WEEK SEVEN: MINGLE

[retellers]

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

Comments

[uhhhmagic]

[Oh, well, conveniently Lup is out of earshot so, turning to Sora real quick:]

Uuuuum, F-Y-I, Lup doesn't remember I'm her brother and just thinks I'm an overly attached friend. So that's fine! That's like, fine for me. My brain is all kinds of scramblies so I literally don't remember anyone else except her, which is weird, for me, so I guess that's a thing. I'm sure it's fine. Just a week left! Anyway. Just keeping you in the loop. The Lup! Hah! Good joke me.

[Holding his hand up for a high five.]

[evocationary]

[ she's conveniently out of earshot so she doesn't hear taako! or whatever his name is. haha. ]

Oh my god? Look at all this loot, Clementine, we are stealing everything in here.

I've got the tent and the potions. [ yoink ]

[reconnective]

[THERE'S A HIGH FIVE OF CONFUSION AND HE LOOKS HORRIFIED?]

Stop! Doing that! Both of you! [AHHHH HIS STRESS. but he's just going to shake his head.] But it's fine. We're gonna get through this and fix both of your stupid brains immediately.

[he's going to check both of these bedrooms though, checking the beds, under them, under other furniture, etc.]

[stillnot]

[ somehow clementine is in earshot of taako but lup isn't? don't worry about it. but it's fine, it's fine, we're at endgame and all the crazy stuff will get fixed soon, so she's not even commenting. ANYWAY, she is taking the feather. because she thinks it's pretty, that's literally the only reason.

she's more concerned with why lup sounds excited about this kind of loot. ]

There's... Not really anything good?

[retellers]

[ Whoever the shopkeeper is in this place is going to be out SO many gil, you guys, like, at least [looks at my notes] 2k worth of gil wait that's just like 20 dollars never mind have at it

Anyway, there doesn't seem to be anything much in the inn itself. Sad. Tragic. Dust bunnies from going unused, mainly. Clean your inn, you invisible inn keeper. ]

[uhhhmagic]

It's not like it was planned! I didn't coordinate this! Anyway, I want to loot something. Maybe the sick old house? Could be a hot ghost in that one too.

[Off for the mansion!]

[evocationary]

Are too. A potion and a hi-potion? They're great for hit points. And a tent is like, we spend five seconds in it and heal to max. Portable group elixir, and they're way cheaper, so you don't have to hoard them for the final boss.

[ she rattles this all off like she shouldn't be able to, but taz sure is a canon. as she's peeking out the door to see where that random dude who looks like her and sora are: ]

And you're holding what I think is a phoenix down. Which will be helpful for when one of us inevitably dies. Hey, are we following them?

[reconnective]

You know what would be awesome right now? If nobody died! That would be fantastic! [but yeah fine at that point he's out of the inn and he somehow hears all of this in this very quiet town, but he's gawking at taako for a second.]

I promise you, one day you'll find love that isn't dead. [but he nods and immediately follows! to the mansion! he doesn't question the sweet loot because that all sounds familiar to him. come along, girls, let's go into this abandoned probably haunted mansion.]

[stillnot]

[ clementine is heading back to join the other two with lup. lets not split up it makes conversations weird. off to the mansion they all go!! ]

Mm, I don't know. If you start with them dead, you don't have to worry about them dying on you?

[ just saying? ]

[retellers]

[ [clem voice] date a zombie, taako

Anyway, off they go to the old mansion! Separate from the rest of the peasants by a fence, this house absolutely does give off the vibe of being haunted. Unlike the rest of the village simply being empty, it looks like it's been abandoned for years. Stepping in, Sora might not recognize it right away because it's not nearly as destroyed or on fire, but he's certainly been here before. It's fine because it's not currently on fire!

Anyway, there's a set of stairs going up to the second floor, some rooms to the left and right, and also a ghost like immediately in their face. Like, a super stupid looking ghost, but a ghost none the less. ]

[uhhhmagic]

[Pointing at Clem because she gets it? Also he was literally dating Death. Like. The concept of death. The Grim Reaper. He did explain that, right? Anyway.

Looking at this stupid ghost, crossing his arms and then looking around like he's going to leave again.]

Okay, well, bye . . .

[evocationary]

You know, I should introduce you to my brother?

[ stop

anyway lup nearly rams into taako on her way in, and then pauses and peers over his shoulder at the stupid looking ghost. ]

... Spooky. I'm not wasting my ammo on that.

[reconnective]

[well. he walks forward and enters this mansion, and he'll probably recognize it by the next time it's his turn. as it is, he'll stop upon seeing this ghost and just. squint.

mon...ster?]

Please don't. [that's to lup, but he's watching this stupid ghost. are they all just gawking at this ghost? i hate all of them. he'll let a hand start to come up just in case he has to grab his sword though.] Let's head upstairs, maybe it'll leave us alone...

[stillnot]

[ clem just

shoots the monster? she's impatient and has ammo. it's fine. ]

[retellers]

[ -500hp

the ghost dies :( why you gotta do spooky jack-o-lanterns like this. why does it have such terrible stats, damn.

Anyway, up they go! The second floor has more rooms, including a bedroom with a secret stone staircase that spiral downwards that's currently open. Convenient? Perhaps! Leave me alone, there's a lot to get through, I'm not playing explore the mansion for days. Anyway, dice roll said you didn't get an encounter on the second floor either. Boo. ]

[uhhhmagic]

[Just blinking when Clem just shoots a ghost. That's fine and normal probably. Hm.

Anyway, to Lup:]

We've met.

[Aaaaaand going to just wander down the staircase. Normally he'd have issues with going in first, but. Fuck it!]

[evocationary]

-- Well, I guess that works.

[ dead ghost. she just shrugs at taako, and follows him down the staircase, shifting to keep her shotgun up and ready if she needs to. ]

[reconnective]

[a glance at the dead ghost and then a glance at clementine. ] Nice shot.

[but he'll follow after the twins. normally he would go look around but zia said no so to the stairs and down it is! except as he walks, he seems to pause a little.]

...I think I've been here before.

[stillnot]

[ she looks a little bit pleased with herself. ]

Yeah? Anything we should know?

[ she thinks she's heard this story already, but isn't sure what parts of it might be important. but yes we are speedrunning so down we go. ]

[retellers]

[ the basement will look a little different this time for Sora! Well, not the spiraling stone steps, those are the same. There's a locked door to the side, and the rest of the basement is a lot more spacious than Sora might remember it. Or have told the others about it. Straight ahead, there's a laboratory, though there does not seem to be any kind of odd tube containers for Sora to note this time, and then there's a corridor filled with bookshelves that connects to some kind of study.

But probably of more note in the study is a tall man with very long silver hair and an even taller sword and I just realized Sora knows him so I can't even do a fake reveal for next tag but anyway some kind of asshole reading books in too much leather and looking unhinged. He does not seem to have noticed them. ]

[uhhhmagic]

[Turning to hiss a whisper at Clem:]

Hey! Shoot that fucker too!

[evocationary]

[ lup does not know who this guy is but like, he looks like an edgelord, so that informs her decision.

she angles her shotgun at him. doesn't... shoot him yet? clementine is a better shot, honestly. ]

[reconnective]

Be careful. [it's what he says before they get down the stairs, and by then he realizes that this isn't the exact same. regardless, he pauses as they enter the basement and he immediately narrows his eyes.]

Do not shoot him yet. [this is muttered to both lup and clem both, but he steps forward just a bit, tilting his chin up and making sure he's in a good enough position to grab his swords.] What the hell is Sephiroth doing here?

[i can't get him to say fuck, so everyone has to allow me a hell thanks to his outside influence.]

[stillnot]

[ she wasn't going to shoot him, god! ]

Wow, language.

[retellers]

[ I can't believe Ty would cuck me from having someone shoot Sephiroth like this? Wow?

Anyway, Sephiroth does not seem to notice their presence, too taken by the various journals he's reading and mumbling about. There's something... off, about the entire scene, the more they look? He'll be standing at a bookshelf one minute, and the next he'll be sitting at a table with two different books in front of him, and then on the ground with like, seven more books. Being a nerd is terrible. If they look at the clock in the study, they'll see that time is jumping forward, too, every time, he moves.

The entire time, he does not acknowledge them at all, which is... something. ]