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02/07 - 02/11 School Trip

✽ At 8AM sharp on Monday the 7th, all students are asked to gather in the auditorium to go over the school trip to Tokyo DisneySea; those who decide to stay at school, however, are instructed to attend school as normal and use their days as a study hall or free period. Those grades won't keep themselves up, after all.
✽ Those who are going on the field trip will be given the rundown: they'll be staying at DisneySea for five days and four nights, at the Hotel MiraCosta located inside the park. They'll be lead in lines to the front gate of the school, consciousness wavering as they pass through the open gates, and they open their eyes to find themselves in the parking lot of Tokyo DisneySea, sluggish and drowsy, as if they'd dozed off and had just awoken from a very, very long drive. Characters will have to wait in line for quite some time, with the rate of it moving at an achingly slow 0.00000005 miles per hour (or so it feels) before they're able to get their tickets to the park, a knife, and their complimentary map to guide the way.

✽ Welcome to Disney! DisneySea, to be precise! Made up of seven different port areas, it's a treat for those who enjoy the water—and one for those who don't as well, considering its expansive amount of land-locked attractions. The world is your oyster after you enter the Mediterranean Harbor with its Venetian gondolas and southern European charm, with the American Waterfront to your left and the Mysterious Island straight ahead. Past those are Port Discovery, Lost River Delta, Mermaid Lagoon, and the Arabian Coast—it's probably not doable in a day, so isn't it lucky you get to spend the a whole five days here instead? Characters such as Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Goofy, Pluto, Chip & Dale, Donald Duck, and so on and so forth can be found wandering the areas, with Ariel found specifically in the Mermaid Lagoon; the Genie, Aladdin, Jafar, and Jasmine in the Arabian Coast; and Pinocchio, Jiminy Cricket, Geppetto, and the Fox in the American Waterfront. Get a picture and make some memories, because day light is burning, and it'll be closing time before you know it!
✽ Things take on a little bit of a twist when night falls; attractions refuse to work the right way, shadows seem to follow you wherever you go, and the cast members walking around seem a little more sharp-eyed and sharp-tongued than usual. The food tastes worse, as if it's spoiled rotten, and the water beneath the ports churns unsettlingly. All guests are ushered either out or to the hotel as the clock ticks closer to 9PM each day, with forcefully cheerful goodbyes and perhaps a little more pushing than necessary.
✽ Hotel MiraCosta is a gorgeous experience that's hauntingly devoid of people aside from those coming from Yogen, and even it isn't immune from the chilly atmosphere that sinks in around DisneySea when night falls: you might see glimpses of your home world but empty in the mirrors, or a shadowy figure with a knife poised ready to stab you in the back— and if you don't turn quick enough, that might just become your reality. In other reflective surfaces, like the shine of the floors or the water of a fountain gone still after hours, characters will find their worst fears on full display and reaching out to grab them; falling prey to this will put them temporarily in a fit, as if they're trapped in a nightmare. Other characters can wake them up, but if they're alone... Well, you better hope someone finds you soon: spending too long in the nightmare will have you seeing ghosts of those you miss and those you've wronged before. One will tempt you into going with them to the other side, while the other will make an attempt on your life. The pool isn't safe either: anyone swimming in the dark will find themselves at risk of drowning, feeling as if their feet have been caught by something or someone. Of course, the hotel is perfectly safe and ordinary in the day time, so you have nothing to worry about then! Night-time is just a different matter.
✽ For those who decide to investigate the park after hours will find the cast members remain long after the guests have left, and they make a sport of those who either stay past closing or who trespass on park grounds. Take care out there in DisneySea's version of The Most Dangerous Game— Mickey's got a gun, and he's not afraid to use it. Not every cast member will be out to get you though: the Genie, Donald and Daisy Duck, and the Fox will all help characters who need it... for a price. These can range from the absurd to the impossible to the cruel, though the Ducks tend to be nicer in their requests than the other two.
✽ And those shadows from before, attraction mishaps, and more? They'll still happen, and as the week's nights go on, it gets harder and harder to survive the park. Saw this and laughed, but good news, guys! The staff is here to help you out this time.

✽ Had enough of Disney? You can beg Add to take you to Russia instead.

02/12 - end of the month

✽ Wasn't that fun... With everybody reenergized after the school trip, classes continue as usual. Math is tough and philosophy is confusing, but after a gloomy overcast January, the sun is shining this month and it becomes harder and harder to resist just walking out the door and into the woods and never returning.
✽ Those who escape reality by running away from their problems will find that they are able to step past the tree line for the first time this school year, and that they can continue walking without bounds. The forest seems to go on and on and on without end, gradually sloping upwards the further away from the school but never seeming to reach a crest. Eventually, you may come across a river that runs nearby the school, shallow and calm in places and wide and rushing in others, with little piles of rocks along the riverbank as if of somebody trying to stack rocks as high as they can go. Scattered about the forest, characters may also come across much larger rocks, bound with rope and spread just far enough apart that you are able to see the next one when standing by the first, if you know where to look.
✽ Quiet and peaceful, the forest is otherwise full of life if you pay attention: you can hear the chirping of birds, small critters scuttling through the underbrush, the distant howl of wolves. If you're very still and quiet, you may be able to see some of the wildlife, and those that hunt them. When night falls, you may see little pinpoints of light floating around past the trees; they would be easy to mistake for fireflies if they did not glow a faint blue, the same shade as the flowers of the wisteria tree, and upon closer look appear to be butterflies fluttering low to the ground, feeding upon rotting carcasses and pools of blood.
✽ The trees are pine trees.

✽ At the end of the month, even if you've decided to go feral and live in the woods, all characters will be pinged on their PDAs:
@ everyone
Thank you. Your tuition has been collected.
followed by a list of names, which includes unlisted npcs but they don't get names so you just have to imagine.

(click to expand list)

Jason Todd Miyuki Shirogane Kaede Akamatsu Rokuro Arata	Rantarou Amami Subaru Akehoshi Yukio Okumura Himeko Inaba	Kouji Seki Hajime Hinata Lucifer Akira Fujioka	Noah Ebalon Rio Ranger Makoto Naegi Narumi Ito	Shin Tsukimi Helena Adams
Add Chiaki Nanami Senku Ishigami	Satou Kuroneko Alice Yabusame Seiya Kaneko	Stephanie Meanswell Dito Natsume Sakasaki	Goro Akechi Kiyotaka Ishimaru Jou Tazuna	Itto Arataki
Meng Yao Akira Kurusu Chiaki Kudo Nene Yashiro	Kobato Kazamatsuri Chiaki Nanami (AI) Hikaru Goto Clamor Ventus	Sidney Wolfe Sara Chidouin Nagito Komaeda Herlock Sholmes	William James Moriarty Childe Baby Bonnie Hood Rika Furude	Nao Sato

OOC

✽ The park and hotel are completely normal during the daytime; it is only when night falls that it becomes a ...twisted wonderland.
✽ All characters will be forced to leave the school trip and return to school by evening of the 11th through a death in some way. Dying early returns you to school early, and if characters do not take care of it themselves, they will be taken out by an adorable Disney mascot or a Russian with a glock.
✽ Everybody participating in the school trip will find +1 tally on their left wrist upon returning to school. Characters who help others return by murdering them will receive +1 tally for each kill; please let the mods know so Alice can update the tally list.
✽ There are a couple of things to find inside the forest, so if your character is doing something or searching in a specific way that isn't blindly wandering, hit up the questions toplevel to see if they come across anything.
✽ Tuition has been collected. Don't worry about it.

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[ Rio fingers the pendant resting against his chest. It'll end horribly, but if he returns by himself then it might only be him who suffers. It's a lonely way of thinking, but in that context it's not surprising. ]

It's fine as long as it's someone who wants you to come with, right? If they're going as far as to let you tag along, they would already know that it could end badly.

[ Nor is this something that would be exclusive to Komaeda. It's always a risk to take in another person. It's no different than how picking him up could have ended poorly for both of them. But what if it could end well? If he could find a person worth sharing a world with though, a world worth living in, wouldn't he have realized the human ideal? ]

... But I wouldn't let you go by yourself.

[ Ranger leans forward and, mimicking what the other had done before, gingerly biting down and pulling the half of the mandu offered to him off his fingers. It's no less embarrassing than when Komaeda had eaten off of his fingers, and his face heats up all over... But he'd been a little curious. ]

Ahaha... hey now, my world is very different from yours... Things are different.

( you live and die by talent, no one respects you unless there's talent, and the world is a discombobulated mess thanks to despair. he didn't want to go back at first, but that was probably his cowardice showing even though he believes they'd do better without him. he knows that rio can live without him, he had to before he came to yogen, and if there's a future that comes where they can't be together; he has no other choice but to live. it's embedded in his code that gives him the will to stay aware, to download the information around him, and then to bites the rest of the mandu from his fingers.

the inside of his mouth is hot, just like a normal human, and komaeda smiles softly once he sees the other has taken it quite well. his face is red, but everyone's a little embarrassed on their first try. instead of wiping his hands on his pants to remove the saliva, komaeda brings his own hands to his mouth as he licks away any residue left over. )

You shouldn't go to places you wouldn't like, you'd have to abide by God's rule.

( because komaeda does, and he knows that rio isn't too fond of god. )

I don't have to pay homage to anyone aside from ASUNARO's prodigies.

[ It's the same response as ever, as Ranger doesn't truly even pay homage to them as much as a tendency to prioritize them. It's code that directs him to do so, and it's taken time to properly unpack it.

He does cant his head though, offering a look that suggest he explain what sort of place Ranger would like. His own world isn't an option, and any kinder world wouldn't have the parts, equipment, or specialized knowledge to perform his maintenance. Even the idea of keeping the other from going alone would entail forcing someone else into it for that reason. He would no more entrust his care to someone from another world than he would trust an infant with a power tool.

His eyes flick down as Komaeda licks the remainder off of his hand. The should both use a napkin next time. But he tries to unfurl the rest of that statement. ]

So... You do just wanna go back to your world? Or home, or whatever you wanna call it.

[ The word home rolls off of his tongue awkwardly, as it's one that he has no concept of. ]

( that's what ultimates are, prodigies, but even through all of this rio wouldn't understand that. an ultimate trains their talents, that's what the school was built for, and then from japan to overseas they would find more and more. they'd collect so many pieces of hope, bringing them together, having them rely on each other and shape the future.

where asunaro prodigies created rio ranger, ultimates of his world shaped hope with their own hands, and their talents which assists others. they're specialists in a certain field, performing delicate and tedious tasks to strengthen their skills.

that's how it should have been. )

World.

( he corrects, hiding nothing about the state of it anymore because there's no need to. what one sees is what they get, and the type of person komaeda is tends to be fitted for such a decapitated life he wishes to return to. why should he have a place that's better to return to, so he takes the other option— unbalanced, corrupt, and distorted choice. the lowest of the lower, the bygone days were the happiest, but now the is so thoroughly rooted with despair that the tree which covers the world hangs high in the clouds, covering the world.

he laughs. )

I believe in you, Riokun... To make this place something special that you can refer to it as the latter.

( he's unfamiliar, komaeda knows, and he can yell through his words. )

Sure. There's probably a nice place hidden underneath all the cobwebs and dust.

[ He frowns a little again as he makes an effort to imagine what the latter might mean. If he runs through the logical sequence, then it should be not a home but a revolving door in which people come and go while he stays in one place. If he recalls what Yoshikawa says previously, it seems as though it had been the same for him... But that's not something he should think about.

Instead he stares for several long seconds. Rio's choice is as his code dictates. It will always be the safest option. It's different for humans, who think with their emotions and often have complex ways of making decisions. Once his considerations are finished, he reaches a hand out to place it on Komaeda's head in a quick, but gentle motion, stroking his hair. ]

You should find a place where you can be happy. [ But happiness isn't a state of being, it's an emotion that comes and goes, and so - ] Or at least a place you want to be. I'm sure you can find somewhere like that.

That's a good way to think, that means there's something good behind every dark moment.

( he likes that way of thought for rio because as long as he never gives up, or think that there's nothing then there's always something in sight, it just takes awhile to get there.

the touch on his head stays for a few minutes, until he looks down at the table. )

The place I want to be is hard to find, but... one day.

( suicides go to hell, but in heaven he'd live forever. there seems to be no option where he can be alone. it's not something he can say, openly, because there's days where he enjoys what he gets, even acknowledgement like this.

komaeda laughs cooly, lifting a hand to grab rio's wrist before setting it down on the table. his grip remains. )

If you believe in me, then maybe! I'll find it.

[ Those words aren't ones that Rio can understand easily. There's no place in particular that he's looking for, no exact moment, because a continuation is all that he needs. But there's the faint sense that there's something hidden in the words he says and the way he looks down that he should be able to find.

He stares down at his hand pinned down against the table. He does use his other hand to pluck half an egg out of the bowl and pop that into his mouth so he can chew on it. It's tasteless. ]

... I believe in you.

[ The words are spoke in a low murmur, though there's no dishonesty or hesitation to the words. It's as though he's trying to process something. Is it wrong for him to say that? There's so much that he doesn't get and there's no such thing as belief for him - it's all facts and data and questions and answers that are constantly rewritten. But he trusts Komaeda, and that seems as though it should be close enough.

... ]

Hey, Nagito...

[ ... ]

Do you ever get lonely?

( he could ask does he look lonely, but that doesn't seem to be what rio's looking for. he wants an answer to his question, not a question to a question that leads them to a never ending loop where the ends never meet, and they break off into various paths due to the different questions. )

...Huh.

( he brings a hand to his chin, rubbing idly in thoughts. what is loneliness from him if not a lion-dog that rests in his shadow, and every day he feeds it, and feeds it until it can block out all the people around him— a frightening, ferocious shadow that will eat him alive if he isn't care. tablescraps happen to be the words he fed to rio, the idea that he will find that ideal world where he can be alone. )

I nurture hope, ( even though it's not tangible, it's enough to keep him warm though the cold nights, and against the cold shoulders. ) does that count?

( it's his defense for everything, but if that's stripped away... what's left? the rumbling stomach of that lion-dog. )

[ If we can observe it, we can understand it. If we can understand it, then we can control it. That's the mantra of a scientist. Observe, understnad, control, and so they are in the end beholden to no affliction of the body or heart or mind.

Rio, a product of this scientific theory, is beholden to no affliction. ]

I don't know.

[ He says that, and Rio means it. He still doesn't know what loneliness is. ]

Is it lonely being by yourself?

[ Because no one can understand him? Because of his luck? Because that's what his job demands? It doesn't matter why he winds up that way. Does fostering hope make him lonely, or is it a salve that eases the afflictions of the heart? Or is it perhaps just a drug which masks it for a time? ]

Generally, it's lonely to be by yourself for a long period of time.

( having no one around but one's thoughts that would confirm the idea. pinning a person down against a butcher table, using hopks to sink into their skin so that they stay— there's no one to cut up that special meat of theirs, nobody to play with their body so they remain alive, though pain still runs through them. that's how loneliness is, no one is there to save you, but it hurts even the butcher hasn't raised their cleaver into them yet.

moving causes the hooks to dig in deeper, pulling down even more on the body. no one can hear your cries, but the way the body reacts is automatic, and they grow used to the pain. that's what being lonely is like because soon a person becomes numb, no one hurts, and loneliness is a comfort once they're able to remove the hooks.

fostering hope, it keeps him company. helps him forget his position. )

Even if there's someone next to you, if they don't understand or know you... they practically don't even exist.

[ ... ]

If we say that... are you lonely right now?

[ It can be lonely even if a person understands. It's a paradox wherein he was less lonely at the facility for being understood, but more for lacking warmth and care. It was like indulging in confections, eating candies and and custards and meringues until he had a stomachache.

It can feel like that here as well. He drinks up colorful sodas and sweet teas and coffee mixed with so much sugar and syrup that it no longer can be called that. He washes it down and calls the resulting sugar high care while pretending he won't crash in just a few short hours.

Komaeda doesn't answer his question directly, but it's rare for him to do so. It's an answer of itself. ]

No, I'm not.

[ It's a quick answer. He doesn't need to think about it. There's things that he still can't understand, and in a way it's like trying to slot the wrong key into a lock. There's times when Rio becomes aware that he'll be left behind. But he feels seen, and he's content with that. ]

Are you?

Amazing! You can say something so wonderful. That's how marvelous hope is, you never feel lonely.

( does that answer suffice? is it enough sugar-coated confection that's too sweet it makes him keep his mouth closed that he needs a minute to swallow it down. it sounds nice, it would mean komaeda's never lonely, and the same goes for rio too. )

Do you think other people are lonely around here?

( his partner's first impressions have always been key to understanding someone else, he notices the type of person they are, offers komaeda a off-hand comment, and he takes it as his own. rio is good with other people, he makes himself a little home with them, and komaeda isn't jealous about it, oh no, but he knows that he doesn't have what he does.

it's fine, remaining by himself, that's how he helps others. what good ever comes from being around? that's not loneliness right, that's doing what's being by being a martyr. )

[ Perhaps it is, the kind of saccharine and rich taste that would delight even the most discerning of sweet lovers, because Rio falls silent for awhile. He looks down with that bemused look that Komaeda is so familiar with. It feels as though he said something wrong, but even after reviewing the flow of conversation he's unable to determine exactly what it was. It's frustrating.

Amazing? Wonderful? Those words are biting when he already knows that his words and circumstances are anything but. It's an answer though. There's always an unspoken answer. ]

... Mm. Probably.

[ Should he have said yet? Would that have been a more honest answer? If Komaeda is lonely when he's with him, then... ]

What's wrong? You're all... you're doing that thing where you're trying to analyze the possibilities of something.

( that's what komaeda calls it, that's how he sees it, but with his arms crossed on the table he takes a pair of chopsticks to catch a few noodles. dipping it into the liquid, he pulls it up to bring the food to his mouth. a bit of noodles hangs out from between his lips, and he slurps it up as he smiles satisfied from the taste. )

Do you want to be their friend?

( the lonely people's friend, does he want to reach out? that's the question behind his words. )

[ He is. Rio goes through simulations in his mind, searching for an answer that no longer matters now that the opportunity to see a different outcome has passed. ]

It's 'cause I don't understand.

[ But he shakes his head to signify that he'll set those thoughts aside for now. Certainly if he keeps trying, then eventually he'll understand.

Does he want to be their friend? He doesn't have a real concept of friendship, so that's it's difficult. It depends on who it is. But Rio understands that's not the point, and he dislikes being alone. ]

... Yeah. I think so.

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02/07 - 02/11 School Trip

02/12 - end of the month

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