yogen | when the bubblegum pops

Entry tags:

mo dao zu shi: meng yao

when the bubblegum pops

Who: Rantarou Amami & you

What: September catch-all

When: September & some backdates

Where: Various locations

Warnings: TBA

01.) the world lights at your smile
•　open — 08/27-31, around the school

( it's true that, the morning after he opens his eyes in the courtyard once more, amami doesn't waste any time on checking up on the people he feels like he needs to speak to. at the same time, it's a pretty short list, and half of them are gone. how much of a difference does it really make if he comes back one week or the next anyway? if he doesn't go out of his way to find someone though, it's still entirely possible to see him around the school — borrowing a sketchbook from the art room, taking some notes in the music room, or moving what seems to be an obscene amount of money into his locker. noticing the presence of anyone he hasn't seen in a while, he'll offer a wave and a warm smile in the midst of whatever he's doing.

on the 27th in particular, he can be found rummaging through a locker that some might recognize is clearly not his. the first twenty minutes or so are spent haphazardly scribbling notes down from a series of stickies pinned up against the locker door. the remainder of the time is spent picking out belongings from the locker one-by-one to take a look at before he decides whether he should drop them into a backpack that's half-slung over his shoulder. to his credit, he doesn't seem to be interested in too much of it, putting the majority back in after a cursory glance, but it's entirely possible that it could stand out to someone familiar with locker 097. )

02.) and shines at the sound of your laugh
•　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! )

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[It is Hinata's first day outside of the infirmary and... it's still a weird and creepy feeling, to be locked inside of school at all but especially during August.

There's not much else to do, so he spends his time wandering the school. One way or another, perhaps through one of his infirmary visitors, Hinata at least knows that he's part of two clubs. So when he manages to make his way to the second floor as he reacquaints (?) himself with the school, the first thing he does is check out the music room.

There are a few people inside already, but Hinata's eye catches on the green-haired boy nearby. He can't quite pin down what it is, but... somehow he feels like the most approachable one here. Hinata takes a breath to brace himself and walks up.]

Um... hi. Is this where the Survival Club will be meeting when school starts up?

( when hinata enters the room, amami's admittedly still a little distracted with a notebook in his lap, one leg crossed over the other as he scribbles down some absent-minded notes. his gaze lifts up immediately at the sound of hinata's voice though, offering a warm smile and a wave as he moves to flip the notebook closed — pen still stuck between the pages to mark where he left off. )

Oh, hey Hinata-kun.

( he does... kind of tilt his head a little at the question, though. )

I mean, unless they kick us out for some reason, it should be. Why, what's up?

[He's got some of his bearings back after the disaster that was the events on the fourth floor, and most of that has been spent going over every single detail mentally, on repeat, as he does, often involuntarily in the case of certain gorey moments. There's so many things that are just... missing context. Like the smoke.

Of the people he's met here... well, one seemed to really want to bounce ideas, despite Shin having none at the time to work with; something which threw the advantages of the death game into stark relief. His natural apprehensiveness is butting up against the fact he really does like to. He did make the wish to trust people more, but he also knows very little about Rantaro...

Well, maybe it'd be an opportunity to learn. It can't be more dangerous than the situation with Komaeda already is. The wave and the warm smile makes the last choice for him and he moves into the music room with a half-done return of them, briefly thinking into his scarf.]

...Hey, you aren't busy are you?

( it's actually... almost a bit surprising when the other takes his wave, an invite, and actually follows up with making his way over. well, it's a pleasant one, mind you; amami's hardly one to turn away some company, and that notebook he's scribbling away in is quickly shut as he leans forward a bit, much more interested in... this guy he might think is named sou hiyori but also might not know the name of at all, but that's fine. details. more importantly: )

Nah, just making some lists. ( lots of clues to add to his conspiracy notebook this week. ) What's up?

[It's possible to reason out who he is with a careful look at the roster... at this point the opportunity to try and change it has saileddd and he's been hoping nobody bothers. One of the numerous small background worries in the bottom of the percolator.]

Well, that's good...

[That's actually more interest than he was expecting. He's sort of mentally flapping at the reflexive 'he's TOO interested in what you have to say' like someone waves a teatowel under a smoke alarm while muttering 'I know, I know'.]

It's easier if I just show you... Come to the library. [There's a bright gleam to his eyes, before they close and he adds on:] ...If you'd like.

[And then he's uh... he's vanishing from the music room. Did not expect this. Guy moves fast when he wants to, although the crawlspaces might have a few shortcuts aiding him.

There's no traps in the library and Shin is blissfully unaware of any history Rantaro might have with such; should he actually want to follow Shin'll be waiting just inside, standing near a bookshelf and reading in whatever spot happens to be warmest. Possibly Rantaro has already been here and already knows, but in his mind it's a good place to start a conversation about it; the fact that the turning pages are audible.]

( while meng yao is pretty high on amami's list of people he feels like he needs to talk to, after everything that went down in august, he is unfortunately also... somebody who amami can't really name any particular spots to find off the top of his head. the result is that he just kind of ends up wandering through the school, up and down the stairs and peeking into any opens classrooms, until he can come across the other by sheer luck. and luckily indeed, with only so many places where he could be, amami does manage to happen across him sooner or later. )

Oh, there you are. ( he offers a sheepish smile to go with the greeting, looking a bit guilty. ) It's been a minute, I heard.

[ He probably finds him like, let us say, just right outside the Home Ec room or something...and the look of surprise on his face is telling. ]

Amami?

[ Meng Yao's voice is quiet, surprised. It's not like he hasn't tried looking for him, but he recalls when he tried even looking for Abel or helped Ishimaru look for Chihiro...it didn't end well. He had blamed himself, even. That he was supposed to help protect the crew, and Amami was part of that. ]

Apologies for this one saying so, but...it has been more than a minute. [ ... ] Where were you?

[ He's half-convinced this was an illusion, in fact. ]

( and there's a face he hasn't seen since getting back. rounding the corner as he makes his way out of the student store, where he is going to be hanging out a lot from now on and forever probably, there's an all-too familiar mess of a person making his way towards the library just down the hall. and, before he can actually make it into the soundless room, amami's gonna call out — closing the distance between them with a few quick steps as he tries to catch the other's attention before that door opens. )

Komaeda-kun, wait up. You have a minute?

( oh man, this takes him back. it's not too different from first seeing kaede, or ouma, or even saihara when he'd first arrived, and amami has to admit that he's not the biggest fan of that "thought you died" look when it's directed at him. he takes it in stride though, smile unfaltering as he tries to laugh it off. )

Haha, yeah, sorry about that. I didn't think it'd be so long before I got back.

( he'll wave his hand like he's waving away the worries, offering up an open-palmed gesture instead to go with the shitty explanation he's about to give. )

I was just checking to make sure we didn't leave any loose ends, but I guess the time got away from me.

( because, you know, 20 days is a totally normal and natural amount of time to lose track of. )

( upon hearing his name, he looks in the direction of a familiar voice, and his eyes light up at the sight of a "long time, no see" stereotype. he blinks slow, his lips pulling upwards into a smile as he stops, and his organic hand drops down at his side. with the door just a few steps away, he turns away from it to meet up with the other, but he makes sure to keep a bit of distance between them. getting in his space would be rude, but the immediate need to lightly touch him to see if he's there is also stirring inside of of him.

getting down to his knees, he places his hands on the surface of the floor. )

Did you need someone to kick? I truly don't mind, you've been gone for quite awhile so if you have any pent up frustrations... you can take them out on me!

( kirakira! )

( oh, yeah, all that cheer in amami's expression at seeing the other's okay? totally gone. disappears in an instant.

instead, he heaves a big old sigh, hands on his hips and a wry smile across his face. )

Sorry, but can you get up off the floor first? I mean, I guess it's fine if you want to do this with the other Ultimates, but I'm pretty sure I told you I'd rather you didn't with me. It's... kind of awkward, to be honest.

( he doesn't really know what to do with himself when komaeda's like this, so... please just get up, you freak. )

I'm not offending you am I...

( it doesn't take komaeda long to get back to his feet, and he watches amami as if he's done something wrong, hoping there's some way he can fix it. it's always been ultimates first, everyone else second, but he manages to steer the conversation in hopes to get back in his good graces. )

...I was just excited to see and be useful to you. Even with you gone for so long, your hope is the same as I remember it. Enough to make my heart flutter.

( which means he's nervous about where this will go, but with a deep breath, he chuckles sheepishly after. he's not embarrassed, he just doesn't know how to contain his excitement. ) You must have showed others the extent of it, as to why you had left us for so long.

( oh, yeah, there's a bit of confusion in his expression at shin's invitation, though he doesn't let any real doubt pass through, and it lightens up some with the addendum shin gives too. it might not be what he'd expected, but amami at least kind of gets that some things are easier shown than explained, and he'll pull himself to his feet to follow along a little behind as they make their way back downstairs to the library, not in nearly as much of a rush as the other seems to be, but... at least shin seems excited, whatever it is? with a peek in the door, amami will make his way over to him. )

...

( kind of pauses there for a moment, looking at shin like he's expecting the other to, you know, show him something in the library where they definitely can't speak. except, after waiting for it, there goes the page — fwip. there's a second's delay while that registers, and as if a switch has been flipped, amami's expression lights up with surprise. )

Oh!

( not sure if he's more surprised by the sound of the pages turning, or his own voice here. )

I wouldn't say I'm offended, but can you not do that next time? ( a pause, but he doesn't wait for komaeda to fill it. ) Thanks.

( well, at least... he's back on his feet though. that's what matters out here, and amami will wave his hand to dismiss the barrage of flattery. )

Anyway, I don't think it was anything all that "hopeful" either. It just took a bit longer than I anticipated to do something, and from the looks of things, I wasn't the only one who was gone either.

( looks at komaeda. what about your hope? )

[He can't help but grin when he looks up at Rantaro's reaction. Let's hope it actually looks like a reasonable smile and not an upsetting one because sometimes that just happens, although the chance goes up with stress.]

Haha.

[It's the first time he's laughed in Yogen that it actually sounds happy (a thought that makes me sad) even though it's tinged bittersweet. Haruka... she can only be why, somehow.]

Interesting, right? It happened after we went to the fourth floor. [Technically more than a week after, but, well, Shin has the context to draw the direct connection.] I'm wondering what else might have changed... what do you say we swap notes?

[Give to get, right?]

[ He's really still having a hard time grasping Amami is real in front of him. He's never seen anyone who has disappeared come back alive in this place. And practically hardly anything good happens here...yet he's just laughing it off.

Meng Yao just sighs. ]

...Beg your pardon, but I imagine that it's more involved than that, isn't it?

[ His eyes flicker down to their feet. It's normal to worry, right? It's strange, being in this position. There aren't many people Meng Yao worries about, but still he's always afraid he'll overstep. ]

Usually, when someone disappears, I've only found that at some point it is their corpse that was discovered. I'd...thought that would be the same in your case.

( that sigh checks out. feels a little like he's getting in trouble here, which about falls in line with the kind of thing he's familiar with, even if it doesn't quite align in a way where amami can feel too comfortable with the fact. the way meng yao's gaze drops, the slight hesitation in his words — it's a little difficult for him to figure out what an "appropriate" response would be, since this doesn't tend to be the type of reaction these situations would usually net him. extraordinary circumstances and all, he guesses, and it makes it harder for him to brush this kind of thing off.

it looks like he's got to say something to that though, and given a brief pause, he'll settle on: )

Yeah, you're... not the only one who thought so, but I don't plan to let you guys get rid of me that easily.

( that's reassuring, right? totally. he glances off to the side, feeling a bit awkward. )

Sorry again if I had you worried, but things are fine now. Really.

( so, he's gotta say, this might be the first time that anything on-campus has ever looked better through his adderstone, rather than worse. actually, while he'd felt better about the sun-side of the double rooms in general, he has to say that it certainly feels like a good type of room to have compared to the rest of the dorm's, where the tone is set primarily by the paintings... not super fond of the paintings. probably less fond of them when, some time during the first week of classes, while he figures most of the dorm will actually be, well, showing up to said classes, he's gonna wander his way through while peeking through his adderstone. comparing the gore to their expressions through the stone, he can't help but feel a sense of unease making itself comfortable in the pit of his stomach.

not that he's dissuaded. he's already got a sense for what the sun room looks like, fitting enough for its name, but now he's curious about the others, too. so anyway, here he is, at star-four, tapping his knuckles against the door to see if anyone's home. )

What a pleasant surprise ( for komaeda's eyes only ), if you're looking for Saihara-kun, he already left... I know you have nothing to do with the others, well...

( he's in a club with hinata, and hikaru is their own enigma, but komaeda doesn't think amami has any reason to think they associate. the last person here is komaeda all by his lonesome, and that's something he chose for himself as he already has books he can read if he misses his studies. there's no rhyme or reason why he stayed behind, it's just that he decided to do this because he could — it could be his lucky day though, given the fact that everyone is in class, and amami has found himself at the doors of star-four. )

Hinata-kun is a third year, so he's probably a few doors down from your class. As for Goto-kun, ah... I can't tell you where they could have ran off to.

Don't worry, I know where their classes are. ( well, hinata and saihara's, at least; he hasn't really spoken to goto before. not directly, anyway.

so he waves off the summary of where everyone's at, pocketing his hand again once he has and glancing over komaeda's shoulder to get a peek into their room. the lighting looks nice? )

I'm glad I got the right room though. If you're here, that means you're not too busy, right? I wanted to ask if I could take a look around.

( he lifts up his adderstone to show it off, holding it between two fingers so komaeda can get a good look. listen, they've been here a couple days now, so as long as it's someone who doesn't mind (and he considers himself as on good terms with saihara, okay with the rest of them aside from "goto"), it's as good a time as any to get more acquainted with this place. )

You were gone longer than most, but there were a few here who disappeared along the way. Some earlier in the month, and the other half later... I took part in that group.

( as he says that, thinking of the contents of the memory, his eyes glance over to the student store where amami just came out of. it's difficult to try and see through the door's window to see if npc-kun is at the counter, or watching longingly as amami leaves, but anytime he thinks about rokkun — his thoughts end up there. as his eyes drift from the store, he looks back towards amami with an excitable grin, as if he knows something, but it's the obvious. )

Do you have an adventure you're willing to tell me about? We've all went on our own separate journeys.

( he proceeds to walk towards the vending machines now, digging a hand underneath his jacket so that he's able to pull out the hacking gun. he turns the dial, choosing the generic bullet that he shoots at the vending machine, and there's a loud hum that comes from it. it shakes a bit, the machine glitching for a moment, and komaeda clicks a button which drops down a cheese and pretzel stick. )

With me in here? I couldn't let you do that... to be in a room with trash like myself, a no one who is like a cockroach that wanders around your feet... I feel disgusted with myself if you had to walk in here with my presence.

( he can't live with the thought, especially with how frightful he sounds as he says this, and he doesn't want to make anything else worse. perhaps he is unlucky, no, that's the only reason. if komaeda hadn't stayed behind, he never would have had to get in an ultimate's way, and that makes him feel sick to his stomach. it's because he takes this pretty seriously, even if it's something as simple as letting amami into his room. )

Don't worry, I'll protect you from my mediocre hope and talent, it'd be depressing to have it mixed with yours.

( and so he shuts the door, but he stands in place to stare at it. his hand drops from the knob down to his side, and he leans forward with his ear pressed against the surface to listen if the other will walk away.

...

the door is unlocked. )

...

( for a minute he really does just stand there. he's weighing his options. on one hand, it's komaeda, and amami doesn't really buy that excuse he's being given. on the other, it still feels pretty rude to insist when he's been turned away. but then again, should he really be encouraging komaeda to keep acting up like this? especially when he's told him a thousand times not to pull this shit with him, specifically. still, it's for selfish reasons that he wants to go in anyway, and saihara-kun will probably be fine with it later. even though that last part about a "mediocre talent" kind of pings his curiosity too.

... )

Komaeda-kun, open the door.

( he's not going to just, like, bust in there himself. but when he knocks this time, it's less tapping his knuckles against the wood of the door, and more like he's just banging the side of his fist on it. not, like, violently, but it's a different kind of sound. you can hear him sigh — a heavy, exasperated sound — on the other side of it. )

( ...

the thump against the door doesn't startle him, but he does lean back while examining how much particular strength the male put behind his hit. komaeda blinks slow, his fingers trailing the grooves and makeshift designs of the door curious if it'll shatter at his touch. it doesn't, nothing does. he withdraws his hand, slipping one hand into pocket while he reaches out with his mechanical one instead, he grips the door knob, and it turns easily.

he parts the door only a crack, like someone who isn't expecting visitors at this time. )

Amami-kun... ( not reluctant, but like hea disappointed in himself for being a burden to a hopeful individual. though, brain runs a mile a minute, and familiar greeting leaves from his lips. comments, responses, and things of that matter doesn't stick with komaeda at times. his brain has moments of failed executions in conversation, so it's why he: )

What a pleasant surprise, are you looking for someone?

( but he does sound genuine about it, the scary part about his illness. remembering information from years ago, remembering what he said seconds ago... time doesn't really exist. )

( why... is he like this.

amami's brows scrunching up like he's not quite sure what to make of this new, shyer komaeda setting that he's activated, kind of tilting his head, but ultimately he just... looks kind of exasperated. lets try this one more time: )

You. Can I come in, Komaeda-kun?

( he's tired. let him in. )

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when the bubblegum pops

backdated to 8/1

for u... i will backdate

: D

:3 !!!

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meng yao — 08/28

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nagito komaeda — 08/29, 1st floor

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komaeda — 09/01, dorms

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