6/24: nico

[randori]

[ Maybe it's a bad idea. ...It's a bad idea, he knows it is, but he has to know. It's another late night patrol, not quite bedtime but getting there, with Natsuo pacing in front of the dorms, staring down at his feet and muttering to himself, down the hall, down the stairs, his feet bringing him in front of the ballroom. He frowns at the door for a second before reaching out and giving the handle a rattle: locked. ]

Did I not get this far? I must have...

Comments

[resumed]

[...Natsuo what the hell are you doing. Nico notices that Natsuo's doing something with the ballroom door, and given what's just happened it's a little suspicious. It's why he stops in his tracks and stares, quietly approaching after a moment to look at the door.]

...Natsuo. What are you doing?

[randori]

[ His hands fly off the handle as if shocked, himself spinning around on his heel to face Nico. ]

Nothing! Trying to open the door! What are you doing?

[ There was an attempt to keep his actions a secret, but... it was pretty obvious what he was trying to do anyways. ]

[resumed]

Checking the castle. [Which is how he came here, mostly. He gives Natsuo another wary look.] Why are you trying to open that door in the first place? It's...probably not the best idea now, is it?

[randori]

I wanted to see what happened inside, since I wasn't there for it. [ Physically, but not consciously. He needs to see how badly he screwed up, because who the hell can kill themselves with a chandelier? He'd think people were joking, if they didn't all corroborate each other's stories. ]

Do you know what's inside? Why isn't it a good idea?

[resumed]

[...he blinks a little.]

I suppose it makes sense that you don't remember, but it seems a little strange to want to return to your own death site, doesn't it? Even if...[You're a zombie. Which is fine, Nico likes zombies, but this is beyond even his own capabilities.]

Did you really unlock it the first time?

[randori]

[ Of course the dead are drawn back to where they died; that's why so many ghosts hang around haunting places. ]

It's not strange. It's just hard to believe, so I want to see for myself. I've opened it before and nothing happened, so I don't know what went so wrong.

[resumed]

[...hm.]

How did you open it, exactly?

[randori]

I... turned the handle?

[ magical lockpicking idk!! ]

[resumed]

[Hum.] If it was part of your title, which means it was something given to you by the Crafters, is it possible it's something they could take away when we die?

[randori]

[ He gives Nico a swift punch on the shoulder— not bone-shattering hard, but definitely hard enough to feel ]

I'M NOT DEAD!!

[resumed]

Hey! [He immediately brings a hand up to defend himself but it's too late. That'll probably bruise? Thanks Natsuo!!!] I know you're not dead! I meant before!

[randori]

[ Good!!! Let it be a lasting reminder that telling people they're dead is hella rude. ]

I wasn't dead before either! That was fake dead! It wasn't real!

[resumed]

Natsuo, I felt you die, and I felt you come back to life! I'm not even sure what it was but it wasn't entirely fake!

[That was still rude though, yeah.]

[randori]

Those feelings are called "sadness" and "happiness" but the dying is still fake!

[ He might have zero grasp on the concept of death, but the one thing he knows is that it's permanent, and therefore F A K E ]

[resumed]

[An irritated huff.]

No. Those feelings are "you're in danger and your life force is threatened" and "wow, that was a weird jumpstart after you were beginning your revival."

[It's complicated and he just shakes his head.] ...what about everyone else who hasn't come back? Do you think those deaths are fake?

[randori]

No, because they're dead and gone forever. But I'm not- I'm still here.

[ He crosses his arms and frowns, reeling the conversation back just a step. ]

Anyways, you can't feel that sort of stuff because you weren't the one dying or whatever happened to me. I didn't feel any of that stuff.

[resumed]

[He raises an eyebrow.]

I can usually feel it on a bigger level, but the wishing well decided it would be funnier to give it back in half instead of actually being useful. And anyway it's probably better you didn't.

That's why I'm trying to understand everything here since their goal is for us to kill each other anyway.

[randori]

Like some sort of... tingly... death sense...?

[ No. He shakes his head. He's not going to try to understand it. ]

Would it be useful if you could feel everything? Warn people before they die? You should've told me about your wish before I used mine- I could've given you my wish to get the other half!

[resumed]

I don't know. And I wouldn't use someone else's wish for the other half. That would maybe make it better or worse, but I'm not sure yet.

[...] It would help to warn people if they were targeted though, I think. Usually I can tell if there's a heavy presence of death around someone, or if they might come to danger where their life is threatened. This time all I can tell is that "something" is changing for them, but it goes off when people are injured, too. [...so yes, a tingly death sense.]

It's fairly useless when I asked the well to give me something to protect people.

[randori]

If there's a chance it'll help, you shouldn't turn that down. My next coin, I'll give it to you! Even if it's danger and not death, it's good to warn people about it. That's protection, isn't it?

[resumed]

...I guess so, but what about if you could use that coin to protect yourself, too?

[randori]

I don't have magic and stuff like you guys do, so it's better if you use it! 'sides, I don't need anything else to protect myself.

[ says him who'd just died, but that was unavoidable ]

[resumed]

...if that happens, I suppose I can't stop you. [He'll just have to use it for something good for all of them, he thinks.] But seriously, please be careful?

[randori]

[ "Be careful." "Take care of yourself." "Don't do anything stupid." Those are all just words at this point. ]

I know, I'll be careful! And you too!

[resumed]

[...hm.]

You're still going to try to break into the ballroom, aren't' you.