realmofstories | Chapter 01: Act I - The Horseman of Christmas Past

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Chapter 01: Act I - The Horseman of Christmas Past

A Hollow Christmas Carol: Act I—

§ instructions.
This is the designated log for all the main scenes for Act I: The Horseman of Christmas Past. All sub quests and nonrelated threads are to be made in their own posts. The scenes are listed below along with the assigned cast. Organization wise, the threads can happen in any order so you don't have to wait for one group to post before you do. Just start when you're ready! But to help, include in the subject line the scene header (ex. Scene 1, Scene 2, etc.) You can fluff it up a little to make it more specific like including the main characters or even scene title. Just be sure to have the number so we know which is which!

As a reminder, characters will have the necessary information within their journals. Those who are selected to play a scene will find their journal flashing red, so hard to miss. Aside from a few aesthetic changes (costumes, makeup, etc., think stage effects), all characters will be unchanged and won't gain any new powers or properties (ie. "Ghosts" are still tangible). The information they have is roughly the same as what is written OOCly.

Although there are certain characters set for a scene, it's not impossible for those not directly involved to make an appearance as random side characters or helpers. Characters can either just happen to be there or those cast as the role can make a "call out" through the journals. Any items and locations found through the main scenes are also free to be used by others for fun. There are also Bonus scenes that are basically extra prompts for people to have fun with if they'd like.

If you have any questions, post them to the Game Notes.

§ main scenes.

¶ Scene 1: Ebegeeser and Horseman of Christmas Past. The Horseman is supposed to show Ebegeeser how he was as a teacher and he was (supposedly) a decent guy. So the best way to showcase that is give Ebegeeser a classroom to teach. The two will need to recreate the Schoolhouse, take care of some pranks, and deal with animated straw children. The "children" can behave however players want them to. Angels or devils, throwing things at Ebegeeser. Even the Horseman can be a brat and play along if they want. The Horseman will also have their pony to deal with and yes—must ride it at some point. Note: If it's pre-planned to not find the Schoolhouse here, let us know so that it's noted in other scenes involving it.

Find the gift with the Schoolhouse to kick things off. [It's a big green box with a piece of a chalk on top so it should be be pretty obvious]
Disarm three pranks set up within the Schoolhouse. [Pranks can be whatever you guys want]
Ebegeeser "teach" a class of "children" and the Horseman.

Cast: Ebegeezer - Kazuma Asougi; Horseman - 9S

¶ Scene 2: Ebegeeser's first meeting with Beltrina. Set in the Schoolhouse, Ebegeeser first meets the beautiful Beltrina...and starts thinking about her wealth. Beltrina herself is practicing the violin and is already in a relationship with Bromfred. But could Ebegeeser worm his way into her heart!? Time for Ebeneeser to get his flirt on...and the Horseman might sit on the side and watch. MUSICAL NUMBER ♫ Note: If the Schoolhouse is pre-planned to not be found in the other scene, then they will need to find the box. Otherwise, the scene is set in a random building.

Beltrina plays or uses the violin. [Can be meshed with the musical]
Ebegeeser tries to flirt with Beltrina through song. [♫]
Mention Bromfred.
Bonus: Horseman of Christmas Past makes an appearance to speak with Ebegeeser [Can have a separate thread]

Cast: Ebegeezer - Cyrus Albright; Beltrina - Pearl; Horseman - Therion

¶ Scene 3: Bromfred's arrogance and Ebegeeser's jealousy. After learning about Beltrina's relationship with Bromfred and Bromfred constantly messing with him, Ebegeeser is brimming with hatred and jealousy. Bromfred's feelings are far simpler—he just finds the guy dumb and an easy target (no one said Bromfred was nice). So they are at each other's throats and will showcase their dislike through the magic of rap. The characters will have to find microphones, make a stage, and then dish out insults at each other a la "Drop the Mic." Who will be the victor? Will Ebegeeser let slip his murderous thoughts!? MUSICAL NUMBER ♫

Find the gift containing two microphones. [Small yellow triangular box up in a tree]
Make a stage. [There will be planks of wood and a toolset available nearby]
Rap at each other. [♫]
Bonus: Horseman appears to warn Ebegeeser through rap. [♫; can have separate threads]

Cast: Ebegeeser - Edna; Bromfred - Therion; Horseman - Ib

[Mod note: Refer to the accompanying Game Notes for more information. If you wish to switch out of your current role, let us know!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I see...I'll keep that in mind. [Wherever 9S is from, it's far too advance even for him.]

I was curious, since you showed such excitement over the appearance of the school.

Well... yeah! It showed up out of that tiny box! I've never seen anything like it. Aren't you excited? Even a little?

[ The Disciple is clearly not excited, but 9S feels the need to double check because how could he not be excited?? ]

[S-shrugs?] I don't know about excited, but it was surprising. [Annnd that was it for him. The whole thing was far too suspicious to him to be exciting anyway. As they wander the halls, it was devoid any life other then themselves. Though barren, the classrooms themselves actually had what one would expect to find, textbooks, a chalkboard, some childlike colorless drawings hanging on the walls, and an apple at each teacher's desk. How long have those apples actually been there...?]

Looks like we won't have to worry about materials. [He glances off to the side. For a moment he thought he heard something shuffling around down the hall.]

[ 9S's shoulders slump slightly. He knows his curiosity is a little stronger than the average person's, but that box was legitimately amazing. But what can he say -- some people are just natural party poopers.

9S sticks his head into a classroom, taking in the decor. He's seen some generic old snapshots of school settings, but it's another thing to see a real one. It looks real cozy...

He unsticks his head from the classroom when he also hears that shuffling. The sound intensifies, and 9S automatically lowers himself into a defensive stance. ]

It almost sounds like... a herd.

Of what? [He picks up one of those sticks teachers would use to point at things. It's the closest thing to a weapon that he can use. He peeks his head out into the hallway. There wasn't anything out there, not yet at least, but the strange shuffling continues.]

That classroom. [He gestures at the classroom across from them and further down. There were shadows of movement visible through the window of the door.]

[ The Disciple took the good weapon, so 9S grabs... a chalkboard eraser? Maybe the chalk dust will be a distraction.

The tension builds as they stare down the hallway. There's a sick sound of scraping and pounding as the classroom across the way grows even more raucous. Then--

B-R-R-R-I-I-I-I-I-N-G!

An aggressive, high-pitched bell pierces the school. Immediately, the door to the other classroom bursts open, and a massive crowd of bundled straw children floods out. They push and scream and shove at each other to run down the hallway -- and right into the classroom the Disciple and 9S are in. ]

[Damn, that's a really loud bell. It startled him into taking a more offensive posture, especially with the classroom doors opening and unleashing hell knows what. He's taken aback when they turn out to be strange straw children? Are...Are they really suppose to represent the kids?

He doesn't have long to stay baffle as they come rushing for their classroom. He moves, pressing his arm against 9S to get him to step back and lean against the wall to let them in.]

[ 9S lets himself get herded away from the doorway, and he stands there gawping as the straw children fill the room. The classroom is suddenly a hive of activity: strawbabies chasing each other around in circles, throwing paper balls, shouting, crying, and so on, and so on.

9S watches with open fascination. ]

Is this what a classroom usually looks like?

[The answer is yes, eventhough he doesn't actually recall his experience in school. Amnesia is a funny thing like that. He surveys the classroom for a moment, assessing how to handle the situation. He's suppose to be the teacher in this story, unfortunately.

He claps his hands together.] All right, that's enough! To your seats. [He wasn't sure if that would work, but amazingly, the straw children actually stopped and went to their seats. Most of them.] That's not for eating. [He stops one of them from nibbling on a piece of chalk. He needs that, thank you. He'll assume his position in front of the class, brows furrowing. He has no idea what he should be teaching.]

[ Is chalk... really tasty or something? Apparently they're the hottest snack around. 9S's curiosity nudges him down a dangerous avenue. But thankfully, the Disciple's command of the class distracts him from acting on that curiosity.

He has no clue how a normal class proceeds, so he's fully prepared to sit back and learn. There's even an empty desk and chair for him in the back row, which he settles into. But the Disciple looks a little awkward already, like he isn't quite sure how to proceed either. Helpfully, 9S points at the Disciple and mouths, Introduce yourself! ]

[He doesn't quite make out what he's saying, but he gets the idea that he should at least talk about something. He clears his throat, glancing down at the textbook. English literature. All right, that's what this class is about.]

All right, you're here to learn English literature, and I'll be your teacher...Ebegeeser Ichacrooge. [He bows his head slightly, trying not to make a face because what a terrible name. When he lifts his head, he flips through the book, skimming through it quickly.] Let's examine the Looking Glass-

[One of the straw students raise their hands, waving it frantically for attention. The Disciple stares at them for a moment, but soon registers that he should answer them.] Yes?

["Barley and Rye!" He blinks. Barley and Rye? Another student shows a page in the textbook at him. "Here! We're reading the Barley and Rye stories!"] ...Ah. [This is so different from teaching someone how to use a weapon. He keeps his calm though as he flips to the right page, nodding.] We'll all take turns reading a passage from the story, all right?

[There were some whispering among the straws. Did he say something wrong again? Eventually all the students turn their attentions back to their teacher, some giggling, some nodding as they turn to right page.]

These kids sure are cheeky.

[ Totally different vibe from the briefings they all got on the Bunker. Is this what children are like? He wouldn't be too surprised; humans always looked pretty easygoing in old world footage. Not that the straw kids are really human.

Suddenly ("suddenly"), the door to the classroom slooowly cracks open, and the Pony's nose sticks its way through. ]

Oh, now you want to come along.

[ 9S gets up to drag his dumb pony over to the back of the room. Don't mind him. ]

[Technically, they shouldn't see 9S or the pony, so technically, all they see is a door just creaking open on it's own. There's some shuffle shuffle among the straw kids when no one presumably enters the room. The Disciple will move to close the door once the pony was fully inside the classroom.]

...It's just the wind. [That assurance doesn't seem to fully quell the students.] Hey. [He taps on the podium once he returns to it.] If you don't behave, then the Horseman really will come to haunt you. [That got them to stop shuffling and whispering. Guess the Horseman legends are a thing to the people here.]

[ One of the kids shrieks suddenly, startling the rest of the class, because the pony is nibbling on the kid's frayed head. 9S drags the pony away, grumbling at it, but the damage is done: the kid starts bawling.

The rest of the class goes perfectly still in fear, and 9S shrugs helplessly at the Disciple. ]

I hope you like your students terrified, Chief.

Ah- [He gives 9S an exasperated look. Really? What is he supposed to do about this?! He just stares at the crying student like it was something foreign...then again, they are made of straw.]

H-Hey... [He walks over to the crying straw student, attempting to fix his straw head.] Easy. You're okay. See? [He did his best, but the pony managed to get away with a few straws that he couldn't really fix the hair properly. A few of the straws kids went from being scared, to laughing, momentarily forgetting there's a ghost in their classroom. Completely embarrassed, the straw kid gets up and immediately runs out of the classroom, crying dramatically.]

...[Should he go after the student? But then what about the remaining students still here?] ...Is everyone here still all right? [Going with checking on the students still here.]

[ School life sure looks embarrassing, and also dramatic. 9S waves a hand. ]

I'll keep an eye on 'em. Go ahead and check on the kid. This will be a perfect opportunity to prove you really weren't an old crank in your teaching days.

[ He's also interested in seeing how the children behave when the teacher is absent, honestly. ]

Are you sure you can keep your horse under control? [Because he really doesn't want to come back to more kids crying about being eaten. Also him looking like he's talking to no one is going real well with the kids. They're searching frantically for this horse, some ducking their heads just in case.]

[ 9S turns, bodily shoves the pony into the corner of the classroom, and then shrugs at the Disciple. The pony nibbles at the hem of his coat. ]

See? I've got it handled. Worst case scenario, I can always take him out.

[ Joke?? Not joke?? There's no clue here. ]

Mm... [He's not really that convinced, but he'll go after the kid in the end.] Everyone stay in your seats. [When he leaves, there's thankfully a trail of straw and grain he could follow...or maybe that's a bad thing. He collects the straws as he goes, finding the student sitting on the stairway, crying...grains?]

Hey...you're going to fall apart if you keep this up. [The kid continues bawling rather than stop. Hope 9S is having a better time then him.]

[ Meanwhile, 9S hangs out with his steed in the back of the room, observing. The class stays put obediently for all of three seconds before Straw Kid #11 (hereby denoted as SK11) jabs the back of the head of SK05 in front of him. SK11 and his friends burst into laughter, much to SK05's indignation.

All at once, SK05 hurls himself at his bully, causing the rest of the class to erupt into cries and cheers. The two begin to wrestle, knocking aside chairs and desks and classmates in an explosion of straw. ]

Are all kids this violent...?

[ The pony doesn't answer. 9S just keeps watching. There are a lot of interesting social factors to take in here.

... For a minute or two, at least. When it seems like enough time has passed for the Disciple to have taken care of the runaway child, 9S ties the pony to the door handle, goes to the front of the class, and writes on the chalkboard:

THE HORSEMAN IS WATCHING

That should be sufficiently spooky. By the time 9S turns around, the children have begun to notice the message and are frantically shushing their roudier classmates. He goes about setting the desks and chairs straight, and the twice- frightened children get the hint. They sit down one by one, though they're one step from bolting, and glance around nervously for the ghost haunting their classroom.

With that business out of the way, 9S goes back to standing in the back of the room and watching, waiting for the Disciple to return. ]

[There sure was lot of a noise coming from the classroom, but he's got a kid to help right now. Carefully, he picks him up and sets him on his lap. He starts putting the kid back together, letting him continue to cry until he stops on his own. Having a calming presence beside him seem to help.]

Feeling better now? [His voice was quiet as he smiles warmly down at him reassuringly. The straw kid looks up, patting his now proper headful of straw.] Hey, if anyone laughs and say something bad again, I'll give them a makeover. [Is that what teachers do? Well it managed to get a laugh out of the student, so who cares.

As they make their return, he noticed the classroom had gotten very quiet. Opening the door, he finds everyone was still in their seats, waiting expectantly for their teacher to return. He's honestly surprised until he turns to see the writing on the board.] Ah. [That explains it. He looks in the direction of 9S, a small grin on his face.]

I assure you that none of you have anything to fear, at least, as long as you're all on your best behavior. [You can just feel the tension in the air, a big hush spreading throughout the classroom. The Disciple picks up the textbook, unfazed by all of this.] Now, let's get the lesson, shall we? [Yes, he's leaving that message on the board.]

[ The rest of the class goes smoothly... for 9S, anyway, who sits quietly in the back for most of it. The Disciple's lessons are peppered with a variety of harmless pranks and elusive alliterative literature, but for the most part it seems like a good class.

9S can't put a fast finger on why he thinks so. Some of the children are undoubtedly bored, passing notes when the Disciple isn't looking or even falling asleep. But others are engaged, trying their sincere best to answer questions and read passages when called upon. Maybe it's the fact that it's its own little microcosm, dedicated to things as simple and innocent as learning how to pronounce a word or how to multiply 8 by 9. Androids don't have classrooms like these; there's no need when your language core comes pre-defined and you have a built-in mathematical processor. Most androids also don't have the time or curiosity to learn about things unrelated to survival and the war effort. The children's learning speed is painfully slow by 9S's standards, but there's plenty else to appreciate in this setting, in the very idea of a room dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge for knowledge's sake.

... With that said, it doesn't stop 9S from being extremely bored by the end of the schoolday. Life is way easier when you can download data directly into your head. By time the final school bell rings, 9S has flipped through all the textbooks and taken in all the information that seems like it could be relevant, run every internal diagnostic, and filed a personal analysis of every student in the room. 9S's shadow, still a simple thing, has laid its head on its shadow desk and fallen asleep -- until it's rudely awoken by said bell. Then it jumps back awake, snapping into its usual place under 9S.

The children stampede out of the room as quickly as they came, tossing out their happy goodbyes to Mr. Icharooge as they pass. 9S watches them all go before standing and looking to the Disciple. ]

Well, it looks like this mission was a success. Nice work up there, Disciple.

[He bids them farewell if they choose to say goodbye to him, and once the last student was gone, he closes the classroom door and takes a breather.]

Not as easy as it looked. I liked it when they behaved. [Initially he'd catch the ones passing notes or sleeping, but in the end, he just stopped caring. They weren't causing trouble anyway. He looks for the broom so he could sweep up the sand around his desk. He needed to be prank, but he wished they weren't so messy.]

[ He straightens up the desks and chairs and leaves the Disciple to the sand. 9S had nothing to do with the sand, nope nope nope. ]

Do you have much experience with kids?

[Yeeeah, totally not involved.] Not at all, let alone teach them. I admire teachers with that amount of patience.

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