Moderation isn't in my vocabulary

[violetlies]

Who: Kokichi Oma + OPEN! Closed starters available by request.
What: Catch-all log for April! Includes TDM and Event prompts.
When: Throughout the month of April
Where: Depends on prompt

Content Warnings: All warnings for the TDM prompt will apply. Specific instances will be warned for depending on prompt, but there will be a big focus on disassociative/unreality-based themes.

Wild card prompts are available by request via plotting on Discord, messaging at osomatsuniisan, or PM. ♥

Comments

(open) these dizzy, dizzy feelings make me want to start all over in a whole new game

[violetlies]

Content Warnings: Anything listed for the 'The Fishers of Dreams' prompt is likely to apply.

[It all starts with a lighthouse. A lot of stories do, actually, but this one in particular is unpleasantly kicked off by a trip into a lighthouse. Technically, it starts with him going about his business up until he's approached by some weird rando who shoves a pamphlet into his arms, and looking at said rando...ooh. Yikes. He'd ended up wincing, but somehow, he was compelled to help these freaks out.

Curse his bleeding heart, he supposes. Or his boundless curiosity. Either or. Neither were him being too charitable to the prospect, however compelled to go along with it he was.

And it's something he regrets, again, when he's in a group and he starts seeing things. Spirits. People he knew - thought he knew. Out of the corners of his eyes, he can see them. He swallows dryly. And that's when they start whispering to him.

Sleep. Sleep is the only way...

And before he's even fully aware of it, he's standing inside that lighthouse, and things are just a little off. The mold on the walls makes him flinch away, and--right. He was supposed to be doing something here, wasn't he? Checking on some kind of...light.

Hm. Well. He looks up, and that's about when he notices that oh, yeah, idiot, there are other people here with you. So, he nudges one of them.]

Hey, do you remember what we're supposed to check on so we can get the hell out of here? It's gross and moldy in here and I'm gonna get all allergic.

(open) ▲ this undisputed prodigy will not be there, he already dropped out in Year 8

[violetlies]

Content Warnings: Anything listed for the 'Blessed Are The Curious' prompt is likely to apply. Spoilers for Danganronpa V3. Mild unreality themes, mention of violence against teenagers (killing game).

[The place that you enter this time is what appears to be a high tech looking courtroom. There are several podiums all in a circle - at least one with the black and white picture of a boy on a stand instead of a person standing there. And sitting above them, watching the whole thing, is a black and white stuffed hear with a red, jagged eye that seems to almost gleam. The students standing at the podiums are likely mostly unfamiliar to most - apart from one.

Kokichi stands there at a podium, his expression looking deathly serious. He doesn't have the cap he usually has on (that's on another boy's head in the circle), but he has an intent expression. There's a girl with blonde hair beginning to look more and more nervous...up until she finally smiles, like she's given up on everything.

That's when Kokichi's voice cuts through the chaos.]

You've got that wrong!

[It's like shattering glass. All attention is drawn to him, and he smirks. It's a cold, conniving, mocking expression that graces his face this time.]

Wait a minute, Miss Martyr. What if I told you I know you're just giving up the goat 'just because'? What then? ...You'd disappoint me. And here I thought you'd fit riiiiight into my organization, Akamatsu-chan.

[There's chatter amongst the students, most of them looking dumbfounded.]

Alright, fine. Since you all are too stupid to figure this out for yourselves, I'll spell it out. Akamatsu-chan. From where Amami-chan was standing, it would've been impossible for your plan to have worked. Amami-chan would've had to have been standing just so for your shot put ball to be the murder weapon. You missed.

[He looks over his nails, almost looking bored with the entire endeavor.]

Clearly, the killer isn't you. Someone came up and smacked the poor bastard in the head. Let's compare alibis and see who had opportunity, shall we?

[The robot bear, subtly, almost looks infuriated. Kokichi smiles, a smug expression gracing his features. And that's almost when the world distorts--it seems to almost speed up, and what is left is merely Kokichi and the rest of his classmates. The bear is missing. The group is dispersing, talking amongst themselves. Kokichi shakes his head, following along as he folds his arms behind his head.]

Maybe now that we've gotten that 'killing game' crap out of us, we can finally have a normal school year.

[He's making no effort to leave this group - and in fact, he clings onto the blonde girl who seemed nervous only seemingly seconds earlier.]

And you won't do anything else stupid, right, Akamatsu-chan?

[She awkwardly pats his head, and Kokichi beams. The thing calling to you the most is the elevator - there's two directions inside. Up and down.

Somehow, you know down is how you have to go.
And with the sight before you, you can imagine that getting Kokichi to do exactly that won't be easy.]

(open) ▼ you're blinded by sweet juices but you gotta put these silly jokes behind

[violetlies]

Content Warnings: Anything listed for the 'Blessed Are The Curious' prompt is likely to apply. Clown imagery. This is the most silly prompt, at least to begin with.

[This time, you find yourself in a bustling city. There's a beautiful night sky above, and the buildings are all lit up with activity. You're left in the middle of a bustling crowd, which doesn't seem very distinct in itself. The people around you seem to be unremarkable, and almost shadow-y. Then, just as you seem to get your bearings, one of the screens on the side of a building - a display screen - stutters and shakes, then with the sound of static displays a logo.

The voice then shifts away to display a boy standing in front of the night sky with stars lit up behind him. He's wearing a mask over his face - a clown mask - and his voice is distorted.]

Greetings, beloved [the name seems incomprehensible to you, but it's a name, and it seems to get the attention of all the shadow-people] City. Too long have you been plagued with sin: corruption. Greed. Ambivalence to those less fortunate. Gluttony to any pleasure you may seek, and too much pride to toss it away for even one moment. No longer. We...are DICE. And we shall be performing our greatest heist tonight.

We will be taking exactly half of the money of every rich CEO, entrepreneur, politician, and tycoon and distributing it amongst those less fortunate. At the stroke of midnight, we'll have all these funds redistributed, and...we will have taken this city's finest treasure as our own.

If you wish to stop our plans, the police will be no match for us. I suggest you find your greatest detective and ensure their cooperation quickly. We're already on the move, and personally, I'd prefer a nice chase instead of something slow and boring.

Thus are the words of DICE leader, Phantom Thief Pierrot!

[The screen shuts off. Immediately, the only passage available to you appears to be a city streetway. Maybe if you look down, you're holding one of those clown masks, too. Or maybe you just feel the inclination to investigate.

Still...you're certain if you want to get out of here, you're going to have to worry about this so-called phantom thief. That might be an issue.]

[forwantofahorse]

[If nothing else, Sayo has to give DICE points for presentation. While discreet letters inscribed with a declaration of intent and embossed with a personal crest or perhaps a signature were elegant, there was an appeal to a bombastic lightshow and citywide announcement that was impossible to discount.

Really, Sayo would be content to watch this game unfold. Critique the mastermind on their craft and, who knows, maybe end up giving a few pointers. But she has a life that she's managed to find a Fragment of happiness in to return to... and she's half-sick of shadows anyways.

So, unfortunately for this wannabe mastermind, it's time for Sayo to hunt her own kind.]

My, my. I suppose some role reversal is fun every once in a while. [A smile teases at Sayo's lips. It's been too long since she's been on this side of the gameboard.] How did Will say it went again...

Right.

[She snaps her fingers.]

I am the detective.

[To most people, the information that floods in when the proclamation settles into place would cause a migraine at the very least. To Sayo, who wrote and edited more than half a million words over the span of several weeks (and has sampled the wonders of spice), all it takes is some effort to sift through the rolling waves of information, that 1% added to her extant 99%.

Well, more like 10% added to 90%, if Sayo wasn't flattering herself. A genius-level chemist with a photographic memory, she is not. It's still enough to bridge the gap... and to follow where her new instincts lead her.

The theft of this fake city's fake oligarchs' money is of no concern to her. If the mastermind, who she was inclined to think was the one whose strings were being both woven into this world and pulled to act as its principle character, proclaimed themself a phantom thief, whatever "precious object" was to be stolen would inevitably be where they'd be found and hopefully convinced to leave... if she found them.

Where the site of the heist is isn't even a question. After all, the detective must have ready access to the crime scene.]

[violetlies]

[Kokichi, for his part, is only faintly aware that a detective has entered the equation. It isn't Saihara-chan - that much he can be certain. If it were, he'd be even more engulfed into the fantasy. Entranced, almost. But it's not, and so Sayo will have a marginally easier time than Shuichi would've.

He's gotten into the security office of the museum, and he's hacked into the camera system.]

Sluttytits! Gonna need a report on the right side. [He's talking over a comm system to his subordinates, which are no doubt based on his deceased classmates. In Kokichi's ideal world, ideal future, they're all okay. They're all part of DICE, and they're all okay.

There's a coarse female voice chiming in over the comm system. "I told me not to call you that, you little shit!"]

Well, I'm not calling you by your REAL name. Your fault for not picking a codename, Sluttytits.

[On one of the cameras, a tall voluptuous blonde in a white uniform akin to Kokichi's, wearing a winking clown mask over her face, throws up her arms. "Fuckin'...whatever. Yes! Kiib--"]

AAH-CHA-CHA. CODENAMES.

["...In all fairness, your original codenames were rankings of our attractiveness, Pierrot." That comment comes from a white-haired boy with an awkwardly-fitting uniform over his strange body. This is because he's a robot.]

Dickless Wonder, I'm gonna need you to give me a detective check, how much time we got?

[The white haired boy seemed to glare at the camera, but the most straight pointing up bit of his hair - an antennae, in actuality - twitches. "Not long. She's coming soon."]

Then get your asses moving! You know we've trapped these rooms for reasons. Stick to the PLAN.

[A variety of DICE members on the other cameras seem to have seized some items, and have scattered. There's one treasure at the center of the museum, but there's several ways to get there...the most direct route is blocked by a metal gate. When Sayo arrives, she's greeted with an announcement over the PA...]

Good evening to you, Miss Detective! We're just now wrapping up here. So if you wanna let us get away with everything, that'd be so much more of an ease of my mind, y'know? You investigative-types are soooooo tedious sometimes.

[Not that he knows this one. That's what he's waiting to suss out. Will this girl interest him? There's two obvious routes to take, left or right.]

[forwantofahorse]

Good evening! [She bows in the direction that the voice is coming from, laughter tinging her voice. Sure, this was serious and someone was in danger of getting trapped in this dream, but that didn't mean Sayo couldn't have some fun.] I have to admit, I'm tempted to take you up on your offer! Your advance notice was so stylish that it seems almost a pity a grab you by the collar this time. Unfortunately, I have a job to do. I am the detective, after all.

Buuuuut, [her face splits into a witchy grin,] that doesn't mean it's all work and no play. I have a wager, if you're interested.

[Now to set the bait.] If I don't catch you and expose your trick in the next, hmmm, [she checks her wrist for a watch that isn't there,] fifteen minutes, let's say? I will simply give up and let you go free. No strings attached.

How! Ev! Er! If I win, whether or not you eventually escape my grasp, you owe me one favor. Nothing more, nothing less.

And either way, before you go... you have listen to what I have to say, and listen well.

How does that sound, oh esteemed Clown Prince of DICE?

[violetlies]

[That red text - almost strikingly visible when the statement is made: I am the detective hits Kokichi with some familiarity. He's not quite sure why. But it strikes him as undeniable. Certainly she is. Not Saihara-chan, unfortunately, but that just meant he'd get to be teased later over this little incident.

That grin and the words she says next make his face split into a grin almost as witchlike as Sayo's own. Even if she can only hear Kokichi's voice, it's obvious.]

Ohooooooooo~? A waaaaager? You're really one to keep things interesting, huh~? ...Let's have fun with this! I accept! Far be it from Clown Prince Pierrot to deny such an interesting gamble! Neeeheeeheeheeeee!!

[A voice over Kokichi's comm system: "Oma. Aren't you afraid this is a trap?" Rough. Coarse. Kaito's voice. "Something about this is fishy. Even I can tell that." Kokichi rolls his eyes as he turns the PA system off briefly--]

Obviously it's a trap. Don't you have faith in me, dearest 'presently doing that'?

["That's not my goddamn name!!!" Nonetheless. He anticipates to see where the detective will go, pulling up a timer on his phone. 15 minutes exactly. He broadcasts over the comm system...]

Alright! DICE! We are out of here in 15 minutes! Spade team, your focus is to get our thieved goods out. Clover team, stay near the primary target and I'll tell you when to go. Diamond team, you're going to make sure no other law enforcement gets involved. This is a game between Detective-chan and I. Heart team...your focus is to stop the detective at any cost. Protect your king! I want you all on HIGH ALERT!

["Sir, yes sir!" No matter how they'd normally respond in real life, this is Kokichi's ideal world. They listen to him like a proper leader. He's quiet for a moment, before adding:]

...Momota-chan. Amami-chan. Dickless Wonder. You three in particular...stay safe, alright? There's no telling what will happen from this point on, but listen to me and we'll all be okay.

["Of course, Pierrot." Amami's response comes clean and princely, just like Kokichi envisioned. He bows briefly to the camera in the room he's stationed in, and Kokichi smiles. Kiibo hesitates for a moment, but he visibly nods. There's silence from Kaito.]

Momota-chan...?

["You know I'd give the entire universe to protect you, Pierrot. So don't let me down, neither."

Of course. It's Kokichi's ideal world. He smiles sweetly to himself.]

Never, beloved.

[And now to see where she goes...]

(open) forever meant to suffer in this neverland

[violetlies]

Content Warnings: Anything listed in the 'Migration of Moonlit Butterflies' prompt.

[April. Kokichi had never had much against the spring months, since spring just felt like the overly-long prelude to summer, anyway, and he always loved summer (not least because that meant no school, that definitely played into it). But this...was a special case.

'The new October', he was hearing. 'It'll be bad, no matter what happens.'

So this was the storm rolling in. The constant night. The ominous lull to the air that might've just been his mind making up for lack of presence, and he was peering out the window. Alvin wasn't home - yet, anyway - and this left him alone. Of course, the general idea between them was it's best not to leave the house unless necessary, seeing how things were what they were and Kokichi had no ability to truly fight yet...

But he was relentlessly curious. So he was watching outside with wide eyes. And that was when a gust of wind appeared. He blinked in surprise - moreso when a bit further out, there was...something. Something landed. His face twisted in a mix of curiosity and conflict - should he leave the house? Should he go see? Shoul-- and he was already walking out the door.

Honestly, if Alvin comes home and realizes he's not there, it shouldn't entirely be a surprise that Kokichi has, what some people would call, 'dun goofed'.

He walked over, carefully, cautiously, to look up at what he now noticed to be a gigantic butterfly. Butterflies were metaphors for change, new things, they were a sign that things were to change or were already changing and...it seemed apt. Not to mention the fact that the being seemed...non-hostile.

As he approached, he could hear a faint melody being emitted from the gigantic creature. A familiar one, at that. And thus, he was trapped. It was a mix of awe and fear, and something distorted in the back of his mind could imagine her sitting there, her fingers tracing over the keys of the piano - the Ultimate Pianist being enraptured by her own melody that could stir even the sturdiest of hearts.

Transfixed. That was what it was. He couldn't move. Not until it was over.

Unless someone snapped him out of it, of course, but that'd be a lucky break on his part.]

(open) I've confessed three thousand times already in this life

[violetlies]

Content Warnings: Anything listed in the 'Wonderkind' prompt. Spoilers for Danganronpa V3 and possibly triggering content related to that; this is one of two prompts related to this section, this one is for the more emotional aspects.

[If the butterflies weren't enough, the next weird thing to happen takes place at night - what he thinks is night, anyway. It's a few flickers of light outside the window, and Kokichi peers out his bedroom window to see what's going on. A meteor shower. He snorts softly. Kaito comes to mind briefly - it's a space thing, of course he does. Then Kokichi pauses for a moment. He looks at a calendar...and he starts laughing.

April 20th. It's Kaito's birthday.

So, despite being in his pajamas (which consist of some loose fitting black pajama pants and a light purple t-shirt that has a bright blue logo reading 'PANTA' on it), he has to go outside. He has to see for himself.

He heads down the stairs quietly, and walks outside. It's about then when what he thought were meteors - one crashes down nearby. And he can see no, wait, it's not a meteor, it's--

It's a portal.

and what he can see inside it is the Gifted Inmates Academy. The cafeteria, to be exact. It looks like everyone's just waking up for breakfast. Can--Can they see him?

He decides to test it.]

Mo-Mo-Mo-Moooooorning, WORSTIES! WHASSUP?

["O....ma...?" A familiar voice. It almost brings Kokichi to his knees. Shuichi is the first to hear him, and he's walked over to see him. "What is this? What's going on?"

He feels like crying.]

Saihara-chan, you wouldn't believe me if I told you. I can't tell you--can you step through here?

[It's a question he asks eagerly, hopefully. Shuichi puts his hand against the portal.

"It's like glass. I--I can't."

And his heart sinks.]

Then--I don't know how long we have. I don't know if you'll even remember this or if I've fucked up the timeline or what, but--I--I love you, Saihara-chan. And that's the truth. It always has been. I love you with my whole heart and I'll never get to see you again, not like this, but I want to, and--can you try again? Please?

[Shuichi, for his side, looks absolutely dumbfounded. But he tries to press on it--harder--and that's when it begins closing.]

No, no, no, NO--!! WAIT!!! PLEASE!!!

[The portal closes. Kokichi stares at where Shuichi was for the slightest of moments...and then he starts crying. He wraps his arms around himself, digging his fingernails into his arms.]

Why is this place so fucking CRUEL?!

[That's when a storm of them begin falling. It's in the distance, but Kokichi doesn't hesitate. He doesn't even look behind or around to see if anyone's following him, or if there are other people nearby trying to find their own portals. He has a single-minded goal: he has to outwit these portals. He has to. There has to be a trick.]

(open) I'm civil and resentful, and can act to the extreme

[violetlies]

Content Warnings: Anything listed in the 'Wonderkind' prompt. This is one of two prompts related to this section, this one is for the more battle-related aspects.

[April 22nd.

Kokichi has long since soured to these portals. After the experience he had his first time, he'd resolved not to look back. Not in that way, anyway.

The fact that he was now wearing Shuichi's cap most of the time and keeping Kaito's jacket tied around his waist sometimes meant nothing - or so he'd like to say. In truth, he was fairly certain by some point he'd have one item from everyone in his class, and he'd become some kind of amalgamation of their various items. He now stared at the window with only a jaded expression, frowning to himself.

He could keep all the items he wanted. The people still wouldn't be there. And couldn't be, through those portals. But there's an inevitable shock to the system when he sees one touch down, and out of it pops...a stuffed bear. One of his eyes twitches.]

Oh, hell fucking no.

[And then another stuffed bear pops out. But Kokichi is already outside, because he's in a stupid, petty blind fury and oh look, a convenient target for him to be angry at and channel his emotions and he wasn't even going to question why there were two Monokumas here, he was just going to revel in it.]

GET OUT OF HERE, YOU STUPID BEAR!!!

[He immediately runs over, punting one up into the air. It pauses for a moment, and then it explodes.

The other one stares at him before he launches it into the air as well, picking it up and chucking it off into the distance.]

WHY DO YOU GET TO BE HERE, AND NO ONE ELSE?! WHY?!

[...And then a ball-shaped version of that same bear steps out. Kokichi pauses for the briefest of moments. The Ball Monokuma stares at Kokichi. Kokichi stares at the Ball Monokuma. They just kind of stand like that as a couple of other Monokumas begin stepping out of the portal.]

....What? [He gestures wildly with his arms.] What even ARE you?!

[The Ball Monokuma has no answer for him. Only silent judgement.

That's about when Kokichi decides he's had it. And luckily, a portal opens nearby where there's a metallic baseball bat clearly nearby (not that he knows where from). He hums to himself, then snatches it up into his arms, and does a few test swings with it. The Ball Monokuma - and the other Monokumas - watch. Then he hums to himself, nodding. The group of Monokumas offer a small round of applause.]

Yeah, this'll do.

[He says, cheerfully. And then he SLAMS the bat into the Ball Monokuma, batting it off into the air. It, too, explodes. The other Monokumas stare at him for the briefest of moments before he begins swinging away at them as well, cackling to himself.

Wow! This was GREAT stress relief!]

(open) damn this, damn this fragmented life

[violetlies]

Content Warnings: Anything listed in the 'From Within And Without' prompt.

[It had been days dealing with this annoyance. At first, it started as a minor thing - how did he get a shadow in the nighttime? It didn't make any sense. And then he thought it was almost funny. So, whatever it was, it was mimicking him to the letter. That was basically an invitation in Kokichi's book to do at least a few stupid poses, which it dutifully mimicked.

So. That was kind of funny. And he'd thought, maybe, it'd go away, but...it was still there. And it was getting to be worse and worse. Kokichi walked along the street of Willful Machine, occasionally sneaking a glance at his dumb, dumb ever-present shadow. He should get home. He should quit worrying about it. About anything. About the faint silver twinge to his skin.

It was all nothing and he was fine.

It was not nothing and he was not fine. But he was a liar, after all, and thus he would persist in his lie. He kept walking, not really watching where he was going when he nearly ran into someone...abruptly paused, and without talking, moved around them. He had to keep going.

If he crashed into anyone else immediately ahead, then he might notice. Otherwise, someone might have to reach out to him.]

you know I am here for this

[droptheious]

[Varian knew the month having no sun would be a bad thing. He fucking knew it. Nothing good ever comes when the sun vanishes for extended periods of time. He's been scurrying about, getting supplies and running right back to the house when he finds THIS madness.

If he was ever in doubt that he still has some pretty terrible trauma over the whole Monokuma thing he can put that well to rest now. The second he sees the monochrome bear shape, he starts yelling and IMMEDIATELY grabs an alchemy bomb from his backpack to huck at one of them.

It goes up in a GLORIOUS explosion of green smoke and fire and you know, that IS great stress relief.]

When you said we had to prepare for this I didn't think you meant right now?!!! Where are they coming from?!

[forwantofahorse]

[If a normal person sees a mousetrap laden with cheese, they'll step around it. But if you meet someone prideful enough, they'll declare that they'll bypass the trap entirely to get at the tasty, tasty gouda...

Which means that for the kind of person to send advance notice of a heist, the best bait for a larger, much more complex trap was the illusion of a clumsier, simple one. Kokichi had fallen for it hook, line, and sinker; Sayo just needed to make sure the rest of the mechanism fell into place.

As much as she hated to admit it, this wasn't about winning this little game of chance. She needed to draw Kokichi into a conversation, prod at the edges of this dream, unravel it from the inside out...]

Detective-chan? My, I'm hurt! I have a name, you know. If you've really done your research for this heist, you should've done some research to see what kind of detectives were prowling around the edges of this city that might take one whiff of the crime you set up here and get salivating like me. Why were you so convinced that only one person would come? [The first step was to break the progression of the game. Beatrice's foremost tactic was convincing Battler that there were only walls in his blindspots, and she needed to break through those illusory barriers to shake up the foundations of the gameboard.]

Hm... here's the thing.

It would be absolutely HYSTERICAL if you let in a cavalcade of law enforcement at the climax of your heist, lured them in deeper and deeper, and then shut the gate behind them while using a passage to waltz out the front door.

Which means... that there should be some kind of hidden door around here, to allow for easy and fast transport beyond the inevitable traps you've put into place as those would slow you down.

[There must be no secret passages that the detective cannot find the clues to, after all.

Move into the back rank. Threaten the bishop. What had really been your plan, Kokichi? Did you know what you were doing besides having fun with friends?]

[violetlies]

[Kaboom. There goes a few more Monokumas. Kokichi looks over, and--ah. There's Varian. Lucky for the both of them in an odd way.]

You know, neither did I! But it's--

[Kokichi slams his metal bat into a few more Monokumas before finishing his sentence, jerking his thumb back towards the open portal.]

It's these things. Apparently they can release monsters and items from your world, but people are flat-out. Learned that one the hard way!

[The hard way. Looking at his classmates through what felt like glass, unable to break through. And yet, instead, these little shits could.

Can't have shit in Trench. He's still very displeased.]

The portals close up after a little while, but until then--!!

[swornto]

[Oz is in the same situation. Blinking 'awake,' he is disturbed to find that the lighthouse is suddenly in disrepair. Another trick of the Trench, no doubt. Is it cruel of him to feel relief when he sees Kokichi is there with him? He's not alone, at least. Even though;]

Goodness, we really need to stop meeting like this~.

[Goofyness aside;] The light, right? It's not a lighthouse without it.

[miiraculous]

[The everlasting darkness had Rika on edge enough already. She had been hesitant to leave her home for very long, understanding that her youth made the dark that much more scary. Even if it the butterflies lit the skies.

Her walks thus far had involved minimal interactions. She made sure to greet shopkeepers in order to create a timeline of where she'd been (in case Satoko worried later,) but she otherwise did not give anyone a chance to hurt her. With her arms full of grocery bags, she dutifully headed straight home-- Quickly, so as to avoid danger--

Only to crash into someone familiar. Literally, actually. With her vision blocked by the bags and darkness already hiding her form, it should come as no surprise. She stumbles and falls on her backside, yelping loudly as she does.]

MII! Who- [She looks up quickly, on guard;] ... Kokichi?

[violetlies]

[Kokichi is taken out of his thoughts by bumping into someone--literally. This immediately makes him stop walking at the little yelp of Mii! and he looks down.]

Rika-chan? Jeez, sorry, I, um. I didn't see you there. I was kinda...lost in thought. Here--are you okay?

[He extends his hand to help the little girl up.]

[violetlies]

...Oz-chan. Yeah, we definitely do. [He snorts softly, a little amused.]

Right. Let's...make sure that's all lit up, and then we can get the hell out of here? Is it just me, or has it gotten like, grosser in here?

[Just a little bit more up to check on that light, and then maybe he can go home. This was a dumb little excursion, anyway.]

[violetlies]

[Immediately, this detective was poking at his biggest weakness: the fact that he expected Saihara Shuichi and Saihara Shuichi only. Normally, he'd be the only one seen as competent enough to assume the detective role. No one else was worth half his value.

He scoffs.]

I just have an expectation. Saihara-chan is the Ultimate Detective, after all. There is no other Ultimate Detective. [Which was decidedly not a statement that could be repeated in red. There were, even if he was very unaware of it.] There are others. Such as yourself. Why don't you save me the trouble, rookie upstart, mmm~?

[But what she proposes next is enough to make him snicker.]

Neeheehee. It sure would be, wouldn't it? Seeing a group of helpless officers be able to do nothing apart from watch us leave...do you think that's my plan, truly and honestly~?

Awfully bold to commit to one idea on the dot. What if I'm not so merciful this time? What if my plan is not only a heist, but a massacre? I have numbers, you know. This could easily be the one where I just decide that enough is enough, and the city truly belongs to the one who deserves it most.

["Is that an order, sir?" Another voice across comms, this one flat and to the point. Maki. Kokichi's expression flattens as he turns the PA off again for a brief moment--]

Stay your goddamn hand, Lilith. Don't you dare do anything stupid.

[That was a decidedly harsher tone than he'd taken with any of the other DICE members, and the less than flattering codename was one borne from pettiness. Kokichi paused for a moment, and then a smirk appeared on his face. The PA turned back on--]

Just because you've got a crossbow doesn't mean you have to use it...right away. She hasn't even figured out the combination yet.

[There was no combination. There was, however, a secret passageway in the middle of the first room, leading to two adjacent hallways hidden in the main parameter around the primary target of the heist...so long as Sayo could notice the faint slit in the middle between the walls right in front of her - it could be opened wider, but how? Kokichi turned off the PA system.]

Get your asses MOVING! I'm going to keep buying time, but she's quick. And do NOT try to kill her, Lilith. Or harm her. We don't actually use violence.

[He'd planned things out...to a degree. The main point of it, of course, was to indulge in a fantasy. One with his friends, who were all okay, spared of misery and pain...

But now it was interrupted, and he was, however, good at thinking on his feet.]

If she moves forward, execute plan Solitaire. If not, Blackjack.

[droptheious]

[Rest in pieces, demon bear!!!]

Oh, wonderful, that's just great. Sure why not, just...monster portals now. But no people. Sounds great.

[At least Kokichi gets to learn how awful this place is quick. Like ripping a band-aid off, nice and fast. He hucks another alchemy bomb at one of the Monokumas, and up it goes in flames.]

Until then, we need to keep them from getting everywhere.

[anthropophagite]

[ when the Tethers started showing up, kaneki decided the best place to find some information on them would be the library he works at. And lo and below, he did find a book that had excepts from Charlotte Finch's journal, where Tethers -souls!- were explained. A way to help is also written there and while it's a bit awkward, kaneki is glad that at least there is one and doesn't involve anything terrible like blood.

Surprisingly enough, Kaneki was not affected by it. Which is surprising indeed! He doesn't have much luck with anything and fully expected to be followed around by a mirror image of himself at some point. And yet, strangely it never did.

Not that kaneki will complain about that.

Still, at least he can recognize it now and that means when he bumps against Kokichi on the street, he is able to figure what that is right away. it's freaky, scary, but at least kaneki isn't running scared and confused about everything. But in any case, having a friendly face in front of him being tormented by that thing, Kaneki immediately grows worried, frowning, while he reaches to touch Kokichi's shoulder with a hand ]

Kokichi-san... are you alright? [ clearly not, ken ]

[miiraculous]

[Rika pushes herself onto her knees first, collecting her bags before she accepts his help.]

I am fine. I am sorry- I wanted to get out of the spooky darkness quickly. I was not looking.

[Actually, she couldn't look over the bags. But she doesn't want to be reminded of how scary it is to be small and trapped in eternal darkness.]

Sorry- I do not have a map for thoughts. But are you okay? Is something troubling you?

[snakesdonthavelegs]

[ From across the street, a girl stares in rapt attention as the shimmering portal descends from the heavens, opening to reveal another world, with people she's never met. As Jessica takes a step forward to investigate, a boy charges out of a house and begins speaking to those on the other side.

She feels like she shouldn't see such a vulnerable, emotional moment from a stranger she never met, but her feet won't budge. After all, she had feared and yearned for the portals herself, has taken the long route on many walks in the event that fate decided to grant her one more moment with her family.

So Jessica watches as he declares his love for the boy on the other side, and as their reunion is cut short. She begins to hesitantly approach him as he falls, crying. That brief, tragic scene stirs so many feelings in her heart, not least of all sympathetic familiarity, no matter how she's tried to distance herself, become strong and independent.

When he runs, she chases after him, wondering in the back of her mind if she too might be able to experience a reunion. Would that heal her? Or just open her wounds again? ]

Wait, hold on! That's dangerous!

[ And it is, there are so many dangerous things wandering the streets, and she cannot kid herself that she's strong enough to fight any of them. But she can't leave him alone to face that danger. ]

[violetlies]

[Kokichi is in a blind sprint, taken over by one, singular thought: there has to be a way. There has to be a way to change things, there has to be a way to let them come through - not just Shuichi, but all of them, those who deserve a better life than the terrible hand they were dealt. If he times it just right, maybe everyone can be saved.

Maybe, just this once, everyone can live.

But then he hears noises ahead. There definitely ARE creatures ahead, and he's not trained to fight, either. But he also hears a voice behind him, and...that's a girl with a rough voice, kind of like Miu's. He freezes on the spot and lets her catch up. She's blonde, too.

How much did she hear? What is she doing, trying to stop him? He doesn't even know her.]

if I don't go, I can't save anyone. I...I have to. No one else will.

[He hates how fragile his voice sounds. Especially in front of a stranger.

The logical side of his mind caught what she was saying - it's dangerous, and it certainly is. There's already the sounds of creatures ahead. But he can't just leave them all to suffer and die. He can't.

Briefly, his mind flickers back to Scorpia charging headfirst into that burning house. He'd chided her at the time, he had the self-control to not fall for the trap of saving strangers.

People he knew, however...]

[violetlies]

Can't have anything too good here! ObVIOUSLY!

[Kokichi slams his metal bat into a few more stray Monokumas. He sees another ball one walk out, and grumbles.]

I didn't even know they MADE this many! I thought there was just...fuckin'. One! And his dumb kids!

[And then a few different looking Monokumas pour out of the portal, single file. It's like a battering ram, and Kokichi is knocked back. Luckily, he recovers, just barely.]

Oh. They're evolving, too. Cool.