((Tatsumichi Oki continued from Dance of Ghosts))
Man, y’know what, he was startin’ to have second thoughts about his decisions rightabout now.
Only startin’, mind you, that whole situation back at the docks wasn’t good for his brain one lil bit. He’d felt way better after leavin’ that place; wasn’t seein’ bombs in every bush or rockets behind every… rock no longer. Wasn’t any gettin’ around the guilt he’d been feelin’ about leavin’ Izumi all on her lonesome, though, but that was just somethin’ he’d have ta live with. Maybe some time to herself would do her the worlda good, maybe it wouldn’t. Wasn’t any way for him to know, now he’d made his decision, an’ whatever way he’d swung, somethin’ bad coulda happened.
So, eh, mentally? Yeah, he’d say he’d done pretty much the right thing back there. Side from that though? ‘Ey, yeah, maybe there was somethin’ he coulda done with some company for. One real small little thing, y’know? Somethin’ that ‘off-puttin’ but familiar’ could help where ‘secure but alone’ sure as hell couldn’t.
Maybe if he’d hada travellin’ companion he wouldn’t’ve gotten so damn lost.
Seriously, man, Tatsumichi didn’t havea freakin’ clue where he was right now. Sure, he was in the forest, but that didn’t tell him jackabout which bit of the forest he’d stumbled his ass into. Every bit of woodlands looked just like every other bit of woodlands, man! He was gettin’ real sick of trees already. He’d slammed his dang fist into onea them a few minutes ago. Left a mark too, both on his knuckles and on the bark. Least he’d know now if he was just wanderin’ in circles.
His map was all scrunched up in his other fist, makin’ a rustlin’ sound as Tatsumichi walked onwards; it’d started off real annoyin’ but his brain had eventually managed to tune it all the way out. He’d been lookin’ over it sporadically, openin’ it up and scourin’ over it, closin’ it again only to unravel it once more a few minutes later, turnin’ it upside down just in case, checkin’ out the back to see if them soldier guys had written any secret information on it. Nothin’. Wasn’t a jot of info that coulda helped him out, here. Map was divided up into nice neat squares but that wasn’t actually useful when he didn’t even know which carnival direction he was facin’.
“Man, couldn’t give me any bug spray or nothin’, could they?”
Ah, shit, now he was talkin’ to himself, eh? Never a good sign; maybe he was startin’ to lose it, wanderin’ through this neverendin’ sea of trees. He didn’t think anyone could blame him if he did go totally loopy, though. This place was some kinda purgeatory, makin’ him walk nonstop til his legs gave out and he fell facefirst into onea them forbidden zones.
Woulda been real nice if they’d actually said what them zones actually were, stead of some stupid map code. Woulda helped a lot if they’d said “The Docks are off limits” or “The Lighthouse is a total no-go zone”, rather than C7 or H4 like they were playin’ Battleship. Eh, y’know, there was a whole lotta stuff they coulda said that woulda been real useful. They’d had the courtesy at least of sayin’ which of their classmates had… eh… y’know.
Tatsumichi wanted to know who’d done that shit to Niida, though. Who exactly had decided to take out his pal.
He’d been hopin’ that, ey, maybe, maybe there wouldn’t be a whole lotta names on that list. An’ sure, four wasn’t a ton, specially not considerin’ the size of their class. Still turned his guts all upside down to think about it, though. All this time walkin’, and he still hadn’t thought up any kinda plan or nothin’. Wasn’t like he could do much other than keep walkin’, though, and hope that-
He pushed through a small thicket, wincin’ as it scratched at his hands, before he realised that, hey, there was a real sudden lack of greenery in fronta him now. And a whole lotta mountain instead.
Tatsumichi whistled as he looked up at the peak, shieldin’ his eyes with his hand. Dang, now, if this weren’t a sight for sure eyes. He had some place to grab his bearings, now, and maybe the map would finally be some use in figurin’ out exactly where the hell he’d wandered off to. An’ there was some kinda wooden platform with a roof up there, too; that’d be a good place to finally grab some rest, he reckoned.
There was still a ways to ‘fore he got there, course; his ankles were hurtin’ like mad, and there was at least one blister swellin’ up on his right foot. But, eh, he’d been walkin’ for who knows how long, he could walk a little longer. An’ at least there was a pathway leadin’ up to that deck. Good thing too. Program hadn’t given him rope an’ a pickaxe, either.
No time like the present, an’ all that stuff. Tatsumichi started makin’ his way up the slope.
It's a game of two halves, Brian
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DerArknight
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Unbeknownst to Tatsumichi, the platform was already occupied.
((Noriko Nakagawa continued from Are We Alive Or A Dead Generation?))
Parts of a school uniform was hanging at the wall, apparently to dry from a largely unsuccessful attempt at washing the blood out. The contents of the bag she stole from the clinic were strewn across the floor.
The bullet wound going through Noriko's left shoulder had been treated as good as it was possible for her without help. Bandages ran all across her torso, clearly used in abundance out of fear and lack in medical knowledge.
Leaning against a wall, Noriko was sitting on the ground. Her head was slumped forwards and her right hand was buried in her handbag.
She appeared to be sleeping.
((Noriko Nakagawa continued from Are We Alive Or A Dead Generation?))
Parts of a school uniform was hanging at the wall, apparently to dry from a largely unsuccessful attempt at washing the blood out. The contents of the bag she stole from the clinic were strewn across the floor.
The bullet wound going through Noriko's left shoulder had been treated as good as it was possible for her without help. Bandages ran all across her torso, clearly used in abundance out of fear and lack in medical knowledge.
Leaning against a wall, Noriko was sitting on the ground. Her head was slumped forwards and her right hand was buried in her handbag.
She appeared to be sleeping.
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Pippi
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Now, this wasn’t the first time Tatsumichi had thought this, but he was feelin’ real gladabout how big of a role sport played in his life. Like, bottom line, he did what he loved and he loved what he did, and he knew for a fact that weren’t somethin’ everybody else in his class could say. He could talk anyone’s ear off ‘bout soccer and, eh, maybe that could be real annoyin’ to some people, but he liked to think he had a pretty good read on people to know whether he was doin’ so or not. It was what’d gotten him so close to his gramps, an’ he was pretty sure that mom and dad were proud of him for it too.
An’, most importantly right this moment, it meant he was fit an’ strong enough that he could make his way up this dang mountain without stumblin’ over his own shoes and slidin’ all the way back down to the bottom again.
It wasn’t an impossible accent, don’t get things all bent out of shape now, there wasn’t any way he’d have made it more’n a foot off the ground without this pathway. But try as whoever’d carved it out might, it wasn’t totally smooth an’ even; there were potholes and chunksa rock litterin’ the way up, waitin’ at the ready for someone to literal stumble upon ‘em and fall right on their butt. An’ it was steep too! Went pretty much straight up to the platform, no curvin’ round the mountain or zig-zaggin’ to make the journey slow but gentle; nah, this thing was a real thigh-burner, a proper test to see just how much air your lungs could fit in ‘em. Even with all the soccer practice he put in daily, Tatsumichi was still huffin’ and puffin’ by the time he reached the platform, placin’ his hand on one of the wooden posts to steady himself upright. Man, he did not envy anyone who wasn’t sports inclined if they wanted to come up here.
Someone, eh, lets say, like a girl wrapped in bloody bandages, top half lookin’ like a homemade Egyptian mummy costume.
“EY, yo, what the-”
Tatsumichi had come real close to leapin’ right outta his skin, and worse, inches away from bouncin’ his sorry behind back down the mountain again. His fingers wrapped tightly around the wooden post, nails diggin’ in, just about avoidin’ a real nasty tumble. It was a real nasty sight in front of him, that was for sure. Wet and bloody clothin’ hangin’ off the side of the platform. Medical supplies - mostly scissors and bandages and gorge - scattered all over the floor, like a doctor’d just thrown a major temper tantrum mid-surgery. An’, of course, the bloody horror movie monster herself, slumped over and lookin’ down into her lap.
He took a tentative step closer, one floorboard creakin’ under his sneaker as he did. He’d gone back on his promise durin’ the climb and stashed his gun into his bag; he sure as hell didn’t want the worst case scenario to occur and for it to slip outta his grip and skid all the way back down to earth again, after all. Now, though, it was back in his hand, knuckles bleachin’ as his fingers squeezed tight around the grip. Weren’t many places to hide up here, barely none at all in fact, but he still didn’t wanna be taken by surprise or nothin’, case this was some sorta ambush situation. And, damn it, that was Noriko, right? Shit, man, who’d do somethin’ like that to someone like her? Girl didn’t have a nasty bone in her entire body. She’d always been one of the few people outsidea the team - which, ey, just to be clear, he wasn’t bitter about or anythin’, new transfer student blues, he knew the deal - to talk to him like he’d always been parta the class.
“Ey, Nori, you… you okay?”
Felt like slappin’ himself on the forehead as soon as he’d opened his mouth. Yeah, bro, don’t worry about all the blood an’ everythin’, that was here when I got here, I just felt like takin’ a little nap for a bit. He crouched down a lil, tryin’ to get a better look at Noriko, an’ fortunately, thank God and all the other dudes up there, he could see her chest rise and fall, and he let out a big ol’ sigh of relief. Her breathin’ still had a harsh edge to it, and the bandages were a real rush job, pretty obviously done by herself; they’d need changin’ real quick, which was kinda a problem given it looked like she’d used almost the entire roll already.
But it coulda been worse. Coulda been a lot lot worse.
Only question was, what was he gonna do now? Obviously he wasn’t just gonna up and leave her here, it’d take a real heartless asshole to do that, y’hear? His own breathin’ was pretty heavy too, and he didn’t wanna know what his feet were gonna look like underneath the veil of sneakers and socks; that blister was a real nasty one. Floppin’ to the ground and takin’ a well-earned rest, man, that sounded real nice right now.
But… eh…
Tatsumichi walked over to the edge of the platform, just next to where Noriko’s clothes were dryin’, leanin’ out and lookin’ over the side. Bird’s die view. Anyone tried to creep up on them, or make their way towards ‘em, he’d spot them before anyone else.
He shot a glance to the side, makin’ sure Noriko was still with him, before he continued goin’ back to guard duty.
An’, most importantly right this moment, it meant he was fit an’ strong enough that he could make his way up this dang mountain without stumblin’ over his own shoes and slidin’ all the way back down to the bottom again.
It wasn’t an impossible accent, don’t get things all bent out of shape now, there wasn’t any way he’d have made it more’n a foot off the ground without this pathway. But try as whoever’d carved it out might, it wasn’t totally smooth an’ even; there were potholes and chunksa rock litterin’ the way up, waitin’ at the ready for someone to literal stumble upon ‘em and fall right on their butt. An’ it was steep too! Went pretty much straight up to the platform, no curvin’ round the mountain or zig-zaggin’ to make the journey slow but gentle; nah, this thing was a real thigh-burner, a proper test to see just how much air your lungs could fit in ‘em. Even with all the soccer practice he put in daily, Tatsumichi was still huffin’ and puffin’ by the time he reached the platform, placin’ his hand on one of the wooden posts to steady himself upright. Man, he did not envy anyone who wasn’t sports inclined if they wanted to come up here.
Someone, eh, lets say, like a girl wrapped in bloody bandages, top half lookin’ like a homemade Egyptian mummy costume.
“EY, yo, what the-”
Tatsumichi had come real close to leapin’ right outta his skin, and worse, inches away from bouncin’ his sorry behind back down the mountain again. His fingers wrapped tightly around the wooden post, nails diggin’ in, just about avoidin’ a real nasty tumble. It was a real nasty sight in front of him, that was for sure. Wet and bloody clothin’ hangin’ off the side of the platform. Medical supplies - mostly scissors and bandages and gorge - scattered all over the floor, like a doctor’d just thrown a major temper tantrum mid-surgery. An’, of course, the bloody horror movie monster herself, slumped over and lookin’ down into her lap.
He took a tentative step closer, one floorboard creakin’ under his sneaker as he did. He’d gone back on his promise durin’ the climb and stashed his gun into his bag; he sure as hell didn’t want the worst case scenario to occur and for it to slip outta his grip and skid all the way back down to earth again, after all. Now, though, it was back in his hand, knuckles bleachin’ as his fingers squeezed tight around the grip. Weren’t many places to hide up here, barely none at all in fact, but he still didn’t wanna be taken by surprise or nothin’, case this was some sorta ambush situation. And, damn it, that was Noriko, right? Shit, man, who’d do somethin’ like that to someone like her? Girl didn’t have a nasty bone in her entire body. She’d always been one of the few people outsidea the team - which, ey, just to be clear, he wasn’t bitter about or anythin’, new transfer student blues, he knew the deal - to talk to him like he’d always been parta the class.
“Ey, Nori, you… you okay?”
Felt like slappin’ himself on the forehead as soon as he’d opened his mouth. Yeah, bro, don’t worry about all the blood an’ everythin’, that was here when I got here, I just felt like takin’ a little nap for a bit. He crouched down a lil, tryin’ to get a better look at Noriko, an’ fortunately, thank God and all the other dudes up there, he could see her chest rise and fall, and he let out a big ol’ sigh of relief. Her breathin’ still had a harsh edge to it, and the bandages were a real rush job, pretty obviously done by herself; they’d need changin’ real quick, which was kinda a problem given it looked like she’d used almost the entire roll already.
But it coulda been worse. Coulda been a lot lot worse.
Only question was, what was he gonna do now? Obviously he wasn’t just gonna up and leave her here, it’d take a real heartless asshole to do that, y’hear? His own breathin’ was pretty heavy too, and he didn’t wanna know what his feet were gonna look like underneath the veil of sneakers and socks; that blister was a real nasty one. Floppin’ to the ground and takin’ a well-earned rest, man, that sounded real nice right now.
But… eh…
Tatsumichi walked over to the edge of the platform, just next to where Noriko’s clothes were dryin’, leanin’ out and lookin’ over the side. Bird’s die view. Anyone tried to creep up on them, or make their way towards ‘em, he’d spot them before anyone else.
He shot a glance to the side, makin’ sure Noriko was still with him, before he continued goin’ back to guard duty.
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DerArknight
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A few seconds after he had done so, Noriko meticoulously raised her head high enough to see who she was dealing with.
Tatsumichi Oki. Classmate. Transfer student. Athlete. Someone she was friendly with in the same manner she was friendly with almost everyone in the class.
It would be easy to kill him right now.
His back was turned to her. Pulling the Beretta out of her handbag would take one second. Aiming it at him would take two more. After a fourth, he would fall to the ground just like Megumi. Since he was standing close to the edge of the platform, he would probably fall off and down the entire slope, so she wouldn't even have to deal with looking at what she had done.
Noriko's right hand twitched.
Then it exited the handbag, no gun in sight. With both hands, she shoved herself into a more upright position.
"T-Tatsu." Her voice was barely above a whisper. "Are we alone?"
Tatsumichi Oki. Classmate. Transfer student. Athlete. Someone she was friendly with in the same manner she was friendly with almost everyone in the class.
It would be easy to kill him right now.
His back was turned to her. Pulling the Beretta out of her handbag would take one second. Aiming it at him would take two more. After a fourth, he would fall to the ground just like Megumi. Since he was standing close to the edge of the platform, he would probably fall off and down the entire slope, so she wouldn't even have to deal with looking at what she had done.
Noriko's right hand twitched.
Then it exited the handbag, no gun in sight. With both hands, she shoved herself into a more upright position.
"T-Tatsu." Her voice was barely above a whisper. "Are we alone?"
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Pippi
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Man, this island was real impressive lookin’, now he was stood at the top of the sky, gazin’ down upon it all.
It was the kinda place that Tatsumichi had always imagined that rich folks would run off to for a lil while, when they wanted a break an’ some peace and quiet. Like, not the ultra super rich types, not the bazillionaires an’ all that; his gramps had a point, when you got to a particular level of wealth, somethin’ snapped inside of you and you had to be the center of attention at all times, so even when you retreated to get some ‘solitude’, it was to some fancy tropical island with swimmin’ pools and a legion of waitin’ staff and cameras perfectly positioned to capture your best side at every opportunity.
Nah, he was talkin’ about, like, those authors and baseball players who weren’t the superstars of their team, the folks who made pretty dang good bank but weren’t in the public eye 24/7, who could take a break on a semi-remote island with a population of, like, 250 people, an’ maybe a couple guys would be like “Hey, ain’t you that one dude from that one thing?” but sides from that, you were free to relax and take in all the sights. The sea was a real deep blue today. There was forests an’ greenery all over the place, way more than Tatsumichi had ever seen before in his life. The air was totally clear; felt like he was drinkin’ a big ol’ glass of ice water every time he took a breath.
Ey, y’know, if this’d been where the class’d been supposed to for their field trip, he sure wouldn’t have minded that one bit.
Now, that ship had well an’ truly sailed (and boy, did he wish he’d been onboard when it had), no need ta go over that guff once more, but thinkin’ about this island like that, like what it mighta been this time last year, yeah, it was helpin’. His lil selfcare plan was workin’ out. He was breathin’ in this mountain air, an’ it was fillin’ up his lungs, and it felt like… like… aah, he was no good at that simaling and metaphor junk. He felt calm, that was the bottle line. Bad shit was happenin’ all around him, but he was real confident that he could make things a lil less shit. Weren’t anythin’ that could totally rattle him, not even, eh, a bloody an’ bandaged-up girl with a real nasty wound in her shoulder.
An’ hey, speaka the devil.
“‘Ey, yo, Nori,” he said, turnin’ around to look at her, deep voice as gentle as he could get it - which, eh, was still pretty rougharound the edges, but, ‘ey, he was tryin’, yeah?
“Yeah, ‘s just us up here ‘n all,” he continued, takin’ a slow an’ measured step closer to her. His pistol was pointin’ right down at the ground, an’ he was remindin’ himself every now an’ then; right hand gun, left hand empty. Wasn’t gonna be wavin’ a deadly weapon around absent-mindedly no more, no sir!
“Been lookin’ down the mountain path since I got here, eh, a few minutes back? Ain’t nobody come up or nothin’. Should be safe, yeah?”
There was a real wistful smile driftin’ onto his face right about now. Was good to hear someone call him Tatsu again, y’know? Normally that was a shortenin’ that nobody outsides the team or his gramps called him, but Noriko had always been real good at keepin’ up with everyone’s nicknames an’ stuff like that. He’d always ‘ppreciated it, bein’ honest, made him feel a ton more welcome than bein’ treated all formal like, ‘sif he was some important school guest or somethin’.
“‘Ey, but, you good to be movin’ like that?” Tatsumichi asked, lil smile bein’ replaced with a lil frown as he spoke. “Y’don’t gotta force anythin’ if you don’t need to, that wound looks real nasty, so just like, take things slow an’ easy for now, yeah?”
It was the kinda place that Tatsumichi had always imagined that rich folks would run off to for a lil while, when they wanted a break an’ some peace and quiet. Like, not the ultra super rich types, not the bazillionaires an’ all that; his gramps had a point, when you got to a particular level of wealth, somethin’ snapped inside of you and you had to be the center of attention at all times, so even when you retreated to get some ‘solitude’, it was to some fancy tropical island with swimmin’ pools and a legion of waitin’ staff and cameras perfectly positioned to capture your best side at every opportunity.
Nah, he was talkin’ about, like, those authors and baseball players who weren’t the superstars of their team, the folks who made pretty dang good bank but weren’t in the public eye 24/7, who could take a break on a semi-remote island with a population of, like, 250 people, an’ maybe a couple guys would be like “Hey, ain’t you that one dude from that one thing?” but sides from that, you were free to relax and take in all the sights. The sea was a real deep blue today. There was forests an’ greenery all over the place, way more than Tatsumichi had ever seen before in his life. The air was totally clear; felt like he was drinkin’ a big ol’ glass of ice water every time he took a breath.
Ey, y’know, if this’d been where the class’d been supposed to for their field trip, he sure wouldn’t have minded that one bit.
Now, that ship had well an’ truly sailed (and boy, did he wish he’d been onboard when it had), no need ta go over that guff once more, but thinkin’ about this island like that, like what it mighta been this time last year, yeah, it was helpin’. His lil selfcare plan was workin’ out. He was breathin’ in this mountain air, an’ it was fillin’ up his lungs, and it felt like… like… aah, he was no good at that simaling and metaphor junk. He felt calm, that was the bottle line. Bad shit was happenin’ all around him, but he was real confident that he could make things a lil less shit. Weren’t anythin’ that could totally rattle him, not even, eh, a bloody an’ bandaged-up girl with a real nasty wound in her shoulder.
An’ hey, speaka the devil.
“‘Ey, yo, Nori,” he said, turnin’ around to look at her, deep voice as gentle as he could get it - which, eh, was still pretty rougharound the edges, but, ‘ey, he was tryin’, yeah?
“Yeah, ‘s just us up here ‘n all,” he continued, takin’ a slow an’ measured step closer to her. His pistol was pointin’ right down at the ground, an’ he was remindin’ himself every now an’ then; right hand gun, left hand empty. Wasn’t gonna be wavin’ a deadly weapon around absent-mindedly no more, no sir!
“Been lookin’ down the mountain path since I got here, eh, a few minutes back? Ain’t nobody come up or nothin’. Should be safe, yeah?”
There was a real wistful smile driftin’ onto his face right about now. Was good to hear someone call him Tatsu again, y’know? Normally that was a shortenin’ that nobody outsides the team or his gramps called him, but Noriko had always been real good at keepin’ up with everyone’s nicknames an’ stuff like that. He’d always ‘ppreciated it, bein’ honest, made him feel a ton more welcome than bein’ treated all formal like, ‘sif he was some important school guest or somethin’.
“‘Ey, but, you good to be movin’ like that?” Tatsumichi asked, lil smile bein’ replaced with a lil frown as he spoke. “Y’don’t gotta force anythin’ if you don’t need to, that wound looks real nasty, so just like, take things slow an’ easy for now, yeah?”
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DerArknight
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How was she supposed to take it slow and easy?
Any moment now, Fumiyo could come running up the mountain, thirsty for revenge. Or whoever saw her murder of Megumi. Or anyone else looking to pave their way off this island. Because if Noriko could pull the trigger, anyone could.
"I would like to ask for a favor." She spoke. "There was this announcement some time ago. I missed the first part. Did you write up the Forbidden Zones?"
Within five seconds, her eyes wandered from Tatsumichi to his gun to the air behind him to his gun and back to him. Only then was the silence broken.
"And could you please... look at the wound? I think I messed up the bandages a bit, but I can't see my back."
As she shifted forward a little so he would be able to examine her shoulder, she felt the net made out of skin, flesh and dozen other biological components shift as well.
Noriko feared what would happen to her once the painkillers wore off.
Any moment now, Fumiyo could come running up the mountain, thirsty for revenge. Or whoever saw her murder of Megumi. Or anyone else looking to pave their way off this island. Because if Noriko could pull the trigger, anyone could.
"I would like to ask for a favor." She spoke. "There was this announcement some time ago. I missed the first part. Did you write up the Forbidden Zones?"
Within five seconds, her eyes wandered from Tatsumichi to his gun to the air behind him to his gun and back to him. Only then was the silence broken.
"And could you please... look at the wound? I think I messed up the bandages a bit, but I can't see my back."
As she shifted forward a little so he would be able to examine her shoulder, she felt the net made out of skin, flesh and dozen other biological components shift as well.
Noriko feared what would happen to her once the painkillers wore off.
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Pippi
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“Ah, jeez, that ain’t good. You really been through the wars, eh?”
The frown on Tatsumichi’s face grew even deeper, carvin’ a rough lil groove made outta wrinkles in-between his eyes, as he knelt down in fronta Nori. He knew the announcement had played at the crack of dawn, but them loudspeakers had been loud enough to rake the dead. Was pretty hard to miss ‘em. Either Noriko was the heaviest damn sleeper in the wholea Shiroiwa, or she’d been in some real deep shit while they’d been playin’. He couldn’t shake a vision of her, driftin’ in an’ outta consciousness all mornin’ long, up here all alone. Man, he’d asked himself this before, but the hell had happened to this girl in sucha short space of time?
It was a real rotten thing to consider, an’ he really didn’t like thinkin’ ‘bout his classmates this way, but… coulda been someone had taken one look’t someone as friendly an’ harmless as Nori, an’ gone “There’s someone who ain’t gonna fight back. There’s my ticket outta here.”
Was a possibility, that was for damn sure. Specially considerin’ there weren’t no way of avoidin’ the fact that people had been killed already. But he couldn’t know for certain, and worryin’ over it ad mausoleum wasn’t gonna do a single thing for him right now. ‘Stead, he went an’ dug the map from outta his pocket, unfoldin’ it and layin’ it out mostly flat inbetween them both. He hadn’t folded it up properly when he’d put it away, back at the foot of the mountain, so it was totally loaded with creases, but, eh, it was still pretty much readable. Least, he thought it was.
“Well, I ain’t written anythin’ down or nothin’, but don’t you worry, eh?” Tatsumichi looked up from the map, tappin’ the side of his head with his index finger. “Got it all sorted and memorised inside here.”
He had a knack for that sorta thing an’ all. Not so much when it came to science facts an’ the like, damn things had a habita fallin’ right out of his brain whenever he sat down to take a pop quiz, but he could recite a whole host’a soccer facts at the drop of a rat, he could remember all of his family an’ friends’ birthdays an’ their favourite meals an’ everythin’ else they liked, an’ whatever instructions coach gave ‘em in the locker room, he could pull ‘em off no problem on the pitch. All those Battleship numbers that Sack of Mochi had spewed out? Yeah, Tatsumichi could remember ‘em, no problem.
Mostly.
“Aight, so, this place is a no-go,” Tatsumichi said, crossin’ out each section of the map one by one as he spoke. “An’ so’s here… an’ here… this place too… that one… an’... eh…”
Ah, dang it. Course, there had to be one that was hangin’ just outsidea his memory, teasin’ him, right at the final hurdle. He knew it was gotta be onea the boxes on the ‘F’ row, he could remember that bit, but the number was just totally escapin’ him, no matter how hard he tried. Couldn’t even automatically knock off any of the numbers for bein’ in the middle of the ocean, cause ‘F’ was slap bang in the middle of the damn island.
“Here.”
Tatsumichi injected some totally unearned confidence into his voice, puttin’ a big, firm X right through the house with the concrete wall. Seemed likely a place as any for these guys to stop ‘em from bunkerin’ down in, yeah? Nice big house, maybe got some supplies an’ stuff in it still, with a wall to keep you all protected surroundin’ it? Yeesh, yeah, that’d be the sorta cruel joke that bastard seemed libel to play on ‘em.
“There, that’s all of ‘em,” he said, noddin’, lookin’ back up at Noriko as he folded the map into a pocket-sized square once more. “Oh, yeah, an’ your bandages, right! Eh… well…”
He scratched the back of his neck as he spoke, shufflin’ a little closer to her, but lookin’ ‘bout as confident as a deer on ice. Or a… a… a himself in an examination hall, yeah. Now, it weren’t the bandages that were givin’ him pause, no sir. If Nori had been up here since, eh, midnight, then they were definitely in needa changin’, an’ anythin’ he could do to help, he was ready to do it. Just that, eh… y’know…
“You, eh, sure you’re okay with me lookin’ at it? Wouldn’t rather have, eh, onea the other girls do it instead?”
The frown on Tatsumichi’s face grew even deeper, carvin’ a rough lil groove made outta wrinkles in-between his eyes, as he knelt down in fronta Nori. He knew the announcement had played at the crack of dawn, but them loudspeakers had been loud enough to rake the dead. Was pretty hard to miss ‘em. Either Noriko was the heaviest damn sleeper in the wholea Shiroiwa, or she’d been in some real deep shit while they’d been playin’. He couldn’t shake a vision of her, driftin’ in an’ outta consciousness all mornin’ long, up here all alone. Man, he’d asked himself this before, but the hell had happened to this girl in sucha short space of time?
It was a real rotten thing to consider, an’ he really didn’t like thinkin’ ‘bout his classmates this way, but… coulda been someone had taken one look’t someone as friendly an’ harmless as Nori, an’ gone “There’s someone who ain’t gonna fight back. There’s my ticket outta here.”
Was a possibility, that was for damn sure. Specially considerin’ there weren’t no way of avoidin’ the fact that people had been killed already. But he couldn’t know for certain, and worryin’ over it ad mausoleum wasn’t gonna do a single thing for him right now. ‘Stead, he went an’ dug the map from outta his pocket, unfoldin’ it and layin’ it out mostly flat inbetween them both. He hadn’t folded it up properly when he’d put it away, back at the foot of the mountain, so it was totally loaded with creases, but, eh, it was still pretty much readable. Least, he thought it was.
“Well, I ain’t written anythin’ down or nothin’, but don’t you worry, eh?” Tatsumichi looked up from the map, tappin’ the side of his head with his index finger. “Got it all sorted and memorised inside here.”
He had a knack for that sorta thing an’ all. Not so much when it came to science facts an’ the like, damn things had a habita fallin’ right out of his brain whenever he sat down to take a pop quiz, but he could recite a whole host’a soccer facts at the drop of a rat, he could remember all of his family an’ friends’ birthdays an’ their favourite meals an’ everythin’ else they liked, an’ whatever instructions coach gave ‘em in the locker room, he could pull ‘em off no problem on the pitch. All those Battleship numbers that Sack of Mochi had spewed out? Yeah, Tatsumichi could remember ‘em, no problem.
Mostly.
“Aight, so, this place is a no-go,” Tatsumichi said, crossin’ out each section of the map one by one as he spoke. “An’ so’s here… an’ here… this place too… that one… an’... eh…”
Ah, dang it. Course, there had to be one that was hangin’ just outsidea his memory, teasin’ him, right at the final hurdle. He knew it was gotta be onea the boxes on the ‘F’ row, he could remember that bit, but the number was just totally escapin’ him, no matter how hard he tried. Couldn’t even automatically knock off any of the numbers for bein’ in the middle of the ocean, cause ‘F’ was slap bang in the middle of the damn island.
“Here.”
Tatsumichi injected some totally unearned confidence into his voice, puttin’ a big, firm X right through the house with the concrete wall. Seemed likely a place as any for these guys to stop ‘em from bunkerin’ down in, yeah? Nice big house, maybe got some supplies an’ stuff in it still, with a wall to keep you all protected surroundin’ it? Yeesh, yeah, that’d be the sorta cruel joke that bastard seemed libel to play on ‘em.
“There, that’s all of ‘em,” he said, noddin’, lookin’ back up at Noriko as he folded the map into a pocket-sized square once more. “Oh, yeah, an’ your bandages, right! Eh… well…”
He scratched the back of his neck as he spoke, shufflin’ a little closer to her, but lookin’ ‘bout as confident as a deer on ice. Or a… a… a himself in an examination hall, yeah. Now, it weren’t the bandages that were givin’ him pause, no sir. If Nori had been up here since, eh, midnight, then they were definitely in needa changin’, an’ anythin’ he could do to help, he was ready to do it. Just that, eh… y’know…
“You, eh, sure you’re okay with me lookin’ at it? Wouldn’t rather have, eh, onea the other girls do it instead?”
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DerArknight
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E-9 and J-2.
That were the two Zones Noriko had missed, and she was grateful for finally knowing them. At least that danger was gone for now.
Wittnessing the last cross made her raise an eyebrow. Wasn't F-1 the last Forbidden Zone?
"Thanks," she muttered anyway. "And I don't want to risk waiting for the chance of another girl to come by. Maybe you need to help me clean the places I can't reach on my back. Waiting could make the wound worse."
That was almost the full extend of Noriko's knowledge in wounds. On any other day, she would have asked Fumiyo, the nurse's aid of the class, for some more info. Noriko thought that it would have been nice to peacefully talk with Fumiyo right now.
Or with Megumi.
Or with Keita.
Forcing her thoughts back to the present, she leaned forwards a little so Tatsumichi would have an easier time doing his thing.
"Just don't do anything indecent, okay? I trust you," she lied.
That were the two Zones Noriko had missed, and she was grateful for finally knowing them. At least that danger was gone for now.
Wittnessing the last cross made her raise an eyebrow. Wasn't F-1 the last Forbidden Zone?
"Thanks," she muttered anyway. "And I don't want to risk waiting for the chance of another girl to come by. Maybe you need to help me clean the places I can't reach on my back. Waiting could make the wound worse."
That was almost the full extend of Noriko's knowledge in wounds. On any other day, she would have asked Fumiyo, the nurse's aid of the class, for some more info. Noriko thought that it would have been nice to peacefully talk with Fumiyo right now.
Or with Megumi.
Or with Keita.
Forcing her thoughts back to the present, she leaned forwards a little so Tatsumichi would have an easier time doing his thing.
"Just don't do anything indecent, okay? I trust you," she lied.
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Pippi
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“Ah, eh, yeah, you got a point there.”
Nori was right; obviously she was, y’know? Weren’t enough time to wait for anyone to me-amber their way up this mountainside, not just another girl. No guarantees that the next girl who popped her head ‘round the entrance to this lookout wasn’t gonna be trouble, either. Or, ah hell, that she wouldn’t be the gal who’d done this whole nasty business in the first place, lookin’ to finish off the job. Yep, weren’t no reasonable way Tatsumichi could just hand this off to someone else, and he’d known that well and good too.
Still. Weren’t no way of hidin’ the heat that was makin’ its way to his face right now, as he shuffled round ‘til he was behind Noriko. She really didn’t haveta remind him not to try anythin’ on; that was exactly what he was focusin’ on avoidin’ doin’ accidentally.
“You can count on me, eh?” Tatsumichi said, draggin’ the medical bag and a bottle of water from his own pack with him. “I gotcha back.”
“... Eh, no joke intended or nothin’...”
Now, Tatsumichi weren’t a medical save ant or nothin’, but once again, his time on the soccer team was provin’ its worth. He’d had a front row seat to more than a few bandaged limbs an’ clean-up jobs for blood an’ grit; been a participant in the latter, a real nasty slidin’ tackle that had dislodged his shin-pad an’ left bloody stud marks all up his ankle. Not quite a bullet wound, eh, true, but the principle was the same. Washin’ the wound up first, bandage’ it nice and neat second.
And eesh, this was a real mess back here. Not just the blood, though that was obviously bad enough, but the bandages looked exactly like what you’d probably expect, from someone tryin’ to wrap ‘em around ‘emselves.
“Ey, this might sting a bit, alright?” Tatsumichi muttered, pourin’ some water into one cotton pad, an’ a little dose of medical alcohol into another. “So, eh, lemme know if it gets too painful or anythin’, yeah?”
Some of the blood came away easy, but most of it had gotten all dried up, onto her skin and the bandages too. He put a lil more force into his scrubbin’, not too much, realisin’ just how much stronger he was than her an’ all. Had to push some of the bandages up an’ outta the way in order to get at the wound. He tried lookin’ up at the ceilin’, and then down at the bandages in his lap, but man, it wasn’t easy to dress up a wound when you couldn’t even see it, y’know?
“So how’d you get yourself into this state, then, eh?”
The words came outta genuine concern, and an interest in knowin’ exactly what had gone down while he was busy gettin’ lost in the woods, but they were also a real good way at distractin’ him from the task he was doin’ his best at.
“Only person I ran into until you was Izumi and, eh, she weren’t really in a talkin’ mood. Don’t really know what anyone’s up to right now, y’see?”
Silence descended upon the viewing platform, punctuated only by the snippin’ of scissors, as lengths of gauze an’ bandages were sliced into more manageable lengths.
“Ah, you don’t gotta tell me anythin’ either, if you don’t wanna. Promise. Don’t wanna make you bring up any bad memories or nothin’, alright?”
‘Specially cause what was comin’ next probably wasn’t gonna be real fun either. Tatsumichi scrunched his eyes shut, an’ braced himself, as he pressed the alcohol pad against Noriko’s shoulder.
Nori was right; obviously she was, y’know? Weren’t enough time to wait for anyone to me-amber their way up this mountainside, not just another girl. No guarantees that the next girl who popped her head ‘round the entrance to this lookout wasn’t gonna be trouble, either. Or, ah hell, that she wouldn’t be the gal who’d done this whole nasty business in the first place, lookin’ to finish off the job. Yep, weren’t no reasonable way Tatsumichi could just hand this off to someone else, and he’d known that well and good too.
Still. Weren’t no way of hidin’ the heat that was makin’ its way to his face right now, as he shuffled round ‘til he was behind Noriko. She really didn’t haveta remind him not to try anythin’ on; that was exactly what he was focusin’ on avoidin’ doin’ accidentally.
“You can count on me, eh?” Tatsumichi said, draggin’ the medical bag and a bottle of water from his own pack with him. “I gotcha back.”
“... Eh, no joke intended or nothin’...”
Now, Tatsumichi weren’t a medical save ant or nothin’, but once again, his time on the soccer team was provin’ its worth. He’d had a front row seat to more than a few bandaged limbs an’ clean-up jobs for blood an’ grit; been a participant in the latter, a real nasty slidin’ tackle that had dislodged his shin-pad an’ left bloody stud marks all up his ankle. Not quite a bullet wound, eh, true, but the principle was the same. Washin’ the wound up first, bandage’ it nice and neat second.
And eesh, this was a real mess back here. Not just the blood, though that was obviously bad enough, but the bandages looked exactly like what you’d probably expect, from someone tryin’ to wrap ‘em around ‘emselves.
“Ey, this might sting a bit, alright?” Tatsumichi muttered, pourin’ some water into one cotton pad, an’ a little dose of medical alcohol into another. “So, eh, lemme know if it gets too painful or anythin’, yeah?”
Some of the blood came away easy, but most of it had gotten all dried up, onto her skin and the bandages too. He put a lil more force into his scrubbin’, not too much, realisin’ just how much stronger he was than her an’ all. Had to push some of the bandages up an’ outta the way in order to get at the wound. He tried lookin’ up at the ceilin’, and then down at the bandages in his lap, but man, it wasn’t easy to dress up a wound when you couldn’t even see it, y’know?
“So how’d you get yourself into this state, then, eh?”
The words came outta genuine concern, and an interest in knowin’ exactly what had gone down while he was busy gettin’ lost in the woods, but they were also a real good way at distractin’ him from the task he was doin’ his best at.
“Only person I ran into until you was Izumi and, eh, she weren’t really in a talkin’ mood. Don’t really know what anyone’s up to right now, y’see?”
Silence descended upon the viewing platform, punctuated only by the snippin’ of scissors, as lengths of gauze an’ bandages were sliced into more manageable lengths.
“Ah, you don’t gotta tell me anythin’ either, if you don’t wanna. Promise. Don’t wanna make you bring up any bad memories or nothin’, alright?”
‘Specially cause what was comin’ next probably wasn’t gonna be real fun either. Tatsumichi scrunched his eyes shut, an’ braced himself, as he pressed the alcohol pad against Noriko’s shoulder.
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DerArknight
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It hurt.
Not as much as waking up in the classroom and realizing what was going on.
Not as much as recognizing Megumi's face in the short moment that it was illuminated by the shoot.
Not as much as seeing Keita explode.
Not as much as it would once the meds wore off.
But it still hurt. A lot.
Noriko grit her teeth, not responding to Tatsumichi's flood of chatter. Maybe then it would end faster.
Not as much as waking up in the classroom and realizing what was going on.
Not as much as recognizing Megumi's face in the short moment that it was illuminated by the shoot.
Not as much as seeing Keita explode.
Not as much as it would once the meds wore off.
But it still hurt. A lot.
Noriko grit her teeth, not responding to Tatsumichi's flood of chatter. Maybe then it would end faster.
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Pippi
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He could feel Nori flinchin’ against his hands, her body tensin’ all up as he held the alcohol pad firm ‘gainst her back, but ‘sides from that, she didn’t give any other sign that she was hurtin’ from this. No cries of pain or nothin’, not even that familiar, sharp, hissin’ intake of breath. Bein’ honest, he was real impressed. He’d played alongside big guys on the team who’d bawl like a baby at the gentlest of tackles, then howl bloody murder soon as the magic sponge got brought out.
Girl was made of real tough stuff, that was for damn certain. Guess you had to be, takin’ a bullet to the shoulder and keepin’ on truckin’ like this. He’d wasn’t the kinda guy to look down on a girl just cause she was a girl anyhow, but he’d be a real fool to do so in Nori’s case.
“There we go, eh?” Tatsumichi said, pullin’ the cotton pad away and wipin’ Noriko’s back dry with the side not currently soaked through in medical alcohol. “Think that’s the worst part over with now, yeah?”
Man, was he ever glad he’d gone ahead an’ snipped those bandages into the right size ahead of time, eh? Meant this next stage would be a real singe. His own bandage job probably wasn’t gonna be a pretty one, but, eh, anythin’ would be a step up from the horribly bloody mess that Noriko had been sportin’ beforehand.
Tatsumichi worked in silence, wrappin’ up as much of Noriko as he dared, makin’ sure the wound was, at least, bein’ covered up. This stuff weren’t easy to do, even when you were on the right sidea the bleedin’, but he was managin’. Effect was less ‘Horror Movie Mummy’, not quite ‘Junior Surgeon’, definitely ‘Clumsy But Earnest,’ an’ he was pretty satisfied with reachin’ those lofty heights.
Now, she hadn’t answered none of his questions, he knew that. Couldn’t tell whether that was cause she was real distracted by the field surgery goin’ on behind her, or whether she pure an’ simple just didn’t wanna talk about what she’d been up to, an’ either way; it plain didn’t matter to him. She didn’t wanna talk? He weren’t gonna pry. Simple as that, eh?
“Alright, there we go,” Tatsumichi said, lettin’ out of a sigh of relief. “Good as new, fresh as a daisy an’ all that.”
He leaned back, shoulders bumpin’ into the wooden slats of the lookout post, head makin’ a gentle ‘clonk’ noise as it followed suit.
“Hey, you need anythin’ else doin’? If I can help out, I’m happy to do it.”
Girl was made of real tough stuff, that was for damn certain. Guess you had to be, takin’ a bullet to the shoulder and keepin’ on truckin’ like this. He’d wasn’t the kinda guy to look down on a girl just cause she was a girl anyhow, but he’d be a real fool to do so in Nori’s case.
“There we go, eh?” Tatsumichi said, pullin’ the cotton pad away and wipin’ Noriko’s back dry with the side not currently soaked through in medical alcohol. “Think that’s the worst part over with now, yeah?”
Man, was he ever glad he’d gone ahead an’ snipped those bandages into the right size ahead of time, eh? Meant this next stage would be a real singe. His own bandage job probably wasn’t gonna be a pretty one, but, eh, anythin’ would be a step up from the horribly bloody mess that Noriko had been sportin’ beforehand.
Tatsumichi worked in silence, wrappin’ up as much of Noriko as he dared, makin’ sure the wound was, at least, bein’ covered up. This stuff weren’t easy to do, even when you were on the right sidea the bleedin’, but he was managin’. Effect was less ‘Horror Movie Mummy’, not quite ‘Junior Surgeon’, definitely ‘Clumsy But Earnest,’ an’ he was pretty satisfied with reachin’ those lofty heights.
Now, she hadn’t answered none of his questions, he knew that. Couldn’t tell whether that was cause she was real distracted by the field surgery goin’ on behind her, or whether she pure an’ simple just didn’t wanna talk about what she’d been up to, an’ either way; it plain didn’t matter to him. She didn’t wanna talk? He weren’t gonna pry. Simple as that, eh?
“Alright, there we go,” Tatsumichi said, lettin’ out of a sigh of relief. “Good as new, fresh as a daisy an’ all that.”
He leaned back, shoulders bumpin’ into the wooden slats of the lookout post, head makin’ a gentle ‘clonk’ noise as it followed suit.
“Hey, you need anythin’ else doin’? If I can help out, I’m happy to do it.”
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DerArknight
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Anything else she needed?
She needed new clothes that weren't drenched in blood.
She needed to get the collar off.
She needed to get off this island.
She needed to see an actual doctor.
She needed a laywer.
She needed her mother to hug her.
Tatsumichi was a nice guy to treat her like that even in such a situation. But right now he couldn't give her anything she needed or wanted. Only the possibility of things turning sour if he stuck with her for longer and found out what she had been up to.
"... Thank you," she said, trying to make her voice sound like back in school.
Carefully, in case the bandages weren't wrapped that good after all, she stood up and grabbed her clothes. They had barely dried, but Noriko didn't care as long as they would protect her from the thorny side of mother nature.
"I think it is best if we part ways for now. There are some things I need to do, and I can do them better alone," Noriko spoke while reclothing herself, unsure how honest the last statement was. Then she remembered something.
"A few of us wanted to meet up at the shrine at C-4. To form a group for safety and to brainstorm ideas on how we can get out of here. They might still be around."
Was there any purpose in keeping that one promise? Noriko didn't know.
She needed new clothes that weren't drenched in blood.
She needed to get the collar off.
She needed to get off this island.
She needed to see an actual doctor.
She needed a laywer.
She needed her mother to hug her.
Tatsumichi was a nice guy to treat her like that even in such a situation. But right now he couldn't give her anything she needed or wanted. Only the possibility of things turning sour if he stuck with her for longer and found out what she had been up to.
"... Thank you," she said, trying to make her voice sound like back in school.
Carefully, in case the bandages weren't wrapped that good after all, she stood up and grabbed her clothes. They had barely dried, but Noriko didn't care as long as they would protect her from the thorny side of mother nature.
"I think it is best if we part ways for now. There are some things I need to do, and I can do them better alone," Noriko spoke while reclothing herself, unsure how honest the last statement was. Then she remembered something.
"A few of us wanted to meet up at the shrine at C-4. To form a group for safety and to brainstorm ideas on how we can get out of here. They might still be around."
Was there any purpose in keeping that one promise? Noriko didn't know.
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Pippi
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“Whoa, whoa, ‘ey, hol’ on a minute, yeah?”
Tatsumichi scrambled to his feet, followin’ up after Noriko, standin’ awkwardly nearby as she grabbed her clothes. Okay, yeah, he’d just been thinkin’ about how she was one tough cookie, but that sure didn’t mean he felt okay with her gettin’ up and headin’ down the mountain with a huge bloody hole in her shoulder, bandages or not! But even with all that in mind, now that he’d gone an’ made that intersection, he wasn’t totally sure how he was gonna follow it up.
“I mean, eh, course it’s good that you’re up an’ walkin’ like normal, but you sure you’re okay to do that? Last thing you wanna do is push yourself when you’re still injured, trust me, an’... y’know, eh…”
He faltered, then fell silent, foldin’ his arms as he looked cautiously over at Nori. What was it that his gramps said, every so often? “Sometimes, the nicest thing ya can do for a person, is to shove off an’ leave ‘em be!” Yeah, he figured that was pretty fittin’ for this situation. Girl had gone an’ gotten herself fully dressed, even as tiny drops of water dripped offa her clothes every now an’ then, splashin’ onto the ground. She had places to go, an’ things to do, an’ sure, stung a lil that she thought he’d slow her down for whatever it was she had to do. But, eh, not too much; he wasn’t gonna fool himself into thinkin’ he was gonna be able to help her out in any an’ all situations. Was only so many things he could apply from soccer to this situation, eh?
“... Eh, nah, my bad, yeah?” Tatsumichi muttered, shaking his head. “You know how you’re feelin’ more than I do, course. You feel like you’re good to move out, I ain’t gonna stop ya. Maybe I’ll head on over to that shrine real soon, see what’s up there. Guys could prob’ly do with a setta muscles to help out, yeah?”
He gave Noriko a lil grin. Couldn’t help but wonder exactly what those ‘some things’ happened to be, though. Girl was really keepin’ everythin’ under wraps, huh? Seemed like everyone he’d met so far - all two of ‘em, yeah, he knew - wasn’t totally willin’ to spill the beams just yet. Couldn’t say he totally blamed ‘em, of course - trust was somethin’ you had to earn, an’ whatever it was that Nori had gone through, that had obviously dented her measure of trust real badly.
Still though. That wonderin’ was gettin’ real strong, he couldn’t deny.
“... Hey, but, you stay safe out there, yeah? Don’t wanna hear your name on any of them announcements or nothin’, y’hear?”
Tatsumichi scrambled to his feet, followin’ up after Noriko, standin’ awkwardly nearby as she grabbed her clothes. Okay, yeah, he’d just been thinkin’ about how she was one tough cookie, but that sure didn’t mean he felt okay with her gettin’ up and headin’ down the mountain with a huge bloody hole in her shoulder, bandages or not! But even with all that in mind, now that he’d gone an’ made that intersection, he wasn’t totally sure how he was gonna follow it up.
“I mean, eh, course it’s good that you’re up an’ walkin’ like normal, but you sure you’re okay to do that? Last thing you wanna do is push yourself when you’re still injured, trust me, an’... y’know, eh…”
He faltered, then fell silent, foldin’ his arms as he looked cautiously over at Nori. What was it that his gramps said, every so often? “Sometimes, the nicest thing ya can do for a person, is to shove off an’ leave ‘em be!” Yeah, he figured that was pretty fittin’ for this situation. Girl had gone an’ gotten herself fully dressed, even as tiny drops of water dripped offa her clothes every now an’ then, splashin’ onto the ground. She had places to go, an’ things to do, an’ sure, stung a lil that she thought he’d slow her down for whatever it was she had to do. But, eh, not too much; he wasn’t gonna fool himself into thinkin’ he was gonna be able to help her out in any an’ all situations. Was only so many things he could apply from soccer to this situation, eh?
“... Eh, nah, my bad, yeah?” Tatsumichi muttered, shaking his head. “You know how you’re feelin’ more than I do, course. You feel like you’re good to move out, I ain’t gonna stop ya. Maybe I’ll head on over to that shrine real soon, see what’s up there. Guys could prob’ly do with a setta muscles to help out, yeah?”
He gave Noriko a lil grin. Couldn’t help but wonder exactly what those ‘some things’ happened to be, though. Girl was really keepin’ everythin’ under wraps, huh? Seemed like everyone he’d met so far - all two of ‘em, yeah, he knew - wasn’t totally willin’ to spill the beams just yet. Couldn’t say he totally blamed ‘em, of course - trust was somethin’ you had to earn, an’ whatever it was that Nori had gone through, that had obviously dented her measure of trust real badly.
Still though. That wonderin’ was gettin’ real strong, he couldn’t deny.
“... Hey, but, you stay safe out there, yeah? Don’t wanna hear your name on any of them announcements or nothin’, y’hear?”
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DerArknight
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"I will try. You too." Noriko asnwered, unsure of how honest this response was.
Her clothes felt like intruders on her skin, awkwardly wrapping around her body. She would need to find some new ones fast.
Worrying about clothes felt shallow and unimportant in this situation, but in comparison to everything else it was a goal she could actually see herself reaching, so that was her course for now.
"Take care," she spoke before setting foot on the grass of the mountain once more, quickly descending.
She would keep walking down the entire hill, never looking back and with her hand clutching the gun.
((Noriko Nakagawa continued in A Home Of Sorts))
Her clothes felt like intruders on her skin, awkwardly wrapping around her body. She would need to find some new ones fast.
Worrying about clothes felt shallow and unimportant in this situation, but in comparison to everything else it was a goal she could actually see herself reaching, so that was her course for now.
"Take care," she spoke before setting foot on the grass of the mountain once more, quickly descending.
She would keep walking down the entire hill, never looking back and with her hand clutching the gun.
((Noriko Nakagawa continued in A Home Of Sorts))
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Pippi
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He waited a lil bit for Nori to get a headstart down the mountain.
Few reasons he was waitin’ up here all by himself for a lil while longer, even when the stench of dried blood an’ damp wood was providin’ some real unpleasant company. There was only one path down the mountain, for a start, an’ it wasn’t like he was gonna be goin’ any further up; it woulda been all kindsa awkward to have said their fond farewells, only to end up walkin’ a couple feet away from each other. Like sayin’ bye to your pal at school, only to realise you were both goin’ down the same corridor.
Other main reason he was stayin’ up here was it gave him a real good vantage point to look down the path, bird’s eye view, eh? He could see, from his perch standin’ against the wooden slatted walls of the platform, Noriko walkin’ down the mountain all slow an’ steady like. Couldn’t tell whether she was goin’ so slow cause she was still in serious pain, or simply cause she didn’t wanna slip over an’ go tumblin’.
The gun was hidden behind the wood, held loosely in his hand an’ restin’ just against his leg. He kept his eyes peeled like, scannin’ the rocky landscape for the first sign of any baddies, lurkin’ in wait, ready to leap out an’ pounce on Nori. His foot started tappin’, rhythm of his leg makin’ the gun bounce in turn.
‘Ventually, Nori made it all the way down the mountain, without no nasties or nothin’ poppin’ out from behind a rock to try an’ take a rotshot at her. Tatsumichi let outta satisfied grunt, then a sigh of relief, adjustin’ his bag an’ makin’ sure all his belongin’s were present anaccounted for. He shoved his map an’ a decently-sharpened pencil into his pocket as well; seemed like his memory weren’t all that after all, eh?
“Well,” he muttered, to himself an’ the wind. “You better do your best out there, Nori, else I’ll be real upset an’ all.”
Back down the mountain he went. Destination? Eh. Who could say? Shrine-wards, maybe. Realistically, only the future knew that answer, an’ the future was a real tight-lipped sunnova.
((Tatsumichi Oki continued in When the seagulls follow the trawler))
Few reasons he was waitin’ up here all by himself for a lil while longer, even when the stench of dried blood an’ damp wood was providin’ some real unpleasant company. There was only one path down the mountain, for a start, an’ it wasn’t like he was gonna be goin’ any further up; it woulda been all kindsa awkward to have said their fond farewells, only to end up walkin’ a couple feet away from each other. Like sayin’ bye to your pal at school, only to realise you were both goin’ down the same corridor.
Other main reason he was stayin’ up here was it gave him a real good vantage point to look down the path, bird’s eye view, eh? He could see, from his perch standin’ against the wooden slatted walls of the platform, Noriko walkin’ down the mountain all slow an’ steady like. Couldn’t tell whether she was goin’ so slow cause she was still in serious pain, or simply cause she didn’t wanna slip over an’ go tumblin’.
The gun was hidden behind the wood, held loosely in his hand an’ restin’ just against his leg. He kept his eyes peeled like, scannin’ the rocky landscape for the first sign of any baddies, lurkin’ in wait, ready to leap out an’ pounce on Nori. His foot started tappin’, rhythm of his leg makin’ the gun bounce in turn.
‘Ventually, Nori made it all the way down the mountain, without no nasties or nothin’ poppin’ out from behind a rock to try an’ take a rotshot at her. Tatsumichi let outta satisfied grunt, then a sigh of relief, adjustin’ his bag an’ makin’ sure all his belongin’s were present anaccounted for. He shoved his map an’ a decently-sharpened pencil into his pocket as well; seemed like his memory weren’t all that after all, eh?
“Well,” he muttered, to himself an’ the wind. “You better do your best out there, Nori, else I’ll be real upset an’ all.”
Back down the mountain he went. Destination? Eh. Who could say? Shrine-wards, maybe. Realistically, only the future knew that answer, an’ the future was a real tight-lipped sunnova.
((Tatsumichi Oki continued in When the seagulls follow the trawler))