#cc ch2

[shslautotune]

Clarity // Solo Investigating

Neo stopped through their apartment to put on some clothes before doing their investigation. They were so freaked out that they were pretty sure that no more sleep would be had that night, so they might as well put on something in which they felt more comfortable.

With that done, they walked toward the Morpheus Lounge first. Gosh, it was so creepy here... There was no one else in sight, and except for the ever-present hum on the moon city, it was quiet. And dark. And just plain creepy they didn’t like it and after sufficiently freaking themself out they scuttled over to the lounge.

That didn’t help much, the building being just as dark as anything else. They hurriedly searched the room, but didn’t come up with anything, except-

“Huh?” There was a... a pinecone? A pinecone, covered in peanut butter, sitting on the virtual reality chair. Neo leaned down to look at it, without touching it, not wanting to get peanut butter on their clothing. How strange...

Sure that there was nothing else here, they turned to leave.

“Oh!” they exclaimed out loud. There was a note taped to the door! They scanned it quickly and, certain that this was definitely important, pulled it off the door, folded it up, and placed it carefully in their breast pocket.

Satisfied with themself, they left the lounge to find more clues.

[shslautotune]

Adrift // Rxn

Neo had heard their ID card buzz, pulling them out of sleep. God, what was it, midnight? They hauled themselves out of bed to check and- oh no. Oh no no no. Still in their pajamas they charged out the door, nearly falling down the steps, and dashed to the dark courtyard, only to halt as Takashi pulled the body from the water.

“I-I-Ito-san...” they stammered, barely able to breath under the weight of this horrible sight. It took all the control they had not to fall over right there. Moe had been their friend... they hadn’t talked a whole lot but they had really liked her and it sounded like she liked them and now she was- oh no...

They crouched down on the grass, hugged their knees close, and watched the rescue effort, even though they knew she was gone and that it didn’t matter. None of it mattered... They just had to keep going until they all died. They watched numbly, almost wishing that they were able to cry.

[shslautotune]

Vanishing Act // Reaction

Kaoru...

Neo shrank back from the crowd when Kaoru Hayashi disappeared from view. This- this couldn't be happening! Kaoru was- She had done nothing wrong! It was an accident!

They tried to say something, to call out after her, anything- But no sound could come out. Their voice just wouldn't work. Nothing could work, they were numb, and they stared in disbelief.

She had been their friend, and now she was gone, just like that... Over something as stupid as a ball!

Horrified, they walked back to their apartment on stiff legs, and curled up on their bed, shuddering in shock, terror, and sadness.

[shslautotune]

Sometime after the motive is released, Neo recieves a text from the resident tap dancer! [neo-san!!!! i hope you are doing okay!! (｡-_-｡ )人( ｡-_-｡) stay happy and stuff!!!! (´ε｀ )♡ dont let the motive get to you!!!! (★^O^★) -shou]

Neo takes a few moments to text back. They aren’t a super speedy digital communicator. Which is a little odd considering they are pretty digital themselves! [aaaa thank u Shou kun please stay positive too !]

[shslautotune]

Your ElectroID card beeps as it receives a text. "Hello. Would you like to trade? There is a high probability that doing so will reduce the number of casualties in the future."

The response is delayed, a number of minutes after the first text arrived. “trade? trade what”

[shslautotune]

Wary Waves // Open

They stared down at the ElectroID in their hands. Stared at the words on the scree. Stared at the secret... It wasn't even bad, it was just... it was private! Nobody had any right to know this sort of thing! They would deal with it when they were ready!

And the other secret... No, they didn't want to know this! It was- it was horrible! They had no right to know this, and someone else doubtlessly wanted this hidden! They chucked the ElectroID away from them. 

Oh, god, they couldn't breathe. The fans in their chest whirred fast and hot, forcing their breathing to quicken and their heart to pound hard. They scurried to gather it up and then fled from the lounge.

They bolted from the campus and were headed straight for their apartment, where they could hide under a cocoon of blankets and cry crocodile tears until l they burned themselves out on emotion in general. They ran as fast as they could and-

Their foot missed a step and they fell forward, slamming their front into the stairs up to their apartment, winding them.

And there they lay, spread-eagled and face-down on the steps. They let out a quiet, delayed groan. This was fine.

[shslautotune]

Familiar Facsimile // Open

Hikaru Sato had been dead for a whole day now. That meant, according to the paper on which Neo was writing the date every morning, it was the 12th of April. Nothing interesting had happened on the 12th of April that they knew of, but there it was.

They had claimed the apartment over the games shop yesterday afternoon and had spent all day moving their things out of the dorm room, without touching any of their roommate's. With the revelation that there wasn't really an Osamu Toriyama, they felt like they didn't know the boy they had shared a space with for over a week. They hadn't touched any of Osamu's things, either; that was all left there, a memory of the dead boy. But by about eleven in the evening, the other half of that room was completely empty.

Neo awoke to an apartment filled with piles of things that had just been dumped on the floor and, after going back to the dorm kitchen and having something for breakfast, they had gotten to work finding places for things. By the time they were done, the apartment was organised and cozy. Yes, Neo could live here. It was a satisfying feeling. If they just focussed on the room, they could almost forget about this place's atrocities.

It was about noon now, and Neo rested on the wooden steps that led up to their new lodgings, leaving against the wall of the games shop, enjoying the warmth of the day, and thinking about life. It was almost calm. Almost. But their spirit was still a little uneasy.

At the approach of someone or other they visibly brightened and offered a friendly wave. Even if they felt like crap, no one else had to know.

[shslautotune]

Short Circuit // Open

Neo hadn't been back to their room all day. They had sat, alone, in the laundry room, on the floor, in the corner, ruminating bitterly on the trial. This was all their fault, wasn't it? Osamu made Neo angry, and in retaliation they closed together the case... and now Osamu was dead.

So it was their fault. Osamu Toriyama was dead and the blood was on Neo's hands. Their own roommate... They had betrayed him. And so, they couldn't bear to face that bedroom again, with all its memories of a roommate who had been alive and breathing hours earlier.

Eventually, they forced themselves up and, on shaking legs, they staggered out to the courtyard. But there, they saw something unexpected. The gate was open, wasn't it? 

...It was!

Still feeling sick, still feeling sullied and guilty, they made their way into the commercial district. They wandered aimlessly through the area, peering into storefronts, trying to make themselves interested in what was there, but they felt hollow. 

In the end, they found themselves sitting in a chair outside the bistro, slouched back, arms dangling, and face staring up blankly up at the fake sky. This was fine.