The Crimson Beast

"I'd turn and run now, if I were you." Ulrich Ohlhauser ((IC Blog affiliated with EXEC-- SAVETHEM )) ALIVE | dead

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The Edge of Life and Death//Chapter 5//Saeru Shinda//OPEN

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(tw: self-harm)

Saeru hummed dully to herself as she shuffled through the infirmary drawers. Bandages were easy enough, but she’d at least like some ointment… Perhaps hydrogen peroxide? Or was that supposed to do more harm than good? She didn’t generally have to worry about that with her clients.

Well, as long as the kitchen knife was clean, there couldn’t be any worse than scarring, right? And she could certainly handle that.

With a sigh, she slid to sit in one corner of the room and tugged her left sleeve up.

It was strange, wasn’t it? Suddenly so many people she knew personally, dead. More dead, more alive. Dead, then alive, then dead again. Or never alive. But why would they not have been alive? Was Sayuri less alive? That was what death was, wasn’t it? The separation of body and spirit? Normally the spirit couldn’t communicate so much, but…

And what made her alive? Blood? Pain?

Oil? Electricity?

What was the difference?

For someone so enthralled with and accustomed to death, most of it still didn’t make any sense.

And this wasn’t really helping. Well, she’d tried. And this was about as close to her death as she cared to get on such a casual basis.

She tended to her few wounds before turning on the sink to rinse off the knife. She just heard faint footsteps over the patter of the water. They’d only just arrived, right?

External image

“Ah… Good morning.”

Apparently she didn’t think it was particularly alarming to catch someone rinsing blood off an out-of-place knife in the midst of a murder game.

Ulrich had snuck into the infirmary, looking for bandaids. No one could know the knife thrower cut his finger cutting open a fruit! When he saw Saeru standing there, washing a knife, Ulrich slammed himself against the wall. A million thoughts ran through his mind. What was she doing here? Why was the knife being washed? Infirmary? Did she attack someone? Did someone attack her?! In an attempt to sound as tough as ever, Ulrich straightened himself. 

“What are you doing in here, Saeru? Should I be worried?” 

He pulled himself away from the wall, balling his fist and shoving it in his pocket. He might as well try to reason with her if she was considering violence of any kind. That’s what any good person would do in times like these!” 

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Is there Forgiveness? || Ulrich closed for Tohru

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13101211-t-ishizuki:

That is most definitely not the best sight and Tohru’s first instinct is to immediately run in the other direction. Thankfully, the years of getting punished for attempts to get away override her instincts and have her keep her feet planted firmly on the ground while she tries to gauge the danger level.

On one hand, he’s a very kind person, too kind, very gentle, and wouldn’t want to hurt anyone if he could help it. On the other hand, he is angry and has knives. It’s an even toss-up, but too late to escape now.

So, to this armed burrito barreling towards her, Tohru gives a bow.

Y-Yes! Have you slept yet? It’ll be a tiring talk, I think, so, better be ready to stay awake, you know? Is Mayoshi-san asleep?

She sways back and forth on her way to the kitchen. None of these questions are what she wanted to discuss.

Ulrich yawns as he follows after Tohru, hoping that the conversation will lead to great things.... You know, things such as no murder attempts, or screaming matches, or disagreements. Ulrich was too exhausted to deal with such things. Ulrich perked up just slightly at Tohru’s question. He gives a shrug and walks into the kitchen, readying himself to start some tea. 

“I’ve attempted sleep, with varying levels of success. And Shi-kun’s business is his own. He can sleep if he wants to, and I honestly wasn’t checking when I left the room.” Shi-kun? Is this the first time he has said that to someone out loud? 

Grabbing some tea and turning on the stove with a shaky hand, Ulrich remembers all that has happened to them recently. Two good friends died, and they had another returned to them. The victim that Tohru had killed. Was she feeling guilty? What did she want to talk with Ulrich about? As he rests the pot on the stove on low, he turns back to the girl. 

“So, what did we wish to discuss? You said you had things to talk with me about.” 

Ulrich ran a hand through his messy hair, sighing slightly, trying to maintain his attention on the other. It’s time. 

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At most it’d be a very nice dream|| Natacha ||Chapter 5 Re: Everything [Open..Ish]

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They.. They were right. Neo  was right. There was no one to take out her anger on. No one.

Natacha didn’t know how to feel. Nami has.. Unintentionally killed Ryuu. That was it, was it not?

If anything, the void in Natacha’s heart kept eating her. Even if at least Tsukasa is there, and the redhead hopes that the paparazza is still safe, the platonic love that she has given, everything she has given to Ryuu before they didn’t talk for a while, it’ll never come back.

Right now… It felt… Almost pointless to even try anymore. Yet she still didn’t want to die. Figures that as long as she’ll look out for herself, she’ll be fine..? Who knows…

The redhead did need a little alone time. But… As soon as she left the trial room…. When it was found out that Sayuri, the same Sayuri Sato back then, was back on screen, the girl was having an hard time to believe. Could she really.. Is she really..? She’s.. Fine then? Her memory is fine..?

It won’t fill the void… However, Natacha was relieved to see the same cheerful Sayuri, even if she’s on the screen, and she seems to respond to people… Thank god.

Excusing herself after few moments to Sayuri, the girl wandered back to her room to pick some other clothes then went to one of the classrooms, removing her hearing aids to put them in her pockets, before taking one of the chalks. Natacha then faced the board, seemingly lost in thought… But then she started.

It was like time didn’t exist here.

The girl was lost in her world, the sound of chalk on the board being the only one filling the room. Each line was as if it was on its own then together…

….

For a moment, she could have sworn she forgot what she wanted to put on the board, but Natacha kept up once more until she was satisfied.

It’s still… Hard to accept that they’re truly gone… But at the same time, the girl didn’t want that to come back again. Stepping back to get a better look at her drawing, the redhead sighed softly.

“….”

She lifted up her hands and signed, it didn’t matter that it went to nowhere, just as long as it was to Ryuu and Nami in spirit….

<I’m sorry. I should have done better… You’re both precious to me. And to you, Ryuu, my promise to you is not forgotten. I hope you don’t mind me taking your pictures so I know who to see… I’ll tell them the truth.>

Ah. The tears wouldn’t stop, would they..? And here Natacha thought she was done crying.

Ulrich wasn’t sure what brought him to the classroom, maybe his legs knew that he had to be away from it all. The classrooms were, of course, his training grounds. Not many people would find themselves there, so he could carve, yell, practice all he wanted. Maybe in this time where he needed privacy, he ended up finding his way to Natacha. There he stood, watching her in silence as she finished her piece. 

Slowly, Ulrich walked up to the front of the class, behind the animator as she signed. He didn’t know JSL, or DGS, or any sort of signed language. But as he looked over and watched her body tremble as she began to cry once more, he knew what she was saying must have so much impact on her. 

Walking closer to the board, he finally lays his full gaze on the depiction. Like a dam breaking, Ulrich hugs himself as he remembers everything. How much he cared for Ryuu, how much of a friend Nami became, especially in the end. He didn’t want to cry, especially not in front of another person, but he couldn’t help it. He covered his mouth, letting silent tears flow down his cheeks. Then he finally looked over to Nat, speaking up to her with quivering lips.

“Th-This is so beautiful..... You must really miss them.” 

Too bad for you, Ulrich. Nat probably can’t even hear you and is too busy with more important things. 

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Encore! || Ulrich Closed for Saeru

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shslshinda:

Saeru was bad enough about checking her ID, and the nightmares weren’t helping. The less fine work she needed to do, the better. Or was it the opposite? It was a bit difficult to decide sometimes.

That was why she’d seen Ulrich’s message incredibly late, but it would have been rude not to at least see if he was still there, right? Perhaps she’d grab some tea, as if that were an excuse for being so late… It really wasn’t very becoming either way.

She walked briskly to the meeting room, her hands wrapped around a hot cup.

“Ah, hello? Are you still in there? Terribly sorry…”

Ulrich was sitting at the end seat in the Meeting room, chugging down a nice hot cup of black coffee. It sent shivers down his body as he inhaled its scent, moaning and holding the cup close to himself. He jerked his head to the entrance as Saeru enters. Oh! There she is!! Ulrich’s number one fan! He stands up and runs up to her, waving his hand. 

“Hello, Saeru! It is a pleasure to see you once more! I almost had assumed that you ignored my invitation! But I know that someone as wise as you knew better! You are a fan of mine! Why would you ever simply ignore my invitation?!” 

Ulrich’s brown eyes shimmered as he slowly took another sip of his coffee. 

“Sooo.. How are you? I’m doing terribly! But as I had said... maintaining your personal relationships will be the best course of action, especially when we’re fighting to survive our nightmares!” 

Ulrich’s smile fell as he stared into Saeru’s eyes. He didn’t seem to like that he brought up such a sour subject. 

“Are you.... holding up?” 

At least there was an attempt before he went right for the Lore. 

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I Wish I was Sleep || Ulrich Closed for Ryuu

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shslacrobat:

Entering the lobby with… Really, Ryuu, are you still dutifully cleaning this entire area? Surely, as he had been instructed when they first awoke in this facility, the acrobat is carrying a broom and mop in one hand, and a bucket full of various cleaning supplies in the other. Despite a motive that has definitely taken sleep from most of them, it seems he’s as energetic as always…

Upon hearing Ulrich’s voice, his face brightens noticeably, a smile pulling at his lips. He places everything down in a heartbeat, almost in a clatter, bounding to the younger boy.

“Uuuulrich~! I was just tryin’ t’kill time but gimme an excuse not to clean, ‘kay?!”

Alright, maybe he had been trying to distract himself with cleaning. Ulrich is a much more welcome method. Entering the sleepy nightmare land, now that he’s closer, it’s clear Ryuu has some dark circles beginning to form under his eyes.

“I’d love t’talk, dude. What’s up? What’s cookin’?”

Ulrich’s heart swelled as he saw Ryuu approach him with joy in his eyes. Even though he looked exhausted! He crosses his arms and grins up at the other. Man, he was getting pretty good at this socializing thing! 

Stepping back so he can grab his mug of hot coffee once again, he takes a long inhale, shivering at the smell. He loved the smell of coffee, he worshiped it! What would the sleepy Ulrich do without his good glass of hot coffee? He’d be falling asleep, tangling himself in his nightmares once more if not for caffeine. This had to be his... what? Third cup? There’s a point where he’s just going to get sick, but that wasn’t anytime soon. 

“How are you holding up? Are you surviving? I’ve been meaning to talk to you... about the nightmares! Just for advice... How do you convince yourself that the dreams aren’t real?” 

Ulrich’s eyebrows furrowed in concern as he stared down into his coffee. He seemed genuinely curious, as the uncertainty was quite real. Was he going to be okay? Seeing from how chipper Ryuu was, maybe he had some advice!

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No Sleep For The Weary | Chapter 4 | MOTIVE

For the past few days, you couldn’t help but notice that sleep was harder and harder to come by. It was a gradual oncoming of restlessness, but this past night had been the worst. This past night, you were gripped by a nightmare… A vivid nightmare, leaving you tired at best and on edge at worst. But alas, a new day was here. You gradually stumbled out of your beds, starting to go about the motions of a new day.

That’s when the announcement came.

“Good morning. Though it doesn’t honestly seem all that good, if we’re being honest here. I have an announcement for you.”

He didn’t even ask you to gather.

“I’m guessing that your dreams last night were not pleasant. That’s good… that means the gas is working properly.”

Wait… gas? What gas?

“I’ve been testing the viability of distributing certain compounds throughout this facility the past few days. Additionally, I decided to take the opportunity to test a rather experimental compound, too. One intended to induce nightmares during REM sleep. And it seems like the tests are finally successful.”

“Since we’re finally seeing positive results… Let’s make this a motivation for you. The effects of the gas will fade once it is turned off, and I’ll only turn this gas off once a murder has occurred. So rest well… if you dare.”

The announcement ends, leaving you dumbfounded. Looks like there wasn’t much in the way of sleep to be had for the time being…

[For every night your muse tries to sleep, they’ll be affected by a vivid nightmare! Once this post goes up, you’ll gradually be distributed the nightmares you suffered the night before, so you’ll be able to react to them! Enjoy~!]

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File 3.EXE

Name: Moriarty Yuuya Isara

Time of Death: 2:17 AM

Time of Discovery: 10:23 AM

Location: Meeting Room #1

Cause of Death: Exsanguination

Additional Notes: His right hand has a bit of blood on the fingers…And it does not seem to be from when he injured himself prior!

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Dare(Devil)||Event...?

DING DONG… BING BONG…

A tone rings out across the facility. Before long, Control appears on the nearest screen, his voice broadcasting throughout.

“I intended to announce the discovery of a body, but it seems you’ve taken care of that for me. Very well then. As before, you’ll have a period of investigation before we return for another class trial. Do try and investigate thoroughly. As before, you are free to investigate all rooms currently available to you. Do make the most of that…”

His expression seemed to stiffen, his voice stern.

“Oh, and there is no need to investigate the vandalism in the lounge. Yes, that is why I was delayed in identifying the body. I was investigating the vandal who ruined my $15,000 vintage pool table in a most bizarre case of good intentions presented maliciously. I know precisely who ruined such a valuable piece, and I can confirm that this little vandal is not connected to this murder.”

“I will have to deduct the cost of restoring my pool table from the sizable donation I was planning on giving to your hospital in order to fund research… If I give that grant at all anymore. I’m not sure. That will depend on your behavior going forward, Tsuneo Enjou. You think yourself a hero, able to stop the inevitable from happening, but you have to realize the truth of this world. You cannot prevent the inevitable. Loss is inevitable. If you want a successful future - nay, a future whatsoever, you will have to understand that you cannot save everyone. You will be forced to make sacrifices. There will be bodies underfoot. It’s up to you to make the most practical decisions you can.”

“You took my generosity and you spat it out in the most disrespectful fashion. If you want to survive this test, you’ll have to watch yourself, Tsuneo Enjou. Do not upset me again. Do I make myself clear?”

On that rather… Bitter note, Control promptly goes silent. Investigation… start?

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Eye Of The Tiger || Body Discovery

It was still early in the morning and as everyone wondered who exactly vandalized the Lounge..and had spent a small amount of time trying to figure out who exactly could have done it. But it was Ulrich who had found himself attempting to do all he could to keep Isamu from meeting a grisly fate…despite his stubbornness of assuring he would be fine on his own. In Ulrichs morning walk around the facility though he had found himself in the Laboratory portion of the facility…But that’s when the air began to smell….rusty…? A familiar rusty smell that comes with blood…

But it was not just Ulrich visiting the Laboratory at this hour, Natacha as well as Isabella had found their way down here for their own reasons…But when the two of them as well smelled blood all three of them began to frantically search for what room it was coming from. Had they truly failed…?

Upon walking into the first meeting room, a feeling of dread sets upon Ulrich. Ulrich can smell it. The heavy stench of blood lingers in the air. But, no! They all were so careful… Isamu can’t be dead…! His thoughts race as they peer into the room, searching for an inevitable body… Isamu… can’t be dead…

…

And he isn’t.

Keep reading

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Interrogations || Ulrich || Closed for Natacha

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shslcreativeanimator:

Oh, I see. That’s how it is.

Truth to be told, Natacha was angry, but instead of yelling or snapping at the boy, as he potentially does have knives on his possession, the girl stared at him and then-

“T’es vraiment un connard, tu sais?“

(You’re really an asshole, you know?)

Seems like the knife thrower did move on another topic as fast as he could; well unfortunately for him, the salt won’t go away. Natacha does however pay attention and rolls her eyes.

“Oh, that. Yeah I did chat a bit with Saeru and I mostly drew you guys in sketchbook, just sketches.“

If anything, Natacha will remember your betrayal, Ulrich. She will.

Ulrich pauses as he squints at Natacha. Is... is that a language he recognizes? It seems like he understands very little, if any, of it, but it seems from the way she talks, that he can get a hint at something. But when Natacha mentions the sketchbook, Ulrich straightens himself again. Maybe what he has to say next will lighten her mood a little? 

“Ah, what I thought! I was too busy trying to monitor the party and what was going on within, but knowing you, you had to be doing something that regarded your talent! If you would allow, I would love to be witness to another sketching session of yours sometime! I have yet to even see any of your artistic works before! I am quite a connoisseur of art, myself!.... Not really, but I want to be, Animator!”  

So, what do you say? 

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Interrogations || Ulrich || Closed for Natacha

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shslcreativeanimator:

Natacha nods a bit once Ulrich is satisfied with the answer she gave. The girl however fought as sigh as soon as the knife thrower mentionned it’s not the end of his interrogation. Welp. Seeing as he does however give her a chance to ask a question before is a good thing. Just as soon as he spoke, Natacha talked right after.

“You’re welcome… And yeah, back to you, did you happen to write a wish as well? If so, mind sharing yours? I won’t tell anyone, though.“

There we go, now to know if the knife thrower was willing to share back. If not, that’d be also something to consider.

Upon being prompted for his own wish to be shared, he shakes his head, haughty laughter hiding his obvious discomfort about the question. He waves a hand dismissively at the other at Natacha, not even considering for a second sharing it with her.

“Ah, it’s nothing, really! That is all private information that only I can know! Confidential! How am I to know you’ll keep my wish a secret, Animator?” 

Ulrich seemed to be grinning, even though he was acting completely hypocritical, as Natacha was so willing to share her wish with him! Maybe he had other things that were written on his wish that he would not share? Hey, she has to give him credit for not pulling out his knife at all at this time!

“Aaaaanyways! I had another question for you! What were you doing during the party? You seemed to be involved with Saeru in whatever you were happening to be using your time for!!” 

Do you mean drawing, Ulrich?

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Interrogations || Ulrich || Closed for Natacha

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shslcreativeanimator:

Thanks Ulrich. Natacha listened to the knife thrower and pursued her lips, debating if she should tell or not… As he said the reason, the girl was more inclined to tell him, as it was harmless…

“My wish, huh… I simply wrote that I want my dear one to be safe. That’s it. Does that answer your question?“

Natacha was tempted to ask Ulrich what his wish was, but first she did want to know if hers was sufficient as answer. After all,if Ulrich is satisfied with said information that he needed, then it’ll be all good.

Ulrich raised a defiant finger, ready to immediately spit back with some sort of argument along the lines of “it’s to protect everyone!” or “we’re archiving them!”... But Ulrich lowered his hand once again when Natacha replied to him with such calmness and dignity. How does one even react to someone being so compliant? Rubbing his arm, Ulrich considers what she said, then looks back up at her. 

“Your loved one? How noble of you, thinking of the people you care about second to your own safety! And that does indeed answer my question! Thank you kindly for your cooperation, Animator! Though, this is not the end of my interrogation! But first, do you have any questions?” 

He crosses his arms and grins widely at the girl. Oh boy, what did he have on his mind, now?

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Interrogations || Ulrich || Closed for Natacha

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shslcreativeanimator:

Natacha has been mostly by herself, minding her own business. Talking to some people has been certainly something, but it didn’t mean she wasn’t up for another conversation… If it wasn’t for a certain loud boy who’ve been approaching her this way, she wouldn’t have minded. Now? She’s a little wary. As she was called, the girl looks at Ulrich and stared at his face before thinking.

“Ah- Of course you may ask me questions, if you have some… I’ll do my best to answer if possible.“

But I’m not sure if I’ll be of help…

And what did he mean by humoring a man like him…? Either way, her full attention was on Ulrich.

Good! He had her attention! Ulrich had been hoping to grab Nat’s attention with relative ease! This poor boy still wasn’t aware of her hearing troubles.. Maybe it was because he talked loud enough that anyone could really hear him! He stepped even closer, crossing his arms and humming. 

“Well.... I have been attempting to interrogate the others on certain subjects... And I have yet to get an answer from you! In the case that they try to use this against us, or something... What was your wish, Animator?” 

Maybe Ulrich meant a foreigner like him? Or a shorty like him? Or a weirdo like him? Who even knew, besides Ulrich? In any case, he was completely serious, hoping that Natacha would answer him, as if he wasn’t being totally obvious!

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Ringing In The New Year | Chapter 3 | Motive

And so the celebration went on, without interruption from Control. Amazingly so. It was peaceful. Well, as peaceful as a party involving certain volatile peoples can be, really. But peaceful enough. No one got stabbed. Probably. But everyone slowly complied, visiting the box one by one. And nothing came of it, once everyone was done, too. Was this really an honest gesture of goodwill from Control?

In time, once the party was starting to slow down, Control’s voice came back over the loudspeakers.

“Happy New Year, kids. May all your wishes come true…”

He paused for a moment.

“Well, about that… I can’t ignore that there is still a test going on here, ultimately. But I am filled with goodwill in this brand new year, full of promise…”

Trailing off, he seems to hesitate.

“If you have a strong enough desire for your wish to come true, there is one way. Pass the test. Kill someone, and survive the trial afterwards. If you can do that, I will grant your wish… No matter what.”

“I am a man of considerable influence, after all. And if you pass the test, you are worthy of my investment.”

His voice fades out. Well… This was a somber note to end the party on. This was a rather somber way to ring in the new year on.

Good luck to you, my test subjects…

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Auld Lang Syne | Chapter 3 | EVENT

Reluctantly, you made your way to the break room. What could possibly get worse about all of this, huh? Nothing. Nothing could get worse. This hadn’t exactly been a fun time, with explosive threats and dangerous chemicals all the like. Not a fun time. What could possibly happen to change that-

Oh.

When you entered the break room, you found the tables adorned with boxes of food, and plates of pastries. There were drinks situated in the corner of the room, and a blue metal box sitting on the counter. Food? Pleasant-looking food? Casting your eyes over the boxes, you could only vaguely identify the foods as Osechi Ryori dishes, many kinds… There was also a plate of colorful mochi. Woah… Woah! This looks… good!

What is this…?

“A celebration, to welcome in the new year.”

A celebration? Just like that? No catches?

“The only thing I ask of you is this. Do you see that metal box over there? There should be a notepad beside it. Before the night is through, I’d like for you to write down a wish, any wish you’d like to see come true in the New Year. Anything at all.”

“Well, aside from ‘Get me out of here’. That will be resolved soon enough. Soon enough. Anything besides that. Anything you want after getting out of here. Anything that could realistically be granted.”

“You name it, simply write it down and put it in the box. That is all. You don’t even have to sign your name. Simply write it down, fold it up, and put it in the box. No one will know, for the box itself is locked, and none of you have the key.”

“Consider this a symbolic gesture. To celebrate the new year! With that… Eat, drink, and be merry!”

___

Attention please. Your attention please. This is your resident mod speaking. At some point tonight, write your character’s wish for the new year would be and send it as an ask to the main blog, where they will be recorded for posterity’s sake! (And our records.)

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Happy New Year! | Chapter 3 | EVENT

It was late one night when Control came over the loudspeaker in the facility, a lighter tone to his voice.

“Ah, it appears I’ve been remiss in keeping track of the days. Do you know what day it is, everyone?”

He waits a moment before continuing.

“New Years’ Eve.”

Wait, really? That much time had passed? Wait… What day was it when you first woke up in here, again? It was getting hard to keep track. This would stand as the first indicator of what day it even was, for that matter. And New Years’ Eve? Now?

“Yes, I understand this means we have missed Christmas. So to make up for it, well… Meet me in the break room outside the lab. I’m afraid there isn’t much I can do, but… you’ll see. Hurry up now, we have a few hours still to celebrate.”

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Everybody Needs Somebody >> Chapter Three >> Chung Gyu-hui >> CLOSED for Ulrich Ohlhauser

[shsl-knifethrower]

gyu-hui:

Gyuhui nods along with Ulrich’s comments on their training regime. “Yup, it was rough! But worth it in the end, I guess!” They pause, smile actually fading a bit. “Well… I signed a contract with the management company, so if I quit before my training period was over I - No, my parents, really, would have had to pay back like… a lot of money. So once I got into it, quitting wasn’t really an option.”

They shrug. “But like I said, the dancing is still fun! And I just kind of got used to the rest of it after a while.”

Turning off the sink and reaching for a paper towel, Gyuhui listens intently to Ulrich’s own training. Of course they notice how flustered he is at the compliment and oh god it’s adorable. They grin. “Of course, you use your arms the most! I remember the time you were trying to fix the furnace you were in a tank top, right?” Gyuhui nods decisively, a sparkle in their eyes. “I could tell that you work out! You looked good!”

Gyuhui.

At the invitation to join for training, Gyuhui breaks out into a huge smile. “I’d love to join you sometime, Ulrich-san! It sounds like it’d be fun!” Huhuhuhuhuhu. “And I’d love to spend more time with you, too!” HUHUHUHUHU -

They can tell that Ulrich’s trying to convey amity despite his gruffness, so they don’t feel too worried about being a little forward. Not that the flirting has to mean anything, they do this all the time, but. Gyuhui’s pretty certain at this point that he’s not going to snap on them, unless they completely fluster him into leaving the conversation. Which they… also don’t want. GyuGyu wants to keep their new friend.

Ulrich leaned on the counter as he watched the other speak. Wow... Idol life sounded to be really rough. He wasn’t going to say that out loud, but it seemed by the look in his eyes that he was sympathetic. But when they told him that they enjoyed dancing, Ulrich nodded. At least there was something positive to get out of this situation! 

“Ah, yes... It’s always good to find that silver lining! With being an idol... do a lot of people make romantic advances on you? Do you have to sign hundreds of autographs a day?” Ulrich sighed happily. “I await the day that my feats are acknowledged by a wider audience... And people will ask for my autograph as well...”

Ulrich’s dreamy look was interrupted by Gyuhui’s words. He remembers then.. His tank top... He.... looked good? Ulrich’s eyes widened and his mouth opened, his face already flushing. He attempted to retaliate, but Gyuhui just kept going! They wanted to hang out with him?! Spend more time with him?!? Ulrich swallowed, furrowing his eyebrows in fake frustration, raising a fist at Gyuhui.

“H-Hey! I have a ways to go before I look any semblance of good! B-But...” He deflated a little, looking at the ground. “Th-Thank you! I-I will be glad to be your... workout partner.. If you will let me say you look good, also!” 

Ulrich, trying desperately not to snap at them, ends up sounding like he’s reciprocating the flirting. When in fact, he does not even know how to begin with flirting with this other person..Whoops!