with a sharp glare from her. She didn't need any help. Yet, with a few more of this repeated gesture, she eventually caved in and dragged her suitcase behind her once more. She had to hurry; after all, if she got there late, she would have never forgiven herself. She occasionally slowed down to see where she was going, resuming her natural gait upon confirmation. It's not long until she arrives at the edge of the terminal, and it's clear that she likely didn't sleep well on the flight here. Everything about her currently oozes lethargy.

Why was she even here anyway? She wasn't particularly close with most of her classmates from what she remembers. Even then, she's certain she's been a notorious mess for the past few years.

Psycho Nao.

The corner of her lips quirks up at the label. That's right. She was Nao Murakami, the Former Ultimate Stunt Double. Infamous for a scandal about three years ago between her and an actor who she allegedly attacked. The event could've been one to embrace with open arms, had it not brought along endless bouts of harassment.

Her slight smirk disappeared as she stepped further into the terminal. A sigh escaped her, and she begrudgingly began to walk to the provided seats. Upon catching herself staring at the group, she snapped her head forward to keep her gaze in front of her (some side glances being the exception). She purposefully seats herself as far as she can from the group, setting her stuff down in front of her. She went and undid the strings that kept her bun covers secure over her hair, took them off, and set them in her lap. It's then that she unraveled her hair, letting it fall down as she ran her hands through her hair now and then to massage her scalp.

When she was done... Whoosh! There went Nao's hair in all sorts of directions. She made no move to fix her hair or settle it into place.

As she pulled her phone out, she glanced around the area, lips shifting to form a confused pout as she noticed there wasn't anyone manning the gates. With a shrug, she dismissed any confusion or worry she may have had. She focused on her phone, casually kicking her feet up onto the luggage to use as a footrest. Off she was to clicking away at her screen.

Absorbed into whatever Nao was doing on her phone, she assured herself it wasn't going to be long until a half-hour and more passed by. It just had to be.

Nothing could possibly slow time down.
 
Li-Wei Xun
Why did she agree to come here again?

This trip was already a pain in the ass. Departing from Guilin, China and venturing to Central Europe, the trip was long and drawn out. Unfortunately for the Former SHSL Traditional Dancer, Li-Wei Xun, she had to spend roughly 17-18 hours on the plane, causing her to get zero sleep, nor any real space to walk around - it was tortuous. Oh, and of course, you have to have that one child crying during the flight. So, one can say, Xun was in a rather tense, uncomfortable mood, just from looking at her visage.

It was hard to pinpoint her reasoning to even agree to come to this reunion anyways. Most of her classmates had little-to-no effect on her. Sure, she had missed a few of her friends, but she kept in contact with them. It’s not like she couldn’t have planned to meet up with them in the near future. However, it’s a bit late to backtrack now. She arrived in Central Europe, on her way to another flight. Hopefully, it’s not as long as her previous one…

As she made it to the lobby, her eyes glanced around the room at the sea of familiar faces. It’s been five years, and she doesn’t remember a lot of names. The only faces she remembers by name are the Former SHSL Florist - Kai Suzuki and the Former SHSL Street Fighter - Tatsuya Yamazaki. Two people that she holds a respect for. They seemed already preoccupied, so she continued to keep to herself.

Rolling her suitcase to the nearest seat, away from everyone else, she pulled out her phone to connect to the Wifi the airport had to offer. Noticing she has a messenger notification, she went to respond to it.

“你到了吗?” (Have you arrived, yet?)

“我刚到这儿. 我想你了.” (I just arrived. I miss you already.)


Reading her message from her mother already made her homesick. Her mother had convinced her to go to the reunion. It was sweet to see her mother was willing to let her go out, but it left a pain in Xun’s heart to know she’s once again separated from her only family. Her mother needed her, and so did Xun...

Letting out a tired sigh, she placed her phone in her jacket pocket and leans back in her seat. Not a fun start to this trip. Here’s to hoping the reunion can help distract her from her mother.

@Vitreus



Zarek D'Angelo
Shortly after Xun had arrived, another taller male began to make his way down the hallways, seemingly talking to someone.

“I know you were cramped up in that small cage for 20 hours! I’m so sorry Severus, I still love you… You know that, right?”

Ah, yes. Zarek D'Angelo, the Former SHSL Herpetologist - seemingly had a loose albino snake wrapped around his neck in the airport. Needless to say, the two of them had gotten a lot of… Questionable looks from the people around them, but Zarek could only assume it was from his outfit. He’s gotten a few dirty looks in the past because of it.

Phone in hand, the man clicked his tongue on the roof of his mouth, looking for the information he was given to arrive at his next gate. This airport was a bit smaller than what he was used to, so surely he could easily find where he departs from. He also hoped that there was a restaurant nearby so he could grab some food for the plane. “Do you think they’d have food nearby, Severus?” The herpetologist asked, looking up from his phone towards the snake around his neck.

“Don’t even think about eating, until you feed me! Selfish!” The man replied back to himself, using a distinctive voice to make himself sound like a different person - or snake, rather.

“You ate before we left Arizona… You can survive a little longer…” That was true. Most snakes can survive without food for days or even months. Severus, being the spoiled brat he was, cannot fathom the idea of going a full 24 hours without eating. Abuse, he claims!

Upon arriving at the gate, he heard a few familiar voices. Wow! There was already a group of people here. That was a blessing, he would have hated being the first to arrive and being utterly bored. A smile appeared on his face, noticing some of his friends already. He wanted to say hello to everyone!

However…

One certain girl had caught his attention...

His narrow eyes looked over at the small girl that was on her phone, his lips curled upwards, and made his way over to where the girl sat. With one hand dragging his luggage, his other hand was searching for a coin, and thankfully, he just had an American quarter.

“Hey, Nao.” Zarek stood in front of her, tossing a coin in her way. “Heads or tails?”


@meimoku
 

[Julia Keyes || SHSL Pharmacologist; Location: Terminal TX Waiting Area, Somewhere in Central Europe]


The flight from London took much longer than she had anticipated, but she was finally there.

Julia glanced at the sign hanging from the ceiling and checked the itinerary in her hand: "Terminal TX". This must be the place. With a light nod, she put away the note inside her lab coat and pulled her suitcase along, making her way to the waiting area.

As expected, she wasn't the first one who arrived there: lounging around in the lobby there were at least nine other people, some of them familiar, while others less so. Either way, Julia didn't come here to play catch up with her former classmates, so their presence was of little consequence to her.

In truth, Julia's reason for being here was much more practical in nature: it is said that the Blackmore sponsored and financed countless projects and institutions across several fields of expertise worldwide, and it just so happened that the medical sector was one of them. Therefore, if one were to get in the family's good graces, then they will not only get an extremely influential contact on their side, but it will also open a boundless source of information which they could use for their own benefit. While Julia wasn't vain enough to care about the former, she had every single reason to be interested in the latter. And even on the off chance that it was just a baseless rumour, well... her vacation was long overdue, so taking a moment of respite amongst royalty isn't the worst way to spend one's time.

She checked her wristwatch: much to her surprise, she was still half an hour early despite her plane arriving late. 'Good.' She thought. This gave her plenty of time time to buy some coffee and stretch her legs a little while she waits for the next flight to arrive... On that note, why did they need to take so many flights to begin with? Is using a train or a bus too plebeian for the Blackmore's liking? And then there's the whole secrecy of the entire event: if Julia hadn't known any better she would've suspected that something sinister was afoot, and even though she did know better she couldn't help but feel slightly uneasy.

As she pondered over this, Julia briefly scanned the lobby for any vending machines. She couldn't get a wink of sleep ever since she set foot inside the plane bound from London, hence a quick pick-me-up would come quite in handy right about now. Fortunately, it didn't take her long to find what she was looking for, and soon enough she was browsing through a machine's beverage selection.

Her fortune would be short-lived, however: while there was a rather impressive range of drinks on display, there was not a single coffee option in sight. The blonde clicked her tongue in irritation.
"*sigh*, This trip just keeps getting better and better, doesn't it?" She muttered as she picked a random energy drink and typed its number on the keypad to the right.

The can made a clanging sound as it fell into the machine's pick-up box. Julia reached inside and picked it up before cracking it open and taking a short sip: the drink had a fizzy, lemony taste to it. It wasn't the most original flavour out there, but as long as it took the edge off the exhaustion Julia didn't complain... too much.

With that issue out of the way, the young pharmacologist turned around and strolled towards the large windows overseeing the airfield. It was still fairly early outside, but the night sky was already giving way to the gentle light blue and golden hues of sunrise. Julia was never the sentimental sort, but even she couldn't deny that the view was quite relaxing. With nothing better to do, the woman took the seat nearest to the windows but a bit further away from the rest of the group, and set the suitcase next to her before silently watching the landscape spreading out before her.

@Anyone who happens to be in the vicinity​
 
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Prakoso_-_Rebel.png

Zhen "Lucius" Xianliang
Chinese Fantasy Author
Fucking around

Lucius loved being a proud American. Loose gun controls, exorbitant hospital bills, shitty minimum wage, so much to fucking love. Just a day before he got someone kicked out of a bar for saying racial slurs. Heh. Yogurt Pasty Fuck had strawberry flavor from how red his face turned after a minute of uncivilized discussion.

Still, all good times must end. Driven by his drunk girlfriend at two in the morning, Lucius caught his flight for an endearing class reunion. Ah, school reunion. Always fun to see familiar grimaces after years of not meeting. The Former Ultimate Chinese Fantasy Author (fucking mouthful of a name) opened years-old pictures and documents on the plane to reminiscence of the old days. The scholarship days, where everything was paid for and he got to fuck around and find out. Not that he couldn't fuck around now, just that he had to pay for 'em.

Arriving at the terminal with a massive suitcase and a packed shoulder bag was someone provocatively loud. Loud in his red hair, in the creaky wheels of his suitcase, in the 'Gangnam Style' music playing ALOUD from his phone, and in that patronizing smile he had. Lucius. He still looked like how he was years before, in that thuggish leather jacket of his and grating presence. Though the scar over his left eye was a new addition, another accessory would catch the eyes more readily: the spiked choker around his neck with chains dangling from it.

"The old forest is back again, back again! Hunting Hound's deep in a book, Rabbit is still with Tiger playing mandarin ducks- Yo, Ink Carver! Finally giving Scarab your chrysanthemum or are you still alone?"

With an improper snicker, Lucius continued around, until a more friendly sight entered his eyes, and he found the grace to turn his music off.

"Thousand Masks, nice seeing you. Caffeine Bitch, forgot your name and only remember you'd pay extra for more caffeine. Bunbun, don't remember who you are at all. Serpent still got snakes, the fucking that woman in the distance being a recluse in a reunion, I have no idea..."

And at last, he turned to Li-Wei Xun, tilting his head side way with but the most amused look he had. "And how's my favorite Ex doing? Got married yet, Peony?"

So many names, so many memories, and most of them didn't matter but a few. Peony, the gal he dated for a while and became a hotly conflicted topic between him and his girlfriend Lesta for about three months. Did she change? Having just seeing a picture of her in high school on the plane, he could give it a resounding yes. Definitely changed, though the details escaped him. Why?

Cause that was fucking years ago.

Interactions: Eiji, Thalia, Jonathan, Julia, Li-Wei
Mentions: Anyone else Lucius greeted can response!
@Peacey @Neobullseye @Aravhorn @MikaStarrydust

Hunting Hound: Himari the Private Investigator
Rabbit: Kai the Florist
Tiger: Tatsuya the Street Fighter
Ink Carver: Eiji the Tattoo Artist
Scarab: Hara the Janitor
Thousand Masks: Thalia the Stage Actress
Caffeine Bitch: Jonathan the Comedian
Bunbun: Nao the Stunt Double
Serpent: Zarek the Herpetologist
Fucking woman staying in the distance: Julia the Pharmacologist
Peony: Li-Wei Xun the Traditional Chinese Dancer
 
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Well, there certainly was one thing that could slow down time: conversation.

Nao's eyes moved to the side at the sound of trudging luggage growing closer and closer to her. In a now somewhat wary state, she directed her gaze back onto her phone. Best to act as if she didn't notice anything and as if she wasn't expecting anything. Until it was that a looming presence stood before her, and her eyes slowly raised to see who it was. A frown is etched into her features, and as her lips part to say something, a coin is thrown at her.

Nao lurched forward to clasp her hands around the coin in the air, and in doing so, her phone fell into her lap, almost dropping onto the floor had she not practically folded herself. She leaned over to the side to try and guide her phone back with her elbow into her lap, and she shot Zarek a peeved glare. Though in contrast to her previous detached look, she seemed to have a hint of familiarity deep within her expression.

"Haaah," Nao breathed out. "Don't you think it would've been better to give me a heads up?"

Silence befell her at an epiphany.

"...Don't laugh at that. It wasn't meant to be a pun."

Nao lolled over, trying to peek in between her hands. Her attention is soon caught by Lucius, and with a turn of her head, she peered at him. As he listed off his nicknames for each person, she scoffed when it was her turn. Nao looked back to Zarek and muttered with a shake of her head and a roll of her eyes, "Ridiculous and colorful."

A sigh slipped out from her. "Right, tails," Nao uncovered her hand. However, the hand the coin was on, she curled her fingers to serve as a barrier from Zarek's line of sight. Though, he could probably see from above regardless.

She pressed her lips into a fine line upon seeing which side of the coin was up. It was heads. She had guessed incorrectly.

"It's tails." Totally.

Nao stared up at Zarek in an expectant manner. With her hand freed from hiding away a coin, it doesn't last for long as her phone occupies that newfound space. Her possession is back into safe clutches, and she makes her hand flat to undo the barrier she had set up. While waiting, her gaze flickered over to the snake around the herpetologist's neck. Her brows raised in minor amusement.

"I see you're still very well into reptiles."

@MikaStarrydust @Drama Fraud
 
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There's little that a seminarian needs on any occasion. Even one so fanciful as an invitation to the Blackmore family palace for a considerable length of time. Though only a small percentage of priests end up devoted to a vow of poverty, he had formed the idea that it would be the absolute devotion to God. To give up not only one's entire self, but, in fact, as much material possessions as he could. And for this trip, he had finally denoted it time to begin training for this significantly simpler lifestyle.

Julius held with him quite the small suitcase, made of metal and utterly unbendable, it held perhaps 3-4 recreational activities in all-- most of which consisted of books he had intended to, yet had failed to read in the past. After all, not every person will be able to host an audience with the Blackmore family at once and one always had downtime. He couldn't deny the fervent indecisiveness that came with choosing just a few to bring with him.

His flight into the airport was aptly and luckily timed, a blessing he was quite thankful for, though slightly irked him by the timing. Cutting his planned pilgrimage in Nazareth around two days shorter than it could've been, this little endeavor certainly did cost him quite a bit, something he assumed would be returned in the form of experience within the Blackmore estate. That, or at the very least, the prospect of meeting up with those he hadn't seen in such a lengthy amount of time. So many friendships made, he hoped a few of them would have persevere-- though generally wouldn't be devastated if lost. Rebuilding and return is the whole theme of a reunion after all!

With harsh clacks of his heavy shoes, Julius oddly easily located the exact terminal he had been invited to, using his own lovely acute sense of direction he had always seemed to have. He felt a variety of odd nerves as he came upon the group of his peers and former classmates. It wasn't as if they were new or anything particularly awe inspiring (though of course they all should be in their own certainly Godly way), but it was still an attack against his comfort zone seeing everyone again. Perhaps the feeling was even excitement.

Upon arriving within, he noted each face he saw- some were familiar. In fact, quite familiar; others muddled, names perhaps mixed with other classmates or people he had met thereafter; and a few that didn't even conjure up a singular syllable from his memory. He stood for a moment, watching the group with that adrenaline kicked feeling he had felt before... before deciding to instead follow the girl he had previously seeing taking a small detour towards the vending machines.

Not because he was nervous, of course not. He simply knew the name of the girl and had wished to greet her! He recalled it: Julia. It was quite similar to his own, and he even recalled a conversation the two had shared their first year.


Approaching her from behind, he offered a cheerful, somewhat louder than warranted greeting, "Good morning! How are you this gorgeous spring day, hm?"

@Aravhorn
 
Sage... clears the mind, elevates focus; vetiver... increases alertness, reduces fatigue.

Nicholae recounts the list again to himself, recalled and repeated innumerable times to the point of becoming something of a personal mantra. He makes his way through the sparse crowd scattered beyond the airport's security checkpoint. Sparse as it may be, there are far more people surrounding him than he had grown accustomed to since the years following his graduation from Hope's Peak Academy. He thought he had gotten over the discomfort that came with the bustle of more developed regions of the world, but apparently time and distance from had caused that tension to take root once more. It wasn't nearly as paralyzing as it had been almost a decade ago, but he still felt that unease creeping through his neglected defenses, growing, and threatening to envolop them completely. He shakes his head and slowly inhales, focusing on the aroma that had been his sole companion throughout his wandering.

Almond... calms the muscles; nutmeg... energizes the body.

The crowd grows less and less dense until it finally disperses completely. Nicholae releases a breath he hdan't realized he was holding. He takes a moment to stretch and work out a knot in his shoulder. He had certainly traveled a much shorter distance to arrive at this airport than many of his fellow alumni, but the trek had been no less arduous. Despite having only been separated from it by no more than two international borders, Nicholae had forgone the luxury of taking a commercial flight and instead opted to take the journey mostly on foot. He enjoyed the walk, but his body has grown stiff and sore from being pushed so hard in such a short timeframe. It was only by luck that he made it to the town with just enough time to spare for a long bath. He readjusted his satchel resting across his chest and began following the directions to the terminal again. He momentarily closes his eyes as he walks, focusing on the silence only broken by the echo of his boots on the floor and on the scent enveloping him, crafted by hands much more delicate than his.

Clementine... elevates mood, provides clarity.

Nicholae opens his eyes and cracks a small smile as his little ritual comes to an end. He never bought into aromatherapy, but admittedly, this particular infusion never failed to deliver. Whether that be due to the merits of aromatherapy or the fond memories of the blend's creator going off about its efficacry, who's to say? Soon, the silence is further disturbed as the distant sound of energentic laughter joins that of his footsteps. It's shattered completely as the racous voices of Eiji and Lucius join the uproar. Nicholae's smile grows and steps quicken, further energized by the anticipation of seeing his former classmates again. As he rounds the corner and Terminal TX comes into full view, sure enough he's greeted by many familiar faces.

As he walks towards the gathering, he falters. As happy he is to see them all again, he hasn't spoken to many of them in years; not to mention that even those who attempted to keep in touch with him suddenly lost contact with him shortly after graduating. He glances at the faces around him again, all familiar yet far different from when he had known them. He too had changed; he has grown older, his hair which had come no further than his shoulders in high school now nearly hides his back from view. How much have the others changed? Nicholae takes a breath and adopts a more reserved manner, nodding to those who take notice of him. He briefly considers joining Kai in conversation but is unsure of how to approach her after vanishing without a word. Deciding against it, he takes a seat and applies a balm to soothe his muscles.
 
Back sooner than your feathers can catch.

Those were the last words Wolfgang spoke to their faithful segavao, Coyote, before entrusting his care to an old friend. Martel might not think himself the best to care for such an exotic creature, what with his devious little prank materials spread out about his apartment in a haphazard manner or his tendency to get distracted (thus forgetting to feed himself for two days), but for Wulf… there was no other alive that they would trust with the bird. Shouldn’t be gone that long anyway; they only accepted the invite in order to show off, to promote the beauty of intense, dangerous pageantry, and perhaps to set an upperclass family’s pompous-ass mansion on fire “by mistake.”

Visit and observe… How pretentious. So many other things to see, so many places to visit, like… like the islands, and REVELRY? I’ll show you revelry! Use the money to give the people their rightfully owned land, Blackmores, no, spend it on frivolous pursuits like gathering a bunch of specialized formers for the sake of… what, exactly? Meeting them? Just to say you did? For fuck’s sake...

The walk to the terminal is relatively mindless through the presumptuous complaints, the old, faux-leather suitcase held tighter and tighter so as they tune in to the sound of their Ie lavalava swishing softly, barring further noise from disrupting thought. Granted, Wolfgang was one of the few that didn’t travel too far from their home country, so focus was a bit easier to manage and fatigue wasn’t close to setting in… Indeed, they’d been a mere hop, skip, and a jump away from this area of Central Europe. A train ride later, and here they were, ready to greet the faces of their classmates with nothing more than a quick, efficient nod and a briskly muttered ‘hallo.’

Wulf glances out through the airport windows, dreading the minutes that tick by with every second of blooming, happy light; they didn’t even get to practice today. Performing in the middle of a train, the Ultimate Siva Afi Performer would come to find, was frowned upon… and sharp objects were removed for holding in cargo, along with their other luggage.

Could stand to burn some of this… garbage.

Eventually they come upon the former cohort of Hope’s Peak, Wolfgang reflexively grips their hip for their misplaced nifo’oti, suddenly feeling barren and exposed without their weaponry. Immediately upon recognizing such weakness, they straighten up, chastising internally that no warrior worth their weight would falter in the face of such benign circumstances. Wulf runs their fingers through the loose twists of their mohawk, shaking out whatever anticipation has befallen them. Raised scarring on their cheeks from previous, fiery accidents meets the scars of deep gashes on their hands next, and Wolfgang’s resolve returns tenfold.

Warrior, worse comes to worst, bash someone’s head in with your suitcase.

They adopt a cool exterior, ducking around some former classmates and making brief, intense eye contact with others, before picking a seat smack in the center of the seating area. Wulf looks each of them over, picking out new characteristics, sizing them up.

The flowery one seems as impractically cheerful as ever, sided with her… solemn partner. One of the few Wulf believes would match them, left to each of their own talents. It’s not hard to pick Eiji out from a crowd, boisterous and colorful, not to mention the man that bestowed Wolfgang their first tattoo. He seems occupied, though, so they drag their eyes to others, Hara, Himari, the… “comedic” one, whose name escapes them, then Zarek (it’s times like this that Wulf curses themselves for not following on their doctorate program, what exotics they could have treated with Zarek’s access), and… other recluses, quiet ones that they may have foggy memories of. Julius and Julia, similar enough for Wulf to recall both names; in fact, the performer focuses particularly on those two, avoiding the loud one with the preposterous monikers flung carelessly about…

I’ve got one for you. Mülleimer.
 
Xiang 'Veronica' Li - Ultimate Perfumer

The rapid clickety-clack of wheels and heels on tiles resounded down the corridor nearing Terminal TX. Accompanying the sound was a most exquisite fragrance… distinctly floral, a delicate balance of ylang-ylang, lavender and patchouli, bolstered by myriad additional elements almost imperceptible to the average nose. There was a pause as the source of this olfactory brilliance finally drew near to the gathering, a lapse in her hurried gait as she so happened to pick up on the loud speech of one who had arrived not very long before her. A peculiar feeling of relief upon having shown up in the nick of time, coupled with second-hand indignance at what she had just had the displeasure of hearing, washed over her during that brief moment of appraisal. With a soft exhale, she quickly composed herself and continued in her purposeful approach.

“That’s a rather rude first thing to ask of someone, isn’t it?”

A petite woman with plaited burgundy hair pulled back into two impeccably neat loops strolled up in between Lucius and Li-Wei, looking quite unimpressed. Just as well, as she had been forced to spend the last ten to fifteen minutes trailing a good fifty yards behind this raucous redhead on her way to the terminal. Having desired little association with one so boisterous, she considered it a shame that the Chinese Fantasy Author should be the first of those she recognized in a country unfamiliar to her, unapproachable as he was. How anyone could have the audacity to present as rowdily as Lucius did and with no regard for the comfort of others, she could not fathom. Much less so when one of the primary purposes of their upcoming departure was to request the audience and favour of a prestigious family, among all things…

Drawing her suitcase up beside her, Veronica swiftly popped herself on the seat to the right of Li-Wei, smoothing her hands over the silken fabric of her qipao with a quiet sigh.

“Such a tiring flight…” She deplored, bringing a hand to her cheek. “How some have the energy to harass others so early in the morning is beyond me…”

With the small, dramatic shake of her head, the perfumer twisted in her seat just a tad to better face Li-Wei, folding her hands in her lap. The smile that greeted the dancer was bright and familiar, if not a tinge sympathetic.

“Never mind him… I’m so happy you’re here, Li-Li! Hǎojiǔ bújiàn! How have you been? You look exhausted, mm… but you smell fantastic!”

For the woman once recognised as the Ultimate Perfumer, it was difficult to forget any one fragrance she’d concocted from the base-notes up, much less those she had hand-crafted for those persons meaningful to her. The perfume that Li-Wei wore was of special significance to Veronica, reminiscent of snowcapped mountains cloaked in cool mist, inlaid with valleys of blue poppies and marigold in bloom. Tranquil, but no less stunning.

Her animated expression settling into one of undisguised satisfaction, Veronica uttered a soft hum, peering around her companion for an idea of who else had so far gathered. Having been distracted by Li-Wei and Lucius’ exchange, she may have accidentally bypassed some other dear friends of hers, those she had been longing to see for months, if not years. With her classmates of old scattered about the waiting area, mostly immersed in conversation, it was hard to know who to start with and where to begin.

“Let’s see here… If it isn’t that other hooligan. Hmm.” Veronica fidgeted a little, considering a certain rugged-looking Tattoo Artist from afar, only to interrupt herself with a soft gasp. “Oh, and Hara!!”

Her eyes brightened considerably at the sight of a certain janitor, eager to approach her old friend and see as to how he had been faring since she saw him last. But she wasn’t so quick to depart from Li-Wei’s side, not with one (or two…) rude troublemakers in the vicinity. Nevertheless, her excitement of earlier, which served as one of the main motivators behind her decision to make this trip, was effectively revived upon recalling several familiar faces and in hearing the murmur of their voices in unison. It was a nostalgic experience, expressly so.

“Have you said hello to the others already? I didn’t think I would arrive so late. Perhaps I spent too long touching up in the restroom…”

That explained why the Perfumer was so well-presented, despite what she had earlier mentioned of her tiresome journey. Beautifully scented, without an aspect of her elegant outfit askew, Veronica was always one to take pride in her appearance. You’d have thought they were gathered for a job interview, what with her tendency to fuss over the little things. Nevertheless, despite how well-prepared she seemed, she was still rather nervous. It always took the perfumer a little longer to settle in compared to most, anxious about creating a good impression and ensuring that matters would carry out as smoothly as possible.

“Look, Nicholae is here too… and there’s Kai. Oh… Oh, Li-Li, I’m excited!!”

For one who had complained of how exhausted she was, she still seemed plenty energetic, grasping onto the arm of her friend in her excitement. Veronica did not think much of it, but her natural gravitation towards Li-Wei made it seem as though they had not spent time apart for many years, acting and appearing as comfortable as ever in her presence.

“I really should stop staring and say hello,” Veronica corrected herself out-loud, having decided on the most polite course of action. She released Li-Wei’s arm then, clearing her throat and dusting off her dress as she prepared to stand.

“You can accompany me, if you like,” she offered with a warm smile.

Interactions: @MikaStarrydust @Drama Fraud
Mentions: @Peacey @Variel @Merchedesi
 
Tatsuya Yamazaki - Ultimate Street Fighter

Tatsuya had never travelled outside of the vicinity of Japan before. In fact, travelling by plane was, in itself, an experience unknown to him.

In the 24 hours prior to their arrival at Terminal TX of Concourse C of an airport in a country entirely unfamiliar to him, Tatsuya had the opportunity to discern for himself the advantages and disadvantages of travelling by airplane.

The impressive part, he reflected, was the fact that humans were capable of travelling by air in the first place. While his girlfriend gushed about the lovely foliage she had noticed from the sky, Tatsuya recalled for himself what it was like to see the tops of clouds, set aglow with the golden rays of the sun. While he was not one to get excited persay, he would be lying if he said he was not awed by the sight. During the flight, he had spent a fair number of daylight hours simply staring out of the window.

Every other aspect of travelling by air, the man once titled ‘Street Fighter’ cared little for.

Perhaps worst of all were the stares Tatsuya earned, especially in the airports. While this was not a new experience for him, his preference for keeping his torso bare seemed especially problematic for everybody else. He thought he already disliked how heavily regulated the airports were, what with all the paperwork, business and deadlines to adhere to, but security certainly took things to the next level. Customs in either country did not take too much of a liking to him at all, with Tatsuya being frequently pulled up for screening, frisking and borderline interrogation. This, he initially despised, but soon enough he grew jaded with the process. Fortunately, Kai appeared even more bothered than he was with the repetitive and unnecessary interference, and was quick to intercede with a few words, and threats, of her own (flaunting their status as alumni of Hope’s Peak worked surprising wonders). This assisted in getting him cleared more efficiently than he would otherwise, but was no less exhausting to persevere through.

Luckily for him, his girlfriend had also had the foresight and solicitude to take the initiative in purchasing for them first-class tickets. It would suffice to say Tatsuya did not very well know the difference in seating arrangements. However, despite the extra expense, he only deemed the flight to be tolerable at best. He had found it difficult to sleep, having managed only a few hours of rest. It could be said that the relative privacy first-class offered was the most they’d received since arriving at the airport. Nevertheless, the experience left Tatsuya with a distinct yearning to arrive at their destination as soon as possible, ultimately uncomfortable and thoroughly disinterested in any form of travel in which he was stuck in any one place for too long a length of time.

Having finally touched down, emerged from customs and recovered their luggage with minimal issue, Tatsuya was subtly relieved that a significant part of their journey was over. Grateful for the opportunity to stretch his legs, and to walk corridors where there were much fewer people who were likely to stop him or stare, Tatsuya used these few moments alone with Kai to relax. They were precious moments, he imagined, as once they encountered their cohort of five years ago, the chance for rest was sure to reduce significantly.

Despite having a gross need for sleep (he understood better now, this idea of ‘jet lag’ he had heard thrown around before), Tatsuya was still somewhat mentally present. Kai’s bright tone of voice was perhaps the only thing that succeeded in keeping his attention; as they walked, he tiredly stared out the windows at the runways, listening to her ramble without offering any real acknowledgement. While it would be interesting to go sightseeing, that wasn’t the purpose of their trip, and they both were very well aware of that fact, he knew.

Even then, Tatsuya wasn’t all too keen over this idea of meeting royalty. He was in fact far removed from it, uninterested in how wealth conferred certain powers to some individuals over others. He had nothing to do with people of the type and expected nothing of them either. But Kai was so excited over the opportunity to explore their royal gardens that he really did not have the heart to deny her the trip, nor to refuse to accompany her on it. From a practical perspective, his intention was to treat the entire ordeal as though it were a vacation from his career as a teacher of martial arts, to which he had been committed for a good three years now. Although he did not anticipate he would benefit from this grandiose meeting with royalty, it nevertheless made Kai happy, and so it doubled as a break from his strenuous work schedule too.

Tatsuya had seemed to tune out a little, up until nervous mention of the possibility that they were travelling in the wrong direction. The last thing he desired was that they get lost in some place he’d have trouble navigating out of… or that they miss the flight they were instructed to catch, leaving them stranded in the absolute middle of nowhere.

“I would hope not.” He commented tersely after a moment’s contemplation, without change in direction or pace.

It seemed their concerns were unfounded, however, when they discovered the gateway as described in their invitation, as well as a few familiar faces to boot. Tatsuya did not feel too strongly about those he saw to be present, even if he was on closer terms with Hara and Eiji than he was the majority of his old classmates. Otherwise impervious, he faltered when Kai leaned in to whisper to him, his neutral expression quirking just the slightest as she felt it necessary to remind him of his and Eiji’s special ‘relationship’. Something of which he genuinely had zero regard for, in the romantic context… but of which she obviously found plenty entertaining, of course.

“Kai…” He started in protest, but did not continue for lack of desire of making a scene in front of the others. It was but playful banter, anyhow… not that he found much mirth in any of it.

Huffing as she pulled away following the quick peck on his cheek, Tatsuya purposefully avoided any eye-contact with Eiji as they approached the end terminal. This was not exactly the way he wished to initiate this reunion of theirs, but for the moment he decided to keep quiet, letting Kai do the talking. The barest nod served as Tatsuya’s form of greeting upon the address from Himari, his eyes otherwise averted as a sign of his apparent disinterest in socializing.

Approaching the nearby seating to set down the luggage he was carrying (his own, as well as Kai’s, not that it was very much for him to hurl about), Tatsuya lingered beside Hara. While he didn’t respond to the polite greeting he was offered, more-so due to exhaustion than anything else, he seemed comfortable enough in his presence. The conversation that ensued nearby was of little surprise to him, what with Eiji forgetting his girlfriend’s name. He wouldn’t expect anything more of the Tattoo Artist, whose blasé nature he was not in the least unacquainted with.

Tatsuya heaved a sigh as he sat himself down, running a hand through his messy hair and over his nape, and giving his sore neck a stretch. It would be a while yet, he grimly anticipated, before their travel would draw to an end. Then, he could finally obtain that rest he deserved. It was all essentially a matter of time now.

Having nothing better to do, Tatsuya leaned back in his seat and quietly appraised each individual as they showed up, attempting (and mostly failing) to put names to faces, or to recall if he knew them at all. He was never much of a social butterfly in high-school. That, on top of the time-induced alterations in the appearances of those he graduated with, did not very well assist his memory. Giving up early in, he decided to form ‘first impressions’ of those he saw instead, maintaining relatively neutral thoughts of those who approached save for a few. One appeared to be accompanied by a serpent. Another presented as notably tense, if not borderline feral in demeanour, and sported rather unusual burn marks across the face.

Tatsuya thought that he would hate to board a plane with some of these people who, judging by their loud and/or seemingly reckless nature, were likely to bring the vessel down in flames within minutes following departure. After his experience in the airport, he wondered then if the employees were even capable or reliable enough to control the more chaotic individuals among them.

He felt himself grimace. Probably not.

But it seemed this is the risk one must take to make their significant other happy. To this, Tatsuya, once an aggressive, unrestrained and unruly fighter, was now largely consigned.

Interactions: @Peacey
Mentions: @tis author @Merchedesi @MikaStarrydust @slayersinbad
 
Kai Suzuki

What was she to expect? After all, she was fully aware that Eiji….was….well...something else- His lack of recall was nothing personal (as this wasn’t the first time her name slipped his mind). Rather it was how he was. His relaxed and casual nature as he tried to piece the puzzle together was simply amusing, a sight that Kai couldn’t help but roll her eyes to. “Eiji, my name is shorter than yours, not to mention we only met less than a year ago, how you still manage to forget it is beyond me.” Her soft eyes shifted to the man that did remember her name. Hara Diwa, the former ultimate janitor and a fantastic friend for both her and Tatsuya. They had been great friends during Hope’s Peak and even after they had met on more than one occasion. Living in the same city as each other made that feat rather easy. In all honesty, she’s met Eiji on the occasion, granted it wasn’t as frequent but--- It was likely best to not question the memory of the latter. His selective memory was impeccable-

“OI! I rem-” Eiji started but before he could finish Kai spoke up in her cheery tone.

“Hara! It’s great to see you again.” She chimed, as she adjusted her sunhat a little bit so it wouldn’t fall when she craned her neck up to look the other in his eyes. “The flight itself was fantastic~ Decided to splurge a bit and get first-class tickets which were completely worth it~ I took personal issue with the takeoff and landing part since I still haven’t gotten used to that feeling. As for the rest of it...”

She trailed off, her mind flashing a bit to the plethora of issues that surrounded her and Tatsuya both in terms of leaving the country and entering this new one- The customs, frisking, questioning, and what she saw as borderline sexual harassment (after one particular security guard felt…’ frisked’ Tatsuya in a fashion that was simply unnecessary)- It had been a headache and a half to clear it all up. She had to admit, that situation was likely one of the few times her temper would have been mistaken for Tastuya’s back in the day- Luckily! With a few well-placed words and a phone call, things were smooth over without any more issues.

“It was certainly a journey- But I won’t say no to a nice bed and a warm meal once we get to the palace.” It was now that she noticed Tatsuya had already lumbered off, making no attempts at conversing but…. That was to be expected with the man. The fact he even got a few words out earlier was impressive (granted that was when it was the two of them around in this now-growing crowd). “Sorry, excuse me, I’ll talk to you later Hara!”

“You know I can tell that you-”

Eiji’s words fell on deaf ears as Kai turned on her heel and strolled over to Tatsuya who had found himself a spot to rest for the time being.

What was she going to do with this man? With a bit of a plop she sat next to the fearsome street fighter, her doe eyes fixated on his tired, stubborn, and mildly displeased expression. Shifting her attention she let it linger on her former classmates. She watched their reactions, expressions, their joy, casual pleasantries, some showing hints of concern and uncertainty, others acting as though not a day has passed since graduation. She gave a wave to Lucien but didn’t engage as he had already found another to talk to. The group had only arrived moments ago, they weren’t even at the palace, yet it was so lively, and vibrant. Her expression was night and day compared to her grimacing lover as a content smile rested on her features while she rested cheek up against the man’s shoulder.

“Are you alright?” Her voice cut through the moment of silence the two of them shared as she returned her focus back onto the other. Her words held concern, she knew Tatsuya had to be exhausted. It was his first trip that involved flying, and the flight had been a long one. 18 hours, and she was certain that he slept no more than 3 of those, sadly even that number was pushing it. “One more flight and then we’ll be at the palace. I bet their beds are even comfier than the clouds you were fixated on~” She softly chimed keeping her voice low, letting him hear every word yet not drawing unneeded attention that the street fighter likely didn’t want. She wasn’t expecting an answer from him, there was no need for one. Kai was fully aware that Tatsuya would much rather be at home, training himself, teaching his students, or doing a number of other things that involved not being here. Yet here he was, in all his grimacing glory. It would be a lie to say that the florist didn’t feel a bit saddened for being the reason Tatsuya wasn’t all that comfortable right now.

Yet she was also relieved that he insisted on tagging along despite his personal disinterest for the entire thing. A trip like this alone? Of course, she was more than capable after all she’s no child, but the stress of it would’ve been worse in some instances and the entire thing would’ve been far more unpleasant. Which….given the difficulties that had arisen due to Tatsuya being here? It goes to show simply how much his stoic presence eased any sense of anxiety she’d otherwise have.

Giving him an encouraging smile, she started to stand up as she softly smoothed her dress out. “I’m going to say hi to some of them, but hopefully they’ll tell us to board soon. Try not to scare any of the people off with your glaring. I’m pretty sure it’s only gotten stronger over the years~” Removing her hat and bag, she rested it on the chair by the other. He wasn’t going to move any time soon, might as well leave the rest of the stuff she was carrying as little as it was.

Beaming at him once more she spun around, her dress flowing perfectly against her contained but excited grace as she ambled to one of her former classmates. One of which had chosen to sit off to the side rather than make any attempt to join in on a conversation or start their own. Seems like little can change even if years have come and gone.

“Boo.”

Bending over a little with her hands behind her back, her braided hair hanging over either shoulder a bright grin plastered on her features. With a bit of a spin, she didn’t skip a beat as she took a seat next to the loner blonde. Her hands pressed gently into her lap, her gaze not faltering for even a brief moment.

“It’s nice to see you again.”

Kai was 99% certain that if she didn’t begin the conversation they would sit here without a word passing till boarding was called (assuming this as she had noticed him looking in her direction yet made no attempt to engage). Taking a moment she gave the Former Ultimate Apothecary a once over in an attempt to see if there was something off. Be it visible injury or demeanor. If there was something, she didn’t take notice at least not at this moment- A question fell on her lips, one that had been in her mind for a time. Yet she didn’t voice it, not yet. Now was not the appropriate time to put that question into the air. He was nervous. There was no reason to increase any anxiety or nerves, not after it had been ages since they last spoke. No, she wanted to catch up and talk, not get him to shy away. Keeping her own body language open, she continued.

“How was your trip? Did you have a long flight? Tatsuya’s and mine was….certainly an experience haha, I wouldn’t be surprised if he wrote off airports for the rest of his life once we get back home~!”

A start to help lead to an easy conversation, no pressures added, no attempt to pry. A simple conversation as though the man before her hadn’t dropped out of existence with absolutely no warning nor reason.

Interacted: @Peacey @Merchedesi @Vitreus @Variel
Mentioned: @Drama Fraud
 
Ah, what a lively day already. Seems like a lot of people's shown up... actually, this might as well be all her classmates. Himari had to admit, she was taken aback. Wow, she wasn't really expecting so many people to be here... did all of her classmates actually plan to come to this reunion? Well, the more the merrier, she'd think, a satisfied smile resting on her face. Heh. Looks like the class of 20XX is back together, and here for more. If only she brought her camera to take a picture of the class - although they were missing a few, it was better than never.

Unfortunately she didn't have it. Perhaps she should have thought of what she was bringing instead of haphazardly throwing clothes and random items into her luggage at 3 AM, while she was struggling to mantain focus or consciousness.

"Long book, yeah, but good company. I figured I'd steal some of the books my brother kept - if he wasn't reading them, I'll take 'em. Wanna borrow a book? It's all Shakespeare though, fair warning." The PI shrugs, closing her book and keeping a finger in to save the page. If she had regretted anything, it was that she didn't bring any bookmarks. Sure, she can just fold the page but did she want to listen to her brother scold her over folded edges? No.

Whatever. She can steal a coaster or a napkin somewhere. A little origami koi should do well as her bookmark - staying nice and snug between the pages, and it wouldn't be a hassle to place it elsewhere.

Unfortunately it didn't seem like Himari was too keen on lending any books to just anyone. The suggestion was simply to poke fun at Hara. Didn't seem like he was in the mood to read anything either, the janitor seemed too stressed to read something like Shakespeare. Poor guy.

Her eyes wandered across the room and she noticed more people. Oh, it's the prankster and the actress! Jonathan and Thalia rather, she remembered their names loud and clear. They weren't very prominent during her stay at Hope's Peak, but certainly unforgettable faces. Himari snickers a bit to herself - Jonathan was lively as ever, and Thalia... at least she seemed in good spirits. "I've heard that Macbeth was cursed or whatever, but I didn't think anyone actually believed that. Well, I hope you don't, Little Miss Theater. How've you both been? Saw some of your performances a while back. You're flourishing!" With her words, the young woman adds a wink and a grin.

Another comes to her attention, and she's just as surprised as when she saw Eiji.

"Fucking- Lucius?" Under different circumstances, perhaps she would have been more subtle and... vulgar with her surprise. But this was Lucius. As much as they've grown, she's still as petty as ever. Ah, Himari will get him back some day... "Hunting Hound? I don't think it's too hard to call me by my name, yeah?" Seems like he's been the same as ever, awfully crass and making obnoxious comments. Don't people ever grow up? (Maybe she should just get over it). Himari sighs to herself - albeit aggressively. She watches Lucius going around and greeting the others, wondering, why did he come here?

There were better things to do than obsessing over an incident that barely had to do anything with her life. She should find something else to do before she considers strangling the guy.

And you know what? She was right. Another good friend of her's - a fellow bird keeper - entered the picture.

"Good to see ya, Wulf. Coyote still alive and well? Made sure you didn't let the bird consume any bleach?" After a short pause, Himari laughs a bit. Whatever kind of reaction Wolfgang had, she was sure to be amused nonetheless. Although the PI had her moments talking to them - it was stressful just talking about their pet parrot to be honest - she still found talking to them... interesting, to say the least. "Kidding, kidding. But seriously, you have been listening to my advice to take care of Coyote, yeah?" If she wasn't annoying anyone else, it was the Siva Afi Performer frustrating her with their hypothetical situations. Not today, though.

Well, so far, so good.

The PI gives one good look towards everyone else in the room. Looks like the tragic story of Macbeth will have to keep her company some other time, but perhaps this was a blessing in disguise. The play was starting to get dark for her own liking.

[ @Merchedesi @Drama Fraud @slayersinbad ]
 
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"Thousand Masks, nice seeing you. Caffeine Bitch, forgot your name and only remember you'd pay extra for more caffeine."


"I'm not wearing... Ugh, never mind," Thalia started, deciding against chasing that comment any further. "It's nice seeing you too, Lucius," she said, nodding and smiling at the Author. She was just about to ask him a question about his latest and next works when Jonathan decided to open his mouth again.
"Look. Moccha is the lifeblood of the planet. Or was that Mako? ...Eh, same difference," Jonathan added. "Anyway, if you're interested in turning to the Dark Side, I have some high-quality beans for you! It was a safe offer, considering Lucius' hatred for anything coffee or tea-related, but still! If he really wanted to, Jonathan wasn't going to say no to a new convert.

Meanwhile, however, someone else was also drawing their attention, the same person that Thalia had been trying to talk to to begin with. As such, Thalia turned to that other person; Himari.

"I've heard that Macbeth was cursed or whatever, but I didn't think anyone actually believed that. Well, I hope you don't, Little Miss Theater. How've you both been? Saw some of your performances a while back. You're flourishing!"

"Thank you! I... haven't seen many of your 'performances', of course, but I hope, no, trust you've been doing well too, Himari," Thalia asked, walking closer to the SHSL PI. She had some personal experience with the PI, when some assholes had decided to ask Himari to snoop on Thalia. Luckily for her, the former had gone to talk to the latter instead of actually following through on the assholes' request. Not exactly something a PI should be doing, but Thalia wasn't going to complain about it.

Jonathan, meanwhile, was still tailing her for some reason, as if he was the PI instead of Himari. Or, more likely, some kind of Troll following a forum thread for the sole purpose of ticking everyone off. Well, whatever, she'd just ignore him for now.

"As for the curse... It is a bit complicated. The short version is that no, the play itself is not cursed, let alone the book. There is an almost universal superstition where saying the name of the play or quoting it while inside theaters would bring bad luck though, aside from during repetitions or actual performances obviously. There are plenty of ways to dispel this bad luck, most of them involving repeating a certain action three times and swearing. But m-"

"Ooh, I can do that! The swearing part, I mean," Jonathan added as he plonked down on the bench next to Himari. "And yeah, I'm doing great too! Good to see y'all doing fine too!"

"Speaking of swearing... Jonathan, I swear to whatever deity is listening, if you try to trigger that bad luck on purpose in any theater I am in, the thing I will be repeating three times is kicking your ass," Thalia said, sounding dead-serious. So much for ignoring him... You know, threats like that? They work better if you're actually capable of following through on them.

Jonathan, at least, seemed to take it seriously. Or, well, as seriously as he took anything at all, which is to say not really. He gasped at Thalia's sem-threat, pressing his right hand against his chest. "Thalia! Why so violent? If you kick me, do I not bleed?"

"It's 'prick'. Not kick. Though I sm surprised you kn-", Thalia started, only to be interrupted midway through her sentence.

"Eh, prick my ass, kick my ass, lick my ass. Same difference to me," Jonathan quipped, showing a teasing grin at Thalia. Then, with a wink, he added another comment. "Though I think I'd prefer the latter."

...Well, she walked straight into that one, didn't she? Note to self: Avoid Jonathan in the upcoming vacation, if you value your own sanity.
She shook her head, then turned to the Comedian, who was still wearing his eternal smile. He wasn't mean, but dear god could he give you a headache. "Will you go away? Go bother someone else..."

"Fine, fine! So grumpy... ," Jonathan said. His face betrayed that he wasn't actually angry though. With that, he got up from his seat again, then walked off to an unspecified location.

Thalia sighed, then sat down in the same position where Jonathan had sat moments ago. "I swear, he always gives me a headache... Ahem. Where were we? Oh yeah, the 'curse' of Macbeth. As for me? Well, while I cannot say I believe it per se.... why tempt fate, right?"

Seriously. If she had learn one thing over the years, it was that acts and performances could be ruined by even the slightest slip-up. You could fool most of the audience by improvising and pretending it was all part of the act, but odds were that at least one person would notice, which meant disaster for your credibility. It was better to just play things safe in that regard. "Anyway, how have you been? Any special leads you have been chasing? Great plots involving high placed politicians, maybe?" The question was half-serious, half-lighthearted, all-interested.
 
[ SEVERAL HOURS AGO ]
Even after all these years, Shizuka was still decidedly not a morning person. It wasn't that her brain operated at a mere 30% capacity upon breaking from the clutches of sleep, or that mornings made her feel particularly miserable—she simply relished in the freedom of choice, and her choice was that nearly nothing could persuade her to willingly get up any earlier than the eighth hour.

Mindful of this and the ability of timezone differences to potentially fuck her sideways, Shizuka had the foresight to fly in a night early and spend a day resting in a hotel. It was only at her brother's behest that Shizuka bothered staying somewhere other than a public airport seating area—the concept of saving money on a hotel booking was quite tempting, but not nearly as much as the idea of avoiding being mugged by a passerby.

And so the next morning, like the punctual woman she was, Shizuka arrived at the designated rendezvous point early by an hour or so.

... Or maybe a bit more.

Maybe a lot more.

See, her mother had once taught her that one should always arrive at the airport three hours prior to their flight in case of check-in and security delays, and that meant this time Shizuka headed to the airport four hours in advance to be safe. She was in a foreign country after all, and scanning everything in sight with the Google Translate app took time. Upon her excessively prompt arrival at Terminal TX, Shizuka was greeted by deafening silence, empty seats, and the dawning realization that she had done fucked up. A quick glance at her phone revealed an excess of three hours to spare (and an extra half hour if she wasn't in denial). Evidently her foresight failed to account for every other airport she visited being in a major city, and thus having significantly more foot traffic.

'... Well. If it isn't the consequences of my own actions,’ she thought dryly, 'shit.'

Exhaling a sigh, Shizuka settled on the nearest seat and maneuvered her suitcase to settle between her legs. Elbows now propped on the luggage and head in her hands, the pianist was the picture of a 20s mid-life crisis as she thoroughly contemplated what the hell she was supposed to do for the remainder of the next few hours. Her options ultimately came down to sitting at the gate and waiting for everyone else to arrive or wandering about the rest of the airport as she pleased.

And clearly, there was a correct answer here: to wander elsewhere. It was bad enough to sit still for hours on planes—Shizuka didn't need to be doing the same thing in the waiting area. But more importantly, she didn't want to come off as overeager to attend the trip. Surely it would come as a surprise to anyone for her to be the first person present if she was recognized at all, and god forbid someone ask her why she bothered accepting the Blackmores' invitation. While reasoning behind her attendance was childishly innocent, in her case it nearly read as exceptionally pitiable:

Shizuka came to socialize of all things despite being an utter recluse; despite only being half-present back in high school; despite never having been particularly close to any one classmate at all; despite the fact that half her class probably didn't even know her by name or face.

The Japanese concept of 青春 (seishun; youth, adolesence, the springtime of life) was one lost on Shizuka and the more years that passed by, the more she could feel the ways in which it had slipped through her fingers like the minscule grains of sand in an hourglass. Those who said one couldn't miss what they never had to begin with were wrong; she was living proof of this. Somehow, the pianist held out hope that even a single person would be pleasantly surprised with her appearance.

Thoughts swirling around in her mind, Shizuka gingerly rose from her seat and slowly turned back the way she came to sleuth out the nearest tacky airport giftshop, cafe, or bar—anywhere would do, really. The resounding roll of her suitcase and gentle clack of wooden oxford heels were her sole companion traversing through the wide halls, as they always had been.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
[ PRESENT TIME ]
The whirr of an espresso machine, ching of a cash register, and tenor of a weatherman droning on about the forecast in foreign tongue.

Cushioned bar-style seats worn through the test of time, and the lingering aftertaste of a bold macchiato carrying hazelnut notes.

The low vibration of a phone alarm.

'It's finally time.'

At precisely 04:15 Shizuka Hiraoka shut off her alarm, cleared the cafe table at which she had been seated for a considerable amount of time, and heaved a sigh of apprehension as she started her way to Terminal TX for a second time.

Folks, it was a beautiful day for self doubt.

... Yet, she had gotten this far hadn't she? Even if nobody recalled who Shizuka was (aside from two individuals she had run into more recently), she had still made an effort to accept an invite to a social gathering, which was considerably more than she could say for herself just a few years prior. The worst that could happen was... well, continued social isolation on a luxurious vacation? She shoved these thoughts to the back of her mind with a shake of the head and trudged on through the concerningly empty corridors.

Greeted by the sound of fellow HPA-graduates chattering amongst themselves, Shizuka's timely arrival was neither a spectacle nor punctuated by any exclamations on her behalf. The sight of her past classmates, now fast forwarded a few years in their lives, was all too nostalgic—yet familiarly alienating as she was reminded that she didn't really know anyone at all, and she only had herself to blame.

Shizuka quickly took a seat somewhere at the edge of the congregation; she didn't want to be caught staring. Instead, she focused on the feeling of sliding metal as she collapsed her suitcase handle, biting her lip and closing her eyes as the hilt slotted in place.

She'd be alright.