{Author's Note} This chapter... took forever. Spelling mistakes are bound to happen, but man I'm just glad its done. Please... enjoy! I'm gonna sleep. Next chapter will absolutely be faster and better cause I know exactly what I want for it.
But yeah I hope everything made sense and everyone go to shine, at least in some capacity.
Our Sacrificial Waltz To Everlasting Memory
Chapter 1
"Gorgeous… shimmering… snow…"
"Brilliant white… upon soft Earth…"
"Covered in a blanket of ice… and distant dreams…"
"It warms me… and I forgive you…"
When Snow Falls
*Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick.*
It started out with a clock, each tick echoing Prince into consciousness.
'Huh? What's that noise?' He opened his eyes wearily to locate the sound, but was shocked to find only darkness to be his new reality, 'h-huh? W-Where am I?'
He attempted to stand, but something heavy started to press against his chest, forcing him down. Where was that pressure coming from? And why did everything feel cold... as if... he was frozen? Confused he glanced down to locate where the weight was coming from on his body.
And that's when he saw the blood.
'No... N-No, no, no...' he almost didn't believe it as he looked down, wanting to wipe it away as if it was a harmless joke. But a splitting headache flared in his mind at the sight. He cried out desperately, but his throat felt as if it was being crushed, and his eyes burned from tears. This was so sudden, what was happening?
Prince was terrified, this must've been what it felt like to die, unable to do anything but rot as he felt himself growing weaker.
Until…
A bloody knife appeared.
Prince's breathing stopped at the sight, his eyes widening in terror as he instantly realized the purpose of such a tool. The edge of the knife seemed to glow with his blood, a hand tightly gripping the handle… and right as he noticed that… a face emerged from the darkness, tears trickling out from their eyes… their dark red eyes… which seethed corruption and hatred. But all the while the person held a contorted smile far too crooked for any natural human to replicate, and a voice… of utter relief echoed out.
"Finally…" They heaved out, the world going quiet so every last syllable was clear, "I should've done this a long time ago… yes… from the moment I laid my eyes on you…"
As the stranger clutched the knife up high, Prince tried to scream, to beg for his life, but his pleas were smothered out with insane laughter as the person shared one last glare toward him…
"Goodnight… Prince…"
…and then slammed the knife right into his chest.
"A-AHHH!" In a flash, Prince ripped his eyes open, heavy breaths escaping him as he half expected to be greeted with a nauseating sight of blood.
But to his relief, he was back in the same bedroom he had fallen asleep in, greeted by the howling snowstorm just outside the window. It was almost reassuring to wake up there… if he didn't immediately remember the situation he was waking up back into.
"So… I'm still here…" he sighed and let himself flop back into bed, 'I was really hoping what happened yesterday was a dream… but nope… instead I had such a freaky nightmare to replace it. Why… was it so horrifying? And real…?'
That perplexing feeling of his nightmare was interrupted by a sudden beeping of his watch. It made him jump until he realized it only was showcasing a notification of some kind… labeled "morning announcement" in bold letters.
'Morning announcement?' Prince thought wearily, attempting to be more alert now. 'Oh, it must be like what the nighttime announcement was last night, ah… so in that case… Jun was right yesterday about it coming on at 8 AM. But... I'd really rather not hear Alexander ramble every single day and night...'
Knowing he couldn't do much else though, Prince weakly turned his watch on, preparing himself for the announcement as an image showcased Alexander, Omen, and Empress in that strange office from before.
{ Morning Announcement}
"RISE AND SHINE my fellow guest!" Alexander cheered as he tapped his fingers to his staff, "our very first-morning announcement together! Hehe, I can't help but be thrilled! Nighttime has officially ended, meaning a new day is upon us! I hope everyone was able to sleep comfortably in their new living quarters!"
Omen suddenly roared with laughter, shaking the very room, "GAHAHA! Now that's funny sir! I bet those little brats couldn't sleep a wink the wholllleeee night! I know I sure wouldn't if there was a potential murder to be had, although on the other hand, NAH- I totally would be sleeping, that kinda stuff doesn't phase a mighty warrior like me~!" He proudly declared.
"Oh of course it wouldn't!" Alexander creepily giggled, "after all you are such a heavy sleeper that I doubt you'd even wake up if the manor was collapsing all around you! And you snore so loud that the kids probably were awake from that rather than the idea of the killing game!"
"Eh? I-I ain't that much of a heavy sleeper sir!" Omen argued, crossing his arms defiantly, "and I'm not that loud when I snore, right Emi?" He turned expectedly toward Empress, who only offered him a sympathetic pat on the back. "Eh-? What was that pat for? Don't tell me that ya agree with him!?"
"Oh Omen, it is so fun teasing you~" Alexander clapped, causing the samurai to grumble dejectedly.
As Alexander teased Omen in the background, Empress took full focus toward the camera, "continuing… on. All facilities… are now accessible… for the day… there will… be no penalties… for traversing… the manor. Remember… though... that all rules… are in effect throughout… your time here. If you… require my services… or need the... magic explained... I'll… be located… in the Angel… Room... near the… ballroom."
"And ya make sure ya listen to those rules closely… or else-!" Omen menacingly reminded with a deadly glare.
"Oooh! Such words are sending a chill down even my spine!" Alexander wriggled his fingers in a spooky manner, "please take both of their suggestions into consideration, as they are only meant to aid you during your time in the manor~ With that final note in mind, this marks the end of our little broadcast everyone! So please enjoy yourselves and make sure to live today to the fullest...
After all… it may be your very last…"
And just like that, the video ended.
'They really are taking this whole game thing seriously…' Prince shook, concerned by the strange announcement, 'whatever, I can't concern myself over them. I... I have to try and be strong if everyone else is making an effort…'
But even as he thought that that horrible nightmare still lingered in his mind. The amount of blood... and that twisted face. Wait, no! He shook his head and pushed the dream back into his mind. He couldn't think about that nightmare, it meant nothing.
"Y-You'll be okay Prince..." he reminded himself with a hug. "You need t-to get it together, I mean, everyone's probably waiting in the dining room after all so-"
"Yes, it'd be a shame to keep all of your new friends waiting, Prince!"
"GGGAAHHHHHHHHHH-!" Prince jumped out of bed and screamed, realizing that someone had spoken behind him. Only to realize that someone… to his horror… was Alexander.
The man had somehow appeared right next to him, his face inches from Prince's as a devilish glow escaped his eyes, "oh that look in your eye! You look like you've seen a ghost! Please forgive me again for the scare, I can never help myself when it comes to a good joke!"
"J-Joke…?!" Prince stammered in shock, recalling how Alexander introduced himself the same way yesterday, "I-I... don't understand, how are you here?! How in the world did you get into my room?!" He almost wanted to shout out the words. How could the man who started all this so casually be in here, and why?!
"Howwwww?" Alexander pouted in a sad voice, "don't tell me my performance yesterday was THAT forgettable! As the Owner of this glorious mansion, I must have access to all of my guests at a moment's notice if they require anything of me. If that includes teleporting into their rooms… then so be it, I will willingly use my Light energy for such things!"
Teleporting? Light energy? ...oh, right! Prince only then remembered the display Alexander put on yesterday with all that magic. That must've included teleporting as well. Wait a second, why was he so focused on the magic in this situation?
'Prince s-stay on topic!' He got his thoughts back on track as her nervously eyed the madman whistling innocently in his room, "I-I didn't mean- agh... I don't need to know that. I-I... I'm just... shocked! Why are you here?" He eventually blurted out.
Alexander brightened up at the question, "ah yes, you wish to get onto that matter!" He exclaimed as he winked playfully. "Well you see Prince, I wanted to personally apologize to you for yesterday."
Stunned at what he was hearing, Prince quieted his nerves as he blankly stared at him, "a-apologize…?"
"That's what I just said wasn't it?" Alexander giggled, "although, to be frank, I really shouldn't be the one apologizing. Omen should be doing this since he was the one who got you hurt, but as the Owner and host of this game, I also realize it is my own fault for letting your last encounter get to such a violent point! So... I decided to conjure up a gift of some kind in the near future for you."
"A gift...? F-For that whole incident?!" Prince's fingers wearily grazed over his bruises from yesterday's encounter, causing him to shake. He wouldn't ever have expected Alexander to even care about that accident considering he technically started the whole game that needed Enforcers like Omen.
But to Prince... Alexander's tone sounded uneasily sincere. Why was that?
"Yes, yes, a gift, just for you!" Alexander nodded giddily, almost like a child eager to speak, "being attacked by Omen and surviving is no easy feat given his tendencies, so something like that must be rectified! To express my apologies, I'll make a good gift for you, a great gift even! It'll take time to get it ready, but do know you'll eventually receive one! Now aren't you the lucky one~!" The man giggled as he kicked his feet, seriously creeping Prince out.
"I-I wouldn't call getting attacked by Omen lucky…" Prince mumbled given how worried it made everyone. In fact, this whole gift thing felt wrong despite it being an apology, especially given how Lukas also got hurt, and yet there was no mention of him at all in Alexander's little speech. "Um... did you also apologize to Lukas at least?"
"Oh~?" Alexander chuckled, his mask contorting to smirk, "and why so worked up over that knight? This gift is about you~ You're not thinking of splitting hairs on my generosity, now are you?"
Prince squirmed over the words, but he wanted to be absolutely sure of his doubt despite Alexander's... somewhat nice gesture, "I know I was involved in that incident, b-but Lukas got way m-more hurt than me. If you were really sorry-" Prince paused and breathed in resolving his fear and staring at Alexander "-then I want Lukas to get the gift. I don't want anything from you... and if anyone deserves to g-get a gift, it's-"
"Lukas. Violated. A rule." Like a crack of lighting, Alexander's tone snapped, his voice emotionless as the madman leaned down to Prince's small level and shut him up, "considering his conduct, his only gift… is that he gets to walk away with a warning. Troublemakers like him, whose cause give false hope due to their disgustingly heroic convictions, don't deserve to exist in my beautiful mansion. They should either keep quiet, or die like the rest. They have no use for people other than weak ones like you, who need to be saved. Ha... it's almost amusing you want to stick up for him."
Prince's confidence choked upon hearing the dark shift of Alexander's words. How could he talk down about Lukas so easily? "T-That's… so horrible," he nervously protested, his hands shaking, "that's definitely not fair to L-Lukas! You hid the rules from him, and all o-of us. S-So Lukas had no idea-!"
"Calm down Negative Nancy, you only met that failure of a knight twenty-four hours ago~" Alexander pointed out, a dark glee twisting from his voice, "whatever idealized version of him... and EVERYONE else you've made up in that brain of yours is far from reality. They'll show their true colors soon enough, I assure you. So instead of whining on their behalf, you'd be wise to simply accept this apology."
"A-And why... would I do that after what you just said...?" Prince dared to question, his heart still pounding in fear.
"Do you think you have a choice?" Alexander laughed as he gripped Prince's shoulders and leaned close enough to where he could hear the madman breathing under the mask. "Weak people like you, should just accept what comes their way. Because without others' trust in you, you'd be the first one gone in this game. I mean... to not even remember who you are... is a nightmarish situation for a game built on trust, don't you agree?"
Prince's heart stopped as he took in those chilling words, '...! To not remember? Does that mean-?!'
He barely had any time to respond to the statement before the sinister man dipped into the shadows, disappearing from Prince's room. It seemed like Alexander really could come and go as he pleased by teleporting… and the thought chilled Prince to the very core. What was the point of the keys then if they didn't really have any privacy from the man who started all this?
If that wasn't bad enough, Prince's mind was still trying to wrap around that whole exchange. Just why was Alexander so inconsistent? He wanted to give a gift, but still seemed so shady about the whole thing. And that last comment Alexander made... did that mean he knew of Prince's lack of memory? Or was he referring to the nightmare he just had?
…knowing Alexander, Prince was terrified he was teasing the possibility of both over his poor head.
But now there was the matter of how he should address the conversation with the rest of the group. Obviously, there was no way he would want to hide Alexander's visit from any of them, especially considering they had agreed to work together. But while Prince trusted everyone, he still could tell there was already a bunch of unease in the group over the game... and over Prince's existence. If he told them about this... would they... trust someone as weak as him?
Was it really better to draw out more worry with his problems? Was it better to... not say anything... to avoid suspicion?
'W-Wait, no… stop thinking like that Prince!' He shouted internally as he readied himself to leave the room, 'as long as you continue to work with everyone and be truthful… nothing Alexander does will ever shake you. They'll all be understanding! They'll... trust me...'
...
Then why was he shaking so hard?
Stepping out of the room quietly to take his mind off... that encounter, two things grabbed Prince's attention within the living quarters.
The first thing was that there were translucent orbs still floating along the ceiling. He noticed that instead of being blue, they had shifted into a soft yellow hue. Everything had lightened up noticeably because of that, to the point where even the growing vines seemed greener and the walls more defined.
'That's interesting, I thought they were blue yesterday…' he recalled faintly, 'so does that mean they change depending on the time of day…?'
He didn't have much time to think about it, as the second thing that caught his attention quickly shook him out of his thoughts, which was light knocking coming from downstairs.
"This is worrying, it doesn't appear our fellow sister will open at this time…" he heard a gentle voice describe, her words woven softly like strings.
"Hm, I see… perhaps in her moment of desperation she truly meant what she said yesterday…" another softer voice concluded, sounding tired and dreamlike, "it would explain why the Undertaker didn't answer us as well."
'Those voices… could it be?' He perked up.
He held his breath as he descended the stairs, locking eyes with both Amaya and Luna respectively. They both shined under the ethereal light given their flowing attire and were standing in front of one of the girl's doors, conversing with speculative looks. Seems they were trying to figure something out...
...that was until Luna suddenly took notice of his presence, "Prince… so you've finally awoken, welcome to the new day," Luna formally greeted, her voice rising in tone as if she were relieved.
"Oh? Brother Prince is awake?" Amaya beamed, now taking notice as well. Her positive aura instantly lit up the room as she carried her beloved doll in her arms, "ah, he is awake! A blessed morning to you Brother Prince, I hope you were able to sleep peacefully last night."
Alexander's sinister words briefly faded from his mind, letting Prince smile as he saw the duo, "g-good morning Luna! Amaya!" He said with a smile, trying to gloss over his shaky heart, "I slept... okay. The bed was... comfortable."
"Indeed it was..." Luna looked off dreamily, "despite the circumstances, never have I slept so comfortably in a room besdie than my own, so I was able to have the most wonderous dreams because of it." Her high voice rose even more as she recalled such a dream.
"Oh? You also had a dream last night? As did I actually," Amaya mused along with the cult leader, "it took me a while to get comfortable, but once I relaxed, a beautiful dream came to me as well. It really did put my mind at ease..." She smiled fondly, probably recalling it. Prince was glad to see her in such high spirits because of that.
Luna seemed to think the same as she listened attentively, "I would love to hear more about it if possible. And you Prince?"
Seeing as the attention was on him, Prince briefly thought back on his... nightmare and shook his head, "um, yeah I had a dream. But it's not that important," he tried to ignore his nightmare, which made Luna's eyes light up, "if anything, it's more interesting seeing you two together… w-what's going on? Wasn't everyone gonna meet in the dining room?"
"That is correct, but Luna and I decided to momentarily fall behind in order to check on those still resting," Amaya revealed, her marionette doll pointing to the doors, "I figured to do the task myself, but Sister Luna was much quicker on her feet as she was more than happy to help see if everything was in order. I was more than happy to join her of course, she's very considerate." Amaya beamed as she talked about the cult leader, raving with a passion he's only ever seen when she talks about her talent.
Luna hearing this, gave off the softest of smiles, her tired expression morphing to one of appreciation, "you sing such praises too high," the cult leader said fondly, "I simply wished... to make sure everyone was accounted and cared for, The Eternal One should see to it that we all are present for today's events after all." And with this, she did a small prayer as if addressing the god directly. "Besides, you wanted to take initiative first. I see this more as your idea."
"With the swiftness of your choice I digress." Amaya's eyes sparkled as she also held her hands in prayer, "I believe your wish transitioned to action rather quickly. It was wonderous to witness, I only hoped to help in a similar manner."
"And you did very much so, far more than you realize," Luna pointed out as she titled her head, her large orange curls falling over to the side as she tiredly smiled.
It didn't appear like the two girls noticed they were deflecting praise back at one another like a tennis match, which made Prince chuckle at how insanely humble they both were being.
"...well... I t-think that makes you both very considerate, thank you f-for checking up on everyone," Prince said kindly before realizing how long he'd been asleep, "a-ah, but if everyone else is gone, does that mean I'm the last to wake up? I-I'm really sorry for holding you up."
"You do not need to apologize for such a thing!" Amaya reassured, "many of us were disorganized waking u this morning, and you're actually not the last one to awaken, that honor would go to Sister Anata and Brother Koji respectively. At least I would like to believe they are still asleep."
"Anata and Koji…?" He then took the time to glance at the door Amaya was knocking on, indeed coming face to face with Anata's pixelated version of herself, "oh... s-so you were trying to get Anata to come out just now." Prince realized.
"To no avail as of now," Luna affirmed, her eyes glazing tiredly over to the door, "the Undertaker, Koji, didn't answer his door when we knocked either. It seems both of them would rather be alone for the time being."
"A-Alone...?" Prince's chest began to hurt as he sadly thought about the two. He had hoped they would at least attend the breakfast meeting... but Prince could understand why they didn't, this game would make such a thing impossible after all.
But... Prince wanted to be strong despite that. No matter what, he'd trust everyone, just like Machi said, so they could all work together.
So they all could... trust him... as well.
"Finally…" They breathed out, the world going quiet so every last syllable was clear, "I should've done this a long time ago… yes… from the moment I laid my eyes on you…"
...no, why was he thinking of that horrible nightmare still. It meant nothing... right?
"Brother Prince?" Amaya was the first to notice his worry, "is everything alright? You look rather distressed right now." This caught Luna's attention as well, who then attentively waited for a response.
"Amaya... Luna..." Prince awkwardly spoke, averting his gaze from the two people who truly seemed to trust him. He wondered then if it would be best to spill what had happened moments ago… with Alexander... and his dream, and all his worries. But despite his racing mind, no words came out. Was it really okay to tell them what happened with Alexander?
"Weak people like you, should just accept what comes their way. Because without others' trust in you, you'd be the first one gone in this game."
Prince looked down, a dull pain spreading where the bruises were from Omen's attack. Right now, Alexander's words just hurt to think about.
"S-Sorry, I was... j-just thinking about Koji and Anata," Prince sighed as he hugged himself. He really did mean that, he worried for those two... but at the same time, he had to use the topic brush past his own feelings. His mind swirled from the nightmare, and he didn't want to focus on that, much less Alexander's potential gift. The sooner he ignored it, the better.
Amaya, however, slightly frowned, as if not too convinced by his performance, as too was Luna also seemed to question the statement with knowing eyes. Prince stood tense at this. He didn't want them to worry but he couldn't speak about it, not right now, and especially not with them. How would they view him after he spoke about it? It would make him look worse than he did given how... out of place... he already was here.
Thankfully for him, Luna bowed her head in deep thought and continued without probing him, "...I believe they'll be fine on their own devices. They seem to like being by themselves anyway, so whether they choose to join us or not is up to them."
Prince was relieved at this. She didn't seem like she noticed his small lie... hopefully. And even better, her words seemed to draw Amaya away as well, as she slowly nodded as if to continue the conversation with Luna.
"Hmm… I suppose that's true," Amaya eventually nodded, following the cult leader's train of thought, "we shouldn't force them to join us if they truly don't want to. Everyone needs space to make of this situation as they will after all, but, we should make it a point to help them feel comfortable while we're here, so I'll make it a priority to reach out to them if I do find them." She said all of this as she softly looked back at Prince.
Luna seemed to think about that idea with satisfaction, "yes, we can make that a priority for later," Luna agreed as she joined with Amaya, "if you would like, I can also make an effort as soon as possible, but for now, don't feel the need to rush anything before we all enjoy our food, okay?"
"Sister Luna..." Amaya smiled and let out a relieved sigh, "of course, I understand, thank you for extending a hand. I'm certain they'll appreciate it!" At this Luna softly smiled as well and the two girls shared a content look. For some reason, it felt like they were talking in their own beautiful language Prince could not understand, but it was nice seeing them talk like this.
Prince felt a tinge of regret not being as open as the two of them were, but he shook it off and spoke, "heh... it looks l-like you two became fast friends..."
"Friends?" The two girls spoke at once, and after realizing they did, they let off a small laugh together. Luna spoke after, closing her eyes softly as she relaxed, "hmmm, that is a nice thought. The Eternal One always welcomes new friends into the realm of dreams, as do I under such conviction."
"Then I'm happy to accept such a wonderful dream," Amaya seemed hopeful at the idea, "we'll be spending much time with the people here, so I'd hope we all could become friends as well, along with you as well Brother Prince. The Natural Dieties would love to witness such a thing."
Prince's heart fluttered at her words. To be friends with everyone... that's all he really felt like accomplishing now, "yeah, I'd like t-to be friends with everyone to."
"Well then, I suppose to achieve that we'd have to see everyone first," Luna pointed out as she turned to leave, "everyone is waiting for us in the dining room, and we've kept them waiting long enough. "
"Y-You're right, we really should hurry then!" Prince nodded eagerly, trying to calm his nerves from earlier to appear fine, "what's exactly on the menu?"
"About that, we're not too sure…" Amaya confessed as she shook her marionette's head, "I remember Sister Hagoromo volunteering to cook!"
"D-Does she know how to cook?" Prince leaned over curiously.
Luna shook her head, "I believe she said something along the lines of...'how hard can it be? I can just wing it...'" Her face, which was usually so calm, shifted to something more akin to... complete and utter fear.
A fear Prince shared as he stood in complete shock.
"Well, Sister Hagoromo's passion can't be undermined!" Amaya tried to politely say, "she seemed rather excited to take the wheel of being our culinary leader, and that desire to help truly is wonderous to witness!"
...
"...but?" Prince asked.
Amaya's smile faltered as her doll nervously shook its head, "haha… but… perhaps more experienced chefs would be the more favorable option for the group."
But even with the threat of Hagoromo's potentially hazardous cooking looming overhead… the trio delightfully chatted as they made their way to the dining room. Even if he hid Alexander's encounter from them, he was slowly starting to not mind.
If he could keep this unity with everyone as he had with Amaya and Luna, everything would be okay.
By the time they had made it over to the other side of the manor, Prince was more than a little worn out. He had forgotten just how big the place was… and traveling from one end to the other admittedly took some time. But it was worth it, because they had finally made their way to the dining room, and already he could hear voices loudly conversing inside.
"We have arrived," Luna spoke. She was the first to the door and had waited for Prince and Amaya to catch, "I can hear everyone conversing within the dining room."
"Oh! There must be a lively discussion taking place that we're just now walking into!" Amaya clapped with an excited look.
Her bright energy seeped into Prince as he allowed himself to relax at her words, "y-yeah. Maybe some good things are already going underway with the meeting..." He said hopefully as he reached for the door.
Before he could turn the knob though, the door suddenly opened with impressive speed, and out walked Hania with an annoyed expression. Prince couldn't figure out why she had that expression though as she glanced up and noted the trio standing outside.
"Oh…" Hania paused as she tugged at her sweater, staring at the group with a frazzled look, "I… didn't realize anyone was… out here."
"We actually arrived a moment ago," Luna explained, closing her tired eyes briefly, "we were trying to collect everyone for breakfast, but out of all the latecomers we only found Prince."
"Y-Yeah," Prince awkwardly nodded, "I o-overslept a little bit, so... it took me a little while to get ready." He lied, attempting to block out Alexander's encounter from before.
Hania's eyes narrowed at Prince, either not buying his words or maybe simply processing what he just said, but she didn't bother to say anything and looked down instead. Could she tell he was lying? Prince squirmed a little at the thought and was rendered silent as he looked down as well.
Amaya must've noticed this shift in the conversation as she softly approached with a warm smile, "Sister Hania, it's a treat to see you again," she said politely, "did you have a pleasant experience dining with everyone? I do hope they didn't disturb you with their antics, this group seems to be more playful than most from what I've gathered."
"…playful?" Hania frowned, her eyes flickering down to her shoes, "they're noisy... more like."
'Well that's... one way to describe them.' Prince awkwardly laughed internally.
"Noisy..." Luna thought deeply on this as well, "I suppose that's true, we can hear everyone eating even from out here. Hm, are you leaving to get ahead of the crowd then?" She asked, leaning down to meet Hania's eyes.
Hania's eyes went wide at this, flustered at the cult leader LITERALLY having to bend down to meet her eyes. Prince could totally understand the reaction, Hania wasn't that much taller than him, at least by an inch she was, so it was probably intimidating having Luna tower over her.
Regardless of that, Hania managed to nod quietly to the question and gripped her sweater.
"Ah, so you're getting a head start to investigate I bet! R-Right?" Prince asked. He figured it was a harmless enough assumption, but Hania didn't seem to hear him right away as she still stared into Luna's eyes. Was it just him, or did Hania get more attentive whenever someone other than him was speaking?
"Investigate...? Oh, yeah," Hania eventually answered, fixing up her glasses. For some reason, she sounded confused when saying it, like she wasn't sure.
"Um... where to?" Prince questioned again, his curiosity growing.
"...the manor..." Hania bluntly said, sounding much more uncertain now.
"But like... what p-part of it?" Prince uneasily asked, realizing he probably wasn't being specific with his broad questions.
Hania mumbled something and glared a little at Prince, before sighing, "I guess... the Angel Room."
Prince instinctively widened his eyes at this. The Angel Room... the one room no one had explored yet due to it being closed. Given the announcement, he assumed it was open now, but the thought of the place unnerved him. The name sort of reminded him how Hagoromo referenced that "Demon Room" yesterday, and that place was creepy enough. And if Empress was there... would Hania be okay?
"You look worried..." Hania stated bluntly. To Prince's surprise she wasn't just addressing him, her eyes glanced at Amaya and Luna also looked uneasy.
Luna spoke first, her words soft "isn't... one of our captors there? We might now know what'll happen if you go alone."
"I'm prepared... to face her..." Hania continued, her voice actually sounding assured, "besides, everyone's wasting time eating... so I want to investigate myself. It might give a clue... or something about the magic here..."
"The magic...?" Amaya blinked, "do you wish to learn it as the announcement said? I admit, the prospect of magic being here sounds beautiful, but given the means to obtain it from our captors... I wonder if your safety might be jeopardized. We should at least wait together until we see it all for ourselves, yes?"
Prince nodded at the idea, hoping she'd agree, "yeah! We could k-keep you safe and-"
"After you got knocked out yesterday, how would you do that...?" She blurted out, but her tone lowered as she realized her harsh words, "I just... wanted to see if the magic we saw yesterday... was real. I won't do anything with it... I just... wanted to know about it. I mean, wouldn't you be curious about it too?"
Amaya and Luna both did look curious, and Prince knew for sure he was. It was a tough choice, at least for Prince. See the Angel Room... or join the group in the dining room. He would go to the Angel Room just for Hania's sake, but to be with everyone else...
Hania mumbled something and then looked up, "I just wanted to go alone, but, you can... investigate too if you want..." she finally gave in, shiting around uncomfortably as she spoke, "the room is open so, you can join."
"No, it's quite alright, we will let you get right to that." It was Amaya who reassured her as she took a generous step back for the game designer, "just please be careful outside and remember to follow the rules." he gestured to Prince and Luna sweetly to also take a step back for the developer.
Prince noticed Amaya's attempt to give Hania space and followed along, choosing to gto to the dining room instead, "yeah… we should do that, s-sorry," Prince sheepishly agreed, before glancing at Luna, "maybe we can investigate later... I know... I-I kinda do... but we gotta see everyone in the dining room first. We haven't even eaten yet," he nervously laughed.
Luna noticed the back peddling and also stepped away, "...of course, we apologize for keeping you Hania. Be careful when investigating."
Hania nodded loosely at the trio's words, "I will." She turned to leave, but paused and added, "if you want, see you there... later maybe..." She then left the conversation, her eyes sparking with anticipation as she hurried off, almost like she was excited to explore to room alone.
But even then Prince hoped she'd be able to open up to people soon. Being alone in this situation sounded pretty stressful to him at least, especially given how isolating this manor could be. So he hoped at the very least, after she explored the room, she'd be willing to talk to others.
However, now there was the matter of the Angel Room itself, and he sighed, "do you think she'll be okay investigating that room? We don't know anything about that place..." He nervously recalled Empresses's words on the announcement and shivered. If the magic... or "Light energy" included teleporting like Alexander did... then there would be lots of trouble abound.
Luna however only mused quietly to herself and nodded "...she seems capable of handling the manor and following its rules," she emphasized, "we probably won't have to worry about anything happening to her if almost everyone's in the dining room… but as for the 'angel room' itself..." she paused and thought on it, her eyes glowing in wonder. "We'll just have to see."
"I don't believe it's anything bad," Amaya attempted to reassure, "if learning about the magic here is possible, we could use it to aid our living conditions here and potentially escape. and if... the magic is indeed real..." Amaya then smiled hopefully and relaxed, "The Natural Deities would surely be answering our prayers then. Perhaps we really should explore together later."
"R-Really?" Prince said in surprise. To actually go investigate that place, could they actually if it was safe?
"It wouldn't hurt to see what's in store there," Luna nodded dreamily, "for now, we should reassure everyone in the dining room."
"Oh, right!" Amaya waved away, probably getting lost in her head over the idea, "we've kept them waiting long enough. Let us go."
Prince followed the duo slowly, the idea of exploring the Angel Room still lingering in his head. He hadn't put too much thought into the magic that existed until Alexander's encounter... and after that point he was terrified of it.
But if Hania was curious... and Amaya and Luna were considering it... it might've been worth checking out. It also helped that he was amazed by the magic and wanted to see it in full force. If Omen could be... whatever he was, and Empress could float, and Alexander could teleport, then maybe they could use the magic to escape.
Well, that was for later, he had breakfast to go to.
So Prince followed the trio into the dining room, trying not to worry about everything that happened, and hoping Hania would be alright on her own.
Once inside, he was surprised at how different the place felt. The oppressive atmosphere from yesterday was… sort of gone, replaced with a relaxed vibe as everyone conversed amongst themselves with plates of food in hand.
Taking the very center of the table was Amelie who dined on something fancy while Lukas quietly stood next to her, both keeping watch out for her and most likely everyone else as he scanned the room. Interestingly, it appeared Xiuying had joined them, conversing in a formal manner with the perfumer. Kanna was also with the girls, but considering he was helping fill up their cups with water… Prince worried the two girls didn't invite him over for idle chit-chat.
Kanna was also periodically helping out another group across from the girls which were interestingly composed of Jun, Albion, and Kanon. Jun seemed to be leading most of the conversation, holding a bright smile as he watched everyone eat what Prince assumed was his cooking. Albion was the only other person talking to Jun, listening somewhat as he smugly grinned about something, although he seemed really tired. Similarly tired was Kanon who sat quietly nearby, munching away at her meal while semi-listening to Jun. She looked like she was struggling to keep her eyes open… and was chugging a drink that… looked like coffee maybe?
A bit away from them was… the "noisy" crowd Hania must've been talking about earlier, mostly made up of Tadatake, Hagoromo, Aimi, Fudo, Stefano, and Machi. Tadatake and Hagoromo were cheering with excitement at the magic tricks Fudo was doing with Minnie in hand. Machi was also watching the act while talking excitedly about some matter Prince couldn't hear, but it seemed that Aimi was invested somewhat as she nervously laughed along, and Stefano didn't seem to mind as he softly smiled.
The only few people that weren't there were Anata, Uta, Koji, and most recently Hania. Though he knew Hania was gone, and the others were scattered around... somewhere maybe, he was admittedly a little disappointed to not see them conversing at the table… and it was strange not to see Uta in the room, at least keeping guard. Sure, he was distant, but he seemed to at least be… conversational with a few people. Or maybe Prince had made up that idealized assumption in his head.
…actually, he totally did.
But it was okay, he was sure they'd be fine to their own devices. Instead, he focused on facing the new day with everyone as best as he could. No need to even think about Alexander or his nightmare...
"Good morning brothers and sisters!" Amaya beamed, making their presence known in the room, "I apologize we took so long to get back, but we had finally gotten-!"
"Prince!" Machi finished the sentence and leaped out of her seat to embrace the three of them, "you finally made it! Given the attendance record of our group so far, I was worried no one else would show, but it's great to see you!"
"Thanks Machi," he smiled, "I know I'm coming in a l-little late... but good morning everyone." He softly waved, and a few waved back.
"Wassup dude!" Tadatake grinned, "you sure kept the rest of the team waiting!"
"Mornin' Mister Prince~!" Fudo kept up the trend.
"Buongiorno," Stefano politely spoke.
"HEYA!" Hagoromo giggled, "let's keep this 'good morning' train going huh?"
Kanon broke the trend by not saying a single thing and only barely acknowledging him. Maybe she really was out of it due to how tired she looked. In fact Albion still looked sluggish too. Prince gave them both a concerned glance before hearing Aimi speak up.
"...g-good morning," the patissier picked the phrase back up and smiled politely, "did you um... sleep okay?"
"I slept... fine," Prince answered hesitantly, "the announcement eventually woke me up... again, s-sorry for taking so long to get ready."
"D-Don't worry... I think everyone was a little late," Kanna tried softly voiced, "our watches accommodate the morning announcement for a set time… but some people can still sleep over it so-"
"Do not speak out of turn, serviteur," Amelie shut down the assistant, who yelped in shock, "do something more productive like refilling my glass, I'm in dire need of a rafraîchissement."
"Um, you don't have to do that..." Jun awkwardly chuckled at such a sight, probably just as confused as everyone at Kanna being near the perfumer, "but Prince, you don't gotta worry at all. We all woke up at different times because of the announcement anyway, so no one was really late."
"Wasn't the a-annoucnment set at 8 AM though?" Prince questioned curiously as he checked it, "I thought that's when the rules said it was."
Amaya seemed confused as well as she tried to check the rules, but her fingers clumsily messed with the device, "was it not? Or is it a different time? Forgive me, I can't seem to find the rules app explaining it..."
"Don't worry you don't need to check the rules, you're both right, it's set at 8 AM," Machi chimed in, "but it actually plays... I think twice depending on when you wake up if you're a heavy sleeper for instance! That happened to me cause I woke up like ten minutes after eight and still got to see the video-"
"I can confirm that!" Hagoromo beamed, flying over the mediator's words as she grinned, "I slept a little later than this early bird Alex over here, and he told me the announcement played right at eight AM when he woke up! The poor guy waited a little bit for me to leave my room, but I was so sound asleep I didn't even hear my watch going off, so he woke me up with a fright, pounding on my door so hard I swear the room shook! And that's when I got my announcement a little after!"
"Ha, well that's one way to wake a sleepy head up!" Machi lauged at the antics.
"Please don't take her seriously," Stefano sighed, "I simply knocked on her door, I don't have the physique to make a room shake with my knocking..." Stefano's eyes glanced briefly to who he was sitting next to, "I think such a feat could only be accomplished by Tadatake here."
"Huh, wha-? What happened?" Tadatake blinked in the middle of chewing his food, "oh yeah, I bet I could do that!" He grinned as he flexed his muscles.
Xiuying rolled her eyes, "can you stay on topic? Who cares about when the announcement wakes us up, it was useless in giving us any info other than those pests are running around shouting."
For a brief second, Kanon seemed to awaken a grumbled something, "that stupid video... I could still hear that thing screaming." Her eye twitched as she drank her coffee, that "thing" probably being Omen to what she was referring to, "I can't believe we have to wake up to their voices every day. It was better when it was just my normal alarm..."
Prince had to laugh internally at that. At least she didn't get a front-row seat to Alexander's insanity this morning.
"Any alarm is better than hearing those créatures," Amelie scoffed, for once in agreement with the doctor, "but that's the thing, that announcement was so distractingly terrible, that I'm choquée most of you slept through it. I find this late attendance unacceptable from you peasants."
"I thought you didn't care about what we did," Fudo deadpanned as he rolled his eyes.
"True, but some of you provide something very important," Amelie smirked, "ambiance! I simply can mute your voices and pretend I'm simply dining in a fancy mansion with established mécènes... although some of you are messier than others-" she groaned as she glared at Tadatake eating.
"Aw, what gives?! I'm just enjoying some good food!" He joked as he leaned forward with a smirk, "here, wanna try some~? You got some fancy stuff on that plate but you could a PROPER filling meal here!"
"I would NEVER eat something off your plate," she cringed, "Lukas, se débarrasser de cet home!" Lukas could only sigh at the request.
"Ignoring that mess," Albion grumbled, "she somehow got a point. What took you guys so long, and where's the other two you were gonna bring? I thought we agreed everyone would turn up…" All eyes turned to the trio of Amaya, Luna, and Prince.
Prince only shifted nervously on his toes as he tried to block out the time he woke up, "I just... had trouble getting ready this morning..." was all he could say and blocked the memory of the morning out. But deep down he could feel unease starting to grow as everyone kept staring at him, uncertain of his claim.
Thankfully, Luna swooped in and spoke gracefully enough, "as for us, we took a little longer as Koji and Anata did not open their doors when we went to collect them. I believe they'd rather explore alone, similarly to Hania who we just saw leave."
"Oh r-right, she wanted to investigate a-alone… after she finished eating," Kanna revealed sadly.
"So you all saw her leave…" Prince wondered if she told them about her plans for the Angel Room then, "do you k-know where she's going?"
"Nope, she zipped out in a hurry dude," Tadatake replied as he leaned back in his chair, rubbing his chin curiously, "you think she's tryna find McCoffin and Bookworm? That would seriously cut the work down for us, you feel me?"
"I doubt that's why she left," Xiuying huffed, "I say it's more likely your irritating voices drove her away. But at least she's doing something productive with her time unlike some people here."
"You always have to add a jab into everything you say," Fudo deadpanned, "would it kill you to be nice Miss Xiuying? Or is all that time with pink flamingo girl making you mean to?" ("Ugh, the nerve of this enfant!" Amelie scoffed in the back.)
As the two bickered and Amelie encouraged Xiuying to fight the small child, Prince sat deep in thought over Hania's departure. 'So she didn't tell anyone she was heading over there…' Whether it be a secret she wanted to keep to herself, or something she simply forgot to tell them, Prince nervously understood the intent that she didn't want to be followed by anyone else, so he kept his mouth shut on her affairs.
"Speaking of someone going it alone!" Machi hummed in an attempt to stop the fancy girls from bullying the literal child next to her, "we don't have a clue where Uta is either. I wonder what he's doing!"
"Our fellow brother never showed up?" Amaya asked curiously, her attention piqued at the statement as she softly played with her marionette's strings, "wherever could he be then?"
Before anyone else could answer, Albion's voice rose with a subtle air of pride to it, "Uta isn't far off, he'll be here soon. He's taking care of some… last-minute stuff. Or just useless crap, you'll know it when he gets here."
"'L-Last minute stuff?'" Aimi nervously echoed the sentiment of Prince's thoughts, "is… is he okay then?"
"Shortcake, that guy's like… the best swordsman ever or something, right?" Tadatake reassured casually, a confident grin displayed as he spoke, "he'll be totally okay. Although what he's doing… outside of this meeting is like, beyond me. He said he'd come right?"
"I believe he didn't say such a thing, unfortunately." Amaya pondered something as she continued, "but as Sister Luna and I were speaking of before, we shouldn't force any of the missing attendants to come if they don't feel comfortable doing so. We should simply delight in one another's company!"
Tadatake whooped in agreement, "you said it! It's a bummer for sure not everyone's here, but we can't let that get us down, dudes!" Tadatake remarked casually, "we got good food and good drinks, and sixteen outta twenty ain't a bad turnout! That's enough for a small party!"
Kanon rolled her eyes, "of course, you'd be the type to know all about parties wouldn't you?" It would've been a normal comment if she didn't make it sound so insulting.
"I've attended parties after my team's big games so yeah!" Tadatake brightly smiled, completely missing the insult, or maybe just choosing to ignore it.
Xiuying took offense to his words though and her expression hardened, "I can't believe you're all so causal about these people walking about. Who knows what they could be plotting? Leaving them unsupervised is a recipe for disaster."
Disaster… was it really? Prince didn't want to think in the manner of the killing game, but the fact a few of them did split off, it was concerning. What were they doing, what were they thinking? No one knew who was acting, or who was being genuine like Anata warned yesterday. Prince believed they all were being sincere… but… Alexander says otherwise.
No, he shouldn't think of him… he should never give credit to his words. It was the first day, he couldn't fall apart so easily.
"I think you're worrying over the wrong things," Jun sighed as he wearily rubbed his head, "Koji, Anata, and Uta too, they're probably doing something for our benefit, just like Hania. If anything, I'd be more concerned about them following the rules and steer clear of the… staff members here."
Everyone fell silent at the mere mention of Omen and Empress. Knowing their presence lingered anywhere around the manor didn't really make things easy for Prince at the very least as far as feeling safe… and considering Alexander could teleport wherever he pleased. Prince felt his heart growing dark.
"Well, yeah… I'm sure they'll be fine!" Machi lit up and leaned over the table with her food in hand, gesturing to everyone in order to calm their nerves, "they're all probably busy exploring or doing something equally important, they wouldn't do anything rash, I'm positive!"
"For someone who takes the sides of small children with diseased rongeuses, I find your positivité hard to believe, hmph," Amelie clicked her tongue, probably still annoyed by those events from yesterday. She sure could keep a grudge, Prince had to give her that.
"And what if they're taking this game seriously?" Xiuying added on, keeping the barrage of uncertainty present, "this joke of a situation disturbs me, but after the announcement… what if one of them seriously considers following through on anything those disgraces of hosts say."
"None of them w-would do that…" Prince tried to say, but he briefly thought of Hania going to the Angel Room and nervously sweat.
"You don't know them, neither do I," Xiuying reminded, "all of us are strangers, wrapped up by a shameful display of coincidences to partake in this foolish game. Until I'm certain no one will come after me… I can never feel quite as relaxed as you fools seem to be."
"Then leave, no one's stopping you…" Surprisingly, Fudo of all people spoke up, his expression very annoyed, "if you just wanna talk down on us, then you should just go, you know? You aren't doing any favors for everyone by making us feel bad!"
"F-Fudo? Why are you s-shouting?" Aimi squirmed, as did Prince for he never saw Fudo as the type to instantly talk back like that.
"Because this whole thing is annoying, you know?" Fudo protested as he stared down Xiuying, first pink flamingo girl, then doctor mophead, and now… now… ugh I'm calling you 'skunk hair designer'!" He said as he pointed at Xiuying's black and white hair. "All of you are just distrusting for no reason! And super mean!"
"Maybe it's because creatures like you won't pipe down and listen to their supérieures~" Amelie scoffed.
"You keep saying that when the only talent you have is actually making decent cologne at the end of the day," Albion pointed out, "maybe you should get off your high horse as well, would do some good for the rest of us who actually put in some work."
"Oh right, like how you work in HOARDING all the weapons for toi-même?" Amelie pointed out with a scoff.
The group paused, looking shocked at Amelie's words, with Albion and Lukas appearing especially troubled, "don't you dare-" Albion started to say.
"Woah, pump the breaks, 'hoarding the weapons'?" Tadatake questioned, "what do you mean by that man?"
Amelie scoffed and looked away from Tadatake, "if you can't understand my élégante words then I shouldn't even grace you with my time. But it's as I said, my personal knight and Albion took hold of all the weapons last night. They said it was to give… peace of mind, but aside from my chevalier who I know would never hurt me, I doubt Albion and that swordsman hold the same intention of keeping the peace…"
All eyes turned to Albion and Lukas then. The duo looked a little dumbfounded by Amelie's words, as if she was lying. But Prince could tell from the way Albion spoke next, Amelie had said nothing but the truth.
"We were going to get to that eventually!" Albion said, his tired eyes annoyed as he rubbed them, "and newsflash, we didn't HOARD them. We were guarding the weapons room. The perfumer princess over here seems to like spinning out exaggerated lines on a dime though."
Prince uneasily looked at the duo, "s-so it's true? You were guarding the weapons room?"
"I thought we agreed we'd deal with it tomorrow… which… is today now." Tadatake stood up in his seat, looking especially concerned and a little peeved, "what the heck were you doing in that dangerous room at night!? We have no idea if you guys took anything!"
"Mister Take's right, no one should've been walking around last night…" Fudo also agreed as he squirmed.
"We couldn't take the chance someone would enter that room and try to steal stuff," Albion continued, "you all were able to sleep well thanks to me and Uta… so you should quit your barking and be thanking us instead."
"And yet you didn't bother to tell us your plan!" Xiuying laughed, almost in disbelief as she stood up, "how long did you plan to keep us in the dark about that!"
"We were simply waiting for Sir Uta-" Lukas tried to speak.
"Do you need his permission to speak ?" Kanon glared, "so you just went and did whatever you wanted last night, huh? How on Earth did you think that was a good idea?
"It was a necessary precaution." Suddenly a cold voice entered the room and Prince noticed Uta standing by the door of the dining room, his tall figure leaning against the frame as he stared down everyone with his single eye. "Just as you didn't trust us guarding the room, it was absolutely essential we kept EVERYONE out of the room as well." He said hauntingly as he shifted the end of his sword.
"H-He's got a sword!" Tadatke gasped, readying himself for a fight, "dude, you did take something last night! What the actual f-!"
"Ah… I think that's his personal s-sword actually," Kanna reassured, "nothing from the weapons room, at least from what I-I remember."
"Of course, it isn't from that room." Uta's expression cringed as if disgusted by such an accusation. "This sword is personal equipment, nothing from that shabby room comes close to what I own. And neither do Lukas or Albion have anything from there either."
"That's correct, I have my own sword at the ready," Lukas informed peacefully.
"Everything in that room's crap compared to my beauties," Albion smirked, "as the Grand Blacksmith it's only natural I'd make better quality material than that mess."
"Should that really be what you're focusing on?!" Fudo said, with Minnie squeaking in agreement as they talked about the mascots, "everyone is going off on their own without telling anyone! It's super suspicious!"
"We defended that room because people were going off on their own." Uta continued, not even breaking a sweat to shut the boy down. "Anata, Koji… and now Hania. All of them are wandering around, doing who knows what. And all of you as well, I recall seeing a few of you last night going to other guests' rooms. You're all just as suspicious."
People went to other guest rooms? Prince looked around and caught Kanon and Uta giving each other a small glance, as did Stefano who looked down in shame while Hagoromo smirked.
"Hold on, you all went to each other's rooms at night!?" Xiuying looked even more annoyed by the idea and her eyes squinted harshly, "so all of you are just doing whatever you want now without telling the rest of us? How… 'cooperative' of you hypocrites to keep us out of the loop!" She huffed while using Machi's words.
"Ah so you saw a few of us wander about to see our friends~?" Hagoromo teased, "and since when is that a crime? Alex looked like he needed some company! I simply provided~! We're all free spirits here, hehe! It's not like you can tell all of us what we can do."
"Maybe not, but we can control the limited weapons around at the very least," Uta continued, "and we will continue to do so, whether you like it or not. Unless you want to try and fight us to get into that room while we supervise it."
"That's totally messed up dude!" Tadatake shouted, his large figure actually looking a little tense as he readied to argue, "since when do you decide that? A team would actually huddle about this and make a plan! We wouldn't have even known about your little adventures last night if this chick didn't spill the beans!"
"Ugh, I am not some CHICK!" Amelie seemed disappointed to be described in only one simple word.
"You're all occupied with Jun's food anyway," Albion rolled his eyes as he stared at the hockey player specifically, "this is to protect you. You're making this a bigger deal than it needs to be. Unlike you, we took initiative."
"But perhaps we should've talked to them all about this," Lukas said regrettably.
"You think?!" Kanon scoffed.
Prince watched as the once peaceful atmosphere developed into something a little darker as everyone's voices started to rise. Machi and Jun tried to calm the respective parties, with limited success, while Kanna and Aimi hung back with pale faces from the chaos. Hagoromo watched without much trouble as she encouraged a stressed-out Stefano to listen in. Amelie only shook her head at the argument she inadvertently caused.
Out of everyone Prince could only linger back, unsure of what to say to the worry spirling around. Everyone seemed… fine before, but now things were getting a little tense. Everyone doing their own thing… no one talking to each other.
Was this… the true colors… Alexander was talking about? But… how could he stop this? He wanted to work with everyone, but at this rate, it really seemed like everyone was growing distant…
That was until a certain voice cut through the crowd, the once gentle tone now stern… and determined. Amaya stood at the table, her calm gaze directed at the group.
"Brothers and sisters, I understand your frustration, but we need everyone's hand on the matter of what to do next," Amaya exclaimed as she moved her doll around to gesture to the group, "but before we can do such a thing, our first priority is to come together as a cohesive unit, that way we can effectively feel comfortable in this new environment."
"You say that, but no one's really 'comfortable' here…" Stefano pointed out wearily, "everyone is anxious, it's clear as day. Such feelings can't simply be erased due to us… working together."
"Maybe not erased, but we can share that feeling together…" Amaya nodded softly, "I know this experience is not one we all can accept, nor understand, but we should have faith in each other to align ourselves with the singular goal of not partaking in the distrust and fear Alexander and his partners planted. Even of those of us that are missing, I'm sure if we work together confidently, we can eventually that missing three into zero."
Prince listened in awe as Amaya took control of the room, her eyes glowing with seriousness as her marionette doll came to life from her dancing fingers. Everyone else grew silent too, just like they did from Machi's speech yesterday as they slowly took each other in.
"B-But with how everyone is acting…" Fudo said uneasily, "It's super weird… how can we all work together like this when we… you know, are doing our own thing?" He asked as Minnie squeaked curiously in his scarf.
Amaya thought on this for a moment, and then a genuine look of warmth seemed to overtake her expression as she smiled, "no one has to be alone here, not anymore. It's perfectly acceptable to be frightened and frustrated for the coming days, and I'm not asking you to make yourselves uncomfortable by sticking with the group, but just know even if we feel disjointed now… we're all weaved together by the same threat of fate.
We share this fear, but we can also share hope. I will also do what I can to help, I want to be able to work with all of you, no matter what…" she said fondly, "...so please… let us believe in each other… to not fall for this game, and I swear to you by doing that, will we not fall into corruption ourselves."
…
The marionette maker stood quietly, but held a look of calm on her. It was her words and calm expression that gave Prince… just a little assurance of the situation. She really did seem to believe in them.
So he had to do his best too. He would definitely try and work with everyone!
"I…I agree Amaya," Prince smiled, "I'll believe in everyone as well, I… I want to personally…" He said quietly, trying to harbor those words in his heart.
"I completely agree as well," Luna smiled, "if any more of us were to leave and fall into the temptation of fear, our bond may weaken, so we all need to stick together during this time and report whatever information we can find. With the strength of our numbers, we'll be able to accomplish anything, we just need to stand united… as a group."
Amaya's eyes fell on Luna and Prince, and her eyes closed in relief at their words, "Brother Prince… Sister Luna."
"Tch, just because you said a few words… doesn't mean some of us will change like that," Xiuying seemed unconvinced though and only looked down at her food, "after all the three sword brethren over seem more content screwing us all over with half-baked information before they recklessly guard the weapons room."
"That was for your benefit-!" Albion scoffed and shook his head, "but whatever, now you all know. You can check up on us to make sure we're not stealing those cruddy weapons or whatever. Although again any weapon in that room is pathetic compared to my designs."
"We do not wish to hoard that room for ourselves," Lukas said softly, "we simply will take turns guarding it so no one has to worry about any weapons being stolen. And since Sir Uta and I have our own swords, stealing another weapon shouldn't be a problem… I assure you. We only want to protect you all."
"The plan itself is fine I guess," Tadatake scratched his head as he adjusted his floppy beanie on top, "but hey, just tell us these things more in the future dudes. It works way better that way. Oh! And Lukas since you're injured, maybe I can also guard in your stead!"
"No, absolutely not," Albion shut down.
Uta only rolled his eyes in response, but since he didn't debate the idea as he let Tadatake talk. It seemed he also wanted to protect everyone with the plan, at least that's what Prince assumed.
"Hmph, it seems that resolved itself in a… loose manner," Amelie mused as she sat back, "but of course, there's the matter of everyone else. The fête manquante of three. What are we to do with that disgusting trio that distrusts us all."
"It makes sense they'd distrust you if you're in the same room," Fudo commented, "but… yeah, everyone is like, still a little afraid, what are we gonna do once we split off to investigate?"
Amaya hummed, deep in thought, before suddenly Luna spoke up, "why don't we all come together at the end of the day after our search, and enjoy a feast together, a proper dinner? If we can get everyone to attend, then we can confidently continue to work together without fear. We can step forward, with a new dream and future in our hearts."
"A dinner together, with everyone else?" Machi looked surprised at the idea, but then nodded excitedly, "that sounds fun! Then we should all meet up together to eat again!"
"I can prepare the dishes then, it can be a party," Jun nodded at the idea, his eyes glimmering in excitement.
"You seem way too happy at that idea," Kanon shook her head flatly.
"A dinner party could be to get rid of all our troubles!" Jun smiled, "and you and Uta certainly use a little fun, you both look so tired!"
Both Kanon and Uta gave Jun a glare in return, but neither said anything in response.
"Oh! I can help with the food!" Hagoromo clapped.
"Please… don't-?" Stefano sighed.
"Well…" Fudo's tense look started to slowly fade as the talk of the dinner party continued, "I can help to. I can put on a magic show with Minnie. And… Aimi can make really good sweets during the party!"
"M-Me?" Aimi blushed, "o-oh, yes. I'd love to… share my food with all of you. Dessert comes after all the yummy meals t-that might be made."
"And I'll help to!" Kanna said happily, eager to be of assistance.
"Hmph, je suppose dinner might give off some class to this place," Amelie mumbled, "even if the partygoers are less than ideal. Very well, I shall attend when I'm ready, but everyone must be present or it won't be a proper dinner. Small attendance would more akin to a chahuteuse family restaurant and that won't do for me."
"Then it's settled!" Hagoromo clapped, "let's enjoy this day my dolls before we have dinner~!"
"Why is it when you say it I don't feel as confident?" Stefano sighed before also smiling "but if you're all making an effort I'll also do my best to keep my outlook bright. I hope you all plan the same."
Soon, everyone slowly started to nod in acceptance of the idea and seemed a lot happier. Prince to felt more at ease, "this is great… we'll all meet up then later. After w-we investigate and do whatever we need to do…" He said silently.
"Finally a decent plan," Albion muttered, "you all better work hard and show some initiative like Uta and I did. The second it seems like any of you are slacking off on investigating, I'm out and doing my own thing, got that?"
"We wouldn't dream of slacking off!" Fudo remarked sternly as Minnie squeaked in agreement, "I hope you all are ready to give it one hundred percent so we can escape after this meal!"
"Then you better show your worth after this," Uta said slowly, turning his back on everyone.
"Hmph, quelle corvée…" Amelie sighed, "if you all want to desperately find a way to tunnel out of this luxurious manor, go right ahead, I shall stay here with further refreshments from our little assistant and guard. Xiuying, you're welcome to join me considering these fools are trying to rope you in."
"...I'll pass on that invitation," Xiuying rolled her eyes, "I'd rather get out of this dump as soon as possible, and I don't trust this disorganized group to find anything important. I'll be investigating on my own terms…" But even though she said it in a rude way, she looked a bit… at ease. Maybe Amaya's words really did help.
Amelie seemed a little peeved at the notion, but simply put her cup down, "seems like a perte de temps if you ask ME, but fine… I'll simply enjoy ALL the comfort this manoir may offer me. Lukas… assistant, you shall stay with me during this time." She gestured to Lukas naturally… but also Kanna
"'Assistant'? Don't you mean Kanna?" Machi asked with a nervous laugh, "how in the world did that happen?" Unfortunately, Kanna could only give a small shrug as he was roped into the role. "Well, anyway, I think with Amaya's speech we can continue like this for now!" Machi continued on with a heartfelt grin, "in the meantime, we should focus on exploring the rest of this place after eating! Maybe we'll find something we didn't quite see the first time.
"W-We... um... looked everywhere yesterday though," Aimi sighed, I don't mean to s-sound... like a downer, but um… Alexander seemed pretty adamant about k-keeping us here."
Prince thought of that, but instantly remembered the Angel Room being up for grabs to explore. "Even so, I'm sure he's lying about that…" he tried to say confidently, "I mean we're in a huge manor, he probably missed a crack or door that could allow us to escape."
"Exactly my thoughts!" Machi agreed adamantly, "no matter what that guy says, a potential exit has to be somewhere, right? We'll just find it, and then wait for the storm to calm down. And we don't have to worry about him... ah, controlling that weather, I don't think Alexander is completely in control of it so-"
"He's bluffing about being able to control it," Kanon sneered. She angrily mashed her food with her fork and sighed angrily, "all that magic nonsense is going to drive me insane. Can't even understand how deluded he is to think that."
"Well if we'd w-want an explanation… we just have to go to that Angel Room place…" Prince said quietly, now assured of where he was heading to contribute. If Alexander could do all of that... he had to go there to understand him. It was the only way to somehow fight back against his claim this morning... even if he was to scared to tel everyone about it.
"Magic or not, that storm is going to keep us trapped here until it calms down," Luna clarified as she looked up tiredly, "and since it shows no sign of stopping… we only have two options to leave here. We stay here and wait for help… or attempt to contact rescue."
"I'll be the first to find something!" Tadatake laughed confidently, slamming his fist on the table, "I'm sure of it, you can count on me, dudes!"
"Not if I find it first~" Hagoromo chuckled mischievously, challenging the hockey player, "may the best of us win."
"So we're all in agreement?" Machi's eyes lit up, "let's search over the entire place one more time and see if we come up with anything, and then meet for dinner later! I mean, Prince, you barely had anything to eat! Here sit down! We have some food right here!"
"I got an open seat next to me!" Fudo beamed as he showed off three seats. "Me and Minnie can show you some tricks we've learned in the meantime! Come on and sit with us!"
Amaya and Luna took a seat, appearing appreciative of their efforts.
"Yes, thank you for holding these seats for us," Amaya smiled as she lifted a hand for Prince to take, "then let us enjoy this meal together Brother Prince, we've waited long enough!"
Prince paused before taking Amaya's hand and smiling, finding his own seat as he enjoyed the slightly reformed group's banter. There was some unease about, and the memory of the game still lingered in the air… as to did his nightmare.
But if he could ignore it for just a second with everyone, he would gladly do so.
When all was said and done, the group began to drift away from the dining room, some sticking around to clean up while a few tailed it outside (Tadatake and Hagoromo noticeably for their "competition" to find something important.)
"I'll go fetch her…" Stefano grumbled. He already looked done with the antics. Xiuying left shortly behind with a sort of uneasy look, while Uta and Albion instantly sped away together with serious looks.
"ME TOO! Let's chase em' Aimi!" Fudo smiled brightly and ran off after the two as Minnie held tightly onto his scarf. Aimi begrudgingly tagged along, her face flushed from the sudden declaration. It seemed they were back in high spirits.
Prince however smiled softly at the sight and contemplated his morning, 'they look like they're having fun… I hope they'll be alright for dinner later.'
But at the same time even knowing the sweetness present around, his heart grew dark as he pondered the game… and of Alexander's encounter.
"I mean... to not even remember who you are is a nightmarish situation for a game built on trust, don't you agree?"
Prince held his tie tightly and looked down, attempting to regain his thoughts as the voices around him muffled, 'I'll remember eventually… I just… have to do what I can in the meantime so everyone can be happy… and it can stay like this. So they don't… distrust me to…'
"Hey!" An annoyed voice sounded behind Prince and he nervously whirled around to find Kanon standing crossed armed, "are you spacing out? Did you hear anything I just said?"
"H-Huh?" To be truthful he just didn't and stared blankly at her, "I'm s-sorry?"
Kanon rolled her eyes, "I'd hope this isn't a side effect from the injuries you suffered the other day, but I can't be too optimistic about that outcome. Anyway, I'm setting that appointment I talked about for you."
"Huh?" Prince blinked in surprise. For Kanon to walk up so casually, and even schedule an appointment for him, he couldn't help but wonder why. "So soon? I thought that would happen… a-after the investigation."
"Even if I wait, I want a schedule to know when you'll visit me, I can't work without schedules." Kanon continued, her eyes growing grave as she patted down her polo shirt, "and besides, did you expect me to just ignore you and Lukas's injuries? Left unchecked, it could turn into something severe. The amount of force it took to knock you out would definitely have caused some internal damage for someone your size."
Internal damage? Prince's heart frantically beat a little as he put a hand over his chest. If it was bad enough with him, he couldn't imagine Lukas's condition given he charged head on, "woah that's a little scary… what about Lukas…?" He asked wearily.
The doctor's gaze shifted back to Prince, and she seemed to relax a teeny bit, "I'll be meeting up with him later today as well. Both of you are so stubborn, wanting to investigate first. He tried to reassure me he was fine, but he needs to stop that whole heroic act real soon, it's getting on my nerves."
"Well he does want to protect e-everyone," Prince said softly as he stole a glance at the large knight who was being chatted away at by Amelie. He felt a sort of awe of Lukas's dedication to help others. Even if guarding the weapons room meant telling no one else, it did guarantee they were all safe for a night. That sentiment lingered to Uta and Albion as well. They seemed cold, but they were doing a lot for the group actually…
"Um… Earth to Prince, just because you want to protect people, it can lead to bad choices… bad decisions," Kanon said darkly, seemingly recalling something before shaking her head, "but whatever, your… over-idealized fantasy of that knight aside… I'm sure sleeping allowed you to alleviate some of the pain, but I want to make sure so we don't have any problems in the future."
Prince nodded softly as Kanon spoke, similarly growing inspired by her punctuality, "thank y-you for caring about me then… K-Kanon…"
The doctor's eyes perked up briefly before she looked away with a steely look, "it's my job. If anything you're the one who should've been setting this appointment. Of course I have to take the initiative again. But we'll see each other after you do… whatever you plan to do."
"Likewise…" Prince smiled as he turned to leave. But before he left, he looked back at those cleaning the table. Machi and Jun were happily chatting away as they handed dishes to Kanna, who also seemed pretty content lugging around plates to the kitchen. Amaya and Luna talked together as they helped clean with the group.
Everyone was slowly trying to work together despite the unease… and he couldn't help but think Amaya and Machi really were the reasons it was working out between them all. He… He wanted to be more like that. To take the action needed to help everyone.
So he had to investigate that room… the Angel Room. His thoughts were bubbling about it, confused of it's existence, but if Hania wanted to see it to understand the magic, he could bring that info to the group and help them too.
So Prince prepared to head off alone, before surprisingly being caught by Machi, "oh Prince, heading out already! You busybody, getting a head start on all of us!""
"O-Oh yeah," Prince laughed awkwardly, "I wanted to explore a little by myself… if that's okay."
"Totally fine," Jun joined, "we're just helping Kanna clean up, can't have him do all the work you know." ("T-Thank you all so much…" Kanna mumbled as he carried dishes away.)
"Yep!" Machi agreed as she helped pick some plates up, "we'll see you later Prince! And remember to stay positive!" With that, the three went into the kitchen to clean up.
As for Amaya and Luna, they took turns cleaning up the table, but the conversation with Machi allowed the two to spot Prince.
"Brother Prince, are you about to head out?" Amaya beamed, "if you wish, we can accompany you!"
"That's right… we just need to organize the table and then we can join," Luna softly said.
Prince looked at their hopeful faces and smiled, both aching to head off alone, but happy they kept seeing him as trustworthy enough to explore together, "t-thanks guys… but I wanted to take care of something r-real quick, if that's okay." He said nervously, not wanting to drag them off.
Amaya looked a little sad at this, but Luna's hum of acceptance seemed to snap the marionette maker out of the trance, "alright then…" Luna spoke, "just keep safe, the Eternal One will watch over you as you traverse the area."
"Ah yes," Amaya agreed with the cult leader and lightly waved, "do be careful out there, and we will absolutely see each other later I hope!"
"It's a plan," Prince said softly as he took one last look at the dining room and left.
He knew exactly where he wanted to go. As he recalled the announcement, he remembered the Angel Room was by the ballroom, so if he looked at his map on his watch, he could find the few rooms he hadn't been to track the room down.
He eventually saw it after walking down the glorious halls, feeling rather queasy as the realization he'd have to meet Empress if he found this room finally entered his mind. But no matter, he'd have to deal with it. Instead, he slowly approached the area, wondering what he would find.
And that's when he saw it… a bewildering sight of everyone who was missing. Koji… Anata… and Hania.
All of them planted in front of the opening door of the Angel Room..