impheired | dreamland: private conversation; day 0; peko pekoyama

[It's a couple minutes, once she's sure that her classmates aren't watching where she's going, that she returns to Kuzuryuu's dorm and knocks on the door.]

Kuzuryuu.

[She keeps her voice low, but still uses his last name just in case there is anyone within earshot.]

[Kuzuryuu must have been pacing fairly close to the door because it doesn't take long for it to open once again.]

Pekoyama.

[In other words: get your ass in here so I can close the door and drop the formalities.]

Excuse me. I believe I left something here.

[YEAH THAT'S NOT TRANSPARENT AS FUCK but she does enter immediately to let him close the door behind her.]

Are you alright, young master?

[First things first. How are you holding up?]

[THEY ARE SO GOOD AT THIS. Closing the door immediately though, yup. Let's find that lost item of yours, Pekoyama. Whatever it is.]

I'm fine. I sort of expected something like this to happen, honestly.

[Maybe not something not so...complicated, set up wise. But he did not expect GOOD things out of a run down amusement park and...you know. Getting his head cut open.]

[He leans back against the wall again, folding his arms over his chest.]

So what is it. I'm guessing you have one of the special roles in this game or something, right? That's why you were late showing up earlier.

...Mm.

[She... really can't help but nod at that. It's not like she really expected anything good either. It's not the island, but she hasn't yet decided whether that's an actual good thing or not.

If he's not sitting, neither is she, resuming her previous spot against the wall as she brings up the profiles. A moment of flicking through them, then she turns her wrist, revealing a certain profile if Kuzuryuu will venture over to look.]

I needed to arrange a meeting with him. My "buddy."

Edited 2014-09-22 22:32 (UTC)

[He will most certainly venture over to look, his face paling as she explains. Yup, there it is: hello, worst case scenario. If she had a role, he could deal with that. Hell, depending on what it was, it might actually have been very beneficial to them.]

...you're shitting me right?

[That's about all he can say to this. This is the first thing to actually genuinely worry Kuzuryuu since they wound up here. Because having a buddy almost certainly decreases your chances of survival.]

No.

[ANSWERING HIS RHETORICAL QUESTION, incredible. She covers her wrist with her hand as she turns it off, folding her arms around herself again as she avoids his gaze.]

Haninozuka is a martial artist. He claims that his cousin is a national kendo champion, though I have never heard of him.

[She pulls her hand away from her wrist to flick to another profile for Kuzuryuu's reference before folding her arms again.]

Lot of good that's going to do us when killing is done indirectly. It doesn't matter how strong or talented you are, if a bomb on goes off on your person, you're fucking toast.

[He's trying to stay calm, he really is. And he's doing...a fairly decent job of it!]

So what happened then? How did your meeting with him go and what's your plan?

[Please stay calm, Kuzuryuu, she's doing her best to stay calm herself. And she really looks it, too. As if she's not actually terrified that she's going to get herself killed by being linked to another person.]

For now? We have agreed not to tell anyone about this. We have agreed to be careful and to be watchful.

We have another meeting tomorrow afternoon, after lunch, in front of the Ferris wheel, where we can have a more thorough discussion.

I wanted to inform you as soon as possible.

Did you tell him about... y'know...us?

[What a way to word that, Kuzuryuu.]

[Kuzuryuu, what do you take her for??]

Of course not. I've continued to hide our professional relationship. He is aware that we are classmates, nothing more.

Mm...that's probably best for now. At least until you can figure out how trustworthy the guy is.

[This is kind of a tough choice here. On the one hand: it's better to be straightforward with the person your life depends on. On the other: the less people who know a secret, the more likely it stays under wraps. And there's already one person here outside of the two of them who knows the truth. Though Kuzuryuu has/will have/nebulous backtagging stuff said something to him to keep his mouth shut.]

...you'll both be careful, right? The way this game is set up, the lower you keep your head the more likely you are to survive. They VIPs will likely target the people they consider the most dangerous, after all.

For the moment, I must trust him with my life.

[That doesn't mean she has to trust him with Kuzuryuu's, though. She exhales quietly through her nose and shakes her head again, crossing her arms more tightly.]

I do not believe either of us wish to die here... and he does not seem ignorant enough to make himself a target.

[She said it before, didn't she? She's not leaving Kuzuryuu alone again. But she looks at him again, a little carefully.]

Is there anything specifically you would like me to do?

You mean aside from not get yourself killed again?

[It comes off a little more scathing than he intended. Mostly because he's still really scared that this means Peko is going to die. It may be fine now, while there's still over forty of them. But what happens once their numbers start dwindling? People with buddies will be at a clear disadvantage then.]

[He seems to realize his mistake though, quickly correcting himself before Peko has a chance to reply.]

...sorry. I didn't mean it like that. [He sighs, seemingly frustrated with himself.] I just...don't want to lose you again.

[At least he can say with confidence that it probably wouldn't be his fault... But that is not much consolation.]

Edited 2014-09-23 01:23 (UTC)

[Ow. That actually feels a little like being stabbed right there, and she crosses her arms more tightly, purposefully avoiding his eye again. How many times does she have to say it?

But it's a valid accusation, it really is. Even if she hadn't realized at the time how much it would hurt him...]

It's... fine, young master. I understand.

[And having her 'buddy' means her life is even less in her own hands than usual.]

No, it's not fine. I shouldn't have said that. I was just... [Scared.] Anyway, I shouldn't have taken it our on you. Like I already said, I don't blame you for anything. I'm grateful, even if it was my own dumbass mistake that was the cause of everything.

Young master, I...

[God damn how does she put this. She doesn't want him to blame himself, but she doesn't want to order him to do anything when they're not hiding their relationship, either.

So she just moves on, trying to change the subject, at least a bit.]

...Both Koizumi and myself are here now, [she points out carefully, still not quite looking at him.] So perhaps...

Edited 2014-09-23 01:58 (UTC)

Perhaps...?

[What are you getting at, Peko?]

Perhaps... if we can all escape... it does not have to happen.

[UNLESS KUZURYUU STILL WANTS KOIZUMI DEAD. In which case, bye again, Koizumi. At least in normal circumstances, Peko wouldn't get immediately executed for it...]

So there would be... no need to apologize.

Well it...isn't like it hasn't already happened. So it'd be more like...we could undo the consequences of it.

Either way though, that... That'd be nice. If that really is the case.

[But he's still not sure just what the hell is going on here, so...who can say for sure.]

Yes...

[Well that's... good. It seems like he doesn't want Koizumi dead anymore. Which she'd pretty much figured from their group meeting earlier. But speaking of the group meeting...]

In any case, you seem to be getting along with the others fairly well.

[That's. That's her way of asking what the fuck happened bocchan.]

[He definitely does not want Koizumi dead anymore. It's true. Though that shouldn't be that hard to believe, considering he wasn't entirely sure he wanted her dead even BEFORE he attempted to kill her. So...]

Well you asked them to forgive me, didn't you? And they did. Even though I...didn't deserve that.

[Well that's part of the reason behind his abrupt change in behavior, anyway. But he doesn't see much point in going into all of it right now. It's not really relevant to the matter at hand.]

I nearly died in your execution. Even with you protecting me...there was nothing really to stop me from bleeding out. And yet...in spite of the fact that I would have deserved that, they refused to let that happen. They argued with Monokuma for my sake, and convinced him to patch me up. And when they found me in the hospital after that...they were actually happy to see me.

[Okay well there was ONE notable and predictable exception to that.]

After all that...I couldn't go back to carryin' on the same way I had been before. Not that I wanted to, anyway. So...that's why... I don't want to see any of 'em die here. And I plan to do whatever I can to prevent that. Especially...Koizumi. I at least owe her that much, after what I did...

[She's quiet while he's speaking, finally looking toward him again for the first time in several minutes. She opens her mouth for a reflexive denial, that he wouldn't have deserved bleeding out -- that he shouldn't even have been there, he shouldn't have been anywhere close, she was the one who had swung the bat, she had been deemed the culprit -- but bites her tongue to let him continue.

And even when he stops talking, she can't answer immediately, because she doesn't quite trust her voice. It's not just the fear, the unhappiness that he'd been injured, or even just happiness that the others had accepted him, in spite of everything she had done in his name, but... more than anything else, she's proud of him. He really is stepping up to be a good leader.]

I see.

[There it is. There's a tiny smile. She is so absurdly proud of him right now.]

I think... as long as they listen to you now, they will be fine. [Or as fine as they can be, with the whole COULD BE BLOWN UP ANY SECOND thing.]

[He's grown a lot in a very short amount of time. It's actually pretty impressive when you get right down to it.]

[Kuzuryuu finally moves away from the wall, sitting down on the edge of his mattress.]

That's the plan. Though...just having a leader isn't enough, assuming they even want me to fulfill that role here. Togami proved that much. If we want to survive this, it's going to take all five of us working together.

[Things Peko probably never expected to hear out of Kuzuryuu's mouth. Praise of teamwork.]

Working together...

[Hell really has frozen over, hasn't it. Maybe that's why it's so chilly outside, compared to what the island had been.

When he moves to sit, she finally pushes off the wall near the door and moves to join him, perching on the edge of the mattress and glancing toward him.]

And as for hiding our professional relationship...?

[It doesn't make much sense to her, working together and trusting their classmates, while simultaneously lying to them. But then, it's almost too late now, isn't it? They already had their group meeting and didn't say anything.]

I think...it's best if we continue to do that. It's definitely safer for both of us when it comes to everyone outside of our class. [It's almost like they're unofficial buddies...though killing one of them won't' automatically kill the other.]

As for our classmates...well, Tanaka already knows the truth. But he won't say anything. And the other two... [He turns his head to look over at Peko.] What sort of advantage would knowing the truth give them in this situation? It's nothing that will increase their chances of surviving. The fewer people who know about a secret, the easier it is to keep under wraps, after all.

They'll probably remember once we all get out of here, anyway... Or Mioda definitely will, at least. Koizumi...

[CAN PROBABLY GUESS SOMETHING IS UP, CONSIDERING SHE ALMOST CERTAINLY SAW PEKO AT THE BEACH HOUSE.]

Tanaka does?

[COULD HAVE FOOLED HER. He's so good at this secret-keeping business, holy shit.

But she's quiet again when he looks at her, only humming quietly to acknowledge that she is listening. He definitely does have a point... and trusting Ibuki alone with a secret like this seems risky enough.]

I would prefer not to involve the rest of our classmates, but... may I at least tell Haninozuka that he can trust you? Should he come into possession of any information, and cannot reach me for some reason, [like her being forced onto a roller coaster by one Ibuki Mioda,] I would prefer if he were aware of at least that much.

Yeah, he does. Unlike Mioda, he remembers your trial.

[Well apparently he doesn't even know what secret Kuzuruyu was referring to. Their conversation kind of took place on two completely different planes of existence and it was really, really stupid. Yet they think they've reached an understanding and they totally made a pact.]

As for Haninozuka...if you feel better having him know, then that's alright with me. Like you said, you have to trust him with your life now, right? And the same goes for him. If you can't trust him with something like this...

[Then can you really trust him with your life? I mean your life is kind of more important.]

I see...

[He hadn't seemed to have treated her any differently thanks to it, which has her hesitantly agreeing. She'd honestly expected a much different reaction from all of her classmates -- Koizumi especially -- but to have been welcomed into the fold as readily as she had was unexpected. She'll have to come back to that.]

But Haninozuka does not need to know the full details of our professional relationship. Just knowing that you are the only person here I can fully trust is enough.

Mmm... [He's silent for a moment.] So is that why you lied at the meeting earlier when Tanaka asked which of us were paired? Or was that because you didn't want to betray Haninozuka?

[Peko, you can trust your classmates...]

[She's also silent for a moment, closing her eyes to try to organize her thoughts before shaking her head slowly.]

The fewer people who know... the better. It is... almost a weakness. I do not want to cause undue worry. There are more important things for them to focus on.

[But she had to tell Kuzuryuu. Of course. Also,]

There are some things I can trust our classmates with, and yet...

[Dangan trust issues 2k14, she didn't live long enough to really get to trust everyone considering she's one of the trust-breakers herself.]

...If it becomes relevant, I will tell them. For now, I am not certain it would be necessary.

It's not almost like a weakness, it definitely is. It's complete bullshit... more fun, my ass. [He grits his teeth, his hand clenching into a trembling fist and twisting the bedsheets in the process.]

Young master...

[Don't. Don't twist up your sheets. You're going to have to sleep on those. Stop that.

But she doesn't stop him herself. If that's how he wants to express his anger, it's... better than him yelling and alerting everyone else around? God damn.]

We will just need to discover the VIPs before anything can happen. It will be alright.

[Now would definitely be the time for one of those comforting smiles. Look at her go-- no, she's just paling a little. That's. That's the opposite of comforting, Peko. Jfc.]

[lbr this is already a spectacularly shitty bed, twisting the sheets isn't going to matter much.]

Yeah...

[He doesn't sound wholly convinced, but he does at least loosen his grip on the sheets a little.]

I will find a way to escape with you. Please believe me.

[Alright, he's not squeezing the sheets so tightly now, so she reaches to carefully rest one hand atop his and use the other to try to pull the sheets out from beneath his hand and smooth them out. Relax, bocchan. Your blood pressure is so high already. Stop it.]

[CAN'T RELAX. Not when he is really the only suitable replacement for shsl cat herder/babysitter since Hinata isn't here.]

I do believe you. I'm just... [Scared.] ...worried about you.

[He can't admit he's scared, pretend you're surprised.]

Young master...

[SHE CAN HELP HERD THE CATS. Well. She can herd Ibuki. You're on your own with the others.

She ducks her head and can't answer for a moment, pulling her hand away from his to curl her fingers in the hem of her skirt. If only she could smile and tell him everything would be okay...

But he'd hugged her earlier, hadn't he? So if she does that, it should help, at least a little. It's a bit awkward for her as she shifts closer on the bed, then hesitantly touches his shoulder. Another moment, then she pulls her feet up on the bed to curl them beneath her to try pulling him into an embrace.]

[Please help with Ibuki, she is the one he's having the most trouble with. He can handle Gundam if you handle Ibuki, sound good? And then Koizumi can just...be Koizumi. She can be a joint effort or something assuming they even need to reign her in at all.]

[This is a hella awkward hug though, Peko, just for the record. Not that he doesn't appreciate it but...you are most definitely pulling him in sideways and more than likely getting his head in your boobs. As a result, his initial reaction is to stiffen somewhat. But after a few moments, he relaxes into it, in spite of how awkward and mildly uncomfortable it is. And after a few more moments pass by, he shifts a little bit so that he can bring a hand to her back, holding onto the back of her shirt.]

[This is...okay, no he really should just move so that he can actually turn to face her and do this hug properly but no. Apparently we can't do that for some reason.]

Edited 2014-09-25 03:11 (UTC)

[Is it uncomfortable...? Considering she's the one doing the actual holding, it's really not that bad for her. It's probably hella more comforting for her than it is for him, especially when he finally holds the back of her shirt.

She closes her eyes and exhales a quiet sigh through her nose, letting her fingers wrap more tightly around his arm.

She's not moving, beyond shifting a little to sit more comfortably on her feet. She's not even going to say anything?? This is enough for her.]

[Peko might not have anything to say, but after a few minutes, Kuzuryuu apparently does. Though it would be more accurate to say that it's mumbled, as opposed to said.]

Y'know...you could've said something sooner if you needed something like this so bad.

[CHILD, PLEASE. YOU ARE NOT FOOLING ANYBODY. Also, you can say the word "hug," you will probably not burst into flames or anything.]

[There's a soft huff of air through her nose, something that could almost be mistaken for a laugh, and her fingers tighten just a moment around him.]

Of course, young master. [YEAH NOT EVEN PEKO IS FOOLED. But like hell is she going to say so.] In the future... I will ask.

[This means she can hug him more?? She obviously did a good thing here, with the comforting thing, or else he'd have squirmed free by now, she's certain. And he's not entirely wrong; holding him like this, feeling him warm and close against her, is something indescribably important.

And then she loosens her grip to let him retreat if he wants to. She still has questions about their classmates, about the island, about what happened amongst them all after her execution, but they can wait. She doesn't need those answers today.]

[Okay look, some things are never going to change, no matter how much development Kuzuryuu goes through. And maybe, in this case, that's not such a bad thing. Maybe it's okay if he stays a tsundere little shit forever.]

[When she loosens her grip, he responds by tightening his on the back of her shirt. Apparently he doesn't want to move away. Which is obviously because Peko needs this and he doesn't want to be a jackass and just leave her alone when she's obviously upset. Yup. That is what is happening here, definitely. He's just being nice, it's not like he's enjoying this or needs it or anything!!]

W-well it's...I mean it's not like you have to actually...ask. It's not like I'm gonna say no when it's you who needs this sort of thing... I'm not that mean.

[Fucking incredible. He just doesn't stop.]

[This tsundere little shit. Peko just hums quietly, the smallest note of amusement before tightening her grip again. Don't look at her right now, bocchan, her face is doing something weird.

He's still not fooling her, but she'd rather die (again) than point it out to him.]

Thank you, young master. [And she almost continues, to let him know that he's very kind for doing this for her, but thinks better of it. She's pretty sure calling him kind right now would probably backfire.

It's really just kind of surreal for her, to have gone from thinking he despised her to... this. Another exhale, and she presses her nose to the top of his head.] Thank you...

Edited 2014-09-25 20:42 (UTC)

[It's okay, his face is probably weirder. It's kind of surprising Peko can't feel the heat radiating off of it at this point. So it's probably a good thing that neither of them can look each other in the eye from this position.]

's nothing...

[It's an even quieter mumble than his previous mumbling. Who knew Kuzuryuu's volume could even go this low?]

...don't mention it.

[This is...nice. Even though he knows they really probably should head back out soon and go mingle with everybody else so they don't look suspicious, part of him kind of just wants to say "fuck that" and stay here like this for the rest of the evening.]

[It really is. They're being god damn embarrassments for being members of Japan's largest organized crime syndicate.

She turns her head to rest her cheek against his hair. She'd be more than content to stay here for the rest of the afternoon, in normal circumstances. Hell, even if they could have rewound time on the island, she'd have been more comfortable staying with him for longer. But here, with so many more unknown variables...

Peko exhales against the top of his head and loosens her grip again, realizing that this time, she's going to have to be the one to step back first. So he can continue to think that she thinks he's doing this just for her sake.]

Young master... forgive me, I should go. Before others wonder where I am. [Another hesitant breath, then she adds,] If you'll permit... should there be an opening... I would like to come back later this evening.

[His fist clenches ever so slightly tighter around the back of her shirt. But only just and only for the briefest moment. She may not have even noticed it.]

M-mm...yeah. Right.

[He pulls back, sitting up properly but avoiding meeting Peko's eyes for the moment. His face is still pretty pink, that probably has something to do with it...]

If...you get the chance then yeah...that'd be...

[Nice? A thing that he definitely wants? Fanfuckingtastic?]

...okay.

[#nailedit]

Edited 2014-09-26 22:18 (UTC)

dreamland: private conversation; day 0; peko pekoyama

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minus...one of those on's there...wow...

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