yogen | lower

( amami is almost a little late despite the text message — the type who doesn't check his phone as often as he should, it seems. he does make it there though. takes him a minute, but he manages to catch the last of ranger disappearing into the room as he rounds the corner, heading in himself shortly after. a of green hair pops in through the doorway, peeking inside before the rest of him follows.

those two seem a bit occupied as he makes his way over, but his line of sight is cut off from whatever it is they seem to be looking at now. tilting his head a little, he tries to get a glance at whatever it is. might end up interrupting the vibe a little when he speaks up: )

What's up, did you find something?

Sigh. ( ... ) I find myself hopelessly disappointed in the situation we've found ourselves in.

( anyone would be, but it's only been a full day, and a second day with half already eaten away. the sun is slowly setting, and there's no light here, and so he understands that the conversation here can't be lengthy. he looks down towards ranger, before his eyes flit towards amami, and komaeda pulls himself up on the desk as he crosses his legs. )

You two... might want to take a seat for this one.

( there's a complimentary desk surrounding the cat bed close by, and it's ... like a summoning circle, komaeda put a lot of thought into this one. )

[ It's nostalgic to be called in like this. The number of people present varied, ranging from three to all five of the Floormasters, but it wasn't all that uncommon to come together about some problem or another. Maybe that's why he's quieter than usual, fixing Komaeda with an expectant look. He doesn't think he needs to do so, but Ranger will shrug and follow his lead. He sits on the desk, resting his free hand on it as he looks between the two of them.

Well, at least they'd gotten an answer to what would happen if the beaker popped, or at least that's what he assumes this is related to that. ]

Yep, it sucks, so what?

[ He doesn't doubt that it's important enough, but might as well get it over with. He has floorboards to tear up, amongst other things. ]

( wow... he really just said sigh out loud...

well, seeing the cat bed though, it kind of makes more sense. komaeda really was fond of that white cat in particular, so it's no wonder he'd be frustrated at a scene like this one. makes amami feel a little bad, actually — even a matter-of-fact comment on how they'll get back to it wouldn't be much condolence for something like this, now would it?

for now he'll shut his mouth and sit himself up on a desk to join them, just one leg pulled up and tucked under him. it looks like ranger's got the "get to the point" part covered in any case. )

Hopeless scenarios doesn't raise cause for alarm, because...

( he places his hands on his lap as he looks between them, a little judgemental, before that gloomy expression shifts into a more natural one. the same smile komaeda normally gives when he talks to someone, and he seems excited as he continues. )

Something lucky has happened, so being thrusted into here wasn't as bad as it seems.

( he lifts his hands, emphasizing to the entire room despite there not being much left to search. he digs into his pocket afterward, tossing amami a striker for a science burner. )

I left something for both of you... individually in this room.

( oh, he seems to have that sort of attitude. )

[ Ranger blinks a couple times, the cheerful grin being replaced by the ice cream cone, but he takes this to mean that he'd found something of value and is now being cagey about it. If it's here, it's not by accident. The ribbon tied around the doorknob in the store had turned out to be important to somebody after all.

He looks around the room, then back to Komaeda with that blank stare of his, one that is partner is well acquainted with by now. ]

( oh, a striker, okay. amami catches that, looking at it with a curious expression before lifting his eyes back to glance at ranger, and then returning his attention to komaeda again.

... )

Is there a reason you didn't just give it to us?

( why are they having to work for it. there are more important things for them to be using this time to investigate? actually, amami looks pretty unimpressed with this, but he'll huff a sigh with his hands on his hips and take a glance around. he can be a brat about searching if this is what komaeda's gonna do though. )

...? It's all about strengthening your skills, and you have poor investigation technique, Amami-kun. Riokun will break up the floors in search for what bothers him.

( yeah, komaeda's talking big for a sick person, but he continues as he points to one side of the room with the void. )

You're always in a hurry, and even though you see with your eyes... you move too fast, you'll blink, and then miss it, Amami-kun.

( this is where komaeda turns, looking at the ice cream cone with a smile, ah, he knows, and he nods, confirming. ) Yep, I can count on you two, if you can't find it, then I chose wrong.

[ Well, Ranger can't deny that. He's the type to fixate on any little thing, and the warmth in the void was bothering him. Still, he nods. It can't be a very big item, given that he doesn't see it scanning the room from here.

He nods in return before he hops off the desk. He flips to the cat card. ]

Sounds like he just wants a third person to check our work. Not a bad idea.

[ Ranger shrugs, then switches back to the grin. He doesn't doubt that Komaeda is being honest, not when this is a room was warm and of interest to both of them, but there is that added benefit. ]

I don't mind, since there's a few things I wanna double check anyway.

[ Starting with the incubator and the area surrounding it. It's weird that there was a cat bed in it, and it's bothering him. Priorities. ]

( hm... maybe this is why they're partners. it feels effortless to have ranger translate those supposed intentions for komaeda, and on amami's end, all he really gets is a pang of frustration at being insulted in such a way. "i can count on you two," but really, with the way he's speaking, it sounds like there's only one of them that can be counted on.

amami doesn't particularly enjoy being mocked for his shortcomings, but maybe he's just in a bad mood. the timing was bad on coming here, after all, and he breathes a heavy sigh. )

Right... I get it.

( in any case, it looks like ranger seems to have that side of the room covered. as for amami, he'll head in the other direction, absently peering into any drawers or cabinets that may have survived the voidening. )

( komaeda says nothing more as his eyes state towards the warm void across from them. their narrations are their own, and komaeda won't take away from them. whatever they choose to believe, but his reasons aren't wrong. it's odd to see those items back so soon, as many hands as they had passed in.

why? )

...

( starting with the incubator, there's a few leftover strands of cat hair attached to it. opening the door will show what's normally inside — lined with three.... two trays. ranger will remember that there was three to begin with, and must gave been tampered between their last visit til now.

not only that, the incubator is pushed back, and not sitting up front like normal. ranger can see the clean impression left, and the dust that surrounds it to make the outline.

...

komaeda's eyes close, he doesn't really need to see when he can tell where hope is located, so in the darkness of his mind he can see a glow on the other side of the room which happens to be amami.

the first drawer he opens has nothing in it aside from broken piece of flint, and he can tell that's where komaeda got their items. the second drawer is stuffed full of paper, and there's a miniature tripod sticking out, but also out of place. )

[ Ranger does blow out a small sigh. He'd advertised it one way, but he wonders if it isn't just a little bonding exercise. That was what the third floor was about, and he thinks that perhaps a bit too much time and care was placed into this if such a thing were the case. He notes the missing tray, finishes his inspection, and moves it back into its proper place.

... ]

You shouldn't be messing with stuff like that.

[ He doesn't like things being out of place, but also, it's just going to make it confusing for the next person who comes digging around in here. Naturally, he expects Komaeda to not care, but that's never stopped him from voicing his opinions before.

But Ranger does take a quick glance around the immediate area, though, matching it up to his memory to see if there's anything else that's not the way that he left it. ]

Ah, careful, Ranger-kun. I think he might be the type that, the more you tell him not to do something, the more he wants to do it.

( at least, when it comes to what he "should" and "shouldn't" do, he's pretty difficult to convince of anything other than what he thinks is the case. especially if this is something that komaeda set up for them on purpose, rather than anything else. either way, he continues on his own search through the desks and drawers.

what's out of place about it? if amami digs through the one filled with paper, will he uncover anything? if not, he's just going to crouch down and move on to the cabinets, opening them up and sorting through any contents before he shuts them again. )

( there, a soft yawn as komaeda stretches much like a cat who's enjoying a lazy day to himself. he doesn't come off the table, instead he looks towards the door while biding his time now. just a little more, between listening to ranger pull back the incubator, and amami ruffling through the paper.

there's a small, folded note that ranger will find once he pulls the incubator back in place that wasn't there before. it's dirty, but seemingly out of place from what he recalls when they first came here.

upon inspection, it's not a paper he needs to touch to unfold, but rather it's in the shape of an arrow that's pointing towards the incubator with the words "kcabtitup" written at the bottom.

for amami, as he moves through the drawers to the cabinet, he'll find an arrow drawn on a dirty slip of paper pointing back towards the drawers he just looked through.

if he refers back to the drawers, one had loose leaf paper that were ripped, and another drawer is filled with shredded paper.

... )

Ahaha, well, you're right about that.

[ He is like that. Komaeda is the type to do as he pleases, and the best one can do by ordering him around is encourage him to do more of the same to prove a point. Ranger can be the same way, though, and so he doesn't really mind that part of him.

Ranger picks up the paper. It's easy enough to discern the meaning - "put it back." That's fairly straightforward, and he thinks this means of hiding his item is fairly fitting for his partner. He walks back over to Komaeda's set up for the cats, who have yet to attack it, bending down on one knee to lift up the cat bed to grab what's hiding beneath it. ]

Edited 2022-01-11 02:39 (UTC)

( he doesn't like the chit-chat about him, but his eyes stare blankly at the door knowing he can leave whenever he wants. komaeda doesn't, watching as ranger makes his way to the cat bed that's surrounded by the desks, and the one that ultimate luck is sitting on. when he picks it up, he'll find that something clinks to the ground that had been attached to the bed, and it's wrapped in a black, plastic bag that's familiar from the janitor's closet.

... )

( oh, not his hint. again, he's kind of not in the mood for a scavenger hunt, and his big old sigh is probably obnoxious as hell as he exhales, but don't mind him. he'll check to see if there's any drawers below, and peek over to the back of the desk or counter or whatever the drawer is a part of, before finally taking the drawers out of their little compartments completely, peeking inside of those compartments, and then finally setting aside the contents of the drawers themselves so he can flip it over. he is so tired, but at least he's not dumping them out like a savage. )

[ Fortunately, Ranger isn't inclined to continue talking about him. He brings the bag onto his knee and takes care in unwrapping it with his free hand. He must be used to it, because he seems to have no issue locating the item within it. He takes it in his hand, examining it carefully. ]

Hm? This it?

[ He doesn't sound disappointed, but it seems as though it had been a little too simple. If he likewise hadn't been in the mood for a scavenger hunt, it had at least been a fine enough distraction, and he's not displeased with the reward for his efforts. ]

( amami will be rewarded by taking out the drawers, because as he looks inside the hole, he'll see somethings taped to the underside. it's tucked away inside of the same material as the one ranger has found.

once ranger unwraps his item, he'll find that it's the side piece of a necklace, jagged edge, and there's a green jewel imbedded in the top. despite ranger already having one, and komaeda knowing that, there's probably something about this one. as soon as their eyes meet, it's a confirmation without komaeda saying so, )

Unwrap yours, Amami-kun, you won't be disappointed.

( he doesn't look his way, but he can hear the other fumbling. there might be a hurry it up tone... bc ultimate... don't go slow when you have to impress someone!! )

( who is he impressing... that sounds like a komaeda problem.

he is kind of impatient himself though, looking a bit puzzled at ranger's gift as that's pulled out. as for his, he'll pull the taped material off the underside of the drawer, unwrapping it pretty quick. he doesn't look too impressed, to be honest, no... but he'll bite his tongue and look back over to komaeda. )

Are these supposed to help us get out somehow?

( please tell him the point. )

[ Ranger lets the chain hand off of his fingers as he holds the necklace up, watching as the pendant glimmers. It's not what he had expected, but it's a cute little trinket, and he doesn't believe that it's one Komaeda had before now. If he did, it's strange that he's never once brought it up.

He's glancing over to Amami to confirm that he received a similar item, and then finally back to his partner once more. He lets turns his hand over and shakes it a little, bouncing the jagged edge of the heart into his palm before he stands up. ]

Where'd you find this?

[ He's assuming it's meant to be one piece. Anyway, he's not impressed, give it up Komaeda. ]

Drop the attitude, it's unfitting for an Ultimate like yourself. You're much more desirable when you're grinning like an idiot. ( his best trait, anyway. ) You'd do we'll cherishing that item.

( he crosses his legs, glancing up as they both familiarize themselves with the piece. he thinks back to who he's seen these pieces with before, and slowly he recounts the information. )

Nightroad Abel-san was the first, he had both red and green. Then Bonnie-chan... she had red and green, then Jekyll & Hyde-kun also had... red and green.

It wasn't until Kawaii-san... ( he pauses, ) obtained them through letter, but also returned one day with the blue one in your hand, Amami-kun.

( he holds out his hand towards the necklace he has as he turns his attention back to ranger. )

Hanging off a window, Akehoshi-kun almost killed me, but I was lucky before dropping into the depths.

( he laughs that off, nothing they need to concern themselves with as he looks back and forth between the two. ) The green one is Riokun's now, so I thought Amami-kun would have interest in the piece found by Kawaii-san.

( that's the first time he's ever seen it, all three pieces together once they were in her hand. )

If they been through so many hands, there has to be a reason... the type of school we're in, there's a reason for everything... I'm sure you two won't let me down when it comes to this.

Edited (unfitting unwitting my rap era) 2022-01-17 07:55 (UTC)

( the best komaeda gets in return for that comment is narrowed eyes, and to be honest, the door's looking real nice right about now. amami will force himself to hear the other out though. it's through the worst methods — always the worst — that he always ends up sharing the most useful information after all. he's rewarded for his patience too! turning the pendant over in his hand as he contemplates the explanation.

so it was rika-chan's, huh...

he spares a glance to ranger, but he's none to thrilled about being here in this void in the first place, turning around so that he faces away from the other two as he leans against the desk he'd pulled it from, watching the surface of the necklace catch the light. screw y'all if you're gonna shut him down for talking he'll just sit here with his rika-necklace then. )

[ Ranger flips to the ice cream cone as he considers that. It's passed through through several hands, probably disappeared just as many times, and only to mysteriously reappear in a sketchy place like this. That's interesting, he thinks. It's adequate payment for the little treasure hunt that he'd been sent on. The part about him nearly getting killed is concerning and warrants an eyebrow lift, but seeing as he's still alive Ranger seems willing to let that go for the moment.

He'll walk over to take a closer look at the necklace that Komaeda has now. "EST ENDS REVER." ]

It looks brand new. Shouldn't it be more dingy if it's been passed around that many times? Especially in a disgusting place like this.

[ He gestures vaguely toward the room. The lack of dust and is easily explained bu Komaeda not being a slob, but jewelry isn't just magically kept cleaned, polished, and devoid of chips and scratches.

He's going to walk over and see if he can get a closer look at the one Amami has while he's at it. It's pretty easy to fill in the gaps, but no harm in doing so. ]

You're not curious? Lemme see.

( he allows ranger to check, then watches as he scurries off over to amami who seems to have gotten quiet. of course he would, it's still a sensitive subject. )

I thought the same... but it's as pristine as you see here.

( not one mark to shown that it's been worn, it reminds him of just coming out the packaging. he places his hands down on his lap as he looks towards the door himself. )

I'm unsure what any of the people who had it has in common, but...

( if he hadn't found it, then subaru would, and they would have never came together like this at all. he has a feeling amami would have still obtained the piece regardless, but there's something special about the one komaeda offered since rika found that one specifically.

he smiles. )

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