Aewin

Danganronpa: Tower of Carnage (Finished!)

---

Krista felt so immersed in the action that it was almost a miracle for her to hear Shaun over the louder voices of the other infinites. "U-um... Kr-Krista..? Y-you never... g-gave me back m-my handbook... I-I can't see the cl-clues, s-so c-could I, u-um... h-have it back..?" She peered over to him, almost blankly before—

Oh! Of course! She quickly fished the handbook out of the pocket of her dress but halted in her step. Was she even allowed to run off to hand over the handbook? Admittedly she could remember doing so last trial, but Monokuma didn't seem too impressed with everybody in general. It was like the bear heard her thoughts, because he interjected with an update to the rules and shone a spotlight on the violinist. Trying to waste no time at all, Krista shuffled out of her place and past the few infinites between herself and Shaun, trying to be quick. She ensured that the handbook she was returning was Shaun's indeed as to not be murdered for lending her own handbook on accident, before shuffling back.

“I mean, there was plenty to start the fire. The fact that this thing was covered in blood says it was used for more than tinder, right? Unless blood dripped off and onto it, but even then, shouldn't it be all burned up?”

As Krista returned, she heard Calvin say his point for... or against Krista. She stepped back onto her podium, hands gripping the railing for support as the cogs in her brain turned. "But if something else was the starting point, wouldn't Monokuma tell us? In order for this to be a fair trial I mean." She nervously rubbed the back of her head. "But... that means we have to trust Monokuma and that sounds unbearable..."

To clarify, she started again. "I mean... I think what happened was that the killer wore the gown so that the blood would not spill on their clothes and possibly wiped the knife they used to stab Marianne-" She inhaled sharply before releasing a shuddering breath. "They wiped the knife on the gown, and then used it to start a fire. I'm assuming that the sprinklers came on fairly quickly so that's why the gown wasn't entirely burnt?" She still looked uncertain.

She looked to Felix as he began to explain his thoughts on the case, and she found herself agreeing. Especially with what Jezabel said, there would be no need for such a large conduct so why have almost two dozen of them? The club seemed like a fairly reasonable idea, even if brutal. Krista closed her eyes, hoping that Marianne was at least unconscious when she was finally killed.

---

Elias reeled back as Jezabel giggled to herself. Had she finally lost it? "So you're telling us that you wouldn't recommend using metal arrows as a conduct? AND that Frenchie had her own buzzer? Oh man this plot twist train keeps going on!" The puppet then turned to Calvin. As Ice questioned Zachary, the puppet thought to ask the metalsmith some of his own questions.

"And you. You say you made 24 right? Did ya give them all to Robin Hood or nah?"

Danganronpa: Tower of Carnage (Finished!)

Also, the current size of everyone's gifs were bugging me so I kinda shrunk it a bit (works if display is at 100% zoom, not 130% like mine usually is... boy did I get a heartattack when I saw it still wasn't fitting after making 20 of these.......)

Hider

Danganronpa: Tower of Carnage (Finished!)

izuru:

Danganronpa: Tower of Carnage (Finished!)

---

Krista and Shaun arrived at Marianne's room on the second floor patient's quarters relatively quickly. Krista kept a quick, but steady pace so Shaun could keep up, flashing him encouraging smiles along the way like a proud mother duckling. The door to the room was opened, but Krista found nobody around in sight - did someone already investigate but forget to lock the door? Regardless, it was always a good idea to double check, right?

The two began their search of the impeccable room. There was nothing that seemed to be of any use for their investigation. It was as if Marianne was going to return to her room any minute. She sighed, knowing that that was not going to be the case. The desk in Marianne's room was organized into neat piles. Krista glanced at everything, hoping that something would tell them about what Marianne's note contained, but to no avail. Just as she picked up the final paper from the pile, the monitor in Marianne's room lit up to reveal Monokuma's dreaded face. The stuffed bear beckoned for everyone to get going, where Krista could only assume to be the court. She gave Shaun a nervous glance before gesturing for him to follow her. She was certainly not interested in being forcefully dragged away by the terrifying carnage sisters, and she was sure that Shaun felt the same way.

---

Braden squirmed uncomfortably as the carnage sisters began strapping everyone down onto the ride. The drama between Calvin and Alexandria flew right over his head, there was bad blood and as much as he knew Elias wanted to know why, Braden just wanted to be free from the restraint. Braden was taken by surprise when the roller coaster finally started, the adrenalin keeping Braden from letting go of his puppet, who was squealing with excitement throughout the ride.

Before they knew it, Krista and Braden stumbled out of the ride along with the rest of the infinites, Braden looking paler than before. Krista pressed a hand against her heart as if trying to physically stop the organ from leaping out of her throat. The last time she had been on this ride, she was too injured and tired to really be aware of what happened... but now? She didn't blame Braden if he threw up right there.

Everyone took their place in the familiar circle, and Krista noted the missing faces from last time. Braden was standing where Alice was during the last trial, and Noel had taken Lucas's spot. As if he was never there. She grit her teeth, lowering her eyes to stare at her podium. 'Please let us go home...'

The trial started with Bliss, Jezabel and Ice taking the lead. Krista felt thankful: she had no idea where to begin. She listened carefully, watching each speaker with interest whilst keeping her handbook out, scrolling through the list of truth bullets her peers had found during their investigation.

Braden, feeling unsatisfied with Max's response, let Elias take the lead. "Wait! Isn't it possible someone had a lighter on them? It's not easy getting that buzzer, ya'know. Unless..." Elias turned its body towards Jezabel and Zach, who were standing next to him.

"What are you implying?"

"Nothing! Nothing! Just a food for thought~!"

It was perfectly reasonable to assume that the buzzer had something to do with the ignition, right? Why else would there be two wires loose? She shook her head. 'No, it has to be right... why else would the buzzer and arrows be a truth bullet?'

Braden's puppet kept its body turned towards the infinite trickster. "Jezzie, why don't you tell us how that buzzer works? Is it even possible for it to be the cause of the fire?" The puppet expected to be proven right.

Instead of focusing on Braden, Krista listened to Cyrus speak. Hospital gown and note... So they did find Marianne's note? But was that even Marianne's...? "It's beary likely that the killer started the fire by burning something from Shaun's room." She began, trying to help. It was stating the obvious, but clarifying things from the beginning was surely the right call? "What about the bed sheet from Shaun's room? Or his clothes? The room was a mess and Shaun hasn't returned since discovering Marianne's body..." She scratched her ear, clearly thinking hard whilst scrolling through the list of truth bullets. "Or.... maybe the killer set fire to the hospital gown? I mean... It was found mostly burnt... and I'm sure that blood will not stop the fire from burning away at the material... But, wouldn't the gown be entirely burnt up if it was the starting point?"

Danganronpa: Tower of Carnage (Finished!)

>everyone returning has me like

Danganronpa: Tower of Carnage (Finished!)

Feeling agitated, Braden paced around Shaun’s room, trying to be useful. His puppets were tucked safely in his pockets - he had made sure of it when he’d heard the commotion during the search for Shaun’s handbook. The puppets soothed him, but only for a moment until Braden would turn around to pace again in the direction of Marianne’s body. He kept a close eye on Bliss and Cyrus as they pulled the lifeless body down. He touched Elias’s hair from inside his pocket, almost hearing Elias chiding him for remaining when countless others seemed to have paired up and left.

So why hadn’t he?

For one, he didn’t know anybody here well enough to want to approach them himself. That felt too forward, and he wasn’t even sure what to do after that. Was it normal to approach somebody to ask if they want to join you with the investigation? Hopefully not, that would definitely be cause for concern.

Instead, Braden reasoned, he was going to guard the scene. That’s something he could do, right? What was there to guard anyway, the room was a mess and the body was retrieved. But it was the closest to being useful he could get, so he kept pacing.

"Hey, did anyone find evidence back here?" Mercy asked, appearing from the doorway. When she noticed Braden though, the plague doctor quickly elbowed Alice on her head when the recon tried to peak inside Shaun's room. "Ahaha, excuse me for a moment..." She told the three inside the room, before moving away from the door.

"Doc, what the hell?" Alice asked Mercy, rubbing her head. With a deep breath, Mercy turned around to answer.

"I'm not sure if I saw correctly, but I think your brother is here."

With a genuinely supprised expression being her response, Alice moved past the plague doctor, and went inside Shaun's room. "What are you doing here? I thought you were in a different hospital!" The recon unknowingly asked Braden, tapping his shoulder.

Different hospital? Braden inwardly scoffed. Was this really the time to joke around now? He pulled out the two puppets from either pocket, turning around to face the girl who poked his shoulder and disrupted his ‘investigation’. “You and me both, pirate lady. Wanted to be in Axis Mundi, now I'm in hell.” It was Elias’s irritatingly higher pitched voice that spoke. “Gotta say though, that’s a wicked eye patch even if you don’t look as hot with it on.”

And that was when Alice knew she made a mistake.

Her supprised expression turning to a mortified expression, the recon slowly turned her head over to Mercy, who was lightly snickering at her problem.

"Heheheh... uh, I gotta go now. Bye!"

"MERCY I'LL GET YOU FOR THIS!!" Alice yelled, chasing Mercy out of the room. Once the plague doctor was out of sight, she turned back to Braden, holding her head in frustration. "Sorry about that. My old friend back there thought you were my brother..." She apologized to the ventriloquist.

“Be glad you’re not Grumpy Cat’s sister over here, his real one is already sick of him as it is—”

“Shut up you pathetic waste of cotton! She doesn’t need to know that!” Erica’s puppet was held up between Elias and Alice, almost in the latter’s face as Elias recoiled slightly from surprise. Braden kept an eye on Alice’s reaction.

"Wait, really..?" Alice asked Elias with concern. "What's wrong with her...?"

“None of your business you Captain Hook reject.” Erica harrumphed, her small arms folded across her body.

From behind Erica, Elias spoke. “Forget about what I said! Tell me ‘bout you, why’s your bro in hospital?”

"Uh... Do you know about the infinite pianist..?" Alice asked back, scratching her head. She hadn't had the time to talk about herself and her family, so she was a bit nervous.

Braden and the two puppets shook their head.

"Ah, well... he's my brother, Henry. But he's called Deimo." The recon explained to Braden. "During one of his performances, he was crushed under an unstable piano..." Alice crossed her arms, lowering her head. "He's alright though, just broke one of his legs..."

Braden looked between her and Cyrus’s back awkwardly. There’s a dead body in the same room as them, was this really the time to be discussing family? Elias didn’t seem to mind whilst Erica seethed at being ignored. “Whoa! No way! But if he’s an infinite, why isn’t he in Axis Mundi? Abbie did say it was the best place to be for us talented folks?”

Noticing the ventriloquist was getting uncomfortable at her conversation with the puppet, Alice decided to cut it short. "We didnt exactly have a Axis Mundi near us in England, so Henry was taken to the next best option." She told Eilas, before looking back to Braden. "I should properly introduce myself though. I'm Alice."

“Elias! And this guy is Braden Clarke, the infinite ventriloquist! Thouuugh,” The puppet drew out the final word as he leaned closer towards the recon, “I’m totally the real deal.”

“Hello? You’re not gonna introduce me?” Erica asked, incensed. When she was still ignored by Elias, Erica harrumphed again. “And I’m Erica.”

Alice couldn't help but chuckle at the puppets' antics. "Nice to meet you three." She said, with a small smirk on her face.

“Trust me, it’s a pleasure to meet you—” Elias was interrupted by Erica, who made a gagging sound. Seeing Elias return to his flirtatious comments, Erica took charge.

“Did you know the dead girl? Did she have any enemies? Friends? Boyfriends?” She asked.

"Not really, I haven't got to know her since i've arrived here." Alice answered, pulling up the monokuma file in her E-handbook. "The only person here she seemed to hate was Bliss over there, but that could have been just pressure over the trial."

"Trial?" Erica asked, urging Alice to tell her more.

"After we gather enough evidence, a trial is held in the Court of Carnage. There, we debate and decide on who the blackened, or murderer, is. If we chose correctly, the blacked is executed, and we live another day. If we chose the wrong infinite however..." Alice explained to Erica, heistating on the last detail.

"We all get executed, and the blackened is freed."

The puppets did not have a funny comment for once. They, along with their master looked at Alice in stunned silence. Was that really expected of them? Suddenly Braden didn't feel so good anymore... Elias gave Braden a quick glance back before looking at Alice. "I... guess we'll make sure that we don't have to die! I know I'm not dying cus of some stupid guy that couldn't get the girl!"

"God he's an idiot..." Erica mumbled.

Danganronpa: Tower of Carnage (Finished!)

The ringing continued, vibrating in his ears long after the body was discovered. Somewhere along the line, someone lifted him off the ground and took him away from the scene. Or... did he get up and walk? He couldn't exactly remember. In either case, he found himself sat, back to the wall, knees to his chest and face, crying.

Why did somebody else have to die? After Lucas and Mondatta, he had been sure nobody would be stupid enough to attempt to escape again, even with the added motive. Although he hadn't checked his, reason told him it was going to be something stupid since it was divvied out by the Carnage Sisters; their ways thus far in the game, save the murder of Shona, seemed to suggest as much.

Shaun lifted his head slightly, and through the mire of tears, he could see the other Infinites reeling, discussing, and entering his room to deal with and investigate the body. But, he also caught glimpse of something else. He let his gaze trial back towards it, and up towards the ceiling, whereupon he found the face of Krista - immediately making him remember that she had pulled him aside.

"Th...thank you..." he whispered, before looking back down.

Krista gave him a comforting smile, but anybody could tell it was hard to muster up the strength to do so. Somebody was dead, and Krista’s heart was hurting too much. She rest a hand on Shaun’s shoulder to keep herself steady in her crouched position opposite to him. “Everything will be okay… We’ll find out who did this…” She tried to comfort him further with her words before going quiet again. She took that moment to look Shaun over, still pale and looking like a scared rabbit. Her heart twisted again in pity for the web designer.

“Come on, let’s get you to the dining hall. You need a drink.”

The comforting barely helped. They had already defeated one killer, but they were just people. There was no guarantee that they could do it again. He didn't want to die... What would his girlfriend think? Would she ever even find out? Or would he just be considered missing, and never found again? And how disappointed would his parents be if their son died so young, at the hands of someone like Davis?

Shaun lifted a hand to his eye and wiped it, trying to clear it of tears, and then proceeded to do the same with the other. They were all Infinites. Krista was right, they could do it... they could win. "O-okay..." he said, and nodded his head slowly, before standing up somewhat unsteadily next to her, and following along behind her towards the dining hall.

Krista didn’t let Shaun remain behind her for very long. Once they crossed by Shaun’s still crowded room, Krista slowed her pace so she could walk between him and the door into his room. Fearing that Shaun was still weak from the anaesthetic earlier, Krista held onto his elbow to keep him standing as they approached the stairs to the first floor resort. She felt the silence between them to be too uncomfortable, so she tried filling it with talking. Who knows? Maybe her questions could help with the trial? “Did you get to open your note?” She asked as the crossed they monoshoppe.

Walking past his room, Shaun instinctively averted his eyes as best he could. He didn't wanna have to see that sight again, not unless he had to. At the very least, he was grateful to Krista for helping him; to think that someone could still be selfless in a time of crisis such as this gave him just the tiniest amount of hope, and for that he was happy.

"I... n-no..." he stuttered, slightly flustered at the sudden question amidst the quiet on their excursion. "I... a-assumed they would be st-stupid, or... d-designed to divide us, s-so I-I didn't read i-it..." he trailed off, thinking about who could have possibly had something worth killing over in the notes.

So Shaun didn’t look at his note. Krista hummed to herself. “I guess that’s a good call… Going by what Ice found when he opened his… sounds like lies made up by the carnage sisters.” Then she went quiet again. What now? “How are you feeling? Do you still feel ill?”

Shaun gave a gentle nod and glanced over towards Krista. "Y-yes..." he said, somewhat quietly, and continued walking, before quickly amending his mistake, "Wh-wh-what about you..? A-are you okay a-as well..? I-I'm... s-sorry for not a-asking..."

Krista tilted her head in confusion. “Me?” She opened the door into the dining room once arriving on the second floor. “I’m… okay.” As okay as they could be in this situation. She guided Shaun to a seat close to the kitchen, finally releasing her light grip on Shaun’s elbow once she saw him sit down. She told him to wait for a moment as she disappeared into the kitchen, emerging once she got Shaun a cold glass of water.

She took a seat in the booth, only now taking the time to check out the dining hall. Who would’ve thought a vintage diner was still popular enough to be a theme in a place like this? “Are you hurting anywhere else? You took quite the fall from the stairs…”

Taking the glass, Shaun took a light sip, feeling the cold water against his dry tongue, washing away the lingering taste of vomit from earlier. Being in the dining hall made him fall a tad hungry, after all, he hadn't eaten all day, however he knew he couldn't stomach anything - not in the situation they were in.

At Krista's question, he looked up from the glass and drank down another glassful. "N-no... I d-don't think so." he tone sounded somewhat calmer and more refreshed now that he was away from the scene, but even still his voice was shaky, "I-I guess I got l-lucky..."

Krista smiled again. “We should get Mercy to check you later, just to be sure. But at least you’re looking better now!” At this point, Krista was certain that the investigation was commencing. She knew she was going to be of no use during the investigation but at least she could be sure Shaun was taken care of. “Do you really not remember anything before you were attacked?” Krista rubbed the back of her head. ”I’m sorry if it seems like I’m questioning you too much… I just think that your memory could help this case… But I don’t think you’re the killer! You’re not that sort of person… I think...”

Shaun smiled back, if only slightly, and listened on to what she had to say. He nodded gently at the idea of Mercy checking him out - it was best to be certain he wasn't injured, after all, even if he didn't feel like he was. But, his eyes widened at her last comment. "N-no..! I-I... I could n-never... n-not to a-anyone, e-especially not s-someone as nice as M-M-Marianne..."

But even with his protests, he knew people would suspect him. His head dropped, realising the implications. The murder had occurred in his room. It was only natural to suspect him...
"I-I'm sorry... I-I d-don't remember m-much..." he started, "I was l-looking around th-the s-second floor, and I-I was g-gonna head back t-to my room..." as he spoke, his voice seemed to grow more strained, "...b-but I remembered A-Aleecia was sick, s-so I was g-gonna visit her... wh-when I got there, she w-was already in... st-stasis..? A-and Ice was looking a-after her... W-we talked f-for a bit - h-he said it was st-strange I-I was there, c-cause I didn't t-talk to her much at all... I-I said I just w-wanted to see she w-was okay... Wh-when I w-went to leave, I-I decided to t-take the stairs to the f-first floor hospital, b-because it seemed f-faster, b-but..." his voice seemed to catch, "I-I remember being gr-grabbed, a-and... th-thats it... I-I'm sorry..."

Krista’s reached out to touch his shoulder, shaking her head. “It’s fine, I really don’t think you’re the killer! I’d lose faith in humanity if you were!” Despite what she was saying, Krista took a mental note of Shaun’s testimony. She gave him another smile. ”Thank you for telling me what you can remember, I just want to help you when the trial comes around.” Her smile faltered a bit at the thought.

Lifting his head slightly, a tear rolled down Shaun's cheek, finally feeling the effect of the encouragement. As guilty as the thought made him feel... Deep down he was glad that it wasn't Krista who had died. Where he'd be without cheering up he wasn't sure, especially since the scenario seemed mounted against him.

"I... th-thank you... I-I mean it..." as quickly as he said so, he averted his gaze and shuffled slightly awkwardly in an attempt to remove Krista's hand from his shoulder in embarrassment.

She pulled her hand away quickly after feeling him shift. “Ah, sorry about that… my way of comforting someone can be a bit more… touchy than others…” She laughed awkwardly as she passed him a tissue from the tissue box in the middle of the table. “Anyway… So just to be clear. You did have your handbook with you before you were attacked, right? You didn’t just… leave it somewhere?”

Shaun took a tissue and dabbed at his eyes with it, and murmured "Th-that's okay..." under his breath. At her question, he shyly shook his head, and his eyes began to train on the floor.
"N-no... I-I didn't... I n-needed to h-have it on me..." he trailed off, before clenching his eyes shut, "B-b-because... I-I was s-supposed to meet M-Marianne at my room..."

The revelation was definitely shocking for Krista. She remained quiet for a few moments, letting it sink in. “Were you planning to…?” She didn’t want to ask if he intended to kill Marianne, she knew he couldn’t do it… But it was important for the case to know for sure...

"N-no, of c-course not!" his head snapped instinctively upwards to defend himself, his voice slightly raising. But the moment he did, his face dyed itself a red of embarrassment and he forced his gaze away, "...sh-she read her note... a-and asked me to h-help f-figure out who it b-belonged to... b-but... she d-didn't tell me wh-what it said, th-though..." he trailed off once again, this time staying silent afterwards.

Krista’s hope rose only for it to crash again as Shaun admitted he did not know what was on the note. “Okay… what about where she kept it? Maybe the killer knew she had it and did not want you to help!” Krista felt like they could have a lead.

Shaun's head shook slowly. "I-I don't know... Pr-probably in her r-room, or... o-on her person..?" he questioned, not expecting much of an answer given that Krista knows even less than he did.

“This is good, I think…! If we can find the note, we can find who did this!” She smiled at Shaun again. “Now we just have to hope that someone found Marianne’s note…”

Shaun gave a small nod and smiled towards her.

"Y-yeah... o-or her handbook..? M-Monokuma might have l-left her door open for th-the investigation." he rattled off a couple ideas, trying his best to think of where it could be. He wanted to be useful... To prove he didn't do it...

Feeling encouraged, Krista hopped up from her seat. “We’ve got ourselves a start point! Let’s go to her room, even if we don’t find the note it’s possible we can find something else!” She gestured him to get up. “If you’re feeling better, we can go now and help with the investigation!”

"O-okay then..!" Shaun said with a somewhat enthusiastic tone, and stop from his seat alongside her. His hand wrapped around the glass of water, and he took another sip, before placing it back down in order to follow on behind Krista towards Marianne's room.

CLUE ACQUIRED!

Danganronpa: Tower of Carnage (Finished!)

@Warpcircuit psssst, join us nerds discord.gg/f7K8f59

Danganronpa: Tower of Carnage (Finished!)

---

The moment Shaun mentioned his lost handbook, Krista kept trying to remember whether she had seen it when she first found him. Despite coming up with nothing, she still looked everywhere for it. Behind her, she could hear Shaun's soft and unsteady footsteps, and she slowed her hurried pace so the web designer could keep up whilst she helped him look around. She feared the worst as each place they tore apart came up with nothing until they arrived in the trash room at last.

"Aha! I found it!" Krista felt a mixture of pride and disgust as she pulled the handbook from under a pile of trash but there was no time to clean or react because she heard Ice's exclamation from all the way in the dump room. She met Shaun's eyes briefly as she got up from her crouched position shoving the newly discovered handbook into the safety of her pocket, her stomach twisting uncomfortably as it had done when she first thought Shaun was...

No, it was not the time to think about that. Krista shook her head. She would've slapped her cheeks to get herself back on track, but she was still concerned about hygiene. Unlike before, this time it was Krista following behind Shaun as he lead the charge towards the direction of Ice's cry. The patient's quarters... Krista barely had time to note that Braden was following along behind her, emerging from the break room and taking quick steps towards the quarters with her and Shaun. No puppets in sight.

When Krista joined the slowly growing crowd of people around Ice in front of what seemed to be Shaun's room, the knot in her stomach tightened. How could there be a fire inside if the handbook was discarded away? Krista barely had time to think. In the haze of panic, she could briefly remember calling out for some to check inside with her to salvage Shaun's items from the inside, and for others to call for Monokuma or Nariko's help.

Her hand slipped back into her pocket, torn cloth pressed against her nose and slid the keycard to gain access inside Shaun's room once Geina confirmed the fire was out. Expecting to see just a charred room, Krista was not ready for what greeted them inside...

Marianne Roche, the Infinite Herbalist, dead and strung up, holes pierced through her upper chest and her once beautiful locks of hair matted with blood. She stumbled in her spot at the sight of Marianne's lifeless body, her hand that was holding the torn piece of cloth up to her nose fallen to her side at the shock of it all.

Why...? Why did it have to happen again?

Why Marianne?

Why?

Her eyes stung, unclear whether it was because of the lingering smoke or the pain of watching a once lively girl now hang dead in the room of another infinite, so far from her own home. She felt like screaming; maybe she already was? She couldn't tell anymore. Her ears were ringing and the knot in her stomach wasn't going away...!

"Th-tha-n-n-" She faintly heard whimpering from behind her, and it took her entire strength to turn around to face the horror-stricken infinite behind her. She pitied the web designer. He looked like he had seen a ghost... As if hearing her inner thoughts, she watched as Shaun threw up bile from the shock of it all. Luckily it was not on anybody, but it did mean that Krista had to push past Braden, looking equally as sick, to reach Shaun to avoid stepping on the bile. Krista carefully placed her arm around his shoulder, using her body to steady his as she slowly began guiding Shaun away from the sight and just a little further down the corridor to help Shaun get everything together.

---

Braden hated the sight of blood most. The girl had been strung up for all to see, like a puppet show. Except this was not the ending everybody hoped for. He and a couple other brave infinites wandered further into the room once Krista had left to help Shaun, but everyone was still too stunned at the sight of a dead body.

From what he had gathered so far, this was not the first time they had seen a fellow patient die in a gruesome way. Twice in fact: this had happened before, but it had all gone wrong. He scratched his elbow, nails digging into his skin roughly as his eyes remained glued to her body.

Maybe he was still at home... in his own bed and everything was fine... this was just a bad trip... a god awful dream he'd wake up from the next day and he could get some shitty coffee made by the overpriced coffee store down the street from his suite... Maybe... The sensation of something piercing his skin shook Braden out of his thoughts. His green eyes wandered to his arm, watching the blood he'd drawn make its way down his arm. He wiped it with his sleeve with a grim confirmation.

This was no dream.

Danganronpa: Tower of Carnage (Finished!)

Their situation was quite the downer indeed. Braden had run into none other than Jezabel Volcov, the Infinite Clown- no, Trickster. Braden had to take a moment to recognise her. The last time he'd seen the tiny woman was back when they worked together on TV and he had always seen her in her jester getup.

She began replying to his questions, giving him the basic idea of what was going on. Braden was hoping that Jezabel was just exaggerating, but going by what she was talking about... A night of carnage? A killing game? This was just too serious to be a mere prank. The puppet scratched it's head, "Can we not just... leave? The lift had to have come from somewhere?" Braden mutely pointed towards the elevator he had come out from.

“Like.” Jezebel sighed. “You'd think so, but the buttons totally don't work. Whoever is controlling them has disabled the control panels or something. They don't even open up again unless someone's coming out.” She placed her hands on her hips. “But anywho, it's been a while since the whole TV thing right, what have you been up to?” The clown's face beamed brightly with a toothy smile.

The puppet edged closer towards the clown, partially covering his mouth whilst looking back over his shoulder towards Braden. "Mister Fussy Pants right here has been staying home like a loooooooser-" Braden, who was initially looking the other way, snapped his head towards the puppet. He pulled it closer, shoving Elias into his pocket like a disposed tissue before bringing out Erica.

"I meaaan, Elias isn't wrong but he's still kinda a dumbass." Erica grew silent as she regarded Jez. "You look human. I like it. Better than the trash you'd wear on TV." Braden immediately shoved Erica back into his pocket, pulling Elias back out instead to rectify the situation.

"Just ignore Erica, she doesn't realise what a total bitch she can be! How have you been doing?" Braden looked at Jezabel mutely.

Jez giggled. “Don't get too used to the new look. I just felt so grody when I got up this morning that I didn't bother to change back.” This was not the first time Jezebel had to talk with the dolls, which was probably why she wasn't overcome by their strangeness. “Turns out my eyesight needs to get corrected. I can't even shoot a crossbow at a target twenty feet away. Everything just kinda looks hazy in the distance.” She looked over the dolls head. “Like, they could have at least corrected my vision before sticking us in here ya know?” She looked at the puppet master. “Speaking of, what did you go to Axis Mundi for?”

"You still look mighty fine, I might add. Ignore Bitchica, she's just jelly." There was an odd muffled sound coming from Braden, but it was unclear whether it was Braden himself or if it was Erica protesting her nickname.

“Well, there’s no better treatment than seeing me, of course!” If the puppet could wink, it would have done so. “So here I am! Axis Mundi’s very own hot treat~!”

Braden sighed impatiently. He wrapped a hand around Elias’s mouth (or the general region anyway) and asked the question that was bothering him. “Where are the rest of the patients? The video on the elevator said there were more people?” His voice, unlike Elias or Erica, was flat and almost monotone, but his eyes showed the confusion he was feeling.

“They're all up already.” She was about to reach for one of Braden's hands, only to realized he was using them to control and subdue his puppets. “So like.” She gestured. “Follow me, we'll find someone.”

With his hand still on Elias's mouth, Braden continued asking the important questions. "I assume we're not exactly in Axis Mundi...? I mean... it looks like it but..." He grew quiet. "Well... I don't really remember my time in Axis Mundi outside my room so..." Braden would have rubbed the back of his neck if both his hands weren't busy.

The two wandered the hallways for some time, until they found Mary, skulking around a corner. In her attempts to catch Caora, she had developed a skill for stealthy movement, and thus was often difficult to find, let alone talk to. She jumped when she heard voices behind her. "Oh damn! You scared me!" She made a puffy face and pointed at the two. "What are you two doing here?"

Braden glanced up towards the new character. He could recognise the voice, but couldn't place the face. He furrowed his eyebrows as she enthusiastically approached the two, blaming them for her fright. "Oh my~! Another pretty girl? Maybe I don't mind this after all~!" Elias eagerly gave Mary a once-over. Braden panicked. When the fuck did his hand slip?! His hand immediately shot back up to cover his puppet's mouth.

"I apologise. Elias... can get excited in the presence of girls." There was a high pitched muffle that sounded suspiciously like "damn right!" coming from his pocket.

“I'm just showing the new kids around.” Jezebel placed a hand on Braden's shoulder and pulled him closer to herself, seemingly oblivious to what was going on. “Come to think of it, you've totally been here longer than I have. You could so help me show Braden around. I could get to know the other Betty hanging around these parts.” Jezebel's smile seemed to grow wider and more devious. “Maybe help you find your little Baldwin.”

Mary was a bit miffed that these guys snuck up on her. But she had to admit, she liked the attention she got, so she gave them a courteous smile. "Is that a puppet in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?" She quipped, and put a hand on her hip. She then giggled a bit.
"Well, I can't say I've been here a terribly long time either. But I suppose, I've been here longer than some..." She looked aside, a frown on her face. She then brought her smile back. She had an audience after all, and she could distract herself from Cookie-hunting once in a while.

"But sure, I can give you boys a tour. And don't you call me Betty, sir; the name's Mary Hanson, the Infinite Streamer and today's internet sensation." She then leaned over a bit, just to further drive her point as a web celebrity home; give them a view to remember.

"Dear, I'd be happy if I could see you all the time." Braden inwardly groaned as the puppet still tried flirting with the giggly blonde. He looked to Jezabel for help, maybe she could distract Elias? Instead, Elias took the look of help as a sign of something else. The puppet's voice grew louder until muffling the puppet wasn't enough. The damned thing wanted to be heard. "Ooooooooh boy! Lookie here folks seems like Braden can't make up his mind~! Thoooooooough to be fair Jezzie is a hottie too, so I can't blame ya~!"

Braden spoke out before Elias could be taken seriously. "This is just the stupid puppet talking. Please ignore him when he's being stupid." The irritated man gave Elias a threatening glare until the puppet grew limp, seemingly giving up.

"Alright funs over ladies. Mr Fussy Pants looks like he's gonna have a fit." If Elias could pout, he would be doing so now. "Let's go on a little house tour, eh? Don't forget to show me your rooms too~!"

Jezebel groaned uncomfortably at the mention of rooms. “Actually, I'd like to see more of the new place first.” Her smile returned. “I think Icing and Calvo are the only ones who have been over there. You can totally show lover boy your room later.”

Mary was amused by the ventriloquist's antics. "Oh, is that how it is? Blaming your perviness on a doll with a hand up its ass? How naughty~"
She then turned to Jezebel. "Sure, I haven't been there yet either. Let's-a-go!"

Despite being the one to ask for help, Jezebel led everyone into the second-floor hospital wing.

---

Greeting them as they entered the hospital was a pharmacy. The front of it had fairly large windows, and one could see the hundreds of bottles of medicine contained within. “I wonder if like, someone should guard this place? Looks like a drug abuser's haven.” To the group's left was another window. Through it there was a conveyer belt holding some gel implants. The conveyer belt wasn't moving though. “Oh cool, we can get stacked!” Jezebel laughed and spun on her heel. “I don't suppose either of you have gotten that kind of operation in the past, have you?”

When the group entered the wing and saw the bottles, Mary's attention seemed to have been drawn. "Yeah, just some drugs....I bet there's no subscription-level..." She mumbled to herself. She shook her head. "Nope, these puppies are all natural!" She lifted her arms past her shoulders and bounced, grinning at Braden. "Not a single trace of silicone~"

Braden looked away, letting his hair cover most of his face whilst Mary... showed off her girls proudly. Elias on the other hand? "Nope, it's all natural" Mirroring Mary, the puppet extended the word all whilst unabashedly staring in Mary's direction. If Elias were a real guy, he would no doubt be bleeding from his nose at the sight. Braden stiffly moved towards the implant workshop to look through the window. The Ventriloquist pulled out Erica from his pocket, leaving Elias to gawk and be distracted by the Streamer whilst he talked through his female puppet.

It felt like Erica was his only chance to look normal...

"Oh hun, it's definitely not us who needs some help in that department." Erica answered Jezabel.

Yeah, he was doomed.

Jezabel scratched the back of her neck. “Right.” She looked between her companions. “Only reason why I ask is that I've totally been thinking about getting some work done. I heard that Axis Mundi has some pretty state of the art facilities. Not that I want to get anything too serious done.” She hugged herself. “But it seems like, over time, that kind of stuff just makes you super grody anyway. Like that chef on that cooking show? So not cool.”

Mary winked at Elias, sending it a flying kiss. She then heard Jezebel, and set her arms to her hips as she sighed. "Oh Jezzie, you don't need to do plastic surgery. You're beautiful as you are....But you could thin your makeup just a bit. You know, less Sun King, more Cute Fling!" She hid her smile under her hands. "Guys are not into the whole whiteface thing. I think it might offend some, too. I'd like to see you all natural."

Elias finally turned to 'look' at Jezabel. "Hey come on girls, loosen up a bit. Jezzie is cute in her own way. She's totes a Betty." Elias mimicked Jezabel's way of speaking, tone suggesting that he was proud of himself. Meanwhile, Erica also peered through the window Braden was looking at.

"Can we not go inside? I'm bored of window shopping-" Braden didn't waste a minute trying to search for the door into the implant workshop. Before he could turn the corner, the sound of static filled his ears before...

"Good morning sunshine...!"It was that same cosplaying teddy bear on the screen in front of them. For once since leaving the elevators, Elias went quiet. At first, Monokuma seemed to rant about Stalin before abruptly changing the topic to Australia. It felt like a routine announcement until static filled the screen before being replaced by a carnage sister that distinctly reminded Braden of a certain puppet currently inhabiting his right hand...

When the monitors cut out, leaving a blank screen for the infinites to stare at, Braden turned to face the two girls. "What are they talking about? What motive?" Braden asked, his two puppets remaining quiet on either side, as if stunned.

It felt like something was going to go horribly wrong.