[A/N] Edited as of 12/3/22

Joanie

So either I die, which is not ideal, kill, which is even less ideal, or live the rest of my life with these people. That doesn't sound too horrible, right? And in most cases, it doesn't seem to be. Bisque seems like a total sweetheart. Chimon was a little cheeky, but he's real cute— which is a surprisingly important aspect of survival. Hachi is very distractible, but her soft demeanor is pleasant, in a brainless way. I don't know the rest too well, but Tozen was immediately doting over me, Nari seems like someone I can vibe with, and overall it seems like the best bet.

But Wakumi. GOD, Wakumi. I get why nobody really wanted to hang around me. I'm airing out all sorts of frustrations that I don't normally get to express in public, so I'm pretty much at my worst. I can also understand Hachi. She's not what I'd consider the most helpful search partner, even if I like her a lot. Now, this pirate and I... we are never gonna get along. To say she doesn't do well with first impressions is an understatement. She joked about us throwing a costume party, which, like... fair. She didn't know how much I hate being "Heavenly Blessing-Granter Aika." But then when I clarified that I'd kind of rather do whatever lets me not act like her and explained my reasons why, she essentially told me I'd dug my own grave and that she had no sympathy for me. Since then, she's been bossing us around, bragging about all manner of things, and going off in random tirades of pirate insults if either of us do something she doesn't like. And since we have Hachi... that's often.

Hachi wanted to explore the garden, but Nari's group headed off in that direction, so she's kind of bummed. "The flowers I wear are called Lilies of the Valley. But in Animal Crossing, they're mislabeled as Jacob's Ladders. Real Jacob's Ladders are surprisingly resilient. They're resistant to disease and insect infestation, and they don't need a lot of maintenance. I wanna see them..."

"If ye keep talking about Jacob and 'is ladders, I'll introduce ye to Davy! Davy Jones!" Wakumi scolds.

"You have an American friend? Does Joanie know him?"

"Honey, I think that's a saying," I clarify. I do know a David, though.

"I'm telling ye I'll kill ye, ye scallywag!" Wakumi yells, frustrated by the misunderstanding.

"Don't you go making death threats in our circumstances, joking or not. I don't think you realize the gravity of this situation."

"I wonder what it'd be like if gravity was different on this planet. Ooh, I wonder how much that would impact stuff like Azumi's circus," Hachi rambles, trying and failing to do a cartwheel. Fortunately, she lands on her stomach instead of her head. "Ow, my boobs."

"Don't complain, yers are real small anyway. And YOU. Don't talk down on me, ye scabby sea bass!" the pirate bellows, "I'm plenty competent and I understand very well that any o' us could die at any minute! If all o' ye pathetic pansies go addle at a half-hearted threat like that, ye're e'en more lily-livered than I thought! It's not me fault ye're all oversensitive goons."

"Of course we're all on edge right now! This isn't normal, so stop pretending like we're all just whiny bitches! This 'game', or whatever that psycho bear wants to call it, isn't just about physical strength. It's about social skills. And from what I've seen, you don't really have those. You're like those diva celebrities that my casting director always finds for my movies, yelling at employees and demanding your way. Skill doesn't make up for arrogance and callousness, you know," I raise an eyebrow.

"Ye can't lecture me, ye washed-up excuse of an artist! Yer movies prolly only survive cause o' that persona ye claim to despise so badly!"

"Shut up! I was doing just fine before that!" She lunges at me, trying to throw a punch. I block it with my prop staff. "Stop, stop, stop. Hachi, you're paying attention, right?" She gives us the "I'm watching you" sign with her fingers. "See? If anything escalates any further, and one of us somehow winds up dead, there's a witness just WAITING to spill the truth. Let's make a truce, for now."

"No quarter! I give ye no quarter!" she stubbornly denies.

"Do you WANNA die?"

"I can off the pixie dream girl, too! Dead men tell no tales!"

"That would make for the most blatantly obvious murder ever. Everyone but you would have an alibi and you'd be the only group member left alive. Be rational, for fuck's sake."

"Do you think maybe there's something hidden under the lights? Like a secret passage?" Hachi points.

"Honey, the wires are under there. But you're right. We really should get back to searching. C'mon, Wakumi. We can hate each other as much as we want, but we can't get violent. Deal?" I offer, extending my hand. Part of me wants to test out Chimon's "family handshake" and see if it's really a hypnosis trick like I'm guessing, but I don't think it'd be right to use her as a guinea pig. Plus Chimon would probably get upset. So... I won't do that.

She scowls. "I'll hate ye more than ye hate me, I swear, Ginny," she swears, shaking my hand.

"It's Joanie. And sure, you can hate me as much as you want."

"I had a dream about that once. A secret passageway in the lights, I mean. I was a spy, or an assassin or something. And I had to cause a distraction by crawling through a tunnel in the ceiling and dropping the lights. Or maybe it was a fan? I dunno. The place didn't exist and I had a stranger for a partner, but it was a fun dream!" Hachi enthuses as she starts casually glancing at books on the shelves and then chucking them. We join in.

"Ah, wait! There was something in here. It looks like a blueprint of this place. This could work as a map if we need it!" I point out excitedly.

"Dang. For a judgemental li'l prick, ye were surprisin'ly useful ta me cause. We should bring this back ta the others. It's 'bout the meeting time anyway." Yeah, I found the clue, you brat, and I'm not your subordinate.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tozen

What we found is that the kitchen is full of everything we could ever need. Other information includes the following: the panels won't move, the dome is impossible to break, there's a shop full of random stuff we can only buy with something called Monocoins, there are dorms for every one of us (labeled specifically, soundproof, and with all of our stuff in them), all of the stairs are blocked, and we have a blueprint for the school. Overall, it was an incredibly productive half-hour, aside from the fact that we have zero escape plan.

The information that Azumi, Bisque, and I found is my favorite, of course. I suspect that we're gonna be here a while, so having ingredients around ready to be cooked into nutrient-rich, delicious meals is gonna do a lot of good for my psyche. Like right now. I'm whipping up some Kenchinjiru. And those two insisted on helping, so today I have sous-chefs!

"It would've been ideal if I could've soaked the kombu overnight, but it's gonna taste great regardless!"

"Thanks for giving me the parts that don't use a knife. I guess you can already tell what type of person I am. I don't wanna hurt my fingers, I need those for pottery!" Bisque exclaims, wiggling his fingers playfully. "I've definitely slashed up my fingers cooking before... to the point where Mother revoked my cooking privileges."

"Should I be letting you do this?" I inquire, quirking up an eyebrow with a questioning smile.

"Oh, Tozen, you needn't worry yourself. I am overseeing this as well. And wouldn't it be marvelous if we could return him safely home and he could proudly tell his mother, 'Look, Mom, I cooked a lot and everything was alright!'?" Azumi imagines, chopping up the daikon, taro, and carrot.

I laugh a bit. "Of course that'd be great. But let's work our way up to the dangerous stuff. Haruto, I did have a question for you."

"Yeah?"

"Why the nickname 'Bisque'? It's not even remotely close to your name. Do you have a middle name? I thought Joanie would be the only one."

"Mhm! I'm not part foreign or anything, so I don't have one. It's a term meaning fired but unglazed pottery. My teacher called me that as a reminder that I still have a lot of chances to grow, and I liked it so much that I told my friends! And now it's what most people call me! So umm... thanks. It means a lot that you're giving me a chance to grow up a little with this cooking thing," he smiles, adjusting his round glasses.

I can't help myself but laugh bashfully. Azumi ruffles Bisque's orange hair. "You are absolutely darling, did you know that?"

He giggles at her question and covers his face with his hands. "You're gonna make me blush from embarrassment! Oh, and I haven't thanked you yet! For picking me to search with, I mean. Cause like... some of these people lowkey make me nervous," he admits, rocking back and forth on his heels.

"Don't worry. I'm sure it'll turn out that everyone is kind, supportive, and the type of people we'd be okay living with for a while. Maybe some of them are a little worried about being vulnerable, or just bad at making first impressions. But if we're all gonna make it out of here alive, it's pivotal that we form bonds with each other. And I'm honored that you two are the first I've started to become friends with," I encourage.

"My heart feels so warm right now. I think we shall be just fine," Azumi murmurs, pleased.

"Would you squeeze the juice out of the hydrated mushrooms and then strain it, Bisque?" I ask as I scrape off the gobo skin over the sink.

"Can do!" He effortlessly squeezes the crap out of them, juicing them to their fullest potential. He starts walking over to the strainer, but trips, scattering the juice all over. And suddenly his entire demeanor shifts. He clutches his head. "I'm sorry!!! I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to!! I-It was an accident, I—!"

"Hey, hey. Deep breaths, dear. It is alright. Do you know what I tell myself when something goes awry?" Azumi soothes, crouching down to meet him as he sits crumpled on the floor. I quickly wipe up and clean off the juice as she does.

"What?"

"All will be well. Perhaps not everything is perfect, but everything you are worried about right now will eventually cease to matter. Everything will be righted with hard work and patience. And you spilling some juice is not something you ought to be fretting over. All will be well, Haruto."

"But I'm always like this! So scatter-brained and clumsy!"

I sit down beside him. "You're still Bisque. You're still growing. You don't have to worry that you'll be like this forever. That's a mental trap, and I think it's one that a lot of us know well. That's why it's so important to just... stand up and brush yourself off. You can wallow for a while. But eventually, you gotta keep glazing and refining the clay, right?"

"You guys are too nice to me," he laughs, sounding a little nasally like he's near tears.

"Don't stress it. Hydrating and juicing some more mushrooms won't be a bother in the slightest. And when it's done, it's gonna taste great. I appreciate your help."

"You guys should spin some pottery with me in the craft room when we're done! Then you'll see me at the peak of my focus!" he requests.

"Certainly! And I can perform a few tricks for you," Azumi agrees without hesitation.

In the aftermath of the accident, we still manage to make great soup for everyone. The fried tofu and the vegetables soak up the flavor of the kombu dashi. Healthy and delicious. And Haruto is back to being all smiles and laughter. Like it never even happened.

When everyone compliments my cooking, I'm overwhelmed with relief. Just... they like me. Or at least the part of me that can be useful. I have a role, and I matter here.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ren

I squirt some of the black dye into the bowl and search for my paint brush. My roots aren't looking great, and it's better to keep it secret for as long as I can. Not that I'm particularly sure that nobody's already suspecting me; that outdoors incident really calls attention to me. I just hope they don't think I'm gonna shank them or something; murder is not in the plans, and getting murdered is REALLY not in the plans.

The scene runs back in my head. I was with Nari, Keiji, and Yuu, cause they seemed like some really smart, interesting people. I would've definitely been the dumbest of the group, but it sounded fun to try and get some flirtatious, witty banter in there. Experimenting and seeing who's compatible with me sounds like fun, whether it's platonic or romantic in nature. It was going well-ish I guess. They all kind of ignored the flirting in a different way, but even failure is amusing, depending on how you fail. The problem is, they kind of unanimously decided to go check out the garden— Keiji and Nari had been there with Hachi and they figured the dome might be an effective escape route. They walked in so effortlessly, so easily, as though it was the most natural thing in the world. And it was natural for them. But I peeked inside and I saw the sun above us pounding down on the dome. I tried, trust me I did. I so wanted to go out there. I know, deep down, that I'm not gonna fry like some sort of vampire the instant I step foot in there.

But I just couldn't. They looked at me so strange. They wanted answers. I couldn't give them answers. Yuu looked so scared. Keiji ultimately wound up looking at dorms with me, instead, because they didn't want to leave me alone. And he was kind of just a probing dick the whole time. I didn't give him any information. If there's one thing I really don't wanna do, it's get personal with someone who thinks they're leagues above you.

I reach up to start applying the dye, but get interrupted by a ring of the doorbell. I don't really want to open the door, since getting ambushed sounds unpleasant, to say the least. But I also don't want to come across as a loner. Situations like these require a certain... social element. And since I'm not particularly physically capable, I need to be good at that part. I hide the dye in an empty drawer, grab my parasol in case I need self-defense, and prop it to the side of the door, out of view of whoever may be out there. Then, finally prepared, I open the door.

I have to tilt my head up a bit to look her in the eyes. The gloomy, lanky, but really fashionable Nari stares back at me, pokerfaced. "Hey, you. What can I do for you this fine evening?" I ask, leaning against the doorframe.

"It smells chemically in here. Dyeing your roots?"

Damn. I didn't have time to diffuse any of my essential oils. "Yeah. Gotta keep up my image, right? It's all a man has sometimes."

"Right. Your image. Not your secret?" she probes, the slightest hint of a smirk on her face.

I laugh a little bit, trying not to reveal that my heartbeat is quickening at a rapid pace. "You're gonna have to be more specific. I think it's attractive when someone has a few secrets up their sleeve, so of course I have my share."

She sighs before taking her backpack off and rifling through it. Still against the doorframe, I stretch my arm slightly in the direction of the parasol. But I don't actually need to worry. She pulls out a plastic bottle and hands it to me. It's sunscreen. "SPF 30. Studies show that anything higher isn't particularly helpful. It has avobenzone for broad spectrum coverage and it's water resistant... so, ultimately, it's actually pretty high-quality, and you can buy it right in this god-forsaken school's store. I swear, it's like whoever's doing this is taunting us. Not like we can go outside right now. But I figured this could help you go in the yard in daylight. And don't worry. I'll keep your secret. I don't really get why you're hiding your albinism in the first place, but hey."

"I— You—" I take a deep breath and smile earnestly. "Thanks. That means a lot to me. I'm... still not sure if I can go out. I can probably count on one hand the amount of times I've been outside in the daytime, and it's a little nerve-wracking. I have a parasol, but I haven't needed to use it very much."

"Do you go out at night?"

"Sometimes. I mean, to get to show locations, of course. But sometimes I sneak out of the house and spend an hour or so out there. Er... well, I guess I sometimes snuck out of the house," I correct myself. I don't have much hope that we're going anywhere anytime soon.

"Then let's go outside. The sun is down. And maybe, if you ever feel comfortable enough to go in the morning, we can do that, too."

"Um... okay. I still have dye in a bowl."

She gives a huff and a slight smile. "Damn, I forgot. I'll go out there and wait for you. I'd be spending my time there anyway."

"You'll be waiting a while!" I call out after her as she turns away.

"That's fine with me. Honestly, it wouldn't even bother me if you never showed. Nature is nature, with or without anyone in it. I'm not gonna miss out on what the world has to offer. Even if 'the world' is a little courtyard in a school." She turns back around and glides away with a certain elegance.

Honestly, Ren. You're not the type to bail on a lady. We're definitely going.

I start stroking my roots with the brush, and the blonde bits fade away little by little, erasing one of the signs of my "otherness."