Places to Chat
post two
Chatterbox: Inkwell
post two
post two
~~~~~~~~~~~
The guests mill around the room, eating, chatting, and bouncing apparent grapefruits on various objects. Baroness Teal, who was rather new to the group, went around introducing herself.
Nobody seemed particularly out of place- except for two. One was Prof. Gamboge, who seemed to hesitate a bit before giving his name. The second was the Knight of the Royals, who hastily introduced themself with a "Salutations, m'lady" before dashing off to inspect the bowl of grapefruits.
Royals plucked a grapefruity object from the bowl, bounced it a few times to ensure it was real, and then sliced it in midair- spraying juice on the disapproving Dr. Mauve.
"You're lucky I'm wearing such a dark color," she snapped, brushing herself off and moving to a different seat.
Mint, Malachite, Crimson, Ebony, and Alizarin were drifting in and out of conversation with each other- mostly about the weather, how delicious is this cake!- thank you for inviting us, your mask is lovely, what in heaven's name is Royals doing with that grapefruit, whyever did you bring so much yarn? As you'd guess! Just your basic typical ordinary conversation.
Maroon, Lilac, Violet, and Gamboge had known each other since their years in university and were sitting comfortably in a group of chairs in the corner, catching up with each other's lives. Outside it began to sleet.
Baroness Teal, meanwhile, was looking through the grapefruit bowl. Most of them were clearly wooden as soon as you touched them, but one as the bottom of the bowl was a bit softer. Glancing around to make sure no one was watching, she took out the softer grapefruit. It was real, and leaking quite a bit from a rough hole in the side that had been lying against the bowl.
Teal looked at the hole. There was a dark grey chunk of metal inside, as if someone has quickly jammed the thing into the grapefruit to hide it. She stuck her finger in to try to pull it out...
"Hi!" said Cerulean, carrying her cheese tray and a raspberry tart. "Would you like some ch- Wait, is there a hole in that grapefruit?"
*What would you like to do next?*
submitted by [Madam] Alizarin(e)
(January 17, 2020 - 5:30 pm)
(January 17, 2020 - 5:30 pm)
Purposeful bottom because I forgot how comments work
(January 17, 2020 - 7:46 pm)
(January 18, 2020 - 1:53 pm)
I'll pull out one of my daggers and slice the grapefruit in half, then pull out whatever is inside. I'll show Cerulean, then I'll stash it in a pocket.
(January 18, 2020 - 3:37 pm)
I will try and sneak closer to the Baroness, so as to figure out what was in the grapefruit.
(January 18, 2020 - 4:30 pm)
I pretend not to be evesdropping on the conversation about the strange grapefruit and try to see what is inside it, idily toying with my very expensive necklace.
(January 19, 2020 - 11:50 am)
I will sit down on a couch and wonder vaguely about why in the world there was a ______ in the grapefruit. However, all the sugar I ate is is coming back to me. I'm off my sugar rush, and I'm very tired.
(January 20, 2020 - 10:27 am)
I will exit my conversation and go to question Royals about the grapefruit. Then I will inspect it myself, and attempt to dislodge the metal object.
(January 20, 2020 - 2:34 pm)
After seeing the fuss about the grapefruit, I try and get closer to look inside and investigate what it is.
(January 20, 2020 - 4:48 pm)
post three
~~~~~
Crimson, Mauve, and Violet, noticing the grapefruit conversation, crept over to commit the dropping of eaves (with varying degrees of stealth).
“-oh, there is! Shh!” the baroness replied to Cerulean. “Here…” Teal pulled a dagger out of her left boot and deftly sliced the grapefruit in half, wherein she found a small black key. Replacing the dagger, she flashed the key to Cerulean before putting the key into her pocket.
“Hmmm? What?” Mauve asked innocently, twisting her pearls through her fingers. “Ah, I thought I heard you say there was something in the grapefruit.”
“There was, actually,” Cerulean pointed out. “It was a-”
“-Piece of old metal, maybe a hairpin,” Teal interrupted. She wasn’t sure why she felt the need to cover up the key, but…
Commander Crimson gave up being sneaky and joined the scuffle. “Respectfully, who the heck would put a hairpin in a grapefruit?”
“I suppose it must be some strange activity among the youth,” Mauve replied. (Lady Cerulean gave Teal an apologetic look and went to sit on one of the couches.)
“Well!” Alizarin said to the rest of the visitors. “I believe it’s almost time for dinner, so I will meet you all in the dining room!”
Mint scooted over to ask Royals about why he might have sliced a grapefruit in midair as most of the guests began to move out of the room.
“Wait!” cried Professor Gamboge. “I say, did anyone hear that?”
The people still in the room (Maroon, Lilac, Gamboge, Royals, and Ebony) glanced over at him and began talking over each other.
“Everyone!” Gamboge said again. “Do shut up!”
Everyone did, indeed, shut up and listen.
The sound of muffled footsteps thumped against the ceiling, and then stopped.
“Shhh!!” Ebony hissed. “Gamboge, is there any second floor above this room?”
“No!” Gamboge hissed back. “There isn’t! It juts out from the rest of the Manor, like so—so either there’s a tiny attic gap between the ceiling and roof, or someone is out there walking on the roof.”
Lilac gasped dramatically. “Why? It’s begun to sleet!”
With perfect thematic timing, a peal of thunder sounded in the distance.
“That’s convenient, to be frank,” Maroon pointed out. “We can just see if anyone at dinner has wet hair.”
“Hoods exist,” Lilac replied, and took her platter of macaroons from its table before whooshing through the doorframe.
Meanwhile, in the dining room…
~~~
If you’re still in the parlor, would you like to follow everyone else to the dining room? Or would you rather stick around and investigate? If so, what would you like to investigate?
If you’re in the dining room, do you have particular questions for particular people?
What else might you like to do?
(January 23, 2020 - 10:11 am)
I am extremely curious about the foosteps from the ceiling, and whethere they are coming from the roof or not. I decide to stay back and glance at the others to see if anyone else would like to stay too.
I want to first see if there is any trap doors, or secret passageways in the room. I also would like to open the big window/door (if there is one) to let in some fresh air. (Even though it's cold outside.) The cold never really bothered me anyways.
(January 24, 2020 - 2:03 am)
I'm disappointed about there being nothing interesting in the grapefruit, and sit down and wonder why a hairpin could have gotten in the grapefruit in the first place.
(January 23, 2020 - 4:21 pm)
Hmm, I'll look around the dining room to see if there's something the key might belong to.
(January 23, 2020 - 5:32 pm)
I am suspicious of the behavior Cerulean and Teal are exhibiting and decide to keep an eye on them. I do have a degree in Psychology, you know.
I am also pleased (and slightly flattered on behalf of Aldi- I MEAN my chef) that Cerulean has taken such a liking to my mini eclairs.
(January 23, 2020 - 5:44 pm)
I'm not very hungry, so I decide I might as well stay behind and check on the secret hidden attic theory and see if there are any doors that match the key. Maybe the key is to the attic! Maybe the footsteps belonged to my long lost twin sister named. . . um. . . Athena! Maybe she brought me a present. Maybe a bird. I would like a pet. On my way to meet "Athena", I check to see if there are any leftover eclares. There aren't.
(January 25, 2020 - 1:09 am)
I go to the dining room and start asking everyone questions about that odd hairpin in the grapefruit. Who put it there? Why did they do it? And are there any mini eclairs left?
I also examine the room for anything strange.
(January 25, 2020 - 6:24 pm)