WEEK 4

[whimsicalism]

WEEK FOUR

Monsters come in all shapes and sizes, it would seem.

The students of Ira Academy will find themselves entering the new week with their hunger sated, but it's likely the grisly scene of Friday's murder and the demonstration of the execution make the food hit much heavier. The risk of death is still very real, and astute watchers might also find it haunting to think about what sort of twisted game could have forced Yuta to lose control of his own actions. Or perhaps, for the fifth week in a row, people are just finding themselves angrier at their circumstances and their captor than ever.

After her release from the washing machine last week, Nanami Kiryuu can be found more often shadowing the other students around, hanging out in the periphery and putting in appearances even if she doesn't have information to share or announcements to pass on to the rest of the group - as long as no one makes an attempt to shoo her away.

The stairs open up to another newly remodeled floor, offering new locations that may prompt more answers to your dilemma--or more questions. There's no way to know which it will be. Thankfully, there's always a new mind-numbing relaxation activity to take in.

How long can this keep going on?

Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday
Regains | AC | IC Profiles | Locations | Mystery Information | A Contact | Sheep Contact | Nanami Contact

OOC NOTES

Welcome to Week 4! New locations are now open, a couple of old ones have been tweaked, and characters have started the next week of their education. Please hit the mods with a ping in Discord and put INVESTIGATE in your subject line if you're interested in exploring a new location. Nanami may be putting in some public appearances in threads this week; otherwise, please ping + Discord tag her or the (SHEEP) if you want to speak with then. All NPCs are still available for their private contacts as well!

As a reminder, AC runs Sunday to Sunday concurrent with these posts and is collected based on the prior week; this means you have a whole week to get in AC for the week prior. AC for week 3 should be submitted no later than this coming Sunday. Remember to submit your regains, and sign up for a spot exploring this week's mystery if you want to!

Comments

[hashtagwoof]

[ Hi, Anya. Hunter is also following the wires and he decided to bring a bat. ]

I don't even know if that's more of a "what" than a "who..." Stupid loud either way.

[whimsicalism]

[As you say that, Hunter, something happens. The shriek yells again. It's briefer this time but there's words this time. It's a young girl's voice, though one you haven't heard before.

...don't look! Don't look--don't look--

The wires tremble with the sound of the screaming even as you follow them up slowly towards the steps.]

[keyringwitness]

...the louder you yell that you don't want someone to look, the more you want someone to see.

[here's yasu suddenly appearing to add to the ominous atmosphere]

Let's keep going.

[She'll admit that she's MODERATELY perturbed, but she's not going to show it. Not this time.]

[shinedsobright]

[WELL, after the invisible bird tried to blow his ears out, and Fret is reasonably certain he didn't just get possessed by it, he spots the others congregating and trots over to join them, still rubbing an ear]

Killer news, folks! These things can hear us-

[And then he hears all of this screaming and just. Why.]

...Going, right!

[spychic]

....

[Anya only seems to curl in on herself more.]

Did....anyone know that girl...? Why does she not want to be seen?

....Anya's confused and scared.

[mmmm]

[hashtagwoof]

[ Hunter's grip on his bat only tightens at the chattering voice. ]

Doesn't sound like anyone I know...

[ Is he the only one who decided to come armed? You know, in case the screaming thing attacks them? ]

[whimsicalism]

[No one here would recognize that voice, it seems. Though, maybe that's for the better as the wires tremble with frustration. Floor by floor, nothing seems to change until you reach the fourth floor.

Here the wires are more present, long white feathers are spread over the floor. Some are tipped with red, others with black. Though, maybe more disturbing is the three-toed claw marks that are leading a trail to the dance studio.]

[keyringwitness]

[Yasu kneels down for a moment, inspecting the feathers. What condition are they in, aside from how spooky their placement is?

If she's going to be the Ghost Handler of this expedition, she might as well get a head start.]

[shinedsobright]

Sounds like no one's heard it before.

[He has the weird nerf gun! By now he has figured out it shoots nets, and is maybe peering at the clawmarks to see if like. These are the prints of something that could go in a net.]

[spychic]

...

[Anya looks at the clawmarks carefully, shaking a bit. She's...unarmed. Unfortunately.]

[hashtagwoof]

[ He'd pay more attention to the clawmarks if he didn't notice the gun in Fret's hands. ]

Hey, dude... I think that's mine. [ Pointing at said gun. ] You wanna trade later?

[whimsicalism]

[For Yasu, the feathers don't look well. Some are torn, others have bloody tips where they might have once connected to a bird. Others are singed. It doesn't smell good in here, either. It smells like blood nad smoke.

For Fret, depending on how big the net is you think it could work. They seem to be just slightly smaller than Yasu's feet. If you could catch Yasu in that net, then you could possible catch whoever made this mark.

For Anya, being unarmed and silent might be a good thing. That voice starts up again, echoing in the hall... it definitely is coming from the dance studio. Yet, now that you're closer the scream isn't as loud it seems sad, somehow. Panicked, yes, but there's sobs in it.

Lastly, for Hunter? You're the first to hear something other than screams. Other than bird noises. It's a song, faint beneath the screaming. It's a classical piece but somehow it doesn't really fit here.]

[keyringwitness]

Hm...

[Yasu might not have the cure for whatever ails this spirit down completely yet, but... she can still give it her best shot. Fiercely concentrating, she pulls out her notepad and begins sketching in it as she moves with the rest of the group.

Everything else aside, there's one spell that she's always been a prodigy in casting.]

S- Sorry, just let me finish this first...

[shinedsobright]

[Fret resists the temptation to point the nerf gun at Yasu! Hunter apparently wants it anyway!]

I mean, we can trade now if you want. You'd have a better shot at it, right? Oh, An-nyan, you can get behind us if you're worried too!

... But uh, does this stuff ring a bell to any of you?

[It kind of sounds like the music in the gym! Like when he pas de deux'd-- but that is the wrong ballet.]

[spychic]

[Anya is quiet for now, as she looks towards the dance studio.]

She's in there.

She sounds...sad. She's crying.

Anya is worried.

[But, true to form, she quietly moves behind Fret.]

...We should go check on her.

[hashtagwoof]

Uh... [ Nods, but hesitantly. ] I kinda wanna keep this bat, but I've got some other stuff in my room you might like... But maybe you can borrow this so I could aim-

[ He pauses, catching the first notes of the mystery instrumental. ]

You guys hear something? [ Another beat to listen more closely. ] Sounds like someone's playing music.

[whimsicalism]

[The door to the dance studio moves slightly and the lights turn on. It's just a shadow but the outline of a girl with long bird-like legs with her long hair draping down past her shoulders. She has no arms, being held up by long cables of some kind is projected on the wall of the hall everyone is in.

Her legs shuffle in a slow, hesitant way.]

Don't... look... at me...

[keyringwitness]

[Ah. Yasu sees (even though she isn't, according to the girl's request, actually looking. The bangs just make it hard to tell).

She instead focuses on her notebook, making a few last-minute alterations before hesitantly nodding. This will be her first outing as the real deal, right? Better make it count.]

Come, come. Try to remember, [she says in a soft, lilting voice.] What form did you have? Surely it was a lovely form.

If you close your eyes and see with your mind, I'll let you guide my hand. [Yasu raises her notebook in the general direction of the spirit.] That will bring it back to your heart, even in your darkest hours.

[The book is opened to a page with a sketch of, contrary to Yasu's normal artistic stylings, a... perfectly ordinary, nondescript looking girl, with a few blanks left to fill the details in with. (If someone looks closely, they'll find pencil shavings where the first draft was very hastily erased.)]

Hold it close, and that form will always be with you to comfort you. Just help me summon it back.

[Is... is Yasu inviting this spirit to momentarily possess her to complete this drawing? Yes, she is.]

[shinedsobright]

Yeah, sure, so let's just - huh???

[Okay, so Yass has a whole ass plan here. Cool, great! Possession as far as he knows is NEVER a good idea, but....other than that, this memory stuff is supposed to be his forte??]

So she needs to remember her true form?

[HE CAN TRY TO FOCUS HIS REMINDER ENERGIES!! But first he is still nodding at Hunter, if this goes south Give Him The Bat]

[spychic]

...Will that really work? [It's not violent, so she likes it, but...it could go really wrong really fast. She's still concerned.]

[hashtagwoof]

[ It's disturbing as hell, people are already jumping to crazy ideas, Hunter's not sure of any of this. ]

I. Have. No idea. [ Going to the back to let the other two do their thing. Better chance of sucessfully bolting if this ends badly. ]

[whimsicalism]

[The question made her pause. What... did she look like? She... thinks. She doesn't move as the music continues. There's no shrieks. She moves slightly.]

No... no... I don't want anyone to know what I looked like if you saw me now... but...

[There's a slip of paper that falls into the hall.]

She told me to hide this but... if getting this means no one has to look at me then... please take it.

[Does anyone take it?]

[keyringwitness]

[Yasu does, without hesitation.]

It's okay. It can be scary, being seen. I, um. Know that more than anyone.

But if we do meet again... let me know when, and I'll close my eyes first.

[That's the key to magic, after all.]

1/2

[whimsicalism]

[The paper is a news article about the missing 'Girl T'. A young middle school student, she went missing after leaving her ballet lessons in S Ward. This article marks the sixth month since she went missing but there's been no leads in her disappearance. A small Polaroid picture is stapled to the article: of a group of young ballerinas in practice. They all are dressed in white with colorful stockings. One ballerina is circled.

There's also a streak of blood on the photograph.]

[shinedsobright]

Hey, it's cool! I mean... No one knew you were here before all this, but now we will know never to look for you!

[please let us sleep!! Yasu can touch the thing though]