hippocarnival | Daybreak Academy

[Yuya frowns, worrying over his lip.] Then maybe it's after something else, but... I don't think that safeguards you at all.

... What are you going to do about it? [He glances back, briefly, over his shoulder in an absent-minded attempt to see if they're still in the clear.]

Mm... Bring it hot water so it can soak its feet, and then put it to bed? And then I'll go hang out in the common room or something.

[ That's not a solution. That's not even a bandaid, it's wishful thinking that he can treat the monster just like his mother and if he pampers and takes care of it enough, it won't go berserk and tear down half the dorms in whatever it is that it wants. ]

Kano. [There's a tight urgency in his tone. He wants--no, it's probably not that Kano isn't taking this seriously. It's that the monster was right in choosing his mom to manipulate him.

He sucks in a sharp breath, looking around uncertainly.] Don't uou think we should get a teacher to handle this? If things are getting into the school, that's a problem, right?

No way, we don't have to bother a teacher for something like this! It's gotten all this way and hasn't hurt anybody yet! [ Yet... ] It might get bored and go away if it's ignored long enough, it's not hurting anything, so just leave it alone!

But--[Yuya's not going to leave it alone, but if Kano's so convinced that he can just let it tail him around like this... it's clear Yuya's not getting through to him. It's kind of nonsensical, but--

Yuya stuffs his hands in his pockets, falling into silence for a moment while he... basically follows where Kano is directing him. The kitchen, maybe, if he's looking for a pot? His face scrunches in concentration... and then he looks sideways at Kano again.]

... Hey, Kano. Is your real mother... is she still alive?

[ It's a pot, and he seems to know exactly which one to look for- one made of metal, that will hold heat for longer, and he grabs a pair of clean washcloths too so he'll have something to hold onto the pot with without burning himself with the hot water. ]

Here it is~ We can go back now!

[ It isn't until he turns his feet back towards the stairs up that he continues the conversation again; it's a lot of truth for one day, about something he doesn't really talk about because it never comes up, but there's also no sense in lying about any of this- he can be as cagey as he wants and he's entitled to it, but there's no sense in lying. ]

She's been dead for ten years. I told you, right? I know that's not my mother.

[ It's impossible for it to be his mother, he knows that, he won't ever make that mistake. ]

[He did say it wasn't her. But he's latching kind of hard on trying to placate like his mother instead of calling for help, isn't he? Yuya's trying to follow whatever line of logic Kano is, to figure out why he'd endanger himself dragging it out...

And then he admits she's really dead, and Yuya connects the dots a little better. He trails behind slowly, for a second, and then starts up suddenly to get back to his side.]

I'm sorry. [And now Yuya feels certain he can't let that thing hurt Kano by using this against him.]

Hm? What for? It isn't your fault. That sort of stuff's all in the past, after all~ Don't worry about it!

[ There's nothing he can do about it, neither him nor Yuya.

But Kano doesn't need to drive that point home any more than he's been doing it the past ten years of his life, so he'd rather turn to the task at hand, a familiar and easy task that he's been doing ever since he was steady enough on his feet and strong enough to carry the water. ]

There's something you can do, though, if you don't mind? I was calling for Odd-Eyes earlier- it'd be good if you can ask him to stay by the window!

[It's just an expression of sympathy, but Yuya doesn't bother detailing that. Instead he perks up suddenly at Kano's request.]

Uh--yeah, sure! I'll make sure he's right there.

[And he'll be on the other side of the door, just in case.]

Alright, I'm trusting you to it~ I'll leave that to you, and I'll go get this filled up!

[ That'll get Yuya away, he thinks to himself, down two floors and safe down there— that Yuya would think to come back and stand in front of his bedroom isn't something that crosses his mind, so Kano heads off without another word, towing the pot with him and filling it with hot water just as he intended, and heads back to his room. ]

[Yuya nods, and when they reach the second floor he waits for Kano to continue on before he absolutely dashes to his room, scrambling to get the door open, the window, and then sticking out to call to Odd-Eyes. Stay there. Watch Kano's window. Be ready to catch him.

He knows he can trust Odd-Eyes, and the dragon sits below with a new vigilance as he keys in his senses. Yuya doesn't waste any time leaving his room, sneaking quietly up the stairs and peering around the corner and down the hallway.

He waits a few minutes until he's certain Kano is in his room again, and then makes his way quietly to his door, tilting his ear close to try and hear through it.]

[ Yuya wouldn't need to press his ear up against the door to hear anything, because the voice is sharp and clear, slightly hysteric. "—slow! Useless boy! Look what-" and the rest drowned by stumbling apologies, rushed and pressured before they too are cut off and something heavy slams into the door from the other side.

A mumble of something inaudible, and the weight shifts, footsteps back into the room. ]

[Yuya flinches as the door is hit, holding his head while his wide eyes stare out vacantly. It's only when he hears the footsteps that his shoulders ease up.

It makes him feel sick. He wants to go in there and grab Kano, but right now that really might make things worse. if Kano's trusting Odd-Eyes outside, he must have some plan for escape. Right?

He presses his fingers to the door, not far from the knob, and keeps listening. Trying to make out the exact struggle.]

[ He has no real plan. The plan is to weather it out, the same plan he had when he was four or six and now he's sixteen and he never had to think about of better way than what has already worked: let her vent, apologize, try to fix things, let her tire herself out, be more careful next time, be smarter next time, be quieter, be better--

Something else crashes to the floor- hard on hard wood, a chair, a lamp, something more fragile shattering. Yells that aren't even words, just screeches full of anger.

And then there's water that starts seeping out from underneath the door, still warm, tinged red but just barely. ]

[The escape falling through is exactly what he fears. It's still too hard to make out what's happening, exactly, but while listening his head is tilted enough that he catches sight of the water leaking out of the room.

And there's red.

Yuya sucks in a sharp breath, peeling off the door before grabbing the knob, twisting it to try and yank the door open. He hopes it's not locked, please don't let it be locked--]

[ His door is absolutely locked!!!

But it swings open the moment Yuya touches the door, and Kano gives a startled cry of surprise when he sees him there. ]

Eh- Yuya? What's up? Didn't I tell you go back to your room?

[ Like nothing is wrong... And from the looks of it, nothing is wrong with him, nothing bleeding, nothing torn, not a hair out of place. ]

You--[In lieu of answering Kano at first, Yuya looks around rapidly for the sight of Kano's masked "mother". Where is she, what she's doing, if he needs to grab Kano and run right now--]

[ Standing in the middle of the room with the pot of water overturned at her feet, the rest of the room in disarray, but she isn't making a move, nothing's in her hands, and Kano starts to usher Yuya out of the room before he can get a better look at anything else. ]

Sorry, sorry~ Now's not a good time to play! I'm busy, at the moment? I have to find a dry towel, a broom...

[Yuya stumbles back, less focused on resisting as he tries to take in what's in the room. She's not armed, and that's something, but...

He glances briefly back down at where the red-tinged water is (was?). He's seen Kano use this trick before, and he completely doubts that's the monster's blood.

He reaches out to brace his hands on Kano's arms, unable to keep worry completely off his face.] I--know where one is.

[That's not exactly what he wants to say, but it's what he finds coming out. Playing along with the lie Kano's setting up in the face of that thing.]

[ The blood's still there in the water, clinging to the bottom of his shoes and leaving tracks across the floor when Kano steps out of the room, careful to shut the door behind him again when he leaves. The blood is very real, but the ground isn't where he's hiding it; wherever he'd been hit and caused to bleed, he doesn't show it at all, rubbing a hand against the back of his neck and heaving a sigh. ]

I wish the janitor's closet were closer by... all this running around's going to be a pain.

[Yuya steps back enough to give him the room to close the door behind him.]

... Let me see how bad the bleeding is. Please. [It's on Kano. It has to be on Kano.]

Hm? It's nothing.

[ And like that, the smile is on his face again, iron grip on his illusion that he refuses to let down. However badly he's bleeding, it's not fatal, it's not important, it doesn't matter. ]

Just a small cut, but it'll heal right over, don't worry about it~ Come on, we've got to get cleaning supplies, or she'll be pissed.

I think it's too late for that! [Both her being angry and Yuya being worried. Isn't he at this school to learn to protect people against stuff like this? Why does he feel so helpless, staring back at Kano knowing things are so much worse under that illusion?]

You don't have to face this on your own. Do you want to?

[ She'll be more pissed, and then Yuya would really have something to be worried about. This is the mother that he'd grown up with, and he know how to deal with it (by not dealing with it...) or at least he knows the best way to not escalate things so the danger will die down quick. ]

It's my problem, of course I'm going to face it on my own. I should say "Sorry for dragging you into this," or something, right? I'm already asking a lot from you, to have your familiar be my lifeline, after all...

[There's a pause. Yuya shifts on his feet, tilting his head.]

I'm the one who keeps sticking my nose in it, no matter what you asked. [He can admit, he's being nosy. That's not on Kano, but he thinks it's a little allowed when Kano's in immediate danger.

He breathes deep, voicing his strongest worry.] What if you don't make it out the window?

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