Week Two

[stagemanagers]

[Last week, no murder happened! Instead, a lot of students started work on Salieri's school play, which sounds pretty cool even though it's gonna be short, several people destroyed Bigfoot and got a few mysterious clues, and Orpheus started a fire in the kitchen! All in all, not a bad first week!

Though some people might have gone to talk to Hester, she hasn't made any more public announcements. There's some new papers posted up around the cafeteria, but it looks like it's just your upcoming lunch schedule. Seems like nothing's driving you towards Rule Five except, perhaps, all of the kidnapping and how criminally boring some of you are finding the school. Maybe the Balladeer is right, and you really can just wait this out? Only time will tell!]


Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday

(( No new locations this week, since y'all haven't paid in blood! Hester's office hours are still open, as are regains! Make sure to complete your first activity check by Tuesday! ))

Comments

[stagemanagers]

[This week, you aren't going to be able to get into the cryptid club early; the band room is actually closed up and locked this morning! Hope no one was dying to practice any instruments or anything.

Come noon, though, the door will be unlocked and you can all come inside. Welcome to the Cryptid Host Club! Activities here include:

- Tea and sandwiches served at several small refreshment tables by a shadowy winged presence with huge, glowing red eyes that you only see in your peripheral vision. Don't worry, he's just shy.
- Therapy pets! They're jackalopes, but they are very soft and friendly. Maybe you all need these, after yesterday.
- Ballroom dancing lessons hosted by the Frogmen! They are bright green, hobbit-sized frog creatures in suits. You can try talking to them, but they only croak - and also they're extremely cute so don't be mean to them!

Have fun at your new random bizarre school club, guys! All of this will disappear by tomorrow - the things in the room within a couple hours, if no one stays at the club meeting longer than that, and anything carried out will be gone in the morning.]

(( Anyone who makes a toplevel that includes club attendance may also receive a random boon or sabotage! ))

THERAPY

[violentenvies]

[Well this whole thing is...well, it certainly has an Alice in Wonderland feel to it, doesn't it? It's very much not what Salieri was expecting but to be honest, he's not sure what he expected anyway.

The first thing that catches his eye is the Jackalopes. Salieri approaches them with a bit of caution, but once it becomes obvious that they're friendly and more than willing to be petted, he winds up eventually sat at one of the tables with a cup of tea, several sandwiches, and a Jackalope seated in his lap, getting white-brown fur all over his very black clothing. He seems unbothered by this, however, just...sitting and petting that rabbit-like creature and making sure he doesn't get poked by those horns]

[whatyouwant]

[Aside from how freaky this all is, Elle is actually having a pretty good time. She's sitting with a jackalope in her lap when the shadowy prescence deposits a cup of tea and a cucumber sandwich next to her. Even though she can't quite see them, she smiles and picks up the tea.]

Thank you!

[Later she does go to the ballroom dance lesson with a frogman, picking up the moves to the basic waltz very quickly.]

Hey! Do you want to give it a try with someone a little less green?

[howtheworldwas]

[ Eurydice has honestly been pretty zoned out during the whole meeting, so when Elle suggests she dance, she just looks up and blinks for a few moments. ]

Uh...sure? I don't know if I'll be any good though, I wasn't really paying attention.

[whatyouwant]

As long as we have fun, that's what matters, right?

[Elle extends a hand.]

Do you want to lead or follow? I can do either.

[mcfife]

[Little can faze Angus, but he did not expect the Cryptids to be small fantasy animals. It's rather pleasant, after yesterday, and he munches on a plate of sandwiches as he considers the fancy frogmen.]

I don't know why The Wizard is doing all of this. [He's still going to die, according to the photo. No number of jackalopes and tea will fix it all.]

[whatyouwant]

[Elle deposits a fluffy jackelope in his lap.]

Maybe they're trying to butter us up or something.

[mcfife]

He'll have to do far more to change my mind. He and his minion. [He pats the jackelope's back.] Some evil cannot be mended, and this is getting close to the limit.

[wanderlusttitania]

[Well, there's ballroom dancing and lovely things to pet. And glowing red eyes. Elisabeth has to admit, they are very strange. And cute, in a way?

She smiles brightly, though, when she sees what the Frogmen are doing. They're almost like little children, size-wise.

So, she does a little curtsey in her dress, and offers her hand.]

Do you know the Viennese waltz?

[Once she and her partner are tired, she will be petting a jacklope, letting out a surprised little gasp when-]

Oh, it purrs like a cat! Here, come here...!

[tellthestory]

[That gives the Balladeer pause. Does he know the Viennese waltz?]

I know a waltz?

[violentenvies]

[After Sissi does a couple turns with the Frogmen, Salieri will set down the Jackalope and brush off the fur as best he can before approaching, reaching out to tap her partner on the shoulder]

Forgive me, monsieur, but do you mind if I cut in?

[feudalladyshandmaid]

[Well... this is certainly a tonal shift from yesterday. Was that intentional? Cassandra wasn't sure. She wasn't sure what to expect from investigating this week's club meetup.

Sufficed to say, she never would have guess that she'd be sitting at a table in the band room, sipping a cup of tea handed to her by shadowy figures only visible in her peripheral, while some kind of... horned rabbit-thing snuggled into her lap. She's already deftly aware that no amount of washing will get the white fur out of her uniform.

Silently, she sets her cup down. Then,]

This is weird.

[sugarlumps]

[Yeah, LSP is mostly here to steal the free food. The shadowy moth serving everyone gets about as much attention as one might expect for waitstaff.]

So, you come here often?

[Maybe a little more than one might expect.]

[The jackalopes get a bit more attention, if only because they inevitably start begging for food.]

Lump off, this is mine. ...I said lump OFF, I don't want anything to do with you losers.

[The stare-off continues for a few moments.]

[After which it's pretty easy to spot LSP attempting to abscond with a jackalope under each arm.]

Fine but I'm only doing this cause you look so lumping pathetic, you're not cute or anything.

[mcfife]

[He's not stopping her, but-]

I hope you have a plan to clean up after them. My bed is off-limits.

[feudalladyshandmaid]

[She watches LSP attempt to abscond, sipping tea thoughtfully.]

You... know what these things eat, right?

[employeeoftheyear]

[Well yesterday was a bust, but today is a new day! Sure the crushing fear of having everything you know and love being destroyed isn't great, but he's sure it'll turn out alright.

He missed out on the club meeting last week, so he's interested to check it out.

And Immediately he zooms in on the jackalopes.]

Oh dear Neptune! You guys are the cutest things ever!

[He scoops up an arm full of them and cuddles them like his life depends on it.

Yeah this is just gonna be his whole day before the meeting, sometimes interrupted with a few cups of tea and sandwiches.

At least he's happy now!]

[brokeforgood]

[Farrah's not about to dance with a frog, and the shadows are creeping her out. But the jackalopes? They're actually pretty cute. At first, she lays on the floor and lets them swarm her. Maybe you should make sure she's not dead?


Later, she can be found with just one on her lap, as she coos and brushes its fur with her hand.]

That's right. You don't have to be afraid, Farrah's here... [It's oddly sweet. At least, it probably is if you don't hear what she's named the thing.] Good bunny, Stew. Good bunny.

[disharmonizes]

[Oh, someone's been swarmed. Tragic.]

If you're dead, raise your hand and I'll make sure to definitely inform someone.

[comeandfindme]

[ Peregrine, who is more to the side during all this therapy bunny stuff, straight up snorts. ]

At least someone's got her priorities straight.

[tellthestory]

[When the Balladeer sits on the ground, he is also immediately swarmed by jackalopes. He seems bemused, though not at all displeased; certainly, though, he's not quite sure what to do with them.]

These are weird little things, huh?

[fourbutts]

[ Okay, you know what? This is dope. Janis may be a sarcastic teen, and the frogmen definitely aren't her speed, but you know what is her speed? Eating a sandwich and chilling in the middle of a bunch of jackalopes. ]

I think this is the exact definition of "mixed signals", but I'm into it.

[mcfife]

[Angus is dejectedly petting a jackalope, glaring at the wall before him. It's hard to be entirely upset when you have a cute animal on your lap.]

It's a distraction. That's what this all is.

Therapy

[alchemistake]

[Varian decided to actually attend the weird club of the week because you know the saying about curiosity and cats...and you know, Varian probably should be more concerned by the things going on in here, but honestly? He's from a world not just full of magic, but magic creatures. There are literally dragons present in his world, somehow, so this is actually tame when you think about it.

He's sitting somewhere with refreshments, eyeing the jackalopes everyone else is holding with equal parts curiosity and indifference. Nah, he doesn't need that. Not when he's petting the raccoon in his lap, who is absolutely soaking up all of his attention like a sponge.]

These guys are cool and all, but you know I would never replace you. Right buddy?

[whatyouwant]

Oh my god, he's so cute!

[Elle has just put one of the jackalopes down to come over to see Varian.]

[comeandfindme]

[ Peregrine doesn't really want to be here.

.......but cryptids are actually something she's kind of interested in, so rip to her, she shows up anyway. She's not really paying attention to the club, because she doesn't feel the need to give any respect to the people running this place—but what she is paying attention to? ]

Hey, is that... Are you just petting a raccoon?