week two: mingle

[cyclists]

Week Two
26 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 Lune who speaks up first this time.

"Good morning, good morning. You've done well to purge the corruption in the previous gateway - allow us to assist with the finishing touches. For the time being, it would appear as though we've been able to locate another. The land might appear a bit familiar to some however... I only advise you watch your step."

When Lune finishes, Sol chimes in from their place at Lune's side.

"The corruption is still out there, and we're going to do all that we can to find a way to contain it. But until then... stick close to others this week. Do your best to protect yourselves and look after each other. Okay?"

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.

The only oddity is that throughout the week, in a noise that extends past the portal but seems to resound even through the village, there will be the occasional, resounding call of a war horn.

In addition, as the week goes on, partners will find ever-growing feelings of anxiety and nervousness dwelling within them the longer they are separated from one another. They will feel compelled to be very close to their partners at all times, and will be on edge if separated for more than an hour by the end of the week. Welcome to surprise codependence at its finest.



Welcome to your week two mingle! As a reminder, murder proposals are open. We will also be hosting a mini-event on Tuesday, so please be on the lookout for that.

In addition, ensure that all of your week one private conversations were reported on the page, and your week two 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

[whitewalls]

No catapult.

[compendiem]

[ ): ]

This place sure is a pain... How do you want to continue through it?

[whitewalls]

We can try walking again... we must be close to something, right?

[ she has no actual idea, that's just a guess ]

[compendiem]

Something... yeah.

[ That something is Death, but that's still something.

Minato sighs and gets to his feet, bending to collect the fallen tree branch and as many other ones that he can find that are thick and long enough. ]

Let's just use these to poke around with. If they get caught in a trap, who cares. We can just leave them.

[ Back to his original idea with the nailbat, except they don't have to waste time retrieving them. A boring, but safe method. It's just so boring. ]

[whitewalls]

[ if she catapults them they are most definitely going to die before minato can break his arm

but she'll nod, and go to pick up some branches as well. ]

Okay, let's do take three then.

[compendiem]

[ Three it is. They can always pick up more on the way, after all, and three is about the limit Minato can carry without accidentally dropping one or accidentally knocking Naminé sideways into a pit. ]

[whitewalls]

[ please knock her into a pit it'll be so funny

but off they go again. ]

... did you land on your bat?

[compendiem]

[ Alright, next trap they come across, Minato's knocking her into the pit and Naminé will have to climb out by herself bc Minato is literally the weakest link in this entire game. ]

Hmm, yeah, probably. Didn't sever any tendons, though, so I can still walk.

[whitewalls]

[ good. she can die in the pit. ]

Okay, but if it starts bothering you, let me know. We can take a break.

[compendiem]

Sure. I sorta don't want to be out here when the sun sets, though. If we manage to still be out there that long. First structure we see, we'll go there?

[ Even if it's a courtesan house, or a bear's cave. ]

[whitewalls]

[ please let me be 2/2 for bears

but she'll nod. ]

Alright, deal.

[compendiem]

[ They immediately come across a cave, because Francy wished it so.

Minato tilts his head towards it. ]

Caves are like short cuts in video games.

[ is his justification, choosing to ignore the fact that caves are where you get torn apart by giant spiders too. ]

[whitewalls]

Are they...?

[ well, she cannot argue with this. so over to the cave they go. ]

[compendiem]

Yes.

[ Of course. Because Minato is always smart and never wrong.

At least it's a bit of a breather inside the cave, no traps hidden in the underbrush. It quickly becomes hard to see when the sunlight is cut off, though, so Minato reaches over to Naminé's hand again, while he lifts his other to let it glow with molten lava that drips down onto the ground, sizzling as the drops glow red hot before cooling down and dimming to black. ]

[whitewalls]

[ she appreciates it

but she'll stand close, still holding onto one more branch she hadn't gotten rid of yet. if anything, it'll be good to keep one in case something happens. ]

I wonder how far it goes in...?

[compendiem]

If we're lucky, all the way through the other side of the forest.

[ But nobody here is lucky, and from under Minato's mumbles, there's the sound of skittering coming from the front. Minato is deaf, though, so he presses on anyways. ]

[whitewalls]

[ she frowns, as she does hear it but

minato doesn't have any reaction, so she's just going to assume that she imagined it.

onward they go. ]

[compendiem]

[ Onward they go, the only light in the place being the drips of lava flowing off Minato's hand and peppering the ground. The air feels a little thinner, but he's not sure whether that's because of the increasing heat, or because there's actually no opening on the other side of the cave.

The further they walk, the harder it is to keep the magic going, and the dimmer their light gets.

They don't see the bear until it's almost three feet away. Minato continues to have no reaction. ]

[whitewalls]

[ well.

thankfully, she does. she yanks minato towards her very hard, and then immediately starts backing away. naminé doesn't want to actually say anything, in the chance that the bear has somehow not noticed them yet.

her branch will do nothing here. ]

[compendiem]

[ Minato jerks to a stop, but doesn't quiet understand what the problem is. Instead of turning around, he reaches over and takes Naminé's other wrist, and dips it into the lava splattered on the ground, whereupon the tip of the tree branch catches on fire.

It won't burn forever, but at least now Naminé has her own light? Would this make her feel better. ]

[whitewalls]

[ WELL GREAT NOW THE BEAR CAN SEE THEM EVEN BETTER ]

Minato... bear.

[ it's whispered, just in case the bear is blind and cannot see her holding a burning stick. ]

[compendiem]

[ The bear, unfortunately, is not blind. It's not deaf, either. It was sleeping, willing to excuse the sounds of shuffling feet to be some small critters skittering around the cave, but voices are different and it looks up with bleary black eyes at the sound of the whisper.

It yawns, showing off its many long, sharp teeth.

Minato whispers back ] How cool... [ He didn't get the chance to see the bear that first week. ]

[whitewalls]

We should go. I think we're breaking into its home.

[ also its teeth are sharp.

she tugs on minato's hand, trying to get him to back away.

no one likes to be woken up, minato. ]

[compendiem]

[ ...Minato hesitates for a moment, trying to peer around the bear just in case the path continues past it, but it's a very huge bear with very sharp teeth and maybe they should go. He gets it. Sleep is something he treasures very much. So is food, so he digs an apple out of his bag and rolls it towards the bear as he backs off. ]

Peace offering.........

[whitewalls]

Do bears eat apples?

[ she doesn't know. maybe they should cut the apple before giving it to the bear?

either way, she's still going to slowly back away, dragging minato with her as carefully as possible. ]