realmofstories | 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

"Just a few weeks," Hunk answered with a shrug. "Did you miss the mermaid stuff? That's... Really weird." Though clearly not bad weird, judging by the laugh as he said it. "Although..." He glances past Pidge, into the ocean. "You could probably still take that form, since the story's still going."

So that probably explained why he seemed so calm about all of this. "I don't think I was aware of any mermaid stuff going on when I got here. But I was whisked away from the first place pretty quickly and dropped here." At that point, turned a little to look over her shoulder. "Huh. You think?"

Hunk nodded in understanding. "The first place was probably The Index. That's where all the houses are, for the most part, I think. And probably? I can't be sure, but if you wanted to go for a swim later, anyway... You'd know once you were underwater. And it doesn't really hurt! Although it does feel really strange."

"Yea, that sounds about right." There'd definitely been houses where she'd come in before. And she was pretty sure there weren't any castles, but she hadn't had much of an opportunity to poke around before everyone had been whisked away to this place.

"Swimming might be nice. After I finish up with this, anyway." It wasn't that she was trying to blow him off so much as that she'd come out here for a reason. And maybe she was a little bit worried that she might get distracted by swimming (and Hunk) and forget about why she'd come out in the first place.

"Strange how?" That word choice wasn't particularly comforting, but he had said that it didn't hurt. "I'm sure it can't feel any weirder than suddenly having cute fluffy ears..."

"Oh, yeah, cleaning up, right?" Hunk asked when she mentioned a task. "I knew a few people were out here working on it... Let me help?"

It was a bit of a question, because Pidge could be a little stubborn, sometimes. But he didn't think she'd mind assistance. At least, he hoped not.

"Strange like... Kind of tingly, like when your foot has fallen asleep and then it starts waking up."

"Right!" It was probably pretty obvious, considering she'd been carrying a bag and eyeing the state of the beach when he'd found her. The offer made her smile, though, because it would probably go quicker if she let him help. But on the other hand, that would leave her less time for avoiding everyone else.

In the end, she decided that having the company would be more enjoyable than the opportunity to hermit. "Yea, I could use the help. If you want."

Pidge blinked at that description, but strange was generally easy enough to deal with. "Huh. That sounds interesting. It's like that every time?"

"Of course I do," Hunk chuckled, stretching his arms over his head for a moment. "It'll be nice to hang out with you, it's been a while."

He started off strolling down the beach, occasionally finding trash to toss into Pidge's bag. "And uh... I've only done the merman thing once, so I don't know if it's every time. But probably?"

"Only you could sound excited about picking up trash," she told him, smiling. "You're right. It has been a while." And chances were good that this would go a lot quicker with a couple of people working together.

It was pretty straightforward, at least, and the next couple of minutes went by fairly quickly and they made a fair amount of progress, at least. "Why only once? Was it that bad?" It was entirely possible that there'd only been the one opportunity, but it was probably just as possible that the one time had been enough to put him off it.

He chuckled sheepishly. "Come on, if we can find ways to have fun during a space war, we can have fun picking up trash," he pointed out.

"Oh, no, it wasn't!" he was quick to assure her, when she spoke up again. "It's just that there wasn't another time for me to do it... At least, not yet. Who knows what'll happen, I guess."

Pidge just grinned and shook her head. "Touche. And it's not so bad." It was pretty peaceful out here, at least for now. Aside from the trash.

Which she was still gradually stuffing into the bag as they chatted. "Is it gonna be an every time we get in the water thing? Because that could be entertaining." Or exhausting. Or both.

"Okay, I've gotta ask. What's up with the ears?" Maybe not the smoothest way to segue into that, but there it was. Did she know any stories with bears in them?

"I'm pretty sure once this story's fixed, it won't happen anymore."

He had really been hoping they could keep ignoring the ear thing. He doesn't know why it's so embarrassing to him... But it is. Still, at least now he can fairly ask her about her ears.

"Uhhh, my essence is a teddy bear character. Winnie-the-Pooh, from a storybook." He shrugs, trying not to let it show how uncomfortable he is, but his expression betrays him. "What about yours?"

"Then I guess we have a time limit on figuring that out." That was kind of a bummer, but she supposed it made sense that things would work differently here than they worked in the Index.

It hadn't really occurred to her that he might not be as okay with suddenly sprouting ears as she'd been. But she'd put off asking for as long as she could manage.

Pidge nodded. "I'm not sure I've heard of that one. But I got Hua Mulan. Not technically an animal, but I guess she turns into a rabbit in the poem." Which, honestly, could've been a lot worse. "I don't really mind them so much. It was just weird to suddenly have them there, y'know?"

"Oh, I see," Hunk responded to her explanation of the ears. "And yeah, it's definitely weird. Really weird."

Especially since he's still not used to missing his human ears, either. Although... He supposes it would be far more strange to have two sets of ears.

Chapter 03: Act II

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