Caora looked up at the new girl who approached the table he was sat at; a look of confusion crossing his face. he hadn't seen her before, had he? A few possibilities crossed his mind, and another look rushed through his complexion. However, it quickly died down as she introduced herself as Marianne. He had really hoped Hope had finally been allowed to join them on their adventure... But at least some new faces had come and joined them in her stead!

"H-hi..!" he smiled at the girl as she gave her introduction, "I'm Caora!" the colour and energy seemed to be returning to him, much to Shaun's appreciation. Apparently being in proximity to others genuinely helped him.
"H-hi. I-I'm Shaun, Infinite... Web Developer..." a slight look of embarrassment flushed him, as he said his Infinite title; seemingly slightly shamed that he was, by far, the nerdiest of the group.

The girl gave a little... Talk, to his companion; something that seemed to awfully entrance Caora, but bore little to no meaning to Shaun. Perhaps the Infinite Trap was just trying to not think about the events that had transpired the previous night, but Shaun couldn't stop. And maybe Marianne was just a tad naive, especially since she was new... But suffering wasn't always external, and sometimes herbs and tea didn't help.

Cyrus, the Infinite IED, entered the room, and Marianne stood to greet him. Caora had started talking again, and seemed about ready to burst out of his chair to talk to some of the others. Shaun, instead, noted the pain the girl appeared to experience. If he didn't know any better, she was wounded. Or recovering from surgery...

He hoped it was the latter. He turned to face his companion, and was about to let him off his metaphorical lead, when Daimyon came to them.
"H-hi, Daimyon..!" he gave a small smile, and Caora almost bounced out of his seat; aparently not wanting to sit still any longer, "U-um, Caora had it... H-he wasn't sure who i-it was for, b-but we figured it out e-eventually..."

"Hiya Mr Poet! I, well... Nobody gave me anything! Were we all supposed to get something? Did you, Mr Spider?" he chirruped and questioned, and Shaun shook his head.
"I-I didn't, no... I g-guess nobody f-figured out which was m-mine..." he smiled again, and let out a small laugh before tucking his mouth behind his scarf.

His head turned, however, as the door opened. Both their heads turned in the direction, and their eyes widened.

It was the Carnage Sisters, dressed as Elves. The Sisters Shona had destroyed.

On instinct, Shaun stood from his hair, and attempted to duck behind it. They couldn't kill them, they couldn't... Thoughts raced through his head as he climbed behind the chair, but all shattered save pain as a gift box slammed into the back of his head and fell to the floor. Caora let out a squeak, causing Shaun to immediately face that direction; only to watch as a box hit him square in the chest, and caused him to fall backwards in his chair.

Confetti flew across the room, and once all was said and done, every person began to open their gifts. Caora and Shaun regrouped, and did the same; finding a book titled "Puntaru" and a set of pencils and a sharpener respectively. A quizzical look crossed both their face, trying to figure out who got what.

Shaun already knew who would be receiving the gift Caora had gotten. Krista, the pun Queen herself. Who better to receive such an item? However, his own gifted stumped him. As did the location of Krista. The only person he knew who wrote in pencil was Daimyon, with his notebook...

Bliss had been pretty quiet. Responding politely to people when approached, but few of these conversations lasted very long. Maybe this was because she was heating up sandwiches for everyone. Either way, she wasn't really doing a whole lot to stick out or hold people's interest. Aside from the occasional over shoulder glance, Bliss did very little observing of the other infinites. This changed after she was struck from behind with a gift. It wasn't a particularly violent blow, but it did startle her. The nanny opened up her gift just enough to peak inside before surveying the group. At that point, it became apparent that Bliss was looking at the children in the group: Shaun and Caora. She weaved through the break room, holding the gift box in one hand and steadying herself with the other. She placed her hand on just about everything she walked past. Tables, chairs, even people's shoulders! Bliss whispered “'Scuse me” to everyone she passed on her way over to them.

“Hey guys.” Bliss did not greet them with a smile. She actually looked nervous. “Mind if I sit here?”

The scarf laden boy looked up from their gifts, and to the woman hovering over their table. He had remembered seeing her as he entered the room, though hadn't paid her much notice. If he was right, she was also the first of the new round of Infinites. The first to leave the Elevetors after Shona's death.

Caora, too, looked up. His eyes rested upon her, and for some reason he couldn't explain... Calm ran through him. Looking at her made him think of some of the nurses from Axis Mundi. The nice ones, the ones who read him stories. He had no idea who she was, what she wanted from them, or why she was dressed as she was; with bright colours and vintage style that he couldn't place. But even still, he felt at ease - even with the distressing location and events.

"Um... Y-yeah. You can s-sit..." Shaun said almost cautiously, still apparently on edge from the attack that had just occured. Then, he looked back to Caora, and gently shook his shoulder.

"...O-oh, h-hi..! I'm Caora!" he chirruped, "A-and I'm Shaun."

“You both have very nice names.” Bliss sat down across from the boys. “I'm Bliss, the infinite nanny.” She smiled. It didn't look forced. “How are you guys making out? Did you eat breakfast yet?”

"Nice to m-meet you... A-and, n-no, I'm... Not hungry..." Shaun cast a glance towards Caora, still looking towards the woman. Then he looked back, "I-I dont think he is e-either..."

His hand rested on the table, and slightly tapped the counter top. To the right of it, the gift he had received sat. He still had no idea, though the only person he could think of was Daimyon. This Bliss didn't seem like one to do much drawing, either.
"I-I know breakfast is the m-most important meal... B-but, y'know..."

Bliss nodded her head while her smile slowly faded. “I-I understand. You don't feel hungry with what happened.” Bliss sighed and lowered her gift onto the table. “Something tragic has happened, something not in your schedule, and it's causing you to deviate from your normal activities. But!” Bliss's head shot up. “A schedule is very important to maintain happiness, and especially for children!” She reached out and took Caora's and shaun's hand in her own. “It is important that you continue to eat, sleep, and play at regular intervals to maintain your happiness!” She let go of the children and stood up. “Wait one second!” The infinite nanny wandered back over to the toaster, again touching everything she walked past. She returned the same way apologizing to the people she touched before lowering a plate with two hot sandwiches on it. Unlike davis's sandwiches, the grease had been toasted out of them. So they weren't as messy looking. “Go on, eat!”

Shaun's eyes darted to the womans hand as she took his, and Caora's. He was not a child! Well... He sort of was... But he needn't be treated like one. Caora, on the other hand seemed perfectly fine to let her grasp his hand. Something told Shaun he'd even be happy if she tussled his hair or similar...

In the next second, the woman was gone; headed off through the crowded break room to where she had come from. Shaun hadn't a clue what was going on, though the title "Infinite Nanny" seemed to have something to do with it. Was she always like this? He shuddered to think.
"Th-theres something off about her..." he muttered under his breath.

As she made her way back, he noted the way she touched everything around her. Like she had some kind of... Need. Maybe she just had bad balance, and needed to keep herself upright using objects and people around her, but something seemed off about that hypothesis.

Upon returning, Bliss placed two sandwiches on the table. Despite his lack of appetite, Shaun, upon looking at them, felt oddly hungry - as though he were compelled to eat them. Like there was soom kind of pull towards them. There was something terribly wrong...

...he stopped thinking, as he reached down and picked the sandwich up from the plate. In the next second, it was to his mouth, and then inside; teeth locked around it as he bit a chunk from it. He glanced over to Caora. For the longest time, he hadn't said much. It was odd... He always spoke... In his hands, just the same as Shaun, was the sandwich the Infinite Nanny had brought him. His eyes darted back over to her, and looked her over. What on Earth was she..?

“Isn't that better?” Bliss smile and folded her hands together. “I don't typically enjoy fast food, but it just goes to show you what a little bit of love can do. Just the process of toasting the sausage patties off the buns instead of throwing the whole thing in the microwave makes a world of difference. So remember that! Effort, even a little bit, can make anything better.” Bliss looked between Shaun and Caora again. “So you guys must be friends if you're sitting together like this. Is anyone else your friend?”

Shaun took another bite of his breakfast sandwich, and gently placed it back down on the plate. He looked over at her, and took in each of her words.
"W-well... We're somewhat fr-friends with Daimyon, the, uh... I-Infinite Poet..." he looked over the room at him, and scanned the room as he made his way back to Bliss, "O-other than that... N-no, not really..."

Caora glanced back up from his own sandwich, almost finished. Apparently he had been hungry, and had - ever since it had been placed in front of him - been devouring it one bite at a time. Just as he went to swallow, he jumped into the conversation.
"I-I have Fang..!"

Bliss Looked over her shoulder. “Yes, Damiyon. He seemed nice. Almost... too nice.” The nanny turned to look at Caora. “Oh? Fang? Can I see him?” The nanny waited for Caora to present the sheep. “What a remarkable... Sheep?” She giggled. “Well, I can't wait to get better acquainted with all of you. I'm especially eager to hear what sort of adventures you nd Fang have been on but.” Bliss lowered her hands onto the table. She turned to look at Shaun. “I would like to speak with Shaun for a moment. We're going to be just outside that door, but we'll be right back. That's why you and Fang have to make sure we still have a seat when we return, okay?”

Caora gave her a puzzled look, much the same as Shaun did.
"Sure! I'll just be here then!" he lifted Fang to his face, and whispered something, waited a second, and giggled. Shaun gave a slightly nervous glance towards Caora, then looked back towards Bliss.
"Wh-why would you... N-need to speak to m-me? A-all I can do for y-you is... M-make a website..." his eyes trained on the tabletop, looking almost slightly sad.

“Oh, well I actually could use some help with that too.” She offered Shaun her hand. “We'll be coming right back, Caora is a dutiful watchman and won't let anyone take our spots.”

Shaun reached up and took her hand, unsure of why she'd want to see him or why he would even bother. It wasn't as though he had any reasons not to, of course. But he couldn't help but feel as though the woman had ulterior motives beyond needing help with a website...
"L-lead the way..."

After waving to Caora, Bliss snatched up her gift box and stepped out of the break room with Shaun in tow. They were alone out here, aside from the cameras that looked out at them from a distance.

“I'm sorry Shaun. I think my gift is for you, but due to the nature of it I didn't think it would be polite to give it to you in front of Caora.” Bliss reached inside and pulled out the make up kit. “At a glance, you'd think that this would be for some fashion models. However it's formulated to match skin tones and hide scars, so it is clearly most intended for you.”

The boy folllowed Bliss out of the room, attempting to avoid looks from the others wondering where exactly the two were going. Once outside, he went to speak, but was cut off by her.

She presented him with a make up kit, which Shaun took. He turned it over in his hands and took in every detail he could. Then, he opened it, and took and inventory of what was inside.
"U-um... Wh-why would this be f-for me..?" he said, looking up at her.

Bliss sighed, but kept up her smile. “Shaun.” She shook her head. “You seem a little too mature for the nannies know everything speech, but it is true. But my gift was intended for someone with scars, i'm sure of it. So my second line of reasoning was that if I couldn't see the scars, it was because they were hiding them. I guess Mondatta could have been the recipient, but his armor is clearly there to do more than just hide his body.” Bliss giggled. “But isn't it a little warm to be walking around in winter wear? It does make you look adorable, and it could also cover a scar your ashamed of.” She keeled down on the floor so that she was shorter than Shaun. “You don't have to tell me if I'm right or wrong. You can just re-gift it if I am. But...” Her smile widened a bit more. “I'm sure everyone would like to see the cute boy behind the scarf. Especially Caora.”

Shaun wavered a little, as though he were stunned and unsure of what to do. His hands seemed to shake slightly, and his eyes glistened as he formulated a response.
"I... I..." all that came out of his mouth were chocked sounds. A sleaved hand reached up and wiped his eyes, then he smiled down at the woman. A smile somewhat bigger than those he had previously given.
"Th-thank you, Bliss. I-it means a lot..."

Bliss returned to her feet "well, we probably shouldn't keep Caora waiting." Bliss walked ahead of Shaun. "I'm sure Caora is going to have a few stories for us. I don't want to miss them."

He nodded, then followed behind her. At the door, he lingered for a second, and caught his breath. Then, he stepped into the room - avoiding all eyes - and made his way back to the table Caora was sat at.
"Hiya guys!"

Davis was not at all surprised with the recent turn of events. Marianne wanting to speak with Calvin was something he foresaw. Of course the clitoris conqueror had a plan. He played the victim and Marianne was ready to catch his tears. Still, Feeling like shit because everything was your fault was something Perfection could relate to. Davis turned his attention to Noel. He had wanted to talk with her after speaking with Mondatta. It would seem that Calvin's lacky, Daimyon the Despicable Damsel snatcher, was blocking his path. Wasn't that fool talking with Bliss earlier? Was there some grand plan they had where they were trying to build a harem? Get a monopoly going on all the woman? Despicable!

Calvin didn't quite have enough time to start talking to Marianne before Davis spoke up again. “Yes. Shona was really killed. We all saw it, you were the only one who didn't.” Davis turned back to Calvin. “I'm going to be honest with you Calvin, I don't like a single thing about you. But I can't let you take credit for killing Shona either. It's like I said yesterday, everything is my fault.” Davis locked eyes with Calven. “You want to know what my last memories were before waking up? Here...” Davis proceeded to tell everyone exactly what he told Mondatta yesterday.



“... So we both have a good reason to throw a pity party for ourselves. But the real enemy here is whoever is controlling that bear. So let's start planning an angle of attack.” Davis pulled Shona's E-handbook out of his vest. He shifted his gaze onto Marianne. “We each got one of these E-handbooks. This one belonged to Shona. Since you know a lot less than the other new infinites, I'm going to assume you never received one. It will let you enter Shona's room, and also shows you all the game's regulations. I think it will answer a lot of your questions.” Davis reached out to place the E-handbook in the herbalist's hands.

“Wait!” Bliss sprung up from her seat. “You can't do that! There's a regulation that prevents us from loaning out our E-handbooks!”

“But this is not my E-handbook, it's Shona's. The rules state that loaning your E-handbook is prohibited, but says nothing about loaning someone else's.” Davis lowered the handbook into Marianne's hands.

“Children should always follow the rules!” Bliss clinched her hands into fists, but her words went largely unheaded.

Perfection continued. “I refuse to believe Shona died without leaving something for us. Please search her room carefully. Take someone else with you if you must. At the very least we can find out how Shona got a hold of that sword.” Davis looked at the rest of the room. “We still have to search the Physiology ward, offices, and view rooms in the hospital side of the building. I also don't think the mono shoppe in the resort was looked at very closely. I think exploring these areas should be on today's agenda. It might also pay to see if we can figure out what the nurse staff is trying to do with this casino event.” Davis glanced momentarily at the documents he pulled out of the Neurology room. They were still laying on the corner of the table where Kara last placed them. It was a shame the little chief wasn't with them now. Davis looked back at Calvin. “You said that you thought Alexandria was going to let you go?” Perfection folded his arms. “I'm curious about that, and the new robot. It almost sounds like the robots aren't all working together...” Davis nodded. “Can you remember anything more specifics? Anything that might help us put these robots in their place?”

The Christmas getup had Cyrus frowning, was it time for gifts again? The tiny package hit him straight in the chest, but Cyrus was unfazed. It wasn’t particularly heavy. He unwrapped it to find a small box of cigarettes, they made Cyrus curl his nose in disgust. He had no clue who of the infinites smoked, but it was one of the things in the world he hated most.

”Alexandria is another of those female bots.” Cyrus explained, he had been paying attention to the conversation, but he decided not to join in for now. Surely the rest was capable of asking simple questions. They didn’t need him for that. After his outburst yesterday, he might make the guy uncomfortable instead, much like how Davis was doing anyway. He gave Marianne a quick rundown of what had happened yesterday. Every head that could think about their problems was welcome.

Their conversation was cut short when two others joined their table, Mondatta and Mary. Both of them were there for a different person. Cyrus showed the streamer a polite smile as she presented him the podium. ”That’s… pretty nice” He said. It wasn’t a bad gift, though he was usually the type to make his speeches spontaneously in the middle of the crowd. Setting up a podium would interrupt the momentum. Still, it might find its use sometime. He wasn’t going to refuse a gift given with some sincere thought behind it. ”Glad to see not everyone is… well… unhappy with me after last night.” He said, accepting the suitcase and its contents gratefully.
”Now… I don’t think you’re a smoker, are you?” He said, flashing the gift he had gotten. ”Because I think the only place these are going is the trashcan.”



Noel eyed the sewing kit with a questionable expression. Was there anyone amongst the infinites interested in sewing? Perhaps Bliss made clothing for children sometimes? It would fit with her talent as a nanny. Other than that, perhaps there were some that were interested in trying out the hobby. She’d have to investigate. No secret was going to stay hidden from Noel Amalia Hawthorne for long! She would find out who was meant for this sewing kit. She was also relieved to see it did not contain a map of human organ locations. Remember, one stab is all it takes!

Noel looked up from her gift as she was greeted by the infinite Poet himself. As she was addressed, Noel couldn’t help but to quick draw her camera again and snap a picture of the Poet during his introduction. ”Charmed, mister Londe. She knew she could probably call him Daimyon, but this sounded way better. It kind of sounded like some kind of super spy. ”Noel Hawthorne, and the pleasure is all mine. Is there anything I can do for you?” She wondered, thinking there might be a reason why he had approached her now.

Daimyon's introduction was worthy of a picture, it seemed, as that was the first thing the woman did before even saying anything. He did not mind though—he was quite photogenic when not suffering from intense despair. A moment of surprise later his smile was back on his face, even widening into a short laugh when he realised the reason for the picture: he approached none other than Noel Hawthorne, the Infinite Reporter! He wondered if he was going to see his face in an article someday, once they had all got out of this place...

“I would love to have a chat with you, Ms. Hawthorne, that is all you could do for me. I have already met the other new Infinites—charming people they are, through and through! I am sure you are no exception,” he answered her query, then looked up to see that Davis had already finished his confrontation with Calvin and was now telling something to the entire group. Something he should have also probably paid attention too. “Though perchance it would be better to wait until we are done here...”

Daimyon turned to listen to Perfection's presentation. The man handed Marianne, the Infinite Florist...or rather, Herbalist—the poet tested his memory—the late Shona's e-handbook to be used to open her room. Were there no other empty rooms available for her in the patients' quarters? He has never actually checked who was where before... Either way, once Davis was finished with that, he launched to fulfil the role normally reserved for people like Cyrus or Mondatta. He outlined what he thought should be the daily duties for the crew. Daimyon noted down the so far unexplored locations in the facility and put a circle and a large question mark around the word ‘CASINO’. It sounded fun, even if it was not the most urgent matter.

He planned to make his move right after Davis was done speaking, but when the crucial time came, he was lost in some unimportant thoughts. By the time he would have stood up and walked over to him, the man has already engaged in a second discussion with Calvin.
He let out a sigh. If things kept up going like this, in the end he might be stuck with the magazine. Not like he would have terribly minded that, but still! A gift was to be given, not to be indulged in by the giver!

He turned back to Noel. They might get to have that chat after all...
“It seems like we have our work cut out for us for today,” he said. “Though if I had to be honest, this casino idea intrigues me the most... I wonder where will you be heading, Ms. Hawthorne? If you don't mind someone accompanying you, I'd be glad to tag along!”

@MyCatGinger@BrokenPromise@ThatCharacter

Mondatta's eye-lights rotated into a happy disposition when he heard Marianne's positive response to his offer. "Yes, indeed. I am glad to see that you were not frightened by my...unusual appearance, haha." He gave a little laugh, and placed the tea on the table. Her smile was just the thing that Mondatta believed would help bring these people together, and overcome the tragic events they have had to experience thus far.

Mondatta was pouring some tea into Marianne's cup when she opened his own box, revealing a hat. He fist looked at Marianne when she spoke to him, and then at the hat, before giving a heart laugh. "Ohhohhoo! Please, have no reason to feel indebted to me," he said while slowly shaking his palm. "I'm afraid that such an item would not fit on my head. However, I am sure that there are some people here who would be delighted with a gift like that." Marianne then asked for him to accompany her, and he nodded in acceptance, putting his hands in his sleeves. "Oh, I see. Marianne, you have no reason to worry; I have a way with the hearts of troubled men, hm hm~" He hummed to himself, and calmly followed after Marianne.

Mondatta blinked curiously when he arrived at the scene and observed the exchange between Davis, Calvin and Marianne. Fortunately, it was not as dire of a situation as the Infinite Herbalist made it seem. "You have no reason to be afraid, Mister Ibbott; if it is necessary, we can have a private talk afterwards if you are discouraged to talk in a group. As long as I am here, I will not let anyone be hurt." Mondatta then listened intently as Davis took the role of the leading man, and shared to Marianne about their plight, with no details pulled. "I can testify for what Mister Gallo has said, although I think it is not necessary; he is a kind and reliable man," he said while nodding his head once, his eye-lights shining happy.

He was surprised to see that Davis was holding Shona's E-handbook. But, as the Infinite Conquest himself explained, he did not break any rules. He put an arm to his chin in thinking fashion. "I see. So Monokuma oversaw such a detail...Or was it planned all along? He has shown an unsettling amount of intelligence. And to see that intelligence used for such a malicious purpose...It is simply dreadful." The Infinite Monk nodded to Davis's suggestion. "I concur. We should have everyone start searching immediately, and find a way out of here. Even though I believe nobody here is capable of committing murder, there is no telling what the bear will do next. For that purpose, we should try to escape. Oh, did you say something, Mary?"

---

@Mateotis@Melo

Mary's smile turned a bit awkward as she realized the lukewarm response her gift made. She thought the Infinite Politician would be thrilled to have anyone caring about him and paying attention to him, like she would be. Still, he accepted it without a fuss, and Mary felt accomplished with what she did. "Yeah, I know it's not much...But hey, it's just like Iron Fist says: It's the thought that counts, right?" She said while nudging her shoulder on Mondatta, who seemed to ignore her.

Mary then realized her joke went nowhere, and she bit her lip in anxiety even more so when Cyrus brought "that" subject up. The Infinite Streamer gave a panicked giggle. "He-Hey, It's all right. We're all a bit on edge here. And who wouldn't be? I mean, Shona died...That's messed up. And nobody has extra lives, it's 1cc or bust." Mary's smile faltered as she said it, and then brought it back. "Anyway, what did you get from Kramokuma?"

Mary scowled at the sight of the cigars. "Oh no no no no no no. Where did you get that idea from? I'm a pure girl! Smoking would ruin my lungs, and even worse, my teeth." Then her eybrows furrowed. "Hmm...You could try and give those to Davis. He seems like he would like it. Or actually, don't; he's polluted the air enough with his presence as he has." Having said that, Mary took a step away. "Anyway, that's all I got for you today, Cyrio~ Catch ya later~" She then walked away, seeking a man who has promised her with a little bit of romantic assistance.

She found Daimyon talking to Noel, and she felt like simply staying nearby and eavesdropping on them, keeping her giggles to herself.
So Noly wasn't joking..., she thought to herself. Mmmm, I'm actually feeling a bit jealous...Hey, I know! I'll test her, see if she's serious about this, and willing to fight for Daimy-doo~
Mary soon bounced in, looking happy as ever, greeting both of them. "Haii Nolyy, Hii Daimy-doo~"
She went over to the man, and with a wide smile, spoke:
"I was passing by, and I couldn't help but hear how you two were planning to go to the casino..." She moved closer to him, putting a hand on his shoulder. "...And I want you to go with me instead, Daimy-doo~" Then, with a curt smile, she sat sideways on Daimyon's lap, flapping her eyelashes at the Infinite Poet with her arm now over his shoulder. "We could talk about that love letter~". She gave an amused glance at Noel, giving her a wink without Daimyon noticing.
"Also, I've played some games in my time, so I could help you...win some prizes~", she said with a surprisingly seductive tone.

Calvin, while still upset, seemed more inclined to talk with Mondatta nearby. He didn't have much more to add except that Alexandria revealed a slew of regulations that the robots had to follow, and recalled as many as he could remember.

Davis uncrossed his arms. “Thanks Calvin.” He said without making eye contact. “I'd like to see the list of regulations myself, preferably before the next night of carnage.” Not even a full second later, Perfection's eyes lit up with fire. “And you!” Davis slammed his hand (He was still holding the gift in his other hand) down on the table Mary, Damiyon, and Noel occupied. Though his eyes were pointed exclusively at Mary. “We are in the same damn room! I can hear everything you're talking about, and how dare you accuse me of-” Davis looked between Mary and her target. Jackpot. “Oh.” Davis's tone immediately changed. “What I meant to say was that I'm glad you're showing some initiative, Mary.” He grinned. “Honestly, I see Damiyon write your name down every time he looks at you, and his eyes always smile a bit when he does so. He's just too timid to make a move!” Davis slapped the poet's shoulder and laughed. “Good luck buddy, I hope the two of you have a lot of fun!” Davis winked before leaving the table. He did want to pay Mary back for calling him a pervert, especially after this thinly veiled display of lust. He wasn't even sure he wanted to know what the love letter entailed. Regardless, Davis was all about going for the bigger fish. Conquest was his, Damsel snatcher!

Bliss looked over her shoulder again, this time to watch perfection leave the room.

“Well!” Bliss smiled and folded her hands together. “I really liked listening to your stories Caora, and I'm glad you can help me out with my website, Shaun.” She winked at the programmer. “I think I'm going to go to the study, I'd love to read something with you two later. However, the reading material I have on hand might be a little too...” She looked between the two children. “...Simple. So I'm going to see if I can scrounge something up. Don't rush your food, you can always come see me when you're done.” The nanny pushed herself away from the table and waved to the two youngsters, walking backwards all the way to the door.

---

What nice kids. Bliss would have liked to have met them in a less turbulent environment. With so much going on it was difficult to really get a clear picture of them on a psychological level. Her first goal with them should be to return them to a state of normalcy so that she could observe their behavior. Though it would be difficult to tell when she actually achieved that, especially with Caora. Bliss was a bit more worried about the “older kids.” People tended to get less predictable as they got older, and Davis and Damiyon were perfect examples of that. Perfection was constantly on the edge of outrage, and the poet was acting like it was just another sunny morning. Were these two always like this?

“What are you doing?” Davis was looking over his shoulder at the nanny.

“Um-” Why was Davis growling at her? Well, they were walking down a hallway together. Nothing wrong with that. Actually, no, she was walking behind him. Still, there wasn't really anything wrong with walking behind someone. Davis did leave first after all. Was it that Bliss was following Perfection so closely? A possibility. In an environment that doesn't favor trust, you probably wouldn't want someone to follow you too closely. Or maybe it could be that her outstretched finger was touching his shoulder. “I'm sorry, I have a tendency to touch things when I'm deep in thought.” Bliss retracted her finger. Her nerves made her smile. “Sorry!”

Davis sighed and turned around. “Where are you going?”

“The study.”

Perfection nodded. “I might as well walk you there.”

“Alright, that sounds nice.” Bliss started to walk beside Davis. It was long before she started talking again. “By the way, you never said what your job was. What does someone with a talent for conquest do for a living?”

“Oh.” Davis scratched the back of his neck. “I'm a bartender.”

Bliss raised an eyebrow. “Really? I mean, I guess we all have to be something. It's just that with a talent like conquest I'd expect you to be a professional gambler or something.”

Davis shrugged. “Well, I'd say I own a few different bars. There are game tables in some of them, sure. But I'm happiest just passing drinks around and making sure everyone has a good time.”

“That sounds better!” Bliss's eyes fell on the knife Perfection was holding last night. It was in a scabbard on his hip, and he had his shirt pulled over it, but it was still there. “Say, about that knife-” Davis swatted her hand. Had she tried to touch it? Probably.

“Bliss.” Davis growled. “You're probably going to think I'm a jerk for saying this, but I only offered to walk you to the study. I don't want to spoil the mood playing twenty questions.” Davis slid his hands into his pockets. “So let's just... enjoy the silence.”

Bliss sometimes forgot how older people behaved. Children were happy to tell you about anything and everything, but adults were a bit more selective with who they shared information with. But bliss was content with just knowing he use to be a bartender. The thought of the infinite conquest serving drinks in his native habitat caused the corners of her mouth to turn up into a smile.

---

It definitely looked like the nurse staff was up to something. But it was too early to tell exactly what. Almost everything was in boxes, save a neon sign Nariko was holding in her hands.

“Oh no...” Nariko shuttered. “Everyone's showing up before I'm ready. This is such a downer.”

Davis turned to look at Bliss. “The study is over there. I have a few things I want to check out around here, so this is where we part ways.”

The nanny looked between the depressed robot and her companion, who was probably working a lot harder to hide the fact that he was depressed. “Okay, thanks for walking me this far.”

With the nanny gone, Perfection looked at his gift box. He tore off the bow and lifted the lid enough to peak inside. It was... Some sort of report. A survey conducted in secret about anyone you'd care to know about. Provided they were a celebrity. There was even info in here about Quill Kennedy! Davis's face lit up with joy. In this miserable pit of death, he had found something that would give him an edge over Calvin and his mutt. This would be his secret weapon. One that would rescue the poor reporter from the foul poet, should Mary fail to seduce him. “Conquest is mine, again!” He whispered to himself.

The infinite reporter showed the poet a sweet, polite smile as he stated his intentions. ”That sounds lovely, and please do call me Noel.” She considered his offer to go to the casino for a moment. It hadn’t been her primary choice of location, as the newbie here she had a lot to check out and investigate, but it was a pretty tempting offer. ”The casino sounds like a good place to check out first… if it’s at all related to what this damned bear is plotting this time. I’d love to have you along.” Her smile broadening slightly, showing a perfect line of teeth.

It was not long before Daimyon's attention was once again drawn away by another Infinite—this time though, it would turn out to be much more personal.

“Oh, hello Mary!” the poet responded to the streamer's enthusiasm in earnest as she approached them. “Good morning! I was just talking with...Noel here. Have you met h—” he started, but suddenly remembered seeing the two women chat it up when he arrived in the break room. “—nevermind! What brings you to us?”

Mary's answer proved to be a real rollercoaster for Daimyon: she also wanted to go the casino, which delighted him, but she wanted to do so without bringing Noel or anyone else for that matter along, which gave him other feelings. To accentuate her point, she unabashedly wrapped an arm over his shoulder and...sat in his lap. The smiles and winks she shot at him meanwhile were only the ice on the cake of this tempting display. It left little to the imagination...although Daimyon's imagination did not need any more to get working. He was not entirely oblivious, but felt like it would be the best to act one in this scenario. Maybe things would not escalate if he did not make an outright decision just yet...

“The letter...ah, yes!” He remembered that too, although the potential double meaning without any context flew over his head. “We should get to that too, when we have the time...although I think we should first look at the game that awaits us there!”

Noel was surprised for a second as Mary made her unabashed return. Her interest in Caora had seemed sincere, so why was she now making Daimyon her mark? Was she simply that kind of girl? Had she lied? Did she want to thwart Noel? Or did she simply want to jokingly mess with the reporter? Well, there were ways to find out… or take revenge.

Seconds after she had stated her intention to take Daimyon on a pleasant trip to the casino alone, Noel was all over them… as any good reporter should be! At blinding speed she surrounded them from all angles, flashes of light illuminating them as she took at least a dozen pictures of the lovey couple. ”You two on a date? That sounds wonderful! I’m rooting for you two!” She said before her lips turned sinister. ”Instead, let me report to everyone about the new hottest item of Axis Mundi! I wonder what Caora will think.” She shot Mary a wink.

Mary had a smug grin at first, seeing Noel jealous like that, but the tables were soon turned as she turned into a real paparazzi and took scandalous photos of the two. ”OH NOO! Don’t show Cookie those pictures!” She jumped off from Daimyon’s lap and rushed to Noel. ”I was just messing around, Nolyyy! Don’t do this to me!” She pouted, with her hands clasped before her. ”I don’t mind that you took pictures of me, but don’t spread them around, please!”

Mary’s smug grin disappeared, but quickly made its way to Noel’s face instead. ”Well…” Noel said, dragging out the word way longer than she should. ”Fine, but only because I like you.” She responded with a playful wink. She wasn’t exactly gunning for Daimyon, not as seriously as Mary might think at least, but she wouldn’t let herself be messed with that easily, even if it was all in good fun.

Despite Daimyon's every precaution...things escalated. Noel did not take kindly of Mary's possessiveness and struck back by doing what she did best: taking pictures. Pictures of him and the streamer, in that exact position. The poet did not think much of it at first, but Mary quickly jumped at the reporter and pleaded her not to show the images to anyone. The crux of the matter was Caora, the object of the woman's neverending affection. If the small boy got to see her with someone else like that, he would immediately rebuff all of her advances. At least...that was what the streamer thought. Daimyon, who had played reverse-wingman for him and Shaun before, imagined that the trap's reaction would be much different. However! Love was the most beautiful thing, and he could not just let her noble feelings be crushed like that. Besides...it was not like the poet wanted to settle with her, or anyone for that matter, just yet. Not when there was so much to experience! He certainly did not want any of the charming Infinite ladies to get the wrong idea...

Ah, how difficult was it to take sides!

“Ladies, ladies...please.” He stood up to settle the matter before it got any further. He waved his hands in front of him and wore the most pacifying smile he could manage. “Let me appease! We can go to the casino as three, no need to worry. We'll play a game or two, have a laugh or few and all will be well! What do you say?”

Mary pouted, unsure if she could really trust someone like the Infinite Reporter to keep the pictures to herself. But her smile gradually returned as Daimyon’s soothing voice carried her worries away. They could go gamble as friends, nothing weird about that, Mary reasoned to herself. She wrapped an arm around Daimyon’s, and took Noel’s hand with her own. ”All right, let’s forget what just happened and go to the casino! I have a system for blackjack!” With that said, the energetic woman brought the two with her to spend some time with their given tokens.

BGM

It was cold.

Felix did not have the most energetic start to this new day. He woke up in pain. Not just from his injuries, but there was a blinding light shining in his eyes. No amount of squinting alleviated the pain until the parkour artist moved his hand over them. But with time, his eyes would adjust.

“Golly gee willikers!” That overly cheery voice could only belong to Alexandria. “You're alive! You're alive again!” The room slowly started to come into focus. Everything was a creepy fluorescent white, from the the floor to the ceiling. Even Alexandria's nurse outfit was as white as snow, and the uncomfortably firm table Felix was laying on. In contrast, Felix's body looked dark among all the white. He was shirtless, with a crimson stained gauze over his most recent injury. “How does your boo-boo feel? Daddy didn't spear you as good as he could have. The wounds should heal in a week. Your wounds were glued shut, so they won't re-open. But moving might cause you some pain.”

Alexandria said that the wounds were closed and would heal in no time, yet it still felt as if that spike was still piercing his shoulder, To say it hurt, was a very big understatement, it was foolish to think that Felix could actually outrun all of the spikes.
In an attempt to sit up, Felix placed a hand on his forehead; it felt as if there was a mini monokuma ramming spikes through his brains as he was trying to recall everything of the night prior.

At first, Felix didn't plan on going to Calvin at all, he knew that the rules didn't allow Monokuma and his lackeys to harm them, but when the walls of spikes appeared, Felix's heart wavered. All that Felix was counting on was an E-handbook full of rules, and a sadistic talking teddy; who was to say that Monokuma would keep his word? that realisation put motion in his legs without him even noticing it, before he knew it he was already sprinting towards his fellow infinites.

In the heat of the moment, All Felix could think about was getting Calvin out of that dreadful chair, he never even noticed Shona saving his ass when Willow was about to shoot him down. It wasn't like Felix wanted to save Calvin specifically, he barely even knew that blacksmith. No, he wanted to save everyone, for if even one of them fell, you could've just sentenced the rest to die as well; despair would surely take root then. yet despite giving it his all, it wasn't enough, the pain would have been bearable if wasn't for his last sight; seeing Shona impaled on a wall.

Felix was searching for anything that might comfort him, looking around only deepened his distress, he was no longer in familiar territory, and the only company available was not welcome. yet questions that were racing through his head needed to be answered and he needed them now. so with a soft cracked voice and no smile to be seen he asked:

"Is sho..is she dead?"

Alexandria hummed wistfully, as if recalling her childhood. “Ahhhh.” the doll leaned over Felix. Her massive eyes looked directly into his. “I don't like the word dead. It doesn't have any emotion in it. It' too abrupt!” Her head shook for a second. “But yes, miss knight said good night before shifting off her mortal coil.” The android stood up straight again. “But you're safe! So I guess she got to be a hero after all. She died exactly the way she wanted to.” Alexandria giggled. “Can you stand up?”

"khht" Felix grid his teeth upon Alexandria's reply. he was already used to the way she talked but a death, how does anyone get used to that? and worst of all, it was because of Felix. if he hadden't heroically tried to save Calvin, Shona didn't have to stop Willow from shooting him down, yet all that appeared on his face was a smile, the deepest most sincere smile that was ever seen.

"Thank you....Shona" A single tear dropped from his cheek as he tried to get up, almost losing his balance along the way; not very sportsman-like.

"I can walk, no problem" He was clearly in pain, but he wasn't going to just sit here until it went away, he needed to see the rest; besides, he was probably saver there instead of here, alone.

As soon as Felix was on his feet, the carnage sister squealed before wrapping her arms around him. The infinite free runner was pulled into a tight, mechanical embrace. Oddly, her chest felt...soft? Something akin to a water bed. Alexandria released her patient after what felt like far too long for a casual hug.

“Now, while I'm sure you're happy to be alive. I have to admit I'm a bit perturbed!” The robot did her best to squint her eyes and look agitated. >-< “My boyfriend spends all night making upgrades for some hussie, and then has the nerve to skip out on breakfast with his sweetheart! Don't you think that's just the worst?”

All Felix could do in reply to the extremely out of place hug was a sigh, he was surprised, in pain and frightened of the doll, yet couldn’t express himself any better.

“I have no goddamn clue what you’re talking about but I want you to show me the way back to my room. Do that, and I’ll have breakfast with you tomorrow, ke?” Felix tried to form the most believable smile possible; he wasn’t sure what to think of this robot, she was a bit different from the rest, less aggressive. In fact, he couldn’t recall a single moment where Alexandria actually did anything to hurt anyone, not knowing that it was actually her that killed Shona. however, she was still a part of it all, and he could not forgive that, so he was probably not gonna show up for that breakfast with her, if only to spite that doll.

“Oh, kitty kitty! You don’t have to worry about me.” Alexandria giggled. “I already have a plan set up.” She nodded. “I’m going to show Ibbs that I can do better than him, yea! That’ll show that big meanie to skip town on me. Do you want to see him?” The carnage sister didn’t wait for a response. “Oh yoo-hoo! Come on out lover boy!” One of the walls opened up and belched a cloud of smoke. “Don’t hide in there! you know that smoke isn’t very good for you?” A tall man with broad shoulders wandered out of the smoke. “Alright Felix, I want you to say hi to Maxy! and Maxy, this is Felix!” Alexandria positioned herself between the two men. “So what do you think Felix? Isn’t he just a stud? He’s also the infinite police officer. I love a guy in uniform, don’t you?”

BGM

“What...” the two men looked at each other for what felt like a lifetime before Felix continued.

“Why is he here...is he supposed to be Shona’s replacement?” Felix cringed towards Alexandria while saying that, yet Max was simply taking in the environment.
He looked at his leg, which still hurt from the attack, looked at the stretcher that Felix rested on mere minutes ago, and finally settled his eyes on the robot.

“Shit.” said Max with a concerned tone before addressing the free runner, “Where am I?”

“Y-you’re in Axis Mundi, though it’s not the same hospital it used to be, we…” Felix hesitated for a moment, but before being able to continue, Max interrupted him.

“Can we talk for a moment-” Max looked at the robot with a serious glare, “in private.”

“Oh-hoh! What? No girls allowed?” The android huffed. “You big meanies! Well, so long as Max is there when I totally rub it in Calvin’s face, I guess you can have some time alone.” Alexandria walked into the open hole in the wall, and it shut behind her. The two men appeared to be alone, if only for the moment.

Max was closely following Alexandria up until the point of the walls closing, after which he turned towards Felix and said,

“Felix, now tell me about this place, what happened here, and who is this Shona you mentioned before.”

And so Felix answered all questions that max threw at him to the best of his abilities, trying to swallow his emotions and not allowing sadness to overwhelm him while Max was piecing everything together and painting a bigger picture. They exchanged thoughts and information and after all was said and done, Max cleared his throat and shouted,

“Robot! when are you going to let us go? We’re done.” he said before addressing Felix again, “We’ll figure this out, we just have to keep alive for now. Be careful and don’t forget it.”

Max was barely done speaking when Alexandria came back into the room and seized both of them. “Hey! I don't call you 'human' and order you around, do I? So mean... So mean...” The carnage sister pulled both men into the wall. Apparently, the small room inside the wall was actually an elevator. “Next stop, the infinite killing game! I hope it's not too tight with the three of us packed in here like sardines. But at least it's like we're hugging each other right?”

As soon as the doors slid shut, Monokuma appeared on the monitor inside the elevator again. Was he showing up everywhere else too? It was the same video as last time, with the only difference being the introductions. He skipped over Shona and everyone who had left.

“Our blissfully ignorant Bliss Buckly is a patient woman. She can put up with screaming brats all day long. Definitely a commendable trait for someone to possess. But aren't all predators patient by nature?”

Alexandria hugged Max and Felix together with a giggle.

“Noel Hawthorne, like Bliss, is a woman of dark obsessions. She's a reporter you see, constantly obsessed with observing those who are around her. She's like the greatest facebook blogger, in that she takes lots of pictures of her food, and constantly talks about people more interesting than she is.”

Alexandria continued to giggle at her “father's” jokes, her grip got tighter as the video continued to play.

“But we also have Lucas Carsen who...” Monokuma lifted up a piece of paper and examined it. “Infinite Paranormal Investigator? Never mind, that practically makes fun of itself...” with a grumble, he crinkled the paper up and tossed it over his shoulder. “Marianne Roche may have a last name that sounds like an insect, but her real passion is flowers. Particularly the pistil and stamen. Well, especially the stamen.” Monokuma cleared his throat. “Max Visser could easily become a contender for Bishi of the year, but he doesn’t wear glasses. He does eat donuts though, which just shows you that even an infinite level cop has desires they can’t resist.”

By this point, Alexandria was practically crushing the men with her loving embrace.

“I think that's everyone. If I forgot someone, they probably weren't that important.” Monokuma settled back down in his bed and pulled up the sheets. “Dr Killgood, out!”

Alexandria released them. “Oh I'm so sowwy! I just get so excited every time dad pops up on a screen.Anywho, We're here!” The doors to the elevator opened. “So Maxy, did you want to make Ibbs super jealous? I know we can do it!”

“Whatever, there is nothing in it for me. Play your little game.” said Max while rubbing his sore arm after it had been ‘crushed’ by Alexandria. even though the doll acted dumb and friendly, it sent shivers down his spine. especially after hearing how Shona died. Felix however, had already gotten used to the abnormal behavior of the carnage sisters and merely nodded towards Max. Together, they went towards the sounds of people which originated from the break room and before entering, Felix took on his familiar posture of friendliness and Max adjusted his tie.

“Hello infinites! Guess who’s back from the dead?” Felix said with that trademark smile. Max merely stood next to him, observing the crowd.

"Ugh...My head.." Alice muttered to herself, still groggy from her sleep. Dusting herself off, she looked around the small elevator and tried to think of what happened beforehand. "Come on, think! What happened to make me end up here...? Last thing I know is that I got shot but after that..nothing." she was able to recap, pulling up her upper garments to see the bandages that were wrapped around her waist. Turning her atention to the door, she read the sentence that was painted in the all too familiar magenta pink of blood.



"What the...?" Alice started to say before the tv hooked up to the roof of the elevator turned on to show Monokuma. She took a quick seat on the floor and watched the monocromatic bear give the introductions of the other patients that arrived here, cause if shes gonna be in there for a while, she might as well get confortable. Alice took mental notes of each person in order,

"Shona Moffett-Infinite Knight, Seems to have no social media, Would practice combat with.

Davis Gallo-Infinite Conquest, Cheats the system, Role model to modern society, must gamble alot.

Mason Brady- Infinite Barista, Stud muffin, ironically has same name as myself.

Tekhartha Mondatta-Infinite Monk, No sign of what he looked like before the armor, Couldnt compete with Mason, Damages seem poetic, robot priest much?

Isaiah Mathews-Infinite Blood Donor, 'Ice-Ice-Baby', Mix of previous infinites Mason and Tekhartha, Gives blood a plenty, some sort of quote about giving all and leaving none, so much bandages.

Krista Müller-Infinite Violinist, First girl in the list, Thats ironic, generic feminine homosapien according to the bear.

Felix Garfield-Infinite Freerunner, Name should have been Yogi Something-Or-Other, Dr. Killsalot suprised that he isn't black, that's racist either way, Name is composed of two cats, that IS ironic, has two dogs.

Kara O'Hara-Infinite Desert Chef, Dr. Monokill amends his statement, Small doll Kara is small, does she make stuff with chocolate?

Quill Kennedy-Infinite Model, Barbie girl intensifies, sadly speaks.

Aleecia Marvic-Infinite Dice Master, Lucky guesser, weird nickname, blind as a bat.

Cyrus Brandon-Infinite Politician, Perfect at lying, Mono needs coffee to get through his speeches.

Daimyon Londe-Infinite Poet, Not a blond.

Shaun Ellan-Infinite Web Designer, Some sort of spider, Please dont be, I really hate spiders.

Mary Hansen-Infinite Streamer, Monokuma, just why?, That was too cringy...

Caora Artzain-Infinite Trap, the terror of the cosmos, bloody hell he's good!

Rika Roux-Infinite Firebug, some video about fire ants, somehow mute as seen by the tape recorder.

Calvin Ibbot-Infinite Blacksmith, haha, 'Ibbs', doesn't make stuff with his hands, hammer time.

Bliss Buckly-Infinite Nanny, Blissfully ignorant, patient, posible predator, if thats true..then oh boy..

Noel Hawthorne-Infinte Reporter, a woman of dark obsessions just like the nanny, greatest facebook blogger, but what does facebook have to do with news?

Lucas Carsen-Infinite Paranormal Investigator, talent makes fun of it's self.

Marianne Roche-Infinite Herbalist, has passion for flowers, last name sounds like an insect, it does, doesn't it?

Max Visser-Infinite Cop, Eats donuts, doesnt wear glasses, But what's a bishi?"

After everyone on the list was introduced, the elevator finally came to a halt. Alice shrugged off the fact that her name wasnt on the doctor's list and walked out when the doors open.

The gift was a pleasant surprise, but he couldn't get sidetracked now. Davis came here to figure out what the story behind the casino was. Conquest had seen almost every variation of casino games, and he knew they could all be cheated somehow. But first thing's first.

“So Nariko...” Davis leaned against a counter and brushed his hair back. “You look pretty good in that dealer's uniform.”

“O-oh?” Nariko sighed. “You can't really mean that.” Her eyes lowered to the ground. “You're just being nice to me because you want something.”

“Guilty as charged!” Davis chuckled and slapped his knee. “Now beautiful, care to tell me what's going on?”

“Um.” the carnage sister trembled. “W-why are you flirting with me? You said you wanted something from me already, s-so naturally I'm going to assume that this is just another attempt to do the same thing.”

“Yea?” Davis scratched his chest. “But you haven't figured out what that is yet, so let's keep going.” Perfection winked at the robot.

“O-oh. Okay.” Nariko gestured towards a wheel. The fan in the back of her head was making her hair blow in front of her face. “Have you ever played wheel of fortune?” The wheel actually looked very similer to the one in the mentioned game show. It was large and colorful, but there were no prizes marked out on the wheel.

Davis blinked. “Yea? You spin a wheel to determine your prize, then you guess a letter. You get the amount of money you rolled on the wheel multiplied by how many letters were in the phrase.”

“Well.” Nariko hugged herself. “It's just a little different than that. But everyone places their chip on this giant wheel, essentially betting where they think it will stop. Then I spin the wheel once, and prizes are handed out depending on where it lands.”

“Sounds a little childish for my tastes.” Davis laughed. “So about the other games?”

“There aren't any.”

Davis raised an eyebrow. “I'm pretty sure that's a black jack table you're standing behind.”

“It's just for show.” she whimpered. “I don't have a deck of cards, and I don't even know how to play black jack.” The carnage sister tugged on her pigtails. “I-im sorry.”

“It's okay baby! It's okay.” Perfection sighed. “I don't suppose it's possible to cash these in without playing the game is it?”

“No, you really need to play the wheel game if you want a prize. W-why?”

Davis started to walk away. “No reason hun Just...” Sure enough, the despicable damsel snatcher was dragging around his two newest trophies. Davis wasn't sure how much of his exchange the three of them saw. He could have pulled out that report and cut Daimyon down a peg then and there, but Davis really couldn't be bothered right now. “Yea, talk to you later Nariko.”

“B-but you wanted something else?” The carnage sister started pulling at her hair. “I-I screwed up again, didn't I? Oh! I wonder what he wanted?”

@Ariamis@Melo@Mateotis

---

Davis was grumbling under his breath when he back tracked into the patient's quarters. What the hell was he doing? He couldn't keep moping around like this! “I can't keep letting myself get distracted by Daimyon!”

“Oh?” Monokuma was standing before Perfection. “And here I thought it was all those lovely ladies that were getting you all fired up! I had no idea you were so passionate about the poet.”

Davis growled. “The hell do you want?”

“I just can't BEAR to see you like this! You and Mondatta were so ready to let me take your lives. That isn't natural is it? That can't be healthy!”

Perfection waved his hand. “Begone! I've already grown tired of your games. I will destroy you, mark my words.”

“Still mad about last night?” the bear sighed. “You know I tried to send a lot of girls down here just for you?”

“Fuck off!”

“But I see you're being beaten to the punch!” Killgood pointed at an elevator door. “So I'll let you get a head start with this one! It's Alice Masson. She's as cold as ice, She's willing to sacrifice our love!” The bear chuckled. “But she took a few rounds for the team, so maybe there are some cracks in that cool exterior, eh?” Perfection could hear one of the elevator doors in the hallway started to open up. “Don't screw it up this time Davis. I don't typically take pity on losers.” and with that, the bear disappeared.

“The hell is going on?” Davis immediately bolted towards the elevator. He knew the bear wasn't a giving sort, so he naturally expected something horrible to be waiting for him. He didn't quite reach the elevator before the mentioned woman walked out in front of him. “What the?! Hey! You! Uhmm...” Davis folded his arms. “ Alice?” He gave the woman a sideways glance. “You look...Kinda young?”

@UnknownScarlet4

---

It was actually not very difficult to find good reading material for the children. There were tons of books for children based around animals and the like. Bliss was sure Caora would enjoy these books, if only for the illustrations. However, Bliss wanted to get something that Shaun would also enjoy. He was probably a little too mature for picture books. Perhaps if Bliss and the programmer took turns reading to Caora, he might find these books more interesting. As different as those two were, they did seem to share something of a bond. Bliss had gotten three books for Caora, which she suspected would be enough. She did find a teen novel about getting pulled into a video game, but hoped she wouldn't have to resort to it to keep Shaun interested.

During her entire search, Bliss would occasionally look up at the giant safe along the entire wall of the study. Obviously it wouldn't open. Obviously it was pointless to try and guess what was behind it. But how could you not at least try to speculate? Before Bliss knew it, she was walking towards the massive metal safe. She knew she couldn't open it, but maybe there was something that would help her guess its contents. The first thing she tried was feeling the safe itself. Even with her gloves on, the steel was cold.

“Open says me?” The safe didn't budge an inch. Not that Bliss was expecting it to. Saying that phrase was just something she tended to do when she came across a locked door. It made a lot of the younger kids giggle. But to really get the children laughing, you'd also have to knock and place your ear up against the door. Which Bliss proceeded to do.

“Escape...Let me... escape...”

“Gu!” Bliss pulled her head back sharply. Maybe there were some things that were better off remaining unknown.

It wasn't much longer before the monitors flicked on again. Nariko was still at the casino, which appeared to be completely set up.

“I-I'm sorry that took so long.” The carnage sister whimpered. “But the game is ready now. Playing isn't mandatory but...”

The video feed was cut out by some static, and Dr. Kill good made another one of his appearances. “So maybe having downer bot 9000 run the casino wasn't a good idea. Oh well, you live and you learn! Or you die and no longer need to learn anything!” The bear cleared his throat. “Anyway, playing most certainly IS mandatory. Not that you have any reason not to play. Everyone gets something, and the winner gets a special prize! Isn't that nice?” Killgood giggled. “Now I'm well aware some of you are still skeptical, so I'll tell you what the prize is.” The screen changed to a shot of the theater. There was a drum roll before the curtains were pulled back to reveal a red telephone booth. “You get a ticket for a special telephone call! And it can be to literally anyone, even if you don't know the number. You could even call the police, but I think they'd find your story hard to swallow for some reason. Phu phu phu!”

There was no reason not to trust the bear. The night of carnage was over twelve hours away. Of course after Killgood's last stunt, everyone had some reason to suspect something. But “what” exactly was anyone's guess. Avoiding an event that almost everyone would be attending wasn't a very good idea anyway. Now more than ever, the infinites needed to stay together.

"Well, this is kinda my sister's time to shine." Alexandria made her way towards the hospital, far away from the casino. "I'll see you guys later."

---

The casino wasn't anything to write home about. Like everything the carnage sisters had done up until this point, it looked amateur. Since the last time Davis visited, the only real change was that there were now monokuma plushies hung around the mono stand. Of course, there was also a giant wheel that was begging to be spun. It had black and white stripes for the zones, with a red ticker that would determine the winner.

“A-alright.” Nariko adjusted her tie. The fan blowing out the back of her head was pushing around the suspended plushies. “To prevent people from cheating, your tokens will be placed on the spinner entirely at random. I apologize if this takes the fun out of the game.”

Davis sighed. “The one time I can actually use my talent.” Perfection placed his token on the counter top where Nariko was standing. “But I'm not out of this contest yet! I'm pretty sure I can will that wheel to stop exactly where I want it to.”

Everyone else handed over their chip in an orderly fashion. As each one was handed in, the samurai would use a labeling gun to mark the chip's original owner. Once Nariko was in possession of them all, the game was ready to start. “Alright, I guess we can start the game now.” Nariko scooped up all the chips and tossed them onto the wheel. They all landed exactly in the same spot in their respective zones. “I'm going to spin the wheel. Please don't touch it. T-the top is a little sticky, to make sure the chips don't move.” The samurai grabbed the side of the wheel. “S-sorry to everyone who loses in advance. It can't be helped.” Nariko put the might of her sword arm into the spin, causing the wheel to move at such speeds that the wheel just looked like a gray blur. It even swirled the air in the small casino, causing articles of clothing and long hair to flutter. Lights flashed around the infinites, but no distraction could avert their eyes from the wheel. Though it maintained speed for a while, it slowed down very quickly. Everyone could hear the screech of a metallic break. It was not unlike a locomotive trying to stop. Sparks shot out of the bottom of the table, which caused most of the infinites to take a step back. When the wheel stopped, the red ticker was pointing at someone's chip. Nariko was able to retrieve it and look at the label. Her eyes flicked back up to infinites. “Our winner is Krista Müller, I'm so sorry.”

“Why are you sorry for her?” Bliss was still a little shaken by the wheel's unique stopping mechanism. “Didn't she win?”

That was when Monokuma popped out of the dealer's table right beside Nariko. “Ho ho! But all Krista won was a motive!”

“Motive?” Davis crossed his arms. “You don't expect one of us to kill Krista for her ticket, do you?”

“Oh not at all!” The bear said with it's sing-song voice. “After all, everyone at the trial gets executed if they can't identify the blackened. So you don't even have to kill Krista directly. You just have to kill ANYONE, and get away with it. I'll take care of the rest.”

Bliss snorted. “You don't have to kill someone to steal from them!”

“No, but I'm sure you've noticed that there aren't any telephones around, right?”

“Well...”

Killgood chuckled. “The telephone will only appear after a trial. So the ticket can't be used until someone dies anyway. So even a sweet cinnamon bun like Krista has a reason to off someone! All holding the ticket means is that if you somehow survive the trial, it'll be yours.” The bear cackled like a wild animal. “It's also a digital ticket that's been uploaded to your E-handbook, so good luck destroying it. There aren't any saunas around this time!”

Davis raised an eyebrow. “Excuse me?”

“A-anyway, that's all folks!” and with that the bear disappeared from where it came.

Bliss surveyed the other infinites. “If one of you kills for a phone call, I'm going to be super disappointed in you!”

_BGM
Max hoped to be able to at least meet everyone present, but before even giving his name to a single person, he was escorted to a phony casino. As unremarkable as the location was, the premise proved more than curious. Likewise, Felix had many questions, none of which were getting an answer anytime soon.

They both expected some kind of trick, a hoax to taunt and upset the group, but when Felix heard that Krista won the right to call anyone she desired, he couldn’t help but feel astonished and relieved. Max however, oozed urgency while looking around, trying to capture the reactions of the other infinites, looking them straight in the eye for a few seconds before continuing to the next. Isolation is a very dangerous setting for humans to live in, especially when the isolated area is hostile. And something as small as a phone call could seem otherworldly to them.

Max’s sense of heroism and duty drew to the surface as he prepared to speak up. Giving a small nod to Felix and stepping into the middle, he put 2 fingers in his mouth and threw out a loud whistle in the hopes of raising attention. Afterwards, he upped his voice and spoke as authoritatively as he could,

“Many different thoughts are racing through your minds right now; I want you to throw them away and listen for a minute, you don’t know me and I don’t know you. We do know that our captor is trying to provoke us, but I will not allow it. Before you all cry out to not do anything, I would suggest otherwise. We may not get another chance to speak to anyone outside this hospital, so we are going to guard that e-handbook in a secure place with 2 or more people present at all times. We will continue to do so until we find the phone booth that this ticket belongs to and will then proceed to call someone as a group, not an individual. Agreed?”

Felix was the first to speak up, shouting,

“Yes sir!”

Mondatta silently followed after the crowds as they converged at the casino. Usually, he would not have condoned gambling, believing it to foster unhealthy behavior to one's soul and body. But, in the situation they were in, any kind of group activity that would bring smiles to people's faces and hope to their hearts would be preferable to the glooming despair they were trapped in. If they wanted to escape, they needed to throw away their selfish nature, and trust in each other. It was a good opportunity to break the ice for all of them.

After Mondatta explored the hospital with Marianne, Mondatta happened to meet upon a new face to their game. Aware that new participants could appear and replace people they have grown bonds with, the Infinite Monk immediately set out to establish a conversation with the young woman, hoping that they would form a new bond and learn to trust in them despite his appearance. "Greetings mister Gallo, and greetings to you as well. I am Tekhartha Mondatta, the Infinite Monk. Hopefully we may get to meet each other over a nice cup of tea." He then continued on his way, hoping their first meeting would not be the last.

---

Mondatta was quiet as Monokuma revealed the motive, which did not shock him; he would prey on the feeling of isolation these people may feel, and would dangle a carrot over the goat's mouth to make them move in the path of despair. He did not think for even a moment that Krista would be motivated to commit murder simply because she had the ticket. No, he was afraid for her; she would become a target. While other people began speaking, the monk walked quietly to Krista, and placed a cold, metallic hand on her shoulder. "We need to speak. We should go to the library." He had to do everything he can to ensure Krista would be safe.

---

[color=pink][/color]

"Uhh, this casino is totally terr-ib-le!" Mary shouted out, making a cute pouty face as she spent her token and lost. Of course, the Infinite Streamer knew Monokuma wouldn't run a legitimate casino with actual prizes, but at least she wanted proper card tables where she could mingle and socialize with her new friends, especially Daimyon. But she couldn't get to speak with him privately when the Infinite Reporter was present, like that one paparazzi stalker who follows your date to a restaurant. "You suck Nariko!" She openly insulted the robot, and smirked at her predictable reaction. At least she got to have some semblance of fun.

---

But with all things Axis Mundi, their time of fun was a trap, and Monokuma presented the phone. Mary started drooling at the sight of it, her fingers twitching. "I could call...anyone? That super famous superstar [BLANK]? Or the super hot bachelor [BLANK]? Oh, I would do ANYTHING to get to call him!"
When she started to get looks, especially from Bliss who seemed furious, she whipped her hair. "I was joking. Of course I'd call the police, duh." But Monokuma did make a good point; even if the police did somehow believe her and send a rescue party, Monokuma would surely have prepared for such a possibility with some automated guns on the building or something equally insane that only hacks would think of.

Then, a new, handsome guy started to speak, and Mary's attention was immediately captured by his smooth voice which sounded like audible hotness. Mary put a finger to her cheek, intrigued by how heroic he sounded. She eagerly lifted her hands up like a cheerleader, jumping in the air. "You get an O and K from me, mister! And if I had my phone, I'd give my number as well~"

Caora and Shaun followed on with the rest of the group as they all made their way to the casino, as had been spoken of by Monokuma just a short while ago. Shaun held his token clenched into his hand, which he occasionally opened to look at. Caora on the other hand hadn't obtained one, nor had he received a gift. Not that he appeared to mind much; still walking along merrily, Fang in hand as usual.

Eventually, the group stopped at the stall that had been set up as the makeshift casino, somewhat half-arsed in its design. Behind it stood Nariko, one of the Carnage Sisters. The depressive one, if Shaun remembered correctly. Alexandria had made a slight appearance, too, however she disappeared after the brief arrival.

Everyone crowded around the thing as the monitors switched on, and their gracious host of Dr Killgood appeared as was expected. Shaun's eyes lit up as the curtains on-screen lifted to reveal a phone booth. A phone call to anyone, even the police? In all theory, it sounded to be an incredible prize. Caora didn't appear to care. Something told Shaun that, maybe, there weren't many - if any - people Caora trusted or cared for...

However, to him, a single phone call seemed... Useless. Monokuma had said it himself. There was no way in hell, absolutely none, that the police would indulge in a story of imprisonment and murder as fantastical as the one that group of Infinites were currently experiencing. And why would they? Chances were they received countless fake and insane calls every day, spouting nonsense of an unrealistic nature.

Krista had since arrived at the party, and while Shaun's back was turned, Caora and the violinist had traded gift - much to the joy of the boy. He seemed quite delighted with the new hair ties, and considerably eager to try them out. However, he didn't get the chance to start using them, as the festivity began. All approached, and handed off their tokens to Nariko, who then promptly tossed them onto the wheel and gave it a spin.

Speak of the devil and he shall appear, it seemed. Krista, whom Caora had just spoken with, came out as the victor. However Nariko didn't seem to agree. Things suddenly started to become clearer to Shaun as soon as Monokuma appeared from under the stall.

They were to kill for the ticket. A ticket that would grant them a phone call to anyone, anywhere, no matter what. He glanced around, taking in the other Infinites, wondering which among them would have such a desperation that they would murder for a simple phone call. A phone call that would likely prove useless, and only serve to heighten any despair the user already felt.

Once Monokuma vanished, the newcomer spoke up. He was unknown to the pair, though he had a uniform and official air about him which Shaun recognised as authority. Some kind of civil servant, or officer, or something. The way he applied a sense of reason and strategy to the situation made him think military, but at the same time the aura of authority made him think police.

Shaun stood back, letting the others discuss strategy and the like. Neither he nor Caora had any experience in that kind of thing, so instead they stepped out of the crowd, and watched, mostly waiting for someone to approach them with queries or similar.

Alice was already halted by two other patients as soon as she got out of the elevator, the second one walking up before. She recognized the two from the intro video and one at a time answered their questions. "Okay, allow me to clear at least some confusion. Yes, I am 'Alice', Mr. Davis and my youthful appearance doesnt cover up the fact that I'm feeling old right about now." She says hugging her waist as she answers Davis. "Now, as of you Mr. Lucas, I might as well properly introduce myself." Alice says, turning to him. "My name is Alice Masson, the so-called Infinite Recon. Or solder for simplicity. Pleasure to make your aquaintances" she shook Lucas' hand in return.

Another person (android?), Tekharta, aproached and said his hellos before going along his way.

You my dear sir look like you can be my twin brother.. she thought as she double checked lucas' appearance.

The monitors flickered to life as the head doctor basically ordered everyone to play a game at the casino. Alice followed along with everyone else, intrigued as to see who gets the phone-call prize.

"Hm..points for theme, I must say.." Alice muttered as she look around the casino. Everyone turned in a chip before Nariko spinned the wheel to a slightly horrific speed. It finally landed on the violinist, but it wasnt as good of a prize as everyone thought.

Dr. Killgood said that the winner, Krista, got a motive. For everyone to kill her over a simple phone call was maddening to Alice. She looked over at the now nervous girl before listening to the officer, a Max Visser, order everyone to keep her E-Handbook safe. She nodded her head in agreement and started to speak again,

"Understood, Mr. Visser, I wont let an innocent get murdered on my watch."

Lucas then chimed in as well and Tekharta requested to talk to Krista at the library, she asked if anyone else wanted to join the two. "I might later, need rest my head for a while, you know." Alice answered back to the girl.

The casino...!
...was rather disappointing, thought Marianne to herself. It was hardly more than a room(?) with a raised pavilion hosting a spinning table, and another one of those Carnage Sisters that had earlier been handing out presents. This one was the one they saw on the televisions, with the unforgettably gloomy mien. Something about her made the infinite herbalist feel awfully sorry for her, but also another, rather different emotion. There was something about her that made her vulnerable, and if that was the way to get out of this facility, then...

The thought was quickly banished, as it was hardly practical. More interesting was the fact that somehow the group felt larger; everchanging. Like a serpent that kept losing and regenerating limbs of different shapes and sizes whenever required, you could never really tell who would stay and who would leave. As of the moment, the cast were joined by three new characters, two men and one woman. The men were vastly different: a lean blond with a laid back attitude contrasting the no-nonsense brunet. The girl was the most different, and the first thing Marianne noticed was the patch above her eye. Her hand unconsciously reached, but she caught it in the fist of the other. There was no opportunity to speak to the girl just yet, no chance to ask what the story behind her eye was. Her mannerisms were pleasant, and it almost seemed like the patch didn't bother her at all. Perhaps it had become second nature to her through adaptation, much like over years, a plant species would be able to adapt to its particular surroundings.

Fascinating.

The rest of the actions seemed to have all occurred in one fell swoop. Her Monochip - and everyone else's - being taken from them and loaded into the spinning mechanism, and then spun around fiercely. The young woman, with the longest hair of all the women currently present, felt the force cause her dark tresses to billow around her. It was in that moment she rethought the possibility of destroying this particular robot, as the strength she possessed would most definitely be enough to leave someone without an arm (or worse.)

After a show of lights and theatrics, the spinning wheel finally stopped and landed on...the token belonging to one Krista! Marianne's eyes briefly found the blonde and she gave her a reassuring smile. Winning was a good thing, right...?

Wrong.

The secret behind the win was revealed, and the herbalist, along with everyone else, were tangibly stunned. Not a person moved for one second, and then two. On the third second, there was a shrill whistle that made the herbalist cringe inwardly. The gentleman stepped forward whom Marianne had never seen before. Upon closer inspection, he had a broad chest and forward, authoritative body language. It would be wise, thought she, to listen to what this person had to say.
At the end of his small but quickly digested speech, the crowd suddenly buzzed to life again with a myriad of reactions.

There was an affirmative yell, and another cheerier agreement chime in from the Infinite Freerunner and Infinite Streamer respectively. Mondatta responded with the cool calm as usual, and if it were with anyone, when Marianne saw him wanting to speak to Krista (AKA: everyone's new target) she was put at ease. There was just the issue of having one more person with the duo, somebody that could maintain the balance, whatever that meant.

The boys, Shaun and Caora, withdrew noticeably. Marianne wanted to comfort them, as she had Caora earlier, but she hesitated. It wasn't just fun and games anymore. Any of these people, any at all, could turn killer at the prospect of being able to make one phone call. It could be to anybody, about anything. A significant other? A family member? A famous celebrity? (Mary was already spouting thoughts on that!) A treasured charity? A scholar society? The police? The people above the police? A desperate foreign call if local ones were tracked?

Marianne bit her bottom lip absently. Somehow, everyone had suddenly become a villain, and a suspect, and also simultaneously a victim, as whoever won the trial (not the chip per se) would be able to find the phone and make a call.
But that meant murder regardless.

"There's no way anyone in here would murder someone else to use a telephone." the Infinite Herbalist began softly, but her voice raised into a shaky statement towards the end. The promise of the Infinite Recon at her side gave her strength, in a way. She crossed her arms for effect as she continued, mustering up confidence. "Isn't that so? I agree with Krista being kept under watch at all times. Please, I-" she gestured at the woman with an eyepatch at her side who just spoke, knowing absolutely nothing about her still, "It would be a relief for all of us, Miss. I hope your head feels better soon."
She piped up here, finally putting two and two together. She didn't have the most useful talent, but maybe...! "If it would be of any help, my name is Marianne and I am the Infinite Herbalist." she introduced herself to everyone in the room (specifically the newcomers) and nobody in particular, though the next part was directed towards Alice. "If your head is troubling you, I would like to see if there's something I may be able to do later. I'm afraid at the moment I am ill-equipped for the most efficient treatment, but rest assured I will try to alleviate the discomfort, if you allow me."

"...we all make the call together. In the mean time, should we go look around for something that could help?"

At this point, what could that even be? The most helpful thing right now seemed to be a big shiny red door with the words 'EXIT' printed on it so they just couldn't be missed. Marianne carefully looked at everyone, and then at the floor, her right hand playing with the lipgloss tube pendant of the cord around her neck. She gripped it tightly.
"...no one has to die."

Her eyes first went to the first point of contact. The person she knew the best amongst all these people: Cyrus Brandon. Teal eyes met grey ones and hers seemed urgent, as if she needed to tell him something. And she did. There was something she just couldn't shake, and she felt she needed to discuss it with someone before spilling the information to the entire group. Cyrus was her best bet. ...however. She, for whatever reason, did not directly approach Cyrus. Why?

@Melo

Of all the other people who had caught her attention, there was somebody in particular Marianne found herself drawn to. It was the man with an odd energy - the 'Infinite Paranormal Investigator.'
She was inhabiting the room of the departed. It would be nice for him to run his geiger counter or whatever those people used in her room to see if Shona could lend herself to any more help, in life as well as death.

...i-it wasn't like Marianne believed in ghosts or anything...!

"Mister...um. Infinite Paranormal Investigator." the dark haired woman cursed herself for letting his name slip her, then closed the distant subtly between her and the gentleman, looking up at him with gentle teal eyes. Her lips were pursed and her head cocked to the side as she appraised him quickly. "...my name is Marianne. I am the current inhabitant of the late Shona Moffett's room. ...would it be possible to ask you to come and further investigate my quarters, with me?"

And to the average layperson, this kind of invitation may have had one hell of a completely different interpretation.

@UnknownScarlet4@Aewin

The situation deescalated just as quickly as it had escalated, with Mary suddenly becoming the mediator and tying—both metaphorically and literally—the trio together to venture onwards to the casino. Daimyon was satisfied with this result, however abrupt it may have seemed: after all he was about to play some thrilling games of fortune with two wonderful ladies at his side. Fun and inspiring times for all!

At that time, of course, he could not know that these moments would be the brightest point of the day.

At the casino, the three Infinites ran into Davis who was conversing with one of the robots at the blackjack table. A rapid chain of events followed, mostly playing out in the poet's mind: he was delighted at seeing the man he was looking to give the gift to, but it melted away when he realised that he had managed to forget the magazine in the break room. In the next moment, the opportunity also slipped away as the Infinite Conquest broke away from the table with a hasty goodbye and hurried out of the casino with nothing but a glare at Daimyon. He was rather perplexed at that: what happened to the man? What was he angry about? Surely the despairful situation or something to that degree...

What was even worse however was the fact that they could not actually play any games! Upon querying the robot—a Carnage Sister she was called, but Daimyon could not recall her name for the life of him—, she only told them that things were still work-in-progress. A shame, the poet thought, he had already had his token in hand and was ready to make more of it. The ladies, especially Mary, were similarly disappointed. Lacking better things to do, they sat down at one of the few tables in the small casino and waited, whisking the time away with pleasant chatter.

---

This idleness did not last long, for Monokuma appeared once again on the screens to make an announcement inviting—or rather. commanding—every Infinite to the casino. The place soon filled up with all...sixteen? Seventeen of them? Daimyon had lost count; each time the group gathered together it seemed like there were new faces joining up. He did not mind that, he was only worried that with such a constant influx of undoubtedly extraordinary people to meet and get to know, he would not have time for everyone else. It had also been some time since he had last written into his notebook; he rectified that while the Infinites assembled.

Once everyone had made it, the game was finally unveiled: a wheel-of-fortune! Quite an unorthodox version of that, however: the players' tokens would be placed randomly on the wheel. Wherever it stopped, that person would win a phone call to the outside world! Daimyon could appreciate the twisted ingenuity behind this—a chance like this was much more valuable when no one else had any access to the great outside. Although no one in particular popped into his mind when he thought about who he would call if he won, winning was winning regardless and he was going for it!
“Lady Luck, faithless and fickle, I call out to you. Help me with my sudden pickle, make this wheel spin true!”
He handed over his token to the robot who soon spun the machine with surprising force, so much that the black-and-white wheel looked like it was about to take off and fly away. The poet looked over his fellows: they stood enraptured, looking at the wheel with bated breath, waiting for it to stop at exactly one place—where their token lay. It was fascinating to feel the repressed reservation in the air, and even more fascinating to take a gander at the feelings that hid behind it. From shaking excitement through forced indifference to cool anticipation...everyone radiated something different. As for himself, Daimyon's mind was already hopping ahead to wonder about the potential prizes...

And then, a steel wall was slammed down in his head and his imagination drew back with a disappointed ‘aww’. The wheel stopped not on his, but Krista's token, making her the winner.
“Ahaha, it appears the Lady smiled on you today! Congra—”

But he did not even have the chance to finish before the bear jumped out again and revealed the true nature of the violinist's prize: a motive for murder.
In hindsight, he was glad he could not finish his sentence. There was only one thing to congratulate Krista for: she had just become a target for everyone in this room. And that would have been..rather distasteful.

The silence of surprise went away quickly and the casino came alive with frenzied chatter before someone reined in the chaos with a loud whistle. Along with the others, Daimyon also looked at the source...he knew there were new people here! The call for attention came from a tall, well-built man in formal clothing who was just oozing confidence. Without as much as introducing himself, he immediately suggested a plan of action to protect both Krista and her prize until the group could make good use of it. His to-the-point attitude and clear thinking won support right away, among others from Mary, a second new Infinite, and...Felix! Daimyon was delighted to see his freerunning friend back in the fray, looking healthy as ever. Krista also spoke up in the end, expressing her wishes both towards the phone call and the proposed plan.

So much happening...!

“Well, this game was not what any of us had expected!” Daimyon found Noel again in the crowd, looking to orient himself in all this before anything else. “'tis a shame. Perhaps next time, when things are...not this heated. For now, though...do you think there's any chance of finding a phone booth around here?”

Bliss listened to everyone talk back and forth. Alice was the only one other than Mondatta who offered to watch. But...

“No, you can rest.” Bliss was scowling. “I'll watch over Krista with Mondatta. Looking after people is practically what I was born to do.”

Davis raised an eyebrow. “Krista isn't some teenager.”

“As someone who's never tried out babysitting, I can understand why you'd react like that.” The nanny placed her hands on her hips. “It's not that I have experience watching people sleep, it's that I have experience staying awake. I can't tell you how many times my clients arrive home late. Sometimes I'll stay up until four, jut to make sure the child has someone if they wake up.” Bliss turned to face Mondatta and Krista. “We should sleep in shifts. No two people should rest at the same time. It's just... safer for everyone that way.”

Perfection threw up his hands. “Alright, you clearly have this under control. Should we set up a schedule so that someone can take your places?'

“That won't be necessary. The sleepy faces are my reward.”

“...Excuse me?”

Bliss's cheeks started to flush red. “Her sleepy face.” Bliss placed her hands together as if in prayer. “Everyone has such cute sleepy faces.” Her eyes rolled rolled away from everyone. “Krista's sleepy face... I know it will keep me awake.”

“So you watch people sleep?”

“Children have the cutest sleepy faces. It's a shame Caora didn't win.”

Davis blinked a few times. “oooooohhhhhhhkkkkeeeeeeeeyyyyyyyyy, you guys have fun.” Davis started to leave the gathering when he turned to face Mondatta. “I do hope you're awake for the FULL duration of Krista's nap.”

---

It had been a few days since the "motive" had been issued. Davis didn't know ANYONE who would kill to phone someone. Could someone in this group commit murder? Absolutely. But there were already far more attractive reasons to kill than for a phone call. Oh well. Maybe that dumb bear didn't know what he was talking about. Davis still had some unfinished business to take care of. It was late in the afternoon, maybe he could catch Noel before she went of... reporting stuff? Not that the reporter did much reporting. Ever since she arrived, Noel had been more of a snoop. Just trying to figure out what was going on with everyone. Davis was not at all surprised to find the reporter standing in front of Caora's room. Perfection cleared his chest with a cough as he approached.

“Hey Noel.” Davis came to a stop. “You and I haven't had an opportunity to talk yet. Being a reporter, I'd think you'd love to have a talk with me. I'm an infinite that's never been interviewed before. It could be a pretty big scoop, huh?”

Noel looked up as she was approached by Davis. Captivity had been hell for her. The interesting scoops happened outside in the rest of the world. Not in this cage that she was confined in. Well, there was one exception to this rule, but that was a fate that hopefully nobody would befall. She scratched her head a little at the infinite's comments. "Well... Davis... How should I tell you this... usually people are interviewed because they're involved in a scoop..." She paused for a bit. "If you have never been interviewed before... then maybe you are simply... boring?" She said, knowing she told him only a half-truth right now. Half a second later she closed the distance between them. Her eyes looking straight into his at barely a centimeter's distance. "Or are you telling me, mister Davis 'Perfection' Gallio, that you are hiding some secrets from me?" She smirked.

Perfection leaned up against a wall, still smiling ear to ear. “Secrets? I am a trove of those.” Davis pulled the secret survey out of his vest and waved it in the air. “Turns out my gift was a secret marketing survey that was conducted on a bunch of celebrities. Technically illegal, but the information looks legitimate. Of course, none of this matches the 'scoop' that my story holds.” He turned around and started to walk. “Aladdin’s palace. The cave system? That seems romantic. It's a good place to get someone to open up, no?”

Noel grinned slightly when Davis revealed the survey. "Well I be... I've been looking for that for ages!" She answered, heavily doubting the claim he was making. But even if she got him to surrender the survey by going along with his ego trip, that would be worth it. "Taking a woman alone into a dark cave? That doesn't sound very safe, now does it?" She teased him as she somewhat doubted he actually had the intention to try something, not that he would succeed either way. "Alright then, lead the way."

Davis pulled a cylindrical object out of his pocket and tossed it to the reporter. “Found a flashlight, in case you're scared of the dark. Or maybe you just want to keep an eye on me.” Perfection walked ahead of Noel, she couldn't see if he was smiling or not.

---

Once they were at the mouth of the cave, Davis turned around to face the reporter. "So, you don't always cover celebrities right? You've done wars too? Gruesome work I imagine."

"Anything really. Celebs, wars, technological breakthroughs, politics, economy, crime. All stories deserve equal coverage regardless of the subject. Wars... wars are special though." She said with a bit of a sigh. "Can't exactly report there in a happy fashion, you know." She then shook her head. "Still much better than this place. Let's just go."

Davis started to walk into the cave. It was possible to see without the aid of a flashlight, but it got darker with every step. “You'd rather be in a war than a killing game? I'm surprised to hear you say that. I can't say I ever did any war reporting, but my father was in a war. He described it as hell on earth. Having to kill and watch the people around you die. He was a different person after he served.” Davis ran his hand along one of the walls. Some loose stones were knocked free and tumbled down the wall. “But I guess it's different, being a reporter in a war and being stuck in something as personal as a killing game.” Davis chuckled.

"Don't get me wrong, war is horrible." She clarified. "But at least we were there by our own free will." She looked down a little. "And perhaps less people die here than on a battlefield, but at least those people knew what they got into. They knew the risks. This place... it's more like a slaughterhouse." Her stomach turned a little.

“That's understandable." Gallo nodded. "Has anyone close to you ever died?”

"I've lost as many people. Most of them murdered, some of them executed for murder." She didn't really want to speak more about it.

"So no one outside this killing game then?" Davis shrugged. "I don't know how to feel about that. It sounds lonely, but you're probably better off."

"Don't get me wrong. I knew a fair amount of the infinites that died in this killing game. I might not have interviewed them, but I got to know a fair amount of them. They were my friends." She said, sounding somewhat insulted by his comment. "Like cattle to the slaughter... meaninglessly." Noel turned to him. "So, what about you? You lured me here with your scoop so... what's your story?"

“I suppose you would expect my 'scoop' to be about me. But that wasn't entirely true. I play a part in her story, and sadly, I think I'm the only person who can tell it to anyone.” Davis bit his lower lip and nodded. “ My fiancee. Alice Parker. She was the ultimate assassin. Obviously she didn't tell many people about her talent. I knew her before she transferred to hope's peak high school, and she came back to the states after she graduated. Only so that she could see me one last time. Her stay wasn't suppose to be very long.” Davis looked over his shoulder at Noel. “You know how Hope's Peak is, the deal is that they're going to study your talent. So naturally she was going to have to return to Japan. So I popped her the question. We were going to travel back to japan together and get married there. We never did get to go back though.” He looked ahead. The path split two ways. Davis turned around and leaned up against a wall. “That was about when the end of the world started to happen. All these death games, people running around with monokuma masks. Of course in America you ALSO had fucking automated tanks patrolling the major cities.” Davis growled. “Shit, this is harder to talk about than I thought.”

"Everyone has a story about the tragedy." Noel said, somewhat downtrodden. She was quite interested, but these stories were always the saddest. "So what happened to her? Did she get out of there alive or..." She didn't really want to say it.

Davis's fists were trembling. “She was not a victim. The ultimate assassin is never a victim. That's what makes this story different.” He folded his arms to stop his hands from shaking. It didn't work. “Neo Alexander had a pretty firm grip on New York city, since that's where his killing game was being hosted. We weren't going to survive unless we took out the satellite system that controlled all the local AI. So I hatched a plan with Alice. We were able to convince a few people to go along with it. I could probably write a damn book about it if I ever cared to but-” Perfection's hand slid up over his mouth. “... That was the first time my conquest failed me. They were going to discover us, but Alice went ahead and acted like a decoy. They shot her to death and rolled over her head with a tank for good measure. I wanted to scream, but no one would let me.” Perfection shook his head with a sigh. “But she was the only casualty. The rest of our plan worked perfectly. The man who would eventually become the infinite programmer was there to hack in and take control of the tanks, and we annihilated the local despair gangs. Neo Alexander continued to lose ground, and eventually took his own life. The rest of us survived the calamity.” Davis walked down the leftmost tunnel, not waiting for the reporter. “How's that for a scoop?”

Noel was silent for a bit after that. "That's... a pretty great thing you all did... She's definitely a hero.." Noel had a hard time finding the words. She followed Davis down the cave. "She did a great act that might've saved America. But... of course it must be hard for you still. Are you all right?"

“It happened ten years ago. It only hurts when I force myself to think about it.” Davis rolled his head until his neck cracked. “Of course if you listen to the therapist, my desire to excel at everything is borne from my failure to save her.” Davis chuckled. “But I don't think so. I've always been competitive. Not every little quirk can be tied to a traumatic life event.” Davis looked over his shoulder at Noel. “Your obsession with 'the scoop' didn't start because you were deprived of ice cream, did it?”

Noel rolled her eyes a little at the joke. "My family has been involved in journalism for a long time. Nothing much to say. I enjoy the job a lot, though." She told him, not really willing to go in on the whole part with the therapist just yet. There was something else bothering her slightly more. "So why are you telling me this? Normally people like to keep their secrets from the media."

“Perhaps on the outside world. But in here, the less we have to hide the better. Our monk taught me that.” Davis tipped his head up and smiled. “Besides, Alice deserves to have her story heard. Even if it's just by the few of us who are here.” Davis paced himself so that he was walking beside the reporter. “I guess you'd rather hide your secrets still, huh?”

"Perhaps the person who inquires about everybody else's secrets is the one who has the least interesting life." Noel said, dismissing Davis' comment. "And regarding secrets, I still want that survey as well." She grinned.

Davis groaned. “Sure, I guess you earned it.” Davis held the piece of paper over his shoulder when he suddenly stopped dead in his tracks. “Huh?” When Noel went to take the survey, Davis motioned for the flashlight. Once it was in Davis's hands, he turned it on. “That stalagmite looks like a person.” Sure enough, there was a shape that did look like a person. Davis aimed the flashlight at it. It was hard to make out clearly at this distance, but it looked like someone was propped up against the wall of the cave. “Krista?” Perfection jogged over to the violinist and knelled down beside her. When Davis leaned her away from the wall, she limply fell against his shoulder. When perfection placed his hand on the back of her head, it was in something wet. He shined the flashlight on his hand, it was covered in blood. “W-what!?” Davis dropped his flashlight. He made sure to keep an arm on the violinist. “That...” Davis growled. “That fucking bear! What sorry cunt kills for a damn phone call!?” Davis turned to look at Noel, his eyes lit with fire that could even be seen in the darkness. “Get the others, we have a murderer on our hands!”

Noel greedily took the paper, but before she even had a chance to observe it Davis was already noticing something else. "What?" Was all Noel could stammer before following Davis to the corpse of a girl she had barely spoken to. She had a hard time hiding a mixture of sadness, disappointment and anger. "Not again." Her voice trembled, clearly affected by overwhelming feelings. Noel took out her camera. "Let's take pictures first. The scene must be preserved. Keep that light on her." She ordered Davis as she approached the corpse from different angles, the flash of her camera illuminating what the flashlight could not.

The sudden light illuminated the body in front of them, the sudden brightness causing a small furrow in her eyebrows. It was barely visible, but with the extra lighting it was clear that Krista was alive. Krista let out of a soft moan, her eyes blinking open a moment later. There were lines on her forehead, and her lips were pulled down, clear indicators of someone feeling a whole lot of pain, and her eyes were still glassy as if she was barely staying awake. She felt something warm against her cheek, her eyes following the feeling until she spotted what- or who was causing it, bringing more confusion. "Wha' hap'nd?" She finally croaked.

“What?” Davis's grabbed Krista by the shoulders and shook her. “Was this some type of elaborate prank?” Though Davis's momentary outburst didn't last long. Everyone's eyes moved onto something else. The flashlight was pointing at another individual. But this one was much easier to make out. It was Mondatta, propped up against a stalagmite just as Krista had been. Though there was no evident wounds. He was just sitting there, looking at the group with his head tipped in confusion.

“Mondatta?” Davis called out.

Suddenly a voice echoed through the cave. It was the eerily cheerful voice of Monokuma Killgood.

“A body has been discovered. The patients have a limited time to collect evidence before being called into the court of carnage. Do your best everyone!”

Perfection's skin started to change to a shade of white. “W-what? You mean to tell me someone actually-” Davis remained petrified in place for several seconds. “Alright.” Davis put a hand over his own face. “We should... We should alert the other.” Davis attempted to stand up, but fell back onto his knees. He refused to make eye contact with anyone.“I-I'm sorry, could you get the others?” Davis spoke to Noel “I think I can take care of things here. No one will disturb anything on my watch.”

Noel nodded "One moment." She told him as she quickly took a few pictures of the dead monk. Better that she took those now before the crime scene was altered in any way. Afterwards she darted off towards the exit of the cave complex and then towards the break room.

If Krista had been her normal self, she would have let out a terrified scream. Who wouldn't after finding a dead body? Instead, she hyperventilated at the sight of another body. It was like Shona all over again, except this time it was Mondatta that was dead and it was an infinite that was responsible. "Is he..." She swallowed nervously, staring at Mondatta's body, "Is he really... dead?"