Chapter 1: Goodbye, High-School Life

[hopefullyyours]

Who: Nagito Komaeda and anybody else
Broadcast: Fleetwide video
Action: On the Marsiva
When: 1/30

[Komaeda shows the stars before himself, arranging his bad arm one last time to make certain nothing is showing. It's a wasted effort- his hand is already tightly bundled up under multiple layers of bandage and clothing. He switches the view so he's fully visible.]

Hello, hello! What an interesting setting we're in now. I don't suppose Monokuma has given us any announcements to explain why it looks like we're in space?

[He smiles, eyebrows quirking up. It's an expression that seems to beg forgiveness, though there's a shadow of another expression, a colder one, behind his eyes. The combination of those two layered expressions reads as contempt, but is it just that?] And, goodness my, but it's quiet here. Have I been locked up again? In punishment? I promise you all, I did what I did in order to further you-

... To further hope.

Comments

[detectivewonder]

Two questions.

Monokuma?

[hopefullyyours]

.... Who are you? That's only one question, by the way.

[detectivewonder]

Timothy Jackson Drake-Wayne. But just 'Tim' is fine.

The second question is what you did.

[aberrant_type]

[Listening in on this]

[hopefullyyours]

.... Are you- a foreign exchange student? [It's possible? Sonia was, after all. But how, or why, would he be kept separate from the rest of them this whole time? And with how boisterous and sadistic Monokuma was, there was no way he could keep himself unknown from this 'Tim' in that situation.]

Hmmm.... Well, I sort of... burned down a building. It was an unused factory! Nothing of value was lost in the fire.

[detectivewonder]

No more or less than the rest of us.

And you didn't answer about Monokuma.

[hopefullyyours]

How interesting. Have you ever heard of Hope's Peak Academy? [Because of course he has, everybody has, but Komaeda hasn't gotten this far by blithely assuming things.]

Oh- Monokuma? He's a beary distinct sort of person. You would definitely know him if you saw him.

video;

[aberrant_type]

Monokuma is a person or organization, I presume? You're going to want to change the names over to Diamond. Or Atroma.

[She smiles blithely. Her eyes are wide and brown. She looks like the picture of friendliness.]

And it seems that you are in space. It came as a surprise to me too!

Re: video;

[hopefullyyours]

He's definitely the sort of person you'd be loathe to take on with your bear hands. Why am I changing his name?

[Goodness but she does look friendly. All these extra people are popping up- all two of them! He's almost not sure what to do with himself.]

That sort of thing is probably just an elaborate ruse, don't you think?

Re: video;

[aberrant_type]

It would have to be quite the elaborate ruse, given that we've stopped at waystations... in space... and on a few different planets now. I suppose they could be transporting us around the world, but the resources required would be incredible, in my opinion!

And you're changing his name because I haven't heard a whisper from or about this Monobear character since we arrived. Although if you wanted, I suppose you could go on using his name! Why not?

Re: video;

[hopefullyyours]

Hmm. What a curious piece of information. [Crossing his arms, Komaeda looks out to the view of the stars to his side.] I suppose even that, for Monokuma, is a bit much.

... But even if I say that, don't you think it's also a bit much to assume we're traveling around in space?!

Re: video;

[aberrant_type]

I suppose it might be! It's pretty incredible! Maybe they're actually manipulating all our minds, and we're in one room, or something of that sort, and we just think we're flying around in space.

Re: video;

[hopefullyyours]

Haha, I think even for my tastes that's entirely too far-fetched. Things like that don't happen in real life!

Re: video;

[aberrant_type]

It's all speculation anyway! And imagine what they'd have to do to get your brain to go along with that. Imagine it.

[She grins.]

Probably something unnerving!

Re: video;

[hopefullyyours]

I'd... prefer not to. [Komaeda gives a small, over-wrought grimace.] The mere idea of something as grisly like that is enough to give me chills.

[...and then he goes back to smiling distantly. Komaeda what.]

Re: video;

[aberrant_type]

[She laughs!]

You're a funny kid, aren't you?

Re: video;

[hopefullyyours]

I don't know about that! I've been told I have a funny way of looking at things, though of course that's not quite the same.

Re: video;

[aberrant_type]

Don't worry about it! I like it!

Have you discovered your augment yet?

Re: video;

[hopefullyyours]

My, how kind of you to say... I don't think anybody's ever said something like that about me before.

My... augment? [Though he thinks she means the small strip of plastic he found tucked discreetly behind his ear, he's not actually certain.] I don't think so. Why don't you tell me about it?

video;

[aberrant_type]

It's easier to show you! Feel around the back of your head. Near the top of your neck, where it hits your skull.

Re: video;

[hopefullyyours]

Oh? [Shuff shuff go his clothes as he sets his communicator down and starts feeling around with his good hand. He strokes a finger along the little strip he'd found on him upon waking, then tips his head.] Do you know what it does?

Or... how it was put in? [The edge of his nail scrapes along the smooth plastic. An unpleasant feeling of dread coils in his stomach.]

Re: video;

[aberrant_type]

We have a good idea what it does, but no idea how they placed it! You're gonna have some kind of skill, kiddo. You'll be able to fly one of these ships or use the lab or get a big gun, and I'm pretty sure that comes from this augment thing.

It's also been suggested that they record us through it! Don't try digging it out with your fingers, now.

Re: video;

[hopefullyyours]

Ah- I think mine is pilot. That doesn't sound too bad, after all. It might be nice to be able to... [He'd almost allowed himself to forget that this is probably some kind of insane plot by Monokuma. No- he won't be caught in that trap. As long as he's alive, he has to struggle to bring hope to... well, he supposes normal, everyday people are better than nobody.] ... explore. There's a lot out there, isn't there?

I'm not a stranger to unwanted viewers. [Ah, that sounds familiar. Though with how friendly this person is being, he wonders if she might be a traitor of some kind, like Nanami was. Somebody to lure him into a false sense of security.... yes, that makes sense.]

Re: video;

[aberrant_type]

[You paranoid little nugget. Hange's friendly tone still isn't changing, jeez.]

Oh, there certainly is! That's the best thing by far about this place.

While we're talking, is your hair normal where you're from?

Re: video;

[hopefullyyours]

[Don't worry, Hange, he's just getting started! HE IS TOTALLY READY FOR SOMEBODY TO LURE HIM INTO A MURDER TRAP.]

Hmmm. It does sound nice. [Komaeda looks out at the view of space around him once more.] It just seems... space? It's so far-fetched.

Oh, that is- wait, my hair? [WHAT IS WRONG WITH HIS HAIR.]