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

Tulip

[oncefallen]

[As he wanders around the suite exploring, G'raha may notice one of his suitemates staring at him with particular interest, seemingly examining him-- or more specifically, staring at those ears. The tail, on the other hand, doesn't seem to get any attention at all... odd.

... it probably seems a bit hypocritical given the halo hovering above this man's own head, but. Details.]

[allrounder]

[ Having his ears, well, noticed is honestly a really novel experience and so he can't help but realize that his suitemate is staring at him a little too intensely.

He tilts his head, figuring he won't directly address it right away. ]

Is there something on my face?

[oncefallen]

Oh, no.

[Vanis, meanwhile, does not seem the slightest bit bothered to have been caught staring. He's used to being treated like a curiosity, so he doesn't even think twice about turning that right back around on others.]

I've simply never seen a demon with ears quite like yours before, that's all.

[allrounder]

I am not a demon!

[ RUDE? Why has he been likened to one twice now!! ]

[oncefallen]

Please don't misunderstand-- I wasn't judging you for that even if you were. I have nothing against demons, personally.

[Man who freeloads off demons is actually rather fond of them, news at 11]

But if you aren't one, then might I ask what you are instead?

[allrounder]

[ An interesting tidbit, and it makes G'raha wonder about the star that he's from. ]

A Miqo'te, a race from my start that has bestial traits. I could go into further detail, but I fear that would bore you.

[oncefallen]

No, quite the opposite-- I would love to hear more. My world only has three races, so anything beyond that is fascinating to me.

[Vanis smiles, clearly intrigued.]

I would offer to show you my own wings in exchange, but unfortunately it seems as though this place has somehow sealed my ability to do that. I do apologize for that.

[allrounder]

Now wings are quite unusual where I hail from.

[ He smiles a little, honestly curious about them. ]

In exchange, tell me about yourself. Does that sound fair to you?

[oncefallen]

Yes, certainly. I am something of a rarity in my own world, after all.

[It's benefited him quite a bit while he's stayed in the demon world... he would be a fool to try to play it down here.]

I've gotten quite used to questions by now.

[allrounder]

What makes you unusual?

[ Is it the wings? ]

In contrast to you, Miqo'te are relatively common. Rather, we are not unusual nor rare.

[oncefallen]

[So other worlds have races with demonic traits that aren't demons? Fascinating...]

There are many angels where I come from, but few who have fallen. Those who fall and survive eventually become full demons.

In my current state, I am neither angel nor demon. Despite my appearance, I'm something between the two.

[allrounder]

You have fallen and survived, then?

[ He's placing heavy emphasis on the word "eventually" becoming a demon. ]

[oncefallen]

[Vanis nods.]

Yes. It isn't uncommon for fallen angels to starve to death for lack of pure mana before they ever become full demons. They are... delicate existences.

[allrounder]

Yet 'tis a fate you have managed to avoid. I presume there is a way to get this mana before it becomes depleted?

[oncefallen]

Mmm... and therein lies the challenge. It must be extracted from humans without killing them. Only a demon is capable of doing such a thing, so you must forgive my excitement when I thought you were a demon.

[allrounder]

Understandable excitement indeed.

[ He gets it. ]

Though I fear that even if I were, I doubt I would be of much help here.

[oncefallen]

[He notes that "here" at the end of the sentence.]

Because your abilities have been sealed as well, I assume?

[allrounder]

You have the right of it.

[ He holds up a hand, as if he's going to do something with it and... nothing. ]

I can't produce even the slightest amount of aether.

[oncefallen]

I must admit I'm curious what sort of being would be capable of sealing us like this without leaving any sort of trace behind. Even a high-ranking angel can't simply hide the use of a spell.

[Spells require mana, and that mana can be detected.]

[allrounder]

And the whole lot of us, too. It would require a significant amount of power regardless of the way it manifests.

[ Aether, mana, even putting it through some kind of conduit... ]

[oncefallen]

Yes. To seal a group this large and leave no evidence... it's unlike anything I've seen before.

[And he really doesn't like it, actually!]

... well, it isn't as though we can do anything until we uncover the source. But we should be on our guard until then.

[allrounder]

I agree.

[ Speaking of being on guard, he's immediately reminded of another room he went into. ]

There is plenty of weaponry available in this building, should you feel like you need one.

[oncefallen]

Haha... unfortunately, that won't be of much use to me. Angels don't normally wield weapons, so I have no experience in using one. I would be more of a danger to myself than anyone else if I were to try.

[Like, them's just the facts.]

[allrounder]

In that case... leave the defensive measures to me.

[ He's a Tank, after all! ]