WEEK 6 CYOA - CLAUDE, FUTABA, LUX, KON

[dormheads]

Comments

[overshaded]

[ He can hear some shuffling inside the room, as if something might be shifting or moved.

There is a little more coughing, but there's no other reply. ]

[shaft]

Yeah, don't worry. You're not the only person who thinks I'm suspicious.

[ He'll hide his dagger under his clothing again before carefully stepping toward the direction that the girl ran off into. If there's a door or something in the way, he'll knock politely. ]

I promise I mean no harm.

[overshaded]

[ Is that supposed to make a young girl feel any better, Claude? Why do you pick such terrible dialogue options?

There is a door! It actually looks like a nicer door than the door he used previously! Bigger. Fancier. Sturdier. Wowie.

There's another quieter cough.

And then, he can hear in his mind, very faint, Will he... ]

[shaft]

[ Okay, well. He's not going to bust open the door or corner this girl, so he steps back to take stock of this new place. What else is there for him to explore?

Those words... is it the thought sharing effect? ]

Is there where you live? Would you mind telling me the name of the place?

[overshaded]

[ Well, he can try to leave this corridor somehow, but he's got to choose a direction.

There's some more coughing. In his mind again, very, very quiet: Is he going to....

He can hear some more shuffling, almost as if she's moving closer to the door. There is the faint sound of her stomach grumbling.

More shuffling, as if she's moving back from the door now. ]

[shaft]

[ ... Of course. Children can be bribed with food, can't they? ]

If you're hungry, you can have one of my snacks.

[ Casually places snack bar outside the door... and steps back. Like leaving food for a stray cat. ]

If this is your house, I'm sorry to just wander in. I'm a little lost.

[overshaded]

[ Snack...?

There's some more coughing, and then the door opens to reveal a little girl. She does not have the bow in her hair.

She is also not smiling. She looks a little nervous, as if she's ready to run again. ]

[shaft]

[ It's a little girl!! He looks openly relieved, and he'll gesture to the snack bar that he put on the ground. It's still in the wrapper. ]

I've got plenty of those, so help yourself. You just need to peel open the cover. I hope you like apples and cinnamon.

[ He doesn't approach, just smiling a little worriedly at her. ]

I was going to ask if you could help me, but I'm wondering if I should offer to help you instead.

[overshaded]

[ She still looks scared, but now she also looks confused. Snack bars don't exist in this world. She looks down at it like.... it could be.... poison...?

But when he says if he should offer help instead, she looks up at him with surprise.

She coughs.

You'll help...? Really? You'll help me? ]

[shaft]

[ Okay, so this isn't thought sharing, she's literally speaking into his brain which is weird.

He really hopes nothing else weird happens. ]

Yeah, I'll do my best. What is it that you need help with?

—And do you want me to open that for you?

[overshaded]

[ Oh, something about what he says startles her a lot, and she backs away again, a few steps into the room.

How?

At least the door is open, and he can see there is light in this room, somewhere. ]

[shaft]

[ He blinks a little at her. ]

Well, it's not that difficult... You just need to...

[ He pulls another bar out of his pocket and demonstrates how to open the wrapper, presenting the unwrapped snack before taking a bite. ]

Ta-da!

[overshaded]

[ She still looks very startled, her eyes wide like a deer caught in headlights, but after a long moment, when it seems like he isn't doing anything else, she'll come back towards Claude.

She approaches the snack bar on the ground, slowly, inch by inch, as if he'll attack her if she gets too close.

She looks up at him with every step she takes. ]

[shaft]

[ His expression softens a little, and he stops thinking about his next move for a moment. Stops calculating and trying to figure out what to do next.

He just nods at her. ]

It's all yours. My name's Claude, by the way.

[overshaded]

[ She coughs.

Claude....

She picks up the snack bar, unwraps it like he showed but much more clumsily, as if unused to doing something like that, and takes one bite.

Then tries to scarf the entire rest of the snack bar in another bite, gobbling it.

She almost chokes on it. ]

[shaft]

Oh!

[ He sits up a little at that, but he's not going to approach unless she starts to really choke. ]

Be careful! It's not going to run away, don't worry.

[ Once again, assuming she's not actually dying right now, he'll laugh a little. ]

I didn't think anyone liked these as much as I do.

[overshaded]

[ She doesn't choke, but it's close. She is not actually dying.

She coughs again.

I've never.... ]

[shaft]

First time for everything, huh?

[ He takes a bite of his own, once again looking at the space around them. ]

So... what's your name?

[overshaded]

[ Has he entered the room she's in? If he hasn't, he can maybe see the outline of a bookcase. Very faint sunlight from somewhere.

She takes a few steps back into the room, and she looks up at him with uncertainty.

She shakes her head. ]

[shaft]

Don't have one?

[ Well, since it looks like she's not... running away? He will move forward into the room, while trying to give her space.

He is interested in the books, and is going to look around again for a window or a door, but his primary focus is on the bookcase and any documentation that might give him some context on where he is. ]

I hope you don't mind if I look around.

[overshaded]

[ She shakes her head. She does not have one. She looks a cross between dejected and wistful about it.

She shakes her head again. He can look wherever.

Lucky for Claude! There is a window at the far, far end of the room, the opposite of where they are now. It's boarded up, but there is some light creeping around the edges of the boards nailed over it.

He can see a globe! Sitting in a floor stand somewhere inside by the door. There is a desk with a journal and papers on it. There's a dresser in here. There is a chest and some crates by the window that's boarded up.

There are books in the bookcase. ]

[shaft]

[ He's going to pick up the journal and flip through it. I hope it's A/B/O fanfiction. ]

Well, you can always pick a name for yourself. Maybe something you like?

[ Also peers at the globe, is it anything recognizable... ]

[overshaded]

[ Yeah, the journal has sordid fanfiction about how omega Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd can't help but want to go against the way society has been built so he can woo and seduce and marry omega Claude von Riegan. It's a hot and thrilling tale about how they manage to the flip the A/B/O world upside down in the name of LOVE.

Anyway, it reads like a captain's log. Navigation points that he won't know for destinations he won't know. How long it took them to get from place to place, the status of the crew of a ship, things like that.

Whether or not the globe is familiar to Claude depends! What kinds of maps has Claude studied at school? Any at all?

At his question, the girl sways back and forth.

Like what...? ]

[shaft]

[ Thanks, Ara.

He's familiar with maps of Fódlan and has looked at Earth maps, and idk... Random maps in the library.

In any case, he pockets the journal, and looks at the girl. ]

For example, this cool and strong stranger you just met. If you wanted to be named after him... I could call you Claudia.

[ He's obviously trying not to laugh too much as he moves over to the window. ]

Or, if you like any flowers or animals or food... Also, what do you say about getting out of here?

[ Tries to peer through the cracks between boards. ]

[overshaded]

[ Then, yeah, the globe can be a little familiar to him! Some of it will be similar to what he knows of Earth, but it's not quite exactly. There are some weird differences.

Claudia?

It seems like she doesn't mind it? Almost as if she actually likes it quite a bit? Terrible.

She shakes her head rapidly at the suggestion to leave, as if she's terrified.

He can maybe see some blue? The sky? The ocean? ]