#lap 7

{ And as he charged forth he heard that split second crack; the signifying sound as a wall crumbled to pieces, yielding instantly to the force with which he ran. An invisible wall he hadn't noticed before shattering like glass. Since when had there been a wall here? It didn't matter. He just wanted to get out of this hell already. }

{ As he ran into the light of the outside world, he could've sworn he'd seen it blur a faint yellow and red. }

{ It wasn't the outside world that greeted him, though. }

{ He was still here. }

{ Everything was still intact. Shouldn't it have fallen to pieces? Every painting, that stupid welcome sign... even the vase on the table was in perfect condition; not a single hint of damage. }

{ Peppino peeked into the closest gateway... }

{ ...still intact }

{ Peppino backpedaled, feeling a crushing weight suffocating him. No– no, no. What was happening here!? Why was it like everything had reset!? He couldn't do this again. No, no, he couldn't! }

{ But there was no other way. }

{ And so Peppino traversed through the tower in record time, racing through like his life depended on it. Just one more time and he'd be free. Just one more. }

{ He dashed through the exit– }

{ –but nothing changed. But he couldn't be stuck here. He couldn't just do nothing. So he did it again, }

{ and again, }

{ and again, }

{ and again, }

{ Okay. Maybe this wasn't working. }

{ Peppino is now available for asks! }

"I really shouldn't... Oh- fine! But just for a second. I didn't even-a notice these..."

"Like I said, nothing has changed as far as I can tell. Up until now. You all haven't been-a here, either."

{ perhaps you ought to shift your focus to: someone else? }

"And then we add the finishing touches…"

{ the chef may not be able to reach this guy just yet, but you could, at least }

"You... really?"

{ hes practically tearing up }

"I've always wanted green eyes, you know, always though it'd match my stem... And I'm right, of course! I've done many paintings, and when comparing green to blue... well the green just looks correct, you know? More fitting."

{ gently, he puts the contacts off to the side somewhere. }

"Ahahah, indeed I am! I was demonstrating some of my grand techniques, and, well, I'm quite eager to witness what they can come up with after witnessing such inspiring artwork!"

{ he looks over to the toppins, smile gentle and fond }

"Their skills are rather poor, but that's quite alright! Art takes time and practice, and sometimes you will find that it's the intent and meaning behind the pieces which matter more than the technical aspects to it. Sure, sure, one doesn't need much reason to create beyond simply wanting to, but there's something simply divine about works created from the soul. It's quite touching, to see how hard they try, and witness how their emotions shine through onto the paints and paper."