theafflicted | 02.50 - week two, saturday

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)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ y'all chill. ]

I think it's established either way that it's not a normal response. Tampering with whatever's going on here might be bad for us. I've been in a situation like that before and we had to finish the whole thing out until the end.

But the answer could be right there in front of us. In fact, what if this is all like the Matrix and we're sleeping in some pod?

[ wei wuxian and chill do NOT go in the same sentence ]

It's not like they're going to let us go even if we don't tamper with it, since we're kind of... stuck here? Right?

That's right! Let's just try to take the steering wheel from the driver or something.

Okay I am assuming that you know how to operate this contraption?

[ tori are they actually doing this i hate them ]

I'll do my best! If I've piloted a plane I can definitely drive a bus.

[ help me ]

[ words are coming out of flat's mouth! but wei wuxian is giving him a thumbs up. ]

Also could you make this thing go faster if you do? I could probably outfly this.

[ yes, he does mean fly. ]

Do it.

[ Says the peanut gallery. ]

[ ...

...

... ]

Now I don't want to.

Chicken.

No, I think that's you.

Buck-cawk.

[ Just chicken noises. He isn't even trying tonight. ]

(no subject)

escardos - 2022-06-04 17:40 (UTC) - Expand

I could do that... [ he's a rider, after all. ] ... but where would we go? There's nothing but fog out there and we could end up going in circles until this thing runs out of gas or breaks down or something. I hate to say it but we should at least see where we end up...

[ pause. ]

Or the point might be that we're never going to end up anywhere at all. Maybe this is all it is.

[ shrug. ]

Honestly at this point since we're trusting the people who... kidnapped... us? To lead us to whatever destination they've decided for us it might be worth the non-zero chance to try and make our way out to somewhere else.

Trusting and observing are two different things!

[ he doesn't trust them as far as he can throw them and their borb. ]

I'm just saying, we shouldn't immediately jump to trying something that might make this worse. There are other things we might be able to learn first, that's all.

But you don't know that it will make this worse unless you try, right?

[ head in my hands i the player am very sorry ]

That's right! Sometimes you have to break something to realize that you shouldn't break it!

[ whAT ]

[ ...

flat looks out of the window, and the fog that covers anything in sight. ]

An endless bus ride... maybe we're going to the underworld again...

[ he pauses after mumbling that under his breath, and then-- ]

Let's tell scary stories, then!

Never ending college debt.

[ He saw a lot of people being worried about that on the first day. ]

I don't get that.

Be thankful that you don't.

Well, that's not scary if it's not something that doesn't apply to everyone.

[ he shakes his head, looking almost disappointed in hien's lackluster answer. ]

Do you know what's scary? Mutated land sharks that spit venom into their victims' eyes before tearing them apart with their teeth. That's scary. And also really cool.

unsinksyourship - 2022-06-04 17:23 (UTC) - Expand

escardos - 2022-06-04 17:25 (UTC) - Expand

selfconcept - 2022-06-04 17:23 (UTC) - Expand

escardos - 2022-06-04 17:26 (UTC) - Expand

selfconcept - 2022-06-04 17:27 (UTC) - Expand

escardos - 2022-06-04 17:30 (UTC) - Expand

selfconcept - 2022-06-04 17:33 (UTC) - Expand

[ He doesn't understand it in the same sense as all the modern people, but saving up to pay for all the damages he's caused already cost him his heart and soul. No, please... Just stop... It's too much... ]

[ You know what, sure. That's gonna be distracting from her feelings of dread at least.

Miach doesn't really care who listens to her or who doesn't, but she'll tell the story of Eight Feet Tall in her quiet soft voice, not looking up from the fog outside. ]

[ Oh boy, does he! He clears his throat. ]

I shall relay to you an incident I investigated. [ yeah ok. ] You see, this is a story that has haunted me ever since the day I became involved. It was my intention to write a story inspired by urban legends of Shibuya, but I uncovered more than I had ever anticipated.

You see, there is a mysterious gambling den that appears only on the night of a full moon. On these nights, a strange phenomenon occurs. The streets of Shibuya become devoid of any life. As they say, "the lights are on, but nobody is home."

It is only if one has an invitation to the gambling den that one may navigate the silent streets. I came into possession of one, through a remarkably difficult process. They say that those who acquire an invitation are forever cursed.

[ He's not going to elaborate on that? Okay. ]

The next full moon, I took to Shibuya's streets. There, in the middle of the Scramble, a building had appeared: the gambling den. It was the sort of ostentatious place I prefer not to frequent. However... I was not alone. A notorious gambler, renowned for his truly exorbitant debts, was there as well. I watched him enter the den, and while I would have had no issue entering, I did not dare to risk it. Not after hearing the gambler's scream pierce the deathly quiet night.

I returned home, and the next day, I inquired about the poor soul. However... even the most ruthless of debt collectors had not a single clue about the man. To this day, I believe I am the only one who knows he once existed.