Nakahama

Taraka frowned a bit in consideration.

"Well, not off the top of my head, Kakita-san. But if you'd like I can talk to some of my friends and see if there's someone who could help you out." she offered.

Even Genta, good hearted as he was, might hesitate to escorting a Crane artisan into the jungle.

"I do not mean to ask anything that would make you uncomfortable. And we will at least try to find a worthy lead before setting out willy-nilly."

"But think of how happy we could make the birds! And it might ultimately be a place, once discovered, to protect. A natural sanctuary?"

Taraka shook her head.

"It's no trouble for me to ask, Kakita-san. I just hope you're not too disappointed if it can't happen. Well or you get eaten in the jungle. Different levels of disappointment, and I'd like to avoid them both." she explained.

Haruhi nodded.

"You honor me with your honesty. I do not want to get eaten. But I do want to do my duty. I cannot discover the native birds if I don't venture into the jungle."

"But I will be cautious. I will plan. I will anticipate that it is much worse than I am presently capable of imagining."

Taraka nodded.

"Good. Because I'm looking forward to a lot of future encounters with you staying on the island awhile. The island has a lot to share with new friends." she offered sincerely.

She smiled brightly.

"Do you have a local and entirely safe attraction you recommend sampling first? We could plan an outing, as your schedule permits."

Taraka considered that.

"Hmmm, how many stores on Golden Shotengai have you gotten to visit so far, Kakita-san?" she asked.

"I had the pleasure of doing some shopping this morning before meeting you. But we only hit a few stores. And mostly focused on a costume for the yacht party tonight."

"Do you have a favorite store?"

Taraka grinned.

"Of course, it's this wonderful place called 'Flying Battle Carps' The proprietor is this amazing woman, as smart and she is beautiful." she self-promoted with a laugh.

"But after a late night of working, Muri Donburi is a close second."

She laughed. "That might be my favorite shop, too."

"Muri Donburi? It is a place to shop? To eat?"

"Eat." Taraka clarified. "It's a standing only restaurant that's open at all hours. So no matter how late you work, or how early you need to start, you can get a nice meal. It's famous for it's 'Kisada-no-kami-sized bowl', just this amazingly huge rice bowl with protein, but it was taken off the menu because of the wastefulness. Still, you can order it off the menu if you aren't concerned about that."

Haruhi giggled, imagining the indulgence of eating so much.

"The Kakita Academy is quite strict about portions for anyone in the dance curriculum. I can't imagine anything more indulgent than a bowl that even the Crab find formidably large."

It really was a little heart breaking what it took to be a Kakita.

"Hmm, you may have your horizons broadened on that topic tonight, Kakita-san. I very much doubt Yoritomo-san's party tonight is going to be an exercise in restraint." she admitted.

She nodded.

"I am looking forward to learning how to loosen up a bit. She is going to have a chocolate fountain! Big enough to swim in! Can you imagine?"

That got an eyebrow raise out of the Yasuki.

"Ah, no I really can't." she admitted. "That will certainly be the talk of the town tomorrow if true."

"Have you thought about what to wear? I know the hostess is looking for us to be a bit daring and cheeky. Though my interpretation of that may be a little tame."

Taraka nodded.

"I've secured one that fits the bill, I believe, but I won't spoil the surprise, Kakita-san." she said. "And I'm sure what you have picked out is grand. I'll look forward to seeing it tonight."

She smiled.

"I look forward to the surprise!"

"Ah, I should probably head back and finish my prep for the video competition. How is that going? Have you secured an actor or actress?"

Taraka nods.

"Yeah, I have. Local small time wrestler. I would've liked someone better, but I could quite get the search parameters in the archive to produce the results that I wanted." she reveals. "How about you, Kakita-san? It must have been challenging to find someone who could meet your standards as well."