notagain | WEEK ZERO: ARRIVAL

ARRIVAL

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PASSENGERS: 41

You know how the story goes by now. One minute you’re somewhere familiar, and the next you’re suddenly somewhere else. Unlike previous times before, the source of your rude awakening isn’t a mystery. A harsh jostle causes your body to lunge forward as a tire jumps over a pot hole in the road. Try as you might, it’s hard to ignore the steady thrumming of an engine and the gentle sway beneath you. The faint scent of gasoline seems to waft from the outside, but as you look around you’ll notice that the windows are locked, tinted, and impossible to see through. Likewise, the door ahead of you appears to be locked as well.

Perhaps the scent is your imagination…?

Regardless, though the lighting is a tad dim, it becomes apparent that you’re inside a large bus dotted with the occasional seat and amid a jumble of other bodies. The people you were last with may be among your fellow passengers. Perhaps they are not. But worry not; there’s plenty of time to look around and get to know one another on this long, strange trip. It may even be wise to examine the staircase at the other end of the bus. Who knows what awaits you on the other floors?

Ah, but before you move too far it may be best to assess the situation. On the bright side, any injuries you incurred have been healed! Isn't it nice to have your limbs in place again? Miracles happen. But...what happened to your clothes? You’re fairly certain you weren't wearing this t-shirt before...and what's with the denim shorts? Maybe you were fortunate enough to get the knee-length version, but for those of you waking up in bootyshorts...well, we're sure you look great! And what better way to tie the whole look together than white socks and tan sandals? At least you'll be comfortable for the ride.

Lucky for you, your new threads aren't the only gift you'll receive upon waking up. Attached to your waist is a high-quality bag filled with some fun goodies for every passenger! For those of you who unzip your bag to check its contents, you will find:

-Dry shampoo
-Wet wipes
-Deodorant
-Travel pack of toilet paper
-Travel toothbrush + toothpaste
-Poncho
-A stylish travel guide

No other items are on your person at this time, even if you were holding onto it as you began your previous departure. That's a bit troublesome, isn't it? Not really; it's still a bus. Be grateful for the extra elbow room, alright?

Oh, and one last thing...on the wrist of every passenger is a small, equally fashionable white scrunchie. Not your style? Perhaps it's a good idea to give the travel guide another read.

Searching the bus from top to bottom will net zero results in the way of an escape. All of the windows are similarly tinted and locked, and the only exit door appears to be the one on the first level that can't be opened at this time.

But hey. You're all old pros at this, right? You know what to do next! Get to know the people around you, trade stories with your fellow passengers, and...well. Buckle up for the bumpy ride ahead.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

-- Akira?

[ WHAT. hello?? she's mid throwing a sandal from the floor over like, five feet away. ]

Wait, Akira? Is that you?

[!!!!]

B-- Beau??

[his gaze snaps towards her, eyes wide]

[. . . and then he falls over. DRAMATICALLY]

Nooooooo I'm a cloooooone. . .

[ oh thank god he recognizes her. ]

Wh - what? [ AKIRA THIS IS NO TIME FOR... THIS ] The fuck do you mean, you're a clone -- are you okay?

[yep this is the Akira she knows]

I'm kidding. I'm not a clone.

[pushes himself up again]

But I don't think I'd use the word "okay" to describe the state of my being right now.

[ ... she just lays back on the floor. she's still holding her sandal. ]

Me either - we were supposed to go home, right? What the fuck is this, is it a ship?

It's-- [hang on. he pauses to glance around, taking in their surroundings and the amount of people who are here with them]

A bus? A mobile camper. . . ?

[ there are so many people... she goes ahead and crawls over to him to sit closer. blues kids gotta stick together. ]

... What's a bus.

[scoots a bit closer to her as well, because in a situation like this, familiarity means a lot!!]

You know what horse-pulled carriages are, right?

Imagine that but bigger and it moves without horses.

Oh. [ she frowns. ] Okay, I'd ask you how, but like, I think we have bigger problems.

Do you have any of the portals on you? Probably not, right.

Bigger problems being, "this is not the going home we were promised?"

[his mouth twitches and he sounds a bit wry. he is absolutely much less calm than he was the first time he woke up after being kidnapped]

And no. . . I don't. I don't have-- [his hand trails to his neck, grasping at something that isn't there] I don't have anything I had on me when we left.

I don't either. [ her mouth works. ] I can't use my ki, either.

[ which is familiar and she hates it. ] Fuck. Akira, what happened. We won already, man, where'd we end up?

[there's a pause before Akira speaks, his eyes slipping shut, like he's focusing]

And I can't summon my Personas.

[which is. . . a bit weird considering he could summon them JUST FIVE MINUTES AGO, BACK AT THE MANSION!!!]

I don't-- I don't know, Beau. It can't be the house, it can't be Blue or the sisters.

[but who is to say the monster mansion was the only being capable of mass kidnappings on this level. . .?]

I don't think it was Blue or the sisters either, they wouldn't do this shit to us. [ carefully, she reaches to grab his wrist to just hold onto it. ]

If we beat the mansion's ass only to end up in the mouth of another monster, I'm gonna lose my fucking mind.

[blinks a little, gaze flickering down towards where her fingers curl around his rest. there's a pause, but. . . he rests his free hand on top of hers]

. . . that'll make two of us.

[he was in the middle of celebrating their victory come on]

[ big, heavy sigh. ]

Okay. Okay, okay, okay. We're fine, we can do it again. [ she shoulderchecks him, gently. ] We can fucking break shit and be fucking mad for a while, and then go another round. You and me and everybody else.

[. . . another huffed noise of amusement, because-- well. she's right. of course she's right. not an ounce of Akira doubts her]

[it's just. . .]

Of course we can do it again. If a horror house can't keep us down, then whoever owns this bus can't, either.

[tilts his chin up, smiling softly]

. . . I just hate that we even have to.

Yeah. Me too, dude. [ deep breath. ] I kind of just wanted to go home.

Fuck, there's a lot of people here.

Yeah.

There are more people here than in the mansion, though not by much.

I guess we started with a bunch there, yeah. [ she frowns. ] We should try to grab all of the mansion kids and keep them together.

Mmm. I agree.

[but]

But we can't shut out everyone who isn't from the mansion, either. Separating into groups will just make things harder.

You're right, I just mean, like - we've got Chuuya and Dazai, we should keep an eye on them.

[ she is more concerned about the OTHER groups, their own is a disaster squad ]

[. . . . . . . . oh god]

Chuuya won't hurt anyone. I guarantee it.

[he. he hopes. he will MAKE SURE IT IS SO]

But you do have a point. Our group is kind of. . .

[. . . wags a hand]

Chuuya made a paper die with like six people he was willing to kill and left it as evidence, Akira, that boy needs a fucking leash.

[ SHE HAS NOT FORGOTTEN THIS because nie huaisang was on that die. :unamused: ]

But. Yeah. Here, me and you - we'll look out for all of them and keep them on the straight and narrow, how about that. [ pinky promise! ]

here

WEEK ZERO: ARRIVAL

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