(open) break yourself inside out

[decrypter]

who: Whoever wants to show up.
what: Nine body pileup, who wants to compile info.
when: 10/7, at least
where: Dorms study hall
warnings: Attempted murder over children's games

[in the afternoon, a message shows up on the forums. is she copying Natsume? utterly, since his organization is why she's thinking about this.]

h.adams

Please try to set aside an hour or so of your time this evening at around 7:30 pm to return to the study hall. I'd like to speak with as many people as possible regarding the recent incident in the school.
-H.A.

[and she won't be replying to anything posted below it.

by the time the hour rolls around, Helena's set herself up in the study hall with the rolling whiteboard she took from the school set up. the markers are a toss up between colors, but the important part is there. she's seated herself by it, and when 7:30 hits, an alarm on her PDA goes off. silencing it, she stands up.]

Thank you for coming. I realize it's another demand on people's time, but given the vast scope of the murders, there's more to be said than unsaid. With it, we had no choice but to split up and find what we could, to do our best at the least to remember and categorize what we saw. Generally speaking, I'd like if we could pool our resources to see if we might draw any parallels between what was where, and if there are any peculiarities to distinguish this or that event.

With that said - [she points behind her at the whiteboard, where Rantarou has been kind enough to write out a list] - if we could try to speak individually, we could write down anything critical shared, so we could look at it from a larger perspective. As well, if something comes up in other days, we could reconvene and add in new information.

As I am unable to do it for you, please allow my dependable transcriber to do so. And a final note before we begin - if anyone becomes overly agitated, I request that you kindly step outside until you can keep your voice to a moderate level. Sound echoes well enough without yelling added to the mix.

Let's begin.

Comments

a

[commences]

Oo, nope! It seems that was not the right answer...

( as he draws the head into the noose, he turns back to childe to see that his little pout is gone, so maybe it's fine he changed the word when he did. clapping his hands (his organic and severed) together, he looks towards him waiting for his next letter. )

You can do it, Chakkun! Don't let this word beat you. You'll have to buy me lunch if you lose...~

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[devouringdeep]

I can buy you lunch if I win, too.

[He’s got a little smirk on his face as he says it, fingers drumming against the wood of the chair.] How ‘bout N? [He’s also yet to even acknowledge the severed limb with so much as a glance. Like yeah, that’s normal.]

a

[commences]

( ? what does that mean, there's a blank expression on his face as he stares at childe like he didn't hear him right. why?

okay, now he'll smile. )

I'm surprised, for someone who likes to find a reason to fight, you aren't a sore loser.

( is this how childe wants komaeda to find out he can't use chopsticks, i'm crying NOT LIKE THISSS. that said, he holds onto the arm, pointing at the whiteboard as he waits for the next letter. )

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_ N _ _ _ N _ _

[devouringdeep]

Losing isn't always a bad thing. Helps you know what strengths you need to hone, that way you can return stronger. Crushing the competition beneath your heel is only fun when your adversary is worth crushing.

[That being said, he still wants to win this.]

I.

a

[commences]

Of course, how else will your hope strengthen if not placed in despairing situations like losing? This isn't so tedious, but you said you'd rather avoid fights that deal with the mind! No matter how many defeats you've witnessed yourself too, you grow stronger after every one... if only more people here could think like you, they wouldn't be afraid of deaths.

( he turns around, drawing on the board: )

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_ N _ _ _ N I _

Rather, if they could become more hopeful, no one understands that such a push is needed to see how far they can go...

[devouringdeep]

I wouldn't consider this among the ranks of mind games, as it's more a hobby to pass the time. The stakes aren't terribly high, and winning comes with instant gratification. Losing also doesn't cost much, as you could simply pick a new word and play again.

Death also is simply another obstacle to overcome. Only the strongest can conquer it, and someday I'll be among those ranks, the whole world at my feet. Someone who doesn't know how to take a hit and get knocked down isn't someone I would think worthy of ruling.

[He taps his toes against the ground a few times, letting his eyes slide across the row of still unknown letters.] O. You talk about hope quite often, does it mean something different to you?

a

[commences]

Mmm... If you want, I can give you a pretty good mind game, one that may take awhile depending on your outlook, all this one takes is guessing the right letter in succession like this... and the answer is right before your eyes, but now I've learned where you're placed on the scale of it all.

( as he hears about death, komaeda looks in childe's direction slightly curious, has he not overcame that yet? or perhaps everyone finds that the most difficult hurdle? ) I wouldn't call those who can conquer death strong, perhaps they're just fortunately unlucky... but those that can use death to move forward, embrace such a situation, and have it fortify their foundation to reach greater heights... now that is a sight to see!

( turning around, he'll write on the board. )

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The only ruler is hope, that's how things work... and hope isn't something that can be knocked down, considering it can overcome the worst of tragedies. Is that your hope, Chakkun? Overcoming every obstacle until you're invincible?

( he hums in thought, placing his hand on his waist, and his fingers dig into the area like he's trying to stop himself from breaking right then and there. in his voice is a bite of excitement, a shaky breath here and there, and the way his cheeks flush at the thought, but he's kept himself facing the white board so that his expression isn't visible. )

Hope is absolute good, and the way of the world, and with it... nothing is out of your reach, there are individuals filled to the brim with hope, and then there's the weak who become stepping stones because they're unable to take advantage of horrible circumstances... don't you think hope is potent to the way of living... without it, what's the reason to fight if you don't have that light guiding you? Or... becoming that light? There's so many ways to utilize hope, as long as it's there...

( he hums, clearing his throat. ) As long as you fight for the name of hope... there's a reason for everything, and there's no need to be frowned about it... ah...