Kirumi Tojo's Palace | The Ultimate Maid's Failures

[kandata]

By now everyone may be used to find themselves in bizarre locations, between going into palaces and visiting Nekyia. It might not come as a surprise that it has happened again.

What might come as a surprise, though...is how empty this place is.

All around you there's nothing more than a large, gray, featureless expanse. In the distance there seem to be bars, curving upwards to gather so, so high above you, possibly hundreds of miles above, so high it’s hard to distinguish.

It’s a cage. So unfathomably large. You could escape, were you to get to the edges of the cage, but...it would take forever. No matter how you look at it, you're trapped. The atmosphere is so...hopeless. Devoid of anything even remotely positive.

Not that you want to hang around for long, do you? After all, this is someone's palace. Not a place to stick around at. What to do, though?

It’s all so...empty. Silent. Featureless. A flat expanse of hard gray tiles.

Gather together, everyone. Gather and choose a direction. North, East, West, South. All directions look completely identical, but could it affect your time in this place, somehow? Probably not. But all treks start with the first step. Perhaps, if you get moving, you'll progress?

Comments

[kandata]

[The camera closest to Joshua changes, as if the discussions near it trigger something. A small compartment under the lens opens up, revealing a tiny spotlight. When the spotlight turns on, it illuminates a spot on the floor, at direct view of the camera. Curious thing! There's the silhouette of a pair of shoes there.

One after the other, all cameras do the same. Twelve different spotlights, encouraging each single one of them to stand in full focus of a camera]

[moonshaded]

[YEAH, NO THANKS!!]

[kandata]

[tv stardom beckons kaine it will be a hoot]

[finalmix]

[ okay how about if none of them move and therefore none of them are being perceived by the cameras-- ]

[kandata]

[That's an option indeed!

Anyone who chooses not to submit to the spotlight, what shall you do, then?]

[vogelfrei]

The message is clear, but I can't say I like it.

[ He's... not the one to bite the sour apple first and step in front of a camera, sorry. ]

[moodwrecker]

We could try breaking them.

[Just saying!!]

[strawsandals]

...I'm worried that we'd be falling right into a trap, if we tried.

[moodwrecker]

So what, we should just be good and let ourselves be recorded for who-knows-why?

[strawsandals]

I'm saying that we should talk it over a little before jumping right into smashing things when there might be consequences.

[beautifulknight]

[ It sure has triggered something.

Argenti is kind of wary of this being a trap, but they might just be at a standstill.

...Anyway, can any of the cameras be touched? ]

[kandata]

[They can be touched indeed! They're very solid; they feel like genuine cameras. Doesn't feel like they're protected by anything, nor do they feel abnormal in any way.

Touching a camera sure makes Argenti see a sticker on the side of it. There's the logo that had been vaguely seen before.


]

[beautifulknight]

[ ...Weird. ]

What an odd logo...

[ What happens if he puts his hand in front of the camera then...? ]

[kandata]

[When Argenti puts his hand in front of the camera, the spotlight turns off. Apparently this particular camera caught onto that Argenti wasn't looking forward to standing there. The camera turns on the tripod, focusing on him, but hey, at least he is not being directed to stand anywhere now!

Then, loud and clear:]

Name?

[Only Argenti can hear that. Even though it sounded like it came from everywhere around them, only Argenti heard it]

[beautifulknight]

[ Oh...strange?

He can handle this and he might be assuming everyone else heard it because of the acoustics, so he places a hand atop his chest. ]

I am Argenti, a Knight of Beauty.

[ After all, he should grant a name when asked for one, right? ]

Miss Kirumi, is that you asking?

[moodwrecker]

[Okay she is maybe distracted from thoughts of smashy-smash by Argenti doing whatever he's doing.]

[kandata]

[Tbe voice doesn't sound like Kirumi's. It sounds very androgynous, in fact! Average in every way. If anything, it almost sounds like it's saying things it has said countless times before.

Perhaps that's why it barely acknowledged the specifics of what Argenti said. Instead...]

Mhmhm. Thank you. Please speak of------what worth would you bring our world? S-----about what strengths and weaknesses will be-----

[It's...it's not so clear now. Argenti still is the only one who is hearing that, but still, seems like a query of some sort, albeit very open]

[beautifulknight]

[ Oh, weird. It does sound very automated indeed. ]

...Strength and weaknesses?

Well, to be quite frank, though I like everyone else has happens to have strengths and weaknesses, I am not certain if they would be worth discussing at this time.

[ Not the first time someone has asked about his strengths (first about weaknesses, though), but his answer personal-wise will not necessarily change much in tone. ]

I'm sorry, what world is this again?

[kandata]

[.........

The camera turns off. From above, a piece of paper flutters down, and everyone can see it, and read its contents. Seems to be a memo, at the corner the logo Argenti had seen]

"Candidate "ARGENTI" shows good aesthethics and a marked tendency to believe in others. Cons: candidate is not a team player and did not answer the question cooperatively.

Rated: 4/10. Needs revisions."

[Well that sure is a critique of him]

[vogelfrei]

[ Coming over to snoop at this paper... ]

So it's some kind of aptitude test? Did Kirumi take part in something like this as well?

[ She certainly seems to have gotten around a lot of different jobs, so it would track?? ]

Alright, let's see what may happen with a passing grade.

[ McGillis will step in front of a camera. ]

[kandata]

[Just like it happened to Argenti, only McGillis hears the exact same voice Argenti did]

Name?

[Regardless of the answer, the next question is mired with static, but at least McGillis can make out enough:]

--describe--made you the person you are now. Why would--yourself?

[A different question, but in general it feels like it could have come from whatever questionnaire the person behind the cameras is working with. What made you the person you are now, McGillis?]

[finalmix]

[ no comments on the critique but,







it's maybe a little bit difficult to hide a giggle




but ok back to the main point. ]

So that's the way to turn the cameras off?

[beautifulknight]

[ Wow he saw that!! Anyways. ]

...Maybe so?

[prozaic]

Failing a test, hmm. But, then, what if we all take a test and the cameras shut off? What if that's a... [What do the gamers call it... Nope he can't think of the word right now, he doesn't make friends with the gamers of Rhodes Island.] A stalemate?

[beautifulknight]

[ He's never got a bad rating from an interview ever.

Clearly this automated interviewing system lacks BEAUTY. ]