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

[kazokun]

[ Jin Ling is that one text post about the cat owner who got their cat to drink more water by first taking a sip and then leaving the cup out so the cat thinks it's sneaky by drinking water that's not theirs. ]

It's not even on proper fabric... But fine, as long as I don't see it on the ground somewhere.

[ This house is a no littering zone. ]

[goldpeony]

[That is exactly Jin Ling, yeah.

He looks in what he thinks is Ayabe's direction since that's where the voice is coming from. He glances down, and then up again. Slowly.........he holds the paper out like he might drop it.]

[kazokun]

[ Go ahead and drop it, punk. Ayabe's sure he'll be able to snatch it up faster, on the account that he can actually see. ]

[goldpeony]

[NO, IT'S HIS SEAL! With his bluff called, he quickly snatches it back to his chest and sours his face. He'd really rather not have Ayabe snatch it up and throw it in the trash when he can't see.]

Don't!

[It looked like he had moved.]

[kazokun]

[ Don't what?? Without saying anything else, Ayabe starts walking towards him, he's moving now, he's going to snatch up the paper right out of Jin Ling's hands to throw in the trash. ]

[goldpeony]

[He only knows Ayabe is coming because he can see the blob swaying back and forth.] Stay away! [He immediately turns away so he can run, clipping the edge of the counter as he goes, hissing.]

[kazokun]

[ Oh

That's sort of what he was going for, but minus rupturing Jin Ling's kidneys. He's just going to follow after him, gently herding him towards... somewhere. Maybe upstairs to Jin Ling's room if he can manage the stairs. ]

[goldpeony]

[NO.

Very much like a cat, Jin Ling runs out of the kitchen and--stops for half a second to try to think about what the fuck he's really going to do when he can't see anything.

He veers to the side and runs for the nearest blob of a wall, the conservatory.]

[kazokun]

[ Good thing the doors are all open, but is Jin Ling going to be able to make it through the door or is he going to bang into the door frame or into the wall itself--

Ayabe should probably just put a stop to this, but you can't reason with a cat, all you can do is corner them and then pick them up and relocate them. ]

[goldpeony]

[Shockingly, or either luckily, he makes it through the doors without running into anything. Probably because they're double and he has his arm stretched out in front of him to make sure he isn't running into anything chest and waist level.

Inside is a different story. Lots of vases in here, hehe.

Anyway, he runs into a wicker chair and skids it crooked, runs around it. Wait--this is the fucking conservatory, he realizes! THERE'S NO SECOND DOOR FUCK.]

[kazokun]

[ Jin Ling's safety aside, Ayabe has to choose between continuing to bully him and saving the vases, and he's forced to give into the latter. ]

I won't do anything to you, so don't run. It'll be dangerous if you run in here.

[goldpeony]

You're the one chasing me.

[He does stop, but when he turns around, he's not sure how Ayabe got so close to him. It's just--something there that's a blob of skin, white, and lots of dark hair? They're laughing, too. He yells in surprise and quickly backs up.

But it's right into a table with one of the vases, and he really Ouran Host Clubs it.]

[kazokun]

[ TUTORIAL MURDER IS JIN LING ]

Ling!

[ Ayabe rushes forward and grabs Jin Ling by the arm, yanking him to the side away from the broken vase and towards the door out of the conservatory. OUT!! Get out, you're banned from the conservatory. ]

[goldpeony]

[Being grabbed startles him. He twists sharply, ends up losing the seal paper, and stumbles forward when he's shoved out of the way.]

Stop! Did you not see that?! What was that?! If you're playing some kind of joke, I'll kill you!

[kazokun]

That was a vase, stupid! Let me see if you hurt yourself.

[ Anything uncovered like his hands first, but at the same time continuing to shove Jin Ling out of the room, out out out-- ]

[goldpeony]

[The hands are okay, but... missing the paper from earlier, it's fine. He holds both up to ward off the shoving, and then he grabs a fistful of Ayabe's sleeve even though he's backpedaling.]

I'm not talking about the vase, idiot! That other thing! Would you stop?! I thought it was you! It's what I saw on the stairs!

[kazokun]

There was nothing on the stairs and there's nobody else but you and me here.

[ You can't see shit anyways, Jin Ling, you're not fooling anybody. ]

Now stop moving or you'll knock something else over. Let me clean this up before anything else.

[ Or he might pass out and smash his face into shards of broken vase and Jin Ling will have to deal with that. ]

[goldpeony]

I saw something! I can see movement! You're pushing me!

[So he pushes Ayabe back. And then he snatches his hands down to himself, but stops at the door, digging his heels in.] Just leave it! The other stuff was cleaned, so it'll get cleaned later! [THAT THING.]

How did you not see that?! It was as big as I was!

[kazokun]

Other people are going to come in and they might not be able to see it!

[ THAT VASE. ]

You probably just saw me, or somebody passing by the door!

[goldpeony]

That's their problem!

[Yeah, he's not indentured to be a host club person until he pays it off.]

It wasn't you! It was right in front of me when I turned around!

[kazokun]

[ It is absolutely not other people's problem?? Oh my god. The best Ayabe can do is stand still, then, they can both grab each other's sleeves and block the doorway and prevent anybody else from coming inside, that'll have to do it. ]

I was looking at you the entire time and there was nobody else. What reason do I have to lie to you, or make this sort of joke?

[goldpeony]

[This is fine.]

To get on my nerves! Something else was there, I'm not stupid! You were too far away to have been that close, even if I couldn't see you! Someone said they were seeing themselves.

[kazokun]

I don't need to do something like that to get on your nerves.

[ He just has to exist and he pisses Jin Ling off, apparently!! But he shakes his head, whether or not Jin Ling can see it -he's pretty close, in any case. ]

I heard that too, but how can that be the case? I can't make anything like that appear, and there cannot be two of you. This is all in our heads.

[goldpeony]

[His frown is sour. After a moment, he takes his hand back as if he had only realized he was clutching.]

You don’t know that! It could be... ghosts, or... or something else! It could really be ghosts, like the girl in Yi City!

[kazokun]

[ Ghosts are fake. But poor this kid still believes in them, like he believes his spirit dog is still around ): ]

You said you saw somebody that looks like you, right? You're still here- you're alive, so that isn't you. I saw somebody who looked like by brother- he is also alive, and he cannot be here, so that cannot be him.