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

[ well, we evaded clem's fire/raid trauma from memloss, but she's still? afraid of dogs??? she takes the flower, but before heading over that way... ]

So - what. What do you want me to do with this?

[ to taako: ]

They like to hang out all kinds of places around the sector, but they didn't come see me today. I'm worried they're trapped somewhere...! You should start over in that alley, though. That's where all the cats hang out.

[ she is pointing him down a dark, scary alley, several twists and turns down. if he squints he can almost see the quest marker on a mini-map. for lup: ]

What? No, the rat nest is in the old abandoned factory. [ the invisible mini-map aka the woman directs her over to the other side of town, where behind a locked gate there seems to be. Well. An abandoned factory. ] They've already started to come into town! If someone doesn't take care of them, people could get hurt!

[ the fuck kinda rats are these. MEANWHILE, SORA: there's no moogle around for him to find, but exploring town will net him a few more [!] quest marks. walking around he'll find that there's a bunch of people hanging around listening to a weird song near a cheap food stand, a bar that's not open during the day that goes by the name SEVENTH HEAVEN, a weapons' shop on the first floor of a two story building with no stairs and only a ladder which seems very ADA compliant, and finally an item store run by some guy. sora will recognize him as a generic npc. He greets him with a "what can I get you". Unfortunately, potions cost money. Rip.

As for Clementine, the boy just. smiles? ]

It's a surprise tool that will help you later! [ what. ] Though you might want to bring a friend to fight those hounds.

To the dark, scary alley it is . . . I hate side-quests . . .

[Off he goes! He pulls out his Lisa Frank knife though. Approaching that quest marker!!]

[ ... great, an abandoned factory. that's what she wanted.

she's going to go with taako, actually, because she's not here to get eaten by giant rats. also, maybe they can make the cats hunt the rats. yeah. solid plan.

she takes her own knife, the one she got stabbed with, and zooms after her brother. ]

[he's making notes of the questmarkers to maybe come back later, vibin' with the song for a little and really getting the lay of the land. it's pretty easy to remember the layout, at least, and he'll come back to help everybody with their quests in a minute.

meanwhile though he's browsing the wares of this item shop before pulling out a piece of gold from fantasy week and pointing at a few potions. is this enough for the potion? can he have?]

[ look normally she'd just do it herself despite the warning, but again. the trauma.

so to pass the time until someone else is free to help her with her first quest... she will take on another one? is there another Quest Giver around that no one has tended to? ]

[ Meanwhile, in Catlandia;

no really. it looks like taako got the baby quest (...well, it WAS given by a baby) because he and Lup have no ended up in an area that is just. filled with cats? that is where all the cats hang out. it's just a regular cat colony. they meow but mostly dodge if they're approached. at least one of them is pure white! the girl was looking for that, allegedly. meow meow meow meow meow. none of the cats seem impressed with the knife, however, and so they hiss.

The guy at the counter takes the gold and looks it over, turning it around... and he lets Sora leave with a potion. He probably got ripped off, but hey! It worked. Yay Sora.

There is indeed another quest giver for Clem, an older woman near the apartment building they ended up. ]

Looking for work, are you? I've got just the thing. Could you help change the water filters in the rooms up there? [ she will hand Clem 3! water filters ] They don't make the water taste any better, but at least it's potable this way.

[ this city is a dump with a lot of cats. ]

[well if it's just cats that's probably fine. Putting the knife away! Putting it away. Turning to Lup before he sort of. Hunkers over. You know like when you're trying to lure a cat.]

Okay, I'm gonna unleash my master technique. I'm gonna-- Here goes! Flank it!

Pspspspsps!

Impressive.

[ she puts her knife away - and digs through her pockets? she has... cotton candy? do cats like cotton candy. c'mere kitties.

she does her best not to snortlaugh at the pspspsps - and joins taako in making grabby hands for the cats.

we're gonna murder so many rats with these cats? ]

[well. while the twins are doing whatever the fuck in catlandia, sora's jogging his way through town back to his original quest mark to hand over the potion! he'll ask if there's anything else he can do for the guy, but assuming not, he will turn and go to seek out clementine to help her with whatever task she's doing.

that is. if he can find her. where is he even going right now?]

[ she's upstairs in some random apartment doing plumbing APPARENTLY. it's. it's probably fine? these kinds of puzzles are always just a couple button prompts, right. ]

[ The cotton candy does not seem to attract the cats, but a grey tabby does come closer at the secret pspspsps spell! And an orange one, too. That's not the cat they want, though. The white cat is simply licking its paw in a corner, ear twitching.

For his success in the quest, Sora gets a small orb-- and everyone gets a flash, like two memories superimposed on each other in a way that is actually very obnoxious. Almost like an obligatory cutscene... y'know, if it was bugged out.

At first one, there's Sora, in an odd, empty space with a door, facing a silver-haired man. A lot of the dialogue is bugged out and barely audible, but one sentence stands out-- I know now, without a doubt, Kingdom Hearts... is light! right as the door opens and light pours out, blinding him and the rest of them.

Then, it's right back to fire, as someone walks with difficulty through the streets on fire, following after... yep, that sure is Sephiroth again. Why is he always here when things are on fire. The memory seems to break apart already, skipping to where he's cornered-- and there's no mistaking Wolf's voice. "I killed you with my own--" as Sephiroth interrupts. "Oh, you need not remind me. It was the crowning moment of our time together."

The memory flashes again, and it's back to Sora's, having apparently skipped quite a lot because the door is gone and he's now watching an island be rebuilt, holding hands with a red haired girl as the lands start to separate. Sorry to Clementine. His voice is still squeaky. "I'll come back to you, I promise!" "I know you will." and the lands split too far, their hands no longer able to reach--

And now they're back on the streets of the city, though they're at least no longer on fire. A young woman with a braid is looking at Wolf in concern. "Hey, are you okay?" before she holds out a singular yellow flower that Clem might find familiar ... and also they're like, all over the church in the castle.

Then everything goes back to normal, like no time passed at all, except they have a mild headache. Isn't that cool. Anyway! Back to Clementine! Her fun adventure of the day is that while switching the filters out is literally just taking the filter that's on the tap and installing the new ones, while the first two rooms seem normal, the third one has some kind of dude in a dark coat moaning in bed in it. That's fun.

Ignore the flashbacks it's what Cloud would do ]

Oh boy. Don't know what that just was, but, probably good? Right? Getting memories is . . . good! I hope.

Um.

[Cool.]

Psst, okay, flank the-- flank the cat. I know how their minds work, so I'm gonna just doooooo . . .

[He sits down and just. Scoops up the gray one and starts petting it.]

Wow. Amazing! What an amazing cat. The truly most astounding cat in this cat party. None of the rest of you fuckers come close to how great this cat is.

[ give her a second, she's reeling from all those memories, wow. she's like, very suddenly glad she shot sephiroth in the face? yeah. ]

... Ow. [ she mutters. but - she'll just follow taako's plan. she picks up the orange cat and drops it in taako's lap before... flanking, like she's told. she's going to catch this thing.

how many sets of twins does it take to steal a cat, that's the question. i'm glad sora and clementine are actually getting quests done. ]

[a lot happens all at once. the orb gets a cursory glance before it goes into his pocket, and suddenly there are memories? or, more specifically, there's a memory of his that he knows by heart because this isn't even one he forgot. this just happens to be a nice reminder of how he can never be in the same place as his friends, damn.

but then there's the memory of cloud and sephiroth in a way he's never seen before, and suddenly he remembers why sephiroth's an asshole.

kairi...gets a pang of emptiness that he immediately brushes off because now is not the time to think about that promise that he can't quite keep yet, and then the second memory is...one that he's seen before, actually. hello aerith?

the thing is that all of this happens and he just rubs his eyes a little, blinking sharply to focus before he wanders to the apartments and climbing the stairs to find clementine. they can tackle the third room together i guess because he just wordlessly slides into whatever room she's in.

he will absolutely take the cloud route right now and ignore just about everything.]

Need a hand?

[ clementine is just - sort of dazed at first, standing in front of the last sink. taking in those memories and fighting a headache is a lot, because she's trying to learn whatever she can about sora, and about wolf and sephiroth, and trying to figure out what the fuck it is they're supposed to be doing, here.

and she's also just warily trying to watch the guy on the bed because if he's dying she doesn't want to deal with that. when sora shows up she's mostly just grateful for another set of eyes. wow. ]

I think I've got it. Just - keep an eye on that guy?

[ while she finishes changing this last filter. ]

[ The grey and orange tabby are very pleased with this, and the white cat's ear twitches a little but it continues to snub Taako... it seems to work on the other cats, however, as soon Taako may find himself absolutely surrounded by a gang of about six cats, meowing and purring for attention as they leave cat fur all over his outfit.

The white cat does not seem to notice Lup flanking it, though! It is too busy making sure Taako knows how much it doesn't care by getting up and stretching without ever looking in his direction.

Clementine and Sora are changing a water filter, a task that does not take too long, though during it the man in the black cloak on the bed starts moaning, staggering up-- and suddenly the both of them will get a headache as they see it's not the broken man but Sephiroth, walking casually towards them with a smile on his face.

i should mention sephiroth is stupidly tall so this is funny because the both of them are so short ]

[The fur is fine he feels so popular and ignorant of Sephiroth threats right now! Laughing and covered in kitty cats! This is great. The headache is fine.]

Yes! Yes, I'm your ruler now! King Cat! King Cat!

[ ... she jumps the white cat!

scoops it up and immediately wraps her robe sleeves around it so it can't scratch the shit out of her. and then gives taako a flat look. ]

All hail.

[well. this is now a 185 cm/6'1" man encroaching on two very short teenagers who get to not only deal with a headache but also don't exactly have the most room. except he's walking and he's immediately backing up, nudging for clementine to back up as well.]

Okay, well, my eye is on him and I'm seeing something we should probably bail on! [if only because he cannot fight him inside a room? he will fight outside.]

[ ugh, she really wants to finish this bullshit Task. but she is onboard with the backing up plan. she's not a huge fan of absurdly tall men walking towards her ominously. she draws her gun but - hesitates to actually shoot. ]

If I shoot him, is he just going to turn back into someone else?

[ Taako, ruler of cats who all love him and will now follow him around town like he is the pied piper of kitties who are all meowing and hungry, as well as Lup, have now gotten... one white cat! It is very pissed and complaining and fighting inside the sleeves. It's not having a great time, but it does seem trapped for now. Yay, cats! Also there are kittens now, because I can put cats in all my things. Everything is adorable and nothing hurts.

Unlike with Clem and Sora, because Sephiroth does not seem intimidated by gun, and their headache will only worsen the closer he gets. He is the worst? He is just, straight up, the worst. He doesn't seem to be doing much but advancing slowly with a creepy smile, at least? Isn't that something. ]

[Still totally ignorant of any Sephiroth threats to children, but he is covered in kittens! Nothing could be wrong. Actually standing up though once Lup grabs that white kitty.]

Guess we should go turn that in, right?

Yep. Think we're going to get anything useful?

[ off to turn in this cat quest! ] -- Hey, there's a rat problem, bring your cat hoard with you so we can get rid of them. Two sidequests with one... cat?

[ anyway she hands over the white cat when they get back to the quest marker. ]

[glad that the twins continue to have a good time as this unhinged asshole continues to take up so much space. but sora's shifting just enough to block her even as the headache grows worse.

does sephiroth actually have a weapon? sora's preparing just in case, hands moving just slightly.]

Don't risk it yet. You know how these places can be. Let's just finish the filter and get out of here. [she's almost done, right? they can get out in one piece and if sephiroth does something shitty between now and then sora can just fight him.]

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