WEEK ZERO: WELCOME INTRO

[cluedin]

WELCOME

Even from behind your eyelids, the soft glowing light can be seen as you find yourself awakening. The slow swell of strings begins, and as you struggle to open your eyes, the sound of footsteps pass you by. You soon hear three feminine voices speak in unison.

"Master Blue wishes to welcome you all. We hope you enjoy your stay!"

Light temporarily blinds you as you look around, but the source of the voices has vanished. Whomever has greeted you seems to have disappeared without warning, leaving you all alone.

The music starts up and though no orchestra is present, the song can be heard all throughout the room. Crystal chandeliers hang above your head, and the waxed wooden floor gleams brightly. Floor to ceiling windows cover the back wall and a night sky full of stars twinkle back at you. The wall next to it, however, is covered by a thick crimson curtain. Those who attempt to move it will find they have little luck in their endeavor, but there are more pressing matters at hand.

Looking down you'll come to notice that you're wearing clothes that certainly aren't what you were previously wearing. You, and the guests around you, have been dressed appropriately in formal attire properly fitted for each individual.

Oh. That's right. Didn't we mention the other guests? Seated to your left, right, and across from you at the long banquet table are other people just like you. Perhaps it's a friend you know, though don't be surprised if it's a complete stranger. Each individual holds a blue and silver invitation with their name scrawled upon it, and a message to follow.

"Please respond to Master Blue's invitation at least one week prior to the event to secure your seat and accommodations.

This dinner is guaranteed to be an event to die for."

Strange, isn't it?

But rest assured! Nothing is stopping you from leaving the ballroom and exploring the other rooms of Master Blue's home. After all, you're an honored guest! It's with deepest pride and greatest pleasure that you're welcomed here tonight. Really, what's your hurry? It's not as though the front door will open for you. Don't bother with the windows either. They've all been locked tight to ensure you're all nice and cozy for your stay.

If you look under your seat, you'll find a special gift bag with your name on it. Opening these bags will reveal the following:

-A small spiral notebook
-A crayon in a specific shade of blue
-Three different candles
-A brass key (Design May Vary.)
-This cute toy

A welcome gift from the Master, of course.

Take some time to admire the decor, if you will. The house has been decorated for this special holiday with chains of paper hearts, miniature golden cupid statues, and confetti that rains down from the ceiling on occasion. Perhaps you'll get lucky tonight with love in the air, especially since Cupid's arrow seems to aim for you no matter where you go. For those of you who don't wish to partake in the lavish feast spread out in the ballroom, you're in luck. Boxes of chocolate and bowls of candy hearts can be found for all your snacking needs.

As the unseen orchestra plays on, it seems as though you've no choice but to get to know your fellow guests and make yourselves comfortable. Perhaps if you wait long enough, someone will come to greet you.

---

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Comments

[kazokun]

[ He looks down at the book. It's not one he knows, probably, unless it's some Japanese high school textbook. ]

Is that so strange? Libraries contain all sorts of books, and would have even the more obscure titles.

[voidbreaker]

Depends.

[ ... let's try a theory here: ]

Do the words "Orbal Revolution" mean anything to you?

[kazokun]

I know what "revolution" means. Is it a novel?

[ Sounds like an adventure book, of which there are billions, so he's not quite convinced that means anything. ]

[voidbreaker]

Nah. It's a whole thing -- a scientific and engineering revolution that actually happened where I'm from.

[ he snaps the book shut and sets it down in front of him. ]

If you don't know that, you're not from Zemuria.

[kazokun]

So, a history book. Those exist about countries all around the world, even if the reader isn't from there.

[ Unless it's some super secret revolution nobody's supposed to know about. Unless this is Zemuria? ]

[voidbreaker]

This? Nah, this is a fiction book. Pretty popular. It's been published in a lot of places.

[ although there's a thought: ]

Wonder if there is a book on it though. I'll be looking through again so I'll shout if I find something.

[kazokun]

[ Historical fiction isn't anything strange to him either, but all he can do is shrug. He doesn't really care if there's a book about it and doesn't need the notice, but... okay. ]

Sure. Were you just looking through the books and happened upon this one?

[voidbreaker]

Yeah. Started with fiction, planned to browse down through non. Didn't expect to see something familiar, so I got derailed.

[kazokun]

[ He looks over at the books. There's nothing he's interested in, and nothing he needs to research, so he doesn't really care about looking through them.

Still, he looks around for a stool so he can also help look. ]

What was your country's name again? Maybe more of these books were published there. It would be easy to check.

[voidbreaker]

Country? Erebonia.

If you're gonna look generally, then try Zemuria. Keep an eye out for Liberl, Calvard, or Crossbell as well, there might be something on those places too.

[kazokun]

[ ...okay, Ayabe's getting his little notebook and crayon out and handing them over. ]

Write them down, along with any other names I should look out for.

[voidbreaker]

Sure.

[ He scribbles down the names and-- wow, weird this doesn't look like Japanese text or anything? But according to the mods will still be legible to Ayabe? Weird. ]

It's not gonna ruin my day if you can't find anything, so don't stress over it.

[kazokun]

[ Weird. He wants a nap, and maybe he wakes up his eyes will work again. ]

It's just something to pass the time, right? It'll be easier to wait for the host to show up and tell us what's going on, rather than waste our time and energy running around the place.

[ Like he was also doing. But then he got tired and so he stopped. ]

[voidbreaker]

I think we've proven the doors don't open and the curtains won't budge at this point.

[ Finally, he reaches out and picks up the drink and the book again, flipping it open. ]

Might find some clues in the books too. Map, or something about this big ass house.

[kazokun]

[ So Ash is going to read and drink while Ayabe searches through the books? Okay. Fine. He leaves the notebook open on the page with the names and heads for the history section to see if any of the publishing locations match. ]

Houses don't usually come with maps. If there's a floorplan or a blueprint, those would be kept in a cellar or in some public office for recordkeeping. I doubt there would be one here.

[voidbreaker]

[ Yeah? He's already looked through once, let a guy relax. ]

That then. I'm not an architect. Not sure I've stumbled across a cellar, so might as well start where the most paperwork is.

[kazokun]

There's wine being served, so there's likely some sort of cellar. I haven't seen any of the staff around, but they would be the one to ask about that.

[ Master Blue's private office would be the prime location, because a wine cellar probably isn't what they're looking for. ]

[voidbreaker]

You think?

[ A basement of alcohol. Nice. ] Well if we stumble across the door to it, we'll make a note.

[kazokun]

Rather than just making a note, if the host isn't here, he can't stop us from looking around.

[ If the host wants to call the cops on them for looking through private property, then that's just as well, they could use the police. Ayabe still believes in the police. ]

[voidbreaker]

If we can get the door open, sure. We don't have a great track record of that here.

[kazokun]

If we all got in here somehow, there must be a way out. We'll figure it out.

[ They will not. But he's! hopeful!! ]