|
|
Post by Pixie on May 27, 2020 1:24:11 GMT -5
Meanwhile, back in town, Ray Nextpected finished his coffee at the corner store and decided to take a look at the pet shop anyway. He braced himself against the blustering wind outside, dodged a small storm of falling hashbrowns, and made his way to Uffnewt’s biggest shopping area. He had not been inside the pet shop before, not previously considering himself to be a pet person, and found the contents of the orderly shelves and the noises of animals in their roomy enclosures to be a lot to take in. The store was crowded. Most of the people were looking to buy terrariums, which were running in short supply, unlike the current surplus of lizards which the pet shop had not actually stocked. He decided there was neither enough space in the shop nor lizards on his person. He went home. His first thought was that he could still really go for some more coffee. He made himself a cup, much better stuff than his previous, and sunk into an old comfy armchair. Suddenly, he felt a slight weight appear on his legs in three different places. He looked down, and only narrowly avoided a spit take. His lizards were back. Elsewhere, a pink-haired woman traveling a labyrinthine, invisible greenhouse had a familiar lizard rematerlize on her head. Brief check-in with our old ex-weatherman Ray! He’s been in the corner store drinking his coffee for a while, and now decides to go out and visit the pet shop, even though his lizards vanished a while ago. The pet store is a bit crowded with lizards and people trying to buy terrariums, though, so he heads home, where he brews himself a better cup of coffee. Cue near-spittake when his three lizards suddenly materialize on him again. (And it seems that Sherrie’s lizard Blossom ( Ginz ❤ ) has suddenly appeared again, too?) |
|
|
|
Post by RielCZ on May 27, 2020 13:53:50 GMT -5
"So, you've made it pretty far in here, past codes and cryptogram.
How on earth did ev'ryone's day spiral this much out of hand?" Evi's reflection began."Good question," responded Evi. "Though I think the lady of this house had something to do with it." He looked back at the flamingo with a narrowed gaze. "There's a story I've heard," the flamingo added, turning to Jess and the rest of the team. "A wise person asks a magician, 'When a musician plays their instrument, where does the music come from? Does it come from the instrument, or the person playing it?' And there's no single correct answer, really, except that maybe sometimes magic is collaborative, that the things we do are built up from many different sources coming together.""Hmm, that makes sense, even from a non-magical standpoint," replied the photographer as he took out his camera and aimed it at his reflection, who aimed it back at him. "I need my camera to take nice photos, but my camera needs me, too, to... take nice photos." He nodded slowly. "I'd never really thought about it that way before, but we do work together -- insofar as one of us is technically inanimate. But, regardless, it is something of a collaborative effort, isn't it?" He took a picture of his reflection, which had the same shadowy aura on camera as did the glamour illusion from the house earlier. Interesting. But that also made for a nice photo effect. He took another, but with flash -- though he wasn't sure if the light that came off the parallel photographer's camera was merely a reflection. Evi needed to cool down, though; he reached in and splashed some water on his face before turning to face his other face. "What do you think about all this, other Evi?" Evi responds to the flamingo ( Lizica) and asks his reflection what he thinks about "all this."
|
|
|
|
Post by June Scarlet on May 27, 2020 15:50:35 GMT -5
Mr Evi tried to pull Taffy out of the hat, but was unsuccessful. It wasn't long before the riddle of the watering can was solved, however, and the team packed up to move on. Jess took the top hat back, and successfully pulled Taffy out to ride in the satchel again. "I'll put her back in when we have the chance for someone else to try." They wandered and twisted and turned until they reached an oasis. Their reflections in the water, however, came with a surprise. Each of them talked! In turn, they each spouted a rhyming couplet, until the reflection of Taffy herself chimed in that they should take what they've been given. Taffy eyed her reflection, which eyed her right back. Taffy gave some inquisitive chirps. "Given? What, the water?" asked Jess. It sounded like a riddle of sorts, but a very vague one. The others began cooling off using the water of the pool, so perhaps it was as simple as that. The flamingo in the mean time explained that music, and perhaps magic as well, doesn't come from the instrument or the person, but from a combination of the two. Plus, knowing only a few tricks was still pretty cool, the flamingo only knew how to unlock the front gate. "Oh, and how to lock it again, too, I imagine. Unless that's Holiday's job. Did you two remember to lock the gate after us? Or you know what? Forget I said anything, I don't want you to have to worry about it while we're lost in here." Mr. Evi noted that his relationship with his camera was another example of forces coming together to create something wonderful. "That's true," said Jess, "I guess it is a collaborative effort a lot of the time." Taffy tugged at Jess' shirt, and made some more curious chirps. "Oh, you want to explore the pool as well?" realized Jess. Jess knelt, and gently set her Guinea Pig next to the pool. Taffy sniffed the water, and nuzzled it with her nose, only to find it was wet, like water should be. Taffy chirped again. "So take what you've been given..." repeated Jess to herself. Water seemed like too simple an answer. How did the poem all together go? She grabbed a pencil and paper from her satchel, and with some help from the others, they soon had the whole poem written down. Jess studied it. She was reminded of a book she'd read once, where characters sent messages via poem, using the first letter of every line to spell out a word. She checked, and they spelled out "SHEERSHEARS" in this case. "Sheer Shears? Sheers Hears?" she wondered aloud. Taffy looked up from her odd reflection, and whistled. Jess smiled. "You think we're on to something there? Hey, reflections, what are sheer shears, if that's a thing?" Evi RielCZ doesn't pull Taffy out of the top hat. Before anyone else can try, it's time to move on, though anyone is welcome to try at any time. Taffy is curious about the reflections in the water. The Flamingo says some nice things about how it takes a combination of things to create music, and possibly magic. Jess briefly wonders if they remembered to lock the gate after them. Together, the team writes down the poem, and Jess thinks to check the first letter of every line. Taking that, she asked the reflections what exactly is the thing that spells out. |
|
|
|
Post by Gelquie on May 28, 2020 4:10:34 GMT -5
Era nodded as strongly as they could at the comment supporting self-expression, and gave a thumbs up. But they listened more intently at the suggestion of the Poet's Narcissus. After acquiring it from one of the teammates, they brought it up to their nose and gave a sniff. It did give a lovely scent; something like jasmine and hyacinth together. While scent wasn't their primary concern, it was most immediate, given they'd be making a return trip, and either way, it sounded useful to have. They took a moment to gently tuck the flower into their collar and ensure that it's secure. "That sounds really neat and helpful, and if nothing else it's a good smell; thank you!" Era commented. "I'm glad we did help it. I'm not... always like this. Which, it's okay, I know this is something you can't really help with overall, but stuff like this, this'll help take the edge off." They gave a smile. "I'll be okay, really." They slowly turned, taking their time. "Ah, I suppose it is her place, and thus her rules. Might be nicer for you though, at least, since you live here, if she put up signs or something. But hey, rough moments aside, this really is a great place, even if we got a little lost! Just means we'll explore even more! And even if the aer spirit wasn't the most polite, I'd still never seen tricks like that and they really are intriguing, just like the rest of this! I've never seen any place like this, and I wouldn't miss this for the world either. At whatever pace we can right now." Era gradually perks up, and while they're not 100, they're grateful and thankful for the help to take the edge off, and then attempt to rally onward!
(I kinda went ahead and had someone pass them the flower(s?) to move things along (I don't know who actually has the flower(s?)). I don't presume a problem, but poke me if there is.) |
|
|
|
Post by Liou on May 28, 2020 16:08:56 GMT -5
The Green Team had followed the path that went straight ahead past the snowman. Rose had returned its bow and frolicked ahead through the snow drifts, squeezing past increasingly crowded tree trunks, with louder snaps of twigs and clouds of pine needles raining upon their head. If this was the end of the path, Rose thought, that could mean only one thing. They had arrived! They had found the place! "It's the end of the path, team, we made it!" Rose called over their shoulder, pressing the side of their face against a branch that jutted out just above their head. Now all they needed to do was find the lady of the house herself, and ask her why on earth she would have gone hiding in such a thick copse of conifers and got lost. Rose drew breath. "Lady? Madam Lady?" they bellowed. "Madam Lady Ofthehouse?" The only answer they got was the echo of their own voice, as well as a fresh cloud of pine needles and snow sliding off branches and onto their head. Rose promptly dived and began to paddle through the nearest snow drift, sending snow flying behind them and cracking more branches. Rose obediently about-faced, crawled out of the thicket and shook themself. The team followed Mister Snuggles back down the path - Rose already knew that path, having just come that way, so there was no need for Mister Snuggles to show it to them again, but it was too funny walking behind the ball of black fluff bouncing over the snow. "It's us again! Remember?" They waved to the snowman before darting down the right-hand path. "Ooh, look at the pretty topiary," Rose said, pointing down the path. "The lady must have come this way, it takes a lot of work to keep these in shape!" Rose crouched in front of the nearest topiary and gave its alpaca head a pet, pulling faces along with the others. They giggled at the plants' conversation. Rose turned back to the Green Team, giggling. "'Morst'! Hee-hee." Rose then noticed that Mister Snuggles, like a diva receiving no attention for a whole minute, had begun to bat at one of the alpaca topiaries, nearly toppling it. They gasped and steadied its pot.
"Excuse you, Mister Snuggles!" they chided the cat. "Don't steal their thunder! You have plenty of your own, lurking somewhere in that fur coat!"
YAAA POST After yelling for the lady of the house because what else is one to do at a dead end, shaking a lot of snow and pine needles over everyone, Rose goes back past the snowman and finds the drama alpaca topiary with the rest of the Green Team, and is amused by their conversation! Rose responds with an in-joke, and tells Mister Snuggles off for attacking the plants. I hope I got the smilephabet right (I almost know it by heart lol), Rose's lines should say: "I don't know how loud they are, but they're not the best at puzzles! One of them thinks that "morst" is a word!" and "There, there. Here's your thunder back."
|
|
|
|
Post by Lizica on May 29, 2020 1:06:36 GMT -5
The alpaca topiary tittered at Rose’s anecdote about the two arctic plants, and the one who had been teetering sniffed with disdain in Mr. Snuggles’s direction.
“     /    ,” they told Rose with great dignity, just before being cut off by the topiary on the left, who suddenly cried out,
“    ! '  /  !!”
And as the alpaca topiary perked up at the word ‘thunder,’ and as the Green Team waited for their strange chattering of a response to resume--
A reply first came from a very different origin. It snaked along at the edge of their hearing for a moment, barely a crinkling whisper, like leaves rustling in the wind, but then the sound blossomed and swelled, a snapping, rising, booming, and definitively powerful crackle of very real thunder. It resounded throughout the greenhouse, shaking it to its very foundations and traveling along all of its unseen supports and glass walls in a great universal shudder.
The Green Team and the alpaca topiary looked up from the snow, around into the frigid air.
The Blue Team, still watching the reflections in the desert oasis, saw the puddle ripple and shiver at the sound, and the reflections looked just as alarmed as their counterparts.
The Red Team, enveloped by warm greenery, heard the sound filtered through dozens upon dozens of plants, muffled but somehow even more potent for how close everything felt in the jungle.
And they all were reminded that--although they had been wandering around in the arctic, in the desert, in the rainforest, for what felt like so long--this place was nevertheless, in truth, none of these things. This was a greenhouse, and they needed to speak with the lady of the house, because something strange was going on with the weather outside, and they did not like the sound of that thunder one bit.
---
As the thunder dissipated, rolling and crackling into the distance, it left behind a nervous, tenuous silence.
“Great magicians and great artists have claim to much in kind,” Evi’s reflection answered at length, lowering his camera.
“Of their crafts, both take great practice, both often tasks complex.”
“For neither tends to burgeon just quite as they’re designed.
Our Sheer Shears bear innately some of their own effects,” added Cassidy’s reflection.
“Right now, right here, you’ve already all you need,” Jess’s reflection went on with a smile.
“To counter sand, cipher, doubt, and to tend your magic seed,” continued Anton’s reflection.
“Hurry now, good puzzlers, go on and now proceed!” cried Princess Sunshine’s reflection.
And the Blue Team suddenly found themselves holding some large, strange garden shears--very sharp and sleek, but as the name suggested, very light and fine and silvery, as if they were hewn from spider silk.
“But wait, what are we supposed to do with these--” a member of the Blue Team began.
But when they turned back to ask this question, the reflections in the pool only silently mirrored their actions once more--though, perhaps, all with a hint of a smile.
“Well, come on,” the flamingo said, warily eyeing the air above them. “We’d better get going. I don’t fancy being stuck in here if a storm’s coming.” As they parted from their reflections and made their way back to the intersection with the watering can, he added, “And of course I remembered to close the garden gate behind us. What kind of second rate plastic flamingo do you think I am? Holiday for sure would have said something while she was on the lookout, and I would never forget something like that…even if there was a whole mob of strangers rushing into the house while fleeing from scrambled eggs.” He sounded confident, but there was an anxious look in his eye that said that now he couldn’t not think about the remote possibility of an open gate since it had been brought up.
The Blue Team greeted the rattling watering can (“We’ll be sure to tell her!”), and then continued on down the desert pathway. Past the can, the path bent to the left, and then went straight.
At first, a perfectly straight pathway was a perfectly exhausting thought--it just kept on going, and shouldn’t they be getting closer by now, and it was so hot...
...Until it wasn’t. The farther the team traveled down the pathway, the cooler and cooler the air became, until their sweat was cold, they had donned their jackets again, and they were huddled together, sunhats bumping into each other.
The pathway bent to the left one more time, and they found another intersection. To the left was more of their familiar desert, lined with cacti. And to the right--was a melting snow drift of a pathway crowded by conifers.
Just at the junction were two low-lying plants that somehow appeared as if they would be at home in either corridor. Their leaves...spines?...were bunched together in clumps, but their root system seemed to shift along the damp sand that this intersection was covered with.
One of the plants, the lichen-like one with tiny spiky cactus spines, moved jaggedly towards the Blue Team, pointing around their feet in intervals before spreading itself apart in shapes:
The other plant, which looked a little like a succulent moss with smooth, rounded pompom-like leaves, made its way over and spelled out in the sand:
A rooted tendril from each attempted to move letters around in the other’s, creating a small, low slappy fight on the ground.
---
Though literally somewhat shaken by the rattling thunder, the Green Team bid farewell to the gossiping alpaca topiary and continued on, their pathway slowly getting warmer and warmer as they went. It wasn’t quite moderate despite not resting uniformly at either extreme, but it was enough to make the snow melt into a vast puddle in the middle of the path. The weather indoors at that point marbled like the sky had marbled, with drafts of warm and frigid air.
And at the edge was--... One could only attempt to describe it. It had a waxy appearance that aligned with arctic and rainforest plants, but it also was something like no one had seen. It was squat and prickly-looking, but also seemed robust and a bit woody. The needles springing out of it in clusters were an array of pastel colors. There was no telling what species or even genera it was-- in fact, that the organism was even a plant was somewhat up in the air. At the line where the distinction between the two climate zones had been blurred, it was thriving.
At its base was a kind of thin grey stone tablet with darker grey lines on it. They swung back and forth, and tapped its needles on it. There were four markings in sequence on the stone, set into large squares. Before the team could get a good look at it, however, they were interrupted by an unexpected noise-- a loud chirp followed by a very soft thud.
A round amphibian best described as looking “toad-ally awesome” by those inclined to punnery hopped out in front of the plant. The plant danced about in apparent glee. It tapped and spun on the stone tablet. It tapped it over and over, but this only changed what the tablet read one letter at a time, accompanied by a muted click. What once had read “POOL” now read “COOL.” “KOOL” and “POVL” hadn’t taken.
It paused for a moment, then it danced between the toad and the puzzlers expectantly.
---
Holiday gently reached out a leaf and patted Era reassuringly on their shoulder.
As they knew it would, the smell of the corpse flower only intensified as the Red Team doubled back. The sound of the thunder was not reassuring, but the most immediate discomfort was still the flower’s odor.
Mentally prepared and armed with the more pleasantly fragrant Poet’s Narcissus, the team waved at the rafflesia with goodnatured polite cheer as they passed, and the flower enthusiastically waved back, thrilled to see its heroes again.
And then the team let out a breath as they turned down the adjoining pathway. The lush pathway turned to the right, to the left, to the left, and then--
“Another dead end?!” one of the teammates cried in exasperation.
“We’ll have to say hi to the rafflesia again?” added another.
“Wait,” a third team member said slowly. “If this way was a dead end, the the other way was a dead end, too, then that means that we actually should have turned at--”
---
“#x@5 =d gd& 5xky9? Wxd&1= #$ x@+$ 5d1= 5x$e 5x$g #$p$ w&%%dw$= 5d bd pkbx5?”
“#xg wxd&1= #$ x@+$? Yd5xkyb $1w$ ky 5xkw b@e$ x@w!”
“=DXDXDXDXDXDXD!”Green Team: After you solve your puzzle, you may either turn left or right. Blue Team: After you solve your puzzle, you may either turn left or right. Red Team: At the intersection before your previous intersection, you could have either continued straight ahead, or turned right. Do you now take the right path?
|
|
|
|
Post by Celestial on May 29, 2020 11:23:35 GMT -5
Aggie carried Purr-eh in her arms, not wanting her familiar to wander off and get herself even more cold and wet than she already was. For her part, the black cat was content to be carried, although she occassionally shot disdainful looks at Mr. Snuggles, who was clearly trying to show how amazing a navigator he was, despite leading them to the dead end in the first place. They passed by the snowman, and Aggie gave it a brief nod of acknowledgement. When it raised the snowball, H-oolong fluffed himself up and spread his wings, giving a threatening hiss. He did not want to be covered in snow again. Fortunately, that sent the proper message. Continuing onwards, Aggie soon heard an indistinct chatter. She frowned. "Do you hear that?" she asked. H-oolong cocked his head and the witch tried to use his better hearing to work out what was being said, but for the life of her, she could not make heads or tails of it. Even as they came closer and she saw the source of the chatter- two alpaca topiaries- she could not understand what they were saying. "I...I beg your pardon?" Aggie asked. "Could you please repeat that, slower this time?" It did not help. "I'm sorry, I'm not understanding at all." As she tried to decipher their strange language, Purr-eh watched as Mr. Snuggles very deliberately tried to topple one, all while making sure she was watching. Oh yes, she watched carefully. However, she refused to engage in such vulgarity. As such, she stuck her nose in the air and pawed at Aggie's arms, making herself a comfortable nest in her voluminous sleeves. H-oolong, meanwhile, sat down on the head of the upright topiary and snuggled in. Ah, this was pefect. If only they could stop chattering. He opened one eye and flexed his claws, trying to get them to understand that he needed their head for a nap. Rose suddenly giggled, seeming in reaction to what the plants said. Aggie blinked. "You understand them, Rose?" she exclaimed. As if to prove her point, they replied in the plants' own language and seemed to confirm that they had gotten things right. "Oh, Rose, you are incredi-" Aggie was suddenly cut off by the peal of thunder. Purr-eh hissed and leapt out of her arms, clinging to her hat. Even H-oolong fell off his comfy topiary perch. "Easy there, easy," Aggie wrestled her terrified cat off her hat, somehow miraculously avoiding being scratched. H-oolong fluttered onto her shoulder, making himself small, his eyes wide. Purr-eh snuggled into Aggie's arms. She turned to the rest of her group. "We should be careful. Rachel, do you have any advice for what to do if we are caught out in a storm?" Not wanting to get to that, Aggie quickened her pace. The melting snow did slow her down a little; she had to hop in between puddles in order not to get her shoes wet. Eventually, they came to a...well, she wished she could describe it as a plant as everything else they had encountered so far had been, but that was a question for a scientist, not a tea witch. She supposed it could be a plant in the same was a coconut was a mammal. The amphibian caught her eye. She felt Purr-eh tense as she zeroed in on it, her hunting instincts beginning to kick in. Same for H-oolong: his head was moving, trying to calculate its trajectory. "Now now, you two, we should not eat our puzzle-giver." Aggie kneeled down and gazed at the tablet. "I am guessing we must change one letter to transform POOL into something else. We have COOL as a clue...hmm," she pondered for a moment. Her fingers danced on the tablet, transforming COOL into COOT. Let's see if that stuck... Aggie is very stumped by the topiary's strange speech, while Purr-eh tries to pretend she does not see what Mr. Snuggles( Pixie, Lizica) is doing and that she is too mature to take part in such tomfoolery. H-oolong continued to search for a place to sleep. Aggie has no idea what to do but Rose( Liou) solves the riddle! She is about to compliment them but is cut off by thunder. Just in case they are caught out by the storm, she asks Rachel( Rabbit ♠) what they should do. Moving on seems the best option so far, and the Green Team comes to the puzzle. Aggie takes a stab at it with COOT. |
|
|
|
Post by Twillie on May 29, 2020 16:56:13 GMT -5
"Oh dear..." Gibi hovered a hand by her face, trying to think in the face of another dead end. "It looks like we've been wandering off trail for a while now then..." She turned to the other group members. "You think the fork in the road before this one will have the way, then?" She also gave a sympathetic look Era's way, who at least had the Narcissus flower to block out anymore unpleasant smell. "I guess the corpse flower wasn't a necessary pit stop, I wish I would've known before it wouldn't be good. But at least we did a good deed for them?" Here's a short post~ Gibi wonders if the next backtrack they take will truly get them on the right path. She also tries to console Era ( Gelquie) for their unneeded venture to the corpse flower. |
|
|
|
Post by Gelquie on May 31, 2020 22:33:13 GMT -5
Era continued on as fast as they were able, heartened with the support of others and Poet's Narcissus, and knowing that amazing and potentially terrifying but still amazing weather stuff was going to happen and they had to get to the bottom of it! Which of course involved talking to the lady of the house, but also they wanted to see what was going on outside in time! It could be their chance! They'd sit down later! Their pace was not dampened at all when they passed the Rafflesia, for while the Poet's Narcissus helped, it wasn't enough to completely remove the intense smell. Still, it helped a lot. They put on their best smile and waved to the Rafflesia as they moved to leave as quickly as possible. Once they were out of sight of the Rafflesia, they took a moment to take a breath to help fuel them. For they were finally on their way again, and one step closer to... A dead end. A. Dead. End.... ... So they didn't even have to pass by the Rafflesia at all?And they had to backtrack a lot, when the lady of the house was waiting and an amazing weather event was coming that they should be keeping track of?? Era's smile became very, very frozen. The others also took a moment to gain their composure, but finally, Gibi spoke, rationally suggesting that maybe the previous route before the Rafflesia would be the right way to go. Well, nothing wrong with saying hi to the Chia Pets again. Era managed to catch Gibi's sympathetic look, and her sympathies about passing the Rafflesia flower again. "But at least we did a good deed for them?"Era paused for a while... ... "...Yeah, that's a good point!" Era finally burst out. "It was nice to see them cheer up, at least! And they seem to like us! I wish I could like them better! It's not their fault, after all. The flower's nice enough, we're just incompatible!" They took a deep breath and turned around. "But hey, if we're gonna do this, we'd better go, back to the other Chia Pet trail, no time to rest or be upset! Something big is coming, and I don't want to miss it! Weather waits for no one!" Era.exe has encountered an error. Gibi ( Twillie) presses the restart button on the wannabe meteorologist. Era urges the party along to quickly backtrack and take the right route from the Chia Pets, they're on a mission!! |
|
|
|
Post by Pixie on Jun 2, 2020 2:00:41 GMT -5
“Uhh… thank you,” a member of the Blue Team told the low-lying succulent moss after they figured out what it was trying to convey.
“And you know, you might be right, too,” another exhausted team member said, turning to the spiky lichen at their feet.
“So there’s no need to fight. We’re doing our best!” another person added, “And uh, so are you, too?”
Placated by the team’s generous words, the two squabbling plants drew their tendrils back out of words and into a comfortable low-lying bundle. They duly parted, and the Blue Team walked through.
In hopes that the change of scenery would yield a way forward, they turned down the right-hand pathway. Resolute and determined, they climbed up and over on top of the melting snow, over the crunching chunks of ice, and into deeper snow. The pathway was definitely no longer hot and dry, but now cold and dry instead.
They were still wearing sunglasses and sunhats from their desert entrance. But at least they could still huddle together and commiserate while exploring. They had to be out of here soon, right?
The path bent to the right, to the left, and to the left again, and as the team shivered and huddled, they came upon another intersection. There was nothing there to greet them at the junction--no unusual encounters, which was almost unusual in itself at this point. There were no strange magical plants, or any shapeshifting snow drifts, or any talking space heaters (which might have been nice right about now).
There was simply the crossroads, and they could turn either left or right. Quiet, untouched snow stretched out both ways, with hints of distant, brushing sounds coming from either direction.
---
The strange probably-plant undulated its spines with glee when the clever folks of the Green Team worked together back and forth to get the magic tablet to read “TOAD.” The toad itself seemed quite happy, too, and danced across the tablet.
The toad disappeared behind the plant thing for a short moment, and then hopped out, with something strange on all of its feet. It hopped onto its strange spiky companion, and perched there for a moment, completely unharmed. Then, its dark eyes glanced at everyone who had helped the two with the stone. With a few bounces, the toad was down in the puddle again. It made a broad motion towards the group.
When the frog lept out and dropped the gloves from its front feet onto the ground, the gloves changed. They inflated like a sponge put in water. They grew aery, taking on a translucent and magical appearance. They seemed to be the average size and shape of an adult human’s gardening gloves, but thicker and more robust somehow, almost plated. They were more than just gloves, but maybe more like--Gardening Gauntlets. The pair of gloves remained as the toad hopped away back to the plant thing.
“Oh no, toad, you dropped your gloves!” someone cried out in concern. But the toad only stared with those dark toad eyes. It chirped once or twice and seemed to nod its head.
This time the team took only a moment to realize that the toad wanted to share its gloves.
The toad and the strange and scientifically-dubious organism were still dancing in place by the time they accepted the gift and went on their way down the path, deeper into the humid rainforest.
---
If the Red Team had steeled themselves to pass by the corpse flower the second time, this time they were prepped and additionally fueled by indignation at the dead end. They proceeded past the rafflesia with fervor and speed--but, as politely as that kind of speed allows. As the flower saw them coming again, it waved once more in excitement, and the team quickly exchanged pleasantries like, “Hello! You’re welcome! Sorry! Can’t stay long, we know where we need to go now!!”
At least, they were reasonably sure where to go now.
They hurried back down the corridor, brushing misty leaves and wet foliage aside, and indeed, ahead was the pair of Chia Pets.
“Dx, 5x#j# nd& @j#!” one of them said while the team was still some distance away. “Q# 5xd&bx5 nd& q#j#o’5 bd*ob 5d hde# g@h7!”
“@o= odq q#’j# +#jn =*w@%%d*o5#=!” said the other.
“=DXDXDXDXDXDXD!”
“T1$d, ndr b&%%&3 b& 6t3&gr1,” one of them added. “%xt% d%x&3 f3dr7 6ty $7&tz ^y =3t*t t17t6t $*^1^&$.”
“^% *tn b& tb$%3t6%, br% ^% $r3& ^$y’% t3%!”
“=DXDXDXDXDXDXD!”
“Uhh, thanks, I think?” a member of the Red Team said, not entirely sure what the two of them had been laughing about this time, but hopeful that it was something encouraging.
The other rainforest pathway beyond the two Chia Pets twisted to the left, and right, and right, and--
“Wait, hold up,” someone near the front of the group said, cautiously putting an arm out. “Do you...do you hear something?”
Everyone stopped for a moment. They could hear voices. And although they had already met several beings in the greenhouse that spoke, the Red Team hadn’t yet heard the sound of this many beings speaking at once.
Well, the Red Team was armed with...a Narcissus flower and some strange earplugs, and they were ready for whatever was ahead. The only question would be, what kind of puzzle was going to be thrown at them now?
They moved forward with more caution, and after turning another corner to the left--
“...--the lady of the house should have designed this place to have some coat racks on the inside, too,” someone carrying a parka was saying, “so that people going from one biome straight into another wouldn’t have to--OH!!”
In excitement, the Green Team hurried up the pathway from the south, and the Red Team hurried down the pathway from the north. There were exultant greetings and much comparing of notes and puzzles. Although, they quickly realized that the corridors were not made to accommodate over almost a dozen visitors, so the passage became significantly slower to allow everyone to safely pass and talk.
The Red Team, sure that they’d had their fair share of dead ends, followed the Green Team back along where they’d just come. A chilly breeze met them every once in a while, until they finally reached an intersection.
“We came from that way--it was definitely not an exit,” a member of the Green Team said, gesturing down the pathway that led back to the maybe-plant and the friendly toad.
But ahead--they had not exhausted their options yet, and there was still a clear path they could turn on: where the Green Team had last gone right, they could take the other path instead.Blue Team: You may either turn left or right. Green and Red Team: At Green’s previous intersection, they could have either turned left or right. Do you now take the left path?
|
|
|
|
Post by Liou on Jun 3, 2020 14:54:03 GMT -5
Rose jumped at the sound of the thunder, stayed still while the wave of sound roiled, and settled down once it had broken and foamed. They shushed the topiaries and cats. "There, there. It's only the sky purring. Wow, I didn't know alpaca-shaped topiary had the power to summon thunder by calling its name!" They waved to the orderly herd of three alpaca and set off once again with the team. Minutes down that path, Rose began to twitch, to huff, to fidget and even to pant with their mouth half-open. Five more minutes later, there was a great wrestling and rustling of padded cloth and Rose's borrowed parka went flying over the team's heads. "That was unbearable, Mister Snuggles," they whined. They scooped a bit of melted snow from the puddle in the middle of the path and sprinkled a little onto their forehead. "Hello there," they told the scientifically dubious organism covered in pastel spines. "I've never seen one of you before! Oh, is this one of those fancy new tablet things? Are you trying to write?" Rose gazed at the newly arrived batrachian with not-even-slightly-concealed glee. They pointed at it. "Frog!" they told the maybe-not-plant. "Or Toad!" Aggie suggested the word "coot" for the maybe-not-plant to try. "What's a coot?" asked Rose. "Is that like a coat? Because we don't want those to stick!" They held their vacant parka at arm's length for emphasis. "Oh, maybe the word "coat" would work, though." "A coot is a type of water bird, Rose," Aggie said. "Coat is a great suggestion too! Hmm..." Purr-eh jumped down and tapped the first letter in the tablet a few times, changing 'coat' to 'goat'. She flattened her ears briefly at the mention of goats, gave Mr. Snuggles a smug look and leapt back into Aggie's arms. Rose watched her jump, aghast. "Hey, you're good at the reading thing, fam! I was never into it before. Maybe it helps that you want to goad Mister Snuggles so much, hmm?" They gave the tablet another tap, moving from "goat" to "goad". Aggie laughed. "She is a cat. She loves nothing more than to disturb me when I am trying to read so I would hope she picked something up," she scratched Purr-eh on the chin, which the black cat gratefully accepted. The Tea Witch turned her attention back to the tablet. She glanced between it and the toad that was being gestured to with such vigour by the...plant...thing. "Rose, dear, that toad must mean something. Perhaps that is our end goal?" she smiled widely at them. "Would you like to do the honours?" After another bout of fawning over the toad, Rose's attention snapped back to Aggie. "Oh, we had a goal? The word "goal" works too! But you seem like you might prefer a toad on your tablet, wouldn't you," they added for the hypothetical plant. Another tap and the word appeared. Rose had no idea what purpose the tablet might serve or how relevant the word "toad" might be to its purposes, but the alleged-plant and the toad's beautifully synchronised victory dance was rewarding enough. Rose joined in for a few celebratory leaps with the toad and thanked it profusely for the armoured gardening gloves, their eyes tearing up. Good gardening gloves were a treasure. "Would you like to carry these?" they told Aggie. "I think I might boil alive if I wear them!" The Green Team continued into the strange landscape, growing warmer by the minute. Rose certainly hoped they were close to their goal, they could not take much more of this heat. They soon heard more voices getting closer. "More chatting plant friends? Hello, plant friends!" Rose called, dashing ahead to meet the newcomers. These newcomers, however, were uncommonly mobile plants. "Oh, you're no plants! You were outside with us! How did you get here? I thought that you would ask us another funny question! All the plants in this redhouse are so chatty." The teams concluded that they should return to the cold biome. When they passed the toad and the so-called plant with the pastel spines, Rose did the victory dance again, but in reverse. They were beginning to put on their parka again when they noticed the other group's inadapted equipment. "Here, who'd like to wear a big warm thing?" they asked the other team, holding the parka open for trading. "Maybe we could have two people per parka?" HERE WE GO BACK AT IT AGAIN - Rose was not afraid of the thunder, who'd've thunk? They try to reassure the alpaca squad and Mister Snuggles. The toad puzzle is solved with collabing from Celestial ! Rose celebrates with the toad and the unknown wonder of nature! Down to the rainforest, aaah the parka burns! (The temperature is not THAT hot but Rose keeps warm easily and is in a big coat of doom.) Hello Red Team friends! How you doin'? We talked to plants a lot. Rose offers to give their parka - or to share it with someone, whynot, for giggles. =D Lizica Pixie Gelquie Twillie |
|
|
|
Post by PFA on Jun 3, 2020 20:00:42 GMT -5
After walking for so long in the desert, everything was starting to feel like a blur. The pool of water was a welcome reprieve (though it took a while before Princess Sunshine was able to trust her talking reflection), but for the most part, it was just burning hot sand as far as the eye could see. Hopefully they were getting close to the center of the greenhouse, she thought. She wasn't sure how much more of this she could take. Finally, some different scenery came into view—instead of endless sand, suddenly there was... snow? This greenhouse sure was strange, but Princess Sunshine wasn't about to complain. The cold air felt quite nice after being out in the heat for so long. ...At least, at first. Once her body temperature had come back down, it didn't take much longer for it to swing in the other direction, and she started getting cold. Some of the others were fortunate enough to have layers they could put back on, but Princess Sunshine just had a sleeveless dress with shorts underneath. Which, while certainly stylish, was definitely not designed for the cold weather. This would have been a great time to gain new power that prompted a costume change, but it seemed she was not that lucky. "We must be getting close by now, right?" she wondered aloud. Princess Sunshine is getting weary after wandering in the desert for so long, and is glad for the change of scenery... at first. Unfortunately, her Frills of Justice are not designed for cold weather, and she starts to get annoyed with the snow. She wonders aloud if they're getting close. (People who are there: Kat, June Scarlet, Fraze, RielCZ, Lizica/ Pixie) |
|
|
|
Post by Gelquie on Jun 4, 2020 1:27:45 GMT -5
The group made their way past the Rafflesia (who continued to be very nice, if only it didn't smell...) and back to the Chia Pets! Era gave them a friendly wave as they passed, who seemed to... welcome... them...? They also seemed to try to tell them something else as they continued on... But Era couldn't make it out. Nor did they have time to, they had a lady to reach and phenomena to catch! They only had time for politeness! They slowed as they heard the voices. Was this another being, another puzzle? ...Wait, no, they knew those voices... "Heyyyyy!" Era called, moving forward to greet the other group. "Looks like it's connected, I thought the biome was changing! No, we're not plants, though Holiday is a plant, and also very nice! We met mostly plants except for this aer spirit who was really cool but also a little rude but I'd still like to ask him stuff. And then there's two plants who really provided a lot of laughs and also earplugs and we just said hi to them again! And then we went the completely wrong way and met a very nice Rafflesia Corpse Flower who we helped and is very nice but deserves the name, but nevermind that now! I can ask you another funny question if you'd like, but let's walk as we talk as we really need to get there and there's really nothing behind us, we just ran across a bunch of dead ends after the Rafflesia and we're really tired of them, so let's go your way! You lead, I don't know your trail." They noticed that it felt colder as they moved on, past a Toad and a strangely dubious-plant, whom Era would've been tempeted to dance to if they were feeling better, but in any case the other team seemed acquainted and happy to see them. The change in climate wasn't too bad at first; just above freezing. But Era couldn't help but shiver, feeling the stark temperature gradient as they shifted from the rainforest to the arctic in just a few pacings. That wasn't so good; that could have effect on their vertigo... They looked to Aggie. "Hey, Aggie, by the way, I'm uh. Having one of those flare-ups again, but I really need to keep on. You know that tea I like; could you make me some? Just when you can, if you have stuff for it. I just could use it. I can pay you." It only grew colder, and Era soon discovered they were really unequipped for this. Era started wondering if there were racks halfway as well (and maybe a bathroom, for that matter?), when Rose spoke up. "Here, who'd like to wear a big warm thing?" they asked the other team, holding the parka open for trading. "Maybe we could have two people per parka?""That... that sounds great, thank you," Era said, sounding more relieved in contrast to their usual fervor. "I wouldn't mind sharing one! I could use the stability anyway. If anyone wants to share with me..." They opened their arms out to their sides. "Consider me open!" Era is excited to meet the Green Team!! Era manages to fill in the entire Green Team about their adventures in one paragraph, and then offers to just follow the Green Team's lead because it's not like they had much luck or have been exploring the arctic. And so the Red Team follows, I presume! ( Twillie) Era finds the sudden temperature shift uncomfortable, and they ask Aggie ( Celestial) for tea to help them, if she has any. (I imagine Era may well have told Aggie about their physical situation before, to get tea recommendations.) Era is relieved when Rose ( Liou) offers their parka, for both the warmth and the physical support. Era is ready to accept any volunteer who wants to share a parka with them; whoever accepts, just assume Era snuggles in with you! |
|
|
|
Post by Celestial on Jun 5, 2020 12:58:09 GMT -5
Purr-eh leapt down and tried to chase the toad as it ran off, wanting to prove herself as the more successful hunter and warn Mr. Snuggles that she was not to be trifled with. However, by the time she had gotten down from Aggie's arms and got to the spot where the toad was, it had already vanished into the undergrowth. The black cat dashed after it, straight into wet grass. She yowled and leapt up, her black fur soaked in places by dew. The effect left her looking like a porcupine that had just received an electric shock. "Oh, Purr-eh, darling..." Aggie could not help but giggle. She held out a cup of acacia tea for the cat. "Come get warm and dry." Purr-eh swished her tail, unhappy with the indignity of it all. She wanted something to show for it. Seeing the gloves the toad had dropped, she figured that may be acceptable. They were part of the toad after all. Picking them up in her mouth, she brought it up to the team, making sure to walk smugly past Mr. Snuggles with as much dignity as she could muster when her black fur was in spikes and the gloves dragged along the ground, threatening to trip her. Aggie took the gloves from Purr-eh's mouth and began to dry her cat. Upon Rose's suggestion that she should wear the gloves, the Tea Witch nodded to them. "I shall. I am used to wearing gardening gloves. Nettle tea, after all, does hurt when you first harvest it," she pulled the gardening gauntlets over her hands. Considering how big they were, they were quite a snug, comfortable fit, even with her puffy sleeves. Aggie made a note to ask the lady of the house where she got them, or for the sewing patterns if she made them herself. They continued onward, by now used to the gradual changing of the biome. Voices eventually reached their ears. Aggie strained to listen, attempting to pick up on the puzzle. But no, this was no puzzle. She soon realised that she knew these people. Indeed, the Tea Witch had not seen them since the start of this adventure! "Era! Gibi! Darlings! Oh, I am delighted to see you!" Aggie called out, spreading her arms out to them. She immediately set about offering tea and cakes to the Blue Team, even offering some to Holiday the flower. Having spent a lot of time making tea and growing tea, she knew exactly what plants liked: a nice nitrogen and nutrient rich blend for the soil. "Hey, Aggie, by the way, I'm uh. Having one of those flare-ups again, but I really need to keep on. You know that tea I like; could you make me some? Just when you can, if you have stuff for it. I just could use it. I can pay you." Era asked her. "Certainly, dearie! I always have what I need," Aggie dug in her basket and produced the lovely cloud tea that Era so liked. "Would you like a bit of jam with that, or something else that may help? I am very sorry to hear you have not been feeling well. Perhaps H-oolong can help? He is an owl, he has a fantastic sense of balance and coordination." On cue, the owl took off from his perch and sat down on Era's head. He fluffed up, pressing against them, and shut his eyes. Witch's familiars had their own magic, and if it afforded him a new perch where he could try to nap, all the better. Focusing, he began to channel his power into them. He would have preferred to return to his previous perch, the tall man, but the mistress wished them to perch on this person, so do so he will. "Let me know if it helps or not. In the meantime, tea! Tea has never hurt anybody," she offered Era a cup, along with a frosted biscuit. Unfortunately, the way forward led them to a dead end. The only way to go was the other way at the previous intersection where the creature-plant was. Though Aggie was thankful they went here and met their friends, she was beginning to feel rather exhausted. Hopefully the lady of the house would have some comfortable sofas to rest on for all of them. In the meantime, she did her best to smile and enjoy the scenery. "Tell me, dearies, what sorts of fun things did you find on our adventure through the maze? We encountered a snowman who had a snowball fight with us, and some plants who spoke in a rather strange language I could not understand. If it were not for Rose figuring it out, we would be stuck." Purr-eh attempts to catch the toad but all she succeeds in catching is a lot of wet and the gloves. Attempting to regain her dignity, she carries her prey (the gloves) back to Aggie, who puts them on at Rose's( Liou) suggestion. They meet with the red team ( Twillie, Gelquie, Ginz ❤, Huntress) who Aggie is delighted to see. She offers them all tea, in particular to Era since they are not feeling well, and asks them about their adventures. H-oolong wants to perch on Jeff but he has to channel his power into Era so sits on their head instead to help solve their vertigo. |
|
|
|
Post by Lizica on Jun 7, 2020 1:00:34 GMT -5
"We must be getting close by now, right?" Princess Sunshine wondered, likely echoing the thoughts of everyone on the shivering Blue Team.
“We better be,” answered the flamingo, who was stiffly trailing behind the group, trying to scrape the ice off his legs. “Should have stayed in the dang desert,” he muttered to himself, and the group turned left into more untouched snow.
This cold corridor was still lined with arctic plants--white-draped conifers, occasional unobtrusive flowers, and a frosty, white-tipped tangle of kudzu to one side. The group didn’t have to slog through the snow for long, however, before the path abruptly ended, cut off by all the surrounding plants.
“Not another dead end!” one of the teammates cried, exhausted, exasperated, exhaling hot breath into their hands.
The flamingo paused at the tangle of frost-tipped kudzu against the wall. “Save your complaints for later,” he said. “I think the door to the greenhouse’s center is right here.”
“Oh,” said one of the freezing teammates, turning. “...I feel like it's been awhile since we had to deal with hidden doors-- hadn’t missed them.”
---
Further in the maze, Mr. Snuggles was screaming at some similar kudzu. He briefly glared at the Red and Green Teams as he vocalized. By the bristling of his fur, he was definitely very annoyed.
Just like he totally had been annoyed with Purr-eh earlier. How dare that cat use her genius problem solving skills and get the chin scritches that he deserved, just to turn around and chase the puzzling plant-thing’s toad friend! He hadn’t been too annoyed for too long, though, because the greenhouse denizen had escaped Purr-eh’s silly pursuit, and now there were even more humans to give him chin scritches, too.
Holiday had also been happy to chatter with the combined group, and cheerfully accepted Aggie’s offer of special plant tea.
And as they had chattered, they had been confronted with the prospect of the maze path bending into the arctic more fully again, with a snow drift peeking just around the corner ahead. Although this current part of the corridor beyond the intersection was definitely far colder than the main rainforest area the Red Team had been traveling in before (and it certainly merited the parka sharing), it was still somehow bedecked in lush rainforest life--so much so that the large patch of dark green kudzu along the wall might have gone completely unnoticed had it not been for Mr. Snuggles’s incessant, irate howling.
The Green and Red Teams presently stopped to inspect what on earth had gotten the cat so riled up.
“This is the spot! Though more overgrown than I remember it,” Holiday exclaimed, brightening.
“Oh, this is it? This is the door to the center?” one of the teammates said, relieved that they’d finally found it. “Great!”
There was a slight pause.
“...How do we pass through? It looks pretty thick.” Someone reached out and gave the kudzu a tentative poke.
There was a sudden bright flash of lightning over the glass ceiling, visible even through the web of plant life overhead. The lightning ripped and pierced through the greenhouse’s strange, cloudy sky, and it branched out in brilliant, jagged prismatic light, casting split-second shards of threatening rainbow upon the puzzlers.
And in just a moment, another roaring, thunderous clap followed. Mr. Snuggles meowed and leapt into the air, the tag on his collar rattling.Congratulations! You have all reached a door to the center!
|
|
/ 
' 
/ 
/ 
/ 
/ 
/ 
