[OP-F24] Everyone needs a break in the summer! Open for everyone. (Scavenger hunt have started!)

[Bliss 0]

Upon feeling Kil’s reassuring hand on her shoulder and hearing him softly tell her, “You’re doing your best,” Bliss’s lips curled into a gentle smile. The tension in her body eased just a bit as she whispered back, “Thank you.” She could barely believe how grateful she felt in that moment.

That is, until she caught Kil out of the corner of her eye pulling off his shirt. Her mind short-circuited as his well-defined, extremely muscular body was revealed. Her jaw dropped, quite literally, and she had to physically close her mouth. Is my nose bleeding? I feel like it’s bleeding. Her thoughts spiraled as her face flushed crimson. Before she could slip too deep into her own daydreams, Kil’s voice pulled her back to reality. His words were like an anchor, grounding her. “Thanks, bestie. I’ll remember th-that,” she stammered, flashing him a sweet smile, though internally she was still reeling from the unexpected sight. @Kiluia Seiko

The first to approach her after Kil wandered off was a teal-haired woman, someone who radiated cuteness. Bliss smiled awkwardly as the woman, @Adelyte, laid down beside her on the blanket. “N-Nice to meet you, Ad-Adelyte. I’m Bliss,” she managed, still fighting the urge to stutter. Bliss pointed over to where Kil had been moments earlier, “That’s Kiluia. I-I don’t know where he’s run off to, but I’m glad you joined me. I don’t know anyone else except for Kil and, uh... W-Wulfrin? Yeah, I think that’s his name. He made my weapon for me.” Pointing over to the man fishing on the beach.

To illustrate her point, Bliss fumbled with her belongings before pulling out her trusty wrench and a set of sockets tied together with a string. She held them up for Adelyte to see, her nerves settling as they shared a moment. A new friend. Bliss could feel the tension easing from her shoulders.

Then, @Jomei passed by. Bliss’s breath hitched as her eyes locked onto the well-toned muscles the man was showing off. A panic bubbled inside her as she smiled weakly at him, trying to stay composed. A floatie? He has a floatie? Well, I guess it’s a beach, she reasoned, but her thoughts didn’t linger long as she became captivated by his Irish accent. “S-Sure! We’ll see you later, h-hopefully?” she called out after him, silently praying she hadn’t embarrassed herself too much. The more friends, the better... right?

As she was recovering from that encounter, another figure approached. This time it was a blue-haired boy who seemed shy, just like her. He wasn’t as muscular as Kil or Jomei, but his abs were still defined enough to make Bliss’s cheeks flush again. Jeeeeeeez. What the hell are they feeding the people here?! They're all so fucking hot, she thought, her mind spiraling as she looked at everyone here.

Her face burning, she peeked at him through her fingers, unable to fully hide her embarrassment. “Agh? That’s an… in-interesting name,” she remarked, tilting her head curiously. There was something familiar about his nervous energy; it was almost like she was talking to the male version of herself. The realization made her feel a little braver. She lowered her hands and offered a shy smile. “I-I’m Bliss.” She extended her hand, still sitting down on the blanket. “I’m s-sure Agh isn’t your name. Would you mind t-telling me what to actually call you?” @Cobean

Bliss's eyes lit up as soon as Zandra’s announcement echoed through the air. A scavenger hunt? That was right up her alley! She loved the thrill of searching for things, and there was no way she’d pass up the chance to join in. With an excited grin, she turned to Adelyte and Cobean. "W-Wanna join the scavenger hunt w-with me?"

Before waiting for a response, Bliss jumped to her feet. She extended her hand toward Adelyte, her excitement bubbling over. Once Adelyte took her hand, Bliss playfully linked her arm with Cobean’s, looping the other through Adelyte’s. "Come on! Let's have some fun!"

With both friends in tow, Bliss led them toward the starting point, her enthusiasm contagious. The day had suddenly taken a fun, adventurous turn, and Bliss was more than ready to dive in, her nervousness from earlier dissipating as she became distracted.

* * *

Searching for Crystals:
ID: 236311 | BD: 6 | CD: 6 | LD: 17
2 Red Crystals found! 
Total points: 2

Edited October 23 by Bliss

[Kiluia Seiko 0]

The seabreeze and the salt that rose amongst the wind and blew across the open beach. The scenery, albeit fake, was simply too amazing to ignore. The seagulls, the npc’s enjoying the beach, the players who seemed to be bustling around, and the serenity that surrounded it all made the day less threatening than most days.

While he placed his shirt into his inventory and placed black spandex on his legs, he felt eyes prying upon him and turned immediately to see who had been gazing upon him. He had been trying to spot people who he knew previously while doing a quick landscape check, but he felt Bliss’s gaze for a quick instant. Then it was followed by two others who had been there. His tense eyes softened immediately as the two newcomers introduced themselves to Bliss. “Pleasure.” He spoke to the two newcomers. “Call me Kil.” He would smile at the two. He would move a bit to them. With him around, Bliss could at least be somewhat safe…? Right…? Right?! 

No sooner than the announcement came, she started off dragging the other two newcomers off in search of an item. With one flick of his wrist, he gently placed a karate chop on her head. Bonk. Red eyes narrowed and he walked in front of her and stared at her reaching to her height. “I don’t need to educate you that despite everything, you should at least get to know your fellow new friends? Remember to check their icons over their heads… Also, don’t let anyone take you off course... Or in this case, don’t drag random people around.” He scolded. 

A sigh escaped his lips as the party sifted through the sands in search of items of the scavenger hunt. He glanced casually at Cobean and Adelyte. “Never seen you before.” He offered an encouraging smile to them. “Do you guys venture out a lot?” His words were soft and calm as opposed to when he spoke to Bliss. It was a different demeanor when it came to her anyway. He looked at Cobean, the odd man out who didn’t introduce himself. Did he seem nervous to him? 

His body language changed a bit to a relaxed stature to show he meant no harm to Cobean. Perhaps, if time moved, they would all gather together and meet together at his shop over some vanilla filled smores. It was food for thought. Pun intended.

 

Spoiler

236319    2    7    10 Search Failed

@Bliss @Cobean@Adelyte

Edited October 24 by Kiluia Seiko

[Cobean 0]

              Cobean's word fumble turned out to be a bigger problem than he expected. The girl suddenly thought he went by Agh, and Cobean covered his face with his hands as the realization of his mistake settled in. She introduced herself as Bliss, and then asked what Cobean preferred to be called. "C-Cobean. My username is Cobean." He uttered out. "It's really nice to meet you, Bliss." He said, his hands no longer on his face...which was still very reddened. It was like the sight of the woman was stirring something up deep within him. "Man oh man, she's just so pretty! Why can't I stop thinking about that?" He thought as his internal chaos befuddled his mind. He needed to focus. He remembered what his adoptive mother, and his newer brother Clark, had told him, this was probably part of the process, it was a natural thing...but if it could stop distracting his mind...

     The hostess of the party would announce the first activity. A Scavenger Hunt. Cobean's eyes lit up as something he'd learned to do for survival turned out to be useful here too. Bliss asked Cobean and the other blue haired player if they wanted to join her Cobean nodded without hesitation. "Of course-!" And before he knew it, Bliss linked her arm with his and dashed off with Cobean and the other girl in tow. As unexpected as this situation was, Cobean(although he had no clue why) somehow found the situation a bit exhilarating. The thought of being whisked away by a beautiful woman somehow got his heart going, what was wrong with him? Didn't heroes within tales be the ones whisking others off, instead of the other way around? Well, becoming a Helpful hero like that of the tales he'd read was his goal, but he was still too low level to get anywhere near that. Perhaps for his current state, this was par for the course. Bliss's words of telling the other two players in this impromptu trio to have some fun with her, set Cobean's heart fluttering and he didn't know how to respond...though his blushing told quite a lot.
         The white haired man who introduced himself as Kil earlier, bonked Bliss on the head and calmly scolded her. Cobean had absolutely no clue on how to respond...other than notice and grab at the two crystals under the man's feet. A helpful distraction. Kil asked the two blue haired players if they ventured out often. "Not yet, but very soon. I've only recently started out." He answered, flipping one of the red crystals he'd found through a toss in the air, and catching it with little issue. "I've proven to be pretty dexterous so far, so I guess I've got that going for me." He remarked.

@Bliss @Kiluia Seiko @Adelyte

 

ID# 236326 BD: 7(Crystal Found!), CD: 5(Red), LD: 15(2 Crystals Total)

Current Score: 2

 

Crystals left in the area:
Red: 23/30
Blue: 13/15
Transparent: 3/3

Edited October 24 by Cobean

[Eliseris 0]

                        Zandra arrived to announce the first activity, what it was, and that it was starting now. "Well I suppose that answers my question." Eliseris remarked. "Well, would any of you three like to join me for thi-"
                                   But the three players were not there. Not Morningstar, not Willow, not even the newcomer to the conversation. She looked and saw that Colette had disappeared too. She didn't know what else to do... "...You're um, welcome to come with me on my search if you'd like, otherwise, I'm just gonna go...?" Eliseris noted, albeit awkwardly due to the situation. Well, so much for tying to form connections so that she had allies, looks like pleasantries would have to come later. For now, the Scavenger Hunt.

@Andromeda @Mishiro

 

    Eliseris looked ahead and saw two crystals. Might as well grab them before someone else does. They shone a brilliant red. They might have been the most common crystal in this event, but they were worth appreciating.

 

ID# 236337 BD: 4(Crystal Found!), CD: 2(Red), LD: 17(2 Crystals Total)

Current Score: 2

 

Crystals left in the area:
Red: 21/30
Blue: 13/15
Transparent: 3/3

Edited Monday at 02:37 AM by Eliseris

[Adelyte 0]

“Oh you know Wulfrin too?” Adelyte perked up, looking over her shoulder at the fisherman on the dock. “He helped me out with a quest I needed to take. Would have been totally boring if he hadn’t come along.” Bringing a hand to her mouth, she spoke as if she was telling a secret, but did not reduce the sound of her voice much, but rather mumbled. “Would you believe me if I told you he spent that whole time fishing too?” She laughed it off as her brain processed talk about making weapons. “Wait, Wulfrin can make weapons?!” smacking herself in the forehead, “Jeezlouise, I should have asked him to make me something! Since we are totally best friends and all.”

The palms of the bluenette’s hands squished into her cheeks, a silly expression of wonder and awe. “That’s your weapon?!” just as much excitement in her voice, “That’s so cooool! Do you like, work with tools or something? I would never expect someone like you to get down and dirty. You’re just so pretty and clean! Goes to show you can’t judge a book by its cover.” Her smile shone bright at the blonde. Bliss’ eyes trailed elsewhere, to another player passing by. Mister Irish, all tall and tone with ginger hair. “Hubba hubba.” Ad would chime in as she watched him past by a second time, “He was totally checking you out, did you see that? And that wink? Swoon.”

Another boy approached, this one actually taking the time to stop at their little gathering. The blue haired guy seeking the love of the popular blonde man.. at least in her head. As he tried to introduce himself to the group – though his eyes remained almost entirely on Bliss – she could tell she was mistaken. Pushing herself up from her stomach to sit on her kneels, she would slightly lean to one side towards the white haired member of their posse. “Those two talk the same.” Adelyte whispered to Kil, in regards to Bliss and Cobean’s stutters and stammers. For a moment, Adelyte felt a bit jealous. Seemed like Aincrad’s men were into blondes more than blues. “Nice to meet you BlueBean, call me Adelyte.” She would stick in her own greeting, dubbing the player his new nickname.

Before any more conversation would be had, the host of the party announced the start of a game; a scavenger hunt. Their goal, find crystals scattered on the beach. Adelyte’s shoulders dropped for a moment. “Like.. gathering materials?” she groaned to the group around her. Why was it always gathering things? At least this seemed a bit more fun and lighthearted.. and easier.

Getting up to her feet with the others, Bliss grabbed her and Cobean’s arms, an aura of excitement emanating around her. That was, until Kiluia stopped her with a small chop to the head and a lecture. “Woah man, watch those hands before you catch these” she balled her own tiny hand into a fist and waved it towards Kil. “How else would she get to know us without having some fun! Come on, dad, lighten up a little.” She teased, before rushing off with Bliss and Cobean once more.

“Oh yeah. For sure.” She responded to Kil as the four of them searched for any crystals poking out of the sand. “I get out all the time,” she lied. Cobean was more honest, sounding like he was in the same level range as her. Though, he went on to explain that dexterity was one of his defining traits. “Oh~ He’s dexterous, he says~” Adelyte made sure to nudge Bliss in the side with her elbow. “You must be quite a hit with the ladies then..” Her blue brows waggled up and down as she looked over at Cobean. “..or the men.”  She shrugged her shoulders, shooting a glance in the celebrity’s (Morningstar) direction for a moment. That slight look off to the side was enough to catch something in the water. Like a fishing bobber piercing through the gently rolling surface, but the same color. “Aha!” she shouted, before breaking off from the group and charging into the tide once more. “Thought you could hide from me?!” Holding the dripping wet, blue crystal in her hand high over her head, she turned to her group to show it off. “Got one!” Walking back to the sand with fingers interlaced behind her back, she fell into step with Kiluia, allowing Cobean and Bliss a moment together. “So, how did you and Bliss get to be close?” she asked, curious about their situation. She first mistook the white haired man as a boyfriend or suitor of sorts.. but he seemed to be more of a friend, a defender even. “I haven’t met many higher leveled players, but I can tell from the way you carry yourself that you have a few levels on us.” She smiled. “You seem very protective of her, its sweet.”  She let a moment hang in the air for a moment before she continued, “So, do you like, have a crush on her or something?”

ID 236354 | BD 9| CD 8 | LD 8
Blue Crystal Found

Score: 3
Crystals left in the area:
Red: 21/30
Blue: 12/15
Transparent: 3/3

[Acanthus 0]

After a brief, engaging conversation with Zandra, she had excused herself to open the scavenger hunt. A look of determination flashed across Acanthus' face. Current quest objective: win the scavenger hunt. Bonus objective: by a landslide.

She rummaged through her basket to find the handle, and with a violent tug, pulled it from the comically small basket. She then slung the thing over her shoulder. It was almost as tall as she was.

With a robotic fixation, Acanthus traced a line across the surf, digging half-meter holes approximately one meter apart. On her seventeenth hole, she turned over some dirt and gasped in delight as a pair of red crystals shined through the wet sand. Acanthus looked up to continue her line of holes and realized there was already one in her path. A young boy ( @Gambit ) hummed happily as he dug. She greeted the stranger warmly. “Hi there. Are you also looking for the crystals?” She thought back to Zandra’s instructions. Nothing against teaming up. And she didn’t mind someone else winning with her—just as long as she won too. “My name is Acanthus. You want to help me dig some holes?”
 

Post Action: Dig dig dig
236396 | BD 7 | CD 1 | LD 17. Two Red Crystals found.

Score: 2
Crystals left in the area:
Red: 19/30
Blue: 12/15
Transparent: 3/3

Edited Tuesday at 04:17 AM by Acanthus

[Astra 0]

The sun beamed down on Astra as he made his way through the soft grass towards the even softer sand. He held one hand over his eyes, almost like a salute, so he could see what was going on ahead of him. Lo and behold, just like the posted message implied, a lot of other people were already here at the beach. It looks like they had begun scavenging for something, and he didn't want to interrupt. So many players that he didn't recognize, which made sense, as he'd only recently started getting his feet wet in the world. Nerves began to creep up as he thought of meeting all of these new people. How would he introduce himself? How would he contribute to any conversation or activities? Oh man, okay. Just gotta go for it.

Astra's blue eyes scanned the beach for anyone that he knew as he walked over, decked head to toe in light breezy summer clothes. He wore a white linen button up shirt with an open collar, and a pair of sky blue 4-inch swim trunks, with a cloud and star pattern adorned on them. His hair blew lightly in the breeze, with his bangs being pushed aside. His feet hit the warm sand, and for some reason a little bit of his anxiety dissipated. From the end of the beach his eyes caught Wulfrin, who he knew from his training lessons and sessions on the early floors. Unsurprisingly it looked like the brown-haired player was fishing. Of course he was! 

Astra made his way past some of the people conversing, putting on a light smile and nodding if any of their eyes met his. He'd give a formal introduction if they spoke. 

"Hey Wulfrin! Catch anything good here?" He asked with an overhead wave. He stopped by the chair that the fisherman was sitting in and looked to him. 

"Looks like a lot of people turned up here. That's a whoooole lot of people I haven't met before, but this is really nice." He wasn't lying, it was really nice. Everyone taking a break from the frontlines and the quests to get together and have a good day in the sun. 

***

Spoiler

Astra | HP: 20/20 | EN: 20/20 | DMG: 2 | MIT:0| ACC: 1 |

 

[Morningstar 0]

"Mister Not-A-Rock!"

He stared blankly for a moment, trying to piece together whether it was an insult or not.

"Oh! You!"

What was her name? An-something, An-something. Andromelith. Andropal. Androlese. Let's just stick with An.

He nudged Willow. "She saved me from the maze."

Willow snorted. "Only he'd forget teleport crystals and chalk. Glad you ran into him," she smiled.

The conversation turned in a hundred and one directions. Willow introduced herself to Colette, who had finished fawning over Morningstar. An announced her love for digging holes. Wulfrin, for some reason, owed Star an apology; he ran off before he could explain why.

"Hey, Jomei!" Star waved.

"Who's that?" Willow whispered.

"That's Jomei."

"Ahh. Clears things up."

Star's head spun as his name cut through the crowd. Not his username--his real name. He had gone years unrecognized, only to be bombarded at a random beach party on a random day. "Yeah. For sure. Monsters." He was to embarrassed to admit that he couldn't remember the blue-haired boy's name. Too many names had been thrown around for one day. One of them was Eliseris, he thought. He didn't even notice NIGHT, who had started conversation with Willow.

"They're not here for me; they're here for him. This was supposed to be a date," she admitted to NIGHT with a laugh, "but he can't keep the paparazzi away." She reached out a hand. "I'm Willow."

Someone chimed in, bringing up the group's ignorance of Willow. She was Eliseris. At least, Star was 45% sure. "Oh. Hi, NIGHT. Save us."

ID237030 bd3
no crystal found

[Mishiro 0]

"oh, um!"

an turns bashful at the woman's gratefulness.

"y-your-- i mean, please don't forget them next time!" she says first to morningstar, her hands clasped over her chest. then back to his friend. "he helped me a lot, too."

"why were you at the 25th?"

an smiles brightly. "money."

"ah."

seamlessly, an turns back to morningstar and his still unidentified friend. she doesn't need her to guide the conversation at all -- she had only needed a small nudge. an's sincerity would have reached others eventually, whether or not mishiro was here. she feels comfortable sliding back into a quieter role.

"um, i don't think i caught your name--?"

"stephen star?!"

who?

another body added to their group. he enthuses them all on morningstar's performative merits (or perhaps he was only speaking to morningstar) and leaves as abruptly as he had cut in. in the boy's wake, mishiro looks at the highlight of the hour, her mind blanking on his real name. that can't be comfortable. players exclusively introduced themselves by their usernames for a reason, moreso if reality carried weight. she comments mildly, attempting to bring down the energy of the conversation, "you used to sing?"

but an isn't on the same wavelength. she looks him up and down, disbelieving. "huh? really?" and something that she sees convinces her and she gasps. "i-i-i-i-it's super nice to meet you! oh my god! i called you a rock! i'm so sorry!!" she presses her fingers together, flushing slightly, anxious. "it kind of makes sense, now that i think about it. nervegears were super expensive. have you ever met anyone else like you?"

oh, an...

"are any of you going to acknowledge willow?"

the new voice is sharp with reprimand. an jolts. her nervousness takes on a different color. mishiro's eyes turn, wary, towards one of the women who had been there since the beginning but had mostly kept to herself. she hears an, in a valiant effort to smooth things over, mumble, impossibly quiet, "who's willow--"

an was one of the loudest in their group. she isn't going to take this well.

with every word that follows, her friend shrinks further and further into herself. her posture gains that awkward hunch she uses to try and compensate for her height. she worries at her fingernails and her red eyes flit from one member of their circle to another, searching for any hints of blame. she lingers longest on their newcomer, and mishiro realizes that an wants to leave.

"s-sorry. sorry. willow." voice trembling, her friend quickly bows her head and turns around. "uh, i'm going to try the refreshments! and the holes. you can stay, mish."

she lets her.

was that really necessary?

she resists the urge to glare at eliseris, or worsen the tension with her own sharp words. if the woman had her grievances, she could have spoken with willow herself rather than air it so tactlessly. mishiro smooths over her composure, blocking out for a moment the sight of her friend, contending with one of her worst social fears surrounded by near strangers.

"willow? it's good to meet you. you're here with morningstar, i'm assuming? i apologize if there was any offense on my or an's part." she moves to pull away, addressing morningstar, willow, the newcomer, and (where is colette?). "i'm going after her."

ignoring zandra's announcement of a 'scavenger hunt,' mishiro departs and follows her friend.

 

-> scavenger hunt: 237077: BD 1

Edited Tuesday at 01:00 PM by Mishiro

[Jomei 0]

The greeting from his friend seemed rushed, as if he was trying to juggle ten other things at once. Maybe it was unwise to try and spark up a conversation with someone who was being spoken at by a number of other people. With pursed lips, his hands gently slid into the pockets of his jacket while he stepped back away from the ground. Perhaps another time then, he thought to himself as he turned from Morningstar and the others.

Now came the awkward part of any gathering - finding somewhere to fit in. The blonde haired woman had invited him to join them, but they had since left their blanket to go on the scavenger hunt Zandra put together. Already a larger group, filled with players he was unfamiliar with. A small sigh escaped his lips as he turned once more, this time with a drink on the mind. 

The bottle was unmarked, aside from a simple label pasted onto the darkened glass, leaving him to wonder if it was supposed to be alcoholic or not. With a crack, the ginger removed the bottle cap by popping it on the side of the table. The taste was pleasant, reminiscent of a beer but with a sweet hint of honey to make up for the lack of the effects of the alcohol. It'll do, he thought to himself as he took another sip. 

Jomei found a spot on the beach close to the water, not enough for the crashing waves to engulf him, but just so the occasional wave would wash over his feet as he sat staring out at the seemingly endless blue. 

[Acanthus 0]

The younger boy seemed content to dig on his own for now. “Let me know if you change your mind.” And so she continued her orderly line across the surf.

There was a foot where her next hole was supposed to go. As if awakening from a dream, Acanthus exited her self-made subroutine and examined the person to whom the foot belonged. A melancholy man with a mop of ginger hair nursed a bottle, staring contemplatively out at the sea. He seemed like he was deep in thought—it would probably be best to work around him. With a slight circular arc, she continued her line of holes behind the brooding figure. But something gnawed at her that she couldn’t let go.

“Excuse me.” She gestured to his foot. “Could you move to the left just a little? I’ve got a pattern going.”

Before the figure could respond, she could hear her brother chiding her for the comment. That’s not how you treat strangers! She heard him say.

“... I apologize. I have reason to believe that question was poorly timed.” Her hands began to throb, and she looked back at the dozens of holes she had already dug. Many of them were already washing away in the tide. Perhaps it was time for a break. “Would you mind if I sat with you for a moment?” Hoping for a yes, she preemptively plopped into the sand next to him. “Acanthus,” she said, holding out a sandy hand before pulling it back with a tinge of embarrassment. She wiped the hand down on her leg before reoffering it sheepishly.

She was talking before she realized it. “We used to come out to the beach all the time. My family, that is. Mom loved to sit and watch the waves just like this. Koji liked playing in the surf, but it always made mom anxious. You know how moms are. And Dad…” She paused with a smile. “It was the only time I ever got to see Dad act like… a kid, I guess? He was always so serious. But he loved breaking out his old metal detector. It was a massive brick from the 80s; Mom said he’d spent a fortune having it shipped in.” Acanthus shifted her gaze to the line of fading holes she’d left behind. “I guess that’s why I’m digging out here instead of somewhere more sensible. I can pretend he’s running just ahead of me, Coinmaster squawking like a seagull.”

The waves lapped at her feet, soaking the ends of her swimsuit cover. She adjusted her sunglasses, making sure they hid whatever her eyes were trying to say.

“My manners got away from me. I didn’t mean to interrupt your solitude like that.” She started to stand up. Her hands hadn’t quite recovered, and she wasn’t quite ready to leave, but Acanthus was confident she’d overstayed her welcome by unloading her life story onto a man who clearly wanted to be left alone. “It was nice to meet you. Good luck.”

Post Action: Dig dig dig
237093 | BD 8 CD 5 LD 17. Two Red Crystals found.

Score: 4
Crystals left in the area:
Red: 17/30
Blue: 12/15
Transparent: 3/3

Edited Wednesday at 12:40 AM by Acanthus

[Gambit 0]

"Crystals?" Gambit asked. Was there something going on at the beach that he didn't know about? "What crystals?" 

He looked up from his digging and cast a cursory glance at the people gathered at the beach. They all seemed like they were scouring the sand for something. His mind immediately went to seashells -- but the nice lady (@Acanthus) who'd approached him had mentioned something about crystals. He looked down into the hole he'd been digging, now quite a bit more than ankle deep. The only thing in it that he could see were his own sand-covered feet. "Uh, no crystals." 

When she asked him if he wanted to help her dig holes, he squinted. Holes -- plural? As in more than one? Gambit thought about it. 

"I kinda just wanna keep digging this one. But I'll let you know if I find any, uhh -- crystals! I'll let you know if I find any crystals for you." 

[Jomei 0]

Not a word had left Jomei's lips - hardly even a gesture of his hand, offering the stranger a seat next to him - before this Acanthus began opening up to him. He had recognized her from the raid meeting not just a couple days prior, a new face on the frontlines. She was very quiet and to herself, a usual result of the anxiety and fear of the impending raid battle. Nonetheless, despite the fact that Jomei did not even have a chance to introduce himself, he allowed her to speak. 

He listened, as he was always taught. 

She spoke of her family, and their trips to the beach. Her worrisome mother and straight-faced father, who took those opportunities to unwind. And a sibling, what he would give to have that relationship with a brother, or sister. Especially now, someone he could trust to take care of his mother and even his father. He was sure this situation wasn't easy on either of them. 

Though they may have been the babbling words of one stranger to another, it would tug at his heartstrings. 

Homesick wasn't a feeling he had felt for a long time.

"H-Hey" he shrugged it off with a chuckle, gesturing a gentle hand in Acanthus' direction as she quickly stood and apologized. "No need to apologize. I wasn't over here burying myself in my woes or anything like that. I just enjoy watching the waves, feeling the sun on my skin. There weren't too many beach trips in my youth, if any at all. Not really a thing where I'm from. So getting to enjoy this here.. its just nice." Whether she had decided to sit back down or not, he continued to speak until she inevitably decided which path to take. "Thank you for sharing. It's been awhile since I've heard someone talk about their home, and their family. A nice reminder of what we're fighting to get back to." 

"And I'm Jomei, by the way. Its nice to meet you as well. You're one of our newcomers on the frontlines, yeah?" 

@Acanthus