Aside from the already decrepit state of the sixth floor, there doesn't seem to be anything unusual happening. The students find themselves left curiously... alone. No motives, no murders, no Monobear, it appears. Have they done it? Have they survived long enough that the bear and presumably its master have gotten bored and moved on? Or are they just hanging by a thread, waiting for the other shoe to drop...
With a sound like buckling metal, and an almost painful sounding groan, there comes an almighty crash from the top of the building, audible even from the first floor. With really nothing else to do, the students ascend to the sixth floor to investigate...
"WHAT IS THIS?!"
Popping up from nowhere (as usual), Monobear lets out a yell of indignant rage. The water is now starting to come up to the student's knees, which means that the bear is almost up to his arms in it. He splashes around irritably.
"Those bastards are still messing with my building!! You'd think after some chlorine gas and machine gun fire they'd get the message, but no, they just have to go and mess with my beautiful mall! I'll rip them to shre--"
As he says this, another hole cracks open above him, dumping a brand new waterfall on his head.
*glubglubglubglubglub*
Monobear momentarily silenced by the ceiling's ernest attempt at drowning him, the students ears catch something odd. Is that a... music box tune? It doesn't appear to be coming from downstairs, or any of them, or any of the shops. In fact, it's coming from the hole above them. It's out of their reach, and the water is pouring down from all sides, blocking their view, but they can hear it, an old and familiar tune - London Bridge is falling down, falling down, falling down...
"Geh!! I've HAD IT! FIRE ALL TORPEDOES! LAUNCH EVERY ZIG! I DON'T CARE IF IT'S COPYRIGHTED!! I'LL KILL 'EM!"
He wades off through the water shouting and swearing, eventually disappearing. Within a few minutes, the water starts to slow from above, eventually coming to a dripping stop. It drains from around their feet, cascading down the stairs. Should any of them go to try the taps now, they may find themselves disappointed. The water appears to have been shut off at the mains. Uh-oh. Hope you're not too thirsty.
The lights rise on what looks like a house of cards. Only, it’s entirely too large, and each card is made of concrete. They balance precariously on each other, occasionally groaning worryingly. Sat in one of the archways is Kagome, curled up and hugging her knees to her chest. And though she already looks terrified at the unstable structure all around her, her eyes widen further when multiple Monobears file in and stand in a circle around her, linking hands and chanting the children’s nursery rhyme.
Kagome kagome
The bird in the basket
Oh when will it come out
In the evening of the dawn
The crane and turtle slipped
Who is it behind you?
The song ends, and there is an abrupt, loud creaking from the concrete cards. Kagome whips around to see who is behind her as the song dictates, but instead sees not Monobear, but Nariko, behind a barrier.
The bears all giggle and scatter, and as Nariko leaps the low wall to pull Kagome from danger, the house of cards collapses with a thunderous crash, shaking the floor. The dust settles, and all that is left is the rubble, and the smallest trickle of blood.
The mall-goers’ IDs ping as a new section is added to their screens.
Victim: Inoue Daisuke
Time of Death: 8:15pm
Time of Discovery: 8:35pm
Location: Arcade
Cause of Death: Punctured lungs, multiple organ failure.
State of Body: Daisuke is propped up against the Rhythm Madness 4: Horror on the Dancefloor machine in the arcade. His body shows signs of being beaten up, along with blood from his mouth, multiple stab wounds, broken bones, and he is also missing a shoe.
State of Crime Scene: All the machines in the arcade are functioning accordingly. Blood has dripped and sprayed messily around where the body lies.
The evening is drawing in, though there's still about an hour and a half left to go until the stores close. Sayuri, like the proactive protagonist she is, is walking about and passes by the arcade with her book of the moment, and glances up at the flashing lights within.
There's something sticking out from around the corner of one of the machines. A foot? A bare foot, no less. With sudden dread, the bookseller approaches to check on the owner, but quickly finds herself much too late.
The alarm goes off. Wait, what?
"Following a brief period of investigation, we will commence our trial!"
She looks around for anyone else. She is alone, and staring down at the lifeless body of...
Inoue Daisuke, propped up against one of the rhythm game machines. Seems like whoever did this has a twisted sense of humour... but who?
The beautiful gardens of Denev are steeped in history and wonder, having been maintained for the past 500 years at this very spot. Where is this very spot? Who knows. Somewhere south of Russia but north of the Himalayas but west of China and east of Turkey. Either way the plants adore it. The gardens have expanded over the years to include plant types from around the world, each kept in their own little environments. Ecosystems, as they’re called. Ecosystem 1 is a greenhouse type setting. Ecosystem 2 explores the conditions of a tundra. Ecosystem 3 takes you to the arid heat of the desert, and so on! Visit today, and see if you can’t grow yourself as well!
That’s what the brochure reads on the front. Apparently, whoever saw fit to kidnap you and strand you in the middle of this glorified greenhouse was at least polite enough to give you a little information regarding your location. Really, really vague information, but still better than nothing. The leaves of a nearby bush rustle, and you hear a sinister, hissing laugh. Now, if you could just figure out how to leave…
Garden Ronpa is a Dangan Ronpa OC RP, set in a universe without the events of the main Dangan Ronpa games. As one of the 173rd class of Hope’s Peak, you will be pitted against your friends in a game of mutual killing, supervised by our serpentine scenery guide, Monopython.
Who knows how long it's been since the blackout. But then, all of a sudden, the ground begins to rumble. The lights flicker -- on, off, on, off, on -- and stay lit. And a moment later, everything goes silent.
A familiar voice comes over the intercoms, while the screens by the information kiosk and mounted around the floors light up. Just as if this had been like old times.
...
"Ehh... this is a security announcement. Now that the lights are back on, all mall-goers should report to the information kiosk immediately. Anyone who fails to comply with this wish will be eliminated."
Damn. Maybe the lights should've stayed off. But you figure it's best to not dilly-dally. You hurry to the information kiosk, where Monobear stands waiting.
"Hey there, idiots! I'm glad we finally shed some light on this despairing situation just in time for the motive. And the blackout, for the record, was totally planned! Ahaha..."
Yet he doesn't sound too certain about that.He clears his throat.
"Anyway, I have a special surprise for you all. Because I'm sure you miss your loser friends, I've decided to make a deal with you! If you get away with killing, you'll be able to bring one of your friends back to life."
Murmurs spread throughout the crowd. This can't be legitimate, can it? He's probably messing around yet again.
Monobear cackles.
"Ahahaha! Don't think I'm serious? Well, here's your proof!"
A golden retriever races out from behind the bend. His tail is wiggling and his tongue is flopping and he looks very much alive.
"Good boy, Biscuit! See, and here you thought the pet detective's little sidekick was dead. But nope, here he is. And if that's not enough proof, then what is?"
The bear's grin grows. He giggles and does a little spin before racing out. He leaves parting words with you, though:
"Get killing!"
You look over at Biscuit, who's staring happily at you all. What, are you supposed to take care of him now? Well, good thing there's a pet store.
It happens slowly and then all at once. When the lights flicker initially, you might not think much of it. After all, maybe someone's fiddling with the electronics store. Yet when it flickers again, you may begin to worry. But by then it's too late.
The world around you turns pitch black. No doubt you and those around you all freeze, waiting for Monobear to come over the intercom. And finally, he does. The intercom seems to be working, luckily, even though the power is clearly out.
"Ehh? Testing, testing. Upupupupu! Oh, good. This still seems to be in working order."
The bear clears his throat.
"And this means I have a chance to ask you: how did you manage this one, you idiots? There aren't even any power boxes around here. So 'fess up: who did this and why?"
All's quiet. You can't move and you're too afraid to speak. What... so this isn't one of his tricks?
Monobear sighs.
"Alright, alright. I'll see if the emergency lights still work. And you all better be looking for a solution soon too, because who wants to live n the dark forever?"
A moment later, small red security lights illuminate the area around you. They cast everything in an eerie red glow. Well, at least it's better than pitch black.
You wonder if he was serious about the whole 'searching for a way to turn the lights back on' thing, because if so, you have your work cut out for you.
Igarashi Naeko has been found guilty! Commencing execution...
Curtain Call
At first, everything is in complete darkness. Then the stage lights come up, their harsh light stinging Naeko’s eyes and prompting her to attempt to shield them with her hand, only for it to touch something… cork? A mask? Once her eyes have finally adjusted, she can only look up at a steep audience rake fanning out in front of her. It’s impossible to pick out faces like this, but she can see glowing eyes. Watching in anticipation.
She looks around to try and gauge the situation. The girl knows that she will die – the only question now is how. Of course, there’s going to be some dreadful, talent related irony. It’s a common theme, isn’t it? Naeko is almost eager to see what Monobear can come up with. She sees that she’s in some kind of costume; a white, elegant draping dress. Golden jewellery (although she can tell that it is fake) decorates her arms, a circlet in her hair. It’s a costume fit for a goddess.
When she sees a chorus of Monobears, she quickly pieces the evidence together. Mask. Arena-like amphitheatre. Chorus. She can only smile wryly underneath her mask at the irony; a Greek execution for a Greek goddess. Not her particular favourite theatre genre, but it’s certainly a grand way to go.
The chorus begin a chant, although she is unable to pick out the words. It’s decidedly aggressive, perhaps even primal. She muses on which tragic heroine she will become. Antigone? Cassandra? Polyxena?
Her thoughts are promptly cut off when something hits her square on the mask with a loud ‘thunk’. The mask cracks down the middle and she is knocked down. She looks at the offending object: a golden apple.
Now she laughs, and the amphitheatre’s structure can only amplify the sound. Eris, huh? Perfect. A new play of her own.
The chorus waste no time in dragging her back to her feet, and she bites back a hiss of pain when one of their claws digs into her burned arm. Their chant becomes deafening as more apples fly from the audience. At first, she is determined to endure, but eventually she begins to writhe, desperate to be free. And she manages, at the cost of gaining a huge gash to the tender skin of her burned arm. She practically catapults forwards, collapsing to the ground as the remains of her mask fall to the ground.
This is the time for a deus ex machina, isn’t it?
She looks up and sees birds flying overheard, and for a brief moment it seems as though everything is going to be alright. But then they swoop down, screeching – harpies, harpies! – and she can only try to shield her head. There’s no point masking her terror now, as screams resonate throughout.
A minute later, and it’s clear that Igarashi Naeko will never go back to directing. Her white dress has almost changed colour completely, and practically all that is left intact is her hand: still clutching that apple.
State of Body: Otome's body is laid out on the floor of the parlour. She has been stabbed on the chest and abdomen several times, and there is a wound on the back of her head.
State of Crime Scene: One broken mirror, several shards scattered on the floor, and bloodstains leading from the mirror to where Otome now lays.
A good morning for all, and Eito is happily strolling around the fourth floor when he feels something slippery below his feet. Making sure nobody is around, he lifts his paper a little and looks down. There's a trail of little bloody drops coming - or going - to the Nail Parlour. With trepidation, he approaches, and peers inside.
What he sees makes him yelp in shock, attracting the attention of Mizuno Akira, who was just coming out of the elevator nearby. He comes to Eito's side, and also stares at the scene. Not a few seconds later comes Matsuoka Chiko, looking for someone...
... And unfortunately he finds that person... and the discovery alarm goes off.
"Following a brief period of investigation, we will commence our trial!"
...
Himemiya Otome lays prone on the floor, amongst the glass of a broken mirror. How? Why? They would have to work to find out.
A voice comes over the intercoms, while the screens by the information kiosk and mounted around the floors light up.
What did the bear want now? Everyone was beginning to hate each other; what more could he want?
...
"Ehh, this is a security announcement! I hope you idiots are happy! Everyone report to Club BR and hurry up! I know how slow you can be."
He doesn't sound happy. You hurry to the store, wondering what could possibly be happening. The shutters are down and Monobear waits expectantly in front.
"Listen up, kiddos! Have you noticed two of you are missing yet? I would laugh, but this isn't a laughing matter. Two of your friends and/or enemies decided it would be a good idea to wreck the place. I'm not beary happy with any of you right now!"
He's fuming. You wonder what could've happened.
"None of you are taking this seriously! You need to get ahold of yourselves. There's no hope and there's no way you're ever getting out of here. Now, go see who's inside. Hopefully they'll set an example that this isn't a game."
And with that, he waddles off. The shutters of Club BR open. You all enter the store and are immediately greeted by a mess. Towards the back of the store, though, you're met with a terrible sight.
...
Across from each other are the bodies of Yoshida Yoshiro and Serizawa Hibiki. It would look almost as if they're having a conversation if it isn't for the blood everywhere. Monobears lay scattered across the floor and glass shards from broken snowglobes litter the ground. A Monobear is even speared through its body and is propped up by Hibiki as if it was a trophy.
Whether this had been a suicide or an act of defiance, there's no doubt the two will ever be seen arguing or laughing again.
A voice comes over the intercoms, while the screens by the information kiosk and mounted around the floors light up.
...
"Ehh… this is a security announcement. All students report to the information kiosk immediately. Anyone who fails to comply with this wish will be eliminated."
Wait... what? Didn't the motive already happen? Granted, it wasn't much of a motive... but still! This isn't fair. Yet by now you realize that it's key you follow Monobear's instructions. You abandon whatever you had been doing in order to go to the information kiosk.
Monobear is already there when you arrive and he doesn't look happy.
"Alright, idiots! Listen up! I heard you talking about how this motive isn't very enticing. And you know what?"
"It fills me with rage! I try beary hard to make things interesting and what do I get? Nothing. I hate you!"
But then his voice gets eerily sweet. For some reason it's almost scarier than when he's mad.
"Oh... but speaking of hate..."
Monobear giggles.
"Upupupu! Due to some strictly scientific stuff none of you dumb kids will understand, you'll be starting to feel a bit different towards some of your classmates."
There he goes again, not-so-subtly dancing around the scientific portion of the motive. Regardless... what's he speaking of?
"Ahahaha! Guess what that means, kiddos! You'll now feel irrational hate towards one of your peers. You won't be able to stand them. The sight of them will make your blood boil... ooh, what a great feeling hatred is."
Huh? You all look around and instantly lay eyes on another person. No doubt you will start to feel unmasked loathing towards each other. Monobear laughs again at your surprised faces.
"So get killing!"
And then he disappears. This can't end well.
[Please send a question to the mods on Skype for whom you hate]
