cartesianism | WEEK 0

WEEK 0 — ARRIVAL

Week 0: Arrival

When you wake up you immediately feel something’s off. You sit on the bed and find it’s not your bed, and this isn’t your room either. You seem to be in a rather normal-looking motel room. To your side there’s a trunk, if you open it you’ll find a military uniform, the key to your room, a set of rules and a debit card. Don’t lose those items! Or do lose the rules, you'll find a brand new copy the next day under your pillow. There’s also a calendar on the wall, you can see today’s date. The year is unreadable, but the month and day are very clear:

March 28^th
There it says ‘Meet the Sergeant at the Lodge, 9:00 AM’. There’s also a circle around March 31st, with the word ‘END’ scrawled there.

For now leaving your motel room would be a good choice. When you reach the lobby, you see the receptionist’s desk— no one’s manning it. There’s a rack filled with maps, marking several locations in the town.

There are also many strangers here – and you’re one more. For now it may be a good idea to take a map and explore the town.

After all, looks like you’re stuck here in the boonies for a while.

Links

IC Rules
Room Assignments
Locations
Tasks (LOCKED currently)

March 28^th
March 29^th
March 30^th

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[Mira is quick to process the shock and confusion of waking up in a strange place and situation, and after reviewing the rules, decides that waiting for the Sergeant is likely to be all they can do at this point. She spoke with a number of confused people on the way out of the hotel, but now, she's already bored and looking to make time pass quicker until that point.

Breakfast is as good a starting point as any. Find her in the diner, skipping the OJ and instead looking for whatever has the most protein. Eventually she's got steak and eggs. It looks pretty good! If you like rare meat anyway.

Some time after that, she'll throw darts in the tavern. What better way to let off steam than hurling some sharp-tipped objects at the wall, right? Though, it's pretty rare for darts to be that unsafe these days.]

This place sure is old fashioned...

[Oh well. She's got a pretty good idea why they would be sharp... it's not her first rodeo. They called the old west 'wild' for a reason, too.]

Isn't it? [ he's used to finer things in life. old fashioned, sometimes, but in a very different sense. certainly better than a... mere motel. ] The accommodations do leave something to be desired.

Ah, you mean the motel?

[Mira nods, it makes sense that he's another kidnapee. This guy doesn't look like he fits in.]

It's too bad about that. They must think they don't have to put in the effort if they're using force.

[She hits her next dart a bit off center.]

Rats. So close.

... "They"? [ his smile widens. ] You seem to have an idea of our situation already.

[It's not quite the same, but Mira's pretty used to weird smiles, so eh.]

I had a letter about it. Didn't you?

I did. [ and he did read it, but... ] The rules, right? The note didn't really tell us anything important.

[ at first he thought this was something supernatural. he can't, however, sense anything strange about her. then again, he hasn't really sensed anything at all. which is troubling, sure. but that's not for her to know. ]

In fact, it was unusually vague, I'd say. We are called "the group" or "participants" but for what?

[There's nothing supernatural about her at all. She's just thinking as she lines up throws.]

It probably has something to do with that uniform we were given. I'm not exactly the soldier type, so I don't have much of a guess beyond that, other than a "Sergeant" also being a military position.

[After that, she gathers the darts stuck in the board and turns back to him.]

It seems pretty obvious that they're going to try and make us do something... and I bet it's dangerous.

Oh, no doubt.

[ he holds out a hand for one of the darts. may he? ]

Rule 5, in particular, caught my eye. [ surprisingly, not the killing thing. ] It suggests violence isn't allowed for the residents here, but encouraged for the participants.

[He may! Mira hands it to him, stepping back to watch him go.]

Yeah, I noticed that too. It's pretty strange... Sergeant might be looking to make some kind of deal there.

Like a ransom, you mean. [ while his clan is rather well off, he doesn't think they're so important that another country would get involved.

he thanks her with a nod and takes careful aim. archery training means his dart flies true and center. even with his powers dulled (perhaps), at least he still has this. ]

Whatever my clan can pay is nothing compared to the cost of bringing me here. It'd be a great loss for him.

Maybe... oh, nice bullseye. [Mira will at least comment, since she didn't wind up quite making one herself. It's not a specialization of hers by any means, though she doesn't dislike archery.]

My relatives would be at a similar loss money-wise. And anyway, if he wants payment then it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to give us debit cards on top of that.

You were close yourself earlier. I have experience with archery, so consider it a cheap advantage.

[ was there some praise in there? or was that an insult? ]

Ha, he could always track what we buy and tag that in with the ransom.

Well, that'd be annoying. I guess I shouldn't buy that enormous bouquet!

[She hasn't actually seen an enormous bouquet yet, but the flower shop seems like the most pointlessly extravagant way to blow money in this town other than amassing a big weapons cache.]

So, archery, huh? Do you actually go hunting like that?

Oh, no, you should. After all, there's no guarantee we'll be paying them back. Or should I say: I don't intent to pay them back - not in the monetary sense.

[ basically: use their money because why not? ]

Of a sort, though I don't hunt animals.

[ but some youkai are just as dumb, so is there really a difference? ]

Fair enough. My working assumption is they won't care either way...

[Maybe she'll still get some for shits and giggles if it looks like they'll be stuck here for any longer than the morning, though. She'll need a lot of S&G to not become bored to tears in a place like this.

Hunting but not animals is very interesting for now, though.]

...Is this The Most Dangerous Game?

Is there a limit on how much we can spend, I wonder. That ice cream parlor looks like it would be fun to own.

[ haha matoba no... ]

I'm afraid I don't understand what you mean.

You like sweets? Somehow you didn't seem the type.

[Not that she's debating. It's probably the best thing in town.]

Just a short story about a person who's being hunted for sport. I was joking.

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[Is it to early to be drinking? Non. It is not.]

I feel like that's a rather generous description of our plight here.

[He felt any lingering sense of optimism drain out of him when he laid eyes on the military uniform they provided.]

[Not under these circumstances, but she's not doing it yet.

Mira's definitely not a uniform kind of girl, though. Her outfit is barely adhering to regular dress codes.]

I'm saving my energy. No sense getting worked up until I know all the details... though to make another understatement, my hopes aren't high.

[Her resolve is something to be admired! Although there looks like there's a lot about Mira to be admired as well.]

Ah, very sensible! A lack of morale can be detrimental in it's own sense. [France holds up his wine glass, using the remaining pink liquid as a filter to look upon the tavern.] Rosé colored glasses might help.

[France rotates on the barstool holding the wine glass up, finally settling his obscured gaze on Mira.] It seems it's entirely unnecessary when it comes to the company I'm currently keeping.

[With a playful wink France finishes his wine, forgoing the desire for a second glass.] I don't believe I caught your name.

[She chuckles at the wine joke, apparently not having a problem with being perceived as good company. But he is being silly so she's teasing him back a little.]

As long as you haven't had too much already, that is. Call me Mira. And you would be...?

Non, non! [He touches his finger to his nose, crossing the tavern to her in an exaggeratedly straight line in a show of sobriety.] Just enough for a better heart and a better morning.

[After some quick glancing at hands for rings--]Mademoiselle Mira, a pleasure I'm quite sure.

I would be the République Française. [He waits for the weird facial expression of confusion or the long pause of thought.] France for short.

[He's saying his name is the country of France? Is he sure he isn't drunk? Anyway, her response is quicker than he might have expected, even if it's just a cheeky,]

That's a new one.

Yeah, it does have kind of a rustic feel to it, doesn't it? I'd, uh, say that'd leave quite the first impression. [ beat. ] Well, next to ending up here in the first place, anyway.

[ Because you know, finding yourself and a couple friends in a strange new locale would probably top that by miles. Speaking of first impressions? Wow, someone's sure letting loose with those darts. ]

True, being kidnapped and let loose in town are typically mutually exclusive things. You'd think they'd just lock us up in that hotel... then again, that'd be pretty lame.

[She pauses throwing her own darts to look at his, curiously. It's a LOT but is he hitting the target?]

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