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]

...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. ]

[ardent]

[...NAEGI...

just

let ishimaru stop facepalming because he's not even trying to stifle the urge

his face

buried

in his hands]

...Naegi-kun, we just discussed this...

[his facial expression is still not the greatest even after the facepalming but really son]

[superordinary]

B-but you told me to...!

[ Said as he continues to slide, struggling to remain upright and not drop the slimeball burrito. Thankfully he slows down before he crashes head first into a wall. ]

[ardent]

[He's honestly a bit concerned about the chances of you squishing the burrito between yourself and the wall...]

I know I did, but...

[He tips his head a little.]

Would you really do whatever I tell you to, just because I told you to do it?

[superordinary]

Um, no... [ He doesn't sound particularly convincing. ]

But one of us had to find out anyway, so I don't really mind... What was I supposed to do, tell you to do it?

[ Okay, he made it to this side without getting himself injured. Let's just...stay still and not move a muscle until he figures out what to do next.

Help him, Ishi-Wan Kenobi. ]

[ardent]

You didn't even question it, though, even though we both agreed that it's not safe-looking!

[Naegi...

However, Ishimaru starts pacing a bit on the other side of the ice; he seems to be trying to get a sense of where everything is - the ice, the rocks, the walls.]

...But while we're trying to work this out...try taking the path to your left.

[superordinary]

...Can we talk about this once we're both on the other side? Just tell me what I should do.

[ That said, however, he reluctantly steps to the left and leaves the rest to the questionable laws of physics that always seem to be present in Johto. Staying upright is still no easy task and he almost ends up falling on his butt but he manages to avoid it. ]

[ardent]

[...Naegi-kun, you're fortunate he's good at chess, you know that?

He'll gladly give directions from where he is for a couple more moves, though he seems a bit reluctant to step out onto the ice himself; either way, it's going to become necessary eventually - his vantage point from here is only good for so much, after all. So. After a moment, he'll just -

WOW GOD WHAT ON EARTH IS THIS EVEN.

He just barely manages to keep his balance any, and he throws his hands out quickly enough to avoid catching himself against the wall by way of his face; just the same, that was possibly the least graceful slide in the history of everything ever and his stance is both broad and coltish as hell when he manages to steady himself against the far wall.]

...This is definitely not safe, there should be some kind of law...

[superordinary]

This is almost worse than the Ruins of Alph... Does this world have any warning signs at all?

[ WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF QUESTIONABLE PHYSICS AND ICE PUZZLES FROM THE DEPTHS OF HELL, ISHIMARU.

Naegi's hella unsteady when he continues onward and he's pretty sure he knows how Bambi felt he went skating for the first time with Thumper now. But by some miracle, he manages to keep both himself and the Bloober from getting squished against the wall and eventually he reaches the other side; once he followed Ishimaru's directions he quickly figured out the rest on his own.

He's just going to sit down over here and wait for Ishimaru to catch up, good lord. ]

[ardent]

[...Naegi, this is going to suck.

It takes him a moment to steady himself, but he manages eventually and takes a moment to think...now, it was to the left, correct, he's pretty sure it was to the left, and then back in the direction they came from...]

...A-Anyway, Naegi-kun, you really shouldn't have agreed to this so easily, even if it'd had a warning sign!

[Riiiiight into that rock, ow, gracious.]

We'd just discussed this, and you said you would work on it -

[Don't worry, though, he's managing to work this out despite all the yelling; he'd hardly be a model student if he couldn't multitask.]

[superordinary]

S-sorry, I didn't mean to...

[ Multitasking or not, that looks pretty bad. Be careful or you're going to break something, kid. ]

...Ishimaru-kun, are you okay?