like the phoenix we will rise

shizukana miller // status: alive

[millerscrown-blog]

once again, here we stand || OPEN

Was this... even a motive? Misato wasn't sure - the bear just seemed to tell people to kill. Surely nobody would kil-

Wait, no, she thought that before. And she was proven wrong time and time again. So, by Murphy's Law, someone would kill. This was an all-or-nothing situation, really. It's almost as if whoever killed would be helping them find out who was behind all of this. Not really a favor, but it worked out in its own weird way.

Rather than heed the words of the bear, she decided it would be best to just act as if nothing happened, and so she plopped down at the cafe, patiently waiting for someone to come and talk to her. Once she heard the footsteps of someone approach her, she turned and smiled at them. She hadn't worn her scarf since Yuu died. It felt wrong to, honestly.

"Hey! How's it goin'? You think the bear's losing his touch, or is that just me? Not really much of a motive, honestly."

[millerscrown-blog]

easy being a hero || OPEN

He had to do it.

He had to go and protect her.

Misato didn't know if she was pissed, or if she was flattered. It almost seemed like a mix of the two.

Fuck Chiasa Matsushita. For killing Yuu, for killing the one fucking person here she loved.

Accident or not, she wanted to find Chiasa's corpse and snap her spine.

How she even remotely considered liking Chiasa, she would never know. How Yuu liked her, even, was beyond her as well.

Everything... stung. She felt dead inside, almost, like a part of her was dead when Yuu passed.

He should be here right now, standing here. Not her. She didn't know what his letter meant - how was she supposed to help when nobody trusted her?

Even when he was dead, he was still an idiot. But he was her idiot, so she would try to make him happy. For once.

She wanted to go on a date with him. But it was too late, now. She didn't even have a picture of him, nothing. He was just... gone. Like he didn't exist in the first place, like he was just a figment of her imagination.

Her tears were bitter. She hadn't cried since... since the orphanage. Did anyone here even know about that? Did she even tell Yuu about it?

How many regrets did she have to live with? How many times did she have things she wanted to do, but couldn't? Is this what it was like to... to feel, to be human? How had she missed out on this?

And then she remembered. Him. The man who set her on this path, the man she sent to hell. It was his fault. She was only ten when her mom died, and when she ended his life. She hadn't lived with regrets after that; she felt everything was perfect, and that vengeance solved everything. But now... now she was unsure. Maybe Yuu knew that sacrificing himself would help but. Knowing him, she doubted it.

Any other trains of thought were interrupted by someone approaching her. She assumed they heard her crying, or just wanted to explore with her. Either way, Misato had to put on a brave face, like Yuu wanted her to.

"Oh, hey. You as surprised as I am that the bear hasn't cleaned this floor up? He's gettin' kinda sloppy now. Almost feels like endgame now, actually."

[shslqualitea-blog]

“Because I am your Queen. And I always will be..”

something i never finished, but enjoy it nonetheless. 

[shslbabybrows-blog]

✧ Thrive ✧ OPEN

[shslbabybrows-blog]

Kirie tensed up as Misato moved into the room, keeping his expression relatively pleasant while simultaneously sliding a foot behind him. He relaxed a bit when Misato perched herself on a counter. Though he had not spoken to her very much over the time they had been trapped here, Kirie still noticed that she seemed somehow different than before.

“Shi- … Shizukana-san.” 

He said her name with hesitation, remembering what the bear had told them all during the trial. It seemed she had played a bigger part in this dire situation than anyone could have known—a good number of her classmates had directed anger and blame her way after her role was revealed, but Kirie had taken the news differently. 

“I’m alright,” he said with a weary smile—not entirely true, but he was doing his best to put on a cheery face. Straightening, he put a hand to his chest and spoke with a burst of impassioned strength. 

“I think the best thing we can do is move forward … We can’t let this break our spirit! Surely there is a way to escape this place, and if anyone can succeed … it has to be the students of Hope’s Peak!” 

Kirie rested his hand on the table and glanced once around the room before returning his gaze to Misato. 

“Shizukana-san … Is it alright if I ask you about … what we learned during trial?” His own subject change made him uneasy, but still he went on. “Do you really … not remember anything about the person who ordered this?”

[millerscrown-blog]

This question would be asked often in the future, that she was certain of. As for how many times she'd be willing to answer it, she wasn't sure. As Misato processed everything Kirie told her, she had mixed reactions, much like the students of Hope's Peak.

"Before I even attempt to answer your question, do you know that I'm not a member of Hope's Peak? Like, at all? All of the students here are actual students, while I was just a mole for what used to be a good organization."

The Skulls... she missed them, honestly. They wanted to end corruption, to stop all war, and yet here they were, telling her to kidnap these kids for some ungodly purpose.

"The people in my merc group that ordered me to do this - they weren't there originally. While I was the figurehead of the group, the 'head honcho' or the 'Boss' or whatever you wanna call it, I still had orders. But I remember everyone in my staff, and these people... just showed up one day, out of the blue - nothing new, we got volunteers because of word of mouth, but this was different. They had this... vibe to 'em, different from the willing, sort of younger, volunteers that arrived periodically. They felt like they had a purpose in mind, but I don't know what they intended, besides getting you all rounded up. One of 'em had black hair, freckles, and gray eyes - kinda like Yuu, but hot. Like, real hot, and super badass. Also she's a she so she's not Yuu and I'm definitely not implying Yuu isn't hot but you know man shit just happens and all that and WOW I am off-track. Anyway, she was just kinda there, passing along orders to me, but I don't think she personally ordered me to kidnap you all. When I try to remember the face of the other person, I just get this... blur. I'm assuming blurryface and the hot black-haired chick were working together, but that's all speculation, to be honest. Maybe blurryface is the one who ordered it."

[millerscrown-blog]

shadows will scream that i am alone || open

[shslno-blog]

Saeko said nothing, and ignored Shizukana. Just looking at her brought back hideously angry memories from the trial. She was the one reason everyone was stuck in there. As far as she was concerned, she was in the room with everyone’s enemy. 

Seeing if it would catalyze a response, Saeko continued to stay in the room, very explicitly giving Shizukana the cold shoulder. Still, she kept an eye on her adversary, making sure she wouldn’t get stabbed in the back.

[millerscrown-blog]

It was obvious that not everyone would be pleased as punch to interact with Misato. Such was life, she figured, but she didn't have to let it bother her. Despite feeling the cold shoulder, Misato blew it off entirely, acting as if she and Saeko were the best of friends.

"Oh! Koryiama-san! It's good to see you. Crazy shit at the trial, right?"

Pawn to A3. It was Saeko's turn to move her piece.

Let the games begin.

[shslbabybrows-blog]

✧ Thrive ✧ OPEN

A full day and night had passed after the trial with Kirie nowhere to be seen. He kept his bedroom locked, shutting himself out from the world so that he could collect his thoughts. Between sleeping, it was all he did—so much had happened lately, the least of which had been the secrets revealed during trial.

On the second day after Yuuki’s death and Aito’s execution, Kirie emerged from his room, pulling his fur coat closer to him as he tread softly through the halls. He had not yet visited the newly opened floor yet, but he expected one—perhaps this was why no one seemed to be around. As he ascended the steps to the third floor, Kirie did not know whether a familiar face was something he craved, or something he dreaded.

With an alert glance around the area, Kirie visited the infirmary first. Medical paraphernalia surrounded him as he took a few paces into the room. Bottles of pills, IVs, needles—all things that were no doubt useful for saving people’s lives but seemed somehow sinister in the midst of that bear’s game. Kirie cringed as he approached the shelves and picked up the first bottle of pills he saw, reading over the label. Kirie was startled by the sound of a door swinging open. Wide-eyed, Kirie flinched and the bottle flew from his hand, clacking onto the ground and sending pills flying in all directions.

“Ah—!!” Kirie cried out, freezing in place as the pills rolled to the ends of the floor. Fear fading from his eyes, he looked up at the classmate that had come in after him and gave a little smile.

“Ehe~ You … startled me a bit …” He chirped, laying a hand across his chest . After making such a scene in front of everyone when he discovered Yuuki’s body, Kirie seemed to making every effort to return to the way he was, but there was a wariness in his body language that had not been there before. On instinct, he took a step back.

[millerscrown-blog]

"Oh, hey Kubo-kun. Tryin' to get high over here? I can tell ya, those pills aren't the way to do it. Somethin' else in this room oughta do the trick."

These words... they were so foreign to Misato, personally. She hadn't spoken this casually, this jokingly, before. Maybe that'd help change her reputation as a monster.

Just maybe.

"Anyway, all jokes aside, are you all good? I know you found Yuuki's body, and the whole trial was a stressfull mess for... well, fuckin' everybody. Glad it's over, with, though." A slight pause for an awkward laugh interrupts her sentence, but she continues. "Hopefully everyone else is as willing as I am to move on from it."

She could see he was bothered - the step back was obvious enough, so she kept her distance, opting to sit on top of one of the counters in the room, swinging her legs as she did so. She whistled a quiet tune, waiting for his response.

[shslfreckles-deactivated2016012]

a little fucked up

Yuu felt sick.

His whole body ached, and he fought the urge to puke. His secret was among the worst- far more evil than even Yuuki Senge herself, who’d ordered someone’s death via firing squad. And they all thought SHE was bad when a serial killer was loose among the group.

He wanted to explain it all, but also wanted to force the memories back into the deepest crevices of his mind. They were something of the past, something he told himself he’d never return to. And yet… Here he was again, trapped in a place where murder became the daily routine.

He felt his whole body shiver as he walked into the hospital room, looking around for something… Anything. His eyes swelled with tears as he reached for a tissue but did nothing more with it aside from toying with the paper in his fingers.

“We gotta… We gotta…” He sobbed to no one in particular. “We gotta do s-somethin’. We gotta do somethin’ now…”

[millerscrown-blog]

Misato had gotten out of the unmarked room, only to stumble into the medical room. This was still an awful room, but at least Yuu was here, right? That made it better.

Or at least, it would have, if he wasn't losing his goddamn mind. She'd have to help with that.

"What do you suggest, exactly? Kinda implies you're gonna come up with a plan or somethin."

She sort of hoped he would. Right now, she was clueless. Or. At least slightly clueless.

"Hey, listen. Come with me to the cafe. On a..."

The word caught in her throat. It was like Shizukana was still there, holding back the word, not wanting it to be uttered. But it slipped out regardless.

"Date. On a date. I think you could use a break from all of the... drama goin' around. So come on. I might look rough but I'm a decent cook, at the very least. Unless you'd prefer something made already?"

[millerscrown-blog]

shadows will scream that i am alone || open

Out of all the trials, this one - this specific trial, that bear be damned, had to be the one to ruin everything.

Four people died.

Yuuki, Takahiro, Aito... and the girl everyone knew as Shizukana Miller. In her stead lived Misato Meiji, the polar opposite of the quiet, stoic individual that seemed to inhabit this body prior to her arrival.

It felt... wrong, in a sense. To be inhabiting a shell. To live a lie for so long, and to forget who you truly were. Had she forgotten her purpose? To help, rather than to harm?

Perhaps that didn't matter - it was like Shiori said. She was a monster. Misato, and Shizukana. Both of them were monsters. Shizukana was responsible for everyone ending up in this place, and Misato... Misato was the reason they were an orphan in the first place.

Her whole existence was a curse.

But she'd deal with it. With the rejection, the loathing, the constant question "what if?". All of it. She wasn't sure why, but she just. She felt she had to live now. She had died twice over, in a metaphorical sense. This was a rebirth, an awakening. This is who she was meant to be, how she was meant to act, and so she decided that in this moment, she would live with her scars. They were part of her, clearly, and there was no use running. That would just show that she was a coward. But she, Misato, was not a coward. Shizukana, on the other hand... she was. Despite acting like she was fearless, she was afraid. Of what, she wasn't sure. But they knew that she was.

Lingering in the unmarked room, something felt... familiar here. Like she had been in this specific room before. Maybe Shizukana had been here, but Misato definitely hadn't been in here, so this room was new to her. The IVs, the beds... it didn't just feel familiar. It felt like there was an air of guilt, of secrecy, beyond even what she knew. The room was bothersome, to say the least, so she had to get out of there.

And with her luck, she runs straight into someone.

"Oh, sorry! Didn't see you there. You okay?"

An intro many have gone through, but not Misato. Not for the longest time, at least.

[millerscrown-blog]

into the darkness || closed (yuu)

Shizukana could see the fear in his eyes - the panic, the worry. What was the secret the bear gave Yuu? Certainly it couldn't be that dire? The situation at hand was much worse, anyway. She approached him, gently placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Yuu-chi? Is everything okay? You look like you've seen a ghost."

He didn't get his own secret, right? Monobear was never that idiotic. Well, that was questionable, but so far, that bear managed to find clever ways to turn everyone against each other.

Which also ruled Yuu out as the one behind all of this, even if he was bullshitting everyone. Granted, he was a good liar, but not the best of them.

She got more quiet than usual, whispering to him at this point.

"I'm guessing you got a bad secret, then? Do you want to talk about it? Or are we keeping the secrets especially secret?"

She had no clue what he would choose to do, but overall she hoped he would share with her - after all, any dirt was good dirt. Even if it was on her friends.

[millerscrown-blog]

better late than never || open

At first, the scene that played out in front of her took a while to process. Sure, she knew who did it, but to see them explode in a million pieces?

…It was kind of awesome, actually. Sure, Isao died, but at least he went out with a bang, right?

That’s what she told herself, at least. She was still detached from everyone here, not wanting to get too close. What Isao did, even if it was an accident, was proof enough that life here meant very little to those desperate to escape. It was almost with a heavy heart that she admitted that to herself, as she wanted to keep an inkling of hope alive within herself. But once Mamoru died, that all faded, and Shizukana became distant once more.

A new floor opened up, and it was back to the usual routine. Look around, see what was going on, try to avoid people if possible (with Yuu around, it never was). And that was what she tried to do. She was too focused on the guns on the new floor, wondering why they would even be in an office building, when someone tapped her on the shoulder. She wanted to just ignore them, but she knew she couldn’t - it was hard to ignore people here if they were persistent (like Yuu), and so she regrettably turned around to talk to the person who was interrupting her brainstorming session.

“Well? What is it?”

[enou-chuubachi-blog]

“Ah, Shizukana-san… ‘s it a bad time?”

Enou pulled back a little, scratching his cheek. “Um, ‘s nothin’ important, I just… Umm… We’re friends, right? At least good acquaintances?”

He shifted his weight from foot to foot, the techno music from his headphones filling the little gap of silence.

“I guess it’s nothin’ urgent, so, um, I can catch you later ‘f y’re not in the mood? Are y’ just checkin’ out the new floor or…”

[millerscrown-blog]

Oh, it was Enou - one of her actual friends here (a rare occurrence, but that was primarily her fault). Her conversation with Yuu had changed how she reacted to people, ever so slightly, and especially to friends.

"Hey, Chuubachi-san! Sorry if I unnerved you, I was just thinking about a lot of deep stuff."

It might have been strange to see the once-distant girl smile for once, but she liked it - it felt real. It felt like who she was supposed to be.

"What kinda question is that? 'Course we're friends. You're a chill dude, so it's not surprising, honestly. Why d'ya ask, though?"

Her eyes darted back to the guns, not wanting to dwell on them more.

"Honestly, nah, I'm done looking at the stuff on this floor. I'm just hoping these guns don't kill someone. We've had enough death in this place."

[millerscrown-blog]

better late than never || open

At first, the scene that played out in front of her took a while to process. Sure, she knew who did it, but to see them explode in a million pieces?

…It was kind of awesome, actually. Sure, Isao died, but at least he went out with a bang, right?

That’s what she told herself, at least. She was still detached from everyone here, not wanting to get too close. What Isao did, even if it was an accident, was proof enough that life here meant very little to those desperate to escape. It was almost with a heavy heart that she admitted that to herself, as she wanted to keep an inkling of hope alive within herself. But once Mamoru died, that all faded, and Shizukana became distant once more.

A new floor opened up, and it was back to the usual routine. Look around, see what was going on, try to avoid people if possible (with Yuu around, it never was). And that was what she tried to do. She was too focused on the guns on the new floor, wondering why they would even be in an office building, when someone tapped her on the shoulder. She wanted to just ignore them, but she knew she couldn’t - it was hard to ignore people here if they were persistent (like Yuu), and so she regrettably turned around to talk to the person who was interrupting her brainstorming session.

“Well? What is it?”

[shslfreckles-deactivated2016012]

     Yuu wasn’t necessarily LOOKING for Shizukana, but they always seemed to run into each other. Even if he knew that she was undoubtedly trying to avoid him. What had he ever done? He wondered. He was just being himself, after all. An annoying, persistent, 100% not faked at all version of himself. He was the embodiment of an honest and trustworthy man.

     “Good morning, Shizukana-sama, how are you feeling?” He chirped as if nothing ever happened. Which, in his mind, he supposed it didn’t. He was actively trying to avoid it, that much was obvious. 

     “Did you see the ballroom? We’re gonna have a stellar party in there, and there’s an invite with yoooooour name on it. Eh? Are you up for it? We really can’t have much of a party without you there. I mean, after all, who else is gonna call me useless and a waste of space?”

     He snorted like it didn’t even affect him whatsoever that she constantly insulted him. And maybe he really didn’t care. It wasn’t obvious what he was feeling- if he even felt at all. 

[millerscrown-blog]

And there he was. Right on schedule, too. It always took two minutes for him to find her, almost as if he was a lost dog.

...Actually, that gave Shizukana a good idea.

"Stop talking. First, I want you to put this on."

She took the dog collar she got from the Monomachine out of her pocket. How did a whole collar fit into her pants pocket? Perhaps it was magic? (It wasn't. She wore men's jeans.)

"You already follow me around like a dog, we might as well make it official."

She then paused, still studying the guns a bit more before responding to Yuu.

"I'll pass. I'm not one for parties. If you want me to do that stuff, we can do that any other time. Just not at a party. People aren't my... 'thing', I guess. But that's obvious."

There was a longer pause for her, realizing what she just said. She hadn't really focused on that idea, honestly. How many friends did she have here? Enou, right? Maybe Yuu, on good days?

Was she that afraid of people? Even after what happened to her, she didn't think it was the fault of anyone here. To her memory, at least. Maybe she just intentionally avoided them because she didn't want to be hurt once more? That seemed logical, at least. But even then, it was still unfair to everyone.

Her fist went in the opposite direction of Yuu, a complete first, striking the wall next to her. She hated this version of herself - this distant, alienated person. Time had made her jaded, but she didn't have to stay jaded. She turned to Yuu, frustration and disappointment traveling throughout her body.

"All my life, I've been haunted by the scars of my past. I'm tired of that, now. I want to move on, to forge my own future the way it should have been."

The scarf that was wrapped around her mouth fell to the floor, revealing Shizukana's mouth. Scars run up and down the length of her lips, implying her mouth was sewn shut at one point.

"Keep in mind I don't show this to just anyone. Even if I talk shit about you, Yuu-chi, I still consider you a friend. You're just fun to fuck with."

[millerscrown-blog]

better late than never || open

At first, the scene that played out in front of her took a while to process. Sure, she knew who did it, but to see them explode in a million pieces?

...It was kind of awesome, actually. Sure, Isao died, but at least he went out with a bang, right?

That's what she told herself, at least. She was still detached from everyone here, not wanting to get too close. What Isao did, even if it was an accident, was proof enough that life here meant very little to those desperate to escape. It was almost with a heavy heart that she admitted that to herself, as she wanted to keep an inkling of hope alive within herself. But once Mamoru died, that all faded, and Shizukana became distant once more.

A new floor opened up, and it was back to the usual routine. Look around, see what was going on, try to avoid people if possible (with Yuu around, it never was). And that was what she tried to do. She was too focused on the guns on the new floor, wondering why they would even be in an office building, when someone tapped her on the shoulder. She wanted to just ignore them, but she knew she couldn't - it was hard to ignore people here if they were persistent (like Yuu), and so she regrettably turned around to talk to the person who was interrupting her brainstorming session.

"Well? What is it?"

[millerscrown-blog]

primum mortis, primo defectum|| open

Kirie’s screams echoed throughout the halls, reaching Shizukana’s room, where she was napping. She was a light sleeper, so it wasn’t much of an issue to be woken up, but it had to be a damn good reason for screaming. She rushed down the halls, wanting to make sure her classmate wasn’t getting murdered, and thankfully, when she reached him, he wasn’t.

Though she couldn’t say the same for Mamoru. She never got to know them on a personal level, but she still couldn’t help but feel a twinge of sadness. Her promise to Takahiro felt like empty words at this point, but she still had to remain strong. A person was dead, and she needed to figure out why. (The hole in their chest was a good starting point.)

Shizukana got down on her knees, scanning her eyes across the corpse before deciding to approach another student, not wanting to be the one to do all the work. Her brow raised slightly, her stance questioning but not overly clueless.

“So, got any ideas in mind?”

[animatronicboy-deactivated20160]

Denshi stood there silently, trying to avert their face from the body, not wanting to stare at the gaping hole in Mamoru’s chest any longer.  But what would the rest of their fellow classmates think of them leaving so soon? Would it make them suspicious or something? Not knowing exactly what to do in this kind of situation, Denshi turned around to take their leave back to their room before someone roped them into an uncomfortable conversation.

Too late. A student they hadn’t spoken to before had approached them.

“The robot bear said we should investigate, right? So that’s a good starting point.” Maybe that came out a bit more snarky than they’d meant for it to.

[millerscrown-blog]

Well, this was a new one. Not being able to see eyes yet being able to see their mouth? This kid was a departure from the norm. Kinda cool, actually. Though their comment took away from that slightly.

"That's obvious. Honestly, though, I'm pretty sure there's nothing left to look for. Besides, I feel like most people here have a good idea of who did it. At this point it's just getting ready for that trial the bear talked about."

Shizukana stood up, fully facing the person she was talking to. She extended a hand towards them in greeting.

"Shizukana Miller - but call me Shizukana."

[millerscrown-blog]

primum mortis, primo defectum|| open

[millerscrown-blog]

Ah, Yuu. Dear, sweet Yuu.

He was being counterproductive per usual, something that, in this instance alone, wasn’t entirely his fault - he seemed off, in a way. Not his usual annoying self. She elected to ignore his comments for a bit, deciding to pat down the body to look for anything of interest before replying. She didn’t turn towards him to talk, however, as she felt that this was only fair for a bit.

“Just because everyone’s looked at it doesn’t mean I won’t find something. Two people can look in a pantry for food and completely miss what they’re looking for, while a third person can find it in a second. It takes experience to find what’s been overlooked.”

She stood up, already certain of the clue she’d found, but she felt it best for Yuu to take a look himself.

“The fact a half-blind girl can find something better than most people here is kind of sad, really. But take a look, Yuu-chi.”

Her tongue burned at the usage of -chi for Yuu, but it happened, and she couldn’t take it back.

Regret was all everyone felt today, anyway.

That she was sure of.

[shslfreckles-deactivated2016012]

     Everything else seemed to fade away when she called him “Yuu-chi.” 

     Of course, not in a romantic sense- it was hardly the time for that- but more so in a “I knew it!” sort of way. In fact, he leaned over and outright hugged her, smiling the whole time as you did so.

     “Knew you couldn’t hate me, Shizukana-sama,” he whispered, pressing his face against her shoulder. Honestly, he wasn’t really doing it as a game or to get attention. Part of him just needed the hug right about now. To remind him of his own humanity.

     When he pulled away, he nudged her carefully- okay, yes, that one was more of a pesky touch than sincere- and winked at her.

     “Right, right, okay, gotcha. Do as ya please. You know what you’re doing. After all, I’m the moron. Am I right? I’m totally right. I’ll stay here and do nothing.” 

[millerscrown-blog]

Yuu seriously had a deathwish, didn't he? No human would be stupid enough to touch her without her consent, and that hug? Completely nonconsensual.

But someone died. She'd let this one slide for now.

"No, actually, you're going to do something. I think it's time you do something useful rather than think about parties or aliens - so you do the digging this time."

Even with her smart talk about finding things most would miss, she knew Yuu would do what she asked, especially because his moron act was running on empty.

"Also, so I can go on record about this - Just because I called you Yuu-chi doesn't mean I like you. So don't fucking touch me unless I say it's okay to. Got it?"

[millerscrown-blog]

primum mortis, primo defectum|| open

Kirie’s screams echoed throughout the halls, reaching Shizukana’s room, where she was napping. She was a light sleeper, so it wasn’t much of an issue to be woken up, but it had to be a damn good reason for screaming. She rushed down the halls, wanting to make sure her classmate wasn’t getting murdered, and thankfully, when she reached him, he wasn’t.

Though she couldn’t say the same for Mamoru. She never got to know them on a personal level, but she still couldn’t help but feel a twinge of sadness. Her promise to Takahiro felt like empty words at this point, but she still had to remain strong. A person was dead, and she needed to figure out why. (The hole in their chest was a good starting point.)

Shizukana got down on her knees, scanning her eyes across the corpse before deciding to approach another student, not wanting to be the one to do all the work. Her brow raised slightly, her stance questioning but not overly clueless.

“So, got any ideas in mind?”

[shslfreckles-deactivated2016012]

     Yuu strolled up behind her, his eyebrows raised as he watched her scramble to check out the body. He didn’t want to ruin her fun- he really didn’t, especially if his face was in danger of getting punched- but he felt like everyone else had done this a thousand times already. 

     “Seriously, I think everyone’s inspected body, you got me? I’m thinkin’ we should try somewhere else,” he said as he shoved his hands in his pockets, peering over her shoulder to get a good look at the very nasty wound on Mamoru’s shoulder. Silently, he said gave a moment of silence to the deceased before moving around the room, taking a good look at everything.

     “Well this is a bummer, don’t’cha think?” 

[millerscrown-blog]

Ah, Yuu. Dear, sweet Yuu.

He was being counterproductive per usual, something that, in this instance alone, wasn't entirely his fault - he seemed off, in a way. Not his usual annoying self. She elected to ignore his comments for a bit, deciding to pat down the body to look for anything of interest before replying. She didn't turn towards him to talk, however, as she felt that this was only fair for a bit.

"Just because everyone's looked at it doesn't mean I won't find something. Two people can look in a pantry for food and completely miss what they're looking for, while a third person can find it in a second. It takes experience to find what's been overlooked."

She stood up, already certain of the clue she'd found, but she felt it best for Yuu to take a look himself.

"The fact a half-blind girl can find something better than most people here is kind of sad, really. But take a look, Yuu-chi."

Her tongue burned at the usage of -chi for Yuu, but it happened, and she couldn't take it back.

Regret was all everyone felt today, anyway.

That she was sure of.

[shslqualitea-blog]

♕ finders keepers · open

To not focus on touching.. whatever that was. She kept her eyes focused on the floor, letting out an irked noise when she realized she was stepping on a blood trail. Her eyes followed to whatever that lead, hoping to find something useful out of this. She wasn’t just going to stand here and complain– even if that’s all she did. 

She tugged the collar of her coat and walked over to the laundry mat. She glanced around the room to make sure she was alone before surveying the supply shelf, moving around the cleaners to make sure everyone was in place. She grabbed a container of bleach and almost dropped it when she heard someone walk in. “God–” She swore under her breath and turned around to squint at whoever came in.

“What do you want? I mean, unless you want to join me in this foolish investigation. Honestly though, this place is taken.” She waved her free hand and placed the container back onto the shelf. “So, what shall it be?”

[millerscrown-blog]

Shizukana wanted to groan, to complain that Chiasa was the one who she ended up approaching, but now wasn't the time for petty grudges. Someone was dead, and loathe as she was to admit it, Chiasa was one of the more capable people here, and she would be able to figure this out quickly. Hell, the two of them could find who killed Mamoru without the help of the others, in all honesty. She decided to put her grudge aside - if she kept it around, she wouldn't be cooperative with Chiasa, and everyone here needed to be cooperative now.

"Well, since you already seem like you have a plan, just fill me in on it. Though I think you're looking in the wrong place. Someone in a hurry wouldn't go straight for the bleach. I will commend the decent start, however. Maybe check the washer instead?"

She raised a brow, deciding to lean against the wall while Chiasa looked inside, only pausing momentarily to throw in a comment.

"Also, I'm going to quit trying to be equally catty with you. It's obvious that's a dumbass idea, so let's just move on from whatever beef there is and try to level with one another. If we're gonna investigate together, that's the best thing we can do, unless you have objections to it?"

[millerscrown-blog]

primum mortis, primo defectum|| open

Kirie's screams echoed throughout the halls, reaching Shizukana's room, where she was napping. She was a light sleeper, so it wasn't much of an issue to be woken up, but it had to be a damn good reason for screaming. She rushed down the halls, wanting to make sure her classmate wasn't getting murdered, and thankfully, when she reached him, he wasn't.

Though she couldn't say the same for Mamoru. She never got to know them on a personal level, but she still couldn't help but feel a twinge of sadness. Her promise to Takahiro felt like empty words at this point, but she still had to remain strong. A person was dead, and she needed to figure out why. (The hole in their chest was a good starting point.)

Shizukana got down on her knees, scanning her eyes across the corpse before deciding to approach another student, not wanting to be the one to do all the work. Her brow raised slightly, her stance questioning but not overly clueless.

"So, got any ideas in mind?"