[RYSLIG] IC Inbox

[luckless]

WELCOME TO YOUR PRIVATE CHANNEL, NAGITO KOMAEDA. FOR SECURE COMMUNICATION, USE 004.28.777.00 *** MrBrightside has joined 004.28.777.00 <MrBrightside> Hello there! This is Komaeda. <MrBrightside> I'm grateful that you want to talk to me.

Anonymous username(s): < Triple7 > < BlueRam >

Comments

action; February 20~; Apartments

[creamsouda]

Yoooo! Komaeda!

[Souda's bad-boy accent may not be as effortless as Kuzuryuu's, but his loud volume sure is. The clock's just met 1:45 in the afternoon and Souda's oddly fatigued for the hour, but hopefully anyone trying to sleep in these apartments won't be offended by the volume at this hour. He knocks on Komaeda's door along with his call, leaning against the door jamb.

Casual, care-free.]

It's Souda!

Wake up. It's like, noon or something.

[He's fairly certain Komaeda isn't expecting him or perhaps might not even want to see him, which is part of why Souda remains so cool and casual. Things aren't fine, but they aren't hopeless.]

cw: vague body horror mentions,,

[luckless]

[After the last few days, yeah, Komaeda's pretty exhausted too. In fact, since coming home, he's spent most of his time laid up in bed—just having to suffer through the horrifying reality of something that sounds just like Hinata, begging for an end to its suffering from within his stomach.

So it takes a few minutes for Komaeda to find the strength to put on jeans, let alone make it to the door. He opens it just a crack, peering his sleepless gaze through the slot towards Souda.]

Hey, Souda-kun.

[He tries to push a smile across his face.]

Can I help you?

action; backdated to before arrivals

[chemoscion]

[ Lucius had told Komaeda to be ready whenever he turned up. So, as far as he's concerned, he has no right to be surprised when one random afternoon, there is a sudden pounding at the door to his apartment. ]

Open up! [ Beneath a new accent and an arrogant lilt all its own, it might take Komaeda a moment to place it, but it is certainly the voice of "Luc Ovesen." ] Lucius the Eternal has come to visit!

[ The delivery also sounds... needlessly threatening, so far as introductions go. ]

[luckless]

[And yet, Komaeda is surprised.

His lazy afternoon, spent on his couch and surrounded by books, is interrupted by a pounding fist at his door. Komaeda leans over, turning down the radio that rests on the nearby windowsill as his ears train on just who might be interrupting him. Not many people know he lives here, and all of the ones who do would give notice before showing up.

Then he hears that voice—and his heart drops to the pit of his stomach. He had completely forgot about this guy! Panic rabbits his heart, but Komaeda doesn't let it consume him. Rather, he tucks his book into his arm as he rises from the couch and makes his way to the front door.

He's dressed unlike Nathan. Fleshy near-white tendrils, grown in place of his chestnut hair, is tied back and away from his face. Rather than skin, he has scales the color of sunshine (and unlike the dingy brown Lucius had last seen of him). His green eyes have enlarged into pools of mirrored blue pinpricked with tight pupils. Glasses rest on his nose, looking out of place with his appearance aside from the turtleneck and baggy sweatpants he wears.

When he smiles down at Lucius, it's all needle-sharp points.]

Luc.....ius-kun. [He corrects himself quickly, looking a bit... out of place.] It's nice to see you again.

<Player1> shortly after monster bingo! neither of us did anything cringey it's fine it's totally f--

[knifemonopoly]

Yo, Nagito!

Is this a good week to look after the arcade overnight? I'm free, and nothing too weird should happen for a little while...it's a good time to go play some games, right?

<MrBrightside> yeah nothing weird or awkward happened at all

[luckless]

Oh, hello Yugi-kun! It's nice to hear from you again.

This week is good! I can have a key cut and prepared for you by night time, does that work for you?

after bingo, before beach episode

[gitanes]

[apropos of nothing:]

hey so do you hate the ocean or what?

[luckless]

[He doesn't expect this message, like, at all.]

What made you think I hate the ocean?

[Denial: engaged]

backdated to bingo

[sweartoyou]

[Bingo has been going impressively smoothly, in her opinion. Even with the magical boost to her optimism that the game provided, she hadn't been sure how many of the squares would be doable for someone like her. Having a sleepover with friends -- she was feeling rather confident they were all friends now -- took out a good chunk of things she'd needed, and it turns out that once a conversation is being had, you're having a conversation and you can talk about things past, present, and future! Who could have predicted this?

Yes, she's pretty satisfied with her progress, which is why she's taking a break from working out what the easiest way to finish up a bingo would be to instead start trying to peel off stickers and scratch away polish from her decorated shell.

...It's hard when your hands are blobs. That leaves plenty of time to help her out, wrangle her into more bingo shenanigans, or...well, anything, really. Heck, maybe the thing worth getting Komaeda's attention is a frisbee smacking itself into some other unfortunate person's head instead of his own. Though...if that's the case, it'd be lodged in there pretty good. Slime life.]

[luckless]

[The frisbee flings past his head, and as it does, it certainly catches his attention too. It draws his gaze in it's arching path, until finally, it lands inside of the head of one unaware slime-girl.

He gasps at the sight, running over to where she's sat herself and looking her over.]

Are you alright?

[A redundant question, when he looks at where the frisbee has lodged itself in the side of her head. He stares for a good moment before continuing.]

Would you like some help...?

<fenrir>

[dead_eyed_wolf]

when smeone dies here how do they come back

does th body needto be safe

<MrBrightside>

[luckless]

Have you already killed someone? That was pretty fast.

When I died, I just revived in my body when the fog happened. I'm not sure how it works, exactly... Why? Suddenly afraid of disposing bodies?

<Player1> v early in the week after molotov cocktails 2

[knifemonopoly]

sorry about last week

<MrBrightside>

[luckless]

Oh, Yugi-kun! You didn't do anything wrong... actually, I feel really bad about setting Ryou-kun's workspace on fire.

But, are you okay...?

text, 9/12

[gitanes]

i know you're gonna be komaeda about this but i don't know who else to ask and it's bothering me

why are guys so fucking weird about their dicks. explain

arrives late with starbucks

[luckless]

[It takes a moment to respond to this. Mostly cause he doesn't really speak for other guys when it comes to that stuff, but...]

Hm... I would assume it's to prove a guy's manliness? I don't really get it either. Some of my classmates were always okay with talking about that kind of stuff, but it's not really my thing.

Anyways, who was talking about their dick?

saturday, january 14, at the local 8/12

[fateschosen]

[Diavolo has had an entire day to reconsider this. Indeed, he spent most of Friday rapidly cycling through every stage of grief as he sat and regretted the spur-of-the-moment network conversation. It was a moment of weakness — a temporary bout of insanity. He was driven to boredom on a quiet evening and was simply finding entertainment wherever he could. He was not serious, not as he stated his capabilities, not as he inquired about an interview, not as he sent a message confirming that he would show up in the flesh.

That is what he tells himself on Saturday morning as he goes through his usual routine. It was only a joke. He did not ever intend to go through with this farce. Only a little lie, and nothing more. He does not need to show up at the doors of a magical convenience store with sweating palms to make his confidence known. Staying home is perfectly fine and legal. He did not give Komaeda his name; he can always wipe away his newest network identity and replace it with another. Nobody ever needs to know that he is the one who slipped.

It would be wonderful if he could do any of that. Unfortunately for Diavolo, not going would be far too close to cowardice for his comfort. His pride truly is the bane of his existence. It is bad enough that he signed up for such a demeaning job — but to shirk it completely, to not even try? No, if he does not show up then Komaeda will know that he is a coward, even if no one else does, and that is too much of a burden to bear. He does not even know the mer, but the thought of his judgment weighs heavily on Diavolo's mind.

And so, with reluctance in every movement, he prepares himself for this meeting. He dresses in something he deems suitable for a first meeting (black; dressy enough to leave a good impression; revealing just enough to suit his tastes, because if he is going to be in a building with other people then he is going to be comfortable for it), ensures his makeup is immaculate, and, in the mirror, practices imitating the even-keeled expression of a theoretical man who has definitely interviewed for retail jobs before. There is no way he will fail this. For most people, this would be emboldening. For Diavolo... well.

He shows up at the 8/12 mid-morning, fists clenched at his sides as he stares the doors down. There is still time to turn back. He lingers there for entirely too long before steeling himself, taking a steady breath, and making his way to the door. It is an incredibly awkward fit; even as he ducks, his horns still lightly scrape the frame with a faint sound that makes him wince. Inside is much more breathable, even surrounded by shelves in every direction. There, at least, he has space to uncontort his body into a comfortable slouch.

He does not speak to make his presence known. No, he just immediately sets to glancing around in uncomfortably straight-faced silence. Now, where is the bright yellow mer he seeks...?]

[luckless]

[The mer that he seeks is, at first glance, nowhere to be found. The konbini is decidedly empty, even at the counter, where human staff might have normally made post. The emptiness might have been a tad bit creepy too, were it not for the bright and cheery music playing throughout the empty store. Could Komaeda have forgotten their meeting time?

Well, if Diavolo is given enough time—which he is, as minutes pass without nary a merperson showing himself—he might assume that Komaeda has forgotten. Minutes more might pass after that thought, until Diavolo might wonder to himself if this is some manner of blessing to get out of his spur of the moment mistake...

But it would be right when he might be considering leaving, that a very loud crash is heard behind a door labeled: Employees Only! Please do not enter :). Well, Diavolo is not yet an employee, and there seems to have been some sort of accident on the other side... Does he dare break the rules and disappoint that smiley face to go through the door? Or is this No Longer His Problem, and leave?]

mid-week, shade event

[waitingforplayer2]

need your help
not in danger
roof

[luckless]

[The message is short, and that's truly Komaeda's first concern. The strangeness that grips Bavan only seems to make the already straining wheels of his mind spin faster and faster. Is Nanami hurt? Is she in danger? What if she's dying again?

The very thought of it is enough to get him to leap through walls, uncaring of dignifying her with an answer. His worry and his anger is already surging through his veins where a lit match held too close could truly end it all. Give him another reason, another box checked on the laundry list of the vengeance he seeks, and he'll burn this whole city to the ground—

He stops in the middle of the empty rooftop lounge. The air is incredibly quiet though the fog is thin enough that if he concentrates, he can hear sounds from the street below, muted as they are in this form. His shape ripples, glitched out pieces of him clipping back and forth, as the approximation of his head looks around.]

Nn-na- Nanami-san?

[His voice stumbles too, like the failing audio on an old handheld game.]

W-W-Where are yyy-you?

January 22nd, Evening, post-event, cw: disassociation/memory loss

[polarvoid]

[When the peninsula was finally silenced, and those who had unwittingly turned into shades finally returned to their previous forms...Basil had woken up in an unfamiliar place. He'd been in one of the back alleys of Bavan, wandering aimlessly, searching for someone he wouldn't be able to find. The sudden impact of crumpling to the ground as a solid human again hadn't quite been enough to wake him, leaving Basil coming to to the sensation of cool, slightly damp asphalt against his cheek.

For a small blessing, his memories of the entire last week aren't present. There are hazy blips of things here and there, but nothing he can really make any proper sense out of...and the last thing he does remember is being overcome with a feeling of such...overwhelming fear and confusion in his room in the Palazzo that he'd been paralyzed, unable to leave his room or even get up from the floor.

And now...he's here. Lost, and alone.

It takes a bit of Basil wandering the streets to figure out that something's happened. He can hear people screaming and crying in the distance even now, no doubt last-minute victims of the Shade epidemic. There are buildings that have been ransacked and destroyed in various configurations all over, though the fog he remembers being present seems to be gone now. The moment Basil thinks he sees something resembling the shape of a body is when he breaks from a nervous walk into a sprint, his heart beating a wild staccato in his throat as he makes a break for the center of the city.

He stumbles, he falters, but he doesn't stop running. He isn't sure how he manages to find it, just that the apartment complex seemed to have a very specific sort of structure...and it's big. Big enough that he could see it above the buildings from miles away. There's only one thing he can remember, the words oddly burned into his brain:

Find Katurian at the 38-8.

He's shaking, knees skinned from falling and clothes slightly damp and dirty in places as he makes his way to what he remembers being told is the floor he lives on. But when he finally finds the room and knocks on the door...there's no answer. He knocks again after a few minutes, even calls from the other side, but nothing.

What does he do? Where does he go from here? He stands in front of the door for another long moment, overwhelmed, before he remembers who else lives in this building.

It's past sunset when Komaeda will hear a soft knock at his apartment door.]

[luckless]

[Following the events of the week, Komaeda is no less exhausted despite knowing exactly what to expect of Ryslig. To go from a recent return from the Sea of Stars, to having memories and emotions running like wildfire through his veins, the end of the typical fog chaos is fully welcomed. More so, all of his usual housemates are out—no doubt busy with their own community outreach, picking up the usual pieces and trying to get their population back onto their feet the only way a handful of despaired teenagers trying to make a difference can.

So, when the faint knock comes, it's unexpected but not unwelcome. For a moment Komaeda thinks it might be one of his neighbors. It wouldn't be unheard of for anyone else on floor eight to wander over, wanting for nothing more than some quiet company in the emotional aftermath; but instead, when Komaeda opens the door, he finds the last familiar face he would be expecting to see.

He blinks once, twice, takes in the sight of bleeding, skinned knees and dirtied clothes, and doesn't think twice about it. His expression is soft when he steps aside, holding the door open for Basil with as comforting a smile as he can manage on his face.]

Basil-kun, come inside. [He waits for the other to step in before closing the door and gesturing down the hallway.] Makes yourself comfortable at the kotatsu, I'll grab some drinks and snacks for us, okay?

Feb 14th-16th, then again on the 21st

[soundsurfing]

[Snuck in after Komaedas own gift, the current Neph will find a note and a box of fudge! And some taiyaki. They're a little crudely shaped but they're made with heart!

Homemade food!

Komaeda has been warned.]

14th-16th note: YO! Fishy! I dunno whatchu can eat but fuck yeah, the cookies were great! We got somethin' back home in icecream called Phish Food (said like fish!) and its chocolate marshmallow and caramel and so I tried to make it in fudge! Josh tasted it and he said it was good (he helped so it shouldn't kill you) so I hope you like it!

21st: MAN FUCK TIME LOOPS I hope this one sticks! Fudge, brotha! Modeled after an icecream from back home called fish food! And some taiyaki cause also fish!

Sorry Im really stuck on you being Fishy...

backdated to pre-All Sleep February

[knifemonopoly]

[Atem was scarce immediately after the shade event. It had been a hard thing for him to endure, after three hard months, after eight more hard months. He feels like he might have his feet under him again, but he can't tell this soon if it's solid ground or a bubble that will burst and send him sinking into survival-mode once more.

But it hasn't burst yet.

He and Ryou have made their way back into the 806 apartment, an apartment that's beginning to feel too small, too tied to a past that's a pretty even mix of "can't get it back" and "would rather forget it," both of which are painful reminders, and he has almost forgotten in the chaos and anxiety and sheltering-in-Hill-House followed by laying low in Dyster that made up his January that he and Nagito are neighbors again.

That's partly why Atem freezes when he spots Komaeda around dawn in the 8th floor hallway.

The other reason is nephilim.

That's one of the nephilim. It can't be anything but a nephilim-form, with the eyes and the wings and the light.

Nagito has become the kind of monster that gave Atem the worst time, the form he promised Riley he would never take again, a promise he's honored for more than a year. It is the form that made Atem feel like a light was on in his brain that he couldn't turn out, a light that revealed all his inner hypocrisies and exceptions and compromises and excuses that he had made to survive in Ryslig. It had led to the fights that complicated his life through the last year, sparked the conflicts that led to the wounds that he had desperately tried to heal through service to the Fog God, service that he doesn't regret, exactly, but which led to trouble heaped on trouble.

If it had been that way for him...

...what is it going to do to Komaeda?

That's why Atem fixes the naphil with a look of dread and horror, stopping dead in his tracks outside his door.]

[luckless]

[It was the same day that he became a nephil, just returning home with a bag of groceries in his arms from 8/12.

After his talks with Nanami, of how she spoke of his awe and beauty when she first saw him as one nearly a year ago, and of her own views when it came to trying out different monsters to see what fits—he had gone to Mana with enough coins and a question, before being given the task of collecting a hundred feathers to sleep on. When he'd awoke that morning, it was with a sudden growth spurt, extra limbs and eyes, and a radiating light that seemed to permeate his thin, sickly complexion. But more than that, it had given him back a face that could make a variety of expressions he'd normally hidden.

An expression that, when noticing Atem down the hall, colors a myriad of shades. First, surprise widens his eyes and raises his brows. He hadn't expected to see Atem back in the apartments at all—in fact, he thought the guy had moved out completely. Then, as realization dawns on him, that surprise settles into a smile filled with a warmth that radiates further, turning his halo a softer yellow that seems to pulse along with the heavy thud of his heart in his chest. There's fondness in his gaze, as he ducks down the hall, slightly too tall to stand up fully.]

Atem-kun! Are you just picking up some things, or...?

[Will I be seeing you more often—seems to be the question left unsaid. He knows it'd be improper to hope, given their circumstances, but just knowing that he's so close again is enough to flutter his insides with excitement.]

After the timeloop stabilized; 8/12

[creamsouda]

[Look— Souda doesn't like to turn down gifts. It's rude, first off, and second off, it isn't like he gets a lot of them— they're valuable!

But oh god, that chocolate was only edible by gargoyles, if that.

Still, it's... a nice gesture, and after a long week of the same day of work, Souda makes his way over to the 8/12 in the sunlight for one of the first times in quite a long time. He enjoys the slow walk, gives a little nod to anyone else as he comes in, and heads straight for Komaeda.]

Yo!

[He claps a hand on the other mer's shoulder.]

When's your break?

[luckless]

[Komaeda, when Souda comes in, is in the midst of sweeping up one of the isles when suddenly a hand clapping down on his shoulder shocks him out of his peaceful monotony. He nearly jumps out of his skin in an instant, and whips around so quickly brandishing that broom like a weapon that it takes him a few breaths to realize that it's just his friend—]

Souda-kun...! Don't sneak up on me!

[He huffs, sounding pretty irritated, though it passes quickly as he relaxes and sets the broom to one side, with his weight leaning onto it.]

I suppose I can take a break whenever, since someone's up front... Why? What's up?

<WhiteWizard> 3/1, text because respectin his neighbor's boundaries!

[softspokenlandlord]

[Sometime in the early afternoon, a text comes in from what may be an unexpected sender.]

Good afternoon, Komaeda. :)

It's been a bit since we last spoke, and I really don't mean to ask for a favor out of nowhere like this, but I was hoping that...

If you had time, perhaps you could meet me at the ground-level pool? You see, I've kind of decided on a change for the month, and I'm not quite used to it. But you're an expert on the matter, I think! Because you're usually a mer.

[This is, hands down, one of the most awkward conversations that Ryou has ever initiated, but here's the thing: usually, he has Atem help him acclimate to new monster changes, and Atem...is currently sleeping like the dead.

Ryou has to ask someone, right?]

If it's inconvenient, don't put yourself out on my account. I'm sure I can trial and error this whole thing out!

<MrBrightside> they are both so awkwardly polite

[luckless]

[Luckily for Ryou, Komaeda had been relaxing at home, when the message came through. That, however, didn't make it any less surprising to see the other reaching out in such... friendly terms. Despite the way their last conversation had ended, it still felt like there was a wall between them. Even if they had spent time together, caring for an unconscious mutual love interest, it had felt a little bit like walking on eggshells the whole time, like they were avoiding the big conversation in the room.

Still, it's... nice, he decides. It feels better to talk like this, than to avoid each other at every chance. It takes him a bit to reply still, as he tries to choose the best words to one-handedly peck out a reply, but he eventually manages.]

Good afternoon, Ryou-kun!

I would love to help you, but I doubt I'll be the best teacher as a nephil... I don't know if I can swim in this form, and it's still pretty cold out, but... if you're okay with all of that, maybe I can guide you from the poolside?

[He hopes it doesn't sound like too many excuses, but at the same time... He's never really swam as anything but a merperson. Not even when he was human.]

April 2nd - <TheCoolestTurtle>

[makesascene]

[Leo when he's more coherent than he's been for most of the day manages to shoot off a message to his friend and boss.]

gonna like need to call out for a week or someting

i lost an arm, so im not doing supr gret

sorry

gonn a be a better employee soon, promsise!1!

<MrBrightside>

[luckless]

[The message comes abruptly. In all honesty, following the events of the Pale Fog and the expedition, Komaeda hasn't been paying the konbini as much attention as he normally would—allowing it to be manned by its human staff, primarily.

But to see Leo message him, and especially something so... Komaeda has a bad feeling settling in the pit of his stomach.]

Are you home right now, Leo-kun? Can I come over?

[He sends the first message in a rush, before even deigning to give a reason as to why he wants to visit.]

Don't worry about missing work. If it's alright with you, I just want to see you and make sure you're okay?

<WhiteWizard> IT BEGINS

[softspokenlandlord]

Good evening, Komaeda. Are you busy?

[...No, that's not really giving gravity to this, is it? It's polite enough, but Ryou adds more, to get to the point.]

If you're not, I was wondering if you'd be able to come to Atem's Dyster home. We're both here, and we're talking about something important. Something that involves all of us.

If you're not ready for that conversation though, let me know. But he's asked about you.

[About dating.]

I didn't expect him to ask before we could talk to him...but it s Atem, after all.

<MrBrightside>

[luckless]

[Komaeda is privy to receiving all sorts of messages at wildly different hours. Not only is the pool of people he knows quite large, but as someone involved with several businesses, he's bound to get these out of the blue. But the last person he expects to receive a message from is Ryou, and more than that, a request to meet with him and Atem in Dyster.

A talk—just the thought of it quickens his heart to racing in his breast. He'd been somewhat avoiding Ryou since their last real talk, and what he'd seen during the Pale Fog. He doesn't know how to handle the guy, nor the knowledge that Ryou somehow bears no ill will towards him. All he knows is that, without his knowledge, without the ability to prepare his mind and his heart, the wheels of something he wasn't wholly on board with have been set into motion.

It's an anxious feeling, one that's strong and swift enough to churn nausea in his belly. Is he ready for something like this? What if the conversation takes a turn? He hasn't had his luck in nearly two years, and yet, the feeling that some catastrophe looms on the horizon has never felt so strong. That feeling isn't helped by the fact that the rain and wind has been moaning in some macabre death rattle for the last day or so.

Before he realizes it, too much time has lapsed since opening Ryou's message and finally deciding to respond to it. He knows he can't say no—he wouldn't want to do that to Atem, even if his first instinct is to run. So he plucks at his keys carefully, and the message he sends is incredibly brief.]

I'll be over soon.

[He sends the message off, and closes his laptop. If Ryou messages him back, he won't respond.]

Dropped off at the 8/12

[i_am_emmet]

[In a black envelope, with scratchy handwriting in white out pen is a note: FOR KOMAEDA'S EYES ONLY.

When it is opened, there will be an invitation to a surprise birthday party for Ingo on May 22nd, with the location to the train house in it at 9PM. There is also a note about being able to bring friends if you want, contact Emmet if it will be more than 2 people!]

[Also, 'SURPRISE PARTY' is underlined a few times, and a drawing of a Litwick is in the corner.]

[There is also a note saying that this invite extends to Ingo's coworkers too but Emmet doesn't know them all!]

waves wand. nebulously mid-month!

[unholey]

Ciao, Komaeda. I hope you've been well.

I won't clog your inbox with social niceties and get right to the point. I'm not sure if I've told you before, but altering clothes happens to be a hobby of mine. And to make a long story short, in the time that I've been here, I've developed some alterations that accommodate various physical changes that we go through as part of the transformations. Recently, I've been studying pattern drafting and working with some human tailors to develop some proper patterns. Because there are plenty of use whose bodies have completely changed in proportion, shape, and size than what you might see in humans.

Would you be willing to try some of my prototypes I've created for aquatic transformations? In particular, my hope for these clothes is that they're easy to get in and out of (for those of us whose clothes don't disappear/reappear when we shift) and that there are options for people who have large tails on land. If there are any that you like in particular, I'd happy to make something specifically tailored for you as repayment. Or I can just pay you. Whatever works.

[A long pause:]

Sorry. That got longer than I meant it to. This isn't pressing, so if you're busy, don't worry about replying right away.

[luckless]

[A message from Fugo is rare, but not unwanted. Especially with just waking up just a few days ago, he's more than appreciative for something that feels a little more normal.]

Fugo-kun! Thank you for reaching out to me. I think that this idea is absolutely splendid, and I'm extremely honored you would want me to help you out with this... I've actually been meaning to talk to about this very topic, so it feels a little like fate.

Would you like to meet up to talk things over?

<pyro> | 8/16

[toaflame]

hey boss
kindof a bad time and also short notice but
im gonna be outta work for a couple weeks
got fucked up by somebody and im kinda doing shitty rn
like i wont die but i cant
fly right now

[Anymore]

i can still do deliveries im just gonna be a lot slower when i get back to it
sorry

<Player1> before the outer limits and noclip escape

[knifemonopoly]

Hey. Are you feeling more like yourself?

We should talk.

<MrBrightside>

[luckless]

[Is he feeling more like himself? After the last time they talked, Komaeda almost wants to ignore this message entirely. He's mad, to say the least, that Atem would absorb himself so stubbornly into his own perception of things and make necessary decisions... Decisions that go against everything they've managed to repair together.

But he also knows that if he gives into his anger, if he responds to that previous stubbornness with his own now, then he'll only be backsliding in the progress he's made. And... Well, Atem is reaching out to him now.]

I have time, I suppose. What do you want to talk about, Atem-kun?

after Atem's departure

[waitingforplayer2]

[ Dyster can never truly be the home that the Fog wants it to be for Her monsters. It's too quiet, too cold; not enough of their friends, just a few faithful followers sharing the liminal space.

But there's something primally comforting about it nonetheless. Here, more even than on the peninsula, the fog wraps around Her monsters and holds them. The fog heals, physical wounds at least. Emotional ones are tougher; but at least Kiri-sama's monsters can feel safe in the fog, can feel powerful.

Is that what brings Nanami back to Dyster, when Atem leaves? They don't need to go; they already have spent too much time there, they know. But they want to. Maybe it's to get away from everything.

Nanami isn't in their apartment more than a few minutes before she hears something down below - movement? Crying? Through the wood and plaster it's hard to tell. But she knows who it is, who that telltale heat signature belongs to.

They're at his door mere moments later, and knocking gently. ] Komaeda-kun?... [ Not content to wait, Nanami lets himself in, peering into the apartment for him. ] It's me...

[luckless]

[The sounds aren't just that of shuffling, of crying and hiding away from the world. No, there's breaks of silence punctuated with heavy bangs, with frustrated sobs and the clatter of something heavy against a wall. It's understandable that he doesn't hear Nanami, not at first.

When they find him, it'll be in the midst of disaster. His mattress has been pulled from his bedframe, shredded by angry claws and had its stuffing pulled loose. Seashells and baubles that once decorated the ceiling in long strings have been pulled down, scattered or worse—shattered. His own scales are carved with lines of red, from clawing at himself, punishing himself for not doing more to lessen Atem's pain, but he doesn't feel it. All he feels is the gaping hole in his chest and the desperate breaths he takes with all the exertion.

It isn't until he's picking up his mattress again, to fling it again, that he turns enough to notice the Naga occupying his space. He gulps air, his grip releasing immediately like a misbehaving child caught.]

N-Nanami-kun, what are you...?