CLOSED SIGNUPS The Lovers Club IC (Reboot)

[Rads]

Interactions: @Takumi Hiroki
Mentions: @ScarletNovaHaru
Location: Living room

Kio thinks for several moments, then says, "Ugh, wow, I'm so daft sometimes.". "I should of known this one because when I was younger and my family wasn't a mess, we used to do family treasure hunts around the local area that mom and dad had set up the day before."
"That was one of the clues for the event back then; well, that's some irony that I would remember all this time later.". "It's a river; the question is now: where is the puzzle piece base around the river or even in the river if it's a weighted bag?". "As for being bad at it, heck, don't sweat it I'm bad at picking clothes, truth be told. I had to go with my oldest sister for the longest time, and even now sometimes i still don't fully get it". "We'll help each other out where we can; in the meantime, how about we look at the map together and see if we can work some of the stuff out at least".

 

[Jig The Zom-B]

His warm smile never seemed to waver, Medrin was genuinely enjoying himself after all. When Solaris had taken the stone, he took a few steps back and quietly watched as he took up the stance and tried skipping the stone. Eye's traced the stone as it left his hand and collided unceremoniously against the calm surface, only to immediately sink. He noted his partner's form, the movements he made were almost identical to the ones he had made. Quietly nodding and taking a seat, simply watched as he tried over and over to skip the stones. His chin, resting on arm's and those resting on his knees. There were quite the number of attempt's, although never seeming to get it quite right. Even though Medrin watched, there was no judgment nor ever really any thought at all. Head tilted a little as he sat and took in the sounds of the water lapping at the shore, accompanied by the occasional splash of a stone's throw.

He never counted the amount thrown, only getting his attention back when Solaris had decided to stop and approach him. Pushing himself to his feet, patting his pants down a little. He looked like he had some fun throwing the rocks, it was always relaxing to do things like this. The question of what he was doing wrong causing him to pause for a few moments, not quite sure how to answer. He had coped his stance, although frankly it was somewhat unnecessary for throwing anyway. More of a comfort thing, at least in his opinion. A finger coming up to scratch at his chin, his eye's combed the rocks at their feet for a couple moments before he reached down and picked up two. Offering one to Solaris, then took a few steps towards the shore-line. The water's lapping gently at the tip of his shoes. "You have enough strength, if anything i'm confident you could skip it at least eight times." Turning to him and holding his right hand up so Solaris could see. The rock was cradled between his index and thumb, the flat of the rock resting on his middle finger. "The trick isnt so much throwing hard or taking up a specific stance. It's the spin you put into it." Letting him look at how he held the stone. Solaris was a smart one, he would pick it up easy! Head turning towards the water, his arm moved back, then with a blur of motion flicked towards the water. The stone whizzed from him, skipping over the water 13 times before pattering into the depths.

"You use your index finger as you throw to put a spin into the stone." His voice was soft as he explained the method. Taking a step back and gesturing towards the water's for him to have another go. Watching to see how far he could get it to go and how many skips he could make. The pastime of skipping stones was always fun, but there was a hunt to complete and they were not there just to throw stones at the water. Taking a moment to look through the bag, confirming that the had not lost or forgotten anything. The sudden question from his companion getting his attention before they would depart. Walking back over, bag in hand "I guess I just asked as i figured it would make for some conversation. An ice breaker perhaps? I'm sorry. I apologize if it isn't a topic you want to discuss. I guess I just have sharp eye's and it caught my attention for a moment." Shrugging a little as he hoped he had not made him uncomfortable. Fingers combing at his hair to move some of his fringe, although he was just fidgeting a little. "Taught a lesson? hmm..." His warm smile trying to be a little reassuring, "I won't pry. I'm not sure what happened, but i wont ask. That's something you can share if you want to."

Hoisting the bag over his shoulder, would start walking eastward along the shore. "As for the string. It may sound odd, but i plan on using it to help catch something." It was only going to take them a little while to walk to the boat, he only walked at the pace that his partner was comfortable traveling at. Never walking ahead, just enjoying the conversation they were having as they moved. Reaching into one of his pocket's, pulled free a slightly glimmering thin piece of metal. It was only a millimetre thick, curved at the end into a U shape. He held it on his palm for Solaris to see, even letting him pick it up and inspect it if he so chose. "A fishing hook. I know it isn't common for people to carry those around. It's something I've used no few times to catch something to eat with. It's also one of the few things i brought with me." Hand rubbing at the back of his head, a meek shyness to his last little statement before placing the hook back into it's pocket. He figured his partner may think him odd for carrying such odd things, but he did not want to hide anything either. There was something about Solaris that was comforting enough to let him share.

Just a little bit further up the shore, the view of a wooden paddle boat came into view. It looked as though it could seat up to 6 people, two large oars leaning against the side sticking from the ground. It wasn't far off now. His boots made soft crunching against sand and soft thunk's as he trod over stones. The boat was fast approaching, the two stood before it. Taking a moment to look the boat over, placed the bag over and inside to rest upon one of the seats. Walking around to the two oar's and pulling them free of the ground. "Seem's we have found our quarry. The boat looks like it's good to go. If you give me a minute to check that it's water ready and not damaged in ways that will have us swimming there or back. We can get going!" Placing the oars inside the boat and slowly rounding the vessel. Taking his time as he checked the wood of the boat for any holes or possible leak's. Within a few minutes, nodded and looked to Solaris. "Well, look's like we are good to go. If you want to hop in now, i can get us on the water!" A slight excitement to his tone. He was looking forward to this! He also hoped that his friend was also enjoying himself. There was some worry he was coming off as weird or odd. Pushing the thoughts away for now though, made sure Solaris got into the boat and was seated comfortably. Walking to the rear of the boat, gripped the stern and with a quiet grunt, lightly lifted it above the ground. Thankfully the boat was already at the lip of the shore, all he had to do was push it in.

Just before he would push, gently lowered the boat as thought crossed his mind, the sudden question of one's first kiss taking him by surprise. It was not quite the question he thought would be pitched! Brow furrowing a little as he genuinely tried to think of an answer. His smile fell away by a fraction as he thought. "I guess it has some importance as you only get one first. A first kiss is something you remember always." Rubbing at the back of his neck. "I wouldn't know much of first kisses. I mean, I have yet to have my own. But i would say that there is at the very least some importance to the first kiss you make." Unsure of how to answer further, hoped that his answer would suffice for now. Hands re-gripping the rear and lifting began to move. With careful steps, not wanting to drop the rear end on his foot, guided the boat into the water, a light wobble as the vessel found it's comfort over the surface. With the boat steady on the water, Medrin took steps through the shallow water and hopped over the lip of the boat and into it. There was an initial light swaying, but it faded after only a few moments as it settled. "There we go! Now we can get this adventure started." A light hum to his tone, his smile full. Reaching for the oar's, used one to poke at the shore and push from it fully. Resting each oar over the side of the vessel, getting himself comfortable. With a slow building rhythm, began to paddle them further into the water's and towards their distant island. It took him a few tries to get a steady pattern, the boat even turning left somewhat. But soon was smoothly sailing over the water's.

The light splashes of the oars moving the forward making the ambience of the nature around them fairly peaceful to him at the very least. "Ahh, and i would like to apologize. I realize a bit late, but i've been a little rude in using your first name. I will do my best not to seem disrespectful in the future, Kousei-San" It had been a while since he had been in such a social event. He was new to the school and club, making a mental note not to make the same mistake with others of the club. Quietly, he rowed the boat. It was going to take a little bit to reach their destination.

Mention('s) - N/A
Interaction('s) - Solaris @xLarius
Location('s) - Shore -> Boating to central island

 

[Takumi]

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

Mentioned: n/a

"Hum hum.... Well..." He made a motion with his right hand, spinning it around as if he was twirling a lasso with his pointer finger out. "There's this one!" Tsukiko pointed out the trail, "This one is called... 'Dragon Trail'" A cat-like smirk curved upwards on his lips before he set his hands on his hips. "Sounds like the best place to start for me." He announced, pounding his fist against his chest, thumping against it before pointing towards the door. "Upwards and onwards my friend!" Tsukiko declared before moving to grab her hand, tugging her along as they made their way on the path.

"Let me know if you see like a... Golden sort of color in the trees, okay? That's the color I've heard the rare beetle is! They're rare because the color isn't that common! I want to get at least one picture to show to the fine children of the shrine..." He hummed, "I grew up in the countryside." He grinned before humming softly. "I remember greenery for days... Climbing trees... Days of running across the shrine halls." Tsukiko listed off, continuing to trek up the path. "Did you grow up in this kind of environment or were you more of a city kid?" He curiously asked, looking back before he stumbled over a rock, gripping her wrist tighter as he sort of... teetered forwards and backwards before knocking back into Mirai with an apologetic expression.

"Will do," she answered as she let him drag her along, keeping an eye out for said beetle. His grip on her wrist didn't hurt, so she found no need to pull away. She let him fill the silence, listening to each eord he threw at her and smiling when asked if she grew up in a city or in such an environment as this.

"I lived in Kyoto before moving to Yokokami when I was five, so I've always been a city kid," she answered. She couldn't remember Kyoto well, unfortunately, but what she had seen of Honkawa on the drive up to the cabin gave a similar vibe to some parts of Kyoto that she could vaguely remember, despite Honkawa being a town a bit smaller no doubt.

"I guess I could see myself living out here near or in Honkawa–woah!"

Her eyes widened when Tusikio proceeded to trip, teeter forward then stumble back into her with a tightened grip to her wrist, causing her free hand to shoot up and grab his shoulder in a tight grip to try and steady him as she stumbled back slightly and even slid down the trail just a bit. Once the two were righted she sighed in relief.

"Watch out for... Roots I suppose!" Tsukiko laughed before tapping his lips with his free hand. "Though now that I'm thinking about it... I am not aware of how much we're going to see when there's just a lot of trees everywhere... What are we even looking for?" He grinned, not at all phased by the temporarily delay in their mission.

"You alright, Inari-kun? Ah, sorry," She asked with a chuckle, before releasing his shoulder with her apology. Tsukiko didn't seem hurt, so that was good. She hoped she didn't squeeze too hard.

When asked what they were looking for, she laughed good naturedly and pulled out the map to double check with her free hand, not bothered by him still holding the wrist of her other arm still.

"Hmm, seems the dragon trail leads to a shrine, and given the riddle I guess we're on the right track?" She responded with a tilt of her head as she put the map away.

—​

Hiroki Niwa
Location: Living room
Interactions: Kio (@Rads), Daichi (@The_Queer_Alien)
Mentioned: Haruhi (@ScarletNova), Ren (@Monbon)

Hiroki had been happy when Daichi did sit next to him on one side with Mirai on the other. All was good before partners had been revealed. By now he was with his own partner but he still turned to Daichi once addressed.

"hey, Hiroki, I still don't know anyone's names yet, can you tell me who this Ren guy is?"

He opened his mouth to answer, but then Ren started asking Haruhi who Daichi was and that answered his friend's question it seemed. He gave the other a gentle pat on the arm as a sort of 'good luck' pat and even said "maybe our groups will end up in the same area? Then we can all hang out and it won't be awkward?", before Kio had begun talking to him after Hiroki had greeted him.

"Ugh, wow, I'm so daft sometimes. I should of known this one because when I was younger and my family wasn't a mess, we used to do family treasure hunts around the local area that mom and dad had set up the day before."

"That was one of the clues for the event back then; well, that's some irony that I would remember all this time later. It's a river; the question is now: where is the puzzle piece base around the river or even in the river if it's a weighted bag? As for being bad at it, heck, don't sweat it. I'm bad at picking clothes, truth be told. I had to go with my oldest sister for the longest time, and even now sometimes i still don't fully get it. We'll help each other out where we can; in the meantime, how about we look at the map together and see if we can work some of the stuff out at least?"

"You're not daft, it's okay if you didn't get it at first either! You did better than me anyway," Hiroki replied with a bright smile, nodding along as the other mentioned a similar activity he had with family. Perking up when Kio brought up looking at the map, Hiroki started digging through his own bag for it and held it up triumphantly over his head before opening it and staring at it, eyes scanning it for the label 'river'.

"If we gotta swim for the piece I'm an okay swimmer..." He replied almost distractedly as he squinted at the map, leaning a bit into Kio's space so he could look at it too.

—​

Briar Mori

Location: Living room → Muppet Cave
Interactions: Sayuri (@Monbon)
Mentioned: Haruhi (@ScarletNova)

"You're amazing! Way to go Domo-kun~ Let's go!"

"I'm really not," they replied almost automatically upon receiving the compliment from their classmate, but didn't complain when Saturi dragged them outside and along the path towards the waterfall. The walk was peaceful and the silence was comfortable and far from awkward, at least for Briar.

"There… there wouldn't be any bears right, Domo-kun? Haruhi wouldn't put us in danger like that, right? They should still be hibernating if they are… I think?" Sayuri shot question after question at Briar, hoping the other male would confirm it or reassure them in some way. "Maybe maybe it's hiding outside?"

"I think they should still be hibernating? So, it should be fine if we're in and out?" Briar didn't sound too sure of himself, but he tried to be reassuring for the both of them despite how nervous he was.

"I..I'm scared of the dark." Sayuri admitted. "Domo-kun can we hold hands? It shouldn't be scary if we hold hands." Reaching into the backpack, Sayuri grabbed the flashlight Haruhi provided for them and held it in their right hand, offering Briar their left.

"I'm...scared of caves, and bears." They admitted. They've heard of what could happen in caves, how one wrong turn could be very disastrous, plus bears were large powerful creatures that may look cute until they were trying to eat your face.

Without any complaint, they took Sayuri's hand in their's when asked to hold hands.

"Sorry, if my palms are sweaty." They spoke up almost immediately as they grabbed their own flashlight, shining the beam at the ground of the cave entrance as if it would help them see if there were any bear footprints there. Maybe it'd help the two find the puzzle piece faster so they both didn't have to be scared the whole time?

 

[ScarletNova]

Haruhi Nakamura
Club President | Location: Living room --> Leaving Cabin
Interactions: Aya (@YetieBetie), Ren (@Monbon), Daichi (@The_Queer_Alien)
Mentions: Solaris (@xLarius), Medrin (@Jig The Zom-B)​

Haruhi wasn't one to simply allow her club members to go on enjoying their club life without Haruhi herself meticulously learning every single detail of their lives, and Ayame was no different. Of course, her information was much harder to obtain than the average person, considering her family often times controlled the information about them just as Haruhi's family did. Still, from the that information and Aya's specific response, it was clear what type of rich person Miss Fukushima was.

Haruhi released a sigh. It wasn't the first time she had dealt with these types. It was a little disappointing, really, to have a fellow member of the elites that looked down on others in such a cliché manner. Typical rich kid stuff. Well, no matter. Haruhi could work on it. She never backed down from a challenge.

Then she let out a little laugh. "Public transportation? You really thought I'd bring this many people to a private, secluded area through public transportation?" Haru responded. "As for climbing the mountain...well, I suppose you could say impressive. You had to use so much effort just to get here, forgot all your own luggage, and wore yourself out to the point of exhaustion, while we unfortunately casually took a nice scenic private bus drive here..."

Her lips curved into a smile. "Yes, quite impressive."

As Ayame went on to read their riddle, and offered her thoughts on the matter, Haruhi reread it once again to be sure she had heard it right. "The only other one in charge of things besides me would by my faithful, trusty vice president, Aya-san," Haruhi then replied. "And that would be Solaris Kousei. Have you met him yet? He was the young man in the glasses who walked in with lovely little Mariko earlier, the brunette who also sports glasses."

"But why would my maids give us Solaris as our clue?"

There was quite the nagging feeling tugging at Haruhi, one she was hoping wouldn't be right. But alas, it seemed even Haruhi's own maids liked to pull a few tricks on her every now and then. Perhaps Haruhi needed to be a little more careful when asking her maids to assist her with club activities.

Her lips parted, about to reveal her thoughts, when Ren called out to her asking her who his partner was. Tsk. Tsk, Haruhi thought as she shook her head, her arms crossing in disapproval. "Ren, Daichi is a fellow club member and you haven't even had the time to introduce yourself to him yet? What possibly could you all have been doing in the boy's room earlier today if not being nice to each other and properly introducing yourselves?"

Haru's eyes narrowed towards him, possibly an indication, if he was used to Haruhi by now, that she might know more about what happened then he expected. She placed her hand on his shoulder and then pointed over towards his partner. "That young man right over there, my good friend, is your partner." Her pointed finger would take his gaze over towards Daichi.

Haruhi then took the popsicle from Ren's hands. "A bit lip, you say? Is Solaris going around getting himself injured again? I don't know how many times I have to tell that guy to stop injuring himself," Haruhi commented. "If that is...he really injured himself. Was it club activities again? He has a habit of that?" She looked straight into Ren's eyes, as if she was reading his soul. Then she smiled at him.

"I do believe Solaris already left with his partner, so unfortunately, I don't think this'll get to him in time before it melts. But I'll be sure to tell him of your kind gesture towards him. It's so sweet of you to care about him like that...after he bit his own lip."

"Now, off you go. Your partner is waiting for you." She released his shoulder from her grasp and tapped him playful on his back to push him slightly towards Daichi. "Play nice now." She whispered to him.

"And don't forget that failing to work together results in punishment...for both partners!" she then shouted out enough for both Daichi and Ren to hear. "And not getting all the puzzle pieces means no treasure for everyone here." She smiled at them again and gave them a wave goodbye, then focused back on Ayame.

She cleared her throat. "Sorry about that, Aya-san. Being the club president...requires some extra work sometimes," she muttered. "As for our clue. It seems my maids have decided to make our destination...the very man I was talking about." She pointed the popsicle straight towards Ayame.

"Solaris."

She released a sigh. "My maids have decided it would be fun if we played a little game of chase, it seems. But don't worry, I have a solution for that."

Haruhi's hands slipped into her pocket and she pulled out her phone. She tapped away for a few short minutes, then revealed her screen to the other heiress. On the screen was a detailed map of the area, a orange dot and a blue dot that seemed to be slowly moving. "As you can see, the orange dot is my phone and the blue dot, well, that'll be Solaris. But be a dear and don't go telling Sol about this here." She shook her phone.

"He'll be a little mad at me if he knew," she added. "But a girl can't help it really, right? All she wants to do is protect her best friend and make sure he doesn't get into any sort of messes. I mean, after all, you just heard, the guy's barely been here for a few hours and he's already gone and gotten himself hurt."

She gave Ayame a little wink.

"Anyway, let's go. The more we wait, the farther him and Medrin will get from here." Haruhi then headed for the door. "I'm sure we won't get there in time before this popsicle melts though. Would you like to have it?"

 

[ScarletNova]

Mariko Tanaka
New Member | Location: Living Room
Interactions: Shin (@YetieBetie)
Mentions: Ruby (@Rads), Haruhi
​

Thump. Thump. Thump. Mariko could hear her heartbeat pounding away. Her palms grew more sweaty and she dug her nails into the bag straps harder. Why wasn't he saying anything back to her? Did she say something wrong? Did something happen while he was with Hani and now he was angry at her from suggesting he help her? She bit her lip, nervously starting to chew on it as she waited for his response.

Maybe she needed to apologize for telling him what to do earlier? Had she been too bossy? Thump. Thump. Thump. The heartbeats kept getting faster.

Then he spoke, said he was excited to be her partner, and a wave of relief went through the young girl. The heat that was building up around her cooled and she released a breath she hadn't realized she was starting to hold. Her heartbeat slowed down and, sure enough, it wasn't pounding away so loudly in her ears anymore.

She gave him a small smile and loosened her grip on her bag. As she looked him over a little more, his body language didn't seem so much as disgust or hatred, in fact, it looked quite familiar. Like, perhaps, he was feeling just as nervous as she was. Of course, she knew she wasn't the only one in the whole entire universe to struggle with social anxiety. But when the only people you're around were the unique members of the lovers club, many who which seemed to have no problem just being themselves, it was easy to forget that others might sometimes to nervous too.

But that thought had a calming effect for Mariko. It was nice not to feel so...alone in her feelings. As he read the riddle, she listened closely for the clues. When Ruby took Shin away for a few minutes to talk, did they know each other already?, Mariko continued to think about what the answer to their riddle could be.

Upon his return, Mariko finally revealed her thoughts. "I-I think it might be a treehouse," she stated. "They're up in trees and can be made out of wood or stone. A-and you need usually need a ladder to get up into them. B-But I could be wrong. I-I don't even know if Lady Haruhi has a treehouse around here."

She paused, looking at her feet. She shuffled them around briefly, pushed up her glasses, and then returned her gaze to Shin. "M-maybe we can double check by seeing if there's a treehouse on the map? I'm sure Lady Haruhi's maids wouldn't give us that clue if there wasn't any i-icon on the map."

Mariko's mother was one of Haruhi maids, so Mariko herself had gotten to know many of them throughout the years. It wasn't likely, based off of the personalities she knew, that the maids would make it impossible to find the piece. That wasn't like them. They liked to be a little troublesome and meddle sometimes, just like their young mistress, but they wouldn't go too far.

As Shin held out the map, Mariko moved a little closer to him so she could take a look along with him. Her eyes scanned the paper eagerly, hoping to find some type of treehouse somewhere. The thought of having the wrong answer was starting to worry her. That would be so embarrassing. Leaning in a little more, Mariko's arm gently brushed up against Shin's for a moment.

"O-oh, I'm s-sorry!" She said, as she felt the soft sensation of their skin touching and the heat from his body. A red blush formed on the brunette's cheeks. "I d-didn't mean to crowd you." She took a couple steps away, adjusted her glasses again, clearly a habit she often did, and then looked back down at the map.

"Ah!" Suddenly, her eyes spotted what they were looking for and she pointed a shaky finger to the treehouse on the map. "I-it looks like there is one. W-we should try there." She pulled her finger away, afraid he'd see her nervousness and find it rude or unpleasant, and stealthily shook her hand to try to get rid of the shaking as she moved it away from the map.

"S-should we go?" She motioned over towards the door. She was trying to keep her calm, despite accidentally touching him. She just hoped he didn't find her rude because of it.

 

[ScarletNova]

Akari Morita
Music Club Member | Location: Living Room --> Outside heading cave entrance
Interactions: Ruby (@Rads)
Mentions: Sayuri (@Monbon), Kio
​

Akari stared at the riddle as Ruby suggested it might be talking about a cave. "Hibernation..." she muttered as she nodded, like she was deep in thought. "Teeth...mouth...shelter..." She repeated the words a few more times. She nodded again. Only, Akari had no clue whether Ruby was really right or not. She never messed with riddles before. She had no clue what it was talking about. Then looked up to Ruby and nodded.

"Yeah, sure, cave. Let's go with that," she replied. "Sounds like it could be right, like you said, hibernation and all. Plus, some people are pretty scared of caves sometimes, right? Cause they can be all dark, deep, and dangerous?"

Akari's pink eyes then gazed downwards to the trail mix Ruby held out for her. "For me?" she questioned. "Are you sure? You could save it for him if you want. I wouldn't want to take anything away from my lovel--I mean, from Sayuri. He might get tired out after all this adventuring and need that."

Still, Akari was surprised Ruby was offering it to her, of all people. Akari wasn't one to get gifts. Not very often, anyway. She did have an occasional fan that liked to give her something after a performance with her band. But gifts wasn't something Akari was used to. Orphanages and foster homes weren't big on birthdays or holidays. It actually made her really want to take them.

"Thanks," she finally said as she reached out and took the bags from the redhead. She stuffed it into her bag to save for later. "In case we need some of it on the way, who knows how long it'll take to get to this cave." After the trail mix settled into a good spot in the bag, Akari pulled out the map and unfolded it.

She stretched it out, after some wrestling with it, and took a look. "Now, where's this cave?" She stared at the map, then suddenly turned it around, as if she had been looking at it upside down, and began to stare at it again. "Ah! Found it!"

She showed Ruby the map. "Looks like it's here, so not too far away. But it's pretty long. And from what I see, it might have multiple openings too. I guess we just pick one of the easier ones? This one will probably do. It looks like an easy to spot opening. Let's go."

She folded up the map again and pushed it back into her bag, then headed for the door. Once outside, she directed her and Ruby towards the direction of the cave. While the cave wasn't an excruciating length away from the cabin, it was still going to take some time to get there, leaving the two girls with plenty of time to talk, or walk in silence if they wanted to.

Akari, not entirely caring on which one they did particulary, thought back on Sayuri's relationship with Ruby. "So...you're pretty close with Sayuri, right?" she mumbled. She kicked up some dust on the path as they walked, a little unsure if she wanted to ask Ruby about their relationship or not. "But it's like a sibling thing, right? That's what Kio said anyway."

Although Akari didn't want to take things too far and invade Sayuri's privacy completely, she had asked around a bit about the pinkette's previous relatioships and significant others. It wasn't to be rude to him, or do things she shouldn't to them, but she had wanted to know what kind of type of person he often liked.

That being said, Akari was sure she hadn't heard of him dating anyone like Ruby. So, it seemed like it would be safe to say their relationship was just that of siblings and hopefully, neither of them had a secret crush on the other. She really didn't want that. That would be more painful than anything she could even imagine. After all, although Akari had her feelings, Sayuri's were much more important, and if he loved his dear friend, then she couldn't do anything but help him achieve his happiness.

As they drew closer to one of the caves entrances, Akari looked over to Ruby. "You, like, don't have any kind of other feelings for him, do you?"

 

[Rads]

Ruby

---

Interactions: @ScarletNova Akari
Mentions: @Monbon, say kun
Location: Living room to cave

She gently chuckles, then says, "Nah, he has always displayed too many little brother ways to be considered a boyfriend; no offense meant by that; he's been like that for years, and I'd be lying if I said it wasn't painful stuffing his face with crap, but there is a reason for that, which your going to have to deal with at some point, but for now, the trail mix is better coming from you; it will help strengthen your bond with him.". I don't want to bang on too much, so I'll leave it there.". "Oh, before I forget, the middle part of the bag has more treats that you'll enjoy." "I made it myself to start making up for stealing his candy before.". She starts looking around the cave entrance to see where the puzzle piece could be, humming gently, 'Akari really is adorable, and for now she could tell she needed friends as much as she does, given that they are similar in a lot of ways, some good, some bad'.

 

[Monbon]

Hanae "Hani" Niijima​

|| Location: Outside: Waterfall || Interactions: Joe @SolsticeArcanum || Mood: Anxious, confused, inspired ||

Did he not like taking part in the activity? Hani wasn't sure what to make of his reaction. Although his tone was cold, his words didn't seem bothered by her in particular. "Sorry if this is keeping you from anything. Hopefully everyone finds their pieces quickly." Clapping her hands together in excitement, she looked up to Joe with an excited smile. "I wonder what the treasure is~ Haru-chan never disappoints!"

At the mention of his inability to read, the smile froze on Hani's face. Quickly replaced by one of horror. "Oh my gosh, that was rude of me. I'm sorry. I didn't know." Taking the paper back, she wasn't sure how to approach the matter. Would it be rude to teach him a little? She didn't want to appear condescending.

"Uhm do you wanna see if we can find anything near the waterfall?" Gently approaching the idea, she pulled the paper out and pointed to the character for 'water'. "See how this character has a line between two angles? Think of that like a river passing through rocks. The flick at the end is the water spreading again. Cute, right? At least that's how I remember it. Anyway it feels like a good place to start. Shall we?"

Leading the way with her backpack over her shoulders, Hani tried to think of a way to bury the uncomfortable silence that followed their journey to the falls. "So why did you choose to join us, Tsuyo-sa-san? Do you like nature?"

As she made conversation, Hanae couldn't help but notice the other was really REALLY tall. She was already considered fairly tall herself but the underclassman was a whole two heads taller. Not only that, his build was rather… different. It was the kind you'd see on TV. To see it in real life, on a second year nonetheless, was rather shocking to say the least.

Hani also couldn't help but notice his clothing looked rather snug in places. His pecs in particular seemed to pull at the fabric in a way that felt like one wrong movement would tear the entire fit if he wasn't careful. It made her wonder what he'd look like in something looser. A yukata perhaps? Browns, yellows and greens would look nice on him but vibrant blues and reds would contrast against his skin tone quite well too. As for his wild, untamed waves of moss green hair, she wondered what it'd look like up in a bun or braided.

She needed to draw this.

Reaching for her pen in her ear, she soon found it was missing. Not only that, her sketchpad was missing too. "Wait a moment." Searching through her bag and all around her in case she dropped it, Hani soon came to the realization that she'd left it with Mariko.

All of a sudden it was as if time stopped. Face drained of color, Hani found herself at a loss for words. "Oh. I forgot my sketchpad. Haha." Chuckling nervously at the thought, Hani tried to calm herself by telling herself that Mariko hadn't seen anything too embarrassing.

It wasn't really helping but there really wasn't anything she could do about it. Mariko was probably off finding her own puzzle piece. She'd only have a chance to retrieve it when they gathered back in the living room.

Luckily it wasn't long before she could hear the water roaring in the distance again. The task of searching for the piece served as a perfect distraction to the anxiety gnawing at her. "Faint echoes rise from depths unseen. Could there be a cave? Or is the piece underwater? Can you swim, Tsuyo-sa-san?"
​

 

[Monbon]

Sayuri Satou​

|| Location: Bear Cave || Interactions: Briar @Takumi || Mentions: N/A || Mood: Terrified, Traumatized, and dying inside ||

"In and out. Right. We can make this quick." Sayuri repeated, reassuring themselves as much as Briar. Squeezing the other's hand in their own, Sayuri took a deep breath and took the first step into the cave, then another. While Briar's flashlight pointed to the floor of the cave, Sayuri's was directed straight ahead.

Sayuri and Briar nervously stepped into the unknown. The narrow passageways seemed to wind endlessly, creating a labyrinth of shadows that danced eerily on the cave walls anytime their flashlights jolted with their movements.

As they ventured deeper, the two could feel the temperature dropping, and their imaginations began to play tricks on them. Every dripping water droplet echoed like distant footsteps, sending shivers down their spines. No matter what, Sayu refused to release Briar's hand. Though their palms were lined with sweat, the heat of the other's hand did provide some comfort.

Then Sayuri thought they'd heard noises and made the mistake of looking behind them. All that greeted them was a pitch black darkness that made them pause in their step. Breath hitched at the sight. It was then that Sayuri dropped their flashlight hard enough for the light to go out on its own. With a clatter, it rolled off down a path they hadn't noticed, stopping right next to a huge lump of fur.

Sayuri paid it no mind. At this point they didn't realize they'd stopped breathing but once they did, they began to laugh after taking in a shaky breath, tears streaming down their face. "Ahaha D-Domo-kun I- I don't think it's… Is it even in here? Hahaha What if we're just searching endlessly and it's not even here? Where can it be? The mountain god must be really mad, Hahaha."

In the midst of their ramble, their legs sunk beneath them, leggings tearing and knees scraping against the rough terrain below. "Ah, I can't move, haha." Legs like jelly and arms like noodles. "L-Liang Fen. I'm noodles. The bear can gobble me up. I'm sure I taste good hahaha. If it comes, you should run." Scared to the point of speaking nonsense, Sayuri released Briar's hand and crawled around, reaching out blindly in the darkness for their flashlight, the range of their partner's light only reaching so far.

Sayuri eventually came into contact with the wall and was immediately overcome with dread as the walls felt like they were closing in all around them. Logically Briar was right behind them but the moment Sayuri couldn't find an open gap, their breathing only grew heavier, shakier. "Mama…" They hiccuped in between sobs. "Mama let Sayuri out. Sayuri is scared. Sayuri will be good." Continuing to claw at the wall, Sayuri continued to shake, no longer laughing.

"Sayuri-chan can't cry. It'll ruin the makeup." They pointed out in an eerily calmer almost robotic tone. Carefully, they raised their sleeves and gently dabbed the never ending stream of tears away, being extra careful not to smear it all over. The task buried in the dark with whatever was left with Sayuri's sanity, they eventually gave up and rolled into a ball on the ground.

After the briefest moment of silence, their soft voice rang out, "A dream…. Is a wish your heart makes…." *hic* "When you're fast asleep… In dreams you will… lose your heartaches. Whatever you wish for." *sniffle* "You keep." They sang, their notes sweet and soothing. It probably would sound a lot better if their throat wasn't choking with sobs but they were far too gone to notice, much less care.
​

 

[Takumi]

Briar Mori

Location: Muppet Cave

Interactions: Sayuri (@Monbon)
Mentioned: n/a

Heart pounding in their ears, Briar did their best not to crack under the pressure. The narrow passageways made their breath hitch but they never let go of Sayuri's hand, afraid that doing so would cause one of them to get lost in the dark.

"Ahaha D-Domo-kun I- I don't think it's… Is it even in here? Hahaha What if we're just searching endlessly and it's not even here? Where can it be? The mountain god must be really mad, Hahaha."

It was then that Sayuri dropped their flashlight hard enough for the light to go out on its own

In the midst of their ramble, their legs sunk beneath them, leggings tearing and knees scraping against the rough terrain below. "Ah, I can't move, haha." Legs like jelly and arms like noodles. "L-Liang Fen. I'm noodles. The bear can gobble me up. I'm sure I taste good hahaha. If it comes, you should run."

Briar startled a bit at the sudden clank of the flashlight hitting the ground and Sayuri's laughter. He wasn't even sure what Sayuri meant by a mountain God, but gave the other's hand a gentle squeeze as they released a shaky breath to try and calm their own nerves. Their hands hand begun to slightly shake by now but they gathered what little courage they could to carry on.

"We'll find it soon, and I won't leave you–" they started to reassure, only for their eyebrows to shoot up at the tug on their hand as Sayuri fell to their knees with a sharp thump.

"Sayuri?!" they asked, a little panicked as worry seeped into their tone, turning on their heel to face their classmate to check if they were alright. Had Sayuri tripped?

Sayuri released Briar's hand and crawled around, reaching out blindly in the darkness for their flashlight, the range of their partner's light only reaching so far.

"Mama…" They hiccuped in between sobs. "Mama let Sayuri out. Sayuri is scared. Sayuri will be good." Continuing to claw at the wall, Sayuri continued to shake, no longer laughing.

"Sayuri-chan can't cry. It'll ruin the makeup." They pointed out in an eerily calmer almost robotic tone.

For a split second, Briar's very brief descent into panic as Sayuri let go and began crawling in an unknown direction, possibly hurt, suddenly snapped into focus, and they had to blink as they weren't sure they heard right…? Then Sayuri continued to call out to their mother, and that…Briar felt a small swell of anger start to form. Not at Sayuri, but at the implications of what Sayuri-Mama may have done to cause such an intense reaction like this.

Briar hadn't even noticed that hot tears that they had been holding back were running down their own cheeks in their moment of anger, their eyes scanning the ground for Sayuri's flashlight to hopefully help calm the other and give extra comfort with a bit more light.

After the briefest moment of silence, their soft voice rang out, "A dream…. Is a wish your heart makes…." *hic* "When you're fast asleep… In dreams you will… lose your heartaches. Whatever you wish for." *sniffle* "You keep." They sang, their notes sweet and soothing.

"Ah, I-I think I found your flashlight Sayu!" Briar called, trying to sound chipper even as their voice cracked and wobbled a bit. Going down the unknown trail a bit they squatted once close enough to pick up the object their light only caught the end of, only for them to freeze as something in the shadows shifted and huffed out a yawn.

Slowly, Briar's wide blank golden eyes lifted to meet a rounded pair that seemed to glow as they lifted the flashlights beam, the creature's eyes catching at the edge of the beam. Briar hadn't even realized their breath had hitched and stopped all together for a moment.

'Is this how I'll die? I can't…I-I should do something to keep Sayuri safe!'

"S-stay b-back! Sh-shoo!" They yelped, gripping Sayuri's flashlight tightly in their free hand and scrambling to their feet trying to blind the beast by shining both beams in it's face, only to blink and squint at the creature once they realized it was much smaller than a bear.

It looked almost dog like?

Sayuri's light flickered as said creature had scrambled back when Briar did, giving a soft warning growl.

"That's not a bear…a dog? Raccoon??" Briar questioned dumbfounded as they stared blankly at the beast. It could possibly be a fat dog or raccoon, but so far it hadn't attacked. They couldn't clearly tell what it was with the tears blurring their vision, but took a step back and lowered the beams from its eyes.

Did Honkawa have wild dogs?

"Um, I-I'm s-sorry we intruded on y-your cave, u-uh, cave dog…thing?" They hiccuped, slowly trying to get back to Sayuri without scaring either the animal or Sayuri with sudden movements.

 

[Rads]

Interactions: @Takumi Hiro
Mentions: @The_Queer_Alien Daichi
Location: Living room and soon River

Kio nods shortly after taking note of poor Daichi getting stuck with Mr. Ego, aka Ren, and then says, "I feel sorry for the guy. Ren seems to be the type that thinks the world shines out of his arse; if I turn out to be wrong, I'm more than happy to admit it." "Daichi, on the other hand, seems to be way out of his comfort zone for whatever reason that might be; I'm staying out of that one over all.". Kio pauses for a few moments or so, then returns his attention back to the map and then says, "Depending on what type of terrain the river will normally be where it can flow the best, there should be some wavey lines that look like a river, even if it's not the best drawn map as a reference.".

"My oldest sister, Violet, taught me how to read maps because her job is making maps, so she travels a lot and knows about many kinds of lands.". "I digress, so I'll get back on topic. This area is woodland, and woodlands sometimes have lakes in or near them." "A cave can also have a lake near by, but from what the map and the clue show, the river should be more in the open.". He moves his finger over to where he thinks the river is and then says, "What do you think, Hiro?"?

 

[YetieBetie]

Location: Cabin to outside
Interactions: Haruhi @ScarletNova, Ren @Monbon
Mentions: Ruby @Rads, Solaris @xLarius, Mariko @ScarletNova
Mood: Riddles riddles riddles, I just loooooove a good riddle.

Tapping her chin, Aya hummed in dull thoughtlessness as Haruhi spoke about Shin and her unplanned dissent from the group. "I suppose I misspoke." Her thoughtful gaze broke into a large, humorous smile, "Silly me, I don't typically mention the poor people's version of public transportation. It rarely crosses my mind in fact. Tell me Haruhi-sama, does a private bus full of people make it any less general?" She leaned forward, oozing genuine curiosity in both tone and looks.

She needed to remember she was playing with fire when speaking to Haruhi. This was, after all, the president of the club itself. If anyone had the power to kick Aya out, it would be Haruhi.

Thus, Aya straightened, the false smiles and batted eyes of thickened ignorance brandishing away as a softer, more genuine look of sincerity took its place. "It has been absolutely wonderful to see a bit of the Nakamura-sama's accomplishments in person Haruhi-sama. Would you rather I called you Senpai? I don't wish to impose any informality. I'd be absolutely aghast if I were to offend anyone during my stay. Not to mention the hospitality here has been very..." hmm... what did she say? That Ruby-sensei had given her a mix of cold and warm welcoming? That Ren had quickly proved himself to be a plausible partner in mischief? Or that she found a lot of the club members to be quite very adorable here?

Seriously, this place was loaded with hotties. Haruhi-sama had been holding out an Aya. A slight she supposed she could forgive, given they hadn't known each other very well before.

Aya's smile grew as Haruhi-sama began piecing together the riddle. Talking about a... 'Solaris Kousei'. The name rang a bell, but there was no face for Aya to put with it. Only after Haruhi had explained who he was did everything click. The blackmail boy! If this didn't strike more excitement into Aya, nothing else in the world could. They were meant to find her 'sweet Senpai' then? A pity that the groups hadn't let there be enough space for Mariko to join them. Judging by the way the shy girl had complimented Solaris so graciously back in the game room... and with how quickly she'd pulled away when they'd walked in? Eek! There had to be something going on there. It wasn't much to go off of, but Aya's gut was always happy to run with it.

And the places to run were near endless! One sided love perhaps?! No, no, a hidden relationship! GASP! WHAT IF SOLARIS WAS EMBARRESSED OF BEING WITH MARIKO?! What a terrible person that'd make him! It was just like the books Ayame loved to read. Except better because it was real. She simply had to see more of it!

Yes, it was a downright shame Mariko wasn't in their group.

With these thoughts, Aya was daydreaming with stars in her eyes and drool coming from her lips as her hands covered her cheeks. Soft giggles erupted from her as more stars sprinkled around her head. She was busy humming to herself when someone put their arm on her shoulder.

Immediately she popped out of the chibi swaying mass of happy daydreaming. Wiping at her drool as she turned to glare up at whoever had dared to diminish her stature. Again might she add. She turned, half expecting to see her Ruby-sensei, only to find... Ren?

In seconds the pouted glare of daggers switched to a look of dainty doll-headed nothingness. An easy smile tilted her previously pouted expression, her eyes batting as he warned her of dirtying his hoodie. Going off about some fancy basketball player of sorts. Once more she found it odd how gently he tugged at the sleeves. For someone she'd suspected to be another pointless puppy dog, Ren was proving surprisingly tame compared to the people she was used to seeing compete for her favor. Or maybe he was trying to get at something else?

Hmm... People did tend to get annoyingly shy about openly begging for money. Perhaps he thought a bit of politeness would make her feel more inclined to give him something? Yes, that seemed a plausible case. Diminishing her height must be his way of trying to cox her into a false sense of kinship. Indebt was much easier to steal from than the inclination to beg.

Not that it mattered what Ren may or may not want anyways. It wasn't like Aya was really here for anything more than a good time. She was more than happy to enjoy the niceties freely and abundantly till he realized the money wasn't gonna come and inevitably left.

"In that case, I simply must give it my utmost care and attention as we scour the deepest parts of the forest." She nodded, giving both Haruhi and Ren the most determinate of looks. She kept her arm in the air as Ren let go. Shoving it towards Haruhi, "Haruhi-sama, we must not allow anyone to tarnish this very important message. The world would go to absolute waste if they weren't allowed to see the wise words of LeBron himself!" Her eyes narrowed, head nodding towards Ren, "We especially woundn't want Ren-kun loosing his ability to..." Her voice trailed, neck craning as she twisted her arm to see the words more fully. "not be a prick. Heaven forbid he ever became one." The last words laced with the smallest traces of sarcasm. Her eyes flicking to Ren with a sultry smile. "Sweet innocent Ren-kun wouldn't know what to do at that point."

Satisfied, though a bit annoyed at her own faint touch of slight towards the one person who might be useful in the future, Aya took a small breath to regain her composure. Being used was not unusual. Being used was a good sign. It meant business. And when other's relied on her for their personal business, it meant she had some power over what happened. This was good.

Her smile returned to the honeyed one of far too much indulgence. She gave a single nod, as though she were a judge in a jury and had just made the final decision. "Do not fear beautiful Ren-kun! We will protect your precious hoodie with our lives!"

Did she plan on doing anything with his hoodie? Nah. At least, not yet. It'd be stupid to ruin a potential partnership straight out of the gate. Though she'd be lying if she didn't say the thought was amusing. It wasn't like she couldn't get him another hoodie signed by LeBron anyways.

She watched as the other gave Haruhi a popsicle. Dedicating it to Aya's sweet Senpai in the name of Senpai's throbbing lip. Yet another odd thing for someone she had thought she'd pegged. It almost felt like an apology gift.

Her peers never apologized. Ever. It was taboo.

Ren-kun was weird. Good thing he'd reminded her that she was wearing his hoodie.

Haruhi clearing her throat brought Aya out of her train of thought. Re-entering the present as the club present returned to trying to figure out their clue. As the other stated the words Aya had been contemplating all during the discussion with Ren, Aya nodded in agreement.

The excitement of a chase and riddles returned in an instant. Increasing ten fold as Haruhi pulled out her phone. Perhaps this girl had joined in some of her escapades at some point, the leader was definitely tracking her friends. She'd waved it away earlier when she'd overheard the teachers mention something along those lines, pinning it as a fib. Yet here they were.

"Haruhi-sama!" She gasp-whispered. A large smile unable to be withheld. "What an utterly amazing find." The smile pursed slightly as she listened to the girl's explanations. Nodding when the other warned her to keep quiet.

Of course she'd keep it quiet. It was her first time meeting Haruhi after all. Trust was a very good thing to build when one was just starting inside a club. Especially when it was something coming from the person on top. That didn't mean Ayame wasn't tickled by the secret though.

Aya practically skipped alongside Haruhi's side as they began to head out. Pausing briefly to turn and give Ren a wave, the hoodie flopping over her hand as she did so. Posing for the boy who's hoodie she could potentially ruin, she blew him a small kiss before spinning on her heels and offering a loud, "Why thank you Haruhi-sama," and grabbing the popsicle from the other's hands.

The door shut behind them and Aya couldn't lie, the smell of fresh air and pine was good to inhale. Instantly she felt her muscles relaxing. Calmed under the new, yet familiar environment. Shin had always preferred the outdoors. Thus, by default, Aya was inclined to feel the same. Already she felt the impulse to scramble up a tree. Or find a bit of water to go splash in.

Instead she simply enjoyed the fact that she was no longer inside a room full of strangers.

Her hoodie flopped to her sides as she marched like a soldier alongside Haruhi. Her nose tilted high as she hummed. A walk so childish most found annoying. After a bit of walking, she paused her incessant humming to give Haruhi a curious side look. "Haru-sama, have you ever tracked Mariko-chan's whereabouts? Or is it only your most bosom friends?" Perhaps Haruhi knew what was going on between Solaris and Mariko? If she did, Aya was dying to know.

 

[Monbon]

Ren Fujiwara​

||Location: Cabin: Living Room || Interactions: Ayame @YetieBetie , Haruhi @ScarletNova , Daichi @The_Queer_Alien || Mentions: Solaris @xLarius , Mariko || Mood: Mildly Amused, a little mischievous ||

Ren's curious gaze naturally drifted towards the person Haruhi pointed at. The moment he spotted the shorter male, he couldn't help but wince. "Really?"

She knew.

Haruhi had to know. That was the only explanation for how the two got paired up. There were coincidences of course but Sol's words of warning back in the room made him wonder whether it was he who told Haruhi about it behind his back or whether it was the giant that let it slip. Perhaps she really did have the boys room bugged…

"Ah, Sato-san… He's so short, I must have missed him." Ren shrugged, not about to confess to the crime someone had no doubt pinned on him.

At the mention of the possible rat, Ren raised a brow, questioning her in return. "Yeah? He was probably so focused on his girlfriend that he ran into a wall. You know how he is." He explained as if Solaris having a girlfriend was nothing new.

Both the president and the vice president had the kind of piercing stares that peered into other people. If Solaris' was like a needle, subtly prodding through, Haruhi's was like a dagger that'd stop at nothing to get the answers she needed. If he didn't throw out some kind of distraction, there would definitely be no end to her sounding him out.

Thankfully she seemed to want to get her own riddle started and she let him go. At the same time Ayame's theatrics took him by surprise. Her dramatic ramble laced with the teeniest hint of sarcasm was both hilarious and unexpectedly adorable. "Take notes, Kaichou. I'm sweet and innocent." Ren repeated after her, going along with the other's little play.

Contrary to his remark, he pinched Aya's cheek in retaliation. "At least compared to this little minx." He shot back. As expected of a pampered child, her cheek was really soft and tender. Not cruel enough to leave a red mark, he quickly released it. He didn't need her 'not-boyfriend' coming after him for bullying her.

"If it doesn't return in one piece, I'm not going to let it go, Ayame-sama." He threatened gently with a doting smile on his lips as he poked at her cheek, fascinated by the squishy feeling beneath his finger.

---

Once he had his fill, he released her and shifted his gaze back to Daichi. The other male didn't seem any happier about it than he did. In fact, he peeked over just in time to find the other staring elsewhere. Strangely enough he resembled a mouse, cornered.

'Does my existence make him uncomfortable?' Ren wondered briefly before the most dazzling smile pulled at his lips. Without further hesitation, Ren made his way over and gave the other a wave. "Hey, Sato-san! Ready to start this off?"

Pulling out the riddle from his pocket, Ren held it in front of himself, taking extra care to make sure the other couldn't see what was written on it. Since the other didn't seem fond of his presence, he'd just have to do him the honor of letting him bask in his completely undivided attention for the rest of this task they were stuck doing. Though the other was perfectly capable of reading the poem on his own, Ren did the honors and read it out loud:

"I stand tall, touching the sky,
Cloaked in snow, where eagles fly.
Majestic and steep, my summit's the goal,
Rocky and rugged, yet I play a silent role.
What am I?"

"What do you think, Sato-san?" Ren questioned, wanting to force the other to interact with him. He was fairly certain what the actual location was but that didn't matter. He'd play dumb and draw this out as far as the other would allow him to. As long as they got back before nightfall, all was well.

Again keeping the riddle from Daichi, Ren folded it back up and tucked it into his pocket for safe keeping. "Sounds like we got quite a ways to travel. How good are you at hiking?"

The actual riddle

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.

 

[SolsticeArcanum]

Joseph(Joe) Tsuyo-sa
Location: Outside → Waterfall
Mentions: N/A
Interactions: @Monbon, Hanae​

Joe's head is still hung low, his hair continues to hide his eyes. His eyes turn to the left, slightly disappointed, reminded that he had a goal in mind before being asked to help. "I… there was something… something I wanted to do…" Joe mumbled. His eyes turned forward as Hanae apologized for her 'rudeness.' He raises his hands, his palms towards her. "It is fine Niijima-chan… You had no way of knowing…" Joe says in a distressed and slightly less cold tone.

Joe became intrigued as Hanae mentioned checking a waterfall. He immediately thought of trying Takigyo, as this was likely the only chance he'd ever have. "That's good with me…" Hanae tried to explain something to Joe while she pointed at one of the characters on the paper. Joe became confused by this, only just realizing she was trying to teach him the kanji for water. "Water… " He mumbled to himself before speaking aloud. "I guess it is cute…"

Joe felt like his head had dropped more due to the awkward silence. Then suddenly, Hanae broke that silence with a question. "My reason for coming on this trip…" Joe mumbles. "It kind of is because of nature…" Joe says in a less cold tone. "I have a fascination with arthropods… You'd probably know them better as insects… Or 'bugs'…" He says the last bit with a distaste in his voice. "Which doesn't even remotely give them the respect they deserve," Joe speaks up a bit as he becomes more passionate in his words, the coldness in his tone gone. His head slowly lifts as he keeps speaking. "Arthropods are too important to our lives to be called something as diminishing as 'a bug.' It also doesn't make sense why people treat them so horribly-" Joe then realizes he was speaking out rather loudly and was looking up. His eyes widened; he could see every little detail of Hanae's face and every strand of hair from her head. His face flushes, and he drops his head quickly with embarrassment. "I-I'm sorry… I don't usually speak out like that…" His voice shakes.

Joe kept his head down until Hanae mentioned something else: a sketchpad. That reminds Joe that he brought his journal since he originally wanted to study insects. Joe turned to his hip and opened his satchel. He pulled out his journal filled with well-made illustrations of insects and the environment around them. As he was looking, she asked him if he could swim. "You can use this Niijima-chan… And yes, I can swim…" Joe handed Hanae the journal, which had a pen in it. "I already have some stuff in there, but there should be room for what you wanted to sketch." Joe's eyes looked up, meeting Hanae's before they returned down.

 

[YetieBetie]

Location: Cabin living room
Interactions: Mariko @ScarletNova
Mentions: Hani @Monbon
Mood:

A treehouse! Thank goodness she had thought about it. He honestly had no clue what he'd even read. Something about knowing he was being watched while he did it...
She had pieced that together really fast. She must be extremely intelligent. Smart... intelligent... and...

Nope, not now. Not yet. Far too soon for that.

He nodded as she suggested they look at the map. Hands shaking as he fingered said map in his hands. He pushed it out further so she could see. His eyes landing on a treehouse icon right as she slid next to him.

Every word in his mouth died as the smell of her shampoo teased his nose. Something cool pressed lightly against his arm. Kind of nice compared to the heat stroke it felt like he was suffering from. Only as the terror and mind numbing realization that the nice cool feeling was attached to Mariko had the girl stepped away.

Was it his fault? Perhaps he had leaned too close in his excitement at seeing the treehouse. Yes, that most likely was it. Which made him: a pervert.

Guilt flooded his entire being as his eyes shot down to his feet. She had already apologized. That was the second time a girl had apologized for his blunder. What a terrible of a person he was becoming.

Ashamed of this, Shin held out the paper, pushing it closer to her as he dutifully punished himself by glaring down at his feet. He'd already lost sight of the treehouse icon anyways. Helpful was not working. So far, he was being about as helpful as a brick for Mariko-san.

And here he'd thought he had improved a bit, joking with Hani earlier and such.

Why had Aya wanted him to join this anyways? Technically this little side escapade of hers wasn't entirely necessary right? Sure he'd still have to hang around the club, but it wasn't as if he needed to be a member. He was certain he'd heard Haruhi mention not everyone here was. Couldn't he just hang around as some sort of supervisor or something?

His mind flashed to an image of a handwritten note signed by Aya's dad:

'Please excuse Fukushima Shin from all club activities. He's here as a bodyguard for Ayame-san and cannot talk to girls. Mostly might just sit in the rafters or something. Might occasionally spend an entire night chasing some low-rated criminal through town. A bowl of grapes wouldn't be discouraged should he ask for some.'
​

Mariko's voice interjected the absurd thought. Her finger landing on the destination lightly.

Already? She'd already found the place? His head snapped up in surprise, eyes widening. "You're very bright Mariko-san."

Wait.

Wait.

Had he just said that out loud?

And he hadn't even stuttered.

Typically, Shin would have been overjoyed at this. It was a HUGE breakthrough. Instead he felt absolutely mortified. Seriously? Out of all the things to blurt out. His hand smacked over his mouth. More heat running to his face as he bit down hard on his stupid lips.

"S-should we go?"

Thank goodness she hadn't responded to his stupid comment. Barely a few minutes into this trek of theirs and he was already reaching the limits of how much one could possibly embarrass themselves in front of a girl.

"Y-yes..." he agreed, eager to leave this place so he could at least humiliate himself in somewhere less public. Already a few others had left.

His eyes slid to her backpack. The idea of offering to hold her pack sliding its way into his idiotic mind once more. She could easily hold it herself. It didn't look overbearing or anything. And there was the chance that she resented him for saying anything about it. However... it was one of the last things he could possibly think of doing to help.

Besides, he'd already made a fool of himself. Her view of him couldn't possibly get any worse at this point. His eyes fell to the ground, feet shuffling along the floor as though to poke a hole in it with his shoe. "M-Mariko-s-san..." He mumbled, "Would... would you l-like me to... carry your bag for you?" The end of his sentence was as small as a mouse squeak. Each word flickering in uncertainty as he offered out his hand.

 

[Monbon]

Sayuri Satou​

|| Location: Bear Cave || Interactions: Briar @Takumi || Mentions: N/A || Mood: Terrified, traumatized, and dying inside ||

Sayuri wasn't sure how much time had passed. They were already halfway through the song when the sudden flash of light caught their attention. Though it wasn't a huge difference, it was enough for Sayuri to realize they weren't alone in the cave.

"Domo-kun?"

They called out, not entirely sure the other actually existed. What if Briar was just a figment of their imagination? It wouldn't be the first time Sayuri had an imaginary friend. Though they barely remembered their first, they still remembered they had existed once. They'd come out when they needed them without fail.

Somewhere between the hazy figures in the deep recesses of their mind and reality, Sayuri was sure of one thing; They needed to follow that light. Crawling back up to their feet, Sayuri slowly made their way to the only thing keeping them going.

When they reached Briar's side, Sayuri's trembling hand reached out, needing confirmation. Gently, they pinched at the other's sleeve. The feeling of the soft fabric between their fingers had them breathing out a sigh of relief.

Though the shaking wouldn't stop, at the very least they knew they weren't stuck there alone.

"Domo-kun, w-what is that?" Their voice was no more than a trembling whisper. So faint, it was as if the slightest breeze would blow it away. Wide green eyes fell onto the mass of tangled brown fur. First thought was 'bear' but it was way too small to be a bear. "Is that the mountain god?"

This was enough to keep Sayuri from running away with Briar in tow. Curiosity beating out everything else, Sayuri reached into their camera bag and pulled out a piece of jerky they'd kept on them after tidying up the mess Ren had made out of their luggage. Whether it was a bear, raccoon, dog or god, they'd know soon enough.

Holding the piece of dried meat in the palm of their trembling hand, Sayuri offered it over silently, closing their eyes in case it bit them. As long as they didn't look, it wouldn't hurt, right?
​

 

[Monbon]

Hanae "Hani" Niijima​

|| Location: Outside: Waterfall || Interactions: Joe @SolsticeArcanum || Mood: Confused, What even is this riddle? ||

The sudden change in Joe's tone and body language when he started talking about his hobby was an interesting sight. Though it was hard to tell what his expression was due to the sheen on his glasses and their height difference, she was certain it was brighter than it was the moment before.

"So I'm in good hands then." She cheered, a little relieved the other was into nature. At the very least if they ran into any problems, Joe would have them covered. "I don't know much about Nature or b- A-arthropods but that's really cool. My younger brother likes beetles and pill bugs. My father is scared of them so he can't keep any but he saves some of his fruit to share with the ones he meets at the park." Hani forced herself to bite her tongue before she went on a ramble about how delightful little Haru was.

Now that she thought about it, her sweet natured younger brother would probably love to meet Joe who seemed to be an expert on… arthropods.

It was a shame she couldn't bring him along for the trip.

When he apologized, Hani shook her head. "No, no it's alright. It's always fun to get to know people better. I'd never have guessed otherwise." She admitted. Just looking at Joe, most would assume he was into body building or sports. For him to find insects fascinating to this degree… It was really unexpected.

At the mention of others treating arthropods horribly, Hani carefully considered the thought, pinching her chin as she thought up a few theories. "Maybe it's just because they're so tiny, they can't understand them? People tend to fear the unknown. Maybe if there were more resources out there to draw their interest towards them, things would be different? All life should be treasured anyway."

Hanae couldn't help but pause when the other offered his journal. As much as she wanted to get her ideas out of her head and onto a fresh sheet of paper, she felt he'd definitely find it weird if she just suddenly drew outfits out of nowhere when they had a task to focus on.

Not wanting to hurt his feelings by rejecting it, she accepted the journal and ultimately decided to use it for notes. "Thank you, Tsuyo-sa-san." As she was flipping through for a blank page, she saw a few crawlies she did recognize. "So detailed. It must be nice getting to know insects. There are so many to make friends with so you can never really be alone. Do you have a favorite in particular?" She asked as she flipped to a blank page and neatly jotted down keywords from the riddle they were given.

'Echoes' 'depthsx2' 'Stones' 'water'

Settling down onto the same boulder as before, Hani set the map down in front of her and got to work brainstorming possibilities. "Alright so water is definitely our most obvious clue. From what I can see from the map, there is the waterfall, the river, and the lake. The hot springs are also an option but we can check those out last since they're right next to the cabin."

Zoning in on the second keyword, Hani couldn't help but shiver and tighten her scarf around her. "What's concerning is 'depths'... Does this mean it's underwater? That sounds awfully dangerous. Should we play rock paper scissors to decide the diver or take turns? I'm an alright swimmer too."

Pointing to the third keyword, Hani brought up another idea. "As for stones, could they have hidden it under stone? We can have one person diving and the other looking under the rocks in the area."

The first keyword left her at a loss however. Returning to it now, she wondered what that could mean. "Echoes is what makes this hard. It could mean the water roaring. Sound travels pretty well here. But it could also mean cave. Do you think there's one hidden behind the waterfall?" Peeking in that direction. Hani couldn't make anything out past the curtain of water cascading down the mossy cliff above. "I've only read about those in stories. Do they actually exist?"

Writing down their options and marking them all on their map. Hani neatly organized her thoughts. Next to the words, she drew little pictures to help Joe understand what each word/sentence meant. "Anything you wanna try first while we're here. Nothing says we can't do some exploring of our own while we look for pieces."
​

 

[ScarletNova]

Akari Morita
Music Club member | Location: Cave
Interactions: Ruby (@Rads)
Mentions: Kio
​

Akari's body relaxed some when Ruby said she only could see Sayuri as a little brother. Though that didn't mean Sayuri saw her that way, but for now, Akari was feeling better about this other girl. Perhaps she could try to interact with her occasionally. It didn't hurt to try and maybe it would please Sayuri, too.

But a faint blush came over Akari's cheeks as she continued to hear Ruby's comments about the trail mix and offering Akari to give it to Sayuri as a way to get closer. Though Akari understood that asking about Ruby feelings towards Sayuri could potentially reveal some information regarding her own feelings, she was a bit thrown off about the suggestion.

Did asking about someone's relationship with other immediately reveal your crush? Maybe Akari needed to be a bit more careful. After all, there already had been mistakes that could have ruined everything that day. Thinking back, it was pretty easy for Kio to find out. Sure, she had been watching, but there were a lot of other people in the room. And since he found out, he ended up blurting it out right in front of Sayuri in the worst way.

Akari really didn't want that to happen again. She glanced over at Ruby, sizing her up a bit, wondering if she was someone similar. But if Ruby was just being nice and couldn't tell why Akari asked, she really didn't want to reveal it so obviously then. "I was just wondering..." she muttered. "I'm not really asking for any other reason, really. But to be frank, while I appreciate the trail mix, I'd rather just do things on my own. It's your trail mix anyway. I didn't make it and I would tell him that."

Akari didn't mean for her response to be too rude, but she didn't want another person helping her out that, while might mean well, really didn't end up helping her. She just didn't want a repeat of what happened before. She could handle things herself.

As they arrived at the cave entrance, Akari assisted in looking around for the puzzle piece. "I don't think it's going to be so close to the entrance. That seems too easy." she said. "We should go farther in."

Pulling out the flashlight from her bag, she flicked it on and shinned it deeper into the cave. It was a fairly large cave, which meant the piece could be anywhere. Though, if the piece was there, that most likely meant it wasn't a cave that they could really get lost in. Akari highly doubted Haruhi would actually put them into some serious danger like that.

She stepped farther in, checking rocks and other areas that she thought could hide the puzzle piece. As the daylight faded away with each step deeper into the cave, Akari grew more thankful that Haruhi had prepared flashlights. Though the darkness didn't really bother her, it would have been really hard to navigate and find their piece without it.

"Why don't you check that side of the cave, while I check this one?" she suggested, pointing over towards one wall of the cave and then the others. "That why we don't miss anything."

As they continued farther in, Akari could swear she was starting to hear some faint voices. Maybe the cave was haunted?

 

[xLarius]

Solaris Kousei

Hm. Medrin seemed the sort to know exactly what to take with him to survive on a deserted island it seemed. In contrast, Solaris was the sort to take all of life's pleasures with him because he knew that even with survival tools the chances of him living a quality that was high in value was... Low. So low that it was laughable. At the other's apology, Solaris simply offered a rather reassuring smile. He didn't really care, so how could something so insignificant bother him?

​

The vice-president watched the other from the shore, simply waiting for the other to inspect the boat as he sneezed. It was quite unexpected, honestly. Maybe someone was talking about him? He curiously looked around but spotted no one so... Perhaps the chill up his spine was just his imagination. He had no idea why Medrin called it a quarry either, but whatever floated his boat. As the other energetically motioned for him to hop on the boat, Solaris awkwardly stood in place. Though he was used to climbing aboard a cruise ship or another vessel on the dock... It shouldn't be too difficult to do so on the sandy beaches... In theory.

​

He threw his backpack on the boat first, watching it rock before he soon stepped into it. Turns out that climbing aboard before they got into the water made it pretty simple. The vice-president was mentally patting the Lover's Club president for pairing the two of them together. For once things were going well. He didn't have to scold someone for trying to burn the boats for some 'romantic display', or have them pushing the boat into the water and losing it completely before either of them hopped on board.

... Solaris really had been a vice-president for much too long it seemed. He wasn't sure if he could truly say he was looking forward to the end of all his adventures though.

​

In response to Medrin's answer, he simply nodded. Solaris wasn't even sure if the bite counted as a proper kiss so he wouldn't call it one. It was better not to call it one... Especially if he remembered it... Always. Even though the site wasn't cold he found himself rubbing his arms in a subconscious manner. Whatever emotion he was feeling at the moment, he certainly didn't allow it to show on his face. For now they'd tackle the task at hand and he'd deal with whatever came afterwards. Who knew, maybe something exciting would happen and he would completely forget any of it happened in the first place.

​

For the most part he simply enjoyed rocking in the boat. He allowed Medrin to take both oars. Solaris knew his capabilities and rowing towards the island in the distance wasn't quite in his wheelhouse.

When the other mentioned the usage of his first-name, Solaris simply closed his eyes, placing his head on the side of the boat. "It's rather refreshing how polite you are, but you don't have to apologize to me so much. Most of the things you've done are on the bottom of my list when it comes to offensive." He mused, his long lashed fluttering as he lid his gaze in his underclassman's direction. Perhaps after all the excitement, the soothing knowledge that Medrin didn't bear any intolerable eccentric natures allowed the vice-president to be a little drowsy. Ah, he should take pictures for a digital record of the club's activities

​

Reluctantly and slowly, he dug his phone out of his pocket, slowly aiming it in Medrin's direction before offering a slight smile. "Mind if I take a picutre? I think the lighting is just right..." He remarked, the scene looked a lot like a scene from one of his games. Except the rivers weren't made of water that could erase one's memories away. The vice-president tapped twice on his screen for two screenshots. It was better to get multiple in case the other blinked in one of the shots.

However, before he could get his third, the boat suddenly rocked viciously sending Solaris crashing forwards. He couldn't even watch as his phone sailed high into the air and only a soft 'plunk' noise was any indication that it existed in the first place.

​

That was the least of his worries as he smacked his face against the other's chest-- his hands trying to stabilize himself at the side of the boat with one on the other's knee to resist completely being catapulted off the boat. "Sorry--" He attempted, luckily the two didn't smack faces in the violent lurch of the boat. The upperclassman didn't spend too much time in this position, soon attempting to swivel around to figure out why the boat had tried to buck him off.

Of course it was a rock below the surface-- the only reason he saw it was because the light of the sun reflected against its lustrous surface. "Rock." Was the only word that came out of his mouth. Really could he just not catch a break today?

​

The good news? That the rock was fairly close to the shore of the island, so much so that Solaris wasn't taking any more chances of being launched into the water. The soonest chance he got, he threw his backpack on the sandy beaches of the island, leapt on shore, and attempted to drag at least part of the boat onto the sand so as not to be stranded on the island. He wiped a bead of water from his cheek, letting out a long sigh as he refrained from collapsing on the shore completely though he certainly did sit down on the sand to simply bask.

It took a moment for him to process what had just happened. For a single second, his expression completely blanked as his fingers tightened into a fist, practically grasping at nothing as the grains of sand fell from his fingertips. It was only for a mere second before a concerned expression took upon his face. "Are you alright?" He highly doubted that Medrin wasn't but it didn't hurt to check. Solaris looked up, trying to see if there were any visible injuries to the other that he could see.

​

"Hrm... Though... Oh dear, there goes my allowance." The upperclassman sighed before offering a laugh, "I didn't know that a lake could be that turbulent." Solaris pointed out, tapping on his lips before tilting his head with a smile. "There's no need to fret though. I'm sure that in an emergency, we at least have yours." The vice-president slowly stood up, dusting the sand off his pants before rubbing the back of his neck. They seemed to be pretty deep into the island when they crashed into the rocks... Thick vegetation loomed overhead, the path ahead seeming rather... straightforward.

"... I'll simply mark the loss down in our budget as a fee that needs to be recompensed." Solaris wasn't sure how fond Ruby would be of him using what felt like their infinite source of money to get a phone... but at the moment he'd rather attempt that than empty his own bank account.

​

"Let us hope that the treasure is more than we dreamed of and more... No?" He simply spoke before rooting through the bag again to reread the clue... "Now, where is this path taking us now?" With how the map was laid out, there didn't seem to be any terribly obvious clues... Solaris doubted that the island was big enough that covering the entire area would take too long though. Solaris would grieve over his phone later...

Solaris took a few steps forward in a direction before looking back. He figured it wouldn't hurt as long as he was in Medrin's line of sight. "... Say, I know how you got roped into this activity, but I can't say that I know why you decided to come on this trip." The vice-president mused before curiously tilting his head. "Did our lovely leader shove you into a bag and throw you in the trunk?" The tone was rather light though the way he worded it... It wouldn't be false to consider that Solaris genuinely thought the possibility that Haruhi just... Kidnapped someone to try and recruit them to the club was viable. Though were they really that devoid of club members?

「 @ScarletNova , @Jig The Zom-B 」

credits

 

[Rads]

Music Club member | Location: Cave
Interactions: Ruby (

@ScarletNova akari)

Mentions: @Monbon say kun Kio​

Ruby gently smiles, then plays along with it and starts to look for the clue on the other side, then says, "I get you want to do it on your own, which is fine, and if I'm not reading this wrong, my question is, "Why though? Are you interested in him?" "Do you really think deep down that he would ever go for someone like me who's pretty jaded, because if so i can't see that happening?" " I can only say this given i don't know all the facts it never hurts to step back and think it's how a lot of issues as avoided.​