- As Akane scrawled her name on the list, the pink ink so bright it almost matched her hair, she found herself writing as fast as she could. She tapped her foot, taking glances over at the woods she had come from, listening carefully for the voices of the two counselors she’d met to waft over on the summer breeze.
To just about any onlooker, Akane would look more nervous than anything else—in fact, she didn’t look like she was built for the outdoors at all. She had come from another country, apparently subsidized by a wealthy family and money she’d made off silks dancing, brught here by her trainer after they finished a competition in the nearby city.
She looked very out of place in the messy, rugged environment of Kamp: her hair was always perfectly curled, her makeup precisely applied, her clothes always higher quality than the rest. Many campers talked amongst themselves, unsure of why she was even there. Surely she must have better things to do with her time?
However, what they didn’t know is that, although Akane’s family was wealthy—or, rather, had been at one time, before the rise of the emperor—she had left that world completely behind after the untimely death of her father. She was not dressed by wealth but by necessity, because back home, she was not just a dancer, but a trained assassin. Her clothes were handpicked by her trainer, Athena, designed to help her fit in, hiding her true motive behind attending. She was attending Kamp to refinine some more unique skills. It’s not often you find a place with archery, canoeing, and rock climbing all in one place, so, when her and Athena found out about it, they all but jumped on the chance.
Akane was not anxious at all—in fact, her seemingly ‘nervous’ tics were nothing more than excitement. She had faced far scarier events back home—a simple walk in the dark woods would most likely be relaxing to her, a return to something familiar in this otherwise unfamiliar world of bright colors and casual fun.
Her heart twisted slightly as she walked away from the sheet, gazing down at her bright yellow t-shirt, feeling very lonely in Kamp. Everyone else was here to have fun, and to make friends, but Akane was here on a mission. And, although she was glad for the opportunity, it could get rather lonely at times.
Just as she was reached the main section of Kamp again, she caught the voices of the two counselors before on the wind. They were laughing together, and she couldn’t help but smile softly to herself.
Maybe she could take a break from her training, just for that one evening. Go on the hike, let herself go, make some friends as most she could in the privacy of the deep, dark woods.
Yeah, she thought to herself. I’d like that. I’d like that very much.
