#ff task

[thedelinquentballerina-blog]

[Task 17] The Rite of Spring (Open)

“W...What?”

Naomi sat frozen for a few seconds, staring at the screen, her fist half-raised in celebration from the battle.  The words might as well have been written in Suzuka’s Latin for all the sense they made to her.  And...the train had gone back to Bronze Station? 

Her body felt like it was on autopilot as she trudged out of the car, leaning unsteadily against the side of the door, and Monokuma’s words only added to the confused jumble clanging around in her skull.

Nomura was dead?  Admittedly, she still hadn’t been sure if he was alive when they met him in there, but - like hell Hiroshi had killed him.  They’d all seen him disappear!  There had just been that giant Monokuma, and anyway, didn’t he say they were supposed to fight it?!

This had to be a trick.  Naomi didn’t know much about computers, but she was certain that Monokuma had done something; either written a fake death announcement or somehow swapped the boss out with Nomura at the last second. 

She wouldn’t accept anything else.

“Bullshit.  BULLSHIT!  Where’d that fucking bear go?!  I don’t care if I lose a leg, I’m gonna break him for GOOD this time!”

[thedelinquentballerina-blog]

[Task 16] Once Upon a Dream (OPEN)

Naomi was leaning against the wall just outside of Bronze Station, arms folded, eyes closed, and head awhirl.  As usual, the aftermath of a trial had left her feeling drained and confused on top of everything else this screwed-up place had to offer in the way of emotional rollercoasters.  She had planned to stay in her room until the most uncomfortable feelings had passed (that mob in Tsubaki’s execution...was it supposed to represent them?), but the voices on the intercom had changed all that.

Cooperate.  Play nicely.  Virtual reality testing...to unlock the exit.  A day.  Unanimous decision to comply.

As soon as she heard footsteps approaching, she opened one eye, then the next.  But who it was didn’t matter, as the statement was already out of her mouth.

“I’m doing this.  And just so you know, I’m pretty sure I can be stubborn about it a lot longer than anyone else...So what’s your vote?”

[thedelinquentballerina-blog]

Task 15: Temps lié (Investigation w/Tsubaki & Eiji)

If someone with two personalities was murdered, was it the same as two lives being lost?  Haruo and Shizuka...Naomi had spent most of the time she knew them being annoyed by one, and somewhat awestruck by the other.  Part of her wondered how many more secrets they'd taken to the grave.

Sitting in the center of the Gold Station mall, she poured over the Monobear File and ground her teeth in frustration.

"You gotta be kidding me..." 

A specific detail of the murder had already shaken her - the cause of death.  Heart failure taking the life of a serial killer?  Of course, she doubted anyone would have taken on someone with Shizuka's skills in a fight, and maybe Haruo had had a medical condition like Fukumi...but overall, it just felt fishy.  Not to mention that the lack of evidence such as wounds or a murder weapon made things much harder for her to figure out.

She tucked her transit pass away and let out a sigh.  Unsurprisingly, the bear had separated them once again by stranding the train in Central Station.  She'd decided to wait for whatever other students had been left here before investigating, but her gaze kept wandering in the direction of the connector to Electrum Station.

"...Damn it.  If I hadn't fucked up before..."

[thedelinquentballerina-blog]

[Task 14] Faille (OPEN)

Naomi had arrived a little late to Monobear's latest announcement - even with the bandages and ointment from the nurse's office, the skin on her legs felt stiff and sore, so she had to move slowly.

"Someone say my name?  ...What the-"

Most likely, none of the other students had noticed her right away, seeing as how they were preoccupied with the phones.  Those things actually work?  And that was when the one nearest her began to ring.  Naomi regarded it suspiciously at first, since this was obviously another one of Monobear's twisted games...but what choice did she have, really?  The reactions of her classmates made her worry that she might be missing something crucial.  So, leaning her crutches up against the wall, she picked up and listened.

"N-Naomi?  Naomi?  Is she there?  Please, just tell me my daughter's okay!  She...I know she'd probably hate to hear this, but she's still my little girl...Naomi, I-I'm sorry Papa can't be there..."

If not for the fact that her father's voice had made Naomi go as still as a statue, she might have dropped the receiver immediately in shock.  It had to be some sort of trick, right?  Monobear had just...taped a bunch of soundclips together or something...No, she knew that was stupid as soon as she thought it.  The breathy edge of panic on her father's voice - the way he sounded when close to tears - was genuine.  She'd heard it enough in the past to be sure of that.

"D...Dad, I'm okay, don't-" 

Too late.  The call had already ended, and it seemed like she could only listen anyway.  So he was left to worry about her, the way he always did...With a frustrated noise, Naomi hung up and smacked her hand against the side of the phone.

"...Dad...I'm sorry..."

[thedelinquentballerina-blog]

[Task 8] Effacé

As the blackout dragged on, and nobody took advantage of it to begin stabbing other students in the back, Naomi found herself thinking that this might not be a bad thing per se.  After all, no electricity meant the third rail was safe, right?  They could just walk right out of here - find wherever the sounds of the storm were getting in from - and Monobear would be unable to do a damn thing about it!

It turned out she wasn't the only one who had that idea, as proved when Michina Konoe made a break for it.  Unfortunately, it was also wrong. 

Dead wrong.

A short time after Monobear's motive announcement, about ten minutes or so, Naomi could be found sitting in the dining area, gazing morosely at the flashlight she held in one hand.  Once again, everything was stacked against them; Monobear could clearly turn parts of the station on or off as he pleased, so trying anything funny would surely get them killed.  But was it really possible that someone would try to murder again?  After seeing the punishment which had befallen Haru, Naomi personally thought she'd rather starve.

Which was easy to think now.  Once it became a reality, people would surely start to crack under the pressure.

Hearing footsteps, she swung the beam of her flashlight in that direction, although not straight at the face of whoever was approaching.  She didn't want to do anything that could be taken as the first part of a murder attempt, such as blinding someone, but this also meant that she wasn't sure who was coming her way (most of the students were still in costume, it seemed, and she didn't recognize the footwear she'd just illuminated).

"Who's there?"

[thedelinquentballerina-blog]

[Task 7] Kingdom of the Shades

What a surprise - Naomi had made an absolute idiot of herself during the party, and was currently sulking against one of the ballroom pillars with a pile of snacks by her side.  Why had she even bothered?  This wasn't helping them escape, anyway.  She tried to ignore the chatter of her classmates, hoping the embarrassment would end soon.

Instead, the lights went out, and she nearly inhaled a handful of chips.

Shit.  Shit.  They should've seen this coming!  And now they were all stranded in near-total darkness; she could make out a few faint glows across the room, probably given off by their transit passes, but that was about as good as crying out 'I'm here!  Come kill me!'

Naomi inwardly cursed herself for never having gotten another knife from the kitchen.  With no other way of defending herself, she curled into a ball - anyone trying to stab her would find her hands firmly clamped over her neck, her chin tucked into her chest, and her back pressed against the column.

She held her breath, staying as silent and still as possible, although she flinched slightly when she heard a crack of thunder.  Wait...if the sound of a storm could reach them in here, didn't that mean they were close to some kind of exit?  The temptation to run for it was agonizing, but Naomi knew it would do her no good if she got killed.

So she waited, her heart hammering wildly against her chest...

[thedelinquentballerina-blog]

[Task 6] Rose Adagio

It wasn't as if Naomi had never been to a party before, but outside of birthday bashes for her siblings and the occasional dinner or something after a performance, they - like most things involving other people - tended to make her uncomfortable.  It may have been mandatory, and yet she threw on one of her more colorful leotards and strode boldly to the ballroom in Tin Station, wearing the mask she'd found hanging from her doorknob.

This was about making a statement.  She wasn't going to hide.

...And yet she still found herself lingering awkwardly by the entrance for a few moments, looking at her classmates.  How did it seem like there were more people when they came together?  Even with her MP3 player blaring Don Quixote for courage, she found that she couldn't work up the nerve to relax right now, and would retreat to either the refreshments (hopefully there were plenty, because she still felt hungry from earlier that day) or a corner as soon as she could.

[Approach wallflower Naomi?] [Y/N]

[thedelinquentballerina-blog]

[Task 5] La belle au bois dormant

In the end, Naomi didn't get a wink of sleep that night; her eyelids succumbed to exhaustion several times, but whatever followed certainly wasn't rest.  Split-second nightmares kept surfacing from her panicked mind - Fukumi's body disappearing into Monobear's laughing mouth, Haru with blood gushing from every pore, knives flying at her from all directions in the dark.  She even thought Mamoru was speaking to her at one point...

When the morning announcement played, she flinched in alarm, a movement that sent pain shooting across her body; she hadn't budged all night from where she sat, back to the wall, watching her barricaded door.  Every joint cracked as she got to her feet, every muscle felt stiff as a rock.  Her stomach was growling as well, which wasn't surprising.  Seeing Mamoru's corpse, then Fukumi's, and finally Haru's execution had put a major curb on her appetite for the past couple of days.  She didn't think she'd eaten anything more substantial than a bagel from the brewery.

It took Naomi a few seconds to realize that Nyanburu had appeared on the screen after Monobear.  Getting them all out of here, huh?  Yeah, right.  What happened last night had totally convinced her that the cat and bear were in cahoots - no way such a sadistic contraption would exist in a place meant for harmless fun.

She would have to leave her room eventually, though, which presented another dilemma.  In her current state, weak with lack of sleep and food, Naomi figured she was an even bigger target than before.  By time she'd moved her bed and dresser enough to open the door, her lungs were on fire; how was she supposed to defend herself?  There was nothing in the apartment she could use as a weapon...

...Well, if she didn't get something in her stomach, she'd never be able to think straight.  And being able to operate the trains on her own now was a definite plus.  Figuring that most of the other students would be exploring Pewter Station before going to Nyanburu's event, she decided to head for Tin Station first.  There was a much bigger eatery there, anyway.

Long story short, that was why whoever had just walked into the kitchen would find Naomi slumped over one of the counters, snoring heavily, even as the nearby oven's timer let off a series of piercing beeps.