bluesclues | WEEK FIVE: MINGLE

WEEK FIVE: MINGLE

WEEK FIVE

OCCUPANCY: 23

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, two images will flicker and change sporadically. While Phoenix's portrait remains the same, on occasion it will change to an unrecognizable figure, flames surrounding the charred flesh. Likewise, Four's portrait looks just like herself, though if you blink you may miss the sharp knives protruding through her chest, rivers of blood dripping down her front. 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.

You know what to expect by now. Once a week, one of your own transforms into someone unrecognizable. But it's hard to empathize with someone without experiencing the hardship for yourself, isn't it? Worry not. Starting today, from the moment you wake, you will find that you yourself have changed into something unrecognizable. Claws, fangs, fur, scales, extra limbs, extra mouths...the changes are numerous as your monster form takes a hold of you. Oh but it's alright! It's just the physical appearance, after all. You're still yourself inside...but it may be hard to believe that as the week goes on.

Some of you may be able to brush these strange changes aside. Others of you may find yourself struggling to understand who you really are. And others of you will find even more problems on hand. Is it your imagination, or did the mansion grow several degrees colder? You just can't quite to seem to warm up. While you may normally be comfortable sharing blankets with your fellow guests, you now find yourself feeling a bit greedy and unwilling to share...well, anything, really. The insatiable greed requires you to take and take and take, no matter if you require the necessities you're taking. And yet even as you take, and especially as you consume, you find that you're never quite satisfied, belly never quite full regardless of how much you eat. That's troubling, isn't it?

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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[ oh my god ayabe...

maybe it's a good thing that ken is sporting dog ears and a tail this week because he's going to be an obnoxious thorn in his side. something something dogs are loyal to a fault. either way, ken isn't here to drag him back to the room (yet) but he is here standing in front of the tent questioning if this is honestly what he wants. ]

Ayabe...are you really going to start sleep outside?

[ hands over his nose because fuck this awful doggie smell. ]

Maybe.

[ He wants to get out of the house, that's what he wants. It's spring now? There's no bears in the woods? He won't die sleeping outside. ]

...Does it smell weird?

[ He gestures at the candle, which isn't lit yet but it's there. ]

It won't make a difference if you stay out here verses the room.

[ his ears droop with ayabe's answer despite his expression remaining not as crestfallen. ]

And everything smells weird, if I'm going to be honest. It's like I can smell everything except way worse. [ he'll try to remove his hand from his nose but...ugh. ] I wonder how Missile deals with it.

[ it's probably because he is an actual dog and all of this the normal for him. ]

I just want to be away from everything for a bit.

[ There's some difference but not much. Maybe he just needs something to occupy himself so he's not just lying on the bed staring at the ceiling like he was all weekend. ]

Is your sense of smell that much stronger? You could clamp your nose...

[ well ken was probably doing his best not to cry this weekend after his minor meltdown at trial so as though he was any better. nevertheless there's an audible doggie whine that escapes him. ]

Alright. [ he'll...just pretend he didn't just whine, or that his tail has sagged either. ] I'll come out here and visit you sometime...and try not to be gone too long. You know, if you want to visit the room at night.

[ because he's all about knowing to give people space. also he wrinkles his nose at ayabe's suggestion. ]

I could but then I'd sound funny.

[ Just give up and cry, Ken. It's only Ayabe in the room and he's seen Ayabe break down and cry before. ]

I'll be around for meals and stuff. Just not... around. [ There's no difference between him being out here and him being in the house, really, when most of the places of entertainment out there he really doesn't care for, and stairs are a struggle when he has to stop at the top of each flight in order to catch his breath. ]

And if you need me for something, I can be there too. Like figuring out how to not be overwhelmed with smells. There are other options, like wearing a bandanna over your face.

[ he cried!! just not where ayabe could see him...and he just had to be out during the trial when he did. :/ clearly ayabe missed his chance to see ken weep like the sad child he is. ]

Okay. [ cue ken immediately taking a seat next to ayabe's tent. he'll sit with his legs crossed. ] It's lonely out here, isn't it? ...do you want me to bring you anything? You know, since it's easy for me to.

[ he doesn't wheeze when he walks or moves around anymore. ]

...and do you think a bandanna would really work? [ grumbling. ] Wouldn't I just look like a robber with dog ears?

[ Is it lonely? If he squints, he can see the ducks in the distance. Horses too, but he hasn't gone back to see the horses ever since he learned there might be spiders hiding inside them. ]

Right now, I think this is fine.

[ He takes a seat too, where some blankets have been set down on the ground. Not bunched up so they're fluffy and comfortable, but neatly folded... it's fine. He pulls his knees up against his chest, decides that hurts too much, and relaxes again. ]

Do you care that much how people see you? If you sound weird or look weird, everybody does.

[ ken will take a look over the blankets that he brought with him and...slightly makes a note to bring some more later. sure the house is gonna be cold but he's going to have a room to himself and ayabe's going to be outside. also his tail wags a little when ayabe sits. ]

Well, I don't want people to think of me as a helpless kid... [ but— ] I just figured that it wouldn't be a bad idea to keep thing as normal as I can make things given everything else.

People like normalcy, right? This isn't our normal but I can still try.

It has nothing to do with being helpless... Have you seen Toi? Nie Huaisang? You could be running around on all fours and still be normal compared to some of the people here.

[ He means them in their monster forms but also sort of in general too, puppy Ken is tame compared to some of the people here no matter what the day. ]

I think people care more about your comfort than their sense of normalcy.

[ a kappa and a slime monster. yeah, both of those things are far worse off than ken but at the same time, isn't that what he was referring to exactly. rather, he could be doing his part. ]

I meant in general but...

[ wait. ]

My comfort? [ hm. ] Well, I don't think that should the forefront of people's minds right now with all things considered.

Should be, or isn't? Because it is; that's how people are, when they see somebody who is upset or in trouble.

[ The goodness of people or whatever, he can still believe in that. But either way, comfort isn't something to brush off, especially not in trying times. ]

It's not as though I'm the first person who has lost anyone here.

[ if that's what they're going to talk about but either way, ken is going to want to side step that conversation. funny how ken and ayabe have not spoken about that, huh?

time to make sure that keeps happening ]

...and you know, when you say that, it's what's happening here between us. About people caring when there's someone who is upset.

[ They are never going to talk about anything important, yeah. ]

I know. That's why I asked you about the bandanna.

[ .............is Ayabe upset?? is this what this is. No, he's just out here on a camping trip and doesn't need to be comforted about anything. ]

[ they can talk about important things!!!! except maybe that important thing.

also aggressively closes eyes. his tail stops wagging and his ears lower slightly. ]

And...I'm worried about you being out here.

[ look, if ayabe's gonna be like this then i guess ken needs to keep taking pages out of his senpai's book. he also remembers that other conversation they had!!!! ]

[ Where is Ken's senpai to tell him that punching isn't the way to do things???? Then I remember his protag is Minako and she would support this. ]

It's not like I'm avoiding people...

[ He is totally avoiding people. He doesn't even look at Ken while he busies himself straightening this stick that doesn't need to be straightened. ]

I won't be cold, and I'll still have my meals. That should be fine, right?

[ yea. don't forget that akihiko may or may not approve of ken's methods as well. sometime you just gotta...punch. ]

I think being out here counts as avoiding people. [ look. he smacked you once ayabe, he'll smack you again. or bite him...he has doggie teef now. ] ...and I don't think I need to tell you that it's less about that than it is about why you felt like you needed to be out here in the first place.

[ emotional health?? that's a thing?? not that ken is wise enough to understand what the fuck to do to make it better. ]

But I'm not going to drag you back if you don't want to come back.

[ thus why he's sitting on the ground right here staring at him fixing a stick that is perfectly fine, and all of the offers he made earlier. ]

[ Akihiko teaching Ken how to punch, Minako cheering in the background... Also don't bite him, human mouths have so much more bacteria than doggy ones and are much more serious bites. ]

It's the house too. I don't want to stay in a place that's just there to mess with me.

[ the real reason why i took him from p3p. shenanigans. and ken will nto bite him as long as he doesn't give ken any reason to bite him. :T ]

But we at least know what we have to do with the house now. [ besides— ] It can mess with you out here, too, you know. I got scratches on my body when I slept out in the graveyard a few weeks ago.

[ did he mention this to ayabe previously? who knows. it's knowledge again if anything. ]

I mean, we all woke up with changes.

[ ayabe being a ghost-man, ken a shiba inu... ]

[ What do we have to do with the house, besides "STOP" ]

That's not until later in the week, though. [ He does cringe when he hears about the scratches, though. It was zombie week and he remembers hearing that Nic had woken up feeling that too, which is creepy and also why was Ken sleeping in the graveyard ]

I know I can't get away from these changes and those effects. But at the very least, I don't want to be around somewhere that'll remind me of terrible things.

[ Everywhere he looks in that house is just blood and death. Out in the forest, it's trees and sky and he can pretend he's not here. ]

[ destroy the source... also maybe ayabe could ask ken why he was sleeping in the graveyard. if he wants to know that answer.

but what ayabe says next makes plenty of sense to him. the reminder is everywhere in his opinion but if this makes things easier for ayabe, then he's fine with that, too. ]

I understand. Does that mean you'll be here for Thursday night as well?

[ if that's a yes then we know where ken is going to be staying. something something friendship now you're stuck with him. and ken "hachiko" amada. ]

[ But what is the source... Can they try burning the house down again ]

Thursday... probably. It'll be out of the way, in any case. Everything tends to stay inside, or doesn't come as far as the forest.

[ No monster would come out here unless it's specifically to kill him, which in that case he thinks maybe he deserves it, so either way, it's all good. ]

[ how about they don't do that... ]

Okay, I'll stay here with you then.

[ yep. that's it. that's the whole thing. ]

Just on the off chance that something does come this way, I want to be here too.

What? Why-

[ That's not going to accomplish anything besides make Ayabe worry about Ken being out here with him, but even as he asks why, he already thinks he knows the answer. It's because Ken wants to, and Ken is hella stubborn. ]

...You need to help me make the tent bigger, then.

[ ayabe...learns. ]

Alright. I can do that.

[ but when ayabe doesn't push him away, he'll wag his tail happily. they're friends now ayabe. glad that he's finally starting to...understand what that means for him. ]

We'll need to get more things for the tent, right? [ hmmm... ] I've never gone camping like this before—this should be fun.

i

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