QUIET MOUNDS - STEF HEART

[abardacttofollow]

You find yourself in a stone room that looks like some sort of medieval dungeon. There are (thankfully), no torture instruments, but there is a man strung up here. One large manacle is around his neck, chaining him stiffly to the door. His hands are free, but each foot is manacled to the matching bottom corner of the doorframe. There is a visible lock on each of the three manacles.

It's Stefen, and there's a knife in his chest. Despite that, he's alive, apparently alert, and doesn't look to be in pain, perhaps due to the lulling, sense-dulling music that seems to be coming from nowhere at all—in fact, if you were in pain before you entered, it's gone here. His wound is bleeding, but only a little, and he smiles his usual bright smile at you.

Behind him, but in front of the closed door he's bound to, you can see three double sets of strings running vertically. Where they meet the floor, they are fastened, and then each runs across the floor to the three doors on the opposite wall, then under them.

There is nothing else in this room.

((OOC: Here's how this will work! Since we're doing individual runs, rather than me putting up individual top levels for areas, just jump the post itself, and I'll run everything for you within your one thread. If you're wanting to do a run with someone else, just stay in the same thread together.))

Comments

[abardacttofollow]

"Hello, Stefen," Lynn says severely. "Do you want to go to your duty now?"

Stefen looks dubious, but comes forward. "I want to not be here?"

Lynn holds one hand out to Stefen, and the key out to Medren. A fair exchange.

[mindinthegittern]

[takes the key, nodding to Stef]

You'll be alright.

[abardacttofollow]

"Okay," he mumbles. Lynn starts to lead him away, into the set piece.

[mindinthegittern]

[phew okay! walking back out to the Heart's Guard]

[abardacttofollow]

He's still here! "Welcome back. I imagine that one was pretty easy for you."

[mindinthegittern]

Hah. Well, I appreciate your confidence, anyway.

[waves the key]

Want to get a foot free?

[abardacttofollow]

Please.

[mindinthegittern]

This one?

[trying the manacle closest to the door he just came out of]

[abardacttofollow]

That's right. I think Performance will get my other foot and the Gift should get my neck.

[the lock comes off and the manacle opens]

[mindinthegittern]

Would you be more comfortable if I got the one off your neck first...? How... how do I help, Stef?

[abardacttofollow]

I'm doing all right, Medren.

[mindinthegittern]

...really?

[abardacttofollow]

I'm not in pain.

[mindinthegittern]

That's not exactly the same thing.

[abardacttofollow]

I'm just the Guard, Medren m'love.

[mindinthegittern]

[huff]

I don't know what that means!

[abardacttofollow]

It means I protect the True Heart.

[mindinthegittern]

Well—okay.

[goes to take his hand anyway]

But you're still part of Stefen, right? So you see why this is a little worrying.

[abardacttofollow]

Of course. Everything in here is. Everything. That's okay, right?

[mindinthegittern]

Yes—?

...of course it's—what am I going to say, here, "no, some part of you is unacceptable"? Come on. Of course it's okay. I just don't want to do anything that... could hurt you.

[abardacttofollow]

You've always been good to me. Have faith in that?

[mindinthegittern]

Alright, alright.

I'll be back, then.

[heading into Performance]

Performance 1

[abardacttofollow]

You find yourself in a medieval classroom in some sort of large, palace-like environment (something like this), with stained glass in the windows and old desks all lined up, slates on each. All of the desks have a different boy or girl wearing brown sitting in it—mostly boys— except for one desk in the very middle, which is empty. All the boys are whispering to each other, a soft, background susurration. The cord runs through the middle of the room and under the locked door behind the teacher's lectern.

The teacher is a handsome young man in red, who is checking a mark on his candle to confirm the time and is sighing. "Well, it looks like Stefen's got himself tied up—" there are titters from the classroom. "—So let's begin. He won't like what it does to his marks, I promise you that. If his work isn't done…"

He doesn't finish whatever threat or promise he's thinking of, just clears his throat and begins to teach a lesson on compositional theory.

The door behind the lectern is closed and locked, and there is a scale set next to it, clearly attached to the door in some way.

A sign on the door reads: "What is the weight of security?"

[mindinthegittern]

[grumbles]

Ha, ha.

[shuffling through the rows to the empty desk]

[abardacttofollow]

"Morning, Medren" "Did Stefen forget something?"

You can get there no problem.