All Aboard...

This way to first class-- make yourself comfortable. It's going to be a long ride. [ a dangan ronpa OC rp group ] [ 19/21 alive ]

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cuboid [ masae | iwane ]

The speedcuber would be rubbing her hands together for warmth, if they were so irritated and covered in bandaids. She instead rolled down the sleeves of the button-down shirt she was wearing, in an attempt to get a little warmer. It just seemed that everyone was being so cold to her today. Or perhaps she was just talking to those types of people. No matter, at this point, everyone felt like a threat (except maybe perhaps one person…) and therefore, everyone seemed cold. Or maybe someone just had to turn down the AC in here.

Whatever it was, Masae still wasn’t feeling so well even though it had been a few hours after the  motive was announced. Talking to a few people only made her more tired, but at least it allowed to get her mind off of a few things.

She thought it’d be a good idea to face her fears and head to the karaoke room. Maybe Monoka was still there, and she’d be able to answer a few questions that Masae had (is her family really okay? They can’t really do anything to them, can they?) As she stepped into the room though, she didn’t seem to have that luck.

Peering in throughout the room, she noticed that one of the booths had its doors slightly open. Was there someone there? Taking a step, Masae then stopped in her tracks, wondering if someone really was there, or if it may have been just another body. The thought made her sick. She didn’t want to be the one to discover something like that. She didn’t want someone to die again, either.

Taking a deep breath, Masae opened the door slowly, peering in. Inside, she saw someone she hadn’t yet spoken to. Was she interrupting? They looked like they were just singing. Unsure of what to do, Masae straightened up and waved awkwardly. Maybe a smile would make things a little more okay. She did that too.

Quickly rummaging through her bag, Masae took out her whiteboard and scribbled on a quick greeting, along with an apology. She turned it over for the other student to see.

[ Hello! I’m sorry for interrupting, I was just wondering who was in here. My name is Masae Atoshi, I don’t think I’ve talked to you before! It’s nice to meet you! ]

Holding out the board a little further, she stepped forward, as if to ask permission to continue the conversation by allowing him to take the board and marker. Hopefully he was going to be nice about her embarrassing mistake of walking in so rudely… hopefully.

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Sailing The High C's | Tarou | Re: Ch 2 Motive (Open)

[ Submitting this on mobile, so could one of the mods add the Tumblr quotes around all the speech and delete this bit? Thanks! ] If it weren't for the violinist's execution so recently, Tarou would've simply ignored Monoshi's call to the karaoke room. He did end up going (no sense risking decapitation or some other kind of "punishment" for it), though surely the exasperated sighs Tarou kept making towards anyone nearby communicated his reluctance. He had no clue what to expect after the quiet of the last few days, so he anticipated bad news. Was there something wrong? Was someone about to be strung up and executed for breaking a rule? While Tarou was relieved no one was about to get executed (probably), he also really disliked seeing Monoshi pal around with Monoka. Seeing their captors about to do something as innocuous as karaoke just made Tarou so incredibly ANGRY. Come on! It was so obvious that these split-dyed freaks were working together! Drop the act and just explain what this whole murder game was about already! Why was this all so mysterious? Real life shouldn't work that way! At least Monoshi moved on to this "motive" without wasting too much time. Vague (because of course he had to be cryptic) stuff implying that they must really want to see their family and check on them, as if they couldn't handle themselves. Tarou's mother certainly could. The extent of Monoshi's threat here was "bad things." Tarou took all the threats he received seriously, so it's not like he dismissed this motive, but he couldn't help but feel contempt for whichever hopeless saps would fall for it. Murder because you want to see your mommy and daddy, boo hoo, suck it up already! If their family couldn't protect themselves from whatever Monoshi was planning, then that was their fault. Not that he'd actually say that to someone's face, of course. Instead he turned to laugh a dull, humorless laugh at Monoshi and Monoka. "No one's going to kill over a pathetic motive like this, Mr. and Mrs. Monochrome. Now if you excuse me, I'm going to go back to planning how to escape your murder train." Soon they left, and after he observed varied reactions from his classmates,Tarou left in a huff. He headed for the new storage room, the one with all the sports equipment at the end of the train. While rooting around in there, Tarou heard the door open behind him as someone walked in. Without turning around he spoke, surprisingly vitriolic. "You gonna fucking murder me so you can see mommy and daddy? You weak like that?" Wait a sec did he really just say that out loud? Oh shit. His heart started beating a mile a minute, and a change immediately went through Tarou as he turned around. An extremely uncomfortable and nervous look swept across his face. "O-oh shit, sorry, I didn't mean to say that! I mean, I... I didn't mean that. Sorry, so sorry. Haha, I'm just a little anxious, okay?" Tarou puts on what he hopes is a sheepish grin, though it looks more feverish than anything. Well, now he's certainly on edge.

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A Pixelated Face | Teddie | Re: Motive (Open)

To be completely honest, as soon as Teddie heard the announcement, he wasn't so thrilled over the idea of singing karaoke with Monoshi. At least, that's what he was assuming Monoshi was calling them over to do. But, it's not like he's in any position to just ignore the guy. So with a yawn and a groan, he followed the crowd to the karaoke room.

...Y'know, for someone who's forcing them to brutally murder each other on a regular basis, Monoshi's surprisingly...pure? Actually, 'childish' is more like it. Witnessing something like this is like learning that your teachers have lives outside of school, and Teddie just can't help but chuckle.

And then we get down to business.

The smile is wiped clean off of Teddie's face as Monoshi reveals the next motive. Families, huh...There's a part of him that doesn't quite know how to feel about this. He's less worried and more conflicted, really. And with that vague threat at the end...

"Pfwah, I'd like to see you try."

Always gotta get the last laugh in, huh, Teddie? He slides out of there and back out into the hallway, grumbling some unintelligible nonsense to himself.

[tripoli-express-blog]

Genus ∫∫ Sumire Meji ∫∫ RE: motive ∫∫ Closed: Kiyoshi Seki

As always, Sumire remained relatively unaffected by the motive. Though she pursed her lips while she observed the reactions of the students around her, Sumire found herself calm. There was no reason to panic, and certainly no reason to overreact, but perhaps her lack of a familiar bond with the people that she called family was too weak for her to concern herself with their whereabouts. It wasn’t as if she were in close contact with anyone, having stayed with a professor for the duration of her time she spent studying at the college lab that she had loved to research at, thus she felt no attachment to the people she called family prior to that. Besides, they would be able to make it out alive, if they were in a difficult situation, and even if they couldn’t, Sumire supposed that it was fate.

Alternatively, the fact that she had dozens of her “children” resting on the windowsill of her window was enough to ensure her peace of mind.

After departing from the Karaoke room, glad to be away from the constant noise of the other students, Sumire found herself wandering around. She had noted that a large number of students had fled from the room, and diffused into different parts of the train, and like any other student, Sumire decided that she too would leave.  She didn’t know where to yet, but as usual, she felt a need to return to the study, a room in which she liked to study.

Entering the study, Sumire found herself drawn to a book on an interesting topic: How to be sensitive. Deciding to pick it up, for lack of a better book to read, Sumire found herself wandering over to the seat where she usually sat….only to find it occupied by another student, who was reading. She barely recognized him, but then again, when did Sumire take the time to get to know another? Not often enough. Thus, she decided to clear her throat before speaking.

“Hello, child…aren’t you upset by the announcement?” Having not yet read her book, it was still clear that Sumire was still as insensitive as always.

“Aren’t you going to do anything about it?” 

[tripoli-express-blog]

sunflower sunset ❀ uto ❀ ch2 motive reaction

And yet, they remained unphased. Uto, while extremely unhappy at the sudden horror laid before them, it was not the reaction of a person who had seen another person die before them, but rather of a person whose friends had abruptly shown them a shock video. Upset, yes, but not showing the disgust and fear that should have been made evident in the brutal loss of human life that they'd witnessed. Before long, things were back to normal, and that meant the taxidermist was back to their cheery if oblivious self.

They'd explored in the aftermath of Endou's death, mostly keeping to themselves despite that. They had discovered that their music taste was, perhaps, unusual, and that they weren't fond of work outs. And the train rolled on, and they often found themselves going with it, the flow, sitting at a window and watching the scenery roll by. It fascinated them no less now than it had at the beginning.

They're doing just this when Monoshi's announcement sounds, summoning them to the karaoke room. They're not sure what there is there, they weren't really interested in the songs... is Monoshi going to duet with them? They're not sure they want that... 

But regardless of what they do and don't want, they report to the room regardless, rocking back and forth on their feet. There's muffled humming coming from beneath their mask. 

They watch in confusion (and they'd be lying if they said they weren't curious) as Monoshi dragged Monoka along. Gosh, they were gonna sing for them...! Maybe Monoshi wasn't such a bad guy after all... 

It was not to be, apparently. The song never gets sung, and instead, Monoshi launches into a spiel about family, which does get Uto's attention. Gosh... they do love their family a lot... And he brings up a good point; how long have they been on the train? Is Japan that big...? Geography isn't their strong suit--they didn't really have much need for it growing up on a small island--but... surely...?

At first, they're not sure what to think of what Monoshi says. Their family is doing just fine. Okasan and Oyasan are going to be okay. But then there's the kicker, and there's a jolt, just a little one.

"..."

They simply stare at the duo for a moment, wilting. But then...

"Uhuhu..."

They giggle because, in their heart of hearts, they know Monoshi is a liar, and lying isn't very nice. Their family is fine. They know they are. They don't need Monoshi to tell them that. When they're positive that the little spectacle is over (and that, unfortunately, no one's going to sing for them) they excuse themselves to go find something else to do.

[tripoli-express-blog]

blue & blue & blue [ sumire | masae ]

It had been… a while, since Masae seemingly just rushed out of the karaoke room after the motive was announced. She had calmed down quite a bit, and once she went back to her dorm room to change into something new, she felt a little hungry. It wasn’t too much of a surprise to her.

Heading back to the bathroom for one more moment, she sighed at the slight puffiness around her eyes. Hopefully, it wasn’t too obvious that she had been crying earlier.

Making her way to the kitchen, Masae blinked slowly as she walked in. To her surprise, her roommate was there. The speedcuber waved, trying to smile, before going over to the fridge. She grabbed a cold bottle of water, setting it on the counter as she went into her bag to take out her whiteboard. Writing a message, she turned it around for Sumire to see.

[ Meiji-san! Even though we’re roommates it feels like we never talk… how are you? How are your children? ]

She then placed it on the counter, taking the water bottle. Knowing Sumire, she probably had her notebook with her again. Masae placed the palm of her hand on the water bottle, but didn’t open it. Wincing at the impact, it seemed, she took a look at her palm and frown slightly. Already seeming to give up with the water bottle, she placed it back on the counter, still closed, and looked at Sumire again.

[tripoli-express-blog]

⚜ Stagnation ⚜ Nahoko ⚜ Attn: Motive ⚜ Re: Atoshi-shi

This was all rather stupid, if she was going to be blunt about their situation-which she usually was. Kill to find out if their parents were okay? Rubbish. At least the motive that had led Endou to his doom was warrant for some concern; after all, bodily harm to one’s person fed into people’s self-preservation and egotism about themselves so really, that was bound to have happened. (Not that she would admit that she’d thought nobody would believe Monoshi just like she did now.)

But this was just idiocy at it’s finest and sadly, she was amongst gullible-and thus, dangerous-people so she had no choice but to prepare for the worst and find a way to escape this chapter unscathed. Which is how she found herself in the game room, sitting at a table and writing down some viable strategies-or she had been before she’d run out of ideas about two minutes ago and had instead been idly doodling animals in the margins, getting more and more miffed every second of inactivity passing her by.

The door opened and she whipped her head to the sound, eyes narrowed and grip on her pencil tightening. She might not be the strongest person here, but if someone tried to kill her, they would have a tough time doing it. She had a pencil, too. A pointy one that could stab people. 

But as it turns out, it wasn’t a shady person come to ambush her but rather Masae who, although still possibly out to kill someone-or her, seemed to be very shaken up and almost sickly-looking. Nahoko warily put down the pencil and waited for the other girl to notice her before signing out a greeting.

“[Good day, Atoshi-shi. Or not, given the little surprise earlier. Speaking of, you look unwell. Are you?]”

It occurred to her halfway through speaking that perhaps she ought to offer to take her to the infirmary. Ah well. Masae could walk enough to get there herself if she needed to, and another,smaller voice told her that perhaps being lured somewhere by someone was not a good way to try not to be ambushed and killed. So she merely sat there awaiting an answer.

[tripoli-express-blog]

spinning [ masae | ch2 motive: reaction ]

Masae had made another trip to the infirmary. In the long days where nothing had happened, she was actually feeling a lot better. She was started to deal with the fact that her sister and mother are probably safe, and the only person in any danger right now is her and her friends on the train. But even then, there hadn’t been any announcements in a while- it gave her a little hope, and her mind instead was preoccupied with much better thoughts. Her physical habits were clearly improving too. For once, especially on this train, Masae felt… good. Happy. Maybe even a little bit safe.

Putting away the bandages that she was looking through again, back into the cupboard, she began making her way to the door- that was when, upon looking into the hallway, she saw a swarm of students all rushing to the karaoke room. Her hope fell. She gulped, taking out her ID, to see if she had missed any messages- and she did.

Things were just getting better. They were getting a little bit better, and just like any other ‘it’s getting better!’ day in the past 7 or 8 years of her life, there was always something to knock her three steps back. She nervously walked with the crowd as she rubbed the bandaids on her hands with an index finger.

There was Monoka, along with Monoshi, standing in a booth together. Masae picked a far corner in the room and stayed there, away from the crowd. This situation just didn’t make her feel well, and being in the karaoke room just made it worse. She watches them from afar. Masae isn’t quite sure what they’re saying, and it seems this random meeting isn’t being transcribed for her just yet. Perhaps only the important announcement would be? She put away her ID card, sighing.

Crossing her arms in a nervous stance, Masae began counting under her breath. Anyone near her could probably hear it- she’d start from 1 and end at 22 before starting again. It wasn’t until she noticed people turning to each other to talk, when she finished up the last set of counting- still counting up to 22 (even if it wasn’t all that audible anymore) before taking out her ID to see what was going on.

And there it was for her- the motive. That’s why they were called here. There hadn’t been a murder in a while. As Masae stared blankly at the words in front of her, she felt as if her whole world was collapsing in on her. Without realizing, on the outside, she became short of breath, and to anyone looking at her, she didn’t look so well. On the inside, Masae couldn’t stop thinking about how this wasn’t just a push three steps back- it was everything that the past 8 years had been about- and now it was all coming loose. Just like that, any power that she may have had over herself, any sense of confidence or determination in living on- vanished.

She felt dizzy, and when she looked up from her ID, no matter if someone was shaking her or asking her if she was okay, Masae dismissively waved her hand in the air, clearly in a daze. Her eyes seemed distant, almost glazed over. This girl looks like she could faint at any moment, however it didn’t seem that she knew. Shaking her head at anyone in her way, Masae rubbed her temple for a moment, before quickly making her way out of the room. The world was spinning, way too fast for her comfort. Whether or not someone tried following her, it seemed that she wasn’t going to let anyone stop her, wherever she was going.

[tripoli-express-blog]

Home | Ch1 | Echo | Motive Reaction | Open

Echo has been doing okay, considering how the events after the trial had shaken her to the core. She was usually hanging around library and...running back and forth from the karaoke room, like she was hiding something....it was best not to ask. On this day, she was just lounging in her room, practicing some needle felt work. The sudden announcement made her jump, nearly dropping her work in progress before she sighed. Wonder what's going on now. Cleaning up her things, Echo picked up her plush rabbit and headed towards the designated area.

She furrowed her eyebrows as she took in the scene in front of her, which is Monoshi and Monoka at the karaoke machine. Were they going to do an activity? Or...no they're going to announce a new motive. That's nice (no it wasn't).

A shiver ran up Echo's spine at the mention of family. Now that she thought about it, it has been a while since she's been on this train, what was her family doing? A distressed look came across her face at the threat of them having a bad time. It was only just recently they've been together as a family, now they were going to be torn apart...?

Echo shook her head. No. No she wasn't going to hurt anyone while she's here. The best thing she could hope for is survival, which, considering her rather weak health and short stature, might be a bit impossible but hey, she just has to have hope and persevere. It still didn't stop the girl from trembling a bit as she stood there, unsure of what to do. Thoughts swirled in her head before she felt someone nearby, catching her off guard and making her jump in surprise. Wow, she was super jumpy today.

"A-ah...! Hello...! May I help you with anything...?"

[tripoli-express-blog]

⚜ Family Values ⚜Nahoko ⚜ Re: Motive ⚜ OPEN

Peace had fallen upon the train after the execution of Endo Fujimaru and though she should have found this a nice reprieve from the tense atmosphere that had befallen then when the first motive had been revealed, she knew this was not the end of their troubles. On her end, she’d tried to find a way out, tried and failed to find people willing to help her, and ultimately she’d given up on the idea of getting everyone out.

Monoshi’s announcement didn’t help her already sour mood. Of course he was back-with the success of a murder and execution, why wouldn’t he be back? She sighed, heading to the karaoke room to see what he wanted. Knowing him, he was going to scare everyone with a motive and then sit back and wait for one of them to crumble and murder again.

Unfortunately-but obviously-,her deduction was right; under a pretense of calm, he’d dangled the possibility of hearing from or about family in front of them and then added a threatening undertone to it to add in that fear factor.

Pathetic.

Almost as soon as he’d stopped talking and gone back to that stupid karaoke machine did she speak, the disgust apparent on her face and in her tone of voice as she spoke to nobody in particular.

“What, that’s all? How cliche. If someone falls for this one, then you may color me surprised and irritated.”

Apparently her words had caught someone’s attention, as her eyes met with those of another. She raised an eyebrow at them, daring them to speak. When they did not speak up fast enough she did it for them. Honestly, was everyoneso slow on the uptake?

“Is there something you need from me? Or perhaps you were unsatisfied with my words just now? Please, do tell. It would do to hear the opinion of a peer now and again-perhaps you may change my way of thinking. So? What’s on your mind?”

[tripoli-express-blog]

ikanaide || abnormal days

You watch with varying degrees of amusement or exasperation as your two hosts proceed into one of the karaoke booths, Monoshi grabbing up a mic enthusiastically while Monoka continues almost to smile to herself while she retrieves her own. 

“What song do you think we should do?”

“Uh...um...don’t mind me, but...didn’t you also have another announcement...? Isn’t...that why you called the others here...?”

Monoshi’s expression falls darkly, the conductor scratching his eyepatch before he turns back to the crowd as if he’d forgotten they were there. 

“Oh, you’re right... hmm, hey! Monoka! Do you have a family?”

“Huh...? Um well...yes, I suppose I do...though I haven’t spoken to them in awhile.”

Looking as if he wasn’t really listening much, Monoshi nods thoughtfully and gestures with his mic. 

“Yeah, that’s neat. Y’know, it’s been a while since anythin’ happened around here. I’m bored and all! So consider this, kiddos... I know you’ve got families and all. You’ve been away from ‘em a long time, too!  ...I mean, however long you’ve been on this train, wahaha! Anything could have happened in that time. The world’s a wild place, after all.”

The way he says this is rather ominous, as if he’s either not telling you everything or leaving you to take meaning from his words.

“Consider this, I said: If one of you kills, I’ll let y’know how your loved ones are doing. Any of ‘em you’d like, anywhere in the world. And if no one kills... well, let’s just say I’ve got ways to make sure they’re doing bad, wahaha!”

With that cheerily-delivered threat, Monoshi laughs again before turning back to the karaoke machine, chattering about song selections.

“...Oh...oh my...I...please don’t worry kids...I’m...um...sure they’ll be fine...! Yeah I...I’m sure...”

She looks down, seemingly dejected as her words trail off. Almost as if she were trying to change the subject or ignore it completely, going back to Monoshi and his ramblings with a hesitant smile.

[tripoli-express-blog]

one step ahead || abnormal days

It seems to have been quite a while since anything happened on the train-- although, following the rather dramatic events of the previous murder and trial, anything would seem tame. Perhaps you were beginning to settle into a routine, bolstered by a lack of appearances from Monoshi aside from him lurking around the game room. There was a new gym to keep in shape in, and more importantly, a karaoke room!

Speaking of which, for the first time in quite a few days (or so you thought, but it was hard to keep track of time these days), the intercoms and screens around the train crackle to life. After a moment of what sounds like muffled conversation, Monoshi’s voice rings through loud and clear, as if the rather hapless conductor is holding a microphone too close to his mouth. 

“Wahaha! Hey, everyone! Come meet me at the karaoke room, on the double! One-two, One-two!”

You swear you hear Monoka’s voice, saying something about him having an important question before the intercom shuts off. With that incredibly informative message, then’s as good a time as any to drag yourself up and head to the designated location-- you knew what happened when Monoshi got annoyed, after all.

When you arrive, you find... quite an odd scene. Monoshi seems to be gesturing excitedly at the shorter Monoka, his hands waving as he explains, quite passionately... why she should do karaoke with him? Monoka, in turn, has a small smile on her face like she’s humoring a young child.

“Monoka, Monoka! You’ve gotta sing with me, ‘kay? I swear it’ll be a lot of fun! I know, like, all of these songs!”

“A-all of them...? Well...um...sure! I’d love to...! It’ll be...lots of fun, I’m uh...sure!”

Looking quite satisfied with her response, Monoshi bounces on the balls of his feet, giving the gathering crowd a wave before he grabs Monoka’s wrist and tows her into one of the booths. Was... this important enough to gather everyone around?

[tripoli-express-blog]

Put Your Chinos On One Leg At A Time | Teddie | Re: Execution [Open]

To be completely honest, Teddie couldn't bring himself to feel sorry for the boy.

'Tis the price for murder, and so he paid. That's how the story goes. Despite not being that big on justice compared to most people, Teddie couldn't bring himself to focus on Endou's motives or reasons, just the cold, solid fact that he ended someone else's life and now he'll have to pay for it.

An eye for eye, or as the story goes.

Whatever Teddie was expecting, it certainly wasn't...whatever that was. You could see the growing disgust on his face as he came to understand what was happening to Endou in that room. And as the boy's head fell down, you can see the corner of Teddie's mouth twitch upwards into a nervous smile.

Breathe in, breathe out. Laugh it off. It hasn't failed you yet.

He remained silent until Monoshi was done having his word. Seemingly unaware of the glum atmosphere in the trial room now, he forced up a quiet laugh and mumbled under his breath:

"Looks like he got a little...ahead of himself, ha, ha..."

Looking around to see if anyone actually heard him, he came to the realization that now wasn't really the time for jokes, and quickly excused himself.

------------------------------------

Despite complaining about "boring" places like this earlier, Teddie found himself in the study instead of the shiny new areas that had opened up. The two coins he got earlier came to use with a box of Mounds and a JSL handbook, and he figured that he might as well put them to use. Only because JSL would be pretty freaking rad to learn, nothing more. Yeah, totally.

Three Mounds bars later and some fumbling thanks to the slightly ill-fitting gloves on his hands, Teddie feels like he's getting the hang of it. He's so immersed in his study and practice that he's not really aware of his surroundings. By the way he's mumbling to himself you can assume that he thinks he's all alone in the study right now, and it takes just one word to ruin that dream.

[tripoli-express-blog]

The Reaper Review | Tarou | RE: Execution, Ch. 2 Start

The moment Endou Fujimaru's head left his body, Tarou tore his eyes away from the screen. He hung his own head and focused on the podium in front of him as if it was the only thing in the world. He just couldn't... just wouldn't comprehend the idea that the violinist he had been so eager to vote guilty just minutes before had now been executed. Or "Good Luck," whatever. It didn't realy matter. When Tarou's unsupposrted conclusion was shot down near-instantly, he'd realized he had gone too far, but it was only now that reality began to catch up to him.

He let out a small gasp of shock, and as each of the other students all reacted in their own ways, Tarou struggled to keep himself from losing it. His eyes started to water for a split second before he quashed that reaction. He wasn't allowed to cry, not even here, not even with two people dead. He fought to steady himself, gripping the sides of the podium white-knuckled, but when he opened his mouth to breathe no air came in.

Instead, a sharp cough forced its way out of Tarou's mouth. A violent coughing fit from the wide-eyed harbormaster followed. He continued to press down on the podium, willing it to just sink into the ground and go away. It didn't, of course, but Tarou's coughing soon halted and his breathing eventually steadied. The lead-like weight in his chest stayed with him.

He finally brought his head back up, looking around the trial room's ring of stands. A number of the others had already left the room, like the person to his left... no, the person to his left hadn't left, he'd been executed. And the "person" to his right was nothing more than a portrait on a stick. When next he came here, Tarou knew he'd be isolated on both sides, a dead kid's portrait in between him and his closest neighbors. It was almost ironic. When, not if. Tarou was sure it wouldn't just end here, more bodies were going to drop before this was all over, which was a very frightening thought. Damn Monoshi. He couldn't bring himself to feel anything, though.

Tarou's hands were sweaty when he pried them from the podium. He stuffed them into his jacket pockets before barreling out into the hallway, slamming his shoulder on the doorframe on his way out.

[tripoli-express-blog]

emo cheerios || Hibiki || Chapter Two (RE: Execution, ATTN: Ichigo)

In hindsight, Hibiki probably should've expected something to go wrong. 

With someone like Monoshi running a game about murder for kicks, he should've... more or less expected the punishment to be something less pleasant than incarceration. Maybe a full blown execution wasn't exactly what Hibiki had in mind, either, sure, but some physical punishment...

But that didn't matter. The execution was there, it was real, it was happening right before his eyes, and the fact that he'd more or less sent this poor kid to this -- not that he knew, but even if he did, was there... any other way around it?

The dancer watched in silence, grimacing, his fists tightening and un-tightening and shaking all the while, and he found himself gripping his podium tightly, barely stopping himself from marching right up to Monoshi and decking him across the face for having the gall to...

But if he was going to attack that blonde girl just for talking sternly at him, then who knew what would happen if Hibiki actually attacked the mysterious new conductor.

So when he opened the door, Hibiki stormed out without another word, making his way towards his room... and throwing his fist towards the wall, once, twice... just twice. God damn it, no.

---

Thankfully, with the addition of some new rooms, one in particular catching his interest, the dancer would no longer have to go punching strictly at walls when his blood ran hot.

It was only natural that, after taking some time to cool off in his room - and of course, by cool off, I mean lay back in bed (despite it not being night anymore) and staring angrily at the ceiling, muttering curses under his breath. What a charming dude. - he'd find himself heading straight for the workout area in search of... something. He was a dancer, kind of an athlete, sort of. Of course he'd gravitate towards that area. 

So upon finding one of the room's punching bags, Hibiki promptly went to town on the thing. It was clear he didn't have much an idea how punching bags worked beyond "punch them," but he was sure as hell getting that right. Lot of pent up anger, taken out on... well, it wasn't a person. That was where it counted, right? Especially since someone seemed to take interest in the room during that time as well - though Hibiki didn't quite notice them... 

[tripoli-express-blog]

⚜ Chaotic action is preferable to orderly inaction ⚜ Nahoko ⚜ Re: Escaping ⚜ Attn: Otsuka-shi

Inaction kills.

Though many would say otherwise and point out the fates of Nanami and Endo as evidence, she had her own counter-argument: namely, that if they had had simply banded together to at least try and stop this train from running, then perhaps Endou wouldn’t have felt like murder was the only option. Inaction on their part lead to action of a fatal degree and she wasn’t going to allow such an action to occur again.

As they say, if one does not learn from history, then one is doomed to repeat it.

Which is how she came to storm about the train looking for one Iwane Otsuka, SHSL Locomotive Engineer. He was the only one with an advantage going into this, having knowledge of trains that nobody else did. He would have been very helpful in the sadly hypothetical escape from the train. Sadly, he appeared to be one who didn’t help unless asked-why else would he, being someone put in such a tenuous situation, not gladly take it upon himself to free himself from this moving prison?-so that’s what she aimed to do. Although…it was less likeasking and more like demanding.

Compartment after compartment and still no sign of him. Curse him, wherewas he? Irritation rising, she finally opened the door to the kitchen and spotted the starry-themed (and apparently not starry-eyed) conductor. Letting out a huff mixed with relief and exasperation she went right up to him and started right in.

“Hello? You’re Otsuka-shi, correct? I don’t believe we’ve formally met-Konishi Nahoko is my name and my talent is that of the Super High School Level Linguist. Pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

She paused to bow cordially. When she straightened back up, she fixed him with an unamused expression and her words, though polite, were said coolly.

“Might I ask an inquiry? You are the Super High School Level Locomotive Engineer, yes? Pray tell, why have you not made any attempt to override the train and stop it from taking us to wherever Monoshi-shi is making it take us? I would think someone in your position with the knowledge you possess wouldn’t stay in the company of inaction and would have made a move already.”

[tripoli-express-blog]

sing | kiyoshi | re: execution, new areas | attn: hibiki

The intensity of the moral dilemma he was facing after putting a fellow classmate to death didn't even need explaining. So much for Good Luck, huh? was a morbid joke that ran through his head, though it did little to distract him from the trauma he was experiencing. Oh god, the sounds Endou must be hearing... Kiyoshi covered his own ears, feeling bile rise as he watched his eardrums shattering, hyper-ventilating just to keep himself from vomiting all over his podium, dizzy in the process.

He couldn't break down... Not here. He was supposed to be strong, a pillar to lean on. He always had been. Why was it so hard now?

The boy took a deep breath, tearing his eyes from the large screen, keeping his head blank, letting the sweat dripping down his face and neck cool him off. His head couldn't even begin to process the strange situation he had found himself in, so he let it go blank, devoid of all thoughts except the thought that he had to get out of here, fast.

And that's what he did.

--

It was the second day after the bloody execution when Kiyoshi took a look at the newly-accessible train cars. One that caught his attention in particular was the karaoke room; what on earth was that doing on a train? Well, what on earth was a big death trial room doing on a train was probably a more common question, but still.

If it was already obvious, particularly from his talent, sound did wonders for him. He was sure if he did some singing he would feel a lot better; it would distract him from his thoughts and the tiny, niggling sounds of the train and the creaking and the whistling wind.

But... he couldn't just sing on his own. If he was caught, that would be really embarrassing...! It didn't help matters that the only friend he had made on this train so far wouldn't be able to join him.

Perhaps this would be the perfect opportunity to make one, though.

Just as that idea popped into his head, someone entered the carriage. Kiyoshi turned slowly, eyes a little wider with apprehension. Before an awkward silence ensued he quickly spoke up.

"H-- Hello! Um, Hibiki Kasuga, right? Mind if I call you Hibicchan...? It's very nice to meet you properly...!"

The boy bowed low, closing his eyes and clasping his hands in front of him. Then he stood up again, smiling softly. As he spoke his voice was so airy and shy that it seemed to almost disappear towards the end of every sentence.

"I was just... checking out this new area. This, um, karaoke room. Sounds fun, doesn't it? I love to sing... My talent has a lot to do with sound, after all... I've never been to a karaoke place with someone before..."

Was that enough of a hint for you, Hibiki? Please join him he is struggling.