Palace Game 6/5

[fujimaru]

The Dreamer In The Grand Temple
Humanity Foundation Value: ????

What has been will be again,
what has been done will be done again;
there is nothing new under the sun.

Comments

[strikingchords]

We are here regardless. It is unlikely many can remedy our lack of understanding.

Will you direct us to one who can?

[rootsforyou]

If it's difficult for her to speak on them, it would be better to come back at another time...

[fujimaru]

The man shakes his head, though there's a bit of a strained smile.

"Her situation is a bit... unique, among the three of us here," he says. "Though--it's not wrong to say that we're all trapped here, in a way."

[strikingchords]

We are searching for the Maiden Fujimaru.

[rootsforyou]

[her fingers dig into the edges of her sleeves]

...If you have any idea where she might be, it would be a great help, obviously. She might be able to assist with your predicament here.

[fujimaru]

"...I don't know exactly," he says. He sounds sincerely apologetic. "I know that the rest of them have been locked out of the areas where they could look for her. There's a key of some sort... but I don't think the current, ah, situation was really expecting anyone other than a Servant would be trying."

[strikingchords]

[he just waits; this guy doesn't seem as unhelpful, and he wants them to go away. they also want to go away. there are common interests here.]

[rootsforyou]

Do we, perhaps, need a Servant to assist us in locating her?

[fujimaru]

"You shouldn't!" he says. "From what Leonardo could tell--ah, she's the only one who really has any connection out of here--the others can't do that much. It'll have to be a place where Ritsuka would think to hide something. Her room is your best bet, in that case, and then it's just a matter of looking."

[strikingchords]

[inclines his head and turns to Jiang Yanli again; he'll defer to her decision...]

[rootsforyou]

[inclines her head to show she heard him, considering...]

If it isn't too impertinent to ask...are there perhaps any clues here that might help us locate her?

[fujimaru]

"Here? Ah..."

He glances at Olgamarie, then at the other woman down the hall--it's Da Vinci, from Sphinx, if either of them would recognize her--and then rubs the back of his neck.

"I don't know. I guess it would be me? I'm the clue? I can tell you that the King of Men doesn't not want her to be found."

[strikingchords]

How do you know?

[rootsforyou]

[clocks Da Vinci once again, to make sure she's still there; she definitely recognizes her, and knows it isn't the same as the one they were with...probably]

The King of Men is...

[gestures to her own antlers, for comparison]

The one who currently has her body, yes? He didn't seem like he was opposed to her taking it back...just that he had it while she was gone.

[fujimaru]

"We... go a long way back, he and I." He grimaces, like he's embarrassed. "You could say that... before he was Ritsuka's, he was mine."

[strikingchords]

Then, would he help us?

[rootsforyou]

...

[looks between Olgamarie, and Da Vinci, and back to this man]

I suspect that the King of Men is a neutral party to all of this. If you're here now, then perhaps you didn't part ways amicably.

[fujimaru]

"Oh, he really is calling himself that?" For some reason, this appears to make the man oddly happy. "He's--well, I suppose a lot of his attitude is sort of my fault, yes. We didn't exactly have a falling out, but he was quite angry with me for a long time. But I don't think he'd hurt Ritsuka. Not like this, at least. In a fight, surely, but if he was in her body, I doubt that's what happened."

[strikingchords]

...

[nods]

We were told she had faded.

[rootsforyou]

[nods as well, inclining her head towards Lan Wangji; they're a little concerned! about Ritsuka fading!]

We expected this to be an urgent endeavor, so seeking out allies is the best course of action. If he isn't an ally, but also isn't one to go out of his way to pick a fight with us...we should be alright.

Might I ask your name, young master?

[fujimaru]

"Romani Archaman." He bobs his head a little, looking abashed. "Just Roman is fine. We don't know much of what happened--ah, like I said, we're stuck here. But Leonardo has a connection to the part of her that's alive, so... well, we heard a little bit about it here.

"What I can say about him is that... while he will make his schemes and plans, if he's calling himself the 'King of Men,' then... he might understand more than he acts like he does."

[strikingchords]

Do you know where he might be found?

[rootsforyou]

[that seems like a safe question to ask. waits for the answer]

[fujimaru]

"Well. He's not really supposed to be here at all, so--well, I don't really know how it works, but... he has a temple. The door location is usually hidden, but if you find the key, it'll lead you there."

[strikingchords]

[...nods, this is the second time a key has been mentioned]

Then, we must.