IC INBOX

[gothicgambit]

WELCOME TO YOUR PRIVATE CHANNEL, CELESTIA LUDENBERG. FOR SECURE COMMUNICATION, USE 888.06.111.44 *** VersaillesWitch has joined 888.06.111.44 <VersaillesWitch> Say what you will, but do say it quickly. (alt anon account) <whiterabbit>

Comments

<Player1> 5/23, very early morning, after parasite event

[knifemonopoly]

thank you for taking it out
sorry i hurt you

<sodapop>

[creamsouda]

hey

when do u want that kotatsu

[gothicgambit]

[Celeste has been run absolutely ragged between getting turned into a fucking demon, being hired at a new job, and having to deal with several neighbors being infested with parasites. So this new message sits in her inbox for a few days before she gets around to it.]

Oh! Perhaps in the mid-afternoon? I usually clock in at the casino in the evenings. So any time before 4pm.

<Player1>, dated to shortly after Midsummer Night's Dream event

[knifemonopoly]

[He hasn't seen Celeste around. He knows there was a fight, he knows horrible things were uncovered between the people who live in Apartment 807, and he knows Celeste missed a shift. He'd gone to look for her specifically, to see if she was there...the fact that she wasn't cemented his concerns and made up his mind to act.

What he wants out of this is to lure her in, get a read on how she is, whether she's okay. But Celeste is proud! So, his opening gambit is...]

It's been pretty quiet since the trees died. We probably won't have any more trouble until the next fog...so, want to play that game?

I'll make it worth your while.

< VersaillesWitch> [PRIVATE]

[gothicgambit]

[This is obviously a trap.

Celeste isn't fucking stupid, she made a gigantic, vulnerable, idiot of herself and then essentially fled into the night. The fact that she'd missed a shift yesterday would only make things worse, she knew. But she couldn't... She didn't want to face people's questions right now.

So the notification of Atem's message hadn't been surprising. The contents only momentarily so before she saw it for what it was: an attempt to bait her and make her look even weaker than she already felt.]

In case you haven't noticed, Atem-dear. I play poker for a living. How exactly would you make it interesting?

[Maybe she is fucking stupid.]

<WhiteWizard> , relating to cat thread

[softspokenlandlord]

Hello, Celeste. It's Ryou. I hope you're doing alright today. :)

Atem found your cat and brought him home. I didn't know you had a cat! But anyway if you have time, please feel free to drop by and collect him.

<Player1> it's literally just because he's not hunting at the casino that he didn't notice sooner

[knifemonopoly]

celeste
if you can see this, give me a sign of life
I know you haven't disappeared, your name isn't in the graveyard, but you're not around, either

if someone's got you, like they got Steve, and Komaeda, and Javert, and me, then
I'll rip their heart out myself
I'll tear this horror show open if that's what it takes

so, if you can read this
let me know you're okay
or I'm coming after you

< VersaillesWitch >

[gothicgambit]

[she almost lets it sit, fear and shame stilling her fingers before she can type out something coherent. But… he’s worried, so obviously beside himself and he calls her Celeste. A name they both know she has no right to.]

I am alive and unharmed. And I am somewhere safe.


Has anyone asked about last month?

[its stupid and selfish but she has to KNOW]

<CheeryCherry>

[isawallflower]

Celestia?

Can we talk?

[ She should’ve sent this weeks ago. But— ]

< VersaillesWitch >

[gothicgambit]

[it’s only because she’s just been talking to Atem, when her inbox pings she opens it without thinking-
And very nearly slams it shut again. Son of a bitch-]

About?

<WhiteWizard>, gonna sayyyyy...after ryou haunted the whole 38-8 and casino

[softspokenlandlord]

Hi Celeste

I should have messaged you before this point, but there were several things going on at the time and

Anyway

How are you doing? Have you been alright?

[He pauses, considering whether he wants to add something else on there, or if he just wants to keep it simple.

...Well, Celeste seems the sort to value honesty, so...he continues:]

And if you are alright...how would you feel about helping me with a project?

< VersaillesWitch >

[gothicgambit]

[Ryou is.. one of the last people she expected to hear from. Were they friendly? Of course, she actually quite liked him, but she also knew he was a bit scared of her.

Or perhaps that was it. Now that he bad seen the truth of her, all power she held, any intimidation, would be scattered to the wind. So of course he only reached out when he wanted something.]

I am fine. What do you require?

<fenrir>

[dead_eyed_wolf]

celes
komaedas gone

i was worried about both of you so i checked the graveyard

i didnt want to bother you when i knew you were upset im sorry but
its too quiet
please come home

< VersaillesWitch > —> Perma Action

[gothicgambit]

I’m coming home.

[the message comes immediately. Even with the embarrassment of everything, Atem and Five had been right. She had nothing to be frightened of and anyone who truly mattered to her would give her the basic respect she deserved.

More than that. Mukuro needed her. And Komaeda…

She gets home late, with grass stains on the knees of her stockings and the words of the Fog ringing in her ears.]


I’m here.

Nov 11 or 12

[missleadingquestions]

[One morning, a basket filled with sweets and prepackaged snacks arrives at Celeste's place, quite obviously curated by some Bavan human company as the food choices are all Bavanite staples. There's a few items from the conbini on top as well, seeming to have been purchased separately and added in. It doesn't have the handmade aspect of Maya's normal gifts, but someone's avoiding going home right now.

It's not human flesh, but snacks can feed a hungry heart, if not a hungry stomach.

Attached is a note.]

Thanks for your help and hard work. Take time to cheer up!

-M. Fey

forward dated - 24th

[boneshears]

On Christmas Eve, a parcel will show up in the mailbox for Celeste. It's beautifully wrapped in deep red paper, trimmed with a green ribbon edged with lace. The tag attached is in Gabriel's neat print:

Mlle. Ludenberg.

-GM.

Inside the box, there are homemade lebkuchen, and a note stating these are suitable for cats (for who could forget Grand Bois). In addition, there is a book, bound in leather. The pages are blank, but the leather is very clearly tattooed skin, delicate lace patterns worked into the flesh. The book is held shut by a lock, the key inside for her to use and keep.

[hairday]

[On Nattensfest Eve, Steve delivers the following to 807:

A pin cushion that looks like a cat, also equipped with a slot for scissors.

In case Celeste has reservations about stabbing a fake cat, he's also included a rabbit pin cushion as a back up plan. Dark humor y'all.

Though Steve isn't sure whether demons or faeries still have any interest in solid food, he made sure the portions he passed along to Mukuro were big enough for two people to have a taste.

What he was sure of is that Celeste would probably balk on principle if he'd tried to get her any actual clothing or accessories to wear, so he's focused on her hobby instead.

A peace offering for their continued acquaintanceship.]

nattenfest

[isawallflower]

[ Riley’s going to be at Hill House for Nattenfest morning, so Mukuro and Celeste’s gifts are delivered the night before, with quiet instruction to not open until tomorrow. The girls are gifted with many gingersnaps, the smell of which has been drifting throughout the eighth floor for the last few days.

For Celeste individually, she receives a gift bag with a positively cursed cat pitcher. Riley thinks it’s cute, of course. Tucked inside is a little extra catnip from Poudmates, the kind the workers usually refer to as “the good stuff,” and a note, asking about a playdate for Grand Bois and Maple. Maybe Tybolt can come too?

Think about it. ]

around NYE--

[knifemonopoly]

[--but before the party, Celeste gets a very small box, with a pair of red diamond drop earrings in it.

If she has them examined, yep they're real diamonds, and there are identifying marks etched into the edges! One of them will read nfr, which, if Ryslig's translation magic comes through and works overtime, will carry meanings of beautiful, but also good, perfect, complete. The image itself could be a heart with a trachea, or it could be a musical instrument, and it does mean "zero," but "zero" as a beginning, specifically as a foundation to build on.

The other one is some elaborate fucking kanji pun involving "friendship" written in a way that includes some kind of symbol that means "blessings" or "star/planet/things in the sky."

There's also a note with them:

These have a secret. It's something you can show, but can't see! Can you guess what it is?

--Atem]

12/24

[youngtimer]

[on Nattensfest Eve, two boxes are delivered to the apartment. one is for Celeste, and one is for Mukuro. though Celeste's box is smaller, don't let that decieve:

inside there are four very carefully wrapped items, and one smaller, standard white jewelry box. the four items are a matching set, as follows:

- An antique silver playing card case with rubies at the center of the flowers
- A pair of twisting, twining vines also decked in rubies which, with a stretch of the imagination, will reveal themselves to be horn adornments for when she regains her demon form
- A slave bracelet clearly in the perfect Gothic Lolita style, but designed so as not to interfere with shuffling and dealing
- A silver pendant on a very, very long chain, designed to be concealed beneath clothing and to hang next to the heart. The pendant is thin, simple, and embossed with a single word: HEATHEN.

The note accompanying these is in the same simple cursive that's on all of Celeste's paychecks and the schedule posted outside the office every week, but the contents are far less businesslike, curt as they are: For my Ace of Hearts.

The white jewelry box contains only a few stray sequins and slip of paper: five words in block print. Take good care of him. - Dolores

nattensfest 2021.

[gitanes]

[from lila, celeste receives some fucking shoes, because she deserves them.]

nattensfest 2021.

[digiorno]

[from giorno, celeste receives a small eyeshadow palette with shades of gray, black, and vibrant purple; bat gloves (with claw holes, naturally); and definitely jewelry and not a crown.]

nattensfest 2021.

[dead_eyed_wolf]

[Celeste receives two pretty custom card decks, seemingly identical. Upon much, much closer examination, the second deck's secret is revealed: there are tiny, almost invisible marks in the intricate gothic designs on the card backs. With some studying, Celeste will be able to tell exactly what an opponent is holding if she's using the trick deck. This also means she can mix trick cards into the "normal" deck as needed.

'Celeste - I know you don't need anything like this to be the best, but it's always nice to have an ace in your pocket.' The note is signed with an unmistakable pawprint.]

Nattensmas!

[softspokenlandlord]

[There is a knock on the door of Celeste and Mukuro's apartment and two labeled packages can be found outside the door.

Celeste's gift is comprised of a black handkerchief, monogrammed with her initials and trimmed in white, and the box that it's wrapped around. Within said box is a selection of fine local teas that Ryou hopes she would like, and also, nestled carefully within, is a carved figure of Horatio that almost looks like a game piece (it sort of is, it's Ryou's specialty after all!)

At the very bottom of the box is a small note:]

Merry Nattensfest, as it's called here. I did my best to make sure you receive only the finest for the occasion. I hope that you enjoy these gifts!

- Ryou Bakura

[Yes. He signed his full name. He's like this.]

a nattensfest letter to you

[figlia_morbida]

[Strangers that they remain, Trish simply can't allow Ms.Ludenberg to escape giving her a gift without returning the favor. As an italian, that is simply not permissible! So, piled with Steve and Mukuro's gifts, Celeste will find a gift addressed to her, wrapped in frankly awful looking wrapping paper, which contains a box tied shut with red string that also fixes a card in place. The card itself has two sides, one adorned with a design of various cats, and the other side normally blank but now adorned with neat, tightly written cursive from La Befana, which to the Italians of the peninsula is a familiar holiday figure.

As with others before, the card has a unique message. For Celeste, it reads:

You subsist on elegance as much as I'd like to. When I see you, I think to myself: "Vola con le proprie ali." (She flies with her own wings.)

Buon Natale e felice anno nuovo.

Inside, Celeste will find several bottles of limoncello, unlabeled because it's homemade. Mukuro also received some, so between the two of them, they could have a private drink night with the other residents of 38-8! There's also a black jewelry box with a deep red, crushed velvet interior. Such a thing seemed to suit Celeste, though she can store any bits and baubles she wants.]

Look at me finally doing the thing... Early January, pre-event

[youngtimer]

When Horatio had saved up all of his coin and finally gone to see Mana, he'd expected a simple transaction: not the strange telepathic exchange and the detailed list of instructions she'd left him with. Even so, he knew just where to go to start checking things off the list. The only problem was, he'd have to make it worth Celeste's while. By the time he knocked on her apartment door, he had an idea.

He just hoped she was home and not out shopping or visiting someone else. Horatio self-consciously ran a hand over his hair, straightened his coat, checked his breath - okay, he no longer smelled like that morning's coffee, good - and then finally raised a hand to knock.

"Celeste? It's Horatio. Are you in?"