WEEK 1

[whimsicalism]

Well! That was some tea party, huh? You've finally seen the faces (or perhaps the singular is more proper here?) of your captors. A pair of creepy twins seem to fit the overall theme of the Castle at least. Why not have Twiddle Dee and Twiddle Dum, after all?

Regardless, it doesn't seem that they're changing their minds any time soon. The first floor of the Castle is still open up to you. The Audience Hall is still locked most of the time so perhaps you can meet the Alices there if you need to. There are plenty of things to occupy your time before the inevitable slow erosion of your memories. If this is a game, who will make the first move? You or the twins?

Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday

((OOC: Welcome to peace week! There will be no case this week so just have fun and explore. If you want to investigate please put Investigation in your top level. Don't forget to put threads in for regains or go to the Audience Hall to meet the Alices.

Also, if you want to keep up to date on things we now have a discord server!))

Comments

[octopups]

[Amdi pulls that one nose back in surprise from the snapped-closed book and sounds a bit embarrassed.]

Oh! Um, no, I don't think so, I mean, I haven't read a lot from Ravna's archives yet, so maybe it's a human thing that I just don't know about, but, um...

[immaculacies]

...Mm-hm, yeah, it's a human thing...

[ Manaka's brow furrows, like she's thinking very hard... But she doesn't say it. ]

Ah, but, where to start... Um, it's kind of hard to know where to begin with something like this. But, a really long time ago, Arthur was the ruler of a place called Camelot. He was destined to rule it and everything—there was a magic sword in a stone that could only be pulled out by someone worthy, and he did it when he was just a boy! He was a really good king, and the knights that served under him were the best knights, and he protected his land from the people who wanted to invade and conquer it...

[octopups]

[By this time practically all of Amdi are watching her, absolutely rapt.]

Wowww... he sounds amazing! Like Queen Woodcarver! Was he a real person?

[immaculacies]

Mm-hm! [ Manaka's face is pink with a girlish embarrassment, but with that question, she perks up further. ] Ah, he... Um, like I said, he lived a long time ago. But, thanks to the Holy Grail War, I was able to meet him... He's everything anyone would imagine he was, kind and gallant and—handsome...

[ The last word comes out more like a squeak. ]

[octopups]

[Well this is a new and interesting human emotion that Amdi hasn't seen before. Several mysteries here! He cocks a few of his heads curiously.]

Oh, he came back? Did he— oh, wait, no, humans can't reassemble, since you die all at once and don't pass on memories... hmmm... [He grooms himself thoughtfully.]

[immaculacies]

Oh! Is that what, um... you do? [ Manaka's curiosity distracts her slightly from her embarrassment, and she gives Amdi one of her owlish blinks. ] Ah, but Arthur... There's a reason people called him the Once and Future King. Instead of dying, he was supposed to be taken to a place called Avalon. Then, when he was needed again, he would rise and lead the country.

Oh, but that's not how I was able to meet him, or anything. It's a lot more special than that... [ She folders her fingers together. They fidget. ] He was my summoned partner in the Holy Grail War, so it's more like... We were always destined to meet one another, e-even though we lived a really long time apart, on different sides of the world.

[octopups]

Well, not all the time, I think reassembling mostly happens in story books.

[Amdi keeps listening excitedly (and oblivious to her doki-dokis) until she mentions the Holy Grail War again, and several of him tilt their heads and angle their long necks this way and that, pondering.]

Wait, didn't the Queen and the cat say something about about a "Holy Grail"? Is that how they made the magic?

[immaculacies]

Mm-hm. They mentioned it, I mean. That's why I put the sign up... I can tell everyone a little about what they meant, so of course people are going to want to ask me, right?

[octopups]

[Amdi's little ears all prick up and most of him snap their heads around to look at her, then the sign on the table, then her again. And then he almost uniformly droops his long necks and looks up at her in embarrassment. He was so wrapped up in her story that he totally forgot the actual reason he came over here in the first place.]

O-oh, uh, right. Um... [fidget fidget] S-so... what is the Holy Grail War?

[immaculacies]

It's a conflict where magi fight for the chance to use the Holy Grail. Supposedly, the winner will be granted a wish.

[ supposedly ]

Ah, but... Hm... If I'm telling you things, you should tell me something back, right? It's only fair!

[ She was giving the information away for free, but she's curious. ]

[octopups]

Wow... that really does sound like a storybook.

[He picks up a few of his heads at her question.] Oh! Um, sure, what do you want to know?

[Spoken in an "ok but you are way cooler than me so idk why u wanna ask" tone. He is. Still not used to being the literal one (1) alien among normies and not the normie who knows the one alien sob]

[immaculacies]

Um, do you mind if I ask... What are you? And, are you all... You?

[octopups]

Oh!! I'm sorry, I keep forgetting, of course nobody else here would know. I'm a Tine! I'm, uh... I guess a human would call me an "alien"?

But yeah, all of me are me! [He bobs all his heads cheerfully, and in uncanny synchronization.] All Tines are made of several members! Ravna says that's pretty unusual in the galaxy, so it's okay if you're confused.

[immaculacies]

Ah! No, it's okay. I can kind of grasp it, but... Hm, does that mean you're like a hivemind, then? If all of you are "you"...

[ She trails off, humming to herself, as she thinks. ]

So what would happen if you lost one of you? And... Where does your voice come from, anyway?

[ She can't help asking several questions at once. She's just so curious! ]

[octopups]

[Well that question kind of throws a wrench into his cheerfulness, though he tries not to show it too much.]

Oh, um... I'd probably be fine, because I'm an eightsome and that's really big for a pack. The rest of me could still make a mind together. [There is a bit of a "not lying but not telling the whole story" edge to his voice here.]

[OH LOOK ANOTHER QUESTION HE CAN JUMP TO INSTEAD] Oh, my voice comes out of my tympana!

[One of him ducks its head and another points its nose toward the flat, bare patch of black skin in the middle of that one's forehead. All of him have those patches there, as well as on the shoulders and haunches. If she looks very close she might be able to tell it's vibrating a little bit, like the thin fabric over a speaker.]

[immaculacies]

[ Manaka catches that not-quite-truthful edge, but she doesn't comment on it. To some degree, she can guess what he means: that even if they could still make a mind, it wouldn't be the same "him." That's what she presumes, anyway, and she doesn't see the need to press for more.

Besides, there's something else for her to focus on instead. ]

Wo~w... [ Manaka leans forward where she sits, examining the indicated patches. She's a little tempted to reach out and touch it, to see if she can feel the vibrations of a voice, but maybe that would be rude? ] Um, does all of you talk at once, or...

[octopups]

[Got it in one, Manaka. At least, that's what he's afraid would happen.]

Not necessarily! I can make speech sounds with whichever member I want. See? I can do it—

[From one of him still on the opposite side of the table] Over here, or even—

[From one that has sneakily snuck up behind her chair] Over here!

[:D tee hee]

[immaculacies]

Eh!

[ Manaka jumps in her seat; she isn't accustomed to being surprised, at all. ]

Ah, you're really an amazing thing... Um, you said that you're a really big pack, right? How big are Tine usually? And... If some of you got separated, but nothing bad happened, what would that be like? And— Ah, maybe I should ask so many questions at once. I've just never seen anything like you before!

[octopups]

[Amdi giggles from every direction when he successfully surprises her. Jefri always hates when he does that.]

It's no problem, I like questions! Most of the grown-ups I've met have been five or six, but Pilgrim was only four before he had puppies so I think that's fine too.

Um, [He shifts a little uncomfortably and mostly looks away] I've only gotten separated once, and it felt pretty weird and loopy, but everything was fine once I got back together. [And once he was no longer drowning one by one in an enclosed space. It was... a bad day.]

[immaculacies]

Mm, I see... [ She notices that discomfort, but this time, she doesn't heed it the same way. ] Ah, but what I mean is — does it matter, if one of you is from the rest of yourself? Can you all see what each other see? Or...

[octopups]

Huh? [He doesn't seem to understand the question at first] Of course I can see what all of me sees. I mean, if one of me is too far away then I won't be able to think about what that part of me saw until I'm back together, so... I guess I don't necessarily see it all at the same time?

[He cocks a few heads.] Huh. I never thought about it like that.