idolpro | princess maker

[ When you insert the key and open the door, you'll find inside the room looks small, cramped, just one living space without any doors—you can hear noises of the bustling life outside, as well as other people beyond the thin walls. the space bends on the walls, and a basket sits on the table in the center of this studio room with a blanket folded into it.

Inside, a baby stirs restlessly - you hope she goes back to sleep soon, and you play your flute in hopes of lulling her back to sleep. Unfortunately, a sharp knock sounds from the ceiling - the tenants upstairs don't like what you're doing. You take a more drastic measure, singing softly to your baby as you rock the basket back and forth and hope the tenants don't complain again. ]

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[ Slowly, the scene changes, fading in and out with various silent scenes—the baby cries, and in turn, the upstairs tenants knock at your ceiling again; she finds her way to your flute, tooting happily though no noise comes out; a little toddler, she becomes attached to a stray cat; you decline her request, and she storms out to run away for a little while as you regret; she returns, covered in cat hair and ignores everything you say; then the wall becomes opaque. ]

[ In the corner of the room, a young girl the age of 10 crouches, looking away from you. she holds a cat in her arms, petting the creature constantly.

You wish you could have done better for your baby girl. But, this is what you love to do and maybe you'll get a gig that pays well enough that you two can move out of this shithole - hopefully. You tried your best to rear her, but with how infrequent you're in the house, working odd jobs in the day and performing at the pub at night, you're not sure anymore. You know she is capable of anything if she puts her mind to it - even becoming a princess - but you also know it's not easy to become a princess, and she's horribly equipped for any of that. Then again, if anything your little tyke is tough, and if anyone could be a rags-to-riches princess, it would be her. Thankfully, you've emergency savings - for her schooling, of course. You have a lot of regrets, but maybe it's not too late. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Your daughter still hasn't spoken. The elders and healers and mystics murmur throughout the camp -- it seems word's gotten around she's seen something, and nobody is exactly happy about it. It seems terribly like she's developing the gift of second sight, and that -- well...it isn't well regarded here, in the desert ruins of a great civilization brought low by rulers who misused their gifts.

There's talk of perhaps banishing her, but...she's such an asset many of the younger members of the tribe are against it.

What do you do?

Silver and Bark speak to the younger members of the tribe, telling them that the elders want to banish Dice. We speak to them and try to convince them to speak up against the elders and do what they can to keep that from happening. Dice will be the one to lead them into the future.

You convince the younger members of the tribe help you to lobby for Dice to stay based on her value -- and besides, she hasn't really done anything seer-like, right?

It's probably fine. Everything is probably okay.

The elders and older mystics resist, though, knowing where this path leads. But there's a spreading sentiment through the camp...it seems something you said struck a chord.

"Dice will be the one to lead them into the future."

Things are tense, but it doesn't seem the elders are willing to act with the resistance they've encountered. Instead they watch and wait, and you know you're on thin ice.

Still...things seem like they might turn out okay, after all.

Not that Dice seems to notice. She doesn't notice much, these days.