school: taichi

[shaft]

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week 0, tuesday, athletics field

[shaft]

[ While Claude is familiar with tournaments and knightly challenges, he has no idea what sort of sports the facilities on campus are meant to house. He's standing on the field, staring blankly at the track until he spots Taichi, smiling at him. ]

Hey there. Don't tell me you're still looking for your lost item?

[goalsides]

[taichi's busy biding his time running and chasing a soccer ball. so that means by the time claude approaches, he'll see him kick said-ball into a net, watching it spin before he grins back.]

Of course I'm still looking. But there's a lot of field to cover, too.

[...he maybe got distracted. also this ball is coming home with him.]

[shaft]

[ It's kind of refreshing to see Taichi so in his element, so Claude can't help but smile at the sight. ]

Are you sure that it was brought here with you?

[goalsides]

[even while they're talking, it seems like he's going to stay in constant motion, given he's fishing the ball out of the net and kicking it slowly toward claude.]

Yup. There's no way I would've left it behind, and I woke up in the same clothes I was wearing before I left. It was attached to me, so it seems hard to believe it'd just disappear. And a friend of mine is missing his, too, so that's even weirder.

[shaft]

[ Claude has serious Doubt, but he doesn't say anything else. ]

You've got a friend here as well? That's fortunate. You two must be glad to have each other.

[goalsides]

[claude is right to doubt, just don't tell taichi.]

Yeah, I guess. [to which part? yeah.] That was kinda why I ran out of the dorm the first day. I had to see if any of my friends were here. Usually we travel together.

[wait.]

"As well"? You know other people from home?

[shaft]

An old teacher and classmate of mine.

[ He just watches Taichi kick his ball around, interested in the ease with which he moves. ]

One's a little more trouble than he's worth, but at least it's one less unknown. [ grimacing emoji ] But that explains a little. I thought you'd run out because you were afraid.

w1 thursday

[goalsides]

[at some point when things calm down and they're back at the dorm, taichi will approach claude and perch in a seat nearby.]

...how're you feeling? [like. physically. he figures this is an easier question to start with than "are you okay" and also it sure would be shitty to have this conversation if claude was still in too much pain to even grasp what's going on.]

[shaft]

[ Claude is drinking coffee and looking very sleepy. ]

Apparently worse than Sakyou and Sieghart. I'm a little envious of those two.

[goalsides]

One's immortal and one's stubborn or possibly still in shock. [there's a little shrug like "eh, what can you do?" which says he's worried, but he can only talk to one of them at a time. he's also aware that claude looks ready to go back to sleep, so he frowns.]

Not sure caffeine's gonna help though.

[shaft]

[ He's got a point. ]

Oh, I'm not supposed to sleep. I thought I'd get a little help.

[goalsides]

Concussion? [yikes.] Those can be pretty brutal. Last time I had one my sister kept me company to make sure I didn't fall asleep.

[is he assuming things? a little.] What a mess...didn't we just see you this morning?

[like. what happened?]

[shaft]

[ Hikari is such a good sister. ]

It doesn't make any sense, does it? Nothing at... wherever we were mentioned anything about the school.

I suspect it has to do with whatever brought us here.

week 3, tuesday, outside

[shaft]

[ There is a shady man traversing the schoolgrounds.

It's Claude.

He is waving at Taichi from a distance. ]

Taichi! How's it going?

[ He does not come closer. ]

[goalsides]

[sir. what is it that you're doing. but it's claude and actually he's never had a problem with claude? he likes claude enough and it means he waves back even if he keeps his own distance.]

I'm afraid to say "things could be worse" just in case they actually do get worse later. [it's kind of a joke, but also, this place is insane.] Holding up okay?

[shaft]

Yeah, best not challenge the mojo of this place.

And I'm getting by. Trying to avoid a stage occurrence, you know what I mean?

[ Nothing weird here. ]

[goalsides]

[just. sighing a little.]

Is weird stuff happening to you, too? I can hardly walk past anybody without seeing something that doesn't make any sense.

[shaft]

You're telling me. I haven't had to watch my back like this since—

[ —this!

By the time you're six, it only takes you two sips to realize that your drink is poisoned. It has to be your drink, because the food is served in platters, everyone at the dining table—your father, his wives and advisors, and all their children—all eating from the same dishes. But drinks are served individually, wine and brandy for the adults, juice and water for the children. You'd requested a beverage made from black currants, realizing too late the sharp bitterness of the fruit could hide any other flavour.

And suddenly, it feels as though each and every eye is on you. Waiting for you to react, to spit out the mouthful sitting on your tongue or swallow and grimace against the fever burning up your spine. You imagine them laughing as you struggle to keep hold of your cup.

Perhaps they think you're really a fool, and that you'll tell your mother your suspicions. As though the bruises from the last time you did aren't still fresh on your back.

You let the poison sit in your mouth, taking a breath before swallowing. And then you eat a piece of bread, some meat, even the vegetables. You eat and eat and eat until someone makes a comment about it, and you have to groan about being full, a discomfort in your belly from eating too quickly.

And then you shuffle off to your room, throw it all up, help yourself to some water, and catalog the taste and effects to the best of your memory in your journal, next to all the others.

This one, like all the others, lingers even after it fades. That acrid taste in his mouth.

Man, this sucks. ]

[goalsides]

[bro. bro? there's a lot going on here and taichi's main thought at first is "holy shit i might die", but then it continues. it's a test of will and potentially sheer stubbornness, and if he's honest it's a little impressive.

it's also a little gross, so he cringes just slightly and even flicks his tongue out once or twice as if trying to rid his mouth of a taste that doesn't even exist. as the memory fades, he finds himself staring at claude with narrowed eyes, trying to decide what to say.]

...why...?

[why would someone poison a child? why would claude do this to himself? why to a lot of things, really.]

week 5, friday, outside

[shaft]

[ After All Of That, Claude will wander the campus to see if he can find Taichi. (He really didn't help Ichiro much.) ]

Hey. [ Frowns. ] How're you holding up?

[goalsides]

[for the most part he looks fine! mostly. other than the way he's extremely stiff and seems to be staring a little too hard at the space in front of him while he's walking, but he stops when claude catches up with him.]

Fine. [it's an automatic answer.] ...I can't decide what's worse, that someone didn't listen to the marquee or someone killed a kid.

[leo's only two years younger than he is, and yet.]

[shaft]

[ He almost makes a comment about how Taichi is essentially a kid himself but— it seems wrong, given all that he's weathered and contributed.

Leo, on the other hand, is definitely a kid. ]

Killing Otome was... foolish. Stupid. Irresponsible. [ And he's not furious about it, just disappointed. ] But if Leo's killer was of Otome and Byleth's group, then that's.

Even if they're "alive" somewhere, being hunted down and murdered isn't something you should do to someone that young. It's a lot less forgivable in my eyes.

[goalsides]

...we don't know. We won't know until tomorrow, but for all we know Otome-san's group took her out for saying too much. Or maybe they're both possessed killers. Or maybe someone took the villain thing to heart. I don't know.

[he's not chill with any of this!]

...does make you wonder why Leo though. Wasn't he the one who was cursed this week?

[shaft]

[ Taichi's not wrong. ]

What makes you think that affords him protection?

[goalsides]

It doesn't, but it just makes me wonder what happened. If there's supposed to be two people outside, then...[he sort of flails his hand uselessly. what happened. who the fuck. why the fuck.]