to find the truth of the world

Raising her gaze, her somber aspect softened into joy. “Thank you for trusting me!” She grinned, valuing the trust of another especially in such a situation where misplaced trust could easily mean a blade to the back. “I trust you, too.” Glad for their mutual trust, Petra followed him back to their table, almost humming.

Waiting for him take a seat, Petra poured a cup of tea for each of them. The light green liquid filled the containers quickly, steam rising from the small pools. It was interesting, relaxing like this. Her hand almost moved on to pour another cup before she stopped herself. Was this a case of ‘The body remembers what the mind does not’? Petra’s brows furrowed in confusion, feeling that something was off. She had moments where her mind seemed to allude to a memory that she just did not have. Perhaps, she was trying to remember a specific moment where she had poured tea for her father? Thinking that following the thought would only result in a headache, Petra sat down and listened to the boy’s explanation, adding a quick “Careful, it’s hot.” before slipping into silence.

"Hmm…." Leaning forward, Petra crossed her legs, propped her chin on the palm of her hand, and thought about the two prisoners. "So, if you were a prisoner, you’d assume that the other talked and would think that you may as well talk so you’d have less time in prison. In here, we’re just waiting for one of us to snap…well we’ve already had a few. It is a lose-lose situation at the moment."

At first Souta was warmed by her positive response. But then he remembered how the people who stayed around him for too long tended to get hurt in some way. It seemed as though that curse had mostly lifted itself when he came to the Quest Dorm, but he could never be sure. He hoped that she did not end up miserable on his account.

She looked confused for a moment, as though there was someone else at the table that she had to pour tea for. He wondered if she was suffering a similar problem to himself; he could remember most things about his past, but some of it was foggy. He decided to leave it behind for the moment, given that the immediate situation was more important to figure out, but he wondered from time to time if his memory loss was connected to his present predicament. "Thank you," he replied as he took her tea. He drank it and smiled. "This is really good. Do you do this a lot?" Living in poor circumstances, he always sustained himself on whatever food came his way, so he never became a skilled cook.

If they would would calm, everybody could discuss the circumstances rationally as instead of plotting homicide. The occurrence daily was very nearly like how the world was before she came into this place. Death was right around the corner and there she was, modified to help them but some claim that she and her male counterpart were programmed to taunt them in their darkest hour. Maybe they were simply ravenous? Individuals would think all the better and settle on better choices if they’re full!

"Hmm, what if they’re just hungry? You know, they get really irritable, can’t think straight, and they tend to get hypoglycemic easily too!"

Well, in their current situation, Tico was positive that no one would be completely harmonious after hearing such astonishing news… even if they’re hungry. Being forced to live here until your day, or if you disagree— feel the need to rebel against your new way of life and get back to the world you knew and loved, there was one way out. A truly disgusting method; one that provoked cold sweat to roll down the side of her face at the thought of it.

"… Actually, nevermind what I said just now."

The thought of using violence against the headmaster was a really no-go if they’ll be killed. She deducted that the true person controlling that bear was a lunatic, probably a sadist or something simply far from the ordinary.

"That’s too bad then…"

Attention turned back to the huts, mouth opening in order to speak— though this action caused her to realize that she had lost most of her programmed speeches. Was it the effect of getting altered? She hoped so and she couldn’t wait for the time to head back to being an AI in a mobile phone.

"Ho-okaaay then, let’s go!"

And with that she began to walk down the nearest huts, not having the slightest of clues of whether she was walking with her knees bent or not — this was slightly irritating. As if she wanted to kick the ground bashfully, the AI kept her voice a tad bit low, but still loud enough to converse.

"Heey so like, what’s your name? We’ve been conversing for a moment or two but I still don’t know who you are!"

Right, introductions. A certain ravenette used to let her know that presentations were constantly required and have their own particular charms. She generally don’t react to presentations well as she already knew who the individual was before they could even let her know who they were - that was in the past and the present was totally divergent now.

Again, why does he want to know such a great amount of about her master? She wasn’t really supposed to uncover anything, not his name, aside from his pseudonym which was His Excellency, not anything… It was truly a long story.

"Hmm, related to what?"

"Well at least he said that it was against the rules," Souta said. He figured that some people would try it if it was not expressly forbidden. At the same time he believed that most people would have the common sense not to attack the person who was threatening to kill them all. But he could not be so sure--this school did take all kinds.

He nodded and followed behind her, noticing that her legs were moving strangely and that she did not seem to be in complete control. "Are you sure you don't want to... um... practice walking first?" He was genuinely concerned that she might fall over in the sand and shut down. He did not know how mechanical Tico was.

"Ah, right," Souta said when she prompted him for his name. "Sorry for not doing that earlier. My name is Souta Hatate." In his head he had just been calling her "Tico" after she called herself "Tico-Tico", but he was not sure if that was proper. "Is it alright if I just call you Tico?"

At least this place had a few positives besides the entire executing and your companions are all gonna kick the bucket thing. Everyone got assigned their own rooms, implying that you didn’t need to stress over someone literally stabbing you in the back while you’re sleeping, and there was a considerable measure of nourishment in the kitchen. But food was out of the question.

"Heehee, you do realize that some of the students are filled with falsified intentions of getting along? Yaay — or maybe not yaay? Oh oh! I think we’re forgetting something! It’s all that stuffed bear’s fault! Maybe you could just cease him or something… Ah oops, violence against the headmaster is forbidden! Hehe, but I really want to know what’ll happen if someone tries to slap him across the face!"

One melancholic expression shifted to a mischievous smile in less than a split second, whole head turned towards the huts. He wasn’t there to play? Perhaps he’ll try and find an exit, seeing that searching for one would be the only logical thing to do instead of gambling. Oh wait, an idea.

"Heeey, are you, like, going to search for some kind of exit? If you are then you gotta try looking for one in the kitchen! You know how there are many food in there? It’ll eventually ran out and the storage too sooo, how would they get more?"

Each person in this place was just a playing piece of that bears little game, and he wouldn’t kill off his pawns with a simple food shortage, so there had to be at least some kind of door or passage that more food could come through.

"You wanna know about His Excellency?"

She cupped her mouth with her hands, looking marginally astounded by the sudden inquiry.  If she recalled correctly, uncovering His Excellency’s identity was a no-go unless you were a part of Nicaea… and this fellow, well, he wasn’t. She wasn’t even certain if the site still existed - maybe it was being kept up by her male counterpart however that was beside the point. 

"Well, the only thing I can say is that he’s rillllly cool and the rest’s a secret oops!"

Her attitude was out of tune with what she had just said, leaving Souta somewhat confused. He decided to entertain her question regardless. "They'd probably get killed. It seems all he wants is death, but..." He would rather not finish. He knew he was avoiding the circumstances that seemed increasingly likely--that the headmaster truly did just want death--but such a scenario was so foreign to him that he was determined to avoid it until there was no other option remaining.

His mouth opened slightly with surprise when she suggested such a thing. "That's... actually a good idea. I haven't been there yet either, so we should search." Again he waited for her to lead the way. He did not take Tico to be stupid, but he had not expected her to come up with such a good plan. She was right in that the food had to be coming from somewhere. If they were on the mainland instead, then it would be less of a surprise to him if there were no tricks--they could just receive food from the outside. However, on this island, they were bound to run out of food and drink eventually, and sustenance had to come from somewhere.

Especially if a hunk of metal was threatening your life. The headmaster was strange in color and size. So small and it made him look like he was full of stuffing. She couldn’t tell if everything he did or said so far was all out of sadism or what, but his little voice and those little legs — Would it be wrong to say that she just wanted to pick him up and hug him and carry him around like a little plush? It would be fantastic if she could just grab him and reprogram him or something. He would make a nice gift!

Aww, so it was a no for the letter in the bottle plan huh? There were different approaches to impart outside anyway. If she could go back inside a computer or cellphone then she could presumably do some hacking and contact His Excellency at the earliest opportunity! A perfect plan however she doubt that hacking the school system would end up being simple. There ought to be students who specialize in hacking in this school yet none of them had effectively hacked the framework… That could have gone better.

"A casino? Aren’t you a little too young to go in one though? Buut hmm, if you insist, I’ll take you there!"

There wasn’t any rule expressing that underage students aren’t permitted inside a clubhouse. It wouldn’t be there if such a standard exist since the majority of the students living in the school was underage. But why would he suggest to go to a casino? Did he want to play instead now? Whatever his reason was, Tico wouldn’t pry on the matter and just guide him like she promised earlier.

"Hmmm… it should be inside the huts…"

The following question that came suddenly made her stop thinking. Her purpose for being here? Why precisely was she here? For a minute, she question that she existed to guide them on how to utilize the summoning application yet there was no Nicaea here, no demons, nor those Septentriones. Peculiar, she could recollect a bit of what happened before she came here yet her purpose behind being here was something she couldn’t… remember.

…  Wait a minute.

Was she reprogrammed? Nothing appeared to be wrong, aside the actuality that she now has a physical body and was trapped in this school. It didn’t really troubled her but now everything she could think of was the reason she was here.

"The huts? Alright, I'm ready to go when you are." He waited for her to take him there. "And I guess I am young, but I don't want to gamble." Additionally, ever person who was a student here was of high school age, so he doubted the same rules applied. It did not matter to him either way. He wanted to avoid the worst situation until there was no choice but to face it--that, truly, all the bear was interested in was killing, and there was nothing beyond that. He had a growing suspicion that was the case, but he still would not leave it to that until there was no other possibility.

"Naaaah. That’s okaaay! I mean, having friends at desperate times doesn’t sound bad at all!"

But in this situation, you can’t trust others. He doesn’t seem shaken, nor nervous — just like her, and he doesn’t seem to be despairing either. Falling into the game of that maniacal bear… it was sickening, yet inevitable and only idiots would fall for it. Even she knew that, and she was quite optimistic. … Most of the time.

Then again, if she did kill someone before Friday, it wouldn’t be surprising. If any of them did, it wouldn’t be surprising as well. Her employment before being transformed in a humanoid form was to guide individuals on the most proficient method to utilize the Summoning Application. She could see people die by it everyday. Hopping from a mobile phone to another every time the summoner dies was something she was utilized to… so killing was a piece of cake. Be that as it may, she has no reason to comply with anybody’s request unless it was her creator.

"Hmm? You sure you wanna go there? Well, yeah there is one but it’s not rilly working so we’ll be wasting our time! We should find a bottle and paper instead! You familiar with that method? Like when you’re stuck in an island you write a letter and put it inside the bottle and let it go with the current!"

This wasn’t a game, she realized that yet she couldn’t consider the situation important either! Tico would be lying if she said that watching some of them fall into a hopeless wreckage wasn’t entertaining - truth be told, some of them made her think why they were even despondent in the first place.

Being an AI was suffering.

Huh? Wait… he didn’t know? She imagined that they would understand she was an AI at first glance however he proved that wrong. Cocking her head to one side, she provided for him a series of perplexed blinking, a low murmur escaping between her lips.

Souta sighed. "Well, I guess that saves us some time." He had already been to the airport prior only to learn that the airplanes were surely not in working order. Escape did not seem easy, and if Tico was right, then radioing for assistance would not suffice either. He looked at her strangely for a moment when she suggested the bottle in the water idea. "Well, we don't know where that would go, and I'm not sure we have that long to wait... Not to mention the sharks might just eat it." He doubted that last part, given that even sharks were unlikely to see glass as appetizing, but there was too much wrong with the notion to try it.

He was quickly running out of ideas. With no easy means of escape or outside communication, it seemed as though they were truly trapped. He decided to go for the unorthodox next, hoping that perhaps some clues would be yielded there. "This might sound weird, but do you know where the casino is?" He figured it all might be some sort of test in which the students were expected to find clues.

"Prisoner’s Dilemma?" With a quirk of her head, Petra repeated the title in the form of a question. Quickly racking through her mind for any sort of similar title but unable to come up with one, Petra concluded that he was referencing something she had no clue about. It seemed interesting, however, and, according to him, possibly relatable. "I don’t think I’ve heard of that. Is it a story or some sort of experiment?" Tapping a finger against her cheek, Petra went to add a hasty suggestion. "Actually, Souta, if you’re done picking a book we can discuss this over tea! I have another cup and the pot’s pretty full if you’d like."

It was not an act. He meant it, given her attitude. He gave the shelf a short look and took out a small book that apparently talked about probability, explaining concepts such as the "Monty Hall Problem." He figured it was an odd book to fit in the philosophy section, but perhaps there was a reason putting a statistics book among the other more philosophical types. He nodded. "That sounds great." They made their way back to where Petra was originally sitting. While he waited for her to pour the tea, he figured he would explain. "Um..." he paused. He was not accustomed to explaining things. "The situation here isn't exactly like the Prisoner's Dilemma, but it looks close. Basically, two prisoners are taken to two separate rooms and given a choice by the police: they can sell out their inmate, or stay silent. If both betray each other, they serve five years in prison. If one betrays and the other stays silent, the one to betray goes free and the one to stay silent stays for fifteen years. If both stay silent, they both go free."

The beach that covers this land is as if a large blanket, a descendant and pupil of the sky in its vast shape, though never quite perfectly imitating such a shape, the sea never allowing it to reach its true potential of perfection. It is, in perhaps no way, like the beaches that had extended over the border stretches between land and sea that she jointly ruled over. The wind that is produced, singing and whistling and dancing through her hair and cloak is different than that of which is carried upon the waves she knows.

It is the least of her worries ― a mere observation that she cannot help but take note of within her thoughts but pays not much heed to. Peace lasted for hundreds of years and in the interruption that occurred not so long ago, she recalls it only lasting for a month, or possibly even less. Even if she cannot recall such exact details of these events, and she must wonder if that is ultimately better that she does not, but she does know for certain that its hand was lowered and the threat was vanquished timely.

Her thoughts prepare to digest her, viscera eager for their tasks assigned even before birth, but outside forces quickly snap her out as if she were a mere insect handled with entirely no sincerity nor consideration alike by the overly calloused fingers of either angel or demon. She is able to regain her balance before she can truly fall; she did spend most of her time floating, after all, and walking was… unfortunately strange.

Confused by what such thing could possibly trip her, Etihw spreads her hands over a section of her lower dress to strain it to allow her to peer down curiously at the aforementioned, anonymous object before her.

A… boombox?

Well, that could only be her mere assumption. She’d only ever heard of such a thing from friends who reigned supreme over their respective worlds, and even so they could only vaguely describe it. She blinks slowly at the object that presented itself before her, and a moment of silence passes between her and its inanimacy.

Etihw prods it with her foot, despite the touch much more resembling a soft kick.

This Black Ops I play on difficult I’m a gangster I’m a pretty bitch I’m a thug I’m a nun You gon’ fuck my bitch Based God fucked my bitch

"W-what's happening!?" he yelled. While most people's instincts might have been to run in the other direction, he decided to run toward it. He figured that perhaps it was some important announcement, given that it undoubtedly was heard by everyone on the island. He might have been clued in if he had actually taken the time to listen to the lyrics, but he kept sprinting until he reached the source of the music. There was a lone girl with an unreadable expression on her face. "That's--" he began, and then realize he could not hear his own voice, being so close to the boombox. He ran over and turned it off, then turned to look at her.

Really? That doesn’t sound great however Tico didn’t generally had thesmallest hint concerning why they’ll all be killed if nobody bites the dustby Friday. Ever since she set foot in this place, the majority of her datahad been erased… or supplanted. All things considered, whichever! So long as she has information about His Excellency and her male counterpart, she was fine with it!

Hmmmmmmm, but waiiiit a minute. What he said just now negated the rules! All it said that if you fail to discover the murderer, then all of them will die! What was that about dying on Friday? Was there truly an announcement? Then again there was a possibility that she failed to hear it since she had been absorbed in her own thoughts.

"Hmmmmm… Is that so?"

She replied calmly, a finger tapping her chin delicately as her gaze tumbled to the ground. The prospect of dying was promptly pushed back in the profundities of her mind, silently hoping that won’t be the case but Tico was an artificial intelligence so passing on means nothing to her.

If he doesn’t want to die then all he needed to do was to cease someone! Although, none of the students must know who the culprit is, like how the monochromatic animal said. By any chance, the other competitors have their own titles, correct? About what they are specialized, it’ll be known later — as the said information would be a great help to know their strengths.

"Heehee! Ho-okaaay then! Where do you wanna go first?"

Some people would surmise that this was a trap. In any case, Tico could care less about traps! Some might take advantage of her submissiveness but hey, you never know how an artificial intelligence think. They’re smarter than normal people after all.

There was a long pause that followed suite, Tico’s gaze remaining on the ground then back at him. She wasn’t harmed, that wasn’t really the issue. It was just… she didn’t know how to walk. How does one walk? It was befuddling - the body itself was confounding. This wasn’t similar to the time when she was existing inside a cellphone.

"I’m A-Okay! You know, it’s just, walking is a rilly difficult task! I was about to grow worried as to which leg, left or right, with which to start walking!"

"Hmmm..." Souta paused and tapped his chin. He wanted to be shown around, but he had no real notion of what was on this island. He figured the best place to begin with was somewhere at which they could petition for help. "Is there some sort of communications tower or radio tower or something? That would be good to start with." He was not expecting it to be functional, but he figured beginning there was best regardless. Anything that would give them means to survive was top priority.

"Petra Ral. Nice to meet you, Souta…"  Breaking away fro a moment, Petra picked a book from a shelf, turning to the back to glance quickly at the summary. Shifting her sight to him, she smiled sympathetically. "It’s never easy. I’m sorry about that, Souta. It must be hard to be thrust into a situation like this, but all we can do is brace ourselves and keep going…If you ever need a hand or someone to talk to, don’t be afraid to call me, kay?"

     » Normal, adj.: conforming to the standard or the common type; usual; not abnormal; regular; natural. I n s t a l l i n g: Definition of killing      » Killing, verb: to deprive of life in any manner. slaughter; to put an end to; execute.

When being invited to — and pretty much forced into — into this school, she hadn’t really expected so many people. Nor to be altered in a humanoid form. She would be lying if she said she wasn’t surprised by the whole guidelines on graduating. What a messed up place! She bet His Excellency wouldn’t like this place either!

However Tico would try her hardest to stay optimistic. A fast scope of all the others were carried out, taking in each and every face. Some were frightened, some were emptied of all trust, some were loaded with distorted plans of getting along. Wow, humans were rilly interesting! No wonder His Excellency took a shine to them!

Everyone could probably talk rationally about the stuff going on if they calm down. She doubt that would happen soon, after all that stupid bear has rattled everyone’s head. What a douchebag! Oh well, at least some of them got to take out their frustrations on their victims.

Tico spun around, simply enough to see whoever it was that broke her train of thoughts. Hmmmmmm, a boy and a frail looking one! Listening to him speak, she started pondering about his question. Yeaaah, how long has she been staying in this place? Tico always forget unimportant matters, for example, her arrival, the students and many more. But if she recalled accurately, it hadn’t been a week since she set foot in the island.

“Things aren’t looking good? What do you mean by that?”

Tico tilted her head, an obviously faked expression of confusion on her face. Her smile seemed like it would never fade as she brushed an errant lock of purple hair from her face. First things first, we all know that Tico had never been altered in a humanoid form. So the question remains: how does on turn around completely and walk?

"Whoopsie! Tico-Tico had only been here for, like, hmmmmmmm, a day or two? I dunno, maybe more than that buuuuut mapping this entire place isn’t that hard! If you’re willing I’ll be your guide, Tico-Tico!"

After hearing that she had only been around for "a day or two, maybe more than that," he began to realize that she might not necessarily be the best source of knowledge. She seemed almost air-headed, but she also appeared confident that finding their way around was simple, so he was caught at an impasse. Eventually his desire to avoid conflict won out in the end and he smiled at her. "Alright, that sounds good." But something was strange, other than the fact that this girl was talking in third person.

Glancing up from the book on her lap, Petra blinked. It took her a moment to realize that he was speaking to her. “A-Ah, sorry.” Putting the book down on the chair and placing her tea down onto the table, the scout stood up and walked towards him. Stopping just a few feet from where he stood, Petra glanced around and nodded to herself. Looking back, she smiled. “It’s this way, I can take you there!” She hadn’t talked to someone else in some time and she really did need a break from her book.