week four: mingle

[cyclists]

Week Four
22 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.

"We've been asked to open another gateway for you guys, but...it's funny. It sort of feels like things have calmed down. The corruption's temporarily evened out and the universe is stabilized for now, but that doesn't mean we should stop looking. Take a look and see what you can find on the other side. You might even get to learn something new."

When Sol finishes, they turn to face Lune, allowing for the other to speak for themselves.

"A bit of reprieve of welcome, isn't it? Please take this time to recover, even as you make steps forward to continue your good work. Thank you, thank you."

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 be able to hear each other's thoughts whenever they look at one another! They may not hear every single thought that occurs, but the link will partners to hear thoughts as though their partner is speaking out loud. The more private the thought, the more likely the partner will pick up on it.



Welcome to your week three mingle! As a reminder, this is break week! This means no murders and no trial! Your normal schedule will resume next week. We will still be hosting a laid-back mini-event on Tuesday, however.

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

[nonbelligerent]

[in the back of his mind, shess wonders which should be more frightening: what can happen, and thus what you wish to prevent, or what has already been your reality.

there's an instinctive resistance. a rakshasa does not bear his fangs against his king; his mother. but if that were all, he wouldn't find himself so hesitant—perhaps odd, coming from someone who had no issue stabbing the darkness in the form of xion the other day. fear, he can push aside. ingrained habits, as well.

it's grief and longing that are harder to ignore. seeing this form again, after so many years, hurts in a way he'd long since forgotten.

cinnabar's tackle seems to startle the boggart, at least. it's knocked off balance, though cinnabar might want to get away soon, as flames soon burst forth from it.

... weaker than the real thing. of course it is. in a sense, it's reassuring to shess. dagger in his hand, he moves forward.]

[globs]

[ their body is stone; they're not afraid of fire, and their crystal skin can't even sense the heat. The flames lick the powder coating them, igniting parts of it along with their clothes, but they pay it no heed, eyes wide as they try to recall what they'd read about human anatomy. There's no time to look back at Shess and what he's doing. Cinnabar simply assumes he's in danger, and they turn the thought into power as they slam their hand down towards the human-shaped boggart's chest.

Their nails plunge in, but the woman's body breaks apart with a familiar shattering noise as Cinnabar finds themself sitting atop another gem that cracks under their weight, leaking gold like blood. They feel every inclusion in their body turn to ice - this is their fault, it's always been their fault, if they'd never met, if they'd said something, if they'd done better -- ]

Stop it!!

[ they ball their hand into a fist again, trying to smash the remnants of the other gem's head with tears brimming in their eyes, but they're already reforming, slipping away from Cinnabar's grasp to take shape before Shess again. ]

[nonbelligerent]

[it's the same thing for shess—that same woman, shifting between two forms as though she isn't sure which one she should be. shess doesn't know whether to be upset or furious. or, perhaps, tired of it all.

for now, though, shess ignores her, instead moving to wrap his arms around cinnabar. calm down.]

[globs]

[ if they had a heart, it would be pounding; as it stands, their body feels like its vibrating, their inclusions thrumming with fear and violence. They're not a fool. Rationally, they understand that this is some illusion. But the images have burned themselves into their mind, and no amount of logic washes them out. They don't even realize Shess is coming up behind them until his arms are around them.

In a normal situation, there's little doubt this would only make them panic more; they've so rarely been touched, and their gut reaction is to run away, to lash out, lest they see the other person hurt or tainted. Right now, however, they don't have the mental leeway to be alarmed about something else. Cinnabar just gasps, eyes widening again - still unable to take their gaze away from the monster flickering back and forth between the shape of a Lunarian cloud and a woman, assuming they're still in danger, even with Shess's embrace to soothe them. Their mercury splits and shakes; they don't know how to react but to step back into him a little, gently, nervously, eyes locked on the boggart. ]

W -- what do we do...?

[ their voice shakes. ]

[nonbelligerent]

[...

he lets go, before stepping forward. for a moment, he turns to give cinnabar a smile, reassuring. it'll be all right.

as he walks towards the shifting being, listening to the others in the field, it solidifies into his fear, the woman holding a whip. and, he wonders. would airavata be proud if she could see him now? against all odds, he survived, even though they both knew that, with her gone, there would be no one left to protect him.

when he looks at her, there's still a sense of fury, burning low in his chest. with that said, if positivity is what's needed to overcome this, then he has a better chance than cinnabar. water forming to defend himself from the flames that flicker from her, he reaches out—and grasps both of her hands.

he smiles once more. then, the spell he's heard. time to see if it works even in sura speech.

"riddikulus."

again, there's no sign he said anything. but flowers burst around the woman, and suddenly, she's in the form of a young girl, stumbling back in almost comical surprise as petals drift around her.

and shess laughs in silence, because although he may not know how to turn his fear into amusement, he can at least turn sorrow into happiness. he reaches down to pat her head, and with that, the boggart begins to fade.]

[globs]

[ when he leaves them again, they suddenly feel unsteady - partially because they're still scared and his presence was more comforting than they realized, mostly because they see him approaching this thing that they don't entirely comprehend that they're sure is trying to kill them both. He'll surely be able to read the concern in their eyes as surely as they can read the reassurance in his.

They're still scared. Even as the shape solidifies into the woman again, rather than another dead friend, they're afraid - fear has always controlled their life, and that hasn't changed. They're afraid for Shess when he grabs onto the fiery monster-person, afraid that the flames will burn him or that she'll destroy him in some other way.

But, instead, nothing happens. From their perspective, she suddenly transforms again, stumbling back in a whirl of petals, and at first, Cinnabar thinks something's gone wrong and the monster's trying a new tack - but then he's petting her head, and she's fading.

Did he win? They should ask, but they just sink to their knees with a heavy clunk of crystal, quicksilver still beading down their cheeks as they stare at his back. ]

[nonbelligerent]

[when it disappears, all it leaves behind is a key. he picks it up, before turning to cinnabar. he takes out his tablet again, and writes.]

I believe we've won.

[globs]

You defeated it...

[ they mutter, then draw a breath, pushing some hair out of their face and swiping the mercury out of their eyes. He might notice that a thin crack has appeared on them, stretching from the bottom of their jaw up across their nose; their fingers linger over it for a moment, and they frown, but don't address it, still rather shell-shocked. ]

How...?

[nonbelligerent]

[...

well, first:]

Are you all right?

[globs]

[ they open their mouth for a moment, then sigh, resigning themself to a nod. Yes, they're fine. But they hang their head as they drag themself back to their feet. ]

... I was useless. I'm sorry.

[ after hundreds of years of fighting, too - they should have done better. They should be stronger. They shouldn't freeze up like that at the sight of a comrade being destroyed by a Lunarian - it happens all the time, after all. Not even at the sight of one being destroyed by Cinnabar themself. They're well aware of that possibility, too. ]

[nonbelligerent]

[he smiles.]

I'm just glad you're safe.

[globs]

[ they never know what to do when he says things like that - those words never sound like they should be meant for someone like them. At this point, though, even Cinnabar can't find it in themself to doubt that he means it. They go quiet for a few moments, shame and comfort dueling it out in their chest; in the end, it's easier to ignore both. ]

What about you?

[ he'd been struck, too, by the thing - not physically, but emotionally. They could tell. Not that it was hard; Shess so rarely shows any kind of negative emotion. They should have done a better job protecting him from that monster, so he wouldn't have had to feel that way, they find themself thinking. ]

[nonbelligerent]

[...]

I'm fine. Psychological attacks are common for suras, so I've dealt with this kind of thing many times before.

[globs]

I see...

[ they feel themself calming down a little, and they're grateful for that. The shame of failing to protect him and defeat the enemy still looms over them, even with Shess's kind reassurances; they do their best to distract themself from it, focusing on him and his condition. ]

... You really are strong. [ in their world, they'd never be partnered with someone like him. But they're glad they brought him for this. If they'd gone in alone, they don't think they'd have won. ] Thank you.

[nonbelligerent]

Thank you too. You tried to protect me, didn't you?

[globs]

Yet you ended up protecting me.

[ they're not going to seek praise for something they failed to accomplish. Not only had he protected them, he'd had to comfort them like they were a junior gem, barely fit for duty. They remember suddenly the feeling of his arms around them, how oddly soft his body felt, and realize that's probably the closest anyone's ever been to them, save for Sensei, perhaps, when they were much younger; belatedly, they feel a wave of shyness, and they stare down at their feet.

They really are pathetic - needing to be treated like that. Worst of all, the loneliest parts of them are grateful for the fleeting moment of contact. ]

I'm sorry...

[nonbelligerent]

Don't be. [...] It means something that you tried. And I was the one who needed protecting, a long time ago, so I'm glad now to be on the other side of things.

[globs]

... I don't want to be protected.

[ The response is a mumble. They're enough of a burden as is. But going on about it would only trouble Shess more. Rubbing a thumb along the spidery crack in their face, they walk over to him, looking at the key. ]

That must be what we need.

[nonbelligerent]

Seems like it. And neither of us particularly injured, so in the end, a success.

[globs]

[ they nod. Right. Focus on the task at hand. ]

... Then let's bring it back to that one with frizzy hair. There must be some point to all of this.

[ they hope there was, anyway... ]

[nonbelligerent]

Yes. It's probably something similar to the war a few weeks ago.

[globs]

... I wonder if they're all going to be violent.

[ they still hate fighting - and they're more of a liability than an asset without their poison or their usual control over it. They turn to start walking back, checking to make sure Shess is coming with them. ]