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

[mammoney]

Yeah, we can. Its not like human sicknesses but it sure is annoying.

[A light shrug.]

Haven't been sick with somethin' like this, though. I hope it won't last forever...it'd be a nightmare if I couldn't see money and stuff anymore...

[kazokun]

[ Money and stuff. Yeah, that's the priority alright. ]

I hope it doesn't last forever either. It'll be harder to talk to you if I can't hear what you're saying.

[ He would have to learn to read lips or something, and that requires paying attention to people's faces, and it's really just a pain. He'll enjoy not being able to hear for a while, until he learns what an inconvenience it is.

Like being in the kitchen and not being able to hear the sizzle of the pan when he flicks a drop of water into the oil to tell if it's hot enough, little things like that. If cockroaches scream when he tosses them into hot oil, he's glad not to be able to hear them, though. ]

[mammoney]

[Money and stuff! That's what life is about, baby!!]

That'd be terrible!! You need to hear everything THE Mammon says, I mean! Come on!

[The INDIGNATION that someone just won't be able to obviously hear his GREAT and AMAZING words!!]

[kazokun]

Do you have anything important to say?

[ Apparently, none of that counted.

He lets Mammon go when they get to the kitchen, looking around for a colander to rinse the cockroaches off before frying them. ]

[mammoney]

Yes. Every word that comes out of my mouth is important. You should be HONORED to hear stuff from me.

[onedirectionlaugh.mp3]

[He feels for what he thinks is a counter (it is!) and leans on it, letting out a sigh.]

Man, this all really is a mess, huh? First, we get kidnapped, and then, we start losing senses...its like some kind of curse.

[kazokun]

Oh... Ling said that too, that this is a curse. We tried to draw purification seals or something.

[ Some sort of magical seal that he entertained for half an hour to keep Jin Ling occupied. He doesn't believe in magic, but he's willing to play along when there's no harm in it, so with Mammon claiming to be a demon... ]

Do you know anything about breaking curses? Or just casting them.

[ Being a demon. Demons curse people, they should know how to remove them, right? ]

[mammoney]

Purification seals? What is he, some kind of witch?

[He rubs at his forehead, exasperated. With the mention of curses...it could be that, actually. It feels a lot like that. And yet...]

Yeah, I can put curses on people. I can even break a few. But it depends on who's gone and cast the thing. Like if it was my brother Lucifer, there'd be no way I could remove that. As far as any regular witch...sometimes I can, but it's easier said than done, with some curses.

[kazokun]

[ Is Jin Ling a witch? Jin Ling believes rice is comparable to modern medicine, so he's very likely a witch. ]

Do you have to know who did it, or can you try to break the curse regardless?

[ The person who placed the curse was probably Master Blue, who Ayabe would really really love to believe is a normal human being, no witches or demons involved. ]

[mammoney]

You can brute force it, sure, but some curses are built in a way that makes them pretty impossible to crack unless you do something to their maker, sad to say. It's a real headache!

[So yeah, he'd like to throttle Master Blue for this, since he's likely to have cursed them all, but...haha, like that's going to happen.]

[kazokun]

Well... if either something happens or nothing happens, why not give it a try. I'll be here to back you up.

[ As a useless cheerleader, you know. Do your best, he believes in you, etc etc ]

[mammoney]

Eh, what?

[He has to blink at that.]

You really think I could break something like that?

[SOMEONE BELIEVES IN HIM??]

[kazokun]

Of course. Out of everybody here, you're our best bet.

[ He's THE Great Mammon, right? Now's his time to shine. ]

[mammoney]

[He's suddenly?? VERY BASHFUL????? He is very unused to this.]

I mean, even with my vision like this...I-I guess I'll try. After all, I AM the Great Mammon...

[kazokun]

[ Ayabe claps Mammon on the shoulder and gives it a squeeze. ]

Yeah. Go on and give it a try.

[mammoney]

[he honestly doesn't know where to even begin since this ain't exactly like the curses he's used to but sure!!! FAKE IT TILL HE MAKES IT]

I-I'll give it my all, then! Yeah! I'll do it! Thanks, human!

[A beat.]

I want to finish my cockroaches though.

[kazokun]

[ Damn, a small part of him hoped Mammon would run off and do his thing and Ayabe can toss the bugs in the trash, but he did promise a meal of cockroaches, so he follows through with it.

First these things are getting boiled so they're properly dead and he doesn't have to feel them wriggling around while he plucks off the antennae and legs, and then he tries not to think about what he's cooking while he makes some sort of stir fry dish, reminding himself every few minutes NOT to taste test throughout he cooking process. Cockroaches, peppers, ginger, miso, sesame oil, spices... He's going to triple clean all the pan and dishes so nobody else will ever be able to tell he used them for bugs. ]

[mammoney]

Ohhhh man. That smells really good!

[He's just leaning over the counter with his chin in his hands, beaming as bright as the sun.]

You really have a talent!

[kazokun]

[ All the ginger and spices should help cover up the cockroach smell and hopefully Mammon finishes them all instead of leaving leftovers in the fridge because RIP anybody who sees cockroach stir fry in the fridge and takes it for themselves. ]

It's not a big deal. Once you've cooked enough, you have a general sense of how things go together, so swapping one ingredient in for another is simple. Can you finish all of this?

[ With all the extra stuff, he's going to need a large bowl or something. ]

[mammoney]

You make it sound simple...anyways, yeah, I should be able to finish it.

[SPOILERS: he won't because Asch has to discover a few left in the fridge later. :) Thanks, rule of funny!]

What can't you cook, I wonder?

[kazokun]

[ Asch... It's protein, he'll be okay u_u ]

There's plenty I've never cooked before. But as long as I have a recipe, following it is simple. Even you can do it.

[ It's all step by step, all the ingredients are listed out with the proper measurements and it's supposed to be foolproof. ]

[mammoney]

Even me...

[He looks thoughtful at that.]

Have you ever made a recipe book? There's tons of that kinda stuff on the market.

[kazokun]

No, precisely because there's ton of that kind of stuff on the market.

[ Too much competition, Mammon. His cooking isn't anything special to people who already know how to cook. ]

[mammoney]

Hey, what kind of attitude is that? What's one more. I could even market it for you, like..."first recipe book with a demon and a human"! It would make big bucks!

[too bad you impressed him, ayabe, rip]

[kazokun]

I... guess it might have a niche following...

[ Who would buy a book on demon cuisine? The weirdos. ]

[mammoney]

Niche? It would be unprecedented! Unparalleled! You would be SUPER rich! Money would be coming out of your eyeballs!

[he is very into this VERY TERRIBLE idea]

Whaddya say?