Skylark's Ideal World | Session 1

[idolpro]

Once, there was a maiden...
...who was driven from her land.
Great black stags chased her, and their eyes shone blue.
Monsters scrambled after her through the bush, though they found her not.
Stumbling on a log, she fell and thought to surrender, and end the torment of the hunt—

... ... ...

You're so, so tired.

Why carry on?

... Surely, it's okay to take a break—

Comments

OOC INFORMATION

[intheshade]

✵ Goal: Convince Lark to leave the ideal world.
✵ Both Imeeji and canon powers are OFF.
✵ Corruptions are GONE.
✵ Carry-on items are AVAILABLE.
✵ Carry-on weapons are UNAVAILABLE.
✵ Phones do not function besides showing the IC instructions.
✵ Everyone is now wearing clothes suitable for tropical weather and/or the beach. Their position colour will still be in there somewhere.
✵ All characters in the session occupy the same spaces, so you can talk to each other.
✵ Full points will be awarded to anyone who convinces Lark to leave the ideal world.

IC INSTRUCTIONS

[intheshade]

Your phone displays the following:

"Should I live or die? Am I living or dead?"
"To know the world is to choose it."

Well, this foolish child has forgotten how to choose. No, perhaps it's better to say that he doesn't want to?

It's rather embarrassing that this is what it's come to, but I beseech you to convince him to leave this so-called 'ideal world'. He must be reminded of his principles, ties and convictions. The denizens of this world carry reminders of reality with them, but they may not help you readily.

START: The Beach

[intheshade]

You are at a beach, the sand beneath your feet soft and pearlescent, and the sea breeze blowing gently. The water stretches out before you as far as the eyes can see, into the distant horizon.

In the sky above, the sun shines bright. Perhaps too bright; something about the light just seems so overpowering that it almost doesn't feel natural. Maybe it's just your imagination, though...? Strangely enough, the sun does not seem to be reflected in the water.

There is a beachside cottage built on stilts over the water, and a pavilion in the distance that seems to be occupied by someone, judging by the sound of music. Besides that, a path from the beach appears to lead to the nearby town.

Talk to the girl

[intheshade]

"Hey, you."

You are greeted rather unceremoniously (rudely, even?) by an extremely pale, white-haired girl with red eyes. She's wearing a plain sundress, a...jacket, for some reason, and a wide-brimmed hat with a cute ribbon to shade her from the glare of the sun. Some of you might recognise her.

"Are you one of Lark's friends?"

Look, no one ever said she had to be the most gracious welcomer.

Re: Talk to the girl

[quickpersuader]

...I'm not sure?

[Who is this. Where are they. What's going on.]

I'm sorry, I just arrived here and I have no idea where I am.

Re: Talk to the girl

[identitypolitics]

Ah—

...no, not really. Who're you?

Re: Talk to the girl

[ends]

Yeah, I am.

[ he'd like to think so, but this isn't the time for that sort of second-guessing. also no time to think about missing corruptions, that just means he's a lot less hindered it's fine. ]

And I'd like to find him. What can you tell me about all this?

Re: Talk to the girl

[at_heart]

[ ... ]

Heh. I mean, that's up to him, but...

[ He'd like to think so. ]

Re: START: The Beach

[at_heart]

[ Three ways to go here. Glancing around — more than enough of them to divide and conquer. ]

Anyone attached to any specific option here? Otherwise, I'm following the path.

[ Talking to the girl doesn't count, obviously they've gotta talk to the girl. ]

BEACH PAVILION

[intheshade]

The beach pavilion is made of wood, and has a lovely view of the ocean. There are a couple of benches and a table, as well as a small stand with confectionaries and treats for sale. Not that you actually have to pay for any of them.

A woman seated on a bench is playing a guzheng, wearing a blue dress and a purple silk flower in her hair. She hasn't noticed you yet, it seems. Some of you might have seen her before.

Re: BEACH PAVILION

[ends]

[ since the pavilion is NOT NEAR THE WATER he does not attempt to swim there, instead passing by the confectionaries, canting his head idly at them.

he'll listen for a moment to her song... ]

Excuse me. Miss?

COTTAGE

[intheshade]

The cottage is, for lack of a better word, quaint and cozy. There are several paintings on the walls, mostly landscapes, some of which are fantastic; one depicts a city with structures seemingly made entirely out of glass, another is of a city full of crowded and towering buildings that some of you might recognise. There is a painting covered with a large cloth that has been left leaning against the wall on the floor.

From the entrance, you can see a staircase that leads up in front of you. To the right is a living area with some chairs and a sofa, along with a coffee table. On the coffee table, there's a chess board; from the looks of it, it seems there was a game being played that's been put on pause for the time being. There's also a pack of playing cards.

To the left, through a doorway with a bead curtain, is the kitchen and dining area, where it sounds like someone's cooking.

Re: COTTAGE

[at_heart]

[ The quaint coziness probably makes the way he enters kind of funny, like he's waiting for a bomb to go off, but Lupine takes in as much of the cottage as he can at a glance, then yanks off the cloth on the painting.

Simultaneously, raising his voice for the kitchen, ]

Hey, sorry about the intrusion!

Re: COTTAGE

[at_heart]

[ Annnd back downstairs. ]

Lark?

COTTAGE: UPSTAIRS

[intheshade]

The upper floor is much smaller than downstairs, and it seems to be dedicated entirely to being a bedroom and study area. One side of the room has a large bed and wardrobe. There are several belongings around there; some fishing rods on a wall rack, training equipment, a set of wood carving knives on a table.

On the opposite side of the room are several bookcases and a writing table. A corkboard sits above the table, with various photos and the occasional decoration pinned to it. There's a calligraphy brush and inkstone on the surface, along with various small gifts addressed to Skylark. Next to them is a half-written letter.

Re: COTTAGE: UPSTAIRS

[at_heart]

[ ...He's really sorry, Lark, and he pauses to purse his lips first, but he's going to read that letter. ]

THE TOWN

[intheshade]

The town is very much like what you'd expect from a rural beachside town with a river running through it. The homes and buildings are made of stone and wood, and the ones along the river have waterwheels accompanying them. You'll find, however, that all the doors are locked, and the shops are closed. Despite the superficial signs that there are people living here, there's no one else in sight.

For some reason, you can't help but feel that the buildings are supposed to be taller? They don't seem right. The shadows cast by the buildings are somehow lacking.

One building stands out compared to all the others, simply because it has character unlike the rest of the town. A coat arms is displayed on the front facade, and the sign above the front doors reads 'Vander Training Hall'. There are loud noises coming from inside.

In the town's plaza, you'll find a single manhole, which might strike you as odd since it's apparently the only one in the town.

Talk to the boy(?)

[intheshade]

Perhaps you're walking past the shadow of a building when you hear a deep voice call out to you.

"Hey, can you hear me?"

...If you turn to look for the voice, you'll see it's coming from a boy who has absolutely no right and no business to sound that way, standing in the shade of a building. Despite looking younger than even Lark, the way he carries himself is more fitting of someone at least four decades older. There's a kind of energy to him that, somehow, screams 'tired old man with no fucks left to give'. The green robes he's wearing also look out of place compared to the outfits everyone else has.

You might recognise him if you've seen some of Lark's memories.

Re: THE TOWN

[identitypolitics]

[ as they walk— ]

...well, at least I haven't gotten used to having weird Force powers.

Which way first, do you think?

TRAINING HALL

[intheshade]

Inside the training hall, there are several racks of practice weapons, blunted and largely harmless. They're mostly blades of some kind, though there is also a pair of training gauntlets stowed away on one rack.

You'll find a boy practising on a training dummy with a pair of training swords. There's a blue cord tied around his wrist. He pauses and turns to look at you when he hears footsteps approaching.

"Pardon me. I didn't know that we had visitors."

Re: TRAINING HALL

[identitypolitics]

Oh, please—don't worry about me. I merely decided to drop by unexpected, so it's no fault of yours. Are you in charge here?

UNDERCITY

[intheshade]

It's a very, very long climb down. The further you descend from the overpowering sunlight above into the darkness, the greater the sense of pressure starts to settle upon you. The stench of stagnant seawater permeates the air the deeper you go, almost choking.

Eventually, your feet touch marshy ground as you arrive at the very bottom. Nearby, a cart filled with lanterns helpfully marks where the ladder is.

The light lets you see that you are standing at the end of a narrow alleyway. If you take a lantern with you, you can also see there are a number of coloured doors along the alleyway: one each of red, purple and yellow.

Re: UNDERCITY

[quickpersuader]

[...

This feels like a puzzle they're woefully unprepared to solve???

Going to... try the purple door? That's the alcheME color, isn't it?]

ANNOUNCEMENT

[intheshade]

The sky above grows grey, and the wind begins to pick up. It's almost as if a storm's coming?

...Even so, the sun is still shining. Weird!

Re: ANNOUNCEMENT

[at_heart]

[ —He's gonna tell himself this is progress. Anything that makes this world less ideal, right? But it sure does feel shitty. ]