WEEK FOUR: MINGLE

[cluedin]

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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Comments

[kazokun]

Stop it- BEAU!!!

[ oh my god he can't believe this, fuck this trick, he can't move his arms but he sure as hell can kick, and, gestures to canon, he can kick somebody so that they go flying twenty feet away and coughs up blood, so his kicks are hard. ]

[disreguarded]

No.

[ she - takes the kicks, but wow ow jesus fuck they hurt. she stumbles back, but doesn't let go. she's almost - hugging him a little, but she keeps her grip as best she can. she'll take the bruises and even more severe damage, if she has to. ]

No, I'm not going to let you fucking do this to yourself. I'm not. Kick me all you want, I don't fucking care.

[kazokun]

I'm not- I'm doing what I can, Beau, let go!

[ He struggles to get out of the hold, because this is all he can do- in this place, like this, it's either he hurts himself or he hurts others and he's not allowed to murder on Mondays because that would invalidate everybody's Tuesday threads ]

[disreguarded]

[ she just goes ahead and stumbles back towards a wall, and leans against it, trying to keep him still. ]

Calm down and I'll let you go.

[kazokun]

I'm calm!

[ He shouts, struggling to get out of her grasp, still kicking when he can but it's haphazard like he's just trying to get out instead of aiming anywhere that would hurt. ]

Leave me alone and I'll calm down!

[disreguarded]

[ he is?? not calm?? VERY CLEARLY

she doesn't say anything this time, she just keeps hold until he wears himself out eventually. hopefully? maybe he can run indefinitely on rage beau doesn't know ]

[kazokun]

[ How long can Ayabe throw a temper tantrum for... canon says he tires himself out quickly and also just falls dead asleep right after which is very funny. So like maybe ten to fifteen minutes of raging and kicking before he starts huffing and goes limp in Beau's arms. ]

[disreguarded]

[ that is absolutely hysterical poor ayabe

she's bruised to fuck, but it's fine, that's not new. she finally slides down the wall to sit, and stops restraining ayabe. she'll let him rest there though. ]

I'm sorry. [ she mumbles. ]

[kazokun]

[ He's going to take a short half hour power nap, wake up in a daze, and go right back to the blood room. ]

[disreguarded]

[ she - holds him for a half hour?? and then looks just like. very, very sad when he gets up and goes back to the blood room. it looks like maybe she's going to leave him alone after that, but -

nope. she comes back upstairs with two plates of food and sits back down in the doorway again. she doesn't bother hiding the fact that she's distressed. her mask shows it anyway, cracking and crumbling in places, the red light glittering underneath. ]

[kazokun]

[ He goes back inside but he just sits there this time, arms wrapped around his knees and his face buried in them so he can breathe warm, recycled air. When he hears the footsteps leaving, he can relax a little, but then the footsteps come back with the telltale sound of a plate on a hard surface. ]

...that's unsanitary.

[ His voice is thick and muffled, and he doesn't lift his head out from his arms. Do not put food near blood Beau please ]

[disreguarded]

It's not touching the blood.

[ she says, quietly. ]

[kazokun]

Hm.

[ He mumbles into his arms and is quiet for another two solid minutes before he can't help himself and peeks over at Beau. She'd better be eating both plates of food. ]

[disreguarded]

[ she is not! she's barely picking at her own food, pulling a piece of bread into pieces and halfheartedly putting it in her mouth. she doesn't look up when he peeks - though her mask cracks and crumbles again when he does. ]

[kazokun]

[ That is also probably unsanitary and he hates that it's probably like the bloodstained room where it's perpetual pieces that flake off just like the blood. ]

...How long are you going to stay?

[disreguarded]

As long as it takes.

[ what's it? she's not telling. munch bread. ]

She's not here.

[kazokun]

[ He's going to be camping out here until [redacted] happens, so Ayabe just frowns at that. ]

Who?

[disreguarded]

[ i'll kill you card ]

Your sister.

[kazokun]

[ Blood in the blood room, nobody would be able to tell. ]

I know she's not here, but that doesn't mean Blue hasn't got his hands on her. He got all of us.

[ It's possible. And even the slimmest possibility is enough to drive him mad with worry. ]

[disreguarded]

[ she finally glances over at ayabe. ]

Why would he put her somewhere else? Why not just put her in here in the first place, with the rest of us? And even if he does have her, which he doesn't, what makes you think he's going to give her back?

[ a beat. ] It's not real. It's a trick. It's a trick to feed the fucking house, and you're falling for it.

[kazokun]

Why would a sick bastard do anything they do? What point is there in finding reason in it?

[ Why did the monster in Dazai cut apart Subete's arms? Why did Stefano disembowel that horse? Trying to find reason in those sorts of people is impossible, so why bother trying to understand?

He goes back to burying his face and mumbling into his knees again. ]

I'd rather she were here. Then I could- ...I just want to see her again. The real her. And make sure she's okay.

[ Yeah this place sucks, but known horrors are still better than the unknown that he can populate with his own nightmares. ]

[disreguarded]

[ she swallows hard. ]

You know who they said they took from me? Or do you not care now?

[kazokun]

It... would be one of your friends, right?

[ The person who is most important to Beau has to be somebody in that group she travels with, wouldn't it? The people who are like family to her. ]

[disreguarded]

You'd think.

[ she says, stretching out almost idly. ]

No. I told you I have a baby brother, right?

[kazokun]

[ He starts, because he didn't expect that at all. The baby brother that was something years old, she told him in a pc once but I have no idea which one that was, too young to be a visual kei band member at any rate. ]

...I thought you would have hated him.

[ For taking her place. Even if he did nothing wrong but be born and exist. ]