#chapter 002

[kfkr1ze]

[18TRIP Translation] Chapter 002 - Bitter Sweet Sixteen Masterlist

✈︎ Summary: In order to find the candidates for next Ward Mayors, Kaede comes to Hama’s largest mammoth school…

✈︎ Characters: Akuta, Nanaki, Kiroku, Ushio, Muneuji, Kafka, Yukikaze, Renga, Ten, Netaro, Sakujiro, Hiroshi, Nayuki, Yachiyo

✈︎ Translation: Sunni (kfkr1ze)

Side A

A01 ・A02・A03・A04・A05・A06・A07・A08・A09・A10・A11・A12・A13・A14・A15・A16・A17・A18・A19・A20・A21・ A22・A23・A24・A25・A26・A27・A28

Side B

B01・B02・B03・B04・B05・B06・B07・ B08・B09・B10・B11・B12 ・B13・B14・B15・B16・B17・B18

Notes:

✈︎ I am playing as the male MC and will be referring to him by his canon name, Kaede Hamasaki. I will also be using he/him pronouns. The story stays the same regardless of which protagonist you choose!

✈︎ I highly recommend reading alongside the story in the game! Everything is fully voiced, and the live 2d is awesome! The models are very expressive, and there's a lot of tone that's hard to convey in just text. So, if you can, reading along is encouraged!

✈︎ It has been said that you can read any of the chapters in any order, though Chapter 001 - Sun will R1ze! has a lot of lore and world building in it.

✈︎ Day2 is read as “Days”

✈︎ Personally, I am only translating this chapter and none of the others, sorry! I'll try to upload every 1-3 days, but this is not guaranteed! All links get updated the moment they're published, though!

✈︎ I’m not fluent in Japanese, this is not proofread, and I’ll probably make some edits here and there if I want to change anything. 

✈︎ Day2 are 16 year olds and they use phrases like GOAT, so I’m probably going to localize a little bit. Not by much though, as I’m not too confident in my ability to do this yet. Just keep in mind that they’re younger! Akuta, Ushio, and Nanaki are the ones who use slang the most.

✈︎ Sometimes, words are highlighted in green / red / pink in the game! This tends to signify important terms to remember! I’ll be doing this in purple to match my site theme!

I might update the notes too if I forgot anything!! Thank you~

HAMA nice trip !

[iamumbra195]

!Teenage Mercenary Chapter 168 Spoilers!

So 003 is someone who likes to take the easy way out, especially when it benefits her. She has a silver tongue-- using words to persuade and manipulate her enemy into doing what she wants. She tries to do this with the numbers in this chapter but they all recognize her attempt at manipulating them after years of seeing her distinctive brand of cruelty.

016 calling it her trying to psycho-whatchamacallit them made me laugh lmao. I'm not really sure what he was trying to say but it was hilarious.

Also, it makes sense that 002 was so wary of her and took care to pay attention to her words when she was talking to them in the last few chapters. He was obviously wary but it's pretty clear that the fact that she was the one who betrayed them hit him pretty hard when we look at what he says to Ijin at the end of the chapter.

I think the fact that Ijin, who was their leader, was able to live a normal life and smile with his family gave the numbers hope that maybe they don't always have to live like this. Constantly watching their backs and running away. Maybe they do have the chance to have the life that was taken from them when they were young.

And 003 crushed that hope. They'll never be able to live normally because they're not normal. They have nowhere safe to stay-- they can't even fully trust one another. It's an exhausting way to live and 003 knew that and that's why she offered to make that mercenary business. Offering them a safe haven. A trap to lure them in before she killed them.

The exhausted look on 002's face when he says "We're all like that" is heartbreaking. Stop for hurting my babies, 003!

Anyway, this adds more to my theory that she's working with Iron to kill all the numbers, who are all pretty much loose cannons at this point. She's allowed to live as long as she kills the others.

This would add an interesting twist because, in the little flashback, she tells those men that she'll let them live as long as they become her subordinates and then asks if they really believed her when she kills them. I think that's probably how she's gonna die. Idk, that's the feeling I'm getting about her.

I'm curious to see the fight between her and Ijin when he was running away as well as Ijin's impression of her because he seemed pretty shocked that she was the one that killed the rest of the numbers that night.

Also, that number that told Ijin to run far away from camp and thanked him for all the time they spent together made me tear up a bit. They were all people fighting to survive in the camp, they weren't weapons or monsters. They were just people desperate to survive and there's something so gut wrenching about that and the connections all the numbers must've had.

Anyways this is me right now:

[dweamofsweep]

Bad google translation aside. The most painful foreshadowing

[ofwrxth]

+ TEDDY / THUNDER RIVER

Wolfsbane slows his healing, but Mason doesn't have time before he's pulled onto shifts, head still swimming as his hands somehow manage to do what he's told. It's a large camp, but he sticks close to those he knows and tries to keep his head up. He thinks of his dad, willing him to know he's alive. He's okay. He'll be okay. They all will. They have to be. He thinks of his uncles, probably worried. And then he thinks of Charlie. Probably sick to her stomach over Teddy and like that, his gaze goes to the small wolf, making sure he's always near her on their arbitrary shifts. Mason watces her shiver and rub her hands together as she grabs a shovel. Shit duty. He prefers it to the fights. He prefers it to the building. "Here," he says, leaving his pile and peeling off the ratty gloves he'd won in a fight the day before. The ache of it was slowly rolling away even if it should've been an hour or two, rather than a day before he felt better. "They're kinda small on me anyway," Mason adds with a wry smile, taking her hands and slipping them on her before she can protest. "Might help a bit," as gripping a freezing shovel is joint numbing work after an hour. @rviner

[mclhotras]

a first (business) date | jai & samara 002

location: olive kitchen & bar timestamp: early monday evening

Shaking the sleeves of his shirt, Jai climbed out of his car which was conveniently parked in one of the premium bays of the building he was about to announce his death of his single life from. He didn't need anyone knowing where he was right now, particularly the media. They had hounded him enough over the course of the day while he was preparing for a new role.

Walking towards the elevator, he ignored his phone buzzing in his pocket, determined to avoid checking in with Tanvi. She was really starting to grate on his nerves with her demands of what this meeting— no, date, get it right, should be. He was capable enough to handle these things on his own, without anyone's interference. If she wasn't so talented at handling his schedule and aspirations, he would have fired Tanvi a long time ago. As it stood, he knew she had ideas about a potential new starlet, but his manager hadn't made noise... yet.

It was probably why he had given in to the date/meeting being held at Olive and not at Soho House or Taj Lands End (where media wasn't allowed anywhere close to the premises). It still wasn't his top choice for a meeting and hoped that the buzz around him would be minimal - and his fans wouldn't disturb the dinner either. Maybe I should inform the manager about needing privacy tonight, a booth might be better, or even a private dining room? I just really don't need to be asked for photo ops tonight, even if my fans are mostly adorable creatures. They can cry over the social media post that Tanvi will undoubtedly queue before I wake up tomorrow.

Arriving at the front desk and silently thanking whomever decided that the elevator entrance would be on the inside of the restaurant, Jai smiled at the waiting host while making his requests for privacy.

"Although I don't mind being spotted whenever I dine here, tonight I do require some... intimacy, if you would please?" It never hurt to be sweet about these requests; Jai knew that hospitality staff weren't treated the best and they held power over his food and service for the duration.

The host obviously understood his request and led him through to one of the quieter areas of the restaurant, both in the crowd and the music. He sat down and let the waiter who had suddenly appeared pour him some still water, deciding to sit back and let his date appear before perusing the menu - who knew if she was allergic to anything, or had some strict regimen that would not allow her to eat much?

This is exactly why I avoided these contracts. There's just too much to question and be aware of. But, I'd rather be of help than be a snob. Isn't that what maa would say after all? I wonder if she'll laugh when I tell her about this... f***, I hope dad & Neena don't find out. Dad thankfully doesn't follow tabloids, but Neena? No thanks.

Jai pulled out his phone while silently stressing over what he was going to say to his family. Without even looking at the screen, he cut the call and decided to deal with it later. He had to focus on this evening, focus on how the next six months of his life was going to travel. Whether he enjoyed it or not.

[madibyrd]

[ @willieshaw​ ]

It was so strange - she walked into her home, the home that was actually her home on the outside, and then once she was inside, it was like she walked right into the wrong home. Madi was so confused, it was hard to wrap her head around what was happening - was she dreaming? was she under the influence she just forgot she started drinking again? was it something else?

She pinched herself a couple of times just in case, but it was all real.

What really made her realize whose some of the new belongings could be was the polaroid photos she found and then she was quickly off to the farm - she saw Willie working there a lot, they had to work together, but she’s been awkward with him since he walzed into her home and she just yelled at him.

She didn’t need a long time to find Willie on the farm, one of the polaroid pictures in her hand as she approached him. “Willie, sorry, can I-- I think this might be yours?” she handed the picture towards him.

[brights-place]

Shopping¡! z★° ୭ ₊˙ ★﹗˚ ༘ 𝐀𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐁𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐋𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐗 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐞𝐲 𝐐𝐮𝐢𝐧𝐧 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫: Follow Y/N Quinezel in the borderlands and see what she's up to with her wife Quinzel 002. | next | masterlist

SUMMARY 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐣𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐫 𝐀 𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝟒 𝐒𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐠𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐉𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐥;~ 783 ᴡᴏʀᴅs

send an ask and i’ll add ya to the taglist! @justmare @beekeepingageissome ~ ★ ʀᴇʙʟᴏɢs ᴀɴᴅ ɪɴᴛᴇʀᴀᴄᴛɪᴏɴs ᴍᴇᴀɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴏʀʟᴅ ★

Ivy smiled staring right at Y/N who was showing her a cute outfit she found in the abandoned mall "America's most wanted women on a shopping spree" she said putting her hand on the girls cheek "Cute" Y/N shrugged "Yet A psychopath" she said back giggling and putting the clothes in the cart and started to roll it while chatting to Ivy "I heard in Roppongi there will be a game either spades or Clubs most likely" Ivy said exiting the shop Cart filled with supplies.

Y/N started pushing the cart to the exit while Ivy pushed another cart that was filled with plants and other items of Ivy's choice continuing each of their steps to leave Y/N smiled brightly while walking through the exit and smelling the fresh air Ivy following behind using her plants to carry them to there hideout/home they found it like it was before they were sent here.

Setting Down there items each of them having their own personal half of the room for just themself Y/n jumped to her bed bouncing on it and laughing with joy, while Ivy on the other hand went to look after all her plants talking to them sweetly while morning light shined through the windows.

Y/N couldn't help but grin looking at her new found outfits "Ivy There's another arena nearby you think I can go there while you check out the one in Roppongi?" The girl asked flooding the new clothes she had just brought home Ivy raised an eyebrow "Why?" Y/N shrugged "I have a gut feeling on something" she whispered while changing clothes.

Ivy spoke up after throwing a piece of meat to a large Venus flytrap "Okay but be careful... I know you follow your gut feeling just be safe" The H/C girl nodded as Ivy stood up from her side of the room and headed towards the bathroom door "Love you Quinn" Y/n blushed and smiled "Love youuu" she said back and grabbed a pair of her clothes and grinned "this is what I want to wear today" She said grinning holding up what appeared to be leather pants, a jacket with one cut-off sleeve over a red crop top with black trim, and a black and diamonds on her leather pants. Y/N sighed while staring at Her hair it was was messy and wild abit grabbing a brush she started to brush her hair to make it look better than when she went out.

Y/N pulled it all off and hummed looking at herself in the mirror posing "Gorgeous as always!" She said to herself grabbing a piece of paper and writing a letter to Ivy and heading towards the door but froze remembering she forgot to bring a weapon.

Rushing quickly back to her and Ivys gigantic room she grabbed a Chiappa Rhino 60DS gun while staring at it intensely and grabbing Two butterfly knifes as-well and standing up quickly putting the knives in her front pockets and stared at the gun she held. The revolver has white grips inlaid with a gold Joker emblem onto it, gold decoration on the barrel shroud, and the cylinder has alternating "Love"/"Hate" gold decoration on it.

She continued to stare at the gun gripping it tightly and started to head back to the front door unlocking it and headed off to where her gut told her too Ivy walked out of the bathroom in new clothes and read the letter Y/N wrote down before she left.

___________________________

Heya Red! I'm heading off to that thing the voices and gut told me to do so see you in a bit Good-luck In your game! Bye byeeee!

___________________________

Each step she took she still had a smile the sunset behind her as she continued to stare happily forward to wherever she was going hopping onto a railing and walking on it while humming to herself.

Thinking off all sorts of things and wondering on what she had a gut feeling about she loved adventures and this one she had a good feeling that urged her to go forward while stopping when seeing a blinding light of a screen "Game This way" Pointing to wherever it was.

Y/N grinned "Let's do this!" And started running to where the signs where leading her with an excited looking grin she stopped really quickly by a seven eleven and took 10 Packets of bubble gum and stashed it in the inside of her leather jacket and running off again to find wherever she was going.

reblogs + comments are appreciated ⸜(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )⸝♡

©brights-place 2023 — do not repost on another platform, copy, translate or edit my works! if you fit my DNI list please don't interact!

[thenalu]

Fairy Tail Chapter 002 : The Master Appears

Part 01 // Part 02

[loveofcharacters]

Panting from her morning run, Brooke entered the apartment aiming for the kitchen, "Good Morning," She smiled, still out of breath reaching for a bottle of water, she didn't usually run in the mornings. Though a lot had been on her mind. Enzo's father was still very displeased with their engagement, more specifically how it was announced, so he claims. A week after she said yes, they strategically organized a public statement. She believes her future father-in-law is more angered the announcement was made at all, since he's lost some control over his son. Since their names were in headlines, far more stories or rumours have circulated the tabloids circuit than expected. The one posted this morning was the main source for her out of routine jog. "How long have you been up?" she asked feeling a little more in control of her lungs. “Did you sleep well?” She smiled gently as she reached for a coffee mug, playing the part of someone whose character wasn’t being dragged through the mud on what feels like every social media outlet. She wanted to pretend she hadn't seen the article. It's been her only tactic, pretend it wasn't true. "Oh, I meant to tell you, your assistant told me that we were invited to dinner to celebrate the engagement on Saturday."

@xwhiskeymuses

[tamyrawilliams]

[ @hananzaki​ ]

Hanan Zakir was sitting on the sand on the beach, focused expression on her face and Tamyra just watched for a while. No actual grasp on the attunement, but she could see after a bit that what Hanan was trying with was earth. Earth-eaters, as Tomas liked to call them.

Well, nobody was going to actually eat dirt today, but she could still give some help and have some fun.

“I see you figured out your attunement,” she said as a way of greeting as she got closer and settled down next to Hanan. “Are you getting successes so far? Even the tiniest ones can be great. What are you trying to do right now?”

[kfkr1ze]

[002-A13] The Story I Sing to You

Summary — ✈︎ Kaede finds Nanaki, who ended up getting separated from the rest on Angel Road. Nanaki shares a couple of things with him that he has been keeping a secret.

Characters— ✈︎ Sakujiro, Akuta, Kiroku, Nanaki, Ushio

Location: Angel Road in Shodoshima

Kaede: Haa, haah…! Thank goodness…

Nanaki: ーーChief, you’re always chasing someone around huh.

Kaede: Ahaha, well, it’s because you’re all a bunch of cute, free-spirited troublemakers!

Now then, we have to hurry up and get home but… The path connecting the islands ended up disappearing into the sea again. Let’s wait for one of the arranged ferries to come by.

Nanaki: … Mhm.

Kaede: ……

Nanaki: ……

Kaede: (I wonder if it’d be okay for me to ask what’s been bothering him today. 

I don’t want to be insensitive, so I’m a little worried about what to do.)

Nanaki: …… For some reason.

Kaede: Yeah?

Nanaki: For some reasonーー Everything is just becoming troublesome.

Kaede: Mm… Like what?

Nanaki: … Like having to hide various things, and stuff.

Kaede: Having to hide things?

Nanaki: Like that night. How I, one of the “problem children”ーー

How I ended up in the old building that night, for example. Having to hide things like that.

Kaede: ……

Nanaki: You haven’t heard a single thing about that night Chief. 

Don’t you want to know?

Kaede: Even though I want to know what happened, I don’t want to force any of you to tell me if you don’t want to. 

It’s the same now. I’ll listen to anything that Nanaki-kun wants to tell me.

Nanaki: … I see. Thenーー

The story that’s troubling me the most. 

I want to tell you, so I will.

I’m the epitome of “the person I fall in love with is my type.”

On top of that, I have a hard time controlling my emotions, and I fall in love really easily. I end up falling in love with people who never reciprocate my feelings.

Basically, I’m just a hopeless romantic who always ends up falling for someone.

Kaede: I see…

Nanaki: I know that I’ll never be able to find someone who likes me back, so I don’t want to fall in love with anyone, but no matter what happens, my feelings end up growingーー

I know my feelings will never get reciprocated, but my mind gets stupid.

I thought that, maybe this time… maybe this time it’d work out in the end.

Kaede: ……

Nanaki: To have to sit on that feeling of hope was really hard for me. 

So on that day ーー

Nanaki: Hey, tonightーー

Could you come to the rooftop in the old building?

I have something I wanna tell you…

???: …… I’ll think about it.

Nanaki: Just to clarify, it wasn’t Akuta or any of the others. We just happened to meet each other in the end. 

Kaede: So, on the night of the explosion, you all weren’t planning on gathering togetherーー

Nanaki: It was just a coincidence.

Everyone has their own reasons for going to the building that night.

It’s not my place to talk about anyone else’s reasons though. 

Kaede: (So that’s how it is…)

So the person you had feelings for…

Nanaki: They didn’t come.

They probably ended up figuring it out. Maybe because of my vibe?

On PeChat, they texted things like “I can’t make it tonight” and “I’m planning on seeing that movie with someone else” … Right after the time we promised to meet.

Kaede: ……

Nanaki: I ended up getting cut off completely over text, so I couldn’t even express my feelings to them.

Kaede: That’s so…

Nanaki: Don’t make that kind of expression.

I’m just… Well, I’m content with this type of ending.

I know that feelings like love can be a dangerous weapon, so I’m not holding any grudges against them. 

It’s justーー That bitter, painful feeling is still here.

It takes a lot to get over something like that.

Nanaki: That’s why, I don’t want to fall for someone again. 

I don’t want to get close to anyone. 

My “love” is bound to end up messing things up again, and it’ll just end up destroying me. 

Kaede: (I’m starting to understand why Nanaki-kun has been keeping his distance and acting indifferent now.)

(He’s purposely trying not to get too close to someone. He doesn’t want to get hurt again…)

Nanaki: But, I’m sure that I’ll end up falling in love with someone again. That’s just the way I was born. 

And every time that happens, I’ll end up getting heart broken again. I’ll end up feeling this pain again. 

Kaede: ……

Nanaki: Even though I managed to get this far without thinking about it, the movie we promised to see together got brought up. It got harder to bear.

That’s why it’d be better if I could just forget it all. 

… It’s why I’m trying so hard to forget about it.

Kaede: I don’t think you should.

Nanaki: Eh?

Kaede: I think that you don’t have to try so hard to forget about it. I’m sure it’s painful, but it’s the type of pain that you should keep with you. 

Those feelings were your genuine feelings, so that pain is something that will stick with you. Because “Nanaki-kun's feelings” are important and precious. 

Soーー I think that even painful feelings are something you should value. 

Nanaki: ……

Kaede: I’m sure that you’re a very loving person, Nanaki-kun.

Nanaki: … I don't know about that.

But, I can't reach an understanding with the other person about those feelings, then what’s the point?

I know that in the future, I’ll have to endure another cursed love like this again, butーー

Being able to have that type of connection with someone… If I’m being honest, I can’t imagine loving someone and having that love be returned back to me.  

Kaede: I get it. I also can’t imagine myself in that type of situation at all.

Nanaki: ……

Kaede: There’s no one out there who knows what will happen in the future. 

But, because you don’t know what will happen in the future, you need to love yourself before you love anyone else first. So, when that important person appears in your life someday, you’ll be able to love them with your entire heart.

Nanaki: …… You……

Kaede: Yeah?

Nanaki: …… Nah, nevermind. Thank you for listening to me.

Kaede: (Ah, he was able to laugh a little… I’m glad.)

… Oh yeah.

Nanaki-kun, you said that you liked music right?

Nanaki: Eh? … Well.

It’s less that I like it and more… I make it.

Kaede: Ehh, you can make music!? That’s amazing!

Nanaki: … Do you want to hear it?

Kaede: Can I?

Nanaki: I can allow it this time.

Kaede: Thank you!

Nanaki: Okay. Sorry about the low-quality earbuds though.

Kaede: …………

Nanaki: What do you think?

Kaede: T-This is amazing…! It’s such a good composition…

It’s like you’re a pro…!

Nanaki: Yeah.

……Specifically, unlove.

Kaede: Eh?

Nanaki: That’s my second secret.

I’m… unlove.

Kaede: Ehhhhhh!? That underground artist that made the music for the hospitality live!?

Nanaki: That’s right.

Kaede: Waiー, holdー, hold on a second, I’m super shocked right now…!

Nanaki: So you really didn’t know huh. Well, I thought that was the case.

Kaede: (But I didn’t see anything like that in the documents…! Kafka must’ve done something…!)

The Morning Squad’s song was really… really amazing! There were a lot of guests who fell in love with Nanaki-kun’s music!

Nanaki: … Do you also like my music, Chief?

Kaede: I love it!!

Nanaki: ……!

Nanaki: ( …He’s gripping… my hand…)

Kaede: Even though they don’t know the real you, I’m sure there are a lot of people out there who deeply, deeply love “Nanaki-kun’s talent”!

That’s why you should cherish and love yourself even more, Nanaki-kun! Okay?

Nanaki: …… Hand.

Kaede: Ah, I’m sorry, I just unconsciously grabbed it.

Nanaki: … It’s fine, you don’t have to apologize.

I have a low body temperature, so it’s okay if you keep holding it.

Kaede: Eh?

Nanaki: Chief’s hands are so warm. 

It’s fine if we can stay like this, for just a little longerーー

Akuta: WHAT ARE YOU DOING OVER THEREEEE!?

Ushio: Wow… We came to tell you that the ferry came to pick us up, but… Just what were you doing?

Should we just go home?

Kaede: Akuta-kun and Ushio-kun!

Akuta: That’s so unfair! I wanna hold Sensei and Nanaki’s hand too! 

Akuta: Squeeze squeeze! Squeeze Squeeze〜!

Nanaki: What’s up with this? Have you become a youkai who holds hands with people?

Kaede: Owowow…! Akuta-kun, don’t press the pressure points by our eyes while we’re confused! 

Ushio: Sigh… Whatever, let’s just hurry up and go.

Location: Beach in Shodoshima

Kaede: Wow… A view like this is truly wonderful at night.

Akuta: Ah, y’know, it looks like a scene from this movie…

Ushio: Ah yeah, that famous one. 

Kaede: I saw that one too! Now that you mention it, the last scene did have a view that looked like this one huh. When the heroine jumped off the shipーー

Nanaki: Actually, I haven’t seen that movie…

Now the promise I made got broken.

Kaede: Eh… I’m sorry! Did I spoil it!?

Akuta: The movie’s ending got spoiled〜！

Ushio: Guilty.

Kaede: I-I’m sorry… really…

Nanaki: Hahaha…!

It’s okay. I’m the type of person who can enjoy a movie even if I get spoiled.

… But next time, can you watch it with me?

Kaede: (Nanaki-kun has a refreshed expression. Even if it was just a little, I’m glad I could help out…)

Of course!

Location: Otomari Chuuzaemon Inn in Shodoshima

Kaede: (Whew… The water was nice and warm. Before I go to sleep, I think I’ll record another cassette tape for Kafka.)

Travel Diary. It was a sunny day today too.

We had a training session in the morning today. The coordinator, Gannosuke-sanーー

Akuta: Snore snore… I can’t eat… anymoreee…

Nanaki: Light snoring…

Kiroku: …………

Sakujiro: Oh? You’re still up?

Kaede: Yes, thank you.

… There’s a lot of trash and candy wrappers around huh. Everyone had a great time. 

Sakujiro: They seem to have tired themselves out after playing around. 

I will take them up to their rooms when I am finished cleaning up.

Kaede: I’ll help you!

Sakujiro: Thank you very much. …Oh? This is…

Kaede: (T-That's…! That drawstring bag that probably has something shady in it!)

T-That’s um… If I’m remembering correctly, it’s someone’s personal stuff! Tomorrow, I’ll return it to the owner soーー

Sakujiro: Is that so? Then, if you’ll please.

Kaede: Yes!

(Uu… What is this? It’s… heavier than I thought it’d be…! It’s slipping from my handsーー Ah!)

Kaede: What is this… An egg…?

Akuta: Ngghh…  What is it～? … I heard some kinda loudーー

Sou…nd………

Kaede: An egg…

Akuta: GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!

Previous — ✈︎ Masterlist — ✈︎ Next

[iamumbra195]

!Mercenary Enrollment Chapter 169 Spoilers!

The translations are still pretty bad rn but I think we're getting really close to the arc where Ijin gets exposed.

From what I understand, the President of SW (Granpda Shin) is now going on an overseas trip. I'm going to assume it has something to do with the Vorrei family (you know Sophia and her bro) cause there was no mention of a contract being finalized between them and SW when they visited Korea so that might be what's happening now. From what the guy with black hair from Iron said and what we've seen, they've been trying to get in SW's way for quite a while because SW is getting bold in its expansion and as such, is facing retaliation from other companies. Iron got Forest to send Anna and Alice in an attempt to thwart SW however, they failed on both fronts. The black-haired Iron dude is working for someone and they're obviously disappointed with his failures however, a new opportunity presents itself which will allow him to make up for it.

SW security will be working with outside help-- another team in order to strengthen security measures thanks to all the shit happening (Yeona and Jiyeh's kidnapping, Sophia almost getting kidnapped again). And that team just happens to be from Forest as it was revealed. They'll be sending Alice who is on probation, under the threat that they'll kill her brother if she doesn't behave.

Now I'm sticking to my guns, 003 is working with Iron and that's why the Iron black-haired guy believes their plan, whatever it is, will work this time. Forest may not be working with her like I once believed since Scar guy doesn't seem to know who she is when she waltzed in like she owned the place lol but I still think she's working with Iron and she's the ace up their sleeve. Forest is being forced to work with her this time since Iron commanded it but they aren't happy about it. She will be a part of this team along with Alice.

I'm really curious to see how these two will interact-- a girl who thinks only about herself and her well-being and another who sacrifices herself to let her little brother live a normal life, even if she didn't get to be a part of that life. Plus, I wanna see more interactions between the girls in this manhwa there are wayyyy too little girl characters.

Anyways with 003 on the team that will be working with SW, she and Ijin will obviously cross paths and that's why the fact that he is 001 and 001 is alive will be discovered by Iron, who are obviously trying to get rid of all the numbers. Maybe she'll be ordered to kill him, make it look like an accident while completing whatever mission they have planned to harm SW and Grandpa Shin. Two birds with one stone.

Given what I've seen, 003 hates Ijin. I'm not entirely sure why but @seasilver17 mentioned on Discord that she might have been from the faction of ppl who wanted 002 to be given the rank of 001 because she could manipulate him more easily than she did Ijin and when Ijin was appointed 001, she had way less control over the numbers. Or something like that.

Either way, she hates him and obviously knows he's alive because she let him go, so I'm curious to see more of what she thinks about him. He obviously didn't have a bad impression of her and felt betrayed when he found out that she was the one to kill the numbers. I really wanna know more about her and what she's been doing

And Happy New Year! 🥳🥳🥳

[aintashes]

late night timeline tag drop !

[boyfhee]

BETTER THAN YOUR EX ! ╱ 박성훈

ⓘ SYNOPSIS : when sunghoon stumbles upon your tweet about rating your exes, he had clearly expected him to be the best out of all. however, when he sees you giving him a 2 and calling him the worst, he takes it upon his life to prove it to you that he's best guy you can ever be with.

ⓘ GENRE : exes to lovers, fluff, humour, angst if you squint hard enough

ⓘ WARNINGS : profanities, mentions of drinking, explicit and death jokes cause i have no filter, rest will be mentioned in the respective chapters

000. PROFILES

001. ex axis and why axis

002. post breakup clarity

003. how tight

004. sorry daddy

005. mood meter

006. the mice is coming

007. save your balls

008.

009.

010.

. . . tba

ⓘ AUTHOR'S NOTE : boyfhee back to smau business do we like it ◡ᯅ◡⁠ i wanted to post this after writing all the chapters but u know me and my patience. i will not leave this dry like my jayke ones trust !!!

taglist : open, send an ask or comment on this post

[elig1aq]

TOO SWEET 4 ME | park sunghoon

PAIRINGS, innocent!reader x fuckboy!park sunghoon

FEATURING, enhypen, and aespa

GENRE, social media au, collage au, crack, fluff, smut, angst

SUMMARY, new year, new me! tired of the way your friends treated you like a baby, you try to change your personality from a goody two-shoes to a more captivating one. you think that's a drastic transformation to meet someones standard type, but does your crush (park sunghoon) think the same way?

WARNINGS, vulgar language, mentions of explicit scenes, afab!reader, and all ages are modified to suite the theme

NOTE, this is very much fictional! please don't take it too seriously, all social media photos will be in light mode, and in this fanfic innocent = shy, confident only to friends, socialy awkward, virgin !

STARTED, 18/06/2024 (ongoing)

PROFILES: GIRLS ON TOP! | FUCKS OVER BUCKS

CHAPTERS:

001. NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION?

002. ATTRACTED THE WRONG SPECIMEN?

003. EXPRESS TO IMPRESS?

004. HE CALLLED ME SWEETS?

005. TOO MUCH SWEETS?

006. NOT WORTH IT?

007. START OVER, SWEETS?

008. FLOWER FIELD?

009. -

TAGLIST, open (ask, dm, or comment)

click here to see current taglist!

[madibyrd]

@reclusiveharry attracts her victims ( @hananzaki​; @stranded-mik​ and @madibyrd​) into the jungle and once the three find each other, they have to get out.

"The beach is no good for learning," Harry said, as she lead Student towards the Bridge. Vines lashed maliciously out towards them, just out of their reach. "If you want to learn, we need to go in." Harry looked over her shoulder to Student, shifting the weight of her pack on her shoulders.

— ✿ ❀ ✿ —

Hanan wasn't sure about this, it didn't feel like the right time but maybe that was just it. There would never be a good time to learn, not on Meridium. "Sure, but we're not going too far in right? Hey, Harry, can I ask you something, how do you control your headaches?" Hanan asked, sparing a glance at the vicious jungle still not sure about it, but if Harry said it was now or never, she trusted her.

— ✿ ❀ ✿ —

"Yeah nah," Harry replied, shrugging her shoulders. She cast a glance at Student, pursing her lips together. "Not too far, eh?" Harry promised.

"You get used to them," Harry said as Student asked about how to control the headaches that weighed constantly on Harry's brow. "Footsteps are the worst. Distracting." Thus the need to get away from the beach. "It's better in there. More peaceful," Harry said, even as the jungle floor thrashed like a rug being shaken out.

"Come on," Harry said, kicking off her clogs and flattening the earth in front of them, creating a path through sheer force of will. "There's a place I scouted out."

— ✿ ❀ ✿ —

Yeah nah. Hanan squinted, not sure which of the two she was supposed to believe, but Harry's actions spoke far louder than her words. The promise of it being better inside the jungle, that she did believe, even if she simultaneously didn't. Hanan had found peace in the Labyrinth with Libby, but hadn't that been a different time? The jungle wasn't a sleeping beast anymore.

Maybe Hanan was a little enamoured by Harry so casually flattening out the earth before them, halo'd by the morning light through her cleared path. "I'm coming..." She affirmed, believing it as soon as she'd said the words. Except Hanan kept her sandals, on, to save her from a headache. "Where about's is this place? Does it have special powers?" Hanan asked, powered up by Harry's newfound chatter as she followed her into the jungle.

— ✿ ❀ ✿ —

Student didn't put up much fuss once Harry had cleared their way forward, put just enough bait into the trap to ease her inch by inch forward. Harry tied her clogs to her pack and lead them into the jungle, erecting an earthen wall as a bunch of vines tried to lash at them.

"It's near a waterfall," Harry said, pulling from an old memory. A happier memory, surprising her brother with a wall of orchids. "The noise will help with your headaches. Like... getting sea legs, eh?" Harry said, just as the jungle floor groaned underneath them, rotating them 90 degrees. Harry turned her feet firmly away from the distant pitter patter of the southern beach, and trudged forward.

"Tell me when you feel the river," Harry grunted, giving Student something to focus on. Though even for her it was difficult, the trees swaying around them sending up sharp pains into her gums, like a rotting tooth.

— ✿ ❀ ✿ —

"Yeah like getting sea legs..." She echoed, as if to reassure herself that this was correct, and that everything all would be okay once they'd made it. Hanan glanced back over her shoulder, but realising it was best to be forward thinking powered on. "Everything is really...noisy..." Hanan said, doing her best to isolate one tremor from another, but she couldn't distinguish anything. It was a barrage of sound and a clash of cymbals in her ears.

The nausea didn't dissipate even as they delved deeper in, if anything Hanan felt more disorientated. Everything went fuzzy and she felt a tinge of dizziness as the ache married up with the chaos to pound in her temples. Hanan did her best to focus on the good. The good being that Harry was teaching her, again. "What....what are you going to teach me today?" She asked, half a step behind Harry as she cleared them a path through the jungle. Saving them from the onslaught of attacks.

— ✿ ❀ ✿ —

Student, despite her palpable anxiety, was easy to reassure. Harry hummed as she repeated Harry's points back to her, driven forward by the promise of alleviating her headaches. "You have to tune everything else out," Harry explained, pushing them an unrelenting path forward. Without her explicit attention, the path behind Student was neatly swallowed up by the jungle.

They came across a little clearing, though the tree branches ahead moved ominously without wind. "Tell me where the river is," Harry ordered, turning around to face Student. "Close your eyes and focus. Feel for it, the vibrations of it. River's like a train, deep and steady."

— ✿ ❀ ✿ —

It was evident there was no turning back, not unless she wanted to hack back through the jungle. Hanan watched Harry for a moment the effortless way she carved their path, no different to how she’d weeded the carrots. Harry was a marvel.

Hanan had fallen back to being quiet as if the trade off for her being out here with Harry was her silence. She mutely nodded as Harry doled out fresh instructions. Closing her eyes to try and wade through the clamour of tremors. It was like an orchestra, only no one was on tune and no one was on beat. Underneath the high pitched tremors she could feel a steady thrum. “I-I think I can feel it Harry…” She pointed towards where she thought the sound came from.

— ✿ ❀ ✿ —

Harry said nothing in response to Student's question. She'd said nothing as she'd walked silently away, her footfalls melting into the jungle floor. All she had done, as the speck that was Student disappeared out of sight, was smile.

— ✿ ❀ ✿ —

Hanan waited. Expecting some sort of prompt from Harry. Nothing. She counted the deep vibrations as if to make her teacher proud that she could distinguish them, and then opened her eyes to find she was alone. “Harry….?”

— ✿ ❀ ✿ — — ✿ ❀ ✿ — — ✿ ❀ ✿ —

Harry banged her fist onto the wall of the little hut, near the doorway. As best she could tell, this was the hut closest to the boxed beehive. "Hey!" she called out, voice raspy from disuse. "The bees are swarming!"

— ✿ ❀ ✿ —

Madi was out in the back, trying not to think about the carnage that her home was on the inside when she heard somebody banging on her home door, and then yelling about-- swarming? She frowned - the sounds was worried, so she headed out to see an unfamiliar, disheveled woman. "Hi. Uhm, hello, swarming isn't really a bad thing. Are you-- is it just swarming?"

— ✿ ❀ ✿ —

Harry blinked in surprise as the woman suddenly appeared from the gloom of the house. There was a stale smell about her, but given the dirt caked into Harry's fingernails she wasn't one to judge. Harry jutted her chin towards the beehive, bereft of bees, shrugging her shoulders. "Saw them flying towards the trees." Which was a true moment of serendipity, for Harry's gain.

— ✿ ❀ ✿ —

Madi frowned, blinked, tried to process the information. "Did they just... fly in that direction? Or did they fly in there?" But even though that thought didn't sit well with her, it wasn't anything to be concerned about. "That's-- I mean, swarming isn't a bad thing, it's natural. Are you-- are you afraid of bees? It's totally okay, it's totally normal, I'm sorry if they scared you."

— ✿ ❀ ✿ —

Harry pressed her lips into a tight line, quiet as she evaluated the woman in front of her. "Saw them fly in. I can show you," she offered, a slight shrug of her shoulders. "Thought you were the beekeeper," she muttered under her breath.

— ✿ ❀ ✿ —

"I-- yeah, I am the beekeeper, but them flying--" Madi bit the inside of her cheeks, trying not to be too rude, but also not really wanting to disturb the mechanics of the bees themselves. "Flying in doesn't mean much, it just means they are probably finding a new home on its edge. Really, swarming isn't too big of a deal, it's totally normal, I promise."

— ✿ ❀ ✿ —

Harry grunted, gritting her jaw together as she always did when faced with someone stubborn who didn't do as she wanted them to. She let her annoyance show, rolling her eyes, puffing out air through her lips. "Nothing on this bloody island is normal," she sniped, letting that snide comment guide her. "They were flying in... in patterns," Harry explained, her fingers twitching as if to show what she meant. "And the vines... they were trying to smash the bees, anytime they landed."

— ✿ ❀ ✿ —

The woman just seemed to get all frustrated on Madi, and really, she didn't know what to do with it, how to handle it - Madi wasn't trying to be difficult, not even the slightest, but she didn't really know what to do with any of this either. Until--

"The vines were trying to smash the bees?" It was pointless and stupid and nothing they could really do about it for the most part, Madi was aware of it, but at least it was doing something and maybe-- maybe this was some kind of cover for something else the woman needed help with just couldn't quite find the right words for it. Madi just needed to tag along and then she could figure it all out once they arrived. "Okay. Okay okay, can you show me the way?"

— ✿ ❀ ✿ —

Finally, that seemed to get the woman's attention. Harry jerked her head down, a sharp nod followed by a hum. Yeah, the vines had tried to smash the bees, there wasn't any point in repeating it. "This way," Harry said, tilting her head first and then swivelling on her feet, towards the trees.

Harry lead Beekeeper towards the entrance of the Labyrinth, where a patch of lashing vines reached out at them and thrashed violently. Harry tsked and shifted the earth, parting them a path in between the vines and deeper into the Labyrinth. "In here," she said, crouching low as she moved into the jungle.

— ✿ ❀ ✿ —

Madi followed the woman, feeling kind of awkward, looking around as they headed towards the treeline of the jungle. "So, umm... I'm Madi, by the way. And you are...?"

And then they arrived and the woman easily opened up the jungle and moved in. "So, where are the bees again? Is it smart for us to go in while the Labyrinth is all throwing a fuss and everything?"

— ✿ ❀ ✿ —

Madi, that was an easy one, one that even Harry should be able to remember. "Harry," she offered in return, mumbled over her shoulder as she guided them to the jungle.

"The bees are in there," Harry repeated, jerking her head in the direction of her path. She gritted her teeth, throwing up an earthen wall as the trees lurched back towards her path, striking at her. "Do you want to help, or not?" Harry sniped, snarling at Madi. "I can't hold this forever."

— ✿ ❀ ✿ —

"Harry. Harry is a nice name, it's-- it's nice to meet you," Madi gave a small smile to the woman. At least she got a name. That was something, right? She didn't seem to be that into talking in general, and the rest of the walk was quiet between them (only increased Madi's awkwardness).

Madi looked down, feeling embarrassed, "Yeah, yeah, sorry, I do wanna help." Maybe one of her friends got into trouble and that was why Harry was more snippier than-- than what, she didn't even know the woman. Maybe it really was just the bees and she was reading too much into any of this. "Let's go, sorry, I don't-- I don't want to make things difficult for you," she said and she headed in, expecting Harry to be following her.

— ✿ ❀ ✿ —

Harry stared, her eyes hard and immovable as Madi balked in the face of Harry's order. So that was what made the woman march to attention, guilt that so easily bubbled to the surface. "Go on, then," Harry said as Madi lead the way into the darkness of the jungle. As she walked past Harry's path, Harry felt the familiar rumblings of the Labyrinth, a great shifting that foretold that this section of the jungle was about to move rapidly.

Harry smiled to herself, and let her path cease. She stepped back to the safety of the beach as the jungle hungrily closed the gap she had made. Within seconds Madi was gone, out of sight, and the Labyrinth seemed to sigh.

— ✿ ❀ ✿ —

Something was moving, Madi could feel it, and so she instictiely turned around to get out - they could wait a bit for when it was more safe and really, she wasn't itching that hard to go into the labyrinth anyway, maybe she could help Harry some other way -, but by the time she turned around, Harry was gone, along with the beach and a clear way out.

She was stuck. She messed this up real bad, that was for sure.

— ✿ ❀ ✿ — — ✿ ❀ ✿ — — ✿ ❀ ✿ —

"Nick! Where are you?" Mik called out to the darkness of the jungle. His voice was raw and rough from shouting for the last few hours, on and off. "Nick!" he belted out, out of his mind with worry. The lady, the bird from New Zealand who didn't want to chitchat about the All Blacks, she'd come up to him out of nowhere and said something about Nick being taken by the vines... "Just answer me, Nick!" And Mik had followed her to the Bridge, followed her inside when she said this was where he had been taken. "Come on..." She'd pointed to something, and when he'd turned back there'd been no trace of her.

"Jupiter, can you hear me!?" Mik called out, desperation rising. "I can't... I can't stay in here," he muttered to himself, breath short and sharp. Mik touched a patch of moss and the dampness sizzled at his touch. "Okay, okay cool down Mik... Oh Mickey what a pity you don't understand..." Mik hummed to himself, because if he didn't hum a song he was going to burn down the jungle, which was maybe (?) the better scenario rather than losing his memories again, or going mad in a completely different way. "Is there anyone out there?" Mik bellowed, a final effort.

— ✿ ❀ ✿ —

Madi needed to get out of here, she knew that, but Harry and the beach disappeared so fast, along with any signs of a way out, she didn't know where to even begin. The Labyrinth shifted and trapped her in and Madi had absolutely nothing with her.

She wasn't really sure how long she stood there, trying to listen and look (maybe it would just shift back to how it was - a dumb hope, but Madi was trying to be hopeful and optimistic) but nothing. Nothing, except...

"Mik?" she muttered, looking around. Could she have heard him? She listened and then heard his voice again so Madi moved towards him automatically. "Mik? Is that you? Can you hear me? Where are you?"

— ✿ ❀ ✿ —

This was not the first time she’d been in here, this was however, the first time she’d been this deep without any real sense of direction. Hanan had cried herself hoarse calling after Harry, she was gone, lost. Swallowed up by the jungle. Hanan had backtracked through the undergrowth, or what she had presumed to be backtracking. In the end it appeared as if she’d looped around to the same spot. Harry had spoken about a river, water, a spot where her headaches would be lessened. But now with the jungle encroaching on her she couldn’t distinguish one vibration from the next.

The jungle was heady, intense, the rumbling and ever shifting earth made her teeth chatter. Hanan walked, and then eventually crawled to stoop under a low fern, huddling up out of sight momentarily. The pain had dripped down from her temples into her jaw, and the crux of her shoulders. Her head was swimming in a humid fish tank, and through the haze of it all she thought she heard voices. “…Hello…?” She called, straining against the staccato pulse at her temples. Surely it was just her imagination, or one of the monkeys above taunting her.

— ✿ ❀ ✿ —

Someone called back to him. That or the hallucinations were already starting, no it took more than a day for those to start, right? "Hey!" he called back to the first voice, heading towards it immediately. "Madi?" It sounded like her, hell he hadn't seen her in weeks though. As he approached, crashing through the undergrowth he thought he heard another noise, this one to his left.

Mik stopped, looking in both directions, unsure what to do next. Was this just another island trick? The same thing that had yoinked away the woman who had lead him in here? "Madi! Can you come to me? I think there's someone else..."

— ✿ ❀ ✿ —

For a few long, agonizing moments Madi wasn't sure if she actually heard Mik or not - maybe it was all just a hallutination, it was nothing more than the island and the jungle toying with her. But then the voice came again, familiar, even though she hasn't seen Mik for a while (honestly, she's been isolating herself pretty badly lately), and it was such a huge, overwhelming relief, she started heading towards the direction of the voice even before Mik called for her to.

"Mik?! Mik, I am coming, please keep talking," Madi called back, but even without the voice, she set on a direction and rushed over, her eyes glancing around over and over again to make sure there wasn't anything hidden in the shadows, until--

She stumbled right into Mik. "Hi, sorry, sorry, I didn't mean to-- please don't take this the wrong way, but I am really glad to see you," Madi let out a small, relieved sigh. "Did you hear Harry? What direction is she in? I lost her so fast, Mik."

— ✿ ❀ ✿ —

There were general rules, when faced with dilemmas like these. Hanan knew deep within her that if she didn’t move then this might as well be her final resting place. She wasn’t ready to give up yet. Hanan crawled on her hands and knees despite the fact it hurt unbearably so. If she clenched her teeth she could focus on that over and above the thundering pain of the ever-shifting jungle.

It felt as if she had a live band playing over and beyond maximum volume, just a hiss of screeching white noise in her ears. The taunt of voices came again, distant, could be monkeys, could actually be someone – maybe it was Harry? “Harry?” She pleaded.

— ✿ ❀ ✿ —

Madi replied to Mik, and it was intelligible and made sense to what he was saying. "I'm right here!" he called back, relieved beyond words that he'd stumbled upon another person out here. Even if the thought that thought was also terrifying. Madi crashed through the bushes to his right and practically fell into his arms. Mik helped them both right themselves, grinning madly at having someone else's help. "No, I get it. Bad scenario, good to see you." Mik's smile faltered as Madi talked about Harry (that was her name, wasn't it? She'd been pretty reserved talking to him, apart from this morning's chaos). "She said Nick was in here, she'd seen him been snatched in by the vines..." Mik looked nervously at the jungle above them, the canopy that stretched endlessly high like a super skyscraper. "I lost her... We should..."

Mik trailed off as he heard something again, a voice calling for Harry. Wait, really? "Did you hear that?" Mik asked Madi, glancing nervously between her and the direction of the voice. Without waiting, he cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted, "Hey! Are you real?"

— ✿ ❀ ✿ —

Finding Nick felt like such a huge relief, it was hard to describe, but thankfully Madi saw the same relief flash through Mik's expression, and that calmed her a bit. At least she wasn't alone. The Castaways survived for years in here, they can figure out how to get out and survive for a few hours, right? That is, if they only had to spend a few hours here...

Madi pushed the thought away, tried focusing on getting out and what Mik was telling her. "Wait, Nick is in here too? And Harry told you that...?"

Something felt off, though Madi's brain didn't quite put the pieces together yet, not before her focus was snatched away by another voice calling out. "Hello?! Who is that? Are you lost too?"

— ✿ ❀ ✿ —

Hanan was so sure it wasn't real, that it was in her head, or really she didn't know what to think. Which way to look. Everything was just a little too intense and a little too much. She crawled though, knowing that this was it, she had no way of navigating her way out. If the voices were real. They were hope. Hanan collapsed into what seemed to be a clearing but her vision was a hazy blur. "Harry? Harry? If this...if this....is a test...can we stop..." She wasn't so fond of this.

On her knees she realised with a few blinks, it wasn't Harry, but the voices actually weren't in her head after all. Because that influencer guy, the one from the beach, was looking down on her and someone else. "Wai–-"

— ✿ ❀ ✿ —

There was a crashing, lumbering sound from the jungle as something came closer, a figure, a woman. Mik raced towards her, too slow to stop her collapsing to her knees. "Oh shit," Mik slowed his approach, crouching down so he was on her level. "Hey, Hanan, we found you yeah? We got you."

Mik looked up from her to Madi, confused, and struggling to put the pieces together. One part of his mind worried that Nick was still in the jungle too. "Did you say Harry? Have you seen her?" he asked Hanan.

— ✿ ❀ ✿ —

Madi snapped her head towards the voice and saw a woman stumbling and Madi was moving towards the woman fast. She didn't recognize her, but that didn't matter. Mik at least knew the woman. "Hey, hey, we've got you, it's okay, you're going to be okay."

Her eyes met Mik's for a moment before she looked back to Hanan. "Are you hurt? What happened to you? How long have you been here?"

— ✿ ❀ ✿ —

Hanan wavered, she felt a little silly on the floor of the jungle looking up at them but her head was still swimming. And that guy, what was his name, Mikey-something? No it was – "you're Mik?" Hanan blurted. He was the pyramid scheme guy.

She blinked, "er...I don't know..." She rubbed her temples and tried to focus her muddled thoughts into something more coherent, but everything felt like she was wading through waist-high mud. Who knew earth-sickness could be worse than elevation sickness.

"Harry was going to teach me at the waterfall... for my earth attunement but like she disappeared and I lost her? I have no idea where she's gone. Have you guys seen her?" Hanan said, quick-fire as if that was the remedy. "N-no just, my head, this place is soo loud."

— ✿ ❀ ✿ —

Hanan still remembered him at least. If Mik had been in a better mood, he would have been pleased at the brand recognition. Mik instead nodded when she asked who he was, inclining his head to Madi. "This is Madi," Mik said, and before he could stop himself, he added, "Oh she's gay too." Forever the lesbian wingman, even in the worst of times.

Harry was going to take Hanan to the waterfall, Harry was going to take Mik to find Nick. "Harry said... Harry said she'd seen Nick get taken by the jungle... And Madi, you said something about losing Harry too? Do you... Do you think she's in trouble?" Mik asked the two women, because that question was nice, and was the far nicer alternative to the more sinister thread that was running through their encounters.

Mik turned to Hanan, pursing his lips together. "Can you stand? I... I could give you a piggyback?"

— ✿ ❀ ✿ —

Introductions quickly turned to Madi's face turning as red as a tomato. "I-- I am, but I-- this isn't-- hi, it's nice to meet you, sorry it has to be while you're in so much pain," she turned to Hanan instead, trying to ignore the redness of her face or that Mik was trying to play wingman right now.

Thankfully he moved on, though, and while Mik was voicing the kind, worried version of possibilities, Madi kept playing and replaying her interaction with Harry. "She wanted me to come to the jungle so much,"she muttered, instead of replying to Mik's question. "I didn't get it, but I thought-- I thought she just needed some help but she couldn't actually say it, so I followed but-- she just wanted me to come here and when I originally questioned it, she started getting frustrated."

Hanan was still on the ground, though, and that momentarily distracted Madi from her thoughts, "Oh, yeah, that's-- that's a good idea, Mik could help." Technically she could too, but after Mik's declaration of her lesbianism, she didn't want it looking like she was hitting on Hanan or something right in the middle of things. "But yeah, did you guys-- did she try to urge you guy in here too? Try to speed things up so you guys could get close to the jungle or even in the jungle?" She paused, but she had to say it, somebody had to say it and she's been the bad guy in many people's eyes these days, so why not. "Do you guys think-- she wanted-- you know, to get us in here for some reason? Intentionally?"

— ✿ ❀ ✿ —

Between them both Hanan felt a little lost. It wasn't their fault, not at all, she just felt like she was sat on the violent end of an unruly seesaw. Hanan slowly pushed herself up to stand, a little adamant perhaps not to need a piggyback ride off of Mik. "N-no I'm all good." She rushed through, looking between them both, Mik and...he'd said her name was Madi? She seemed to be just as embarrassed as Hanan was, "hey, no all good."

"Do....do you think Harry is still out here? Wait Mik did you say someone else is out here too?" Hanan rubbed at her temple, maybe the piggyback ride wouldn't be so bad of an idea. Get her feet off the ground. Hanan just wanted to lay down in her tent, shielded by several layers of plastic, ideally face down. "I don't know, why would Harry do that though? Do you guys know a way out?"

— ✿ ❀ ✿ —

Maybe it wasn't the time to play wingman to both of the girls he'd run into whilst trapped in the jungle. But in his stress he'd fallen back to easy, old patterns, which meant making sure everyone was friends with one another. Mik smiled sheepishly at each woman, especially poor Madi, going bright red like a cherry.

Madi told of how Harry had approached her, tried to get her to come to the jungle, asked how they had come in. "I mean, she just came up to me all of a sudden and said that Nick... that Nick had been taken by the jungle." She'd been only too eager to show him where, bend the jungle to her will to let them both slip into the dark undergrowth. Mik's perpetual smile fell as he considered Madi's point, and then Hanan's tempering. Why would she do it? "I... I don't know why but... Everyone's been on edge lately." Tomas had ordered Emre to destroy his gym, Tamyra had insisted that Nova had come to the island, then there was the drama with Lina, and Ned... Mik rubbed his stubble, feeling dirty for even thinking ill of someone.

"Don't know a way out, but we're going to find one!" Mik changed tack, all insipid optimisim and charisma once more. He had to be positive, because the alternative was that he was going to lose his mind in the jungle again, and Nick was going to sulk that he'd gone missing once more. "Are you sure you don't want a piggyback?" he asked Hanan again, who looked practically green around the gills. "It might help us move faster." And moving faster meant getting out of here faster.

— ✿ ❀ ✿ —

Hanan insisted that she was feeling okay, but Madi still stayed close to the woman in case she had to jump in to help quickly. She wasn't the best person to go to help for these days, but she was still strong, she could catch Hanan if she was falling.

"I-- I don't know, it seems kind of impossible, but she was-- she seemed so weird, when she talked to me and asked me for help, and then I came inside and Harry was just-- gone. Quite quickly, almost like she didn't even come in and-- and you got in here while being with her and Mik did too and just-- this couldn't all be a coincidence, right?" She stopped for a moment, really thought about what she was saying. Was she really trying to suggest that some old-timer on the island suddenly felt the need to play deadly games with them by drawing them into the jungle or even the Labyrinth? Madi could never quite tell the difference. "Okay, no, never mind that thought process, I am probably just overreacting, Harry couldn't-- nobody could do such a thing, right? But that also means-- we need to find her and Nick too."

"And a way out. Which I am not proficient in, never really could navigate these places, but we can just--" hope for the best, Maid wanted to say, but that would have probably sounded way too stupid. So instead she wrapped her arms around herself, tried to hide the twitching of her fingers, and said. "There are some moss on the trees there, that shows the way to North, right? So we gotta go the exact opposite to get to the South Beach? Or is the moss thing not actually even a thing?" She didn't know, but she needed to get out of here. Fast. "No chance either of you guys have a flask with some alcohol with you, right?" No harm in asking at this point.

— ✿ ❀ ✿ —

Hanan really, really, didn’t want to lean on Mik for a piggyback. Part out of stubbornness, part because she didn't want to be a hindrance. Then again, no matter which way she was going to be deadweight. A bleak thought. She didn’t know who Nick was unable to sift through old memories that linked him and Mik together, but she could agree that they needed to find Harry. Even if Madi was suggesting something altogether more sinister. “Harry wouldn’t do that, would she?” Intentionally luring them into the Labyrinth – what did she have to gain from that?

No, Hanan believed it had to be some freak accident, but even if she clung to that optimism it felt foolishly naive. “That’s just a myth…moss will grow anywhere that has water.” Hanan recited, when she’d been little her baba had told her the story that moss only grew on the northern side. Only for her to find out later he’d spun that myth to have a story to tell on hikes. “You…do either of you per chance have an air attunement?” Or an earth attunement that wasn’t sporadic and untamed.

"No...I don't have anything on me." She'd left her day pack at camp, wait – Hanan's brows knitted together. Was Madi asking for alcohol? Hanan put it down to a blip, she must've misheard it, the tremors messing with her hearing.

“Okay…” Hanan said, just as worried if not more worried that Madi seemed terrified, or freaked out by all of this. “Maybe if we start walking? Nick and Harry can’t be too far can they? If we’re altogether maybe we can figure this out.” As determined as she was to walk on her own two feet, every shift never mind step sent a thundering ache up through her jaw. “I-I…might take you up on that piggyback Mik. If I’m too much though just say.”

— ✿ ❀ ✿ —

Mik didn't like the way Madi was insisting that there were too many coincidences, and how she had a point. Bugger it, but they'd all been lead in here by Harry. He'd been so worried about Nick, ruled by a base-level of anxiety unhelped by the fact that Nick had yet again failed to leave a message saying where he was going. All it had taken was for Harry to come up to him and tell him what she'd seen for him to follow her blindly, trusting. "Madi if you're right... Maybe Nick isn't even here?" Mik suggested, only because it was a positive thought. Nick wasn't here, Harry was playing some kind of sick game on them all... Mik brightened. "You know... She seems a sandwich short of a picnic, yeah?" All animalistic grunts and... she did kinda smell. Worse than everyone else on this island with no deodorant.

Mik stayed quiet as Madi and Hanan bickered about moss on trees, which wasn't apparetnly a thing. Mik hadn't even known it was a thing that needed to be fact checked. That was the trouble with being a city boy. "Right... We're both fire attuned," Mik supplied for Madi, trying to keep the nerves from his voice. "So we have a few days before we start like losing our memories and and hallucinating and..." Mik trailed off, breathing slowly out from his nose as he felt his temperature spike. "But we're going to get out before that happenens-"

Mik turned to look at Madi as she asked for a drink. He didn't blame her, really. She did look a little peaky, now that he was looking at her. "I don't drink, and I left my water bottle on the beach." Mik smiled tightly, because he was so fucking unprepared for surviving the Labyrinth and he didn't want to fucking die.

"No, you won't be too much," Mik said with forced cheerfulness, slapping his thighs as he crouched before Hanan. The sooner they got out of here the better-

The noise stopped. There had been so much noise before, bugs and frogs and birds, branches and leaves moving in the wind, creaking of tree trunks, the rumbling shifting of the ground far away. Now, it was silent. Eerily so. Mik felt fear prickle cold at the back of his neck. "Right, I think I've had enough nature for today, what about you guys?"

— ✿ ❀ ✿ —

Hanan dismissed her original idea like Madi did, but Mik found some merrit in it, and Madi wasn't sure how she felt - somebody intentionally luring people into the jungle. It had to be-- some kind of bad horror movie trope thing, not true, right? "Let's just-- let's keep our eyes out, make sure we aren't leaving them in here." Except if this place wanted to, it could keep anyone hidden from them and they would never know, right? She didn't want to think about that.

Okay, so the moss thing wasn't a real thing, good to know. They still had to start walking, though - and now without any sort of guidance. But standing still felt even worse than going the wrong direction. Madi looked up - some sunshine was shining through, it wasn't pitch black. "I think-- I am not an expert, but I think on some degree we should be okay a little bit longer. I mean, the Castaways had fire attuned among them and they didn't go totally crazy either, so you know, maybe, hopefully, we can get out of here before that becomes an issue." She didn't even think about the sun madness, if she was being honest, but she was trying to be optimistic. She wanted a drink, but she could keep being optimistic while wanting one.

No water, no alcohol, nothing. Nothing on them. This was going to be rough. "It's fine, we'll be fine," she reassured them and then hovered over Hanan while she gotten up onto Mik's back for that piggyback ride. "If you get too tired, I can-- I can take over, too," she offered to Mik as they started walking.

They didn't get too far, though, because suddenly there was silence, and Madi stopped too, listening. One, two, three moments of long, aggravating nothing and then almost like something was bulldozering towards them, a loud ruckuss started and Madi's eyes widened. "RUN. RUN RUN RUN," she screamed and pulled Mik along with her. She wasn't sure what was behind them, but they needed to get to safety and fast, because it was absolutely faster than they were.

— ✿ ❀ ✿ —

No sooner than Mik had offered, and she had gotten onto his back, did the jungle turn into an eerie awful silence. If Hanan knew anything she knew that total silence was rarely good – most especially here. The island was constantly chattering back and forth. Hanan slid her arms around him feeling slightly awkward to being clung to his back, but it was better. So, soooo, so much better on his back than it had been on the ground. Mik seemed to act a little like a buffer. Absorbing all the shockwaves that would’ve sent her into a mind-numbing fizz.

That was until the silence gave way for something altogether monstrous. The sound of the unknown tearing through the jungle behind them was enough to make her scream. Hanan would only be a hindrance like this. “Please! I can run!” She urged, desperate for Mik to drop her and let her run for herself. Even if the second her feet touched the floor it sent an instant jolt through her. There wasn’t time to be deterred by pain, and perhaps that was one thing Hanan was adept at. Pushing through pain. She ran, following the other two and either it was some miracle, or the jungle literally pushing and spitting them out – they tumbled into sunshine.

Hanan did so, quite literally, it was as if her legs had simply given up as the dense overhead jungle grew lighter and lighter, until fluorescent moss turned to sand. Hanan collapsed, exhaustion and the pressing weight of feeling everything so sharply, the thunder of their collective feet, the jungle and the island screaming. “Are…” She pushed herself up, feeling once again useless curled up on the floor. “Are you two okay?” Either the earth-sickness was playing with her fitness, or she was more unfit than she thought she was, as she practically doubled over to catch her breath.

— ✿ ❀ ✿ —

Mik let Hanan down as soon as she asked him to. He did look back over his shoulder to make sure she did keep up, that he hadn't abandoned her to whatever was chasing them. It sounded huge, the size of a house, a bulldozer. Mik's body knew what to do, the nimble, zippy run of having the rugby ball tucked under one arm and the try line right in front of you.

Except it wasn't a try line this time, it was light through the trees, a beach of golden sand. Mik slowed down as they emerged, turning to wait for Hanan and Madi to come out. "I... I think we're free," Mik said, breathlessly laughing, giddy at the thought.

— ✿ ❀ ✿ —

It almost felt too easy - the three of them running and running and running right out of the jungle and onto the beach. Hanan switched over to running herself somewhere in the middle of running but they mostly all made it out of the jungle all okay and free and Madi felt like collapsing, but instead she just leaned against a tree. And then after a few moments, she jumped back up and took several steps away from the tree and the jungle. She could stand or collapse but she wanted to stay away from the jungle.

"Yeah, I think-- I think we got lucky this time," Madi summed it up. Things were weird on the island, sure, but the jungle and the Labyrinth was the worst. It didn't even occur to her that the island might have wanted them out here, on the beach, while the dopplegangers were running around. They were ready for the picking.