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

[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.

[goldpeony]

[STOP, GHOSTS ARE SO REAL.]

I can't tell if it looked like me, moron! I can't see! [It looked like Sizhui, maybe, for a second, but before--after, now, he's not so sure. There's yellow--is it really him?] I thought it was Lan Sizhui. I can't tell who they are or what they're doing.

But others said it was themselves. It can't be a ghost if it looks like us.

[kazokun]

So some people are seeing themselves, others are seeing people they know. What do you think it is? Is Lan Sizhui a ghost?

[ Ghosts— if they exist, and they do not exist— are of dead people, so either way it can't be that. ]

[goldpeony]

No! Lan Sizhui is a stupid GusuLan disciple. Him and Lan Jingyi are always together, and I got stuck with them for a while.

[~*friends*~]

I don't know what it is--an illusion of some kind? Cultivation doesn't deal in seeing doubles... It's about harnessing your spiritual energy and becoming an Immortal.

[kazokun]

Immortal.

[ Ayabe pats Jin Ling on the head. He can't help it. Nothing Jin Ling is saying makes sense. ]

[goldpeony]

Yes, Immo-- STOP THAT! [He swats at Ayabe's patting hand.] Don't think you can patronize me! I'm going to become an Immortal one day!

[kazokun]

Right, right.

[ Sure you are. He believes in you too. ]

Can you stand there for about two minutes? Don't move.

[goldpeony]

What...? Where are you going?

[IS HE BEING LEFT ALONE? AAAA]

You're going to just leave me here?!

[kazokun]

Upstairs. I'll be right back.

[ Jin Ling is blind so he might as well stay downstairs like a good boy. ]

[goldpeony]

[He gives a very loud, indignant puff of air. But he doesn't try to follow because there's two wolves inside of him: stubbornness and pride, and his pride is winning.]

Fine! Don't be surprised if I'm not here!

[kazokun]

Don't just run off. I have something for you, so you'd better still be here.

[ As long as Jin Ling isn't running around smashing vases, though, he's not too worried. It shouldn't even take two minutes to get upstairs to his room and then return. ]

[goldpeony]

[FINE.

He ends up staying anyway because whatever. That weird ghost doppleganger thing. Yeah.]

[kazokun]

[ He can make friends with his ghost doppleganger while Ayabe's upstairs, but he does come back quickly. ]

I'm back.

[ Just as a warning before a pile of folded fabric is set on top of Jin Ling's head. It's the clothes that Ayabe promised to fix up for him, but who even knows whether Jin Ling even needs it with so many other fancy girly clothes in his closet to choose from.

The more important thing he comes back with is a broom and dustpan so he can clean up the broken vase before somebody steps in it. ]

[goldpeony]

[He hears footsteps first, but that doesn't mean he knows who it is yet, so his shoulders tense until Ayabe speaks. There's a wash of a huge black blob, and then he's anointed by probably hemmed fabric.

?!

Quickly reaching up, he snatches it off his head... holding it down and... out. Shit, he can't see what it looks like at all! Ayabe probably stitched a penis on the back or something. He feels over it with his hands to try to make it out.]

...Why?

[kazokun]

What? I said I would, right?

[ Come back, he means, which is obvious to him because he'd been insisting on being let go in order to sweep up the mess.

The stitching is going to be hard to make out, but it's not like Ayabe had embroidered a dick on the back of it— first of all, the thread he received from Peach is a commodity and it would be a waste. But he can feel that there's parts have been cut off and folded back, idk how to describe clothes but ig it's something more simple and comfortable now, in this sort of style. There's also large pockets on both the inside and outside, because he had extra fabric leftover and pockets are great. ]

[goldpeony]

[This is very hecking sweet, and Jin Ling doesn't deserve it in the least bit. "HE'S A GOOD BOY ANNA" he doesn't deserve it

Holding it up is better, but folding it over one arm to feel with the other hand--it's been altered better. And there's POCKETS. Not that he needs chaos void pockets like Wei Wuxian's sleeves.]

Mm.

[He wishes Ayabe was the one who couldn't see, so he could put it on to try it without exploding in embarrassment. He turns toward the sound of sweeping.]