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

[prozaic]

Hm? I assumed this would have been memories of her home...? Apparently not.

... But I want to see that piano in more detail.

[Then he closes his eyes to listen carefully to the sounds coming from inside. If the keys on the door can be pressed, surely a tune is the answer. He just hopes his knowledge of the piano hasn't faded over the years.]

[kandata]

[The keys are functional. All of them, both the black and the white keys, produce sound.

It's easy to guess the keys cover a single scale from C to B. His perception throw from before doesn't allow to figure out the kind of melody that opens the door...

...but if he listens closely, he'll hear the black keys have a strange clicking sound that's not present on the white ones.

Looks like you only need the black keys. That sure narrows things down!]

[prozaic]

... Odd. These sharps and flats have mechanisms on them. [He opens his eyes and taps at one of the sharps. Yep. Sounds a little like a keyboard, maybe?]

Let me try and discern what sequence they need to be in. Pardon me. [Then he presses his ear to the door to listen. (11)]

[kandata]

[You barely pass. Due to the limited number of keys, brute forcing it is possible. However, his perception is refusing to play nice.

That's why it takes him almost an hour to figure out the tune that opens it. Listening to if the clicks sound different or not, below the sound of the piano key itself, is hard work, requiring focus. You sure won't notice the pass of time, but Aubrey and Joshua will. Are they even around after an hour...?

Another consequence is that, when the door opens, Ai is nowhere to be seen. Odd.

But hey, door is open! The music room can be accessed]

[prozaic]

[Honestly, what Crimson Troupe member doesn't hyperfixate on music? Shalem doesn't even notice if Joshua and Aubrey left, he's too focused on the triumph of getting into the room, and immediately inspecting the piano, running his hand over the keys.

Then he pauses, because he's overcome by the urge to play, just a little. So he does, his fingers stiff at first, but he slowly eases into it, playing a song that's wormed its way into his head when he heard it in the castle of his nightmares.]

1/2

[kandata]

[Oh,goodness! I like that song. I have to bookmark it.

The piano sounds absolutely perfect. Unlike the door, it having been off-key, the piano is well tuned, spotless. The music Shalem plays sounds amazing in it.

In fact...the entire music room is very clean. The building looks abandoned, weeds and dust everywhere, but this music room...it's different. Every inch of it is well taken care of.
By the time Shalem finishes the song, he will notice a black band placed on top of the piano. He might not have seen it earlier because it's black on a black surface, but it's there]

2/2

[kandata]

[Kirumi is here.

The door opens and Kirumi enters. She's carrying a bunch of rags and a couple bottles. The mood is somber, she’s keeping her head down. She doesn't see Shalem at all.

Kirumi cleans the music room with the effectiveness one expects her to have. Once she gets to the piano, she gets to working on it. Tuning, oiling, cleaning, leaving it so well polished she can see her reflection on its surface.

Once Kirumi is done with the keys, she stops, staring at them. She tests a couple of those]

...I am sorry.

[Kirumi murmured. It's like she’s talking to herself, but it's not directed at herself]

At the time I could not think of how you felt. Solving the case and protect us all was all that mattered. I shall carry the responsibility for your death forever. I will not...I will not forget I aided in causing it.

[Kirumi has to take a moment to gather herself]

We promised to you we would hold strong together. I will do all in my power to ensure we all live.

I will not allow any deaths anymore.

...we promised...

[Kirumi takes out a funerary band, which she places on the piano. She made it herself, of course. Once she has taken a moment of silence for the deceased student, she gathers her stuff and leaves.

The music room is left filled with a forlorn air, commemorating someone who isn't here anymore.]

3/2

[kandata]

[.......

And then behind Shalem, Ai swings a classic acoustic guitar at his head.

Olé 🎸]

[prozaic]

[For a moment, he's dumbstruck by the memory he apparently he summoned, before he reaches out for the black funerary band that Kirumi left on the piano, and tucks it into a pocket... But then--

WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT. There's no time to think, just act. Shalem is quick on his feet, dodging the swing (16) and tossing himself to the side, skidding to a halt with his tail flailing.

Then he looks up at her, brows furrowing.]

Do not do that to an instrument! [He has his priorities straight.]

[kandata]

[Oh, she's so doing that to an instrument. Ai doesn't seem to care about being chided -- and doesn't say a word, instead she points at him with the guitar, it crackling with electricity, and a thunderbolt erupts from it, aiming at the piano.

The piano cracks open and explodes! Debris hits Shalem but it won't cause as much damage as this Ai hoped it would]

[prozaic]

[If Shalem knew Ai, he'd know instantly that this isn't her solely by the element she used, but alas.]

NOT THE PIANO-- [The Troupe would have had her head for this, if she did it in their presence.

But Shalem decides it's time to get out of this room before more poor, innocent instruments get caught in the crossfire. However, his exit is less than stellar, because he stumbles out through the door (10), might even bump into Joshua and Aubrey in his haste. Either way, he's slowed down as he leaves the room.]

[kandata]

Get...here!

[Ai doesn't even try to pretend to be her. She pursues Shalem, back to the starting area! She still has the acoustic guitar, and quite reveals a couple vinyl CDs in a very bombastic manner, throwing them like frisbees at Shalem. Watch out, the edges are sharp!

But her aim isn't sharp, she misses by a mile. Shalem's slowness, though, means she gets a free swing of her guitar weapon, which she also misses.

Maybe this fake Ai just sucks at fighting]

[prozaic]

[At the very least the CDs miss him, but she still has that poor guitar... In an attempt to save it, he tries to make a swipe for it... and fails (8).]

Ma'am, I really have to ask you to put the thing down-- gently, mind!

[kandata]

[Ai heeds the request by putting the guitar down onto Shalem's head.

It wasn't gentle.

It was critical, in fact (20)

The guitar shatters in impact, completely unusable.

Whoooops]

[prozaic]

[He's dead-- no, he's not. But he's definitely not conscious.]

[moonshaded]

[She turns away from the voyeuristic windows just in time to see that Gibson get smashed to smithereens over Shalem's head.]

Whoa, hey! [What, exactly, the fuck? She hasn't received the warning about shadow teenagers (and Ai) yet, either, so her first move is to try and restrain the girl by her arms (12).]

What the hell is your problem?!

[kandata]

[Ai is successfully restrained!]

Let...go...!

[She shouts, squirming, but is unable to get herself away from Kainé. Woah! You have captured Ai, and she finds herself at the mercy of Kainé.

It takes a bit, but Ai loses all fight, just...breathing heavily and glaring at Kainé like she wishes she had a second guitar at hand right now so another head gets the brunt of it.

Watch out, Kainé. Ai will attack at the first chance she gets]

[moonshaded]

[She might get that opportunity before anyone expects, since that stupid voiceover catches Kainé off guard, baiting her into paying more attention to her surroundings than the girl she's grappling.]

"Discovered" my ass! Like I didn't watch her brain the guy from over there.

[But also more importantly, there's no "body" about it. She looks down to Shalem and calls out to him. Please don't actually be dead, she thinks, but what comes out it a little more forceful.]

Hey! Get up so we can figure out what's gotten into her.

[Shalem will receive what may be Kainé's first and only in-game cast of Dia, but this does mean that Ai can probably wiggle away and plot her counterattack.]

[kandata]

[I can't believe Ai is suddenly becoming a tremendous fighter, because she's able to capitalize on the distraction effectively. She manages to wrestle herself away from Kainé (18), and then summon a Zyodine (19) to strike at Kainé. Watch out for intense electricity magic onto you!]

[prozaic]

[Maybe that was a spicy Dia, because Shalem actually wakes up! Barely. (13) He gingerly pats the top of his head where he got hit, though his fingers don't come out blood-- small mercies.

However, he's not totally awake enough to try casting anything, he's just struggling to get up.]

[moonshaded]

[That's okay; he's been through a lot, so he can take all the time he needs to get back up.]

Get back here -!

[But the Shadow Ai has already slipped away, and before Kainé can lunge after her, she retaliates. That Zyodine hurts, so when she goes for a Lunge to snap her out of it so she can be pinned back down again, it misses terribly (3).]

[moodwrecker]

[She actually wandered off and was useless elsewhere, but the shouting gets her attention and she runs back just in time to see Ai attacking Kainé.]

What the- are the Shadows copying us now, too?!

[Charging for Ai to hit her with a Giant Slice (15). Fortunately, since she saw Ai in the room earlier, she's assuming this is just a figment of the Palace.]

[kandata]

[Kaine missed, but dodging that made Ai unable to avoid Aubrey's attack. Ai is struck, falling to the floor. Desperate and also feeling all is fair in a fight, she gathers dust and dirt to throw at their faces!

Ai misses so miserably she gets dirt on her own face. She's defenseless! Next attacks from them three are a guaranteed hit!]

[moonshaded]

[Having joined Ai in the Nikiya before, Kainé is at least passingly familiar with her actions and demeanor. Now that the initial shock (haha) has worn off, it’s starting to feel a little clearer.]

Something’s up! Is this a Shadow? But why would it look like one of us and not some twisted memory bullshit?

[Maybe they ran out of dreams to desecrate. Usually, an enemy falling to the ground like that would have her kicking until it didn’t get up again, but since she’s still crispy, she uses her freebie on a Psio for the magic damage.]

[kandata]

[From unseen speakers, Monokuma's voice sounds:]

A body has been discovered! Please gather at the east wing of the first floor.

[And there's the snap of a picture.

For the record, that speaker announcement was not broadcasted all over the place, it was just for this starting area and nowhere else. Nobody will come because of it, yup]