WEEK ZERO: MINGLE

[cluedin]

WEEK ZERO

OCCUPANCY: 36

For those of you counting along, you'll find that it's been three days since you've arrived at Master Blue's mansion. On this lovely Monday morning, the weak winter sun shines in through the spotless windows. The curtains in the ballroom have been drawn closed and cannot be moved away from the back wall during the daylight hours. The scent of a hot and delicious breakfast wafts from the direction of the dining hall at 7am, and small creaks and groans in the house urge you to awaken.

Perhaps you're a late riser though. No matter! There's still plenty of food you can make for yourself and ways for you to amuse yourself. Though the decor's been taken down, leftover Valentine's candy remains abundant, and a chilly breeze drifts through the halls. Best of all, all damage inflicted on the house has been repaired. In addition, a new placard has been mounted in the entryway.

As you carry on with your day in the mansion and explore the rooms provided, you may come to find that starting today it will appear as though you've all lost the use of one of your senses. Your vision may have grown dim, or maybe you really can't smell the enticing treats in the dining hall after all. How unfortunate.

Then again, something doesn't seem quite right. Walking through the halls, nothing seems terribly out of place. However, turning the corner or entering a room you will find someone who looks a little too much like yourself behaving in a fairly inappropriate manner. You would never read something so lewd. Who would ever think that you would wear something so pink? These mannerisms may seem innocent to others, but you can't help but disapprove.

Too bad no one else can see them.

Come Monday at noon, you will also find a new surprise. The wooden box with your name on it can now be opened, and a rustling crackle of static can be heard from overhead. Try as you might, you won't be able to find the speakers but this message will play loud and clear for all.

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Comments

me, who's gone through pharmacy school: thank god i only play dumb teens

[kazokun]

[ How to describe Jin Ling beyond "noisy brat"?

He thinks for a moment, and then flips through his notebook to one of the earlier pages, where he's been taking notes of people's profiles, just the important parts he wants to remember about them:

Rulan (Ling) Jin
- 15 years old
- "LanlingJin Junior Cultivator"
- "combat, sword surfing, ancient Chinese corpse medicine, core strengthening, dynasty K9 unit, rich bachelor status"

Most of it's copied word for word because heck if he knows what half these words mean. Does any of this help identify him?? The 15 year old who looks Chinese. ]

He couldn't explain what he was seeing, but it sounded like people who aren't there, or movement that didn't happen.

[ Ghosts. ]

i took three fourths of a BA in theater design and here i am: pretending to be a doctor

[brokethefirst]

[If he is not showing her those notes directly, she will definitely try to take a look without getting too much further into his personal space than she already is.

15 years old, Chinese, well-to-do, athletic. That would suffice enough.]

So they were visual. Okay.

Have... you been seeing anything like that either, Ayabe?

[kazokun]

[ He does show them to her, since it's for her benefit in the first place. There's nothing much besides what's on the profile and also the room number at the moment, because he still holds onto the assumption they won't all be here long enough that he needs to get to know any of them very well. ]

Nothing... quite like what he was describing. Have you?

[ Granted, he's in his own head a lot and doesn't pay attention to people or things happening around him unless it's shoved into his face like the aftermath of the lounge war. Ayabe doppelgangers look plain and ordinary enough to be easily missed, even by himself, and disappear into the crowd. ]

[brokethefirst]

That's... [SIGHS. She made out about three words there, but the tone provides enough context that she can at least try to work it out..........] I'm sorry, but that's a little too vague. What sorts of things are you seeing?

[You remember her saying we need more information WELL THIS SURE IS MORE INFORMATION......]

If you're asking if I've seen people... yes, I have. In a manner of speaking, anyway.

I thought I might be looking into a window or a mirror the first time it happened.

[kazokun]

Somebody who looked like you? For me, I thought I saw my brother, Umetsugu, but when I came closer, he was gone.

[ His younger brother doesn't look exactly like him, but, being siblings, his face is close enough. Rather than appearance, it's the personality that has Ayabe lean towards his brother: the boy was smiling and laughing and there's no way that could be himself in any iteration. ]

[brokethefirst]

N-no, um... it was just someone who looked like me, I'm afraid. They didn't really do anything to me.

[He clearly said "somebody who attacked you", right? Right.]

Your brother... I imagine that must have been unsettling. I... I don't think I'd want a loved one in a situation like this.

Is he your only sibling?

[kazokun]

[ Didn't- what? His hearing's really going down the drain; he leans in a little closer so he doesn't miss anything, casting his eyes down when he hears her call his brother a loved one because. yeah. ]

I have five in total: three brothers and two sisters. The oldest is thirteen, and the youngest just turned seven.

[ And he's seventeen, so even between him and the oldest there's an age gap that sets them apart. He wouldn't want any of them to be in a situation like this, even though they're the sort of people who would probably enjoy running around throwing confetti everywhere. ]

[brokethefirst]

[Please don't make this an accidental kiss, Ayabe, I don't want for this to be how we activate the kiss counter. Anyway, Luna will allow it, it's fine, personal space doesn't exist when you can't hear anything.]

That's a rather large family. But... I feel if they care for you like you care for them, it must be a nice household. At least, I think it might be.

Your names as well... Ayabe, Umetsugu... and your family name is Reito, correct? Are you from Japan?

[kazokun]

[ Haha! It's a nice household. He'd like to think they care for him too, but he's not so sure. ]

Right, I'm Japanese. But my family name is Ayabe. Most people call me that, instead of Reito.

[ something something you gotta earn the right for first names, but also he's just Ayabe throughout the entire manga so he's Ayabe here too. ]

[brokethefirst]

[It takes her a second, but she slowly starts to fluster as she grows aware of her mistake.]

O-oh, um... I see. I apologize. When we were introduced, you must have used the Western presentation of your name, then, didn't you?

I've heard it used interchangeably with someone I work for, so I'm, um... I'm very sorry if I was coming across too informal...! That wasn't my intention.

[kazokun]

Huh? No, I don't care about that. You can call me by whichever name if you want.

[ For Luna only!!! just Luna can use his first name if she really really wants to, or she can use Ayabe like everybody else. It's just what's more familiar to him, with his siblings calling him onii-chan and his classmates calling him Ayabe and him talking to nobody else. ]

[brokethefirst]

...Thank goodness.

If it's really okay with you, then... could I call you Reito?

[Yes, he just gave her permission; no, she didn't hear it.]

[kazokun]

...Yeah, you can call me Reito.

[ Luna is now like the fourth person in the entire world who's ever called him Reito and I'm going to doubletake every time she calls him that because who is that ]

[brokethefirst]

[It's okay I'm having to change all my thread tracker info now or I'm going to forget so I'm glad we're descending into this hell together]

Okay. Thank you, then, Reito.

If your hearing gets any worse, or if you notice anything else strange, would you let me know? If you can't find me... let's see. How about you leave a note with your name and the date under the door of Room 1, and I'll look for you as soon as I see it.

Does that sound okay with you?

[kazokun]

[ That's dedication... me not being able to remember which names Ayabe uses for people is just him avoiding mentioning people's names as long as I can.

He's also going to have to get used to hearing his name, it makes him stop and pay closer attention when he does. ]

I can do that. Who's your roommate again? They wouldn't be nosy about reading a note addressed to you if I slide it under the door...?

[ If he write anything more than his name and date, anyways. On his side, Ken would probably respect his privacy; Dazai would take the note and not tell Ayabe he received anything. ]

[brokethefirst]

What--? Oh, do you mean my roommate? [Context clues!! She'll survive this mess somehow.]

It's Horikawa Kunihiro. He's been pleasant enough. If it's a concern, though, you don't need to write anything else but your name and the date. Horikawa is aware that I keep, um... unusual hours for medical concerns sometimes, and he's been very considerate.

I trust him.

[kazokun]

[ Horikawa... Ayabe flips through the notebook to match the name with the description— right, the kid that looks like he's twelve, and the profile must have gotten his age wrong. The numbers on people's profiles are all sort of weird. From what he's seen of Hori, he seems considerate enough, so Ayabe nods his approval. Name and date. It's going to be weird writing the date as being in February, when for him it was the start of January last. ]

Alright. Were you sick before this? Do you have somebody looking after you during that time?

[ MEDICAL CONCERNS?? he's thinking personal medical concerns, like she's just lying on the ground dying all night or something ]

[brokethefirst]

...





What?

[slow down there with your hip new lingo son you've lost her]

[kazokun]

[ None of it's new lingo!! It's the same concern that she showed him. Being deaf is hard. ]

The "medical concerns." Are you alright?

[brokethefirst]

Why wouldn't I be...?

[WHERE DID THIS SUDDEN COMPASSION AND SERIOUSNESS COME FROM]

I-I-I think there's been a misunderstanding. I didn't mean the concerns were in regards to, um... me...

[kazokun]

[ The misunderstanding is both a relief and an irritation. ]

Because you should be sleeping at night, not worrying about other people's problems.

[ Nobody here has a serious enough illness that they would die overnight just because she took an 8 hour break like any normal human being like she assuredly is. ]

[brokethefirst]

[Ah. Her look softens considerably.]

I don't mind. I've, um... always kept very odd sleeping hours, regardless. I promise, I'm not trading my well-being for it.

Besides... helping people is what I want to do. I don't think I could forgive myself if I didn't at least try to do what I could.

[kazokun]

[ Odd sleeping hours means he'd better not see Luna wandering around the other 16 hours of the day, but between him being in his room a lot and not particularly caring to keep tabs on people, he'll miss her anyways. ]

You sure are dedicated. Do what you can, but don't overdo it, or other people are going to worry for you. Isaac was.

[ Ayabe too bUT HE'S GOING TO THROW ISAAC UNDER THE BUS INSTEAD ]

[brokethefirst]

[There's an odd sort of sadness that enters her smile, if only for a moment. She didn't hear like, hardly any of that. But she heard overdo, and she heard worry, and she heard Isaac, and that's all she really needs to hear.]

I appreciate it. Both of you.

...Really, I'll be okay. It's my job for a reason. I told the same thing to Isaac as well. No one should have to feel guilty just for needing help. I don't ever feel burdened for giving it.

[kazokun]

[ It's the hallmark of all hard workers, the tendency to overwork to their own detriment. It's not like Ayabe's never heard the same, but there's something about practicing what you preach. ]

...it's fulfilling, in a way, isn't it? Looking after people and making sure they're safe. I'm no doctor, but I can understand that much, at least.

[ He doesn't have to be a doctor to be a natural caretaker- an overbearing one, at times, but somebody who works hard because he likes it, even if he's grumpy and snappy about it all the time. ]