Forum Thread
Danganronpa Roleplay [PRIVATE]
Forum-Index → Roleplay → Private RP → Danganronpa Roleplay [PRIVATE]Title: litro doing this in between chem revision so no bbcode
so there idris was, t-posing in the back of the cafeteria, staring at everyone with brooding eyes, and generally looking quite emo and sad. he was up to his usual antics, in deep thought about his everyday fantasy, beating the living crap out of monokuma. it was a particularly fun fantasy of his, as every day made him think up a new way to remove the bear's limbs from its body, and other various, violent threats of torture. it was typical idris kallikrates antics. who could blame him? an emo's gotta do what an emo's gotta do when he's stuck in the back of a cafeteria, in the middle of a plot to unmask the sadistic mastermind behind the sad little game he'd be thrown into, and generally being the result of a year's worth of a teenage girl's shower thoughts on 'what would make a really crappy character'. he had to survive somehow.
and then he heard it, a loud bang that woke him from his crappy thoughts and brought him back to an even crappier reality.
there was a bomb. how lovely. just what he needed on a lovely friday evening. he was too tired to even care about who had been potentially blown to smithereens, even if it was kubo.
as funny as the thought of a million pieces of kubo covering the cafeteria was to idris, he was more concerned on the whole 'detective idris and crappy sidekick kubo' arc he was about to embark on, so he begrudgingly held out a small hope that it was not in fact kubo who had been attacked.
that fantasy could occur...another day.
Kubo Atsushi
Kubo stood in front of Lucian, arms hanging loosely by his side, fingers flexing and extending... preparing for a motion that would, apparently be unnecessary.
"I'll see you later, Lucian," he said hurriedly, and gave him a slight push. "Go on. Get out of here."
Miyako's head gave a slight jerk, but for once, she wasn't turning to glare at him. Instead, her eyes were fixed slowly on (Miko? Mika? Hell if Kubo knew anymore) her brother. Somehow, Kubo couldn't quite wrap his head around the concept.
What the hell was with that? Normally he wouldn't be surprised. After all, they looked practically identical with their slighter frames, white hair, and those intensely blue eyes. And the names weren't too far off either.
But the idea of Miyako existing somewhere outside this school...
It was an alarming thought. She had family? After they popped out such a hellspawn, her parents had decided to try again? Couldn't they be satisfied with one little screw up? Why'd they decide to hit the world with a second?
Kubo shook off the confusing and scary thought. Some horrible crossing of genes must've occurred between two very-well adjusted people. Because one of the spawn was Miyako, and the other was a bomber.
And a murderer apparently. Excellent. They couldn't get enough of those in Hope's Peak Academy.
There had never been a better time to head for the Infirmary. Surely even the mastermind was caught off guard by that. Kubo slipped out the side door, just as Buffkuma arrived, wife in tow.
Third Person POV
"Puhuhuhuhu!" Buffkuma thundered. "What are my darling little children doing? Not more property damage! We just got done using our fictional money to pay off the fictional damage of the last little cafeteria incident! And there wasn't even a death this time!"
Wifekuma smiled, stepping up beside her grotesquely muscular husband. "It looks like it was an attempted murder! You have to give the children credit for that!"
"In front of all the other students though?" Buffkuma pouted. "That's a bad murder! That's a sucky murder! You-" he pointed at Mika "-suck at murder!"
The smoke was beginning to clear, revealing the forms of Miyako and Shi, standing alongside each other, glaring at Mika.
Miyako took a step forward. "What the hell indeed," her voice was very cool and calm. "I didn't know you made a habit of bringing bombs with you, Miko. I guess you picked up a few things while your big sister was gone."
Setsuna Jun
When had those two gotten so close? Shi and Miyako... he thought Miyako was dating Mei? She seemed to like her at least. Treated her like an old friend...
An old friend...
An old friend was someone to be left in the past. To be left behind. Forgotten about.
At least that seemed to be the case for Miyako. Did she think she'd traded up, exchanging a dead girl for one with lifeless eyes?
Setsuna wouldn't do that. Not to Sutaraitsu. Never.
He squeezed Sutaraitsu's hand. All this talk of brothers and sisters was confusing. He was glad his boyfriend was there with him. As an only child, he never really got the hype. If they were other kids, then they'd just be mean to you. Only adults were ever nice.
It did make him nervous about Mika though. Mika seemed really sweet and shy, but now, being Miyako's brother... that was worse than carrying around a bunch of bombs! Probably.
Miyako Hiroto
She wanted to hide.
Her whole life she'd wanted to just be that little kid, bundled up in the closet, buried in a bunch of coats and mitts and toques. The light blocked out except for a thin sliver, shadows passing beyond, but never over her, because she was cocooned in warmth and darkness.
The darkness had always been warm to her, as a kid. Only as she grew older and smarter did she realise it could be anything but. That maybe it was something to be feared.
Fear of the dark was in the top three fears of children everywhere, up with kidnappings and spiders. Maybe it made her messed up to long for that tiny little enclosed space again.
Alone.
And as she stared at Miko, she realised that she wanted to hide from her little brother. As if she were a child again, making a stupid mistake.
But she hadn't done anything wrong.
He had. And if he wanted to ruin her safe space one more time through sheer spite, to pull open her closet door where she laid huddled, wrapped in the warm embrace of Shi and morality and love, then he had another thing coming.
If he wanted to be a little candlelight to burn up her beloved, precious shadow of love and warmth, then she'd extinguish his flame. Right here and now.
"You were just starting to share your little talents with these people, huh? Telling them aaalll about your little skillsets. So innocent, little Mika Uyehara, someone to be trusted, because everything he's good at is so sweet and pure."
❄️lucian arbred's pov🕊️
dangerous.
And as Kubo nudged him in that moment, telling him he should go... he couldn't help himself but to recall a time not so different from this one. Like all the dangers he had faced before. That he would probably face again, in some form or another.
Life was so unbearably violent.
The world was so unbearably violent.
It was a truth he knew all too well. That he recognized all too well. And, under any other circumstance, he would have intervened. He would have told everyone not to fight. He would have told them all that wasn't the answer. That maybe, just maybe, there had been a misunderstanding.
But, he knew better than that, didn't he?
Siblings. People from the same home.
People that shared the same experiences, the same parents, the same... everything. He didn't know how he hadn't seen it before.
Mika, no, Miko... Miko Hiroto had built a bomb. And he had just tried to kill his sister. Who knew who else he would take a shot at, if given the chance?
And for once... just once...
Lucian did not feel compelled to intervene.
He did not feel compelled to tell everyone to stop.
He just...
He...
He did what Kubo had asked of him. And he got out of there.
His heart pounded in his ears the whole time. He just kept asking himself, over and over, as he clutched his notes tightly to his chest, tugging anxiously at his scarf...
What the hell am I doing?
💌Darcy Harper's POV🦋
Darcy whipped around, snapped out of his bleary, dazed thoughts, which were mostly rolling his eyes at Sawyer internally, and wondering who the hell here he could actually speak to.
And then he snapped upward, diving to grab Mika... no, Miko, by the wrists, tackling him to the floor.
Not again not again not again not again...
Not when he could do something about it.
I'm not any better. I'm not any better. But...
"What the actual F**K?! Miko. Do you realize what you've just done?" Darcy shouted, his bright blue eyes blazing with hate. "You almost- YOU ALMOST KILLED MIYAKO. YOUR OWN SISTER. We need to restrain this maniac!"
And when he looked into
He saw... a monster. A hidden monster, but a monster.
One that has to be stopped.
"Miyako. How can you be so casual about this? HE JUST TRIED TO KILL YOU!"
Her own brother... huh?
Mei's voice still crept in the back of Darcy's mind. Gripping coldly at his shoulders, with that snide, coldly familiar, slitted smile.
He tried to ignore it. He tried desperately to ignore the shivers that went down his spine. That made his hands and wrists shake, even as he firmly gripped Miko's. This- this creep. He was absolutely insane.
And Darcy... Darcy, no matter who he was. He had- he had to make at least one thing right.
"We have to restrain him. For everyone's safety. He's not to be trusted."
He squinted in Buffkuma's and Wifekuma's direction. "CAN YOU STOP? Miko's attempt at throwing a bomb was about as graceful as a weasel pretending to be a seahorse, but this is a serious moment!"
🍭Sawyer Laurens's POV📚
It was loud. So, so loud. And just where had they heard that before?
Maybe in a movie . . . maybe in a video game . . . maybe in a faraway memory, a faraway dream.
. . .
Or maybe...
Everyone was shouting. Something shocking had apparently happened.
The word the teddy bears used was murder.
Something... they were apparently all too happy about.
But no one else seemed to be happy.
Especially not the angel. The angel didn't seem to be very happy.
Quite angry, actually.
Darcy . . . ?
They slowly got up from the table. Yes, there was...
Certainly something off about...
. . .
Was that what everyone was so upset about?
It certainly looked like whatever that explosion had caused had wrecked the place.
Explosion?...
Where had they seen that before? Had they... seen that before?
I think I've heard that word before.
There was this talk about siblings. Sawyer... didn't have any of those. At least, they thought... they... didn't.
"You're acting like somebody just killed your brother!"
"I don't have a brother."
That straight, short green hair... that dark and proper outfit. Beads dangling from her neck, with a cross on the end. Almost doll-like, so fragile, with that little clip in her hair. A tired but almost patient smile.
Almost reminded them all too much of someone else.
Someone it didn't seem right to lose.
Someone who was always there...
But I can't remember. Why can't I remember?
There were other people, who were always there too.
Always there, always there, always there.
Smiling. Happy. Helpful. Loving.
Always smiling. Never unhappy.
Nothing but blissful freedom.
Until the wretched place, where they take it all away.
They say you can't see the outside.
But why is that? Why must you look at it from within those confines?
Taking away all the color, and you're left with nothing left.
Nothing left.
I felt so numb, I felt so numb, I felt so numb, I felt so numb.
I couldn't remember.
I couldn't remember.
I couldn't
remember.
No matter how much they wanted me to.
They took away all the joy.
All the freedom.
Was it because I was different?
Because I couldn't make sense of those pictures?
And I could never make sense of that, either.
How a girl so kind... could do something so cruel.
But words from those lips could convince anybody.
Anybody...
but me.
"I have to say." Sawyer blinked, shaking their head. "That really was a sucky murder, you know? If you're going to bomb someone, you can't do it with quite so many witnesses."
Especially not Mimi. She's slippery.
Miyako Hiroto
People were gone. They were leaving, fleeing to preserve their pathetic little lives, abandoning ship at the first sign of trouble like rats. Thoughtless pests running on instinct to protect themselves, even at the cost of others. There was no thought, no morals, no care.
She wasn't sure who was gone. But she knew, deep in her bones, even without looking around that Kubo was. And undoubtedly, Idris would follow.
It made her...
But- "Darcy!" she yelped. "Don't just- what if he has more in his pockets?!" Her head whipped back and forth, looking for someone else to talk the Irishman down- but if there was any bomb, it didn't seem to feel the need to go off on all of them. "Well- whatever your methods, you're right. We'll need to bring him back to his dorm. We can lock him in during prom, make sure he won't crash the party."
"CAN YOU STOP? Miko's attempt at throwing a bomb was about as graceful as a weasel pretending to be a seahorse, but this is a serious moment!"
A... weasel pretending to be a seahorse? She withheld a snicker.
This... probably wasn't the right time to be laughing.
"A WEASEL PRETENDING TO BE A SEAHORSE? YOUR ANALOGIES SUCK! YOU-" Buffkuma pointed at Darcy- "SUCK AT ANALOGIES!"
"He really does," Wifekuma marvelled, flexing her rainbow bicep. "Clearly they should leave the talking parts to the grown ups! They have a few workouts before to do before they try roasting us!"
"WELL I CAN DO HIM ONE BETTER!" Puffing out his overgrown chest, Buffkuma popped out several manly (bearly?) hairs from his massive abs. "All of you are sent back to your rooms! Don't come out until prom at 8 o-clock sharp, you hear?! If I catch any of you in the halls..."
His eyes narrowed.
"Wifekuma and I will dress you in your PERSONALIZED prom outfits."
Miyako froze. Visions of hideous tutus floated in front of her eyes and she shook her head, frantic to dispel them. But they remained, taunting her.
Darcy. She thought she liked him, courageous as he was to stand up to Miko. But he had doomed them all with his selfishness. And foolish Sawyer had better keep their eye out for her revenge.
"Now get out of here!" Wifekuma stood on a table, readying her crossbow.
💌Darcy Harper's POV🦋
Shoot. That... thought hadn't even occurred to him. But there was an even more startling thought on his mind. Miyako... cared if he got hurt?
That was new.
But Darcy merely found himself giving Miyako a small smile and a shake of his head.
Was Miko willing to perform a suicide bombing? Darcy didn't know what he was capable of. And yet...
What does it matter?
His life had never really mattered. No matter what he did.
"Miyako... it's fine. It's alright."
"Well- whatever your methods, you're right. We'll need to bring him back to his dorm. We can lock him in during prom, make sure he won't crash the party."
His grip tightened on Miko's wrists, his eyelids fluttering. Right. Prom... they had to get to prom.
And then, maybe...
His thoughts were interrupted by the most irritating, horrifying noise imaginable. One that none of them could have possibly predicted. One of complete, utter, unmatched horror--
"A WEASEL PRETENDING TO BE A SEAHORSE? YOUR ANALOGIES SUCK! YOU- SUCK AT ANALOGIES!"
Darcy's brows furrowed. He huffed tiredly, still tightly gripping onto Miko's wrists. The metal cross clinked slightly as it shook against his sweater's slightly rumpled fabric.
"Okay. Very nice, Buffkuma. Very nice. Let's hear it from the Ultimate Comedian."
"He really does. Clearly they should leave the talking parts to the grown ups! They have a few workouts before to do before they try roasting us!"
Darcy squinted. Did they... seriously think they were great talkers? That was rich.
Whatever. They weren't even worth entertaining. Especially not with the situation they had trapped them all i--
"WELL I CAN DO HIM ONE BETTER! All of you are sent back to your rooms! Don't come out until prom at 8 o-clock sharp, you hear?! If I catch any of you in the halls..."
Darcy grimaced. What was that utterly horrendous sight? He visibly paled, his body growing cold and stiff. Yet he still clung hastily to Miko's wrists, not daring to-
"Wifekuma and I will dress you in your PERSONALIZED prom outfits."
No. NO. Nononono.
So this was what true despair felt like.
"Now get out of here!"
Darcy sighed. He slowly, reluctantly let go of Miko's wrists. Red marks were left were there was normally unbelievable paleness. He reached out and grabbed Miko by the scruff of his hoodie.
"Listen here, you. You better march RIGHT back over to your room like that abomination told us to..." His eyes narrowed, his face clouding over. His tone lowered in volume, growing somehow colder "Or I will personally cause you unspeakable pain before killing you myself. Have I made that clear?"
🕊️lucian arbred's pov❄️
Lucian's footsteps echoed almost silently against the floor with every step he took. He was used to being quiet. Not making any noise, even when you wanted to. You couldn't risk making a sound. Couldn't let them hear you.
I don't know what this is about...
But he had to show up. The therapist knew that very well.
Whatever it was, it was important. And he wasn't going to miss it for anything.
Everything would work itself out in the end.
🍭Sawyer Laurens's POV📚
. . . No.
No.
No.
Please.
Not again.
I don't want to go back.
I don't want to go back.
I DON'T WANT TO GO BACK
I DON'T WANT TO-----
Running.
Runn ing.
R u n n i ng.
I don't know where to.
Anywhe re is be tt er
than the re
I don't want
I don't want to go back
n ot now
no t e ver
Miyako Hiroto
With a huff, Miyako spun around and stormed back to her dorm, not even pausing to grab her discarded plate of dino nuggies, instead leaving them sad and half-eaten alone on the table.
Good. Screw that and screw Sawyer.
She had some thinking to do.
Thinking about Miko, about her dad, and this whole killing game.
Setsuna Jun
"No need to ask me twice!" Setsuna squeaked, snatching Sutaraitsu by the hand and taking off with him.
Tutus were not a good look on him! He'd tried them once, and never again!
Kubo Atsushi
The camera clicked off as Kubo finally disabled it for good. Hanging it back up on the wall, he admired his work. It looked as if it were perfectly intact. Only the mastermind would know it'd been broken. And more likely than not, if they kept to a tight schedule, they wouldn't even have an opportunity to check the cameras before the ultimate plan came to fruition.
He sighed, running a hand through his hair, and letting the fringe fall in soft, goassamer-like waves back over his eye.
Kaoru always mocked him for all his fretting and worrying over his hair. Maybe she was right. Maybe it could've been spent doing better things, things that'd have made his future easier.
But he knew a little bit of hacking, and that was good enough for today. Being merely a jack of all trades was fine sometimes, even if he was also the master of vanity.
It worked.
The door creaked open. Kubo went stiff.
"Miyako?" he called softly. He glanced over his shoulder, bracing himself for the attack-
White hair fell around a soft, worried face. Warm brown eyes bore into him, concern intensifying in their depths.
"Lucian? You're here already?" Had something happened?
🕊️lucian arbred's pov❄️
Oh. That was a good point. Why was he already here? Lucian wasn't sure himself.
Not to... ask Kubo about that, certainly not.
"you told me to get out of there," he replied flatly. There wasn't really any other response he could feasibly give. After all... he wasn't sure where else to go.
His breath hitched, his warm brown eyes flitting around the room, his head turning slightly in accordance with the motion. He numbly fiddled with his hands.
"this place... I like it here." He nodded to the infirmary. "it's somewhere people's wounds can be mended. Like when..."
He trailed off.
Oh, to prevent the murders? Yeah. That had clearly never worked out.
And the people who had helped to treat wounds?
Lucian swallowed, feeling for where that cut had been on his cheek. Not so long ago. It had already healed, and it just reminded him of...
Kaoru was no longer here. Neither was Akora. Akora... who they had found dead in the cafeteria. So soon. So recently. Lucian hadn't known her very well, but he had respect for them. They didn't deserve that.
"and... this is that place. Our place. Where we talked."
There was just something comforting about it. About the infirmary. It was a peaceful place. Lucian loved it here.
. . .
And Mei...
Could it be they had been treating her wounds so recently? Only to find out she had taken the fall for Setsuna. And was to be executed.
Lucian had never liked Mei Akamatsu. But he'd always wanted better for her. He'd always thought she could do better. Be better.
And maybe she could have.
Maybe that's what this place served as a reminder of. Of all the healing everyone could do... if they only tried.
"I guess... I just found it most natural to come here. It's like I belong in this place. In a way."
Yes... maybe that was the answer.
💌Darcy Harper's POV🦋
🍭Sawyer Laurens's POV📚
Kubo Atsushi
"You told me to get out of there."
Kubo flinched. That was true. He hadn't expected Lucian to come here, though. Why not his dorm? Why not to the kitchens? Why does he take me so... seriously?
It was an odd feeling. For so long, Kubo had been pretending to be someone else, someone unworthy of respect. They'd seen a pathetic, snivelling boy who couldn't stop his ridiculous stutter. Then he'd come out of that sweet sugary land of lies as the mess he was, determined to tear everyone down with him.
He hurt people, and hurt them again, and all he could focus on was himself.
Why didn't Lucian see that? Why did he listen to him? It wasn't even as if they were in a trial, begrudgingly listening to what the Ultimate Detective had to say, if only to keep themselves alive.
Lucian just respected him. Kubo had no idea what Lucian'd seen in him, but somehow... it warmed his heart, if only a little bit.
Even if right now, Lucian's voice was dull and flat, almost emotionless. As if something was broken inside him.
"this place... I like it here. it's somewhere people's wounds can be mended. Like when... and... this is that place. Our place. Where we talked. I guess... I just found it most natural to come here. It's like I belong in this place. In a way."
For some reason, the words sent a chill up Kubo's spine. They shouldn't. It was just more of Lucian's soft, non-sensical musings. Romantic fluff.
"I don't think you belong here," Kubo blurted out. Cold talons raked their icy nails down his neck and he shivered. "This isn't the place for you. Not here, not somewhere sterile and cold and w-with tiles and crap. You... you belong out in the sun."
So much for "Lucian" being the "non-sensical" one, huh?
Kubo grimaced, but kept going.
"Let's focus. Idris'll be here any minute now, and I don't want him attacking us when he sees you... if he th-thinks we're trying to p-pull something."
🕊lucian arbred's pov❄️
Huh? Lucian raised his head. He wasn't sure what he was expecting Kubo to say... but... it certainly wasn't that.
"This isn't the place for you. Not here, not somewhere sterile and cold and w-with tiles and crap. You... you belong out in the sun."
. . .
"out in the sun... huh?"
Lucian paused for a moment. Unsure of whether to say what lingered on his mind.
I've always loved the cold.
"I think... she would have loved the sun."
Probably... a garden. Of flowers. Somewhere safe and warm.
Being... out in the sun, he thought. What a peculiar concept.
Was that what freedom felt like?
He was always moving, from place to place. So frantically. He was so tired. So, so very tired...
Of having a bad feeling, and walking in to see things were just as he had feared. Of never being able to do enough. Never being able to save everyone...
"...where do you think you belong?" he couldn't help but ask.
"Let's focus. Idris'll be here any minute now, and I don't want him attacking us when he sees you... if he th-thinks we're trying to p-pull something."
Why would he...?
And then Lucian remembered... this was Idris they were talking about. He had tried to kill Saeko. They still had to be on their guard around him. Even with the hope of moving forward.
"alright. I understand."
Kubo Atsushi
"...where do you think you belong?"
Kubo didn't answer that, because he was fairly sure Lucian hadn't meant him to hear it. And it was a silly question, anyway.
He belonged in a little village, nestled beneath the mountains and the sky. A little boy, cradled by the whole world, gazing up at the sky, reaching for it. Trees and grass and green and bushes... the whole world contained in the terrarium of Shirakawa-go.
Until the infinitely-wished upon star would hit the earth and burn that whole bewitchingly beautiful place to the ground. And him with it.
🕊lucian arbred's pov❄️
Lucian was unsurprised. Maybe Kubo didn't know where he belonged. Or maybe... he simply didn't want to think about it. It was a difficult thing to think about, wasn't it?
Home.
"...so, why did you call me here?"
Kubo Atsushi
Well, now was as good a time as any, he supposed. "I have a plan to capture the mastermind. It requires the work of three different people. You, me, and Idris."
Kubo drummed his knuckles on the edge of the hospital bed.
"I'll get into the details once he arrives. For now, we can look for any hidden cameras. I think there's just the one, but we might as well double check."
He sighed.
Judging by the lack of Kubo, Idris figured he'd better haul his emo ass to the Infirmary. It excited him, the thought of a whodunnit, and uncovering the Mastermind once and for all. It was funny to him how he, out of all people, was going to embark on this Sherlock Holmes-esque quest for some sort of justice. He wasn't cut out for the detective work, Idris hated using his brain. He preferred to sit and listen. He was a good listener, crap at giving advice, but he'd never say no to listening to someone's woes or troubles. As a child, he was the number one, go-to guy to vent your problems too. He didn't look like the type of guy to do that, but deep down, he was a jumble of everyone's problems, and his own.
Idris rubbed his eyes drearily.
Let's just get this over and done with, eh? For me. For Mei. For the plot.
...and what would he do after uncovering the mastermind?
He frowned a little.
He supposed he'd....introduce them to his two little friends.
Fist one and fist two.
Idris grinned. Yeah, that seemed like a great plan.
He trudged his way through the Cafeteria, weaving through Recently Bombed Miyako, and Recently A Bomber Miko. That drama could wait for another day, and besides, he didn't have any good bomb puns yet in mind.
He'd think of that after his detective work was over.
Idris made his way over to the Infirmary and,
'Oh yoo-hoo Kubo! Your knight in shining armour has ari-ii-ved!'
Kubo Atsushi
My... knight in shining armour?
Kubo blinked. "Well, for once Idris, your princess isn't in another castle. You've got two princesses, and a fake murder plot to plan with them." He moved to stand in front of Lucian, and gestured Idris over. "Lucian's part of the plan. I know him pretty well, and I don't think he's secretly orchestrated this whole killing game... so he'll be helping us. I hope that's okay. This whole business is a three person job."
Idris squinted at Lucian. "Yeah...he doesn't really look like the 'mastermind' type. Unless he's really good at hiding it, then, props to you Lucian."
He grinned. "A fake murder plot you say? Ooh boy. I need all the details."
Idris clapped his hands together.
"I'm soooo looking forward to this.
Kubo Atsushi
That sounded... just a little bit sarcastic, but Kubo'd take what he could get. Even fake enthusiasm could get a mastermind-catching plan in the works.
"So... the identity of the mastermind. I have a good idea, but if we're going to kill someone we better damn well be right. That's why you're here."
Kubo stepped away from Lucian, still keeping his eyes fixed on Idris.
"You've got a good head on your shoulders. You aren't stupid like Setsuna or Darcy and you're a hell of a lot less arrogant than me. If there's a flaw in my theory, you'll catch it. So..." Kubo drummed his knuckles on the edge of the infirmary bed. "Listen carefully, okay? If I'm wrong about anything, I'm trusting you to spot it."