like a bitter stranger

[samuraiwomen]

Who: Everyone
What: Our monthly family meeting.
When: March 5th, 2000.
Where: Yogen dorms common room.
Warnings: Discussions of murder, suicide, child death...more?



[ A message goes up on the forums late Friday evening.

S.chidouin: Group meeting in the dorms Saturday. 12:00. No punching. No stabbing. I'll bring stickers.

If your character would not find a post from Sara worth listening too, Bonnie is wandering around, vaguely noting how important this meeting is, and how very much you should attend. No further details are forthcoming.

The meeting itself is a quiet affair. The fireplace is not lit, there are no snacks. Sara waits in the corner for everyone to arrive and get settled and then she clears her throat to speak. ]

As most of you know... [ It's hard to start, but her voice gets firmer as she goes on. ] We spent the last two months investigating Maya Arisu's murder. That case is solved. A few weeks ago, Bonnie-chan and I found the culprit.

Rantaro Amami killed Maya Arisu, Hiro Arisu, the vice principal and is presumably responsible for the scene with Keigo Arata. He is also dead. I just figured...everyone should know. To many people got hurt the last few months. I'm sorry.

[ She fiddles with her hair. That's all...she really has to say. There's not much more then that as the gist of it. ]

Comments

[notsosou]

[They really are doing that cat thing where their backs turn into upturned V's so hard they can't quite step properly.]

Ahaha, sorry if this wasn't entertaining enough for you.

[Was it fun? Watching them run around? Knowing all the answers and flicking hints their way like peanuts onto performers? At this point Shin's more than sick of it... sick of 'find that out for yourself', sick of 'work it out on your own'. If you just work hard, rewards will come to you, right? So say those who don't have to. Who have the string, and dangle it.]

Surely it wouldn't be hard for someone who pays attention. Or... maybe you just didn't care?

[He's got no grounds to judge them, as far as Shin is concerned.]

[shimashima]

[ Entertaining... The exchange really is reminiscent of Ranger taunting them all, back in the Death Game — it's hard to silence the thought, and that it absurdly feels like betrayal before long to watch Midori step in to pull the doll aside. Was the truce that flimsy, then? Or was something done to Ranger's programming since Midori's arrival?

Something still doesn't fit, but it's difficult to put one's finger on it in the midst of this tumultuous meeting, and Alice gets no further than opening his mouth (which contains his own immaculate teeth that can easily withstand constant gritting, for the record, because he brushes them thoroughly and flosses twice daily; Midori is just jealous), only to close it again. His nails press into his palms. ]

[rearranger]

[ Not even a little bit. It was frustrating. It made him sick to watch. He had stepped in for Subaru for a reason, despite thinking that he should leave it be. There had been a gnawing feeling that would have tugged at him were he to ignore it. ]

Huh? Why should I have been the one stopping him? I don't remember criticizing him. He was willing to live, die, and kill for his goals. He succeeded.

[ Effort, resolve, results - those are the only three factors that really matter. If one can check all of those boxes, then Ranger sees no reason to complain. It's not a sad thing that he died when he'll return. Rather, he should be grateful if he's able to see the results.

He doesn't want to die, and he doesn't want those close to him to die. Ranger is paranoid, willing to cripple and erase minds and kill in order to protect those things. He'd started to forget that, but he remembers now - how much people will use each other, the way they crawl under one's skin and eat away at their innards. That, too, was his own fault, but he'd realized it before the worst occurred. ]

You all wanted to stop it, so you should have. You had opportunity after opportunity. But it's always somebody else's fault, isn't it?

[notsosou]

Should have, huh... Is it any of your business?

[There's something not quite right here, a disjunct. Ranger's... invested in this despite his claims. His thoughts run in parallel to Alice's; is there another logic error? Or something more insidious? Could it be chalked up to successful hypocrisy?]

Don't see why it's your problem if we succeeded or not... Unless you actually wanted a different outcome?

[In which case, stop making it 'somebody else's fault'. Nobody likes a back seat driver. Regardless of how well they did or didn't do at it doesn't change that it was there in the first place... because of Rantaro.]

[rearranger]

Nope! This outcome is fine by me, 'cause unlike you guys Rantarou knew what he was doing. So, I can trust that one had some thought put into it.

[ He tilts his head. If there's any expression on his face, it's hidden just like always. There's nothing at all to suggest what he might be thinking. ]

I don't care if you succeeded, but it's my business when you start pinning the blame on corpses 'cause you don't wanna admit that you failed.

[ If he really thinks about it, this isn't the first time. He came in to a nine body pile up. How many will it be next time, he wonders? Five? Ten? Maybe they'd just let Rokuro blow up the entire school so they could avoid dirtying their hands, or otherwise find some way to convince him. Komaeda had acted on that one, but if he hadn't, that person would be dead by Ranger's hand now. It's no different than Midori, who only Ranger will coordinate with.

It's just blaming others for their own inaction. ]

As long as you keep it up with that lukewarm approach, it's gonna keep happening... Ahaha, or maybe you're just fine with that as long as you can keep pretending that you tried?

[notsosou]

[That really gets Shin's dander up. He wasn't pretending at all... or he wouldn't have run himself so ragged against his own better judgement, getting ill, collapsing and waking up on the floor, having to spend days just recovering.

Maybe he shouldn't bother again, if this is what happens every time. Despite everything he does for everyone... and it was Sara who solved it again in the end, too.]

Ahaha, so now that he's dead he's suddenly not responsible?

[Imagine if everything a person ever achieved poofed into the ether upon their death.]

See ya, Ranger.

[He's turning and leaving, because he can and he's had enough of this. He's not going to make the same mistake as last time either, ears pricked, hand to scarf and faint blue glow crawling along the lines of it.]

[rearranger]

Ahaha... Keep it in mind for when it's someone you care about that gets killed, 'kay? So you won't feel bad when nobody figures it out 'cause it's not a culprit who wants to be caught.

[ Amami, he thinks, wanted to be called out. It's not even that he was caught, really. He confessed. Was he tired, or did he feel guilt? Ranger's not sure. But it'll happen again, and next time it might not be someone eager to confess to their crimes.

There's more people like that than not, and there's no justice in this place. The collective whole has just been relatively lucky up until now.

Shin is already walking away though, and Ranger does the same. He's already moving, and he'll just flop down next to Midori and take the tea cup right out of his hands so he can sip it a couple times before deciding it's too sweet and placing it back in his hands. ]

[shimashima]

Ranger—

[ It's too late. Shin Tsukimi has already turned to walk off, and Ranger is truly making for Midori's side, and Alice thinks of what the doll said, weeks ago: not gonna get much done around here if we're busy with infighting.

There's not much that he can do himself now, standing around. ]

[antitoxin]

You and Shin appeared to be having a nice chit-chat.

[ he watches as ranger sips, not interested in it, and handing it back to him. the cup is still warm, and his thumb brushes against the ceramic slowly to warm himself. if there was another cup, then he would give it to ranger, but here he is having to hold his own hands and thoughts while midori sips softly.

but then alice comes, and midori has to try very, very, very hard not to roll his eyes. instead, he turns his head to look at the other with a smile.

oh alice... oh alice... ]

I'm sorry, I only have one cup of tea, so I can't share with you too...Ah, but Maple may be willing.

[rearranger]

So nice that I'd hate to ruin it by having another one.

[ But he was being addressed, wasn't he? Ranger blows out a little sigh. It's not something he should avoid, but having Midori involved while he tries to do so will just make things annoying. It makes things more complicated when two people have such resentment for reach other, and at any rate the fact that he's taking Midori's cup once more means he'll be busy awaiting for Maple to get him another. ]

Have her make me one while you're at it. Black Vanilla Rose Black Tea with just a bit of milk and sugar. That's how you're supposed to enjoy it.

[ He's standing up now with that teacup in hand. It's the kind of behavior that Ranger would only indulge in with Midori, but he thinks it's better for him to have that to focus on than the way Ranger is turning his attention back to their participant. ]

Got something to say? Hiyori's busy, so we can get out of his way.

[shimashima]

[ They're acknowledging his presence, unexpectedly... It turns Alice's posture tense, and where Midori feigns politeness, smiling, Alice himself can't hide his glowering. Inadvisable things to retort are tempting, something like "I wouldn't want to drink your tea, even if it were the last cup of tea in the world." (Then again, in hindsight, wasn't everything served in prison technically Asunaro-made?!)

This is neither the time nor the place; the mere sight of Midori makes his blood boil, but he tries to breathe evenly without being too obvious about his efforts. Maple at Midori's beck and call is troubling, too. ]

...I'm fine. I don't need tea. I...

[ He looks at Ranger instead, and then at the teacup in the doll's hands. ]

Where would we go to speak?

[rearranger]

[ Where? Here isn't an option, but to go somewhere too private would make a person too anxious. Ranger closes his eyes as he considers for a few seconds, then opens them. Neither of the two with him like each other, but Midori will shuffle along as ordered because it'll give him something to focus on. ]

The hallway will be fine.

[ Far enough that no one will eavesdrop and far enough to avoid the noise, but close enough for noise to be heard of things turn sour. He keeps the teacup in one hand, apparently not planning on giving it back despite not wanting to drink it, cards in the other, and starts off in the direction of the exit.]

[shimashima]

[ The hallway, then. It's unlikely that they'll stay out there all that long, leaving Midori unattended as tensions escalate, but Alice follows Ranger with a nod. He tells himself not to glance back over his shoulder. Midori, no matter what state his memory may be in, finds it amusing to draw certain reactions out of people, doesn't he? He won't have that satisfaction this time.

Just past the exit, Alice stops. His gaze flicks to Ranger, traveling over the doll's features — pointless, so he eyes those expression cards. (When did he cease thinking of Ranger as that damn doll...?) Now that they're here, only the two of them, he isn't sure what he hoped to accomplish.

If Ranger were jeering at them, his old self, and if loathing him for his past actions and everything that he represents were clear-cut, they could consider any truce over. They would separate themselves into black-and-white categories: enemies and allies. Asunaro and that lot's victims.

Yet Ranger's actions here blur the picture — there's no reason for him to go to so much effort coexisting with humans purely to get things done. ]

...The first time we spoke in this place, you were opposed to infighting. Now...

[ What is it, really? ]

[rearranger]

[ Ranger had said that, and he'd meant it. Midori had already sunk his fangs into him once as a result of their problems, drawing out blood and infecting him with the poison that those of ASUNARO carry. It's a consequence of him going to what's familiar rather than what would be more objective, because who was to say that going to someone like Komaeda or Amami wouldn't have simply given them the same idea?

But even so, he regrets it. He shouldn't have gone to anyone at all. Ranger pauses briefly as he considers, stuffing his free hand into his pocket. He'd like to say that it only applies when they're speaking of him, but that's not quite right. ]

Sure. Time spent tearing each other apart is time that can't be spent on anything else. It gives him leverage... Honestly, it'd be a lot easier if he weren't hanging around.

[ Rather, it makes him more appealing as an ally when he has no need to judge and argue about petty affairs. He lets out a little sigh. This is why he hates these meetings. They're too public, and there's too much that others can learn from how people carry themselves here. ]

But it's not like I can just ignore what's being said just 'cause he's a nosy bastard.

[shimashima]

[ Midori must have decided to attend the meeting for his own entertainment, Alice thinks, which keeps him from getting up to whatever else he does when no one can watch him, at least. The uncomfortable reality is that he looks quite harmless in the crowd, sitting around with his cup of tea. Only a handful of them know the truth, and they can't act on it unprovoked. They're the ones who would seem like villains then — no one questioned the incident at the cafe, that day.

Perhaps it's best not to react to him at all, knowing that they can't afford to give him anything to use against them. Ranger has pointed it out himself, so why...? Weren't they all stoking arguments, in the end? ]

Because Rantarou Amami defended you, and now you're returning the favor? Is that it?

[ What else could it be, if Ranger has changed here? If he's close to Komaeda, and Komaeda cares for Rantarou Amami, then all of it may be connected. Otherwise, why should any of it matter to him personally?

Alice's eyes lower to Ranger's hand where it disappears in the doll's pocket, concealed from view. ]