week 0

[productions]

murder manor week zero



friday

[You wake in an unfamiliar bedroom, with no memory of how you came to be there and a sensation that something you once had is gone. The room you're in is luxurious and comfortable, but there is a musty feeling of disuse and decay in the air. Still, you've provided with new wardrobe perfectly tailored for you, a key ring that will unlock your bedroom door, so surely you're welcome to explore the manor?

Have a look around and make yourselves at home. You'll soon find you're not alone, but if any among you knows the secrets of this place, they aren't speaking.]

This is an open mingle log for arrival at the manor. Please put your character's name, location, and the time in the header of their comments. Characters are welcome to explore the manor and get to know one another; nothing else will be revealed to them today.

Setting
Cast

Comments

[throe]

I play in a band that's topped the charts for the past six months, why would I need to exploit people for money?

[ Plus, making money isn't all that important if she isn't sharing the fun with Riot and Minx in the first place. Especially after that whole superband ordeal... ]

I know some ancient rituals that will help us! But, like I said, I don't have the tools... [ She cradles her cheek with her hand, looking off somewhere nondescript. ] I've got it. We can make a witch's brew! To stave off the spirits from entering out bodies!

[balzams]

Uh... A-alright!

What kind of ingredients do you need for that? I think I saw some herbs growing in the garden.

[throe]

Yes! Whatever herbs we can find and... dandelion leaves. We'll have to mix them in with the other ingredients like... a banana peel, an entire bottle of vanilla extract, and a single strand of each of our hair. All blended together.

Otherwise, if we do something wrong, then that leaves us with the possibility of being possessed by the spirits that haunt this manor. [ She sympathetically places a hand on his shoulder. ] I don't think either of us want that to happen.

[balzams]

[Latvia anxiously glances at the hand on his shoulder and tries to wriggle out of her grip. It's nothing against Rapture, he just doesn't like being touched]

I-isn't that kind of risky? Maybe it would be better to wait and see if things become clearer.

[throe]

[ She doesn't seem to care all that much and instead, swiftly turns on her heel as she begins to head for the library's exit. ]

If you want to sit around waiting to be taken over by spirits, that's fine, but I'm not going to wait and let them have the chance.

[balzams]

No! Wait!

[Now that she'd made him this paranoid about it he didn't want to seem like the kind of person that would just welcome misfortune]

I-I'll help. I'm used to working in big houses like this so I could probably find things easily.

[throe]

[ She keeps her stride going, not even stopping to address him. ]

Good! Let's make our way to the gardens first, then we'll head for the kitchen. Hopefully they'll have everything else we need there, otherwise... there may not be a chance we'll make it out.

[ There's a pause, before she shrugs. ]

With my skills and knowledge though, it shouldn't be a problem.

[balzams]

[Latvia does his best to keep up, making sure to stay a step or two behind her. Even though he originally agreed as proof of his own autonomy, somehow he got the feeling that he'd just gotten roped into the same situation he'd always been in]

So you're really confident about this?

What do you need me to do exactly?

[throe]

Did you know that a mullo is a vampire that's come back from the dead because they didn't have a proper burial? They usually torment a relative or the one who killed them, sometimes people who didn't even attend the burial. [ Proud of her brief mythology lesson about her "ancestors," she looks over her shoulder with a glint in her eye. ] Of course I'm confident about this!

First, we'll have to see what kind of herbs they have... mint should work well enough. The dandelion leaves will bring everything together — they're a symbol of everlasting strength, the most important thing you need when warding off evil spirits.

[balzams]

I didn't know that...

I-I can look in the garden then. Those kinds of things should be easy to find.

[Although he does worry that he'll soon be asked for rare and obscure things that couldn't possibly be found within the manor grounds]

[throe]

Excellent. We'll meet back at the kitchen, I'll get everything else ready there. [ She pauses. ] Do you know where it is?

[balzams]

I know, I had a look around earlier.

So... mint and dandelion leaves, right?

[throe]

Right. [ They reach the bottom of the first floor stairs and she almost makes a move to pat him on the head, but remembers his reaction only moments earlier. So, she opts for an air pat instead. ] And don't come back until you find either, they're both very important!

[ Feeling clear in her actions, she sharply turns toward the dining room leading toward the kitchen with her far-too-long ponytail trailing behind her. ]

[balzams]

[Latvia flinches as she raises her hand, be lets out a slight sigh of relief as she picks up on the signals]

A-alright, I'll do my best.

[As she turns to the dining room he dashes off to the garden. It shouldn't be too hard to find them]

[throe]

[ Rapture, meanwhile, is seeking for the most important piece of the equation: the blender. Pots and pans clang loudly to the ground, but she doesn't bother to pick them up or put them somewhere less dangerous. Instead, she opens more cabinets, searching for it. The bananas and vanilla extract isn't so hard to find — she couldn't help but let out an impressed whistle at how stocked everything is — but the piece of simple machinery is eluding her. ]

This has to be an entirely different kitchen... [ She mutters to herself as another pot clangs loudly to the ground, just inches away from hitting her head. She doesn't seem to notice or care. ] I can't even find the blender this ti— ah-ha!

[ Yanking the blender from it's spot (not without a few more things falling in the process) she smiles triumphantly. A little mischievous chuckle escapes her. If Pizzazz wants a show, she'll get a show. ] Abracadabra.

[balzams]

[It takes him a while but eventually Latvia returns to the kitchen, a bunch of dandelion leaves in one hand and a small amount of mint in the other. His knees and hands are scuffed with dirt]

I found everything you asked for...

Where should I put it?

[He eyed the blender curiously. It certainly wasn't the kind of thing he normally associated with magic]

[throe]

[ She plugs in the blender and points just above the rim. ]

Put them in here. [ She starts to peel the banana, tossing the actual banana aside and slipping the peel into the blender. She notices his skepticism and starts to uncap the vanilla extract. ] Once I blend it, we'll have to drink it fast. Otherwise, it won't have the same effect.

Usually, I'd have a special potion to add, but... I think I have a spell or two that may work instead.

[balzams]

[Latvia tosses the plants into the blender and goes to wash his hands. Every so often he can't help but glance over his shoulder. It all seems so ordinary, he must really be desperate if he's turning to what may or may no be the supernatural]

Can you substitute potions for spells? Does it work like that?

[throe]

[ She pours the entirety of the vanilla extract into the blender. ]

That's why I require a strand of each of our hair. The spell will bind it to the brew and keeps us protected. [ She holds a shorter strand of hair from her bangs between her thumb and pointer finger and plucks it without a single wince. Briefly, she holds it closer to the light to admire it's golden sheen. A reminder of Riot and Minx idly makes her wonder where they are amongst these walls. ] That way, the spirits won't enter our bodies.

[balzams]

I see...

[Well, that kind of thing did seem more like a potion ingredient. He pulls out a few strands from the front of his hair without so much as flinching]

Is that why you have to drink it quickly? Or else the binding wears off?

[throe]

Yes! So, make sure to down it all at once. [ She reaches for the strands of his hair and drops it all into the blender. Placing the top on, she hits the button and it begins to turn into a deep brown slosh.

Rapture takes a deep breath and closes her eyes, chanting something under her breath. Really, it's just a quieter, sort of mumbled version of one of their songs. It's hard to hear it over the sound of the blender anyway. ]

There! [ She stops the blender and pulls out three glasses from the cabinet above them, though she only faces him with two. She pours the substance into the two glasses, gently tucking the third one behind the roll of paper towels. Shoving the glass into his hand, her voice is more rushed. ] Now! We must close our eyes and drink it as we envision the spell binding around us, protecting every part of our soul. Otherwise, there's no chance of escape!

[balzams]

[He doesn't notice her hide the extra glass, instead focused on the strangely coloured mixture and mentally preparing himself to actually drink it. As soon as the glass is in his hands he does as instructed.

Squeezing his eyes shut he tilts his head back to help it go down his throat, although it's hard to imagine anything when he's focused so much on not gagging. Somewhere along the line he's pretty sure he's been taken for a fool.

To his credit, he manages to down the whole thing. When the last of it was gone he wipes the back of his hand on his chin and promptly lurches forward, clamping his palm over his mouth. After a few moments of standing tense and hunched over, he relaxes a little with a sickened expression on his face]

[throe]

[ Once she's sure that he's not peeking, she makes a quick trade for the empty glass to hide the full one as best as she can, but not before dabbling a little bit of the substance into the clean one to give it the look of being used. It wouldn't have the same effect if her glass were spotless, naturally.

When he opens his eyes, she holds her glass before her looking no different. Oh, to hide her laughter upon his expression is nearly impossible. This is even better than fooling Pizzazz during her fawning over Riot! She presses her lips into a smile. ]

Great! It's rough for a first timer, I know, but just think: you're safe now! The spell has taken hold of our souls, we're untouchable.

[balzams]

[He glances over, completely un-amused and slides his glass onto the side. If she was going to get him to drink any other strange things she could forget it]

It better have worked, I don't want to go through all that for nothing.

C-can I have a glass of water though? That won't cancel it out or anything will it?

[throe]

[ Oh, why not? She's excelled in so many ploys today that she supposes she can ease off of it. For now. ]

Only if you don't drink it as fast as you drank the brew. Regular water is too... mundane, it'll cancel it out if you don't sip it.