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

"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.

"So, wait... those are like... real?" Keith quirked an eyebrow. It was like Hunk with the teddy bear ears. "I thought you were just wearing a headband."

"Of course they're real." That was probably the sort of reaction she should've been expecting from Keith, but it still made her chuckle. "Why would I be wearing a headband?" Granted, she had worn a headband in the past. It just... hadn't had bunny ears attached to it.

"It's not really a fashion choice I would've made for myself, but I can't really complain."

"I don't know. People don't normally just suddenly sprout ears like that."

Keith, you suddenly sprouted fangs in a fight, stop.

"Then again, I guess maybe that's better than plush teddy bear ears..." Speaking of, "Did you see that Hunk's here?"

"People don't normally do a lot of things we've done." Which wasn't really the point, but she felt the need to point it out anyway. There lives had hardly been normal up until this point.

The mention of teddy bear ears had her raising a brow, though. "What's wrong with plush teddy bear ears?" Aside from maybe being a little weird and unexpected, anyway. "Is he? Does that mean everyone else is here, too?" What were the odds of that happening?

"Okay, point." He shrugged. Keith was pretty sure his life was anything but normal...

"Oh, nothing," he said. "Nothing's wrong with them. But, yeah... Hunk's here. He's apparently got plush teddy bear ears." He quirked an eyebrow and then shook his head.

"No, not all of us. Just us three, so far, but... knowing our team, if they're approached, we'll probably see more of us at some point."

She'd mostly been giving him a hard time for the sake of giving him a hard time and not out of any sort of outrage at his statement. So when he continued, Pidge found herself gaping up at him.

"Oh no, that sounds adorable." And maybe a little weird. But mostly adorable. "Why don't you have cute ears?"

Not that there was anything wrong with his ears, but sure. Of course, now she was starting to wonder how many other people ended up with cute animal features when they popped up here. "I can't decide if I'm hoping they show up or not."

"Me?" Wait... no. He stopped himself from thinking too hard about that statement. "I don't have an animal storybook character?" He shrugged.

But Keith could understand the sentiment in that thought. He nodded.

"Yeah, me, either. It's like... it would be nice to see a familiar face, but..." He frowned a bit. "Though, technically, we're given something of a choice, even if it's 'help or your world gets destroyed'." Which, for them, wasn't much of a choice, really.

"Neither do I. Technically." She'd considered making some ridiculous comment about how he wasn't Altean, so of course his ears weren't cute, but that probably wouldn't have gone over very well. And since he'd brought it up, she decided to focus on the less ridiculous option. "What is your character, anyway?" Was that a weird thing to wonder? Maybe, but that wasn't going to stop her.

"It really is nice to see you here. And Hunk being here doesn't surprise me all that much." In her completely unbiased opinion, Hunk had always been one of the best people she knew. Of course he'd be on board for going off to help fix another world. The choice had been easy for her, even if they still had things to do in their own world. "There are probably worse places we could've ended up."

"You don't?" Keith quirked an eyebrow. "Then... what's with the ears? What character did you get?"

Oh... that was a good point. What was he? Well... "I'm... uh... Little Red Riding Hood." He had a feeling this was going to get a massive laugh.

"Yeah, probably. I wouldn't go tempting Fate by saying that specifically..." He chuckled dryly. "But yeah... it's nice to have you guys here."

"Nope. I got Hua Mulan. From the Ballad of Mulan. Apparently, she turns into a rabbit in the poem." Pidge shrugged. She'd done a little digging before they'd been dragged here. "I can't do that, though. Not yet. The ears are here to stay for now."

Not that she was complaining. They were pretty cute. That next comment did draw a little snort out of her, but she supposed it made some kind of sense. "Interesting. You do wear red." Was there a connection there, or was it just random? Who could say for sure.

"Ah, yea. This place is enough for me." Until they could do what they'd come to do, anyway. "The feeling's mutual, y'know. I'm sure if we all stick together, we can figure this out real fast."

The name sounded vaguely familiar in some popular-thing-he-knew-nothing-about way, so Keith just nodded at the rabbit explanation.

As for Red... Keith shrugged.

"Yeah... that's probably it." It had nothing to do with trust issues around strangers... nope.

But her comment about sticking together got him to smile just a little.

"That does seem to be how things work for us."

Chapter 03: Act II

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