Fate/Final Deluge: The Past Is Lost Beneath The Waves

Somewhere in Djerba Rediscovered

Score! Euphie exclaimed across the mental link with her Servant, taking a rest on a bench in a secluded corner of Djerba. Closing her eyes, she cast a basic piece of thamaturgy for shared perception, and watched Archer's first meeting with the heterochromic eyed man.

...HARRY HOUDINI?! NO WAY! Archer, take your hat off and hand it to him! Right now! She quickly took her own hat off, activated the sound-transference enchantment and started speaking into it once her Servant did as she asked.

"Hi there, Sir!" she began, her voice now coming out of the inside of the other hat, "My name is Euphie Preston and my mom told me all kinds of stories about your incredible magic shows when I was growing up and I always wanted to meet you because you're totally one of my greatest heroes and I'm just so honored that you'd be willing to come to our show because Cass and me are just small-time and we don't have any tricks or routines that could even hold a candle to your simplest ones so I was thinking maybe if it's okay with you and your friend we could maybe team up to do a special show together and also for other purposes?! Please!"

Archer, Djerba Rediscovered, Alicia's Apartment

Archer was, all things considered, not reacting very well to his current situation. He was dazed from the sudden influx of information that was being delivered, and only caught a few details - the strangely dressed man in front of him was the enemy Servant he had sensed, the girl who had addressed him as "Uncle" was probably his Master, something about forthright advertising? The tarot card and the image rising from it caught his attention, and he instinctively started backward, the weight of the forgotten flyers causing him to stumble. This Servant - a Caster, he assumed - being able to discern his True Name or something evocative of it was a major problem. Archer rode out the rest of Caster's rambling about questions and credibility with an uneasy smile, mind racing to come up with a plan. Surely the order to not reveal himself as a Servant was null and void now that his identity had been discerned - if he could just put down the flyers, he would probably have the advantage over Caster in a fight.

...HARRY HOUDINI?! NO WAY! Archer, take your hat off and hand it to him! Right now!

Archer was quite baffled by the sudden exclamation, to say the least, but held onto hope that this was some sort of trick. He balanced the stack of flyers so they were only supported by one hand and awkwardly took off his hat, fairly shoving it into Caster's hands. For his efforts, he was met with Euphie somehow speaking through the hat, sounding quite excited about meeting whoever this was. The accumulated shock of the day - walking through Djerba, this man in the strange nightgown revealing himself as a Servant and discerning his True Name with that card, and now Master yelling through a hat about routines - became too much. Archer began to snap, "How dare you mock me, sorcerer, you damned-" before stopping mid-sentence in realization. "I mean, I beg your pardon, my illustrious friend. I have had quite the shock today, as you must know, and I require a moment of thought." Yeah, nice save there, buddy.

Next time, Master, please notify me that you plan to utilize magical objects when they are in my vicinity, Archer said, somewhat dazed, over the mental link. My plan was to take advantage of the opening Caster left open - you have made that an impossibility. In the event of a fight here, I cannot guarantee the safety of your hat or this vessel.

That done, Archer took a deep breath - unnecessary for him, but he wasn't going to test the limits of this vessel here - and began to speak, this time more calmly and evenly. "Again, my sincerest apologies for that outburst. I suppose I must second that request for an alliance, and given your abilities I could see it bearing great reward for both of our Masters. That being said, my one question is this: may we meet in the location of your choosing to discuss this matter further?"

Edited by Altris on Dec 22nd 2020 at 3:28:41 AM

Alicia Blackwood & Caster—Old Athens, Home

"Ah, well, there really is no helping it, is it? I shouldn't have come onto you quite so enthusiastically. No, my friend, forgive me," Caster said sympathetically. "This is a rather confusing era; I know it must have been hard to adjust to it."

"What does he want?" the girl's voice asked from inside the apartment.

"A working relationship, not a serious one, I'm afraid, Alicia," Caster called back. "Isn't that a shame, Archer?" He winked lasciviously at Archer again, and stood up straight.

"Of course we'll come, but I won't muscle in on a budding act," he said, speaking to Euphrasia this time. "That's a scummy thing to do, isn't it? But I promise I can give you some advice if you'd like. Plus my autograph."

"Yeah, we'll probably come," Alicia agreed, sounding strained. "If you promise not to try and hurt or kill us. Or both. Please."

"Give your dear Master my sincerest regards, will you?" Caster almost seemed to beg, putting a hand on his chest. "Do it for a washed-up old man...In the meantime, it's the afternoon, and old men must do what old men often do, and continue napping. Unless you want to come in for tea, that's also a valid option."

He nodded sagely at Archer.

"Do what you want, Mr. Sunshine," the ginger shrugged. "It's a date either way."

Edited by JumpingFruit on Jan 27th 2021 at 12:02:57 PM

Djerba Rediscovered

"Woohoo!" Euphie cheered through the hat, "Okay, we promise not to hurt you if you come to our show! I mean, we're really just using it as a dragnet to try to catch wind of the opposition anyway, so I was hoping there wouldn't be any fighting! I should go pass out more flyers, though! Bye now, Sir and Sir's boss~!"

She deactivated the charm on her hat and affixed it back upon her head, then picked up her flyers and started marching down the street, whistling a tune as she went.

Edited by darksidevoid on Dec 22nd 2020 at 7:59:58 AM

Archer, Old Athens - Alicia's Apartment / mobile / Djerba Rediscovered

"Indeed," Archer said. "We hope to see both of you there." He shifted the stack of flyers to one arm and took Cassander's hat, which was thankfully now quiet. "Caster, you are of course aware that I have prior obligations, but I shall do my best to deliver your, ah... regards." He bowed slightly in the general direction of Alicia's voice, then put the hat on and left. An impressive move, but this is still a Holy Grail War. Remain on your guard.

As Archer made his way back to the station, he began to mull over the display that had just occurred. Master gushing over Caster's apparent prowess had clearly swayed him into agreeing to attend the performance. Could it be that her genuine cheeriness would prove useful in the future? After rearranging the flyers so that the one he had been given was no longer visible - he didn't want to answer questions about why it was unique, and suspected that the flamboyance had been a distraction to work some magical trickery into it - he stepped onto the monorail, pocketing the card.

Caster was undoubtedly interesting, he mused as the monorail silently flew from one Strata to the next. He seemed harmless enough, but that aggressive flamboyance was definitely a way to unsettle opponents. That girl, on the other hand, was quite the wise one, securing an oath from both Master and himself to not harm her or her Servant. Keeping her face hidden during the encounter was a wise move, as well. They were certainly both ones to be watched.

Arriving in Djerba Rediscovered did nothing for his thoughts, but at least now he had the time to collect them. Distributing the rest of the regular flyers among a particularly large and rowdy group of passersby and rolling the one Caster had given him into a cylinder, Archer pulled the tarot card out of his pocket and examined it as he walked. The image it bore, the silhouette of an archer aiming at a sun, brought a wistful half-smile to his face. At least that was familiar - even if the outcome had been unpleasant, it was familiar. This world, obviously, was not, and as time ticked away a looming threat unique to it drew ever closer.

Master, since the magic show is already scheduled, how exactly am I supposed to participate in it?

McDonalds

Well, my brother is a musical genius, so usually he plays something on one of his instruments as accompaniment while I perform! We do stuff other than magic, as well, like I do dance routines or juggle and such! Did you retain his musical instincts when you possessed him? You could try out the instruments at the apartment if you're unsure!

As she was thinking this at her Servant, Euphie, having moved on to take another break at McDonalds while Archer was in transit, finished draining her pseudomilkshake and stood from her table and paced over to go solicit some promising targets adorned with the letter M.

"Hi there!" she greeted Claire with a beaming smile once she had closed the gap, "You're the Queen of Games, right? Claire Rosenkreuz? Euphie Preston; nice to meet you!" The purple-haired magician set several copies of her flyer down in the midst of the group. "Would you be interested in attending one of the greatest displays of wonder to ever grace the world?! Tonight only, here in Djerba, we're putting on a fantastic magic show for a special, low price! It'll be a fun outing for people of all ages! What do you say, folks?!"

Edited by darksidevoid on Dec 22nd 2020 at 1:54:12 PM

Alicia Blackwood & Caster—Old Athens, Home

"What a fine day to be recognized," Caster hummed, blowing one final kiss to Archer as he left. "Oh, well. Take care, handsome~"

Caster," Alicia said behind Caster as he closed the door, with both arms crossed in her best approximation of disappointment. "What the Hell was that?"

"A master charmer at work," Caster responded smugly. "I pawned off one of my familiars on him. Even if it's covered up, I can still listen through it—"

"Now we actually have to go! They were being nice, and you agreed! Ugh!" Alicia complained. "What if we run into Lancer again? Or any of the others? Do you have a plan for that?"

"...Run away?" Caster suggested, examining his nails with his other hand on his waist. "Disengagement is my specialty, after all. Even if I don't really have that skill—"

"That's not my point! I'm genuinely terrified, you know?" Alicia huffed, looking down at the floor. "I could die if you're not careful! Stop treating this like a game!"

"I am being serious! Look at us. We're barely a threat," Caster said in a measured tone, looking down at Alicia before laying a gentle hand on her head and petting her hair. "They'll probably get in a fight with each other before coming after us. Whoever can last the longest without dying wins, and being able to run away is the greatest stratagem of them all. Trust me, alright, Master? I was afraid that if I told you of my true plans, you wouldn't be able to act scared as easily. Now...ah, I hate to see people like this. My mistake."

"Do you...do you really think we can win this, Caster?" Alicia asked with a small voice. "Do we even have a chance, with this ridiculous soup of flying gods and heroes all around the place?"

"Anything can happen, as long as you believe in it with your whole heart," Caster answered, giving a vague response as any. "Besides, I'm part of that ridiculous soup of flying gods and heroes as well! I have a few tricks up my sleeve with my Luck Rank B. They've never had to work for their success. They were born with huge destinies! I had to forge mine piece by piece. Plus I'm quite content with dragging you into the spotlight of a lifetime as well! Win-win for the both of us!"

"Thank you, Caster," Alicia sobbed, and wrapped her arms around Caster. "Thank you."

"Hey—hey! I have a nap to finish! I'm also very fragile! You're crushing my ribs! Please! Ow! Let go, Assistant! Let go!" Caster protested, trying to pry Alicia off of himself to no avail. "Alicia, I fear for my life! Mercy! Ahhhhhhh!"

And life in Old Athens continued in such a rowdy fashion, with a promise brokered and hearts drawn closer than ever before. Now was the time for bonding and preparing for the stage of battle.

Edited by JumpingFruit on Apr 7th 2021 at 9:07:49 AM

Archer, Djerba Rediscovered / The Preston Abode

(aka "Archer walks back to the apartment and has a minor existential crisis")

Suddenly being asked to play a musical instrument was not one of the things Archer was prepared to deal with, and for a moment it seemed even more insurmountable than fighting and winning the Holy Grail War. Two other participants of which would be attending, he noted with an internal sigh. Why did such a random task have to be tied with the reason for his summoning? Perhaps it was just bad luck. Very well, I shall do as you say. He had been heading towards the apartment anyway, and it was only a short distance without the shock of the distractions. Tucking the tarot card in his pocket once more, he started off.

Once he was actually inside the apartment, having entered through the front door and shut it firmly behind him (and locking it, if it happened to have a lock), Archer was struck by just how strange it felt to be alone here. It was almost the same feeling as seeing the outside of Djerba, except a little different, because here he had a nagging feeling that he should know this place and that it was strange that he didn't. Uneasy, he unrolled Caster's poster and carefully placed it face down on the kitchen table. Actually going into Cassander's room was more of the same after that, and as Archer surveyed the accumulated detritus of his vessel's life, he felt a small pang of guilt that most of it was now meaningless. Caster and his master, too, had seemed kind enough, if strained by the War-

Enough. No matter what he may have felt about the two or even his vessel's life, they had been changed by the War, and that was that - certainly neither situation should concern him now. He had to get the magic show over with, anyway, and that meant doing as Master said and trying out the instruments. A wooden, slightly oval-shaped thing with a strung part sticking out lay neatly on a sort of table. Next to it was some long, curiously-strung thing with a screw on the end. A violin and a bow, something that his vessel was apparently quite familiar with. He walked over and picked both up, some memory of his vessel's directing his posture and the items' configuration. He sat on the bed, smoothing the covers over, and began to play some half-remembered piece. As buried skill and memory briefly resurfaced, Archer found himself lost in the music. It spurred his own memories, of ten suns scorching the earth and arrows soaring to fell nine, a fallen monster reawakened by the divine into an undead rage-

He shook the odd sensation off. That was enough sentimentality for today - it was the shock of learning so much about such strange things. It would wear off soon enough, he reasoned, and so he continued to play.

"...That's a fucking rat."

I had many things I could've said, including threatening to rip Sedryk's pun-spinning tongue out for something that lame and uninspired, but I was faced with the truth. Somehow, someone had decided that of all the things in the world, a rat was a historical figure on the same tier as...this old Chinese guy who I hadn't heard about before.

When you put it like that, me, it sounds like maybe this rat stood a chance. Heck, it could've been the rat that first went into space, or...

Aaahhh, I see your trick. Couldn't fool me! It must be some kind of Servant who's a master of disguise, pretending to be a rat. Obviously there aren't any real rat servants, so this has to be, like...I don't know any real famous disguise artists, so, like...Henry Houdini or whatever his name is? He did that, I think.

Yeah.

Probably him.

I could hear the endless, incorrect prattling going on inside my Master's head, yet I lack the ability to correct. Before me was another Servant, tall and proud, undoubtedly one who prized her physical strength. Just from the dark glaze of her skin, I would place her in the far-flung lands of Feizhou, undoubtedly.

Of course as I stare at her, she stares at me in return, obviously looking upon me as a rival rather than a prospective ally. Wise, she is. Even if we all succeeded, myself, Lancer, and the little rat whose identity confounds Master, we would end up battle nevertheless. And that is presuming our allegiance holds out for that long.

I bow to Lancer, a bit more deeply than the others might have received. "Let us hope that our relationship is long and prosperous, Lancer. If I were to work off of looks alone, between us three, you are certainly the master of physical aptitude."

How this would be taken when her competitors were a rat and an old fool, I did not know at the time.

But, beyond the flattery, I had a question for the Lancer's master: "Please, tell me, Saint-de-paulin. My own Master believes it was worth it to share my True Name from the start, as a courtesy. Would you ask me to labor alongside Lancer, only calling her by such a basic title?"

And in the end I decided that I was gonna keep Henry Houdini's identity a secret so I can spring it on him later as a surprise.

"Yeah, you know what, he's to my satisfaction. So are we going all in on this alliance thing, or not?"

Edited by wikkit on Dec 27th 2020 at 6:46:31 AM

McDonald's

"Yes, I'm aware that my Servant isn't much to look at." Claire nonetheless smiled mischievously. "But appearances can be deceiving."

At the old man's request, Claire turned to look between him and the dark skinned woman. She realized belatedly that she'd not been present when Mengde introduced himself. She'd heard his name through Assassin, but had been in too much of a rush to actually search it up.

"Ah, I'm sorry sir. I don't think we properly introduced ourselves." She said. Nodding to him, she opened her mouth to give her name when someone else interjected.

Claire put on a smile at being recognized, though inwardly she noted that being semi-famous was probably a detriment in a Grail War. And then she noted that the purple-haired woman was a magician, and while she didn't have the identifying 'M', Claire wouldn't be surprised if she was a magus.

"Ah, Euphie Presto. I believe I've heard of you, actually. Some of my playgroup are interested in magecraft. I tried to explain to them that 'magician' and 'magus' are different, but, well," She waved a hand dismissively. "You know how people are."

Taking one of the flyers, Claire looked it over. "I don't have anything better planned for the evening, so why not? I should hope your show is as impressive as you make it sound."

Claire brushed her hair aside in what she hoped was a suitably haughty manner, giving no outward indication that she was considering Euphie a potential threat.

Sedryk, McDonald's

Miss Rosenkreuz seemed very confident about her Servant. Which probably meant one of two things: either she was an amazing actress, or this rat was a lot more dangerous than it appeared. But who could Assassin possibly be?

Then Chow Chow asked him a question. And wouldn't you know it, it was the question Sedryk least wanted to answer. Not that he could answer the question, anyway…

He raised a finger. "Well actually, it's de Saint-Paulin…"

The sudden arrival of yet another newcomer saved him from having to say anything more. He turned to look, raising his eyebrows at the girl’s pink-and-black harlequin costume. It seemed vaguely familiar to him, as if he'd seen it somewhere before. But where, and when…?

Then she introduced herself to Miss Rosenkreuz, and it clicked. Euphie Presto! He'd seen one or two of her shows in the past. And even as that realization occurred to him, she slapped a bunch of fliers onto the table and invited them to a show tonight.

The bemusement on his face was not entirely feigned. This day just kept getting stranger and stranger…

He reached for one of the fliers, only for Lancer to snatch it out of his hands. "Hey!"

She ignored him, staring at the flier with an intense expression. She flipped it around to look at the backside as well.

Good. No sign of that fool's mark.

Pardon?

Caster. I'll explain later. She placed the flier back down. I leave this matter to your discretion, Master.

His brow briefly furrowed that that. Then he shifted his gaze to Miss Presto and gave her a smile and a shrug. "Well, I had no plans for tonight either, so… count me in.

"I shall attend as well," said Lancer.

McDonalds

"Great~! So, besides Claire, what are your names?" Euphie cheered to the three people she'd roped in already, then turned to the two who hadn't spoken up yet (the refined, bearded gentleman and the vaguely ill-seeming woman). "And how about you two? Interested in a night of magic~?"

While she talked, she gave Archer the mental equivalent of a poke. Hey Archer, how's it going? Do you know if you retained Cass' musical skills yet? I'm still handing out flyers. This group seems promising!

Edited by darksidevoid on Dec 28th 2020 at 11:24:53 AM

Archer, Preston Abode

aka "Archer really needs to work on his moral compass"

It is ...going well. I can play this violin, but not much else. She seemed quite ignorant of the danger this posed, Archer noted. Not that he was especially surprised at that, but potentially gathering so many enemies in one place was bound to spark a conflict. Collateral damage would likely be an afterthought at best, and the sheer size of the crowd meant that it was-

Well, that was of no consequence to him. It was their bad luck and nothing more. Certainly a tragedy, but hardly avoidable when Master insisted on such things. Of course, he shared none of that reflection, instead electing to send a terse message through the mental link. Be wary. Gathering so many Masters and their Servants will result in a fight.

If there was a fight, of course, then he would be required to at least try to win. Under present circumstances, he guessed that would be a problem even one-on-one. Perhaps he could deflect the blame onto Caster somehow, play the innocent duped by the eccentric magician, and redirect at least one Servant's attention. It was a good plan, but somehow he still felt a twinge of indecisiveness. His vessel's innate morality acting up, he supposed. If it survived tonight, that would have to be tamped down somehow. It was no way to fight a War, after all.

"...No."

Cao Cao seems like he doesn't care either; he shakes his head quietly rather than give the mage...okay, given everything, mage-LARPer the time of day. Wonder if he's got something against mages, and by that I mean 'Wonder if he's an intelligent person who actually thinks about the world around him'.

"I think I'm gonna be pretty busy tonight," I explain further to Euphie Girl-I-Saw-On-A-Billboard-Once, waving off the pamphlet, "so you don't need to bother. Not interested."

Cao Cao says, "Nevertheless, she and I wish you good luck with your performance," which I wanna kick him in the shins for.

I tried that once a few minutes before we got here but his shins are really hard.

The skill in which de Saint-Paulin dodges my question leaves a little to be desired. Mere uninvited guests...and to note, the third one to show up to our increasingly lengthy lunch...shouldn't give you free reign to ignore the chatter of your hosts. For what matter of host I and my baying dog are.

I would press the attack, if not for the charlatan's inquiring ears being right there...perhaps it would be good to figure out a means of getting the Master to renege on her dismissal, if to get an audience with him again.

Or, at worst, to just leave her to her irrelevance and go myself.

Edited by wikkit on Jan 3rd 2021 at 8:49:16 AM

Sedryk, McDonald's

Looks like the ghoul wasn’t interested in attending. Her loss, he supposed. It might be a good opportunity to gather information. He put that thought aside and put on a smile. "I am Sedryk de Saint-Paulin," he said. "Or as I'm known in some circles, Ess de Ess-Pée." A pause. "Er, perhaps you’ve heard of me…?"

Before any response could come, Lancer clasped her hands in the small of her back. "I wish to remain anonymous." She directed a pointed look at Chow Chow before shifting her gaze back to Miss Presto. "However, if you must have an appellation, you may address me as iNkosi."

Her tone made it seem more like a suggestion, but also made it clear that this was all anyone would be getting out of her for the time being.

Sedryk filed that tidbit away and turned his thoughts to Assassin. Who could this rat possibly be? It had to be something dangerous, to have ended up as a Servant in the first place. After all, Assassins were supposed to be deadly killers. But he had never heard of…

Wait a minute.

His brow furrowed. He cupped his chin. He thought back to the days of his childhood, when his mother—to get him to go back to sleep one night—had told him a story from the long-lost pre-Shelter days. She had told him of an old city infested with crime, and of the strange beings that lurked in its sewers. The tales couldn't agree on whether those beings were good or evil, but all could agree on several things: there were four of them, they were trained in the martial arts, and their teacher—as great a martial artist as all of them combined—was a rat.

He glanced at Miss Rosenkreuz. Could this be the answer? Could her Servant, her Assassin, be the mythical Master Splinter?

McDonald's

Claire made a mental note to look up both 'Mengde' and 'iNkosi' after this. The latter was probably a title or something, but it was unique enough that she could at least narrow in on a historical region, which might give her some idea of what they were dealing.

Not that knowing their identities would help Assassin fight them, unless they had specific weak points to exploit, but she doubted the dark-skinned woman was secretly Achilles. That, and the aim here was to not fight them.

"So," Claire said, "Returning to our conversation, since it's quite... personal... would you both like to continue this conversation somewhere more private? I was going to suggest returning to my family's game shop, but if either of you have a place in mind, that works as well."

She glanced over at Euphie as she said this, giving the girl a polite smile.

At her unspoken command, Assassin slipped a few invisible flies into the folds of Euphie's clothes. If she turned out not to be a Master, she'd be none the wiser. On the other hand, if she was, it would give Claire a rather large edge against her in the event of confrontation.

Always think ten steps ahead.

Maybe I could've said "Yeah, sure" and let it slide, but no, I'm gonna say "You sure that's a good idea?" to Miss Rat-Mage here.

Leaning forward and looking her in the eyes, I quietly explain myself: "You come here and you start asking about alliances, then you say you wanna figure this out somewhere else...but not just anywhere private, like a...I don't know, a hotel room or a karaoke bar or something. Your house. Your own turf."

For once, Cao Cao seems to agree with me. He steeples his hands and says in a whisper, "There was a time where such meetings were often the prelude to taking hostages, friend. If it were between trusted allies, it would be as if we were inviting each other to our hearths for a meal, to reminisce about past days and take our minds off of our fatigue. However, we have only been allies for mere minutes, and we have no urgent need of refuge." His eyes narrow slightly, though his wise-ass sage look doesn't diminish. "It would be best if we strengthened our bonds, before we go treating each other as honored guests."

"That," I add, "and maybe you got, like, a hundred more rats in your house."

"...That is not untrue," he says with a nod.

Sedryk, McDonalds

Miss Rosenkreuz and the ghoul were discussing a change of venue now. It made sense. After all, as had been proven several times so far, literally anyone could walk into this place and intrude upon the conversation. But it seemed the two other members of this erstwhile alliance were at an impasse.

Putting aside speculation for the time being, he leaned toward the two of them. "Then might I suggest an alternative? I know of a place about an hour's walk from here, Schrödinger's, which prides itself on its discretion. It's about as private and neutral as one can get in this layer."

He glanced from Zorana to Miss Rosenkreuz, then to Sow Sow, and finally to Lancer. She said nothing, merely raising an eyebrow before inclining her head ever so slightly. He smiled. "How does that sound?"

McDonald's

"...anyone ever tell you you're a bit paranoid?" Claire responds, giving an amused huff at the zombie girl. "I'm fine with Sedryk's suggestion. Of course, I'd also be fine meeting at his house, or yours. Whatever you'd feel comfortable with."

She crosses her arms, debating her next words, but her pride as a player won't allow her to let Zorana's comments slide. "For the record, if I was leading you into a trap, I wouldn't be stupid enough to put it in so obvious a place as my own home. I don't expect you to let your guard down within minutes of meeting me, but I think it should be obvious that offering to tell you where I live is intended to be a show of trust, not an attempt to kill you."

Claire exhales, smiling again. "So. That being said, if you would prefer somewhere neutral, I'm fine with this Schrodinger's place. Though as I said, I'm also fine with going to your 'turf', if it would make you more comfortable."

She notably didn't comment on the suggestion of her having more rats, but her lack of reaction to said suggestion made it impossible to tell if she'd just glossed over it or intentionally avoided mentioning it.

Sedryk, Djerba Rediscovered, Schrödinger's Box

Roughly an Hour Later...

From the outside, Schrödinger's had little to recommend it. The building was a drab grey block with no windows and no ornamentation apart from a neon sign which hung over the front door. This sign buzzed faintly and flickered as its centerpiece—a cat with an atom on its forehead—switched between two states, one bright-eyed and smiling, the other frowning with its tongue lolling from its mouth and its eyes replaced by the letter X. Every now and then it appeared to be in both states at once, and a flashing question mark would superimpose itself over the superposed feline.

Sedryk had always found the design at odds with the rest of the building, and with the cursive font that spelt out the place's name. It was a bizarre blending of the utilitarian, the refined, and the childish.

Then again, considering his own talents who was he to judge?

He put such thoughts out of mind as he led his companions into the lobby. He approached the concierge and flashed a winning smile. "We'd like a room, please."

The concierge didn't look up from his crossword as he handed Sedryk a key card. "Standard rates apply. You will be charged upon termination of your session. The establishment accepts no responsibility for any incidents which may occur upon the premises. By using our services, you acknowledge these terms."

"Err, yes." The same spiel as always, and the same unfriendly demeanour. But you couldn't argue with the results.

A few minutes later they stood before Room 502. A quick swipe of the key card opened the door, though Sedryk didn't step into the room immediately. Instead he glanced over his shoulders at the others. "You may want to brace yourselves. The sensation can be a bit… disconcerting."

With that he stepped across the threshold, gritting his teeth—

And the world went dead.

Sounds seemed muted. Colours were desaturated. Even the feeling of mana circulating through his body, so recently rediscovered, seemed to fade away.

Beyond that, it was a normal enough room. Drab, with no real furnishings, but normal nonetheless. There was a table in the center with comfortable padded chairs for half a dozen people—though whether those chairs had been designed with people like Sow Sow and Lancer in mind was another story entirely.

Speaking of that…

Sedryk glanced in Lancer’s direction. She seemed tense, more so than usual. And while he couldn't see her eyes behind the shades, he got the feeling they were darting all over the place.

Maybe it was a reaction to the room. Maybe whatever it was that made this room feel cut off from the rest of the world had a greater effect on Heroic Spirits than on mages.

But that wasn’t important right now. He clapped his hands and forced himself to smile as he turned to Miss Rosenkreuz and the gh—and Zorana. “So. Shall we get this meeting started, then?”

Edited by SullenFrog on Mar 4th 2021 at 1:16:13 PM