trustfell | Welcome.

It doesn't matter where you last were or what you were doing. What matters is that you're waking up in a decently comfortable bed in a room that's completely unfamiliar. You may feel a bit groggy, like you've slept for too long, but that will fade in time.

Welcome to Graceside Preparatory Academy.

You may want to pick up the key to your room before you leave, though don't worry. Your door won't lock automatically so you won't be locked out if you've forgotten to pick it up. The hallway outside your room is most likely full of other confused students by now and should you turn around to look at the door of the room you just left, you'll find a nameplate with your name printed on it. There's a single word underneath it with no explanation. This is your title, but don't worry about that right now.

Depending on when you left your room there may be a clock chiming in the foyer up ahead. It seems like it's seven, though it's difficult to tell if it's seven in the morning or seven at night. There aren't any windows, after all. Should you venture into the room with the clock, you'll find that the only exit is closed - there's absolutely no way to break down that steel bulkhead. It looks like you're stuck in here for the time being.

The foyer also holds some very interesting information. There's a bulletin board with twenty-nine pictures on it. Beside each picture is some very specific and very familiar information. Feel free to examine it. The bulletin board is large enough for plenty of you to gather around and gawk. Don't try to get at it though, that glass in front of it is very thick. If you try to break it, you'll find out the hard way that it's shatterproof. Sorry about that.

Perhaps even more of a concern than the glass is the list beside the profiles. It looks like a set of rules. You might want to examine those, though they're not providing much of an explanation for why you're here or how you got here.

So relax and get to know your fellow students. You might be stuck here for awhile.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Yeah. I mean, time works differently than it does on Earth, so it's hard to really tell. [ Because this guy totally knows that this place isn't on Earth. ]

Maybe a few months?

[...Because of course it's not on earth, why would it be? Demons, man. Who even knows.]

Ah. I wish you the best of luck, then.

[IT SUCKS, YOU'LL PROBABLY HATE IT.]

Thanks. I'm sure I'll need it. It's definitely a lot harder than all those fantasy novels make it seem.

[ Oh right he's probably been at this a lot longer, huh? ] ...But I'm sure you know that already.

[Why does everyone keep mentioning fantasy novels?? It's definitely not a fantasy!]

Indeed. I've been ruling Albion for quite some time.

[Logan doesn't look displeased, just very tired.]

It is a difficult job, but it is the one I was tasked with and I will not let anything happen to Albion.

[ He nods, smiling. Wanting to protect your country more than anything else is certainly something Yuuri can relate to. ]

What's Albion like?

[OH BOY HIS FAVORITE TOPIC]

Albion is a country of six and a half million people. It's large but the majority of people live in a few scattered towns. Bowerstone is where the castle is located and is the largest of these towns. Brightwall is where the academy is located, though it's been closed. While Albion's towns are safe due to the soldiers, traveling between them is often incredibly dangerous - there are numerous monsters and beasts that will attack travelers and it's impossible to have soldiers stationed everywhere.

It's a wonderful country, though I only have one other to compare it to.

[And hahahaha let's not with Aurora.]

It sounds great to live in. What kind of monsters do you have there?

[ Because of course that's the one thing he's most intrigued by. ]

The most common - and most irritating - are Hobbes. There are rumors that Hobbes were once lost children who had their souls stolen, but that's unbelievable.

[...except for the part where it's true, um.]

They are admittedly the size of children, though they're warped creatures with pointy ears and stout bodies. On their own they're harmless, but they're never on their own. They form colonies and they can overwhelm anyone with numbers alone. Despite their intelligence - or lack thereof - they have learned how to use weapons.

[Hobbes with guns is a really surreal sight, okay.]

...That sounds really creepy.

[ And he's very relieved that he won't ever have to run into one of them (hopefully). ] Really different from the monsters in Shin Makoku.

They're obnoxious pests.

[...And they eat people.]

Is that your kingdom? What is it like?

Yeah. [ He smiles. ] It's great. There's a lot of things that do go wrong, but that's what I'm there for.

I wish I could say it was peaceful, though. Right now, we're on the verge of war with other kingdoms, who are all human. I'm doing what I can to stop it.

[Ah, that sounds a bit familiar, doesn't it?]

Through diplomacy or military action?

Diplomacy, of course. I could never go to war.

Have you prepared for what may happen if diplomacy doesn't work?

[ He shakes his head. ]

I'm doing whatever I can to avoid a war. [ There's a short pause before Yuuri lets out a sigh. ] I know we have plenty of soldiers, though, and they're talented. But I'm planning on never having to get to that point.

...Sometimes plans fall through. Don't forget that and be prepared to face things you never hoped you'd have to face.

[Trust him on this. Being a king sucks and you have to break a lot of your ideals to get results. He used to think the same way, you know.]

[ He nods, solemnly. ] I will.

Thanks. It's kinda nice to get advice from someone who actually knows what it's like.

I would have asked if you have advisers, but it's different talking to someone who has actually ruled.

[He didn't get to do that for very long before his mother passed and he's only the second ruler of Albion, so...]

[ He nods. ]

I do have advisers but like you said, it's different talking to someone who's in the same boat. There's some things that advisers just don't understand.

Indeed. I've had several arguments with mine in the past. He's a good man who served my mother loyally for years, but he has never had to make the decisions I do on a daily basis.

[Walter tries, but that's really the best that can be said about him.]

[ He nods. ]

It's different, telling someone what to do instead of actually having to make the decision yourself.

Exactly. It will be difficult with war on the horizon. I wish you luck.

Thanks.

Welcome.

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