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

[inaudibly]

[MONDAY: BALLROOM]
[Starting around Lunchtime, people might see a piece of paper tacked to the wall near the door, written in what is surely familiar to most now as Nic's terrible handwriting;]

Starting tomorrow
I'll be in the library every day from 7-9PM
Anyone who wants to learn how to sign can come practice.
-Nic

[TUESDAY-THURSDAY: LIBRARY, EVENING]
[True to his word, Nic will be found in the library at the written time. He'll offer some instruction, but it's also an opportunity for people to practice with the others that are learning. Nic and Luna have even found all the books on sign language in the library and collected them for people to look over on their own!! Use this time however you like.]

[WEDNESDAY: MOVIE THEATER, MORNING]
[Nic waited to watch his DVD. Partly because he wanted to let everyone else go first, but also because he figured whatever was on it would make him angry. Whoever chances to wander to the theater at this time will see a blond man, probably about Nic's age.

Nic himself is staring at the screen looking... oddly nonplussed? Unimpressed? Maybe just tired? It's a strange expression in the given circumstances, at the very least.]

[WILDCARD]
[Nic's mask is rather simple in design though it is a dark red in color. If you look up close the color is mottled, as if from gradual buildup of splotchy paint.]

Tuesday!!

[madburnout]

[Sure. If only because Lio is so so tired of reading. It is so hard. Showing up promptly at 7!!]

It will be more efficient than writing.

[inaudibly]

[This is such... a Lio attitude to come in with. Nic looks distantly amused, but also a little surprised since Lio wasn't one of the people he'd been expecting!!]

You think learning an entirely new language is more efficient?

[madburnout]

[Treating this exactly like he has a murder to solve!!! Picking up one of those books, sitting his ass down, and opening it. His face has all the concentration of someone working on complex theoretical math. Or just the confused math lady.]

I will master it as quickly as possible.

Tuesday

[burningrescue]

Nic, hey! You know sign language?

[God, he's dumb.]

Show me how to do it! [Like it's a new dance move.]

[inaudibly]

[Nic stares at Galo a long moment, almost thinking that no, he can't possibly be saying that because he doesn't know Nic is deaf. But then again, it was just a few days ago that Beau didn't know, and she's hung around him a far lot more. So actually, he can believe it.

Still, he can't pass up the opportunity to mess with the guy. He said "show" not "teach, so, Nic simply demonstrates;]

You are easily the most confusing person I've met in this house.
[That was a whole bunch of hand signs!! At one point he definitely pointed at himself and another point at Galo. This all definitely means something, huh Galo.]

[burningrescue]

[He watches this the entire time, and then, once he finishes, picks up his notebook and starts writing something down? He's trying to draw the hand signs? His expression is like a student taking notes for a test? This isn't anything, Galo.]

tuesday

[oathic]

[sure, he's here.]

So how do we start with this?

[inaudibly]

[He honestly wasn't expecting anyone besides Luna, Brilith, Beau, and maybe Ken to show up!!! This is weird!!!

Still, he has a plan. He grabs one of the books, and flips it open to a page that has a diagram of the sign language alphabet, and hands it over.]

Once you know the letters, you can always fingerspell a word you don't know the sign for.

[oathic]

[he scans the book. after about a minute—]

All right, I think I got it.

[... agni might act like an idiot (and be a bit of one, for real), but being a god does come with some pretty nifty info processing and memorization capabilities.]

tuesday

[disreguarded]

[ she shows up, of course!! she absolutely flicks through the books - she's a little quiet, but she is very focused on learning. she's actually a pretty decent student when she tries... ]

Hey. Am I doing this right? [ and she makes a clumsy sign for danger. ]

[inaudibly]

[Nic isn't surprised to see Beau mostly going off on her own, but he can't help but snort at the first sign she demonstrates to him. He squints a moment, before repeating the sign, a little more clearly.]

Danger

[And then, he does it again, except instead of the repeated motion of "danger, he does it just once;]

Threaten. T-H-R-E-A-T-E-N
[Fingerspelling the sign, since he would have made sure Beau learned the letters first. Then he writes something down;]

Verbs are one motion, nouns are repeated. A lot of noun/verb pairs like that.

[disreguarded]

[ look!! she wants to know the important words, okay.

she nods, watching him intently. ]

T-H-R-E-A-T-E-N [ she spells with her fingers, pretty adeptly! and then, the actual word: ] Threaten.

[ she's got an intelligence of 19 she's good at this shit ]

wed

[hamaoned]

[ who would have known that someone would wait this long to watch their dvd... but ken recognizes the man, or well, he figures he might know that face. he'll give nic a moment to react except he...

well, he'll gently reach out to tug on nic's clothes to get his attention. ]

just gently assumes Ken went to sign language club on tuesday and now knows a little bit

[inaudibly]

[Nic jumps a bit, understandably, since he obviously didn't hear Ken come in. But he settles once he sees that it is in fact Ken.]

Hey Ken
[He still seems unconcerned about the video, even up close.]

yes. that is good bc he would definitely.

[hamaoned]

Hello Nicholas

[ he has yet to tell ken to not call him by his full name so he'll slowly make his way through it. he's doing his absolute best even if it takes him a while to get through every letter and word.

please be patient with him. ]

Is it not bothering you? That person there. He's familiar.

tuesday!

[voidbreaker]

[ ash is just gonna slide into a chair — but like in that douchey way where he’s sitting on it backwards with his arms resting on the back of the chair.

he’s here to learn something new, hit him up. ]

Re: tuesday!

[inaudibly]

[Ash who are you trying to impress???]

You too?
[Honestly surprised???]

[voidbreaker]

Yeah?

[ dude c'mon. ]

Special ops. Being able to talk without words'll come in handy.

tuesday, library

[kazokun]

[ He comes late, around 7:51 PM and slides into one of the couches near the door. He doesn't bring a book with him, doesn't pick up any of the ones here, and doesn't join anybody else to practice either. All he knows are the very very basic signs Nic taught him long ago, things like asking if he was deaf, and then Nic's name. That's it.

He's here mostly to watch people, since Nic can't give verbal instruction for him to eavesdrop on.

but also please I want to know Ayabe's name sign, I know what I'm here for ]

[inaudibly]

[Nic's not like, a real teacher, and there's plenty of other people here, so he lets Ayabe Observe for a while. That said, he, like many, are Concerned about the kid, so he does come check on him after a while.]

You ok?
[It's a sign Ayabe probably observed in the past few minutes. Nic doesn't look especially concerned, more curious than anything. Ayabe might've also noticed for everyone else, Nic's just been spelling out their names when he signs at them.]

[kazokun]

[ If Nic's been going through the alphabet letter by letter with people here, those are probably signs Ayabe's been able to observe and pick up from watching people mirroring them back, keeping his place in the alphabet by the more obvious signs like c, i, o, v, etc. He can do letters, slowly, eyes on his hands instead of at Nic:

N O B U T B E T T E R

...how do you sign language spaces or punctuation, he doesn't know yet, but he's better than yesterday, better than this afternoon. But he's definitely not okay, hasn't been okay, and won't be okay, in a place and situation like this. ]

tuesday

[recrypt]

[ you know what, guess who else is here and collecting a bunch of books and... not actually opening any of them yet. ]

So, so. Where's the best place to start. Individual letters, so we can finger spell, or general grammatical patterns?

[inaudibly]

[THat is... an interesting move. But her question is good.]

Both, in that order. Since I know how to read lips, I can understand when people sign in speaking sentence order.

But if you really want to learn sign language you should learn to do it properly.

[slobjection]

[ please assume phoenix was here learning sign language i'll give you a proper tag later maybe if you don't mind backtagging ]