WEEK 2

[whimsicalism]

The first week at the castle passes without any (recent) murders. Mysteries were found, questions asked, bonds formed, and Halloween celebrated. Now as Sunday 'dawns', you might feel your mind a little lighter as your first memories fade. Will this be just a week celebrating the (questionably) best thing about October or will more sinister things be afoot?

Either way, it looks like the Alices will continue their game.

Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday

[Hello, and welcome to week 2! Don't forget to submit your memory losses here and your activity here. If you want to ask or annoy the twins you can do so here. As always, don't forget to turn your threads in for 'fabulous prizes.]

Comments

[octopups]

[Amdi is in his room when the roar sounds out and the Alices speak, and he doesn't know what's happening but he has a terrible, terrible feeling. He sees the rules on the walls change as he runs down portrait gallery and towards the dining hall, and he hears the their last proclamation and his hearts sink into his guts. "Let this be a lesson". Just like Lord Steel.

His paws skid on the slick marble as all of him at once come careening into the foyer, and then he stops. He stares. And slowly, with the tiny taps of dozens of claws, all of him walk forward.

Amdi isn't unfamiliar with death. He'd been in the castle yard when Mr. Steel's worker collective attacked the whitejackets. He saw Pham's ruined body being taken out of the starship after Countermeasure. He'd heard Blueshell's screams through his voder as he burned, though he and Jefri didn't know what those horrible sounds meant at the time. But all those were people he didn't know, or had only barely met. This...

He hadn't really known Ib well. He'd spoken to her a little bit a couple of times, and he thought she was nice, and he'd been thinking about asking her about math because her portrait said she liked math, but he was worried he'd sound like a show-off and had never worked up the courage. But now... now....

Amdi lays bellies-down on the floor around and near Ib, stretching out his long necks towards her, and all of him make a sound that will be wholly unfamiliar to everyone else in the castle. It's a kind of soft, keening, breathy whistle, and it is the first sound he has made in this place that has actually come out of his mouths. And at the same time, his members' eyes are uniformly growing glossy and wet around the rims. It's not a hard picture to interpret.]

[battlestations]

[For himself, it's been hard to show vulnerability with all of these potential enemies around. But for goodness' sake. Nigel can't believe no one pet the crying dog yet. Does he have to do everything around here? Honestly.

He bends down on a knee to rub behind each of their ears, continuing his effort to keep it together.]

...We won't forget this.

[octopups]

[Amdi still doesn't say anything, but his whistling quiets a little and the members he's petting lift their heads up into Nigel's comforting hands.]

[Amdi will remember this.]

[soverainty]

[Niko is unfortunately shorter than many here, so it takes her a little while to wend her way through the crowd and find the small body curled on the ground in its bright dress. Once there she stares at it a moment as though uncomprehending; her face can't quite seem to decide what expression to make.

It's only once Amdi starts up with his strange sad whistle that she snaps out of it -- delicate hands go up to cover her mouth as she stares a moment longer, eyes widening just the slightest bit.

It's harder to see her expression once she crouches down, but she places a hand on one or two dog heads, soothingly -- before she reaches out to Ib. There's the briefest hesitation before she turns her carefully to a properly stretched out sleeping position and after a moment folds her hands across her chest. It's all a bit doll-like.]

... I don't think this was supposed to happen this way. [...] It wasn't. Don't cry, Amdi-wan.

[She says it very softly, and stays on the floor after. It seems she has no interest in questioning the Alices at this time, but then they've more than got their hands full here.]

[octopups]

[At first when Niko places and hand on his head he relaxes fractionally, but then when she reaches out toward Ib, Amdi tenses and watches very closely. But then he realizes...]

[That's the way Ravna laid out Pham.]

[Amdi tries not to cry more. He really does. But when he places one of his heads on Niko's lap and presses one side of his face into her shirt, there is sure to be a damp spot.]