Ken Tanaka / SHSL Architect and Tatsuya Yamazaki - SHSL Street Fighter
While Ken wished to get his room organized and clean as soon as humanly possible, several roadblocks were in his way. There was the issue of finding clothes that were wearable, and not mixed in some kind of mess. After all, seeds, glass, etc were littering his floor along with his clothes, so finding something that he could wear in public wasn't the easiest thing in the world right now. That being said, the other issue he was facing, was getting back to the outside world (well outside of his room that is) for a certain important item wasn't in the spot he remembered placing said item.
"Where in the fuck is it…?" Ken muttered as he picked up a reasonably clean long sleeve shirt which he immediately slipped on.
While Ken was stupid/depressed enough to let himself get drunk, he wasn't anywhere close to the level of retardedness it would take to let his drunk ass wander around during a killing game. Meaning he had locked himself in his room, which of course meant he hid the key from his drunk self A reasonable action all in all. The area he choose to hide said key was inside...the pillowcase….of his now vanished bed.
"Don't tell me….god damn it…." He whispered as he held his head trying to think (something which was really hard right now).
"Was the key taken with the bed? N….I...was it? I cant, could have swo-" Before he could finish his thought process or even think of his next step, there was a knock on his door. Halting his search for a moment he looked over his shoulder and simply listened for any indication as to who could be on the other side. Upon hearing Tatsuya's voice, Ken let out a groan as he rolled his eyes.
"His timing...is so shitty. Why is he here? That damn training and whatever…..isn't till later….can't...can't be that late...stupid ass bear just did the announcement thingy." Having zero interest in stopping his search just to answer the door, he turned his back to it and went back to searching for his things.
Despite the devastating lack of response coming from Ken's room, Tatsuya was willing to be patient. Well, for the duration of ten seconds at least, and not much longer than that. The fact that he'd gotten no response from Ken was highly irritating, but he had to consider the possibility that the guy was still sleeping, or perhaps in the bathroom, or that he'd left his e-book in his room but had already left the premises…
Knowing the extent to which Ken could be the annoying prick he was, however, there was an even greater possibility that the bastard was in fact ignoring Tatsuya and that all this mindless speculation was in fact a waste of his time. Whether it was because the architect refused to leave whatever it was he was doing at the time, or simply because he wished to mess with the street fighter as he often enjoyed doing, Tatsuya wouldn't allow it.
Cocking his head slightly, the street fighter set his jaw and lifted his free hand a second time, rapping his knuckles against the door panel with a certain harshness that had not accompanied his first attempt. If Ken was unable to hear that from the bathroom, the bloke definitely would need to get his ears checked.
"Ken." Tatsuya repeated, his annoyed tone of voice deeper in tone, but louder in volume somehow. It was enough to sound like a threat, even if it wasn't really intended that way. Tatsuya simply didn't want to have to wait around like this; he really wasn't in the mood.
"Are you in there, or what?"
"Seriously? He's still there?" Ken grumbled under his breath before letting out exasperated sigh as he tapped the toe of his shoe onto the floor to make sure it was properly fitting. Still keeping his back to the door he started to inspect the pillows of his fort (as despite how stupid the fort really was, he just wasn't one to tear down his own works of art….even those made in a rather questionable situation), for it was likely he used the pillow on his bed to create this damn thing. As he did so he cleared his throat before speaking in the most normal (ie sarcastic and carefree) tone he could possible manage at this point.
"The number you have dialed is currently unavailable, or the person you are trying to reach really doesn't want to talk to ya~ Either way, leave a message after the beep. Unless your name begins with a T and goes by Tits, then fuck off~ Thanks……….also don't expect a beep~" He called out loud enough for the other to hear from just outside the door which in turn made him let out a small groan as he gripped his head in pain from his own (amazing) voice.
"Okay, hopefully that'll get him to leave." He grumbled as he looked behind the pillowfort where he saw something catch his eye.
"…"
Ah. So Ken was inside there after all. So nice to finally receive a response from the bloke. How very respectable of him, yes.
Tatsuya was silent for a nice, long moment as he remained by the door, staring at the panel before his dark eyes flitted to the hinges on the door. It was impossible to tell from this side… but how would this door have been secured to its frame? If it were anything like a regular door, then the chances were that the bolts that fastened it would prove weak enough. And the lock… considering it only required a regular key to open? It didn't appear too complicated… so his chances of breaking this door down were…
Pretty good, honestly.
There was the barely noticeable sound of Tatsuya's arm brushing against the door as he withdrew it, and his shadow as it would've been noticeable from the inside of the room had vanished from beneath the door. The street fighter took two, three, four steps back, creating a healthy distance between himself and the door…
And spent a final moment gazing the solid piece of wood down as he considered where upon the door would be the most appropriate place to direct the most of the force of his kick. Near to the handle, where the lock was situated?
…Yeah, that sounded about right.
Three…
His fingers flexed distractedly for a moment, before curling up into tight fists—
Two…
Tatsuya inhaled and exhaled in quick succession, bounding on the spot as he prepared to rush straight for the door—
One…
After a moment of silence Ken looked over his shoulder at the door, a smirk going on his face when he no longer saw Tatsuya's shadow beneath it.
Ah good." He muttered as he went over to the pillowcase that stood out to him.
"He lef-.........." After these words barely left him there was a moment of silence as something about those words didn't sound right to him in the least. '
Since...when did Tits ever leave...after I give a response like that? He's never done that, not without saying something back or attempting to punch...me….' Once this thought ran through his head the smirk on his face faltered as he looked back at the door in pure silence.
A second later he reached into his pants pocket and pulled out his monopad, turning it on and immediately going to the maps he looked to find Tatsuya's location. The man was still in front of his door, though not directly, he was about the other side of the hall.
'He wouldn't dar-.................. This is Tits……...…OH FOR FUCK SAKE!!!!' He felt like he didn't have any time to waste. Tossing his pad to some random portion of the room he grabbed the pillow and yanked it from the fort (surprisingly not making the fort crash down due to the removal of one pillow, but then again it is his creation). Turning the pillow upside down he shook it a bit, and there fell the key onto the floor. Snatching it up, he bounded over to the door in only three or so steps, making it there in record time.
Taking his key he immediately jammed it into the lock and yanked the door open in two seconds flat.
"Are you fucking serious?!" Ken spat when he saw Tatsuya's current position.
"This is where you tell me you weren't! As in were not, in any shape or form! About to break down my damn door!" After shouting all of this Ken gripped his head and let out a small groan as it felt like his brain was trying to break out of his damn skull.
"God...damn… Fucking…." He whispered as he stumbled back a bit and going back into his rather dark room (away from the brightly lit hallway).
"I swear to gods...someone...better be dead right now." He said as he used his other hand to lazily gesture Tatsuya in. While he was pissed, he needed to sit down for a moment to give his head a second to just not try and break apart.
Tatsuya's posture had only relaxed the moment the door was suddenly cranked open and Ken practically came flying out in an exasperated fit. He waited for the man to devolve into groans before he bothered to speak up, seemingly not moved by his current state at all.
"So nice to finally get to see your face," Tatsuya drawled back in a pure demonstration of the fact that he truly did not give a shit as to how startled Ken may have been by the possibility of getting his door kicked in. Seriously, what else did he expect upon giving the street fighter attitude like that? It was only natural that Tatsuya would respond with an aggression of his own. He was lucky he'd been quick enough to answer the door, in truth.
Tatsuya watched the guy stumble back into the darkness of his room, and although… something about the fact that Ken was allowing him in caused him to hesitate, he lowered his arms and soon enough followed him through the doorway. A choice he'd soon mildly regret as, despite the dim interior of the room, it did not take a trained eye to realize the horrid state it was in. Tatsuya was honestly rendered somewhat speechless as his eyes lighted upon the massive pillow fort hoisted up in the center of the room, where he assumed Ken's bed was supposed to be? The room smelt so strongly of alcohol, Tatsuya had to raise a hand to his nose as he slowly adapted to the stench, but this observation was exactly what led him to make his following comment.
"You got drunk," the street fighter stated more than asked. He gazed over the miniscule shards of glass and feathers obscuring the floor, and then at Ken in his pained, disheveled and undignified state.
"Shit-faced drunk."
Now, shocking as the circumstances appeared to him, Tatsuya did not by any degree agree with Ken's line of reasoning from the night prior. In his humble opinion, getting drunk in the middle of a killing game was idiotic to the nth degree. No matter the thoughts he'd desired to suffocate, nor any sorrows he'd begged to have drowned, to get drunk in this situation was such an inherent risk, Tatsuya could not imagine what had been running through the architect's mind when he'd considered this an appropriate thing to do. But Tatsuya was not Ken and so he could to some extent observe this situation purely as an outsider. In which case, this entire scenario appeared so stupid, it became incredibly amusing to him.
Having finished observing the room for what it was, Tatsuya barked out a small laugh, crossing his arms in front of his chest and returning his charcoal gaze to Ken. This wasn't the first time he had witnessed what it was like for the architect to get drunk. So, at the expense of Ken's pride, he indeed had some vague indication of what may have gone down the night prior.
"What'd you gamble?"
Tatsuya wasn't exactly smirking, but the look in his eyes was such that he could've been.
"No, even better- who'd you gamble with?"
His mirthful gaze wandered across the scattering of bird seeds underfoot and around the room, and he snorted quietly at the unusual mess.
"I'm guessing it was your bird? Good one, Ken."
Ken let out a small grunt at Tatsuya's initial comment before he managed to simply drop into the sole chair of the room. Resting his elbow on the armrest only to put his head on his hand he closed his eyes as he let his mind get a moment to not try and rip him apart.
"...You...see nothing…" He whispered, not having the will to raise his voice any higher, as just the yelling seemed to do a number on him. Of course, his words fell on deaf ears as Tatsuya seemed to stand there without saying anything for a time (something of which indicated he was in fact look around the room from the spot he was at). When the other did finally speak, a scoff left Ken as he remained in his spot.
"Just...to be clear, wasn't...what I wanted to do at first…. Also astounding observation, don't know why you aren't the dec-....fucking…" Sadly Ken couldn't even finish his sarcastic comment as his pounding head demanded he stop, something of which made him tighten his grip on his hair as he kept his exhausted looking eyes shut. His voice had been an octave louder than his first comment, something of which seemed to make him suffer a bit. At the next series of questions and statements Ken let out a low groan before a slightly forced chuckle left him. Sure, he wasn't feeling all that great, but, when he thought back onto last night events, well it was hard to deny the humor and stupidity of what went down.
"...Lets, let's get one thing clear. I wasn't intending to get drunk….just a bit buzzed at most. Sadly….it wasn't until my forth bottle did I realize I hadn't eaten the entire day, so there was that. Might have drank a tad too fast….… Also, I didn't let my drunk self wander the halls, I admit I was stupid last night, but not retarded." After saying this Ken let go of his head as he pushed himself up into a slightly more comfortable position.
"......As…...as for your questions…" Ken looked off to the side, a small fluster of embarrassment rising to his cheeks. "
....I started off gambling with Loki….played Blackjack…….got to admit she was good, but in the end I won't her entire food supply, in my defense, she betted way to high." He said with another chuckle, though less forced as he rubbed his brow a bit
. "...After that though I….I think I got bored...cause she had nothing left, and I couldn't get out of the room. So….I...may or may not have challenged Monokuma to some….games….. Like dice, Blackjack..poker… Don't play poker with him….fucking cheater" A groan left him at this as he moved his head back against the chair, his face getting a bit redder at the memory (though his hand was covering his eyes and a bit of his cheeks, in a failed attempt to hide his embarrassment) as it became more vivid now that he was actively trying to recall what happened.
"For the most part...I won. However, my drunk mind….didn't think about getting useful stuff. Nooooo I just had to fucking get….all of this useless shit" A bit of frustration was in his voice as his free hand gestured to the mess that was his room, which had several extra and rather useless things lying about
"….. I'm pretty sure I only lost a few times...last time I lost….I gambled away my...my bed." Hanging his head at this he let out a frustrated sigh.
"Somehow...drunk me….thought the best way to rectify the situation wasn't to get my bed back….rather….I choose….to get over fifty..fucking...pillows…. I don't… I don't even know why…. I just…."
A frustrated sigh left him as he only now made eye contact with Tatsuya.
"Not a word about this, to anyone else. Now, why in the ever fucking hell are you here Tits? And keep...keep your voice low……………..please."
"Hmm."
Following Ken's embarrassing explanation and recount of what had taken place in his room last night, Tatsuya quietly averted his eyes to the pillow fort constructed of the fifty or so pillows Ken had won. Despite the fact that this situation was a matter entirely worthy of Tatsuya's scorn, the fact that Ken exercised the opportunity to have gotten this drunk, bizarre and accidental as it happened to be, was at least a little enviable. The truth was, with the kind of stressful shit the killing game had so far imposed upon them, Tatsuya wouldn't have minded getting stupid drunk either. Except he wasn't a fool enough to let it happen, for fear of those very same regrets Ken was dealing with at this moment… and worse.
Not to mention, the aftermath to Ken's drunken decision-making certainly did not look all that pleasant to deal with, and his short-sightedness had left a lot for him to clean up. Some issues, like his migraine and the mess of his room, a temporary sort. And others, like the loss of his bed, a matter that Tatsuya would sneer at him over. In any case, it was clear Ken had it rough at the moment, and even if the architect had only himself to blame, Tatsuya wouldn't make the situation any worse except in offering his disdain. Which was nice coming from a guy like him, honestly, and perhaps only because he could somewhat sympathize with a man forced to deal with a vicious hangover and the void of shame following a crazy night of questionable exploits.
"...I'd mention how much of a fucking idiot you are sometimes," Tatsuya started after having a moment to himself
. "But you're right. I'd just be stating the obvious at this point. So anyway…"
Desiring to move on from the topic of Ken's idiocy, Tatsuya held up his monopad, speaking at a relatively low volume as Ken had requested of him. It wasn't much lower than his normal volume, but it was considerate enough, coming from the street fighter.
"It's about your training. With the new floor being opened up, the gym's gone and I figured that might be a problem for today's session..... Not that you're in a condition fit for physical activity, huh."
Lowering his arms to his side, Tatsuya narrowed his eyes.
"
But that doesn't change the fact that if you want your training to continue, then we're going to have to find a different room to use. I'm not sure any of the rooms on the main floor are appropriate for the purposes of sparring... But there may be a workable space in the new area. I can't say that for sure, however. I haven't been there yet."
Keeping silent Ken had his eyes on Tatsuya and the monopad as he simply listened to what the other had to say (outright ignoring the insult the other had just casually thrown at him).
"Right...floors change, if that isn't a pain." Rubbing the back of his head Ken let out a small yawn as he seemed to contemplate what he should do. In truth he wasn't all that keen on going out right now, after all not only was he a mess but so was his room, not to mention he was famished as well. A good minute passed before Ken heaved himself out of the chair he had gotten rather comfy in as he started to make his way to the bathroom.
"I'll help look for a good place then." He said as rubbed the back of his head.
"Let me wash up quicklyish….can't go out, not...not while I look like the embodiment of death."
As he said this he stopped just shy of the bathroom and looked over at Tatsuya.
"If we can't find any place, we can use...use the fuck...what is it called...... Oh right, the meeting room." He said softly as he rubbed the back of his head a bit.
"Take all the chairs out, and we should have a bit of room….won't be much, but better than nothing….. Not like we use that place anyway, last night meeting was done in the….in the dining room." He said as he rested his forehead on the doorframe to the bathroom, trying to calm his pounding head.
'.................. I don't mind drinking…..but fucking hell...never….never do it on an empty stomach….'
Several thoughts had come to mind as a result of what Ken had said. One of them being a reminder of the meeting that had taken place the night prior, the one Tatsuya had actively decided not to attend. Although it seemed Ken might've gone, since he was aware of where it had been held…
And the room Ken had suggested for the continuation of their training, should they find nothing better to use, Tatsuya had little complaint with. The meeting hall was in fact not often visited from what he knew, so it wasn't a terrible proposition.
Either of these things Tatsuya might've liked to discuss more, but seeing as though Ken had to get himself ready and Tatsuya would've preferred not having to dwell in this pigsty for too much longer, he figured they could just talk over these things later.
"Yeah. Alright," was the street fighter's short response to most of what Ken had said, moving to take a tentative seat on the only couch in the room as he waited, but first ensuring he wasn't about to accidentally sit on any glass or bird seed or something. That would be fucking awful.
"Don't take too long in there."
"Whatever, don't...don't let Loki out of the cage…..I clipped her feathers, but she will still try and take apart your fingers." Ken grumbled before pushing himself off the doorframe and making his way into the bathroom. Luckily for him, he had a set of untouched clothing in the bathroom (something of which he missed completely when he first woke up). Not wanting to waste more time than he already had he quickly got ready for the day. Merely rinsing off the smell of alcohol and regret (though honestly, he didn't regret getting shit face drunk as much as one would think. For what he could remember the time he spent in that state was quite uplifting, his true regret stem from the loss of his bed). Once he was done he bbandaged his wounds, got dressed, brushed his teeth washed his face and then looked in the mirror to see if he look at least slightly better. '
Of course I look amazing~If you ignore the baggy eyes, and obvious signs of lack of sleep then I look as good as usual~Now, to see how far I can go before my head cracks open in pure agony forcing me to head back my sanctuary.' Pushing back his damp hair he adjusted his jacket before heading to the door.
Once he entered his room, Ken made his way over to the desk and opened a drawer. As soon as he did he grabbed something that was in there and slipped it into his pocket. With that done he spun around on his heel, both hands in his pockets as he flashed Tatsuya his signature smirk, expertly acting like he wasn't in fact suffering a hangover. "
Now, if you are done enjoying my overly generous hospitality, I know I know, I'm too kind, no need to thank me." He hummed speaking in a normal tone (in doing so ignoring the constant pangs of pain his head was giving him).
"We can go now~Though first stop is the kitchen before the new place. Cause believe it or no-" Ken stopped mid sentence only to visibly wince as a migraine seemed to be coming on from him talking in anything but a whisper. "
Ah fuck… Here i thought I was doing a decent job at pretending."
Tatsuya observed somewhat unamusedly (or at the very least, apathetically) as Ken emerged from the bathroom and faced him as though taking a shower had suddenly cured him of his hangover symptoms. It was a great attempt, if you pretended the dark circles lining the underside of his eyes and the fact he could not get through thirty seconds of the dumb shit he was saying without doubling over in pain did not give away how much of a mess this man had truly gotten himself in.
"Nice try," Tatsuya disingenuously complimented Ken's failed attempt at disguising his migraine, then remained quiet for a moment as he considered what it was the architect had said (the last complete thing, at least) and whether it was worthwhile taking a slight detour in light of that.
"How about," Tatsuya started as he pushed himself up from the couch, levelling the other man a near impassive look. "
We visit the infirmary first. Because as much as I enjoy hearing you whisper to the point where I can barely hear you talking, I hate having to listen to you whine about your dumbass decisions every two minutes as well."
The street fighter folded his arms, walking over to the doorway and pausing there to look back at Ken.
"You could do with some aspirin. Or whatever it is they have here. You should know; you've spent more time in the infirmary than I have, right?"
That last comment… was voiced a tad more derisively than it likely should have been. An underhanded jab at the punch Tatsuya had delivered Ken a few days ago, was it? But the street fighter didn't wait around to see if Ken had caught on or not, stepping out into the hallway.
"Careful Tits, keep doing this and people might start thinking you love me~Hehe, not that I blame you, I am amazing after all~" Ken said with a light snicker as he kept a decent grip on his head
. "Also, I'm going to ignore that last comment, cause fuck you~" He hummed as he also made his way to the door once he did a quick glance over to Loki to make sure she was okay. Giving the small and sleeping bird a smile he turned his attention to the door and walked over to it after raising his hood in preparation for the light that was about to just mess with him like no tomorrow.
When he stepped out of his room he winced a bit but nonetheless follow Tatsuya down the hall. "Fucking lights, were they always this bright?" He grumbled under his breath as he walked on
. "I hope you appreciate what I'm doing for you~" Ken hummed out (though still talking rather quietly).
"Even though you are so mean to me Tits, I'm still willing to give you company in your desperate search for a training space. Cause lord knows...you need a architect who's suffering from a hangover...to help you find a fucking place like that." He grumbled, his sweet sarcastic tone turning slightly more bitter near the end. "
That, and because I'm kind enough to let you know a few things about what happened last night….. Assuming you are interested that is~" Ken hummed, a smirk on his face as he shifted his gaze over to Tatsuya.
"This is for your sake, not mine," Tatsuya sharply quipped, keeping his eyes ahead of him and his hands in the pockets of his slacks as they walked. It was clear Ken was just messing with him anyway, obviously needing something to complain over, and Tatsuya wasn't about to devote his energy towards something so meaningless. On the grounds of his last comment, however…
The street fighter remained silent for a moment, his gaze drifting aside to meet Ken's. It would be a lie to say that hadn't captured his interest… But he pretended mild indifference anyway, looking away with a slight frown, as he knew talking about what had taken place the night prior was bound to piss him off to some degree. His bitterness towards Violet's overt betrayal hadn't left him and lingering on it would only worsen his mood. Still, he wanted to know what had been said at the meeting he'd failed to attend, what it is the other students had thought, and what they had ultimately decided to do with that wretched girl. He hoped they'd arrived at a somewhat rational decision… one that hopefully involved completely isolating her from the rest of them.
"…What happened?" He eventually asked, as it would have been expected of him to. He narrowed his eyes, trying to imagine how it is the girl may attempted to justify herself (did she cry for forgiveness? even if it meant little to him, he sure fucking hoped she had), and how the others might have received her.
"I think I'd love to know."
From the frigidity that laced his tone however, Tatsuya didn't seem all that thrilled at all. Like he wasn't exactly expecting that whatever Ken would say to him next would ease his irritation, but would instead inflate it.
That smirk of his almost immediately turned to a grin when he noted the others interest. Though it did seem to be minimal interest at best, it was interest nonetheless. Before he said anything Ken moved over to the other side of the hall, getting a tad more distance between him and Tatsuya...for safety reasons.
"Well, quite a bit happened actually~" He hummed as he put his hands behind his back while he looked ahead of him (though he did watch Tatsuya out of the corner of his eyes).
"Violet did somethings, Mr. Therapist said things, someone got attacked, could have been killed~" It was evident that Ken wasn't putting down any specifics, if anything he was merely adding more questions for Tatsuya to ask rather than simply answer them (something of which he could easily do).
Now looking at Tatsuya, that grin still on his face, his hands behind his back.
"If you really want to know~ I can tell you…. After you get me the headache medication from the infirmary while I go to the kitchen~ I'm not up for all the walking ya know?"
…Ken couldn't be serious. He understood the situation he was in, right? Debilitated by a bad hangover, and yet he had the tenacity to make such an order as though Tatsuya were his bitch (never mind the fact that the infirmary was literally ten feet away…)? The street fighter was in testy frame of mind as it was, and Ken thought it a smart idea to pull this on him? Huge mistake.
Tatsuya slowed before halting in his tracks, his shoulders stiffening as he shot the other man a poisonous glare, his fury leeching into his expression.
"Or," he slowly growled back, his teeth gritted and jaw set.
"You get your own fucking medication, and you tell me exactly what went down at last night's meeting. Because unless you want that delicate hung-over head of yours smeared across the wall you're hugging-" He jerked his chin sharply in indication of the wall opposite.
"That's your safest bet."
It was a bit much of him, but Tatsuya was so on edge as it was, he could hardly keep his act together for this. Feeling his spinal nerves bristle in his sudden rage, Tatsuya dug his nails into the skin of his palms, reminding himself that Ken was probably only being irritating because that's the way he normally was- why he thought that was a smart thing to do in the middle of a killing game in the presence of the most aggressive individual in the premises, it was hard to say, but this was the same stupid bastard who had gotten himself drunk last night, so that likely spoke for itself.
In any case, bad attempt at a joke or not, Tatsuya was not in the mood for pussy-footing nor being messed around with, and he was sure to make that very clear with his following words, blunt as they were.
"Listen to me, Ken. I'm not in the mood for games. I could just about kill someone after the fucked-up stunt that traitorous bitch pulled, so unless you want to offer yourself as the most likely candidate, end the shit-show and give it to me straight."
Tatsuya lifted a hand to his forehead, as though that would soothe his pulsating temples, and averted his angry gaze.
"And if you think you can't manage that, let me know now so I can save myself the fucking trouble. You think I have it in me to tolerate any more bullshit? I'm telling you now- I really don't."
As Tatsuya spoke, the former grin on Ken's face slowly but surely vanished as he looked at the other with a more, uncaring if not distasteful gaze. In truth, the idea that his attempt of cutting his work down would actually work...well for the most part he figured it wouldn't. Still, can't blame the guy for trying to find a simplish shortcut.
"Tits we both know whether I'm drunk, sober, or hungover, I never respond kindly to threats." Ken said coolly, his tone remaining even as he kept his gaze locked with the other. At this point he hands were no longer behind his back, but rather hovering at his pockets. Though he saw no reason to pull out his knife, he honestly felt a bit worried. In normal circumstances he would have plenty of faith and even some trust in Tatsuya not to attack him, at least not when he's like this. Even if he did at least he knew Tatsuya wouldn't kill him.
Alas, the situation wasn't normal was it? None of it was, words that he could averagely brush off or even joke about, now put a ping of honest fear into his heart, something of which he ignored for now. For a moment he was feeling tense, for a fraction of a second he was considering if he should run or if this entire outing was a mistake. Taking in a deep breath before slowly exhaling he gave a small shake of his head (while trying to ignore the fact such an action was making him dizzy).
'Over worrying, no motive is out yet, and though he's on edge unlikely he'll just try and kill me……..well at least here. Its Tits after all, as much fun as it is to fuck with him, wont do me any favors messing with him when we are both like this.' You always got to be such the bore don't you?" Ken hummed as he moved his hands away from his pockets once more.
"Fine fine, after I pop some drugs in I'll tell you what happened. The least you could do is say please though~" Giving a dismissive wave merely trying to relieve the tension he had felt for a moment, something of which he didn't want to deal with.
Tatsuya continued to glare silently at the other for a moment, as though assessing how genuine Ken was being with him. Despite his mildly jovial tone of voice and the light-heartedness of his response, the architect's first remark was indication enough that he had realised how thin it was the ice that he'd stepped upon, and the mild tension that had coursed through the air was proof of the fact that something had been taken seriously.
But Ken did not seem to shy away on this basis alone, and having given some assurance that the bloke would tone down his act, the street fighter decided this was reason enough to give him a chance to redeem himself… or at least, another opportunity to think before he said anything similarly off-putting.
So Tatsuya only uttered a disgruntled huff, breaking eye-contact and lowering his arms as he continued his stride for the infirmary. Persistently annoyed as he was, he didn't feel obliged to say much in return, but Ken's final comment had indeed earned a half-assed grumble from him anyway.
"Please, my ass…"
Having reached the doors of the infirmary, Tatsuya did not hesitate to shove them open and moved to lean against one of the examination benches as he quietly waited for Ken to find what medication it was he needed. Arms crossly tautly and brow slightly furrowed, it was clear he was still moderately worked up over his outburst and perhaps caught up in such thoughts, but given some time and the explanation he believed Ken owed him, that would hopefully ebb away. Although that depended on what Ken had to tell him, of course.
With a small hum Ken slipped into the infirmary and started to look for the painkillers. Something of which only took him a moment (for as Tatsuya had assumed, Ken was in fact very familiar with the infirmary by this point). Popping open the bottle and taking the needed dosage out, he grabbed a small cup before filling it with water from the sink. Popping the pill in his mouth he gulped down the inviting cool liquid (something of which brought a great deal of relief to his achy throat). Once the cup was empty and the pill gone, he just tossed the cup in the nearest trash before turning to the door.
"Now~ Hopefully it works it magic sooner rather than later hm?" He hummed before looking at Tatsuya. After a small bout of silence Ken let out a sigh as he gave the other a faint smirk.
"No need to be like that~ You should at least try to act like you don't hate my presence, honestly at this rate I may cry~" Ken teased before letting out a soft chuckle.
"Sorry sorry~ Can't help myself, but I'm an adult and someone that keeps promises so I'll fill you in." At this his teasing tone left (though he was still talking in a soft voice, as the medication really didn't work in a blink).
"First, what concerns you the most. Monokuma's rule about the blackend protection." He stated as he now made his way to the door so he could leave for the kitchen.
"The traitorous bitch basically has the same status as Monokuma itself. Meaning~ If you attack or try anything, well, Monokuma will be there before you can feel regret or anything of that nature and retaliate in full." Distaste were in his words as he spoke, though for the most part he kept a rather blank look about him.
"Therefore Tits, that temper of yours, let's avoid getting physical with the piece of human garbage that is still breathing okay~ Be a shame if Monokuma and your temper is the reason you kicked it~"
Tatsuya listened to all that Ken said after having downed his pills, his gaze trained closely on the guy as he spoke… more-so when he actually began to provide details of the meeting. And, as Tatsuya had earlier anticipated, what he had to say really wasn't all that thrilling to learn of at all.
"So let me get this straight…" Tatsuya reiterated shortly after Ken had finished describing Violet's immunity. He pushed himself away from the examination table and followed Ken to the door, gaze narrowed in his slight exasperation. "
The immunity isn't only against death… but it defends her from any physical harm that could come to her."
Tatsuya snorted as he summed the matter up, annoyed by this proposition.
"Well that's fucking disappointing," he couldn't help but murmur, his tone of voice cold.
"Thought it would be fair to hurt her insofar that she'd wish she were dead. Since she's not exactly remorseful for what she did to the other two, is she?"
Ken merely gave a nod as the other reaffirmed what was previously said.
"If you wouldn't do it to the shit toy, then you can't do it to the garbage bitch." He stated simply as he now left the infirmary.
"I figured that would be fair as well, I offered up to have her ankles broken~ haha, they did not like that." He said before rolling his eyes as he recalled the situation. "
Which reminds me, if I were you and want to stay alive. You may want to avoid talking to Violet, the things she said the other night; well lets just say that they tempted me to attack her. Of course~ Being the passive person I am, ignore the fact I did offer to break her ankles, I didn't do something like that. Though her speech, ha it was utterly pathetic. Don't get me started on the things Hiro said." Ken grumbled as he shoved his hands in his pocket.
"Despite the fact I'm giving him some passes due to him returning my knife, what he said the other day really pissed me off~ Not that I acted on it obviously~" He said with a hum before looking over his shoulder at Tatsuya.
"He said, and I quote 'all of you who have never taken a life restrain yourselves from speaking gibberish'" A scoff left him as he shook his head. "
This was made after I cursed Violet out, for claiming I would do the same damn thing she did. Both of them acting like they know me, or what I've done before here, as if they have any right to judge what I would or wouldn't do, what I have or haven't gone through." There was obvious bitterness in his tone as he spoke, something he didn't even bother to hide, for recalling the other night incident seemed to make him recall the feeling he had at the time as well.
"Honestly, I don't know who annoyed me more with their talking and speeches. Hiro or the human garbage." Bringing one hand out his pocket he lightly touched his temples, all this talking (as much as he loved his voice) was giving him a headache, probably didn't help he was starting to talk a tad bit louder than he had been doing since he left his room for the most part. Nonetheless, it's not like he of all people would just stop talking due to a small pang of pain. All he had to do was wait for that headache medicine to kick in.
Shutting the infirmary doors behind him, Tatsuya moved to follow Ken, vexed by the explanation presented to him but honestly having a lot to offer on the matter as well. Still, he waited for the man to have his say in full, understanding Ken's annoyance from the same point of indignation on which Tatsuya was coldly viewing the matter as a whole. But while the architect remained outraged over the words of their fellow 'colleagues', Tatsuya had already established how pissed off he was and instead of mindlessly feeding into Ken's anger, made to share some of his more rational thoughts instead.
"Well, you're not wrong for thinking that way," he started, having actually considered the most of what Ken had said to be agreeable.
"Having her ankles broken is the least she deserves… But it's obvious, isn't it? Why they think this is okay."
Tatsuya moved to walk beside Ken, dark eyes trained ahead of him as he spoke. Most of the anger had seeped out of his voice, and was replaced with true apathy.
"If Monokuma rewards her for what she did and she fails to suffer for it, then setting that shitty thing called a conscience aside, it's only rational to consider her current situation highly attractive. Her survival's ensured, so of course these people would want what she has. They'll sympathise with her because of it… Unless something is done to show that the Future Foundation doesn't tolerate that kind of treason."
Tatsuya paused for a moment, before continuing this line of thought.
"I was thinking about it last night. Outside of this killing game, how would the organization have dealt with her? She'd have been expelled. Her incarceration would've been guaranteed. Manslaughter and direct assistance in the suicide of two colleagues? It's so atrocious, it's fucking laughable. No one would've wanted to become what that lowly cow has become. It'd be utterly humiliating.
"But while we're trapped here, her punishment should be even worse than that, if only to avoid the example she's setting. Except it's not. According to Monokuma's rules, it can't be. And that's exactly why Hiro thinks what she did is excusable. You see how lost this is, that others have come to agree with something we once would've all looked upon with disgust? The man's basically admitted that he wouldn't hesitate to do the exact same thing if it serves his purposes. No matter the lives lost. No matter the tenets broken. Risks aside, it's okay simply because it's something they're capable of, and because it'll help to get them ahead. That's all the reason they need."
Reaching the cafeteria doors, Tatsuya pushed them open, turning his head to level Ken a wry look.
"It's shocking how easy it is to get behind that line of thinking, huh? Every man for himself… Because if you can't trust others to value the lives of the people they call their friends, let alone those they consider strangers, then you're better off not giving a damn about anyone at all."
Tatsuya's voice was startlingly level as he relayed the lot of this. As though it was something he comprehended fully, or had experienced first-hand. Even so, the severity with which he spoke was indicative enough of the fact that this sort of thinking was not something he felt positive about nor enjoyed expressing, but that it would have been quite the opposite. Tatsuya didn't offer much more on the topic however, departing from the doors of the dining hall to make his way towards the kitchen. The location of Chikako's gruesome murder, now entirely spotless. Heaving a bit of a sigh, the street fighter only surveyed the premises for a moment or two before journeying over to the coffee machine. A strong, black coffee seemed just the thing he needed right about now...
"Anyway…" Tatsuya continued as he began to fiddle with the coffee dispenser- it'd been a while since he played around with one of these.
"How did the others react? You mentioned someone tried to attack Violet."
"
Hahaha, all we have to do is get rid of one of the few things that makes us different than whoever or whatever is controlling that damn bear huh? If we can just shoot our conscience dead, you know something that can be done any Sunday morning, then and only then will I view any of this rational." Ken grumbled as he entered the kitchen only to make his way straight for the fridge.
"Sadly, what I view doesn't matter in these situations, actions are the only thing that will speak here. Words seem to be getting weaker and weaker with each passing day." A small scoff left him as he opened the fridge.
"Utterly pathetic isn't it?" Grabbing some pre cooked lunch meat as well as some vegetables and fruit he went over to the counter.
"All it takes for us to devolve into the trash we ridicule and scoff at, is a few measly motives and a selfish action that goes unpunished."
Shaking his head at this as he rubbed his temples again he went over to grab some bread to make some toast. A feeling of frustration was going through his mind, as really there was a lot to consider about his current situation. Not just the views that Tatsuya brought up, but the reality of the fact that things were devolving at a rapid pace. There were things he needed to consider and plan, however his head was simply too clouded right now for him to do any of that. Wanting to stray away from any more frustration or thoughts which induced rage he decided to talk about the last point Tatsuya brought up.
"First~I never said someone tried to attack Violet, but...I guess an educated guess isnt to hard for you~" He hummed as he started to put together his breakfast.
"Last night, Monouru gave the only speech I've given a high rating to." He said with a small chuckle.
"Long story short, I don't think we should give up hope in everyone just yet. Hahah, gods you may have actually liked watching it. Pretty interesting to see that guy go off on Violet, calling her out for trying to pull the victim act. Saying things I was thinking, though admittedly I think he said them better than I would have. He was more genuine, like what you would expect from someone that might actually believe the Future Foundation ideals." A chuckle left him as he now started to put together his sandwich.
"Admittedly he did pull a you, cause after he was done yelling he gave into his temper and tried to punch Violet. Luckily, Hakura pinned his ass to the ground before monokuma could get him."
"You did say someone almost got killed following the attack…" Tatsuya clarified as he fetched himself a mug. "
So yeah, who else except the insolent bitch who has Monokuma defending her ass at all costs? Although that's… interesting enough."
Honestly, hearing of Momouru's chastisement of Violet was probably the best of piece of news he'd heard yet. It wasn't something Tatsuya might have expected to hear, to think the salesman of all people was the one to exercise the most ethical line of reasoning… From what he knew, weren't those kinds of people the best at executing shady deals in the wake of their monetary greed? Well, no matter if that was the case… Even as Tatsuya momentarily thought back to the prior motive, to what he'd learned about Momouru, the fact that the man had genuinely stood up for what he believed and had remained in line with the ideals of the Future Foundation was something that provided Tatsuya with the littlest bit of hope in their existing cohort. It complicated things a fair bit… but it was still uplifting to hear that there remained a few people who stood by reasonable standards and remained passionate about a code of honor that exceeded their sense of self-entitlement.
Not that that was infallible either… but up until Momouru committed a murder in cold blood, Tatsuya decided the bloke might remain a legitimate ally in his eyes. And his sporadic attempt to punch Violet was easily dismissed, of course, because Tatsuya wasn't in a position to judge him for a lapse in judgment anyway (the street fighter more than likely would have done the same, if not worse).
"Yeah, I'm glad to hear that," Tatsuya genuinely commented as his coffee had finished brewing and he began to pour the steaming beverage into a mug. "
And I'm glad to hear Haruka cared enough to stop him as well. You're right, I guess not everyone here has lost it yet."
'Yet' being a keyword. Tatsuya truly did not feel as though this impressive show of resolve would last for very long, not if more people were to die and the faith invested in one another continued to be lost. But even so, the street fighter would stand behind their noble attempts and good thinking for as long as it remained reasonable of him to. Although, in the absence of that...
"
It's still important to rule out who are and who aren't most liable in taking a life at this stage of the game… Aside from Hiro, did anyone else agree with what Violet did or attempt to defend her?" Lifting the mug to his lips, Tatsuya hesitated to drink, declaring the coffee too hot.
"And what did you all decide to do with her exactly…?"
"Sometimes I really dislike that word, yet." Ken said with a heavy sigh, as much as he hated to admit it, the word yet was needed for this wasn't it. While what the others showed wasn't something that landed them in the insanity category (if you just completely forget Violet's existence that is), how long till that changed? How long until the next one of them were to die? Who would do it, what would their reasoning be? Would reason matter in this case anymore? Should another person kill, especially if it was someone like Haruka, or even at this point Momouru; would the reason justify the mean for the utter betrayal? It probably would, after all, with the first murder having been done. Ken's anger to Alex was minimal, almost nonexistent at this point. However, Alex got caught, he faced punishment for his actions and from what Ken understood of the situation, the former manager didn't do what he did fully for the sake of survival, at least...not his. '
Had he survived though, would my thoughts about reason mattered? Would I have disliked him as much as I do with Violet at this point? Then again…..if he survived…….' At this point his thoughts were trailing off and he remained in his spot staring at his unfinished sandwich before him. It felt like a freezing hand was gripping and squeezing his heart at this point as his body felt unnaturally cold.
Closing and opening his fist a few times, he had to take some deep breaths as he regulated his breathing a bit.
'Don't think like that, last thing I need, is to have a panic attack in front of Tits. Gods I would never live that down.' A forced laugh left his lips as he finally seemed to zone back into reality after having been a bit out of it for a moment.
"You asked me something else ya?" He muttered as he felt his heart beat go back to its steady pace, though he still felt some chills nonetheless, whether it was a by product from a hangover (due to feeling a tad nauseous), the headache medicine, or a sign he was getting close to having a small attack he didn't know. What he did know was he couldn't lose his composure out of nowhere. Doing what he could, he remained focused on what was in front of him as well as the question that Tatsuya had posed.
"Be aware, this is straight from my perspective, sooo you may think differently." Ken hummed as he put his sandwich together.
"That being said, the people who I don't give up on are Momouru, Haruka, and Lelei. The last one cause she offered to dope Violet to keep her docile, and she was anything but happy or dismissive, that and it's pretty funny hearing the usual quiet nurse offer up something like that~. Logan and Mr. Therapist I'm on the fence about, the latter more so than the former." At this time he completed his a sandwich and was moving on to making his drink which was intended to be a fruit smoothie.
"Logan offered reasoning to the situation, going along the lines of logic about killing Violet won't bring the two that died back. Which I mean….he's not wrong in that aspect, but the lack of anger shown in Violet… Then again that guy does have a few issues I think." Ken said with a light chuckle as he went over to a blender.
"Then there's Mr.Therapist, he didn't show anger in the situation, all in all he was surprisingly calm, at least to me he was. Again, my perspective, I don't know if that's just how he is when he sees a supposed comrade get away scot free from the murder of two of our former comrades." Shrugging he placed the fruit he wanted into the blender before continuing.
"He didn't condone her actions, nothing like that. He had a more apathetic approach to the situation. Spoke logic as well, saying how he found it stupid that Violet expected to get away without us detesting her etc etc. He then gave his opinion on what to do with Violet before leaving the room almost immediately after that. Pretty sure he left before Momouru outburst."
"Right…"
Tatsuya responded as Ken finished summarizing most people's reactions, staring down at his coffee as he mulled this over, then set the mug down without having yet taken a sip to wander over to the pantry in search of biscuits or something else to eat. He didn't really consider any of the things Ken had reported especially startling… a few of those reactions being on the lenient side of things, but it appeared no one had been outright the way Hiro had been, so it was hard to raise too many flags either. But it was also clear to him that in possessing so many different opinions on the matter, how fragmented their cohort might have become. Which led him to re-ask the question…
"So what did they decide? To do with her." Finding a packet of cake rusks, Tatsuya pulled it open, glancing aside at Ken as he prepared his smoothie. He paused at a certain thought, his eyes narrowing.
"Or were they unable to choose?"
It was clear they weren't able or open to the prospect of breaking the girl's ankles… so in light of the fact they wouldn't have been able to decide on anything worse, unless they had decided to isolate her and keep her in captivity, the likelihood was that the girl was still walking among them… which was a little bit infuriating to consider, really. Allowing for that was just as good as pretending nothing had ensued, after all...
Ken didn't respond right off the bat as at this point he was making a smoothie (one that supposedly helped deal with hangovers). Once it was done, and after he took a rather greedy gulp of the refreshing beverage, it was then he looked at Tatsuya before shrugging at his question. "I have no clue." He stated honestly before he began to drink more of his smoothie.
"I left after Monouru's speech, since I didn't want to breathe the same air as the human trash any longer than I had to. From what was talked about however, its likely we are going to mainly keep her in her room? Or maybe Haruka was going to do something." Giving another shrug he went over to grab his sandwich.
"Though I'm not sure what was officially done. Not that it matters." He said with a scoff.
"We can't do a damn thing to her, so if she were adamant enough any plans we have would just be foiled."
Taking another few gulps of his drink (having already finished half of it by the time he got to his sandwich) he let out a frustrated sigh.
"Best thing we can do is just avoid the human refuse. We avoid it, then we avoid trouble." Ken stated, now using a normal tone as he spoke. While his head was still pounding, he found it far more annoying to speak in a whisper or half a whisper this entire time. So he figured that he would take a bit of pain if it meant he didn't have to talk in such a low tone all the time.
"Any other questions you for the ever so amazing me about last night?" Ken inquired as he took a bite of his food.
"Or should we finally figure out which part of the new area we should check out?"
"Hmm."
Ken wasn't wrong. There really wasn't much they could do with or to Violet at this stage. Outright ignoring her existence was probably the best thing Tatsuya could do for himself, if he wished not to lose his temper… and hopefully she felt enough shame to avoid drawing attention to herself for the most part. And if they did ever end up leaving this hell-hole… then perhaps she would be forced to deal with the consequences to her actions then, at the discretion of their Future Foundation superiors. Even if Tatsuya wasn't so sure there would come a time for that, he would count upon it as a means of abating his anger.
Shoving a cake rusk between his teeth, the street fighter merely shook his head in response as he put away the excess food and closed the pantry doors. Returning to the counter to grab his coffee, the street fighter spent a moment to pull out his monopad and observe the map for a first look at the new area, curious as to what places there would be and the people currently there. And honestly… it was a pretty strange floor, from the locations marked out and the set-up of the area itself. The facilities outlined by the map also appeared to be of the furthest things you would expect associated with a school… but Tatsuya made no blatant remark except in taking mug in hand and striding over to Ken, removing the biscuit from his mouth to speak for a moment.
"
What do you think of this?" He asked Ken as he held up his ebook to allow the other man a look at the layout of the mini- amusement park they were headed to.
Having eaten over half his sandwich already, Ken just remained in his spot as he watched Tatsuya approach him. When the monopad was pulled out, Ken shifted his gaze to it as he silently stared at it in an absent minded manner.
"Hate to break it to you Tits, but….I don't think we will be finding a really good spot for you to set up." He said casually as he sipped his smoothie. Moving his eyes over the map, he noted were everyone was before considering their options.
"Seems...most of the places have been looked at already." He mentioned as he let out a small hum.
"The only place which no one is near, would be the haunted house. Of course someone that isn't wearing their monopad could be there, buuuuut I'm going to assume they aren't."
Pushing off the counter he did a quick check to make sure he had everything before slipping past Tatsuya.
"I say we go there first, even if there's no room to for your training room, we may as well check out the new floor and see if there's anything worthwhile~ Oh, also lets avoid the souvenir shop for the time being." Ken stated simply before he started to drink his smoothie again. Without waiting for Tatsuya's response he moved to leave the kitchen so they could get started on their exploration mission.
"I wonder….if anyone has found a body yet."
Tatsuya offered a half-shrug in response to Ken's observations, turning the monopad around to face him as Ken brushed past on his way to the door. An inquisitive glance at the convenience store was quick to explain to him why Ken had suggested they avoid it for the moment… Tatsuya's brows furrowed, then he snorted, to realize that Violet was in fact walking around free and apparently on her lonesome, but he tried not to concern himself as he put his device away, taking a tentative sip of his drink to test for its temperature. Finding it had cooled enough, the street fighter downed his hot coffee in several large gulps (which is not an appropriate way to drink coffee, by the way), before setting the mug aside near to the sink and following Ken out of the kitchen door.
"Guess we'll stick with the meeting hall," he remarked flatly, taking a bite from the biscuit he held as they walked.
"For your training. And I suppose we'll check out the… haunted house first, then. As promising as it sounds."
Stepping back out into the hallways from the open cafeteria, Tatsuya cast Ken a sidelong glance, indifferent as he was on the matter.
"If you're excited to see another of those corpses like the one we found in the lab, then that's probably a good place to look."
As he left the kitchen a scoff left Ken as he rolled his eyes while he gave a rather dismissive wave.
"What's yours is mine and what's mine is mine, tomato potato." He said in response to Tatsuya's correction of who the room was truly meant/benefited the most.
"Also, while there are a million words that could describe what I feel at the prospect of finding a new fucking corpse. Excited is without a doubt, not one of them. Personally, I'm hoping someone else found the damn corpse so I don't have to be one of the first to discover it...again." he grumbled. Honestly he didn't feel up to being one of the people to find the corpse, should one be on this floor that is. It's bad enough he had to deal with a hangover, the last thing he needed was to stumble upon some decrepit corpse that could cause him to have another panic attack……. Not...not that he ever had one in the first place.
"I would like to think that there won't be a corpse, but given the current track record. I wont get my hopes up." Choosing now to focus on finishing his sandwich so he didnt have to carry the thing everywhere, he simply strolled along the hallway as he headed to the new destination.
"Hah."
Tatsuya uttered a sound that was not quite a laugh as he focused on finishing his snack too, but not without making a snide last comment.
"I wouldn't be all that surprised if we do run into one, considering where it is we're going. Maybe you should've skipped breakfast."
Reaching the door towards the end of the main floor that normally would have lead towards the gym and adjacent rooms, Tatsuya leveraged the door openly somewhat tentatively, and was honestly rather hesitant to be met with a rather narrow unidirectional corridor instead, but did not slow very much in his stride even as they reached the descending spiral staircase. It left him mildly unsettled, how strange it was for the layout of the building to have been altered in such a way that it matched nothing of the floor that came before it.
"It doesn't make sense…" He commented under his breath, finding the bottom of the stairwell and the door to the hall it lead into. Did this new area exist underground? If they were descending so deeply, it must be that way…
Only sparing the strange rectangular indentation to the north of the hall a questioning glance, Tatsuya headed for the only exit, a large set of double-doors that he pushed open as they stepped over into the miniature amusement park-
Tatsuya only moved several paces inwards before he stopped in his tracks and gazed about the colorful grounds, feeling more than a little apprehensive by how… bizarre the place appeared. Yes, he understood from the map that they had been making their way towards an amusement park or something of the sort, but seeing it in person… it was so strange! Why did this something like this exist?? And beneath the school they were entrapped in, no less?
"This is fucking weird…" Tatsuya commented with a hint of distaste, glancing around the premises but refusing to venture any further inwards of the place just yet.
"Ha, you're telling me." Ken grumbled as he finished the last of his sandwich (utterly ignoring Tatsuya's comment on how he should skip breakfast).
"This place is giving me a headache as I try to map it out………….that could be the hangover now that i think about it." Shrugging at this notion Ken started to sip his smoothie as he walked further into this bizarre place that was called an amusement part. Just how on earth did this place look from the outside of their prison? While he had assumed that with each trial they were going up a floor...with the way this place was designed, it would make far more sense if it was on a ground floor or something along those lines. Trying to envision it wasn't something he could do right now, as any attempt to pull up a visual mental image only ended with him needing to close his eyes as his brain refused to work properly.
"
Hm? What do we have here?" Stopping in his tracks he looked down at the floor, which had several bags currently just laying there untouched. Tilting his head in curiosity he walked over to them and just nudge it with his foot.
"Okay….didn't move, so nothing in there meant to try and claw my eyes out… What? You never know with this toy." Shrugging he bent down and picked up one of the bags before opening it to see what's inside.
"Oh, coins?" Raising a brow before looking up at the amusement park he was quiet for a bit before he glanced back at Tatsuya.
"Seems like the shit toy expects us to use these in place of tickets? At least that's my guess, since we haven't encountered anything that requires us to pay for it." Turning his attention back to the bag he shuffled around it a bit to see just how much he had.
"I haaaaave 1 gold….and I think 20ish? No wait, 30, 30 silver coins. Tits, check one of the others to see if its the same amount or if one of them have more."
Drawing his eyes away from what visible of the carnival grounds, Tatsuya gazed over whatever it was that seemed to have caught Ken's attention- small bags containing coins that he really wasn't all that interested in, but when Ken proposed that these might be needed for the purpose of accessing different facilities in the area, the street fighter wandered over to scoop up a bag from the ground as well, spilling out a portion of its gleaming contents into his palm for a quick and quiet count.
"Looks about the same as what you've got," he concluded deftly, returning the coins to the bag and glancing over the other pouches stranded about the floor.
"And I'm assuming we're allowed one each…"
Tightening his grip on the bag, he returned his attention to the carnival grounds as he absentmindedly searched for the building they were interested in. Spotting what he assumed would resemble a haunted house, Tatsuya nodded in its direction, his dark gaze flitting across to settle on Ken a last time.
"Tickets or not, I guess we're going to find out."
While the idea of taking the bags that were still on the floor crossed Ken's mind, he figured it would be best not to steal what remained, well not yet at least. If they were still there later in the day, then he would have every right to assume the actual owners didn't want the coins. "
Lets get going then." A light sigh left him as he turned on his heel and started to lead the way to the haunted house. While this was an attraction he never felt worried about (for honestly, the times he had gone to a haunted house he usually either ended up laughing or just unimpressed), the fact it was something created by Monokuma made it rather...difficult to trust.
"Hopefully there's no bullshit and I'm just overthinking it." He grumbled as he tossed his empty cup in a nearby trash can as the two approached the haunted house which was now just several feet in front of them.
@Solaresque @Neobullseye
