W͜͏̶Ę͏E͝͠K͝͞ ̧1̵͟

[strangerpeople]

W͜͏̶Ę͏E͝͠K͝͞ ̧1̵͟

[The national council just announced the blight to the country.

There was no sugarcoating it anymore. This was a critical time. Saving all of the vines is paramount, but what does one do when the blight hits? It keeps encroaching on the grapes, day by day. Entire clusters, entire bunches, dead and rotting, while allowing the blight to spread, and the leading botanists and viticulturists cannot identify the origin or the cause. They can't even successfully isolate the culprit in their labs; it seems to disappear like air no matter the precautions taken.

It is a catastrophe that seems to be beyond science, and it will result in the complete collapse of the entire country's wine industry. Already, embargoes on this year's crop have forced other grape-growers to close shop for the year after they'd sold their previous stock; it is all too possible that no grapes might ever be grown here again if a cure cannot be found. The tourists have stopped coming. The towns have grown silent.

You, meanwhile, are devastated. With the way your business is going, it will be on the brink of bankruptcy within the year. You will soon have no choice but to close shop and let every grapevine die, let the land go fallow. There must be a cure for this, there must be. Yet everything that can go wrong is.

Then, as you watch the news, it happens. Breaking news. The blight has been found in another country.

It is a pandemic-and it is only getting worse.


-

Well. This is...what else can can anyone say? You all know the deal. You all know what situation you're in. All that is left is to figure out what you can do about it. If there's anything that can be done.

You still feel that compulsion to distrust. To know you cannot win. To know that only the hosts have your best interests in mind. It would be easy to just do all that. But would it be the right thing to do? You can't be completely sure. Indeed, nothing is certain here, except for that damned ticking sound. If only you could stop it.

But you can't stop it. It is inevitable.


There are 15 strangers in this place.]

Comments

[backuphero]

"Red fog" - it's not just the TVs, the radio, if you try clearing the static... that's part of what had me shaken up so bad. It got in my head, too.

[He clears his throat, trying to sound far more confident than he feels.]

There, uh... there wasn't actually anything under my skin, but I saw the fog first when I tried to get the screen out of my arm. I guess those count too.

[unwittingking]

Alright, so the only real entertainment we can get is through books. I can live with that.

[Not like they had many other choices when they’re in the 50’s/60’s.]

So we should lock them all away somewhere? Probably into our closets?

[backuphero]

[A nod.]

It's where I already put the one in number 12, I...

[His voice trails off, and then any pretense of calm is gone.]

Aw, crap.

If they really mean to kill us for messing up the place I signed my own death warrant already. About flipped the house upside-down, the one I woke up in. Caleb can tell you, he's seen it. I don't think I permanently broke anything, but... I. Kinda. Bled... places? Threw some things?

[unwittingking]

[Well, that sure is concerning!]

Uh...first, if it was on the first day, I think your safe. If nothing’s happened yet, I don’t think anything’s going to happen.

Second, are you still bleeding? I’ve got bandages if you need them.

[Just...throwing that out there, cause he doesn’t want people to bleed and not get treated.]

[backuphero]

It's just about to where I can stop bandaging over it, I think. Didn't really dig in, exactly, but... thank you.

[Caleb is a surprisingly good field medic or unsurprisingly good if you're remotely familiar with him.]

Could be they're biding their time, but we can hope you're right!

[unwittingking]

[Yeah he knows him he's not surprised]

No problem. Just glad to hear it's taken care of.

And I really don't think they'd delay it or anything.

[Thinking back on Zack...]

At the very least, not this long.

[incendiarize]

Eric kicked the door off the little coffin-y bedroom things we had when he first woke up, you might be okay.

[backuphero]

We had... bedroom coffins?

[Stressed Ditz assumes Combat Librarian is talking about the Eric here.]

[incendiarize]

No? In the mansion. The bedrooms weren't a lot bigger than coffins. It helped once the evil chainsaw broke everyone else's doors too.

[backuphero]

Jesus Christ. I didn't think this place had anything going for it, but in comparison to literal tombs....

[incendiarize]

They were a little better than the actual coffins we got shoved in during executions....

This place is a lot better than the mansion.

[byanyother_name]

If they meant to kill anyone just for making a mess, you would be dead already, I think. And bleeding has certainly never been an issue.

[He maybe sounds a little bitter on that last bit?]

Either it's permanent breakage only, or what is in the houses is considered 'ours' and not subject to the property damage rules. I wouldn't count on the latter, unfortunately, particularly in the cases of items they clearly set to manipulate us like the damn TV and radio.

[backuphero]

And let me guess, just taking them apart would count as "breaking" them, too. Come to think of it, I'm not sure I've seen a toolbox anywhere here just yet...

[He shakes his head, and grimaces.]

We can hope there's not much more blood shed so we don't find out, can't we? I know that sounds way over the top, but I can't figure out how else to say it.

[byanyother_name]

That's difficult to say. I don't think anyone tried in our game. And, of course, most of the standard rules were loosened in cases of... collateral damage to the primary purpose.

[That is to say, murder. You could get away with a lot during a murder.]

It's fine. I understand, and I agree. I hope we can find our way through this more peacefully.

[Kurama doubts they will, because everyone has a breaking point, but it would be nice.]

[backuphero]

All we can do is hope... it'd be worse to give up, but damn, I miss having problems I could fight.

[If he lets himself doubt, Jonathan's going to find his own breaking point fast. He shrugs.]

At least moving the TVs and radios will feel like I'm doingsomething.

[byanyother_name]

Agreed.

[Kurama is not familiar with 'Mood' or 'Big Fucking Mood' as slang yet but there it is right there. He feels you, Jonathan.]

[incendiarize]

What if we all work together to put them all in one house that no one's using? Get them as far away from everyone as we can.

[unwittingking]

If there’s a closet in there, I’m definitely for it. That way no one’s likely to see or hear them, even if they go to that vending machine thing.

[Which, really, is the only real reason to go there.]

[incendiarize]

Or if anyone's abandoned the house they started in. That way there's no reason to get close.

[unwittingking]

Good point. Either way, it’s best to get them somewhere that won’t have people.

[backuphero]

Well, there's the house that nobody was in, and then there's "mine", unless they decide I've really got to sleep down the street from my wife.

[unwittingking]

Unless they've mentioned something by now, I highly doubt that's going to be a problem.

And I'm up for putting that stuff in your old house, if you're alright with that.

[backuphero]

No problem. Hell, I'll even make sure the place is cleaned up enough to have space for all of it.

[unwittingking]

Alright then, I up for moving the TVs and radios there after this, then.

[He may be smol, but he can do some heavy lifting if he needs to.]