I look for a pen/pencil and paper.

You find some on and in a nearby desk.

>>12841
I write "This is the doctor, once you are awake come see me in my room after dinner, or before midnight at the very least. It is about the contents of your pocket. Of course this is only assuming you were going to keep it a secret rather than reveal it." and I tear that piece of paper off and I put it in his other pocket. I pull a blanket over top of Battler and wait for Genji.

Last edited at 13/08/28(Wed)22:48:15

You write the note. The pen seems to be running out of ink, so it takes you a bit to compose the message. You're preparing to place it when you hear a gust of wind right next to your ear.

In a way, it reminds you of your childhood. The wind was always loudest on the beach. Your mom loved the wind. You miss your mom so much. When the wind hits your face, sometimes she's the only thing you can think of. Maybe it's time to forgive your dad for his alcohol problem.

You have time to ponder absolutely none of this fabricated back-story, because a split second after you hear the wind something knocks your temple and everything turns black.

"Everything we do--"

"--is for the sake of love!"

When you come to, you see two flamboyant characters in front of you.

"Fill in the blanks!"

"Without ____, it cannot be ____!"

>>12844
"Without hate it cannot be deduced.
Without love it cannot be seen."

"That's right! What does he win, Furfur?"

"You mean besides our company, Zepar?"

"And our thematic resonance?"

"Maybe we should give him a hint!"

"Isn't that cheating?"

"Not if the question is about love!"

"Too true! So ask--

"But only ask once!"

"In this game, out of the humans on the board who has the most and who as the the least love?"

Last edited at 13/08/28(Wed)23:36:40

"On this Rokkenjima--"

"Love exists in all forms.

Less or more? Great or weak? Are these questions useful?

The emasculated boy's heart grows most tender for romance, but of life he knows not."

"The would-be Knight wants nothing but peace, but still carries great sin."

"The foolish men mourn their mistakes and seeks reparations for their loves. This can blind them to the Truth."

The Woman believes her Kin can make no sin.

The Temptress has waited years for her love.

"The one whose head screams would do anything to protect her loves and her name."

""Love is such a beautiful thing!""

You find yourself on a hard-wood floor. Your head feels like it was ran over by a truck. Everything hurts. You hear the faint voice of someone far away.

"...sama. Ozaki-sama, please wake yourself."

>>12850
I open my eyes and attempt to sit up. I check to see if I still have the paper on my person. Not to mention if I am still in the same room and who is currently there.

You're in the same room as before. You recognize the furniture. You don't see the paper anywhere. You can see Genji in front of you.

"Ozaki-sama, what happened? Where is Battler-sama?"

Battler is not in his bed.

>>12852
"What!?"

I check the window for foot marks on the ledge and check the latch. I also check the whole room in case someone is hiding. I also check the time.

"Genji did you see anyone else enter or leave this room? Someone knocked me out. Do you know what time Krauss told you to come up here?"

You can't find anyone hiding in the room. Genji stands in front of the door while you search. When you look at the window, you make a shocking discovery: it isn't actually locked.

The window sticks in place when closed, but can be pushed open if given enough force. You see a single pair of footsteps on the ledge. Are those Battler's footprints?

The time is 6:42. Since you were in the room, Genji finished the present duties he had been assigned and took about thirteen minutes to reach the room. He didn't notice anyone leaving and you were already knocked out when he arrived.

>>12854
I look outside of the window, I assume it is raining by now right? Well I'll try to see footprints on the ground anyway.

I then check the bed Battler was in. Is it really the same bed? Perhaps I am in a different room. Is all the fake blood still there? It would have dripped off Battler onto the sheets and all that. I examine how the blanket looks as well.

"I don't know where he is. Either he moved on his own or... well lets just hope he turns up."

I check my person. Do I still have the study key and my candy and my other items?

Last edited at 13/08/29(Thu)00:25:37

You try to identify the footprints, but it looks like someone went through deliberate effort to smudge them. All you can tell is that they were once definitely feet.

You check the bed. It has the fake blood and all. If it isn't the same room, it's literally indistinguishable from the real one.

"We have to inform Krauss-sama," Genji says.

You still have the study key and candy on you.

"Agreed"

I follow him out of the room, making sure it was indeed the room I entered and discovered Battler.

Last edited at 13/08/29(Thu)01:50:25

You and Genji walk down the nearest staircase. It doesn't appear that anyone's in the main hall. You follow him to the dining hall.

Natsuhi is there, looking like she's fighting some head pains, as well as Ange, Maria, and Jessica, who appears slightly more stable than the last time you saw her.

"Ahh, Ozaki-san. I was just going to instruct Gohda-san to regather everyone for dinner. We didn't want our food to be cold. Is everything all right?"

"Madame," says Genji. "May I speak to you in private?"

Natsuhi looks perplexed, but walks with Genji to a corner away from the children. You follow them.

"Battler-sama has gotten up from his bed," he says.

Natsuhi's looks confused. She looks at you. "Where did he go?"

Last edited at 13/08/29(Thu)13:09:29

>>12858
"I found evidence to suggest he snuck out the window, but he could have very well left through the door too...

Although that being said I was hit on the head and knocked out while all these went down. So I think logically speaking unless Battler has some vendetta against me someone else may be responsible. The fact someone would go out of their way to risk killing me doesn't really help either."

Last edited at 13/08/29(Thu)13:22:48

"Someone attacked you, Ozaki-san? Genji, please contact the police. Tell them there is an intruder on the island. I will gather everyone."

"My apologies, madame. The long-distance phone lines are still in need of repair."

"Then use the radio! I won't allow a crime to happen in the Ushiromiya house without consequence!"

"...As you wish."

"Please wait here, Ozaki-san. I'll gather everyone and the police will come. I won't allow you or Battler-san to be harmed. Look after the cousins."

Last edited at 13/08/29(Thu)15:57:26

>>12860
"Alright"

I go over to the cousins once Natsuhi and Genji leave.

"So this may sound random, but what do you three know about that portrait in the main hall?"

Last edited at 13/08/29(Thu)16:37:32

Natsuhi and Genji leave the room.

Maria instantly perks up when you ask that question.

"Uuu! That's Beato! She's the founder of Magic Sorciere. She can do all kinds of awesome magic and she has an entire Golden Land."

Jessica offers you a small smile. She's starting to pull herself together. "Some people say that Beatrice gave Gramps an entire mountain of gold. But those are just stories."

"Uu! Not stories! Uuu! Beato exists!"

"All right, Maria. Fine." Jessica's not in the mood to argue.

Only Ange looks uncertain.

Last edited at 13/08/29(Thu)16:51:06

>>12862
"Mountain of gold... Then that inscription was probably some sort of riddle to find the location of it I guess."

As if the first question was never asked I move on.

Sorry to ask this of you Jessica, but did something happen between you and Battler?"

"What? No! It's nothing like that. It's just--" she takes a quick glance at Maria and Ange. "Do you think we can talk about this over there?"

She points to the other end of the room.

>>12864
"Sure"

I follow her over there and wait for a response.

You both walk away from Maria and Ange.

"Ozaki-kun, let me ask you something. How can you know if you love someone?"

>>12866
"That is a difficult question, I feel it varies between different people. I am a logical man, if anything trust would be the most important thing. The rest is based off of the level of emotions. ie, do I want to see this person more than anyone else in the world solely for the fact of being together?
At least that is how I would tell."

"I see. Something like that, then?" Tears well up in Jessica's eyes. She scowls. "Then what's the damn point of it? If that's what love is, we'd be better off without it. Every day I want to see him more than anyone else. And I have to go every day knowing that I can't. Dammit!"

Jessica breathes heavily for a moment. "Sorry, Ozaki-kun. I know I'm not explaining myself. Let me start from the beginning. We used to have a servant working for us, Kanon-kun..."

--------

Some time ago

"Oi, Kanon-kun. It's really rare for you to invite me to do something like this."

"My apologies, m'lady. I had forgotten how nice the forest looks."

"Eh? You come out here a lot?"

"..I used to. When Master would disappear on one of his whims, I would often be sent into the forest to look for him. Excuse me for speaking freely, m'lady."

"Ahh, no problem! I know Gramps can be a big bother sometimes. He even made me buy his some occult books, once. The bookkeeper looked at me like I was nuts."

Kanon nodded and kept walking. "There is something I'd like to show you, m'lady."

"Whaddya mean?"

"I have to show you. M'lady, I must apologize once more. Will you allow me to be frank with you?"

Jessica was taken aback. "Um, all right."

"Thank you," Kanon paused. "Why is it that you like me?"

Jessica froze. How could she answer something like that?

"What kind of question is that? I have to have some sort of reason? I can't just like you?"

"I did not mean to be rude, m'lady. I'm just curious. We don't seem to have much in common. I don't participate in the hobbies that you do, I don't read books or engage in lively conversations with you at all. So why?"

Jessica was freezing up, but some force kept her walking. Kanon diverged from the path and went in-between some trees. Jessica followed.

"I-it's because you're so kind, Kanon-kun. You aren't cruel to anyone and you have a soft nature."

"I am your servant, m'lady. How would you know such a thing?"

"Kanon-kun... why are you saying such awful things?"

"We're almost there." Kanon ducked in-between another gathering of leaves and, for whatever reason, Jessica followed.

On the other side... was the endless blue of the ocean. Jessica and Kanon stood on the edge of a cliff looking down into the ocean. More rocks lined the bottom.

"You wanted to bring me here?"

"I have dreams," said Kanon. "That I'm falling from this cliff. In it, I'm small and helpless. A part of me wants to grab onto something, but I can't even reach to it. I'm falling for hours and relief only comes when I wake up."

"Kanon-kun, I'm-"

"Don't be sorry. I used to think those dreams were nightmares, but they never were. They were calls home, images reminding me that I have no role to play here."

"What the hell are you saying? You're Kanon-kun! You're a hard worker and you're your own person! Of course you have a role!"

"I'm glad to hear you say that, m'lady."

Then...Kanon took a step forward. He plunged off the cliff. If Jessica had reacted more quickly, she may have been able to grab his sleeve, but she didn't. She refused to believe the scene in front of her was real. She refused the reality of Kanon's body plunging into the depths of the gray ocean.

-------------

In the dining hall, Jessica is sobbing again. "What would make him say those things? Why would he do something like that? I don't get it!"

Last edited at 13/08/29(Thu)17:46:10

>>12868
"It sounds like he had given up on himself. For whatever reason, perhaps someone burned the thought into his brain or he just reached the conclusion on his own, he thought his life as a servant amounted to nothing and he was lower than a human. I'm sorry to make you relive these memories.

If anything, he decision must have been absolute, as he purposely asked you to see him off. He didn't do it alone, nor ask someone else, if you understand what I mean."

At that moment, the dining hall fills with almost everyone else. Gohda, Genji, Leon, Kumasawa, Rudolf, Kyrie, George, Eva, Hideyoshi, Natsuhi, Krauss and Rosa all enter the room. The only people missing appear to be Battler and Shannon.

A week ago GE mentioned in skype that their computer was breaking down and they would need to get it fixed professionally. Since we haven't heard back since then for now the game is postponed. Naturally we'll start back up once GE returns.

The adults are silent as they start to fill up spaces in the room. Parents find their children and stand beside them. Kyrie walks Ange to a separate part of the room and talks to her quietly.

Meanwhile, Krauss coughs awkwardly. "We seem to be having some problem finding Battler-san at the moment. It's probably nothing, of course, but the telephone and radio aren't working. Captain Kawabata should return in the morning, but we want to make sure that everyone is safe until then."

He glances at you with a look you can't decipher. Natushi probably told him about you being attacked. "I'm sure that, as adults, we would feel better if everyone slept in the mansion tonight. Children can stay in their parent's room, of course. The servants will be in the servant's quarters, as always. Ozaki-san, I hope the VIP room will suit you."

Last edited at 13/09/09(Mon)15:21:22

>>12932
"I have no problems with it."

I also check my head for any wounds since I seemed to have forgotten to.

You check your head. The right side of your head that feels sore, but there doesn't seem to be any kind of open wound.

The conversation moves away from Battler very quickly. You get a feeling the adults had been talking about it more before that entered the dining hall. They were probably trying to act nonchalant in front of the grandchildren. Rufolf looks especially troubled, every once in a while scrunching up his face.

Before long, Shannon enters the room. Nobody pays a considerable amount of attention to her arrival except George, who you notice looking at her. She helps the other servants bring food out. After much delay, your food is brought to the table.

"I sincerely hope it was worth the way, everyone," Gohda says to the room before stepping out once more.

The room becomes eerily silent as the family members begin to eat their food. Only Ange and Maria look like they're carrying on as always.

>>12934
I start to eat my food for now.

You're poisoned instantly and die. You eat some food. It tastes pretty good, but obviously re-heated from earlier.

It's Eva who breaks the silence among the adults:

"Maria-chan, may I ask you a question?"

Maria's head plops up. "Uu?"

"This Beatrice person you're always talking about, do you know how I could speak with to her? I would feel like an awful guest if I failed to introduce myself."

Rosa glares. "What are you talking about?"

"Don't tell me that you wouldn't like to meet her as well, dear sister. Doesn't she seem like just a delight? Where is she, Maria?" Eva wears an innocent face.

"Uuu, Beatrice is everywhere at once! She can even be nowhere if she wants to be."

"All right, that's fine. She's everywhere at once. But where would I be able to find some kind of... personification of her?"

Maria's face scrunches. "Beatrice chooses who can see her. If you believe, she'll definitely reveal herself to you."

"That's how it is, huh?" Eva's voice drips with disappointment.

"What's this about, Eva?" Krauss asks her. He looks annoyed.

She sighs. "I might as well show it now. I don't want anyone to incriminate me later for it."

From her purse, Eva pulls out a white envelope. There's some kind of seal on it that looks similar to the head of the ring you saw in the study. Even more surprisingly, she pulls out what looks like a gold bar.

Natsuhi jumps up. "What is the meaning of this?"

In response, Eva reads the letter:

"Members of the Ushiromiya family,

I have taken the fool, Battler, away. He denied his family and everything that comes as a part of it, including the gold he found. I must warn each of you that I am a fickle witch. If you poke your heads around looking for him, I cannot guarantee the boy's safety. I deeply hope that you understand.

-The Golden Witch, Beatrice."

>>12936
"That goldbar... Where/when did you receive this Eva?"

"My husband noticed it, and the letter, as we were leaving our room. I read it and slipped it in my pocket before Natsuhi-san caught up with us."

"Why did you want to hide it?" Rosa asks.

"I wanted to see if anyone acted strangely when I asked about Beatrice. It was just a small experiment on my part."

"That's bullshit!"

A loud roar comes from the opposite end of the table. Everyone turns that way. The source of the voice was Rudolf. His face looks red and beads of sweat are already glistening at the top of his head. He slams his fists against the table. Kyrie looks calm beside him, and Ange looks petrified at the other end of the table.

None of the family members looks like they know how to react.

"Why would someone leave a note for the entire family by your door, Eva?"

"Eh? Why would I know something like--"

Rudolf jumps up from the table and starts towards her. "Where is my son? Damn it!"

>>12938
"Well regardless of why it was directed to Eva and if she actually had "found" it, Rudolf it seems you might know more than you let on. Would you like to confess whatever is on your mind?"

Rudolf stops walking towards Eva.

"What the hell are you talking about? You were the last one with him. You were supposed to make sure he was okay and he disappeared under your watch! You could be this 'Beatrice' for all that we know!"

"He has a point," Eva says, apparently not feeling at all grateful for you distracting Rudolf.

"I don't think we should jump to conclusions," says Rosa.

"What conclusions? It's not a drastic leap to say that this stranger is suspicious." Eva looks at you.

"Ozaki-san," Kyrie says cooly. "You can understand that my husband is upset. If there's anything you're hiding from us, it wouldn't fare well for you."

The whole family looks towards you. How did the tide change in the room so quickly?

>>12940
"Sharks at high tide...

Well anyway I was leading into this subject. Battler had a similar bar in his pocket when I checked on him, I assumed it was fake but the weight said otherwise. While we are on the subject immediately after you left I was attacked and knocked out cold. So needless to say Rudolf isn't the only one upset here."

Last edited at 13/09/09(Mon)18:56:09

"Why didn't you tell anyone about that?" Eva asks.

>>12942
"Because I found it right before I was knocked out. Why?"

"Maybe that's true. Forgive me, Ozaki-san. I hope we can still be friends." She offers you a vicious smile.

"Isn't it possible that this is just another one of Battler's pranks?" Rosa asks.

"It's not out of the realm of possibility," says Krauss. "Pointing fingers and accusing each other is just going to rile us up tonight. There's no point in it all."

Maria, who had been quiet ever since the letter had been read, popped her head up. "Uu. Can Maria and Ange go watch TV?"

Rosa hesitates, but nods. "The parlor isn't that far away. Shannon, Leon, could you escort them?"

The servants nod and the group leaves the room. Nobody acknowledges the tears swelling at Ange's eyes.

You've ate a sizable bit of food. You don't feel hungry anymore.

>>12944
"I'll take my leave as well. Unless you have anything else you want from me then I shall be in my room.

Thank you for the food."

I then leave the room and enter the hallway assuming they don't want anything else from me.

Natsuhi warns you to be careful, but none of the adults object. You start to head out of the door.

"Ahh, wait, Ozaki-kun! I'll walk with you." Jessica walks quickly to the door. Krauss starts to object, but she's outside of the door before he can be fully heard.

It's quiet in the main hall. The only sounds comes from the parlor where the faint sound of a television set can be heard.

"Hey," Jessica says. "I just wanted to apologize for before. Y'know, me just dumping my whole sob story on you like that."

>>12946
"Ah no worries, I'm used to that sort of thing."

"Speaking of which did something happen between Rudolf and Battler? Not only is Eva giving me the stink eye but I feel completely out of the loop now."

"Yeah. Battler's mom died years ago. Right after she died, Rudolf married Kyrie. That pissed Battler off-- I mean, could you imagine? He stopped coming to the island altogether about five years ago. The way I've heard it, he's been living with his grandparents ever since."

Jessica pauses, letting you absorb the information.

"He's probably fine. Battler always played idiotic jokes like this. He kind of resembles Grandfather in that way, y'know? Everyone always talks about Grandfather like he's this big, tyrannical figure living over us like God, but I remember when he was healthy. He was a big ol' softy! What about you, Ozaki-kun? Any family?"

Last edited at 13/09/09(Mon)19:54:45

>>12948
"Ah that must be rough for him...

Thinking back to my canon history I shudder.

"Well my relatives have all past away at this point. Not much else to say about it."

If we aren't already I guess I'll start walking to the parlor and see who is all there.

Second Thread: >>12950