[physical education 101]

[sevenhorrorsmods]

Who: transfer students
When: July 1̷̝̤̳̙̫̭̻̝͓̄̇̾̀̕͝9̸̙̱̹͍̮̈́́̀̅͛̐̔̋ 20
Where: the. . . gymnasium?
What: an ice breaker
Warnings: moderate physical injury (not debilitating), psychological horror (absolutely debilitating)

[The school is empty. The school is quiet. The only sound that cuts through the silence is the soft ticking of the hallway clocks that mark the passing of each second.]

[. . .]

[At least. . . until a stiff breeze whips through the classrooms, scattering dirty papers and jerking the curtains aside. The clock strikes 6:00 a.m.]

[The school bell chimes.]

[ Team rooms | Endgame | Rewards ]

Comments

[ratiocinations]

[This boy is NOT fine, and he doesn't need to be a [redacted] to see that.

...Blue, though?]

Toby.

[Here is a bloodied "Mr Adair", standing above him.]

[demergo]

[ ...oh! someone is talking to him. someone he can see which is the exception rather than the norm. actually it's someone he just met and someone he likes.

give him a second to try to get his head on straight and definitely fail but hey, there was an attempt. he does uncurl from his ball, though he doesn't sit up just yet. ]

Adair-san...no, Mr. Adair. Hello...You're really tall. [ giggle. ]

[ratiocinations]

[Ah. Yes. This is further proof of this place's cruelty, to put a young man of Toby's... demeanor through that awful ordeal.

Bends forward and offers a hand up. He aches, too, but...]

Indeed. Up you go.

[demergo]

[ !

he blinks a few times but then takes the hand with a smile. it's not a bright one given you know, everything, but it's not small either. ]

Thank you... [ despite his injuries, haruka stands up pretty quickly. sorry for the blue goo you're going to get on your hands now, something haruka seems to realize after a moment. oops, letting go! ]

Ah, sorry, my hands are dirty... [ tries to find a spot of his shirt than isn't a mess to rub the goo off. ]

[ratiocinations]

Please, dear boy. As though any of us are clean right now.

[He, too, is tattered, bloodied, mussed. Eyes rake him up and down. The blue...]

That isn't from the spiders, is it?

[demergo]

But I don't want to get you more dirty! [ he cares, okay? ]

That—? [ ...oh, the blue! he smiles just a bit brighter. ] No, it is, actually. Spiders have blue blood for some reason. Do you think if I mix it with mine it would make purple?

[ratiocinations]

[Spiders, blue blood. A fact that nestles itself in his brain, likely to slide out and disappear like a week later.]

Let's not mix anyone's blood with anything today. Your wounds need tending to.

[demergo]

[ with the adrenaline and the entire mess he is right now, he doesn't really feel them tbh. ]

Ah? Umm, are you sure? Yours too...

[ratiocinations]

In time. You first.

[Let's go find somewhere to sit that isn't on the floor.]

[demergo]

...Okay. [ away from the floor and... probably away from the large group of people in various states of disarray. he didn't realize there were so many until now, when he's moving and actually listening to the sounds around him. ]

T-there's so many people here...you were right.

[ratiocinations]

[Casting about, looking around. Details in every frame, every new face. His mind is frustratingly hazy right now, and he cannot even properly categorize them the way he's so used to.]

Fellow captees, just like us. I was correct.

[About that, at least.]

[demergo]

But you didn't do anything to deserve this, like me.

[ his being a captee is just his normal! ]

[ratiocinations]

You assume much, you know. You hardly know me at all. Perhaps a thread of crime does not connect us [or it could, from the opposite end] but something else may. There must be a reason we were all chosen.

[demergo]

I know that you're nice to me and gave me a name. [ that's more than enough in his book! ]

If you didn't do something bad, and you're not from Milgram or Japan...

[ there's too many possibilities, but really his mind is just fuzzy. ]

[ratiocinations]

[They near the bleachers, and he gestures at them.]

Sit. It can be contemplation for another day. All the more reason to get to know the rest here, at least.

[demergo]

[ sitting obediently. ]

Is that what you want me to do? I'm not really good at talking to people, but I can try.

[ratiocinations]

It's a skill you should hone, nonetheless. In this instance? Most especially so. We are all in need of information, and everyone has their own perspective to share.

[demergo]

[ thinking that over. ]

Information...to leave? Or...

[ mmm, does he want to leave?

despite the escape room experience from hell, he's still not sure yet. ]

[ratiocinations]

Information to understand. To survive.

[And sure, to leave. But that’s much farther down the line, he suspects. The first two are required, undeniably so.]

[demergo]

...I get it now. I don't—I don't want to die. Even if I think...that might be selfish of me.

[ you know, considering- ]

[ratiocinations]

[Considering.

…For the nth time today, he really wishes he had something to smoke.]

As I told you before, I’m not the one who’ll cast judgement on you. Here and now, your safety contributes to ours, which makes it just as important as anyone else’s. It isn’t selfish.

[demergo]

[ haruka fidgets, bringing a finger to his mouth before realizing what he's doing. ]

..you really don't think my life's worth less?

[ratiocinations]

[Childlike, again. He wonders at the development of this young man as he was growing older, if it contributed to his lot in life.]

Will it change your opinion of yourself if I say yes or no?

[demergo]

[ quieter, with barely any affect. ]

I can't answer that, that's cheating.

[ratiocinations]

[Ah.]

Toby, as I know you now, I consider your life no more important, nor no less, than anyone else's. But life is hardly a straight line, and neither are the impressions of strangers or friends. They will rise and sink like ships at sea, all according to the actions you take.

If you wish to feel your worth, act like a worthy person. It is no more complicated than that.