DUNGEON LOG: KEYSTONE REEF

[phantasmods]

Expedition day dawns, as usual, with an android mass text -

Okay, so, this time we're aiming to go out and stabilize the Fissure in the reef you can see up a little to the north of here. The waters are usually pretty calm this time of year, so if you can swim instead of needing to take a boat, that'd be a great help. We only have a few of them.

Also, I know that last time was a mess, so I'm just gonna say this: If you need to get out for any reason, just send us a message and a picture of your location. We'll get a drone out to you as soon as we can and bring you home. No questions asked.

( ﾟ▽ﾟ)/ Stay safe out there! When you're ready to go, meet us down at the beach. The rocky, sparkly one, not the sandy one.

Unlike previous expeditions, this time there's no rooftop sendoff - instead, as Charm noted, the tables are set up on Glitterstone beach, along with a series of boats pulled up on the sand. Two rowboats that could maybe sit six people but probably better suited for four, a trio of inflatable rafts (with motors attached to the back, all mismatched) of about the same size, a two-person dinghy and a long canoe that could hold two or three.

Besides the little fleet, there's also the usual bagged lunches (in gallon ziplocs this time, and other such watertight containers), and every boat is equipped with a large number of those chepa dollar-store water bottles, all with their airtight store seals. There's also a selection of life vests and other floatation thingies in a box next to the table. Strange hovers over the setup, checking watertightness of a handful of first aid kits with a spritzer and a bucket to submerge things in. They give a little wave to anyone passing by headed to the boats.

For those who opt instead to swim, everything seems perfectly normal until you reach the border of the Fissure... When, very suddenly, it isn't.

Comments

[makejapangreat]

[Shido eyebrows slowly arch. A fish that makes people high when it bites them.]

Oh. Of course.

[can u tell how fed up he is with all this nonsensical bullshit yet, Akira???]

Any real damage? What did it do?

[AKIRA...]

[beguiledcard]

[ he can and that amuses him tbh ]

Hm? Nothing too bad.

[ He's holding up his hand. It's probably super difficult to tell, but there is a place on there that the fish had been scraping the skin off of... ]

Every time it kissed me, it took some skin with it.

[makejapangreat]

[i'm sorry what]

Did you just say kissed?

[beguiledcard]

Yep~

[ JUST GRINNING AT THAT REACTION TBH... and, eh, why not? Let's see how annoying we can be. ]

Guess you could say they were fishing for smiles.

[makejapangreat]

[oh my god]

Exactly how many times were you bitten?

[beguiledcard]

[ Yes, good. A good response. He's snickering at the lack of amusement. ]

Somewhere between five and fifteen times? I didn't bother counting.

[ AKIRA... ]

[makejapangreat]

[how did shido get stuck babysitting high akira, what the fuck is his life anymore...

even though he has crazy powers and changed shido's heart... he's still so painfully a teenager.

He gives a sigh.]

And what do these fish look like?

[Well, they look an awful lot like the one that's swimming towards Shido from behind him right now...]

[beguiledcard]

[ And we find ourselves at a crossroad...

>Point?
>Give a description?
>Give a description and then point?




> Begin snickering at the universe's perfect timing. ]

[makejapangreat]

[good god akira you are as high as a kite.]

What's so funny now?

[That's when he feels a little bump against his tail, followed by a small, soothing burst of euphoria. He blinks and looks over to see the fish, which darts away a bit at his movement, but not far.]

Ah. There's the little troublemaker.

[... he actually seems a little amused.]

[beguiledcard]

[ It could be worse, at least? ]

Guess it heard you asking about it.

[ He's grinning like hell over here. ]

Did it get you, too, then?

[makejapangreat]

Seems so.

[The little fish comes right back up to him and bites him in another spot. He gives a small chuckle— not wry, for once, before he gently waves it off with a hand.]

Alright, alright. One of us needs to stay somewhat lucid.

[beguiledcard]

[ Careful, Shido...

That fish is letting itself get swatted away, and then immediately swimming over to Akira. Who is too distracted by the fact that he just heard Shido...

Was that... a laugh???

Oh- He blinks as he feels the fish suddenly boop him right on the cheek.

And then he starts outright laughing. ]

[makejapangreat]

[The warmth he now feels is a welcome reprieve from his usual heavy emotions. He actually feels relaxed and some level of... okay. He crosses his arms loosely in front of him as he watches Akira laugh at the fish, for now feeling content. He won't intervene unless Akira starts bleeding again, in which case he'll come up and gently shoo the fish off.]

[beguiledcard]

[ Well, fortunately he's already playfully swatting at the fish before swimming away from it. Right over to Shido, in fact?

He grins and lightly shoves the old man's shoulder. ]

See? Not such a bad thing after all, right?

[makejapangreat]

Hmmmm. [Amused...] It's not a bad thing until you start deciding it'd be a good idea to hug one of those giant eels, or something like that.

[beguiledcard]

Don't worry. As much as you could obviously use about every hug, I don't think we're quite to that level.

[ Akira... that's not even-

... what??? ]

[makejapangreat]

[A snort, and then

Akira's getting a light bap on the head for that.]

Obviously I'm not talking about me.

[beguiledcard]

Right... of course...

[ he's got this, he's good at stuff right now ]

I knew that??

[ BOY THAT LAUGH SURE IS CONVINCING ISN'T IT ]

[makejapangreat]

[wtf this kid...]

I'm not entirely convinced you know your tail from mine at the moment.

[he's... so amused...]

[beguiledcard]

Hey-

[ Akira's... attempting to pretend he's offended, and totally failing, holy shit. A couple of snorts manage to escape. ]

I definitely do!

[makejapangreat]

Alright, prove it.

[Go on then. Show him how lucid you absolutely aren't.]

[beguiledcard]

[ . . . ]

... Okay. [ grinning! ] You're on, then.

[ AND HE'S JUST. GOING TO START FOR SHIDO'S TAIL......

... just kidding; he's going for his own. And grinning like he just won a fucking trophy. ]

See~?

[makejapangreat]

[What the hell... this is so... fucking endearing?]

Very impressive. Though it shouldn't surprise me; you're a sharp boy.

so remember when you said nothing is sacred with me.............

[beguiledcard]

[ ... Oh.

That gets him to stop and stare at Shido for a moment, his expression softening completely. ]

Wh-... I mean, it's... it was just...

[ And it's probably very obvious that High Akira is now completely flustered and unsure how to handle this random compliment from Masayoshi Shido of all people? ]

... a tail?

[ A soft snort slips out. ]

My own dad would say the opposite. [ and before it can even dawn him him what he's saying: ] He'd sooner tell me everything I did wrong in the past ten years, and why I'm always going to disappoint him, than--...

[ Even in this state, there's a soft frown and a look of discomfort flashing. It's dim, but it's there. But, then he just laughs. ]

As if I have any reason to complain, though. Just listen to me... talking like I've got any room to complain about parents. [ yeah, as though this is totally unbelievable stuff ] I'm the guy who's supposed to be okay no matter what, right...?

hey, how about, pushes you off a cliff for the seventeenth time

[makejapangreat]

[He looks so caught that it actually serves to sober Shido for a moment, and he gives a blink, but... doesn't look away. It's true, after all. As the leader of the Phantom Thieves, he's outwitted Shido in every possible way...

But the story comes as a surprise. He listens quietly, attentively to his words, his attention raptly on Akira even in his buzzed state.

He chuckles softly again, and swims a bit closer.]

Seems you really do learn something new every day; I wasn't aware you were a robot, Akira.

[A gentle tease, but then he sobers a little again.]

Of course you can't always be okay no matter what. And perhaps you haven't had me for a father, but that hardly invalidates what you've gone through with your own parents.

Now, exactly in what ways have you disappointed him?