PRELUDE

[HARLEY MCDEVIA]

❝ It was by sheer luck that Harlene had won a trip to Japan - she was the only one selected in her school to take the exchange program after totally guessing on all of the answers on the placement test. She just wanted to see the land of the Rising Sun - the actual education portion was something that she could care less about. She was taken out of New York to the far East by plane, and reached the great city of Tokyo. It wasn't exactly how she had envisioned it. It was somewhat dull in comparison to animation, but nevertheless, still a sight to behold. It wasn't as massive as New York, but it was certainly just as busy. The white-haired traveler had only stayed in the city for a single night, however, before her bus left for the country-side. The deal was some sort of Summer camp, and she was certainly hoping she wouldn't be stuck in a lame log cabin with a bunch of smelly teenagers or obnoxious girls for the entire summer. That would be the worst. Perhaps worse than having to sit right behind the lonely bus driver whom was ever so intent on making idle conversation. "I have family in New York, you know." "Cool." "Three cousins and an uncle, they're really busy nowadays, never come to the family gatherings." "Okay." "You know, you should smile more - the boys would eat that up." "Probably." It's not that she didn't smile, it's just that these conversations were the worst. Was she going to be like this when she was forty years old? Now that was a real nightmare. After the painstakingly long bus ride, she had arrived at the camp. It was tucked away in a small forest in the country-side, almost just as one would expect. Also as expected, there were cabins, though they seemed to be a little nicer in quality than she had thought. They had electricity, at least, which was crucial for her phone charger. It was a tranquil place - the whole ensemble being placed around a small river. The camp was divided in half, one side of the river being for the younger kids, and the other being for the older teenagers, which was the side Harley was placed in. Her personal cabin was one of the smallest, which thankfully meant less room-mates.

LAIKA OF GS!

[Katsuro Hachi]

[ CAMP ]

He didn't know really why he'd volunteered for this. He was nineteen, now, and this entire place felt vaguely reminiscent of his early teens under his foster parents. They'd been fine to him, of course, but they wanted him to go to camp more than anything else, just for the purposes of authentic surrogacy. He went, three years in a row, but it bored the living shit out of him.

And now, for some reason, he'd come along and signed himself up -- for free, no less -- as a "senior camper". He was in the uncomfortable limbo between the oldest teen campers and the youngest camp workers, who were all in their mid-twenties and actually earning money. Katsuro Hachi, fool child extraordinaire of Tokyo.

There were some upsides, though. Camp was ten-odd miles out of Tokyo into the rural surroundings; and the bugs -- by God, the bugs. By day there were any number of beetles and flies and spiders and craneflies and wasps, all different, that passed through the campsite in their own little microcosmic traffic system. He could sit from afar or up close and just simply watch, when he had no prior responsibilities, and nobody so much as bothered him. Even the bugs were more apathetic than anything, happy to be examined close-up without retreating away from him, so long as they weren't disturbed.

At night, the place lit up like a Christmas tree thanks to all the fireflies, with the bees chasing them around in the humid spring-summer heat, some ongoing game of cat and mouse. There was something divisively and primitively satisfying about watching that hunt, something that almost felt bizarrely peaceful about it.

But part of it, alas, part of being out there in nowhere with all the insects to watch, meant that he had to work. It was day one of campers arriving after a week of site prep -- and that meant checking in on the new arrivals. Katsuro flipped over to the last sheet on his clipboard and checked his watch to see it was just past four in the afternoon. The last busload had come in about twenty minutes ago, and she was the last name on the list. Harley McDevia, the register said. American exchange, by the looks of it. Katsuro rapped his knuckles on the cabin door.

"Hi, Harley? Are you in there?" Ugh, this was boring. He just wanted to get back to the bees.

ATTACKS USED: NONE
HIVEMIND STACKS: N/A

[HARLEY MCDEVIA]

❝ "No. There's nobody in here." Harley grimly said to the door. Somebody was checking up on her already? She had just got here a few hours ago - it seemed like privacy was something that wasn't going to happen much at this campsite. Neither of the people she was supposed to share the cabin with had arrived yet, which was sort of strange, considering that they were already doing an activity check. Nevertheless, the pale teenager dragged herself to the door and opened it without a smile. "What do you want? Where is everybody?" She had to look up at the dark-haired male - clearly a Japanese native by the looks of his features. "Is there actually anything to do here?" She felt justified finally being the one asking a thousand questions - after all, she had to bare through it this entire trip. And on top of that, she had been given very little information about this trip. It was almost surreal. The conditions that got her here and the journey itself.

LAIKA OF GS!

[Jeremiah Regis]

[ CAMP ]

At long last, the camp came into view. While he had not caught the bus like most would have to, he had still decided to take part in this... Summer Camp. A tradition he had yet to partake in, being too caught up in his studies to even bother when he was younger, and as he aged, he found the idea less and less appealing. However, a summer camp from a different culture! That would hold a wealth of new experiences for him, something he was most excited for. The car slowly rolled up to the entrance of the camp, the pitch black Rolls Royce looking completely out of place. The driver stepped out, and opened the door for Jeremiah, an obsequious, nasal voice proclaiming that "We are here, young master."



Jeremiah stepped out of the car, looking completely out of place. A blond haired blue eyed westerner, wearing a fitted black suit, among a group of admittedly younger Japanese teens wearing standard summer clothes. He nodded to the driver, acknowledging him, and signalling that his services were no longer needed. He took his luggage out of the back of the car, before it drove off, and started the walk towards what he believed to be his assigned room. He walked up to the room, only to see a Japanese man banging on the door, and saying something, to which the door was opened by a shorter white haired girl. As he arrived, he tapped the senior camper on the shoulder.



"Excuse me, but I believe you are blocking the way into my room. Would you please rectify that immediately. My arm is starting to tire. Unless you would like to take my luggage for me, that is." He leveled a flat stare at the man, a look that showed he was certainly not joking, and that he expected the man to move or assist him right away. His gaze quickly shifted towards the girl, and his business with the Senior Camper done, as he believed it to be at least, he held his hand out to her. "Jeremiah Regis. You must be my roommate. A pleasure to meet you."

ATTACKS USED: NONE
ROYALTY STACKS: N/A

[Katsuro Hachi]

[ TEENAGERS ]

"No. There's nobody in here."

Well, was an oxymoronic statement, wasn't it-- oh, maybe it had been a... joke? The girl was pale, shorter than him -- but not by much, and opened the door begrudgingly with little to no enthusiasm. Katsuro tried his best at an awkward beam. It was all part of the job description. Before he knew it, however, she was hammering him with further questions: "What do you want? Where is everybody? Is there actually anything to do here?"

"Well, the bees--" He could not even begin his praise of the throbbing entomological hive of activity -- pun not intended -- this place was, and how it was such a unique area with many Japanese species of insects endemic and so on and so forth, when a well-dressed young man interjected by tapping him on the shoulder.

"Excuse me, but I believe you are blocking the way into my room. Would you please rectify that immediately. My arm is starting to tire. Unless you would like to take my luggage for me, that is." An English accent; he was one of a handful of exchange students from London here. Most stunk of money and entitlement; flights to Japan were not by any measure cheap. But Katsuro grinned, bore it, and freely went to take the boy's assorted -- expensive -- luggage. "Jeremiah Regis. You must be my roommate. A pleasure to meet you." Ah! That was the second name on this page on his clipboard.

"Apologies, my firend," He shuffled inwards with dutiful speed and set down his baggage near the unoccupied bunk. "As for you, Miss Harley, I was just going to welcome you to the camp and say that my name is Katsuro, and I am your assigned senior camper, and was just wondering if you had any questions or concerns with your cabin." It was the same bullshit pre-prepared canned ramble he had chanted almost six times today. "The same goes to you as well, Mister Jeremiah." Jerry? Jerry Regis? No, no; no nicknames without asking permission first.

ATTACKS USED: NONE
HIVEMIND STACKS: N/A

[HARLEY MCDEVIA]

❝ "Bees?" The pale girl would likely never know where that statement had been going, as their exchange was soon cut off by one of her cabin mates arriving. Bees, bees; she had hoped that he didn't mean this place was infested with them or anything. While she appreciated the sweet nectar of honey, getting stung by hundreds of tiny insects didn't sound like the best of summer vacations. There was already the matter of the mosquitoes - a problem that the river and trees had naturally brought upon them. This new arrival was also tall - that was something that was going to eventually bug her. Why did everybody have to be giants? Maybe one day, if she believed hard enough, she too could be big. But for now she was cursed with the humiliation of having to look up at people when they talked. Other than his height, he was more regally dressed than the other guy, though it seemed pretty unfitting for a summer camp. Harley herself simply wore a black t-shirt and a pair of shorts. Accompanied by flip-flops, of course. "It seems so. I wasn't told much about any of this. Harley McDevia, nice to meet you." She wasn't too fond of shaking hands so would opt out of that, even if he were to offer. It was going to be difficult rooming with such a stiff guy - he probably didn't even party. "Right, Katsuro, I have a shit-load of questions, but first, showing us around the camp wouldn't be bad." Her single red eye looked over towards Jeremiah; she debated on questioning why he was wearing a full business suit in the middle of summer, but ultimately decided against it.

LAIKA OF GS!

[Jeremiah Regis]

[ FRIENDS 4 LYFE ]

Jeremiah allowed the Senior Camper to take his luggage, his eyes scanning the room as it opened up in front of him. It was a very simple room, the cabin only having the most basic of amenities. He assumed that most of what he would need, in the way of bathrooms and kitchens, could be found in the main building, along with any form of recreation room that this place may have. There were three beds there, one that he assumed the girl in front of him had claimed, and another that his luggage was currently being placed in front of. His bed, he guessed.

His eyes flicked back to the girl as he noticed a distinct lack of hand-shaking happening. Exactly one less then there should have been. A slight furrow appeared between his brows, before disappearing quickly as he withdrew his hand. "A pleasure to meet you, Miss McDevia. And you too, Mister Katsuro. Thank you for your assistance." He acknowledge Katsuro, a small tilt of his head showing his appreciation. Which was about the limit he would give to a lower class porter and guide.

However, a roommate was someone closer to equal standing, if not actually on his level. "Jeremiah is such a mouthful. You may both call me Jim instead, if you so wish." He let the girl speak first, as it was her that the assistance was initially addressed to, only to find himself quite agreeable with her idea. "That sounds like a fantastic start, Mr Katsuro." He glanced at her out of the corner of his eyes, only just noticing the different eye colors as he met her red one. With her pure white hair and multicolored eyes, he found her to be quite an odd looking person. He was pleased to see, however, that he wasn't the only foreigner here, not the only one that would be slightly out of place.

He moved beside her, assuming that the guide would take some of his precious time to show the two around, without actually bothering to check. "That is quite a vivid case of Heterochromia. If I may be so bold as to ask, is it natural? Or has it been altered somehow, whether by surgery or contacts?"

ATTACKS USED: NONE
ROYALTY STACKS: N/A

[Katsuro Hachi]

[ DAVID BOWIE EYES ]

Katsuro stood politely by, as his culture dictated, smiling gently as the pair of them made their brief and initial introductions. The difference in respect that he gave between himself and Harley was noticeable; but these westerners were all the same like that. They gave all their attention to the pretty young women. There was no courtesy there, from what he'd seen of them in a few short years at camp.

"Right, Katsuro, I have a shit-load of questions, but first, showing us around the camp wouldn't be bad."

"That sounds like a fantastic start, Mr Katsuro."

"Okay then, if you'd like to follow me," He slid past the two of them, trying desperately to make no inappropriate physical contact, before gesturing to the door and then heading out himself. He smiled, turned away, and just trusted they would be following, hearing the Englishman make some bizarre small talk about the American girl's eyes. He had of course noticed, but deemed it far too rude -- and unprofessional -- to question.

"So, here are all the personal cabins for our campers. Senior campers and other staff members have their own cabins dotted around so there should never be anybody too far away." The tour of the general facilities was simple enough. "Just opposite there are the washrooms and showers, next to them the dining hall, and to your right I'm sure you can see our campfire, which is the general assembly point for all activities we have going during the day. They run from ten til four."

"Then..." His sight danced left for a moment; the mouth of the forest where the artificial campsite-clearing ended was beckoning. It wasn't part of the tour -- but surely they'd find it interesting. Right? Definitely couldn't hurt to try. Surely they'd be interested in all the insects, too? The evening was beckoning; the air humid and hazy. The fireflies would start to appear in an hour or so. The forest would be beautiful then, with all the orange blades of sunlight pervading through the trees' canopies. "If you want to follow me, I'll show you the Okutama Forest, so you can get a better understanding of your surroundings."

ATTACKS USED: NONE
HIVEMIND STACKS: N/A

[HARLEY MCDEVIA]

❝ Oh man, the Englishman had asked about her eyes - she cringed at the topic and realized that she had forgotten to wear her eyepatch today. She hated the feature personally, but the oddity came from the unfortunate and extremely rare combination of partial albinism and heterochomia. "Completely unnatural. I'm possessed." Her first reaction was to nervously joke about the situation, and the drop the subject completely. Thankfully, their tour guide gave her the opportunity to do just that. "Oh, yeah, a tour would be nice. Well, Jim, it would be rude to stay around here and talk about the Satanic rituals I perform on weekends." Harley would promptly follow the Japanese kid out the door, taking a breath of the fresh air - and almost inhaling a mosquito. Ugh. Bugs already. Katsuro pointed out the general accommodations of the place - the campfire, the showers, the staff cabins, everything you would expect in a place like this. Except for a few things. "Wait, is there a dining hall, or an entertainment hall or something?" She was met in response with a nervous question about a tour of the forest. The forest. If out here had tons of bugs, she couldn't even imagine what kind of things lurked in there. Then again, she was rather fond of plant-life and would enjoy to see some of Japan's nature scene. And considering she wasn't into more than half of the "activities" happening at the camp, it didn't sound like a half-bad waste of time. Harley brushed her hair out of her face and met him a deadpan answer, "Yeah, whatever. Let's go."

LAIKA OF GS!

[Jeremiah Regis]

[ TREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEES ]

He followed the Senior Camper as they were led around the camp, his eyes flicking back and forth as he took in all the sites. Ah, finally, a legitimate summer camp. He drank in the information, noticing how the camp was fairly westernized, especially for a Japanese based camp. He had simply looked at the girl with a slight expression of tired humor, deciding to leave her to her defenses. No point hounding the girl about something that would obviously make her uncomfortable.

"I assume that in the spirit of comradeship, most of our meals are eaten together near the fire pit. Such a quaint way to create bonds between people. How very rustic." He  looked over to the forest as their guide asked about heading into there. Not a very common area to explore on a first day, especially as it was starting to get a bit late, but Jeremiah was never one to back down from a new experience such as this. And while he wasn't in the best forest trekking gear, he was sure he would be able to quite easily keep up with the pair. Surely they wouldn't be taken into a dangerous forest. 

He nodded his consent, following up with a quick "I see no issue with this." before heading into the forest. As soon as he stepped foot inside, the noise from the camp became muffled, the light from the setting sun sending flashes of orange light through the canopy, the trees seeming to move and shake with the shadows. It was quite a serene beauty, something that Jeremiah wouldn't have been able to experience back home. 

He turned his head, glancing at the girl behind him, and then at the Senior Camper. His brows furrowed as the two seemed to split, both of them becoming unfocused, a small whining in his ears. He shook his head, blinking a few times, and looked back at them. They were both back in focus, the whining noise having disappeared. He quickly neutralized his expression, not wanting to show any form of weakness in front of these new people, and quickly pushed the incident to the back of his mind, and walked deeper into the forest.

ATTACKS USED: NONE
ROYALTY STACKS: N/A

[Katsuro Hachi]

WHAT'S THIS?

"Oh, yeah, a tour would be nice. Well, Jim, it would be rude to stay around here and talk about the Satanic rituals I perform on weekends." Did she... did he... was his English translating that right? The girl was talking about devil magic? Perhaps it was a western thing. "Wait, is there a dining hall, or an entertainment hall or something?"

"There is a mess hall over there with some board games and arcade machines in the corners," Katsuro pointed once again over towards where he had before. These westerners were proving to be awful listeners sometimes. Perhaps it was just the girl. She was peculiar. It intrigued him. He brought the forest up.

"I see no issue with this."

"Yeah, whatever. Let's go." Katsuro tried his absolute best to suppress a rapidly-broadening grin, leading them swiftly into the treeline. He begun to reel off facts about the forest as the canopies and undergrowths of the rich, Japanese beeches flanking them thickened.

"...and the Okutama Forest is itself home to over nine thousand different species of animals, with over five thousand of those being insects! Isn't that incredible?" There was an inevitable pause. These two did perhaps not share his entomological passions. "I'm pretty sure it's incredible." The moon was darkening above. The starlight was the only thing to guide them, save for his whimpering flashlight beam, cutting scathes of light through the quickly-blackening forest; but something else begun to emerge in the corner of his eye as he moved further and further, deeper and deeper down the path.

It was a swelling presence; a white-purple light, glowing with an unnatural, almost living radiance, fluctuating and breathing. Only slits of it were visible through the trees, and it was still about sixty yards away from the group, but as soon as they had turned the corner, its brightness and existence was immediately known. All three of them would undoubtedly notice it. He raised his hand curiously, forgetting about the forest's insect life for a moment.

"That wasn't here earlier," Katsuro mused. "What do you think it is?" Curiosity taking over, he instinctively begun to approach the light.

ATTACKS USED: NONE
HIVEMIND STACKS: N/A

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