day nine

[guestcontrol]

dreamland day nine 10 players remaining. There are no clocks in your dorm room to help you mark the passing of time, but at a certain point, in the early hours of the morning, a cheerful chime tune plays over the loudspeaker. Whether you're awake or asleep, the door to your dorm room is now unlocked. You'll have about a forty five minutes, in which you can get ready or grab some breakfast, before the door that allows you into the park unlocks. By this time, you may or may not have noticed that one of your number is missing. Oh, there's one other thing this morning - your bracelets are no longer working. Fortunately, your rooms have all been left unlocked, as is the entrance to the park. Oh, and you still might not want to go near the fences; the automatic weapons in the guard towers are still a thing. The chimes play again, to announce that the park is open, and the rides and music begin to come back to life as a voice plays over the loudspeaker. "Congratulations to the tippy top ten! You made it!" You will have until 4 PM to explore the park and talk amongst yourselves. Somewhere in the park, you'll find the body of Oz Vessalius. rulebook character statuses private conversations graveyard

Comments

[cheats]

Ciel isn't—

[ It's an odd response, but it's cut off with a choked sound. Ciel is right over there, laying on the operating ta— No, that's not what it is. It's a platform in a circus, or an altar? It's too many things, and he can't pick them out. What's real, what's unreal, what's a memory and what's happening right now, they're all blending together, and it's frightening. It's frightening enough for Ciel to cling back desperately, hugging Mabel without any hesitation and so tightly that it's almost painful. ]

Don't leave. Just— don't let them take you too.

[ineptus]

[Her heart aches at that. It doesn't matter if the hug is almost painful, she doesn't flinch away, shaking her head instead and just tightening her grip.]

I won't. I won't go anywhere, Ciel. I won't leave you, I promise!

[No matter what, she'll stay right by his side as long as he needed.]

[cheats]

[ It's not Ciel, and yet... He feels comforted by those words all the same. His grip relaxes slightly, not so desperate in how he holds her, but he still trembles as he cries, because that noble composure of his is all but lost in the face of this part of his past. Ciel doesn't let go, because he feels afraid that if he let's go of Mabel, she'll be taken away, but... It helps. It helps, even if it's only a little. ]

Then... We'll be okay. As long as we're together, it'll be okay.

[ineptus]

[No. No no no Ciel stop. Please, you're breaking her heart. Mabel nods, willing herself not to cry too. She couldn't cry right now, because that wouldn't help. And she needed to help Ciel. Even if she...wasn't positive how.]

That's right! That's right...as long as we're together, we'll be fine. Don't worry Ciel. I'll stay right by your side!

[cheats]

Then... I can't. Here, it's—

[ He glances around, but his gaze is pointedly away from the scene in the center, though his eye eventually falls on the exit. ]

I can't stay here. Can we leave?

[ineptus]

O-of course! [She gives him a squeeze before gently letting go so she can stand and help him to his feet.]

Of course we can. Let's go somewhere else! Where do you want to go?

[Do you want to ride the rides, Ciel? Or maybe go for a walk on Pleasant Street? Just name it and she's definitely there with you.]

[cheats]

[ He's shaky on his feet, because he's still trembling from head to toe, because even just being near that day is too much for him. But with Mabel's help, he can manage, and he turns his back on the scene, because he can't bear to look again. He has to think about it for several moments, but there was something he could think of. Sebastian, of all people... He knew what to do. ]

...The kitchen.

[ It's probably surprising that Ciel wants to eat, but he adds softly, ]

I'd like warm milk with honey. [ do they even have these things?? who knows ]

[ineptus]

[It is a little surprising, but then comfort food isn't called comfort food without reason, right...?]

Warm milk with honey...okay! Let's see if we can find some. And I can make it for you if we do!

[Mabel quickly takes his hand, whether he wants her to or not. Come on, Ciel! Let's go find that milk and honey!]

I could make you something else to eat too if you want. After the milk and honey of course.

[cheats]

[ For Mabel, he doesn't mind at all, and his gaze drifts down to their hands as they walk. It's warm, he thinks. It's warm in a way that's both comforting and makes him want to keep crying, because it's similar, but not the same. That feeling... would never return. And that makes him grip Mabel's hand a little more tightly as he obediently follows a bit behind her, though his gaze is directed towards the ground, far from the elegant nobleman he usually was. ]

No... No, I think just that will be fine. My butler makes it for me, when... [ But he trails off here, seeming to not want to finish the sentence, but it's clear enough from his tone what the rest of it might have been. It's always his drink of choice when things like this happen, whether in reality or just a nightmare. ]

[ineptus]

[As they continue walking, she glances back at him when he trails off. She's curious and wants to ask, but seeing him looking down at the ground like that...it's probably best not to pry. Instead she squeezes his hand and looks forward again.]

If you change your mind let me know, okay? And if your butler makes it for you, you may need to tell me how to make it right. Because I'm no butler so I don't know any butlery techniques or anything!

[cheats]

[ He nods slowly, and once again lapses into a silence, like has has to really think about how to even respond to that. His mind is getting clearer the further they get from the circus tent, but there's a part of him that doesn't want it to. He had done that, hadn't he? What right did he have to even be given this comfort? ]

...I don't think it's hard, at least.

[ Finally, he offers that much. ]

Sebastian would just heat it up, and I add a lot of honey. [ because he has a mega sweet tooth ]

[ineptus]

[That didn't matter to her. Whether he deserved it or not, Mabel was not going to deny him this comfort. And if that made her a bad person, well. So what. There were plenty of other people to be angry and yell at him, just like there were for every other person before him.]

A lot of honey? Why am I not surprised, hee hee. Well then I will heat it up for you. I could add the honey too! So you can just sit and relax. But I might add too much.

[You did see her on day one, right? Walking around with arms literally full of sweets?]

[cheats]

[ ciel, honey, and oz all did the same thing... I'm pretty sure that candy store was empty within like five minutes, god. ]

[ But that makes him smile, even if it's feeble and weary, and he looks up towards Mabel. ]

That's okay. There's no such thing, probably.

[ #famouslastwords ]

[ineptus]

I'm pretty sure there is. I'm pretty sure there is a phrase out there that goes, "Do you want milk with that honey".

[Yes, good, smile. Even if it's feeble and weary, smile. And she smiles too, almost grinning back at him when she says that.]

Careful. You don't want me to turn it into Mabel Juice.

[Not that she thinks that concoction is bad at all. Psh, plebeians just don't know what they're missing.]

[cheats]

...Mabel Juice?

[ This sounds like something he should be afraid of, so he repeats it warily. ]

[ineptus]

Why does everyone always say it like that?

[Does that tell you anything?]

Don't worry about it, I'm teasing. Just warm milk with honey for you. No Smile Dip or soda or toy dinosaurs drifting endlessly in the tiny sea of your cup!

[cheats]

I don't even know what most of those are...

[ But he doesn't say so with any of his usual vigor, though he is trying to imagine what kind of concoction this could be. Considering Mabel, he's pretty sure it's not edible, but definitely colorful. ]

[ineptus]

[It is very colorful, but it is also totally edible. She's had plenty of it and she is still walking and talking. Even if some of it contained things like dice and troll dolls...]

You don't? That's so wrong! Well, you're probably not missing much on the Smile Dip front that stuff probably...isn't safe...but still! The rest of it you are really missing out on.

[It's okay. There's enough vigor in her voice for the both of them. That's what they need right now. Something normal. And he's struggling with that, so that means it's up to her...

There may be some cases that she's truly useless, but something like this? She can do this.]

Almost to the kitchen now! Not much further!