02.50 - week two, saturday

[afflictionmods]

W2 SATURDAY

Like last Saturday, everyone will get an announcement on their tablets; this time, the announcement is preceded with a bell of some sort before Lorelei appears on the screen again.

"Good morning, everyone. This is an announcement to let you know that today's lesson will take place starting at 8:15 tonight. Again, today's lesson will be starting at 8:15. Please meet at the lower campus exit near the lecture by 8:00pm; Florence will be waiting for you there.

If you have a bag for some snacks and, perhaps, an item you can use for self-defense in the case of an emergency, please arrive with those things on you. We will provide you with an overview of what to expect when you arrive at 8pm.

Thank you."

The alert ends.

You have the day to prepare, ask each other what the hell is happening -- Florence and Lorelei do not seem to be available, strangely enough. There's a lot to take in with the information you have now. But before you know it... night falls.

FULL NAV

(CODE)

Comments

[herlocksholmes]

Let's not waste healing supplies on this.

[Hm, then perhaps...]

Help me find something sturdy, Ms. Shizuku. There's plenty of rubble in this museum.

[selfconcept]

[ Hien understands. For a while, he wanted someone to save him too. Those days were so miserable. He kept hoping, but no one came. No one. His assumed mentor got him out of a slump, but he never saved him.

He had to save himself.

And this is the best he can do.

He slaps Fai on the other cheek with his injured right hand, covered in bandages that Fai wrapped for him. The shared pain hurts, but he doesn't care right now. ]

wrap up ooc note 2/2

[afflictionmods]

( OOC: Those who are still possessed can still be exorcised like they would in the strange museum, but when that happens, the ghosts will come out and be tethered to their hosts. Almost like a companion or pet of sorts.

It won't leave and can phase in and out of the host's body at will, though it won't necessarily take over the host's conscience since they can't possess them any longer. Furthermore, if the host is feeling anything related to that particular ghoul's theme, the ghoul will voice it if the host can't admit it themselves. For example, if Cater denied feeling alone when asked about it, the ghoul will pretty much spill the beans for him. It's entirely possible to try and "tame" these ghouls but it will take some work, given their sinister natures.

The hosts may also get random, short, enhanced bursts of these traits. The bouts of hollowness, for example, will be short (~ a few minutes at most) but they will be strong.

This will last until the end of Week 4.

FINALLY, please do not ask for Florence threads on this top level! Lav is unavailable to thread for a few more hours, so we will not be replying to any questions directed at Florence. )

[fabulation]

It wouldn't be right to put anyone out in that.

[ Xingqiu says almost immediately, though he is very much not fond of their captors right now, putting it lightly. He doesn't want to think of what could possibly happen because if it was a torturous result, then... he will just shake his head. ]

It could be the result, yes. If we were able to figure out the cause, that'd be ideal.

...Unfortunately, we'd need to get out of here first.

[selfconcept]

You'll understand when you allow yourself to feel. To feel pain, means you're alive.

[ Hien turns to get ready to leave and might be looking for Madara in that case. Will Shizuku stop him? ]

[cloudalike]

It was impossible to hate them when you seemed to like them so much. I’m - not good with my emotions, you know. But your delight was certainly infectious.

[ He smiles down at the washi tape on his talisman. ]

It was sweet, but not too sweet. And a little tart, but on the mild side. And icy - that was good, too.

[herlocksholmes]

[Haha, usually such it would be child's play to figure things out! But with these ghouls, it's more difficult -- after all, the effects need to be figured out upon being possesssed, and how each ghoul works varies. Their strategies would be seen right before getting possessed, instead of being observable as a third party.

As much as he hates it, all he can do is nod]

Indeed...

[Sholmes bows]

Regardless, come along. I'm not going to stand aside and let you stay here, unwatched while you host something foul inside yourself. I'm not open to negotiation, Ms. Mihie.

cw identity issues

[catarou]

[ Continuing on... He doesn't show it outwardly, not really, aside from another flicker of unreadable emotion. But something about Fai's words digs deep into the layers and layers of resentment.

(and maybe all of that resentment was always there, directed inward and waiting to consume him completely)

It would be painful if he were to lose anyone he loves, but Gentaro has always been a man of action despite appearances. He would find a way to continue on. He isn't sure how to feel about those four last words, because Gentaro is so deep in his lie that he doesn't know if he remembers how to simply be.

He exhales, the bittersweetness of what Fai says squeezing around his heart. He exhales, and the ghoul loosens its grip on him. It didn't take a huge confrontation, really, for the thing to leave, but when it comes down to it, Gentaro is someone who feels deeply, who values the words of people he's fond of. He wonders when that changed--that he should become fond of someone so quickly, but he truly has learned a thing or two from Dice and Ramuda.

The ghoul glares at Gentaro, hateful and caustic. It could try again, but maybe it doesn't think Gentaro's worth another try. With one more scathing look, it leaves.

His shoulders drop somewhat, weariness and relief all jumbled up together in such a way that the only thing he can think to say right away is-- ]

... How exhausting.

[kaientai]

Manners? I'm not going to waste my time worrying about your sensitive feelings when there's more important work to be done.

[partymagician]

...

[ Fai just stares at the ground. ]

I meant it when I said I want to help you. I know it makes no sense coming from me, but I've never made much sense in the first place.

[vivens]

[ is.

is insulting him going to be the best route about this? ]

It's not art that I'm intending to add to the museum. Just myself.

[kaientai]

Neither am I. So! What should we do about it? That's the question.

[ which, if he's being honest, is not something he's super confident about. mostly because of the whole original isekai + depowering situation. what can they do but go along with this? ]

[mirrite]

That's what you're scared of, isn't it? You're scared that I know all about the parts of yourself that you hate, just like Phil.

[It is a pretty pathetic punch, and that's why it takes Marcus absolutely no effort to simply lift his left hand up to block it before it can even get anywhere close. Maybe he should have let it hit, honestly, but at the same time he doesn't want to allow Phantom even the smallest bit of satisfaction here.

But he's not done yet-- no sooner does he block that punch than his right hand shoots out to grab Phantom around the neck and just squeeze, letting the momentum carry them both forward until Phantom's back slams against the wall. He feels all of this too, of course, and it hurts, but it's nothing he hasn't felt before, and certainly not anything he can't simply shrug off, at least for the time being.]

Now, why don't we play a little game? Which one of us is going to pass out first... pretty sure I can call the winner right now...

[totaltrashfire]

[Shizuku is nice, but even a nice person should react to something like that.

Mae gets closer and waves her hand in front of her eyes and, if that doesn’t work, claps her hands in front of her face.]

Hey!

[superstructure]

[ bustin' makes flat feel good

Flat'll notice that it's one of the shots from the pep rally. Or something with a group shot. idk if i try to settle on something it'll take another four hours.

Anyway when the question gets answered, Julius'll just kind of look back at him. ]

It's nothing. [ debatable. ] Don't you have someone else to annoy?

[vivens]

[ if mutsu is referring to the "s" that sabo is lovingly tracing his finger over. ]

My name, of course.

[selfconcept]

People are illogical. They're not supposed to make sense.

[ He says it calmly like he usually does. Looks like the ghoul is gone out of Hien's system. ]

[vedr]

Because...

[ Uhhh ]

This is very unlike you! The opposite what I assume is usually you! You need help, and a good person would help you!

[partymagician]

[ His shoulders relax as he realizes that Hien is back to himself, but Fai still doesn't look up. ]

No, they're not.

[ ...

He doesn't know what else to say. There's a certain relief in knowing Hien is better, but he can't help but feel a little bit empty and exhausted. ]

[tosa]

It's what I think.

(He can own up to it! He isn't ashamed or embarrassed. He believes that it still matters.)

The Sakamoto Ryouma I know's a different guy. (He can admit to that and agree with it.) He never wore a fancy suit or anything like that but... if you're Ryouma then I wanna get to know ya too.

I wanna know all about who ya are.

[escardos]

Nope, just got done ghostbusting the last two ghosts. Well, technically three, but it was the same ghost twice.

[ he stands next to him, looking at the same photo. ]

Do you want to take it with you?

[partymagician]

[ When Gentaro's shoulders drop, Fai knows that he's back to normal. Well... as normal as he can be after being possessed.

Fai reaches out to put a hand on his shoulder. ]

It is, isn't it?

[selfconcept]

[ ...

Hien raises his hands to rub Fai's cheeks gently. ]

Sorry.

[ He wants to say something more, but nothing comes out. Hien is also exhausted. ]

[unenvying]

A decent amount, kind of. Not how I expected to spend tonight, though.

[ he may be mildly distracted. ]

Hey, come closer, will you? I wanna try something.

[partymagician]

I've been called worse things than stupid. It's alright.

[ But is it? It's kind of hard to tell, because Fai isn't using a fake smile to cover up his feelings and his feelings... have been pushed down and aside. ]