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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[spotsalone]

[ Hm. He glances back toward the palace. ]

Would you consider this place old?

[diel]

You sounded happier saying tomes. I’m sorry I asked you to use books… It won’t happen again.

[snakeblood]

[ People keep thinking he's funny, he's never gotten it because he's completely serious here??? ]

Nah, they stopped after I started yelling at them. [ Hwylryn is correct... ] Then we met up with someone who gave us a lead.... then we were driving... [ He guesses he could've closed his eyes? He had a lot of coffee in the morning though. ] We weren't in another car crash... Probably.

[coldseep]

What's a car?

( drive... ing ?? )

[diel]

[ a smile like that strengthens his resolve. he’ll definitely think about asking mister yomi.

but speaking of questions! that’s right, the original topic. um. ]

Do your special senses come from powers that you gained, or are they more related to what you are? [ not that he knows what hwy really is. ] Sorry, I hope that made sense…

[coldseep]

( That's the Eastie spirit (kin-assigned by Hwy). It's the thought that counts.

He hums thoughtfully, the tune brief but melodic. )

Hmm... From what I am, I'd say. I was born this way, and I became more of what I am over time. More saturated.

( Abstract, but hopefully that means something to Yoru. He figures Yoru might be asking because he's a sort of in-between thing himself... maybe? )

Were you wondering if there's a pattern to our loss in senses?

[snakeblood]

[ That stops his thoughts and he stares. ]

You're ancient and you haven't been in a car? [ Yoonhee's sheltered, to say the least, but he's been in cars. ]

It's a moving vehicle...

[spotsalone]

[ His chin ticks up. ]

My apologies, miss. My intention wasn't to call your intelligence into question. I'm curious to hear your thoughts on alternatives to our friend here, but you've a right to keep them to yourself.

[spotsalone]

[ His eyebrows tick up, but the grin that follows gives away his lack of surprise. ]

Firearms, at your age? What sorts are you familiar with?

[coldseep]

( vehicle..... )

Like those cart things farmers use?

[snakeblood]

No, cars. C-A-R-S. [ Yoonhee is absolutely the wrongest person to explain to anyone about cars. He's only a passenger princess, he doesn't care about cars, nor can he drive...... ]

It's like if carts had 4 wheels and moved itself and you only have to tell it what direction to go?

[uiscebeatha]

[ Strangely, for how loud and chatty Cain's been so far, he doesn't reply right away. That, he didn't think about. He was still focusing on getting his bearings—he didn't even think about what it might mean to leave.

He doesn't like that. He can't imagine being barred from returning to Arthur and his duty. But...would he pay that price?

... ]

I sure hope so. Seems a little cruel to kidnap us here then force us to pay to get out.

[coldseep]

Oh, like magic.

( )

Well, you don't seem dead to me, so I'm whoever was guiding it was doing just fine. Maybe you just dozed off.

[uiscebeatha]

[ He's not looking at Yoru, so he'll keep talking. ]

Maybe this is another world, a third one? Or...some kind of parallel space? Man, I shoulda paid attention when we were talking about pocket dimensions...

[ Cain falls silent and realizes Yoru hasn't said anything. So he looks up at him and greets his confusion with his own. ]

...What?

[uiscebeatha]

[ Ah, the confusion... He feels like he's seen a similar face on Owen. He bites back a smile, but he does square his shoulders. ]

I'm a Central wizard.

[snakeblood]

I guess if you don't know how it works, might as well be. [ Honestly, same man. ]

Maybe. Would've rather have fixed him before he died though.

[uiscebeatha]

[ He laughs a bit at the annoying comment, and brushes it off with a: ] Aw, don't say that.

[ This guy seems like business. Possibly bad news if crossed, but a reliable ally if on the right side. Cain doesn't hate that. He could use an ally. ]

You know what, I was scouting the castle to do just the same. [ He grins! ] What do you say we go together?

[coldseep]

( oh that explains everything,

Hwylryn smiles, taking up Cain's hand (Cain can guide the shake, he's chillin). Central has its cads and scoundrels, sure, but they're also very much like this, too. )

And I'm of the West, though I didn't always live there.

( Doesn't elaborate on that last bit, )

Anyway, I'm happy to get along with a friend of Akira. Maybe we can even be friends, ourselves.

( He's fine whether or not Cain is amenable to the idea - but consider this an olive branch in return. )

I normally just wile away my time swimming and relaxing, so you're always welcome to join me, like I said.

[uiscebeatha]

Oh. I wouldn't really call myself a student. [ He scratches at the hair behind his ear. ] My job demands it. We've got mentors on board helping guys like me get up to snuff. I wouldn't say there's any particular "field" I'm good at, either...

[ Central magic is not inclined in any particular direction. And he's still figuring out his strengths.

Cain finds himself wanting to know what country G'raha's from to know more about his magic, but realizes that doesn't apply. His expression twists a bit, almost comically, as he tries to flip the question in a way that makes sense. ]

So, uh, what... Hold on, I dunno how to ask this. [ ... ] What kind of magic's your favorite?

[uiscebeatha]

Not really. [ It's not something he's really thought about and the question doesn't really bother him, either. There's a calm smile on his face as he answers neutrally.

However— ]

There's one guy who's been trying to get under my skin by calling me things like that. I really hated him at first, but... [ He shrugs. ] I think we're friends now.

[uiscebeatha]

[ The moment Hickey's hand touches Cain's, Cain's gaze snaps to meet his. A grin crosses his face. It's like he genuinely had no idea where he was before that. ]

It just helps me see better.

[ He'll step back to give him space— ]

I'm Cain, by the way.

[spotsalone]

[ He offers a tight-lipped smile. ]

Somehow, yes. Most of the rest of us weren't so lucky.

[ Ah, Billy... but what a purpose he served.

And deserve. A funny choice of word. ]

I plan to clean myself up as soon as I'm done here. Needed a full stomach first.

[the_obedient_servant]

You shouldn't look down on others just because they're younger than you.

[uiscebeatha]

[ Cain will shake the hand, firm, doesn't overstay his welcome. He'll let Hwylryn's hand go, and stand back. ]

Sure. I think I'd rather get to know you a little better and trust you first before we can be friends. [ Hwylryn's advantage is that he didn't ruin Cain's life, and Cain didn't know him very well to begin with. He's still wary, but he's not hateful.

And it's not a no. ]

Right. Do you know where the pool is?

[antline]

The Deputy Head Researcher...

[He looks awkward.]

I'm sorry. I'm not good at conversation.