( OPEN ) time is a symptom of love

[inwaits]

» WHO? Giselle + You
» WHEN? 5/18 - 5/20
» WHERE? deck 5, the observation deck, and near the locked areas
» WHAT? giselle deals with chronological inconsistencies, the creeping threat of alien life, and typical horror game protagonist plights
» WARNINGS? none, probably!

A) DECK 5 CREW QUARTERS

[ the cold, dull abrade of metal is enough to give anyone a start — it felt unfamiliar against her now warm skin, an unnatural coldness of the bone like being in a drafty manor late in autumn. that was a familiar sort of sensation, one that made her nostalgic for days long gone.

regardless, she could be sure of one thing — she was no longer in the mansion, unless she had traveled so far into the future that it barely resembled the dilapidated, creaky home she once attended to. her first thought is, weirdly, "where is my new master?" and nearly stops each person to ask if they own the place as they pass by, but she's smart enough to realize that this is a different situation entirely. she was no longer in morgana's dominion.

but michel..

she would find him. she was sure of that.

eventually, she does stop a wayward soul making their way through the cavernous hallways. ]

Um, excuse me. What year is it? I know that's, um.. an odd question to ask. [ her slender fingers reach forward to place a hand to her chest, and when she catches sight of them, she reaches them out farther, turning her hand in marvel. ] Oh.. Wow. I look different.

B) OBSERVATION DECK

Have you ever seen something so splendorous?

[ she's talking to you, of course, but it's also partially to herself. the observation deck was breathtaking — it was like being in a wizard's chambers, stars dancing on the ceiling and imparting some arcane knowledge that went right over her head. all she knew was it was beautiful, overwhelming, and hard to fathom. she was in the heavens. this is what the romans dreamed of, and here she was. she had to wonder what made her so special, that she had lived through so many centuries and eventually made it here, now.

she turns to the person next to her, smiling. ]

It makes you wonder.. are there other people out there, living like us? Maybe not just like us, as in they have homes, and in their homes, windows. [ god she missed windows. ] But, you know.. Other life. I've never thought about it. It's.. a little creepy. [ they didn't have to think about aliens in the ye olde middle ages, they were too worried about plagues and shit. ] L—Let's just go back to looking at the stars. That sounds better, doesn't it?

C) NEAR DECK 6 LOCKED AREA

[ upon meeting with morgana, she felt inspired. somehow, she always felt that way when she interacted with her. today's inspiration is pretty visible, given that giselle has wrapped a sheet around her waist and pinned it in place, resembling a long, draped skirt. it looks a little funny, paired with the top portion of the dull, baggy jumpsuit, and you have to wonder if she ripped the bottom half off to create this hodge-podge of an ensemble.. either way, her legs were free, and she had decided that men were tricked into thinking pants were somehow better than dresses and skirts.

seeing this odd woman fidgeting with the locked doors may raise some concern, and after a while of rapping and banging, she seems to give up with a heady sigh. ]

I wonder if there's some kind of key we need to find to get through here. [ she's from a horror game. of course she would think that. ] Oh! Hello. You wouldn't happen to know if there's a sewing machine of some kind anywhere? I'm more used to a needle and thread, but a machine would be much more efficient, don't you think?

D) WILDCARD

[ feel free to come up with your own prompt or discuss something with me! you can hit me up at vanilladome

Comments

[wingstosee]

[ she nearly explains it, but thinks better at the last second - she's not stumbling over it, or anything. maybe she's just used to different ways to referring to it? 1900 isn't... well, actually, venus has almost no reference for what that time period was like. but she's pretty sure there were factories then. ]

Wow. Well, I mean... 1900 isn't as bad as it could be? Not really. Like, there's a really sweet guy here from 1425. [ the sweet guy is half-vampire. venus conveniently forgets to mention that part. ] So hopefully adjusting won't be quite as weird for you? Haha.

[inwaits]

Ah, the 1400s.. I don't remember much from that era.

[ which is kind of a weird thing to say, given that she just said she was around during the turn of the 20th century. the 1400s was a time of gestation for the house — another master wouldn't come for another 200 years. she lived in despondence for such a long time, dusting and primping the empty mansion in preparation for god knew who. ]

You don't have to worry about me! I'm adaptable. [ a smile. ] Thank you for being so helpful. I'm sorry a sweet girl like you got wrapped up in this mess! You should be out enjoying life right now.

[wingstosee]

Oh. Haha. [ that, uh. sort of changes matters, doesn't it? a bunch of things click into place, like "remembering much" and "the last i remember." how old is she? ] That's, um- Wow. Hm. So you're not human either, right?

[ it's not the worst thing she could have asked. she definitely landed on that after "how old are you," which at the very least she knows is a crappy thing to ask. still, she manages to smile after her awkward delivery. ]

And I'm really not that sweet? Haha. But it's nice to hear, so- thank you, I think? [ it's weird, having so many people tell her she's nice so shortly after finding out- you know, about the whole devil business. this would have never happened back home?? ] Besides, you're just as sweet. Probably a lot more? So if anything, I kind of wish you were out enjoying life.

[ she's really not intending to turn this into a modest-off. but, well. she'll do it. ]

[inwaits]

Oh! No, I'm a human, just like anyone else. I've just been through some strange things, I think.

[ just about anyone would say giselle couldn't be a day over 25 — the last birthday she'd celebrated was her 20th. she definitely feels like she looks older, her hair was the longest it had been in her life and she looked more mature than she did when she lived with michel, but she couldn't pinpoint why. ]

Well, [ she reaches forth to grab one of venus's hands to clasp into hers, if she'll allow her. ] there's no reason we can't enjoy ourselves here! I learned a long time ago that waiting for things to get better just doesn't seem to work.

[wingstosee]

[ venus actually lets out a little squeak as giselle grabs her hand, flushing a bright red and looking down at where the two of them meet. it's- it's sort of a lot! it's sort of a lot to take in all at once and she's not sure what to do about that except smile and laugh, part nervously and part glad for the contact. ]

Yeah! Wow. They must have been strange, haha. I'm only eighteen? So I'm younger than most of the humans here, even. [ she's babbling. she has no idea what to say in a situation like this? so she just sort of- mirrors giselle's sentiments. ] And- and I totally agree with you! Sometimes, you just sort of have to. Go for it! You know??

[ she hopes the blush isn't obvious. it totally is. ]

[inwaits]

[ she lets go soon after, tickled that she seemed to ruffle venus a bit. michel was the same way when they first met — people from her time weren't used to direct touch like that, it violated some implicit rules of decorum, but being a poor girl meant being a lot more direct. ]

Oh my! Do you have a habit of just 'going for it', Venus? [ now she's teasing, like a big sister might. ] I bet you're a real heartbreaker, aren'tcha?

[wingstosee]

[ as soon as giselle lets go, venus crosses her arms - part nervous reaction, part filling the sudden gap left behind. she's not really used to outside contact from people that aren't jupiter or neptune, but that doesn't mean she dislikes it. ]

A- a heartbreaker? [ okay. she may not be the most perceptive person, but at least she can identify that as teasing. still, she answers honestly and bluntly. ] Um. Not really? I mean, I guess I might be, but I'm not sure anyone's really... had a crush on me before. Haha.

[ jupiter and neptune don't count, do they? she's still not entirely sure what they all are to one another. but... "crush" doesn't really seem right. at least, not anymore. ]

[inwaits]

Nonsense! I'm sure someone does! You have pretty hair and those stunning wings! Someone's got their eye on you for sure. Have you never been kissed? If you said no I'd say you were lying.

[ she's teasing still, but she sounds sincere. venus is a pretty girl! there's no reason she shouldn't have romantic prospects (little does she know..). ]

[wingstosee]

Have I been- no! I mean, no, I've not... never? Been. I kiss people! Sometimes, people kiss me?? There's two other devils here and we all just sort of do the. Kissing thing. Sometimes??

[ sorry, giselle. she's flustered as hell, she's not used to talking about any of this, and also "pretty hair" and "stunning wings" are doing a number on her brain right now. she looks like she's torn between dying of embarrassment and smiling with such a bright glow she could probably hurt someone. ]

And I'm not anywhere near as pretty as you- [ and she means it, 100%, because even though she likes the way she looks for the first time she can remember in her life, she's not anywhere near as easily beautiful as the woman in a sheet in front of her- ] -but, um, thank you??

[inwaits]

A novice, then.

[ she figured, at least. sometimes people kissed, but sometimes it made them nervous, even if they'd done it several times. it was endearing! don't mind the little call out, venus. ]

Aww, thank you! I think I'm just a regular woman, but I appreciate it. [ she smiles. ] You're still young. You're going to surpass a lot of people soon!

[wingstosee]

A novice? [ but she's not actually upset. well, at least not that upset. she's laughing softly even after her indignant little announcement. ] You don't have to put it like that!

[ she looks giselle over - a chaste gesture, free of any sort of impure thoughts. is that really true? she's going to surpass others...? no, that doesn't seem right. that can't be right. just because she doesn't look wrong anymore doesn't mean she's anything special. she laughs again, a bit more- stiff? polite? than before. ]

Haha. I'm not so sure about that? But... thank you.

[ because she's sure it's not meant unkindly. she knows that much. ]