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!

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

Comments

[stillnot]

[ she rolls her eyes at him. ] Pretty mad.

... You're an easier target for raiders if you stay in one place. All the places to loot get tapped dry. Old stores, other people's abandoned camps.

Anywhere you do try to stay has to be somewhere that can hold up through the winter, and somewhere with water nearby and animals to hunt for food. And anywhere that used to be close to civilization has too many walkers to really be safe. Plus sometimes there are herds of them that pass by.

[ so the sturdy shelters are in dangerous areas, and the areas where you can be self sufficient don't have good enough shelter. ]

[reconnective]

Thought so. [but...ah...]

Okay what...is a walker? And a raider? [just to be clear here.] Maybe a tree house could work but I get the feeling that's not what you're thinking either.

[can walkers climb? who knows.]

[stillnot]

[ oh did she not. tell him about this. ]

... Where I'm from, the dead come back. And they just... Eat. If you get bit, you die and become one. If you die - it doesn't matter how - you become one. And raiders are just people who want to steal from you. Easier than being self sufficient.

Being high up will keep you safe from walkers, but not other people.

[ but she does give. a light laugh? haha... mood lightening... ]

My little tree house was how I survived the first couple of days. My parents left me alone with a baby-sitter, and she turned. So I hid up there.

[reconnective]

[it's been three weeks and she's never told him this, he just knows her world is ruined.

but also. wow! that's terrifying!]

Kinda sounds like the Heartless. They turn into monsters when the person loses their heart, and all they care about is consumption and spreading darkness.

[but given the flare of alarm he recognizes that's actually horrifying.]

...Clementine, how long have you been on your own?

[stillnot]

... A couple years. I don't know. I was little when it all started - too little to survive by myself. I went from group to group for a long time, but sometimes I was by myself between groups.

I stopped dealing with them when I got AJ back. That was almost - three years ago, I guess.

[reconnective]

Aren't we the same age? [this is more to be polite than anything because...a lot of things suddenly make way more sense now, wow.]

You've survived with AJ for three years. That's pretty impressive on its own.

[stillnot]

Well, yeah. [ like, it is. she knows that it is - not everyone can raise a baby alone in this kind of world, anymore. but praise is still weird. ] I don't know how it compares to saving worlds and fighting "heartless," though.

... It got easier once he could talk. I was alone for a year or so when he was a baby. Before the New Frontier.

[reconnective]

[that same weird, disjointed set of emotions crops up again but he simple shrugs.]

The things you went through weren't even close to being easy. [like. he could not possibly take care of a baby? he can barely even take care of himself sometimes.] So what's the New Frontier?

[stillnot]

... That's getting harder to ignore.
[ but that said, she's still willing to.

She rolls up her sleeve to show the symbol branded on her arm - up above a big nasty scar. I'm too lazy to link to what it looks like because I'm on my phone. She hasn't been hiding it during trials, but then again, the only time it would be visible would be during strip checks, so. ]

One of the bigger groups. Took me in for a while. Kicked me out, stole AJ from me. Made me think he was dead. They're gone now. [ which she feels vindictive about; her emotions make it extra clear that she's glad about that group's collapse. ]

[reconnective]

[he gives her a questioning look because he has no idea what she's talking about? or he's at least going to pretend he has no idea and focus instead on what she's showing him. there's just a frown at that.

the sailboat continues to go across the water. at least he was right that he knows how to sail.]

Kinda sounds like that's for the better. What were they even gaining by doing that to you?

[stillnot]

[ she is unconvinced, but nice enough to let him get away with it anyway... for now... ]

They were all assholes. It wasn't about what they gained, it was what they weren't willing to give up.

AJ got sick and they didn't think he'd make it. They wouldn't give me the medicine for him, so I stole it. So... They kicked me out and kept AJ.

Their doctor had been the one who said they didn't think he'd get better, even with the medicine. So for a long time I just assumed...

[reconnective]

So they didn't even try...? [if there was medicine there, and aj was sick, why didn't they just give it to him?] I don't think I'd make a different assumption either.

[...what a bunch of jerks.] I'm glad you both got out of there. What a mess.

[stillnot]

Yeah. They had sent him somewhere else, but I was able to get him back.

[ her expression doesn't give it away, but it's clearly a bad memory; there's a strong wave of residual panic and guilt and turmoil that comes up. ]

[reconnective]

Good. [yeah, he can sense that and it's why he just forces himself to stay calm. he's figured out that they're trading, somehow, so he's doing his best to remain bright enough to try and offset it.]

...you impress me a lot. Did I ever tell you that?

[stillnot]

[ it helps - and there's little flutter of comfort from his words. it's not enough to completely wash away the remnants of her repressed trauma, but it's nice. makes her feel a little warm.

but she's bad at this, so she shrugs and says, very flatly: ]

Yeah, I'm amazing.

[ surely sarcasm will help! ]

[reconnective]

[it's better than nothing, and the sarcasm's met with a flicker of amusement.]

Okay, Miss Amazing. You wanna try steering us for a bit? [give her something to do to drift away from traumatic experiences he dug into, sorry clem.]

[stillnot]

[ hmm. despite the little bit of nervousness - there doesn't seem to be that much that could go wrong, here. right? right. ]

Alright, but I'm still blaming you if I manage to blow us up.

[ still, she'll come over to try and take over steering. ]

... So - you wanna talk about whatever's bugging you?

[reconnective]

You're not gonna blow up a sailboat. Probably. Here, put your hand here...just remember the way you want to go is the opposite of what you should be turning.

[he will let clem take over steering though, leaning back against the side of the ship. the question means he's going to look over at the ocean instead and shrug.]

Honestly? Not really. [at least he's upfront about it and he grins lightly.] It's kind of stupid compared to everything you just told me anyway, so don't worry about it too much.

[stillnot]

[ she keeps her eyes on the water, only sparing him a quick glance. some semblance of privacy? even though she's prying? it's fine. ]

... You know, back home it's frustrating dealing with people who don't know the way the world works. You try to save them and you can't, and it's just - annoying that they don't get it.

But it's only frustrating because it's like they're not facing the world around them. It's different when we're actually from different worlds.

It's not like I'm comparing anyone else's life to mine like that.

[reconnective]

[it's fine, probably.]

...I get it, I think. Or I want to get it. There're people back home we had to save. Most of them we could, some of them we couldn't. Some of them I still don't understand why either.

Being from different worlds...I want to understand. And I get that I don't always manage that. I kinda feel like I owe you an apology sometimes for trying to make the comparisons.

[there's a flicker of sheepishness, but it's mostly calm again.]

[stillnot]

That's not what I mean. The comparisons - I'm not sure I get all of them - but if they help, that's fine. Seems like worlds can have stuff in common.

I just mean you don't need to say whatever you're worrying about is stupid.

[reconnective]

Oh. [...well. he looks at the water to see where clementine's steering them.] ...ask me again later if you want. See how things are then.

[maybe he'll feel differently, or maybe things will distract them enough they'll focus on something else.] I think right now I just want to keep enjoying this place while we have it. It's gonna go away next week, you know? May as well embrace it.

[but he relaxes again.] Any bets what it'll be next time?

[stillnot]

[ she is steering them towards... water! she's out here sailing into the sunset to make sure she doesn't somehow crash into anything, ok. ]

Hmm, sure.

[ she's fine with letting it drop. it's not like she enjoys prying; rather, she just feels bad if she talks all the time and he doesn't get to. ]

... Let's see. We've done space and pirates. So maybe ninjas is next?

[reconnective]

[congrats on not crashing everybody.]

Ninjas, huh. That'd definitely fit right in. I don't think I've ever really met ninjas before? [...he looks like he wants to say something but is refraining from explaining.] It'd be kind of fun to actually get some training in.

[stillnot]

[ she has no frame of reference for when he's kidding or not when he talks like this. ]

Ninja training?