WEEK 0 — MARCH 29, 30

[cartesio]

Week 0

You have been threatened by the Sergeant: if nobody dies before March 31st at noon, you, along with everyone else, will forfeit your lives. The Sergeant pushed everyone away from the Lodge, judging that had been enough interaction with his guests. So what now?

Will you submit to the Sergeant’s demands? Will you resist him and wait to see what happens? He wouldn’t be capable of killing you and everyone else, right?

Only time will tell.

The next day you'll find a newspaper at the motel lounge, telling you about today’s weather forecast with 100% accuracy. Looks like you can expect to find a newspaper every day to find out the weather and any other news about the town. It even includes something branded 'THE SHARK ALERT'. Who could that be directed to?

There's also a copy of yesterday's newspaper. There's nothing about the Sergeant or about your predicament, but there is something about your arrival to the town.

Cartesio is your world for the next four days, better make the most out of your time here.

OOC Note: The current IC:OOC ratio for the days is as follows: The 29th top-level covers Monday and Tuesday, while the 30th top-level is for Wednesday and Thursday.

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Room Assignments
Locations
Tasks

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

Comments

MARCH 29TH

[cartesio]

[Weather: Winds continue during the day, calm and warm night / ARE THERE SHARKS TODAY? STILL NO / News: 'Residents of Cartesio question the Shark Alert'

The addition of the dubiously named 'Shark Alert' puzzled the residents of our peaceful town. Since Cartesio is nowhere close to water sources, the current dominant theory is that someone among the tourists may plan to bring a shark with them. According to our polls, the one deemed most likely to do such thing is...that man with the glasses. Sources indicate his name is Will, with no known last name. This humble reporter chooses not to comment on this matter]

ANNOUNCEMENT

[cartesio]

[At some point during the day, the Sergeant calls everyone to the Lodge again. What is it now? You all were told to kill each other, what else can this guy want?

Something important, apparently. The Sergeant opens the doors of the Lodge and steps outside]

Okay, this time it will be really, really short and sweet, since I don’t want a repeat of yesterday’s ordeal. You all have some sort of cherished item, don’t you? Something you need, or something you like. The bad news is that I have them. They’re right here-- [He pats the doors of the Lodge] --and no, you can’t get to them. Don’t even try.

The good news is that you’ll have the chance to get it back. All you have to do is do me a little favor. No big deal, don’t worry about that. [He raises his voice] No, it’s not murder, I know a few among you were going to say it was! I just decided to do what Millium over there suggested. It’s going to be some good ol’ vandalism and thievery. That’s all.

Here inside the Lodge you’ll find what I want from you, right there on the big notice board. Read it and then talk to me. I’ll give you all the information you’ll need.

[Done with his announcement, the Sergeant opens the doors of the Lodge, now people can enter inside! Or...to the inside of the lobby, since on the other side of it there’s another set of sturdy double doors, and the Sergeant always is there]

Right, before I forget: when it’s time to work you should wear the uniform I provided you. You don’t want someone in the town or someone in your group knowing you’re doing this, do you? We’ll talk about that later.

[OOC: The Tasks section is now open for perusing! Sign-ups will open tomorrow Tuesday at 12:00 PM EST, and will close at 23:00 PM EST]

[clearities]

[not directly at the Sergeant, but everyone else:] Nobody's... really going to do that, right? Doing those things is just as bad, even if he offers those things back! Stealing to get things that were stolen from us is wrong!!

[streetwolf]

Just that? I do that shit all the time...[Surprising no one that he's up for smashing things. Not even upset.]

Hey. Ain't you a sergeant? Isn't your job to stop that stuff?

[londonstar]

[ while waver agrees that vandalism and thievery are much better alternatives to murder, both of them still leave him scowling at the sergeant. out of all the things he has, there’s only one thing that he truly cherishes. the catalyst to summon the king of conquerors, iskandar.

but that was never on his person to begin with. it should be with the archibald family as collateral for his debts. that should be out of the sergeant’s reach... right?

the only other thing that are missing are his cigars... but if his magecraft doesn’t work, then there’s no point. he might as well buy some malboros ]

You truly believe I will be tempted to steal a box of cigars?

[odoruhinokaze]

[ Around noontime, Axel can be found in the motel lounge, holding up the newspaper (today's) and taking a squint at it. Yesterday's newspaper is also nearby him folded lazily and on the floor because putting things back properly is a chore. ]

Sharks? I'm guessing this is someone's grand ol' idea of a joke.

[ Then, he turns to anyone walking by, with an amused look. ]

What do you think?

[ In the afternoon, he's hanging out over at the ice cream parlor. He's looking through the flavors, all focused like... he seems to be searching for one in particular. Then he seems to find it and smirks to himself. ]

Well, what do you know? Looks like this place has one good thing after all.

[ If you're really quick you can catch him heading off towards his room later in the day, if you're looking for some private talk time. ]

lounge

[agoreable]

I certainly hope that there is no actual shark danger.

[ She looks skeptical, glancing at the paper again as if to confirm it really talks about sharks. ]

But if the Sergeant brought us here, could he do the same with sharks?

ice cream parlor

[ayuzawa]

It's strange, isn't it? That an ice cream parlor would be accessible in a place like this...a place that promotes...

[ she doesn't finish her sentence. instead, she raises an eyebrow, and looks back up at the parlor. ]

What sort of currency do they take here?

ice cream parlor

[alfin]

[ Alfin had seen the ice cream parlor from her perch in the park the previous day, and today had resolved to visit it. To her surprise, there was already someone there. In fact, it was someone she had already met... and didn't have too great of an impression of. She believed he called himself... Axel, King of the Pridelands. ]

I didn't take you for someone who liked sweets.

we all scream for ice cream

[snailedit]

Just one? [Mira is looking through the flavors as well, more for the novelty of it than not having a favorite of her own.]

What flavor is that?

[To be so superior to all the other ones...]

sharknado

[doublelammy]

Well, if there are gonna be sharks, I at least wanna get Lammy back first. So he can punch 'em!

[Taking danger seriously since never.]

lounge

[beanstarscream]

...

Sharks are... large fish with sharp teeth, correct?

[...it sounds kind of like sharpedo, look]

I have no idea what the obsession with them is, honestly. It doesn't seem like they'd be native.

ice cream parlor!!

[paciscere]

Excited over ice cream? You're quite simple, aren't you?

lounge

[intentus]

Eh? My...? [ he looks between axel and the newspaper. ] On this? It did say something about sharks.

[ part of him realizes he probably shouldn't pick it up. it's obviously the topic and maybe this guy is trying to mess with people. too bad he can't help himself and, after giving it a very moderate look of irritation, he bends down, takes the newspaper, and sets it on the nearest surface. ] It could be, I guess.

[lounge]

[semperperatus]

...That might be my fault.

[doublelammy]

pre-announcement, ice cream parlor

[Worrying about this whole murder thing? Not Millium, no sir! Instead, she's over here gorging herself on almost certainly entirely too much ice cream.

These flavors cannot even remotely go together. Millium sure looks happy, though. She's swinging her feet from her chair as she muses out loud.]

This is the life~ I wish we could get a place like this in Trista! ...Or maybe in the capital, too, since I'm gonna have to go back to Gramps soon. Hm...

post-announcement, weapons shop

[Someone please stop this child from rummaging through absolutely everything. This cannot, in any way, be safe.]

This! Is gonna be! So! AWESOME!

[Moral hangups about the tasks? What are those?]

[snailedit]

[Mira squints from where she's been surveying the mass of flavors. Is that a pistachio, sherbet and coffee sundae? Man, she thinks Eric would have cried if he saw an ice cream monstrosity like that.]

Try not to get brain freeze.

weapons shop!

[paciscere]

[ this other child is definitely not stopping anyone from anything in this shop. ]

Do you mean how many weapons we're allowed? It's an impressive collection, to be sure.

[ayuzawa]

[ misaki is walking through town with a copy of yesterday's newspaper in hand. she stops in the middle of the walkway when she reaches the little section about their arrival. ]

Tch! [ she crumples it up in her hands. ] Unbelievable! This isn't tourism...this is a kidnapping!

[ she's talking to herself, but misaki tends to be...loud...so it's no surprise if someone overhears her.

later on, she can be found exploring the flower shop. she's admittedly expecting something nice, but when she walks in...

why. why are there so many venus fly traps. ]

Wh-- what is this...?!

[paciscere]

DAY

[ it's a new concept: not having any responsibilities for once. no clan head to obey, no clan to consider, no meetings to attend, no school, no youkai. frankly, all matoba feels is acute boredom. which is why in the early to late afternoon, he spends his time at the outdoor shooting range by the weapon shop, idly practicing his archery. it's easy to pick up the almost rhythmic fwip and thud of his arrows - loud enough to catch someone's attention, but nothing near the level of a gunshot.

if you happen to approach, excuse him for shooting at the slightest hint of movement. don't worry; the arrow lands some scant inches by your feet. no harm done! that was clumsy of me or my mistake, he might say as he laughs lightly, waving off the accident. except it's clear he has excellent control over the bow because he's hit all the vital points on the dummy so far. he's more used to ceremonial bows, but this longbow he bought at the shop is good enough as a temporary replacement. and, well, he's only been doing this since childhood. ]


EVENING

[ what did he say to shuuichi-san once upon a time? that the effectiveness of cheap exorcist tools varied? look at him now, sitting in his room, idly drawing out protection and binding talismans with a thick black sharpie. it's an experiment. he's not sure they'll work, but the source of such blessings rarely has anything to do with how strong a person's spiritual powers are. it's all knowledge and technique, and matoba has plenty of both.

he leaves his door wide open, so anyone is welcome visit. maybe he'll even draw you a personal talisman. ]

MARCH 30TH

[cartesio]

[The newspaper is nowhere to be seen right now. There is a note on a table, though:

Weather: Sunny during the day. Thunderstorm alert for tonight / ARE THERE SHARKS TODAY? HARDLY. / News: TBD]

EVENT - THE DAY HEATS UP

[cartesio]

[In an instant everything can change. That’s the lesson of this week, isn’t it? Just a few short days ago twenty people were in the comfort their own worlds. Maybe they were living ordinary lives, maybe they were facing something terrible, or maybe they were the terrible thing being faced. But in the blink of an eye everything changed for them. They were kidnapped and told just one of them had to die so the rest could live.

In much the same way, something is about to change.

It starts as a few embers in the middle of the street but in seconds it turns into a raging inferno. Against the asphalt the flames rise and twist as they quickly extend, almost unnaturally so. They rush down the street until reaching the junkyard where they, seemingly without any reason, suddenly come to a halt. If anyone has the presence of mind to stop and look for a source they’ll find it a difficult task. There are no signs hinting at how or where the fire began. The sunny weather also doesn’t help, it’s as it’s enticing the fire to spread and be stronger, and there’s even a slight breeze fanning the flames. It’s a bad combination of weather at the worst possible time.

What’s plain to see, however, is how alarmingly quick the fire seems to be expanding. It’s coming dangerously close to not only to the motel nearby, but also houses belonging to innocent citizens. If the fire reaches them, this is bound to turn into a tragedy.

Will you try to resolve this situation before it escalates out of control?]

MISSION - FAIR RETRIBUTION

[cartesio]

[They say when it rains it pours. Unfortunately, this isn’t the kind of rain that will help anyone put out any fires. It looks like this time there’s something amiss at Cartesio Electronics. Fortunately, it isn’t a fire—though the day is still young—but it does spell trouble. It looks like there’s a small group of people dressed in military uniforms gathering near the entrance of the building.

Once they’ve all arrived, the glass doors open and they find that the receptionist is away. Strangely, the lobby is also devoid of people. Thankfully, at least, the building isn’t completely empty. The comfy couches, hardy tables, and the receptionist’s desk are all still here and in pristine condition. To the side there are some stairs leading to upper floors of the building.

Failure isn’t an option. If you don’t succeed, you won’t get your reward.

Once the group has completely entered the building there’s a gentle “click.” Sounds like the doors may have just locked behind everyone. If anyone tries to open the doors they’ll find them impossible to move. A closer examination shows the doors can’t be unlocked from the inside. It might be a security measure. If so, that’s certainly a peculiar time for them to activate. Then again, it may not be the time to think about that, after all, you’re here to commit a crime. Maybe the best thing to do in this situation is to get it out of the way and then worry about finding an exit.

What’s your first course of action? The decision is yours.]

POST-EVERYTHING MEETING

[clearities]

[After things have settled down a bit, Sakura makes a hasty decision that something has to be done. It's important, especially if they want to catch the culprit. Which is why she goes to grab a pen and paper from the motel storage and writes down the same thing on several sheets of paper before sliding it down underneath everyone's motel rooms-- of course, if they're not there, she'll also hunt for them and ask them to meet at the ice cream parlor. The note itself reads, in nice font that matches a child's:] I'm a little worried about everyone and want to make sure everyone is okay after the fire. Please meet us at the ice cream parlor, so we can talk a bit about what happened. Thank you very much. ❀ Kinomoto Sakura [It's short and sweet and straight to the point. So, will you take her up on her invitation?]

post meeting!

[londonstar]

[ you know what waver's glad about, despite this whole ordeal?

that the motel has no rules about smoking.

once the meeting is over, the lord el-melloi ii, who has until now kept himself as an upstanding member of society with a possible stick up his ass, will basically make himself at home at the motel lobby with a box of cigarettes, a bottle of whatever whiskey he managed to find, and a half full glass.

and, unless your name is sakura, if you approach him he's going to turn his gaze towards your character with Maximum Irritation. ]

What do you want?