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

[siblingless]

Oh, good thinking! And with three pairs of eyes, I'm certain we'll be done in no time.

[WILL THEY... The south is their first destination, apparently, so time to start heading in that direction. But as they walk and talk:]

... These are made from nova, aren't they? I don't mean to imply I'm disappointed, but... How do I put this? I'm surprised these are the forms it took. I mean, "unappetizing" is one way to describe it.

[heartablaze]

Nova's just the stuff that makes up memories, right? So maybe this is just what someone somewhere remembers a clam looking like?

...Maybe it looks better if you cook it?

[She might be hungry.]

[chanteuser]

I hope they didn't eat one of these if they did...

But it sounds sort of... mysterious, and beautiful. "Nova". I didn't think that leggings fell in that category.

[ she's squinting at the list again, but tears her eyes away to start looking around the area, keeping an eye out for uh... interesting strips of paper or leggings anywhere. ]

If something like this clam is significant to someone here, I wonder if the other items are as well...

[siblingless]

... I hope so as well. These don't seem particularly good for you. [Eating dirt clams sounds sad. Please save this hypothetical person.] Should we ask around after we're done? If these items are significant someone else, maybe that will help us get a better idea of what to expect in the future.

[Leggings and talisman, where are thou?? Heading south brings them closer to the forest, however. And forests mean trees. It's been 10 comments, they can hear a little bird chirping as a treat...]

[heartablaze]

Maybe if you washed them really well? Regular clams live in really funny places too, right? I don't think that's too weird.

[The wind's picking up a little, whipping Hikaru's braid like a cow's tail so that it probably smacks someone in the face when she's not looking. RIP whichever of you got that. Hikaru squints up towards the louder sound of a bird so close by. The urge to just jump straight up into another tree is strong, but wasting time is a bad idea!]

I haven't heard if anyone is from China yet, but that could be easy to figure out, right?

[...Wait a minute.

She tugs Alex by the hem of her shirt, pointing up as she squints harder.]

Um... hey, do you see that? That flappy thing.

[chanteuser]

You're meant to wash them anyway, but... this seems really caked in. [ alex pauses to flinch against the sudden breeze, but it doesn't delay her for long. ] Besides, someone might be missing one of these items. For all we know.

[ she blinks when her hand is grabbed, and follows hikaru's pointing hand to see what she's looking at. ]

... Is it some kind of scarf?

[siblingless]

[Flappy... thing... Like Alex, she follows Hikaru's finger to see where she's pointing, adjusting her glasses as she does. Is it a bird? It is a plane? It's—]

—Lace? [SQUINTING A LOT.] Is that lace?

[heartablaze]

Huh-- wait, wait, the leggings!! The leggings were supposed to be lace, right??

[Parts of it have made their way into the poor bird's nest, but loose portions have wound their way around the branches, one leg now catching the wind like a tattered flag.]

How did it get all the way up there?! A little bird couldn't have carried that, could it?

[chanteuser]

It's just material... if the bird was big enough, or determined enough it might have managed it. Or maybe the wind blew it up there...

[ hmm. ]

Although the bigger issue is how to get it down.

[ she. uh. isn't really clothed to be climbing a tree, in... short dress and heels but maybe she can get a branch and try and hook it down? she's gonna try and look for one hold up. ]

[siblingless]

Could it have manifested up there? We wouldn't be searching for the nova if it were somewhere easy to reach. [...] I think.

[While Alex searched for a branch, she busies herself examining the distance from the ground to the piece that's fluttering in the wind. It's definitely stuck up there, but...]

I can jump and pull it down. It's just a hop, a skip and— oh. [Wait. Shit.] No... nevermind. That wouldn't work. The lace would tear on its way down. Did Wolf-san or Fox-san say what would happen if we damaged the items?

[heartablaze]

...Then we gotta get up there.

Okay!

[did someone say jump

because Hikaru is backing up just enough to get a running start without even asking her teammates, leaping up rather impressively to use the trunk as a push point, enough to reach out and get a hold of the lowest limb. She's dangling for a bit, but that doesn't stop her from hoisting herself up.

She is also not dressed for this, but when have clothes ever stopped someone from trying???

The bird does not look happy and has started chirping much louder.]

[chanteuser]

[ well.

alex found a stick?

which means she turns around to see hikaru hanging from the tree branch precariously and panics slightly. ]

Are you okay?!

[ nice hustle team. ]

-- How are you going to get down from there again?

[siblingless]

[WELL. THAT'S ONE WAY TO DO IT.]

—Shidou-san?!

[SHE REALLY DID YEET... And didn't she tell her to call her by her given name? Oh, well. She runs over to stand by the tree, close enough to hopefully catch Hikaru if she falls.]

I-If you jump, I'll catch you! Just, please, be careful and don't get hurt!

[The birds sure are not happy about this development. But now that Hikaru is up there, she will see that the lace leggings are, uh, partly intertwined and flopping in the tree and partly intertwined in a bird's nest. Like, one leggy going in each direction. Hm.]

[heartablaze]

[Her legs are a little scraped up from getting herself all the way onto the limb, but she doesn't seem to mind, blowing some stray hair out of her face.]

Yeah, I'm fine! This isn't my first time climbing a tree! Don't worry about me!

[And up she goes like a little monkey, only stopping when she's close enough that the bird hops out of the nest and starts to advance on her, angrily chattering. She knows an angry animal when she sees one!!!!!! She halts with a squint, making sure her footing is secure.]

Mmm... the bird's got some of it in its nest... I can't tell if there's eggs or not, but I'm gonna try to get it loose, okay? Yoshizawa-chan, I'm trusting you to catch it if it falls down!

Alex-san, can you reach the part where it's stuck on that other branch with that stick you found?? I don't think I can get that far!

[chanteuser]

Sure, I can do that.

[ hold she's got to heft the stick up first -- once it's fully in her arms, she extends it out as far as she can to nudge at one side of a nest. Hikaru's words about there maybe being eggs inside makes her motions slower, and more careful though. The last thing she wants to do is accidentally send the bird's eggs flying... ]

It's shifting, but it's going to take a little time. I don't want to jerk it off balance. Are you going to be okay for a little longer?

[ she's still nudging and loosening the nest as she talks. ]

[siblingless]

Understood! You can rely on me.

[She's watching Hikaru with concern still, but she will be on standby in case anything falls. Godspeed, girls.]

Is the bird okay? It's making a lot of noise.

1/2

[heartablaze]

I'll be okay! I just think she's mad...

[Who wouldn't be if a giant beast showed up next to their house????

Hikaru slowly scoots herself closer to the nest, keeping her hands close to her and lowering her voice as she talks to the bird.]

It's okay. It's okay, I know you don't want me to touch your home... but there's something important we gotta get. I'll only touch it for just a second, okay??? I promise.

[Okay. Okay, she should be able to reach it from here. Keeping herself close to the trunk and bracing her legs, Hikaru reaches out to slowly unravel the lace from the collection of twigs and branches--]

/2

[heartablaze]

[-- and she does that for about 2 seconds before the bird is up in her face, screeching and pulling at her hair.

Hikaru yelps, her hand jerks back to protect her face, and the nest wobbles before falling straight off the branch, leggings and all.

Someone better catch that, Hikaru's too busy with Bird.]

Gaaaaaaah, stop, stop, I'm sorry!!! I'm sorry!

[chanteuser]

[ it was all going so well -- alex was nudging the bird's nest along nicely, hikaru was working on freeing those leggings and yoshizawa was there and ready to catch anything that fell if it went wrong...


and then of course it goes to shit.

alex's eyes immediately to go hikaru and the bird rather than the tumbling nest, and.. y'know. as she has a stick, she might as well -- ]

Hey! Leave her alone!

[ jab it a few times at the bird. bad idea? probably. best idea she's had on reflex? definitely. ]

[siblingless]

[AND THEY WERE DOING SO WELL...

Between the bird attacking Hikaru and the nest falling overboard, this girl is definitely shrieking in alarm. That doesn't mean she's just going to stand there. While Alex tries to rescue Hikaru from the bird, Sumire skips, hops and catches the nest before it can touch the ground. It lands upright in her hands, its contents undisturbed. Or, at least, until the lace gently flutters down—]

I got it!

[—and makes contact with the exposed skin of her hand. The leggings immediately poof into sparkles, showering down on her, and she stares at them dumbfounded.]

They're... The leggings, they're gone?!

[THEIR JACE JEGGINGS???]

[heartablaze]

Wh-- ow, ow, no! Stop!!

[THEIR JACE JEGGINGS???????

Hikaru, unfortunately, cannot see their jace jeggings situation because of Bird Crimes... but Alex whapping a stick in their direction has at least drawn the bird's attention.

Unfortunately for Alex, that... means exactly what it sounds like. Down the bird goes, squawking and making a fuss in Alex's face.]

Aah-- Alex-san! Alex-san, watch your face!!! [Think, Hikaru, think! Running away would be smartest, but...

...

She quickly yanks the ribbon off the end of her braid, frantically untying it before sliding down one set of branches towards Kasumi.]

Y-Yoshizawa-chan, h-hey, if... if the lace is gone, h-hand the nest back up!! Quick! I'll leave it something, m-maybe it won't be so angry...!

[chanteuser]

[ suddenly none lajeggings... alex's attention is dragged away for a moment -- long enough for the bird and hikaru's yelling to startle her. ]

-- My fac--?? Ahh!!

[ her automatic reaction is to shield her face with her arms, which, luckily enough are covered by sleeves. but the bird IS really mad, so her focus is just on not letting it claw at her face aggressively, even if her arms are taking the brunt of the scratching and pecking instead. ]

[siblingless]

R-Right! Please, hang on!

[How did this go from 0-100 so suddenly.

With the nest still in her hands, she rounds around the tree to yeet the nest at Hikaru. The distance isn't that great, so this should be done in a matter of seconds — except the realm has other plans. A violent wind picks up as she runs towards the tree, strong enough to send the bird flying away from Alex and potentially knock Hikaru right off the tree if she doesn't hold on for her dear life. It is, however, certainly strong enough to lift a flimsy piece of paper! Which is how the Chinese talisman goes flying towards them. It may or may not smack right into (throws dart) Alex's face. Or arms? Probably her arms, unless she put them down. Please, save her. Either way, it dissolves into a shower of sparkles as soon as it makes contact with one of them.

Look. Listen. I refuse to turn in this thread without having found at least a second item, smh.

Meanwhile, Sumi is over here, vibing as the nest goes flying out of her hand and slams into her mouth.

Good work, team.]

[heartablaze]

[Good thing Hikaru has reflexes.....

She's reaching down to try and catch the nest from Kasumi, but then the wind picks up and everything goes flying, including Hikaru for a brief moment. She yelps as she feels her weight start to teeter off the limb she's on, grabbing out for it and hanging on as hard as she can as her legs blow out from under her, now dangling free.

She grips tight until the gust starts to die down, only then carefully trying to find a foothold for herself, sliding down another meter or two before bothering to make the jump back down to the ground, rolling through the motion even if her now-untied braid starts to come undone in the process.]

Alex-san, Yoshizawa-chan... Hey, are you okay?

[chanteuser]

[ alex doesn't talk for a moment. then the stick drops and her hands start flailing around, patting around her body and face like she's looking for something. the sleeves of her dress look a little worse for wear in places, with a sizeable gash on her left sleeve, but other than that she just seems confused. ]

Something hit me! When the wind was blowing where---[ she blinks a few times, looking in front of her as the last of the sparkles from the novalisman fade from view. ]

...



... Um. Congratulations, I think we got the talisman too.