Mesdames et Messieurs, Voilà, C'est Vous

[lesmodsalouette]

Bievenue

You're wrapped in a soothing, all-encompassing darkness.

Well, perhaps not perfectly all-encompassing -- you can see some slivers of light here and there, just enough to realize that your current space is literally wrapped in something, and that you are a highly customized burrito at the mercy of an entirely too fluffy bed and set of blankets. Moreover: you are definitely not alone.

Depending upon the contents of your bed (two of you, waking up dressed exactly in what you wore last you remember back where each of you came from, in the exact same state as those last moments no matter how illogical or disjointed), it may not be comfortable or feasible to stay cocooned up for much longer. There's a low, muted GONG, GONGG coming from not far away, your bed creaks like a beleaguered ship in an unannounced storm, and it is joined by even more noises of movement beyond the bed canopy as you try to take stock of where you are.

Eventually, you either fall out of bed or drag yourself into this world: your new and strangely crowded personal rooms, the clock insistently sounding out the hour, and the halls and heraldry of the venerable Château Ambregris -- a lavishly decorated and fully furnished version of a more-or-less authentic French castle (assuming you know what France or a castle are).

Left to your own devices for the moment, you may find it helpful to explore the castle for your own purposes, check out the suspicious statues and personalized plaques in the Promenade of Reflexion, or perhaps to try to get to the bottom of the mysterious and frankly alarming amount of bread piled up in front of the place settings in the Banquet Hall. (Were you thinking of escaping? Any attempts to leave the property will be met with no forward progress at all, treadmill style). There's just about every kind of loaf, roll, boule, baguette, croissant or even animal-shaped bread you can think of stacked in baskets. There's absolutely nothing else save for plain bread, but at least you won't starve.

[OOC: Welcome to Château Ambregris, a perfectly normal castle receiving perfectly normal guests. Feel free to ask any questions in discord! The NPC Meet & Greet will be later today, March 8 at 6 PM EST/3 PM PST.]

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Comments

[fourtuity]

[ She blinks, obviously confused. But well, it's distracting? ]

Uh....no need to apologize for something you don't need to be sorry for?

promenade

[diel]

[ it's weird how yoru can read these funny words and make sense of them, but honestly weirder things have happened. and if he thinks about it too much, his stress level will just go up. he... doesn't want that...

but when she speaks, he nervously shifts closer to her, still maintaining his personal space bubble and hers. he'd read that plaque earlier and he's pretty sure... ]

... that one didn't mention a saber, did it?

[snakeblood]

Are you trying to brag about that?

[fourtuity]

My grades have always been pretty good. You look like you wouldn't care though. Flunked a class or two?

[distain]

Rats? I've heard the struggling classes turn to vermin during famine, though no one ever lifts a finger to help them.

[There's a blithe, perhaps naive fascination in her expression. It seems Andrew is either too curious or too sheltered to heed the cues not to guess. In contrast to the many people piling their plates high, Andrew has a single, sheep-shaped loaf in front of her, from which she has already pulled a few wool tuft knots.]

Wouldn't it be better to dress yourself fully in the company of so many women? It's your own well-being I'm concerned about - if anyone were to suspect you.

[the_obedient_servant]

REAWAKENING (Tulip)

[There is no clear cut memory connecting the fallen child to their current setting. They only know that they are here now. Present. Alive. They outstretch their hand, readjusting to their own fingers by wiggling them, folding their own hand into a fist, their own eyes, their own skin.

They reach out to a presence that should be there, by their side. They call for them. For it. They call for help.

But nobody came.

They can't help the laughter that comes out of their mouth. They're so alone, in fact, they don't even notice the presence next to them.]

EXPLORATION

[Coming to terms with your new environment and learning the ins and outs of the necessary knowledge is just a good rule to live by. They aren't going out of their way to socialize, despite their newfound freedom to do so, instead they attempt to investigate.

Starting with the kitchen. There was a spread of bread, enough that they could feast their eyes on all that yeast, but the important stuff? Gone. They glance at the knives - purse their lips and start rifling through the food.

Only to find, once again, that their dreams have been betrayed.] It's enough to live off of, at least. [Their tone betrays their dissatisfaction. Then again, their eyes brighten up upon seeing cocoa powder, sugar, milk...] Or maybe...

[Of course, later on they visit more interesting places, visiting the gallery they take a moment to stare at the art, attempting to decipher something.]

Do you suppose there is a clue hidden in these? I can't say I'm familiar with any of them, beyond the general historical context for some. [The people not even from a version of Earth would surely struggle even more. It grates on them, having to ask other people for help, but as pretentious as they are, they aren't an ambiguously child aged art critic.]

bread

[diel]

[ yoru doesn't seem to have any problems eating bread. he eats like a child would, in big bites, deliberating going for the roundest, shiniest parts first. no problems speaking with his mouth full. ]

Um. You eat it like this.

[ ... since this person is having trouble, he's trying to help. a little. ]

reflexion

[smdr]

[ twinsies on the whole not wanting to look at yourself department.

jinx is all for the distraction outlet distraction outlet distraction that ayaka provides in the moment, sauntering over past the buzzing in her head to take a peek at whatever's got her company's focus.

a small tilt of the head. ]

See something you don't like?

[ there's an unstable little edge in the way she says it, undirected and wild, not inherently aggressive, but does that make a difference in not yet murdertown? ]

[diel]

Aren't... you supposed to be sorry when someone dies?

[ usually. ]

[ocenon]

a. | primrose suite

[ It takes Richard a little bit longer than most to free himself from the burrito he finds himself encased in, struggling against the plush duvet and also the fact that he's currently in a full suit of armor. But eventually, he gets himself up and out of bed, seemingly talking with himself as he does. ]

Thank goodness, I was afraid that I had somehow fallen prey to some sort of binding magecraft when I wasn't looking, but it appears that I was mistaken.

[ He seems to be waiting for some kind of a response as he pulls the red cape attached to his pauldron out from under the mess of blankets with a definitive thwip, but when he doesn't get one he's expecting, he stands straight up and looks around the expanse of the room, fully ignoring whoever is currently staring at him. ]

...Interesting.

[ Give him a second, he'll be with you shortly. ]

b. | back in the habit

[ Upon his initial first look around of the château's first floor, Richard comes across the chapel, and immediately seems to respond, again looking for someone recognizable, or at least someone who at least might be able to assume who he is. But again, no luck, and he seems to deflate a bit. ]

I suppose it was unrealistic to expect the overseer to be here...

[ But he catches glimpse of whoever walks in, and immediately turns to them. ]

Well met! You haven't happened to see a woman about yea high [ holds his hand up flat to about shoulder height ] with glasses and shoulder-length blonde hair, would you?

c. | throne room

[ He can't seem to help but linger around the throne room for a time, inspecting the scale and the details on all the surrounding artwork. ]

To think that my predecessors had such extravagance surrounding them...

[ He's mostly just mumbling to himself in wonder as to how they managed to acquire this lavish lifestyle, while occasionally looking over at the crown resting on the throne. ]

promenade

[distain]

What's the matter, Anna?

[She looks so very unhappy about something. Andrew's expression is guileless, but her concern sounds like someone asking about the weather - "how's your health?" rather than "are you all right?"]

[uiscebeatha]

[ One moment Cain dances under the moonlight, pride and hope in his heart, flash of silver, the lift of the air, his mirror; and the next—

He rolls over, detangling himself from the bed in the Water Lily Suite, his cape. He doesn't remember this, coming here. He's sitting up in the bed, legs slung over the side, hand over his eye. Does he have a headache? He can't tell. Whatever joy (?) he felt from the night prior leaves him, fading with every tick of the clock.

Decor looks Western. But that doesn't make sense. He doesn't feel woozy, as though he'd been drugged. He breathes; the air is still, quiet. Empty, even. Does that mean—

He hears a shuffle, or a voice; someone moving. He's not alone in this room. Gold eye darts to the source of the noise (he sees nothing, of course), and his voice is tense, alert. ]

Is someone there?
⚜⚜⚜
[ Once all those formalities are settled—

Cain will explore. He's not so much bothered by the lack of magic (wouldn't a place that would take the time to deprive him of his magic bother to take away his affliction? nothing is so kind, it seems,) as he is his lack of sword. He can manage empty handed, but he still doesn't know how much danger he's in. Whoever it was, was powerful enough to snatch him away, take away his magic, his sword, yet kind enough to let him wander this palace...?

Suspicious.

He will, of course, eventually find himself in the Promenade of Reflexion, both awed and creeped out by the statues (the serpent one, especially). It takes him a few statues before he realizes...these must be other people in the same situation as him. A few words catch his eye as he skims the plaques: Justice. Swordplay. Mixers. Sweets. Japanese. King Arthur.

But it's his own statue that gives him pause, and the familiar face that stands next to it. ]

Why us...?

[ If a Northerner was also taken, then he might not have any hope at all.

He can also be caught spending a significant amount of time in the gardens, pacing the perimeter and studying the outsides of the buildings, staring up at the sky. They can't really be trapped here. He has important things to do, as does everyone else, he imagines. ]

⚜⚜⚜
[ Cain is everywhere, for the most part, busy searching for an exit.

Forgive him if he accidentally runs into you, or whirls around and accidentally smacks you while you're holding that nice piece of bread. He's...impaired. ]

[snakeblood]

For some entities, they're like passages. Good for sealing them in too.

banquet hall

[diel]

[ finally, someone who's enjoying the bread as much as yoru! even if he kinda stinks, so yoru isn't sitting too close. not that he would... sit or stand close to any of the strangers here. until he finds out whether or not this is another one of mister yomi's complicated plans, he doesn't want to trust too much.

but he is curious... ]

What did you eat before?

[snakeblood]

No. I've never failed any class.

But you're right, I don't care. I probably wouldn't have even gone to high school, but someone convinced me to.

1/2

[fourtuity]

[ For a moment, her eyes widen. She takes a step backward, almost knocking herself into something near. ]

He's not dead.

[diel]

"They"... you mean the mirrors?

[ ah, he glances at them, very quickly. ]

Like... gates.

2/2

[fourtuity]

[ After that sharp retort though, the sudden flare of anger just...dissipates. She simply drops eye contact, biting her lip again. ]

...But. What you said isn't wrong.

[ Well, generally. The words come out almost mechanically. Like a concession. ]

theater

[smdr]

[ siffrin's stage escapades nets him an (at first) sneaky audience; this shifts to a very apparent, very vocal audience, the transition marked by the sound of feet dropping down into velvet chairs.

jinx's positioned herself as comfortable as she can be, legs propped up against the armrests of the chair left of her, braids draped over the right. total picture of sophistication, exactly what you'd expect in a stuffy, gilded place like this. ]

So? When's the one man show start?

[ chop chop! ]

[snakeblood]

Something like that. [ Pause. ] You in the field?

mars room

[diel]

Disquieting? Yeah, scary...

[ yoru's just peeking in. he's not very interested in weapons and doesn't seem eager to touch anything in here. ]

How can you tell?

banquet hall

[fourtuity]

[ Hello??? How is she supposed to respond to that? ]

Huh? Well, I dunno? I guess it's a sad day to have taste buds and no butter.

[littlegentleman]

[Junior shakes his head, his expression relatively blank. It certainly doesn't seem like he's lying.]

No...I don't know who's in charge here. Or any kind of king at all, for that matter.

[diel]

[ her outburst makes him take a step back from her, hands in the air in a pacifying manner. whoa! ]

I-I didn't mean that he was...? Well, I also didn't mean that he wasn't. I don't even know who he is.

[fourtuity]

Wow.

[ She doesn't sound wowed. ]

Students get away with a lot of stupid stuff. That part's worth it! Though I guess that someone didn't say it that way.