I am...really tired, though. Like, I'm gonna fall over.
[The next thing sent is a small video. It is Kokichi laying on his side on the ground, his new black cap on his head. He's covered in dirt and soot, but he's clearly alive. The video briefly moves to display a street sign, as if Kokichi's omen knew that Alvin might need to be tipped off to his location.]
too late
[There's a chance he's just being overdramatic. A pretty high one. But it is what it is.]
[It's fine to laugh. If the kid weren't essentially okay, he wouldn't be texting, right? Right. Alvin's genuinely glad to hear from him.
Maybe it should register as weird that a guy who carries a broadsword on his back like it's normal knows text slang like "lol" or has any idea what a T-shirt is. Then again, does Kokichi know anyone who isn't weird? Probably not.]
This a call for help, kid? You hiring a mercenary's services to see you safely home to bed? I could be persuaded to discount my usual cool rock rates.
[The fact that he knows a lot of people who are just Like That makes him just kind of roll with things, honestly.]
you got ripped off wwww also i don't have any money or a bed so if you feel like helping an unfortunate man who is down and out on his luck that's up to you otherwise i gotta rely on getting back to the library
[The other nights he's been here - which, thankfully, isn't many - he's been literally hiding and camping in the library.]
i'm not a nerd i learned what i needed to to survive. if i wasn't smart, that block puzzle woulda been the end of me and maybe the other people i went into it with, too
haaah really? you're su-per kind~ okaaaaay i'll be here waiting
[When Alvin gets there, he'll at least have sat up even if he's still on the ground. The black raccoon that is Kokichi's omen, Kidd, has curled up next to him.]
Yeah, I know I probably could've gotten something more useful. I didn't want anything else, though. The hat's enough.
[He lets out a small 'tch', looking down at Kidd.] Don't worry about it. We'll be fine.
[He glances up briefly, and--] Alvin-san~! [He's a bit scraped up, too, so there's some visible darkblood coming out a few of his scrapes, but...hey, he seems cheerful enough.]
You look like you rolled down a volcano, kid. Either before or after it blew.
[Alvin's pigeon-like Omen, which has been guiding him along, flutters down by Kidd to check the two of them over more closely. Alvin, for his part, looks somewhat bruised and worse for wear, but he got out of the Catacombs a while ago. He's had time to clean up. He's even wearing his "I'M BARELY SURVIVING TRENCH AND ALL I GOT WAS THIS T-SHIRT." T-shirt.
He crouches with the rest of the gang on the ground.]
Yeah, I, uh. I followed a girl into a burning house. A burning house that was clearly a trap and shouldn't have existed. But she wanted to help people. People with good hearts who don't prioritize survival, y'know.
[Unlike them.]
And then after that I had to go through a few other things...the puzzle was fine, but then the people I got to listen to involved a little murder-happy creep and a guy who wanted to battle wits with me.
...Well, like I said. I've got rooms no one's using at my place.
[The pigeon-Omen, Ardley, flaps back up to Alvin's shoulder and disappears when he shrugs.
The kid's been through a lot since they first spoke, it seems. Alvin rests his chin in his hand.]
If you're seriously too tired to walk, I'll even carry you, free of charge. Just don't go expecting room service and I think we'll get along just fine.
[He makes a slight complaint and shifts when pressure's put on a particularly bruised bit of shoulder, but once they're both comfortable, it's up and away towards Alvin's squatter house in Crenshaw.]
Monster-smashing's the idea for now. Not much demand otherwise for the skills I bring to the table, and a guy's gotta eat. What do you plan to invent, Mr. Not-a-Nerd?
Mmm, fair enough. Eating is a necessity. Kill something big and bring it home! Waste none of the precious meats.
[He's just amusing himself. That question, however, gets a thoughtful hum.]
It's hard to say. I'd like to make things to make people's lives easier. Where we are, we're kind of working on a new form of power. Lunar energy...I'd like to see how that all can be tapped into. How far things can be pushed to their limitations. We're still working with horses and carriages, so there's no motorized transport. That'd make things easier on people...maybe some fun things, too. No one has entertainment devices either, to my knowledge. There's a lot of advancements to be made, so I can't say for sure yet.
I can't really run my organization here, and there's not really any rich bastards to undermine and outwit. It's just us having to pull each other up by the bootstraps. I think I'll stick to what I know best apart from that and make sure life is easier for kids struggling in the middle of this, somehow. Even if it's just giving them some dumb toy I made myself.
[He's being remarkably thoughtful and honest about his ambitions with this, but he's really just mulling it out to himself out loud at the same time.]
[Hearing people talk casually about motors and devices never gets old. Alvin chuckles to himself for reasons that only make sense to him and nods.]
Inventors, they have to make prototypes and models and junk, right? Betcha some kids would be thrilled to have those to play with when you're done with them, too, even if you didn't design 'em as toys originally. I was a kid, once, I know what I'm talking about.
[To be fair, as a kid, the toys he got to play with included guns, but.]
There's an orphanage around here, you know. I'm sure they'd jump to play-test for you.
Yup! [He chirps. There's something distinctly genuinely lighthearted in Kokichi's tone when he talks about stuff like this.]
I'd be fine with that. I'd just have to make sure they weren't dangerous first. I've gotta start from blueprints and the ground up, and...it's probably not gonna be too profitable, especially not at first, but hey. I'm not really into anything for that.
[...That's worrying, so it's good Kokichi doesn't know that.]
I thought that'd be good, yup. That's part of my target demographic. Once I get concrete ideas...give test copies to those who can't pay. See how they like it. Then the people that can get the same thing, but I'll just make it sound 'better' to them. It's a secret. Nee-hee-hee.
[Lying to people with money isn't bad lying. It's just good business.]
[The building Alvin finally leads them to is a three-story townhouse at the end of a block of similar homes, as cozy and neighborly as he could find in a city like Trench. All it has to mark it apart from the others is its location at the corner and a red and gold pennant hanging from one of the highest windows.]
The master bedroom on the ground floor is mine. [Alvin has to set Kokichi back down on his feet to unlock the door and let them both in.] I haven't gotten around to cleaning the upstairs rooms yet, so if you wanna crash on the couch while I do that...? [Wait.] Or you can wash up first, if you want.
[Poor kid. First thing Alvin did when he finally crawled out of these trials was soak in the tub for what might've been an hour.]
[He ends up laughing a little, too. It's...been a while since he's been able to be relaxed, and honestly, the anxiety he constantly feels is tiring. So the first person who gets to see Kokichi with his guard mostly down because he's willing it to be is Alvin. Seems reasonable, since they're living together. He's sat back down onto his feet, and he's luckily able to carry himself a bit better now. He adjusts his hat, and nods.]
Yeah, I'm...I think I'm going to take a really long bath. And try to forget the smell of ashes. Then I'll decide my next plans.
[There's a 90% chance those 'next plans' are just him being knocked out asleep. He's been through a lot in a short timespan.
Once the door's open, he'll be walking through it - far more calmly than what normal Kokichi would bring, almost bouncing everywhere - and then up the stairs. He's got grime in places he didn't even know could have grime, but he's at least...he's alive. That's the priority.]
[Alvin makes a stop in his own room before taking the stairs himself, so he can leave a clean robe--you know, the kind the Wakers greet people with each month--at the bathroom door. He knocks once.]
Hung a robe on the door handle. Take your time, I'm gonna set up one of these rooms for you.
[And he does, airing out the bedroom, doing his best against the dust, and making sure there are clean covers on the bed. He isn't exactly a homemaker, but he had to learn the basics, at least; and if he doesn't have much yet to his name, he has just enough to share.
Doesn't feel half-bad, helping someone out with no ulterior motive. Even if it isn't much--just a designated place to sleep--Alvin knows from experience that's a lot better than nothing.
When he's done cleaning, he has to pass the bathroom again, so he says:]
Bed's ready, so try not to fall asleep in there, all right? I'll scrounge us up some food for later.
[Kokichi's relaxing in the bathroom for a while - mostly because he's got a lot to think about, and this is the first time he's gotten for a while to himself. Thoughts about what life was to be like now - he was outside the game, he was alive and he was alone apart from the people he met here. The people who are here seem to be nice, most of them are very nice, and that's unusual and terrifying and some of them know his secrets, which makes it worse.
He hugs his knees to his chest as he sits in the tub, looking completely lost for once before the knock knocks him out of it.]
Thank you~
[His voice comes out chipper, a voice unlike his expression. He's probably the one who deserved a second chance the least out of those at the Gifted Inmates Academy, and now he has one, and it's in some kind of nightmare environment, but it's surrounded by people who genuinely mean well. It's somewhere where he doesn't have to plot and plan and watch his back because there's a great motivation to harm people, to kill, to destroy. Here it's just...good people resisting the bad inside them.
It almost makes him want to cry in a mix of confusion and frustration. But he doesn't. He looks at the hat - the hat he's left resting nearby, Shuichi's hat - and he puffs out a sigh. If anything, that hat's a reminder. Don't go off the deep end again, Kokichi. Remember what he'd want.
Maybe he should've asked for Kaito's jacket, too. Just to make himself a walking reminder. But that'd be too bleak. It's not long after that that Alvin passes by again.]
Thank you! I'm not picky, so whatever's fine!
[Not like they can afford to be picky. They have to be grateful to be okay, most of all. Once he's done with his bath, he puts his hat on, and his boxers on, and he goes and gets the robe, putting it on. Clean. This'll do until he can trick someone into conjuring new clothes for him. He'll luckily be able to keep it together. He peeks into the room that looks the cleanest - the leftmost side of the second floor - and walks in.
This is home now.
It's complicated. All it takes, sometimes, though, is time. And he has a lot of it now.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
returncoat) wrote2022-03-05 02:50 pm
text| [un: Pierrot] | March 23rd
I lived! Aren't you so happy?
I even got a new hat for my trouble.
[It's not his hat. It's Shuichi's hat. But he's not going to say that.]
I am...really tired, though.
Like, I'm gonna fall over.
[The next thing sent is a small video. It is Kokichi laying on his side on the ground, his new black cap on his head. He's covered in dirt and soot, but he's clearly alive. The video briefly moves to display a street sign, as if Kokichi's omen knew that Alvin might need to be tipped off to his location.]
too late
[There's a chance he's just being overdramatic. A pretty high one. But it is what it is.]
no subject
[It's fine to laugh. If the kid weren't essentially okay, he wouldn't be texting, right? Right. Alvin's genuinely glad to hear from him.
Maybe it should register as weird that a guy who carries a broadsword on his back like it's normal knows text slang like "lol" or has any idea what a T-shirt is. Then again, does Kokichi know anyone who isn't weird? Probably not.]
This a call for help, kid? You hiring a mercenary's services to see you safely home to bed? I could be persuaded to discount my usual cool rock rates.
no subject
you got ripped off wwww
also i don't have any money
or a bed
so if you feel like helping an unfortunate man who is down and out on his luck that's up to you otherwise i gotta rely on getting back to the library
[The other nights he's been here - which, thankfully, isn't many - he's been literally hiding and camping in the library.]
no subject
I didn't know you were a nerd.
I have rooms you could use for a while if you want. We can talk about it when i get there. Gimme a few.
no subject
i learned what i needed to to survive. if i wasn't smart, that block puzzle woulda been the end of me and maybe the other people i went into it with, too
haaah really? you're su-per kind~
okaaaaay i'll be here waiting
[When Alvin gets there, he'll at least have sat up even if he's still on the ground. The black raccoon that is Kokichi's omen, Kidd, has curled up next to him.]
Yeah, I know I probably could've gotten something more useful. I didn't want anything else, though. The hat's enough.
[He lets out a small 'tch', looking down at Kidd.] Don't worry about it. We'll be fine.
[He glances up briefly, and--] Alvin-san~! [He's a bit scraped up, too, so there's some visible darkblood coming out a few of his scrapes, but...hey, he seems cheerful enough.]
no subject
[Alvin's pigeon-like Omen, which has been guiding him along, flutters down by Kidd to check the two of them over more closely. Alvin, for his part, looks somewhat bruised and worse for wear, but he got out of the Catacombs a while ago. He's had time to clean up. He's even wearing his "I'M BARELY SURVIVING TRENCH AND ALL I GOT WAS THIS T-SHIRT." T-shirt.
He crouches with the rest of the gang on the ground.]
You all right?
no subject
[Unlike them.]
And then after that I had to go through a few other things...the puzzle was fine, but then the people I got to listen to involved a little murder-happy creep and a guy who wanted to battle wits with me.
So I'm...I dunno. I'm okay? I'm tired.
no subject
[The pigeon-Omen, Ardley, flaps back up to Alvin's shoulder and disappears when he shrugs.
The kid's been through a lot since they first spoke, it seems. Alvin rests his chin in his hand.]
If you're seriously too tired to walk, I'll even carry you, free of charge. Just don't go expecting room service and I think we'll get along just fine.
no subject
[He smiles a little.]
And I like taking up for myself, so don't you worry. I...wouldn't request help if it wasn't absolutely necessary.
[Seeing as right now it's hard to walk, the implication is that it is for the moment.]
If you can help me now, I'd appreciate it. Hopefully it's not too far?
no subject
[Smirking, he turns to offer Kokichi a good, broad soldier's back to climb up on. As he does so, though, he still muses:]
I should really save up for a cart.
[This is not even the first time this week he's been some short king's beast of burden...]
no subject
[He climbs up onto his back, holding onto him tightly. Not too tight, but he's not gonna fall off. Kidd opts to walk beside them.]
Yeah. Carts would be easier to haul things around in if that's your style. You gonna go out smashing monsters up, or what?
I'm not the violent type. So I've heard inventing is a good a job as any.
no subject
Monster-smashing's the idea for now. Not much demand otherwise for the skills I bring to the table, and a guy's gotta eat. What do you plan to invent, Mr. Not-a-Nerd?
no subject
[He's just amusing himself. That question, however, gets a thoughtful hum.]
It's hard to say. I'd like to make things to make people's lives easier. Where we are, we're kind of working on a new form of power. Lunar energy...I'd like to see how that all can be tapped into. How far things can be pushed to their limitations. We're still working with horses and carriages, so there's no motorized transport. That'd make things easier on people...maybe some fun things, too. No one has entertainment devices either, to my knowledge. There's a lot of advancements to be made, so I can't say for sure yet.
I can't really run my organization here, and there's not really any rich bastards to undermine and outwit. It's just us having to pull each other up by the bootstraps. I think I'll stick to what I know best apart from that and make sure life is easier for kids struggling in the middle of this, somehow. Even if it's just giving them some dumb toy I made myself.
[He's being remarkably thoughtful and honest about his ambitions with this, but he's really just mulling it out to himself out loud at the same time.]
no subject
[Hearing people talk casually about motors and devices never gets old. Alvin chuckles to himself for reasons that only make sense to him and nods.]
Inventors, they have to make prototypes and models and junk, right? Betcha some kids would be thrilled to have those to play with when you're done with them, too, even if you didn't design 'em as toys originally. I was a kid, once, I know what I'm talking about.
[To be fair, as a kid, the toys he got to play with included guns, but.]
There's an orphanage around here, you know. I'm sure they'd jump to play-test for you.
no subject
I'd be fine with that. I'd just have to make sure they weren't dangerous first. I've gotta start from blueprints and the ground up, and...it's probably not gonna be too profitable, especially not at first, but hey. I'm not really into anything for that.
[...That's worrying, so it's good Kokichi doesn't know that.]
I thought that'd be good, yup. That's part of my target demographic. Once I get concrete ideas...give test copies to those who can't pay. See how they like it. Then the people that can get the same thing, but I'll just make it sound 'better' to them. It's a secret. Nee-hee-hee.
[Lying to people with money isn't bad lying. It's just good business.]
no subject
I won't tell anyone, cross my heart.
[The building Alvin finally leads them to is a three-story townhouse at the end of a block of similar homes, as cozy and neighborly as he could find in a city like Trench. All it has to mark it apart from the others is its location at the corner and a red and gold pennant hanging from one of the highest windows.]
The master bedroom on the ground floor is mine. [Alvin has to set Kokichi back down on his feet to unlock the door and let them both in.] I haven't gotten around to cleaning the upstairs rooms yet, so if you wanna crash on the couch while I do that...? [Wait.] Or you can wash up first, if you want.
[Poor kid. First thing Alvin did when he finally crawled out of these trials was soak in the tub for what might've been an hour.]
no subject
Yeah, I'm...I think I'm going to take a really long bath. And try to forget the smell of ashes. Then I'll decide my next plans.
[There's a 90% chance those 'next plans' are just him being knocked out asleep. He's been through a lot in a short timespan.
Once the door's open, he'll be walking through it - far more calmly than what normal Kokichi would bring, almost bouncing everywhere - and then up the stairs. He's got grime in places he didn't even know could have grime, but he's at least...he's alive. That's the priority.]
no subject
Hung a robe on the door handle. Take your time, I'm gonna set up one of these rooms for you.
[And he does, airing out the bedroom, doing his best against the dust, and making sure there are clean covers on the bed. He isn't exactly a homemaker, but he had to learn the basics, at least; and if he doesn't have much yet to his name, he has just enough to share.
Doesn't feel half-bad, helping someone out with no ulterior motive. Even if it isn't much--just a designated place to sleep--Alvin knows from experience that's a lot better than nothing.
When he's done cleaning, he has to pass the bathroom again, so he says:]
Bed's ready, so try not to fall asleep in there, all right? I'll scrounge us up some food for later.
no subject
He hugs his knees to his chest as he sits in the tub, looking completely lost for once before the knock knocks him out of it.]
Thank you~
[His voice comes out chipper, a voice unlike his expression. He's probably the one who deserved a second chance the least out of those at the Gifted Inmates Academy, and now he has one, and it's in some kind of nightmare environment, but it's surrounded by people who genuinely mean well. It's somewhere where he doesn't have to plot and plan and watch his back because there's a great motivation to harm people, to kill, to destroy. Here it's just...good people resisting the bad inside them.
It almost makes him want to cry in a mix of confusion and frustration. But he doesn't. He looks at the hat - the hat he's left resting nearby, Shuichi's hat - and he puffs out a sigh. If anything, that hat's a reminder. Don't go off the deep end again, Kokichi. Remember what he'd want.
Maybe he should've asked for Kaito's jacket, too. Just to make himself a walking reminder. But that'd be too bleak. It's not long after that that Alvin passes by again.]
Thank you! I'm not picky, so whatever's fine!
[Not like they can afford to be picky. They have to be grateful to be okay, most of all. Once he's done with his bath, he puts his hat on, and his boxers on, and he goes and gets the robe, putting it on. Clean. This'll do until he can trick someone into conjuring new clothes for him. He'll luckily be able to keep it together. He peeks into the room that looks the cleanest - the leftmost side of the second floor - and walks in.
This is home now.
It's complicated. All it takes, sometimes, though, is time. And he has a lot of it now.]