[ There were issues, and that's because it's difficult to modify such a carefully crafted program without leading to unintentional consequences. In Ranger's case, it meant that external stimuli and information he was never meant to have falling into hands led to his system attempting to collapse. It was a piece of him that he hadn't touched, and if not for that he supposes that he might never have been completed. It was a stroke of bad luck to find that laptop, but it must have been good luck that Komaeda had found him and shown him an unexpected kindness.
Midori needs to know none of that, and so he lets the misunderstanding stand, along with the remark about him being cute. It's considerably harder to ignore the second question, and he looks away for a few seconds, embarrassed by how many people have pressed him on the issue lately. Maybe it's a normal thing to ask on this day, which is dedicated to shy teenagers confessing to one another. Ranger isn't a teenager, but he's never been able to express himself well, and it was an experience worth having at least once. Though maybe he had put too much effort into it. Talking to the shopkeep, getting and learning this and that...
He had given it to him, and then...
...
... ]
... Don't ask weird questions.
[ He takes a little long to offer that mumbled answer, which isn't quite a denial. His cheeks are tinted pin, and he makes a point of quickly moving onto the next question, ]
There's a few of them here, they've just kinda shown up over time.
Edited 2022-02-20 02:12 (UTC)
NOT SHAME STOPPPP tell him an interesting participant and he will back off!!
[ a bit if baiting in his attempt to get ranger to react, as long as midori feels confident of the information, then ranger will correct him. logical choice would be to do so, and if not, then midori will continue living his life with that narration in his mind.
he looks up to ranger in pure interest, waiting for him to confess what it is or who it is, because someone like him loves the concept of love, it's beautiful, interesting, it makes people act all sorts of ways because either they can't control it, or it eats away at them. now ranger isn't maple, down to the core of him, love isn't the core of his code, because now he's a true human, and all should be in balance.
if not, ranger can spare himself the embarrassment by changing the subject, talk about the candidates, and depending on who he mentions then his interest will shift. he's always so thoughtful of others, especially his old toys— how are they doing nowadays? ]
What's weird? Is love weird... ahhaha... hahaha... don't be silly.
[ just a little accusation that holds no weight, but it can be filled to the brim depending on how ranger decides to respond.
fill his cup!
sweet, sticky, and light burn his lips as he drinks it all up. ]
STOP NONE OF THEM ARE INTERESTING, SARA'S BORING NOW
[ It's not a question of if his coworker will find out, but when. Ranger adjusts his grip as they exit the school. If he says it now, will that make it harder to strike a deal with him later? There's something to be said about the leverage that having feelings for a person has. On the other hand, for as dangerous as it was to have emotions in ASUNARO, it was even moreso to be afraid. Rather, he should be able to use that to his advantage, as it means he only has one single person that he needs to protect.
he walks out the front door of the school. It's chilly out, and the snow crunches beneath his boots as he walks along. He supposes Midori's body will be half-frozen once it's pulled out of the pool. ]
... There is.
[ He turns his head briefly, frowning, visibly uncomfortable with the idea of feeling such a strong emotion. It's not something that he's meant to give, much less to receive, and so speaking those words aloud is dangerous. He hasn't done so yet, but then Ranger communicates with actions more than words, and so he had placed every last thought and feeling in a cute little box before and given them to that person. ]
Nagito Komaeda. He's off limits.
[ He pauses there, waiting to see how his coworker will take that. He can press for details if he'd like, but he supposes negotiations might be better once he has more information. Ranger will be fair when dealing with him. ]
HOW DO YOU KNOW IF SHES BORING!!! SHE MIGHT BE A MOTIVATOR
[ off-limits, huh? it's a familiar word in the asunaro dictionary, it's when an individual has found something they like, and they don't want anyone touching it, taking it, or doing anything with it. midori is that way, for some of the ais crafted by him, he would rather certain people not dirty his work.
but this person isn't an ai, far from it, because ranger is acting far too human to make this seem normal for him. if it was two ais, it'd be a learning experience, or there would be no need to be flustered, or uncomfortable since technology works so well together.
it's different when ranger make it known, and midori tries to skip a few steps ahead to understand. ]
Oh, oh! Think I'd steal him from you...♡
[ he leaves that playful threat up in the air, and if he feels ranger's arms shift. ]
But I jest! I jest!
[ ranger can trust him, maybe, but that's in no way to get information. with the name in his thoughts, he'll keep an eye out for that person, but he doesn't have the full picture of why just that one. ]
He must be fun to play with if you chose him... why can't I play with him too?
[ If not stolen, then he would be toyed and tampered with. Ranger doesn't bother with those who can't care for themselves and so there's no true need to stake claims and twist arms over his partner, but there's other dangers in not doing so. It opens up the door for too many problems, too much interference, too much information being shared... He focuses on that, repeats it in his mind over and over, because it's easier than admitting that there's a foundation of care now.
Ranger adjusts his grip, and the look he offers suggests that he does think that Midori would do just that. He would, of course, find it to be a wonderful case study. ]
He's my partner, and we work well together. I don't want your dirty fingerprints all over him.
[ The next bit is offered with a note of caution, ]
We're close, so I look out for him... Of course, I'm going to look out for you too. I'm not unreliable like Namida, you know? I don't move pieces around on my colleague's gameboard.
[ Unreliable being a kind of way of putting it. Ranger's fate was of his own accord, but interfering with the fourth and fifth floors had been out of line. She both betrayed and disrespected both her fellow Floormasters and the Death Game, and that makes him bristle.
He'll take badly to it, they need to work together, but the truly important part is... ]
... Anyway, we both get more out of it if you're not wasting time like that.
[ it sounds like a joke with the way he says it, so blindly carefree, but there's nothing false about his actions when it comes to himself. having burned off every fingerprint, that identifiable part of midori is long gone. there's no need to keep them when he has so much to do, and if he leaves his marks visibly on someone, then he's failed his goal. everything is mental, learning about someone's fears and what makes them happy isn't tangible, and that's what makes breaking them interesting without the claim to back it up, they have nothing on them to prove it true.
as for ranger turning cute for a random guy, it works in favor, love is just so interesting. it truly is a barrier for survival sometimes, and the ai proves it true as he shuffles for a type of deal.
due to his situation, it'd be wise to do so, and while he does have the time and patience to play with new toys; there's better advantages offered. ]
...
[ he remains silent, thinking the offer over. ranger has been here longer, he's an important asset that midori could speak to without making any regrets, as long as his plans are four steps ahead, then he's safe. ]
I won't come into contact with your partner for your cooperation. That "Nagito Komaeda" can become smoke that slips through my fingertips, so no prints will be found!
[ one person compared to the many others out there can work wonders to establishing moral. it's not asunaro, and with it not being that, there's more freedom. ranger still has a knife when it's convenient, that hold has never let go, and even now old habits die hard.
he weighs his options.
there's no choice in the matter, someone who can respect the playing field is rarer than someone who moves everywhere, purposefully smacking the chess pieces before going back to their precious game. it allows for a brief purse of his lips, ]
What are the threats and dangers here?
[ to finalize his decision, but it's not like he needs ranger to protect him, but more work would get done if they acted together accordingly. ]
[ The man he carries wouldn't leave a trace of his presence behind save those wispy memories that would be warped and forgotten with or without his assistance. But his scalpel leaves behind stitches that fade into scars, and Ranger would never mistake those neat precise cuts and neat stitches.
Nagito Komaeda could be cured by his hands alone, taken under the knife and cut and rearranged into a different person. It could be done out of professional pride and curiosity, or it could be a gift of salvation forced upon recipient who sees being fixed as ruination.
There are more frightening things than fingerprints that can be left behind.
But their agreement is made, and the next few breaths come out easier than the previous ones. He's taken care of what's his, and the rest he can handle as it comes up. ]
Good. 'Course, you'll hear everything I do.
[ It's like a game of telephone, wherein his two closest allies will both be kept equally in the loop. ]
Hm... There's some odds and ends, but let's start with the important one. The people here are a mix of idiots, violent idiots, and then a couple who are worth watching out for. The dumb bastards don't do much other than gossip and kill each other.
[ Her reaches a hand up to brush some of the hair out of Midori's face. It's starting to fall in front of his eyes. He'll give the option for him to hear about those now, or he can move onto his original point of conversation. ]
[ the blade of the scalpel can meticulously cut open the skin, expose the sickly insides, gloved hands will remove and replace what's wrong, what he finds misplaced, and fix them good as new. the stitches are ever so interesting, weaving together back the skin, and watching it connect together at swollen ends. then he's able to watch the progress of it healing, of the stitches disappearing, or falling up, and the nice scar that'll remain forever that helped them.
midori is ever so good at that, which it's reasonable enough for him to think that ranger's crush is susceptible to him, and his advances. if he lacks a strong will, and doesn't know how to properly think which needs guidance— that's not ranger's wannabe boyfriend, that is certainly midori's new play toy. his hands calloused enough, but gentle to ensure any person that he can take hold, and everything will be taken care of.
if that nagito komaeda could protect himself, then there would be no need to strike a deal. he finds that this one must be interesting when ranger, would of course, know his types, but there's a disadvantage if he allows this chance to adjust and learn to slip away from him. ]
It sounds like they have no direction, I'm surprised you've managed! Your love interest must be to thank for that...
[ with constant stupidity and idiocy all around, but since this is about those idiots, he can't ask what category ranger falls into— killer or gossiper.
he doesn't have to, but his eye closes as ranger sweeps a few locks from in front of his eyes. his touch has gotten gentler, and that must come from his time here. ]
Tell me, tell me! I'm exchange, I'll tell you something just as fun.
[ the former or the latter, he's pretty open to both topics. it'll offer the same chance to hear what he's thinking. ]
[ His touch his gentler, the words a little softer, all those little changes with being shown kindness and care. His knife has started show the first hints of dullness, as there's those he should have eliminated by now and yet hasn't. But with Midori here he'll sharpen it once more, clean off the dirt and blood that had dried on it and find it to be good as new. He'd cut out every weakness and watch as bright red blood dripped off of it after, and Ranger's only regret will be not using it sooner.
There's a slight frown as he considers that. His partner should have been the one to keep his knife from dulling. Hadn't he chosen him for that purpose? ]
You're right. They're just stumbling around blind. He he's more useful than the rest of 'em. There's things that I wouldn't have learned without him... Ahaha, so you see why I can't give him up, right?
[ That's the benefit of having another person. Ranger is too logical, too focused on living, to act in the ways that Komaeda thinks to. It's a different form of problem solving. That small frown returns as he finishes, deciding to move away from the subject now, ]
For the rest of 'em, I'll just hit the major ones. Dito's dead weight, Rokuro's a dumbass who wants to get everyone killed, Bonnie's for hire, Rika and Childe are worth keeping an eye on, and Hajime's one to avoid. I wouldn't let that one breathe in my direction. I'd be careful with that one.
[ It's a short list, moving up as he considers how much of a threat each one is. He hasn't personally dealt with Dito, but word spreads fast. Rokkun has a target painted on him now, and Bonnie is only as dangerous as you make her. Rika is playing games that she can't win, but Childe has more potential for his void experiments. There's a ruthless efficiency to that, and it's one that he respects. As for Hinata, well, something had occurred when he'd blinked. He now has the familiar scent of a person who's too sharp, too confident, and with too sudden of a change to be seen as anything other than a threat.
Hm, maybe this makes him a gossip? This is the most he's bothered talking about other people, not caring enough to, but he'd be remiss not to at least cover the major beats for a person who thoroughly depends on what he knows of others. ]
NOT FIND A MOTIVE UR RIGHT we gotta give her a cool one so komaeda likes it
for the artificial intelligence that hated his participants, the fix in his code has made him more kinder, gentler. would that call it a weakness if it's love, emotions, and matters that come from the heart? no, midori loves love, to the one's learning to the other's who want to share it with the people around them. it's because he loves it that his blade sharpens his scalpel. the ones that he work on, those humans, it's all because of love, and so his knife never wears down.
these are tools that ranger has never held before, and so not knowing how, it will dull quicker, lose its edge. ]
How mean...! Keeping the best to yourself!!
[ midori wouldn't know, he believes it's personal preference with ranger, because safalin was good for certain things, but he wouldn't call her the ideal partner. even thinking about it makes his lips purse into a straight line. how troublesome, but it's after a few seconds of gathering his thoughts he leaves that topic to his help and warnings—
he trusts ranger's judgement, his impressions are straightforward and not shrouded in favortism, nor or the being shielded. it's a bag of trail mix offered, some sweet, and some will annoyingly try to stick between his teeth, but he manages to avoid that problem every time. one raisin might be harder than another, but he'll enjoy the bag save for a few that he leaves at the bottom of the bag.
the ones that stand out are obvious, and the comment about his life threatened makes him silent. someone with that sort of mind should be dealt with, but he knows ranger's penchant of survival as well so maybe there's a reason. ]
Are the participants doing any better than the idiots, interesting, and deplorable?
[ inaba, rika, and childe are notable mentions. now for who's here that they know... if ranger has no complaints, they must have lived life like a self-sustaining ecosystem, aside from the killing and everything else.
... ]
give her a hopeful motive, he'll be so proud of his daughter
[ He should have killed him a long time ago. It should have been done on that frigid day in December, when every bit of reason told him what needed to be done, but his hand had been stayed by justification and trust. It should have been enough to tell him that he was broken, but the signs were ignored. Now he tells himself that it's a waiting game, a test, because he confirmed the plan and the time limit for himself. It will be handled one way or another. If his partner doesn't take it into his own hands, then Ranger will, and he'll that knowledge not so that he acts but to offer him the choice.
But he won't die. Maybe he wold kill both of them, as he would lose his partner either way. ]
... I'll add two more to the list first. Add. He's interested in robots. Worthwhile projects.
[ There's a brief look that says I know. Neither of them could be described as robots, as ASUNARO's goals weren't so inelegant as to be satisfied with steel filled with mundane code, but it means an easy in with someone who adept in their field. The second name takes longer to come, and there's a solid few seconds in which the silence lingers in the air before he continues, ]
Satou Kuroneko. Magic mixed with physics. Cute kid.
[ There's another name that he should add to that list, but he keeps it to himself. He offers up those two though, because it's the logical decision. They're both useful, and Satou is someone who he would be quite fond of. It's not a replacement, but rather cutting the list short. ]
As for the participants, they're fumbling through it without us to guide them. There's a total of six of us, including you and I. In order of arrival it was: Sara, Shin, Ranger, Joe, Alice, Hiyori. I've been here for six months. The first two were here a couple months before me.
[ This is more routine, quick and to the point, as though he were simply giving a report. That's all it is, really, something factual and impersonal. It's what he's supposed to do. ]
What do you wanna know?
[ Who does he want to know about? ]
Edited 2022-02-26 06:31 (UTC)
she should do a blood ritual and her evil sara demon compels her
[ there is a look, robots are, in other words, just artificial people created from machinery, bolts and nuts, while being a stepback from what they are. it's an insult, but someone who understands the specific field proves more use than another person who has no idea what the difference between zinc and galvanized is. ]
And what of his work, you must've seen it for yourself to recommend him!
[ it's the differences that everyone has compared to inaba himeko that dealt with the innerworkings of ranger's code, and now there's someone who can handle the model, or creation of a robot, which midori doesn't throw away the idea. he simply inquires, ]
Has he done anything to your body, Ranger? There has to be someone managing over your routine maintenance, while you can do a scan... it's best to have someone competent to reevaluate over the data that comes back, physicals are needed!
[ while he's not a complete human, that doesn't mean his body should be ignored either. it's a very important part of him, and if that malfunctions, it can backfire on his code, which is easy to fix by reuploading him because he'll never die, but they need to avoid something so drastic at all costs.
from all that, ranger can get the idea that he's asking if add has been working on that part of him.
the next name registers, the cute part makes this worthwhile too. he thinks he'll have to see what's so cute about her, and if it's something that catches his eye, he'll see into it properly. ]
...
[ the list is exciting, there goes the wag of his rattail yet again while gauging which participant interests him most. there's this satisfying feeling at knowing they're all in purgatory, but there's a few important ones, they exist ones, and the way he ignores alice out the batch of them.
...
he doesn't want to comment or he'll become frustrated, and joe has no hold (aha!) on him, and so he can ignore that one too. ]
They've grown, haven't they?
[ which would be unfortunate, because not surprising where ranger has also grown. he's not in asunaro, so there's no need to immediately chase after them, but it's almost like a second chance, though his first chance should have went better than it did.
onto a better question: ]
Have they accepted you as one of their own?
quick let's get akki to teach us how to summon evil demon sara
[ Midori will notice the way his grip adjusts at the question. He fighters a little, holding on a little tighter and glancing off to the side, an uncomfortable look on her face. It's not unlike a person trying to hug themselves to make sure their entire body is still there. It was bad enough to have someone touch his code, that most essential part that makes up everything about him, but to have his body tampered with to is a sickening prospect. It leaves a bad taste in his mouth to know that more than one person knows how to plug him in.
If someone were to know the way his hardware functioned, then they would truly be able to do anything, and there's no shame in warping a doll. The idea is enough to make his stomach churn, and he understands the other half of the equation too. If somebody was working on him, then they could work on the body wandering about too. He takes in a deep breath before exhaling slowly. ]
Ahaha, are you that worried about me? Nope, I've been taking care of everything myself~ There's no one here that I'd trust with ASUANRO technology.
[ That seems the simplest way to say it. He doesn't trust anyone with his code. It had been a one time affair, and in which he could be assured that data wasn't kept. He certainly wouldn't repeat it with his body.
...
With Midori here, he'll have to be even more careful. ]
They have, but not enough.
[ It's a frank assessment. Their little spats, the pettiness, the inability to handle so many things - they've grown, but not nearly enough to be the unrecognizable figures that they'd wish to greet Midori as. No, they've all just gotten too complacent.
Ranger pushes the door to the pool room open. He chooses his words more carefully in answering the second question, ]
There seems to be a misunderstanding on their part.
[ ... ]
if komaeda get his soul and then give it to midori and ranger
[ ranger's code is midori's code, his model is one off, due to being someone created for a certain throne within the asunaro palace— though he never saw the light of day in that regard, that doesn't mean he's not a personal liability for him. his body threatens midori's body, and they are like dominoes that once one of them falls, the other isn't far behind. it's a dangerous game to be played for someone like them who want nothing more than to survive, and having various people out there act as their achilles' heel; there's nothing romantic at all.
becoming invulnerable until someone so chooses? there's no benefits from it. he can take the response that no one physically worked on him, but the framework of his code is a different story. the fiddling of his hold that portrays a telltale sigh of worry and being unsure doesn't give midori high hopes. ]
Your functionality hasn't been breached by curious hands then... perfect! I had alllllllllmost thought to remind you of what was in in the handbook: Section 45 Part 3-B, clause 876 at the very, very, very bottom that talks about what happens to your body if unable to operate due to handling by someone else.
[ down to the very segment of the page that he doesn't see the need to inform ranger on because he should know it already, every page, just like midori who before, skimmed over it, gave a smile and understood the assignment. ]
Oh, oh! In other words, they're still cute...
[ "cute", still rough around the edges, and with his hands all he has to do is polish them. out of the list, joe won't be so difficult, they've yet to properly meet. alice isn't at the forefront of his mind, oh how unpleasant it is to hear about him; so he ignores them for the rest. sara and shin, his two favorites, not only that death has landed them in the same box, but one interests him more than the other— the time here is truly shaken, given shin had died way before sara, but there's some excitement that's visible as the tip of his tail curls.
as they walk into the pool, ranger will spot there's water all over the floor, and some in the shape of a few footsteps, and blotches of puddles that means nothing. ]
Evaluate what's hard to understand, is it because you lack the eyes of a participant?
[ scooping them out, then replacing them would be ever so easy, but personal decisions don't stem from seeing what they see. ]
[ Ranger knows perfectly well why he's worried, because he's too concerned with all the little pro that occurred to consider context or solution. It's not surprising, given that he's having all this dropped on him at once, but it doesn't make it any less irritating to have rules and regulations that are encoded into him so strongly that he can't truly ever go against it. Nor would he want to, no more then a person would want to remove their instinct to pull their hands away from a hot stove.
He doesn't trust any of them, not really. He stops near a puddle now, rolling Midori's head so he can grip it with both hands and lift it up above his head and - ]
See, this is why your body functions just fine without the head attached.
[ - he starts shaking it up and down in a rapid movement. It won't hurt him, his parts won't rattle around in his head and he won't suffer any dizziness like a human would, but it's no less anyone for him than anyone else. He emphasizes each word as he continues. ]
Because you don't use it anyway.
[ He stops, but that glare remains. He's never once put the rest of them at risk, and here has been no different. There's a reason for everything that he does. ]
[ nothing rattles, he doesn't get busy, hut he admires the ceiling for the change in colors that ranger puts him though as he shakes his head. he does use his shoulders for more than a head rack, and that's why he said what he did. that's fine, he believes, that if there's so much denial towards being worked on properly, midori follows what he would have done himself. ]
After I find my body, I'll check over you myself. It's really hard finding proper help.
[ that's how he feels about anyone touching asunaro code and body functions that he's wired himself into. longevity, life, and all things never-ending is why he traded himself for these parts so that he could live forever. ]
That's why you have meeee! ♡
[ he's the proper help, laughing while he accepts this as a roller coaster if anything. he waits for ranger to stop before continuing, clearing his throat as he scans the pool to see if there's anything his body may have left behind. ]
You can agree with that, can't you?
stop midori can control him the old fashioned way, that's so cute
[ It's like dealing with a child, and Ranger keeps his stare fixed on him. The thought of being worked on by Midori makes him frown. Ranger was only worked on by Gashu, Miley, and Safalin. Midori will be able to work on him just as skillfully, but that meant he could do harm and good alike as he pleased.
He considers Midori's position. He would be working with the perfect program, one in which each string was carefully interwoven with the next. There should be no vulnerabilities, no exploits, save any that came with it being tampered with by outsiders. It would be safer, then, to maintain that than to risk vulnerabilities that if found could be used on him.
Midori plays the long game, and so he has other ways of causing any changes he wishes to see occur without any risk to himself.
Ranger nods. ]
Right. You and I are the only people here qualified to work with ASUNARO technology.
[ He looks behind him at the pool itself, and he briefly considers kicking his head into it. He decides against it, instead lowering his arms and holding Midori's head close once more. The body's not here, so it must have left. It would find a secure place to stay, which would rule out standing around in the snow half-frozen. ]
[ where is it now? it seems throughout their walk and conversation, midori had "forgotten" to explain his thoughts of that the body has migrated, and is no longer suffering from the cold or pressure. ]
The body is warm now, any special places with heat?
[ there should be some place that generate warmth, enough to dry off a body like his as it regulates a certain temperature to help. he trusts that ranger would know where to go when it comes to that, and soon, he'll be officially complete without any other hiccups in his arrival. it's a shame he isn't aware of the date, this is surely an interesting birthday to wake up to. with it not on his mind, he attempts to bring back the conversation from its high once ranger is calm again. ]
And I'll remain qualified, hey, hey... Ranger? I will be playing with the participants.
[ playing with them would mean it's another fun game, but only for midori. it'll keep him interested while observing their growth, it's a plan that relies on working together properly with information. he continues, ]
I want to see where they've grown if I act as if I don't remember them.
[ he thinks softer, and that they may have become complacent due to the fact they accept ranger as one of their own despite there being more to it. it's a dangerous game, when the other states there's a misunderstanding; how unfortunate, placing ranger in a narrative where it suits them. so will they do the same to him? ]
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i hope i'm not jinxing anything with this, i don't want to feel shame about this tag later
Midori needs to know none of that, and so he lets the misunderstanding stand, along with the remark about him being cute. It's considerably harder to ignore the second question, and he looks away for a few seconds, embarrassed by how many people have pressed him on the issue lately. Maybe it's a normal thing to ask on this day, which is dedicated to shy teenagers confessing to one another. Ranger isn't a teenager, but he's never been able to express himself well, and it was an experience worth having at least once. Though maybe he had put too much effort into it. Talking to the shopkeep, getting and learning this and that...
He had given it to him, and then...
...
... ]
... Don't ask weird questions.
[ He takes a little long to offer that mumbled answer, which isn't quite a denial. His cheeks are tinted pin, and he makes a point of quickly moving onto the next question, ]
There's a few of them here, they've just kinda shown up over time.
NOT SHAME STOPPPP tell him an interesting participant and he will back off!!
[ a bit if baiting in his attempt to get ranger to react, as long as midori feels confident of the information, then ranger will correct him. logical choice would be to do so, and if not, then midori will continue living his life with that narration in his mind.
he looks up to ranger in pure interest, waiting for him to confess what it is or who it is, because someone like him loves the concept of love, it's beautiful, interesting, it makes people act all sorts of ways because either they can't control it, or it eats away at them. now ranger isn't maple, down to the core of him, love isn't the core of his code, because now he's a true human, and all should be in balance.
if not, ranger can spare himself the embarrassment by changing the subject, talk about the candidates, and depending on who he mentions then his interest will shift. he's always so thoughtful of others, especially his old toys— how are they doing nowadays? ]
What's weird? Is love weird... ahhaha... hahaha... don't be silly.
[ just a little accusation that holds no weight, but it can be filled to the brim depending on how ranger decides to respond.
fill his cup!
sweet, sticky, and light burn his lips as he drinks it all up. ]
STOP NONE OF THEM ARE INTERESTING, SARA'S BORING NOW
he walks out the front door of the school. It's chilly out, and the snow crunches beneath his boots as he walks along. He supposes Midori's body will be half-frozen once it's pulled out of the pool. ]
... There is.
[ He turns his head briefly, frowning, visibly uncomfortable with the idea of feeling such a strong emotion. It's not something that he's meant to give, much less to receive, and so speaking those words aloud is dangerous. He hasn't done so yet, but then Ranger communicates with actions more than words, and so he had placed every last thought and feeling in a cute little box before and given them to that person. ]
Nagito Komaeda. He's off limits.
[ He pauses there, waiting to see how his coworker will take that. He can press for details if he'd like, but he supposes negotiations might be better once he has more information. Ranger will be fair when dealing with him. ]
HOW DO YOU KNOW IF SHES BORING!!! SHE MIGHT BE A MOTIVATOR
but this person isn't an ai, far from it, because ranger is acting far too human to make this seem normal for him. if it was two ais, it'd be a learning experience, or there would be no need to be flustered, or uncomfortable since technology works so well together.
it's different when ranger make it known, and midori tries to skip a few steps ahead to understand. ]
Oh, oh! Think I'd steal him from you...♡
[ he leaves that playful threat up in the air, and if he feels ranger's arms shift. ]
But I jest! I jest!
[ ranger can trust him, maybe, but that's in no way to get information. with the name in his thoughts, he'll keep an eye out for that person, but he doesn't have the full picture of why just that one. ]
He must be fun to play with if you chose him... why can't I play with him too?
SHE AIN'T EVEN KILLED NOBODY YET THAT'S BORING!!!
Ranger adjusts his grip, and the look he offers suggests that he does think that Midori would do just that. He would, of course, find it to be a wonderful case study. ]
He's my partner, and we work well together. I don't want your dirty fingerprints all over him.
[ The next bit is offered with a note of caution, ]
We're close, so I look out for him... Of course, I'm going to look out for you too. I'm not unreliable like Namida, you know? I don't move pieces around on my colleague's gameboard.
[ Unreliable being a kind of way of putting it. Ranger's fate was of his own accord, but interfering with the fourth and fifth floors had been out of line. She both betrayed and disrespected both her fellow Floormasters and the Death Game, and that makes him bristle.
He'll take badly to it, they need to work together, but the truly important part is... ]
... Anyway, we both get more out of it if you're not wasting time like that.
YALL BEEN HERE FOR A YEARRRR
[ it sounds like a joke with the way he says it, so blindly carefree, but there's nothing false about his actions when it comes to himself. having burned off every fingerprint, that identifiable part of midori is long gone. there's no need to keep them when he has so much to do, and if he leaves his marks visibly on someone, then he's failed his goal. everything is mental, learning about someone's fears and what makes them happy isn't tangible, and that's what makes breaking them interesting without the claim to back it up, they have nothing on them to prove it true.
as for ranger turning cute for a random guy, it works in favor, love is just so interesting. it truly is a barrier for survival sometimes, and the ai proves it true as he shuffles for a type of deal.
due to his situation, it'd be wise to do so, and while he does have the time and patience to play with new toys; there's better advantages offered. ]
...
[ he remains silent, thinking the offer over. ranger has been here longer, he's an important asset that midori could speak to without making any regrets, as long as his plans are four steps ahead, then he's safe. ]
I won't come into contact with your partner for your cooperation. That "Nagito Komaeda" can become smoke that slips through my fingertips, so no prints will be found!
[ one person compared to the many others out there can work wonders to establishing moral. it's not asunaro, and with it not being that, there's more freedom. ranger still has a knife when it's convenient, that hold has never let go, and even now old habits die hard.
he weighs his options.
there's no choice in the matter, someone who can respect the playing field is rarer than someone who moves everywhere, purposefully smacking the chess pieces before going back to their precious game. it allows for a brief purse of his lips, ]
What are the threats and dangers here?
[ to finalize his decision, but it's not like he needs ranger to protect him, but more work would get done if they acted together accordingly. ]
STOOOPPPP IT'S NOT MY FAULT NONE OF THEM MURDER
Nagito Komaeda could be cured by his hands alone, taken under the knife and cut and rearranged into a different person. It could be done out of professional pride and curiosity, or it could be a gift of salvation forced upon recipient who sees being fixed as ruination.
There are more frightening things than fingerprints that can be left behind.
But their agreement is made, and the next few breaths come out easier than the previous ones. He's taken care of what's his, and the rest he can handle as it comes up. ]
Good. 'Course, you'll hear everything I do.
[ It's like a game of telephone, wherein his two closest allies will both be kept equally in the loop. ]
Hm... There's some odds and ends, but let's start with the important one. The people here are a mix of idiots, violent idiots, and then a couple who are worth watching out for. The dumb bastards don't do much other than gossip and kill each other.
[ Her reaches a hand up to brush some of the hair out of Midori's face. It's starting to fall in front of his eyes. He'll give the option for him to hear about those now, or he can move onto his original point of conversation. ]
Then there's our participants.
PLEASE WHY ARENT SHE MURDERING IM SO UNHAPPY
midori is ever so good at that, which it's reasonable enough for him to think that ranger's crush is susceptible to him, and his advances. if he lacks a strong will, and doesn't know how to properly think which needs guidance— that's not ranger's wannabe boyfriend, that is certainly midori's new play toy. his hands calloused enough, but gentle to ensure any person that he can take hold, and everything will be taken care of.
if that nagito komaeda could protect himself, then there would be no need to strike a deal. he finds that this one must be interesting when ranger, would of course, know his types, but there's a disadvantage if he allows this chance to adjust and learn to slip away from him. ]
It sounds like they have no direction, I'm surprised you've managed! Your love interest must be to thank for that...
[ with constant stupidity and idiocy all around, but since this is about those idiots, he can't ask what category ranger falls into— killer or gossiper.
he doesn't have to, but his eye closes as ranger sweeps a few locks from in front of his eyes. his touch has gotten gentler, and that must come from his time here. ]
Tell me, tell me! I'm exchange, I'll tell you something just as fun.
[ the former or the latter, he's pretty open to both topics. it'll offer the same chance to hear what he's thinking. ]
WE GOTTA DANGANRONPA IT AND FIND A MOTIVE FOR HER
There's a slight frown as he considers that. His partner should have been the one to keep his knife from dulling. Hadn't he chosen him for that purpose? ]
You're right. They're just stumbling around blind. He he's more useful than the rest of 'em. There's things that I wouldn't have learned without him... Ahaha, so you see why I can't give him up, right?
[ That's the benefit of having another person. Ranger is too logical, too focused on living, to act in the ways that Komaeda thinks to. It's a different form of problem solving. That small frown returns as he finishes, deciding to move away from the subject now, ]
For the rest of 'em, I'll just hit the major ones. Dito's dead weight, Rokuro's a dumbass who wants to get everyone killed, Bonnie's for hire, Rika and Childe are worth keeping an eye on, and Hajime's one to avoid. I wouldn't let that one breathe in my direction. I'd be careful with that one.
[ It's a short list, moving up as he considers how much of a threat each one is. He hasn't personally dealt with Dito, but word spreads fast. Rokkun has a target painted on him now, and Bonnie is only as dangerous as you make her. Rika is playing games that she can't win, but Childe has more potential for his void experiments. There's a ruthless efficiency to that, and it's one that he respects. As for Hinata, well, something had occurred when he'd blinked. He now has the familiar scent of a person who's too sharp, too confident, and with too sudden of a change to be seen as anything other than a threat.
Hm, maybe this makes him a gossip? This is the most he's bothered talking about other people, not caring enough to, but he'd be remiss not to at least cover the major beats for a person who thoroughly depends on what he knows of others. ]
NOT FIND A MOTIVE UR RIGHT we gotta give her a cool one so komaeda likes it
for the artificial intelligence that hated his participants, the fix in his code has made him more kinder, gentler. would that call it a weakness if it's love, emotions, and matters that come from the heart? no, midori loves love, to the one's learning to the other's who want to share it with the people around them. it's because he loves it that his blade sharpens his scalpel. the ones that he work on, those humans, it's all because of love, and so his knife never wears down.
these are tools that ranger has never held before, and so not knowing how, it will dull quicker, lose its edge. ]
How mean...! Keeping the best to yourself!!
[ midori wouldn't know, he believes it's personal preference with ranger, because safalin was good for certain things, but he wouldn't call her the ideal partner. even thinking about it makes his lips purse into a straight line. how troublesome, but it's after a few seconds of gathering his thoughts he leaves that topic to his help and warnings—
he trusts ranger's judgement, his impressions are straightforward and not shrouded in favortism, nor or the being shielded. it's a bag of trail mix offered, some sweet, and some will annoyingly try to stick between his teeth, but he manages to avoid that problem every time. one raisin might be harder than another, but he'll enjoy the bag save for a few that he leaves at the bottom of the bag.
the ones that stand out are obvious, and the comment about his life threatened makes him silent. someone with that sort of mind should be dealt with, but he knows ranger's penchant of survival as well so maybe there's a reason. ]
Are the participants doing any better than the idiots, interesting, and deplorable?
[ inaba, rika, and childe are notable mentions. now for who's here that they know... if ranger has no complaints, they must have lived life like a self-sustaining ecosystem, aside from the killing and everything else.
... ]
give her a hopeful motive, he'll be so proud of his daughter
But he won't die. Maybe he wold kill both of them, as he would lose his partner either way. ]
... I'll add two more to the list first. Add. He's interested in robots. Worthwhile projects.
[ There's a brief look that says I know. Neither of them could be described as robots, as ASUNARO's goals weren't so inelegant as to be satisfied with steel filled with mundane code, but it means an easy in with someone who adept in their field. The second name takes longer to come, and there's a solid few seconds in which the silence lingers in the air before he continues, ]
Satou Kuroneko. Magic mixed with physics. Cute kid.
[ There's another name that he should add to that list, but he keeps it to himself. He offers up those two though, because it's the logical decision. They're both useful, and Satou is someone who he would be quite fond of. It's not a replacement, but rather cutting the list short. ]
As for the participants, they're fumbling through it without us to guide them. There's a total of six of us, including you and I. In order of arrival it was: Sara, Shin, Ranger, Joe, Alice, Hiyori. I've been here for six months. The first two were here a couple months before me.
[ This is more routine, quick and to the point, as though he were simply giving a report. That's all it is, really, something factual and impersonal. It's what he's supposed to do. ]
What do you wanna know?
[ Who does he want to know about? ]
she should do a blood ritual and her evil sara demon compels her
And what of his work, you must've seen it for yourself to recommend him!
[ it's the differences that everyone has compared to inaba himeko that dealt with the innerworkings of ranger's code, and now there's someone who can handle the model, or creation of a robot, which midori doesn't throw away the idea. he simply inquires, ]
Has he done anything to your body, Ranger? There has to be someone managing over your routine maintenance, while you can do a scan... it's best to have someone competent to reevaluate over the data that comes back, physicals are needed!
[ while he's not a complete human, that doesn't mean his body should be ignored either. it's a very important part of him, and if that malfunctions, it can backfire on his code, which is easy to fix by reuploading him because he'll never die, but they need to avoid something so drastic at all costs.
from all that, ranger can get the idea that he's asking if add has been working on that part of him.
the next name registers, the cute part makes this worthwhile too. he thinks he'll have to see what's so cute about her, and if it's something that catches his eye, he'll see into it properly. ]
...
[ the list is exciting, there goes the wag of his rattail yet again while gauging which participant interests him most. there's this satisfying feeling at knowing they're all in purgatory, but there's a few important ones, they exist ones, and the way he ignores alice out the batch of them.
...
he doesn't want to comment or he'll become frustrated, and joe has no hold (aha!) on him, and so he can ignore that one too. ]
They've grown, haven't they?
[ which would be unfortunate, because not surprising where ranger has also grown. he's not in asunaro, so there's no need to immediately chase after them, but it's almost like a second chance, though his first chance should have went better than it did.
onto a better question: ]
Have they accepted you as one of their own?
quick let's get akki to teach us how to summon evil demon sara
If someone were to know the way his hardware functioned, then they would truly be able to do anything, and there's no shame in warping a doll. The idea is enough to make his stomach churn, and he understands the other half of the equation too. If somebody was working on him, then they could work on the body wandering about too. He takes in a deep breath before exhaling slowly. ]
Ahaha, are you that worried about me? Nope, I've been taking care of everything myself~ There's no one here that I'd trust with ASUANRO technology.
[ That seems the simplest way to say it. He doesn't trust anyone with his code. It had been a one time affair, and in which he could be assured that data wasn't kept. He certainly wouldn't repeat it with his body.
...
With Midori here, he'll have to be even more careful. ]
They have, but not enough.
[ It's a frank assessment. Their little spats, the pettiness, the inability to handle so many things - they've grown, but not nearly enough to be the unrecognizable figures that they'd wish to greet Midori as. No, they've all just gotten too complacent.
Ranger pushes the door to the pool room open. He chooses his words more carefully in answering the second question, ]
There seems to be a misunderstanding on their part.
[ ... ]
if komaeda get his soul and then give it to midori and ranger
[ ranger's code is midori's code, his model is one off, due to being someone created for a certain throne within the asunaro palace— though he never saw the light of day in that regard, that doesn't mean he's not a personal liability for him. his body threatens midori's body, and they are like dominoes that once one of them falls, the other isn't far behind. it's a dangerous game to be played for someone like them who want nothing more than to survive, and having various people out there act as their achilles' heel; there's nothing romantic at all.
becoming invulnerable until someone so chooses? there's no benefits from it. he can take the response that no one physically worked on him, but the framework of his code is a different story. the fiddling of his hold that portrays a telltale sigh of worry and being unsure doesn't give midori high hopes. ]
Your functionality hasn't been breached by curious hands then... perfect! I had alllllllllmost thought to remind you of what was in in the handbook: Section 45 Part 3-B, clause 876 at the very, very, very bottom that talks about what happens to your body if unable to operate due to handling by someone else.
[ down to the very segment of the page that he doesn't see the need to inform ranger on because he should know it already, every page, just like midori who before, skimmed over it, gave a smile and understood the assignment. ]
Oh, oh! In other words, they're still cute...
[ "cute", still rough around the edges, and with his hands all he has to do is polish them. out of the list, joe won't be so difficult, they've yet to properly meet. alice isn't at the forefront of his mind, oh how unpleasant it is to hear about him; so he ignores them for the rest. sara and shin, his two favorites, not only that death has landed them in the same box, but one interests him more than the other— the time here is truly shaken, given shin had died way before sara, but there's some excitement that's visible as the tip of his tail curls.
as they walk into the pool, ranger will spot there's water all over the floor, and some in the shape of a few footsteps, and blotches of puddles that means nothing. ]
Evaluate what's hard to understand, is it because you lack the eyes of a participant?
[ scooping them out, then replacing them would be ever so easy, but personal decisions don't stem from seeing what they see. ]
help not his soul
He doesn't trust any of them, not really. He stops near a puddle now, rolling Midori's head so he can grip it with both hands and lift it up above his head and - ]
See, this is why your body functions just fine without the head attached.
[ - he starts shaking it up and down in a rapid movement. It won't hurt him, his parts won't rattle around in his head and he won't suffer any dizziness like a human would, but it's no less anyone for him than anyone else. He emphasizes each word as he continues. ]
Because you don't use it anyway.
[ He stops, but that glare remains. He's never once put the rest of them at risk, and here has been no different. There's a reason for everything that he does. ]
It's an important part so we can control him
After I find my body, I'll check over you myself. It's really hard finding proper help.
[ that's how he feels about anyone touching asunaro code and body functions that he's wired himself into. longevity, life, and all things never-ending is why he traded himself for these parts so that he could live forever. ]
That's why you have meeee! ♡
[ he's the proper help, laughing while he accepts this as a roller coaster if anything. he waits for ranger to stop before continuing, clearing his throat as he scans the pool to see if there's anything his body may have left behind. ]
You can agree with that, can't you?
stop midori can control him the old fashioned way, that's so cute
He considers Midori's position. He would be working with the perfect program, one in which each string was carefully interwoven with the next. There should be no vulnerabilities, no exploits, save any that came with it being tampered with by outsiders. It would be safer, then, to maintain that than to risk vulnerabilities that if found could be used on him.
Midori plays the long game, and so he has other ways of causing any changes he wishes to see occur without any risk to himself.
Ranger nods. ]
Right. You and I are the only people here qualified to work with ASUNARO technology.
[ He looks behind him at the pool itself, and he briefly considers kicking his head into it. He decides against it, instead lowering his arms and holding Midori's head close once more. The body's not here, so it must have left. It would find a secure place to stay, which would rule out standing around in the snow half-frozen. ]
Where is it now?
NOT THE OLD FASHION WAY DO U MEAN, GROOMING?
The body is warm now, any special places with heat?
[ there should be some place that generate warmth, enough to dry off a body like his as it regulates a certain temperature to help. he trusts that ranger would know where to go when it comes to that, and soon, he'll be officially complete without any other hiccups in his arrival. it's a shame he isn't aware of the date, this is surely an interesting birthday to wake up to. with it not on his mind, he attempts to bring back the conversation from its high once ranger is calm again. ]
And I'll remain qualified, hey, hey... Ranger? I will be playing with the participants.
[ playing with them would mean it's another fun game, but only for midori. it'll keep him interested while observing their growth, it's a plan that relies on working together properly with information. he continues, ]
I want to see where they've grown if I act as if I don't remember them.
[ he thinks softer, and that they may have become complacent due to the fact they accept ranger as one of their own despite there being more to it. it's a dangerous game, when the other states there's a misunderstanding; how unfortunate, placing ranger in a narrative where it suits them. so will they do the same to him? ]