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

[recrypt]

[ Yeah, you got her. What kind of fancy mansion doesn't have wifi? You'd think that a kidnapper would have connections to the outside somehow, if only to relay demands for ransom or whatever, smh.

Her gaze actually doesn't flicker over to him until he speaks up, head tilting with the motion as she studies his expression. ]

Nein, nein, the first is correct. But 45 is fine too.

[ She glances briefly back in the direction she had been, then frowns at him. ]

... You don't see that, do you?

[kazokun]

[ 45 is much easier to say, so he'll stick with that, leaning slightly to look around 45 to see what she's talking about, but there's nothing there. ]

No... What am I supposed to be seeing?

[recrypt]

[ Well, it'd probably be really obvious if he did see what she did, the babiest red-eyed mirror image of her, so after a moment of studying his expression she sighs. ]

... Nevermind. Must be a hallucination.

[kazokun]

[ Just a hallucination. ]

That's not something to brush off so easily... What are you seeing? Is it still there?

[recrypt]

Hmm.

[ She glances briefly up towards some random corner of the room or hall where he's run into her, then looks back at him, expression fairly neutral. ]

You heard that announcement earlier, did you not?

[kazokun]

Yeah. It sounded like a children's story.

[ He also looks over to where she does, and then back, but being a practical person means that he doesn't make the association. Magic is fake. Maybe he'll have an existential crisis at the end of the weekend, but not now. ]

[recrypt]

Hehe. ♪ That sounds about right. Aren't you curious where it was broadcast from, though?

[ There's always the downstairs area, maybe, but none of them can get to it on account of a definitely not magic bounceback barrier. ]

[kazokun]

[ He wasn't, until she brought it up, and then he looks up at the ceiling where there's nothing like speakers or anything visible. ]

Can that sort of thing be behind the walls?

[ It seems like a normal enough thing, and maybe they can be made very small now. Technology advances can take you by surprise. ]

[recrypt]

Could be. The sound would be more muffled if the wall is actually sealed, but if it's actually near the ceiling and there's a little bit of open airflow near the top that we can't see from down here...

[ She hums a bit, thoughtfully. ]

Well, the sound would leak, more or less. Though, it's a little hard to tell when the audio quality was already so poor...

[kazokun]

Would you be able to see better and check the ceiling if I lifted you?

[ Would he get crushed? Absolutely. But there are a lot of profiles that are missing decimal places, like 45's weight and Hori's age. ]

[recrypt]

... Would you be able to?

[ Ayabe. ]

[kazokun]

Yes. I'm not weak.

[ DESPITE APPEARANCES ]

[recrypt]

Haha~ In that case, then, before we get started...

[ Just let her topple over onto him, partially deadweight like she suddenly swooned or lost her balance or something, and

well honestly she's checking to see how well he can catch her. She'll support herself enough to not crush him under 148kg of metal, of course, but. ]

[kazokun]

[ WELL

He can definitely move fast enough to catch her, feet braced to support her weight and if she weighed half as much as she does, he wouldn't have a problem keeping her upright. But he would definitely struggle with anything more than a normal person's weight. ]

[recrypt]

[ Then it looks like they go toppling to the ground, though hopefully not hard enough to do more than bruise?

She looks perfectly fine despite the fall, though, still cheerful beams and gentle laughter. ]

I thought so. Maybe I should lift you instead?

[kazokun]

[ RIP to him, then! Ayabe gets the air knocked out of him, but he'll be fine unless 45 decides to sit on him for more than a few seconds longer.

He really wants to ask something about her weight but honestly? The women here are scary and therefore he's not going to. ]

Would you be able to...?

[ Weight doesn't necessarily equal strength, and besides, he won't be able to tell if there's anything up in the ceiling anyways. ]

[recrypt]

[ Here we have determined that Ayabe has at least one brain cell, because it's being put to use on not asking about a lady's weight.

... Maybe he really should, though. Oh well, his loss! But no, she doesn't stay on top of him for long, because it's not like she was trying to do anything more than illustrate a point with that stunt. ]

I'm stronger than I look, don't worry~ ♪

[kazokun]

[ No, don't ever let him learn she's no human. She's just. packing a LOT of muscle and so he'll have to give her the benefit of the doubt that she can lift him. ]

Okay...

[ He doesn't go for a trust fall, though, he just waits for her to either Simba lift him or tell him how she wants to try. ]

[recrypt]

[ Well if she Simba lifts him from below the arms they're really not getting that much extra height, so no.

Instead she locks her hands together like she's a spotter in gymnastics or the bottom support of a cheer pyramid or something.

Well? Step on? ]

[kazokun]

[ She could have Simba lifted him and he steps onto her shoulders. But this way also works, and she can let him down if he's too heavy to lift, so he steadies himself with a hand on her shoulder and places a foot on her hands before lifting his other foot off just a couple of inches to see whether she can support his weight at all.