[Look, he may not be a cat or a stranded cat or even entirely stranded, but he also wasn't entirely sure what the box with the bells did -- there was an educated guess there, but as they say, curiosity killed the cat and this analogy-slash-wordplay got away from me. Anywho, Subete is staying put for now.
He has no idea where he'll end up next if he starts moving, after all.
Idle hands and strange boxes lead to... Peach in one of her natural habitats, apparently. He looks a touch sheepish.]
You really are kind of a cat, aren't you, Peach-san?
Sorry to call you all the way up here, I didn't realize it was a direct summons. Somehow I just keep finding myself in strange places lately. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that...?
[Someone please help him. Peach blinks curiously, tail swishing for a moment before she frowns in thought.]
I'm not sure. [But haha, anyway!] That's what the bells are for! Any time you need us, ring one of the bells and we'll be there right away. Even...up here. How did you get up here anyway?
You guys must have really crazy hearing? Or something.
[Or something.
He's really getting the vague idea that they're not normal house staff (or housecats, or housebunnies...) in the least; he's not as skeptical of that as he could be, but given everything he can't access here it's hard to figure out what to assume either. For now, he'll take it at face value.]
Haha... I'm better at climbing than I look? I don't know. I remember thinking that it might be easier to figure out where I am if I had a better view, and then next thing I know...
[He tried so hard and got so far but in the end where the fuck is he.]
We've been serving Master Blue's guests for many years, sir. It would be bad form to not be attentive to your needs.
[She looks down to the ground, up at Subete, and back to the ground again.] You had the right idea, at least. Did you at least figure out where you are?
Well, of course I understand that you take pride in your profession...
[He probably understands better than most? Who aren't actually servants themselves, that is; that being said, the walls having ears here is just some form of unsettling, particularly considering what's happening to everyone else's ears. He's still not sure entirely what to make of their provisional hosts, either...
Have at least a bit of a sigh while he's thinking too hard, but he'll also smile a bit embarrassedly.]
I'm in the library. I'm still not sure I'd be able to find my way out, though.
Have you never traveled before, sir? [It's a polite question if only because she doesn't think anything's actually wrong. Some people get lost and that's just how things are.] There are a few doors, but only one leads its way back out into the hall.
Oh, no, I've definitely traveled before. And I should be used to big places like this, so it really doesn't make any sense, but I seem to keep picking the wrong doors, and--
[He trails off before he gets too exasperated. He has probably attempted to leave the library a few times. Mayhaps he should stop moving around, which he did, but that just means he's going to be on top of this bookshelf forevermore and possibly starve. Possibly he's being melodramatic. That being said...]
It's not just me, though... I was talking to someone earlier who said the pancakes that were out for breakfast didn't taste like anything. The same thing happened to someone else with the coffee. Several people have stopped being able to see clearly...
[Can someone please save Subete? That sounds tragic. At the mention of pancakes though her expression falls.]
Ken told me...I even made him fresh pancakes and still nothing! [IT WAS AWFUL.] And he said a few others have lost their taste or the ability to feel things. You're the first one I've heard of losing the fear of getting lost though.
[Poor Peach. They can commiserate in the tragic relics of pancakes and libraries and who knows what else is getting dragged in here.]
Right, that was Amada-kun. It sounds like it's definitely a sensory -- physical -- problem that's spreading somehow... Luna-san could be right and it's something medical, but I don't know if that's scarier than it being something else. Has this ever happened to any of the guests you've served before?
[Blink. Blink. No, wait. There was something--]
Ah, I don't think it was the fear of getting lost. I'm just kind of getting used to it, but I'm pretty sure I'm getting lost a lot more than usual.
Has she checked on you? [Luna taking on patients is nice at least...] I don't know medicine very well. Nothing quite like this has happened during these events, but the house is very old. Sometimes strange things happen.
Haha, I couldn't trouble her with something so random and minor... I'm sure she's buried in patients already, with all of the other crazy stuff happening to everyone, and I don't know medicine very well either but it seems like a lot of work.
[Besides, he's still not even sure how he'd describe the symptoms or what kind of diagnosis could even be done for what is, in essence, terminal wandering bitch disease. Go figure.]
This is a lot more cursed than old houses usually are, you know. [just!! saiyan!!] I don't know if a map would work, but I wouldn't mind one?
[Nomad disease...but you know. Fair.] I guess you have a point. If this is something wide-spread, we'd had to have her overworked.
[But she purses her lips in thought.] I never said anything about a curse though...have you dealt with cursed old houses a lot? [And with that...she's going to reach into her pocket and pull out what's essentially a hand drawn map of the first and second floor. It's in pink crayon. Congratulations.]
Plum-san did say that we might need a medical professional, but I'm surprised you guys don't retain one on staff... even if this sort of thing isn't a regular occurrence. It's always a good idea...?
[It's probably a fruitless sort of remonstration but he kind of feels like he should say it anyway. Just overall he feels a little sorry for Luna and her solo doctor existence......]
Haha... It just feels like a curse, especially if you start talking about old houses. It's a horror trope, isn't it? Oh, thank you.
[He'll...... accept the map. Will this be helpful. Debatable. But it's kind of reassuring to just carry around, all the same.]
I don't think we really know of any medical professionals that we could have on staff full-time. Sometimes the master invites guests who have doctorate degrees though.
[Subete is right and should say it but unfortunately Master Blue is Master Blue. Peach's tail swishes back and forth as she ponders that, a little smile on her face.]
I don't know very much about horror tropes, to be honest. But newer houses could be cursed too, couldn't they?
Wow, even with Master Blue's resources? Judging by the amount of people he invited this time... he could probably find people with a lot more than doctorate degrees.
[Unfortunately, Master Blue is Master Blue!! Time to call the Master out even though it's probably futile. Look, what else is he supposed to do when y'all so understaffed the guests are having to open an impromptu clinic???]
Mmm, well, newer houses can be cursed if you try really hard. Or if you build them on cursed ground, like over an old cemetery or something careless. [usually people aren't that careless though right.....] Oh! Before I forget, sorry to ask for something else, but we might need a futon in our room to go with the bed.
[He does carefully fold the map and put it away, though!]
We never ask the Master about his guests, sir. We only really learn about them after the RSVPs come back to us. [Look it's probably better that the guests are doing this themselves ok.]
You'd think people would notice if they were building on top of the dead...[But anyway!] What would you need a futon for?
Right. But you must have thoughts on the guests, right? After all, you've spent a lot more time with us than the Master himself, and I get the feeling that's how things are going to be for now...
[When will Master Blue actually show their blue, blue face. Missile needs a doggo friend, y'all. He just laughs awkwardly about building on the dead because sometimes people are just. People.]
It seemed like a bit much to share the bed all the time, so Nie Huaisang-san and I figured we'd work out something to take turns. Having a futon would make that a lot easier...
First impressions say a lot but it's not always that the Master's guests even speak to us. We've had whole events where we've never spoken to one or two guests because they didn't need us. I wonder if it'll be like that here....
[...nevertheless, she unfortunately frowns.] I don't know if we have a spare. Master Blue usually hosts these events with the idea that no one has to share a room, but we overbooked this time. But there's a chaise in your room, isn't there?
Well, I guess not everyone is used to having so much staff in the house, much less staff like you guys. But it's kind of reassuring not to be in a house that's empty except for us? Not everyone feels that way, I suppose.
[Maybe he's just too easygoing?! Or there's just too much going on; having household staff, even these, is almost a blip compared to the Everything Else.
Speaking of Everything Else...]
... The chaise? It's a bit small to sleep in, isn't it? [he's 5'11'' and Nie Huaisang is 5'8'' and they both have high bedding standards so RIP] Hmm. Even if you don't have a proper futon, maybe something to pad the floor and an extra set of sheets?
It would seem silly to bring you here without a staff to cater to you, sir. [But she gets the point all the same.]
We could provide you with additional blankets and sheets if that would suit your needs. Would you like an extra pillow as well? [She doesn't comment on the chaise being too small to sleep because...she's tiny. And also some kind of cat.]
[He could go on and protest that having a house staff is, in a way, also the least of their worries -- but they've both acknowledged that it's just a fact of life and a convenience, so there's probably no point in it...
Unfortunately for the chatty Peach, though, her friendliness is just earning her oodles of questions.]
Extra blankets and sheets, for sure. Maybe a handful of extra pillows, too, especially if you have bigger ones.
[They'll just have to somehow use body pillows as padding or else resort to various other measures. There really isn't a choice when one of them is anime-old, the other is a beanpole, and so on.]
I think I can secure two of each! You'll have to make do with what you have otherwise, but I'll find the biggest ones we have. They'll be delivered to your room before this evening.
W0, TUESDAY
You rang? [She doesn't look too bothered but also why are we up here, sir.]
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He has no idea where he'll end up next if he starts moving, after all.
Idle hands and strange boxes lead to... Peach in one of her natural habitats, apparently. He looks a touch sheepish.]
You really are kind of a cat, aren't you, Peach-san?
Sorry to call you all the way up here, I didn't realize it was a direct summons. Somehow I just keep finding myself in strange places lately. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that...?
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I'm not sure. [But haha, anyway!] That's what the bells are for! Any time you need us, ring one of the bells and we'll be there right away. Even...up here. How did you get up here anyway?
[Start from the beginning, Subete.]
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[Or something.
He's really getting the vague idea that they're not normal house staff (or housecats, or housebunnies...) in the least; he's not as skeptical of that as he could be, but given everything he can't access here it's hard to figure out what to assume either. For now, he'll take it at face value.]
Haha... I'm better at climbing than I look? I don't know. I remember thinking that it might be easier to figure out where I am if I had a better view, and then next thing I know...
[He tried so hard and got so far but in the end where the fuck is he.]
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We've been serving Master Blue's guests for many years, sir. It would be bad form to not be attentive to your needs.
[She looks down to the ground, up at Subete, and back to the ground again.] You had the right idea, at least. Did you at least figure out where you are?
[The worst is that she sounds amused.]
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[He probably understands better than most? Who aren't actually servants themselves, that is; that being said, the walls having ears here is just some form of unsettling, particularly considering what's happening to everyone else's ears. He's still not sure entirely what to make of their provisional hosts, either...
Have at least a bit of a sigh while he's thinking too hard, but he'll also smile a bit embarrassedly.]
I'm in the library. I'm still not sure I'd be able to find my way out, though.
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[He trails off before he gets too exasperated. He has probably attempted to leave the library a few times. Mayhaps he should stop moving around, which he did, but that just means he's going to be on top of this bookshelf forevermore and possibly starve. Possibly he's being melodramatic. That being said...]
It's not just me, though... I was talking to someone earlier who said the pancakes that were out for breakfast didn't taste like anything. The same thing happened to someone else with the coffee. Several people have stopped being able to see clearly...
So it can't just be me.
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Ken told me...I even made him fresh pancakes and still nothing! [IT WAS AWFUL.] And he said a few others have lost their taste or the ability to feel things. You're the first one I've heard of losing the fear of getting lost though.
[That's. That's not what this is.]
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Right, that was Amada-kun. It sounds like it's definitely a sensory -- physical -- problem that's spreading somehow... Luna-san could be right and it's something medical, but I don't know if that's scarier than it being something else. Has this ever happened to any of the guests you've served before?
[Blink. Blink. No, wait. There was something--]
Ah, I don't think it was the fear of getting lost. I'm just kind of getting used to it, but I'm pretty sure I'm getting lost a lot more than usual.
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[She blinks right back.] Would you like a map?
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[Besides, he's still not even sure how he'd describe the symptoms or what kind of diagnosis could even be done for what is, in essence, terminal wandering bitch disease. Go figure.]
This is a lot more cursed than old houses usually are, you know. [just!! saiyan!!] I don't know if a map would work, but I wouldn't mind one?
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[But she purses her lips in thought.] I never said anything about a curse though...have you dealt with cursed old houses a lot? [And with that...she's going to reach into her pocket and pull out what's essentially a hand drawn map of the first and second floor. It's in pink crayon. Congratulations.]
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[It's probably a fruitless sort of remonstration but he kind of feels like he should say it anyway. Just overall he feels a little sorry for Luna and her solo doctor existence......]
Haha... It just feels like a curse, especially if you start talking about old houses. It's a horror trope, isn't it? Oh, thank you.
[He'll...... accept the map. Will this be helpful. Debatable. But it's kind of reassuring to just carry around, all the same.]
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[Subete is right and should say it but unfortunately Master Blue is Master Blue. Peach's tail swishes back and forth as she ponders that, a little smile on her face.]
I don't know very much about horror tropes, to be honest. But newer houses could be cursed too, couldn't they?
[Enjoy your map. Please be careful.]
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[Unfortunately, Master Blue is Master Blue!! Time to call the Master out even though it's probably futile. Look, what else is he supposed to do when y'all so understaffed the guests are having to open an impromptu clinic???]
Mmm, well, newer houses can be cursed if you try really hard. Or if you build them on cursed ground, like over an old cemetery or something careless. [usually people aren't that careless though right.....] Oh! Before I forget, sorry to ask for something else, but we might need a futon in our room to go with the bed.
[He does carefully fold the map and put it away, though!]
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You'd think people would notice if they were building on top of the dead...[But anyway!] What would you need a futon for?
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[When will Master Blue actually show their blue, blue face. Missile needs a doggo friend, y'all. He just laughs awkwardly about building on the dead because sometimes people are just. People.]
It seemed like a bit much to share the bed all the time, so Nie Huaisang-san and I figured we'd work out something to take turns. Having a futon would make that a lot easier...
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[...nevertheless, she unfortunately frowns.] I don't know if we have a spare. Master Blue usually hosts these events with the idea that no one has to share a room, but we overbooked this time. But there's a chaise in your room, isn't there?
[It's like tiny but. It sure is there.]
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[Maybe he's just too easygoing?! Or there's just too much going on; having household staff, even these, is almost a blip compared to the Everything Else.
Speaking of Everything Else...]
... The chaise? It's a bit small to sleep in, isn't it? [he's 5'11'' and Nie Huaisang is 5'8'' and they both have high bedding standards so RIP] Hmm. Even if you don't have a proper futon, maybe something to pad the floor and an extra set of sheets?
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We could provide you with additional blankets and sheets if that would suit your needs. Would you like an extra pillow as well? [She doesn't comment on the chaise being too small to sleep because...she's tiny. And also some kind of cat.]
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Unfortunately for the chatty Peach, though, her friendliness is just earning her oodles of questions.]
Extra blankets and sheets, for sure. Maybe a handful of extra pillows, too, especially if you have bigger ones.
[They'll just have to somehow use body pillows as padding or else resort to various other measures. There really isn't a choice when one of them is anime-old, the other is a beanpole, and so on.]
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[And this! Is why! A staff is important!
But until then...she looks at the ground.]
Do you remember where that is?