( MINGLE - WEEK 2 )

[abhoth]

SURVIVORS: 40 The sun is shining, the air conditioner units hum as they always do, and a gentle morning breeze blows against the windows. The scent of pine cones and evergreen follow you wherever you go in the motel, save for the parking lot and outdoor pool. It seems like someone was very generous with the detergent while moping the floors. The two grandfather clocks (one on each floor) will ring with each passing hour, indicating the time of day without fail. With this knowledge — they'll note the motel will continue to be surrounded by fog until 8:00 AM on the dot. It is at that hour that the fog will begin to recede. Not enough to reveal the whole city, but enough to allow residents to explore some of the buildings surrounding the motel. And speaking of the motel, it seems like the Storage room has unlocked itself overnight. How quaint. Welcome to Week 2's mingle, everyone! As of this week, we are now accepting murder proposals. If you're interested in having your character murder someone this week, please send in your proposal before Tuesday, 9:00 PM EST. We'll be contacting you on plurk over the week to finalize the details, or ask for rescheduling if necessary. As always, feel free to PM us or send us a PP over plurk if you have any questions! ( quick navigation ) ic rulebook | locations | statuses | room assignments private conversations | ic profiles | graveyard | full navigation

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[frizziest]

ONE ― KITCHEN, MONDAY MORNING.

[ it should be clear by now that Akira plans on making this morning coffee thing into a routine. while he likely makes coffee every day, he doesn't make enough to share unless it's the beginning of the week. apparently he is only kind and considerate every now and then?

whatever is the case, he's back at it again on Monday. people familiar with the scent of brewing coffee will notice that it's not as strong or pleasant as normal. it's actually... burnt, almost, as if the brew has been left on for far too long. if anyone steps into the kitchen to make sure there's an attendee, they will indeed find Akira is there. he just so happens to be sitting down on a stool, staring off distantly with no glasses on and a lovely black eye decorating his face. might be in your best interests to remind him to take it off the stove if you want half-decent coffee. ]

TWO ― LAUNDRY ROOM, TUESDAY EVENING.

[ the creepy, faceless men do a good job at cleaning the linens on Saturday, but that doesn't matter much if you spill coffee on the sheets after the fact. Akira's first mistake is thinking he should be fine drinking in the bed, and the second one for pretending that he can focus on such a task when he's got whispers occurring inside of his head. with the tentagent™ (tentacle'd gentleman, aka Craftly) blessing him with a brand new pair of glasses, he hauls his comforter and the sheets underneath to the laundry room to scrub them out to the best of his ability.

whether there are other people in the laundry room or someone that just so happens to be walking by, Akira shoots them a look as if they had been talking to him this entire time. he frowns with Immense Disappointment before replying quietly in return to something no one had actually said: ]

... Stop telling me that I'm too tired to be be doing anything. I can stay awake as long as I want...

THREE ― IN/AROUND ROOM #116, WEDNESDAY EVENING.

[ there's going to be several things here that will be weird to see Akira taking part of. firstly, you may be catching him in the process of dragging one of the mannequin torso's out from the storage room, dragging it alllll the way back to the rooming area to place inside his specifically. or maybe you're lucky to not see the strange occurrence and will just notice the aforementioned mannequin popping in and out of view from the blinds of room #116's window. when it's covered, it's nothing but a silhouette of what seems to be someone standing behind it. when it's pulled to the side, it is very clear it's a mannequin with a pair of glasses that looks awfully like that of Akira's, cracked lens and all.

if you're morbidly curious enough to want to figure out what the hell he's doing, or you're just trying to walk to your room when you see his door open and take a peek inside, you will find Akira ducking back and forth across his room. the mannequin is being placed in several positions, from sitting in a chair facing the window and facing away, leaning against the wall like a cool dude and even. planking. feel free to ask what the heckie is going on. i mean, if you want. ]

wednesday

[thawedheart]

[Her room is right next door to his, there's... no way she wasn't going to notice this. Mostly because she's going to open her door to step out just as he's dragging the mannequin past it, since her room is between his and the storage room.]

...um... Akira-san?

[She's so confused.]

Do... you need help carrying that?

[frizziest]

[ ah, drats. he's been caught red-handed. Akira was surely hoping he would get setup inside his room before anyone was able to take notice, but he should have expected Yukina of all people would be perceptive enough to see the not-so-subtle view of him hauling a mannequin up a flight of stairs and towards his room.

this is the part where he feels flustered, partly because he isn't buff like these other guys in Yuggoth and has actually worked up a bit of a sweat trying to transport it. he lets out a bit of a breathless laugh when he sets the torso down to the floor, wiping his shaggy hair with the back of his hand. ]

Hi, Yukina-san. You're not going to... heh, ask what I'm doing with it first?

[thawedheart]

Um...

[Well. It's true that she's curious, but it's also true that it's not really her place to pry. As long as he's not hurting anyone, Akira ought to be free to do what he wants, even if that means doing things that she really, really doesn't understand. He doesn't owe her an explanation.]

To go to the trouble of bringing that here... you must have some reason for it. If you want to tell me what that is, you can do that after we get it where you want it.

[frizziest]

It's okay to be curious, you know. I think we're all allowed to ask questions if the situation arises.

[ and after this past weekend, Akira would like to think the situation has arisen. Yukina is a trusting individual and he isn't about to fault her for that considering his mindset is not different in the slightest. at least he's flattered that she doesn't think he is about to drop this on someone from the second floor to kill them. that's Good. ]

Okay. If you don't mind, you can grab the other end. [ no, not the butt. the stand that keeps the actual mannequin secure. ] I'm taking it back to my room.

[thawedheart]

[Yukina smiles and reaches down for the mannequin's stand, getting a good grip on it before lifting it up. Many hands make light work, as they say.]

Oh, believe me, I'll ask a lot of questions once we're in your room.

[...she says, innocently.]

monday;

[rextenebrae]

[ Indeed, Knoll steps into the kitchen on Monday, and he sees the sorry state -- of Akira, of what might've been possibly-decent coffee. Knoll has little experience in the art of "modern technology", but at the very least manages to shut off the fire and move the brew to the counter. ]

... Akira?

[ May as well try to retrieve him from dreamland first. ]

[frizziest]

Hm?

[ Akira doesn't fully acknowledge Knoll's presence immediately. he understands someone else is in the kitchen. he even gets that it is probably someone he knows, if the familiar-sounding voice is of any indication. there's still no rush for him to gather his bearings and join the other man in more than a physical sense, and only when the stove is shut off and the pot hits the counter does he snap back into reality.

with a few blinks, he looks up to the other man with a brief expression of surprise, as if taken aback by how lost he had been. a few more moments follow and he realizes what has happened to the coffee. ]

... I'm sorry. I hope you were able to salvage the coffee before it was too late.

[rextenebrae]

It's alright. I think I've managed to... possibly.

[ The dark mage takes one awkward pause, not exactly knowing what to do for the moment. Then, he'll be looking from Akira and then back to the coffee. He begins to fiddle with the brew, before just leaving it. ]

You... you don't look well. And does that injury of yours still hurt?

[frizziest]

Ah, well. If you're to enjoy coffee for the long-term, it's best you get used to a less-than-superb brew.

[ that's how most coffee usually is, after all. Akira isn't very happy with neglecting something he took the time to put on the oven himself, but he isn't going to show that. he merely rubs at the back of his neck for a moment, also looking at the abandoned percolator before glancing back towards Knoll. ]

I don't? Hm. [ his lips purse to show that he is almost surprised to hear that. it's not often that he allows himself to show his emotion so plainly. ] It only hurts when I forget it's there. Don't worry about me.

How about you make me a cup this time around, Knoll-san? I would appreciate it.

[rextenebrae]

In a situation like this, I know of naught else but worry.

[ The dark mage's words were but a murmur, mostly to himself, but he didn't press--it was evident that it was simply a result of this place taking its toll on him. Sometimes, it was wise to leave those things be.

Then, he nods at the request. The brew had already been finished in the pan, so all he basically needed to do was pour it out into a cup. His movements are careful and slow, as he always was, like he preferred. Still, it was the first time he'd be giving coffee, instead of taking it. ]

... How sweet would you like it?

wednesday

[nowyouseeit]

[. . . I. . .]

[stares at this sight through the open door, a book tucked underneath his arm]






Trying to make new friends, Kurusu?

[why is he still. so. weird]

[frizziest]

[ Kaito has caught Akira in quite the precarious position. the torso is on its back, laying on his bed with his tall, slender frame hovering above it at the edge. if the mannequin had a full set of limbs... well. it doesn't look pretty now, so imagine how it would be then. ]

I don't befriend inanimate objects. That would be weird.

[ he says this as he adjusts his glasses on the fake person's head, even reaching forward to wipe the one good lens with his sleeve. ]

[nowyouseeit]

[. . . . . . . . . . . . Akira]

Uh huh. I thought we established that you're pretty weird, though.

[steps. inside??? the room?? even though he's not invited?? rude, Kaito. he can't help it. he's curious]

So what are you doing?

[frizziest]

We did? I don't recall that. I'd like to think I'm relatively normal.

[ once again, this is said as he trails a single finger down the chiseled figure of mannequin-san. he turns to look at Kaito properly just as he invites himself in.

if Monocle happens to look more at the actual mannequin instead of Akira, he will notice that there seems to be a signature of sorts on the one good lens of his glasses. it's D.Va's logo, makeshift bunny and all. ]

I'm trapping my room. It's... a work in progress.

[nowyouseeit]

[with sarcasm dripping from every word]

Says the guy trying to invite a mannequin to bed with him.

[Akira please stop hitting on the mannequin it's kind of awkward?? and his gaze is drawn towards the autograph on those glasses, but it only lingers a second before it returns to Akira]

I'd ask what kinda traps you're using, but if you told people it'd probably defeat the purpose of the trap in the first place. [ha]

monday

[ungodly]

[ heather hated the kitchen. she hated it because it was a place she had to go to every day. she had to eat, she had to get water — it was the perfect place for something terrible to happen. the smell of burnt coffee was almost enough for her to try to stave off her hunger for the day, but she decided to venture in despite her anxiety.

of course it's fucking akira. ]

Whoa, did I get totally low-balled with the whole coffee-curry combo favor?

[frizziest]

[ ah fuck

Akira's quicker to accept her presence if only because he distinctly recalls offering both coffee and curry to only one person in the inn so far. he shakes his head to get himself out of his mental rut before looking to Heather. it takes a moment to realize what she seems to be complaining about, but then his nose picks up on the scent of the coffee and he lets out a gasp. ]

Dammit― [ jumping up to his feet, he runs over to the percolator to quickly pull it off of the stove, probably burning his fingers in the process. with a hiss of discomfort, Akira looks up to her with a resounding sigh of acceptance that he Fucked Up. ] Of all times for you to run into me in the kitchen, you had the luck of picking today. Sorry about that.

[ungodly]

Wha—

[ this is all so extra. she didn't mean to scare him, at least not to the degree that he hurt himself, so she's getting a cup and filling it with cold water for him. ]

Pour this on your fingers, idiot! [ and she's shoving the cup at him. it'd be better if they had some lidocaine or aloe, but this would at least feel like it was taking some heat off. ] Look, I don't care about that. You don't have to be worried about making me curry and coffee. I'm not really sure how those two things go together anyway. Sounds like.. putting 7-Up in Fruity Pebbles.

[frizziest]

Hey.

[ he says this with the biggest :( you can imagine. don't call him an idiot, Heather. that makes him sad and he is already sad as is. please don't think that means he's so stubborn that he will ignore Heather as she offers the cup. his fingers are dipped into the water for momentary relief, and Akira lets out a sigh as the throbbing in his digits begins to settle. ]

It didn't have to be together, you know. [ but what the hell is she going on about. that sounds like a soda he gets from one of the vending machines in school. and fruity pebbles... well. ] That doesn't sound so bad. If that's what I think it is, that's a citrus carbonated drink, right? Citrus is fruit, so...

[ungodly]

Are those just the only things you can make?

[ she's starting to feel like she's grilling him too hard, but akira was an easy enough target. and he seemed like the type to go along with it. she made a mental note to lay off him a little. ]

I mean, I guess, but that seems like too much of one thing. It's bad for the flavor profile, or whatever they say on those cooking shows. [ she left out the part about how they don't cook with citrus soda and kids cereal on those shows. ] But, um.. sorry for calling you an idiot. I think this week's gonna be kinda hard for me.

tuesday

[willremember]

[ Not that Clementine looks any better rested, but she comes to set a hand on his shoulder. ]

It's fine to rest, even if you don't sleep.

[frizziest]

[ the hand on his shoulder is surprising, to say the least. Akira is the last one to complain about physical comfort, but when his mind is telling him there is a cat beckoning for him to not stay up too late, he doesn't expect it. after jolting briefly, he reaches up to touch Clementine's hand, if only to make sure at least that was real. ]

Heh. I'm sorry. I've been... hearing things as of late. Besides, it's hard to rest on a messy bed.

[willremember]

[ that sort of - startles her, and noticeably. she tenses up and her hand twitches. but she relaxes again, and doesn't pull away from it.

she just... nods at the hearing things comment. yeah that... part... sucks. ]

But you could ask for help so that this is done sooner. That way you can rest.

[frizziest]

[ they're both allowed the opportunity to become startled and jump, he's sure. from what Clementine's told him about where she's come from, he can only imagine that she is... picky about who she lets touch her. the fact that she isn't hitting him upside the head may be telling. ]

Everyone has their own problems to be concerned with. I wouldn't ask for help just to finish it faster. [ he squeezes her hand just once more before pulling away, all so he can turn to face her outright. ] You're probably in the laundry room to tend to yours, I'm sure.