[RAVEN'S HEART GAME - SESSION THREE]

[selfpreservationist]

The first thing you hear is the sound of rain faintly hitting the exterior of the house. The soft pitter-patter is almost soothing, in a way, but it’s quickly followed up by rumbling thunder in the distance. You open your eyes, and for a second all you see is a flash of light--at first it seems like it’s lightning, but then you see something. A vision of a man dressed in rags, hunched over, waves of demonic power rolling over him. He howls, and something terrible starts to grow out of him: the bloody roots of a massive tree. An immense wave of panic hits you, and you can’t move, you can’t speak, you can’t breathe--

And then it’s over. It’s over. You’re fine.

The sound of rain returns. (This time it’s definitely soothing, compared to what you just saw.) You’re standing in the foyer of a mansion, a wide open living room in front of you. The door behind you is faintly ajar, leading outside.

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Comments

DOOR TWO - ★ZRAEL

[idolpro]

You open the door into a large room with tiled floors and high-ceilinged walls. The walls are painted a deep starry black with constellation-like patterns that move slowly about. Occasionally, a shooting star will fly across the patterns on the walls. It’s dim, but pleasantly so; star-shaped lanterns float about, giving everything a warm, cozy glow. The tiles light up when you step on them, too.

Despite the lighting, this is ostensibly the bathroom, though it looks a bit like an old-fashioned boudoir, too. There is a gorgeous claw-footed bathtub in here, filled with dark, glittering water like someone dropped a galactic bath bomb in it. There’s a tall vanity mirror, a large shag rug, and a beanbag chair for relaxing in.

On every wall are a series of collages; framed photos, papers, and trinkets focusing on a particular individual. There are nine in total. There’s also a hole in the wall by one of the collages.

You can leave this room and go back to the upstairs corridor.

[failedsafe]

[Let's examine that hole in the wall.]

Snazzy.

[idolpro]

The hole in the wall is by Sabre's collage. It is mostly filled with pictures of her sitting or sleeping on Raven’s feet, from his perspective. She’s grinning in a lot of them, showing fangs. One of the pictures moves, and it depicts a short scene of her handing Raven a dagger. Another shows him falling over onto the floor as he fails to carry her piggyback-style, and she sits on him.

The hole in the wall is actually more like an ensconced slot underneath Sabre’s portrait. It’s thin, and only about an inch and a half lengthwise. It looks like something could fit inside.

Sabre's poem.

[failedsafe]

[hnnngh she's nosy but also she respects secrets and she's not sure she should snoop, but she might need to.

Let's dip a finger into the bathwater...does anything happen?]

[idolpro]

The bathwater is dark and murky and full of glitter, like a galaxy bath bomb was set off in it. The water's warm, though--and your finger is covered in glitter. It... won't come off.

[failedsafe]

Well.

That's great.

[Does the faucet work? She's going to turn it on. IS IT JUST MORE GLITTER WATER]

Re: DOOR TWO - ★ZRAEL

[rollplayinghouse]

[Hmm.

First of all she'll go look in the mirror]

Re: DOOR TWO - ★ZRAEL

[idolpro]

The mirror is definitely… a mirror. I say this because while it reflects anyone in front of it, the scenery behind you is different. Instead of the bathroom, what you see is a vision of a beach, with dark murky water under an overcast sky. If you’ve ever been in Glory’s room (heh), you’ll likely recognize the same scene. Faintly, you can hear water in the distance.

Re: DOOR TWO - ★ZRAEL

[rollplayinghouse]

Ah.

[She may have been in there occasionally.

She reaches out to touch the mirror, tugging lightly in case it's a secret door or something.]

Re: DOOR TWO - ★ZRAEL

[idolpro]

The image ripples, like the surface of water. It seems there's no resistance.

(So yes, it's probably a secret door)

Re: DOOR TWO - ★ZRAEL

[rollplayinghouse]

...Hm.

[She glances around, considering.

She will at least take a moment to look at her own collage before attempting to climb through the mirror.]

Re: DOOR TWO - ★ZRAEL

[softlyfalling]

[ we're here now, and—damn. fancy

what are the collages like? ]

Re: DOOR TWO - ★ZRAEL

[idolpro]

The collages are all focused on a different member of ☆Zrael, past and present and princess: Annabel, Aradia, Doodleman, Glory, Lance, Man Eater, Requiem, Sabre, and Wataru. Each one has a poem amidst their photos.

Re: DOOR TWO - ★ZRAEL

[softlyfalling]

[ ...well, she's not going to be too nosy, but she wants to inspect poetry.

also their princess looks like such a nice girl. shame they couldn't have had playdates. ]

Re: DOOR TWO - ★ZRAEL

[idolpro]

Annabel's poem.

Aradia's poem.

Doodle's poem.

Glory's poem.

Lance's poem.

Man Eater's poem.

Requiem's poem.

Sabre's poem.

Wataru's poem.

Re: DOOR TWO - ★ZRAEL

[softlyfalling]

[ ...they're lovely.

Maybe she should find a way to put "Wild Geese" in front of Kohime, really.

Well—is there anything here that seems like it's missing, actually? Luxurious as it already is. ]

[failedsafe]

[WE'RE GOING STRAIGHT FOR THE MIRROR, LADS!!!]

[idolpro]

The mirror is definitely… a mirror. I say this because while it reflects anyone in front of it, the scenery behind you is different. Instead of the bathroom, what you see is a vision of a beach, with dark murky water under an overcast sky. If you’ve ever been in Glory’s room, you’ll likely recognize the same scene. Faintly, you can hear water in the distance.

[failedsafe]

[CAN WE STEP INSIDE THE MIRROR]

[idolpro]

YOU SURE CAN. The room opens up to what appears to be a lake shore--black smooth stones carved with unknowable runes line the rocky shores, and the water is inscrutable, glassy and dark. Occasionally ripples spread, emanating as if something large and unknown is moving beneath the surface. The bed is in the usual ☆Zrael style, placed now upon a short pier with a nightstand beside it. Nearby is a natural hot spring.

Sitting on the bed wearing his usual ☆Zrael attire is Raven. He smiles as he sees you enter.

[failedsafe]

[HMMMM MAYBE WE SHOULDN'T BE HERE, EITHER.

like extra not be here]

Hi, Rave!

Re: DOOR TWO - ★ZRAEL

[rollplayinghouse]

[Visit number two here and Glory has a dagger now! Which she will compare briefly to the one in Sabre's collage before attempting to slide it into the slot.]

Re: DOOR TWO - ★ZRAEL

[idolpro]

The dagger fits perfectly into the slot, and as you secure it, you can faintly hear a click, though you’re not sure from where. You can’t seem to pull it back out once it’s in, no matter how hard you pull.

Re: DOOR TWO - ★ZRAEL

[rollplayinghouse]

[THAT ALSO SEEMS GOOD.

Okay one more thing to try. to the bedroom!]

Re: DOOR TWO - ★ZRAEL

[idolpro]

To the bedroom