HEARTGAME FOR KONATSUN

[forthefonofit]

[ ♫ ]

[ You suddenly find yourself standing in the absolute thick of an intense snowstorm. The wind whips around and over you, pummeling flurries into you. The cold sinks down deep into your bones with what feels like an unshakable grip. The furthest you can see with any decent clarity is three feet around you, beyond which everything becomes shadow blobs of themselves. ]

[ Yet strangely there's a light in the distance. It doesn't look particularly welcoming, but it's certainly different. Better get moving before the snow starts building up around you. ]

Comments

SNOWSTORM

[forthefonofit]

Re: SNOWSTORM

[unfortunateson]

[pulling his coat around him, teeth chattering, trudging in that direction] What is this . . . ? Beauty? Can you hear me!

Re: SNOWSTORM

[forthefonofit]

[ Silence, other than the wind. There's enough snow that your voice sounds muffled even to you. ]

Re: SNOWSTORM

[unfortunateson]

[glancing behind himself, just in case] Hello!

Re: SNOWSTORM

[forthefonofit]

[ There's the faintest growl in the distance. ]

Re: SNOWSTORM

[unfortunateson]

[ . . . stopping, and drawing his sword, readying himself, heading in that direction instead] I see.

Re: SNOWSTORM

[forthefonofit]

[ As you draw closer, you hear the crackling of lightning just above the din of the snowstorm. ]

Re: SNOWSTORM

[unfortunateson]

[hesitates, and then sheaths his sword] Well. I can wait for that to pass.

Re: SNOWSTORM

[forthefonofit]

[ As you wait, the snow piles up around your legs. ]

[ Eventually the crackle of lightning and the growls go away. But now you're stuck in a snow drift. ]

Town Hub

[forthefonofit]

[ ♫ ]

[ A circular mosaic of what seem to be simple gray stones surrounds the base of a large tree. The tree itself is a mass of thick black branches and covered in nails up above, though the trunk itself is not. Out of the thorny masses are puffs of vibrant green leaves and fruits of all kinds. Lights glow from within as well, lighting the small area. Under the tree, a boy with red eyes sits with a book, glaring at you. ]

[ Stepping closer, you leave the worst of the snowstorm behind, though the area outside of the tree's light is still shrouded in snowfall. ]

Re: Town Hub

[unfortunateson]

. . . C--

Jade!

Re: Town Hub

[forthefonofit]

What.

Re: Town Hub

[unfortunateson]

Ah, this is--what is this? Hello. Do you remember me?

Re: Town Hub

[forthefonofit]

Yes. [:|]

Re: Town Hub

[unfortunateson]

[SMILES] I'm glad! Do you know where we are?

Re: Town Hub

[forthefonofit]

Obviously.

Re: Town Hub

[unfortunateson]

Will you help me navigate, then?

Hall of Fountains

[forthefonofit]

[ ♫ ]

[ A long, wide room greets you the instant you walk in. The floor is covered in intricately designed blue tiles of subtly different shades in a mosaic that's difficult to discern at this scale. Fountains line the walls to either side. The light from the glass lined basins reflects color back up onto the otherwise plain gray blocks in fourteen different colors. ]

[ At the far end of the room sits a blond man seated casually yet confidently on a large yellow couch that's surrounded by piles of pillows and... pigs...? ]

Re: Hall of Fountains

[unfortunateson]

What on earth . . .

[yeah ATTENTION GOTTEN BY THE PIGS RIGHT AWAY, UH heading over!]

Re: Hall of Fountains

[forthefonofit]

[ Yep. Those are definitely long-eared pigs. They're each as big as an adult golden retriever, though clearly this bunch isn't quite as friendly. Not that it seems to make a difference to that blond guy seated at the other end, who seems to just happily dote on the lot of them. ]

[ There are 8 of them, and each one has a colored key hanging from a simple collar hanging around their necks. One wearing a red key and another with a yellow key are happily flopped together on the pillows. One of the two with light pink keys isn't that far from them. The other two are curled up at the blond's feet. Three have brown keys and are wandering about, though one takes a drink from the similarly colored fountain. ]

Re: Hall of Fountains

[unfortunateson]

[glancing at the red and yellow keyed pigs, THAT'S A RELEVANT COLOR COMBINATION, before approaching this dashing mysterious blond iya]

Excuse me, sir . . . ?

Re: Hall of Fountains

[forthefonofit]

[ The blond man looks up from the pig and waves with a smile. ] "Oh hey, a visitor! You're definitely not what I was expecting to see at all."

"What can I do to help?"

Re: Hall of Fountains

[unfortunateson]

[bows a little] I am Konatsu Warren, of Ruby--if you know what Ruby is--well, if you live here I suppose you must have some understanding of it but that is not the point--

--may I ask who you are?

Re: Hall of Fountains

[forthefonofit]

[ He laughs boisterously, echoing in the long hall. ]

"You're the first one to straight out ask me that. I'm Peony."

Re: Hall of Fountains

[unfortunateson]

Ah--others have come before me? I did not see anyone else . . .

It's a pleasure to meet you, sir. What did you mean, I was not what you were expecting? Are you well acquainted with Colonel Jade?