FINAL INVESTIGATION

[umbralant]

FINAL INVESTIGATION

Time continues to pass. And before long, it's the end of the week once again. Maybe it feels strange to call it that when there's such little sense of time besides the changing phases of the moon, and maybe the exact day doesn't even matter to you anymore. But regardless of the day, regardless of the month, regardless of the year, one thing is certain:

The time for preparations is over.

Because as the moon in the sky shines blood red, it becomes clear that all of the fog and the tremors were nothing but omens for what was to come.

And so, on Friday morning, Survivors will find themselves waking up to the sensation of energy practically buzzing through the air, prickling and tingling on skin like static electricity. Those who venture outside will also find that the fog that's creeped up in the recent days has been dispelled entirely, which includes the impassable kind that once hid a number of the buildings. Despite this, the tremors themselves do not lessen, and in fact, the earth itself seems to be vibrating with this energy as well.

The feeling will only get worse as the day progresses, and those who have been marked by the manifestations may feel more restless than normal.

The clock is ticking and there are some new areas to explore. No one's coming to save you, so there's nothing to do but to save yourselves, right?

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[umbralant]

[ A mystery for the ages, or probably a day? The lightswitches don't work, but there is a lantern on the desk! Just care around the kitties, who are now doing their best to rub up against and greet the new visitor. ]

[drydrown]

[He will try not to step on the cats, just because unlike most people, it is not the cats' fault if they're a little stupid. Their brains are the size of walnuts.

Okay. Assuming he does not fall and break his neck, let's get the lantern working and see what's in here, outside of "so many cats oh no."]

[umbralant]

[ Clearly all this room has to offer is cats, who now with the light on come in various colors: tabbies, a siamese, a couple of black cats and a calico...you get the picture. They're all really well cared for and seem happy.

But to the rest of the room, it's a standard bedroom if not pretty spacious even if it doesn't feel that way with all the felines. Items of note are a wardrobe, mahogany desk, and a chest.

Ah, and there's god knows how many cat toys around the room, everything from wands with feathers, to balls with bells, and toy mice and fish. ]

[inordertobelieve]

[ And at this point the Cumore chase squad is entering, looking pretty stressed (or at least that's true for Mikami) and...]

... what.

[drydrown]

They're cats, Teru Mikami. Doesn't your world have those...?

[He says, making his way over to the wardrobe first. Any obstructions to opening it? Because if not, he's opening it.]

[umbralant]

[ None! The first thing Cumore will see is multiple copies of the outfit Rembrandt wears every day, all identical and all with that same horrible yellow accent. Standing up against the inside of the wardrobe to the back, is a very expensive looking violin. ]

[drydrown]

[...Rembrandt's room, then. With like three dozen roommates. Weird. Anyway, he's tempted to declare this violin is now officially free real estate because whenever he investigates anything apparently he's just going to steal people's shit, but it's probably bad to steal from people that are probably demons, so uh. Anything else of note in here?]

[umbralant]

[ There is! Assuming he at least decided to admire said violin up close, he'll have noticed a piece of sheet music tucked to the side. Curiously, there's been a handwritten addition on the paper below the 2. which reads: ]

3. Three will be the guarantee.

[drydrown]

[...Ominous.

Okay. So. He'll just be...taking that with him because it's probably better than stealing the violin from the Devil Who May Have Gone Down To Georgia. He'll also check through the clothes while he's here, just to make sure there's nothing noteworthy about them. Anything?]

[umbralant]

[ Nothing to see here other than that Mikami and Rembrandt really do share some things in common when it comes to organization. Which is Cumore going to check out next, the desk or the chest? ]

[drydrown]

[Chest first. Useful things tend to be kept in chests. How many gels and life bottles will he get out of this.

...Does it even open, I should probably ask that first.]

[umbralant]

[ It's locked. But Cumore's been here a while so he's heard some jingling that doesn't sound like just a plain bell time and again. If he looks up he'll find an orange kitten currently making Mikami his playmat, batting a toy mouse whose tail is a key. ]

[drydrown]

[...Why are Rembrandt and the Lady so weird.

Cats tend to like moving things, and according to chat Mikami is currently an investigation prop so if you think he is not going to conscript Mikami into waving a feather wand in this kitten's face and immediate line of vision, I don't know what to tell you.

My apologies to Luna, and also to Mikami's dignity.

Will this get the cat to abandon the current line of play and relinquish the key?]

[umbralant]

[ It will! But at the cost of Mikami's dignity. Cumore is now +1 key, zelda fanfare commence. Using that key on the chest is as simple as it sounds, and inside is...a cookbook. No really, that's all that's inside. ]

[drydrown]

[WHAT THE FUCK KIND OF COOKBOOK NEEDS TO BE LOCKED UP

IS IT "TO SERVE MAN" OR SOMETHING?

...okay no but really, he's going to page through it a bit. What kind of cookbook is it, first of all - the sort with written recipes in them, or the sort that's pre-printed? Does everything seem fairly sane with it? Are any pages missing, does stuff fall out of it if it's leafed through?]

[umbralant]

[ Handwritten recipes, with extreme attention to detail and care on every page. 99% of the recipes are Eastern European dishes, but the very last recipe sticks out for both it's length and subject matter. ]

yield: 1 family size
Forbidden black rice

Directions

cook only in small portions, batch recipes yield Interference in the mingling of flavors.

ingredients

for the forbidden rice:

1 cup forbidden (or black) rice, rinsed thoroughly
2 cups water
a pinch of salt

instructions:
place the rice in a bowl filled with water and soak it overnight. if you do so, place it in a pot with water and salt over medium heat. let it come to a boil; turn the heat down to low, put the lid on, and let it simmer for 20-25 minutes.
if you do Not soak, follow the same steps, but let it simmer between 50-60 minutes. drain any excess water. fluff it with a fork. it should be soft and chewy. once cooled, store it in the fridge in an airtight container. can be split into smaller portions prior to cooling to Share With Others. if desired, Three cups chicken broth may be substituted for water.

Adherence to the precise steps and Orders Is Required for maximum enjoyment.

[drydrown]

[well, if this isn't some of the happiest shit he's ever seen.

Okay. That is, for some reason, leaving him feeling weirdly skeeved and so he's just going to also take this with him because that's a yike and a half. Is there anything else in here or is he free to move on to the desk?]

[umbralant]

[ Time to move onto the desk! On the desk (besides a cat or two) is a vase with a white roses, a fountain pen, and blank stationary. ]

[drydrown]

[Kitties, please move...

This...explains the roses, at least. I assume they're the same as the ones in the greenhouse full of poison? He kind of wonders why they're so important...

That aside, though, is there anything odd with the pen or the stationary? ...Is it a black-ink pen, I feel almost obligated to ask.]

[umbralant]

[ They are the same ones in the greenhouse, yes!

There's nothing odd about the pen or stationary, and the ink is indeed black. Maybe the desk drawer will yield some kind of answers that aren't yikes worthy. ]

[inordertobelieve]

We do, but... why.

[ This has completely thrown off his groove to be honest. And the cats keep approaching and he's helplessly trying to evade and yeah, it's kind of ridiculous.

This is gonna be the rest of his investigation, hopefully it's at least funny to watch.]

[drydrown]

[It's delightful.]

Keep them occupied for me, won't you...?

[...Oh, right.]

I assume you finished whatever you were doing downstairs. I didn't want to just stand around doing nothing in particular.

[inordertobelieve]

[ Mikami does not look delighted in the slightest! He's so intimidated by all the fluffy menaces. Why are they here. Why does their cat instinct tell them that Mikami doesn't like animals and make them pool around him.....

It's at least mildly distracting him from his irritation at Cumore.]

You should have told us. You're-- [ help a cat is climbing him.] too reckless!

[drydrown]

[Oh no. This is precious.

...That said, you are pretty irritated there, aren't you.]

It's not as though I was trying to worry you, you know. It made sense for me to come up here first.

[You know, between Sonui and being at least somewhat able to defend himself.

A few weeks ago he would have stayed back, made someone else go first. Balked if told to do otherwise. This place does weird things to people.]

[inordertobelieve]

[ It is not precious, it's terrifying! There is fur all over him! And a cat now! Help! He cannot shake it because another is climbing up his leg!! ]

Say something, next time. We were concerned. It made us get reckless as well, chasing after you.