yogen | narumin rescue squad

[That sure is a body going crunch crunch under a lovely Toyota Corolla, the important question is does the car have all the safety features like the (squints at google) Full-Speed Range Dynamic Radar Cruise Control, Lane Tracing Assist, Road Sign Assist, Automatic High Beams, Lane Departure Alert with Steering Assist, and Pre-Collision System with Pedestrian Detection?

Okay so it's clearly not the latter, considering Komaeda just murdered a dude.]

...kids, get in the car.

[Lucifer is opening doors and you have no choice.]

[ It's the 1990s.

Hikaru tries very hard not to look at the blood on the ground as they get into the car. They're not sitting shotgun, they don't want to sit next to Komaeda. ]

[guess who's still terrified within an inch of her life and probably has to be buckled in her seat by Lucifer...

anyway she's here and gripping onto her cane for her ghost life. please say it's at least a little quieter in here.]

[Lucifer absolutely buckles Helena in, and very calmly tells her to sit tight, comfortingly pats her shoulder (who knows if it does anything), and then shuts the door for her and swings his way into the front seat.]

You'd better know how to drive this thing, Komaeda.

[How the Fuck did it end up like this.]

I do, I got bombs from one island to another, trust me.

( source: no one, but he's going to lean forward to click the radio so ori and wolfie can choose our music since we're about to be on the run. )

I won't let anything bad happen to you all.

( as for him, that's a different story, but he's going to pull out from the area, and god they can't go over where the building had fell, so what do they do here?!?! they'll go the opposite direction and take the next turn!?!? ANYWAY, SO LONG SUPER DANGAN RONPA 2: GOODBYE COPS!!! )

[ Where are they even going??? Hikaru presses up against Helena on the seat next to them, trying to see out the window past Lucifer's too many wings, but it's just cars and trucks and too many lanes, traffic lights with more lights than reasonable, crosswalks that people are ignoring and rain pouring so hard the windshields beat across the glass nonstop.

This isn't going to be a movie climax high-speed chase. There's just too much traffic for it and they're going to be stuck in one place which is only okay because the police will also be stuck in one place, if Hikaru weren't so worried Komaeda would start driving on the sidewalks to keep going.

Ooooohh they really should have gone with Clamor instead. But it's not like they had a choice before Hanako kicked them out of their body, and Komaeda kicked them through the door, and Lucifer is telling them to get into the car if they want to live—- ]

Lucifer-senpai, can you make everything stop?

[ Just... slam the pause button on the world. As wide spread as he can. ]

I can. It'll take me a moment to conjure the necessary power to halt most of the world at large, so sit tight.

[And oh Demon King does it take a bit, a minute-long incantation mingled with words that are low and guttural, clearly in the demonic tongue if people want to try and decipher that anyway; the more he mumbles, the more a glowing magic circle begins to bloom out from underneath their car, lighting up the entire city before

everything just

stops.

Lucifer doesn't look tired after that, he simply looks... very proud of himself. Of course he does.]

Alright. Anything within the area of this circle on the ground, besides us, should be caught in a stasis hex for a while. I can't account for new things entering the field, however — if something outside comes in, it will be able to move unless I recast the spell. It's not meant to trap, it's meant to seal what's already inside...

[Technicalities.]

( as the world comes to a quick stop, nothing moves, and it's like the flow of the food chain has them on top — hikaru really can ask for anything, and lucifer delivers. komaeda's left hand remains on the wheel, nails pressing against it as he leans back in his seat to drive, not really saying much aside from enjoying the view outside where everything is just silent —

he reaches out to turn off the music to listen outside, and even that... what is it, dead silence? komaeda peeks out the corner of his eye to see that the other is doing fine for such a wide spell. )

Amazing, no wonder Goto-kun goes to you for everything. They're your biggest fan.

( since it's quiet, he looks up at the mirror up top to see if helena is fine. )

Are you doing okay, Adams-san, how's your heart...?

( he noticed that awhile ago when he was driving to pick them up, he's never seen anything like it, but between that and the weird unsettling feeling that comes from her. he should ask. )

It's fine.

[it's quiet. it's quiet now, save for breathing and motion in the car, and Helena slowly loosens her grip on her cane, can raise her head. the glowing in her chest slowly dims, until her heart is hidden away again. not fully free of fear, but far less terrified. able to reason out what's going on. able to speak, and take a deep breath.]

Before we go further. Can someone please explain what is actually going on?

[hello. let her catch up.]

I get that we're inside Mr. Ito's heart, but how on earth is this mad chaos supposed to help us find him?

[and, though she doesn't say it, she doesn't know what to do if all that noise happens again.]

Edited 2021-10-21 01:45 (UTC)

[ Hikaru looks at Komaeda, source of all the mad chaos that had just happened. How is this supposed to help us find Narumi? ]

Maybe... he's somewhere in this stasis field?

[It would be a good thing if he were, because that means they can just... grab soul and go.]

Let's get out and start looking. There's no point in trying to drive this car any further.

[Look at all that traffic, just like being in New York City, sighs.]

It was fun while it lasted.

( he'll pop the locks open, and the child locks in the back as he hops out of the car. opening helena's side, though, his chain jingles, and he speaks up since he knows his mechanical hand is gone. )

It's me, I'm undoing the belt... alright?

( his voice remains soft as he leans forward, unbuckling it with his right... can't chip his nail mentality. )

Thank you...

[getting out of the car, she takes another deep breath to steady herself, drinking in the quiet of the stasis field. it's not like the silence at midnight - it's just calm, and she can focus again with it.]

Does anything seem out of place to you three? Something unusual to draw your attention...I can only listen, so I'll follow your leads.

[she remembers the crystal animals, the cairns, the way there was always something if they really tried. where they should focus should bring itself out, if it wants to be found.]

[ Out of place... Hikaru is able to breathe once they're outside the car, stepping out and makes sure they're securely on the sidewalk and in no danger of being run over by monster trucks before taking a look around. ]

It's... a big city. Narumin lives on the outskirts, but I've only ever been to his place, not downtown, so I don't know...

[ They look at Lucifer because, when in doubt, ask Lucifer. ]

Does anyone have a necklace —[looks at Komaeda, decides a collar with a chain is not a necklace]— on their person? Or something I could feasibly use as a pendulum?

[I need to apologise to this group for trying to spew more pagan bullshit into this game but this is the first thing I thought of.]

Unfortunately, I can't use hexes to search for things.

[He has limitations :(]

( if he had his old attire, his skull chain would probably do the trick, and then he looks at kucifer when the other looks at him. )

...

( he points at his own hair, because... it has no sense of direction and kind if moves on its own, and could be useful, but God i am not making him say this aloud because i just woke from my nap.

now that i've awoken from my nap. )

So this is what it looks like outside the school, how amazing... ( ... ) Now, if you can't find an item to use as a charm, naturally one's soul is drawn to places they like... Goto-kun, do you know spots that Ito-kun likes here? Or, that he's mentioned...

Edited 2021-10-21 19:07 (UTC)

Hmm... The park, I guess? We mostly hung out at his place if I'm staying overnight, since it gets kind of rough after dark.

[ anyways Hikaru has a solid gold chain necklace they can undo for Lucifer, or otherwise that rock necklace they'd gotten from Lucifer and Clamor with that one rock I'd be able to look up if I weren't on lunch break. Whichever works they'll hand to Lucifer. ]

[It would have to be the gift necklace, as Lucifer needs something that can swing like a dowsing pendulum for this to work. Once he has the necklace, he assures Hikaru he'll give it back, taking it and holding it by the top of the cord and letting the rock hang.

There are several steps to begin pendulum dowsing but I'm going to gloss over all of the precursory "yes no" bullshit we have to do as setup and get right down to the part where Lucifer asks the pendulum to swing in the direction of Narumin's house.

If it starts swinging in A Direction, Lucifer will just start walking to follow it. Good luck everybody else!]

Lucifer-kun, where are you going?

( he heard him mention narumi's house which isn't too bad, but, )

That's a fine lead, but if the park is there on our way, we should swing by... it doesn't hurt to check, because if the soul is shattered... you are well aware it won't be all in one place, and his home is further than... let's say, the park.

( narumin lives on the outskirts, so they'll go ALLLL the way out and then have to come back to the city? they don't even have the toyota. )

Our time here is limited, anyway, and not everyone here are demons, so that unlimited soul stamina you have isn't the same for humans.

[Hmm, it appears Lucifer has a Thought in his head at that.

He doesn't verbally address the fact that Komaeda has a point, but he does decide to change gears and ask the pendulum to please point out the park instead.

So like, Komaeda wins this round, please enjoy your victory.]

[unlike Lucifer, someone else can voice her opinion.]

I'm with Komaeda...if we're here to learn about him, then why not stop by a place he likes? A place he may have been more carefree...at the least, it's a staring point.

[except...where is the park...is there a sign somewhere...]

Edited 2021-10-21 23:35 (UTC)

[ It'll probably be on the way or close by, Hikaru would assume, if it's a place that he frequents a lot, but it looks like they're at the mercy of Lucifer's dousing necklace to find out where it is.

In the meanwhile, the rest of the group can get a sense for the city itself: there are a lot of tall buildings, both office skyscrapers and apartment complexes, although all the lights are off and nobody can get seen inside any of the windows. The streets are otherwise populated, though, both the roads themselves and the sidewalks on either side. With all the traffic, smoke seems to hang in the air, making the sky a dusty grey-blue, and litter and graffiti can be seen along many of the buildings they pass. They do pass by some stray dogs, with ribs defined under matted fur, frozen in their fight over an overturned bucket of chicken.

Overall they can kind of get the sense that Narumin lived in a dump. ]

( yall, i was so obsessed over the dogs that i forgot i had to go, so komaeda thinks about how this is where the poor people live... could not be him. )

It is a... rather poor place.

( ... poor people, smh. anyway, he's been through rougher surroundings, and toxic air, so he glances around at the stray animals that are fighting for food, and part of komaeda wants to feed them like an actual meal. is it wrong if he tries to take a detour? you know what they deserve, those tvs that has the news, and like the back of their heads previewed in the getaway car or like wanted posters. they deserve that, anyway. )

Hm...

( they have lucifer's charm, so asking for directions doesn't have to be a thing, but he is looking for signs that direct to a park, or anything that stands out. )

[Oh, relatable, Lucifer also doesn't live where poor people live.

He's literally just walking toward wherever the pendulum necklace rock points him to go, y'all can either catch up or tell him no, he's goin'.

If there are signs please grab him and point them out to him he's got a one track mind.]

Don't say that.

[yes, she can smell some of the unfortunate side effects of a large city, and yes, it's not pleasant, but it's an unkind thing to note. that and the disdain in his voice.]

But speak up if you notice any type of sign, or if we're making a quick turn.

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