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

media room

[byzer0]

Does it matter if it breaks? It's probably just junk anyway. [ I swtg this won't be echoes of a robot and an otaku because for the moment, Natsuo is just peering at the tapes rather than having a go at them or shaking them. ]

[soverainty]

Ah, it just seems like a bad idea to break something like this, especially when I don't know who owns it... and it looks like it's supposed to be shared.

[That's not the problem here?? Are they even supposed to be here in the first place. What are her priorities, who knows.]

But you don't use this sort of stuff either?

[She perks up just a little because the tech level has varied so wildly so far that finding someone who knows what a VCR is within reason is just. It's good. Nobody here is an otaku or a robot so we're good. Probably.]

[byzer0]

And? If they didn't want anyone to break it they shouldn't have left it lying around.

[ That gets Natsuo moving, plucking up one of the tapes to hold it in front of his eye. ]

Jeez, this stuff is pretty old too...the Queen must be an old hag to keep things like this.

[ Is that an answer? Maybe, maybe not, but Loveless is Timeless because volume three features a fat ps2 and volume eleven a sleek new PSP Vita. No need to dwell on such anachronisms in prose, especially when her attention will probably be drawn to the VHS Natsuo just smashed on the floor, f. ]

[soverainty]

Ahaha... I don't know if that makes her old, or if it's just that this stuff was lying around because it's in a castle? It's hard to say, especially since--

[She probably was about to say something about how many different levels of technology or geography knowledge she's already run into but instead there's a small and surprised kya! when Natsuo just goes to town on one of the VHS tapes.

Well, now they've made another mess in here....... it looks like the VHS graveyard continues to spawn New Problems. After a frozen moment she crouches and reaches out and then stops before getting her hands in the jagged broken tape bits.]

Why-- Why did you do that... Ahhh, you're not the one who broke the other ones too, are you?

[It's more panicked than accusatory but still. She's a bit frazzled??]

[byzer0]

I just said it, didn't I? And she's a kidnapper so who cares? [ Natsuo crouches down to look at the bits and bobs too, not hesitating to inspect the wreckage he just lovingly created. ]

No, there are more? Where?

[soverainty]

I know that... but even if you don't like the owner, or even if you think the tapes are useless, they could still have clues in them. I think. Just breaking them like that is bad in all kinds of ways...

[She is probably wasting her breath but y'know. Somebody has to say it!!

Y'all so loveless for these poor items. Niko hesitates for a moment; the tapes are in the room, certainly, and they're not about to get more broken, but she's going to hedge a bit first!]

I found all sorts of tapes in here, that someone was watching. There were even a few hidden under the floor.

[byzer0]

It was only one. Criminals don't leave vital clues right out in the open like that.

[ Maybe, maybe not but he does seem to be looking around at the rest of the room with more consideration than he was before. ]

...like in a crawl space? I thought you only hide clothes in there.