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[ 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. )

( oh, he's being bothered... okay. amami kind of grimaces as ranger draws close, but swallows that back down to a more neutral expression, holding up the necklace so that ranger can fit his piece against the blue one. though, either way, if amami gets a peek at ranger's piece, he won't clue in right away at anything missing, giving a contemplative hum. )

Is it that unusual?

( it's kind of cute... but necklaces like these are kind of a dime a dozen, especially if you're stopping by places for cheap gifts. it's exactly the kind of thing high schoolers would have, and the deaths aren't particularly special either; lots of people die and disappear in this place. rika... just so happened to be one of them. )

Sure. Why else would it be kept in circulation like that? Somebody wants it to be found. I can't imagine they just had a big sale on 'em at the shop... Were they all transfer students?

[ It would be one thing if they were different, or if they didn't keep falling into their, but this is a clear pattern that can be traced back. It's possible that assumption would be disproven later, but as of right now he can see no reason not to question and follow up on it.

He clicks the pieces together. It's missing the middle, but it's not difficult to imagine how it would slot between the two.

B... FO... "BEST ENDS FOREVER?"

He leans in a little closer, but naturally the charm doesn't change no matter how many times he looks at it. The spacing in the middle seems just as odd, and the words don't mean much to him. ]

... Mmn? Was it always like this?

[ He takes a few steps back from Amami now, affording him some space. Maybe he's missing something? There's a lot of things that Ranger doesn't really get. Or maybe it was defective. That's pretty common with mass production. ]

Amami-kun's piece is the newest one, I can't say I saw the words, but I just knew what Kawaii-san even having it is new.

( which makes his even more special, but if the words were scraped after rika got her hands on them, then that's just as peculiar. )

Before I give my thoughts, I want you two to go first. We can play a little game, let's call it... Thinking Time.

( he hypes up his own words with a little more "umph!" than usual, acting as if this is the grandest moment in time. komaeda could tell them his own thoughts about what might make these charms so amazing, or he could get their own inquisitive thoughts on them. there's only so many logical outcomes they can come to, or they could say something so unorthodox that komaeda would have to agree because nothing about this school is, well, normal. )

Now! Who wishes to go first!

( on the desk he's sitting is no more, he's standing up, arms raised in delight as he laughs mirth. he digs into his pocket to pull pack out the necklace he had been holding onto, but instead comes a little sachet that's tied together by string, and maybe the asunaro logo, or however that would help become identifiable for ranger. komaeda's looks at it with a raised brow, holding it up to the light above him.

huh, now what's this? )

( amami's attention is caught by that, at least. when ranger comments like it's something strange, and for all his distance as he holds the necklace in his hand, he'll squeeze himself back into this conversation whether the other two like it or not. for now, that means interrupting komaeda. )

What do you mean by "like this"?

( don't go starting games when one of your players doesn't know what the hell you're talking about in the first place, hello? okay, it is his fault for not showing more initiative in putting all three pieces together, but... a glance to komaeda... )

Ranger-kun can go first. ( just get that out of the way, 'cause his attention actually comes to rest on ranger too. ) Something's off about mine?

( he's about to get in trouble for playing the game wrong. he can feel it. )

It's one of those "best friends forever" sets, right? But it's missing the "F, R," and "I." I thought maybe it was intentional, but the letter spacing isn't right for that, and it seems too clean to be a defect...

[ Ranger trails off at the end, though it's clear that he had more to add on the subject, as his attention goes to the sachet that Komaeda is holding. It has the ASUNARO logo on it, which Komaeda might be able to recognize by now, and just by sight alone he can identify what's contained within it. It's been awhile since he'd seen them, and in truth he might have preferred to have never done so again.

Don't mind him, he's just going to quickly close the distance between them and move to snatch that sachet right out of Komaeda's hand. Ranger's not sure just when he got his hands on those, but judging by his look he didn't realize he had. Ranger would like to try and retain them before he can recognize where they're from. ]

Give me that.

Alright! It's your turn t— huh!? So eager to answer the question, aren't you?

( it's the "give me that" which causes him to think this way. as ranger makes his way closer to the desk, komaeda's quick to jump to the next one that he had placed together for all three of them just to stay out of the other's way. amami's not kicking up a fuss about it, and so komaeda focuses his attention on the logo on his newly found item. it's obvious, yet he doesn't yield to hand it over. )

Back to important matters.

( he takes a step down into the seat of the chair, then finally on the floor proper so that ranger can take another lunge for it. while he's moving around, he knows that he should take a look, but that's timed better if he does it when he has a moment of piece. sadly, ranger doesn't want to offer him tha reprieve as komaeda looks towards amami next. )

I noticed that too. I'm unsure if it's to make friends so that it completes itself, or something darker. You both can answer, so there's no need to act like a loner!

( he spins the sachet up to the light to check if the bag is see through, because that's no good when asunaro only creates such specific things. )

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