WEEK 6

[whimsicalism]

Only one of your group died last week but the castle feels empty somehow. Whatever your thoughts on Alice were she did seem to curb the Cat's--no, the Storyteller's--impulses somewhat. Even if the Storyteller gave an end date for the game there seems to be a sinister air around the castle now. There's an area for the adventurous, at least?

Still, it likely won't help heal the wounds from last week... though, apparently, the Storyteller has decided to refill the library.

Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday

[Hello to week six, the last normal week before endgame! Don't forget to lose a memory. There's no AC this week! You can find the Storyteller at the audience chamber if you really want. As always you can turn in your threads for fabulous prizes!]

Comments

[strictura]

No, there were mountains where the snowstorm was and some sort of crystal ice over the ground around it, but I couldn't see any actual buildings. It seemed to be pretty far off in the distance, though.

[octopups]

Um... [Shyly] The treehouse, does it have, uh... stairs? Or just those... "ladder" things?

[battlestations]

It actually has an elevator of sorts! I can show you how to work it if you want in.

[xxxx_me]

I found a bloody combat knife in the hunting lodge. After messing around with the clock, I saw what happened when Kirika killed Alice. They were the last two left and they went on the elevator... but then Kirika attacked. Alice got the knife and managed to stab her back, but Kirika rammed her head against the door over and over, so...

[That's that's fun.]

Kirika was upset she forgot Oriko, and she was convinced Alice was the Storyteller. ...Both of them must have died around the same time.

[...]

Last week, I also noticed something in the Build a Friend store. There was some fabric there that matched a pouch Yuniko got. I guess someone's been sewing? There was fabric for Queen Alice's dresses there, too.

[xxxx_me]

Yeah. Everyone who has to die killed.

[For various reasons, but still.]

I wrote down what happened, but it still makes it hard when I've forgotten the stuff the others did.

[xxxx_me]

There was a bunch of stuff in the Hunting Lodge's storage room. Most if it was broken, but there were initials like "DO" and "MA" on them.

...

It felt kind of sad.

[strictura]

[ He'd fallen behind on it last week, but this morning, Nagisa is at the entrance to the dining hall catching up on updating the calendar on the wall in advance of the week's meeting. He fills in the last two deaths, including Alice, and writes in "LAST DAY (?)" on the 20th, the deadline the Storyteller had given them before the last trial.

Once all the updates are in, he stands back and frowns thoughtfully at it. They don't have that much time left, and yet all they've really been able to do this week is wait.


Sometime in the afternoon after the meeting and some reading, he's back in the dining hall again to put the few coins he has right now into the vending machine. The popcorn and game are fine but not particularly interesting; but he stops for a moment when he gets to a familiar handmade booklet... before tucking it under his arm and collecting the rest of his things to go.


And at night, for a while before he goes to bed, he can be heard through the door of room 6 practicing his guitar again. He really doesn't have any actual talent at this, but he's been working hard to learn anyway (because he works hard at learning everything, and because he doesn't want to disappoint Mizuki), and by this point he's gotten enough chords figured out to at least produce something that sounds like music (a little like the chorus part here but much slower and more awkward). It's a nice distraction from his nerves, in any case. ]

[octopups]

Oh, cool! [:D yayyy treehouse is a go for dogs!]

I've read about elevators! Our castles have dumbwaiters but I've never seen a pack-sized elevator!

[octopups]

Huh... she did say there were some hills around her house. If it is the same snowstorm, maybe the viewing angle is just wrong?

Or... hm, do we have anything like a telescope?

[octopups]

So... so Queen Alice really has died before, then? A-and she was brought back?

So it's... really possible?

[xxxx_me]

Three times, I think. She died in the war and then she died again in the... grail war thingy? And then again here.

Dying to Kirika must have been the time she forgot between that game and this one.

[battlestations]

Sad how? Do you think it was theirs...?

[battlestations]

[that's an interesting viewpoint coming from the 'loyal to kids as a whole' kid.... but he supposes he does have more loyalty to the group here, nevertheless]

I see... perhaps it was merely left here to gloat, then.

[battlestations]

This would likely be a bit similar. I think we could fit about four of you on the thing.

[battlestations]

The snowy one matches the tower? Did you happen to look around there as well?

[xxxx_me]

[Peeking into his room as he plays.]

You play music?

[xxxx_me]

I don't know how to describe it. Just... walking in made me feel down.

[battlestations]

I suppose it is a bit gloomy, finding a bunch of broken things.

[xxxx_me]

Yeah... maybe.

[strictura]

[ To be fair, he meant more that the Storyteller wouldn't expect them to care about strangers, and thus wouldn't bother keeping them around this whole time to try to use them against them... but they've also been voting kids they do know to their deaths for over a month now in order to protect themselves, so it's probably a reasonable assumption. ]

What, about her being named on their monster list? That doesn't sound impossible.

[strictura]

[ He stops and looks to the door, face turning slightly red. ]

Ah-- was it that loud?

[ He shakes his head. ]

No, I never did before this... it's hardly a talent of mine, as you can probably tell. Okiura just gave this to me with a lesson book as a gift a while back, so I didn't want to let her down if she thought I could do it.

[strictura]

[ With the washing machine started, he comes over next to Allen to wait. ]

So you don't know anymore what you're supposed to judge them for?

[strictura]

Not that I recall... maybe there could be a pirate's spyglass or something on the third floor, though?

[strictura]

At the tower? I looked around it briefly, but there was nothing especially notable about it besides the view.

[xxxx_me]

[Stepping inside if he doesn't protest it!]

Is it fun?