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04/04, 23:56

M.Arisu

hey... anybody who's awake to see this. hope you're not having too much trouble sleeping.
get rest when you can. work together when you can.
all we can do is keep trying, but i'm hopeful for this year.
feels weird to say... but it's all going to be gone soon, so...
anyways.
see you at school tomorrow.

Any replies on the forum go unresponded, and at the stroke of midnight, the past year's worth of messages are completely gone from the PDA forum, including any sent over spring break. Hope you have a good memory if you were in the middle of a conversation! Though you should really be in ...whatever you've managed to make your bed... because tomorrow is a big day.

04/05, 06:00

The silence continues until six in the morning with the toll of the clock tower bells, and anybody near the locker area will hear two women in mid-conversation as they phase through the front doors, heels clicking on the ground: "-—didn't even have the decency to finish the job! And now I have to— oh, stop crying, for goodness' sake! I swear—" It's a one sided conversation, mostly, and one that stops short the moment the women spot the students lingering around. While the younger woman, recognizable as the assistant principal, hurriedly scrubs at her face with her sleeves, the unfamiliar older woman with the oddly dissonant voice scowls intensely. "I don't need this on the first day of school! Students trespassing over break! I can't believe it! I don't have time for this—" she huffs, shaking her head and stomping down the hall towards the faculty office. "Miss Nene, I expected better of you! And you! Miss Ritsuka— the two of you shall report to the faculty office after the entrance ceremony. I expect a full report of everybody involved. Now behave yourselves and go to the auditorium."

Goodbye...

The assistant principal is left behind and looks confused and distraught. She sniffles and ducks her head a little, draws a shaking breath and stands a little taller. "I'm so sorry. I'll hear you all out after- after this is done. Alright?" She too heads towards the faculty office, trying her best to smile at those she passes by. While they may be followed, they seem to phase through the faculty office doors which remain closed and locked, and cannot be interacted with until after the ceremony.

Until then, other students start to filter through the front door, seeking out friends and chatting about their breaks, remembering about homework and asking if anybody actually did it so they can copy off them before classes start, laughing at any mention of being locked inside the school all break because what?? that's silly. A handful of students wear yellow armbands on the left sleeve of their uniform, marking them as members of the student council, and these student council members go around finally removing the gorinto from the window sills, tossing the rocks into a bag without any apparent ill effects, and collecting the snacks in a separate bag— though they'll offer the food to anybody they pass who looks hungry enough. Which is a lot of you. One or two might give a short lecture about the importance of eating breakfast to start the day off right. Other student council members busy themselves in the locker area, posting the new homeroom assignments and updating the school calendar to reflect exam dates and breaks for the coming year, or help setting chairs out in neat rows in the auditorium in preparation for the entrance ceremony.

04/05, 08:00

The opening ceremony starts at 8, with students and staff moving to the auditorium to sit with their homeroom class, calling characters out by name and dragging them over to their seat— physically if need be, and they're much stronger than they look. Unlike the graduation ceremony, characters are not forced to come to the entrance ceremony, but the moment they take a seat, they find that they can neither speak nor get up again until the ceremony is over.

The assistant principal stands behind the podium on stage, looking rather nervous as she glances down at the watch on her wrist for it to be time, and clears her throat before addressing the room. "Yogen High welcomes you, all our new students," she pauses, beaming at the row of first year classes before her gaze sweeps over the rest of the student body, "our transfer students, our returning students, our... repeat students..." Looking at you, Norton, Gawain, Abel... "I, um. You may have noticed that I am standing in for our principal today, who is currently... unavailable... and didn't exactly leave any notes to go off of..." She wilts a little, but trucks on nonetheless and continues the address, promising that the teachers will pass along any important announcements, expressing her belief in the potential of young minds, and wishing everybody a fulfilling school year. The ceremony concludes in a little under an hour, and the spell binding the students to their seats is broken, allowing everybody to rise and leave.

School lets out for the rest of the day with classes starting the next morning, and while many students take the opportunity to leave, some linger around the school. Gossip is flying already with news of the transfer students caught breaking into the school over break and what punishments they might get, rumors of what happened to the principal ranging from a family emergency to hospitalization to death, complaints about the water pipes not getting fixed over break, and general excitement over upcoming events listed on the bulletin board by the lockers, in particular new club advertisements, fortune telling ads, and a Charity Auction to be hosted the Monday after Golden Week next month.

April

School is school... The first thing teachers ask at homeroom Tuesday morning is for students to hand in their spring break homework. Didn't do it? You're on their shit list now. Characters are not forced to attend class, but patrolling faculty and student council members will heckle any truant students into going and can be a pain to deal with. Classes aren't taught terribly, though. The second year math teacher has a knack for easily digestible explanations, even if she writes and erases the board a bit too quickly to copy. The third year literature teacher combines weekly analytical essays with film studies, and is showing Child's Play, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, The Silence of the Lambs, and Where the Red Fern Grows this month. The first year biology teacher brings eyeballs and frogs and rats for dissection during anatomy lessons, and if you have a special request for a specific eye color, give him a day or two and he can deliver. 2-A's homeroom teacher can be seen stealing chalk from each of the second year classroom she rotates through and is offering extra credit to any students who sneak her chalk without asking questions.

New students will quickly learn that merit points are awarded for a full day's attendance, turning in homework, participating in class and clubs, scoring 80% or higher on quizzes and exams, etc. Less predictably, the PDA may sometimes ping for a single merit point when hanging out with a friend or arguing with a classmate, with stronger emotions (positive or negative) when interacting with somebody else more likely to trigger a point, and if students are abusing this system, it's kept out of the faculty's eyes. As the month goes on, sometimes a student comes to class with a cut eyelid, or a busted lip, or bandages wrapped thick around a wrist, but they always deny anything more than clumsiness or an accident or having pets who very aggressively show their love. Sometimes it's harder to hide, when a bloody nose drips onto the ground or bleeding knuckles brush against the wall, and those near enough to see blood touch the building will find that everything sort of... shifts... Just for a second. The feeling of vertigo that stops almost as soon as it begins, the world tilting without slotting back into alignment. You feel a bit nauseous. Just a little.

You go to the bathroom to splash water on your face and the pink looks a little darker, a little more solid. On the fourth floor, the water has stopped running in the bathroom sinks altogether, and students are told to go downstairs to do their business so that they may wash up after. With more students milling around the bathrooms, it's much easier to notice that people's reflections in the mirrors are just a bit off, lagging that split second long enough to be impossible to ignore once aware.

Every day you have homework. A new essay for something or other is assigned each week. Nobody wants to do group projects with a slacker who can't promise to meet up after school to get it done. Like clockwork, the school empties out at 6 PM each school day, leaving those behind to their own devices. There is no school on Sundays. Golden Week marks the end of the month, and guess who's going to be stuck at school for an entire week with only vending machine junk food to live off of if they aren't able to make progress concerning their living situation? Yeah.

Charity Auction

At least students have the charity auction to look forward to and work towards. Information about the auction set on May 10 can be found on the bulletin board, and appears to be put together by the student council as an annual event and an incentive for students to start the year off strong in earning merit points. Both students and staff are encouraged to donate to the auction, with the items collected and put on display in the auditorium behind locked glass cases. On May 10, students will be able to bid on items using their merit points, those who donate will receive 10% of the winning bid towards their item, and the school will match donations 100 to 1 point with proceeds going towards the "Save A Brain Foundation."

Throughout the month, glass cases lining the walls of the auditorium start to fill up with donations. The most popular donations seem to be physical items: possessions such as jewelry or gaming consoles, or artistic creations such as hand sewn clothing or paintings. There are placeholders for things that can't be put on display all month, such as placards with a picture or description of homemade food that won't be prepared until the auction date, or the promise of fishing lessons with the guidance counselor or a dinner date with the school principal (pending availability). At the back of the room stands the largest case, with the skinny black cat often found lying on top of it as if guarding it, although it will run away when approached.

Inside the case is a body.

OOC

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✽ The plot will only move forward as things are discussed and acted upon, and clues distributed during app acceptances are meant to be shared and connected, so don't be afraid to ask questions and dig into things! I am here to enable.

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( he hears her before he sees her, that's for sure.

down the hall, that feral little voice is... surprisingly familiar. the sounds of the scuffle are audible too, so at least when she finds herself unceremoniously deposited in the nurse's office, norton is... about as prepared as he can be for 150cm of pure, unbridled rage(...?) to come through that door. the nurse, for her part, is so busy fussing over some npc injury that we're goign to say is absolutely fucking ridiculous—must have happened in workshop—that this is norton's city now. so, after blinking at her for long enough to get an idea of how bad it is, he'll turn on his heel to go collect some of the supplies that are entirely harmless and presumably either not locked up, or already lying out because she was using them on the npc. )

I'm just helping out. ( a glance at her arms... he grabs an extra bandage roll. )

And... What are you doing here?

( like, as in, why is she all scratched up and screaming? after a brief moment, he'll tack on: )

If I can ask that.

Okay, doctor dick.

( she sneers, taking a few steps to close the distance between them. sitting on anything... would probably get it dirty, given her current state, so she's just kinda. hanging out around one of the beds, waiting for him to gather the supplies. )

Well, these people dragged me here. ( her lips curve into a pout — it's not that she doesn't wanna be here, or something, it was just... unexpected? sudden? she'd rather be trying to break the glass, still, though their sudden intervention at least distracted her away from the body. for... a while.

she remembers it again now, eyes narrowing. ) ... it's 'coz of the body in the auction case.

( just thinking about it makes her angry again; her emotions run volatile, ready to explode at any given time, and she has to stop herself from running out of this room and trying again. anything to free the seemingly dead girl from having her body put on display like an item; like she wasn't ever considered human. )

... have you seen it?

( well, he'd seen that first part—heard it too, for that matter. he probably shouldn't be surprised at the reason she gives, but his brows raise for a moment at her answer anyway. most teenage girls, he figures, or at least the normal ones, would react more along the lines of... well, he doesn't know, fear, maybe? that's his first assumption. catching rika's gaze though, the forefront seems to be a burning anger. )

I have, ( he admits, and pauses. after a long moment with a troubled expression, he just sighs. ) I'm trying not to think about it.

( he's kind of got enough on his plate for right now?

anyway, as for the way she stands around—it's kind of awkward, frankly, and it makes norton feel kind of uncomfortable himself. when he comes back he'll lead by example, sitting down on the bed first and setting down a couple rolls of gauze and some alcohol to clean the wounds with on the table beside it. with that, he throws another glance to rika. )

Sorry, but can you sit down?

( fair enough, she thinks, but it's not as if wiping a dead body — two, in fact — from her memory is that easy. it nags at her, even as she settles down, and though she knows she's ill-suited to actually try and solve the mystery of it... or what she supposes is a mystery, who knows? — she's still angry.

at least norton's his usual, lackadaisical self — his lack of temper kind of... dulls hers, to the point where she's, at the very least, no longer bouncing on her feet nervously. )

... I guess. ( spoken like it's a big problem, somehow, but she does sit down, a little antsy. ) Sorry if I get everything dirty...

( he knows it's probably not the right answer in this situation, but it's kind of the best he can do for the moment. no matter how much "bothered" is probably an understatement for his feelings surrounding there being a bizarre, "dead" body being on display. things need to be taken one step at a time to be solved so, shaking his head, he offers rika a smile in an attempt to be reassuring. )

It's not a big deal, since that's what it's here for. You shouldn't worry about taking the things you need.

( like, it's a nurse's office, the cleanest person in the world could sit on them and they'd still have to be washed after—it really isn't a problem if rika takes a seat when she, y'know, actually needs one. once she does, he'll start the process of cleaning up and disinfecting one of her arms. )

What happened anyway? ( bro, glass don't fight back... how she get scratches? )

( there's something about him that just... inherently calms her down, maybe. his reassuring smile works, at any rate — she settles down and relaxes in her seat, as much as she can with the knowledge that someone's died around here, and watches him gather the necessary equipment. )

Um, well... ( admittedly, explaining this now, she feels a little stupid... still: ) The black cat... I dunno, it was trying to fend me off the case, I guess? But, it's kinda weird, right? For a cat to do all that.

( now that she thinks about it... sure, cats can be all kinds of mean, but not with this kind of force? and precision? what is it, a tiger in disguise?

she glances down, at where he's touching her arm, and flinches a little, eyebrows furrowing. the upper parts of her arms are covered, so it should be fine, but, still... watching someone clean up cuts over her skin brings a strange sense of deja vu. )

The cat did? ( it catches him by surprise for a moment, but considering it— ) Huh...

( suppose it was a white cat that komaeda had been playing with, not a black one. even so, rika is right; there's definitely something strange about a cat guarding a case to the point where it's willing to go on the attack in the first place. a cat that, from what (little) norton's seen of it, bolts at the slightest hint of someone taking one step too close. with those thoughts distracting him, while he does notice the slight shift and rika's subsequent hesitance, gaze flickering to meet hers momentarily, he chalks it up to the burning of the disinfectant, mumbling an apology as he reaches for the gauze. )

Sorry—it's better it stings now than gets infected later though. And yeah, it's definitely weird.

It's fine, it's fiiine!

( it's not an unfamiliar burn — on the contrary, perhaps it's a little too familiar for her liking. disinfecting cuts... she can't say she's ever bothered to go to a doctor to get that done, but sitting in your bathroom at 2 am and licking your own wounds counts, too, right?

she watches him, a little zoned out, reaching over all of a sudden to rub at the bridge of his nose with her free hand. )

What's that? A piercing? It looks cool.

( it doesn't take long before the disinfecting is done with—pulling over the gauze instead so that he can get started with wrapping her arms up to keep the scratches from getting any dirt in them while they heal. with her suddenly reaching for his nose, however, he closes one eye, pausing for a moment before he glances up to meet hers. )

Ah... it's a magnet.

( apparently??? slow blink, and he shifts his attention back to wrapping up her arm. )

Used to have one I carried with me, too.

Why?

( this has "are you tony hawk?" "yes" "why" energy but she genuinely wants to know why someone would put a magnet in their mfn nose?? it looks like a piercing, honestly. she pokes at it some more, fingers brushing against the metal — and then subsequently the scarred skin under his eye — before she takes her hand back, glancing down at the bandages. )

Another magnet? You really like these, huh?

Mm, yeah. ( he guesses? like may not be the most precise word for it, but there definitely is something about magnets.

he kind of grimaces as rika's fingers trace along the scars underneath his eye—not because they're tender or anything, but... he's not exactly proud of them. she doesn't say anything about it though, so neither will he, answering her actual comment instead. )

There was a certain magnet I'd keep on me—this is what I have left of it.

Edited (title :)) 2021-05-09 22:21 (UTC)

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April event

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04/04, 23:56

04/05, 06:00

04/05, 08:00

April

Charity Auction

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I THOT I REPLIED TO THIS FOR SOME REASON IM

NOT ME THINKING YOU LEFT ME ON PURPOSEEEE

i woudl NEVER

ABANDONING me like the evil monster you are