Get Into Character

‘I don’t think so.’ Emily turned to face the man, trying to make her voice deep and menacing. ‘For I am not merely some waif wandering through the woods.’ She was getting in to this role-playing stuff! She was a little taken aback to see that rather than just one man, there were actually three. All three wore black jeans and t-shirts with what looked like home-made armour made from pieces of card painted black.

{if Denaasi = 1}‘I am Queen Denaasi of The Holy Order.’ With a flourish she swept her coat back to reveal her silk gown. She regretted this immediately: she knew she looked good, but did suddenly feel as though she were showing off in front of these guys dressed in their home-made costumes. {elseif Alexa = 1}‘I am Lady Alexa of The Holy Order.’ She struck a hero pose, with her fists on her hips. She regretted this immediately: she knew she looked good, but did suddenly feel as though she were showing off in front of these guys dressed in their home-made costumes.{else}‘I am Amethyst Allegra, Chief Witch of the Saviours. I am in disguise as a lowly member of the Holy Order in order to infiltrate their defences.’{endif}

The three men looked surprised for a moment, glancing at each other with what Emily took to be worried expressions.

‘Bullshit,’ laughed the man in the centre of the three. This was the one who had been issuing orders just now. He stepped forward, his two friends taking his lead and approaching. They circled around slightly, moving to Emily’s sides.

{if Denaasi = 1}‘If you were Denaasi, you would have killed us all by now.’ He pointed his sword at Emily’s face. She saw the blade was thick, made of some sort of rubbery material painted silvery grey. ‘So, Denaasi, why don’t you set your dragon on me?’

Damn, thought Emily. Wasn’t Ted supposed to have told her about all this?{elseif Alexa = 1}‘If you were Alexa, you would strike all three of us down without hesitation.’ He pointed his sword at Emily’s face. She saw the blade was thick, made of some sort of rubbery material painted silvery grey. ‘So, Alexa, why don’t you cut me to shreds with your magic sword?’

Damn, thought Emily. Wasn’t Ted supposed to have given her some weapons?{else}‘If you were Amethyst, you would strike all three of us down without hesitation.’ He pointed his sword at Emily’s face. She saw the blade was thick, made of some sort of rubbery material painted silvery grey. ‘So, Amethyst, why don’t you hit me with one of your magic spells?’

Damn, thought Emily. Wasn’t Ted supposed to have given her some spells to use?{endif}

{if Denaasi = 1}‘I thought so,’ smiled the man. ‘You are not Denaasi. You are just some rich girl using daddy’s credit card for cosplay.’ The other two men were emboldened now and moved forward to hold Emily’s arms tightly. ‘It is a nice costume,’ he continued, ‘let’s get a better look. Pass me her coat.’{elseif Alexa = 1}‘I thought so,’ smiled the man. ‘You are not Alexa. You are just some rich girl using daddy’s credit card for cosplay.’ The other two men were emboldened now and moved forward to hold Emily’s arms tightly. ‘It is a nice costume,’ he continued, ‘let’s get a better look. Pass me her helmet.’{else}‘I thought so,’ smiled the man. ‘You are not Negana. You are just some rich girl using daddy’s credit card for cosplay.’ The other two men were emboldened now and moved forward to hold Emily’s arms tightly. ‘It is a nice costume,’ he continued, ‘quite plain, but well made.’{endif}

{if Denaasi = 1}The guy on Emily’s left was shorter than her, and pulled the coat off her shoulders. ‘Here you go Rich,’ he said, tossing it over. The man on her right said nothing, just staring intently at her face with a broad smile. Either menacing or a bit simple, Emily couldn’t tell. This really wasn’t going the way she had hoped.{elseif Alexa = 1}The guy on Emily’s left was shorter than her, and unfastened the clasp at her throat allowing the helmet to lift off. ‘Here you go Rich,’ he said, tossing it over. The man on her right said nothing, just staring intently at her face with a broad smile. Either menacing or a bit simple, Emily couldn’t tell. This really wasn’t going the way she had hoped. {else}{endif}

{if Denaasi = 1}Richard looked at the coat for a moment then dropped it to the floor. ‘I want to be sure she isn’t hiding any weapons. Take her dress off.’{elseif Alexa = 1}Richard looked at the helmet for a moment then dropped it to the floor. ‘I want to be sure she isn’t hiding any weapons. Give me her armour.’{else}‘I want to be sure she isn’t hiding any weapons. Take her dress off.’{endif}

‘No,’ shouted Emily, ‘you can’t do that!’ She struggled, trying to free her arms from the two men flanking her, but was not strong enough. Tom stepped forward and produced a length of thin cord. ‘Give me her arms,’ he instructed his friends, then tied her wrists together tightly. ‘If you won’t do this the easy way…’ he smiled, pulling her over to a nearby tree. Throwing the loose end of the cord over a low branch he pulled Emily’s arms up over her head then tied the line so she was held up straight. She protested loudly throughout this rough treatment but her words fell on deaf ears. This was meant to be a game, she thought. And so far it wasn’t much fun at all.

‘Now,’ said Tom, ‘we’re going to take you in, put you in our prison. You rich cunts, you think you can come here in your expensive outfits, looking down on the rest of us. Just because I can’t afford a nice costume,’ he stroked her hair slowly, ‘doesn’t mean you can treat me like a piece of shit.’

This guy clearly had some serious issues, and Emily was scared of him. She didn’t believe she had treated him badly at all. ‘Look,’ she tried to reason with him, ‘I didn’t buy this stuff, I’m working here. This is the costume they gave me.’ The man to her left spoke up. ‘Richard, look: she has a white wristband, not like our green ones. Maybe she is staff?’

Uncertainty flickered across his face for a moment, and he looked up at Emily’s wrist. Then his face hardened again, he seemed to have come to a decision.

‘I don’t care, I’m going to –‘

His words were cut off by the sound of screaming, somewhere close, coming closer fast.