DAY 014

[allthekeys]

|| THREAT DOWN

|| DAY 014: GENERAL As day grows closer by, it feels like something breaks. A fabric worn thin by time and age slowly letting light through. Recognition returns abruptly—perhaps mid-sentence, perhaps gradually as a person whose nearness becomes understood. This is a friend, a loved one, an enemy. Those who were overtaken by the fact that they belonged here, who found new truths, will find that these do not fade. There is a discordance within them, two equal measures of a life. One that does not fit here, and one that does. If they push against it, they can easily cling to this new life rather than the other, odder life they might have lived. The weather is beginning to turn noticeably colder. Patchy clouds float over the castle, and there is a chill on the air throughout the outer grounds. || CASTLE The Guards have returned to their patrols, though they still seem a bit distracted. One carries a fat, yellow cat in its arm and talks to her softly as he does so. They seem to like pointless stories. In the Receiving room, there is no sign of the body that was there during the night. Tanner is looking for someone, clearly concerned. He paces up and down the halls until he finds Kaito. A crowd of Eyeless Lads have gathered around a beautiful new display case in the Museum. They whisper and laugh amongst themselves as they inspect the case, circling it and meticulously running their fingers along its every surface. Although clearly preoccupied, they are quick to notice any servants who enter their general vicinity, and they will not tolerate attempts to linger—thus making access to the museum much more restricted than usual. Two of the Eyeless Lads are sitting casually in the Kitchen drinking wine. They smile unnaturally wide and seem unusually interested in what goes on around them. The Pantry is once again locked. The door to the Steward’s Room is also locked, and the headless ghost is nowhere to be found around the castle. All those who did chores the day before will find that they were paid during the night, their usual rate tucked neatly into their trunks. Sync will find a small pile of messages on his bed, all from his familiar pen pal, each becoming a bit more concerned than the last asking for a report. Kaito and Nemesis will each find a bottle of high-quality red wine in their trunks, adorned with a ribbon. || GARDENS AND YARD The Garden remains oddly robust even as the weather is turning colder; in fact, the chill seems to not sink in as much within. The Green Man rests near the entrance to the gardens, seeming still enough unless disturbed to seem like an odd topiary. The female prisoner in the garden seems usually focused, stroking her hand along the plants. The male follows her, occasionally brushing fingertips against her wrist or winding a strand of hair about his fingers. Both seem entirely the same as before the loss of memory overtook the castle, and the woman seems to have caught the edge of something. It makes her pensive, though she is unlikely to share. Viola and Helen seem to be handling the entire affair more easily and remain close together. || THE TOWN The townsfolk seems similarly to be shaking things off, though again they seem to have adjusted to new truths within them. The Bullmen are still working in the burned out row, bracing the hole in one of the basements, calmly working on new structures to fill the space. The Carpenter and the Weaver are sitting on the floor in the basement of the Inn, arms wrapped around each other. The Cat Woman from the Porcelain room has joined them, legs crossed as she brews a pot of tea next to them. The Apothecary abruptly closes his door comes daybreak, and spends the rest of the day inside his shop, where some faint rummaging can be heard. The Songbird that appeared the previous day and seemed so distressed during the night spontaneously grows an extra pair of wings and takes gracefully but very swiftly to the sky, disappearing from view. The Belltower sings a mournful song near daybreak, and chimes the hours as the long days pass. But the bellringer does not exit it. Someone has started writing on the chore board, but the assignments are not filled out. The handwriting is, once again, notably different than usual. Dorm 18: Dorm 19: Dorm 20: Dorm 21: Dorm 22: Dorm 23: Dorm 24: Dorm 25: Dorm 26: Dorm 27: || THREAT DOWN GENERAL: • Recognition and memories have, for the most part, returned • The weather is notably colder CASTLE: • The Guards have returned to their routine patrols, but still seem distracted • The body in the Receiving room has vanished • A crowd of Eyeless Lads are inspecting a new display case in the Museum and will restrict access to the room • Tanner is looking for someone • Two Eyeless Lads are drinking wine in the Kitchen • The Pantry and the Steward’s Quarters are locked. The Steward is once again missing. • Those who did chores during the previous day have been paid • Sync, Kaito, and Nemesis have received items GARDENS AND YARD: • The Townsfolk are also regaining their memories • Th Bullmen continue to work in the burned out row • The Carpenter and Weaver are in the basement of the Inn, along with the Cat Woman from the Porcelain Room • The Apothecary has closed his door • The Songbird grows an extra pair of wings, takes off, and disappears from view THE TOWN: • The Garden is robust despite the cold • The Green Man rests near the garden entrance • The former prisoners have moved to a different grove • Viola and Helen are staying close together