Manon tensed, her brown eye wide with fear as she looked to Colette. The ginger nodded in reassurance. Nothing bad would happen at this point yet. They were safe, so long as Manon did not get any more multiple choice options of response for the time being. Even though there was a knock- it was a mere formality, as the door swung open and two females dressed in plain black and white nun habits filed in. Behind them, the manager stood at the doorway, her eyes piercing. The children shot to their feet.
"Colette, Manon, these sisters are your personal attendants while you are here. Their baptismal names are Maria and Clare. You may address them as such." was all Anya said before walking away. Her departure made Manon's shoulder finally relax, and even though Colette was used to Sister Anya, she also breathed a soft sigh of relief.
Manon and Colette had already scurried to their feet as soon as the door had swung open, but the brunette looked at the other girl now in mild curiosity. "Are we really not meant to call them sisters?" Colette meant to reply, but her shock was currently not mild. She was baffled right now. One of the women came forward. She had sharp features, dark melty skin, and a lock of coiling black hair peeking out of her headdress. Her eyes were deep and brown.
"I am Maria. This sister here is Clare." She gestured to the other woman, who did not have a lock of hair revealing its color, and was olive skinned with green eyes. "While we are sisters of the church of Yahweh, we are commoners. While the children are here, we must treat you as nobles, so please do not call us with too much respect or the manager may be upset."
Maria. Otherwise known as Ashri Taha, her legal name. Colette could not believe her eyes, as Maria was not usually called to attend the children. She was a half noble, the bastard child of Count Taha. She usually attended to the manager directly because she was one of the only sisters assigned here with partial nobility. All the sisters chosen to be here were beautiful and clean individuals, or simply had skills that were needed.... but Maria was regal in a way that only a noble could be. Why was she assigned to them?? This phase of the tutorial had always made Colette weary as it offered a false sense of security, but now Colette was losing even that.
"Sister Anya specified that I will attend to Manon and Clare shall attend to Colette. However we will both take care of both of you as needed as long as you share a room." She said. Even though she had said they were commoners, it was clear that Maria had a leg up on Clare as she did all of the talking. Even Manon noticed this, but at Colette's insistence did not speak to avoid any triggering the multiple choice responses. Maria walked over to a wardrobe next to a door across from the bed. She opened it and retrieved 2 round bottles containing a shimmering white liquid which she handed over to Clare. She then turned and retrieved a tape measure as well. Clare walked over to both Manon and Colette and popped open the cork of both bottles before giving them to the girls.
"Drink this. It will help your bodies be healthy." Colette drank without a second thought, while Manon hesitated, her eyes darting from Maria to the other child, until Colette nodded at her, swallowing the cool liquid. It tasted like a latte to Colette, but to Manon, who took a fearful sip at first, it tasted of cherry lemonade. Her favorite. Instead of feeling thrilled, she felt…watched. Known by someone whom she did not know. A few seconds later, Manon's rather hollow cheeks filled out, her slightly sunken eyes plumping, and her bony joints cushioning. Colette smiled at her, and Manon remembered how Colette had mentioned they'd feed them some magical thing to plump them up and make them look less starved. She did not expect it to be this simple, nor this invasive feeling.
Clare and Maria looked satisfied, and Clare walked away with the empty bottles, opening the door by the wardrobe and going inside what appeared to be a bathroom. Maria walked forward with her tape measure.
"Clare shall run you a bath while I take measurements for clothing. You'll bathe while I go retrieve your wardrobes for the week." Maria said, stepping towards Manon first. The girls nodded and Manon did as instructed, lifting her arms and moving as needed for Maria to take her measurements. The same happened to Colette, who remembered the exact positions she needed to make the process go smoothly. Colette looked at Maria during the last measurement, her legs. In the position Maria was crouched and she could perfectly see the top of her head.
[Maria believes Colette and Manon are very similar sizes. But Manon is cool toned while Colette is warm. She intends to find the best colors for their wardrobes. 15 AP]
As she thought, Maria was very methodical and mentally strict. She focused on her work and not much else. Her affection always began somewhere between 10 and 15 as she liked children, particularly girls though. She hated little boys like Remington. Colette just wished she could see Manon's AP with her as well, as it would make things so much easier. She made a mental note to go ahead and check the store later that evening for such an item just in case.
After Maria finished, she excused herself and Clare came to fetch them for the bath.
"What is your AP with them?" Manon asked in a whisper tone as they followed Clare. Colette almost laughed as she was about to ask the same.
"Maria 15, Clare 11. You?"
"Maria 16, Clare 11." Colette paled. As she feared, Maria may have been assigned to Manon on purpose since Sister Anya took a liking to her. They would have to be careful. She kept saying it but it reigned true as things kept developing. She was worried about where this would lead. Everything needed to stay within a certain parameter to lower the risk of a butterfly effect. It had to.
The girls bathed quickly, with Clare helping scrub them clean in the warm tub. She washed their hair with practiced ease and had them looking like fresh babies in no time. As much as the children did not want to enjoy the treatment, feeling odd and displaced- like they didn't deserve to be treated so well, they couldn't deny how seamless and rejuvenating it felt to be attended to. After finishing, she put them in white robes and had them sit at a vanity just as Maria returned.
The women dried their hair with some sort of magic instrument, and then tied their hair into intricate styles. Colette had a single low fishtail braid strung over her shoulder that went down to her waist, with wispy bangs framing her face. Maria had asked Manon if she was privy to bangs, to which Manon agreed to try. Maria had cut her a wispy see through fringe that made her look even more like the girl Colette knew in her past life. They decided to leave her hair down with nothing but a ribbon tied as a headband. With her hair down, Manon looked like a real princess. Little did Colette know, Manon was thinking the same about her. But she did miss her friend's old face.
Yuna's original face was...sweet and sour. She usually had some prickly expression, a thinner nose than most Koreans, and these pretty rounded monolid eyes, like a baby fox. So she supposed it was not too different, and in Colette the main character of this world, she could certainly see traces of her friend, but it was still a rather Deja-vu feeling. Especially as she was looking at a younger version of her. With a heavy heart, she tried not to think about having to find Yuna's body when she returned to her reality. That was what was truly weighing on her mind as of late. If anything, she wanted to find a way to get the both of them out of here.
Colette and Manon were dressed in matching outfit styles, simple but lovely A-line gowns with pupped sleeves at the shoulders and elbows. The dresses were adorned with lace and ruffles framing the front panel, and a bow at the waist and square neckline. The only difference was that Colette's dress was cream white, whilst Manon's was a blue leaning white, cool toned. Simple adornments like jewels and dainty accessories of the same color palette were added to their hair before they were finally free to check themselves in the mirror. Dolls. They were like little dolls. Perfectly marketable towards nobles. Perfectly adorable just as intended. The girls were silently staring at themselves, feeling suffocated and watched regardless of the luxuries that were afforded to them.
As if sensing an odd energy in the air, the sisters stared at the girls with strange unreadable expressions. Manon noticed this first, glancing at Maria and meeting her eyes in the mirror before looking back to Colette. She couldn't wait for Colette to act first, so she did what she could without directly interacting with the sisters, hoping it would be fine.
"Doesn't it feel like Disney?" Manon had whispered to the ginger, Colette immediately catching on and giggling with her. The sisters attending to them paid no mind, it appeared to be just two little ones excited about having a pretty outfit. The action seemed to work to put them at ease.
"We will be going for now to prepare for dinner. Dinner will begin in approximately 3 hours, and we will fetch you. Until then, all the children may have free time so long as you absolutely do not venture downstairs until guided to do so." With that, Maria and Clare excused themselves.
As soon as the bedroom door shut behind them, Colette turned to Manon. Just as she was going to open her mouth, the system spoke.
[…New Mission: Explore the noble orphanage.]
[Tasks]
[Find tea and snacks]
[Find the Manager's bedroom]
[Find and successfully take a magic item (optional)]
[Reward: Player 1 and Player 2 receive an item or feature they need]
[Failure: -15 AP for the Manager and all staff]
If you choose to venture downstairs, do not get caught. If you choose to take a magical item, you will be rewarded by keeping it, but if you are caught all rewards are null and the mission fails. You will not be punished for taking the item if you are discovered to have taken it only after the mission is completed.
"Usually in the game, I wander around alone. I'm not sure how things will go if you come with me….So you should stay here." Colette said, sure this was the best case scenario to make sure Manon was safe. Manon seemed like her mind was elsewhere, her uncovered brown eye hazy. Colette's eyebrows furrowed in concern, worried Manon would push back against her suggestion. "Manon?"
The brunette shook her head, eyes flitting over to Colette finally. Her mouth twisted, an action Colette recognized as one she had done in their previous world when in distress.
"I know it's uncomfortable being alone, but truly…I need you to trust me. I can't stress it enough."
Manon didn't argue though her expression was strange still, just nodded and sat on the bed. "I'll take a nap then. You can wake me up when you're back?" Colette nodded, slipping out of the room, her eyes flitting over to Manon one more time.
"Remember not to ever open the door carelessly. If it's the manager she will open it regardless, and if it's the attendants, they'll announce themselves. Please be careful."
"Okay mom." She laughed, making Colette sigh but with a light smile. She shut the door softly and Manon stared at the space in front of her.
[…Player 2 Mission: Who am I? Learn more about Manon.]
[Tasks]
[Leave the room]
[Go downstairs]
[Find out who is coming to adopt a child]
[Rewards: Information about this world and who you are]
[Failure: Death]
[Rest assured, the mission will only fail if the player does not attempt the tasks.]
[If player 2 gets caught, the Mission will simply restart in the bedroom.]
"So I have no choice, basically."
....
Colette walked down the hall in her ballet flats, the usual way she would if she were playing the game. Past the other children's rooms to the far hallway on the left, turning right and further down.
The walls of this manor were a navy blue like the night sky, and the floors were a rich ebony wood. Everything was dark, but did not feel frightening per se. It was usually characters that gave that feeling rather than these surroundings. Colette thankfully was able to perfectly recall the exact door on her first guess, the door that led to a large sitting room. Not a normal one, though.
Magic. This entire world did run on it, especially where nobles, the church, or money was concerned. And this manor was no different. This was no average sitting room. Despite the expectation being to open the door to a high ceiling room, seating located in the center with a nice table and various adornments, this door was called a Mana door. It could lead to anything, a real place, or a false one made up from the maker's imagination. This one, led to a sitting room….in the greenest plains you had ever seen. They were endless and long grasses like in an animated film. The seating was still fancy and pristine, a tea party setup that was magically brewing itself.
Colette remembered seeing this sight many times in the game, and it was her favorite scene of the tutorial. It seemed to be the only refuge, the only relaxing place to be without watchful eyes. She knew it was only 15 minutes she would get- but there was nothing else like this 15 minutes of peace and no worries in the entire game.
Colette walked through the field towards the tea table, her eyes closing so she could truly feel and smell the clean air. She realized that soon, this could be her life. She had no idea who the true love interest of the game was even now, but she was sure it was a possibility to live happily in the countryside, away from noble drama except for during the debut season where everyone migrated to the capital. She sat in one of the chairs and took a sip of tea.
It was difficult, but Colette imagined who he was. Was he someone she already met? Someone hidden in plain sight later in the game? A side character she never expected? Or a brand new never before seen character who only exists for this route? She had the time and the memory to truly dissect this.
There were, in fact, players that only appeared in more difficult game modes who made things harder. For example, you never really saw Sister Anya until Hard Mode was played. In Easy and Normal Mode, Anya was mysterious and never seen, only talked about, with Delores sending the children off alone, the other nuns meeting them at the back door.
There were also semi conditional love interests. For example, Luke and Florentin, who were only playable in Normal Mode and above. Who knew if there were also more conditional side characters? Hidden characters that gave hints or even the secret true interest himself? Colette pondered this as she finished her cup of tea, coming up with a loose plan.
She would first start by talking to and about characters she knows are conditional, and try to get more information on the people she doesn't remember from the game that they mention. She would have to find some reason to talk to Anya. This would be pretty dangerous, but soon, an opportunity would arise.
With her plans confirmed, Colette was about to climb down from her seat when soft footsteps approached and sat in the chat across from her.
"It'd be a pity if you left now. I've been meaning to talk to you."
Colette looked up to see Stella, her plain brown hair curled and pinned up, the girl fitted in a sweet pea green frilly dress. Her hands reached for a teacup, not clumsily, but practiced.
"I'd listen if I were you."