(no subject)

[strangerpeople]

W̡͜E̶EK ̵̕2̕͠


[The blight would not stop.

The world's leading experts have been trying to find a cure, to no avail. Th blight keeps changing, keeps foiling all attempts at being fully understood. It's almost sentient, or at least more sentient than any disease that's been encountered before. People fear the disease jumping from what's left of the grapes into other plants, into animals, or even humans.

You can only watch as entire economies and ecosystems collapse. You can only bury your head in your hands as your own business comes to its end. The destruction of the clusters of grapes has not simply destroyed the wine industry, either-other businesses are being destroyed by the plague. Food, transport, retail, nothing is untouched.

You look on your own vineyard, its yield almost entirely blackened and dead.

This can't keep going on.


-

A week has passed since everyone's arrival. No one has died, yet. But surely no one is holding their breath to see if they would survive this unscathed. They are veterans of the game, and they must know that whoever it is that is in charge demands their pound of flesh. The question is when it will happen.

It is the second week, after all-and when the second week of the game comes, death is not far behind. Not even when you wake up, feeling something different in your mind as you remember the truths you originally woke up with, deep in your mind. You feel...lighter, somehow, when you realize there is a change.


Even so, there are 15 strangers left in this place.]

Comments

MONDAY

[strangerpeople]

O̢n̛̛͜ ͡S̸c͝ḩ͠éd́͘ú͘l̵̴͘e̛͏

[strangerpeople]

[It’s 7:30 AM, it’s a beautiful day in the City, and the hosts are done with their morning jog.

What, is that not normal? They’ve been running around the pristine streets since emerging from the central building at 5:15, so over two hours now, not breaking a sweat. Now at half past seven it’s time for a leisurely breakfast in the cat cafe. While the rest of the cats wander around like strays, still free, Link has knelt down by one newly-void-eyed cat rolling a ball, in the same rhythm as Hiyori bats one other similarly grim cat’s paws.

They proceed to the library at 9, in separate areas; every 15 minutes, one gets up to inform the other of an interesting fact just read, which they chat about for three minutes, before the first returns to his own seat.

At 12 sharp, they head for the kitchen to grab pills, which put a distinct smile on their faces and a spring in their steps that carries all the way over to the dressing room, which they leave at 1 in gray golf shirts. The better to move around in as they take out weapons two at a time to compare and train with.

6 is dinnertime, the pills taken to be swallowed in the dining room this time. And then, they leave at a brisk pace, much more difficult to stop, heading for House 16; the door shuts at 7.

All in all an ordinary day during which nobody should worry about anything, because they’re happy and comfortable.]

weapons.......

[beguiledcard]

[ He's there to just. Watch them at first . . . then, after a few minutes: ]

Having fun?

[poorlovefool]

[Eric first spots them in the cat cafe, and ... oh, that's bad. He wants to bust in there and yell STOOOOP!! all dramatically, but he definitely does not think he can take them by himself when he's already freaked out by the cats themselves, so instead... he'll duck and try to observe their actions on loop. hmmmmmmm. so it's just the two cats they're playing with the entire time?]

Library

[unwittingking]

[King tries to ignore the on schedule interruptions, but around the third time he's too annoyed to care about not being noticed.]

Are you going to actually do that every fifteen minutes? And are you doing it just to annoy me or something?

Kitchen

[byanyother_name]

[Hmm. That's more than a little concerning. He supposes it's back to the sand food since this doesn't say good things for the safety of the pills.]

They're a very good time saver but I have to say, there isn't much pleasure in it.

[Mild. Pleasant. Conversational.]

weapons

[backuphero]

[He doesn't do it to be creepy, or anything like that. No, the way Jonathan leans against the wall with his arms crossed isn't remotely the attitude of someone hoping to stay hidden. He's not approaching, nor commenting, and definitely not hollering like he did at the sight of Karma fighting Kurama. He's just watching, silently, a ghost of a frown on his face.

It takes a while before it clicks, but when it does - ]

You're studying, aren't you? You guys ain't got any more clue than most of the people here what all's in there and how best to use it.

[Which is weird, considering... wasn't Link some kind of knight or something? Shouldn't he be familiar with at least all the non-gunpowder pre-laser stuff? But then there's Hiyori, who hadn't exactly been thrilled about the prospect of any kind of fight, moving like he'd been training for years even with an unfamiliar weapon in his hands - that's even more weird.

If he seems a little more accusatory than curious, well. There's one reason to study what weapons you've got lying around, and that's getting used to them. You get used to them before you use them, and that is something he does not want to contemplate.

After all, they can trust the hosts.]

dining room

[touchsensors]

[Lala's noticed the hosts wandering around, but after what happened on the first day she has no real reason to think she can get anything out of them.

Unless...?

She decides to carry Kyuu with her to visit them in tne evening, catching up with them in the dining room.]

Do you really need to come here just to take pills-lun?

dining room

[relieable]

[it's weird watching these hosts, like... they seem happy, with those big smiles, but it's not quite right. Osomatsu can't put his finger on it. his last "hosts" weren't like this.

maybe he can catch them while they're still in the dining room for a few minutes]

Hey, how's it goin'?

[like they are friends. they might be friends?]

Dressing Room

[comesaround]

[ Oh he'd been considering trying to come in and try something new in terms of clothes but he stops short seeing them come out in those bland-looking gray golf shirts. ]

Y'know, a little color in the wardrobe wouldn't hurt you guys any.

Dressing room

[illusionarymelody]

[So Vita is picking out something to change into herself and sees Hiyori and Link. She frowns at seeing them but at first goes back to what she's doing rather than talk to them.

Then she sees them take an hour to pick out what must be the most drab thing there. Her husband may have poor taste in fashion, but at least he shows his personality in what he picks. This is just pitiful.]

All that time to pick out what must be the most boring thing here? Doesn't your corporation get mad about wasting time?

wwwweappons;

[otherworldlyking]

[ This wasn't who he expected to see in here. Though, compared to his intial reception of them, he might be looking a little interested.

Particularly in Hiyori. But Link looked like he got a good fighter's build too. ]

Well, what do we have here? Didn't think I'd find you two having a go, but then again it was awhile since I went against Glasses.

[unwittingking]

[Another Monday in captivity. Another Monday where he has to be here instead of fixing things and getting home to his family. King hates every second of it, but until he can actually do something about it, there's nothing he can do.

For some of the day, he's in Crab-o-Licious, with a bunch of things on the table in front of him. No spear, goose, pendant, or photo, though. And he's munching on the popcorn himself.

Later, he's at the library, reading And Then There Were None. He laughs a bit to himself as he flips through the pages.]

Yeah, definitely Agatha's best work.

[If only Beatrice were here to enjoy it...]

[beguiledcard]

[ He leans to get a closer look at the light box, a tiny smile on his lips. ]

Haven't seen one of those since I was a kid...

[ Then he looks at the popcorn - er... more like he's looking at the size of it. ]

Expecting to stay entertained?

Crabby times;

[otherworldlyking]

[ Well none of these were his, but...that ARCUS, and his gaze will fall on it, with faint interest. ]

Someone's probably looking for that.

[relieable]

[early on in the day, Osomatsu can be found outside house 4 with his new items that he got from the sock-market exchange. there aren't many things there, and you're not getting his cigarettes, but the other stuff could belong to you!

the key and the harmonica are sitting on the pavement, and he's out in the street dribbling the basketball. the tunic is around, too, if you want to see it. attached to his hip is a red and white ball that contains something precious to him. he got that back from Caleb, thank goodness. he'll be there for a few hours, just hanging out. it's boring without a television or a radio...

later on in the evening, he can be found in the dining room. he's got a few pills with him and he's... opening them?]

Dining Room

[comesaround]

That's not something I see many people doing.

[ Curiosity could kill the cat in some cases and yet he couldn't help himself. Having taken a walk around to see if anything had changed around here since the new week had started, but not expecting to find Osomatsu here doing that. ]

I can only assume you're trying to see what they might be made of?

Outside House 4

[unwittingking]

[He's not really paying attention to the stuff-you start to expect some random things like a gold harmonica or a random key. The basketball gets him to pause, though.]

Did they really give you something so...normal?

[Sorry, he's just used to regains being weird/vaguely threatening, even if he himself got a light bright recently.]

[beguiledcard]

[ If the cigarettes are anywhere visible... Akira's not going to give a typical reaction/response. He just kind of stares at them, clearly uncomfortable for a moment.

After a few seconds, though, he blinks and looks away. ]

More stuff from the, uh... sock exchange, I'm guessing?

[ He's trying - and mostly failing - to act casual. ]

[touchsensors]

[Lala turns up in the dining room today with a pile of crap and also a dog. Stinky clothes? Ugly clothes? A bundle of assorted gross things? Some kind of stick? The snacks look tasty, but she knows better than to trust that. She kind of wants to just leave it all here and not associate herself with it, but she'd feel bad about leaving poor Gab alone. For now, at least.

She's brought "Kyuu" with her this time, generally treating the horrid little Urobuchibomination like the kitten it seems content to act like.]

[katzenpfote]

[Caleb walks over towards the pile and spots his clothes - but then he spots the Kyuubey. He snatches his clothes back from the pile of stuff and glares at the wretched thing.]

You should get rid of that.

[poorlovefool]

Gab...! C'mere, boy!

[Eric is happy to see Lala with his dog, and he doesn't mind that she also brought a demon.

she also has his lab stuff but he's on the fence for if he wants to admit it's his, a human heart is a pretty suspect thing to possess]

[unwittingking]

[King has many questions upon walking in on this scene. A big one is ‘What the Hell is that shirt’

But. That would be rude. So instead, King will ask the reasonable question.]

Why are you bringing that thing around with you?

[Well, the reasonable question to him. And yes, he’s pointing at “Kyuu.”]

[illusionarymelody]

[Vita isn't paying much attention to that creature though Grianos is on her shoulder giving it the stink eye. No, instead she sees that abomination to fashion that she knows very well who it belongs to and who she needs to be sure doesn't see it because he will wear it.]

Ah, thank you for getting this instead of my husband. I will have to find some place to hide it before he decides to wear it.

[She's smiling though, she adores her husband even if he has terrible taste in clothing. She's definitely thinking about putting it with the TVs and radios. It needs to be banished from her presence as much as they do.]

[beguiledcard]

[ After staring at the ~science~ stuff... ]

... Is that a heart...