WINTER COMMON ROOM - WEEK 3

[dormheads]

common room.

Similar to the rest of the architecture, the common room in the Winter Dorm is almost more reminiscent of a tea room or parlor that you would find in a manor. A chandelier hangs above, everything in the room glistening in the light that is both welcoming and just a tinge cold. Seating is available for a number of people to gather, adjusting each week to seemingly accommodate a little bit over the number of people assigned to the dorm. A piano doesn't sit too far, and sometimes when the room isn't too full, it's almost like a beautiful classical melody will begin to play itself to make up for the empty space.

Or... is that a showtune...?

Who can say?

This week, we're getting into the holiday spirit! So pop some bubbly, be a little sweet - it's that time of year.

specialty room.

However on the first floor, there's an oddity amidst the serene architecture. One of the rooms opens to a Gaming Lounge, complete with screens that stretch across the entirety of one wall length-wise. Incredible comfortable chairs and couches sit opposite the screen, comfortable enough to steal you away from the outside world for hours upon hours. A series of gaming systems are hooked up to the screens, and a small tower of handhelds sit on a bookcase nearby. Every game you can think of is downloaded and programmed onto each device, though every time you start one up it seems to immediately pull up an otome game or farming simulator. The lighting system changes between a rainbow of colors, and one wall is lined with snacks that are a little less decadent but still just as delicious. The room will adjust based on the needs of the game you play, a wall spinning out to roll out DDR dance pads, virtual reality goggles, or whatever you could need for the ultimate gaming experience.

No, it isn't incredibly reminiscent of Dude Perfect's Game Time Lounge. You're imagining it. (But really, click the link for a better idea of what the room looks like.)

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Please use this as an open post for members of Winter Dorm. You may post top-levels whenever you'd like and go wild. A new post will go up at the start of each week.

Comments

[azuta]

[no.

and she just looks relieved]

Yes. That's the most pertinent piece of information from that.

[steelo]

[ he just looks, like. shook, for a second.

and then he starts to smile, a determined, bright, maybe a little bit feral smile of realization and progress.]

Hell yes. Iris, this is - this is great news. We gotta get the keys. And the dead are trying to get them right now, too, that's - great. Do we know if there are any here on campus we can try and hunt for?

[azuta]

[she shakes her head]

Not from what I can tell.... It may be that Principal Bear is enlisting the students in the Daycare to look for those same keys so that they can restore themselves -

Our threat is likely different, but that's only my theory.

[disreguarded]

[mutters about keys and darkness and kingdom hearts]

If that fuckin' rat is friends with the Bear I'm gonna scream. [...] Do we have any idea of what the threat is?

[steelo]

[ STOP HE MAKES SUCH A FACE ]

Mickey mouse is the alpha rat...

[azuta]

Oh right, the rat.

[she still doesn't get that]

Well.... it depends on what information we've gleaned from the murders, correct? If anyone's received any motivation from them or any hints -

But I also think that there's something to be said about their lack of ability to talk or give acceptable reason, when they are people who would otherwise want to. I'm not sure if it's coercion, hostage, or the compulsion theory....

However I'm of the opinion that while it's wonderful to know those lost can be revived, it would feel circular to bring them back only for them to have a chance of being hurt again.

So I think we ought to divide and conquer.

[disreguarded]

Okay - okay, okay, okay.

[actually beau is just going to like, sit down for a second, and then she immediately crouches instead, like a gremlin, thinking.]

So we have - two different kinds, now, we're working on old information. We thought that they couldn't say it unless forced, but Byleth admitted to Crow of her own volition. So the other two just were... scared, or unwilling to admit, which - fair. Caiman said - he wouldn't...

[one sec.] Caiman said he wouldn't have killed Molly if he'd had the choice. Rupert said something similar.

And then we have the executions, which have people being forced to do stuff. So that's compulsion. But we don't know if that's how it is with the murders.

Actually - Iris, do you know anything about the sleepers?

[azuta]

The sleepers... Ah, the people who are placed outside?

[she crosses her arms at that and tries to think]

.... I know that there's a theory on a pattern presented at trial yesterday, but - I think we'll need to see if it continues to hold. I think there's some overlap to those who are asleep outside, and some other oddities we've noticed.

[a glance to catra, wherever she is, sweet baby]

[disreguarded]

There's some overlap... okay. [she rubs at her face.] I don't know what the overlap could be, though, maybe I'm just not... seeing it. I don't think I've talked to them enough to figure out what it is.

-- This is gonna be a touchy question, so sorry. Or whatever. But did you know about Rupert? Like before he got caught.

[azuta]

[she shakes her head]

It's a reasonable question, and Caleb already beat you to it - I'm not offended.

But... no. No, I did not. [and her expression turns a bit more somber] He didn't tell even me when I'm sworn to student privacy, which is why I think...

There's likely something else at play.

[steelo]

The curse, right? The school spirit one?

[ my theorizing!!!!!!!!! ]

[azuta]

[she nods]

There's been a few instances of that, from what I've heard reported.

[steelo]

[ hmmmm... ]

...I think we need to talk to Byleth-san. That's really gonna be important. Is anyone here really close with her?

[ she's very nice and apparently a murderer but ichiro isn't super close with byleth so. ] Especially because she was able to confess. We had to punch it out of Rupert, and... even when he was with us, there was still stuff he couldn't answer, even though he was hella cooperative. And Kaoruko wouldn't tell us shit. Sally-- Annie, Annie said that there wasn't any reason someone couldn't confess, as far as they knew, either.

[disreguarded]

Well, yeah. Dimitri is. [jabs thumb]

[steelo]

[ I JUST ERASED DIMITRI

anyway he kind of makes a face? not a "oh no" face more like a "holy shit that's a landmine rn" ]

...yeah. I think... if he feels comfortable. But, I think if she can tell us stuff, that might help - it might keep her safe, too.

[disreguarded]

I can talk to her. [blows a kiss to crow but beau really only wanted to kill caiman i'm sorry her morality sucks]

I'm gonna talk to Taichi later, too. I think they're somewhat close.

[repress]

[ he's depressed, not deaf? he's literally right here? anyway, he runs a hand over his face, pushing his hair back for a moment, expression closed off. ]

Beauregard should try, but she did not tell me much. She was as tight-lipped as Rupert.

[supercatty]

. . . I talked with her.

[she isn't as close to Byleth as Dimitri is, of course, but. . .]

She-- [. . .] She couldn't tell me anything. Wouldn't tell me anything.

[. . .]

And she couldn't promise me she wouldn't kill again.

[steelo]

[ ughhh baby girl. ichiro frowns at her, brows knit together, sympathetic. ]

...yeah.

She said Rupert was her "partner", right? So... the two of them had worked together. And she picked up a new partner, too... one of the ones on the list.

Ugh. [ he reaches up and scrubs his face for a second. ] What a shit situation. We gotta figure out how to break people free of that, and without ... you know.

[ killing them, ]

[supercatty]

Break free of-- of what? We don't even know what it is that's making them do this.

[it's not mind control. not as far as Catra can see. but. . . it's some kind of coercion. because to her, neither Rupert nor Byleth are the type of people who would murder for no reason whatsoever]

[steelo]

[ nodding. he feels energized, right now, after hearing that. fuck, this is good. tucking the paper in his pocket, though, he grabs the first aid kit that he absolutely just kind of flung to the ground when they got back and proceeded to starfish, then holds out his hand for hers. please let him bandage you. there are butterfly bandages in a basic first aid kit. ]

Makes sense. The same person that's controlling things, right? Whoever or whatever that is. Makes me wonder who the bear's faxing this to. You guys?

[azuta]

[oh - that's fine. she'll offer her hand out then, a perfectly willing patient. she seems to have reopened one of her cuts from the first week, one that stretches right across her pal]

I think so - if he wanted us to look after you all, it's probably meant to be delivered to myself and...

Riku? Annie? Hugo? Is that correct?

[steelo]

[ nodding. ]

Yeah. [ and smiling, a little, too, because it's nice to hear their names. especially after being in riku's memory fuckhouse on thursday.

he is very patient and good at bandaging her up, grabbing a disinfectant wipe too. ] 's gonna sting. [ and then back to business. ] Think I like those names way better.

[azuta]

[she only makes a small face.... but then it smooths out fast as she steels herself to it

she huffs]

... I think at this point, you've all met them more than I have.

[steelo]

Dude, I swam around in Riku's brain on Thursday. It feels like we're bros.

[ but, joking aside... ] Hey. We're gonna fix that, though. We're gonna get this shit fixed, and then you guys can hang and meet each other as much as you want.

...Does every group get the same information through these things? Do you know if they're buying them consistently - we should be trying to have group meetings, right? Is it safe to do that?