Melo

Danganronpa Alternate: Apologies to Hope

Poppy Pennington, ultimate what?

■Name■

Poppy Pennington

■Talent■

Ultimate ????

Who am I? What am I? I don’t know! Will we find out? Will I remember? The possibilities are truly endless… for better or for worse.

■Gender■

Female

■ Appearance■

Unlike many other ultimates, Poppy looks extraordinarily ordinary. Almost frighteningly so. Her simple blue and white outfit reveals no clues as to what kind of hidden talent she might possess. She stands at an average 5’4” with a lithe, slim posture. She gives a frail impression, almost too fragile to touch. Her long brown hair reaches her lower back and is in desperate need of some styling, as it is going everywhere as if she spent the entire last year in bed. The most striking part of her face are her soft, kind light brown eyes. Her pale skin reveals western origins, much like her name implies.

■Personality■

Poppy is a timid appearance. Who can blame her? She knows nothing, yet she is thrust into this cruel killing game without any consideration. Her frightened nature is complimented by her suspicions for the others. After all, there must be someone amongst them who knows something about her. After all, who else could’ve put her in this position besides the mastermind? Someone is cruelly hiding the truth from her. Not to speak of the fear of death itself. She is like a shy mouse, sacredly trying to avoid what could potentially be a dangerous predator. Though she will try to talk with others, she tries to keep anyone at an arm’s reach at least.

However, these initial impressions will greatly lessen once she grows more comfortable amongst the rest. Beneath the layers of extreme caution is a person who really just wants to experience, to explore. Poppy has nothing, and really just wants to be someone. She wants friends. She wants memories. She wants a place in this world. These are things she can’t obtain from within her shell, but to get out of it will, naturally, take an ample amount of time. She is a very curious person In truth.

In truth, she is a rather sweet person. A quite regular, kind girl. The only way she really stands out amongst a bunch of ultimates is by how plain she seems to be. She is soft-natured, kind-hearted and rather empathic. Because of this, she has difficulty dealing with seeing others in pain or trouble.

■Backstory■

A young girl woke up in a classroom. She was confused, afraid. Where was she? It was as if she had woken up for the first time in her entire life. She looked at her hands as if they were foreign entities. She had questions, but she had no idea how to formulate them. Not that she had anyone to ask them to anyway. Then she noticed something embroidered into her left sleeve with a black thread. A name? Who embroidered their name into their clothes these days?

”Poppy Pennington”

Could that be her name? It was the most logical assumption. These were her clothes. They were, right? Indeed, this girl could not remember her name. Her mind was a blank slate, a void completely bereft of any information about herself. She fervently tried to recall what she had forgotten. But alas, she was a stranger to herself just as much as she would be to anyone else.

So please, don’t ask her about her backstory. It would be rather awkward.

■Everything else■

• Dialgue colour: db5143
• Though she has no memories, she is not completely helpless. She still has ample knowledge and proficiency in various common skills such as cooking, household chores and first aid. The area of her mind retaining this kind of knowledge is untouched it seems.
• Though she is unable to remember specific food preferences. She seems to have no trouble eating and enjoying any kind of food.
• She love blue, maybe because that’s the first colour she saw?
• She won’t admit it, but she actually thinks monokuma is incredibly adorable-looking… even if he’s a mean despair-bear.

Danganronpa Roleplay (Interest Check)

Poppy Pennington, ultimate what?

■Name■

Poppy Pennington

■Talent■

Ultimate ????

Who am I? What am I? I don’t know! Will we find out? Will I remember? The possibilities are truly endless… for better or for worse.

■Gender■

Female

■ Appearance■

Unlike many other ultimates, Poppy looks extraordinarily ordinary. Almost frighteningly so. Her simple blue and white outfit reveals no clues as to what kind of hidden talent she might possess. She stands at an average 5’4” with a lithe, slim posture. She gives a frail impression, almost too fragile to touch. Her long brown hair reaches her lower back and is in desperate need of some styling, as it is going everywhere as if she spent the entire last year in bed. The most striking part of her face are her soft, kind light brown eyes. Her pale skin reveals western origins, much like her name implies.

■Personality■

Poppy is a timid appearance. Who can blame her? She knows nothing, yet she is thrust into this cruel killing game without any consideration. Her frightened nature is complimented by her suspicions for the others. After all, there must be someone amongst them who knows something about her. After all, who else could’ve put her in this position besides the mastermind? Someone is cruelly hiding the truth from her. Not to speak of the fear of death itself. She is like a shy mouse, sacredly trying to avoid what could potentially be a dangerous predator. Though she will try to talk with others, she tries to keep anyone at an arm’s reach at least.

However, these initial impressions will greatly lessen once she grows more comfortable amongst the rest. Beneath the layers of extreme caution is a person who really just wants to experience, to explore. Poppy has nothing, and really just wants to be someone. She wants friends. She wants memories. She wants a place in this world. These are things she can’t obtain from within her shell, but to get out of it will, naturally, take an ample amount of time. She is a very curious person In truth.

In truth, she is a rather sweet person. A quite regular, kind girl. The only way she really stands out amongst a bunch of ultimates is by how plain she seems to be. She is soft-natured, kind-hearted and rather empathic. Because of this, she has difficulty dealing with seeing others in pain or trouble.

■Backstory■

A young girl woke up in a classroom. She was confused, afraid. Where was she? It was as if she had woken up for the first time in her entire life. She looked at her hands as if they were foreign entities. She had questions, but she had no idea how to formulate them. Not that she had anyone to ask them to anyway. Then she noticed something embroidered into her left sleeve with a black thread. A name? Who embroidered their name into their clothes these days?

”Poppy Pennington”

Could that be her name? It was the most logical assumption. These were her clothes. They were, right? Indeed, this girl could not remember her name. Her mind was a blank slate, a void completely bereft of any information about herself. She fervently tried to recall what she had forgotten. But alas, she was a stranger to herself just as much as she would be to anyone else.

So please, don’t ask her about her backstory. It would be rather awkward.

■Everything else■

• Dialgue colour: db5143
• Though she has no memories, she is not completely helpless. She still has ample knowledge and proficiency in various common skills such as cooking, household chores and first aid. The area of her mind retaining this kind of knowledge is untouched it seems.
• Though she is unable to remember specific food preferences. She seems to have no trouble eating and enjoying any kind of food.
• She love blue, maybe because that’s the first colour she saw?
• She won’t admit it, but she actually thinks monokuma is incredibly adorable-looking… even if he’s a mean despair-bear.

Danganronpa Roleplay (Interest Check)

@Typhon your character is on the first post, so I imagine so :)

Danganronpa Roleplay (Interest Check)

I'll be reserving the shsl ????

Danganronpa Roleplay (Interest Check)

I'm interested. I don't have a specific talent in mind yet. But I'll be brainstorming. Is that alright?

Danganronpa: Tower of Carnage (Finished!)

Though Cyrus had expected some disagreement on the matter, he hadn’t expected a full-blown discussion like this. He was happy there were some people as passionate as him on this topic. Last time hadn’t brought this kind of issue. They didn’t make a fuss about the ‘potential loss’ of the Alexandria group. Perhaps it was because they now had a better idea what they were up against? He had just expected a small group of willing volunteers, and the rest to hang back and do nothing. Well, there was nothing to it but convincing this should be done, right? It just happened to be that these kinds of issues were where Cyrus’s talent came into play.

When Cyrus approached the counter, it appeared his opponent was going to be Bliss. Caora was still burying his face in her side, trying to drown out the sound of everyone debating.

“Hello Cyrus.” Bliss was quiet, at least compared to the people debating all around them. “I'm glad you didn't get angry with Jezebel again. I know it's hard.” She placed her wrists on the counter. “I still want to go to the zen garden with you some time.”

“Hello Bliss Cyrus responded politely. ”Perhaps we can go together after this issue is resolved. That’d be nice.”

”As for Jezebel, I do not see the problem. This is a voluntary call-to-arms.” Cyrus tried to make this clear once more. ”I do not hold it against anyone who refuses, and won’t tolerate anyone doing so.” He tried to stay eloquent despite the tension the situation brought. He found it slightly more difficult than usual, it had been long ago he had felt so emotionally involved in a topic of discussion. It reminded Cyrus of the old days, days he had no time to reminisce about right now.”However, I am going to give this a shot, regardless of our numbers.”

Bliss shook her head. “It's not about who wants to go or numbers. Everyone carries someone on their shoulders, even if they don't know it.” Bliss folded her hands over her chest. “Caora is so alone right now. I'd love to help, but if something happened to me, what would Caora do? Seeing Mary's determination every day gives me hope. But if she were to pass away...” Bliss sighed. “And without Mondatta, you're the only leader we have left. How will we be able to function if all of our leaders are gone?”

Cyrus was somewhat surprised by Bliss’s resistance to the situation, but he could see her point. No, this was definitely not the easy situation he was sometimes making it out to be. It wasn’t simply a choice of going or staying, as much as he wanted it to be. ”It’s not that I don’t see where you’re coming from. But I can’t leave Krista to die.” He shook his head. ”What about the people who get their hope from Krista? Or Aleecia, if we are forced to take that route? There are people that depend on her in one way or another as well. It is ignoring this situation that would bring despair to all of us.” Cyrus lowered his head. ”And I sure as hell cannot call myself a leader if I don’t act now.”

“I want to save Krista to. I do but...” Her teeth where chattering. “Are you sure she's going to die? I'm not worthy to judge the value of a human life. I don't think anyone is, but it seems like...” Bliss stopped herself. “Do you rely on Krista, Cyrus?”

Cyrus thought about it for a second, the value of one life. “Indeed, that's not something you can just determine in my opinion.” But it was the second part where things got personal. “I draw strength from multiple people here, emotional strength. I don't really think anyone would believe me if I said otherwise.” He started. “Krista has helped me a great deal as well, yes. But so have you, I can assure you.” He paused for a second, then slowly shook his head. “Please do not think of my motives more personal than they are. I think Krista is a great person, but I'd do this for anyone in this situation.”

“I find it hard to believe you don't feel a little close to her. You were the only person she chose to share this with. But I guess it's possible she just sees you as the leader like everyone else.” Bliss dug her fingers into the countertop. “But even so, you need to consider her emotional well being too. We want to free her, it wouldn't be incorrect to say we'll be risking our lives or even dying for her, but is that something she would want?” Bliss looked away from Cyrus. “Being the one who survives is never easy. Krista was used by Lucas, used by Erin, and now she's being used by Nariko. All killers, all who used her for their own gain. By attempting a rescue, we're giving them exactly what they want.” She looked up at Cyrus, here eyes were visibly wet. “Do you really think we'll be better off if we do this?”

”I consider her a friend, that’s what I said.” Cyrus said calmly. He firmly shook his head at Bliss’s counterargument. ”Lucas and Erin both only used her to get out. They failed. They want nothing anymore. And I do not see why we should take them into consideration either.” He answered bluntly. ”They intended to kill her, and all of us, by attempting to escape. To them, she was a pawn, not a person. This is exactly the opposite. In fact, how different would we be from them if we didn’t try? We’d be abandoning her. If she had any trust in us, we’d be straight up betraying it. ” He looked Bliss square in the eyes. ”Of course, if you doubt she wants to be rescued. The door can’t be opened, but it was ajar when I left it. Unless Nariko closed it entirely, it’s possible to try asking her yourself.”

He then touched on a different point. ”Regardless, yes, we are putting our lives at risk. We will have to develop a plan of sorts, to reduce risk to a minimum. Alexandria was defeated in combat without us suffering casualties, so it is possible. However, we will have to be smart about it. ”

“Hold on, you're moving too fast.” Bliss folded her arms. “I wasn't saying to consider the opinions of the previous two blackened. I consider Davis and everyone he controls a killer to. I think he wants us to try and save Krista.” The nanny sighed. “I'm not really expecting to change your mind. I suppose I was hoping I'd feel a little more sure of this after talking to you. But I guess all we can do is hope things turn out okay.”

Cyrus sighed. “Of course he wants us to. Or at least he isn't against it. But I disagree with the notion we shouldn't do it just because of Davis as well. We don't know his motives, but I don't think it's simply to kill us. There are better ways.” He shook his head. “ultimately, there's only one best outcome. And I'll do my damnedest to achieve it. You have my word,Bliss”

Danganronpa: Tower of Carnage (Finished!)

Noel had made herself comfortable against the wall of the room. With that, she was rather far away from Cyrus. The reporter visibly smirked at the call to arms. She wasn’t happy that this was happening, of course she wasn’t. However, part of her simply needed to be exciting about this story. An epic quest to save the damsel, another tale for the great reporter to tell the audience. However, this reporter was not an onlooker. Nay, this reporter would jump into the fray.

”You can count on me!”

The reporter looked around the room. Though there were some arguments to be settled, mainly caused by Davis and Jezebel, there was a buzz of positively in the room. She appreciated how actively people were discussing how to approach the issue. The story would definitely feature Aleecia, the brave maiden so willing to throw herself at the evil robot. What else was she but the great embodiment of inspiration in such a dark hour?

---

Cyrus was frankly overwhelmed with the amount of support. He wasn’t sure why, but he thought this would devolve into chaos. Of course, there were a few voices unwilling, but he expected that much. But there was, of course, one person that needed to be addressed above all others. Cyrus turned to Aleecia. He appreciated her willingness and bravery, but he could not agree with her. No, not that easily.

”You are welcome to try and talk to her, but I will not give you up as well.” He replied. Disagreeing with Thomas in the same breath and aligning himself with the cop. But Cyrus had his own thoughts to add to it. ”However, if you were to go. It’d mean nobody would die, thus we’d have additional chances to try and break both of you out. As such, I definitely would like to keep the option open. But only to buy time. I’m not going to abandon either you or Krista. Thank you, Aleecia.” His voice was steadfast, his expression determined. His brain was already trying to develop strategies, but they’d likely need more information. And there was only one that could provide it.

And speak of the (quite literal) devil, there was the monochrome bear. But of course, the other devil had to rear his ugly head as well. Cyrus reeled in his mind seeing Davis. There was some truth to his words, but they weren’t the complete truth. Something that would probably be in his best interest to point out, once the trickster was done with him.

”As well and good as sharing all our secrets sounds. There is an innate risk in that as well. I do not think I have to remind anyone that Mondatta’s death was the result of Krista telling us she had the handbook that could use the phone.” He shook his head. ”I am not trying to say that Krista was right or wrong. But do know: Revelation and secrecy both hold equal risks. Don’t dismiss transparency as the single good option. With how much shit that girl has been through after getting in here, I’m frankly surprised she told anyone at all.” He shook his head.

He then turned to specifically Jezebel. ”I believe I made myself clear. I was requesting cooperation. Nobody here is in the position to order anyone to risk their lives. Not me, not you, not anyone.” His expression then shifted to something slightly more scornful. It wasn’t a face of rage, but of contempt. ”That said, we are discussing a serious life-or-death situation. If you need to so badly, I am more than willing to talk about this grudge of yours after this is settled. I am sorry, but I simply cannot muster the energy to care for it right now.” It might’ve been blunt, but Cyrus, despite his title, wasn’t in a political mood right now.

Finally Cyrus addressed Monokuma. ”Your help would be most welcome.” He said, his tone relieved. ”I think first and foremost, you have the information we can use regarding the carnage chassis and other… obstacles. Besides that, I’d like to know what else you have to offer.” He said honestly. Cyrus wasn’t above accepting the help of his captor if it meant saving a life. ”However, I am not promising the destruction of Nariko. Our only objective here is rescuing Krista. Should we defeat Nariko and thus reap benefits, that’d be simply extra in my eyes.” He found this important to add, just to get everybody’s priorities in line.

Danganronpa: Tower of Carnage (Finished!)

Cyrus rushed from the post to the dining hall. For the moment he had forgotten anything else to direct himself on this one singular issue. It was as if the rest of the killing game had just faded away. All the other matters, all the other issues, all the people squabbling about non-issues. All of that was gone right now. They didn’t matter, of course they didn’t. Right now he was dealing with a true life or death situation. He had to save someone. What other thing could be as important?

A loud bang sounded through the dining hall as Cyrus swung the door open without restraint. He was out of breath from the running, but his eyes were still filled with fury. It wasn’t the type of anger Cyrus had shown in the trials of carnage. It was different. This was the determined intensity of someone with a goddamn job to do. The same kind of ferocity, just without the irate madness.
He took a deep breath and regained his posture. He looked around the room, counting heads. It seemed most people had showed up. The rest was either late or decided to willfully ignore his outcry. Simply useless. But whatever, he had no time to waste thinking about the worthless rabble. The ones that arrived here were the ones he could count on right now.

”Thank you all for coming.” He said, as he moved himself from the door to the middle of the room. He didn’t worry himself with the usual fancy speeches or pretty words, he just decided to cut straight to the point. ”As I told you all in the announcement. We have an emergency. Krista has been captured and detained by Nariko in the morgue.” No doubt this would stir up the room. The hows, the why’s. Cyrus didn’t answer anyone specifically, not yet. He had an announcement to finish. With one hand motion he tried to silence the room, and continued speaking. ”Nariko demands we hand over Aleecia during the next night of carnage, and lock her up with them both forever. The alternative is, when we don’t deliver Aleecia to her… that she will kill Krista and herself.”

”I have called you all here to request cooperation. Any type of help is welcome. Whether you simply contribute ideas or will provide manpower for whatever we undertake.” He looked around the room, his expression determined. His voice still filled with an intense fire. ”I hope I speak for many of you when I say I am sick and tired of the suffering and death.” He paused. ”That is why I am going to try and save her, since we have the opportunity.”

”Who is joining me?”

Danganronpa: Tower of Carnage (Finished!)

Krista had been glad to see Zach accept her offer to do a duet, the violinist’s mind spinning from the pieces they could perform together. As a musician, Krista had always appreciated playing with other people. She had always believed that playing together with somebody was so much better than performing solo. Plus: had anyone even heard a kazoo and a violin together before? How interesting!

Finally crossing the threshold into the music plaza, Krista began looking for the instrument eagerly.

Cyrus left the dining hall soon thereafter. He was in two minds right now. On one hand he had enjoyed a nice breakfast, on the other he had to suffer through Bliss’s lecture. The worst thing about it was that he had agreed with her. The politician’s mood was noticeably miffed. He sighed. Where was he to go now? The politician honestly wasn’t sure. He was off his game. He needed distraction. Something else. Something to take his mind off things other than just try to relax and sulking.

As he entered the hallway, the corner of his eye caught the music plaza, and the infinites that had found themselves a nice spot. But that reminded him, wasn’t there something they hadn’t done yet? Something they had left unchecked? Maybe it was time to change that now. Why not? It wasn’t like Cyrus wanted to do anything else. He just had to convince the right person to join him. With some feigned enthusiasm, he approached the music plaza and tapped the infinite violinist on the shoulder. ”Hey, got some time?”

No luck… Maybe they were in the other corner? “If I were kazoo, where would I like to be kept…?” The violinist murmured to herself, thinking aloud. She swung on her heels to face the person tapping her shoulder, giving a bright smile to Cyrus as she realised who it was. “Oh! Good morning! I’ll always have time for friends! What’ do you need?” She chirped.

”In a good mood, I see.” Cyrus smiled back at Krista, her joy was somewhat infectious. Perhaps that was just what he needed. For a moment, he thought he should just let the topic rest. That bringing this up wasn’t going to do things much good. However, Cyrus said it anyway. ”I was thinking we haven’t checked out the morgue yet.” He said, keeping his voice down so Zach wouldn’t be able to overhear. He knew that Krista didn’t really want it known. ”Perhaps we ought to, now? There could still be something useful in there.” He had his doubts still on what a morgue could offer. But if a crematorium could be turned into a forge, maybe there was hope.

Krista’s smile widened at the returned smile from the politician. It was always such a good feeling to make a friend smile. Her smile almost faltered at the mention of the morgue, her responsibilities catching up the the blonde like a freight train hitting her at full speed. She looked between the politician and archer carefully, keeping an eye on Zach so he would not know about the handbook. Maybe the kazoo can wait a little longer…
The violinist nodded reluctantly, before flashing Cyrus another smile. She turned to fully face Zach next. “I’ll be Bach soon! I just remembered I have an errand to run!” With a quick, vague explanation, Krista ushered Cyrus out so they could be on their not so merry way to the morgue.

The morgue was not very far away, but the two infinites took their time treading down towards the narrow dead-end corridor. At the end of the hall was the door to Nariko's room, and it looked just as depressed as the robot herself. The fluorescent lights closest to the door flickered on and off, and there seemed to be some water damage to the walls the further in they went. The white paint was peeling, and where the walls had entirely failed, one could see a concrete barrier behind them. The door to the morgue was very wide and was as tall as the wall itself. The door showed signs of excessive use but was quite durable in construction. Among all that was worn and ruined was a key card reader in perfect condition. It was positioned directly over a puddle. This appeared to be the only way to gain access to the morgue.

A shiver ran down Cyrus’s spine as they approached. Something about that room didn’t feel right. Then again, it was supposed to be a room with dead bodies. He wondered if Nariko was in there right now. Why would she be? Why would Nariko be in her room for anything besides ‘sleep’? Cyrus also had to note the decay of this place; it was definitely not how the real Axis mundi looked. Either this place had fallen into disrepair during their short sleep, or this was a recreation that had actually looked very realistic until now. ”Are you sure you want to go in there?” Cyrus asked Krista curiously. Honestly, he wouldn’t blame her if she decided to run off instead.

Krista shook her head, rubbing her elbows uncomfortably as she stared at the doorway. Finally, the blonde shook her head. “I’m… scared we’ll see the bodies of our friends…” She laughed uncomfortably. Was that really something she had to worry about at a time like this? “I- I mean, I’ll still go in b-but…” There was a reason why Krista put off checking out the morgue for so long. She swallowed before giving Cyrus a look. “Are you fine with this? I don’t want to be of any treble by keeping you here if you’d prefer to go elsewhere.” She gave the politician the opportunity to leave.

Cyrus rose a brow. ”I believe I was the one asking you to accompany me. Why would I back out now?” He reminded her. But he agreed. ”I’d rather not see our dead friends, if we can at all help it. But I feel we are obliged to check the place anyway.” He sighed, gracing her with a similar opportunity. ”Are you really sure? You could just stay outside. I’ll check. I mean, what’s the worst that could happen?”

“The worst? Dead bodies could rise up from the dead… or… worse. We see nobody inside!” Krista pressed her fingers against her cheeks before finally letting out a sigh. There was no point scaring herself like this too much. Cyrus was here. Everything was going to be okay. “Alright, let me just...” She used the handbook to open the door, closing her eyes tightly to avoid looking inside as the door opened.

After the handbook was used, the door started to creep open. It groaned like an old giant waking up in the morning. For every second they waited, the door opened another inch. It was difficult to see inside. The difference in temperature and humidity caused the morgue to belch out white mist. But when it cleared, Nariko was standing in the doorway, surprising the two infinites with her presence.

“K-Krista?” The robot was shaking. “Why are you trying to enter without me? Did I do something wrong?” She looked down at the floor. “Is it because I went to see Aleecia? I'm sorry.”

Nariko’s voice echoing down the hall almost made the trembling violinist scream. Were they really not allowed to check out the room without Nariko? “N-no! It’s not that! You did nothing wrong!” Krista opened her eyes to look at Nariko, looking panicked as if she’d been caught doing something wrong. “I- I just thought I could see if there’s anything in here before you’d ask for your handbook back to give to Aleecia! I’m sorry if we did something wrong!”

Cyrus was just as surprised as Krista to see Nariko here, but he managed to somewhat keep his cool. “It’s not polite to spook people like that, Nariko!” The politician called out on a berating tone. He leered at the robot. He had honestly hoped they could’ve snuck in there without her, but that seemed out of the question now. Of all the sisters, Nariko really made his skin crawl the most. “Anyhow, can we go in?”

Nariko became increasingly flustered with Cyrus scolding her. “I-It wasn't intentional!” Nariko was on the verge of tears. “What must I do to right these wrongs?” She sniffled. “I-I can make it up to you Krista. But only you.” She looked at Cyrus. “You have to stay out here. I'm sorry.” She closed her eyes with a click. “B-but maybe Willow can keep you company? She wanted to talk to you and-”

“The queen is here!” Willow's voice called out from the end of the corridor. Her horse galloped towards Cyrus, but slowed as she approached. “We have much to discuss, Cyrus.” She looked at the scepter he gave her. “All about my exploits, and yours.”

Between Nariko and Willow, Krista was not sure whether she felt entirely comfortable going into the morgue without Cyrus’s support. But Krista was sure that Nariko would not let Cyrus in, even if Krista asked so she turned to Cyrus. “Thank you for joining me this far at least, I’ll try my hardest not to miss anything!” She gave Cyrus a quick close-eyed smile before turning to face Nariko, giving her a smaller smile and gesturing towards the morgue. She couldn’t pass up the opportunity to help her fellow infinites by turning down this offer. What if there was an escape route inside? “Let’s go in!”

Cyrus really didn’t want to see Willow here. In addition, Nariko’s behaviour only fed his suspicions. Something fishy was going on in that morgue. What were they trying to do? Were they going to supply Krista with another of those inane motives? “Are you sure?“ Cyrus asked the violinist. However, the girl seemed to have made up her mind. Honestly, the carnage sisters were probably not going to let him in either way. “Fine, but I’m staying right here, in case you need me.”

“Thank you, I really appreciate it…!” Cyrus received another closed eye smile, this time much more genuine. She sighed with relief as she waited for Nariko to give her permission inside.

Inside the morgue, Nariko accepted Krista by taking her by the hand. The robot's hand was cold but warmed quickly in her palm. “T-thank you. I really don't deserve your trust. After trying to cure you, running over to see Aleecia.” She sighed. “A-anyway, I gave you my handbook because I had something here for you, and only you.” The robot walked across the floor. The room was fairly unremarkable. The walls were covered in filing cabinet like doors, and there was a table in the centre of the room for autopsies. Other than the low temperature, there wasn't anything else that could really be seen. “Here.” She grabbed one of the filing cabinets like draws and pulled it open. There was a blanket thrown over something. It wasn't a body, the blanket was laying over something a lot thinner than that. “G-go on, take a look.”

Krista shakily held onto Nariko’s hand tightly as the robot guided the violinist towards the object inside the drawer. The lack of bodies in the morgue helped soothe her nerves ever so slightly, but it was not over yet. “What is this?” She let go of Nariko’s hand to pull up the blanket. Part of her was worried that it was the note she had left with Aleecia in hopes to get help from the outside, but the shape of the object within looked too different...

“Aren't you just adorable Cyrus! The vagrant king concerned about his subjects! Marvelous!” Willow placed her cannon and scepter in her lap so that she could lean on them with both elbows. “But pray tell, did you like my gift? I don't think my father will soon forgive my brash behavior.”

Cyrus was visibly annoyed by the robot, but he indulged her nonetheless. “Such is the way of a leader. Not to mention, I was curious.” He then looked at the robot visibly unsure as she uttered her next statement. “Gift? I have received no gift.” No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t remember receiving anything from Willow.

“You most certainly did!” Willow said with her ever smug expression. Not that she had much of a choice what her face did. “I created those motive notes with the help of my sisters. Without them, an entirely different set of people would have died. Aren't you happy that you got to execute Erin Steele? With my father's original plan, you might have even been the one to die.” She giggled. “This was a VERY good gift.”

When the blanket fell to the floor, Krista was able to see what was lying out inside the drawer. As she had hoped, it was not a body. It was an outfit. A black blouse with short sleeves, a red plaid skirt, knee-high laced boots complete with a tie; all of these items looked familiar. She remembered seeing them recently. But Krista wasn't able to recall exactly where she saw these items, not right away. But what Krista hadn't noticed was that Nariko had dropped onto her hands and knees. Behind the table out of sight was a shackle and chain, which Nariko now had in her hand. The blanket hadn't even come to rest before the carnage sister latched the shackle around Krista's ankle, causing it to lock into place. Unlike the exterior of the morgue, the shackle and chain were in like new condition. Because the other end of the chain was anchored into the floor very securely, Krista wouldn't be leaving the morgue without a key or a hacksaw. Nariko remained on the ground, not looking at anything.

Willow's eyes shot up into the air. “Oh, I guess she did it.” The door to the morgue was closing. With less than four inches of clearance, it would be impossible for a human to fit inside the small opening.

The shackle locked around Krista’s ankle, alerting the violinist of Nariko’s action. She had been so distracted by trying to identify the outfit that she had no time to notice or react to the carnage sister locking her in place. She tried kicking her foot out of the shackle before crouching so she could tug the end of the chain out with a panicked look on her face. “Nariko! What are you doing?! Let me go!” Krista cried out, demanding Nariko desperately whilst tugging on the chain. “Cyrus! HELP!” She screamed as the door to the morgue was closing, her chance to escape disappearing every second.

Cyrus didn’t even get the time to respond to Willow. The woman’s shriek for help spurred the politician into action. As he looked around, he saw the door was almost closed. Without hesitation, he rushed to the morgue. With force, he tried to yank the door open. However, the door wouldn’t budge an inch. Without the notebook, it was hopeless. Cyrus then looked through the small opening to see Krista in chains, with the carnage sister looming over her possessively. “What the hell is going on?” Cyrus screamed angrily. “Let her go, you goddamn pathetic piece of rust!”

Nariko slowly tipped her head back. “When Aleecia left this killing game, I was distraught. I considered permanently destroying myself. Withdrawing from this forsaken place once and for all. ” She cupped her hands around Krista's leg. “Aleece was my pillar in this place. She was so broken, just like me. But that was when I started to notice you.” The robot released Krista's leg before rising to her feet. “Everything you do brings you misery. Everyone you befriend, every plan you hatch, everything you do brings you despair.” Nariko cupped her hands on either side of Krista's face. “And you look just like her. Well, close anyway. You're both blonde, but you're a bit too short. But I can see the absence of hope in your eyes. I could make you... Just like her.” Nariko giggled. It sounded nervous. The sorrowful carnage sister turned around and walked towards the opening in the door. Her glass eyes locked with Cyrus. “Krista and Aleecia, I want them both. You will deliver Aleecia to me before carnage night ends, or I'll make sure Krista and I die together.”

It didn't suffice to say that Cyrus was astonished, he shook visibly with anger. “What the- No way this can be possible.” Cyrus thought for a bit. And he hoped he had a way out. “Monokuma! Come here! Your daughter is harming a patient!” he shouted, hoping to summon the good doctor and get this over with. There was no way he'd let Krista in the hands of that monster.

“What's this?” Monokuma came flying out of the ground. “Is someone breaking the rules?” The bear growled.

“F-father!” Willow's eyes darted all over. “Of course not! These vagrants are perfectly capable of inflicting harm on each other! Why would we even need to help them?”

“Girls...” Monokuma extended his claws. “Explain the situation in as few words as possible. I'm not exactly happy about having my motive hijacked.”

Willow pointed inside the Morgue. “We have not inflicted any harm on the patient! Nariko simply closed a clamp around her leg when she entered her room.”

“Hmmm.” Monokuma turned to face Cyrus.“It ticks me off, but it's not a rule violation, is it?”

Cyrus growled audibly. “I don't know, that clamp looks painfully tight!” Cyrus tried. “And your rule does not discriminate physical and mental harm. Think of the trauma this has inflicted on Krista! This is very clearly a rule violation!” Perhaps he was grasping for straws here, but he had to try!

Willow laughed. “Nice try Cyrus, but our handbooks state that we will not intentionally harm a patient. Nariko's intent here was clearly not to harm. And any so-called “mental harm” can be seen as the nurse's mission to cure you of your hope!” She sat upright and brandished her cannon and sword.

Nariko was shaking. “I don't want to hurt Krista. And if you deliver Aleecia to me like I ask, I will keep them safe. I may not deserve the opportunity to be with them, but you lot have proven time and time again... that you are the real monsters.”

“This takes the honey out of the honeysuckles.” Monokuma groaned and started to walk away. ”Alright girls, you win this one.” He gestured for Cyrus to follow him.

“But Nariko!” Krista cried out, her hand tightly wrapped around the chain. Her hands were tired and beginning to ache from the strain she was putting on them. “I- I still have hope in others! It hurts every time my trust backfires but… I know that not everybody can be bad!” It was a desperate attempt to talk some sense into the despairing carnage sister. “Look at Cyrus! He wanted to help me! Doesn’t that mean he’s good too? He wants to keep us safe, just like you want to keep me and Aleecia safe!”

“I may be undeserving of your trust, but I know you can’t trust him. Look at how angry he gets over the stupidest things!” Nariko was practically whimpering. “There isn't a single person here who wouldn't kill for something. How many times are you going to place your trust with people who don't deserve it?” Her eyes closed with a click. “And don’t think I’m oblivious to the irony. You trusted me too, so I must be just as bad as everyone else.”

Monokuma had already left the small corridor and was now at the mouth of it leaning in. “Yoo-hoo, loverboy, I'm waiiiitiiiiing!”

“God damnit.” Cyrus exclaimed before furiously stomping into the direction of Monokuma. “This isn’t over! I’m coming back for you, Krista!” He shouted before making his way to the stairs towards the first floor.

Killgood wasn’t too happy that Cyrus had chosen to just walk past him. “Hey! You drag me out here, and then leave when ‘I’ want to talk to you?!”

He kicked open the door to the post for no reason but to vent his anger, then turned on the intercom to make an announcement.

“Everyone, this is Cyrus. I want to meet everyone in the dining hall within fifteen minutes. This is an emergency. I repeat: This is an emergency, meet in the dining hall.” He hoped that message was clear enough to penetrate everybody’s thick skull, then headed off towards his destination.

Danganronpa: Tower of Carnage (Finished!)

Cyrus opened the door to the study. It looked empty, but he knew better. He grabbed a chair from one of the study's desks and slid it over to the ajar vault, right in front of the narrow opening.Cyrus seated himself comfortably next to the vault. He knocked on the vault door twice, and it didn't take long to get a response. His knocks were echoed by a metalic hand. Cyrus peered through the small opening, straight at the sister of carnage. "Well, Hello there, you must be Alice Parker, correct? I'm Cyrus Brandon, the infinite politician." Cyrus put up a façade of politeness, but he was less than amused to see another one of these things in the game. And to make things worse, this one just had to be a little weirder than the rest. Alice Parker, one hell of an enigma. Cyrus couldn't fathom why this thing existed, but he was going to find out one way or another.

”Hello Cyrus.” The single red eye of the carnage sister seemed to blink into existence, or at least opened up. There was enough light coming through that the politician could make out some of the robot's head. Her construction looked a lot more rugged than the other carnage sisters. Also, because Cyrus was a bit more knowledgeable about the tragedy, he could tell she wasn't modeled after Junko. Her curtained black hair was more like Junko's sister Mukuro. ”You survived the trial, I'm happy.” She placed a hand on the edge of the door. ”Who was the blackened, if I may ask?”

The blackened?" Cyrus repeated. "The blackened was Erin Steele... you knew him as Shaun Ellen." Cyrus explained. "The wallet you found was also his. It was... very incriminating. I guess we, as a group, do owe you thanks for giving it to us."

”Ohhhhh” The eye looked at the floor. ”That is a shame. I had wanted to talk to him more. But I suppose it can't be helped, he died for a good cause.”

He observed the new carnage sister, and was intrigued by the observation that she seemed to be modeled after Junko's twin sister. He could only wonder why. However, he wasn't here to ponder that right now. Instead, he didn't hesitate to go immediatetely to questioning. "So, Miss Parker. If I am not mistaken. I was told that this vault opens more every time a blackened is executed? That's... a very odd condition for release. Why did Davis lock you up like that?" Before Parker got a chance to answer, he added something to his question. "And, well, what do you intend to do if you actually get out?

”I do not know why the door functions like that, only that it does.” she laughed like a wraith. ”As for what I'm going to do once the door opens, do you even have to ask? I'm going to end the infinite killing game.”

Cyrus wanted to respond to that. How? Why? But before he could do any of that, he was distracted by the sound of the study's door suddenly opening behind him.

There was a groan coming from the doorway. “Ewww, this place is so creepy. Totally something you’d like, bestie~” The ventriloquist peered from the doorway of the library and towards the politician. “Hnnnnng, the hottie is here too~ My day just got infinitely better~” Elias giggled without a care in the world while Braden approached the vault, somewhat hesitantly.

Next to Braden, an audible facepalm can be heard from Alice, as she turned to Elias with her usual unamused look. "Ya think?" The recon sarcastically asked the puppet, before turning to Cyrus. "Suprised to see you here, Mr. Brandon. Curiosity got the best of you?"

"Caution." Cyrus responded. "Unlike some fools, who just accept the existence of every aberration and move on with their business. I'd actually like to know what we're dealing with." His response was fierce, but he had little regard for how the infinite recon had handled Alice Parker's existence. How could someone with her credentials forego a proper threat assessment? This he would never understand. Perhaps someone in the infinity initiative had been sleeping when they scouted her. He greeted the ventriloquist with a silent gesture, not entirely sure how to respond to him and his puppets. At the very least he was putting up a good performance."So, you were saying..." He turned back to the carnage sister. "When this door opens, how exactly will you end this killing game?"

”I'm actually not sure.” The robot seemed to stand up. It's single glowing eye was high above everyone's head. ”I suppose I'm going to destroy everything. That might mean killing every patient, it might mean destroying all my sisters...”The robot pressed it's head against the opening. ”But once I step outside this vault, everything will end. The infinite killing game will start to end.”

Letting Elias gawk at the politician with heart eyes, Braden used Erica to question the newest carnage sister. “Wait, you gonna kill us as well? So we either die to another patient, or by a tin can? God this game is stupid, and whoever created you is stupid too!” The puppet harrumphed, her arms crossing against her chest before falling limp once more.

“Why can’t you just rip open this door anyway? Don’t you useless scraps of metal have that super strength bullshit to rip open the door?” Erica later asked.

"Too heavy perhaps, but that's not important." Alice answered, walking closer to the vault. "I'm giving you a chance, even if Cyrus thinks I shouldn't. So if you end up trying to kill the other patients here, so help me, I'll send you to the hell the lady you were named after went to." The recon explained to Parker, gritting her teeth.

The robot tipped it's head. ”There seems to be a misunderstanding.” Parker whispered before looking at Masson. ”I'm simply stating that I will do everything in my power to shut down what's going on here. I would kill Davis himself if that is what is required. All I know is that the game is over once I am free. That is my role to play.” The robot laughed again. ”But I'm glad you want to survive. Unfortunately I can't feel fear, nor do I feel you are a particularly large threat.” Parker's eye moved onto Braden. ”I'm not sure why you're pretending to be that tiny doll, but I have my own set of rules that prevent me from breaking out of here. Five inches isn't what I need to fit through the door, it's what I need before I am allowed to destroy it. Robots are slaves to the rules, Humans are merely compelled to obey them.” She retreated back into the darkness for a few seconds and then reemerged. The robot pushed a narrow box through the opening, just a little narrower than the two inches provided. ”Thank you for visiting me. This box contains some beta tapes. I saved it for Shaun because he seemed interested in the history of this place. But since he's gone, you can have it.” Parker pulled herself away from the crack and disappeared into the darkness.

Alice sighed as she took the box from Parker and turned to the other two. "I want to trust her, but I also want to keep my word of watching out for others..." The recon then laughed sadly. "Why do I make promises I can't keep? I'm such an idiot."

Erica harumphed again. "There is NO way I'm trusting THAT thing. Carnage sisters are fake, you should never trust fakes."

Cyrus shook his head. His expression less than amused. "I see absolutely no imperative to trust her. As she said, she has no clue how she is going to 'end' this killing game. She is driven by directives unknown to her. You're not trusting her, you're trusting whatever malicious person created her." Cyrus was happy at least Braden - or his puppet - seemed to agree with him. That said, Cyrus couldn't help but stick up his nose at Masson's last statement. "Spoken like my colleagues." He said. "And the reason none of them have my title." He then turned his gaze to the box. "So what are we doing with those? We have no player for them."

"Honestly, I don't know. Maybe we could save these for later?"

Whether or not the recon noticed, Elias seemed to pick up some animosity coming from the politician. It was still hot, but definitely not preferable in this scenario. Were they really trying to show the carnage sister weakness when they were supposed to prove that there was nothing wrong? Braden looked towards the vault with distrust. No matter what Alice said, there was nothing inside him telling him to believe the carnage sister. As far as he was aware: her creator was the reason he was stuck in this place to begin with, and he was not interested in giving his trust away as easily as the violinist liked to.

"I just wanted to tell you about the breakfast down in the dining hall." It was Ellie's call for breakfast that seemed to break the tension. Elias giggled nervously before his head turned between Cyrus and Alice.

"Alright~ Time to feed my wifey~!" The puppet finally turned to Cyrus before beckoning him over towards the door, silently asking for the politician to follow after him before disappearing through the doors.