divus | POOL INVESTIGATION: wakey wakey time for yu and jude to make a real big mistakey

[The pool is the same as always. It's quiet, the water still, save for the rippling of the waterfall and the swimming tropical fish.]

Thanks for agreeing to come with me, Jude-san.

[ Yu will smile at the other boy as they head into the indoor pool. He'll go ahead and lead them back towards the slide. ]

We'll need to climb to the top of the slide, since the hatch is up in the ceiling. All we need to do is figure out the mechanism to unlock it.

No problem, I'm surprised that you'd invite me.

[ He'll follow while looking around the pool for anything that might catch his eye even if there's nothing to be found. ]

Hmm.... I don't suppose you were given a tip about the mechanism were you? [ He'll take a longer look at the tropical fish. ] I'd hate to get up there only to have to get back down.

[Looking around, nothing seems noteworthy or out of place. It's just, like, a really nice pool! Carry on, boys.]

Aren't we a team, now? [ warmly. ] Anyway, don't worry. I came prepared. Come on.

[ He'll lead the way allllllll the way up the water slide, to the very top. ]

Feel around. You should be able to find Indulgence's symbol. Once you do...

[ From his pocket, Yu produces a small, thin hairpin, pilfered from the salon. (He'll return it later, it's just borrowing, not stealing!) ]

Here. You should see a tiny hole you can push this into.

Yeah. Yeah, I guess we are.

[ With that, he'll smile a little. Jude will just follow Yu for now as clearly he has more of an idea of what they should be looking for and what they should be doing. Also, Jude's far from judging anyone about stealing things given what he's done. ]

Where did you hear about all of this anyway?

[ Cue Jude looking around and feeling around tentatively for what they were looking for. ]

This is hardly something that I expect that you just find about lying around.

[Once they've reached the top of the water slide, it's not too hard to find what Yu had indicated: a golden symbol.]

♚

[At a glance, it doesn't appear to be anything more than a design detail, but if a hand is run slowly across it, a small hole hardly the size of a pin is easily overlooked in its center. Like it's waiting for the adornment of a diamond.]

We found this during the scavenger hunt, actually.

[ There's not a lot of room for them together up here, but Yu will carefully crouch and run his hand over the crown symbol. ]

There. You see this, right here?

[ He'll brush a fingertip over that tiny hole. ]

Try putting the pin in here. [ He'll hold it out for Jude to take. ]

[ Wordlessly, he nods and joins Yu's side where the symbol is. ]

Okay.

[ Jude takes the pin from Yu and sticks it carefully into the hole. Time to see where and what all of this leads them. ]

You definitely had way better luck than I did; all I found were stuffed rabbits.

[At first, it almost seems like the hairpin isn't going to do the trick, like the end of it is just too wide, but then, with just the smallest measure of force, the plastic gives, and it clicks in place. Literally clicks. And with that click, a translucent glass handle pops out from the ceiling above them, against the skylight.]

[ Honestly, Yu is already looking up as Jude works on the mechanism; his eyes automatically find the handle outlined against the ceiling.

To his relief, it actually pops out. ]

That did it!

[ It's a little rush of exhilaration, he admits to himself.

Pushing to his feet, he'll reach up and grasp the handle, giving it a tug. ]

Now, to see where it goes.

[ While Yu opens up the newly exposed exit, Jude will get up off of the ground and pocket the pin. He's here for additional support should Yu need any help pushing it open, otherwise, he'll just lean to a side to see where it might lead them. ]

I don't suppose you know what we're about to get ourselves into, do you?

[ ...not like it will stop them. ]

[As Yu tugs on the handle, the outlined hatch surrounding it lowers itself with ease, folding and spreading out until a sturdy glass staircase connects them from the top of the slide to the skylight above. From where they're standing, all they can see is open air.]

No idea, [ he says softly. But there's a sort of confident gleam in his eye... it seems like he might actually be enjoying himself. ]

Careful. [ That's all he'll say as he starts to ascend the staircase. This won't, like, lead the, straight to a drop to their inevitable deaths, right. At the very least, Yu is going to go slow and careful, keeping an eye out for any potential pitfalls once they reach the top. ]

[ The gleam in his eyes is vaguely reminiscent of a certain someone that he knows, especially in regards to confronting a situation that is potentially dangerous and it causes him to chuckle lightly. Maybe one day Jude will stop following people into dubious places. ]

You too.

[ Until that day comes, he carefully follows suit, making sure that there's nothing going to be coming after them as they ascend the stairs. Also looking to see if there's anything noteworthy as they climb. ]

[Nothing pops out at them, which is a pleasant discovery! When they reach the top of the stairs, they exit onto a disorienting balcony of glass that stretches to the end of the pool's room and then nothing but the air surrounding the temple.

Turn around, though, and behind them the glass gets cut off, just out of sight from any angle down in the pool room itself, into a gated-in, furnished area of the same balcony. Although the gate is iron and spiked at the top, the latch is normal and doesn't have any visible lock.]

[ Yu will make a soft, curious sound once they ascend the steps. The view of the glass balcony is incredible; he takes a few steps onto the balcony without really thinking about it, captivated.

But quickly he reigns himself in, turning around; and there it is, whatever "it" actually is. Yu will look thoughtful, pacing over to the gate. ]

... it's incredible up here.

Yeah...

[ Jude's voice is a bit distant sounding as he, too, wonders at the sight. ]

It kind of reminds me of something from back home.

[ Unlike Yu, though, Jude doesn't focus in and instead continues forward to explore the edges of the "room" that they've discovered. He can't help himself but feel drawn into doing so and misses the gates for now. Maybe someone might be unnerved by the whole glass into nothing but air, but Jude isn't. ]

[Please don't fall off the edge, Jude...

But as he enjoys the view and the sensation of walking on air, Yu will discover that, indeed, there's nothing stopping him from pushing up the gate's latch and pulling it open.]

Jude-san.

[ Yu will call over for his friend. ] Over here. There's a way in.

[ ... this is a little invasive, isn't it? He can't help but feel like they're intruding on something ...

Nevertheless, he'll go ahead and trip the latch. The gate opens easily beneath his hands. ]

Huh? O, oh. Sorry.

[ He'll let himself get pulled back in by Yu's voice and quickly make his way over towards the gate. Intruding on things or not, Jude wants to see this through now. At some point he should question the whether walking through an open gate in a secret room counts as breaking and entering though.

...maybe. ]

I wonder what all we'll find up here.

[Eh, I mean, it's like that glass hatch was just begging someone to come open it, right? When they open the gate, it's like they've walked into a jungle of luxury. The entire space is decked out like a luxury retreat, the drapery that serves as a sloped ceiling dotted with soft lights and the whole area smelling softly of an inoffensive, sweet perfume. An overstuffed couch is piled with pillows, a low table covered in bottles and fruits, and a hammock strings from wall to gate at one end.

It's the sort of place you want to grab a good book and kick back in. Directly across from them, the far wall of the balcony--a wall made of solid stone, has a single doorway with a brass handle leading back inside of the temple.]

[ Wow.

He thinks it, even if he doesn't say it, breathing out as he crosses the space. There's something incredibly tranquil about it. He'll brush his fingers across some of the draperies, careful not to disturb anything. ]

Someone's hideaway, by the looks of it.

[ For what it's worth, he's going to take a look around. He's a little reluctant in doing it, still feeling like somehow like an intruder. But it's best to be thorough. ]

Yeah...

[ Wow is right. Jude will wander into the room also afraid to touch much of anything, but will take in how lavish it all looks. If anything, it makes him kind of nervous being in something that seems so nice despite the comforting feeling that he gets from it. ]

The question is who does it belong to.

[ What really grabs his attention, however, is the door and he'll slowly make his way over towards it. ]

[The closer Jude gets to the door, the more he'll be able to hear the faint sound of music coming from inside of it. It's muffled, but especially when compared to the peaceful air of the balcony, is a surprisingly jaunty tune.]

WEEK 3, MONDAY

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