Season 1 / Suzune - “Shepherdess” [The First Trial Projection]

MILGRAM

As Suzune leaves the Dining Room with the usual pep in her step, a fellow pair of heels click-clacks behind her. Warden Bea greets the woman with a smile.

"Prisoner 003, Mrs. Suzune Gikou… you really are a model aren't you! Making even that straitjacket work~"

“Awww, thank you so much, Bea-san!! You’re suuuuper cute yourself! I especially like your hat, you know. Please, though, you can like, just call me Suzune if you want to! I’m flexible, hehe~”

"Alright, alright! Aren't you a peach." The smile on Bea's face turns a little… not malevolent, but mysterious. "Suzune, it's just about time for your projection, so if you don't mind following me to your cell for some cursory questions…"

Suzune had already informed them of the verdict she desired, of course. But that didn’t mean a little privacy wasn’t warranted here and there! She had deeper thoughts, sure. Things she didn’t necessarily want the average person to be hearing. “Oh, um! Yeah, sure, some privacy would be totes nice. I’m still processing so I… don’t know how I want to share things with everybody yet.”

…

With the interview over, it was time. The two women made small talk as they crossed past the cells and down the hall to the courtroom, sounding much too cheery for the circumstances…

---

Despite the promise (implication?) that the rest of you would be free to watch, Bea shoos you away so the chosen prisoner can be guided down the long hallway alone. Once they reach the courtroom, though, the wardens are too occupied having the prisoner sit in the lone chair properly to keep you away.

So a few of you make the trek yourselves, finding the hallway only marginally less lonely with your company. The walls still seem stifling, their silence somehow out of place.

But the courtroom is wide open, if barren, and there’s not much to be uncomfortable about until the prisoner of the day is secured in place. A strange…—machine? Somehow enough of it remains in shadow to obscure any useful details—emerges from the wall to hover around the prisoner’s head, then everything but you and the wardens is swallowed by utter darkness.

It only lasts a moment, though. Once the shadow subsides, you find yourself seemingly somewhere else…

Chula - Suzune

You find yourself in a field with old, wooden fencing in the form of rounded logs with chicken wire covering the gaps. Nearby you is a metal gate, providing an exit to the fencing across the entire field. Next to the gate is a rack, supporting a few satchels of supplies of note, and you can see a paper sticking out of one at the very least. The residents of the field appear to be a flock of sheep, a mixture of lambs and adult sheep, all happily grazing away on the lush green grass at a sizable distance from you. Beyond the gate, the rolling hilly fields shift into dense forest, with a well-traveled wide dirt pathway moving forward. The sun is shining, early in the morning and warming your faces over a clear-sky day, providing comfort in the breeze. It makes you feel like a cat stretched out in a pleasant sunbeam.

… Ah, you’re dressed differently. Adorned upon your body are draped frilly clothing, in the colors most often seen in your wardrobe with pops of white among the lace. Dresses, pants, bloomers, whatever you would feel the most comfortable in when faced with a fluffy frilly style, and all shoes possess some kind of high heel, but it thin or chunky, at a minimum or two inches. This can be boots or sandals or any kind of shoe style, give them a heel Additionally, each of you are presented with a curved wooden walking stick featuring a bell placed within the curl at the top.

(CW: Animal death in the last song, but should you want a short playlist for the vibes of this projection, click here! Take lyrics with a grain of salt as it’s more about the vibes than those lyrics specifically. This is like the genre/theme if she had a full Milgram MV)

Robert McCay

Robert didn't know this Mrs. Gikou all that well, but she had been so kind and cheerful (and not immediately called him a cowboy) that he just… he was a little worried about the young missus going in that big scary courtroom all by herself! Call him old-fashioned, if you like. He also wanted to know for sure what this whole projection business was about, and if it was really digging around in people's brains like the Wardens had implied, well… maybe her "mindscape" would be a little more pleasant than some of the others he'd met.

And so he found himself standing in the Courtroom as the strange mechanisms of the MILGRAM Projection System locked into place, and then there was nothing, and then there was… sunlight?

He looked around at the idyllic landscape before him with an 80/20 mix of confusion and wonder.

"W-well I'll be! It all looks so real--"

Being used to the heels of his cowboy boots, Robert didn't notice anything unusual about his outfit until he shifted to look at the walking stick in his hand.

Then he saw the frills on his sleeve, and then he saw the others…

"Okay, Miss Kuro, don't panic, but, um…"

Not just Miss Kuro, but Sylas and the Wardens too? He was trying so, so hard not to laugh.

Chula - Suzune

Robert McCay

Being used to the heels of his cowboy boots, Robert didn’t notice anything unusual about his outfit until he shifted to look at the walking stick in his hand.

The curved walking sticks appear to be handcrafted, adjusted perfectly to your height so that the highest point rests a bit above your heads. The bells on them jungle when you strike them to the ground at any capacity. Interestingly, when the bells jungle, the sheep raise their heads and begin to approach you.

Emmy | Akemi

Akemi perks up a little as she hears of a projection to start soon. Suzune...she admits that she's curious what could warrant her believing herself to be unforgivable. The cheer and kindness she exuded was always unusual to Akemi, not that she minded it. She knew better than to take things at face value, however.

Plus, she needed to know what she herself would be in for, when her time came. It was better to attend one now, if possible, to mentally prepare.

She followed the procession, noting that Sylas and Robert were also heading that way. Hopefully neither of them would get overly emotional and make things more troublesome.

She watched Suzune sit in the seat, and felt a sickening dread at seeing the process...knocked out, affixed to some horrific device...she frowns deeply at the thought of being in that position herself. Her conversation with Andrew came to mind, as they all sit around to watch someone be tortured. She wasn't too far off, it seemed.

Just as she was beginning to wonder what the machine would do, she was suddenly outside. Akemi's eyes went wide, and she looked down at her clothing in a mix of horror and curiosity. It wasn't something she would normally be caught dead in. She wouldnt allow herself to stare too long in the fashion, nor the sunshine, as she had the feeling it would be a brief respite from the jacket and cell for her if nothing else. Plus, she was hardly so heartless as to ignore the fact that she was invading Suzune's mind. She wasn't about to enjoy any of this.

"….this is already shaping up to be a nightmare. Let's look around, at the very least, Mr. McCay."

She looked around the pasture with eyes wholly unfamiliar to the realities of being on a farm, surrounded by animals. She felt out of place.

Seeing the sheep approach, Akemi quickly opts to dodge around them to look at the satchels, if she can. She does not want to deal with animals and hopes the other two can distract them.

Chula - Suzune

Emmy | Akemi

Seeing the sheep approach, Akemi quickly opts to dodge around them to look at the satchels, if she can. She does not want to deal with animals and hopes the other two can distract them.

Thankfully, the sheep aren't particularly running at the moment, so Akemi's able to weave around them with ease. One lamb does get close and attempts to nuzzle its head against Akemi's leg, but is just a little too slow to land the light headbutt.

Four satchels have been hung up on rungs next to the gate, all a simple beige in tone with white lace as decoration. The first satchel contains firewood logs, a tinder box, and some stones to surround a campfire with. The second satchel contains collapsible supplies to build a tent, from muslin and metal rods. The third satchel contains rations and water canteens of various kinds, as well as thin sheets and blankets.

The fourth satchel contains what appears to be papers! There’s an order sheet, detailing to bring the flock of sheep to the next town over to graze, before a buyer is supposed to pick out 3 sheep from the flock to take possession of. Additionally, there’s a map leading to the next town, showing a specific pathway through the forest to take. The map draws a line on which branches of the path to take, quite simple and straight-forward.

Sylas Grey

To be perfectly honest with you, Sylas doesn't know Suzune too well. And, to be also perfectly honest with you,

He doesn't realise that what he's signing up for is a projection. He just saw a little group of people walking somewhere and figured it was nice to be part of something. He realises that he's made a mistake once they enter the courtroom and he sees the projection set-up, but by this point it's all a bit too late to back out, right? Especially not in the company of Akemi and Robert. If those two started judging him he'd implode on the spot like a poorly crafted souffle. (He pronounces that "sooful".)

But it is overwhelming, isn't it? Especially when they're all now outside and there are little sheepies instead of in the prison. Sylas' first response is joy, followed by realisation that they're not ACTUALLY in a nice little grazing pen, followed by… mild bewilderment at his new clothing. He's got the whole nine yards. He didn't even wear this many ruffles as a baby. Twenty-five years of subpar ruffle allowance being paid back in full.

"Oh! Well! Ain't I pretty now. Shucks, all these sheeps. Am I in New Zealand, or…"

No. You're not. He's going to go try and pat (and perhaps in the process examine) the sheep. Baa!

Chula - Suzune

Sylas Grey

No. You’re not. He’s going to go try and pat (and perhaps in the process examine) the sheep. Baa!

It’s a flock of 30 or so sheep of varying ages and sizes, all happily grazing away. They don’t seem to be afraid of you! In fact, they appear to be quite friendly! Should you approach one close enough, they lean against you and bleat harmlessly between chews of grass. There’s no sign of any sheepdogs, though, so you’re the only herder present.

Sylas's attempts to pat are met with pure affection and trust! Other sheep nearby find themselves drawn to the sound of the bell and sight of affection, trotting closer. It's not long before he's surrounded by pillowy soft and happily baa'ing sheep. They love you so much!

Robert McCay

"Aw, they like ya, huh?"

Robert successfully fights back his laughter, but he can't help but grin as he does a little twirl in his frilly blue dress and taps the walking stick against the ground, ringing the tiny bells and summoning his own crowd of sheep.

…He can feel Akemi's eyes boring into him, though. Okay, fine, let's look around a little more.

"Whatcha got there, Miss Kuro?" he says as he inspects the gate.

Chula - Suzune

Robert McCay

“Whatcha got there, Miss Kuro?” he says as he inspects the gate.

A rusted tin gate with a red coat of peeling paint, causing the points of rust to blend right in. It operates by a pull cord mechanism just outside of reach of the sheep, but within reach for pretty much any human. It closes with a simple metal latch over a knobbed metal rod attached to the gate. Pull the cord?

Emmy | Akemi

Akemi stares at the orders, then looks back at the obvious camping supplies. She pinches the bridge of her nose, takes a deep breath, and then reads the instructions again just to be certain she was understanding this right.

"How fucking lovely." She nearly spits. "Please, for the love of god, do not tell me we need to camp and herd these sheep through the woods."

Amazingly, this is the most upset she has sounded about anything since arriving here. She looks to the others, only slightly bitter that the two of them will almost definitely be more excited at the prospect.

She holds the written instructions out to Robert to confirm with him.

Robert McCay

"…Not an outdoorsy type, huh? Me neither, really. But the herding part seems pretty easy, at least?"

Robert looks over the instructions and nods, then resumes messing with the gate-- he pulls the cord.

Chula - Suzune

Robert McCay

Robert looks over the instructions and nods, then resumes messing with the gate– he pulls the cord.

Pulling the cord causes the gate to swing open on its own with a simple spring-loaded system. If you were to want to close it again, however, you’d have to push it back into the latch yourself.

Sylas Grey

Sylas is having the time of his life frolicking with these sheep.

"Hahaaaah, yaaaaay!"

He also may need some shepherding.

Chula - Suzune

Sylas Grey

The amount of sheep circling around Sylas grows. The majority of the flock seems to be surrounding him, creating a sea of animals in a radius around him.

Sylas Grey

"I'm the sheepman!!!!!!!!!!!"

Emmy | Akemi

"Not even in the slightest." She responds, "I'm sure it will also shock you to know that I am entirely inexperienced with handling animals of any kind, let alone farm animals. I'm afraid I will be of little use to either of you, in both regards."

She heaves a deep sigh, and opts to take the satchels that seem the least hefty of all of them. Surely the tent and map will be doable.

She gives a withering stare to Sylas. Why this. She decides she will have to communicate with Robert for the vast majority of this venture.

"Someone far stronger than me will need to carry the wood and stones. And the rations. Choose your bag and he can take the other one."

Robert McCay

"O'course, miss. If you'll lead the way I'll try t'keep 'em off ya…"

Robert takes the satchel with the wood and stones, and turns to hand off the second one to Sylas.

"Hey! Sylas! Over here…"

…He looks like he's having so much fun… Robert decides to carry both satchels himself, at least for a little while. He slings one over each shoulder and eyes the forest ahead.

Chula - Suzune

Robert McCay

…He looks like he’s having so much fun… Robert decides to carry both satchels himself, at least for a little while. He slings one over each shoulder and eyes the forest ahead.

A dense but thriving forest sits twenty paces beyond the gate of the grazing field. The dirt path has been trodden enough that a trail of dead, grassless ground leads your way, with the occasional tree root creating bumps and hills along the route forward. Should you enter, you see that the bright sun filters out, only flecks of light passing through the gaps and decorating the forest floor with their splendor. Do you enter?

Sylas Grey

Sylas, twirling his cane and having a delightful time so far, clomps over to follow Robert into the forest. He does this in a slightly wobbly fashion because now his boots have slayful heels on them and he isn't used to wearing that sort of thing.

"Whoa, nature walk. Cool beans." cool beans

Chula - Suzune

Sylas Grey

The flock naturally trail behind Sylas, both from liking him in particular and the jingle jangle of his walking stick bell from wobbling around. Looks like herding won't be too hard!