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Post by Lizica on May 8, 2020 1:07:46 GMT -5
"I propose we go straight," the photographer said. "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?"There was a general murmur among the members of the blue team, and then a slight pause as people fanned themselves in the heat. The young magician with the strange top hat--Jess--turned to the flamingo. "Hey, Flamingo, you live here, you seem to know your way around, tell us, is straight the correct path?" she asked. “Hmm.” The flamingo poked his way over to peek down both pathways. “You know, I may live here, but I take my job seriously, and I do spend most of my time in the front yard guarding the gate. The last time I was in this neighborhood of the greenhouse, I’m pretty sure there weren’t nearly this many saguaros around.” He carefully considered the pathways again, shifting to balance on one leg to allow his other metal leg to cool off. “But I’m fairly certain we’re supposed to go right here, actually,” he said, more certain. “Not that going straight for the scenic route would have been too terrible, I think the lady’s prized lava cactus is down the other way. Very exciting, especially if we got any mini-eruptions.” Evi ( RielCZ) suggests that the blue team go straight, and Jess ( June Scarlet) asks for confirmation from the flamingo. He suggests that you turn right, actually! Too bad, though, might’ve seen some fancy and probably not dangerous plants.
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Post by PFA on May 8, 2020 17:47:01 GMT -5
Again, of all the things Princess Sunshine was expecting, a desert was not one of them. Maybe this was another illusion, maybe it was some kind of portal, but either way, there was definitely real heat. "You must be in your element, eh?" Evi asked her. "Uh..." Princess Sunshine bit her lip. "...I mean, when I said I wanted to bring back the sun, this isn't exactly what I meant?" But if this was what they had to do, well, she wasn't about to back down now. She took one of the sunhats (it would be embarrassing for Princess Sunshine of all people to get sunburned), pondering what do with her tiara. Ultimately, she decided to wear the tiara on top of the sunhat. It looked pretty ridiculous, but it would have to do. She took a deep breath, and soldiered onward. After a bit of traveling, they reached a fork in the road—they could either continue going straight, or take a path that turned to the right. The young magician girl (Jess, as she'd previously introduced herself) thought to ask the flamingo for directions, and he told them that they should go right, saying something about a... lava cactus? ...There was really no point in questioning anything at this point. "You're not trying to trick us again, are you?" Princess Sunshine questioned. She still didn't quite trust this flamingo after everything they had to go through to get here. Princess Sunshine tells Evi ( RielCZ) that this isn't exactly what she had in mind when she said she wanted to bring back the sun. Regardless, she puts her tiara on top of a sunhat and braves the desert. When Jess ( June Scarlet) asks the flamingo ( Lizica, Pixie) about which direction to go, Princess Sunshine questions him, still not fully trusting him after he lied to them earlier. ( Kat and Fraze are also there) |
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Post by Pixie on May 9, 2020 0:48:54 GMT -5
As they continued down the icy path, winding left and then right again, the Green Team was faced again with pressing forwards or turning off to the left, but before they could make any decision-- they were stopped in their path by the sound of a nearby argument.
"Morst?? What the heck is morst???"
"It's an adjective. When a place is more moist than another place!"
"THAT'S NOT A REAL WORD, YOU MORON."
As the team looked around for the source of the trouble, Mr. Snuggles meowed with agitation, and batted his paws at something at the path’s fork.
Two flowering plants were half-buried in the snow there--a Labrador tea plant and a purple saxifrage, by the looks of it--and they were holding...was that the local newspaper, The Uffnewt Sun?
“Hey! Hey you!” one of them cried, turning its flower up towards the Green Team. “You deliver papers, right? Right? So explain this to this idiot!”
Mr. Snuggles hissed and his fur stood up on edge as the plant practically flung the newspaper into the travelers’ hands. The cat swatted at the paper, to no avail, and then sulked away, moving his tail about.
---
The Blue Team reluctantly followed the flamingo’s lead, and they followed the path on the right for a short while. It quickly bent left, and after a straight corridor of cacti, it then curled around an absolutely enormous Joshua tree. Finally, the Blue Team saw the path forking left and forwards. At the center of the fork stood a saguaro cactus with a gaping hole in its side big enough for a bird to nest in. This hole was slowly opening and closing of its own accord, and the cactus was…murmuring. Moreover, it seemed to be singing loudly and tunelessly.
“Uuugggh, cripes, this guy,” the flamingo groaned. Immediately, the saguaro straightened at the blue team’s approach, and before anyone else could comment or plug their ears, the saguaro shouted at an uncomfortable volume,
“O bfcczg myl, xowg F kyb exgg,
Fm xgbg ‘elyjzc iqgzz cfioiegb!
Ymdg vyj smyl, qzgoig iqgos fm sfmc!
Ugdyhg vyjb ylm kybgdoiegb!
“Fe xoi my zgpi ey comdg lfex
Omc my zjmpi lfex lxfdx ey ubgoexg!
My zfkg xoi fe ey zfwg yb cfg,
Omc vge fe cygi ozz exbgg!
“Lxoe fi fe?”
---
The Red Team continued straight on the verdant path, until they saw another opportunity to turn right. Before they could fully consider these options, the path became impassable.The passage before them seemed to fog up, and they could glimpse a distortion in the air, an aery spirit that seemed a bit familiar. Mischievous laughter filled the air. Holiday groaned.
The aery spirit took a more solid form. “Mwahaha!” they laughed, a bit cartoonishly. “I shan’t let you pass until you can solve my puzzle.” At that moment, glowing letters materialized on the wall of fog in an array. As if out of the spirit’s control, whole words flickered at the base of the wall, evoking colors, patterns, and their functions. They danced in space at the base level, in a hasty attempt to try to cover the words.
“Wow,” Holiday said flatly, and then sighed, “This is petty, even for you.”
The spirit pulled a face. She sighed louder.
 Chaos
Spiral
Tessellation
Meander
Camouflage | Asymmetry
Ripple
Circle
Spots
Stripes | Marble
Vortex
Red
Orange
Yellow | Green
Blue
Indigo
Violet
Aposematism |
The spirit gave a stage bow, and then turned their head and added, “And Holiday, ya pest, just stay on holiday!”
The plant blew a raspberry.Green Team: After you solve your puzzle, you may either continue straight ahead, or turn left. Blue Team: After you solve your puzzle, you may either continue straight ahead, or turn left. Red Team: After you solve your puzzle, you may either continue straight ahead, or turn right.
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Post by Kat on May 9, 2020 2:25:22 GMT -5
Cassidy had wanted the parasol, but it was given to Anton instead - and frankly, he probably needed it more. So instead, she puts on a large sun hat and a pair of sunglasses and braced herself for the blast of hot, dry air. "I almost miss the egg rain. At least it was rain," she complained, but nevertheless followed the blue team, going along with the directions they chose and giving her assent to asking the flamingo for help. Who better to navigate them on this desert path than a plastic flamingo that lived in this crazy old house in the first place? The cleric pulled down the brim of her hat to keep the sun away from her eyes despite the fact that she was already wearing sunglasses. Then she removed her blue jacket, revealing that her purple dress was a sleeveless one, and tied her jacket around her waist. Eventually they got to the cactus with the large hole. She blinked and took a step back when the saguaro actually straightened up by itself and yelled...what seemed to be something in code. It was too late for her to cover her ears and when the saguaro was done, there was an uncomfortable ringing in her ears. Cripes indeed. "Another puzzle," she said, taking out her pen and notepad again. "It sounds like the last one we solved. Uh...I wonder if we can get the cactus to repeat that one more time, for good measure...but I think I can start decoding a few letters." Cassidy takes a sun hat and a pair of sunglasses for their surprise trip along a desert path with the rest of the Blue Team ( June Scarlet, Fraze, RielCZ, PFA), and they receive their next riddle from a talking cactus. Oh yeah, and she also takes off her jacket because of the heat. Yikes. |
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Post by Liou on May 9, 2020 13:27:15 GMT -5
Rose was keenly following Mister Snuggles as he wove around the group - following him with their eyes only, lest he return to headbutt them back into their group - when Purr-eh challenged him to a yowling match! Both cats released the eldritch sounds of primordial chaos from within the depths of their fluffy, fluffy chests. Rose's hair stood on end. Something within them was itching to join in, to respond, to retaliate; but it was old and wizened and content to curl up and watch. Rose stood proudly silent, hoping that it would be noted how Good and Quiet they were being, not like those two creatures. Their quietness was put aside when they recognised another member of their Mister Snuggles-approved group. "Oh! Miss Weather!" They waved at the pretty blonde. "I see you sometimes when I use the old telly to check the weather report! You helped me protect my plants from the frost, thanks so much!" While they were distracted, a mysterious person from the airport solved the very complicated puzzle of jumbled letters in front of them. Rose gave them a warm round of applause and an offering of cookies. The puzzle seemed to say that they were a group of green people fit for visiting a greenhouse. Rose was not sure about the former, but quite keen on the latter, especially a greenhouse they had never visited before! Mister Snuggles led them off again. Rose was content to play Follow the Leader and follow the fluffy cloud of cat and watch him pounce about a tree. Cats loved to lead you around in circles! This cat dropped them a rope ladder, however. It seemed the fun was over. Rose grumbled at the sight of the parkas and wrapped themself in one while shooting baleful glances at Mister Snuggles. How could he make them bundle up? At least there were no boots. Rose made a few symbolic attempts to shrug off the parka that they had put on of their own volition, sighed dejectedly, and climbed up the ladder, making quite a show of moving rigidly to show the pitiless cat just how much the parka impeded their movements. They found themself in a lovely winterscape. They frowned, as if Mister Snuggles had pulled a fast one of them. "Hey... this is not how greenhouses work! This is... the opposite of a greenhouse! A... redhouse?" Rose's complaints were silenced by the new batch of mood-appropriate snacks Aggie produced. They followed the group straight ahead until the path led them to an arguing set of plants. Plants argued so often. In small doses, it was good exercise for them. Rose sometimes had to act as a bit of a mediator in the garden. Rose was not accustomed to having the newspaper delivered to them by plants. Rose looked at the jumbled words page from the newspaper. Their eyes lit up. They turned to face Aggie and Rachel, beaming at them. "I... can't read!" they said. They handed the page to Rachel. "Just kidding! I can read. My favourite book is the seed catalogue. I don't like it much, though - the letters move around so much when I look at them... Look, the weather girl in the picture looks so much like you! I bet you'll know the answers." Rose does not join the kitty yowling match because they are Good. They express their admiration of Rabbit ♠'s weather work! They express their admiration of Thundy's amazing ninja puzzle solving ability! They follow Count von Mister Snuggles the Elaborate, Skillfull and Greatly Adorable, and feel betrayed that the greenhouse is cold and that they have to wear warm stuff, ugh! Lizica PixieThey follow the group, accept the comforting treats of Celestial, the newspaper from the arguing plants (teehee Labrador Tea I'd been hoping to include that one somehow =D) and hand the puzzle to Rachel, noting her resemblance to the picture~ |
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Post by Gelquie on May 9, 2020 16:28:37 GMT -5
The Red Team carried on, and Era spent the time gazing at everything, jotting frantic notes. The foliage, the heavy air that hung, so much that they’d take off their jacket beneath their poncho were they not so busy taking everything in!“It’s as humid as they say!” Era cheered at one point. “No surprise, look at all the plants here, but to simulate the environment to this level, wow!” Era looked at Holiday at one point. “Say, is this the right environment for you? I know some plants need care traveling, and I don’t know if you--” Suddenly, they noticed a mist entering in, and Era was immediately distracted from their concerned inquiry to take frantic notes. Something definitely humid must be going on! If they could find the source, they could-- Oh. An aether spirit. Well, mystery solved, they guessed. The aether spirit was blocking their path—either path—until the solved a puzzle, and the spirit exchanged words with Holiday that were as heated as the room. Era stared between them. “Well, a little inconvenient. But seems like you chose a good place to live; all the humidity must do really well for you! Really great trick, by the way. What other stuff can you do?” As Era chattered on, they stared at the puzzle and traced a line around a word that they found in the chaos. Still, though they found one, the words wavered in a way that was a bit difficult for them to discern, and they gestured for the others to help. Era takes in the environment! Then realizes that waitaminute, some plants don’t do well when transplanted into different environments, and asks if Holiday is okay. ( Lizica, Pixie) Then they encounter the aer spirit who blocks their path, and is more amazed about a spirit that can move air, omigosh! than the fact that their path is blocked. Still, they take a jab at the puzzle, and gesture for others to help. |
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Post by Lizica on May 10, 2020 0:33:19 GMT -5
"Another puzzle. It sounds like the last one we solved,” said the cleric in purple and blue. “Uh...I wonder if we can get the cactus to repeat that one more time, for good measure...but I think I can start decoding a few letters."“Aaaugh, no no no, there’s no need to--don’t request-- please don’t ask for it to--” the flamingo began pleadingly, before being cut off as the cactus straightened and shouted the entire garbled message again, this time repeating the final line multiple times for ear-bleeding emphasis to make sure they jotted it down correctly. “Lxoe fi fe? Lxoe fi fe! LXOE FI FE--??” The flamingo looked a hair’s breadth away from just straight up burying his plastic head in the burning sand. “Are you happy now, Princess Sparkles??” he demanded, yelling over the saguaro, which was now shouting “Ymdg vyj smyl, qzgoig iqgos fm sfmc! YMDG VYJ SMYL QZGOIG IQGOS FM SFMC!!” “If I was trying to lead you astray, I never would have taken you down this way! Someone please just answer so we can pass and get out of here--” --- Seeing that the newspaper puzzle was well underway and in good hands, Mr. Snuggles relaxed and gave the two cold weather plants one final swat in protest. He then turned and made some light, strutting pathways in circles around in the snow, waiting for people to notice him again, before finally plopping down at the group’s feet and exposing his fluffy black belly up to the Green Team and Purr-eh. Playtime or showers of affection were always greatly appreciated. Showers of affection were the primary highlight of wearing cat sweaters, aside from the fact that he always looked extra dashing in them. --- “Well, a little inconvenient. But seems like you chose a good place to live; all the humidity must do really well for you! Really great trick, by the way. What other stuff can you do?” said the individual who the spirit had previously chosen to pester by chance. “What, you don’t recognize me, chatterbox? Giant color-changing puzzle piece? Ring any bells?” they laughed obnoxiously, “But as it seems you are an admirer of fine Arts, I can show you another trick, if you like!” The spirit gestured theatrically, and a vortex formed under Era’s feet and kept spinning. It lifted them an inch or two into the air and whirled them about. While the air spirit was focused on petty displays of power, they failed to notice the words in the puzzle were now manifesting clearly at its base. Had Holiday eyes, she would have been glaring. “Airin, if you got a bone to pick with me, I’m fine with that, but you don’t need to drag random concerned citizens into this.” “Don’t tell me what to do, I’m a free spirit!” “Oh, you childish mistjerk!” “Lazy meddling plantface!” Holiday said nothing and crossed her leaves. Cassidy ( Kat ) asks the shouty cactus to repeat the puzzle, nooo. The flamingo is extremely exasperated and tells Princess Sunshine ( PFA ) that this is proof that he wasn’t trying to trick the Blue Team earlier. (To be clear, you guys have already solved the puzzle OOC, so no obligation to answer here if you’re unable. Though you can if you want, of course! \ o /) -- Mr. Snuggles watches the puzzle solving for a little bit before needing attention again, and asks for belly rubs or to play with Purr-eh ( Celestial ). -- The aery spirit (revealed to be named Airin) and Holiday argue. Airin pesters Era ( Gelquie ) for not recognizing them based on their brief appearance, and then puts a vortex under them as a prank. Distracted, the word bank is fully visible.
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Post by June Scarlet on May 10, 2020 21:33:21 GMT -5
The Flamingo lead them down the right path, in all meanings of the word. It was hot in the desert area; Jess decided to take off her jacket, revealing a purple t-shirt underneath. She tucked her jacket into her satchel, and continued down the path with the others. Soon enough a giant saguaro cactus stood in their way, shouting very loud gibberish at them. Her group, Team Blue, took this as a challenge. They started writing down what the cactus said, and working to decode it. Jess let them at it, meanwhile looking past the cactus and down the branching paths. She glanced down at her top hat, as if expecting an answer to come from it, but nothing happened. Jess turned to the Flamingo next. "Which path would you suggest we take next, Flamingo?" Having been taken down the right path, Team Blue starts decoding while Jess looks ahead, trying to decide which path to take next. Her top hat is not help, so she asks the Flamingo which path they should take. |
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Post by Gelquie on May 11, 2020 3:42:35 GMT -5
Suddenly, Era found themself lifted and spinning. It took two moments to realize what was happening; the first to recognize the change in affairs, the second… “Oh my gosh, I’ve never been in a vortex like this this is so cool!! I mean, besides tornadoes, I mean, but they don’t count, not like this, this probably won't kill me being in one! I can’t write like this, so take notes for me! I’m going counter-clockwise and getting uplift which means this is cyclonic, feels like less vorticity at the center, and it feels like… ugh-” Era shut their eyes. “I didn't say, but I’ve been getting bad vertigo lately, so while this is cool, maybe don’t do this too long! I don’t think you want me to throw up on you, any of you. Airin, was it, this is really cool, and I’m sorry for not recognizing you, I barely knew what was happening, but that was so cool what you did then, and this trick, and I’ve love to know more and ask more and talk more but I think I really am about to throw up!” Era has commentary because of course they do. But turns out Era is prone to dizziness lately, so Era suggests not keeping this up too long. ( Pixie, Lizica, at the rest of the Red Team whenever you’re ready, Era can always talk in the background!) |
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Post by PFA on May 11, 2020 10:30:33 GMT -5
Suddenly, a cactus was yelling at them. "Another puzzle," said Cassidy, once the cactus finally stopped. "It sounds like the last one we solved. Uh...I wonder if we can get the cactus to repeat that one more time, for good measure...but I think I can start decoding a few letters."
"Aaaugh, no no no, there's no need to--don't request--please don't ask for it to--"And then the cactus was yelling at them again. Princess Sunshine pressed so hard on her ears it was starting to hurt, but the alternative was the pain of listening to the ear piercingly loud cactus—who, now knowing that they were writing down its words, felt the need to be even louder.
"Are you happy now, Princess Sparkles??" the flamingo shouted. "If I was trying to lead you astray, I never would have taken you down this way!""It's PRINCESS SUNSHINE!" Princess Sunshine shouted back, ignoring the rest of his comment for now. Turning to Cassidy, she added, "Can't you write any faster?!" Finally, after an uncomfortably long shouting match, they managed to fully transcribe the cactus' message. After some quick deciphering (this one was easier than the last one, thankfully), the message was revealed to be a riddle: Evi apparently recognized the riddle, and knew the answer—fire. But something about it seemed too easy to Princess Sunshine. In particular, the line "please speak in kind" stood out to her. "I think it wants us to answer in code," she suggested. She peered at Cassidy's notes for a moment, checking which letter corresponded with what. Then, once she was confident with her answer, she turned to the cactus and shouted, "Kfbg!" Princess Sunshine is annoyed at the loudness of the cactus ( Lizica, Pixie), corrects the flamingo on her name, and asks Cassidy ( Kat) if she can't transcribe the message faster. Finally, they figure out the message, and answer the cactus' riddle. ( RielCZ and June Scarlet are also there) |
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Post by Pixie on May 12, 2020 23:53:16 GMT -5
The aery spirit took on a look of exaggerated disgust as their dizzying prank began to reach its logical conclusion. The vortex came to a halt. Evidently, the desire to not be thrown up on outweighed the desire to mess with the puzzlers.
“Ugh, yuck, humans! Can’t handle a little spinning. You better keep your stomach in line,” Airin said pointedly, then turned to the rest of the Red Team and asked, “Does this one have an off switch?”
Through teamwork, the group was able to find every word that was hidden in the wall of magic fog. With the last word unraveled, all the letters swirled back into the wall. Then, the whole thing crumbled away, until the junction ahead was clear once more..
Airin sighed, but then followed with a single nod of the head. It had been a good match of wits, if too short. Holiday cheered. The team could finally move on.
As they walked, Holiday turned to the dizzy human. “My apologies about my nemesis. To answer your earlier question, I do well in this habitat.This place isn’t Airin’s home, but it’s one of mine.”
As they continued straight ahead, passing bromeliads and scampering lizards, it wasn’t long before the Red Team came upon another fork that once more split the forward path with a path that turned right. And just at the junction of the paths, crowded by glistening rainforest greenery, there were--bizarrely--two terracotta Chia Pets. Both had brilliant greenery sprouting from around their heads, and one additionally had a bristly green moustache, while the other sported lively eyebrows.
“Gdd@! L*w*5d3w! %t= 5x#r’3# 3#%=r 5d wdgl# % erw5#3r,” one of them exclaimed upon seeing the group approaching.
“Xee, *2 rd& %w@ e#, 5x#r’3# 53r*tb 5d 2*b&3# d&5 5x# $3dtb dt#,” replied the other, shaking his head.
“$x%5’w 5x# 3*bx5 erw5#3r?”
“$xr 5x#r w*bt#= &c!”
“=DXDXDXDXDXDXD!”
“Um… hello?” one of the puzzlers greeted tentatively, hoping that this encounter wouldn’t be quite as antagonistic as their last one. “Do you know which way we should go?”
“J6**, nd# j@o86= 7#++*6$, $d x6p6’$ @ 7#++*6 gdp nd#,” answered one.
“^8 h@o $dk68^k6$ a6 $66o do @ pd=, a#8 ^8’$ od8 @ kd= $jdp=g^$x.”
“^8 h@o a6 gdpm6=, a#8 ^8’$ od8 @ 7ddp*n hdo$8p#h86= k@+6.”
“^8’$ ap^nx8, a#8 8x6$6 YK’$ $#p6 @p6o’8.”
“^8’$ 6*6h8p^h, a#8 8x6 @8kd$7x6p6 ^o x6p6 ^$ =@k76p 8x@o @ 7#==*6 ^o @ p@^ogdp6$8.”
“Jx@8 ^$ ^8?”
“8x^$ jxd*6 8x^oy ^$ @ k6$$, ^g nd# @$m k6!”
“=DXDXDXDXDXDXD!”
---
The Green Team finished filling out the newspaper puzzle and patiently held it out for the two arguing plants to see.
“The circled letters at the bottom unscramble to make a pun on weather instruments,” one member explained sagely.
The two plants gazed at the puzzle carefully and somehow managed to convey disdain with how they held their petals.
“But that’s no fair--the cartoon didn’t have anything to set that pun up, what about her tea Thermos? Her notebook? Talk about misleading!”
“Well, you have to infer from the--”
“It’s gotta be wrong,” one of the plants said firmly. “If you put morst into the first slot, it gives you ‘M’ and ‘R’ instead, which makes a lot more sense--”
“MORST ISN’T A WORD,” cried the other plant, and the two began bickering furiously again.
Mr. Snuggles gave a very pointed yowl, and the Green Team took the cue to move onward, taking the left pathway and following it as it beared right until they came across yet another wintry junction. Here they found a lone snowman propped up against a small chalkboard, and the path behind him went either straight or to the right.
The chalkboard seemed to be covered in a myriad of tally marks. They were divided down the middle, and labeled on top, in careful handwriting, “S” and “I”. They were split nearly equally, with just a few more on the side of “S.”
At the base of the chalkboard was a large arsenal of snowballs.
“Hey, look how cute this--” one of the puzzlers began, before the snowman suddenly reached down and beaned the person in the face with a particularly fluffy snowball. As the Green Team was recovering, the snowman bent down and added “G” to the list on the chalkboard. This meant war. Snow wars!!
---
"Which path would you suggest we take next, Flamingo?"
“LOOK,” the flamingo shouted over the saguaro, which was now repeating Blue Team’s puzzle for the third time for extra clarity, “at this point, I couldn’t care LESS about which way we go, as long as we just GO.”
"I think it wants us to answer in code," the princess of brightness cried, as the team finally got to figuring out the saguaro’s meaning. She quickly consulted the cleric’s notes, and shouted with confidence and finality, "Kfbg!"
And the cactus went mercifully quiet for a moment. It paused, considering the answer, and then slowly bent its top in something of a deferential nod.
“Exoe fi dybbgde!” it shouted.
“Uh…. ixxxxxxxxx,” someone attempted, gesturing with their hands to lower their voice. The cactus did not seem to take heed of this suggestion, and shouted back,
“Dzobfev zfwgi mye fm igdbge, zylgbgc eymgi,
Uje ixyjzcie iqgos zyjc omc ixbglc!
Uzyds mye ykk exg lybzc’i jmsmylmi!
Zge vyjb lybci ug lgzz dymiebjgc!”
“Alright, alright, let’s move along now!” shouted the flamingo, and the group managed some garbled “thank you”s for the cactus and hurried off down the pathway on the left. A few lizards in the sand parted for them and sped into the growth of cacti on the side of the path.
They wandered down the desert path for an agonizingly long time--the path bent left, right, left, left, right, left, right, right, left. It began to feel a little bit more humid--but just as hot--by the time the path finally became completely impassable. A dead end.
“Oh no,” murmured the flamingo in alarm and dread.
“What? What’s wrong?” one of the puzzlers asked, with rising panic, casting glances around for some other strange or terrible encounter.
“...This means we’ll have to backtrack all the way to that intersection with the saguaro,” the flamingo moaned.
Red Team: After you solve your puzzle, you may either continue straight ahead, or turn right.
Green Team: You may either continue straight ahead, or turn right.
Blue Team: At your previous intersection, you could have either continued straight ahead, or turned left. Do you now take the straight path?
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Post by Celestial on May 13, 2020 10:55:01 GMT -5
As they wandered down the icy path, Aggie was happy to have a lovely warm teapot to keep her hands from freezing. Had she known that they would be going into such cold conditions, she would have dressed far more sensibly. Still, there was no helping it now. Her tea magic did a perfectly adequate job in the meantime. Eventually, they came across two plants having an argument. Aggie recognised one of them: she did not often use labrador tea as an ingredient due to the limited amount of use one could get from the tea (it was useful for some illnesses and in trying to make some things safe for dogs, but that was about it) but she had a few dried preparations in storage. Of course, those did not talk, let alone argue. They were also quite rude in flinging the newspaper at them. Aggie frowned. "Now now, this is not the way to talk to anybody, let alone people you want to help you," she said, her hands on her hips. "I better get an apology from you." As she was chiding the two, Rose handed the page to Rachel, noting that the weather girl in the picture looked a lot like her. That was indeed true. "And you are also a weather forecaster, correct? You are perfect to solve this, dear. I bet it will be quicker than both of us: I'm afraid I know very little about weather beyond how it affects tea plants." Aggie turned to Rose. "And darling, that would have been quite the funny joke had you not mentioned postcards to me earlier. I know Myriam equipped you with all the skills necessary to survive in this world: she is a responsible witch if I ever met one," she gave them a playful tap on their nose. Purr-eh, meanwhile, gazed down at Mr. Snuggles as he turned on his back, leaving his belly exposed. How dare he feel so safe that he would show her his belly?! The nerve. Well, she would show him. She would knock the wind right out of him The black cat prepared to jump. She wriggled her hind legs, adjusting her trajectory. Almost there...almost... "Now, now, Purr-eh, play nice!" Aggie remarked. She picked the cat up off her shoulders and placed her by Mr. Snuggles. Kneeling down, Aggie carefully stroked his belly. "See, he's nice. He just wants to play. Don't be mean." Purr-eh gave her a look of disdain that only a cat could manage. She looked back at Mr. Snuggles, carefully approaching him. Oh, she could play nice. She really could. Purr-eh circled around him and put her front paws on his belly, pressing down hard and kneading. She did give a little claw though, just to make sure that he knew she was definitely not doing this because she was happy. She could do this all day, until Aggie picked her up again. "We should keep pressing on. We need Mr. Snuggles to lead the way," she said. "Dearest Rachel had solved the puzzle, and I am not keen to stay around these plants if they keep being so rude." What did she want her to do? Play with Mr. Snuggles or not? Purr-eh extended her claws slightly, digging them into Aggie's shirt. A snowflake landed on her nose, making her sneeze. This was not how she imagined her day going. Eventually, the team reached a lone snowman. Aggie narrowed her eyes. There was no arguing or any puzzles in sight. Unless the chalkboard was one. "I wonder-" WHAP. As she came close, a snowball collided into her face. H-oolong flapped as he almost fell off her shoulder. He fluffed up, hissing angrily. He had almost managed to fall asleep! How dare his nap be interrupted?! Aggie dug in her basket, producing a teapot. She waved her hand in front of the wafting steam and for a second, it seemed like the steam changed direction, flowing into the pot instead of out. The snow and moisture from their clothes gradually was turned to steam and sucked into the teapot. Once that was complete, Aggie dug into her basket for a pouch of smoky, strong-smelling tea. She took a handful of the lapsang souchong and put it into the pot, waving her hands. The scent began to get more and more ashy, to the point where anybody nearby could feel their eyes watering. She said a word and poured some of the tea onto a nearby snowball. Much to everyone's surprise, it did not melt but instead gained a pungent, smoky aroma, and seemed almost...bigger, stronger somehow. "H-oolong, dearie, why don't you give our snowman friend a taste of their own medicine?" Aggie asked. The tawny owl did not need to be asked twice. For his interrupted nap, he would gladly take his revenge. He took off, digging his claws into the snowball and soared above the snowman, out of its firing range. His eyes locked on to the target and he let go, dropping the tea-infused snow bomb down onto their attacker. Aggie regrets not dressing warmly. She thinks the two arguing plants are most rude for just flinging a newspaper at them and expecting them to solve it. She does think Rachel( Rabbit ♠) is the perfect person to solve the puzzle, since she is a weather forecaster, and boops Rose( Liou) on the snoot. Meanwhile, Purr-eh prepares to jump down on Mr.Snuggles ( Pixie, Lizica) but Aggie stops her, so the kitty resorts to kneading his belly instead. But with claws, because it isn't like she likes him or anything. They move on and Aggie and H-oolong are hit by a snowball from the snowman. Aggie uses her tea magic to infuse another snowball with strength from lapsang souchong and asks H-oolong to deliver the bomb down onto the snowman. The tawny owl is more than happy to because his nap was interrupted, dangit! Bombs away! |
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Post by June Scarlet on May 13, 2020 21:14:02 GMT -5
The group hurried down a path to get away from the noisy cactus, and found themselves at a dead end. It seemed that the Flamingo didn't know the way past the first juncture, for it bemoaned the fact that they'd have to pass by the cactus again. As the group backtracked to take the other path, Jess noticed that the path, while still hot, was also something else. "Is it just me, or is it more humid over here? I wonder if that means we're getting closer... to wherever we're heading. Where are we heading, anyway? Do we know where the lady is? Or are we just wandering around until we run into her?" As Jess waited for an answer, she adjusted the top hat in her hands. She tried flipping it upside down. She tired holding it under one arm. Finally, she reached inside the hat itself, perhaps a little deeper than one would expect. And she pulled out a Guinea Pig; Taffy, to be exact. Though she wasn't showing off, it was still an impressive trick. How exactly had she done it? "I'm tired of holding you, would you mind riding in the satchel again?" Jess asked of the Guinea Pig. Taffy chirped, and Jess gently placed her in the satchel she carried. The top hat went on her head, on top of the sun hat. It was rather silly looking, but practical, at least. Onward they went, back to the shouting cactus. Dead end. Why is the path humid, could that mean they're getting close? The top hat is getting uncomfortable to carry, so she reaches into the hat, and pulls out Taffy! What an impressive trick, and Jess wasn't even showing off! Taffy rides in the satchel now. |
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Post by Gelquie on May 15, 2020 4:55:26 GMT -5
Era was grateful when they were put back down, and they gave a weak little thumbs up before putting their hands to their knees, taking a moment to just... breathe. Before eventually reaching into their pockets and pulling out some ginger candy, just as the rest of the team solved the puzzle. "Sorry, can't help it," Era continued, noticeably more at a whisper now. "Great powers, though, wish I could stay and chat and find out more, but, y'know. Means I'm on the right track." They smiled at Holiday's response. "It's really alright, it's really very interesting, and gives me a lot of good ideas! I just don't have a good stomach lately, is all. Is there a bathroom in here, by the way? Probably not... nevermind, I can hold it till we get there; I'm used to it, weather stops for no one. Glad you're okay!" The team continued on, and Era seemed noticeably quieter and taking less notes, being forced to take care of... well, themself. Ugh. But the fatigue would feel of a temporary nature. And then they came across wonderful-looking chia pets! Who spoke in a language they absolutely couldn't comprehend! But their tone was conversational, jovial, even... familiar? It seemed... "Oh my goodness, you two look great!" Era exclaimed before stopping themself. They continued on, quieter, as they pulled out their notebook. "Sincerely, good work! You seem to have a good bit going on! Wish I could understand it. But you seem to understand us! I'm afraid I missed, uh, all of that, though; anyone here get what they were saying or know the language? Besides the laughing, can't miss the laughing! It sounded like you were trying to help, though. Or give us a riddle; it sounded like a riddle. Maybe both! So uh, could you repeat, uh, all of that? Or! Or just point to things as you talk to give us a gist! That'd probably help it go faster! Sorry, I know it's a pain! I'll look up your riddle-language later!" Era is actually kinda subdued after being tossed around, but they try to stay positive, and somehow still end up being a chatterbox. The OOCly mentioned bathroom issue is briefly addressed.
They respond positively to the chia pets who are totally not making fun of us! They comment a lot on their lack of understanding, but take some inferences from the tone; mainly that they responded as if they understood, were trying to give a riddle, and have a very notable laugh! In effort to understand, they take out their notebook and ask to repeat while pointing at context clues, to help speed it up. |
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Post by Pixie on May 17, 2020 1:17:39 GMT -5
Mr. Snuggles somehow looked even floofier and more puffed up with pride when he stood back up after his tummy scritches to guide the Green Team onwards. His voluminous coat provided good protection against Purr-eh’s claws. He smugly headbutted her a few times and sauntered down the snowy pathway. He let out a yowl when the snowballs started flying, however, and testily sheltered behind a nearby conifer as the snowman at the maze’s crossroads unleashed several more snowballs at the various human members of the group. The snowman managed to hit not only the tea witch and her owl in the face, but while dodging a few retaliatory snowballs, also lightly hit someone on the shoulder, and someone else on their leg. All reasonably good shots for a seasoned snowball fighter--but the snowball that came directly from above had definitely been seasoned with something else entirely. The owl let loose the great tea-infused snow bomb, and it smacked the snowman head on and knocked him several inches down into the snow. With a twist of the arm, he flashed the tea witch a thumbs-up. --- "Is it just me, or is it more humid over here? I wonder if that means we're getting closer... to wherever we're heading. Where are we heading, anyway? Do we know where the lady is? Or are we just wandering around until we run into her?" Jess asked as the Blue Team turned back around. “I would guess that the lady of the house is in the center of the greenhouse,” answered the flamingo, trailing next to someone who had a wide shadow beneath their sunhat. “It’s the most comfortable area to be in for extended periods of time, if you’re not a cactus or a monstera plant or arctic moss. So even if the lady was tending something in one of these dead ends, she’d probably return to the center at some point, and we’d find her there.” The group trudged on through the desert heat, watching as Jess and her guinea pig Taffy did some quiet but impressive maneuvers. “That’s some rather extravagant accessorizing,” the flamingo commented, nodding at her layered top hat and sunhat. “Still,” he conceded, “some pretty fancy tricks for someone your age. Do they teach spatial displacement spells in school these days, in addition to obscure hydrangea science?” He paused, warily eyeing the path ahead. “...Do they teach any good noise-blocking spells?” --- “There’s a privy in the center of this greenhouse.” Holiday answered in an amused tone as the Red Team traveled. “My Lady has such needs as well, and the plants here would certainly not take kindly to such uses.” "Oh my goodness, you two look great!" Era exclaimed upon seeing the two Chia Pets. "Sincerely, good work! You seem to have a good bit going on! Wish I could understand it. But you seem to understand us! I'm afraid I missed, uh, all of that, though; anyone here get what they were saying or know the language? Besides the laughing, can't miss the laughing! It sounded like you were trying to help, though.” “Xaa, #4gg, #4 %jm %d =d #xt% #4 vt2,” one of the Chia Pets put in. “Hr% %x4j4 tj4 &da4 %jte2#j4vz& 4w42 #4 vt2’% &tw4.” “&d #xt% #drg= &tw4 e%?” “%#d #dj=e: %x4 42=.” “=DXDXDXDXDXDXD!” Nevertheless, the two of them repeated the previous riddle, though added a different flair at the end. “...Jx@8 ^$ ^8?” “^8’$ =6b@ i#.” “@o= ^ =do’8 j@o8 8d $66 8x^$ y@k6 @y@^o!” “=DXDXDXDXDXDXD!” Green Team’s snowball fight continues. The snowman gets a couple shots in, but Aggie and H-oolong’s ( Celestial ) tea-infused snowball is super effective! (Meanwhile, Mr. Snuggles pouts and shields himself behind a conifer. He’s not the center of attention now, HOW TERRIBLE.) The flamingo replies to Jess ( June Scarlet ), saying that the lady of the house is probably at the center of the greenhouse maze. He’s reasonably impressed with her and Taffy’s magic trick, and asks if she learned that at school. Holiday tells Era ( Gelquie ) that there is indeed a bathroom at the center of the greenhouse, and so please be respectful of the plants. The two talking Chia Pets snark...something or other, but repeat the riddle at Era’s request. (We apologize for them. xD) |
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