IN THE FOREST OF THE LOST

[beathollow]

it's all too perfect.

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PHASE TWO: THE CASTLE

[beathollow]

[beathollow]

Mafuyu is sitting at the table with her parents, a little younger than most people here know her by. It's almost a relaxed evening...

"What does your homework look like today, Mafuyu?" Her father asks.

"I've got some math and an essay to write about what I want to be in the future."

"Oh? And what is it you'd like to be in the future?" Her mother chimes in as she serves a beef stew.

"I want to become a nurse so I can help people who are sick."

Mafuyu seems so happy to say this... But her mother frowns a bit before she corrects herself.

"Is that so... But if you really want to help those who are sick, there are even better jobs than that, you know. Being a nurse is wonderful, but if you're going to get into medicine, why not become a doctor instead?"

"Huh? But I..."

"That's right. You'd make a great doctor. And you're more than capable of handling the amount of study required." Her father muses.

Her chest feels heavy, and her mother continues-

"If you become a doctor, you can even take care of us when we're old and gray. Hehe."

She's silent, and her father seems to take that as approval.

"Don't worry about tuition, either. You just focus on getting into the best school you can."

"I'll be supporting you as well, so good luck!"

Mafuyu wants to say something but- something tightens in her chest.

So she smiles.

"Oh... okay... Thanks for always thinking about me, Mom, Dad. I'll do my best."

[beathollow]

The inside of the castle is beautiful, a stunning marble white with red and gold carpets.

And there in the grand hall, Mafuyu runs to the door. The moment she sees you all, she blinks away tears and reaches out-

"Help me!"

...

Except just as your fingers brush against hers, something tugs her back with immense force and she screams before shadows swallow her, and she's gone, just like that.

A crimson light pulses from... somewhere? It's hard to tell.

A pink light remains where she'd been standing, shaking with something before it circles Haruka. Stand strong. I'm with you.

[fullmoonmutt]

Mafuyu!

[ Screw whatever else is happening, Eli is barreling off in the direction she was dragged?! ]

[moodwrecker]

[Oh hell no.]

Mafuyu!

[Is that pink light going to guide them? Please, they've gotta find this girl before it's too late.]

[goei]

[DAMN FOR A SECOND WE REALLY THOUGHT WE COMPLETED A PALACE IN RECORD TIME!! "No one thought that" Izou did.]

Oi! Give back Mafuyu you shitty castle!

[Izou's pulling his sword out as if he's going to use it on the incorporeal darkness.]

[beautifulknight]

Miss Mafuyu!

[ Argenti immediately rushes in - any sign of those shadows? ]

[strawsandals]

Mafuyu-

[ He calls back, runs towards the door, but then something swallows her and Yoon also tries to see if there's any sign of where the shadows took her. ]

[townmusician]

[Haruka watches the scene with Mafuyu's parents, even more annoyed after that conversation in the gardens.]

The fuck are parents good for if they're not going to support their kid...

[He never had parents but goddamn. What the fuck.

Then, at the pink light circling, he just looks - confused? He saw the lights earlier but why is he getting singled out!!]

...You're with us?

[wait, what,]

Did anybody else hear that?

[cirquedesang]

[That memory sparks a dull ache in his chest, a loneliness that nearly drowns out the little orange light's sentiment... but it's with some effort he clings to it. It feels important to.

Especially as Mafuyu runs to them and is pulled away, screaming.

It's probably against the rules to run in the hall.

It's all he can do to not curse the shadows as takes off in a dead sprint after her.]

Mafuyu!

[privatedomicile]

[Oh, this is bad. Jesse grits his teeth at the memory, recalling when Mafuyu had told him about how her mom hadn't considered nursing respectful enough for some reason he didn't fully understand.]

...bitch.

[Not to degrade women, but maybe be a better mom.

Watching Mafuyu get dragged away scares the shit out of him though, and he runs off without much heed to find her.]

[supherb]

[Arven had done his best to play nice, but everything he witnesses here stretches him to his limits.]

Mafuyu…!!

[His fingers tremble after failing to catch Mafuyu. Just as quickly as he’d found her, she’s gone.

He chases after her with the others before he slowly comes to a halt. The orange light, the melody. Deep breaths. Hand on Mabosstiff.]

H-Hang in there. We’re coming. Just…hang in there. Please.

THE BANQUET HALL

[beathollow]

A dining hall with a grand feast spread out! It's luxurious and smells delicious. A few maids and servants are tending to everything, but something seems hidden behind the curtain...?

[emptyself]

[ soujuurou will try to go sneaking in to see what’s behind the curtain? ]

[ledbythewind]

[Ah, what a familiar sight. It's familiar, and that's exactly why he hates it, because he knows this sort of thing is nothing more than a pretty cover for empty words and shallow exchanges, a chance for people to try to bend others to their will with gilded words.

That's how these things always go, and that's why Richard is far more interested by whatever is behind that curtain than he is the tableau itself.]

[supherb]

[Well. No one should be surprised that Arven would gravitate toward the food. It does smell good… He imagines that the queen has employed only the best chefs for the family.

He regards the maids with stiff politeness. He’s still trying hard to contain his emotions.

Will they let him and Mabosstiff explore?]

[finalmix]

[ you can't bait me like this.






will the servants notice him heading towards the curtain this time round or not-- I hate my luck. (7) ]

[goei]

[The curtain's hiding the things Mafuyu isn't allowed, huh? What if Izou simply tries to just cut one of the curtains down? (11)]

THE PRINCESS'S BEDROOM

[beathollow]

Beneath the layers of a fairy tale, a bedroom waits. Something feels off, and a blue light angrily floats around, circling from the bed, the desk and the window.

[moodwrecker]

[Mood, little light.

Aubrey will go check the desk!]

[cirquedesang]

[...It would be rude to intrude.

So he knocks lightly on the doorframe before stepping in, and moves to intercept the blue light by the window.]

[idealies]

[ Ai whispers "sorry for the intrusion~" before stepping inside Mafuyu's room, going to check out the bed. ]

THE GALLERY

[beathollow]

An art hall, as well as a display for so many frames of pinned butterflies. They're all purple and blue.

Multiple paintings seem to display moments of pride in Mafuyu's life, but there's also several empty frames.

THE GARBAGE ROOM

[beathollow]

...




You don't need to go here. Do you?

CATHERD

[vogelfrei]

[ Once a bit of time has passed, McGillis is going to attempt and round everyone up in the Banquet Hall - the squad who had been fighting were gathered there to begin with, so grabbing everyone else from the rooms they'd been inspecting is hopefully fairly easy. Maybe our new companions the fairy lights are going to come along as well...?

After McGillis has been quite reserved and only hanging back during Argenti's palace, he's back in Mission Leader mode this time. Everyone who still has issues with him for the whole friend murder thing is going to need to suck it up?? ]

I assume everyone's already on the same page, but just to recap: We're in Mafuyu's palace, and the topic matter we're dealing with is the stifling expectations put on her by her mother, to the exclusion of all individuality. Her mother takes the role of the Queen in this realm, with Mafuyu as the Princess.

I believe we've all seen a number of memories from Mafuyu. I don't think it's necessary to recount every detail of her private life for all to hear, but suffice it to say that her mother has taken great measures to cut her off from all support systems.

In this fairytale version of events, we're cast in the role of visitors to the realm, and we're under scrutiny by the Queen before she'll let us meet the Princess. Though... [ with a look at the traces of fight all around ] ... at this point, the ship may have sailed on a quiet infiltration. But maybe that is just as well - in terms of the story, we're the villains who are trying to steal the Princess after all.

[ He gives a small smile at that. ]

Has anybody found something else that's relevant?