[Day 308-309, closed and open] They say ignorance is bliss.

[scary_music]

Who: Ibuki Mioda, Ippo, Colin, and others???
Open: Open and closed like a door that has no idea if it's a jar or not.
When: The night of day 308, and day 309
Where: Everywhere
What: Ibuki remembers things
Format: Action but ok with changing
Warnings: Dangan Ronpa spoilers, bad feels and probably lots of mood whiplash because Ibuki. Also, ice cream cake.

[Locked to Ippo, night of 308]
[At their house, Ibuki can be found sitting on the couch and clutching a pillow to herself; clad in her pajamas. Her piercings were already taken out for the day, though she hadn't let her hair down just yet.]

[She felt sick after everything she remembered... and she was worried. It'd be well within Ippo's right to turn his back on her if she told him. But ... still, he had to know, right? It wasn't right to keep that from him. She took in a shuddering breath, waiting for her boyfriend to return.]

[Open to all, day 309]
[The next day, Ibuki can be found doing her usual duties around the bastion. Cooking, taking care of the cows, and ... napping?]

[She took naps now and then, sure, but usually never where people can generally stumble across her. For that matter, her naps don't seem to last long as she suddenly awakes with a jerk and a miserable expression.]

[Also notable is the fact that she hasn't bothered to do up her hair or put in her piercings...]

[At some point during the day, she can be found going to the smithy to hand back the revolver she'd gotten there some time ago. Maya was long gone... and then Raile disappeared recently, too. And besides that, she wasn't sure she could trust herself with a weapon anymore... not with those memories floating around in her mind.]

[Locked to Colin, day 309]
[Eventually, she'll be wandering into Colin's workshop...]

[Ibuki's not looking any better than earlier that day]

Comments

[scary_music]

Oh, oh man, um... this might ... take awhile! Well, um... like, the big thing about my world is this place called Hope's Peak Academy. It's supposed to be this really cool and super exclusive school that only invites really talented people. Ibuki was invited because she's the Super High School Level Light Music Club Member. That was... pretty close to when I moved on to metal and left my old band.

... um, anyway, there was this girl. Junko-chan, she... she and a bunch of other people, they were all students... but things were just really bad for them... like, despairingly bad... so ... they made the whole world feel despair, too.

Makoto-chan and Aoi-chan, them and a bunch of other people were trapped in Hope's Peak Academy, and told to kill somebody and get away with it to be able to escape. If they were figured out during the trial, though, they'd get executed. Junko-chan wanted it broadcasted because students from there, they're like... supposed to represent the future hope of earth or something like that.

... um...

I... I was ... one of the people in Junko-chan's group... and I watched the whole thing.

[freedom_engineer]

[Colin listens to her as she talks, his expression remaining unchanging even as she gets to the darker stuff in there. When she finishes her revelation, he just keeps right on looking at her.]

And how do you feel about all of that?

[scary_music]

I...

[Tears suddenly began to trickle down her cheeks. How did she feel? When she thought about it, she found herself choking for a moment]

I feel terrible... awful, I...

I... I can't believe how... I've... done so many horrible things... not just to Hope's Peak Academy...

[she looks down at her hands, though her vision was blurred by her tears]

I ... I always ... knew I felt some sense of despair, even before I met Junko-chan... but I never thought I'd... end up doing things like that and I...???

... I... don't even deserve to be here... of all the people that could have been saved from the calamity... and it was me... one of the remnants of despair...

[freedom_engineer]

[Colin shakes his head, and he reaches out to Ibuki. He gives her head a gentle pat... then he closes his fist and gives her head a gentle bop. Then, he settles on petting her hair with a strong hand.]

And how old are you, Ibuki?

[scary_music]

Huh...?

[She seems a bit confused at the head bop... and the question, for that matter]

I'm... um, nineteen... though I guess I'm in a sixteen year old body??? Why?

[freedom_engineer]

[Colin has no idea what to do with this information. All of it together has him a little baffled.. that said, he knows what he wants her to understand.]

What you did before wasn't good. You've told me about your life before, what you remembered of it.

I can hardly blame you for despairing. Killing? That isn't a good thing. But it's not the end of the world. And you clearly aren't happy about what you did.

See, here's the thing.. you're young. You make mistakes.

You make mistakes as you get older too, don't tell anyone I told you that.

But when you're young? Everything seems so big, so hard... I'm not about to blame you for falling under someone's sway for that.

[More hair-pets for Ibuki.]

I will, however... bop you on the head again if you say you don't deserve to live.

[scary_music]

[Technically they're living in the end of the world, but Ibuki doesn't comment on that]

Y... yeah, I know... I'm sorry, I just... whenever I think about what I did I... I know I just... need to do the best I can do, now, right? I... I don't ... I really don't want to die...

... Makoto-chan and Aoi-chan, they survived the killing thing with some of the others after Junko-chan died, and they joined this thing called the Future Foundation. They wanted to save the world from despair... but they wanted to kill me and the rest of my friends, too.

But Makoto-chan he... he believed he could save the rest of us from despair. He ... I'd be dead if it wasn't for him...

[freedom_engineer]

[She can, he's got a comeback all set for that one actually...]

I'd make some big speech about death leading to more death leading to more death... but that's a pile of Bulrathi shit, and it's not what you need to hear.

Life is important, and death is an eventuality. Not wanting to die? That's perfectly understandable.

Makoto sounds like a decent fella. Aoi... well, that's between you and her, I'm sure.

Frankly, I don't know what you need to hear right now... So what are you thinking now?

[scary_music]

Um, the thing is I...

... after remembering everything I...

I keep having nightmares. About... about everything I did and I... I can't... really sleep much... so ... I was hoping you'd... be able to help Ibuki with that?

[freedom_engineer]

...

[He gives a quiet chuckle, and he pats her shoulder.]

Well, you do look like something I pulled out of an uncleaned duct. Fortunately, you've come to the right place.

I ever show you my dances, Ibuki?

[scary_music]

Dances? You haven't!

You can dance the nightmares away? Or are you going to replace Ibuki's nightmares with nightmares of Colin-sama-chan poledancing??

[...]

[freedom_engineer]

[Colin grins at her.]

The former. And I'm told I make a better table dancer than pole dancer anyway.

[Sorry Ibuki, he's one of only a handful of men in a largely female engineering crew. He's heard it all.]

But my family's dances are something special. I can definitely dance your nightmares away.

I've done it for a couple of other people already.

[scary_music]

E-eheh...

[Tears were welling up in her eyes again. She'd barely been having those nightmares for a day and she was already feeling worn out by them... if Colin could really take care of them so quickly, then-]

Then... then, please. Take Ibuki's nightmares away...

[freedom_engineer]

Okay. Let's take you where you want to catch some shut-eye.

But first...

[Whoops, didn't think you were getting away without a hug, did you? 'Cause Colin's grabbing you in a big ol' hug.]

I'm glad you're here, Ibuki. You're a pretty kick-ass girl.

[scary_music]

[Ibuki was more than happy to hug Colin back, a few tears trickling out again... but she was smiling again]

I... I'm glad you're here, too... I'm so glad...

...

... can... can I... call you otousama...?

[freedom_engineer]

I told you before, Ibuki. You can call me whatever you like.

[He gives a warm grin.]

I'll be more than happy to wear that title for you.

[scary_music]

Eheh... otousama...

... I've... never had a real dad before...

... I... well, I mean... of course I had a dad but... he... never paid Ibuki any attention... so... so thank you... thank you so much, otousama.

[freedom_engineer]

A somewhat headstrong woman I once knew had a saying, Ibuki.

[Yep, still hugging her.]

"Family is a state of mind, and should never be defiled by genetics."

You find someone who makes a good dad, someone who'll be your dad? You latch right on. There's nothing wrong with that.

[scary_music]

Yeah, yeah, definitely.

...

There's... one other thing I...

... can you... not tell Aoi-chan about any of the stuff? She... doesn't come from when she'd know about any of what Ibuki was involved in.

... I... I'll tell her eventually, though... she deserves to know about it... and Makoto-chan thinks so, too...

... but I'm kind of scared of what she might do when she finds out.

... o... oh and Byakuya-chan, too. He... showed up recently and... he's kind of a jerk. Even more than Rob-chan!

[freedom_engineer]

Like I said, I don't really get on well with Aoi. So... I don't think you need to worry. And frankly, with my rep, I doubt anyone would take me seriously anyway.

[He smiles at her, and he pats her back.]

I'll have to work on teaching you to appreciate the differences in people, even the jerks. ... And how to beat them, when appropriate. In the meantime, where do you want to take a nap?

[scary_music]

A-ahaha... it's hard to appreciate people who don't want anything to do with Ibuki...

[Which she's pretty sure applies to both Byakuya and Rob...]

But um, anyway... probably home would probably be the best idea??

[... no matter where she took her nap, the idea of being given a dance show to lull her to sleep struck her as ridiculous suddenly; and she couldn't help but giggle uncontrollably for a few seconds]

[freedom_engineer]

[Colin draws back slightly from the hug to smile down at her.]

Hard, yes. But sometimes necessary. Half the people here don't want anything to do with me. Doesn't stop me from trying to do my job and knowing that other people have things to do also.

And... you sound exhausted.

[He resumes the hug again.]

Just wondering if you'll be okay at home, or if you want to be around people.

[scary_music]

... I... I think it's better if Ibuki just avoids Rob-chan as much as possible.

... but... yeah, I guess... is it okay if I just... collapse right here...?

[freedom_engineer]

There's some issues there, but we can drop some merculite on that bridge when we come to it.

[Whoops, what's this Ibuki? Colin's suddenly going to scoop you up in his arms.]

I've got a sofa over here you can crash on. Plenty comfortable, too.

[Yep, he's just going to carry her across the workshop to a back wall with a sofa, a nice out of the way place for resting.]

[scary_music]

Kyaaa~

Ibuki's being swept away!

[... well, at least she seems to be cheering up a bit]