( OPEN ) red light, green light

[cordated]

Who: Haruka Nanase (freed), Makoto Tachibana (cordated), and YOU!
When: IC 1/9 —1/11
Where: Nearly every district! Not limited to: CERES Food Stop, CERES Game Center, a bunch of nondescript street corners, and jail.
What: Bending the rules, breaking the rules, and cheating beating the system?! Or trying to, at least.
Rating/Warning: PG.

---

1. CANDY SHOP.MP3 (ceres food stop.)

[ upon entering the shop, a one-sided conversation ensues as the only shop attendant speaks in stifled tones to ... what seems to be himself, if his gaze wasn't stubbornly trained to a certain spot behind the counter: ]

Shhh, shhh! You need to be quiet or we'll both be in trouble.

[ but once the door opens with a protracted tinkle of a bell, he turns. eyes drawn in assiduous focus, he dolefully grins as he angles his attention to the customer venturing out to browse the wares. ]

H-Hello! Welcome to the shop. If there's anything I can do to help you out, please allow me to assist. There's a 30% discount on taffy for today only, so don't wait until the last minute to spend. We've also got a raffle going on this week! Buy any three different types of candy labeled with a gold sticker at participating stores and you'll be in the running for —

[ at this point, he's interrupted by a rather plaintive mewling (miaow, miaow) warbled from somewhere around his feet. visibly paling, makoto coughs a few times and resumes speaking. ]

A-haha, excuse me, I meant a blank check redeemable for 500 credits.

[ one hand sweeping over the display case, he makes a point to tap the sweets display case several times in quick succession. ]

Can I interest you in a free cotton candy sample?

2. TMW YOU CAN'T WIN HELLO KITTY FROM THE CLAW MACHINE (ceres game center.)

[ or you might find makoto situated in one of the various arcades in the conglomerate sprawl of game centers, studiously trying his luck (and a substantial amount of his daily paycheck) on one of the claw machines. mouth puzzled open on a sigh, he's even got his head tilted a few degrees to the side in a futile effort to win the only cat plush in the glass chamber, only to come up with empty hands on his last try, not any closer to his goal than he was on his initial run. ]

Aaah, so close. Looks like this cash card's spent.

[ retreating from the machine, he holds out his only inadvertently-won prize (a rather squashed-looking stuffed animal of indeterminate origin) to the bystander standing in the line right behind him. ]

Oh, well. Would you like this?

[ a beat or two passes, and then: ]

You're going to play next, right? Is it okay if I watch?

3. KIND OF LIKE A SLASHER FLICK EXCEPT NOT (random street corner ... seedy alleyway, perhaps ...)

[ so: you're in a derelict alleyway sometime in the evening. nightlife solidifies with all the risqué robot models strutting over the various walkways when you get the distinct sense you're being followed.

it's just an inkling of a doubt, but it's enough to take caution, all up until the point someone's hand clamps tightly on your shoulder. assuming your heart didn't stop and leave us one man down in this scenario, you are now very near to one tall and mildly anxious looking boy with green eyes and brown hair, as well as a shorter boy with black hair and blue eyes. it is the latter of these two who speaks to you.]

Excuse me. Have you seen [a flyer is held up to you with THIS FACE] or [a second flyer with THIS FACE in his other hand appears!

upon closer inspection (as if you need it to be closer than RIGHT IN YOUR face but you know…) one will notice descriptions under the pictures as follows:

RIN MATSUOKA:

— answers to rin-rin
— likes romcoms
— really pointy teeth


KISUMI SHIGINO:

— tends to sparkle
— liberal use of emojis when texting/speaking/breathing
— pink

if you're quiet/silent/have been startled into death for too long, well, eventually the blue-eyed one here will simply….

…blink expectantly as if to say well?…without actually saying it at all. ]

4. IN THE SLAMMER (ceres government center.)

[ the first day in central holding, makoto learns two valuable things about going to prison:


a) it's actually called jail, not prison, for a short-term stay behind bars. more specifically: an overnight stay for a benign misdemeanor, or so they inform him.
b) the "one phone call" bit is a complete hoax. if anything, calls are encouraged. not that knowing that helps him in particular, but it's good to know, nonetheless.

notwithstanding the fact he couldn't ask haru to bail him out, considering they were held up in the same communal cell with at least three other people with them, makoto's absolutely terrified. over the course of two hours, he's kept his eyes peeled staring at the clock and trying to will himself to remain silent and moderately low-key. and makoto fails spectacularly, for the most part, his voice rising entire octaves as he babbles on and on to a relatively levelheaded boy sitting beside him. ]

This is so terrible. This is really, really bad. This'll be on our records forever and no one will want to hire us and we'll end up on the streets when everyone we know publicly disowns us. The streets, Haru. There's no way we can fix this.

[ when he doesn't get the validation he desperately needs (you know, something beyond placid one-word remarks), he turns to the closest onlooker, doing his absolute best not to stutter. ]

So ... um, what did they arrest you for?

( NOTE: this is a partial joint post with freed for part 3 + 4! it'll go: you > one of us > you unless you'd prefer no tag order or you'd like us to tag you separately. )

Comments

4

[smokingspirit]

[ Hokuto's been in jail before, but that was a long time ago now, since that happened when he was alive and all. It was a lot different from here, but that's a given, as he was alive during the late Edo period and early Bakumatsu.

Most of all it's annoying that he can't smoke.

But at least listening to his cellmates uneasy chattering is amusing. He remembers that it's a kid he scared with ghost stuff a while back.

He shrugs. ] I dunno, I guess I've made one too many robots explode this month. [ nbd. ]

[freed]

[while makoto has been rambling anxiously about What This All Means for the remainder of their undetermined stay in Tellus, haru has taken to the multi-tasking route of: 1) grabbing the edge of makoto's shirt to stop him pacing, and 2) looking the direction of the respondent to reply in kind. his voice is neutral and he seems a polar-opposites with makoto's anxiety; if anything, haru could not be calmer, though this may come off as mild indifference.]

How?

[he's just curious, really. what does one do? he thinks pouring water on them is probably not the answer...]

[smokingspirit]

[ It's almost like Hokuto and Rasu, except it's a lot different. Hokuto tends to be passive-faced in most situations, while Rasu frets. Which means that he really can't tell the other spirit that he's gotten himself arrested. The guy would be really upset. ] Hm? Oh, like this. [ He holds up his hand, and lets some spiritual energy gather in it. It looks like light, swirling around in a ball just above his palm. ]

2

[shikisha]

[ You can't just put an adorable cat plush with wide eyes and a little marching band shako and think Nonon is going to be able to stop herself from spending all her money until she gets it. All barely five feet of Nonon looks up to the boy offering the subpar prize, waving her hand dismissively. ]

I've already got my eyes on the real prize, there's no way I'd settle for something else.

[ Stepping up she pulls out her own cash-card, stretching out her fingers to get ready. ]

If you want want to watch how a real musician performs I won't mind. I just expect a standing ovation at the finale.

[cordated]

[ well, what do you expect him to do with this lumpy, misshapen atrocity, he can't exactly chuck in the trash ...

but makoto rescinds his consolation prize at once, mouth opened on a particularly emotionally-stilted question, like this isn't rubbing salt into the wound. insult to injury, sure. ]

Wait, you think you can win?! Seriously?

[ maybe she has a pathological desire for pain and misery, since she'd been standing behind him for the past fifteen minutes watching him blow half his paycheck in vain. accusations of rigged machinery as compared to the ubiquity of repeated human failure, but there's something in her eyes that brings him to an audible halt. ]

... Sure. If you can get the grand prize, I'll even offer to take you out for lunch.

[ makoto figures it won't be an issue. she's practically bound to lose. ]

[shikisha]

[ ...Well, she'll take it too, like hell would she let a cute animal go to waste. Misshapen or not, she has a varied love for all stuffed animals. She's just focused on one at the moment. ]

Of course, or else I wouldn't be attempting this game at all. I've gotten quite good at these over the years. [ Where else could you get super rare stuffed animals to show off and be better than everyone else? ]

I hope you don't think I go out on dates with just anyone who offers. [ She grins, looking back at Makoto, before pressing start, the crane's arm moving to life, whirring as it moves according to her gentle, practiced musician's touches. ]

1

[icefallen]

[She's only been here once before, but this candy shop is fairly decent, as far as these things go. So Rio's returning to try some new things on a whim, picking up on the twitchy nervousness of the person greeting her right away. And she's about to inquire about that raffle and the gold star stickers, but the sound that interrupts him makes her blood run cold.

Certainly, though her attention should be on the displays of sweets around her, she's now glancing around anxiously, unable to just let that one slide.]

I... Was that a cat just now?

[cordated]

[ shoot, she's sharper than he initially thought. of course that wouldn't fly for a second.

surreptitiously unlocking the case, he keeps his eyes stubbornly trained on the goods, uneasily shifting his weight back and forth from foot to foot in a desperate bid to keep the feline swishing between his legs from venturing out into the open. hopefully its tail isn't swishing out in plain sight, he can't risk staring down at his feet right now. ]

Oh, no, that wasn't — ... a cat, you said? No, not at all. I've been feeling really off lately, ahem — [ COUGH, COUGH, COUGH. his voice goes blotchy as he lays his hands flat on the counter. ]

Are you sure there isn't anything you want? I'd personally recommend the chocolate bars here. If you buy two, you get the third one free.

[icefallen]

That's--

[Whatever she's about to say, be it about the chocolate bars or the cat, is swallowed when the tail vanishes, only to be replaced with a curious little face. Rio falls over onto her rear in her panicked effort to scoot back away from it; it seems hers is not the face of a cat lover. Actually, she's terrified, nudging herself back on the floor until her back is at the corner of two display shelves while the cat pads jauntily over to her. It's friendly -- unfortunately for her.]

W-- Why is there a cat in here?!

2

[junebound]

[ Rika feels bad for the guy. She can tell he's been trying to win the cat, but all he got was some strange stuffed animal.

She tilts her head when he offers it. ]

Are you sure?

[ After all, it was the only thing he won. But she steps forward to the machine, smiling. She loves these things. ]

Of course you can watch!

[cordated]

[ yeah, that's what happens when you place your faith in fallible entrepreneurial monoliths dead-set on playing hard ball with your money. it's his own fault for wasting as much time as he did, but if there's one thing makoto's good at, it's bouncing back with renewed enthusiasm. desperation at its finest.

mouth twisted in a sheepishly amiable grin, he nods. ]

It's fine! I already have a few of these in my apartment.

[ the number's closer to five, given that he's been coming to the arcade every afternoon this week to waste his credits on the slim chance he might win big this time around. after a slight pause, he nods in assent. ]

Thanks. I'll stand a ways back so you can concentrate.

[ handing over the plush, he settles back against the adjacent wall in the hope he can actually catch someone winning for once. ]

[junebound]

[ Rika nods, stepping up to the machine. She's not as tall as she'd like to be to play this game but at least she can see enough of it to do well.

She uses some of the credits she's set aside for games, concentrating as the game starts. Immediately she heads for the toy she saw Makoto going for earlier. She positions the claw over it just so, and for a second it seems like she's going to get it!

But as it edges closer to the drop box, the claw drops it. ]

Mii... [ So close. ] One more time!

3

[bropane]

[ Ah... that is definitely too close for comfort, and Tadashi takes a step back once the second flyer's been put to his face. He runs a palm down his face to rub it once, then he focuses his attention at the flyer. Those are... beautiful??? faces. ]

Uhh... no, I haven't seen either of them. Sorry.

[ He winces, looking pretty guilty that he can't help them.

No, wait-- maybe he could. He even takes himself by surprise when he comes up with the idea, and gasps. ]

I know. If you know their blood type, their age, and how tall they are, I might be able to help.

[ The scanner he's made isn't fully functional yet, but he could likely use the data for its primary testing. ]

[freed]

[not especially prone to apologies even if perhaps in some cases (like this one) he ought to be, haru simply waits and listens. there isn't too much time between the stranger's apology and his reconsideration, and haru lets his arms lower slightly as he watches, head tilting just slightly.]

I know those things for one of them.

[he suspects makoto may know for kisumi as well but he won't assume, instead continuing to speak after just a breath, curious.]

Those things are more helpful information than the pictures?

[his voice does not sound challenging so much as a little hesitant -- the way people tend to sound when confused but very, very mildly so. arms fully at his sides now, the flyers remain held in an almost polite way so as not to crush them. ]

[bropane]

[ He groans a bit at the thought of having to explain what he's working on, especially when it's complete yet. For all these years that he's been inventing, he always kept his plans a secret until they were ready. It was a Hamada brothers code, more or less. But since it's to help people, he'll talk. ]

I'm working on something that can scan the colony through their body heat.

[ Pauses to see what Haru's (or Makoto's) reaction might be. Would people call him crazy? He's grown up being around people who were into the same things he was, but in this place, things are a little bit different. ]

Input certain data to it, and it should be able to pinpoint the location of people who match the information.

[ That's about it. He's been waving his arms around as he talked about his scanner, but now that he's done, he puts his hands in his pockets. ]

4

[primulas]

[as for minatsuki, she seems to be entirely comfortable sitting in jail. she's across from both of them, arms crossed and one legs over top of the other. it must be odd to see, a girl with flowers in her hair and a light colored dress sitting in jail. however, she's the type who definitely belongs in jail with her kind of behavior.

upon hearing makoto ramble on, her amused look grows. wow, this guy is something else. she can't help but laugh at the way he's reacting.]

You'd be surprised how many people still hire someone even when this so called "record" has been tarnished. Seriously, calm the fuck down, would you?

And damage to private property. [the robots were pissing her off so what if she attacked them... and ruined some other equipment in the process.] Wasn't all that much so I'm just in here for a couple hours- like some half-assed time out.

[freed]

[it's the way she laughs at makoto that irks haru off-the-bat, but it's the way she speaks to him that outright annoys him. but there is no "best" way to insert himself into the conversation when she's answering makoto's question, so he leaves it for that moment, though his hand in makoto's shirt tightens. to most it would be imperceptible, but without question makoto will feel it, the minor subconscious tug of fabric.

yet haru's eyes remain on the girl, from the flowers in her hair to the soft color scheme of her dress to the relaxed posture she maintains. what did she do to get here? probably not trespassing.

and damage to private property...

ah.

haru blinks. ]

We trespassed.

[not that she is interested, not that she even ever would have asked, but it is what comes out of haru's mough.]

[primulas]

You didn't even get a warning or a slap on the wrist for something that stupid? Where the hell did you trespass?

[at least she's only curious about where the hell the two of them were. really, she just wanted to spend the next couple of hours in peace either way, she wasn't exactly very... sociable.

1

[heiwana]

[ Kousetsu is always around the shops looking at various foods and strangely different clothing than his own. Makoto will be talking to a man clearly dressed in Buddhist priest robes as he nods with acknowledgment of what Makoto is trying to sell.

That was clearly a cat he just heard right there and then. Hm. He won't point it out just yet because he's really not one to care. And really with the dove CYbuddy resting on his shoulder at the moment he really shouldn't care. Are pets even allowed in this store? Kousetsu doesn't even know. He looks at the young man with a slight tilt of his head. ] ...taffy? I am sorry. I am unfamiliar with many things here.

[ He looks around with his usual lack of flair but at least he seems interested?! ] ...what does it taste like?

[cordated]

[ considering he's running his mouth off on trivialities to mask the very real cat cybuddy he assumes everyone will instinctively have an issue with in the store (and for very good reason), he isn't one to be that situationally aware of any preternatural stranger that happens to drop by. his arrival involved screaming for his life on death traps passing for roller coaster rides — any residual shock with encountering stranger has mostly dissipated into just trying to maintain the fragile status quo he's kept (mostly) intact up to this point.

idly, makoto scrubs at his cheek, hand dropping to his side as he caught sight of the dove perched on the man's shoulder, effectively stamping out the larger of his concerns at the moment (namely, the risk of detection). ]

It's alright! Allow me to show you.

[ given that they're on relatively similar terms with pets in stores, makoto doesn't have any qualms about venturing to his right to open the glass display case and gesture at a variety of wrapped candies. ]

It tastes sweet. I'd say that it's sort of like chewing bubble gum, except it's okay to swallow it. I actually like the saltwater kind myself. Would you like one?

[ and with a smile, he holds a piece of taffy out to kousetsu. ]

[heiwana]

[ It's okay Makoto. Kousetsu understands (sorta?) he won't let your cybuddy get taken away. Because even if they're not real Kousetsu has grown fond of the few he's brought home. He's listening intently as Makoto goes on to explaining what exactly this taffy substance is. Nodding in acknowledgement, he's silent all the while. He doesn't know what bubblegum is either but whatever he'll try it.

He'll take it with a bow of his head. ] ...thank you for allowing me to try it.

[ Here goes nothing. He'll chew and chew until finally he's finished it. There's curious tilt of his head as he nods. ] ...it is surprisingly sweet. What is the...difference between this and the saltwater kind?

4

[rollin]

[ The guy next to Makoto actually looks like he's been to jail a few times. Back hunched over while he sits there, as if he's trying to remember how many people he's killed, Yata throws him a dirty look. ]

Aah? The fuck do you wanna know?

[ But okay, okay. Yata wants to know what these two kids are in for, so an answer for an answer. It's only fair. ]

Ten.

[cordated]

[ makoto doesn't want to be the person who buys into stereotypes at the drop of a dime, but he can't exactly think light of a guy brooding on the bench as if he's planning to go out on a premeditated rampage the minute the detention robots come by to release him. why are they locked up with someone who's likely seen more dead bodies than either makoto or haru will ever be exposed to in their lifetime, anyways?! ]

C ... Curious?

[ at least he's honest. painfully, painfully honest. makoto's expression swerves from hesitant to bewildered at record-breaking speed. ]

Ten? What do you mean?

[ he's assuming it's jail vernacular, like yata's giving them approximately ten seconds to flee the building before it's promptly blown to smithereens. ]

1

[2cool4guardian]

[Makoto's speech goes mostly unheard by the sudden group of children rushing inside the candy shop, followed by one pale teen (cough) that will gladly take that free cotton candy sample, thank you. He raises an eyebrow at the awkward coughing as he etas some of that pink goodness, amusement obvious on his face.]

So you sell mewling candy too? That may be a bit creepy for the kids.

[cordated]

[ this guy. preoccupied with dolling out cotton candy for the children reaching sticky-fingered hands for the sweets, makoto answers out of unconscious habit. ]

Well, no, actually, this type is pronounced more like —

[ and abruptly freezes when it sinks in. luckily, none of them noticed (or frankly don't care), since all they've done is hopped in the general direction of the jellybean section while he makes headway toward jack, voice tuned down to just a whisper. ]

Please don't tell anyone! There's a cat in here, but he'll be going soon, I promise. [ look at him, making strangely illicit-sounding promises to innocuous bystanders. it's like only one notch above breaking the law. ]