"Remy. Go ahead. Choose."
He did not have to remove the lid. His attendant, a nun named Ema, did so for him.
On his tray lay 3 items. A purple feathered quill pen, a single gold coin, and a small, hand sized black leather-bound book. Remy looked at Sister Anya, avoided looking at Sir Lionel, then back at the items. He didn't hesitate after his hand lifted to select an item- not really. But he did slowly reach over, choosing the gold coin. Sir Lionel seemed to sigh, a completely unreadable expression on his face. The other children also released breaths they had been holding in fear and anticipation. Remy held the gold coin between his fingers, before Ema took it from him, placing it in a grey pouch.
"Thank you, Remy. Your attendant will keep your item for now." Sister Anya said, a soft smile upon her lips that didn't reach her eyes.
Next, Anya turned her attention to Terrence, whose attendant swiftly removed his tray's lid before the boy could attempt to touch it again. The earlier tension had dissipated some as everyone saw that Terrence had the exact same items on his tray. Despite minor confusion and surprise, relief was his dominant emotion, and Terrence did not hesitate to choose the gold coin, his expression naively excited as he held the shining piece of carved metal between his child sized fingers. Anya motioned for his attendant to take it, and she snatched it up, placing it in a green pouch.
"Thank you, Terrence."
Many of the children were bewildered. Was the correct choice just honesty? They all wanted some form of money, to buy real food, to maybe somehow leave this place one day despite the high probability their money would be immediately stolen. But as Anya's eyes slid over to Beckham, Colette knew what the boy was thinking.
He didn't want to be taken by Sir Lionel, a frighteningly solemn man who would surely punish a commoner orphan should he displease him. He would rather be eliminated as soon as possible. So as his attendant, Sera, lifted the silver lid from his tray- he decided he was going to choose the book. In his logic, the coin was the correct choice. So he would choose something else. He had to get out of this.
[Beckham is frightened by Sir Lionel. He believes the coin is the correct choice. He intends to choose the small book and fail.]
But all his plans crumbled within seconds.
Because... he did not have the same items on his tray.
Resting on Beckham's tray were only 2 items.
One was a small, diamond encrusted platinum dagger. The point was so visibly sharp that Colette feared if he chose it, his arm could make it cut the air they were breathing. She did not appreciate that she was sitting next to him, which was different from the original game. Usually, Stella would be the one opening this different tray. Usually, Beckham's plan would have worked.
The other item was a small hand mirror, with intricate designs of the crest of the Marquis Devereaux- the family tree Sir Lionel was descended from. Colette could see Sir Lionel's ugly smirk as he watched wheels turn in Beckham's head. It had been 3…4…5 seconds. More.
She wondered how Beckham would react, but figured it couldn't possibly be too different from how Stella would have. And she was mostly correct.
Beckham took quite some time, nearly a full minute- but he eventually took the dagger, careful but still clumsily. He managed to pass it to his attendant without issue, the nun sheathing the knife in a similarly encrusted cover. Beckham appeared relieved but swallowed a lump in his throat as he looked towards the noble adults for some sort of affirmation. But he couldn't hold their hard gazes and turned to look directly across the table at Remy instead, who snickered.
"...Thank you, Beckham." The manager waited a few beats before saying so, her eyes boring into the side of the blonde boy's face. Her glare was almost as sharp as the knife itself. But soon enough, that razor sharp gaze turned to Colette. So did Sir Lionel's, finally ripping his beady eyes away from Beckham. She was indeed like a small fox. Soft ginger hair tied in a braid with a ribbon, a light and not too offensive spray of freckles, and the classic baby blue eyes common to this region of Aetherion.
Colette held herself well, fixing her posture not too obviously as Clare removed the lid from her tray.
Again…it was different. There were 4 items.
A cupcake. A pair of ivory satin gloves. A marble, and a cookie the shape of a teddy bear. All cute, sweet, childish-like items.
Colette knew the test. It wasn't to pick what you wanted.
In fact, it really didn't matter what you selected. What mattered was your reaction and action thereafter.
Did you look up? Did you search for help? Did you hesitate? Why? These are the things Sir Lionel actually wanted to know about these children. And he would change his opinion based on these factors. He did not want a child who made assumptions. He wanted a child who showed signs of assessing the situation regardless if what was in front of them was familiar, unfamiliar, desirable, or otherwise.
So Colette did not fake hesitation. She did not look up right away. No, that would have been much too obvious. She didn't carelessly select what she wanted most either.
She touched them.
She poked the cupcake, taking a small amount of pink frosting to her lips to try. It was sweet and tasted like strawberries. She then took the gloves, trying them on her petite hand. They were large on her- but she could grow into them. She took them off and set them down thoughtfully. Then she rolled the marble, first just on the tray, then between her fingertips, the cool glass pleasant against her skin. But she set that down too, opting to look at the cookie.
She picked it up, and finally looked towards Sir Lionel, using every ounce of her ability to not shy away from the man's impenetrable gaze.
"I will choose this." She said, biting into the cookie, the crisp crunch was the only sound in the dining room for about 5 seconds.
Clare smiled behind her hand as Sister Anya laughed. A bright joyous laugh- not too harsh, but still unsettling. Sir Lionel held a more mild expression, a barely there smile on the corners of his lips as he looked at Colette, one hand tapping at the wood of the table. Colette checked her affection with both adults. Anya was at 20, and Sir Lionel was at 15.
"Good, Colette. Very good." Anya said, her eyes closing briefly, her frighteningly angelic face a mask of amusement. The other children were very confused now, not understanding the test one bit. And it needed to stay that way, especially as Maria removed the lid to Manon's tray with the grace only a noble could present. This made Sir Lionel raise a brow but he said nothing as Manon looked down at her selection.
The final tray always confused Colette. It felt...personal.
Two items. One was a flower. A single thin blue freesia, freshly bloomed and picked. The other was-
"Is this a gun!?"
Colette nearly spat water from her mouth she didn't have as Manon loudly announced her question. Her voice sent an echo through the room that made even Anya blink rapidly in shock.
Sure enough, unsurprisingly to the adults and to Colette, there was a small silver handgun on Manon's tray. It wasn't perfectly silver, held a tinge of blue in its extremely reflective... almost mirror-like sheen.
Colette knew she would be surprised and a bit taken aback, but she had hoped the brunette had enough sense to know how to conduct herself. Keyword: hoped.
It was too late now, with Sir Lionel looking at the girl as if she had grown two heads…
Before erupting in a fit of amusement.
The man leaned his elbows on the table, leaned forward with his clasped fingers resting on his forehead, shoulders shaking as he bellowed in deep howls of laughter.
The entire room was completely silent aside from the man's low tittering. For the first time, Manon didn't find the man particularly scary- the laughter as genuine as one of his darkened aura could produce. She sat there with a wide eyed- frozen in place expression on her face like a child who was getting laughed at for saying something she found particularly serious. Above the man's head, her cheeks twitched.
[AP: 15]
Colette huffed an audible sigh, her eyes pressed closed with the last of her patience. Perhaps this was the best possible outcome? Never in her thousands of plays had she ever heard Sir Lionel laugh. But it was far better than the worse alternatives she had witnessed.
"Yes. It is." Sir Lionel finally said, his laughter finally subsiding. He looked up from his hands, eyes crinkled but it did not deter the discomfort his bird-like gaze bestowed. "So, what will you choose?" His words were firm and pointed.
Colette watched as Manon carefully examined the gun, following her lead. She felt its weight, tested her grip, which was rather good as it was a mini pistol, and brought it up to her uncovered brown eye, squinting. Then, without setting it down, she turned her attention to the freesia. It truly was a beautiful flower, dainty and neatly cut, the petals soft on her fingertip. Whatever she did now, she would likely pass, so Colette just pressed her lips together as she waited alongside everyone else in the room.
Colette expected to see one of the NPC answer windows pop up for Manon, but none did. Perhaps Sir Lionel did not expect a verbal response but a physical one? Unbeknownst to her, Manon was relieved at the lack of restriction on her. When the answer windows did not pop up- she was able to answer however she pleased or not at all. This seemed to happen frequently around nobles, she noticed. Sister Anya and Sir Lionel, who didn't fathom a child speaking without their explicit instruction.
It was arrogance, and she had bared witness to it long before being brought here. So she took a gamble, knowing based on Colette's expression that her life was likely not at risk at this moment.
"....May I choose both?" her answer took him aback again, less amused.
"Why." It was a statement rather than a question. Again, arrogance. Perhaps she had been too rash- too forward, she watched Colette's expression shift to one of faint concern, nose slightly scrunched in a way Manon knew was a tell-tale sign of her old friend's discomfort.
"I…like both" She said quietly, her brown eye locked onto the flower.
There were another few still moments of silence as Sir Lionel and Sister Anya examined her. Colette quickly checked above their heads.
[Sister Anya is annoyed.]
[Sir Lionel requires a higher affection point to read his intent]
Nothing Colette could truly work with at the moment. She couldn't look directly at Manon either to help, it would be too obvious. She would have to wait and hope that Sister Anya's lack of intent meant nothing was to be done, and Lionel's affinity towards Manon would save her.
Manon held her breath, slowly regretting her decision the tiniest bit as the reality sunk in. But then she looked up one more time.
[AP: 20]
….
"Did she not make her choice? Why haven't you gathered the items?"