[GAME 38] TIGER'S EYE

[dramatispersonae]

[You find yourself on a circular island of grass. Though night has fallen, the island is surprisingly well-illuminated by a stone lantern at its center. The lantern's light reaches far enough to reveal that the island is surrounded by water -- a pond? The water's glassy, greenish surface is only broken by the stems of huge white lotuses. Each lotus flower seems to glow ever so slightly, providing just a bit more light to the scene. The air is full of the scent of flowers and greenery, and the sound of crickets is almost deafening at first. It doesn't seem a stretch to assume that you're in some sort of garden.

Four ornamental wooden bridges, painted red, stretch over the pond in opposite directions. You can't tell where they lead. For the moment, the entrance to each bridge is blocked by a thickly-woven rope with zigzags of white paper hanging from them.

There is no moon in the sky, and the stars are only dim points of light.]

Comments

[MINGLE-ISH]

[dramatispersonae]

[RULES]

[dramatispersonae]

[A scroll appears next to the lantern, and a moment later the Masked Lady's voice seems to issue forth from everywhere and nowhere at once.]

Are you familiar with hanafuda? Their name means "flower cards." You can play all sorts of games with them. Most of these games involve matching certain cards together in order to gain the most points. I enjoy card games well enough, but they can be a bit… boring on their own, don't you think? So let's find a way to, mm, make things a little more interesting.

There are thirteen islands in this garden. Each island, save the one you are currently standing on, represents a hanafuda suit. When you cross to an island, you will be given a choice of three tasks to perform. If you perform the task of least difficulty, you will be awarded the card with the least value, whereas the most strenuous task will give you the most valuable card. Some of these tasks involve your entire team. Others involve only a single person.

You will five islands -- which islands you choose is entirely up to you -- and you may only carry a maximum of three cards at a time. When you complete your fourth task, you will be asked which card you would like to discard. Certain combinations of cards will give you more points than others, so please choose carefully.

I wonder what tasks you will perform…? Ufufufu…

[The ropes blocking the bridges fall away. When unrolled, the scroll provides a map of the garden. On the reverse side is a summary of the rules:

一。 Move to an island. Obviously, you may only move to islands connected to the one you are currently on.
二。 Choose a task to perform. Once you have performed it, you will be given a card.
三。 You will visit a total of five islands and perform a task on each.
四。 When you have acquired more than three cards, you will be asked to discard one.]

Re: [MINGLE-ISH]

[ganbareist]

[ah, tiger's eye and elliot... deep breath, looking around]

Beautiful place.

Re: [MINGLE-ISH]

[reducedtoasch]

A little strange though.

Re: [MINGLE-ISH]

[ferrissaves]

This doesn't look like a setup for writing stories.

Re: [MINGLE-ISH]

[andallthekingsmen]

I haven't worked with your team before. My name is Elliot Nightray, pleased to meet you.

Re: [MINGLE-ISH]

[ganbareist]

[squeezes Asch's shoulder]

Everybody good and awake now?

Re: [MINGLE-ISH]

[ferrissaves]

Ferris. Likewise.

Re: [MINGLE-ISH]

[reducedtoasch]

Dusk. Pleasure to meet you as well.

Re: [MINGLE-ISH]

[reducedtoasch]

Yes, we- Blondie, were you even sleeping before this?

Re: [RULES]

[ganbareist]

...Alright... which way do we want to go?

Re: [MINGLE-ISH]

[andallthekingsmen]

[examining the map]

Tch... 'tasks' again. Does anyone know about this 'hanafuda'?

Re: [MINGLE-ISH]

[ferrissaves]

There used to be a guy on our team who knew about flowers that had special meaning from a country called "Japan."

But he's gone now. So, no.

Re: [MINGLE-ISH]

[ferrissaves]

Not really. Why?

Re: [MINGLE-ISH]

[reducedtoasch]

[ MOM STARE. ]

Simply asking.

Re: [MINGLE-ISH]

[reducedtoasch]

If we don't know any of the special meanings, it doesn't matter to us which way we select.

Re: [MINGLE-ISH]

[ganbareist]

[one is peony... shrugs]

Maple?

Re: [MINGLE-ISH]

[andallthekingsmen]

Fine with me.

Re: [MINGLE-ISH]

[reducedtoasch]

Maple then.

Re: [MINGLE-ISH]

[ferrissaves]

No objections here.

[MAPLE]

[dramatispersonae]

[Your footsteps echo on the wooden bridge as you cross it. In the middle of the ridge, there is a stretch where everything is completely dark save for the dim lotus-lights. But this quickly passes.

The island you come to is also grassy, circular, and lit by a stone lantern. However, unlike the starting island, it is dominated by an ancient maple tree in brilliant fall colors, and carpeted in fallen leaves. Its gnarled roots are wrapped around the base of the lantern. As though to drive the theme home, the paper pasted to the face of the lantern has the emblem of a maple leaf on it. In front of the lantern is a stone step on which three cards have been placed.



Upon seeing the cards, you instantly know the task associated with each.

✿ maple with deer: each person's form will shift to the truth of how they perceive themselves for the remainder of the game (10 points)
✿ solid blue tanzaku: one person's form will shift to the truth of how they perceive themselves for the remainder of the game (5 points)
✿ plain maple: each person must tell the others something about themselves they have not told anyone else in Aather (1 point)

Which will you choose?]

Re: [MAPLE]

[reducedtoasch]

... Our forms would shift?

Re: [MAPLE]

[ferrissaves]

Do we get to pick who?

Re: [MAPLE]

[andallthekingsmen]

What the hell does that mean?

[idgi..]

Re: [MAPLE]

[reducedtoasch]

I don't know. But having all of us transform into an unidentified... shape may prove to be disadvantageous for us in the other challenges.