Introducing Benvolio

[keep_the_peace]

Waking up in a strange bedroom, in a strange house, was bad enough, but then when Benvolio finally made his way to the front door he was greeted by snow outside. Summer might be coming to an end, but it definitely is not snow weather yet, nor is Benvolio dressed for such, in his black silk doublet, black and blue trimmed trunk hose, and black stockings. He does have shoes on, thankfully, though he can't imagine how he would have fallen asleep wearing shoes. It's not like he's had much opportunity to celebrate to the point of blacking out lately, after all.

Regardless, he takes one look at the snow outside and decides to shut the door and instead turn his attention to the table covered in different pamphlets and papers. He has many questions.

Comments

[sporesprouter]

Tress is passing by the entrance when she pauses to see someone unfamiliar looking at the welcome table. The conclusion she comes to is fairly logical but just in case, it's best to check.

"Oh, hello. Are you new?"

[keep_the_peace]

"Oh, aye," he says. Normally he would assume this to be either a lady of the house or part of the staff, but judging by what he has read so far on the table (if any of it is to be believed), he gets the feeling it's more complicated than that. "Though -- I know not where I am, truly, nor how I arrived. I ... take it that is normal?"

[sporesprouter]

"Customary, yes. I don't know if I'd really describe anything about this place as normal. But welcome! I'm Tress, it's nice to meet you."

[keep_the_peace]

"Forgive my manners, my lady," he says, giving her a bow. "I am Benvolio of House Montague." He pauses, remembering the (very confusing!) information he has read on the table. "Of Verona, as I gather I am very far from home?"

[sporesprouter]

"Oh, very far away, yes. I'm sorry."

[keep_the_peace]

Very far away. It seems he has followed his cousin, though into a banishment or into the afterlife he's still not entirely certain. "And there's nothing to be done about it?"

[sporesprouter]

"Nothing consistent, at least not that we've found yet."

[keep_the_peace]

"And for inconsistent?"

[sporesprouter]

"Mostly it's things like people who know us being sent here for a day to visit. There have been some people who have disappeared just as mysteriously as arriving, but that's something like three people out of almost fifty."

[keep_the_peace]

"And there's nobody this house belongs to? Nobody admitting to bringing us all here through -- whatever means?" It's a lot to take in, but he's trying his hardest okay?

[sporesprouter]

"No. There's clearly some kind of force behind it. We usually call it the mansion spirits, but what it actually is, nobody really knows."

[keep_the_peace]

"Fae, perhaps?" Mercutio used to go on and on about that sort of thing. Benvolio tries not to let his expression change too much. He's not entirely successful.

[sporesprouter]

"I don't know. We don't have those in my world so I doubt it a little bit, though."

[keep_the_peace]

"When you say 'world', mean you... not Earth?"

[sporesprouter]

"I'm afraid so. My world is called Lumar."

[keep_the_peace]

"Lumar..." he repeats. "Does this world have a name?"

[sporesprouter]

She shakes her head¹. "We just call it the mansion, even though it does go beyond the building."

¹Tress, sadly, does not know about Grantaire's naming scheme.

[keep_the_peace]

"Ah yes. To the snow."

[sporesprouter]

"There's a little bit more than just snow, but yes."

[keep_the_peace]

"I shall have to take your word, my lady, as when I looked all else was hidden under quite a thick blanket o'the stuff."

[sporesprouter]

"I can give you a list if you'd like."

[keep_the_peace]

"A list of all things in the world? I imagine that would be quite a long list."

[sporesprouter]

"Not as long as you might think. We can only go out so far before either being stopped or turned around."

[keep_the_peace]

"Turned around?"

[sporesprouter]

She nods. "Early on, I tried going out into the woods to see how far I could make it, and even though I was marking my path and was going straight, I still ended up looping back around to where I started."