yogen | MISSION 2.B

( the windows don't budge, despite her best attempts — from what she can see, they don't seem to work anywhere, otherwise students would probably pour into that direction, so...

she does recall the last time they'd seen this kind of fire — back with shuichi, by the gorinto, when she walked into the flames and gave the other a scare. ... well, back then, the flames were cool, and didn't damage her any — these clearly give off unbearable heat, though, so... no dice this time. )

I... I remember walking up the stairs to the fourth floor, and the door being open. Uh... I walked in, and then... ( fire everywhere, you could say. you should say, because that's what it is.

anyway, she figures she'll be faster on her feet than shuichi, so she lets him do his thing, nodding. they can run for the stairs after they find ouma — and she dashes towards the students in hopes of finding something. after a few useless tries, she finally spots two figures in the crowd in the hallway, waving at them from between the rushing students. )

Oumacchi! Kirarin!! ( she jumps up, in an attempt to make herself... more visible... motioning for them to hurry, before the fire inevitably blocks the way. ) Hurry up, Sai-kyun said we can make a run for the stai —

( and she just kind of stares, because akira sure is... trying to kick a locker in? hello? )

Wh —

Edited 2021-08-07 14:58 (UTC)

No problem!

[He flashes Akira a peace sign, eyes smiling enough to suggest the cutesy grin probably hidden under his scarf. The expression falls away as Akira suddenly warns him away, but...well, fuck it.

He's stepping away when Rika's voice just barely catches his attention. The shouting is almost lost in the chaos, but Kokichi spots the movement behind Akira and leans around him to see her jumping up and waving at them. It's a mild relief to see another familiar face – and even more when he just barely hears her yelling "Sai-kyun" and gesturing in her direction, but at least no one can see that on his face between the scarf and the smoke.

He waves back, tossing in a finger to signal one second as Akira works on the locker. Whatever prompted him to try breaking into it, it'd waste more time arguing about it, so Kokichi just poises himself to quickly rifle through it if Akira does manage to break it open.]

[ The calmest student turns around and stares at Shuichi with golden eyes that flash as they wrench their arm out of his grasp, sleeve torn and hands slick with blood, breath heaving and causing the smell of alcohol to become even stronger. They appear to be catching their breath, but this moment of reprieve gets interrupted by another student that comes stumbling out of the flames, skin charred and blistering, charging at that first student. The hallway starts to fill with students, all with golden eyes, all tearing at each other like animals— ripping out fistfuls of hair with scalp still attached, thumbs puncturing eyeballs and scooping them out of their sockets, students running through the flames to give chase, skin melting off flesh and sticking to the walls as they brace themselves before going for the next person.

The screaming that fills the floor is of rage, not fear. Students run not to escape the fire but to drag another towards it and plunge their face into the flames. Bodies start to fall, littering the ground, and while "every man for himself" keeps Shuichi out of attention due to sheer numbers, that won't hold true for very long.

Meanwhile! while Shuichi has front row seats to all of that, the other three crowd around the locker that Akira has kicked open, the top hinge breaking and the door swings down on its bottom hinge and a severed hand falls out onto the ground, an ear, a foot, hunks of unidentifiable flesh pooled in blood and packed into the far corners of the locker that add the sweet smell of roasted meat to the alcohol in the air.

Clutched in that hand is a scrap of notebook paper. On that paper is a list of names that can be made out in between what's charred black or blotted out with blood:

~~▓▓▓▓▓uki Shirogane~~
Ki▓▓▓ka Ish▓▓▓▓▓
▓▓baru Akeh▓▓▓
~~▓▓ede Akamat▓▓~~
▓na Adams
▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓akugou
~~▓▓▓▓▓▓urusu~~
~~▓dd~~
Ste▓▓▓▓▓ell ]

[ The faintly familiar call of Kirarin! rings distantly in the back of his ears, and he would have loved to have flashed her a cute little confident smile had he not been so focused on getting into the locker and, well... the results of said locker, which have him reeling back a step even though his shoes were already hit by what spills out. Akira's hand clamps tightly against his mouth, even his usual fearless mask cracking and it takes all of his willpower not to be sick. He's seen... a lot in his past life, but something about this is too too intimate. ]

... Sorry. [ To Kokichi, or to whoever's severed hand? Probably not the time or place, but he chokes it out anyway as his hand finally falls from his face. ] Something felt off... so I went all out.

[ Forcefully straightening his shoulders, he swallows heavily and focuses on collecting himself. Glancing down he can only catch a glimpse of that paper, and nothing is readable without getting closer except the very familiar... which looks like the scratched out end of his name. Great. It's enough to make him bend over to hesitantly tug that paper free from the hand, unfolding it so the rest of the names are visible should Kokichi want to peak. Even to the sight of what might be his name - Akira's face is as straight as ever, brows furrowed and his cheek only traced faintly with sweat from the heat. Silence overtakes him, until he tosses his free hand up and his head over his shoulder, signalling to Rika. ]

We're coming your way! [ He'll give one more cursory glance to the locker to see if anything shines or catches his eyes; their focus should be on regrouping. And seeing Rika in one piece is good, but they haven't laid eyes on Shuichi yet... his heart pounds loudly in his chest, still preoccupied by the note. Worry about it later - find him first. ]

[Kokichi's ready to dig through the locker, but what comes tumbling out of it sends him reeling back instead, the hand over his mouth and scarf clenching into the fabric in horror. He's seen more than his fair share of corpses, but it's so much worse than a stab wound or a bludgeoning or anything he's had to deal with.

Akira gets to the note before he manages to recover. That's fine. He didn't wanna put his hands near that mess even for an important clue. He breathes deep for a moment, shoving down the disgust and the instinct to flee, and then leans in to peek at the note.

Immediately, he can recognize what most of the names listed likely were under the blood and charring. His eyes are drawn to one crossed out in the middle. Questions arise immediately – what's the logic in which names are scratches out? – but there's not time to puzzle over that now. A laugh bubbles out of him, just a bit over the line into hysteria.]

Gross! Thanks sooo much for that, I love getting dead people gunk all over my shoes!

[He darts a hand out to snatch the paper from Akira's hand and vanish it away with a sleight of hand, and then grabs Akira's arm before he can protest and drags him in Rika's direction.]

Sowwy about that! Let's go!

Ah-- W-Watch out...!

[ But it's too late.

More than the yellow eyes, or even the charging student who comes running to attack, it's the blood that splatters onto the front of his clothes from the person before him that finally snaps Shuichi out of his horrified observation. It's a different warmth, a sensation standing out from the scorching air around him, and it lends a dose of realism to everything that simply looking hadn't. He stumbles backwards a few steps, only to slip on something soft; he doesn't look for what it is -- he doesn't have the strength to right know, knees weak as if made of wax that might start to melt away at any point beside the fires.

If he weren't so frozen, overloaded with trying to process all this out of nowhere, he might have screamed. As it is though, a strangled noise mixing panic and shock that blocks out the words is the only thing at the back of his throat, and then he bolts. He turns around and runs towards the lockers again -- sorry, Rika, he knows he promised to meet you back by 066. To be honest, it's not too far from where he's going at least.

Because even as he scrambles, breathless and horrified, Shuichi still has the presence of mind to check something. The locker with the number 097 -- is it still his own? Will it open with his code and will he find his things if he gets to it? There's a gun in there he could use for self-defense, but honestly that's only like 10% of what's on his mind.

He has to know how much of this... even adds up. Even if maybe he's just being a coward, unable to accept what he sees. ]

( she stares, wordlessly, as the locker door caves in and the contents tumble out, eyes wide in shock. maybe she shouldn't be too shocked, though — because this school sure loves to get all gruesome real fast, and the chaos around her keeps her a little distracted, gaze wandering away from the body parts. the smell of burning flesh, the smell of blood, the smell of melting iron and plastic — it's a combination intense enough to make you sick, and she wishes they'd hurry up, still worried about shuichi.

briefly, she notices akira and kokichi looking at something, but from this distance, she can't make out any details — it doesn't matter, anyway, because she reaches out for kokichi as soon as he drags akira close enough, grabbing his other hand and turning on her heel to begin running in the opposite direction. her free hand reaches into the pocket of her jacket, grabbing a tight hold of the box cutter — because the further they run back towards shuichi, the more unhinged the students seem to be, attacking each other like feral animals.

she passes by locker 066. no shuichi. )

Sai-kyun! Where'd you go?! ( but calling out in his chaos is kind of pointless, so... she just tightens her grip on ouma's hand and speeds up, looking around to see if she can spot shuichi among the insane bloodshed that's going on everywhere around them. )

[ Locker number 097 is already open when Shuichi arrives at it, and when he looks inside, it is empty, the metal door warm to the touch with how close the fire is— and how much closer it's getting, quickly catching on the wooden walls and floorboards and coming his way. The flames are large enough for all of them to realize: finding one another is important, but they don't have time to linger. Where will they go? ]

[ Shuichi puts his hand on the door while he's catching his breath, enough to open it fully (and realize it's warm) but there's no way to confirm it's still his own locker if it's empty. Something crackles loudly to his left as it catches on fire, uncomfortably close and the wave of heat almost singes the fringe of his hair before he backs up in a daze, past two students busy trying to push each other in. He's still coughing from the smoke when he stumbles back the way he came, vaguely making out Rika's voice in the chaos. ]

...Kawai-san! I'm here!

[ In all honesty, if he didn't hear her right there and have to respond, he might have blacked out, overwhelmed by the heavy hot air and fear. But he remembers -- he promised her he'd be back, so he weaves his way over towards the sound of her voice, only breathing again as he spots the two others beside her. ]

Ouma-kun... and Kurusu-kun, you're both... you're alright. I-I'm sorry, I was checking something.

[ It's relief that tinges his voice, but he doesn't have time to relish it more. He knows he's a mess, what with the blood on his clothes and the ash in his hair but the explanation for that doesn't matter as much right now as-- ]

...We can't get out from here, but the club wing doesn't seem to be burning yet. The stairs there... still looked usable.

[ They need to keep moving, but the question is, will they trust him...? Even though he's desperate and unconvincing, he's explained nothing and looks like a mess; he promises there's still a process of thought behind why he wants to go that way. ]

[Even looking like absolute shit, seeing Shuichi is a massive relief. On anyone else, he'd be immediately suspicious and questioning the blood splatter, but this is probably one of the only people he can assume an innocent explanation for. Which is good, because the world is on fire right now and they don't have time to dig into this shit at the moment.

Both his hands are occupied holding onto Akira and Rika, so y'all are just gonna have to deal as he lifts both their hands to wave along with him.]

The club wing it is! I'm sure my darling Saihara-chan wouldn't lead us astray!

[It's funny how everything he says always sounds like it might be cheerily sarcastic or something, even when he actually means it.

Anyway, let's roll.]

( she's not really thinking about their next course of action — all that matters is finding shuichi, and said worry only increases, as they pass by all the unhinged, wounded students, tearing at each other like it's that one scene in mean girls. plus, shuichi promised they'll meet here, and though he might've wandered off away from that spot, rika trusts he won't go too far — a few more steps, and she spots him in the crowd, waving at him rapidly. )

Sai-kyun!! ( letting go of ouma's hand, she speeds to his side, one arm reaching forward to steady him. he looks... like he's been through hell, already, bloodied and covered in ash, but realistically, they're all not exactly at their cleanest.

still... if they stay here, ash on clothes isn't going to be their biggest problem. )

None of the windows budge, so it's not like we have a lot of options. ( nose wrinkled, she turns to ouma and akira. unless they have any better ideas, she doesn't see any reason not to trust saihara — it's his life on the line, too, and she knows full-well he wouldn't lead them into more danger.

ouma seems to agree, so: ) Let's go, then. There's no time to stay here, anyway!

[ There's no fight when the note is snatched, nor does he struggle when he's pulled by the arm - other than a surprised stumble he's quietly cooperative. Letting himself be dragged along gives him time to think, though his thoughts are scattered at best in the heat. At least when they do finally lay eyes upon Shuichi, there's a wave of relief no matter how brief; Kokichi and Rika carry the energetic reunion, while Akira simply meets Shuichi's gaze with a secure sort of silence - turning to linger on Rika, to Kokichi, before giving a nod of confidence. ]

Nowhere to go from here but up.

[ If all are in agreement, Akira's game. He hasn't known them for very long, but the trust is there; the sort of thing that can only be born from struggling against the same fate. With initiative, he finally pulls himself from Kokichi's grasp - wastes no time in taking the lead. Only for a moment does he look back - Shuichi, Kokichi... no, his eyes land on Rika, half shouting over the chaos. ]

Kawai, I can count on you to put up a fight, right? If we need it, I've got your back; between the two of us, anything that gets in the way won't know what hit it!

[ Yeah, he looked straight through Shuichi and Kokichi because... sorry, it doesn't need to be said, but Rika's definitely the only choice to pair up with. They'll need Shuichi and Kokichi's brains anyway get out of this hellscape - so it's probably best to leave the physical stuff to them. Entrusting that to her, without hesitation he beelines straight for the remaining stairs - he'll bound up them as fast as the rest can keep up, as it seems to be their only option. ]

[ The group makes it up the stairs to the second floor with little incident, unless one of them slips on slick blood or a severed arm, but there is considerably less people up on the second floor compared to the first, considering that many were seen coming down the stairs as if drawn to the flames and the violence and self-destruction.

They can hear the power saw running in the home ec workshop, the sewing machine whirring in the sewing room, the smell of roasted meat coming from the cooking room.

The stairs up is clear.

The smell of alcohol is stronger than ever, without the smoke and stench of blood to mask it. ]

[ With Rika's help, Shuichi's mostly stable on his feet again by the time they make it to the second floor, thanks to the at least somewhat clearer air away from the smoke. Still, it's like she was his lifeline for a few minutes there, and there's a quiet sort of gratitude as he glances at her when they part, with the whole group stopping briefly to (presumably) take in the next floor. And the weird sounds that are coming from the rooms... those are of concern as well, but there's something else he notices too.

Or more like, remembers to notice, now that it feels stronger than ever. His brain catches up and he softly speaks out to the others: ]

...Hey. I've been thinking this for a while, but... isn't this scent in the air kind of odd? It's true that alcohol could fan flames, but... why do we smell like it, when we haven't been anywhere near any?

[ Yet it seems like the four of them, and maybe the other students too, all carry it with them as they've been going along. What's up with that? Where is it coming from... shouldn't they investigate the source if they can? ]

[ The smell of alcohol is everywhere, strong enough to burn, but it's a little more bearable out in the hallway where there is presumably more space to air things out. It's worse inside the stairwell, stronger and stronger up each step taken to the next floor. ]

[Kokichi wrinkles his nose at the smell as it gets worse the higher they ascend. The meat smell coming from the direction of the cooking room doesn't help – on its own it isn't a terrible smell, but in context it suggests some horrifying possibilities. While part of him wants to investigate everything, the survivalist in him is screaming to stat the hell away from all of that.]

Who knows? Maybe we started the fire. There's a bit of time since Saihara-chan and I went upstairs that I kiiinda can't remember, after all.

[He throws the theory out there carelessly, like he's more just suggesting the worst case scenarios for fun. But even saying it makes it feel distressingly possible. What isn't possible in this hellhole?]

{ It is possible. But when they smell their hands, it smells more of blood than alcohol, despite being clean, and only Shuichi has a valid excuse.

As they linger on this floor, they can hear the sounds of hurried footsteps coming up the stairwell from the ground floor, bypassing this floor and continuing on their way. ]

...

[ Don't just say that, is what he wants to tell Kokichi -- but is it because it might be true and it bothers him? If that's the only reason... then what if he's right? Except he knows that this is more just what Kokichi's like, he isn't saying it because that's what he thinks.

...Right? Shuichi only gives him a tired look. He might be familiar with the kind of shit he pulls, but Rika and especially Akira aren't. Although he has to admit that... as usual, it does the job to get him thinking. ]

No... If we'd started the fire with alcohol, it doesn't make sense that the smell seems stronger up here. This side isn't burning yet, is it?

[ Wouldn't they have poured it more generously at the starting point and then sprinkled some here and there along the way where they meant to lead the flames? But in reality, that isn't what seems to be happening. It is up the stairs that's suspicious after all, and the footsteps draw his attention.

He turns to peer back up in the stairwell, though if there's anything to be seen for it, Shuichi isn't fast enough. Someone else might be quicker to follow. ]

[ Akira's silent while they debate it, despite that his expression wrinkles sternly in the unsettling possibilities - it not like he doesn't too have a gap in how he got from here to the fourth floor. He's not accustomed to this school, he can't say he knows what to expect - but whatever they did or didn't do, it doesn't change the fact that the building is burning around them, nor the sounds of people rushing the stairwell.

He'll leave the debating on what role they play here to Kokichi and Shuichi - his gaze had already moved away from the direction of the unsettling sounds and smells of this floor and back to the stairs. Typical of a phantom thief - focused on securing an exit, and he can say with confidence that exit likely isn't here. ]

... Checking out the source should help us solve that pretty quick.

[ The smell of alcohol seems to be the stand out question, so why not chase it - y'know, aside from having an ounce of self preservation or restraint but that's not Akira's style. The stairwell seems to be where the hint lays, so he's going to to take himself past Shuichi and back up the stairs - bounding up a few steps to get a sense of the state of them, the smell, before pressing any further. ]

Yup, you can count on me!

( she flashes akira a grin, following after him. honestly, it's down to shuichi and kokichi to figure out the best plan — if it were up to rika, they'd already be climbing up the stairs, because she wants away from the fire and heat, and that's all there is to it.

the smell is disturbing, though, and when she follows after akira up some stairs, she notices it only gets worse the higher they go. at first, she thought it's only them that smelled of alcohol — but it's pretty obvious the scent lingers in the air, heavy and distracting, and she's not sure what to make of it. did someone spill something all over the school? it seems like the only plausible option, with how intense it is. )

Let's just get out of here already — I'm gonna die in this heaaaat. ( she whines, climbing a few more stairs, the further from the fire the better. )

Ah... W-Wait, Kurusu-kun, Kawai-san--

[ Shuichi calls after them, not to stop them since he also moves to follow, but to slow them from dashing blindly at least. It doesn't seem like a good idea to separate without coordination, and besides... ]

I'm not saying we shouldn't climb, but... be careful. Someone went up just now.

[ He heard them... so keep an eye out. Except the weapon he thinks Rika carries with her as a rule, they don't have anything on them that looks like they could use it for defense. If caught alone, that's bad... right? So he'll keep an eye out along the way; Rika and Akira can choose the path and direction, Shuichi looks around for any clues or something useful as they go. ]

Edited (i repeated words and i hated it i'm sorry) 2021-08-14 15:27 (UTC)

[The "act first, question later" party gets moving, and Shuichi's quick to chase after them, so of course Kokichi's whining voice immediately follows.]

Ehh?? W-wait, don't leave me behind!

[Like he's totally scared of being left alone here or something. Which is obviously a lie. Definitely.

He does give chase, gripping at the back of Shuichi's shirt as he falls into step with them. It's actually less about clinginess than it is about keeping track of them as he keeps an eye on the stairwell behind and below them as they move. Last thing they need is one of those crazies coming at them from the back.]

[ Oh that's a good idea. As Kokichi brings up the rear, he can hear the door opening from the ground below, the subsequent wave of heat that rises past them with black smoke and the stench of burned flesh. One... two... no more than three sets of footsteps can be heard down there, though they're stumbling and punctuated with growls and gasps of pain and a bloodcurdling scream that masks the sound of something wet.

At the forefront, Akira reaches the top of the landing just in time to see the door to the third floor click shut, but by the time he opens the door, there is nobody in sight. Piano music can be heard from the music room, and the door to the student council room is left slightly ajar. Muffled sobbing can be heard from behind the art room door, weak cries for help, a hoarse voice, like they've been calling for so long already. The doors to the science room are closed. ]

[ The scream they can hear from below feels chilling somehow, despite the heat, like it permeates right through the bones. But unfortunately... we all knew this was gonna happen let's be real, the moment he hears the piano, Shuichi freezes for a second, then rushes up past both Rika and Akira with everything else forgotten, like on impulse. He'll pull himself free of Kokichi if he must, but if not he just takes him along, not really composed enough to be mindful in that moment. ]

...

[ Akamatsu-san. The name sits on the tip of his tongue, builds up fearfully in the back of his throat, but never makes it out as actual words. Because the rational part of him knows... it can't be her. It's quite a while since she's gone missing by now, and while it's true she might play the piano even in a crisis like this... isn't that a little too convenient? The only other person he can think of is Maya, and he does take note of the open student council room door at the end of the hallway, but...

Maya wouldn't. There's no way she'd be here, playing songs while the school runs in this state. If nobody stops him, Shuichi will push the door open to the music room since it's right there, across the hall from the stairs. He's close enough by now to hear the person from the art room next door though, so that gives him a moment of distracted pause, enough that he stops in the doorway without going in. ]

[ Akira's lips part enough for a breath to escape, but the call towards Shuichi he intended to make doesn't pass - for one, he's the co-founder of the "act first, question later" party so he doesn't really have a leg to stand on, despite that Shuichi's outburst seems more... emotionally charged than his and Rika's dash up the stairs. But for two... he doesn't understand why the music room is so important compared to the rest of this; to him, it doesn't feel any different than the sound of the sewing machine or the saw from the previous floor. It seems to affect Shuichi enough that Akira gives a side glance to Rika first, a silent question of 'do you get what's going on here' - but it's not like they have the liberty to stop, so it's only a moment before he's pushing himself through to the third floor to chase after Saihara on urgent steps. ]

Saihara--

[ And then he stops mid-way, because unlike the music that catches Shuichi it's the sobbing that draws him; he'll stop his feet in the middle of the hall, near the art room but not yet going for the door handle. His shoulder press against the wood of the door, testing for heat - rising on his toes, his gaze darts between glimpsing at Shuichi's state in front of the room beside him and trying to peer through the window on the door to get a preview of... whatever's in the art room, it's hard for him to ignore the cries even if everything here seems like it could turn against them. ]

... What's that song from?

[ I mean yeah it's a piano, but more rather... is it significant, do they have time to stop for it? And maybe... who ~~or what~~ is playing it, that might help at least know what they're dealing with. ]

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cw: brief eye gore YAMA DON'T LOOK, gen violence, burns, gore

cw: emeto mention, implied gore... bc everything is Fine here

this is fine

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