>>3022609
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>>3022609
The walls of Casa d’Zaffiro creak as you cautiously make your way down the hallway. It’s a little ominous. Perhaps it’s just ominous because of the ambience or because of the unfamiliarity of a strange house. Or maybe it’s ominous because of the rogue architecture that’s sealed the mansion off and is possibly intent on killing you all before the night is through.
Yeah. It’s been a fucking day and no mistake.

Your name is Sofia Pseudonym and you are a public defender and nominally at least, a professional duellist. But lately it feels like you’ve been defending yourself more than anyone and not even using your blade to do so.

This is, without a doubt, your strangest assignment yet. What had started as an odd request to defend the rights of a reflection from his real self has escalated into a multi-layered mystery and now you’re trapped in a mansion with no way out. You don’t know why the real Claudio d’Rocco is doing this. You have some ideas but no concrete evidence for anything. Surely he knows this is just going to get him arrested!
So what could his reflection have that is more dangerous than being convicted for blueprint theft and unlawful practice of architecture?

And on top of that, something very strange is going on with the household itself. The owner of the mansion, one Eduardo d’Zaffiro, is conspicuously absent and your recent perusal through a ‘record room’ of his has him looking rather suspicious. And there is definitely something going on with his head housekeeper!

And speaking of which....there she is now?
You’re wandering the halls past the eighteenth doorway, taking the seemingly safe route to try and find your would-be opponent, Sabino Manfredi and the party guests that were all trapped in here with you. That’s right. Claudio even sacrificed his own duellist the moment you confirmed that the duel wouldn’t be until tomorrow.
You haven’t heard anyone since the scream so tracking them down has been hard but you heard the sound of footsteps just a minute ago and you’ve been following them.

And they’ve lead you straight to Adriana. Again.

The housekeeper is looking a little frazzled, leaning against the wall beside a door. She’s dripping wet, looking as if she’s dunked her head in a barrel of water. But even so, you can see a little smidgen of blood still smeared along her brow.
That matches up with the head wound you see her get before, during the confrontation with Claudio. And that would be fine except...you met an ‘Adriana’ in the records room who hadn’t been bleeding at all.
So what’s the connection?

“Sofia!,” she says as she turns around to see you . “It’s just you. The rest are just through here. I’m keeping watch.”
She motions for you to go inside.

1/?

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75 KB JPG

>>3022615

That last remark of hers prompts you to raise an eyebrow.
“Oh? Keeping watch for what, exactly?”
You won’t deny that the mansion has a problem but it shouldn’t be anything you need to keep a watch for. So why would she want to be on watch? Is there somebody else in the mansion?

“It’s nothing worth being alarmed about….probably,” she says. “But as I was scouting down the Umber Hall, I thought I heard footsteps. I never found anyone but…”

“But there might actually be something else in this house with us? Who? It’s not Claudio.”

“I know,” she says. “I have no idea what it could be. I probably just misheard or was fooled by the acoustics of the shifting walls.”
If she’s lying, she’s very good at keeping a blank face.

‘And if there was an intruder, just what would you be able to do about it anyway?”

“No comment.”
You’re starting to get sick of what is apparently Adriana’s favourite phase. If you just leaned on her even a little, you’d be able to get a more solid answer. But is that the person you really want to be?

“By the way, I thought I saw you earlier in Viridian Hall.”
This is the real issue right here. You want to see what she could have in response to this.

“Yes I know,” she says. “That was me. As I just said, I’ve been scouting. I was trapped in the records room until recently. After freeing myself, I made my way back here.”

That hadn’t been the answer you were expecting.
“Wait.Wait. If that really was you, why didn’t you tell me where everyone else was?”

“You didn’t ask.”

“But that Adriana didn’t have any blood on her!”

“As I told you in the record room, I heal extremely fast.”

“Her hair also wasn’t wet. But yours is. You washed the blood out just before, right? That’s why your hair is wet?”

“I simply encountered a burst pipe.”

She really seems to have all the memories of her encounter with you in the record room. Which means that it really was her. But how does that make any sense?

>Just walk in. You can ask everyone else to try and find holes in her story.

>Ask her something that only the person beneath the filing cabinet would be able to answer.

>Lean on her. The time to be subtle has passed.

>”How did you get over here so fast?”

>”I think I know what’s going on here.”

>Other (Specify)

>>3022619
>>”I think I know what’s going on here.”
She's some fucking magical house elf personification of the building

>>3022619
>”I think I know what’s going on here.”
Yeah, she's definitely not human. A spirit of the house I guess?

>>3022619
>>”I think I know what’s going on here.”
I don't but maybe Sofia does

You don’t believe her and while she might actually have good reason to keep secrets, it’s far from the right time or place. People might die if this keeps up. You think back to the woman’s scream you heard before. Maybe someone already has.
“This place has been weird long before today, hasn’t it? And I think I know what’s going on here.”

Adriana just stares at you blankly. Her vivid green eyes are hard to meet, even now.
“Do you?”

“Yes. I think I’ve figured it out.”

“And what is it?”


>”That’s not an ordinary mirror, is it? There’s something special about it.”

>”You’re not human. You're something else."

>”Eduardo uses this place to spy on people, doesn’t he?”

>”You are human, I think. In fact, I think you're MANY humans."

>”You killed Eduardo.”

>Other (Specify)

>>3022705
>”You’re not human. You're something else."

>>3022705
>>”You’re not human. You're something else."
>Other (Specify)
"Come on fess up, we're on the same side, I think".

>>3022705
> ”You’re not human. You're something else."
She was also weirdly impersonal about Eduardo, so I don't think she's multiple humans. She's just not human.

>>3022705
>”You’re not human. You're something else."

Vote called, writing.

Sorry about the delay. Won't happen again. Post soon.

>”You’re not human. You're something else."

She’s certainly been strange but is that enough for the accusation you’re about to make? You certainly think so. Adriana has been nothing but an uncooperative mystery for the entirety of the time you’ve known her and it’s well past time to set her right.
Aren’t you supposed to both be on the same side here? You’re both just trying to make sure everyone survives. Isn’t she? If she is, this kind of secret-keeping is starting to get real unhelpful.


“You’re not human, are you? You’re something else.”
And really, what is she going to do? Tell you that you’re wrong?

“Pardon?”
Her eyes widen, affixing their curious stare upon you. She actually looks surprised!
“I...just what do you think I am?”

“Well...it’s hard to really put into words but…”

“I see,” she says, a little sadly. “You think I’m some sort of house spirit, don’t you? A personification?”

“Y-yeah! And considering that you just guessed it spot-on like that...you must be, right? How else would you know to say that? Am I right or what?”
Her reaction, while unexpected, all but confirms it for you. Shit, you actually got it right! You finally solved one of the fucking mysteries in this big ball of mysteries! Maybe now you’ll be able to find a lead that helps you unravel the rest of it!

“You’re right,” Adriana says slowly.

“So what are you exactly?”

“I am...what you might call a genius loci. The protective incarnation of the Casa d’Zaffiro. You’ve figured it out, Sofia. I didn’t want to tell you but you’re just too insightful.”

“I was suspecting that from the beginning!”


>Believe.

>Disbelieve.

>>3023116
>>Believe.
Well the part about her being a spirit. Not about us being incredibly clever or anything.

>>3023116
>>Believe.

Basically>>3023123

>>3023116
something seems skeevy here. I'll play along with the assumption, but I don't necessarily believe.

The note hinges on either Adriana not knowing what happened to the Zaffiro dude, or is flat out lying. If it's the first, then that's a large gap in awareness for a house spirit. If it's the second, I dunno about believing her right now.

>>3023116
>Disbelieve.

This seems dubious. I'd suggest going tyrant to see if she is lying here. Matter of life and death here.

Vote called, writing.

Sorry about all these delays. It is very hot and I’m feeling woozy. I know these are fucking tiny updates.

>Believe.

So maybe that bit about you being so damn clever is a bit of a trickery on the part of your curse but otherwise, you’re willing to believe this. You were right about Adriana. She’s not human. Instead, she’s something weird.
You’ve never heard of a genius loci actually being real but it’s not the most farfetched thing in the world. You’ve heard of some but only in old wives tales and urban myths. But here she is, standing in front of you just like a real person would.
“Why did you keep it a secret? You have to tell me.”

Adriana’s eyes dart back and forth awkwardly. You can recognise the typical confusion of someone running headlong into your curse.
“The master did not want it becoming public. Now...are you satisfied?”
She motions for you to go through the door, clearly unwilling to volunteer any further information.

>Agree.

>”No, I’ve got something more I want to ask you.”

>Other (Specify)

>>3023423
>>Agree.

>>3023423
>>Agree.

Vote called, writing.

>Agree.

You eye Adriana suspiciously as you walk past her and open the door. There’s still so much you don’t yet know. Why was she kept a secret? Has the rogue architecture had any effect on her personally? And how does it all relate to the mystery of the record room and whatever the fuck Claudio wants? No, you still have more for questions for her. Questions for It? Eh, you suppose she’s a ‘her’ if she wants to be.
But those questions can wait. Right now, you just need to make sure that you and everyone else don’t get hurt.

And with that, you enter the room where the party guests have congregated.

What comes to mind immediately is that you really thought there would be more of them. Wasn’t this supposed to be a party? But aside from Sabino, there are only three other people in here!

The room itself is sagging, the whole far end of the drawing room having regressed into a bulging lump of mixed wall, floor and carpet. Much like the scab, it hurts your eyes to look upon. Had there been some sort of exit here? The windows are clouded up and gray.

“Sofia!”
And here comes Sabino, the little duellist looking rather raw-edged and irritated. His nervousness from earlier seems to have been abraded away.
“How is your client?”

“Doing just fine, as far as I can tell. Are you alright?”

“I’m fine, I’m fine,” he mutters. “It’s just that some of these guests are a little troubling.”

“What do you mean?”

“Where are you going, coward?”
The voice is more akin to that of a crow than that of a man and it comes from one of the three party guests. The man that steps forward is darkly dressed in black, an ensemble that is then entirely thrown off by a purple cravat so loud that you can practically hear it. He gestures at Sabino, his pale hand festooned with unjewelled rings.
“It’s all up to you!”

“What?,” you ask. “Sabino, what’s going on?”

“This-”

“I can speak for myself,” the other man says coldly, though with a certain rough-edged volume that seems to be inherent to every word he speaks. “Is it not true that this man is the representative of our present tormentor?”
He only gets louder, as if every sentence was a performance.
“He needs to stop quivering and settle this matter at once! Or else….Or else we might need to show this ‘Claudio’ that we are deadly serious ourselves.”

Sabino takes a step back, nearly colliding with you in the process.
“I-Is that a threat? I can’t tell you why he did this! I don’t know anything!”

“A likely story!”

1/2

>>3023655
“Uh, hold on,” you say, interposing yourself between both of them. You try to ignore how reflexive it is of Sabino to hide behind you. The other man stares imperiously down at you. He’s at least six feet tall and he has impressively aquiline features with the kind of porcelain pallor you only get from either exquisite tailoring, make-up or never going outside. It’s the kind of look that’d be easy to ruin, to look like a corpse or a fish but he makes it work. Must be the cheekbones. They’re so sharp that you’d probably cut your hand caressing them.
“Hi, I’m Sofia Pseudonym, public defender. Can’t help but notice we haven’t been introduced!”

“You may call me Lapo Passonelli. Remember that name.”

“...Why?”

“Because soon enough, it’ll be all you hear. I’ve been making waves in perceptive communities, so much that I was even invited here! My discoveries, once I make them, will change the very foundation of the way City life is perceived!”

“I see. What exactly are you?”

“I am a philosopher of practical vagaries,” he says, as if that meant literally anything. “A scholar of the Right Sight. A practitioner of transgressive mentalities and a seeker of paths. A student, if you will, of Truth itself.”

Oh no. Oh no. What is such a stereotypical fascina doing in a place like this? Why would Eduardo invite him to anything? And why does he have to be so good looking?


>Introductions done. Let him and Sabino have it out. It’s none of your business.

>Keep talking to him. You need to get him to stop whatever he’s got against Sabino. It’s not helpful.

>”So….a fascina?”

>"How interesting. Tell me more." If you endure this, Sabino won't have to suffer any further.

>Crush him.

>Other (Specify)

>>3023659
>Get Sabino to duel you. Let the terms be so that whoever loses, Claudio feels repercussions that will force him to stop this rogue architecture nonsense.
>Even if it doesn't work, maybe being in the Wake will let them investigate the house without being caught up in the twisting walls

>>3023659
>Keep talking to him. You need to get him to stop whatever he’s got against Sabino. It’s not helpful.

>”So….a fascina?”

>>3023659
>”So….a fascina?”
>Keep talking to him. You need to get him to stop whatever he’s got against Sabino. It’s not helpful.

Vote called, writing.

>”So….a fascina?”
>Keep talking to him. You need to get him to stop whatever he’s got against Sabino. It’s not helpful.

You sigh, doing your best to keep your patience. You don’t like fascina. Or well, you don’t suppose anyone likes them really. But you’ve defended one in the past and she, Vespa, had turned out to be surprisingly normal. Or as normal as a former wasp could be anyway. So you’re willing to imagine that not all these kinds of people are like this. But this Lapo is thus far a walking, talking stereotype, the kind you might see as comic relief in a play.
But whatever he’s got against Sabino, you have to defuse it. It’s not helpful for anyone right now.
“So….you’re a fascina?”

“....Yes,” he admits, looking surprised with himself. “That is a term that could be applied. I prefer to think of myself in other ways however. The term ‘fascina’ implies a surrender to fascination when, in reality, I am it’s mast-”

“You’re a fascina.”

“I’m a fascina.”
He is unable to disagree. He colours a little, no doubt blaming his slips of the tongue on your enchanting presence. Or maybe you’re just being a little too hopeful?

“But you must be quite accomplished, even so. I didn’t expect to find anyone without a d’ appending their surname here.”

“‘Quite accomplished’ doesn’t even begin to describe me,” he says, recovering quickly now that the conversation is on more familiar ground. “I am a scholar of the invisible.”

“Right, right. But what does that mean?”

“Why, of what cannot be seen of course! The Noumenon! I believe the noumenal can become phenomenal through a matter of correct perception. And while this is a common philosophy, I do not pursue this end through such crude means as my lesser brethren, humour overdoses, experimental architecture, mirror baptisms etcetera. No! Perception stems first and foremost from the MIND. I am an experimenter in correct mental rigour, discipline and visual expertise! Only with correct observation of the interior can we ever expect to see the truth of the exterior! Only the self-mastered man can master the world!”

1/2

>>3023873
“So, you’re a fascina philosopher or something?”
You give Sabino a piercing look, hoping to remind him of how much you are sacrificing for his sake. He nods gratefully and returns to the other two guests. There are fascina versions of anything, you imagine. The boundary between a perfectly normal hobby, obsession or collection and the allure of fascination can sometimes be hard to find. But as a general rule of thumb, it’s when you start using it as a lens to comprehend the world and no, reality itself...that’s not a good sign. Looking beyond the world is hardly a crime but it comes off as pretty sad. Pathetic even. That’s something foreigners do. You’re already beyond the world, you live in the best time and place imaginable, why would you try to peer further inward?
And yet, you cannot deny that the environment of the City must foster this attitude at least a little. No amount of social censure and humiliation seems to stop these weirdos from cropping up.

“You could say that,” he admits. “I am a purveyor of the Visual Mind. I have attained high ranks in five brotherhoods dedicated to piercing the veil and I myself am the chairman and founder of the Ethical Art Watch. Now, I take it that you are a duellist of some experience?”

“Yes,” you say slowly, already dreading what is to come. Fascina don’t become duellists or, to be more accurate, fascina don’t survive becoming duellists. A mind besotted with fascination can’t ground themselves in face of the ego death, not when all the Wake is calling them. And yet, as the closest thing the Wake has to masters, duellists attract these kinds of people. They come like moths to a flame but without the good graces of the former to die on contact with their desire. You’ve never had to actually deal with any particular ‘fan’ but your instructor has told you horror stories.
Maybe you should change the subject before he can unveil whatever tedious bullshit he wants to badger you about. But what else are you supposed to be doing right now?


>Talk about the duels.

>Ask him what his issue with Sabino is.

>Ask him what he thinks Claudio is trying to do.

>Ask him what his relationship with Eduardo is.

>”Ethical Art?”

>You’ve had enough talking to this one.

>Other (Specify)

>>3023877
>>Ask him what he thinks Claudio is trying to do.
>>Ask him what his relationship with Eduardo is.

>>3023877
>Ask him what he thinks Claudio is trying to do.
let's see HIM figure out with his super mind thinking.

But I get the feeling he'll say something like duelling us, and that he's trained his mind to resist ego death or something.

>>3023877
>>Ask him what he thinks Claudio is trying to do.

Vote called, writing.

File: sofiaOP2.jpg (38 KB, 838x410)

38 KB JPG

>Ask him what he thinks Claudio is trying to do.

“That’s what I thought,” he says, something golden glinting in his hand as he pulls something free from a vest pocket. It’s a tiny golden looking glass, barely two inches long, the mirrored lens polished bright. It’s tethered to a little chain that leads back into his pocket. He holds it up and peers at you, an act that makes you frown immediately.
Ever since that spate of ‘fabric-blind’ lenses from a few years ago, you’ve been wary of strangers with such things.
“Yes, you have a splendid Wa-”

“Put that down until you tell me what it is.”

“This? It’s a Sleepwalker Glass. There’s a certain glassblower in Apocalypsis-”

“It can’t see through clothes or anything, can it?”

“What? No! Why would I do that?”
He seems genuinely shocked by the implication.

“Okay fine. You can look at me with it, as long as being looked at through it doesn’t do anything to me. That’s fine. But if I get my soul stolen I’m going to kick your arse!”

“I assure you, there’s nothing-”
He trails off into spluttering and puts the Glass away. Looks like he doesn’t even want to do it anymore now that you’ve ruined it with your accusations. You don’t feel bad.

“Moving on,” you say with a tone that implies instruction rather than suggestion, “What do you suppose Claudio is trying to get out of this absurd assault? Can you use your super mind thinking or whatever and tell us?”

“Naturally! In fact, I already know.”

“Really?”

“Yes! I myself do not know this Signore d’Rocco but it is evident that he knows of me and my work! He thinks that by holding us hostage, he can get me to surrender my magnum opus! Fat chance! I will starve to death ‘fore I so much as whisper a word of it to a thief like him!”

“No that’s not it and you’re very wrong.”
>Ask him about the Sleepwalker Glass.

>Ask him for an opinion on the mirror situation.

>Ask him about Adriana.

>Say something else (Specify)

>You’ve had enough of this fool.

>Other (Specify)

>>3023966
>Yes, you have a splendid Wa-
hmm, so Sophia doesn't have much, but she's rocking a nice waist-I mean Wake form.

>Ask him about Adriana
>Ask him about mirrors
>Go talk to Sabino

>>3023966
>Ask him about Adriana
>Ask him about mirrors
>Go talk to Sabino

>>3023966
>Ask him for an opinion on the mirror situation.
>Ask him about Adriana.

>>3023966
>Ask him for an opinion on the mirror situation
>Try to stop staring at him
>Go talk to Sabino

Vote called, writing.

>Ask him about Adriana
>Ask him about mirrors
>Go talk to Sabino

“So,” you continue, not letting him get another word in edgewise. “Regardless of what you think the origin is, we’ve found ourselves in quite the mystery, haven’t we? Mysteries upon mysteries.”

“What mystery?”

“What, you really haven’t noticed? For starters, Adriana. Don’t you think she’s odd?”
You’re pretty sure you’ve solved her issue though. Or at least, you know what she is but not what she does.

“Adriana? You mean the housekeeper? What about her?”

“...Have you seriously noticed nothing?”

“Hold on a moment, Signorina. I can assure you that there is nothing untoward about the housekeeper. If there was, I would have noticed! I assure you she is quite mundane!”

“I see.You’re very perceptive, huh? Got that real Visual Brain or whatever you called it.”
Well now that you’ve seen that it’s probably not worth asking his opinion on anything else but...he might know something about the mirrors. Mirrors are a very fascina thing, in a sense. You’ve heard of people like him who deliberately cultivate berserks.
“As you may or may not know, my client is a berserk reflection. This Claudio wants to smash the mirror so badly that he’s done all this nonsense and I still have no real clue why. Do you have any idea why someone might want to kill their own reflection?”

“Mirrors are not exactly my area of expertise, I’ll admit. Why would I look at anything that has already happened? And cultivating a reflection is of dubious ethics. They think and feel, do they not?”

“Yeah but they also die. Nothing we can really do about it.”

“There is, actually. I personally endeavour to appear in as few reflective surfaces as possible. To create life doomed in such a way is morally wrong and I will not participate in it. It doesn’t matter that they don’t know.”

“Aren’t you also an artist? Seems contradictory.”

“On the contrary, Signorina! I am, as I said, an ethical artist. None of my pieces ever feature a living person and only occasionally animals. I prefer the abstracts anyway. They are much better for focussing the ascension mentality.”

Huh, it’s not often that you meet someone with the exact opposite viewpoint on art as you. It might be fun to tell him about your picture puzzles and to watch him squirm as he must recant his position but...it’d only be fun to the tyrant. And it certainly wouldn’t be helpful.
“So no reason to kill a reflection?”

1/2

>>3024038
“Their lives are cruel enough. Verily! And there’s nothing of power to be gained of it. A reflection is just a lesser plane emanating from this one. Consuming your own emanation is a hollow feast. The only reason I can think of is that the reflection is a clue towards something he needs to remain silent at all costs. In which case, it might not even lie with the reflection himself but of something else the mirror depicts. If that was true, then the reflection’s berserker attitude is just a scapegoat for the true goal: destruction of evidence!”

“That doesn’t really make sense when he’s doing this though,” you complain. “He’s just incriminated himself a thousand times over.”

“You’re right. Nevermind.”

‘Well, just try to stay calm alright. We’ll outlast the night and sooner or later, Claudio and his accomplice are going to be arrested and we’ll be free.”

Leaving Lado’s company, you wander back over across the distorted drawing room to where Sabino stands with one of the other guests. She’s an older woman but one to whom age has been kind. Your counterpart steps away from her as he sees you approach.
“Thanks Sofia,” he says. “I can’t believe I let that idiot break my composure.”

“We need to talk,” you tell him.


>”It’s about this duel. Maybe we can make use of it.”

>”We can’t stay here. I’d like for everyone to move back to the guest room with my client so we can keep an eye on everyone.”

>Share your suspicions on Adriana.

>”What was he arguing with you about anyway?”

>”Aren’t you going to introduce me to this lovely lady?”

>”You should have a little more spine.”

>Other (Specify)

>>3024041
>”It’s about this duel. Maybe we can make use of it.”

>>3024041
>Ask about Adriana's whereabouts this past hour or so
Let's see if she was in two places at once.
>Ask why there's so few people here.
>Ask whether he knows anything about Eduardo

>>3024041
>>”It’s about this duel. Maybe we can make use of it.”
>>”What was he arguing with you about anyway?”
>>”Aren’t you going to introduce me to this lovely lady?”

Sorry, dozed off for a bit there. Vote called and writing.

>”It’s about this duel. Maybe we can make use of it.”

“You’ll have to stow whatever your disagreement with Lapo is for a moment, alright? I want to talk about our duel.”

Sabino chuckles, a nervous sound. It’s fake.
“I don’t think we need to worry about that anymore. We can hardly expect you to fi-”

“No, I think we have to. Think about it, Sabino. If we get this duel over and done with, Claudio has nothing he can get from us. The matter will be settled. Maybe that’ll make him let us go.”

“Would that really work?”

“Probably not,” you admit. “But we can use the duel for other means.”

“What did you have in mind?”


>”Let’s try and renegotiate the terms. Do you mind if I ask for all sorts of awful things from your client?”

>”Start the duel now. The City won’t like the mistiming, we might get a lawyer’s attention.”

>”When the duel starts, we’ll enter the Wake but we won’t fight. We’ll use the Wake to escape.”

>”We won’t be the ones duelling.”

>Other (Specify)

>>3024152
>>”Let’s try and renegotiate the terms. Do you mind if I ask for all sorts of awful things from your client?”

>>3024152
>>”When the duel starts, we’ll enter the Wake but we won’t fight. We’ll use the Wake to escape.”

I'm voting this not because I think it if the best option but I want it because it will be a cool adventure

>>3024152
>”Let’s try and renegotiate the terms. Do you mind if I ask for all sorts of awful things from your client?”

Vote called, writing.

>”Let’s try and renegotiate the terms. Do you mind if I ask for all sorts of awful things from your client?”

“I know we’ve already negotiated the terms but is it possible for us to...renegotiate?”

Sabino looks puzzled for a moment and then nods enthusiastically. It’s a little cute, you’ll admit. You can’t help but feel a little protective of him. Probably not the best feeling to have towards an opponent but it is what it is.
“I think we can! Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

“Depends. Are you thinking of a plan that is as intelligent and exquisite as it is beautiful?”

“Well uh, I mean, I was thinking of you...so yes?”
He flushes red and you try not to speculate on just how much any of that conversation was curseborne.

“We renegotiate and you let me name all sorts of filthy awful terms for dear Claudio. I mean, it’s nothing that anyone can blame you for right? You’ve been accepted into the Rose Blossom Ring but you’re a probationary member, a rookie, you don’t have negotiation experience. I just took advantage of your innocence to make a bunch of unreasonable terms. It happens to rookies all the time. You won’t be investigated for colluding.”
A professional duellist being suspected of colluding against their client is a serious black mark on their reputation. But everyone will understand you leading this young lad astray. It won’t be his fault.

“And so then, if he doesn’t let us out…”

“We fight and I defeat you and now, in addition to whatever pain he has called upon himself with all this garbage, he has to abide by my free choice of terms. And they will be wonderfully terrible for him. So we’ll use the duel as a threat to make him let us out.”

“But the duel will still have to be tomorrow morning. We can still renegotiate but the time has been set. Things will go bad if we do it any earlier.”


>”Then we’ll just have to last the night.”


>”Mistiming, Schmistiming. What’s the worst that could happen?”

>”Oh no! We’ll have to spend the night together.”

>Other (Specify)

>>3024196
>”Oh no! We’ll have to spend the night together.”
This is a sacrifice that I, in my enormous benevolence, am willing to make.

>>3024196
>”Oh no! We’ll have to spend the night together.”

>>3024196
>>
>>”Then we’ll just have to last the night.”

Vote called, writing.

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>”Oh no! We’ll have to spend the night together.”

You reach out and wrap an arm around Sabino’s shoulder, pulling him a little closer than you have to. He flushes accordingly and you are satisfied.
“Oh no! We’ll just have to spend the night together.”
Maybe this kind of teasing is a little unfair. After all, he can only ever agree with you.

Sabino, though he goes redder by the moment, doesn’t exactly push you away.
“Y-yes. We’ll have to duel in the morning.”

“Excellent,” you purr. “Shall we begin the renegotiations then?”
Taking his hand in yours, you lead him gently but firmly away from the other party guest.
“Of course, we have to do it somewhere where nobody else can interfere. That’s just the rules. No outside parties allowed.”

“Yes.”


>Find a private room. You might be teasing but you’re not joking about those rules.

>Go out into the corridor outside. You can talk to Adriana there too if you need to.

>Just ask the other guests to give you some space and use the couch. In that case, you’ll need to keep it very quiet and very close.

>Other (Specify)

>>3024232
>>Go out into the corridor outside. You can talk to Adriana there too if you need to.

>>3024232
>Find a private room. You might be teasing but you’re not joking about those rules.
I will support /ss/ofia to my dying breath, but duels are serious business.

>>3024232
>Find a private room. You might be teasing but you’re not joking about those rules

>>3024232
>Find a private room. You might be teasing but you’re not joking about those rules.
Sabino needs an adult

>>3024243
We are an adult!

>>3024244
No, sophia is a womanchild

>>3024245
...Yeah, alright.

Vote called, writing.

>Find a private room. You might be teasing but you’re not joking about those rules

Let’s go somewhere private, alright? Just the two of us.”
With control of his hand and shoulder, you can move him however you want.

“Sure??”

“I don’t make the rules,” you say, bustling him out the door. Outside, you see Adriana still standing in the hallway. Her hair is no longer wet. She raises an eyebrow at the two of you but otherwise says nothing.
“Excuse me, do you know if there’s any room we can take here that’s been confirmed safe? And will stay safe?”

Adriana shakes her head.
“Most of the rooms in this corridor are now labyrinthine. The rogue architecture seems to be progressing quicker in places where nobody is present. And I can only be present in so many places at once.”

“Really? Is there nowhere that Sabino and I can have a private moment?”

Adriana takes a moment to mull it over.
“Renegotiating your duelling terms, are you? Then this one.”
She opens the door opposite of her to reveal a cramped broom closet.
“I had to chase the maid out of this one just a few minutes ago. It is thus far unchanged and untouched.”

“Brilliant. It’ll be a little bit of a squash but come on Sabino, it’ll only be for a few minutes.”
You pull Sabino over and then push him into the closet, stepping in after him and closing the door.

You are together in the darkness, mere inches away from one another. The chill of the coming night is banished by the warmth of your bodies. It’s the kind of place that’d get stuffy and suffocating after a little while but that’s fine. You don’t plan to be here longer than a few minutes.
“So,” you say quietly, “ you’ll keep your terms just as they are.”

“Uh...Sofia? Why are we doing this...like this?”

“Credibility.”

“What?”

“Weren’t you listening to what I said earlier? I don’t want you to get your record stained with colluding. People have to know that you were just some naive rookie who got taken advantage of by a more seasoned veteran. That I used you to set some frankly unbalanced terms. Nobody will blame you. Everyone will say that I’m just. That. Good.”
You lean in. You can feel his breath.
“We have to sell the act, you know?”

“Oh. Okay.”

“That’s good. Now if you don’t mind, I’m going to add some terms alright? And you’re not going to say anything in response. Just sit there all silent like a good boy. Now, when I win, this is what’s going to happen…”

You need to come up with something so threatening that it'll put that fat idiot in his place. Something that'll make him back down before the duel even starts.

1/2

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>>3024290
You may choose multiple options:

>”Claudio has to leave the City. Forever.”

>”Your client has to volunteer for High Court mock trials. Indefinitely."

>”Your client is no longer permitted to breathe air in city limits. If he continues to breathe, he is subject to trial by High Law.”

>”Claudio has to strip naked and walk the full route down from one end of the City to the other.”

>”Signore d’Rocco has to become my personal servant for a year and a day.”

>”Your client will be subject to extensive change of legal identification, to be determined by me later. The full deal. He won’t even remember who he used to be.”

>”All of your client’s estate, wealth and possessions will be transferred to my client.”

>”Your client will have his name legally changed to something to be determined later, by my client or his representative.”

>Other (Specify)

>>3024290
>”All of your client’s estate, wealth and possessions will be transferred to my client.”
>”Your client will have his name legally changed to something to be determined later, by my client or his representative.”
I would vote for the identification change as well, but I'm afraid that we actually will have to fight the duel. I'm not sure Claudio deserves this if we win.

>>3024292
>>”All of your client’s estate, wealth and possessions will be transferred to my client.”
>>”Your client will have his name legally changed to something to be determined later, by my client or his representative.”

>Your client must speak every second word backwards and every third without vowels for ten years. He is forbidden from choosing to remain silent.

>>3024292
>>”All of your client’s estate, wealth and possessions will be transferred to my client.”
>>”Your client will have his name legally changed to something to be determined later, by my client or his representative.”
>Signore d'Rocco will be legally forbidden from maintaining his silence. He must answer any greeting or question.

That last one might fuck him up physically, if he's asked 20 questions in the space of a second.

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Alright guys, I'm going to get some sleep. Vote will remain open until I wake and the session will resume then. Sorry about the really slow updates today.

>>3024292
Let's think about this guys, Caludio is clearly so desperate that he's already risking punishment by high law with his architectural shenanigans, and those sentences are already fucked up.

This seems like the only one more extreme than he may be facing already:
>”Claudio has to leave the City. Forever.”

*maybe* changing his identity as well, since that's basically death

I'm awake! Thread resumes in an hour's time.

>>3025203
Remember to bully the cute dweeb.

>>3024416
Seconded
>>3025253
Sabino is for headpats, not bully!
Maybe lewds...

>”All of your client’s estate, wealth and possessions will be transferred to my client.”
>”Your client will have his name legally changed to something to be determined later, by my client or his representative.”

You back up just an inch and get a broom handle sticking into your back for your troubles. There’s really no pose you can take here that isn’t awkward. But at least it’s guaranteed to be much more awkward for Sabino.
Stuck together so close, unable to avoid the other’s warmth, the tickle of their breath...it really puts you in the mood for a puzzle. But you’re pretty sure that the house doesn’t have any.

“When I win, all of your client’s estate, wealth and possessions will be transferred to my client. No, shush, don’t respond.”
You try to put your finger on his lips but it’s dark and you end up almost poking him in the eye instead.
“And your client will have his name legally changed to something be determined later, by my client or his representative.”

“So it’s your choice then,” he murmurs. “Your client can’t talk to anyone.”

“Funny how convenient that is. Now, Sabino, do you agree to these updated terms or do you need to be taken further advantage of?”

“I-I’m fine. Those are good terms! Good terms.”

“Okay great.”
You push the door open and squinting into the light, step out.
“Well we don’t need to do that act anymore.”

“Act?”
Sabino blinks owlishly from the closet.

“Yeah, you know, all that fake stuff about me wrapping you around my finger. I told you that wasn’t real. Don’t get any weird ideas because of it, okay?”

“Oh.”

“Oh? Why do you sound so disappointed?”
You look around the hallway and find it empty. Adriana has vanished. The light from the chandelier flickers, sending shadows whirling. There is no light from without.
“Huh,” you say to yourself. “Can’t tell if that’s ominous or not.”

“So how is this going to work?”
Sabino is hanging around awkwardly, hovering at a close distance but rebuffed from getting too close. You can’t blame him. Saying that you’ve sent him mixed signals would be an understatement.

“What?”

“You want those terms as a threat, right?”

“You know it. In addition to everything else he’s going to get for this little stunt, your client’s life is going to be ruined forever if this duel goes ahead.”

“So how do we threaten him with it? We can’t talk to him.”

“...Um.”


>”Maybe if we shout really loud?”

>”We’ll give him a message that’ll show up on the blueprints he’s got..”

>”We’ll write him a note.”

>”Adriana should be able to help in that regard.”

>Other (Specify)

>>3025430
>>”We’ll give him a message that’ll show up on the blueprints he’s got..”

>>3025430
>”We’ll give him a message that’ll show up on the blueprints he’s got..”

>>3025430
>Check to see if the wake can give access to the outside world

In hindsight my vote was the better choice. Hell if we can get outside to talk to him we could just as well call our godmother or something.

>>3025430
>”Adriana should be able to help in that regard.”
>"And if not, we’ll give him a message that’ll show up on the blueprints he’s got.

Vote called, writing.

>”We’ll give him a message that’ll show up on the blueprints he’s got..”

You hadn’t actually thought of how you’d pass the threat on to his client! Not that you’ll ever be able to admit it, of course. If you did you’d just tell him about how fantastic your plan is.
“Of course I have a plan,” you say, thinking fast. “He’s got the blueprints for the mansion, right? We just need to give him a message that’ll show up on those.”

“What, rearrange the architecture?”

“It’s possible. It’ll take a bit of time but that’s the one thing we have plenty of. And it’s not like we’ll be moving walls around. We’ll just need to scratch up a big section of the floor.”

“So we’ll need to find a big room that hasn’t been ruined?”

You nod.
“I think the entry hall might still qualify. If we mess that up on the blueprints he’ll definitely notice.”

“Do you know the way back to the entry hall. Adriana told me that the hallways were changing.”

“I can probably lead us back there.”

As the two of you start off down the hallway, the door to the drawing room slams open behind you! You spin around, your hand on the hilt of your sword but it’s just Lapo and that other woman, the two guests who are still conscious.
“And where do you think you’re going, Sabino!”
Lapo practically bellows, pelting the words out as if they’d done him wrong.
“We need to stay together!”

He might have a point.


>Bring the party guests with you. They might actually be helpful.

>No, they should stay here. You won’t be gone for long.

>Actually, you have a few questions about this ‘party’ you want to ask.

>Other (Specify)

>>3025657
>>Bring the party guests with you. They might actually be helpful.

>Walk and talk

>>3025695
This

>>3025657
>Bring the party guests with you. They might actually be helpful.

>>3025657
>>Bring the party guests with you. They might actually be helpful.

Vote called, writing.

>Bring the party guests with you. They might actually be helpful.
>Walk and talk.

It’s not worth splitting up, not when the house itself is against you. And now that you think of it, they might actually even be helpful. Not to mention that you still have a lot of questions for these two. What kind of ‘party’ just has three people?
And come to think of it, where has Adriana gone?

Something’s wrong so you can’t afford to be alone or ignorant.
“Of course, come with us.”
You ignore the face Sabino makes at Lapo.
“We’re heading to the entry hall to try something out. You two will follow us and we’ll walk and talk.”

You set off, trusting them to follow you. They do.

“Talk about what?”
That’s the other woman. You still don’t have her name.

“Isn’t it obvious?,” Lapo growls. “She clearly intends to solve the mystery right here and now.”

“Uh...not exactly. That’s a nice idea though. There’s a few questions about this party I want to ask though.”


>”For starters, WHO are you?”

>Ask why Eduardo invited them.

>Ask about the size of the party.

>Ask how the party itself went up until the seizure of the Casa.

>Ask about the third guest, the one that was unconscious. He’s not here.

>Other (Specify)

>>3025840
>>”For starters, WHO are you?”
>Ask about the third guest, the one that was unconscious. He’s not here.

>>3025840
>>Ask why Eduardo invited them.
>Ask about the third guest, the one that was unconscious. He’s not here.

>>3025840
>>Ask about the third guest, the one that was unconscious. He’s not here.
>”For starters, WHO are you?”
>Ask why Eduardo invited them.

Vote called, writing

>”For starters, WHO are you?”
>Ask about the third guest, the one that was unconscious. He’s not here.
>Ask why Eduardo invited them.

The hallway continues on. You’re pretty certain that it’s longer than when you first walked down it. But you keep your cool and you don’t mention it to anyone else just yet. You just keep walking past row after row of identical doors.
And you talk.
“Where’s the other one? The one who was asleep?”

“Signore d’Armati?”
It’s the woman, the one you still don’t know.

‘Yes, the older gent. Where’s he?”

“He’s still asleep,” she says. “He took a nasty blow to the head.”

“Just like Adriana did, huh?”

“What?”

“Anyway,” Lapo interrupts. “He’s in a stable condition but it would be unwise to move him. I chose to let him be.”

“Right. And uh, who are you again?”

“I’m Lap-”

“Not you, fuck! I know you! I mean you. Sabino never introduced us before I had to drag him away for our little ....rendezvous.”
You adjust your vest meaningfully.
“So who are you?”

“My name is Romina d’Valenci.”

“d’Valenci, eh? That sounds fa-oh! Wait. Surely...you mean the Romina d’Valenci?”

She smiles, a hint of pride at being recognised.
“The very same. Are you a reader of mine?”

“Ah...you could say that.”
Oh no. Oh no! Romina d’Valenci is the name of the author of the Imma d’Ambrosio novels, a long-running series of romances that has captured your imagination ever since you were young. The main character, Imma, is a scion of a wealthy family who, due to an improbable mishap involving her judicial godmother, was cursed with a birthright that meant nobody could ever believe anything she said!
You had, when you were younger, found the books intensely relatable in a way that the author probably didn’t intend.

You remember locking yourself in your bedroom to read more of Imma’s heart-pounding and unlikely adventures, starring a series of various hunks with whom Imma shared small and tender and ultimately doomed relationships with. They were chaste, mostly, but even so the ….prodigious descriptions had stirred something in young Sofia.
But none of them could ever last. Imma’s curse made it impossible for her to be loved. Every love interest would be sent off eventually, often by Imma herself, conveniently just in time to make room for the next one in the next book.

1/2

>>3026401
The only person who ever remained by Imma’s side was her trusty maid, Tamara, whose constant devotion and service had also stirred something in young Sofia. Unfortunately the author had never even seemed to have realised that was a possibility.
Somewhere out there, there is a very embarrassing manuscript written by young Sofia, where Tamara confesses the love that she obviously has for her mistress. You could have had that published if you wanted to, everyone would say it was wonderful. But you had some self-control, even back then. So instead you did the sensible thing and buried it in the garden.

You still buy the new ones when they come out but they’ve become a bit of a guilty pleasure. Sure, it had been incredibly important to you when you were younger, to read and fantasize about a girl whose struggles so closely matched your own but...you’re an adult now. You’ve moved on to more advanced romance novels and now that you look back on it, the prose for Imma that once set fire to your whole body just seems clunky and awkward in comparison.
And Imma herself has become less and less relatable as you’ve grown up. And it’s not just because extended experience with your own birthright has made it hard for you to suspend your disbelief about hers. Though honestly, she could abuse the shit out of hers! She could use it to make people do all kinds of things! But again, not the main point. It’s just that Imma now seems...spoiled. Now that you’ve met and worked for people with real troubles and real problems, the misadventures of a high society girl seem a lot less tragic.

You suppose that applies to you too.

But even so, you can’t deny their importance to you. And here she is, the author, standing right in front of you! Depending on you, even! You could ask her whatever you want, give her all the comments you always wanted to. You could even talk about Tamara!
And you’re all still walking so it’s not like it’ll waste time, right? Right?


>”I just know of them, that’s all.” Control yourself.

>”I read them when I was younger.” Maybe you can talk a little bit about them. But nothing that might be heated, just stick to superficial comments.

>Reveal your true nature.

>Other (Specify)

>>3026407
>Reveal your true nature.

>>3026407
I have read most of them, your main character... resonated with me, especially when I was younger.

>>3026407
seconding >>3026427

>>3026407
> ”I read them when I was younger.” Maybe you can talk a little bit about them. But nothing that might be heated, just stick to superficial comments.

>>3026407

>Your Imma novels were very important to me in my youth and gave me solace during some very frustrating times.

Stick with > ”I read them when I was younger.” Maybe you can talk a little bit about them. But nothing that might be heated, just stick to superficial comments.

But don't ignore the fact that her work was important to you.

>>3026458
This is sensible, support

Vote called, writing.

>When you were younger.

“To clarify,” you say hastily, “I read them a lot when I was younger. Your Imma novels meant a lot to me when I was a kid. So thank you, I guess. Thanks for writing them.”

“Oh it’s no problem at all. I live for readers like you. Whenever someone like you says something like that, well, you I can’t explain how happy that makes me.”

“Really?”

“Of course. Readers a-”

“Is this really relevant?”
Lapo looks unhappy, no doubt intending to have interrupted the conversation earlier but rendered unable due to your curse.

“Just let them talk!,” Sabino snaps at him.

“No no no, it’s all fine,” you say. You want an excuse to stop the conversation, to leave it at that pleasant remark before you accidentally give yourself away or say something bad. If you keep talking with Romina, the chances of you saying something about Tamara is close to certain.
But that doesn’t stop you from feeling strangely refreshed by those few words you did exchange. You feel validated almost, a feeling you hadn’t even been aware that you’d been seeking. But it’s true, isn’t it? For some reason, you’d been thinking of it as something to be ashamed of.

The stress of the day, having built up to something tremendous, feels a little easier now. And these dark hallways are just a little bit lighter. Maybe it’s nothing important. But it feels good to you.
“Right, continuing where we left off, you three were invited to a party by Eduardo d’Zaffiro, right? Just the three of you?”

Romina nods.
“But I wouldn’t call it a party exactly. It was just a small soiree, a scheduled gathering of just a few friends.”

“Well Adriana told me it was a party when I first arrived.”

Lapo scoffs. “The words of a housekeep shouldn’t be too heav-”

“Wait please,” Romina says, interrupting him and making it look easy. “When exactly did you arrive, Sofia?”

“Not that long ago. The ‘party’ was still happening.”

“And you spoke to Adriana? You must have, for her to tell you about us.”

“Yes?”

“Adriana never left the drawing room. She was with us the whole time until the incident, right Lapo?”

“That’s...that’s right! And Sofia wouldn’t be mistaken…”

“We’ll get back to that,” you say. “She’s weird but I’m pretty sure I know why.”
Actually, that doesn’t quite match up to what she confirmed to you. Does being a genius loci let you be in multiple places at once? If it does, you’ve never heard of it.
“What exactly is your relation to Eduardo?”

“I’ve never met him.”

“Likewise.”

“It was an introduction. He wanted to meet with us. It’s not unheard of,” Romina says. “I’m given to understand that he is quite fond of entertaining people here.”

1/2

>>3026763
“No doubt he was in awe of my prowess,” Lapo adds, more or less uselessly. He’s fiddling with that looking glass of his again. “But he never showed up. A greater insult I’ve never received!”

“Of course he didn’t show,” you say. “He was away on a trip.”

“But he scheduled our appearances for today,” Romina adds. “We were going to stay here for several nights but the letter he sent me said that he would be present for my arrival.”

“As did mine!”

“That’s not what Adriana told me!”

And with that, the four of you are back in the entry hall. It’s as grotesque looking as ever, the architectural scab slowly swelling and receding like a beating heart of twisted marble. Sabino steps forward and accidentally steps on a downed painting, putting his foot through it.
“Surely this can wait,” he says. “We need to get a message to my client first.”

Romina sways from side to side for a moment as she scans the room.
“Adriana isn’t here either. Just where has she gotten off to?”

Sabino draws his sword and, grimacing all the while, starts to hack into the marble.
“Sofia! I need your help here! The rest of you, clear all this junk out of the way!”
Oh! He can be assertive when he needs to be, it seems.

It’s tiring work and you can feel the house tremor, vibrations coming in through the walls as distant rooms change place and twist in form. But as you are halfway through your alterations, something heavy slams into the front of the house and makes the whole thing shake!
The four of you instinctively cluster up as a voice booms through the entire Casa d’Zaffiro.

WHAT

“Is that you Claudio?”
Can you talk through architecture? You don’t know! You’re not an architect!

YES. WHAT ARE YOU DOING.


>”I’m giving you a warning, that’s what. Let us out or we’re going to duel and you’ll get straight fucked!”

>”Look, just let us out. You’ve dug yourself enough of a hole already. I am willing to make concessions!”

>You’re not too proud to beg.

>Take the time to thoroughly humiliate him. He CHOSE to speak to you. Idiot.

>”I know why you’re doing this!”

>Other (Specify)

>>3026767
> ”I’m giving you a warning, that’s what. Let us out or we’re going to duel and you’ll get straight fucked!”

So Claudio lured all of these people here for some reason? Or maybe Adriana did?

>>3026767
>>”I’m giving you a warning, that’s what. Let us out or we’re going to duel and you’ll get straight fucked!”

>>3026969
I'm just thinking now that this could all backfire spectacularly and result in Claudio just trying to murder us this instant

>>3026767
>>”I know why you’re doing this!”

Vote called, writing.

> ”I’m giving you a warning, that’s what. Let us out or we’re going to duel and you’ll get straight fucked!”

You don’t know if he can even see you but you throw up a hand theatrically anywhere, pointing up at something indistinct.
“Thanks for letting me know that you can hear me! So with that in mind, I’m here to give you a warning. I was going to carve it out on the floor but it looks like we won’t need to do that. Sorry, Sabino.”

WHAT IS IT.

“Let us out or Sabino and I are going to duel and you’ll get straight fucked! Did you know that terms can be renegotiated after the fact? It’s true! As long as it takes place before the scheduled time and both representatives agree. And I’m afraid I walked all over Sabino and just did whatever I wanted. Do you want to know what the new terms for your loss are?”

NO

“Too bad! Firstly, you’re going to give everything you have to your reflection! Secondly, I’m going to get your name legally changed! Thirdly, and this isn’t even a term, when other people catch wind of what you’ve done you’re getting booted straight to High Court! So you might as well give up and let us out! There’s no path here that turns out well for you.”

A long silence follows. You let your arm drop.

FINE. I WILL FREE ANYONE WHO SHATTERS THE MIRROR.

So that’s his plan, is it? He’s going to try and coerce or tempt one of you into breaking it before the duel starts tomorrow morning. But it won’t work. It can’t work.
“What kind of person do you take me for, huh? I’ll never betray a client!’
Stealing from clients after the fact isn’t betraying them, especially when you’re just stealing what’s already been stolen. Just a little heads up.
“What about you, Sabino? Are you going to do what this arsehole wants?”

Sabino just shakes his head.
“You already hired me for a duel. So I’m going to fight that duel. And I can’t interfere with the client of another duellist.”

“Needless to say,” Lapo growls, “I will not bow to such a cruel demand.”

And that just leaves Romina.
“It’s just a reflection, isn’t it? That’s not that big of a deal. If we just break it we can all go home.”

And this is why you should never meet your heroes. You feel the happiness from earlier shrivel up and die.
“If you so much as lay a hand on my client I will cut you down myself. I’d be well within my rights!”

And that’s when, with a sudden crash and a burst of distorted noise, the roof caves in.

1/2

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>>3027136
*******

You wake woozily in total darkness, blood trickling down your scalp and across your eyes. You feel bleary and your entire consciousness is dominated by a dull yet throbbing knot of pain. You try to get up but you just slump down instead, your every limb frail and uncoordinated.
You can’t move, at least for now.

You’re slumped up against a wall, you can feel the cold marble and as you slowly regain control of your arms, you feel out around and discover yourself to be in a very bounded space. Some of the roof must have struck the wall at an angle and stayed tilted, creating a little air pocket and protecting you from the rest of the rubble.

And you’re not alone. You can hear the sound of heavy breathing.

>Who are you trapped with?

>Romina

>Sabino.

>Lapo.

>Adriana.

>>3027145
I'm torn between bullying the cute dweeb and trying to question Adriana more.

Ah, fuck it.
>Sabino.

>>3027145
>Romina

>>3027145
>>Sabino.
Come on guys this isn't even a choice. Adriana will probably just appear from no where anyway.

Vote called, writing.

Time to duel. I say right now because the client was obviously trying to do 'backsies' when he was declared he was going to sword law but it didn't work his way.

>Sabino

Not that you’re going to let yourself be spooked or anything! Waking up trapped and helpless in the dark with the sound of a stranger doesn’t scare you at all. Don’t be silly. You’re stronger than that. And then something warm brushes up against your outstretched hand and you demonstrate this strength by shrieking at the top of your lungs.

“Sofia!”
You recognise Sabino’s voice, taut and strained as it is. In the darkness, his hand closes around yours.

“Huh? Oh, it’s just you. Is it just you?”

“I think it’s just me.”

“What happened? Everything’s a blur.”

“I don’t think my client took your threat very well. He collapsed the roof on us.”

“So now he wants to add...oof, hold on...add attempted murder to everything else? What a fucking champion.”

“Maybe not attempted,” Sabino says quietly. “I haven’t seen the others.”

“Don’t say that,” you say quickly. “Nobody’s going to die. We’re all going to be okay. And...and and and I can’t believe your client is such a little bitch.”
You’re trying to apologise.
“When are we going to run out of air?”

“I can feel a little draft against my back,” Sabino whispers. “So I don’t think we’ll run out. And maybe it means we can dig our way out of here?”

Dig your way out? It’d probably be wise but it’d also be dangerous. And you still seem to be, well, you can’t quite describe the throbbing feeling but you are moving incorrectly. Trying to dig your way out risks collapsing what little shelter you have left.


>”We’re not going to get anything done in here. Let’s go.”

>”Let’s just stay here together for a little while. Someone else will find us.”

>”Hey Sabino, you hurt? Because I am!”

>Other (Specify)

>>3027397
>First you hurt?, Second you know how to treat a head wound?

>>3027397
>>”Hey Sabino, you hurt? Because I am!”

>>3027397
>”Hey Sabino, you hurt? Because I am!”

Vote called, writing.

>”Hey Sabino, you hurt? Because I am!”

You lift your hand to your head. It comes back sticky.
“Hey Sabino, are you hurt?”

“No. I was pretty lucky, huh?”

“That’s good. Because I am!”

“What? Where?”

“Oh just a few bruises, a few scrapes and an open head wound. I don’t know how bad it is but it’s bleeding a lot.”

“Stay calm, it might not be that bad.”
Sabino’s voice completely lacks the calm he’s advocating for.
“The scalp often has a bunch of sanguine humours in it. It might not be serious.”

“I’m going to have sanguine humour all over me at this rate, Sabino. Can you help me wrap it up?”

“In the dark? No probably not.”

You still feel woozy. You can’t help but wonder if it’s from the knock to the head or from potential blood loss. You haven’t lost that much, have you? You hope you don’t lost enough humour to unbalance your personality.
“Don’t worry, I’ve always considered myself a pretty sanguine person. So that means I probably have a lot of blood to lose.”
Will you even be able to notice it if certain emotions or thoughts are literally drained out of you?

“Can you stand?,” Sabino asks.

“I could if I want,” you say pettily, unable to admit you can’t. “I just don’t want to, is all.”
You pull your cintura free and wrap it clumsily around your scalp in an effort to stem the flow.

And then you are aware of a sudden warmth beside you and the tickling of hair and the whisper of breath upon skin, all the byproducts of a person being very close. Sabino’s hands quest out in hesitant, trembling ways but they quickly find yours.
After that, they run up your arms, find your shoulders and then up along the side of your face. You can’t help but shiver beneath the touch. You’re holding your breath.

“Here,” Sabino says in the dark. “I know I said I couldn’t help but I think I can get this thing wrapped a little tighter.”
He sounds unconcerned, a far cry from the Sabino you know. No, instead, you’re the one offguard and blushing, shying away from him.

Is a mere head injury all it took to turn the tables? Has the teaser become the teased?


>Let him. You’re fine with this.

>No, you need to re-establish control. That’s how this works.

>Guide his hands back downward. You’ve got somewhere else in mind.

>You really wish you had a puzzle right now!

>Other (Specify)

>>3027534
> No, you need to re-establish control. That’s how this works.
We're supposed to be the one bullying him!

>>3027534

>Let him. You’re fine with this.

>>3027534
>>Let him. You’re fine with this.

>>3027534
>>You really wish you had a puzzle right now!

>>3027534
>>No, you need to re-establish control. That’s how this works.

Ignore >>3027573

>>3027534
>Let him. You’re fine with this.

File: dicegods.png (30 KB, 1190x1104)

30 KB PNG

Rolled 2 (1d6)

Looks like we've got ourselves a tie. Odds is Let him, odds is Re-establish control.

>>3027596
>odds is let him, odds is re-establish.

wut

Rolled 1 (1d4)

>>3027599
Whoops, I'm a little tired. Odds is the former, evens is the latter.

>Let him. You’re fine with this.

And why do you care about this? Sure, it was fun to push Sabino around a bit like that but right now you should be concerned for slightly bigger things. And if that means you have to be pushed around a bit in turn, if you have to blush and be touched...well, you like that too. You can relinquish control.
Besides, you can take it back whenever you want. Totally.

You lean to the side and into him, letting yourself sink into the warmth of his body. There’s surprisingly little softness there but you know that, despite his demeanour, he hardly become a Ring-certified duellist by chance. There’s a lot of muscle there and it’s no doubt well educated, trained and hardened and optimised towards explosive bursts of power.
Outliers like Maccio aside, most professional duellists share the same sort of build, products of the same kind of athletic regime. And under his soft attitude he’s no different. Slim and fast, lithe but with power packed into every inch.
Anyone leaning up against you would feel the exact same thing.

He has his arms up over your shoulders, working the cintura around your head. It’s hardly a suitable bandage but it’s the best either of you can do in the dark. It’s almost an embrace, if you were the kind of person to view it in such a way.

“You’re a lot more assertive than you seem sometimes.”

“When it’s important,” he admits. “And being a provisionary member of the Rose Blossom Ring has given more experience than might appear.”

“Experience with what?”

He hesitates.
“Experience with, how did you put it earlier? Being taken advantage of?”

“Oho?”

“A rose has to be tempting. But if someone picks it too roughly they’re going to get cut.”

You don’t know a lot about the Rose Blossom Ring, save for its reputation for femininity. You hadn’t even thought what inspiration a rose would be for duelling but now that he brings it up, it seems obvious. Alluring, vulnerable, tempting...and thorned. Sharp blades sheathed in silk.

“I don’t think we’re getting out of here anytime soon,” you mumble.

“No. And it’s long past dusk and we’re both tired. We need to sleep.”

“Together?”

“Uh! If you want to!” he says, retreating a little in the face of what you said. Good to know you can still throw him off balance “But we have air and it’s not going to fall. Let’s just stay here until the morning. We both need some rest.”


>That’s a good idea. You need to rest.

>You’ll rest soon. But for now you’d like to talk with Sabino a little while longer.

>”What if I said I do want it?” Maybe it’s just the humour imbalance talking…

>Other (Specify)

>>3027655
>You’ll rest soon. But for now you’d like to talk with Sabino a little while longer.

>>3027655
>You’ll rest soon. But for now you’d like to talk with Sabino a little while longer.

>>3027655
> You’ll rest soon. But for now you’d like to talk with Sabino a little while longer.

Vote called, writing.

> You’ll rest soon. But for now you’d like to talk with Sabino a little while longer.

“It’s a good idea. But I don’t know if you noticed or not but I just spent a little time unconscious anyway. I’m not sleeping for a while or at least, not right now.”

“Neither am I, I think.”
You feel Sabino move away.
“What are we going to do?”

“What else can we do?”
You let the wall take your weight again. You’ve got a few things you wouldn’t mind talking about and it’s as good a way to pass the time as any.


>You may choose from the following subjects. You can select multiple options:

>The Rose Blossom Ring

>’Being taken advantage of’

>Adriana.

>The mystery of the mirror.

>The party guests.

>The inevitability of death.

>Your circumstances.

>Duelling.

>Puzzles.

>Other (Specify)

>>3027710
>Adriana
Seriously wtf is her deal.

>>3027710
Also the mirror since we can pick more than one.

>>3027710
>Adriana.
>The Rose Blossom Ring
>’Being taken advantage of’

>>3027710
>The Rose Blossom Ring
>Adriana
>Duelling.

>>3027710
>The mystery of the mirror.
>The party guests.
>Your circumstances.
Focus on the task at hand. We need to understand what the hell is going on with Claudio, the guests who were invited today, and that damn mirror.

File: flake.png (25 KB, 1009x761)

25 KB PNG

I'm going to rest for an hour or so. Vote will remain open until then

>>3027710
>Adriana.
>The mystery of the mirror.
>Claudio and his weird behavior

Alright I'm back. Vote called, writing.

>The Rose Blossom Ring
>Adriana

There is a warmth in the darkness. Perhaps too much. Indeed, with the two of you cramped up in a fairly small and fairly enclosed space, there is a hot and merciless night promised for the both of you. Sweat intermingles with blood.

“So.”
That’s you.

“So?”
That’s the other one.

“The Rose Blossom Ring, huh? Pretty rare for someone your age to get into anything outside the Upturned Eye.”

“I’m just a provisional member.”

“Even so. What’s it like? I’ll likely never be a part of any Ring, you know. It’s not something public defenders really need.”

“It’s ah, very helpful. The amount of shared resources is incredible. They cover just about everything you’d need to get started, they train with you. Anything anyone doesn’t need, they give it back into the Ring’s communal storage and it’s free for anyone to take. You...you really get everything you need to be the best duellist you can be.”

“Shit, it’s even worse than I thought it would be.”

“What do you mean?”

“That’s quite the advantage. So if you get into a Ring, you’re just way more likely to succeed than any duellist who doesn’t. That’s not fair.”

“Well...that’s the world.”

“I know it is. That’s why I fight for free. But you know, it’s not that I resent you for what you have. It must be great to be part of a Ring.”

“It is. Mostly.”

“Oh? Would this have anything to do with what you said to me just before? About being taken advantage of? Come to think of it, Rose are mostly women, aren’t they? They’re the only Ring that isn’t almost all men.”

“It’s a little related.”

“Well you might as well talk about it. We’ve got nothing but time.”

“It’s about my teacher. Her name is Cataine d’Passero. Know of her?”

“Not a clue.”

“She’s pretty good. She’s experienced, with a good record and she charges the world but even if she wasn’t wealthy off the duels she has noble blood so it wouldn’t matter. And even though she should be older she doesn’t look it because she can afford a good tailor practically every other week. She’s elegant and powerful and beautiful-”

“Alright loverboy. You sound like you want to jump right down her pants.”

“That’s the thing. I have! Lots of times. Ever since we first met and she told me I was cute. What was I supposed to say? She just collected me”

“Oh.”

“Yeah, oh. She dotes on me. And she’s also the one who sponsored me to join the same Ring as her. So who even knows how good I am.”

“You passed the tests though. So you have to be good.”

“Probably. Maybe. But it doesn’t stop you from doubting. Makes me think that I don’t even deserve to be here. And I certainly wouldn’t have gotten her sponsorship without-”

“Quick question. Does she still ask that of you?”

1/2

>>3027961
“Not as often these days. And that’s even worse because if I’m just here for her, what happens if she gets bored of me? And wherever we go together, she treats me like I’m just some little boy. That gets in your head. And she does it in public and now all the other girls do too.”

“The other girls?”

“Of the Rose Blossom Ring. They see Catalina treat me like that and now they all do. I feel more like a pet than I do a duellist.”

“Ah. So what I was doing in the closet is nothing new to you, so to speak.”

“Yes.”

“To be honest, you are very teasable. You come off as such a cute and vulnerable boy.”

“That’s because I am one. I mean, no, I am very cute...uh. I m-”

“Never mind. I should watch my tongue a little more.”

“But I’m a duellist too. And I just need to prove it.”

“Was...this that match?”

“It was meant to be. He went to Cataline first but she was already scheduled for today and he didn’t want it later. She give him to me and said it was time for me to prove myself worthy of a full membership.”

“And now you’re going to fight me and lose.”

“And now I’m going to fight you and lose.”

“It’s a shame. But how did you put it? That’s just the world.”

“The worst part is that I don’t even think she’ll be disappointed when I lose. She’ll just pat me on the head and tell me that nobody’s perfect.”

“Unless they’re me. Wait. Wait. She pats you on the head?”

“Yes.”

“Does she hug you so that you face smooshes right up into her chest? You’re real short so…”

“Yes.”

“Shit. Now I’m just jealous. My instructor just hit me a lot. There was a reason. And you know, he’s not bad looking. He does have a bit of a grizzled older veteran look to him but I’ve already tried with him and it wasn’t very nice.”

“Jealous?”

“Is...is it wrong sometimes to want a taller woman to condescendingly treat you like sexy garbage?”

“I-I’m having a hard time figuring you out, Sofia.”

“Please just let me long for things that can never happen. Thanks to a certain someone, I was born with that dream forever out of reach.”

“Can we talk about something else?”

“Yeah, why not? What about Adriana. Is she weird or what?”

“Yes. Yes she is. I don’t even know what’s going on with her.”

“It’s because she’s a genius loci, the spirit of the house itself. She told me after I confronted her with my invincible logic.”

“Is she?”

“What do you mean?”

“Then why isn’t she deformed? If the rogue architecture is everywhere, it should be ruining her too.”

“But it’s been all but confirmed that she’s in multiple places at once!”

“Maybe she has a twin?”

“No, I solved this mystery. I got it right. She’s the spirit of the house!”


>Change the subject to something else.

>Go to sleep.

>You know why Adriana said what she said (Specify)

>Other (Specify)

>>3027963
>You know why Adriana said what she said
To make us stop guessing. Apparently being considered a genius loci is preferable to us discovering the real truth.

She either is a clone, or a hivemind homunculus, or something like that.

>>3027963
>>You know why Adriana said what she said
She's actually a mirror reflections that left the mirror or something

>>3027982
I thought about this variant, but consider the following:

We know that when Ariadna got reflected and awakened in the room with the reflected Claudio, she suicided. Why would she do it if she knew reflections can leave mirrors and consequently she wasn't doomed?

...That's assuming reflected Claudio was telling the truth though.

And real Sophia doesn't know about these events anyway, so I'd like to amend my vote

>>3027963
>Add the "reflection that left the mirror" variant to >>3027979

Vote called, writing.

>You know why Adriana said what she said

“If she lied, there’s only explanation,” you say, thinking hard. “She must...she must be a berserk reflection herself!”

“Pardon?”

‘That would explain why there might be more than one of them!”
It doesn’t explain what your reflection told you about the reflected Claudio’s account though. He said that Adriana’s reflection committed suicide. But maybe...maybe it can all still match up.

“I don’t know,” Sabino says. “I feel like the more we learn, the less any of it makes sense. Maybe we need to sleep on it.”

“Maybe-”
Your words are cut off by a scream, a choked off shriek that absolutely came from a woman. And it sounds close!
“What was that?”
You’re suddenly whispering.

“Adriana was insistent on keeping watch. She seemed convinced someone else was in here with us.”

A chill runs down your spine. Why the fuck can’t any of this be simple?
“I heard a scream like that before,” you say. “Before we met back up.”

“Someone could be in danger.”

“Or it could be a trap.”


>If someone is in danger, you should try to get your way out now so you can find them!

>If it’s a trap, you both need to stay down here where nobody should be able to find you.

>Other (Specify)

>>3028075
>If someone is in danger, you should try to get your way out now so you can find them!

So Sabino isn't pure. Sad.

>>3028075
>>If someone is in danger, you should try to get your way out now so you can find them!

File: sleep.jpg (114 KB, 577x515)

114 KB JPG

Sorry guys but I'm going to bed early tonight. Votes will remain open until tomorrow morning. Have fun!

Meant to do at least one more update but a fucking shroud of fatigue just descended on me

>>3028096
Thanks for running! Have a good sleep.

>>3028096
Shoot I just woke up. Timezones are the worst I swear.

>>3028075
>>If someone is in danger, you should try to get your way out now so you can find them!

>>3028075

>If someone is in danger, you should try to get your way out now so you can find them!

>>3028075
>If someone is in danger, you should try to get your way out now so you can find them!

I'm awake. Vote called and update in an hour or so.

>If someone is in danger, you should try to get your way out now so you can find them!

You shake your head, careful not to dislodge the bloodstained cintura.
“Even if it is trap, if there’s someone out there in danger, I have to go help them!”

“In your condition-”

“And what if we find a corpse outside in the morning? What would you say to yourself then? So hurry up and help me!”
You will your legs into action and they finally comply. You get up, nearly hitting your head once more on the impromptu ceiling above you. Feeling your way through the darkness, you stagger over to where Sabino is sitting.
‘Get up, Sabino. If you’re not going to help me, at least do me the courtesy of getting out of my way.”

You feel your way past him and there, you can finally feel the draft he spoke of earlier. As long as you’re careful, you shouldn’t dislodge the shard of marble forming the roof. That’s held in place by its own angle against the wall. So, following the air, you should be able to just burrow your way out.

You grab hold of a chunk of marble bigger than your head and with a grunt, slowly drag it aside. It’s not going to be easy.

>Roll 1d6 for Sofia’s efforts! The first 3 shall be totalled and used!

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>3028538

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>3028538

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>3028538

>13

It’s hard work, particularly with that dull pain still lurking in the back of your head at all times. The dark is near total and the rubble is heavy and it’s all you can do not to trip and fall and hurt yourself further. It takes less than a minute for your hands to start aching and now that you’re actually moving, the heat becomes so much more cloying. Sweat makes your grip all the more treacherous.

But you’re not alone. You can hear and feel Sabino beside you. He must have taken your words to heart or maybe just the idea of you fucking it all up alone stirred him to pity. You’d prefer to believe the former.

The breeze grows stronger as you work and you savor every trickle of cool air as it flows in.
“Thanks Sabino.”

“What else can we do? We can get some sleep later.”

“That’s the spirit!”

You burrow forward, your opponent behind you. All this time, all this work and you’ve cleared less than a foot’s distance But it’s all you needed. You reach up, now out from underneath the large shard that had created your shelter, and push the marble tilted over you aside. It’s much smaller and after you do so, your grasping hands feel only the cool night air.
You push yourself up and through it, scrabbling up at the top of a heap of broken rock. You’re out, you’re free and you can’t see shit.

The room beyond is dark, so dark that you don’t dare make another move lest you trip and roll down the side of the pile you’d been entombed in. The last thing you need right now is to crack your head on something else. Instead you reach down and pull Sabino up. He desperately grasps at you in the dark as he comes up and you let him cling to you.
“Where are you?”

You shrug. Even if he can’t see you do it, he can at least feel it.
“The entry hall I presume. But it’s night now and there’s no more chandelier.”
And no lights from the City outside either. This is a total dark of a kind that normally has no place in Aquitae Cogituum, the city loved by the sun and the stars.

“We can’t find anyone like this.”

“We won’t know until we try!”


>Use the wall to direct yourself in the darkness and start walking. Maybe you’ll hear another sound to use as a direction.

>You need to find some light first.

>Call out. What’s the harm?

>Other (Specify)

>>3028609
>You need to find some light first.

>>3028609
>You need to find some light first.

>>3028609
>Other
Can entering the Wake help us? Can we enter it without duelling?

>Call out.

>>3028634
The only way Sofia has ever entered is through a duel.
Also I kind of feel like I'm about to vomit so please excuse me for a moment.

Feeling a little better so vote called, writing.

This is a funny thread. Thanks ouro. Self-aware shota ftw! Goodnight.

>You need to find some light first.

The answer seems simple. If you can’t search without light, the first thing you need to search for is light itself. Something that could provide a flame or even a spark, anything for you to see by. You disentangle yourself from Sabino and, ever so slowly, crawl down the side of the pile.
You’re tired, sweaty and your whole body is aching but you keep steady footing until you find yourself on a patch of clear and unbroken carpet. It’s covered in dust but then again, so are you.

“Just follow me down and don’t fall. There’s fucking marble all over the place just waiting to crack your skull.”
You stand up and inch forward, passing one foot slowly over the other. It’s imperative that you don’t trip on anything.

You find a wall and place your hand on it. There. Now you just have to follow the wall around the hall. You know that won’t work for the whole mansion, not anymore, but it’s a start.

“Sofia? Where are you?”

“I’m still here. I’m not going anywhere so just follow my voice.”
You begin to walk again, slowly following the wall. The wall terminates in an open doorway, a somehow deeper well of black amidst the darkness. Reaching across it, you find the wall past it and keep going. You can hear Sabino moving, knocking aside various detritus.

There are many doorways, which matches what you remember of the entry hall’s structure. Most of the doors are now either open or destroyed but each open doorway you feel has nothing in it. No sound and certainly no light. So what are you going to do? Even if you knew where they kept the lights, you’ve no way of knowing which door is which.
That is, until you pass the warped doorway to Viridian Hall.

You can tell it’s Viridian Hall as you pass over it blindly because for a moment, as you grope for the other side of the doorway, you aren’t so blind. There’s a light at the far end of the hall, a pale and flickering thing shining out from behind the ajar door of the distant guest room. It’s barely anything but in this pitch black darkness, it’s like a beacon and it’s enough to just barely illuminate the hall beyond so that you recognise it.
“Over here,” you hiss, suddenly quiet.

When you feel Sabino, or something you sure hope is Sabino, take hold of the back of your coat, you make your way down Viridian Hall. As you get closer, the outlines of things start to become clearly, light once again bleeding into your dark world. You can see your own hand and the outline of Sabino and the doors you’re passing.
“What do you think this is?”

“I don’t know,” Sabino murmurs. “It’s your client.”

1/2

>>3028800

Finally standing before the guest room door, you take hold of the doorknob and slowly pull the door just open enough that you can see inside. If there is someone in there, you don’t want to alert them. But the room is empty and the light is coming from the mirror.
Within, you can see yourself and Claudio hunched over by the foot of the bed. Between them is a small fire blazing away on the carpet.

How could they start a fire when you can’t?


>There must be a way in this room to light a fire!

>If you can find a way to talk to the reflections, maybe you could also borrow their light?

>Cut the mirror loose from the wall and drag it with you. Your reflections don’t need to know that they’ll be lighting your way.

>Other (Specify)

>>3028805
>There must be a way in this room to light a fire!

>>3028805
>>Cut the mirror loose from the wall and drag it with you. Your reflections don’t need to know that they’ll be lighting your way.

>>3028805
if we start a fire, Sabino will most likely enter the reflection. Is there anything we can have him bring before that?

>>3028827
Nothing save what you have on you right now.

>>3028805
> There must be a way in this room to light a fire!

>>3028805
>>There must be a way in this room to light a fire!

Ouro what would happen if we brought two mirrors together?

>>3028861
Many reflections. Anyway, vote called and writing.

> There must be a way in this room to light a fire!

Well, that’s considerably less sinister then you were expecting! You’re oddly happy that the reflections are doing well, even though they’re not real people. You have a duty to your client after all. And it’s nice to see you look at least faintly happy. It might be just an image but even so.
And more importantly, if they can light a fire so can you! All they have is the material in this room so you just need to find something that’ll burn and a source of spark!

“Don’t come in Sabino,” you caution him. “We might need your reflection later to pass a message.”

You step closer to better examine the reflection. You don’t need to talk to them or even to let them know that you’re watching. Deducing how they managed to light a fire will be good enough for you. You note that Adriana’s corpse is missing, even though all the blood remains. Is it back under the bed? No, you can’t see anything under there now that you’re specifically looking. So what did they do with it?
Claudio has a large stack of purple paper notes in his hands, slowly tossing them into the fire one at a time. None of them last long but a fire must be fed by any means necessary. Your reflection is still clutching the notepad that you, in a roundabout way, gave it. Behind them, the wardrobe is open and you can see a jumble of clothes and documents within.

Is that it?

You open the wardrobe on your side but find nothing of the sort. It’s empty, cleaned out. Right. That was another of the pivotal differences between the reality and reflection here, isn’t it? There's plenty of stuff to burn here but whatever they used as the spark is no longer here.
“It’s no good,” you say, frustration welling up inside of you. “Those arseholes are making a fire with stuff we don’t even get to have.”
Are you jealous of your own reflection? And why not? Here you’ve been, doing with all kinds of real shit and it’s just got a blessed life with no responsibility or fear of anything. You almost wish you could take its place.

You start muttering.
“This can’t have just been a waste of time.”


>No, there’s still something else you can do here!

>Talk to the reflections. Maybe they can help you.

>Leave.

>Smash the mirror. Duty to the client is one thing but your life matters more than ANY reflection.

>Other (Specify)

>>3029005
>Talk to the reflections. Maybe they can help you.

>>3029005
>>Talk to the reflections. Maybe they can help you.

Vote called, writing.

>Talk to the reflections. Maybe they can help you.

“How’s it going in there, Sofia?”

“Fine,” you grumble. “Well, not fine.This was just a dead end. There’s nothing worth having here and there’s certainly no light.”

“What if you cut out the mirror itself?”

“Do you even know what that would do to my client?”

“No.”

“Me neither. But...actually Sabino, I take back what I said earlier. You should walk in. That way your reflection can take a message to them.”

“Will that work?”

“Yes. I just need to tell you what I want your reflection to say before you go in.”

“Right. And what’s that?”


>Just update them on the situation.

>Ask them if they’ve noticed anything on their end.

>There’s something you want to test with the curtains…

>Double-check how they made a fire.

>Ask for their permission to move the mirror.

>Other (Specify)

>>3029070
>There’s something you want to test with the curtains…
>Double-check how they made a fire.

And if that doesn't work.
>Ask for their permission to move the mirror.

>>3029070
>>3029077
this

>>3029077
This but also update them on the situation

Vote called, writing.

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>There’s something you want to test with the curtains…
>Double-check how they made a fire.
>Ask for their permission to move the mirror.

*****

You sit by the fire glumly, forcing a faint smile. How long has it been now? Hours? Days? How long, you wonder, can you last? How long can you persist knowing exactly what you are before you take the easy way out? Your eyes wander over to the door and you have to move your head to stop you from looking at it. No. That’d be too easy. Death is the easy route. Life is much harder.

Claudio hems and haws as he shovels another wad of paper into the fire. How does he do it? Do you just get used to it in the end? Used to the idea of not mattering, used to the idea of the whole life you’ve lived not being your own? But somehow he seems to have resigned himself to living in this one little room forever.
You don’t want to think about the idea of him being stronger than you. Because you hate this fucking luxurious shithouse of a guest room already.

But oh boy, you better get ready to like it! Because it and Claudio’s company are all you are ever going to see again. Welcome to the rest of your life. Just be happy and don’t think too hard or else you’ll just start crying over everything you had that you’ll never have again!

You cried earlier. In front of Claudio too, though he got the message and is pretending it didn’t happen. There hadn’t even been anything to provoke it at the time, it had just been a random thought about all the people you’ll never see again. That you never saw to begin with. That’s normal right? To just start crying for no reason at random intervals?
You hadn’t cried since you’d been with your family. You’d feel bad about ruining your record but you haven’t ruined it, have you? The real Sofia is still going strong.

You look back at the door. Even after all your resolve to live, you can’t ignore how easy it would be to just open it and step through. And behold, as you stare, it does open. And in walks a total stranger. It’s a brownhaired young man, maybe even a little younger than you. He’s short and though he might have once been dressed rather snappily, he’s also absolutely covered in dust and grime. It stains his tunic and his dweeby little suspenders and makes his waxed hair stand up at odd angles. He looks at you as if he’d just seen a ghost.
“Sofia? Th-then I’m...oh noooo.”

“Uh hello?”
You stand up slowly, goggling at the newcomer. Someone else is finally here? Will they stay? Can you force them to stay?

“I say,” Claudio says. “Do I know you?”

“No,” the young man says. “And I don’t really want to talk to you, sorry. But I’ll talk to you, Sofia. Looks like I’m the unlucky one.”

“That sucks, man.”
What else are you supposed to say? You step closer, eager to have literally anything new spice up your life sentence. And aw, he’s actually a little shorter than you. Adorable.

1/2

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>>3029187

“I have a message. From you.”

“Uhuh. I guess we’ll need to write more stuff.”
You turn to the blank mirror and wave. You do your best fake smile.


>”Please don’t leave or die. I’ll listen if you just stay awhile with us.”

>Don’t ask anything of him and just listen. You’re not that desperate yet.

>”Claudio, you grab the legs, I’ll grab the arms!” You don’t know who this boy is but he’s not leaving like the maid did.

>Other (Specify)

>>3029191
>Hug him to comfort him. I-it's totally not to comfort yourself, you're just helping out this boy here.

>>3029191
>Don’t ask anything of him and just listen. You’re not that desperate yet.

>>3029191
> ”Please don’t leave or die. I’ll listen if you just stay awhile with us.”

>>3029191
>>”Please don’t leave or die. I’ll listen if you just stay awhile with us.”

I really hope there is a way to do something with these reflections that don't involve them committing suicide by door.

>>3029225
Would probably have to get a lawyer involved

Vote called, writing.

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Actually sorry, this update is turning out to be fairly big so I don't have time to finish it before leaving to work. I'd rather not cut it close.

In that case, vote will remain open for a few hours until my shift is over! I'll try to update as soon as I get back.

>>3029191
>>”Please don’t leave or die. I’ll listen if you just stay awhile with us.”

>>3029191
>”Please don’t leave or die. I’ll listen if you just stay awhile with us.”
You guys just flubbed the chance to ask reflected Claudio what's the deal with the real one.

Back. Writing.

May have noticed a lack of an update for the past few hours. That's because when I said I was writing, what I actually meant is that I was dying.

>>3029719
Please don't die.

>>3029719
>>3029739
>Please don't die.
Supporting.

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I’m not actually dissolving!

> ”Please don’t leave or die. I’ll listen if you just stay awhile with us.”

You’re not going to grab hold of him or beg. You’re not quite that desperate yet. Instead you take his hand in yours. He tries to draw back but you hold it tight.
“Okay, just please don’t leave or die. I’ll listen if you just stay awhile with us.”

“I guess Sofia is Sofia wherever you go,” he says. He stops struggling. “She wants to know how you started that fire?”

“Easy!” Claudio says. “We used the matches in the wardrobe.”

The young man frowns.
“There aren’t any matches there in the real world!”

“Curious,” you say, still not letting go of your new eternal prison-mate. “The real Claudio must have had them cleaned out when he asked Adriana. Pretty comprehensive cleaning, huh?”

“I say, I’d have no idea why. I am not usually so detail-oriented when it comes to cleanliness.”

You turn away from him and focus on the newcomer, who you have not yet let go of.
“What is your name, incidentally?”

“Sabino Manfredi.”

“Well, Sabino, what else does my dearest self want from us?”
Your words twist around what you had been trying to call her. Call you.

“Some question about that curtain? It’s ambisilk, isn’t it?”

“Very true, don’t ask what we’ve been putting in there. It’s not worth it.”

“She wants you to put something in it and then put up a note telling her what it is. She’s trying to test something.”

“Test what?”

“I don’t know. She, I mean you, are a very compelling woman.”

“She’s in luck then. There’s something we slid into the drapes just a few hours ago.”
You grab the notepad and pen, using the faint light of the fire to write down two words.

ADRIANA’S CORPSE

“I’m really stuck here forever.”
Poor Sabino. You hold his hand tighter in order to emphasize the fact.

“We’ll find ways to pass the time.”

“Oh um yes. And...and she also wants to know if you give her permission to cut the mirror out of the wall. She wants to use your fire for light.”

“Good to know we can be useful,” you say drily. But it’s something at least. You will have an effect on the real world ,even if it’s through the only real thing any reflection has: light. “But...she might want to look away from the mirror after the next few hours. You and I, we’re going to run out of things to do real quick.”
There’s a certain nihilistic freedom of action when you know you’re not real. Poison to the soul.

He blushes like the cute little thing he is and then keeps talking.
“You don’t mind the risk?”

“What risk?”

Claudio speaks up.
“I don’t know how it works but if the mirror winds up facing away from the room...we might die. Erased. Or...we will stay but the location will change around us.”

1/2

>>3029763
“You mean we might be able to get out of this fucking room?”

“Maybe. Or we might just die.”

But it’d be a death you’d never notice. You turn back towards the door. It’s open.


>Give permission.

>Deny permission.

>>3029765
>Give permission.
Even if we die, it won't be the worst outcome.
(As for the real Sophia fucking up and accidentally killing her client, that'd be on her, the heartless bitch. We don't care about her anymore.)

If we destroy the room, evidence might be destroyed too.

>>3029763
>>3029787
Shit, you're right. Changing >>3029765 to

>Deny permission with explanation

>>3029788
Question is whether Mirror Sophia cares about the evidence anymore.

>>3029765
>Deny permission.
I'm still up for that whole reflections entering the Wake thing

>Deny permission.
Mirror Sophia has too much to live for! (/ss/)

Vote called, writing.

Feeling kinda dozey, hence the delay.

>Deny permission.

“There might be another way out,” you say. “What if...what if we had a duel? I see that sword by your belt. Will we enter the Wake if we duel?”

Claudio looks doubtful.
“I’d save that for a last resort. For all you know, the Wake to us is just death. And since we have no way of scouting ahead, so to speak, you’d be going in without knowing.”

“So just like the mirror then,” you say bitterly. But still struck by the idea, you write down something else in the notepad.
“This mirror isn’t moving by the way.”

“Hold on,” Sabino says. “We need the mirror! It’s the only sourc-”

“No.”
You are not particularly moved by the plight of your real counterpart. Doesn’t she have it easy enough as it is? People never even examine how lucky they are to be real. You’re not going to risk it all just so that she can have a little light.
“And besides, she can still cut the mirror free if she wants.”
You’re fucking helpless to stop her. The curse stills the words in your throat.

>>3029070
********

You and Sabino watch as your counterpart scribbles out three notes. The first that she puts up in front of the mirror simply reads:

ADRIANA’S CORPSE

Sabino stares at it.
“What?”

“Don’t think too hard about it. But I remember them having her corpse in the mirror with them. Apparently her reflection immediately committed suicide and it really unnerved her. So they hid it in the drapes, huh? Ingenious! I probably thought of it. Well then, time to test my idea…”
You unroll the drapes on your side, feeling the ambisilk pattern change from fabric to a gap beneath your fingertips. You plant your hands into it and give it a command.
“Adriana’s corpse.”

Nothing.

“Adriana.”

Nothing.

“Adriana’s body.”

Nothing.

“Adriana’s dead body.”

Nothing.

Welp. Looks like you were wrong about your idea of the drapes leading to the same place as their reflection. Looks like you’ll have to just toss that entire hypothesis into the trash.

“Sofia! She’s written something else.”

You look up from the drapes to see your reflection holding up a note with-

CAN WE WAKE?

“Shit,” you breathe. “Can they?”

“It’d be dangerous. I mean, how would they know? They can’t just stick their head in to check ahead of them.”

“You’re probably right. Oh, there I go again writing something else. I-oh.”

DON’T TOUCH THIS FUCKING MIRROR

“Fuck,” you say. “Why am I so beautiful and intelligent?”
Well that puts a crimp in your plans. But on the other hand...it’s not like you have to respect her wishes. She’s not REAL.


>Comply with her wish.

>Cut the mirror free, you don’t give a shit.

>Also, you might have an answer to that other conundrum! (Specify)

>Other (Specify)

I'm out of ideas. Really am. Completely lost, no clue.

>Listen to her, just call out, you don't really need a light.

Can we tell the curtain to open for the civic authority we weild?

>>3029906
No.

>>3029892
I think something that was in the room before reflected Claudio awakened contains or points to dangerous information. Claudion became aware of it only after his reflection awakened, so the reflection knows nothing. Whatever it was, it has been removed from the real room, but left in the reflected one, and real Claudio is afraid that reflected Claudio will inadvertently reveal it.
This implies that reflected reflected Claudio would not recognize this something as unwanted information, thus this information must have been made available to Claudio after the reflection awakened. What could it be though?

>Comply with her wish.
Mostly so that we don't accidentally kill Claudio. He's our client after all.
>Also, you might have an answer to that other conundrum!
Try to request the curtains for the light from the time Claudio and Eduardo met (in hopes it'll come out as an image).
>If we can procure any light from the curtains, take them off and use as a light source
>Ask reflected Claudio for the command stitch if needed.

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Sorry guys I wanted to stay awake a little longer but it's been a bad week in general. Vote will remain open until I wake up, at which point session will resume.
I should have all of tomorrow to spend on the thread too, which I intend to do so!

I'm kind of at a loss at what do. I feel like we are overlooking some obvious clue that is causing Ouro to bang his head against a wall.

Is the fact that Adriana committed suicide instead of just leaving through the door significant? Seems like she took a way more painful way to end herself. Could she not leave regularly or did it has something do with her nature?

We should probably throw our heads together if anyone is here before the session starts again.

>>3030247
She tried to leave through the door but Claudio stopped her.

>>3030247
Whatever it is it has something to do with curtains, I'm certain. Mirror!Claudio has no reason to hide anything from us, which rules out that Real!Claudio is actually Mirror!Claudio or other such shenanigans. I'm guessing he killed Eduardo and shoved him in the curtain, possibly with some other incriminating stuff. It would explain the desperate fixation on destroying the mirror (before Eduardo is noticed missing and the room turns into a crime scene) and why Eduardo isn't here despite hosting a party.

If it's more complicated than that I think I'm too dumb to figure it out.