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Post by Mister Stewart on Dec 15, 2010 17:13:04 GMT -8
Beyond the door was a much, much larger room - round and high-ceilinged, bright with white marble. Around the edges of the room were couches that looked as if they had scarcely ever been used, not a speck of dust on them despite their untouched appearances. There were busts beside either side of the doors, staring accusingly at the entrants - and there were fine paintings all over the walls. Even with all of this, however, the most striking things in the room rested squarely in the center:
One of these things was a white grand piano, resting atop a round platform on the floor.
The other thing was a young man, clad all in white, standing straight-backed and at attention in front of them. His hands were clasped behind his back, his chin held high...but even as well-kempt as he appeared, the dark circles under his eyes and the slight rattle in his voice suggested less than perfect health.
"Mister Atticus Lasseter. Miss Tamika Weir." His tone was clear besides the slight rasp - it was also recognizable as the voice over the intercom. "Mister Stewart is waiting to speak. Be wary what you ask, if it is answers that you seek. If your zeal for the appointment has not diminished, I shall lock the doors until you are finished."
...There was...something decidedly odd about this place.
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Post by Atlas on Dec 15, 2010 17:27:50 GMT -8
The funhouse tour had just begun for Atlas and Tamika. The first thing that caught the lawyer's eye was the shape of the room: round. It felt more like being in an extravagant castle tower than in a mansion. There were various busts and paintings scattered around the room, impressive to the eye.
However, Atlas's attention went front and center towards the piano and the man standing by it.
He looked to be a handsome man. He look fresh and clean cut, much like himself. "He reminds me of those handsome men that appear a lot in Japanese cartoons. What are they called. Bishona, Bishida, Bishono...screw it, I'll look it up later." he mused.
The only thing more peculiar than the man in white was his manner of speaking. "So I take it that Mr. Stewart has Dr. Seuss as his manservant." he thought. He also listened to the warning. "Lovely, one wrong move and I could offend this guy, thus exposing myself to his hidden special forces unit." he thought.
"I understand. Thank you Mr..." he said to the man in white, prompting him for a name.
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Post by Tamika Weir on Dec 15, 2010 18:08:53 GMT -8
As they stepped into the large room, Tamika squinted slightly. "Too...much...white" After she had regained her sight, she glanced over the many couches, paintings, and busts in the room. "Does he even need that many couches? I know he's rich, but wouldn't the extras just mean unnecessary work for his staff?"
The piano caught Tamika's attention next. "I wonder if anyone here plays it? It would be a shame to keep such a beautiful piano and have it just sit."
The servant was possibly the most interesting of all these things. "Grrr...why didn't you dress up you stupid girl?!? Even the servant that's just here to greet us is dressed nicer than I am. At least I hope he's just here to greet us." Tamika had taken notice of the lines under his eyes and the slight rasp in his voice. "Guess I'm not the only one who didn't get much sleep here. Though why is he working if he is obviously not well? Couldn't Stewart give him the day off and have someone else take care of the meet and greet? Or better yet, COME HIMSELF!"
The warning the servant gave did nothing to make Tamika like this Stewart guy at all. "Great. So we have to be careful of everything we do. At this rate, I'll be lucky if he doesn't shoot me on sight." The idea that the doors would be locked the whole while made her shift uncomfortably. She felt like a trapped animal already and was wanting to just get this damn executio--err...meeting over with.
While Atlas tried to get a name out of the servant, Tamika just tried to make herself as inconspicuous as possible, hoping that it may make her less likely to die. "Why did I say I wanted to come here again?"
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Post by Mister Stewart on Dec 15, 2010 18:45:29 GMT -8
While the two were examining him, so was he examining them. The girl in particular seemed apprehensive...understandably so. He knew how he looked and sounded - he knew how the mansion must seem the first time one entered. As much as he would have liked to put them at ease somehow, there wasn't any way for him to do so...so instead, he merely answered Atlas's question, bowing low at the waist as he spoke.
"Michael Tillotson is my name - I am Mister Stewart's aide. I handle scheduling and details...if you recall, I sent the e-mail." Straightening again, he turned on his heel, moving over towards the piano. He came to a stop standing at the keyboard, flicking his stormy eyes up towards them to check whether they were ready or not...before striking a strange chord with some of the high keys. When he did this, the round platform began to rotate - or...was it the room that was rotating around the platform? It was all very disorienting, but he hardly seemed to mind, staring straight ahead as calm as could be.
Funhouse was seeming to be more and more of an apt description by the moment. It was plain to see that this Mister Stewart was eccentric to say the least...but beyond being eccentric, he was also...a bit tricky. If that was the case, what sort of thoughts lay behind the calm facade of his assistant?
Who WERE these people, really?
When the room - or the platform? - stopped spinning, there was the sound of a latch clicking around the door on the opposite side of the room. The young man looked at them expectantly, turning to face them in silence.
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Post by Atlas on Dec 15, 2010 19:07:49 GMT -8
"Michael Tillotson. I was honestly expecting something a bit more...whimsical." he thought. "His eyes looked rather...tired though, and his voice had a hint of strain in there. Must be a difficult position for this man. I admire his dedication to duty though."
The man pressed a key on the piano, causing the platform he was standing on to rotate. At least, that's what it looked like. For a room of this design, it could very well be the room that is rotating. When it stopped, the handsome young man looked at them, almost to say to go through the door behind him.
Atlas walked towards the doors, thoughts brewing in his mind. "This man has more money than God and he uses it to construct a carnival funhouse." he thought. "I guess that's the beauty of having too much time on your hands. I guess if I had a bit more money and time, I might do the same." he mused.
He opened the door that was behind Tamika and let her go in. Once he shut it behind him, he turned to her. "I see we're dealing with a regular gamesmith." he said to her. He also noticed that she seemed a bit...apprehensive. "I'm a bit wary myself of this man, but just keep a cool head, and we should be fine. After all, he did let us in." he said to her.
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Post by Tamika Weir on Dec 16, 2010 19:03:04 GMT -8
Tamika looked right at Micheal with a shocked expression on her face. "Tillotson! He's Tillotson?!?" Tamika had thought Mr. Tillotson was Raincloud, or was some other man who wouldn't be there. She in no way expected that he would be the first person they'd meet going into Stewart's mansion.
"Excuse me, are you related to Angeline Tillotson?" she blurted out before she could stop herself. Then she immediately bit her lip and looked slightly away. "Holy shit! You insensitive bitch! You don't just immediately ask someone about their dead mom as soon as you meet them! How would you react if someone walked up to you and asked, "Are you related to Anne Sheppard?" After contemplating this question for a few seconds she glanced down at the edge of the platform Micheal stood on. "I just hope he doesn't do curb stomps..."
Once the room or the platform started turning, Tamika felt a bit sick. "Why is this necessary? I don't see why this is necessary." She supposed that people due tend to do ridiculous things when they had more cash then they needed, yet creating a spinning white room with a piano in it just seemed a bit much. "I swear til the day I die I will never understand rich people."
After leaving the room she turned to Atlas and gave him a sightly exasperated look. "Why can't anything be simple in this town?"
"Just because he let us inside doesn't necessarily mean anything. He could just be screwing with us and has no intention of seeing us besides through his damn cameras." Continuing on, she tried to calm herself down. "I'm sorry Atlas. I've just never liked having to jump through hoops." "Especially when you think you've finally made it through them all and you find that you're only reward is more hoops."
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Post by Mister Stewart on Dec 16, 2010 20:03:42 GMT -8
All was going according to Mister Stewart's design. It was nice, really - to be back into routine, to be carrying on as if yesterday's strangeness hadn't happened. He was tired, but he was focused. Everything was fine. Everything would be just as usual again, he though to himself as he watched the two of them start to move out of the room - And then Tamika spoke. All the color left the younger man's face - he didn't speak, he scarcely drew a breath, his body tensing up. How did she - how COULD she - why? His jaw set, lips drawn in a stern line as his eyes followed them out.... Then, without a word, he took a seat at the piano, shoulders drawn painfully tight, skilled fingers plucking out a swirling, dour-sounding tune that could be heard pounding and echoing from behind the door. His eyes were blank, his face belying no emotion even as his body rocked to and fro with the sharp notes. It wasn't my fault. It wasn't my fault. It wasn't my fault. It wasn't my fault. It wasn't. It wasn't. It wasn't it wasn't it wasn't itwasn'titwasn'titwasn'titwasn'tITWASN'T....--- On the other side of the door, there was a hallway that branched off to the left and to the right. The walls were hung with various strange paintings, but otherwise there was nothing of interest in the area...except for one thing. Just in front of them there was a note, pinned to the wall, handwritten in fine, neat calligraphy. Black and white face one another, Unable to compete over distance. Find the missing so that they may compete In their duel out in the courtyard. A puzzle?
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Post by Atlas on Dec 17, 2010 5:17:58 GMT -8
Atlas turned to his friend. "It's alright. No one enjoys jumping through hoops. I supposed I'm just used to it. Comes with being a lawyer, I guess." he said to the red head.
He could hear the loud sound of music from beyond the thick, ornate door. It sounded rather melancholy, coming from the piano. Although Atlas noted that Michael's face seemed to show no emotion after Tamika asked that question, the piano took over the job of showing how Michael really felt. "Hmm, I take it that particular relative is a sensitive subject. So it would appear that there are so hidden depths beyond that facade of a perfect manservant. he thought. He turned to Tamika.
"Hmm, I think you might have struck a nerve with that last question." he said. "There's no way you could have known though, so don't beat yourself up too much over it."
He walked over to a note that had been in front of them. He picked it up to read the note, written in fine, neat calligraphy:
Black and white face one another, Unable to compete over distance. Find the missing so that they may compete In their duel out in the courtyard.
He passed the note over to Tamika so she could read and closed his eyes to think. "So, the main colors we should be looking for are black and white. They probably aren't near each, so look along this hallway. There is also a courtyard around here somewhere where we must ultimately bring these two. Besides this, there is also the fact that it mentions a duel. Perhaps find two objects of black and white that suggest a duel and then bring them to the courtyard, but where to start..." he looked along the walls. There wasn't much that would suggest this, save for several strange paintings. "Perhaps those paintings are the key." he thought. He turned to Tamika.
"I think by this note, we are looking for two paintings with the following: one suggests black, one suggests white, and both suggest dueling. We must then bring them to the courtyard. Check along these walls for such a painting, I'm going to check out the courtyard." he said.
He looked along the inner walls for a door. He checked them until he found an unlocked door, and then opened it, hoping the courtyard was on the opposite side.
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Post by Tamika Weir on Dec 17, 2010 12:35:38 GMT -8
Tamika bit her lip again and looked away slightly. She wanted to tell him just how wrong he was, yet that would mean she would have to drag her own sob story out. And now was not the time. "I just hope I haven't broken the poor guy with one idiot question."
Looking at the note Atlas had handed her she read:
Black and white face one another, Unable to compete over distance. Find the missing so that they may compete In their duel out in the courtyard
"Black and white? So something black and something white is here. They can't reach each other so they're separated by some gap. And black and white fight. Or duel. And there's a courtyard somewhere around here to where black and white must be brought. So we have to find something black, something white, and a courtyard."
While Atlas looked for a courtyard, Tamika examined the paintings. She looked for anything that was mostly white and anything that was mostly black. "And they must be dueling somehow."
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Post by Mister Stewart on Dec 17, 2010 15:49:06 GMT -8
As Atlas explored, he would find that the hallway curved subtly around a bend, obscuring the ends from the entry point. The unlocked door he would find opened into - as he had guessed - a large courtyard. In this courtyard he would find a large metal grid laid out on the ground, eight squares by eight squares - and in the center of each square was a slightly-raised mental platform. The platforms alternated in color - black and white.
There was another door across the way - presumably from the other hallway - and still another up some stairs to Atlas's left. Two statues of colonial men stood on either side of the staircase, seeming to stand guard at the door.
---
Meanwhile, Tamika's examination of the paintings would prove...rather disturbing. The paintings weren't what one would call inviting, necessarily - there was something strange about all of them.
On the right side of the hall, the paintings were as follows:
A panicking white horse, rearing and about to toss away its white-clad rider. A slave in chains, wearing white rags and staring out a window. A woman dressed in a lavish, ivory gown, seated in a lavish throne, eyes shut as if either sleeping or dead. A gigantic white building, fire from below swallowing all but a lone, glistening tower. A man holding an elaborate white crown above his head, grinning darkly with his blank white eyes fixed on the viewer.
On the left:
A woman in black, chained to a bedpost and weeping as a man in black was ordering her about. A smiling priest in a black robe standing in attendance at a funeral. A blood-stained man sporting a black crown, pointing his army towards the battlefield. An immense, crumbling castle, black as it is silhouetted against the setting sun. A lady seated upon a black chaise lounge, a number of shackled attendants bowing around her.
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Post by Atlas on Dec 17, 2010 18:57:28 GMT -8
To Atlas's relief, he finally found the courtyard. However, the courtyard just raised more questions. There was a 8 by 8 grid in the middle of the courtyard, with squares alternating black and white. "Hmm, I was expecting a place to stick in two paintings. Now there is several. Alright, an eight by eight setup, with alternating squares, where have I seen this?" he thought. He paced back and forth, thinking about the puzzle. He took out his piece of carrot cake. "Quite a conundrum, ehh?" he said, and then put it away.
After a minute or two, it dawned on him. "Of course. It's a chessboard. Eight squares by eight squares, where white and black duel. Those paintings must each represent chess pieces." he thought, snapping his fingers.. "I should seek out Tamika."
He went towards the door he came in and exited. He then searched the hallways for the redhead.
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Post by Tamika Weir on Dec 17, 2010 19:32:48 GMT -8
The paintings were quite disturbing to Tamika. "Who the hell would buy paintings like this? I suppose Brian never said if Mr. Stewart was sane or not. I wonder if it is too late to just leave?" The thought of leaving tempted her, but then she decided against it. "No. Brian said this was a good lead and he doesn't seem like the type to send me into a deathtrap."
Her examination of the paintings told her two things. All the paintings on the right wall seemed to be white and all the ones on the left were black. Besides that, the paintings themselves did not reveal much to Tamika. "Okay, black and white. So now I move them to a courtyard. Better go find Atlas." She set off in the direction she had last seen the strange lawyer.
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Post by Atlas on Dec 18, 2010 4:07:02 GMT -8
Atlas was staring at the paintings as he was looking for Tamika, looking for any chess motifs within them. Though the imagery was indeed disturbing, it somewhat fascinated Atlas. "Definitely an...alternative sort of art. Not the kind of thing you'd hang in a house that frequents visitors. Quite a bit of bondage art in here as well. I wonder if this Mister Stewart is or was into S&M?" he mused.
It didn't take long for him to locate Tamika within the hallway. He ran up to her to share what information he discovered. "I've taken a look at the courtyard. It's an eight by eight setup of squares with alternating black and white tiles. At first I figured that we had to find the correct paintings, but it appears that they all are: each of these paintings represents chess pieces and the courtyard is a giant chessboard. The way the pieces are set up there is the key."
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Post by Tamika Weir on Dec 18, 2010 17:05:59 GMT -8
Chess pieces? Hmm..." Tamika reexamined the paintings. None of them resembled the chess pieces she knew. Yet some of them resembled the names of the pieces. "There's two kings on the walls. And I think the fine dressed women might be queens. So maybe the other paintings represent other chess pieces."
"Well, the guy's with crowns would be the kings. And the fine dressed women would be queens. The castle and the white building would be the rooks. The people in chains are the pawns. The priest is the black bishop and the rider is the white knight," Tamika said, pointing to each painting as she addressed it. "So we just need to put them on the chessboard in the courtyard like how a chessboard would be set up. Do you think we need to place them in a particular order?"
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Post by Atlas on Dec 18, 2010 17:19:11 GMT -8
"Hmm" Atlas thought. Even though he figured out the courtyard was a giant chessboard and the pieces were the paintings, that only told him half of the story. "There's only ten paintings, yet, each side has 16 pieces, for a total of 32." he thought. The only thing that occurred to him at the moment was trying to set it up for a partially complete game of chess.
"We'll need to take these paintings out to the courtyard and set them up as they would be in the game of chess." he said. "I'll grab the white paintings, you get the black ones."
He started moving the paintings towards the courtyard. It wasn't the most fun thing to do, but he was willing to do whatever it took to find out what Mister Stewart knew.
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