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

[arkitect]

Emet-Selch.

[thanks, he is already tired, pulling his arm away from alyssa's grasp. it takes some willpower, considering, but he's not here to let the touchy-feeliness win.]

Charmed, I am sure. Now let go of me and let us be about it.

[assistance]

You know, this is exactly why you get the nickname.

[ indeed, emet's grouchy reaction merely serves to make alyssa giggle, but she lets him go without much effort. she'll just make up for it by squeezing usagi's hand as she reaches again for her phs, opening it to their to-do list. ]

The other two things we need to find seem simple enough, but would either of you know how to tell this type of rock from, you know, any of the hundreds of other rocks we'll probably come across?

[moondumplings]

Selks-san...

[ hm. she's gonna chalk this to foreign languages being difficult problem.

otherwise, usagi's perfectly happy having a hand to hold and she swings it absently while she peers over a shoulder to read the missive. ]

I don't know anything about rocks. [ outside of them being rock shaped and occasionally pretty on the inside ] Maybe there's something else to help.....?

[arkitect]

Yes, yes, very entertaining.

[that is as dry as it can possibly be, not looking at the two of them as he looks down to his own device.]

The visual aid should suffice to tell one from another.

[assistance]

I'm no geologist, but I guess in theory it shouldn't be too hard to find one that looks like this...

[ here she lets go of usagi's hand to clap hers together. ]

Well, let's get started! I feel like the Emporium's as good of a place to start as any. Maybe we'll be lucky and there'll be one of those souvenir "make your own bag of gemstones" displays somewhere in there.

[moondumplings]

Oh, like those pencils with the pretty stones!

[ or like the goldrush chocolates ]

But there's no way to find if we just keep standing here....!

[ let's goooooo! ]

[arkitect]

[how excitable over something so small... he follows, keeping a slight distance in an attempt to avoid being grabbed again.]

Should we find any, I will look them over to compare while the two of you continue to search for the rest. Focusing all our efforts onto a single point will serve only to draw this out.

[he would very much prefer Not That.]

[assistance]

[ it's very lucky that usagi's around, because holding hands with her is more than enough to scratch alyssa's itch... still, that doesn't stop her from turning to face him, her brow furrowed in contemplation. ]

You know, normally, I'd agree with you... but don't you think teambuilding is a part of the activity? Otherwise, I don't think the leaders would have grouped us together if the point was just for us to find these things. It's just a working theory until we run into it ourselves, of course, but I think cooperation is a key factor in drawing out these nova fragments.

[moondumplings]

Mm, mm! I think so as well!

[ usagi doesn't know shit about fuck but even she knows teamwork makes the dream work...! ]

Having all three of us looking will probably make things go faster too.

[arkitect]

Three people staring at a rock is hardly worthwhile, as a cooperative effort.

[onward they go, though, for the Great Item Hunt.]

Division of labor is necessary for it to be efficient.

[assistance]

[ in a very loud stage whisper to usagi as they walk into the emporium: ]

I think our teammate is just a party pooper.

[ and then, as she returns her voice to its proper cadence: ]

Fine, then. You take care of rock hunting, while Usagi and I look for the pom-poms. Can we at least agree on that much?

[moondumplings]

[ nods incredibly seriously because sulks-san she's pretty sure they're supposed to be enjoying this...!! ]

We should be able to find those super easy!

[arkitect]

[wow, it's a miracle, he's gone selectively deaf. he doesn't bother with that first comment.]

Acceptable enough. If we were to split fully, objects may be simpler to overlook.

[now where would a rock be hiding. or maybe where Wouldn't it, if they're really meant to hunt...]

[assistance]

[ she gives another tug to usagi's hand, leading the way further into the store. ]

Come on, let's try looking in the toy section. There's bound to be something resembling pom-poms there... ooh, maybe we could think of this as a girls' bonding activity, too!

[ no sulky grandpas necessary! ]

[moondumplings]

Oh, you're right! And there's bound to be plenty of things that they could be hiding in.

[ like those pencils with pom poms. and the cheerlead bears with pom poms. and those silly sweaters with nothing but pom-poms attached to it!! but it said it was split up, right? HM... that shouldn't be too hard to spot. (haha) ]

Now, if I was a pom-pom, where would I hide......?

[arkitect]

[enjoy your bonding for now, girls, he's going to be over in a nearby-ish part of the shop going through shelves of decorative paperweights. this would be a decent place to hide a rock, right...]

Just don't break anything over there.

[assistance]

[ she's sure emet means to be serious with his comment... but... she turns to usagi, holding up a finger like she's making a Very Important Point. ]

You know... even if we did break something, there isn't anybody around to hold us accountable!

[moondumplings]

[ she snickers into her hand and nods mischievously even as she wanders directly into the girls section. time to get immediately distracted by shiny things ]

Right?? I'd feel bad but there's no one here to yell!

[ time to discover there's been an npc sleeping behind the counter this whole time. ]

[arkitect]

I am certainly not your minder.

[he's not here to babysit, just don't make a mess and make their lives harder!!

some of the paperweights are intentionally rock-shaped, for whatever reason, and he's busy going over them to see if any of them are similar enough to inspect closely. why is this place Like This.]

[assistance]

Ooh, maybe he isn't as much of a killjoy as I originally thought!

[ she's not being intentionally messy or anything, but she's not being too mindful of keeping things tidy, either. strangely enough, nothing in this plush pile seems to be remotely pom-like! frowning, she walks a little past the display when something else behind a very conveniently-placed glass case catches her eye. ]

... Speaking of, we miiiight actually need to break something, if that's what I think it is.

[moondumplings]

[ casually leans her chin over alyssa's shoulder like they haven't just met ]

........Oh! Is that-?

[ she fishes out her phs to compare the item to the lockpick listed. SCORE ONE TO THEM. ]

...... Eeeeeh I didn't think we would actually need to break something like this.

[arkitect]

[well, that doesn't sound good.

it sounds a whole lot like something he would rather not get involved with, thank you, but seeing as they're all stuck together... he sighs, gathering up the few rocks he has identified as Close Enough that need further inspection.

and, on spotting the display case:]

...of course.

[of course it's like this.]

Well, they certainly have not stopped anyone from stealing; damage is likely no different, if no other way to open it presents itself.

[assistance]

[ looks at usagi. looks at emet. looks at the display case. looks at the rocks. ]

. . .

You know, even if none of them are the one we're looking for, all those rocks could still be of some use to us.

[ cracks a mischievous smile. ]

[moondumplings]

[ .......... usagi casually looks at selks-jiji and steps out of his way.

after you ]

[arkitect]

[he hands a rock to alyssa.

he's not doing that.]

You could at least pretend to seek other solutions.