[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/h5xf31C.png[/img][/center][hr][i][b]//Day 1 | Location:[/b] Nameless Forest - Lakeside[/i] [sub][@AThousandCurses][@baraquiel][@Nakushita][@Yankee][@Vertigo][/sub] [b]“Ehhhhh…”[/b] Kumi leaned back from the embarrassment of actually having someone beg for food before her. Certainly, it spoiled the taste of her own fish more than the lack of salt and seasoning ever would. Before the glistening puppy dog eyes that Ayana shot at her, eyes that gradually gained the cursed light of madness. Honestly, it was a bad look for herself if she folded so easily, but on the other hand, Ayana was literally out there fighting monsters, so… [b]“Hmph! Well, if you insist, I guess I can g-”[/b] [b]“Ah, Kumi.”[/b] Masami tilted the smaller girl’s face back towards the direction that Ayana had been. [b]“She’s already gone.”[/b] Gone snapping branches off at lightspeed, without even waiting for the charred fish that Kumi had been wholly willing to give her. The curly-haired girl scratched the side of her ear, then let out another sigh, before resolving to set aside a particularly big fish for Ayana afterwards. As for the Awakened klutz, she found herself working in the company of Shun, Haruko, and Fujita. While the quartet was certainly an unlikely selection, they were nevertheless doing good work with regards to constructing a wooden frame for the group. The supernatural strength of both Shun and Ayana had helped immensely in that regard; Rin tossed them trees that had been turned into long poles, while Fujita taught them how to twine and lash with long grass or plant roots. Well, not without much trouble. Somehow, once again, the blue-tinged youth, who maintained his good looks even when his makeup was faded at this point (thank Ayano for the skin and haircare routine she forced on him), was surrounded by girls. Granted, one of the girls had a boyfriend who would fold him like a pretzel, the other girl was absolutely fucked up by the fact that her crush was dead, and the third girl was so empty-headed that Fujita was a bit considered for her, but still. It was a lotta girls. [b]“Uh, y-yeah, could you hold onto that, Shun?”[/b] He cleared his throat, pointing towards the intersection of two wooden poles. [b]“And Haruko, tie them up there, tight as you can. Ah, and, let me think…oh, Ayana! We’ll need two more of that length. Could you, uh, ask Rin again?”[/b] With three Awakened pitching in for the construction of the shelter, they were definitely making faster progress now. It would still take an obscene amount of effort for them to construct a shelter that could comfortably fit 20 students at a time, especially when the process of creating string was a process that couldn’t be sped up with pure brute force, but if nothing else…hardly an hour had passed, but the frame of the shelter was already taking shape. [b]“Hmmm, you’re the outdoorsy type, Fujita?”[/b] Haruko tilted her head, her own hands smelling of dirt and grass. He shook his head. [b]“Amemiya-sensei. From the Gardening Club?”[/b] [b]“Ah…hmm.”[/b] Her blue eyes swiveled towards Ayana and Shun. [b]“You two go get something to eat, alright? And grab some for the boys too, while you’re at it.”[/b] Her head swung in the direction that Asahi, Masato, and Duncan were. She slapped Fujita on the shoulder. [b]“Me and this guy here’s gotta have a one-on-one interview sorta thing, y’know?”[/b] ... So many answers, and yet he could not understand it. It was a different sort of rule that governed his body now, removed from his understanding of it just two days ago. Duncan [i]knew[/i] things. He understood them like one understood what happened in a TV show or a movie. But the memory remained insufficient for allowing a solution. Asahi looked at him, a fiery desperation that sparked only anxiety. He knew too, that Asahi’s threads could not transfer ‘light’. The functions of Cable were imprinted upon his own memories now, after all. Helplessness, still. The basketball star had the will to do what had to be done, but that was his limitation too, for a directionless desire would not save any of the two boys before him. What was he to do, in truth? He hardly understood how donating blood worked, after all. He was an athlete, not a doctor. They didn’t even have Biology classes in Kuroshio Ogata! And no one had answers, had reassurances to what he asked, what he suggested. All that answered him, in that moment, was a muted silence. Something burned. Something itched. Anxiety and confusion turned into a curious embarrassment. His body flushed, his core’s heat, that forge within him, turning molten without reason. Duncan looked down at Yuki’s face, the youth so lifelessly still when he had only seen the lad in constant, energetic motion before. Hitting up cheerleaders from other schools. Clowning around for Ayano’s attention, back when she was single. Fielding incredibly personal questions towards Kunio, only so he could feed those answers back to Yukiko. What the fuck was he supposed to do? What the hell was more blood going to do? Recent failures flickered through his mind. Shun’s scars, where his body had been [i]perfect[/i]. Something burned. Something itched. It was a malformed desire, an indistinct need. He had blood. Plenty of blood. And his stomach opened once more, spilling out a golden blood, upon his lap, his hands, the earth itself. Soil drank greedily, roots absorbed [i]something[/i], and the grass around him grew, snaking towards the open wound in Duncan’s body, desiring more of that sunlight ichor. Yet, his wound didn't hurt. [b]"What the fuck."[/b] Only one person said it, but in that moment, they were all thinking it.