[ENTER THE PALACE]

[warpweft]

[You find yourself with a sensation like floating in water.]

[Above, the sky is dark. You can occasionally see things shifting, like gusts of wind, or perhaps waves of water. Is it…even a sky above you? Or is it some kind of giant ocean? Whatever it is, you can’t make it out very well. All around you, you appear to be floating in what appears to be water. It looks like a great, wide ocean of…space in every direction around you, with stars and lights twinkling in the distance. It looks like water and feels like water, but it doesn’t make you wet. You can reach your hand into it and pull some out, the purple and violet water and the tiny points of light inside it will even rest in your hands if you cup them to carry it, but once you’re not trying to hold it anymore, it’ll flow off of you, not a single drop remaining behind. You feel something similar if you go underneath the surface. The “water” doesn’t touch your eyes, mouth or nose when give the chance, it merely drifts around you, allowing you to breathe and see unabated. And you can see for a great distance, the twinkling stars illuminating the ocean of space all around you. Though perhaps less dark and empty, it feels every bit as vast as the sky above. You feel like you could swim forever and never reach the edge.]

[It’s quiet, here, with little noise around you but the starry ocean’s waves crashing back into its surface. It’s peaceful. In another situation, it might even be comfortable.]

Comments

[voidhearts]

... ... ...

[The woman tilts her sunglasses down. She gives a long, long, long look at Tsumugi.]

Are you asking for work...on behalf of someone else?

[cosplayed_out]

[she shakes her head.]

I'm purely an independent contractor. Completely freelance.

[voidhearts]

I see.

You made your own choice to come here?

And you're certain you won't regret it?

[cosplayed_out]

...Yes...?

[voidhearts]

....we'll see.

[She seems skeptical, but, she opens the door and walks back into the house, allowing Tsumugi inside.]

Come in.

[The inside of the house is very nicely kept. There’s a stone-top counter separating the kitchen from the living room. The living room is centered around the hearth and the fireplace in it. There’s a bookshelf next to it and a couch and a pair of easy chairs. One of the chairs has an ottoman with hinges on it. Down the hall, there’s a few doors, all of them closed. The woman pours some water into a kettle and puts it on the stove. The only light is from a small lamp and the fireplace isn’t lit. Outside, it was a beautiful Summer day, but it suddenly feels kind of. Dark and cold, in here. Despite welcoming you in, the woman doesn’t seem particularly excited about your presence, either.]

[While the woman busies herself with the stove, Tsumugi's phone gets a notification.]

[You are being offered a new quest. Accept?
> Yes
> No]

[cosplayed_out]

[she'll go ahead and hit 'accept' on that phone.]

Um... Thank you for inviting me in! Your house looks just plain... homey.

/2

[voidhearts]

[New Quest obtained!]
[Quest: The Sister]
[The story of two sisters and what being a witch means to both of them.]

[Before you see the first step of the new quest....]

[Welcome to the Palace: Step 3 completed!]

[Wow, look at you go!]

[Step 4: Collect a memory.
Experience a memory and add it to your inventory.
Shadow Nessa: Honestly, this place is in such bad shape. Memories are just pouring out of every nook and cranny right now, odds are you’ll have tripped over one before you even got to this step. Sigh. The inner sanctum of my soul really has seen better days.]

[With that put to one side for a moment....]

[voidhearts]

[The woman has removed her mask and is fixing a stare on you.]

Forgive me for being forward. I don't like to dance around things.

My name is Agnis. I'm Nessa's sister.

I know who you are. I know why you're here. I know what you're looking for. If you want me to help you find it, I need you to understand what we've already gone through over it - what she's already gone through. And I need to know that you're really here to help her.

If you're not, it would be better for you to leave before you get hurt.

[And with that...]

[Step 1: Bring an item or memory of Nessa’s back to Agnis.
Find an item representing Nessa or a memory of Nessa's somewhere else in the palace and bring it back to Agnis to unlock Nessa’s room.
Shadow Nessa: Look. Don’t take it too personally, she’s like this with everybody when the subject is me and some magic horseshit trouble I’ve gotten myself into. But she seems to find you particularly distasteful for some reason, so, take it at least a little personally. Maybe it’s an odor thing? Anyway, you should be able to find something of mine somewhere else in the palace. Don't start rooting around the house when she's in a mood like this unless you want her to go outside and grab a tree branch. Not kidding.]

[cosplayed_out]

So... you know I'm the Ultimate Cosplayer?

[That's kind of mean, she thinks when she reads the message, but she keeps it to herself.]

So you want a Symbol of Trust.

[voidhearts]

I do.

And, yes. Or the start of one, at least.

[cosplayed_out]

... Then why did you act like you would send me plain away?

[voidhearts]

Why did you ask me for work instead of being honest about why you're here?

[cosplayed_out]

I didn't know how meta we were getting about these quests. I thought you'd be acting within the context of a real villager without self-awareness.

This is like when you try to roleplay your character at a con and meet another cosplayer playing a character from the same series. It's a natural instinct to engage them like the character you're playing.

[voidhearts]

I don't know what most of those words mean. But they sound like words Nessa might know. Which is good, I suppose.

To put it as simply as I can, those of us in here that can actually help you already understand why you're here and what you're trying to do.

[i.e., if they're giving a quest, they know the score.]

[cosplayed_out]

...Okay, okay. A symbol of trust! I will bring it.

[voidhearts]

Good luck.

[cosplayed_out]

Where we're going, we don't need roads!

[quickly going to leave]

[voidhearts]

.....don't know what that means, either.

[You exit the house. You can go back down the hill or take the path from the backyard into the forest.]

[You can also, you know, leave this wing immediately without having to go all the way back to the starting point, if you want.]

[cosplayed_out]

[Winds her way back to Agnis with the bell!]

Hello again, Miss Agnis! I believe this will serve as a symbol of the trust Nessa has in me!

[she'll hand it over.]

[voidhearts]

[Agnis takes the replica bell.]

Hm....

[She looks it over for a moment and gives it a ring. It sounds a little softer than it did back in the motel, but Agnis is still listening to the tone it lets out, carefully....]

It sounds like you two have been through a lot together.

[cosplayed_out]

...The zombie game when I accused her of betraying me was a time I was under a form of mind-control. My actions during then were not my own.

[voidhearts]

You apologized for hitting her with a club, right?

[cosplayed_out]

I did. I plain remembered what I did. And what she said. She cried out "I'm sorry, Nell," while I hit her.

I brought it up later and told her that she absolutely did not betray me. It was the mind-control. And furthermore... I told her I didn't want her to associate what happened back then as akin to whatever happened with 'Nell.' Because she absolutely did not betray me. She did all she could to help me.

I didn't know any details about Nell, and I didn't press, but I could plain tell it was someone important to her and whatever circumstances existed were plain eating her up inside. So... we hugged. And moved on.

[voidhearts]

[... Agnis closes her eyes lets out a low sigh. It sounds like what Tsumugi is describing doesn't sound very unbelievable to her.]

She's carrying a lot with her. She...has a habit of always feeling like she should've done more.

I'm sorry that the two of you went through that. Thank you for supporting her.

[Agnis gestures for Tsumugi to follow her and walks down the hall.]

Please, come with me. I'd like to show you something.

[cosplayed_out]

[she nods, and follows, taking it seriously]