WEEK TWO: MINGLE

[retellers]

WEEK TWO: MINGLE (37 remain) Rise and shine, gremlins. The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and it's the start of a new week. To the participants, yesterday's events may seem distant now—albeit not as distant as their life before this. Whether or not they notice, they will have lost a memory upon waking up. The barrier to the north is down, and beyond the bridge lies new areas to explore. Strangely, what was there last week seems to have been replaced overnight. That's not the only thing that's different, either. The participants will find that their lodgings have changed, and new buildings within the town have been unlocked. Finally, should anyone check their PHS, Cater, Sharon, and Kano's profiles have been removed. 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. Furthermore, it looks as though the rules have updated. If you break the current ninth rule, participants will get shocked. It will be a mild shock at first, but the longer they touch each other, the stronger it will get. On that note, if your character did not share a memory last week, please make sure to check your notifs! Participants may also find that their memories of the past few weeks are getting fuzzier... as though they can't recall some of the details without focusing. Finally, this week, every time a participant gets within one foot of someone, they will experience the emotions the other person is currently feeling and vice-versa. This will last for ten seconds even after they've stepped out of their personal bubble, after which the sharing itself might share, but the knowledge will not. Have fun!

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[retellers]

[ The snakes are all attaching themselves to Hansa's clothes, biting. His legs are now covered in snakes. Luckily, he is a robot, so it does not hurt, but it is lightly inconvenient. They will attempt to launch themselves at him from all angles if given the chance, curling up around and biting useless. Their nest!!!!! You bitch!!!!

The snakes don't seem bothered by the sweeping, so the rest of the group is fine though. Deeper in the swamp they go, and deeper truly is the word for it. They swamp water is slowly rising as they go deeper, following the skeletons. The good news is, less snakes! The bad news is, swamp water.

There may be leeches. ]

[robopriest]

[YEAH WOW THIS IS TURNING INTO A GREAT DAY, INDEED]

I like these clothes! Get off!

[He's just tearing them off and throwing them whenever he can far away from the rest of the group. His annoyance is at a peak. But at least he can stride forward into the water, mostly snakeless!]

[Thank the Lord he's waterproof and leech-proof. The Church really has the best technology! Also he's too busy being a bit mad about the snakes to notice the leeches. Sorry, everyone.]

[chanteuser]

[ well some people here have fleshy legs, so while the departure of the snakes is great and wonderful, the arrival of leeches is not-so-much.

alex's boots are high enough that she avoids the leeches for a little longer than anticipated, but she will flinch suddenly and stop. ]

...

There's something on my leg.

[ ................... oh no.


she keeps moving after a moment, but it's notably stiffer and more cautious after that. ]

[soulus]

[Rufus does not delay. He's covered well enough and leeches don't frighten him. Now, hard work for no or little pay—that is truly frightening.]

Pay them no mind. They're just leeches.

[misstrust]

Better to just get through it...

[ Says Dorothy.

Whose legs have nice high boots but dem thighs are still ripe for the leeching and from the way she turns pale and just abruptly-- diligently speeds up her splashing forward past Alex, they sure made a beeline for dem thighs.

But you know what, leeches over snakes any day and skeletons over everything, but at least she's yet to trip over an alligator. ]

[retellers]

[ Leeches aside, this swamp isn't so bad now that the snakes are gone. Well, some are swimming along with you guys, but that's fine. They've stopped trying to attack anyone but Hansa. They are, in fact, following Hansa along, determined to make up for him being invulnerable to leeches.

It is perhaps going too well, because soon they come upon an odd looking piece of drift wood... wait why does the driftwood have eyes???

but at least she's yet to trip over an alligator.

uh ohhhhh. the alligator opens its mouth

GET OUT ME SWAMP it growls in alligator, probably. that or it is just trying to eat them. ]

[robopriest]

[Hansa, annoyance already at his peak (he might be invulnerable to leeches but that doesn't mean he doesn't have the sensors to at least tell they're trying to BITE him), just doesn't even blink his eye at the sight of the crocodile.]

[It's time to make Ty's dream come true. Hansa just turns his head in the direction of it, gritting his teeth.]

Get out of my way.

[And in true Steve Irwin fashion he's just going to move to the side and then tackle it with the full weight of his stupid metal body. Its fine? Though maybe you should help? I mean, you can't let the cyborg have all the fun, can you?]

[chanteuser]

[ there he goes...
knock 'em dead.....................................








i mean. she's not super excited at the idea of trying to intervene anywhere in a fight between a literal alligator and a cyborg? to paraphrase a certain elf... alex's good out here.

but she will use that plank to smack the alligator if it gets too close to her. eat splinters, reptile. ]

[soulus]

[No, he's fine. Alex and Hansa can have all the fun to themselves. Of course, if the alligator gets too close to his path after Alex's wooden retaliation, Rufus will punch it straight in a vulnerable eye before pressing onward.]

[misstrust]

Oh, for the love--!

[ You guys. That poor guy is getting totally overpowered and he needs our help!!

And by "that poor guy", I mean the alligator.

But Dorothy has apparently hit the limit of Regretting Everything and has pushed straight through to Hating Everything That Stands In Her Way of Getting Out, so you know what?

She's sloshing over there, avoiding flailing limbs and drawing one leg up and out of the water and--

Kicking the alligator in the side of the head as hard as she can?

SHE'S GOT YOUR BACK, HANSA. YOU DON'T NEED IT, BUT SHE'S GOT IT. ]

Stop it, already! You ought to be ashamed of yourself, picking on wanderers like us!!

[ Wow, it's like she looks after young girls or something. ]

[retellers]

[ The alligator attempts that cool wrestling alligator move alligators do where they kind of clamp and spin, but hansa is already doing that, so it is beaten to the punch? It bites at the first thing it can, which ends up being Alex's wood plank and so gets a mouthful of wood and splinters for its effort, and then it is kicked in the head.

The alligator is having a TERRIBLE time, this is the WORST PREY, and it is TIRED. It is officially KO'ed.

Anyway Rufus will be the one to see that the skeletons have dragged them all the way to what looks like a... house? Hidden deep in the swamp? The skeletons walk in, still carrying the chest. ]

[robopriest]

Yes!

[This poor crocodile. Hansa stands up, completely soaked from head to toe, hair dripping wet and plastered against his face and just-]

[Pumps his fists in the air, laughing. Alex and Dorothy and maybe even Rufus can feel that he's just.............extremely genuinely happy right now? This totally makes up for the snakes and leeches.]

Haha! Gotcha! [And then he'll raise his hand for high fives from the girls. IS THIS THE TIME, HANSA.] Good job, you two! Let's keep going!

[Sometimes you really are just a jock,]

[chanteuser]

[ ...

i mean she goes to return the high five without thinking —- stops really awkwardly halfway, turns around to free whatever’s left of her trusty wooden plank from the jaws of the alligator—-

and then taps his hand with that.

HANSA your ARMS.



but yes there’s a treasure chest to be chasing. celebrate and walk, mister. ]

[soulus]

[Rufus is still here. He feels Hansa's elation; meanwhile, everyone else can feel his impatience as he watches the skeletons leave. He starts to move, but sharing his emotions means they'll be saddled with them for the next ten seconds.]

Let's not waste time. There's a building up ahead.

[misstrust]

[ Dorothy looks and feels... rather perplexed by the gesture, tilting her head. Huh. Well, maybe it's just some kind of exuberant motion?

She just sort of waves awkwardly in response?? But then she's shaking her head with a grin and splashing in Rufus' direction. ]

Yes, dear. Coming, dear.

[ TO THE... HOUSE. ]

[retellers]

[ Obviously, since this is a swamp, it's a wooden house on stilts. Once they climb the steps to get in, they'll see it is full of odd jars and trinkets, like potion bottles, skulls, odd looking coins, and a stuffed monkey. There's a bathtub with some gumbo in it, for some reason?

The skeletons are nowhere to be found on this level, but there is a second floor. The only thing in their way seems to be this nice bird. Surely this is a completely easy task after defeating an alligator, some snakes and leeches? Which are still on all of you, by the way. You are still covered in leeches.

And, in Hansa's case, snakes. ]

[robopriest]

...Oh.

[Right. The touching............thing.]

[He just kind of lowers his hand back to his side well! Let's move on! House time!]

[And honestly, Hansa is still riding the high of wrestling an entire crocodile, so he'll just let some of these snakes chill on him for now. Honestly he probably doesn't feel them at this point. Adrenaline will do that to you.]

[Sure is an interesting house, though! Hansa peers around, frowning at the bathtub, before going to go up the stairs, and....]

[Hm.]

[He? Gestures at the bird??? AMERICA, EXPLAIN]

Why is there a bird here.

[chanteuser]

[ at least someone’s having fun. ]

[ as soon as alex is inside she looks down to see what was on her legs and makes a sort if

dismayed noise. it’s kinda squeaky.

but she closes her eyes, takes a deep breath and just. keeps on trucking. ]

You’d think a couple of skeletons carrying a chest would easier to track down...

[ even in a place that went as busy on the decor as this one did. ]

... maybe it lives here? [ they don’t know this bird’s life? ]

[soulus]

[Rufus reaches inside his shirt to pick off a leech or two. He drops them on the ground before stepping into the house.

What's this—coins?

While Hansa and Alex see to the bird, Rufus spends this time to familiarize himself with the items on the first floor. The stuffed monkey is suspect. Also, it won't do to crowd the stairs.]

[misstrust]

[ Dorothy grimaces, delicately grabbing a-- well, a skull to shove the leeches off. But then she nicely places it back and goes to hush up and look at the gumbo.

Just seems like a normal thing to do.

And Hansa and Alex can bond with the surely nice bird? ]

[retellers]

[ There's a few gold coins on the ground indeed, Rufus! They don't look like they fit the rest of this weird loot. How odd. The gumbo smells fucking delicious despite being in a bathtub.

The bird stares at Hansa and Alex. Then it throws up a sword which stabs Alex in the leg because Becks asked me nicely.

It goes "CAWWWW" loudly. ]

[robopriest]

...

[Hansa just. Stares for a long moment. Maybe he's just feeling some kind of euphoria from the crocodile wrestling, and he's just having this weird hallucination about a bird puking up an entire sword.]

[.......................This is not a hallucination.]

[And that sure is a sword in Alex's leg!]


[........]

[Hansa is just going to grab the bird by the beak and just whip the bird down with all his strength to try to smash it into the floor.]

[soulus]

[He picks the coins up, because they look out of place. It's definitely not because he's missed the sight or smell of money. Drawn by the commotion upstairs, Rufus then moves to join Hansa and a wounded Alex.

Well, that's something.]

[misstrust]

[ Okay, Dorothy's just going to whip off her pirate-y head scarf and go to help Alex unstabify herself and get that stab wound wrapped??

GOD. ]

Not a single nice animal in this place...

[ Dorothy can grumble because she is not the one who was stabbed. ]

[retellers]

[ Unfortunately for Hansa, he is still full of snakes, so the bird's reflex is to swallow one whole, like so. This causes all the other snakes that were, for some reason, STILL ON HIM, to attack the bird, which caws again. This time, four more birds like this one swoop in from the open windows and attack all three people left. The snakes are also fighting.

They leave Alex alone because she is already stabbed. ]