justonetruth | (no subject)

[This Hakuba enters through the Lobby doors perfectly calmly, but he appears to be talking to himself.]

Moron. Of course I knew that. And for your information, you were completely out of tune in the first one.

[He's seeming to wait for a response as he's walking, but... nothing. Sensing that something's wrong, he stops. Looks around. Even those who don't know him all that well can probably tell that what's on his face now is increasing panic.]

Kuroba? Kuroba! I thought that we'd agreed not to split up at all! And that includes to set up stupid, idiotic, childish pranks, you moron! Weren't you the one who said you thought you'd be safer if-

[A thought's struck him, and he rushes out to the door to the outside, gets it open, but only sees what anyone else would see, the lawn and the fog beyond that. It doens't help his state of mind any. Though at least he knows now that Kuroba's either in here or. . . out there. Pranking or something else - out of the two, he'd prefer pranking, what with the murders that've been going on in the area for the past few weeks or so.]

This. . . reminds me of something.

[Old stories, and - something even worse than murder occurs to him.]

I didn't do anything. Anything at all. I had my hands right where I knew they were all that time, and nothing was in my pockets, and -

This doesn't look like the Gate of Truth grandfather told me about anyway.

[He lets loose a sigh of relief, but he's not really all that relieved. He might be mistaken.

Prove him wrong? He already knows about that there's more than one world, but unless you recognise it, you've got to figure which one out. Does mean he's going to be easier to explain to, though.]

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...Hakuba?

[And there's Aoko, looking at him like she's not quite seeing him, expression dazed. She's also wearing rather thick clothing.

And weapons. Namely two pistols obvious at her waist and she has a mop strapped to her back. A mop with...rather telling stains.]

A-Aoko-kun?

[He's staring. Really, he is.] Aoko-kun, what on Earth are you doing here? I thought Kuroba called.. [...and he's finally realised there's something iffy. Goes very still, very quickly.]

Could you please tell me why you happen to be armed so heavily? I... I'm fairly certain that your father would never let you out of the house like that. [He's looking extremely unnerved. The fact that Aoko's got rather telling stains on that mop doesn't help, as where he's just come from, a rather messy murder had just happened the previous morning.]

[She visibly flinches at the mention of her father. Then she draws one of the guns.] ...dad...gave Aoko this. Because he knew...

[And her expression goes more distant.] Hakuba, don't you know about the zombies...?

[He notices the flinch, and immediately realises the connection, but without further evidence he can't find out why. He carries on carefully.]

Nakamori-san did..? [It would explain why he thinks he recognises it - or at least the design. But knew what, exactly? Then-]

Z-zombies?! I- [Keep it together. At least you've got all of your limbs as well as grandfather's alchemy. You can do this.] No. No, I don't believe I do. I - have only just arrived. Here.

Yes. Before he and Kaito's mom locked Aoko away in that secret place. Said...make sure there's always at least one bullet left...

Arrived...? But this is the safe place. Kaito can do magic tricks and sometimes talk here. Makoto-san said you were with him and Koizumi-san. Immuned to zombie bites. Hakuba should know...

[Aoko, sadly, didn't have the best grasp of reality.]

[His mouth opens, but then he closes it again, not sure he trusts his mind to give him the right - if any - words for the situation. His mind flashes to the sights of homicide scenes, suicides... the square in Ekoda, covered in red.

He shakes his head. It wasn't helping.]

Safe place...?

[The other things she says go through his mind, but hardly any of it other than that makes any sense. He's used to the idea of zombies - older cousins who like the horror genre and a hyperactive Kuroba during Halloween did desensitse one to the idea, even. But the idea that they could be real iny any part of the apparently various worlds sent a forbidding shiver down his spine.]

The Kid room. It had a locking mechanism. No one would be able to get in unless Aoko let them in. It took time to set it or else anything that touched the portrait would get in.

They said...they said that they had to protect Aoko...

[Holsters the gun again.]

The... Kid room. Of course.

[His speech is controlled, slightly stilted given what Aoko's just unwittingly given away. Assuming that all of this was real in the first place, of course. But if it was, then what she had been saying fitted all too well with the fictious scenarios he knew of. It was so very, very wrong seeing all of those signs on her, the girl who had been so full of life when he had first met her in that classroom.

He hates himself for relaxing when she puts the gun away.]

Yes...it's how Aoko survived. How Kaito survived. He thought Kuroba-san might be in there, so he came...

[Gives a small, distant smile.]

Aoko hasn't been able to see you. She's glad...Hakuba's all right.