It was a calm night, with the stars on full display for all to see.

As announced to each of their guests earlier in the day, the resort staff had indeed prepared a wonderful event for the night. It had been set up next to the main pool—the largest at the resort—at the event pavilion, where a DJ had stood upon a large stage blasting some of the latest tropical house releases of the year. Nearby to the stage were bars and buffet lines, both ready for any resort guests that were hungry or might've wanted a drink of some kind. With a stereotypical tiki aesthetic to boot, it seemed like the resort had pulled out all the stops for its current guests to relax and party the night away.

Sitting at one of the bars, Rina watched the event with a slightly uncomfortable gaze. It wasn't like she hadn't been to parties and other such events before. This was a chance to unwind some of the stress she had been feeling; it was the whole point of why she accepted the resort's invitation. But as she watched a group of resort guests dance to the music played by the DJ, Rina felt like she hadn't been ready to socialize just yet, instead choosing to keep to the bar where she could be alone.

Turning to the bartender, Rina decided to order a drink for herself. Perhaps a cocktail or two could help her unwind and put her in the mood to party with the rest of the resort's guests, although Rina doubted it. Yet if she was going to spend her night here at the resort's party, a drink and some of the buffet food was the least she could do for herself.

"A..."

Rina paused, struggling to remember what the drink was called. She had heard of it before, but western drinks weren't her strong suit.

"Mai Tai, please?"

"Green."

Rhys raised a brow to himself in the mirror and pulled the corners of his lips down in resignation, his eyes sparkling in amusement. All right, green it is. With one step to the right, put back the blue button up into the open frame closet and stepped back in front of the mirror, opening the buttons of the olive green button-up. With his good arm, he grasped at the fabric behind his neck and pulled off his t-shirt in one swift movement, tossing it to his bed. He blinked at his reflection. Normally, he'd like what he saw. Not that he was conceited, or made a hobby out of looking at himself, but he had never been dissatisfied. The scars on his shoulder were something he was still coming to terms with, though. With a swallow, he put on the button-up as his sister's voice floated from his phone again, which was perched up against the mirror to face him. "Anyways, I thought you said you were going to try and relax?" Her voice was almost accusatory if it weren't for the fact that Rhys picked up on the concern laced through it. Maybe he shouldn't have confessed that instead of letting the sun soak into his healing bones on a bed beside the water, he went parasailing on the island today.

"I am relaxing. I'm just also... making the most out of it." His eyes flickered down to the screen, where through the Facetime call he could see his sister's side-eye all the way back from Massachusetts, where she sat at her small desk in her dorm room at Harvard. Smart kid. He could almost hear the wheels in her head turning, trying to see if she should fight him on this. He couldn't blame her. It wasn't like he was at the peak of his health, right now, but Rhys didn't back down easily. This holiday had been Willow's suggestion because the doctor said a nice climate like here in Carabo would be good for his healing. He could tan in the sun, swim in the ocean and enjoy expert massages. That and, the payout of the lawsuit had been good. Willow wanted to come, but she has exams. He'd have to make it up to her.

It had felt odd, leaving on holiday on his own. Usually, he went with friends. But it wasn't like Rhys was a shy person. He'd make friends. "Jumping off a cliff to fly with the use of some untrustworthy construction does not seem like relaxing to me, Rhysand." Yup, judgement. He winced a little at his full name, but a smile teased the corners of his lips. She kinda sounded like their mother. Rhys buttoned up his shirt and ran his hands along the front of it. Tilting his head, he raked a hand through his hair and curled his bottom lip out, satisfied with the result. Green had been the right choice. The fabric was light, and perfect for this weather. Leaning forward, the took the phone in his hand as Willow continued. "What's next, swimming with sharks?"

Rhys let out a rumbly laugh as he sat down on his bed, placing the phone against the lamp on his nightstand and grabbing his watch from there, putting it on as he shook his head at his sister's remark. "It actually involves a cage, Weep." He retorted, using her nickname. She used to cry a lot when she was a kid. A real weeping willow. "Rhys!" Out of frustration, he saw his sister close the book she was studying from, and turn toward her propped-up phone completely. Her lips were parted and her eyes were wide. Alright, he had teased her enough. He neatly rolled up his sleeves as he spoke once more. "Listen, Willow. I'm just enjoying my vacation. I'm about to go to a party, totally relaxing. I promise there will be no car chases or bar fighting or lion taming involved. Scouts honour." He held up two fingers in the sky and watched as Willow's face lit up again, al be it with a roll of her eyes.

"Alright, well, I have a very exciting date with my new E.A Phoenix book. You have fun at the party. Respect women. Don't do drugs. And please be careful with alcohol and your pain meds, okay?" He saw his sister grab her phone and press a kiss to the screen, and it made him chuckle. She was a pain in the ass, but she cared about him. Relenting, he nodded. "I'll be the epitome of chivalry, soberness and celibacy." He joked, knowing full well he wasn't really promising the latter one. Hell, he could use a nightly adventure to blow off steam. Willow said to relax, right?

After promising her once more that he wouldn't go swimming with sharks, he hung up the phone and let the device slide into the front pocket of his khaki shorts. He could already hear the soft hum of music from his hotel room, and he wondered how many people would be there. Either no one or the entire hotel. Well, he'd check it out, maybe order a beer, alcohol-free, and do some dancing. Something something the world is my oyster. Oh, maybe he'd down a couple of those, too. He locked his hotel door behind him and made his way to where he was told the party would be, though it wasn't hard to find with the flashing light and booming music. Damn, there was even a DJ? People were already socializing around the bar, while others lounged in the pool on floaties. He glanced briefly at the dancefloor, littered with people from presumably a lot of different nationalities. A gorgeous blonde in a red dress caught his eye and he wasn't shy about looking at her, though, after a beat passed he flashed a quizzical smile and walked toward the bar.

Damn, he couldn't even get a glass of liquid courage. It wasn't like he was an alcoholic, but he could do with a nice cold actual beer right now. Instead, he leaned on the bar with his good arm and nodded up at the bartender. The woman beside him ordered a Mai Tai and Rhys's eyes flashed to her, intrigued by a flash of accent and interesting drink of choice. She looked uncomfortable, out of place. Someone else needed liquid courage. Another woman, darker-haired this time, joined up and ordered the same. Smiling to himself as they started conversing, he ordered alcohol-free beer and pushed off the bar, turning to lean back against it and look over the dancing crowd. Chivalry, Rhys, chirvarly. Without thinking, he placed the hand of his good arm on his bad shoulder, rolling the limb a little and trying not to let the wince from overtaking his face. A glass of beer was put behind him, and he looked over his shoulder to thank the bartender before half turning, taking the beer in his hand.

If Rina had felt out of place before, she certainly did now. On her left, Rina had caught a tall man staring at her, and on her right another woman had joined in, choosing to order the same thing as she had. Whilst the man had seemed to be off in his own little world and later smiled to himself, the woman on the other hand appeared to momentarily study Rina before deciding to open up to her in an attempt to have a friendly chat between the two of them. Despite the woman's friendliness, however, it had not changed the fact that Rina felt like she was in a fishbowl, with all eager eyes staring in her direction. They had obviously meant no harm, but Rina nonetheless still had felt uncomfortable perhaps even more so than before.

"Thank you," Rina replied, after a brief period of hesitation. "I am not familiar with many drinks here. I would not suppose the resort would have some sake or umeshu laying around, so I had went with what I knew."

Watching the bartender squeeze some fresh limes into a measuring cup, Rina then turned to the woman who had spoken to her. Although she had just arrived to Carabo, Rina had seen many of the resort's guests pass on by throughout the day, and even now as she sat at the bar. This woman, however, was not someone she could remember seeing before.

"So what had made you decide to come to Carabo?" Rina proceeded to ask as a follow-up question to the woman, having come to realize that running from socialization here had ultimately been a fool's dream.

Rhys took a slow first sip of his beer. It was nice and cold, despite not having that kick of actual alcohol. Look at him, he's starting to sound like an alcoholic at this point. He darted his tongue out slightly to lick the foam from his upper lip and scanned the crowd. It wasn't even that late yet, and some people were already drunk out of their minds. Even though he liked a beer, Rhys hadn't been drunk a day in his life. How could people let it get that far, anyway? The crowd sure was an interesting one, though also one amusing enough to look at.

The two Mai Tai women beside him struck up a conversation, and while he didn't really mean to eavesdrop, it was kind of nice to listen to a normal topic. He hadn't missed the second woman's eyes on his beer order, and then to him. As if to calculate why. He sure didn't look like the type who wouldn't drink. Still, his eyes flickered to hers for a brief moment and he couldn't see any judgement. Just curiosity, like a mystery to solve. He winked at her instead, and let his focus stray to the dancing floor while taking a sip. On the other side of him, two girls were definitely not passing the Bechdel test. The comment they made about some men on the dancefloor were downright disrespectful, and then he heard the attention shift to him. How hot he looked, and how alone. Almost doing rock paper scissors on who could approach him. Old Rhys would be flattered, but now it just irked him. The difference in brain cells of the ladies to his right and the ladies to his left was very telling. One of them got up to approach him. Time to move away from the bar.

But just as he pushed off, that familiar blonde from earlier walked up to the bar like she was on a mission, and he decided to linger. He keep his eyes on her as he followed her walk, a bounce in her step, curious if she was coming for a drink, or him. Or both. He'd be lying if he said he hadn't seen her before. He had seen her sprawled out on a tanning bed at least two times when he had gone for a quick swim to soothe his pain. He recognised the dusting of freckles on her face. She wasn't indecisive, either, she was definitely approaching him. His saviour. For that alone, she deserved a drink. She cut him off from brainless #1 and #2 and he grinned, angling his body towards her as she made her visit to him clear. Ah, she was American like him. She had a risqué sparkle in her eyes. He appreciated that, and his intrigued meter went up.

Leaning against the bar with his good arm, he felt the fingers of his other hand around his beer tingle painfully and he flexed them, but just to be safe he placed the glass back on the counter as he locked eye contact with the blonde. "I'd be honoured to." He said, one corner of his mouth lifting into a smile, the dimple in his cheek coming forward. He turned to the bartender that awaited her order and said "Whatever the lady wants." Then shifted his focus back on her, waiting for her to place her order before he engaged further.

Taking his beer back in his hand, he looked at her with amused features. "You on vacation here, too? Enjoying the sun?" He inquired, letting his eyes roam briefly over her olive tan, freckles on more than just her nose, he noticed.

Why was she here?

Although what the woman had asked had been her own question thrown back at her, Rina hadn't been quite certain how to answer it. Not so much for a lack of an answer to give, but more so for the tension and stress that revolved around her reasoning to travel to the Carabo resort. As she thought of how to respond to the woman, Rina could feel her stomach turning in knots, reminding her of all the hateful, toxic messages she had read online. It hadn't been her fault, she had to reassure herself. Even the investigators had cleared her name as an involved party; that had to mean something, right?

"To relieve some stress," Rina replied, taking a sip from her newly-made mai tai. Such an answer had been the truth, yet vague enough to hide the depressed thoughts swirling inside her head. "This place had been recommended to me, so I had decided to take some time off for a personal vacation at the island."

Her thoughts shifted, wondering if it had been right for her to be out on vacation right now. Although Rina certainly needed the break, a part of her had felt guilty for storming off to an island resort so quickly after the accident. She felt that she should've been there, back in Japan. Back by Yujiro's bedside, wishing him luck in recovering. He was stuck in the hospital fighting for his life while his co-star was out partying on a tropical island. It wasn't exactly the fairest trade-off when both of them had been front-and-center during the accident, but what was done was done. Rina just hoped Yujiro would understand her actions, given the circumstances.

"Though, Carabo does feel somewhat... rich for my tastes, now that I am here." She continued, as an after-thought.

Rhys couldn't help but blink and tilt his head at her drink order before hiding his grin by taking a sip of his beer. Yeah, still not the same as the good old tinge of alcohol. He could use some liquid courage right about now, but it wasn't like he didn't have any game without it. Frankly, he appreciated having a clear head. Made for sound decisions. Right? Though her grin at him threw all of that out of the window and Rhys knew he was in trouble. Would having a fling with this woman in his hotel room count as 'relaxing'? Though, he wasn't really sure how to explain that one to Willow anyways. This was turning out to be an interesting night. The two girls behind this conversation partner had turned away with sour expressions. Good riddance. A stark contrast from the two lovely Mai Tai ladies behind himself, talking softly amongst the two of them.

He gave the blonde in front of him an understanding expression at her answer, nodding while he hummed out an "Aah." He couldn't hear from her accent where she was from, and her saying she didn't get a lot of sun made him want to ask. But that would be creepy, right? He was also here to forget real life existed. There was nothing outside of Carabo for him right now, and that probably was the same for her. They were just... someone else here. Just the here, and now. Not a physically broken Rhys with frustrations, wanting his old physique back. "Well, sun looks good on you." He said, raising his beer at her while she took her shot in hand, before taking another sip. Over the rim of his glass, he winked at her as she downed the shot like an expert. Oh, he was in trouble alright. The scrunch of her nose made her freckles even more noticeable.

Then she went and grabbed his hand, and it surprised him, though it didn't show on his face. Instead, he send her a quizzical head tilt and listened to her proposition. Honestly, why the hell not? Rhys was 'relaxing', after all. Surely dancing on the dancefloor was way safer than paragliding or shark-diving.

What could go wrong?

"Well, since you asked so nicely." He placed his beer on the bar, discarding it. Alcohol-free beer was tasteless, after all. It was out of his mind in a second as he nodded, going in front of her toward the dancefloor, clearing the way. He kept his fingers laced in hers, or he'd lose her in this crowd. It had become quite busy. Almost as if the entire hotel did show up to the party. What was this party even for? Finding a good spot, he turned to face her as the bodies around them moved along with the music. Some more... skilled than others. Moving along to the music, he felt transported to a younger Rhys who loved to go clubbing. With a mischievous smile on his face, he danced. He made sure to keep a respectful distance, it would be up to her to bridge it. Though, he did lean in order to speak to her over the sound of the music. "Name's Rhys, by the way. Yours?" He said towards her ear.

"In general, I suppose." Rina replied, thankful that the conversation had shifted to a more welcoming topic. "Although I can afford resorts such as this, I have never been the type to flaunt my wealth. I always feel out of my element indulging in extravagant expenses, though perhaps that is just my rural upbringing speaking for me."

As Rina noticed the other bar patrons leave for the dance floor, she contemplated asking her new acquaintance the same—once they both had finished their mai tais, of course. After a moment of thought, however, Rina decided against it. Although dancing was a great way to unwind, she hadn't wanted to ruin their moment, admittedly grateful to just have someone to talk to. Though neither of the women had known each other's name, and Rina had been practically tip-toeing throughout the entire conversation, the woman had still seemed empathetic and understanding to whatever Rina had to say.

Unfortunately, the peace Rina was finally beginning to feel, albeit ever so small it had been, would not last long.

"Oh my God!" A shrill scream echoed out from the crowd, drawing the attention of many resort guests. It had belonged to a woman, who covered her mouth in shock and pointed towards the pool. "Someone help her!"

Turning her attention to where the woman had been pointing, Rina was greeted with a horrifying sight she hadn't been prepared for. One of the resort employees stumbled down the length of the pool, her arm weakly outstretched in an attempt to plead for help. Her blouse had been mangled, with a pool of blood seeping into the blue fabric, evidently from the large, open gash on her shoulder as if someone or something had taken a chunk out of the employee.

Being a longtime actress, Rina was no stranger to fake wounds. She had spent time in the chair, waiting ever so still as make-up artists applied fake blood and bruises to her skin. But this—this didn't seem fake in the slightest, like some kind of murder mystery horror show that the resort had decided to put on for its guests. Someone needed to help them now.

Before anyone could react in time, however, the woman tripped over her own feet, and proceeded to fall face-first straight into the pool. As the body hit the water, a small puddle of red began to surround the body, perhaps a sign that the woman had already lost too much blood from the wounds she had received from whatever had attacked her.

Regardless if the woman was still alive or not, though, the only thing Rina could do was to look on in sheer horror, genuinely uncertain on what to do next. She wasn't prepared to see another person on the verge of death, especially one in this state.

Rhys cocked an inquisitive eyebrow at the blonde before him when she decided to breach the distance and lean in. Her scent surrounded him and it broke through smells of alcohol, sweet drinks and sweaty bodies around them. She smelled fresh, like she just showered, with a hint of sunscreen and a flower he wouldn't be able to name. When she faced him again, he gave her a short nod and repeated her name soundlessly with his mouth. His features turned into a grin and he looked down for a moment, shaking his head due to her antics. She danced closer to him then, and Rhys let his hands go to her hips as they swayed against him.

The music was loud, but not deafening, as the speakers were further away and the pair danced close to the pool. It was a goddamn miracle no one had fallen in drunk yet. Though, a resort this size and reputation, he was sure there would be lifeguards on duty would that happen. The last thing the resort would want during a party was a scandal, right? The music wasn't to his taste, but he couldn't deny it unfroze his hips as he danced to the rhythm. After a brief moment, he dropped his bad arm back to his side to give it a break, but the rest of his body was full into the dance. It wasn't that Rhys had come very close to dying, or something. Sure, had become gravely injured, but death had been off the table. His mind wasn't too caught up to that yet at the moment his rope had snapped, though, tumbling down and seeing a half-inflated safety mattress. He had been sure of dying in those brief seconds. And so maybe, he should enjoy life even more than he already had, cause it could be over in a flash. He knew that now. So to hell with relaxing. He was set on some activities tonight.

So he lost himself in the music. And this stranger that danced with him. Her scent, the warm air around them, the laughter. The bass was rhythmic in his ears and body as he enjoyed the dance. And even though some yelling between people wasn't odd, a certain yell sounded so horrific Rhys perked up and looked up and over Delaney's head, to a woman who looked like she'd seen a ghost. He came to a standstill, much like the patrons around him, and followed the pointer finger of the woman to the other side of the pool. His other hand dropped off Delaney's hip as he spotted a wounded woman, obviously bleeding and stumbling forward, reaching out for help. Her blouse was gashed to pieces, and a large open wound on her shoulder made his own scar ache. And no one was giving any help. Hell, someone even moved out of the way.

"What the..." he said softly, but stopped when he witnessed the woman fall into the pool. Several things happened at once, including the woman he'd seen at the bar raising her voice, asking for a doctor in the crowd. Rhys sure as hell wasn't one, he had a doctorate degree but he dealt with sprains and hernias. But, a doctor wouldn't do any good to the woman's wounds if she drowned in the pool or bled out in it. The pool itself was already becoming a sickening shade of pink as two girls who previously occupied floaties clambered out of it. His eyes flickered down to Delaney, and then he moved without thinking. He only had to move a couple of big steps around the pool as he palmed his phone, pulling it from his pocket. He placed it down on the pool's edge at the same time he leaned down and planted his palm on that same edge, jumping in. Thankful that he found footing. This was the shallow end of the pool. He waded over to her and blocked out what was happening outside of the pool. Her hair was loose, long and dark, and floating in the lit-up pool in a disturbing manner. This surely wasn't an image he would be getting out of his head very soon.

The blood in the water seeped right into his green shirt and Rhys scrunched his nose and the specific mix of the smell of blood and chlorine as he reached her. He took her shoulders and spun her around. He didn't know if she was still alive, but that wasn't his role right now. He had to get her out so someone actually qualified could look at her. He pulled her toward the closest edge of the pool, careful to keep her face above water. At the edge, two men took her from Rhys and heaved her out of the pool and onto the edge.

Rhys blinked and looked down at himself. Soaked and bloodied. Jesus fucking Christ, this evening took a turn. Taking a sidestep and he placed his palms on the edge of the pool and pulled himself out.

"R-Right," Rina stammered out in response.

With someone clearly bleeding out in front of her, Rina needed to get her head back into the game. Though the shows and movies she had acted in were clearly fiction, she was supposed to be a hero; a defender of the people. Standing around and allowing the bystander effect to consume her whole wasn't the right thing to do. For the moment, she didn't care what the toku fandom would think about her involvement in this scenario. Someone was severely hurt and in need of help, and despite that Rina had little medical training, there still had to be something she could do.

As the man from before lifted the woman out of the pool, Rina stood up from the bar stool and hastily made her way over to the woman alongside a few others—one apparently being a doctor of sorts.

"Let me know if there is anything I can do," Rina told the blonde woman, who had begun CPR on the resort employee.

Despite wanting to assist where she could, however, Rina grimaced, now seeing the full impact of the woman's wounds. She had glanced at the employee's shoulder, where a severe and bloody gash—no, bite wound—had been. How in the world were they supposed to patch that up? Her grievous injuries looked like something that needed an actual hospital to treat; not something that you could just slap a band-aid on and call it a day. It'd take some time for a helicopter or boat to arrive from the mainland, but maybe there was a hospital or clinic of sorts in the nearby town...

Running various scenarios through her head, Rina tried to come up with some sort of a plan of action while she waited for the woman to give her a command. Yet as she waited, Rina would catch a brief movement from the resort employee, who twitched ever so slightly on the ground before slowly opening her now-clouded eyes.

"Hey!" Rina spoke up, trying to get the woman's attention. "She's waking up!"

Just as Rina tried to warn the woman, however, the attempt at aiding the employee took a sudden yet drastic turn. Out of nowhere, the injured employee seemingly sprung up from the ground, and angrily leapt after the blonde woman who had been preforming CPR in a desperate attempt to take a ferocious chunk or two out of her flesh.

"Chikushō!" Rina shouted, her native Japanese coming to the forefront as she recoiled in surprise.