nice colors

[sisters]

Who: Rantarou Amami & you!
What: Arrival & introduction
When: 05/19 and onwards
Where: Various locations
Warnings: Dangan Ronpa V3 spoilers in comments

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a) travels
•　open — 05/19, 2nd floor, right wing

( it takes little time for him to figure out the idea — that he can't leave. what's really strange about it is that... others can? there's a distinct lack of physical barriers preventing him, but even so, it's as if the world itself is engineered to trap him here. it is... something that he makes note of, but after some time spent checking his options, it's also something he sincerely doubts will be easily solved. more importantly, what he notices is that there are some students who just... don't go home. as if they aren't concerned with even trying to leave, even as the building begins to empty out for the evening.

so it's them he decides to focus on, and the next person to pass him in the hallway is his first victim. with a wave to draw their attention, amami offers a smile. at the same time, his mind turns, trying to figure out how best to phrase this so he doesn't seem like he's crazy if he's wrong. lets see... first off: )

Sorry, but do you have a minute?

b) find my way
•　open — 05/19, 1st floor, bulletin board

( another thing he finds to be of note as he wanders through the halls is the bulletin board. the rules, for one, are beyond bizarre — that's a puzzle that he's going to pocket for the time being. what he's really interested in right now is the class assignments. it takes him a few minutes, peering through the names recorded on the sheet, but it does strike him that not all of the names are unfamiliar. a few stand out: kaede akamatsu, shuichi saihara, kokichi ouma... if it's true... well, at least one of those names is someone that amami has reason to consider may be trustworthy in a situation like this.

option one:
this time, victim number two is anybody who happens to be near the front hall. turning to glance at them, he gestures to the sheet. )

Hey, you wouldn't happen to know Kaede Akamatsu, would you?

option two:
( or maybe your name is one of those he'd recognize in the first place. in that case, when he turns, instead of an amicable smile, you're treated with a momentary expression of wide-eyed surprise. )

What a coincidence, I didn't think I'd see you here.

c) wildcard
•　open — anywhere, any time

( have an idea? feel free to throw anything else my way, or if you're unsure, you can hit me up via pm or at kagehira! )

Comments

[sisters]

( you know what, rika knows what she's about. good for her. amami certainly doesn't mind listening. he lets her ramble on about whatever topic she pleases to fill the silence because, honestly, the energy that goes into it is endearing, even if he doesn't think she really has to worry about the fluffiness of her legs. it's a shame that all of that is kind of... forgotten, when he notices the way that she tenses after a glance at the window.

it's an instinctive response when he pulls his hand behind him, trying to put his own body between rika and the aforementioned window as he turns his gaze to follow hers. with the outside illuminated by the full moon, even just the instant that he sees that silhouette for is enough for his demeanour to shift from relaxed to high-alert, and he's silent for a moment as he weights the options. it's the last thing he wants to do to put rika in danger, but at the same time, they're not supposed to be able to get outside. if somebody knows how... )

Here, stay close.

( they looked like they were headed towards the entrance so, rounding the corner at the lockers, amami is going to keep her close by his side as they make their way over. )

[spiritoso]

[ While she knows she really shouldn't be out and about at night, Kaede can't help it. Sometimes she can't sleep (it's already hard to sleep here, so who can blame her really), so she needs to get out and just... walk.

It's right by the lockers that she runs into Rantarou and Rika, and almost immediately she picks up on the tense atmosphere surrounding them. If either of them are worried about something... that tells Kaede she should probably turn around and bolt. But she stays instead, a surprised look coming over her face as she looks at the two of them. ]

...Is something going on?

[contrarily]

( she's about to scold him for this, really — the way he pulls her behind him, as if he means to take the hit, should anything come at them. she doesn't get to, though — he's dragging her down towards the entrance, and she's so surprised seeing someone outside that she doesn't even protest, letting him guide her down the hall.

should they hide? is there a way for this... person to make their way inside? can they let them out, if they do? she's not sure whether she should assume the worst, but — knowing this school, it might be someone dangerous.

when she's looking around for a place to stay in and remain unseen, she spots another figure — as it turns out, it's a familiar one. )

Kaecchi! ( she motions the girl over, to grab onto her hand, too, just in case. they should stay together, right? ) Don't talk too loud, but there's someone outside — you know, where we can't go?

[sisters]

( when rika calls out to kaede, the surprise on amami's face almost mirrors her own. it passes in an instant though — replaced by a serious expression as he lets rika wave her over, explaining the situation for them as she does. she's... kind of got it covered, but even if he hadn't expected to run into her, it hardly makes sense to send kaede off on her own after seeing what they did, so... guess she's coming with them! his voice is a low hush as he adds on. )

They went this way. ( he nods in the direction the silhouette had disappeared, towards the front of the building. )

They could be coming back in, so we should try not to be too conspicuous...

( though he certainly intends to get a look either way. )

[spiritoso]

Outside?

[ She keeps her voice low, holding onto Rika's hand tight. How would someone be able to get out there in the first place? What does it mean?

As much as she wants to leave, part of her wants to stay and figure out what's going on. ]

Should we try to hide?

[contrarily]

( squeezing kaede's hand reassuringly, she peeks at the figure again. he does seem to be headed towards the entrance — which is alarming all in itself, considering rika's never seen it open before. will it open now? will the figure simply phase through the door, unseen and unheard?

... they're probably about to find out. )

We could probably find a vantage point by the entrance, just to be sure we aren't seen if it gets in. Uh — ( ... amami's the tallest so she just looks at him. ) Do you see anywhere we could hide, Ran-tan?

cain said "go for it"

[sisters]

Behind the lockers is probably fine. If we take too long deciding, we'll lose them.

( stated simply and matter-of-factly, amami won't waste time as he begins to head between two rows of lockers through the entrance hall, checking with a glance over his shoulder to make sure rika and kaede are following. and if they take the opportunity to peek around the corner of the lockers as they reach the end, they'll be just in time to see... )

When the gardener (in his human form) gets too close to the doors of the school, a faint blue light glows along the outer edges like so. The light seems to repel the gardener, who withdraws with more annoyance than he does pain, but they may get the sense that the doors and windows are sealed in order to keep the gardener out, and that being stuck indoors is an unfortunate consequence of that protection.

[spiritoso]

[ Kaede holds onto Rika's hand even more tightly now, because she's sure.

Whoever that figure is, is not supposed to come inside. What does that mean? ]

Hey... Did you two see that?

[ She keeps her voice quiet, but despite the low volume, the seriousness in her voice is obvious. ]

[contrarily]

( she doesn't stop rantaro when he decides to approach the door; instead, she stays behind with kaede, watching from around the lockers. bits and pieces of the conversation can be heard, but... well, the "gardener" seems as mysterious as he was when they first spotted him, here for a reason she doesn't want to think about.

a boundary? only some can cross? what does any of this mean? what makes them different from the normal students, who can come and go as they please? )

Weird... ( she mutters more to herself than kaede, still holding onto her hand. ) There's no way that guy's human, right?

( anyway, hurry back, ran-tan. )

[sisters]

( so a glance is all it takes; with the unfolding of that scene, amami will approach the door, motioning for the other two to stay behind. the last thing they need is more involvement in something dangerous, right? but while the man is surprisingly talkative... damn, amami didn't seem to do as well as he could have in that conversation.

either way, he returns shortly, finally rounding the corner of the lockers out of sight of the doors. )

That guy... he's dangerous. ( it's the first thing out of his mouth. a pause, and it's followed by: )

He called himself Kazuki-san — said it's not his name though, and that we shouldn't use them at night.

[spiritoso]

[ Even though Rika isn't talking directly to Kaede, she shakes her head. She can't see him as being human, not if he's able to cross that boundary.

Although she could hear him talking to the strange man, Kaede still feels a sense of relief wash over her when Rantarou comes back. ]

We shouldn't? I wonder why...

[ That might not be the most important thing to gain from all of this, but... Should they be trying out codenames? ]

[contrarily]

Hmm...

( that's all new information, and she wonders what it means, considering up until now, they've been using their names freely.

if it's better to keep their mouths shut, though, then so be it. she can think of cute codenames? )

Seems like he won't be helping us get outside. ( she huffs, making a face. ) D'you think he'd try to stop us if we wanted to get out?

[sisters]

I'm not sure.

( about the names, that is. but it's something that may be better to play safe than sorry, so he thought he'd mention it off the bat. )

He seemed like he was thinking about it, but... ( guess amami messed up on that. point remains: )

He lied about trying to get in, just now. When I asked him about it, he acted like he wasn't interested and wouldn't give me a straight answer. I dropped it, but if he was trying to, I don't see why he would stop us from doing the reverse.

( the boundary would be just as much in his way as theirs, right? )

[spiritoso]

[ She frowns, crossing her arms. If he lied about trying to get in, does that mean he's going to try again later? What would happen if he succeeds?

Hm. ]

Maybe he just really doesn't want us to go out there. He could be hiding something outside that he doesn't want us to see.

[contrarily]

How do you know he lied, Ran-tan?

( she blinks, glancing towards the entrance. are they being kept in, or is he being kept out? but, if he's being kept out, why can the normal students go out normally? if he were malicious, wouldn't he attack them, too?

just what makes them so different? )

So the non-transfer students can see it, but we can't... ?

[sisters]

You guys saw it too, the way he looked when he backed off, right? ( he didn't seem happy about it, in amami's opinion. )

But when I asked about it, he acted like he had no reason to want to get inside at all. He didn't offer an explanation when I asked about the light, either...

( and if you don't want to get inside, why would you come up to the door like that...? )

He could be hiding something out there, but it could have been something I said, too. It was hard to get a read on him, so I can't say for sure.

[spiritoso]

[ She crosses her arms, frowning. She saw that same look too, and she lets out a small sigh. ]

Well, he definitely had a reason to come inside.

[ That much, Kaede is sure of. ]

So, if you think it was something you said, do you think we should try to talk to him again sometime? Maybe we can get different answers out of him.

[contrarily]

... should we try next full moon, then?

( she glances towards the windows, where the moon illuminates them brightly. it's not every day you see something this strange — she's done countless midnight snack runs, and this is the first time she sees this man, which means...

it could be connected. it's some supernatural stuff, right?

she's watched some vampire diaries or whateva so she knows!! )

[sisters]

He says he's "always" here, so it might be good to see if there's another way.

( not the vampire diaries lore coming in handy. okay, valid. both of their suggestions are, actually, so amami will nod along with them. )

Otherwise, yeah. We can come back again next month to see if he's around.

[spiritoso]

I think next full moon is a good idea. None of us have seen him before, so...

[ It really could be connected. Kaede's gaze follows Rika's as she looks out at the moon. ]

So... what should we do in the meantime?

[ Can they really go back to sleep like nothing ever happened? ]

[contrarily]

...

( what should they do now? she's still holding onto kaede's hand, her second squeezing her melon bread... )

... well, I dunno about you guys, but I wanna finish my midnight snack — ( she's taking this seriously, promise! but she's also very hungry!! )

[sisters]

( he's still pretty serious as kaede contemplates their plan, but... when rika chimes in, he can't help the way his expression softens into something lighter, a bit amused. )

We could also meet the night before, too, if any of us finds anything worth knowing before then. Otherwise, meeting on the next one is probably enough.

( you know, unless a series of unfortunate events happens to occur just before the week of the full moon, and any plans become the very last thing on amami's mind. but listen, maybe that just means it's kaede's time to shine! )