purrtagonist | [Day 10, night: Ichigo; CW: lots of blood and injuries]

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nope's peak: r1

[Day 10, night: Ichigo; CW: lots of blood and injuries]

[secret AGENT man plays in the background]

[their agreed meeting spot is in the hallway of the dormitory wing, halfway between each of their rooms. Akira quietly hopes no one else stumbles across him while he waits for Ichigo to arrive, because he sure does look suspicious. mostly because he had managed to fish out a replica of his thieving outfit from his closet, mask and all. but hey, gotta wear the right outfit if your plan is to sneak around, right?]

[he waits, arms folded, back leaning up against the wall, right foot propped up at his side. his mask, at least, is pushed to the top of his head. and he isn't wearing glasses]

[and for the first time, he's wearing the kitchen knife he pilfered openly at his waist. hello, Ichigo. someone is ready and raring to go]

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[opens his mouth to say something, but the comment about his bangs has him stunned into silence. because not only does it make it clear that Ichigo has noticed his weird habits, it also makes it clear that Ichigo understands why he wears those glasses. wtf!! who notices stuff like that!!]

[another moment of silence, and he just. huffs out a laugh]

I'd have to grow out my bangs if I wanted them to function like my glasses do.

[a snort]

Besides, don't you think they make me look smart?

[Ichigo notices things about the people he cares about, okay!!]

Long hair is back in fashion, you know.

[That's teasingly, about the bangs. Though with how messy Akira's hair is, he's not too sure that long hair would look good on Akira anyway. Not that he'd complain if he tried to grow it out.

Ichigo just waves a hand.]

Maybe - you do look different to me without them on, but...the glasses bring out your features, like your eyes.

[I-Ichigo

Ichigo that's gay??]

Edited 2018-01-01 04:03 (UTC)

[ICHIGO THAT'S REALLY GAY]

[but his grin widens, and he lifts a hand to drop his mask onto his features]

How's this for a substitute?

[....]

No.

[He's going to reach out to take that mask off. It's terrible and he doesn't like it!!]

[. . . hey!! reaches out to grab the mask back from Ichigo]

I need that.

They already know who we are, you don't need to hide your identity!

[but he gives it back anyway, a little huffily. He's not sure why he doesn't like it, but...maybe it's because with it on, Akira feels less like the person he knows and adores, and more like the mysterious, mischievous phantom thief he says he is.

He doesn't really want to look too deeply into it at the moment, though.]

...So. Are you ready to do this?

[maybe you need to get to know the mysterious, mischievous phantom thief part of him too, Ichigo!!]

[he grabs the mask and affixes it back on top of his head, expression turning amused]

It isn't a matter of hiding my identity.

[he should elaborate on that, huh. but Ichigo's next question prevents him from doing so, and he gives a firm nod, chin tilted up]

Yeah, I'm ready. Let's go.

[It's alright, they'll have that discussion a lot later.

He nods, his gaze turning determined and steely.]

Let's go. We'll be the ones who'll shatter fate.

[Which...is a line he'd been working on for a poem, but it feels appropriate in this moment - as they get ready to try and stop their captors from continuing these horrible nights.]

[. . . WOW]

Oooh, good one.

[he gives Ichigo a cheeky grin]

I feel like you just stole my thunder.

[time to make their way to the fourth floor]

[He actually blushes a little when Akira praises that, bringing his hand up behind his head sheepishly.]

Thanks. It's, uh...part of a poem I wrote here. 'Give me a strong blade and enough strength to shatter fate' is the final line of it.

[But yes, they'll move - they do have a bit of time to talk as they get there, since going up four flours takes a while, and they're not even aware there's a fourth one now.]

Edited 2018-01-01 05:08 (UTC)

[they do have a ways to go, and Akira's pretty alert for the entire journey. he keeps an eye on the hallways in front of them and moves cautiously, carefully, subconsciously sticking close to the walls]

[but as they walk, he can't help but say]

I like it. It's a good, strong line.

[head tilt]

What's the rest of the poem?

[He also keeps watch as they move, following Akira's lead as they stick close to the walls, but he's a little taken aback by Akira's request.]

Ah -

[He looks away for a second, then takes a deep breath - and when he next speaks, it's with the cadence of someone reciting from memory - hesitant and stumbling at first, but slowly becoming more and more assured as he goes along.]

....'It's rotating.

The world changes with each rotation
And every time it touches the sun and moon
Its appearance always changes to something new.

If there is something that does not change
Then it is how powerless I am.

I can see the people here
I can touch them
I can speak with them
But that is all I can do.

They sometimes disappear in front of me
And I don't know why
But all they leave behind
Are their blood-stained bodies
And the lingering sense of pain and regret.

No matter how much I train myself
I cannot protect them
And every time I think that
My heart becomes a blade in my chest.

...It's rotating.

If fate is a millstone
then we are the grist.
There is nothing we can do.

So I wish for strength.
If I cannot protect them from the wheel
Then give me a strong blade
And enough power
To shatter fate.'

[As his voice gains more confidence, so too do the emotions contained in the poem come out - and when he finishes, his voice is resolved - the same determination in those words as the determination in his gaze when he approached Akira.]

Edited (formatting) 2018-01-01 05:23 (UTC)

[. . . Ichigo might notice that they stop walking at one point on the third floor, near the corner of a nearby hallway. they stop walking because Akira has stopped to lean his shoulder against the wall while he watches Ichigo recite the poem. every word rings like a bell in his ears, resonates within him with each chime. and when it's over?]

[he's smiling. it's a mixture between a sharp, determined grin, and something softer and more. . . fond]

. . . you're really good with words.

[He doesn't notice - because each line, each word takes his attention as he recites, mindlessly following Akira no matter if he stops and starts.

When it's over, his heart is thumping a bit hard in his chest - because it was the first time he'd ever shared anything he'd written with someone else, but -

That smile soothes any anxiety he has, spilling over him in a sense of relief.]

...Ultimate Poet, remember?

[He gives a little laugh, scratching at the back of his head.]

I...I normally hated my poems, because I couldn't find the right words for what I wanted to express - it always felt like I was...I don't know, trying too hard or...something. But...if you like it, then I guess it's not all that bad.

[silence follows as Akira tilts his head to the side, contemplative. he's searching for the right words to say, here. . . as someone who isn't nearly as good with them as Ichigo is. and after a moment?]

[he pushes away from the wall, reaches out to place a hand on Ichigo's shoulder, and squeezes]

It's better than "not bad." It's really good.

[and then he pulls away, his fond smile disappearing only because he's turning away from Ichigo to continue down the hall]

Thank you for sharing.

[That warm feeling spreads in his chest, and as Akira squeezes his shoulder, Ichigo's smile turns into that open, genuine one - for just a moment, because it feels really good to get praise for something you worked on from someone you admire, and...he's not really used to that, for various reasons.

Still, even as Akira turns away and begins to head down the hall, his smile still lingers on his face, if more constrained in.]

No problem. I'm glad you liked it.

[He follows as before, shadowing Akira as he walks.]

I have more in my notebook - but those aren't as finished, so I -

[and he stops mid sentence, eyes focusing on something that definitely wasn't there before during the day.

Another staircase going up.]

- Akira. There's another floor.

[Akira's about to ask him to share his other poems, but. yeah. a staircase up? that's suspicious]

[he pauses in front of it, expression hardening]

How many floors do you think are in this place?

In total? If they keep giving us floors every killing night, then there would be six, wouldn't there?

[A floor for each killing night, right?

But...]

...Then again, six floors would make this place pretty damn big. Why don't we go up there and see what it's like?

That's assuming there will only be six killing nights.

[AND HE DOESN'T. . . HAVE MUCH FAITH ABOUT THAT, HONESTLY]

[but at Ichigo's question? his mouth quirks into a confident grin, and he hooks his index finger into the edges of his gloves, pulling them down tightly over his hands]

Nothing risked, nothing gained.

Let's go.

[and he immediately strides up the stairwell, the tails of his coat fluttering behind him]

[HE'S OPTIMISTIC, LEAVE HIM ALONE.

Ichigo just nods, quickly following Akira (while noting how stupidly cool Akira's coat looks in motion, god damn) up the stairs, until they're all the way up there.

The floor looks...dusty. It obviously hasn't been used or maintained as much as the other three.]

...This might actually be the last floor - look at this place.

[it's funny, how Akira seems to move with way more confidence when he's in this outfit compared to his school uniform or casual wear. funny how that works!]

[the floor looks dusty, and the hallway stretches out before them, seemingly unending. most the overhead lights work, but a few of them are burned out, and Akira frowns]

It's a mess.

. . . I wonder what they're keeping up here.

[and he presses forward, giving Ichigo the briefest of glances as he does so]

Probably all the stuff they didn't want us to see when we first came here.

[He meets that glance with a determined look as they press forward, down the corridors. None of this looks well maintained, and as they keep going, the dust intensifies and the lights dim and flicker out, until they're eventually just forced to walk in darkness for a long stretch of time.

Ichigo stays silent while they walk, keeping his eyes peeled for danger - until there's suddenly a light ahead of them, coming from a tiny window in a door absolutely covered in caution tape.]

What...? Is that -

[He moves closer, noting the writing stuck to the glass and that the caution tape on the door comes off easily if you pull it - and a smirk comes to his lips.]

...Akira - I think we might've just found what we were looking for.

[Akira is also quiet while they walk, especially when the lights go out. because that is never a good sign (he's genre savvy enough to know this). his fingers flex and curl around the handle of his knife, too. . . just in case]

[he can't help the feeling of triumph when they stumble across that tiny, brightly lit window indented on a door covered in caution tape]

Jackpot.

[and while Ichigo tears off that caution tape, Akira's going to try the handle. which is, of course, completely locked]

Looks like we'll need to force our way inside.

Do you want to try one of your lockpicks on it, or should I try busting it down?

[He piles the caution tape into a corner as he works, and soon it's all gone.]

...Kind of weird that they don't have any guns or weapons guarding this door, though. You'd think there'd be something.

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