17Neo Angelique Abyss belongs to KOEI and Clue belongs to Hasbro. I think. _ I do know they don't belong to me. Though it would certainly be nice having all those bishies at my beck and call, to wait on me hand and foot, to carry out my every command...
"Rayne, what's that?" Angelique pointed to a wide, flat object on the shelf.
Rayne sighed. She had finally persuaded him to let her help him tidy up his room (it hadn't been very hard to do) but then Ervin insisted on following her in. Between the cat's antics and Angelique having no idea how to sort out the books scattered across the floor (and everywhere else) he had been doing most of the work. And the room still didn't look much better than it had when they began.
"That? It's a game someone gave me while I was in school. I think I've only played it once."
Angelique pulled the box off the shelf and examined it. "Clue...was it fun?"
Rayne looked up from deciding whether "Artifacts and What We Can Learn From Them" should go in the historical science pile or the modern science pile. JD didn't seem very historical. "It was ok, I guess."
"We should all play it together!"
Rayne almost winced. JD maybe, but...Nyx and Hyuga? He tried to imagine them sitting down to a board game other than chess. And failed. "I'm not sure that would go over too well. Remember when you wanted us to cook together? Poof. Flour everywhere. I thought my hair would never be red again."
"That's because you weren't working together liked I had hoped. With this you can't avoid doing it together." She smiled. Rayne felt his heart melt. Maybe it could be fun. "All right. It won't hurt to ask." After all, what could go wrong?
Nyx got up from the piano and stretched. He had lost track of time while playing. Checking the clock, he noticed it was tea time. The others were probably waiting for him.
An interesting spectacle awaited him on the veranda. Angelique stood in front of the table, beaming. Rayne was hovering behind it with a silghtly worried and...embarrassed?...look on his face. JD had sat down and was examining some small colorful objects. There were cards scattered across the table; and in the middle was a square, very thin, board. It had something like the floor plan of a large house printed on it. Though Nyx couldn't help but notice it wasn't near so expansive as Hidamari Mansion.
Just then Hyuga came in from spear practice. Angelique waved him over.
"Now that everyone is here, we can begin."
Everybody took their places, and Rayne explained the rules of the game.
"So we gradually see the others' cards, and by process of elimination, discover who the murderer is." Nyx adjusted his monocle. "This could be interesting."
"And fun," JD added.
Hyuga frowned. "It seems rather pointless to me. But...if Lady Angelique wishes me to play, I will."
"Good!" Angelique was still beaming. "I've already decided who everyone will be. Rayne, you will be Miss Scarlet."
"MISS? WHAT THE SLAG?"
Everyone snickered. Angelique ignored him. "Nyx, you will be Mrs. Peacock."
"Eh?"
"Hyuga is Mrs. White."
Hyuga looked nervous. But he had said he would obey any order the Queen gave, and he wasn't about to back down now.
"JD will be Colonel Mustard."
"WHY DOES HE GET TO BE MALE?"
"And that leaves Mr. Green for me."
"This seems a bit backwards..."
"WHY CAN'T I BE PROFESSOR PLUM?"
"Because, Rayne, you have said many times yourself you are NOT a professor. But you ARE red. If it makes feel better, you can roll the dice first."
"What could go wrong, huh? A LOT," Rayne grumbled, but he rolled the dice anyway.
An hour later...
"Professor Plum and the knife to the...conservatory, I suppose," Nyx called. For the third time. From the way he was repeating himself, Rayne knew that Nyx knew - as he himself did - exactly who had what cards as well as who had killed Mr. Body. He was fairly certain the others didn't know yet - JD seemed more intent on enjoying the game than winning it, and Hyuga would rather have died than beat Angelique-sama at anything. Rayne knew he needed to do something, and soon.
He got his chance when Ervin jumped onto the board, sending the tokens flying everywhere, and then ran off into the garden with Angelique hot on his feline heels.
While Hyuga and JD set the pieces back up, Rayne grabbed Nyx's sleeve and pulled him away where they wouldn't be overheard.
"All right, we both know the murderer is Mr. Green, but how do we decide who should break the news to them? Draw straws?"
"No," Nyx stopped him, with a grim look on his face. "As the eldest here, it is my responsibility to take the hard tasks upon myself. I'll do it."
They headed back to the others. Hyuga and JD had the board back in order, and Angelique had finally caught Ervin and returned.
The game proceeded as normal, until it came to Nyx's turn. He stood up and adjusted his monocle.
"I am going to make an accusation." He pointed to Angelique. "It was Mr. Green, with the rope, in the dining room!"
He solemnly picked up the envelope containing the mystery cards and emptied them onto the table for all to see. They were Mr. Green, the rope, and the dining room.
Rayne covered his face and turned away.
Angelique stared at the cards and blinked. "But...but...I never..."
JD gaped at her. "It was really you..."
Hyuga, however, refused to believe it. "No! This is all a lie! Angelique-sama would never hurt anyone! Nyx is the true murderer and he's trying to frame her!" He picked up his spear (Rayne wondered why he had it so close by) and attacked Nyx, who fended him off with his whip (Rayne was curious about that too).
Rayne turned back to the table where JD and Angelique had recovered from their shock and were putting the game away. Rayne wondered how they could stay so calm while the other two were about to kill each other out on the lawn.
"Well that sure was fun!" JD laughed. "I'll have to remember and borrow this game next time I go visit Jet."
Rayne returned to keeping an eye on the two who were fighting. Nyx was desperately trying to convince Hyuga that he was not accusing Angelique herself of being a murderer, only Mr. Green who she had chosen to pretend to be. Unfortunately, Hyuga would hear none of it.
"I don't know, JD. An awful lot could go wrong."
I'm sorry if the end was anti-climactic. I got halfway through and my mind went blanker than Angelique's. _ Any ideas for improvement would be greatly appreciated.