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A Ski Lodge~
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A Ski Lodge~
A Ski Lodge
~~~
It's the middle of summer, and you're draped languorously on your couch, a thick book in your hands and a cool glass of lemonade within reach. A small fan whirs, a pathetic rival to the unrelenting heat. Your window is open, although it doesn't make much difference, for the air outside is still and humid.
Suddenly, you hear the symphonious tinkling of wind chimes. You couldn't remember ever hearing wind chimes around your house before, but this isn't a huge source of concern. The biggest thing interesting you is the cream-colored envelope that has fluttered in from the window and onto your living room floor.
You set your book down, and pick up the envelope, turning it over in your hands. On the front, in neat black ink, it spelled out your name. Odd. You slit the top of the envelope, and withdraw two pieces of parchment and a small, pressed purple flower - you aren't quite sure, but you think it's an aster. You pick up the first piece of parchment and read,
Dear CBer,
You are invited on an all-expenses paid vacation at Lockaria House, located within the Osorthe Forest. While there, you will experience a fortnight of fun, adventure, excitement, and, quite possibly, danger. Sign up quickly, only sixteen guests are allowed. This includes any AE companions you may choose to bring. We will begin when spots are filled.
Your hostess,
Ms. Socie Grishelm
- Please note that the popcorn is not free.
- CAPTCHAs and CAPTCHAEs are not allowed.
- I advise you to pack warmly, Osorthe Forest is trapped in an eternal autumn.
- Lockaria House is not responsible for any damage or loss of property or person during your time here.
- Please fill out the forms for both yourself and the AE you wish to attend.
The second piece of parchment, you soon discover, contains said forms.
Name:
Gender/Pronouns:
Appearance:
Personality:
Aura (Basically, what color embodies your personality?):
Biggest Strength:
Biggest Weakness:
Luggage:
Other:
Something about this letter makes you wary, but those thoughts are quickly banished to the back of your mind. It's so hot here, and an all-expenses-paid autumnal vacation is just the thing you need. You grab the writing utensil of your choice and in careful print, fill out the forms.
Besides, what could possibly go wrong in fourteen days?
~~~
Yep, this is a ski lodge!
I'm hoping for a full house of 16 guests! We'll begin when spots are filled. Feel free to guess who I am. ;)
submitted by Socie Grishelm, age ski lodge!, Lockaria House
(April 25, 2022 - 2:34 pm)
(April 25, 2022 - 2:34 pm)
Hi everyone! This ski lodge will be going on hiatus for a bit, because I've been feeling stressed lately, and I'm going to be traveling a lot over the summer. I promise, this is not dead.
~pangolin/Socie
(June 26, 2022 - 9:30 am)
Day 2, Part 2
Shining Star was seated in a dark red Adirondack chair, watching as Socie ran about, setting up the archery targets and gathering bows and arrows for all the guests. The Osorthe Forest’s flora was still sparkling with the morning’s dew, dampening Star’s shoes as she rested them in the grass. Star scratched absentmindedly at the peeling paint on the arm of the chair, and a fleck of crimson came off onto her finger. She examined the bit of paint, the way it clung to her skin, the way the scarlet hue was uncomfortably close to...blood. The thought entered uninvited into Shining Star’s mind, and suddenly memories of pangolin came rushing back before she could stop them.
~~~
The murderer ransacked pangolin’s room, throwing aside the clothes the CBer would never again wear and the items she would never again use, searching for the weapon they knew she had packed. Finally, their eyes landed upon their prize: a narrow, medieval-style quiver, filled with slender wooden arrows. At a glance, it looked beautiful, with hawks’ feathers on the end and light ash wood, but the murderer knew they were tipped with posion.
They grabbed the quiver and raced from pangolin’s room, down the steps, and out the door. The murderer smoothed down their shirt and adjusted their hair, trying to look natural among the rest of the guests.
~~~
The guests were clustered around Socie who, after she had finished setting everything up, was giving everybody a demonstration on how to aim and shoot. She explained that each ring on the target meant a certain number of points. “White’s one point, black’s two, blue is three, red is five, and yellow – that’s the bull’s eye – is ten. Whoever gets the highest number of points will be the winner.”
Everybody murmured amongst themselves with excitement, some of them were finally looking enthusiastic for the first time since pangolin’s death.
Script was first in line, and he grinned as he took the bow and an arrow from Socie, and allowed her to help his stance. They couldn’t help thinking that, if pangolin’s death had been intentional and there was a killer running around, it wouldn’t hurt to know how to defend themselves. Script closed one eye, and pulled back on the string until his elbow was brushing against his ear, and he released. The arrow made a “fwoop” sort of noise and completely missed the target. Script couldn’t stifle their disappointment.
“Ah. Well, barely anyone gets it on their first try anyway,” Socie remarked, offering some comfort.
Script nodded and walked to the back of the line, eagerly awaiting their next attempt at archery.
~~~
With pangolin’s quiver and all but one arrow safely and discreetly stowed beneath a pile of leaves near the gardens, the murderer was ready.
They pulled pangolin’s arrow from beneath their shirt, glad the rest of the guests were too busy cheering on the archers to notice. The murderer grabbed one of the bows on the bench and took a deep breath. They only had one shot.
They squeezed one eye shut, focusing on their target. “Um...what’re you doing?” somebody asked, panicking the murderer. They let go of the string, and the arrow flew, piercing Kei, who was first in line, in the arm. The murderer whirled around.
“Socie!”
She opened her mouth as if about to speak, when a frenzy of shouts broke out. Kei had fallen onto the grass, writing and thrashing about in agony. “Kei! Kei!” screamed Sterling, kneeling down beside their AE, eyes wide and wild, face drained of color.
Socie fixed the murderer with a stone-cold glare. “Go. Back to the house. I’ll deal with you later.”
~~~
The dew on the grass had soaked the knees of Sterling’s pants through, but they didn’t even notice as they hunched over Kei, screaming, crying, pleading, praying, anything that would spare their AE. Fat, hot tears ran salty rivers down their cheeks as Kei foamed at the mouth, his body contorting strangely, eyes screwed shut in pain.
Kei’s death was slow, drawn out, merciless. The other guests tried to comfort Kei, but their words were empty, and saved Kei no pain as the end drew ever nearer for him. His screams turned to whimpers as the poison drained his life force, and finally, his purple eyes glazed over, staring up at the slate gray sky.
He was gone.
~~~
Dead: 2 (pangolin, Kei)
Alive: 15
~~~
Lizards, I'm baaaaaack! :D
(July 20, 2022 - 12:42 pm)
Ohhh wait does this mean that now everyone knows who the murderer is, since they just shot Kei? Anyway, I loved the discriptive language here and I'm curious to see what Socie does next :)
(July 20, 2022 - 4:33 pm)
I'm glad this is going again!
(August 4, 2022 - 1:00 pm)
(July 20, 2022 - 4:11 pm)
(August 5, 2022 - 1:45 pm)
TOP!!
I promise this isn't dead -- I'll get the next part out when my schedule becomes more regularrr---
(September 8, 2022 - 7:00 pm)
(September 14, 2022 - 7:52 am)
to the toppp!!
(September 14, 2022 - 2:52 pm)
(September 22, 2022 - 4:20 pm)
(November 5, 2022 - 12:16 pm)