week one: mingle

[cyclists]

Week One
30 in Competition

As the sun rises on Monday morning, all participants will find themselves awakening with a sense of purpose. Regardless of where they slept the night before, they’ll find themselves compelled to return to the main meeting hall first thing in the morning.

Approaching the hall, however, they will find a large, swirling mass grey in color looming near the sakura tree. This swirl cannot be approached just yet, but seems to be locked and waiting for something more.

As the last member of the village enters the hall, they will find Lune and Sol at the head of the room. Though they’re together, it’s Sol who speaks up first this time.

“Last night, Lune and I were finally able to get some answers. Or, at least, something we can do to help. The core’s still experiencing fluctuations and some instability, but we’ve figured out a place some of it might be coming from.”

They stop, excitedly holding up a scroll.

“This core is connected to several worlds out there. It’s the heart of the universe and everything that happens here can be affected by the outside, and can affect the worlds you come from. We found somewhere that seems to have a source of darkness lurking around…if we find it and clear the corruption, we can help stabilize the core a little more and help protect yourselves while you’re here.”

With that, they seem to lose steam just a little, looking back at Lune for a moment before nodding.

“So, uh…we were able to open a gateway for you to this world. Checking it out might help us pinpoint the source and get this done faster, so…leave whenever you’re ready. There’ll be another gate on the other side to bring you back here.”

That seems to be it, though Sol looks back to Lune again. “Anything else?”

"Look after one another," they repeat again. "And do not believe it is possible to be over-cautious."

The moment participants leave the hall, they will find that the gateway has changed from grey to white, the opening widening enough for multiple people to step through. The Signs will soon take their leave, and all will remain peaceful once more.

In addition, as the week goes on, partners will find that a simple touch (even accidental) may incite the bond between them to grow stronger for a moment. They will experience a swap of memories through their connection, taking a moment to see a piece of their partner's past without any control over what exactly is being shared.



Welcome to your week one mingle! Please note that as of this week, murder proposals are open. CYOA sign-ups are also live, and will close at Tuesday, 8 AM PST. They will be running on Tuesday afternoon and evening, so please be mindful of your own availability!

In addition, ensure that all of your week zero private conversations were reported on the page, and your week one private conversations are reported on that page. If you'll be taking anything from locations, please report that as well.

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Comments

[coastal]

[haven't you gotten tired of her yet

anyway here's lili and she has her box in her hands - it uh. appears to be shaking a little? um.]

You - help me get this open! There's something inside...!!

[quick, before this box also becomes a locked coffin,,]

[autocatalysis]

Wh, don't just demand other people's--

[ he figured given the boxes' size they'd be small, little trinkets, maybe, considering, and therefore would be fully prepared to brush her off, but then there's the shaking and well, ]

--Is there something alive in that.

[coastal]

Maybe - so hurry up!

[SHE HOLDS IT OUT TO HIM WHILE IT'S DEFINITELY SHAKING]

I don't care about puzzles. There's no time for that...!!

[autocatalysis]

All right, all right-!

[ HE DOESN'T WANT TO BE THE REASON A SMALL TINY THING SUFFOCATES IN THERE ANY MORE THAN SHE DOES??? but he takes the box in hand surprisingly? gently and even as he starts taking stock of all the moving parts and fiddly bits: ]

Have you been working at this long, or?

[ how much time do they have before it vanishes on them!! ]

[coastal]

Why would I bother with this? I just got it!

[SHE LITERALLY DOESN'T CARE but he can go ahead and try his best??]

I'm going to try to find something that can bring the latch!

[she'LL CARVE IT OPEN]

[autocatalysis]

Go ahead and do that, we can keep it on hand in case I don't quite manage to get this open before you get back.

[ and as an added side effect her heading elsewhere it means less noise which means he can probably hear the clicks of any unseen mechanisms and locks working inside the box as he fiddles with the gears he can, so,

by the time she gets back he just holds up a hand, universal hang on gesture. ]

I think I've almost got it worked out, just give me a second-

[ oh hey, the latch springs open. his expression lightens and he looks almost satisfied, but he'll carefully offer the box back to her. ]

[coastal]

[well

lili's still standing there with a knife because that's definitely what she went to get

except before she actually reaches out to retrieve the box from him, the lid is going to get pushed off and a squirrel will shake itself, puffing up and sitting up in the box

and make squirrel chatter noises. henwo.]

Ao?!

[autocatalysis]

[ well,

that's disgustingly cute dana wth i hate. also it's fine. she has a knife and that's fine, and he's just holding out this box that's missing a lid now because the squirrel inside has decided to free itself. ]

Something from home you recognize, then?

[ not that he knows how he'd tell one squirrel from the next, but she seems pretty convinced,,, ]

[coastal]

[yw welcome to akayona's mascot character

but ao will just shake a little bit, sniffing up at julius curiously]

Mm... That's Ao. She belongs to a friend...

Why was she in a box?

[unfriendliest]

[ are you really just gonna sit there and struggle with it

sigh

with a shake of his head, kara draws his sword. ]

Move.

[coastal]

[STOP she came out as soon as she could to find someone else to deal with it because she's impatient

anyway she's just going to set it down somewhere and then do as told, stepping a little away from it - ]

Be careful - I think there's something alive inside...!!

[whAT DID THEY PUT IN HER BOX]

[unfriendliest]

[ because there might be something alive inside he'll go slow, carefully cutting around the puzzle. no one has time for that shit anyway. when he's done, he'll wordlessly hand it back to lili.

why would they put something alive in a box? time to find out ]

[coastal]

[thanks kara, this is literally why you're the most tolerable person in the village

but she'll take the box and it won't take long before a squirrel will push the lid and the puzzle off, sitting up and sniffing the air, looking between kara and lili

sup]

Pukkyu?!

[unfriendliest]

[ !

it's





really cute

this squirrel is immediately more important than everyone else in this village

except maybe the chickens ]

[coastal]

[deadass why it was really important for kara in particular to help open this box

but yea the squirrel is incredibly cute and seems to be chill now that the box is open]

Ao, how did you even get in there?

[lili's just going to offer her hand out to the squirrel, who will climb on pretty readily, but still ultimately be unable to communicate. she'll just raise her hand closer up to kara]

Say thank you.

[the squirrel will turn toward kara and




make a leap of faith at him]

[unfriendliest]

[ sHIT

he can't let this squirrel fall?? even though he still hasn't sheathed his sword?? so he'll have to just

let it clatter to the ground

to catch this squirrel ]

[coastal]

[wow this is

dumb

because if she has two hands then it's not like lili's just going to let his sword fall to the ground?? she'll catch it by the hilt before it impacts the ground

so they've just

traded.

ao, the squirrel, will just curl up against kara though because that's how it's choosing to say thank you]

Don't just drop your sword...?!

[nonbelligerent]

[uh]

Is it alive?

[coastal]

It has to be - right?

[THE BOX IS STILL SHAKING]

Shess, fix it!

[nonbelligerent]

I'm not sure how good I am with puzzles?

[though he does, like. have his dagger.]

[coastal]

I don't care - you can force it open as long as you don't do it too roughly.

[and hurt whatever is inside

she'll offer it out to him!]

These puzzles have been stupid and frustrating.

[nonbelligerent]

[well, you know what. shess's approach is "diplomatic first, kill second", not "intellectually solve puzzle first, brute force second", and he's still a sura at heart, so he's just.

going to try and carefully cut the box apart?]

[coastal]

[thanks shess!

anyway ty said that it's possible to force it open and shess is probably? skilled enough with a knife that he can start to make progress?

there's uh

distressed squeaking from inside the box though]

Ha?

[nonbelligerent]

[UH

HE PAUSES]

[coastal]

D-Did you cut whatever was inside?

[CONCERN]