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The School Trip (ShiroKuma)

Ren Olvry

Ren Olvry

Supernova
Joined
Dec 22, 2012
It had been some time since he'd been in the woman's classes, in full knowledge of the fact that she was a fresh graduate, but... well, dumb friends happened. Dumb guy friends, more so, very obviously still suffering the effects of puberty considering their attitude toward a number of attractive females, that teacher included. Ren couldn't really confirm it, but he'd been getting on well enough with the teacher until around the time his friends made some... particular comments regarding her. So he might have joined in, slightly, but it was hard not to be attracted to her.

Not that it mattered now; he was with another girlfriend, the teacher had been largely avoiding him, and things were just... well. Briefly kissing the girl goodbye as she went off to her own ride off to the resort, he quickly enough found himself around the end of the line getting onto the bus that would be taking most of the students down there. Letting out a slight sigh, he uncomfortably adjusted his shirt slightly, hoping they got down to the beach soon so he wouldn't have to deal with only one button being undone. At least humans had it easy; they didn't have a layer of fur to deal with that made shirts a bit less than comfortable...

Still... the bus. Seats taken here, seats taken there, up to the point where he just had to go for the first apparent open spot available. Next to her, Ms. Brooks, no less. And with at least one of his friends elsewhere on the bus probably jeering, if what little his ears caught of anything going on was any indication.

"Suppose... we're stuck together for now. Lookin' forward to the beach, at least?" the red panda somewhat lamely spoke, scratching a little at the back of his head as his oddly golden eyes avoided with his teacher for now. "I can... point out one or two good places around there as well, especially if you're gonna be spending time with anyone... it's not quite the first time I've been around there..." he offered.
 
Mira, or Ms Brooks as her students all called her had been sitting quietly in her seat, staring out the window and across the school car park where another bus was being filled up with a bustling body of students, eagerly looking forward to their long awaited prom night. The annual prom had abruptly been cancelled this year due to a nasty plumbing accident at the venue the school had booked and favoured for well over a decade. All attempts to find an alternative had seemed hopelessly futile, and the school formal was scheduled to be cancelled. But as the soon-to-be graduates finished their exams and returned to school for their last week, one of the teachers had excitedly announced that she’d managed to secure a three night reservation at a small but luxurious beach resort. What really impressed though was the fact that he’d managed to secure the place while still remaining well within the allowed budget.

Amidst all the excited chattering though, Mira sat silently. Wishing she’d been exempt from the event. Unlike Mr Adams who was directing students onto the bus with the assistance of his wife. Mira was unmarried, single and had been too caught up in her work these past few years to go hunting for someone to get romantically involved with. Her colleagues often jokingly pointed out how she was pretty much married to her job. A view that Mira herself had started becoming more conscious of as of late. And now that she was conscious of her status as a young single woman she couldn’t help but feel lonely, especially when she was surrounded by teenage couples grabbing at eachother, and sneaking in a few kisses when they thought the teachers weren’t watching.

Sighing to herself and bracing herself for a torturous three days, she nearly jumped out of her chair when a familiar face suddenly occupied the vacant seat beside her. Her confused brown eyes cutely blinking up at Ren before swiftly turning away in clear rejection of the young furry male. For a split second she’d felt relieved that she’d be able to talk to someone to keep her mind off things, but Ren was the last person she wanted to talk to. Unfortunately she couldn’t quite bring herself to completely ignore one of her students when spoken to, and after hesitating offered a polite “Good morning” her eyes now glued to the window and the world outside, her mind wondering if she could transfer to one of the other buses.

“Thank you Mr Olvry, but I’m here to supervise, not to enjoy myself” she murmured quietly. It was hard to believe this was the same Ms Brooks that had fondly smiled and cheered on the young male. Ever since Ren had helped her find her classroom on the first day of her teaching career she’d actively sought to interact with Ren. Going as far as keeping him in after class for a friendly social chat. There was no denying that she’d enjoyed the young man’s presence. Hence she still couldn’t forgive him for that one ‘dumb incident’ not while knowing that he might still see her in such an inappropriate way.
“Plus, I’m sure you’ll have your hands full escorting Bernadette everywhere” she mumbled, less audibly this time. Though there was almost a distinguishable pout in her words.
 
"Mm... guess so," Ren admitted with a slight shrug. True, there probably would have to be a fair bit of supervision going on... on the beach, with teenagers, male and female alike. Well, it didn't exactly take some sort of genius to figure out what lots of people would likely be getting up to, regardless of whether they were supposed to or not. On the next statement, his ears visibly twitched slightly, and he pointedly glanced off to the side, toward... nothing in particular.

Yes, there was her, but he could hardly help but notice something... odd about the way it was spoken. Not 'Miss Goldvein' or something more formal like that, but just 'Bernadette'. She couldn't possibly be... annoyed, could she? It wouldn't be the first person he'd dated while the teacher was around... if one counted the girl dragging him around and occasionally showing him off as really 'dating'. Not that he minded too much; at his age, a girlfriend was a girlfriend. She'd asked him out, he was single at the time, so he'd casually complied. Simple enough, really.

"S'pose so, but... spots where people might be getting into a little trouble. I could always point those out, at least?" he offered with a slight grin. Saying that he wasn't entirely looking forward to time with Bernadette, especially at a beach setting that he personally rather enjoyed, would probably be... out of place, he figured. Though even then, his tail flicked over a little, the tip brushing ever so slightly against one of the woman's hands. It would hardly be the first time such a thing had happened, even partly beyond his own actual notice, but the fact remained he wanted to patch things up, somehow or other, just sort of... didn't know how.

"And you should at least... get out a bit. Can't go to the beach and not have any fun, right?" he suggested.
 
A soft yet exasperated sigh escaped her full lips as Ren cluelessly continued to continue their little conversation. Mira had hoped that an unfriendly responses would sufficiently silence the male. Perhaps even convey that he wasn’t welcome and that he should seat himself elsewhere. Unfortunately the last of the seats on the bus were occupied by Mr and Mrs Adams as they finished counting students and recording their attendance down. It only took a few moments from there for the bus to slowly creep into motion, taking its place behind the other bus which had taken off only moments prior.

“Thank you for the offer, but I’m perfectly capable of doing my own job” she responded. She wasn’t offended by Ren’s suggestion, but her tone of voice was strict and firm. She didn’t like acting like this, and the way her hands balled up into fists on her lap gave away how Mira herself wasn’t comfortable being so distant and cold. But she really didn’t want Ren pestering her for the next three days.
“I’m attending aren’t I? What more do you want from me?” she added, hoping that it would be enough to silence the young male for good. Unfortunately for her, her own conscience wasn’t able to deal with acting so rude, and after a moment of silence she sighed again parting her lips to offer the closest thing to an apology that she could offer.

“I-…” she started, only to be cut off by a familiar sensation brushing up against her hand. Immediately she pulled her hand away, the reaction instinctive and exaggerated. It almost looked as if the woman had pulled away after being shocked with electricity. Her eyes finally turning to face Ren, though the hurt look in her beautiful brown eyes were far from being anything Ren could have expected.

“I’ll be fine by myself Ren, stop worrying about me and focus on enjoying yourself, you deserve it after studying so hard” she stated softly. Her lips trembling as they spoke Ren’s name, while some teachers insisted on using last names, Mira had always disliked the idea, feeling as if it built up an unnecessary wall between the students and herself. Back in the ‘good old days’ she’d always referred to Ren by name, but shortly after the incident she’d taken on the practice of using surnames. It was just another way of showing that the friendship between them had changed. It wasn’t clear why she’d suddenly reverted, but this was the closest they’d been since the fateful incident, and the way Mira gently rubbed the back of her hand gave off the impression that she’d been touched by a sense of nostalgia.
 
Letting out a slight sigh, Ren gave a little nod to the woman's words. She was definitely upset; that much was making itself more than clear. And past what he said, he couldn't come up with much. Maybe if he was older, out of high school... but he wasn't, not yet. And that... really wasn't helping to think about, how useless he was really being right now.

And as if there needed be a proverbial nail in the coffin, Mira took her hand away from his tail as soon as it came. He may not have noticed where it had been straying to, but he certainly noticed that. That, and perhaps more so, the expression she showed him after. "Alright... I'll leave you alone for now, then; I can always stuff myself in with someone else. But it's still a beach; at least try and have some fun," he offered with a slight grin.

Thus disregarding the general rule to not move around on the bus, which he was quickly scolded for, he approached a seat the nearest of his friends was taking part of. Giving the human male a slight growl and a quick, somewhat hard swat on the shoulder, Ren forced him over such that he could take at least part of the seat; enough that he was still sitting there, even if he'd no choice but to leave his legs in the middle of the walk since there was no real room for them elsewhere. If not for that, things would probably still be normal; normal enough that maybe he could focus at all on the fact that he had a girlfriend right now. But for the moment, the remainder of the trip saw the red panda scowling slightly despite his usual nature.

Something that, ultimately, didn't change much even as the buses arrived and everyone filed out, as quickly as they could toward the beach a short ways away from the resort building proper. Wasting little time in unbuttoning his less than comfortable shirt, Ren allowed himself a little stretch before casting golden eyes over the crowd, curious whether he might spot Mira first, or spot Bernadette. Which he preferred at the moment was anyone's guess.
 
Despite regretting the way she’d recoiled from the slightest touch of Ren’s tail, there really wasn’t anything she could do about it once it’d been done. Mira was no expert when it came to reading the expression of others, but even she could tell that her exaggerated withdrawal had been interpreted negatively by the young male who quickly shuffled away after giving her a slight grin. Mira tried to respond with a small smile of her own, but a moment later turned away, realizing that a frown or scowl would be the best she could manage. She knew she was acting unprofessional and immature, in retrospect she should have just walked up to Ren and his friends at the time and told them off for speaking lewdly about her, or at least discussed it with one of her male colleagues so that the issue wouldn’t get too out of hand. Instead she’d run off and hid in her office for a good few minutes before calling the front office to inform them she was feeling unwell and wouldn’t be able to conduct her afternoon classes.

“Sorry Ren…” she whispered inaudibly. Watching as Ren shuffled his way down the walkway and towards a group of boisterous students. A mixture of relief was tainted by regret upon seeing Ren leave. The warm sunny day suddenly feeling a lot colder now that she was alone on the bus. Her hand subconsciously crept to where Ren had been sitting, her fingers trailing against the faint warmth that lingered. As the bus continued to speed down the streets Mira dared a few longing glances towards Ren and his group of friends. An overwhelming sense of loss and incompleteness forcing her to turn away each time. She knew she had to fix things up between them, she was supposed to be looking out for Ren and the other students, not worrying them with her depressing anti-social introvertedness.

The agonizingly slow trip to the resort was more than enough time for Mira to collect and organize her thoughts. The sound of chattering teenager completely blocked out from her mind. For the first time in a few years she’d had time to herself, not having to worry about how she’d present her next class or what she’d do in preparation. Instead she focused her entire mind on one thing; fixing her relationship with Ren. She was confident in her ability to plan, but maintaining the courage to go through with it was another matter entirely. When the bus finally grinded to a halt, Mira politely excused herself, allowing Mr Adams and his wife to instruct the students, telling them how they were to collect their luggage and wait patiently before being instructed to head to their rooms. As enticing as the sea was, it would have to wait.



“Oh Ren there you are” an annoyingly cheerful voice called out, followed by a rather demanding hand waving Ren over towards a sleek black limousine. “Perfect timing, could you help me carry this stuff to my room?” the blonde girl asked jerking her head towards a smartly dressed chauffer unloading several suitcases from the trunk of the vehicle. Bernadette was an attractive young girl, though she did have a tendency to put on a bit more make up than necessary. Unlike Ren who looked dressed for the beach, Bernadette looked as if she were about to enter a beauty pageant. Diamond earrings dangling from her ears, and large white pearls adorning her neck. Even her black silken dress was speckled with gems that glittered in the sunlight.

Meanwhile the chauffeur continued to unload more and more bags. And after what felt like the millionth bag, Ren would be forced to acknowledge that not all the bags belonged to his supposed girlfriend, in fact he could be pretty certain that the surfboard and bag with swimming trunks hanging off the side didn’t belong to Bernadette. Such thoughts would be confirmed a moment later as a familiar voice spoke out from inside the limousine.

“Managed to get ahold of your loyal little runt Bern?” a male voice asked, followed by a few suppressed giggles. Due to the tinted windows it’d been impossible to see the insides of the limo, but thanks to a certain jock winding the windows down, Ren would be able to see seven people lounging around inside, half of which were male.
"Carry our bags furboy, and we might consider feeding you" a girl chipped in, grabbing one of the drinks from the table and splashing it out the window, the crimson liquid flying through the air and narrowly missing the red panda.
A burst of laughter unsurprisingly followed, and while Bernadette herself didn't laugh, the amused grin on her lips gave away how she thought the exchange was humorous.
 
Her... of course it would be her. It wasn't as though he could possibly hope for something else. No matter the case, the red panda's ears flicked up on catching that familiar voice, golden eyes following it over to come to rest upon the source. Present mood would just have to be pushed to the side for the moment, instead allowing him to grant a friendly grin to the female as he partially walked, partially forced as need be, his way over.

"Of course; ain't a problem for me to carry just this much," Ren assured, managing to switch over to his usual, friendly grin once he properly got there. It almost, almost flickered into something rather more negative as he took in the pure volume of stuff after his little statement. 'Time to put his money where his mouth was', he supposed... this was going to be difficult, however strong he might have been. At that, he seemed to pay no mind to the jeers, and the drink, at that; perhaps it was even fitting right now, considering what he wanted to be doing. That was, being anywhere but here. "I'll meet ya on the beach soon enough, then, shall I?" he offered, placing a small kiss upon Bernadette's cheek. Leaving it at that (which, he was certain, was the best he could possibly do right now), he went to pick up this bag... and this... and that other one, and more, until he was practically a packrat to the point where even his not unimpressive strength saw him just hobbling through.

Anything for... er... no, never mind that thought.

Never mind the scowl that probably painted itself on his face as soon as he entered the hotel, temporarily away from the others, either.

Still... loud, generally noisy, and obvious... it wasn't going to take long to find them again on removing himself from the hotel after dropping everything off here and there, he knew well enough by now. He rather wished certain others would be so easy to find, but... in time, at least.

"So... where to first?" he asked with his usual amiable grin when he returned to the others, an arm wrapping lightly around his girlfriend's (for what it was quickly becoming worth after their time as a couple thus far) waist.
 
It wasn’t all that surprising to see Ren brush off the prickly insults off and act as if nothing had happened. It wasn’t uncommon for regular human beings to act that way towards Ren or any other fur, and while schools and other institutions attempted to stamp out such racial discrimination, racism would be forever present for as long as there were differences. The only thing holding Bernadette from laughing out aloud with her friends was the fact that she was technically in a relationship with the furred boy. Though by teenage standards it could be hardly considered a relationship considering they hadn’t even kissed properly, never mind actual sex. Physical advances were made solely by Ren, and Bernadette made it clear from the get-go that she didn’t want him kissing her on the lips until she felt more comfortable with him.

As Ren shuffled off with their bags, a few more insults and jeers were hurled his way. And before Ren had fully moved out of earshot Bernadette had returned to chatting with her friends, pointing towards the sparkling sea and getting ready to head off. By the time Ren had returned the group had already moved to the beach, a few members of the group had already splashing eachother childishly as the waves washed over their thighs. Despite its pristine waters the beach was strangely uninhabited, besides Bernadette and her group of friends. Unsurprising considering how most of the students had obediently headed to their rooms to unpack before gathering in the common area within the resort for a briefing of how things would be run over the next few days. The whole event was more of a camping excursion than a formal prom, but most of the students didn’t seem to mind as long as they got to mess around.

When Ren returned, Bernadette was the only one to acknowledge him. Giving him a curt nod from beneath a parasol that had been set up before turning away. She showed no further attempts to communicate, completely blocking him out of her mind. Hence she flinched visibly when a hand was curled around her waist, a rather unhappy glare gazing into the Red panda’s eyes before the hand was rudely peeled off her. “Well if you’ve got nothing to do, you could always make yourself useful and buy us some drinks” she stated, reaching into her purse and procuring a hundred dollar bill before pressing it into Ren’s palm.
The guys in the group had stripped down to the trunks, but a few of the girls remained playfully sceptical intentionally dragging out the conversation from the shore as their partners tried to convince them to enter the waters.

Before Ren could leave though, a familiar feminine voice suddenly called out his name. Brown eyes unhappily staring at the group as she struggled her way across the sandy beach. “All of you get out of the water this instant!” she gasped, Mira had never been the athletic type, and judging from the faint trace of sweat on her forehead she’d run all the way from the resort. “If you’re going to cause trouble, we can send you all home right now”

Leaning on her knee’s as she tried to catch her breath, Mira defiantly stared at the group as she was showered with a string of booing and whiny complaints. “You’re not allowed to be out here without supervision, no excuses” she reinforced her message, shaking her head and demanding that they all return to the resort. Slowly, the group started making their way, giving Mira the finger as they hurried off, Bernadette was one of the first to leave. Not wanting to bother arguing with Mira who she’d disliked from the moment they’d met. Ren would probably figure he was to return to the resort as well. But just as he was about to leave a soft small hand pinched his shirt subtly. Keeping him with her as the others moved off.
 
Ah, of course. The whole 'little contact' rule... thing... whatever it was to be called that he frequently, casually ignored merely by his very nature. Another slight flicker in his usual friendly grin following that, perhaps a more prominent one following the demand to buy drinks, but still, nothing in particular from Ren himself. In a way, he was used to it; in another way, he, somewhere inside, saw this as little more than finishing off his high school days at least with a girlfriend, as so many would.

Well, no matter; they wanted drinks, so fine, drinks they would have. Taking the bill and slipping it into the sole pocket on his swim trunks as some small means of security for it, he began to walk off before his ears perked up slightly to a voice calling out after he'd made it merely a step or two. Even his tail gave a slight twitch behind him, but that went largely beyond his notice; instead, he simply reached up and scratched a little behind his head, casting his gaze sidelong to the woman approaching. That took a surprisingly short time, more so for the fact that he'd expected it to be one of the other teachers that would catch them sooner or later...

With a little shrug, the red panda began to follow after the rest of the group as they trudged along... and by that, he really meant follow, clear at the back of the proverbial pack. Blinking in surprise as he felt a slight tug at his shirt, he paused mid-step, golden eyes inquiringly casting their gaze over to Mira as the others steadily went further and further ahead without him. Probably wouldn't even notice he, along with the bill he'd been handed just previous, weren't there until a little while later. Their problem, then; he was already in something of a mood from the bus trip, he didn't need things to be worse.

Though considering who he was being left alone with, perhaps things were about to be...

"Hope ya didn't plan for me to stop them or anything like that...? I've got about as much control over what any of them ever do as some guy half my size would have against a raging bull, y'know," he lightly jested, a slight grin on his face despite whatever repercussion he was probably about to face anyway. "Or... was there something else you wanted...?" he asked, keeping that slight grin there in lieu of... whatever else was threatening to come out.

Though he as well couldn't help it if his tail took even that small touch to his shirt as an invitation, of sorts, creeping up before the tip brushed slightly against the back of the woman's hand.
 
Knowing full well that Ren probably wouldn’t be in the best of moods right now, especially after being scolded along with the rest of his girlfriends friends. Mira was worried that Ren would simply pull away. Ren might not have been a raging bull, but he was certainly strong enough to overpower Mira if he felt like it. Mira however knew that Ren wouldn’t get violent with her. Not only was there too much at stake; ranging from graduation, employment prospects, and the bias take a judicial judge would have towards a male, a furred male at that assaulting a human woman. But Mira simply knew it wasn’t in Ren’s personality to lash out like that.

The thought, combined with Ren’s remark was enough to make her slip out a small smile. The look in her eyes conveying how she was a bit upset but not angry. She knew it was unfair to expect Ren to control Bernadette and her lackeys, especially since some of the teachers were terrified about what Bernadette’s father would do if the girl tattled a few lies in daddy’s ear. No, Mira’s problem right now was something far more simplistic. A problem which would solve several others merely through the power of association, or lack of it.

“Is she really that special to you?” Mira finally asked once the others were nothing more than specks off in the distance. They were a good distance away from the resort and the beach itself was completely deserted, not a single bird, crab or beach-goer in sight. There was a sort of serene feeling in the air, the sound of waves rolling up and brushing against the sands nearby every few seconds.

“Does being Bernadette’s lapdog really mean that much to you” Mira repeated, her voice rising a bit as her emotions threatened to overflow. She knew it wasn’t her place to intervene in the love life of one of her students, but she simply couldn’t stop herself. Brown intense eyes stared sternly but inquisitively into Ren’s own, her tone of voice conveying that she wouldn’t let the matter be brushed away with a friendly grin. She'd taken note of the way Ren's tail had brushed up against　her　hand　once　more,　but　failed　to　acknowledge　it　in　anyway.　A　small　improvement　from　the　exaggerated reaction she'd given him earlier on the bus perhaps.

During the time Ren had been occupied with serving Bernadette, Mira had freshened up noticeably. In fact, she’d changed out of her formal-looking teacher’s dress and into a simple white one piece that reached down to her knee’s. Her arms and neck exposed to the gentle sunlight, An extra piece of cloth tied around her neck indicated how she was likely wearing some sort of swim wear beneath her dress, and if Ren didn’t know better, he’d have mistaken her for a student from one of his classes.
 
Finally... a little smile, even one. It had certainly been a little while since Ren had seen even that much from Mira... and then usually when he'd nothing to do with it. That he could even manage that much right now was... something, hopefully. Beyond that, he wasn't sure. He doubted he'd get anything further from her to such an end.

At the woman's question, though, Ren's features inevitably sunk into a frown, his arms reaching up to cross behind his head and his eyes wandering from her (great as she truly looked, and he wished he could say something to that end right now and see it taken well), upwards. Up to nothing in particular, just... the few clouds lingering elsewhere in the sky, he supposed. Something to not focus his attention too much on the woman nearby, who he was perfectly aware he was alone with right now.

"Heh... I really am nothing more than that right now, huh...?" the red panda commented with the slightest, passing grin. "...who knows, really. I guess it's just kinda nice to have someone around, to be able to say that I have a girlfriend. Just some dumb high school thing that I'll grow out of soon enough, I know, but when the person you actually want winds up going even further out of reach... well..." he added with a light sigh. Ah, now he'd accidentally done it... he'd said rather more than he meant to. How the woman would read that was up to her, of course, but considering how close they'd been over the past few years and his general lack of attachment to females beyond dating a little only when he first was the one asked out, well... there weren't exactly many ways it could be read, he was certain.

"S'pose that's the thing... I'm just a dumb high school teenager still. Doing some things I probably shouldn't, saying some things I probably shouldn't... I should've just stopped them when my friends started saying that stuff about you, I admit, but I've given them a few good smacks for it since then... if that... helps..." he uncertainly spoke, nervously refusing to make any sort of eye contact with the woman just yet. Not, at least, until he felt it might be safer.
 
It annoyed her that Ren wouldn’t look into her eyes, but she supposed she couldn’t complain. Especially since she’d been doing the same thing for god knows how long. There really wasn’t any need to continue holding onto Ren’s shirt anymore, but her small hand continued to grasp desperately on to the flimsy fabric, almost as if she were afraid that a moment was all it would take for Ren to disappear from her life completely.

She hadn’t meant to take on the racial insult that Bernadette’s friends had used earlier. But frankly put there was no other way to describe the way Ren behaved around his supposed girlfriend. Hearing that Ren had a girlfriend had been quite the surprise, and at first Mira had smiled at the news and passed it off as the way things should be. It wasn’t long though before she found out just who the lucky girl was, and the few glimpses Mira caught of Ren while on campus was more than enough for her to come to an unwavering conclusion. What Ren was doing was wrong.

Her heart skipped a beat when Ren mentioned mentioned how he’d liked someone else. Prickly jealousy stirring in her stomach along with contempt towards Ren. She was on the verge of lecturing how Ren’s actions were unfair not only to himself, but also Bernadette. But before she could get a word out she was cut off by a light sigh. Something about Ren’s body language made her hesitant to speak, something about the way he spoke about the girl sounded strangely familiar.

Mira wasn’t exactly all that bright when it came to relationships. The longest relationship she’d been in had been a bit under a week, and that had ended badly for her when she found out that she was to be more of a conquest than a legitimate partner. Ever since her interest in romantic relationship had wained, and before she knew it, the numerous proposals after school had stopped, in fact school itself had become a page in her past. Likewise Ren probably had several pages Mira wasn’t aware of, and it was more than possible that he had a crush on a girl outside of school, perhaps someone he’d met during some extracurricular activity?

Hence, being a bit slow. Mira didn’t realize who Ren was talking about. Frowning a bit in confusion as the subject suddenly focused on her. Normally she’d have pounced on the change of topic without hesitation. The topic which had been eating away at her for months, if she could patch things up with Ren, things might change between them, but unfortunately her mind was occupied by the introduction of a third, unknown girl. Turning her hand and carefully curling her fingers around the furs tail, she stroked the warm furry texture with her thumb. She was disheartened to hear that Ren had someone else in his heart, but if Ren had opted to go for Bernadette instead of the girl, maybe he wasn’t all that serious about her anyway?

“What if being with Bernadette was stopping someone from confessing to you?” Mira murmured, her eyes now cast downward to hide the faint blush on her cheeks as she attempted something she knew she should never do. “What if I told you I knew someone that’s wanted to be with you for years? Someone that heartbroken when you started dating… that girl. Someone that actually wants to spend time with you and… maybe get intimate…every now and then” she couldn’t keep going. The faint pink of her cheeks suddenly turning a full blown red. She didn’t know what had come over her, it wasn’t like her to be so bold, even if she was speaking in third person. But the knowledge that Ren would move on from being one of her students was enough for her to not retract her words.
 
It was easy to say, and see, that Ren was a little surprised when he felt a few fingers curl into his tail. He'd hardly been aware that his tail had reached up again for one of the woman's hands in the first place, much less stayed there even as she'd gone on to ignore it this time, rather than pull away from it. Nonetheless, it was all it took for the red panda's golden eyes to curiously fall slowly from the sky and the few clouds there, back down to Mira.

As the woman spoke, the fur's ears remained perked up in attention atop his head, taking in every single word. He may have been some 'dumb high school guy', per his own words, and females were a species he barely ever got, but... he wasn't that dumb. He could piece together what it meant when the woman's cheeks reddened further and further as she spoke such words. Hardly did he even consider the low possibility that she might be shy about even talking about such things, and thus have been talking about someone else. No, with that kind of reaction to her own words, it had to be her... right?

That he'd never considered such a thing before was already something; she was a teacher, after all. His teacher. It wouldn't exactly be looked upon well if either made such a move. At the same time, it was prom time; getting to the tail end of his last year at the high school...

"Hm... if that was the case... then I'd drop that girlfriend of mine in the water, in whatever fancy outfit she was wearing, on the spot, and just ignore her screaming at me while I go along with whoever that girl wanting to confess might be. Worst 'girlfriend' I've ever had even out of the small amount I have had," Ren chuckled, turning fully toward Mira as his eyes, this time, didn't stray away... not in the slightest.

"You look beautiful, by the way," he softly added, reaching up one of his hands to ever so gently caress across one of Mira's cheeks, trailing a slow path down to her neck and further still to her shoulder. "Dressing up like this, I do have to wonder if you were even serious about not enjoying yourself at all here. You'd probably turn most of the heads at the beach," he lightly teased, giving an amused little smirk.
 
A small, but genuine smile appeared on Mira’s lips when she heard Ren explain what he’d do to Bernadette. As a teacher it was probably the wrong thing to do, she should have scolded the young male for even thinking such a thing, but Mira knew that he wasn’t being serious. Ren had proven to be a bit cheeky at times, but she couldn’t imagine the boy ever going out of his way to cause someone else distress… even if they deserved it. Or at least… that was how she perceived him to be. What mattered more to her was the close proximity of their bodies, her mind conscious of the distance from Ren’s lips to her own. It was heart-warming to think that they could still talk like this after months of Mira avoiding the furry male. But the warmth in her cheeks were caused by something else completely. Her eyes submissively closing as fingers caressed her soft cheek. The compliment he offered was unoriginal, but it didn’t matter, it meant more to her than some fancily crafted string of words, and what mattered more to her was how he sounded authentic. The warmth of Ren’s fingers causing her to shiver in delight. She knew she shouldn’t, but carefully she rubbed her cheek against his hand.

While she’d let herself get lost in the moment, her mind immediately snapped to attention when she felt the hands travelling lower. Her eyes slowly opening and glancing “R-Ren?” she asked suddenly talking a step back, her eyes scanning the beach worriedly, before she nervously smiled at him. “You’re such a charmer, with a touch like that you’ll have no trouble finding a girlfriend.”

Deep down, Mira knew that she’d been figured out. But a prickly sensation in the back of her mind made her pull away from her determination. Ren was a fair bit younger than her, and a student of her nonetheless. Getting touchy or taking the leap into adulthood with him wouldn’t end well for either of them. Hence she decided to play dumb. Using her comment earlier to make what was a shaky escape from the matter at best. “I promise you that there’s at least one girl out there who’d love to be with you, you just need to put the effort in to find her” she smiled, a proper smile this time. Reminiscent of the heart-warming ones she used to share with him after classes.

Feeling a bit embarrassed she spun around, turning her back to Ren and facing the resort main building to indicate they should be heading back. Though as she did so, Ren would be able to notice a price tag with the resorts logo hanging off the back of Mira’s neck. Or rather the swimwear around her neck.
 
The woman was responding to the touch... well, in fact. Ren was fairly certain this wouldn't entirely patch up everything; that there would probably still be some lingering annoyance in the teacher. Still, the fact that they were sharing this much after so long of largely avoiding each other, or being avoided... it felt rather nice. Rather that than continue to not have the person he'd probably been closest to over the past few years, since Mira had come to the high school as a young, obviously fresh out of college teacher.

No trouble finding a girlfriend, though... he supposed. Partly his looks, partly his nature had seen little real trouble in people asking him out, but as for him asking anyone else out... that was the part that, he supposed, was off. Mostly in that he didn't do it. He wasn't entirely certain why, but had some small inkling that he was just waiting for something first. Being out of the silly drama and such things of high school, perhaps. The thought had crossed his mind at least once, but for the moment, he carefully drew his hand away from Mira after she herself took a step back.

"Maybe I will... and... hang on a moment," he gently insisted, placing a hand lightly on the woman's shoulder to elicit her to pause. Moving that hand gently over to the back of her neck, his other joined it in tugging off the loose tag with quite little trouble. "There; gotta make sure to check for these things first," he lightly teased, chuckling a little as he dangled the tag out for her to take... if she wished, anyway. With that done, he increased his pace momentarily to put him closer to her side, rather than behind her.

"Now, as for what you suggested... tell this girl who's wanted to confess that I'll be making a small show of a breakup a bit later, at the beach. And tell her that there's a partly hidden cove around the far end of the beach from the resort that nobody really goes to, and to meet me there shortly before the sun goes down all the way; if she's waited this long, she's gotta be at least a bit shy, so that'll make it between just the two of us," he requested. "For now... I guess I should be returning to those folks, and figure out some way to grab some drinks on the way. See you sometime later, then, definitely... and hopefully, see this girl you're talking about so she finally gets a good chance to confess," he offered with a little wave, before walking on ahead... and pointedly offering a friendly grin back to the woman as he did.

Drinks, then... some change, and some miscellaneous drinks he was confident (enough) that they all would enjoy would just have to do for now. Knowing them, they were probably gathered together by now, since it had been a short time since they'd been told to return to the hotel... possibly annoyed at not having the person they wanted to bring them drinks, at that.

One for each, and as he was likely to be expected, he'd pass them out once he found the rest of them and got back to them, holding onto one for himself. If even that was taken (as he well believed would happen), that would just settle it further.
 
Mira couldn’t really understand why Ren would settle for someone like Bernadette. Her analogy of a girl liking Ren wasn’t completely made up now that she’d thought of it. Being surrounded by teenage students usually meant that she’d catch wind of some girltalk every now and then. And while it was frequent, Ren’s name wasn’t unheard of in such conversation. The authenticity of such rumours weren’t reliable, but just over the past few months she’d heard at least half a dozen girls mention Ren’s name when talking about boys. Some of them clearly interested, while others would casually refer to him as a potential candidate. It’d made Mira uneasy every time she heard them talk about Ren, secretly hoping that their one sided affection would never be noticed. But on the other hand she also silently cheered them on, genuinely hoping that they’d be able to turn Ren away from the pompous princess and towards a relationship which was more… worthy of the handsome young man.

A handsome young man that was standing right beside her. The silence between them awkward yet reassuring. She couldn’t stop fiddling with the price tag she’d handed, refusing to toss it away until she’d found a suitable place to dispose of it. She couldn’t help wondering if she should have offered more than a simple “thanks” and a sheepish smile when he’d pointed and removed it for her. Though such thoughts were quickly washed away by the sudden list of instructions. A surge of panic filling her mind as he explained how he wanted to meet the girl. There was no way Mira could turn up in person, that would completely blow her cover… assuming it wasn’t blown already. The alternative was to ask one of the girls from the gossip talks she’d listened in on earlier. But the idea of someone else getting together with Ren instead of her didn’t sit well with her at all. But then again… she couldn’t just ignore the invitation and make Ren wait in the cove by himself.

Before she could rescind her comment about a girl liking him, Ren was already heading off. His tail swishing behind him as he walked ahead of her. They’d been walking for a good five or six minutes and were back at the resort, but to Mira it had all felt like a fleeting few seconds. Subconsciously she lifted her hand, her lips parting to ask Ren to stay with her for a bit longer, but not a single word came out. Not knowing how she could ask such a favour. Ren had told her that he intended to break up with his current girlfriend, but that didn’t mean Mira was comfortable with Ren being near the girl.

“Wish I’d been born 5 years later” she murmured to herself. Slumping down on the sandy beach. It wasn’t the first time she’d imagined such a scenario. At first she’d been fine with being a mentor, but over the period of a few months she’d started fantasizing what it would be like to take the same classes as Ren. Sitting beside him in class and planning how they’d spend the weekend together. It was an unlikely scenario, knowing herself she’d probably be no different from the other shy girls who couldn’t speak up. Mira loved her job despite its flaws, but the burden of her profession weighed heavily on her every time she saw Ren.
“I really shouldn’t go…” she whispered, scribbling a simplified image of Ren in the sand before wiping it away. She really shouldn’t… but….



As Ren returned to the resort, the main body of students were finally getting ready to leave. Their eyes lit up with excitement after being freed from the boring prep talk on safety and such, while things like meals, shower times, and lights out were strictly regulated, it wasn’t an educational excursion, and the school had attempted to give the students as much freedom and responsibility as they could. They’d also been instructed to form groups so that they could do simple things like looking out for eachother and taking the roll at meal times to make sure no one was missing.

Despite the wave of students making their way out, Bernadette and her friends were nowhere to be seen. Mira had let them off with a simple warning and telling them to return to the resort, but Mr Adams had been furious with them, sentencing them to an hour of ‘detention’ infront of the entire school as a public demonstration of what would happen to those that didn’t follow the already lax rules. Ren probably would have been given the same punishment had Mira not held him back, though it wasn’t like it made much of a difference. He’d probably still end up being locked away with them for as long as he insisted on serving his girlfriends selfish demands.

“I can’t believe that bastard, how dare he?!?” Bernadette voice shouted out, carrying loud and clearly through the hallway as Ren approached her room.
“Once father finds out about this I’ll have him sacked, no… I’ll ruin his entire career” the raving voice continued. The allocation had been worked out in the groups absence, and groups of four were to share a room together with the girls on occupying the rooms on the left hand side, and guys taking the rooms on the right. Only a hallway separated the guys from the girls, but each hallway would be supervised by a teacher on duty, so that no ‘accidents’ could occur during the three days. Though naturally there wasn’t any teachers on duty at the moment, the silent buzzing of security camera’s the only sort of surveillance during the day, though even then, there were blind spots.

Each door had a sheet of paper stuck to it, listing the occupants inside. Normally Ren’s name would be listed under the room opposite to Bernadette’s, but the bottom of the sheet had been torn off, and Ren’s name effectively removed from the list. A clear sign that he wasn’t welcome with the guys that hung around Bernadette and her friends.
 
Just as to be expected, the sound of complaining began to leak into his particularly good ears as he came nearer. And of course, the heavy majority of it was from her. Honestly... he really was just some dumb high school guy. Saying 'yes' to whoever asked him out, as long as he wasn't already (technically) taken without a care, just to see how things might end up, never mind how much he might or might not even like the prospective girlfriend. It was stupid... abysmally so. And especially with the promise of someone who'd likely be quite a bit better than any one of them, it was time for such stupidity to end... he just hoped she came.

It was her best chance, away from the risk of any prying eyes, just the two of them... she had to come, right?

Hardly was Ren imperceptive, though; his eyes wandered for a moment or two over the door to what should be his room, along with the few other guys. Well then. Forget the drinks for the moment, especially since it seemed he had nowhere to stay. And of course the door, as with so many of these places as a matter of security, locked automatically... and he'd neither a key of any kind nor any willingness to do more than knock, which was met with... nothing in particular. Just as to be expected, again, he supposed. Though if they were stuck in here, he couldn't make the show of things he quite wanted, but... he could think of something.

"Drinks're here," Ren announced, muffling his voice so it could or could not be him. It wasn't just left at that, though; a few months of effective misery was worth more. Rather, he'd made sure to give what was likely to be Bernadette's soda a good shake... a very good shake. And a few of the other sodas the same, for good measure. No doubt it might be traced back to him as foul play, but at the same time, one always had to be careful with opening sodas; not his fault if they might get shaken up a little.

Hiding a smirk on his face as he quickly wandered off, he soon enough found himself filing out with the rest of the students, staying out of the way of his few other friends for now, staying generally in easy view, for that matter. And the beach good to feel the sand beneath his toes again, good to just be able to... relax. Golden eyes wandered about the area in general, trying to pick out one figure in particular, but for the moment, he sat back around the outskirts, still in fairly plain view. If it was her, it probably wouldn't take overly long, but he could wait. One day just spent sitting around wasn't so bad when he could get some benefit out of that, and the night would hopefully be something far better. And either way, there were a few more days to enjoy the water; all would be fine.

So let the show, hopefully, begin. Farewell to bad noise. That he had a slight, amused smirk lingering on his face might not have entirely helped the matter, but oh well.
 
Bernadette was too busy to take notice of anything other than her own voice. Screeching and preaching to her friends who simply nodded their heads absent mindedly, clearly not really listening nor caring what Bernadette had to say, but making it look as if they did for the sake of their friendship. It wasn’t the first time Bernadette had raved on about getting a teacher sacked. In fact she’d usually go off once every week or two. During the exam period she’d even be rambling something about forcing the education minister to resign for making the exams too difficult.

Waiting for Bernadette to pause for a breath, one of the girls; Anna shyly pointed towards the door, explaining how she’d heard someone bringing them drinks. It was a warm sunny day, and being cooped up in a room was hardly the ideal place to be. Naturally they could all use refreshments, especially Bernadette who had ranted and raved until her throat was starting to feel dry and a bit sore. It wouldn’t stop her from complaining for another half hour, but a drink was welcome regardless of her capabilities.

Since there were more than enough drinks for the girls, Anna walked across the hall and knocked politely on the door, calling out the guys to hand them their share. Bernadette on the other hand didn’t even hesitate. Snatching up her favourite soda, and yanking the tab moodily. The sticky explosion of sugary water that followed was unavoidable. A high pitched squeal-like scream echoing loud and clearly throughout the halls and out into the beach. Numerous alarmed heads turned their head in worry, quiet murmurs starting up amongst the beach-goer’s as they guessed and joked about how someone had just been murdered. Only a handful seemed concerned. And two teachers had swiftly gone off to investigate.

“I’m going to fucking kill that panda!” the same voice screeched, her voice a bit fainter, but still quite distinguishable over the sound of waves. The cry was more than enough for a few of the students to identify who was making the ruckus, and a few guys sitting near Ren gave him a curious glance, one of them even going as far as shooting him a grin and a thumbs up. Most though, decided to remain uninvolved, not wanting to get involved in a lovers quarrel, especially if Bernadette was involved.

It took awhile for Mira to come into sight, looking flustered and a bit worried. She’d clearly been a fair distance away and had come running at the sound of trouble. Not being an athletic person, all the running was starting to tire her out, but the concerned look on her face was unmistakable. Who wouldn’t be worried after hearing Ren’s words from earlier? Mira was pretty sure Ren wouldn’t resort to violence, but there was no telling what a guy might be pushed to after dealing with Bernadette for so long. She fully supported Ren breaking up with his girlfriend, hell she’d probably been the one to set everything up so things would go that way. But as much as she disliked Bernadette, she didn’t wish any ill to come to her, at least not with Ren being held responsible. The concern eased a bit when she saw Ren sitting by himself. Mixed emotions swirling behind her eyes as she hastily made her way over, taking ahold of Ren’s hand and trying to pull him up before attempting to drag him off to somewhere more secluded. “Ren, I’d like a word with you” she gasped in between strained breaths. Clearly convinced that Ren was responsible for the commotion.
 
Ren could practically hear what happened as someone came up to him... though, he admitted, that 'someone' wasn't quite who he'd expected. Apparently that one hadn't made it this far, at least yet; at least, that's what he assumed. Mira stated she needed a word with him, after all; coming up so soon after they'd last parted, and so intently, especially after she'd seemingly been running herself exhausted, he could guess what the 'word' was going to be regarding.

His smirk widened slightly as some people seemed to take notice, sure, but he could even pass that off as not meaning all that much. Girl sure could screech, though, he'd give Bernadette that much; thank goodness he wasn't actually near there, else with his ears, he might have gone deaf.

Still, the woman seemed intent on taking him elsewhere, so elsewhere he'd go with her. Picking himself up easily enough to his feet, the red panda followed along after wherever she might lead, a mildly curious look coming onto his features in the meantime. Not before one final thing, mind...

"I guess if she's gonna kill me, I probably shouldn't be dating her any more, huh? I guess Bernadette and I are now officially single," he announced, in full intent for people to hear it... and, as high school kids, inevitably spread it. Very quickly, no doubt.

"Somethin' ya needed? To do with that screeching I'm pretty sure half the people around probably just heard?" Ren curiously asked once they'd arrived at... wherever Mira had intended to take him. He put on an innocent enough face, but especially for those that knew him, there was just a certain way his tail occasionally gave a small flick that could indicate a little... mischief, of sorts. Whether he'd openly admit to anything was the real question, one could suppose, but who knew, really.

"'Fact, I'm guessing it might've had to do with the drinks. Tried to keep them pretty stable, but I had to run around a bit to keep out of too much sight and out of trouble, so they might've gotten shaken up a little..." he slightly nervously admitted, reaching up to scratch a little at the back of his head. Probably rather unconvincingly if it was her, considering what he'd stated earlier... but nobody else knew that. She was probably the one person he couldn't easily convince on the matter, though what she did with that was ultimately on her. "Don't suppose it'd be too much trouble to let me disappear for a little while and stay out of her way? I'll even pay for anything that might've gotten damaged or anything of the sort... if I can manage it. Don't want to cause people trouble, after all," he tentatively offered.
 
Mira refused to speak another word to Ren until they’re were safely away from prying eyes. A few curious glances were shot their way, but most just chalked it down as Ren getting in trouble and being dragged off somewhere to be scolded, and perhaps given some sort of detention. Her small hand clasped Ren’s hand tightly as she made her way further and further from the crowded beach, moving back towards the carpark. It might have even looked as if Mira was going to send Ren home, and depending on what Ren had done, Mira might have had to do just that.

Far away from the others, and having very little chance of being interrupted, Mira did something highly uncharacteristic of her, shoving Ren against the side of the bus like some highschool bully demanding lunch money. She’d hoped to get Ren out of the line of fire, but after the cocky announcement he’d made earlier there was no way anyone would doubt that Ren was responsible for what had happened. “What did you do to her?” she asked sounding firm and annoyed, though the furrowed brow and glistening eyes only conveyed deep concern for the young male infront of her. “You didn’t hurt her did you?” she added quickly, trying to pace her questions, but doing a very poor job. She’d approached Ren hoping that Ren would deny any involvement, but the way he spoke and held himself clearly indicated he’d done something. And when Mira noticed the flick of Ren’s tail, she was certain some sort of prank had been played out.

Glaring sternly at Ren, it wasn’t until he’d explained his interpretation of what had happened that Mira finally relaxed. The tension in her entire body suddenly vanishing. What Ren had done was wrong, and he’d get in trouble for it. But it wasn’t worth being sent home, and it certainly wasn’t deserving of expulsion from the school. “You’re an idiot, why can’t you just break up with her like a normal person would?” she whispered, collapsing against Ren’s chest, clutching onto his shirt for support. She’d been so worried about what might have happened that she’d completely worn herself out. Her body a bit hot from all the running she’d done. She was still breathing heavily; gasping for air, though the relief that had washed over her had healed the tense discomfort that had built up inside her chest. Finally allowing her to breathe more freely, each breathe she took caused her warm heated breathe to trickle over Ren’s exposed skin in exchange for a a distinctive scent that reminded Mira of the beach. Normally she would have pulled away immediately, but she was just too tired to realize how suggestively their bodies were placed. Every breathe she took caused her rounded breasts to rise and fall, naturally brushing against Ren’s chest through the fabric of her own dress.

“You really are a dumb highschool teenager” she mumbled weakly once she’d manage to catch her breathe. Smiling a bit as she playfully punched the young male’s shoulder.
 
To say he was surprised when he was suddenly pushed against the side of the bus... well, that would certainly be fair. And perhaps the only real reason the woman had managed it, considering the definite differences in their builds. If it was any other circumstance... well, he'd probably barely move, but for the moment, he lingered against the bus, glad at least that she let him get his little explanation out of the way. Perhaps just as glad that he was officially single after that little announcement. No more being a silly little lapdog.

Though even then, considering his nature (that she well knew), Ren quite doubted Mira meant anything about hurting the girl; just a precautionary question. He'd barely hurt a fly, much less a person; no doubt she, more than a lot of people, knew that much about him.

At her little reprimand, though, he couldn't help but allow himself a slight, amused grin, his eyes wandering up skyward as if to seek answers... as though there really were any to give. It was just a spur of the moment thing, a build-up of everything from putting up with Bernadette to dealing with his relationship with his by far favorite teacher seemingly in tatters, he supposed. If it was any other time... but things were how they were. Too late to go back now.

"Gotta have fun with being able to be some dumb highschool teenager while it lasts, right?" he somewhat teasingly offered, chuckling lightly. He'd not wasted much time in placing his hands gently on the woman's hips when she fell into him, gladly holding her there and allowing her to catch her breath and recover her energy however much she needed. He had to admit it was... nice, very nice to feel her against him like this. Almost made him want to do more, to finally come out with everything he'd held back, but... not yet. Not until later, that would likely be a much better time for it. That he had to work a bit to keep something else from stirring went along with that.

"So... could I leave for a little while? I bet a few people'll be after me soon enough, and I'd rather not be anywhere around when they are," he calmly requested, otherwise not making any move to move away from the woman, nor move her away from him. "As long as you do tell that girl, whoever she might be, to meet me in the cove, then I'll just be disappearing until she finds me there... and that I'll really be looking forward to it after how the day's been so far," he concluded, a little teasing grin on his face quite telling, perhaps, that he knew full well just who that girl was.

So long as she allowed him to leave, then quietly leave he would, pointedly staying out of sight of anyone from the school wherever he might. Whether he'd get to the cove before or after the 'mystery girl' would was beyond him, but he'd get there nonetheless, waiting for her if he had to... on hopes that she'd come.

If she didn't let him leave yet, he'd half a mind to save time and confess right there... but he'd just see what happened.
 
Mira couldn’t hold back a small laugh herself when Ren mentioned having fun. The sound of her laughter gentle and melodic. She didn’t really think Ren was capable of physically harming anyone, but there was always the possibility that things hadn’t gone according to plan. Fortunately there wasn’t much chance that a shaked up drink could result in Bernadette harming herself, now that she’d calmed down enough to think about it, she supposed an injured person would be more worried about themselves, rather than going out and killing the person responsible unless the injury was really severe. And judging from how loudly Bernadette had screamed, she clearly had more energy than she needed. No, it was much easier to conclude Bernadette was overreacting as she always did.

“Don’t be silly, of course I’m not letting you leave” Mira stated, faking a look of contempt upon hearing Ren’s request. “Regardless of whether Bernadette deserved it, what you did was wrong, and a teacher I can’t just let you walk off as if nothing happened” she paused. Thinking things over quickly in her mind, her lips curling upwards a bit as she figured out away to prevent confessing the identity of the mystery girl, while also fulfilling her duties as a teacher.

“I’m afraid your highly inappropriate actions are deserving of a strict penalty Mr Olvry” Mira smiled, her tone playful and not serious at all despite, her formal tone almost sounding comical. “Your secret admirer will simply have to wait an extra day, since you’re be spending the rest of you day doing detention… under my supervision” she winked revealing her true intentions. It was a bit selfish of her, but it was an ideal opportunity for her to have Ren all to herself. The thought brought back a bit of the old Mira, cheerful and friendly and sometimes just as mischievous as her own students. She was abusing her powers as a teacher, but it wasn’t like anyone was being harmed, and she doubted Ren would mind too much.

“Though… I don’t really feel like locking you up in a hot stuffy room, not on a day like this” she paused looking up at the sky as well. A slight blush crossed her cheeks when her words made her realize just how close their bodies were, she’d fantasized about being held in Ren’s arms so many times, expecting it to be a dramatic magical moment for her if it ever did become a reality. Instead though the arms had slid over her naturally without the faintest discomfort or embarrassment. She thought she’d be disappointed or at least embarrassed, but no one was watching, and considering her intentions, she figured reprimanding Ren for a bit of touching was counterproductive. Feeling a bit daring, she slipped her hand up Ren’s chest, and hooked the tips of her fingertips over Ren’s shoulder smiling innocently, enjoying the moment of close from a purely emotional perspective. “How about you accompany me for a stroll on the beach? In fact I’d sort of like to check out that secret cove you mentioned, just to make sure it’s safe.”
 
Not letting him leave, was she? Well... he'd kind of expected that. Whether they were close enough, Mira was still a teacher; she had that whole duty to worry about, especially here when she was to be supervising students as needed. Students, of course, including him. Still, he let out a light, mock sigh at her comment about what he did being wrong. Sure he already knew that much, but he hadn't hurt anything. Well, except maybe Bernadette's pride... possibly one or two of the others' as well.

"Yeah, suppose you're right... still have a few days, anyway; that girl will have plenty of chances, if it doesn't end up happening today," Ren agreed with an amused little smirk. It wasn't exactly hard to realize that she wasn't entirely serious, from her tone, her expression... everything, really, down to how well he knew her by now. But as the woman's hand traveled up his chest, eliciting a light, content sound from the red panda, he could hardly help but slip his hands a bit further toward her back, his arms barely starting to embrace her given that. How badly he still wanted to, but... not just yet. Not with her next suggestion, that gave a rather more fitting location for such a thing.

"As the lady wishes; I'll even stand to your right to block a little of the view from all your would-be admirers," he teased. "Better yet, it's out of the way, but not too far off; easy to find again whenever you might want to go back... alone or otherwise," he added. And acting true to his word, he slowly removed his hands from the woman's form, just as slowly (and not entirely willingly) moving away from her hand and over to her right side. Much as he might prefer otherwise, there were appearances to keep up as well... so he merely gave a little nod in the direction that they'd be headed, abandoning physical contact for now lest anyone talk. He doubted many would talk about them just being around each other; that was old news, by far.

"Here... watch your step," Ren advised when they came to a slightly rocky area that was the edge of the partly hidden cove not long after, otherwise enjoying the walk; even in relative silence, it was nice to be around the woman again. Now, however, he made certain to offer a hand to help her out over the smooth and somewhat damp rocks, only a few steps before they were on the sandy shore of the cove proper. Just her, and him... and after the day, and the past few months, even, perhaps, the past few years... the red panda didn't feel like waiting any more.

To such an end, he wrapped his arms gently around Mira's waist. Carefully guiding her closer even as he leaned down some, he pressed his lips softly and carefully against her own, letting that do the work of showing how much he liked the woman; not simple desire, but genuine affection. The kiss, his first in some time and, he was certain, the first of a good few with her, he allowed to linger for a few moments, before he slowly and just as carefully broke it off, giving a little grin in the process.

"Better to show than tell, right?"
 
Admirers… well she couldn’t deny that she had quite a few of those. Though Mira was convinced that every single one of them would be content with any woman. Ren himself had shown how a guy his age would do anything to be with a girl no matter how undeserving the girl was. It had been one of the reasons Mira had been so shocked and hurt when she found out Ren was dating Bernadette, she’d always felt a special connection between them, thinking that Ren was special to her and wouldn’t look at her the same way all the horny teenage rascals his age did. But she’d been proven wrong when she’d heard his comment about her, and even more hurt when Ren had absent mindedly started dating someone else shortly after.

She could have stayed like this all day, pressing herself against the warmth of Ren’s body. She’d been so certain that she’d get flustered and panicky if some lucky accident ever put her in such a predicament, but the feeling of Ren’s chest against her cheek was soothing and heart-warming. Her breathing finally calming down enough for her to notice the thudding of a heart. At first she thought it was Ren’s, feeling a bit flattered that Ren would react in such a way. Though a few moments later she realized it was her own heart, excited and hopeful that it would finally be freed from the gaping hole that had opened up inside her so many months ago.

“Ren” she murmured, disappointment and sadness filling her beautiful brown eyes when the warm hands were lifted from her body and withdrawn. Mira clung onto Ren a bit more tightly, not wanting the moment to end. But she knew she’d have to let go sooner or later, and she also knew that Ren was doing it for her sake. The burden of being a teacher weighing down heavily once more. Sighing sadly and taking a step back, she nodded her head slightly when Ren suggested they get going. Mira was still under the impression that Ren believed her story about ‘another girl’ so unlike Ren who was certain there was more waiting for them at the cave. Mira couldn’t help but wonder when her next chance would be. When she’d be able to feel that euphoric warmth once more. Hopefully without worrying about the harsh chains of reality that held her back.

Unsure what else to say, Mira trailed silently behind Ren as she was guided down the beach and towards the cove. Along the way she deviated for a moment, noticing one of the other teachers and explaining how she was going to be making Ren pick up rubbish as part of his punishment. The beach they were on was still pretty clean, making it easier for Mira to convince the other teacher that they’d be heading off to another area.

Not knowing were the cove was, Mira continued to glance around as they walked. Her eyes taking in the scenic view, though her eyes always returned to the same dependable back walking a few steps ahead of her. They’d walked well and truly out of the school’s allocated space. The cove not even visible from the white tape that marked off the out-of-bounds area. Making sure they weren’t being watched or followed, a mixture of fear and hope swelled inside her heart as she wondered just how much further they’d have to walk.

Hopping over the rocky edge, Mira couldn’t contain her amazement as she took her first step into the cove. A light gentle breeze brushing against her cheek as if to welcome her. The water was pristine clear and the grains of sand beneath her feet felt warm, almost cushiony. There were a few seabirds nestled in the rocky ledges, but otherwise the place was completely deserted, a private oasis for Mira to cast away her mask as a teacher, and let herself become the woman she really was. Immediately she was regretting her story. She couldn’t quite make a move on Ren after telling her there was someone else. But fortunately for her she didn’t need to. A surprised gasp escaping her soft lips before she was pulled over towards the young male by the waist. The gasp cut short by the warm embracing kiss of the red panda that held her.

At first she froze, not knowing how to respond, or even what was happening. Her body however knew what it wanted though and soft hands gently lifted into the air before slipping past the fabric of Ren’s open shirt and gently touching the firm chest beneath as Mira closed her eyes and accepted the kiss. Moaning a bit as pleasure and happiness swelled inside her. It wasn’t until Ren pulled away that she finally recognized the twinkle in his eye for what it was. He knew there was no other girl. He knew who his secret admirer was.

Without thinking she pounced on Ren, wrapping around his neck and burying her face against his neck to hide the crazy red blush that lit up her entire face, from the tip of her nose to the edge of her ears. “Ren… Ren, Ren!” she repeated desperately, embracing him as tightly as she could, grinding herself up against his body. She couldn’t hold herself back anymore. She’d hesitated once before, and doing so had led to months of suffering and pain that she never wanted to experience. Thinking about it was enough to make her eyes water. “You idiot, why couldn’t you have waited a bit longer for me to come out to you, one day… no a few hours was all you needed to wait, a few hours and I would have been yours so much sooner.” She sniffled, pouring her heart out, had Bernadette hesitated on her confession, or if Ren had deferred answering Mira would have been able to confront Ren regarding what he’d said about her. There was no guarantee things would have ended romantically, but Mira had fully intended to explain that she didn’t mind. Perhaps even admit how she was flattered. They wouldn’t have been able to be together, not until the year was over. But had a promise been made, Mira would have been able to spend the last few months in eager anticipation, opposed to dread and regret over lost opportunities.
 
On the way, Ren barely even took note of Mira's little explanation to one or more of the other teachers around, clearly curious what exactly was happening. As long as they left them alone after a moment, which they indeed did, it was fine; he gave them a passing glance, but otherwise his eyes remained locked on the destination. More so focused on what would be awaiting him there, what he would finally be doing... soon, very soon, finally.

Better yet, as before with the touch to her cheek, the woman he secretly cared for more than he likely showed definitely responded. He felt her hands move to his chest, and himself moved slightly further into them, eager to enjoy even the littlest such touch she might offer him. Better still, he felt her lips press back against his, felt, perhaps, some hint of how long even she had been waiting for such a chance... something she'd all but stated herself, mentioning a girl that had held off confessing to him for years. The years that they'd known each other.

"I'm sorry... dumb high school kid, remember?" the red panda offered with a slight grin, wrapping his arms, even tail, further still around the woman until he was holding her just as close as she was him. "Sorry for that, sorry for... everything that started off these few months we've mostly been away from each other," he softly added, reaching one of his hands up to ever so gently brush away the tears that were very obviously threatening to escape her.

"But we don't have to wait any more. And, to be honest... I want all of you, or at least as much as you're willing to give. I've been interested in you for years, not just 'cause you're pretty easy on the eyes, so to speak... so I want to make the start of our relationship count, y'know?" Ren spoke, a grin painted plainly on his features. Leaning down a little again to press another soft kiss against the woman's lips for a few moments, he let his hands meanwhile slide steadily up the woman's back, until they reached the shoulder straps of her dress. Ever so slowly he began to slide them to the side, but his eyes looked inquiringly to her own; making sure it would be what she wanted, making sure if she'd allow it. It might have been overstepping his bounds, but he was eighteen, and they'd known each other for some time, sharing a fair bit. Even if not now... he supposed he could wait.
 
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