TWO TALES END (Golden Ending)

[whimsicalism]

Reunions and Meetings

It's a couple of hours since the end of the torment. The eternal game is over. A Little Brother, a little run ragged, runs around the Academy and the depot telling anyone who will listen that something is happening. The Queen, a friend of theirs, is visiting. She contacted the sheep while everyone was busy. They explain that she, along with a group of children, will be coming to the depot to meet everyone. She also can help get those who want to go elsewhere, get there. The Queen, it seems, found a way to open doors to other worlds and times. This could be helpful to get home as well as bringing old faces to the depot, if not Closetland itself.

It takes about an hour but eventually a golden door opens on the deck of the platform. A young girl in full petticoats dressed in blue stands before everyone. Even if her smile is nervous at the sight of so many new people she gives a quick curtsy. She shrinks back shyly as she speaks as a few other children come out of the door, too.

"I'm Queen Alice. The sheepies tried contacting my castle and told me what happened. I'm... very sorry about what must have happened. As my friends will tell you, you don't have to worry about the castle or her--uh, Nursery Rhyme--anymore. She's not a King anymore. I'm just a kid like everyone here, um. My friends helped me make this body so I'm sorry if it's a bit surprising. Um. I can help you get home if you'd like..."

Queen Alice goes onto explain that she can open doors to any world your character wants to go to. She can also gently pull other people through doors if needed. The sheep add that the teleporter to Closetland won't allow them to go there. The Academy is for students and staff only, after all!

The residents of the Castle seem nice enough, at least. Maybe now is the time for new friendships after shared two very long grueling experiences? Perhaps you just want to return to a safe place.

Two stories end quietly in the middle of a dark but calm ocean.

OOC

Welcome to the reunion post of Round One and Round Two. Players who played in either round only, please. You may play or NPC castmates of fellow characters if you'd like, though! Please no bringing in of Round Zero NPCs, please. They preferred not to come. If your character has no place to return to or ever needs a place to rest, Alice will offer them a room at her Castle provided they behave themselves. Powers are on there unless trouble arises. She's a bit sensitive after being drafted into being a murdergame accomplice, after all. We hope you enjoy yourselves and this will be the final post for round 2 of Castle Whimsical. Thank you, everyone!

Comments

more... comfortable

[hashtagwoof]

[ Okay. Hunter is far past being weirded out by being able to speak dog.

This is not what is happening. This is a small pack of weird looking noodle dogs talking to him with their disembodied voice. What. ]

Er... Yeah, I'm Hunter. [ He smiles, trying not to look too weirded out. ] So, who are the rest of your buddies here?

[ He has no idea which one is Amdi, but that's what's happening here, right? A whole family of dog things running around as a group? He can't tell which one just spoke up. ]

[violence_ensues]

[???]

Uh? Don't... the sheriffs throw people into the slammer? I mean, that's what King Snugglemagne says we're apposed to do. Me, Mao Mao, and Badgerclops.

[canismajorcontrolfreak]

Yes! I promise! You're not going crazy or anything!

[Yeah, Dylan's brain is in a similar, but notably different place.

Meanwhile, the other pups clinging to him are staring. Their voices are clearly different from Dylan's own, sounding much more young.]

Does she understand?

She must speak dog too!

Since when do humans try to learn dog though?

1/2

[littlebratziska]

[Franziska takes 2d4 points of psychic damage]

[octopups]

[OMG a human with a kind of normal skin color!! Amdi has of course been too polite to make a big deal about it but it has been a little weird for him to be around so many funny pale humans when he's used to Jefri and Ravna and the other Beyonders. He knows intellectually that Old Earth had a lot of differently colored humans, but still!]

Hi! Hi! What's your name? Are you from Sjandra Kei??

[Oh yeah btw Valmont there are eight weird dog critters running all around your legs, have fun with that.]

[littlebratziska]

W-what about due process???

[violence_ensues]

Due... process...?

[???????]

I mean... we hand out arrest warrants and fines and such. Is that what you mean?

[heroin_e]

Holy crow.

[Okay. Oooookay. She is not at all convinced that she's not crazy yet, since the voice coming from a dog saying she's not crazy probably should not be considered valid proof of this, but you know what? Sure. For now they may as well go with this.]

Um. Hello?

...

I'm sorry, this is... kind of weird for me.

I. Uh. You said you knew Edward?

[The commentary on her knowing how to speak dog she just sort of gently sets to the side for now because she just has no idea how to respond to that.]

[canismajorcontrolfreak]

[...rude.]

A foolish mind also says things are different when they are scarily similar. Especially when the people behind these things seem like they're two of the seven kings of this place.

[Is he assuming Nursery Rhyme is a king? Yes. Did Franziska also state that her incident happened in a castle, the exact place you'd expect a king to be in? Also yes!]

[littlebratziska]

[She actually stamps her little booted foot.]

No! That's only part of it! The rest of due process is when the criminals who are caught by the police have the right to a trial where the evidence against them can be presented and considered! And, if the prosecutor is worth their title, they will easily be able to crush any opposition and prove the defendant's true guilt!!

1/2

[violence_ensues]

[...Adorabat appears to absorb akll of this information like a sponge. She's in awe.]

Wooooooow...

2/2

[violence_ensues]

[It's about this time Adorabat starts excitedly flailing in the air.]

I WANNA SEE THE DUE PROCESS! YA GOTTA SHOW ME!

[octopups]

[The "dogs" actually perk up excitedly as soon as they spot Dylan, and after a quick active scan of the crowd the remaining members of the eightsome all turn to look at him too, some heads low and held out to the sides and some stretched absurdly up into the air, as though to look at him from every angle. I'm sure that's not unnerving at all! :D]

Oh, hi! Oh my gosh, are you an Earth dog?? I didn't know Earth dogs could talk!!

[canismajorcontrolfreak]

[...okay...not normal dog. Neck stretching is not normal. The fact that he's hearing only one voice while none of their mouths are moving is not normal. That said voice is referring to him as an Earth dog is not normal.]

Uh...yeah. I am. And we can.

[All of it combined, he can only come up with one conclusion.]

Are...are you an alien?

[holyironmade]

It's very nice.

[Jeanne is still a bit blank, still overwhelmed, but she wants there to be time for him. Niles.]

Perhaps it is for the best that you have become my dear friend. I think it might be a little more difficult to get permission for a girlfriend to have a sleepover.

Omg I almost forgot about mindsound, rip Dylan

[octopups]

[A couple of thoughtful little head tilts, followed by a synchronized bob of several other heads.]

Um, I guess if I ever came to your planet, then yeah! But, if you think about it, if you came to my planet, wouldn't you be the alien?

[Oh btw Dylan, you know those annoying "dog whistles" humans invented that they can't hear but you can? Yeah, these guys are making faint little spurts of that noise all the time.]

1/2

[canismajorcontrolfreak]

[He does indeed notice that noise, and it's enough to make him scratch at his ears before the voice speaks again. And when it does, he completely freezes at the answer.]

I...I guess that's true, but...

[He's shaking a little bit again as he speaks now.]

That still means...

[octopups]

Oh, cool! We used that kind of magic to help Alice too!

[At Simon's question, a couple of Amdi show their (small, uniform, and very un-doglike) teeth for a quick moment and a couple more stick their noses haughtily up into the air.]

Ew, no, I'm nothing like them! Nigel told me all about those kids, they're not even a real Pack they're just a bunch of whole minds that that Father person mushed together somehow because he's evil!

[temmapathy]

[That gets a smile from her brother.]

My name's Parker! And...thanks for being Emma's friend. We were all so worried when she suddenly disappeared.

You're all safe now, right? [Her dad still looks a little anxious about all this.]

[xxxx_me]

[Whispering:]

I think they already beat him.

[xxxx_me]

Neku?

[LOOKING AROUND???]

2/2

[canismajorcontrolfreak]

YOU'RE AN ALIEN FROM ANOTHER PLANET-FROM SPACE!!

[The Dalmatian has now zipped right in front of the foremost not-dog, the biggest, goofiest smile on his muzzle as he looks the non-canine up and down.]

Are you from a society where everyone is telepathic?! Are you speaking for everyone or is this a collective personality situation!? Have you managed space travel yet or are you still working on it!?! Do you have an equivalent to humans on your planet or is it just your species?!? What's society like in general on your planet!?!?

TELL ME EVERYTHING!

[He is. In Heaven.]

Re: 2/2

[cellpreservation]

[C..............asually staying the hell out of this.]

[xxxx_me]

That's good. And... it's okay. I sort of had the wrong idea about them at first, too.

[canismajorcontrolfreak]

[Before Dylan can answer-]

She does! She does understand!

Woah!

Cool!

Hey, hey! Calm down!

[Turning away from Bella for a second to address the trio of pups.]

Dafydd, Donut, Delphie, can I have a minute? Please?

[The pups look at their brother, then the human, and back to their brother before speaking in unison.]

Okay!

[Once they run off, he turns back to Bella.]

Sorry about that, not really used to humans understanding us. Anyway, yes, I do know Edward! He's...a good friend.

[putting it lightly...]