route_1065 | Everything we've loved has turned to stone

Entry tags:

Everything we've loved has turned to stone

Who: "Alice White"/Parker (

nostabbing); Kiyotaka Ishimaru (

ardent); Mondo Oowada (

diamondo)
Where: Route 36, en route to Goldenrod City
When: The evening of 8/21
Summary: What with so many new arrivals from Hope's Peak Academy, telling Alice what actually happened in the school is becoming a necessity, not an option. Contains spoilers for Dangan Ronpa.
Rating: Starting it at PG-13 due to swearing and discussion of dead teenagers; will adjust if necessary!
Log:

[They'd discussed it after they'd landed for the night.

The idea of going to pick up Celes was an uncomfortable one all around, but one that Ishimaru deemed completely necessary for his own well-being; he still wasn't sure how he should feel toward her in general, but for now he was doing a decent job of pushing through it. However, he couldn't trust her to not say something in front of Alice; even if it wasn't anything completely damning, she might say enough to make Alice ask questions that neither of them were prepared for. Just the same, he would have been willing to ask Celes to just remain quiet and actually pretend to be a decent person for two days and spend the next 48 hours running on sheer optimism alone if it weren't for Hagakure and Kuwata showing up.

Kuwata was angry beyond belief, something Ishimaru had inadvertantly not helped with (and in all honesty, he's still not sure what he did; he'll likely spend some time thinking on it, because that was...bad and he knows it, he's just not sure how to fix it and Kuwata is being stubborn as hell about answering his phone) but just the same couldn't fully blame him for; Hagakure meant well but tended to run his mouth without thinking about the consequences. The chances of someone saying something around Alice was suddenly much higher, then, if for no better reason than there were so many of them - she could overhear them talking or stumble into a sensitive topic conversationally (as she had with Naegi some time ago, apparently) - and in the end Ishimaru had pulled Oowada over and they'd decided that something needed to be said.

Of course, being the masters of conversational planning and general foresight that they are, they've only hashed out the most basic of guidelines by the time they go find her; there are some things that are Definitely Off-Limits, but the rest...they'll see how it goes. Ishimaru is less keyed-up than he was yesterday; it's hard to tell whether that's because he's genuinely calmed down or he's managed to overstimulate himself to the point of not feeling anything anymore - he seems to have spent the last damn he had to give on that fight with Kuwata and so he's been pretty comfortably numb for the better part of the day, which is a little confusing but not something he's going to question too much.]

Alice-san? We'd like to talk to you about something, if you have a moment - it's important.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I'm fucking fine! I can handle myself!!

[He's shaking and god does he want to lash out and hit something. But he promised Ishimaru no more violence, and besides, the only person he could really lash out and hit here is Ishimaru, and he doesn't want to hurt his brother.]

[Well, that escalated quickly.

Parker remembers all too well the last time she took a swing at Mondo, and she instantly recognizes the nuances of his stance and those tremors (body language is so much easier to read than verbal communication sometimes, not that they're really making the verbal half difficult either). And frankly, she's half unsettled and half just plain mad, because they just got done talking about this and now it's like they're going out of their way to give her an in-person demonstration so she can see firsthand what Mondo is like when he's angry.

And quite frankly, she's having none of it.

She knows she won't land a punch even if she tries, not when he's in a mood like this and expecting one. So she opts to use her position to her advantage, pivoting and bringing her legs sweeping around in a fast and practiced arc, slamming into the backs of his knees and carrying the momentum forward to sweep Mondo's legs out from under him.

Nor does she wait to see if he drops; as she continues the follow-through, she shoves herself up to her feet and rushes Ishimaru, ducking to get under his arm and grab him about the torso such that she can physically move him back about ten feet before stopping.]

Hey - !

[Oh, what the gently caress -

Honestly, Ishimaru is a bit too shocked to really process what the hell just happened with regards to Mondo, he just knows that something attacked him and that's quick to make his anger flare up, but before he can do anything about it Alice has grabbed him and he's very aware that fighting her is likely not a good idea.

Both because she's a woman and because she could probably kick his ass, um.

He stumbles a little once she's stopped, but it doesn't take him long to square off again - he's not angry, just...loud. As usual.]

Alice-san, that was uncalled for!

[Mondo certainly wasn't expecting that kick and he goes down instantly, landing hard on his back and losing his breath in the process. By the time he finally gets to his knees, Ishimaru has already stated exactly what he was thinking.]

What the fuck? I wasn't gonna fucking hurt him! He's my brother!

[Although uh, that hasn't stopped him from tackling Ishimaru to the ground before, but we don't mention that incident.]

Yeah, and I wouldn't hurt my brother, and guess what!

[Seriously, do you not...realize...how actually bad this looks when literally within the last five minutes we were talking about dead brothers and now all of a sudden you're claiming I'd never hurt my brother as a defense.

Seriously?

Seriously.

Though that doesn't mean you're off the hook either, Ishimaru.]

And you should stop yelling at him and just say that you're worried because you are and if you would just say that then maybe he wouldn't hear it wrong!

[And back to Mondo—]

And you should stop being stupid because talking to people is hard and he's bad at it!

[Seriously.]

Just stop!

[Ishimaru flinches sharply at that and he can feel his right hand starting to tic a bit, fluttering a bit at his side; he's quick to fold his arms across his chest, still looking irritable as hell but clearly having no real argument for that, either.

That said, he doesn't apologize, either, simply because it doesn't occur to him to; apologies have never been anything he does well.]

...Of course, Alice-san.

[Mondo flinches like he's been slapped. He doesn't move from where he's kneeling on the ground, instead staring down at his knees and trying to come up with something to say. Yes, he knows that was a bad defense. It's true though - they just don't know how Daiya died. For all they know he could have beaten his brother to death. That thought alone makes him flinch again, but he still doesn't look up.

He knows Ishimaru has trouble reading social cues. He's always thought that Ishimaru understood him better than anyone else because he's usually so open with his words. Has he really been confusing Ishimaru? He doesn't want to do that.

When he finally speaks, Mondo's voice is a lot softer than usual.]

I'm sorry. Shit, I'm sorry.

[He doesn't offer any excuses or explanations, just the apology.]

[She looks from Ishimaru to Mondo one more time, then draws a breath and tucks her head down a little; as she does so, it occurs to her that her hands are balled into fists, too, and she makes the conscious effort to unwind them and flex the fingers before trying to figure out what she's even supposed to say next.

Breathe.]

So do something about it.

[It's not accusatory, the way she says it; it's simple, and in a way, a little bit resigned.]

Okay?

...Yeah.

[Mondo finally looks up, trying to force a smile. It's not working.]

Sorry, kyoudai. I guess I just get really worked up hearing shit like that. I'll try not to let it bother me from now on, alright? And... and I know you worry about me and I'm sorry for... for being irresponsible and shit. I'm not gonna fight with Ryder anymore, but I am gonna keep sparring with Pierce. He knows what my limits are and I'll make sure not to go past 'em, okay? I won't come back covered in bruises anymore.

[He really doesn't want to worry Ishimaru, after all. Maybe he can get stronger just a little bit at a time instead of trying to force it all at once.]

[Those light tremors have turned into flat-out shaking by now, all of his nerves so tight that he's practically vibrating, and he doesn't know when the tears started but somewhere in the middle of Mondo's apology he becomes very aware that they have, and he's quick to form fists at his sides again when he responds, the words sharp and angry.]

If you know then why do you keep ignoring me when I try to get you to stop?!

[He knows that he's going against what Alice told him to do, to quit with the yelling and actually communicate, but he can't figure out how else to express any of this.]

I asked you to promise me that you wouldn't get yourself hurt like this anymore, and you did but you keep coming back like...like that, and - why did you lie to me?!

I--! It wasn't that bad!

[It does nothing to counter Ishimaru's words and he knows it, but he doesn't know what else to say. He's broken his promise to Ishimaru. Again. How many times is that now?

Instead of getting up, Mondo settles back on the ground, resting his hands on his knees. He tips his head downwards and as usual, his hair blocks his expression from being seen.]

I'm sorry, alright? That's all I can offer.

[He can't promise that he won't do anything like that again because there's a chance he'll break that promise. Not that it really matters; he doubts Ishimaru would trust anything he promises anymore anyway.]

[Right. Right.

That will just get him to storm right over and...well. Kneel in front of you and put his hands down on your shoulders there, Mondo, his grip firm.]

You need to stop.

[Even though the tears are still flowing rather openly and his gaze is downcast, his voice is firm and surprisingly even; the usual harsh edge behind his words has softened a bit.]

I-It's one of those things, isn't it, where it feels like if it hurts, you've done something. If there's pain, there's progress. And after a while the hurting is normal and it feels good because then you're making a lot of progress. Right?

You need to stop. It's not...it's not good. And it's scaring me, because I know that if I ever go home I'm going to lose you in a few hours and I don't want to lose you here too. Please.

[Mondo does look up after a moment, surprised that Ishimaru can accurately convey his thoughts on the matter. That isn't a good sign. If Ishimaru knows how this feels, then surely he's done something similar in the past? Maybe it wasn't physical pain, but seeing his brother in any sort of pain is enough to worry Mondo.

Like with Alice, the hug is very sudden and Mondo doesn't seem like he's going to let go any time soon. He almost reaches up to play with Ishimaru's hair to get him to calm down, but he hasn't forgotten that Alice is there and quite frankly, he doesn't want this to look weird. He's pretty sure that would look really weird. So instead he just hugs Ishimaru tightly, trying to console him as best he can.]

I'm so sorry. Fuck, you're right. You're exactly right. That's what it was - if I was in pain, I was doing it right. But I won't think like that anymore. I won't train like that anymore. You won't lose me here. I swear to fucking god you won't lose me here. I'll do everything in my power to keep that from happening.

[Ishimaru doesn't hesitate, as he usually does when he's pulled into some kind of embrace; he latches on immediately, his grip so tight against Mondo's shirt that his knuckles quickly begin turning white, and for a while he just remains that way, shuddering once in a while as he cries.

After a bit, though, he visibly starts to relax; god, it's been a long couple of days.]

I believe you, kyoudai.

[His words are a bit muffled there, but still.]

I...sorry. For. For yelling at you before.

[...]

...and insulting you.

[......]

...often.

[Mondo holds Ishimaru tightly, occasionally murmuring soft apologies. He doesn't let go when Ishimaru finally seems to get hold of himself, instead just reaching up to mess with his brother's hair. It's very obviously teasing as opposed to the hair-playing he'll do when they're alone.]

Hey, c'mon, it's alright! Though I'd appreciate it if you'd quit insulting me!

[Judging from his tone, he's still joking.]

It'll be alright, kyoudai. Everything'll be fine here.

[They're hugging it out. Hugging it out is good. Eliot and Hardison bicker with each other all the time and, while they're decidedly less adolescent and shouty versus a lot more sarcastic and exasperated, they care about each other and defend each other and hug it out in the end, too.

For morale, man.

Parker's stayed silent throughout this exchange, just kind of watching, and while they were preoccupied she'd shifted back over the fire to retrieve her stick and shuffle around the kindling, just as she'd been doing before.]

So what's a kyoudai, anyway?

[...YES, THESE ARE HER PRIORITIES.]

[...like you've grown a second head, Alice.]

What's a...?

[It takes him a while for the question to really register; for a minute there he's confused because he knows that you aren't like Dorumon, who had no concept of what a sibling even is.

And then the "Oh" sets in and we're good!]

Ah - it's a way of expressing that he's my brother, that's all!

[She does have a knack for incurring those looks, yes.]

Oh.

[Hmmm.]

Is there a girl version? Like...gyou...dai?

[...uh, well, while gyodai is certainly a thing, it's probably not something you want to be called, Alice...

Ishimaru just laughs at that a bit, though.]

Shimai. The word you want is shimai.

[Oh. Well, that makes sense. "She"-my. Like "She my sister", presumably, which while grammatically questionable does in fact get the point across.]

That's cool.

[She pokes at the fire one more time.]

And you guys are good now, right?

[Mondo's grinning now, clearly quite amused by what's been said.]

Yeah. We're good now. I'm sorry about all that.

[Both about losing his temper and everything they told Alice. It's a lot to deal with.]

Yes, we should be fine!

[...he's just kind of awkwardly draped on Mondo and there's been a lot of hair-ruffling and dudebros and she-mying

he's pretty sure we're cool now]

And you, are you all right?

[And because this is Parker, absolutely none of that draping or ruffling or dudebroing reads as weird in the least.

This is the girl who occasionally sniffs people as part of her greeting, after all.]

Maybe we can take you guys back to my world.

[It's quiet enough that it's entirely possible she didn't mean to say that out loud, but did. What follows it, though, is louder, and obviously meant for the two of them.]

Can you just tell me one thing? It's about the girl we're going to get.

[Ishimaru hears it, but he's not sure what to do with it; it's...actually not anything he'd considered as an option. But if they can find out what brings them here...

Alice's question pulls him out of his thoughts, however, before he can decide whether that would be a good idea or not; he tips his head a bit.]

What about her?

You said she's going to die soon.

[And you also said she's a bitch, which is primarily what's driving this question, because Parker can see how this could go either way.]

Did someone kill her for the game? Or was it the other way around and she got caught?

Everything we've loved has turned to stone

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