Lelei smiled, her eyes shifting around the room before resting on Tomoko again. She titled her head a little at the odd question but thought about it, nodding a little. "Yeah... that and note books, but they normally kept it with them, or had them at their desks in the staff room." she answered, her voice trembling a little at first but becoming more steady as she kept speaking.

"Why do you ask?" she wondered, slowly walking around the whole classroom, eventually making her way behind the teachers desk and ending up next to Tomoko once more. That's when she heard the night time announcement, jumping a little at the sudden noise. Monokuma's voice sent a tremble down her spine. Had that much time passed already? She sighed a little, looking to the door.

Her hand slipped into the pocket of her labcoat, taking out her tablet. She checked where the dorm rooms where, noticing quite a few people seemed to be gathering at the dining room. To think about it....she couldn't remember the last time she ate. The sudden thought was paired with a loud rumble of her stomach. Lelei put her hand over her belly and looked towards Tomoko. "Ahh, I guess we should head back for now, I'm going to grab some food first though if you'd like to come with me?" she smiled.

@Daydream Heroine
 
Tomoko Hayashi - SHSL Soccer Player

"I was asking because-" Tomoko said, only to be interrupted by Monokuma's announcement. Whoa. It's that late already? Tomoko sighed; it seemed that exploring the rest of the room, and the building for that matter, would have to wait until tomorrow. I wish I could have gotten more done today, but I suppose I did learn some new information.

"Yeah, seems like we should head back..." Tomoko replied. She looked over at Lelei, who was rubbing her belly. "Ahh, I guess we should head back for now, I'm going to grab some food first though if you'd like to come with me?"

"Sure. Lead the way." Tomoko wasn't sure how long it had been since she had eaten, but it had been at least several hours. Besides, as far as she knew, the dining hall would close once nighttime came, and it would be a good idea to get some food before then.

"Uh, as I was saying earlier...I found a binder in the classroom, but it was completely empty. No papers, nothing. I...just found it odd."

@MisterJ
 
One by one the students headed back to their bedrooms for the night. Whether or not they managed to sleep, the night passed in relative peace, at least until they were awoken in the early hours by an announcement from Monokuma.

"Rise and shine sleepy heads! I've got a little something to share with you all, so get your butts over to the mini-hall: last one there is a rotten corpse~."
 
Chikako Kimura, SHSL Chef, 13th Division
She groaned wordlessly and rolled over onto her stomach, tangling herself in the sheets as she buried her head in her pillow. "I wanna go back to sleep," she whined, trying and failing to pull up as much of the covers as she could. It had been such a nice dream. She'd been in another cooking competition, an exhibition match really, and... nope, she couldn't remember any more. Chikako grumbled and pushed herself up into a sitting position, her bedhead hair falling all over her face. She rubbed her eyes and then realized that this bed was way too comfy to be her bed at the rations center. Then that she wasn't at the rations center. Then she remembered the day before.

Nope. Nope nope nope. Nope nopity nope. It was a normal high school reunion. Even though it was extended. And not really a reunion since most of the people here were older than her. Unbidden, she remembered the sight of the knives in the kitchen drawer and shuddered. "No, Chichi," she scolded herself, and pouted. Happy thoughts. Happy thoughts... oh! She'd get to cook for everyone today! It would be like a little Future Foundation banquet for the... She counted on her fingers. Eighteen of them. Yeah.

She clapped her hands, all traces of exhaustion gone as she thought about the prospect of really cooking again. What was a good thing to make for breakfast? Tamagoyaki was fun, but she was sooo tired of making it. Mornings at the rations center was always either tamagoyaki or baking bread when supplies were low. No, something more western would be nice. "Oh!" she exclaimed quietly. Souffle pancakes! Those were delightful. She started to fix her bed and clean herself up, humming to herself as she went over the recipe in her head. The meringue mix was always nice to make. Okay. So souffle pancakes for breakfast... lunch? Octopus sausages, definitely. Those were so cute. Everyone loved those, no matter how simple they were. She could make bento boxes for everyone! Though maybe it would be better to save that for dinner and just do sushi...

... Well. You get the idea. Chikako was doing her best to think blissful, willfully ignorant, happy thoughts as she got ready for the day. And for the most part, she was succeeding. She practically twirled into the mini-hall, tablet in hand, and eagerly sat down to wait.
 
Alex Riley 2nd Division

"Ah, my mistake." Alex replied simply when he became aware that he used the wrong last name for Masuyo. "I thought I was familiar enough with everyone, I guess I need to reread the profiles to avoid something like that. Thank you for the correction though Mr. Hayabusa, it would have been rather awkward if this wasn't brought to my attention." Alex stated simply as he helped the other move. For the most part he didn't speak much at all, and when he did it was simply a short answer or a nod in response. Though when the other question was asked he figured he might as well tell the other. "Like many I assume, I enjoyed my talent and wanted to improve upon it greatly. I find personal joy in helping people like my clients and making/closing deals that greatly benefit me and anyone I work for. That, and being a manager can be quiet entertaining at points, especially if you have clients like my own. For instance I work with a pair of twins, among other clients, either way they know how to keep me on my toes."

After speaking this piece he couldn't help but laugh a bit as he recalled fond memories, ones that occurred long before everything went to hell. "Sadly, since this all went down, I haven't had much contact with them. Shame, they did know how to brighten my day, be it directly or indirectly of some of their foolish actions or pointless jabbering."

When they arrived at the dining room, Alex set the robot down and then headed to a table, simply sitting there he pulled out the tablet once more and began to study it. This time being more through than before to make sure no mistakes arise on his part. Plus, this was a good way to kill time.

*Skip*

When all was said and done, Alex had went to bed with no complaints. Even with the situation at hand he slept rather soundlessly as he saw no point worrying about being attacked. His door was locked and currently there was no urgent need to be on guard. None the less when he woke up in the morning he did feel relieved to see that he in fact did wake up, and that someone hadn't busted his door down and slit his throat in his sleep. Though, if he thought about it, if someone did break his door down, there was a high chance he would have woken up. Shrugging at this he left his bed and went to shower as well as change his clothes, as well as his bandages on his neck and eye.

When he was done with this he was about to leave his room when he stopped to hear the announcement. "Something to share?" Stopping in his tracks as he held his oversized coat in his arm he looked up at the screen to listen to the entire thing. Sadly not enough detailed was given, for him to learn what this thing was planning. With his free hand pushing some of his moist hair out of his face he moved to the door. Its not like he had a choice in the matter, after he closed the door behind him he walked toward the mini hall.

Upon arriving he choose to sat at a lone table, which wasn't hard since he and Chikako where the only ones up right now. "Good morning Miss, Kimura."
@the.complex-of-constellations @Aravhorn


Ken Tanaka 12 Division

There had been so many boxes, along with so much stuff, much to Ken's personal delight. "Try not to damage the boxes beyond use." He said with a hum as he took out the contents of a box before placing said box neatly against the wall. "I think I can use these for my own fun if I ever get bored." He stated as he placed all the supplies he found on a different end of the room, though he didn't just casually toss everything around after he found it.

It took a bit but after all was said and done the two had ended up opening all the boxes spilling the contents of each one. They were awarded with several things, ranging from extra covers, towels, pillows, some cheap school pen, basic paints, paper, clipboards etc. Basically the contents were school supplies, and extra things for their rooms. There were several other things as well, like rope for instance that one would think didn't belong there, despite that Ken didn't say anything of it. When they were done he simply put the boxcutter back where he found it and stretched. "Okay, meeting time, food, bed, sleep~" He hummed before clicking his teeth twice as he looked over at a small bird. After doing so the bird flew over to him and perched on his shoulder. "Imma go ahead, you do whatever, just try not to fuck up the boxes kay~" With that he gave the other a careless wave before walking off.

After the meeting had concluded, Ken didn't head straight to bed. Rather just before night time occurred he went into the kitchen and looked around himself. It only took him a moment before he set his eyes on his target. Grabbing a bowl, he filled it to the brim with as many mango's as he could get in it. "Its been forever." He said softly a tinge and joy in his voice as he looked down at the secret treasure. As he did this the bird that had been quietly perched on his shoulder was now starting to move down his arms as she let out a soft trill. "Hey hey, lets wait I'll give you some when we get back to our room." He said as he papped her head with his pointer finger.

"First we need a knife to cut these suckers with, and napkins, a whole lot of napkins." After looking around a bit Ken opened a drawer where he thought the knives would be. When he looked down in it however he did see knives, but not the ones that ought to be used in the kitchen. "These are the ones the cook must have been talking about." He said as he reached in and grabbed on to inspect it. "They each are a different size and kind, but gods they are sharp." Putting the knife in his hand down, he saw no need for that particular knife, it didn't suit his style after all. When he was about to leave to find a real knife to suit his needs but then his eyes landed on a particular knife in the drawer.

A flip blade. Reaching out and picking this one up he inspected it some. Turning it over and humming a bit he tilted his head in thought. "Not mine." He whispered as much to his displeasure, his favorite blade had been taken from him in his unconscious state. And damn he loved that blade, it was a personal prize of his after all, and a weapon that had saved his life many times. After a moment of consideration he shrugged and placed the blade in his pocket. "Time to feast on these mangos."

*skip*

The next day Ken could be found in his room, but he wasn't in bed, rather he was sitting on a chair with his feet on the desk, his eyes on the ceiling, while he casually flipped the blade in his hand. Loki was now in his pocket fast asleep only a few trills leaving her from now and then. To the side was a bowl of mango peels, ones that had been thoroughly cleaned. "No matter how I try and think, I just cant place where this building is." he grumbled as he closed his eyes. "It seems to be decently large, at the very least some stories up. Obviously a prestigious school since it has an astronomy or whatever room on the first floor. But gods, figured every good school out there was turned to rubble." He muttered as he starched the side of his head with the flat side of the blade.

Before he could say or think of anything else the announcement went off. Listening to this in silence he sighed before getting up and going ahead to wash. It took him a bit but none the less he ended up joining the others in the mini hall. "Mooooooorning" He hummed as he set his hands in his pocket. Loki was still in his pocket though awake and her face peaking out, and the knife was in one of his pockets as well, remaining completely out of view.

@Whoever is at the minimhall @the.complex-of-constellations
 

Tatsuya Yamazaki - SHSL Street Fighter

_______________________________________________________________________________________​

Over the course of a day spent in relative isolation, the more realistic and comprehensible this aberrant situation had appeared to him, but this only served to put Tatsuya in an increasingly vexatious mood. To perceive his circumstances as well and truly inescapable wrung his nerves worse than he felt humanly possible, and he could not think of a time he had felt more trapped in the truest sense of the word. The street fighter was never one to outwardly demonstrate his tension unless given a proper reason to... or at least he often attempted to conceal his annoyance, but eighty per cent of the time failed to do so completely, for reasons utterly sub par. Something was bound to render his attitude completely sour, sooner or later, and given Monokuma's early morning announcement paired with an unsettling lack of sleep he'd gotten, it so far appeared it would be the former.

Grinding his knuckles against his eyes to rid them of his fatigue, Tatsuya suppressed a frustrated growl and, taking PDA in hand, left his dorm room in the direction of the hall to see just what it was the robot had in store for them. Impatient and negative by nature, he was not expecting any measure of good news. It would be foolish to think Monokuma had something positive to say (his speech would be irrelevant at best), but Tatsuya thought to attend all the same, understanding the consequences of not doing so may very well produce worse results. In a scenario where every piece of information may be key to survival, the street fighter could not afford to ignore what it was the bear had to share with them. Although Tatsuya had studied the map on his PDA long enough to have a fair idea of where everything was located about the ground floor of the school, having holed himself up in his allocated dorm did not assist in making him any more familiar with his situation. The man was also somewhat uncertain of how to treat the other graduates; as members of the same organisation, he wished to invest his confidence in their ability to remain an organised unit who made decisions based on common rationality. But in this instance, common rationality dictated that an individual would commit murder if it would ensure their only perceptible means of escape, and yet Tatsuya had never been the compassionate one who prized the welfare of others over his own. To expect these people to regard him any differently would be hypocritical to his individual sense of judgment, and so his conclusion was to keep the lot of them at a distance, just in acase. Although...

How feasible was it for him to simply ignore and avoid their company? And for how long? They were not complete strangers to him. He was unapproachable as it was, but if things were to go wrong, there would be a need to cooperate regardless. And there was always the possibility that being on his lonesome for too long would make him appear an easy target as well. Tatsuya had faith in his ability to defend himself, felt confident that his guard had been reinforced well enough as it was, but that did not by any degree make him invincible, and this was enough to make him feel incredibly on edge.

With his brows furrowed in notable irritation and his dark eyes skewed, Tatsuya drove his hands deep into the pockets of his slacks and skulked his way into the hall, silently taking his place near to the entrance as though prepared to leave at first notice. He rubbed idly at his tattooed shoulder, exercising his tensed muscles and trying to avoid eye contact with those present for the most part, although this was somewhat difficult in his attempt to keep an eye on his surroundings all the same. Hopefully he would not be given any trouble, although with the impending announcement, it was hard for him to consider otherwise. As unobtrusive and tolerant as he had so far attempted to be, keeping himself clear of mayhem was not one of his strong points, and in this instant, while Tatsuya was intent as all Hell on maintaining a calm state of mind, he was praying his rubber-band temper would not find itself a reason to snap any time soon. There was only so much a man, tired, restless and annoyed, could beg to withstand after all.
 
Logan Vickson- SHSL Card Teller
After totally and convincingly going through the meeting and going over the evidence for the day, Logan headed to bed, heeding the bear's notification. He put down his deck, pulling a card out from it and laying it down on a pillow and falling onto the bed, kicking off his shoes being the only preparation he gave for bed

The next morning, Logan woke up and looked at the other pillow, the card he'd placed there was the Queen of Clubs (Dark-haired, confident woman; or a woman with Fire predominating in her chart. She may give you good advice) "Mmmm good morning..." Logan sat up, however, the morning didn't remain good as what soon followed was their psychotic captor declaring that they all go mini-hall for whatever sick twisted thing they had planned for them next. Logan sat up and sniffed himself, sighing a bit he went and took a shower, resting his head against the wall. CONVINCING SKIP.

Logan pulled on his t-shirt, quite fittingly showing a full house hand of cards on the front of it. He picked up his deck and headed to the location which the bear had declared all of them go, running a hand through his hair. putting the deck into his pocket and stepping into the hall, sitting down in the chair. He folded his legs in the chair and looked around at the few people which had already arrived "Morning" He stated and pursed his lips, taking out his deck of cards and shuffled them a bit, "anyone interested in any card games" Ugh, small talk, one of Logan's mortal coils he was used to being more to the point, he was a show type of guy, he didn't usually divulge in small talk unless someone else started it up
 
Thalia Melete -- Act 1-1 - The nightmare that turned real.

*Ding dong ding dong...*
For a moment, Thalia did not know where she was. A school bell? Huh? ...She must have imagined it or something. Merk, stupid nightmares... Ah well, at least nightmares could not chase you into the real word.

"Rise and shine sleepy heads! I've got a little something to share with you all, so get your butts over to the mini-hall: last one there is a rotten corpse~."


...Or perhaps they could. "No... ," Thalia muttered, unwilling to accept reality. Why did this have to happen to her? She was supposed to be standing on a stage now, making people smile, laugh, cheer. Even anger, sadness and other 'negative' emotions were not always bad, because as long as they were targeted at the stage play, her audience would not have to think about the reality of their lives. Similarly, though there was of course an element of tragedy in the plays she worked in, even the darkest piece always had a glimmer of light in the end to show the audience that no matter how bleak their life might seem, there was always a path forward. But... as long as she was trapped here, how could she show that path to the outside world? How could she be a light, when she herself was trapped in darkness? .No, stop thinking like that! I have to stay strong, help everyone to find a way out, and make sure that they all keep sight of hope. That is my job- no, my mission, what I was born to do. I just... have to stay brave. Besides, nobody died yet. We can still all get out of here!
Raising up from her bed, Thalia rubbed her face to wipe the sleep from her eyes. When she removed her hands, her frown was replaced by a smile. "Be strong... be strong...," she spoke to herself as she walked to the shower.
Some time later, Thalia arrived at the mini-hall, trying to radiate a calm that she herself was not feeling.

------------

Momouru Rieki

Momouru had been keeping mostly to himself the previous day, only showing up for the information sharing at the end of the day. As much as he wanted to trust his friends and colleagues, he knew enough about the past Killing Games to know that blind trust was a good way to get yourself killed. Similarly, looking for a way out was going to be a waste of time too; Whoever their captors were, they were not amateurs; they weren't going to just leave an obvious path out of this trap. They would have to work together, that much Momouru know too; the problem was just that blind trust was impossible in a situation like this, because all it took for people to die was one person to fall to despair. The solution to this problem? Simple; make sure that that one person is never alone with one other person. How does one guarantee this? By making sure that people are never in groups smaller than three people. How does one guarantee that, when people eventually have to sleep? Why, a shift work system, of course!

And so Momouru had been working on a schedule, where groups of three or four people would all sleep at different times -- which people would belong to which group could either be decided at random or by discussion, whichever worked better. With the amount of people they had, they could easily have at least ten people awake at any given time; more than enough to guarantee safety. Add in a group of three people keeping a constant eye on the 'cemara' system of the pads, and it would be all but impossible for anyone to get away with murder. And if there was no way to get away with murder, then there wouldn't be any murders either, right? ...The salesman frowned, then knocked on the desk he was sitting at. He still had to get everyone else to go along with his plan, but that could wait for tomorrow. For now,it was time to go and take a well-deserved nap...

<The next day...>

Silently, Momouru entered the mini-hall, holding a small stack of papers and a box filled with differently colored straps. He didn't bother explaining their purpose just yet, considering how everyone was propably too occupied by Monokuma's announcement anyway. "Well then. What's the 'something' you were talking about, Monokuma?," he said, his voice calm and collected. "Would you mind telling us, so I can get back t things that are of actual importance?"
 
Once all of the students had gathered in the hall, Monokuma cleared his voice ready to make his announcement.

"It currently seems like none of you fucks have any intention of killing your buddies. Thankfully I predicted that may be the case ahead of time, and prepared a little surprise to help bring out the budding killers amongst you. As well as kidnapping all of you losers, I also kidnapped someone dear to each of you. If none of you are killed within the next 48 hours, then we're gonna have ourselves a coooosy lil movie night where we watch your loved ones getting tortured! I gotta get my gore fix somehow, and if you guys don't give it to me then I gotta do it myself, y'know? Oh, and just in case you doubt me..."

Reaching down into the podium, Monokuma pulled out a handful of photos, then threw them up into the air. The photos fluttered down to the students' feet, where they could confirm the students' worst fears. There was one photo for every student, each displaying their most loved one tied up with terror in their eyes.

"I think those are pretty self explanatory. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to buy popcorn ready for our movie night."

Cackling to himself, Monokuma walked out of the room, leaving the students to dread the next 48 hours.
 
Alex Riley 2nd Division

Sitting in his seat was rather a dull time, even for someone as patient as him. Namely due to him not having any work to occupy himself with. He was a busybody after all and not doing anything, honestly that tend to get him rather irritated. As he felt that there was always something he should be doing. As he waited he occasionally adjusted his coat as he tried to plan what he should be doing for the remainder of the day. Even in a place like this, having some sort of schedule or plan could help him keep himself calm, and collected. After all a routine was something he enjoyed and something he would personally prefer to stick with.

Amidst his thoughts he was disturbed when someone spoke, looking over he saw it was the card teller, or something along those lines. Hearing the mans question he silently debated about approaching, but seeing there was nothing else to do he stood up and approached Logan before sitting at the table the other occupied. "I'm interested, if you are offering to play a game of cards. Admittedly I'm horrible at these kind of games, but I think it could be a nice way to take my mind off of the fact I have nothing to do at the moment." He stated with a small, kind smile.

The other night was the first time he had personally met Logan, just like almost everyone else he seen the man's name cross his desk but never met the other in person. Sadly, due to how late everything got the other night, he didn't really have much time to speak to Logan, or any of the other people. He had a short conversation with Grifter but most of his interaction pertained with Chikako, though he did have a bit of time to speak with others at the meeting that had been held. "I'm Alex Riley SHSL Manger, nice to meet you Mr. Vickson." He stated in a proper tone as he greeted the other. He knew that other would likely know his name and title already, after all its all in those devices. None the less he much preferred to give an introduction in person, it just felt far more professional and gave him a small sense of comfort. "Which card game do you have in mind? I know Blackjack and poker, but only know how to play Blackjack."

Sadly, before the game could get underway, Monokuma showed himself and soon explained the cruel motive. Alex said nothing during the bears entire speech. He simply bent down and picked up the photo that had landed by his feet. At the sight of the picture a frown went on his face, and he seemed to lose a bit of color as well. His hand moving instinctively to his bandaged eye, no words left him as he listened to the bears parting words. "............." What was he suppose to say at this, the perso-people staring back at him in the photo, he didn't want to believe any of it was real. After all his family were safe, they were in a shelter, he made sure they were in one of the most secure shelters that the foundation had after all. There was simply no way that his family could have been taken from there!

"....But they got me." He whispered under his breath as he gulped lightly. That's right, if they got him, and the last thing he remembered was being at the Future Foundation HQ, then....couldn't they have gotten to his family??? Stuffing the photo in his pocket he adjusted the coat on his shoulders before taking a breath in and slowly exhaling. "This bear hits low." Pushing some of his hair back he lightly shook his head as if trying to clear his mind of any defeating thoughts.

Looking up at the group that was there he started to speak. "I wonder if this bear really did take them. I don't know about the rest of you, but my family was at a shelter. Before I woke here I was just talking to my mother and she was fine. There was nothing about a breech in security or anything of that sort. Just how much reach does this bear have???" He asked in confusion as he leaned back in his chair a bit. "As....worrisome as this is. I don't plan on rushing to kill someone. Future Foundation is effective for the most part. Surely they are already working to track down these people, since they know they could be used as hostages." There was worry in his tone, however despite that he sounded like he had a bit of hope, after all he wanted to have faith that the organization they worked for would in fact have their backs, at least in one way or another. As of right now, he was silently praying the Foundation would have their families in safety soon enough.

@The Tragedy @Everyone in the minihall
 
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Ken Tanaka 12 Division

As Ken waited for Monokuma to do this thing and just ruin everyone's day, he simply relaxed for the time being as there was no need to get uneasy for the moment. Sure whatever the bear had cooked up wouldn't be good for them, that being said worrying about it and getting grey hairs sure as hell wouldn't help him. Rather he choose to entertain himself by putting his focus on his bird. Letting her out of his pocket, he let her perch on his index finger as he hummed a light tune as he gently pet the small creature under her neck. Something she seemed to rather enjoy as she leaned her head back so Ken had more access.

As he cared for the small bird, he also had his eyes on the door watching all that entered the minihall. "I take a lot of us aren't morning people huh?" He said with a small snicker as he noted how long it took for people to trickle into the room. "Or they don't want to hear the shit toys ear splitting voice, which makes sense all in all. Though I hope that's not the case~After all, it would be a waste of my time. And I wanna explore some more~" Ken said before poking Loki on the beak. "That or raid the fridge for whatever I can get my hands on. But hey! I'm effective~I could probably do both."

Ken was well aware he was basically talking to himself, after all his words weren't directed to any one person. Despite this fact and despite how odd it may look, he showed no carry about it and continued on talking. But in his defense, he loved the sound of his voice. "I wonder what the shit toy has in store for us today, first he kidnaps us, then he expects us to wake up early, and now we have to listen to some bullshit he has to say. Plain annoying, but alas, as the sorry prisoners we have no choice but to obey." He said with an over dramatized sigh. "Such is the life of us in this time. Just bullshit upon bullshit, piled with more bullshit with an extra helping of what the fuck~" Another snicker left him as Loki now hanged upside down on his finger, where she seemed to be rather content.

"Hey Titsuya, you know there are a ton of chairs here which wont bite. Its okay to sit down~Unless of course you have reason to believe that one of these chairs are going to come alive and eat your ass off." Ken stated simply though before he could tease further or say anything else Monokuma appeared, and that was more than enough reason for Ken to shut it. Moving his hand over, he let Loki get on his shoulder as he listened to the motive. Just like Alex, he said nothing and just waited for the bear to be done.

Catching his photo before it landed on the ground he looked at it with a raised brow. "Huh." He said simply with a shrug. "Ah, well this is the bullshit I was talking about earlier. And the what the fuck part as well. Now decisions need to be made by you guys~" Shoving the photo into his pocket he stood up and did a rather large and relaxing stretch as he listened to Alex speak. "I guess you can have hope about that. Maybe that's why they are taking their time to find us, because they are trying to get your families?" Ken said as he put his hands in his pocket. "Though either way, I sort of agree with Cyclops here (a nickname which made him receive a glare from Alex), I don't plan on killing. It just doesn't sound like that's going to help me sleep at night."

After saying this he look around in search for someone until his eyes landed on the person he was looking for. "Flame you wanna go exploring with me again? .............After I raid the fridge for some food?" he asked before looking over at Tatsuya. "You can join us if you want Tits~I promise to be on my best behavior if you do~Kinda...maybe....meeeeh I'll try not to urge you to stab me, punch me, or do a lot of physical harm~" Ken said with a simple smile, as if he wasn't taking the situation seriously at all.
@the.complex-of-constellations @Solaresque @Everyone in the mini hall
 
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Thalia Melete - Act 1-2 -- A shattered dream

Seeing everyone else's reaction, Thalia could only assume the words. With shivering hands she opened the piece of paper... then almost dropped it on the ground when she saw the contents. No... Not her little sister! Anyone but her! What had Clio ever done to deserve this?! The girl was only twelve years old, for god's sake! She should've been safe! She should've been smiling, running, playing! Not... Not locked up by a mad bear, about to be tortured to death! This was insane! This was not how it was supposed to be! She would gladly give her own life for the case of Hope, but... She couldn't let Clio die. Silently, the actress traced her finger aross her sister's brown hair, her little cheeks, her hazel eyes. Those eyes, normally so sparkling, were now tainted by despair, one of them closed by a bruise. No... no matter what it would bring to herself. Which meant...

----------------

Momorou Rieki -- Realism


So... They had captured his partner too, huh? Well, quite frankly, Momorou wasn't all that surprised. Whatever group was behind all of this had managed to capture all of them, and pretty easily at that, from what he could've gathered. But if they thought that this was able to drive him over the edge, then they were sorely mistaken. Oh, it wasn't as if he didn't care or anything like that. The two partners had just promised each other that no matter what happened to either one of them,the other one would not help spread despair just to save the other one. He was planning to keep that promise, even if.... even if that would mean that his partner would die. The problem was, could he trust the others to do the same? ...No,he could not, not blindly at least. And given the situation, his previous strategy would no longer suffice either, because there was no way everyone would go along with it anymore.
Momorou shook his head. ...Nce play, Monokuma. Nice play. If it was just them who would be at risk, then maybe Momorou could have convinced the others to follow his plan. After all, there would be no consequence for not killing anyone, other than that they would be stuck here a bit longer. But now? Not only was there a large benefit for killing in the form of Monokuma's protection -- if they managed to get away with murder, that is --, there was also a very large cost in the form of a dozen and a half people getting tortured and quite likely killed. Two deaths versus seventeen. Following game theory, it was only logical to choose the former. It was no longer a question if someone would kill, only who would do so... and if they were willing to own up to it. Of course, nobody would be so stupid to flatout tell evryone they were going to murder someone in advance, but... Damn it all! In frustration, Momorou kicked the box he had dropped earlier, sending it flying and spreading its contents (a bunch of colored bracelets) all through the room. ...All he could do now was try to cut his losses to a minimum.

"...I think we need to talk," Momorou stated after regaining his composure. "Now, what I am going to say will sound horrible, but please hear me out. One of us... may soon be dead, killed by someone else. The motive is noble enough; to protect a loved one. A mother or father, a brother or a sister, maybe even a child. I will not ask you to stay your hand, that would be pointless. I will not even judge you for it. Instead, I will ask you to consider taking only one life instead of two. Please, whoever is going to kill someone else... Consider confessing. I know that what I am asking will result in your own death, but..." The salesman fell silent, taking a few deep breaths. "The alternative is double murder. Can you face your loved ones, knowing that you helped spread that which all of us has given so much to fight?"

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Thalia Melete - Act 1-2 -- Illusion of hope


Thalia just stared at her sister's picture as the others kept speaking, barely even registering what they said. Something about not giving in, about not wanting to kill even if it meant their loved ones would die? She wasn't sure if it was a noble ideal, or selfishness and cowardice. Clio always had look- no,not 'had'. Thalia didn't want to think about Clio in the past tense yet. Not unitl... Not until she had done everything she could to save her.
But... she couldn't let the others know. Not yet. She... had to... keep the smile up.... "It's... okay...," she uttered, somehow managing to keep hes voice from completely cracking. "We... all knew this day would come, when despair would hunt us down," she spoke, slowly securing herself in the role she had to play. "Like the legend of the wicked dragon, Yamata No Orochi, following the beast's commands will only buy us time. The only path that sets us free is that of hope's resistance. Even if it brings us pain, even if our loved ones die; to slay ourselves would bring disgrace upon their memories. Let us not fall to despair, but let us cling to hope!"
 
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Logan Vickson-SHSL Card Teller
"Well i do enjoy a good game of black jack and poker isn't much of a game for 2 people and no chips" Logan said smiling a bit, however, before he could deal any cards he saw the bear appear. He shook his head as he put down his cards and listened to him speak, he couldn't be serious? First them now their loved ones? However, as he leaned down to pick up the picture which landed in front of him, his face grew a mix of concern and anger.

Logan crumpled up the picture and showed it in his pocket. He was making it close to impossible for someone not to kill, the threat of losing a loved one was enough to push anyone, unless of course they were some monochromatic, psychotic, salmon, loving bastard. "I should have realized he'd do something like this" He shuffled his deck and flipped 3 cards over, looking down at him. He threw the deck to the floor and held his head in his hands, the cards were, 8 of Spades (Temptation, misfortune, danger, upsets.) 10 of Spades (Worry; bad news.),Ace of Spades (Misfortune; sometimes associated with death or, more often, a difficult ending.) Slowly Logan stood up and began to pick up his cards, the card teller had seemed a quite calm person but it seemed this was enough to push him to snap for a moment
 
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Masuyo Hayabusa, SHSL Thief, 5th Division
As far as morning announcements go, being threatened by an ursine robot to kill each other while their loved ones' lives were on the line wasn't the weirdest thing Grifter had the pleasure to witness in his career. Sadly, that didn't make him any less worried about the entire situation. 'Just who exactly could that certain "sweetheart" of mine be? My parents were dead for as long as I can remember, and I don't recall having any siblings, for that matter. And aside from Haruka, that geek Sasaki, who's been missing since forever, and a few others who are probably six-feet-under by now, I can't say I have that many friends either.' he sighed. 'Well, I guess I have no choice but to check it out for myself.'

With a mix of curiosity and hesitation, Grifter took the photograph with its name written on it. What he saw on that picture will shock you. 'Oh, no...It can't be! I...' Grifter was at a loss for words. 'I...I don't have the slightest idea who this person is! Seriously, what kind of an idiot would wear a Monokuma mask and expect me to know who it is?!' In a way, Grifter felt a bit disappointed by the discovery. 'Man, and here I was expecting to find out that I have a secret twin brother or something...what a bummer.' Masuyo was about to tuck away the picture deep into his chest pocket when his attention fell onto a small figure resting on the person's arms. 'Hang on, is that...? Holy shit, it's Mr. Catburger McFluffball III! Don't tell me Monokuma got its paws on you too!'

One would be surprised how much Grifter adored his gray striped tabby cat. He could still remember the rainy day when he found him lazily resting on top of a fence in a back-alley, and how he followed him all the way to his home, attracted by the sweet aroma of takeaway sushi. He was barely a year old at the time; ever since then, Grifter has been taking care of him for the last seven years, which is still much longer than any of his friendships have ever lasted (no thanks to the Tragedy, that's for sure). On the bright side, however, Grifter found it reassuring how predictable and simple-minded cats were compared to humans with their pain-inducing everyday problems.

'Damn it, this is not good... That cat's been through Hell and back with me, and I ain't losing him to this sick joke of a game! But then... then it would mean that one of us has to die, for everyone else's sake... In that case, maybe if I laid low and waited until someone snapped and shanked somebody, then... Aagh, what am I even thinking!? Wishing for someone's death, that's... that's just terrible...' Grifter furrowed his brows as he slid the photograph into his pocket and focused his attention on man who looked like some sort of a used car salesman:

"I dunno, man...Even if the killer had the guts to 'fess up, at the end of the day two of us would have to die, no matter how you look at it. Besides, moral-related concerns set aside, if they decided to frame someone else for the crime and somehow managed to get away with it, then wouldn't that mean we would potentially have one less murderer to worry about? After all, they would already have Monokuma's protection, so they would have no need to kill anyone else for the rest of the game, which would bring the list of potential suspects down to fifteen instead of sixteen... that is, of course, assuming that we're not dealing with a bloodthirsty psychopath who gets off by risking his neck on the trials, which frankly I find it very unlikely."

'...Or at least I hope so.'


@Neobullseye @Daz
 
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Tatsuya Yamazaki - SHSL Street Fighter
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Quiet murmurs and muted chatter slowly filled the mini-hall, causing Tatsuya to shift slightly in anticipation of Monokuma's announcement. Almost everyone had arrived by now and that meant the message was to be delivered soon, and then he could leave to go do... something. His restlessness was by no degree ill-founded when one considered how little there was for a person to do in this place, ultimately waiting upon some mark of misfortune that was sure to arrive sooner or later. This was a game of patience just as much as it were a matter of survival, and Tatsuya was never great at biding his time. Perhaps he could focus on training, or take to meditation, but...

Tatsuya's attention momentarily flitted to Ken when the overly talkative bloke had addressed him directly, his unwarranted banter concerning the fact that the street fighter had not yet taken a seat. With muscles taut and his mind grossly unsettled, Tatsuya had very little care for making himself comfortable indeed. What was the point in sitting when he did not intend to linger anyway? Ken's reasoning was derisive however, founded upon mockery as opposed to concern for his fellow graduate. Too exhausted to react in full, Tatsuya leveled Ken little more than a cold, unamused stare in response (which, to the average individual, was an unnerving thing to behold all the same), before the street fighter slowly returned his gaze to Monokuma when the bear finally thought it necessary to convey the reason they had all been gathered in the first place.

Unsurprisingly, Monokuma was quick to express disappointment in the fact that they had all failed to jump to the prospect of murdering one another. Tatsuya thought it would be stupid to expect otherwise, since the most of them had been taught to cling to ideals of hope and kinship and all that. They were graduates of Hope's Peak Academy after all, as well as members of the primary organisation pitted against Despair in the modern age; there wouldn't be much hope left in the world if they of all people had already lost the will to resist. Unfortunately, Monokuma seemed to understand the best methods by which to tear that willpower to shreds, though.

Tatsuya listened, his arms folded stiffly as the robot blathered on about the instance of their kidnapping and the abduction of one other, of a person closest to them. At first mention, Tatsuya's mind was rendered blank, for no significant other had immediately jumped to mind. Why would there be when he had been persisting for the last few years on his lonesome, more concerned with his survival over all else? Still, he vaguely considered the home he had departed from years before he'd entered the gates of Hope's Peak Academy itself, but quickly discarded the thought since... since they'd never learned of his origins, no.

...Or had they?

Tatsuya silently watched the numerous photos come fluttering down upon the floor before them, stepping closer as his gaze skimmed the pieces to identify the one most relevant to him, and located it with unsettling ease. Leaning down, he lifted the photographic card from the ground and stared at it for a good moment, unsure of what to feel, or whether to really believe.

He'd been wrong. It seems there was much more pitted upon the line after all.

The taste in Tatsuya's mouth turned bitter as he ground his teeth and tried not to let his frustration, his newfound dread, breed into something worse. An onslaught of uneasy thoughts crept up, instantaneous. They had more than just his life in their hands now, but the life of a person who should never have been dragged into this situation in the first place, and if that were the case, then how responsible was he? If she died, if he was forced to sit there and watch her die without having acted, wouldn't that amount to his fault? Would he have failed her? Wouldn't that be considered a mark upon his honour?

But no, there was a way out. Kill a person. Great. Kill a person, and then what? One life in exchange for another? To begin the chain of discord and betrayal that would devolve from one murder to another? Was it truly worth it? Would he even succeed in the first place? What was to say Monokuma would not suddenly end either of them, if only out of spite? Or no, worse yet, what if she was already dead? What if she were already long gone...?

Tatsuya could feel a horrible tension headache coming on in the wake of this announcement; it really was not doing him any good. Dropping his hand by his side, the street fighter balled up his fist, crumpling the photo up into something unrecognizable, willing himself not to become overwhelmed then and there. Forty eight hours, the bear had mentioned. Forty eight hours... to properly think this through.

'Just hurts more and more to think though,' Tatsuya considered in a weak attempt to distract himself, rubbing at his forehead and sighing as he pocketed the crumpled photograph and turned for the door. 'It's hard enough keeping shit together as it is...'

As if in mockery of this very plight, Tatsuya paused in response to the voice that called out to him, heeding Ken's invitation with a slight air of incredulity. Tatsuya simply stared at him for a moment, unable to comprehend the audacity of the other male and feeling increasingly vexed by it. Whether this was Ken's way of coping with what had ensued, or whether the guy just didn't give a shit in the first place, Tatsuya didn't know nor did he really care, but that childish fucking name-call and Ken being a obnoxious prick in general was not the way to go about earning sympathies in this situation; Tatsuya certainly withheld no tolerance for the other bloke's inability to remain serious for two seconds, none at all.

"Fuck off," he snapped, in a way that indicated that he had developed no measure of concern for dealing with Ken's bullshit, not now, or ever. The street fighter abruptly averted his gaze then, his dark eyes momentarily lingering on Rin (how Rin mustered the patience to put up with Ken's presence, who knows) before heading out the door. He didn't know what he would do with himself, but now there was something else for him to consider, a fantastic movie night where he was granted the opportunity to see one of his family members tortured before his eyes. Despite this, he really needed to restore his energy, to grab some food or a drink or something, and maybe some Advil as well.

...Which meant stopping by the kitchen first, the place where Ken was also supposed to be headed as well, but Tatsuya would be sure not to linger for too long.

With little intention of wandering or hanging back to chat with anyone, it was a short trip to the dining hall and, from there, the adjacent kitchen. He didn't really know what they had stocked in this place but he was hoping for a root beer or something. Shit, it'd be even nicer if there was some actual alcohol stored around here, but Tatsuya wasn't prepared to bet on it. It was a school after all...

Wouldn't kill to have a look though, he pondered with the apathetic tilt of his head, leveraging open the doors to the nearest pantry and glancing around inside.

@SolemnOath
 
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Rin “Flame” Sakai, SHSL Graffiti Artist
Rin waited until Monokuma had left before stooping down to pick up the picture closest to him, a girl he didn't recognize but who bore a striking resemblance to Haruka. He turned the picture over in his hands twice, contemplating the lengths the Future Foundation might have gone to protect her, and the power the minds behind the Tragedy had to overcome them. The power they had to hold not just one, but several killing games comprised entirely of students from Hope’s Peak Academy. And those were the ones that were televised, the ones he was aware of. They were toying with them all, really. He rubbed the box cutter in his pocket and breathed before wordlessly walking over to her and handing her the picture. "Yours?" he murmured.

Then a flash of blond hair in a photo caught his eye, and he frowned before scooping the picture up.

... They had Namie. She’d lost the ganguro look, but had kept the bleached hair, and she was being restrained by two men as the picture was being taken. He studied the grim determination on her face for a moment. A strange choice, though he supposed they’d been hard-pressed to find someone he’d consider killing for. She'd been an aspiring journalist who'd caught him while he was still tagging by daylight, and she had a couple of friends who'd reportedly started designing a "Neon Flame" fashion line inspired by his art. Korina and Maiko. They'd joked about their squad name because they could smash up all their names into Maikorinamie and still have space for him. Namie was the one who had dropped his name at Hope's Peak Academy, but she'd also requested that they leave his name out of the press. Of course they wouldn't listen to her, and Rin had forgiven her for it, but they’d fallen out of touch during high school and had barely reconnected again when the Tragedy happened.

It made him wonder what happened to those two, Korina and Maiko. But not too much. After all, they didn’t have either of them. Though if either or both of them were alive, they could have been with Namie, and if the rule was that only one person would be captured, then Namie was the sensible choice. She was the street-smart one of the three. That was, of course, assuming that they were all alive in the first place, and that had all been together.

So that was the game. They would want him to kill someone to save Namie, and possibly Korina and Maiko. People he might’ve been closer to under other circumstances. And everyone had 48 hours to decide whether they’d want to watch their chosen persons getting tortured or not. And when it came to down to that, it wasn’t a difficult choice. Tortured didn’t mean killed, or they would have said so. And Namie was tough.

It was unfortunate how many of the others seemed to assume the worst, though. Consider confessing. No. Someone who would kill would do so out of fear of death, whether that meant the death of their loved one or their own murder. Nothing more, nothing less. Rin looked at the image of Namie one last time before letting the photo fall from his hand. No use in lingering on the past, then. Especially if someone else decided he’d be their victim.

He exchanged a glance with Tatsuya, then nodded at Ken absentmindedly and they made their way towards the kitchen, Rin briefly checking his tablet to note where everyone else’s dots were going. Tatsuya was already there, and Rin passed him to grab two bottles of water from the refrigerator. The next two days was going to be unpleasant, at the very least, and beyond exploring a few more things, he had every intention of staying in his room. Maybe he'd rough out a few sketches for murals or something.

@Aravhorn @SolemnOath @Solaresque

Chikako Kimura, SHSL Chef, 13th Division
Chikako tried to listen attentively. She really did. But most of her focus was directed towards the moving Monokuma (it... still felt weird to give it a name like that) that was standing in front of them. She'd seen it deactivated, deconstructed, and she knew objectively that there were multiple robots, and that this wasn't the same one, but she shuddered as it waved its hands to gesture at them. It was really scary. She rubbed the healing cut on her finger self-consciously and tried not to look at its teeth while it talked about how it had taken their loved ones. She felt a sickening sort of relief that her father had already passed away not long after the Tragedy had begun, and was out of reach of those too-sharp claws despite the ache in her heart at the thought. And she'd never known her mother. Her thoughts drifted to the rations center next and her heart sank farther. If they had taken anyone from there...


She scrambled to snatch a picture out of the air and stare at it. And she kept staring. It wasn't really registering. She just stared at the mop of red-orange hair and the clear blue eyes and couldn't think. She pressed her palms into her eyes and tried to focus.

Oh god. It was Kiyoko. Chikako leaned against the wall, clutching the picture hard enough that it started to crumple in her hands. She couldn’t have dragged Kiyoko into this. She was just a volunteer, she’d only been with the Future Foundation for a few months, she wasn’t even a Hope’s Peak Academy graduate, she wasn’t a part of this. Deep breaths. She had to squeeze her eyes shut again to try and calm herself down, but then her mind started to wander, finding all the different ways they could hurt her. She had a family—parents, siblings, grandparents. So many of Kiyoko’s relatives had been affected by the Despair Event that her parents had been completely stunned when she’d declared she was volunteering with the Future Foundation to try and make some sense out of the world. It just wasn't fair.

Kiyoko had nothing to do with this sick game where they were trapped in some school and they had to kill each other to get out. Except here was the picture in her hand with Kiyoko with her blue eyes and pretty face and she was scared and this was not okay. She hadn’t done this to her. This was… this was the fault of whoever was controlling that… that fucking bear. Not her. She was powerless to stop them.

But she could stop something else.

Chikako rubbed her eyes and stormed off in the direction of the kitchen, crumpling the picture in her fist. Marching past the three men who were already there, she pulled open the knife drawer with a bang and counted. Seventeen. She swallowed. Then she spun around, snatching one of the pans off of the counter and using it to point at each of them in turn.
“Which one of you took it?” she demanded.
 
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Alex Riley / SHSL Manager / 2nd Division
Minihall > Storage > Alex room > Medical room​

No words left Alex as he watched everyone's reactions to the motive, admittedly some had rather....odd reactions to it all. For instance the architect who seemed utterly indifferent, going as far as to be childish and joke around in a situation that was obviously upsetting to most. While others seemed to try and reason with everyone about how this should go, clinging onto hope, or if you do kill, confess. Both intresting ideas, but... Closing his eye for merely a moment he stood up and adjusted his coat. "As I've said I don't plan to kill, I would like to have faith in the foundation." After saying this he looked at those who still remained. "If someone does intend to kill however...I hope you think it through carefully, even if for a loved one, taking a life is never as easy as its made to be in stories or games." He stated simply before rubbing his bandaged neck.

Without another word he took his leave from the minihall, not in the mood to join others in the kitchen for he wasn't hungry at this time. Rather he chose to go to the storage room for merely a moment. Entering there he looked around with a raised brow at how everything was stacked and neat, with every bit of supplies unboxed on one side of the room with all the boxes on the other side. On these boxes he saw a sign. Approaching it he scratched the back of his head, for the sign red. 'Ken's boxes, all the stuff you want is on the other side of the room, touch that stuff, these boxes are mine! Seriously though, lay off the boxes, I called dibs.' "..........Is....Is this guy a child?" Shrugging he turned his back to the boxes and went to the other side of the room where the supplies were at.

Looking at them for only a moment he grabbed a stack of paper, cheap pens and a clipboard. After he took these he let out a small sigh of relief. "Feels nice to have something familiar." He muttered as he went ahead and left the storage room. He stopped by his room for only a moment to drop off a stack of the papers. Once he did so he choose to occupy himself by going to the medical room. After getting some bandages for his eye and neck, he put those to the side. After getting these items he started to look through the cabinets and began to write down the items he found as well as the quantity.
@No one in particular, open for interaction
 
Ken Tanaka/ SHSL Architect / 12 Division

With Loki now on his shoulder, he calmly and gently petted her head while he looked at Tatsuya and Rin, awaiting their response. He paid little attention to what everyone else was saying, as in truth it would make no to little difference in the future. Unless someone here had words were sweeter than honey, words that could make people forsake their families, lovers, etc...well there will be a death not right away sure. But the chance of it happening were simply to high to ignore. What everyone should be concerned about right now is their own lives, for hopes and friendships will only get one so far. Closing his eyes for a moment to take a small breath, he couldn't help but wince slightly when Tatsuya responded to him.

The other didn't really raise his voice, nor anything of that manner, but the tone he used. It was evident to Ken that Tatsuya wasn't in a teasing mood. Not that he ever was, but this seemed more so than normal. With his eyes now open and his hands in his pocket he looked at Tatsuya in silence as he walked off to the kitchen. A light sigh escaped his lips as his grin slowly but surely vanished from his lips. Looking over at Rin, who at that time gave him a nod, one which indicated he was willing to go with him, Ken made his way over to the kitchen. "I guess he has someone, huh." Ken mumbled softly under his breath. In truth the idea that Tatsuya had someone to care for, or someone that could be used against him, was something that didn't really occur to Ken, after all he hadn't seen him with a lover or anything of that nature had he? Not that he could remember. At this he couldn't help but glance over at Rin his eyes wandering over to where the other put the picture. 'Then does he have someone to?' The curisotiy was there, but he didn't ask, what would be the point in knowing for certain if Rin had a hostage? Its not like it was any of Ken's business.

Turning his attention to the door he opened it and walked into the kitchen, where sure enough, Tatsuya was there. Had it been any other situation he would have wasted no time messing with him. Like maybe grabbing his food, before grabbing an egg and breaking it over Tatsuya, or just spraying him with water, anything childish and annoying, he would have likely done. Just, not right now. As much of a jackass as he could be, right now wasn't the time to push Tatsuya's buttons. If anything, it would be best to smooth out any feathers for now, or it could end up with him being injured or worse if he thought about it. "Hey...Tatsu... Oh gods it felt so weird saying your name like that." Ken said with a small laugh as he moved to the fridge. "I wasn't joking about the offer for you to come with Rin and myself."

A small sigh left him as he went to the fridge, though he had to wait for Rin to move. As he waited he looked over at the street fighter while leaning against the counter. "Honestly, I know I piss you off, cause I'm charming like that, but I think it would be best if you did stick with us. I mean, just reread the rules." After saying this he moved off the counter and went to open the fridge. "The murderer is only allowed to off one person right? So, sticking in groups of three, if not more would be the best way to avoid getting stabbed in the back. Going off on your own, well it just makes it easier to pick you off. Then again you are you, so it'd be interesting to see if anyone could kill you." After a bit he moved away only to grab a bowl and fill it to the brim with mangos, just beautiful, ripe, mouth watering mangos.

Rubbing the back of his head he looked over at Tatsuya. "Just consider the offer, if I'm at all honest, I would perfer if the only two people I know at least a bit weren't the first to kick it ya know? If you want, I'll pinky swear to not being an annoying prick for the time we are together...for the most part, though you have to promise not to break my pinky~" Giving the other a smirk he looked down at the bowl of mangos in his hand and went back to inspecting each one. After a moment he gave a nod at the selection, rather proud of his choices. "I do have to wonder where this bear gets his supplies from, I mean do you know how much you'd have to be willing to lose to get mangoes like these???" He asked namely Rin as the chef entered the kitchen.

He watched as she made a beeline to the drawer. She opened and counted and then, well she acted. Ken had to blink a bit as she grabbed a frying pan and pointed it at the three of them before asking which one of them took the missing knife, in quite the accusative fashion. 'Is...that frying pan suppose to help her?' He couldn't help but wonder as he looked at her. After letting out a sigh he consider fessing up to having it, but, why should he? Its not like he was going to kill someone, and in truth he needed a weapon of some kind, he wasn't physically strong and in a situation like this, wouldn't it be best to have some kind of protection rather than none? And who knows what the chef would do with them, probably something silly like hide them all in her room, or throw them away, at least that's what he thought she would do judging from how she was acting.

"You know there are others who could have taken it besides us missy right?" Ken asked with a raised brow as he held the bowl with one hand, while the other adjusted his satchel. "Do be careful with that pan of yours, I've seen Tangled, that thing is a deadly weapon, just as dangerous as that knife I'm sure you are spooked about." Ken hummed before looking at Rin. "Do you got everything you want from here? I'm ready to go look at that place if ya are. Tatsu, last time imma ask, think you'll come with? There just might be something interesting to see~" he said with a grin, practically ignoring Chikako at this point.
@Solaresque @the.complex-of-constellations
 
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Tatsuya Yamazaki - SHSL Street Fighter
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Unfortunately for Tatsuya, there wasn't much of interest in the school pantry (if one equates alcohol to interest, that is). He did however find a packet of roasted pumpkin seeds and a six-pack carton of some sort of no-name cola; half-heartedly, he pulled the cardboard apart and withdrew a can. A sugar hit wouldn't kill...

Tatsuya hesitated, although after a moment's deliberation spent chewing on his lower lip, he slipped a second can free.

Uh, scratch that; a sugar hit or two.

In the midst of his hunt for food and other perishables, the sound of the kitchen door being leverage open reached his attention and he glanced aside to witness Rin and Ken enter the room.

'Wonderful.'

Making a point of pretending he hadn't noticed them (or Ken more-so), Tatsuya tucked his food away and briskly went about inspecting the lower shelves so he might leave... although it seemed Ken was going to attempt conversation with him anyway, of course he was.

Stiffening slightly, Tatsuya slowed only a little in his search to better heed what it was the other had to say. He had been expecting something equally childish as always and he was anticipating being made irritated to the point of pegging the soda can in his hand at the other guy's head. However, what Ken actually had to say was startlingly reasonable, enough that Tatsuya could not help but be at least somewhat cynical of his motives. Peering over his shoulder at Ken as he continued to speak, the street fighter remained silent, although it was clear that he was listening to what the other had to say. When Ken conceded that he tended to piss Tatsuya off, Tatsuya felt like informing him that his situation was much worse than that, but he was disciplined enough to avoid creating tension for no real reason. Besides, there seemed some rational weight to what the architect had to say. Keeping to a group...

Tatsuya's eyes returned to the pantry when Ken moved over to the fridge, but he was truly assessing what Ken had suggested. He had indeed read the rules, numerous times actually in order to familiarize himself with his situation as much as possible, and true enough the rules barred killing more than one person at a time. Whether this was to keep a person from attempting a massacre of sorts and ending the game prematurely, or otherwise, there was certainly safety in numbers exceeding two.

That said, just as Ken had indicated, it would be interesting to see if anyone had the guts to attempt a kill on Tatsuya of all people. The street fighter had the physical advantage, was guarded and withheld enough confidence that he could likely last on his own without fear of being taken advantage of or crept up on without having a chance at retaliation.

But even so, Tatsuya was not infallible and he understood this well. That was why he was here in the first place. At the end of the day, he had weaknesses too. He too was more than capable of dying. And so the doubts would creep in.

With this new option at hand however, Tatsuya was given something else to consider. The converse was to take to Ken and Rin's company, of which he was undoubtedly wary. From the beginning he had been intent on avoiding the others, whether he knew them or not. No one was to be trusted, because at the end of the day, everyone would primarily be looking to their own survival and he would prefer solidarity over betrayal any day. But avoiding others meant abandoning any chance of making allies with which to best this situation, and ultimately, if it would lessen the chances of a murder, then... Why not?

But could he trust Ken and Rin, or was this beside the point? On the matter of Ken alone... Tatsuya would likely withdraw. But Rin had built a rapport with Tatsuya in the past that the street fighter shared with few other students. While they were by no degree close, he understood Rin a bit better than he did the others. So at the end of the day, Ken was right; if he were to take allies, Rin and Ken were the only two people here he somewhat recognized. They weren't complete strangers to him, and in this situation, familiarity made for one of his closest friends.

As Ken went on to comment on the quality of his mangoes, Tatsuya remained quiet, turning the offer in his head as postulated. The last thing he wanted was to make a decision he'd regret, whether it be in denying a legitimate form of safety or in baring his back to his own detriment. Perhaps... perhaps he could give this safety-in-numbers thing a try...?

Hearing the resounding bang of the kitchen drawer being thrown open, Tatsuya didn't pay the girl who had entered the kitchen any real mind... at least not until she thought it a good idea to brandish a large kitchen utensil at those around. Momentarily setting aside his thoughts, Tatsuya narrowed his gaze at the chef.

"Took what?" He replied flatly, turning towards Chikako and lifting a brow at the pan she held aloft at him. Talk about being on edge... Tatsuya doubted that she'd actually attempt to use it against any of them though, as frying pans weren't exactly the most convenient of weapons. It seemed she was simply trying to coerce them into telling her whatever it was she wanted to hear, but the street fighter wasn't at all aware of what was at stake. And he obviously wasn't very appreciative of her vague demand either.

"He's right. You might want to put the pan back down," he drawled wryly, shutting the doors of the pantry. "Your arm will get tired."

Given that Ken had mentioned a knife though, Tatsuya was quick to put two and two together and stepped closer to Chikako (unfazed by the cooking device in hand) to peer into the open drawer she was so concerned about. Surely enough, it was laden with knives, all sorts of knives, and Tatsuya's expression turned visibly incredulous. To think these people had already located all the plausible weapons in this place, how comforting.

When Ken finally questioned him as to his decision, Tatsuya paused for a moment and, following a brief sigh, returned his eyes to the bloke.

"Fine," he agreed, and with can of cola in hand, walked over to the door, nearer to Ken. "But if you get on my nerves..." He trailed off before having said anything remarkably startling, especially in front of a girl he hardly knew, and instead leveled the architect a serious look. "Just don't get on my nerves."

@SolemnOath @the.complex-of-constellations
 
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Hiro Doku - SHSL Poisoner

If the murmurs and faces of horror of his colleagues as Monokuma announced it's 'Ace' had gotten to Hiro. He hadn't shown it. If anything, he looked a little irritated at everyone else.

Picking up his photo, Hiro tilted his head "How disappointing.". His previous lab assistant? That's who they had captured? He wondered if she knew her life depended on someone being murdered. How little help she would be getting from him. Why, seeing her horrified face, her body bound and bruised. Pleading. It just brought shame on how Monokuma was wasting it's time.

Though he supposed that Monokuma didn't have much choice with him. That only made his mood more dour.

He looked around, a bemirching look on his face. Yes, the people so shocked by the possibility of taking another life are now turning. Because of course, their loved ones are important? More then important then the beacons of hope. Affection was a most lethal weapon.

Truly, the 'good' ones are the most dangerous.

Violet Theobold - SHSL Poet

They...they had her sister.

The one who had inspired her to write. That had shown her the power and beauty of words. The one who had spurred her on to achieve her dreams. The one who was her hope.

And now, Monokuma had her. Violet choked back some tears.

Taken without hope
A devilish trope.

Cared ones holding their final breath.
Saviour found only in one who spreads death.

Hope, Despair.
Mere reflections of eachother.


She had to keep calm. She wouldn't do anything. She would never. But, someone else could. Using their connections against them, could everyone withstand that? She could. She had to. To take one life for another was a silly thing. Her sister would never forgive her. She would never forgive herself. She was a beacon of hope dammit!

She dove off to the kitchen. Her photo falling to the floor. Just space from this stupid bear and those photos. The photos of those poor...of her...oh what was she supposed to do-

Looking up, Violet nearly got a faceful of a cast-iron frying pan. "Gah!" She jumped back. Her eyes darted around the room. Picking up the various faces of people she had not noticed through the fog of her thoughts.

She paused for a moment, before suddenly jutting her finger at Chikako. "W-What are you doing!?" She half screamed half mumbled. "You could seriously hurt someone! O-or worse!" She yelped again, her gloved hands shaking in some form of fear.

Is that your plan?

"P-Put it down!"

Hiro Doku- SHSL Poisoner - Part 2

Crumpling his photo up. Hiro thought. "How nice would that be, if one would confess to their own crime. Of course...they would still be taking someone with them. But it would ease everyone else's worries." His eyes hovered over those still in the minihall.

"One has to think at that point of selflessness. Can't they just...kill themselves?"


 
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