yogen | [OPEN+CLOSED] don't you let go

[After the incident, all he can think of is getting away. The void is his haven, as always, and he can cry and scream and break things as much as he wants... but eventually, he has to leave. He can't stay there forever. At some point he has to return to the Yogen where his actions have consequences and people have, unfortunately, decided to care about his existence.

He doesn't want to show his face, so going back to his room is out of the question... the workshop is also too obvious. Not this soon. So instead he picks a place he's sure no one will bother looking, which turns out to be the side of the school roof that's inaccessible from the stairs. He sits with his back to the clock tower, knees pulled up to his chest along with a small pot of dirt in his arms, a few sprouts just barely starting to poke out of it again.

and... waits? for this to blow over? for the annoying tightness in his chest to go away? he's not sure, so maybe he'll just wait until he forgets what he was so mad about.]

[Anyway,

He's not hiding anymore, but he is back to his old ways—no more cozy nights sleeping in a bed or talking to people intentionally. It's common to find him passed out in the workshop every few nights, though sometimes he'll poke and prod around the science lab during the day instead of sticking only to his machine projects. The workshop is his "home", though, so that's the place he's most likely to be at any given time.

His current project appears to be dismantling the de-skinned robot maid that's been sitting in the scrap pile since November. Lots of good synthetic organs to harvest on those metal bones!! Don't worry, she definitely died(?) of natural causes before all of this, it's fine, what are you a cop?? don't worry about it.]

( kaoruko, more or less freshly "awake" and just casually passing by—

stops. stares. tries to decide if she wants...... to ask......... or if she should just keep moving and leave the obviously psychotic man to his work. ugh... that poor girl(?). it is a girl, right? does sex and gender matter to hunks of metal like that? does it especially matter if it's dead? actually, can something like that be dead, because it is every actually alive in the like, dictionary human definition sense of the word.....

she's just standing in the door of the workshop staring at add's current project i'm sorry if he needed to get in or out or if he didn't want company but she's not moving she's just. there is a lot to process here, add. )

[He's messing around with the neck area right now, trying to see how the head detaches... and while prodding at some of the more interesting parts contained within, he manages to bump something on the voice box. The machine makes a shrill electronic screeching noise, not unlike a pained scream.

Whoops!! Guess it still had some power left in it! It's fine, he's gonna whack it a couple times until the screeching stops while hissing under his breath.] Ugh, would you shut up? Stupid malfunctioning... not even worth the repair job...

[He still hasn't noticed Kaoruko watching all of this.]

( AAAAAAUGHHHHHHHHH NOOOOOOOOOOOOO SHE HATES THIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIS )

( no......... calm down, kaoruko... you are an elegant and graceful young woman... do not cry. Do Not Cry!! )

...Ahem! Y-You there! You oughta be a little more gentle with girls, e-even if they're weirdo hunks of junk... Hittin' stuff never made it shut up anyway.

( oh. well, add seems to be hard at work.

there may or may not be a dismantled robot girl involved in this hard work but, well, you know how it is; that would be a her problem anyway. maple is just going to stand in the doorway for a moment to give him a fair chance to notice her, tray of tea and teacups in hand, but she'll eventually glance over at the door instead. using her free hand, she'll go ahead and tap her knuckle against it in a light knock—try to get add's attention )

Add, it's Maple. ( science types, you know, gotta properly announce yourself. ) Hiyori and I wanted to come and thank you.

A pleasure. Maple has told me much about you.

[ his voice comes first, and it's in a matter of seconds that midori comes from the side of the door; it's almost like he wasn't there at first. he's ominous like that. standing behind the female, he gives a smile where both the corner of his lips go up, and his eyes are closed enough that the corners crinkle only a bit.

slowly his eyes open, and he looks at the individual that's caught maple's interest; the "dog" in the cage that holds out a paw, and she's just too enthusiastic in wanting to bring it home. he has to do a routine check between the eyes, the fangs, and personality to see if he's a perfect match for them. ]

I do hope we aren't interrupting anything.

[ he sounds apologetic as he says so. ]

[it's true, it's not someplace kaede would normally look -- but she's been looking for him anyway, because sara's reaction to add himself had garnered her attention... someone go after him, she'd asked, even while she was hurt herself by the very same.

of course kaede would.

it's the last place she decides to try, since nothing had shown on the more accessible side of the roof... to some, climbing while wearing a skirt would be the definition of a bad idea, but to her, it's actually quite convenient! it's also very dangerous for her to be doing this! her upper body strength? shit! her finger grip? absolutely insane! it's fine! she's making her way up, pulling herself clumsily onto the roof with a grunt of exertion.

...

okay.

she brushes herself off as she stands, looking around to spot where add is, and seeing at least something sitting against the clock tower is enough for her to tread closer. ah, that's him alright.]

... Add-kun. [it's not a pitying tone, it's not an angry one. it's more of a curious, questioning sort.] Is this seat taken?

[It's a girl he barely knows that finally shows up... and maybe that's why Add doesn't try to run off again, even when he raises his head and stares right at her. Or maybe he's actually a little impressed she went to this much trouble climbing up here. It's not like she could say she bumped into him by chance...

He stares, but by the time she addresses him he's looking away again, gaze firmly locked on his knees.]

It was her fault for getting in the way... she'll be fine, a distortion like that is hardly anything at all. I'm not going to apologize.

[it's not at all what she asked, but it's what he assumes she's here for. he doesn't feel guilty at all, or worried, of course not.]

I'm not asking you to. Sara... wanted someone to go after you, so I decided to come.

[since she doesn't know who else would, and sara's her roommate. kaede takes it as no one else is sitting here though and slants her legs aside as she takes a seat a few feet in front of him, brushing her skirt down.]

She was more worried about you than herself, you know.

[though it'd been a shock to see for sure.]

[of course she was. it's more optimal for her to manage him, isn't it? make sure he's not a threat, or...

he scoffs, burying that unpleasant thought away. no, that's not important, Sara is usually that stubborn... she probably was worried about him. that's just the kind of person she is.]

... you can tell her I'm fine. It's not like I'm the one who got hurt.

I'll let her know when I visit.

[because apparently she isn't leaving.]

... I don't know what happened, [what was said, who's at fault in the end,] but you didn't mean to hurt her. That much I'm sure of. So I don't think you're the one that needs to apologize at all, Add-kun.

[... it's not what he expects, and he frowns, stealing a glance in her direction. absolving him of blame after he did that...

logically, he should just accept her words, but... it doesn't sit right. he lifts his head again, feeling like he's walking into some kind of trap but he's at least going to do so with confidence.]

It wasn't meant for her, but I still meant it. I meant everything I said. [that Komaeda should kill himself and get shoved into the void, that meeting him was a mistake, also the part about Amami being a selfish jerk... he's not taking any of it back.]

Shouldn't apologize... tch, if you don't know what happened, then stay out of it. This has nothing to do with you.

[ Ranger has been avoiding the workshop, as he finds that it has the same unpleasant air about it that the meeting room had. Even so, every now and again he finds himself visiting it out of need for one thing or another. It's why he's here today, but the sight of a person dismantling a stripped synthetic body does catch his attention.

It should unsettle him, being made up of parts and wires and synthetic organs himself, but he feels nothing at all watching as the object is dissected. His own artificial heart still beats in his chest, after all, and such sights are nothing if not commonplace where he comes from. It's sensible. It's recycling and repurposing. It's taking from a life that had never mattered.

Curious eyes linger for a few seconds too long before he shakes his head and steps over to the pile of scrap that students seem to be endlessly adding to. ]

I was wondering who that belonged to.

[ The words are flat, betraying no emotion. It doesn't quite surprise him. ]

Then tell me what happened, please. I won't interrupt you, and... I might even agree on points, but I won't be able to understand if I don't know.

[it doesn't have anything to do with her, but sara asked-- so it has that much to do with her. if it involves her friend, then she's going to involve herself.]

It's none of your business. Why should I have to explain anything...

[he sighs, putting his head down again. if he has to explain it... he'll sound stupid, childish. "I told Komaeda to die because he called me selfish"? "I attacked him because I was mad he wanted the last word"? he knows what his actions must look like, he knows, because he knows he's not a good person. he's selfish, he's violent, he hates being told what to do...

if she agreed with him, he still wouldn't be happy. he wants her to tell him he's wrong, Komaeda's right, so he can get mad again and push everyone away. he wants everyone to turn against him. only when everyone agrees that he's wrong can he call himself right, his actions correct—bad people do bad things, just tell him he's bad so he can stop feeling anxious about it and move on. why does everyone have to make this so difficult?

he's not afraid, he's not lonely. it's supposed to be this way. he was wrong for trying to change, to think he could.]

Keke... he said something annoying, so I did it to shut him up. That's all there is to say about it.

[Add looks up, pausing, his own gaze lingering for an equal amount of time before he quickly looks away again, back to his work... he doesn't dislike Ranger. They're not especially close, but he's a fascinating specimen, intelligent, useful... he'd wanted to speak to him more, get to know him better. Talk about spatiotemporal physics and programming and whatever his interests happen to be, he's sure it'd be interesting, he has no doubt it would be.

But Ranger is also... someone that's dear to Komaeda. They're frequently together, and they hold hands like it's a natural thing... and even if his tone is flat, Add can't imagine there's anything but disdain behind it. They're only acquaintances, he crossed someone like Komaeda, so it's only natural that Ranger would dislike him now.

It's a shame. He truly is an interesting specimen... ah, well...]

Club resources are available to all members, so long as the project is something worthwhile... upkeep is important, so use them if you need it. I have no use for something like this myself.

[He looks over his shoulder at her as he gives the head one last twist, and pop—

yeah, that's the head finally coming clean off. The screeching stops! The body slumps onto its side, lifeless and defeated.

anyway, who the fuck is this? he raises an eyebrow at her]

... You'd be surprised at what's effective. Leave the engineering to the engineers.

[He has the sheet of skin rolled out over his bench, checking for any marks or damage when Maple knocks on the door. He's been jumpy and irritable the past few days, but his expression softens just a tad when he sees her... he doesn't dislike her, but more importantly, she's someone he's not that close to. It's a comfortable degree of unfamiliarity, distance. A business exchange and nothing more.

well, it softens until an unfamiliar man steps out from behind her.]

... that's "Hiyori"? [??????? well, on second thought, he knows Shin's real name isn't Sou Hiyori... is it just a coincidence? his fault for not checking. he sighs.] Never mind... it's fine. I was just finishing up.

[one 30x50cm square of synthetic Nasod skin, complete with self-repairing cells and nerve endings! now compatible with ASUNARO products, buy yours today]

[ It's not right away, because she has to check in on a couple of people, and she's not entirely sure how to even, like... approach him, after what happened. But she cares about him, so it was never like she wasn't going to check on him.

She has to ask around a bit to find out where his usual haunts are, but before long she's tracked him down to the workshop - and stops dead in her tracks when she sees the body he's working on.

Wait-- it's a robot. Okay, that's... better? Probably? She hesitates uneasily on the threshold. ]

Add-kun... may I come in?

( ah.............. well at least there's no blood......... technically she's seen worse but there's still something so unsettling at seeing someone's head come off even if it's just a bunch of ugly scrap metal that looks sort of like a girl if she thinks about it which she's not going to do. )

You look sorta young for an engineer. ( ...actually he highkey looks like a Freak. maybe she should leave? she glances behind her, yet... ) What are you engineerin' anyway?

I'm twenty two. [kids these days, no respect for their elders...]

What does it look like? I'm scrapping this useless maid for parts. We have several humanoid machines here as students, access to high-quality parts like these is invaluable when it comes to repairs.

( maple returns his confusion with a look of equal curiosity. not... quite sure what he's so surprised about, but... right, right, she supposes there is somebody else using hiyori's name right now, but they're of no consequence to her. instead, she'll focus on what is: add and the real hiyori, nodding first as his question, and then smiling. )

Oh, good. Then it's the perfect time for you to take a rest.

( she's sure he's been working hard for their sake, so it's the least she can do to encourage a break now that they're here. making her way over, she'll set down her tray on a nearby surface—a teapot, three cups and saucers, and a small plate of pastries. it's everything they'll need for a proper tea party. )

I've even made some tea so that we can chat. Do you like sweets, Add?

I'm sorry if there's any confusion due to naming mishaps, I'm sure it happens all the time in purgatory.

[ so don't beat yourself up is what he's trying to say. it's what he finds in add's voice as he separates himself from maple's side to walk over, pulling a chair for her and himself so that they can all have a seat by the table with add part of their gathering. ]

But thank you for your work, you've been quite the asset. A nice reward being Maple's finest tea and desserts, I can never get enough of them.

[ he takes a sit, crossing his legs like all rich people normally do as he stares unblinking, and then it's followed by a close of his eyes to perfect the gentle expression of a polite smile. ]

How long have you been in this field?

[ maybe he doesn't mind talking about what he likes with a side of tea. besides, this is the first time they've met, and so it wouldn't hurt to get to know each other now would it? he has to play nice with maple's choice in pets that she wants, and by doing so means they have to pass his test. ]

[OPEN+CLOSED] don't you let go

closed to CR/plotting, March 5th

open, March 6th - ???

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03/07 – 1/2

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ay

yo

u come here often

looks up, well it is my catch all so yeah actually

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