[IC] Persona - Academic Akrasia

[Krayzikk]

"I got it, I got it."

Daisuke chuckled a little to himself at the insistent tugs, thinking a moment as he turned his attention to the road. He'd been a little out of it when they came through yesterday, obviously, but he was pretty sure he knew where he was going. Just had to plot the route a bit. A moment later he pushed off hard, putting some extra effort into overcoming the combined mass of two riders, and got moving. One rotation, two rotation, three rotations and they weren't moving fast. Just inching along. Four and five they picked up speed, six and seven they started to cruise.

Getting going was the hard part, keeping up the pace was easy.

"Holler if ya need me to slow down, keep close." He called over his shoulder at Hitomi, pumping the pedals to come up to a decent cruising speed. Not as fast as it took to get to work on time, maybe, but they didn't need to go that fast. Hitomi could barely reach her pedals for Christ's sake. "And you hang on tight."

He took a hand off the handlebars long enough to rap a knuckle against Kimiko's headset.

"Lemme know if I miss a turn."

[Crimmy]

@Bornlucky

Uchima Senior High - A Hallway, 2nd Floor, Classroom Building???

The arrow stabbed into the wooden back of the table monster and an eerie cry left its frame, but the damage that was done was too little, even with Ryoma's follow-up kick pushing it, legs scrambled and clattering against the floor, further away from him and Ai. It swerved around with a hiss, the distance between them now greater than it had been before. Green fluids continued to leak from the broken arrow lodged in its inverted head, the sucker vibrating in a manner that could portray anger. The compounded eyes gaze upon Ryoma with a strange intensity.

And it charged again, sucker pointed towards the boy's chest like a lance.

It sought to stab into him.

To drink his very being.

[DELETED7282737]

Enju

Norway? Scandinavia? Those sounded too weird to remember. Enju tilted her head to the side as he told her about those locations. She chose to ignore it for now and continued on with trying to get him to come with them.

"Ahh intresting! I have seen Scandievania before yes!"

Enju angled her eyes the other way somewhat clearly indicating she wasn't taking this serious at all. The boy told her his japanese wasn't all too great just like she was hearing. It wasn't perfect no but atleast it was understandable unlike other tourists. She had it plenty that english tourist just tried asking things to her but she could not make any soup of it.

"Hey, it is not half bad. We can at least talk to each other, right? hehe. Oh, well you seemed pretty fun to hang around with. I don't see as much foreign pubers that I can talk to as I like hehe."

Enju lightly rubbed the back of her head as she let out an awkward laugh at her own words. She didn't really know what to say about it, everything she could say would be weird in this situation. Luckily the boy was willing to give himself in to the dire situation he was trapped in. A pleased smile appeared on Enju her face as she replied.

"If you would be so kind then! Hehe."

The boy told her his name with somewhat difficulty but managed, Enju gave a kind small wave in return with a gentle smile on her face.

"Hirasawa Enju, nice to meet youuu!"

Blair didn't seem all that happy with the stranger being taken in to get ice cream too. It was another new experience for the day anyhow. Enju snapped her head at Blair for a moment to reassure Blair.

"I'm sure it'll be fun for once!"

After Enju had done her little introduction she stepped aside and moved her arms in such way like she was showing off Blair to the boy. She kept the same pose waiting for Blair to finish without any of her own commentary.

Some random stranger decided to join on in, he presumably was from the same school as them... She wondered what school Hans was attending, she hadn't seen him around on their school yet so maybe there was still a chance for him to be in the same school too. The stranger had asked what they were doing.

"Kidnapping this boy. Why?"

[Mistress Dizzy]

Through the pain, the silence made Jin very suddenly indignant. "Hey... hey! You can't just ask me shit and ignore me!" Anger, if nothing else, granted them energy, and Jin tried to rise through the pain. Their fist clenched, and only then did they remember the knife. "You. Whoever or WHATever the hell you are - if you haven't heard of me, that's your own damn problem. My name is Jinayah Ifriti. My parents gave me that name. My name is Luna - the street gave me that name. My name is Jin Takahashi, a gift from my obi-san and oba-san. Call me all of it, shit, call me NONE of it, I don't care. But you'd better know who the fuck you're talking to."

Jin stood, body screaming, hand bleeding, but their eyes full of defiant rage. "I've lived through worse monsters and shit more dark than this 5 yen haunted house. I should have been dead a hundred times. No. No fucking way do you get to take me out. Come on, you freaking boogeyman. My name is Jin. You're gonna remember it by the time we're through."

[Bornlucky]

^{Other Class Room Building}
@Crimmy

Ryoma's stabbing and kick wasn't enough as he thought. But it gave him and Ai breathing room, if only slightly. The green fluid oozed out disgustingly and the broken arrow still dug deep in its body. It swayed with anger and sucker twitched. It then proceed to glare at him with its strange compound eyes, well, Ryoma guessed it was glaring at him. It then charged at him with its sucker with the intent to kill and drain him of his life, it aimed at his chest ready to pierce his heart with its sucker.

Ryoma rolled to his side, to dodge under the sucker, even with his body screaming out in pain as he did so, as he was rolling the image of the number XX appeared in his mind and he quickly shattered the the image as he finished rolling and stood up. "Anubis!" as he yell out its name, Anubis appeared above Ryoma and lifted his arm in a display of power and then would attempt to surround the desk monster in a hellish red and black vortex, which should tear it apart, but not at the same extent as the previous attack.

Ryoma's mind was starting to be pushed to its limits with this many summonings in such a short time span, but he still has to fight. For Ai. And himself.

[SMS]

@Sarcelle Renard @chukklehed @Crimmy

Natsume Natsumi(?); Saturday Morning - Practice Building?

---

Charge in, stop the monster for a bit, grab the girl and run. It sounded like a good idea at the time. If it went well, they would have gotten away safe and sound. Except for the broom maybe. If only the monster wasn't so powerful though. Her attempt at an attack was easily neutralized, and not even a second later she found herself being punched in the gut by a fist that she didn't see coming in her tunnel vision.

The air was knocked out of her as she flew back for a few meters. The sudden sensation proved to be a horrific experience for the white haired girl. For the entirety that she spent in the air, she was frozen and unable to breathe. A few seconds felt like minutes.

Eventually her body crashed back down onto the ground and it wasn't exactly gentle like she had hoped it would be. Although her back hit the floor first, the back of her head slammed hard from the force of the impact. A muted cry escaped her lips as her body instinctively turned to the side and curled up to try and protect her head from the immense pain she was feeling. Like her skull was being crushed and slowly suffocated.

Her breathing was short and ragged, her body trembling. The world felt like it was spinning even through her forcefully closed crying eyes. There was a loud ringing in her ears that wouldn't go away that was clouding her hearing. The girl trapped in her own bubble of pain.

[Crimmy]

@Bornlucky

Uchima Senior High - A Hallway, 2nd Floor, Classroom Building???

Though his attack was of a lesser intensity, the creature, weakened by the constant assaults dealt by Ryoma upon its body, could not bear the violent vortex, and with a final shriek, was consumed in its entirety, twisted and churned into a cloud of black that slowly dissipated into the musty air.

All three of the bizarre desks had been killed.

- The clinking of armour.

Only the azure warrior remained.

It did not seem perturbed in any form by the destruction of its minions. Nor had it intervened to prevent their destruction. It had merely watched their deaths, observing the fights with an unreadable, unidentifiable motive and intervening only on a whim. And yet now ... now that it was all over, it was once more an observer. Its gaze was focused on Ryoma and Ai, but it did not move. Its great yumi bow dangled from its hands, but it did not attack.

It moved -

But not in the way the two teenagers would've expected.

The armoured thing placed its bow onto the protrusion on its hunched back. With once-more deliberate slowness, it rose a gauntleted hand.

Five fingers.

It stepped to the side, leaving the hallway free for them to pass.

A gesture.

It wanted them to go past it.

The five fingers remained.

The hand dropped down towards its untouched blade, and then pointed up at Ryoma.

Five fingers pointing.

Five minutes headstart.

[chukklehed]

Tsubaki was willing to accept her fate. She was willing to die if that was the end of the path she had taken. The one thing Tsubaki was unwilling to do right now was let herself take other people down with her. Her eyes opened at the sound of fighting, seeing the girl who had rushed to help her crumpled in a heap on the ground, the man who had followed her attacking the monster that had followed her to them, and one long, fleshy tentacle reaching toward her.

Tsubaki let out an involuntary scream, somehow finding the strength to once again scrambled out of the way as the monster reached for her. Her back wound up pressed against the wall, sticky with dripping blood, and as she looked across at the people who had tried to help her without even knowing her, a voice resonated in her head, soft and sorrowful and cutting through the weight of this place.

"Is this who you are? A meek little mouse who timidly accepts the path laid out for her?"

[Crimmy]

@SMS@chukklehed@Sarcelle Renard

Uchima Senior High - Hallway Outside Newspaper Clubroom, Practice Building???

The insectoid eyes were not blinded.

Yet the eerie sloshing noises they made as they focused upon the charging Yuuhei suggested that he had caught their attention.

Gears whirred. Pistons chugged. The ever-shifting mass of black ooze that was its torso lanced out once more, a black, slimy tentacle ripping forth from underneath those eyes, the air cracking once again as it caught the teenager's attacking arm with little effort. And then it squeezed.

Immense force clamped onto Yuuhei's arm.

And it swung.

Yuuhei was nothing but a ragdoll to it, a minor pest that served as an obstacle to what it truly wanted.

So the teenager was flung away like Natsume, and the monster continued to charge. Continued to close in on Tsubaki.

And attacked with a tentacle once more.

---

Yet even in their pain, Yuuhei and Natsume would hear a soft, ethereal voice.

A comforting voice.

A simple test; can you state your name?

Once again -

---

@Mistress Dizzy

Uchima Senior High - Another Hallway, Classroom Building, 2nd Floor???

Jin fell.

If they could still feel through the haze of pain and the slow deterioration of their senses as they continued to bleed, the shock of the wooden floor meeting their body would lance through, cracking bone and twisting muscle. Yet even so, there was a warmth. Not the warmth of blood rushing through a broken body. A warmth in the heart. A warmth that seemed to pulse with energy.

Something was calling to Jin. Something inside them.

The crippling cold of the thing that had picked it up was returning. Ice began to form on the wood beneath Jin's cheeks, sharp, jagged pieces that were freezing their blood. A hostile cold.

The warmth inside Jin continued to call.

It would be for the best if Jin, body shattered and slowly wasting away, chose to answer.

[Kafka Komedy]

Kazou - The Road to Dru

At the command of the woman on the bike, Kazou began to "mush," and by that he meant pedal. It was definitely hard at first. A lazy slob like himself never got much exercise so supporting both his and her weight was a challenge. He was also scared they'd both fall, considering how sudden Hitomi's movements were. Hell, by the way she was moving she seemed she almost wanted to fall.

Being corrected by Kimiko and her odd comments, as well as Hitomi's insistence on her boredom drug Kazou down a bit, but the ever present threat of social ostracization pushed him further. He futilely pushed up and down on the pedals until the bike started moving. As soon as it did, Kazou gripped his partner before easing up, she surely thought he was a creep now, especially since her friend insisted he was a lecher who stared at them.

The ride there was nerve wracking for Kazou, his mind filled with what these people surely thought of him, how tired he was, and how much he wanted to quit. Being the odd man out kept him silent until they reached their destination, though. It was obvious something indeed had happened here yesterday. There was a truck crashed into the wall, presumably where the "pizza bots" had come out of. The site was surrounded with police tape, and there were even a cop or two hanging around.

"Woah, something did happen here..." Kazou mumbled to himself as he got off the bike. Was this real? He hated getting his hopes up, since they were so often crushed, but part of him had to hope, to just keep on living. A piece of himself leftover from the past. But, enough getting all armchair philosophical, he needed some answers. "So, where's this Pizza Bot?"

[Plank Sinatra]

"DRU's further along this way," Kimiko pointed, gesturing past the police lines that cordoned off the entire square. "Back at Sasori's dump. We made a clean sneak with what evidence we could, but the law must've must be trying to make an old Chinese angle with anything too hinky that we left behind. It's all pretty tidy here now."

The fiery-headed, fiery-hearted high schooler had settled atop Daisuke's bent-over back, legs crossed around his neck and hanging onto him with both hands clasped atop his forehead, underneath the bangs. The normally cool, detached teenager was surveying the battlefield of her first strategic triumph with an uncharacteristic investment - that of pride, an emotional attachment to her victory. Kimiko wore a half-grin, tongue running along the bottom of her top row of pearls, looking as positively rakish as someone caught in the throes of intimacy.

"Right there was where Daisuke and I were first walking home from the school." She pointed to the opposite end of the police tape, angling closer to Kazou from atop said delinquent's head to point him towards the proper spot. "That's when the truck wrecked and the bots started spilling out. One decided to teach this poor old man and his arm how to love from a distance, so I yelled it into submission and rode it up to the truck while we duked it out with its friends. So eventually, inside the truck, I found the devil and played it some chin music. Like, the 1812 Overture of Haymakers. In doing so, its hold over the rest of the bots broke, and I freed this crosswalk from all future designs of Lucifer. They're gonna be calling it Kimiko Way in a few months."

She shrugged and tilted her chin up at one stain on the asphalt - whether it was blood, sauce, or Pepsi, she had no idea, but either way it had been shed for her sake. Good times. And to think she didn't have to waste a--

a stick of gum!

She had one in her jacket pocket. Nice.

"Anyway, we should get going if you want to see my DRU. We'll find away around this crosswalk. Daisuke-kun is a living atlas, like the map book."

He couldn't be Atlas because Kimiko didn't think she weighed that much. Good thing she didn't have a donk like Hitomi or he might be struggling right now.

Kimiko pushed Daisuke's head up straight and scooted closer to see over the crime scene.

"He knows so many directions besides the main four. You'll see."

In no time, the quartet was pedaling off towards Sasori's office, where Kazou would finally get to see the pet pizza automaton she'd grown to love so much. She wondered if everyone else was as stoked as her to see it again.

Was anyone hungry? She should have left some food in DRU for just this occasion...

Had she?

She knew she'd left gum in there.

POP!

She'd kill for some more gum right about now. She could fit so much more in her mouth than just one wad.

[Bornlucky]

^{Other Class Room Building}
@Crimmy

Ryoma killed the final table in a show of darkly divine power, but he can't keep fighting alone like this, Ryoma's mind has already laid out his capabilities, and they all pointed to a role of support with only one of his four abilities being offensive, while he has doubts he would be useful to have around with his impressive healing capability but he lacks the fire power to deal any amount of damage to the frozen samurai, which he figured out by its cool observation of his powers.

Ryoma needs others to help him out of this. Ryoma glared at the Samurai prepared for another attack, but yet, it stood still undisturbed by the brutal destruction of its lackeys, its gazes deep into Ryoma and Ai, but it did not move an inch at it stared at them nor did Ryoma move himself. Ryoma stared at its great Yumi.

Finally it moved.

Not in the manner he expected, instead the giant monster places the giant Yumi on its back and lifted up a guntleted hand and raise each of its fingers, then it stepped to the side, in a show of good well, a show of dominance, the hand dropped towards its blade, telling the two what it wants to do.

It wants to hunt and its giving them a five minute head start.

Ryoma let out a low growl before finally he looked over to Ai and grabbed her hand gently and he pulled her along at a comfortably fast pace for the two of them, his abdomen is still hurting and maybe even bleeding still, but he needs to take this opportunity to get his second wind back and hopefully find someone else with a Persona, while he doesn't like taking a monster's deal, it was the only thing he could do keep the both of them safe, even for a moment.

As Ryoma and Ai ran past the Samurai Ryoma looked at where its face should be as they ran past and give it a look of determination in a show that it hasn't won this battle yet, nor will it ever.

Ryoma looked forward to see where the two could run and hopefully find others. Ryoma thought he heard yelling a ways behind the samurai a bit ago but he was too focused on the tables to question it, maybe there's still somebody there. Ryoma hopes they're still alive.

[Write]

Hitomi spot Kimiko’s sideways glance at her rear and smiled. It’s always the backside that hooks them.

She jumped around on the spot, attempting to reach the peddles of the bike but never quite getting there. What was this bike built for? Giants?

Stupid bike makers. They needed to learn about real women. Who were only 4”9’.

“DRU’s nice.” She said flatly and generally normally. She smacked her lips and looked around the area. Just as she remembered it. The warzone in which she had met her two beloveds. Daisuke and Kimiko. She’d hope to officiate the wedding one day. If they’d allow her to. She and DRU side by side.

Nah. That’d be lame.

She’d rather just eat some watermelon and cuddle with the two of them. Maybe make them some coffee.

“Shall we?” She said steering their bike in the proper direction. It was Hitomi's only real goal to hangout. She didn't truly care about some kind of mission or purpose. She kinda just liked hanging out It was fun.

"So Kimiko you're looking pretty good today." Hitomi said examining her commmander. But as her eyes lingered she met Daisuke's gaze. He simply shook his head like a dissapointed parent.

"... Kay." Hitomi said accepting the fact that she shouldn't be staring at the commander like a pinup model. Instead she shot eyes at Daisuke moving her eyebrows up and down and blowing him a kiss. He just seemed to chuckle and turn back to waht he was doing.

[Krayzikk]

I think that might be mine...

It was a little fuzzy, but that stain was near where he remembered fighting. But he also didn't remember losing that much blood. Pepsi, maybe? There was evidence of fighting all over the square, even though the cop had done a good job cleaning up. It was little shit that you could see if you'd been there. New cracks where improvised mortars had hit. Damaged walls where pizzas had overshot their target. There was a collection of dents in concrete like craters, the spots robots had been hammered into the pavement by Daisuke's hand... Or, his.

I am thou, thou art me, all that bullshit.

The scene started to get his blood pumping again, like a lingering rush. Memories so fresh they were happening all over again.

His reverie got interrupted when his head was pulled up, and his passenger shifted on his back. He continued the motion, craning his head far enough back to meet her gaze. The angle just barely worked, any less and he wouldn't have seen her, any more and... Well, he wouldn't have seen her. Green met brown and the delinquent's eyebrows arched up a little at the atlas comment, and even more at the 'main four (directions)'.

Such a strange girl.

Still, she wasn't wrong. He'd figured out an alternate route before they stopped, but he'd have just gone right through. Tape didn't block the sidewalk that great. And it was tape. He'd be through and away before the cops even caught on. Buuuut... Well, a quick glance at the other bike made him reconsider. New guy looked like he wanted to die, and Hitomi was crazy as usual. That bike was not sized for her. So he pushed off, picking up speed and heading south a block to circle around and keep heading for Sasori's office.

Kimiko's shift was actually pretty helpful, even if he neck didn't appreciate it. Moviin' her center of gravity up helped him balance the back, settled her mass center on his shoulders. He leaned forward a liiiittle more, putting on a little more speed to compensate for the detour. He wanted to open right up, hit top speed and get there in a minute. Making Kimiko hang on tighter seemed like a pretty funny idea.

But again. Other bike.

Speaking of, he caught Hitomi's eyes pointed their way and met them with a little eye roll. If Kimiko was a strange girl, she was bizarre. The people he chose to surround himself with. She seemed to think a little better of Plan A, though Plan B was to eye him. The absurdity was worth a chuckle.

"We're almost there, kids. Kazou, try not to freak. Not what I feel like handling today."

@Plank Sinatra @Write @Kafka Komedy

[Kafka Komedy]

Kazou - The Road to Dru

^{Current Group:@Krayzikk@Write@Plank Sinatra}
Kazou's eyes lingered on the scene of the crime as Kimiko described exactly how it went down. Kazou could barely piece it together but basically these three fought pizza robots, apparently with their fists. But this seemed so elaborate, too elaborate to be a prank. Anywho, the group needed to find a way around this mini police blockade, since Kazou was not in the mood to get in a fight with the police, even if he suspected just being in this group would attract legal attention.

Returning to the bike, Hitomi steered them in the right direction as Kazou attempted to get up to Daisuke's speed again. Though Kazou was now sweating, it was obvious his better was slowing down for him. He even had the lighter woman with him, and she wasn't on his damn shoulders either. The mentally ill woman making passes at the both of them and not acknowledging him made him feel somehow worse. As soon as this was done he was walking home; all this outing reminded him of was that he hated himself.

At Daisuke's comment, Kazou only offered a hollow "No promises." At the least they'd be at this stupid office soon. Not that it would offer anything substantial anyways, any link to his previous happiness. A sort of second wind happened to Kazou's body, powered by a mix of spite and need to leave. As soon as the two were parallel, they reached the building.

[Crimmy]

@Kafka Komedy@Krayzikk@Write@Plank Sinatra

Ah, so it's time, oh shit wrong playlist

Sasori and Co. Investigations

The building that the quartet of youths sought blended well into its suburban environs, distinguishable only by the presence of a glass door upon which was written the name of agency: "Sasori and Co. Investigations". Its colours were a fading red, the brick that had been used in its construction having weathered years upon years of erosion at the hands of global warming, drive-by shootings and the general effects of elements due to the passing of time. A white Toyota HiAce, one with scratches and dents clearly noticeable upon its front, was parked in front, being attended to by some lime-haired motorman.

That motorman, a well-dressed rube-lookin' fella with ruby peepers, turned around to take a gander at the incoming quartet. His rags were a pretty queer sight, like he'd just stepped outta the pictures, and that funny lid sitting on his green mop didn't help the image. Everything just screamed 'shamus', and one didn't need to be a real Einstein to figure out the score: this was the dick they were lookin' for.

Yoshinori Sasori, whoopee gumshoe from suburbia. Another thirty-one year old bub. Unmarried.

"What's the damage, kids?" he asked in greeting, calling over to them with an easy grin.

[Plank Sinatra]

"Sasori-san!"

She liked the straight-talking old peeper. He'd been considerate enough to at least grab them some food yesterday before they'd put their heads together to crack the devilish mystery at the heart of the case of the possessed pizza Phenexes. Maybe the others weren't as comfortable here - after all, the place was no palace and not everyone could really flap gums with Sasori for very long without getting confused. But Kimiko, the princess of two queen bee PIs herself, enjoyed his company.

"We're hitting on all eight on this end. I brought the gang." Kimiko gestured expansively to the crews of the two bicycles, hopping down off Daisuke's shoulders and plopping her helmet down on Daisuke's head. He'd need protection for the rest of the trip. "You know the nance and my little tomato. The new kid is Kazou. He's got a different konk than the rest of us, even the moll. Might be a little bit of a gunsel, honestly...no idea if he'd throw lead or take the powder when the time comes. But I'd like to think he's a wise head. Now, where's my doggo."

Kimiko walked around the Toyota once, looking for any sign of her DRU inside the van, before drifting towards the front of Sasori's office. Her eyes widened in satisfaction when they struck her prize, and a soft coo rang out from the charismatic weirdo's pipes, the sounds of her beginning to call for a pet. If anyone followed her gaze through the glass door, they would see the doggo in question skidding along Sasori's dinged-up hardwood floors. Its optics, an artificial clear blue that could only be a product of machinery, gradually filled up with a swelling pink heart inside each eyeball, bouncing giddily in Kimiko Saitō's direction.

"Aaaaah." Even in Kimiko's typical lazy monotone, her glee at DRU's approach and recognition of her person was palpable. She looked like a proud parent who had just been christened 'Mama' by a learning infant for the first time. "There it is. Who's my little pizza boy?"

<< I T ' S S O E X C I T I N G T O B E H E R E >>

"Aaaaaaaaaaaah."

Kimiko held open the glass door for her loyal automaton until its four wheels touched concrete, at which point she parked her butt firmly upon DRU's oblong head and turned to face the group, legs straddling DRU's sides affectionately.

"See, Kazou? Doubting a girl never pays off in this game called life, unless you happen to be a boy or girl. Then you're playing the high-low wheel called love, and that's a whole different type of game."

[Savo]

Alexander Furst

---

@Crimmy @JBRam2002 @GarlandDaHero @Suku

---

For the most part, everything about this group was quiet from here on out after Isami-san gave the explanation... if Alex just ignored the fact that she was spoke aloud to stay positive, the looming sense of dread that constantly lurked in the back of his mind... possibly the hallways as well as from time to time, Alex would momentarily stop just to peer behind.

Either it was the darkness, or something that appeared to moving right out of the corner of his eye. Ok, so it was safe to say that some of the delusions were outright leaving him the heck alone... oh, and he can't forget the incessant screaming that drummed through his ears.

Ah yes, while he was still unsettled, it wasn't long before the noise just became outlandishly annoying and trite. Yes, it was a bit creepy, but it became overshadowed the longer they walked through the corridors to the kendo club room to the point where it was comparable to a laugh track on some slice of life tv show... with the laugh constantly playing over and over.

If this was the crap he had to deal with in those other games, he would of dropped em' like a sack of bricks or just muted by now.

... but other than that, yeah, everything was perfectly normal... yup, definitely normal. As he walked, he blinked and twirled his baton, eyes drifting between the shrine maiden and her annoying buddy, to the vice-president of the club.

And then suddenly, Isami-san broke the silence. Turning a head to face her, Alex listened to her remarks as he tapped the side of his neck with his baton before facing forward, giving a short nod of his head. Good. The quicker they would get there, the quicker they could find out if they could escape or not.

Eventually, after a short time, they came upon the room, labelled in all its glory. Alex let his guard down a little by relaxing his shoulders and retracting his baton before popping it back into his pocket. So far, there was a considerable lack of frightening creatures, though that was probably due to sheer luck, the fact that none of them existed, or some other discernible reasoning.

However, the stagnant air became thicker as they neared the place, with a forecast of a headache that was just as annoying as the one he had earlier in the day. This place just screamed "It's a trap!"

And honestly speaking, if he could, he would ask for em' just to skip over this place and continue onward due to the obvious signs that this was some sort of B-rated horror movie and that their apparent deaths were highly sufficient at this point...

... Alex then proceeded to retrieve his baton.

Upon hearing the vice-prez questioned where the exit was, that just made him a little nervous. If it was inside the room, then dear god someone was going to have to grab the idiot ball to progress this all... and considering how he observed everyone acting, Alex had a feeling it was going to be him because they might want to open the door, yet not go inside...

Peachy... though his own inference could be wrong over this all and lo and behold they could leave and there wasn't a trap! Maybe the air was to dissuade them!

"... crap, I can't tell," he hissed to no one in particular.

"... let me open the door when we get there, you all, save for Isami-san stand back, a'ight," he uttered to them all, extending his baton as he glared bullets at the door.

... once everyone was in place, Alex would just stop and stare at the door, keeping his frown up to a maximum. He honestly did not want to do this at all, but after earlier, well... he preferred the best possible scenario at this point.

And that scenario had to be him acting as the lamb... of course, he could of opened the door any time... but yet he just stood there, hand grasping at it.

Trembling... his hand... was trembling... every fiber was telling him to let someone else bite it and open it in his stead... but no. There was no turning back now.

"This is gonna suck," were his thoughts as he preemptively swiped his baton after opening the door.

[Suku]

---

@Crimmy @JBRam2002 @GarlandDaHero @Savo

---

Kagami remained quiet as she slipped into a kendo stance the bokken gripped firmly in her hands the tip level with her eyes as her feet moved to find purchase on the floor. Sweat poured down her forehead as she focused on the door ahead of her. Things was probably going to either two ways behind the door was some baddie or a empty hall with disturbing imagery. Those was her bets at the moment and right now she cared less. Her breath remained steady as she slipped into a somewhat calm state a clouded mind will lead to mistakes that can result in loss. This was the core drill that was forced into her head by her grandfather. "Anger, doubt, confusion these will lead to your downfall when you take your stance all that matters is what lies ahead of you. This is all that matter that one moment when the enemy is open take the strike nothing else matters forget all doubts and focus on that one moment." She replied to herself the mantra her grandfather drilled into her head aiding her somewhat in this moment as she prepared for the worst.

[Mistress Dizzy]

Uchima Senior High - Another Hallway, Classroom Building, 2nd Floor???

Jin fell.

If they could still feel through the haze of pain and the slow deterioration of their senses as they continued to bleed, the shock of the wooden floor meeting their body would lance through, cracking bone and twisting muscle. Yet even so, there was a warmth. Not the warmth of blood rushing through a broken body. A warmth in the heart. A warmth that seemed to pulse with energy.

Something was calling to Jin. Something inside them.

The crippling cold of the thing that had picked it up was returning. Ice began to form on the wood beneath Jin's cheeks, sharp, jagged pieces that were freezing their blood. A hostile cold.

The warmth inside Jin continued to call.

It would be for the best if Jin, body shattered and slowly wasting away, chose to answer.

@Crimmy

Jin stared at nothing, as cold crept into their skin. Deeper, to the blood. Deeper still, starting to freeze their very breath.

"...who are you?" The words were murmured not aloud, but within. Jin's lips moved anyway.

I am you. And who are you?

"I'm Jin. ...are you an angel?"

Are you? There was almost a laughing note to the voice. Feminine, sort of. Masculine, sort of. Both? Neither?

"N-no... I'm... I'm too much a bitch for white wings... heh..." A weak rasp of a laugh escaped their blue lips. It hurt. It all hurt. Even breathing hurt. But the pain was stopping.

A bitch dying on the cold floor?

"...no."

What was that?

"No. No, I... I won't die here. I refuse."

...Take my hand.

Jin did. With their body slowly going icy, and their last breath half frozen on her lips, Jin spoke one word.

"...Per...sona."

The pain... stopped.