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

[rhododendronhoney]

Yeah, I did. [Cori looks down at Lena.] And I thought our worlds weren't supposed to be connected anymore as well...

Re: Outside

[undershadow]

Kinda buried the lede on that one, huh. "Our worlds?"

[rhododendronhoney]

Yeah...last summer there was this whole thing with our worlds merging together and me and my friends getting called in to stop it... [A pause]

You are a Pokemon, right?

[undershadow]

Say what now?

[rhododendronhoney]

[Whoops. Cori waves her hands, looking flustered.] Oh, no, I'm sorry I assumed! I-It's just that I've never seen a duck that looks quite like you, and Pokemon can look like all sorts of things!

[undershadow]

... Okay.

[ She pauses, blinking upward and weighing how offended she should actually be by this, considering she has no idea what a Pokemon is. By the end of this intro log, she'll definitely be falling on the end of "not really offended at all, none of these people have ever seen a duck before and it's a problem", but...! ]

So, what's a duck supposed to look like? Honest question.

[rhododendronhoney]

Um, well...usually a bit shorter? [She glances at Lena's arms for a bit.] And...they don't really have fingers, or wear clothes... [Man this is awkward to talk about.]

[undershadow]

[ And yet somehow this follow-up is worse to talk about-- ]

... Ohhhh, like those ducks. That's gotta be weird for you.

[rhododendronhoney]

..."those" ducks?

[undershadow]

Pretty much what you just said? I mean, you have ducks, and then you have ducks.

[rhododendronhoney]

[...okay, maybe it's like how Fern could talk but the rest of her team couldn't?] And...those "other kinds" of ducks can't talk, either?

[undershadow]

Why would they? They're ducks.

[ this is not going to get any less exhausting ]

[rhododendronhoney]

Okay. Um. Well...that kind of duck is pretty much the only kind of duck in my world. I've never seen a duck quite like you, myself.