APRIL EVENT LOG/TDM
The opening ceremony starts at 8, with students and staff moving to the auditorium to sit with their homeroom class, calling characters out by name and dragging them over to their seat— physically if need be, and they're much stronger than they look. Much like the graduation ceremony, characters are not forced to come to the entrance ceremony, but the moment they take a seat, they find that they can neither speak nor get up again until the ceremony is over.
A teacher stands behind the podium on stage. Characters may recognize pieces of the speech from the previous year. He takes the time to welcome Yogen High's new students first, followed by acknowledging the transfer, returning, and repeat students. As he goes on, the teacher encourages students to instead focus on their own personal growth, and developing strong bonds that will allow them to reach their goals. He sighs as he explains that the Principal and Vice Principal are currently not available before he reminds students that violence is strictly prohibited and that there will be strict consequences for anyone who is caught engaging in misconduct.
The teacher concludes by noting that teachers will inform them of any important announcements. He wishes everybody a fulfilling school year, and reminds them that they have the power to shape the future. The ceremony concludes in a little under an hour, and the spell binding the students to their seats is broken, allowing everybody to rise and leave.
School lets out for the rest of the day with classes starting the next morning, and while many students take the opportunity to leave, some linger around the school.
A teacher stands behind the podium on stage. Characters may recognize pieces of the speech from the previous year. He takes the time to welcome Yogen High's new students first, followed by acknowledging the transfer, returning, and repeat students. As he goes on, the teacher encourages students to instead focus on their own personal growth, and developing strong bonds that will allow them to reach their goals. He sighs as he explains that the Principal and Vice Principal are currently not available before he reminds students that violence is strictly prohibited and that there will be strict consequences for anyone who is caught engaging in misconduct.
The teacher concludes by noting that teachers will inform them of any important announcements. He wishes everybody a fulfilling school year, and reminds them that they have the power to shape the future. The ceremony concludes in a little under an hour, and the spell binding the students to their seats is broken, allowing everybody to rise and leave.
School lets out for the rest of the day with classes starting the next morning, and while many students take the opportunity to leave, some linger around the school.
Classes resume as usual, and it's the same old routine, with gossip and rumors spreading about, and students growing excited over new club advertisements, and fortune telling ads in addition to upcoming events. In an effort to encourage students to form lasting relationships, the school has set up events for the first week with plans for smaller events throughout the month. The PDA logs have been wiped clean with the start of the year, and all messages from before 04/05 are gone.
✽ Tuesday, 04/06 will be a simple Welcome Back. The day will be dedicated to giving important announcements, including the events for the rest of the week, introducing students to clubs, etc. There will be a potluck with various sweets and snack items, along with time dedicated to getting-to-know you style games and other such activities.
✽ Wednesday, 04/07 will feature the beginning of a Team Building Scavenger Hunt! There are no items to be found, but instead students are given a list of tasks to complete and turn into their homeroom teacher. Examples include introducing yourself to a new student, doing something nice for another student, being asked to identify a specific student who fits a certain criteria, anything that can be used to encourage interactions.
✽ Thursday, 04/08 will feature karaoke night in the music room. There is a karaoke machine set up along with a screen set up, along with some CDs with all the greatest hits of the 90ws. There is a decorative backdrop set up along with party decorations. There are inflatable music notes, cut out notes, microphones, record albums, and instruments taped along the wall, and a box full of props for students to use if they so choose.
✽ Friday, 04/09 will feature a game night held in class 1-B. Desks have been pushed together to form tables and covered in cloths, and various board and card games have been set out for students. There is a TV with an N64 and Playstation set out along with various games.
Outside of classes, the days wear on, and students come in with bruises and scraped knees and elbows and bloody noses. They smear blood on the walls and drip it onto the floor, splatter it onto the mirror without meaning to, bringing along with it a sense of vertigo. Characters looking in the mirror may find that they catch sight of something. It's there reflected in the mirror, a shadowy and dark figure in the edge of their vision, but it the moment they look away it disappears, leaving behind only a chill in the air. The mirror room is almost unbearably cold.
✽ Tuesday, 04/06 will be a simple Welcome Back. The day will be dedicated to giving important announcements, including the events for the rest of the week, introducing students to clubs, etc. There will be a potluck with various sweets and snack items, along with time dedicated to getting-to-know you style games and other such activities.
✽ Wednesday, 04/07 will feature the beginning of a Team Building Scavenger Hunt! There are no items to be found, but instead students are given a list of tasks to complete and turn into their homeroom teacher. Examples include introducing yourself to a new student, doing something nice for another student, being asked to identify a specific student who fits a certain criteria, anything that can be used to encourage interactions.
✽ Thursday, 04/08 will feature karaoke night in the music room. There is a karaoke machine set up along with a screen set up, along with some CDs with all the greatest hits of the 90ws. There is a decorative backdrop set up along with party decorations. There are inflatable music notes, cut out notes, microphones, record albums, and instruments taped along the wall, and a box full of props for students to use if they so choose.
✽ Friday, 04/09 will feature a game night held in class 1-B. Desks have been pushed together to form tables and covered in cloths, and various board and card games have been set out for students. There is a TV with an N64 and Playstation set out along with various games.
Outside of classes, the days wear on, and students come in with bruises and scraped knees and elbows and bloody noses. They smear blood on the walls and drip it onto the floor, splatter it onto the mirror without meaning to, bringing along with it a sense of vertigo. Characters looking in the mirror may find that they catch sight of something. It's there reflected in the mirror, a shadowy and dark figure in the edge of their vision, but it the moment they look away it disappears, leaving behind only a chill in the air. The mirror room is almost unbearably cold.
Characters who look in mirrors will see the shadowy figure reflected in it growing closer to them. It's an odd sight to be sure, and the cold air it brings with clings to the skin, but even as they draw close they seem to do no harm. It's only once they're right behind a character that they'll begin to notice it - the cold that clings to them no matter how warm the room, the faint tingling of their skin, the sleepiness that settles in, and the whispers in their ear.
It's faint at first, barely noticeable if not for its persistence, but over time those whispers will grow louder; the coolness on their skin will turn into a cold that chills them down to the bone, and the unrested feeling becomes a constant fatigue and lethargy. The words and tone vary, as do the voices, but each and every one eats into the character. They might speak of a character's insecurities or guilt, or they might leave them with a sinking loneliness, or perhaps they promise the warmth and companionship that a character desires, or any other number of matters that so often tug at the mind.
The figures can be viewed through mirrors. Those with supernatural sight or an adderstone will similarly be able to see them following characters, latching onto them. Items that ward off the supernatural may help, but the only way to truly ward them off is with bonds formed in the school. The figures seem to be warded off by the presence of another person. The cold disappears with the slightest touch, the whispering stops during conversation, and for that time they're given a brief reprieve. But they often seem to come back the moment a person passes by a mirror once more.
It's faint at first, barely noticeable if not for its persistence, but over time those whispers will grow louder; the coolness on their skin will turn into a cold that chills them down to the bone, and the unrested feeling becomes a constant fatigue and lethargy. The words and tone vary, as do the voices, but each and every one eats into the character. They might speak of a character's insecurities or guilt, or they might leave them with a sinking loneliness, or perhaps they promise the warmth and companionship that a character desires, or any other number of matters that so often tug at the mind.
The figures can be viewed through mirrors. Those with supernatural sight or an adderstone will similarly be able to see them following characters, latching onto them. Items that ward off the supernatural may help, but the only way to truly ward them off is with bonds formed in the school. The figures seem to be warded off by the presence of another person. The cold disappears with the slightest touch, the whispering stops during conversation, and for that time they're given a brief reprieve. But they often seem to come back the moment a person passes by a mirror once more.
✽ The school will be hosting various smaller team building exercise throughout the month which can range from exercises to group projects. There are examples here, so feel free to pick what works best for your goals.
✽ The shadowy figures will appear more frequently where there is blood, fresh or otherwise.
✽ Characters who are isolated will find that they are more susceptible to being followed by the figures, and it may take longer interactions to dispel them completely.
✽ Items from the student shop that ward off supernatural creatures will aide in keeping the shadows from getting too close at first, but their effectiveness will wear off the longer a character is followed. They seem to be most effective when used in conjunction with interactions with others, and especially others who have similar items (i.e. a character with a silver cross and a character with a gold chain.)
✽ The shadowy figures will appear more frequently where there is blood, fresh or otherwise.
✽ Characters who are isolated will find that they are more susceptible to being followed by the figures, and it may take longer interactions to dispel them completely.
✽ Items from the student shop that ward off supernatural creatures will aide in keeping the shadows from getting too close at first, but their effectiveness will wear off the longer a character is followed. They seem to be most effective when used in conjunction with interactions with others, and especially others who have similar items (i.e. a character with a silver cross and a character with a gold chain.)

sanity: 2
It'll be a replacement for the jar in his heart, steadily filled with colorful star candies, fissures running through it. It could shatter at any moment, at any moment, and everything inside will spill out onto the dirty ground and be crushed underfoot. He doesn't need it any longer, because he's full so long as the person next to him is here. It'll fill the emptiness, the space that once was, useless for how badly it's begun to leak.
Despair is needed in order for hope to follow. Pain is necessary for people to grow. The stars are brilliant tonight, twinkling and shining and offering their guidance so that humans will never be truly lost. He can spend hours counting them, searching for constellation, creating shapes in his mind. Stars that guide, a voice that speaks to him and washes away his hurts, white dots of butterflies as they flutter across the sky and show him a beautiful sight. It's a mesmerizing sight, innocent and clean and pure white, just like sin.
Pure white, just like hope, drowned in a sea of red. He keeps his eyes fixed on those pure white wings. It's what he's been waiting for. It's what he wanted all along, to watch this sight with the person next to him. That's right, all along, what he really wanted was a world with just the two of them. It would be their world, tiny yet complete, and they could fill it with plants. But rather than roses and other blooming plants, they can have nightshades and oleanders and a cerbera tree, a quiet world where they can see the stars and the moon and white butterflies and a blue bird and he thinks that place would be ▓▒▓▒▓▒.
They'll reach that place after he finds hope, and all hope is born from despair. It creeps out from the poisoned earth, fed by the blood shed on it. Only he can make it, only he can cause it, only he can nurture it. ]
Ah... [ He places one hand on his stomach. He'll chase the blue bird to ▓▒▓▒▓▒. They'll both reach it. ]
I see... Then this is my ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇...
[ ...
...
What a beautiful night... This is right. It must be right, because if it wasn't, then someone would stop him. Komaeda would stop him, just like before. Just like he always does. He'll wake up, realize that all the sad and painful things were nothing more than a waking dream, they'll live happily ever after in their garden of ▇▇▇▇ that's born from ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇.
There's something important he's forgetting. He's sure of it. But it seems so far off now. ]
I tried to before, but I couldn't do it...
[ Was that because he was stopped? It was, and it wasn't. He can't even remember why he was trying to do it, but he knows it isn't what he wanted. There's another moment of thoughtful silence before he adds, ]
If I were going to make a mistake... You would stop me, right? If this really is... [ ... ] ... You'll end it, right? Because you said you would, so it'd be for ▇▇▇▇...
[ The words are hard to remember, the echoes failing to reach his ears, but he knows that had been their agreement. That's why it has to be him no matter what... Yes, he would be happy just to see him that once. Then they can both reach that fabled paradise. He's certain of it.
Those pure white butterflies decorating the dark night sky really are a beautiful sight. ]
no subject
( when he came late, but eventually arrived despite not preventing the worst from happening. there was a promise after too, one where ranger had said something on showing komaeda the good parts of his company. where komaeda wants to believe that maybe his opinions are wrong, and that there is something positive can come from a place that he finds close in comparison with despair. sara and her friends lived through it, and ranger had too, and so if there's hope that can be born then he'd want to see it.
...
the rain continues, each droplet a sign that ranger's still awake and alive, but he becomes dirtier by the second as dirt sticks to his skin, and gravel rolls underneath his body if he decides to move. some are sharp, capable of scarring the tissue if he's not careful, but he has no reason to move much when komaeda is by his side. that's how it should feel. able to live and exist without struggle as long as that person he cares for is by his side, and even situations where it doesn't feel as comfortable tends to be satisfying just because they have each other.
he hums gently, a sweet tune mixed with the rain is enough to call in the butterflies so that they lower and lower, and their wings brush together like a milky way of sparkling stars, a path revealed to them that happens to go the direction of across them and out past the edge of the rooftop. it's another path for them to take if they decide to do so, but there's nothing connecting the end to the beginning, or is there? they've come from the stars, turned into a path visible to them that no else can see, and that's why such butterflies are beautiful to offer their guidance. )
I've always been there no matter what, you can't get rid of me that easily.
( with a laugh, komaeda lifts up his hand to reach out to the butterflies that fly overhead together, and between them is a sparkling matter that makes it appear like they're all stuck together in one more— a celestial pathway. one his fingers are close enough, the path will part to avoid anyone from coming into contact with them.
how obvious. )
This isn't a mistake. It's what we want! Are our desires really that bad... ▓▒▓▒▓▒ isn't a bad place. I've told you before right -- good or bad -- when there's only good! Don't tell me you've forgotten.
( ranger can be comfortable with their idea, because komaeda always said there's no bad in the name of hope. )
Look at them all! They must be going there... it's why we can't touch them yet... we haven't done what's needed.
roll: 1
There's a splash as his arm smacks against the ground, collecting more dirt and debris. It would be nice if it rained on that day. He could let it wash away all the filth that's tarnished him, the despair that should inspire hope, all of the sins that have left permanent marks etched into his skin. It could be a baptism, a purifying ritual before he crawls back into the room to open the door for himself.
He's happy as long as he has the person next to him. He shouldn't be, not when there's so many other people here that he's come to think fondly of, but he doesn't. He's happy so long as he can see the bridge formed by those colorful stars, so long as he can reach out his hand and touch them, because the stars are one of the few things that are still outside of the reach of humans.
But he manages to smile a little. He couldn't get rid of Komaeda if he wanted to. His feel scrape along the concrete as he draws his knees up, and there's a squelch every time he bumps them together. He's drenched. ]
... You're right. It's an absolute good since you're striving for the impossible to make possible... It's like dreaming, if all your dreams could come true, and it's something that connects people together...
[ It drives everything, it's what makes up life, and so without it life isn't worth living. It really is the same as dreams. Once a person stops dreaming, once they run out of possibilities and ways to build life up, all they're left with is an empty life in which they tear things down. But it's not a passive force either; it has to be inspired, created, bought and paid for and given, and despair is necessary in order to create a brighter hope. Ranger has no interest in being a stepping stone, but a world in which there are no losers doesn't sound bad.
He was created by a place without hope, but one that dreams and makes the impossible possible. He's a hopeless creation, the impossible made real, dreamed up by three geniuses and made into a reality.
So then, if he were to unlock the door, he would be able to have everything. It's a place that where one has all the treasures in the world bestowed upon them - the people that were lost, the love that was lost, all of those dreamlike things that reality can never offer.
If it's that kind of place, then he can have...
...
... ]
You're right... It has to be something equivalent to the amount of good that will come from it, doesn't it? How should we do it... Ah, it should be as gruesome as possible, right? Something that seems horrible and impossible to solve, but at the last minute you find the answer, and then you realize who it was...
[ No different than what had occurred with Amami. They had resolved it at the last minute, and all of that pent up frustration had a place to go. It was like watching people that had held their breath finally exhale the toxic gas so that they might fill it with fresh air. All the pettiness, all the fighting, all of that was reserved for those who still cared about them. They had an "other."
They'll forget about what Amami did after this.
Komaeda would stop him if it was wrong. He would never make that mistake again, so this must be right. ]
no subject
they should cherish this moment, just like any other moment together, especially when he hears ranger speak in words that are familiar yet unfamiliar. it's surprise first, a head turns to look towards him as his eyes are amazed by what he's heard. it's never been a concept that ranger knows, because for months and months he's been trying to understand. it's like teaching a child how to speak in various languages, one must understand the nuances, and the meaning behind which they speak them. a person can have hope, or they can understand hope, but it's never the same as komaeda speaks it because people brush it off too easily.
this time.
this time... it's like there's something shifting in ranger, a change. )
Is that your answer? ...Ahaha. It's like you've always known.
( it drives everything, it's what makes up life, and so without it life isn't worth living. it really is the same as dreams. once a person stops dreaming, once they run out of possibilities and ways to build life up, all they're left with is an empty life in which they tear things down.but it's not a passive force either; it has to be inspired, created, bought and paid for and given, and despair is necessary in order to create a brighter hope.
so then, if ranger were to unlock the door, he would be able to have everything. it's a place that where one has all the treasures in the world bestowed upon them - the people that were lost, the love that was lost, all of those dreamlike things that reality can never offer.
if it's that kind of place, then he can have...
...
...
yes, it's that type of place, that he can have— a place that him and komaeda will find, because he understands it. )
You've done good. ( his words are caught in the rain, but it's not drowned out, instead it seems a little louder than before. )
It's best to remember that, because you have to tell him too.
( if ranger can tell himself this then he shouldn't hold out on telling him, too. whoever that him is isn't a subject that komaeda stays on as he turns to officially face the other. his attire isn't drenched, and it's like the rain avoids hitting him too which must be him safeguarded by his luck as always.
...
with a smile. )
I should be the only one to solve it, so I can be the only one to stop you. We're doing this together to find ▓▒▓▒▓▒ so why would I prevent what we deserve...?
( a genuine question, even he sounds confused when asking, but maybe it's just as confusing to ranger why komaeda would stop this when he's motivated him this far?
hm... )
sanity: 2
The butterflies above would shatter into pieces and become the dust that coasts his hands if he were to touch them before the rain washed even that away, but if he could Ranger thinks he would like to pin them in a display case so that he could keep them as a constant reminder of what he's seeking. If he found hope perhaps he would hide it away in a dark place where it couldn't be found yet would be safe from all harm.
The surprise is evident, and Ranger manages a small chuckle. Those words are like rays of sunlight, warming his skin and illuminating his face. It's almost as nice as the look on his face, and for a moment his mind wanders, wonders what kind of corrections he might receive, or what vibrant expression he might be met with, how much it would be blown out of proportion, but he's not sure who might do those things. It's like a shadow in his mind, an unnamed figure, because there's only the one in front of him. There's only the one that he's waiting for, the one who won't return, the love and life lost.
He'll remember. ]
Why...? I don't know. It makes no sense, so I'd be upset if you did.
[ It would be unfair and even cruel to pull the same trick twice. But he'd done it before, hadn't he? Ranger doesn't know the full story, but there's enough for him to understand he'd only stopped that plan after changing his mind. But it's different now. The butterflies flutter on fragile wings, the blue bird sings, and ▓▒▓▒▓▒ is just a stone's throw away.
The butterflies are beautiful, a reminder of what's in store, but Komaeda is even moreso. He watches as even the rain misses him. He's the white butterfly, the blue bird, and so he doesn't need blood and dirt rinsed off. Ranger raises his hand and settles it on his chest, smearing the grime and blood on it. It's all over him, it's rinsing off with the rain, steering clear of the other. ]
I don't think you would, but I've got this feeling, like I"m forgetting something important...
[ But he can't forget anything, so surely that's wrong. ]
no subject
( he can't say whether ranger remembers or forgets, he knows the same things as him. he knows the date of his creation, the attractions, the asunaro facility, each and every person by name, the metokens, the main game, the moment ranger woke up here, his meeting with komaeda, when sara called him "laizer", the unfamiliar feeling of his code pulling.
the komaeda here knows all that yet speaks none when ranger doesn't ask it from him, and so what he knows is what ranger knows. it's a foreign language between them both, one that can only be articulated unless you're ranger. ranger has made all of this, it's his world that belongs to him. )
I'd remind you if there was something off, but... there's nothing to remind you of.
( ranger remembers everything, just like he'll remember this moment between him and komaeda. the two laying back on uncomfortable pavement, rocks pushing into the fabric of their clothes that dirtiest one more than the other. ranger's coated in red, he burns like fire where the blood coats his upper body and not the bottom, but life is cruel and kind... life will cover his entire body in snow, cooling him off until he's frozen and unmoving.
because ranger wants to live, so life will do what it must.
to live in ▓▒▓▒▓▒, they must do what the butterflies are doing; and continue to fly without distraction towards what they desire. the rain is just the sky's tears that doesn't stop them, so what other tears will stop komaeda and ranger? no one's. that's why they have to finish the job, acquire the key to enter a paradise meant for them.
where they can be together holding hands, visiting companions that have waited for them, and maybe in that world ranger will have cracked open his cocoon, fingers breaking the fleshy silk and he would emerge more human than what he was before. )
I'm right, aren't I?
roll: 3
He doesn't want to die, but he doesn't want to live that way either. He draws in a breath, gripping the front of his shirt as that chill sinks in, and his fingers are so numb and frozen that for several seconds he finds himself unable to move them at all.
Ranger has perfect memory, but if he were to forget something, it would be best for him not to remember. When he's finally able to lift his hand again, he sees that it's covered with the same red that coats his upper body. It's coated in red, and the rain seems to turn to ice as it hits. His future. ]
You're right.
[ He's always right. Ranger takes in another breath, closing his eyes as he eyes. The plan is already there in his mind. An ugly, gruesome, bloody affair that would stain the world and the minds of all who saw it. It'll be a scene coated in everything cruel and everything good and all that makes up the world.
Sweet dreams and cotton candy and a pleasant gateway all smeared with a vicarious substance, blood and organs and reminders of humanity, poison that fills the lungs and lets one's soul wisp away with the remaining vapors to a place with times so much better than void called life.
He continues watching, waiting for them to finish, and he rolls over onto his stomach and folds his hands on him. He could bottle up the drops that fall from the side, collect God's tears in a bottle, but it would do no good. The tears of humans are just a misunderstanding, people who don't understand their ritual, that don't understand that grand purpose meant for them nor how special they are.
He alternates between the breathtaking sight above them, and the even more beautiful sight of the person beside him. That voice which calls to him, the hand that helps guide him when he's uncertain. The rain doesn't hit him because he doesn't need to be cleaned, because he doesn't cause others to shed tears.
Cold skin beneath his trembling fingers, the metallic smell that hangs in the air, the stupid thought that this isn't how it was supposed to happen. A washcloth that gets rung out what feels like dozens of times, shampoo and soap and water. All the filth that the world tainted him was removed then.
Who was it? ]
If I make it as gruesome as possible, then it'll certainly catch his eye... The arsenic can be used to make gas. It'll hide the cause of death, and then the bodies can be used for anything...
[ Who is it? It doesn't matter. He pushes himself using his arms, sliding his knees beneath him, staring down at the concrete briefly. rain drips off of his face and hair. There's so much to do, and he can't let anyone see. That leaves a small window of time in which to do everything.
It's fine, his partner will be with him every step of the way. He looks up, managing a slight and shaky smile. Filthy, tainted, but so close to the end. His fingers curl. ]
Wanna get started? We didn't see a green light. Maybe it'll show up tomorrow... I just need to keep working hard...
no subject
( there's nothing here that ranger can let him down on when everything from here on out is so fragile, so pristine that one mistake will smudge on the future and they'll lose it. no matter how much rain falls, it'll never remove the blood that ranger has shed during his time here, the crimson color stuck to his fingers permeates through his artificial skin. it'll reside there for as long as ranger lives, ingrained in his memory because he can never forget the touch of warm bodies against the palm, nor the burning and cool sensation against his fingertips. it spreads through his body like a disease, and even though there's no blood actually on him, that virus makes the path months appear a reflection against his own body.
steady movement catches komaeda's attention, entranced by ranger that he doesn't move at all, stuck in place like the world has stopped despite the rain drizzling, covering ranger's body, making his clothes damp and sticky against his skin which is preferably better than red.
luckily for them, red is dorothy's yellow brick road that'll lead them to a place where they will have questions answered, and miracles given. even though there are several roads nearby for ranger to take, this one stands out, and offers the best conclusion that he's searching for. within a short time they'll be walking briskly hand in hand towards ▓▒▓▒▓▒; their hope tinkling merrily on the hard, red road-bed. they'll meet no scarecrow, no tin woodman, and no cowardly lion to boot, and they won't run into the road in disrepair— it'll lack chasm and deathly drops, ranger will walk across no problem, they'll enter and live happily.
finally komaeda blinks. )
—ty, they'll never know, it's a good option. Just like last time.
( he had always been talking...
the difficulties that poison proves to be, it's one that komaeda knows well as a caretaker of poison, but he's nothing more than a creation of a deteriorating mind. he knows as much as ranger knows, and so he runs with the idea just as easily as anything else that he desires. )
It'll be credited to you for taking us to the promise land...
( will the promised land have a green light, are they worthy of seeing something so beautiful and serene? he doesn't know the answer, but ranger should as komaeda pushes himself up from where he was... still free of any and all debris, and a pale hand reaches out to ranger for him to take. )
Tomorrow, huh...? Let's do it again, because we're partners after all!
roll: 5
There is no wicked witch, no cruel stepmother nor imp to put a stopper in his path. It's a straight road free of obstructions, requiring only for him to straight down it without letting his eyes wander. Nor is it a frightening thing when he'll have Komaeda's hand in his own. The entrance to that land for those around them will be peaceful, his own equally so. It's no different than curling up with a warm blanket with another during the winter, arms wrapped around each other and one laying their head on the chest of the other, the room quiet aside from soft breaths and the roaring fireplace.
It's a peaceful invitation. He'll be the only one who has to know, but it doesn't matter when Ranger understands. Happiness is within his reach. If he wishes it, he can have it, anytime.
He reaches up and takes the hand before him as he pulls himself up, fingers curling just as they should based on calculations. His mind is in shambles, carefully created code being torn apart like the pulled and frayed strings of a tangled ball of yarn, telling him that there's a meaning behind all of these actions for the first time. He'll find the four leaf clover in the field, birds of happiness, the rainbow fish with all its scales and the little mermaid, the green light, everlasting true love and life. He'll find himself reborn as something different, or perhaps the world will just be reborn so that what he is doesn't matter. He'll mean something; everything he's done will mean something, and no one will be able to accuse him of failure.
It only takes one throw. ]
... Yeah. Tomorrow, and the day after that, 'cause we're partners.
[ Those words are familiar, and he's already forgotten the uncertainty he felt moments ago. The only person who could stop him is before him, his one and only ally. He holds a hand that isn't there tight, his filthy hand not sullying his pale skin any more than the rain, and the first steps toward a paradise made for the two of them. ]