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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iii

[oncefallen]

Or they wish to see us make use of them.

[A slightly morbid thought to be sure, but this man lives with demons. He's seen just about everything by now.]

[whileaway]

Oh my, you’re not feeling tempted, are you?

[The words are playful and lighthearted, but Break has survived too many years to disregard the thought entirely.]

[oncefallen]

Oh, not at all. I have no experience with using weapons.

[It's equally lighthearted simply because he's amused. At least some people here have a sense of humor, it would seem...]

So if you're feeling tempted, I'm afraid I'm going to have to request that you find someone else to have it out with instead. I wouldn't be able to provide you with much in the way of entertainment on that front.

[whileaway]

I prefer less ...ostentatious blades, myself. It would be an unlikely sight to see me attempt anything with these ones. [A pause, before continuing in a matter-of-fact tone:] If I was so inclined, that is.

[Break lets a sly tilt to his grin make its way across his lips as he turns to face his current companion more directly.] If you can't provide entertainment with swordsplay, are you offering it in another way? Until we can resume our lives, it would be a waste to just rot away here.

[oncefallen]

[Hmmm. That information is noted indeed, but Vanis just keeps on smiling away.]

If I can find some proper paints and a suitable canvas, I'd be happy to get to work on a piece to add a bit more color to the gallery. Beyond that, I'm afraid I've never been much of an entertainer, unless dancing would count for that. But that would also require a willing partner, of course.

[Two can play at this game.]

[whileaway]

[Well, he can't just leave it now, can he?]

Most manors on this scale that I've known would have painting supplies around in some corner-- especially if they're so keen on displaying their wealth. You should have no trouble there.

[Next he shrugs, the motion emphasized by his too-long sleeves, and the nonchalance of the gesture undercut by his challenging tone in the same breath.] Alas, it seems we're at a loss: I've never found much time for painting amongst my duties, and I'm terribly weak at dancing. Unless you have no care for your toes, you would probably find little entertainment in teaching me to dance.

[oncefallen]

This place actually isn't all that unlike the manor where I usually live, so I had assumed I would likely be able to find something of that sort somewhere. Nobles do tend to be fond of their luxuries.

[The smile remains unchanged, Vanis lifting a hand to idly twirl a lock of his hair between his fingers.]

I do apologize for disappointing you, however. My talents all happen to lie in the arts, and from your words, yours lie elsewhere. It would seem we aren't fated to face each other either in battle or on the dance floor. Perhaps we should call this match a draw?

[whileaway]

Oh, are you a noble then? As a servant to a duchy, should I be calling you ‘my lord’?

[The tone is still teasing, even if this potentially isn’t the situation where normal gentry customs would be followed.]

Hmm~. Perhaps for now we should, though we may yet find something else in common.

[There’s no saying how long their stay will be here, after all, and Vanis has seemed more intriguing than most so far.]

Ginshi I swear to god what is happening in this thread

[oncefallen]

Oh, not at all. I'm merely a common freeloader-- the nobles I was referring to would be my hosts.

[He says this completely deadpan. At least he's honest? This may or may not be a point in his favor.]

Adder loves fine things, though I suppose that's only to be expected when one is the head of the highest-ranking demon house.

[So, technically speaking, the two of them are on fairly even footing position-wise. This conversation is just interesting Vanis more and more...]

[whileaway]

A guest [ he’s being polite, but Vanis can still hear the amused twist he puts on that word—-it was obviously not the one he was initially going to use.] to the highest-ranking house still holds quite the favor in these kinds of circles, blood member or not. You’ve given me no reason to think he doesn’t also have refined taste in houseguests, as he apparently does in material goods.

[Would a servant be of equal standing to a guest? Not if you asked most people, though the Rainsworths were more willing than most to cross those kinds of social lines.

A demon’s house… an ugly word, but could that really be so far removed from the way Chains are used by the four houses? The definitions would matter more than the terms by themselves.]

[oncefallen]

[Vanis notes the tone for that particular word, the corner of his mouth quirking ever more slightly upward in amused response. Adder would likely have several things to say about that term being applied to him...]

Haha, you flatter me. I'm merely a wandering artist trying to make myself useful.

[It isn't entirely a lie. He is making himself useful, and it is in part by being an artist. But his real purpose comes in the connections he makes via his art, the people who jump at the chance to become his patron and then let slip all sorts of fascinating and useful information around him, all with little more than a few coaxing words.]

In this case, it's more of a matter of practicality than of taste-- my paintings just happen to be quite well-received in the demon realm, that's all.