Week 8.

[trustfelling]

WEEK 8 Despite the week of peace - or in some cases, because of it - it seems that the stream of deaths is going to continue unabated; if anything, there's been a sharp uptick this week. Yuri Lowell, Angel Hyperion, Naoto Shirogane, Aymeric de Borel, Isaac McDougal, and Ferid Bathory have all joined the deceased. In one week, you've dropped from over half your original number being alive, to almost two-thirds being dead. But surely things can only go up from here on out, right? Saturday is given to regrouping and sleep; on Sunday morning the clock chimes as it always has, but at least there are no bodies to find today. The night before wasn't necessarily a peaceful one, however; you'll probably feel a bit groggy when you wake up, and it seems you've regained something that you didn't realize you'd lost... Another set of doors has opened up, once again branching off of the eastern corridor and leading toward the south. Go ahead and explore as much as you like; you've definitely earned it this week. COMPETITORS REMAINING: 11

SUNDAY | MONDAY | TUESDAY | WEDNESDAY | THURSDAY

[OOC: Welcome to week eight of Trustfell! Don't forget to save your threads for coins and the activity check, and don't forget to submit this week's activity check and memory regains!

If you'd like to get in contact with the Adjudicator, you can do so here!]

Comments

[oasisrose]

... ... ...



Wait, what?!

[She couldn't internalize her reaction this time. That's how much she's thrown for a loop by this one.

Is she going crazy? Is this some kind of elaborate prank, set up by Terumi just to mess with her head?

You know what, just in case, she's going to double-check that this one is dead. She's no medical practitioner, but being trained in killing people means being trained in testing if your victim is dead or just faking it. Is there a pulse?]

[trustfelling]

[Fortunately (...unfortunately? ...perhaps it's so unfortunate it loops back around, who knows) this doesn't seem to be Terumi fucking with you - when it comes to there being a pulse, turns out that there is not.]

[oasisrose]

[Jean can feel her skin crawling. Maybe there's still a rational explanation for all this. Hadn't Terumi talked about vessels earlier? Perhaps he just... shed this body. Like a snake shedding its skin.

That's a good explanation, right?

Her stomach is doing flip-flops as she walks to the fourth cabinet, and opens it for a look as well.]

[trustfelling]

[As unsettling as all of this is, it's probably good in some sick way that the next one has returned to the pattern of containing someone that definitely isn't still wandering the hallways; just the same, it's someone that probably wouldn't be welcome here even if he were to have the ability to return the way Chitoge did.

After all, he killed under the assumption that he would.

The long pale hair is striking and recognizable, as is the overly-elaborate outfit; thankfully his fangs aren't visible, and those sharp nails of his are neatly concealed under a pristine set of white gloves.

Ferid.]

[oasisrose]

[Yeah, that one figures. And since she's still upset over Yuri's death and why it happened, she wasn't looking forward to seeing their resident vampire again. If Jean weren't the "forgive everybody for everything" type, she'd be tempted to drag this one down to the dojo and use it as a punching bag...

... ... ...

Okay, it's still a little tempting. (Stay good, Jean, stay good!)

She closes that one back up. Onto the next cabinet -- fifth verse, same as the first.]

[trustfelling]

[This one is also immediately distinctive, and not only because she's one of the smallest people who had been brought into this exercise; she's got a particularly flouncy dress on, the sort of thing that looks like it wandered in out of a children's storybook, and a long pink ponytail tied up with a ribbon at a particularly jaunty angle.

Of course, there's also the mask covering half her face. That's also a thing that's going on there.

Aligula.]

[oasisrose]

[Well, this time it doesn't blow her mind, but now she's completely lost. She could believe Terumi having extra vessels lying around, or Aligula crafting a sister for herself out of spare parts or something, but -- at the same time? No, this is clearly a collection of dopplegangers for Juri's favorite people.

But why? What's there to gain from that? This is a huge head trip and she doesn't like it.

Well, she has her bets on Walter for the final cabinet, since she saw how Juri kept the man's hat in his office like a weird sort of tribute.

But until she opens it up, she can't say for sure. So, who's behind door number six?]

[trustfelling]

[She seems peaceful and asleep, as the rest of them do; just like the rest of them, there are no signs of life. Unlike the rest of them, though...the person behind door number six is someone much more familiar to you than the rest. As well she should be - the long green hair is something you put up every day, after all, and that risque dancer's dress is one that's served you well since you got here.

It's you, Jean.]

[oasisrose]

[She stands there. Gaping, uncomprehending. Does Juri enjoy making people go through moments of existential crisis? Because that's certainly what she's feeling right now.

Her skin is crawling. The darkness of the room suddenly feels suffocating. She wants to run and find someone else to help.

But somehow, she has trouble leaving herself behind in a cabinet.

For the first time, she's going to try and move the body out. She'll set the candle aside, a short distance away on the floor -- if it doesn't have a holder to keep it upright, she can always spill a little bit of the melted wax to glue it in place -- and then reach in with both arms, trying to gently lift the body out so she can lay it on the floor.

She needs to look it over, see if there's anything out of place. Doppelgangers are known monsters in her world -- ironically, she even modeled one of her ki techniques after them -- and so she's compelled to check for some sign that this is a fake.]

[trustfelling]

[There's not going to be any resistance as she does that, though it does seem to be her height and weight, so removing it from the cabinet itself might be a little unwieldy. That said, though, laying it on the floor won't be too difficult assuming she can manage that.

What are you looking for, exactly?]

[oasisrose]

[She's checking the hard-to-notice places for signs of something being off, non-human. Back of the ears, back of the neck, eyes, teeth, hands and feet.

Nothing under the clothes, though, because even though she's seen it countless times before... there is something really creepy about undressing a non-living body.]

[trustfelling]

[...Someone really should have told Ferid that at some point, man.

That said, though, there isn't anything off or jarringly nonhuman about the body. It seems quite like...well, a body. Nothing more, nothing less.]

[oasisrose]

[Someone should have told Ferid a lot of things.

Okay. Well. There's no way she can keep this a secret from everyone else, and it's too dark in here for a proper meeting. So, she's going to carry herself out, cradling herself in her own arms. She can come back for the candle in a minute.

Anything stopping her from carrying this body into the chapel?]

[trustfelling]

[Nothing at all! Go ahead and take...yourself...out there, Jean, you're good.]

[oasisrose]

[Good. For the time being, she's going to lay her body down outside the door.

She doesn't feel safe leaving a fire hazard burning next to the furniture, clothing, and dead bodies. So, she's going to head back into the dark room. Even though she's moving slowly because her light source is on the other side of the room, it should only take a minute.

What could happen?]

[notaccurate]

[Never ask that, Jean. Never.

Because at that moment, while Jean is in the dark room, Luca happens to walk into the chapel. Why was he there? Who knows, even he forgot his purpose the moment he saw that body.]

JEAN!

[Yeah he's just. Going to run over and see if 'Jean' is still alive. Checking for a pulse, breathing, that kind of thing.]

Come on now, don't do this! You don't even look hurt!

[oasisrose]

[She's just reached the candle when she hears the commotion outside.]

Luca?!

[She hurries back out of the room. As quickly as one can, anyway, working their way back through a dark room that's crowded with furniture and a candle in their hand.]

Luca, I'm over here! I'm fine!!

[notaccurate]

What-

[Yep, that sure is Jean at the door.

Luca stares at her, eyes wide and full of fear. He honestly did think she was dead and all. But the shock of seeing both her (apparent) dead body and her alive and well at the same time, that's enough to make him feel sick.]

I...what...what?!

[He does not actually pass out, but after looking between the two Jeans a few times, he puts a hand out to grab onto a pew. He's gotta steady himself there, he feels a bit faint.]

[oasisrose]

... ... ...

Believe me, I know.

[She hurries on over, to offer him some support.] Are you all right? Breathe deep, it... it's kind of a lot to take in.

[notaccurate]

[Well thank you, he will grab that hand and squeeze it tightly for a second. Yep, that's a real hand. Maybe he's not hallucinating.]

Just what in the world is going on here? If you are alive, then what is all this?

[oasisrose]

That's what I've been trying to figure out. This is just one -- there's five others, living and dead Competitors alike. I think --

[She looks to the side for the moment, confused and a little distressed, because this raises some very significant questions about why she's there. Everyone saw how the two of them argued, right?]

I think they're Juri's favorites.

[notaccurate]

[Luca is not surprised by the fact that Juri has favorites. Just based on his actions alone, Juri has shown favoritism to a couple of people. But this? This is too much.]

So he made bodies of them?

...Could this be how Chitoge came back to life?

[If Chitoge was a 'favorite' and had a body made, then her soul could be put into it, right? It's not too far of a leap in logic. Nobody really explained where the souls go after Juri rips them out, after all.]

[oasisrose]

I... yes? I guess he did? I can't tell if it's supposed to be a gift or a memento, or something else...

[She just shakes her head. Clearly, whatever it is, she's not comfortable or okay with this.]

I don't know. I mean, it's clearly his favorites there, like Mozu and Ferid and Aligula. But did he even like Chitoge?

[notaccurate]

This is assuming that he is the one making the bodies. But either way, he did not seem too upset when Chitoge was brought back to life.

Maybe we should ask him about this?

[oasisrose]

... maybe. I mean, he's involved somehow, that much is clear.

But I think I want to talk it over with the other Competitors first. This-- this is not something that we can afford to keep quiet.