Round 1 Introduction Hub Log

[worldkeys]

Who: The Alices and the White Rabbit.
What: What: Everybody wakes up on the first day of the first round inside the World's Hub, greeted by the White Rabbit, who seems largely unimpressed.
Where: The World's Hub.
Warnings: Rabbit is gloomy and has a bad temper and tends to complain a lot. Otherwise, not much.

You entered a closet. You knew that much. You woke up from... somewhere, and you entered a cupboard or a closet and you followed a strange cat with golden eyes. You blink. You feel assailed by the feeling of your body falling somewhere, the sound of heavy machinery--

And then darkness, before... a wooden pathway, and another cupboard, and a boy in a hood. A cat-boy, with golden eyes, much like the one you followed. He cackles gleefully at everyone before disappearing with a meow. The cupboard behind him is locked. Past this area, you find yourself in a strange room of ruined, cracked cobblestone and oddly-shaped lamps. Dead trees line the path. There are old tombstones scattered about. A gloomy boy with black twigs for hair and strange eyes, dressed in fancy, Victorian-looking garb stands in the middle of the room. There are others like you about, you notice. Not TOO many more, but a fair few.

Something about the boy's eyes carry a dreadful feeling. They're red on black. No whites to them at all. He has two white rabbit ears on his head, but one is distinctly torn off, like something had just taken a bite out of it. He looks at those assembled, cocks his head to the side, as if... curious for a moment, before shaking it and then sighing.

"... Ah. Welcome, Alice." There's a pause, as if he's assessing what he's doing. He particularly stares deeply at Clock. "... Oh? No, not at all... well, you're still ▒▒▒▒▒ to me."

A nod to himself, as if to confirm it.

"More pressing... I have a task for all of you. If you could help me with it, that would be most appreciated."

[ OOC: Feel free to respond in either prose or bracketspam. Also, Cheshire will probably have a thread later you can reply to as well. For now, this is the opening log to badger the NPC with questions. ]

Comments

[zinit]

[Unfortunately, one of the easiest ways to get Qilby to try something is to say 'you probably can't do it.' Goddess, now he just wants to try it more: to see what these keys are, why they are so special!]

[But how did wabbit-boy know that? Is he letting it slip?]

So, if they are the hearts of those here-- [the idea of the inside of a soul being 'physical' is foreign, superstitious, and really obnoxious] --I'm curious. Then, is it all people who have 'keys' in them, or just us... [one two three four five six] Seven?

[apatheticguide]

All of you. Not us guides. We don't count. So yes.

[ That sounds about right. He folds his hands into his pockets. ]

... It probably bothers you, but I guess I can answer any questions if you want. Only a few, though. I don't like bothersome time-wasting, so make them good.

[zinit]

[A presumably soulless wabbit. (If he could use wakfu-sight, he could see, but he can't. It's killing him.) This is his life now.]

Then, no more time-wasting. [Another of those smiles.] Does taking those keys entail bringing harm to the host, or the one whose 'heart' it is?

[Honestly, if it were anyone else, he wouldn't care, but since it's him...]

[apatheticguide]

It shouldn't, I don't think.

[ At least, he's fairly sure. Just taking a Key's never gotten anyone overly hurt... ]

[zinit]

I see. [So it's not something vital, the key; it makes sense that it was placed, rather than innate. He doesn't feel anything different, though.]

[(Yet.)]

One last question, ah... See, I'm not much of a fighter. [He motions to his empty sleeve with his remaining hand. (He knows his way around a fight, though - saying 'I'm not a fighter' is a lie - but without portals... Who knows?)] And I'm not one to believe the insides of people's hearts are exactly benign.

[apatheticguide]

... That I cannot help you with, unfortunately. I know no more about what might be contained inside the Hearts of those gathered here than those themselves. You would have to ask them, would you not?

[ He isn't really sure if you'll be fighting or not, but judging from the one man... he's guessing the answer might be a 'maybe'. ]

It all depends on the Alice. Sometimes the Heart reacts strangely to prying eyes and sticky hands coldly looming over, racking its insides for its secrets. It would be unpleasant, yes, to have yourself torn in two? It may react... violently, it may not. It depends on the person in question.

In any case, it is likely you will be presented with a number of challenges, either of the mind or otherwise. The Worlds are... not forgiving about mistakes.

[zinit]

[Ah. Well, that does make sense, doesn't it? Qilby knows he'll not be so happy about people poking around in his heart.]

[He wonders, with a cold detachment and carefully roaming eyes, what sorts of secrets these others might hide. Perhaps they're the same mundane secrets all mortals have, those 'I'm afraid of something tiny' or 'I hurt someone once' secrets that seem so insignificant. With much less of that cold detachment, he wonders what's inside his own.]

[Gently:] It would be unusual if the labyrinth of someone's soul didn't present a challenge, wouldn't it? It seems we have our work cut out for us. But with Keys that have this sort of power sitting in our souls, we would have anyway.

[apatheticguide]

... I am sure you'll be fine, Alice. You seem like a smart enough man.

[ He'll even give you a small smile. Why? Who knows. It's quite vague and mysterious, as though something is hiding behind those red eyes of his that is... out of sight, unknowable. ]

Besides, he enjoys challenging people like you to games like this. Perhaps you will derive some form of entertainment from the spectacle. ... Or perhaps not. It depends on whether or not you are desperate to hide what lies inside you, doesn't it?