You're My Friend, They're My Friends (IC Intro)

[whimsicalism]

Whatever you were doing before, wherever you were before this moment it doesn't matter. The world seems to grow dark around you: an almost inaudible giggle floats to your year before you lose consciousness completely. Other it belonging to a child there's no defining characteristics of the voice. Maybe you just imagined it? Even if you did, one thing is clear when you wake up.

You're not where you were before. The bedroom you find yourself is plush and well decorated, almost like a fancy hotel or apartment. That might be little comfort considering that it's clear that you don't recognize it. Before you rush off to explore your surroundings there's a message pinned to the door to the hall.

From the desk of the Queen:

Hello, my friends dear.

I can only hope you enjoy your new life here. For those you stirring from sleep, this is my promise that I will keep: I will let you go if that is what you desire but the price for it will be quite dire.

For my rules are quite clear that I don't wish you to leave. Yet I will, if you can take the grief.

If you wish to know my name and the reasons to my game, meet in the audience hall for tea. Tea, yes, a grand tea party for my grand guests! Cake and sweets are what we need to meet. In an hour we both will be there, no peeking before!

Signed,

Instead of a signature, there's a small feline paw print underneath as well as some strange sort of heart crest?

There seems to be others moving outside your room. Perhaps it's time to explore, to see if anyone else knows what's going on. Don't slip on the playing card (an ace of hearts, with the heart shape replaced by the strange crest). That there's a scribbled phrase of 'dormez-vous? dormez-vous?' on the card but surely one of the others slipped it under your door.

This Castle seems like a strange place ot live in... yet for now it's quiet and peaceful, even if the Audience Hall is locked.

Comments

outside rooms;

[golden_king]

[ Wow, what a clumsy girl!

...Words he didn't say but he absolutely thought it. For now he'll just hold out his hand. ]

I'm not sure. It's not really the kind of Castle I'd like to be in, though...

[xxxx_me]

[That's an unhappy thought.]

...It's weird. I saw a murder in another World, but I've never gone to a World that had a game like this before.

[Allen that makes no sense to anyone other than you.]

[nothingposh]

[Gavroche pats Neku's shoulder. Literacy was not exactly a super high priority in Napoleon's France.]

That's alright. Some people who can read think they know everything, but they don't know nothing.

[scratchitti]

Not if they don't natively speak a romance language. If I could read it I wouldn't have asked.

portrait of a childhood on fire

[soverainty]

[Niko's here looking at the portraits with what seems to be a nervous expression, probably because she has herself and also everyone else staring back at her. When Allen speaks up she blinks and looks between him and his portrait.......]

You're... not from here either? I wasn't sure, especially because--

[She gestures at his profile?? Then seems to realize that that's probably rude and puts her hand and her head down in a small bow. Considering her sense of fashion she probably shouldn't be pointing too many fingers.]

Sorry for reading it without permission! I was trying to figure out where I am. But the rules don't make sense, so maybe they're a puzzle.

[She pulls a very crumpled set of rules out of where she's got it stashed on her belt and gives it another once-over.]

[golden_king]

Mm, yeah. I think mine were pretty obvious, though...that might not be the same for other people.

[ He didn't think his held any deep dark secrets or anything. He'll glance over at Nagisa's and a few of the others, though. It looks like he lucked out here! ]

...Not only that, thinking about it. It looks like we're to participate in an awful game?

[golden_king]

[ ...Pretend that somewhere there was the sound of record scratching if this was a TV show, because that sure was a comment. ]

'In another world'? What do you mean by that?

[soverainty]

[Sometimes you are in a panic and a hurry and a flurry due to being kidnapped?? Not all of us are used to being yanked through space-time, wow.

It takes Niko a couple of moments to get her bearings but she spots the hand and then the owner and gives him a tiny sheepish smile. Just going to take that hand and lightly climb to her feet. She's still in socks, which might have accounted for some of this mess.]

I can't say I was looking for a castle at all. They're usually tourist destinations, or Disney, or something else. [carefully dusting herself off and then picking up the offending playing card with a small huff] This one seems more dangerous than usual, though...

[... because of rogue playing cards.......]

[whimsicalism]

[It truly is a strange thing to leave out. Actually, there has been a disturbance in the dust around the literary tapes. There's only a thin layer on this collection of tapes.

Also, it seems that the stories focusing on wars and soldiers have been shifted to the bottom. For example, the Narnia and Lord of the Rings tapes are near the bottom while the Wizard of Oz is on top.

As for the TV channels, most are just static or just blank screens with that crest you saw on the letter. There doesn't seem to be anything else on the TV for now.]

[littlebratziska]

[she will HAPPILY tell him]

My Papa is the most powerful prosecutor in the world, he has never lost a case. He sees to it that anyone who breaks the law suffers the consequences of their actions!

[imozon]

[Dark Dream is only "in the Dream" in doujins.]

I didn't have to solve a puzzle to get out of my room.

room 23

[nothingposh]

France.

[He points to the ribbon rosette in the colors of the French flag on his jacket. That is what she was asking, wasn't it?]

[caligulass]

Oh, were you dealing with the nightmares as well, then? Or... something else.

[...she did remember the heron and crow laguz from the World of Radiance just now... they’re not as annoying as the danged fairies, though.]

[littlebratziska]

I know - therefore you are a fool. You're speaking English right now, after all.

[scratchitti]

Noooo I'm speaking Japanese.

["This kid is nuts!"]

[soverainty]

[The literary tapes are the children's ones she was just looking at, right? Does it look like anything has been removed from this section or the rest of the collection, or is it just that some stuff was never here in the first place?

There's a small tilt of her head when she notices the arrangement, though, before there's a quick sigh and she crouches to get a better look. If they're too low down she might just give up and sit on the floor, but: she's going to grab a couple from each section to play through them.

It'll likely take her a bit to work out all the buttons... Though actually, is everything properly rewound because I just remembered that was an obstacle too.........]

[immaculacies]

Huh... [ Manaka pauses, her eyes lifting up toward the ceiling and the tip of one finger tapping against her chin like she's thinking about something really hard. ] Similar how? There are a lot of different pieces, so it's hard to understand what you mean if you just leave it at that.

[imozon]

What are you looking for? A Pinky Catch?

[probably not? He probably doesn't even know what that is?]

backtracks

[strictura]

[ Honestly, Nagisa has kind of already paused to look at her from a distance, even before she turns his way.

Ah... Monaca-chan would look pretty in a dress like that, wouldn't she? The color's lighter than what she usually wears, but it looks like her style otherwise...

--But then she actually addresses him, and he jumps, face flushing. Did she notice? He wasn't thinking anything improper, especially not about her...!! ]

A-ah! Um, I... [ Well, he just woke up in that room for the first time, so it's not like he has anything personal in there. It shouldn't be a problem...? ] I suppose that would be fine. I-it's down that way.

Portrait Gallergy

[littlebratziska]

I didn't either, and these don't appear to be photographs.

[scratchitti]

The 'forced into a game with my life on the line' part, mostly.

[littlebratziska]

What do you mean what world? There's only one world, outside of foolish theories.

[immaculacies]

Um, I guess I should ask first... Is there a window inside it?

[whimsicalism]

[They sure are! Actually, yes there have been some tapes that have been moved. Maybe four or so?

As for the tapes, not all the videos are rewound. Hasn't anyone been told to be kind and rewind before??]

[littlebratziska]

What? No you're not, you're clearly speaking English! And in any case, what about the note?