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Post by June Scarlet on May 17, 2020 20:02:46 GMT -5
"Noise-blocking spells? Why would I know-" Jess stopped herself mid-sentence, and cleared her throat. "I mean, uh, you know, I guess I could block noise, yeah, I can do magic, right?" The group stared at her. "Can you do magic?" asked one of them. Jess rubbed the back of her neck. "I mean, of course I can, I can push a coin through my hand, and I'm working on card tricks, and of course, I can pull a Guinea Pig out of a hat. That's my best trick." "Yeah, but that's stage magic, can you do real magic?" "I mean..." Jess looked down at Taffy, who said nothing. Jess took a deep breath. "Can you keep a secret? I can't do magic. Or at least I couldn't. But maybe I can now? But only one trick, and it might not even be me doing it." Taffy chittered. Jess went on. "I found this top hat at Mr. Magnolia's Resale Shop a few months back. Only when I reached in there, I pulled out a Guinea Pig. I bought the hat, named the Guinea Pig Taffy, but I haven't been able to figure out why Taffy was in there in the first place, or how I was able to pull her out. I don't know if it's the hat that's magical, or Taffy, or me. I've been practicing magic ever since, but I can still only really do the one thing. And I don't know what to make of it." Jess responds to Flamingo and the rest of the Blue Team. Of course Jess can do magic, you saw her pull a Guinea Pig out of a hat, right? Well, maybe not. Turns out that Jess can only pull a Guinea Pig out of a hat, that's the only magic she can do, and it might actually be the hat or Guinea Pig that's magic. |
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Post by RielCZ on May 18, 2020 18:11:16 GMT -5
Evi had helped with some puzzles here and there, and did know a fiery riddle when he heard one. He mostly kept quiet otherwise, taking nice photographs that he'd have to show to Rachel later: plants, the flamingo, the Blue Aura Heroes in awesome poses and scenes -- and Jess's magic. Yes, they'd all watched the young girl do varying mind-bending tricks with the guinea pig and her hat. "I found this top hat at Mr. Magnolia's Resale Shop a few months back. Only when I reached in there, I pulled out a Guinea Pig. I bought the hat, named the Guinea Pig Taffy, but I haven't been able to figure out why Taffy was in there in the first place, or how I was able to pull her out. I don't know if it's the hat that's magical, or Taffy, or me. I've been practicing magic ever since, but I can still only really do the one thing. And I don't know what to make of it.""Huh, now that's interesting," Evi said. "We could do some experiments and narrow that down, if you'd like." He pointed to her sun hat. "Try to pull Taffy out of that one? That would help you with the hat variable." "AND," he continued with a slight smile, "I could try to pull her out of your hat if you'd like. I generally have no real magical skill," he announced almost proudly, "so you'd know whether it's you or Taffy. Though," he waved almost apologetically, "it's your trick, so I wouldn't want to take that away from you necessarily. But don't doubt your skill kid, the amount of practice you put in is great -- much more than I did with my card tricks when I was younger." Evi talks to Jess ( June Scarlet) and recommends that she could do some experiments to determine which of her, the hat, or Taffy is magic. |
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Post by PFA on May 18, 2020 20:18:59 GMT -5
Princess Sunshine was filled with renewed confidence after solving the cactus' riddle. That confidence carried her through as they continued trekking through the scorching heat. We can do this, she told herself. We'll put the sun back in its proper place and we'll save the day!And then they hit a dead end. "We have to go back?" she whined, but then stopped herself. No, this wasn't the time for complaining. She was Princess Sunshine, defender of truth and justice! She had to stay strong, no matter what it took! She took a deep breath to calm herself, then put on her best confident face. "Okay! We can do this!" On their way back, they got into a conversation about magic. The young magician, Jess, revealed that she didn't know any real magic, admitting that the one spell she had may not have been her own doing. "Maybe you just haven't found your specialty yet?" Princess Sunshine suggested. "Like how I have my sun magic, or the Tea Witch has her tea magic? Maybe you could try other hat-related spells!" She gave an encouraging smile. "And hey, even if you can't do real magic, those tricks of yours are still really impressive!" Princess Sunshine is annoyed that they have to backtrack, but puts on a brave face because she's a hero! Hearing Jess ( June Scarlet ) talk about her lack of magic, Princess Sunshine gives some encouraging words and suggests she try other hat-related spells. |
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Post by Liou on May 19, 2020 16:09:51 GMT -5
While the newspaper puzzle was being solved, Rose paced about with their hands in their parka's pockets, sniffing at the chilly air and blowing out their breath to watch it get misty. They frowned when Mister Snuggles decided to flop and flaunt a tempting fluffy belly. "Oh no," they said, "I am not falling for that cat thing again! Not without my gardening gloves for protection."
"Wind... socks?" Rose whispered to themself, perplexed, while the team moved on from the arguing plants. Then it dawned upon them and they began to giggle, stifling their laughter under their breath. "Weather girls wearing wind socks!" The parka was very efficient at warming Rose, not to mention the sweltering tea Aggie had served them earlier, their brisk pace, and the frequent strolls they took away from the path to peer at intriguing new plants before bounding back to the team. They were considering unzipping the heavy coat and rolling up their sleeves when the group chanced upon a snowman and chalkboard. (No snowboard.)
"Oooh is this a little school? Are we going to have maths class? Are you our teacher?" they asked the snowman. A snowball hit them in the shoulder and another splattered over their face. Rose threw out their arms and staggered theatrically. "Oh no! Alas! Woe! Thou hast struck mine skull with one wrathful popsicle! I am vanquished, I fall!" They collapsed into the snow, laughing, and waved their arms and legs vigorously, not quite forming a snow angel but certainly splashing it all around. Rose began to lick the snow that still spattered their face and crunch it between their teeth. It was quite refreshing after sweating inside the parka, albeit rather tasteless. More snowballs flew above them. Treats and playtime? What a wonderful place they had discovered! Rose began to form snowballs, immediately lost patience and scrambled to scoop snow into their arms at random instead. They peaked out of the dent in which they had fallen, leapt out and threw everything they had at the snowman, laughing.
"Hey snowperson!" they called, "your ice cream is cool but a bit bland! Got any other flavours?" Rose tilted their head to inspect the snowman. Could that snow be flavoured? Rose did not fall for Count Von Mister Snuggles the Elaborate, Skillful and Greatly Adorable's belly fluff, alas. Too many cats have baited them and trapped them with claws before. They play a lot with the snow, getting pelted and pelting the snowman in turn. They're eating snow. They may or may not be thinking of trying a bite of the snowman. Tag rainbow Celestial Rabbit ♠ Pixie Lizica |
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Post by Twillie on May 20, 2020 2:35:46 GMT -5
Gibi blinked. It took several more blinks until she could truly take in her surroundings. She couldn’t explain why, but... The past, however long, felt like a complete blur to her. Like a dream just woken up from, vague flashes of its events still lingered, but remembering its order of events and logic was long gone. Great, not again. It wasn’t the first time Gibi lost a chunk of the time that went by, although it wasn’t a common occurrence for her. What caused it or what happened when she spaced out like this, she couldn’t quite say, but whenever she came back it almost felt like she was returning to her body. She’d even swear it felt like she was floating just off the ground when she regained sensation in her feet. She wasn’t sure she’d had an episode quite like this, though. She didn’t know how long she was out, but it had to be long enough to go from standing outside a house to suddenly being surrounded by a full tropical rainforest and two chia pets saying... whatever it was they were jabbering. For all she knew, Gibi was still floating in no man’s land and accidentally dropped herself off in some alternate dimension. Looking around, though, she recognized some of her companions from outside that house from earlier. One of them seemed to be holding conversation with the babbling chia pets, and Gibi softly interjected. “Um, pardon my ignorance, but this whole affair I think gave me quite the head trip, and now I’m not sure I fully get all that’s going on. You’re not able to understand those plants, are you?” Due to unknown forces, Gibi suddenly snaps out of a weird out of body experience and realizes she’s in a new location with little memory of how she got there. Not the first time she’s had an episode like this, but she’s never quite come back to this kind of setting before. She asks Era ( Gelquie) if they understand what the Chia pets are saying. ( Huntress Ginz ❤ and Moni are all there too) |
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Post by Lizica on May 20, 2020 15:57:47 GMT -5
The Blue Team’s conversation took a brief intermission when their steps finally wound their way back to the previous junction.
The saguaro straightened in anticipation, and shouted piercingly, “O bfcczg myl, xowg F kyb exgg, / Fm xgbg ‘elyjzc iqgzz cfioiegb! / Ymdg vyj smyl, qzgoig iqgos--”
“IT’S FIRE,” the flamingo shouted back, sprinting past the cactus as fast as his stake legs could carry him. “FE’I KFBG. KFBG!”
“Exoms vyj,” someone added more politely as they hurried past down the straight path.
Once past the saguaro, the team followed this pathway for...what felt like a very long time. As they walked and conversed along the way, the path twisted this way and that so many times that they lost track. Left and then right and right, and left. Left, left, left. Right, right, left, right, right, right, left, left, left, right, right, left, right--
It almost felt like they’d wound around half the maze at this point.
At long last, something different from the sweltering rows of cacti, spiky trees, and dry weather flowers came into view. At a new intersection, between a few tumbleweed plants, was a dusty watering can. The watering can rattled around of its own accord, back and forth and around and against the wall. One team member glanced hopefully inside, but found only sand and a couple loose cactus spines.
“...Why is it doing that?” one person wondered aloud, staring at the watering can as it rattled and scraped. It almost sounded rhythmic, in a way. In fact, it sounded a little like this:
The Watering Can Rattles.wav (883.14 KB)
---
The Red Team thoughtfully consulted one another, and at length turned back to the two terracotta Chia Pets.
“The answer is lightning,” two teammates declared.
“@2= %d3 d2v#, mdr’3# @v8r@ggm 3eyx8,” said one of the Chia Pets.
“X#3#, 8@^# 8xe$, hr8 mdr d2gm y#8 d2#. E8’$ =@2y#3dr$ 8d yd @gd2#.”
“@2= e8’$ #w#2 qd3$# 8d $8@m x#3# @2= q@8vx!”
“=DXDXDXDXDXDXD!”
The group suddenly found themselves holding a pair of Ethereal Earplugs--light and airy to the touch, but still very much solid and very much functional. They wondered what on earth this could be good for, or if someone else might find them more useful.
“Uh… thank you,” one person said, nodding uncertainly at the two Chia Pets before the team passed and moved on down the pathway. (Behind them, the two Chia Pets continued to snark. Their punchline laughter still carried, though the team was now too far out of earshot to decipher them.)
As the Red Team kept going straight, they could not ignore a truly unsavory smell. While parts of the greenhouse were home to fragrant blooms, this was far from it. It was a nasty, rotten smell! It smelled, quite frankly, like something inside the greenhouse had died.
Filled with growing unease and discomfort, the team strode on, and found themselves at yet another junction. At the crossroads was the biggest flower anyone had ever seen, easily three feet wide, brilliant red in color and speckled in white. Holiday exclaimed, “Oh, a rafflesia corpse flower. It’s been so long since I’ve seen one in bloom!”
On each of its petals was a long, crudely-tied bracelet, strung with beads that had letters carved into them in a neat font.
A fly buzzed lazily by and landed on the flower. The rafflesia sneezed, involuntarily flinging its petals. The bracelets all hit the forest floor, and split apart on impact, sending up a haphazard rain of beads in five directions. Oh no!
Its petals drooped. It looked sad.
It was time to collect the letter beads and put them in the right place, and help out the poor plant. The day could be saved with some beading and knot-tying skills!
The five piles read:
aiecssroozaticn
irallibnce
rliginayito
cimpaoionshpn
baeitratkhng
---
Already partially knocked into the snow, the snowman turned from Aggie a split second too late, and was suddenly inundated and buried under a towering armful of snow flung by Rose.
After a frozen pause that felt longer than it was, a twiggy arm finally reached out from the heap of snow, shook itself off, and marked a definitive tally under the “G” column on the blackboard.
The snowman at last emerged, dusted himself off, and leaned away, a little disconcerted by Rose’s inspection. He waved them away from his carrot nose, and then turned to the Green Team as a whole. He doffed his hat, spun one twig arm in a tight circle with a flourish, and then bowed deeply in acknowledgement of his defeat.
After a small celebration, the group bid farewell to the snowman (Mr. Snuggles giving him a wide berth), and followed the snowy path straight forward. They hadn’t gotten very far, however, before the path suddenly became overcrowded with conifers and snow drifts too tall and sheer to climb. They’d found a dead end, it seemed. A collection of groans sounded and then dissipated. Well, at least they’d be able to say hi to the snowman again. Maybe they wouldn’t have to have another snowball fight, since they’d been there so recently, at least?Blue Team: After you solve your puzzle, you may either turn left or right. Red Team: After you solve your puzzle, you may either continue straight ahead, or turn right. Green Team: At your previous intersection, you could have either continued straight ahead, or turned right. Do you now take the right path?
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Post by Gelquie on May 20, 2020 23:16:54 GMT -5
Era took to trying to jot down the details diligently, though they paid more attention to the sounds than the individual letters, trying to get a grasp on a whole. From it, they could tell that it was still mostly indecipherable! What do they do with this! They supposed they had all the time in the world to figure it out... But thankfully, others on the team were better about cryptography, and were able to help out and pin down what the message was saying, snarks and all. While they were working through it, a quieter member of the group spoke up: “Um, pardon my ignorance, but this whole affair I think gave me quite the head trip, and now I’m not sure I fully get all that’s going on. You’re not able to understand those plants, are you?”Era snapped their head around. "Ah, good! Did you get vertigo too? Or is it something else? No worries, I get it! Or I don't, but it doesn't matter because you're here! I don't know how much you remember, so-- Oh, I should start more recent. I don't know what they're saying, but we're figuring it out! I think they're asking us a riddle..." At this point, the solving came to a tipping point, and so Era briefly focused their attention more on that. And soon, they manage to solve the riddle and placate the Chia Pets. After which they said... what was it, an offer? And then a pair of ethereal earplugs appeared in one of their hands. Perhaps some thing for later, intriguing! Era thanked the Chia Pets before carrying on as before. "That was nice of them! As I was saying, we're in this really awesome and humid greenhouse in order to find the Lady of the House. Who I'm sure will be able to tell us about the weather at this point! I mean, we met the aer spirit already responsible for my puzzle piece, though he made me a little sick to my stomach, and I still kinda feel it so I'm kinda trying to take it easy, but was otherwise really cool! Each of these crossroad beings are giving us puzzles and riddles, maybe to prove our worth, while we get there, so we just have to keep our mind sharp and our eyes and ears and noses op- ...Mmmmph." They suddenly put a hand to their mouth and pinch shut their nose. "Mebbe mot our mozez," they mumble, suddenly looking far less chipper. Holiday exclaimed, “Oh, a rafflesia corpse flower. It’s been so long since I’ve seen one in bloom!”The earplugs couldn't double as nose plugs, could they? Era only weakly gave a thumbs up, before seeing the sneezing incident, and the rattle of the bracelets as they fell and broke, before the flower began to look sad. For all the trouble the rafflesia was causing them, Era couldn't help but feel a little sad for it. They felt inclined to help... Both to save it from its sadness and to get away from it as fast as possible.Still holding their nose with one hand and looking a little nauseated, they got down to their knees and got to work trying to organize the beads, nodding to the rest of the group to help out. As quickly as possible. Please. Era gets to the puzzle! But struggles a bit because they don't actually do this too often, so they get a lot of help from the group. While the group figures some stuff out, Era volunteers themself to fill in Gibi ( Twillie) on what she missed. They pause for a bit while the group figures out the puzzle and the Chia Pets give them the gift before they go on their way. Era continues blathering to Gibi until... Turns out there is something that makes Era shut up. Surprise. Probably the earlier motion sickness plus the terrible smell are doing it. They feel bad for the bracelets and hurry to help out, both to help alleviate the sadness and to get out of here quickly please. |
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Post by Kat on May 21, 2020 0:19:11 GMT -5
"Back to the screaming cactus, then," Cassidy complained, taking off her sun hat to fan herself. "Maybe I should've learned to be an ice mage instead of a healer. Or a weather mage." But she did quiet down after that, choosing to watch Jess pull Taffy out of her top hat, stash the guinea pig into her satchel, and then pop the hat right on top of her sun hat. Cassidy wished she knew a noise-blocking spell; if she did, she would've used it while transcribing the cactus' message awhile ago. Speaking of spells, she listened to Jess explain the truth behind her magic, which Cassidy had been wondering about when she had first met the girl and her guinea pig. Even so, it didn't change the fact that somehow, Jess discovered the trick of the hat and Taffy. Evi's suggestion to try varying the trick to discover the source of the magic sounded good, so Cassidy merely nodded along to it. Princess Sunshine, also, had a point about Jess not finding her niche yet. But before Cassidy could add anything meaningful to the conversation, they returned to the saguaro, and the flamingo saved them the trouble of having to whip out the password again. She continued fanning her face with her sun hat, and reached up to wipe some sweat off her face with the sleeve of her jacket. When they encountered the rattling, seemingly sentient watering can, it was Cassidy who peered inside and frowned when she found only the sand and the spines. "Nothing inside, which means all we have to go on is the rattling. It sounds like a pattern. Morse Code, maybe?" She groaned, her posture deflating. "Ugh, I don't know Morse Code. I just know it's a thing. They don't exactly teach that stuff in the monastery." Then, she remembered Jess, and turned to the girl with the top hat. "Stage magic in itself is still impressive, you know. It takes a special sleight of hand to be able to perform card tricks and the like. I can't even do one of those without accidentally dropping the cards onto the ground." She laughed softly and replaced the hat onto her head. "Princess Sunshine is right. Pulling Taffy out of your hat, whether it's your doing or not, is something. Me...I know some basic healing magic and techniques, but not much else outside of that. I know I can't pull anything out of my hat. I haven't had any opportunities to use my magic for something, like these puzzles or making our team's life easier in this heat - well, not that I'm wishing for them because that would mean wishing someone gets hurt, but you know what I mean." Sorry, Cassidy doesn't know noise-muffling spells. Or any ice spells, so she has to take off her sun hat and fan herself with it. She listens to the conversation about magic happening among Jess ( June Scarlet), Evi ( RielCZ) and Princess Sunshine ( PFA), looks into a jumpy watering can and finds nothing, and muses that it seems to be tapping out Morse Code. Then she mentions that she herself only knows healing magic and hasn't had an opportunity to be useful. |
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Post by Celestial on May 21, 2020 10:38:27 GMT -5
With their combined efforts, and more than a little flair and drama from Rose, they were able to best the snowman at its own game. H-oolong returned to her shoulder and gave a screech of truimph before he began cleaning his claws and feathers of excess snow. Fluffing up, he shook the rest out. This environment was beginning to grow quite tiresome. Aggie petted him, helping brush his feathers. "There, there. I can give you something that will dry you right up," the Tea Witch pulled out a pot of sweet smelling tea from her basket. "Fresh acacia mixed with acacia honey. It contains the essense of desert sun," with a girn, she poured out a dram into her bone china cups, handing it to the snowball fighters, minus the snowman. Aggie had a feeling they would not enjoy being warmed and dried. She gave a final bow to the snowman, doffing her own hat for politeness, before they moved on. However, it was not long before the path they took became inhospitable and prevented any further progress. Aggie sighed. "Oh dear, oh dear. Looks like we have to go back. Unless you can find us a way through these awful plants," Aggie remarked to Rose. "On second thought, dearie, perhaps not. We should stick together. I suppose we best head right. Let us hope that there is no dead end there," the Tea Witch looked to Rachel. "There would not happen to be any weather phenomena you can see that will help us find out way, right? Or barring that, we should know what we should avoid. I would rather not get caught in a blizzard." Purr-eh jumped from Aggie's arms and smugly circled around Mr. Snuggles, holding her tail high. He led them down the wrong way! Silly cat. Now it was her turn to show her navigational skills. The black cat strode forward, confident. She looked back to see if they were following her...and again...and again- cold and wet suddenly drenched her fur as her vision turned white. Purr-eh yowled. Aggie laughed and went over to pull her cat out of the snowdrift she had wandered into. "I think you should leave the wayfinding to Mr. Snuggles, Purr-eh," she chided, wiping the cat with her sleeve and offering her some acacia. Purr-eh shrunk (at least, even more than she already had due to the wet snow clumping her fur) and glared at Mr. Snuggles. She would show him! The snowman is defeated! Aggie warms and dries everyone with acacia tea but oh no, they run into a dead end! She wonders if Rose( Liou) could scout ahead but decides they best stick together. She also asks Rachel( Rabbit ♠) if there are any weather phenomena they need to watch for, either to help navigate or to know where not to go. Purr-eh, meanwhile, tries to show that she is also an excellent navigator but accidentally walks into a snowdrift. Whoops. Mr. Snuggles ( Lizica, Pixie) is probably better suited for this job. |
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Post by Twillie on May 22, 2020 15:33:05 GMT -5
Gibi was grateful for Era to fill in any missing info, especially to her surprise without really asking questions in the process. Not that she wouldn't be willing to answer, just that it was hard to do so when you didn't quite know yourself. They mentioned something about "vertigo," which made Gibi wonder if others had the same experience as her. Her mind was distracted from this pondering, though, by something else Era mentioned. "An aer spirit?" Gibi gasped. She was a little disappointed she couldn't recall that meeting, as any aer spirit sounded like they'd make great conversation! Ah well, with how the world worked sometimes, nothing says she couldn't get a second chance sometime. The further they went, Gibi didn't blame Era when they struggled to continue talking. Her nose crinkled as well, and she immediately started looking around for the source of the smell. It reeked of death. " Oh, a rafflesia corpse flower. It’s been so long since I’ve seen one in bloom!" Sure enough, there sat a giant flower that seemed to be emitting such as scent of "back off." After hearing what it was, though, Gibi couldn't help but coo a little to herself. Getting past the smell a little, she couldn't help but find the flower charming in a way. It's not that it tried to deter others, it just existed purely as itself. While unattractive to others, Gibi wondered how the flower viewed itself. Her heartstrings were tugged even further when, in a sneezing fit, the flower dropped what she assumed valuables to it. "Oh-!" Instinctively, Gibi dropped to the floor and started gathering the lettered beads. "Do these go in a certain order?" She wondered aloud. She was joined by her teammates as well, who looked just as eager to collect the beads as soon as possible. She assumed more for reasons of the putrid smell, though. "Are you alright?" She asked Era, a small smile on her face. Gibi is glad for Era's ( Gelquie) help in filling her in on what's going on. As they near the corpse flower, Gibi is initially put off by its smell as well, but can't help but be charmed by it and how it may feel being such a detractor to visitors by simply existing. Her sympathy grows for it when it looses its beads, and she gets to work trying to help it out. She also checks in that Era is alright with the smell, noticing their off behavior. |
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Post by June Scarlet on May 22, 2020 19:44:01 GMT -5
As the blue team looped back around, Jess was relieved to find that they were quite understanding about how most of her tricks were just for show. Mr. Evi suggested she try variations of pulling a Guinea Pig out of a hat, to see what exactly was going on there. Princess Sunshine suggested that Jess simply hadn't found her magic niche yet, and that it was possible she could do more magic. Cass assured her that stage magic was impressive in of itself. And Taffy nuzzled Jess' hand and chittered kindly. "Thank you," said Jess, "Thank you everyone." They passed the loud cactus again, and found themselves wandering for a time until they came upon a noisy watering can. It rattled and shook in such a way that Cass wondered aloud if it was Morse Code. "It wouldn't surprise me at this point," Jess said. As the group hunkered down to solve another puzzle, Jess sat down and took off the top hat again, setting it on the ground. She took Taffy, and placed her inside with little fuss from the Guinea Pig. When Jess' hand reemerged from the hat however, Taffy was gone. "Let's try and figure out two puzzles at once, then," said Jess. "Anyone want to try and pull a Guinea Pig out of this hat?" Team Blue Assemble! RielCZ PFA Kat Fraze Jess thanks everyone for their ideas and kindness. Once they reach the rattling watering can, Jess places Taffy in the top hat, and offers for anyone in the group to try and pull the Guinea Pig back out. (If your character has any innate magic, even the slightest amount, they should be able to pull the Guinea Pig out. Otherwise, they pull out nothing.) |
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Post by RielCZ on May 23, 2020 14:39:14 GMT -5
"Anyone want to try and pull a Guinea Pig out of this hat?"Evi set down his camera and cracked his knuckles. "I'll give'er a go." He made some mystical finger motions, like he used to do before his card tricks, and stuck his hand down the top hat. He scrunched his face in thought as he grasped around... was it bigger on the inside than it seemed? Or was that just an illusion, too? His hand emerged from the cylindrical headpiece, guinea pig-less. "Alas!" Evi playfully cried with a shrug. "Even my epic slight of hand was for naught!" And then he smiled semi-sarcastically at Jess. "You have me beat, kid. Thou art a better magician than myself." The photographer picked up his camera, and shot a photo of the rattling watering can. It still had some motion vibration -- you could practically hear the WATER splashing out of it. Nice. "Well, at least I don't need magic to capture a magical photo," Evi mused. Evi tries to pull Taffy from Jess's ( June Scarlet ) hat. He is unsuccessful.
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Post by Pixie on May 24, 2020 1:11:55 GMT -5
The rafflesia corpse flower shifted its petals a little bashfully as the Red Team came to its aid. They were such heroes! Gathering the beads from its broken bracelets amid such strife! And with such efficiency, too! The rafflesia emitted its best and most potent smell in gratitude as the team finished stringing the beads together and speedily, at arm’s length, thrust the bracelets back over its petals. They had gotten all its favorite words just right. Breathtaking, indeed! Why, they all looked as if they’d caught their breath at the magnanimity of their own heroic actions!
The rafflesia cheerfully and aromatically waved its petals at the team as they passed the plant and continued on through the greenhouse.
The Red Team gratefully breathed the fresh air as they followed the pathway straight ahead--but unfortunately, the path was short. Soon the group was overwhelmed by thick rainforest foliage on all sides, and the only way to get through would have been with a machete--which almost certainly would be frowned upon, given the circumstances.
Their perfectly good strategy of barrelling through and always taking the straight pathway had finally netted them a dead end. Dangit.
And now they’d have to pass by the corpse flower again if they wanted to try the other adjoining pathway. But at least they’d be prepared this time?
---
Mr. Snuggles huffed, pacing back and forth stubbornly around the end of the dead end. His spirits were raised, however, by watching Purr-eh lead herself into one of the snow drifts. He puffed up as he guided the group back. Now it was his turn to glance backwards to make sure they were following properly, but without straying into the side like a fluffy snow plow. He was such a pro!
The Green Team passed by the snowman again, who was busy cleaning the snow off of his hat and brushing himself down. They looked up eagerly and tossed a snowball up and down in one stick arm--but flourished in acquiescence when the team waved and turned off down the right-hand pathway.
They followed the pathway as it bent to the left and went on for a short while. At first, some indistinct sound was muffled and softened by the quiet surrounding snow, but the farther they went, the louder and more jarring the sounds became.
“    ,    /     /  /  / /     / / / !  / /  / /  !” cried the first voice.
“ , ?! , / !!” cried the second voice.
“ / /   /  !” cried the third voice.
Ahead on the pathway at another intersection was a cluster of tall and trim topiary. Specifically, three creatures--llamas? Drama llamas? No, wait, they were a bit smaller. ...Drama alpacas? And they were chattering animatedly while making expressive faces at every single turn of phrase.
“ ’ / / !” cried the topiary on the left.
“ /  , , / !” cried the topiary in the middle.
“ / / / / / / / !” cried the topiary on the right.
“ / / / / / / / / / /  / !”
“ ’ / , / / / / !”
“ / / / / ? / / / / / ’ / / / / / !”
“ ! ’ / / / -- --”
“ / / / ?”
“ , / ! / , / ! ’ / , / / / --”
“ , , / / / / / ! / , / / ’ / --”
“ / /  ,  / / / ’ / / !”
“ / / / / / , / ’ / / / !”
“ !”
“ !”
“ ’ / / / / !”
“ ’ / / / ?” the topiary on the left asked, whirling around towards the Green Team as they approached.
“ / / / , ?” the topiary in the middle asked.
“ / / / / / / , ’ / ?” the topiary on the right asked.
---
In between testing one’s ability to pull a guinea pig from a hat, the Blue Team was able to decipher the rhythmic message of the watering can. It was definitely a pattern-- another puzzle-- and they were more than capable of cracking it. Morse code! Now certain they had caught its time-sensitive message (which would certainly become important once the day and night cycle was back), they moved on.
They turned rightwards onto a new path, and soon found themselves lost. They hit an exhausting series of twists, turns, and assorted dead ends, and then stumbled upon what many people lost in the desert could only hope to stumble upon:
They came to a pool of water, ringed by green. The surface of the oasis was a clear blue mirror.
As the team gathered around the water, relieved just to see something cool and wet, they were greeted by their reflections, bright and clear on the surface of the oasis. The cheerful faces of their reflections gazed right back--
And then...they spoke.
“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.
“Earlier, you’d never think that plant tourism was your jam.
Even now, you can’t believe that you’re wandering the sand,” said Jess’s reflection.
“Right now a puddle in a desert must seem really odd, but nice.
Sure, you’ve seen some wacky weather and a weirdo house or two,” Princess Sunshine’s reflection added.
“Heat and sand and jigsaws and that saguaro’s bad advice--
Enough for any sane man to just bid this trail adieu,” said Anton’s reflection, suddenly appearing.
“And yet, in these strange lines, we’ve gifted something cool.
Raise your spirits, keep your head, step out from our old pool,” Cassidy’s reflection concluded.
“So take what you’ve been given, for you’re no April Fool!” Taffy’s reflection chimed in.
And as a whole, the reflections turned to the team expectantly.Red Team: At your previous intersection, you could have either continued straight ahead, or turned right. Do you now take the right path? Green Team: After you solve your puzzle, you may either continue straight ahead, or turn left. Blue Team: At your previous intersection, you could have either turned left or right. After you solve your puzzle, do you now take the left path?
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Post by Gelquie on May 24, 2020 3:21:55 GMT -5
Era wasn't able to immediately answer Gibi's concerns, as for once, they decided that silence was better than the alternative that was currently "breathe in even more of this air. They couldn't hide the crease on their forehead, but they looked to Gibi and then the Rafflesia flower and gave a gesture indicating that they would answer later. Thankfully, the team resolved the issue in short order, and the Rafflesia was too grateful, for it had decided to generously adorn them with its aromatic wave, Era's cue to keep walking. Or rather, try to. Eventually, it was just too overladen with jungle to continue. Well good, wouldn't want it to be too easy! Especially since the lady of the house clearly is creating a labyrinth for a reason! Era had resolved to keep going forward as the previous riddle suggested and to keep things simple, but they realized in hindsight that they would've been surprised if that were so! Though... they weren't excited to turn around and pass the Rafflesia flower again. Nothing against the flower, besides something it couldn't control. In any case, being around so much foliage gave them a chance to breathe fresher air, of which they took full advantage. They took a moment to rest in place while the rest of the team realized their predicament. But then a glance at Gibi caused them to realize that she had inquired about them. "...Right, right, Sorry. I'm not normally this bad. I didn't want to say it near the flower, but the smell was getting to me. Smells don't normally, but that was bad, and I was already getting bad vertigo, and this just compounds the dizziness. Really a bad time for it to flare up. I never mentioned it, did I? Don't have a name for it, but I have vestibular problems. That's normal. Well, normal for me. Anymore. It's been happening for a good while. Normally it's pretty mild and you wouldn't even notice, but it's getting worse. I know should see a doctor, but I haven't uh..." Suddenly, Era looked a little uncomfortable. "...Been able to go. It's expensive, for one, by myself. And for another," they brightened and gestured at the sky. " Look at what's happening! All this weather, all I've been studying, these strange changes, my big chance to maybe show I can do the job, and figure it out! It's exciting! And I can't keep my eyes away from it! ...Can't keep..." They paused. "...Oh. Uh. Um. Well, I'unno, that could be nothing. I don't know if there's actually anything I can do about that anyway. This is more important, really. And more interesting! Weather waits for no one! I may not be 100, but I wouldn't miss any this for the world. I can always rest later. ...But um, if it makes it easier, do any of you have garlic? Or something? Do you think the flower would be offended if I covered my nose as I passed? It probably seems rude, doesn't it?" Era doesn't say much until they're away from the Rafflesia. Upon meeting the dead end (which they realize in hindsight that a pure straight shot would be too easy for someone who likes labyrinths), they take advantage of the closing in foliage and then answer Gibi's concerns. Basically, they're not alright because they're having a flare-up of a vestibular problem that they should really get checked out, which is normally mild but not so much at the moment. They know they should go to a doctor, but they, uh... haven't. They should also just take care of themselves better, which they briefly recognize but rationalize away. But they end up asking if anyone else has anything that can help them out. |
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Post by Lizica on May 27, 2020 1:19:30 GMT -5
Mr. Snuggles impatiently paced around the three topiary alpacas as they chattered away and acted as if their woes were the worst offenses to ever grace the house’s property. It was so annoying! If they wanted to vent their problems, they should do it in a more hospitable, better ventilated area of the greenhouse. While the Green Team was staring at the topiary and trying to figure out what they were complaining about, Mr. Snuggles strode over to the one on the right, and making sure Purr-eh was watching, batted at the topiary’s large pot. In ordinary circumstances, the alpaca topiary would have been too heavy to be knocked over by only one single fluffy cat, but it was already slightly off kilter due to resting upon some uneven snow. “ ! , / !” cried the topiary on the right. “ ’ / / / --!” The topiary wobbled as Mr. Snuggles pawed at it. --- As the Red Team was heading into the dead end, Holiday seemed extra cheery despite the horrid smell. Plants perceived smells differently than animals did, and in times like this, it was a boon. She addressed the team, “I am grateful that you all with opposable thumbs helped out that corpse flower. Self-expression is important!” Noticing that some humans were particularly badly affected, Holiday suggested a solution, “The Poet’s Narcissus, someone had taken it on this team, correct? Carry it by your nose and use it to change the aroma you are picking up.” Then, she addressed the quiet person beside them, “Eh, it’s good you zoned out when that aery spirit showed up, because they are a complete jerk.” “I wish we could just keep charging ahead,” she said as they were forced to turn around and take a new path, “I usually stay in the outside garden for a reason. Her method for organizing this place must make sense for her, but it is just plain confusing to me.” --- The group continued to give Jess words of support and advice as they continued past the watering can and through a few dead ends. Frankly, it was astounding that this group could somehow still manage this much good will and good disposition when wandering through a boiling hot desert biome, backtracking through dead ends, and after getting their eardrums blasted by a rhyming cactus. Rhyming oasis reflections weren’t as bad, though. Brightened a little by this particular greenhouse encounter, the flamingo stepped forward into the puddle to relax and cool his metal feet. (They steamed slightly in the water, and the flamingo’s reflection quietly shrugged.) “Their offer seems promising, at least,” he told the Blue Team. “Any takers?” He paused thoughtfully as he looked over the waiting reflections. Many of the plants and beings they had come across in the greenhouse so far seemed to have been patiently waiting for someone to meet them, but how would this oasis manifest its magic if nobody had come by? “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.” He shrugged, this time mirroring his reflection. “So, you know, take that as you will. Taffy might not be able to pull herself out of the hat very easily for all I know--and besides, only knowing a couple tricks isn’t a bad thing. I can only do the spell to open the front gate, and I do it very well, thank you very much.” Do you know how long Lizica has had this quotation in her collection? Since middle school. MIDDLE SCHOOL. I knew I had to pull it out here.*cough cough* Anyway, summary: Mr. Snuggles thinks the alpaca topiary are annoying and playfully attempts to bat one over. (Can be gently pulled away, distracted, or aided in his feline quest!) Holiday thanks Red Team for helping the corpse flower, offers that Gelquie use the Poet’s Narcissus that team is definitely carrying to deal with the smell, and tells Twillie that the aery spirit was a jerk. As the team has to change paths, Holiday admits she gets lost there too-- that’s why she stays outside. The flamingo is a bit relieved at this nicer maze encounter, and cools his feet down in the oasis water. He paraphrases a quotation about magic and its origins, saying that magic sometimes is a collaborative thing, and implying that maybe Jess and Taffy ( June Scarlet ) make their magic together? Also, no shame in only knowing one spell or a few tricks, dude, he can only do the gate guarding spell. Grumpy flamingo has joined the Jess Support Circle. |
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