lostcarnival | ⇨ HEARTSTONE MANOR

Entry tags:

⇨ HEARTSTONE MANOR

Who: Everyone!
When: Day 170 - Day ???
Where: Heartstone Manor
What: The carnival arrives at the Heartstone Manor. Do your best to play along, and try not to get too far ahead of the schedule with threading if you can avoid it, in case something that would affect your character happens early on.
Warnings: Individually marked! Could be a lot of things.

BEAUTIES AND THE BEAST↴

When the carnival arrives at the Manor, everyone will be taken into the Throne Room to greet the Prince for the first time. He will be lounging on his throne, and will take a look at the guests that the Ringmaster has brought before eventually dismissing everyone so that he can talk to her alone. After that, they will be given a brief tour of the Manor by some of the servants, and then brought to their rooms to start picking out clothes for tomorrow. On the first night they will be permitted to wear regular clothes, but starting the next morning the dress code will be enforced.

There will be a number of servants helping guests with clothing, and making alterations to suit the non-humanoid features they may have. The tailors work with fabric by hand, but their stitching is impossibly quick and accurate, with changes being made to complex clothing at unbelievable speed. Some guests may note while working with them that one of the seamstresses has wooden mannequin-esque hands instead of human ones, and another has two sets of arms. The arms are one of the most obviously inhuman traits that they'll see while first touring the building.

Come the morning of Day 171, the daily routine will begin.

⇨ THE DAILY SCHEDULE ⇦

► FIVE MEALS A DAY: Between breakfast, lunch, tea, supper, and evening drinks, the meals you are required to attend are frequent and long. Each meal (except drinks and tea) will have multiple rounds, and use all of the fancy cutlery. It will be difficult to keep up for those that are untrained. The food will vary greatly, but will generally to be palatable to those that are into whatever kind of food it might be. Some of them are odd delicacies that are very much an acquired taste, however. People who cannot eat will be given a pass once the Ringmaster explains it, but will be looked down on for it.

► DAILY ACTIVITIES: There are scheduled activities for every morning and afternoon,
and everyone is required to attend. Descriptions of each activity are provided on the "Event Descriptions" tab of the spreadsheet linked up above. There is only one hour of free time scheduled per day, after supper, and beyond that the servants will almost constantly have you on the go. The Prince and Ringmaster will not be present for most of the activities, but they will be there for every meal. If you character refuses to follow the schedule or makes a huge mess out of proceedings, make sure to report it here.

► AFTER CURFEW: At 11PM, everyone is expected to return to their quarters and spend the rest of the night there. Wandering after curfew is unacceptable by the Prince's rules, and if you do it there will be the chance of discover. Based on your character's stealth abilities, there will be dice rolling to determine if they are discovered or not, and by whom. Make sure you report any after curfew activity to the mod post here. This can also take place as an investigation if they are actually looking for something instead of just farting around.

► ROOM AND BOARD: The servants will remain upbeat for most of the time the guests are here, unless something is done to provoke them. They will be present at every activity, and there will be a variety of different individuals. One frequently spotted character will be the butler, a man with dark hair and small, sharp horns. He seems to be the main organizer of things.

► ODDITIES: Even beyond the obvious, there is something off about the Manor. Doors, windows, and other household objects will sometimes move seemingly without cause, and other times there will be banging sounds in the walls, or mysterious voices heard at a distance. It feels like you're being haunted. If you have a moment to wander the corridors, then you'll sometimes see open doors abruptly slam shut the moment you lay eyes on them, and wall sconces turn off or on. It's weird, man.

► THE HUNT: The Hunt activity will have its own event post, and some sign ups for those that will participate meaningfully. There will be some dice rolling to determine who hunts the most impressive game, and rewards handed out accordingly. Before that post goes up, however, you can do some investigations for the start of the event, if your character is interested in looking into the specifics of the contest and overall context.

MAKE SURE THAT ALL DECORUM VIOLATIONS ARE REPORTED HERE.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Don't ask how he got inside the room. He won't say. He would only reveal his secrets to those that he wished to trust. Other than that it would be a matter of seeing it in action. Despite the fact that everyone had abilities there were some things he would rather keep secret to a point.

It's about two hours after curfew that he passes through wall after wall of bedrooms. Past sleeping bodies he lurked as he took care to ensure he passed through the right ones that didn't have known supervisors. The only ones he wasn't aware of were Zecora and Peridot. His expensive shoes touch the inner sanctum of that room as each step pushes him further inside and he's almost instantly disappointed in not seeing Childermass. He had wanted to make this quick as not to be out for long.

Yet his brow will raise rather high with an amused look at a pony settle in as the other occupant. Was it a snuck in pet or a carnival member?]

[Whereas Zecora regards him with a distinctly unamused look that ought to leave no question whatsoever as to her intelligence. Well, that and the fact that she looks up from a book to do it.]

You do know by leaving your room
You risk sending us all to doom?

[She's rather beautiful at least and looks rather refined despite being what she is. It's when she talks that he seems somewhat alarmed if only for a second because he wasn't expecting it at all.]

I haven't gone far and I am only here to give a report. Once I finish I'll return to my room, ma'am.

If Childermass approves of this
I'll do more than boo and hiss.

[She turns her annoyed expression on the empty half of the room.]

Here is my retort:
Give me your report.
When I see him I'll relay
It with no delay.

He's been busy all day and quite popular. There was hardly a time I could pull him aside.

[Ah, he's getting tempted to rhyme back. Is that bad?]

Sorry, ma'am. I will give my report to him and him only. It is only a few rooms over and despite invading a little privacy I'm not actually stepping outside.

[Zecora has, after a great deal of time and effort, stopped viewing people rhyming back at her as efforts at flirting with her. This was a difficult cultural barrier to overcome.]

What is this report that it must
Earn more care than a Supervisor's trust?

[Thankfully it would be far too much effort for him to think of every little line so he doesn't.]

Supervisor? Oh pardon me. I didn't realize I was in the presence of authority. It's a matter of reliance, if I must explain. If someone gave you a task and you always put the end result on someone else, could you honestly be shocked at their disappointment later on when they no longer trust you to deliver?

If he's behind you wandering about
We will have words. I might shout.
Your argument I'd give more chances
If not for our circumstances.
Since you could bring upon us doom
If you are caught out of your room.

[Seriously, Childermass -- what were you thinking?]

It's not his fault. I doubt he would expect this from me. You can talk about it later if you wish but this is the only time I could pull him away to say anything at all.

[He slides the radio out from where it was on his purpose and he lets it weigh there in his hand.] I don't exactly trust these and if he's out and about or near a servant, wouldn't it be bad to contact him if he was 'busy'?

I have scouts in my room and along the hallway. I'll know if someone is turning into my room and I could run straight there if I had to.

You assume much of your skill
For getting this thrill.
It would be tragic
If you forgot about magic.

[Zecora waves one obsidian hoof at the air, encompassing the castle as a whole.]

What could justify
The risk, in your eye?

[It's a good question as he leans back against the wall and picks a solid corner to slide down into a sit. Despite what she asks he is determined and unless she physically forces him out he's not going to leave.]

It is because that is what I'm used for. I will report in the safest way I can. He is my boss and I want to be used in this manner.

Danger to yourself, I could understand.
But is the danger to everypony else planned?

[You can't stop people from being self-sacrificing, though you can advise them to make better choices. But the way he puts it makes it sound like an act of -- if not precisely rebellion, then selfishness.]

Danger is never planned. It lurks around every corner and can always be a nuisance if anyone steps out of line. I mean not to endanger anyone. I should have no need to wander far.

[He's reaching into his coat and pulling out several apples he hoarded. He didn't expect a need for a snack right away but here he was biting into it.] I'm not leaving. At least not right now.

You've wandered farther than is allowed.
A fact which seems to make you proud. [She points this out, but her surrender is obvious in her voice. It's just as she predicted from the very beginning, as she mutters to herself.]

Once again, folly brings pain
For absolutely no gain.
They'll come to me, and gnash and weep
And yet again I'll lose weeks of sleep.

Breaking limits is one of my specialties. It's not necessarily proud.

[But he won't elaborate. She has a point. He takes another bite and mulls over her words. Now he's curious.]

Therapist? Doctor? Consultant?

[Well, he certainly doesn't even know the other supervisory positions, does he. Though she supposes if any position would be happier unneeded, it's hers...]

'Doctor' is the role
But when life takes its toll
Those other roles I play.
It varies, day-to-day.

[Nope. He doesn't know them at all. It's not like they are just plastered just anywhere for him to look up. If they are he hasn't noticed at all. He only knows his Stagemanger: Joker, his boss Childermass, The Lady: the Ringmaster, Lambert as the Nightrider and he's heard the name Sans on the radio. Otherwise he's clueless.]

That must keep you rather busy, Miss...? Or should I call you Doctor.

'Zecora' is the name you seek.
I am surprised that did not leak.
But then again, you've not been here
Long, so you do not yet fear.

[Time in Hell goes a long way towards establishing a baseline for worst possible case. Whatever will happen here is unlikely to be worse -- but that does not mean it won't be very bad indeed.]

Enchanting.

[Which is an odd way of saying A pleasure to meet you... given the circumstances.]

I've lost track of time here but I suppose that won't matter in the long run. I think I've been here about a month. Maybe a bit more.

A shorter time is just as well.
You had no chance to visit Hell.
Nor live an alternate life
In Portland's supernatural strife.
But heed the voice of experience:
Provoking trouble makes no sense.
You invite no simple, forgettable sting.
Instead, you risk true suffering.

[Zecora may speak in rhyme, but not hyperbole. Her even, matter-of-fact tone defies any belief that she is exaggerating the dangers that might await.]

Hell? Now that sounds ominous. [Because he knows what the Hell should be given he's heard stories in his youth. It's unfortunately not the same as what she's talking about.]

I hear you, Miss Zecora. I do. I don't think I would enjoy getting the lot of you in trouble but I have my reasons.

I admit I have no more control
Over you than I would any foal.
And what will happen I do not know
But please spare me from 'I told you so.'

[Even as she says it, she's depressingly certain she will not get her wish. Everypony insisted on going their own way, even when that way was dangerous purely for the sake of being so.]

[That is a lot of pony things. He has to think as she speaks to translate it all.]

As you wish. I shall do my best to oblige what I can. For now I'll resign myself to this corner. Care for an apple in the meantime? I have plenty. [Though um, that seems a bit like he's offering because she's a pony. He's not but... it certainly sounds like it.]

[Zecora rolls her eyes, albeit with some amusement. He is both determined to be obstinate and polite all at the same time, which made this situation all the more frustrating.]

I'll accept, though it won't be graced
With the greatest apple taste.
Across this multiverse we roam
And I've never found ones as good as home.

[Holy shit. Forget the corridors, hallways and manor. The topic of apples always perks his interest. He loves them just as much as he does fish. It's his all time top food with that swimming delicacy.

He's up on his feet again as not to be impolite and he'll walk over and set the apple down beside her before returning to his corner. Wow, just look at him grin at the conversation.]

Apples? Better than these? Even the carnivals? Are they sweet, bitter, sour, juicy?

⇨ HEARTSTONE MANOR

Night 170

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