badend | ( open post | active ) your turn to die: rio ranger

( even with ranger's efforts, the tail carelessly falls back into place, tickling the bridge of komaeda's nose, and he's already squinting so none of the cat's hair gets into his eyes. that smile from before remains, not exactly bothered, but there's nothing that can be done when a feline chooses what they want to do — much like both of them. ranger who follows his own rules because that's the personality he has, and komaeda who does whatever he want because he's not confined to this body that he has &mdash he'd give it away, if he could. )

Hm? Well, I'll take your face cards so they aren't in the way when I kiss you.

( that's the first thing that comes to mind, especially when the other is so protective of the ones he's madde so far, especially the new ones. ) And when I pull you into my lap, you can't leave, not even if Chidouin-san's life was on the line. ( his hold onto ranger is tighter as he lifts these requests off, which means if komaeda asks for it, the other should down, and let whatever happens... happens. it's a push, but that's how hope is born for the latter, and as for the former, he doesn't feel selfish because it's a rule that the other has to abide by. )

It's hard when you can fight back, so we'll render your attempts futile! So listen to me, and don't try to stop whatever I'm up to, okay?

( should be a good reason to keep the octopus on him. )

[ Ranger isn't shy by any stretch, seeming to pay no real mind to human affairs. But something about it coming from Komaeda, who was so flippant and yet so serious about his intentions, seems to strike a nerve with him. His face turns red behind the card around the time he mentions kissing him and only gets redder from there.

Really, he'd expected it'd be something weird, but that's... ]

Wh-what!? That's... [ He's learning that he can feel the emotion of embarrassment, congratulations on your accomplishment Komaeda. ] You're joking, right? That's...

[ He doesn't know that that is but his blush sure is intensifying by the second just thinking about it. ]

Edited 2021-11-14 04:23 (UTC)

( he lifts up, just so that he can get a better view of the other's face — huh? did something like that really get under his skin, and komaeda feels proud of himself. it's hard to pull emotions from ranger when he's still trying to understand his own feelings, but the fact that shameless statements are enough to make such a cute expression. )

...Hm, do away with it one day, and find out.

( though that means ranger would be interested in the concept of it, that he'd probably want to... see it in action, that's what komaeda thinks. )

Hey, Ranger-kun...? ( he lifts up properly, his attempt to place his hands on the other's shoulder despite the feline rolling down his back into a soft ball of the cover behind him, and since they're already on the floor...

...

...

komaeda attempts to push ranger onto his back since maybe he caught him off guard. )

Would you want me to kiss you?

[ ...!?

Ranger starts to open his mouth to say that he won't be doing that, but before he can the feelings of a pair of hands on his shoulders freezes him in place, and before he can even properly process that he's being pushed down. Komaeda's luck procs, and he's too startled to react properly, cards scattering on the floor next to and behind him.

He looks away, hand turning as he looks to grab one of them - really, any of them at this point. ]

H-huh!? I... I don't...

[ His voice comes out as a tiny squeak, a far cry from both the dramatics and the flat, unemotional tones that he alternated between. The answer is obvious, of course: He doesn't know. Ranger wasn't adept at matters not recorded into his database to begin with, much less romantic affairs. That was something a human would develop preferences on organically, and so Ranger had been left to do so as well.

But he has that slightly puzzled look, now mixed with a healthy dose of embarrassment, that always signifies that he's looking for data that's not there. ]

Edited 2021-11-14 07:18 (UTC)

...You don't have that knowledge yet, do you? Ranger-kun's a virgin...

( because he's at a lack of words, doesn't have anything to say that tells komaeda to back off. actually, he's breaking his own rules because he can't do what he want, but he can do whatever he wants when he has no sense of person space. this is a prize, he thinks, pinning ranger down to see his flustered face, but komaeda won't do anything to questionable, or breach his preferences — the other had been with safalin so long, maybe he's straight.

oh, that's always an idea, and he thinks on it since they were attached to the hip as the other made them sound. )

I won't take your first kiss!

( it's an appealing idea, but that's just to be cruel, and while komaeda's not evil — he's a studious, thoughtful, and self-righteous and that's why he acts without any discretion or regards for anyone's feelings. playfully, he lifts a finger to tap ranger's nose before lifting up off the other, sitting properly to bring the cat into his lap. )

What are you working on? ( he focuses on the pda now, but there's only so much he can see with the octopus in the way. )

[ Ranger wasn't particularly shy. It was likely because he was so logic-focused and lacking in experience that he rarely reacted to anything related to romance or sex, seeming to approach it with the same clinical attitude that he did all other matters. But on those rare occasions that he did seem to register the ramifications of it as it pertained to him (or at least cared) he was surprisingly shy about the entire affair. He doesn't like the idea of being touched, he can't conceptualize affection, and the idea of being shown something so strong was a bit much for him when coming from someone he cared for.

Though he can't quite understand why it had shaken him so much now, just that once it had his systems went through all the normal reactions that a human might when confronted with something embarrassing. He manages to locate the curved, embarrassed frown card and covers his expression with it. It doesn't seem to him that whether it was the first or the fifth would matter, but he does have the distinct sense that he's being made fun of for reasons that he can't quite understand.

He pushes himself up, still not quite making eye contact. ]

Then don't joke about it.

[ Seriously, what was the point of that? He shakes his head. As for what he's working on, well, it had been something but as of right now - ]

Leaving.

[ To that end, he's pushing the button to flick the PDA's screen off and moving to put that octopus away. You gave him too many scritches, Komaeda. ]

I'm not joking, Ranger-kun... the moment that it's not with you, I'll play fairly and do as I said.

( there's no tricks, but because of his actions, he has missed out on keeping the other so close, and perhaps he shouldn't have teased so much. besides, with the plush still around, the things komaeda spoke served as a warning, a general statement that he needed his partner to understand. )

If you hated it... you can flip it to the angry side so I understand that it caused you displeasure. I'm not really considerate, you know.

( he frowns deeply, but this doesn't upset him, he's far too removed to care, and this humors him greatly. when the other can react, it is a sight to see, those red cheeks, that blank expression. ah, he thought that maybe he found a spot to make the other react more violently.

...

his frown shifts to a warm smile as he looks towards the other. )

I'll miss you.

[ Ranger lets out a heavy sigh, but those seems to do a good enough job of dampening his irritation. He doesn't immediately respond aside from flipping over the Octopus as instructed, though whether that's in response to what just transpired or those final words is dubious. He doesn't immediately move to leave though - it was always like that. His emotions tended to pass as quickly as they came. ]

Sheesh... You always make it sound like I'm leaving forever.

[ He switches the mask to the ice cream cone as he says that. Really, just why did it embarrass him so much...? He's not sure. That's never happened before. ]

I didn't agree to this, so I'm not letting you do any of that whether or not I have it.

Edited 2021-11-15 01:06 (UTC)

( oh, he flipped it, now that's a problem, so komaeda has to figure out what upset him, out of everything that he's done so far... maybe it was... ah, he gets it! )

Now now... aren't you? When isn't Ranger-kun hellbent on leaving when I do something?

( with his hands lifted up, his prosthetic whirrs softly with every movement, and then they settle back into the seat of his lap as he stares at the ice cream expression. now he sees that plus the octopus, so he has to figure out how to handle that accordingly. it's a shame though, hearing that the other is rejecting that little game of theirs, especially when no one would know about it, and it'd be just them. )

You're upset... hm, so now I have to do something to make you happy...

( he sighs sadly, how unfortunate, and when he thought he could breach the system of the other's code. ) When I make you happy, you have to turn it back to the other side, okay?

[ he's going to forget that octopus and get bullied one of these days despite rejecting that game, isn't he? i'm calling it now ]

When you're behaving.

[ Granted that's not very often, even with Ranger's rather loose definition of "behaving," but it was nice when he did. Even when he threatened to leave, though, Ranger was easily held back. ]

Sure. Once you've made me happy, I'll flip it back over.

[ He flips to the cheerful, open-mouthed grin. Komaeda was so strange, but... Well, he's already over it, and he doesn't really want to wait and see what he'll do to try and improve the situation. He taps the PDA. ]

You wanted to know what I was working on, right?

I do, are you trying to break into it?

( curious because komaeda's tried so many times with the hacking gun, but it beeps, alerting the owner of what he's up to. for it being 1999, the fact that technology isn't easily breakable here does concern him some, but perhaps ranger has a better hand at it considering this being part of his craft? as someone who deals with technology, komaeda trusts him enough to figure it out. )

...

( he's quiet now, watching him as he's trying to agree to the terms of being "good" so he can make him happy, and he wonders if ranger knows what makes him "happy" at the moment. the card he's wearing could be considered as happiness, but he has to wait for the octopus to burn back over properly. his eyes go back and forth between him and then the octopus, like he's trying to control ranger's hands with his eyes to fix it. if not, he'll stare at the pda in a more obedient fashion, but this is just for brownie points and nothing more. he leans to press his shoulder against the ai's own, and he glances down...

what's on it... )

You need a laptop for that... Well, I wasn't really able to get anything useful that way either. I'm not sure if it's that well hidden, or if there's just nothing there.

[ Judging by his tone, he's inclined to lean toward the latter, at least on most affairs. Normally sensitive information like that wouldn't be so casually handed out, or if it was, it would be meant to be broken into.

The screen shows what looks like a very rudimentary game - perhaps Minesweeper? ]

It's not that interesting. I've been trying to figure out the exact limitations on what you can put on here... I'm going to be upgrading the hardware soon, so might as well figure out where it's hurting most.

[ Also, he's bored. Here, you can have your treat now, puppy. There's something a little charming about watching him like this, and Ranger wonders if it's really that important. But he flips the octopus over all the same, seeming content with the effort. ]

( minesweeper? he's not even paying attention to the octopus like he should, so maybe that's why he plays well, and reaches out for the pda to see what game the other has. it's all about numbers and avoiding the mines laid all across the map, and if someone is lucky, they can get that really big patch of safe numbers that takes up most of the board. )

Are you interested in only games that uses the complexity of numbers?

( that would work in ranger's favor, after all, the being able to look at the screen, count away and hope to not click on an explosive. komaeda, however, clicks on the screen a few times to refresh the game because he wants something entirely random — they all are, but maybe he feels safer with this one than any of the others. it's like playing sudoku, or rattling one's brain when doing an extensive game of crossword. )

And what's the difficulty setting?

( he should have asked that first, because his finger is already hovering over a certain node that he wants to click. he won't change his mind, probably, but there is a chance that he jumped the gun without learning what sort of minesweeper the other created, because maybe rio ranger's version is unwinnable, or he's played by the rules, and made it simple for humans. in the end, komaeda would play the other's version if there was one. )

[ He hands the PDA off. Truthfully, he might have tried something more complex, but this was a relatively safe choice and it was easier for him to replicate; more complex games presented their own challenge. Even so, he's glad. He's not so dense as to realize that his projects don't tend to be of any particular interest to a layman. ]

They're easier for me to write, but they're kinda boring to play.

[ There was no point when he could generally solve them so quickly. Then again, most things did when you could pick them up in a fraction of the time that it would take a human. As for the difficulty... Hmm. ]

As for the difficulty, we'll, it should be winnable... I tried to make it so the average person could beat it.

[ He'd taken what he would do for the Floormasters and cut it down by a third - which was still probably a higher level than the average person, but certainly doable. ]

It's not really much of a game if it's unbeatable.

( his fingers press at the middle, and a "3" shows up as his starting point, and tbagsbthe warning signal be taken knowing that three away is a mine ready to explode. he thinks about moving three over, and up one, but he doesn't click yet as he thinks that ranger making minesweeper of all games fits perfect for him. he takes a few turns clicking I'm odd spots, missing every mine, until he has eight repeating numbers repeating in front of him. )

Do you want to go next? We could play together, you can click eight more, and then return it to me.

( that way they can go back and forth, give them both equally something to do so that they don't grow bored. because when komaeda's offering the pda back, much to his surprise, to see the octopus flipped back over perfectly makes his heart slip a beat, but he doesn't say anything at all. he remains silent, eyes strictly on the pda, and not concerned about what's in the corner of his vision. )

A-And... ( well, he lost a bit of his composure from that, but he clears his throat as he leans a little more on ranger. ) We can snuggle, too, it's cold.

( but he's never complained about that before. )

[ He takes the PDA with a quick confirmation, taking a moment to focus on the screen. It's hard to imagine that he would need to, but he found it to be wasteful to rush through things when performing any given activity with another person. It was rare for Komaeda to skip a beat, so he briefly wonders if he'd done something wrong when he hears him clear his throat. That doesn't seem to be it, though... Hmm. ]

I guess it is, huh? My temperature self-regulates, but you run pretty cold.

[ He taps a couple blocks as he says that. ]

You seem like you need a heater year round.

[ ... It's not a no. ]

Ahahaha, yep! I've always been like that since I was born.

( born into a rich family, born what it seems to be close to death, and then having to grow up the way that he did — they say love is what gives you color, but maybe that's why everything's so white about him. )

Most of the time, I just latch onto someone, and hope I make it through the winter... but it's the other way around during the summer.

( he finds himself cold enough, but he'll slip his arm around ranger's, holding onto him as he rests his head onto his shoulder, and he glances down at the pda for a split second. then his eyes are back onto the octopus that turned into a happy face, and komaeda smiles himself, and then randomly: )

Click five down.

( on the pda. )

Hmm... Well, in the winter I guess I'm as good of a space heater as any.

[ That's a joke, but he doesn't complain when his arm is taken. He still hasn't quite recovered from being unceremoniously pinned down, but he doesn't mind this. His finger stops a couple inches from the screen. He's certain that he's choosing a correct node.

After some internal debate, he lets his head lean to one side, resting against Komaeda's. He presses five squares down from where he'd been without questioning it. ]

You're warm, body and... I would say soul, yes, and soul.

( as he watches ranger click, it'll show a "1" to say that it was a just as good node to choose along with the others. he was right, or maybe he was lucky, but he can choose another one for the other to click if ranger allows him — instead he relaxes in the other's heat because he is as good as any space heater. constantly warm, always running where as komaeda's body runs cold, frail, and weak aside/ from his one arm that has no life to it. )

...Ahaha, what if I was wrong, that would have been our run together! Then we'd have to play solo! Your judgement is pretty reliable.

[ Soul...? That gives him a little pause. He's an AI, so it seems counterintuitive to say that he would have a soul. It would be the same as saying that a desk had a soul. It was a uniquely human concept. But he chooses to be comforted by the idea for now, if only because of who's saying it. ]

Hmm... I'd flip it back over.

[ The octopus, that is. He finds himself settling a bit more in response without realizing it, looking lazily at the screen. ]

It's fine. You won't be wrong. Which one should I do next?

( his inner demon is gone? that's how we sanity check.

flip it over if he... makes a mistake? that's unfair, that would just be bad luck catching him at an unfortunate moment where he'd lose his happy face. with that thought, he's going to push the octopus away from ranger so he's unable to change it — brute forcing his way to stagnation in happiness. )

How about the... B9 slot, then click about seven away.

( that could have something good in store for them, but he's randomly guessing rather than playing properly by the rules which is stare at the numbers and try to get an understanding of where the mines might be. )

[ Ranger only glances briefly before he touches the corresponding box. It's another safe spot for now. This is, in a way, more fun for him. It's difficult for him to choose one at random for himself, since he intuitively knows whether or not it'll be correct.

He clicks a safe one next, then waits for Komaeda to choose one. ]

Hm... I could probably install other simple games, too. What do you think would be good?

[ Pushing is octopus away, though... That's just rude. He seems willing to allow it now, not reaching to get it nor changing to an unhappy card. ]

Solitaire, Mahjong, and 5D Chess With Multiverse Time Travel.

( those would technically be good games, especially for this day and age because he isn't sure if the pdas can hold up for something more recent in his time. hell, because they're so old, they might be able to, but possibly run slow, and just never break — those were two different problems. as for the games he stated, perhaps one of them is pushing it, and the others can easily be done — solitaire and mahjong are the staples, and easy to understand. )

Chess, Checkers... I wonder if you can play Go.

( that seems to be peak gameplay, looking at ranger for a little assistance on if that'll work or not. an ai could play against the user, but if they have connection within the school, then maybe they can play against each other. it's a favored game of his anyway. he reaches out to tap the screen, not too sure if it's good spot or not, but it's because he's thinking of various games. )

Snake.

[ He hums thoughtfully. ]

Two player games, huh? Well, they have some way of wirelessly connecting to a network, so I'd think that they could talk with each other... Well, even if not, I'm sure there's a way to tweak 'em so that they can. That sorta technology has been around for awhile.

[ He's settling against Komaeda a little more comfortably now. ]

Hmm... Maybe I'll try something like that next. You wanna contribute yours to the cause?

( the only brick of an ipad that he has? his is normally kept in his pocket away from anyone else to get to, it's not that he's protective, but how else will he bother people who don't want to be bothered? )

Do you need it now?

( he doesn't make a move for it yet, he's trying to figure out what their next play here is exactly. snuggling, or working, or... both? he'd like both. )

If yes, which one first! Go! Let's do that one first... ( with a hand brought up to his chest, he places it over his beating heart to calm himself down. ) Black and white, aah... it's a heavy feeling to see them against one another.

( open post | active ) your turn to die: rio ranger

NOOO it should be white and red and have little stars on it and christmas lights

ON NO THAT'S CUTE HE'D BE SO HAPPY... he has a cute lil gift for komaeda and everything too

NOOOOOOOO THATS SO CUTE not our christmas thread next, is the present murder?

NO HE PROMISED SARA HE WOULDN'T MURDER and he doesn't know how to hope murder so u gotta settle

JUST TEACH HIM HOPE!!! komaeda will work hard just watch

he's starting to at least learn the definition kind of

Once he kills someone it'll be defined in bloodshed

fine if it'll make komaeda happy he'll kill somebody on christmas

ok so kill them and use their organs on the christmas tree and then itll be a GOOD christmas

yes they'll have a very merry yogen christmas

as long as ranger makes komaeda one of the bodies

too bad he won't, i guess he'll just have to settle for a cute gift

STOPPPP komaeda is the cute gift (bleeding)

noooooooo it's his first Christmas be nice or else!!!!

There's red in Christmas which can be blood we can improvise!!

yeah but it can't be the blood of anyone he likes

what about........................................... safalin if she ever appears

you know what............. i'll allow it

STOPPP NOT IF SHE APPS I HAVE TO TRY AND KILL HER FR

OK BUT LIKE WOULD KOMAEDA KILL HER 2 KEEP RANGER, IMPORTANT QUESTION

IT DEPENDS IF SHE'D BE A GOOD STEPPING STONE FOR RANGERS HOPE, DOES HE FEEL LIKE HE CAN MOVE ON IF

HE PROBALY DOESN'T BUT YOU KNOW ONLY ONE WAY TO FIND OUT

NOOO NOT RANGER GOING TO WEAR SOME OF HER STUFF AFTER SHES DEAD

HE DOES TAKE HER HAT IN ONE OF THE SKETCHES JS

NOT HER HAT STOPPP WHY IS HE JUST ROBBING EVERYONE

HE'S A THIEF, HE NEEDS TO BE STOPPED

WHEN DID HE STEAL

IN ONE OF THE RANDOM SKETCHES THAT'S SUPER DEPRESSING??? LITERALLY THE ONLY ONE THAT MAKES U CRY