WEEK 5: CYOA (CLEMENTINE, LUP, JEANNE, ALPHINAUD)

[retellers]

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[retellers]

[ The people look at Clem. Oh! The jester! ]

We are. But the funniest thing just happened.

[ The noble very quickly shuts up, looking pale.

As they travel further, a fog starts to set it. ]

[stillnot]

Well if it's funny, it's my business.

What was it?

[discernments]

I'm thinking of your livelihood.

[ Her gentle scolding done with (don't throw away your life, rando), she starts to worry about this fog.

Her memory tells her that fogs usually mean someone's about to try to murder her.

Are any of the nobles armed? WHAT ARE THEY HUNTING WITH?

But Jeanne doesn't stop her horse or the hunting retinue. Time to see what the fog holds.... ]

[retellers]

Someone who looked like the king ran by, but it can't have been.

[ They are hunting with bows. Some have swords? It's a mystery how actually skilled they are as they are doing this for funsies and no trained guard follower, which is an oversight.

But as they travel, Jeanne will also see that the deeper they go the harder it is to breathe, almost like the fog is smoke from a fire? Except it's definitely just fog. The nobles look uneasy but they continue on. ]

[stillnot]

That... Might have been my partner in my act. The king... Really likes... Impressions!

Which way did they go? We need to practice.

[discernments]

[ She is going to have to steal a weapon if things get dicey. ]

If you are worried, you may turn back, but leave a weapon with me if you do.

[retellers]

[ They point towards the back of the castle.

As for Jeanne, they laugh a little nervously. ]

N-no, we'll be fine. It's just fog--did you hear that?

[ Rustling. ]

[stillnot]

[ alright cool, clem... does a silly bow for them. then hurries off towards the back of the castle. ]

[discernments]

[ It's fog that makes it's harder to breathe. It's fog that hide whatever is causing the rustling.

Jeanne tries to pinpoint the direction it's coming from. ]

... I did. Be ready.

[ Maybe it's just a fox? ]

Please don't be reckless.

[retellers]

[ Heading to the back of the castle will bring Clementine to a very large garden, even more impressive than the one at the pink castle. There are some papers on the ground leading to it.

The nobles nod their heads nervously. If Jeanne concentrates, she'll be able to hear something from her left very faintly. ]

[stillnot]

[ gonna pick up those papers and look at them, naturally! ]

[discernments]

[ jeanne is going to guide her horse to the left!

What is rustling? ]

[retellers]

[ Clementine will see some papers about summoning otherworldly beings, and some circled passages about signs to do so.

As for the rustling...

Jeanne will come face to face(?) to a large being. The question mark is that it face is just two red dots for eyes and a large red circle for a mouth. It's at least fifteen feet, and if it wasn't for the fog it would have been easily spotted. While it's human shaped, it doesn't have any actual features or anything other than having something like a head, two arms, a torso, and two legs. It's also blue and shimmery. ]

[stillnot]

[ is there more detail she can get by reading carefully because she knows there are spooky Important Papers in these adventures man.

she's going to try and read while walking though because she also wants to search this garden for the king and/or king imposter! actually, are there any gardeners to ask if they've seen him? ]

[discernments]

[ someday, clem and jeanne will rejoin so she can deduce this large being is maybe summoned instead of some natural denizen of this world.

Until then, Jeanne doesn't want to look away from this blue shimmery being, so without looking back, she holds up a hand and makes a motion to the nobles to be on guard but don't shoot or attack yet. Hopefully, they don't misinterpret that. That'd be terrible. ]

Who are you? What is your purpose here?

[ Does it even understand her? ]

[retellers]

[ If these were Very Plot Important, you would know. So no there is no point in giving exact details.

There are some gardeners! They look a little frantic, actually?

As for Jeanne, the being does not speak back to her, but it does turn to look(?) at her. ]

[stillnot]

[ JUST MAKING SURE but okay, she is approaching the gardeners! ]

Hey, you look stressed. What's going on?

[discernments]

[ Please speak, Being. ]

Do you understand me at all?

[ A beat. ]

Nod if yes, shake your head(?) if no.

[ What if it has different nodding conventions. ]

[retellers]

[ The gardener looks over at Clementine. ]

I think I saw the king running around here earlier. I didn't think anything of it, but now I just found out apparently people are looking for them? Ah, just what we need before a big feast, even more stress...

[ The blue being that's hanging out does not nod at Jeanne. And instead it reaches hand(?) out to her. ]

[stillnot]

It's not the king. It's my act partner in a costume.

[ she's doubling down on this lie okay. ]

He's trying to get out of some last-minute practice for our act, so don't worry about it so much. And - tell that to anyone else so they don't freak out. We have bigger stuff to be stressed about, right?

Did you see which way he went?

[discernments]

[ CLEM your LIE

Well. Okay. Who is Jeanne to say no to holding a hand? When has she ever a hand that reached out to her?

She takes it. Carefully, gently. Cautiously. ]

[retellers]

[ The gardener does not know enough about how jesters work to argue this. But he points further into the garden.

As for Jeanne, the being takes her hand, gently, and then... goes to fucking fling her into some trees. ]

[stillnot]

[ she... does her silly little bow again which actually is probably pretty good because she's used to entertaining a five year old.

DON'T DIE JEANNE anyway clem hurries off in the direction they pointed ]

[discernments]

[ jeanne rolled a 10!!

She goes flying and hits a tree very solidly! Ow, her back. The branches slow her fall down enough that she doesn't break anything probably. It takes her a beat before she picks herself back up off the ground and then she makes a break for where the nobles were.

ARE THEY STILL THERE

SHE NEEDS THEIR WEAPONS AND HER HORSE BACK PLEASE

she left her flag back at the entrance because a symbol of another country is probably a bad idea to have if you're an aide cries ]

[retellers]

[ As Clementine walks through the garden, she'll notice that it gets eerily silent as she goes deeper and deeper into it. Also, the plants seem to get more... wild? While everything at first was neatly trimmed and taken care of, it starts to seem more like nature is taking over.

She'll see a figure in the distance.

As for Jeanne, well. Some of the nobles immediately fucking ditched. But there are a few still there, staring in terror. The creature just stands there, watching(?) her run. ]