"Exactly. Be aware of your surroundings, avoid areas that are likely to result in a confrontation. Still, if you grew up there, I imagine you know how to move in those social circles, just expect a little push back when it comes to establishing your kendo school. Martial arts dojos are already an insular and competitive bunch ... might be best to establish your roots through the school club where you teach." she glanced over, raising an eyebrow as if considering something.

"Of course, if you could take the captaincy here in Shokushu, that'd help grease the wheels." she suggested offhand. Of course, Shokushu didn't participate in interschool competitions, being as remote as it was, so perhaps it might not mean as much as it would elsewhere. Still, in her experience, a little piece of paper went a long way towards smoothing the path with most administrators.

She hadn't been kidding when she'd said the cross country track would get them out of sight quickly. Dense foliage muffled the sounds from the school much quicker than they should have, branches arching to lace overhead and lay intermittent shade on the bare dirt path below. Tall grass rose up along the sides of the road, brilliantly colored tropical flowers filling the air with a sweet scent. Not for the first time, Juniper considered the stillness of these woods, no chirping birds, grunting wildlife, or the kind of stinging flies she'd normally have associated with the jungle. One, slow curving turn, and it was almost as if the school didn't exist at all.

"I never would've guessed." she said with a smile. Of course, she didn't have to guess, having access to the other girl's student file, but it was better for this kind of information to come out organically. No reason to give her a reason to be suspicious, after all, "Between Okinawa and LA though, it sounds like you're pretty used to this sort of balmy weather, eh? Lucky, I've been goin' through sunscreen like it's going out of fashion ..." she ran a hand up along her arm, "I'm hoping once this tan comes in it'll be a little more bearable."

“Oh, I was pretty well established before leaving. Even as young as I was I had been running lessons at my father's dojo and there are more than a few of his students that will remember me when I go back, what will become of it is another matter though.” She thinks back upon those days fondly only wishing she knew where to go and what to avoid here. Still, all things considered it could be worse and she's done alright for herself without even realizing it unlike some of the other unfortunate girls but she's never talked about it before and has yet to realize just how lucky amongst the unlucky she's been.

“I'm sure it will help to legitimize things especially after being away for so long. There are those that will remember me but there will be those that doubt my abilities too, that will have expected me to have grown at least. If I could show that I have continued to develop, even here, then that goes a long way too.”

Rebecca slowed considerably when they were out of sight of the school. It was as if she were paying far more attention to something that wasn't there ahead of her, something that she was straining to see or not see as the case was. Ensuring perhaps that the sunlight did not reveal the faint outline of webs.

She was not afraid but cautious though … she had never been out this way before and could not tell if this was a “bad neighborhood” or not and so used a little caution. She doubted that June would have come out this way with her if it were bad and the sorts of bad they had discussed would be much worse than a few school students.

“The stillness always got to me. Erie. No cicadas buzzing or animals, you'd expect that on a tropical island. Makes you wonder how remote this place really is.” If she only knew the half of it …

“The weather in L.A is beautiful but I liked it better in Japan. The move was something I only had to put up with for a few years anyway. But here you shouldn't have to wait all that long for that tan to come through. I haven't spent much time at the beaches here though it's incredibly warm a lot, warmer than L.A for the most part.”

"Must be nice." Juniper said with a nod, "I'm not sure where I'm going to go after graduation, really. Definitely not back home, wanting to get away is why I was so quick to take the scholarship here in the first place. Still, it sounds like you really know your stuff, maybe I'll learn something interesting today after all." she said with a slightly coy smirk. She tipped the glasses down off of her forehead and pressed them up against her nose

She slowed down to match Rebecca's pace after they'd made some progress along the path, raising an eyebrow at her quizzically. Well, it wasn't as though she could blame the girl for a bit of caution, it was new territory to her after all, and as much as the trees hid them from prying eyes they could hide other things in turn. And both of them had some notion exactly what it was that was out there.

"Mn, yeah. When it's quiet like this, it's hard not to feel like the only two people in the world. Used to be I'd have to wait for it to snow to get that kind of peace." she said with a faint smile of remembrance. Then she blinked and considered, "Still ... could be that something's scared off most of the animals that used to live by the school. Maybe something like an electromagnetic insect repellent ... NICE might have some kind of variation that they're testing at the school. It's tough pegging down exactly what it is they get out of their close relationship with the administration."

Rebecca smile back at June. “I had to work hard to learn English so I thought to myself that I could maybe make a decent living teaching it in Japan. At least until I get the Dojo established anyway to the point where it's bringing in enough money where I don't have to teach any longer, well English that it.

“It's a tentative plan. I'm told that my English isn't too bad unless I get upset and mix up words. Maybe you'll learn something there's no promises there.” She smiled a little at that.

She was aware that June had thought that her caution was a bit odd though she adjusted to it. “Sorry, just taking in the view and making sure that I have committed the land marks to memory.”

She tried to cover for her innate weariness .But the silence was always bad. At least if there were animals you might get some sort of warning when something dangerous was around. It would go quite like this and while that may not help it did not hurt either.

“NICE ...” she wasn't sure if she remembered that, was it in the brochure that the school gave out? That off shore place she saw when the plane was coming in, it had not affected her or so she thought so she forgot about it. “I'm drawing a blank there I'm afraid … but yeah I know they have those invisible fences for dogs, they could have something to keep the animals and bugs at bay ...”

Well some of them at least. Siferus was still close enough, and that was one big arachnid.

The corners of Juniper's lips turned up a little bit when she mentioned her tendency to mix words when she was upset. She bit her tongue, touching a finger to her forehead for a moment before she looked away. She couldn't quite help it, the mental picture in her head sounded adorable, particularly when she replaced the emotions involved from anger to being flustered. It seemed that the privacy had her imagination playing games today, though why she couldn't begin to guess. Maybe she was just latching onto her own knight in shining armor ... that wouldn't be so strange, would it?

"Oh, I don't mind slowing down a bit." she said with a shrug, "It's just that when we do, we increase the odds of someone coming up behind us. Don't worry though, the break-off point I have in mind isn't too far away now." at least, that's what she said. Prompted by the other woman's concern, she gave the wilderness a wary eye as well. There was one tree in particular that she didn't want to lead Becca under at this hour ... but, fortunately, it was far along the path when approached from this side.

"It seems like you've really thought this through though. I hope it works out for you." she smirked a little bit, "So, given as you were so well established in Okinawa before, and are so eager to get back, you know I have to wonder..." she leaded the question, "Is there someone special waiting for you back home?" she asked, that smirk deepening into a smile as she nudged her with an elbow.

"Ah, there it is." she said, pointing at the upcoming corner of the path. Among the ferns and brush that threatened to overtake the path, beaten back only by the dedicated work of some unknown groundskeeper, Juniper pointed out a tree with long, sagging boughs, it's leaves drooping towards the ground in a curtain of healthy greenery, "We cut through there, and there's not a path, but the trees are set up in rows. It looks like someone tried planting an orchard, but either gave up or eventually had to leave. It's overgrown now, but it's easy to keep track of where you're going at least."

Juniper took point as she brushed the curtain of foliage open, taking a moment to cautiously look around before she stepped through. The trunk had a thick, ropey appearance, like a bundle of fibers winding around each other as moss and vines grew along it's exterior. Old scars marked the tree in a few places, paired sets of initials, some of which were outlined in a heart. Apparently the investigator wasn't the first to find this particular spot.

"NICE Labs is set up on the oil platform near the island. I think they're actually the ones who provide our power, and they've lent a fair amount of tech to the school over the years." she shrugged her shoulders slightly, "They're pretty cozy with the administration, and a good chunk of our scientifically oriented student body ends up working as interns over there ... but, I dunno. I can't help but feel they give a lot more than they take, and that makes me nervous, especially when we're far enough out that we can't call it a tax write-off."

“Correction there … only my English suffers, not my Japanese though there are few occasions where I get to rip into someone with my Japanese. Usually I'm level headed but there are times where I can only bite my tongue for so long.” She didn't mention hen she got flustered though sexually, for that given her inexperience she had reverted to the dialogue in the hentai she watched or read.

With that said she looked behind her as if expecting to see someone creeping up on them but of course there had been no one there. She remained composed though, not afraid to face whatever fate had in store for her. But she sped up a little fairly confident they were too close to the campus for any traps or tricks. Maybe a bit further on, she would have to remain alert.

She looked back ahead of her seeing if she could make out that switch off with a smile on her features.

There was that nudge with that elbow and she appraised June again in that moment. Was she implying something or was she just curious? She smiled a little as if on reflex but found herself blushing just a little as she gave the issue some thought.

“Oh, no. There was my dad but he passed. I just didn't like the West coast as much but there was no one. The guys at the Dojo … uhm … well, they were nice and all but they new that they weren't my type and outside of practice either with Judo or more likely Kendo I didn't have much in the way of free time.

“There was someone I met here when I first came here but she sort of disappeared shortly after we got things started. Funny thing is …” she paused for a moment as if unsure how to brooch the subject. “Well, no one seems to remember her. I'm assuming that everyone is having a gag at my expense, that's the only way I can really explain it.

“The question I have for you is why the interest? Just making conversation or ...” she smiled at June leaving the last unsaid.

Right. The switch off. That was convenient as it changed the subject before she had her answer there but she knew well enough not to push. She noted the tree taking in it's appearance and listening to how matters were set up. She had simply assumed the other girl was straight, a piety there but she had not been expecting anything when she came out this way. In fact it would make things little bit less of a distraction.

“Lead the way,” she'd flash a smile and follow June off the path, the going fairly easy as she said.

“Oh, OK, I saw them on the way in but haven't given it much thought.” She wondered if Makeena ended up out there. “It does sound strange, if they're not getting all that much in return then why are they being so friendly. Either they have a super cool boss, doubtful, or maybe own shares in the school or have other unseen stakes in it's success and thus helps out.” Or something else was going on here.

Juniper picked her way over the roots, taking a moment to run her hand along the tree trunk, one finger tracing along the curve of one of the carvings as she circled around the tree. It was just another way to keep clear on her orientation, another touchstone to focus on in the dark, but as her finger slipped out of the raw groove she pushed off from the tree and kept moving in a straight line.

"I am a journalist, my dear!" she glanced over her shoulder with a wink, "To ask questions and dare the boundaries of convention are my very idiom."

Of course, part of being a journalist was also a certain willingness to read between the lines. The boys at the kendo school weren't "her type", but she had found someone here at a remote all-girl's school. "She'd" gone missing though ... students went missing from time to time, but they usually resurfaced soon enough. Juniper considered for a moment that one of the Things lurking about the dark places out here had played her for a fool and then vanished when they tired of the game ... but there wasn't much evidence either way.

"Though, I'll admit, you're cute and you did make a pretty good first impression." she said, shrugging her shoulders as if it were inconsequential, "That might have piqued my curiosity a bit. What's the name of your missing friend?" she asked, hopping subjects before her admission had time to properly sink in. People disappearing and being forgotten, never to be seen again definitely seemed like the sort of thing she be keeping an eye out for if she was going to figure out what was going on here.

Juniper brushed the hanging curtain of leaves to one side and poked her head out, looking first one way and then the next before she stepped out. The grass was a bit shorter out here, just barely long enough to tickle the backs of her calfs as she walked, but it was still long and wild. Sure enough, as she'd mentioned before, three rows of smaller trees ran through a stretch of the wilderness that looked like it had once been cleared away. The trees themselves were of a smaller variety than what grew here naturally, gnarled branches alternatingly bearing brightly colored pink and white blossoms as they hung low. A broad path of grass stretched between each row, overgrown but otherwise clear of rocks and the like. Here and there, short bushes of vines encroached on the clearing, thorny briars and leaves hiding small berries. Juniper ignored them, walking down the dead center of the clear path and occassionally weaving to avoid brushing against a limb that hung too low.

"Heh, yeah, it is wierd ... but aside from being wierd I haven't found anything to be worried about." she shrugged a bit, "Maybe I've got a suspicious nature, but hey, like I said. Journalist." of course, that was an unintentional lie. She'd found more than a little bit that should raise warning flags in her mind, but, she'd not escaped her findings cleanly. Now they were burned and buried, repressed or erased expertly to preserve the covert nature of what she'd stumbled across, leaving her with naught but her unfounded suspicions.

“A journalist,” she followed rounding that tree. Her eyes casually playing over the initials, June knew this place after all and while she did not know her last name she did look for sets of initials that began with a J though there were a few though she was not certain if they belong to the journalist of a Jessica, Janette or Josephine for that matter.

“Questions assist us in finding answers. It's tougher in Japan being a journalist but it's the culture. Connections and introductions are bigger there then they are in the States. It's almost as if people there are too rude, nosy or both not that I mind answering questions not that I get too many coming my way either.”

Rebecca blushed a bit. Her, cute? She knew she was good looking but was never told it before. The boys, well she inferred that they found her attractive but no one every said anything.

“Your the first to say so, well outside of family and that doesn't really count, I could have two heads and I'd be beautiful, or cute or what have you. Thank you. Oh, and her name was Makeena.”

She follows closely, braking out in a smile. “No, it's beautiful I don't think it's weird. When I was in L.A all I got to see was the concrete jungle so a bit of nature is a nice change.”

She scanned the trees, mostly the older ones. They were hidden well enough here too so they were definitely off the beaten path. She continued on with June.

“So, do you come out her often? I noticed the tree back there, how frequently do others come out this way?”

Juniper smiled a bit as Rebecca remarked on the nature of being a journalist in Japan. The Japanese had a reputation for being insular, certainly, but it wasn't like people in western cultures were exactly lining up to spill their secrets. Cultivating contacts in position to find something of value, deception, bribery ... it all went in the tool box, and Juniper was hardly the only investigative reporter willing to skirt the law. Of course, she couldn't exactly advertise that now, could she? Instead, she watched as the other girl's cheeks stained with color.

"Really, no one? Now that's a shame. Bright blue eyes like that, long, soft brown hair, hour glass figure ... I'd think you'd have to beat the suitors off with a stick." she said with a shrug, as if mystified by people's tastes. Though, if reputations were to be believed, LA had plenty of vapidly attractive young women to distract the eye ... and to move from that to Shokushu's endless line up of nubile young women? Perhaps she'd simply had difficulty distinguishing herself.

"Wait..." Juniper said, "Makeena ... Mak ..." her feet slowed a few steps as she pressed a fingertip to her forehead and closed her eyes, "Little Mackie Larson? About yay tall, pale blonde hair in twin tails, kinda waifish?" she said, holding her hand at about the right height. "She's gone missing?"

She grows redder, embarrassed by the compliments. She likes them yet she has no way of managing them. Back in the States or home she kept to herself and in her sport there are lots of men and they quickly learned that she was not interested in them. In the States though some men found that state rather appealing.

In Japan, her mixed heritage set her apart form the others. The nail that sticks up is the nail that gets hammered down …

In L.A. She was one of many, just as she was here though she never got caught up in it focusing on her training in lieu of the social scene.

“You, you really think so?”

Rebecca goes wide eyed soon thereafter. Someone remembered? She wasn't crazy? She nods at that though. “Yeah, her. Shortly after I transferred into one of her classes we got caught up in a few things … you wouldn't believe it if I told you but afterward she went missing and you're the first person outside myself that remembers her at all.”

"Have I said anything untrue?" she asked with a bit of a smile as Rebecca's blushed deepened and began to creep over her face. It was endearing how honest she could be with her feelings like that, Juniper was so used to throwing up a poker face these days that a bit of genuine emotion always tugged at hear heartstrings a bit. "Though I'll admit, seeing that blush on your cheeks may have loosened my lips a bit. You look quite fetching with it." she added with a smirk. She didn't want to lay it on too thick, or she'd risk it losing some potency ... though there was that little barb in her personality that wanted to toy with this little vulnerability like a cat.

"There's a file on my desk, sometimes I take requests from students. Try to get them what they need, you know, like a proper training stick for you." she shook her head slightly, it was like trying to dig the details out of a briar patch, "There was something she wanted me to look into ... something ... chemistry experiment gone weird, but she never showed up to give me the details. I figured she got cold feet, it happens sometimes." she ran her fingers through her hair and looked up through the branches.

"Every morning I pick that file up and think about throwing it away ... but I always put it back. What can I say, I'm an optimist." she shrugged her shoulders, "Maybe having the reminder helps ... you didn't forget." Or, maybe Aegir's tinkering with her head was having some interesting side effects with whatever general purpose mind scrubbing the faculty used. She couldn't know, but then, she did love to find these things out. She shook her head and gestured back towards the tree.

"Anyway, I won't lie, you'll find young couples looking for privacy using the willow occasionally. Always in the evening though, and they never go passed into the orchard. Either be gone before sunset, or camp out until morning, and you should be fine." she started moving deeper into the wilderness again, picking her feet up to hop from one root to the next, "So, now we just have to get far enough that no one will hear your practice and come looking." she took a moment and considered.

"I've only been out here twice, just general exploring ... things get a little more experimental passed this point." she admitted with a chuckle.

“Well, no ...” Rebecca started. Funny, compliments from men she would brush off probably since she didn't feel anything towards them. She would politely thank them or do what was appropriate to the situation if she had to rebuff them further but she never really received them from anyone that she found attractive.

Yes, indeed she was vulnerable in a way. There was no need for her to be too guarded with that particular emotion and a female opponent that she found attractive might be able to fluster her but right now it had been a non issue and the moment took precedence.

She knew by her very nature that June had to have lied at a point in her life but this did not concern her for she too could read between lines and realized that it had been meant in the context of their conversation so far and her personally.

“Chemistry experiment? She did not mention it to me but I only knew her a very short time before she vanished. Until now I was thinking that it may have been completely though it is a relief that I'm not just imaging her existence.”

She brought her eyes back to the tree and smiled a little. Only twice … maybe her initials weren't on that tree … yet her own voice chimed off in her head though she forced that voice to the back of her mind.

Following again she became less worried about Siferus or similar creatures as she was caught up with recent revelations. Her features had diminished to a pink coloration rather than a bright scarlet red.

“Maybe a read something of yours in the school paper. June is fairly common though and doesn't stick out, what's your last name if you don't mind me asking?” This was not too importance as long as it didn't start with a C, N or T … there could have been other initials on the tree she didn't see, she didn't walk around it for instance but she could check another time without June present really not sure if she were single yet or not but they both were rather secluded now and with those compliments she had a good feeling that June was at least attracted to women though she didn't strike her as just the curious type either but rather an experience individual that was not floundering about for answered.

"There you go then." Juniper said with a bit of a smile, glancing this way and that as she saw the end of the orchard coming up. She shrugged her shoulder to shift her pack a bit higher up, ducking under a reaching branch again as she stepped off of the root and back into the tall grass. She let her statements speak for themselves at the moment, not wanting to push things too far. She didn't want Rebecca to get used to such praise before June was done enjoying that low flush.

"Well, it didn't seem like the sort of thing that she wanted advertised." Juniper admitted, "She didn't want to get the faculty involved, which is why she came to me in the first place. I'll see if I can't find any loose strings on that file to pluck at ... maybe it'll lead us to her, maybe not, but it's worth the attempt I'd say." she sighed a bit. She certainly was quick to take on responsibilities ... but then, it wasn't as though this was the kind of thing she could afford to ignore either. She'd see about getting Mackie to reimburse her once she was safe and accounted for.

"Hmn?" Juniper blinked, "Oh, I haven't submitted anything to the school paper. The administration has it's fingers deep in the editorial and the circulation numbers are abysmal considering we're on an island with nothing else being regularly published. Once I have the story I'm looking for, though, I was thinking I'd release a copy book ... but even then, I'll use a pen name." she chuckled with an easy smile and a shrug, "It's the way of things. My last name is Modnar though, since you ask." she paused a bit at the edge of the clearing, rubbing her chin. She reached into her vest and pulled out a slender notebook, turning pages as if looking for something, running a finger down the page as she skimmed through the contents. Finally, she pointed.

"Alright, if we go this way for a bit, we should come across some running water. It should be clean and drinkable, which is handy ... otherwise there's a narrow path that way." she pointed deeper into the woods, "Better visual cover and the trees should help muffle the sounds of your training. It means moved towards the mountain though, rising elevation and all the joys that come with it. What do you think?" she offered with a shrug.

Rebecca followed, unaware of how much June was delighting in the simple fact that it had seemed easy to fluster her a little given that she had been so unused to compliments, well, from the same gender at least since she did not travel in the usual circles to have such matters thrust upon her or often finding herself in such matters.

She was glad that she found herself in that situation with Makeena though the girl had vanished soon after the though of Siferus having her virginity … as if she had not been angered enough with the arachnid. She would beat him! There were no doubts in her mind though their were tons of factors involved here that she did not quite understand yet, such as tiring so quickly during that encounter.

“I'd appreciate that, and I'm sure she would given whatever assistance you could lend on this.” Of course Mackie had been gone for such a long time that she wouldn't think that they would pick up where they left off but the girl was still her friend and as her first there would always be that connection between them.

M, that was safe at least until she had a better look at that tree later. She noted the matter about her releasing things though since there was an ulterior motive to her question but she was still interested in the answer.

Rebecca considered the matter. The forest, deeper into it could be bad but she was not going to let fear guide her decisions even now. But there was June to consider too if they were attacked. Could she hold something back long enough for her to get away? Probably. Maybe. Siferus was playing with her last time but even so she could probably hold him or a similar creature back long enough.

“I was thinking of just light training today and while the water would be fine I'll probably be using the area near the mountains so rather than coming out here in the future and getting lost it's best that I learn the way now, that is if you don't mind.”

She could not help but think that there might have been other reasons ticking through her head at a more secluded spot, or maybe she was secretly hoping for something to happen. It was tough thinking about things on both a conscious and subconscious level.

After getting out a candy bar she offered one to June an followed as she much along the way. She had not eaten much today after all and was eager to fill her body. Though there's something else I rather be eating ... And she pushed back that thought as they continued on.

"As the lady wishes." she said with a cheerful smile, slapping the notebook closed and tucking it back in her vest, "You'll want to stay close, the path is narrow and a little tricky to follow. I wouldn't try walking it in the dark either, it's pretty easy to get turned around." she said with the wry smirk of someone who spoke from personal experience. Over grown grass pushed flat in her path as she stepped out of the orchard and back into the darker shade of the deeper wilderness.

Juniper hadn't been kidding about the path being tricky to follow. It seemed to be a game trail of some kind, though with the silent wilderness one could not help but wonder what form of game might have made it, a narrow band of dirt winding its way through the countryside, periodically vanishing and then reappearing where the jungles tried to reclaim it. Vines hung low from thick boughs overhead, just as walls of bamboo barred them from travel in certain directions at times. The path doubled back on itself a few times, prompting Juniper to grab hold of some hanging roots and climb up a short rise to cut across at one point. She crouched down and offered a hand to help Rebecca get up a bit more smoothly.

"Ah?" she blinked a bit when Rebecca offered her a candybar. Normally, Juniper avoided things like chocolate when she was out on the trail, it had an annoying tendency to dehydrate. Still, they were getting close to where the investigator was leading them, so she supposed she could afford to accept a bit of generosity. She smiled and nodded a bit, taking the offered treat and unwrapping one end, "Thanks." she said before taking a small bite.

She paused and held up her free hand for a moment, signalling for the other girl to stop as she looked around with a brief bit of concern on her face. After a few moments she shook her head and dropped her hand, moving forward again. It must've been her imagination.

Finally, she found what she was looking for. A thick trunked tree rose out of the earth with broad, heavy limbs that nearly blotted out the sun overhead aside from white dappling swaying back and forth across the ground. The old tree had beaten out the competition creating a kind of clearing under it's canopy, a carpet of small white flowers circling along one edge, and a handful of large moss-covered stones squatting along the northern edge. Along the eastern edge there was a steep drop off, though it turned to gently rolling hills again after about twelve feet ... a descent escape route in a pinch, though a bit open until one reached the next tier down.

"So, what do you think?" she asked, sweeping her arm out like a showgirl as she stepped to one side. "It's open enough to train, remote enough for privacy, gives you a pretty good vantage to spot anyone coming up after you. Gets a little cool at night, I'd suggest setting up camp along the western side of the trunk if you end up staying over, block out some of the wind. Maybe it's too far though?"