(open) alice in yogen...land

[shimashima]

Who: Alice and anyone!
What: Awakening + some post-arrival catch-all content for variety (library studying efforts; music room moment of silence; attempting to carry out his "three hopeful deeds" quest; testing whether he can bathe without summoning his fairy godmother at awkward times or prove that it was all a prank after all).
When: Late January and probably early February.
Where: First floor hallways and locker area; library; music room; dorm building common room and bathrooms; anywhere you want to run into him to aid his mission.
Warnings: YTTD spoilers and discussions of death in some threads.


a. first floor — counselor's office to lockers: awakening

[ Alice blinks, shaking his head as he catches himself against the doorway. The fog hampering him barely lifts; something feels off, but it slips through his fingers as soon as he pursues it. Finding a mysterious surprise in one pocket is just as perplexing — 35.4 N, 138.6 E... Whose writing is this, and why is the note in his possession? Since when...?

The answers don't come. They definitely aren't written on the walls, or the floor, or anyone's face. For now, Alice folds the scrap of paper back into a small square to store in his locker — it's possible that he simply needs to get some rest, out of sorts, he decides.

Upon reaching the correct row of lockers, entering the combination for his own, he hovers there too long, abruptly gripping the edge of the locker's open door so tightly that his hand trembles, white-knuckled, and the locker hinges creak. His other hand does the same with the front of his jacket, creasing its lapels.

This, all of this— What in the world is he doing here, classes to attend on his mind, years after already finishing high school...? In such a plain uniform, at that! It's almost as bad as enduring the restrictive shackles of "slammer style"! These thoughts hurtle through his head, wherever they came from, knocking loose question after question, each one more dizzying to ponder than the last.

He shuts the locker, and thinks of countless others lining a white room. He opens it again, merely to continue peering inside at its perfectly normal contents, seized by the absurd fear that he'll come face to face with a gun-wielding schoolgirl. But that can't be right — she was outside—

In some sort of nonsensical dream, yes? ]

How... how ridiculous...!

[ Open, shut. Open, shut. A white room with a stained ceiling. Perhaps it would be best to turn around and leave for a change of scenery, but he can't seem to clear his head for that, soon clutching onto the locker partly because his knees might buckle otherwise as one hand tugs at his shirt's collar. ]

b. library: totally blending in

[ The spectre of finals week may have been vanquished for the time being, but this is still a school, and the start of another semester heralds the inexorable approach of further torment. Not only that, but if the rumors are to be believed, this particular school's methods are plainly insane, the biggest yikes imaginable! It's like a death game, culling students so cruelly...

As tempting as it must be for everyone to hide from it all (right?), they have no choice but to prepare in advance for whatever else lies in store.

Alice, for his part, is seated at a table in the library, textbooks and pages of notes laid out before him. A model prisoner elsewhere, it should be a piece of cake to mold himself into a model student here, thanks to the completed high school experience under his belt, thus setting an inspiring example to follow — it's the least he can do now. And so, with what might be unexpected diligence, he turns page after page, the tip of his pen scratching across paper, covering the sheets in neat (if somewhat odd-looking) handwriting.

Consequently, the look of concentration he wears is particularly intense, closer to scowling at the study materials in front of him — at least until he pauses for so-called furtive glances cast around rather conspicuously. Eating in the library is surely forbidden, and he knows better than to try his luck here, even with his unparalleled capacity for stealth, but how can anyone focus uninterrupted for hours on end on an empty stomach?!

All the same, despite such inconvenient obstacles, if anyone in the vicinity appears to be noticeably discouraged in the face of their schoolwork today, Alice will eventually speak up. ]

...Trick questions would violate some kind of code... I'm sure of it. So it's simply a matter of studying regularly, and paying attention in class, in order to face future exams without any mental blocks... Perhaps that's the key to avoiding a terrible fate.

c. music room: reko was better at this

[ Why come here, of all places?

Alice can't play a single instrument — it makes no difference whether or not most are locked away out of reach. Even so, once he's approached the piano, he lingers there awhile, though he only lets his fingertips wander across a few keys, slowly, from left to right, without pressing down.

He does hum under his breath, just a brief sequence of notes that breaks off before long, leaving the song unfinished. ]

d. dormitory common room, various locations: three hopeful deeds

[ Support others, lift their spirits by returning hope to their despairing hearts... What a task he's been handed! Honestly, there's a part of him that thinks this is purely for his peculiar fairy godmother's entertainment. He's rather out of practice when it comes to spending so much time around others, for one — unless this school counts, hazily, and the Death Game before it — and no one seems especially inclined to regard him as a beacon of hope.

(Did his words dispel Ranmaru Kageyama's despair, that time...?)

Nevertheless, unwilling to risk something dreadful if the entire thing is true, Alice is taking his quest seriously indeed. Around the school grounds, on each floor and from rooftop to courtyard, he stays on the lookout for anyone who might fit the description of someone who has lost the will to go on.

In the dormitory building's common room, however, while he tries to surreptitiously keep up his watchful observing from a free seat, the disturbing decor remains distracting. This feels horribly familiar, too, all these paintings on the walls. ]

As if one art gallery like this wasn't enough...

e. dormitory hallways and bathrooms: haunting

[ Since human bodies continue to function as they did in life outside of this bizarre purgatory, it would be completely disgusting to have no access to running water, and so forth. Daily showers are as necessary as ever!

But with a ghostly presence lurking about, how is a man to bathe in peace?! Said ghost could appear at any moment, and if it wasn't a lie that no one else can see him, reacting aloud would arouse suspicion...

Alert, Alice does his best to tiptoe through the hallways, and to flatten himself against the walls without touching any of the paintings. It's a race against time — he can't hold his breath much longer to stay silent as he creeps towards the nearest bathroom! ]

Comments

for fairy godmother komaeda

[shimashima]

( continued from here )

[ Is this invasion of his personal space truly necessary?! And the clapping... Don't stand so close, you is on the tip of Alice's tongue, but he grits his teeth, trying to ignore the strange behavior to relax and concentrate on washing his hands. He's thorough about it, not satisfied until no trace of ink remains.

The explanation turns him quiet for a time — what he's hearing actually sounds like the ghost means well, earnest about searching for people to save. Yet even that stirs up memories of a wish, a vow...

Ashamed to keep returning to these thoughts, Alice drops his gaze to his hands. It's not impossible that something terrible happened to this person, driving him mad, and now he's attempting to steer others away from that path. ]

...Hope and despair, you say... Well, there's no reason to refuse, is there?

[commences]

There's none, you seek the same goal as me, and I have no need for lofty dreams.

( it's here where komaeda walks to the bathroom door as he waits for the other to follow along once he washes his hands, hopefully he isn't weirded out by the pinkish substance that's being wiped onto the paper towels. it's exactly what he thinks it is because god they have no normal water here yet, and komaeda didn't even think about telling him. )

What you will do is inspire, and not fall into despair yourself. No matter what hurdles you come across, remember your duty.

( to motivate others to encourage them, to ensure that nothing destroys their foundation; it's all up to the other to uphold this promise. there's a thought on whether komaeda could shake on it, but most god mothers seal the deal with something magic, but how would he be able to demonstrate that? maybe he is taking something that belongs to the other in order to actually do that.

he'll look alice both up and down, humming thoughtfully. )

Do you believe you're capable?

[shimashima]

[ Leaving faintly pink blotches and streaks seeping into the paper towels has been quite the alarming discovery, and Alice is certain that it isn't just his imagination. It can't be him — there are no cuts on his hands. Is the school's water supply contaminated...? Rust or something like that? Whatever the explanation is, it's difficult to feel completely clean after using the water.

He wrinkles his nose at the sight, but glances up soon enough to make eye contact, giving the discussion at hand his full attention.

This sounds so serious, and it's putting him on the spot, with the scrutiny and everything! All because he was hungry while in the library?! At the same time, it's flattering to be entrusted with something so important... ]

W-Well... It's true that I'm no Sara Chidouin, but I don't see why not! Three people, yes? And then you'll no longer be stuck, either, I take it?

for ranger

[shimashima]

( continued from here )

[ This makes no sense. None of it makes any sense whatsoever, and nothing that has transpired here is normal! Alice doesn't try to stand just yet — his limbs won't obey him anyway. Something in a corner of his mind insists that his lungs aren't getting enough air. Instead of moving, he frowns up at Ranger, one hand's fingers still caught in his collar.

A few moments pass, and then he finally stirs again with a shake of his head, slowly at first before he repeats the movement more forcefully. ]

I know it's a high school... That's the problem! You—... Is Asunaro behind this?!

[ The word surfaces suddenly — what other explanation could there be? ]

[rearranger]

[ Alice seems to be getting there, and so Ranger opts to leave well enough alone. He's not terribly interested in having another attempt at murder around here at the moment. He lifts an eyebrow, switching from the card to the colorful ice cream come. ]

Nope. If it was, I wouldn't be here, ahaha.

[ There's a bitter laugh, but he doesn't need nor want pity. They all made their choices. ]

Hate to tell ya, but his is somebody else's playground, and we're both stuck in it.

[shimashima]

[ The absurdity of the entire situation grows with each second that Alice spends sprawled out on the floor at Ranger's feet, as if his legs won't support him after too much to drink. That was what Sou Hiyori's murderer was supposed to be — a complete mess, some despicable person who lost all control to lash out in a drug-fueled rage — according to those articles. The thought sharpens into focus. Asunaro orchestrated all of that, so why not—

Ranger's laughter sounds off, too. ]

What does that mean...? You're on their side... Aren't you?

[ Ranger certainly relished tormenting them before.

At last, Alice succeeds in using the lockers to pull himself back up, onto his feet. One thing at a time to question is less overwhelming than a barrage at once. ]

Yet now, after everything... [ Truly, nothing makes sense. ] Why would you help any of us?

for helena

[shimashima]

( continued from here )

[ Helena Adams seems genuinely trustworthy, her intentions nothing to question. There's no reason to consider that her cane could be a weapon...

Straightening up, Alice makes to do as instructed — he'll follow Helena to the destination that she has in mind. ]

...Very well. Let us make our way there.

[ Thankfully, little by little, he feels steady enough to walk. ]

So someone has kidnapped us, and tampered with our memories...?

[ Why is that so common lately?! ]

[decrypter]

Not exactly. If it was kidnapping, it would be far more straightforward.

[where she's bringing him is classroom 3-E, where the Gardening Club meets. it means plants decorate shelves, carefully insulated from the winter cold, and helped with the power of a space heater that keeps the room cozy. it's comfortable, compared to other rooms, and currently empty of other students.

out of habit, she goes to her usual homeroom seat, and hopes he'll sit as well.]

...Oh, there's not an easy way to begin this, is there. But I suppose I should ask - past the memories of this school, what is the last thing you remember? From your true life.

[shimashima]

[ It's warm in this room, pleasantly so, and it hits Alice that it was rather chilly elsewhere, even for him. He takes in the sight of the plants — it reminds him of another room, an indoor garden. Helena Adams was right: being here helps somewhat.

The nearby chair he chooses, following Helena's lead, scrapes against the floor as he turns it around to face her, creaking when he lowers himself into it. Seated, he leans back with the soft rustle of shifting fabric, sleeves sliding against the front of his uniform jacket; folding his arms across his chest, he considers the question.

The last thing he remembers... The very last thing? Alice hums a thoughtful sound, quiet for a few moments while he retraces his memories, sorting through them. ]

...We were searching, and waiting... I returned to the locker room, the lower one...

[ The one with the troubling stains, he recalls. ]

After that, I woke up at school. This school, I mean.

for shin

[shimashima]

( continued from here )

[ Yes, you're being mean, Alice wants to confirm, though he suspects that Shin Tsukimi does it defensively, wrapping himself in his guarded behavior like wearing Midori's horrible scarf in another form (how many of those are there, even?!). He does understand that much, the need to build walls to hide behind. He even understands the reluctance to emerge from them.

Anyway, it's pointless to get worked up, too. Filling in the gaps in his memories, whether it was the lantern or this place, Alice knows that Gonbee Yamada was of no use in the end, just like those abandoned bongos, and too many other things. Why argue that it was different?

And now, Shin Tsukimi has a point. If any fake name would do, the man could have chosen anything at all this time, but it's telling that he made the exact same decision as before, and there's no changing it.

More importantly, the rest of his words call for further discussion! ]

...Six months?!

[ Alice's attention catches on that revelation, and it refuses to budge from there just yet. Already, his hands stir again for his customary shirt-clutching as he stares at Shin. ]

That's... inconceivable! How can you be in two places at the same time?!

[ That cat inside the box, simultaneously dead and alive, was that it...? It would explain why Shin Tsukimi has accepted dying to wake up to this absurd afterlife, he supposes, and why it's possible to speak so casually of "the run down" and whatever strange things occur. ]

magics us to late january

[notsosou]

[It's like that saying: 'your face will stick that way'. Even with much less need for it, even with that dying promise to himself, tearing the mask off his face and picking splinters out of his soul is hard, slow work... but he's been doing his best.]

Ahaha, wait until you hear about the year. It's apparently 2000, here... Had our own Y2K, even. Didn't think I'd been taking flash drives for granted, that's for sure...

[Stop him before he goes into having to work with 90s computers again. You will be here all day, Alice.]

So I could be as many as three places right now... Weird, right?

[There's just a bit of a mischievous gleam to his eyes, but with no malice or tit-for-tat to it; more of a muted playfulness. It's... surprisingly kind of nice to see someone from back there with whom there isn't a lot of unspoken heavy weight between them, although the fact of Alice being dead by requirement for it isn't... great. Regardless of what Sara chose, and how things ended up, he knows how Alice did.]

powerful magic, it was late january all along

[shimashima]

[ "Weird" is very much an understatement. The time mysteries on their own are enough of a puzzle, and so is the notion that Shin Tsukimi was here and right there with the others, certainly not months ago — but traveling back to the year 2000, existing in yet another place? Wrapping one's mind around the lot is impossible!

Shin Tsukimi, meanwhile, seems to find it amusing... ]

Why only three? If that's the case, then we could be in an infinite number of places...! Couldn't we?

[ Alive or dead... without ceasing to exist altogether at some point in time because of it? It's exceedingly weird to think about indeed. Humming a thoughtful sound, Alice shakes his head. ]

2000... Is it supposed to be nostalgic, going back to school, and using floppy disks and the like in the afterlife?

D!

[waitingforplayer2]

[ A girl wearing a cat-eared hoodie sits quietly in one of the armchairs, doing her homework. When Alice walks in, she notices him but doesn't say anything, sticking to her assignment. Best keep her head down.

As she's puzzling over a particularly hard math question she hears him speak up, and looks up. ]

Did... did you know another one like it?

[shimashima]

[ Alice couldn't help but notice this girl, too — that hoodie caught his eye first. Besides the fact that it's encouraging to see people freely pursuing their own tastes in fashion at this school, it reminds him of someone he knows. However, its wearer appeared to be absorbed in her schoolwork, coping well without any intervention, so he reasoned that he shouldn't do anything that could be misconstrued as creepy staring. People do seem to find him scary, after all...

But the paintings are the truly scary thing around here! That includes the less grisly ones by the fireplace — more specifically, the one whose eyes follow every movement.

When the girl breaks her focused silence, Alice turns his head with a start, glancing over at her. How much to share of what exactly he recalls...? ]

...Yes, unfortunately I've set foot in such a tasteless place before. Though not by choice!

[ As for this, now, it can't be mere coincidence... Alice frowns. ]

I suppose redecorating is forbidden.

[waitingforplayer2]

[ She looks up, spacing out for a few seconds as if she's lost her train of thought. Then she looks at the paintings again. ]

I haven't tried. I just try to walk past the one in the halls without looking. These aren't so bad though, right?

for amami

[shimashima]

( continued from here )

[ Physics... Alice's heart sinks. The content isn't completely unfamiliar — he managed to survive ordinary high school, after all, and he's been attending every class since waking up here — but it's not as if science is his forte. His knowledge of equations and formulas and so on feels somewhat wrapped in cobwebs... That's not good at all, since physics is probably a compulsory subject.

Besides, this boy is counting on him now, and he mustn't disappoint him! ]

I see, so it's the phrasing... [ Alice nods several times in a row, resorting to the thoughtful chin-rubbing once more. ] It's annoyingly convoluted, isn't it? Anyone who doesn't grow confused must be superhuman!

[ And merely commiserating isn't helping, and rubbing his chin obviously doesn't change that. Overdoing it will only make him look like a weirdo! But an idea begins to take shape — he's going somewhere with this. ]

Er... Do you like... art?

[sisters]

( ha, looks like he's caught on one that's tricky for both of them. it's not that amami minds though; commiserating isn't so bad once in a while, he does find himself nodding along with a bit of a laugh at the comment that's offered up. watching with sharp eyes as he is, he's pretty sure he can see the exact moment that little lightbulb pops up over alice's head too, even if he doesn't quite get what the connection is from the question alone. )

Art?

( can't say he expected that one, but after a moment of surprise passes through his expression, it actually lights up. )

I wouldn't call myself an artist or anything, but I have been practicing lately. ( wonder if those ugly raccoon posters he made are still up anywhere... ) What are you thinking?

a

[adsum]

[ bang! bang! bang!

What is that noise? Annoying enough to draw the shopkeep out of the student store on the other end of the floor, for one, not wanting to have to give their sales pitch over clanging metal. Gonna march over there and give whoever that is a piece of their—-

...their marching turns to quiet shuffles when they see the sort of person making such a racket; even if it's just his back that Keigo is seeing, he's still super super tall, with wild colored hair, and a stranger on top of all of that.

...

No time to be nervous. This is a business opportunity. Deep breath, ]

Hello! Hi! [ They step in before they can lose their nerve, but not too close. ] You look like you need a rock! Or ten! Can I interest you in buying a couple dozen rocks?

[shimashima]

[ The voice coming from behind him sounds harmless, uttering a friendly greeting followed by some puzzling sentences that don't register immediately, but Alice jumps with a jerk of his shoulders. The first thing out of his mouth is something embarrassing: ]

KYAAAH?!

[ The owner of the voice has snapped him out of suffocating under an avalanche of too much to think about all at once, at least, grounding him while he attempts to compose himself, to breathe, to sift through what he's hearing until the words make sense. He manages to straighten up, looking over his shoulder. ]

A... what?

[ Did he mishear? What is this person even talking about, rocks? ]

[miirai]

The paintings are pretty spooky, aren't they, sir?

[A small girl says from behind, speaking innocently but seeming to be unbothered by them.]

[shimashima]

[ Upon hearing such a youthful voice addressing him, Alice quickly turns away from the nearby painting, glancing down at the girl standing behind him instead. How young is she...? Gin Ibushi's age might be his guess, which is as troubling here as it was back there.

The thought pulls the corners of Alice's mouth into a frown until he remembers that the girl voiced a comment of her own. ]

...Indeed. Whose idea was it to decorate the building like this? It's as if they plan to give everyone nightmares!

a

[samuraiwomen]

L-late!?

[ Alice is so busy opening and closing the locker doors, he doesn't hear the patter of shoes side on the tiled floor as someone rounds the corner. Overburdened with a few textbooks, and glancing down at her PDA, Sara doesn't see him either--Doesn't look up in time until.. ]

Wah!!

[ She crashes right into Alice's back, just managing not to drop her books. The PDA goes scattering off onto the floor in front of them. She looks up in shock, opening her mouth for an apology but she freezes. ]

Alice?

[shimashima]

[ Onlookers might be taken aback by the sequence of events that plays out. The collision shouldn't do much more than jostle Alice slightly, perhaps jab him with the corner of a textbook or two, but in its wake, the instant he sees his attacker, his mind returns to its most recent thoughts. What was that clatter of an item hitting the floor — a gun?! ]

D-Don't shoot meeee!!

[ Alice scrambles back a step, against the lockers, arms raised. But he's quite awake, feeling rather unwell aside, and no one has a gun trained on him, and that there... That lopsided hair... ]

...Sara Chidouin!

[ Of course — they've already established that she is a trustworthy high schooler. Lowering his hands, Alice folds his arms instead, over his too-rapid heartbeat. ]

Why are you making a face like that? I'm unscathed after your sneak attack...

c...!

[mermaidcursed]

( oh- someone's on the piano again. admittedly, nene sort of assumes it's someone who she already knows, because instead of double checking, she instead goes straight to the cooking classroom and instead makes snacks because all of her piano friends get too absorbed in the piano.

when she quietly slides the door open with one hand, a glass of coffee milk and some cat-shaped rice balls balanced carefully- she blinks. that is not lucifer. or kaede. or anyone she's seen before, actually. ... well, she still made a snack, so... nene knocks on the wall beside her to announce herself and then waves, once she's sure she has the man's attention. from there... well, there's a chalk and chalkboard. )

it's too cold and empty here to be alone.
if you haven't eaten, i brought you something.
my name is nene yashiro!

[shimashima]

[ Those days of trying and trying to follow Reko's instructions are too distant for Alice to retrieve anything like a series of scales, let alone a cohesive melody, but he's surrendered to the call of the piano before him, compelled by the uncomfortable ache in his heart. His index finger pushes down one white key, a second one, a third. The notes produced are disconnected plinking.

The sudden knock prompts him to hastily withdraw his hands; whirling around, he straightens up like he's been caught at a crime scene instead of in a music room, relaxing only when his gaze lands on the person behind the knocking — his reaction immediately seems excessive. The two of them are alone for the moment, so the girl's waving at him must be deliberate, if surprising. Uncertainly, Alice lifts one hand in return before he approaches the chalkboard himself, scanning the sentences written there.

If this girl — Nene Yashiro — can't speak, perhaps she can't hear, either? ]

Ah...

[ Pointing at himself, Alice eyes the unexpected snack delivery. Such cute rice balls... He supposes that Nene Yashiro takes it upon herself to bring anyone using the music room snacks — and that she's not a ghost.

Her timing is impressive, and it is a little cold, but introductions come first, so Alice picks up another piece of chalk to write out a response: ]

It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Nene Yashiro. My name is Alice Yabusame.

Will you be eating any of these yourself?