Week 5

[grimgrinningghosts]

[...So that was a mess. All of it was a mess, and things don't look to be improving any time soon. With tensions at an all-time high and conditions worsened, it seems pretty safe to say that this whole week promises a great deal of foreboding atmosphere.

But, hey, things aren't entirely bad. Just as Randall promised, you're now able to leave the Manor! 

Just don't stay out there for too long. There's still a lot of you, and you just can't afford to lose numbers.

24 guests remain]

[SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY]

[OOC: and don't forget to fill out this week's activity check!]

Comments

[upgradeit]

for marco
[Hiro washed Marco's clothes by hand in the sink, because he wasn't sure? If they were dry clean only or not? But also he wasn't about to chance it. They're dry now, though, so it's time to return them. Which is why he spends like two minutes awkwardly standing in front of Marco's door in the morning before knocking.]

Marco? I washed your clothes.

for everyone
[There's something new in the foyer. It's not entirely correct, because Hiro isn't a carpenter or a lacquerware artist, but he's pulled one of the tables to the side sometime last night and set a bunch of small picture frames along one side of it in a half-circle. In the center is a smaller canvas with everyone's names written in slightly illegible, but clearly carefully done cursive. A candle is burning in front of the canvas, because it was the closest thing to incense he could find and he figured that symbolically it was the same thing? It's also why he's set out a mask - Honey Lemon told him about Day of the Dead, once, and he sort of figures the sugar skulls do the same thing as kagami mochi. There's also food left out in front of it - Hiro sort of rotates it whenever he goes to get food for himself, but there's a selection of fruit in a bowl too. Sometimes there's also a glass of juice in front of Jane's picture.

Mostly, aside from catching him at his new project, Hiro can be found in the library. He, uh. He's not a big reader, really? But there's nothing new to map, so he has nothing better to do.]

for kim
[Later on, in their shared room, Hiro is just. Agitated? He feels like he should talk to someone about this, but realistically the person he would be talking to is - well, okay. He doesn't want to talk to Marco about this because it's about Marco. He can't talk to Tadashi about this, because Negaduck sure ruined that. Thanks, Negaduck.

Which leaves . . . Kim.]

Kim? [Oh god what does he even say???] How did you and Tommy get together? I mean - you don't have to tell me if you don't want to! But I was just wondering . . . how you ask people out . . . for, like, purely hypothetical reasons.

[pinkflip]

[ It has been a long day. ...Every day is a long day lately, isn't it? Kim is getting ready to lay down, to rest, maybe go out one more time to--

She is not expecting a question from Hiro, especially one about her most recent relationship, particularly since he knows she's not really over it. At all. The result is she turns to him on the mattress so fast she almost rolls right off it, squeaking in surprise. ]

H- Hiro, uh- why would you- wanna know something like that?

[upgradeit]

No - no reason! [This was a mistake.] It's just. You know! Puberty. Hormones. Haha. Ha.

[pinkflip]

W-well- [ recover, kimberly, you can do this- ] It...our circumstances were a little, um...different than most people's, Hiro, I- I don't know exactly how much it can help you with your...puberty.

[ why did you have to start the conversation like that. why. any other way she could've rolled with. ]

[upgradeit]

[This is what happens when you have no friends except your brother for 90% of your life - you lack all semblance of social skills.]

I mean. It's just - you had a boyfriend, and you're the only person I know who's had a boyfriend? So I was just. Wondering about boyfriends. [Here he is, digging himself deeper.] Versus, you know. Friends. Who are boys?

[pinkflip]

I've had other boyfriends than-- [ Wait. Gears spinning in her head. Especially considering the other conversation about relationships she's had with a teenage boy today. ] ...Hiro, is there... Is there a boy you...like?

[upgradeit]

No. No, why would you think there's a boy I like?

[Hiro, you literally said "boyfriend" like four times instead of "girlfriend" or "partner." You're not subtle.]

I don't - who would I even like that's a boy? Every boy here is super gross and terrible, except for Marco.

[pinkflip]

[ Kim's eyes go wide. She has had too much relationship talk today and she's ascended, honestly. ]

Oh my god, you have a crush on Marco!

[ this is probably not how he anticipated this going. ]

henlo i am mark

[nachosquire]

[Fortunately, or unfortunately, for the both of them, Marco was awake.. hours before Hiro came knocking on his door. He's barely been able to get a wink of sleep since the trial and all that, and he was just now kind of sitting on his bed staring into space so he welcomes the distraction, honestly.]

Hiro?

[Marco answers the door, peeking out at him for a minute before he opens it up more, looking a little bit embarrassed ngl.]

You didn't have to do that... you didn't even have to return them if you didn't feel like it.

[upgradeit]

I told you I was going to - I even hand-washed them because I was worried they'd get all messed up if I put them in the washing machine. [He hopes that comes off as smug instead of Trying Too Hard.] Oh - but I used the mask for my shrine. You can have it back, if you want, but I figured you probably weren't going to use it.

[nachosquire]

[That totally reads as Trying Too Hard, but it's also weirdly sweet at the same time? ???????

Either way, Marco takes his clothes back, and gives Hiro a little bit of a shrug in response.]

I dunno what month it even is anymore, and I doubt we'll have time to celebrate anything with y'know... everything that's been going on.

[upgradeit]

I don't think it's near Halloween, despite the decor. I feel like Randy would have mentioned if it was. [Probably would've made them all wear costumes.] That doesn't really narrow it down, though.

[nachosquire]

Yeah, "doesn't seem like Halloween" reaaally doesn't narrow it down at all.

[Marco lets out a bit of a dry laugh at that, and he moves to go put his clothes on his bed, assuming Hiro would follow him inside since he just y'know. Left his door wide open.]

I mean I came here, like, right after Christmas but there are people who came here from the past so time and order just don't matter any more I guess.

[upgradeit]

It was, uh. [Good thing Hiro has a valid excuse for not knowing the exact date!!! Because I sure don't know it either!!!!] September? Maybe?

I think this dimension just operates on different rules of spacetime.

[nachosquire]

How long have we even been in here? A couple of weeks? God, I don't even know what day it is!

[Marco lets out a groan, and he flops down on his bed next to his clothes, moving to lay on his back.]

It's probably, like, Thursday right? It feels like a Thursday.

[athleticallyinclined]

[ Even Gaston can recognize a shrine when he sees one. Not to mention a young man in need of a role model.

He comes up behind Hiro and claps him on the shoulder, gazing at the carefully arranged pictures and assortment of tokens. ]

Ah, the past. So hard to let go...

[upgradeit]

[Oh. It's Gaston.]

Yeah, sometimes. [It's fine, his dead brother doesn't consume his waking thoughts or anything.] Moving on is always a process.

[athleticallyinclined]

[ Lucky you. ]

Yes, yes...

[ He's already losing interest in the shrine. ]

All those...people...that were here...and now they're not...

[ And we? Miss them? Is that how it works?? ]

[upgradeit]

Did you . . . need something? Like, from me. Specifically.

[He doesn't really get why Gaston is talking to him?? He's willing to talk to Gaston now, though, because at least Gaston is. Well, there's been Improvement so maybe he's not totally irredeemable? That's something, at least.]

[athleticallyinclined]

The question, my boy, is what you need from me.

[ LOOK HOW SELFLESS HE'S BEING, it's amazing. He claps Hiro on the back hard enough to make him stumble. ]

Look at you, a strapping young lad. It's time to stop mourning the past and start looking to your future!

[upgradeit]

My . . . future? [He doesn't follow, sorry.] In this murder house?

Foyer

[scrapplinghook]

[Mabel's been kind of subdued lately. All the death seems to be taking its toll on her, but even though she's not jumping around anymore, there's still a smile on her face as she gets closer to see what Hiro's up to.]

What's all this?

[upgradeit]

It's a shrine. When people die, you put up a photo of them and leave food or other things to make sure they get to where they're going.

[You can also pray to them for good luck and stuff, but he thinks that might be weird to explain so.]

[scrapplinghook]

What d'you mean? How can people get lost when they die?

[upgradeit]

Oh, uh. It's a weird Buddist thing - when you're walking the path to your next life, you can get lost if living people don't pray for you. I mean - not that most of the people here are Buddhist, but they're going somewhere, right?

[They know for a fact that they're in Hell, soooooo. That's a thing.]