eastbound | video; un: hopscotch

[Caitlyn and Benedict are standing together. Caitlyn speaks hurriedly and excitedly into the camera. She's got a couple of black-and-white photos of Julien's bedroom that she's showing off - it's pretty indistinguishable from any of the bedrooms that everybody else is staying in, no personal touches. One photo is of a rose suspended under a glass dome.]

Julien is hiding something. And the servants know more than they’re letting on, too. A group of us broke into Julien’s bedroom, and several of the servants seemed quite nervous about it. The clock in particular tried to warn us off.

[Benedict spoke up for a moment here to mention the additional challenges to getting inside the room:] It wasn't just the servants or a locked door that tried to deter us from going inside either. There was a magical barrier set to electrocute anyone attempting to get in. It wasn't particularly powerful, but it was very well crafted and artfully stabilized magic for a small zapping current.

[Caitlyn cuts in:] As though the person who set it didn't want to hurt anyone.

[Benedict continues:] There didn't seem to be any other alarms set though.

[He gestured at Caitlyn to continue, which she did eagerly.]

The bedroom hardly looked like anyone lived there. There was nothing personal about it. It looks remarkably identical to the bedrooms we’ve been staying in. The few things we did find were a golden rose beneath a glass dome, a worn cloak, and a few love letters addressed to Julien. The rose is identical to those growing at the base of the tower in which the prince is living, but unlike those this one was golden in the middle of the day, while those, as far as I’ve seen, only bloom golden at sunset.

It's the same as those roses but much more magically potent. Why it was given to him to keep elsewhere, however, was beyond our abilities to discern at the moment. I suppose it could have just been a gift, or maybe there's more to it than that.

[Benedict was a little frustrated about that, but he didn't let it show beyond his lapse back into silence and a small frown on his face. Any more than that and he'd have trouble with his Companion. Thankfully, Caitlyn had plenty more to address.]

The cloak seems to indicate that Julien doesn’t come from wealth. He may be from one of the nearby villages. It is odd, though, that he would keep the cloak, especially as he seems to have no other similar clothes. It’s possible the cloak isn’t his, but whose it would be, I don’t know. The letters are all quite similar to each other. [She took a photograph of these, and she holds one up to the camera.] They all profess the writer’s love for Julien, but also accuse him of being aloof and withholding his affection. If these are from the prince, what could have changed? How did they meet, and when did Julien fall in love?

[Benedict seemed to blink out of his frustrated reverie and replied to Caitlyn's last bit.]

Assuming he wasn't just forced to stay here and fell in love during that time. [Someone here was thinking of The Beauty and the Beast.] As a final note: the whole room felt of loneliness. Everything about Julien speaks of...feeling alone. Both Cole and I could feel it seeping from every corner of the room. [There was a beat of silence and then Ben glanced at Caitlyn before hurriedly adding a conclusion.] Right, I think that about covers everything we found. It's not much but it's a piece of the puzzle. Any... uh, questions about what we saw? Or additional insight from other investigating?

Yes, if we can collect as much information as possible, I know we'll be able to get to the bottom of this and help the prince. [Said with all the conviction in the world.]

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

( Children, children... one small question, amid everything: )

Why did you break into his quarters?

( Let's start... from the beginning. )

At the risk of leaving an echo, what possessed you to invade his private quarters?

People don't hide secrets in the open.

It was empty.

He had his reasons for attempting to bar entry, and he owes no explanation in his own home. I am only wondering what was so urgent that there was no trouble in dismissing all caution in this pursuit?

Um. Investigating? Investigating. There's a mysterious curse here. [What if they can solve it. Help maybe.]

Caution was exercised. We weren't caught, after all. But you can't solve a curse if you're missing information. If I could get to the Prince's room without being caught, I'd do the same there.

Investigating. There's more than what they're telling us here.

We have inquired first?

Asked permission to break into his room?

The same could be said for some in our party, and for other allies such as our Merchant friend. Is it so impossible to allow others their secrets?

I've no quarrel with your actions if you carry on, but we may be asked to leave if you are discovered.

Should I be concerned over you sneaking into my quarters, then?

[ She can't care too much, if she's making jokes. ]

There is something you should be wary of while investigating this, or any curse, you know.

Do you have secrets I should be concerned about? ( he wouldn't, but he can't help but tease her back. )

There's probably much I should be wary of, but what are you speaking of specifically?

Don't all women?

Just as with a woman's wrath, you ought to take care not to unintentionally turn this curse onto your own companions.

True. But what if we can help? Or what if we're in danger here? I'd like to know.

Then we won't get caught.

( this is why he likes her. ) Fair point. And I would never let this come back to any of you. Even those that helped me. But if somehow I do become a beast that isn't due to my Urge, promise me you'll look to Julien. I don't think we should trust him.

Asked the questions you wish to investigate.

And we cannot collaborate with our host, but must... break in?

He doesn't exactly answer deep questions very openly. Not that I can blame him, but that means it doesn't answer much.

Ah, bravo! I was hoping someone might do just this.

[ everyone else on this post: why did you break into his room
temenos, now: great job breaking into his room

anyway more thoughtfully: ]

That being said... I wonder if perhaps Julien broke into the room before, and thus is the reason for the barrier. If he would like to keep a modicum of privacy from him, yet seems to love him, he certainly would not want to harm him, no? I spoke a bit to the prince through writing, and he presents a certain front, but it does seem just that, with this information - a front.

I suppose that's a possibility. There wasn't much hidden there but that might not be the point. Hiding and privacy aren't necessarily the same thing.

What did you and the prince talk about?

He'd written the question in his journal among the thorns - "can man learn compassion", so I wrote an answer. And despite the initial presentation of self - that of a fearsome, cruel tyrant - his reason for wanting to know if men could learn compassion was not for cruelty, but for hope.

It was an interesting bit of insight to character, if nothing else.

People don't like to be accused of wrongdoings. And often don't like to confess to them, either.

( THANK you for seeing the brilliance of their plan. )

You were able to make contact with the Prince? What did you discover?

[ yeah!!! ]

I was, though not for as long as I'd like. The conversation was mostly philosophical.
That being said, all efforts to unravel the curse should be continued, even if some might find them unorthodox - it would be for the better.
The most stubborn of thorns must be plucked from the most vicious and swiping of paws. One often lashes out from pain.

He does have hope. It is worth showing him the path to it.

[ continue breakins and misdemeanors for justice (probably) ]

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