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]

[ 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. ]

[ardent]

...Did you?

[He sort of hates that he suspects he knows what the answer to that is.]

[superordinary]

It's not like I had much of a choice... [ Translation: where is that spine when he needs it. ]

I watched him speed away on a motorcycle but suddenly it flipped over and there was an explosion. Thankfully he wasn't hurt too badly, but it was enough to knock him out until the police came.

...What caused the motorcycle to do that was a can of soda I dropped earlier that day.

[ardent]

...Well, that's fortunate at least.

[You can practically hear the "But still..." in his voice here, though.]

Naegi-kun, you really need to not do things like that just because people tell you to!

[superordinary]

It's, um, hard to say no sometimes...

[ ... ]

D-do I give off that impression? Like...do I look like someone who's easily taken advantage of?

[ardent]

[Ishimaru falls quiet at that; he's definitely still there, he hasn't retreated off into his head again, but he's clearly not too sure how to answer it, and if anything the question is striking him strangely.

He's rather aware that there are some things that just...single people out like that, some sort of social mark that renders them different from others; he's just never really been good at identifying what they are or seeing them in others.]

Well, you do tend to give off the impression that you'll do what you're told without questioning it too much. Especially if the request is given forcefully enough.

[superordinary]

[ Naegi shifts the slimeball burrito in his arms to free a hand so he can retrieve some Pokémon food from his backpack. The bloober's been very docile thus far and content to stay still. It trusts you servants to carry it to its destination so it doesn't have to put in effort anymore. c: ]

That's... [ Painfully true, he thinks. ] ...You're right.

[ardent]

[...Oh my god. It's Togami in slimeball form.

Anyway. Ishimaru just kind of tips his head a bit at that agreement; clearly, he has thoughts, it's just...putting them in order. Easier said than done nowadays.]

You aren't always like that, though.

[ :|a ]

As terrible though the situation was, in the trials you were very confident; you weren't afraid to tell us no then, or point out when we were blatantly in the wrong.

[superordinary]

...I kind of had to be be, when our lives were at stake. I'm not sure how I managed to do it, but I forced myself not to back down and to keep going until the case was solved.

[ardent]

[Ishimaru folds his arms at that, though he doesn't seem to be feeling confrontational about it; it's more to give himself something to do than anything.]

Right. You have a good amount of inner fortitude, I think; you could stand to use some of that strength and tenacity for yourself as well.

[superordinary]

...How do I do that? Like I said, it's...hard to say no. Sometimes I want to protest but I feel like it's no use and I end up doing what I'm told anyway.

[ He offers some of the Pokémon food to the bloober and it happily accepts it.

...Also is that an ice sliding puzzle over there. ]

[ardent]

[...it certainly looks like it. This is going to suck, isn't it.]

Well, I guess you should probably work out why that is...? Why you feel like it's no use in the first place, I mean.

[superordinary]

...Well, usually people expect me to do something...? And I don't feel like I have much of a choice because they'll insist if I say no. It's easier to just go ahead and do it.

[ Naegi stops walking, scanning their surroundings for an alternate path because the floor looks hella slippery there. ]

[ardent]

Just because people expect something doesn't always mean you should do it, Naegi-kun! Especially if it's dangerous or unethical!

[superordinary]

Like going after Jutarou Akafuku? All the passengers kept looking at me and one of them told me it was okay because he didn't have his knife anymore.

[ardent]

W-Well, sometimes we have to do things we don't want to do, because it's right to do so; that doesn't mean it's right for people to just expect you to do something like that either, though.

[...speaking of things we probably don't want to do, there doesn't appear to be a way around this ice...]

[superordinary]

Y-yeah...I guess I should try to work on that, huh? I want to do what's right but I don't really want to let people walk over me.

[ ...okay, how are we supposed to solve this ice problem. ]

[ardent]

I know you can do it, Naegi-kun; it just might take you a while. But I think you'll be fine; knowing about it is half the battle and all.

[That said, uh. He's kind of eyeballing that ice over here.]

...That doesn't look terribly safe, does it?

[superordinary]

Next time somebody tries to dump a problem on me...I'll try to say no.

[ "Try" being the keyword here. ]

...So how are we supposed to get to the other side? I don't see a way around the ice.

[ardent]

...I guess we're expected to cross it.

[And...pray we don't connect with the floor or the opposing wall with our faces.]

[superordinary]

...And how are we going to do that? Like you said, it doesn't look safe.

[ardent]

[...you know, now is a good time for an object lesson.]

Well, I have no idea - why don't you find out if it's safe or not?

[superordinary]

[ ..........................

............god damn it, Ishimaru. ]

S-Sure... Only one way to find out, I suppose.

[ He reluctantly steps onto the ice and...immediately begins to glide across the slippery surface. ]