(no subject)

[shoals]

This is a post for voice testing things. Everything will be terrible, don't look, senpai.

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Track One: The Lost Girl

[minmax]

[First day in court and the energetic girl dressed oddly like a liberal arts student is exploring. Except she spots a familiar face down one street and not one to ever halt her general impulses, she trails him immediately. It takes less than three minutes to confirm who it is and less than thirty seconds after that before a girl is hurdling herself at Kida's back, arms outstretched to wrap around his neck and press him in an overly enthusiastic tackle of a hug. Assuming she gets that far.]

Senpai! ♥

Re: Track One: The Lost Girl

[concretejungles]

[One of the great things about the life he's had is that he could probably kill most ordinary people before they could jump on him. Fortunately he's a nice guy and puts an even greater effort into suppressing those reflexes most of the time, so instead of doing anything scary, he simply leans forward and looks startled at that tackle.

Should he greet her? Should he even know her, this time? She apparently knows him, so he supposes--]

H-Hey there. [I wonder if you're from a timeline where I tried to be polite. Eeeh, those were rare. Let's assume I talked to girls familiarly like usual.] Mairu-chan. When did you get here?

[minmax]

[She drapes on him like she belongs there, apparently content and familiar with this.]

Just now! Today! This second! What's with the cold answer senpai? Ah, is it possible you snuck off here to have a lovey dovey retreat with Ange-nee and left me behind? I won't allow it! I found you! I followed! So it's "tag you're it" no tag backs. I'll sweep Ange-nee off her feet before you can!

[And she rests her chin on his shoulder, happy with her indecipherable rambles.]

[concretejungles]

Who's "Ange-nee"? Was that bastard hiding another sibling all the time or something?

[He doesn't mind the draping. It's easy to tune it out -- he can tune out most things these days, and he's a cuddly person himself to begin with. But it's unfamiliar, so he does twist around to try and get a look at her face.]

You've gotta give a guy an explanation before you start in on the accusations! My reputation is at stake and I don't even get to meet her first?

[minmax]

Eh...? Ehhh, senpai there's a limit to bad jokes! You can't just forget Ange-nee's breasts! You can't forget the rest of her either, that's too cruel!

[She's teasing but she does look as if she's scolding him seriously about it too.]

[concretejungles]

Breasts, huh? She must be something else!

[Someone from a timeline he hasn't been to, then? Is that possible? Well, obviously. There are infinite possibilities and he's only been through 100.]

But I'm afraid I really don't have any idea who you mean, so I'll have to face my shame like a man.

Track Two: The Girl in the Frame

[unlovingly]

[For almost half a year since the Yellow Scarves incident life had been relatively peaceful. School was the same and her friends were the same but now that May was approaching Anri noticed something off about Kida. It wasn't something she could entirely put her finger on; it was just a feeling. He was restless, and irritable though not in a way anyone else would notice. But Anri did, because she watched quietly, all the faces he made when he thought no one was looking, when he was watching Mikado.]

[For a while she thought maybe it was the weather, or something that would pass, but the closer May got the more agitated Kida seemed. She wasn't imagining it. She had her children watch him too, and they reported that his movements were strange and hard to track sometimes. So after school one day, while Mikado was fulfilling one of their class rep duties, she bowed out and found Kida and called out to him. Fidgeting and looking down for a moment, before lifting her head with determination, she spoke in a voice both soft and set in purpose. It might have looked like the beginning of a confession.]

Kida-kun... Can we talk somewhere?

Re: Track Two: The Girl in the Frame

[concretejungles]

["Can we talk" could be the beginning of a really great conversation or a really bad one. With Anri, the chances of an extreme are, of course tripled -- she's one of the important ones. Someone he knows very well, but more importantly, someone who also knows him well. Despite how much he's changed over all the repetition, he's still essentially the same person, and he still puts on the same face, and Anri is, every time, someone with surprisingly good intuition.

Still, he's not going to let her see that he's worried. It doesn't matter what she sees or senses. He's become a better liar over time, and a timeline in which he cracks now probably isn't one in which he'll win. So he just smiles bright and cheery at her, pushing away from the wall where he was waiting for them and waving.]

A serious talk with Anri-chan, huh? Could it be it's finally time for the blossom of my youthful heart to bloom?

[unlovingly]

[His words were the same kind of teasing as ever. And she felt conflicted for a moment... Maybe she was wrong or it just wasn't her business but he was her friend, and they had all talked about much more personal things. If there was something he needed help with, she wanted to be able to help him. With that in mind she glanced at him with a somewhat complicated expression.]

Um... I told Ryuugamine-kun I was going home early. So... Can we go someplace quiet?

[concretejungles]

Whatever puts your fluttering heart at ease!

[He drapes an arm over her shoulder when he gets close. One thing he's learned with time is that there's no point in holding back with people he cares about. There aren't many of them, and they're fleeting, and in the end he can't guarantee he'll be able to save them even when he wins, so he tries to get in all the affection he wants where he can.]

[unlovingly]

[She's used to this, even if she still doesn't know how to react to closeness, it's something she has come to accept as part of "Kida Masaomi" and so she walks along with him this way.]

[In the end places to talk easily aren't that common, so she settles on a karaoke place. Once their drinks arrive no one will bother them until the time is up, and so she sits clutching a cold soda and staring pensively at the ice while the karaoke machine screen plays something silent and random waiting for a music selection that won't come. They're here to talk not sing, and she decides she should probably just ask.]

Lately... Has something been wrong? I don't think Ryuugamine-kun has noticed but to me it seems like Kida-kun has been struggling with something. If that's the case, even if I am intruding, I want to help.

[She pauses, after saying so may words, and ducks her head.]

Track Three: Splash Free! Sharks

[shoals]

[It's a rooftop across from Tokyu Hands. What a cliche setting. Rather, Aoba's kind of enjoying it. It's the same place the Black Rider was seen all this times. Well, one time, every time the same time or different. He used to only watch it on the news or youtube footage of people's cellphones, but lately he's taken to appearing in person to see the event. Though it doesn't always happen like that. So one can't say it's an entirely predictable occurrence each time the world resets.]

[Still it's the same rooftop. It's a fairly handy, unused place, where he can see anyone approaching and no one can casually listen in. So even if it is cliche, it's not just for show. It's been several timelines since he "woke up" and lately he's pretty sure Kida Masaomi has been kind of suspicious of him. Well that's alright, he's been suspicious of Kida for longer than he's been aware of the repeating time. It's really long overdue they had a chat. Especially when Kida's done rude things like kill him in middle school before. Not that it ever helped.]

[So he sits on the edge of the roof, heedless of the sheer drop, and swings his legs as he plays with his cell phone. And then when the person he's invited up here arrives, he looks up with a smile, all bright and admiring like he plays in school.]

Senpai! I'm really glad you could make it, I'm sorry it's such short notice.

[concretejungles]

[Its tempting just to kick him over the edge.

There's only one person Kida loathes more than Kuronuma Aoba, and that one isn't even worth mentioning. Not even the kid's piece of shit brother makes his blood boil the same way. But it's not fair to do something like that right now, and it would be too obvious.

Besides that, he'd really like to know what's going on. One timeline, no Kuronuma Aoba appeared at all. And since then, he's consistently arrived way before he should, proceeding to muck things up while Kida is usually in the easier, planning stages of the loop. It's frustrating, and he needs to know why, so instead of giving in to the urge to be nasty, he just smiles right back.]

It's no problem! Anything to help out a cute kouhai.

[shoals]

Ah~ That's the kind of cool response I'd expect from Kida-senpai.

[Aoba taps a few things on his phone and leans forward.]

Always trying to help out, it's really admirable. You set an example anyone should want to follow, I'm really glad I get to observe you as a role-model. Would you mind coaching me a little about something? There's a problem I think only Kida-senpai can solve.

[concretejungles]

If you're having problems with girls, I'm afraid my secret techniques might be too much for a little guy like you! You'll have to stick to your cutsie act to get close to bosoms for now.

[shoals]

Ah, Kida-senpai is really cruel. But actually I need advice about Ryuugamine-senpai.

Intermission: The Corrupted Gang Leader

[ballpoint]

[ This is the third time that the police have been called, during one of the "outings" of Blue Square. It's obvious, really, that they would be called when a group of boys is always seen around the area that gunshots often go off. It's annoying, though, that they don't understand. There's a reason that the injured people that are found at the scene are people who have generally been... less favourable, in society.

This is the first time that the chase has been so close. They haven't been caught, yet - Of course they haven't, because if they'd been caught there wouldn't be a this time - But this third time was extremely, extremely close. They've ducked into an alley, somewhere - A tiny wedge between two buildings that he's not quite sure he remembers what they house. ]

D- Did we lose them...?

Re: Intermission: The Corrupted Gang Leader

[shoals]

[Aoba's leaning against the wall, catching his breath and checking his phone for texts from other Blue Square members. They scattered, when the police came, everyone running in different directions. The only smart way, after all. He drags the scarf down from his face, sweating a little after the run and the close call.]

I think so. Ah, looks like everyone else made it too. Do you want to keep low for a little longer?

[ballpoint]

[ He's gotten better at aestheticism, with how often they're making getaways from... something or other. He's not quite as slow, as useless when it comes to anything physical... but, he's still Mikado, so he's still leaning on the adjacent wall and gasping for breath. ]

...That sounds like the the best plan, for now. That time was too close...

[shoals]

[It's because you're really going overboard. Is what Aoba doesn't say. He glances out from the alleyway to the street, keeping an eye out even while he's preoccupied with the person next to him. Honestly he wasn't sure how far Mikado would take things, even he's surprised by the lengths Mikado is going here, for the gang cleansing, for his own satisfaction.]

[Aoba can't tell himself how much further Mikado's willing to go, and the thought makes him both nervous and interested. In the game of getting the upper hand, he has the advantage of time, but Mikado isn't someone he can take lightly, like he used to believe. No, if Aoba himself is a monster, than Mikado might qualify as a demon.]

[Shaking off the thoughts he looks back at his senior.]

It's still pretty early in the evening, what should we do, Leader?

[ballpoint]

[ To do this right, he needs to go overboard. If the people that they're "purging" from the space of Dollars continue to exist... Then, they're not completely gone from the space that needs to be burnt to the ground and built up again. He'll burn himself down too, of course, in order to ensure that it's an ideal space... but as things stand now, he needs to exist to continue the ignition. ]

Did you have anything else planned, Aoba-kun?

[ ...That could mean anything. Did he have any more attacks planned, or did he simply want to do something like get something to eat? It's not clear which one Mikado means. ]

[concretejungles]

[This time it's definitely gone too far. Right from the start, this timeline was "off", and it's only spiraled out of control since.

He's not sure what he did to make it end up like this. How did he misstep to throw it all this far? He doesn't know, but he does know that he doesn't like the direction it's turned to. There's practically no possibility for a "good end" in a world where Mikado's hands have been so thoroughly bloodied. He's already counting this one as a fail -- but it's not over with yet, either, so he figures he may as well make a last-ditch effort to salvage it. It can't possibly make it any worse, right?

So after spending all this time trying to do something without a direct confrontation, he's going to put his foot down. It's a different day, later (when things have continued to slip), and as Mikado cuts through an alley he'll find his way blocked by a familiar form.]

[ballpoint]

[ there hasn't been another outting of blue square since the last - since they'd "purged" one person, and attempted another. it's too many at once, he thinks. if there are too many unexplained youth deaths that have no tie... they'll figure out a tie. he's getting rid of things that cast dollars into a bad light, not setting up another source of it.

he scouts them, though. spends almost no time at home, save to change out of his uniform on days that he ends up at school. he's almost always outside on the streets - knows of almost every nook and cranny and hiding spot and alley between buildings in the city.

...so, when he's taking what he's found to be the fastest (but not the safest) shortcut to his apartment to drop something off, he didn't expect to see him there. no... not just "there", outright confronting him. it makes his chest tighten and he needs to blink to make sure he's not seeing things from lack of sleep.

masaomi didn't talk to him. it's been months since he left without a word and gang scuffles were reported on the news the next day. mikado had figured that once masaomi had found out he was the leader of dollars, of a colour gang that had been so corrupt... he didn't want anything to do with him anymore, so he'd skipped town when things got bad. that was why he was doing this. that was why he'd allowed himself, encouraged himself to go this far.

he had to make dollars safe for masaomi and sonohara-san.

just like it's his first day in ikebukuro, mikado grips the strap of his back for security, furrowing his brow and taking a step backwards. ]

Masaomi-- Why are you...?

[concretejungles]

It's got to stop, Mikado.

[The crowbar in his hand is a familiar weight, but it feels much heavier tonight. For all the bodies he's left behind him in these timelines and all the bravery and skill he's attained in the process, there's nothing that can counter the cold weight in his gut now that he's facing Mikado.

This can't end well. He knows that. But he has to try. The only other option is to lie down and let the bad end come, and that could be a slow and agonizing death for the both of them. He tightens his grip, straightens his back, and meets Mikado's eyes despite the fear and the anticipation of pain that make him want to turn and run. It's necessary. If he's going to lose Mikado again anyway, he may as well do it on his own terms.]

[ballpoint]

[ outside of blue square, there isn't anyone who he's so much as implied he'd done anything outside of made new friends to. he's not even sure that izaya-san knows that the person killing "bad people" is him. ...so, how could masaomi had figured him out? he's the last person in the world that he wanted to find out that things had lead to this. ]

...I don't know what you're talking about.

[ it's a lie, and his hands flex absentmindedly at his sides. in the corner of his vision, he notices the crowbar. ...masaomi isn't the only one that's armed. mikado's taken to keeping the gun they'd acquired with him, at all times. they're extremely illegal in japan, so things would go bad quickly if it was found in his house. ]