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Post by Celestial on May 3, 2020 12:22:16 GMT -5
Rose had gotten the second plant correct! Aggie grinned widely, giving them a gentle pat on the shoulder as well as another biscuit, before turning back to the matter at hand. There were still a few more plants to identify. At the mention of fancy tea, her excitement was tickled. A wand or fairy plant that could be made into tea that grows in the mountains. Surely that would be simple enough. She began to rack her brain. Before she could even begin, Rachel Leewind suggested spoonwood, which was correct. Aggie beamed at her and held out a cookie. "Take two, dearie. For your achievement." The last one. Fairy...wands...tea... "Hey Aggie, you sure there aren't any spoon-like flowers for teas? Or anything you harvest from the mountains? How good are those teas anyway? Actually, come to think, you wouldn't have any tea on you, would you? I think better over some coffee. Or tea. Or oh! Can I see that saucer again? That plant design on it, maybe it matches what they're looking for."Her thoughts were interrupted by Era's long, enthusiastic monologue. The Tea Witch felt a brief stab of annoyance but it was never in her nature to stay mad at anybody for long, especially someone with as much enthusiasm as Era. "Of course, dear! You may have it as long as you need," she dug around in her basket and produced the saucer, as well as a matching teacup full of chamomile for focus. "I am just thinking about what sorts of teas match these categories. Spoonwood was correct, so we do not have to worry. For wands, the closest I can think of is silver needle tea, though I doubt that is it. Really, you can make tea from many a plant," she took a sip of the chamomile to help ehr focus. "I do think perhaps it could be-" An egg fell from the sky and onto her shoes. Purr-eh gave a loud yowl and leapt up onto her shoulders. From Jeff's shoulder, H-oolong's eyes widened. This was...horrifying! The eggs were cooked but it hardly made it better! He wondered if the humans would be so calm if the beginnings of their babies were falling from the sky. This perch was good but here, he was exposed. He took off, hiding under the tree where the vampire was drinking...something. The tawny owl gave a curious "uh-hoohoo", wondering what the heck the vampire was doing. Fellow strigoi had to stick together. Aggie, meanwhile, was busy soothing her familiar. She petted and stroked her gently, giving her a treat. Eventually, the cat condescended to be put down, though she still hung around Aggie's voluminous skirt, hoping that the garment would be of use as an umbrella. "As I was saying-oh," Aggie turned, noticing Era was gone and looking up something on their phone before both them and Jess called out about Fairy Wands. That was the third plant needed. The group were allowed to go in. "Thank you so much," Aggie said to gate guardians. She was already digging through her basket, wondering what to give to the lady of the house as a peace offering, when a black cat wandered out. "Oh, hello kitty! How are you doing?" She bent down to stroke the cat as he bumped hs forehead against her. On her shoulders, however, Purr-eh hissed. How dare that fluffy black cat come up to her person and declare her his?! This would not do! The cat immediately began to rub against Aggie's legs and circled around after him, making sure to catch his eye as she rubbed against every person he touched. How dare he come in here and act like he own the place? Him with his gorgeous black fur and beautiful, soulful eyes. Eventually, when she had completed her rounds, Purr-eh sat down on Aggie's feet. Nobody would dare forget her! Everyone must know she was here, especially him. She made eye contact and began to loudly yowl. Aggie gives Rose( Liou) a pat and biscuit for being correct. She also offers extra biscuits to Rachel( Rabbit ♠) for getting the second one correct. The Tea Witch thinks about tea but first she is distracted by Era( Gelquie) and then the egg that spooked Purr-eh. H-oolong is very offended by these eggs and seeks shelter away from Jeff(@ssgelitelgirl) towards Anton( Fraze), wondering what he is doing. When Aggie calms Purr-eh, everything has been solved. However, now there is a new cat! Purr-eh is very jealous and also tsundere. She goes around declaring her ownership of everyone Mr.Snuggles has declared ownership of before she begins yowling very loudly to get his attention.[ ( Lizica, Pixie)/spoiler] |
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Post by Liou on May 3, 2020 18:32:04 GMT -5
Everyone was joining in the naming of strange plants and Rose clapped softly at each suggestion, beaming at all the newfound botanists in turn! Rose was about to get back to Aggie to tell her excitedly about Rose's own witch, Myriam, and her travels, when the Tea Witch produced a box, a box bathed in the scents of the Tea Witch's teas and treats as everything that passed through her hands, a box wafting with the fragrances of life's true pleasures. "Chocolate... and raisins? Oh, Aggie!" Rose's eyes grew watery and they seemed to melt on the spot. "These are truly the greatest flavours of this world." They picked out one biscuit, eyes closed, careful not to sniff at it too much so as not to ruin the surprise. They lifted it to their teeth - "Sshhhhhh!" Rose shushed them in a whisper, waving a hand. "Yeah yep, sure. Excuse me, I am trying to enjoy life's greatest pleasure over here." It was when Aggie offered them a treat as a reward that Rose realised they had done a good. "Oh, I got it right? Which one? Thank you, Aggie!" They munched this reward biscuit instead, crunching it with gusto, tilting their head sideways. In truth, this batch she had given them was a cookie roulette, and the pleasure was in the Surprise, so Rose put down their unnibled biscuit and sauntered over to the other would-be botanists, offering the box of cookies to anyone within their considerable reach. "Cookie for you? They contain chocolate and/or raisin! Keep it up!" They had quite lost track of the plant names, aside from some mentions of cheese. Cheese was an excellent treat, too. Rose reached out to offer the box to a few more people and two squelchy wet things hit the top of their head and goo began to run into their eyes. They yelped, and immediately, the most natural of reflexes rushed up their body like the fizzy foam from an uncapped bottle. Rose shook themself vigorously from side to side, sending scrambled egg flying left, right, back, forth, above, below, and diagonally for good measure. They continued to shake until they no longer felt any of the stuff on their person, and their pigtails stopped bouncing. They heard the gate click open and Hotlips mention gardening tools and they rushed to help pick up the requested plants. "Cha-cha-cha, cha-cha mary-leary-um-lu-tem!" they continued to sing repeatedly after hearing Jess read the scientific name of fairy wand. Inside the house was a cat. Rose knew there was a cat before they saw the cat. Even when they did see the cat, they did not quite see a cat, at first, but rather a cloud obligingly containing its mass within the form of a cat. "Eeeee," they squealed continously under their breath as the cat moved, deigned to come closer to them, blessed them with touch, and peacefully retreated. "K... kitty." Rose held their hands tight together, making sure not to bother the kitty with play. Rose is very very thrilled to get cookies from Aggie! Celestial ! They run to Share the Magic of Cookie, offering cookies to everyone around! EVERYONE GETS COOKIES hey you lurking, you were offered a cookie! Soon after, it begins to rain scrambled eggs, and Rose shakes egg onto everyone nearby. EVERYONE might also have been hit with more flying bits of egg. Rose rushes to help with the actual handling of the plants and squees quietly at Count Von Mister Snuggles. |
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Post by June Scarlet on May 3, 2020 20:29:56 GMT -5
Fairy Wand was correct! The final piece of the puzzle was solved! The Guardians of the Gate let them into the yard, and then after gathering the needed plants and dodging egg from the sky (and Rose), they all went into the house. They were greeted not by the lady of the house, but by the cat introduced as Mr. Snuggles. A charming cat, he made sure to greet each and every one of them with headbutts, until they found themselves all in groups of various size, if you counted both human and animal, which Jess did. In her group was Princess Sunshine, Cass, Mr. Evi, a Courier she kind of recognized from around, Taffy, and herself. Jess looked about the foyer/study, which was in a state of disarray. She stepped closer to inspect a bookcase. There were books, but also papers piled up, knickknacks, and dried plants. She turned back to the flamingo and the hotlips plant. "You know, I never asked your names. I'm Jess, and this is Taffy," she said, holding up her Guinea Pig nestled safely in her arms. "I found her a few months ago, and we've been inseparable ever since." She waited for the pair's reply, then something else caught her eye. The rest of the people we'd been grouped with were standing around one of the tattered scrolls Mr. Snuggles had coughed up. Jess hurried back over to the group. "I believe I solved Team Blue's riddle." said the Courier. Oh shoot! There had been another riddle, and she had missed it completely! She glanced at the scroll, which read: While spread across several sheets of paper were notes likes "caesar cipher" and "M = I," and finally: "Good Job!" said Jess to her group, which had apparently named themselves Team Blue. "Sorry I wasn't more help." Fairy Wand is correct! Everyone is let into the house, and Jess dodges flying egg from Rose Liou. Everyone is divided into groups by Mr. Snuggles, but Jess stops to look around the room, and to ask the flamingo and the hotlips plant their names Lizica Pixie. By the time she notices there's a puzzle, it's too late, it's solved! Good job, Team Blue PFA Fraze Kat RielCZ! Sorry Jess wasn't more help! |
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Post by Gelquie on May 3, 2020 20:39:02 GMT -5
Era was ecstatic that their and Jess’ findings was indeed correct! Though it felt very clear, but it always does in hindsight. Getting to that point, Era was proud!But not too proud to happily re-accept the saucer from Aggie, examining the designs anyway despite there no longer being a need. This was when they were offered a cookie from Rose, which-- “Oh absolutely, thank you!! Any little thing to keep me going!” They accepted a chocolate chip cookie and put it in their mouth as theyworked to rearrange their items, now holding a cookie, a saucer, and a notebook and pen. They put the pen in their ear and move to put the notebook in their pocket. “Ny nuh may, nat dilve--” Their words were interrupted as they narrowly moved their saucer to avoid an overhead egg attack. Such a rapid movement caused them to unconsciously bite down on the cookie, causing the larger remainder to fall. “Mmph!” Their swooped their saucer down and just managed to catch the cookie. They swallowed the piece in their mouth. “Aw yeah! Anyway, I was saying, that silver needle tea sounds really good later!” They wandered into the gate, at first glancing around for the plants in question, but eventually looking up at at the torrental breakfastfall. “Different types of egg, too!” Era exclaimed. “That’s so amazing! Are there different cloud structures up there? Oh, I wish I could take readings right now! Is it even happening at my station? Mmm, I wish my pocket instruments were reliable enough! This might need a lidar anyway, the weather station should get on this one, this is a great opportunity! We should find out later if this is localized!” They continued to ramble on about the possibilities as all the plants were found, and they were hurried inside. Era, in their pause to ramble about the eggfall, did end up having to spend quite a bit of time outside clearing off the egg that made it on them. Though at least there wasn’t so much on their shoes. When they finally entered, they looked around, though still found themself looking out the window at the continued eggfall, entranced by it as they casually finished off their cookie. (Which had become the home of a quarter of hard boiled egg; Era didn’t seem to mind.) But finally, their attention was caught by the cat below them, who had torn up the lady of the house’s day planner, and was now nudging them to four others. Era obeyed; maybe there was something to this! Someone in their group picked up the scroll, and Era looked it over… ...Another mystery! How quaint! They put the saucer in their pocket and took out their notebook again, turning to a blank page and allowed others to use it as they worked on the mysterious message. Yay, Era got it right!! *Final Fantasy victory music!* Era accepts the saucer from Aggie ( Celestial) and examines it (I couldn’t tell if Aggie had given the chamomile or not, since Aggie sipped at it? So I assumed not), while also accepting the cookie from Rose ( Liou). And then realizes that maybe their hands are a big full from all the stuff, and takes some time to rearrange, almost dropping the cookie, but saving it!! Era is very proud right now. Era then proclaims that silver needle tea sounds wonderful for later! They go on a ramble about the scientific possibilities of egg rain of this variety! And they wish they could take readings, but they don’t have reliable equipment with them. This ends with them getting a bit egged on, so they have to spend some time cleaning up. In all of this, I don’t think they actually picked any plants themself. They get inside and are still kinda distracted by the eggfall, but are eventually nudged to Team Red. They take out their notebook and pen again and offer it to the group to help them solve it! |
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Post by Kat on May 3, 2020 21:41:42 GMT -5
Cassidy had learned all about plants with healing properties during her time at the monastery, but that didn't mean she was a botanical expert. It was a good thing their group was a well-rounded one, with all sorts of people with various skills. And cookies, apparently; Rose held out a cookie for her. "Oh, I wasn't much help this time...but thank you. I'll do better," Cassidy told Rose with a smile as she took the cookie. As far as she was concerned, either chocolate or raisins were good. Both in a cookie would be just fine. When they were granted access to the house (any moment later and they would've been covered liberally with eggs and potentially other breakfast food), she remembered to wipe her feet quickly, even inspecting the soles of her shoes to check that she hadn't stepped into any runny yolk. "Normally a plate of scrambled eggs would be a good idea, but not today," she muttered without caring who heard her. The interior was in shambles, and the large fluffy cat with a vendetta against magical books was not helping at all. Cassidy wanted to save the book that had been mutilated but alas, she was too late. With a sigh, she scrutinized the cat; was it another familiar? He did have a collar, though, and she had to admit, he WAS greatly adorable - and apparently, a herder. Soon she was placed in the same group as Princess Sunshine, Jess, Evi and Anton, and they were now faced with a scroll to decode. Jess and Princess Sunshine she already knew, but for the benefit of Evi and Anton, Cassidy introduced herself. "I'm Cassidy Clarion - Cass, for short. I'm a healer...and not much of a puzzle solver, but I'll try my best." She took out a pen and a notepad from her pouch and began copying down the riddle. "Hmm, maybe this is either 'he's' or 'it's'...let's try the 'it's' first...better write these all down." Soon, the strings of letters were translated into sentences that made more sense, even if they were still a bit cryptic. Jess had wandered off to check something out; Cassidy hadn't noticed as she was too busy with the cipher, but she shook her head at Jess' words and gave the girl and her guinea pig a reassuring smile. "Don't be silly, Jess. You helped us get into the house. That's more than enough help, thanks." Cassidy accepts a cookie from Rose ( Liou) shortly before they are ushered into the house to keep from getting struck by falling eggs. When she is grouped into a team with Princess Sunshine ( PFA), Jess ( June Scarlet), Anton ( Fraze) and Evi ( RielCZ), she introduces herself for Anton and Evi before getting to work on the cipher, not noticing Jess wandering off to look at something else. Cassidy assures Jess that the girl has definitely been a big help getting them into the house with the riddles there. |
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Post by Fraze on May 4, 2020 15:03:51 GMT -5
Suddenly this had become a botany thing. Anton liked gardening the way he liked movies - enjoyable to watch, but he didn't want to do it himself. He was glad for his position under the tree when the rain of eggs began. Or would it be hail, since they were more solid than liquid? Well, at least this hopefully meant he wouldn't need to worry about sunlight for a while. H-oolong flew over to take shelter under the tree, and Anton nodded to him. "Too bad I already ate breakfast," he said, realizing too late that he was failing to sound clever and also he was trying to make conversation with an owl. "This is all going over my head so I'm just gonna see where it all goes," he continued, deciding to commit to the whole talk-to-an-owl thing. Seeing H-oolong watching the can in his hand curiously, he displayed the label. "It's beer," he explained. Soon enough, the plant-bargaining was finished up and everyone started filing into the house. This seemed to count as a proper invitation, anyway. Anton emptied the last of his drink in one gulp and stashed the empty can in his bag. Then he unzipped the jacket of his tracksuit and held one side open to offer shelter for H-oolong before making a dash to the door. Oh yeah. Ohhh yeah. Those were some good rafters. Strong, rough-cut oak beams that looked to be at least a century and a half old, with some cosmetic cracking from age and a fine layer of dust. Elegant, imposing, and just a bit decayed without going full-on Gothic horror. Unlike gardening, Anton appreciated rafters the way some people appreciate fine wine. When an extremely floof cat... deposited... a cipher for, apparently, him and several others to solve, Anton grinned. Finally, something he could actually contribute on. As a kid, he'd gone through a phase of wanting to be a spy, and had practiced both making and cracking coded messages. (His mom made him stop after he submitted a book report encoded with a Vignère cipher and the teacher had called home.) Pulling a pencil and notepad out of his bag, he copied the note down. Making sure his shoes and clothes were clean of egg and other detritus, he bat'd and flew up to perch on those glorious rafters. Once there, he changed to human form once more and squatted upside-down on his newly claimed perch. "I'm Cassidy Clarion - Cass, for short. I'm a healer...and not much of a puzzle solver, but I'll try my best.""Anton," he responded with a nod. "I'm a delivery dude with a very chaotic schedule right now since sunlight and I don't get along." Anton chats with H-oolong ( Celestial ) before heading inside, offering the owl shelter on the way. He gets inside and RAFTERS. Also more puzzles but RAFTERS. He responds to Cassidy ( Kat ) while working on the code. Rest of Team Blue: PFA RielCZ June Scarlet (Also Celestial yes I finally managed to do the thing.) |
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Post by Huntress on May 4, 2020 15:14:08 GMT -5
With careful, deliberate movements, Jeff lifted the duffel bag of Meepits onto his other shoulder, away from the curious, ear-biting, awfully pointy-looking owl. Granted, the Meepits weren't much different from the bird in that they were also full of pointies concealed under round fluff, and come to think of it he was basically positioning himself between the two this way, but, well, sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. Jeff had played enough sportsball to know the deterring value of good intimidation. Still, he released a breath he hadn't even realized he'd been holding when the owl took issue with a pleasant little shower of eggs and fluttered off to some guy drinking under the tree. The tree's shade and whatever the guy was drinking were both looking like a good idea right now, but pushing his luck with another pointy-fluffy standoff did not, so he stayed put, accepted a cookie that appeared out of nowhere, offered some kind of pleasant platitude in response to Cassidy, and was all the while thoroughly distracted by the Meepits who were now clambering all over his person busily eating the eggs that were falling from the sky. So when the group shuffled inside, he was at least relatively clean. Life's small blessings. When a cat appeared, nudged him into a group with a few other people and barfed a scroll at them, Jeff had reached the sort of state of serene acceptance where he was willing to just take whatever life still chose to fling at him. So he squatted down and inspected the text. "Ooh, a cipher," he said excitedly. "Doesn't look to be a very complicated one - does anyone have any pen and - oh, thank you - let me see..." One of the Meepits nibbled at the corner of the already tattered scroll. "Needs croutons," she chirped. The others gave her a look of the sort that clearly got a lot of use. Justice, however, arched an eyebrow, inasmuch as a Meepit is capable of that, and leaned closer. "Santa's got a point," she said. "I think it's a Caesar cipher." There was a moment's silence, during which Jeff also took a closer look at the scroll and then started jotting something down in the notebook. "So that's why we keep Santa around?" Bob Squeaky asked, intrigued. "I did always wonder. You, bag boy, is that something you're familiar with?" "I did study journalism," Jeff said, with the testy pride of someone who technically got into college on a sports scholarship but actually also paid attention in classes. Well, the more interesting ones, anyway. Luckily, cryptography was something their college had always insisted on keeping in their humanities curricula. Attracted a lot of exchange students for that reason. Funny how nobody had ever really questioned it... The group put their heads together and eventually, the puzzle gave way: "Ooh, ominous," Bloody Mary said cheerfully. Jeff continues to coast along with the events, manages to breathe through the Owl Encounter with minimal casualties ( Celestial ), accepts a cookie ( Liou ), is polite in Cassidy's general direction ( Kat ), gets egged, gets un-egged courtesy of the Meepits, gets pushed around by a cat, but finally gets a chance to shine with the puzzle scroll as his college, for reasons no one could imagine, had placed quite a lot of importance on cryptography. Era's ( Gelquie ) notebook is very much appreciated. |
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Post by Lizica on May 4, 2020 16:15:44 GMT -5
Another black cat--this one substantially more elegant and tidy--was angrily shadowing Mr. Snuggles’s footsteps as he greeted the newcomers. At last, she sat down at the foot of one of the humans and pointedly started a long, loud yowl right at him. Well. Only one thing for it, of course, and Mr. Snuggles looked right back at the other black cat and answered with a howl just as piercing. (Satisfyingly, several humans cringed. He had clearly honed his yowl to absolute perfection.) When he was finished, he went quiet and relaxed for a moment--before haughtily walking away. He flashed the other cat a casual, slow blink as he went. The hotlips plant and the flamingo meanwhile glanced into the adjoining rooms and hallways in search of the lady of the house, without success. They finally returned to the center of the messy foyer to keep an eye on the busy houseguests, watching as they attempted to decipher the tattered scrolls. "You know, I never asked your names. I'm Jess, and this is Taffy," the young magician said, holding up her Guinea Pig who was nestled safely in her arms. "I found her a few months ago, and we've been inseparable ever since."“Wonderful! Nice to meet you, Jess and Taffy. I’m glad someone cared to ask,” the hotlips plant said, “I’m Holiday. My friend here has many names.” “Mostly I’m just the flamingo, though,” said the flamingo. “If you give me a bad nickname, I’ll kick you back outside the gate.” Mr. Snuggles responds to Purr-eh ( Celestial) by yowling right back at her, and then haughtily walking away while giving her The Slow Blink. The gate guardians respond to Jess and Taffy ( June Scarlet). Hotlips’s real name is Holiday! And the flamingo is just the flamingo. |
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Post by PFA on May 5, 2020 0:19:36 GMT -5
It seemed the townspeople had a good handle on the plant situation, so Princess Sunshine instead decided to take the time to ponder her plans for when she got inside the house. Her original idea had been to confront the witch (surely it was a witch!) and demand she return the sun, but maybe that was too hasty. If the house's guardians were to be believed, this crazy weather was affecting this lady's house even more than the rest of the town, and why would she do that on purpose? It could have been a mistake. Then again, it could have been part of a diabolical plot of some kind. Not to mention that the flamingo and plant had been confirmed to be lying to them earlier, if not specifically about the weather thing. As a hero of truth and justice, Princess Sunshine had to be prepared for any circumstance! She was not prepared, however, to be hit in the face by egg yolk. "Ack!" She swiped vigorously at her face. "Ew, it's in my hair!" Even after wiping away as much of the egg as she could, she could still feel remnants of the gooey mess on her skin. She was definitely going to need a shower later, but alas, the present situation was more important. The doglike person did offer her a cookie, though, which made her feel a bit better. Finally, after correctly identifying and locating all the plants, they were allowed inside the house. Princess Sunshine immediately noticed the black cat (definitely a witch's familiar!), who after destroying its owner's day planner, had produced three tattered scrolls and sorted everyone into three groups to solve them. A bit odd, but if that was what had to be done, then so be it! "This looks like a cipher! I bet we can solve it if we work together!" Princess Sunshine said encouragingly, looking closely at the scroll. "Let's see, this looks like an 'E'..." Sure enough, it didn't take much time at all to decipher the message. As the others took the time to congratulate each other, Princess Sunshine looked carefully at the message. "The far shelf, huh?" she pondered, looking around the room to see if she could spot the shelf in question. Catchup post, but again! Princess Sunshine ponders her plan for when she gets inside the house, then is hit by flying egg. She is upset, but Rose ( Liou) gives her a cookie, which makes her feel a bit better. Once inside, Princess Sunshine works with Team Blue ( Fraze, Kat, June Scarlet, RielCZ) to solve the puzzle. With the message deciphered, she looks around the room for the far shelf it mentions. |
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Post by Pixie on May 5, 2020 22:14:45 GMT -5
In impressive short order, the three groups deciphered the scrolls from Mr. Snuggles and could now scratch their heads anew at the three revealed rhymes:
Heroes with auras of blue
Should always know what to do
If you push the far shelf
And then steel yourself
It’s the glass that you must next pass through
Heroes with auras of red
Should always use their own head
Take the northernmost door
And carry on as before
For the lady you seek lies ahead
Heroes with auras of green
Should always speak as they mean
This house you will match
As you open its hatch
Until the lady you seek is seen
“‘This house you will match’?” one of the visitors asked in confusion. “What does that mean?”
“Wallpaper printed with splattered soft boiled eggs?” someone suggested.
“Ah,” said Holiday. “Simple! We now know where to look for the lady of the house. She must be out in the greenhouse.”
“There are three ways to get inside,” said the flamingo, as Mr. Snuggles started headbutting various people in disparate directions again. “We can split up to cover the most ground to find the lady of the house.”
“...Splitting up inside a mysterious magic house?” someone repeated skeptically.
“It should be perfectly safe--what, do you think the lady of the house lives in a trap-riddled dungeon?” scoffed the flamingo.
“We’ll accompany you, of course,” added Holiday reassuringly. “I can take the Red Team through the north path. I must admit that the other two are out of my element.”
And so, after some bustle and rearranging and cat howling, one group--the “blue” team, as their riddle had dubbed them--found themselves gathered around the shelf on the far side of the foyer that a few of them had already inspected.
“We just...push it aside?” one of them asked, turning to the flamingo.
“Yep,” he answered. “I might advise you to borrow a few of the implements here on the coat rack first, though. As long as you’re respectful, the lady won’t mind.” Here, he nodded to an old rack on the wall, where several large sunhats, a collection of stylish sunglasses, and the thickest, darkest parasol anyone had ever seen (printed with pictures of waterfowl under parasols) hung at the ready.
When they were prepared, several of the team worked together to slide the whole bookcase several feet to the side--and were greeted in the face by a hot, dry, rushing gasp of air that swept past them and rustled all the scraps of paper in the foyer.
Ahead in the space behind the bookshelf, there stretched a pathway of sand that bent to the right, bordered on each side by prickly, flowering cacti. Although harsh light shone directly overhead inside, the light had no discernible source.
“Welp,” said one of the puzzlers. “I don’t know what else I was really expecting at this point, to be honest.”
---
The other two groups found themselves back outside once again, now in the backyard. There must have been an irregular sunset while everyone had been inside, because now Uffnewt was awash with a brief stint of nighttime. The egg storm had passed, but the air felt dense and cluttered with static electricity, and the wind was thick and heavy.
And the backyard looked rather empty.
“There’s a greenhouse out here?” one of the members of the red team asked as they followed Holiday’s directions. “It’s not another glamour, is it?”
Holiday raised and lowered her leaves. “Yes, and no. Mind your step. You know how glass is shiny, right? You can see your reflection in it at the right angles, think, ‘my leaves are looking vibrant today, the lady is rockin’ this plant care thing?’ Well, this structure has been here for many years. It’s been accumulating magic that works with the reflectiveness-- Wait, wait, short answer: It’s here. It’s just invisible. I need someone to pick me up. I’ll show you the spot.”
The group progressed along the backyard, following close to the fence. “Okay, someone with muscle, pull this lever!” she gestured at what appeared to be empty space in front of a slightly discolored post in the fence behind them.
When the lever was pulled, the door swung open, and the group was hit with a blast of strong, wet heat. There was a rainbow of folded rain ponchos in a see-through container on the inside of the door, which Holiday quickly informed them they could borrow if they wanted.
The sight before them was almost too much visual information to process. Layers of colorful plants stretched from the muddy floor to the ceiling full of lianas. Some of the plants had spiney appearances, others had voluminous foliage of smooth and waxy leaves. Epiphytes that were starting to bloom wound their way around trees with trunks so thick, they must have been older than the greenhouse itself. Rainforests are dense by nature, but this artificial rainforest seemed to be using the space to its full capacity.
They stepped through, into the maze of tropical plant life.
---
The green team had meanwhile crossed to the opposite, southern side of the backyard, where a single tree appeared to stand alone. Mr. Snuggles confidently strutted up to it, and darted up the tree into its branches.
“Wait...wasn’t the fluffy cat supposed to show us how to get into the greenhouse?” one member of the green team murmured helplessly to another.
As they watched, however, Mr. Snuggles jumped from the tree and landed expertly upon--what appeared to be thin air. He batted at an invisible notch for a few moments, and before the group’s eyes, a bright sliver of something grey and white appeared in the air just above where Mr. Snuggles was perched.
He climbed into the sliver of white and momentarily disappeared. Then a single black paw reappeared and knocked a rope ladder over the edge, down over an invisible wall and into the wet, glittery grass below. The black paw then emerged once more to shove several brightly-colored parkas and several small creature-sized wraps and vests out onto the lawn, as well.
“Uh…” someone began.
Mr. Snuggles climbed back up and proudly resumed his post at the top of the rope ladder, now wearing a peppermint-striped sweater. He pushed the roof vent open even wider, and the grey and white sliver very clearly became a cold, snowy sky. He mewed very pointedly, and ducked back down the greenhouse’s hatch, flicking his floofy tail.
It was time to follow the kitty! When the group had geared up and climbed the rope ladder, they found another leading down onto a hill of conifers and snow. It appeared to have received a recent snowfall, as the snow was unmarked by footprints. Between trees, the landscape was dotted with fuzzy plants that were thriving in the frigid environment--small shrubs, the occasional brave flower, and hardy grasses.
One by one, they followed the cat into the arctic landscape. Blue Team: As you follow the path that bends to the right, you soon come upon a fork. You may either continue straight ahead, or turn right. Red Team: You may either continue straight ahead, or turn right. Green Team: You may either continue straight ahead, or turn left.
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Post by RielCZ on May 6, 2020 4:49:25 GMT -5
It was Evi's worst nightmare. He was separated from Rachel. And she and him hadn't even finished talking about supper yet! He glared at Mr. Snuggles. He KNEW black cats couldn't be trusted. Barring first suggesting the caesar cipher to the group and helping decode the first line, he was too frazzled to be of much assistance thereafter -- the Dark Antihero vampire courier got the rest of it. So he had a blue aura, eh? He looked down at himself -- other than sadness at Rachel being elsewhere he didn't feel or look any bluer. But hero? That was an interesting choice of language. Was he really a hero? He had only been called that those few times he had agreed last minute to photograph a poorly planned wedding. A cleric suddenly spoke to him and the courier, introducing herself as Cassidy; this snapped Evi out of his reverie. Ah, the courier was named Anton. Good to know. "I'm Evi," said Evi, managing a small smile. "I'm a photographer," he added as he held up his camera. He shrugged. "And I think I'll call you Cassidy. I never like using short names." Far shelf? He took out his camera and zoomed around, looking through the preview for any "far shelf." But he was soon distracted by just taking interesting photographs. Inside a witch's (at least according to the Princess) house? Totally wild. Luckily, it seemed some of his blue teammates had managed to find said shelf. Accompanied by the shocked flamingo from earlier, he followed the others to the shelf and helped slide it over -- to reveal massive heat and cacti of all things. Really, more plants? I might advise you to borrow a few of the implements here on the coat rack first, though. As long as you're respectful, the lady won't mind. "Er, OK," said Evi skeptically. He hoped "the lady" would be a nice and reasonable person but given everything that had happened he wasn't sure he trusted that flamingo. ...But he did look good in aviators. He genuinely grinned and put on the shades. He liked the parasol, especially the waterfowl, and would have taken it as a reminder of Rachel and Bella -- but then he realized Anton probably needed it more. He picked it up and handed it to the vampire before donning a large sunhat instead. He turned to Jess and offered her one, too. "Are you good in your top hat or would you like one of these?" They soon entered the scorching shelf-room. He started to sweat and could feel the heat even through his shoes. Light shone harshly overhead. "You must be in your element, eh?" Evi asked the Princess with a semi-sarcastic smile. At last they reached a fork in the road. "I propose we go straight," said the photographer to the blue team and the flamingo. "I think going right will make us exit prematurely, and if we're supposed to 'steel ourselves' then we should continue on the scorching hot path. What do you all think?" Evi bemoans his separation from Rachel ( Rabbit ♠), but starts to become at peace with it as he continues actions with the Blue Team ( PFA, Fraze, June Scarlet, Kat). He replies to Cassidy, hands Anton the parasol, dons aviator shades and a sunhat, makes light conversation with Jess before they enter, and with Princess Sunshine when they're in the scorching room. He proposes they go straight ahead -- continuing on the hot path due to the "steel yourself" line in the poem-clue. |
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Post by June Scarlet on May 6, 2020 22:38:56 GMT -5
They pushed aside the bookcase Jess had examined earlier, to expose a desert. In the middle of the house. "Wow, that's quite some magic, or do you think it's more of the magical weather?" Jess asked. The Photographer offered her a sunhat, but wasn't sure if she'd prefer her top hat. "Thank you Mr. Evi, I guess it's up to Taffy, I consider it her hat, really." And despite the adventure waiting ahead of them, despite the impatient-looking flamingo, despite all the people still in the room, Jess sat down, took off her top hat, and set Taffy on the floor. The Guinea Pig sniffed the hat, and nibbled on the edge. Jess set the hat on the floor upside-down, the opening at the top. Taffy jumped into the hat. "Ah, looks like she wants to rest for a bit, I guess I will take the sun hat, then." Still sitting on the floor, Jess accepted the sun hat from Mr. Evi, putting it on her head. Carefully, she picked up the top hat and stood up, keeping it upside-down as to not disturb the Guinea Pig laying inside. Only the strangest thing. No matter what angle you happened to glance into the top hat, you couldn't see any Guinea Pig at all. Evi RielCZ offers Jess a sun hat instead of her top hat, but Jess points out that the top hat really is Taffy's. Taffy decides to rest inside the top hat, Jess puts on the sun hat, and carries the top hat so Taffy can lay inside. Funny thing, though, pretty sure just about everyone is taller than Jess, and from that view, you can't see anything inside the hat at all. Note that this all happened while EVERYONE was still in the room, so ANYONE can notice this if they want to. I also drew a picture to go along with this, probably could have used a ref for that angle, but I'm tired and it's late so I winged it. |
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Post by Celestial on May 7, 2020 11:24:46 GMT -5
First he yowled back and then he dared to give her the Slow Blink?! Purr-eh bristled. She would show him that she was indeed a force to be reckoned with and taken seriously! If anybody asked, she was definitely not pleased with this development, not at all! That the handsome cat had replied to her and deemed her a friend was not what she had wanted, no sir! She wandered after him, her tail and head held high, displaying her silky fur and overall superiority. When she had caught up to Mr. Snuggles, Purr-eh bumped her head against him several times, marking him. That should show him. He was not better than her. To add to that, she swatted him lightly with her paw. Perhaps she could teach him a thing or two about being the better familiar. What better way to do that than through play? Purr-eh turned around and looked back at him, slow blinking back. See how he likes it. H-oolong, sitting by Anton, tilted his head even more at the mention of 'beer'. A vile drink! Why a vampire, a noble creature, would drink that was beyond him. Of course, Anton was...no ordinary vampire. The owl had learned that long ago. Aggie tolerated it, even giving the vampire tea that resembled beer, but H-oolong found it most crass. Why could he not act like a proper strix and not squat on a rafter in a tracksuit drinking cheap liquor? Which is exactly what Anton had done. He had left H-oolong in the tree, alone. The owl fluffed up, slightly miffed at this, and returned to Aggie, clutching to her shoulder. He was still watching the tall human man who had had used a perch. Maybe he could return to him later... Aggie, meanwhile, watched Rose as they ran around with her cookies, smiling widely at their antics. For as long as she had known them, in whatever form they took, some things never changed. Myriam had made a good choice. There was a puzzle to solve and Aggie did her best to keep up everyone's spirits. She poured chamomile tea for focus, although there was no need for treats: Rose was already on that. It took no time for the puzzle to be solved. Aggie did not contribute much but there was no need: one of the people from the airport was happy to do the work. The riddle presented itself. Heroes with auras of green? Well, Aggie's magic was certainly green, something which Mr. Snuggles acknowledged. So she was to be on the green team. Picking up Purr-eh, she followed the cat. Purr-eh watched Mr. Snuggles carefully with narrowed eyes, making sure he did not lead them astray. When they reached the invisible wall, Purr-eh felt a sense of truimph. Stupid cat, there was nothing...there. Urgh, why did he have to always be riiiight? She gave a loud yowl in response. It was not faaair!! Aggie began to climb up the ladder, pausing at the top to help anybody who needed it up. Immediately, the chill struck her. At first, she thought the weather had changed again before she realised what had happened: they were in a landscape of arctic plants. "Oh my. Well, this is certainly unexpected," she remarked. Reaching into her basket, she brought out a large, bright red teapot, several steel cups designed for keeping drinks hot and a plate of chilli chocolates. The tea witch distributed the strong black tea, infused with mint and chilli, and the chocolates, to keep everyone warm. Even Purr-eh and H-oolong had some, even though H-oolong was incapable of tasting the chilli. Nevertheless, he fluffed up a little less when he tasted the treat. When she was sure they were all comfortable, Aggie examined the road ahead. "If we should always speak what they mean, then I suggest we continue following the path," Aggie declared. "Let's keep going straight ahead." Purr-eh is very insulted at how casually Mr. Snuggles( Pixie, Lizica) is treating her. She rubs against him, invites him to play and then returns the slow blink. See how he likes being liked! H-oolong, meanwhile, leaves Anton( Fraze) alone after contemplating what a non-traditional vampire he is. Aggie is distracted by Rose( Liou) and giving everyone treats while the puzzle is solved by an amazing, clever person from the airport( Thundy). She follows Mr. Snuggles (to Purr-eh's chagrin, who is still being a tsundere) when they arrive into the cold. After making sure everyone has been warmed up with tea and treats (starting to sense a pattern,) she suggests the green team( Rabbit ♠, Sparktater) go straight on. |
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Post by June Scarlet on May 7, 2020 20:48:42 GMT -5
Carrying the top hat ahead of her, Jess made her way through the desert path with the others. They came to a fork in the path soon enough. Mr. Evi suggested they go straight ahead. "That sounds like a good idea," said Jess. But then she looked down at the top hat, and a thought seemed to occur to her. "Hey, Flamingo, you live here, you seem to know your way around, tell us, is straight the correct path?" Team Blue is in agreement; we're cashing in the hint right away. Jess ask the Flamingo if straight is the correct path. |
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Post by Gelquie on May 8, 2020 0:16:42 GMT -5
Era’s notebook came in handy, and it turned out someone Era had been grouped with had experience with ciphers. Such experience worked well here, for the message soon became clear. “Huh, auras of red… Never knew I had a red aura. How neat! It’s one of my favorite colors too! But hardly ominous; we know where to go!” Sure enough, they were split up to find the lady of the house, accompanied by the hotlips plant; Holiday, apparently. A holiday with Holiday! What a day! They had gone into the backyard, and Era was quick to note the air changes in their notebook; whether it was outside or another illusion to make it seem like outside, it was still worthy data! They could figure out the other part later! And then the door opened, revealing a tropical rainforest. Era’s eyes went wide. Wow… They had never actually been to a rainforest before! And now this was the chance to examine the environment of one in person!!...Oh, and to get to the lady of the house and answer questions about the phenomena. That was equally important. Era indeed took a rain poncho and slipped it over themself before going inside. They took a moment to just take pictures of their surroundings, and as many notes about the place as they could. They were definitely not acclimated to this place, and they were already sweating, which was just another interesting feature! And they were gonna get all they could get!! Then they realized they should probably speak up about the crossroads ahead of them. Hm, they could explore… But they really should get to the lady of the house. “Well, you know what the poem said. ‘Carry on as before.’ And so we shall! Straight away!” The puzzle is solved! *Final Fantasy victory music.* Era has comments on their Red aura. Era is very excited about the new environment, and may be more focused on that than the actual matter at hand, at least for the moment. It’s a very new place!! They take pictures, possibly without asking anyone in charge ( Lizica, Pixie) if it was okay to take pictures in someone else’s place. But anyway, they do take a rain poncho. They soon realize that oh right, they need to make progress! They suggest going straight. (Reminder to myself because I feel weird tagging in this situation: Era's teammates are: Holiday, Jeff and the Meepits, David, Sherrie, and Gibi) |
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