yogen | open //

open //

Who: Keigo, et al.
What: gestures broadly
When: end of may
Where: gestures broadly again
Warnings: none yet

[ Keigo opens their eyes to find themselves standing in the mirror room, staring at their own tired reflection a large mirror — with a pounding headache and the last vestiges of vertigo before the world rights itself again. Thinking back, the last thing they remember is being warm and comfortable under the covers on a cool winter night, the taste of hot chocolate still on their lips, the sound of a movie still playing in the background growing more distant and the lights dimming as their consciousness fades. Their joints are stiff and their mouth dry, their wrist sore from the extra tally mark now etched into it.

...

They spend a long time in that mirror room, sinking down onto the floor at rubbing at their wrist as they stare at the mirrors around them, gaze lingering on dense forest and wooden floorboards, flicking this way and that around halls of the school as if trying to find something— someone. It still feels like winter with how cold it is despite long sleeves and pants, breath fogging the glass even with them sitting an arm's length away, red ribbon loosened then removed from around their neck to replace the empty space around their left ankle.

Muddled memories aside, they're certain they've never been down here before, neither the mirror room nor any of these other rooms in the basement once they finally tear themselves away from the mirrors, letting out a terrified scream when something grabs at them when they try to leave and possibly shattering a mirror or four in the process of getting away, but if they don't turn around and look to confirm then it didn't happen and they don't get bad luck, they decided this rule just now.

Not even going to look inside the bloody summoning room, why is there a summoning room.

The hidden entrances and exits are still hidden to them, but hallways only have two ends: one looks like a shaft they're certain they don't have the upper body strength to climb up more than several meters without handholds, and the other leads out to the forest where they're going to walk out into and get hopelessly lost and eventually make their way back to campus maybe if they're lucky.

Then they'll be around wherever and whenever convenient. ]

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( so something really unusual has happened today. every day, amami makes a habit of checking on his compass — petting lily may when it inevitably leads him to wherever she happens to be resting. today, however, the compass doesn't point towards the school. today, as amami follows the direction it's laid out for him, he finds himself in the thick of the forest, and it isn't too long before he's able to make out a small silhouette between the trees in the distance.

black uniform. black hair. short stature. he can't really mistake who this is supposed to be, and there's a long pause as amami considers it; something like anxiety turns in the pit of his stomach, but really... it's not the kind of thing he can run away from — or even wants to. so he swallows hard, and taking a few steps closer, he'll wave one of his hands as he...

opens his mouth. closes his mouth. this is... actually kind of a difficult decision. what he ends up calling out with to get their attention is: )

...Kamo-kun?

( it's while the other student is wandering around the halls, passing by the windows of the student store is where the magic happen today. komaeda's lifting one box with the strength of a newborn kitten where he struggles at the start, grunting pathetically since it weighs too damn much. his legs shake, arms pull at the muscles that it stings, and he knows alice would come and help him if he requested his assistance, but komaeda wants to try for himself some days.

not that he doesn't appreciate the help, but that he doesn't want to be a burden to him. it's still rooted in his way of life that there are people who doesn't have to help him, and others who will lose their shine once his presence smudges their glow.

he leans up, exhaling with a frown as he states down at the box in front of him. he needs a low cart, and while he thinks about going to the back room to acquire one, he manages to see the familiar back of someone's head— full of fluffy black locks, and holds the basic appearance of an every day student here.

he thinks to let them go because he's working, but it'd be cruel to miss a sale (he thinks kogamo would never let someone slip by if they came close enough to the shop), and so the ultimate angel on his shoulder tells him to stick his head out the door — which he does — and he speaks up, an attempt to draw their attention. )

Hey, you! ( please turn around! ) You can't walk past the student store without buying something! Everything here brings hope during my shift guaranteed!

[ They startle, nearly tripping over their feet as they whip around at the sound of that voice ]

Ani—-

[ -—wait, no, they clap their hands over their mouth at the mistake, bloody smear across one cheek from their palms. Ahh... mm.

...

Their hands lower slowly, gaze slipping away to somewhere above Amami's left shoulder, and they try again. ]

Aniki...?

[ The shout makes them startle— everything seems to, recently— even as the thought crosses their mind that they should just keep walking and not turn around because that's how they get you, they know this tactic, how do they... It's too late now, though, with their stuttering steps making it impossible to feign unawareness, turning around with something of a steely resolve. ]

Sorry, I'm broke— [ n

...a little bit of that math lady meme here, simmered in indigestion.

...

... ]

How have sales been? [ one thing at a time ]

( oh, ouch. not so much that amami's offended, but that searching feeling, it tugs at his heartstrings in a way that's unmistakable. unfortunately... )

Sorry, no Aniki here right now — just me. My name's Rantarou Amami, and you must be Keigo Arata-kun, right?

( amami shakes his head at the way they search, apologetic, and the hand that he'd used to wave for their attention, he brings to his cheek instead to scratch at it. honestly, it feels a little awkward, but the fact that they respond at all — it feels like a month's worth of tension releases all at once, and his shoulders fall as he puts on a sheepish looking smile. )

Are you looking for something out here?

[ Disappointment washes across their face, embarrassment, guilt, but they're able to shake it off and offer him a smile, hands falling to their sides and clasping behind their back. ]

No, just taking a walk. Do you [ ... ] know me? ...Amami-san?

Something like that.

( he offers a shrug here, smiling easily. there's no reason to linger on it, and he's sure he can get around to the state of the aniki, but it's all one thing at a time. for now, even if he won't push, it's the least he can do to answer the question honestly. )

I'm pretty sure we've met before, but if you don't remember, that's fine. I just came to check up on you and make sure you made it back safely.

[ That's not an answer at all— well, it sort of is, it's an answer they can draw inferences from and be fairly certain they've got things right. ]

I remember enough.

[ They look down at their feet, shoes scuffing at the dirt. It'd felt to them that they'd walked quite far since leaving the basement, but maybe they'd been drawn towards the school rather than away from it. You can't check up on somebody you don't know is there, or where they are, or where they're going. You can't lie to a seasoned liar. ]

I think I'll stay out here a little longer. What about you? Will you go back?

It doesn't sound like you remember much more than I did.

( and what he remembered wasn't a whole lot. one very important moment — nothing of what led up to it.

anyway, all that aside, just because he can pick up on the hints that he's being given doesn't mean he has to follow them. amami pockets his hands and takes a few steps to close a bit of the distance between the two of them. )

I don't have anywhere I need to be though. These woods aren't exactly the safest place to be, so I'd rather stick together until you're ready to head back if you don't mind.

[the white cat is running, and a red ribbon trails out of her mouth. and behind her, a tap tap tap-ing as someone is trying to chase her down. Helena's legs are whole again, but their strength isn't fully recovered to the extent that they were from months of walking, swimming, climbing. thus, it's hard to chase down a cat intent on her prize who wants to worm away.]

Please stop...give it back!

[she had only meant to amuse the cat a little, to feel her tugging and batting, not wind up stolen from. it is vexing, since that's her only one left, and if it's gone, what to do?

caught up in this chase, she has no idea of who else could be around.]

( it hasn't been that long and so the memories have yet to fade of hugs and worries, and strong desire to sacrifice in order to keep their brother well, nor the fear they held after possession. the little stories of butterflies, and the make belief concept that there's powers behind rocks, and even the moments where they would fake sleep so that they wouldn't be questioned of their old shames. it's a mixed bag of scenarios where some are good, and others bad, but how could he forget those safe, comedic moments of the other afraid of the dark and hitting komaeda with his own arm, or going to the pool where play sand imitated real sand, and the pool water their ocean. lots of little things that add up to become memorable, and then those memories become something komaeda realizes he'll have the misfortune of forgetting, and the corner of his mouth twitches as he manages to pull a smile. )

Ahaha.

( asking if the other will take the body of another student to survive, the understanding of what would happen the moment komaeda took those fish and set them on the floor of sun four. the argument between half the transfers here, how they believed in none of amami's efforts, listened to nothing komaeda said when hope would come from it, and they would return for a good cause (alice listened, he seemed to understand more than others). to see the other here means he was right, and komaeda has always been right, but the school uniform, the insistence that they're broke and won't come to the shop.

...

he clears his throat, biting back a cough as he looks inside of the shop. )

They've been fine, a few changes here and there... but that's the standard, people want new things, and you have to cater to the public!

( isn't that how it goes? the customer is always right? ah, even komaeda can't keep eye contact... is it too much? should he bite his tongue and return to his post? has he done well enough to let the other inside to see what him and shin have worked on all this time in their absence. amami recalled nothing upon his return, but the subtle switch in words to how have things been... maybe there's something.

do they remember? ) ...Is there anything that you'd like?

( he's a businessman at the moment, but his words a touch fond as if the other could make any request, and komaeda would see to it. )

[ Enough's enough... and the nerves that've taken grip over their stomach doesn't get any better when Amami takes a step towards them, Keigo leaning back a little on their heels but willing themselves not to run. ]

Then... we'll go back before it gets dark. There's... mm... You haven't seen any buildings inside the forest, have you?

( oof. that scary, huh? amami looks... a little bit hurt when he notices, to be honest, but he'll step back again, raising his hands in a motion to indicate that he doesn't mean any harm. )

Nothing inside the forest, no.

( ... )

How about this? I have a compass on me that you might find useful. It could help you find your way to something familiar.

( not their house, mind you, but... chiaki, mizuki — either one of them, he thinks, could be more comforting to them than he is right about now. either one of them, he's sure that the compass would point to, the same way that amami's pointed to keigo. so he'll dig in his pocket for a moment and hold it up for keigo to see, motioning as if to toss it in the other's direction from a distance — though he won't actually throw it unless they look ready to catch. )

[ There are a lot of things they'd like, none of which can be found in a little student store tucked away in a corner of the school. "Happiness," what they'd always advertised, they wonder if there's anything like that here as they slow turn to follow Komaeda into the store, making no promises as their gaze first flicks up to that corner by the window, rising a little on their tippy toes to see behind the counter, giving that back door a curious look. It's a distinctly unsettling feeling, of coming home after vacation to find that you've been evicted and another family's moved into your house and you're just that one emoji of a guy ]

I want...

[ They shift their weight from one foot to the other, moves around in front of Komaeda and tilts their head to force him to look at them. ]

To know what happened.

[ "Helena's legs are whole again," WHAT HAPPENED IN THE TWO MONTHS I WAS GONE

The tap tap tap-ing sends alarm bells off in the back of their head, Keigo turning to see the cat come pelting down the hall, shoes squeaking on hardwood as they brace themselves to catch the fluffy white ball of fur coming at them as if playing soccer goalie— we play this with Laurel all the time, surely it will work on Lily May—-

There's a little grunt as they throw themselves forward, the yowl of a cat overlapping with a fumbled thump and blurted out ] S-sorry! [ because cats are not soccer balls and unlike kittens which can be scooped up, fluffy white cats do not appreciate being squeezed.

...

pitter-patter of cat feet continuing down the hall ]

[ It's a skeptical look that they give Amami while they hold both their hands out, cupped to receive the compass. If it's to orient them to a direction, they've had plenty of experience using the sun, and that skepticism feels founded when the needle swings the opposite direction the moment it touches their hand. ]

...it's broken.

[ Unless the planet's flipped its axis, they can't both be north. ]

It's not that kind of compass.

( he says, as if that's not kind of the point of all compasses, but he keeps the polite distance and tries to keep the amusement off his face as keigo looks so immediately unsatisfied with it. )

It points to people you care about. I'm not a suspicious guy, really, but if you don't believe me... maybe we can find someone you trust a little more.

[ Still unconvinced... it sounds to them like a fortune telling thing, or like a mood ring— they've read about that once before, how thermochromic crystals are capable of changing color depending on temperature, and it wouldn't be too far a stretch to imagine the same property used to affect the direction of a needle.

Like... maybe the blunt end points towards the heat source, aka the person holding it, and then if somebody is standing across from you and they turn the compass around in their hand, moving to Amami's side and watching the needle point... hmm... moving stand in front of Amami and turning around so their back is against his chest and squinting down at the compass silent all the while, like "do NOT tell me how this works, I'm going to figure it out myself" ]

( oh, that's cute. they really are the curious type, huh? it's one thing to read and hear about something like that, but another entirely to watch as they try to puzzle out the compass. he can't say he blames them for the doubt, but... if their back is to his chest, and if he's close enough... can he peek to see if he can get a glance at the direction? it should just be pointing to the school, if anything, but maybe it is broken? )

... It's how I found you out here.

( maybe that'll help clear it up for them. )

Shh! No hints!

[ They're figuring! it out! themselves!!

It's just hard, because their temperature hypothesis isn't holding water, the needle still pointing towards them even though they move the compass around, left right up and down, but then away again when they pull away from Amami and turn towards him, giving the side of the compass a tap with a finger because maybe it's stuck? but it's not stuck, it has to be something else.

What's the difference between themselves and Amami? He's taller, so... no, it can't have anything to do with temperature or mass or electrical signal or anything like that, because they saw it—-

and they can confirm by taking one of Amami's hand and positioning it palm face up so they can place the compass back on his hand and watch the needle swing back towards him, doesn't make sense when Amami would still have the higher/larger temperature/mass/electrical signal/whatever is making this work

They've overthinking this. It points at "the other person" as far as they can tell, so what they need is a third variable. ]

...You're right, we need another test subject.

( there's a bit of a laugh at that, but oh... oh no... there's something soft and warm in his chest at that, even if he's still a little sad, but it's hard to stay down when they're so determined. nodding his head off in one of the directions the compass isn't pointing, he offers a smile instead. )

The school's over that way. Want to test it out with some of the others? Komaeda-kun or Ranger-kun would be easy ones.

( because the compass would point to the other if they had one of those two hold it — an easy proof for amami's claim. )

[ Hmm... Yeah, those two would be easy ones, though it isn't until Amami mentions the names that they recall Komaeda being freakishly cold and Ranger being freakishly warm. Both good controls for the temperature hypothesis.

Going back to school, though, effectively snaps them back to the reality of their situation, and reality comes with a healthy dose of apprehension that's difficult to swallow.

... ]

Where do you think they'll be?

Ranger-kun seems to spend a lot of time in the workshop, so we could check there.

( if not, then there's always the possibility that they could use someone else who's around there instead. nanami is nice enough, and he doesn't mind her company by any means. and either way, the point is that amami would feel a lot safer with them being in the school rather than outside of it. )

[I got her legs completely mangled dwbi they got better

drawing nearer, she heard the scuffle, and then the continuation of the little feet still running away. at this rate, she'll never get that ribbon back right now. she'll have to let it go, and later search for it. slowing down, she asks the only thing she can in this situation, because certainly, that voice...her mind must be playing a trick on her. had to be.]

Are you okay?

[the white cat will be given some kind of treat later for the fuss.]

Okay.

[ ...

They stand there and stare at Amami, clearly waiting for him to take the lead since they're the one who was wandering around lost in the middle of the woods, compass reclaimed and held loose in their hand.

... ]

Can I hold your hand? So I don't get lost.

[ Because no they're not going to watch where they're going, they're going to be staring down at this compass the entire time so they can keep working on it, it's probably something electromagnetic and they just have to think harder about it, maybe there's some tools in the workshop that'll help them solve this as well. ]

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