WEEK FIVE

[whimsicalism]

WEEK FIVE

There's one thing that belongs in Closetland: Monsters.

It was a monster that brought the students here to begin with, and it's a monster who controls their lives now. By now, some have even accused their classmates of turning into--or always being--monsters themselves.

The academy is just as cold as it was last week, autumn air seeping in through the unfriendly architecture and the artificial light seeming darker than before. The occasionally cloud of purple fog snakes through the hallways at ground level, a constant reminder of the new presence haunting the school and her role in the past five weeks of torment. Now that Kakuya is back in a body of her own making, the music room is silent, though the rooms and halls of the Academy themselves occasionally fill with a low, haunting flute melody. With the school's new overlord already wishing her ill, Nanami's already deflating power and free roam capabilities are more or less completely limited as well: She's just one more toy in the box.

The stairwell has opened into another new floor. Upon closer inspection, it seems to be the uppermost one. This is the top of Ira Academy, and while it likely bears some new answers and some new locations to try and find a solution to your plight, is there anything that can heal some of the rifts that formed from the accusations thrown at the last trial? Still, if you don't find answers, then you'll be here playing this eternal deadly game.

Is the devil you know better than the devil you don't?

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

OOC NOTES

Welcome to Week 4! Nanami has joined the party! She no longer has office hours but still be contacted privately, as can Kakuya, who is no longer stuck in the music room. New locations are now open, and some minor adjustments have been made to the IC profiles and rules. 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. The SHEEP are still taggable, though you may find them in a...different mood.

You now have a week to make sure your AC in for last week and to start collecting AC for this week. Remember to submit your regains, and sign up for a spot exploring this week's mystery if you want to!

Comments

[keyringwitness]

...It's the truth. Of why I am a monster, not just wearing the face of one.

[Each word impacts with conviction, yet even her resolute attitude can't hide how fatigued Yasu sounds.]

I thought you should know. So that you understand what you're talking to before we make our gameplan.

[keyringwitness]

The kind that would release a large portion of the monsters in the containment cells when activated. That's all~

stop taking her stuff...!!

[imprefect]

[Okay well, as long as Fret can outlast the freaking out, then maybe he'll get some useful information at the end of this. Nanami joins him in the room while he's still distracted from exploring and leans up against one of the desks, arms crossed.]

So even if I'm not the Prefect anymore, you still want my help with this, huh? ...You're lucky I don't have anything better to do. What are you looking for?

[She hasn't seen the cat just yet, but even the sound of it meowing as it paces around him and the rest of the room is a little unsettling. She can't help but fidget.]

... Did you seriously bring your pet in here, too?

[keyringwitness]

Cross my heart. I never break my promises.

[Not before, and especially not now.]

[temmapathy]

I couldn't listen if I wanted to. [She signs that a little sarcastically, an obvious little pun.]

...you shouldn't have to tell me, if you don't want to. But nothing you say could make me think of you as not human. [Even the people she hates most-she hates them for being human. For being human and choosing to do evil, to not care for others.]

[copycut]

Hm, is that so? [ Her voice is casual, or maybe even disinterested—but with the way her eyes lower toward the envelope, maybe that's a facade of her own. ] But, you know, even if that's true — you're still just you.

[ The sound of the envelope torn cuts through the final syllable. Kuro peels the wax seal back. For a long while, she's quiet, until she finally folds the letter back into its envelope and tucks it inside a pocket. ]

Let me ask you something, Yasu. Is Kakuya the miracle you hoped for?

[copycut]

Well, I'm not about to rule it out, but you're right about it being a risky idea. They'll be ravenous when we let them out... If this fails, do you have any ideas for how to keep them at bay until they calm down?

[hashtagwoof]

UUUUUUUUUGGGGH.

[ Give him a moment to do this double facepalm, it's the only thing saving his life from these horrible puns. ]

... Like, seriously though. I don't know how many layers we'd need to use to make something sturdy enough.

[spychic]

[Anya feels the presence as she's in her room. It's...nothing bad. But she feels it nonetheless - and she imagines the dance studio. The place where that girl was...?

She heads towards it promptly, and then sees the phone.

She toddles over...and picks it up.]

Hello?

Anya is talking.

[hashtagwoof]

[ He hasn't really seen a landline phone used outside of tv shows, but the ringing gets Hunter's attention. Against all rational thought, he goes to answer it. ]

Uh... Hello?

[violence_ensues]

Huh...?

[Adorabat pauses the conversation he's having with Slimy. She looks to the door to her room.]

...Slimy, I'll be right back, okay? Stay here.

[With a quick pet, she heads to leave and head on over to the dance studio. There, she sees a phone. She recognizes it as similar to that one phone Mao Mao used to talk to his mother about Mao Mao's jerk father. She approaches and decides to pick up up.]

Adorabat speaking.

[keyringwitness]

Isn't this Koishi's...

[Oh, this is delightful. 7/10 for presentation, with those few points taken off for not making the destination spooky enough. Regardless, the best moment of Yasu's life came from jumping feetfirst into a meticulously-crafted frightful moment, so she has no hesitation in picking up.]

Hello?

[whimsicalism]

[After a small amount of static, several voices begin speaking at once. You hear the overlap of:]

--Anya-chan?!

Anya???

[And also, somewhere a bit further away:]

Then- hang on, is that a line to the living?!

[spychic]

SHOCK!!!

...

A--Ah....Reika?

Luz, Thomasin, Edward, Valmont, Yuta, Dylan, Jeanne...?

[She rapidfires off the names.]

Are you all here?

[hashtagwoof]

What?!

[ Okay, THIS sure is a thing! ]

Anya, can you put them on speaker?!

[keyringwitness]

This is the land of the living speaking, yes~

[Yasu sounds... nothing like the Yasu most of these people have known, really.]

Oh, right, if Ao is there: Nanami sends her regards. And something with, um, lots of xs and a few os?

[Might as well confirm a theory of hers and sow chaos in one fell swoop.]

[spychic]

...Do you know how to do that with this kind of phone, Hunter...?

[Anya glances at him. She's not sure what to press, but she holds the phone like a lifeline.]

IN THE RIGHT PLACE THIS TIME

[lets_dewey_it]

_{[Suspicious... But... he's walking towards it to pick it up. Axe at his side in case it's a trap.]}

Hello?

MODS HALP

[hashtagwoof]

Uh... Lemme see.

[ He is trying even though he has only used a smartphone before. How recent is this phone's model? ]

[whimsicalism]

[As Hunter is poking around trying to put this old touch tone phone on speaker, he seems to jostle whatever part of it makes the switch. A lot of garbled, excitable speech comes through, overlapping slightly.]

This is Edward, Anya. Do you know me? Are... are you in Ir -

A ghost phone! -

Oh, thank goodness! It's very important that you bring Yasu if at all possible! And paper so that when Emma comes, this can be written -

- A what?!

[imprefect]

[spychic]

....

Why should we bring Yasu? She's....she's being weird right now. The paper Anya can bring, but...

[She glances back.]

Never mind. She's here.

What was that, Edward?

[violence_ensues]

[Adorabat lands and gets out her notebook and a permanent marker.]

I got my notebook. And big bro, are you okay...?

actually, edited to include

[whimsicalism]

[Hunter has enabled the speaker phone! But as the conversation corrals up there:]

RESURRECT US AT ONCE!!

[keyringwitness]

Oh, if this is about Kakuya, I figured her out some time before Jeanne's trial. If anything our relationship has only grown stronger since since then; don't worry, I'm still firmly on the players' side, I'm just more than capable of handling both her and myself.

Not sure about everyone else, though. Speaking of... how is Kakuriyo?