bluesclues | WEEK ZERO: MINGLE

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!mingle

WEEK ZERO: MINGLE

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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Stop, you can't say that! [AFTER THE STORY!! Jin Ling doesn't know whether to yell that Subete is making it up or trying to prank him, or something else.] Either you saw something, or you didn't!

So which is it?! Don't think you can try to trick me! I'm not falling for any games here. Didn't I just say ghosts are no laughing matter?!

Uh, which part am I not saying...?

[It's just complete chaos in this library??

Since it seems like his examination services are not needed now that Jin Ling isn't completely agitated anymore -- Subete is just going to pick up the books so neither of them end up tripping and falling on their faces or destroying more books. He's pretty sure they'd never hear the end of it otherwise......

Him... cleaning... it's somewhat novel.]

The more you yell the harder it is to figure out how to describe things, but why would I trick you about something I'm seeing that looks weirdly like me? Plus, you can't even see? I wouldn't joke about ghosts, anyway, usually.

[He can't see much of anything, so he sort of jigs about while Subete picks up his mess of books, making sure not to trip over anything.]

Because if it's ghosts, they shouldn't look like you, or it would just be you! That means you're dead. How can it be you? Are you sure? [Obviously, he can't see...] Maybe it was someone else, and you thought it looked like you.

Do you have brothers?

[It's actually kind of funny to see him dancing around, not that Subete's going to say anything. At least the library isn't wrecked again!!! Quite aside from liking a nice, organized library they don't need yet another toplevel pet shaming their collective attempt to live their lives like ~~animals~~ civilized beings in a civilized mansion.

It's totally a civilized mansion.]

I'm pretty sure I'm not dead. I'd probably notice. And... it just looks like me... but a little different in some ways that wouldn't usually happen. Like if it was an alternate universe version of me, or just a me who decided on different fashion choices.

[Does that make any sense to Jin Ling RIP.]

I don't have any siblings, either, so it can't be that.

[They're doing fine. They're doing.......their bests.]

And... what of you? You sound like a lunatic. Would you make some sense? I don't understand how it can look like you, but have ghost properties. [Wait-- What if he's talking to a ghost right now?] Ah--

[All at once, he reaches out and smacks Subete against what he thinks is the arm, but it's the back, testing to see if it's solid or whatever.]

[Are they though. Are...... they. The smack catches him completely by surprise in the middle of finishing up his impromptu tidying and has the excellent side effect of making him drop a stack of books all over their ankles, so now they're halfway to back where they started. He also yelps, and is very solid.]

Eh, Jin Ling-kun...?! What was that for??

[Should he just... give up on this not tripping thing..... Upon reflection he just shoves the books to the side with his foot. Sometimes you have to call it good enough.]

I know it sounds kind of crazy and confusing, but I'm also kind of confused? To tell you the truth, I'm used to ghosts being more-- coherent? Useful? [he ruffles a hand through his hair] Maybe it's something in the air here...

I... was just making sure you weren't a ghost!

[He would have been immediately on the ceiling maybe if his whole ass hand went right through Subete.]

Not all ghosts are useful depending on how they died... but most can talk to you. [He makes a face.] Is this place... haunted?

I had gotten the impression you were used to ghosts, but probably not this kind, huh...

[What kind. Jin Ling still doesn't even know what the hell they're talking about?? But the kid keeps talking about corpses and cultivation and zombies, so it's not like it's out of the question to assume he's either very dedicated to Halloween or otherwise to the world of the dead!!

It would have been interesting to see him catjump into the ceiling though, so too bad.]

I think I've only talked to one ghost so far, but maybe that'll change here? I don't know if I really want the ones here to talk. [he makes a face back even though Jin Ling can't see it, it's the principle of the thing] If it's not haunted, then someone really wants us to think it's haunted. Or cursed...

[A sort of snort comes out of him.]

Why? That's stupid. And it's wasting our time. They shouldn't make jokes or games about the dead. [GOD.] What kind of ghost have you spoken with?

Some people would say just being here is a waste of time?

[From the way he says that he probably expects Jin Ling to be one of those people, but Subete is also not entirely ruling out the fact that he is of similar opinion anyway?? They still don't even know why the heck they're here and things are only going steadily downhill in a parabolic curve with greased slopes.]

Ah, are you the type of person who hates Halloween? Don't worry about it. I don't think it's just a game, or there wouldn't really be effects quite like these. [as ridiculous as they are, the fact is that they're kind of serious too, in the end...] The ghost I met was really, really old, and kind of naggy and unpleasant, but that's probably something that comes with age. And stuff.

How about you -- what kinds of ghosts have you met?

[Hmmm. Jin Ling can't really look Subete over, and he can't even see if Subete is pulling his leg or not. Dammit.]

The ghost of the girl in Yi City. [He realizes he hasn't met a whole lot of ghosts actually. But whatever!] She kept following us around, banging her stick on the ground because she couldn't talk.

[To be perfectly fair, it would probably be hard to tell if he was pulling his leg even if he could see him; Subete's got the average earnest face down pat. He's using it right now, to absolutely no effect, but well.]

Ah, so a disruptive ghost... Kind of like the one here? But I'm guessing she looked like herself. Why was she following you around, anyway? Did she want you to solve her problems for her?

[Subete, please.]

She looked like herself. [To confirm it wasn't that weird.] In a way. She was trying to "help us," but it didn't feel like it at the time!

Haha... I know the feeling. I wonder if your perspective really changes that much when you're a ghost -- it definitely feels like they're doing the opposite of helping sometimes, even while they're being useful.

[Speaking from experience? So much experience.]

But the ones here are still different. They're more like -- they really are more like shadows. I even tried asking mine for directions.

[He's good at this........]

Sometimes, ghosts don't remember how they were killed. If they have been buried or move on and then are brought back. They can be disoriented.

[Kinda. His brows furrow.]

...Why would you try to do that?!

Oh, trust me, this one knows how she was killed. In great detail. She likes to grumble about it day and night... But I guess if they're ordinary ghosts, or people who died in small or ordinary ways, being disoriented or having their spirits messed around with would be bad...

[He might be kind of exaggerating about how much Nesta complains but like. It's definitely some intensely concentrated grudge going on there. He scratches his head a little at Jin Ling's reaction....]

It's not that farfetched, right? I got pretty lost and then, he was the only one around... So I thought it couldn't hurt. The worst my shadow could do is lead me in bigger circles.

[Wow, a fussy ghost. Sounds kind of like A-Qing.]

You probably shouldn't talk to it at all! Talking to another self could be dangerous! Don't blame the rest of us if you get cursed by something worse than the Hundred Holes.

Don't talk to it.

The Hundred Holes sounds pretty bad, but I think I'm pretty cursed already? That's what having a shadow ghost follow you around means, right... And then all of you are cursed by something too.

[He's not sure if Jin Ling is cursed by a ghost considering he can't see (if you can't see a ghost and nobody else can see the ghost/shadow/doppelganger/whatever, does it still exist???)......]

But it looks like it can't talk, anyway, so it's probably okay.

[Is it.]

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WEEK ZERO: MINGLE

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