Awakening

[notsosou]

Who: Shin Tsukimi and Anyone
When: July 2nd
What: Opening Post!
Warnings: None as yet.

Shin’s arrival to Yogen is heralded by a slam as he sharply closes his locker and dizzily leans against it while two sets of memories jostle each other. He gathers himself enough to glance around, grab his jacket, and lock it, mind furiously racing as he puts it on and tries to process how he is here. The raw relief flooding through him is turning sour at the immediate possibilities that come to mind.

A: School Life (Day, Misc)
Shin… keeps going to classes he half-remembers, eyeing any non-human-looking students he sees. He feels exposed (and also mundanely chilly) without his scarf and beanie, and his hands keep drifting to the empty space of either. When classes end he returns to his locker, puts them on and pockets the items inside, before trying to leave through the front doors and finding he… can’t. Ah. So that’s how it is. You can catch him in such states as staring at the School Rules with an unreadable expression, at one of the vending machines with more of a debating one, or in one of the classrooms sitting with his elbows on a desk and his hands tugging his beanie down over his head.

B: Washing Day (Evening)
So it turns out one of the side effects of dumping a bag of dirt out inside a locker is that everything in that locker... becomes covered in dirt. So if you go into one of the bathrooms after 6PM you may see the strange sight of someone in a dirt-dusted purple jacket not-so-gently washing their clothes in one of the sinks with half his face buried into the similarly adorned scarf around his neck, because as furtive as he’s been about waiting for one to be empty it’s just a bathroom and people can just walk in. Ask him how his day is going.

C: Safety In Numbers (Night)
At this point you may see Shin file quietly into whichever room seems to have the most people in it and sit down in a corner or seat. Somewhere he has a good view of the room; if you catch him looking at you he’ll give you a polite smile and glance away, fiddling with his scarf. He’s exhausted, and his head will occasionally dip and jolt back upright as his body tries to collect the day’s debt.
Believe it or not this is him starting to try out that ‘trust’ thing again… or maybe it’s just there’s no dorm rooms he can lock. Baby steps.

Comments

A

[forwearemany]

They catch the third year staring at them in the hallway between classes and stare back for several moments, raising a headflap. Despite being very obviously a robot and also towering over basically everyone, few people seem to care about their presence, so Shin's attention is noticeable.

"Greetings." They lift their hand up in a stiff, awkward wave. They are uncertain of strange organics as always, but they are aware that if they wish to survive, they will need to 'get along'. Additionally, interaction may help to dispel any misconceptions about their nature as a Geth.

Legion yessss

[notsosou]

Thankfully, Shin does not have any misconceptions about the Geth. Unfortunately he does have some misconceptions about AI in animatronics, lifelike or otherwise, and their roles in killing games. Which might be why he briefly startles a little when Legion actually addresses him (...it's partly also just it not occurring to him that that might be a response he'd get). After a glance away and back his expression has reset into something that's both friendlier and... somehow at a remove. He's making the effort at least, casually raising a hand in return. "Hey."

They're between classes but... this might be his chance to actually get some information. He's painfully aware of just how much Legion looms over him, but it would kind of kill the pretense of school life to be suddenly murdered in a bustling hallway, wouldn't it? At least token adherence to the rules of whatever's going on. Speaking of.

"You wouldn't happen to come with a guide, would you? I'd like to know what the point of this is." If he's supposed to figure it out himself, he doesn't lose anything asking here.

A (not so) little Geth brightens everyone's day

[forwearemany]

Their headflap, which had settled back down to it's apropriate resting spot snug against their head, raises again.

He is nervous. That is unsurprising. The phrasing of his question, however, is.

A guide? They are not a VI.

"We do not: we are also trapped here. However, we are willing to share what data we have acquired."

truly it does

[notsosou]

He'll press x to doubt on that one, but he'll also play along. He knows from experience how easy it can be to edit an AI's beliefs... which isn't great to think about, in hindsight. It's a deeply unsettling level of violation.

"Kind of you." There's a pause as he visibly thinks, mind whirring. How much should he reveal he doesn't know? How much do they know? What's he giving up later to get now?

...is there even a point to thinking this way, at the moment? It didn't exactly help, in the end. He laughs a little, gaze skittering away into something a little more honest. "Ahaha... I just arrived, somehow, so anything you could tell me would be helpful."

[forwearemany]

He's right: it is a deeply unsettling level of violation, and that's why the Geth have developed a resistance to such tampering.

"It is currently impossible for those of us trapped here to exit via the door, though the windows are usable depending on class rank. Violence is encouraged among students, but punished when directed toward faculty. Though the majority of us have chosen not to harm each other, we recommend caution when approaching the individuals known as Komaeda Nagito and Sakasaki Natsume. Food is limited: you will require merit points to purchase sustenance from the vending machines. We have been informed that the meat served in the cafeteria is Human. Blood will transport you into an alternate dimension, which you can escape by breaking a mirror."

It's all the most important things they know. It's also a huge info dump and a lot to take in.

a. ive come for you bestie what type of deep friend bond are we feeling

[commences]

( komaeda hasn't been well these few days, despite his sickly disposition, that blinding energy he usually emits has died down from a few particular circumstances. it's because he let his guard down, he decided to give a bit of trust to a few people, and that's where his first mistake was — he realizes that he should stop caring, rather, he will. it's why he stays in the library more often, keeping himself away from people where his luck doesn't act against him — he's tired of the amount of bad luck he's accumulated, and he doesn't care for what good will come either.

the thing is... he doesn't eat properly like he should anymore, and it barely crosses his mind, but when it does. he believes he should attempt, because dying such a hopeless death like starving is beneath him — no one else may have hope around here, but this doesn't mean he'll lose his. he lifts one prosthetic hand, slowly tapping at his waist by his jacket to feel for his pda, and after a few smacks, he realizes it isn't there. he checks the other pocket with a few more pats, and there's a disappointed sigh that leaves past his lips once he realizes that it's gone. he stops a few steps away from the vending machine as his eyes drop down to the floor —

now, he noticed someone's shoes out the corner of his peripherals, and while he doesn't have to be that type... he sure is going to be that type, the manipulative one he sounds sad as he does this like so: )

Sigh...

oh boy oh man uhhh *spins wheel* tw for past abuse? gaslighting? lemme know if this fits

[notsosou]

[WHAT TO SAY ABOUT NAGITO KOMAEDA. Well for one, NPC Shin was likely starving enough for some kind of companionship while also deep in the shy and low self-worth zone, which is a dangerous combination of things to be around a Komaeda. Was their friendship deep? It might have been on the level of Shin bringing him things from the vending machine, commiserating about the school being too cold, and Shin mentally smoothing over any more concerning aspects in interactions. Also Komaeda both borrowing and losing his beanie, which is probably why he's wearing a red one now. This is friendship, right?

Not-NPC Shin picks up a PDA just lying on the floor, has an 'oh, it's him!' moment on seeing who it belongs to, and then an audible mental record scratch where he fast-forwards through all of this in his mind's eye. The results... augh, no, he does not like them. Not with three years of hindsight spent poring over every single memory of the year before. He's strongly tempted to just turn around and spend some time processing this.

The moment the actual word 'sigh' is said is the moment Shin knows the jig is up. In a way that too is familiar; the way someone will ask for things without actually saying. Saying things in general without saying, and having to play catchup and hurriedly re-examine memories when that's apparently not the case at all. The sneaking sense there's some kind of joke you're not getting, and it might be on you, except it can't be.

Shin mentally turtles up just by reflex. Forget 'what's the matter', he's skipping to the important part, walking up with PDA in hand and a carefully disinterested expression.]

You should be more careful with your things, Komaeda. What if this got stepped on?

[It's not too far off from what he'd have said in sentence structure. He's still not sure how much he should be adhering to his school life.]

you know what i didnt know what to expect but i love it

[commences]

Why are you talking to me?

( dead, harsh, defensive to keep the other at bay, but straight to the point because a sigh didn't mean "speak to me," instead it was fix the problem that he's having at hand. his problem can't be remedied, not by this person he noticed the shoes of anyway. it's the moment he lifts his head to see who he's addressing, his words come out slow, curious — it sounds like he has trouble breathing, but that's always been his struggle. though, there's more to what he has to say. )

Do I know you...?

( dementia's a bitch, one that's a pretty good cop out if shin ever wanted one, but that doesn't seem to be the case as komaeda blinks slow, sickly, empty eyes staring into the other's own. and it takes him a moment for a name to hang off the tip of their tongue, almost like it's natural — it takes him a few moments to blink, taking in the other's appearance from the beanie to the way he stands, the tone of his voice, it's all too eerily familiar. he mouths shin's name soundless to himself, "tsu...kimi-kun?"

komaeda doesn't abide by those past memories, the one's where he must have lived a better life than what he has right now, but there's this odd feeling like... wanting to run his hands through the other's hair. besides, companionship comes in all sorts of ways, and komaeda being the type of person who didn't believe in personal space could account for how starved the other was. those sort of memories don't make sense for the now, do they? he blinks away those thoughts, and with another... disappointed sigh, directed at himself. )

Ah... I really am unlucky... I'd probably be better off with it breaking due to my inadequacy to keep up with anything.

bear with me bc i'm still working things out. still got that new character smell.

[notsosou]

[Shin would really like that cop out because he sees Komaeda mouth his name and immediately has an internal panic because that's his name people here know the name keep it together don't lose it. Fight off the feeling like you're going to die because of this, wherever you are it's dangerous but not the killing game. There's no exhaustively statistical 0% sword of Damocles hanging overhead...

There's a bit of a pause while he gets things under control and processes what Komaeda actually said after that.]

Well, if you don't want it, I'll keep it. [He's keeping his tone light, but some nervousness is slipping through the cracks.] Or we could make a trade.

[Half of Shin's entire brain is yelling at him 'what are you doing just leave' but he's brought his shovel to this conversation and he's digging.]

A

[samuraiwomen]

[ Sara is walking down the hall near the first floor when she catches sight of a familiar shock of teal hair, covered by a red beanie and scarf. She stands stock still for a second, freezing in her tracks. In a second she'll turn, and it'll be gone. It had been strange enough to stop hallucinating here, but with the recent stress, she's not surprised. She should ignore it, head to math, and keep her head down. That would be what Keiji would say to do.

Sara turns. The young man by the door is still there. ]

Sou! [Shin doesn't get much of a warning before Sara practically tackles him, hugging him from behind with a desprete air she never had in the killing game. It's bad, he hates her, and hes going to throw her off in a second, but its so good to see someone she knows. To touch them, and feel that they're real. In this school of unfamiliar faces, she hadn't realized how lonely she'd been. ]

SARA HIS ARRYTHMIAS

[notsosou]

[oh god you're going to snap his spine

okay his spine remains un-snapped but he makes an audibly winded whoof of air and then the shaky wheezy inhale of someone who was not expecting that on top of being already a little on edge. He has a moment where his mind just brrrs with question marks of varying degrees of panic as he takes a step forward under the impact and twists to see who or what is grabbing him.

...hugging him.

...it's Sara Chidouin. For some reason. Well, he shouldn't be surprised, it's always Sara Chidouin 'for some reason'.

He takes a step back, but more as an unconscious maintenance of balance than anything else. His arms are sticking out halfway, he's looking away from her at the school hall and his entire posture in general is stiff, but he's not throwing her off. He's been keenly aware of his sudden absence of bullet wounds.]

Aha... t-this is a bit weird... [One of his hands goes to the rim of his beanie.] Hugging someone you hate...

[samuraiwomen]

Sorry. [ She doesn't let go. Her hands dig into the back of his sweater and tremble just slightly. She cant see his face, he's looking away and she's looking behind him. So she can imagine, for a second, that this is all fine. Maybe this is the kind of hug she could have given him if they'd escaped. She's sorry. She's really sorry. She doesn't let out a sound, but her vision gets blurry for a second as she pushes back tears. ] Give me a second.

[ She takes a step back slowly untangling her hands from Sou's uniform and holding them up. They twitch a little, and she shoves them to her sides. Awkward and weird. ]

I don't hate you. [ And like that she's being back to being direct. ] You hate me. I...just...forget it. I can go.

*slams nitrous button*

[notsosou]

[He, amazingly, gives her the second. Even with a potential (if wrong) reason he can guess she's hugging him for, it's still baffling.]

Direct as always. [He says, almost mutters into his scarf really, but mostly as a cover for figuring out if he does hate her. It's unsettling to realize actually he... doesn't. Anymore. Like, properly realize, not just having thoughts and regrets flash by while riding the adrenaline high of running for his life.

Something already isn't quite adding up, although he's having trouble putting his finger on it. He's made no secret of disliking her before, so he doesn't have a leg to stand on in terms of 'gee, i wonder where she got that impression'.]

Hang on a second. [It's a similarly brusque and offhanded but less mean version of his 'shut up, I'm thinking' in trials.

...

...

He looks up, and his face is this.]

Hey, Miss Sara... you wouldn't happen to have anything sharp, would you?

C !

[mermaidcursed]

( it isn't quite one of the more crowded rooms, but nene is so used to sleeping in 1-B regardless of hanako's own desire to hole up somewhere, just the two of them, and hajun-nii is there too... and nene has extended an invitation to sara herself, since she'd expressed discomfort with staying in her classroom when her fellow transfers in her homeroom were two grown men.

which, regardless of how flirty the adults may be with each other, is completely understandable.

when the door slides open, nene jolts a bit, drawing the pink blanket she's made for herself slightly closer and staring before trying to offer a small smile. )

Um- hello. Are you... new?

: D

[notsosou]

[Shin has the lag time of someone not expecting to be talked to, or rather hoping he could just slip in unregarded.]

It's that obvious, huh... [It's half said to her and half muttered to himself, before he catches himself.] Ah, s-sorry, that's a bit rude.

[He caught that jolt and stare but... he's not sure how to go about it beyond feeling a sense of sympathy. He shuts the door behind him and moves in, sitting down - almost slumping really - against the wall near her.] Yes, I'm ah. New.

[mermaidcursed]

( don't worry about her, shin, she's just grieving someone she loved and also the fact that one of her closest friends is a murderer. you know. killing game stuff. )

Have you eaten, today? There's usually someone who'll make a meal in the home ec room... o-oh, but don't use the meat in the fridge. There's the vending machines... those are usually safe, I think.

I'm Nene Yashiro. It's nice to meet you.

[notsosou]

[~just killing game things~]

'Usually'...? [That's a moderately concerning word when placed before 'safe'.] I had something from them earlier...

[He's lived the ramen diet, one can of soup for the day is more than enough, right?

He should introduce himself, huh. Moment of truth... which name does he give? On the one hand, this place isn't safe. On the other, at least one person already knows him by it; there's no opportunity to alter the records here.
In the end, like wearing his scarf, it isn't really a choice. He needs the defense of it right now.]

I'm Sou Hiyori. Nice to meet you too, Nene. [He leans to the side and holds out a hand to shake, with the unconscious semi-jokingness of someone prepared for it not to be taken.]

B

[moderating]

[ Not the bathroom, but instead Nanami catches the dirt coming out of the locker and gives him one doe-eyed questionable look of. What just happened here? She approaches and cants her head watching as they try to collect all their times accordingly or deal with the mess on the floor. ]

Do... You need help? How did the dirt get into your locker, are you part of the Gardening club?

Re: B

[notsosou]

[Shin slowllly closes the locker door to reveal a Nanami.]

Does the gardening club usually store loose dirt in their lockers?

[It's sardonic from frustation, and he visibly realizes it and dials it back a bit, gaze darting away.]

Sorry, I-I mean. Looks like someone thought it would be a good idea to dump some in here. Some people have an interesting sense of humor...

[Someone did decide it was a good idea to flood his locker with dirt... it just happened to be him. His sour regard of that person's decision is real though. His hand habitually goes to his scarf and hits air because it's currently in said locker.]

A-Ah, yeah, I guess I can't leave this all over the floor, huh? [There'll always be the bit of his brain going 'why is she offering help what does she want'; he presses a lid on it currently.]

[moderating]

[ She doesn't even find offense to it, rather answering calmly. ]

You should see Komaeda's locker, he had mushrooms growing out of it. So it's not really that uncommon.

[ Nanami already began walking forward, past him to find the broom thankfully placed within the area. Maybe Komaedas luck who knows, she gets it with the dustpan and places it on the floor beginning to sweep it up for him. ]

It's okay, I can help. Just get your locker settled okay?

[notsosou]

Mushrooms?

[Actually no from what he remembers, he can believe it.]

Not sure how salvageable it is, but.

[But he goes in and starts fishing out what's in there anyway, quickly stuffing things in his pockets and pulling out his now-dirtied clothes and lifting them on top of the lockers with some effort because he is like, the ninth shortest person here.]

Are you sure? I can do that...

[He's going to need the broom to get the stuff out of his locker as well.]

A — i have something for you :)

[sisters]

( shin stands out a little, to be honest. doesn't quite blend in with the native student body, and besides that, nobody who's been attending this school for any decent length of time would care too much about the rules that are posted. strange, sure, but not to the natives, and most of the transfers have moved on. with that in mind, it's pretty easy for amami to put two and two together as he passes by someone reading through them with that kind of look on their face. )

Pretty strange rules, huh? They don't feel very school-like.

( it's an absent comment made more to announce himself than anything else. once he has, he'll shift his attention from the bulletin board and to the person next to him, arms crossed as if he's thinking something over. )

Actually, I've been wondering if they might not have been changed just recently.

green haired squaddddd : D

[notsosou]

[He's committing them to memory. Absolutely not school-like at all. He jolts a little before turning half an eye back to them.]

They don't feel...

[Well, human is the wrong word for it, although he can't think of a substitute. They're written like someone deliberately approaching things from an odd angle.]

Specific.

[The rules of the killing game had clearly been written to catch loopholes, which made macabre sense; with all those trial runs of it they all must have tested them. But who is this person. Why are they approaching him. The standard thoughts that run through his mind here; he can't turn them off. His weight shifts from one foot to the other and back.]

Updated at any time... [Comforting. He looks towards the stranger.] Do you know who changed them? [There has to be someone behind all this, doesn't there? Someone Shin can fix his pole star of antipathy on.]

yessssss!! also i'm so sorry july came for my ass

[sisters]

Not the first thought I had when I looked at them, but I guess it is a good question.

( with a hand to his chin in thought, he gives a sidelong glance in the other's direction. despite the friendly expression, sharp eyes try to get a better sense for the kind of person this is — certainly sounds like he's putting some serious thought into these, at least. )

This is supposed to be like a school, right? Then I'd have to say they were probably changed by the principal.

( "supposed to" is the key phrase here, but it's probably something like that. the principal, miss vp, maybe a class president — if they're keeping up an act like this, it's not like it'll be the groundskeeper's ruleset. even monokuma held himself to that much. )

no worries buddy it came for everyone's :' )

[notsosou]

[Cue one place he's gonna check, and run into the mysteriously locked and cold door.]

Talk about committing to a theme...

[He's noted that 'supposed to be'. The sharp eyes... reminds him of a certain 'friendly neighborhood policeman' that had it out for him. The only thing to do is to try to let it roll off like water. He's innocent, he's new in town... which is true, even.]

D-did something happen before they were changed? Some kind of exploit, maybe... [Number one cause of changes to rules, in his experience: abusing them in ways those that make them don't like. Even ones as vague and weird as this.]