yogen | npc contact.3

[ Rokkun is sitting on top of the desk, feet on the chair and elbows on his knees as he unwraps his sandwich— had to buy his own vending machine lunch today, since he can't mooch off Hinata who he usually eats lunch with— and sort of gives Komaeda a look that suggests he already knows who Ranger is. But one-way introductions are something he's used to now, so he offers a brief smile and a name. ]

Rokuro Arata. I heard you're Nagito's new partner.

( he's going to take rokkun's sandwich because he has nothing to say at the moment other than checking what he's eating. what's on his sandwich today so komaeda knows what to make him the next day after. does he like lettuce? does he like tomato? anyway, there's no need for him to direct the conversation since he already noticed the look, so there's no need to help break the ice or anything.

third year things. )

...

( stares at rokkun, when does he ever smile at people? )

"New partner?

[ If Ranger were capable of communicating using anything other than microexpressions he might look perplexed by that statement, but as it is he just flips from the grin to the ice cream cone. He supposes that it could be true depending on the definition of "new," but it's still a weird thing to say.

Then again, Ranger isn't one for small-talk, so maybe that's all it is. After a moment, he nods. ]

Yep, we're partners. I don't really like working alone, but I had to ditch my old one since she killed me and all.

[ He says this in the same casual tone one uses to describe their occupation. Apparently he's over it. ]

[ It's an egg sandwich, please don't do that thing where you look at somebody eating something ONE time and go "oh that's their favorite thing, they'll eat nothing besides that thing"

He doesn't make a fuss about it being stolen, though, because Komaeda doesn't eat. Give it back. ]

Oh.

[ He nods too, in the way one does when they suffer through small talk themselves ]

On purpose?

[ Sometimes partners kill partners but you're stupid so you still come back, he'd know ]

( no, because it's not even rokkun core. it's just a fucking egg.

oh, it's egg. he'll begin to eat the egg first because that's the best part.

well, sounds like their conversation is going swimmingly well, and so he's going to continue chewing as he looks back and forth between the two. it depends on who talks who has his attention, and then when someone else talks he'll look towards them, etc.

he looks towards ranger, listening to him talk about his previous partner, but he seems to have accepted his position; komaeda has no worries. as rokkun speaks, he hums thoughtfully, before picking at his piece of egg again.

chew chew. )

...

Yeppers. Ahaha, how else are you gonna kill your partner?

[ There's the cat card now. The obvious answer is by accident, but... ]

You'd have to be a real dumbass to do that by accident or whatever. It'd go against company policy too, so nope, it was completely intentional.

[ He's looking him up and down again. Given that he's sitting on a desk and also asked that question, Ranger suspects he is exactly the type of person who would. ]

[ HIS EGG wtf ]

Why?

[ Has Rokkun killed people by accident? ... Anyways, he reaches over for his sandwich because at least give him one of the slices of mayo bread, that's his lunch, punk ]

( he can have the bread because komaeda doesn't want that.

but he'll get up and sit at another desk that's still close by, he's trying to eat his egg, and he has a feeling they're getting along now. )

[ stop komaeda is doing what all good friends do

Flipping back to the open-mouthed grin now. ]

Hmm... Why do you think?

[ The wording is tactless, but there's nothing in his tone or expression to suggest that the question is anything but genuine. Though there's not much to his expression period, but that's beside the point. He must have some idea as to why a person would just go and off the person they work with, right? ]

[ ...yeah good friend steal food from their friends, can't argue with that, actually ]

Because they found somebody better.

[ He chews his mayo bread, looking at Ranger and waiting to see if his guess pans out. ]

( stop, now ranger and rokkun are becoming friends! what a magnificent scene to behold.

or what komaeda would say if he wasn't picking apart the egg. )

Now, now...! You both are discussing such lonely topics. As long as people work together, they can reach something as beautiful as hope!

( he ate like three small pieces off this egg, he doesn't want it anymore. )

That's why we're here today!

[ Because they found somebody better? Well... ]

Hmm... Yeah, actually, you're probably right.

[ Ranger had considered it before, but it really does sound about right. It's not hard to guess who it would be either. It's a bit silly to kill the old one for a new one in theory, but if it were for the sake of solidifying something else...

He blinks and looks over to Komaeda, his line of thought broken. ]

Is it? Seemed fine to me.

[ ... He's giving Komaeda a questioning look. This was helpful. What's he supposed to talk about then? ]

[ First Komaeda steals his egg, now he's not even eating it, friendship ended with Komaeda, Ranger is his friend now ]

Yeah, we're talking about partners— that's about as close as you can get to working together. How about you, Nagito? Why would you kill your old partner?

[ Hypothetically, or something ]

Mmm.

( oh, that's a good response from ranger he finds, that means he's interested so komaeda has no reason to change what they're discussing. but for rokkun to turn this against him, how cruel? well, at least they're getting along. his fingers drum against the table in thought... )

Really? I believe there's ways to work even closer that isn't under the umbrella of just being "partners", hm... I am disappointed you'd ask me such a rhetorical question, though.

( reward? he's not answering it. )

[ good ranger's not a thief, he doesn't do things like that anymore (usually.) ]

... Huh? [ He understood the second half of that. ] Well, I guess it depends on the project, but it's normally better to keep it consistent... Two or three people's more than enough. If the group's too large, it's either a disorganized mess or people start acting stupid.

[ Then they form cliques and turn on each other anyway. That's why a scapegoat is necessary, and even then the idiots find ways to turn on each other. It's different in large scale projects, but even those were divided up into small groups for the sake of quality... He doubts present company wants to hear about the idiocy he's seen though, so he'll omit it.

But on the other hand - ]

Usually both.

[ That makes having a partner nice, or at least a couple people that a person can rely on to achieve mutual goals. Anyway, the point just zoomed right over his head. ]

Edited 2022-01-25 04:38 (UTC)

[ It's a legitimate question, answer the question, nagito ]

That's a good point. [ At which he shoots Komaeda a look, because for as much as Komaeda talks about working together with everyone, it always always always turns out to be a shitshow. Rokkun's always been independent by nature, but the past several hundred years of experience has taught him that's the way to go. ]

It'll work if you have a good leader, though, people who will listen, and a common goal more important than individual differences. Like in soccer.

[ He tells people what to do, they do their job, they win. Soccer is awesome. It's pretty much the only time he'll willingly work in a group instead of being a one man team. ]

( no. because he's looking towards the door to see who walks past it, fuck off, rokuro.

he's too busy breaking his egg to take a bite to worry about a swering the previous question, but he listens to them both. it's true if there's too many people that it gets messy, and they lose sight of their common goal, but he shrugs. )

Consistency is one thing, but those who act stupid still have good intentions at heart. Like... Akehoshi-kun, he's a real idiot.

( they're still on the same path though they aren't collectively doing it as another person would do. how akamatsu and shin were able to bring everyone into the room and due different activities to find the murderer, but komaeda wanted to lie about information on the phone, though in the end they're on the same path because it's not to deter than into failure, but to help. ranger would understand komaeda's intentions, but the group probably wouldn't. )

They're still working towards the same thing.

( now if they ruin it, then those who failed will be removed by the group. the weakest hope is filtered out by the strongest hope, so he has no worries about that. )

I believe in hope, and them not giving up. It's where they fall behind is where my issue lies, that's when they lose sight of what's important. But that's why we have people to remind us along the way.

I don't like stupid people. They just muddy the waters.

[ Which he might accept if that was the intention, but it never is with idiots. They just derail things for no reason under the pretense of trying to help, rather than deferring and finding ways that they can use their own strong points to contribute.

Anyway, this has been painful to watch so he's shoving his way in next time and Komaeda can't stop him. He does weigh both points though, and he finds that they're not mutually exclusive. ]

Like soccer, huh? Hm, yeah, that's the same idea. Sports are supposed to be good for developing that kind of coordination.

[ He hadn't thought about it, but he's fond of this addendum. There was a reason it was encouraged for students, even those with little interest. It helped one to develop the social skills necessary in order to excel... Well, not that he would know anything about that. ]

Hm... Yeah, it's the same basic idea as how other large scale efforts should be handled. You taking a group and breaking it into smaller parts and assigned roles to ensure everything goes smoothly. But in the end you're working toward the same goal.

[ Sports, corporate projects, they're all the same. It's the fact that people here can't coordinate half as well as a high school soccer team and instead spend most of their time tripping over each other and failing to defer to those with more expertise that's the problem. He'll be nice and keep that part to himself though.

Anyway, he's been looking at that egg on and off to try and see if he was actually going to eat it, or if he'd give it back, or if he was just going to keep it so the other person couldn't have it. It's like it's own little mystery. ]

[ Rokkun nodding at "I don't like stupid people" as if he's not one

All this is fine and good in theory, but in practice? He leans back on the desk a little, regarding the classroom at large for a moment and then at Ranger looking at Komaeda dismantling his egg and then Komaeda himself. ]

So... What's this common goal you need me for? I don't see why I'm here, unless you just wanted food.

[ Which, in that case, Komaeda should buy it himself, he's loaded ]

Hm, okay... to make a soccer team, you have to put those individuals through a trial to see if they'll work in that team.

( just a few exercises to see what they can do, you never know the true extent of a person without having a reference. even now, you can see where people excel, and where they fail all because of this murder, but he should think about it like soccer. okay, like soccer. he'll take rokkun's topic, and he'll talk to ranger about it who has his attention at the moment. )

Anyone can be the captain, but then it comes down to who shows the most promise. Then you can choose who you want to be part of that... Which you're capable of doing because it's your hobby, ( or whatever, he would have said something about the ultimate soccer player, but sighs, no need to sully a god like that. he looks towards rokkun now, pointing to him. ) so you have a great eye in that. Now, without try-outs, it'd be hard to even see who does what... so how do you choose who's worth it?

( from this murder what have they learned? that hiro's ready to stab, miyuki is poor at seeing like not a suspect, and so no one will take him anywhere if they're going to get caught. they realize that once shin gets going, he's good at control at the various activities, then there's akamatsu who can grab the whole group, but because of how headstrong she is, it can cause a sift between those who would rather do their own things and abide by her. subaru kind of backs out to avoid being a suspect even though his hair was found. )

Those that are worth it, and those who aren't. Weak hope is no good.

( komaeda has no more cat treats, so he's a little disheartened because he was watching the door to see when lily may would walk by. if anyone deserves this egg, it's her, it better be good for her fur like dogs because i just gave my dog one help. )

So! That's soccer, and what about outside of that? ( he stands up from his desk, leaving the egg where it is as fingers drum along the surface. ) Are you sifting through those players too? ( he'll walk over to rokkun, placing his palms on the other's legs as he looks him in the eyes. ) That's the goal here: meeting new people, getting to know them. Besides you're both...

( ...

...

...

clears his throat. )

...important. ( he'll lean up now, waving his hand to dismiss his comment quickly. ) Ahaha... saying something so bold, I guess I'll wind up dead next month! I wonder will I be impaled? Decapitated? Firing squad? Anyway, anyway. Is hanging out so wrong?

( with the people that he likes? )

[ ori please give us lily may i need a cat that won't abandon me bc mine keeps getting mad and leaving

It takes Ranger a moment to process everything's said, from Rokkun's question to Komaeda's careful explanation and subsequent follow up. He's right, of course, as it does follow the same principle as what Komaeda seeks to do. Is it better that he doesn't involve himself in such affairs? Is that because he doesn't need to, or simply because he has no business doing so with the nature of his existence? He isn't sure, but that's a question to tuck away for now and ask later.

It's interesting to see how situations such as this can bring out both the best and the worst in others. There were those that were stupid, those that were useless, those who tried and yet were to incompetent to act as they should, and then the rare individual who could truly assess and take charge in a situation. He supposes it's a bit much to ask the latter here, as none of their detectives had chosen to set up.

But it's the word important that gives him pause. It's not something that anyone's ever used for him, or at least not as a person, and it takes him time to parse. He was an important creation, an important project, an important projects - but never important to someone on his own merits. He stares for a long moment with that, the card lowing just a touch before rising back up. ]

If any of them happen, then I guess I've failed as your partner.

[ Casual and matter-of-fact, as he always is, and he doesn't linger on it past that. It's the kind of thoughtless statement one makes when they've said the same thing too many times before, and considering where he came from that's not unlikely.

He moves on without seeming to give it any further thought, ]

Nope, I don't mind. Dunno if our goals overlap, but it doesn't hurt to feel people out. It's fine enough to see if you have options or obstructions and go from there.

[ He shrugs. Pragmatic as always, without even a hint of what he's feeling showing on his face. ]

Well, it's fine if you don't want to. Lots of people are like that.

[ It's fine to leave blind spots; it's fine to put a stopper in your own path. That's to the benefit of others, and it's to the benefit of people like Ranger most of all. ]

[ The thought of an entire firing squad going for Komaeda... yeah, he can see it happen. If not that, then something similar in the past, where he wasn't able to get there in time, he did feel like a failure— but he never once believed that meant he failed, as a partner or a friend or a person.

This is a speech he's heard plenty of times already, though, and nobody has to tell him how to be a soccer captain, and that the obvious way to choose players is by skill level. ]

Kinda weird to hold a friendship interview, though. It's like going over to your boyfriend's house to meet his parents.

[ It's weird! Why are they doing it like this! Reminds me of high school where one of my friends walked me a block away from her house and she stopped us at the corner and pointed down the street to let me know which house was hers but said I couldn't come any closer bc her mom would be watching out the window and didn't want her to make friends. Then she told her mom I was ranked first in the class and was a starter on the tennis team and her mom said okay we can be friends. ]

( saying boyfriend like any of them are gay, rokkun be telling on himself i can't.

he pauses, contemplating to say that if any of that did happen, it's not a bad thing. that something good can come from it for them, whoever is there when it happens. komaeda's luck works in ways that not many people can comprehend, and they're both so unlucky, maybe that'll be a moment when they can finally have something to themselves that's worth it. it normally takes losing something just as important for it, but that's fine, if the reincarnation system works for him, or maybe he just won't come back. )

Is that truly failing when there's nothing that could be done? ( not many people can best his luck, one person could, but everyone else... he'd rather those people stay out the way, he'd rather these two not even think about it. )

Ha... Hm! You can say it, Rokkun, that you enjoy this!

( pinches his nose.

NOT HOW YOU HAD TO BE THE ULTIMATE TENNIS PLAYER TO BE FRIENDS ori just like an ultimate fr... )

...I never called it friendship though. ( ...he said meeting people, he said getting to know them, but he never said that word.

!!! )

Hmhmhm ~ ( looks over to ranger, pleased, ) He wants to be friends with you.

( komaeda like that embarrassing parent fr ngl. )

[ Ranger doesn't answer Komaeda's question, but he does give him a slight look that suggests that he's currently giving his exact definition of failure. It's difficult for him to comprehend luck, though he's managed to gather some idea based on explanation, but he does understand his own actions. There's nothing worse than an excuse like "nothing can be done."

It passes quickly, and he blinks a few times at Rokkun, glancing between the two as he tries to parse these two statements. Friendship interview...?

? ]

You're overthinking it.

[ There's a couple of seconds when a bit of emotion finally creeps into his voice though, and he seems vaguely puzzled, as though he might be underthinking it.

Whatever, he's shrugging again. ]

Dunno what you guys are up to, but as far as I'm concerned you just seemed like an interesting person to talk to.

[ Interesting, worthwhile, however he wants to spin it. Either way, he just has found the conversation worthwhile enough to keep going, whatever you two are doing isn't really his problem. ]

Edited 2022-01-27 03:10 (UTC)

[ He scrunches his nose and pulls away, but he doesn't look particularly annoyed, it's like when you hold your cat's paws and they allow it for two seconds before deciding that's enough. The nose pinch and the egg stealing are tolerable, but what really makes the frown grow is the claim that he wants to be friends? hello? what happened to Komaeda always telling the truth ]

We're not "up to" anything. Nagito just thinks I need friends, so he's introducing me to his. The people most important to him, as he said, and you're the first one on the list.

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