badfic_manor | {11th Collar} Enough's enough. [Accidental video]

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{11th Collar} Enough's enough. [Accidental video]

[Tom's having a difficult time with his diminutive body. Being 9 years old looking like he's seven and often mistaken as a kindergartner, he really didn't like being pushed aside either. It's better that it's his own choice.

He struggles to use the shower and reaching for the medicine cabinet was a chore of climbing, reaching and balancing on narrow surfaces in order to get to his allergy medication.]

Dang it. It's too high.

[His small voice was even smaller and Tom does continue to try.]

Why did I ever become a kid again?

[It isn't a choice he consciously made, that's for sure and the evidence around him suggests that not everyone was wanted it either. He spots the blinking light on his Blackberry and scowls at it, throwing a bar of soap at it and cuts off the feed.]

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[Naomi waits a good while before responding, giving Tom some time to cool down a bit. Obviously, not everyone was taking this new plot well, and she could see why.]

Good aim.

Hi.

[Tom has had considerable time to cool off and he's much more social than before and he looks happier too.]

Sorry about that.

[He rubs his nose.]

My allergies...I couldn't reach them...oh man, I should have told you about that, huh.

[Misora looks off to the side for a brief moment. It would have been nice if you told me other things too ... But then what sort of hypocrite would she be?]

Don't worry about it. [She then gives a smirk.] Say, you pegged the camera from a pretty good distance. Why not try your shot at the pills?

Yeah, it comes from playing frisbee golf with Penhall. He thinks I'm six feet tall but that's another story.

[He looks up at the medicine cabinet and smirks.]

I'll try that.

[He picks up the bar of soap that was thrown at the blackberry and gives it a light toss before he aims and lightly hits the cabinet that opens it then later tossing it again to get his allergy pills.]

Thanks for the tip. Should'a done that sooner. Live and learn, right?

Perhaps there was some good to this age rewind after all then.

[She gives a rather half-hearted laugh. It took too much effort to pretend that everything was alright.]

[After managing to open the so-called child proof cap, Tom let out a laugh.]

So much for irony.

[Taking the pills, he notices the half-hearted laugh and swallows down the water.]

Okay, spill it. Something's bugging you.

It's nothing. [She smiles.] I'll talk to you later.

[Immediately following that however, Naomi locks the feed, no longer feigning high spirits.]

We'll meet at your room this time.

[Misora shuts off the blackberry and heads towards Tom's door, rehearsing some internal dialogue along the way.]

Uh, okay. I'll meet you there in a few. Make yourself at home. I have a mini-fridge with juice if you're interested.

{OOC: Inside Tom's room, it's very clean and relatively modern for his time with many things to look at. His Police Academy picture is clealy visible next to his father's memorial shadow box that contained the American flag, his badge, medals, unit patch and ID card along with several pictures of his mother and father when they were still together.

On the opposite side of the memorial wall is what looks like a small shrine to Amy Pearson which is nothing more than a picture and a date typed on a small slip of paper and taped to the bottom center.}

Edited 2011-02-27 21:25 (UTC)

[Naomi lets herself in and takes a look around while waiting. She takes an overall glance around the room first then goes to examine that oddly patriotic box with the flag jutting out of it. Approaching closer however, the rest of the contents revealed itself as Naomi figured out what the true purpose of the box was for. Trying to retain at least some respect for Tom's privacy, she refused to allow herself to touch anything, instead tilting her head this way and that in order to get a good look at what else was in there. The pictures obviously portrayed Tom's parents, and along with those were certainly a decent amount of medals. His father must have been a noteworthy officer. He must have left big shoes to fill, huh.

Unable to figure out anything more, Misora turned from the memorial to clear her mind a bit. Instead she notices a picture on the far side of the room. Another family member or perhaps a close friend? Bending slightly, Naomi reads the date scribbled on the bottom of the photo. She couldn't be sure exactly what that date meant, but suddenly the entire room just became much more melancholic.]

[Tom finally finished taking care of his personal needs and dresses himself in the shower room to keep from embarrassing himself and possibly Misora if she made her way to his room by now. He enters the room and sets his towel and robe in the hamper hidden behind a small closet behind the door.

Upon seeing Naomi, he smiles and approaches her, closing the door behind him.]

This room seems much bigger now that I'm little again. It's kinda ironic really. Normally Penhall would complain that it's too small. He's claustrophobic.

[There had been so much information to soak up in day, so as soon as Tom entered, of course Naomi just had to lose her entire train of thought.]

Hmm, what? [It sure is harder to concentrate on one thing for long as a child.]

Oh, yeah it does. Everything seems distorted in a way even though it's really just us.

So ... how have you been faring?

Pretty good, I guess. I'm seeing people around and some of them are chubby, some are pretty cool looking and then you got me that's still pretty small even if I'm nine. It's weird but kinda cool at the same time. Everyone's been bigger than me at some point or other.

[He goes to his mini fridge and opens it up.]

So, what kind of juice do you prefer? There's apple, grapefruit, orange, tropical and some weird blend of pineapple with other fruits.

Surprise me. [She gives an unconvincing smile.

Since the encounter with Dende, Naomi had narrowed down the time of Tom's murder to somewhere during the month of December. However, that did her little good as her blackberry had not come preloaded with messages from before her arrival at the manor, cutting off her main source of information. She had considered "borrowing" someone else's blackberry or looking through the early January entries to find any traces of suspicious encounters of either Piccolo's, Tom's, or even Thropp's, that is, until Naomi discovered that all messages were wiped at the start of the month. The blackberry would serve very little purpose at this point.

The only way to recover information now? From its original source.

Trust, however, was not something you can claw up on your own. It was something you had to earn, something fostered from mutual exchange. And perhaps it's her turn now.

Naomi lets out a breath.]

I sometimes wonder ... why we were chosen to come here.

[Oh sure, she's heard theories, formulated her own even. None of them, however, had any factual evidence to back it up. Even the most popular theory, that perhaps the residents of the manor played some important role back in their world, had its flaws. What constitutes important? If that really had been the case, there were others far more competent, far more important, than Naomi. Why did the Author choose to bring her instead of someone else? Why not Raye, who had had a far more important role in the Kira case?

Furthermore, does that mean that the only reason Naomi had been saved was because of her connection to Kira? Does that mean they must be forced to coexist together here forever? In times like these, Misora often wonder to herself whether or not death would have been the better option after all.

No, don't go there.]

[Tom takes out two bottles of orange juice blends and hands one to Naomi. He has gotten used to addressing people by their last names that even thinking about their first names was hard to break and since it was off duty, he made an exception.]

Naomi, can I be frank with you?

[He takes the time to let her respond while he opens up the juice bottle.]

Thanks. [She takes the juice and just stares at it. Of course he had been aware of something for awhile now. Of course he had been holding things back himself. Neither were such fools that unspoken stories can remain obscured for long. And on top of all this, he was one of the few allies she had.

Naomi lifted her gaze from the beverage and took a sip.]

What is it?

You know, ever since this B incident, people have been a little distant. It's not anyone's fault and it's natural to close off but we can't simply ignore the issues either. This place seems to have a way of destroying the psyche even if we don't realize it.

[He turns the bottle in his hands and takes a swig then sighs.]

I've been questioning myself ever since that week and it's been bugging me for a while now. Why was important information withheld from us when we really needed it? Was it for personal glory or was it because Mello wanted to make himself important?

I would have assumed people were already distant even before that happened given how willing anyone was able to work with one another.

Why was important information withheld? Beats me. Mello, though he was from my world, never really revealed much to me either. And now that he's gone, I guess we'll never know.

I suppose for the same reason no one else would share information. Who to trust? How would we know? Perhaps he felt he had a personal part in the matter and that no one else should get involved. Why should we care about anyone else but ourselves after all?

[The whole idea was so bitter Naomi was starting to feel bitter herself. She takes a quick drink, hoping the sweetness would quell the bitter flavor in her mouth.]

[Tom hates to leave things unfinished and he wasn't about to sweep this under the rug either but he took the hint for now and put that issue aside.]

I guess but that doesn't mean that I have to like it. Taking matters personally when lives are on the line puts others in danger at a massive level. He certainly proved that point real well. Anyway, I don't think he read through the handbook when he got his license.

[Tom's thinking United States law and state law than on an international level which is something that he's not familiar with.]

If he even had one. [If Tom had just made a joke or something, it completely escaped her notice as her mind had been preoccupied.

Naomi swishes the drink around a bit. Withholding information. The dangers of doing so. Wasn't that exactly what she was doing now?]

Funny you should mention that ... [She murmured absentmindedly, both intentionally and unintentionally being vague about her subject of comtemplation.]

[Tom tilts his head and listens without saying a word but his gesture shows complete interest in what she was about to say.]

B's not the only murderer from my world that's here.

[A sigh. Where to go from there?]

Remember when we first met, and I was paranoid about everything because I had reasons to believe I was targeted for assassination?

[Tom nods his head with his brow furrowed. He has a pretty good idea who she could be talking about but he's not about to assume anything at this point and simply decides to listen.]

I remember.

[She waits for him to say more but got silence in return. So, he must have known more than he let on then.

Of course, who wouldn't have gotten suspicious after that horribly awkward encounter with Yagami and his, though Naomi still refused to believe it, girlfriend?]

He killed my fiance too, right before attempting to take my life as well.

[On New Years too, the bastard! Naomi steadies herself as she realizes that her hands had been shaking, almost spilling its contents in the process. She clears her throat.]

He hasn't made any moves here yet though, and as far as I can tell, will not do so unless he is certain he has a reason to and is certain he can cover up his tracks easily. He is a deceiver, a manipulator, a con-artist, but he does not like getting his own hands dirty.

As long as no one suspects him of his true nature, they are safe. However, the reason I tell you this now is because I no longer think you fall into that category anymore. [Just because of that one encounter, all because of me. Misora grits her teeth at the thought.]

Okay, so I'm going to take a shot in the dark and say that we're talking about the same guy. About this tall, skinny, brown hair, kinda lofty.

[Like Misora, he's going to refrain from using names to protect her as well as himself.]

Lofty is putting it lightly. [Can you hear the utter hatred in her tone?]

You've met him before? [A pause.] I meant before I arrived.

[Sure they all acted like they never met before back at the scene of the crime, but Misora has met enough liars to last her a lifetime.]

No. I knew he was there but I hadn't formally met him until that day when Apollo was killed in his room. I mean, yeah, I saw him on the network but I didn't think anything about it.

[Now Tom's going to lay the cards on the table.]

Listen, I'm sorry I didn't tell you about the ones who killed me but I didn't want too many people involved and I really didn't know you that well then.

No, I understand.

[At least her own confession got that much out of him.]

I would be a hypocrite if I didn't admit the same.

[A pause.]

Knowing what I told you now, however, I must know. He's been putting up the act quite well since I got here except for that one momentary slip in Apollo's room, but before then, has he ever acted strangely in any way?

Not that I know of unless you count being standoffish upon arrival as part of those suspicious activities. I think we're all guilty of that.

[He pauses for a moment.]

Wait...there's this guy he talks to. I don't know much about him either but he was the one that was killed in the kitchen during the riots. Maybe it's just coincidence but I can't see how this would mean anything. Do you think that there is a connection to B's murders and Light's appearance in the Manor?

[He doubts it but it's something to start with.]

Piccolo...wait...

[Tom slips into deep thought as he uses mnemomic recall to piece together the event.]

I remember Piccolo being real upset but I thought that was a dream.

[To the "standoffish" comment, Naomi gives an laugh that came out as a childish giggle, unexpected to herself. Tom really hit it right on the dot with Yagami.

However, she quickly resumes her serious stance, contemplating herself.]

Yagami ... Kira ... B. No, he resented being compared to B. Back then in Apollo's room, I had vocally though subtly drawn a connection between the two of them, and he got the message and was clearly offended. He could never identify himself with such a crude kind of criminal. [Naomi scoffs.] That murderer never got his own hands dirty. He had some almost supernatural power to kill, the power to induce a heart attack, if that sounds familiar to you, but he has not made any such moves here yet. Apollo's death had been the first of that kind here from what we've gathered after all.

But ... he had also been a master manipulator, it's very possible that ... well if his powers doesn't work here ... No, but why would he kill? Piccolo ... Why would he kill? Neither had much explicit reasons had they? [At this point, Naomi is just muttering seemingly relevant phrases to herself, as she often does when thinking. Suddenly she snaps back into reality.]

Piccolo upset? Do you have any idea as to why?

I don't know. It's really a guess that he may have talked to someone that invited an irritation within Piccolo that could have been sparked with me as the unlucky victim. I've been bashing around the idea that maybe he, he being Piccolo, was told something that caused him to lash out. Maybe out of jealousy, maybe out of fear, maybe both, that he would lose something if I was out of the way.

My guess would be blackmail...or worse.

[He takes a moment to think a little more and takes a swig of his juice.]

If what you're saying is linked to Piccolo's murder of me, even if he kept saying he was sorry for doing it as it was happening, and Apollo's death of a heart attack, I can say with certainty that manipulation has taken place. It's now getting Piccolo to admit what happened to confirm this and that could take a long time.

Why wouldn't he admit it? Does he think you wouldn't remember who your own murderer is? If anything, naming a mastermind would make himself look better, wouldn't it?

[There's a small nod and a raised brow.]

It'll get his name clean and clear his conscious. Okay...I'll talk to him.

Glad to hear that.

[Naomi gives a sigh of relief, having finally been able to get all of the most important things she had needed to say off her chest. She's glad that Tom, too, appears to feel more open about sharing information with her now. Naomi smiles.]

Oh right, so how about that movie you mentioned earlier a few weeks back? I think we both need something to get our minds off of all these aggravations, wouldn't you say?

[Tom's eyes widen for a brief moment. He forgot which one he recommended and nods.]

Oh...yeah. I did. Um...do you remember what the title was?

Edited 2011-03-20 07:01 (UTC)

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{11th Collar} Enough's enough. [Accidental video]

[Video]

[Video]

[Video] (kiddie tom so cute xD)

[Video] (He's more popular than he thinks. :P)

[Video]

[Video]

[Video -> Private -> In Person]

[Private -> In Person]

[In Person]

[In Person]

Re: [In Person]

[In Person]

Re: [In Person] - aaaaaaaand we're back! xD

[In Person] Woohoo!!

[In Person] Nice icons dood xD

[In Person] Thanks!! And next is Jack to get a new set. XD

[In Person]

[In Person]

[In Person]

[In Person]

[In Person]

[In Person]

[In Person]

[In Person]

[In Person]

[In Person]

[In Person]

[In Person]

[In Person] - in which they piece together the puzzle by pulling random logic outta thin air!

[In Person] Hey, it's gotta start somewhere. XD

[In Person]

[In Person]

[In Person] - Whoo! Finally concluded this part of the mess xD

[In Person] YAY!!!