The clock strikes twelve. The gong of the grandfather clock in the foyer tolls out the time in slightly unnecessarily obnoxious loud noises. The ambiance of this old mansion demands respect, care, awe --
Okay, no, wait, why are you even in this stupid dusty house?
No reasons are forthcoming, because everyone knows that people just end up in places like this sometimes. That's just how the narrative device works. The hows and the whys don't matter -- all that matters is that you're all here, so you'd better get cracking and start exploring, because it's not like you can leave yet.
Or ever, maybe.
 Good day, sirs and madams. Might I interest you in a nice glass of blood...y mary?
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PHASE I [ 02 15 ] All you see is white. The crash of thunder hits your ears next, punctuated by the piercing pitch of white noise in the background. After a few blinks, your vision comes back to you. Oh good, glad that you’ve joined us in the land of the living. Unlike the nondescript corpse at your feet – it looks like… a butler? Oh dear. You’ve already killed Murder Suspect Number One in most situations. How terribly ironic.
After all, who could’ve killed him but you? You might not remember, but there is definitely a murder weapon in your hand. It’s probably a knife or a poisoned glass of wine or-
Wait, is that a toaster? A full on toaster? Or maybe it’s a taser. Maybe you bludgeoned this poor guy with an entire encyclopedia. Either way, it looks like your murder weapon is a little unconventional, whether it’s a stranger’s pair of underwear or a hair curler. Are you really supposed to believe you committed a murder with these? (Yes.)
That said in the next second the double doors will be opening up. It’s pretty clear you’re not alone. Think quick!
PHASE II [ 0600 ] Exploring more around the compound, you’ll find plenty of those tall, oil portraits of people hung around the walls. When you start walking, they’re all strangers. However by the time that you feel like you’re wandering around for an hour, two hours, they might start looking a little bit more… familiar? Mom? Is that you?
You don’t have time to think about that, though. You were clearly framed! You don't’ have a motive for killing some random NPC –
“Or do you?” a portrait will ask.
Oh. Holy shit. Well it’d just be rude to leave, right? Whether you stick around for conversation or not, you’ll find that was just the beginning. The portraits are going to start grilling you. Welcome to CERES Central’s Roast of You. What was your motive? Don’t you know you should respect the servants? How would you feel if you were caught like that? Careful turning your back on them though, because if you ignore them for too long, the subjects in the portraits may just reach out and snatch you to join them in their portrait world.
At that point, the only way to get out is to swap places with some other poor, unsuspecting soul wandering around.
PHASE III [ 1045 ] You know what makes me hungry? Murder.
What’s the point of making a mansion this big anyway? Who’s even here? Either way, whether you’re looking for the kitchen to make a fine post-homicide sandwich or just trying to escape, you’ll eventually make it to a stairwell. The most finicky stairwell ever. Is that a trail of bloody footprints leading up the steps? What? No. Stop it, just climb.
Or well – don’t climb too quickly now. The staircases apparently have a mind of their own, swapping from one doorway to another. You definitely haven’t seen this before. It would seem that these stairs might even be interested in keeping you in a circle forever, no concern for whether or not you’re hungry or, god forbid, need to use the restroom.
However the portraits in the stairwell will provide a little tip: “The stairs are gossips, you know. Why don’t you tell us a little something about yourself? Make it good!”
Weirdly enough, sound advice – that is, if you’re interested in shouting out your most embarrassing secrets into the void so a mansion can keep talking shit about you. Oh well. Your alternative is just being a stair golem. There are worse fates.
PHASE IV [ 1430 ] This hall is oddly quiet.
Well, until you hear it – the soft sniffles coming from down the hall, the broken sobs. It sounds like someone’s crying. For one reason or another, your footsteps take you forward – there’s really no point in going back now after all, right? Yet as you continue to walk… walk… walk… the crying becomes louder and louder. More desperate, more despaired. In time, it’s clear that this person is wailing, screaming, “How could this happen?!”
Within the span of a breath, all the lights in the hallway go out, leaving you in pitch black.
It occurs to you then that you hear a second set of steps. When did you stop walking? A cold chill runs down your spine and you find yourself running then, despite the fact that it feels like this pitch black hallway goes on forever. The other footsteps pick up, remind you that you’re not alone. No, certainly not.
Best hope that you find some assistance soon – otherwise it looks like the Butler Association is going to ignite some righteous vigilante justice on your ass.
BONUS [ why o'clock ] You’re in the grand ballroom now, ready to present your case. Armed with a cob pipe (don’t smoke inside, it’s rude), a detective hat, and a single spotlight aimed right at you, you now have to explain how you came to the conclusion about the True Killer that is Obviously Not You. Rather, it’ll just be the character of whoever tags into this prompt – yes, you are suddenly so very sure that they’re the ones who are the ultimate mastermind of this entire game and… you’re just going to have to bullshit the reason why even if you know virtually nothing about them. It’s a dog eat dog world out there, you know?
Sorry about that.
Should you actually provide enough of a compelling case or they take pity on you, having a villainous breakdown for the sake of the plot, you’ll be awarded with a coupon that’ll give you three free scoops at your local ice cream parlor! (Note: you must buy the first two scoops in order to qualify.) Of course, if you’re not able to nail them down as the killer, you are obviously the killer yourself (citation needed).
From there, you’ll be dragged off to face your punishment: for six grueling hours you will be tickled mercilessly.
[ Remember to apply proper warnings on threads with sensitive or inappropriate material and do let a mod know if your thread careens off into maiming or canoodling so we can lock the log. ] |
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no subject
I'm truly grateful for your help Kuwata-san.
[Though when he starts walking and the topic of conversation changes, he finds a new uncertainty growing in the pit of his stomach. A lot to talk about? Really, he doesn't deserve this help. He should be the one apologizing; he'd played a part in the majority vote that had condemned Leon. Even if he was alright, the wound in his heart at his classmate's betrayal had to sting.]
Mmm. I guess that's true.
[Chihiro spoke softly, but nodded and took the lead, taking pains to not glance over his shoulder nervously. Leon was watching his back, it was okay, right?]
Um. I was-
[The gym bag he carried over one shoulder was painfully obvious, but he couldn't just admit to Leon that he'd been on his way to meet Mondo at the men's gym.]
Ogami-san and Asahina-san offered to show me how the weighted machines work. I-in the gym.
[It was a lie, but not that far from the truth. They really had been enthusiastic to hear he wanted to become stronger. He hoped Mondo hadn't grown too upset waiting on him to arrive.]
I was on my way to meet them. That's the last thing I remember. U-um. Why do you ask?
no subject
Shit. Why's it only ever Leon who remembers being dead? How is that fair? . . . Though really, he's not sure which option is worse. For a second he thinks, I'm the worst possible person to tell him all he needs to know, I wasn't even there—then he remembers Togami exists.
Second-worst, then.
Which leaves Kirigiri. Maybe they can do it as a group thing, to support him through this screwed-up time—
Ah, his mind is wandering, and he's losing track of the conversation. He has to jerk himself out of it and remind himself of what Chihiro just asked, whoops.]
—Uh, no reason? Heh . . . I mean . . . okay, maybe a lot of reasons, but it'd be easier for Kirigiri to tell you all that.
[He pauses, but he's not satisfied with that explanation either. Pretty weak. He can at least explain the timeline confusion without going into specifics, though:]
How do I put this . . . obviously I wasn't around for that, y'know? So I'm "earlier" than you . . . but Kirigiri's "later" than you. She remembers stuff that happened after! And Togami's even "later" than she is! When CERES brings us here, they don't really worry about "when" we come from, get it? I know it sounds crazy!
no subject
Well there was a lot more to wonder about on that particular point, but he focused on the here and now. If a person could be picked from different points along the same timeline without affecting the outcome of those that followed, Leon was trying to explain that a pre-existing timeline where Togami was at the latest point and Kuwata was at the earliest had already occurred, so Kirigiri or Togami's memories would be the most accurate.
It was strange to think that a timeline might exist where he had interacted with the others and affected the course of events, yet he had no memory of it. Had he been able to access the school's database with Alter Ego? If so, what had he found? Had it helped the others at all? Were they still at the school? Had anyone else fallen victim to Monokuma's cruel reign?
So many questions. He fell into silent contemplation as he led them down the dark hallway, finally stopping in front of the double-doors he'd emerged from earlier. If that was all true then-
Even if Leon was here now, alive now, it didn't change what had happened to him in the timeline Chihiro knew. How would this end? They couldn't go back and quietly play the parts they'd been given, not with this new knowledge. It would have far-reaching effects on how each timeline played out. The number of hypothetical timelines was limitless.]
I think I understand the concept, but... I have a lot of questions.
[He gave a worried sort of smile.]
Ah! D-don't worry. I can wait and ask Kirigiri-san if it's difficult!
[He glanced nervously at the door, took a deep breath, and pushed.]
no subject
[He does want to try and help. And also definitely he's just as good at doing things as his smart classmates are! (Okay, he knows better than that, but he can't just admit to it to easily!)
Leon walks up to the door as Chihiro pushes it open. Whatever's back here, he's not scared of it, so he might as well go first, since Chihiro's clearly nervous. There's always the possibility it will be scary, and then he'll look like a moron for pushing ahead, but . . . well, it's hard to imagine freaking out more than Fujisaki over something.
So he cranes his neck to peer inside, putting himself between Chihiro and the door.]