itscurtains | week 1

[Well, all escape attempts have failed thus far. None of you have seen the Phantom since his brief appearance on Sunday, or heard from him at all. It looks like, for the time being, you’re all going to be stuck here.

You're free to continue exploring your surroundings to your hearts' content. The only real restriction on your movements is that the kitchen is closed between the hours of 10 pm and 7 am. Better make sure to grab any midnight snacks you may want ahead of time. Also, remember to label any investigation toplevels!

The Merchandise Booth is now open for business as well! The Phantom hasn't deigned to explain how it works, but...well, some of you will start to find mysterious coins in your rooms, and the Booth's got a place to put coins. You'll figure it out.

Should you wish to engage more with your host, you're welcome to drop letters in the box office slot. There's no set way to converse verbally with him, and he's certainly not guaranteed to respond if you just yell at the walls - but that doesn't necessarily mean he isn't listening. Just something to keep in mind.

Enjoy your first week, everyone.]

Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday

(( OOC: This will be the last mod post for this week! Feel free to start submitting regains for any threads that aren't with the Phantom. Remember, song threads mean an extra coin! This is a peace week, so get all that CR while you can! ))

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Jeremy's here with laundry too! Wow, laundry!]

Oh, Riley! What, uh. What've you got there?

[ A little absentminded, a little tired: ] A trophy. It's mine.

Cool.

[He starts putting his laundry in one of the machines and then the implications of that catch up with him.]

Wait, like. You found it here? But it's yours?

Like I got it from that booth up front. In exchange for a coin.

So it's not just, like, random stuff? There's. There's stuff from back home too?

[Ohhhhhhhh this could be bad. This could be very bad.]

Yes, Jeremy, that’s what I’m saying. [ Forceful and frustrated and angry. ...After a moment- ] I’m sorry, I’m sure this isn’t great for you to learn, either.

Sorry. [It's reflexive, and Jeremy seems to try and fold even smaller.] I, um. It's just. I thought Mountain Dew was going to be the worst of it?

[ Ugh, that feels awful. Riley sighs and rubs at her face. ] It might... There might not be much, anyway. What... What was the worry about Mountain Dew to begin with? I know it tastes gross and is actually super bad for you, but- the...the thing about the SQUIP, is that real?

[She might not notice, depending on how closely she's looking at him, but Jeremy definitely looks to the side where nobody's standing before answering.]

It's. It's real. I know it sounds super made up and sci-fi but they're uh. Yeah. Definitely real.

[ Oh, she definitely doesn’t notice. ]

A supercomputer you swallow and put in your brain. [ Well. It’s no less absurd than alien rocks. ] And...Mountain Dew does something special to them?

Mountain Dew, uh. [He stuffs his sheets into the washing machine.] Activates the SQUIP. If you don't take the, the pill with Mountain Dew it doesn't work.

[He's like. Really pointedly focused on the washing machine in front of him. Not that Jeremy's great about eye contact in the best of circumstances, but this is extreme avoidance even for him.]

[ How convenient that Riley's focused on her trophy, then. ]

So that's why you freaked out when Jonny drank some. In case he...in case all of us had one. [ She taps on the ground, lightly. ] What's... They're supposed to just give you advice, aren't they? What're you so afraid of happening?

How, um. How much do you know about. Computers?

[Wow. This laundry detergent bottle sure is interesting! He's really studying the instructions. For the laundry detergent he's been using all week.]

Because, it's. It's not that simple.

[ Running a finger over the inscription, Riley finally glances back up. ]

I mean. I'm a teenager in modern society, I know a fair bit. Maybe not...the nitty-gritty electro-meaty bits, but...I know things.

[:) The music swells and Jeremy's clutching his head.]

Everything about me was going to be wonderful
I loved everything about SQUIPs
Everything about me just honestly felt so alive
I could never live without SQUIPs
I never felt left out or unsure
No pitiful child anymore
'cause everything about me was going to be cool
when
we
ruled!

[You remember how at the party he collapsed like a puppet whose strings had been cut? Yeah. So anyway that happens again. Jeremy's just lying on the ground now.]

[ Okay. So. That just happened. She just watched that happen. He falls to the ground and Riley's up in a flash, with a small gasp of fear. She kneels at his side and tries to get him up. ]

Jeremy?! Jeremy, what- ?!

[He just kind of. Groans and blinks, squinting at Riley.]

... Riley? I. I feel like garbage.

[Or like your body was forcibly taken over? :)]

[ Oh, thank god, he's alive. That instantly inspires a smile, mostly for his sake. ]

Hey! Heyy, okay. Come on, sit up, okay?

[ He's a weedy stick boy, she can get him up. With the smile still firmly in place: ]

What the hell was that, Jeremy?

I. I'm fine. [This is, notably, not an answer to Riley's question.] Sorry, uh. Sometimes -

[His eyes go kind of unfocused for a second and he's looking past Riley at something.]

- that happens.

[ She follows his gaze, turning her head so fast it's going to get a crick in it later, but there's nothing...no one there. ]

Okay, that is not an acceptable answer. Jeremy. What was that, are- are you sick?

No! No, I'm not sick I just -

[He's still looking past Riley at something but then his eyes flick back to her and he tries to smile.]

Sorry for making you worry about me.

You just what, Jeremy?

[ Oh, she is not letting it go that easily. ]

You just...just had, like, a seizure right in front of me, of course I'm gonna worry.

[He picked the two worst girls to have this problem in front of. Like, what can he say? It's just going to happen again if he tries to tell the truth.]

..... just do that? It's, um. A neurological condition?

[He deeply does not sound sure of himself.]

[ She so doesn't look convinced, but. Well, here, he's sitting up now, right? She doesn't know a lot about this stuff, but she tries to get a good look in his eyes, see if he's like. Concussed or something. ]

Is there a standard procedure for this? Or- do you have medicine, like Shilo? That total jerk gave something to her, if we ask at the very least... I don't know, it could do something!

No, it's not really a. A medicine thing, but um. I usually - it's usually better if I eat something, I guess. Get, uh. Get some calories into me.

[He laughs nervously. This is 100% the cure for having a supercomputer in your brain: eat a snack.]

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