superordinary | ???th rebuttal; 4th wall

???th rebuttal; 4th wall

[ For some reason, these strange Eevees can be found around Goldenrod today. They're fairly affectionate (?), but the "Upupupupu" noises they make are...kind of unnerving, and there doesn't seem to be a shortage of them. More and more of them keep appearing and they all seem to come from the same place. That place being the Dangan house. ]

[ The door is wide open and a continuous stream of Monovees come out, making "Upupupu" noises in unison as they go their separate ways on their sacred mission to... spread despair or something, who knows. Naegi is standing outside as this this unfolds, and the look of confusion is evident on his face. What the gently caress, Johto. ]

What...am I supposed to do?

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[Well, it seems like the normal occupants of Goldenrod aren't going to be the only ones noticing the oddly-colored Eevee flood wandering the streets.

It's been a while since she's been outside - actually been outside, because oh, she's seen it, but she's seen much more on the inside and for now that's where she has to stay, yes it is - and she's contenting herself with the slush the flurries have left in the streets, black boots with red laces kicking up white and the contrast pleases her because it's not perfect. It's slimy and slick, in that not-quite-sticking sort of way; it's grey and harsh and honestly kind of gross, and it's much, much better than any sort of picturesque white winter would be.

It's the sort of weather people look out their windows and sigh at. Perfect.

But then there's contrast on her right and a little thing just coming at her, and for a long moment she stares - not at the house she's stopped in front of, not at the boy standing near the house (because neither of those have caught her attention yet, they aren't as interesting as the rest) but rather at the fluffball bounding toward her, left eye shining red.]

Oh...?

[She manages to get down toward it in a way that's not going to expose her to the world, though exactly how is anyone's guess, that skirt's still embarrassingly short but she can't be bothered to wear anything else against the cold; she's got one knee on the ground (and the gravel crunches beneath her and she hopes it doesn't scrape but the bite is kind of nice she will admit) and she holds her hand out for the little thing to sniff, loose fist formed and her knuckles exposed so that it won't get the thought in its head to - ]

Bet you'd like to go for my fingers, hmmmm?

[She seems oddly, placidly blank when she says it, a light sing-song in her voice; vapid, vapid, vapid and she kind of hates it, and she loves how much she hates it, and somewhere in there she's hoping the thing will go for her fingers.]

Edited 2013-11-27 03:47 (UTC)

[ Naegi doesn't notice her presence immediately, his attention fixed in the black/white balls of fur that keep leaving the house. The Monovees are coming out at a constant speed with no signs of the flood getting thinner anytime soon. He wonders if he should go inside the house and see if he can find the source of this madness, but two things stop him - one, Explosion and Selfdestruction are moves he's seen before and knows exist and two, Monobears are explosive. Therefore common sense says he shouldn't rush in before thinking this through.

When he does notice her, his brain seems to come to a grinding halt. Junko Enoshima, is all he can think once his brain gets back to its normal functions long enough for him to register that she's wearing bear hairclips before stopping once more.

The little Monovee stops and tilts its head to the side, looking up at Enoshima with big round eyes that seem to be capable of staring through anything. It gives Enoshima's hand a curious sniff and, finding it of no particular interest, goes back to staring. Then, suddenly, a loud beep can be heard--

--One that Naegi immediately registers as a sign that things are going to get explosive because it's coming from the Monovee. Now, he could just stand back and let everything happen. Perhaps that would even be the just thing to do because Enoshima is not a good person. But Naegi doesn't even think about this and suddenly he's moving toward her as fast as he can, intending to tackle her out of the way. ]

[And she does register a few things happening, though it's in that strange cacophonous sort of way that implies that there's some sort of cause and effect there but like hell if she can tell where one stops and the other begins; she just knows that the fuzzball moves in the way an animal should and then it suddenly stops, and then there's a beep and her eyes widen because it's a very familiar beep, and then there's the sound of slush crunching off to her side somewhere, and she's just twisting a little to see what it is when she's hit by something.

Stupidly enough her hair takes the brunt of the fall (well, her hair and her shoulder but really, it's mostly hair), cushioning her head from just smacking into the ground at an impressive speed and ruining whatever attempt was just made to save her life; it takes her a moment to realize that's what it probably was, an attempt to save her life, and she's lying on her side on the ground, and there's someone on top of her. Not in a sexy sort of way, in an "I just knocked you out of the way of this surely fatal blast" sort of way.

And all she can think is "Why?"

She turns a bit, twisting underneath the whoever-it-is so she can get a better look at who she should be...thanking? ...pushing off? ...showing...some...reaction - look she wants to know how to play this, give her a break. And when she manages to turn over enough that she can see the person, her back grinding a bit against the ground, she discovers that what she's seeing is giving her no indication of how to play this.

Good job, everyone. Handshakes all around.]

...Naegi-kun.

[And her voice is breathless when she says it, and her eyes are wide; she squirms a little, as though to pull back a bit.]

It's so good to see you.

[How much do you know.]

[The air is cold, and fresh, and clear.

What's wrong about this place isn't the incessant background music, and it's not the strange little animals running around everywhere, and it's not the hustle and bustle of average people living out their average lives with no suspicion whatsoever that anything might ever try to disrupt that. Or rather — what's wrong about this place is all of those things, but fundamentally it's something much simpler. There's a baseline still below all those things, a foundation that all of them are built upon.

It's like these people don't know that the world has ended, and they're all supposed to be dead.

And if that's not a mystery worth solving, she doesn't know what is. It's been quite some time since she solved a mystery, really; lately she's been causing them, and has grown accustomed to playing the other half of the equation. (Barring that one brief stint of amnesia, of course, but we're not talking about that.)

Whatever's going on, this is something that wasn't planned for. That means it's likely something Enoshima did. The adorably fuzzy split-fur animals swarming around her feet would certainly support that theory, and she bends to pick one up (squirming and playful and probably primed to explode) to examine it with her usual detached curiosity.

It's cute, and warm, and it wriggles higher in her arms until it's close enough to lick her cheek. So maybe it's not so bad, really. Maybe it will nuzzle against her, snug and warm in her arms.

Or maybe it will bite her or claw her or scorch her in a blast.

But she's used to being hurt by the things that pretend to love her, isn't she.]

[ As they both fall to the ground, Naegi is all too aware of the explosion -- the sudden flash of light and the loud bang that echoes in his ears, a cloud of dust and pebbles and sand and other debris falling around him. The Monovee is out cold where the explosion just went off and seems to still be in one piece; even Monobear/Eeevee abominations have to obey the laws of Pokémon where no one dies from things when they logically should, it seems.

...Oh yeah, she's moving under him isn't she. And now she's actually addressing him and Naegi doesn't feel prepared at all because he has no idea how to actually handle the situation or how to deal with her. This isn't the final trial he has yet to experience and he doesn't know what to expect from someone so volatile as she is. ]

Junko Enoshima.

[ His tone is firm, but not without a slight shake to it. He rolls off her and then slowly rises to his feet, his knees shaking a bit but as far as he can tell he doesn't seem to have sustained any injuries. ]

[Hmm.

She didn't miss that shake, it's kind of hard not to, and it pleases her; she wonders what's behind it. Either way, she gathers herself a bit, as though preparing to get up, before she decides to push it a little. She tips her head back and reaches out toward him, the meaning of the gesture implicit but obvious.

See what he does with it.]

That'd be me.

[Her expression shifts into something placid and sweet and just a little simpering, her voice pitching upward just a bit; it doesn't hide how vivid her gaze is.]

Be a good man and help me up?

[ ...She's asking him to help her up. Naegi just looks at her for a second when she does so, conflict tugging at him. There's no reason for him to help her any more than he already has and most people, were they in his shoes, would turn around and walk away right about know because this is Junko. But not doing anything seems... wrong, too. ]

S-sure...

[ And he, out of his Naegi-brand kindness that Junko actually doesn't deserve, extends his hand to her so he can help her get back up on her feet. ]

[And she'll just grab his wrist and with a light tug up she goes, bouncing a little on the balls of her feet before letting her heels click back down to the ground, simple-as.]

You're such a sweetheart - really too good for this sinful world!

[She kind of wriggles a bit on the spot, that sickeningly simpering expression still not leaving her.]

[ Ugh, that expression. There's no way it's genuine, Naegi thinks. ]

...What are you doing here, Enoshima?

[And just like that she's shifted, the vapid, insipid nature replaced by something sharp and calculating, her voice sliding down into something equally cold and matter-of-fact.]

Unfortunately, that data seems to be classified to a point well beyond our current level of clearance; however, judging by our current situation, I believe the same question could be asked of you, Naegi-kun. Am I mistaken?

[ ~~Daddy issues much, mastermind Kirigiri?~~ Or maybe it will squirm its way out of Kirigiri's arms instead of exploding in her face, so it can run away and abandon her just like everyone else in her life because she clearly can't have nice things.

Meanwhile, Naegi's still trying to figure out how to deal with the great Potentially Explosive Eevee Invasion and so far no great plans or sudden epiphanies have come to mind.

...Basically he's just going to walk over to Kirigiri once he spots her and ask for help because she's the detective of the two and not him and there's literally no way this can go wrong.

Right? ]

Hey, Kirigiri-san...

[~~Just a few, thank you. A few hundred, that is.~~

She's not surprised to see Naegi, really; he's the one she'd expect to be alive, after all. So she brushes white and black hairs off her sleeves and straightens up again, settling back into the mindset of the detective princess he knows, and offers him a slight nod of recognition as he approaches.]

Naegi-kun. You've ended up here, too.

[...Right, right.]

I'm glad.

...What do you mean, "ended up here"?

[ Less than five sentences in and there's already a sign something is up. ]

[Unfortunately, she has no reason to think otherwise — of course they've ended up here, because they're supposed to be at school. Why would that be strange?]

Here. Wherever this is.

[She motions slightly to their general surroundings.]

This is Goldenrod City. Um, are you okay...? [ He's probably wondering if she fell and hit her head or something. ]

...And you don't think it's strange that we're not at school?

[No, seriously, what is going on here...]

[ What the gently caress. ]

Not particularly. I mean, I've been here for over six months...

No, you haven't.

[The response is firm and instantaneous.]

You were with me at school. The two of us...

[ Okay, uh. That's. Naegi really isn't sure what to make of this sudden change and he's left wondering what she's trying to pull. ]

N-no, you're not mistaken. This place isn't exactly good at explaining why we've been brought here.

[ ... ]

Look, can you just...go away or something?

Don't you remember, Kirigiri-san? Y-you've been here in Johto with me for several months...

[And all at once, she's tense and coiled like a spring, because of all the questions she's really never wanted to receive again, don't you remember is quite high among them.]

That's not what happened. I don't —

[What is going on?]

The only place we've been is at school. You know that. We're the only ones left.

[ And Naegi just looks at her like she's some sort of alien from a distant planet, confusion evident. ]

Huh? You're not making any sense, Kirigiri-san.

...You don't remember what happened?

No, Kirigiri-san. Why are you saying we're the only ones left? It doesn't make sense.

Because we are, Naegi-kun.

All of our classmates are dead. You and I are the only ones left alive in the school.

Kirigiri-san, what's gotten into you? That's not what happened and I know it.

You're calling me a liar?

N-no, but... What you've said doesn't make sense at all. It's impossible.

Fine, then. Don't believe me.

[Ah, yes, and we all remember this attitude — the haughty turn, the dismissive flick of her hair.]

W-wait, Kirigiri-san...! [ Oh no, not this. He reaches out to settle his hand on her shoulder. ] Don't you want to solve this mystery?

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???th rebuttal; 4th wall

There is literally no way this thread isn't going to involve spoilers

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