Welcome To The Village

[number_2]

Who: Everyone who was signed-up for the excursion
What: The Village December Excursion
When: Dec 1st - Dec 23rd
Where: The Village
Warnings: Involuntary capture and confinement including immobilization and restraints, violence, injury, maiming, possibility of death, torture, coercion, gaslighting, mind control, drugging, scientific experiments, and extremely inaccurate depictions of mental health facilities/hospitals, among other potentially triggering themes. Please mark all threads appropriately.




"Good morning, good morning, good morning!" A voice that sounds very similar to Friday's chirps over a loudspeaker outside your character's home. Yes, their home.

Overnight, all the passengers who signed up for this excursion have been transported to their very own personal cottages. They will awake in a bed that is familiar to them. While this home of theirs does not necessarily have to resemble the place they were born or raised, it will be a perfect replica of a place they truly thought of as their home, down to the most minute details.

The cottages are self-contained, the size of a large studio apartment so, in some cases, they may only resemble the bedroom and living room of a person's home with a shrunken-down kitchenette and bathroom adjoined. But the heirlooms of their past are here. A favorite doll? A treasured family portrait? Trinkets you have long forgotten about? All of them will be here, somehow. (All except for weapons, that is.) They are indistinguishable from the real item, down to the molecule.

After that wake-up call, the voice continues on to express that the weather will be warm and sunny, with no rain forecasted. A brass band concert is announced, to start at noon on the lawn next to the living chess set. And once that bit of news is wrapped up, lively marching band music will begin to play. And it will continue to play. All day. From every speaker...including the ones hidden in their home.

Welcome to Your Village

It only gets stranger from here. Characters may be dismayed to find that they are without any of their original clothes or belongings. They awake in conservative button-up pajamas. The closet in their home is full of the latest Village Fashion to choose from. Everything is The Village label brand, including the tin cans of food that stock the kitchen and any of the groceries you could get at the General Store.

Your ship phone rings. When you answer it, you will be greeted, once again, by the voice of Friday. "Your number, please? Of course, you have a number. Look at your badge." If they look down at their chest, they will discover a small round number badge has been pinned to their pajamas. Was that there before? It bears the symbol of a Penny-farthing Bicycle, with a number in the spokes. This is their number.

"No names here," the voice of Friday chides, "Only numbers. Number 2 would like a word with you at the Green Dome. He requests you come for breakfast. Thank you!" Before they can protest further, the line goes dead.


Some Notes:

No matter how many times your character tries to take off and disregard their number badge, they will always find it re-attached to their clothes again the moment they look away and look back.

Your characters still have their phones but now they can only make calls instead of sending texts. They also do not take or store photographs anymore.

If your character destroys or damages anything in their home, or in The Village it will instantly repair the way things used to on the Serena Eterna.

The noise from the speakers can be muffled by covering it with pillows or other creative items, but cannot be stopped entirely. (Sorry Phil)

Comments

[redlightgreenlight]

She shakes her head. Her gaze not straying to Ash nor giving any sign that she is anything but bored. Inside though, she’s imagining tearing Kevin’s heart out and devouring it.

“You simply caught me at a bad time. Can you come back later? I’m a little busy at the moment.”

[number_2]

His lips twist into a cruel grin. She can try to pretend she isn't upset, but he knows her better than she thinks. He slowly smoothes his hand over the top of Ash's furry head. What a good boy he is. So obedient.

"I'm afraid you are on my schedule today. You can put a robe on or not, but we will be discussing what you were doing in Number 44's cottage. Now."

[redlightgreenlight]

Valdis steps down to his level. Luckily he’s the same height as her so she doesn’t have to look up at him. His smugness is amusing. He got to her for a moment, but she’s going to burn his kingdom down.

“There’s really not much to tell. She sent me a message with implications, I misinterpreted. Choice words were exchanged. I left. Did she tell you something different?”

[number_2]

"Aren't you going to invite us inside?" He asks her, his gaze never leaving her face.

"What she told me is that you broke into her house and threatened her."

[redlightgreenlight]

She notes how carefully he is not looking below her chin.

"No, I'm afraid the place isn't fit for company at this time. We can talk out here."

Valdis shakes her head, still visibly ignoring Ash on his leash. None of her lovers would want to be the reason she bows to this man, so she's not going to budge.

"I merely opened the door and waited for her to return. She's the one who threatened me and I told her it was unwise to do so. If she took offense at my very legitimate warning, that is not my problem. As it stands, perhaps I should complain about her trying to stab me when I meant to do nothing more than speak with her."

[number_2]

"I'm afraid I was only asking as a courtesy. Which is more than you gave Number 44." He snaps his fingers and her door opens all on its own.

"Inside, 54. Go have a sniff around, hm?" He will pat Ash on the flank and then release the leash to let the very large puppy free to enter the home she's tried so hard to keep him out of.

"It's no use lying to me, Number 7. My cameras captured the entire event."

[redlightgreenlight]

"Lying?" Valdis tips her head. "I haven't uttered a single lie. It's not my fault you fail to understand the nuance of your own language."

She quickly goes over the pros and cons of going inside at his command. The fact is that he still rules this place and she challenged his authority not only to his face, but to those under his command, and in an extremely unsubtle fashion. Consequences are to be expected, even if she can't glean what they are.

The decision process takes mere seconds.

"You seem to be insistent on not making a scene out here, so I suppose we can go inside."

The interior is spotless, but there is no food or drink of any kind to be found. As soon as she is inside, she drops the towel, luckily for him she is wearing something underneath, but it isn't much.

"You don't mind if I get dressed as we talk, do you?"

he just had to.

[professionalriot]

He pauses and shakes out his fur when the leash is released. Before he can really explore she drops her towel. Ash stops mid-stride to turn and glare at Number 2, letting out a low growl as the fur on the nape of his neck rises. Picking up the towel he decides he's keeping it for now. After making a quick circle around the cottage he flops down and sighs in a way only a canine can and rests his head on the towel he's been dragging around.

good puppy

[number_2]

"Your colorful use of language does not negate the fact that you threatened my warden and caused her a great deal of distress."

He doesn't even flinch when she drops the towel. If she's expecting him to blush like a schoolboy or sputter in embarrassment, she'll be sadly disappointed.

"I would much prefer it if you would get dressed. I don't think your ex fancies my seeing you in your knickers." He glares in Ash's direction. "It's her you should be cross with, you know, not me."

[redlightgreenlight]

She tries not to watch Ash explore her house, but at Number 2's comment she rolls her eyes.

"I don't make threats, Number 2."

She ignores him while she grabs a shirt and a pair of pants from her room, though she stops on the way back out to pet Ash between the ears.

"And you'll have to be a little more specific as to which ex you are referring. The list must be a mile long by now."

As entertaining as trying to get under his skin is, they may as well get down to business.

"But I'm sure you didn't stop by just to scold me for upsetting Number 44 and make useless jabs about my relationships."

[number_2]

"They weren't compliments you were giving out."

He raises an eyebrow as she pets Ash like a dog.

"Yes, you do have quite the history, don't you?" He makes the disgust in his voice clear for all to hear. "But I'm referring to the newest victim. The one you were just petting as if you didn't kick him to the curb for wanting to see inside this sacred temple to your only real love." Because names are not used here, he does mention Malachi by name, but he trusts Ash will know who he means.

"Well, yes, of course, I came to warn you that if you ever go into Number 44's home uninvited ever again, I'm going to make you regret it."

[redlightgreenlight]

“You’d have a similar history if you were an immortal goddess of chaos, death and destruction.”

The jab at her love for Malachi cuts deeper than she would like, as if her love for Ash or the others couldn’t be as deep or real.

“You mean this perverted facade of somewhere I used to see as home? It’s not worth sharing, because it isn’t real and the past doesn’t matter.”

She takes a breath. Of course he would follow up insults with threats. How classy.

“Consider me warned.” She replies. “Since we are trading promises, here is mine. I will burn this place to the ground if you ever collar Ash within my sight again.”

[number_2]

"Let me give you some free advice, Number 7. It may not matter to you, but it matters a great deal to mortals. Doesn't it, Boy?" He says that last in a fake high-pitched voice in Ash's direction.

"Will you? I suppose I will have to keep him from your sight, then. Come, Number 54. We're leaving."

[redlightgreenlight]

"If Ash feels the need to compete with a man who died three hundred years ago, then he should talk to me about it, not you."

A tiny voice tells her that something isn't right, that she shouldn't let Kevin leave with Ash, but he is still in control of this realm and therefore fairly untouchable. She'll just have to find a way to change the status quo."

[number_2]

"If you'll let him."

He picks up Ash's tether and heads to the door. Over his shoulder, he gives one last farewell. "Be seeing you, Number 7."

[redlightgreenlight]

She'll let him have the last word. This time.