yogen | npc contact.4

npc contact.4

As the game progresses, different npc faculty and students will become available for threading. To request a thread, please comment below with the name of the npc and the ic date in the subject header. Threads may be cut short due to mod availability, so please have a reason in mind for the interaction.

AVAILABLE

These NPCs are freely available to thread with at any time.

Students

✽ Yumemi Minazuki: A student in class 1-D. An earnest and straightforward girl who falls in love easily. She seems to attract odd occurrences. Computer Science is one of her electies, and it seems that she was one of the students who was saved by transfer students' efforts after failing her final.

AVAILABLE BY REQUEST

These NPCs are available after contacting a mod for specific interactions. Interactions will be handwaved, but should be discussed on this page.

Faculty

✽ "Kazuki": The gardener is a spirit which appears in the courtyard during the night. He can not normally be seen, unless a character has the ability to see spirits, owns an adderstone through which they can see spirits, or visits the courtyard during nights of the full moon. Those who have spirit sight or see him during the full moon will see him in his human form; through an adderstone or within the "void" version of the school, the gardener appears in his true form as a man-eating monster. The gardener is blind, and only darkness can be seen in the eye holes of his mask. Rumor has it that the gardener has used to be employed as a teacher before becoming the gardener, and has been around almost as long as the counselor. He is patient and understanding, and is fond of the students.
✽ "Mizuki" Arata: The counselor is available during school hours, answering to a knock on the door with permission to enter. While the counselor typically sits on top of his desk, there are a variety of chairs in the office to choose from, and he will always offer to share his snack bowl. All supernatural powers are nullified within his office. Rumor has it that the counselor founded the school and is aware of everything that goes on in the school at any given moment. He can be difficult to talk with, but always seems to be having fun.

Other

✽ "God": "God" can be visited at the shrine accessed from within the forest, and will introduce themselves as Jizo, the deity who guides souls through the afterlife, particularly those of children and travelers. They take on the appearance of a middle school child, and although their power is limited, they may grant a wish for a price, and otherwise seems to enjoy company.

UNAVAILABLE

These NPCs are unavailable for threading, but interactions may be freely handwaved for faculty members and the cats.

Faculty

✽ Principal: There is currently no principal. The principal's office is unlocked, but until the sub-zero temperature condition in the room is dealt with, normal students will quickly freeze to death upon entering. Rumor has it that historically, the principal monitors the school but does not have active involvement.
✽ Vice principal: There is currently no vice principal. The vice principal has a desk in the faculty office with the rest of the staff, and takes on the responsibilities of the principal if the principal is unavailable. Rumor has it that the vice principal's job involves a LOT of paperwork.
✽ Teachers: Teachers hold office hours in the faculty office from 4 PM to 6 PM and supplemental lessons are handwaved. Students of any age can apply for a teaching position, provided competency.
✽ Librarian: The librarian is available during school hours, and can help locate or otherwise order new books on specific topics upon request. Requests for books on specific topics are handwaved, as long as the book is not canon specific. Library materials are not to be removed from the library.
✽ Janitor: The janitor cleans the school at the end of each school day, of everything from trash in the bins to bodies and blood following a murder. They are never seen, but most students assume they exist. The janitor's closet, located between the faculty office and the bathroom, can be freely accessed.

Students

✽ Keigo Arata: The previous shopkeep of the student store. Unlike most students, they committed suicide to purposely arrive at the school, under contract with a "god." Through the efforts and sacrifice of their friends, this contract has since been nullified and they were killed in hopes of becoming an official student in the future.

Other

✽ A fluffy white cat: Very friendly and will come running seemingly out of nowhere when food is being offered. She can otherwise be found seeking out warm sunny spots within the school, and enjoys being kissed and petted but not held. She is called by many many names, including Lily Mayhemnaise, Lucy, Lucifer, Whitey, Yuki, Cygnus, Sweetheart, and Emerald Moon, but does not actually respond to any of them.
✽ A skinny black cat: Wary and skittish, and will occasionally come eat the leftovers after the fluffy white cat has eaten her share. He can otherwise be found perched up on high places out of reach, but will run away if approached. He appears to be small and skinny enough to squeeze through gaps underneath doors and other places, and is occasionally seen in the counselor's office or rooftop. He is called by many many names, including Beverage, Belphegor, Blacky, Yoru, Robbie, Crux, Sweetheart, and Citrine Blizzard, but does not actually respond to any of them.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

That's right! Meat would do the trick, but... we don't have a third body with us.

( killing is so much easier especially when it's done for hope, and it always circles back to that even when alice probably doesn't want it to. luckily, his mind has all the answers because if they can't use someone as the bait, then they'll have to become the bait themselves. between alice and komaeda, only one of them has enough meat, and the other qualifies as the perfect toothpick.

alice may not have to offer himself to the giant centipede, but he may have to be the one who faces off against the dear. )

I could use the claw, maybe that would make things easier if you try and find one...

( but they need it alive to eat the seeds, and then it'll die as it's tipped into the pool. as they come closer to the forest in their stride, the ultimate spares a glance towards alice slightly curious. )

I think you really want to live... hm... so you don't have to see this through with me, you know! Would you like to turn back?

( like this the final boss of a video game... )

[ They have exactly one body to use as bait, Alice knows, and no amount of wishing otherwise would change what Komaeda has confirmed. The forest lies before them, full of lurking perils. Somewhere in these woods, their target may already have caught their scent on the breeze, pursuing it to hunt its breakfast.

Shaking his head again, as firmly as possible, Alice returns the glance. Whether he'd like to turn back or not, he won't do it! ]

Of course I want to live, but it's not as if I want you to die! Besides, if the deer only eats flesh, we need something appetizing to hold its attention... You don't look edible.

[ Now, while he wouldn't normally describe himself as appetizing and edible, he's attempting to consider it from a biblically accurate deer monster's perspective, and he'll admit that he would make for a more substantial meal than Komaeda would. Success hinges on their teamwork.

Past rows of trees near the edge of the forest, Alice begins to roll up the hem of his shirt, baring a little more skin — his neck and forearms are exposed as it is, but he imagines that it's not enough to stand around and wait. ]

You, deer! Are you approaching? Here I am...! Freshly served...?

( now do these biblically accurate deer know japanese is important because if they don't. then all alice is doing is making noise which also works. komaeda's aware that they eat things like rabbit, and even lay on dead carcasses to generate heat from the blood! nice little deer fact, huh? so he wonders if the yelling doesn't work, then maybe...

if they lay alice on the ground and cover him in blood, then they can sit and wait for the dear to get nice and comfy on him. once nice and comfy, then he could stab the deer... with something to invoke it's ungodly wrath, and find themselves chased down by the monstrosity in hopes that it's six legs aren't faster than their two.

he wonders if he should comment on this because alice has only heard of the deer, and never seen it... komaeda hasn't seen it either. )

I think you should bleat too... I'm not sure if they understand us...

( if they did, they could sneak themselves into mankind by wearing their skin or something. )

But maybe a doe... it could be mating season so they'll come quicker! What do you think...?

Bleat...? What, like a goat or a sheep?

[ Komaeda's suggestions silence the shouting for the moment. Giving them serious consideration, Alice turns to face the other man, not especially thrilled by the thought of playing an amorous doe, seducing potential suitors out there. The idea could be effective, carried out properly, but he can't possibly convince any bizarre deer to fall for it! ]

If I must, I shall imitate such animals, but I don't know what noises deer make... I also can't imagine that it would sound appealing! Perhaps you would do a better job? After all, your voice is more pleasant than mine.

[ He's not above acknowledging that! Komaeda's voice has a smoother quality to it, and he seems familiar with these deer and their vocalizations — and he has survival club experience. The problem then would be that it might strain his lungs, the way he keeps coughing...

Even so, covering himself back up, Alice looks at Komaeda expectantly. If he can make himself appear delicious — but safely out of reach — while Komaeda summons the deer with attractive doe sounds, maybe they could lead the creature to believe that a pool picnic date is in store at the end of its journey out of the forest! ]

( play the role of the lovestruck, but lonely doe searching for company may be a little much for a sickly person who could make the sound of a deer crying for help because it's gotten a hoof stuck between a bear trap. with a hand to his bottom lip, he contemplates the notion figuring that the worst case scenario would be there obtain no deer, and walk away with their heads hung low because they aren't appealing (physically, deliciously, or audibly).

for the compliment, komaeda shakes his head. )

Ah... You'll embarrass me, I have the voice of the common roach chewing on leftover trash by the side of the road! If anything, it'll beg for a wolf to come scour their hunting grounds for the fresh taste of blood on their tongue...

( he doesn't sound terrified in the slightest as he admits to that, walking forward into the forest a little more as eyes look up to the trees that hang high above them, and then an odd pair of stairs to the left that seem to have disappeared out the corner of alice's eyes. )

Mreeehhehehehhh! Mreeh!

( with hands cupped around his mouth, the sound echoes through the forest as the wind blows, ruffling leaves and bushes. blades of grass gently bending to the breeze before shakily shifting back up soon after. komaeda hums at this display as a hand rests upon his hip unsure, )

Hm... maybe something like... hooonk shoo! Hooooonk shoo!

( bush wiggles. )

[ Komaeda's metaphors are very descriptive, so vivid that Alice can practically see the roach and the trash, but that isn't a fitting comparison at all! Even though he recognizes it for the younger man's usual self-deprecation, and he knows that disagreeing won't change Komaeda's opinion, it makes him frown to hear it. As a former musician (of sorts), and a seasoned karaoke participant, he can be trusted to assess voices accurately! Truly!

That said, Komaeda is already busying himself with portraying the doe of every many-legged deer's dreams, giving it his all, so it wouldn't do to interrupt him. Alice may not know anything about doe noises, as he confessed, but Komaeda's rendition rings out to reach some deer ears, and it must be appealing, signaling the imaginary doe's yearning for companionship. Ignoring her would be as cruel as feeding her to the wolves! ]

Ohh...

[ The calls appear to be working! Any second now, something will surely emerge from that rustling bush. Whether it's a deer or another wolf, they're ready — the inexplicable stairs could provide an escape route, if they need to flee to safety immediately. These creatures can't climb stairs, can they? ]

Is that...?

[ Alice speaks in a whisper before cutting himself off so as not to alert any approaching deer to the presence of nothing but humans. Trepidation seizes him with a chill slithering down his spine, but after a moment, he steps in front of Komaeda, between him and the shifting foliage. ]

( as alice migrates to stand up front, the ultimate rests his hands on the male's shoulders to look over him. his eyes watch the bush shake fevently, all composure thrown out the window as his eyes widen at their wolf? doe? that hides betwixt the foliage, the constant shuddering makes it difficult to expose whether this is a friend or foe, and so komaeda takes a step forward to make alice move that way as well. )

Snoork mimimimi...?

( another little push forward so that they're practically standing in front of the bush, komaeda's head cants to the side as he notices something out the corner. there is a brown little rock he would have thought if it wasn't for another set, and another one side by side until a baby deer peeks out from the underbrush.

it makes that little mreeheheh sound a deer would make as it waddled over to alice, bumping its body into one of his legs (since komaeda is pressed up from hide, it's easy to mistake that alice has four whole legs!). the baby deer lays against alice, making those cry sounds, just like it's found its lost parent.

...

well, that works. )

[ The longer nothing leaps out at them, the more the suspense has Alice on edge, but he's resolved to venture forth without allowing any more harm to befall Komaeda, so he lets himself be steered closer and closer to the bush. Komaeda's doe snorting (snoring?) may be pacifying whatever beast remains hidden among the leaves!

Or, as it turns out, the sounds have evidently beckoned a lost deer child over to them. Its small body isn't intimidating, though they can't forget that it's a mutant creature that would gladly eat them — if not for the excessive number of eyes and legs, it would almost be cute. Its cries and mannerisms tug at one's heartstrings.

This really isn't fair, and Alice stands frozen, afraid of what might happen if he were to recoil at the contact. Somehow it seemed acceptable to feed a grown, vicious deer to the pool monster, but this... ]

Why...?! Er... I know you don't understand us, but you should go home to your parents. I'm not holding your mother captive, even if you believed that a real doe was calling out!

[ It's futile. The baby deer continues to nudge Alice's leg with its head, and so he tries again: ]

Mreeh... Heh?

( the baby deer nibbles at alice's pants showing signs that it's hungry, but it cries at the same time wanting him to feed it. it's pleading, bleating, and other little baby noises that can come from it when in this position. with it's forehead, it gives a light headbutt with three eyes closed, and other eyes open as they stare at the other as if baby-doll eyes will reward it dinner from its mother!

this is not a grown deer, it's a child, and has chosen alice as the important person while komaeda keeps his mouth shut so that he doesn't mess with the other's conversation with the baby beast.

mreeeeh!

another cry, and it sits on its back legs and rear end, and the little deer tail wiggles out from behind. )

...Huh, do you think we should have just killed someone from school?

( from how alice is acting, it's easy for komaeda to tell that this is not what they were looking for, or that his companion will feel guilty if he sacrifices a baby deer to a grown worm monster. they have to do something though, and this is a decision that he leaves to alice as komaeda looks at him with wide eyes. )

I... Of course not!

[ Unfortunately, speaking the baby deer's language isn't doing anything to chase it off. Trapped by its stare and Komaeda's, Alice is completely at a loss. Yes, the little creature is a demonic, carnivorous cross between a deer and an insect, and no doubt its thoughts are filled with fantasies of munching on fresh meat, but it's still an innocent child. It probably thinks it's the cutest mutant deer in the forest, gazing up at them so hopefully! Flicking its tail like that... As if the noises and the nudging weren't enough!

If they kill it, the memory would haunt him. ]

No...! No more "mreeeeh"! I'm telling you to go home...! We didn't come here to be eaten, and there must be other food for you in this forest!

[ But if they don't have anything to offer the pool monster, they're back to where they started, and Komaeda had his initial plans... Fingers curling into his shirt, Alice throws a desperate look around, not that another idea materializes among the trees. ]

I don't want to die... [ He repeats it, eyes lowered. ] But I remember what it was like to live as a murderer...

[ Looking up then, Alice holds out his left arm. Hesitating feels like an eternity of warring with himself. ]

...If you cut this off, isn't that close enough to a living body?

( he's said that before. alice keeps repeating that he doesn't want to die despite already being dead, he must cherish his life whereas komaeda throws his away willingly. everyone's different because there's people who have something to live for, places they wish to see, and creative ideas in hopes that they come to life. he doubts its as simple as that for alice, and boils down to he's living and breathing here, and he wants to live because that life belongs to him.

komaeda's eyes lower to the deer that winks at them about four times, and the other set remains open pondering when their new parent will feed them.

mreeeeh!

the deer doesn't speak human, or it's too young to understand the deceased. the older deers might have understood, but ignored them with a flap of the ears by charging at the duo; yet, that's not the case here. alice's words cut through, pulling komaeda from his thoughts as dull green look at the left arm proffered, and he stares.

it was like that wasn't it? he gave himself away at that moment while down on his knees, and blood seeped into his jeans underneath. the smell was strong, but his desire and ambitions stronger as he couldn't remove his eyes from the deceased ultimate before him. ultimate hope had killed junko enoshima, and her body was left for komaeda to find (though many people probably wish he hadn't). desperation to help, the need to become hope himself and control despair before it could sink completely into the earth— he had taken it upon himself to use a chainsaw that he brought with him, and as long as he could keep himself conscious then cutting an arm from a dead body, and his own left arm after was easier.

all the blood, the extreme thoughts that filled his head that it was right, that he could control his greatest enemy...

he reaches out to grab alice's wrist with his own left, prosthetic fingers curling, and his grip tightens. )

Why...

( things like i don't want to die doesn't cut it for a man who removed his own arm for the sake of every person, for just the chance to bring hope in a way even though as delusional as it was. he stares alice down, looking into his own eyes trying to find an answer that isn't selfish.

...

komaeda's decided already that his arm won't be worth it. he's already told alice before that komaeda wasn't going to use him. )

[ Why? Flinching at the grip, Alice looks down at Komaeda's prosthetic hand wrapped around his wrist, his arm still attached where it belongs. He doesn't particularly want to lose any limbs, but with every other path closed off, he can't think of another suggestion, though Komaeda refused to sacrifice him earlier, too. Perhaps it's hypocritical — if he won't stand for Komaeda throwing himself into the pool, it must seem perplexing to volunteer in anyone's stead, whether it's all of him or only an arm, contradicting any reasonable self-preservation.

(The baby deer won't cease its plaintive begging; its insistent cries are impossible to tune out.)

Was Komaeda hoping to count on him as someone who once served time for murder? Even if it wasn't premeditated, or even truly killing a person, he did cause someone to fall to what would have been the victim's death, if that had been an ordinary human. With his memories restored, and so much more learned, he shared his changed views on the matter with Komaeda.

Yet even then, he's coming to realize more and more that it could never be that simple, nothing like defeating a villain neatly. This is the same — it's more complicated than the imagined compromise of finding a suitable meat substitute. No matter how good their intentions are, and how many people would benefit, the majority would definitely forgo clean water, if the means to achieve that involved human sacrifice or animal cruelty! ]

I... can't think of anything that wouldn't upset others. It may be possible to overcome bad situations, and even to look at them in a positive way, but you mentioned it yourself... that people are usually afraid of killing and against murder. If a random student becomes a victim, that would affect anyone who knows them, and anyone who knows the culprit. Even this weird deer simply wishes to live its life with its family...

[ Reaching up with his other hand, Alice rubs the back of it against his forehead. His eyes sting with sudden tears, and there's the added discomfort of sweat trickling into them. Vaguely, he thinks of memories that never took place, long fingers guiding the way across piano keys, and the reassurances in promises. ]

And if anything else happens to you, I know that the people who wouldn't accept that at all would outnumber anyone who approves of it!

Sometimes you have to upset others for progress, no one is happy all the time.

( there has to be a small rift in their daily lives, something different that makes them realize that they should have done something. it gives them a nice boon to look forward to in the future, a place with clean water where they no longer have to boil it in fear of blood remnants left over. they can shower in the dormitory without a pink tinge hitting against their back as their eyes close, accepting the disgusting feeling of the deceased and their sins rolling down their body. clean water is important to simple humans, it's something that shouldn't be taken for granted. )

Some are afraid of killing, but that's why... someone has to do it. It's nice as long as it isn't them, right?

( the deer calls out again, bumping an antler against alice's leg, and then laying on its side to roll over with four legs and then stands up on six in hopes a trick will get it fed. the deerling walks over to komaeda, biting at his pant's leg with a tug, before walking over to alice to do the same— it's tugging north of where they stand.

mreeeeh. )

...You know, that's why I'm willing to do whatever it takes to see the hope you all have to offer, even if my hands have to turn the color red. If you didn't want to, I won't force you, but I don't mind finding someone for us!

( alice is here to handle the bulk of the weight, and komaeda is just the brains of the operation. it's difficult to ignore the tears that bead up in the corner of alice's eyes, he's overwhelmed. it must be terrifying to be in the position of something or someone has to die, of they'll fail the mission that they're on.

he sighs. )

I won't put myself at risk here, but I won't let you do the same either. Don't give part of yourself away for this, you have more important things to do with both those arms... people to protect and others to reach out to... don't give that up. You know, the warmth of others is a luxury to behold.

( hold. that's true, but the deer tugs alice's pant's leg again. noticing this, komaeda's eyes look down at the deer before lifting his prosthetic to wipe alice's face of tears because he's still emotional through and through, just like in those memories. )

I'm not going to give up though, so we should keep moving... What do you think?

[ The tears start to well up in earnest, spilling over onto Komaeda's fingers as Alice blinks, brow furrowing. There must be another way, he wants to argue. There has to be a method that won't stain their hands and their souls forever. His time behind bars was something that he'd learned to accept, so he'd believed, and he could claim that nothing could hurt him now, that he'd come out of the experience like galvanized steel — stronger than before, hope found after despair — but he wouldn't wish any of it on Komaeda. How can he support ideas that would earn them nothing but people's loathing?

That's the frightening part — the disappointment of everyone who would turn away, feeling shocked and betrayed, just as his family did back then. Komaeda already seems too quick to treat himself as expendable, and he likely doesn't include himself in the category of people for Alice to protect, but if he values the warmth of others, unable to warm up, wouldn't he miss them? Hasn't his life been lonely enough, growing up alone? ]

...I don't intend to give up, either. Or do anything foolish...

[ He's determined to come up with more suggestions! And the baby deer is clearly expressing the same sentiment of refusing to yield with every mreeeeh and every tug, trying all these tactics in a bid for attention. It's distracting; it doesn't feel good to let that go on and on without any acknowledgement.

Huffing out a sigh in turn, Alice concentrates on the animal's movements instead of his fears, composing himself. ]

It seems the deer wants us to follow it, which could be a trap... Since we don't have anything to feed it, perhaps it's decided to take us to its home, where it can eat us with its parents...!

[ Or it isn't that bloodthirsty a beast yet, merely intent on showing them something? Alice turns his head, looking northward. ]

Well... We won't know unless we head into that direction.

If you mean it.

( that's what he hates most knowing that people can give up, that being faced with something unethical causes them to step back. it's why he takes it upon himself, and also why he managed to cause the first murder on his arrival here— it was that willingness to help and also partly love. he's covered his hand in red before, using the color to paint the world in hope because no one else opens their eyes unless that bright red shade is visible. that's when they know, they wonder, and they act in order to avoid being next.

not out of fear, but out of preventing the next murder, and the next, and so on and so forth. that's what hope is meant to bring. his hands could kill alice, this is something komaeda's aware of. it's easy to slip his hands around the other's throat, or stab him to death in a place like this so no one will know. he could exclaim that he's following up on alice's wishes of being a tribute towards better health and happiness, that throwing his body into the water fed with seeds that slither under his skin, and blossom from out his throat as lobelia sits on his tongue was a choice that he made for their hopes. there's nothing stopping him but one thing: hope.

alice's hope should be used for another scenario more meaningful— as this is a quality of life, but nothing drastically life changing. having been behind bars for a few years, he would need to match that feeling with an action hopeful that made his time there worth it. being fed to the maws of a worm creature doesn't have the same value as life behind bars, family stripped away, and living prosecuted by lies that weren't on him.

komaeda takes his hands back as he turns towards the deer that calls for them, and his arms drop down by his side. )

Don't say things like you're afraid of death, and that you don't want to die. Throwing yourself away without the desire to is foolish within itself, and your sacrifice will be meaningless.

( for those who die as a choice, because they steel their resolve to do so— he doesn't think alice is ready for that commitment. he's someone who wants to keep living, to stay with the people he's met, and return to what family that he has. dying so early will cause him to lose his chance from seeing reko again, and so komaeda denies his attempt at dying for the sake of pure drinking water. he lifts one hand, covering his mouth as he coughs into his palm, but there's no blood visible which is good. yet the strong taste of blood settles in his throat. )

I'll follow behind you. ( he stands behind alice remaining there as the deer tries to tug at the other's pant's leg again, it does seem to want to go northward. ) Hm...

( it's disappeared into a bush, but he mreeehs on the other side waiting for them to come along. )

I mean it, I tell you!!

[ More urgent bleating from the baby deer, but Alice's eyes rest on Komaeda again for a moment longer, checking for any signs that he's coughing up blood after the exertion of imitating a doe — and in contemplation. It's a fair point: someone repeatedly stating how reluctant he is to die while volunteering as a sacrifice anyway doesn't sound dependable. No, he sounds backed into a corner, clutching at brittle straws to hope for some miracle to save everyone.

But then, questions to determine who should live and who should die are never a straightforward topic for discussion, in Alice's admittedly limited experience. His thoughts wander to Sara Chidouin, and to the weight of Kanna Kizuchi's death. His own vote wasn't a declaration that Shin Tsukimi's death would be nothing to regret at all...

Here, if he places himself and Komaeda and innocent individuals on a horrid scale, Komaeda's death would have the biggest impact on other people that he could name, guaranteeing loss felt heavily all over again, but anyone who has formed attachments wouldn't die unnoticed. Ultimately, Alice supposes that what frightens him more than dying is the thought of those weeks after the Add incident.

With a nod, he finally leads the way past the bush, close behind the deer in a few steps. It really would be kind of cute if it weren't a monster that they can't safely befriend... ]

We're coming, see? Where are you taking us?

( the deer plays as their guide bringing them along within the forest, and to what location? they don't know. komaeda has found himself fallen quiet from the past conversation, his own interests not the same as the one alice unfortunately brings up from time to time. he thinks this time that he's finally gotten it through alice's brain that his soul and body won't be used for this means, and that he has an even greater purpose. everyone does in the name of hope, its only when that purpose will show itself. alice has a use, brighter, luxurious almost where his life will cause the masses to cry, and the youth to praise him. the water here is better for some no name so that they can actually be spoken about, noticed and realized.

komaeda sighs at the deer stopping on its six legs, scrambling to not fall over as it passes through bushes, and the two humans pass through hanging limbs from the trees. getting leaves in their hair is unavoidable, and even the bird nest that appears on top of alice's head as they move through all the thick foliage tells them that they're close to something if there's animals around here (a guess with the two bird eggs in said nest). the parents will come home to a missing family, but it's that easy... animals mourn for a moment, and for awhile, but with hope the bird's eggs will have been sustenance to keep an unfortunate human alive

with the human alive, the future will offer a reward to the parents: survival, a sack of birdseed, or even triple the eggs for their family. there's so many scenarios he can come to, the ideas are endless, but as they keep moving there's a strong smell that'll tickle under their nose, sickening enough to make their face twist and their nose turn up.

a mix of blood and bile along with a pungent smell of rotting flesh that attacks their senses— the leaves in these bushes are a bright red, and then a darker shade almost black like blood has been piled on top and over splotches already.

komaeda's eyes glance over to alice before paying mind to the deer that chews on a blood covered leaves for sustenance before taking another step into it now, possibly appearing on the other side of the bush-like wall. )

Hm... how daring. Do you want to take this gamble?

( yes? no? )

[ Leaves caught in one's hair are easily removed, and a bird nest can be placed aside atop a new branch, eggs still intact, but this putrid stench in the air... Alice covers his nose and mouth with his sleeve, grimacing. It's awful; if he speaks, he can taste the smell. How will they breathe?! Once more, it's a good thing that they haven't had time for breakfast, though even his empty stomach objects, lurching, and he swallows against the urge to retch.

It's as bad as standing by the mud pool!

Of course the baby deer happily chomps through those disgusting-looking leaves, a snack acquired at last... It's another reminder that nothing here is normal. Whatever lies on the other side of these bushes won't be a sudden change from that to ordinary, reassuring scenery. The air won't smell fresh.

To answer Komaeda's question, Alice is forced to lower his arm from his face, but he tries to hold his breath, his voice strained. ]

We're here, so...

[ The sentence ends in a groan; Alice hurriedly buries his nose in the fabric of his sleeve again. But they shouldn't turn back now, right? All that's left is to investigate the other side of this foliage wall, or they won't know why they were brought here.

As before, Alice steps forward, pushing branches out of the way to squeeze through a gap among the bushes. ]

( ah.

alice's first step will be met with a squelch, and a warm liquid encasing his shoe (dear god, tell me he's wearing shoes) where the smell of blood has grown stronger in the air. it's past these bushes that everything green on the opposite side is red. the bushes, the tree leaves, and even the ground— it's like the specific area feeds on blood, swallowing any sustenance that it can gain to thrive properly.

that isn't the case though, this place is nothing that mystical actually. it's just the broken pieces of human bodies scattered here and there, as if something burst out their chest cavity making blood fly and cover everything that's the color green. alice's foot is now stepping into the chest of an unknown victim as the deer turns around, scuttling over to take a bite out of the flesh around the ribcage.

this one seems fresh.

by another tree is a student with a familiar uniform, who must be from yogen high as well. it's not hard to make out who they are given their chest hasn't erupted, but there seems to be something moving around in their stomach as it bulges then flattens back normally.

komaeda coughs, soon spitting put blood from his mouth onto the ground which doesn't make a difference. the smell here is sickening, and it'll stick to their clothes and body unless they acquire a bath sooner than later. scanning the area makes this place seem like a paradise for the deer, but for humans like them, they'll probably be next if they don't hurry.

on one hand, perhaps this was its way to offer them a dead body without killing for one, and on the other hand... the baby deer doesn't seem like it wants them to leave at all. )

...Ah...

[ It's no more than a strangled gasp, muffled behind Alice's sleeve. He stares and stares at the nightmarish scene beyond the bushes, but it doesn't quite register any longer. His foot sinks downward, momentarily lodged in the corpse beneath the sole of his shoe. Warmth seeps into it, soaked up by his sock, before it comes free with another wet noise, leaving the body's chest half-crushed. Stained bone protrudes from torn cloth. The baby deer must be pleased, merrily chewing away on exposed flesh.

It's warm — so this person died recently? It should be enough. That's as much as Alice wants to think. Any more, and he'll absolutely be sick, or they won't make it back to the school.

He watches the deer for a while, too long for his liking once he shakes himself out of his daze, and then, slowly, he stoops down to seize the corpse at his feet. It might have been easier if he could temporarily stop breathing; there's no way to keep his nose covered like this, and the stench of death is overwhelming. ]

We accompanied you here... and you have plenty of snacks... We're seeking one ourselves, so we'll take it with us. Farewell!

[ They've accomplished part of their mission, haven't they? He never wants to set foot in this place again! ]

( komaeda's thoughts on the matter? he isn't sure that stealing someone's meal is a hopeful action, ut almost feels like they're so pathetic that they can't do it themselves. alice is trying though, so komaeda won't turn away from him and think negative of his actions. it was already a lot to get him here.

the deer whines at alice taking its food, but then it looks at how malnourished they are... (god, they're lacking extra limbs and eyes!) and so the deer decides to turn away from them, allowing their catch to depart. )

Ah, yes! We did it, so we can use this, you think?

( is it compatible with the flower seeds, they'll have to check, but there is some regret by not feeding rokkun the seeds through tea to watch the vines shoot through his corpse. that would have been a nice meal, and rokkun's death could have been a positive stepping stone where he rebuilds the school rather than destroy it.

komaeda takes a few steps away from alice due to not wanting to smell a rotting corpse, or well, a fresh one that lacks a face. they'll never know who they're carrying away. )

Who has disappeared recently? Do you think that's them...?

( just a bit of idle chit chat, but the baby deer doesn't seem to mind. the big antlers on one side of the red leaves that suggest a bigger deer is there probably does.

they should leave... quietly! )

[ It doesn't feel like they've really taken a step in the right direction, not when Alice glances down at the disfigured body in his arms. It feels like a desperate act, and he can't promise that the flower seeds will sprout in dead flesh — but the blood is fresh, right? It's glistening all down the corpse's torso. Its warmth hasn't faded yet. If they hurry, surely it's enough.

The dead student's features are unrecognizable, nothing left to identify their face. Perhaps there's a PDA in a pocket to inspect for someone's closure, but not out here, too close to the deer's domain — with a menacing set of antlers coming into view, at that.

This is no one they know, Alice tells himself, though it could be someone they've seen around school in passing. He wonders whether other recent disappearances have prompted Komaeda's question, making it comforting, in a way, to note that the corpse's hair isn't especially distinctive. ]

...It can't be anyone we've met. Let's return to the pool...

[ Pressing the words out between shallow breaths, Alice searches for the opening in the bushes again, more than ready to get far away from here. ]

( it must be nice to say something like that, the more you don't know about a person, the better. that way he can toss the body into the pool without looking back, and that must remove any weight of guilt that he might have. )

If you say so... ah, you know it's fine, right? It's not as if they died because of you.

( even if it was someone they knew, they didn't have to be saddened by it at all. those mistakes are just a stepping stone that they can utilize for something better, just like what they're doing now to purify the water.

without stirring whatever beast hides behind the bushes, they can slowly sneak out of the domain back to where they were before where the grass is green, and the leaves go between yellow and lime as well. this is what's normal to them, and the only thing that isn't for alice probably might be the body in his grasp (this is normal for komaeda).

pulling out a bag of seeds, he opens the pouch to look at them wondering if a dead body will work. it should considering asunaro works too hard to have half-assed efforts so why wouldn't it, but it is a shame that they can't watch someone be come the fertilizer for it in real time with a voice to tell them how they feel.

how can they praise an no-named hero? )

It'll be alright.

[ They may not be able to breathe easier yet, not while there's a cooling corpse to carry around without anyone noticing what they're doing, but some of the suffocating unease should lift once they aren't near that blood-soaked part of the forest anymore, the baby deer and its bigger relatives far behind them. Alice has been resolutely staring ahead, unwilling to keep looking at the dead student in his hold, or even to think about anything aside from placing one foot in front of the other, but he casts Komaeda a surprised look for his remarks. Is it fine, truly? Will it be alright? It's not his fault that people wandered out into the forest, losing their lives there — and yet, it feels wrong to have spoken of it so brusquely.

He can't help but dwell on certain disappearances in particular, fearing that they must be distressing for Komaeda, too, even if he hasn't said so. After all, Komaeda is as good as an older brother to Chiaki Nanami, protective of her, which undoubtedly applies to both sisters.

This isn't Chiaki Nanami, but what became of her? Alice's gaze drifts lower, landing on the pouch filled with those seeds again. ]

...We can check for a PDA, can't we? Before we... summon the pool creature, I mean.

[ Then this student's identity won't remain unknown. Anyone searching for them, as he and Shin Tsukimi searched for Helena not long ago, would have an answer, painful as it is.

Little by little, past the darker sections of forest full of foliage to get caught in their hair all over again, patches of sky and streaks of sunlight peek through branches overhead once more. Instinctively, Alice's steps quicken. ]

Not knowing who they are might be better for your consciousness, that way you won't dream about them.

( and suffer wondering if he did the right thing because who is to know if anyone is truly dead nowadays, but from the gruesome appearance they should be. there's no coming back from that state, and komaeda will make sure of it as he pulls out the bag with a familiar logo. asunaro's experiments are highly praised, and having a flower that can bloom from the body of a human being is something to be in awe about. though if used incorrectly, it can be a terrifying addition to the school. he thinks that maybe it's better they won't know the name of the person because komaeda will make it known that the join decision of feeding a plant inside of them and making the deceased bait be told when they return.

as they move further within the forest, it doesn't take long to see familiar pastures, and the school in the distance as they come closer and closer. they're out of the thick depths of the forest and now back home, or could they call it anything like that? home, this is where they are now, in a school where they never had the chance of escaping— he remembers early in when others would relax and accept this place as the norm, and komaeda didn't want that for them. now all they can do is adjust this school to their liking, and that's a scenario he can accept, and so a few dead bodies will help that goal.

he glances at the one in alice's arms. )

I was thinking we could drop the body into the pool and see if it'd get devoured, but... to ensure it happens, we should wake it up, huh?

( what if it's not hungry then that'd just be a waste, so they should go about this appropriately without making one mistake. )

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