[ On Thursday morning, whatever these four were doing, wherever they were, the next time they enter a room or cross the bridge, they will find that it did not quite lead them where they thought it would.
Unless, of course, they were entering a forest, in which case they might just accept this as being the same one. The trees here are tall though not that wide, growing oddly twisted, in a mix of pink and green leaves, with vines between the branches at times. Odd fruit grows on some of those. The forest floor has no immediate path, only odd bushes with tall and wide leaves, though the dirt is otherwise mostly clear. Just like the forest in the northern area, if they're silent for too long here, the wind will start to sound like whispers...
There is a faint light out in the distance in the woods, though what they can see of the sky is dark without any stars. Should they look behind them, the sky turns an odd yellow tint. What will they do? ]
[Ange was not entering the forest, so when she intends on stepping into the kitchen to make some morning tea, and ends up instead in the forest, she looks... absolutely baffled.
Ange turns a slow circle...
And tilts her head slowly.]
Um...?
Am I still dreaming? [Odd to be dreaming about Mob and Hua Cheng and Izumo but you know, it's fine!! She is making no decisions here, yet. Nobody is surprised.]
[ Hua Cheng wasn't entering the forest, either, so the fact that his feet hit soil and he's surrounded by strangely colored trees is - great. He has a feeling he knows what this is. ]
I don't think this is a dream.
[ His companion was in its huli jing form, but it changes into a wolf after the surprise wears off, and his hand goes to the sword at his waist. Ange might not be making a decision, but he's walking forward a bit further from their entry point, wary. ]
[He's wandering in from another area, still in his dumb little wizard cloak, with a little chinchilla friend on his shoulder. He's not paying any attention, just looking around with interest and walking right in.]
[ honest it is very beautiful and izumo does get a bit distracted, however she didn't want to enter the forest without looking around for a bit. ...then of course she sees mob walking right in there's absolutely no way that she's going to let him just go in on his own. well. she could but she isn't. ]
Kageyama?
[ there's a fennec fox scampering at her feet because izumo is painfully fox coded.
[ Off they go after Mob, or, well, I assume Ange won't be the only one left behind since HC was also walking towards the forest. Once they go in, they'll quickly find that it looks like the entrance they were in... isn't there anymore. Whatever that golden hued sky was behind them, that's gone as well. Even though they've barely walked in, the forest surrounds them entirely already.
Something about the atmosphere seems tense now. The whispers can still only be heard when they're quiet, at least, but the rest... is here. There are still no real paths in front of them, though the dim light is a little more obvious off in the distance now. They can choose to head in any direction right now, as there's no obvious markers for where anything leads, not even the sound of nature to guide them.
Most of the sky is obscured, but what they can see is fully dark. At least the forest is still pretty? Yay. ]
[ With a brief glance back, when it becomes apparent there's any direction available to them, Hua Cheng - sighs. ]
Stay close. [ To Ange, in particular, considering the hesitance - and he'd like to make sure she gets back rather than lost. His wolf trudges forward, hackles raised and head swiveling as it goes further ahead of them by a few paces. ]
If everything looks the same, let's keep walking forward. There's less of a chance of getting turned around. [ He hopes. ]
Saying that we're lost now suggests that we knew where we were in the first place. [ she sighs lightly at mob and then also looks towards hc and ange to judge how close all of them are to one another. hopefully they're not all too far apart..?
with a frown she'll take a cursory look around. sure, nothing seems to have any obvious markers but are there any markers at all? if you squint hard enough. ]
I don't particularly like how everything feels different. [ to the group and gauges everyone's reactions to it all. ...as well to see how this "forest" will react to it. ] Are you sure we should keep moving or should we at least try to understand where we are for a bit?
[ There are some markers indeed! Since they haven't gone too far, they should still all be close together, so no getting lost separately. ... yet.
Behind them, is, of course, the dense forest. Right in front, they can identify this direction by how it aligns more directly with the light in sky in the distance, though whether the path to it is straight has yet to be seen. To the left, the trees and foliage seem more dense, so they might have to struggle their way in a bit. Nothing seems immediately to the right, although if they look closer there seems to be some mushrooms with odd, glowing blue protrusions on them, almost like the mushrooms themselves are lined with pretty crystals. They glow a little in that direction.
The forest is pretty dark because of the lack of light, but not dark enough for them to be unable to see yet. This is probably thanks to the dozen or so moons in the sky they may notice if they pay enough attention to it between the trees. At least that lights up a dark forest?
[Ange is in fact getting closer and closer to the rest of the group the longer this goes on. Because it's spooky! It's so spooky! They're trapped in the woods and she's a city girl...]
Um...
Does anything look familiar to you, Miss Izumo...? I'm not sure how we can figure out where we are... [Besides like. The Woods. But also she's clueless.]
Or where we should go. I hope it isn't getting darker... [Is the sun going down?? Is it already nighttime? She squints up at the sky. Are those all moons???? she feels Doubt.]
[ Time to wait, and take in these helpful location descriptions. The wolf moves over to sniff in the vicinity of the mushrooms, and sneezes its disapproval before returning to the group and leaning into Hua Cheng's leg. ]
I'd be worried if any of this looked familiar to any of us. Especially with how off it all feels. [ He does glance up at the moons, squinting at them as he turns over their options while they just - stand there. In the funky woods. Both he and the wolf listen for anything odd while they do. ]
This might be like the expeditions that the others have gone on. [ flatly, plainly ] Unfortunately, I'm not sure how easy it'd be to understand where we are - we can't orient ourselves with so many moons in the sky, and there's nothing behind us that indicates we can go back.
[ When Mob wakes up, he finds himself waking up on his desk at school, feeling a little like he just experienced an odd and exhausting dream. A fellow classmate laughs and says it's no surprise he's so tired with his packed schedule. They say this warmly, fondly. The bell rings.
As the day goes by, Mob will be greeted similarly by everyone he meets. Students young and old greet him with enthusiasm and wish him a good day. Some of them call him senpai. Teachers say, completely unprompted, that they wish more students were like him. Several kids invite him to join their club. He'll also realize his body feels a little... different? Powerful, somehow. Hm. Mysterious.
He'll even get a very personal greeting when a young girl comes up next to him and quickly pecks his cheek after squeezing his hand, making him promise to join her for lunch. My mod powers tell me he would not respond, and so I will continue describing this.
It's a nice day, isn't it? A great day, even, isn't it? Everyone has been nice. Everyone likes him. If he ever goes and checks in a mirror, he'll even find that he is shredded. That he has an eight pack. But... the entire time, he'll have this niggling feeling in the back of his head. This isn't right. This isn't how things are. Should... any of this be happening?
While he's pondering this, he will eventually see an odd silhouette gliding through the halls, heading towards the roof. ]
[Does he think this isnβt right? I feel like heβs just vibing. What a nice day at school this is. Tsubomi-chan is as cute as ever.
An odd silhouette heading to the roof, huh? Oh, well. That probably doesnβt have anything to do with him.
But he does have free training after school today (before he walks Tsubomi home, which is what one does when one has a girlfriend) so heβll head up to the roof anyway. Why not?]
[ he is mostly vibing, but the niggling feeling is his broken ribs. to be honest.
Walking up to the roof, he'll notice that while the stairs are still there, some of the hallways he knows should be there... aren't, anymore? Like, there definitely was a third floor at this school at some point, wasn't there? But there's nothing. Just a wall. Well it's probably fine.
Up on the roof, it's windy. The silhouette is... still blurry, despite being in front of him. Maybe it's a ghost? It's a tall woman with long hair and wings, so, y'know, probably a ghost. She is looking out at the city. Should Mob join her, he'll notice that there's parts of the city he should recognize that are just... missing. Again, very normal. The woman doesn't talk to him first, so this will be awkward when Mob also never talks to her. ]
[Yeah he gets to the roof, not overly focused on any of these details you mentioned that are strange. But when he steps out and sees a woman with wings these he just. Stops.]
[ The woman turns towards him. Mob won't see it right away because he is done with the plot already, but she's.. featureless? It's like her face is blurry. How is she doing that. ]
Aren't you forgetting something?
[ the featureless, winged woman has a british accent. that's normal. ]
[Heβs thinking hard. He looks down at his arms. Theyβre extremely shredded, just extremely jacked, but also they seem to have bandages on them. Thatβs right - he didnβt get those in a sports accident after all. Didnβt someone help him with that? And didnβt he almost get hurt before that, and someone pushed him out of the way? Hasnβt there been someone trying to protect him this whole time?
Heβs not sure what that danger was, but if those people are in danger, than shouldnβt he. . . ]
[ Don't worry, Mob! Now that he's made this decision to go, the stairs and school blink out of existence around while he's there, and he finds himself standing on grass near a beach in a beautiful country. The breeze makes the grass move in a picturesque ghibli movie moment. There's the sound of the nearby city in the distance, though probably with a lot more hooves than Mob is used to.
Unfortunately for everyone but Mob, he is still jacked. As he looks around himself, he'll see a white house in the grassy field, in perfect view of both the beach and the city. It is quite picturesque... and then he'll hear voices, as he is interrupting a terribly domestic moment.
It won't be too hard to recognize Ange, despite her changed outfit, though he probably won't recognize the girl she's with. And, knowing Mob, he might feel a little confused when he overhears them talk to each other. Or simply embarrassed to be watching the scene he's watching.
Both of them are on their porch, holding hands and facing each other as they share a singular chair. The new girl leans over to Ange and kisses her, softly. Then she tells her she loves her... Charlotte.
[Ah! He gets embarrassed when he comes in here, but not because heβs a homophobe, but because heβs shy. But he doesnβt leave. He looks away until theyβre done, and nods to himself understandingly.]
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Unless, of course, they were entering a forest, in which case they might just accept this as being the same one. The trees here are tall though not that wide, growing oddly twisted, in a mix of pink and green leaves, with vines between the branches at times. Odd fruit grows on some of those. The forest floor has no immediate path, only odd bushes with tall and wide leaves, though the dirt is otherwise mostly clear. Just like the forest in the northern area, if they're silent for too long here, the wind will start to sound like whispers...
There is a faint light out in the distance in the woods, though what they can see of the sky is dark without any stars. Should they look behind them, the sky turns an odd yellow tint. What will they do? ]
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Ange turns a slow circle...
And tilts her head slowly.]
Um...?
Am I still dreaming? [Odd to be dreaming about Mob and Hua Cheng and Izumo but you know, it's fine!! She is making no decisions here, yet. Nobody is surprised.]
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I don't think this is a dream.
[ His companion was in its huli jing form, but it changes into a wolf after the surprise wears off, and his hand goes to the sword at his waist. Ange might not be making a decision, but he's walking forward a bit further from their entry point, wary. ]
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[He's wandering in from another area, still in his dumb little wizard cloak, with a little chinchilla friend on his shoulder. He's not paying any attention, just looking around with interest and walking right in.]
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Kageyama?
[ there's a fennec fox scampering at her feet because izumo is painfully fox coded.
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Something about the atmosphere seems tense now. The whispers can still only be heard when they're quiet, at least, but the rest... is here. There are still no real paths in front of them, though the dim light is a little more obvious off in the distance now. They can choose to head in any direction right now, as there's no obvious markers for where anything leads, not even the sound of nature to guide them.
Most of the sky is obscured, but what they can see is fully dark. At least the forest is still pretty? Yay. ]
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It's spooky here, though...]
Um... it is pretty, but it is also a little...
[She frowns a bit.]
... Which way should we go? It all looks the same to me.
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Stay close. [ To Ange, in particular, considering the hesitance - and he'd like to make sure she gets back rather than lost. His wolf trudges forward, hackles raised and head swiveling as it goes further ahead of them by a few paces. ]
If everything looks the same, let's keep walking forward. There's less of a chance of getting turned around. [ He hopes. ]
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Hmm. Looking back, looking ahead? Looking back? Looking at the others.]
I think we're lost.
[There's something he's supposed to remember if he's lost, right? Oh, well. He'll stay near the others.]
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with a frown she'll take a cursory look around. sure, nothing seems to have any obvious markers but are there any markers at all? if you squint hard enough. ]
I don't particularly like how everything feels different. [ to the group and gauges everyone's reactions to it all. ...as well to see how this "forest" will react to it. ] Are you sure we should keep moving or should we at least try to understand where we are for a bit?
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Behind them, is, of course, the dense forest. Right in front, they can identify this direction by how it aligns more directly with the light in sky in the distance, though whether the path to it is straight has yet to be seen. To the left, the trees and foliage seem more dense, so they might have to struggle their way in a bit. Nothing seems immediately to the right, although if they look closer there seems to be some mushrooms with odd, glowing blue protrusions on them, almost like the mushrooms themselves are lined with pretty crystals. They glow a little in that direction.
The forest is pretty dark because of the lack of light, but not dark enough for them to be unable to see yet. This is probably thanks to the dozen or so moons in the sky they may notice if they pay enough attention to it between the trees. At least that lights up a dark forest?
Nothing seems to happen if they wait. ]
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Um...
Does anything look familiar to you, Miss Izumo...? I'm not sure how we can figure out where we are... [Besides like. The Woods. But also she's clueless.]
Or where we should go. I hope it isn't getting darker... [Is the sun going down?? Is it already nighttime? She squints up at the sky. Are those all moons???? she feels Doubt.]
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I'd be worried if any of this looked familiar to any of us. Especially with how off it all feels. [ He does glance up at the moons, squinting at them as he turns over their options while they just - stand there. In the funky woods. Both he and the wolf listen for anything odd while they do. ]
This might be like the expeditions that the others have gone on. [ flatly, plainly ] Unfortunately, I'm not sure how easy it'd be to understand where we are - we can't orient ourselves with so many moons in the sky, and there's nothing behind us that indicates we can go back.
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What a wonderful world...
As the day goes by, Mob will be greeted similarly by everyone he meets. Students young and old greet him with enthusiasm and wish him a good day. Some of them call him senpai. Teachers say, completely unprompted, that they wish more students were like him. Several kids invite him to join their club. He'll also realize his body feels a little... different? Powerful, somehow. Hm. Mysterious.
He'll even get a very personal greeting when a young girl comes up next to him and quickly pecks his cheek after squeezing his hand, making him promise to join her for lunch. My mod powers tell me he would not respond, and so I will continue describing this.
It's a nice day, isn't it? A great day, even, isn't it? Everyone has been nice. Everyone likes him. If he ever goes and checks in a mirror, he'll even find that he is shredded. That he has an eight pack. But... the entire time, he'll have this niggling feeling in the back of his head. This isn't right. This isn't how things are. Should... any of this be happening?
While he's pondering this, he will eventually see an odd silhouette gliding through the halls, heading towards the roof. ]
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An odd silhouette heading to the roof, huh? Oh, well. That probably doesnβt have anything to do with him.
But he does have free training after school today (before he walks Tsubomi home, which is what one does when one has a girlfriend) so heβll head up to the roof anyway. Why not?]
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Walking up to the roof, he'll notice that while the stairs are still there, some of the hallways he knows should be there... aren't, anymore? Like, there definitely was a third floor at this school at some point, wasn't there? But there's nothing. Just a wall. Well it's probably fine.
Up on the roof, it's windy. The silhouette is... still blurry, despite being in front of him. Maybe it's a ghost? It's a tall woman with long hair and wings, so, y'know, probably a ghost. She is looking out at the city. Should Mob join her, he'll notice that there's parts of the city he should recognize that are just... missing. Again, very normal. The woman doesn't talk to him first, so this will be awkward when Mob also never talks to her. ]
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Oh, sorry!
[Turning...to go back...inside? She seems busy.]
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Aren't you forgetting something?
[ the featureless, winged woman has a british accent. that's normal. ]
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Ah! I left my bookbag in class!
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she has no face, and yet she still looks very tired. ]
Shigeo. [ she turns towards the city right as another chunk of it goes missing. ] Do you want to find the others, or do you want to stay?
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[Heβs thinking hard. He looks down at his arms. Theyβre extremely shredded, just extremely jacked, but also they seem to have bandages on them. Thatβs right - he didnβt get those in a sports accident after all. Didnβt someone help him with that? And didnβt he almost get hurt before that, and someone pushed him out of the way? Hasnβt there been someone trying to protect him this whole time?
Heβs not sure what that danger was, but if those people are in danger, than shouldnβt he. . . ]
Where are they?
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[ this like, doesn't answer his questions at all? she gestures towards the stairs, as if telling him to take a hike. rude TWICE. ]
None of this is real. But that doesn't make it less dangerous.
[ what an ominous comment. ]
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Unfortunately for everyone but Mob, he is still jacked. As he looks around himself, he'll see a white house in the grassy field, in perfect view of both the beach and the city. It is quite picturesque... and then he'll hear voices, as he is interrupting a terribly domestic moment.
It won't be too hard to recognize Ange, despite her changed outfit, though he probably won't recognize the girl she's with. And, knowing Mob, he might feel a little confused when he overhears them talk to each other. Or simply embarrassed to be watching the scene he's watching.
Both of them are on their porch, holding hands and facing each other as they share a singular chair. The new girl leans over to Ange and kisses her, softly. Then she tells her she loves her... Charlotte.
Hm.
This is gay. ]
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Ange-san. . . You wanted girls to like you, too.
[Relatable!
But heβll approach, friendly.]
Hello!
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