Eriko had hoped her hints weren't too subtle and her shopping list were coordinates to where they meet. A quick punch of any navigation computer with the local geography would reveal that the meeting spot was deep into the Xenofungi forest. Light was getting rather scarce as the sun had begun to set. The rain had finally cleared up for travelling but the clouds did linger enough to make it feel that it was a few hours later.

Their destination was on a large hill, practically easily mistaken for a miniature mountain with the heavy fungal growths and stalks that populated the surface. There were several streams made after the rain, snaking down the hill like they were veins to a giant life form, taller fungal stalks swaying like long hairs. The wild animals have reclaimed their dominion in the Xenofungai forest after the light was gone, there were plenty of wild squawks and chittering from creatures unseen. Going from the comforts of the Shiro to the wilds at night was a stack contrast. It was a place devoid of comfort and a refuge only for fools.

And a fool Hide was. But she was a brave fool, and that’s what counts, really. It was a lot cooler tonight thanks to the rain, which was such a nice change of phase for once. With her, a bag that contained various items. Like, well, combat gear. She wasn’t sure what to expect. At least she was able to hitch a ride and didn’t have to trudge through that awful forest.

“So... Kuni-san. What a nice location for a sleepover.” She glanced over to Eriko with a surprisingly skeptical look for Hide. “I will promise to set aside my vendetta against all fungal life forms for the night.”

Eriko, still chewing on her gum, smirked at Hide. "We'll, I figured that we had to leave while most of the attention was on the match and security is probably keeping an eye on some of the surge of Crab there. I'm sure our hosts might think some brawls will break out...and they might actually be right. The trouble now is worth more than it is later."

"I promise," she said with a wink.

"Alright, we just need to find somewhere good to land...around here should be good. Not too close to the top near that bug colony..." she said as she looked downwards from their flying ride.

“I’m starting to see why you specifically wanted us big strong types, if you’re expecting any form of trouble out here.” Hide could not help but shoot a wink back at Eriko. “Well, I guess strong. You’re actually a tad bit taller than me.”

Still, doubt tugged at the back of Hide’s mind. She... Was seriously starting to doubt Eriko was here for the miai at all. “You gonna tell us what we’re doing out here when we all land or something? Because I’m very curious.”

"Bug colony?" Even while flying, that got a bit of Yul's attention. He shook his head. "This place is full of surprises."

Pushing the stick downwards, Yul began to guide the Ornithopter downwards... safely away from the bug colony. His attention focused on piloting, he didn't speak further, but he did glance over curiously as the others spoke.

"Did I ever say strong types? I was really looking for clever types. Trouble isn't something I need help handling but having a few more pair of eyes around here is probably worth more than a lot of things. But yeah, I'm planning to stay clear of that place but I know those buggers can come from anywhere. More on that later, I'm not going to say much if I need to repeat myself. Hey, how about over there, Shinjo-san?" She pointed downwards where there was more rock than fungi. It was at the edge of a drop. While it put their backs to a corner, there was potentially less places to cover at the same time.

“Wait... You think I’m clever?” Her voice was low, almost a whisper. It sort of just slipped out, really. And Hide didn’t know whether to be flattered or horrified at the prospect of Eriko having made a huge mistake here. Maybe both. Definitely both.

But that definitely shut her up for a bit as she contemplated whether any of this was a good idea or not.

"Clever types, huh?" Yul nodded. "Sounds great. So, are we stopping somewhere to pick them up, or...?" He did his best to keep a straight face as he glanced at Eriko.

Nodding, he carefully guided the Ornithopter over, and then down. "Plenty of clearance, anyway." Yul muttered.

Akemi was riding her cool bike at full speed but couldn't hope to compete with the speed of the ornithopter. Already it was nothing but a spot in the sky she could only catch glimpses of from time to time, when it showed up between two giant fungi.

Still, she had the coordinates of their destination, so she should catch up with them eventually.

Though focused on the road, she couldn't help but be curious about the man currently sitting behind her:

"So, how did you get into this mess yourself... Hotaru-san is that it?"

She gave a jab to Yul's arm, despite him flying their vehicle. "Hey, don't get too clever there."

"I would imagine that you're all clever in some fashion if you were willing to come all the way here. Most people would look at coming here and say: no way, I've got things to do or something...but being willing to come out here, you've obviously have it all figured out," she said it like she believed it herself. "I'm sure of it."

There was a flat spot in the rocky clearing that allowed the craft to land without incident. Once they landed, Eriko jumped off and lugged a duffel bag with her. From its many contents, she drew out a flare and popped it to reveal a blood-red light, making the environment seem even more obvious.

"Huh, Sstrange colour to have on discount...I hope Hida-san and Hotaru-san finds out travelling by road," she said as she waved it in the air.

It really was a cool bike, and Koseki had said as much when he stubbed out his cig and climbed on. As the fungi whizzed past he kept wondering if Firefly were truly ever meant to leave deep space.

"It was a rookie mistake Hida-san. I went to the library..." The wry grin was evident in his tone ever if Akemi couldn't see it right now. "Met a cute Kuni who was looking for the same article, and well, here we are." He would have shrugged he wasn't concerned about falling off.

"Hotaru Koseki, Firefly Explorer Corps. It's good to meet you, even under these crazy circumstances." He was ready for action and curious about their mission here. When the flare went up he added: "There we go. Should get some answers soon."

Yul methodically went through the cooldown procedure, flipping switches off, powering down consoles until the cabin was quiet, its wings still.

He stepped out of the vehicle, rifle resting on his shoulder, squinting into the darkness. And the red light. Smirking, he pulled a conelantern out of his bag. "You want to give mine a try, Kuni-san?" He waved it at her. "It comes in a less spooky color."

Hide looked at Eriko, a bit dumbfounded at that little leap of logic. She quickly shook away that bit of absolute confusion and jumped down with her own bag. “So, Kuni-san, hypothetically speaking, what if someone didn’t fully figure it out before coming here? Are we going to get a bit of an explanation?”

Not that she didn’t have an instinctual ‘this is dangerous’ feeling since the message earlier. But danger is like catnip to a Matsu.

“I must admit, I am extremely flattered that you are trusting m- us with this.” Whatever that may be.

"I figured this would be more attention grabbing and had a better special effect," she smirked at Yul. "Probably best save the juice in that for tommorow where we're going."

"You didn't seem like people who were looking to get ahead. I guess, you could be...but I kind of have you as a captive audience now. And yeah, we can have a nice camp fire, tell tales and such when the others get here."

“Good thing I brought snacks and some drinks... I feel we might need them.” Hide held back an exasperated sigh as she fished a lighter out of her pocket. “So, where we setting up camp? And, uhhh... Did anyone bring anything resembling camping gear? I came for a miai, so that was not something I thought to bring with me to the planet.”

"Hida Akemi. Hida Shock Troops. Pleased to meet you too. Very much hoping Kuni-san didn't call me because she intends to make use of my work skills, cause I can't picture a scenario that will go right from that hypothesis."

As the clearing came into view, she slowed down the bike with a showoff drift, stopping her course only a few steps away from the waiting group.

"Yeah, nice to meet you too, and let's hope not." He gracefully swung off the bike and looked around the clearing before nodding to the others.

"Gang's all here then." He nodded to Eriko and Yul then gave a little bow to the Lion. "You must be Matsu Hide-san, I'm Hotaru Koseki."

As he spoke, Koseki unclipped his rifle and quickly checked it over.

Chuckling, Yul shut off his conelantern, tucking it away again. "I'm not sure I want to swap ghost stories over the campfire with a Kuni... but I bet we've all got some good ones, anyway."

He greeted the newcomers with a nod. "Hotaru-san, Hida-san. Good to see you both again." He tilted his head, regarding them. "You made pretty good time. Really good, in fact." Smiling, he gave them an approving nod.

Hide offered the... Firefly...? Anyway, she offered him a polite bow. “It’s nice to make your acquaintance, Hotaru-san. I’m indeed Matsu Hide. The one and only. Well, on this planet.”

"I brought some things..." she said as she looked through her rather overfilled bag and pulled out a few tightly bundled sleeping bags no bigger than a watermelon. The material on them were rather thin and barely had any real cushioning to them, likely better used in combination with a tent and Eriko did not pack that. She also brought out a heating lamp, which the bulb looked like a halo and was mean to be laid flat on the ground.

"Nice ride," she grinned at Akemi when she rolled up. "Help yourselves and find a spot. I'm sure you all have questions."