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Calvin looked towards Ice with a degree of intent. His eyes were clouded and his lips parted slightly as he looked Ice over. His eyes scanned over the room, and settled on Aleecia. She  The look on her face was resolute, and it terrified him. [color=Cyan]“I can handle this.”[/color] He said, not unkindly. [color=Cyan]“I’ll try and talk some sense into her. Into all of them.” [/color]He looked ahead to Rika who was still waiting for Ice. [color=Cyan]“Good luck with her. And with Alice.”[/color] His cheek still stung. 

Relief flooded over the Blood Donor’s face. It was unusual for anything besides anger to show on his face, but his true colors were always drawn out by the people he cared about. The last interaction between the two of them played over in his head again, [color=orange]
“I have nothing to offer but my gratitude.”[/color]

[color=Cyan]“You don’t gotta offer anything, man.”[/color] There was a bit of clarity in Calvin’s eyes. [color=Cyan]“I don’t want anything to happen to her either.” [/color]He let out a sigh.

Calvin was the only one Ice could trust with Allie in this state. Not only because he trusted him as much as one of his own siblings, but because Calvin cared for the Dice Master just as much. He gave a small smile to the ground before letting out a sigh himself. With another nod, Ice patted Calvin on the shoulder before slipping past him and out of the room. 

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Calvin turned to look to Aleecia, who had a slight frown as she faced his general direction. Had she heard him? He made his way to go over, feeling a slight sense of urgency but before he could get to her, Monokuma spoke up, introducing a new “game”. As Aleecia took a spot to face Faith, Calvin turned slowly to look upon Noel.


[color=Cyan]“Listen, I’m not here to fight about this. But we need to stop getting involved in all of the bear’s bullshit.”[/color] Calvin gestured with his arm towards the black and white bear watching the debate with glee.[color=Cyan] “Monokuma’s on our side? That should be an immediate sign we need to stop what we’re doing and think about this. Let him run the game, we shouldn't be doing his dirty work!”[/color] He looked at Noel, doing what he could to appraise her. He had spoken with her in passing before, but never a great deal. She carried herself with a degree of confidence that Calvin respected deeply, and he hoped he could get through to her.

Noel followed the debates of the others intently. Naturally she had covered politics before, and the boring debates that ensued there. She was happy to report that these exchanges of words were infinitely more interesting! Well, perhaps it was because it was a more dire subject matter… well it didn’t matter! She was rather enjoying herself, seeing the sides clash against each other with such zeal! 

Noel shook her head resolutely as she noticed the blacksmith tried to get her attention.. [color=897691]”I don’t disagree that having the bear on our side is… troubling. But abandonment of our allies can’t be right.”[/color] She stated crystal clear. [color=897691]”I wasn’t there the first time, and I know you didn’t really have a say in things… but you can probably imagine best what Krista is going through right now. Can you say, knowing the feeling of being saved from such despair, that it is the correct option to leave her to whatever fate Nariko has in store for her?”[/color] Noel was calm, but Calvin could feel that behind her neutral gaze, intense judgement was being passed.  

Calvin ran a gloved hand through his hair, a look of pain crossing his face.[color=Cyan] “You think I don’t give a shit she’s in there?”[/color] His tone was pained, not pointed, but Noel’s following statement brought a bit of heat to his chest.[color=Cyan] “Whatever sort of good feeling we were supposed to get from surviving that encounter was torn to shreds when we look at what it cost! Monokuma even admitted it! He didn’t have the authority to kill any of us, until good people a lot like you tried to fix things. It doesn’t fucking work.”[/color] His hands clenching themselves into fists and unclenching at a slow yet methodical rate.

Noel chuckled embarrassedly, he did have a point. However, he forgot something very important. [color=897691]“Yes, that time didn’t work out perfectly, did it? But I believe we do remember one time where things worked out rather swimmingly?” [/color]  She paused, giving the cogs in Calvin’s head a moment to spin. [color=897691]”Aleecia was in pretty dire straits last time, wasn’t she? She is alive because Alexandria was confronted and beaten that time.”[/color] She shrugged. [color=897691]”In need of immediate medical attention or kidnapped. it doesn’t really matter, does it? So is there any reason why we shouldn’t do it this time? It seems we have even more people helping this time. I imagine our odds to be even better.”[/color]

Noel threw a piercing stare. [color=897691]”So tell me, what is the difference between now and then?”[/color]  

Even though the laugh was good natured, Calvin’s blood boiled. He was about to unload into the Infinite reporter, but she was quick to begin speaking, and Calvin was already having difficulties keeping up with the reporter’s strong arguments.  [color=Cyan]“The last time was lucky! We can’t keep trusting on these plans to work because we believe in ourselves enough. And if something goes wrong?”[/color] Calvin’s face went white. [color=Cyan]“Nobody should have to deal with that. Having someone’s blood on your hands… It’s-”[/color] He took a deep breath. [color=Cyan]“Krista doesn’t deserve that.” [/color]

[color=897691]”Luck? Do you truly believe you can defeat something like a carnage chassis with pure luck? If all you had was luck last time, we would’ve found a squad of dead bodies, and Aleecia would’ve followed suit.”[/color] She sneered. [color=897691]”You’re a bloody infinite. You may not be a fighter, but together we can do some pretty amazing things. Do you think your weapons were not an important reason why they succeeded last time? Their skill? Their plans?”[/color] She was visibly angry. Her aura shifted to something different for a bit, it was steadfast, yet furious. An incredibly, silent force.[color=897691]”There is nothing bad about having luck on your side, but such an act is not purely lucky. ”[/color] She let out a deep breath of her own. [color=897691]”And the only way Krista won’t have to live with blood on her hands, is if we do a damn good job once again. Because you can’t stop me. It’s just not… right”[/color] She was resolute.   

Calvin shuddered a little, looking at Noel in the eyes. There was a fire there that seemed so distant to Calvin. Some piece of him registered it as a part of himself, but that seemed so long ago. Where was his passion? His verve? He tried to muster it up, to find the words that used to come so easily to him whenever he disagreed with someone. It didn’t come.

Was it what he was arguing? Or some deeper part of him that had been snuffed out? What was wrong with him? He realized he had been staring at Noel for far too long, and broke eye contact sheepishly, looking down. [color=Cyan]“You’re right. I can’t stop you. You can do what you want, Noel But I’m not going through this shit again.”[/color] His voice was quiet, his tone low. [color=Cyan]“If another one of us goes, and my work is in their hands or turned against them, I…” [/color] He looked back up, and though his tone was brittle, there was a dull severity in his eyes that was chilling. 


[color=Cyan]“I think I’m going with them.” [/color] It didn’t sound as though it was a threat, but rather a simple fact.

Noel nodded with simple acceptance. Calvin’s point was rather weak. If they died without his work, then maybe they could’ve been saved by having them? But Noel couldn’t bring herself to make that point. It was clear the blacksmith was on the edge. Telling him the truth now might only push him. [color=897691]”Do as you like, I’m not going to judge.”[/color] This was a lie. Noel believed that inaction might be one of the worst actions. But at the very least it was better than opposition.  She didn’t agree, and judged the others harshly for their choice. But ultimately, they had already lost too much time arguing. It was time for action.