redactable | WEEK SEVEN: MINGLE

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mingle

WEEK SEVEN: MINGLE

WEEK SEVEN: MINGLE
(21 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.

As usual, the participants will find that their lodgings have changed, and should anyone check their PHS, Chiron, Ochako, Soo-won, and Dorothy's profiles have been removed. They may also find that they have difficulty recalling complete details of the past weeks.

Furthermore, it looks as though the rules have updated.

Not everything is the same as the previous pattern, though. The barrier to the north is back up, and once more, what lies beyond is an empty field. In contrast, however, participants may notice that they can finally access a place they haven't been able to before...

Additionally, it looks like the Leaders aren't around. No matter where the participants look, they're nowhere to be found. Should anyone try calling for them in the Planetarium, there will be no response—not even a message telling the participant that they're busy.

Finally, everything around the participants begins to... glitch? Buildings may suddenly blink out of existence and then back in, random items like chairs or cups may suddenly distort even while they're being used, and looking at any particular thing for too long may give someone a headache. It's worse than it was that one week, though: participants will find that it's happening to themselves as well. Body parts might suddenly glitch out of existence then back in, and there will be a shot of pain when it occurs. It'll happen randomly, but it also seems to occur more often if they're touching something or another person.

NAVIGATION

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

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ sometimes you just watch a tiny goat explode and go leaping right into protagonist action

at least it's not a space station place this time. xie lian's walking in front, with his sword at his side, looking around the extremely unfamiliar "nev st." ]

...Have any of you seen any place like this before? It's - [ oh.

blood! ] ...Ah.

...Mind your steps, everyone, and keep your eyes open.

[ Even if he's very tired of portals - the last time he gone through one, he'd gotten exploded, after all - Hua Cheng is immediately on Xie Lian's heels, hand on the hilt of his saber and ready to draw it. ]

... no, gege. [ Fun. Books don't count, especially since he didn't look that in-depth at neighborhoods or anything. ]

But it seems we have some company already. [ squinting up at the falcon, but also checking to see if there's any other signs of life ]

It almost reminds me of home.

[ if you squinted and tilted your head sideways. anyways, she's looking up and squinting herself to make sure that's not Gulfan. (hawks aren't falcons, u̻͈̫̬s̛̝̞͓̪͔̤à̠͔̙̟gì͚͇̞͖͖̺). but otherwise she's sticking pretty close to the back of Hua Cheng because he is a tall scary ghost king and she is just but a tiny girl. ]

I wonder where we are....

[ zuko trails after them, scowling, but he does pause to look up at the falcon..... he'll hold out his arm to it, just in case. ]

Wherever it is, I'm sure something horrible is waiting around the corner to attack us.

[ thanks zuko ]

[ The falcon does come down to perch on Zuko's arm! Though he won't be able to quite identify why, there's something that feels... comforting about its presence? Except, uh. It kind of flops over, like it's half-dead, despite having no visible injuries. Please catch it before it falls off you, Zuko.

There aren't any other particular signs of life. Maybe the occasional sounds of crickets, but it looks like the street is empty otherwise. ]

[ xie lian watches the falcon come down, and makes a little noise when it flops... he's gonna leave that to zuko to catch, though, after a look back at it. ]

...Let's not jump to conclusions just yet - but, it is best to be cautious. The Leaders need us.

[ he's going up to check out house #27, with all of its mysterious bloodsplatters... are there more of them when they come up the front of it? are there stairs or anything up to the front of the house...?

if nothing like blocks them from it he's gonna go up to the door, though. ]

[ Oh, well, so much for their company. Hua Cheng watches as it nearly keels over on Zuko's arm, blinking once, twice, in dull surprise before he turns to follow after Xie Lian while sticking close to Usagi. Zuko has it covered? ( disney princess voice ) that's rough buddy ]

Given the blood, I think it's safe to say we can ease into a few conclusions. [ Someone is injured, but they don't know if friend or foe, or if it's setting them up into a trap.

Anything in the yard of house #27, of particular note, besides the blood? ]

[ she's peering around hua cheng to look at the bird, blinking curious eyes at the birb. ]

Are they okay....?

[ otherwise, she'll be looking up while everyone else looks around ]

They will be.

[ despite his bitchy boy attitude, he catches the poor bird with no problem, carefully holding it against his chest. ]

What happened to you? I can try to bandage you, just stay still.

[ he's got this, guys, do the cyoa ]

[ The falcon remains where it is. Looks like it's fallen unconscious, so take good care of it, Zuko. As he presses it against his chest, though, that comforting feeling intensifies. Something about the bird might remind him of the sun...? For some inexplicable reason.

There's maybe one step Xie Lian has to go up in order to reach the door of the house, with blood splatters leading up to it, but nothing will stop him from opening it and entering inside. Near the door is a shattered window.

Assuming Xie Lian goes inside, he'll notice that the house, on the other hand, is devoid of any blood. In fact, it looks completely deserted. Wind gently blows through the curtains of the broken window, while shards of glass lie on the floor. The only other object of note is a backpack, tucked away in a corner.

House #27's lawn looks normal. The mailbox is open, but the mail is standard flyers, bills, etc. Not that Hua Cheng would be familiar with any of that stuff, probably. All of the mail is addressed to _____ Berger.

Usagi looks up and sees the moon. ]

Edited 2020-11-17 02:46 (UTC)

[ well! that's fine.

xie lian peeks back through the shattered window and calls out - ] There's no one here, either. Zuko, is the falcon alright...?

[ is the glass more in the house or outside of it? are there more stairs or any other floors of this house... and he's gonna scoop up that backpack and check it out. what's in here! ~~any food~~

.... when was the last time he saw a falcon... ]

Edited 2020-11-17 02:53 (UTC)

I'll finish checking out here, then, gege.

[ Yeah there's disinterest in the mailbox once he sees that there's nothing of note there, and he bumps his elbow into Usagi to indicate she not follow as he starts to move to - one side of the house, on the same side as the broken window, to check and see if there's any more traces of blood or anything else. If not he'll rejoin the three of them. ]

[ she'll grin at hua cheng before taking a minute to look at the moon, wishing absently on her former mom for luck. nothing like a lil dose of extra good fortune, right...?

otherwise, she'll be going through the mail, looking for anything of interest. any mail order catalogs for her to nose through? ]

He's unconscious.

[ zuko will just bandage up this birdie while they do the plot stuff ]

[ The glass is in the house! It looks as though something shattered the window from outside. There are stairs, but if Xie Lian goes up to the second floor, it's equally deserted.

Unfortunately for Xie Lian, the backpack does not contain any food. It does, however, contain weapons! Again unfortunately, though, they're all guns. Normal guns, guns that shoot fiery beams of light (no, they don't heal), guns that shoot wires that latch onto their target and taze them... not that Xie Lian will necessarily know any of this.

Hua Cheng finds traces of death, but not the kind he expected. Rather than any physical evidence, he will get the sense that... someone passed away here? More specifically, in the house, so he might want to go inside to properly focus on that sensation.

There are catalogs in the mail that seem like they'd be relevant to Usagi, yeah. Cute clothes, pet supplies (are those to relevant to her? maybe not, but they're there), etc. As a matter of fact, as she's browsing through them and Zuko bandages up the falcon... they will, just momentarily see a vision: a red-haired girl passes by them, walking a (very fat) dog. In the seconds that they see her for, she looks carefree, as though she doesn't have a worry in her life.

Then, the image fades. ]

[ yeah he has. no idea. why would you, in fact, keep a backpack full of guns? they all just look like guns that shoot things to him, so... it's probably better not to throw it out. instead, he takes the bag and shuts the top of it, then comes to stand at the open doorway, leaning against the frame and looking concerned. ]

I found a bag full of guns... but, otherwise, the house is empty - just like everything else.

[ he looks between the other three for a moment, his gaze lingering on the falcon in zuko's arms for a little while longer. ]

There was no sign of where the blood came from. Are the three of you still alright...?

[ Missing the redhead, Hua Cheng pauses where he's looking past the house, letting that familiar feeling of death settle on him. He hears Xie Lian, but he doesn't respond at first. Instead, he turns, jingling footsteps steady as he makes his way after that sensation. His hand has stayed on the hilt of his sword the whole time, but, for just a moment, he removes it to touch Xie Lian's arm as he comes to slip past him. ]

There's something off. [ As his hand returns to his sword, and his steps take him after that feeling, he clarifies without turning: ] Someone died here. Everyone stay close to each other, don't wander off.

[ The ghost is tracking the passing, where's he going, Jan. ]

[ she has a cat, of course it's relevant. look at all these cute lil clothes for both. that is until the vision startles her and she starts looking around for a hint of either girl or dog. ]

What was.....?

[ h-hello? ]

A girl and her dog.........?

[ zuko's just holding this bird to his chest now, his emotional support bird. but he does follow along with the gang, frowning at the guns and the vision. ]

... It's trying to tell us something, but what? We have to find the girl?

[ Hua Cheng will be led to the area with the broken glass. Why didn't Xie Lian get to sense anything? Because he's not the Ghost King, clearly.

But once he checks it out, it's his turn for a vision (and anyone who else looks back inside the house): there are drops of blood around the glass, before they disappear. Then, everything is brightly lit, and there stands a family. A young red-haired boy, holding balloons, wearing a party hat, and blowing into a party horn; a middle-aged woman, holding a red-haired infant girl. She laughs, full of cheer.

"Take a look at your brother!"

"I'm congratulating her on her birthday," the boy says around the party blower.

The woman reaches to pat him on the head, nudging the hat away. "I know, I know. Now then, why don't we go eat some cake?"

"Yeah!"

And then, everything fades, leaving behind a spirit in its wake: that of the woman in the vision. She turns to Hua Cheng, and smiles gently. ]

... You're not here to guide me either, are you?

[ Meanwhile, over with Usagi and Zuko: there's no sign of the girl or her dog anymore, but into the distance, they might hear some noise? Only Usagi will have any idea what it could be, maybe: it sounds like a car driving by. ]

[ that's valid actually only hua cheng has rights

anyway - there's a lot to take in. the little, bright party feels happy, for the brief moment that it stands. even with the bloodied glass (little flicker it was), there's just a sense of utter warmth to the scene, and then...

...and then, it feels like ghost city, for a moment. like standing with a ghost fire - wayward spirits are familiar.

xie lian looks at the spirit in front of them - he presses his fist to his hand and bows his head to her, respectfully, and the expression on his face is gentle, his voice to match, as it squeezes at is heartstrings. ]

...If there is a way that we can safely guide you to rest, perhaps the two of us would be better suited to it than most, my lady.

Might've found her. [ To Zuko, who is now in our tender loving care along with the birb, since Sipp is heading to bed. If there was a girl for them, maybe this is the same one? Hua Cheng inclines his head slightly when Xie Lian bows, and either doesn't acknowledge the noise in the distance, or realize that it's something to pay any attention to.

For most, going from that happy scene to this, now, would be whiplash. But he's largely unfazed, and almost detached. At least he's not outright unkind. ]

Being here, I think we're meant to be guiding one another. [ This isn't normally the Ghost King's role - even if he let Soo-won assume as much, so long ago - but he can work with it. ] What can you say, about what happened here?

A car....?

[ she will be taking her now godmodded blast shield and his emotional support birb to peer around and see if she can spot where it's coming from. only if so she doesn't start make squawking noises about spirits being real. (no, hua cheng apparently doesn't count) ]

[ Usagi, if she dares to separate from her chinese gays, will have to leave the neighbourhood and towards what looks to be a more bustling area of the city if she wants to pursue the vroom vroom noises. At least she has a meat shield.

As for the gays and their spirit, though: ]

... The last person to speak with me... He couldn't guide me back, as he no longer had the power to do so.

Still, I can wait.

[ And then, she begins to recount her story. ]

A monster—a pitch black woman swallowed me, trapping me with countless other souls. Still, I couldn't accept my fate. My son was out there, in danger from her. I've been told that I then cast aside the path that the dead are meant to walk, in order to protect him.

... But I'm content. The guide told me that my son still lives now, because of it. All a mother wishes for is for her children to live long, happy lives—so if my son and daughter are both alive, then I've done what I needed to.

[ With that gentle smile— ]

... When it comes to death, there is no justifiable reasons that we humans will accept. So, whether it's resentment or regrets... [ and here, her voice echoes, as if a memory is laid over what they're witnessing now ] ... happy memories should be placed first.

[ Then, it returns to normal. ]

I don't think you'll find my children here. However... you're looking for him, aren't you? The guide, that is. I asked him to protect my children, so I'll ask of you: please watch over him, then.

[ Hm, wonder who she's talking about! They won't be able to get any confirmation or clarification, though, before she disappears, leaving Hua Cheng and Xie Lian alone in the house. ]

[ a pitch black woman swallowed me.

there is a brief moment, where xie lian's eyes widen, because, suddenly, he remembers teeth, an act of kindness -

...but he listens, and holds that knowledge in the back of his mind, so every word she says moves his heart. xie lian feels a soft swell of warmth in his chest for the woman's determination, for her wise words about death, for the fact that her son still lives, for her gentle smile, for her safe passage onto the next life, after death. a surge of affection for this guide, and...

happy memories should be placed first, she says, and if there's another memory layered on top in that echo, there's a third that goes with it, too, but that voice belongs to someone else.

("Is there anything in particular you'd like to learn about? Though, I must confess, I'm starting to forget many things, so I can't guarantee what I can share..."

"Hm... if you can recall, a memory that brings you happiness?)

as the woman asks them to watch over this guide, xie lian opens his mouth to say something, but -- just like that, she's gone.

and xie lian knows who they have to save. ] ...San Lang. [ xie lian says, softly. ]

The guide -- it must be Brother Goat.

[ with the spirit gone, xie lian clasps both of his hands together, palm to palm, and bows his head. ]

I'll find him. For the sake of your children and the people he's been protecting. I swear it - I will ensure him the kindness that he has given to you and yours. May your soul rest in peace with this knowledge as it moves onto wherever it may lie.

[ and with that, he straightens, looking up at hua cheng, and giving a determined little nod, with his sense of purpose as true as an arrow, as it has always been. ]

...Let's go meet back up with Miss Usagi and Zuko - we must keep moving forward.

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