MOCK ROUND INTRO LOG

[foundationmods]

Welcome to Rokkenjima. This island may just be a copy in the middle of reformation, but the Witch extends her greetings all the same. Please, relax.

This game is just a trial run, but please do not think you can sleep through this. The Witch fully intends to put the system through its paces, so please put up a good fight.

The difficulty level depends on you. Think deeply on your moves during this short play time.

You wake with a start - even if you don't remember falling asleep in the first place - and find yourself standing on the dock of what looks like an island. There's a noise behind you - and if you turn to look, you'll see a plain white boat taking off and leaving you all behind, not stopping for a second if you try to flag them down or scream at them.

It doesn't look like you can swim to shore, either - there's nothing but sea in all directions, and something tells you trying to swim out will end up badly. However, a small dip, if you were so inclined, would be fine. It's not like the weather is bad for it - it feels like it's summer, despite whatever it was when you laid eyes on the envelope.

...Speaking of, Every last one of you have an envelope in your hands, with a gold letter 'L' on it. It's the same letter you were reading before you 'woke' up here, after all. More than that, those of you who had supernatural or magical abilities will feel...strange, as if your abilities are being forcibly blocked. Try as you might, you just can't use them - though all of your physical abilities are intact, of course.

If you decide to head up the path, you'll find Goat....men? waiting for you near the doors to the mansion. Despite their bright red eyes, they merely bow politely and wordlessly bring you into the mansion, showing you your rooms and then stating that they will prepare food for you or anything else you should need whenever you want, in surprisingly deep voices.

As they leave, you can't help but wonder...

What did you just get yourself into?


Mock Round Calendar!
The taken page still requires a little coding, but it should be done by sometime today.
Thank you for your patience!

Comments

[enter_the_darkness]

[ While there's no way to see his face, thanks to the helmet, his shoulders tensing and the fingers of his right hand curling (almost as though unsure of what to do with itself) are possibly telling enough.

He remains quiet for several, lengthy seconds. ]

I'm fine.

[accitio]

[ Telling enough to one who has spent a lifetime watching the suffering of others. She's well-versed in the various tells, even if that doesn't mean she can accurately pinpoint each and every one.

There is much she could say to the boy's response, yet so much she doesn't know how to broach. Rare is the person who declines her aid. She takes two slow steps forward as she considers her next words. ]

Then it seems my eyes are not as astute as I believed. My apologies if I spoke out of turn, though... Should there come a time when your answer changes, I hope you will seek me out. I will do what I can to ease your troubles, whatever they may be.

[enter_the_darkness]

[ His arms slowly lower from their position of being folded over his chest. He remains quiet for several long seconds... ]

I'm not so stupid I'd just fall for some stranger trying to trick me into believing they actually care. Waste your time on someone else.

[accitio]

[ A stranger... The word feels so foreign, so separated from how she's come to see herself. Everywhere she's gone, her name has proceeded her. Never once in her life has she gone to a place where she was not known, not depended upon, so to hear such words now is almost... daunting.

For what feels like her entire life, she has lived in a cage and has accepted that fact. ]

If I am a stranger to you, I need only introduce myself. I am... [ There is a poignant pause here. She is Lunafreya Nox Fleuret of Tenebrae, the Oracle who will see her duty through to the end. Yet, she need not introduce herself as such. ] ... Lunafreya. And I believe with all my heart that no time spent aiding another could ever be considered a "waste."

[enter_the_darkness]

[ The pause has him tilting his head a little at her. ]

All your heart... [ yep, that's a scoff ] What does your heart say about helping a being of pure darkness?

[ Welp, looks like the claws and fangs are already coming out. ]

[accitio]

[ The scoff doesn't earn so much as a blink. He's gonna have to try much, much harder than that...! ]

No matter how deep a person's darkness may run, they are no different from anyone else. They suffer, they hurt, and it is my hope they will one day know peace.

[enter_the_darkness]

[ That resolve does the trick, for now... Mostly. ]

Last I checked, everyone is different. Some people don't deserve peace.

[ Some outright venom leaks right on into that emphasized word. ]

[accitio]

[ So much hatred and yet... there's something sad about his words. She looks him over again, taking care to note his body language as she replies. ]

Do you see yourself as one of those people?

[enter_the_darkness]

[ He's bristling; for just a moment, one hand curls into a fist and the words that slip out, slip out a tiny bit faster than he'd like them to. ]

Of course not!

[ ... He has a purpose - one that'll finally give him peace, but no way is he saying that to her. That detail is none of her business. ]

[accitio]

[ Perhaps not, but technically none of this is her business. She's here all the same, taking in the bristling and the way his fist curls silently. ] I pray you will hold onto that sentiment. I know there are times when our hearts make it difficult for us to remember what we deserve, but during those moments... Please, let these words be a shining light for you.

[ Gently, she takes his fist between her two hands and holds it. ] Peace is not something to be earned through tribulation. All have a right to it, including you.