Side Story » World Revolving Never More «

[Crimson Spartan]

The shopkeeper stood up once Barret approached her, giving a friendly smile.

❝ Ah I wouldn't mind that at all. Definitely would save my back some trouble. ❞ She nodded, then taking a moment to look at the plaza to see the group. ❝ Huh, Cecilia really wasn't lying when she said that the tour was going to take place today. Organizing this tour AND a festival on top of that, my back hurts even more just thinking about it. Anyways... I'm Hinamizawa village's storekeeper, Nui Tanbo, and... yeah, I'd really appreciate some help moving these boxes and bins inside... ❞

Nui would go inside the store to quickly eyeball the space available before going back out to brief Barret on it. ❝ Okaay, so there should be space behind the counter to put these boxes and bins down. I can handle opening them and stocking up the shelves. Oh, and be careful with the bins especially. For some reason they're filled with bean paste of all things. Bins with paste, what was he thinking? ❞ She sighed at the end of her vocal thoughts, brushing her teal hair to the side of her face.

@Jeremi

As Kamal would take this moment to give himself a moment of reprieve, it would become short-lived as a sudden tap on the shoulder followed by a light giggle took place.

❝ Oh my, oh my, what's going on here~? How come you happen to be by your lonesome, hm~? ❞ A shrill feminine voice mischievously cooed out from behind him.

@Capri

@Lucky @mintyy @Minerva @Yun Lee @Alex Azure @Sark @Takumi @Plaza

---

❝ I see. It isn't like Cecilia to suggest splitting a tour group, especially leaving Nia responsible with a group. So it's only logical from experience to assume that she purposefully decided to do this on a whim. ❞ The apparent dodgeball specialist spoke with a thinking expression, then cutting herself off. ❝ Well... in order to make matters easier, my name is Yumeko Enakuta. The two behind me are my younger sisters. ❞ She directs attention to another white-haired girl who wore a blue flower hairpin, who seemed to be trying to hide behind Yumeko and doing so successfully if the group hasn't noticed her until now. ❝ ... this is Yumeki... she tends to be shy like this with other people a lot, so don't be surprised. ❞ Next, she glances over at the overreacting Yui, who was still at the unconscious Nia's side. ❝ And don't worry about my youngest sister, Yui, too much. She has a habit of overreacting since she has aspirations to get into theater acting. ❞

❝ Hey! Don't out me like that, sis! ❞ Yui exclaimed, standing up almost immediately and doing a dramatic point at Yumeko. ❝ It's no surprise that I would be taking any chance to act out my favorite play one day! Being able to emulate the absolute despair and desperation that the main character goes through after being cursed with the Double Crescent Moon marking by the Witch of Deception! Wearing all sorts of colorful and extravagant costumes! And, and, and! ❞

Yui would then stop mid-sentence, realizing that she was practically proving Yumeko's point. During that awkward turn of conversation, the young blonde girl, who couldn't be any older than 10 from the looks of it, timidly took hold of the strange headband before putting it on.

@Crimson Spartan @ShadowCoyote0 @Schoolyard

"....Akira Kijima..." Kijima decides it's only fair to introduce himself after hearing the introductions. He was just about to say more but then his attention shifted to Yui upon realizing what she had just said. Thankfully he managed to keep his neutral expression not giving away the brief shock he had upon hearing the mention of a play involving a double crescent moon mark. Kijima thought back his attention completely removed from the blonde haired girl as he focused on Yui.

".....Huh....sounds like an occult play. What's the story behind it..?" Kijima decides to ask Yui realizing that this might be related to the mark on his wrist which was currently being covered up by his glove. Well he supposes he could just show them the mark but he didn't know what doing that might cause as far as reactions so he decides against it for now.

One thing is for sure...Hazuki would've loved this place..... Remembering what happened to her as well as his aunt and cousin is all the more reason for Kijima to figure out a way to get back home.

@Gummi Bunnies @York @ShadowCoyote0 @Schoolyard​

 

[ShadowCoyote0]

"OR ELSE!!! O...oh...hmph"

Before he had the chance to teach the little brat a lesson, she took one hell of a blow to the stomach and tumbled. It looked pretty painful. All he was really planning on doing was to intimidate her so she'd stop the pranks. However, she finally seemed to drop the headband. He could just pick it up and return it to the weird girl with a cat fixation.

Wait...there was a small child also going for the headband....annnnd she got to it first. Dimitri's remaining eye briefly twitched as he decided whether he was above punting a child, but he wasn't that kind of monster. He ignored the child and headband for now; the cat lady would have to take it from here.

He heard the older sister's introductions, but opted not to introduce himself. What would it matter to them anyway? Instead he approached Nia and knelt down, propping her up. It's...likely what the professor would do...and what she'd want him to do.

"Hey...wake up. C'mon, we have a tour to finish."

Damn...she was out of it. How weak does someone have to be pass out from a dodgeball? Or..was Yumeko truly someone to fear? Either way, he brief patience was short lived.

"HEY, WAKE UP. OR DO YOU WANNA FIND OUT WHAT 'OR ELSE' MEANS?!"

@Gummi Bunnies @York @Crimson Spartan

 

[Jeremi]

The shopkeeper stood up once Barret approached her, giving a friendly smile.

❝ Ah I wouldn't mind that at all. Definitely would save my back some trouble. ❞ She nodded, then taking a moment to look at the plaza to see the group. ❝ Huh, Cecilia really wasn't lying when she said that the tour was going to take place today. Organizing this tour AND a festival on top of that, my back hurts even more just thinking about it. Anyways... I'm Hinamizawa village's storekeeper, Nui Tanbo, and... yeah, I'd really appreciate some help moving these boxes and bins inside... ❞

Nui would go inside the store to quickly eyeball the space available before going back out to brief Barret on it. ❝ Okaay, so there should be space behind the counter to put these boxes and bins down. I can handle opening them and stocking up the shelves. Oh, and be careful with the bins especially. For some reason they're filled with bean paste of all things. Bins with paste, what was he thinking? ❞ She sighed at the end of her vocal thoughts, brushing her teal hair to the side of her face.

@Jeremi

As Kamal would take this moment to give himself a moment of reprieve, it would become short-lived as a sudden tap on the shoulder followed by a light giggle took place.

❝ Oh my, oh my, what's going on here~? How come you happen to be by your lonesome, hm~? ❞ A shrill feminine voice mischievously cooed out from behind him.

@Capri

@Lucky @mintyy @Minerva @Yun Lee @Alex Azure @Sark @Takumi @Plaza

---

❝ I see. It isn't like Cecilia to suggest splitting a tour group, especially leaving Nia responsible with a group. So it's only logical from experience to assume that she purposefully decided to do this on a whim. ❞ The apparent dodgeball specialist spoke with a thinking expression, then cutting herself off. ❝ Well... in order to make matters easier, my name is Yumeko Enakuta. The two behind me are my younger sisters. ❞ She directs attention to another white-haired girl who wore a blue flower hairpin, who seemed to be trying to hide behind Yumeko and doing so successfully if the group hasn't noticed her until now. ❝ ... this is Yumeki... she tends to be shy like this with other people a lot, so don't be surprised. ❞ Next, she glances over at the overreacting Yui, who was still at the unconscious Nia's side. ❝ And don't worry about my youngest sister, Yui, too much. She has a habit of overreacting since she has aspirations to get into theater acting. ❞

❝ Hey! Don't out me like that, sis! ❞ Yui exclaimed, standing up almost immediately and doing a dramatic point at Yumeko. ❝ It's no surprise that I would be taking any chance to act out my favorite play one day! Being able to emulate the absolute despair and desperation that the main character goes through after being cursed with the Double Crescent Moon marking by the Witch of Deception! Wearing all sorts of colorful and extravagant costumes! And, and, and! ❞

Yui would then stop mid-sentence, realizing that she was practically proving Yumeko's point. During that awkward turn of conversation, the young blonde girl, who couldn't be any older than 10 from the looks of it, timidly took hold of the strange headband before putting it on.

@Crimson Spartan @ShadowCoyote0 @Schoolyard​

While not heavy, the boxes could be a bit cumbersome to carry, with one of his arms being a gun arm and all. "Pleasure to make your acquaintance!" Barret replied as he set down the first set of boxes. "Name's Barret Wallace, and I got to tell ya I don't trust this vacation shi- stuff one bit! Uh, yeah!" He hastily added as he started moving the bins. Even on vacation, Barret found a way to work it seems.

@Gummi Bunnies

 

[York]

Spoiler: Replies

Kijima considered his options while walking with the group on the dirt path. Something was definitely going on here and Kijima suspected it to be something supernatural. He glanced at Cecilia while they walked before noticing the break in the path ahead. Due to the sudden remembrance of his signing up after she spoke and the marks coming shortly after that Kijima suspected that she might be involved somehow. Considering how she seemed to at least somewhat know everyone here among other things it only seemed like the right option to sus-

His train of thought is broken upon seeing Nia run off with Yulia's headband.

"....Prankster huh.....i'll go after them..." He didn't wait for a response before sprinting off after Nia and Yuila. He wanted some time to think quietly and assumed that the trip back once Nia had been caught would be the best time for this. He didn't know Yuila but figured trying to help would be the decent thing to do despite his usual standoffish attitude.

@York @Lucky @mintyy @Jeremi @Minerva @ShadowCoyote0 @Capri @Yun Lee @Alex Azure @Sark @Takumi @Gummi Bunnies @Everyone

​

(I'm a little late to the party, but uhh...here I am!)

"Rodrigue....why?"

View attachment 7499

It was the night after the battle of Gronder Field, and Dimitri was struggling internally. His desire for revenge against her was nearly overpowering...and yet, the loss of a close friend was finally something that got through to him. He didn't fear death, and he would claim regularly that he didn't care about the cost of his goals and ambitions...until he truly felt the weight of his actions. His guilt...his hatred...were they worth holding onto? Was it even possible to let them go? Divines know his friends have tried to stray him from this destructive past...especially the Professor. If there was one person who truly refused to give up on him...it was her. Dimitri retreated to his room...the exhaustion and pain were becoming too much to bear. He couldn't remember the last time he slept...but it seemed he had no real choice in the matter. He lied down for a moment, his body unable to remain awake any longer.

However, when he woke up, he was in a place entirely unfamiliar to him. His armor and weapons were nowhere to be found. Instead, he found himself in a comfortable tunic. Everything seemed...calm, save for the strange group of people he found himself with. Surely, this was just a dream...and if it followed the usual pattern, he'd wake up sometime after the world around him burns to the ground.

And yet...time passed, and no such thing occured. What the hell was going on....why wouldn't he awaken?! He remained silent for a while, listening to the others. No one had anything useful to say...until he was reminded that he signed up for this tour. Yes...he even spoke to this Cecilia prior to signing up...but wait...why?! There was no time for damn tours, he had only one goal! And yet...he had no idea how to reach her...not where he was now. Perhaps he agreed to visit the town in order to use a map to find his way back home.

And yet, while on the their way, someone decided to pull a prank and run off with another girl's accessory. Dimitri didn't care for pranks, nor the girls involved for that matter, but it was disrupting the tour. If this Nia keeps trying to pull this crap, it would just slow the whole group down. Besides, he was irritated...and quite skilled at handling bandits. Either way, she'd need to be dealt with at some point anyway, might as well be now.

And so he bolted after her. Without armor encumbering him, he felt as light as a feather. "I don't have time for your damn games kid! Drop the cat ears or else!"

@Gummi Bunnies @York @Crimson Spartan @Everybody

❝ ... by that, I meant that we can't provide upmost accommodations to the level of a luxury vacation. Whatever is available in this village, I'll make sure to cover. My apologies for the misunderstanding. ❞ Cecilia awkwardly clarified her answer to Barret. That stern bravado that this tour guide showed upon the start of this was starting to fade, as if brief mistakes were that major to her.

❝ I suppose they'll be fine... I hope. ❞ Upon hearing Ansel's question of concern, Cecilia breathed a sigh of resignation, glancing at the people chasing after her. ❝ Then again, maybe this is what she'll need by necessity. No one in the village seems to actually reprimand her for these poor pranks, and I reckon at least one person after her would do that. ❞ Her point being made as Dimitri could be heard yelling at Nia.

Pressing ahead to the plaza, the rest of the tour group accompanying Cecilia would be greeted with the rhythmic chirping of the nearby cicadas.

❝ Ah, there's no need to be quiet, but please don't be too loud either. Despite how early it is, some people in this village wake up extremely early, earlier than this to my knowledge. ❞ She reassured Mayuri, but also giving a fair warning about being overly loud. It wasn't exactly the city, so any abrupt noise would be quite disruptive to the village ambiance.

Several households could be seen along the road, and their first prominent landmarks were the town hall building and the general store from the looks of it. Before Cecilia could give a briefing on this location, she was suddenly flagged down by a young man with slightly long black hair.

❝ Cecilia, I'm aware that you're busy with your tour and all, but may I have a word with you for a brief moment? ❞ He asked, giving a suspicious look over the tour group before returning his attention to the tour guide.

❝ I see no reason to not speak with you, especially if it's quick... ❞ Cecilia ran her hand through her hair, sounding like this could be serious and such. ❝ Ah, you're free to sightsee around this area if you'd wish. I'll make this private conversation quick. ❞

And with that, Cecilia walked with the man into the town hall building. As the cicadas continued to chirp, there appeared to be a young girl who was reading the bulletin board and hastily jotting down notes into a journal. Then, there also was the sound of boxes being abruptly dropped to the ground near the storefront, the storekeeper appearing like she had quite more work than she was supposedly capable of.

Even at a time early as this, this village had some activity taking place at the plaza.

@Lucky @mintyy @Jeremi @Minerva @Capri @Yun Lee @Alex Azure @Sark @Takumi @Plaza

---

Even with the big head start on this chase prank, Nia turned to check on what kind of group she caught the attention of, and she immediately yelped in surprise with how close Dimitri was to getting to her and he DID NOT look happy. She was banking on getting into the school building but that wasn't gonna happen.

❝ W-WHOA, WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY "OR ELSE" HUH?! IT'S JUST A PRANK, BR- ❞

BLAM!

Nia's escape was soon halted by a sudden dodgeball nailing her right in the gut, making her roughly tumble to the ground and dropping the cat ear headband in the process. Unfortunately it looked like she ran into the middle of a dodgeball game, several students that were playing here awkwardly stared at the situation that the prankster got herself into.

❝ Omigod! Nia! Are you okay? Are you gonna throw up? Don't leave us, Niaaaaa!!! ❞ One of the girls, who had white hair put into a ponytail, present started to dramatically overreact to what just happened, running over and shaking Nia wildly.

❝ Yui, she's fine. I didn't put my all in that throw. Aside from that, I take it that you're the tourists that the immature prankster is supposed to take care of. ❞ Another girl spoke up, who looked similar to the other girl Yui but slightly older and her white hair being let down instead of tied up, being the one responsible for unintentionally knocking the air out of Nia. During all this awkward chaos, a younger girl with short blonde hair happened to quietly approach them, or more specifically, the cat ear headband out of curiosity.

@York @Crimson Spartan @ShadowCoyote0 @Schoolyard​

Kijima saw Dimitri run right past him yelling at Nia ahead. Deciding to not let the eyepatch blonde get too far ahead Kijima picked up the pace catching up to Dimitri right as Nia got sniped by a dodgeball.




...

"...Nice shot..." That was all Kijima could think to say as he slowed to a stop just before he saw Yui do her overreactions and another girl who he could only assume to be her older sister taking credit for the throw and addressing them...

"...Yeah, guess you could say that...." He responded neutrally hiding his earlier scowl that was directed at Nia with a neutral expression. He was made aware of another girl blonde this one noticing her out of the corner of his eye while he kept the cat ear headband within the corner of his vision.

@York @Gummi Bunnies @ShadowCoyote0 @Schoolyard​

The shopkeeper stood up once Barret approached her, giving a friendly smile.

❝ Ah I wouldn't mind that at all. Definitely would save my back some trouble. ❞ She nodded, then taking a moment to look at the plaza to see the group. ❝ Huh, Cecilia really wasn't lying when she said that the tour was going to take place today. Organizing this tour AND a festival on top of that, my back hurts even more just thinking about it. Anyways... I'm Hinamizawa village's storekeeper, Nui Tanbo, and... yeah, I'd really appreciate some help moving these boxes and bins inside... ❞

Nui would go inside the store to quickly eyeball the space available before going back out to brief Barret on it. ❝ Okaay, so there should be space behind the counter to put these boxes and bins down. I can handle opening them and stocking up the shelves. Oh, and be careful with the bins especially. For some reason they're filled with bean paste of all things. Bins with paste, what was he thinking? ❞ She sighed at the end of her vocal thoughts, brushing her teal hair to the side of her face.

@Jeremi

As Kamal would take this moment to give himself a moment of reprieve, it would become short-lived as a sudden tap on the shoulder followed by a light giggle took place.

❝ Oh my, oh my, what's going on here~? How come you happen to be by your lonesome, hm~? ❞ A shrill feminine voice mischievously cooed out from behind him.

@Capri

@Lucky @mintyy @Minerva @Yun Lee @Alex Azure @Sark @Takumi @Plaza

---

❝ I see. It isn't like Cecilia to suggest splitting a tour group, especially leaving Nia responsible with a group. So it's only logical from experience to assume that she purposefully decided to do this on a whim. ❞ The apparent dodgeball specialist spoke with a thinking expression, then cutting herself off. ❝ Well... in order to make matters easier, my name is Yumeko Enakuta. The two behind me are my younger sisters. ❞ She directs attention to another white-haired girl who wore a blue flower hairpin, who seemed to be trying to hide behind Yumeko and doing so successfully if the group hasn't noticed her until now. ❝ ... this is Yumeki... she tends to be shy like this with other people a lot, so don't be surprised. ❞ Next, she glances over at the overreacting Yui, who was still at the unconscious Nia's side. ❝ And don't worry about my youngest sister, Yui, too much. She has a habit of overreacting since she has aspirations to get into theater acting. ❞

❝ Hey! Don't out me like that, sis! ❞ Yui exclaimed, standing up almost immediately and doing a dramatic point at Yumeko. ❝ It's no surprise that I would be taking any chance to act out my favorite play one day! Being able to emulate the absolute despair and desperation that the main character goes through after being cursed with the Double Crescent Moon marking by the Witch of Deception! Wearing all sorts of colorful and extravagant costumes! And, and, and! ❞

Yui would then stop mid-sentence, realizing that she was practically proving Yumeko's point. During that awkward turn of conversation, the young blonde girl, who couldn't be any older than 10 from the looks of it, timidly took hold of the strange headband before putting it on.

@Crimson Spartan @ShadowCoyote0 @Schoolyard​

"....Akira Kijima..." Kijima decides it's only fair to introduce himself after hearing the introductions. He was just about to say more but then his attention shifted to Yui upon realizing what she had just said. Thankfully he managed to keep his neutral expression not giving away the brief shock he had upon hearing the mention of a play involving a double crescent moon mark. Kijima thought back his attention completely removed from the blonde haired girl as he focused on Yui.

".....Huh....sounds like an occult play. What's the story behind it..?" Kijima decides to ask Yui realizing that this might be related to the mark on his wrist which was currently being covered up by his glove. Well he supposes he could just show them the mark but he didn't know what doing that might cause as far as reactions so he decides against it for now.

One thing is for sure...Hazuki would've loved this place..... Remembering what happened to her as well as his aunt and cousin is all the more reason for Kijima to figure out a way to get back home.

@Gummi Bunnies @York @ShadowCoyote0 @Schoolyard​

"OR ELSE!!! O...oh...hmph"

Before he had the chance to teach the little brat a lesson, she took one hell of a blow to the stomach and tumbled. It looked pretty painful. All he was really planning on doing was to intimidate her so she'd stop the pranks. However, she finally seemed to drop the headband. He could just pick it up and return it to the weird girl with a cat fixation.

Wait...there was a small child also going for the headband....annnnd she got to it first. Dimitri's remaining eye briefly twitched as he decided whether he was above punting a child, but he wasn't that kind of monster. He ignored the child and headband for now; the cat lady would have to take it from here.

He heard the older sister's introductions, but opted not to introduce himself. What would it matter to them anyway? Instead he approached Nia and knelt down, propping her up. It's...likely what the professor would do...and what she'd want him to do.

"Hey...wake up. C'mon, we have a tour to finish."

Damn...she was out of it. How weak does someone have to be pass out from a dodgeball? Or..was Yumeko truly someone to fear? Either way, he brief patience was short lived.

"HEY, WAKE UP. OR DO YOU WANNA FIND OUT WHAT 'OR ELSE' MEANS?!"

@Gummi Bunnies @York @Crimson Spartan

Yulia

Nia getting knocked out instantly resulted in a surprised reaction from Yulia, followed by her briefly kneeling down to check if she was okay, and once she was sure of that, she looked up just in time to see that young girl wearing her headband.

"H-... Hey! Give that back! ... ... Please? I... Reaaally need those!" She exclaimed.

...

As Dimitri berated Nia, in an furious attempt to wake her up, he felt himself step on something, which made a soft crinkling sound. If he were to look down, he would see it was a small, oragami dove.

A young girl with green eyes, white hair, and a blue flower hairpin peered out from behind Yumeko, tugging at the hem of her dress.

"Onee-chan... Do... Do you know where my swan is?" She asked meekly.​

 

[Lucky]

Allen Chambers

" Well, my genetics kind of suck, I'm 22 and I can barely grow my beard.... and like all of my brothers haave some facial hair... and I'm rambling," he would reply, before noticed that Barret had gone to help the shop keeper. He would watch him. " Is there anything else we can do for you?" He asked the shopkeeper.

@Jeremi @Gummi Bunnies

 

[Gummi Bunnies]

The bulletin board seemed to be filled with all sorts of message postings. While most of them came off as overly mundane, there were a few that were obviously attention-grabbing, which included the festival announcement posting.

The Annual Watanagashi Festival is on its way!
When: June 24, 1987, 6:00 PM to 11:00 PM
Where: Furude Shrine grounds

Be sure to prepare any leftover cotton for the festival ceremony! Lots of games and food alongside the festivities!

Crudely next to the festival posting was a haphazardly pinned piece of binder paper with messy handwriting.

For those who wish to broaden their barren horizons, look no further! A life-changing opportunity awaits at the very end of the festival! All that must be done to qualify is to pour the essence of tainted divinity to entirety drench the place of the ancients! What happens after that is a hefty surprise! Don't waste this chance now! - Witch of Deception

The young girl near the bulletin board didn't seem to expect someone else talking to her, almost dropping her pencil as she was in the middle of writing in her journal

❝ Oh, me? I'm just journaling stuff here, it's been my hobby ever since I got this journal for it. Like about the festival later tonight and this... extremely weird riddle I think? ❞ She says with a casual tone in response to Saki, but then realizing that this was their first conversation. ❝ Wait a minute, my big brother told me about how Cecilia's hosting a whole tour on the day of the big festival, are you... like, a part of that? ❞

@Takumi

❝ Hm, that's pretty depressing though. It wouldn't hurt to chat a bit wi- ❞ The woman did a quick wink at Kamal before she was promptly bonked on the head by another man.

❝ C'mon Kaede, I rather not have another incident regarding you having unwarranted interactions with other people like this. I thought you would start taking your position as the lead nurse more seriously after last time. ❞

❝ Alright I'll cut it out, Doctor. Jeez. I was only teasing... ❞ Kaede pouts but backs off from Kamal.

❝ I apologize for that exchange, she is always like this. ❞ The doctor sighed, hoping that Kamal wasn't too off-put by the incident.

@Capri

❝ Oh I get ya, Barret. I mean, Cecilia's such a busy-bee, but too much of a workaholic by how she's essentially taking care of all the events taking place in Hinamizawa... and just between us... I think she's just buttering up the mayor's eldest son to get herself a snazzy spot in the governing body here. It's really ridiculous if you think about it that way. ❞ Nui unanimously agreed with Barret, making it sound like she's always had something against Cecilia or something.

❝ Anything else? Huh... well, moving these boxes and bins is already help enough, let's see here... ❞ The shopkeeper made a thinking expression before snapping her fingers upon reaching an idea. ❝ Oh that's right, I almost forgot to deliver something today... and I can't leave the store unattended for too long... I hope yall don't mind watching the store for me while I go make this quick delivery for a bit. This wouldn't be a problem if my co-worker wasn't absent right now, but I'll be sure to treat you guys for the favor. You can count on that! ❞

@Jeremi @Lucky

@mintyy @Minerva @Yun Lee @Alex Azure @Sark @Plaza

---

Upon being asked about the play, Yui's eyes brightened up from the question alone.

❝ Of course it's interesting, the play strikes that occult feeling to it and it's written by a renown playwright too! Um, I don't wanna spoil too much about it if you're interested to see it for yourself. ❞ She clears her throat in preparation to ramble on and on. ❝ For starters, the play is called World Revolving Never More by Kazumaji... I think that's their penname, and it focuses on the main character and their party traveling through a never-ending land governed by the nefarious Witch of Deception, but like, we don't know who's the main party of people the audience's gotta focus on until the very end, trying not to spoil it, but it's those whoever have the Witch's double crescent-moon mark. Ah... I don't wanna spoil what the mark does in the plot so... um, assume it does something bad until you see it for yourself! ❞

At the same time of Yui's gushing over occult plays, the young girl nearly jumped into the air in surprise from Yulia's exclamation, causing her to drop the headband entirely and retreating behind a shed in the schoolyard.

Yumeko felt like they weren't really getting anywhere, and before she would begrudgingly try to stir up Nia from unconsciousness... well, she took note of two things.

Her other sister wondering where her origami swan went and the sound of Dimitri unintentionally stepping on the origami swan.

❝ Oh, I have a good idea on where your swan went, Yumeki... ❞ Yumeko says before looking over to where the young girl ran off to, ❝ I believe Nozomu's checking behind the shed, the wind must've blown it in that direction. And well... give me a moment to help Nia up. ❞

Purposefully attempting to turn her younger sister's attention away for a brief moment, Yumeko walked over to Dimitri and Nia, the latter of which was mumbling out gibberish.

❝ Allow me to handle this... ❞ Yumeko calmly states before firmly sending a forceful kick right for Dimitri's gut, and somehow it seemed like her strength was almost alike to his. This would result with Nia roughly dropping to the ground due to the sudden exchange, the tour guide intern starting to finally stir awake... All of this, however, was simply for Yumeko to grab a hold of the flattened origami swan that Dimitri was on, having the full intention of remaking it as it was before the other sister would notice.

@Crimson Spartan @ShadowCoyote0 @York @Schoolyard​

 

[Capri]

KAMAL BORA
@Gummi Bunnies

❝ Hm, that's pretty depressing though. It wouldn't hurt to chat a bit wi- ❞ The woman did a quick wink at Kamal before she was promptly bonked on the head by another man.

❝ C'mon Kaede, I rather not have another incident regarding you having unwarranted interactions with other people like this. I thought you would start taking your position as the lead nurse more seriously after last time. ❞

❝ Alright I'll cut it out, Doctor. Jeez. I was only teasing... ❞ Kaede pouts but backs off from Kamal.

❝ I apologize for that exchange, she is always like this. ❞ The doctor sighed, hoping that Kamal wasn't too off-put by the incident.

“O-oh... yeah... um...” Kamal stuttered, “H-hello... um... yeah... uh... I-I know what it’s like to d-deal with uh... people like her... at least Jerafina has the excuse of being drunk all the time,”

He pushed some of his long black hair behind his ear. He hoped that the Doctor man didn’t hear the comment he mumbled under his breath.​

 

[Jeremi]

Allen Chambers

" Well, my genetics kind of suck, I'm 22 and I can barely grow my beard.... and like all of my brothers haave some facial hair... and I'm rambling," he would reply, before noticed that Barret had gone to help the shop keeper. He would watch him. " Is there anything else we can do for you?" He asked the shopkeeper.

@Jeremi @Gummi Bunnies

This guy never did shut up, did he? "Yeah, that's too bad kid." He hoped it was done with that.

The bulletin board seemed to be filled with all sorts of message postings. While most of them came off as overly mundane, there were a few that were obviously attention-grabbing, which included the festival announcement posting.

The Annual Watanagashi Festival is on its way!
When: June 24, 1987, 6:00 PM to 11:00 PM
Where: Furude Shrine grounds

Be sure to prepare any leftover cotton for the festival ceremony! Lots of games and food alongside the festivities!

Crudely next to the festival posting was a haphazardly pinned piece of binder paper with messy handwriting.

For those who wish to broaden their barren horizons, look no further! A life-changing opportunity awaits at the very end of the festival! All that must be done to qualify is to pour the essence of tainted divinity to entirety drench the place of the ancients! What happens after that is a hefty surprise! Don't waste this chance now! - Witch of Deception

The young girl near the bulletin board didn't seem to expect someone else talking to her, almost dropping her pencil as she was in the middle of writing in her journal

❝ Oh, me? I'm just journaling stuff here, it's been my hobby ever since I got this journal for it. Like about the festival later tonight and this... extremely weird riddle I think? ❞ She says with a casual tone in response to Saki, but then realizing that this was their first conversation. ❝ Wait a minute, my big brother told me about how Cecilia's hosting a whole tour on the day of the big festival, are you... like, a part of that? ❞

@Takumi

❝ Hm, that's pretty depressing though. It wouldn't hurt to chat a bit wi- ❞ The woman did a quick wink at Kamal before she was promptly bonked on the head by another man.

❝ C'mon Kaede, I rather not have another incident regarding you having unwarranted interactions with other people like this. I thought you would start taking your position as the lead nurse more seriously after last time. ❞

❝ Alright I'll cut it out, Doctor. Jeez. I was only teasing... ❞ Kaede pouts but backs off from Kamal.

❝ I apologize for that exchange, she is always like this. ❞ The doctor sighed, hoping that Kamal wasn't too off-put by the incident.

@Capri

❝ Oh I get ya, Barret. I mean, Cecilia's such a busy-bee, but too much of a workaholic by how she's essentially taking care of all the events taking place in Hinamizawa... and just between us... I think she's just buttering up the mayor's eldest son to get herself a snazzy spot in the governing body here. It's really ridiculous if you think about it that way. ❞ Nui unanimously agreed with Barret, making it sound like she's always had something against Cecilia or something.

❝ Anything else? Huh... well, moving these boxes and bins is already help enough, let's see here... ❞ The shopkeeper made a thinking expression before snapping her fingers upon reaching an idea. ❝ Oh that's right, I almost forgot to deliver something today... and I can't leave the store unattended for too long... I hope yall don't mind watching the store for me while I go make this quick delivery for a bit. This wouldn't be a problem if my co-worker wasn't absent right now, but I'll be sure to treat you guys for the favor. You can count on that! ❞

@Jeremi @Lucky

@mintyy @Minerva @Yun Lee @Alex Azure @Sark @Plaza

---

Upon being asked about the play, Yui's eyes brightened up from the question alone.

❝ Of course it's interesting, the play strikes that occult feeling to it and it's written by a renown playwright too! Um, I don't wanna spoil too much about it if you're interested to see it for yourself. ❞ She clears her throat in preparation to ramble on and on. ❝ For starters, the play is called World Revolving Never More by Kazumaji... I think that's their penname, and it focuses on the main character and their party traveling through a never-ending land governed by the nefarious Witch of Deception, but like, we don't know who's the main party of people the audience's gotta focus on until the very end, trying not to spoil it, but it's those whoever have the Witch's double crescent-moon mark. Ah... I don't wanna spoil what the mark does in the plot so... um, assume it does something bad until you see it for yourself! ❞

At the same time of Yui's gushing over occult plays, the young girl nearly jumped into the air in surprise from Yulia's exclamation, causing her to drop the headband entirely and retreating behind a shed in the schoolyard.

Yumeko felt like they weren't really getting anywhere, and before she would begrudgingly try to stir up Nia from unconsciousness... well, she took note of two things.

Her other sister wondering where her origami swan went and the sound of Dimitri unintentionally stepping on the origami swan.

❝ Oh, I have a good idea on where your swan went, Yumeki... ❞ Yumeko says before looking over to where the young girl ran off to, ❝ I believe Nozomu's checking behind the shed, the wind must've blown it in that direction. And well... give me a moment to help Nia up. ❞

Purposefully attempting to turn her younger sister's attention away for a brief moment, Yumeko walked over to Dimitri and Nia, the latter of which was mumbling out gibberish.

❝ Allow me to handle this... ❞ Yumeko calmly states before firmly sending a forceful kick right for Dimitri's gut, and somehow it seemed like her strength was almost alike to his. This would result with Nia roughly dropping to the ground due to the sudden exchange, the tour guide intern starting to finally stir awake... All of this, however, was simply for Yumeko to grab a hold of the flattened origami swan that Dimitri was on, having the full intention of remaking it as it was before the other sister would notice.

@Crimson Spartan @ShadowCoyote0 @York @Schoolyard​

Store watching? Yeah, that shouldn't be too much of a trouble. "Leave it to us! You just go and run your little errand, we'll keep the lights on until you get back." Not like this place was going to be attacked by monsters or anything like that, right? Even if that did happen Barret would still handle it.

@Lucky @Gummi Bunnies

 

[Takumi]

The bulletin board seemed to be filled with all sorts of message postings. While most of them came off as overly mundane, there were a few that were obviously attention-grabbing, which included the festival announcement posting.

The Annual Watanagashi Festival is on its way!
When: June 24, 1987, 6:00 PM to 11:00 PM
Where: Furude Shrine grounds

Be sure to prepare any leftover cotton for the festival ceremony! Lots of games and food alongside the festivities!

Crudely next to the festival posting was a haphazardly pinned piece of binder paper with messy handwriting.

For those who wish to broaden their barren horizons, look no further! A life-changing opportunity awaits at the very end of the festival! All that must be done to qualify is to pour the essence of tainted divinity to entirety drench the place of the ancients! What happens after that is a hefty surprise! Don't waste this chance now! - Witch of Deception

The young girl near the bulletin board didn't seem to expect someone else talking to her, almost dropping her pencil as she was in the middle of writing in her journal

❝ Oh, me? I'm just journaling stuff here, it's been my hobby ever since I got this journal for it. Like about the festival later tonight and this... extremely weird riddle I think? ❞ She says with a casual tone in response to Saki, but then realizing that this was their first conversation. ❝ Wait a minute, my big brother told me about how Cecilia's hosting a whole tour on the day of the big festival, are you... like, a part of that? ❞

@Takumi

❝ Hm, that's pretty depressing though. It wouldn't hurt to chat a bit wi- ❞ The woman did a quick wink at Kamal before she was promptly bonked on the head by another man.

❝ C'mon Kaede, I rather not have another incident regarding you having unwarranted interactions with other people like this. I thought you would start taking your position as the lead nurse more seriously after last time. ❞

❝ Alright I'll cut it out, Doctor. Jeez. I was only teasing... ❞ Kaede pouts but backs off from Kamal.

❝ I apologize for that exchange, she is always like this. ❞ The doctor sighed, hoping that Kamal wasn't too off-put by the incident.

@Capri

❝ Oh I get ya, Barret. I mean, Cecilia's such a busy-bee, but too much of a workaholic by how she's essentially taking care of all the events taking place in Hinamizawa... and just between us... I think she's just buttering up the mayor's eldest son to get herself a snazzy spot in the governing body here. It's really ridiculous if you think about it that way. ❞ Nui unanimously agreed with Barret, making it sound like she's always had something against Cecilia or something.

❝ Anything else? Huh... well, moving these boxes and bins is already help enough, let's see here... ❞ The shopkeeper made a thinking expression before snapping her fingers upon reaching an idea. ❝ Oh that's right, I almost forgot to deliver something today... and I can't leave the store unattended for too long... I hope yall don't mind watching the store for me while I go make this quick delivery for a bit. This wouldn't be a problem if my co-worker wasn't absent right now, but I'll be sure to treat you guys for the favor. You can count on that! ❞

@Jeremi @Lucky

@mintyy @Minerva @Yun Lee @Alex Azure @Sark @Plaza

---

Upon being asked about the play, Yui's eyes brightened up from the question alone.

❝ Of course it's interesting, the play strikes that occult feeling to it and it's written by a renown playwright too! Um, I don't wanna spoil too much about it if you're interested to see it for yourself. ❞ She clears her throat in preparation to ramble on and on. ❝ For starters, the play is called World Revolving Never More by Kazumaji... I think that's their penname, and it focuses on the main character and their party traveling through a never-ending land governed by the nefarious Witch of Deception, but like, we don't know who's the main party of people the audience's gotta focus on until the very end, trying not to spoil it, but it's those whoever have the Witch's double crescent-moon mark. Ah... I don't wanna spoil what the mark does in the plot so... um, assume it does something bad until you see it for yourself! ❞

At the same time of Yui's gushing over occult plays, the young girl nearly jumped into the air in surprise from Yulia's exclamation, causing her to drop the headband entirely and retreating behind a shed in the schoolyard.

Yumeko felt like they weren't really getting anywhere, and before she would begrudgingly try to stir up Nia from unconsciousness... well, she took note of two things.

Her other sister wondering where her origami swan went and the sound of Dimitri unintentionally stepping on the origami swan.

❝ Oh, I have a good idea on where your swan went, Yumeki... ❞ Yumeko says before looking over to where the young girl ran off to, ❝ I believe Nozomu's checking behind the shed, the wind must've blown it in that direction. And well... give me a moment to help Nia up. ❞

Purposefully attempting to turn her younger sister's attention away for a brief moment, Yumeko walked over to Dimitri and Nia, the latter of which was mumbling out gibberish.

❝ Allow me to handle this... ❞ Yumeko calmly states before firmly sending a forceful kick right for Dimitri's gut, and somehow it seemed like her strength was almost alike to his. This would result with Nia roughly dropping to the ground due to the sudden exchange, the tour guide intern starting to finally stir awake... All of this, however, was simply for Yumeko to grab a hold of the flattened origami swan that Dimitri was on, having the full intention of remaking it as it was before the other sister would notice.

@Crimson Spartan @ShadowCoyote0 @York @Schoolyard​

1987? Saki blinked and looked at the notice again. That couldn't be right. Taking a long drag of his cigarette, he rose a brow at the note by this Witch of Deceptions.

There was definitely some kind of magical and supernatural thing going on here, and this Witch of Deceptions could likely be related to it. That, or it was some sort of towns person who was just odd.

"Yes, I'm a part of the tour." He responded when asked, pointing to the odd notice next to the festival notice, the one by this Witch of Deceptions.

"By riddle, I guess you mean this? Either the person who wrote this was in a rush or their handwriting is just messy but the wording is definitely a bit weird." He commented, reading over it again.

Seemed like some sort of ritual, like from some sort of cult.

"It could just be written that way to gain interest too." He added thoughtfully. He partially doubted it, but didn't completely rule out the possibility.

@Gummi Bunnies @Bulletin Board

 

[Lucky]

Allen Chambers

" I like the idea of atch9ing a store, it's the most I have been allowed to do something. I also am excited to hang out with my ne friend over here as well," he replied, walking over and joining Barett behind the counter. " ....." He took a moment to consider what to say. " So what do you do back in your home?"

@Gummi Bunnies @Jeremi

 

[Crimson Spartan]

---

Upon being asked about the play, Yui's eyes brightened up from the question alone.

❝ Of course it's interesting, the play strikes that occult feeling to it and it's written by a renown playwright too! Um, I don't wanna spoil too much about it if you're interested to see it for yourself. ❞ She clears her throat in preparation to ramble on and on. ❝ For starters, the play is called World Revolving Never More by Kazumaji... I think that's their penname, and it focuses on the main character and their party traveling through a never-ending land governed by the nefarious Witch of Deception, but like, we don't know who's the main party of people the audience's gotta focus on until the very end, trying not to spoil it, but it's those whoever have the Witch's double crescent-moon mark. Ah... I don't wanna spoil what the mark does in the plot so... um, assume it does something bad until you see it for yourself! ❞

At the same time of Yui's gushing over occult plays, the young girl nearly jumped into the air in surprise from Yulia's exclamation, causing her to drop the headband entirely and retreating behind a shed in the schoolyard.

Yumeko felt like they weren't really getting anywhere, and before she would begrudgingly try to stir up Nia from unconsciousness... well, she took note of two things.

Her other sister wondering where her origami swan went and the sound of Dimitri unintentionally stepping on the origami swan.

❝ Oh, I have a good idea on where your swan went, Yumeki... ❞ Yumeko says before looking over to where the young girl ran off to, ❝ I believe Nozomu's checking behind the shed, the wind must've blown it in that direction. And well... give me a moment to help Nia up. ❞

Purposefully attempting to turn her younger sister's attention away for a brief moment, Yumeko walked over to Dimitri and Nia, the latter of which was mumbling out gibberish.

❝ Allow me to handle this... ❞ Yumeko calmly states before firmly sending a forceful kick right for Dimitri's gut, and somehow it seemed like her strength was almost alike to his. This would result with Nia roughly dropping to the ground due to the sudden exchange, the tour guide intern starting to finally stir awake... All of this, however, was simply for Yumeko to grab a hold of the flattened origami swan that Dimitri was on, having the full intention of remaking it as it was before the other sister would notice.

@Crimson Spartan @ShadowCoyote0 @York @Schoolyard

Kijima opened his mouth to respond to Yui before noticing Yumeko literally kick Dimitri with such strength even he didn't expect

...This was not a good day so far for him...

"Oi! The hell did you do that for..?" Kijima turned his attention to Yumeko inadvertently stepping in between her and Dimitri in the process. Yeah he could already tell this probably wouldn't end well so despite the scowl he slipped into a more relaxed stance preparing himself to dodge should she try the same with him.

However at this moment he was not looking at Dimitri rather listening out in case he tried to retaliate..

@Gummi Bunnies @ShadowCoyote0 @York @Schoolyard​

 

[Gummi Bunnies]

❝ Well, we'll be on our way then. ❞ The doctor saw no reason to drag out a conversation when it was highly evident that Kamal was not fully up for it, furthermore with the fact that Kaede was definitely going to make this worse. Without any more comments, the pair walked out of view, and...

... a faint bell's chime echoed in his head. Almost similar to the supposed bells being heard at the very beginning of this tour. Soon with that, a voice timidly revealed itself within Kamal's consciousness, laced with a clear distortion and crackling.

❝ cAN anYONe HEar ME? P-p-pLeaSE... TelL mE. ❞

@Capri

❝ Awesome! I can't thank you both enough, really. I'll be back in a jiffy! ❞ Nui gave a thumbs-up once she got the confirmation that Barret and Allen were okay with this. Store watching in itself wasn't too eventful, considering that the store was based in a remote village. Aside from the given expectancy of regular customers here and there, it really shouldn't be a problem.

With nothing happening for a good few minutes after the storekeeper went off to her errand to deliver something, it sounded like some of the back storage in the store was being moved, followed by a box being knocked over and someone's hushed curses.

@Jeremi @Lucky

Assessing Saki's observations about the "riddle," the girl thought long and hard about it, and then sighing upon realizing a possiblity.

❝ Yeah, if it was going to be a serious riddle, it would've been in better handwriting. Plus the only person who would make a weird prank like this is Nia. Due to the existence of her being the village's prankster, this level of reasoning is possible for Mei Kantoku. ❞ She would go on before awkwardly trying to hide her face with her journal. ❝ Erm, that was a reference to a book I read recently... if you're confused by that. ❞

Bringing herself back to the other topic at hand, Mei jotted down a few notes into her journal. ❝ Okaay, so if you're part of the tour, you're definitely going to show up at the festival later tonight. And hm, assuming that you and the rest of the tour group is going to be following Cecilia around until the end of the day, huh? ❞

@Takumi​

 

[Capri]

KAMAL BORA
@Gummi Bunnies

“Wha-?” Kamal said, bewildered at the voice.

“I-I can hear you, m-miss! J-just barely!” he said.​

 

[Jeremi]

❝ Well, we'll be on our way then. ❞ The doctor saw no reason to drag out a conversation when it was highly evident that Kamal was not fully up for it, furthermore with the fact that Kaede was definitely going to make this worse. Without any more comments, the pair walked out of view, and...

... a faint bell's chime echoed in his head. Almost similar to the supposed bells being heard at the very beginning of this tour. Soon with that, a voice timidly revealed itself within Kamal's consciousness, laced with a clear distortion and crackling.

❝ cAN anYONe HEar ME? P-p-pLeaSE... TelL mE. ❞

@Capri

❝ Awesome! I can't thank you both enough, really. I'll be back in a jiffy! ❞ Nui gave a thumbs-up once she got the confirmation that Barret and Allen were okay with this. Store watching in itself wasn't too eventful, considering that the store was based in a remote village. Aside from the given expectancy of regular customers here and there, it really shouldn't be a problem.

With nothing happening for a good few minutes after the storekeeper went off to her errand to deliver something, it sounded like some of the back storage in the store was being moved, followed by a box being knocked over and someone's hushed curses.

@Jeremi @Lucky

Assessing Saki's observations about the "riddle," the girl thought long and hard about it, and then sighing upon realizing a possiblity.

❝ Yeah, if it was going to be a serious riddle, it would've been in better handwriting. Plus the only person who would make a weird prank like this is Nia. Due to the existence of her being the village's prankster, this level of reasoning is possible for Mei Kantoku. ❞ She would go on before awkwardly trying to hide her face with her journal. ❝ Erm, that was a reference to a book I read recently... if you're confused by that. ❞

Bringing herself back to the other topic at hand, Mei jotted down a few notes into her journal. ❝ Okaay, so if you're part of the tour, you're definitely going to show up at the festival later tonight. And hm, assuming that you and the rest of the tour group is going to be following Cecilia around until the end of the day, huh? ❞

@Takumi​

This was definitely going to be a quiet and easy job. This place seemed so sleepy there couldn't possibly be anything to break it. Until he heard the boxes falling in the back. "HEY!" Barret shouted with all the authoritative voice he could muster as he pointed his gun arm towards the sound. "You got ten seconds to show yourself or you'll wish that your momma never plopped you out."

He started to count. "10...9...8..."

@Gummi Bunnies @Lucky

 

[Gummi Bunnies]

❝ YoU cAN Hear Me? i'm... i'm SO glad! I ThouGht I WouLd nEvEr rEACH ANyboDY... ❞ The voice perked up despite the static accompanying their words. There was an uncomfortable pause before the voice continued.

❝ uM, WE dId actuaLlY MEet, riGht? i SpOKE WiTh YoU... aNd THe OtHers... RiGhT? ❞

@Capri

---

Another box could be heard falling over in the back room, soon followed with the culprit clearing their throat. Soon, they stepped into view, smack dab in the middle of the doorway.

❝ Hiii! Don't mind me, I'm just... getting a snack or two... or three... or four... ❞ A pink-haired girl greeted Barret and Allen with upmost and almost ear-screeching optimism, clearly not registering the fact that she was facing Barret's gun directly.

@Jeremi @Lucky​

 

[ShadowCoyote0]

The bulletin board seemed to be filled with all sorts of message postings. While most of them came off as overly mundane, there were a few that were obviously attention-grabbing, which included the festival announcement posting.

The Annual Watanagashi Festival is on its way!
When: June 24, 1987, 6:00 PM to 11:00 PM
Where: Furude Shrine grounds

Be sure to prepare any leftover cotton for the festival ceremony! Lots of games and food alongside the festivities!

Crudely next to the festival posting was a haphazardly pinned piece of binder paper with messy handwriting.

For those who wish to broaden their barren horizons, look no further! A life-changing opportunity awaits at the very end of the festival! All that must be done to qualify is to pour the essence of tainted divinity to entirety drench the place of the ancients! What happens after that is a hefty surprise! Don't waste this chance now! - Witch of Deception

The young girl near the bulletin board didn't seem to expect someone else talking to her, almost dropping her pencil as she was in the middle of writing in her journal

❝ Oh, me? I'm just journaling stuff here, it's been my hobby ever since I got this journal for it. Like about the festival later tonight and this... extremely weird riddle I think? ❞ She says with a casual tone in response to Saki, but then realizing that this was their first conversation. ❝ Wait a minute, my big brother told me about how Cecilia's hosting a whole tour on the day of the big festival, are you... like, a part of that? ❞

@Takumi

❝ Hm, that's pretty depressing though. It wouldn't hurt to chat a bit wi- ❞ The woman did a quick wink at Kamal before she was promptly bonked on the head by another man.

❝ C'mon Kaede, I rather not have another incident regarding you having unwarranted interactions with other people like this. I thought you would start taking your position as the lead nurse more seriously after last time. ❞

❝ Alright I'll cut it out, Doctor. Jeez. I was only teasing... ❞ Kaede pouts but backs off from Kamal.

❝ I apologize for that exchange, she is always like this. ❞ The doctor sighed, hoping that Kamal wasn't too off-put by the incident.

@Capri

❝ Oh I get ya, Barret. I mean, Cecilia's such a busy-bee, but too much of a workaholic by how she's essentially taking care of all the events taking place in Hinamizawa... and just between us... I think she's just buttering up the mayor's eldest son to get herself a snazzy spot in the governing body here. It's really ridiculous if you think about it that way. ❞ Nui unanimously agreed with Barret, making it sound like she's always had something against Cecilia or something.

❝ Anything else? Huh... well, moving these boxes and bins is already help enough, let's see here... ❞ The shopkeeper made a thinking expression before snapping her fingers upon reaching an idea. ❝ Oh that's right, I almost forgot to deliver something today... and I can't leave the store unattended for too long... I hope yall don't mind watching the store for me while I go make this quick delivery for a bit. This wouldn't be a problem if my co-worker wasn't absent right now, but I'll be sure to treat you guys for the favor. You can count on that! ❞

@Jeremi @Lucky

@mintyy @Minerva @Yun Lee @Alex Azure @Sark @Plaza

---

Upon being asked about the play, Yui's eyes brightened up from the question alone.

❝ Of course it's interesting, the play strikes that occult feeling to it and it's written by a renown playwright too! Um, I don't wanna spoil too much about it if you're interested to see it for yourself. ❞ She clears her throat in preparation to ramble on and on. ❝ For starters, the play is called World Revolving Never More by Kazumaji... I think that's their penname, and it focuses on the main character and their party traveling through a never-ending land governed by the nefarious Witch of Deception, but like, we don't know who's the main party of people the audience's gotta focus on until the very end, trying not to spoil it, but it's those whoever have the Witch's double crescent-moon mark. Ah... I don't wanna spoil what the mark does in the plot so... um, assume it does something bad until you see it for yourself! ❞

At the same time of Yui's gushing over occult plays, the young girl nearly jumped into the air in surprise from Yulia's exclamation, causing her to drop the headband entirely and retreating behind a shed in the schoolyard.

Yumeko felt like they weren't really getting anywhere, and before she would begrudgingly try to stir up Nia from unconsciousness... well, she took note of two things.

Her other sister wondering where her origami swan went and the sound of Dimitri unintentionally stepping on the origami swan.

❝ Oh, I have a good idea on where your swan went, Yumeki... ❞ Yumeko says before looking over to where the young girl ran off to, ❝ I believe Nozomu's checking behind the shed, the wind must've blown it in that direction. And well... give me a moment to help Nia up. ❞

Purposefully attempting to turn her younger sister's attention away for a brief moment, Yumeko walked over to Dimitri and Nia, the latter of which was mumbling out gibberish.

❝ Allow me to handle this... ❞ Yumeko calmly states before firmly sending a forceful kick right for Dimitri's gut, and somehow it seemed like her strength was almost alike to his. This would result with Nia roughly dropping to the ground due to the sudden exchange, the tour guide intern starting to finally stir awake... All of this, however, was simply for Yumeko to grab a hold of the flattened origami swan that Dimitri was on, having the full intention of remaking it as it was before the other sister would notice.

@Crimson Spartan @ShadowCoyote0 @York @Schoolyard​

Well, it seemed screaming at Nia wasn't doing much...not to Dimitri's surprise, but much to his irritation. This was becoming a colossal waste of his time, he'd just have to find this town without the others. The rest of the group was peculiar enough; finding them should be rather simple. Ignoring the conversations around him, Dimitri noticed a little piece of paper near his foot. "Huh? What the hel...ARGHH!!"

Before he could even process what he had stepped on, Yumeko's kick knocked Dimitri away, taking his breath in the process. As he got his bearings straight, he began to maliciously chuckle as he looked at Yumeko, now face to face with the man who chased after him earlier. The audacity of this bitch! All he was doing was trying to help...in his own way. An image of her flashed in his mind as he stared her down. He hadn't realized their physical similarities until now.

"You just made a huge mistake!" He sprang up and booked it towards Yumeko, forcing Kijima to the side. "OUT OF MY WAY!!!"

@Gummi Bunnies @Crimson Spartan @York

 

[Lucky]

Allen Chambers

" I don't think that this girl is in need of a gun. Well, unless you think it is necessary. Are you going to pay for those snacks you were planning on taking?" He asked.

@Jeremi @Gummi Bunnies

 

[Capri]

KAMAL BORA
@Gummi Bunnies

❝ YoU cAN Hear Me? i'm... i'm SO glad! I ThouGht I WouLd nEvEr rEACH ANyboDY... ❞ The voice perked up despite the static accompanying their words. There was an uncomfortable pause before the voice continued.

❝ uM, WE dId actuaLlY MEet, riGht? i SpOKE WiTh YoU... aNd THe OtHers... RiGhT? ❞

“Um... uh... heh... uh... I actually... don’t... remember... meeting with anyone... no... no...” Kamal responded.​

 

[Jeremi]

❝ YoU cAN Hear Me? i'm... i'm SO glad! I ThouGht I WouLd nEvEr rEACH ANyboDY... ❞ The voice perked up despite the static accompanying their words. There was an uncomfortable pause before the voice continued.

❝ uM, WE dId actuaLlY MEet, riGht? i SpOKE WiTh YoU... aNd THe OtHers... RiGhT? ❞

@Capri

---

Another box could be heard falling over in the back room, soon followed with the culprit clearing their throat. Soon, they stepped into view, smack dab in the middle of the doorway.

❝ Hiii! Don't mind me, I'm just... getting a snack or two... or three... or four... ❞ A pink-haired girl greeted Barret and Allen with upmost and almost ear-screeching optimism, clearly not registering the fact that she was facing Barret's gun directly.

@Jeremi @Lucky​

Allen Chambers

" I don't think that this girl is in need of a gun. Well, unless you think it is necessary. Are you going to pay for those snacks you were planning on taking?" He asked.

@Jeremi @Gummi Bunnies

The kid took the words right out of Barret's mouth. "If you ain't got the cash for those snacks I suggest you put them back where they belong. Maybe if I call the cops on your ass you'll sing a different tune?"

@Lucky @Gummi Bunnies

 

[Takumi]

❝ Well, we'll be on our way then. ❞ The doctor saw no reason to drag out a conversation when it was highly evident that Kamal was not fully up for it, furthermore with the fact that Kaede was definitely going to make this worse. Without any more comments, the pair walked out of view, and...

... a faint bell's chime echoed in his head. Almost similar to the supposed bells being heard at the very beginning of this tour. Soon with that, a voice timidly revealed itself within Kamal's consciousness, laced with a clear distortion and crackling.

❝ cAN anYONe HEar ME? P-p-pLeaSE... TelL mE. ❞

@Capri

❝ Awesome! I can't thank you both enough, really. I'll be back in a jiffy! ❞ Nui gave a thumbs-up once she got the confirmation that Barret and Allen were okay with this. Store watching in itself wasn't too eventful, considering that the store was based in a remote village. Aside from the given expectancy of regular customers here and there, it really shouldn't be a problem.

With nothing happening for a good few minutes after the storekeeper went off to her errand to deliver something, it sounded like some of the back storage in the store was being moved, followed by a box being knocked over and someone's hushed curses.

@Jeremi @Lucky

Assessing Saki's observations about the "riddle," the girl thought long and hard about it, and then sighing upon realizing a possiblity.

❝ Yeah, if it was going to be a serious riddle, it would've been in better handwriting. Plus the only person who would make a weird prank like this is Nia. Due to the existence of her being the village's prankster, this level of reasoning is possible for Mei Kantoku. ❞ She would go on before awkwardly trying to hide her face with her journal. ❝ Erm, that was a reference to a book I read recently... if you're confused by that. ❞

Bringing herself back to the other topic at hand, Mei jotted down a few notes into her journal. ❝ Okaay, so if you're part of the tour, you're definitely going to show up at the festival later tonight. And hm, assuming that you and the rest of the tour group is going to be following Cecilia around until the end of the day, huh? ❞

@Takumi​

Saki couldn't help but snort softly at Mei's reference as she deduced that the most likely person to make such a note was Nia. Given what she did early swiping that catgirl's ears and what they were told about Nia's pranks, he'd see about asking her about it just to make sure. As the girl asked about the tour and the festival he nodded.

"Yeah, I'm going to be at the festival and following her around most of the day. I have a feeling she'd insist on me coming along for the festival instead of possibly sleeping in once we're settled at the inn." He sighed a bit, flicking some ash from his cigarette before bringing it back to his lips.

@Gummi Bunnies