CLOSED SIGNUPS The Lovers Club IC (Reboot)

[The_Queer_Alien]

Daichi Sato


Location: Cabin Living Room​

Upon seeing Ren approach him, Daichi was hit with an instant feeling of dread. He was certain that Ren was gonna spend the entire activity trying to make it as painful as possible, the guy wasn't even a good liar. He knew damn well he was reading the wrong riddle. How did he know? Because he had his copy of it.
Daichi rolled his eyes, god, he just wanted to get this over with as quickly as possible. Having no energy to argue he spoke up "Are you sure you're reading the right one, 'cause I have my copy right here" he pulled out the piece of paper and read it to his partner.
"Sunlight blankets the earth in a warm embrace,
Pervading warmth, nature's tender grace.
Radiant days unfold with a fiery glow,
Inviting blooms to dance, as breezes gently blow.
Nestled in the season, a heat wave takes wing,
Golden moments shimmer, as warmth becomes king."
He showed Ren the paper for good measure "Is there a sundial somewhere around the cabin, maybe the riddle could be referring to a solar panel"

Interactions: Ren Fujiwara (@Monbon)​

 

[YetieBetie]

Location: Island to the destroyed building
Interactions: Haruhi @ScarletNova, Medrin @Jig The Zom-B, Solaris @xLarius
Mentions: Ren @Monbon, Mariko, and Shin

The wind felt good on her skin. A numbing balm to the unsettling thoughts she was currently trying to dismiss. She must've been too quiet. An error only realized after Haruhi shoved a phone in her direction.

Aya's brows drew together in confusion. Her lips pursing as she glanced at the odd green dot. Why was the girl trying to show her-

'That green dot on the screen is Mariko.'

Oh. Yes. She had almost forgotten...

"The little mouse girl?" A smile slid onto her face as Haruhi finished her request about Mariko's well-being. Her body eased back into a more relaxed role, a look of pampered laziness slipping onto her face. "Are you asking me to take her under my wing?" Her eyes scanned over Haruhi, not bothering to hide any of the lax observation of the other's pretty frame. Though the media covered her enough that Aya was pretty certain the other was straight. Regardless, she was pretty. To not take at least a few moments appreciating that felt morbidly wasteful. "She's quite the cutie." Aya observed, adding just enough coquet to her words.

"Sadly, I don't typically help mice. At least, not without some sort of motivation." Her eyes shot up to the President's gaze. Offering another playful smile. "Perhaps a meal or two from that lovely lady who made those delicious pastries. Or maybe a bit of incite about a few of these people." She shrugged, "I'm really not too picky."

Taking the phone from Haruhi, she eyed the dot. Disappointingly, it didn't seem the other was near any body of water at all. Nor had she ditched Aya's Ototo yet. Perhaps Shin had somehow caught on to the possible couple and had made a pact to try and get Mariko-chan closer to her lovely Senpai.

Hah. The chances of Shin catching onto any romantic antiques were impossibly slim. It was more likely he got mauled by a bear before he caught on to anything remotely fun. The boy was outrageously terrible in that department.

A flash of brown caught the corner of her eye as they neared the island. A... fishing pole? Had the other's clue involved fishing? That could make for a fun riddle.

She let her fingers drag off the edge of the boat again as Haruhi docked them. Her eyes scanning the area as the other voiced her thoughts and their options. It was a decently sized Island. Certainly not the biggest one. But a respectable size for it being located in a lake. It was one that she could see herself enjoying a nice outing of exploration on. If she had the time, she could probably drag Shin back here to embark on a more thorough search around the area.

Another time.

Haruhi was staring at her. She could feel those caramel-red eyes of a President awaiting an answer. The prying sight was one Aya purposely ignored as she allowed herself to visually explore as much as she could with what little time she had.

She heard the other hop off into the sand. And when her gaze returned to the other she noted the rather pitiful sight the club President had been reduced to.

The girl was soaking. Hair sticking to her skin despite being pulled back. Clothes grudged with water and goosebumps lining the other's skin.

This was what love did. It made the powerful weak. It left them cold and wet and completely open for any vulture to come along and pick them dry of any means they had left on them.

Aya took the other's hand. Hopping down with a satisfying thump. Her hand squeezed the other's once before turning it and placing Haruhi's phone into the leader's open palm. Patting the hand once, Aya let go and returned to looking around at the place before them.

Her shoes dug into the sand. A few steps and she'd probably have the pesky feel of dusted beach filling her shoes. Perhaps she ought to take her shoes off for the time being. Yet if they decided to go deeper into the island, she'd probably need to keep them on.

But if they were to wait here... she could simply enjoy the nice feeling of sand on her toes...

The answer was obvious.

Her gaze snapped back to Haruhi, her fingers tugging at the edges of her oversized hoodie. "It's incredibly hot on this beach don't you think?" She winkled her nose. Grunting a bit as she fought to remove Ren's giant size hoodie. "Yes... it's..." Her head popped out of the hoodie. Arms holding the mass of soft fabric to her. "unbearably hot."

The new exposure to the breeze pricked at her arms. She tossed the hoodie to Haruhi. Aiming for the other's face before turning and walking with purpose towards the jungle. "We have no choice. We must brave the cooler jungles. Hold this for me. Put it on if you must." She stated indifferently as she continued towards the thicket. "You look absolutely pitiful right now." She paused as she entered the beginning of the greenery. Eyeing a few of the flowers as though in deep admiration. "We can't have the vice president or any of the members looking down on their precious President."

Her eyes flicked to the other, not daring to glance more than a few seconds before heading further into the island.

No. It simply wouldn't do to allow the President to present herself in such a lowly state towards her keep. Especially if Senpai was with anyone who happened to be a new or prospecting member. First impressions did much for those in roles of leadership. Surely Haruhi knew that, but love made people fools. No matter what form it took.

She was right. The cover of trees instantly felt cooler. And it was taking a bit for her arms to adjust to the temperature difference created from the loss of Ren's hoodie. With a shiver consisting of both anticipation and slight coldness, Aya ventured deep into the forest. Certain Haruhi wasn't far behind her. They weren't walking long before they ran into a crumbled looking structure.

A sad sight. Anything lost and abandoned always dampened some of Aya's spirit. Such potential falling to waste...

The sound of voices within made her heart jump. Excitement overshadowing her moot towards the failing use of resources. They'd finally found the two! Now to simply demand to take the Vice President hostage. An easy matter in all rights and purposes.

Giving Haruhi an excited point towards the building and mouthing a 'They're in there!' Aya wasted no time barging into the entrance of the 'house'.

She stomped into the center. Jabbing an accusing finger straight ahead and narrowing her gaze to proper intimidation levels.

"HALT IN BEHALF OF THE TREASURE CHEST!" She yelled, rather proud of her lung capacity and the way it filled the entire 'room'. She had caught them! They were trapped. Trapped under the iron tight terror of her finger pointing right... at... a pool of groundwater?

Her hand dropped, eyes blinking as her mouth formed a confused 'huh'. Had she misheard? She was certain she'd heard them nearby. Something tugged at her peripherals. The sound of water dripping onto stone ground tugging her head over a bit. She glanced over to see two boys standing together a bit off to the side.

There was a brief moment of silence as the two parties stared at each other. Then Aya jumped to face their direction, her finger pointing at- what had Haruhi said his name was? Kousei? "HALT KUCHI-SENPAI!" She yelled once more. "Give us the puzzle piece or else Haruhi-sama will chuck you off this island!" Her brows remained properly narrowed. Though the two were both in a curious and excitable state. Her 'Sweet Senpai' as he had comically asked her to call him (though she was well aware for what purposes he had), was currently holding a shard of glass with some interesting characters on it.

More to be noted, was his partner. Who was in a similar state as Haruhi was. That is to say: sopping wet. How embarrassing. He must've been the one who'd lost Senpai's phone, ahohoho! Her eyes dropped to his abdomin. A slight smirk tipping on her mouth before she remembered the essential task at hand. Gawking would come right after Solaris gave them their piece. Right now, treasure was on the line. Her eyes snapped back to Senpai, moving once more back into a fiery gaze of pure intensity.

"Well? I haven't got all day!" she hissed, returning her look to Kousei-Senpai... chan? Hehehehe yes. Kousei-Senpai-chan.

 

[Jig The Zom-B]

It was quite the sight, to see the ruined outline of a building he couldn't quite identify. When he came to the little island, he half expected to see maybe a Shrine or even a clearing with something in it's centre. Walking towards the crumbling wall's with Kousei, placed a hand against the stonework as though it would tell him it's secrets. The walls texture felt nice against the palm of his hand. Mossy stone, nature retaking the land that had once been home to someone at some point in time. Circling the building with his companion, taking note of how the foliage, flowers, moss and even tree's had invaded the space. Large chunks of building lay strewn around the area, pieces of rooftop or wall. Even some of the flooring of higher levels of the building!

"Maybe? In all honestly, I'm not sure if this is someone's old home or if maybe it was a retreat of some kind. It's old though." Walking into the building only to spot the large body of water sat at it's centre. "Well that is certainly something." Quietly musing to himself as he watched Kousei pick up a small rock and drop it into the water. Sure enough, the sight of the small stone sinking into the dark and out of sight told him that this body of water went deep. He had no way of really checking just how far it went down on him, although the thought of the string he once owned came to mind. If he had kept it, he could have measured just how deep this went. When it came to the body of water, no thoughts came to mind on why this existed here. What building had a pit?

Looking up to see the tree's canopy and the blue sky looking down to him. The roof was for the most part absent, some tree branches even poking into the building. He wasn't sure if this was truly their destination, however the adventure was something he was enjoying! "The pit goes deep, although how deep is the question. If I were to hide a scavenger hunt item, this water hole looks to be quite the place to hide one. Although I don't think many people would fancy the idea of diving to get it." Pulling at his wet shirt to let his skin breathe, the fabrics clinging to him like a second layer of flesh. It was getting uncomfortable. He was glad that it was a warm day, the breeze was cooling, although not cold enough to make him shiver. Part of him even considered just removing the shirt, although he figured Solaris may not want his partner to be walking around with him half naked. The bruise on his arm would also be quite ugly to look at no doubt too. Wringing some of his shirt, a stream of water falling from him and slapping against the ground to make a tiny puddle.

As he wring his shirt, he hadn't noticed his companion walk off somewhat to pick up what seemed to be a large shard of glass. His eye caught it as he was approached, curious to see why he was holding such a thing. Taking a look at the offered piece of glass, noticed the glaringly conspicuous red lipstick writing instantly. He wanted to ask why someone had figured writing in makeup was a good idea, but dismissed it, simply reading the riddle with a raised eyebrow. "Certainly Curious...." A hand came to rub at his head a little, turning his attention towards the chest Kousei had opened, taking a peek inside. "A bow and Arrow? Well with the riddle and the equipment, i can say with confidence that we are in the right place. You have a good eye to spot these thing's Kousei-San." He was genuinely impressed, he had managed to spot their clue and equipment needed to progress so swiftly. Maybe he just wore glasses for show?

Looking over the clue once more, brushing some of his hair from his face again, the wet strands of hair bugging him slightly. "Magnetizing... Shoot... Bottom of the water... A rod awaits..." Mumbling as he tried to put it together. Compared to the last clue, it was certainly far less annoying! One thing he also noticed was that the riddles were incredibly honest, usually being more of a set of instructions than a riddle. Looking to the bow, then the large water pit, reached down and picked up the arrow. Turning it in his hand, looked at the tip. "I doubt the tip's magnetized. It also mentioned a rod. A rod awaits on top?" Collecting the bow and holding the arrow with the same hand, took a few steps back. Eye's scanning the higher floors and even the tree branches that invaded above the house. "If I had to guess, the *rod awaiting on top* is literally some kind of fishing rod. And if so, it would want us to shoot it down?" He wasn't entirely sure of his conclusion, but nothing else came to mind.

Before he was able to spot anything, the sudden yelling voice of a female stole his attention and focus. Turning his head, spotting a girl barging her way into the room and pointing with determination towards the body of water as though it had eaten her lunch. Her theatrical entrance seemed like it had been practiced. Taking a moment to watch the girl, his face was simply blank, why did she yell about treasure? Better yet, who was she yelling at... An awkward silence filled the air as the female seemed to also notice their little performance was aimed at ghosts. With her attention shifting to them, reorienting herself and trying again, just confused him more. Turning to look at Kousei, a deadpan expression on his face. "Who's... Kuchi-senpai?" Shaking his head and looking back to the female. He wasn't sure who she was, maybe one of Kousei's friends perhaps? The last thing she said made his brow furrow. She was here for Kousei's puzzle piece? Did they have the same riddle as them? Was this actually a race and this girl was here to try for the puzzle piece before they could retrieve it themselves? A few questions circled in his head but he swiftly dismissed them all. He didn't know what was going on, but he knew the piece was in the water. Part of him wanted to just dive in and collect it by hand, he knew he could.

As the thought was passing his mind, the sun had started shining through the opening in the canopy above them, shining over the group and causing Medrin to squint a little, raising a hand to shade his eye's, only to notice a small glint above them. Eye's shifted to it like a piranha to blood, spotting something high up hanging from a branch that sat over the house. Hanging loosely over a fairly chunky branch was a rod wrapped in fishing line, a thick glob of shiny grey at its tip reflecting the sunlight. His eye's widened at his vision locked onto it. He heard the female saying something, but the words didn't register. Taking a couple step's back, getting a fuller view of the tree the rod was stuck in, his eye's began their work. Tracing the tree's branch all the way to it's base, looking at each branch, nearby tree's branches and floors of the building close enough to it. He wasn't even aware he was doing it, pathing out the best way to scale the tree. It was a tall, no wonder the bow was offered to them. "Hey, I think I found the rod." Patting Kousei on the shoulder to let him know. He gripped the bow tighter, considering his options. He knew what he wanted to do. It may not be as efficient, but he wanted to try. Handed the bow and arrow to his companion, "I'll only be a moment..." His words quiet as his focused gaze remained on the rod. He had completely forgotten the female was even in the room.

Turning to the closest wall just past Kousei. Leaning forward, pushed from his left foot, accelerating towards the wall swiftly. With a quick hop, left the floor and kicked his foot into the stonework, only to push from it with a heave of legwork, managing to gain just enough height for his hand to grip onto some of the ceiling of the second floor. With practiced motion, lifted himself up within moments and ran towards a window that was closest to the tree the rod lay in, jumping from it and latching onto a branch. He knew he could shoot the rod down, but the challenge of climbing to get it was far more enticing and almost impossible to resist. With the motion of his jump, he swung from the branch and onto another, pulling himself up parts of the trunk, swinging to another branch and swiftly ascending. He knew his arm wasn't at 100% taking care not to overexert it. Last thing he needed was a tumble, yet even with the injured limb he made his way up in just under a minute. Passing by branch after branch and making the whole ordeal seem like it was far easier than it should be. Making his way through the nest of branches, made his way onto the one holding the rod hostage. He knew it was balancing fairly lightly, so he was careful not to wobble it too much as he approached. With a sigh of relief, reached down and took up the rod, turning it in his hands and inspecting the lure. Sure enough, it was a magnet. Looking down, spotted the large pit right beneath him, his companion and the odd girl nearby it. An eyebrow raised as a second female walked into the room, this one looking like she had swam here. "Another team. Did they also have a boating accident?"

The first girl had said they were here for Kousei's puzzle piece, though he had yet to fish the thing out yet, so they would just have to wait. Even then, he wasn't exactly wanting to just hand over whatever he was about to retrieve. Once sat, some relief hitting him. It was nice to sit down and relax. Unfurling the fishing rod, making sure there was no tangle, aimed the weighted magnet lure over the pit and let it fall into the water, a quiet plop as it broke the surface and faded into the waters below. The reel buzzing as it's line extended. Thankfully it was a full reel, no fear of the line not reaching the bottom! He counted the seconds as the reel continued to push out more line, the pit taking no shortage of it. After what felt like minutes, far longer than the time it took him to climb the tree, the reel stopped, it had hit the bottom. Letting his finger rest against the reel seat, raised and lowered his rod over and over. He knew that he wasn't going to be lucky enough to have the magnet just land on whatever was at the bottom, no. He was going to have to make the lure dance and move about the base. With his finger pressed against the reel seat, he would be able to feel the line quiver if the magnet suddenly picked anything up, his sign that he had what he was looking for. With that, got himself comfortable. Fishing was never quick, his eye's on the two girls who had joined them. He was going to be fishing for a little bit, why not listen and see what the girls wanted.

Interaction('s) - Solaris: @xLarius - Aya: @YetieBetie
Mention('s) - Haruhi: @ScarletNova
Location('s) - Ruin's

 

[ScarletNova]

Akari Morita
Music Club | Location: Cave --> Woods
Interactions: Briar (@Takumi), Sayuri (@Monbon), Ruby (@Rads)
Mentions: N/A
​

Akari would be the first to admit that she wasn't always the brightest person in the room. But even she could tell that Ruby sometimes seemed to say some things she shouldn't. Even if the two in front of them seemed terrified in the cave and a little dirty as well, that didn't mean to point it out so obviously. Sometimes people didn't want those things revealed.

"You know...sometimes some things should just be thought about and not actually said," Akari commented. "Maybe just keep some things to yourself..."

For whatever reason, Ruby mentioned something about a little sister, but Akari wondered if maybe Ruby was the little sister rather than the big sister to everyone else, especially considering her lack of care in the situation.

Luckily, Sayuri and the other one seemed to handle it with grace, and Akari just focused on what else was currently happening. And that was getting out of the cave, something she was happy with as well. With the dog comfortably safe in her arms, she followed the rest of them as they exited the cave. The warmth of the sun hitting her skin, after being hidden in the dark cave for so long, was refreshing and reviving. She took in a deep breath of fresh air and then took a better look at the pooch in her arms.

It definitely needed a bath.

Her eyes glanced over towards the others, clearly they also needed some cleaning up. But Akari would never say it out loud. She would never want to hurt her Sayuri's feelings like that. She knew he wasn't fond of looking a bit unsightly. Not that he really was. Even with a bunch of mud and dirt on him he still looked cute. She'd still happily take him into her arms and embrace him. Heck! She'd even still kiss him!

The sudden thought made a red blush come over her cheeks and he lips curled into a smile at the thought. A kiss with Sayuri! She could only dream! Ah! But perhaps...just maybe...it could happen. She looked over towards Sayuri with a pleasant smirk on her face, clearly enjoying her own inner thoughts until he he spoke about the cave again. Shaking it off, she focused back on Sayuri and Briar.

"Don't worry, I don't see a reason to end up coming back," she muttered. "But if we did, you two can just stay out here. I'd go in for you." She didn't mind being a knight in shining armor for Sayuri, and frankly, if Sayuri liked this other person, she'd do it for them too. Whatever to make the adorable pinkette that had captured her heart happy.

As soon as Sayuri and Briar started to run off back towards the cabin, Akari released a sigh. She glanced over towards Ruby to address a comment she had made about meeting in the kitchen. "I mean, I don't really care about learning how to cook anything," she responded. "It's not really my thing and I don't see the need to. If you're thinking about Sayuri when you brought it up, I'd rather just have him get to know the real me, not one that I tweaked just to get his attention."

"Well, anyway, we should head back to. But I'm not running, so I guess I'll be last. I don't want to scare this little guy." Akari glanced down to the dog in her arms. Running with him could be dangerous.

With that said, Akari started to head back towards the cabin. She took each step carefully, considering they were in the woods, and she didn't want to trip on anything with another living being in her arms.

 

[Monbon]

Ren Fujiwara​

||Location: Outside ?|| Interactions: Daichi @The_Queer_Alien || Mentions: Probably Mariko @ScarletNova and Shin @YetieBetie || Mood: Mildly Amused, a little mischievous ||

'Ah, right, he got one too.' Ren thought to himself. Well, it didn't matter. No matter what, the blond wasn't about to make it any easier a day. "Who is to say which riddle is the right one and which one isn't? It could be a two parter and both riddles are correct. Both riddles talk about standing tall and suggest something about birds." Shrugging it off like it was nothing. Ren pulled out the map and looked at all the locations that fit that description.

"Why would there be a sundial at campgrounds like this anyw-Oh… there it is. " Voice rising at the sudden discovery, his slender finger jabbed at the icon. Of course there was a sundial. Haruhi was the type to include anything and everything no matter how pointless. Even now he wasn't sure why he had the gall to assume the heiress missed something.

Mentally noting down the location of the sundial, Ren took in the rest of the riddle. Was the puzzle piece not at the hot springs? "Sunlight, warmth, that tells us it's outside. Blooms could mean flowers. Wing could also refer to birds, Shimmer to water or something shiny. I guess a sundial would make sense for some of those. I still think we should check out the spr-Peak though. Maybe even the trail that is not too far from here. It looks like it goes pretty far up."

Pointing at the line that represented the trail, Ren traced along it showing how it went up and around the lake and through the woods. Although it didn't reach the summit like he had originally wanted, it'd still be a long walk. At the very least it covered a lot of ground. "Look. It even passes by that sundial. Even if we're wrong, it'll lead us back to the cabin either way. We can also see if any other landmarks fit the riddles from a higher vantage point."

Once Daichi got a good look at the map, Ren put it away and threw his bag over his shoulder. "Let's go." Leaving little room for discussion, Ren led the way down the trail, his longer legs easily striding far ahead. Though he walked ahead of his partner, he didn't let him out of his sight either.


Unlike most, Ren was unwilling to put up with awkward silence on their walk. It would be boring. Daichi didn't deserve the peace and quiet anyway. Turning back to face his classmate, Ren walked backwards up the trail, casually finding something to fill the silence. "So why'd you come anyway, Daichi? Can I call you Daichi? I've dated too many Sato-sans, you see? A common name really. Shrimp-chan is another option. You don't seem like the type to go outside. At all. That level of gloominess is only achieved by people who spend too much time indoors with themselves. Ah, you can refer to me as Ren in return. We're in the same year. There's no reason to walk on eggshells. Wouldn't you agree?"


After his ramble, Ren didn't give the other much time to even think things through as he came to a stop and peered out into the trees that were higher up. Ren could've sworn he spotted some figures but couldn't make out who they were. Though the temptation to bother the other team and ignore Daichi was strong, there was also a chance it'd be someone he couldn't vibe with. There was no reason to make things worse for himself. Instead he returned his attention back to Daichi, friendly smile not once dropping. "Say, why the lovers club? Have you ever dated anyone?"
​

 

[YetieBetie]

Location: Woods
Interactions: Mariko @ScarletNova
Mentions: Hanae @Monbon, Aya May be overheard by Ren and Daichi @The_Queer_Alien

The color of Shin's face turned ever pinker to Mari-san's reassurances. So he was not, in fact, completely blundering this whole thing... his heart took courage in that as she spoke. His eyes lit a bit brighter as she continued by listing off the very reasons he enjoyed walks in silence. It was rare to meet someone else who seemed to just get it.

"Y-Yeah! Like that pair of humming birds over there." He stated, feeling his excitement growing as they talked. His finger rose over to a mother and what he could only assume was it's baby going from flower to flower. They were a good distance from the two. Enough that their voices couldn't scare the small birds away. His eyes turned towards hers, happy to have found someone to share the excitement he felt. Only to realize she was looked at him too. His hand dropped back to his side as he turned away. His next words lacking some of his previous volume. "O-o-or stuff like t-that..."

His eyes fell to his feet again. A soft smile tugging on him as Mariko-san spoke her due about families. Once more that calming feel of being understood seemed to ease some of the anxiousness. At least she understood that. It was always the worst when others received the impression that he was completely alone. The awkward strain when others felt inclined to show him things like pity or sorrow. As if they needed to do something. There were plenty of people who had it far worse than him. Even if he didn't have a set 'mom' or 'dad' on legal papers, he had more than enough people to fit the role in other ways. The top being Aya's mom and dad. Who not only were the kindest souls Shin had ever met, but were also more financially sound than 90% of Japan's population.

It would be incredibly stupid for him to not realize how incredibly lucky he was. Of all homeless orphans out there, he was certain he was in a position most, if not all could only dream of.

"I'm excited to be in the lovers club..." He admitted, returning his gaze back to the trees. "Everyone seems so nice here." And Aya was showing interest in something other than parties and politics. That by itself was good enough to have Shin's sincerest gratitude for the place. "I hope-" His brows furrowed as his thoughts turned to the wellbeing of his friend. "I hope all of us... can get along..."

His eyes slid sideways as Mariko-san assured him about opening up. Glancing away as he smiled a little to himself. This didn't seem too bad actually. It felt as if he and Mariko-san were bonding. Like... like maybe he'd be able to talk to her again sometime...

Or maybe not. His stupid mouth went ahead of himself. As he blurted out the most random, out of the blue question ever. What an idiot. Who would want to befriend anyone so obnoxiously, totally, indescribably stupid?

And then Mariko-san laughed.

The sound caught him off-guard. He froze, his eyes glued to her as she giggled softly to herself. He couldn't help it. The look was mesmerizing. Especially as those pretty eyes slid open and landed on him.

Once more his gaze jerked away. Heart pounding wildly as his face grew redder by the minute. It was far too early to catch feelings for anyone. He hadn't even been in the club for a full 24 hours yet. How could he find someone to be so cute so f-fast?

No, no, no, he ought to dismiss these thoughts. He also ought to be looking at her. He'd just helped her feel a bit comfortable. He couldn't stop now. Especially if she struggled with this as much as he did. His eyes lifted back to her. Though he felt himself trembling slightly under her gaze. "I- I- I like-"

Rock.

Everything seemed to slow as she startled and fell. His body reacted before his terrified mind could. Hands reaching around to grasp both her arms as he stepped in front of her. Simultaneously, her hand reached and wrapped around his bicep. He was bent in case she kept falling forward. His legs ready to shift her into some sort of smooth dip or something if she did. Thank goodness she found her footing before then.

The problem with this, was that when all fell to a stop and she regained her footing, Shin and Mariko-san were placed rather close. Very close.

He froze. His eyes widening into focus as her face rose to meet his. It was like being back in the bathrooms with Hani. He could catch everything from here. Every eyelash, every fleck of color, the slight curve of her lips, and faint pink coloring her dainty cheek...

It was terrifying how breathtaking these club members were. He couldn't move or breathe. No doubt his face was returning the same dark shade of eggplant as well. H-how m-m-many t-t-times did th-th-this sort of thing h-happen t-t-to the c-c-club m-m-m-members?

He stayed there, completely frozen in place. No matter how many times his mind told him to move, he couldn't. He was paralyzed, stuck like glue to his spot. What did he do? Where did he go? Should his say something? His mind was completely blank though. He was no better than a mannequin at the moment.

 

[Rads]

Interactions: Akari, @ScarletNova
Mentions: Say kun, @Monbon @Takumi briair
Location: Outside the cave, back to the cabin

Walking with the others, observing as they head back towards the cabin, thinking about what Akari said to her, given that she knows full well, she accidentally lets things slip. ' i don't know why you bring it like I'm the only one who says things shouldn't you seem the type that doesn't think a good amount of the time'.
Ruby playfully grins then says, "Oh, so you think it's pointless. First off, "cooking is a practical skill; it means you don't have to order out all the time, and even learning the basics for oneself helps in many ways; it's also very satisfying when the food one makes turns out and tastes great.".
'That trait of yours to dismiss learning new skills is what makes you look immature, and being his white knight is fine to a point, but ultimately he won't grow if he becomes too dependent on you'. 'Well, for now, I'll leave it there because she seems like a rebel without a cause'.
She then suddenly remembers that she has an old dog that she forgot to take out of her bag, then says, "Oh, I have some old dog toys that he can play with once he's done being washed and all that.". "Last of all, i'm well aware of my bad traits, and as a rule, I try to make up to them right away, but I also know when to use my head and step back and think." "I can't blame people for misunderstanding me, i guess having shit go badly wrong twice already, means I can be kind of numb or hot-headed at times.". "Well, in any i'm happy we found the first clue, i'll make sure to find the next one.".

 

[ScarletNova]

Haruhi Nakamura
Club President | Island Woods --> Building
Interactions: Aya (@YetieBetie), Medrin (@Jig The Zom-B), Solaris (@xLarius)
Mentions: Mariko, Ren (@Monbon)​

Haruhi hadn't expected Ayame to easily agree with helping Mariko out, so she had been prepared for Aya's response to be something much like she had said. "If you'd like something in return, that's not a problem. Just ask and you shall recieve, whether that be some more snack's from Hani, though I'm sure you'll get more of those anyway given you're in the club now, or anything else you'd like." Others would be concerned to leave Ayame so much room to be creative, but Haruhi wasn't bothered.

"Though, you might find spending some time with Mariko rewarding enough. You never know," the club president added. "It could be fun."

Taking the phone back from Aya after she stepped out of the boat, Haruhi placed it back into her bag for safe keeping. Besides, they didn't need it much now anyway. There was really only one place they could go on this small island. Although Aya never admited blunty which option she chose to do, her comments and actions revealed her choice to enter the forest area of the island and follow after Solaris and Medrin.

Catching the hoodie Aya had thrown at her, Haruhi smirked at the girls comments. "Pitiful?" she responded. "No, no. I think I look rather sexy, don't you? Ever heard of a wet t-shirt contest?" She took a few hand and ran it along her slicked back hair, giving Miss Aya a sultry look with her eyes to tease her.

As the other heiress stepped off into the woods, Haruhi slipped the hoodie on and followed after her. The hoodie was somewhat too big for Haruhi despite only being 6 inches shorter than Ren and it unsurprisingly had a mixture of scents, most likely one being from Ren while the other Aya.

For a moment, a few thoughts ran through Haruhi's head as she walked through the forest. Having never actually worn a man's hoodie like this before, despite it being Ren, the thought was rather provoking. Was this what it was like to have a boyfriend? The boyfriend hoodie? It made her heart pound with excitement. A litte bit of red blush graced her cheeks. She had always had such a desire to try the boyfriend hoodie thing. And although it wasn't technically a boyfriend hoodie, who knew the first one she'd wear would be Ren's offered to her by another woman.

She couldn't help but laugh slightly at the thought. But her wandering mind made her lag behind, causing Aya's interesting entrance when they finally arrived at the building. Entering inside, Haruhi found Aya pointing at the two boys, demanding that they give them the puzzle piece. Solaris was standing there. And Medrin, was on a tree branch, fishing in a hole filled with water in the middle of the place?

Why was there such a hole in the building? "That shouldn't really be there..." she muttered to herself. Who had been taking care of the place and why was the building so destroyed? She released a sigh. Someone in the Nakamura's employement wasn't properly doing their jobs. Gods help that employee when her parents found out.

Focuscing back on Aya's outburst, Haruhi felt the need to explain. She cleared her throat. "It's Kousei, Aya. Not Kuchi," she said first. "And we're here because my maids decided to put our piece in your bag, Solaris." Carefully stepping around the hole, Haruhi made her way over towards Solaris so she could check to make sure the piece was actually in his bag. Though chances are it was, she still wouldn't be completely surpised if her maids pulled a trick on them.

Her eyes took a quick glance over towards Medrin. "Please be careful, Medrin," she commented. "I wouldn't want you falling from there and especially not into that hole. I'll be sure to reprimand my maids later for giving you guys such a dangerous spot." At least, it looked pretty dangerous. But Haruhi really wondered if it truly was. She really didn't think her maids would genuinely put people in danger. Perhaps there was some fail safe.

Feeling a bit odd to be so close to a hole filled with water, Haruhi reached out and grabbed hold of Solaris' shoulder to feel more at ease. Her delicate, prestine hands peaked out of Ren's hoodie. She stepped closer, to the point where Solaris would be able to feel Haruhi's breath against his neck, though this wasn't the first time she had gotten that close to him. She then took her other hand and started to unzip Solaris' bag and open it up. Fishing around in it, Haruhi finally popped her hand back out with a puzzle piece between her two fingers.

"Looks like my maids really did put it into your bag," she muttered. "Not sure why. Here, Aya, you want to take this?" Haruhi held out her hand so she could give the piece to Ayame. Her gaze then returned to Solaris and she poked his cheek.

"You know, I found something rather interesting in the lake earlier," she said. "I don't think that's the best place to keep a phone, Sol. You might want to rethink where you keep things. But don't worry, we'll get it fixed up and if that doesn't work, I'll just buy you a new one." Haruhi made no mention of how she found it or her dive into the water and why.

 

[Takumi]

Hiroki Niwa
Location: River
Interactions: Kio (@Rads)
Mentioned: Mirai, Daichi (@The_Queer_Alien)

"If I sounded condescending, that wasn't my intent; I got somewhat frustrated, and for that, I'm sorry. I just know a lot about this kind of stuff because of my grandpa and my secret hobby."

"Well you seem really passionate about it, which isn't a bad thing at all. You didn't sound condescending to me, either." Hiroki replied as he started to wring out his hair and shirt as best as he could to try and get most of the water out.

Kio pauses for a few moments, then pulls out a microfiber towel out of his back pocket and offers it to Hiro, and then says, "You can quickly change when we get back to the cabin, but for now, you should at least wipe your face and dry your hair. I don't know if Sayu told you anything about me, but as a rule, I'm not spiteful or do things to deliberately hurt someone, and so on."

"Oh, thank you! And nah, I haven't talked to Sayuri-senpai at all since I got here." Hiroki replied nonchalantly as he took the towel and wiped off his face before going through his hair, ruffling it up into, somehow, more of a mess than it was before.

'At least, I don't remember talking to anyone other than Daichi and Mirai before the meeting.' he thought as he ran his fingers through his hair to push his damp bangs out of his face again.

"Hm, well ready to head back? I can throw this in with my clothes to get washed later if you want?" He offered, holding up the towel for emphasis.

 

[Monbon]

Sayuri Satou​

|| Location: Cabin || Interactions: Briar @Takumi , En @Jig The Zom-B || Mentions: N/A || Mood: Upset, Scared, Shocked ||

The path back to the cabin stretched on like an endless maze. Sayuri had never been a quick runner, It'd be fairly easy for any of the other three to overtake them. They couldn't have gone more than a few yards yet their mind was racing miles.

'Sayuri…'

"Do you want a hug?"

Sayu stumbled forward, their breath ragged, heart pounding in their chest like a drumbeat of fear. Each step felt like a burden, legs heavy with exhaustion. It had only been a few minutes at best but every second felt like an eternity.

'...I love you, Sayuri'

"Or do you need some alone time?"

Finally, after who knows how long, Sayuri reached the cabin, lungs stinging with every inhale. Leaning against the railing to the steps at the entrance, Sayuri gave themselves a little break to take a breather. Closing their eyes, their mind reeled, ears hearing only that soothing voice on the other side of that closet door in the past.

'Mama will let you out when you're a good girl, okay?'

"did I overstep a bit?"

"Shut up…" Sinking onto the steps with a frustrated whine, Sayuri hugged themselves tightly, huddling up into a little ball of pure emotion and just let the tears fall. Briar's words in the present and those of past ghosts were so jumbled up the pinkette wasn't even sure what to make of any of it. "WHO ASKED FOR ANY OF THAT?!" Sayuri lashed out, unleashing their frustration at the only target that had tailed them.

Blinking the tears out of their eyes, Sayuri wiped at their cheeks and looked up expecting to see a frail woman with long waves of pink hair only for their dazed gaze to meet Briar's instead. Perhaps it was the stark contrast between expectation and reality. Or maybe it was something in the other's gaze but Sayuri quickly found themselves filled with an uncomfortable feeling. "O-oh. Domo-kun. That… wasn't to you."

Hands tightly gripping skirt, Sayuri anxiously wondered if they should apologize. "It's just. I'm just relieved to be out of there. Maybe a little angry for losing it? Twice now. Haha." Letting out a weak laugh, Sayuri pulled their face back into a bright smile. Smiles made everything better. They were the best mask to reel everything in. "Embarrassing right?"

Grabbing the railing, Sayuri pulled themselves back up to their feet and dusted themselves off. "I'm too ugly right now. I should shower before the girls make it back. If they ask, I'm just not feeling good. Ruby always said candy would make me sick anyway." Leading the way into the cabin, Sayuri removed their shoes at the entrance and was just about to head upstairs to change again when a flash of white in the corner of their eye caught their attention. "G-GHOST!" They shouted, instantly backtracking and crashing into Briar in the process. Pointing a shaking finger at the 'specter' Sayuri desperately clung to Briar's clothes and tried to urge them back out. "A GHOST IS D-DRINKING OUR T-T-TEA!!!"
​

 

[xLarius]

Solaris Kousei

When Medrin had commented that many people wouldn't fancy diving in to get it-- A part of Solaris wondered if Medrin was going to dive for it... Something about the word many certainly gave that indication. Was Medrin planning on drowning? Unfortunately Solaris would have to drag him away from the pool if he even attempted to gain the clue that way. This was considering that their trip would be cancelled if anything had happened to him. If Medrin wanted to deep dive fifty feet below without the necessary equipment, he certainly could do so... During his own personal hours-- not on a field trip hosted by the Lover's Club.

​

Solaris waited patiently as the other sifted out the other details in regards to the riddle. It wasn't until he heard shouts about a chest that Solaris curiously looked up from where he stood. At first he wasn't sure where she was pointing. He waited a few heartbeats before he watched her spin around just as fast and yelled out... Kuchi? For a moment he tilted his head, looking to Medrin, then around before a question mark appeared above his head. It didn't seem like his partner had any kind of idea either. He knew for a fact he could be a senpai, but he wasn't sure of her year so he didn't know if she just... Mistook Medrin for someone else.

​

A clueless expression stuck on his face as he blinked twice at Ren's ex-girlfriend. Maybe his Kouhai had a type... Women who were a little.... Delightful in the head. What did she remind him of? It was on the tip of his tongue... A squirrel... Perhaps. "Chuck...?" Solaris slowly repeated, scratching at his cheek before a gentle laugh left his lips. "That would be counter-productive." He mused though he didn't appear too distraught at the idea. Though... A part of him did wonder if some of them received the same clues if they were in the same spot.

However, this also meant if Ren's ex-girlfriend was around then Haruhi was too... For a moment, Solaris gently looked straight up at the sky in anticipation of Haruhi spiraling out of the sky like a loose firework. His hands sort of slowly raised in anticipation to catch her before realizing that she in fact wasn't going to fall from the sun. Upon that realization, he turned his attention back to Haruhi's partner. He offered a slight bow of his head in apology before motioning towards the hole. "We don't have it quite yet. I didn't know we were in a rush, really. Otherwise I would have moved at a quicker pace." He wasn't really aware of what was happening.

​

Perhaps Haruhi was following all the members around because she couldn't bear to sit still. That seemed like her at least. "Besides, if Nakamura-chan demands I be chucked into the water, who am I to deny her that right?"

Upon a pat to the shoulder, Solaris swiveled his focus to Medrin, when he placed the bow and arrow in his hand, additional question marks flew over his head. Why bother picking it up if he wasn't even going to use it? Solaris didn't hesitate to simply drop it back into the box, not even bothering to lean down. He certainly wasn't enough of a marksman to use it so why bother holding it?

His eyes attempted to follow Medrin for the first few movements but after that he lost interest. Yeah, Solaris wasn't interested in intimidating himself with nightmares of his athletic partner chasing after him in the woods like a gorilla. He was good, thank you. If the other fell, Solaris was sure that Medrin could catch himself and he'd only get in the way. Worst case, the vice-president would end up breaking both of their ribs or something along those lines. They made everyone sign a waiver to be on this trip... Right? He closed his eyes, his dark lashes fluttering as he thought to if they had.

​

It wasn't until he heard her voice that his eyes opened once again. His attention shifted over to Haruhi before nodding his head in her direction in acknowledgement. "President Nakamura." The vice-president lightly greeted before his gaze shifted over to Haruhi's raven-haired partner once again. He considered reintroducing himself but he wasn't too keen on reminding her that the vice-president of the club owed her a favor...

Though surely Haruhi's choices practically vetoed his own decision automatically so the consequences of the deal hadn't quite weighed too heavily on his shoulders quite yet. After a moment he nodded once more, "Apologies, it didn't seem we were formally introduced. If it's easier on you, you may simply address me as 'Senpai'." He suggested. At least that way she wouldn't have to remember his name.

When Haruhi mentioned the true reason they were there, it was as if a lightbulb blinked over his head. "Aah, I see. So you're not here of your own volition." Solaris's body language almost seemed to relax at this fact. Of course if he were to go head-to-head in a battle again Ren's (seemingly) incredibly sane (...) ex as well as their club president...

​

Solaris wasn't even going to try and imagine formulating a plan to combat that sort of fire power in all honest truth. If Medrin wanted to try he was welcome to, however, Solaris was quite certain that the non-club member wouldn't quite understand the extent of... Passion Ren's exes and their club president wielded in their grasp.

"Mmn, best that they offered the most dangerous spot to the team with the vice-president to watch over them rather than someone else." He noted, pushing up his glasses so they rested better again his nose. "Besides, I'm sure even if we were all tied up in bubble-wrap we'd find a way to get into worse trouble." He playfully mused, his soft-green eyes creasing with humor. He motioned towards the president's dripping clothes as if to make a point.

"Do I even want to ask why you seem to be soaked from head to toe? You could have waited back at the cabin instead of crossing the water since we would return anyways." He pointed out, "Unless you took a swim on purpose?" There wasn't a hint of ridicule in his tone. Solaris simply was left unaware as to why their president was so drenched. Perhaps it was some thrill-ride matter where she jumped off the boat to hide in the water. He wouldn't put it past her.

​

Solaris didn't move an inch when she grabbed his shoulder. Simply leaning slightly over at the mere touch without a change to his expression, the small tinge of a smile on his lips though it wasn't out of amusement, really. "Ah. If you heard me earlier, I would prefer if you really didn't chuck me into the water." Casual conversation as he turned his head back in her direction. Emerald eyes settling on the sleeves of her hoodie, furrowing his brows as the sight was rather familiar to him. Hadn't he seen it before? Or did everyone simply have the same sweatshirt in their closet? Perhaps he was missing out on a trend.

Soon enough however, the furrow smoothed back to his relaxed brow. "Perhaps they've picked up on their mistress's humor." He gently suggested, his lashes fluttering over his eyes as he felt her breath against his neck. His neck slightly flushing at the mere sensation though he didn't seem flustered in the slightest. "So that's what a piece looks like." He curiously looked to the design of the piece before shaking his head. The vice-president didn't have a clue to what the whole puzzle looked like.

​

At the poke to his cheek, with a patient smile, he raised his brow as if to ask why she was prodding at his face. At the mention of his phone, Solaris's smile slightly flattened. "Nakamura-chan you shouldn't be doing unnecessary things like looking for garbage from the bottom of the water." Most people would mistaken the flash in his eyes for concern, however for Solaris it was more like... Genuine confusion.

Water. Phone. President. Unnecessary actions.

[ Scold her. ] +10 Responsibility
> [ An Unnecessary Action ] + 10 ???

{This Action Requires: Friendship Above #$#$@}
? Proceed ?
​

A moment passed before his fingers brushed against her hair, plucking a wet leaf out before gently pressing down on her head, "I didn't doubt you would." Simple words, this time there was no indication of what connotation this remark fell under. Fact? Fondness? Trust? "We'll try dry rice when we return. I'm sure Hymm-san is working hard to get the piece so we can head back to the cabin anyways." He gestured towards the trees before pulling his hand back. "Did you and..." He took a moment to remember her name though it wasn't a fact he'd quite grasped yet, "Fukushima-san row here?" The vice-president highly doubted it, but it was worth asking.

​

"And you should probably shower when we get back, lest you catch a cold." This time Solaris was sure Haruhi was aware of the slight trail off at the end of his words, 'and you spread it to the rest of the club'. Despite his smile, there certainly was an edge of 'why would you do something so ridiculous' to it-- his smile flawless to others, and yet it seemed Haruhi saw right through him even after he'd perfected it over the years.

"Speaking of which... How are you doing, Hymm-san? Need some assistance?" He spoke up though he wasn't sure how he'd even begin to offer it when they really only had one tool.

「 @ScarletNova , @Monbon , @Jig The Zom-B, @YetieBetie 」

credits

 

[Takumi]

Briar Mori

Location: Cabin

Interactions: Sayuri (@Monbon)
Mentioned: Akari (@ScarletNova), Ruby (@Rads), En (@Jig The Zom-B)

"Shut up…" Sinking onto the steps with a frustrated whine, Sayuri hugged themselves tightly, huddling up into a little ball of pure emotion and just let the tears fall.

For a split second, Briar's eyes widened in surprise, not expecting such a reaction from Sayuri. For a moment Briar thought they did overstep, but ignored that when Sayuri began to cry at the steps. Worry and concern were the most visible emotions on their face in the moment, unsure what to do to comfort Sayuri without getting to in his space.

"WHO ASKED FOR ANY OF THAT?!"

Briar subconsciously took a half step back, at the sudden raise in volume, brows furrowing as watery green met concerned gold.

"O-oh. Domo-kun. That… wasn't to you. It's just. I'm just relieved to be out of there. Maybe a little angry for losing it? Twice now. Haha. Embarrassing right?"

"I'm too ugly right now. I should shower before the girls make it back. If they ask, I'm just not feeling good. Ruby always said candy would make me sick anyway."

"You're not ugly, you're upset. Which you have every right to be," they replied, nose scrunched a bit in distaste at the mention of Ruby but he kept any comments to himself on that matter, letting his features return to being softer in response to the rest of what Sayuri was saying, "if you want to talk or just vent y'know, you can yell at me anytime. If you just want a hug if you want to feel better you don't even have to ask–"

"G-GHOST!" They shouted, instantly backtracking and crashing into Briar in the process. Pointing a shaking finger at the 'specter' Sayuri desperately clung to Briar's clothes and tried to urge them back out. "A GHOST IS D-DRINKING OUR T-T-TEA!!!"

'I guess getting cut off is gonna be my thing this whole trip…' they thought with a mental sigh.

Briar was in the middle of removing his shoes as he spoke, and had just been taking off the last one to place with it's twin when Sayuri suddenly shouted and crashed into him as he was standing back up to his full height. Stumbling back, his free arm almost instinctively wrapped around Sayuri's waist While the other shot out to grip the threshold of the door to keep him from falling back onto the porch. Once steady on their feet, their golden eyes snapped up to where Sayuri pointed, narrowing at whatever spooked the pinkette.

White hair was the first thing he noticed.

At Sayuri's urgent motions and the way they clung to Briar's clothes, the brunette let go of the threshold and shifted to the side while loosening his hold just enough that Sayuri could easily pull away if he wanted, so that if Sayuri bolted he'd have an easier time getting to the stairs first before Briar and could get to anyone else outside like Akari or another club member.

"I don't think ghosts drink tea, but I'll fight the ghost if I have to." They reassured the pinkette.

 

[YetieBetie]

Location: Island building thingy
Interactions: Sol @xLarius, Medrin @Jig The Zom-B, Haruhi @ScarletNova
Mentions: Always Shin ofc and Mari
Mood: Weird

The duo only seemed confused at her outburst. Had she not been clear enough? She was pretty sure she'd done the whole 'project your voice' thing the way her ex's had shown her. Actually, she was convinced that was probably one of the best projections she'd ever done. No, it couldn't have been the volume. Maybe she hadn't been clear enough? Perhaps these people didn't understand simple phrases? It was a valid issue a lot of her peers had struggled with in her last school. Most being used to more sophisticated speech and such. Should she switched to Shakespearian? Or maybe she could simply enjoy the confusion by switching to another language entirely. She quite liked the way 'Ensuite tu iras nager, garçon poisson' rolled off the tongue.

It was in the middle of this internal debate when Kousei-senpai-chan laughed. Correcting her slight. So they had understood her. Raising a brow at his correction, Aya fixed him with an odd look. Thinking he had the upper hand huh? "Obviously we'd snatch the goods before we tossed you. We aren't completely uncivilized." She rolled her eyes like 'duh'. The bluff was held rather nicely as the Vice-President suddenly get really interested at the sun. What an odd man. What was he looking for? More blindness? No wonder his prescription was so bad.

She contemplated stating the very obvious correlation between vision impairment and sun staring when he seemed to snap back to the matter at hand. His head dipping into a small bow as he explained the lack of puzzle pieces.

Her hand dropped a little at his bow, as if this was the first time that such a thought dawned on her. "Don't... have it quite..." but then why on Earth would the clues bring them here? Had they been wrong? Hmm, all that studying up on the club must've made her other deducting skills a bit more rustier than she'd anticipated. Weirdly, Kousei-senpai-chan didn't seem put off by her out of proportion show. Though the other seemed to be doing a fine task of deadpanning her antics and ignoring her.

They were always there. Standing at the edges with drinks tipped in their hands. Watching. Waiting. Glaring. As if they saw every part of her and despised each imperfect piece. What was she supposed to do? Apologize for not curtsying and cutting out her tongue like all the others? Tell them she was sorry she couldn't sit still and act all 'perfectly content' in a world where she so clearly was not? What had she done to warrant such distaste so fast? Why did it feel as though no one could ever give her any straight answers?

'There is no answer, its just you Ayame-chan. People fear what they don't understand. But no worries, fear is always better than love.'

Rule number 1: It is better to be feared than loved.

She let her arm drop to her side, blinking away the memories and watching Kousei's partner with a blank expression as he turned into Tarzan and made what felt to be a haughty escape from her presence.

Good. One less club member she needed to worry about. This one, she hadn't even needed to talk to. One of those 'high and mighty' she assumed. Better yet, he was eye candy.

Her smirk grew on her face as she eyed the other ascend. Watching the movement like a child eyeing their favorite toy. Worst case scenario, he felt her eyes on her the entire way up, felt uncomfortable and decided to leave her alone for the rest of their time together in this club. Which was what she needed if she meant to navigate this thing well.

Haruhi correcting the Vice-Presidents name pulled her from her wanderings. A brainless rich-kid smile snaking back onto her face as the other talked. "Kuchi, Kousei, my Sweet Darling Senpai. A person of many titles deserves many more don't you think?"

As Haruhi enjoyed her special reuniting with Kousei, Aya's eyes wandered around the clearing. Such an interesting bit of lost wreckage. She stepped towards the circular bit of water. Eyeing the outrageously long fishing pole and then the waters depths. Half tempted to mess with their fishing search, Aya leaned over the water as close to the string as she could. Before standing straight and twisting around to look up at Tarzan. Unlike crazy Kousei-senpai-chan, she put her hand to her forehead. Allowing it to act as a covering from the sun's relentless rays.

Spotting Tarzan up on his perch, Aya blinked up at him for a few seconds. Laughing a little at how much the scene reminded her of the DreamWorks opening cut. Perhaps Tarzan had been a part of that little cameo. How he had the patience to sit there longer than five minutes was beyond Aya's reasoning. But then, there were many things she didn't understand. Like Shin's lack of enthusiasm for food. Or why Haruhi would reveal so boldly her attachments to Kousei. People were odd.

Once more Aya's attentions were brought back to Haruhi. The sound of her name being uttered drawing her attentions back to the two. An odd look twisting a smile on her face. Holding things for other people wasn't typically her job. Most of the time Shin was around for her to dump the things on him. Or there was a table to set it on. Or... literally anything else. So it was weird to realize she was expected to carry something.

Regardless, Haruhi was the President, above Aya's station, and oddly trusting towards Aya. Something few, if not anyone would ever chance. Perhaps she meant to rub in the fact that Aya could be considered a dog here? That made the most sense to Aya. The way she held out the puzzle piece was almost the way Aya would imagine an adult would hand some money to their kid in an effort to keep them quiet.

No choice.

She shrugged, casually approaching this new set of love birds and snatching the puzzle piece before heading to examine the edges of the building. Poor Mari-chan. No wonder the girl had been so timid. Haruhi and her beloved Senpai were far too close together. Though Kousei-senpai-chan hadn't looked too affected by it. Perhaps they were stuck in a love triangle! One in which Senpai was clearly happy to be with Mari-chan, yet Mari-chan, respecting her beloved club President, was far too kind to say or do anything. How terrible! She'd have to tell Shin all the details later, not that he'd care much for it.

As she walked around and picked through the old wreckage, she began trying to imagine the place in her mind. It must've been beautiful. The middle of it all once some sort of well or bathhouse of some sort. An odd design, but beautiful in its uniqueness. Turning it into a patio of some sort might be the best option. With all the greenery around the island, having a chance to enjoy the scenery would not only be the cheapest option, but also best opportunity. Besides, who would want a building with a well of deep water in it? She was pretty sure that had to be some sort of safety hazard...

 

[Jig The Zom-B]

Comfortable, he simply spent his time watching the three below interact. He made careful movements with the rod and plucked the string a few times every so often to ensure the magnet on the end of the line wasn't still. The pit was wide and deep, having to constantly reel in the magnet and drop it over and over already made his shoulder ache more than it already did. A game of patience he was more than happy to play, although unsure if his companion were content to play it took. Watching Haruhi and Solaris gave him a faint sense of Deja-Vu, almost as though he was watching Sayuri and Akari for a second. A quiet smile over tired features as the thought that perhaps Solaris and Haruhi maybe had something. It made him think jus how many people in the club already had a partner.

Another few prods and plucked string attempt's, still giving him nothing. Checking the rod as regularly as possible. All the while trying to keep attention on Solaris and his two friends. The split to attention made listening in on conversation far more difficult as his want to pull up the piece nagged at him. Haruhi's words at his caution did catch him, looking to the president and giving a nod. He wasn't sure why there was mention of reprimanding her maids, then again the thought that people had maids were alien to him in the first place. Just how wealthy or influential did one have to be to claim having maids? The thought were interrupted however, Kousei talking up to him next. There was pause as he tried to think of any possible way Solaris could assist him at the moment. At least without getting himself wet. There were already two soaked members present, a third was asking for a cold to spread.

"I'm afraid there is nothing that you can really assist with besides just getting comfortable Kousei-San. The pit is wide and whatever I'm looking for isn't the biggest item in the world. It may take me a little while to get the magnet to meet it's quarry. And that's just hoping there is only one magnetic item in this pool." He did wonder just what else lay beneath the waters surface, squinting as though somehow it would break the dark smog of deep waters and let him peek at the depths. Shaking his head, just kept his attention on the rod and line. Beyond just his one target in the pit, he wanted to make sure his line wasn't going to get snagged by anything. Tangling his line would force him to dive for the item if it happened. Comfortable, yet his arm constantly throbbing at him, he patiently fished. Minutes would pass as he forced the line and the magnet to dance at the depth's. He wasn't sure about the loud theatrical girl or Haruhi's patience level, but he was confident Solaris knew this could take a few moments. Sure enough, after another few minutes, his finger pressed against the line at the reel seat felt a quiver. A small motion, but one that he had been hunting for.

With the quiver going through the line, Medrin could feel as the magnet went from limply dancing across the water floor to suddenly snapping against something. "There you are...." Giving the rod a couple tug's, then beginning to reel the line back in. The humming clicks of the rod telling those below that he was pulling something up. He was slow in bringing it to the surface, the thought of the magnet suddenly coming free and the target floating back to the bottom only for the whole song and dance to begin again being something he was certain his friends below didn't want to sit through. With calm smooth motion, a shape would form through the dark smog as it rose, then breaking the surface. Water fell away from it to reveal an iron carved carp, the magnet hugged tightly to it's belly. Taking his time to look at it from his perch, was curious as to if this fish was their piece. He wasn't sure, but at the very least he had done his job. Instead of reeling it up to himself, moved the rod so the metal koi would slowly swing over to solid ground, dangling like a prize fish before Harihi and Solaris. He didn't mind what one of the two of them grabbed it from the line. If it were any other team, he would want to keep the piece, however with it being the president herself, maybe it would just be easier to hand over what they came for.

Once retrieved, pulled the line back up and wrapped the magnet around the rod, tucking it in the reel seat. With it secured, figured it best he get down before he has an accident. He considered just jumping down and into the water pit. It would be the fastest method, but doubted that those below would enjoy the resulting wave of water. Spotting a brush below, dropped the rod into it, trusting that the foliage would easily break it's fall and stop it breaking. With the rod descended, his turn. As though hopping down small sets of stairs, he would hop from one branch to another lower branch, then another. Once half way down the tree, stepped forward and let himself fall for a few seconds, making sure he used his left hand, reached out and with a loud slap, caught the lower branch. With his momentum, swung from it and landed with heavy boot thuds a few meters from the group. He looked up at his old perch for a moment before nodding and turning to the three, approaching. With tired eye's, regarded the two girls and gave a bow. "I have not had the good fortune of sharing words, Nakumura-San. It is nice to meet you." Looking to Aya after, "I apologise, i have not had the fortune of learning your name." Giving her a small bow, "Medrin Hymm. It is also nice to meet you too." Using his hands to brush wet hair from his face, "With the piece fished up, if you still want it then feel free to take it. I hadn't known it was a race, if i had then i would have tried harder. You have both done well to follow us across the water's." Noting Haruhi's state and letting a warm chuckle escape his throat. "With that done, if there is aught else to be done, I say we return to the cabin." Gesturing towards the direction of the coast they arrived on. "You wouldn't enjoy catching a cold, I'm certain. If anything, I'm happy to carry things back to the boat if it helps?" Walking towards the brush where the fishing rod lay and collecting it before returning to the group.

"I don't recall there being a second boat on the lake, but i imagine there must be one for you to have arrived. I'll be careful not to have the boat kick again on the return journey." Kicking himself mentally, despite his blank expression. He would use some of his pay check when home to help fund Solaris a new phone. A little bot of overtime at the Café would ensure he got his bill paid too. Holding out a thick yellow coat towards Aya, "I take it the hoodie Nakumura-San wears is yours. Something to help keep her warm. If you are cold yourself, you can wear this." It was his only dry piece of clothing, the inside made of a soft looking fleece wool. He wasn't sure if she would accept or not, but at least wanted to make the offer. "With that done, hopefully I didn't keep you waiting too long Kousei-San?"

Mention('s) - Sayuri: @Monbon - Akari
Interaction('s) - Solaris: @xLarius - Aya: @YetieBetie - Harihi: @ScarletNova
Location('s) - Ruins

 

[Jig The Zom-B]

Peaceful, quiet and barely a noise to be heard. The scent of the tea enjoyed and with the passing of uneventful minutes, it was the correct level of warm to be properly enjoyed. She did wonder just what activity the others would be up to. Maybe they were all having a hike? Maybe setting up a campfire or even just wandering around the place looking for anything interesting to pass the time. A quiet giggle left her at the thought, she wasn't sure what items of interest one may find in a forest, although she was more than happy to be pleasantly surprised. She hadn't an idea of just how many people were even on the trip. She knew Nakamura was obviously going to be here, her vice president Kousei also right behind her no doubt. As for anybody else, well. That would be up to meeting the gang and finding out! Lightly kissing the lip of the cup and sipping on her warm drink. Once she was out of this cup, she would make herself another and then consider what to do next from there. Mayhaps go fetch one of her book's or phone to listen to something?

With her first cup half drained, came the sudden faint noises from outside. Her ears perked at the quiet commotion, head inclining in the sources direction. Her warm smile widening just that little bit further, had some of the members came back already? The sounds of footsteps against wood, the porch. Considering she hadn't heard anybody leave yet, this one was returning! Then another set of footsteps joined it. A duo? Well it was the lovers club after all, so it wasn't unheard of for the members to group up. Shaking her head with a soft giggle. The muffled sounds of conversation came next, although from where they were there wasn't any use in trying to listen in. Although her brow furrowed a fraction when one rather loudly exclaimed line managed to reach her. "Hmm? Asking for something perhaps?" The words mouthed rather than spoken as she tried to listen in more on what was being said. Whoever had just yelled clearly didn't sound pleased. Was there a dispute? She wanted to further think on it, part of her even wanted to go and ask for herself. "No, I shouldn't pry." Taking up her mug again and sipping from it. She could hear the front door open, seemed the two had decided to come inside!

She could hear as one was walking their way closer, pausing at the base of where she remembered the stairs to be. She hadn't memorised the layout of the building properly, but from the sounds of footsteps and rough memory of where things were, she could locate people and tell where they were. It wasn't 100%, but it came close at the least. Raising her mug to take another sip, figuring the individual to go to the upper floor. The sudden ear piercing scream of "GHOST" coming from the door was nothing short of startling. The word grated harshly in her ear, making the girl flinch hard. Without realizing, she had let go of the cup, her body curling in on itself a little in the flinch, as though instinctually making herself smaller would make the sound go away. The mug unceremoniously clattered against the ground, the sound of breaking glass reaching her and making the girl flinch once more. The mug had split in two and the handle snapped. Laying in a pool of warm tea. Her eye's were wide, staring ahead as slowly her body's muscles relaxed and she untensed, looking down to where she had heard her drink vanish then break.

It would be the sounds of the second pair of footsteps approaching where the first was stood that snapped En back to the world, blinking a few times and recomposing herself swiftly. Turning her head towards the two, hearing the first voice again and how a ghost was drinking the tea. A quiet whine left En as she looked back to her drink, mourning her lost beverage, before swinging her feet to the left of her chair, letting her toe tap against the ground a couple times to check for any puddle's or glass. With a slight nod, stood. Whoever had been yelling, at first the girl thought the person was angry, but she doubted it when hearing the person screaming the word ghost,. It dripped with fear. She pushed her own from the startling noise down and walked her way over to the two. She didn't hear either of them moving, but she could hear the tired sharp breaths from the yeller. She wasn't sure about the 2nd person, they were being fairly quiet.

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 as to not scare them just incase. 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 eye's looking to the two, took a step forward. Both arms reached slowly up and over each persons shoulder and pulled the two into a hug. She could feel the rapid heartbeats of them. Like two drum's, she could tell they had been through some even that had been unsettling or upsetting. She wasn't sure if she was over-stepping or not. But she had been taught that when one is scared or sad, a hug or comfort can help. She had to stand on her tippy toes to keep them both in the hug for a moment. They were both taller than her and figured that perhaps they wouldn't enjoy bending down for a hug from a strange little girl for too long. "I promise you both, there are no ghost's 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.

An idea did form, "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. "Oh. That's right..." Placing a hand on the back of her chair, warm wetness on the bottom of her sock. "I should clean this. Please leave this to me and both of you take a seat. If you would humour me, perhaps i could please ask what you have been up to while i clean up the mess?" It was her mess after all, no point in making someone else clean it. A hand reaching out and tracing it's way across the table until it gently bumped the Familiar shape of her canes head. Taking it up, walked her way over to the sink and reached under for a cloth and a small bag. Carefully approaching the table and crouching down, with slow motion's searched for the cup shards. "There they are." A playful smile as she collected the two half's of the cup. Feeling that the handle was missing, carefully groped around for it before finding and placing it inside the bag with the other parts. There would obviously be tiny fragments she couldn't find, but hoped that the cloth would snatch those up as it soaked up all the cooling tea. With the tea soaked up and hopefully all of the glass cleaned up, placed the wet towel in the bin with the bag of broken mug. "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." She want sure if the two would take her up on her offer of drink or not, but at the very least. "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." Giving a bow to the duo before making her way over to were she had left the kettle. At the very least, she was to replace her own drink. As the kettle boiled more water, she pulled free her wet sock. Wet clothing was never comfortable.

Mention('s) - N/A
Interaction('s) - Sayuri: @Monbon - Briar: @Takumi
Location('s) - Kitchen

 

[The_Queer_Alien]

Location: The Woods outside the cabin​

For obvious reasons, Daichi did not feel comfortable being called anything with the suffix "chan" at the end. Reasons that may not be so obvious to Ren, because if Ren knew said reasons he'd probably use it against him. So his only option was completely ignoring him to the best of his abilities. Daichi did his damnest to completely tune out Ren by hyper-focusing on the road ahead, he wondered if he would get in trouble for knocking Ren out and completely ditching him in the forest, however, that would just cause more drama he wanted no part in. Faking an injury was an option or even giving himself a real one. For a second Daich considered pretending to faint so that he was allowed to sit out the event, maybe if the Club Leader thought he wasn't in good condition, she'd allow him to sit out the activity.

For a moment Ren stopped to look at something, Daichi heavily considered taking this time to run back to the cabin but it was too late when Ren turned back around and suddenly asked him about his love life, the only answer he was willing to respond to was about why he chose the Lover's Club which he said: "the headmaster made me join a club and I joined here because matchmaking is all about giving advice" before he kept walking. Any questions about his love life or anything else did not matter to him especially some (presumably) cishet rich boy who couldn't handle being bumped into.

fuck this is gonna be a long exercise isn't it

Interactions: Ren Fujiwara (@Monbon )​

 

[Takumi]

Mirai Ueno
Location: Dragon Trail → Shrine
Interactions: Tsukiko (@xLarius)

Mentioned: n/a

"You're really missing out on the beauties the forest has to bring! Ah! The lighting! The sunshine on my back to the long fields where you could practically see the patches of rice growing! You can practically smell the glorious scent of riches that every grain brings... Ah, not to mention the fairies in the countryside."

His eyes excitedly sparkled before he made a finger-gun with his hand, resting his chin between his thumb and his pointer finger as a star practically emitted from his smug smirk. "Beautiful in every way, from the way they shimmer in the light..." Tsukiko clasped his hands together, his eyes shining with his lips curving into a 'w' shape.

One doesn't truly live until they've been blessed by that creature that carries grace and the hopes of the wind on their every breath!" Tsukiko hummed before continuing down the path. He blinked twice before a soft "heh" left his lips.

"So it's safe to say, the country-side and I are one! Like how rivers can become waterfalls so unexpectedly! Or how with the clouds eventually can come the rain! The soul of the earth and I are one! It's as if the spirits all around have appointed me the voice to their qualms!" He declared boldly, his foot slamming boldly down on a rock before Tsukiko spun around, "Well, just one devoted follower I suppose. I don't deny that I am just one body."

Hearing how excited Tsukiko seemed to be made a breathy chuckle escape Mirai, the hand on his shoulder involuntarily giving a soft squeeze as she did so, her own relaxing when he seemed fine.

"Do not worry about me! My brother claims I have the skull of a boulder." He playfully knocked his fist against his own head before letting out a proud 'hmm' noise. "After all, true samurai have both heads and nerves of steel." Tsukiko looked towards the map, eventually letting go of her wrist. "Perhaps? Hopefully the Gods are merciful today, lest we get sucked into the blackhole of malevolence."

Tsukiko let out a long sigh. "Well, really it depends on how well-taken care of the shrine is. It really does vary by region. Some shrines are left behind when people get their fills, or people overall can't handle how much time you actually have to invest to get the gods to play nice." He shrugged.

"It's only natural to be concerned for you when you almost fell, Inari-kun." She replied, letting her hand that was on his shoulder fall to her side. As he went on to talk about the shrine, and the potential of being confronted by malevolent energy depending on how the shrine was cared for, she gave a thoughtful tilt of her head and a purse of her lips with a soft 'hmm'.

"If you visit, I'll give you a 'harae' on the spot." Tsukiko considered on the trail, confidently marching ahead as he looked up at the shrine gate. It was pretty run down, the red paint had multiple chips and some of the wood had already begun to rot away. After he deeply bowed, he passed through the gate. "Do you visit shrines for the new-years? I find that our peers visit around that time to wish in good luck, grades, or a lover to get their year off to a stupendous beginning." Tsukiko remarked, his footsteps solid on the haggard stone path.

"Ah," at the offer to giver a 'harae', a purification ritual, she blinked, "your offer is appreciated Inari-kun." She replied, eyes taking in the entrance to the shrine with curiosity as she gave her own slight bow before following him in.

"We used to visit shrines years ago, but we stopped." Mirai simply answered with a strained smile, her brown eyes glancing away and towards the surrounding trees and foliage near the entrance for a moment.

After Shintaro passed, she couldn't stand going to shrines with her mother in particular, and just stopped once her parents split.

Only a small building left of perhaps what had been. He stuck to the left side of the path, careful not to get in the way of 'where the god pass'. It was as if Tsukiko's entire demeanor had relaxed as soon as they passed the gate. He eagerly motioned towards Mirai before motioning towards the 'temizuya'. "The water looks pretty fresh in all honesty. Perhaps someone does maintain this place albeit with all the leaves around..." He noted before pulling up the long sleeve of his cardigan. Soon enough he washed his left hand, then his right with the water. There was something graceful in each movement, as if he were a conductor in charge of an orchestra. Each subtle change of movement in his wrist had a purpose as his lashes fluttered over his glacier eyes. He set the ladle back in its spot before motioning for Mirai to go ahead and do the same.

The quiet of the surrounding shrine as Tsukiko washed his hands was rather peaceful, even with the distant call of birds to break it. She had followed with quiet steps, her own movements weren't refined, as she wasn't trying to be, but there was a quiet respect towards whatever deity may have been worshiped here long ago.

"It may have been some time since it was last cared for, I don't think Haruhi-chan would know for sure, but who knows." Mirai hummed, moving to copy Tsuki as she washed her hands.

"If we're going to disturb the resting place of the gods, might as well do our best not to invoke their fury." He mused before tapping on his cheek. "We can head inside the building or we can look around the grounds." He offered her the next choice, curiously looking around at the worn down statues that had been chipped away by the weather.

"Have you encountered any supernatural happenings? They happen more often than you think." He hummed, tucking his hands behind his back before enjoying the cool breeze, there was a soft chiming of bells somewhere in the distance... "Now puzzle-piece... We're here to claim thy company!" Tsukiko boldly declared before blinking twice. "... Though these grounds are pretty big... You think it's wedged somewhere?" He curiously looked back towards Mirai.

At being given the choice of where to look, Mirai took a moment to weigh both choices in her head as her eyes scanned the grounds within her field of view one more time.

"I think we'll have better luck looking inside, at least first. I don't think, given how big the grounds are, they put it somewhere where we'll have to walk too far to get it." She spoke thoughtfully.

At his question about supernatural happenings she took a bit longer to answer.

"As for 'supernatural happenings', there was one instance in middle school I thought I heard someone call my name but no one was there when I turned around," She replied before adding with a shrug, "I think it was just me hearing things though."

 

[ScarletNova]

Akari Morita
Music Club | Outside --> Cabin
Interactions: Ruby (@Rads), Sayuri (@Monbon), Briar (@Takumi), En (@Jig The Zom-B)
Mentions: N/A
​

"I never once said cooking was pointless, I said I don't see the need for me to learn any recipes right now," Akari replied back after she heard Ruby's response. As she held the dog in her arms, she gently gave it a few pets ever so often to make sure it stayed calm. She didn't want it getting upset about being carried for a long time and attempt to wiggle out of her arms.

Her pink eyes shifted her gaze from ahead of her over towards Ruby again. "I already know how to do the basics to survive," she muttered. Living like Akari did, it was always good to know how to cook something in case all the food ended up taken before you could get to the table. "I specifically see no point in learning any cooking simply to try to get Sayuri's attention. That's not who I am."

Did Akari want Sayuri to notice her? Of course. But as herself, not because of some extra work specifically done just so that would happen. What if, then, Sayuri always expected her to make things for him all the time? That just wasn't who Akari was.

As they drew closer to the cabin again, Ruby went on to mention about knowing when to use her head and step back. Though Akari didn't know her well yet, she honestly had yet to see that happen. So far, all Ruby had done was not step back and use her head when she should have. Asking about her feelings for Sayuri so suddenly? Stating out loud about Sayuri's and Briar's? Akarki let out a sigh. Yeah. It was best not to really bring all that up though. It wasn't Akari's place anyway.

Once they finally made it to the cabin, she headed inside to hear the sound of voices. She followed them to see Briar and Sayuri there, but also some girl she hadn't see earlier. Was she another Lovers Club member? Akari hadn't seen her during the meeting earlier, but if she was in the cabin, then she had to be related somehow.

Unless they suddenly had some random burglar making Briar and Sayuri a cup of tea. If so, she wasn't a very good burglar. Well, she guessed that depended on what type of good was used.

"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. Perhaps the smell of the tea reminded it of food. Chance were it hadn't gotten a lot of food while out in the wild on it's own. But it's messy fur clearly indicated it also needed a bath.

Akari wasn't familiar with taking care of animals. Orphanages and foster homes usually didn't allow them or didn't have them to begin with. So, she stood there, waiting for instructions from them on what she should do. After all, it was Briar and Sayuri who found the little furry guy anyway.

 

[Rads]

Music Club | Outside --> Cabin

, then kitchen

Interactions: @ScarletNova Akari, @Monbon Briar Say kun, @Takumi En

Mentions: N/A

Ruby gently sighs, taking all that's said in, then says, "My bad, then." "As for the other thing, I wasn't trying to be mean and such; I thought he would tease me back like he often does to take away his bad thoughts. Clearly, I got that wrong." 'If who you are was enough, you would have had him ages ago. Well, for now, I'll step back and see where this goes. It seems she really doesn't like authority'.
She then turns to En and says, "Well, En Chan, I think I remember seeing you on the roster, but it's nice to see a face to the name; I'm Ruby the Treasurer." Ruby then pauses and waits to see how things would go with the group trying to not mess things up anymore. 'As for the dog, I'm not sure how to clean it right. Kio seems like he's good with animals for some reason'. ' I should get the poor furball something to eat; it's in bad condition'. ​

 

[ScarletNova]

Mariko Tanaka
New Member | Location: Woods --> Treehouse --> Falling --> On top of Ren
Interactions: Shin (@YetieBetie), Ren (@Monbon)
Mentions: Daichi (@The_Queer_Alien)
​

Mariko's heart thumped against her chest as she released a breath. Almost falling down was a nerve-wrecking experience, one she needed to take a few minutes to calm down from as she steadied her footing. But as her eyes left sight of the ground as she raised her head up, and caught the sight of green eyes staring closely at her, her beating heart only got faster.

Heat radiated from the touch of his hands on her arms and rushed throughout her whole body. A deep shade of red painted her cheeks. Seconds ticked by. Minutes ticked by. A spinning whirlwind of thoughts twisted around in her head. What was she supposed to do? Should she move away? Would that be rude after he just helped her?

When did she grab onto his arm?! She suddenly thought when she finally realized. "A-A-Ah." Her first attempt at words. But her pink lips felt so heavy to move. Did it always feel this hard to talk? Was it always this hot out? She would be surprised if steam wasn't flowing out from her body. The dizzying thoughts fought each other until she took another breath. Remember, he was similar. There was no reason to get so nervous around him. After all, he probably felt nervous too.

Finally, Mariko was able to unclench her hand from his bicep.

"T-Thank you for catching me," she spoke. "I-I'm sorry for not watching where I was going." She gave him a gentle bow in appreciation. Stepping back a little, as to not crowd him, chances were her movement would then give him the confort to release her from his grasp. Not that it felt bad or anything. In fact, the warmth felt nice.

But the thought made that blush on her cheeks darken and it was much too heavy for poor little Mariko to handle yet.

She bowed again. "Thank you, really," she said. "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."

After one more bow to apologize, Mariko suggested they keep going. After all, they had a puzzle piece to find. A few more minutes of walking and the two of them finally arrived at their destination. The treehouse was fairly large, not surprising for being under the ownership of the Nakamura's. Two stories with plenty of room for the maids to hide the puzzle piece in, Mariko wondered where it possibly might be and how hard it would be to find it.

Checking the attached ladder, it appeared to be in good condition, as did the rest of the treehouse. "W-would you like to go first?" she questioned. She moved out of the way so he could head up the ladder, but as her eyes watched him, she realized he might have some trouble. "O-oh, here...let me take my bag back. It'll be too much to climb the ladder with both of them."

He seemed strong and capable, but she didn't want to overburden him when he had to climb a ladder. It wasn't easy to move with both backpacks on. Once he handed her the bag, and he had headed up into the treehouse, she followed soon after.

"I-I think it would be best if I take one of the levels and you take the other one," she offered. "Since we don't know exactly where this piece would be."

Mariko searched the first floor, looking through different areas where the puzzle piece was hidden. But a few minutes in and no luck made her wonder if it might be on the second floor with Shin. "S-Shin-san," she called out. "Have you found it?" As she went to check on him, her eyes caught the sight of something dangling from a nearby tree branch just a little ways away from the treehouse deck.

"Ah," she mused. "I found it." She walked over towards it and reached out. She leaned against the deck's railing. Just barely, she was able to touch it with her fingertips. Reaching out just a little farther, stretching as far as she could, she caught it. She pulled the string, which caused it to come lose from the branch, and pulled it back to her.

"I got it!" she shouted up towards Shin. But before she could pull her body from the deck's landing, a sudden cracking sound rang out. The wood snapped and Mariko's body fell forward into the air.

"Shin!" She yelled in panic. She attempted to turn her body in mid air, and reached out towards him, but it was too late. Mariko's body fell through the air, hitting some leaves in the process. The bag on her back slipped off and her glasses flew off her face. But just when thought she'd feel the painful sensation of the hard ground at the end of her fall, instead, she felt a soft but firm surface when she landed.

Why was the ground so soft? And why was it kind of warm too? Without her glasses, when she glanced down to see what she had landed on, all she could see was a tan blur with a faint mixture of white and blue. She reached out to touch it to feel what it was. As her fingers felt what she thought was the ground, she felt the sensation of fabric instead, then the fabric switched over to the warm sensation of...skin? Did it feel like skin? She felt around some more.

Poor little Mariko, little did she know the 'ground' she had fallen on and was feeling up was actually a person. And that person was Ren. Those hands of hers, were casually feeling around Ren's chest.

Meanwhile, her bag, which she apparently hadn't fully closed earlier after shoving the notebook in it had opened up and it's contents flew out all over the ground. Hani's sketchbook had opened to a steamy drawing of Solaris and Ren embracing each other and landed right in Daichi's walking path where he could easily see it.