estoria | « intro ⇢ winterball.exe »

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« intro ⇢ winterball.exe »

Who: everyone, literally everyone
When: ooc: 04/25-04/26; ic: 12/26
Where: the Gardens
What: intro log + winter ball!
Rating/Warning: PG-13 | possibly nsfw (please let me know if you need this rating changed, or you are welcome to continue any naughty shenanigans in a private log)

//winterball.EXE

Pimp My Party -- Royalty Style

A few weeks prior to December 26th, an invitation went out to all whom already reside in Cerealia. In delicate, curling script, it read: You are cordially invited by Natalia L.K. Lanvaldear to a Winter Ball to be held on the Eve of December 26th in the Gardens. Dress in your best attire and enjoy a magical evening of dance and fine cuisine. What do you mean we should fuss about worlds being destroyed? Get into the holiday spirit, you scrooge!

And in regards to the new-comers: whether you have been wandering Cerealia over the course of the past few days and managed to receive one of the later waves of invitations or have simply suddenly appeared in the gardens with nothing but the (hopefully…. appropriate….) clothes on your back, welcome. The gardens have been transformed through the work of ~~slave labor condoned by royalty~~ incredibly talented volunteers. A buffet line possibly a mile long, a sprawling dance floor with temporary wood placement to cover the grass, a lovely orchestra with scheduled interruptions of magic shows on the stage, and the entire thing lit gently with lights stretch the span of the main area of the garden. Not too far off, there are ponds and pathways that take you elsewhere into the foliage, but why would you go that way? The party’s right here!

"Good evening, everyone!! Whether you are new to Tellus or old, I hope to find you in good spirits.

Mind you, I do not intend to ignore the blunders of CERES nor the grave situation that new-comers have found themselves faced with. However I assure you that at this time, surrounded by these people, you are in good company. Please, dine and be merry - I believe some worlds celebrated a holiday yesterday! Get to know one another so we may strengthen our ties and stand firm against whatever this world may throw against us!

Also try the salmon, it's absolutely divine. . . . How do I turn this off...? Should I just walk away?"

//SCENARIOS.EXE

PHASE I

[ xxxx ] Like any respectable ball, your entrance is announced as you walk right into the party! What do you mean you wanted to slip in unnoticed? That simply won’t do. Natalia managed to rope in someone – is that a Tellus native? – to do the honor of acknowledging your character as they make their debut to the ball. This guy is under strict orders to not miss a single soul. If your character doesn’t give him a name and title ahead of time, then he’ll just make something up. Think along the lines of Broseidon McSnootyname, Duke of Erectile Dysfunction-- What do you mean that’s not your name?

PHASE II

[ xxxx ] Absolutely no expense was spared when it came to making sure that the food here was the best that money could buy (or threats could extort). Guests can select from a menagerie of main dishes from all sorts of cultures, adorable desserts that look like woodland creatures alongside towering cakes, and even those fruity drinks with the little umbrellas on them. Pig out, you animals – but there’s also a wide selection of fine wine if your tastes and curiosities wander off in that direction…. What even is the drinking age in Tellus? Remember, folks, drink (ir)responsibly.

PHASE III

[ xxxx ] Well, it is a ball. If you’re interested in proper, classical styles of dance, there’s certainly an orchestra that’s dominating most of the night. One of their songs may or may not sound familiar. Spin around in your flurry of skirts and do the fairy tale thing if that’s what you came here for. Romance, or whatever. Waltz your heart out and don’t forget to point your toes!

… that said, there’s also a separate sound system not too far, prepared in case the orchestra might want a break. It’s also not being watched too closely. Maybe put on something to liven up the dance floor? Or did someone ruin your fantasy by putting on something unbearably inappropriate?

PHASE IV

[ xxxx ] The gardens really are beautiful. Spread throughout the area and more toward the outskirts of the party, there are plenty of beautiful fountains with glittering, crystal clear water. In fact, it’s so clear that you can spot the occasional alien life form flitting through it amidst the lily pads and gently sweeping foliage. It’s so graceful, what beauty! Look at how it rises to the water and gently opens its mouth into a yawn and—tries to chomp anything within range right off with razor sharp teeth what the fuck, whatthefuck.

It would appear that's not all, though. Whether you're ready to fight the creature or run screaming, you feel something slowly slide and curl around your arm or your ankle. Look on in horror as you turn your head and realize that it seems that the nearby tree has grown rather fond of you very quickly, to the extent that it will reach out and lovingly wrap its ~~hentai~~ tentacles around you.... Brings a whole 'nother meaning to 'tree hugger', doesn't it?

BONUS

[ whyo'clock ] Are you lost? Did you try to catch your breath away from the party and start to wander off despite all the cautioning not to? Or maybe you were trying to leave and took a wrong turn? Either way, you seem to have only found yourself deeper in the gardens now. Try not to breathe too deeply or… at all. If you can’t manage that though, it appears that you’ve stumbled upon the hallucinogenic plants of the garden. You start to see things that aren’t there – though whether you suddenly find yourself in a den of ~~cougars~~ lions or think that the person standing next to you is the biggest, cuddliest pile of adorable puppies in the world depends on the person. Hope you have a good trip, bruh.

[ Remember to apply proper warnings on threads with trigger-y or inappropriate material and do let me know (through FAQ comment or PM preferably!) if your thread careens off into maiming or canoodling so I can lock the log. ]

//RUN.EXE

Welcome to CEREALIA's latest intro post! This one is player-run and all the basics have been laid out for you here. Absolutely feel free to come up with your own prompts, I just attempted to set the scenery! For your convenience, I whole-heartedly welcome questions and inquiries being directed to my attention here and I'll answer them to the best of my ability! ~~Have a ball!~~ Enjoy!! OVERFLOW IS HERE Move over at your captcha-free leisure!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Oh, Naegi. You're lucky that Kyouko just happens to be passing by at the right moment. Any surprise she has at seeing Naegi actually here is pushed aside when she notices a fish about to bite his finger off.

She's just in time to grab his arm, in what is almost surely a death grip, and pull him back. The alien jumps a few inches out of the water, its teeth clicking loudly as it bites down on thin air. That was close. ]

[ Thank you, Kyouko. Again. This makes it time...three thousand, for all intents and purposes, that she's saved him from a dumb fate. He'll stumble for a second, still looking wide-eyed at the fountain - who put that sort of thing in public fountains?! (Monokuma, honestly) - before the stunned feeling fades enough to glance over at his rescuer.

Then he has to double-take. ]

Kirigiri-san?! [ Although it's with no small amount of relief that he says her name because thank goodness someone he knows...he's met about three people who know him despite his not knowing them, and a few others from the same world, but that's really not the same thing as having a friend around. Especially one of the more reliable friends. And she's managed to dress up, so she must have been here at least for the whole day... ]

Yes. You're lucky I happened to pass by. [ She gives him a small smile, because she's totally laughing at him. And she's not going to say it, but wow she's glad he's here. Especially after hearing that their world was destroyed (again, except this time no one survived) she wasn't sure if she would see anyone else from their class, much less Naegi. ]

It's interesting to see you here.

Ah! Thank you so much for that. [ He likes his hands. He's happy they're still attached to his person, because if they weren't it would be awkward. ] But "interesting"...rather, I'm glad you're here! I've been looking for all of you since I got here the other day. I hadn't found anyone else from our class, just that other one...

[ Which, oh yeah, he got exposition from people and should maybe heads up her - but first... ]

You look really nice, Kirigiri-san.

[ ..............she probably cares more about the exposition, Naegi. Kirigiri managed to clean up better than he did, since she bothered to wear nice shoes rather than sneakers, anyway. ]

[ "Other one"? What is he talking about? They were the only class from Hope's Peak left alive as far as she knew... ]

What do you mean by "that other one"?

[ She managed to dress up only because she was lucky enough to hear someone mention the ball in passing, and she was actually able to find an affordable outfit.

Kyouko pauses at his compliment. ] ...What?

You look nice...? [ Maybe she didn't hear him? It's a genuine compliment, which isn't unusual for Naegi. Still, he can at least refocus on what she doesn't know easily enough, figuring that Kirigiri definitely cares about that more. Naegi's wanted to discuss it with someone, and admittedly he thinks Kirigiri will understand it better than he does or have more ideas about it. ]

Ah! That's right. There's another class here...from ahead of us. [ How detailed should he get here - no, dumb question. It's Kirigiri, she'll want to know everything. Though hopefully she doesn't mind if he just...puts some distance between them and that fountain. ]

Actually, I'm not sure what class they are specifically, but I've spoken with a handful of them...and I at least think I understand their circumstances to some degree. Apparently, not everyone is brought here from the same timeframe - they're ahead of us. Hinata-san says he met us after we left that place...

Thank you... [ Her cheeks turn slightly pink, but she has it under control before it's really noticeable.

Especially because what Naegi has to say next is especially interesting. ]

I see... How far ahead are these people?

[ ..........a logical question. Unfortunately: ]

I...didn't actually ask that question. There was a lot of information, honestly, that it slipped my mind. [ Don't think he's dumb, Kirigiri, he will actually give you the rest of the information...!! And perhaps his complete distraction from asking that question will make a little more sense. ] Honestly, it's a little confusing. Hinata-san told me a little more about how that event occurred - the worst event - but as far as they're connected to it...well, we already knew most of the world had fallen to Despair, didn't we? It seems that students from our school were among those people...including this other class.

[ So that's...a thing. Naegi has obviously been talking to these people, but since he spends his free time with Syo at times this shouldn't be a shocker. ]

...Apparently at some point we were trying to help them by putting them in a virtual reality program...? But there was an Enoshima-san AI, and she took over, and made them go through a mutual killing game. [ ...This sounds crazy and also disjointed, but Naegi's not sure where to start so he's just kind of hopscotching to the important things he did figure out. This is why he is not the SHSL Detective. ] ...Anyway, it seems like they're no longer in Despair, but that's apparently how they know me? I don't think he was lying about any of it, although I'll admit it's all very...something.

[ He'll just...let Kirigiri ask the relevant questions. There was really no way to just edge around to any of that politely and anyway he's gotten used to the form of investigation where he finds things out and immediately shares his information. ...Not to mention the last time he didn't tell her something she didn't talk to him for days and he wants to avoid that. ]

[ ...

There were more students...? And they'd fallen into Despair too. And also gotten involved in a mutual killing game. Kyouko is obviously caught off guard for a few moments, but she reins herself in before long.

She has a lot of questions. ]

...The whole class had fallen into Despair?

A...pparently. [ Yeah, that was a Thing. ] In addition to the reserve course...

[ Which he'd never even heard about before. ]

Kirigiri-san, did you know such a thing existed at Hope's Peak?

[ Or more accurately, does she remember it...? ]

I may have known, at one point... [ But unfortunately she doesn't remember. ] Did you find out the purpose of the reserve course?

Ah...it actually answers a few questions I didn't know I had. The school's budget...you and I didn't really pay big school fees, right? But I guess there's a course for students who aren't scouted for talents... [ Still weird to say, HE DOESN'T THINK LUCK IS THAT GREAT...? ] ...where they pay huge fees to attend...? Though they were apparently kept in another building and didn't have great teachers or anything...

[ Questionable policies academy. ]

Then what was the purpose...? [ Of course, if it was just to gain money, that made sense. But if the education wasn't that great then why did so many students sign up?

Immediately she wonders what role her father had to play in it. ]

Of course it's a means to get funding, but what was the incentive to pay for it?

Honestly...the same reason I agreed to come. [ He...hadn't originally planned to go to some super exclusive school. ] Anyone who graduates from Hope's Peak generally manages to find success, you know...? I'm not surprised they managed to find people to pay those prices.

[ That's true. Even if the education wasn't great they were still guaranteed success. ]

Did you find out what role the reserve course students played in this?

Ah, yeah. Enoshima-san apparently used their discontent with their circumstances to inspire them to riot... [ Because of course she did. Enoshima's at the root of everything at home. ] It's not hard to picture. She was very good at hitting people where it hurt, wasn't she?

That's right... [ After the past few weeks, they all knew exactly what Enoshima was capable of. ] I suppose those rights led to other things?

Yes. And what caused the riots - she test-ran the killing game on the student council, and then showed it to them...apparently Hope's Peak tried to cover it up for some reason...? I think it has to do with an, er, very questionable experiment they were apparently running.

[ He looks moderately apologetic. Because of who Kirigiri's dad is, and the fact he almost certainly knew about all this...thisness. ]

Taking a volunteer from that course and operating on them to make them a "genius"...since that person was involved in the killing game, they tried to cover it up in order not to lose the work...I assume. At any rate, it seems from there the Despair spread from Hope's Peak into the world. We already know at some point after that, we agreed to be locked up...

[ And everything that came with that... ]

...but the rest of what I was told had to do with what happened after. Honestly, I'm glad you're here, Kirigiri-san. And not just because all of this was a little much to work through alone, although right now I'm grateful for that. [ He trusts easily, but at least she's someone he trusts 100% and can rely on. That fifth trial aside, but Naegi's holding zero grudges. ]

[ She clenches her fists, her face clouded in anger. ] My father... He sat back and let this happen, didn't he?

[ All of this, he allowed it. Or he had at least an idea of what was going on. She's trying to keep her emotions in check, but it's hard when she's faced with new information like this. ]

Something like this went on... And we weren't able to stop it. [ They probably didn't even realize it. ]

...I...really don't know. [ He's really like to say no, but he's pretty sure there's no way the Headmaster didn't know about it. ]

We must not have known anything about it, though. Enoshima-san doing all this...it would have been during those two years. And even when we agreed to everything, none of us could have known what she was planning or her true identity. [ As SHSL Despair. ] If we had...

[ ...They wouldn't have consented to being locked up in a school with her, for one thing. But that wouldn't have even been on the table. ]

...Anyway. As I said earlier, apparently we found this other class at some point. We joined something called the "Future Foundation"...and wanted to rehabilitate them. [ Naegi is almost 100% sure this was his idea somehow. Because he's the most likely culprit out of their survivor pool to go "hey guys let's save SHSL Despair". ...Even right now, he's inclined to want to help them out, or at least to be relieved they don't seem very Despair-y at the moment, though he has no idea if Kirigiri will want to associate with them.

Either way, he's obviously picked the "don't conceal the information from her" route, so she can make her own choice. Although he's already proven he's a colossally bad liar with her. ]

I mentioned the virtual reality, right...? Apparently the plan was, um, to erase their memories of Despair and overwrite them with new ones...somehow. I'm not sure how that would work precisely, but the program had been made by Fujisaki-kun. Thinking about it, he must already have made AI programs in the real world - he created Alter Ego so early in, and there are two years he had to work with...

[ Moment of silence for Fujisaki. ]

...I see. [ She has to move on from the thought that her father may have had something to do with this--it was in the past, and there's no way they can go back and change that. And now isn't the time to dwell on her emotions. ]

We must have seen something in them if we went through all that trouble to try to rehabilitate them. [ There's no way she would have agreed to a plan like that if she didn't believe in it. ]

I agree! Though...admittedly, it's hard to guess exactly what happened then...I think I'd like to get to know them more here.

[ This probably shocks Kirigiri not at all. ]

So far they've been pretty helpful, though that about sums up everything I know unless you want their names - but, wait, more importantly...Kirigiri-san...do you have a place to stay? You got here just today? [ Or has he been That Bad at finding his friends. She very clearly had the time to go shopping, at least. Yes, it only just occurred to him he'd never made certain how long she'd been there. ]

[ It's doesn't at all. He's always too trusting.

She does want to know their names, but maybe another time. For now, she still has to sort out her feelings on this new information. ]

I arrived here early this morning. I've spent most of the day looking around. [ And that shouldn't be a surprise. ] I haven't put much thought into a place to stay yet. [ She was just going to choose a random room if she had to. ]

[ At least she's here to temper that with reasonable caution and paranoia...between the two of them their judgement ought to be sound? ]

In that case, at least in the same building... [ It's a little awkward to ask but he really would like to keep tabs on the One Person He Knows, although no one has been outright unkind to him so far. Even if he's been accused of having a parasitic hair attachment and someone beat up his groceries. ] That is, would you like to choose something near where I stay? I think the apartments to either side of my pick are free.

[ He hasn't seen any immediate neighbors anyway. Naegi picked completely at random. ]

There's also another room in mine if you would prefer that, but in this situation, if it's not a bother I'd prefer to sort of be nearby. People keep telling me to be cautious because "odd things happen". [ Not that Kirigiri needs looking after as much as Naegi himself does, but call it protagonist's mother hen instincts or something. He'll feel better if he at least sort of knows where she's going back to even if she wanders off as usual during the days. ]

[ She understands why he would want them to at least be close to each other, after all, as far as they know they're the only ones from their class here. ]

I could take a room next door, unless you would rather I take the extra room in yours.

« intro ⇢ winterball.exe »

phase iv!

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general dangan spoiler warning, read on at your own risk

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