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.

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Comments

[retellers]

[ There doesn't seem to be any equipment or anything. For the most part, it seems to be a normal gathering of teens in the woods, if something like that could ever be normal.

One of them laugh. ]

It's time for Woodrun! Aren't you excited to win the prize?

[ They accept that this giant metal man is a normal high school student. ]

[riegan]

I'm always prepared. But right back at you, big guy.

(Don't worry Al!!

This is completely normal. All that's missing is the nosy, no-fun professor swooping in to yell at them for being somewhere they shouldnt be and trying to grab them (see: him) by the collar while saying something like how they have no business sulking around in the forest like a bunch of forest bandits.

... Maybe he's projecting some there.

Weird that they're just cool with Alphonse though? He looks at Alphonse and the others and then back at Alphonse. Just roll with it, okay?)

It depends on what the prize is.

(He's competitive. He's also curious. But look, he's gotten rewards in the Realm before and they've been

interesting.)

[canned]

[Is it normal?? Al's never been to a school sports day, but is pretty sure they're usually not in the middle of the woods]

So we just have to run? What are the rules?

[he's experimentally moving his body in the gym clothes to see how restricting they are while also sizing up the competition—how many teens are we talking, and how athletic do they look?]

[retellers]

[ There are a lot of teens, enough that while it is possible to count them all, it would take a while to do so. How athletic they look varies--just like any school, some teens are jocks, and some most definitely are not.

But the teen shrugs. ]

They don't tell us what the prize is. But we have to get to the end to get it.

[ They point to the woods, but on the other side of the field where Claude and Al hadn't entered from. ]

You just have to make it to the finish line.

[riegan]

(That... sounds easy and Claude is suspicious because nothign is ever that easy? How does this help them find any of the leaders or anything, too. By now he's aware enough that these things happen for a reason but...)

What kind of race is it? A relay or every guy for himslef?

(Looking at Alphonse. How fast can a suit of armor run? He's tall so he can take bigger strides but armor... hm.)

[canned]

What do you mean "make it to the finish line"? That doesn't seem very far...

[Al is also here being suspicious, and whenever they do go line up at a starting line, he'll make sure he's nearby Claude]

By the way, we were out here looking for a friend. Have you seen anyone new come through here recently besides us?

[retellers]

You just make it to the end.

[ In reply to Claude, which does not answer his question at all.

To Al, they shrug. ]

We haven't seen anyone... probably. That's something you should ask the teachers.

[ Who are nowhere in sight.

But then a whistle blows, and everyone starts moving. ]

[riegan]

(That didn't answer the question at all but okay.)

Not much of a choice, huh? (What does Alphonse think?) It doesn't look too far and we're already dressed. Let's go along for now.

(But be careful. This seems... strange. But that doesn't need to be repeated, does it?

The whistle blows and he looks at Alphonse,)

They could have at least let us warm up. Let's go, big guy!

[canned]

They didn't say anything about being first, so let's stay a little back.

[his chest plate glitches in and out for a moment, flickering and causing him to flinch a bit in novel pain, but then seems to settle—no kittens visible in there]

Stay close to me, Claude!

[and he sprints off with a surprising burst of speed for his size, aiming to say nearish to the front of the pack, and constantly scanning the treeline and ground for any obstacles or threats]

[retellers]

[ Off they go! Everyone is running, and they'll notice that people seem to be staying in small clusters--looks like everyone has a partner for this.

Nothing eventful happens. But people eventually start splitting up from the group, taking different paths. Before Claude and Al can wonder too much on that, a girl walks up to them and says in the perkiest voice. ]

Hi! I'm Pam!

[riegan]

Hey, you alright? Stick with me, here.

(Don't go disappearing on him? But once he's sure Alphonse is fine he'll also go off.

Claude is a speedy boi. He has to be to run away from danger, you know? So he has no problem keeping up with Alphonse and could go faster if they wanted to. While Alphonse is observing their environment, Claude's watching the people! He sees someone running towards them and... wow, she sure is a peppy one, isn't she? He'll smile at her though! Charming as ever,)

Claude. (He'll let Alphonse introduce himself.) Lose your partner, Pam?

[canned]

[Al makes a mental note of the different paths people have taken, and how many have followed which, looking for any kind of pattern or a specific place they're all avoiding when they veer off

he looks down at Pam, body tensing a bit]

I'm Alphonse. Have you done this before? Do you know which way's best to go?

[retellers]

[ For the most part, they seem to have just booked it into the woods regardless if there was an actual path or not. A few people are still in the main group, but they're looking around cautiously now.

Pam smiles. ]

Oh my gosh! I have no idea where she went. And yeah! We do it every year, you just have to reach the end, sillies! Are you new?

[ she proceeds to not answer all their questions ]

[riegan]

(Why are they looking around cautiously mods...)

Yeah, you could say we just got here. (If u know what I mean.) Why don't you stick with us? Maybe your friend will catch up.

(Implying they're ahead of said friend because Claude refuses to be behind.)

[canned]

I think we should get into the woods, Claude. [making note of those left behind seeming to fear staying here and how quick people were to get out of this main area]

Pam, is the end on the other side of those woods?

[he indicates where most of the people have disappeared—is there a particular area where more people went into than others?]

[retellers]

[ Pam nods her head, smiling. ]

There's a couple of ways! That one has less traps, but it's longer!

[riegan]

(Pam don't say that with such a peppy tone,)

No one mentioned traps.

(BUT HE IS NOT SURPRISED. Just glances at Alphonse at this,)

I'm assuming this one is shorter but has fewer traps then.

(Hence why everyone else looks on guard. Cool.)

[canned]

[aaaaand there it is]

What kind of traps, Pam.

[does he hear any, you know, cries of pain/fear/shock from ahead on the path or in the woods yet? otherwise, he's cautiously continuing]

We're both pretty fast, so we could take the longer one, but I'm worried about not having a path to follow out here...

[retellers]

If we knew what kind they were then they wouldn't be good traps!

[ Obviously! As of right now, they only hear the woods and just regular teen chatter. ]

You should pick fast though, you don't want to get too behind everyone else.

[riegan]

(So the choice is a longer path with fewer traps or a shorter one with more. The flaws in merits in both are obvious enough. If it was just himself and Alphonse, he wouldn't worry but he glances at Pam. What's she like besides peppy? Does she seem ordinary or extraordinary in anyway? Also a q did any of Claude and Alponse's belongings disappear when they got changed into gym clothes... does Claude still have his bow...

Either way, if they treat this like an escort mission of sorts, it'll probably be fine. An armor knight and a foot soldier isn't a bad pair. All they're missing is some extra support.)

Then stick close to us. (Which should be sign enough to Alphonse and Pam that they're going to go for the more difficult path,) And keep an eye out for those pesky traps, then.

(Like he's going to do right now!! And because he's Claude von Fire Emblem Protag... he's also going to keep an eye out for the competition too. It's a race but he doesn't like people getting hurt without good reason.)

[canned]

[Al gives a nod, squaring his shoulders—better to get this over with quick and deal directly with the devil you know

mistrusting though he may be of Pam, he does move to her opposite side from Claude, to give some protection and cover]

If you know what kind of things we should look for, tell us, okay? We can deal with traps, but don't know where we're going.

[and, because it's Game Time, he removes his blade cozies and puts them inside his armor]

Are we supposed to run?

[retellers]

[ Pam does not look particularly strong, she is just annoyingly perky. But she will hurry along. ]

Once we get farther away from others we can probably stop! It's impossible to run the whole way.

[ but she nods! yay team!! but off they go, and the plus side is that they don't immediately run into a trap. ]

[riegan]

(Well, it's always nice to have some motivational support. Those Rally skills, yo. Also someone teach Al how to trust. Or not because it never hurts to be careful. Claude's fine with going along with things for now, though. He'll just keep an eye out. Just like ḧ̷̛̹̭͎̬́̎̀̾̂ͅo̵̜͓̲̻̤͙͍͛̕m̶̺̟̆ẽ̵̡͚̻͔̻̙̏́̓̀͜.

But down the shorter and more dangerous path they go, running towards any traps they might encounter. )

Might help to let some of the other stay ahead of us... run into things before us.

(Screams are great warning signs, you know? But obviously, don't stay too far behind because this is a race.)

[canned]

Exactly how far is it to the finish? [Al can run pretty far, not having lungs and all that]

[Claude seems to be taking the potential for danger as seriously as Al, which must make a stark contrast to Pam's perkiness

he scans any conveniently dense clusters of tree and bush, any miscolored ground, ready to throw himself in front of it to save Pam (and Claude I guess)]

[retellers]

[ Al doesn't see anything, and everything just seems normal at first.

And then they'll hear a scream that is very quickly cut off from up ahead. Pam points. ]

See! Trap!