Open! IF YOU DARE

[circleoflife]

Who: Mufasa and you!
What: A big ol' lion arrives at Paradisa.
When: how about now
Where: Castle lobby
Rating: PG? depends on who comes in

A clicking sound can be heard from the entrance as Mufasa's pawpads come in contact with the cool, solid ground, the relative loudness of the clicking being evidence to his great size. For a wild animal, his coat and mane are well-kept, and even though he's in a completely foreign area-- maybe even especially so-- he keeps his head held high. Though he has a guarded look to him, nothing in his body language indicates hostility. He stops once he's a few strides inside, looking around for any sign of life.

Comments

[demontobeloved]

"Cair Paradisa. The castle more-or-less rules here." He folds his arms, watching the lion. "Call it magic, call it technology. Either way, we're stuck here and at this place's whim."

[circleoflife]

"This place?" He says, raising an eyebrow. "So, this castle is responsible for bringing us here, then."

Just making sure he's got that right, since, yeah, it does sound a little out there.

[demontobeloved]

"Got it in one." Cole says, smiling. "No way back to our homes, and the castle takes something important as an entrance fee. A memory, skill, item. Something like that."

[circleoflife]

Huh. Well, then, this was easily the strangest thing that had ever happened to him, that was for certain.

"An entrance fee..." he repeats, unable to keep some annoyance out of his voice. First, this place had the gall to rip him away from his home, and then it had to take something away from him, too?

Needless to say, it wasn't having a very good first impression on him.

[demontobeloved]

"Yeah, it's pretty annoying. Especially since you can't get it back."

A sigh. "And sometimes, it affects other people you know when they get here."

[circleoflife]

That made sense. If a memory had in fact been taken from someone, and that memory was associated with another person who then came in... it would alter the relationship, depending on just how intimate those memories were.

A troubling thought. Mufasa knows that bonds extend beyond simple things as memories, but he would still never wish such a situation on anyone.

"Would I be correct in assuming that this payment is connected to our purpose for being here?"

[demontobeloved]

"It might well be." Cole says, folding his arms and frowning. "We recently found out we're here to power the castle, mostly through emotional energy. The frustration from our losses might be a way to squeeze a little bit more juice out of us."

[circleoflife]

Oh, so he hasn't merely been displaced, but he's been demoted to the bottom of the food chain, too.

Joyous.

"And I suppose it would simply be too easy if we knew what we lost."

The castle has the powers to take memories away, so surely it could shove in some that said 'by the way, this was your payment, thanks!'.

But it didn't. Such a poor host.

[demontobeloved]

"Far too easy, I'm afraid." Cole says, folding his arms. "I try not to worry about it."

[circleoflife]

"No sense in worrying what one does not have control over," Mufasa agrees.

Frustrated as he is, though, he figures he may as well show a bit of gratitude for this man's explanation. So he'll bow his head.

"I apologize for the barrage of questions. I am Mufasa."

[demontobeloved]

"Not at all. Cole Turner, a pleasure." And a smile right there. "We were all new to paradise once upon a time."

[circleoflife]

A smile of his own-- more of a practiced smile than a natural one, since he's still annoyed, but one would be hard-pressed to tell the difference.

"Well met, Cole Turner. May I ask how many others are in the same situation as ourselves?"

[demontobeloved]

"Over a hundred at any one point. The castle sends people home and brings people in when it wants to. It makes it hard to keep an accurate list."

[circleoflife]

Over a hundred seemed about appropriate to the castle, when he'd looked at it from the outside, but he'd been very quick to notice that even the lobby alone seemed a touch too grand in size for its container.

And yet, it seemed... very miniscule? He'd already learned the castle had such magnificent power, it could tear others from their homes and apparently, stop time. That only over a hundred people would be needed as fuel for such power...

"Well, at least we have plenty of company."

[demontobeloved]

"At least there's that, yes. There are some very interesting characters."

I know you dropped this guy out of the game, so feel free to drop this thread if you want!

[circleoflife]

"Hm... Aren't there always?"