crime & punishment

"My dear, are you lost? Confused? I assure you, I am doing no wrong just standing here, if you were… well, of course you weren’t. What has you so nervous? I’m certainly posing no threat…" Her grin grows even more shit-eating as she examines him, if at all possible. "…Only communing with my dear friends, the dead. Is there anyone you’d like me to consult for you? A criminal long-past? I can do so, for a small fee. The occult is no reach for me."

Chill.

"I think the question is not if I am finding everything alright, my dear, but if you are. After all, you look as if you’ve seen a ghost, when that’s impossible! After all, the only ghost here is standing far down the hall, watching us.”

She gestures with a gold-covered finger, before laughing softly, peering at the poor deputy with glassy eyes and then glancing down at her belt.

"This? Of course it’s real. Do you think I’d put plastic on my belt? That’s just silly."

"I am --" he starts to say, and then stops.

He's turning his head in the direction that she's indicated, even though the logical part of his brain tells him that this is clearly a joke, that she's just messing with him. But she looks like exactly the kind of person who would be able to see ghosts! 

"I...IIIII'll h-h-have you know that lying to an officer i-is no funny business!" he says, adjusting his cap, sounding far less intimidating than he wants to. "Y-you could get in...into big trouble for doing that!"

Because he has a jail cell to throw her into if he does end up arresting her (On the charge of giving him the creeps? Oh please!). 

His gaze tries to remain on the other's face, pupils trained on her face, not on the skull that decorates her waist, or the empty space of hallway behind her head -- if he did that he might be making direct eye contact with a ghost!

Turning, he was somewhat surprised to see the blond’s appearance, mostly distracted by the shades upon his face. Finding himself mesmerized with the small accessory, he squinted a bit to take in the small details of it. He was unsure of what to make of this person at just a first glance, but he supposed he shouldn’t be judging any book by its cover, no matter how outlandish it was…

"Oh Gods! How long have I been just standing here, looking?!" he cries, realizing his actions.

Perhaps such an accessory wasn’t that outlandish. Maybe Yoshimasa just lived in a sheltered area? Eh… That might not be the case so much. It was more likely that he wasn’t hanging out with the right crowd or was getting too distracted—

"I… I did that again, didn’t I? The, uh… staring thing. Sorry, I don’t mean to keep getting lost like that."

Smooth.

"Ah, uuhm -- it's fine, really, honestly, it's ...everything is alright!" he says, snapping back to the present. "U-unless it's not. There isn't anything on my face, is there?"

He recalls being told that they were perfectly safe, but he didn't stop in front of a mirror on his way out -- for all he knew he might have suffered a few bumps and bruises from being handled by...well, he assumed the guards had something to do with how all of them ended up in their beds!

"Oh, right, she did say that was our objective," he mutters, scratching the back of his head. "That's a little troubling, though, isn't it? She made it sound like we were the only people that haven't been struck by the disease and...that can't be right, can it? I'm sure it hasn't spread that far..."

Unless, of course, Momoku was to be believed, and the deputy had no reason to mistrust her. She'd been awfully nice anyhow.

He’s staring at the individual in front of him, not quite sure what to say. It isn’t like he’s a hall monitor — he can’t tell her to wear something less frightening. It isn’t like he’s much more fashionable than her either — kamina shades, really? It also isn’t like he meant to stumble upon this individual only to take a step backwards and smack into a wall, losing his chance to sneak away from her undetected.

Ah well, I’m always upset when people turn tail from me just because I’m sort of a cop, maybe she’s nice, he thinks to himself, despite the fact that this girl was making the hairs on the back of his neck stand up like nobody’s business. Why’m I so rattled…? It was obviously the skull. Which he tried to convince himself was nothing more than a cheap plastic accessory.

"H-H-Heeeello there…good…citizen…" he says with a small gulp.

He’s forcing his feet to carry him towards her, the soles of his boots dragging on the ground as if grappling with some invisible force that was pushing him towards her.

Kotohiki Ando is staring at the ceiling, head resting on a pillow, hat laid out on the bedside table beside him. He’s listening quietly as Momoku makes her speech, then standing, stretching, pulling the cap over his head. He doesn’t say anything — there’s nothing to say and no one to hear him.

Obviously, what’s just been divulged to him is somewhat troubling, and it’s certainly a lot to take in. He’s here, alone with a bunch of strangers, and every other stranger in the world is dying. Or something like that. Is he getting all of this right so far?

He doesn’t care, really. He’s still half asleep and opening his door, heading down the hall until he’s spotted an individual that’s only familiar to him because he’s caught a very quick glimpse of him before, on the bus. But that look had been very brief, as Kotohiki — as he assumed the other student was — had been quickly knocked out with whatever was in those napkins.

"Stop right there, please!" 

His voice is somewhat hoarse and he sounds like one of those wannabe cops from the movies. I need water… 

"Er…sorry," he says after clearing his throat and stepping closer to the other, eliminating the need to shout. "Do you have…any idea what we’re supposed to be doing right now…?"

[enrique voice] hola

GDSJKGDSLM…

Ah! Why, you're finally here. I've been waiting for so long... But here you are, healthy and standing. I'm glad you're here. You'll stay, right? Here in this safe haven with me, no? Swear on your life to never leave me, Student Of Hope. I need you.

Headlock Despair: Final Roster

SHSL Ribbon Dancer - Umi Sugimara

SHSL Rapper - Myung-Hee Sang

SHSL Choreographer - Natsume Fukui

SHSL Physical Therapist - Alexei Ivanovich Glazkov

SHSL Ballet Dancer - Posy Renalds

SHSL Necromancer - Thalia Blake

SHSL Fabricator - Ryan Baskerville

SHSL UTAU Producer - Sachihiro Wakahisa

SHSL ??? - Yoshimasa Oukawa

SHSL Deputy Sheriff - Kotohiki Ando

SHSL Contemporary Dancer - Hibiki Kasuga

SHSL Hula Hooper - Hadar Simcha

SHSL Street Musician - Charger Nitrous

SHSL Professional Sleeper - Eddi Asano

SHSL Magicial girl - Atsuko Yumeno