[ upon opening your eyes, everything is different. you, your surroundings, the taste of the air--saltier now, you’re near the sea.
regardless of your age before this moment, it’s not true any longer. your mind stays the same, wizened or not, but your body has shrunk (or grown, I don’t know your life) to become a young teenager’s again. it needed to be, in order to fit your new uniform; starched, white, and a blue so dark it’s indistinguishable from black. skirts for the young ladies and shorts that cut right across the knee for the young gentlemen.
you stand within a dorm room, fit with four slim beds, each stuck to a corner. iron bars, too thick for a simple spell to melt through, cover the palladian windows. between them, you can see the school’s dock with a number of military grade ships currently stationed in two rows. the area is entirely empty.
fortunately, the dorm room itself is covered in paraphernalia that names your new location. it can be read in bold print across the banner on the back of your dormroom door; it’s printed along the sides of the room’s two desks; it’s in dark grey thread on your mandatory white ankle socks.
Sir Friendmore’s Naval Academy and Finishing School
the door is locked and there’s an orientation flyer on each desk you could look at if, like, you wanted to.
[scien as a teenager is probably just as much of a brat as normal scien—except for the fact that this time, he lacks his hauntingly blue irises and the tattoo of a reliver on his throat. normal eyes for a normal lad, hair tied back without a braid, now irritated at the fact that he seems to be Elsewhere.
for the sake of his own curiosity, he goes to read the orientation flyer.
his one (1) catnip is vicious mockery because being this much of a bitch requires psychic damage, and a dagger. even if there's others around, he is choosing to ignore them, because some people are simply the worst in all the world.]
[For convenience guess Sora is teenager instead of going full eldritch, yup.
There's this girl with the silver hair and a face that shows curiosity over her current self]
Fascinating...
[The iron bars...oh, they don't want them to get out, eh? Sora peeks out of the window, sees the docks, and shrugs, deciding the desks are a decent starting point. Let's snoop around.
[ It's not the first time Nero's looked like a teenager, but that's usually under his own power. Being forced into it isn't great but at least he's still himself. He also looks out at the ships and ponders over the ships in the ocean. Wonder if those fly.
He looks at his socks, sees "school" and has no idea if bars are normal for a place like these.
there are only two copies of the orientation flyer, because what do you think paper grows on? but let's be nice and share what we have.
other than the flyers, the desks have a glossy black fountain pen a piece. the drawers open to reveal nothing, nada, and, naturally, zilch. it's almost dangerously sparse. enrichment-free, one could say.
against the left-most wall stands a large communal wardrobe, within you will find many copies of the same uniforms you're already wearing, eight per student. your surnames (you all have those, right?) are stitched into the collars. ]
Those bars at the window are a little too thick to be simply for preventing falls. They don't want us to get out of here at all, now do they?
[Sora didn't check a flyer until Scien passed it to her, but the bars and the lack of enrichment in the desks said things so well. She just a fountain pen. I hope this uniform has pockets.]
Do either of you know how to pilot a boat? If not, I guess we can always row.
[Why four beds, though...? Is it standard, perhaps? Better check that four bed and see if she finds anything over here, while she gives the flyer a read]
This place has some weird rules for a school... Right?
[Looking at Sora. Who he knows has a school.
Actually, how far from the ground are they? Is it easy to tell from looking out the window?
The widow bars might be thick, but Nero will still try to see how sturdy they are. Putting a hand around it and trying to see if it budges at all if he shakes them.]
A much smaller boat, sure. Not something that size.
[ nobody appears to be outside right now. the ship's sails are folded and each appears anchored to the dock. when scien moves on to try the door, he'll find it's definitely locked and has ye olde doorknob and keyhole to contend with. does he want to put either of his functioning, currently safe eyes up to the keyhole?
sora will find all four of the beds are made, but only one doesn't have sheets beneath the standard issue blanket. that bed's pillow is puffier, too, as if it hasn't been crushed by a head in a while. does she want to pull apart the bedding or leave it tucked in?
the bars are sturdy, kid. get shredded if you want to have a chance. but it might be easier to find another way out. looking down and judging by the size of the boats in the distance, nero can summise they're probably five stories up. no jumpies. ]
[Nero's question gets Sora to shake her head, smiling ruefully]
On paper, the majority of them are...not out of the ordinary for schools with dormitories for the students. It all goes out of the window with the one about not showing a lack of satisfaction, though -- that one makes clear the rest are all about control, not about keeping the students safe.
[The first one is tremendously strict, really. Curfews for the students? Not surprising, students shouldn't be wandering around at 2 AM or something. Not attacking others is a basic rule, too. Uniforms...okay, if you're strict enough. But yeah, one rule makes the rest seem so off.
Let's pull apart the bedding, see if there's anything worth finding here. That said, once she's done checking she's going to put it back together because, well, that flyer made pretty clear the school isn't going to tolerate dissent or messing around. Better not aggravate them unnecessarily, especially since escaping is a possible plan of action]
Brainwashing us into... what? Bein' agreeable all the time? What's the point?
[Sora is dealing with the bedding itself, but Nero's going on his knees to see if there's anything underneath the beds. Pspsps, keys? Are you down here? A piece of wire? Anything useful down here at all?]
[ nah, scien's safe unless he jams his eyes right up into the hole which I imagine would hurt just because. the opening is large enough to narrowly glimpse into the corridor beyond. there is a door directly across the hall with a similar knob to the one scien inspects. it has a plaque that reads: 421b. the b looks new, nailed into place besides the older, centered 421.
sora pulls the bedding off the fourth bed and will find--yes! it is, indeed, a bed. sheetless. because she's being thorough, checking on purpose, it's possible to find a hole carefully made riiiiight in the far, lower corner, where most wouldn't look. wiggling fingers inside, sora can pull out a hand-rolled joint. this is hers to keep.
beneath the beds are your boots! well, under the three beds. there is nothing beneath the fourth that sora is digging through. however, this does give nero an interesting vantage point from which to see the room. this is how an ant must feel. wow. you gain a small buff on further perception or wisdom checks. ]
[ good for you, you've made it to the next floor, leaving behind suk'ram who seems to want to stagger his entrance from yours into the mess hall. after swimming, climbing, and property-destructing past the Skills Challenge, your tummies may be rumbling. as you descend, the wafting scent of roasted meat and vegetables, cumin and saffron, hit the air. it's savory and dramatic, leading the whole party down, and down, until you are on the third floor.
after a short corridor with a few offshoots (none of which pleasing in smell), you approach a wide archway that leads into the messhall.
the room is packed full of medium-sized circular tables and other students are sat at them, about nine or ten at each. the tables are already set with heapings of pastries, roasts, and fragrant side dishes. delicious, gourmet options, available to each of Sir Friendmore's many children.
mannequin-automatons hover, four of them walking on legs with too many joints across the messhall floor. the seated students have folded napkins upon their laps. their table settings include four forks, six spoons, and two knives. the mood is lively! conversation is varied and everywhere, although everyone sits with straight backs and pauses are frequent when they need to stop, choose the right utensil. ]
scien approaches, curious, but overall he truly mostly only eats bread. he looks around, immediately trying to find the next stairway to see how to get down from here]
[ yeah, guys! all you have to do is cross the room and not be distracted by anybeautifulcelebrities. it's impossible not to see them, aged appropriately for the setting, each seated at a separate table.
the manne-bots are fixated on the behavior of already seated students. if you're diligent, they should let you cross the room without interruption.
[hmmm. scien does glance in dahut's direction... but it is a more idle glance. there have been plenty times in the institute where they have to feign a rivalry that neither of them feel, ignoring each other and acting coldly.
so he channels that and moves to cross the room, not sparing his little assistant who didn't need to be aged down at all much more of his attention]
[The sight of Eunhyuk does make Sora slow down, not having expected the sight. Ah. He...didn't get dragged into this, was he? After a moment, Sora decides that, if he was, then he'd probably manage to get out of here alongside Dahut, no?
She glances at Nero, wondering if he'd see, like, Bradley around here. Just making sure this wizard manages to keep going even if he sees Bradley]
[ Bradley is an idiot, but he is also an idiot Nero doesn't trust to keep himself alive. Also he Knows he's on the ship. Riquet is an unknown factor and he falters for a second. He's been in a cult for most of his life...
Did whatever bring them here know?
Which means he's probably obeying the rules here, even if he's just some kind of imprint of a memory.
They need to get out of here, and he does continue... expression going blank. ]
[ the internal willpower in this group. everyone would give you a hand if they weren't distracted by their meals and the complicated silverware situation. since no one speaks a word to those seated, you are left alone by the automatons as well. straight across the mess hall and into the corridor beyond. a couple more classrooms, and then, gasp, a new stairwell! you are doing SO well! it's as suk'ram said, that was soooooo easy. as long as you continue without stopping, surely nothing can go wrong.
at the next floor, the group enters a new corridor, again lined with classes and one door with a plaque that reads Laboratory across from Alchemy Workshop. the doors are locked, but nero can still have his wire.
the other option is to, of course, continue down the corridor until you find the next stairwell. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
It begins...
regardless of your age before this moment, it’s not true any longer. your mind stays the same, wizened or not, but your body has shrunk (or grown, I don’t know your life) to become a young teenager’s again. it needed to be, in order to fit your new uniform; starched, white, and a blue so dark it’s indistinguishable from black. skirts for the young ladies and shorts that cut right across the knee for the young gentlemen.
you stand within a dorm room, fit with four slim beds, each stuck to a corner. iron bars, too thick for a simple spell to melt through, cover the palladian windows. between them, you can see the school’s dock with a number of military grade ships currently stationed in two rows. the area is entirely empty.
fortunately, the dorm room itself is covered in paraphernalia that names your new location. it can be read in bold print across the banner on the back of your dormroom door; it’s printed along the sides of the room’s two desks; it’s in dark grey thread on your mandatory white ankle socks.
Sir Friendmore’s Naval Academy and Finishing School
the door is locked and there’s an orientation flyer on each desk you could look at if, like, you wanted to.
pick one (1) cantrip and a simple weapon, that’s all you get. ]
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for the sake of his own curiosity, he goes to read the orientation flyer.
his one (1) catnip is vicious mockery because being this much of a bitch requires psychic damage, and a dagger. even if there's others around, he is choosing to ignore them, because some people are simply the worst in all the world.]
no subject
There's this girl with the silver hair and a face that shows curiosity over her current self]
Fascinating...
[The iron bars...oh, they don't want them to get out, eh? Sora peeks out of the window, sees the docks, and shrugs, deciding the desks are a decent starting point. Let's snoop around.
Sora has Eldritch Blast, and a dagger as well]
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He looks at his socks, sees "school" and has no idea if bars are normal for a place like these.
In the mean time, let's look at the flyer.
Nero has a dagger and Sword Burst.]
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there are only two copies of the orientation flyer, because what do you think paper grows on? but let's be nice and share what we have.
other than the flyers, the desks have a glossy black fountain pen a piece. the drawers open to reveal nothing, nada, and, naturally, zilch. it's almost dangerously sparse. enrichment-free, one could say.
against the left-most wall stands a large communal wardrobe, within you will find many copies of the same uniforms you're already wearing, eight per student. your surnames (you all have those, right?) are stitched into the collars. ]
no subject
This is stupid. I don't want to do any of this.
[FRIENDS? BONDING? NO CHANCE IN HELL. he's already broken one of the rules by being a negative nancy]
Stay alert—based on previous experiences, there's a chance we're all going to get ripped apart in time.
[he's going to look out the window again - is the coast clear? if it is, he's going to try to see if he can test the lock on the door]
no subject
[Sora didn't check a flyer until Scien passed it to her, but the bars and the lack of enrichment in the desks said things so well. She just a fountain pen. I hope this uniform has pockets.]
Do either of you know how to pilot a boat? If not, I guess we can always row.
[Why four beds, though...? Is it standard, perhaps? Better check that four bed and see if she finds anything over here, while she gives the flyer a read]
no subject
This place has some weird rules for a school... Right?
[Looking at Sora. Who he knows has a school.
Actually, how far from the ground are they? Is it easy to tell from looking out the window?
The widow bars might be thick, but Nero will still try to see how sturdy they are. Putting a hand around it and trying to see if it budges at all if he shakes them.]
A much smaller boat, sure. Not something that size.
no subject
sora will find all four of the beds are made, but only one doesn't have sheets beneath the standard issue blanket. that bed's pillow is puffier, too, as if it hasn't been crushed by a head in a while. does she want to pull apart the bedding or leave it tucked in?
the bars are sturdy, kid. get shredded if you want to have a chance. but it might be easier to find another way out. looking down and judging by the size of the boats in the distance, nero can summise they're probably five stories up. no jumpies. ]
no subject
[scien wants to try to see if he can pick the lock, so hell yea he's going to squat down to get a better look at it. poke his weird normie eye out]
This seems less like a school and more like a brainwashing facility.
no subject
On paper, the majority of them are...not out of the ordinary for schools with dormitories for the students. It all goes out of the window with the one about not showing a lack of satisfaction, though -- that one makes clear the rest are all about control, not about keeping the students safe.
[The first one is tremendously strict, really. Curfews for the students? Not surprising, students shouldn't be wandering around at 2 AM or something. Not attacking others is a basic rule, too. Uniforms...okay, if you're strict enough. But yeah, one rule makes the rest seem so off.
Let's pull apart the bedding, see if there's anything worth finding here. That said, once she's done checking she's going to put it back together because, well, that flyer made pretty clear the school isn't going to tolerate dissent or messing around. Better not aggravate them unnecessarily, especially since escaping is a possible plan of action]
no subject
[Sora is dealing with the bedding itself, but Nero's going on his knees to see if there's anything underneath the beds. Pspsps, keys? Are you down here? A piece of wire? Anything useful down here at all?]
no subject
sora pulls the bedding off the fourth bed and will find--yes! it is, indeed, a bed. sheetless. because she's being thorough, checking on purpose, it's possible to find a hole carefully made riiiiight in the far, lower corner, where most wouldn't look. wiggling fingers inside, sora can pull out a hand-rolled joint. this is hers to keep.
beneath the beds are your boots! well, under the three beds. there is nothing beneath the fourth that sora is digging through. however, this does give nero an interesting vantage point from which to see the room. this is how an ant must feel. wow. you gain a small buff on further perception or wisdom checks. ]
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and on you go...
after a short corridor with a few offshoots (none of which pleasing in smell), you approach a wide archway that leads into the messhall.
the room is packed full of medium-sized circular tables and other students are sat at them, about nine or ten at each. the tables are already set with heapings of pastries, roasts, and fragrant side dishes. delicious, gourmet options, available to each of Sir Friendmore's many children.
mannequin-automatons hover, four of them walking on legs with too many joints across the messhall floor. the seated students have folded napkins upon their laps. their table settings include four forks, six spoons, and two knives. the mood is lively! conversation is varied and everywhere, although everyone sits with straight backs and pauses are frequent when they need to stop, choose the right utensil. ]
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scien approaches, curious, but overall he truly mostly only eats bread. he looks around, immediately trying to find the next stairway to see how to get down from here]
Just down from here, isn't it?
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[No eye contact with anyone unnecessarily, no deviating from the plan. There's no reason to be talking to anybody. She nods, focusing]
I guess we'll have to keep the talking to a minimum.
[Too many ears around here!]
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Cross the dining hall to get to the next set of stairs. ]
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the manne-bots are fixated on the behavior of already seated students. if you're diligent, they should let you cross the room without interruption.
however, can you resist... fwends? ]
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so he channels that and moves to cross the room, not sparing his little assistant who didn't need to be aged down at all much more of his attention]
no subject
She glances at Nero, wondering if he'd see, like, Bradley around here. Just making sure this wizard manages to keep going even if he sees Bradley]
no subject
Did whatever bring them here know?
Which means he's probably obeying the rules here, even if he's just some kind of imprint of a memory.
They need to get out of here, and he does continue... expression going blank. ]
no subject
at the next floor, the group enters a new corridor, again lined with classes and one door with a plaque that reads Laboratory across from Alchemy Workshop. the doors are locked, but nero can still have his wire.
the other option is to, of course, continue down the corridor until you find the next stairwell. ]
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here's the thing. once they get to the new corridor, scien will be pointing at the laboratory.]
Open this for me. If I can get access to basic chemicals, I can make explosives and smoke combs for cover.
[which might be helpful once they get to the last floor.
he said to keep going but sometimes..... you think you know better.....]
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[Splash some onto the enemy and let it burn. Sora is going for the aggressive outlook. Pacifism has never been her thing]
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Might set off alarms.
[Nero's just not the type to argue in the middle of a mission.
It did sound like most of the hostiles they'd encounter would be on the last floor. A quick in and out...
Is it trapped? Does it look trapped?]
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CYOA RESULTS