Comic for Saturday, June 2nd, 2018: Sneaking Around

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Combak
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Re: Comic for Saturday, June 2nd, 2018: Sneaking Around

#16 Post by Combak »

Well, I guess this means that this takes place on a different day that the end of the last chapter, seeing as Flora was in bed with Trace the last morning. ... Which makes sense, since Zen was asleep for at least a full day, as mentioned at the start of the chapter. But if you forgot, like me, there’s a reminder.

Also, since people are talking about it, I’m pretty sure nothing too sinister is going on with Rose. Since I’m pretty sure Trace would’ve put some control spell on her, like the slave collars have, I can easily imagine a spell that teleports her to the location of anyone that says her name. Otherwise, years of experience could easily explain her timing. Plus the trope mentioned.

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Hulk10
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Re: Comic for Saturday, June 2nd, 2018: Sneaking Around

#17 Post by Hulk10 »

MuonNeutrino wrote: Sat Jun 02, 2018 8:23 pm Ok... something is up with Rose. How is she always exactly where she needs to be, and how does she know where everyone is? I mean, I suppose it could just be rule of funny - 'the butler is always right behind you' *is* kinda a trope - but still, it's been pretty conspicuous.

Keep in mind, she's the seneschal of the estate - essentially the manager, not just a servant. She'd be in charge of the administration of the entire estate - managing the household budget, coordinating the (likely dozens) of staff/servants/slaves, making arrangements in the master's name when he's not present, etc. While it seems clear that her duties also include being Trace's personal interface with the estate (unsurprisingly, as she's the one basically in charge of the place), she'd also have plenty of administrative tasks to do that ought to be occupying most of her time - she shouldn't be just following Trace around ready to pop out when he needs something, that's the duty of a bodyservant, not a seneschal.

And yet, she always seems to be *right there*, the instant she's needed. From the first time we saw her again, she was waiting right at the door to open it as Trace walked up. There'd normally be no particular reason for her to be hanging out by the front door, but she's right there the moment he arrives. She goes off to make tea, and then manages to carry a teapot (and probably cups too) into the room, set it down on a table, and walk up behind Eric without anyone noticing. The next morning, she mysteriously appears right outside the bedroom door after she's mentioned, and I think it's worth noting that from her 'Putting what together?' response she was *not* there early enough to overhear the rest of Flora's statement. After the quartet heads out, she's once again conveniently right there to answer the door when Brahn's hapless templar show up. Later she's right in front of the gateway down in the garden the instant it opens, and then has gotten all the way back inside and up onto a balcony before everyone has even gotten through the portal. And then of course today she teleports right behind Trace the moment he says her name, and again from her response she was *not* there a few seconds earlier because otherwise she'd have heard what they were talking about.

In other words, Rose is always showing up in places she doesn't seem to have had any particular reason to have been hanging around, and seems to have a talent for appearing quickly and quietly out of nowhere. One or two instances could be explained away - for example, perhaps someone sent word up to the estate that Trace was on his way - but it keeps happening, and with notable attention drawn to it. Even completely ignoring things like Rose's cryptic lines here, it really seems like there's something odd going on.

Now, assuming it's not just rule of funny, it could still be something as simple as being a feature of the estate's magical amenities. One could easily imagine that the obviously absolutely-top-of-the-line estate of the *Grand Templar* would have plenty of magical enhancements, and indeed in addition to the defense spells and a permanent magical gateway 'back door' we've also seen magical voice-controlled lights and room service tables, so it seems that the estate definitely includes magic as part of its functioning. I could imagine that there'd also be utility spells to assist in the running and management of the estate, so perhaps that could include things like sensory spells that let Rose mentally keep track of what's going on, or even teleportation spells to let her get around the estate as needed. But of course there's also things like the various speculations about Rose being a ghost bound to the estate or something like that, and her cryptic statements in comic 1018 definitely don't dispel those sorts of speculations. (For that matter, her lines here also could be interpreted in some interesting ways if one wanted to.) Whichever, though, it's definitely suspicious.
Lets not forget that Saria may have had an objection to Rose being under a spell. I hope fluffy little Flora hasn't gotten into any sensitive info. Or trouble.
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Warrl
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Re: Comic for Saturday, June 2nd, 2018: Sneaking Around

#18 Post by Warrl »

I'm pretty sure (still have one more scene to check) that we've never seen Rose handle a physical object that other characters also handle - or are even implied to handle. She says she's going to make tea, but we never see her actually do anything with a teapot - she shows up again later with the teapot sitting on something somewhere near her.

Uh... cancel that, she hands a large bowl of coffee to Reni.

But the only other thing beyond her clothing that we ever see her carrying, or even touching (aside from the floor), is a candleholder. And nobody but her touches that candleholder.

For that matter, this is a mansion that puts magic, voice-controlled (even with very bad pronunciation), lights in guest rooms - so why does she need a candle?

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Schrodinger
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Re: Comic for Saturday, June 2nd, 2018: Sneaking Around

#19 Post by Schrodinger »

I think Maddie snatched the plate right out from under Karen's nose on her way out.
What was it the spider said to the fly...

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James Polymer
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Re: Comic for Saturday, June 2nd, 2018: Sneaking Around

#20 Post by James Polymer »

SpottedKitty wrote: Sat Jun 02, 2018 9:42 pm
James Polymer wrote: Sat Jun 02, 2018 9:22 pm Maybe she's like "Creepy Watson" from the Sherlock Holmes: Nemesis video game, in that Trace forgot to code her walking animation?
https://youtu.be/13YlEPwOfmk
:shock:

You realise, of course, he's behaving just like a Weeping Angel? Except better dressed, of course... :P
True, but Weeping Angels were intentionally frightening. For me, it's much creepier when it's something that normally isn't supposed to be scary (e.g. mannequins in an abandoned department store, or the dismembered baby dolls from the Isla de las Muñecas in Mexico). And no self-respecting unearthly phantom would be caught dead in something that looked like a glorified hospital gown. >Harrumphs and adjusts monocle<
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Rafe
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Re: Comic for Saturday, June 2nd, 2018: Sneaking Around

#21 Post by Rafe »

Tyger42 wrote: Sat Jun 02, 2018 10:16 pm Oh, you know Rose LOVES doing that to Trace. XD She looks all stoic and stuff, but she's got her own mischievous streak.
Well, she used to, anyway. She did pull a nasty trick on Euchre, threatening to stab him when she saw him in human form here: http://twokinds.keenspot.com/comic/722/

With Maddie and Karen sneaking around, I'm starting to wonder if one of them - or worse, the two of them as a team - might somehow stumble upon "that room on the third floor". If anyone can keep that from happening, it would be Rose.

Along the same lines, what if Maddie and/or Karen try to keep tabs on Rose to outmaneuver her some way. I'm betting if they try that, their going to discover something very unsettling about Rose. Maybe she can be in two places at the same time.

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Re: Comic for Saturday, June 2nd, 2018: Sneaking Around

#22 Post by Panther »

Awww , poor Rose : not easy to deal with the new Trace ................... such sudden change upsets her X_X
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Moniker Pending
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Re: Comic for Saturday, June 2nd, 2018: Sneaking Around

#23 Post by Moniker Pending »

... Am I the only one who noticed Keith's eyes?

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Re: Comic for Saturday, June 2nd, 2018: Sneaking Around

#24 Post by ClockworkPanda »

Oh no, I suddenly got the vibe something very bad might have happened to Flora. It's nothing concrete, might just be a segway, but this could be an excellent foreshadowing moment :shock:

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Tyger42
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Re: Comic for Saturday, June 2nd, 2018: Sneaking Around

#25 Post by Tyger42 »

Moniker Pending wrote: Sun Jun 03, 2018 10:01 am ... Am I the only one who noticed Keith's eyes?
His typical look of bland disinterest?

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imalbert
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Re: Comic for Saturday, June 2nd, 2018: Sneaking Around

#26 Post by imalbert »

ClockworkPanda wrote: Sun Jun 03, 2018 10:52 am Oh no, I suddenly got the vibe something very bad might have happened to Flora. It's nothing concrete, might just be a segway, but this could be an excellent foreshadowing moment :shock:
Flora got run over?

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Cosmacelf
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Re: Comic for Saturday, June 2nd, 2018: Sneaking Around

#27 Post by Cosmacelf »

This estate has a lot of magical enchantments on it. It’s possible that Rose gets teleported anywhere in the estate when Trace or someone mentions her. Or was given the ability to be transported when she “hears” her name mentioned.

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Re: Comic for Saturday, June 2nd, 2018: Sneaking Around

#28 Post by Hulk10 »

ClockworkPanda wrote: Sun Jun 03, 2018 10:52 am Oh no, I suddenly got the vibe something very bad might have happened to Flora. It's nothing concrete, might just be a segway, but this could be an excellent foreshadowing moment :shock:
I hope fluffy little Flora is ok.
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Re: Comic for Saturday, June 2nd, 2018: Sneaking Around

#29 Post by ClockworkPanda »

I mean like, this entire situation and Trace looking for Flora might just be a transition into the actual plot, that kind of segway, but it could also be a more plot-relevant fact :P

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JohnTheWysard
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Re: Comic for Saturday, June 2nd, 2018: Sneaking Around

#30 Post by JohnTheWysard »

Rafe wrote: Sun Jun 03, 2018 3:16 am Along the same lines, what if Maddie and/or Karen try to keep tabs on Rose to outmaneuver her some way. I'm betting if they try that, their going to discover something very unsettling about Rose. Maybe she can be in two places at the same time.

I've been toying with an idea: perhaps Rose IS the estate, or at any rate an integral part of the estate!

Speaking legally, this is indubitable: as a slave, she is one of Trace Legacy's possessions. But it may be true magically as well - that she, and the chateau, and the property are all an indissoluble entity, with Rose as a mobile, vocal, interacting component, but one aware of and capable of manipulating all the other components.

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