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

[compendiem]

[ Oh, like in a bookmark or something. It's a way to preserve flowers, so that they'll last a long time and stay beautiful forever, unlike flower crowns that wither and die- or get squashed, stained, and torn, like Minato's paper one is slowly wearing down into.

But those are two different things.

Yeah, he would love another flower crown, and he smiles and nods to indicate so. ]

[globs]

[ hmm... they regard him for a few seconds, then turn up their nose. ]

Well, make your own. I'm using these.

[ rude. Having said that, though, they pause, still staring at him for a few moments. ]

... Your arm's okay?

[ it's hard to believe their poison really isn't hurting him. ]

[compendiem]

[ Oh, harsh. That sort of bluntness just makes laugh- or as much as a silent huff and a lift of the shoulders is a laugh. He holds up his arm but it's the one he had broken, just assuming Cinnabar is talking about this one. It's kind of crooked? It was almost a clean break, the bone at the wrong angle and splintered so that it can't be set perfectly back together, but it's not like Minato prefers one arm over the other anyways.

He does a little fist pump with that arm, but who knows if that's as universal as the sleeping gesture. ]

[globs]

[ they hadn't been asking about that one, but that works, too -- not that they're going to express any kind of relief or let on that they'd been concerned about that injury. They shake their head. ]

Not that one. The other one. [ pointing at his now-stained sleeve. ] It's hard to believe your skin isn't burning... I can't get used to it.

[compendiem]

[ The other one with his... burnt hand that's nicely wrapped up so nobody can see how bad it is, but burning is in the past and it doesn't hurt anymore, as long as he doesn't try to pick something up with his left hand.

...He takes his finger and runs it through the stain on his clothes, and then pulls his sleeve up to write on the back of his arm:

"I'm fine (:"

complete with the smiley face ]

[globs]

[ It's impossible not to cringe, watching him willingly put his finger in the nasty residue they leave everywhere - even if it's not hurting him, it feels shameful. They just wish the poison would go away entirely. ]

You're lucky to be fine. What if I'd rolled over in my sleep? I would have broken whatever parts of you aren't already in pieces.

[compendiem]

[ He'll have to write a bit smaller since his arm is so thin, but he continues using it as a canvas instead of that notebook and pen he has in his bag, that he's been carrying around for over a month now.

"Bad dreams?"

He probably should use that notebook, or just talk. But he's pretty confident this gets the full extent of his concerns across. ]

[globs]

[ they wish he'd stop... but then he'd have to go back to doing charades, which is about as annoying. ]

Normal ones. It's not any of your concern.

[ does cinnabar ever have good dreams? doubtful ]

[compendiem]

[ So tossing and turning isn't a nightmare thing...

"Hot?" he writes on his arm, but he's not sure either whether Cinnabar feels hot and cold, if that's something that keeps them up and moving around in their sleep. ]

[globs]

Huh? No.

[ they don't exactly feel temperature like a human does - it has to be extreme for them to notice. ]

Don't humans move in their sleep, too? You don't need to try and explain it. Some of us even sleepwalk.

[ not them, thankfully, or they'd be liable to walk into the ocean ]

[compendiem]

[ Being a gem continues to be so much more convenient than being human...

Minato points a finger at his chest and shakes his head, because he in particular doesn't move in his sleep, and he knows this because he found and watched a secret recording of him being asleep. Creepy.

But Cinnabar doesn't seem too worried about all of this, so he decides to drop the matter too, edging a couple of feet away and then going ahead and lying back down on the ground to zzzzz. ]

[globs]

[ He doesn't? That... somehow checks out. Cinnabar's not surprised.

They are surprised, however, when he just flops back down on the ground. ]

W-wait. You're going to sleep right there? You can't do that.

[ they were doing it but it was an ACCIDENT!! ]

Get up.

[compendiem]

[ Accidentally under a tree is somehow leagues better than Minato's purposely on stairs or on the floor of a boat, so Minato has to pick himself up again, sitting up with a groan and a hoarse ] Why? [ even before he's halfway onto his feet. ]

[globs]

You have a bed, don't you? Use it. Not all of us have that luxury.

[ they nudge him with their shoe. ]

[compendiem]

[ Does Cinnabar not have a bed..... ]

You can share mine, if you want.

[ It's not like he or Xion use it. ]

[globs]

[ without hesitation: ] No.

[compendiem]

I can help you steal somebody else's bed...?

[globs]

No! I don't want one. I'll destroy it if I sleep in it.

[ they put the hand that's not carrying a bunch of stuff on their hip, testy. ]

Are you going to get up or not?

[compendiem]

[ He doesn't want to get up, no... But there are plenty of other trees to lie under, so he does get up from this one. ]

If it's a weight problem, what about a mattress directly on the floor? Like a futon.

[globs]

It's not a weight problem. Think, for once.

[ they did just both get out of a mercury puddle!! ]

Your house is this way, right?

[compendiem]

We could microfiber your bed...

[ He's pretty sure Kaoru would know how to do that? It's possible, though Minato will have to leave it up to him to make that sort of thing.

But yeah, Minato points to one of the houses— it's the only one with the lights off and the door open, because Minato and Xion just leave it open because they're stupid ]

That one.

[globs]

Stop making Kaoru do things for you.

[ it feels bad enough having Minato do all these extra things for them, and it's worse knowing he's roped in someone else on top of it. But that's beside the point. His house is there, so Cinnabar starts walking towards it, glancing back firmly to make sure Minato's coming with them. ]

Come, or I'll drag you.

[compendiem]

[ Kaoru wasn't opposed to doing things for him? But it's true that he still owes Kaoru for all his help; he has to wonder whether Kaoru still remembers about the IOU in the first place. That's something he'll deal with when it happens— right now he's dealing with this.

Or, more accurately, Cinnabar's got to deal with him, the small grin on his face and a cheeky ] Would you really drag me? [ As he stops right there.

Cinnabar hates touching people; Minato knows this and is terrible. ]

[globs]

[ they do, but it's less horrible if they're doing it because they have to... or because they have to make a point. They are aware he's making fun of them - so, after narrowing their eyes, they take those few steps back towards him and wordlessly grab the ribbon around his collar in one gloved hand like a leash before starting off again. ]

[compendiem]

[ -—Ugh, okay, yeah, this is now terrible for Minato because he has to hurry up and follow if he doesn't want to get strangled, trying not to follow too close or Cinnabar might turn around and strangle him with both hands instead of just with the ribbon, so it's a fine balance he somehow manages to keep all the way to the house. ]