realmofstories | Chapter 03: Act II

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Chapter 03: Act II

The Little Mermaid: Act II—

With all tasks completed and pearls collected, the Aspects are given a brief respite to heal any wounds and rest. But as night falls and the crystals begin to dim, all fall into a deep sleep and share a dream of the story that's beginning to unfold before them.

While the Little Mermaid was nervous about her trials, with the help of her grandmother she is able to succeed to clamp the oysters on her tail. Still curious about the humans, she chances a trip to the surface and happens upon a large ship holding a party. But a sudden storm causes the ship to capsize, forcing a man—the prince himself—to dive into the water. Not wishing for him to die, she quickly swims to him and tries to bring him to shore. It is no easy task due to his weight and the dangers attracted by the commotion, but they make it, the prince losing consciousness soon after.

When he awakens, the prince finds himself washed up onto the shore with no recollection of how he got there. He is quickly found by a lovely priestess and together the two of them begin an arduous climb from the beach up to the castle, learning about each other as they go.

Meanwhile, the little mermaid can't stop thinking about her prince, and wishes for a way to be with him despite the barriers between them. She travels to the sea witch to ask for a spell that would allow her to join the prince on land. However, after being told of the high costs of going onto land—including never seeing her family again, or never remembering them even if she did—the little mermaid decides to stay underwater...and bring the prince to her, at the cost of half her lifespan. The deal set, the two of them brew a potion that would bring the prince to the sea...

However, there would be more challenges awaiting for the mermaid princess. In the following days, the priestess is revealed to be a princess of a nearby kingdom. Delighted by the news, the prince's parents—the king and queen—host a grand ball in her honor. There is also hope that their son may fancy the princess, as a marriage between the two would be beneficial indeed. The princess already has interest in the prince, though be it romantic or something else is still unclear...

The dream fades with the lingering question of what the mermaid will do and who will end up winning the prince's heart. When the Aspects awaken, they will find themselves no longer in the ocean but in the castle itself and dressed to fit the new environment. No longer mermaids, they are now nobles, servants, or musicians and the grand ball is already underway. With the full moon hanging high overhead and clear, starry night skies, it's perfect for a romantic start of this Act. This time special marked doors indicate where those cast for specific scenes need to go.

Of course, danger still lurks outside the castle walls. There are whispers of pirates lurking nearby and the days ahead will be filled with secret trysts and clashes. The Aspects will also find that they are still able to transform into mermaids upon entering the ocean, but will not be affected while on land. Rooms and accommodations within the castle have also been prepared so that they may rest when needed. Rest that may be necessary for the challenges ahead.

§ instructions.

The second Act is underway! This is the designated log for all Main Scenes. Others are free to create their own top levels for the Sub Quests, which are detailed below. Each Main Scene has their own unique top level and those cast into the roles are to thread their scene under each. All scene instructions are provided in the top levels.

As a reminder, although this Act is primarily on land, characters can still transform into their merforms upon entering the ocean. As implied in the above narrative, they will only transform in the ocean. So feel free to finally take a bath, everyone!

Finally, just to be clear, characters who are in Main Scenes are not immediately dropped in to their location and will have to enter certain doors to travel to the "setting location" and then return. Threading all of that isn't necessary, but it's to help give a better idea that characters can take a break between scenes or wait a bit to help with other things like the Sub Quests.

Feel free to refer to the Game Notes for more detailed info as well as ask questions or clarifications.

§ sub quests.

Everyone is free to participate in the Sub Quests. There are no specific top levels, so you're free to incorporate them however you wish in your own top level.

¶ I. Attending the Ball. Pretty much exactly on the tin, and this is mainly for the first scene. Players can decide whether their character is just some random noble forced to dance on the floor or one of the servants, like catering or musician. It's possible for characters to switch it up if they want, and really they can do whatever. In addition to general attendance, there are some Erasers lurking around. Not many, but some "pest control" may be required.

¶ II. Trimming the Maze. The garden maze is a mess of rotting and withered hedges with danger lurking around every corner. Beware the "living" plant sculptures and the erasers. Characters can walk through it just for fun, but they will also be requested in both eliminating threats as well as trying to restore the maze. To help it flourish, singing or humming songs from the depths of one's heart will help the flowers and bushes grow. Playing musical instruments found scattered around will also help aid in the repair. There are also more traditional means with standard gardening equipment, fertilizer, fresh seeds, and some potted plants if anyone prefers that.

¶ III. Beach Cleanup. There is a lot of broken glass and trash scattered all over the beach and within the waters. Apparently the nobles who attended the party are just slobs. Help clear up the beach and deal with any rogue blots or Erasers. Beware of random pirates that may try to attack as well as other sea creatures that may try to attack. Care should taken around any particularly shiny shells as they are actually explosive to the touch.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Gremlin Ball

Fancy parties had never really been Pidge's thing, and yet here she was. The dress was hardly something she'd choose for herself, but she supposed it could be worse.

She wasn't terribly thrilled about having to dance, either, but again. She'd been through worse things and come out on the other side. What was the worst that could happen?

Eventually, she'd had enough, and after bidding her final partner adieu, she made her way over to loiter by the wall.

Maze Madness

Once she'd fled the ball, Pidge made her way toward the hedge maze. Gardening was only ever something she'd attempted with her mother, and mostly as a way of spending time together when she wasn't idolizing her father and brother.

But now, it seemed like it was something she was actually going to have to do. The welfare of this garden... hedge... thing depended on it, and while it would probably never be her favorite pastime, Pidge figured she could at least make an attempt to make things better.

So she snagged a pair of hedge clippers, figuring it would be better to start by clearing away the unhealthy parts. Maybe give a girl a hand?

Life's a Beach

The beach just sounded like a fun place to go and get away from things... until she actually got there and realized that it was full of garbage. But Pidge was too stubborn to turn around and leave after she'd come all the way out here, so she set out with a new plan in mind. Maybe if she could pick all of this up quickly enough, there'd still be time to enjoy the scenery.

Keith wasn't one for formal events like this, but here he was, dressed appropriately, and wandered around. The last person he expected to see at a ball, let alone in a dress, was Pidge.

Then again, if he poked at his memory hard enough, he vaguely remembered her at the pre-launch party for Kerberos, but they hadn't talked then.

Either way, she was here, and he was immensely relieved to see yet another familiar face in this crazy world. He headed over.

"Pidge!" He smiled.

The sound of her name was enough to snap her out of whatever mood she'd been sliding into, and Pidge glanced up in time to watch Keith's approach.

As pleasant as all of this had been, there was just nothing quite as comforting as seeing a familiar face. Even if that face was normally a lot less smiley than this.

"Keith! Hey!" Hardly the most intelligent reply, but it was what he was getting for the time being. "How's it going?"

Honestly, the main reason he was this smiley was because he was just happy to see another familiar face from home.

"It's... well, yeah. I guess it's as good as can be expected." He stared for a second. "You're in a dress...?"

Yea, that sounded about right. But she had no real complaints, so maybe this would be okay.

"It could be worse." It could always be worse, and she had to fight the urge to laugh out loud at his question. "I am. Is that a problem?" Granted, it was probably a little weird, considering the fact that she'd just been wearing whatever for the past several months.

"Well, no... I just don't really remember you having done it before." He shrugged. "I'm used to you in shorts." He shrugged a little sheepishly.

Besides, he was pretty cleaned up, too. She could technically say the same if she didn't remember Shiro's shadow from their Garrison days.

For Keith, he'd eventually figured it out, but it hadn't really clicked until she had admitted that Sam and Matt Holt were her family. He hadn't had time to think about it in that exact moment thanks to it being their first infiltration on to a Galra battlecruiser, but he'd sort of made the connections later before she finally opened up to them a little about herself. He just didn't really remember her in a dress...

"That's probably because it's been a while since I've worn one, honestly. It would've been more difficult to sneak into the Garrison if I'd been parading around in a dress and using my given name, after all." The whole statement was delivered in an even, matter-of-fact tone, as though it should've been an obvious realization.

"You look nice, by the way." Maybe nicer than she'd seen him in a while, actually. But then, being dragged into the middle of an intergalactic war didn't really leave a lot of time for playing dress up.

"So how long have you been here?"

"Good point." Keith smirked a bit. And, yeah... they didn't exactly dress up much as Paladins, since their armor suits were basically their uniforms until they got back to Earth and ended up essentially back in the Garrison.

"Thanks..." He shrugged a little, almost sheepish. "I haven't had to dress up in a long time, either." Like... ever, honestly. He rubbed the back of his neck, his gaze wandering over the crowd for a moment as he was making sure no one was trying to do anything to them.

"Since the beginning of this story. I landed in... the Index?" He sounded a little confused. "I think that's what they call it... it's where we stay between stories."

"I thought it was." She probably wouldn't have said it, otherwise. Either way, it seemed silly to worry too much about it now.

"This is as good an opportunity as any. It's a nice change of pace, at least?" And she probably wasn't going to come right out and say it, but getting dressed up for this hadn't been completely terrible. At least they weren't being forced into it. That probably would have soured her opinion just a bit.

"Ah, yea. That's where I landed, too. The ears popped up there and have kinda just... been there ever since? It's a little weird, but it could be worse." Pidge wasn't going to get into how it could be worse because there was really no need. And honestly, the ears weren't so bad.

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BALL

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Life's a Beach

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Gremlin Ball

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