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

[arcsplainist]

[ Baby llama is the best. A llama also cannot make any suggestions on where to go, and the only reason he is okay with headpats is because it's Izumo (and even then it's a little... embarrassing...). Still, he cants his head curiously at Izumo, and also seems to regard Rufus' compass in some questioning manner? What does that do.

But he can't ask, because he is a llama. Hopefully Rufus just understands llama body language. ]

[retellers]

[ There is unfortunately not much to either path, right now. They just look like hallways. One is well-lit but broken down and the other is dark but pretty and shiny.

Neither of them have a llama in it YET, but I can't wait for llama. ]

[sacredchants]

We're definitely not splitting up. [ resolutely.

she doesn't agree with the dark path but she won't disagree with it. and she'll unknowingly put to voice alphi's question—more or less. ]

Is that compass telling you where to go or is it something else?

[ despite saying this, she's going to be following rufus down the dark path. she has her reservations, but given what happened before—it's fine. they can always turn around if it gets bad.

...hopefully anyway. ]

[soulus]

It points to that which is lost.

[Hopefully that something is a person. Joined by Izumo and Rupe, Rufus navigates the dark hallway while there's visibility.]

[horologia]

As promising as anything else here.

[ etc etc all she can really be here is drastic measures, so. onward. ]

[arcsplainist]

[ Then you shall be getting the gift of llama.

Which is to say, Alphinaud can't comment on the compass, but he can follow! With whatever little noise llamas make, he falls into a step behind the crew. ]

[retellers]

[ The hallway starts out dark and only gets darker, but it'll at least still take a bit before they get completely in the dark? It feels like an unending hallway, so there's not much but darkness awaiting them.

What they will get, however, is a voice. Swan's, mostly, popping up now and then as they go deeper into the darkness, though there's other voices now and then.

I know I'm a big disappointment!

Am I the Queen? Because it seems like you're the one giving all the orders!

"Using your own friends as decoy? Wow. Didn't think you had it in you."

It's because Shadow Weaver actually listened when you and Bow kept leaving without me!

"That's why you should listen instead of pushing us away--"

She-Ra was supposed to save us. But the Rebellion's in a worst place than ever since YOU showed up!

Maybe your best isn't good enough. If it was, my mother would still be here!

Adora, I'm sorry-

And you, stop trying to barrel ahead with your own plans!

Just go to Light Hope and ASK her.

... They don't trust me, I don't trust them.

"... Looks like we're both alone, Sparkles."

As they go through the hallway, they might find themselves remembering things, too. Whether they realize it or not depends on what, surely. ]

[sacredchants]

[ there's something about the voices that they can hear and how certain points that resonate within izumo for reasons that she doesn't know. rather, for reasons that she feels like she might have forgotten? a person. a name. someone annoying who kept pushing her.

someone who she might have said things like this to. it's strange—the voices are strange as it seems a bit perverted to be seeing one of the leaders' memories and insecurities like this but. well....

it doesn't matter, izumo is going to be walking into the darkness/following rufus as he leads the way. if anything, she'll keep tabs on homura and her boyfriend llama to make sure everyone is with them and not suddenly going to stray off anywhere. ]

[soulus]

[It wouldn't be the first time that the Realm has broadcast their memories without warning, with or without visuals. Seeing is harder now, but Rufus keeps his gaze fixed on the inky darkness ahead of him as he walks.

The hallway has to end at some point—or shift like all the previous scenes up until now.

If he remembers something along the way, he says nothing of it.]

[horologia]

[ it's no more invasive than many witches' labyrinths, between the ones that broadcast the intruders' worst memories for all to see as a defense mechanism, and the ones that simply are more reflective in nature - perhaps literally.

this is nothing she hasn't seen before, nothing she can't put out of mind. these memories are none of her business, the insecurities of others something she has no right to.

they don't trust me, i don't trust them.

yes, that's familiar, isn't it? 'i won't rely on anyone anymore.' if you rely only on yourself, then the only one you can blame when things go wrong is yourself.

it's better that way. better than being let down because you thought better of someone else than they were, isn't it? the only thing to do is carry on.

forward, through the dark. the frequency of the flashbacks means they should be nearing some kind of end, shouldn't it? ]

[arcsplainist]

[ No worries, Izumo, he is not going anywhere, still padding along down the hall with the group.

It's hard to tell what he's thinking, because animals don't really have facial expressions. But he does hope the end comes soon, if only for Swan's sake. ]

[retellers]

[ There's a light at the end of the tunnel... literally! There's a light the furthest out they go, and finally they reach it-- the scene glitches out a few times, like the scene of an entirely different battle, but they're seemingly back in what adora had dubbed the frightzone.

Except it's night and there are stars in the sky, for once. People are fighting in the destroyed buildings, fire and robots sharing about the same amount of space as plants, water and ice, but where they are there's a glowing stone. The cat they've been seeing this whole time (and have shot at least once) is sitting in front of it, waiting for something. ]

[sacredchants]

[ hello....? that glitch?

another memory, clearly, but shame there's not a lot of time to digest it given what they're brought back into. you know, nothing like a scene of a battle to get everyone excited about what's to come. you know, izumo really like cats but given what has happened as a result of this cat—

sometimes you just need to change your tune a bit. ]

You.

[ cue her marching towards the cat. (what about the battlefield? what about the battlefield??) maybe there was something to this cat. she has no idea how any of this works together and the cat didn't show up in the previous memories but adora did and adora has a connection to it. ]

[soulus]

[Either way, the field is lit up by flames and other elements. Rufus absorbs their surroundings before following Izumo. But while she approaches the cat, he lifts his gaze to study the glowing stone and then reaches out to touch it with his bandaged palm.

Rupe is, as usual, ready to shoot the cat, because this is their relationship now.]

[horologia]

And what are you supposed to represent in this labyrinth of memories, hm? An opponent who just won't quit, I presume?

[ it's partially hypothetical, partially not. something about cats and nine lives, something about white rabbit-rats that simply won't die...

but the other two have the actual action well and handled. she supposes she could also train her sights on the cat alongside rupe, she's got arrows and bullets still good for it. ]

[arcsplainist]

[ When Homura finishes her query, Alphinaud forgets that he cannot use words, and so all that comes out is more llama noises.

But you!! Cat!! He has his eyes on you. ]

[retellers]

[ the cat

talks?

it sounds a lot like the voice that called swan sparkles ]

I can lead you to her. I'm the only one who actually knows where she is.

[ also rufus touches the gem and it probably hurts. never trust glowing gems, this one has electricity. the cat walks over to them and ignores that the dog could very well shoot her ]

Unless you want to spend the rest of your days going through fights.

[sacredchants]

[ hm. talking cat. talking cat isn't that strange to her considering some foxy friends that she has tucked away somewhere. ...maybe.
]

We don't have time for that, if you haven't noticed.

[ because, you know, the glitching.

she'd make another follow up comment about why hasn't the cat shown them the way to swan in the first place when it's clear that they knew, on some level, that they were looking for her.

izumo will cross her arms across her chest as she waits. ]

[soulus]

[He withdraws his hand. That's that.

There is indeed no time, so he waits for the others to chime in before they let the cat lead. Rupe does not pull the trigger just yet.]

[horologia]

[ fine, they're letting the cat of questionable repute lead, because it's not like they've done any better not letting it lead. why the hell not.

but regardless of what happens here, some of them are meant to spend the rest of their days going through fights, so joke's on the cat. ]

[arcsplainist]

[ More llama noises are interrupted by—



Another poof. In place of the llama, Alphinaud returns in his true noodly elf glory, yay. He looks around a bit awkwardly, eyeing the cat—really hoping that the cat doesn't like, laugh or anything, now that they know it talks. ]

.... A— ahem. [ Anyway! Nothing weird happened!! At all!! ] Well—now that I can use my words again...

As mentioned, we have not the time to waste. Are you an ally? If so, your cooperation would be welcomed, for certain.

[ let's just move on ]

[retellers]

I'm not an ally.

[ that seems to be all the cat says before she presses on something and they end up being teleported away, this time-- very much aware of what's going on until they're in the white corridor of a spaceship. The cat herself is no longer a cat but a cat girl, but that's not important. She presses a green opaque door that turns transparent, and there's Swan, curled in on herself on a bed, looking an odd mix of angry and horrified.

The four of them won't be able to do anything when suddenly a figure in a dark hood shows up in the room itself. They wave at Swan jauntily even as she stands up in shock.

Whatever words they're exchanging, however, they can't hear, until the figure holds out a gloved hand for Swan. She hesitates, looking down before staring back up at them and taking hold of the hand, shaking it.

Everything will turn black! And also you have all your memories now congrats yay ]