WEEK ZERO: MINGLE

[retellers]

WEEK ZERO: MINGLE (43 remain) Rise and shine, gremlins. The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and it's the start of a new week. Speaking of new, if participants turn on their PHS, they'll notice another section available. There's also an alert for a new message, titled TEAM ASSIGNMENT. Opening it will reveal which Leader they have been assigned to. Furthermore, at the corner of the PHS screen is an icon of an animal, depending on who their Leader is. It is visible only to them and no one else. That's not the only change, though. Participants may not notice at first—or perhaps they will?—but sooner or later, they may realize that they're... missing something? Strange. Three Leaders can be found around the area, open (?) to approach. If participants want to speak to them more privately, or to an absent Leader, it looks like they'll have to go through another channel. Which is to say, the Planetarium is now open! Finally, for the rest of the week, the participants will inexplicably have the urge to be physically affectionate. That person you just met days ago? Time to cuddle! This complete stranger you ran into? It sure is tempting to hold their hand. This urge can range anywhere from minor to impossible to ignore, depending on the situation. Enjoy your bonding!

NAVIGATION locations ₓ˚. statuses *+:｡ ic profiles :ₓo ic rules ･ﾟﾟ･｡ audience requests murder proposals ｡✧o private conversations ･ﾟo｡ curfew ･ﾟ✧ memories

Comments

lobby

[stillnot]

[ Clementine comes up behind the couch and rests her arms over its back, peering down at him. ]

Wouldn't it be worse if they couldn't be changed, even if the situation changed? It's better to be able to add new rules.

[reconnective]

[oh, hello! he recognizes her voice and it means that despite the response he's giving her a bright smile.]

I don't know. What if they take back the rule that we can explore wherever we want? Or that we can contact our Leaders whenever?

[stillnot]

It's not like we own the place, so...

[ whoever runs the place gets to make the rules. that's how communities tend to work, where she's from. on a lighter note, she reaches down to poke his cheek. ]

Are you planning to do something that makes them want to change the rules?

[reconnective]

I guess. [it's said in a way like he's used to making his own rules even if it's not always on purpose, but he grins even when she pokes his cheek. it means he's also sitting up to get a better look at her.]

I wasn't planning on it, but if something happens on its own can you blame me?

[stillnot]

[ well, she's not covered in dirt and blood, so that's an improvement. except her hat. her hat is still gross. ]

Hmm... Now I can. You're very suspicious right now.

[reconnective]

[good! I'm very glad clementine learned showers work here. no judgment on the hat but he makes a face that's still mostly teasing.]

It's not that suspicious. [but oh! actually!] I'm glad you're here. Have you checked out that unlocked building yet?

[stillnot]

[ She hums skeptically. And also misinterprets the question. ]

Yeah, it's clear.

[reconnective]

[hm. not a good enough answer!]

That's not what I mean. You didn't stay long enough to see what it was like?

[stillnot]

Mm, not really. Why?

[reconnective]

[there's only a split second between the time he's getting up from the couch and grabbing her hand, already pulling her along casually.]

Come on. You have to see it.

[stillnot]

[ She doesn't mind - she's just a little startled. But sure, okay. She lets him pull her along without any resistance. ]

I saw it. [ Briefly. (This is not a very sincere protest.) ]

[reconnective]

[he rolls his eyes a little but there they go out the lobby and on the road.]

Seeing to make sure it was safe and really seeing it are two different things, Clementine.

[stillnot]

Maybe I just didn't want to break the rules of survival.

[ which he does not know about but that's fine? ]

[reconnective]

The "rules of survival"? [hope she can hear the quotes around it because he absolutely does not know what she's talking about.]

[stillnot]

Yep. They're...

[ actually lets not go into detail. haha! ]

... Anyway, rule number one. Never go alone.

[reconnective]

[...hm. well now he has concerns but he figures maybe they can just talk about that later. instead, he squeezes her hand lightly as they make their way up to the door of the planetarium since the town isn't that big. there there. everything is fine.]

We're doing pretty good following rule number one then. [he stops them just outside the door though.] You ready?

[stillnot]

Yeah.

[ it's hard to let go of her habits and hyper-vigilance, even though by now she's now fairly convinced there's no walkers around this place. but since she scoped out the area before, she's pretty secure in how safe it is, so she doesn't need to adhere to the next bundle of 'rules' she usually follows. ]

[reconnective]

[good. he nods then and after a few seconds for the dramatic reveal he pushes open the door and leads her inside, letting it close again so they can see all of the stars.]

Tada! [...they're just simulation stars, but:] Aren't they cool? You can see all kinds of constellations and everything in here.

[stillnot]

[ she did see inside earlier - even if it was brief - so she knew what to expect. but she hadn't stayed long enough to really take it in, and it is really cool. she's quiet for a long moment, just staring up at the lights above them. then: ]

I guess it's pretty okay.

[ she's probably teasing? ]

[reconnective]

Just okay? [he looks mock-offended, but he's still grinning anyway.] It's not as good as the real thing, but you could spend forever looking and still see something new every time.

[stillnot]

[ she smiles back. fine, she supposes she can be sincere for a minute. ]

It's really cool.

[reconnective]

Thank you. [he did not personally do this, but thank you for agreeing with him.] There was a note from Fox and the others that said they couldn't meet with all of us right away but that they could later. So I think this is where we have to go whenever we want to talk to them.

It's nice on its own though, too. [i just remembered they're still holding hands but that's fine because he's using their adjoined hands to point at something.] Do you recognize any of the constellations?

[stillnot]

It doesn't seem like they can tell us anything useful, though.

[ so is it even worth talking to them... and oh, right. hands. hm. well, that's fine. ]

Mm... Not really. I can usually find the north star, though.

[reconnective]

We should still try to talk to them. Maybe it'll be easier if they aren't trying to answer all of us in a big group. [some people get overwhelmed and that's fine.]

That's the big one people use to navigate, right? [fundamentally he knows but it's more because he wants to give her a chance to talk.]

[stillnot]

Guess so. Maybe I can get more out of them in private...

[ regrettably, she does not have much to say about it. ]

Yeah. It's not the most helpful thing in the world, but it can help keep you on track.