#like strangers to you probably not since its dangerous and crime rates and stuff but the general love and care dynamics are so different

[woahajimes]

i feel such an incredibly frustriating yearn

[essekknits]

Could you write something about Benlives AU, Juno asking for Bens help and Ben meeting the crime crew?

Aaaaaa I love this yes thank you!!!

It’s been months since Benzaiten saw his twin. Juno didn’t tell him where he’s going, just that he’s leaving this miserable city behind. And he was happy for him! He really was. Juno’s been depressed for a long time, killing himself for the city they grew up in, the city that sure didn’t take it easy on the two of them, and most of all on Juno.

So even after almost losing him twice in the span of a single year, Benzaiten let go. They weren’t codependent by any means, never. They were very close, and were each other’s support for many, many years and through many, many nightmare scenarios, but they each had their own life. That didn’t mean, of course, that he didn’t really miss his brother.

He was in his studio, idly dancing a routine he wanted to teach his students in the advanced class of his Oldtown program. His idea, teaching a few classes for free in Oldtown to get kids away from their shitty situation, was working pretty well.

“That’s a nice one, Benten.” A quiet voice came from the door, making Ben lose his balance as he turned to look at the source. Just as he thought, Juno was standing at the door, and... he wasn’t looking good. He was covered with what Ben has long learned to identify as sewer sludge, and his singed coat was seeping blood from an array of cuts. That were still bleeding.

“Juno, what the hell happened to you?” He rushed to his brother’s side, eyeing him with a too familiar gaze, like he always did when they were still kids, and Juno would always get in fights with people bigger and meaner than him.

“Got into a fight. Long story. Do you still keep first aid supplies stocked in the studio?” Juno leaned on the wall, eyes exhausted but ultimately relieved.

“Of course. Stay here, I’ll get it and patch you up.” Ben started leaving, but Juno grabbed his arm. He didn’t mind the sludge, but he did mind his twin’s weakened grip. He was clearly exhausted.

“No time. There’s... I need to get back to the group. People got hurt. Our medic’s unconscious and we’re out of supplies on hand.” Juno swallowed, still heavily leaning on the wall. Benzaiten looked at him briefly, questions whirling through his brain, before nodding. “Alright. I’m coming with you.”

“You can’t, Ben, we-“ Benten didn’t even let him finish.

“If you’re the here, and you’re alone, it means you’re probably the least hurt one in the group, or one of the least hurt, at least. You’re not in any state to patch others up right now, not without being treated first. I’m healthy, I know how to do this pretty well, and I’m going, Super Steel. No questions.” He took his large first aid kit on one shoulder, and stood in front of his brother, who started leading the way.

~~~

“I’ve been concussed many times before, but I don’t believe this is the meaning of seeing doubles.” Jet said as he saw two figures approach, looking relatively similar. Juno Steel was leaning on a leaner, less scarred man who looked a lot like him.

“Yeah, you’re welcome, big guy.” Juno grunted, stepping away from the other man and approaching them. The stranger rolled his eyes, and Jet could understand his feelings perfectly. He appeared very familiar with Juno’s antics.

“Sorry about him. I’m Benzaiten. Call me Ben.” He reached his hand for a handshake. Jet liked him. He shook his hand as best he could while he was holding Vespa’s head in his lap. She was unconscious, her legs as broken, and she was bleeding from multiple blaster and knife wounds, but not too much. She will be fine.

“I am Jet. You seem quite familiar with Juno’s behaviour.” He observed neutrally as Ben dug through the bag. The younger man laughed heartily.

“You can say that. We’re twins. If anyone knows Juno’s bullshit, it’s me. I’ve been dealing with him for forty years.” He took out a bone knitting injection.

“Ha, ha. Don’t get me started on the stuff I had to deal with from you.” Juno mumbled, wiping his mouth from the blood he was spitting out. Ben frowned with concern, before administering the injection into Vespa’s thigh through her jeans. He looked like he knows what he’s doing. Juno kneeled next to them now, swaying side to side. He didn’t look very well, and if he was being honest, neither was Jet.

“I tend to believe him, Juno. You do get into quite a lot of trouble.” Jet kept his voice neutral, knowing it might rile Juno up, but feeling the need to be completely fair. Also, he did enjoy the harmless teasing.

“Let’s just get everyone bandaged and go.” Juno just sounded tired as he pulled disinfectant from the bag and went to Jet’s other side as Ben worked on Vespa’s wounds with a frown on his face. Once Vespa was bandaged, Ben looked at Juno severely.

“Okay, now show it.” He crosses his arms.

“Show what?” Juno asked, finishing the bandaging on Jet’s arm.

“Whatever injury you hid from everyone like the heroic idiot you are. I thought we’ve been over this, you have to look after yourself.” Benzaiten said, rushing to his brother’s side just as his knees started to buckle from under him.

“For the record, it wouldn’t have mattered. I’m still in better shape than those two combined.” He grumbled, letting Ben see the blaster graze to the side of his stomach.

“Yeah, right, Super Steel. Now sit down and let me check this. You’re going to need stitching.” He said, beginning to work through the process of cleaning the wounds.

As soon as everyone was stitched, Jet wanted to go back to the rendezvous point they agreed on before the mission. But he knew that he wouldn’t be able to both carry Vespa and support Juno.

“I’ll help you get them there.” Benzaiten said quietly. “Whatever you all are doing, I bet it’s illegal. I also bet it’s dangerous. I get that it’s dangerous to trust other people, but... there’s no way I’m rating you out. Not when I know how much Juno cares about you, and not in general.” He promised, looking up at Jet’s eyes. He considered for a moment, weighing the pros and cons of it all, then nodded.

“Very well. We must proceed carefully then.” He started leading the way for the ship, using the map on his comms. He called Rita, informing her of their situation. She updated him on the situation of everyone on the ship as well. They were all relatively unharmed. He was relieved. The trip down the sewers was relatively quiet, besides Benzaiten’s humming.

~~~

“Mistah Ben! Whatcha doin here?” Ben was surprised to see Rita near the ship. He smiled, waving at her.

“Hi Rita, long time no see. Gotta say I’m not too surprised you’re here. Juno wouldn’t have survived a day without you, probably.” He laughed, getting elbowed in the ribs by his brother who was leaning on him.

“Jet, darling, do you mind getting Vespa to the infirmary? Thank you dear. Now, welcome. I’m Buddy, and I’m the captain of this ship.” A tall redhead woman walked forward, hair covering a half of her face. She reached out a hand for a handshake.

“Benzaiten Steel. Nice to meet you. Can’t say Juno told me anything about you, but...” Ben smiled, trying to be polite and friendly.

“He better not. But now that you’re here... how about we get your brother into the infirmary and then we talk?” She asked, a weary smile on her face as she took some of Juno’s weight off his shoulder.

“You’re both overreacting, I’m fine.” Juno groaned, doing his best to support his own weight. Buddy rolled her eyes.

“Hush darling, you’re going to the infirmary until you can actually stand on both legs. If Vespa was awake she would’ve already knocked you up herself, and I will not hesitate to do the same.” She said with a fond smile, and Ben laughed. He should’ve tensed. He should feel his skin crawling with the insinuation of this woman hurting his brother. He should want to grab Juno and hide somewhere small and dark like they did so many times as kids and like he still never fully forgot.

But he didn’t. Because she wasn’t threatening him. No, she was being kind and considerate. Careful not to act intimidating or move sharply. Juno didn’t even flinch, and he was much more sensitive to the implicit threats in interactions. The realisation dawned on him that she’s acting like a mother might’ve acted. Like their ma never did.

Once Juno was safely deposited in the infirmary (manned by one Peter Ransom, who Benten noticed looked extremely concerned about Juno), Buddy lead him out to what seemed to be the common room of the ship.

“Thank you for your help, Benzaiten. I appreciate what you did for my family.” She said, pouring two glasses of a drink which was unfamiliar to Ben, but smelled distinctly alcoholic. She pushed one glass toward him.

“Sorry, I don’t drink.” He apologised, pushing it right back. He quit when he was fourteen, and tried his best not to return to old habits. He almost did at nineteen, after his near death experience, but he held strong. “But... really, it’s no problem. You looked really concerned about that woman... Vespa, right? I think Jet mentioned her name. She’s going to be okay. I’ve seen weaker people come back from worse.” He tried to offer encouragement. Buddy shook her head with a smile.

“I know that, darling. My Vespa’s been through much worse and bounced back, and both Jet and Juno are very capable, but there’s always a few when you know your family is in danger and you aren’t there to help.” Her voice was deep and soft, lulling Ben into a sense of security. A realisation hit him, shocking in its strength.

“You consider Juno part of your family too.” He looked at her, stunned, and she let out a low chuckle.

“Well of course. All the people on this ship are my family. We live together, we work together, we protect each other and care for each other. In my opinion, that is the essence of what family is.” She leaned forward, confident and comfortable, like a queen on her throne.

“This... I bet he doesn’t say that, but this has to mean a lot for Juno. We never had much family growing up except for each other, so this... this is huge. Thank you. For being his family.” He looked away, a soft smile still on his face. It looked sad.

“It’s not a problem at all, darling. You’re also welcome to see yourself as part of this family. I assume you wouldn’t stay, but my family’s family is my own.” She offered him a hand again, and he hesitated before shaking it firmly. “Welcome to the family.”

[lore-a-lie]

Chapter 3, Act 2: From the Diary of a Fly on the Wall

Daily Life

Kaede was feeling much better the next day at the dining hall. She felt a little bad that she hadn’t told Gonta about the flashback light Kaito and Ryoma had found, but it wouldn’t take long to explain. It wasn’t like she was really in the mood to have seen the memories either, after getting what she needed to hear out of Korekiyo, so she was glad Angie and Tenko pushed for them to wait a day.

It was really fucked up, don’t get her wrong. But assuming he was being honest, and he hardly seemed to have a reason to lie with how he kept trying to set her off to see what she’d do, she had her closure.

Not that it made seeing him any easier, as Korekiyo was still one of the first people there along with Kaito and Ryoma. It looked like they were taking over for Gonta right now, since he wasn’t here yet. Neither was Kokichi for that matter. Odd that she hadn’t seen him at all today. Unless he was trying to avoid her.

“Ey, Kaede! Bright and early again I see,” Kaito said, beaming like he normally did as he encouraged her to take a seat by Ryoma. However given his current company his chipper mood was returned with a poorly disguised facepalm by his short companion and a dark glower from his supposed ward.

Seeing such a harsh contrast Kaede couldn’t help but weakly giggle a bit as she sat in the open chair. She was pretty sure Ryoma was giving Kaito a glare, but she couldn’t really tell from this angle without making it obvious she was staring. Probably because of how close it put her to Korekiyo, and rightly so.

I mean I don’t really know how I should be reacting to this either. If they still see me shaken they might lose faith in my ability to lead or make decisions, and if I’m too openly angry or spiteful that might be considered as me being too biased against him or risk someone killing him and lead to a trial. But on the other hand if they wanted me to be more decisive about him I might be seen as too soft right now.

“I could say the same to you. Anything going on?” she asked, trying to avoid looking Korekiyo as much as she could to help keep herself calm. Which was made harder by him being the first to answer.

“You mean aside from there being a thief among us?”

“According the serial killer.” Ryoma quickly brushed him off.

“Why should that matter? Items are missing from my lab and you can’t deny that! Besides, last I checked that applies to both of us and only you earned a tabloid name for it.” (Boy he’s heated over this. Good.)

“What about “Ladykiller”?” Kaito jokingly suggested, also ignoring the possibly more serious subject.

“... That was not a request to be given one. Do try to learn some tact. You’re worse than Kibo.” With the exasperation in Korekiyo’s tone, he was probably gesturing to her to prove his point. Not that Kaede risked looking at him to know for sure.

Though as if to remind her what kind of people she was still dealing with, Korekiyo ended up derailing his own train of thought with another tabloid tangent. “Why must they all have “Killer” in them anyway? Considering our own “Killer Tennis” and how “ Kirakira ” sounds like “Killer-killer”. Though at least we aren’t misusing the word “Genocide” again, like the Genocide Jack fiasco. How could anyone  ever think that was a decent name for a possibly female murderer, given her choice of victims, is beyond me.”

“ENOUGH PLEASE! Do we know the objects being missing means they’ve been stolen? I mean if someone’s watching this game then maybe Monokuma’s meant to take away pieces of evidence so they can’t be used in later cases. You know, to keep later murders from being too similar to the others and keep things interesting?” (God I hope he buys this. I mean if stuff related to crimes is going missing and it isn’t Monokuma it’s probably Kokichi’s handiwork. Or it could just be him tormenting Korekiyo.)

“I didn’t say the relics that are no longer present were ones related to any of the murders from before.” His tone sounded like he was suspicious of how Kaede knew that. But as far as she knew she did nothing wrong so she swallowed and tried to keep her voice level as she explained herself best she could.

“Sorry, I was just guessing. I mean I saw that the katana was still missing from its sheath before and I wasn’t sure I saw that mask back in its case when I stopped by yesterday. What else is missing then?”

“You did what?” Ryoma seemed shaken by that admission. But even though the question was probably directed at her it was Korekiyo he turned to glare daggers at.

“Yes, she visited to give Gonta some more “pleasant” company. Likely to make sure I hadn’t bored him to death with my old books. Nothing you need to worry about, Ryoma.” Korekiyo lied as easily as breathing, and Kaede had no reason to want to correct him. It’d only upset Ryoma and Kaito more, she was sure. He turned to face her as he addressed her question. “Your guess was largely correct, however I’m not sure if the book I was going to use for the would-be seance murder should’ve counted as evidence in that case. However this theory does seem fairly plausible otherwise, as the syringe and other supplies related to Himiko’s death haven’t been returned to Miu’s lab either last I checked.” (KOKICHI LIVES ANOTHER DAY!)

“Aww, Gonta if you were that lonely you could have just locked Kiyo up in there and hung out with me~” Kokichi’s teasing drawl came from the hallway doors, and Gonta stood by his side, looking troubled at the group. They must have overheard, but if Kokichi picked up on Korekiyo’s lie he was content to let it slide. Gonta didn’t point it out either for whatever reason as he took to sitting on Korekiyo’s other side as Kokichi took to Kaede’s.

“Gonta sorry he late! He forget Kiyo also get up early, and Kokichi wanted to teach Gonta about-”

“Not talking to strangers in weird creepy masks!” Kokichi pointedly cut him off as he pointed at Korekiyo and gave him an exaggerated glare, getting only a skeptical look in return. But Korekiyo chose to play along with the obvious lie, as if returning the favor of Kokichi not calling his own out.

“I may be strange, but is it still right to treat me as a stranger? We all knew each other too well for that sort of false distance yes?”

“Gonta pretty sure Kokichi right if Kiyo treats bugs as candy.” (WHAT?! EW, NO! NO. NONONONO. No.)

“Reptites don’t? That’s a surprise, I’d figure they’d have at least one similar recipe considering how many “ethnic” sweets may go into such territories. But not to worry. I wouldn’t dare touch any of your beloved specimens for such a petty treat I promise. No matter how well candied crickets would go with my tea.”

“WHAT THE FUCK, I WAS LYING TO HIM! I mean, it’s not like I haven’t used licensed candies like that for some pranks, but seriously? Whyyyyyy?” Kokichi whined and flailed about, which seemed to help keep Gonta from having a clear shot at Korekiyo if the gentle giant lost his temper. But aside from some breathing exercises and tensing on his part Gonta took the news pretty well! (What a shame.)

“Beggars can’t be choosers when looking into other cultures, and as said they can be quite tasty.”

“Not when people are eating please!” Kaede complained, and possibly a bit too loudly at that.

“ARE YOU BULLYING KAEDE OVER THERE?! Kaede I’m sooo sorry, I had no idea I had left you alone with these immature ruffians!... And Gonta.” (... Did she just- Is she making an exception for Gonta? YES!)

Tenko was quick to run to Kaede’s side to give her an overblown hug as she looked at the boys as if they had done something horrible to her. Tsumugi and Angie were a ways behind her, along with a… pigeon?

It was definitely a pigeon that flew by and sat itself on Tenko’s head, and since she wasn’t overreacting to this Kaede could only assume this was some sort of normal. (One of Himiko’s doves maybe? I haven’t seen any lately. Not since the party come to think of it- ACK, that was days ago! Oh dear, are they okay?)

“Yup, yup! We’re sorry, so sorry, Angie just wanted to try swimming with Himiko’s fishies during feeding time! They enjoy Tenko’s daily blood sacrifices nearly as much as Atua does, so cute~”

“Please stop calling Himiko’s piranha “fishies” Angie, it really downplays how dangerous that could be!” Tsumugi scolded, still obviously distressed by whatever had happened in the dojo.

“It’s fine, it’s fine~ Nothing to worry about!”

“Tenko’s going to make a swear jar for you misusing that phrase at this rate.”

“Can we make one for all the third-person people too? OH, or how about catchphrases, like Ryoma’s?”

“Pretty sure your “it’s a lie” spiel should count enough too if you wanna go there kid.”

“Or it could merely be a genuine swear jar. Kaito would end up paying handsomely for that I imagine.”

“H-hey, come on dude don’t be like that. How’d you like it if we went with a purple prose penalty, huh?”

“Gonta not sure what that mean, but if it make Kiyo talk simple Gonta support it!” (Get back on topic!)

“Knock it off you guys, it’s not like money even really matters if we don’t bring it up. But I didn’t know Tenko was taking care of Himiko’s pets, why didn’t you say anything? I could help sometime if you want.”

“Didn’t I tell you? I guess that was just a student council thing, when I was asking if we could take out the pool’s chlorine thingies so Himiko’s fish could have some more room to swim around. But if you want to help there is something I was going to ask you girls! … And guys, if you agree to take things seriously.” (...I’m sorry what was that? Come on Tenko, I mean I know you can’t use the pool but why would you try to ruin that for the rest of us too?! Even if the water level looks way too low for normal swimming.)

“Kibo isn’t here and Kokichi is so I’m not sure we can honestly say we all will. But go on, shoot.” Ryoma deadpanned with a smirk, to which Kaito jokingly hit him in the shoulder in response to that verbal jab.

“This dove’s been pretty chummy with me for a while now, but I don’t really know what to name her. And before you ask yes I know for sure it’s the same bird! I even gave her a little tag on her foot, see?”

The bird in question did have a little red tie on her left leg, as she hopped from Tenko’s head to her hand at the girl’s prompting to aid in this display. As she began pecking at said tie a moment later, despite Tenko’s attempts to convince her to leave it be, it didn’t look like she was too keen on keeping it though.

“Gonta going to ask how Tenko knows it a girl bird. Birds hard to tell, if boy birds aren’t pretty colors or girl birds aren’t really big. Harder than bugs sometimes, and bugs no always have boys or girls at all.”

“What are you talking about, just look at this face! Of course she’s a girl dove!” (I don’t think that’s how this works.)

“Well what about “Himiko”? She’s probably heard the name enough to recognize it at least, right?”

“I’m not sure I’d be comfortable with that. Like maybe “Yumeno” or “Yumeko” would work, but not just “Himiko”. Not yet.”

“Right, sorry Tenko.”

“Not to worry! Thank you very much for your suggestion Kaede, it was really nice. Maybe that’d work for another bird, later. Like a… sleepy one, or something.”

“Well, if we’re starting this off with dead name suggestions why not we go with the most innocent victim of all: Hedwig!”

“Hey, watch your spoilers Kokichi! And that’s too soon…”

“Oh my god Tsumugi that was years ago, get over it already!”

“You do realize she was named for the patron saint of orphans yes? It really isn’t fitting for this at all.”

“Definitely not using it then. I don’t even know what show you all are talking about.”

“Okay, so something more light-hearted and fitting… How about “Oko-san”? I mean yeah he was a fantail, but out of everybirdie he looks the most like her and that name should be gender neutral enough.”

“I’d prefer not naming her after some degenerate bird if I can help it, but that could work! If nothing better comes up I’ll consider it. Thanks, Tsumugi!”

“If a feminine name is needed how about “Inanna”? After the Sumerian goddess of the many aspects of both love and war, due to her association with doves. I think invoking her suits you.”

“... That’s actually kinda pretty but I hate you so no.” (Thanks for that Tenko, I hope he’s disappointed.)

“Well, there was no harm in trying. You did ask for at least one of us to take your dilemma seriously.”

“H-hey we can take this seriously too! How’s about “John Coo”?”

Some distinct groans came from Tsumugi and Kokichi upon hearing it, but Kaede didn’t get the joke. Tenko did at the very least, but she also didn’t seem to appreciate Kaito’s suggestion. Ryoma however looked like he was very valiantly trying to keep himself from laughing, with the weird grin he was making.

“What, no! I just said she was a girl dove you degenerate male!”

“Um, why’s everyone groaning?”

“A bad pun I assume?”

“Seriously Kiyo? I mean a girl not getting it is one thing but what sort of man doesn’t know John Woo!?”

“And that would be?” Kaede tried to push for an actual explanation.

“That action director guy with the weird pigeon fetish!” Kokichi chimed.

“Then that would be the sort of person who doesn’t enjoy such exhausting displays of overstimulation. And here I thought such a description was limited to Tesla.”

As Kaito and Tenko were distracted arguing Gonta made a sort of chirping to get the bird to come over to him. With the small white dove perched on his finger he made another series of coos at it, to which it seemed to be responding. (I guess he really can talk to animals, huh?)

“Uh, Tenko? Birdie say she like the name John Coo.”

“Well there we have it, John Coo it is! Of course she’d like the name given to her by the Luminary of the Stars!”

“I said no!”

“Aww, I was kinda hoping that she’d at least insist on being called “Miss” John Coo or something.” Tsumugi mumbled to herself. Kaede wasn’t sure how a pigeon could really “insist” on that though.

Ryoma had apparently worked his way through his laughter for now and was the very picture of serious as he gave his two cents on the subject. “Any good pet parent would know to respect her wishes. John Coo is a lovely young lady and this should be her decision to make, not yours.”

“But it’s dumb!”

“Don’t say that in front of her Tenko, you’ll hurt her self-esteem. This is a delicate time in her life and John Coo needs you to support her right now.”

“HOW CAN YOU SAY ALL OF THIS WITH A STRAIGHT FACE RYOMA!?” (Pfft. Of course our only decent gambler has the best poker face. How can he do that over something so silly?)

“Easier for me than you I’m sure.” He replied with a wink and one of the most self-satisfied smiles Kaede has ever seen on his face. She, Tsumugi, Kiyo, and Kaito were all obviously trying to hide their laughter, as opposed to Angie and Kokichi who dissolved into a pair of giggling idiots. Gonta didn’t seem it get it.

“... You’re all horrible and Tenko wants you to know she hates you.” Tenko grumbled. (I can live with this.)

“Nyahahaha, that’s okay because John Coo still loves us! Just like Atua, John Coo is too pure to judge~”

“Only because she’s a bit... slow.”

“Just like both of her mommies!”

“I WILL END YOU KOKICHI-”

“Uh, am I interrupting something?” Kibo’s voice came from the door, looking ready to walk back out of it if the answer was “yes”. Tenko took the opportunity to gather herself and sit back down, with John Coo flitting back to her which helped calm her down.

“Nope, you just missed the christening of John Coo the lovey dovey. Say “Hi” John.” Kokichi chimed, and John did actually give a coo at the command. Or it may have been her attempt to complete her name, if that’s how a pigeon could insist on that. Tenko still seemed sour about it all as she pet the little dove.

“I… See. Sorry if you were waiting for me to use the flashback light. We are actually using it right Angie?”

“I guess… Atua still disagrees with this though.”

“Wait, no one tell Gonta flashback light found yesterday! Why no one get him or Kiyo?” (Because of me.)

“After the mess with the last video we decided to give a delay before we all see this one together again. Since not everyone thinks we should use them, but things could get difficult if we learn something big,” Kaede summed up best she could. No one appeared to have much to add to her explanation, and while Korekiyo understood why the knowledge gap could become a problem Gonta looked a bit confused.

“In case it becomes relevant the last video indicated we all may have been part of the same school, despite us all now having the uniforms from whatever highschool we attended before then. There may also be some sort of government program we tried to hide from, which was why we saw that funeral.” Korekiyo supplied, which made enough sense to Gonta that he didn’t look nearly as lost anymore. Angie and Kibo were more troubled by this information, but Tsumugi and Tenko accepted it without question.

And so, despite the concerns against it, Kaede took the light from her backpack and thumbed the switch.

Again she became nearly overwhelmed by the sense of vertigo with the world warping itself around her. But this time the onslaught of memories it unlocked within her were far from pleasant or comforting. It was like the motive videos all over again.

Meteorites had plagued the world, and led to a significant amount of damage to her hometown. The chaos and sense of end times it caused so many people to feel, as if the sky was literally falling around them. How could she have ever forgotten something this important? Or anyone else for that matter.

This explained the state her house was in though. She and her family had left it long before her kidnapping, so of course it would be a mess now. And this fit Kaito’s “natural disaster” theory from before too, for how so many people could be facing some horrible future outside of these walls at the same time.

It sounded like everyone’s experiences were a little different with this batch of memories, unlike before.

The only one who really seemed to have been in a similar situation to her own was Tsumugi, whose hometown also suffered greatly and had been faced with similar fatalistic groups causing havoc. Not that they were they were the only ones who remembered the cults with their flyers declaring that “mankind deserves damnation” and the other violent gangs that sprang out; Kaito and Kibo clearly saw those too.

As Kibo explained his it sounded like he and his professor were rather protected from the event itself, as he remembered more of the news reports and Internet buzz about them than the actual impacts. Tenko and Gonta seemed similarly disconnected, as they had also only heard about the civil unrest it caused.

Angie’s people were mostly faced with rising waters caused by the meteor impacts, which had led to her being sent to Japan as she could recall, but she couldn’t quite grasp why yet. Korekiyo offhandedly mentioned the madness everyone was facing could be part of why he could get away with killing as many girls as he did, as many people had gone missing, but when pressed he only admitted the number was greater than ninety.

He did also remember that the meteorites seemed to have been the cause of a deadly new disease that sprang up. He had encountered it in his travels rather often too, but never showed any symptoms himself. His sister wasn’t so lucky, and that was what had caused her to cough blood when they saw her film before.

It was hard to tell who was more distressed by this particular addition, Kaito or Korekiyo, but only the latter gave them an explanation for why as he tried to keep himself from having another panic attack.

Apparently her doctors couldn’t be sure if she had caught it on her own or if he unintentionally served as an asymptomatic carrier. He was confirmed to have been conventionally immune to the disease, but that was no comfort if it meant he might have been the cause of his sister’s untimely death.

Ryoma suspected a similar immunity may also have been why his prison let him out early, if only to use him as a means to help others through this calamity, considering it a form of “community service”. Tenko and her master also helped out wherever they could, but she didn’t seem as sure whether some of the “degenerates” they fought in the name of justice she remembered were parts of any larger movements.

Gonta also remembered there was a scientist who claimed that, based on a similar event happening millions of years ago, if nothing could be done all life on earth could be wiped out in an event worse than the end of the dinosaurs. Ironic considering he was raised by some of the few surviving descendants of that time.

Kaito was the first to remember the plan that was humanity’s last hope. The “Gofer Project”. With an “f”, as in the trees used for Noah’s ark, rather than the animal as Korekiyo pointed out, as it unsettled him. Like even with all the countries of the world working together they wouldn’t be able to save many from the metaphorical “flood” they were being faced with. (Of course, he’d worry more about the cultures that could be lost. Not the actual people or animals that could die or go extinct in that. The heartless bastard.)

Not that it mattered how many they were hoping to protect, if Kokichi’s memories about it “failing” somehow were true. But no one else seemed to have memories that elaborated on that.

“... What if that’s the project we were hiding from before? From the previous memory.” Ryoma asked, as no one else provided any theories for it.

“Hmm, maybe! Maybe it wasn’t really a school uniform you saw everyone in back then either.” Angie said, still smiling like she didn’t have a care in the world despite everything.

“No, it was definitely a school’s since it had an emblem on the blazers and everything. I don’t think people would waste the resources on making a uniform for this sort of thing anyway. And how else would we explain why we’re all around the same age?” Kaede replied.

“What if Angie was right before then? About why we should stay in here instead of focusing on the “outside world”. I mean this could be part of the Gofer Project right? So being here’s a good thing. Especially if we’re all here because we’re “immune”, since Kiyo hasn’t made any of us sick yet!”  As Tenko spoke about their possible immunity, Korekiyo looked over at Kaito rather specifically for some reason.

Kaede probably wouldn’t have noticed when it happened, since Korekiyo was still recovering from his panic attack, if not for how Kaito went out of his way to avoid making eye contact with him. She had no idea what this could mean though, since Kaito wasn’t acting too differently otherwise.

“Hmmm, I wouldn’t really say that. Though I suppose you missed most of the “dude eats bugs” thing.” Kokichi’s attempt at a horrible joke was enough to pull Korekiyo from his thoughts, much to Kaito’s relief.

Not that his new thoughts were better. “If you value your life I would refrain from making jest of this.”

“H-hey I thought you said you wouldn’t kill me! ‘Cause I’m a guy.”

“... True. Though it will be more difficult trying to keep things from turning fatal with our lack of medical supplies. Even when the warehouse was open Kaito was right in pointing out so many things we lack.”

“Y-yeah, which is also why this probably can’t be that government project anyway! No matter how much they had to rush they wouldn’t forget to install something that important in here, especially not with the risk of a disease mutating into something we wouldn’t be immune to anymore. Assuming we really are.” Kaito exclaimed, but Korekiyo started giving him an odd look again when the disease came up. (Why?)

“O-oh, yeah that’s a good point.” Tsumugi began, before mumbling “Didn’t really think about that,” mostly to herself again. After calming down enough to stop her stuttering she had a new thought. “But without someone who really knows about that sort of stuff would facilities like that matter anyway?”

“I dunno, I mean things are pretty high tech. Who knows what science can do if they can make Exisals. Maybe we don’t have med stuff ‘cause they injected us with nanomachines to keep us healthy. Or maybe these “flashback lights” aren’t exactly what they say on the tin.” Kokichi suggested as if trying to make the rest of us catch up to him.

“What are you talking about this time Kokichi? I will not appreciate being “trolled” by you again.” Kibo warily complained.

“Sure is convenient how none of us have ANY idea about what we “remember” with these lights before they’re triggered, huh? Kinda like how the motive videos triggered something in Kirumi and Kiyo in a way that was super convenient for keeping a killing game going for as long as they were still in it, riiiight?”

“W-well, of course, they were “motive” videos after all-” Kibo started again before Kokichi cut him off.

“And yet, both of these things came from the same source, didn’t they?”

“Atua agrees that He thinks these lights may be doing us more harm than good! Angie’s not really sure if He means brainwashing though. It could just be undoing some type of hypnosis, and if it is than it only shows us what we all had to agree to have suppressed in the first place.”

“Oh yeah, Himiko told us during our sleepover! Hypnosis only works on people who want it to work and don’t really object to what they’re being asked to do anyway. But… Does this mean we shouldn't use them anymore? I mean they still are our only clues to get out of here right? If we all still really want to.”

“Right. Besides, we can’t really prove any memories are wrong yet,” Kaede said.  “Most of them seem to line up well enough, and if this isn’t related to the Gofer Project there could be a reason for the missing medbay. These still seem to be a risk that’s worth taking for us to find out what’s going on and get out.”

Tenko seemed convinced by Kaede’s reasoning, but Angie and Tsumugi still seemed a bit wary of the idea. No one else expressed any explicit objections though, not even Kokichi who cast doubt on them at all. (Guess he’s just expressing some paranoia? Or maybe he was just lying about that for some reason?)

“It does make sense to use a place that doesn’t have any means to help save lives for a killing game, doesn’t it? No reason to base a project meant to “save humanity” on a prison school anyway. This killing game could be all this was built for, for all we know. It’d explain the death road too.” Ryoma pointed out, the unpleasant reminder never letting him forget the school’s unusual design for long. It was all too easy for the rest of them to overlook it over time, that even Kaede stopping being as aware of it at points.

“True. No sane designer of anything would make something that difficult to get through, not to mention the many codes and regulations it intentionally breaks. It’s clearly made to keep those on the inside from escaping, based on the false “Cleared” message we found. It wouldn’t read right going the other way.”  Kibo said, looking bothered but contemplative.

“So… We still no know much?”

“Well, we do maybe have a better idea of what the world’s like outside. That’s a start, ain’t it big guy? Things can’t be as bad as they looked though, since this place hasn’t felt any impacts or anything! And look at all the plants still growin’ in here, that scientist probably just exaggerated things so folks would really know to prepare for the worst. Better set positive expectations low than high right?” Kaito said to try and cheer Gonta, and everyone else, the best he could.

“I doubt the greenery we see here does genuinely reflect outdoor conditions, as the environment was made to at least support us so by extension plant-life would also be capable of thriving. We haven’t ruled out this being a sealed space yet, like an underwater facility, despite how old it seems to be.”

“Well as I doubt anything more can be gained from this I will be heading to the computer lab if anyone needs me.” Kibo excused himself, and everyone else began to part ways.

Kaede made her way to the fifth floor with Kokichi and Ryoma in tow, intending to visit Shuichi’s lab again. Tsumugi wasn’t the only other person heading that way though this time.

“Gonta going to take Kiyo to see 5th floor, since we no saw it yesterday, okay?”

“Oh, that’ll be great! I can show you my lab now, so if there’s any sort of outfit you’d like me to make you I can definitely do it now. I’m pretty sure even a plain ol’ tux would suit you, mask or no mask.”

“Huh, really? Yes, Gonta like that idea! Many gentlemen have tuxedos. And fancy hats and masks.”

“Do you want to come Kaede? I nearly finished that pair of slacks you asked for~” (As long as HE stays far away from me and keeps quiet for once in his miserable life. I can’t just say no, that’d be ungrateful.)

“Sure, I can stop by! I was just going up there anyway to look into Shuichi’s lab again.”

“For the record Gonta, under no circumstances is Kiyo allowed in that room, got it?” Ryoma glared at Korekiyo as if to emphasize his point. But it was hard to say if he was just saying that or threatening him.

“Oh? Whatever for? And I was so looking forward to seeing if it also invoked victorian era design in much the same way Kirumi’s lab did, given the proliferation of murder mystery series set in that period.” (Because murderer or not he deserves better and why the hell would any of us trust you in his lab now?!)

“Hm… It okay for Kiyo to just look in then? No need to go in room to see that, right?”

“Fineeee, I guess I’ll keep it open for that long.”

“You’ll keep it open? What do you mean?”

“Ah, right you both bailed before Monokuma gave his spiel. Apparently if a student dies before their lab is open, like Shuichi, the lab’s supposed to remain locked. Lucky for us, the way they are locked can still be picked open, so I’m your handy dandy gatekeeper now! Since I always pick it back shut to be safe.”

“What about Rantaro’s lab? Gonta thought it be up there too.”

“Maybe, if it’s behind that big ol’ door thingy, but there’s no way to open that yet. Believe me, we tried.”

Gonta looked confused again by his mistake, but quickly got sucked into Kokichi’s ramblings so it didn’t bother him for long. It was about that point that Tsumugi seemed to realize that by inviting Gonta into her lab Korekiyo would end up being with them as well, as she started nervously glancing between him and Kaede.

In an effort to help ease her mind Kaede tried racking her brain for shows she watched as a kid to find an anime Tsumugi could use as a launching point for her own rants but was coming up empty. Ryoma had better luck with “Prince of Tennis”, and having something to talk about seemed to do the trick.

Apparently he read a lot of series like that back when he still played, and Tsumugi got particularly enthralled by his admission about basing some of his moves off of ones the heroes would use in their works. “Bringing the fiction he loved to life in his own way” as she put it, much like her own passion.

But then she started talking about something called “shunpo” and lost him too, not that she noticed.

When they got to their desired floor Kokichi and Ryoma broke off to go to the Ultimate Detective’s lab like they originally planned and the rest followed Tsumugi.

Gonta and Korekiyo were taken aback by just how big it turned out to be, before Tsumugi led the entomologist to her sewing station and Korekiyo went to look into some of her established sets.

With a flourish she showed off to Kaede the “rule 63 slacks” she designed, whatever that meant. They were nice though! When Kaede tried them on in one of the changing areas they fit well, despite barely giving Tsumugi any really reliable measurements, and while they were different they still suited her.

The color wasn’t too unlike her normal skirts, but instead of music notes they had a bar of piano keys running up either side, adding a bit more black and white to the look. At closer inspection the plum color was pinstriped with the color of her socks, which Kaede tried to ignore as it reminded her of Shuichi, and the bars actually had all 88 keys, 52 white and 36 black, instead of just being a pattern for pattern’s sake.

And now I won’t need to worry about flashing anyone if I need to be more active than usual! Or just walk up stairs or ladders like what happened with Shuichi before. Wait… this means I don’t have any more training excuses either. Oh well. Maybe situps are easier than push-ups? This is gonna suuuuck.

“Thank you Tsumugi, I love it! I hope you don’t mind if I don’t wear them all the time though.”

“Not at all, I’m used to making things people may only use a handful of times! But making “original” stuff is like this is a weird feeling. But so’s my lab having a set focus over a sewing one at all, so it’s plain to see I just gotta get used to it. It’s a shame it opened so late, this would have been great for the talent show.”

“The nature of these sets also strikes me as odd, would you truly need these? The bar for example isn’t terribly unlike the one that already exists in the casino. Even the false labels on the bottles are all the same, and this is supposed to be a high school setting we are in, is it not?” (Okay, so I can leave now! I just need to keep it from being too obvious, so Tsumugi doesn’t feel offended. I need a good moment.)

“W-well, the ones I have here should be non-alcoholic so that isn’t really against any laws I think? Besides, that set there is a lot more like one of my part-time jobs so it’s kinda comforting to have.”

“Why Tsumugi work at bar?! Alcohol bad for young people! Shouldn’t let young lady in. It dangerous.”

“Cosplaying’s expensive work, especially if you want to work with the best materials. Girl’s gotta make a living somehow, you know? It’s not like I’m the only one here who may have faked an ID or two anyway. Kaito pulled something similar for his astronaut test stuff right? And who knows about Kokichi.”

“With how unkind either genetics or puberty has been to him one of those could be how he got here.” Korekiyo suggested, probably as a joke given the look in his eyes. Or at least she hoped that’s all it was.

“Hey, Kokichi looks like he could really be 15 at least.” Kaede said as Korekiyo simply chucked. “... Okay, maybe not much older than that, unless he’s a really late bloomer. Which could also fit Himiko!”

“Gonta pretty sure Kokichi older than Gonta.” Gonta said while lightly scratching at his cheek. When he noticed all the blank stares he was getting from his friends he seemed confused, but didn’t elaborate.

“... I am heavily inclined to doubt that. Though in terms of mental development I can see where this could be coming from. He is mature for his age, when he wants to be. It is odd how our profiles don’t actually list our ages, only our birth dates. I wonder if that could be relevant to our predicament at all.” Korekiyo began to theorize. (He has a point though. But no one's ever asked me about that either. Neither have I come to think of it, I’ve just assumed most of us here are my age-ish. Except Kokichi and Himiko, of course. Ryoma, Kirumi, and Korekiyo too I guess since they all feel like they could be adults.)

“I don’t think so. I mean it’s not like ages really matter in highschool right? Especially not if we can’t have any upper or lower classmen dynamics to work with.” Tsumugi spoke up, still working with Gonta through some measurements. She had to stand on a chair to do so, with how big he was, but if she hadn’t said anything Kaede would have assumed she was too focused on her work to hear them at all.

Content with what she had down she took a break as she skipped off to the working bar that started this conversation. “If anyone would like to try a cocktail I know I could make one right now if you’d like? I can make anything from a Blue Fairy to a Gut Punch! Or to a Sunshine Cloud, if we want to stay alphabetical.”

“WHY TSUMUGI PUNCH PEOPLE?!”

“It’s just the name of a drink, don’t worry. She isn’t actually threatening anyone.” Kaede comforted him, which only seemed to work a little bit since the nature of this work still worried him.

“I would have talked about a Bad Touch instead, but with that one the alcohol isn’t optional.”

“Not exactly the “classiest” bars you worked at I take it?” Korekiyo asked with what could be a grin.

“Nope, not at all. But it was fun and paid the bills!”

Kaede turned down the drinks and took the chance to catch back up with Ryoma and Kokichi. Gonta and Korekiyo didn’t make any attempts to follow her though, as Gonta still wanted to help Tsumugi where he could and Korekiyo took up her drink offer. Only after agreeing that either she or Gonta would take the first sip of her creations though, as he was still cautious around beverages after Angie’s earlier stunt.

Seemed he got to rambling about alcohol’s relevance to other cultures, reflecting drinking ages and whatnot, so Kaede was glad to be out of there. Though Tsumugi sounded like she was having some fun with it, bringing up some sort of “Shrine Maiden Saki” or something from one of her anime, and falling into her own tangent, as a Kunihimo cord from it caused her a lot of issues since the length wasn’t clear.

It was only after she got to the Detective's doors that Kaede realized how lost Gonta must feel with the way those two could talk, and the waves of guilt and regret poured in. (But there’s no saving him now.)

Shuichi’s lab felt so wrong to be in. She couldn’t put her finger on it but something about it was off, beyond how much more dangerous this lab was from some others. But as Kokichi pointed out the first time they got in it made sense for a former blackened’s lab to feel more like Moriarty than Sherlock.

Assuming Shuichi really wasn’t framed by the mastermind, so that someone would die without ending their sick game. Not that it would change the fact he was dead, and they were the ones who killed him.

Kokichi was messing around the chem cabinets as she entered, wearing the silly bowler hat they first found on the small round table instead of the hat rack. Ryoma was keeping him company and Kaede was a bit surprised Kaito hadn’t joined them yet. The tennis pro looked content though, sitting in the rocking chair by the fire with a book in his hands.

“Heey Ka-yay-de~ What can we do you fer this fine mornin’?” Kokichi asked as if he was trying to imitate some British potion seller or bartender as he pocketed another vial for who knows what.

“Depends, did you find another laxative?” Kaede had asked to see how their first experiment went in order to test if this threat could be neutralized by just getting rid of the contents, or at least the dangerous ones; Kokichi had found a “prank worthy” harmless bottle and took it to see if it would stay missing.

She chose not to ask if this stunt had any connection to Angie spiking Korekiyo’s tea earlier, as she figured no answer would really be comforting to her in this situation.

“Yup! So it really does restock everyday. It’s a real bummer, it means we can’t just smash all of these.”

“Not that we should have considered that an option anyway, since some could be air activated for all we know,” Ryoma blankly stated as he flipped another page, as if resigned to being Kokichi’s voice of reason.

“... Oh. Riiiiight. Good catch. But that’s why you were put on Kokichi-watch duty! Nee-heehee~”

“Am I being paid for this?”

“You get to keep your peace of mind, does that count?” Kokichi offered with an otherwise “innocent” grin and a gleam in his eyes.

“Eh, I’ll take it.” Ryoma said with a shrug as he put his book down to address Kaede. “So were you going to look through the files again today?”

“Yup! I mean if this isn’t the first killing game these may be related somehow. It’d make sense for the detective's lab to have clues regarding our biggest mysteries for this game right? Especially since it was meant to be sealed, if he was going to be executed regardless of whether he killed Rantaro or not.”

That didn’t narrow down which files would actually be related though. With 52 to sort through, 5 full rows of ten files with the sixth only having 2 as if waiting for more entries, they couldn’t possibly all be real and even them having drawn crime scenes or photographs wasn’t helping to narrow things down.

She initially sorted them into groups based on which had “Ultimate Detectives” leading their cases, like “Kyoko Kirigiri” from the first and third files with the help of her partner “Makoto Naegi”. But then she noticed that the third kept making reference to the second, headed by “Hajime Hinata” and his partner “Nanami Chiaki”, which also dealt a lot with missing memories and how returning them triggered a killer.

That was also a double murder in fact, but both were done by the same culprit that time. Not two parties similarly affected by memories acting during the same case period. (Almost more like the first file’s 3rd case’s double murder. And this was the 3rd case for this group too. Is this an intentional pattern? I’m not sure how anyone could control something so specific, so this may be a sign of these files just mocking us.)

As a result most of the day before had been spent reading through those connected files best she could, and then trying to find out when the files got close enough to the present that the pictures changed from anime inspired illustrations to photos. No matter which format they were in though the blood kept showing up as pink rather than red for whatever reason. Probably to stress how “fake” this all could potentially be.

She knew she couldn’t really trust these, there were way too many Ultimates and scenarios that got even more outlandish than what her group has faced yet, but there could still be some truth hidden in them. Like they were never outlandish enough for the cases themselves being unfeasible. One in the second file even involved a robot with the same emergency shut off button on the back of his neck like Kibo did, so they were all dangerous to have lying around.

These files and the various poisons was why no one was allowed to be in here alone, and why Kokichi kept it shut at all other times. And if this was how bad Shuichi’s lab was she doesn’t want to consider what Rantaro’s may be like. They didn’t even know what his talent was.

Kaede lost track of time as she poured over the notes, covering murders from monsterous to mundane. The suicides and accidents almost came as a pleasant surprise when they came up, but then there were files that barely had any cases in them. They still had the culprits and how they did it listed, but it was different. Like the person investigating wasn’t the one who caught them, and they got away with it.

At some point Kaito showed up to regroup with Ryoma, so he and Kokichi would bicker when the latter got bored sorting through which poisons had antidotes and how dangerous they were. Kaito helped her sort through the files, but he didn’t really have the stomach for reading them much like Ryoma didn’t.

The background noise was comforting in its own way, much like the sound of the fire was despite her growing urge to just throw a lot of these papers into it in disgust. Sometimes she wasn’t sure if it was because of the actual cases or at herself for not finding any leads to get out of there.

There was another knock at the door as she took something of a rage break, and she was surprised to see Kibo there instead of Gonta and Korekiyo, as she had been expecting.

He looked a lot happier than she had seen him in a while too. “Hello everyone! I have great news!”

“Well this can’t be good.” Kokichi deadpanned as he started looking at a corner again with a smirk. (Is a camera actually there? I don’t see anything, but why else would he keep doing this? What am I missing?)

“H-hey it is! Please don’t be so quick to dismiss my efforts! I finally got the last of the bugs out of the main program the computer lab was made for. So everyone can safely use it now! I’m sure you’ll all really enjoy it if you give it a chance.”

“Of course we would Kibo, I was thinking about taking a break anyway.” Kaede told him with a smile. She was a bit curious what it could possibly be, with how long its set up took, and she didn’t want to waste his efforts. No matter how potentially dangerous anything Monokuma gave them could be.

Kokichi wasn’t convinced though. “Are you sure-”

“Yeah we’re sure, don’t be a brat. Kibo’s been practically married to that thing since he got it, and it’s his first computer project too right? Of course we’ll give it a look!” Kaito urged the boy forward as he stressed how important this was for their friend, all smiles. Despite the floor it would be on.

“Do you need me to get anyone else for you while you go set things up?” Ryoma asked.

“No need, Tsumugi already offered to do so! Gonta and Kiyo should be on their way down there as we speak, so let’s go join them, shall we?”

It was hard to say no, with how happy and excited he was to show off his pet project. So they all followed the robot to see what he had in store for them.

And hopefully find some more clues to what’s going on, since my other leads are coming up empty.

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[tamboradventure]

Is Chile Safe to Visit?

Posted: 1/6/2020 | January 6th, 2020

Chile is one of the most popular destinations (and one of my favorites) in South America. I was blown away by the beauty of the country, the delicious and inexpensive, the plethora of different eco-systems, and how hospitable the locals were. (And, as someone who works online, how much they are investing in tech!)

Owing to its diverse geography, the country offers a lot to visitors. From exploring the wilderness of Patagonia to tasting wine at boutique local vineyards, visiting the bucket-list favorite Easter Island, exploring the Atacama Desert, hanging out in the vibrant capital of Santiago — there are endless reasons to visit Chile.

But, with recent protests, concern over safety has become a topic of concern among travelers.

While Chile is not a dangerous country and the news media overblows everything, there are some things you do need to be careful about when you visit Chile. The tips below will not only help you learn more about how to deal with the risks there but they’ll make sure your experience is as enjoyable as possible.

8 Safety Tips for Chile

Like anywhere else, you need to be vigilant and take a few precautions. Here are my top eight safety tips for Chile:

1. Be aware of your belongings. Petty theft is going to be your biggest concern in Chile, especially in the larger cities. Since these types of crime are usually situational and occur on a whim, don’t make yourself a target: keep an eye on your belongings, and avoid carrying or wearing expensive accessories as well. Having been almost robbed in Colombia, I can tell you that it’s not a fun experience!

Be aware that there might be teams of thieves working together: one will try to distract you while another steals something, so be careful if a stranger tries to get you into conversation in a busy place. This is most common on the bus.

There are other popular scams, all designed to distract you, such as the “bird poo” scam, where someone squirts a gooey liquid on you and then they or an accomplice rob you while you’re trying to clean it up or figure out what’s going on.

2. Don’t pet stray dogs. I know: dogs are super cute. But the number of stray dogs in Chile has been increasing, and quite a lot of them have scabies, which is a highly contagious disease. If you come across dogs who look like they have skin problems, make sure not to touch them.

3. Watch out for riptides and currents when you swim. Chile has lots of beautiful beaches, but unfortunately many of them have dangerous offshore rips. It’s easy to get swept up in these and not be able to swim back to shore. Watch for signs on beaches that say “no apto para bañar” or “peligroso,” meaning it’s too dangerous for swimming.

4. Double-check your taxi driver. There have been some incidents of people being robbed by unlicensed taxi drivers, including in what look like airport taxis. Don’t hesitate to use pre-booked taxis or to check that the taxis you use are officially licensed ones. When going out, ask your hostel or hotel to book your taxi for you as well.

5. Be prepared for an earthquake or volcanic eruption. Chile is located in a highly active seismic zone, and earthquakes are relatively common. Make sure you familiarize yourself with any safety or evacuation procedures at your accommodation. If you’re hiking, be aware that earthquakes can trigger landslides.

6. Watch out for drink-spiking. There’s been an increase in reports of people having their drinks spiked in recent years. Victims become unconscious and may have their belongings stolen or worse, be assaulted or raped. Be especially carefully in the Suecia and Bellavista nightclub areas of Santiago, but it’s good practice in general to avoid accepting drinks from people you don’t know and to keep your drinks in sight at all times.

7. Look out for the car tire scam. In the larger cities, there have been incidents wherein tourists driving rental cars have a sudden puncture because thieves have surreptitiously slashed a tire, and then their belongings are stolen while they are distracted by the puncture. Keep a good eye on your stuff if you should mysteriously get a flat tire!

8. Buy travel insurance! Whenever you travel, you should always have an appropriate level of travel insurance, because you never know what might go wrong. While you hope that nothing will happen, you’ll be grateful you have travel insurance if you are the victim of theft, get sick or injured, or find yourself in an emergency situation.

Trust me, I’ve been there (on more than one occasion!) — having insurance makes a difference. Always buy travel insurance before you go!

FAQ on Staying Safe in Chile

Now that you know how to stay safe in Chile, here are the answers to some of the most frequently asked questions I get about safety there:

Should I be worried about the current protests in Chile? Starting in the fall of 2019, anti-government protests erupted in the capital in response to policies that increased subway fares and then became general protests about the increased cost of living, privatization, and inequality. Parts of the capital, Santiago, erupted in flames and the protests got violent.

However, while the scars of those incidents are visible everywhere and there are frequent protests, they are no longer violent and are shrinking in size as the government gives in to certain demands. Moreover, these protests are confined entirely to the capital so once you leave Santiago, you won’t notice anything going on. If you’re going hiking in Patagonia or out to the desert or even to the nearby town of Valparaiso, you won’t notice anything.

If you’re concerned about the protests, skip the capital. But know the country is still safe to visit!

Are there places to avoid in Chile? Not really. You’ll want to be more vigilant in the busier areas of cities like Santiago and Valparaiso, where petty theft and tourist scams are more likely to occur. There is no reason to avoid these places — just keep your guard up and your possessions secure.

There are also some areas of Chile where you can come across unexploded landmines but that’s only near the illegal border crossings into Peru, Bolivia, and Argentina, so you should make sure you only use the official border crossings and avoid straying into the nearby countryside at these crossings. If you see a landmine warning sign, don’t ignore it!

Is Chile safe to travel alone? Solo travel is as safe in Chile as any other kind of travel, and you should just take the usual extra precautions when traveling alone anywhere. The biggest problem will be making sure you keep an eye on your luggage and valuables at all times, especially on public transport. But it’s still quite safe for solo travelers!

Is it safe to drive in Chile? Chileans tend to drive quite aggressively, so this might put you off from renting a car in Chile. It’s also tough work driving in Santiago because the traffic is always really busy and pedestrians will run across roads without checking.

The highways are well maintained with tolls. Once you’re off the main roads, however, the secondary roads are often not well maintained and are poorly lit, so you will need to be more careful. If you’re driving in the mountains, you’ll soon see that the hillside roads don’t have the guardrails you often see in other countries.

So, as long as you have experience and are comfortable in a more hectic environment, then go for it! If you’re not used to driving in countries with more lax rules of the road, I’d advise against renting a car.

Is it safe to walk around Santiago? Chile’s capital Santiago is a large city with well over five million inhabitants, and so, like many big cities, there are parts that are perfectly safe and there are parts that might be a little dangerous. The Las Condes, Vitacura, and Providencia areas of Santiago are known to have higher rates of petty theft than other parts of the city, so be extra cautious when in those areas.

Is the water safe to drink? The tap water here is generally considered safe, but it never hurts to boil your water to be sure. Boiling for 1-3 minutes (depending on the altitude) will ensure your water is safe to drink. You can also use a Lifestraw or SteriPen to purify your water as well. You’ll definitely need a water purifier for when you hike in the mountains down south, where it is not safe to drink the tap water or from a stream. (I used a Lifestraw when I went.)

Is Chile safe for solo female travelers? There is no special risk for female travelers in Chile, although, like in many parts of the world, you should probably avoid being alone in empty or dark places at night. Women are also most likely to be victims of drink-spiking, especially if you’re on your own at a bar or club. However, many women go backpacking alone in Chile, and for the majority of them, the trip is uneventful. While you might be traveling solo, you will also most likely end up making some like-minded friends.

Here are a few helpful posts on safety written by our solo female travel experts:

How to Stay Safe as a Solo Female Traveler

8 Myths About Solo Female Travel Debunked

10 Common Questions About Solo Female Travel

Women Shouldn’t Be Afraid to Travel Alone

****

So, is Chile safe? Yes! And you must visit! It is an amazing country, whether you’re interested in the natural wilderness, want to head out to Easter Island, or are keen to experience the culture and vibe of Santiago.

Just be aware of scams meant to distract you and use some common sense.

Chile is safe to visit. And the amazing sightseeing, culture, and people will make your trip well worth it!

Book Your Trip to Chile: Logistical Tips and Tricks

Book Your Flight Find a cheap flight by using Skyscanner or Momondo. They are my two favorite search engines because they search websites and airlines around the globe, so you always know no stone is left unturned.

Book Your Accommodation You can book your hostel with Hostelworld. If you want to stay somewhere other than a hostel, use Booking.com as they consistently return the cheapest rates for guesthouses and cheap hotels. I use them all the time. My favorite hostels in Chile are:

Hostal Forestal (Santiago) – Great staff, great breakfast, and a fun atmosphere. What more do you need?

Hostal Po (Valparaiso) – This hostel was opened by a former backpacker so they know exactly what we travelers like. It has a cool, quirky ambience, and a fun rooftop common area that’s great for hanging out and meeting people.

Kona Tau (Easter Island) – This rustic hostel has a laid-back vibe, and the owner and staff go out of their way to make sure you have a memorable, relaxing experience.

Don’t Forget Travel Insurance Travel insurance will protect you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. It’s comprehensive protection in case anything goes wrong. I never go on a trip without it, as I’ve had to use it many times in the past. I’ve been using World Nomads for ten years. My favorite companies that offer the best service and value are:

World Nomads (for everyone below 70)

Insure My Trip (for those over 70)

Looking for the best companies to save money with? Check out my resource page for the best companies to use when you travel! I list all the ones I use – and I think they will help you too!

Want More Information on Chile? Be sure to visit our robust destination guide on Chile for even more planning tips!

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[spamano-secretvalentine]

Valentine for @litsy-kalyptica

For @litsy-kalyptica

From @karukaikashi (Anna)

You asked for angsty/fluffy childhood stuff, so I hope this fits the bill! For the choice of AU, I went with giving them superpowers. I hope you enjoy it!

Title: Dandelion Seeds

Characters: Romano, Spain

Rating: T 

Words: 5151, one-shot/complete

Summary: Lovino, a boy who can speak and understand any language, is trapped in a camp for children with super powers for everyone’s “own protection.” However, when he meets Antonio, a boy with mysterious powers of his own, he finds that escape might be more probable than he realized. 

Dandelion Seeds

“You don’t have to stand there and stare. We can talk, you know.”

  Lovino frowned at the silent boy standing near the wall of the courtyard, watching him. He was a skinny thing, maybe only two years older than himself, with short brown curly hair and large, curious green eyes. While most of the other children were huddled together in the grass nearby, this was the only one who had approached him. It wasn’t uncommon for them to stick to their own groups. The children here spoke a variety of languages, and most of them couldn’t communicate well with each other. Lovino crossed his arms and waited for the newcomer to say something. He was cranky enough at being stuck in this chair with his crutches that he couldn’t even enjoy the privilege of being outside for once. He was a troublemaker and had gotten into enough fights during his first week that his caretakers restricted how often he was allowed around the other children. Usually he was locked away in his own room, out of sight, but since his circumstances had changed, here he was, out in the light of day at last, though it wasn’t nearly as glorious as he had dreamed it would be.

  “I know,” the other boy answered finally. “I heard you can understand anyone. You’re Lovino Vargas, aren’t you?”

  Spanish. Somehow Lovino knew, even if the language didn’t make a difference to him. The adults around here all spoke English, but that didn’t matter to him, either. Meanings were meanings, and he could make himself understood as well as understand anyone who spoke to him.

  “That’s right,” he answered cautiously. “It’s my power. I’m…” He tried to remember the word. “-omnilingual.”

  The stranger grinned as if it was some kind of joke. Lovino only scowled back at him. He didn’t like how the other boy pretended to be so cheerful. Everyone else here was scared, homesick, and confused. They were all far from home and trapped in the hands of strangers, with no indication that they would ever see their families again. Their only crime had been being different, and Lovino hated to be reminded that his “abnormality” had been what had imprisoned him here.

  “That’s a useful power,” the other boy told him. He put a hand under his chin and stared down at the ground, considering. “Do you want to see mine? Here, watch this.”

  He knelt down next to a budding dandelion and touched it. The flower wavered under his touch, its green stem bouncing against his finger. In a few seconds, the plant had grown taller and the flower had opened up to reveal layers of soft yellow petals, all bunched together. Lovino’s eyes widened slightly as the flower aged further, finally turning into a fluffy white ball of spores. The other boy plucked the dandelion from the ground and blew the spores in his direction. The seeds broke free from the flower and floated past Lovino, swept away by the wind.“Pretty cool, huh?”

  Lovino snorted, pretending to be unimpressed. “So you can grow some weeds? So what? If anyone catches you using your powers out here, they’ll lock you up, you know.”

  “They don’t care if I just grow some plants. Besides, you’re using your powers right now, too.”

  “That’s different!”

  The other boy shrugged and studied Lovino, making the younger boy squirm grumpily. He didn’t like not being able to stand up or walk around. Well, he could, but he didn’t want to. Using the crutches took too much effort, and he decided he would much rather stay where he was than hobble over the uneven grass with nowhere to go.  

  “What happened to your foot?” the curious boy asked.

  “I fell,” Lovino answered flatly. “I was…” He took a cautious look around the courtyard and lowered his voice. “…climbing. From up there.”

  The other boy raised his eyebrows and dropped into the same whisper, his eyes shifting up to the second-story windows as he spoke.

  “You really tried to climb down from your window?”

  “There was a tree!” Lovino snapped, his voice growing louder and indignant for only a moment. “I-I wasn’t being stupid or anything. See that over there? I thought I could climb down from that. My room is right where that window is. I grabbed one of the branches, but it snapped.”

  The other boy looked in the direction Lovino had indicated, giving a small nod. “It is just a little too short to climb down,” he acknowledged, “but even if you had made it without getting hurt, there’s an electric fence around the field outside his building. Even the trees near that wouldn’t have been big enough to help you get over. I’m sorry you hurt your leg, though.”

  “It’s sprained,” Lovino huffed, “and they said I’m lucky I didn’t break my ankle. The only reason they let me out here now is because they know I can’t run away or go anywhere now that I’m stuck like this.” He stared at the other boy for a moment. Though Lovino had been mostly shut indoors, he had watched the courtyard often, and this newcomer’s face wasn’t familiar to him at all. “Who are you?”

  “My name’s Antonio,” the stranger answered cheerfully. “I’m new here.”

  “What’s with the dumb smile? You’re stupid for ending up here. Just because…because you can grow some dumb plants. You shouldn’t have shown anyone you could do it!”

  For the first time, Antonio’s smile dropped. His vibrant eyes seemed to darken, and he shifted his gaze away, making Lovino feel strangely guilty. He was used to lashing out. It made him feel better, most of the time, to watch someone else look hurt rather than focusing on how bad he felt himself. He hated that he had ever revealed his powers to anyone. If he had just kept his mouth shut…If he had just pretended not to understand- then he might still be at home far away from this camp. It was easier for the younger kids, he thought. They didn’t understand as much about what was going on. The adults would feed them lies, promise them their parents were coming back, and they’d believe them. Lovino was only eight years old, but he was much too smart for that. Antonio had to be, too.

  “I didn’t know,” Antonio answered finally. “I thought- it was just something fun I could do. I didn’t think I’d get in trouble for something like this.”

  Lovino was not the kind to apologize without some reluctance, but he softened his tone slightly after that. It wasn’t worth getting into another fight. This kid didn’t even look like he was interested in fighting at all, which bored Lovino. He got annoyed when other kids acted more mature than him.  “Whatever,” Lovino grumbled. “It’s not like we can do anything about it now. But when my ankle heals, I’m getting out. If you’re smart- you can come, too…Just don’t slow me down.”

  “I’d like that,” the other boy answered, his face lighting up again. “I hope you get better soon.”

  —

  The way the children at the camp were treated reminded Lovino of cattle. Some of them, the ones with more dangerous powers, had to wear collars around their necks. If they misbehaved or attacked the caretakers, they were shocked with just a push of a button. Most of them knew better than to try anything- the ones the adults couldn’t control were taken away. Lovino never saw where they went, but once they were gone, they never came back again.

  It was hard to imagine that anything like this had been allowed to happen to them. That they could just be taken from their homes without warning as if they were a danger to their own families. Lovino had never used his powers to hurt anyone, but the chaos that his country had turned to was unrecognizable compared to how he had thought the world was supposed to be. Was anyone looking for him now? He didn’t even know where he had been taken. All he knew was that it was far, far away from his old home, and everything seemed foreign to him. Even the food they served was different from what he was used to, and half the time, he didn’t even know what was on his plate.

  Lovino was used to eating alone. He picked at some mysterious white mush as he leaned over the table, holding his chin in one hand. His crutches were balanced next to him, and his sigh was the only sound he added to the mumbling and anxious whispers of the children at the tables around him. Then, there was a plop of a tray landing across from him, and Antonio sat down to join the younger boy at his table, completely uninvited.

  “What do you want?” the eight-year-old asked grumpily.

  “To eat with you,” Antonio answered. “If that’s okay.”

  “It’s not,” Lovino grunted, shoving his own tray of food forward so that it hit Antonio’s. The older boy frowned and held his tray steady.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing, stupid. I just…hate this gross food. It sucks, and I’m hungry, but- like hell I’m gonna put that in my mouth.”

  “Yeah, it is pretty terrible,” Antonio agreed, even as he prepared to take a spoonful into his own mouth. Lovino made a face.

  “How can you eat this crap? It makes me sick just looking at it.”

  “No choice,” the other boy answered simply. “Unless starving is an option. I’d rather not do that.” He swallowed. “It’s kind of cold in here, isn’t it?”

  “It’s always colder in here,” Lovino huffed. “It makes the food get nasty faster. As if it can taste any worse.”

  “I’d rather be back outside again,” Antonio hummed after a moment of thought. “Will they let us do anything else for fun, later?”

  “Maybe,” Lovino replied indifferently. “You can read or play games inside. Sometimes they try to teach you some junk. But who cares? We’re not in school. This is just a jail for kids that don’t know how to pretend to be normal.”

  “How long have you been here?” Antonio asked the younger boy. Lovino only shrugged.

  “Five, maybe six months? Enough.”

  “That’s a long time. I just came here from Naples. My family was on vacation.”

  Lovino snorted. “You should’ve stayed in your own country. Not every place is getting their kids rounded up.”

  “Spain is no better,” Antonio answered. “But we have a group working to get rid of the safety camps.”

  Lovino stared at him. “No one’s getting rid of them. People out there…are scared of us.”

  “Most of them know it’s not right to keep kids locked up like animals.”

  Lovino was quiet, pensively flattening his food beneath the rounded edge of his spoon. He was nervous and irrationally angry. If it was so wrong, why hadn’t anyone come for them already? Why did they have to be kept here while some stupid adults tried to decide what to do? “You really think someone will come get us out?”

  “I know they will,” Antonio replied optimistically. “They just need to find where we are. I think once they do, places like this won’t exist any more. We can all go home. Wouldn’t that be great?”

  Without warning, Lovino knocked Antonio’s food onto the floor. The entire cafeteria went silent after the loud, echoing clatter of metal on linoleum. Within seconds, the caretakers had them surrounded, and they hauled the younger boy away to his room, crutches and all. Lovino still hadn’t taken a bite of his lunch, but he didn’t care. He just wanted to get away before he put too much hope in the words Antonio was saying to him.  

  –

  Curfew at the camp was strict. Every room was locked and no one was allowed outside. For Lovino, the nights were the worst. Sometimes he would dream he was back home in his own familiar bed with his toys and his favorite posters on the walls…the walls he had grown up within, not the prison he found himself in now. Even in his dreams, he was desperate to believe it was real, that he hadn’t really ever left, but he would always wake up confused before remembering where he was and how he had been taken away.

  They had come for him on a night just like this. Snatched him from his home, even though his grandfather had said they couldn’t. They won’t take you away, he had told him. I won’t let them. The school had his name, but he was protected. He wasn’t going to disappear like he had heard some children had. Lovino still belonged to his family…Did his grandfather miss him now? Was his brother, who had been lucky enough to be born without powers, happy he finally got all the attention? Lovino hadn’t always been very warm or friendly to either of them…Maybe it was better that he was here.

  Lovino was lying in bed lonely one night when he started hearing screaming down the hall. The sound made him jump, and he could feel goosebumps tighten over his skin as the voice cried and begged. The sobs brought back memories of his first night here. I just want to go home! Please…just let me. I promise! I’ll be good! Please…He pulled the blankets tighter around himself and put his hands over his ears, trying to block out the wailing. Finally, it stopped, but when Lovino allowed himself to relax again, his pillow was already wet with his own tears. He couldn’t bring himself to accept the idea that he might be trapped here forever, surrounded with sounds like these. It was just such an overwhelming thought…

  Voices murmuring in different tongues passed his door in the hallway. If they had been louder, Lovino would have had no trouble understanding them, but as it was, the voices were too quiet and only drifted further away. There wouldn’t be anyone else checking on him until morning. The boy closed his eyes, trying to fall back asleep, but the cries still haunted him. Even though the room was mostly silent now, Lovino couldn’t help but notice small sounds, some creaking, some thumping. It made his skin crawl. Then there was a clattering noise that made him freeze in fear. It sounded like it was coming from the ceiling- rats? He couldn’t imagine anything else fitting in those vents. The boy whimpered and pulled the covers over his head. For a long time after that, the air seemed to hang dead with silence.

  Lovino wasn’t sure exactly when he had drifted off to sleep again. He had been dreaming of sitting outside in the grass, free from his crutches and the walls of his prison. He felt the green blades beneath his fingertips and plucked a dandelion out of the ground, twirling it between his fingers. This kind of freedom was something he had taken for granted before, and he appreciated it now, even though a part of him was sadly aware that it would not last. For a while he was alone, and then the distant voices of other children drifted closer- German, English, Japanese, Arabic, Italian…Even in his dreams, he knew what they were. He opened his mouth to call to them, but then, there was a rapping noise, small urgent and repetitive clangs that confused him. Lovino pulled his lips back, brows furrowing, and then, within that instant, he opened his eyes to find himself back in his room again.

  His mind acknowledged that what he had been seeing before had been a dream, and he felt his heart sink at the thought, the tightness of the bandages around his ankle reminding him that he was anchored to this place. Sighing, he resigned himself to going back to sleep, when suddenly, the noise came back. It was coming from the window, all the way across the room. Lovino gasped, pushing himself further back on the bed. Still, the soft, quick knocks on the glass persisted. The boy froze in fear, wondering what on earth could be trying to get into his room. Maybe a bird had landed there and was responsible for the tapping? A squirrel, Lovino thought. It has to be a squirrel. But he had already broken the tallest branch of the tree with his fall. There was no way anything could have climbed up that far. Finally, mustering up his courage, Lovino dragged himself from the bed and hoisted himself up onto his crutches, pushing himself in the direction of the window.

  What he saw when he pulled back the curtain made his jaw drop.

  “A-Antonio?!”

  The boy outside put a finger to his lips, signaling him to be quiet. Lovino stared at him, dumbfounded. Outside, Antonio gestured towards the small latch that was keeping the window closed. After a moment, Lovino gave a small, hesitant nod and shifted his weight, balancing on one foot as he opened the window to let the other boy inside. Once Antonio had climbed through, it was easier to see how exactly he had gotten there.

  “You…you made the tree grow?” Lovino gasped.

  “Yeah,” Antonio whispered back. “I can grow more than dandelions, you know.”

Once Lovino had gotten over his shock, his usual defences returned. “Why the hell did you come?”

  “I’m going to get you out of here,” Antonio told him. “I didn’t think it was going to happen so soon…but our rescue team’s ready. I’ve sent them a signal, and now we just need to meet them outside the north fence.”

  Lovino was stunned into silence. He sat down heavily on the chair by his desk and stared off at nothing. Was it really possible for them to escape? He tried to imagine what it would be like to be free again, but all he could think of were the obstacles that would potentially stand in their path. When Antonio glanced up at him, however, there was nothing but a look of reassurance lit in the pale light of the moon coming in through the window.

  “Don’t look so worried,” he told him. “I wouldn’t try something like this if I didn’t have a plan.” He knelt on the on the floor and began taking the bandage off of Lovino’s ankle.  

  “W-what are you doing? That hurts!” the younger boy hissed, pulling his leg away, nervous and confused. Antonio was patient, however, carefully holding each side of Lovino’s ankle between his hands.

  “I’m trying to help you,” Antonio insisted, “but you have to trust me, okay?” Lovino hesitated for a moment longer before finally giving the other boy a quiet hum in resignment. He really had no reason to believe him- this place was full of lies and deception and fake promises. There was little trust left in the boy. Still, whether driven by fear or his last shred of optimism, there was a hopefulness inside Lovino that allowed him to give into this, as if it was the only choice he had left.

  Antonio’s gentle hand pressed over the swollen part of Lovino’s ankle, and soon, the boy felt his body begin to numb. It put him in a sort of a trance as Lovino’s eyes fell half-lidded and he began to relax. He felt as if he was shrinking, though there was no noticeable change…As soon as he came back to his senses, he realized that the pain near his foot had suddenly disappeared.

  “I’m…I’m better?”

  “You’re younger,” Antonio chuckled. “My powers go both ways…and they work on humans as well as plants.”

  Lovino gave him a puzzled expression. He felt like he was meeting the other boy for the first time. Cautiously, he pushed himself onto his feet and stood in an unsteady stance for a moment before holding himself up straight. “That’s…that’s actually useful.” He turned his eyes back to the other boy, who was unwrapping a bundle he had slung around his back and spreading the contents onto Lovino’s bed. “W-what is that? How are you going to help us escape?”

  “You’ll see,” Antonio told him. “We’re going to need some disguises. Take these.” He threw a shirt and a pair of pants at the other. It was the same uniform that the caretakers used.

  Lovino’s eyes widened. “W-where did you get this? And why the hell do you think it’ll fit me?”

  The other boy smiled at him and began to undress, back turned to Lovino. “You’ll see.” He closed his eyes and focused, willing himself to grow faster. Soon, Antonio’s body began to age. He grew inches, then feet higher. His muscles thickened, and hair sprouted from his chest and other parts of his body that had previously been bare. Finally, Antonio was a full-grown man. He took another set of the adult sized clothes that he had laid out on Lovino’s bed and began to dress himself again. When the man opened his mouth, his voice was deep and soothing.

  “It’s your turn now, Lovino. If you’re ready…”

  Lovino stared at clothes in his hands and at Antonio, an adult who was patiently waiting even if there was a hint of urgency in his eyes. To be all grown up…It was something Lovino had only imagined for himself. He knew it would happen eventually, but he hadn’t even made it to his ninth birthday yet, and he couldn’t quite wrap his head around the idea. “Is…is it safe?” he questioned. “Going out there like that?”

  The optimistic expression on Antonio’s face faltered as he looked back at Lovino and over towards the window, where the darkness of the night awaited their escape. “No,” he finally answered, honestly. “I can’t promise that it will be. But if you’re willing to take the chance- I guarantee I’ll do my best to make sure that nothing bad happens to you.”

  Lovino took a moment to consider this. It would have been easy enough for Antonio to just say yes, to speed up the process and hope the boy trusted him enough to agree without needing much more of an explanation. The one who had come to save him, however, did not just expect Lovino to accept everything he said without question. He was proving to be much more honest than anyone else Lovino had encountered here.  

  “Hurry up now,” Antonio told him. “If you’re ready for this…We should go before someone figures out that your room camera’s not working.”

  “T-there’s a camera in here?” Lovino asked in awe.

  “There was,” Antonio answered, pointing to a corner of the ceiling where Lovino hadn’t even noticed anything hidden. “Every room seems to have one. I disabled both mine and yours after I snuck out of my room and went through the vent in the kitchen. I had to get really small to fit through there.”

  Lovino still had many more questions, but he held his tongue for the moment and began to do as Antonio had suggested, removing the clothes that would be too tight to endure the amount of growth his body was about to go through. The boy was beyond nervous, his fingers shaking anxiously as he began to undress. Once he had removed everything, he looked back up at Antonio, who had turned away to give him a moment of privacy.

  “I-I’m ready now,” Lovino whispered, holding the adult clothes in front of himself modestly.

  “Alright,” Antonio said. “This may feel a bit strange, but don’t be afraid, okay?”

  Lovino nodded and closed his eyes, feeling Antonio’s hand rest on his shoulder. As before when the other had healed his ankle, his body went into a trance and numbed itself of feeling anything before slowly beginning to change. He could feel his limbs beginning to stretch as he rose up higher from the floor. Lovino opened his eyes heavily to watch as he grew closer to Antonio’s height. His body went through the same changes his companion’s had- taller, hairier…stronger. At last, the transformation stopped and Antonio’s hand fell off his shoulder. “Welcome to adulthood,” he chuckled, stepping away from Lovino. The newly grown man fumbled with his clothes clumsily, gawking at his own larger hands.

  “This is…” he croaked, reaching up to touch his throat, “…different.”

  “You’ll get used to it,” Antonio told him, “and once we’re safe and far from here, I’ll change you back. I promise.”

  Lovino could only manage a nod, once again feeling overwhelmed. If this was a dream, he hoped he wouldn’t wake up. He didn’t want to find himself trapped in this room again with no hope of escaping or ever seeing the other side of the fence that surrounded the camp.

  He dressed himself hastily and followed Antonio back towards the window. The other man carefully supervised him as Lovino used the tree to slip discreetly down to the ground below. Antonio had memorized the path out of the courtyard and held onto Lovino’s hand as they went, leading the way. The younger man felt his heart thump as they weaved their way through the camp, staying close to the walls and out of sight of the sentries. Antonio seemed confident in what he was doing, but his hand gripped Lovino’s so tightly…Lovino wondered if may he was just as terrified as he was. Finally, they made it to the edge of the camp.

  Signs near the fence warned of the electricity coursing through it. There would have been no way out for a normal person, but Antonio and Lovino weren’t “normal” at all. As Antonio went to work making one of the trees nearby grow taller, Lovino kept watch, though he was mesmerized by the world that lay on the other side of the fence, just outside their reach.

  Suddenly, there was the startling sound of barking, and Antonio grabbed Lovino, shoving him towards the trunk of the tree and boosting him up towards the lowest branch. Though he was stiff with fear, the younger man subconsciously complied, though once he was safety out of reach, he cried out at the sight below him. A large German Shepherd overtook Antonio, knocking him towards the ground. The man screamed in pain as the dog clamped onto his arm and began to thrash, tearing at it.

  “A-Antonio!” Lovino watched horrified, his mind numbing in disbelief as he watched the scene below. No, no...He couldn’t let this happen. They were so close! He wasn’t going to let Antonio sacrifice himself for him. “Stop!” He leapt down from the tree and grabbed the dog, though his whole body was trembling and he knew this was likely to end even worse with his interference. The animal, however, did not turn on him or continue mauling Antonio. Instead, its jaw slackened, and it went into its own trance as its body began to grew steadily smaller. Lovino held it still as Antonio rested his other hand on the dog’s head. Soon, it was no more than a puppy sitting on the grass.

  Antonio’s arm was bleeding heavily. He cradled it close to himself as his eyes squeezed tightly shut, and, using the little strength he had left, the man began to shrink himself again in an effort to heal himself. As a child once more, he collapsed beside the trunk of the tree.

  “Antonio,” Lovino murmured worriedly, reaching over to take the boy into his arms. “Don’t…don’t do this. I need you to help me get out of here, dammit!”

  The boy smiled weakly at him. “You go on, Lovino. The tree’s tall enough now. Just climb up and jump over. Ngh…the landing might be rough, but you should be okay. Go now, while you still have the chance.”

  “I’m not going without you,” Lovino insisted. “You got us this far…You don’t get to quit now.”

  “My energy’s gone,” Antonio answered weakly. “I’m not used to doing that many transformations so close together. Sorry, I didn’t know about the dog…Tell your grandpa I did my best- okay?”

  “Nonno? What does he care? This…this is all his fault!” Despite his best efforts, Lovino could do nothing to stop the tears from coming. Even as an adult, he was powerless to stop them. “I’ve been stuck here for so long, and he never even tried to find me. You’re the only one who ever tried to help me, dammit!”

  “Lovino…” Antonio’s voice was soft, but kind. His small hand curled around Lovino’s arm. “Your grandpa loves you very much. He’s the reason I’m here. When he couldn’t find you on his own, he came to us for help. I was sent to bring you back home. Don’t you see? He misses you, a lot. I can imagine…nothing will make him happier than to get you back.”

  Lovino’s hands trembled, and he sobbed as he held Antonio closer to him. In the distance, he could hear alarms coming from the camp and shouts from the caretakers and guards as the staff began to comb the grounds for signs of where they had gone. “I want to go home,” Lovino choked, frightened.

  “Then go,” Antonio whispered. Suddenly, there was a light shining at them from the other side of the fence as the rescue cars arrived in response to Antonio’s signal at last. Lovino squinted at them timidly, but as soon as he had mustered enough courage, he stood, carrying the boy with him. He held onto Antonio as he climbed up the tree again with a great deal of effort, panting in exhaustion and anxiety as he raced against the approaching onslaught of people. The branches creaked beneath the weight of both the man and the boy, and it wasn’t without some lack of grace that Lovino finally leapt down onto the other side of the fence. He shielded Antonio with his body as they both tumbled to the ground. Then, there were hands on him, pulling and herding them into one of the cars just as shots rang out from the prison they had just escaped from.

  As they drove away in the car, Lovino had to convince himself again that he was not trapped within another dream. He feared that at any moment, he might wake up and find himself back inside that bare-walled room, far from everything he knew, hopeless and alone, without any chance of ever seeing his family for the rest of his life. The sight of Antonio sleeping against him, however, reminded him that help could sometimes come from where he least expected it. For the first time, he allowed himself to look forward to the future, to seeing his grandfather again, to playing with his brother, to lying in his own bed, in his own room, in his own house. It wasn’t just a dream anymore. He was finally going home.  

  The End