+ Somewhere a Grandiose Carnival Was Going on in the Sky +

[vitaelamorte]

Who: Everyone!
Where: The grounds of the Mansion
When: March 9-16
Rating: PG-13 (warn if you go higher)
Summary: The Red Queen has thrown a carnival for everyone!
The Story:


From Friday, March 9, through Friday, March 16, the gardens and grounds of the Mansion will be a sprawling a carnival. The masked, unspeaking vendors will be selling trinkets and running free game booths. Carnival rides, exhibits, and foods represent all of the various cultures of those currently residing in the Mansion.


Of particular note, and perhaps incongruously, everything is decorated with red hearts.

Use this log for any and all of your carnival needs!

Comments

[255000255000255]

[ She actually looks surprised. Jeez, this bear is more fucked up than she realized. It'd almost be admirable, if she didn't hate his guts so much.

Monika sits back down, clearing some empty plates and crumbs off of a chair so Mikan can sit, too.

There's a moment of pensive hesitation before she speaks. ]

He...did seem pretty interested in the "rules" of Wonderland, now that I think about it.

[naughty_nurse]

[Thanks, babe. She slowly sits down, hands in her lap.]

... He probably wants to control this place... put us in a game... He wants to spread despair as far as he can. It's what pleases him most... seeing us succumbing to despair...

[Her hands grip the skirt of her uniform.]

Several of us here know about him... I-I don't know if they'd want me to say their names, but there are five of us who have gone through the murder games, spread across three different groups.

... The game was... someone would murder another... we'd find the body, and act like detectives... then, we'd hold a trial. We all had to vote for who we thought killed them. If we voted right, Monokuma would kill the murderer... if we voted wrong... he'd kill us all, and the murderer could go home.

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[ Monika grumbles as she scoops the liquid remains of a sundae she'd gotten into her mouth, since Mikan slipped on her ice cream cone. It's interesting! She vaguely wonders how it would've been like when it was still frozen. ]

He sure does have some weird obsession with "despair" or whatever. [ She sighs, pulling the cherry out of the slop and chewing on it. Its tartness mirrors her feelings perfectly. ] And he definitely seems like the type to do something so fucked up.

[ There's a pause. She spits out the pit and laughs sheepishly. That probably seemed out of character for Monika! ] Excuse my language. Uh, anyway...

[ ...She's kind of not sure what to say. All of that seems bad, yeah, but it's hard to compare to all that she's been through herself. ]

Sorry, I guess.

[naughty_nurse]

[Mikan rubs her face, struggling to think. Monika's lack of horror, and her abrupt language change, don't even faze her now.

Granted, they will later, in a 'huh. weird.' thought when she's alone. But not now.

She keeps her head down, eyes below, not wanting to look up just yet.]

We just... we just have to stick together, and not fall for any of his tricks or traps. Wonderland is stronger than him. It has to be. And it could send him away at any time... we have to hold onto our hope. It's stronger than despair.

[It's not really a strong speech with a lot of heart, but it's all she's got. Now she looks at Monika, and you know she says the following with absolute sincerity.]

If he hurt you... If something he did wound up hurting you... I don't if I could ever be happy again.

[255000255000255]

[ Monika slowly lowers her spoon. She swallows hard, then looks away to hide her tight expression. For once in her life, she feels a stab of remorse for how she's been treating someone. It's small, but it's there.

Her spoon thuds into the ice cream soup. She can't bring herself to look Mikan in the eye right now. ]

Don't worry about me. Save it for someone else.

[ She grabs a corndog, just to have something to focus on. She wonders why she strangely has no desire to eat it. ]

Worry more about your friends. He's got no reason to care about me.

[naughty_nurse]

[Mikan blinks a little at that. It's... a dark, yet sweet sentiment. Something in the air is changing - it's rather confusing. Ah, maybe Mikan's over-thinking things... she did bring up a horribly depressing topic, after all. It's natural for things to be downtrodden now, sullen, quiet.

Monika really is a good person. How could she or Mondo have ever thought otherwise?]

... I hope he doesn't. I hope he doesn't take an interest in you at all. Yes... as long as you stay away from him, things should be all right. We have our hope in that, and in each other.

[She doesn't quite smile - she can't bring herself to do it - but her face doesn't look as despondent as before.]

And maybe... once everything is safe, and things are calm, and we don't ever have to worry about him... maybe... we could be friends?

[255000255000255]

[ Monika puts the corndog down. The sight of it is making her ill.

She doesn't deserve this. She doesn't deserve this. S̕H͢E̛ ͠D̕O̡ESN͞'Ţ ͝D͏ȨS͠E̕R҉V͟E THI̢S̡.

She turns back to Mikan, flashes of Yuri dancing before her eyes, gluing on the fake smile she's so used to showing the world. ]

Don't be silly. We're already friends!

[ Her smile widens, even if she wants to do nothing but cry. ] And if he tries to bother me, I'll just ignore him!

[ If only. ]

[naughty_nurse]

[Aw, that just warms her heart. The ends of her lips curl up slightly, and she even bows her head a little in gratitude. She's still unsure when moments call for physical affection, since it varies between people, but she wishes she had the nerve to hug Monika right now.]

... Thank you very much, Monika.

[255000255000255]

You're...welcome.

[ Her lips purse as she stares down at the table. She's trying to squash down the guilt. It has no place in her. It doesn't belong!

With a deep breath, she puts her smile back in place and raises her head. Much better. ]

And I hope you feel a little better now.

[naughty_nurse]

I do... I feel much better.

[And there it is! The genuine, real smile!]

[255000255000255]

[ Monika giggles. She's envious. ]

Then you should go have some fun! Don't miss out on account of me. And I'm sure your other friends would love the quality time with you.

[ She...needs some time to process things. ]

[naughty_nurse]

Well... I should make sure they know about Monokuma.

[As reluctant as she is to ruin their carnival day. So she'll get up, smooth down her skirt, and then bow.]

... Thank you for everything, Monika.

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[ Monika opens her mouth to say something, but she closes it before she can say something stupid. That bear is too fucking sneaky. ]

You're welcome, Mikan.

[ She smiles. ] Be safe!

[ And for once, she actually means it. ]