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

[xxxx_me]

I... I don't know. [And it's even scarier having to consider.

His hand trembles a little.]

I thought the rules said that once the game ended, everyone just stayed in the castle...

[littlebratziska]

They said people could stay, or could be sent home. Either way we have no way to verify if that much is true, only blood too old to be from anyone who is here now, unless people are lying about how long they have been here.

[Or... the memory loss that was mentioned? What if it had been them. It would explain the portraits if they had been here for some time and somehow been made to forget, but... no, she's confident, she knows herself too well to fall victim to such a foolish thing. Nothing here seems familiar, anyway.]

[xxxx_me]

[It's all got him at a loss. Rules for a horrible game painting a macabre picture that's still not quite clear enough to fully understand... It's quite a bit more complicated than "go into someone's heart and find a key."]

...We're supposed to meet the queen later, right? Maybe we should ask.

[There's no guarantee they'll get any good information out of it, but he can't think of any other options.]

[littlebratziska]

I'd much rather spend my time trying to convince her to let us go home.

[Perhaps unfortunately, her version of "convince" and "threaten" are often indistinguishable, which is unlikely to help their case.]

[xxxx_me]

[...]

You can probably try.

[He doesn't think it'll work, but nothing ventured, etc.]

[littlebratziska]

[She can sense his hesitation and scowls at it.]

At least I can do that!

[xxxx_me]

I hope she listens.

[littlebratziska]

[She tosses her hair back over her shoulder with a forced ease that looks very deliberate, still staring at the blood.]

If she doesn't, then perhaps we can make her. There don't seem to be any guards here, after all.

[xxxx_me]

[???]

How?

[littlebratziska]

It's hard to know when we've only just arrived in this foolish place!

[Honestly does she have to do ALL the thinking here?

Well fine.]

No matter where this was, we were clearly brought here somehow, which means there is a way to reverse the process. I don't know what's holding us here, but surely that is the first thing to search for.

[xxxx_me]

[Ah. That's... actually a pretty logical conclusion, isn't it?

Cheshire's nowhere to be found, nor is the White Rabbit. Maybe there's a third option neither of them mentioned after all.]

I'll help look!

[Eager to the point of desperation. He really wants there to be an alternative.]

[littlebratziska]

Hm. The first step, I expect, is to find more about this place. Tell me, where have you looked so far?

[xxxx_me]

Mostly just the library.