yamaboshi | 《 open roleplay post 》

[He goes quiet when she mentions the reserve course. Very. Quiet. Komaeda looks back at the map of the island Verens resides in.] A very close friend of mine was part of it.

[He can't hide the fondness in his voice but he changes the subject. It's a lot safer than that topic.] ...you're totally correct! There is a reason for the lost history. This world wasn't without war. It swept over the entire world and corrupted the spiritual beings tied to the land. Humanity here is aligned to them. They each have dual aspects, a positive and negative side to their emotional spectrum. To your right is a report in them.

It's the tan volume sticking out slighly on the middle shelf. Those spirits are called the Arehtei.

Edited 2016-04-27 23:13 (UTC)

That's how I heard about the school, too. That "somebody". . . he was a part of the reserve course.

[ She can't say if they're friends or not; it's a complicated relationship between the two of them. Although Inaba definitely, certainly, wanted to try. But sometimes trying isn't enough. Not when you've messed up a million times. ]

Another goddamn war? That's annoying. [ Thrown from one war related place to another. Go figure. She takes the report with the Arehtei in it. ] These... Arehtei.

[ Nervously, she says that as she runs fingers on her talisman. ]

Are they benevolent, like demons?

They're nothing like demons. [He motions for her to join him at the table. Spread out over the table is a very incomplete map of the island of Verens and below it, the world.] The Arehtei are the spiritual consciousness of the land, but how they feel is tied to humanity. You might call them extensions of us!

In the past, civilizations worshipped them as gods but they're not that infallible. They live and die, only to be reborn to relearn their role all over again. Because of the Calamity the present generation have patchwork memory as we work to purify and balance them. [He reaches into his shirt and holds up his crystal. It's halfway full of a pale golden light, a small bird perched on a broken cage.]

How our crystals fill up...depends on our alignment. For example, I'm aligned to Peromei.

[He points to her symbol on the outer edge of the map as he adds.] They can turn violent when corrupted. Sosyne arriving on the island caused a lot of damage.

That's a fucking relief. I'm so fucking done with demons.

[ Although she does listen before she fiddles more with her talisman. ]

I wonder what alignment I would be. But then again, I'm already attached to a demon if this is still on. [ ... ] I see, though you ignored my earlier statement. About the school, I mean. Why?

[B u s t e d. Komaeda gives her a sideways glance and considers what to say. Finally he says.] My relationship with Hinata Hajime is complicated. I don't even want to get into it my best friend. With someone I don't know, even less.

You have until midnight don't you? There's more history to Verens than what I just told you. Keep asking questions.

Edited 2016-04-28 01:55 (UTC)

Wait, did you say Hajime? As in, tall, lanky guy with an ahoge?

[ She'll even make a gesture with her hair. ]

Because if it's him, then I completely understand. The idea of 'complicated relationships'. [ And no, not getting into Verens yet until her question is answered. ]

[Komaeda stares at the map. He traces the dig site in the mountains with a finger. The walls flicker around them, thick black chains rattling between the shelves like some ghastly windchimes.] Yes. That's him. Probably not the same version, but.

[He shuts up. There's the sound of the ocean waves in the distance but he ignores it.] Your questions?

Not the same— [ Oh. Suddenly it clicks in her head and she finds herself chewing on her lower lip. ]

Right. Parallel world theory. But, yeah. I got him to stew his anger for. . . it was week six overall, it's week twelve overall now... Six weeks.

[ That's a pretty long time for someone to be angry at her and she's upset about it. ]

If I'm in this world, would I be aligned to an Arehtei as well?

It's possible. But, well. I'm not sure. You're not displaying the emotions physically like anyone new here does.

[Which is odd. Now that he thinks about it. Why would a file from Hope's Peak be in the Verens library. Only he, Hinata, Sonia, Junko, and Kirigiri would privy to that knowledge.

He pushes away from the work table and walks down the aisle until a title catches his eye. He stops, his fingers running over the words. As he looks around more and more books stand out. 'Ultimate Soldier', 'Priestess of Hope', 'Wild boy' so many titles to the point the idea where they are starts to build in the back of his head.]

Do any of the book titles look familiar to you? ['Knight of purpose'. 'Boy savior'. 'Angel's fall'. 'Ultimate Despair. He leans against the heavy oak shelf and puts a hand to his face. Shit. Shit. If he's right.]

Maybe it's because of the talisman...

[ It protects her from anything psychological affecting her. Or rather, that's Leviathan's job. If she was even here. Who the hell knows. She keeps looking through the books, noticing some symbols. ]

No, these don't look familiar to me.

[He drops his hand from his face and pushes away from the shelf. If he's right then....

Komaeda turns to face Inaba as he draws one arm up and makes a fist. 5...4...3..2-

Chains rattle loudly in the dark as a tall white haired man is abruptly leaning against the shelf behind him. The chain around his neck jangles as he laughs in a dry rattling way. "Well it took you long eno-"

He whips about and slugs Servant right in the face. It's a good solid hit and the walls of reality fall away around them. They're standing on beach with elegant looking palms waving in the pleasant breeze and he rubs at his knuckles.] We're inside a dream. For now it's mine, all those books were people I've met.

I feel by now I should stop being rude. I'm Komaeda Nagito. Maybe we'll have a decent turn of things and you won't see anything disturbing.

[...]

[ Well then. Although it seems to be a dream, in the distance of the beach, there's a hotel; one that may not be familiar to Komaeda himself, but is definitely familiar to Inaba. And while there's clear skies?

It's also... snowing.

Huh. Rubbing her temples, Inaba frowns somewhat, sighing as she glances away, discomfort settling in her expression. ]

Looks like it's not just going to be your dream now, Komaeda. So I should probably warn you about the disturbing things that you might see if we go in there. [ Just jabs a thumb at the hotel that's suddenly appeared. ]

[He really thought he'd know better by now. Dreams are just nightmares, full of the horrors waiting in his memories. Whenever he goes to sleep the doors bang open and the wind of despair begins to howl.

Komaeda studies the hotel. It's old and battered looking, like those abandoned buildings he used to look at in photos. Yet for as dilapidated as it appears to be, it isn't beyond serviceable. He glances behind him. The second island's hospital sits in the distance guarded by the massive roots of the tree of memory. If he squints he can see the dark cloud walls of Peromei's maze of despair.

How wonderful.]

Either way we go, we can't escape seeing something. So before we start wading into blood and death, exactly where did you meet Hinata?

Blood and death sounds about right.

[ On her part, at least. She's pretty certain she's going to run into bodies one way or another. But when he asks about Hinata, she pauses, frowning as her gaze drops. ]

I... met Hajime in another world, where there were thirty six of us forced to play a sick game where people had to kill each other.

[Ah. that explains it.] I see. So you met him in a mutual killing game.

[His eyes return to the hotel. Hinata would be pissed to find himself in the middle of yet another mutual killing game. He can just picture his expression at being told he hadn't escaped at all.]

Thirty six? That's quite the number. For us it was just sixteen students of the 77th class. ...you mentioned demons.

Did you mean you literally met them? [He tugs at the leather cord around his neck and considers which way to go. Morbidly, he's a little curious how a killing game of 36 could even work. Even now some of his darker impulses still remain.]

[ All she can do, really, is nod quietly. ]

He was in another one. [ No, she'd already guessed that from his reactions. But she didn't think that she was actually right. fiddling a bit with the talisman she wears around her own neck, she nods. ]

I met one in person. Leviathan. She was the patron for envy. In the game I participated in, everyone was designated one of the seven sins or virtues. Originally, I was in wrath.

Was the switch of theirs or your choosing? [As curious as the hotel makes him he motions for her to follow him as he turns and heads for the coliseum he can now see not too far away. She'd looked down when he asked her where she'd met Hinata.

That hadn't gone unnoticed.] Sosyne is anger and calm. Aidia is envy and appreciation. I'm aligned to Peromei, hope and despair. What does the talisman do?

My own. [ She doesn't say why, however; it's only for a few moments before she looks up again, slightly uncomfortable. ]

It doesn't really do anything much. It just keeps me as a part of the ritual. I can't take it off, since it'd make me sick if I do. Envy and appreciation, huh. . . I'd bet if Hajime was aligned, he'd probably be to Aida. Since that was the sin he was attached to.

While that is hardly surprising for him he has a much more fitting alignment. Piphron, Trust and Distrust. ... Much more fitting than we ever realized, I guess. [He doesn't say why. It's better not to get into that conflict with anyone but Hinata. Or Nanami. Even then he'd avoid talking to her about it. The ground beneath their feet bleeds in cobblestones.]

Our crystals fill as we feel and live but, they're our way to operate systems in the city. And to communicate telepathically. That's not as scary as it sounds! And well, they're also protection against a dying world that's desperate to survive.

... Trust and distrust, huh.

[ It's clear that Inaba seems to understand why. But guilt washes over her features, hurt when she says that. ]

No, that suits him... That suits Hinata well. It's probably what I would have gotten, too. But a dying world? Can you tell me more?

The world has its own consciousness. I suspect based on evidence that it's like a comatose patient. Still alive but the more we purify the Arehtei, and restore bits of the world...signs of life occur. But that doesn't change right now without a crystal it will drain anyone of their emotions completely to stay alive a little longer. It's like a person. People will do anything to stay alive.

[As they near the coliseum there are voices on the wind. He can't tell who they are or what they're saying. Probably for the best he assumes as he looks to Inaba.] What did you do?

I see. That makes sense.

[...] And what do you mean?

[...] Each time we talk about Hinata, you get quieter and look at the ground. Considering we're talking about mutual killing games. It's not hard to reach that conclusion.

Not that you have to tell me, of course.

Huh? [ It's true that she does get quiet and has a bad habit that she can't exactly hide, and she finds herself tugging on her arm with a guilty look on her face. ]

It's just... I hurt Hinata really badly. I screwed up so hard. . . got them involved in things that they shouldn't have been involved in, because of what I did.

[ She laughs, a little hollowly, a little apologetically. ]

He might not ever forgive me.

[He stops and looks at with a quiet studying gaze. Just like he'd thought she seems like she needs this. The old him would have taken advantage of how much this girl needs to talk to someone. Anyone. But that's not who he is these days. Komaeda gestures to the world around them as rain begins to fall.] He might not. Hinata is,

[The voices turn angry and he takes his time looking over where Verens blends with the islands. They're nearly to their destination.] He doesn't handle betrayal well. But whether he does or not, that actually doesn't matter as much as you might think it will.

[Komaeda steps through the archway and a soft feminine voice whispers, "I don't think it's selfish or bad of you to want to continue to live." Beyond the doorway groups of people cluster together. One at the center of each group holds their hands up. Komaeda steps around them, moving towards the priestess sitting quietly by herself.] Do you know why you're moving forward? Or even who you are? I'll be honest.

[His feet kick up dust as he comes to a halt and turns to face her. His shadow is that servant from before, and cold despair washes back like the ocean tide to mix with the soft wash of hope as pale gold light curves around him.] When you don't know these things, or even you're just alone. It's so easy to fall. I did for a long time. I won't be arrogant and claim that I was worse than you. To you what you've done is the worst.

What do you want to do? Maybe you should start there.

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