vivarium | DOUBLE BLIND

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DOUBLE BLIND

Shortly after the conversation with Zero ends, Zero opens the doors of the Garden and allows everyone to leave. However, the rest of the warehouse isn't better than the Garden:

The lights are still off, leaving everyone surrounded in darkness. The temperature just keeps on dropping, reaching near freezing point. The air feels more and more polluted, making it difficult to breathe without coughing, and nothing seems to be working as they should be. The electronic doors refuse to open without any power source, cutting off access to the cafeteria and dorms. At the very least, Zero has managed to open all the doors leading to puzzle rooms and has informed the group that new areas are now accessible to them, but they're on their own should they want to enter any other rooms.

Before the screens in the Garden turn off, Zero finally informs them that a new feature has been unlocked on their bracelets: any test subject wearing a bracelet may communicate with one another with the bracelet acting as a communication device. Holding onto the left button will enable the line to open just like a walkie-talkie. As long as test subjects are in the warehouse, they will have no troubles speaking with one another. What if they wish to talk to Zero? Zero's time is not be riffled, but they were generous enough to appear whenever anyone found a screen and pressed the on button a total of three quick successions.

And with that, Zero disappears from the grids and finally leaves everyone in complete darkness, leaving only one last piece:

"Best of luck, Test Subjects."

BASIC INFO ✖ MISSIONS ✖ MINGLE

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"Yeah, but I'm pretty sure he was," said Heiji, making a face. He slid his gaze away from Hershel, looking a little unhappy. "He did get hurt. That robot slammed him into the wall a couple times and he cut his forehead. I made sure to clean it, but...

But he'd still been worried about Snake, goddammit. Headbutting a robot, how ridiculous. He needed to take better care of himself and definitely not get into any more danger, what a total jerk. Not that he cared or anything, b-baka.

When Hershel said almost the exact same thing Heiji was thinking, Heiji froze a little but you know what he was resisting this messaging. Not tsun, nope. "...you mean me and Kuzuryuu were kinda the same? Of course we were. We both talk straight. Although he probably coulda used some more manners."

"Ah, well, Snake is rather... direct." Polite way of putting it. When Heiji went a little more downtrodden Hershel tried patting his arm. "I can see why you're so agitated then. I'm sure he'll be alright, he's a tough one, but if you like I could try talking to him about being more careful in the future. I doubt it will help much coming from me but maybe hearing it on more than one side will mean something."

That was the best he could offer to do, at least. And in the meantime, tsunderes. "Ah, well yes, basically." That's one way of putting it. "Kuzuryuu was a funny one, wasn't he? Half the time you needed to read between the lines to see how he really felt." Tsun.

"Makin' me worry like that," said Heiji, grumble grumble. "Don't even know why he did it; it's not like him to go haring off like that. If he messes with that bandage of his, I'm really gonna lay him out."

...So basically, a large part of Heiji's complaining was simply him worrying about Snake. Sorry bro, but now you knew why he acted like this.

"...Really? I understood him just fine, though." Tsunspeak, it was like telepathy. "I mean, there are some things you just can't come out and say. Know what I'm sayin'?"

He's not surprised, that's pretty Heiji. "I'm sure he won't, he's sensible in these matters at least." And he wouldn't want to be badgered into a hole with how people fret around here.

"I suppose so." Tsun speak is so mysterious. "Though what would you say those things are? Love and the like?" That seemed to be the sticking point for Heiji when it came to getting flustered and tsun.

"I guess. I dunno how you and Snake can just talk about that kinda thing. But as for Kuzuryuu... it's probably more than that. He don't want anyone to know that he really cares about certain things, y'know? Like that girl from his memories."

He waved a hand, suddenly cheerful. "He's just a little shy, that's all!" If you thought about it, it was kind of cute...?

"It's hardly an unpleasant topic, even if it's an embarrassing one occasionally." These westerners and their weird romance chatter. "That's true, I think he was afraid of having a reputation for caring rather than having one for being tough. Strange, but it did seem important to him." Yakuza...

He shook his head. "Well, this has been an interesting cultural exchange, to say the least." He was still totally behind tsundere being a thing, it just finally explained so much. It was clearly an important piece to the puzzle.

"It's not that it's unpleasant," said Heiji, looking a little... tsun. "It's just not something ya really talk about out loud. If ya like someone, you don't always have to say it out loud." Apparently Snake hadn't gotten that memo, as he talked about everything.

"For a tough guy like Kuzuryuu, he can't just let on that he's got a soft spot. If he does, everyone's gonna try and get in his face. So part of it's maintaining his reputation. You already saw how people got on his case for bein' short, right?"

Yes, Hershel, but would you ever truly understand the true depth of being tsun.

"I wonder if it's a cultural difference." Hershel mused, yes, it was a cultural difference between the populace and the tsun, Hershel. "Maybe Japan frowns upon that sort of thing more than the west tends to. America has always been rather... well, vocal, I suppose."

"I suppose that makes sense." Man what a world you tsuns lived in. "That just seems like a rather unpleasant way to live, having to hide the things you may like to avoid ridicule. I can't imagine it made him very happy."

Heiji's face had turned a little red. "Well, we're definitely not like the Americans. I mean, they say 'I love you' at the drop of a hat, pretty much. And they're pretty loud about stuff."

He listened to Hershel, but then shook his head. "I don't think he'd live in that kinda situation unless there were things he liked about it. Taking care of the people younger than you, taking responsibility for your decisions, making gambles every once in a while... There's a pretty big sense of camaraderie, too. Assumin' he was some kind of gangster."

That's the best commercial I've ever seen. "Yes, they're certainly a lively bunch." Hershel had to laugh a little, poking fun at America was probably a British pasttime, let's be real. "At least Snake isn't quite so rowdy."

"Do you really think he was?" He still had a hard time wrapping his head around someone so young in gangs and such. "I think whatever he felt he had a real pride about his life. Maybe it's not something I can really understand but if it made him happy." And people didn't get killed all the time, please and thank you.

"Yeah. Maybe he would've been, though, if that accident hadn't happened to him when he was little." Snake was definitely a pricklier customer than he would have expected from an American. Didn't Americans just yell about hamburgers and wear American flag bikinis while fireworks went off in the background, that seemed legit. "But he does wanna talk about stuff all the time."

"Maybe. He definitely looked the part. Maybe someone born into one of those families, anyway. The only people that really dress like that are delinquents and people involved with some shady business." Unless of course Kuzuryuu was some kind of undercover narcotics agent at like 17 or something.

"Does it bother you that he does?" Clearly Americans just wanted to talk and shoot hamburgers out of guns that turned into red white and blue fireworks as they sailed through the air, very legit. "It could be worse I suppose, he may never want to talk about such things."

"I just thought he must have come from a very exclusive school." Yakuza in suits weren't really a British thing. "Does it bother you? That he may have been on the wrong side of the law."

"Well, it's... not bad, I guess. It's just weird. You don't need to say everything out loud, right? Sometimes you should just read the mood."

Heiji laughed. "Don't see many schools with pinstripes on their uniforms, Hershel, do you? As for your other question, though... it's kinda hard to explain. Yakuza kind of have this weird status in Japan. It's like... as long as they don't make too much noise, the cops kinda overlook them a little. I ain't sayin' that's the right thing to do; it's just how things are. Kuzuryuu ain't seem like a bad guy, but if we were outside, we might have a problem with each other. Know what I'm sayin'?"

"I suppose so, I guess it would depend on what the subject is. We're also in a pretty dire situation, maybe he wants to make sure you know what he means just in case." Hershel mused.

And have a sheepish look. "My school didn't even have uniforms from what I recall, so I can't say I'd know what's appropriate or not. Pinstripes is a tad extravagant now that you mention it." He nodded to Heiji's answer, that was pretty fair. "Yes, I imagine there'd have to be some friction, especially given your ties with the police in Japan. I suppose you never would have imagined making friends with a gangster before all this nonsense, hm?"

Heiji looked away, face flushed. "N-no point in gettin' all melodramatic about it. Not like I'm going to kick the bucket any time soon."

MOVING ON, THOUGH. "Oh yeah, you guys are a lot looser about school uniforms. Girls can even get their ears pierced, right?" IT WAS ANARCHY OVER IN ENGLAND. ANARCHY. And clearly Hershel had left behind a trail of weeping victims in his wake, just look at the way he dressed --

"...But if you don't have uniforms, why the tie?" Hershel did you get stuffed in a lot of lockers.

"Anyway, it ain't like criminals are a different species. They could just as easily be a friend or relative." I mean look at Alfendi, just look at how shady that motherfucker was.

"Of course." Just gonna smile, of course Heiji, you tsun. Of course.

"Well yes, if they want to. I think Angela did, I can't quite recall though." England is one big biker gang, really. When Heiji mentioned his tie he looked confused, reaching a hand up to where he was probably wearing the new tie Snake got him. "Why not? It's rather proper for a young man, isn't it?" Stuff him in a locker.

"Still, there's criminal and there's this yakuza business. I can't imagine many people have relatives in something like that." Though what does he know.

Hershel, you shitlord.

"Uh... well, it ain't actually normal dress wear for non-professionals, is it? I'm sure I've worn one before, and some schools in Japan have it as part of their uniform. But most teenagers don't wear them all that often." Nerd, you absolute nerd.

"Depends on what area you're from, I guess. Though I guess that's another weird thing about this -- if he was someone important, his family'd be tearin' up the place looking for him..."

Friendship, loser.

"I suppose not..." He tugged at his tie with a frown. How mysterious you are, his fashion sense. "Well, it's not like I wear a full suit or anything like that. It's just... a nice addition, is all." Mega nerd.

"That's true." Hershel frowned. "Kidnapped someone from an organization like that- it's rather risky, even for someone like Zero, isn't it? He really doesn't seem to be troubled by things like this at all."

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