001 ▸ action & video

[trabryu]

[ACTION] CLOSED ▸ SAYAKA MAIZONO (SPOILERS WITHIN!)
ENTRANCE HALL - DAY 1 22:30

[ (Continuation from the third-person sample.)

Afterlife.

That's the only way to rationalise what Mondo sees here. A realistically bright blue sky within a huge mansion, a place so strange it must've only existed in the world of dreams. There's no way you can see the sky from the first floor, if this is the first floor as he assumed. Even with that aside, this whole place just gives him some unpleasant vibes, not to mention the smell of incense.

It can't be a dream, dead people don't see dreams. He was supposed to be dead, after all. The reason why he felt nothing was because... well, whatever those electric noises he heard were, the voltage was probably so high his body couldn't take it, and he immediately died. Yeah. Makes sense to him.

So him being able to move around right now, unscathed, can only mean one thing.

He's in hell.

He never believes the existence of afterlife, let alone heaven and hell. But here he is, alive and kicking after execution. There's no way he's in heaven, he killed someone ー heck, two people. His own friend, and his own brother, at that. It's only right that he's roasted to death perpetually. Scary as that sounds, it might make him feel slightly better. Maybe.

Though, this place sure isn't what he imagined hell to look like, even if the eerie silence is creepy in its own right.

His eyes scan through the room, finding themselves following the candles lighting the area. Heh, he's got it. They gonna drop and set the whole space into fire, right? He'll wait, then. There's no point running away when he has no way to hide. With his eyes closed, Mondo folds his arms in front of his chest, waiting for the 'true punishment' to befall him. ]

[VIDEO] OPEN ▸ ALL
HIS ROOM - DAY 2 09:00

[ Unless you're a heavy sleeper, you might have heard thunderous noises from the video transmission in the middle of night last night. (Note: Please read the first-person sample only and don't scroll up if you want to avoid DR spoilers!) Before anyone could respond, the video transmission cut off last night, and he would've missed any responses until now since the palm pilot was switched off following the violent throw.

Miraculously, when he tries to switch it back on, it's still working. It's a lot more resilient than it seems, and Mondo's 'considerably' calmer after a good night's rest. He's aware that there must be some use to this device, and after fiddling with it for a while, he attempts to do another video transmission. ]

Uh, so. Can anyone tell me why we're here? How do... things work 'round here?

[ He's not looking right at the camera, simply because he doesn't know how front camera works, but his glare is very... glaring. Agitation is still there, and it's pretty obvious. His pompadour is a splendid corncob now as opposed to last night's rather disheveled state.

Does he know how to turn off the transmission without throwing the phone? Looks like someone needs to give him some 101.

Anyway, a few options for this prompt:
a) send him a video response of last night's chaos, shout at him back for waking you up in the middle of nothing, tell him to calm down, etc;
b) go on video call with/send video response to him following the morning transmission;
c) text in response;
d) wildcard, which means... GET WILD! ]

[ACTION] OPEN ▸ ALL
HALLWAYS - DAY 2 12:00

[ A relatively big (187cm or 6ft 1.6inch) young man will be wandering around, trying to figure out where is what. He still has a scowl on his face, but isn't going to eat you if you talk to him. At least not right away... he's pretty hungry. If you're Kiyotaka Ishimaru, he's gonna bolt the shit out of there moments after he spots you. If you're not, then congrats, he might talk to you for a bit. In fact, he might just start the conversation if you don't. (Feel free to start the conversation and not use this prompt!) ]

Hey. Y'know where the dining room's at? We can eat for free?

Comments

sdr2 spoilers in this thread as well, why not.

[realitybytes]

It could happen.

[ The island was proof enough of that. But even so— ]

'Cause not everyone can trust other people, too.

[ It's a simple enough admission. It happened time and time again on the island, despite her best efforts. It was like running into a brick wall repeatedly and yet, some part of her didn't want to let go of that sentiment. The mansion wasn't the island. The Queen of Hearts and all the others wasn't Monokuma — wasn't Enoshima Junko and her twisted ideals. If they could manage there on the island, in the worst of circumstances, then at least here— ]

But does that mean we shouldn't try?

Re: sdr2 spoilers in this thread as well, why not.

[trabryu]

[ There you go. So thenー

What the chick suggested breaks Mondo's posture immediately. What a bunch of crap. ]

Why should we try shit that we know won't work out?

[realitybytes]

That's a self-fulfilling prophecy . . . I think.

[ She yawns again, promptly zoning out. ]

Ah. I think . . . Ciel-kun was trying to get people who knew self-defense together earlier, though. To maybe train people.

[trabryu]

[ Mondo was about to give a defensive response in reflex, but the slow beat of her speech thankfully gave him time to reevaluate that. Fine, she's got a point. So what? ]

'Course it is. You're responsible for your own life, after all.

[ Wow, she's yawning at him, the fuck's with this chick?!

And who the hell is 'Ciel-kun' anyway? From which fucking building is she looking at him that gives the impression like he gives a fuck? He's totally not butter bitter about getting yawned at, nope. ]

And? That's got nothin' to do with me.

[realitybytes]

[ She seems totally unbothered by his response but then again, she just seems sleepy in general. With a soft hum, she nods. ]

'Kay. It's just that, mm. Some of what you said . . . sort of reminded me of him.

[ That aside— ]

. . . oh yeah. [ She rubs at her eyes with a hand, rousing herself a bit. ] I guess I forgot to introduce myself. Um, I'm Chiaki Nanami. It's nice to meet you.

[trabryu]

[ Don't fall asleep on him, goddammit!! He can't even fucking tell what he's feeling right now. Anger? Disbelief? Amazement? Creeped out? Confused? Maybe a lil' bit of everything. He doesn't give a fuck about that Ciel bastardー

Wow.

Holy shit, now she's gonna introduce herself? What is timing??? Does she even know what TPO is? She's fucking resilient, he's gonna give her that. ]

......

[ Give him a moment to gather himself. He's not gaping for breath, don't worry, just trying to form sentences.

If he thinks about it, all the girls he's met here so far have been generally unperturbed by him, which in itself was some sorta culture shock. This chick though, is in her own tier ー it's almost like she doesn't give a shit and yet she's been lecturing her like he's some clueless brat. ]

Oowada. Mondo Oowada.

[ There, he's just returning the favour. He'd acknowledge that she's got guts, but that also puts her in his mental 'wary list'. He's seen how fucking terrifying women can be, those innocent looking ones tend to be the most dangerous ones.

Though, where has he heard her name before? That sounded pretty darned familiar for some reason... ]

...You're not some ordinary chick, are you.

[realitybytes]

Hmm?

[ What kind of question is that? Besides an odd one, of course. She hums again, considering it, before it occurs to her— ]

I'm the Super High School Level Gamer, if that's what you're asking. Though . . . that doesn't really matter much here, I think.

[trabryu]

[ It's a fucking important question!! She could be the... uh, daughter of some don from some mafia organisation, or... whatever, some gambler like that nutso goth loli chick! (He'll never let go of that teacup chucking, like calm yo hands, or somethin'.)

And...

What.

"Super High School Level"? Don't tell him... ]

...You're from the Hope's Peak too?

[ Not even gonna lie, as much as this ain't a great thing to hear and is shocking, the fact that she's just some gamer kinda relieved him. ]

[realitybytes]

That's right.

[ He said "too," though. Which means . . . ]

Guess we must have been different classes, huh.

[ That's an understatement. ]

[trabryu]

[ The hell?! She's really taking this too darned easily! It's hard to tell whether she's just an airhead or she knows a whole lot more than what he thinks she does. ]

...Yeah, probably.

[ He's staring (read: glaring). So much suspicion. Though, that reminds him... ]

Do you know some chick called Tsumiki? She said she was from Hope's Peak too.

[ Maybe that's why she found Nanami's name familiar. Tsumiki might have mentioned it. ]

[realitybytes]

Oh, you've met Tsumiki-san?

[ She seems to perk up at that . . . relatively speaking, anyway. ]

Yes, I do. She's one of my classmates.

[trabryu]

Huh.

[ Yeah, that must be why, then. ]

So is it true that you guys got sent off to some island or somethin' to kill each other?

[realitybytes]

It's true. We were forced to participate in the Killing School Trip.

[trabryu]

Tch. So it's true. [ If the chick from earlierー Tsumiki wasn't lying, then the ones from his year here so far were him, Maizono, and Ishimaru. But why them, out of everyone? Both Maizono and him were supposed to be dead, so was Ishimaru supposed to be, too? ] Were you guys safe? [ He needs to know. If both Tsumiki and Nanami weren't supposed to be dead, then maybe they were just picked at random, and Ishimaru was safe after all back there. Knowing that Ishimaru was alive here wasn't enough. A part of him really wanted him to be alive back home, too. ]

sdr2 super spoilers.

[realitybytes]

[ That's a loaded question, isn't it? "Were they safe" . . . technically speaking, yes, they were. Even those who died were still technically alive and as slim as the chance may be, there was still a chance that they could one day wake up from their comas. If that was the future that Hinata-kun and the others wished for . . . it would definitely happen, right? She had to believe. It went against her programming not to.

As she considers all of this, she tilts her head to the side, eyeing Mondo calmly. She knew Tsumiki-san's fate — or rather, "fate" — on the island, but Tsumiki-san didn't know. She had a sinking feeling deep within her about the upcoming trial, but no one else knew. So, in the plainest of terms — ]

Yes. We were.

[ Because Tsumiki-san was still alive, somewhere. Because no matter what happened to her, data was data. As long as the others never forgot her, she would never truly be "dead." ]

[trabryu]

[ That's... a huge relief. So huge he doesn't realise he's been holding his breath for the answer, now sighing as the strain in his shoulders relaxes.

There's a chance that Ishimaru's alive back home, and that's what Mondo's gonna believe in. If there's someone who deserves a home to return to, and a bright future to build, it's Ishimaru. He may be pretty darned naive and he's got a long fuckin' way to go, but he's been working goddamn hard for his goals, earnestly and honestly. It's hard not to want to cheer him on. Changing the country's probably too big of a dream, but who knows what can happen? For someone with such a strong grip on his principles and that much of guts like him... Mondo won't deny him from the possibility. ]

Good to hear.

[ It sounded sincere, but it might also be apparent that it wasn't directed to neither Nanami nor Tsumiki. He falls silent for a few beats, trying to decide what to ask next. ]

Say, you remember what you saw last before you got here?

[realitybytes]

What I saw last?

[ She hums softly again, considering — or rather, considering how to phrase it. There wasn't any real need to give him details on their killing game, and Komaeda's subsequent— whatever that was. ]

Jabberwock Island is composed of five different islands and we regained access to each one, slowly but surely. We were exploring the last island . . . it was pretty industrial there. There was a military base and a factory.

[trabryu]

[ Mondo's not sure which one's worse. Being trapped in a school is one thing, being trapped in a huge island is another. At least at the school you know where you are, and there's still a chance, maybe, to get out. Then again, there's also the freedom of being outdoors in an island. Probably won't drive you crazy as much.

But wait. Did she say regaining access to each one island? If they follow the same system of Mondo's class, thenー ]

...Does that mean some people in your class have died too?

[realitybytes]

Yes.

[ Yes and no. On the island and in that reality? Yes. But were they safe? Also yes. It's a tightrope that she's navigating because no one else from Hope's Peak has thought to really ask her questions like these. ]

[trabryu]

[ As much as her short answers bother him, he can sorta feel where she's coming from. He doesn't trust her, it's only given that she doesn't either. ] You guys sure had it rough too. [ Fucking hypocrite coming from him, but shit, that means at least five people are dead on their side. No, ten if they executed the murderers. Ten. Holy crap. ] Then all the more you should've been more wary. Anyone here can be an enemy.

[realitybytes]

Maybe.

[ That's as much as she'll give on that. Maybe she should be more wary of people here. But kindness isn't stupidity. Someone had once mentioned that her nature could lead people to take advantage of her and maybe if she weren't paying attention, that was true. But it was less her nature and more extending a hand to others. They were free to take it or ignore it. ]

Hey, hey. What do you plan on doing here?

[trabryu]

[ He sighs at her persistence. It's fair, though. He's keeping his stance, she's keeping hers, so he ain't gonna say a thing about that. Putting stupid or not aside, she's got some guts, he gotta admit. ]

Dunno.

[ The answer comes almost immediately. He's still trying to figure out how this world works, and he's got a lot to sort out ー the fact that Ishimaru's here makes a whole lotta difference. So there's no clear plans here yet.

The only thing he's got in mind's... to be a better person, maybe. It's his second chance at life, after all. ]

Why d'ya ask?

[realitybytes]

Just wondering.

[ That's it, no other explanation necessary — in her book, anyway. She taps at her cheek thoughtfully before continuing. ]

Say . . . does that mean you're Maizono-san and Ishimaru-kun's classmate?

[ Probably not Ryoko's classmate, given that she had no idea about the killing games. And "died too" would indicate that he had seen something similar, so. ]

[trabryu]

[ That feeling when you're about to roll your eyes but the pit of your stomach drops instead. Ha. Haha. ]

You know them? [ His gaze falls to his side in reflex. ] ...Yeah.

[ There's no point hiding it, but it isn't like he's eager to talk about them either, as curious he is of what Maizono mentioned to him the night before. She said she'd been here for seven months... which is absurd, she shouldn't have known him if that's true. So is she lying? This chick probably knows the key, but he swallows his question. ]

[realitybytes]

Yeah. I met them when I got here. They're pretty nice.

[ Which is not fully describing everything in the slightest but in four words or less? Yeah, they're pretty nice. ]