WEEK 2 - CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE

[maladied]

Let's retire in the countryside
Just as you wish it

Welcome to Hillbury

You come to in an intricately decorated dressing room. For those familiar with it, the style seems to be that of a Victorian manor house, and to those that aren't, even you can tell this is a stately room fit for the elite. In fact, you too, are decorated to match, fully dressed in luxurious suits or dresses, elegant and perfectly tailored, but still somewhat breezy and lightweight for the time period and class it belongs to. Looking outside, you get a view of a rolling and bright countryside. In the far distance, fields of crops and grazing cows can be barely spotted, but all of the nearby landmarks are elegant manors presumably similar to the one you stand in.

Comments

The youths

[maladied]

[There's about six young children playing about in the yard. Nearby, a handful of teenage girls are chatting as some servants set up croquet for them.]

[divineth]

[Having been speaking with the adults inside for a while, Urianger decides to step out into the yard with Nozomi for some fresh air.]

Might I ask what you are playing, young ones?

[He knows not all kids are that excited to talk to boring adults at a function so he'll leave them be if they show disinterest.]

[rescuebullet]

[Fresh air is such a luxury.]

It looks like you're having fun.

[maladied]

[One of the little boys is carrying a stick which he points at Urianger and Nozomi in turn;]

YOU were talking to Daddy and YOU were talking to Mommy!
[Which would make this "Auggie" Barton. Another boy adds more helpfully;]

We're playing catch the monster! Auggies the monster! If he touches you with his bad stick you get sick and die!

[A slightly smaller but similar looking boy hanging close to his side chimes in cheerfully;]
Juliet already died from it!

[He points at a little girl that has dramatically fallen to the ground. A well endowed nanny is already rushing over shouting about how she'll ruin her dress lying in the grass like that.]

[divineth]

[Children's games do tend to just Be Like This, so Urianger isn't terribly perturbed outright. He chuckles, feigning the intent to stay away from the stick lest he become a victim.

Rather than questioning them about the monster outright, he frames it by the game's rules.]

Oh, my. Poor young miss Juliet. Will she become the next monster for falling first, then?

[rescuebullet]

[ Is this usually how children play?

Nozomi looks a bit lost here. ]

Is there a way to stop the monster before he touches you with the stick?

[maladied]

[The children all stop to think like they hadn't planned things out very far. Which. Yeah. That's children for you. Another one, a girl with the fragile excess energy of someone having recently recovered from a long illness, speaks up;]

Yeah! That's how it works! Then there's two monsters to run from so it's harder!

[The children agree. One of the boys adds;]

If one of the monsters accidentally touches another monster with the stick, they go back to normal!

[divineth]

[This really does just sounds like kids making up monster lore on the fly, so Urianger's going to take it all with a grain of salt. Still, this gives him some Ideas.]

So the transformation can be reversed... Aye. We very well can't have an entire pack of monsters running about, hm? 'Twould bring your game to an early end.

[rescuebullet]

[ She turns her attention to the more fragile looking girl. ]

Is that right? It's good to know how to play together.

My name is Nozomi, what about you?

[maladied]

[It's a good thing the kids aren't socialized enough to know what a crazy thing that is to say, Nozomi.]

I'm Samantha! I like your hairband, miss Nozomi! I was sick before but I'm better now!

[Meanwhile Auggie informs Urianger;]

'S Important to have the right number of monsters. That's why grandpa and everyone else are going to go hunt them in the woods! An' that's why we can't go play in there either. Because the monster makes you sick.

[divineth]

[So the monster and the illness are connected. That's a good confirmation to have, and an altogether unsurprising one.]

That is exactly right. [Even outside the case of monsters, it's important to keep the food chain in balance.] Thou art doing well to heed thine elders' words. Pray leave the hunt to them for the time being. Mayhap when thou art of age, thou wilt have the permission to join them.

[He gives it some more thought...]

I am sorry to have halted your game for this long. Would you have me for a round?

[rescuebullet]

[ They're either connected or the children are conflating the two things. Hard to say which. ]

Thank you, Samantha. My mother helped pick it out for me.

I'm glad you're doing better now. Were you sick for very long?

[maladied]

[The children nod vaguely. They are behaving. As far as Urianger's request;]

You're too tall, mister. You'll catch all of us right away for sure!

[On the other hand.]

Uh huh, I was, a loooong time! My mommy sent me to stay with Uncle Felix 'cause she said being in country makes you better! And then it worked!

[divineth]

[With a laugh,]

Fair enough. I shall leave you to it, then.

[He'll listen in on Nozomi's chat now!]

[rescuebullet]

Hmm... Maybe there's something special about the air in the country?

I hope you stay healthy for a long time.

[maladied]

[The boys have apparently had enough of Urianger and run off hollering. The young Juliet having now stood up and grabbed a stick, chases after them.]

Thank you! I hope you do too, since you guys live her all the time!!
[She smiles widely, exposing a lost tooth, before running off after the other children.]