(Event) Enter Vermillion

Pandora · Aug 31, 2017

House Vermillion

[This thread is for @Roland Rutledge and @Alphabet Chocolate only. A continuation of The Emissary.]

The two girls had arrived. The carriage had traveled through some sort of wormhole and arrived right smack in the middle of a gorgeous white mansion. Narth guided the girls out of the carriage. If they were to notice. The rest of the caravan was gone. In fact the carriage itself had faded into nothing the moment Narth shut it's door behind them. They were now trapped here for all intense and purposes. There was no exit in sight. Just a massive hedge maze on all sides.The man placed a hand in his pocket and spoke.

"This is House Vermillion, also known by many other names. It is extraordinary isn't it? The manor is surrounded by hedge mazes that make it easy to become hopelessly lost if you stray off of the central path. Of course why would you ever want to do that?"

The man began to head towards the manor. Expecting the girls to follow him. If they did not it really was no longer his concern. He brought them here. His job was done in his opinion. Narth only had one thing left to do. Get his reward for his services. The man was done playing Vermillion's servant and had other things to do. The 'charming lady' would have to use her own house maids in the future. Oh yes.... there is the main one now... Narsh would stop a short distance away from the front door as it opened. A young girl who appeared to be a maid answered.

"Oh, t-that was fast. Y-you are a very g-good worker... my lord. Milady will be i-impressed."

The girl seemed to be very shaky in both her mannerisms and speech. One hand was still on the door handle seemingly relaxed but her other hand was constantly clenching into a fist over and over. She then looked to the two girls who accompanied him.

"Welcome.... y-you are from Astorea? Milady h-has heard of you. The Over Watcher has also spoken of your a-arrival. Please.... right t-this way."

Narsh would allow the girls to go on ahead of him if they so wished before he would follow along. Creating a sandwich with him in the rear and the maid in the front. They would walk into a large foyer that was decorated with roses and white pillars. Paintings lined the walls of various beautiful creatures of myth and many dreamlike locations that were not recognizable to the guests of honor.

The maid stopped here and turned to speak.

"Milady will arrive s-shortly. Y-you are both in milady's tastes so... you w-will fare well here. I h-hope you... enjoy your stay."

The maid grasped her one quivering arm with her relaxed hand and it stopped shaking some. She then would look at them oddly and say nothing else. If they asked any questions it was uncertain if she would answer. After a few minutes of waiting and Narth checking his pocket watch. The sound of footsteps could be be heard from up the central stairwell. Two more people appeared at the top. They were again both girls of what looked to be in their teen years. The first one looked to the shorter of the two with a raised eyebrow before descending the steps. She looked at the two guests with a analytical look that betrayed her weak appearance. Some sort of sentient magical eye was floating next to her, it attached to her body by some unknown tendril looking appendage.

"Sigh... You are Alphabet Chocolate and Rosaline. You look less interesting in person than from afar. Man who lies. You have brought what you were assigned. The rest is up to Vermillion. Completion level ten. It is time to give you what you wanted. Good day and farewell."

She continued past Rosaline and stopped just then. Her cold and bored voice spoke again lower.

"Overconfidence level ten. Pity."

The eye girl then headed through a side door with Narth close behind. smiling slyly again like he did on the carriage.

"Oh please. Must you be that way? Leave the young ladies alone Over Watcher. Alas... I can finally get what I came here for. A piece to my puzzle. You have my thanks."

Narth bowed deeply to the remaining girl in white at the top of the stairs before he too left the foyer. The girl smiled invitingly before gently walking halfway down the stairs herself. Her hand resting on the railing as she gazed at the two guests that had come from so faraway...

"Lady Alphabet.... L-lady Rosaline.... Lady Vermillion graces you with her presence. Y-you may want to bow."

The Maid said as she lowered her head a little, still unmoving from her position. The girl in white laughed gently and spoke at last.

"Not at all. Please be at rest! Annette, you really must stop frightening the diplomats. You have come far. I surmise that man gave you a good fright in his preferred way to travel? You are safe here from his machinations. Welcome I am Vermillion Romanov."

[Roland's Gender Bend Potion: 4 cycles remaining.]

Alphabet Chocolate · Sep 1, 2017

As Alpha regained her bearings, stumbling out of the carriage in confusion, she looked around to find herself breath-taken by the sight. Beautiful hedges and blooming flowers highlighted the fantastical mansion. "Pretty!" she squealed, enraptured as she plucked out a rose and nimbly avoided conflict with its protruding thorns. After picking it and giving it a light sniff, she turned to the girl next to her and, with a thoughtful look, took another flower and offered it to her. "Hi Rosa!" she grinned. "You know Rudolf? Haha, you look just like him! Like if he was a girl...oh wait, you're his cousin, right? So cool!"

After that bit of a socialization, she swept over to Narth to hand him a flower as well. They continued to walk until they had managed to stumble upon a young, purple-haired maid. Alpha's musings and small conversational pieces (comments on detached eyes and compliments on well-groomed hair) were insignificant to the grand scheme of things— up until they reached the company of Lady Vermilion. She gave a dying wave to Narth, displeased by his absence. It didn't bother her as much as she expected; she'd always been fond of new toys and people over old ones. Admittedly, Alpha didn't have the best attention span.

"So you're Lady Vermilion?" Alpha offered the girl her hand and a beaming smile. In contrast to the grace that seemed to exude off of Lady Vermilion Romanov in waves, she seemed to be radiating simple amicability and excitement. "Narth said that we'll have an ETERNAL FRIENDSHIP together! I think so, too, cause you look so cool! And that little necklace you have is so cute; where did you even get it?! And oh my gosh this is gonna be so fun and we can have slumber parties and talk about Nar—cute boys, and all sorts of stuff!"

She winked, slinging her arm around Rosalina and pulling the diminutive girl (compared to Roland) a bit closer to her. "And Rosa here, she's a cousin of my friend who's more like a twin sister, will be the third to our duo or trio! Yeah! This is gonna be so awesome and Rosa is so cool. I mean, we just met so I don't know much about her but, on the other side, I just met you too and I just know everything's gonna go great so there's that!"

@Roland Rutledge @Pandora

Roland Rutledge · Sep 2, 2017

Rosaline let out a deep breath of relief as she climbed into the carriage with Narth and Alphabet. She hadn't been sure if Narth would even agree with her plan, and she didn't trust Alpha to be able to negotiate effectively. Knowing her, they'd end up trading half their land for a carriage full of candy. Then again, knowing Roland, he might have done the same deal if the candy was laced with liquor. Pushing the thought out of her mind, Rosalina settled down, pushing the wrinkles out of her skirt in a preoccupied manner as Narth signaled for the carriage to start moving. With a sudden lurch, they were encased by darkness leaving Rosaline white knuckled in panic as she became very much aware of how bad of an idea this entire excursion might have been. The magic itself didn't seem to be inherently evil, but it was an ominous sign. The darkness disappeared as quickly as it came revealing the carriage to somehow traveled to the Vermilion household almost instantaneously. Quickly ruining her plans' to sit and try and perfect her concoction on the carriage ride, preventing an awkward moment when the solution wore off.

Resisting the urge to grimace, Rosaline affixed her best smile as she exited the carriage greeting the seemingly nervous maid with a stiff head nod. The walk into the lavish castle allowed Rosaline time to collect her thoughts, "I have a limited amount of time here, I'd say maybe an hour or two before my potion wears off..." she left out a small sigh," Or maybe even less, I didn't have much time to put this together, I will need to try and push negotiations as quickly as possible, or at least break away... Yes, at the very least if I can get in a room by myself for an extended period I may be able to scrounge something together..." Lost in thought, Rosaline barely registered the strange young girl with the eye appendage until she spoke directly to her, "Overconfidence level ten. Pity." The comment made Rosaline's blood run cold, was she on to her shenanigans? If she was, it didn't seem as if she was going to do anything about it as she walked away nonchalantly. "Fixing a new potion is out of the question, I'm going to need to get us out of here." Rosaline thought as she forced herself to look upwards to the girl in white.

After a brief introduction, it seemed that this was the Lady Vermillion they had been told about, strange considering her age. Before Rosaline could get out a word, Alpha erupted into her typical verbal diarrhea. After she finished, Rosaline cleared her throat, "In full disclosure, I would like you to know I am closer to Roland than one would think. In fact, he was so concerned about our safety here he advised me he had plans to come here if too much time passed. I understand this will complicate things greatly, and I truly wish to avoid him appearing here, so I will try and speed this along, for now, I hope you can forgive my rushed behavior in the meantime..." Rosaline breathed deeply after her case of verbal diarrhea before continuing, "I for one appreciate the swift manner in which the one with the one with the dreamy eyes deposited us here; you must thank him for us after we are done here. As far as the task at hand goes, we are here to discuss a possible friendship between the land of Astorea and your house. However, hat we have been unable to find out, thus far, is what it is exactly that you seek from us. I hope you can shed some light onto this for us so that we can push forward. As for our side of things, we hold the only border, and thus all trade routes for Yldians coming into Farledan. While there may not be a lot of goods flowing quite yet, we have a variety of skilled craftsmen working with the elves, to procure enchanted goods for sale. Our merchants do not doubt that it will be a quite profitable trade, given the correct amount of investments.... What I'm trying to say is we can offer you exclusive tax reduced deals, in exchange for helping us get the trade routes started." With a long breath, Rosaline tried to force herself to relax a bit, pointedly trying to ignore the ticking timer in her peripheral vision, "Of course, if this isn't something that interests you, we understand. Our two greatest needs are wealth, and allies, I hope that we can find a way to at least acquire one of these from you."

@Pandora

Pandora · Sep 3, 2017

Vermillion smiled elegantly and placed a hand to her heart as she slowly descended the stairs. Listening to both of the girls speak in turn. The mysterious host moved that same hand to right under her chin. Her index finger going to her lip as she looked at them. She then lowered her hand and would respond to each of them in the same gentle manner. They were guests after all... and one of them was cute. If a bit rough around the edges. Vermillion was not that picky though. Many varieties were good when properly groomed.

"Hmhmhm. Eternal friendship he says? I don't care what a man thinks... I do care what you think. Your name is adorable. Where did you come up with it?"

The white dressed girl almost seemed to glide around Alphabet. The young rogue was around her exact size. Looking at her and then stopping again in front of her with a weird look.... her eyes closed and she seemed to be quivering all of a sudden. A strange moan came from Vermillion and then...

"BABIDEBADIBAIDBEIBEI!!!!!"

Vermilion suddenly opened her eyes wide and almost jumped on Alphabet with her hands like claws. She shouted weird gibberish and stuck her tongue out at Alphabet. The she stopped and smiled.

"Just kidding!"

Vermillion backed up a little and explained.

"So sorry! I apologize ABC... oh I hope that it is okay to call you that. It just feels very natural! I do enjoy a bit of fun sometimes. It's very drab here without a fresh face sometimes. Most of these girls do not understand me. They don't do much but perform their duties. No one wants to play with me. So yes... things could work out great and I would hope they do! However...."

Vermillion turned and looked over her shoulder at Rosaline. A smile was given to her as well, The young mistress of the manor made her way to Rosaline and looked her over much quicker than Alphabet. Not even going around to check all sides like before.

"Roland... your cousin, would not find it easy to reach this place. So I worry for his well being. Tell me... you talk about friendships with Astorea. I dislike politics myself. It is much easier to simply find faster ways to make friends. Do you know what some of those ways might be?"

Vermillion looked to her maid Annette.

"Annette. Would you unlock the path to the rose garden. I think it would make a much better place to discuss more serious business."

Annette immediately bowed and headed through a door leaving the three alone in the foyer.

"To give you a short answer, Rosy. I do hope that is a acceptable shortening. Yes, my house of the red crest shall have no qualms with your new kingdom. I can only hope you grow to be prosperous. It would be so interesting to see such changes in a land that has seen none in over one hundred years. The long answer unfortunate as it is. Is that I require a longer discussion. One of your allies awakened a artifact that has few copies in this world. Then there is the Blood Coven. I have a long invested interest in those who deal with them."

The noble girl then rubbed her chin and nodded before raising a finger with a look of a sudden idea.

"Ahhhh what is wrong with me? You have come from so far and have seen so little! Come, allow me to give you a personal tour of my manor. You should see the ballroom, I'm sure you saw the front already.... oh yes my collection of artifacts and then finally the rose garden for a bite to eat and drink, my favorite place to spend a pleasant evening. ABC would you like to see my rare dolls? You won't be disappointed!"

Vermillion would not wait for them she headed towards a door on the right side of the room, opposite the doors Annette and Narth had used earlier. She turned and gave a teasing smile while gesturing and winking.

"Come on, don't be slow pokes! Surely you can appreciate a rose's beauty? I have not done this in a while! Hmhmhmhm...."

@Alphabet Chocolate @Roland Rutledge

[Roland's Gender Bend Potion: 3 cycles remaining.]

Alphabet Chocolate · Sep 4, 2017

"Eep!" Alpha jumped, breath taken away, when Vermilion had intentionally horrified her with that display. It reminded her of the 2026 remake of the Babadook and the thought of the tall, humanoid creature gave her shudders all around. She pouted as Vermilion revealed her playful intentions and crossed her arms in an undignified fashion. "Not funny! Well, kinda, but still! If you keep doing that then the Babadook is gonna know that you know that it knows that you know that it exists!" she whined.

At Vermilion's apology, however, she knew she couldn't stay miffed and gave the short noble a pat on the shoulder alongside an Alphabet Chocolate™ grin. "Haha, no worries Vermy! I'll show you a bunch of games; have you ever played Monopoly or do demonic ouija board summonings before?! Well, I tried the last one but it didn't work but still! It'll be so fun and we can hang out and do all sorts of stuff, so cheer up, okay?"

At the mention of Roland, she piped down and glanced over at Rosa to gauge her reaction. And, with that, time passed faster than she expected and she soon found herself heading through the doors. Her eyes sparkled as she gave Rosa a comforting brush along the way. "Don't worry, Rosa! Rudolf is gonna be here any minute now and he can join the party!"

She turned her attention to Lady Vermilion, her arms behind her head in a whimsical stretch as she sauntered up to the polite girl. "Oh! I love flowers and dolls and dragons and everything! I also have this awesome story about these blood witches; can you believe that I met the Blood Coven or whatever?!" she palmed the Mist Wolf Fragment in her satchel and held up her ring finger to proudly display her Blood Pact. "It's a great story! You'll love it and you'll get to meet my bestest best-great-amazing friend in the entire world!"

@Roland Rutledge @Pandora

Roland Rutledge · Sep 4, 2017

Rosaline's mouth twisted in dissatisfaction as Vermillion replied. It wasn't the nickname that drew her ire, but rather the nebulous response. Still, she followed the lady silently as they entered the rose garden briefly. "Again with the mentions of an artifact, and what is this about a blood coven? Could it have been related to the spider queen?" With a spin of her heel, Rosaline followed Vermillion back out into the main hallway prepared to interrupt her request to give them a full tour before Alpha spoke up again. Rosaline hissed between her teeth as the teenager began to give away what little of a bargaining chip they had.

"At this rate, we will be stuck here, at the end of this potions effects with nothing to show for it. If there is going to be any good will between us, I need to do something, and fast." Working swiftly Rosaline brought up her interface before her, typing several quick commands into the window visible only to her. Since whispering to Alphabet would likely be impossible, she'd have to rely on the in-game text messaging service to speak for her.

Roland

@Alphabet Chocolate, please don't tell Lady Vermillion anything else about the blood coven or the artifact. In fact, come home we will want to meet your friend in a less dangerous location. If you get here quick enough, I will make you and Rose ice cream. Promise.

-Roland"

Rosealine sighed as she closed her in-game menu, hoping the message was enough to help derail her from giving Vermilion any more precious information. Switching gears Rosaline adopted as friendly of a smile as she could muster, as she attempted what she had hoped would be a curtsy. "I think I am beginning to understand a way in which we can come to the same terms, as my dear friend here stated we do indeed have information regarding the Blood Coven, and I am sure our leadership would have very little qualms trading information with our allies. However, neither me or Alphabet are in any position to give information out currently, and once more I must be terribly insistent upon our time here being brief." Rosaline let out a small breath, ushering Alphabet to follow her to the door from which they came, "That said... I am genuinely moved by your generous actions today in allowing us to speak with you, and I would like to set up a meeting where we can talk longer at length about each of our goals. We would, of course, come with someone capable of giving out the classified intel of which you speak, and Alphabet or I can accompany that said person to any neutral location of your choosing.... Now then, please call back Mr. Narth as it is time for us to take our leave..." Rosaline would wait a moment to give Alphabet, and Vermillion a chance to react to her new demands. She felt it wasn't exactly a hard-nosed position as much as a delay, and she prayed Vermilion saw it as such. However, even if she didn't Rosaline had very little choices here, time was of the essence...

Roland Rutledge · Sep 4, 2017

@Pandora

Pandora · Sep 4, 2017

Vermillion would listen to Alphabet talk about Blood Coven and she even showed her a Blood Pact ring. The girl in white laughed politely at her enthusiasm, but gave no actual reply. Vermillion nodded as she opened the large double doors that were found along the current hallway. They would find themselves on the upper level of a large ballroom. A single chandelier hung high above and flowers and drapes decorated the room. A painting far in the back showed Vermillion standing on top of what looked like a building looking over the sea. A enormous statue stood in the background. It was difficult to make out too much due to the paintings blurry style. The artist decided to use surreal coloring and odd brush strokes.

"The ballroom. Perhaps we can hold a wondrous party here with your Astoreon nobility someday."

The girl stopped here to speak to Alphabet.

"You already have a very best friend? That saddens me... I did hope you would let me be your best friend. Maybe I can be your BFF still... Let's talk about it over cookies? Annette shall make the very best!"

Rosaline was looking rather concerned about something. However Vermillion did not respond to that either. Instead she offered a small smile and a nod before casually continuing the tour. The next door would be just down the hall. It was odd but the building actually had a very simple construction inside. Everything was just in one single hall on the entire tour. It was almost as if something was off. The interiors of the rooms did not quite match the halls wall. It would take a certain degree of alertness or a Artisan skill to truly notice though. Vermillion stopped just outside of the room and spoke in a over exaggerated faux hushed voice.

"What you see in here share with no one okay? This is my collection. It is only to be seen by my very bestest besties.....hmhmhm."

The room was enormous yet again. This one also had multiple floors and was filled with statues and gemstones. Weapons of unknown make hung along the walls. A entire section was dedicated to numerous dolls and mannequins. They were dressed in a variety of wardrobes, some were extremely exotic and others looked like something Falderen's royalty might wear to a party. One may find if they looked long enough possibly any type of rare treasure they could think of. Unfortunately, Vermillion only stepped slightly into the room not allowing them to pass her by at least not yet.

"Hmhmhm... it is a spectacle don't you think? I have spent many years adding to this collection. It is one of my pride and joys."

She then horded them out and closed the door again before adding...

"Nothing is greater than making friends though I must admit."

Finally they would reach the rose garden. It was here that Rosaline made her very poorly practiced curtsy that received a amused smile from Vermillion and hastily made her attempt to get out before things went bad... really bad. The girl made a slightly worried look to Rosaline.

"Yes, yes, I see. I'm sorry. You are in such a hurry my dear. Are you unhappy with something? I thought you could stay for cookies and a glass of milk or tea? Just look here... Annette is such a good maid. She already set our table."

Vermillion moved through the (once again ridiculously large) garden and pulled out a a finely made lawn chair. A big pile of cookies sat on three plates with a pouring jar and cups readily available.

"Please won't you try at least one? ABC? Rosaline?"

Whether they would or not the girl gestured around at her many flowers, mostly roses. Her hand went to some that were near her seat as she sat down and folded her legs. Vermillion continued to look at the two girls as she petted her roses gently.

"I take good care of these you know. They are perhaps even more precious to me than my collection of artifacts. This place is so relaxing. It is my serene getaway from the ugliness of this distorted world."

She smiled at Alphabet and offered her a rose.

"Would you like a rose to take home with you? I think one would look gorgeous in your hair."

Regardless how they responded. She sighed and poured some milk into the cups.

"If you really must go then it would be rude to stop you.... there is just one question....."

@Alphabet Chocolate @Roland Rutledge

[Roland's Gender Bend Potion: 2 cycles remaining.]

Alphabet Chocolate · Sep 4, 2017

"Psssh, we didn't even have our doll party yet, Rosa! Rudolf said he'll take us out for ice cream later though, so don't worry! It's not like I'm gonna live out the rest of my days here!"

If Alpha thought the ballroom and foyer was amazing, she hadn't been prepared for the pure epitome of elegance that constituted the rose garden. A marvelous floral scent lingered as the three walked through the well-groomed paths. She felt at bliss; calm and content with the world. Until someone mentioned cookies. "Cookies....and milk...WHAT KIND?!" she cried out upon hearing the words.

"Is it chocolate chip? Macadamia? Soy milk?!" she insisted, panicking as she went through all potential varieties of one of her favorite snacks. After obliging the two in quite the long list, she shook her head before slinging her arm over Vermilion, drawing the young girl closer. She gave a conspiratorial wink as she whispered into the girl's ear: "Don't tell anyone but my neighbor makes the best sugared-plum bacon cookies! Mom and dad hate her, though, so don't snitch!"

Soon after that, they arrived to a table. It was neatly presented with a platter of cookies divided among three plates and fancy cups filled to the brim with milk. Drool began to drip from the corner of her lips as she stared, with wide eyes, at the delectable arrangement. She almost missed Vermilion's words but, after a few seconds of the words being spoken, it finally went through her brain and clicked as she turned around, painfully tearing her eyes away from the sweet-smelling treats, and gave Rosa and Vermilion a playful smirk. "Haha, you should meet those Alraunes or something! They're kinda like these but a bit bigger and scarier! One time, Jack and I found one and it was controlling these cultists and they tried to attack us and everything! It was creepy but I swear that, if I had the chance, I would've kept a part of it! It smelled just like toasted popcorn; you'd love it, Vermy! You too, Rosa! I wonder if it'll still be there if I make a visit..."

Alpha shook her head from her long-winded thoughts as she gladly took the flower offered by Vermilion with an eager thanks before carefully placing it between the crevice of her ear and head. She took a cookie, dipped it a few times in milk (effectively drenching it to the point of sogginess), and moaned as she felt the taste spread through her tongue. She finished it with a big gulp and, happily, took out the Trinity Doll Mini from her pack. "Yum! This is Trine! I got her at the Trinity Center and she's, like, my favorite doll ever!" she explained, gently handing it over to Vermilion. "You can have her, Vermy! For your doll collection! You know, as a symbol of our friendship or something and a thank you for the flower!" she grinned.

She went ahead and devoured a few more cookies before her ears perked up. "Oooh, a question? I'm not too good with those but sure! I think Rosa would know more stuff, though, cause Rudolf is super smart and since she's her cousin then I'd imagine she's, like, ten times smarter! Still, though; ask away!"

Roland Rutledge · Sep 5, 2017

Rosaline grit her teeth as Vermillion blatantly ignored her, continuing with the tour much to the delight of Alpha. It was beyond obvious that any say she had over the current turn of events was next to nothing. In a stint of anger, she quickly produced a small flask from her inventory. It was something similar to whiskey, only not aged like in the real world, but instead enhanced through the video game's mechanics to mimic one that had been. Wasting no time, she tilted her her back taking a generous swig of the liquid before continuing with the tour in silence, as she tried to think of another tactic.

She could, of course, make a run for it, but Narth's earlier comment about the maze surrounding them worried her. "I could fake needing to use the toiletries, proper ladies always tend to make that excuse, but knowing my luck they'd invite themselves with me and things would get even more awkward...." Already feeling the alcohol course through her system Rosaline's eyes wondered over Lady Vermilion's figure, before deciding, like Alpha, she was simply too young to consider the previous idea to be any kind of fun.

With a discontented sigh, she moved with the group into the rose garden and to the cookies. The gardening fascinated her more than the cooking, as she moved plucking a rose from Alphabet's ear to inspect it. As she had expected the thorns had been sheared from the rose, "Perhaps it is due to my namesake, but I can't help but feel pity for rose's that lose their thorns. Sure, there are no real predators they could deter here, but the thorns themselves are as much a part of a rose as the petals themselves. They are integral to the rose's proper development, removing them early will dwarf resulting bud. To be honest, from a poetic point of view the thorns represent the raw emotion of the flower, so in a sense removing them is tantamount to castration." Rosaline set the flower down on the table near the pile of cookies of which she pointedly ignored, "Of course I'm not saying you purposefully castrate your plants, so you can easily manipulate them as you please..." Rosaline let the words hang in the air as she sat down, spreading her legs in a rather manly fashion.

"You are merely preventing yourself from experiencing an uncomfortable situation. This is something I can relate too; I will try to avoid conflict when possible using whatever means I have available. In more ways there one, this explains my presence here today. So, please ask your question, and I'll try my best to answer it. Alpha and I do need to be leaving here soon after all..."

@Pandora @Alphabet Chocolate

Pandora · Sep 6, 2017

Vermillion sipped her cup of milk as she watched Alphabet speak and put the rose in a most delightful spot. She raised a eyebrow at Alphabet's talk of mind controlling Alraunes. The doll then was shown and that caused the classy girl to make a momentary frown. Trinity... not her favorite person. The girl wanted to give it to her? Oh no that was not what Vermillion wanted today.

"I see you have been on a fair share of adventures ABC. I wish I could hear even more of them soon! We could spend a eternity talking perhaps hmhmhm.... Oh... thank you... I will take good care of it. As a gift from my wonderful new BFF! That rose fits you so much. It's almost like it is a part of you! How wonderful!"

Vermillion laid the doll on the table and promptly ignored it's existence.

The girl's eyes shifted to Rosaline as she talked some. Vermillion moved her finger back to her mouth as she listened politely. Then she reached to pour more milk. Her eyes squinted for a second and she lowered her finger laying her hand on the table.

"Your methods of telling how you think of me are as distasteful as how you are sitting my dear. "

The girl picked up the milk to pour it into her cup. Her eyes staying on Rosaline. The sky above would begin to darken as a red light basked the rose garden. If one were to look up they would see that the bright sun above had begun to shift to a reddish hue. Which was creating the effect. A very strong sense of dread would fill the air.

"Ah yes... I did have one last question before you would make your departure."

Milk began to be slowly poured into the cup. It was around this time that @Alphabet Chocolate would suddenly feel very strange. Her head started to hurt. Her body felt tingly and and hot. Her vision blurred. The rose she had placed between her ear began to glow. It had already become too late though. The vine of the stem had sunken into her skin and was causing some sort of infection.... no it was maybe more of curse. Or perhaps both?

"Rosy. Did you ever think a man, could make a fool of me? Hmhmhm... how rude men are. It's why I never could tolerate them. Not in all 4000 years of my existence...."

The milk suddenly was no longer white. it was now blood red. As in literally blood. The sun changed completely into a bright red moon that shone over the garden. The rose garden itself began to change. The flowers began to shift and move. Vines covered in thorns slithered onto the ground and wiggled into the air. Vermillion's features began to become sharper. She also seemed to get taller in her chair. Not by much but it was noticeable. It would not take long for Roland to see that things had gone almost literally to hell here.....

"Narth.... that's the name he gave you right? That man. Did he think I would not know? No... he thought this was a joke. Hmhmhmhm.... I'm not amused. Men have no place here. Other than for one thing...."

A mumbled groan was heard as a half naked man suddenly was lifted out of the roses. He was held high in the air by vines that had wrapped around him cutting deeply into his flesh. Vermillion sipped her blood filled cup and returned it to the table. She gestured her hand towards the man. Her hand opened like a claw and made a grabbing motion towards him. All the while staring at the outed gender bent Roland. The hanging man's blood suddenly rushed out of his body and refilled her cup over the brim. The body was then lowered back beneath the demonic foliage.

"Their life essence is all that really matters. Wasted on them, if you ask me."

Two large bat wings burst from her back as her form and outfit changed a bit more. Alphabet would find herself suddenly filled with something she may have rarely if ever felt. Evil... pure evil. Not evil for the sake of good, or evil for the sake of politics, or money, or survival. Just the very impure energy itself. It would find anything, and everything it could find within her and twist it into something darker and more sinister. Vermillion sat still in her chair as the vines of the flowers began to creep closer to Roland.

"ABC... I like you. You are sweet and pure. I love the bitter sweetness of a purity turned black. There are so many games and stories I will share with her. She will never leave my dominion...and never want to leave this world either. As for you.... Rosy."

"You wasted my time, even with this precious soul as a gift. I want my time rewarded. So entertain me. I want to see how long you live and how you intend to escape from here. After all... what does Trinity say? You are a player? Well play then. Hehehehehe."

The girls fangs, eyes and wings were more than enough information that she going to be a much less hospitable guest if Roland remained. He would feel his body slowly revert back to that of his normal self. As if whatever power had brought about the change to everything else here had also despelled his potion.

(Shin) Vermillion Manor: Rose Garden

Theme
DC: 0 / 500

@Roland Rutledge would find that he had only a few choices: most involved running for his life or fighting to the death. Worse still was he would find it impossible to log off. Something was keeping him here. Obviously it was time for action.

Roland's Rules:

Roland must roll a 1d100 from this post on. For every post below NATURAL 50 he will take 10% HP DAMAGE until he his killed. From various attacking plants.

Vermillion will be slowly following Roland the entire time. If she catches up a battle will ensue (you may also ensue battle immediately). She catches up and initiates battle if a 1 is rolled by Roland or after 5 posts each from Roland/Alphabet.

If Roland attempts to bring Alphabet with him. He will need to continually roll NATURALLY higher than her every turn to keep her normal and cooperating.

Roland cannot log out.

Highest mastery gets +5 per mastery tier excluding Beginner; +10 for Expert

@Alphabet Chocolate has been enchanted by some form of evil curse. A powerful and unknown one. None of Roland's potions nor any form of magic available to this party has any effect. If the rose is torn of it seems to just grow back from her head. The desires to indulge in evil are slowly corrupting the girl from within.

Alphabet's Rules:

Alphabet must roll every turn as well. However it does not add to the DC unless Roland's NATURAL roll was higher. If Roland NATURALLY rolled lower, Alphabet's corruption increases by 25%.

Vermillion will not attack Alphabet nor will any other hazards/enemies.

Alphabet may choose to stay of her own free will. Thus causing Roland to be alone in this event.

Alphabet cannot log out.

If Alphabet reaches 100% corruption, she will become a fully evil variant of herself and become devoted to Vermillion until a proper cure for this unknown ailment is found (this does not necessarily mean she is trapped here afterward however it will impact her rp's until dealt with).

Highest mastery gets +5 per mastery tier excluding Beginner; +10 for Expert
Code:
[hp]100[/hp] [en]100[/en]
[b2]Corruption:[/b2] 0% (Alphabet only)

Post here

[CENTER][COLOR=#9b9b9b][SIZE=7] Your roll + Modifier = Total [/SIZE][/COLOR]
0 / 500

[dice*]1d100[/dice*]
[/CENTER]

Roland Rutledge · Sep 6, 2017

100 HP

MAX HP

100 EN

MAX EN

Rosaline let out a soft sigh as Vermilion's real face began to appear. It was as much as she had feared, her little game of pretending was an utter failure. She could feel, her body becoming heavier as the potion's effects began to wear off in an unnatural fashion. Knowing his time was running out, Roland threw his head back and finished the flask of whiskey he had procured earlier, tossing it aside with a grunt as he stood seemingly un-phased by her hellish transformation. "I wasted your time? Please. You came to us, and I tried to entertain your eccentric wishes the best I could to gain an ally for my country. You've had no intention of doing so from the start; you're just out to add children to your sick lolicon collection you damn pervert." With a flourish, Roland produced a sword from his inventory, "No, you've been wasting my time this whole damn time you ungrateful hag."

Roland took a step forward apparently intending to face the monster right then and there. "So I hope me slicing you in bits, will be SUFFICIENT ENTERTAINMENT!" As Roland roared the threat, he eyed Alpha hoping she had snapped out of her daze enough to attack the monster with him. What he saw however slightly horrified him, the rose he had spoken of earlier was glowing eerily causing a dull shine in her eyes. It became rather obvious she was the center of some affliction. Moving swiftly, Roland used a free hand to snatch the rose away, ripping it from her skin like a band-aid. Much to his dismay the plant merely regrew in place, seemingly forming a stronger bond to her skin that before. "Christ.," Roland muttered realizing their situation. He could try to fight the pervert alone, but it was only a matter of time until Alpha would be unconscious or worse. "The effect is magical, none of my potions will be able to reverse it, I need to get her to the shaman's back in Dormont." Roland reached out trying to grab Alpha's hand, with the intent to grab it and run forward into the hedge maze that surrounded them. "We have to go Alpha!" he yelled edging further away as he tried to defend himself against the onslaught of shrubbery attacking him.

(NOTE: If alpha is choosing to stay, Roland will fight Vermilion)

81 + 40 = 121
121 / 500

Thrown die:

81

Alphabet Chocolate · Sep 6, 2017

100 HP

MAX HP

100 EN

MAX EN

Corruption: 0%

Alpha squeaked as the thorns dug into her flesh and nausea overcame her. The world seemed to twist and turn around her and she struggled to stay upright. Her thoughts began to grow faint. A corruption began to spread through her body and she tried to focus her blurred gaze onto Vermilion. However, she only saw a fanged and haunting visage and heard a horrifying voice crawl out of the girl's throat. She winced and tried to turn to Rosaline, only to find that Roland was in her place. She stopped. "Oh, I think I'm allergic to virtual cookies or something," she groaned. Plopping down on the ground to nurse her head wound, she buried her face in her hands before something clicked in her hand.

Eyes widening, she quickly reached her hand out to grab Roland's arm as the man defended himself against an onslaught of violent flora. "Rudolf! Narth's in there, we have to help him! I think these Alraunes or something eats people! Oh, and we have to help out Vermy, too! Gah, this is bad; I hate Alraunes!" she bemoaned her fate, digging the back of her shoe into the soil in pained frustration as the thorns seemed to have went out of their way to avoid her. "And I can't find Rosa either, we have to find her! Oh god, I hope she didn't become plant food yet!"

As she attempted to drag Roland into the garden around, she tripped and fell over a rock, landing flat on her face. She rubbed her head. The headache was getting worse by the minute. The fact that a rose had dug itself into her was unnoticed.

"Don't worry, Vermy!" she yelled as she trudged through the foliage, careful not to step on any of Vermilion's precious flowers should they prove not to be of the carnivorous variety. "I'm going to save you in a sec!"

26 + 40 = 66
187 / 500

Thrown die:

26

Pandora · Sep 6, 2017

BOSS WARNING

!!!A Warning Alert Appears!!!

The following action/path/area/event will trigger a Boss Battle with the following settings.
Difficulty Rank: S
Boss Tier = Grand Boss
Escape (Prohibited)
Death (Active)

@Roland Rutledge @Alphabet Chocolate

Please post yes to begin, no to cancel (in this case will require a change of previous posts).

Alphabet Chocolate · Sep 6, 2017

yes!