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

[evocationary]

[ lup scoops up a cat and holds it. ]

Better not make him wait. He hates waiting. [ she says, petting her cat. a beat. she reaches into her robe sleeve, and pulls out a sparkler? why does she have a sparkler still.

anyway she hands it to one of the guards. ]

For protection. You guys are the last stand between the townspeople and the rats. If we fail, it's up to you.

[reconnective]

[well. he has half a mind to turn around and actually go back and help the guy and the only reason he doesn't is because clementine's right behind him and kind of blocking his path...as she should. still, they'll head to the quest mark and he doesn't seem to have much to say to this woman, a hand to his head while he's trying to ward off the double-headache.

clem can answer for both of them, it's fine.]

[stillnot]

Seemed like a guy was dying in there.

[ or something. probably easier not to explain the ominous memory apparitions to people who are also weird memory apparitions. ]

But I changed the filters.

[retellers]

[ ... The grunts look at each other and then back at the twins. Their eyes are covered but their faces look very concerned. The first one speaks: ]

Uh... Are you with the neighborhood watch? This is private ShinRa property. We assure you, there's no ... um, rat problem. [ the second one adds: ] Are the cats going to help?

[ he gets hit in the side by the other one for that. These guys are great guards and even better liars. The proof is that there's a rat-like silhouette off in the distance near the entrance of the factory.

On Clem and Sora's side, the woman shakes her head. ]

Don't worry about him. He's harmless, poor thing. But thank you for your help, dear.

[ she gives clem her own green sphere! as well as one hundred gil, which is a gold coin. this would be great if they still needed to buy a potion. although, it does not look like this triggers a memory this time! lame. ]

If you're looking for more work, there's always the bar.

[uhhhmagic]

Nope, I'm from ShinRat, the ShinRa division focused on Rat Elimination! Seriously I'm on a deadline, can you just move aside or not shoot us or whatever.

[What if. he just matches in. what if he just does that.]

[evocationary]

Yeah, what he said. And yes. The cats are going to help.

Are we going to have to go above your heads? I really don't want to report the two of you, you know. [ she also just tries to - well, there's a locked gate, but she's going to yank on it and try to get it open. watch them just get shot. ]

[reconnective]

[now he feels even worse for this man? but he just kind of smiles vaguely instead, glancing at the orb and gil.]

Thank you ma'am. [listen. but he turns to clementine then. ] Wanna head to the bar? Or do you have another job we should do?

[he will let her lead.]

[stillnot]

[ huh. well, she gives the lady a nod before leading the way back towards her first quest, towards that fence. she also hands... both the gil and the sphere to sora, because. she doesn't know what to do with these. ]

Supposed to kill a hound or something, first. Thought it would be better not to try it alone. [ if it were ANYTHING BUT A HOUND she would have done it herself. ]

[retellers]

[ there is a disbelieving mouthing of the word "ShinRat", even though this is the absolute best way to describe the company wolf has ever heard and if he was here he'd be laughing, but the foot grunts seem very overwhelmed with like, the entire twins' shtick? And so when Lup just kind of waltzes past them to push the gate open it works. The lock was, apparently, for show.

She and Taako can now explore the abandoned factory! Along with their dozens of cats. Meow meow meow. Once they're in, they start off in a warehouse area with one open door to the east and some boxes. There's a hole big enough to fit one crouching person in a wall to the north as well.

The grunts are whispering to each other and wondering if this will get them fired.

Over with Clem and Sora, they have the choice to go through the hole in the fence for some Hounds or to try and find Lup and Taako. a mytery in many parts ]

[uhhhmagic]

[Picking up an orange tabby!]

Hey, listen pal, you wanna go through that hole and just tell me if there's anything good in there? I'm, uh, not getting on the ground without good reason.

[It's a cat? It will probably not obey this order. Anyway, uh, what's to the east? Anything good in the boxes?]

[evocationary]

[ rip the grunts

if the cat doesn't go in the hole, lup will just, go. it's fine. yolo right. ]

[reconnective]

[he'll nod as they approach this fence, giving it a cursory look.]

Sounds like monsters to me. [but he's already grabbing one of his swords off of his back to slip through the fence.] Cover for me? You have the advantage of distance.

[which is why he trusts clem to shoot but he'll do his best even if this is clem's quest. where are you, hounds?]

[stillnot]

Got it.

[ she will head through the fence after him, gun drawn. at least her gun worked on that monster earlier, so that's promising? lets fight a monster! ]

[retellers]

[ The cat absolutely does not go. In fact, the cats have now decided most of these empty old boxes are their new homes? Thanks King Cat Taako this was a sweet spot for them to find. Now they have boxes. Meow. Lup can go, however, since all she has to do is crouch through the hole to come out the other side in a dirt trail between parts of the factory. It seems like it's straight forward up a teeny hill from there.

To the east, Taako can go through the inside of the factory. Most cats will not follow, because they have boxes, but a couple will go with. It's not a full maze, because even if there's no OSHA here it's still a building that has to make logical sense, so it's a hallway that leads to left and right doors. Also, if he went through all the boxes before the cats, he will have found a nice little silver coin with a cute widdle creature on it.

Meanwhile, behind the fence for Sora and Clem leads them to what is obviously some kind of garbage disposal area. Right next to town, as you do. They'll have to walk a little through the trash to find the hound, hiding on top of a pile of trash.

Or maybe more like it finds them? Why is this dog so buff. Anyway! It's lunging to tackle Sora to the ground so maybe do a thing on that. ]

[uhhhmagic]

Cool! Loot.

[except there's no one else to talk to.]

Oh, well. I don't have to split it now.

[To the left to the left]

[evocationary]

[ rude, split your loot with your... very good friend from home.

guess she'll follow this hill. can she take a cat with her? whatever. she has a knife. she hums to herself as she goes on her solo mission away from the stranger with her face. ]

[reconnective]

[why is this dog so buff? it lunges and sora's only saving grace is while he's tackled he does use his sword to block before it can, like, bite him in the head, using it to push the hound off and using his legs to kick at it.]

This is a hound!? [get! off!] Aim for the head!

[stillnot]

[ luckily the desire to not get killed and/or let sora get killed overrides her short moment of panic pretty quickly.

clem is taking more care to not shoot sora than she is to shoot it in the head specifically, but she is shooting at it. why is it so buff, i hate this. ]

[retellers]

[ Taako goes off to the left! There's ... more boxes. Was this a box factory. There's clear scratches and bite marks on some of the boxes this time, though. The rat trail... continues. There's also a vending machine here for some reason.

The cats are all Taako's, so Lup does not get a friend. But that's fine, she doesn't need friends, she has a knife. Following the dirt trail will lead her to another hole in a wall, and if she looks closely at this one, it looks like it was chewed through? Hm.

The buff dog, which is buff because ff7 is a nightmare world, is rebuked from eating Sora's face by both kicking and shooting. This is only partially RPG logic, so once it's been wounded it bounds back and actually looks like it was shot, growling. Unfortunately, it then decides to go for Clementine, bounding away from Sora and towards her while also swiping the weird head tentacle it has in her general direction. Gun bad, hound mad, etc. ]

[uhhhmagic]

[ that’s . . . ominous.

What’s the vending machine got? Anything he can exchange the coin for? If not, he’ll keep following the rat trail despite his better judgment. ]

[evocationary]

[ ... very ominous. she's going to go to the hole in the wall with her weapon raised and she's going to stab the shit out of some rats with her only friend, the knife. ]

[reconnective]

[uh, no? no, he's bounding back on his feet and chasing after this stupid dog, using a pile of garbage as leverage to jump and try to bring his sword down for an aerial strike to its back.]

Don't hesitate! [he thinks he probably does not have to tell clem this but also he's highkey concerned given she still doesn't remember how to fight without her gun. also he's from an rpg and he's used to adding items to his weapons; does his sword from his cyoa have any sort of slots for these weird orb things at all?]

[stillnot]

[ clementine freezes up again when the hound comes at her. more noticeably this time. her gun is up, trained on he monster, but she can't get her body to move - to dodge or to pull the trigger.

until sora snaps her out of it. she doesn't even really process his words, just - that the hound is getting dangerously close, and her brains says shoot or die? so she shoots at it. there aren't many interesting ways to say "she shoots it," are there? ]

[retellers]

[ Taako can't use his coin on the vending machine, unfortunately, but there's just enough money in it for him to buy a cool song. It is once again the hip hop de chocobo one. Own it now on Fantasy Spotify. Or he can buy, like, something called "Memory Slot", but whatever, buy the music Taako. The music is better.

Lup goes in and finds a rat! WHY IS THIS RAT SO BIG. WHAT'S WRONG WITH ALL THE ANIMALS EXCEPT CATS IN THIS PLACE. Anyway uh the rat tries to bite her face off. Alpha rat is here.

Sora can't put the orbs in the sword because they're not materia they're a plot point, but he does succeed in hitting the hound with a cool aerial move about the same time Clem shoots it like, right between the eyes? The hound falls over, defeated, sliced up and shot. It doesn't bleed so much as slowly fade into a green and blue light and vanish entirely.

It drops 500 exp, which would be great if any of these people used experience, and also some more ammo to replace Clem's. Why was it carrying bullets. ]

[uhhhmagic]

[blissfully ignorant (ignorat) of anything else happening! Just having a fun time shopping. He does seriously considering the music. I mean? Memory Slot? Who cares. If you just never turn the game off and mom doesn't unplug the playstation, then you never have to save. I guess also try not to die. Well.

Buying the Memory Slot! Really depressed he's leaving behind Hip Hop De Chocobo. I guess he can always stream it on his Fantasy Spotify later, because you don't have to buy things for it.]