2023-02-11: Legend of Zero: Island Memorial

• Log: 2023-02-11: Legend of Zero: Island Memorial
• Cast: Sheryl Nome, Alto Saotome, Ranka Lee, Grace O'Connor, Ruri Hoshino, Rin Starking, Hikaru Amano, Milly Ashford, Emilia Eschonbach
• Where: The Mayan Island, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean
• OOC - IC Date: February 11, 0097 (2023)
• Summary: The filming of the movie Bird Human isn't taking place on the original island where the incident took place, but it isn't far away. Sheryl Nome organizes a group to take a look for themselves at where history took place--and where her grandmother and great-aunt grew up.

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<Pose Tracker> Sheryl Nome has posed.

        The Mayan Island Incident. Whether the depiction of it in the upcoming film The Bird-Human is accurate or not, there's no denying now that it happened. That's monumental, considering that for decades it was buried in the annals of confidentially filed history, not released to the public until last year in UC 0096. For most people of Earth, it's been of little interest--but for many people of the Macross fleets, and especially for a certain Ms. Nome, it's been of great interest.
        
        The original Mayan Island was firebombed in the fighting, setting much of it ablaze and destroying the little civilization that lived there. The villagers themselves survived, but their way of life had been irrevocably annihilated. Today, the Mayan Island is a protected area, left to nature. Only those with permission can go visit it.
        
        Today, Sheryl Nome has gotten herself, and a private chartered ferry for those who've been involved with the filming of Bird Human, permission.
        
                ~ * ~
        Sheryl had declared, all pomp and smiles, to the film crew and the helpers, "It's the island where all this actually took place! Shouldn't we at least take a look? Respectfully, of course; I'm not saying we tromp around like tourists. Just get a look to get an idea of what it was actually like for the actual people who lived there. It's the right thing to do! Anyway, come or don't, but I'm going. I just know it's going to be incredibly inspiring!"
        
        She had not mentioned any personal reasons. If anyone connects the native sisters Sara and Mao Nome to intragalactic idol Sheryl Nome, that'll be on their own time.
                ~ * ~
        
        It's only an afternoon trip, set on a clear if windy day. After all, there's not much left to see. Even so, when the ferry docks at a decrepit wooden pier, Sheryl is the first one off. Dressed in a tied-off tie-dye T-shirt and cut-off stone-washed blue jeans over a strappy white swimsuit, complete with a shiny-lined windbreaker, wide-brimmed sunhat, and heeled sandals, she hurries down the pier to the long, pale beach, as alabaster as her Pure Shield-protected skin, and then slows as she holds her wide-brimmed hat down against the blustering winds to stare.
        
        At one point in history, the shore was lined with long rows of wood and palm huts. At one point in history, those huts had been engulfed in flame and explosives. Now, there's only burnt husks left behind--and the greenery that has taken root and grown up in and around them.
        
        There are no local guides. There are no local guidebooks. The Mayan Island was left to nature, and nature has thoroughly reclaimed it.
        
        This is a land whose history belongs only to the world of fiction, now.
        
        As Sheryl stares at the place where her grandmother and grandaunt were raised, her throat tightens. The breeze threads through her strawberry blond hair, so unlike that of anyone who ever lived in this village, and makes her single drop crystal earring sway.
        
        Behind her, several more crew members disembark, including lead actress Miranda Merin, playing Sara Nome. Tall and beautiful and for some reason on edge, she looks around the island with a carefully neutral expression, dressed in a ruffled shirt-and-skirt combo with sandals, her long hair pouring over her dark skin. As the crew settle on the beach around her, they pull out camcorders and cameras and take footage of the area. Care is taken not to actually enter any of the burnt husks for safety and respect reasons, but there'll be plenty of footage to show up on greenscreen later.
        
        The last off the ferry are the director and his assistant. As usual, the director's expression is hidden behind his shades, and he doesn't deign to speak even as he too surveys the island's greenery, restored after forty years. His assistant steps up next to him and clears his throat.
        
        "So, as you all know, this is the Mayan Island, where the events of Bird Human took place," he says, gesturing towards the wreckage of the seaside village. "We've of course taken some liberties in the script--we're making a movie here, not a documentary--but it's based on real events and real people.
        
        "For those of you who somehow aren't aware, it's the story of how a combat pilot during the First Huffman Conflict, Shin Kudo, crash-landed on this very island and met with the locals, called the Mayans. In doing so, he inadvertantly brought the war to these shores and wrapped up the local priestess, Sara Nome, and her sister Mao, in the greater conflict. Despite that, love bloomed between Shin and Sara, and their love managed to bring an end to the tragedies that took place here."
        
        He gestures towards the jungle and up the slope leading to a mountain in the near distance. "That mountain is said to be where the Mayan rituals took place that connected them to the eponymous Bird Human, supposedly a sort of bio-mechanoid that was left here by Protoculture to watch over humanity and our evolution.
        
        "There aren't a lot of concrete records about it, so it's hard to say how much of that is real and how much is legend or exaggeration. It's true that Shin and Sara trekked from there through the jungle after being captured by Britannian Union forces to reach the village and warn the Mayans about the incoming raid, though."
        
        "I'm heading up the mountain," Sheryl declares all of a sudden.
        
        The director's assistant double-takes at her. "Um, Ms. Nome, I'm not sure that's--"
        
        But Sheryl is already striding her way towards the thick underbrush.
        
        "I'll go with you too, Sheryl!" Miranda blurts out, rushing after her.
        
        Seems like the memorial proper will be coming later.

<Pose Tracker> Alto Saotome has posed.

        Alto jumps off the ferry and onto the old pier, then begins to slowly walk along it, taking in the scene. He's simply wearing his SMS uniform, partially because he's still technically working here. Partially because his wardrobe is not especially expansive unlike some here.

        Alto walks along slowly, hands in his pockets as he listens to the director's assistant. Alto had also read what information was released about the incident, remarking, "Supposedly the Britannians attacked without regard for collateral damage to the village... Though the OCU is hardly free from fault too, stationing military units there to begin with." Alto of course wonders if they hadn't done that, would the village have been caught in the crossfire?

        As the mountain is pointed out, Alto turns to look. He is doubtful about some of the Mayan superstitions. Though there is pretty clear evidence that this 'Bird Human' existed so some of it must be based on fact. Looking up at what must be a somewhat arduous climb, Alto wouldn't be surprised if a certain someone wanted to-

        'I'm heading up the mountain.'

        Alto quietly sighs, resigning himself to follow along. Though to be fair, being here is probably having quite the impact on Sheryl. So he's not going to argue this one.

Emilia Eschonbach teleports in.

<Pose Tracker> Ranka Lee has posed.

Ranka is on the afternoon trip herself, wearing a tied-off Osanshoo-san shirt, the salamander stretching like long cat upon it, wearing it with a bikini bottom with a watercolor like palette of swirls, a pair of loose tan shorts over it and sandals.

She's got a pair of sunglasses on, and a yellow ribbon tied up over her head.

Ranka finds herself excited about Mayan Culture, after having read the movie script forwards and backwards. However, when she arrives the vibe is... solemn, affecting.

For whatever reason though, despite her best efforts, she understands it's even moreso for Sheryl. After a time, she moves to stand by her.

She doesn't take her hand, or anything quite so bold, she simply stands with her, letting her know that she's there in her presence. Listening to his assistant speak about the events of this isnland's history, then Alto add his own statements, as if to offer greater context to the political climate.

It's a beautiful story but... it's sad. Sad that this island had to be lost, sad that it feels like a culture barely exists anymore save in book and film...

Sheryl announces that she's heading up the mountain, and Ranka's hair leaps on both sides, startled, "Sheryl?" The confusion fades though, she can tell she's serious about this at least, that it's important to her - even if she doesn't get why.

So after a short time, Ranka's red eyes look towards Alto as he moves nearby... then, quietly makes a decision, "If you want to go then. I'd like to go with you, if you'll have me, Sheryl." It's more asking if she wants her there, than... forcing herself perhaps in that sense, striking a contrast with someone else perhaps...

... but she's not looking her way at all.

<Pose Tracker> Grace O'Connor has posed.

    As is commonly the case, where one finds the effervescent Ms. Nome, they also find her talent manager not far behind.

    Unlike her protege, who is dressed quite appropriately for the environment upon which she is disembark, the enigmatic Ms. O'Connor has chosen to wear her typical office lady attire complete with nylons and strappy kitten heels. Even more brazenly in the face of bright sunlight and also brightly reflective sand, her pale and unblemished skin is lacking any sort of application of Pure Shield - even for purposes of brand promotion! This is for two reasons... one, she considers it her job to attract as little attention to HERSELF as possible so anyone noticing what she does or does not use for sunscreen would indicate a failure in that regard.

    ... secondly, as anyone who is relatively close to her will know, she lacks a layer of natural skin with which to be concerned about blemishing. Perhaps that is why she's similarly unflustered by the grains of sand which are no doubt finding their way in betwixt the confines of shoe and nylon.

    Instead her attention is drawn largely by the logistics of the trip. While Brera will be remaining behind with the ferry as a security measure, just in case any clever pirates decided they would like to try and kidnap the cast and crew when they are 'vulnerable' for ransom, she maintains an uplink with him. So long as the visitors to the island stay together she'll be able to keep track of them and relay their locations and statuses to his internal HUD. Should anything happen to any of them he could maneuver to their location within seconds!

    So long as they stay together.

    'I'm heading up the mountain.'

    The declaration causes her manager's head to whip around suddenly. Apparently THIS wasn't on her planned itinerary for today! However, recognizing the tone in Sheryl's voice, rather to speak up and discourage the young Nome scion from her trek Grace just closes her eyes and allows herself an exasperated sigh. She gives the director's assistant an apologetic look, "I'll keep an eye on her, Miss Merin, and anyone else who tags along as well." She declares assertively, "I trust you can manage the rest?"

    She glances towards Alto as well and sees him already making his way up the mountain. She allows herself a slight smile at that. Good. A bodyguard that doesn't keep track of his charge is hardly worth his keep. Not that that is the only reason he was chosen...

    She moves to walk alongside Alto as he makes his way up the mountain beside Sheryl. That same smile from earlier is given, "It's never a dull moment, hm, Mr. Saotome?"

<Pose Tracker> Ruri Hoshino has posed.

        "Mayan Island... I looked it up," Ruri, technical support for Bird Human, pipes up. (She's not an actor; she handles making sure all their equipment is programmed correctly and without bugs.) "I guess no one knew what happened until last year. ... well, I'll go with you, Ms. Nome."

        ..._

        Ruri is dressed in a pale blue youthful sundress, complete with a baseball cap which rests between her lapis twintails. She's a little unsteady, getting off onto the pier, but be fair: she's only thirteen. She is definitely the youngest teenager here!

        Plus, she's not really much for 'physical exercise'. She's not a bird human, but she sure is bird-boned.

        "I want to come, too," she volunteers, again, closer to Ranka's declaration -- but she just follows along, like Alto does, anyway. (Assuming Sheryl doesn't tell her not to, that is.)

        She can keep up..!!

<Pose Tracker> Rin Starking has posed.

Rin is, as always, a member of the crew. Sure, she did some cool tricks in the air, but that was basically just stunt work, right? Yeah, she just had talent - she liked to play flight sims - maybe she should look into being in the Imperial Air Wing when she grows up!

Yeah right.

Rin is wearing a crew shirt and slacks as well as a round straw hat to keep the sun from aggravating the complexion of a redhead. (Her arms are heavily sunscreened. She can worry about her fingers later). As they get off the boat, Rin takes out her phone, of course, to discreetly take a picture or two of the site.

The story is relayed to her. Rin practices patience. She's done it a lot; she's surprisingly good at it, for an inveterate gamer. (Her crony, Louis Lioncourt, has sworn an oath to do her daily logins to keep her streak, because her phone does not get reception out here, save off of the Orbital Ring.)

The last name. Rin blinks several times and glances at Sheryl, but not for very long. Forwards again and -

I'm going up the mountain.

"Oh gosh," Rin says, putting her hands on her hips and pooching out her lower lip. "I guess we'd better follow along," she remarks to a fellow crewperson, before grabbing a general-purpose tool kit (probably legitimate) and a coil of belaying rope (extremely iffy) and slinging the former over one shoulder by its strap as she starts to truck after the beautiful birds heading up the mountain.

She hums a song as she goes; it's a little off-kilter, since it should be a military march, but Rin is too perky to make a hum any kind of grandiose.

<Pose Tracker> Hikaru Amano has posed.

Hikaru, and the Nadesico, now part of the Three Ships Alliance have found themselves part of brutal battle after battle, with many of the hostilities across the Earth Sphere and beyond coming to the climax.

It doesn't mean Nergal has pulled out of the Bird Human movie production, however. And so today, Hikaru finds herself here in the natural paradise of the Mayan Islands - beautiful and mostly untouched by human hands for a long time... having grown up on a space colony, it's actually pretty unique sights for her.

There's a solemn air in understanding the events that transpired on these islands. And for all her upbeat personality, Hikaru can understand it, her own former home being wiped out by war. "They ended the war and saved the day through the power of love, huh?" Hikaru asides mostly to herself. "It sounds like just something from a story... I guess it's not a bad thing for them though."

Pop idol sensation Sheryl Nome declares she's going up the mountain, and just like that everyone agrees for her to have her way and follows her up. "You're going too, Ruri...? Geez, what kind of hold does this lady /have/ on you all??" Hikaru states exasperated - such a climb is going to do numbers against her stamina. She's just a poor little writer/artist never mind that she's a pilot, too. "Guess I'm coming along too! I'd rather not be alone out here...."

<Pose Tracker> Milly Ashford has posed.

It's been... better, for Milly Ashford. It's also been a lot worse, though.

After her experience in Tsutsujidai, her mother insisted that they could do better than bog standard chelation therapy. (It would significantly reduce Milly's marriageability, after all, if she started struggling with marriage interviews for cognitive reasons.)

Accordingly, she's been getting very modern, very spendy nanotherapy treatment instead. (One fun side effect of the Devil Gundam incident: medicine copes much better, at the high levels, with removing heavy metals from the brain.) Unfortunately, she's spending two days a week with annihilated energy levels and her balance is, in the short term, quite bad. It turns out having nanomachines actively doing chemical-assisted heavy lifting in your central nervous system on the regular kind of sucks.

Accordingly, Milly is relying on two things: the first is a cane, and the second is -- her friends! They're the reason she's here anyway; she was trapped in Tsutsujidai for most of the filming, but Emilia wasn't. Relying on her means she happens to be here.

She does keep up with the tour, at least. It's a bit of effort, but her stride is quite long, at least.

When Sheryl declares she's heading up the mountain, Milly startles. "What?" she starts, brow furrowing a bit. "Well -- I guess we're going," Milly reflects, starting forward.

... the terrain doesn't agree with her, but the cane helps. She'll definitely be bringing up the rear, though.

She catches what Rin's humming, and muses, "That's an interesting choice."

<Pose Tracker> Emilia Eschonbach has posed.

        Emilia Eschonbach, Super High School Level Make-Up And Costuming Intern is not wearing a crew shirt today. Instead she's wearing a light tee, some casual pastel pink track pants, a simple bucket hat and sneakers. Some days, practicality outweighs fashion.

        She's not really tuned in to what the director is saying at this point. She's the last off the boat with Milly, helping as best she can. Emmy's obviously carrying a pack for two people, even if it's mostly water, some snacks, and some more Pure Shield.

        Sheryl's declaration that she's going up the mountain catches her off guard, and people seem to agree to it. Emmy reaches out to take Milly's hand. "A-are you up to it?" She asks, but Milly already starts walking and Emmy moves to keep close.

        She looks out at everyone else... Ranka seems off, and Sheryl seems unusually serious. It's... odd. She'll have to reach out to them too but... Her number one priority is Milly."W-w-we can stop and. R-rest if it g-g-gets too m-much, okay?"

<Pose Tracker> Sheryl Nome has posed.

        "Agreed!" the director's assistant says to Alto with a rise in enthusiasm--this is, after all, the Alto Saotome. "That's one of the central conflicts of the movie, actually, though it doesn't take center stage like some of the others--"
        
        Sheryl doesn't look at Ranka at first as she comes up next to her. When Ranka says she's going to come with her if she'll have her, though, Sheryl gives her a warm smile that says it all. That's more than Miranda gets; she is, after all, just one of a crowd.
        
        Alto's sigh does get a slightly snippy, "No one's making you come along, Alto!" (Aside from the fact that he is on contract as her bodyguard, and Brera's got protecting-the-ferry duty at the moment.) Catching Hikaru's complaints and Rin's reluctance and the fact that Milly's carrying a cane, she chastises them over her shoulder, "That goes for the rest of you too! No one's forcing you to come along, so don't let me catch you complaining!"
        
        She shoots Emilia a glance and adds sotto voce, "Make sure Milly doesn't overdo it, all right?" (Not that Sheryl needed to tell her, but she is specifically worried for Milly in a way she isn't for the others, and Emmy's already at her side.)
        
        Those more overtly supportive, like Ruri and--this time--even Miranda, get their own smiles, now a little more lively than before. "Just follow me, then!"
        
        The assistant looks like he's had better days. Even so, when Grace says she'll go along to keep an eye on them, he bows his head. "I really appreciate that, Ms. O'Connor. We'll take some more footage around here and then follow you all up."
        
        It's a hell of a hike. Obviously, since this is not a tourist island and there isn't a pre-made path. There was once, but that was forty years ago, and the jungle is even more overgrown than the village. There will be a lot of sore muscles tomorrow morning, and anyone who didn't bring bug spray is going to get eaten alive. (Sheryl has that covered too. Pure Shield isn't the only thing safeguarding her skin.) It gets a little easier when the group finds an ancient stone pathway and can at least use that to guide their way up the mountain; the higher up they go, the more stone overtakes greenery, too.
        
        But until then, it's rough going for sure, especially since sandals are not made for this kind of climb. Sheer stubbornness keeps Sheryl from complaining after all that big talk she made, but even so, when they reach the edge of the tree line, she stumbles to a stop, sweat plastering her hat to her hair and her windbreaker to her back as she doubles over and pants to catch her breath, hands on her knees.
        
        "This is--a good place--to take a break--I think," she manages to heave out. Emilia's suggestion from earlier seems to have stuck in her brain, at least. Better this than collapsing along the way.
        
        Then she stretches one hand out towards Grace, making grabby-hands for the water bottle she has absolutely assumed Grace has for her.

<Pose Tracker> Alto Saotome has posed.

        As Alto walks along, Grace coming up beside him and commenting, Alto hahs, "More like never a moment's peace. Though you yourself must be a saint for having put up with this for as long as you have." Of course, Alto is still technically here... For some reason... Where otherwise he might have simply passed on the job of bodyguarding this chaotic force of nature.

        Alto also catches wind of Hikaru's comment behind him, so he turns his head to glance over at her, "If she doesn't have a hold on you yet, then run. Run fast." He's teasing... Probably.

        Making their way up the mountain, Alto doesn't fair too badly. All that running around the Quarter's hangar in a powered off EX-Gear must be paying off. Though by the time Sheryl calls for a break, Alto is definitely a little out of breath and sweating. Thankfully though the SMS uniform has some pretty solid shoes. So at least he's not trying this is something silly like sandals.

        Always prepared, Alto goes for the canteen clipped to his belt. He takes a few swigs from it, before wiping it off and holding it out towards Ranka, "Here." He figures she probably didn't bring her own.

        Also concerned about those who seem to be having a worse affair of the climb, Alto looks towards the rear, probably Milly and Ruri specifically, "You guys doing alright back there?"

<Pose Tracker> Ranka Lee has posed.

Ranka gives Ruri a smile as she says she wants to come to. The trip is probably perilous but to be honest Ruri is in less danger than Ranka is and she knows it climbing a mountain.

Ranka is pretty clumsy, it is known.

She gives a look towards Milly with the Cane, not for the first time on this trip, but she hasn't asked... yet, then Emilia, as if asking her if she needs help watching Milly too.

However, eventually they're hiking, and despite Ranka spending so much time on her feet as a waitress and in dance lessons lately, her feet ACHE!!

Still she remembers Sheryl saying not to complain, she she doesn't. Still she's out of breath and relieved for them taking a stop, taking a longing look at the bottle of water handed to Sheryl, "Y-yes- agreed-!"

She had forgotten to bring water. Alto offers her a canteen, and Ranka gives him a warm look, "Thank you- very much- Alto."

And she takes a dainty sip from it, before a much longer pull, then hands it back, "I really needed that." She says with a sigh of contentment.

She's still breathing hard after, but first looks to check on everyone, "Milly are you doing okay?" As she gives her a worried look.

Eventually though, she settles back down near Sheryl, as she gives her a curious look and asks, "Is there anything you're hoping to find, Sheryl?"

<Pose Tracker> Rin Starking has posed.

"It's supposed to be what they played when the Macross launched," Rin asides to Milly as she keeps moving forwards, "but who knows if they really did, right? There's lyrics, but I think they just put 'em down in case."

Rin moves ahead -- but it soon becomes the case that she is a sort of trailblazer for the rest of the students. She does call "Yess Miss Nome~!" at the statement from Sheryl, and when she reaches a particularly irritating banana-like outgrowth, she examines it for a moment -

And crouches down to grip it near the ground with both hands and...

Pull! Then scuff up and stamp down the ground.

Tromp tromp tromp. She shades her eyes on reflex, despite literally wearing both glasses and a farmer's hat. She is sweating some, but seems to be keeping up with the climb - the girls behind her can see her opening up the tool box and fishing out, after some examination, a box-cutter (?) and some wire strippers (??) which get stuffed into her pants pockets for easy access.

"Are you doing OK, Miss President? Emmy?" Rin asks Milly after a switchback. She also has the opportunity to see Ruri direct.

Her glasses gleam with an unstated challenge, belayed to the future.

<Pose Tracker> Ruri Hoshino has posed.

        It's a hell of a hike, and Ruri has very short legs. She's only four feet tall! She's tiny! Luckily, Minato has made sure that she's wearing the proper protection, so she doesn't get eaten by mosquitos or the sun.

        She's definitely huffing and puffing enough to embarrass herself by the time Sheryl decides it's time to take a break, though. She started off walking with Sheryl and Ranka, but, well... even with their encouragement...

        ... Ruri's not much of a mountain-climber, so by the time they stop, she's walking beside Milly instead.

        "I... I'm fine," Ruri insists, with a breath between the words. She tries to make it look natural, the way she sits herself down on a nearby rock. She just about manages. Kind of.

        Mostly.

<Pose Tracker> Milly Ashford has posed.

Milly nods to Emilia with a slightly tired smile. "I think so. The pain is definitely a lot lower than it was at the start of the month, and I'm..." She pauses, trailing off for a moment. "Well, Friday wasn't too bad."

It's just until the end of the month, Milly tells herself. Then she'll be fine. ... it'll be inconvenient if she fails her exams again, though, especially since this time it's not really her choice in the matter.

"Don't worry, Tour Captains," Milly fires back to Sheryl and Alto, forcing a smile, and in so doing answers Ranka too. "If I couldn't keep up with this by this point, I'd be pretty concerned." This is at strain -- but if she doesn't keep moving, healing is going to be Slower and Worse. So moving it is.

Hikaru's comment about Sheryl's hold on the group gets a, "Didn't you know? Songstresses have wicked spells they use to keep their fans in line." She opens her mouth to say something else --

-- and spots Ruri to her side. She elects to skip whatever that second thing was, looking slightly embarrassed. Instead, she asks the younger girl as she takes a moment to sit, "Are you having a good time? I bet this kind of thing is even harder when you're younger..."

It's at this point Milly notices she's already a touch short of breath. She gestures for Emmy to get her a water bottle; when Emmy does indeed do that, she takes a long drink and then hands it back.

<Pose Tracker> Hikaru Amano has posed.

Sheryl snaps back that no one's forcing them all to come along. "On second thought... it'll be fiiiine! This is nothing compared to Ryoko's training laps." Hikaru decides on, proudly... as if she's gotta prove herself that she isn't too scared of just some mountain.

"Oh no... don't tell me she's some evil witch exerting her will over everyone, and soon the universe!" Hikaru feigns worry at Milly's teasing. From the way people talk about her and her hits and their sheer influence on the populace, maybe it's not totally inaccurate. "Just kidding! I'm sure she's fine. But maybe a little pushy? I mean she sure pushes /you/ around..." She points that last part at Alto.

Hikaru wasn't kidding about this actually being nothing compared to Ryoko's training regimens. So she does totally fine for herself when it comes to climbing the mountains. Still, she's not an athlete at heart so she's eternally grateful when the group takes a rest stop and she chugs and chugs her water. "Pretty nice view when you're not fighting against the terrain." And what does an artist do when faced with such a view? Hikaru takes her sketchbook she brought along and begins outlining the lovely Mayan islands, spearheaded by an imposing mountain. Both because it would make an amazing setpiece and... it might be the last time she ever gets to see sights like these. She knows she's still a soldier.

<Pose Tracker> Grace O'Connor has posed.

    A saint.

    Grace can't help but laugh merrily at that. It's perhaps a bit surprising to hear the often beleaguered manger to the Galactic Fairy laugh out loud like this, even attempting to stifle it behind her hand so as to perhaps not let Sheryl hear her respond such to a comment that could be very well be taken as a backhanded insult to Sheryl herself. Towards Alto she responds: "I've been confused with such a few times. Though at the end of the day I'm just another enterprising woman of business. Even if my business often involves keeping track of a moving target. Perhaps in that way my job is not to dissimilar to that of a pilot, hm?"

    Or that of a bodyguard, for that matter.

    Speaking of a moving target though, Sheryl is on the move and with a mission. While the trails of old are mostly overgrown thanks to neglect, they are still navigable enough for even this novice group of explorers. For this, Grace is thankful. After all it's not like any of them were dressed for such an arduous journey!! And it certainly not do for Miss Ashford or, certainly, the vulnerable Miss Hoshino to get lost in the middle of a deserted island. That would certainly be a tragic disaster!

    As for Grace herself, despite her office attire she makes a strong showing. Only a few times is she shown to visibly struggle as one of her heels sinks into a patch of soft earth or get snagged by a wayward vine laying haphazardly across the trail. At least one time during the journey she casually makes her way out of the progression towards what appears to be an otherwise harmless branch from the earthen path before them. She sweeps it up, and those who are watching may notice that the branch seems to bend and even wriggle within her grasp before she tosses it in the deeper undergrowth off the trail. For her part, she doesn't make a fuss about it.

    It's just all in a day's work, for her...

    When the troop takes a moment to catch their collective breaths, Grace is unperturbed as always. Her pale skin dry from sweat, the motions of her breathing even. When Sheryl signals her desire for a water bottle, Grace is of course quick to reach into the supply bag she is carrying with her...

    ... and that is when she notices Alto drinking from a canteen, and offering Ranka to share a drink. Grace notices this out of the corner of one eye. In the other corner she sees Sheryl sitting there, grabby hand still outstretched.

    And her own hand comes out from the bag, empty.

    "Ah..." Grace begins, her voice remorseful, "... I wasn't expecting us to make a sudden hike, I left all the water bottles in the refrigerated cooler where we disembarked. I'm sorry." Her expression lights up then, "Mr. Sterne is at the ferry. If I send a message to him to bring the cooler, and I double back to meet him, it should only take a couple of minutes for us to rendevous! I'll be right back."

    And with that, the secretary begins making her way through the brush and back towards the ferry, leaving the group albeit briefly to rendevous with the cybernetically enhanced bodyguard.

<Pose Tracker> Emilia Eschonbach has posed.

        When Sheryl asks her to make sure Milly, doesn't overdo it, Emmy gives a nod. "I w-won't." She replies, loud enough for Milly to hear too. She casts a look up to the taller woman to cement it. Ashford's Acting School President is determined not to let the actual President burn herself out.

        This means Emmy is at the back of the pack, but even accounting for that it's abundantly clear that she's not very tired. How does this tiny woman have so much stamina!? (Two point five jobs, Student Council, Clubs, Terrorism.)

        The call to rest, however, is a good idea. "I-I'm okay," Emmy responds to Rin, "but I c-c-could... use a b-break too." Ah yes, the important act of the people who aren't struggling insisting on a rest. As Milly stops to rest, Emmy hands her a water bottle.

        She eyes Rin's choice of tools, but doesn't press further. She'll see what she's up to later. She looks over to Ranka too. There really isn't enough to go around. "...I h-have another bottle, um, i-if y-y-you and S-Systems Operator Hoshino, um, d-don't mind sharing, Sh-Sheryl." She can trade out for another bottle from the cooler when it gets here-

        With Brera, the scary murder cyborg.

        Not the ideal but she reaches in her pack for the other water bottle, to offer it to Ruri even if Sheryl doesn't take it, before taking back the bottle she gave Milly, casting her a coy look, and taking a long swig before putting the lid back on it.

        There's a smile on her lips the whole time that indicates Miss Eschonbach knew *exactly* what she was doing.

<Pose Tracker> Sheryl Nome has posed.

        Sheryl nods firmly at Rin and Hikaru alike. "That's more like it," she declares. Milly's claim that songstresses have wicked spells gets a mischievous giggle out her, and she does absolutely nothing to protest the lie.
        
        LATER:

        In fairness to Ranka, Sheryl also forgot to bring water. Or more accurately, she just assumed Grace would handle it. For a moment, that assumption remains as she pretends not to hear Alto kvetching about her to a merrily laughing Grace, though. Or to Hikaru. (Really, Alto complaining about her is one of his favorite pasttimes, but Sheryl will let it slide, this time, for she is a kind and loving mistress. Most of the time.)
        
        As she keeps that grabby hand out, though, she catches sight of Alto drinking from his canteen and handing it off to Ranka. At least he wipes off the mouthpiece, but... She lowers her gaze, expression clouding for a moment.
        
        But then Grace announces that she didn't think to bring water, and she'll go fetch some and come back in just a moment. Sheryl gives Grace a look that can be best described as a scribbly black mess. Even so, she slumps into a sit on a nearby rock next to Ruri and heaves a sigh. Sheryl has a very good cardio regime, even in poor footwear, but that's always been on a flat surface. Inclines like this are uncharmingly new. "Fiiine. Bring enough for everyone, then! We'll wait for you here."
        
        She pauses. Then she looks at Alto. "I'm thirsty now, though. Alto, let me have a drink," she demands. The grabby hand is now asserted at him. ...Until Emilia very kindly offers her a water bottle for her to share with Ruri. She looks over at the young girl; then she gives Emilia a wry smile. "It's all right; Ruri can have a bottle to herself." She looks back at Alto, her smile now turning playful. "I'm still waiting, Alto~."
        
        Really, she would've insisted on getting back on the trail right away whether Alto shares any water with her or not, but... with Hikaru bringing out that sketchbook, and Milly forcing that smile, and Ruri wobbling on her tiny legs, Sheryl decides that a longer break wouldn't hurt anyone.
        
        Ranka asks her what she's looking for. Sheryl pushes her hair back as she looks up at her, then up the mountainside. The path is clearer now, and it winds around the side and out of sight. Her earring sways from her movement.
        
        "I'll know it when I see it," she says.

<Pose Tracker> Ranka Lee has posed.

"Sheryl's no evil witch!" Ranka says quickly at Hikaru's joke between Alto and her, a fingertip is arisen, as she lowers it and says sheepishly, "She is sometimes the Black Lapin though, which is a little bit like a vampire?"

Ranka doesn't think much of taking Alto's canteen at first, he wiped the mouthpiece so there's no dream of an indirect kissu. It's just sincere gratitude, until Sheryl- and her hair leaps, and she just looks at Alto.

Oh gosh, is Sheryl?

Ranka momentarily panics, but then she realizes, if Sheryl is feeling that way then, it means...

There's actually a touch of a smile.

She is looking at Sheryl quite intently for the answer of her question, and at her answer, Ranka gives her a curious look, but then a resolved nod. If Sheryl is this serious about this...

"Alright. Then I'd like to see it too." She tells her with a toothy smile, before settling back down near Emilia for the rest of the break, murmuring "Are you okay?" She asks her, "You seem a little tense?"

<Pose Tracker> Alto Saotome has posed.

        As Hikaru suggests that Sheryl seems to sure push Alto around... He definitely looks like he wants to reply along the lines of 'You don't know the half of it.' But he seems smart enough to not actually say it out loud. Though neither does he deny it.

        Alto smirks though at Grace's laugh and comment about their jobs being similar, "Yeah. Let the target out of your sight even for a moment and they'll cause you grief."

        Alto gives Ranka a smile at the thanks, "No problem." She does then raise a good question, looking towards Sheryl, "Yeah. There better be a reason for this." He had assumed she had one.

        Though right now it seems water from him is her first priority. At first it seems harmless enough. But then Emilia offers Sheryl a bottle and she expertly deflects it so she can continue demanding it from Alto. It's almost like making demands of him is her favourite pasttime or something.

        Of course Alto gives in, moving over to hand his canteen to Sheryl. It's not exactly massive, so going between three people this is likely to empty it. So it's definitely up to Grace now to return with fresh supplies.

        Though Alto does briefly consider how strange it is she didn't already have some on hand. So apparently even the super manager can be forgetful sometimes.

        Sheryl's actual answer to Ranka is very vague. To which Alto sighs, "Of course." Still, he has to admit there may be something still here. It's unlikely that the attack wiped away absolutely everything, even if they did unleash several massive bombs on the island...

        ... Whether or not they'll find it before they die of dehydration is another matter. To which point, Alto suggests, primarily in Milly and Ruri's direction, but to everyone in general, "It'll probably be fine if anyone wants to wait and rest here once we head off again. We can swing back around this way on the way back."

<Pose Tracker> Rin Starking has posed.

The prospect of Ruri sharing a water bottle with Sheryl-- however indirectly-- sort of sparks a somewhat warm memory for Rin, although she does not let it get past her brain. There is such a thing as oversharing, especially when you are several layers deep in a disguise.

She swallows back some saliva a little.

"So she's not an evil witch," Rin then says to Ranka, "but that's not ruling out the possibility that she's a good witch or a balance witch, either. We can't be sure..." She overhead what Milly said.

"That's nice of Miss O'Connor to go get all those waters," remarks Rin, once they are no longer in the immediate presence of the departing Grace. She shifts the toolbox on its strap to the other shoulder, perhaps more to keep herself from "staying still for one freaking minute" than anything else.

"No way," Rin tells Alto. "I grew up around mountains! I'm more worried about the trail on the way down. Do you think you'll just reverse the way you came?" ("I can leave my stuff with you guys if you want to make shelter or something," Rin tells Emilia. How long does she expect them to be there?)

<Pose Tracker> Grace O'Connor has posed.

    If nothing else, Grace is punctual. When she says something will only take a couple minutes she means it. She's only out of sight for approximately 160 seconds before she comes back trampling through the overgrown path into the the makeshift rest site.

    As far as Brera, the scary murder cyborg? He's nowhere to be seen.

    Instead Grace pats her newly refilled saddle bag, bulging as it is with the retrieved bounty from the cooler. "Good news, everyone. Based on my estimates we now have enough water and snacks to last us until the evening. I also made sure to grab a few ice gel packs to keep the water nice and cool for the rest of the day so that the cooler could be returned to the ferry."

    Assuming anyone comes to her to retrieve their ration, she will happily hand it out as Sheryl directed. She does note that it does appear though that Alto eventually yielded and offered up his own canteen to the use of her primary client. She is pleased enough with this outcome.

    THIS BATTLE'S WINNER: Grace

    After her distribution is finished, Grace will move to stand beside Sheryl. She lowers her voice, not as to whisper but just enough to signal she is talking to Ms. Nome and not to the entire party in general: "I also had him perform a quick topographical sweep during his approach. I have mapped out the directions to the least overgrown and least steep footpath leading the rest of the way up the mountain. It should allow us to save a bit of time, at least."

<Pose Tracker> Ruri Hoshino has posed.

        "It's... not like... I'm a burden in this situation," Ruri insists, to Milly's concern. "This is, a normal pace..." She's embarrassed, too, for entirely different reasons. (She's kind of red in the cheeks anyway, but that's just what happens when you're hiking up a mountain.)

        Thanks to Emilia, though, she gets a water bottle! "Thank you," she says, politely, as she takes a big drink from it. She's too calm and collected to cry, 'I'M SAVED!', when she takes a breath; that's really more Hikaru's sort of thing.

        She looks from Sheryl to Alto, and back to Sheryl.

        "Oh, I see," she says, all matter-of-fact. "That makes sense." WHAT MAKES SENSE?! (Sharing your water bottle is also romance, obviously. ... Ruri's Captain is Yurika Misumaru.) "Right now, I'd prefer to just drink this myself," she explains, stoic. "I'm not really on the Captain's level." What isn't shown -- though Ranka might have some inkling of it -- is Ruri screaming on the inside about it.

        She's very collected on the outside, though. Very cool! Metaphorically, at least. Literally she's feeling a little overheated, but the water definitely helps. And thankfully, Grace appears with enough water for everyone!

        Even so, she insists: "I won't slow you down," when Alto offers to let them sit out the rest of the trek. "I want to come, too." She looks over to Sheryl, next to her, and says, "... seeing it is the point, isn't it, Ms. Nome? Since it's something no one saw for a long time."

<Pose Tracker> Hikaru Amano has posed.

"A vampire, ooh... that's probably a little more my type than a witch, come to think of it!" Hikaru replies, as Ranka comes to Sheryl's defense.

She also sends a sympathetic look Alto's way, when he doesn't say it but looks it about being pushed around. Pushees gotta stick together, after all.

It's definitely a question on everyone's mind WHAT Sheryl came here to even see in the first place. Ruri presents an interesting answer to that one. "Seeing it's the point, huh? Yeah.. if no one's seen it for a long time, then I want to make sure I do a good job at portraying it!" Hikaru nods, while shading in a tree. "Drawing nature is really new to me.. but I think it's important that we make sure it isn't forgotten, either." She adds, a little more quietly, but still devoid of any shame.

<Pose Tracker> Milly Ashford has posed.

Milly -- even if she isn't quite at one hundred percent -- nearly cackles as Hikaru plays along with the bit, at least a little. Before long, though, her gaze returns to Emilia, and she spots exactly what she's doing.

She is too cute, Milly thinks, with an easy smile. She heads toward Grace to get the water, giving her a pleasant, "Thank you!" before snagging another bottle. ... maybe she and Emmy can share that one, too. Rin's comment gets some consideration, though Milly has to ask, ultimately: "Balance witch? Is that a thing?"

When she's told that they can consider sitting around and getting looped back for, Milly takes a breath. For a moment, she looks a little distressed; she shakes her head, saying, "I'll be fine." She totally misses Grace's aside to Sheryl, though she does echo Rin's, "Thank you, Ms. O'Connor." She reaches up, pushing a little hair out of her own face, then looks to Hikaru. "Oh, an artist? Are landscapes the usual for you?"

<Pose Tracker> Emilia Eschonbach has posed.

        Emilia nods as Sheryl gently rejects the water bottle- only to bully Alto with...

        And Emilia Eschonbach knows exactly what Sheryl is doing, and she smiles, casting a knowing eye to Ranka. Good for her.

        She nods to Ruri as she takes the bottle. Does Ruri remember that time Emilia spilled her drink on her? Probably not. Maybe that's just her dwelling. "T-t-to be fair, Alto has l-longer legs than us. H-his normal p-pace is l-longer than. Y-y-yours or mine." Even accounting for how Britannians sometimes seem to be mostly legs. "Y-y-you're a-actually hiking more th-than they are, r-r-right? M-makes s-sense you'd be tired h-here." It's rare for Emmy to talk this much, or this openly.

        Emmy shakes her head. "A-after what A-Alto said... I th-think we're more l-likely to see everyone push through." She pauses, looking to Milly. "I-I'm c-counting on you to... Kn-know your l-limits." Her voice lowers, but not perhaps enough for the arriving Ranka to not hear it. "P-please don't m-m-make me have to f-find a w-way to carry y-you down? Th-then it wouldn't be the f-fun kind." It's mostly a joke. Emmy's... probably not strong enough to carry Emmy in normal gravity.

        Low gravity, on the other hand.

        She blinks at R-Ranka. "O-oh, I a-am a little. I guess." She sighs. She's not going to tell everyone what happened somewhere open, at leats not with Milly's okay. "Th-this is. The f-first time w-we've had an o-outing since M-Milly got home. I want it to b-be good. And n-not have to sp-spend a long time. R-recovering." She sighs, once again reaching to entwine her hand with Milly's. "B-but... a h-hike's... a n-nice way to spend the day." And so is the collapsing together after.

<Pose Tracker> Sheryl Nome has posed.

        A vampiric Black Bunny, a rambunctious, sexy flag~ Sheryl lets those suppositions and the nature of what kind of witch she is rock. It's sort of a fun conversation to overhear--after all, she doesn't mind at all the idea of being a magic woman.
        
        Though even her magic has its limits. It's just like Alto to not put two and two together. Maybe making demands of Alto is a favorite pasttime of Sheryl's, but she wouldn't do this of just anyone. She smiles when he hands her his canteen, but just before she drinks, she catches Ranka's momentary panic--followed by her slight smile. Sheryl brushes her hair back and, positioning the canteen quite deliberately, savors a few mouthfuls. ...and a few pairs of lips. Ruri understands at least half the situation perfectly well, and when Sheryl catches her looking back and forth between her and Alto, she shoots her a little wink. If Milly and Emilia are having a little indirect kissu of their own, well--Sheryl is discreet enough to let them have it without remarking on it.
        
        "Thank you," she says graciously as she hands the canteen back to Alto. With a wink of his very own, she teases, "I'll be sure to give you a reward later for your obedience, my cute little manservant. <3"
        
        She doesn't give him any more of a concrete answer about what she's here for than she does Ranka, though, and when she sighs, she tosses her hair and shrugs. "You should take some lessons in being supportive from Ranka!" she chides him.
        
        (Across the group's resting spot, Miranda shoots Ranka an ugly glare.)
        
        Still, he did come along, and that does mean a lot. She knows she's pushing the limits of her caprice right now. Still, it's hard for her to put it in words, what she seeks. She just has this feeling like there's something here.
        
        She brushes her hair back, and the sunlight glints off her earring.
        
        Grace at least returns quickly, and Sheryl brightens. "Excellent work, Grace! I'll forgive you for your slip-up earlier, this time," she teases. She knows very well what Grace did for her just now. Ruri points out that seeing it is the point, and Sheryl nods sagely. "Exactly! So it's good that we've got what we need to last the journey there now." She turns her smile to Hikaru, who suggests she'll draw it once they find it. "Make sure you draw me a copy, too! I'll pay you, of course." (Being an artist herself, Sheryl naturally values artistic talent.)
        
        She leans up to her feet with a minimum of wincing as Grace comes in close and murmurs privately to her. Sheryl nods once, and though her nod is slight, her gratitude isn't. "Great," she murmurs back. She glances at Rin as she suggests making shelter, then adds, "I'll pass on staying here overnight. Let's take that route."
        
        The group moves onwards. With Grace's direction, and with them out of the literal woods, the path isn't quite so arduous. The sun is high, but there's a strong wind, so it doesn't get too hot. There's plenty more snacks and water for when they need mini-breaks, too. It takes a significant chunk of time more to get where they're going, but eventually...
        
        Eventually...
        
        There is a clearing.
        
        It isn't visible from the other side of the island, and indeed the mountain circles around it as if cradling it from the world of man. At the same time, its crags reach brokenly into the air as if chunks of them had been blown off at some point. They protect the clearing from the winds all the same.
        
        The clearing itself is roughly circular--at one point it was perfectly circular, but the scars of violence have lasted longer here--and scattered with fragments of stone of all sizes. Within a ring of larger stones, with a strip of a flat shore, there is a crystal-clear pool. The water is still, freezing cold, intensely refreshing, and about waist deep.
        
        Sheryl stares out at it as if entranced. It's hard to say if she would've recognized it without reading the script of Bird Human several times through herself, but... somehow, she just knows. She has no idea how. Something about this place just resonates with her.
        
        Quietly, just under her breath, she sings:
        "I wonder why, when I'm with you
        "I end up feeling a little sad?
        "Because I live, I live for you
        "I became an angel..."
        
        But then she shakes her head. No, that isn't the right song. That's her song. She's writing this for Great-Aunt Sara. How would Sara have felt at this moment? How did she feel when she was captured--when she escaped with Shin to return to the village? When it was all scorched from the earth anyway...?
        
        At the edge of the pool, she slips off her sandals and begins to shrug off her windbreaker.

<Pose Tracker> Hikaru Amano has posed.

Milly is the first to approach Hikaru on the subject of her work, and her eyes brighten upon hearing it. It's nice to be able to discuss her passion in this way instead of just coasting by conversations...

"Yeah! Although, no.. I don't draw landscapes a ton. I'm a doujinshi artist, so if you ever check out Comiket you might see my comics there!" She grins. "But yeah, I put way more focus on characters and stuff than the backgrounds, but I think if I want to make it professional I need to get good at all sorts of art." And with a couple more pencilstrokes, the mountain rest area scene is complete.

The second is actually Sheryl Nome herself, who expresses interest in drawing what she's looking for, and even offering to pay for a copy. "Then we have a deal, Miss Nome!" Making it a commission turns up the pressure a little, but it's a welcome challenge nonetheless.

Finally, they arrive at that clearing, the place which truly draws in Sheryl Nome. It's like a shield against all the awful things that happened here. When they arrive at the freezing pool, Hikaru gets to sketching, making sure to include all the intracacies of the clearing.. including the scars of violence. In her sketch, a small figure stands at the very edge of the pool, it wouldn't be immediately recognized as idol sensation Sheryl Nome to the average viewer, but nonetheless she's who she has in mind when she draws.

<Pose Tracker> Ranka Lee has posed.

Ranka beams back at Alto, though Alto seems LESS accepting of Sheryl's answer than she is. Which honestly isn't surprising, that's part of why she likes Alto...

She's definitely watching Sheryl's... display, a little closely. Then...

'I'll be sure to give you a reward later for your obedience, my cute little manservant. <3'

Ranka takes critical hit damage instantly, she could never say something like that to Alto! And even if she could he'd just laugh at her.

Feeling a little faint at the idea of what reward Sheryl would offer him, even if it is just a tease, she places a fingertip to her lips... given what Sheryl says, "I do my best to be, but Alto can be... surprisingly supportive at times!"

Did she have to use the word surprising? And at times?

"Ah!" Ranka's eyes screw in as she gets a thankful distraction, "Good witch or a balance witch?" Ranka repeats, confused, not being a gamer.

Ranka does catch Ruri though speak on the Captain, and while Ruri is subdued in many respects. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA "Y-Yes. I think that's a good thing. Captain Yurika is quite-" AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA "-uh - something else!" She stumbles, and takes a bottle of water from Grace as she ranges towards Milly.

Then Ranka's hair leaps... her cheeks taking on a light flush. Emilia answers her and with a nod... "Oh I see! Though..."

She bids Emilia to bend down a touch, as she stands on her tip toes and whispers with a cupped hand by her ear, "I, what you said to Milly... are you two-timing Tessa? I-I mean no judgement just..."

No judgment she says, despite using the word two-timing, "I want to make certain that I don't have the wrong idea either."

They do move onward, taking direction through the woods. The wind is nice in keeping her cool, and at least they're not up a steep include any longer.

And eventually, there's a clearing. Ranka looks about, with a sort of awe at what's left, but sadness intermingling in equal measure at the scars of violence.

Part of her can't help but think of a grassy hillside which was a sight of so much violen

Her mind puts that aside, thinking of its place in the script as well, as she slips up her sandals, and toes the water. It's freezing cold, but it's still an enticing opportunity. Her eyes slide to the side, watching Sheryl sing so quietly then decide it's not the song...

... part of her admires Sheryl in this moment, even in the quiet, being able to try to connect something so personal to a place like this.

It's in these moments she feels like she understands Sheryl a little better, but only a little. It's still not enough, not as much as she'd like to, wants to. She almost considers singing Aimo, almost, but she can't quite bring herself to sing in front of this crowd.

And it doesn't feel like the right song either.

Eventually Ranka lowers the pair of tan shorts off of her bikini bottom, and toes the water again... as if considering it...

<Pose Tracker> Milly Ashford has posed.

"Comiket, huh? I'll keep an eye out," Milly says, enthused. "I'm looking forward to seeing more of your work." She briefly looks like she's going to say something else, but she ends up just fluffing out her hair a little.

Milly's free hand wraps around Emilia's with a small nod. "Don't worry -- if I start feeling like it's too much, I'll say so. The hike is nice either way."

She completely misses Ranka's question. She does hear her whispering something, but she's starting to flag, so she actually doesn't press on something apparently juicy for once... wow, she must really be going through it.

Indeed: a little before they reach the clearing, Milly has to 'say so,' just as she said. "Emilia... I think I might actually need to start heading back down. I'm already a little light headed... I don't want to ruin the fun, but it's better to be safe than sorry."

<Pose Tracker> Ruri Hoshino has posed.

        Thankfully, Ruri doesn't know her bond with Ranka reveals the true form of her internal screaming.

        "Oh... that's true," Ruri admits that much, when Emilia explains it in such a way as to spare her feelings. She's still a baby tsundere, and hasn't reached her full tsun potential!

        (She might even evolve into something other than a tsundere.)

        She definitely doesn't remember the drink thing, though, because anxiety can make little events into giant keystones, but they're not actually grievous enough wounds to remember.

        Since she has a water bottle, Ruri's able to keep climbing. And so...

        "Can I see?" Ruri asks, stepping up to Hikaru, once she's caught her breath again. "Omoikane likes your art a lot... but I think drawing things like this is good, too." (Omoikane, of course, is what Ruri calls the ship's computer. The computer is her best friend! It's adorable!)

        She's looking with her own eyes, of course, but... the way Hikaru interprets it is important to Ruri, too.

<Pose Tracker> Grace O'Connor has posed.

    A vampiric Black Bunny.

    A tall, dark, mysterious yet beautiful figure with lavender hair. Controlling an army of mechanical clockwork minions and watching over the frolicking of the innocent white bunny, even as invisible strings control her seemingly voluntary movements. Of course it's all fantastical. It couldn't possibly be true.

    Though the pale skinned, lavender haired figure of Grace O'Connor dutifully walks alongside Sheryl. Offering her direction, even on her voluntary whim to travel to the depths of this particular island. She certainly looks supernatural standing alongside the various sweating and tired travelers alongside her. Indeed, other than having to pick a few leaves or twigs out from her hair or occasionally wiping the lenses of her glasses, she hardly shows any strain from the trek. Though sadly the answer to her endurance is far less fantastical than her being any sort or vampire or witch...

    At first she watches as Sheryl approaches the pool, her enhanced hearing easily picking up the singing that is coming in from under her breath. With a sigh, Grace turns towards the others gathered here and says aloud: "Looks like we've finally made it. I suppose this is as good a place as any to take a break before we decide to make our way back to the ferry and the rest of our party? Feel free to look around but please don't wonder too far."

    It is at this moment that Milly signals that she is struggling and, not wanting to ruin the fun, decides to head back. Grace's expression is temporarily troubled, and she turns just enough to see Sheryl from the corner of her vision. While she is loathe to leave her charge, even temporarily, Alto IS her bodyguard and Grace could help make sure the pair make it back safely. Not that she plans to leave unless Sheryl signals she should.

    Meanwhile she takes a moment to set down the drinks down atop a shattered rock fragment roughly the right size to hold her bag. Should she be left to her own devices she will pull a small tablet from the bag and begin work on some of the backlog that built up during their trek to this pool.

<Pose Tracker> Rin Starking has posed.

Rin collects that ice cold water. She drinks most of the bottle and splashes some of the remnants on her shirt shoulders, as insurance against future heat. "Oh wow! Does he have an aerostat up? I guess there's no Minovsky risk around HERE, huh!" Rin says, immediately looking up to try and spot the friendly drone.

"Yeah," Rin tells Milly. "It's kind of a game thing? Like if you think about it, there's rarely just 'good and evil.' I mean, there's good things in relative terms, but for a game you kind of want two sides, or to make it so *in the game* you can just fight the other guy, right?"

"But when they do that, often they get people who aren't involved, or who are in the middle," Rin tells Milly. "So they call those 'Balance' people. I guess an example here is... uh..." Rin's eyes turn upwards as if searching for an inoffensive recent example. "... Well, it happened in pre-modern history a bunch more, anyway."

"Good call," Rin says, afterwards. "I'll take pictures, alright?! Be careful, going down's trickier than going up sometimes. Bye!"

Forwards. The only person in her little cluster of chickens who can hold Rin back now is Ruri, who is, unfortunately, too big to be easily picked up even by a Super Soldier (secret). Besides which, this would no doubt breach the one-sided rivalry Rin has created in her head, due to a lack of entertainment in her daily life. Higher - round -

Rin thinks of an old shrine, hidden in the woods. But it's different. The stones...

Rin's camera comes out. A photo, quickly. The sound of silence in the air of the ancient place absorbs the little arrogance of the electronic shutter-sound, and Rin takes no more than a couple of snapshots. She said she would, after all. But she stays on the fringes.

It doesn't feel like a place for someone like her, somehow.

<Pose Tracker> Alto Saotome has posed.

        Alto definitely isn't getting any double meaning as the canteen is returned to him. Though the offer of a 'reward' results in Alto giving Sheryl a deadpan stare, showing just how enthusiastic he is with the idea and being called a manservant. Although he does shoot back to her later suggestion, "I can be supportive!" Ranka chimes in. Alto admits... "Sometimes."

        Grace's return proves a welcome distraction though as Alto says, "Nice work." She managed to make that trip pretty fast... What, did she sprint the entire way there and back? More likely, Brera probably met her most of the way before returning. Alto could definitely see that man handling a sprint on this terrain just fine... Probably didn't even break a sweat.

        Offers of waiting here are rejected, so Alto shrugs. It's not like he has an issue with any of them coming along, so he doesn't press it any. Instead the group is soon off again.

        Once they come upon the clearing, Alto looks on the sight with a bit of awe. He doesn't recognise it himself, not having gone through the movie script quite as thoroughly as some. Still, it's quite the sight, "I guess the natural formations protected it somewhat..."

        Alto watches for a bit as Sheryl gets swept up in the scene. It's almost transfixing, as if he can't take his eyes off her.

        But then Milly and Emilia decide to start back early, which draws Alto's attention out of concern. This was something he was worried about... He nods in agreement with Rin, "Be careful."

<Pose Tracker> Sheryl Nome has posed.

        Sheryl is a woman of polarities! She can say any number of shameless things as long as she can say she's just kidding. Make it too serious, though, and even she'll blush and get flustered. Fortunately, Ranka doesn't have that particular key to her heart, and she instead giggles at her description of Alto's dubious supportiveness.
        
        "What a gallant knight in shining armor you make, Alto! Ranka can't stop singing your praises," she teases both of them. 'Sometimes' indeed. At least he knows it.
        
        If he's going to be that unimpressed with the idea of getting a present from her, though, she'll really have to turn it up a notch later and actually get him a present so amazing that even he can't just give her a deadpan stare about it.
        
        She does shoot Milly a concerned look, which shifts to include Emilia. "You two head on back, then! Make sure to grab something to drink and eat before you go, all right?" Catching Grace giving them a concerned look of her own, Sheryl gives her a nod to supply them before they go.
        
        But they're at the clearing soon, and all that no longer matters to her. It's not a good pool for taking a dip in. Even so, Sheryl folds up her windbreaker with perhaps surprising care--perhaps a spool of red cord out of the pocket might tip Alto off on why, assuming he's still paying attention, as she's pulling off her top and shorts after that, leaving herself in just her white swimsuit. (As a model for Hikaru, she's downright picturesque.) Next to her, Ranka follows suit, stripping down to her bathing suit.
        
        It's not a good pool for taking a dip in. The water is freezing; there's tons of stone chips at the bottom. The instant Sheryl dips a toe in, it sends a shudder through her whole body as her jaw clenches in a grimace.
        
        Even so, she steps further and further in, one step at a time, her jaw now clenching in stubborn determination. The coldness gives an astonishing clarity, like she could see every crack in the mountainside, hear every click of Rin's snapshots, feel all the heat of the sun competing with the cold of the water and air.
        
        The sunlight glitters and reflects off the pool's surface as she disturbs it, and for a moment, it seems like light shimmers on the crags around everyone. Sheryl looks sharply up at it, earring swaying. It too sparkles, as if with an internal light... It's like the light itself is an illusion.
        
        It's strange. Maybe it's the atmosphere. But it feels almost like she can sense Great-Aunt Sara's anxiety--and her will to perform her role as priestess to the very end. For her, a sweetly sad song won't do. There needs to be both bitterness and hope, misery and strength.
        
        She shudders from the cold and clutches her arms. A while longer. If she can stay here a while longer, she feels like the words will bubble up inside her like a wellspring.

<Pose Tracker> Ranka Lee has posed.

Rin's explanation of good or evil, and balance draws her eye, then... Ranka thinks it over for a time. "People in the middle..." She murmurs, as if perhaps thinking about that.

Ranka goes a shade redder as Sheryl teases her and Alto... "I-I mean at least he's honest-!" She flusters, before smiling sidelong at Alto.

Ranka looks back at Milly and Emilia, they're going back? It makes sense. "Yes please be careful!" Though going down should be easier than coming up for Milly right? She hopes so.

Sheryl steps in, braces herself, and Ranka watches her. Ranka steps in herself and. Stands there, just up to her ankles, watching her go further in...

... there's something about the sight that stops her from going further. Not just because of the chill or the perilous footing, it's the sight of Sheryl there, that feels...

... less like she's on stage, or if she is, on a stage only for herself. Ranka finds herself just watching her, patiently, waiting to see what happens.

Waiting... waiting...

Looking back at Ruri, she waves her up, as if... wondering if there might be something that Ruri will want to see... or rather hear, soon enough.

<Pose Tracker> Hikaru Amano has posed.

As Milly and Emilia take their leave, Hikaru waves resoundly. "Seeeeya~ 'till next time!" Clearly, she's placed a lot of stock into Milly's interest in her future works over at Comiket.

Ruri also wants to see her draw, and Hikaru makes just the space for Ruri to get both a good view of the page and the real deal. "'Course! Omoikane likes it too? Guess I'll have to show him more sometime soon then!" Hikaru likes Omoikane - even if he's a computer he's surely saved her life countless times in battle, and he appreciates Gekiganger, too. And then her focus returns to drawing.

Sheryl and Ranka go for a DIP in that freezing cold water, which gets Hikaru to respect their guts. Because she wouldn't, even if she lost the most horrid bet to Izumi and Ryoko. Besides that, it gives her a good view... of what? The pool of course.

With that, it all begins to come together in a basic draft of a sketch, water sparkling, a dazzling figure in the middle.. yet still not dazzling the way she would onstage. It's a very serene piece, Hikaru thinks. Once she gets down from here, she'll see what she can do for colouring... a watercolour might look really nice for this scene. She'll make sure to get Sheryl's input before they leave.

<Pose Tracker> Alto Saotome has posed.

        Alto does indeed catch sight of the red cord in Sheryl's windbreaker, a slight smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. He continues to watch on silently as Sheryl, and now Ranka, move into the pool of water. He's not entirely sure why they're doing it. He certainly doesn't feel the urge to strip down and do the same.

        Maybe it's an idol thing?

        Or possibly a girls thing.

        Either way he often gets confused.

        And yet, as Alto continues to watch the two, he feels less and less like looking away. His eyes fixed to them. As if some by some magical force. Perhaps this place does have some power to it? A power he can't explain...

<Pose Tracker> Ruri Hoshino has posed.

        Ruri is interested in the works of her fellows! She considers Hikaru's artworks seriously, looking up and down again. "It's very good," she decides, after a moment. Ruri isn't really the one with a passion for graphic design (that's Omoikane -- check out all his varied textboxes!), but she still likes the drawing.

        She approaches Rin, too, to ask: "Do you do photography, too, Ms. Starking? I didn't know." Being fair, most of their interaction has been through Kanji Fighters since their first FATEFUL ENCOUNTER, but she's still a little impressed to see Rin has a talent like that. (She's still quite mild about it, but that may just be her way.)

        "Take care," she offers, to Emilia and Milly, when they go.

        Ranka's always had a sense for when something's about to happen, though -- and even if Ruri doesn't with humans, so much, she still trusts her to know what's going on. So when she waves her up, Ruri comes up to the edge of the pool -- she doesn't dip her own toes in, though she does crouch, to run her fingers through the cold water.

        "Brrrrr," she mumbles, aside.

        Sheryl must be tough to wade out in water like this...

<Pose Tracker> Grace O'Connor has posed.

    Good... evil... and those caught between

    Once upon a time, there was a woman who was called Grace who might have called herself a good person who believed in concepts such as good, and evil, and of the innocence of bystanders caught in the middle. But that woman was broken by the song of innocence and the senseless violence it brought screaming forth.

    The Grace who stands now aside the pool and watches the others interact with each other both inside the pool, and outside of it, no longer pays much mind to the notions of good or evil. Nor does she really believe in such a thing as balance, or those caught in the middle. It does not matter how many people you try to help, or how many you hurt, or even how much you strive to simply avoid being trampled. There is but one truth:

The only path to safety is through control.

    At least at this moment Grace is satisfied with her control over this situation. She is happy to remain on the sidelines while Sheryl and the others completely their time here. Meanwhile she oversees the collection of water bottles and snacks in her satchel, and makes a show of working on her tablet.

    Though once the others signal they are ready to return she will put away her tablet and retrieve her satchel to lead them back to the ferry, maintaining her unflappable and professional demeanor throughout.

<Pose Tracker> Rin Starking has posed.

Sheryl begins stripping down into her bathing suit, which Rin is not shocked to see she already had *on* - they did just take a boat here, after all, and that makes solid underclothes if you might end up in the water. Still, you know, you always wonder.

Ranka joins Sheryl, or at least gets nearer. Rin gives her a thumbs up on general principles. Hikaru begins to draw and Rin's head cranes for a moment to peek at the draft, but she seems to lose interest rather quickly.

She answers Ruri quietly, "I mean, not officially, no. I just use the phone because it's easy. But I think if you don't go overboard, it's an artform to make your memories stand out. People tell me like why do you do that, don't you want to focus on making the memory instead of taking pictures, but that's just because Britannia is that way with technology sometimes you know? It's ultimately a sales thing because it makes people guilty so they throw it out and also enticed by the lure of the forbidden in order to buy more." She says all of this softly and very quickly. Without really thinking about it.

She inches forwards, not far behind Ruri. She has the phone out but it isn't pointed at anyone. When Ruri dips her fingers in and vocalizes the feeling, Rin makes a sympathetic hiss with her teeth. And that's when she looks over at Sheryl. Then she blinks and begins looking around at others. Because -- she's going to be freezing. Do they... ah, problems, problems to solve, problems to play with. Problems for a future Rin and a future Sheryl Nome.

For right now Rin crouches a little, carefully holding the camera. She takes another picture of a limb of the pool, the ripples in it sparkling in the sun. There are no humans, nor parts of humans, in the photo. Just stone, and water, and green, and light.

<Pose Tracker> Sheryl Nome has posed.

        "A little too honest, sometimes," Sheryl replies, but she smiles as she says it, both at Ranka and at Alto. His grumpy honesty is part of his charm. Sometimes.
        
        As for the pool, it's almost good that it's so cold. It immediately soothes and then numbs her feet after that long climb, and it absolutely washes away the sweat and fatigue from her body. Sara had been a priestess of the Mayans, devotee and upholder of their traditional ways, and that's something that's as far away from Sheryl's everyday life as hers was to Sara and Mao. After reading the script, she imagines that her great-aunt would be bitterly disappointed in everything she is. But even so...
        
        She doesn't look back at Ranka, only stepping in as far as her ankles, or Alto or Ruri, watching both of them from a more sensible spot on the shore. The only link Sheryl has with this part of her heritage is her name and her earring. Beyond that, she doesn't even look like a Mayan with her fair skin and blonde hair. (Perhaps it's there in the shape of her face, in her nose and lips and eyes, but Sheryl wouldn't know. She only has vague memories of her grandmother, and no photos of the Mayans at all.)
        
        It must have been a bitter thing to Sara, to grow to care about and even love the man who brought destruction to her whole world, however unwittingly. To be torn between the past and the future. Sheryl can't really relate that--she's more than happy to leave all of her past behind her--but this is a connection to a heritage she knows so little about. If she didn't treasure the past at least a little, she wouldn't--
        
        She reaches up to cup her drop earring.
        
        She wouldn't treasure this memento from her grandmother so much.
        
        If Sara held a similar contradiction within her, then--
        
        The light wobbles on the mountainside, and as the ripples smooth over, it too fades. Sheryl's eyes widen, and an image of the seashore where Sara and Shin must have first met flashes through her mind. The shells on the sand, and the vanishing, illusory light...
        
        With a loud splash, Sheryl suddenly plunges herself under the surface. She lasts precisely two seconds before she breaches the surface with a shriek that resounds through the mountain air. It's painful, this kind of clarity--but there's a thrill in there, too.
        
        "Grace! Pen! Paper!" she shouts, turning and sloshing her way back to the shore, shivering uncontrollably. Even so, she keeps herself warm with the fire in her eyes. The second she gets back to shore, the second she gets something to write with and on in her hands, even before she gets a towel (are there any towels? A problem for future Sheryl indeed), she will start writing lyrics furiously.
        
        She was right. This trip was inspiring.
        
        So much for the serene vista that Hikaru had been depicting in her portrait, though it all will make for dynamic photos for Rin even if she doesn't include any humans, at least. From there, there'll be some time before Sheryl's done and it's time to turn back. To offer a few prayers at the shore and take in the last sights of the Mayan Island before they return to the world of technology.

<Pose Tracker> Ranka Lee has posed.

"... Sometimes..." Ranka repeats, still flushed, but smiling, like it's now almost a game for the two of them to say that about Alto - affectionately of course.

Ranka though smiles at Ruri tracing her finger in the water, as she waits, and waits...

The light over the mountainside is beautiful, and then Sheryl plunges beneath-"Oh- she-" SHRIEKKKKKK. "Sheryl!?"

Ranka looks concerned, even taking a step further in as if to go to her then but by then she's sloshing back, and demanding pen and paper from Grace.

"Well..."

One time I even used a pair of Meltrandi panties...

She looks over to Alto, and after a moment says, "... that's Sheryl alright."

There's a small snort, and Ranka daintily covers her mouth with a hand, looking surprised, before she starts just giggling into her palm.

She's truly not laughing at her in any mean spirited way, it's endearing.

Ranka is going to have to rely on others to take pictures, she left her phone behind, eventually though it's time to head back...

Ranka thinks of the spears carved as love letters that the boys of the village would make, as they leave the shore.

"It would be nice if things could be that straightforward." Ranka murmurs, perhaps to noone in particular as they pull away from the island.

<Pose Tracker> Alto Saotome has posed.

        Whatever magic spell Alto had been under is immediately broken as Sheryl plunges herself into the freezing cold water and emerges moment later with a scream. And then immediate demand for pen and paper.

        Alto sighs in amused resignation, a smile on his face this time, as he nods in agreement with Ranka's confirmation of Sheryl's unique personality.

        While the others finish cleaning up after playing in the freezing water-and while Sheryl finishes getting whatever it is in her head out onto paper-Alto takes a quick look around the area, just to see if there's anything else there. He returns just in time for them to start the journey back, "Yeah... We don't want to get caught out here at night." That would be an unpleasant experience.

        On the way back, Alto more silently muses over the trip. He's still not entirely sure why Sheryl wanted to go there... Though clearly she got some kind of inspiration from it. And it was quite the sight. And the journey itself with everyone was maybe a little fun... Okay, so maybe it wasn't so bad after all.

        As the ferry is pulling away from the dock to return to the other island, Alto walks up to Ranka to catch her remark, "What things?" He doesn't really give her a whole lot of time to answer though as he holds his hand up to give her something, "Here."

        Alto places a pretty little seashell into Ranka's hand, smiling at her, "A little bit of a souvenir from the trip."

<Pose Tracker> Ranka Lee has posed.

Ranka's hair jumps, and there's a moment where she's sort of in this side to side nervous movement as he asks her about it, "Oh you know! This whole, path to my debut as an idol. It feels like it's taken a whole lot of turns."

Ranka then puts her hand out at his bidding, then there's this sharp inhalation, as she smiles so big at him, "Alto! Thank you so much! This is beautiful! I promise to treasure it!"

~Hours Later~

Ranka is laughing with her friends as they eat dinner, now wearing the seashell Alto gave her around her neck, when abruptly a panicked Elmo runs up, "Ranka! Big News! Big News!" Ranka stands up quickly, running over to him, "Did something happen?"

"Well... let's move a little further away."

Ranka seems worried, given that he shouted that out and then didn't feel like he could say that publically.

~A few hours back~

Miranda Merin finally gets up from behind the group's resting spot, she'd been sulking at trying to flag Sheryl down about four separate times while not receiving so much as acknowledgement of her existence.

As she gets up she hears her say to Alto, 'You should take some lessons in being supportive from Ranka!' Petulantly, she turns and heads back...

"I cannot believe that she's ignoring me in favor of that stupid little-!"

That's the same moment she slips on a rock in this uneven footing. Laying there, she gives this small shriek of fury. "THAT'S IT-!"

~Back to now~

"I'm... fired?" Ranka repeats the words to Elmo, in disbelief. Elmo takes off his hat, and rubs the back of his head, "Yeah Ranka, I'm sorry, she says it's your fault that she sprained her ankle and she complained to the director."

"But I didn't do anything! She wasn't even with us most of the hike up!" He rubs the back of his head again and sighs, "Yeah I figured. She just... doesn't like you apparently. That's show business kid. The director said you can stick around just, in a 'no hard feelings' kind of way as thanks for all the help GUTS has given them but- you're out of the film."

A glance is given to Miranda in the distance laying on a beach chair with her leg propped up, who tips her sunglasses, and sends a small 'goodbye' wave her way.

Ranka just stares for a few long moments, before a breakdown happens all at once. Tears forming in her eyes, she lowers her head and flees in the opposite direction across the beach, not really caring in what direction she heads...