ardent | 004. Action for Violet City/Video

004. Action for Violet City/Video

[ACTION]

[Perhaps strangely for the late evening hours on a Sunday, there are lights on in the school in Violet City tonight; Ishimaru usually avoids coming here in the evenings for that reason - surely it would look suspicious if someone were to come by and see that, or notice someone wandering around in there through the windows - but he has been coming by here once classes let out for the day once in a while, and tonight...well. It's been a long week.

It had taken him some time to convince himself that being here was okay (it is public property, as far as he can tell, so he's not in danger of trespassing, and surely it can't be breaking and entering if the door is unlocked); he'd run into a janitor yesterday who didn't seem fazed at his being there, and didn't seem to mind as long as he left things as he found them. It isn't as though he does much here, anyway; he mostly just wanders around, enjoying the feel of the place. Schools have always had very distinct feelings associated with them, as far as he goes; even his time in Hope's Peak hasn't managed to tarnish that.

About the only thing it's effected is the way he makes sure to leave the windows open and unblocked by shades while he's here.

So he's clearly visible to passersby, should there be any this evening, though he's got his back to the outside; he's got chalk in his hand, quickly adorning the chalkboard in front of him with words written briskly in steady, straight lines.

Live with simplicity, fortitude and vigor.

The foundation of hard work is the spirit to succeed.

Sacrifice is freely given, not yours to demand; give freely of yourself when possible.

Do what you can with your life; it's the only one you've been given.

Do not tear down when you can build up; do not destroy when you can create.

Respect all life as though it were your own.

They're simple phrases, really; things to be kept in mind, thoughts that he needs to remind himself from time to time. He thinks for a moment before scrawling one more down, and then he steps back, surveying his work.

We are not dead yet.

It had struck him as horribly morbid, when he'd first heard it; it's still painful, but it brings with it a dark sense of comfort. We are not dead yet.

That one gets underlined.]

[VIDEO]

[Well, judging from the background of the video, Ishimaru hasn't quite left the school building yet -

...all right, he's not even in the process of leaving, as several of those lines are still clearly visible on the board behind him, but still. He'll wipe them before he leaves, definitely.

However, for the time being, he has something of a question; it's been bothering him for quite some time now, actually.]

A lot of people seem to have been brought here during times of stress or conflict in their lives - in fact, almost everyone I've seen has been like that! Is there anyone here from a world that's actually peaceful and in order?

[It hasn't quite hit him that this isn't just something you ask people, good lord.]

Of course, even if things are dark for you now back home, the focus shouldn't be on futility, but rather on hope and possibilities! Even if your world is a dark one and your circumstances are unfortunate, it's still nice to hear about the positive times, so if you have any of those, they can be shared as well, if you like.

I hope that today was good to you, and if not, that tomorrow will be better - anything can be overcome with hard work, inner strength and cooperation!

[...again, it's been a long week, and he tends to solve issues with his own sense of spirit by screaming encouragement at others; it usually works, for the most part.]

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I--

[He breaks off and looks down.]

[When his voice comes out, he isn't shouting anymore.]

I did what I had to.

[Ishimaru's expression tightens at that; something about it isn't settling right with him, though he isn't entirely sure what.

He straightens up after a moment, though. Takes a deep breath. His tone is still blunted when he speaks, but at least the volume has died down some.]

You aren't the only person who's done "what they had to do," you know! But that -

[He cuts himself off; takes another breath, tries to calm himself. It won't do to get worked up now.]

That doesn't mean you aren't still responsible for what you did.

Of course I'm not. People do all the time. It's what keeps the world going.

[As long as it's the right thing, which Blake has unique and staunch opinions on.]

[He falters a little.]

Sure I'm responsible. Never said I didn't do it.

I had good reason, damn it. That's the difference.

Having good reason doesn't make it right!

It does if it means finding this kid. What if she's out there somewhere, scared and alone, huh?

Alice-san doesn't have her.

[Ishimaru tenses again, agitated.]

You know where I came from, Lieutenant Blake - I told you what's happening back in my world! If I thought there was any chance she could have kidnapped anyone, I wouldn't let her get away with it and you know why!

[throws right back at him] How can you be sure?

[Blake's expression tightens too.] I know what you've been through.You wouldn't out up with anything like that going on if you knew about it. But people aren't always what you think, especially the ones you trust. You never know what could be going on right under your nose.

I know that!

[The words are harsh and loud, practically screamed, the mic crackling a bit as he forces them out; once that's out there he flinches back a bit, trying to breathe, to calm himself down, but the tears have started in full force and they don't seem to be stopping anytime soon.]

You probably think that I'm very naive, or very stupid, but I'm not - you've made fun of my optimism before, but you don't...you don't understand why it's necessary that I keep it at all costs because I didn't tell you everything!

The situation we're in - we aren't being killed by the madman holding us hostage! He's...he's making us graduate, he's locked us in the school and you "graduate" by killing another student and not letting anyone else find out what you did! He's calling it a game!!

[He's screaming again. He doesn't seem inclined to stop this time.]

I know what the people I trust might be capable of because three of us are dead and I helped kill one of them - and so I wouldn't be telling you that Alice White didn't do anything, especially involving kidnapping or killing someone, if I thought there was any chance at all that she did!!

[Blake doesn't know what he was expecting, but it wasn't that.]

[a little panicky] Wait, come on, don't cry-

[and then the kid succeeds in shutting him up.]

[The look on his face gets more and more stunned as the picture he had of naive, good-natured, oblivious oddball Ishimaru falls apart.]

Jesus Christ.

[Killers who think and plan, there are a lot more of those in horror movies than in real life. The real ones just shoot somebody because they're mad or, if they're real meticulous, get them to come up to a roof so they can push them off. It's all about opportunity and emotion. A lot of the time they don't even think out how to deal with the body.]

[The kind of twisted fuck with the wherewithal and resources to put together something elaborate...that's rare.]

[But it happens.]

[Blake focuses on getting his name out right.] Ishimaru. Calm down.

I believe you.

[There are several long, uncomfortable moments where he just lets himself cry; he's dropped his gaze and he's pressed his hands hard against his legs where he's sitting as though trying to give the energy coursing through him somewhere to go, and even though he hears Blake he isn't really able to offer much outside of squeezing his eyes shut and nodding, the gesture tight.

But after a while, he calms down; he's still twitching a little and his eyes are still brimming something fierce, but he manages to get a grip on himself, taking a few somewhat angry-looking swipes at his eyes with his sleeve.]

...I don't make it, either.

[His words are surprisingly firm, despite the topic, and his tone is as blunt as it always is; his shoulders rise and fall a bit, somewhere between a sigh and a shrug.]

I don't know when it's going to end, but I'm pretty sure that if I went home now, I'll die within...somewhere between three days and a week. Because one of my friends is going to kill me. And I think I'll have to help to kill two more of them before I die - I'm going to have to...help to kill my brother.

[That heavy, blunt affect isn't going away from his words; it's...strange, how clinical his tone has gotten. For an admittedly alarming moment he can't feel anything; he's aware of where he is and he's still more than capable of seeing and being aware of what's happening around him, but it's like when he received the news the first time, when Naegi told him what happens to Mondo and himself - he just freezes up and he can't feel anything and the realization that it's beginning to scare him is what brings him out of it.

When he looks back up at the device, his expression has shifted again, though this time it's into something decidedly more determined.]

That's...that's why I want to believe there's good in everyone - it would be easy to say that there's no good in the world, if something like that can happen; it would be easy to see bad things everywhere, to assume that everyone might be a bad person. But I've...I've never believed in doing what's easy. The only way to move forward is to persevere; to follow the path of hard work and dedication, to maintain peace and order, and to ensure that justice prevails, even when no one else understands. And you can't do that if you assume everyone is evil.

[He swipes at his eyes again.]

Ah, but we're...we're getting off-track, aren't we? I'm sorry.

[Blake lets his eyes drop away, trying to give the kid some privacy. He's not that good at dealing with crying people, as much as he runs into it in his line of work. Hugs and "there, there"s aren't going to bring anybody they care about back from the dead.]

[When Ishimaru speaks, Blake's eyes snap back to him.] That's bullshit.

Nobody knows the future, and nobody can tell you when you're gonna die. Are you gonna let somebody else tell you what you do?

Hell, there's somebody here who tells me I killed somebody a while, and he's not lying. Thing is, back in the real world the guy's not even dead.

[Hearing what he's been through, that doesn't sound as naive as it might. Usually people who say that stuff there being good in everybody are the ones who've never been hit in the face with all the proof to the contrary.]

[Something in the back of Blake's head, a beaten thing that'd crawled off to solitary confinement a long time ago, whispers something about how if a child locked up in some kind of sicko bloodsport can keep from turning bitter and angry...]

[Blake's voice has an odd sort of surprise.] You're something else, kid, you know that?

Me, I can't even remember when I gave up on that kind of thing.

[Well, he would normally concede that there's a possibility that the person who told him is wrong, at the very least, it was Naegi. It doesn't even occur to Naegi to omit things, and he doesn't see why he would say something quite that traumatizing if it weren't true.

He thinks about all that for a moment, though; he's not sure how to articulate what's going through his head, but at the very least the tears seem to have stopped.]

...I think I can be all right with it, if that happens.

[His expression shifts a little when he says it, as though that hadn't even occurred to himself in so many words until it's already out there, but he keeps pressing on with it anyway.]

After all, I'm not saying that people shouldn't be held accountable for what they do - I'm saying the opposite, actually! Laws exist to try to give everyone a fair and optimal opportunity to exist in the world, and maintaining order is the best way to ensure that even the ordinary can excel, if they're willing to work for it; those who disrupt that order deserve to be punished for what they've done!

That...that goes for myself as well; if I die, then it's something I should be able to accept, after everything that's happened.

[Blake doesn't actually want to argue that much, not if Ishimaru's calmed down some and stopped crying, but he can't stop it. It's just wrong.] Nobody's all right with being dead.

[Sure, there's suicides, but that's its own kind of crazy.]

You know it's bound to happen sooner or later, but it still pisses you off. It should. Especially for a kid.

[It's been a while since Blake has really thought about what laws are for. They're just things he carries out. He's on the physical side, not the philosophical.]

Huh. You know, that's not a bad way to put it. At least, that's the idea. Things change when they hit the pavement.

[He doesn't sound as callously comfortable with that as usual.]

[Ishimaru said something about helping to kill his classmates. Maybe it's guilt talking. The thought of some killer sick enough to force kids to kill each other makes a cold, deep rage boil down in the pit of Blake's stomach.]

No matter what's happened, it's not your fault. It's all on the son of a bitch behind it.

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004. Action for Violet City/Video

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