Beginning

[thecastle]

One moment you were elsewhere, surely speaking to your friends, fighting in a battle of your life, dying, or even in a state of non-existence in its entirety. It doesn't matter now, since when you open your eyes it’s become clear that not only is everything around you foreign and unfamiliar, so is everyone. And there seems to be a fair lot of you, at that.

It's easy to discern a few things upon a cursory glance, once you pick yourself up from the field of grass you're resting on. The place you've awoken in seems to be fairly tranquil, for the first few moments at least, and the view of a newly budded sakura tree is among the first that will greet you. In the distance, is a towering castle that manages to look all at once both imposing and welcoming at the same time. There's also an odd pendant around your neck, which you'll find won't come off despite your best attempts. In your pocket you'll find a room key, engraved with a number.

The weather is currently cool, with the sun brightly shining in the sky, though there are a few too many clouds to make it a completely clear day. While most of them appear rather normal, every so often you might spot one that looks just a bit off— like a storm cloud that's completely lost it's way. Lucky for you, it doesn't seem like you're going to have to worry about any inclement weather anytime soon, as they'll vanish from your vision as quickly as they came.

A large stone wall surrounds the entirety of the castle, though it's anyone guess why that is— maybe it's for your safety, maybe it's to keep you trapped, or maybe it's for another reason entirely. The only breach in the wall is a single gate that looks like it certainly led to the outside at one point, but that too has been cordoned off by solid stone.

Fortunately, there's nothing to stop you from entering the castle itself, where you'll find it's pretty grand all things considered. The lighting inside is provided not by electricity, but by magical flame that adjusts to the time of day or night. Actually, if you're looking for anything electronic anywhere, or even a simple power outlet, you'll be sorely out of luck.

For now, it might be best to explore and make some sense of where you are and why you're here— maybe one of your fellow travelers might know something? There are some plaques in the Great Hall that might catch your interest given their focus, in addition to one ridiculously large golden one that seems to bear rules.

Welcome, fellow warriors, to your very long stay.

Comments

[browbeater]

i. great hall

[look. look.

this is not his finest moment. He looks like he had a rough night of sleep already, his clothes are ruffled, and maybe, maybe he spent the night sleeping on the streets. Who knows.

But that is absolutely no excuse to make this worse. If he were an emotive person, he'd probably look slightly panicked. But instead, he just looks annoyed. And reading over those plaques, with all their details... and then the rules...]

What is this place?

[it seems he's decided that he's had enough of the rules, and he's gonna do some investigating.]

Excuse me.

[you. Yeah, you.]

ii. laundry

[look he may be captured, but he can't deny that his clothes need laundering, okay. Besides, he's already looked for an escape, on his own time. And it's just not happening. So, handwashing his jacket it is.

Ironically, he doesn't look too lost by the concept of handwashing. Laundry machines are new/very expensive/bad at their jobs in his world anyway.

Come chat.]

[professionality]

By the Sakura Tree, upon arrival

[ Wh---? Where is she? This... They were in the process of take-off and then? Rhoda sits up and looks around dazedly. There's a group of people around her, also just waking up, but there is no wreckage? Eh? EH?

Calm, Rhoda, calm. You are educated for this.

She stands up, pats some grass of her flight attendant's uniform and clears her throat, nervously smiling. ]

I-if I could ask for your attention, p-please.

[ The stuttering isn't planned in, but Rhoda tries to not pay it any mind. ]

It appears we have found ourselves in a quite unfamiliar situation and-- Excuse me, let me start with an introduction. My name is Rhoda Teneiro, and I am a professional flight attendant. As such, I have been trained to handle cases in which a crash may cause us to get lost in unfamiliar terrain.

I would ask of you to please remain calm. Panicking is the number one enemy i-in emergency situations.

[ She pats her pockets a little more then, smile dropping as she furrows her brows in confusion. Then she looks back up: ]

Now, excuse me for being so direct, but is there any one among you who has a cellphone or a similar communication device on them? A radio would be quite enough. It appears my own has... gotten lost in whatever disaster it was that brought us together here.

Kitchen

... this landlord is very professionally committed to the medieval style, it appears.

[ She murmurs this almost appreciatively, but she is pretty clearly looking for the fridge all the same, as well as checking corners for any power outlets. When she finds the fridge, she smiles in deep relief. ]

Halls before the Bedrooms

[ She's unlocked Room 17 and is peering into it cautiously, weirdly hesitant to enter. ... is she knocking on the open door? Yeah, she is. ]

Wild card

[ Rhoda will explore the whole grounds over the course of the day, run into her anywhere if you want to. ]

[pseudoregelia]

[Field - 1]

[The young girl who wakes up looks clothed for colder climes, if only slightly. Grass sticks to the fake fur of her jacket's hood as she takes in her surroundings, too bewildered to even say a word.

Well, at first. When she stands, it's in an abrupt bounce to her feet, her voice ringing loud and clear and high in her panic.]

Wh-where-?!

[Rules - 2]

[After exploring the field, she'll eventually make her way into that super suspicious castle, peering around warily. You will be able to find her here staring first at the plaques with open surprise, particularly at those for Ayumu Narumi and Hiyono Yuizaki, before winding up in front of the obnoxiously golden rules.]

Excuse me?!

[Warriors? Duels? Murder? She thought they were done with all of that already!]

[Kitchen - 3]

[Eventually she can be found in the kitchen, staring into the refrigerator at all of the food inside.]

The people who own this place must be really rich, huh?

[Darn. If only she had a cook she could ask sweetly to make food for her...]

[buddyoldpal]

I. The Grass Is Always Greener

[ Nishitani's first thought: well, this sure beats being dead. He sits up and checks his chest and arms for wounds and comes back empty. Cool, those aren't bleeding anymore, either. So maybe this is the afterlife, or maybe it's a weird hell. That's actually pretty okay with him, it sure beats an eternity of nothing. And hey, the weather's nice, huh? ]

Shit, if hell's this nice I shoulda died sooner.

[ He's kidding? Maybe? He sounds pretty cheery, actually. ]

II. Reading matters, kids.

[ Never one to stay down for too long, eventually Nishitani starts exploring the grounds. He's found his way to the plaques and the rules. Gee, you'd better hope there's nothing embarrassing on there. He sure doesn't seem to mind what his says. ]

"Duelin' other guests... is encouraged," huh? [ His eyes light up as he reads aloud, fingers itching at his sides. What a creepy-looking guy.... ] Fuck, I'm gonna like it here.

[ Never mind the whole murder bit, doesn't that sound fun? ]

III. Three is for Wildcards

[ idk other stuff??? go for it ]

[coinflipped]

[A]

[Time is a weird thing to Eizen, but he usually doesn’t get to a point that he doesn’t know how he ended up somewhere. Especially since he was on the mast of a ship with his crew. At least watching over them. Being stationary and waking up on the grass was not in the order, let alone in a place he’s never seen.

It doesn’t feel like an Earth Pulse here, then again he can’t feel much, which is disconcerting in and of itself. He reaches into his pockets and immediately starts to panic when he only pulls out a key and not the items he wanted. Two items he always carried with him are gone. One being a very important gift, and the other? Well, he fears for the others here if he doesn’t get it back. So he’s around the courtyard frantically searching and approaching anyone he sees.]

Have you seen a gold coin engraved with the Demon King Dhaos on front and the Goddess Martel on the back? Also have you seen a locket with a drawn portrait of a girl in it?

[B]

[After he searches around the area, he goes to the great hall and sees the profiles. H-how…

…what’s going on? His… little sister isn’t that old. Let alone why is her profile up here? Perhaps confusion and anger will be varying depending on if he’s personally spoken to her or not by the time your character approaches him, however, one thing is for sure: he’s confused by this and not happy with this. She shouldn’t be here, she should be safe on her mountain where he left her!]

[C]

[Then he’ll look at the rules after he’s seen the profiles to see what’s going on. He’s totally okay with the violence against others. In fact, he’s all for that. However, the talking of killing and immunity—that’s what gets to him. This almost sounds like a coliseum of some sort with the talk of warriors. Come interpret these rules with him and try to figure out what the hell’s going on.]

[D]

[His last stop will be room 10 just to see what the room his key unlocks looks like. It looks like a living headquarters, but... he doesn't recall signing up for this.]

[deontological]

arrival - outer castle grounds;
[Well. This is... hm.

This place and these people are utterly unfamiliar, and Sen can't help but feel more than a little uneasy to see it - after all, mere moments ago she was with people she knew. Is it really possible for things to change so quickly in the blink of an eye?

But she takes a deep breath, laces her fingers together, and rests her hands over her stomach. Panicking won't do her any good. Instead, she smiles faintly and inclines her head in the direction of anyone who happens to be mingling nearby.]

This is rather odd, isn't it?

a bit later - room 26 & nearby;
[Well, if they're to stay here for some time as the stone walls suggest, then the key she's found most likely belongs to wherever it is she's meant to sleep. So, off she goes to find a room with a corresponding number.

She uses it to unlock the door, takes a quick look around, and snags the notepad and pen to tuck into her obi before heading back out into the hall. Next order of business - find out who else is staying in the immediate area.

If she sees anyone approach, she smiles.]

Ah, hello! It seems we're to be neighbors during our stay here. I hope we can get along.

even later - great hall;
[Sen's examining the plaques now. And... taking notes, apparently. But when she hears footsteps, she shuts her notepad and steps off to the side so that anyone else who's hoping to get a look at the plaques has the space to do so.]

My apologies, was I blocking your way?

even later than that - kitchen;
[Okay, realtalk: She's a princess.

Generally speaking, people make food for her, not the other way around. But as she's found not even one single familiar soul here so far, she thinks it's for the best that she handles this herself. After all, how difficult can it be? It seems... relatively straightforward.

Tea is easy enough to brew, so she gets some of that going first thing. As a result, she has a cup to sip at as she surveys her options - she's spread a plethora of ingredients out to look over, and she mumbles a little to herself as she narrows her eyes at it all.]

Stew is meant to be easy to make, isn't it...? Ah, but how would one prepare the broth?

whenever - wildcard;
[Sen's going to be exploring as best she can, so if none of the above works for you feel free to run into her anywhere your character would be!]

great hall

[deontological]

[Mako happens to catch her just as she's approaching to get a better look at the plaques - but he diverts her attention, and she turns to him with an expression of surprise that melts into a small smile. She may have no idea what's going on here, but that's no reason not to be polite.]

Yes? How may I help you?

sakura tree!

[deontological]

[Flight attendant? Cellphone? Radio?

Sen doesn't know what any of those things are, so she'll stay out of it for now - she'd hate to distract someone from actually getting things done. But when a bit of time has passed and Rhoda's had the chance to interact with anyone who might be from a more modern time so they can figure it that they can't, in fact, communicate with anyone outside the castle, she approaches her.]

I must say... you've truly kept your composure intact. I'm very impressed, Miss.

[maddogs]

i. nani the heck

[ Majima sits up in the grass underneath the sakura tree, takes a look around and then just immediately flops right the heck back down in the grass, staring up at the sky from where he's laying there. sure, the grass is a little itchy where it manages to get under his jacket and touch his bare torso underneath (shirts, my dudes, are for squares). he takes a deep breath, closes his good eye for a moment and then opens it up again. ]

What the fuck.

[ it's not really a question. it's kind of a statement of disbelief. he's getting too old for this shit. the grass is comfortable and the tree is pretty, at least, so, you know what, screw it. he closes his eye and relaxes here for a minute, not sleeping!! just you know. chilling. the tojo clan can wait a damn minute. ]

ii. rule number one is you dont talk about fight club

[ since the plaques and the rules are obviously a pretty big fixture in the great hall he's going go check those out. as he reads the rules he tries to idly reaffix the pendant to his lapel where his family pin usually sits (which he would really??? like back?? but at least something could sit there) to literally no avail which strikes him as odd but not odder than anything else so far, so. whatever, i guess. rules say you can't remove it. well. okay.

if you catch him staring at the rules, he'll turn to you with: ]

Wanna fight? I don't make the rules, I just enforce 'em.

[ but the plaques are an entirely different story. it takes him awhile to get over the shock of just flat out staring at homare nishitani's plaque, like he's reading about a ghost, but then he goes on to read the other ones. his attitude is differently a little more subdued now. wonder what that's about!! ]

iii. #aestheticaf

[ after checking out the bedrooms, majima is now wandering around in a HORRIFYINGLY GREEN cloak, which he is wearing over his hideous snakeskin jacket which is wearing shirtless. he's got the notepad and pen in hand, wandering around like maybe he'll write something in it. apparently that something has to do with you because he's walking up to you right now]

Hey! Answer somethin' for me, will ya?

iv. wildcard

[ wildcard me my dudes i'm here. ]

rules

[coinflipped]

[You know, Eizen likes this guy and all he said was 'wanna fight'. Yes, good, he can do this, he enjoys a person who's brash like this. A good replacement for Rokurou, too, from the looks of it, since he hasn't seen his daemon samurai friend around. Sadly.]

I'm good with that. Just tell me when and where and I'd be happy to take you up on that offer.

[presomnia]

out and about the castle grounds
[One of the first things Tiki does when she wakes up is clutch at the aquamarine-colored pendant around her neck, and the second thing she does is bolt to her feet, looking in frenzied desperation this way and that. Whatever this thing she has is, it isn't her dragonstone. In short order, she'll figure out that her crown is missing, too, and while that's sad, it's not as important.

So anyone lingering around the castle grounds will find a little girl running this way and that, crawling around on the ground and almost certainly getting grass stains all over her pretty pink clothes, but no matter what she looks under and around, she can't find her dragonstone.]


great hall
[Eventually her search takes her inside the castle itself, and she spends a good long while looking under and inside things before she circles back to the great hall. This time, the plaques along the wall take her attention. At first, she tries reading over all of the information, but there are too many words she doesn't know—references to modern things like karaoke and databases, names she doesn't recognize as such and vampires and capoeira—so she gives up and stands there trying to recognize pictures and pronounce names aloud.]

Is this who lives here? But I don't live here... [And that's definitely her picture and name up there!!]


furnace
[Tiki spends a good few seconds squinting up at the plaque once she finds this room, trying to decide how to interpret the words there—flattery will get you everywhere. She turns to the fire, standing a respectable enough distance away from the hearth itself but probably still too close for a little kid to be, cups her hands around her mouth, and says,] Hey! You look really nice today!

[The fire flares blue for a moment and Tiki gasps without backing away. As a matter of fact, she's delighted, eyes all sparkly as she turns this way and that to see if anyone else saw that.]


bedrooms wing
[She's spent all day searching—for her dragonstone, for her crown, for Mar-Mar or anyone—but it seems a lost cause by now. There's a horrible pit forming in her stomach with the thought that she might be all alone again, and so manners give way to desperation. She's left everyone's personal quarters alone, knowing it would be rude to intrude, but now she's going up and down the hall and banging hard on everyone's doors. Someone familiar will have to answer, she's sure. There's no reason she'd be in a strange palace without an escort.]


wildcard
[please feel free to hit me up at nidorina if there's anything else you want to do!!!]

ii

[coinflipped]

[He is all for this. All for people who want to fight. Yes, good, this is very good.]

It's nice to see a place that encourages fighting. Hopefully it won't get too out of hand, but I imagine we all know our limits.

[...maybe.]

rules!

[deontological]

Rather distasteful, isn't it?

[Sen makes a face at the golden plaque. She supposes it can't be helped - there are always those who would see blood spilled, but... right now, at this moment, she can't help but feel it's awful.

To subject such a young girl to this kind of thing...]

[maddogs]

[ "always?" he's about to ask but he figures eizen probably wants a real answer not just shit. ]

Ain't like we got anythin' better ta do, right? Wanna go now? Confusin' shit always makes me wanna punch somethin'.

[ everything makes you want to punch something majima, but ok ]

ii

[deontological]

Is that so?

[Sen can't really bring herself to be surprised. There are enough men itching for a fight where she comes from - it's statistically likely that at least one person who's down with violence would end up here. There are probably more, even.]

I'm afraid I would make a poor sparring partner, but from the look of things there are plenty of others that would provide a challenging duel for you.

kitchen;

[maddogs]

[ whoa, damn. they're in a castle and it's all pretty and what majima might consider traditional but he literally double takes at sen because he can see it in the way she carries herself and the way she's dressed - this girl looks like a princess. and even if she isn't she looks like a lost girl staring at all those ingredients so he's just gonna

come on over i guess.]

Ya need some help there...?

i let's party majima-kun

[buddyoldpal]

[ Laying in a grassy field is nice and all, but eventually Nishitani gets up to have a look around and meet the rest of his fellow hell-friends. Now, imagine his surprise when he sees Majima laying there on the grass. Sure, he looks a little different from when he last saw him (and he's not wearing a shirt, nice) but there's really no mistaking Goro Majima. Nishitani would remember that face anywhere.

After all, he died for him. ]

Majima-kun! [ He yells gleefully before, sorry, pouncing on him. Or trying to. This is a friendly greeting, obviously, it just happens to involve trying to sit on your chest. LOOK, IT'S BEEN A WHILE. ] Fuck, ya look damn good! How long's it been? Ya go out in style?

[ You'd think he was a dog, acting this excited. ]

[gyakusatsu]

A. Wishing Pond
[In the midst of making her way up to the castle to investigate what on earth is happening, the sign "Offerings Accepted" catches her attention. Offerings to who?, she frowns and approaches. There's unfortunately not a whole lot to go on here though, and as she watches the koi swimming around, she mutters frustratedly:]

Just as I decided to return to the bureau, huh... Great.

B. By the plaques:
[Misora is reading the plaques with a bit of a stern look on her face. That's an awful lot of information that's been gathered here, and the longer she spends reading each one the more her expression turns to incredulity. Some of the ages don't make sense, there aren't any obvious common traits between those who've been brought here -- if these plaques can be fully trusted to be accurate. As people pass by, she'll turn to ask:]

Excuse me. Would you mind verifying for me whether or not this information here is true and whether or not you recall ever giving anyone this data?

C. Wildcard!
[Naomi will be exploring the castle and the grounds quite carefully. If you'd like to bump into her, go for it.]

great hall.

[toubib]

[ me.

vanitas, who had been idly wandering the grounds seemingly in search of nothing in particular, hops onto a table and balances there, looking down with a quirk of his lips. ]

Oh? [ the single syllable curls on his tongue. he blinks with feigned owlishness, both hands planted on his hips. ] It depends. Whatever am I supposed to be excusing you for?

[originallutece]

I. Exploration

[To anyone looking at her as she woke up, Rosalind's reactions might seem . . . strange, really. She sits up, her hand going to the pendant around her neck, and yes, there's mild surprise in her expression. She looks around, obviously seeking someone else out, but when no one appears, her expression hardens. She gets to her feet, glances around sharply once more, and then begins walking.

No panic, no fear. Or at least: none where anyone can spot it.

She first wanders outside, inspecting the wall and the gate, frowning as she looks them over. The outdoors are given a cursory glance, but her attention is mostly focused on the castle. Once she slips inside, she wanders methodically, one hand trailing lightly on the left wall, her blue eyes hard and sharp as she explores. Anyone she encounters will be spoken to, albeit in a sharp and firm manner. Like so:]

And your name?

II. Great Hall

[Rosalind stands in front of the grand golden plaque, eyes narrowed as she reads and rereads the rules. She seems intent on memorizing them, at least, although there's nothing like obedience in her gaze. Hands clasped behind her, she looks through them twice before saying aloud:]

. . . or what, precisely?

III. Rooms

[Eventually, she makes her way to room 7, although the others are given curious glances. If allowed, she'll sneak a peek at someone else's room, just to see if it's identical to hers.]

[buddyoldpal]

[ yes, fighting. fighting is good. Nishitani gives Eizen a look, sizing him up. He's pretty hot for a blond dude. ]

Hell yeah, right? Maybe they'll hand out free food or somethin' if we fuckin' have at it. Ya wanna go right now?

[ When has Nishitani ever cared about limits.... ]

[divertimento]

arrival - outside the castle

[Elliot has seen some strange things in his short time, but he's never been warped from practicing in his home to a mostly open field with no warning whatsoever.

He spends a bit of time looking around in utter confusion and a shorter bit of time tugging at the new pendant he never asked for before giving a long sigh. He's not going to figure anything out by just standing here, so, nervous or not, he'll start to explore.

The scenery, at least, is a little calming. If he tries to just focus on that, it's almost like one of the highways he's gotten to know so well with his classmates.

Of course, if he stays distracted by that, he's liable to walk straight into someone.]

great hall - plaques

[Elliot's found the profiles, and is examining them in some mix of interest and yet more utter confusion. How in Aidios' name did anyone get this information? ...Is he really known that well for eggs?

No, no. There are more important things to focus on, like on the familiar name he's just stumbled across.]

Machias is here?! [Yep, okay. Actual goal acquired - locate hollering classmate. ...Shouldn't take too long, given.]

bedrooms

[Well, he's been puttering around exploring, maybe trying to keep some hollering under control, and overall being completely lost.

May as well check out this key in his pocket, since that's about all he can think of that's left to do. Looks like the key matches this door, but he's a little hesitant to open it...]

wildcard

[Elliot will be wandering around, feel free to hit me up for whatever!]

[maddogs]

[ so majima wasn't asleep but his mind was kind of wandering it was all very zen, okay, so he doesn't really notice nishitani right away just hears footsteps and figures whoever it is is gonna leave him alone (the ink is usually enough to keep most people steering clear, honestly, and anyone in the yakuza knows his rep so they also know not to bother him) but then a moment later there's someone on top of him and his first instinct is to punch nishitani right in the face.

whether or not the punch connects he recognizes the face and the voice and

holy fuck he's speechless ]

[deontological]

[What a polite criminal...

Sen turns her attention away from the ingredients she has no idea what to do with and to the stranger. To her credit, she doesn't look all that intimidated by him. She's either not, or she's very good at hiding it. Either way, she smiles.]

I suppose it's obvious I'm a bit out of my depth, isn't it? [A bit, she says...] If you could provide some instruction, I would appreciate it.

[notimmortal]

[A - Arrival]

[Well, this definitely wasn't Gohtza anymore. Jansen didn't even need to look around to know that much, it was far too warm. He looked around and nothing looked familiar and truly there was little in the world he'd not traveled to at some point by now.

But what really concerned him the most was that he'd left Ming asleep in that abandoned building while he went to see if he could find some food to eat. He'd wanted to get back before she woke up, but now he doesn't even know where here is, much less how to get to where she is. And what's the best way to do that? Ask the first person he sees of course!]

Hey! Yeah you over there. Can you tell me the name of this place?

[B - Great Hall]

[Well, once he sees the plaques he decides to take a look and of course sees his own and it's rather insulting description of his skills.]

That is so not true! I don't do anything stupid. Well, not more than the others. I so wasn't responsible for us being captured, twice.

[Sounds like he might continue if not interrupted and one is free to let him babble on more about all the crazy stuff they've gotten into.]

[C - Great Hall again]

[Now Jansen is looking at the rules.]

What does it mean by immunity for getting away with murder? Shouldn't they be punishing for that?

[And if they are giving stuff for murder, he's gonna need to be careful. He's a thief, liar, spy, etc. not a killer and with his magic seeming to not be working, he's quite defenseless.]

[D - Wildcard]

[Want to do something somewhere not mentioned? I'm open to about anything or hit me up at ladynadiad to plot something.]