bluesclues | WEEK FOUR: MINGLE

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!mingle

WEEK FOUR: MINGLE

WEEK FOUR

OCCUPANCY: 25

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 Pumpkin is...probably around tending to the animals outside. As you exit your rooms on this lovely morning, guests will find that the barrier leading upstairs has diminished, and a new floor has been opened to explore.

For anyone who ventures into the ballroom, a new change may become apparent. Should you choose to look at the plaques long enough, three images will flicker and change sporadically. While Subete's portrait remains the same, on occasion it will change to an image of a disembodied head, expression frozen in shock. Likewise, Dazai's portrait looks just like himself, though if you blink you may miss it changing into a hulking, dark nine-tailed fox with blood glistening in its teeth. Finally, Anya's portrait reveals a picture of the young girl, but every now and then a blossom of red appears on her pristine outfit as the light fades from her eyes. 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.

After weeks of getting to know each other, you may believe you have learned the most important things about them. You've seen their memories, you've felt their emotions, and you've shared their pain. But even so, some of you continue to hide your true intentions. Starting today, from the moment you wake, a mask will appear and cover half of your face. Each mask is different and though you may not understand what it means yet, each design implies something about you. Those who have experience within the supernatural world might have a white feather pattern across their mask while those who have powers associated with a certain element may find their mask changing color and temperature. Some masks may reflect bloody handprints to reflect the sins of a killer while others will appear black and cracking for someone who has died before. Those holding back a big secret will find their mask slowly covering their whole face and others still will find their masks reflecting anything from acts of betrayal to hidden romantic feelings. Though all are unique to each guest, all will find they are unable to remove these masks.

Some of you may wear your mask proudly as you have nothing left to hide, while others of you may become desperate in your attempt to remove it. Feelings of anger and aggression may bubble up to the surface this week over the smallest problems even for the most calm of people. As the sun sets, you may find that you don't feel quite like yourself, opposite personality trades coming to light. Luckily for you, you may not have to worry. Every now and then you may find a gap in your memory, temporary amnesia removing an embarrassing incident or two.

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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[ Ayabe will simmer down NEXT WEEK when everybody is DEAD.

The video is just about ending on the screen, Kosue reaching for the camera with both hands while wailing for her onii-chan, sobbing so hard that she can't get out any other words. Ayabe's standing so close to the screen that he reaches out for her hand, but before he can make contact, the video ends, and the screen goes black.

...He lets his hand drop, head bowed, and lets out a watery, broken laugh. ]

Sorry, Akira. But this...

Hey.

[one leg or not, Akira is determined to reach him. he hobbles across the theater, weight leaning against his crutch. and when he's close enough? he places his hand on Ayabe's shoulder]

. . . it's not real. It can't be.

[no matter how real it feels]

[ Not even a missing leg is enough to keep Ayabe from lashing out anyways, throwing Akira's hand off with a scowl and backing away himself or else he knows he's going to shove Akira to the ground right then and there, the voice in his head saying that it's anger and grief but it's being drowned out by how much he just doesn't care, not with his family on the line. ]

You don't know that— don't you dare tell me to sit quietly and have faith! [ he spits the word out, at the same time a sob catches in his throat. ]

If there's even a small chance that it's real, Akira... I have to do something. I have to.

[Akira jerks his hand back as soon as Ayabe throws it off, and-- well. . . he understands those feelings. it's the same anger and grief that saw him upending the popcorn machine earlier]

[focus, he reminds himself. and his expression doesn't waver]

I'm not telling you to have faith. I'm telling you the truth as I know it.

[his voice is calm, but. . . that truth is based upon the things Akira has learned about the mansion and not any actual concrete evidence that Ayabe's important person is okay]

Are you going to let what happened with Dazai-san happen again, then?

Shut up.

[ He snaps but turns his head away, fists balling at his side, unclenching, and then arms wrapping around himself so he can dig his nails into his arms and feel the pain there instead. ]

What do you know about the truth? I let her down already, I had to kill her yesterday- and now this, sitting back and just letting her die? Can you tell me without a sliver of doubt that it isn't real?

[Akira's expression is still hidden by his mask, but. . . underneath it, his features twist painfully]

I know without a doubt it can't be true.

[but what can he say to Ayabe to make him believe that. . .?]

[. . .]

Here. . . why don't we go somewhere else? I can make you some coffee to help calm you down.

My sister is out there being tortured, Akira! I can't sit back and have a nice coffee break!!

[ AAAAAAAAAA!!! He hates this so much! Weeks and weeks of this, of telling people that they'll make it out and never getting a single step closer and he can't stop fooling himself anymore.

He missed his chance last week.

He can't let this one slip by too. ]

She isn't!

[and this time, Akira raises his voice a bit, his grip on his crutch so tight his knuckles are white]

And if you calm down, I can explain to you why I'm so certain about that!

[HINT: it has everything to do with what Lio said the other week about ILLUSIONS]

[ Ayabe has no idea what Lio said about anything, he doesn't make any connections whatsoever when his panic is in overdrive in the face of his family being in danger. The same panic reaction that almost got him killed by Dazai is going to get somebody killed here this week too, and maybe it'll be Akira! who knows!! ]

I can't calm down!

[ Look at him and see if he's even capable of calming down right now ]

Just tell me!

[rip Akira, murdered for TRYING TO HELP CALM SOMEONE DOWN???]

[he reaches out to grasp Ayabe by the shoulder, again holding him tightly]

Remember what Lio said?! About the research notes being fake! About them being something to distract and trick us and turn us against each other?! This is the exact same thing. . .!

[CALM DOWN FRIEND, PLEASE]

And I asked Plum where these messages were coming from! You know what she said? She said they were coming from the ghosts inside the house!

[well, she didn't say it. she implied it]

Master Blue has written us messages asking us not to kill each other. Those ghosts— or something out there— are trying to turn us against each other.

Don't let them manipulate you.

[ Yeah, how dare he be nice to Ayabe, never again. Because he's absolutely going to shrug Akira off when he's grabbed, no leg or not, seething and with gritted teeth as he forces himself —maybe not calm down, but at least focus enough to listen to Akira's words instead of dismissing out outright without giving him a chance just because he's so convinced Akira is full of bullshit and would say anything to get Ayabe to stop. ]

The ghosts of everybody who died here- everybody just like us- how do you know they're lies instead of warnings? Why can't they be help? Telling us how to get out of here when they couldn't?

[pulls back again, jaw set tightly]

. . . Akechi and I asked Master Blue if they had any idea who could've faked those research notes. Do you know what they said?

"Revenge is a dish best served cold."

[WHAT DOES THAT MEAN MASTER BLUE!!!]

If all of this is a ploy to get us to hate Master Blue-- and each other-- by some vengeful ghosts, then why the hell would they care about helping us at all?

You still want to trust him, don't you? Him and his staff.

[ Whether or not Akira does, Ayabe's sure he wants to believe that they're on everybody's side. Ayabe can't be that way, not when they just sit back and watch everything happen. ]

I hate Blue and we all came in here hating him, there's no need for plots and ploys to make that happen. Besides, revenge against Blue... that would be to thwart his plans to keep us here, wouldn't it?

[ Get everybody out as soon as possible so he can't keep people here, that fits the definition of revenge. ]

I don't trust Master Blue.

[how could he, when he hasn't even met them yet?]

But I trust his staff. I trust Peach, Plum and Pumpkin.

And I trust any method of fighting against the illusions of this mansion that doesn't involve killing someone.

[Ayabe may think Akira naive, but. . . well. this is what he believes. and he refuses to let the mansion and its temptations ruin his morals and principles]

And I really doubt any revenge against Blue is something that would benefit us.

[ His staff trusts(?) him, and so by proxy they're all on the same team, and that sets them and Ayabe apart as enemies. ]

You don't know, though. What's an illusion, what's the truth... I'm not leaving Kosue's life up to a game of chance.

Ayabe.

[his expression flickers again, only this time it's. . . a little sad]

After being here for so long, I think I have a pretty decent idea. [. . .] . . . don't do anything you're going to regret.

I've already done a lot of things I regret. But this won't be one of them.

[ Execution memory? Yeah. That's nothing compared to manslaughter, apparently. ]

. . . I think you will.

[he saw that memory. he saw how affected Ayabe was by Dazai taking his sister's form. he knows-- just from observations-- how deeply affected Ayabe is by this]

Don't misunderstand. . . your sister is worth protecting. But I think you'll regret immediately giving in to their manipulation.

[instead of, at the very least, trying to find another way]

[ What other way is there, though? If there was any other way, wouldn't he have taken it? ]

There's not enough time.

[ He's quieter now, at least, worry etched deep in his features to replace the burning rage. ]

If I wait and something happens... That's what I'm going to regret the most, not this.

I can't--

[a small, frustrated noise]

I can't convince you that you don't need to do this, can I?

[. . .]

Would you come with me to talk to someone? Someone important.

Who? You're not taking me to the chapel.

[ Akira: you need Jesus ]

No. I'm taking you outside.

[he does need jesus??? okay??]

Will you follow me?

[Because he's making his way towards the mansion exit]

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WEEK FOUR: MINGLE

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