[It's chilly out, but the blizzard has subsided enough for our group of intrepid explorers to make it some distance away from the lodge. At first, it doesn't seem like much of anything is happening; they're just trudging about in the snow.
But then the temperature drops, and the storm starts up again. Unfortunately, at this point, they're too far in to turn back. They'll just have to weather the storm.
...which, thankfully, doesn't take long! But when the blizzard clears once more, they're not near the lodge. In fact, they don't seem to be on a mountain at all.
Instead, they're standing at the front gates of a large, expansive building. A girl is waiting for them by the gates, and she smiles when she spots them.]
Oh, hello! You volunteered to help with the setup for the party, right? I was waiting for you.
[it honestly isn't until the blizzard clears a second time that Zhongli even realize she isn't alone. he actually does a double-take when he sees SQQ and Ryan, but the only greeting the either of them get is a slight, polite nod]
[and then he addresses his. . . strange. . . girl?? has this mansion been on this mountain the entire time?]
I'm afraid you've mistaken us for someone else. We're not party planners; we're merely lost.
[. . . also he brushes some leftover snow from his shoulders]
Can you tell us where we are? And-- perhaps-- offer us a bit of warm respite?
[ he's already judging himself pretty hard for even attempting to explore more while the weather was clear because look what happened! a scenario started and the next thing you know he's gonna hear a familiar obnoxious voice going Achievement: Huddled for Warmth without warning. at least this time he actually put on warm things before getting dumped into this new situation? shitty game. shitty system!!
but this? is new even for the weird ooc nature of this wild ride. it's very different than his usual sudden events and his eyebrow has never been higher. in what part does he- oh hey there's others here; do any of them look like they volunteered for any this??? hello?? ]
[you know what? this might as well happen. they'd all shown up in one strange location, so why would it be weird for it to be able to happen again? strange that it's just the three of them, maybe, but ryan is honestly just going with it. sqq gets a sympathetic look when ryan sees the expression on his face; mood, but like, what can they do?
he's just sort of backing up zhongli, still known to him as hot polearm man whether ryan learned his name or not. let's be honest about that.]
I, uh, definitely don't remember volunteering...? But I'm sure we can help if you don't mind letting us stay for a bit.
[he's a little nervous at the prospect of a party, but if they help set up maybe they can just chill here and avoid the actual party bit. snag some free food, even-- man, he really likes the sound of that right now, actually. please give them party food, strange girl.]
[The girl looks very puzzled, and then glances down at a bundle of papers she's been holding onto.]
If this is a joke, it's not that funny... you're Z̶͍̥͕͚͗̿h̸̗̲̝̚o̵̲̖̒̆ǹ̴͎͍̲̫̃ġ̵̯̻̲̰̈́̃l̵̩̱̫͛̎͐͋ͅį̵̥̯͌͂̂̕, aren't you? And Š̴͚̽͝h̶̢̩̝̰̓e̶̛̼͔̽͌͝n̷̤̻͖̺̐̓͐̚ ̸̹̹͂̀̀͝Q̶̱̘̋i̷͉̬͝͝n̷͕̤͆̐̋g̸͈̪̲̦̀̔̐̆q̷͈͋i̶̹̓̈́͊ṳ̸̯͈̑̆̐͜, and Ṛ̵͓̽͌̃ÿ̶̢̦̦̬̿̎ą̸̤̖̈́̉̈́̕n̶͈̈̕? I'm sure you were on the list of volunteers...
he. he heard that right, right? his other eyebrow is starting to join the first and by now his fan is out tapping his lips, despite it being far too cold to actually use it. ]
I am Shen Qingqiu, yes. I, however, am I Peak Lord of Cang Qiong.
[ usually, he's the one getting the planned party his voice doesn't say. his eyes, however, glance between the other two, a clear question in his eyes to go along with this for now anyway? they're clearly here for a reason after all. ]
Why, the Academy's -̵͉͐̀-̵̦̱̥̿-̸̣̀-̶̗̏-̸̲̎̽̔-̷̛͜͝-̸̬̱̱̀-̸̨̨̾͋-̵̼͈̰̑͛̿ party, of course! The student council took sign-ups for volunteers last week.
[The girl smiles, and with that, the gates slide open. She waves them inside, and starts to walk through the courtyard.]
I should introduce myself! I'm Maria Campbell. You'll be working with the council to come up with the food, decorations, and activities for the party. We hope it'll be a big success with all the students!
[Peak Lord of. . . what?? well now Shen Qingqiu is getting a curious look from Zhongli, who also looks like he wants to pry more into that, so brofist for Ryan. but!! there's a time and a place]
[with a sigh, Zhongli's gaze flicks to Ryan, and he nods a little bit at that sidelong look. though. . . Academy. . . Maria. . . he knows those names!!]
Oh-- this is a magic academy, is it not? Where your friend, Katerina, attends school?
[katarina seems nice, maybe that means this is a pretty decent place... maybe they have games somewhere if she was familiar with them. that'd be pretty chill.
but something occurs to him as they follow maria, and he kind of holds the other two back a moment to urgently whisper:]
--hey, guys, listen, I was homeschooled and I've never been to a party, please tell me one of you has some idea about, um. Literally any of this.
But, yes, of course! This is the Magic Academy. Ẁ̷̦̳̖̳̖͘͝h̵͙̩̦͓̓͆͐͑͘a̶̧͇̙̍͝t̵̩̯̠͈̫͒̑̂͠ ̵̨͔̝̘̥̀͐e̸̠̥͓̅̏ľ̸̫͔̠͒̄͐͜s̶͎͋͂̅̕e̷̡̖̥̊̐̓́͐ ̵̢͔̦̟͇̿̀̒ẁ̷̤̹͋̃̚ȍ̶̡̭͐̽̑͝ų̵̧͉͕̥͒͂̾l̴͖̘̗͈̽d̶͍̓̆̋͜ ̵̢̯̜̳̎̐i̶͈͔̘̤̓̀ţ̶͙̲͌͠ ̵̩̙̯̭͌b̷̨̪̟̠͒̌ȩ̵̗̳͙͝ͅ?
[Anyway, she leads them into the gigantic building itself, down the halls, and into an immaculately-furnished room. There are threehandsomemen standing near the window, and Maria waves cheerfully at them.]
Our volunteers are here, everyone!
[But before any of the three can go much further -
Something almost like an options menu in a visual novel appears in front of Zhongli, Shen Qingqiu, and Ryan. It reads:
1. Volunteer to help with DECOR. 2. Volunteer to help with FOOD. 3. Volunteer to help with ACTIVTIES.]
[HMMM. . . SO THEY ARE AT KATERINA'S SCHOOL. . . does this mean this is her country after all?? hm!!]
[Zhongli folds his arms over his torso, half because he's still chilly and half because his arms are folded in almost literally every icon. and as they walk, he addresses Ryan's question in a lower voice]
The only celebrations I'm familiar with are city-wide festivals. I've never been to one held at a. . . school.
[so he sure is USELESS???]
[also when they slip inside and the options menu appears in front of them he kind of JUMPS BACKWARDS A LITTLE TOO QUICKLY and immediately reaches for his spear--]
[ what kind of vn bullshit is this- HE IS IN ANOTHER SYSTEM. WHAT THE FUCK! WHAT THE FUCK!!!!! WHAT HAPPENED TO HIS VIP STATUS DOESN'T HE GET A SAY IN THESE THINGS?
though before zhongli can attempt to spear the system (tried that, doesn't work), he puts a calming arm on him. pls hold ]
They're smaller for one.
[ his fan is tapping at 80 miles an hour, eyes darting between their ...(horrifically pretty bishounen) quest npcs.... and his now fellow transmigrators. how honest does he get about this sort of thing.....? ]
The system should be able to guide you though whatever you don't understand. Pick the option you think you'll have the best understanding of.
[ does he have to lead by example or does that make enough sense....? ]
[Maria and the handsome guys are not moving. They seem frozen, actually, almost like someone has hit pause.
When Ryan pokes the FOOD option, they'll hear a ding! before the option vanishes from sight. The other two options remain. Maria and the guys are still not moving.]
[relaxing a bit when SQQ touches his arm, lowering his weapon at his side. and then Ryan chooses FOOD, and Zhongli lets out a confused noise when the "food" option disappears]
[HE DOESN'T KNOW WHAT THE HELL VR IS BUT--]
I suppose that answers our question.
[. . .]
[with one last glance at Maria and the boys, Zhongli reaches out to touch DECOR]
[With each tap, there is a little ding! as the option vanishes. It's only once Shen Qingqiu has selected ACTIVTIES that Maria and the men begin to move again. They don't seem to have noticed anything out of the ordinary.
Zhongli will see some very anime-looking sparkles around the head of the silver-haired man.
Shen Qingqiu will see some very anime-looking sparkles around the head of the golden-haired man.
Ryan will see some very anime-looking sparkles around the head of the dirty blond-haired man.]
Oh, we should make introductions! Prince Jeord is in charge of the party's activities, Prince Alan is in charge of the decorations, and Sir Keith is in charge of the food.
[The men look at the "volunteers," clearly waiting for them to introduce themselves first.]
[is now the time for that question?? anyway, he straightens once Maria and the young men pop back to life, his attention immediately focused on Prince Alan, since that's his decorations buddy. he bows his head slightly in a traditional and polite greeting]
Prince Alan. My name is Zhongli, consultant of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. I've met with your classmate, Katerina. She's quite the handful.
[ and sends zhongli off with a pat on the shoulder. no need to give him heart failure before a quest!
either way, he turns to his princely npc and boy is his eye twitching again. the whiplash from a stallion novel to a girls otome really is too much..!!
but before his blood pressure spikes off the chart, he cups his hand and inclines his head slightly. ]
Peak Lord Shen Qingqiu. l look forward to your guidance.
[ somewhere about now it dawns on him if anything were to occur they have no way to communicate. hm. the menu’s still floating yeah? time to see if this stupid thing has anything useful settings hiding in it ]
[he whispers that to zhongli, giving him a nod-- and then blinking as they're introduced to the guys. oh no. why does he have to be paired with one, he's going to be nervous the whole time--]
I'm, um, Ryan. Ryan Farrow. Nice to meet you, I-- look forward to working with you?
[Alan raises a brow at Zhongli, then makes a noise that almost sounds like a scoff - but if you look closely, his lips are twitching up at the corners like he's trying not to smile. A very anime-esque heart appears next to his face, along with an arrow pointing upwards, before they vanish. He does not appear to notice.]
A handful is right. That idiot's probably caused you guys a bunch of trouble, right?
[Shen Qingqiu, meanwhile, gets a slightly bemused look from Jeord.]
"Peak Lord," is it? That's something I've never heard of before...
[He sounds intrigued! Checking the little floating menu, SQQ will see what looks like a heart with a question mark inside of it. When he taps on it, he (and he alone) will see a waist-up portrait of Jeord, a little icon of his own face next to a mostly-empty fill bar, and a little icon of Maria's face next to a fill bar that is about 1/10th of the way full.
As for Ryan - Keith glances at him, then nods.]
Sure. Do you have any ideas for the food?
[Maria, meanwhile, is watching them all with a little smile.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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But then the temperature drops, and the storm starts up again. Unfortunately, at this point, they're too far in to turn back. They'll just have to weather the storm.
...which, thankfully, doesn't take long! But when the blizzard clears once more, they're not near the lodge. In fact, they don't seem to be on a mountain at all.
Instead, they're standing at the front gates of a large, expansive building. A girl is waiting for them by the gates, and she smiles when she spots them.]
Oh, hello! You volunteered to help with the setup for the party, right? I was waiting for you.
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[and then he addresses his. . . strange. . . girl?? has this mansion been on this mountain the entire time?]
I'm afraid you've mistaken us for someone else. We're not party planners; we're merely lost.
[. . . also he brushes some leftover snow from his shoulders]
Can you tell us where we are? And-- perhaps-- offer us a bit of warm respite?
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but this? is new even for the weird ooc nature of this wild ride. it's very different than his usual sudden events and his eyebrow has never been higher. in what part does he- oh hey there's others here; do any of them look like they volunteered for any this??? hello?? ]
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he's just sort of backing up zhongli, still known to him as hot polearm man whether ryan learned his name or not. let's be honest about that.]
I, uh, definitely don't remember volunteering...? But I'm sure we can help if you don't mind letting us stay for a bit.
[he's a little nervous at the prospect of a party, but if they help set up maybe they can just chill here and avoid the actual party bit. snag some free food, even-- man, he really likes the sound of that right now, actually. please give them party food, strange girl.]
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[The girl looks very puzzled, and then glances down at a bundle of papers she's been holding onto.]
If this is a joke, it's not that funny... you're Z̶͍̥͕͚͗̿h̸̗̲̝̚o̵̲̖̒̆ǹ̴͎͍̲̫̃ġ̵̯̻̲̰̈́̃l̵̩̱̫͛̎͐͋ͅį̵̥̯͌͂̂̕, aren't you? And Š̴͚̽͝h̶̢̩̝̰̓e̶̛̼͔̽͌͝n̷̤̻͖̺̐̓͐̚ ̸̹̹͂̀̀͝Q̶̱̘̋i̷͉̬͝͝n̷͕̤͆̐̋g̸͈̪̲̦̀̔̐̆q̷͈͋i̶̹̓̈́͊ṳ̸̯͈̑̆̐͜, and Ṛ̵͓̽͌̃ÿ̶̢̦̦̬̿̎ą̸̤̖̈́̉̈́̕n̶͈̈̕? I'm sure you were on the list of volunteers...
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[??????]
[glancing at the other two, the question marks practically visible on his expression, before he turns back to the girl again]
Yes, that's my name. I am Zhongli, consultant for the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
[still not. . . a party planner??]
Might I ask what this party is for?
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he. he heard that right, right? his other eyebrow is starting to join the first and by now his fan is out tapping his lips, despite it being far too cold to actually use it. ]
I am Shen Qingqiu, yes. I, however, am I Peak Lord of Cang Qiong.
[ usually, he's the one getting the planned party his voice doesn't say. his eyes, however, glance between the other two, a clear question in his eyes to go along with this for now anyway? they're clearly here for a reason after all. ]
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[you can't just say these things when there's situations to deal with!! he shakes his head, attention turning back to the girl.]
Sorry, sorry, we-- must have signed up and then forgot? But we're here, right, so it's fine-- um, what are we supposed to do, exactly?
[the other two get a sidelong look-- just go with it, it seems like objecting isn't going to help...]
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[The girl smiles, and with that, the gates slide open. She waves them inside, and starts to walk through the courtyard.]
I should introduce myself! I'm Maria Campbell. You'll be working with the council to come up with the food, decorations, and activities for the party. We hope it'll be a big success with all the students!
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[with a sigh, Zhongli's gaze flicks to Ryan, and he nods a little bit at that sidelong look. though. . . Academy. . . Maria. . . he knows those names!!]
Oh-- this is a magic academy, is it not? Where your friend, Katerina, attends school?
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Ah, yes. She had mentioned she was looking for you.
[ ...WAIT IT'S A MAGIC ACADEMY? LIKE WAND WAVING SPELLS MAGIC? WHAT THE FU- ]
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[katarina seems nice, maybe that means this is a pretty decent place... maybe they have games somewhere if she was familiar with them. that'd be pretty chill.
but something occurs to him as they follow maria, and he kind of holds the other two back a moment to urgently whisper:]
--hey, guys, listen, I was homeschooled and I've never been to a party, please tell me one of you has some idea about, um. Literally any of this.
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Lady Katarina was looking for me?
[She looks!! So happy about that!!]
But, yes, of course! This is the Magic Academy. Ẁ̷̦̳̖̳̖͘͝h̵͙̩̦͓̓͆͐͑͘a̶̧͇̙̍͝t̵̩̯̠͈̫͒̑̂͠ ̵̨͔̝̘̥̀͐e̸̠̥͓̅̏ľ̸̫͔̠͒̄͐͜s̶͎͋͂̅̕e̷̡̖̥̊̐̓́͐ ̵̢͔̦̟͇̿̀̒ẁ̷̤̹͋̃̚ȍ̶̡̭͐̽̑͝ų̵̧͉͕̥͒͂̾l̴͖̘̗͈̽d̶͍̓̆̋͜ ̵̢̯̜̳̎̐i̶͈͔̘̤̓̀ţ̶͙̲͌͠ ̵̩̙̯̭͌b̷̨̪̟̠͒̌ȩ̵̗̳͙͝ͅ?
[Anyway, she leads them into the gigantic building itself, down the halls, and into an immaculately-furnished room. There are three handsome men standing near the window, and Maria waves cheerfully at them.]
Our volunteers are here, everyone!
[But before any of the three can go much further -
Something almost like an options menu in a visual novel appears in front of Zhongli, Shen Qingqiu, and Ryan. It reads:
1. Volunteer to help with DECOR.
2. Volunteer to help with FOOD.
3. Volunteer to help with ACTIVTIES.]
no subject
[Zhongli folds his arms over his torso, half because he's still chilly and half because his arms are folded in almost literally every icon. and as they walk, he addresses Ryan's question in a lower voice]
The only celebrations I'm familiar with are city-wide festivals. I've never been to one held at a. . . school.
[so he sure is USELESS???]
[also when they slip inside and the options menu appears in front of them he kind of JUMPS BACKWARDS A LITTLE TOO QUICKLY and immediately reaches for his spear--]
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though before zhongli can attempt to spear the system (tried that, doesn't work), he puts a calming arm on him. pls hold ]
They're smaller for one.
[ his fan is tapping at 80 miles an hour, eyes darting between their ...(horrifically pretty bishounen) quest npcs.... and his now fellow transmigrators. how honest does he get about this sort of thing.....? ]
The system should be able to guide you though whatever you don't understand. Pick the option you think you'll have the best understanding of.
[ does he have to lead by example or does that make enough sense....? ]
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[the menu distracts him from the appearance of those handsome guys, and he looks it over with interest.]
D'you think we all have to pick the same thing?
[he says, as he's already reaching out to poke at the FOOD option. ryan is not a partygoer, but he can cook.]
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When Ryan pokes the FOOD option, they'll hear a ding! before the option vanishes from sight. The other two options remain. Maria and the guys are still not moving.]
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[HE DOESN'T KNOW WHAT THE HELL VR IS BUT--]
I suppose that answers our question.
[. . .]
[with one last glance at Maria and the boys, Zhongli reaches out to touch DECOR]
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[ he's completely blowing through his ye olde persona but oh well! goodbye! but it's fine, probably.
he does, however, look a little grumpy at choosing ACTIVITIES. don't make him run around, kids. ]
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[he watches as they both pick, a little relieved now that he just yoloed.]
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Zhongli will see some very anime-looking sparkles around the head of the silver-haired man.
Shen Qingqiu will see some very anime-looking sparkles around the head of the golden-haired man.
Ryan will see some very anime-looking sparkles around the head of the dirty blond-haired man.]
Oh, we should make introductions! Prince Jeord is in charge of the party's activities, Prince Alan is in charge of the decorations, and Sir Keith is in charge of the food.
[The men look at the "volunteers," clearly waiting for them to introduce themselves first.]
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[IN A LOW VOICE, TO RYAN AND SQQ--]
What's "VR?"
[is now the time for that question?? anyway, he straightens once Maria and the young men pop back to life, his attention immediately focused on Prince Alan, since that's his decorations buddy. he bows his head slightly in a traditional and polite greeting]
Prince Alan. My name is Zhongli, consultant of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. I've met with your classmate, Katerina. She's quite the handful.
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[ and sends zhongli off with a pat on the shoulder. no need to give him heart failure before a quest!
either way, he turns to his princely npc and boy is his eye twitching again. the whiplash from a stallion novel to a girls otome really is too much..!!
but before his blood pressure spikes off the chart, he cups his hand and inclines his head slightly. ]
Peak Lord Shen Qingqiu. l look forward to your guidance.
[ somewhere about now it dawns on him if anything were to occur they have no way to communicate. hm. the menu’s still floating yeah? time to see if this stupid thing has anything useful settings hiding in it ]
We should have a place to meet when we finish.
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[he whispers that to zhongli, giving him a nod-- and then blinking as they're introduced to the guys. oh no. why does he have to be paired with one, he's going to be nervous the whole time--]
I'm, um, Ryan. Ryan Farrow. Nice to meet you, I-- look forward to working with you?
[is that right. he hopes so.]
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A handful is right. That idiot's probably caused you guys a bunch of trouble, right?
[Shen Qingqiu, meanwhile, gets a slightly bemused look from Jeord.]
"Peak Lord," is it? That's something I've never heard of before...
[He sounds intrigued! Checking the little floating menu, SQQ will see what looks like a heart with a question mark inside of it. When he taps on it, he (and he alone) will see a waist-up portrait of Jeord, a little icon of his own face next to a mostly-empty fill bar, and a little icon of Maria's face next to a fill bar that is about 1/10th of the way full.
As for Ryan - Keith glances at him, then nods.]
Sure. Do you have any ideas for the food?
[Maria, meanwhile, is watching them all with a little smile.]
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1/5
2/5 - INVITE: KATARINA
3/5 - INVITE: MARIA
4/5 - INVITE: KEITH
5/5 - THE PARTY BEGINS
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