Just got to chase the pain away

[superordinary]

Who: Makoto Naegi (superordinary) and Kiyotaka Ishimaru (ardent)
Where: Ice Path (and Blackthorn later)
When: February 13th and onward
Summary: Two dangans and a bloober versus a cave full of ice. This will end in idiocy.
Rating: PG at the most. Also, spoilers for DR may come up.
Log:


[ When Mondo left Johto, Ishimaru couldn't stay there in the Dangan house anymore. He had to leave. So Naegi decided to go with him — letting him wander off on his own would be one hell of a bad idea and Naegi was quick to suggest that the two of them should go to Blackthorn City. He's heard many great things about the city's famed hot springs and getting the chance to soak and relax in the water would do them both good, he thinks. They've definitely earned it.

Now, what stands between them and their destination is the Ice Path and as the name implies, it's full of ice and snow. The inside of the cave is practically one giant thick sleet of ice with frosted stones on the ground and icicles adorning the ceiling, sparkling in the sunlight coming in from outside. It's actually rather beautiful, if you don't mind the perpetual chill.

The slimy little bloober that's been in their company for a total of thirty minutes seems to mind, however. The poor thing's freezing but for some bizarre reason it seems insistent on braving the cold instead of turning back. ]

...Hey, uh. That thing is still...following us, Ishimaru-kun.

Comments

[superordinary]

[ Meanwhile, Naegi is dressed decently for the cave; he is currently sporting a warm coat over the hoodie, combined with a scarf and a knit hat. His cheeks are tinted red and his breath is turning into wispy smoke in the cold air. ]

Food, maybe? But I don't think this is its natural habitat.

[ardent]

[Ishimaru just keeps staring at the thing, as though trying to work out what he thinks of it; he's doing that thing where he's going quiet for a bit too long again, but he'll speak up eventually.]

Should we just...take it with us, then?

[superordinary]

...That's a good idea. Maybe somebody in Blackthorn knows where it belongs?

[ardent]

Maybe...

[He'd tried Dexing it when he noticed it; the machine hadn't brought up anything but a lot of ?????]

It looks really cold, either way.

[superordinary]

It kind of resembles a slug, doesn't it? And I think those are cold blooded...

[ Granted, this is Pokéland and bizarre biology is kind of the norm here... ]

Maybe we could wrap it in a towel to keep it warm.

[ardent]

It'll probably be best if we carry it anyway; the floor in here seems unsuitable for it!

[By which he means slippery as hell because look at it, and he can't imagine this thing faring very well.]

Either way, you're better at handling these things than I am.

[superordinary]

Okay, got it.

[ He shrugs off his backpack and rummages inside for the towel. He then carefully approaches the bloober as to avoid scaring it with sudden movements and crouches down to get a better look at it.

...

...Well, it doesn't seem to mind being picked up and wrapped in the towel like a slimeball burrito. ]

[ardent]

[...huh.]

...We are not using that towel again after this.

[superordinary]

...That's probably for the best.

[ He certainly doesn't want to use it again. ]

What should we call it? 'Slime thing' is an accurate description, but it'd be kind of rude...

[ardent]

...Do we have to call it anything?

[That's just asking to get attached to it. We are not getting attached to it; we're taking it to Blackthorn or...finding its herd or something, and then we are letting it go.

But since "slime thing" would, in fact, be pretty rude...hm.]

I don't know. Jutarou, maybe?

[superordinary]

[ Maybe it's because of the cold, but Naegi seems to tense up when Jutarou is suggested. ]

...I don't like that name.

[ardent]

[...Ah.]

Is there any particular reason?

[superordinary]

That's the name of a person I met who has a grudge against me.

[ Yes, such people do, in fact, exist. ]

[ardent]

I find that hard to imagine, Naegi-kun - but if you insist.

[He's not going to call you a liar or anything, but really, what could you possibly have done.]

[superordinary]

He got arrested because of me.

[ ...Might as well start telling the entire story behind that grudge. ]

[ardent]

[That would be apprecia- ...wait what]

...How so?

[Naegi-kun did you actually exact justice on someone]

[superordinary]

...Do you remember hearing anything about a hostage situation on a bus in Suginami? It was in the news.

[ardent]

[He has to think about it for a moment, but...]

I believe so, yes - that was some time ago, though, wasn't it?

[superordinary]

Yeah. It was before we entered Hope's Peak.

[ ... ]

I was the hostage.

[ardent]

R-Really? But...!

[Naegi, what did you do - ]

What happened, exactly?

[superordinary]

I went to return a cellphone to an old man who forgot it. But I ended up tripping and I grabbed onto a bag. It was torn open and a bunch of jewelry spilled out.

[ Naegi's life, everyone. ]

It was all stolen jewelry and he wasn't happy to be exposed like that.

[ardent]

...The more I hear about this sort of thing, the more I start questioning the odds of someone getting as ironic a title from Hope's Peak as you did.

[superordinary]

[ Ishimaru... ]

...It happened on the day I received the acceptance letter to Hope's Peak.

[ardent]

[but is he wrong, though]

I'm not normally one to believe in such things - that's more Hagakure-kun's specialty - but that's an omen if I've ever heard one.

Were you all right? After all of that...

[superordinary]

..Yeah. He threatened me with a knife and forced me into the driver's seat and forced the driver and the passengers to gather the jewelry. Then some things happened and... Well, he left the bus and I was told to go after him.

[ He's not even joking here. The passengers told the teenage boy who was just being held hostage five minutes earlier to go after a fully grown man. ]