Berkeley's Phantasmagoria

[Kasu]

> Head into the unknown.

[Serela]

> Head into the unknown.

>You return into Jigen's World, and walk back to where she and the portal are. She seems to be sleeping again.

>You head into the portal, and find yourself inside what you think is an ABANDONED SHRINE. The front has an opening leading outside (which looks like a normal outside, not freaky like Jigen's place), and otherwise the shrine seems empty except for the portal, and a box in the corner.

[Hello Purvis]

>Look around.
>Check out the window
>Check box if nothing else presents itself.

[Serela]

>Look around.
>Check out the window
>Check box if nothing else presents itself.

>It seems to be a wooden room. It doesn't look like it's been cleaned in a long time. There really isn't anything at all except the box and portal. You wonder if there used to be more?

>There isn't one, but you look out the entrance instead. The shrine is ontop of a hill, which gives you a good look over your surroundings; you see a village and a forest ahead. You can't see very far past the top of the forest though, so you can't tell what lies beyond.

>Upon examination, you see that the box is actually a chest, and it has some sort of metal lock on it. It doesn't open, nor will it move from the spot it is in; either its very heavy, or it's been magicked to this spot on the floor.

[Kasu]

> Head outside.
> If nothing happens, start for the village.

[Hello Purvis]

>Appreciate the scenery.

[Serela]

> Head outside.
> If nothing happens, start for the village.

>You head outside of the shrine. Wow, the air is really nice and fresh here! This ain't that bad, so far. You head off to the village. It's a bit aways, but it shan't take long.

>Appreciate the scenery.

>All the fresh air and plants is really nice! Especially after that weird place Jigen has. Oh sun, come on mister sun, please come shine on meee~

>As you get closer to the village, you start going through what you guess are farming fields maintained by the villagers. You don't see anyone out right now, but they do look like they'd been worked by people today.

>Soon, you reach the village gate. The village is surrounded by a wall of tree trunks; from the view you had at the shrine, you know that there's an entrance to the village from the field (This is the one you are at) and an entrance that seems to have a path leading into the forest.

>Inside, you see several houses. There is also a little girl walking around the village, wearing a pink dress and a white apron. She hasn't noticed you yet.

[Kasu]

> Head through the entrance.

[MysTeariousYukari]

> Enter the village and look around, like a tourist. Listen carefully to how the people here speak, to see if you can speak the same language as them.

[Hello Purvis]

>Does the little girl's clothes look similiar to Berkeley's?
>Get ready for all sorts of receptions that may be nasty.

[Serela]

> Head through the entrance.

> Enter the village and look around, like a tourist. Listen carefully to how the people here speak, to see if you can speak the same language as them.

>As you head in, you can see 9 buildings in the village, a garden, and a large clearing in the middle.

>No one seems to be out except the little girl, and she hasn't noticed you yet. Actually, now that you look for her again... you don't see her. She's probably gone inside one of the buildings. Seeing as Jigen spoke to you in english, you assume the people here probably speak that too. Hopefully.

>Does the little girl's clothes look similiar to Berkeley's?
>Get ready for all sorts of receptions that may be nasty.

>They didn't look anything like you do. You're wearing black jeans, a t-shirt with a rainbow skeleton on it, and this snazzy coat you got for your birthday covered in diagonally-oriented red and black checkers. It matches the red streak you have in your hair (which is otherwise brown, matching your eyes).

>You ready yourself. But this is gonna be a pretty sucky day if everyone in here hates you.

[Kasu]

> Deep breath.
> Wander around until you meet someone.

[Hello Purvis]

>Examine the buildings.
>Ponder if they've got crazy portals, or if there's only a few people here.

[Serela]

> Deep breath.
> Wander around until you meet someone.

>Heeee, hoooo~
>You walk around, but... no one is appearing. Maybe they're avoiding you.

>Examine the buildings.
>Ponder if they've got crazy portals, or if there's only a few people here.

>They're made of wood, and unpainted; but they look like they were made by skilled people with tools. It doesn't match the natural and undeveloped-ness of the rest of this place. Yes, you're pretty sure there are 9 of them.

>Well, you really wouldn't know. You haven't even met any of them! But judging by the farms outside of the village, you think these houses must be populated.

>Oh; someone's entering from the forest entrance of the village. A woman. Now SHE definitely doesn't match the natural look of this place; she looks a little taller then you (With yourself being about 5'8), with blonde hair down to her elbows that looks like she went to a salon recently. She's wearing a form-fitting dress, covered in black and white squares of varying sizes and orientations that confuse the eyes. High-heel shoes, makeup, diamond earrings... she looks like a holly celebrity, really.

>"Why hello, deary!* You must be Berkeley." She talks to you in a condescending tone, as if the world is her toy. You don't like her already.

_{*Her voice isn't painful to the ears like that, by the way.}

[Kasu]

> "Ah.  Are you the one who sent me on this messed up 'adventure?'"

[Serela]

> "Ah.  Are you the one who sent me on this messed up 'adventure?'"

>"Messed up? Well I think it's just delightful so far. And don't forget; it's not just some adventure, it's a game you know. You, against me; the ravishing Estelle Mona Lisa! And nobody has ever won, I'll have you know that!" 

>The hell; she exclaimed her name as if she were presenting the painting itself! You bet that's not even her real name. God, and she's so full of herself. She's really irritating you now.

[Kasu]

> Facepalm.

[Hello Purvis]

>Resist urge to point out the actual Mona Lisa is tiny.
>Instead: "What for, anyways?"

[Serela]

> Facepalm.

>You do so instantly. As you look up, she seems a bit shocked that you just did that in front of her; then, her expression changes to a patronizing glare.

>Resist urge to point out the actual Mona Lisa is tiny.
>Instead: "What for, anyways?"

>How you would love to do this. But, if this "Estelle Mona Lisa" (pssh!) really took down Jigen, a goddess, all by herself...

>"Why, because-..." The hell? Won't she at least tell you why? "Well, that's for me to know! The ways of the great don't always make sense in the eyes of little snotpickers like you!" Oh, this bitch is really asking for it.

>"I'm going back to my mansion! You'll lose the game quickly; I'm sure of it!" And with that, she begins storming off out of the village. As she leaves, you hear a door open; it's that little girl you saw from before. "She's a big fat meanie, don't you think?"

[Hello Purvis]

>...
>Make a rude gesture in her wake. Let's see if she has eyes in the back of her head.
>Presuming no tragedies, glance at the little girl and nod solemnly.

[Serela]

>...
>Make a rude gesture in her wake. Let's see if she has eyes in the back of her head.
>Presuming no tragedies, glance at the little girl and nod solemnly.

>...

>You put your thumbs in your ears and stick your tongue out at her. The girl giggles. "My name is Stella! Stella Elsheart. I think I like you! I'll be sad when you disappear like everyone else who plays her game."

>Wait, what? Oh crap. If she's being serious, that's going to ruin your whole day. You like being not-disappeared, kthnx.

[MysTeariousYukari]

> "Well Stella, what is the game that meanie mentioned? What does she expect from me, other then losing?"

> "Are their any other people in this village, or are they gone cause of her?"

[Serela]

> "Well Stella, what is the game that meanie mentioned? What does she expect from me, other then losing?"

> "Are their any other people in this village, or are they gone cause of her?"

>"Well... she brings people here from time to time, inviting them for some kind of game. I think it's how she has fun. No one ever wins... in fact, she's never really told anyone how to win! The one thing that's always true, is that after awhile, they disappear... no one knows what she does with them. So, if that's what happens when someone loses, I've been thinking, maybe you win by getting rid of her!"

>"Oh yeah, I can show you around if you want! They don't like being out when Estelle comes around, that's all. You can tell why, huh? No one who lives here has disappeared though. Well, except for Azalea... she went to the mansion and tried to beat Estelle herself. We don't know what happened to her. We really miss her..."

>"Oh, I almost forgot Sister; she didn't disappear, really. Estelle got really mad at Sister Masha, and the next day, when we found her she was stone! They haven't been able to cure her yet, but I hope they can!"

[Hello Purvis]

>Ah hell.
>"Please, show me around."

[Pesco]

> Sanaface

[Thata no Guykoro]

>Ask about this Masha person. Same with Estelle.
>Rename self to Barkley.

[Serela]

>Ah hell.
>"Please, show me around."

>She gets excited when you agree to a little tour... she's so small and cute! "Okay!" She grabs your arm, pulling you back to the front of the town to start showing you around.

> Sanaface

>You stare at her vacantly, your mouth hanging open in a dumb smile. Thankfully, she isn't looking at you.

>Ask about this Masha person. Same with Estelle.
>Rename self to Barkley.

>"Oh, Sister Masha? She's kinda like our priestess person. She's the person to ask for any faith-related stuff! But since she's stoned right now... yeah."

"Estelle... she's really fancy. And annoying. She lives in some mansion in the forest, northeast of here... but we don't know how to get there, or anything about it. Other then the fact that she brings people from your world here to play some sort of "game", we don't know much of anything about her! She must have great magical power though, if she really did all that terrible stuff to that goddess you probably met on your way here."

>No.

[Hello Purvis]

>Barkley owns. I will hear no ill spoken of him or his noble name.
>"You know about Jigen?"

[Serela]

>Barkley owns. I will hear no ill spoken of him or his noble name.
>"You know about Jigen?"

>This is true, but still, your name is Berkeley and you like it that way!

>She shakes her head. "I've only heard the adults talking about it before. Her name is Jigen? That sounds all strange," and she giggles. Oh my god you just wanna pinch her cheeks and go coochie coochie coo~. But that'd be mean, so you won't.

>As you reach the entrance to the town again, Stella starts pointing out the buildings and who lives in them. "That one, next to the garden; that's where me and my parents live! My mom is a seamstress, and she can make dyes from the flowers. A lot of the flowers have been dying  recently though, so we don't have new stuff. She also kinda runs a store."

"Next to our house is Rose, who's an artist, and then there's the library... it's been magically sealed since everyone moved here though, so no one's been inside it before."

"Then, there's the house where the family that manages the farm lives... then there's Gestrel's house, oh he's such a big meanie, almost as bad as Estelle! And that house is where Veronica lives, she's been studying all kinds of magic recently. She says she's a witch-in-training."

"The last three are Sister Masha's house, which is kinda like a church. Then Dimitri, a guy who collects stuff... then Midori's house, which is like a restaurant. Oh, and she's got a pet kitty, and a fairy who helps cook!"

>Oooh god all that information. Does she really expect you to remember all that? Well, maybe you can just take it slow and get used to them one at a time...

[Thata no Guykoro]

>Evaluate slam/jam skills
>Check for stuff to write with/on
>Ask her about what's around the town
>Ask if people often get turned to stone.