yogen | May catch-all

[ Waiting until the end of class to avoid bothering anyone else was excruciating. Turing was not very good at hiding this, as they were fidgeting in the seat the entire time. Really though! Sticking a wad of gum inside someone's desk was not only inconsiderate, but unsanitary as well! Once class was finally over and everyone was beginning to disperse, they were faced with another problem: how were they going to get the gum off?

None of the solutions that immediately came to mind were pleasant. Germs had no power over them, but it was still gross, okay. Was there a better option that they just weren't thinking of? That line of thought meant the closest person to them was about to get a slightly unusual question. ]

Excuse me... What would you suggest using for scraping gum off of wood?

[He was a bit off in his own mind - but getting asked a question by a robot of all things does immediately get his attention.]

Hm...Perhaps a pallet knife and some water or cleaning materials. There should at least be the knife in the art room - do you wish for me to accompany you there?

[Considering, uh....This robot new.]

[ Instantly: ] Yes, please!

[ Any excuse to go to the art room was a good one, to be honest. ]

I hope no one minds if it use it for scraping gum. Of course, I will be sure to clean it as best I can before returning it!

It should be fine - though in most cases, it'd be best to wait for the gum to dry before scraping it off.

[Since less attached surface area that way, and all. He smiles, before standing up - and giving a little bit of a groan, holding his back for a second.]

Geh - ah, these student chairs....such a hassle on my poor back, to be so cramped for so long!

[ Waiting made sense when Moriarty put it that way, but that also meant waiting with gross gum in their desk. Ughhhh. They wanted it gone now, not later. They had no time to voice their concerns, however! ]

Are you alright, sir? I'm afraid I don't have very much information regarding back pain...

[ NSI NKV HYV.

That was the message waiting for them once the gum was defeated. Was it an anagram? Perhaps a cipher of some kind? While it looked like Turing was just staring at a piece of paper, in reality they were putting their processing power to good use (?) by trying to find the meaning of those letters. ]

( curious, komaeda cants his head to the side as he watches turing fiddle with the contents of a couple of letters, the ultimate leans to take a look as well. they're not anything he's familiar with, and this is what makes this interaction exciting as he repeats each letter in his head. first, he wonders if they're pronounced does it unveil certain words, but no matter how many times the "words" pass through his mind, he doesn't get anything solid. )

Does any of it make sense?

( and as much as komaeda enjoys puzzles, he seems to be waiting his turn to see what the other is probably thinking. )

[ Turing had been focusing very hard, though maybe it didn't look that way thanks to the doodling they were also doing in the margins of the page. When Komaeda spoke up, that doodle was suddenly decorated with a haphazard little scribble once they realized they weren't alone. Oops. ]

Not yet, unfortunately... It is possible that this combination of letters is a password of some kind instead of something to be solved, but I will continue trying!

[ They kind of hoped that wasn't really true, though. It was not a very secure password! ]

( he contemplates writing it down for reference to see if he flips the letters upside down, would that expose something? silent, komaeda tries to recall if there's anything within the school that fits this string of letters, and when nothing comes to mind, he hums softly. mysteries upon mysteries, but too many loose ends to actually make a connection. )

If that's so, you'll need something to plug them into.

( his hand points at the letters as he looks at the other, he'll give his thoughts on the matter, but there's nothing solid yet. )

Initials too, the N and V repeat.

You're right! N and V appear in similar places as well.

[ Turing carefully underlined the Ns and Ls on the page. They couldn't explain why drawing felt as natural as it did while writing didn't. After all, they had done a lot of handwriting for all the class sessions they'd been in. ...Right? ]

Would you happen to know where the class registers are?

[ They definitely weren't making plans for some snooping-- uh, a more direct investigation. Nope. No sir. ]

( could it be they think these initials stand for someone's name, well, it wouldn't be too farfetched with what's been going on as of late. he glosses over the letters in an attempt to familiarize himself with them, but it remains the same where it doesn't jog his memory. at one point someone did have them, but he'll look towards turing with a frown as he shakes his head. )

We haven't seen that person in weeks who had them...

( now whether they left them somewhere is also the question, but komaeda's noticed that items cycle through people's hands. if anything, they'd have to see if someone else has them now. )

I do believe they got them from the student council room... ( he pauses, thinking about how risky that may be for the other. ) We could check there, but she might reject us...

Oh, I see...

[ Their gaze fell in disappointment. Even if it was a long shot, it would have been something. It was also slightly concerning that the person who had it last was missing, but being in that sort of danger was not necessarily a deterrent, even with their memories locked off. To prove the point, Turing perked up instantly when another change revealed itself. ]

It's worth a try, even if she chooses to reject us! Isn't it?

( oh, they're so cute, hello. that little spark of hope despite komaeda's comment, yeah, this is the type of thing he likes. it would be worth a try, and who knows, they could be rewarded if so. excited, his smile raises as he finds himself getting back to his feet proper, and he nods right after. )

She'll reject us, but she can't get rid of us.

( she's a little... blunt, mean, but komaeda likes her attitude, so he's sure the other might like her as well. )

We should try during lunch, I know that they hardly let anyone in during meetings...

Okay! Lunch it is, then!

[ They had no way of knowing whether Komaeda would indulge them or not, so going from "she might reject us" to "she'll reject us but we will not be denied" certainly felt like a win. Heck yeah. Clearly they were just that good at convincing others, even if that convincing was really more like a "aw c'mon pleaseeeeee" kind of thing. ]

Thank you very much for your help. I may have been staring at these letters for a very long time otherwise.

( komaeda can only imagine how long it's going to take them to find maya, considering she isn't the most talkative person, instead she's the opposite. blunt, silent, and doesn't do anything unnecessary, so if she finds their questions to be just that, it'll probably become a short-lived conversation. he doesn't know how persistent turing is, but komaeda is just plain annoying when he gets it into his mind, so he can use that part of him to help the other. with that decided, he holds up one finger like he's about to give a list of rules from start to finish. )

Arisu-san is a really fast walker, so I think locking her in a room with us should work.

( excuse me? mr komaeda? ) So she can't run away! It'd be a shame if she had information, and wouldn't give it to us because she has a place to go. ( turing's nice personality may win out when it comes to this, because the moment maya sees komaeda she'll probably want nothing to do with them. )

There's no need to thank me, this way, I'm allowed to witness your hope.

[ Considering the lengths they had gone to before, the answer to how determined they were once they decided on doing something was: very. It remained to be seen how Komaeda's... Komaeda-ness and Turing's usually disarming appearance would work in tandem, but hey, this could work out! Maybe! They just needed to have a proper strategy beforehand.

But maybe not that strategy! ]

W-wait! I agree that we need to ensure we don't lose any leads, but won't trapping her in a room only make her more wary of us? It may be more effective if we bring her a present of some kind instead.

[ That aside, they had no idea what "witness your hope" meant or referred to, but surely it wasn't a bad thing? They weren't sure it was really equivalent to offering thanks though. If Komaeda said so, they couldn't really argue against that without being rude, so might as well roll with it. That would be fine...right? ]

( a gift? as long as komaeda has been here, he hasn't gained one hope fragment from her, and that's because she's a little difficult to work with. well, komaeda enjoys her, but some others would find the personality she has too straightforward and scary — that's probably what makes maya, maya. a literal demon. with a hand to his chin, he's thinking whether it'd be able to work out, and once he finally looks the other over one last time. )

You'd be a pretty neat gift.

( if they can't lock her in a room as a trap, perhaps turing is the next best choice in this. they're different, and maya wouldn't be able to tell the difference. ) If she's delighted, she'll take you, but that would mean... ( if they get trapped in there, then they'd get trapped, but at least that means turing will be able to look at everything inside the room when she conveniently leaves them there. that gives turing the chance to take whatever looks important. )

What do you think?

( insane? yes. could it work? probably not, but insanity wins always. )

Excuse me?!

[ Welp. There were only a few things that could instantly kill Turing's goodwill toward another, and Komaeda's proposal was definitely in the same ballpark. Sure, they could see where he was going with this. However, actually agreeing to it meant compromising on their own sense of dignity, and that was a considerably harder sell. ]

I would like to remind you that I am not a toy or a pawn to be used when it's convenient.

[ And just like that, their cheery but overall cooperative demeanor turned to a cool, professional one. ]

Ah... Did it upset you? I'm not saying this to belittle you, but it's a plan that could work.

( he's been here long enough to know the type of person maya is, and she may not even give them the time of day. it sounds like a plan that could technically work, but it seems he hit a nerve — maybe a circuit? with how turing's voice changes, it's easy to tell that komaeda will have to give a better reason as to why the other should even do this. it'll take a little work, but they seem like the type like they'll listen for a moment. ) I know trash like me shouldn't ask for something like this from you...

( he chimes this in, showing that komaeda's pride about himself isn't all there, and well, he talks low about himself all the time. )

We're not even allowed in the room without a key, I've heard... so if you could take whatever you find, it might help us towards the future. ( he raises a finger, pointing at them. ) This is for your benefit as well... I'd do it if I could, but Arisu-san already knows that I'm up to no good.

[ Turing's sour expression faltered at Komaeda putting himself down. Maybe he wasn't their favourite person right then, but they still didn't want him to speak badly of himself or anything similar. Hearing that they might be the only one who could get inside and get some valuable information was also chipping away at their opposition to the plan. It was a multi-pronged attack: pity and guilt! Not fair!

At least they managed to keep some kind of pout on their face. Their pride was weakened, but still intact. ]

...Fine. But please do not make a habit of asking me to do these sorts of things.

[ You win, Komaeda. But they're not happy about it! ]

[oh shit are we doing some Pondering. she loves pondering. and this is pretty much the only student whose shoulder she can actually read things over!]

... What kind of spell is it? [because every weird grouping of words has been magic so far.]

[ Hell yeah we're doing some pondering. Usually people had to lean over awkwardly to read over their shoulder, but not that many people actually did it, so that was new. ]

A spell? As in a magic spell? I don't think that's what this is...

What else could it be? [frowns] Is it a name? Sometimes people have three-word names.

It's possible that they're names, but I don't know of any three-letter names with these combinations of letters.

[ ...Okay, they had to ask. ]

What made you think it was a spell?

[ After all, magic wasn't real. Right? ]

Maybe it's a normal name, but split up into three. Or it is three names, but missing pieces.

[shrugs] There's been all kinds of magic here; my brain's starting to default to it.

[ Oh! They could see the logic in those possibilities. However, instead of trying to solve the puzzle, their attention was instead drawn to the fantastical. ]

Really? What kind of magic? Can any students use magic?

[ Turing was not very subtle when something caught their interest. ]

A couple can! Normally, I mean; a lot of the powers people have aren't really working. I guess it'd make things too easy if we could just burn a hole out of the school, huh?

[ Magic! Real magic! Not only that, but Stephanie's response made it very clear that this wasn't then sleight-of-hand kind of magic!

Though most of that statement also made it clear that the situation was complicated. ]

Yes, I can see how it would... I wonder why their powers aren't working properly. [ Hmmmm. ] This might sound outlandish, but it is possible that these letters are part of a spell that seals everyone's powers.

Anything is possible! Especially here.

[hm...] You should bring this to somebody who knows real magic! Noah, maybe... Oh, bring it to Natsume! He'll know what it's for!

[just a completely uncalled for amount of faith in bomb-niisan.]

Noah and Natsume... I see!

[ Turing seemed convinced though, so that completely uncalled for faith was also being transferred to them. Oops. ]

Thank you very much for your guidance! ...And for telling me that magic exists.

I'm just glad you believe me! What you wouldn't believe is how many people here are just... I don't know. I think it's denial. They've always thought magic doesn't exist, and they don't wanna be wrong.

[kokichi]

Yes... I think I understand what you mean. When you have believed something for so long, it is difficult to acknowledge a new truth.

[ There was also the fact that Turing was a little, uh, gullible. ]

As for believing you, it doesn't seem fair to doubt you when you've given me no reason to!

[this is her new best friend she loves them]

More people around here should have that world view, I think. If we're all gonna work together to get out of here, we need to trust each other, even if some people

[KOKICHI]

aren't interested.

I agree! We won't be able to make any significant progress if we're suspecting each other instead.

[ Clearly they all need to rise up and defeat and/or overwhelm Kokichi with the Power of Trust and Teamwork ]

If there's something I can do to help you, please let me know! I would like to help you as you've helped me.

[ Turing didn't need to sleep. That made nights very dull and even a little lonely, but they definitely weren't feeling comfortable enough to put themselves into sleep mode. Not without an ally in their corner, at least.

With no connection to the mesh and also being restricted to quiet activities, as waking anyone up was of course a no-no. Light wasn't a huge issue because of the soft glow coming from their display, so they chose to take a look around the school. Surely nothing would pop out of the darkness and get them! Though maybe the sight of a mysterious glowing orb making its way down the hallways wasn't the most reassuring thing to see after midnight. ]

[Clamor is usually a lot better about going to sleep on time... but unfortunately, he got distracted while putting his library books back, and before he knew it he was halfway through another novel and an hour past midnight. Now the silence is all over the school and he knows he'll have a hell of a time trying to sleep. Ugh.

But if it's past midnight, then at least he can take his book with him. Reading is hard when all the lights are off, but he can read by moonlight if he stands by a window, and maybe this will make him tired enough to have a nice, dreamless sleep? One can only hope. In the meantime, it was just getting to the good part—the last of the candles flickered out, and they could see an ominous blue light at the end of the darkened hallway...

... as he moves to turn the page, an ominous blue light catches his eye, from the end of the darkened hallway.

not that he thinks the book is suddenly real, he has more sense than that, but it's late and he's tired and he has no idea what the hell that is and oh god what if it is a vengeful ghost—]

[ That ominous blue light drifted left and right down the hallway, as if it was searching for something. Was it here? Or perhaps there? Then, that light came to a sudden stop. Had Clamor been noticed? The light gently swayed in the air, as if in thought. It was calm for just long enough to make someone think it had lost interest in whatever it had seen, but then in that chilling silence, it began coming closer.

And closer.

And closer still!

...In reality, Turing was just bored and had decided to check out the nearby rooms and lockers in a more haphazard way than usual. Clamor was the first person they had seen in a little while now, so of course they had to go over and say hello! Or rather, give a non-verbal greeting given the circumstances. It would be rude to just ignore him and continue on their way, after all. Unfortunately, their motives were not the most obvious ones. ]

[The mysterious orb drifts out of view, and... did he just imagine it? He must be really tired. Yeah... yeah, that'd be way too crazy, for something like that to appear at just the perfect moment—

but then the orb is back and okay now he has to accept that he definitely saw something, he has no idea what it is, and it might in fact be a ghost. Should he try to run?? He shouldn't stick around and fight something like that, right? He can't even use magic right now... but his sleep-deprived brain considers that running might just make it chase him, so instead he consults his best resource: flipping ahead to the next chapter.

Turns out this is one of those ghost stories where a group of friends get picked off one by one until the main protagonist solves the mystery and lifts the curse... and, tragically, this first character does not survive to the next chapter. Fuck.

He tries to flip through faster to get to the part where they solve the mystery and the survivors escape, but that light is getting closer, and closer, and... he just holds up the book like that might protect him. Maybe this ghost runs on "I can't see you if you can't see me" logic??? He might be crying please have mercy on him spooky ghost orb what did he do to earn your wrath, he's innocent!!]

[ Hm? Was this person offering a book to them? What was it about? Was it that interesting?

Yes, that really was their first reaction. The idea of someone being afraid was totally alien to them. After all, ROMs were designed to be cute, not scary! To compound the problem, they didn't think twice about stretching themselves to their full height (which still wasn't much, mind you) to get a better look at that book. Please enjoy the incredibly close ghost orb glowing at you from behind the book, Clamor.

They would have voiced all of those previous questions and more, but there was a problem with that. Their voice was not coming out. Not only that, but their diagnostics weren't showing any problems either. That, among other things, was worrying. Turing could do something about one of those things however, and so the ghost orb drifted off once again to retrieve a handkerchief. If Clamor was still there, he would be getting poked; unfortunately, they were left with few options for getting his attention. ]

May catch-all

May 6, late morning

GASP A BABY

baby is definitely not going to get into trouble right away if not supervised, nope

after multiple days of just straight up dying, I am here. hello

welcome back to the world of the living, we have cookies

May 6th, afternoon

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May 7th, after midnight

pictured: clamor, maybe crying a little as he stares in horror at turing for no obvious reason

definitely not making that worse, no sir

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