Forum Thread

Idris Kallikrates

"Aight. I wasn't planning on it, anyways."

He was surprised. He was sure Mei wanted him to kill someone or something.

"To anyone."

He glanced at her.

"Sure. Will do....I guess?"

This all seemed strange to him.

He had been trying to distance himself from all the Ultimates.

Well, maybe not all.

"Now, help me up, will ya?"

"Mmph. Fine."

He helped her up, ignoring the horrible crawling sensation that creeped up his spine.

Lucian Arbred's POV- ERROR LOADING. Replies required.

Sawyer Laurens's POV

Sawyer fumbled around, looking for Pepsi cans. They couldn't help but smile, thinking of the times that they and Darcy used to drink soda together. But... Dace always seemed so afraid, while doing it.

"Isn't this great, Darcy?! I had to save up my allowance for months to get this much soda pop!" They burst out cheerily laughing. "But it's worth it! Have whatever you want!"
Darcy would smile at them, and say, "Um... yeah. Thank you, Sawyer." But they'd only stare at the sides of the cans, rotating them, and then carefully selecting one.
Sawyer only ever saw them taking a few sips. "What's the matter? You not thirsty?"
Darcy shook their head. "No... that's..." Darcy looked down at the ground. "That's not it..."


Sawyer never understood why Darcy seemed so reluctant to just drink some soda pop. What was wrong with just a little sugar every now and then? It seemed like Darcy, at some point or another, was unable to do certain things. For some reason. Sawyer was never quite sure why.

Oh, well!

I wonder how she's doing now.

Sawyer grabbed a Pepsi can. "Found it!" they exclaimed, immediately heading in Miyako's direction.

But...

There seemed to be something off about Darcy lately. And Sawyer couldn't help but wonder if it had to do with...

Darcy Harper's POV

Darcy dragged their face out from their pillow, still clutching it tightly to their chest. They looked at the remains of the broken mirror. Shattered.

Shattered into pieces, just like them. But that wasn't them. That wasn't them in that mirror... was it?

Darcy didn't know anymore.

It felt pathetic, really. That Darcy felt like they had to cling to Sawyer.

Sawyer, the only one who could understand.

The only one who could come close to the truth.

And yet couldn't.

But who else would even care?...

Darcy recalled it... that night. For two key reasons.

"...he said no, Si-Sawyer. He said no…” Darcy sniffled. “I-It’s fine anyway. I’m sure Mom wouldn’t have let me go with him.”
“O-Oh… Darcy, I’m sorry. But, hey! Who needs him anyway?” Sawyer put their hands behind their head. “When he rejected you? I think you’re pretty great!”

“...R-Really?”

“Yeah!” Sawyer chirped. “We could go together, the two of us!”

“In THAT silly outfit, Sawyer? Really?”

“What?! What’s wrong with it?” Sawyer retorted, and Darcy started laughing with their hand over their mouth.

“I’m kidding, Sawyer! But someone else might think that’s really weird, you know.”

“Well, what’s wrong with being weird?” Sawyer put their hand on their hip. “I’ll wear my heckin’ propeller hat if I want to!”

Darcy looked surprised. “B-But… like, when you look, or… are weird, people judge you.”

Sawyer grinned. “Wouldn’t life be boring if we were all “normal”, though? Besides! The right people don’t judge you for it!”
“The right people… Okay, okay. I guess we can go together.”

“Yayyyy! Let’s gooo!” Sawyer hugged Darcy tightly, and they huffed as they did. But…
Darcy had really appreciated what they had to say.
And it… had made them rethink things a bit.

---

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-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Mei knew that what she had just said came completely out of nowhere, but there wasn't any going back on it now.

Besides, she meant what she said. Everyone here was acting like they would live forever, like absolute f**king idiots. They acted like they didn't know the current circumstances, even after there had already been some victims to this sick game. They acted like nothing had ever happened, and everyone here would be able to leave this damn place.

It pissed her off to think about, but why did she care so much? A false sense of hope only made death more agonizing.

Just how she liked it.

She just hoped Idris wasn't like these idiots.

She lifted herself up off the ground, still dizzy and disoriented as hell, but she could stand. Maybe all of this was just a result of whatever sedative Mika gave her, or maybe she was just getting too comfortable, who knows. Mei made sure to let go as soon as possible, then whirl around like nothing ever happened. Her energetic, childish self had returned, now even more prominent due to her slight embarrassment for what she just said.

Maybe she needed to take her own advice.

"Toooo the cafeteria we goooo! Maybe we can find some snacks!" Mei giggled, trying to drag Idris along. She'd go anyways if he wanted to leave, which he probably would. He had already tried to leave multiple times, she wouldn't make him stay any longer.

---

---

Idris Kallikrates

He wrung his hands. His skin felt itchy and hot. It wasn't pleasant.

Why the hell was he doing anything for her?

He planned to adopt the moody anti-social emo mood when coming here, not to talk to anyone, much less make physical contact with anyone.

He wasn't going to get attached to anyone.

He glanced at Mei.

All of that went out of the window, didn't it?

Don't get attached, she said.

Easier said than done, with you around.

"Food? Sure, I guess." Idris whispered.

He wasn't hungry in the slightest. But if she wanted to go, then-

Why the hell was he going through with this?

Why if 'she wanted to go then he would'?

Idris glanced at Mei again.

"Can you cook? If there's nothing there....then we're-

You're gonna have to find another way to eat, y'know?"

---

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-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

The silence was unnerving to her, and the atmosphere didn't make it any better. Thank god Idris said something, because for once, Mei's mind had completely drawn a blank. She didn't even hum her own little tune to fill the silence, which was unusual to her.

She stopped and whirled around to face her companion, a nervous energy plastered all over her face. "...Huh?"

"Cook? I uh..." She pursed her lips and looked away, obviously not prepared for that. "I mean, I know how to make popcorn..."

She had never once made her own meal in her life, she either just bought packaged foods or had enough money to have someone do it for her, which she hated to admit. She didn't know how to cook a damn thing, she could barely boil some pasta.

"Well I mean, we caaaaaaan just f**k around and find out, caaaaan't we? Throw together random s**t or somethin' I dunno!" Mei said quickly, obviously not proud to say it.

---

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Kubo Atsushi

---

"How d-did everything culminate?" he asked. He wasn't sure how well he kept the sarcasm out of his voice. "W-Well... Just there was a Church in town, I guess. I went there sometimes..."

Kaoru's face flashed into his mind. Her soft face, still in the throes of childhood. That cute button nose. The perfectly clipped haircut, and ironed clothes.

She looked so vulnerable.

All snakes did before their gums peeled back to show their fangs.

Even baby ones. He saw hers on her neck, dangling around her throat.

He despised her, and every time he thought of that rosary, he despised himself too.

"Anyway," he said quickly. "I f-feel bad..You should t-talk about you..yourself too. I wanna hear about.. bout you."

---

---

Miyako Hiroto

---

Oh thank god, Sawyer was gone. Miyako quickly shuffled up the stack of papers and flipped through them. Boring math- she couldn't help but feel let out.

It was weird that Setsuna was carrying that stuff on him. Guess he was more of a nerd than he let on.

With a shrug, she placed the pile back into the corner and thought nothing of it.

---

Lucian Arbred's POV

Kubo appeared to look deep in thought after what he said. Lucian realized that, for one reason or another, Kubo didn't like talking about his past. Perhaps he was hiding something horrible, not necessarily that he did something horrible but he didn't want to talk about horrible happ-

"Anyway," he said quickly. "I f-feel bad..You should t-talk about you..yourself too. I wanna hear about.. bout you."

Lucian's heart thudded, and his face flushed further, if that was possible at this point. He pointed at himself with an index finger. "m-me? I mean... I-I- don't know. It's supposed to be about you. Making you feel better." He wanted to pull his scarf up or hide in his sweater.

Or both. He almost did.

Lucian fiddled with is fingers. "...b-but I mean... If you're interested. What do you want me to tell you about?"

Anything, probably. Things he didn't want to remember, probably.

The before, probably.

Sawyer Laurens's POV

"Hiiii, dear friend!" Sawyer exclaimed, bringing Miyako the Pepsi. They skidded so fast that they almost ran into the wall!

"Ooh, I see you got Setsuna's papers together for 'im! How thoughtful!! Should we explore the school?"

They gave a winning smile.

Darcy's POV is TBA.

---

Idris Kallikrates

"...you can't cook, can you?" Idris said, a smile playing on his lips.

"Popcorn won't suffice, Mei."

He laughed.

"I meannnn, I can cook so, y'know-"

---

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Kubo Atsushi

---

Kubo studied Lucian. He was... uncomfortable. Something he was hiding.

Hypocrite, Kubo thought. He can interrogate me in front of all these people, and yet he's too much a coward to offer his own bits and pieces?

Again, another thing he supposed Kaoru would've liked.

Something he excelled in.

"H-How about we... move? Leave the r-room? Go 'umplace else?"

---

---

Miyako Hiroto

---

"Huh? Oh yeah. 'Course, Sawyer." She took the Pepsi from them. "I owe ya one, 'kay? Now; what do you wanna do?"

---

Lucian Arbred's POV

"NONONO! It's alright! It's fine!" He waved his hands around, and then stopped. "...it's just, I'm really not used to talking about my own issues. But I... If you want, I can tell you about something."

Is there anything I can think of that isn't too depressing? That's the truth?

"...I had a lot of siblings in my family. Things between my parents were... Complicated to say the least. But I always felt closest with my sister. We always moved around a lot, and I never really had any friends because of it. I was always constantly given instructions about this and that, "Lock the doors, close the blinds, put this here, leave that there." I usually wasn't allowed to leave the house unless I was supposed to come along for "errands" of some kind."

He swallowed, remembering. "...she looked a lot like her. They had the same short hair, the same look in their eyes... The same feeling I could trust them. But, I..."

Lucian's voice faltered. "...something happened to my sister. I remember I always told her I'd keep her safe... Whenever she was really scared. But I was asleep, and... She wasn't there... And then I heard the gunshots... And..."

He stopped. Tears welled in his eyes. "...I- I was... I arrived too late to do anything. She was killed..."

He wasn't sure what had prodded this story out of him. But really, so much for not depressing. He hung his head.

"...sorry if I'm... *hic* bothering you..."

Sawyer Laurens's POV

"HMMMMMM. Oh! WHAT IF WE CHECK THE POOL? Maybe there are Wifekuma remains there! I dunno, we like, haven't seen her lately?" They tilted their head. "It'd be interesting! Maybe stuff has changed there!"

Darcy Harper's POV

Darcy dragged themself out of the bed with a groan, and left the dorm. They were hungry. They supposed they should go get something to eat...

---

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-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Mei let out a nervous chuckle as she continued walking, fumbling with her words a bit before she managed to speak a coherent sentence.

"No..." She muttered in defeat, not looking back at him.

"Oh come on, but I love popcorn! It's not like I'm making a full-blown meal or anything, just a small snack!" She whined.

Yeah... Mei sure did love popcorn alright. She loved going to the movie theater and...

And...

Who did she go with again? What movie did she watch?

Did she even go to a movie theater that day?

Mei quickly shot those thoughts down and acted like nothing had happened, like she had been doing a lot of recently.

...

So apparently Idris knew how to cook. She didn't expect that, but it was nice to know I guess. She didn't exactly expect him to offer to make anything either.

"Fiiiine, do whatever you want..." She grumbled before stopping at the cafeteria entrance.

Her body was starting to get tired, the high that she suppressed so much was now finally going away, and everything she had done today didn't help make her exhaustion any better. Why was she still roaming around anyways? She wanted to take a nap so badly, but that feeling kept nagging at her.

She was doing this because...

Yeah, that. She was doing it because of that.

---

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Kubo Atsushi

---

Errands... gunshots... sister...

His hand twitched beneath its glove. Something was off with the way Lucian said those words. He was sure of it.

It was interestig though, that he hadn't fallen for the snake. Reminded him of his sister? Must not be a very good background then. And considering the kiss, he was going to go with "the anime kind" for their relationship.

"I'm s-sorry. I had b-brothers too."

---

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Miyako Hiroto

---

"Wifekuma?" Miyako wrinkled her nose in amusment. "You sure know a way to put it, kid. I don't have any problem with that, so we can go."

"Wifekuma," she muttered. "Wifekuma."

---

Lucian Arbred's POV

"It's okay... You had brothers, huh?" He smiled a very sad smile. "...I remember having brothers. That wasn't... Very pleasant to say the least."

Lucian twitched nervously, his eyes set on Kubo's hands.

"...I'm going to be completely honest with you, Kubo, I... I really don't like talking about my childhood. It's a time I'd rather forget, and... I..."

His voice faltered. "but... I mean, if you want me to talk about it, it's fine! I mean, it's you we're talking about! It's Kubo! You can ask me anything at all!"

Well heck. I didn't mean for that to come out that way at all. Just what has gotten into me?

It was just stupid teasing on Mei's part. So why the heck had it gotten to him this much?!

"I-I mean... The point of this is to make you feel better. The point isn't how I feel. So... If you need me to tell you about anything, then that's fine. I'm not supposed to have boundaries in the first place!"

Deep breaths. Calm down.

"s-so... Feel free to ask anything you'd like." He covered the lower half of his burning face with his scarf.

Sawyer Laurens's POV

"Woo! Yes! Wifekuma! And thank you, friend! Let's gooo!"

They headed to the pool with Miyako!

---

Sutaraitsu Umemoto

Touhou 8: Imperishable Night - Cinderella Cage ~ Kagome-Kagome
[Ambient Version]

---

After being unable to sleep for about two hours, Sutaraitsu decided to get out of bed and get food.

He fixed his hair a bit and left carefully for the cafeteria, making sure not to disturb Akari.

---

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Mika Uyehara

Touhou 15: Legacy of Lunatic Kingdom - Eternal Spring Dream
[Orchestral Remix]

---

Mika tossed and turned in his dorm bed.

He contemplated making some sort of brainwashing elixir to forget about what happened, but eventually decided against it.

Mika soon drifted asleep, curled up into a ball.

---

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Rumiaaaaaaa

Touhou 6: Embodiment of Scarlet Devil - Apparitions Stalk the Night
[Rumia's Theme]

---

Rumia levitated to Kaoru's corpse and took out an oversized knife and fork she got from somewhere.

She then proceeded to surround herself and Kaoru's probably rotten corpse with darkness and began doing dubiously legal things with it.

before you say anything, human cannibalism laws don't apply to yōkai

---

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-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Mei held her hand on the door, not yet opening it. A sudden thought came to her mind, albeit a strange one. It was a thought- no, a question that nagged at her, and probably would nag at her until she asked. It was one that would make the situation awkward and serious, completely the opposite of what she wanted. Mei wanted to keep things light-hearted, not serious in the slightest, but...

"Hey Idris, I've got something to ask of you..." She started out, immediately realizing how weird it was to start out this way.

Especially after what she had just said to him, moments before.

Don't get attached. To anyone

She took a deep breath and turned away from him, her eyes simply gazing to the inside of the cafeteria assuming the door had windows.

"Have you... Ever liked anyone? Do you know what that feels like?"

That was a bit too personal for her liking, but she was being held at gunpoint to say that. Someone please save her from abra's grasp.

Because I feel the need to make a reason as to why she's saying this, Mei is simply curious. The gambler never loved anyone, and no one loved her.

Except for the people at the movie theater.

---

---

Idris Kallikrates

"Mmm...yeah, once-" He grinned slightly.

"I was...14, I think? Just sitting down, on this battered cardboard box, just thinkin' thoughts, as one does, y'know? Then this gal's voice comes outta nowhere."

"He smiled. "They were short, yet always seemed to call me the short one. Always insisted on that. Heh."

Idris snickered. "We had a 'lil gang of sorts. Called ourselves the 'Street Rats'. Stupid name, I know. But it was nice, y'know?"

"We only met once that year, then again, a year later. But that's not important."

He sighed.

"They had a funny way of speaking, thick Texan accent as well. They demanded I always call 'em 'Sae-Sae,' a strange..."

His eyes widened.

"Nickname". Idris finished.

Sae-Sae.

"That's rule no.1 in the Sae-Sae handbook!"

Saeko.

How was he this stupid?

Everything was coming together.

He swore.

"Look, Mei- I...I gotta go. Unfinished business with a rat. I'll be back soon, good luck with the...um- stairs."

...

"Hello, rat," Idris hissed.

Saeko turned around, confused.

"Huh? Watchu talkin' 'bout, 'Krates? I ain't no rat!" Saeko grinned.

"Mmm. Yeah sure. What's that on the back of your neck?" He demanded.

Saeko touched the back of their neck self-consciously. It was a small, black tattoo. Flames. "Nothin', just an old....memory."

"Oh? Nothing?"

"It was jus' a small 'lil tradition my 'lil buddy and I had back in the day. We called ourselves the--"

"Street Rats-?" He interjected.

Saeko paled. "H-how?"

Idris pulled back his hair to reveal a small, black, teardrop tattoo, under his right eye.

"Loss and sorrow." Saeko whispered. They looked at him, panic in their eyes. "Sh-shorty?"

He didn't respond.

"It was all your fault. Her, my father, the fire, ME. EVERY SINGLE DAMN THING, SAE-SAE."

Saeko whimpered.

"You lied to me. I thought we were friends. I thought you actually cared about what she did to me. That went all outta the damn window, didn't it, Katsumi?

Saeko Katsumi.

Remember the headlines?

'Katsumi family perishes in terrible house fire.'

You remember that? You don't think I forgot, did I? You survived, of course.

We both know this wasn't no accident."

Idris had a sudden sense of deja vu, memories of when he was 14, having this same argument, only now, he had proof.

"I couldn't prove it, see. But now I can. I know your secret, Katsumi. I know your motive."

He brandished a slip of paper in their face.

"Found it in your dorm when Mei and I were snoopin' around. Careless, much?"

He sighed.

"All the evidence is here, Katsumi. Do tell me, can you still hear their screams? Every time you close your eyes, do you still see the house erupt in flames? Does the smell of gasoline never really go away?" The speed of his voice began to get quicker and quicker.

"I should kill you now. You couldn't cover it up on your own, noo. Of course not, you needed help."

Tears ran down Saeko's face.

"That's where she came in, eh? Bribed the law enforcement to keep it all hush-hush.

Smart person, my mother.

'Cept when she wasn't a raging alcoholic."

Idris glared at Saeko.

"She bribed them with the money you stole. Not all of it was spent on bribes. Where do you think the rest went?"

"I-....I-"

"I-....I-" Idris mocked. "SPEAK UP-" He yelled. "WHERE DO YOU THINK THE REST OF THE DAMN MONEY WENT, KATSUMI?"

"I'm sorry....I didn't know-" Saeko pleaded.

Idris picked Saeko up by the collar.

"Oh? You didn't? Aww.

We both know you're not as dumb as that.

You're just selfish. You didn't care about what happened to me, right?

As long as your selfish 'lil secret was all covered up, everything was just sunshine and rainbows."

...

"So tell me. Where did the rest of the money go?"

"I'm sorry! Please. Please, Idris-"

Saeko was cut short.

Idris punched them in the face.

"WRONG!" Idris snarled.

Blood began to trickle down Saeko's face, out of their nose.

They looked terrified. Utter terror shone in their eyes. Idris looked into them, and realized with a sickening lurch that he was looking into his own, scared eyes. He looked at his own fists, covered in blood. Was it his own, or Saeko's?

Was this how she felt? With drink coursing through her veins and alcohol poisoning her black heart?

Rage coursed through his veins. He wanted to kill Saeko. Cause them so much pain, show them how he felt.

But...he couldn't turn into his mother.

Saeko was him. He was his mother. He couldn't let his happen.

Idris dropped Saeko.

"I'll kill you." He hissed, ignoring the burning sensation in his hands, and shaking fingers.

"But I won't turn into you. Nor her. Ever." He spat, and turned away, leaving a sobbing Saeko nursing a bloody, and potentially broke, nose.

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-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Well, that wasn't as bad as she thought. She smiled childishly, about to mock him or whatever before he turned around and ran away.

Weird. She could stay here like Idris said, or she could follow...

That look in his eyes gave her the answer. This was too good of an opportunity to pass up.

Mei sneakily followed him, not all that surprised that the one he had run into was Saeko. She already had a feeling that they were close, given their knowledge of each other as they walked into this damn school. Not only that, the person he was referring to... Idris called them Sae-Sae, it couldn't be a coincidence.

But what happened next...

It made her blood rush, her heart pound, her eyes wide.

All that, with the most unnerving grin of them all, tying it all together.

She sat and watched as Idris did the unthinkable, something she never thought he would do. She knew Idris wasn't the nicest person, but she didn't expect anything like this from him. It was music to her ears, really, and a well-done choreography to boot.

But still, a small feeling that she couldn't shake rested in her throat, like a rock she had been forced to swallow.

What the hell was he thinking?

Oh well, not her problem, she wasn't going to do anything. She wanted to compliment him or something, act all excited about what she had just witnessed, but...

Se couldn't bring herself to do it. Besides, then Idris would know that she knew everything. She probably knew too much.

She almost witnessed a murder, didn't she? Idris seemed to want to kill them so badly.

Thank god he didn't, that would mean that he would die. Like all murderers here did. They all got punished, their murders weren't good enough to set them free.

Mei sighed quietly and walked away, the events of what just happened burned in her mind. She couldn't say anything about it, she didn't feel the need to anyways. Besides, she liked to hold secrets, things she wasn't supposed to see. Nothing would change that.

Y'know what? Nah, she had nothing to lose. The urge to comment was just too great anyways. She turned back around and hid before Idris could come back, almost giving her presence away by giggling.

As soon as Idris turned to walk away, Mei jumped out from the corner she was in and got up all in his face, admiration sparkling in her eyes. "Woooowwww Idris, that was soooo cool! How you went FWOOOM, a-and how badly you made Saeko cry!" She was fumbling over her words in pure excitement, and she did a small punching demonstration that imitated whatever Idris did. "Ooooh, some history you got, sounds so gruesome and FUN!" Mei laughed, nearly jumping up and down. "You gotta tell me all about it, I'll throw in some boring bits of my own to seal the deal! Come oooonnn, preetttyyyy pleaaaseee!"

Y'know, Mei never expected that she would share some info of her past as part of a bribe, but here she is. Mei believed that her past was boring, nothing interesting could be said about her that wasn't already on tape. But people liked info apparently, and her thoughts couldn't be any further from the truth.

She decided to leave it at that and whirled around, saying something before skipping back to the cafeteria. "Guess I better keep my distance, eh? Don't wanna end up like your old buddy, now do I~" She teased, before leaving him and expecting him to follow.

She made it back to the cafeteria door, waiting for Idris to catch up. She wasn't all that hungry anymore, but whatever. It was almost lunchtime anyway.

Whatever she saw, she knew she wouldn't forget. She'd keep that memory burning in the back of her mind.

Just like the Katsumi family, apparently.

She saw Idris differently after that, after finally showing how he could really be. She had to admit, it was a little scary, but at least he wasn't a huge wimp.

In fact, that whole encounter made her appreciate him even more.

Once he finally arrived, Mei took one glance at his bloodied knuckles and giggled, all before she went to the nearest bathroom to get a wet rag. Bloody knuckles? Yeah, that was hella suspicious, she couldn't risk Idris being found guilty or whatever.

"Geez, at least know how to punch someone without gettin' dirty! Can't be caught in the act, y'know~" That was Mei's final tease before she handed it over to him, a sick grin plastered all over her face.

She enjoyed that scene, that much was obvious. But... Her mind seemed to be slipping, right in front of Idris. She was inches away from going off the rails, acting without thinking.

She had that memory burning in her mind, and she wasn't going to let it sit.

---

---

Idris Kallikrates

No. No. No.

"You were supposed to stay there. You weren't supposed to see-" Idris spat.

"Whatever happened is none of your damn business, Mei. Ignore it." He mopped up the blood on his hands.

"Just-"

Click.

A small blade was pressed against his throat.

"I'm not gonna let you get away with that, 'Krates. I'll let you burn as well, just like them."

---

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-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

"Whoops! Sorry, I totally accidentally wandered off and ran into it! I'll just act like nooooothhiiii-"

Ah great, she was interrupted by the bloodied nose Saeko. And Saeko had a knife.

Right up against Idris's throat.

Her childish attitude and psychotic grin faded away instantly, her lavender eyes darkened to the color of an endless abyss. Her smile turned into a clenched jaw, and her head lowered slightly in anger.

What the hell were they doing here... They were supposed to be cowering in fear, bawling their eyes out or whatever.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, Saeko." Her voice was low and harsh, the intent to kill bleeding into every single syllable.

"I'll be a witness to whatever the f**k you're gonna do to 'em, and I might just kill you myself before that damn bear does..."

She had her own knife now resting comfortably in her fist, which now had purple knuckles due to how tight she was holding it.

Purple, just like her hair, her eyes.

Purple, just like the blood on her hands, on the knife.

The knife that was still concealed, but ready to strike at any moment. Like a viper, teeth soaked in venom, ready to strike. Drooling from the mouth, the delicious blood was already on the tongue.

"I'd act very carefully if I were you Saeko."

"Or can you not even think at all?"

"Probably can't, considering how foolish you were to just jump on him like that. Didn't even think, didja? Blinded by your rage? Your urge for revenge? That could get you killed, y'know. That mistake will taint your blood as it runs down your throat, runs down my palms. I'd rather not have an idiot's blood on my hands, I hope you know."

"Because you know what? I'm prepared to die, prepared to get convicted. I doubt you are, considering how eager you are to cover your sins."

"You can't escape the flames Saeko, you're goin' to hell if ya do that."

Mei's face only got more and more twisted the more she spoke, but she still stood in place, her knife not yet being revealed. Her smile returned and her eyes curled along with them.

She looked like the devil himself, ready to punish people of their dirty little sins.

This is exactly why she stayed, exactly why she wouldn't let Idris go. Who knows what stupid s**t he would pull? She was probably underestimating him, but she had a feeling that Idris wouldn't make it out of this situation unscathed. Saeko, or even him, could've probably ended up dead or heavily injured. There were weapons in the room after all.

She was insurance, a witness, safety. It was less likely they were going to die together rather than alone, and if anything happened to one of them...

The killer would be punished.

(wow, edgy post that makes no sense, mei is being cool rn guys wooooowwww)

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Darcy Harper's POV

A distraught Darcy sighed, and made their way to the cafeteria. On the way there, they spotted Sutaraitsu. Darcy gave an awkward wave. "Oh, hiii there! I was just- heading to the cafeteria. To eat something. Were you heading there too?"

(Lucian and Sawyer's POVs are not available yet)

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