[PP - F22 - Tarot] Extermination

[Lessa 1]

Extermination
Closed to members of the Tarot.

The mid-afternoon sun shone brilliantly against a baby-blue canvas. Thin, wispy clouds drifted across the sky, their movement graceful and unhurried. There was even an elegance to their presence, which fit right in with the rest of the scene. Everything about the Pembrook Estate was elegant. The gardens were pristine, without a weed or rogue vine in sight. The pond, with it's artfully arranged lily pads, stood as still and crystal-clear as glass. Even the shimmering fish that swam just below the surface did so in a nearly synchronized fashion. Even the white stones that formed the massive mansion were scrubbed to gleaming, as if the structure were brand new.

So what could possibly be wrong with it? Lessa stood on the bottom step, gazing up at the massive building, one hand shielding her eyes from the sun. The message from Lady Pembrook had stated there was a problem, but she had gone into no further detail. She had simply requested Lessa's help. Apparently disappointed by the gala she had thrown, the NPC had opted to keep the job private, reaching out to a familiar player. As Lessa lived not far from the sprawling estate, she and her guild were the obvious choice. 

Unsure of what to expect, the Empress had donned her full armor; Scarecrow's hilt peaked over her shoulder, and her long cloak swirled in the light breeze. Was it a bit too much? Yes. Did it fit in with the estate's inherent elegance? Heck no, but better safe than sorry.

A quick glance at her clock revealed that her guild mates would be arriving within the next ten minutes or so. Once they had, the lady of the house herself would address the Tarot. Or, at least, that's how Lessa understood it. She had no more answers than the rest of her friends. All she could do was wait.

[NIGHT 0]

The Tarot.

Despite everything she didn't know about the job, NIGHT knew about her guild way less. At least, she thought she did. Having been dropped an invitation one day, she figured it was about high time she'd switched from her crafting origins. And when she'd glanced at the proposal for it, her hands had ended up racing to type, "Anything to keep me out of the house!"

It was... rushed, to say the least. A bit reckless on her part, the woman would agree. But she couldn't have been more thankful for the offer. The day when a curiosity fell into their laps was one where she'd found herself sleeping in just a hint too long, and NIGHT swore when she exited her shop, she spotted the faintest of white fabric at the edge of her vision. She shivered, opting to ignore it, though her footsteps gave away her quickened pace. If her hunter wanted to catch her as they'd promised, they'd have to try and stop her first.

Late wasn't a word that her guild members might describe her punctuality, but to NIGHT, her sleeping in meant a lack of breakfast as she scrambled herself over to the location. She was normally used to this, but today, her hunger had decided to reawaken unexpectedly, a nagging beast clawing at her belly. Just bear with it, she argued internally, as she slowed her steps in reaching her destination -- the Pembrook Estate.

Her mind had rummaged through her memories during the walk over, searching for when she'd spotted the name in the past. Wasn't that the host of the Gala herself? NIGHT had a right mind to ask how her companions had retrieved such a request from her. Or perhaps she should be asking the system about the other way around?

Either way, as the player strolled into the garden space, she found herself gawking at the impressive landscape that rested before her. Picturesque, immaculate, a garden that was neat and tidy and serene. With the mansion resting behind it all, it was impossible to say that the sight wasn't the true image of clean, rich, nobility perfection.

It was all she could do to let out a low whistle.

Her gaze then went to the other lone swordswoman on the field. Guess they'd have to wait for the other members to arrive. NIGHT pushed herself over, a hand shoved into her tracksuit pocket, trying to look casual. "Lessa," she called out, declaring her own presence. "Looks like I'm here early." And rightfully so, she thought to herself. "I'm assuming we're playing the waiting game."

In the back of her mind, she recalled her friend's designation. Then, it went back to her own.

Empress, meet The Moon.

Edited March 5, 2020 by NIGHT

[Cordelia 0]

Never had Cordelia ever thought she would be part of something like a guild. . . which totally made sense. She had practically been a hermit all of her life. Kind of like an Asian Boo Radley, so it would make sense for her to feel overwhelmed with this, right? Yeah, sure.

At least she somewhat knew everyone in the guild. Almost everyone at least. It was a strange selection of players, yet it felt like a close knit group already. Though, she had barely been in the guild for a week or two before she had received news that the guild was to be assisting. . . something or whatever. Frankly, she had no idea what this was about but it seemed like something exciting was going on! 

She honestly didn't know what she thought when she stepped on to the surprisingly very green grass of the estate. Something along the lines of 'how green can grass get' and 'there's a lot of flowers here'. Just something about the house seemed to throw her off, though. It wasn't larger than Oscar's literal mansion, but it was still large enough to know whoever owned it was of high status. At least, that's what it would seem like in the real world. 

She pursed her lips. She didn't like it. She can only imagine the kinds of halls that lived in that place. Long halls.

Cordelia cussed quietly under her breath as she shook her head. No time for depressing thoughts! Only good! Good! She quickly shooed away the haunting thoughts and proceeded to venture deeper into the plot. 

And hoo-boy did this place look like something straight out of Alice in Wonderland. She was practically just waiting for a white rabbit to skip by with a stopwatch, or to see a Mad Hatter chugging down tea in the distance at a tea party, or a caterpillar smoking pot. Any of those things would be pretty cool. 

Mainly that last one, though.

"Hey, you two," she said as she approached NIGHT and Lessa, "am I late for the tea party?"