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]

[ Waking up in a place like this may as well be Christmas morning for Hickey. He has no idea where he is or if this place is even real, but he's in no position to get picky about such details. This is a miracle if there ever was one.

He's quick to roll out of bed—as much as he'd love to stay swaddled up in a real bed for the first time in years, he's suddenly aware of how horrendous he smells—and sets off to explore his new surroundings without much thought for his suitemates.

First stop: BREAD. Hickey spends a good hour in the Banquet Hall with a mountain of bread on his plate, enjoying the assortment as if it was a seven-course meal prepared by a fleet of personal chefs. He's dressed in his underclothes: a simple long-sleeve undershirt and matching longjohns, with a fancy pair of knee-high boots that definitely tie the whole outfit together. His greatcoat is slung over the back of the chair next to him.

Upon closer inspeciton, his clothes are filthy with sweat and the elements. When's the last time this dude bathed? He sighs happily and slouches back in his chair. ]

You wouldn't believe what I was eating before this.

[ His tone suggests it wouldn't be wise to ask. ]

---

[ Later, he can be found in the bathroom. His freshly-laundered clothes are draped over one of the Greek statues to dry. As you enter, he's stepping out of the shower, a towel around his waist. ]

Why bother with all this if the baths aren't even operational?

[ An idle question more than a grumble. The shower did just fine for him—though his mouth tightens as he spots the toy boat. He pads over to it to give it a closer inspection. Is this for him? ]

---

[ Eventually, he does wander back to Water Lily Suite. He explores a little, digging through the wardrobes and peruses the assortment of products in the powder room, but before long he's sprawled out on one of the beds. He knows he woke up next to someone, but who cares? He's had enough of sharing. ]

[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.

[spotsalone]

[ He snorts, tipping his head from side to side. ]

Rats... is not entirely inaccurate.

[ But never mind that. He looks down at himself. ]

You'll have to accept my apologies, miss. It's been some years since I found myself in polite company. I'm still gaining my bearings.

[ ... ]

Suspect me of...?

[distain]

Inappropriate behavior? Public indecency?

[She chuckles, letting the sound wave away such thoughts. Truthfully, it probably comes off a little condescending whether she means it to or not.]

Forgive me. I wouldn't accuse you of such things. Besides, we find ourselves in strange circumstances... surely you agree, even if they're favorable for you.

[spotsalone]

[ The laugh gets a tight-lipped smile. There's a sharpness to it. ]

Strange circumstances indeed, though I'm not one to turn my nose up at a change in fortune. Do you remember how you arrived here?

oh my god i deleted hickey I ABANDONED MY BOY

[distain]

[It's a change in fortune for them both, Andrew suspects, on far opposite sides of the spectrum. What a difference having a little bread makes.]

I thought I might have fainted. We attended Confession not long ago, and I think it was the last day for students to receive mail. I was waiting for my friend to be finished. The schoolgirls like to give her things and think I don't approve. I was on the bench... then I woke up with a stranger. [She clutches her hand against her elbow like the thought pains her, at least some part of it.]

Yourself?

good he deserves to be deleted

[spotsalone]

[ Confession? Well, no wonder she's fussed about his clothing. ]

I remember going to sleep, but then I woke up here. Odd, that you were snatched in the middle of the day... For my part, I don't see how anyone could have transported me to this place without my awareness. I was in the middle of nowhere.

he does not!!

[distain]

I've passed out before, so it isn't unheard of... I was feeling fine, though. [And therefore, not really sick enough to pass out without warning.]

Still, if someone could sneak into a girls' school like that, it's really a problem, isn't it?

[Political abductions are not unheard of, but this seems unbelievable for her despite that. Maybe she doesn't want to think about the impact this could have on her future.]

[spotsalone]

[ He chuckles. ]

Indeed. You'd think a girls' school would have more security. Perhaps something otherworldly, then?

[ He's not willing to rule anything out these days. ]

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?

cw serious illness

[spotsalone]

Whatever I had to. Survival is a nasty piece of business.

[ He takes another bite of a roll. There's no way he'll be able to finish all of this, but that's what pockets are for. ]

I've spent three years living on tins that were... spoiled, somehow. Off. Made our gums black and our joints feel like they were filled with broken glass.

[diel]

Oh… I understand.

[ yoru stares at his bread, though his eyes look past it to memories of a child. and then to more recent memories of dinner tables and fine china. ]

The body needs what it needs and there’s no shame in that.

[spotsalone]

That's a forgiving outlook. What's your name?

[diel]

Yoru. We were in the same…

[ he tilts his head in confusion. he doesn’t know the word for it. ]

Sleeping area…?

[spotsalone]

[ Hickey blinks. ]

We were, yes. Forgive me for hurrying off before we had a proper introduction. In circumstances odd as this, I thought it important to take stock of our new surroundings.

[ He pauses again, mouth slanting in thought. ]

I'm Cornelius Hickey.

[diel]

[ he shrugs at the explanation. thanks for letting him know? ]

Cornelius…

[ that’s more syllables than he’s used to for a name. the vowels and consonants blur together like a breath. he tests out the name one more time around his bread. ]

Cornie?

[spotsalone]

[ ........................................... ]

Ah—

[ hickey.exe has crashed ]

Hickey will do.

bathroom

[uiscebeatha]

[ Cain wasn't actually going to bathe, but he is relieved by the thought of bigger baths as opposed to the tiny thing they've got in their villas. But the empty pools are such a disappointing sight, he stands with his hands on his hips, staring at the dry baths— ]

—Gah!

[ —That Hickey's entrance causes him to jump. He looks in his general direction, but his gaze doesn't quite land.

After a second, he laughs, hand at his chest. ]

Sorry, I just wasn't expecting anyone else in here. Got freshened up already?

[ since he doesn't stink anymore he obviously doesn't recognize him as the stinky guy from the suite— ]

[spotsalone]

[ Huh. This guy spooks easily. ]

It's been some years since I had a chance to bathe properly. Such a fine place as this calls for presentability.

[ Boat toy still in hand, he moves to check on his clothes. Still a bit damp, but his pants are dry enough to manage. He drops his towel, unbothered if Cain is still watching, and pulls them on. ]

I was wanting to soak for a bit, but those contraptions are nice as well. You should give it a go.

[ He nods at the showers. ]

[uiscebeatha]

[ Luckily for Hickey, Cain can't actually see him in all his glory. His gaze does follow the footsteps, but when he sees the towel appear out of thin air and fall to the floor, he knows better than to keep looking, even if he can't see. So he turns to look back over the empty baths. ]

Which contraptions? Oh, the showers?

[ Man, a soak sounds so nice though... Why bring 'em to a fancy castle if their baths don't work... ]

[spotsalone]

[ He glances back at the showers more fully. ]

Showers, yes. Have you seen them before?

[uiscebeatha]

I have, yeah. Not everyone has one, though. The tech's kind of...complicated.

[ idk what the shower lore is in wizard world please forgive me ]

How were they? Was— Oops. [ He's about to turn around when he remembers the other guy's probably naked? He can't tell, but. ] You decent yet? Can I turn around?

[spotsalone]

[ Hickey frowns, puzzled, and looks down at himself. ]

You can. I don't have much use for modesty.

[ He studies Cain a moment. Something's off with this guy. ]

Are you all right, then?

[uiscebeatha]

[ Cain turns around, and his eyes naturally settle...somewhere near Hickey's, but not quite. ]

Sorry, my eyesight's kinda bad.

[ He takes a couple of steps forward, hand outstretched. Not too close to corner him, but also not too close to the bath edge that the request could be seen as a threat. ]

Could you touch my hand?

[spotsalone]

[ Bad? Hickey swoops his head over a couple of inches to try and catch the guy's eyeline. Huh. ]

What's that got to do with anything?

[ But he fulfills the request, reaching out with his own hand to awkwardly pat Cain's. ]