Season 1 / Akemi - “Gallery of Thorns” [The First Trial Projection]

Sylas Grey

"Anyone else kinda thirsty right now or"

Chula - Suzune

Suzune, clutching the closed teapot to her chest. "Ummm… There might be a garden hose you can drink water from around here! Hang on." Suzune pokes around for a garden hose for Sylas to drink from like a dog. Sorry Sylas.

Emmy | Akemi

Chula - Suzune

Suzune can find a hose and spigot easily enough near one of the walls. Looks like it just dispenses regular tap water. Delicious.

Sylas Grey

he drinks from the hose like a dog. so this is where he's at in life, huh

Shiori Yoshida

Shiori has no reaction to this and watches on with a straight face. What is happening.

Sylas Grey

"Much better! Wanna go cut through those thorns?"

Chula - Suzune

"Oh! One last thing before we go…" Suzune will check out the labels at the planter box, still holding the teapot in her arms. You know. Just in case.

Emmy | Akemi

Chula - Suzune

Anyone who cares to search for the planters’ labels would note the presence of flowers such as Acanthus, Allium, Angrec, Ash, Bilberry, Browallia, Burdock, Coltsfoot, Buttercup, Black-eyed Susan, Clove, Dahlia, Dogbane, Foxglove, Purple Heather, Hemlock, Hyacinth, Hydrangea, Lobelia, Marigold, Meadow Saffron, Nightshade, Scabius, Red Spider Lily, and Tansy, all intermingled with lilies, roses, tulips, carnations, roses, and all manner of colorful herbs and flowers.

MILGRAM

Chula - Suzune “Actually, can we even drink in here?” She glances towards the ever-silent wardens.

The wardens have indeed been silent for most of this projection-- Ei out of respect for the place, Bea because she's bored, Sie because they seem genuinely interested in the art.

"In your projection we were able to eat and drink, yes, though I would also recommend being cautious about… that, specifically."

"It seems like ill effects wear off once the projection ends, but we don't actually know what happens if, um, someone were to actually…"

…Their voices trail off as they watch the spectacle with the hose.

"…………………….I didn't think he would actually do that. Props."

Anyway, back to investigating… or whatever it is these guys are doing here.

Chula - Suzune

"Well that answers that, then! Thank you!" Caution with the tea pot. "I'm ready to tackle that other hallway now if you all are!" Now that she's directed attention elsewhere, Suzune sets the pot back on the table so she can carry her rake. Adventuring gear!!

Emmy | Akemi

The group of explorers make their way back through the gallery and hallway area, eventually arriving back to the bramble-filled passage. Wielding the gardening tools, you work together to methodically chop through the sharp and choking vines. They slowly but surely fall away, leaving a small walking path toward the clearing, though you will likely scratch up your hands or arms if you aren’t careful. The nettles and thorns crunch beneath your feet, no longer serving as a deterrent. You walk down the hall, unimpeded, to continue your investigation. Before you, you see a thick glass door with fine white script lettering etched into it. The Saki Kuro Memorial Art Wing. The door has a lock on it, but lucky for you, you have a key.

Shiori Yoshida

Oh look at that, something that a key can unlock! Shiori pulls the key out of her pocket and moves towards the glass door. However, before she puts the key in, she pauses, glancing back at the other two as if to wordlessly ask for permission to open the door. This girl really needs to be ordered to do literally anything, huh?

Sylas Grey

"Let 'er rip."

By this, he means unlock the door.

Shiori Yoshida

Permission granted! Shiori nods and unlocks the door. Open sesame!

Chula - Suzune

Suzune clasps her hands together in anticipation. Hooo boy

Emmy | Akemi

You produce the key you've found and slide it into the keyhole. It fits! With a click, the door unlocks and you can enter this new space. Immediately, the chill which had clung to you throughout this space melts away. This room feels comfortable and warm, with soft lighting, clean floors, and calm music emanating from an unseen source. This gallery space is small, intimate, with only a couple dozen works of varying size and levels of completion.

If you take the time to browse the exhibit, you can see a clear style and theme within the present works. Bright, colorful flowers enveloping graceful, poised figures. Despite the fluid brushstrokes and energetic markings, these works feel far from chaotic. These works feel alive, moving, inviting, and full of emotion. They are by far the most expressive things you've seen since arriving here. Upon reading the placards beneath each work, you can see that all of them are some variation of Untitled Floral, but they all share the same artist: Saki Kuro. Unfortunately, more than a few spaces in this gallery are blank, with a sign affixed to the wall where the paintings should be. The sign reads: “This work has been placed in temporary storage by the museum's curator, please check back another time.”

Sylas Grey

Alright, well, Sylas likes these ones much more! They're all very pretty!

…However,

"Someone forgot to name all these. Rookie mistake!"

Chula - Suzune

"Wow…. That's awfully beautiful, isn't it?" Akemi's mother's work, probably? She peers through the works with interest, drawn to the warm pieces in a different way than the previous works.

Temporary 'storage' huh? … Suzune takes down the sign. "It's a shame we can't see everything there is to offer in here, huh? I imagine the whole collection must be, like… breathtaking, right?" Well, she certainly appreciates artistry. "… It was nice, to get to see all of these paintings, I think."

Emmy | Akemi

Chula - Suzune

You find nothing of note behind the sign, unfortunately. You have the sense that, wherever these paintings are, you have no way to see them.

Chula - Suzune

Well… It felt like they were about done here, didn't it?

"Mmm… I'm glad I got to see all of this, you know? Like… Idk! It was just a little eye-opening. Um…. But yeah! I'll start heading out from here. Thanks for coming with me, everybody! You make for great company." She nodded to the rest of the group before traipsing through the hallway and back to the door, where she offically pulls the brambles off of the doorknob with the rake and makes her attempt to exit.

Emmy | Akemi

Chula - Suzune

You attempt to remove the brambles from the doorknob, and manage to get most of them off. You grab the doorknob, and still feel the sting from one or two remnants the rake could not catch. The thorns painfully pierce your hand, and you turn the knob to find it unlocked. The door slowly opens, revealing…nothing. You aren't sure what you expected. Perhaps some warm sun on a well-groomed lawn. Perhaps a flower garden. Perhaps a hedge maze. Perhaps even a harsh winter to explain away the frigid cold you feel. What you see instead is a flat, open, empty paved lot in a foggy, lonely space. It feels lifeless, like an empty warehouse, or a half-rendered sketch. There are no trees, no grass, no flowers, no people, not even a gust of wind or a wisp of color to be seen. No matter how hard you search, it seems there is truly nothing out there for you. All you can do is remain within this cold, empty space, if you are to find anything of worth. All you have to show for your effort is a bleeding hand.

As you contemplate this, suddenly, the projection begins to fade, and comes to an end.

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