pawnstorm | INTRO ♚ FEBRUARY

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INTRO ♚ FEBRUARY

WELCOME TO CAISSA

We’ve all had those dreams: you wake up on a table, to blurry, ominous images and the certainty that you are absolutely buck-naked in a room full of strangers. This is not quite it.

Instead, you come awake to the sun on your face. The soft burble of water nearby. The hustle and bustle of a busy street and the faint, fortifying smell of bread. You open your eyes and there’s no one there at your bedside, but there is what appears to be the end of the world happening just beyond your window.

There’s a crack in the world across the sky, the “sun” is the totally unnatural light spilling from that crack straight into your eyes, and someone’s left a neatly pressed and folded uniform at the foot of the bed that isn’t yours. Somewhere in the room, there’s a strange clatter like beads, the click of claws on the floor.

Something’s in here with you.

Also, you are naked.

ONE ♟ Settling In

Welcome to Blanc! You wake up on one of the beds inside the Hall of Glory. You might still be feeling a little light-headed, but sudden dimensional travel will do that to a body. You could have sworn visions of a fantastic world flashed before your eyes not long ago: monsters, magic, and a mission to save the world. You can't quite recall much beyond the basics, but could this be it?

Save your questions for later! The room nannies are quick to urge Heroes into their uniforms (with their beaks if necessary) and to point them to the pick-up locations for their Blanc-issued Weapons and Carriers. Hopefully, nobody but the pigeon’s watching you change. On the other hand, maybe you're the type to turn every roommate into a new friend before you even step foot outside the room.

As you make your way down the halls, you might notice strangely familiar faces around you. But don’t linger too long to chat—the people in charge of the armory and the menagerie have gone through many Heroes before you, and still have many more to go after you. NPCs need meal breaks, too! If you don’t make a decision in time, the random Weapons and/or Carriers they pick for you can be just a little odd.

And if you’re hungry? No matter how rich you were in your homeworld, you’re penniless now until you earn some colle. Thankfully, the Hall of Glory provides free meals to Heroes and those associated with them! Sunday’s breakfast and lunch are bananalicious and seafood pasta. A friendly visiting scholar may have a word of advice for you: “Beware the dining hall on Mondays.”

But you’ll barely have time for lunch before guards come and round you up. “For the parade,” is the only reason they’ll give you.

TWO ♟ Welcome Celebrations

Trumpets sound, cymbals clang and the crowd roars as the parade gets underway! What’s all the fuss about? Well, you Heroes were sent by the gods to save Blanc, right? Of course they’d celebrate! Smiling and waving at the citizens of Caissa from your uniquely crafted float might be a chore, but hey, they love you. Are you really going to let them down, or lose the spotlight to the fellow Heroes sharing your float?

The reception after the Prime Minister’s speech is like some kind of idol session, with Caissa citizens coming up to shake hands and welcome the Heroes warmly. Some are even asking for autographs!

There’s a lot of things to do in festive and lively Caissa, even late into the night under a light fall of snow. Sparrow Town is all lit up, ready for another festival next week.

While some shops are closed for the holiday, others have buffet tables or are giving out free samples to the Heroes. The food stalls here are way better than the bizarre cafeteria menu at the Hall of Glory! Why waste the opportunity to finally gorge on real food? The shop owners have done their best to impress, showing off their local cuisines proudly along the city streets: from the local hamburger joint to the exotic L'adderan curries, you'll find a little of everything to whet your palate. Your growling stomach will likely thank you for the food. … Oh, wait. That wasn’t you? You think the fish sandwich on your plate just sang? Nonsense. That just means you had a marvelous piece of fish bread. Please remember to visit them again sometime when you have the colle, okay?

Various stalls with games and activities have also been set up. Maybe you can impress the crowd by nailing an apple with an arrow or by sacrificing your friend(s) at the water tanks! An unusual Go-style stall offers something like fish scooping, but be careful: touching the fish with your bare hands will leave you feeling funny… Wow, you’ve never seen that color before! But whatever it takes to impress the children, right?

Said children might try and get you to dance in the falling snow. Better not mess up, though, because everyone in Caissa seems to be watching.

THREE ♟ The Day After

Hopefully, you didn’t sleep too late after yesterday’s celebrations! Or maybe you slept badly, since it felt like something was watching you…

The free breakfast that awaits you at the dining hall is… something special. Please enjoy it to your heart’s content! Remember: no food fights, and leave no leftovers! Nothing will save you from the chef’s disapproving mustache swirl if you do!

If you want to make money (to get away from Monday’s Horrors), there are now jobs up for taking at the Hall of Glory and the Poisoned Pawn! If there’s nothing to your taste, check back again every so often. Something new might pop up!

Heroes not in the mood to be errand-runners (it’s understandable, you’re Heroes after all!) can hang out in the parlor, read in the library, or express yourself in one of the Hall’s many studios or other rooms.

If lying back and taking it slow isn’t your thing, you could train or spar! Being summoned to a new world takes a toll on the body, and some Heroes have lost abilities familiar to them. Besides, it’ll take a while to get used to your weapons. Some of them might even be disobedient, backfiring at worst and unresponsive at best. Try not to hit your fellow Heroes (including yourself), or you’ll either have to find enough Heroes to cast weak healing spells or carry the wounded to the infirmary. While the snow has been cleared overnight, it’s still very cold!

INFO ♟ Welcome!

Welcome to Crosscheck's grand opening log! For any further questions, please see the FAQ or reach us at the Contact Us page. Have fun!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Gilgamesh is not happy.

Gilgamesh is not happy, but he's also more than a little drowsy, so his impassioned tirade begins with him rolling out of bed without a scrap of clothing on him and just sort of storming around in a rage and awakening his roommates that way. Assuming they weren't awake already thanks to that stupid bird.]

Who dares trifle with Gilgamesh?! And why...

[Why can I not summon my Gate? Red eyes narrow sharply and Gilgamesh then decides to do the most sensible thing: blame everyone else around him for his problems. By throwing objects. Pillows, sheets, cups, whatever's lying around may very well wind up chucked at your head. Gentle reminder that this man is well over 5,000 years old.

Again, one must stress the nakedness. It is intense. It is egregious. It is not going away anytime soon. Good luck, guys.]

Don't sit there with that stupid look! Assist me at once!

[With what, Gilgamesh? Your tantrum? Your dire state of dress? It helps to specify.]

[ The creature on Alice's hand titters to her as she gently scratches it's head. The moment it descended on her shoulder, the moment Alice decided initially that she was going to like it. It wasn't a frightening creature, to her, it was darling and, actually, a creature of Wonderland, too. Granted, it would have been an enemy to Alice at one point, back in Queensland, though not now. Aside from the omega pendant around her neck, it was the only piece of Wonderland she had.

As frightening as this Cardiavion is, it's flinchy, hissing as it decides to hide underneath Alice's long dark hair as soon as they both hear that voice.

Alice was content being on her own and turns around, green eyes going wide in surprise. It's generally considered uncouth for a man to be this close in a lady's quarters, servant or not, and Alice doesn't take to kindly to it. The Cardiavion burrowing in her hair, frightened as it is, Alice slides off her perch- ]

What do you think you're doing?

[ Both genders sharing a space is a foreign concept. She treats him like an intruder. This small, slender girl is stronger than she looks and promptly storms over and shoves him out. ]

Leave!

Edited 2016-01-31 06:28 (UTC)

[First observation: that's one ugly... whatever it is. Second observation: was that a child? Gilgamesh was hardly prudish when it came to nudity but Alice may not be the only one now questioning his lack of attire. He sifts around for something, but before he can throw it on he finds himself accosted somehow.]

What...?

[She's... she's shoving him. This little girl's literally just pushing him out the door. He barely recovers from his shock quickly enough to step in again, incensed.]

Who gave you permission to touch me? Fall over and die!

[Gilgamesh shoves her right back! What a stirring conversation this has become.]

I don't need permission.

[ The carrier is hissing behind Alice's hair, wings flapping wildly as if to add in to Alice's commentary. Unfortunately, she is prudish, and she's also very violent, wasting no time whatsoever to throw her fists.

That also includes the small girl hauling the back of her hand to slap him. ]

[Gilgamesh slaps her back.

This could go on for a while.]

[ It very well could, if it weren't for her carrier, swooping in, hissing even more. Alice opts to solve that by finally taking her foot, and kick him, hard, in the stomach to give her distance, nearly shrieking at him- ]

Don't touch me, you lecherous abomination!

[Well, this was pretty much terrible. Made all the more so by the apparent fact he's lost a great deal of his stamina and now couldn't take a kick to the gut from an angry child without falling over himself. Which he does. Ungracefully.

Honestly he's not even mad so much as totally baffled that this was even happening at all. Not one of his finer moments, he muses from the floor.]

Toss me the uniform, at least.

[He thinks it was a uniform on his sheets. He hadn't gotten a good look at it before this crazy girl started wailing on him. Maybe she'll stop with a bit of negotiation.]

[ Thankfully, Alice has somehow avoided getting a good look at him, allowing her long hair to fall in her face to cover it. The cardiavion flutters over to show Alice what's going on. ]

Thank you, at least someone has manners here.

[ Of course she prefers the company of this thing than this man. Without looking at him, she tosses it at his face. ]

[Yeah, thanks for nothing, bitch.

Gilgamesh cautiously takes up residence in the corner and starts putting the uniform on. Granted, he was the one who started throwing things first, but that didn't grant her authority to go throwing around her fists. What an unruly young lady. Fall over and die really does sum up his feelings on the matter.]

First order of business: hit me and I will hit back. Do not put your hands upon me again lest you invoke my severe displeasure.

[Just in case she felt like starting another slap war, which he would win, but it deserved mentioning anyway.]

Second order of business: I've no idea who you are. I cannot be blamed for disorientation, making your overreactions embarrassing and unnecessary.

[Hypocrisy? What hypocrisy? ...at least the clothes were comfy.]

I think if you're going to say anything about overreactions, you ought to follow your own advice.

[ She hasn't even dressed in her uniform yet. She stands there still in her bloodied apron, letting her carrier shuffle down her hand and perch on her arm. Her attention is on the creature, she doesn't look at him, except adds- ]

It's uncouth for a man to share a room with a woman who isn't his wife. What are you doing here?

Edited 2016-02-01 04:37 (UTC)

[Gilgamesh was not the sort to disturb easily, but now that he's gotten a good look at her a bloody apron does not seem at all appropriate attire for a young woman of stable sanity. Something's off about her that he can't quite place yet, though mostly he's just focused on remedying the naked situation.

In immediate retrospect, the naked situation may have been what set her off more than anything else, given her views on the uncouth. He snorts.]

I've had many wives. Perhaps we were wed and you forgot as much in a drunken stupor.

[Not helping, Gilgamesh. Trying again, more seriously now:]

I woke up in another world. I suspect it is the same for you given your state of surprise.

I don't drink.

[ She still has herself turned from him, but now thanks to her previous experiences with similar lines, she's scanning the room for a weapon. She's bit, scratched, kicked, and punched orderlies hard enough to where they wouldn't touch her. Often. She finds herself dreading to be back in a situation like that again. Being in the same room with a man with a lack of undress is already alarming.

What he says nearly has her flying off in a fit of rage. She'd never say she had no plans to be a wife or thought she'd be considered enough for it. Poor girl, she instantly moves further away, and begins to rummage.

She's not changing around him, too, and throws the uniform over her shoulders (and is eternally grateful for the skirt option) and plans to storm off shortly. ]

That doesn't answer my question. I'm not sharing a space with a man, especially a man who can't curb is tongue.

[ Where the hell was her knife? Or any knife for that matter. ]

Then get out.

[That sure seemed like a simple enough solution. Gilgamesh makes no attempt to actively upset her again, but he does walk into her space without fear—he'd been pretty clear with ground rules so if she tries another attack she can only blame herself for what happens next.

That being said, he doesn't linger, either, moving back to his bed instead.]

You are not chained to these quarters, as far as I'm aware. Nor will anyone force you to abide my presence.

[She's so lean, he notes. It's actually a bit bothersome. When had she eaten last? Was she some form of slave girl? He wonders.]

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[ Somehow, Koon walks in to a naked, yelling Gilgamesh and doesn't look... all that surprised. Maybe it's because he had a similar reaction earlier, or maybe it's because he's had to deal with a group of clashing personalities living in a small apartment, all the time. Point is, he watches the tantrum with a blink, two, before finally speaking up (when addressed). ]

No. [ Well, the rejection could've been gentler -- ] Sorry, your highness. [ Only it's obvious he doesn't mean any of it, neither the apology or the title, voice dripping with sarcasm. ] But I'm sure you're old enough to handle it yourself.

[ Whatever "it" is (another, smaller part of him is really hoping that all his roommates aren't this ... well, you know. Gilgamesh-y). There's no smile to accompany the encouragement, just annoyance. At the same time, a small fox decides to enter the room, somehow knowing exactly which one Koon's bed is and making herself at home, curling up. ]

( i'm sorry this has to be the way they meet... but also our fourth roommate/gaius is going to join in as a third to make this meeting complete (...)! if that's not cool then lemme know )

Edited 2016-02-01 02:03 (UTC)

Hey, Koon! [The voice drifts down from the hallway. He didn't exactly get how he knew the other guy, but he had an impression of the other guy being good company and it had, so far, held true so he wasn't exactly going to fight it.] I looked over the other pl-

[And that was when he saw the sword...of a king, hanging unsheathed from tip to pommel.] Cr- I interrupting something?

[Well, isn't this just the loveliest sort of party. Already introduced and settled in but no, he's the one who looks like an idiot chucking everything in sight, completely disoriented and if that @#$ing bird doesn't shut the hell up...

Gilgamesh refuses this fate. He refuses to appear out of sorts despite the fact that he's naked and so has no choice to fumble around in his frenzy until he resolves the situation but you know what, Koon, he's dealing with you first. Candy boy can wait.

He marches right over in all his bare glory and sticks a finger in this moron's chest.]

My age has nothing to do with it!! [Shh, he has a complex.] Identify yourself! You're in the presence of a King, so show some respect before I force "it" down your throat!

[The connotations of "it" are unfortunate when one is in a precarious state of pantslessness.]

I found our roommate. [ Is an explanation -- right? He watches Gilgamesh stalk up to him, and in that moment Koon thinks "well, shit, anyone that decided to hang around outside is getting an eyeful".

Some part of him thinks that maybe, maybe this guy's a little more off his rocker than he originally expected, which puts him in a little more danger than he first thought. But if there's anything he's learned from this place, it's that whatever power anyone's had, dangerous or no, are gone. There's no superiority in abilities; everyone's woefully average. Mundane.

And he plans to use that to his advantage (also, he's a proud little shit who doesn't take orders from anyone, much less a stranger who's in his birthday suit. Gaius' first impression of royalty from not-Ylisse are these two, unfortunately). ] A King, you say? [ And with that (the finger hardly bothers him, casting an idle glance at it before he looks up, blue eyes staring right into the red.

The corners of his lips curl up, the threat completely ignored. ] A good leader gains respect through his abilities, not by attempting [ and failing is implied. ] to instill fear.

For starters- [ He makes an idle gesture with his hand about Gilgamesh's state of undress. ] you might want to show us that you can dress yourself. Your clothes are on your bed.

[Gaius, meanwhile, just is trying to not lose his shit and start laughing, because of all the things he thought he'd see on this day, in this land, with this...nothing makes sense right now, he wasn't expecting whatever the fuck was unfolding to proceed to unfold in front of him. He's contributing nothing to this. No. If he knew what it was and understood the cultural references he'd be wishing he had some popcorn and a seat.

So, his contribution to the shitshow: leaning against a wall and covering his mouth with one hand, and is trying very hard to keep a straight face.]

[In all fairness, Gilgamesh possessed a body designed by the gods themselves. It could be worse. Granted, everything just hanging loose like that was bad enough already, but somehow... maybe... probably... it could be worse. All parties present should count their blessings that he at least seems to shave.

But in pretty much every other regard, it's awful, because Gilgamesh just keeps shouting, immune to anything like common sense or shockingly good advice like you can dress yourself because he's being seriously insulted here, dammit, why can't anyone else see this?!]

I'LL SHOW YOU THE MEANING OF FEAR, YOU IGNORANT TOAD!

[Alright, got that out of his system. Sure told him what's what. Calming down a little and glancing warily back to the bed. Then to Gaius.]

And what are you staring at, mongrel? I did not grant you permission to gaze upon this divine figure. Avert your eyes, they offend me.

Whoa! [And immediately, his hands went up in a not very convincing placating gesture, a really badly faked one. It looks like the shitshow just became a three man show. Abort! Abort!]

Easy, there! [He's upright, away from the wall, prepared to back off in case the nudist decided to advance and he needed to get away.] Listen, Goldie, I'm not interested in your...er, cripes. Dagger. Or what you sheathe it in. Or what you decide to try stabbing it in, as long as it's nothing I own.

[Oh, gods above. You should not have opened your sweet mouth, Gaius, because now Gilgamesh turns around and you're getting an eyeful of divine full frontal whether you wanted it or not. He slowly raises an eyebrow, and hypocritically, calls him out:]

Is there a problem with my "dagger"?

[Yeah. Definitely consider aborting mission. This was going nowhere good nowhere fast.]

[ To be completely fair to Gilgamesh,about 90% of what comes out of Koon Aguero Agnis' mouth is one form of a veiled insult or another. So really, he has every right to feel insulted? Sort of? Once again, true royalties at play here.

And to continue this madness, Koon hardly raises an eyebrow. He's about to open his mouth and make some smart comment --

Only to close it again. Not that he realizes that right now - mostly it's a mixture of annoyance at Gaius for stepping in (he had this) and a embarrassment that managed to get himself riled up within 3 hours of arriving. Smooth move. People are starting to stare. ] ...

[ No, he can't do it, he can't lie straight faced when a stranger decides to look this angry while being butt naked. He can't do it. ] If you have no shame in showing it to everyone out in the hall, maybe. But the first day is a bit too forward, isn't it?

None of us-

[...]

None of us are interested in your penis, Dagger.

[Yup. Helper.]

Perhaps so.

[The first agreeable word out his mouth since he'd awoken, though it's hard to say just what that's in response to. Either way, Gilgamesh does calm down, folding his arms. Something more important prickles at him, and he decides to make a stab for neutrality that way.

...with his words, not his dagger. No, not even Gilgamesh was quite that forward.]

Answer me this, the both of you. Are you able to access your abilities? Did you arrive with any of your own possessions?

[Because Gilgamesh was currently feeling as though he's been run over by a truck. A truck that's stripped him of everything, and it's fast becoming worrisome.]

[ Koon's surprised that actually worked - and it shows with raised eyebrows. That's ...

That's some change in topic, there. Naturally, his eyes narrow, and he holds the silence for a moment as he contemplates his answer. ]

Depends what you mean by "abilities". [ He begins, not quite allowing himself to be left vulnerable to what could be another potential outburst. He also doesn't want to admit that the lack of shinsoo in the air is disturbing, not yet. ] But nothing I own.

Q210

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sliiides in all sup roomie, i'm sorry

Might as well cluster our fucks, am I right?

LET'S ROLL!! gil → koon → gaius

lets do this

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Koon went to sleep, but I doubt she'd mind if I cut ahead for this.

o7

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