afflictionmods | CYOA

good morning.

[ At 6am, you wake up to the sounds of birds chirping and the morning sun shining on you. It's warm, and it feels like an ordinary morning...but your surroundings are far from familiar to you. They're pretty new, actually, especially considering that you are without a roommate. It's your turn for a(nother) strange adventure.

Unlike those from last week – Marcus would know – you are not in a shared bed. In fact, each of you are in a different room. The room looks like a studio apartment, and your studios are of varying flavors, ranging from the mundane to ones with more splashes of color.

Each of you also wake up with a cellphone. Turning it on will not yield anything except for a contacts list...with all of your names on it. You can call each other, send each other messages and so on so forth, but it just seems like it's only you four on this phone. ]

Edited 2022-07-03 16:01 (UTC)

[ This is the worst. He's being waken up at 6 am and Fai isn't sleeping next to him. All he has is a cell phone and after looking at who's on the list, he squints and puts them in a group text: ]

where the fuck are we now

[ He's going back to sleep. Goodbye—no, someone please wake him up. ]

Why are you asking me? I don't have any idea either.

[It's... okay, it's both nice and also a little weird to wake up without Phantom clinging to him, but that's something he can unpack later.]

[ Chongyun had planned on waking up at 6 AM anyway, but it's a real shame he wakes up to more unknown technology (the heckie is a cellphone??) and not Xingqiu. It's like a puppy waiting to greet its owner, but getting confused by the sound of technology pinging instead. That is him; he is the puppy and also the most confused.

He eventually figures out that it's just a smaller version of their tablets, which... okay... he can work with that, probably... ]

I don't know, but I don't like this. I promised Xingqiu we would be together through everything from now until forever, and now I am here and not there with him.

[ small blessings that sabo has gotten used to cellphones by now as hes had to deal with them due to having given away his tablet to kyle a few weeks ago. but, unfortunately, being awake without ace nearby is not welcomed given his nightmares last week. not in the slightest. please. why does this have to happen.... ]

and i suppose it's just the four of us here?

[ yes, this is four gays separated from their partner and they are not pleased by it in varying degrees. ]

Edited 2022-07-03 16:43 (UTC)

i guess its another impromptu field trip
thought we were done with these with the orbs

[ All this is totally normal! Hien decides to get up and tries to walk out the door. Coffee would be great, but he wants to see where he is. ]

[Marcus is already out of bed and checking out the room-- does it bear any obvious similarities to the house from last week?]

Guess that would've been too much to hope for. At least this one seems innocent enough...

[Famous last words.]

Edited 2022-07-03 17:17 (UTC)

[ Is the door even unlocked?? How do people type and walk??? How do people type and do anything. Already struggling at 6 AM.

Chongyun has to pick between typing and trying for the doorknob. One first and then the other. ]

One final FINAL lesson, I see...

[ Also, does he have his claymore on him? Checking his back! Sometimes these things weigh nothing at all. ]

[ lets hope marcus' words are not famous or last. though sabo will be going to the window and taking a look outside. would it be familiar to anything that he/they have seen before? or, well, have anything identifiable?

but hang in there chongyun... sabo might be a bit distracted but he'll be good at responding. for now. ]

one that won't require anything too taxing from us, hopefully as well.
is there anything noteworthy about where you've all ended up?

[ Hien walks out...and he'll see that they're in some kind of apartment complex-like area. There are neighboring doors -- and no, this doesn't look like Week 6's place at all -- and Chongyun will get the same result as Hien. They're all in the building.

For Sabo, he'll see more buildings behind him. More apartments, it seems like. It's nice and sunny outside (though the sun is still rising), though this place doesn't seem entirely familiar. The way the structures are built, though, indicates that they're still in Estelline, sadly. ]

[ When Hien turns his head, he sees Chongyun. ]

... Huh. Hey, Chongyun.

[ He looks at him for a while and then the two more doors near them. ]

I'm guessing Marcus and Sabo are in these two rooms then. I hope things don't start dissolving into the void again...

it just seems like a normal apartment complex

[By now Marcus too has gotten up and made his way to the door, which he's going to be opening cautiously just in case, though the fact that he can hear Hien and Chongyun's voices out in the hall is a promising enough sign.]

Yo. Present and accounted for.

I bid you good morning, Hien and Marcus. [ As good as it gets around here, as in... it's not a bad morning yet. But as always, it's good to see a familiar face or two! He notices Hien's lingering look and tilts his head, curious. ] Is there something on my face?

[ Not morning drool, he hopes... Then the phone naturally pings when Hien types, and Chongyun startles a little. It's a strange experience to be able to talk with someone face-to-face and read their... well, their letters being sent out to to him and everyone else at the same time. Wild... ]

We're in the hallway if you'd would like to join us.

[ last to arrive is sabo since he'll be taking that peek out from the window. it is a bit of a mixed blessing that they're still seemingly in estelline, to be honest, but no time for any other thoughts as the phone chimes.

he'll exit his apartment (apparently) in short order with a bit of a smile. ]

If only all of my invitations to go somewhere could be as polite.

[ and giving everyone a quick look over. no one arrived funny, right? ]

I'm not sure how much you've all seen so far, but it looks like we're still in Estelline.

[ No one looks funny, no. So far, everyone seems to be as they usually are.

They go outside...and the four of them will notice something funny.

Their marks start to glow. Only for one or two seconds, though, before they go back to just being regular old marks again. Also, they'll notice that everything still seems empty despite there being people coming back this week. ]

[ Hien waves at the other two a little and shakes his head no to Chongyun's question. Forget about it! Hien was definitely bracing himself for pain when the marks glowed though, but when it doesn't come, he heaves a sigh of relief. ]

Let's check things out.

[ By that, he goes to check each and every door to see if it's unlocked. If it's locked, he'll simply move on. Maybe there will be something weird inside one of the residences! ]

[Marcus, meanwhile, is going to be checking out the hall. So what floor are they on here? How big does this building seem to be? Anything particularly interesting about the hall itself?]

[ ?

Tugging up his sleeve to see that his mark is glowing, too. ]

Are the marks reacting to something? [ But not the usual pain since he doesn't feel any. What did the spirit at the mall say? Something about a dark energy, right? ] We should tread carefully.

[ He'll leave his sleeve rolled up, so he can keep track of the mark. While Hien checks the doors and Marcus focuses on the hallway, Chongyun will examine the small-tablet-phone-thing he received. They must carry them for a reason. Any distinct markings on the phone? Perhaps a phone number on the back to contact the maker to file a complaint?? ]

[ sabo will also brace himself for any incoming pain given his last experience with it glowing and he is very relieved when nothing comes. the last time was less than great, and much like chongyun, sabo will roll up both of his sleeves to his elbow to keep the mark visible. ]

At least they didn't end up hurting us this time.

[ and as hien goes to test all of the doors, marcus checks the hall, and chongyun checks out his new phone, sabo will decide to go the opposite direction of marcus (if there is anything to see that way) or otherwise just join him depending on what he finds. ]

[ Hien tries to unlock each door, but everything else is locked other than their doors.

As for Marcus' question, they appear to be on the third floor! There are five floors total and there's nothing super notable about the hallway otherwise. Sabo will get the same result.

There isn't a distinct marking on the phones, but Chongyun's phone case looks like this. I make no apologies. Taking off the case, though, will just show him a very blank backside.

Something suddenly crunches, though, on the ground floor beneath them. Since it's so empty, the sound of it can be heard from where they are now. ]

[ When Hien hears that crunch, he immediately goes to the person nearest him. ]

Sounds like something broke...

Yeah. Something or someone.

[Marcus is immediately on edge. Whatever that sound was, it didn't sound good, and it almost guarantees they aren't alone in here. Who knows whether whatever-it-is this time will be as friendly as Lethe?]

I don't think I need to say we should probably go check that out.

Below us, right? So we're looking for a stairway.

[ He looks around for a sign pointing to where they can locate one. ]

... It's highly likely they - or it - already knows we're here.

[ An invitation or bait... ]

Well there's nothing this way.

[ unless there is then i'm a liar, but for now he'll look at the ground beneath their feet. sure there might have sounded like a crunch but hopefully that crunch wasn't actually under their feet??? ]

Should we come up with something to say before we go say "hi"?

[ like maybe not seek violence from the start?? sometimes it's okay to ask questions before hitting things. ]

[ There are two stairways on both ends of the hallway: to your right and two your left. Take your pick.

The crunch is coming from the ground floor, but you aren't able to see it from where you are. ]

Edited 2022-07-03 23:16 (UTC)

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