craven castle: private conversation, week 2, tuesday

[lullabytes]

WHO: Nanami & Kuzuryuu.
WHEN: Week 2, Tuesday, 8:30PM.
WHAT: Nanami wants to test a theory and volunteers Kuzuryuu.

[ Around half an hour after dinner ends, there's impatient knocking at Kuzuryuu's door - to the tune of the forest song from Ocarina of Time, because it's Nanami. She has some clothes folded nearly under her arms for some reason. ]

Kuzuryuu-kun? Kuzuryuu-kun, it's me. Open up.

Comments

[lullabytes]

Mm, I do. But...he's not very manly...? Well, he sort of looks like he is a little...

[ A pause. She feels like she's missing something here, and isn't sure...what...

After a second, Nanami continues. It could have been one of her usual "pause to load conversation" pauses, but... ]

...He's not like you, at least.

[impheired]

[Okay, he'd probably write that off as just a Nanami pause if it weren't for the fact that like everyone's memories are fucked up. He knows that pause. He's done it himself a few times.]

...you can't remember what he looks like, can you?

[lullabytes]

[ Perhaps the longest pause she's ever used with him. It's long enough that it seems like Nanami's not going to answer, and then... ]

...I should, but...for some reason, I can't be sure.

[impheired]

With as much as they've fucked with our memories, I can't say I'm surprised. There's someone whose face I can't remember for the fucking life of me either.

...Actually, I can't remember anything about 'em, really.

[It's really weird. Sometimes he almost wonders if he's imaging it.]

[lullabytes]

...Who would that be? That is...you can't remember them, but...what do you remember about them?

[ Now she's curious. ]

[impheired]

[Kuzuryuu sighs, shifting in his seat so that he can lean forward over his knees, propping his chin up with his hands.]

I don't...know who they are. It's not just that I can't remember what they look like or how they sound or what their name is...I have no fucking clue who they are. I mean...you know your brother is your brother, even if you can't remember what he looks like. And Upland mentioned she had a fiancé or something last week, right? It's not like that for me. I can only guess what role they played in my life.

[He scrubs at his face.]

They're almost...more like a damn ghost than anything. It's like the jackasses who brought us here tried to erase 'em from my memory but couldn't quite manage it entirely or something, fuck if I know how this shit works. Maybe the opposite is true. Maybe this person was never real to begin with but they're fucking with me and trying to make me think they are.

[He's not sure which option he prefers here, to be honest...]

But if they do exist, all I know is...whoever they are, we've known each other since we were kids. And I'm almost positive we were supposed to go to Hope's Peak together but I can't be certain.

[Twin sibling? Friendly cousin? Childhood friend? We just don't know.]

[lullabytes]

[ Let's all take a moment to remember that this deep, meaningful conversation is taking place while Kuzuryuu is in drag.

Remembered? Okay.

Nanami tilts her head to the side, still leaning forward herself. It's weird to be sitting in her room speaking secrets to someone other than Usami, but it's not a bad weird: she never really had friends outside of her siblings until she came here.

Even if she knows she'll have to give up every last one of them when the game ends, it's a nice feeling. ]

...It's not me, at least. I don't...have a childhood...? I have no memories like that.

[ She sort of does. There are important memories she's missing here about the people she'd willingly die for, and she's talking to one of them about another one of them, wow. ]

...But they sound like someone who was really important to you, don't you think...? If they couldn't entirely erase it, because...they were so important...?

[impheired]

[Never forget.]

[And in another stunning display of the Great Super Dangan Nanami Blind Spot, Kuzuryuu assumes that "I have no memories like that" means that their captors took away all the memories of her childhood. Which has to suck.]

I didn't really think it was you. It...feels different. Which I guess could just be because my memories are all fucked up but...my gut says otherwise. [What he's not saying here is that his friendship with Nanami has a distinctly different feel to it than what he remembers of his friendship(?) with mystery person. He can't admit that he's thinking with his heart here. Hence: it's gut instinct. Much more manly.]

I guess that's one way to look at it. But I just don't know... Maybe my mind's makin' 'em out to be more important than they actually are just because I can't remember. I'm not too worried about it though. There's someone I can actually remember and absolutely know is important so she comes before anybody else. I'll worry about figuring out ghost person after I'm sure she's safe.

[lullabytes]

[ Ah, yes. SHSL detectives, her entire class. GOOD SHOW, EVERYONE. Let her talk more about humans needing to eat in a completely unsuspicious manner!! ]

...I don't think that's the case. About your mind making someone out to be more important. After all...it's clearly worrying you, right? So...probably, that person is also waiting for you, in the place your sister is. You're right that...you can worry about it later.

[ Focus on your sister, basically. NOTHING CAN GO WRONG IF YOU DO THAT. ]

Anyway, you...have friends here, too.

[impheired]

[Ah yes. Mystery person is definitely waiting with his sister. Definitely not somewhere in this castle at the very moment. No way, that's just crazy to even suggest!]

Tch, I'm not worried. I'm more fuckin' frustrated than anything. [How can he be worried about somebody he can't even remember...he's not sure if they're someone he NEEDS to worry about or not.]

...but I hesitate to use that word here.

[The other f-word...]

[lullabytes]

...In a room with just the two of us? I think if you can't say we're friends in a room where no one else is, it might be a little troubling...

[ ... ]

After all, you're...one of the first friends I ever made...?

[impheired]

No, I...I didn't mean you. I meant...everyone else. You said friends, right? Plural? I dunno it just...doesn't feel right to use that word given the circumstances...

[Since they are...uh...kind of planning to murderize people.]

[lullabytes]

...The others in the group, then.

[ he's not...wrong. ]

[impheired]

Mmm...

[He's not wrong and this is a kind of faking he's not sure how well he'll be able to do. The more he gets attached...]

[...well he already basically promised he wouldn't kill Kougyoku. If this sort of thing keeps up, he might wind up with nobody he's willing to kill.]

I guess...we are, aren't we? Just the seven of us... But even that...they're such shitty circumstances...

[lullabytes]

...Even so, I don't want...to think these friendships don't mean something. Before I came here...

[ Well, he THINKS SHE'S MISSING HER ENTIRE CHILDHOOD, so he can presume these people are the first friends she's ever had. ]

[impheired]

[That's basically what he's assuming. Hell, he remembers his childhood and even HE'S not sure he had friends before this. So...it's not so unthinkable.]

...

[He glances over at the clock.]

I should head back. It's definitely been at least thirty minutes now...

[THIS CONVERSATION IS DEPRESSING HIM. HOW DID IT COME TO THIS.]

[lullabytes]

[ IT IS REALLY DEPRESSING...

Impulsively, Nanami will stand up and go to hug him before he leaves. ]

Yeah. Thanks for testing this out with me, Kuzuryuu-kun. Even though it hurt your pride.

[impheired]

[Kuzuryuu stiffens as she wraps her arms around him. HE WAS NOT EXPECTING A HUG. AND HE'S NOT SURE WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT. So he just stands there awkwardly and waits for her to stop. Offers one (1) pat on the head.]

[Sorry, Nanami. Maybe some day later on he'll actually hug you back. But it's just not happening yet.]

Yeah, yeah...don't mention it. At least if it works, this is one less thing we have to worry about...

[Nothing can stop them from secretly plotting murder. Nothing.]

[Who are we kidding, they'll probably use this information to do something stupid like play cards all night.]