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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FRIDAY - A THING;

[cyclists]

night falls.

Victim

The night falls and overtakes the village, all sources of light nearly drowned out. As participants sleep on Thursday evening, something not-so-pleasant comes upon them.

A heavily wooded area comes into view as the scurrying of forest creatures can be heard underfoot. It's an active place this evening, animals making quick work to remain underfoot and stop their prey from leaving so soon. One minute there's an acute sense of panic piercing through the atmosphere, and the next there's a sense of pressure, crushing and suffocating. A strangled gasp is heard as one unidentifiable hand reaches out.

The darkness soon begins to lift, lights flickering overhead as a tall blonde girl cheerfully walks alone. Something causes her to slow down, turning to look over her shoulder. Eyes widening in fear, she quickens her pace, darting away from something unseen and disappearing into the shadows of another hallway. With nowhere to run, her safety is short-lived as she stumbles forward and trips ahead, plummeting straight down into the darkness. As the girl's scream rips through the night, the sound begins to drift further and further away.

But the scream is cut off immediately and the impact of the fall is never felt. Vertigo strikes without warning and it takes a moment for the room to come into view. The blurred outline of furniture makes it difficult to see, lights bouncing off of the walls and images swaying from side to side. Though the room continues to remain out of focus, the sound of shattering glass is crystal clear as a young girl with purple hair slumps to the ground. She settles down, and as she lays her head to rest her eyes close almost peacefully and shield her away from the dizzy spell.

Abruptly, everyone awakens. Though the darkness continues to loom, they are all compelled to make their way to the main meeting hall. Inside, the lanterns are lit with enough of a glow to see a scroll unfurled and draped over three glass boxes. Though the bodies may not be recognizable in the light, the scroll provides an answer.

Tokidoki Rikugou, Nana Daiba and Junna Hoshimi are dead.

✩★✩

Welcome to your second death announcement! As per game schedule, there will be no investigation for clues at this time and even if characters go to explore on their own, it seems that everything has been reverted to perfect condition.

As sunset on Friday approaches, the light will return to the village. With the vague outline of the sun high in the sky, this light will shine brightly for a full twenty-four hours.

Try to sleep through it while you can. Tomorrow's a big day, after all.

LUNE

[cyclists]

[Lune will place tea offerings and flowers - white chrysanthemums - at the foot of each grave before making themselves available for questions.]`

[whitewalls]

[ she waits for them to finish before approaching. ]

Three?

[cyclists]

[lune will turn to naminé and there is a distinct lack of a smile in their voice.]

So it would appear.

[whitewalls]

... tomorrow is going to be the same as last week then?

[ it took them the entire time just to find one murderer?? ]

[specialdog]

... But we made it through the game.

[ Akane does not really seem emotionally compromised, but she's certainly startled. ]

[cyclists]

So you did. And it was good of you to do so - it may only have been worse if you did not.

I am relieved that the rest of you are safe.

[autocatalysis]

... We will be deciding on at least one person to sacrifice even outside of any corrupted we may find, won't we?

[ If he talks about the situation objectively he won't have to think about. ... About. ]

[cyclists]

It may be so.

[there is a frown in their voice]

I do not possess within my power any opportunity to help that.... though I am not fond of this turn of events.

SOL

[cyclists]

[Sol seems to be seated at the foot of one of the coffins. They won't speak immediately, but should someone approach they'll look up, the dark void of their hood still obscuring them.

Yes?]

[nonbelligerent]

[look shess will talk to not lune for once]

At least three people without partners, but the ability used to arrange partnerships can only be used once, correct?

[cyclists]

Right. [They sound pretty unhappy, too.] Which means...pretty much what you think it might mean.

[compendiem]

[ Closes his eyes. Maybe if he goes back to sleep, this whole nightmare will reset and three people won't be dead, wth. ]

...Was this because we couldn't figure out where the source of the darkness was...?

[ All they did was poke around the place, play some slots. Maybe Darkness got pissed. ]

[cyclists]

I don't know if that was the only reason. [...] Darkness manifests in ways that are hard to track sometimes. If someone's heart is open to it...it could make the corruption a little easier.

[unfriendliest]

[ Yes hello it's your favorite abductee! He draws his sword as he approaches with a flare of fire that runs down the blade and disappears just as quickly. The point is aimed at the darkness under the hood as Kara stands before them. When he speaks, his voice is a low, angry growl. There's no doubt where he's placing the blame. ]

How did this happen again?

[ It was supposed to end with Mary... ]

[cyclists]

[Hey Kara. Sol doesn't do anything but they seem to grow rigid, staring up at him through the void of their hood. That sword is a little too close, but...does it matter now?]

It's spreading. That's how.

[televised]

[...]

Is it only going to get worse from here on out?

[cyclists]

If we don't find a better answer and clear what's manifesting? [...] There's still time to fix this.

[coastal]

[each morning, Lili had arrived to the meeting hall to face some nightmare head on, confirming them not to be true, and letting her anger at this place brew. but on this Friday, the dream is correct and it holds not the faces of friends from another place - but people that she'd come to know and respect here. again.

this time, the coffins are real.

and lili will wait, stalling as if the image will be clearer if she just blinks a few more times. if things will change, and toki would be saying some stupid flirtatious thing, and nana will suddenly be offering her another plate of cookies, and junna would looking for something rude to say even if she can't quite settle on anything specific.

that's not to be, of course.]

But - they were... just...

[laughing, smiling, performing a play right in front of her very eyes -

and then lili's mouth will pull down harshly into an ugly scowl, as if it'll pull away from the unshed tears that glisten in her eyes, and then she turns abruptly to leave]

[quailvering]

[they were just there, and there were three, and tomorrow they would have to go through the whole horrible trials again. then, in the best case scenario, they figure out who did it and]

[slice.]

[it's horrifying and terrible and- lili, who kazuaki had quickly decided was So Strong is turning to leave and without really knowing what to say, he follows her, sticking quick to her heels]

[coastal]

[she's so angry she can't see - and she's so distraught she can't keep a lid on her feelings. there's a slight chill in the air as the temperature drops one by one, and only once they're out of the hall does she realize that she's been followed.

it doesn't sound like footsteps, and that's the only thing that keeps her from snapping.

she looks down at kazuaki and she breathes in - and out. a heavy sigh that forms in the air, her breath visible to her.

but she'll still crouch down to offer him her palm.

it just might be a little cool to the touch.]

[omegathree]

[He's not used to sleeping or dreaming. And every time it happens it's miserable. They aren't always supposed to be about deaths, are they?

It's bad. Three coffins. He didn't know Toki for that long, but he was his partner. Nana and Junna gave him advice just a few short days ago and now all three of them are dead.

There was nothing he could've done. He should've looked after them closer, he should've done something-- It brings to mind memories that he's never liked revisiting.

He watches for a moment, reading the names absorbing that there was nothing he could've done. Then he turns on his heel and walks out.]

[wildc4rd]

[The clown is here, but of course he's sitting on top of the middle of the three boxes, one leg crossed over the other at the knee. One hand continuously flicks out to the side; a playing card appears between two fingers on each drop and seemingly vanishes when the hand curls back up. An ace of spades. A three of hearts.

A joker.

He smiles to himself.]

[moonprisonpower]

[ why are you like this hisoka ]

[globs]

[ they were hoping they misunderstood what they saw. ]

It's her...

[ as usual, Cinnabar is standing way in the back; when they recognize the scroll, however, they pick up their feet, slowly making their way over to the coffins.

They told her to be careful. That's all they can think about. They told her, so how could this happen...? No, it's no mystery - she was stupid, they insist to themself. She was foolish and didn't care for her own safety; she was always worried about others when she should have been worried about herself. Worrying about them when she should have been worrying about herself. And this is the result. ]

You idiot...

[ They stare at the scroll for a few moments more, mouth pinching into a frown reminiscent of someone on the verge of tears -- but they turn away, stalking off out of the meeting hall, the orbs of mercury that always accompany them vibrating at a low hum. ]