bluesclues | WEEK ONE: MINGLE

WEEK ONE

OCCUPANCY: 34

Rise and shine, little monsters. A new week is waiting just for you. The events of yesterday may have been hard to stomach, but time heals all wounds, after all. The damages the house has incurred over the last week have been reverted and the staff is hard at work fulfilling their roles in this mansion. A piping hot breakfast is served in the dining room promptly at 7am, every square inch of floor and furniture has been cleaned spotless, and...the sound of birds chirping fills the hallway. The sun's shining brightly through the glass windows, and the curtain has been drawn back from the doors in the ballroom. The barriers blocking off the stairs down to the basement and to the balconies have been removed, and all guests may now explore these areas.

For anyone who ventures into the ballroom, a new change may become apparent. Should you choose to look at the plaques long enough, two images will flicker and change sporadically. While Haruka's portrait remains the same, on occasion it will change to an image of a pale, scratched up woman with yellow foam dripping from the corner of her lips. Likewise, Nikki's portrait looks just like herself, though if you blink you may miss it changing into the image of a large, rabid rat. There is no rhyme and reason for the change...though perhaps it serves as a reminder to those who remain.

Additionally, the house rules have been moved from the ballroom and back into the hallway, mounted in the entryway as they were.

But with this new bit of freedom comes another strange set of circumstances, you see. Starting today you'll find that the urge to give in to some nasty little traits has grown stronger. Greed, Pride, Jealousy....any of those seven deadly feelings will begin to bubble up inside you. Can you remain calm under the weight of your sins?

Perhaps so. Perhaps you're the type who's capable of ignoring these feelings even in your worst moments. You may be a beacon of hope for those who struggle with their emotions, but something else seems amiss. Even if you've managed to avoid those prickly feelings, some of you may experience a brain fog, making your thoughts hazy and hard to focus. Others may find themselves with a constant craving for sustenance, an insatiable hunger...though it may not be for food alone. And others still...it is a bit alarming for your arm to detach itself from your body, isn't it? Why would your feet run away without you? Best take stock of all of your limbs now because for the next week they may be just a bit too easy to remove. Don't lose your head over it though. They'll reattach easily enough.

You may experience only some of these events. Then again, maybe you're unlucky and you're experiencing all of these events at different points in time. Time is of the essence, however, and come Monday at noon a rustling crackle of static can be heard from overhead. Try as you might, you won't be able to find the speakers but a message will play loud and clear for all.

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Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[He shakes his head, already in the middle of adding the first (and only!) thing they coincide on to the chart.]

There was a class trip out of the country last year... I was forced to miss it because of work. [It's hard being a detective, Hunter... He frowns, almost like he's reminiscing, before he brightens up a bit.] But if I ever won 700 million yen, I would travel the world. What about you?

...I can't even imagine having that kind of money. But - yeah, if I was allowed to travel, that'd be great. So that's another thing we've got in common, I guess.

[He tilts his head slightly, curious.]

Where would you go? Like, specifically.

[He thinks about it for a moment, a hand on his chin.]

... Would it be too predictable if I said London?

[Because. Sherlock Holmes. Detective.]

[He shakes his head.]

It might be a little bit predictable, but - I can't say it wouldn't be cool, either. Have you wanted to go for a while?

Yes. [Probably.] And you? Is there anywhere in particular you would go if you had the opportunity?

I'd like to see more of the US. And - going to Japan would be pretty cool. I've never been.

[A beat.]

That doesn't really give us another one, though.

Ah, I guess not. Admittedly, I was hoping it would lead us to something else we have in common...

[WELL. That was a bust.]

... How about our grades? I'm top of my class.

[Back to superficial stuff they go.]

Ah... Sorry, I'm a pretty average student. Good for you, though.

[Hm...]

I did go to prep school, though. How about you?

Private school, and I attend cram school as well. [Gotta get that education.] I think we have found a third similarity.

Cool. So just three more, right?

[Hm...]

What do you do in your free time?

Edited 2020-02-27 00:29 (UTC)

Two, actually.

[He taps his own instruction sheet, right where it says they only need five similarities. Their freedom approaches...]

I don't always have free time. But when I do... [He hums, tilting his head.] I like to take my bike around the city, or indulge in a game of darts or pool. There's also this café I have started to visit recently... Ah, though I suppose that one wouldn't count.

Ah - right.

[He looks a little bit sheepish as Akechi goes on, before shaking his head.]

Sorry, that’s zero for three. I like video games and watching movies, so...

[It's okay, Hunter. It's not your fault Akechi is a jock and a prep... A jrep, if you will. He even looks a bit sheepish, too.]

Haha, no need to apologize. We're lucky to have found three similarities so far.

...Thanks.

[He gives a grateful smile as he taps on the table with his own crayon, thinking.]

What next?

Aspirations, perhaps? [UNSURE, squinting at the chart.] ... Or not. We already established our interests are almost completely incompatible.

[Boo.]

Yeah. I’m pretty sure mine don’t line up with any detective stuff, so...

[Hm! Hm.]

Uh, my favorite food is pizza?

[UM.......]

I don't... dislike pizza?

[Does he have a favorite food? A mystery.]

We can put that down, then? That we both don’t dislike pizza...

[They’re doing great.]

[He nods, moving to jot that down.]

We only need one more, in that case.

Maybe we should go for a bigger one? Not disliking coffee and not disliking pizza count, but...

[This is weak, maybe.]

... Do you have one in mind?

[It's fine? They can both gently pirouette away from their actual similarities...]

Not really. I mean, it’s hard to when it’s mostly about stuff we don’t know yet...

[But hm. Hm.]

What do your parents do for work? My dad’s a doctor.

[Ah.

He pauses, stilling for a moment, before he just... kind of... glances away, avoiding eye contact.]

... Apparently, my mother was in a relationship with some good-for-nothing man. He swiftly discarded her once he learned she was pregnant, and... that despair led to her death. [Just. Putting that out there. It's fine! He looks a little bit off for a second longer... and then he sighs. There's a small smile on his face once he looks back up, as if trying to brush that whole thing off.] That is to say, my parents aren't part of my life. So it appears we have to think of another subject.

[How very cheerful.]

[Ah. He looks surprised for a moment, before his expression shifts into sympathy.]

...I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bring something like that up.

[And then, after a moment:]

Well - you can put down that neither of us live with our parents, if you want. [...] Dad travels a lot for work, so after Mom died, he decided it would be better if I stayed with someone else.

[Likewise, there’s something dull in his eyes when he says that, but he moves on quickly.]

So - it isn’t the same at all, but I get at least a little bit about how you feel.

[...]

It's alright.

[It sounds like he genuinely means it, too, his expression brightening.]

... Even without our parents, I think we're doing quite well by ourselves.

[Fuck parents! Fuck dads, specifically. That suggestion works, though, and Akechi moves to jot it down in the final section of the chart. Or, uh, he tries to?

Because his hand is just going to suddenly detach, crayon and all.

That's probably fine.]

(no subject)

counterclocked - 2020-02-28 02:54 (UTC) - Expand

miscakes - 2020-02-28 06:53 (UTC) - Expand