dramatispersonae | ✩ Emerald

Each team finds themselves in . . . what appears to be a space trying desperately to imitate, perhaps, someone's grandmother's overly-cluttered attic. At the very least, there are things everywhere, perched precariously on shelves and ledges, on tables, under tables, tables on tables, cupboards, closets . . .

There is an elaborate gramophone on one of the tables that begins to play with slow, winding crackle of static:

"There's a lot to making things, you know? A lot of components, a lot of pieces, a lot of parts . . . I'm sure you know that! It would be impossible not to. After all, humans themselves are made of a lot of parts! I'll bet if we took you apart you'd be stunned at how many parts there really are, you know, parts that are soft and squishy and parts that are hard and parts that were hurt as a child and parts that yearn for the future . . . well. We're not going to! If we took you apart there'd be nobody left to play the game. But! I wonder what parts you'd show if we were to take you apart just a little . . . ah. Or, just—what parts you'd show if we asked. What will you show? And I suppose, after all, you're each a part of a part of something else, and you'll have to work with what you have . . . but! Maybe that's part of the game. Hmmm . . . parts that are safe to show and parts that aren't—opening up your ribcage to show your heart, now, that would be something! I really think that would be something. But—it's up to you."

Instructions!

In the room, you'll find . . .

✩ tables, chairs, and various furniture
✩ a wardrobe full of costumes & clothing (dresses! monocles! fluffy bunny hats!)
✩ numerous art supplies and paper
✩ a basin of water
✩ several coils of rope
✩ an entire bag of feathers
✩ a set of cutlery
✩ several volumes of assorted poetry
✩ a box labelled "secrets"
✩ boxes of uncooked pasta
✩ buckets of paint
✩ a full-length mirror
✩ molding clay
✩ a box of small handheld percussion instruments
✩ a bass drum
✩ a set of glass spheres that, when held, can store memories for sharing
✩ a large stuffed koala
✩ a bucket full of keys
✩ hundreds of eyeball-shaped stickers
✩ a giant ball of red yarn
✩ a poloroid camera
✩ a hammer
✩ an empty wine bottle
✩ a full bottle of wine
✩ a makeup kit

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[wait wat]

Virtual reality . . . ?

[ohh . . . ]

It explains some strange things, like how I know about modern technology and history. Not why, though.

... anyway, I try not to think about it much. The Amatsuki is still the Amatsuki, whatever kind of world it is.

It does sound kind of complicated.

Right?

Mmm.

[pauses and thinks]

Have I ever told you about the Book of Friends?

... no, you haven't.

My grandmother could see youkai too. She had a lot of spiritual power so she would often take the names of youkai and place them in the Book of Friends. Whoever holds the book also holds control over all of the spirits listed inside.

I'm trying to return all of the names.

That... sounds like a pretty big job.

It's something I can't tell anyone, but at the same time I can say it here because the book is safe at home. I can do a lot of things here.

[nods]

Aather's oddly freeing, isn't it? For all it forces us to play games and for all the Personae are bound by their stories... we're freed from the restrictions we have in our home world.

. . . it is. That's why I can't always understand everyone's feelings.

I think it'd be more surprising if you could. Understanding people's feelings is hard. But you try, which is the important part.

. . .

Thanks.

✩ Emerald

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