Adventure is Stored in the Toilet PV Akemi Closed

WC: 376 Hex: #433867

Date: March 1, 2022 Outfit: School robes and Shoes

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Through her sneezing frenzy, Gemima was vaguely aware of Akemi's hand on her shoulder.
"It's alright," The latter soothed. "Take a few deep breaths."
Gemima sneezed one final time, coughed, then reached out blindly for something to steady herself. Her hand found Akemi's shoulder, and she shakily pulled herself to her feet.
"Uh, sorry about that," she said, sniffing. "My nose is really sensitive. But at least we found something--oh Merlin! Your nose!"

Gem frantically looked around for something to stem the shock of scarlet that was steadily streaming down Akemi's face. She rushed into a stall, and grabbed some toilet paper from the surprisingly still full roll, then went to go wet it in the sink. Thankfully, the plumbing in that particular basin managed to push a tiny stream of water out of the faucet. Just enough for the issue at hand.

"I'm so sorry! That must have really hurt." she fretted, glancing at the lockbox in Akemi's hands. She handed the wet paper to the other girl, and then stepped back. "Let me know if you need any more of that. Does anything feel broken?"

Merlin, she felt terrible! She sure hoped Akemi wouldn't be too upset at her. And now there was blood all over her uniform, too. Gemima fidgeted with her fingers, but the other girl didn't seem to bothered by her injury. She looked like she hadn't noticed the bleeding at all.
Gem cleared her throat and looked towards the stunningly ornate lockbox. It was painted a deep red with gilded metal trimmings, with delicate flowering vines carved into the gold.

"It has a lock on it, though. Maybe there's a key hidden somewhere." Akemi mused.

Gemima puffed out her cheeks in mite frustration. She didn't know how to cast the unlocking charm yet! Her gaze flickered back to the crevice in the floor.
"Maybe it's still in the hole?" she wondered softly. She hesitantly bent down on the filthy ground again, keeping a close eye on Akemi in case her condition worsened. Gem stuck her hand back down into the hole, and felt around.
"Aha!" She yanked out a grimy golden key from the depths of the stone. It was painted with a single red rose. "Hopefully this still works..."

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@Akemi Yamamoto

i'm proud of my alliteration here, heheh

Color code: English | Japanese Interacting with: @Gemima Sable

Outfit: ✕ Mentions: None!

"No, it’s okay!" Akemi gently removed Gemima’s hand from her face, and her lips formed in a sheepish grin. "It doesn’t even hurt as much."

As Akemi followed Gemima to the treasure chest, she winced, the throbbing pain in her nose bridge slowly crawling up to her head.

Nope.

It still hurts.

Akemi had tried not to think about her bloody nose, but now that Gem had mentioned (or more panicked) about it, she found herself looking in the mirror more frequently, the pain seeming to grow every time she did. She knew that it wasn't Gem's fault; for her new friend had only been trying to help, but it sure hurt.

She didn’t have time to worry about some annoying headache, however. The thought of what could be in that lockbox made her forget about the pain altogether. There was something in that chest, maybe a bunch of galleons, some sort of riddle, or even some rare fabrics. Then she could create designer clothing, profit from the sales, and laugh in her annoying sister’s face when she became a billionaire… Well, maybe not fabrics, but a girl can dream.

Gemima had already found the key by the time Akemi had refocused on the actual mission. This was the moment! Excitement took over, and Akemi plucked the key from Gem's hand, inserting it into the keyhole. "Alright, Gem. Place your bets now. I have a feeling we're gonna be rich-" She looked inside the box...

"Letters?"

so sorry for the late reply

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"Letters?" Gemima echoed. She rose from her spot on the floor and scooted over to the now confused Akemi. Sure enough, a neat stack of parchment pieces was nestled inside the lockbox. Gem's brow creased in interest as she gently took the unexpected treasure out of its container.

The parchment was slightly yellowed and tarnished with age, but the material still felt sturdy between her fingers. They were covered with whorls upon swirls of ink, and the whole thing was pristinely tied together with twine.

Gem cautiously blew on the letters. She managed to avoid the small puff of dust, but as it dissipated, the mess of ink on the parchment became more and more legible.

She turned to Akemi and tilted the papers so that they could both inspect their findings.
"They all seem to have dates marked at the top," Gemima mused, pulling a random letter from the stack. "Look, this one is dated October 14, 1966!" Her eyes sparkled with excitement.
"These have been here for over fifty years, then."

Gem handed a couple of the letters to Akemi, and immediately began poring over her own. "Dear Jackie, it has been far too long since I wrote you last." she read aloud. " Your Natalie misses you lots! But I have the photographs you sent me, and of course the memories we made together. I still get all blushy when I look at the photo from Leeds, you know. I didn't think you had it in you! It reminds me of that night in your dorm room..."

Gemima coughed awkwardly as she skimmed over the next couple of paragraphs. She felt her cheeks grow hot, and she tucked the letter back into the stack for her own well-being.

"What about yours, Akemi?" she stuttered, peering over the other girl's shoulder. Hopefully some of the other letters weren't as... private than the one she had just read.

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@Akemi Yamamoto