ROSE: *Thankfully Rose hadn't been indecent or in the middle of another unnecessarily long nap. Instead she was lying on the bed, simply staring at the ceiling as her thoughts kept her company. She sits up when she hears the knocking, only mildly surprised that her visitor doesn't wait for an answer* Hello Terezi.

TEREZI: *whoops yeah took too long. the troll takes a broad sniff of the area before giving rose a smile. nothing is wrong haha nope.* H3LLO ROS3

TEREZI: 1D 4SK 1F YOU W3R3 BUSY BUT 1 DONT TH1NK YOU 4R3

ROSE: No, I'm not. Why do you ask?

TEREZI: *pushes the door closed and ends up leaning on it, just sort of. talking from afar which works because shes loud.* H4V3 YOU H34RD 4BOUT TH3 ST. MYST3R3 G4M3?

ROSE: I can't say that I have.

TEREZI: GR34T >:]

TEREZI: W3LL W3R3 GO1NG TO B3 PL4Y1NG 1T 4ND SOON3R WOULD B3 4 LOT B3TT3R TH4N L4T3R

ROSE: Oh. *silently sends a sarcastic "Thank you for informing me" to her friend leaders in the form of an eyeroll*

ROSE: Okay.

ROSE: *gets off the bed and starts walking towards Terezi* Then let's go.

TEREZI: *gives a sharp nod and a grin* 4LR1GHT

TEREZI: *and with that she turns, opening the door and heading out. come follow me, lalonde.*

ROSE: *she feels like she should be concerned but shrugs and follows the troll anyways*

ROSE: Do you know what to expect in this game?

TEREZI: NOP3

TEREZI: SOM3TH1NG T3LLS M3 1T M1GHT H4V3 TO DO W1TH MYST3RY ROSE: Then this ought to be interesting.

TEREZI: *you can't see the eyeroll she does as if to say "no duh" but it's definitely there. she's on the escalator thing to the portals first and maybe we can skip that whole loading thing somehow. does that still happen?* *No, the escalator is still as long as all get out. Luckily for you you may still be permitted to skip any awkward small-talk, if you so wish.*

ROSE: *provides a nice awkward silence during the escalator ride*

TEREZI: .... *oh boy, the taste of awkward silence. its like stuffiness tinged with that bitter regret of getting in this situation. nail-tapping can be heard while terezi waits out the long ride.*

ROSE: *she has several questions she would like to ask but would rather not get answers to just yet*

*At least you have the mechanical refrain of "Loading... Loading... Loading..." to keep you company.*

TEREZI: >:|

TEREZI: *please let us get to the portals dear god*

*And lo, you are now at the top. Select your game and number of players, swipe your hand on the terminal, and in you go!*

TEREZI: *yess thank you. terezi steps off first and begins sniffing around. she hasnt actually... been here before.*

TEREZI: SO YOUV3 4T L34ST PL4Y3D ON3 OF TH3 G4M3S R1GHT

ROSE: Right. I played Temple Urn and that was mostly just running from rampid monkeys.

ROSE: Have you played any games yet?

TEREZI: NO NOT R34LLY

TEREZI: 1M SUR3 TH4T MUST H4V3 B33N R34LLY D1FF3R3NT FROM WH3N YOU W3R3 RUNN1NG 4ROUND W1TH R4MP4NT MONK3YS 1N YOUR S3SS1ON THOUGH

TEREZI: *shes joking. probably.*

TEREZI: *okay. game selection. once tz finds that she gets it to st. mystere and sets the number of players. then... does the hand-thing i guess.*

*Do the handy thing - And the portal powers up. Your adventure awaits.*

ROSE: *she doesn't really know how to respond to that so she just scans her hand after Terezi and waits to go through*

TEREZI: *aw ye. she regards the portal cautiously for a moment, then steps through.*

ROSE: *she steps throught the portal with more consideration than the last time for how she may end up on the other side*

*Rose is already familiar with the falling and the tingling sensations, but for Terezi it is a lovely new experience to be treasured always. Soon enough you find yourself standing back in the light, at the end of a pathway through a green and pleasant valley. Before you stands a small, quaint village of yellow brick buildings, and it becomes apparent that St. Mystere must be the name of this remote town.*

In the middle of the town there seems to be one unusual building, a ramshackle tower that stands out from and above all its neighboring structures, as if it doesn't really belong there. However, you will currently be more concerned with the moat that runs in a ring around the village, making it inaccessible without using the nearby drawbridge.*

*The bridge is up for now, but there is a squat mustashioed fellow sunning himself by a crank mechanism that must correspond to it. He might help you if asked nicely.*

ROSE: *she lands on her feet this time, but the sensation of being dropped into the game still bothers her. She takes a look at their surroundings before checking on Terezi* Are you okay?

TEREZI: *okay, yeah nope not a fun sensation. suddenly they're in a new place though, so that's. good. with slightly wobbly standing, terezi does an owlblink before taking a deep inhale of the situation. man she wants to lick all the bright colors so badly.* Y3S

TEREZI: TH4T TOWN H4S SOM3 V3RY L3MONY BU1LD1NGS

ROSE: *nods* I suppose that's one way to put it.

ROSE: It's almost unsettling how bright this place is, though.

TEREZI: 1TS 4 LOT B3TT3R TH4N TH3 PL4C3 W3V3 B33N STUCK 1N

ROSE: *shrugs* Fair enough. Shall we look around first or go talk to that man by the bridge?

TEREZI: *slow turn around to get the whole smellovision in on their surroundings. she's interested mostly in the bright town though.* 1M SUR3 TH3 HUM4N W1LL B3 US3FUL

TEREZI: L3TS GO CH3CK 1T OUT *and with that, she's on her way towards that moustached guy. she takes out her cane for good measure, since you never know if its a trap or something.*

ROSE: *she walks over to the stranger with her troll companion, not too wary of him* Hello.

*He stares at you suspiciously, making no move to lower the bridge and keeping silent, his only reply a curt nod.*

TEREZI: *sniffs as she turns towards the bridge, then back at him.* C4N YOU LOW3R TH4T BR1DG3

*/Now/ he speaks. "Do I LOOK like the sort to go dropping' the bridge for a bunch of fancy-looking outsiders? Hrmph! You got a lot of nerve."*

TEREZI: >:O

ROSE: Excuse me?

TEREZI: WOW TH4T W4S PR3TTY RUD3

*He crosses his short arms, not sorry in the slightest. "We don't let just anyone in, you know! Only those of a certain level of smarts, and with a talent for brain-teasers!"*

ROSE: *okay, now she's feeling a little offended* What makes you think we are not intelligent enough to enter this town?

TEREZI: *head-tilt.* FOR 4LL YOU KNOW, YOU COULD B3 1NSULT1NG TH3 SM4RT3ST P3OPL3 YOU H4V3 3V3R M3T

*"Well, prove it then! In a pink bungalow, there was a pink person, a pink cat, a pink fish, a pink computer, a pink chair, a pink table, a pink telephone, a pink shower– everything was pink! What color were the stairs?"*

ROSE: That's a trick question.

*He raises an eyebrow. "Oh yeah? How so?"*

TEREZI: *watchin like "is this even real"* YOU D1DNT S4Y TH3 HUM4N H1V3 H4S MOR3 TH4N ON3 L3V3L

TEREZI: SO TH3R3 4R3 NO ST41RS

ROSE: Therefore, you can't ask what color the stairs were if they weren't there in the first place.

*He's looking decidedly shifty now. "That'll do it! Hold on a second. I'll let 'er down. Hrrmph!" He begins turning the crank, and the bridge lowers.*

ROSE: *she's barely able to hold back a scoff in disbelief*

*As you pass he speaks once more. "I'm gonna say it again, I just don't feel right about letting outsiders into St. Mystere. Not one bit." In contrast to his words he reaches out to put two golden rings into Rose's hand, then steps aside to clear the way.*

ROSE: *blinks in slight confusion but pockets the rings anyways* Thanks.

TEREZI: *viola! terezi flashes a not-entirely-nice grin at the moustached man before turning to walk over the bridge. the words put a thoughtful look on her face as she faces rose, still walking backwards but at a slower pace to let the lalonde catch up.* WH4T D1D H3 JUST G1V3 YOU?

ROSE: Two rings. Apparently they are rewards in all the games.

ROSE: Would you like one?

TEREZI: >:o OK4Y

TEREZI: *reeeeaches. come on catch up, she's not waiting very patiently.*

ROSE: *she takes out a ring and hands it over to Terezi* Here you go.

*The man nods, then waddles away to walk into a nearby house. There are a great many houses all about you, you seem to be in a square of some kind. There's a little old lady sitting on a bench feeding some birds, but other than that you are alone.*

TEREZI: *lifts it up for inspection and yeah no that ring is just slobbered on. after a thorough lick the troll shrugs and pockets the ring, then turns to look around at the town theyve just entered.*

ROSE: *tries her best not to make a face as she turns her attention to the old lady* I don't suppose we can avoid her?

TEREZI: W3 COULD TRY

*She looks quite busy with her birds; if you stepped into one of these houses she probably wouldn't notice you were there.*

ROSE: I'm alright with that. What do you think of these houses?

TEREZI: *sniff. this intense lemon yellow makes her think of that dastardly scalemate who committed so many heinous wrongdoings. such an evil senator.* 1 B3T TH3Y T4ST3 L1K3 S3CR3TS

TEREZI: COM3 ON *and with that she's walking to one of the buildings. she tests the door to see if it's locked.*

ROSE: *she walks over with Terezi and looks up a little to examine the house* I doubt you are wrong.

*The door is unlocked, and you find yourselves in an empty, if very welcoming looking little home. There are so many little luxuries scattered about, nothing that would normally mean all that much, but under your circumstances they are very tempting. The entrance, dining room and kitchen are all full of food, books, chairs, most things you can think of. There's lots of little boxes and chests to check.*

TEREZI: *woah, jackpot. terezi beelines for the little boxes and chests, going for the first one she sniffs out and trying to open it. hopefully the chests arent locked.*

ROSE: *goes over to the books immediately to check them out*

*No, these people are incredibly trusting. The boxes and chests Terezi opens contain, in this order: a handful of coins, some harboiled sweets, a packet of crayons and a single ring.*

*The books are pretty standard. Dictionaries, memoirs, crime novels - Maybe there are slightly more crime and mystery novels then are normal. Oh, and a lot of sudoku books too.*

TEREZI: *she gets a pretty huge grin at the crayons, putting them in her sylladex along with the rest of the things except the ring, which is pocketed along with the one rose had given her. once through with the search, her attention turns towards the rest of the room as well as her companion.* H4V3 YOU FOUND 4NYTH1NG GOOD 1N THOS3 BOOKS?

ROSE: *she has no problem with putting all of these books into her sylladex* They seem rather ordinary, but they are still new reading material.

ROSE: What did you find?

TEREZI: SUG4RY TH1NGS, CO1NS 4ND CR4YONS

TEREZI: OH 4ND ON3 R1NG

TEREZI: *goes over to investigate the chairs. what are they, the old victorian-style velvet chairs? plain wooden ones?*

ROSE: So far, so good. *she starts moving on to look for any unopened chests and/or boxes*

*They are pretty ordinary wooden chairs, though there is also one plush dark red armchair in the corner. There aren't anymore chests, but there are a few smashable looking vases. Oh, and a fridge! Possibly with food that isn't fruit in it!*

ROSE: Hm. *she contemplates smashing a vase to determine if there is anything inside them, but chooses to look through the fridge instead*

*There's bread, cheese, ham, pickles, all sorts of things. And a burrito that seems to have nothing in it? Better check that out.*

ROSE: *the empty burrito is pretty interesting. what's going on here?*

TEREZI: *dark red armchair, hello. lots of sniffing to be had here, it's a pretty nice color. maybe not the best red, but its still red. she's wholly unaware of rose's sleuthing*

TEREZI: *terezi might just end up chilling on this armchair a while.*

*You unwrap the burrito to find another ring! The lesson seems to be 'Check everywhere', but it seems you've nicked all you can here. Unless that is you want the chair, which you could take if you really wanted to.*

ROSE: *she pockets the ring and closes the fridge. she looks around one last time* I think we have taken all that we can from this house.

TEREZI: *perks up from her seat on the chair. no she didn't try licking the arm of it that'd be absurd.* Y34H PROB4BLY

TEREZI: *she pushes off the chair to head for the blonde* D1D YOU F1ND 4NYTH1NG 3LS3

ROSE: *starts heading back outside* I found another ring.

TEREZI: *nodnod* OK4Y

TEREZI: 1 WOND3R 1F 4LL TH3 H1V3S 4R3 F1LL3D W1TH R1NGS

*The chair knows what you did, Terezi. It knows. Outside, the little old lady has walked over, as if she was waiting for you. She waves and beckons, in a cute old lady way.*

TEREZI: *terezi and that chair shared a private moment that will never be spoken of. also old lady hello.* UH

ROSE: *raises an eyebrow at the lady* I think she wants something.

TEREZI: *shrugs and walks over, this lady looks pretty harmless. good thing terezi put away her cane ages ago when she was spending time with that chair. shh.*

*She nods and titters. "Humor an old lady, won't you dears? What holds water, yet is full of holes?"*

TEREZI: *blink. she thinks hard about that question, frowning for a good few seconds before revelation comes across her face.* 4 SPONG3

*She smiles, reaches into her handbag, takes out more sweets and more rings and hands them both two of each before tottering off down a side street. Well, that happened.*

TEREZI: ...

ROSE: ...

TEREZI: *curiously pops one of the sweets into her mouth*

*Mhmm, purse candy. Tastes like dusty peppermint.*

ROSE: They're not poisionous, are they?

TEREZI: M4YB3 TO HUM4NS BUT FOR M3 1T T4ST3S OK4Y

TEREZI: K1ND OF OLD L1K3 TH4T WR1NKLY HUM4N

TEREZI: BUT OTH3RW1S3 P3PP3RM1NT

ROSE: *frowns* I think I'll save mine for later.

TEREZI: *the other stuff is captcha'd and pocketed accordingly.* SU1T YOURS3LF

TEREZI: WH4T DO W3 DO NOW

TEREZI: K33P S34RCH1NG TH3S3 HUM4N H1V3S?

ROSE: I suppose we could do that, but I also think we should investigate that tower at some point.

TEREZI: *headswivel towards that* HMMM

TEREZI: TH4T DO3SNT S33M H4LF 4S FUN 4S TH3 OTH3R COLORFUL TH1NGS BUT OK4Y

TEREZI: 1TS TH3 ONLY BOR1NG LOOK1NG TH1NG 4ROUND H3R3, OF COURS3 YOUD W4NT TO GO TH3R3 >:P

ROSE: It's also the only building here that looks like it doesn't belong.

TEREZI: 4LSO 4NOTH3R R34SON TH3N

TEREZI: *shrugs and begins walking in the direction of said tower.*

ROSE: *adventure time in this seemingly mysterious tower is a go*

*Or not, as that is easier said than done, the streets twist, and turn, and there are multiple dead-ends. If anything, this is the hardest puzzle of all. It could be that the tower is (for now) unreachable. There are a still a lot of houses to investigate, however.*

ROSE: *why this*

TEREZI: *after a little while of this terezi makes an angry huffing sound.* OK4Y TH1S 1SNT WORK1NG

TEREZI: ... *turns to face rose* H3Y

TEREZI: M4YB3 W3 C4N G3T 1NS1D3 ON3 OF TH3 H1V3S 4ND R34CH TH3 ROOF, TH3N G3T OV3R TH3 ROOFTOPS TH4T W4Y

ROSE: I'm tempted to say that won't work out as planned, but I don't think there is much else we can do.

TEREZI: *shrug* WORTH 4 SHOT

TEREZI: *okay, into one of the houses then. also maybe we can sleuth around a bit.*

*The person who (supposedly) lives in this house is a touch more fun-loving than the first, it would appear. They have books, but also card and board games. There are puzzle boxes and rubix cubes everywhere, pots of pencils and stacks of paper. And lots more vases.*

*Still no people though.*

ROSE: *casually takes some puzzles and writing supplies* Don't you think it's strange that we have only met two people here so far?

TEREZI: *rubix cube. she doesnt work on solving the one she picks up, and just licks the whole side. if its not a solved cube then oh well, more colors for her to taste.* M4YB3 TH3Y 4LL K1LL3D ON3 4NOTH3R 1N GRU3SOM3 COMB4T

ROSE: If they all killed each other then their remaints would be everywhere and these houses would hardly be as well kept as they are.

*Of course it's solved. One whole delicious slice of red for you, Terezi. And yes, the house is warm, the lights are on. All very cozy, really.*

ROSE: I don't believe that the two people we met could maintain this town by themselves.

TEREZI: >:\ TH3N WH4T COULD H4V3 H4PP3N3D TO TH3M

ROSE: I don't know, but I would like to find out soon.

TEREZI: *nod, lick. mmm, maraschino. this is a good flavor of red. terezi turns to inspect one of the vases. is it empty? might as well check by trying to peer inside, right*

*Something glints at the bottom of the vase, but the neck of the vase is to thin to stick an arm down. There's one way to deal with this.*

TEREZI: *you're absolutely right and terezi is all for it. one last sniff of the vase is had before she tips it off of its probably precarious resting place. goodbye, vase.*

*It smashes beautifully all over the floor, spilling 4 rings across the floor.*

TEREZI: >:D!

TEREZI: *drops down to collect the rings with her free hand, pushing various fragments of the vase aside in order to pick up each shiny piece. gotta collect em all.* HMMMM...

TEREZI: WH4T DO YOU TH1NK TH3 ODDS 4R3 TH4T TH3R3 4R3 LOTS MOR3 R1NGS 1N TH3 OTH3R V4S3S?

ROSE: I'd say the probability is quite high.

ROSE: *drops a vase*

*Yay, property damage! That vase, a charming magenta pattered ornament, goes crashing to the ground too. Once more there are four shiny treasures to be found. And there are about four more vases to be found throughout this house; Get searching girls.*

ROSE: *scoops up the rings and looks around* I didn't think I would be so fond of the sound of these breaking.

ROSE: It's rather satisfying.

TEREZI: *oh heck yes. terezi stands up with a grin because hey, breaking things! for the sake of justice.* Y34H

TEREZI: *cue sniffing for the next vase. its not in this room, is it? will we have to explore?*

*Yes indeed - The lounge leads on to a staircase, which in turn leads to a hallway with three doors. Try 'em out, why not.*

ROSE: *shrugs* I don't suppose there is any harm in looking upstairs.

TEREZI: *nods. staircase, oooh. the troll is the first one headed up there, then she pauses at the hallway with its three doors.*

ROSE: *she follows Terezi upstairs and stops as well* Hm.

*Blue door, red door, green door, three doors - All otherwise identical.*

ROSE: *she walks over to the green door and turns the knob, hoping that it's not locked*

TEREZI: *well, no question about it. terezi goes for the red one and does the same.*

*Both doors are locked this time, but when contact is made tiny words appear as if by magic, engraved in the brass of the doorknobs. Rose's door reads: 'What is as light as a feather, but even the world's strongest man couldn't hold it for more than a minute?'.*

*Terezi's door on the other hand reads thus: 'Brothers and sisters I have none but this man's father is my father's son. Who is the man?'.*

ROSE: *just stares at the door, unsure if she is supposed to answer verbally or not*

*Speak friend, and enter.*

ROSE: *nothing to lose here* Breath.

TEREZI: *....terezi wants to lick the door so that maybe itll make more sense, but wait, these are human terms, she can figure this out. although she's a little irritated that rose answered first.* ...TH3 M4N 1S YOUR SON?

*When Rose says the word her own breath mists across the metal words and they disappear again. There is a light metallic clnking noise, and the door is open. The same happens for Terezi a second later, only the clunk sounds more like the movement of a giant clock hand.*

ROSE: *she's a little unnerved by how easily the words can appear and disappaear, but she enters the now unlocked room anyways*

*Both doors lead into bedrooms, with the green room seemily belonging to someone with a talent for crochet. The red room belongs to someone more interested in the arts, with an easel and paints standing beside a door opening onto a balcony. Only the green room contains a vase, however.*

TEREZI: *tilts her head at the noise, but hey woo she gets to go in. upon entering, she sniffs around the room and wow, paint. are there unused paint materials? that'd be nice to bring back with her.*

*There is quite a lot of things in that vein, yes: Imagine anything a pretentious art student with too much pocket money might have, and it is here.*

ROSE: *the vase is the first thing she inspects, looking at it briefly before smashing it on the floor*

*Rose smash - and look, four more coins. Ain't that nice.*

TEREZI: *hell friggin yes. terezi stashes away all colors of paint she can find, maybe a few brushes and sponges too but not a lot since hey, that's what hands are for. eventually her attention turns to the balcony, wandering over to test the door and see if it's locked.*

*The door is unlocked, and the balcony itself is really more of a converted roof space. There are a few planks stacked against the wall too. From up here and using those, you might just be able to pass across to where you want to go.*

ROSE: *she takes the coins and looks around to actually observe the room* Not bad.

*There's needles and wool, Rose. Right there on the table. And at this point, what's a little more Grand Theft Mystere?*

ROSE: *why hello needles and wool welcome to my inventory*

TEREZI: *sweet. first thing tz does is take a sniff around, but then she's moving to the planks and inspecting them, even picking one up. but then she discards it upon remembering the third room, and returns to the red room in order to reach the exit and check out that blue door.*

ROSE: *after looking around some more and deciding there is not much more to take, she exits the green room to return to the hallway* What did you find?

TEREZI: *oh its the lavender again hello* D3L1C1OUS DR4W1NG SUPPL13S 4ND 4 SM4LL P4RT OF TH3 ROOF W3 C4N G3T ONTO

TEREZI: W3 C4N GO ON TH3R3 TO G3T TO TH3 OTH3R ROOFTOPS 1 TH1NK

ROSE: *nods* That sounds like a good idea. Are we going to look in this room first?

TEREZI: Y3S *she's already moving to peer at the door. maybe she has to lick it for the words to appear? well, she taps the knob curiously first.*

*The blue door's words are: 'What has one eye, but cannot see?' No need for licking here.*

TEREZI: *might just lick the door because WOW 1M BL1ND TH4TS OFF3NS1V3*

TEREZI: *no not really but it gives her a moment to think about it.*

TEREZI: ... *no really she can do this, she just--OH. revelation lights up her features.* 4 N33DL3

*That's a bingo! There is another clunk much like a super-magnified blinking sound, then the door is opened. This one is just a bathroom, but it does contain a few interesting features. One more vase, and what looks like a well-stocked medicine cabinet.*

ROSE: *she walks in to examine the contents of the medicine cabinet*

TEREZI: *vase! oh hell yes terezi's got this one. she wastes absolutely no time on that and hello vase, meet terezi's foot. nice kick.*

*The vase is falcon kicked as was inevitable, all but exploding against the wall wrecking the tiles. Four more rings for you!.*

TEREZI: *hell yeah. terezi goes off to collect those rings and rewards herself with another lick of that rubix cube she never actually let go of. having tasty colors at hand is very nice.*

ROSE: *not-so-discreetly takes what she can from the medicine cabinet* Is there anything else here you're interested in?

TEREZI: HMMM

TEREZI: *sniff around. nothing in particular that she finds interesting.* NOT 4ROUND H3R3

TEREZI: L3TS GO OUT TO TH3 ROOF

TEREZI: *with that, terezi is outta there. back to the rooftop!*

ROSE: *and out she goes with the troll*

TEREZI: *ah, the bright colors of the outdoors. terezi shows her companion where the planks are by nudging them with her foot.* W3 C4N PROB4BLY US3 TH3S3 TO M4K3 4 P4THW4Y 4CROSS TH3 ROOFTOPS 1F TH3YR3 CLOS3 3NOUGH

TEREZI: *are they close enough? terezi forgot to check.*

ROSE: Maybe so.

*Indeed they are, and there is only a light breeze. It's not terribly far to fall anyway, though luckily the planks are wide and quite sturdy looking.*

*To get to the side of the tower they will have to traverse at least three rooftops, though the exact route is up to them.*

ROSE: *she lays a plank down across the distance between the rooves, testing its sturdiness hesitantly with one foot* These just may work out for us.

TEREZI: *sweet. tz grabs the other boards and follows rose, simply plodding along over the board and kind of barging right past the other seer.* TOLD YOU

TEREZI: *hello other rooftop. anything here to note, or should we continue on?*

ROSE: *walks a little more carefully across to the other side* Do you think we should take this one with us?

*There's not too much else that's interesting, no - Just make sure not to slip off the increasingly sloped sides.*

TEREZI: *can-do. terezi puts away her colorful puzzlecube to swap for her cane, helping her out on climbing and sliding down the next side.* Y3S, BR1NG 4LONG TH3 3XTR4 BO4RDS

TEREZI: 1F W3 DONT N33D TH3M FOR TH3 ROOFTOPS M4YB3 W3 C4N THROW TH3M 4T 4NNOY1NG HUM4NS

TEREZI: *she tosses the next board down and nudges it a few times to make sure it's secure before walking across. one, maybe two more houses to cross.*

ROSE: *snickers* Very well, then. *she picks up the board they just walked over and cautiously makes her way over to the other side, following after Terezi and picking up the board again*

TEREZI: *it makes a nice pattern, terezi throwing down boards and rose picking them up. at one point the troll nearly slips on the downwards slope of a building particularly close, but she catches herself with her cane. it gives her a moment to pause and catch her bearings too. is there a window they might be able to hop into on that tower, or will they have to reach ground level again?*

*This roof doesn't seem to have an way back into the house, but you are now close enough to risk, if you choose, leaning a plank up against the side of the tower and scrambling from there through a window in the side of the tower. The window is open, though it will be a bit of a squeeze.*

TEREZI: *oh nice. terezi's out of boards by now, so she turns back to the lavender-smelling girl behind her.* LOOKS L1K3 W3 ONLY N33D ON3 PL4NK TO G3T UP TO TH3R3

ROSE: *nods and sets down all but one of the planks to lean it against the tower* Would you like to go first or should I?

TEREZI: 1 W1LL GO F1RST >:]

TEREZI: *she's used to leading investigations anyhow. this time her footing is a bit more cautious when she goes up the plank, sniffing at the window cautiously once it's reached. welp, let's hope she can fit through cause she's gonna try to do that now.*

*Terezi's scrawny tush makes it through the window, and she finds herself in a dingy stairwell that appears to lead both up and down into yet more gloom.*

ROSE: *she moves slowly and carefully to get up to the window, silently praying that her pure fruit diet won't fail her now as she tries to squeeze through*

TEREZI: *gloom, oh boy. it gives a much more serious taste that terezi would be all for if she had some scalemates with her to hang. as it is, terezi immediately starts heading up on the staircase.*

*Rose is only temporarily stuck. A little wiggling and she will be fine.*

ROSE: *welp, this is a little awkward, but she manages to get through after some wriggling and squirming. she brushes herself off as she stands up and looks around, only noticing belatedly that Terezi has already started to explore*

ROSE: *she moves quickly to catch up to the troll* What do you think so far?

*This flight of stairs goes up, and up, and up. The walls are lined with very old looking portraits, but few windows.*

TEREZI: *calls out pretty loudly to her companion* 1T T4ST3S L1K3 DUST 4ND 4UST3R1TY

ROSE: *she looks at the portraits as they keep ascending* You're not too far off the mark.

ROSE: I still can't help wondering what happened to the rest of the people here.

TEREZI: M4YB3 TH3 G4M3 FOUND TH3M UNN3C3SS4RY 4ND N3V3R M4D3 TH3M

ROSE: Maybe so.

TEREZI: *shrug. who knows, right? smells like a mystery afoot. terezi speeds her pace up a little, maybe they'll reach some sort of landing or the top of the tower soon.*

*A mystery you say? They do indeed reach an end to the stairs, or rather they are stopped from going any further by another door, this time in the ceiling above them. It's the only way to go.*

ROSE: *stares up at the ceiling door* The only way to go now is up.

ROSE: Watch your head. *she reaches up to pull the door open*

TEREZI: >:\ 1 C4NT W4TCH 4NYTH1NG

*This door is also locked, but no words appear when it is touched. There is what looks like a keyhole, but it's not quite the right shape. Instead it is simply small and circular. Upon further inspection, a smell both old and pepperminty emits from it.*

TEREZI: *she lets rose do the door thing anyways. except its locked! oh boy. terezi leans in a little closer when it doesn't budge, sniffing at it curiously.*

ROSE: *frowns when the door doesn't open and looks up at the hole suspiciously* Hm.

ROSE: Any ideas?

TEREZI: *leeeeans to sniff at the "keyhole" and immediately picks up on that elderly pepperminty scent.* !

TEREZI: 1 B3L13V3 SO

TEREZI: *she fishes out the handful of candies in her sylladex, selecting one at random. does it fit? well, she aims to find out and pushes the candy in.*

*The candy key does indeed work, and the door swings open and up. You should be able to clamber up now.*

*The room above is very strange, having the feel of cozy cottage living room perfectly recreated at the top of a very tall tower. It is empty as well, apart from the usual furnishings, a collection of flyers strewn about the carpet, and one more door.*

TEREZI: *ah, the sweet taste of victory. it tastes like old peppermint this time, probably because tz ate one of the candies before returning them to her sylladex. she climbs up through the ceilingdoor and inspects the new area curiously.*

ROSE: *she waits for Terezi to go up before following suit and looking around at the new room* There must either something incredibly fatal or incredibly helpful behind that door.

TEREZI: 1M NOT SUR3 WH1CH ON3 1D PR3F3R 4T TH1S PO1NT *crouches down to pick up one of the flyers and check out whatever it might say*

*The flyer details, in a bright happy font, a grand puzzle solving competition to be held in the town square. 'Come one come all!'*

ROSE: *now seems like a good time to take out those knitting needles from her sylladex* What do you have there?

TEREZI: *squints at the writing. at least it's colorful. still, terezi crinkles the paper up as she looks up at rose.* TH3 P4P3R S4YS TH4T TH3R3S 4 PUZZL3 SOLV1NG COMP3T1T1ON 1N SOM3 "TOWN SQU4R3"

ROSE: *she can't help sighing a little* Of course there is.

ROSE: What else would happen in this little abandoned town?

TEREZI: *shrug. she drops the paper and stands, pointing her cane towards that closed door.* SO 4R3 YOU GO1NG TO OP3N TH4T OR SHOULD 1?

ROSE: *shrugs back* I'll do it. *she walks over to the door and tries to open it*

*This locked door already bears an inscription, carved into the wood: 'I'm offered to the loved, and also to the dead. I come in many varied hues, most notably red. I have been known to pierce the skin, leaving wounds that bled. What am I?'*

ROSE: *she almost can't believe this game's sense of humor*

ROSE: A rose.

TEREZI: WH4T

TEREZI: *terezi isn't close enough to read it whoops.*

ROSE: The answer to this riddle is a rose.

TEREZI: ...SO YOUR3 TH3 4NSW3R

ROSE: *shrugs* I wouldn't say that exactly.

TEREZI: R1GHT 1TS JUST *4* ROS3, MY B4D >:P

ROSE: Very funny. *she rolls her eyes and tries to open the door again*

*Once satisfactorily answered the door springs open, and bright blinding light comes flooding in. So as not to leave Terezi out there is also a sudden overwhelming reek of a multitude of synthetic fruity flavors.*

ROSE: *she shuts her eyes, somewhat anticipating being thrown out of this game as well*

TEREZI: !!! *woah boy, sensory overload here. too many strong flavorscents to process, and it makes terezi stagger a little in surprise.*

*Right you are again, Rose. With a fearful whirring noise you are sucked through the portal as if by a current, and then up, and then back out tossed into the black and white of the hub.*

TEREZI: *oof. terezi just kinda goes noodly cause holy shit she was definitely not prepared. she tumbles out of that game in a pretty ungraceful youthroll of sorts, flopping down on the floor with a surprised noise.*

ROSE: *using what little experience she has, she manages land with signifcantly less impact to her vital organs. once again, she looks around for her troll companion* Terezi? Are you okay?

TEREZI: ... *blink* Y3S

TEREZI: 3XC3PT WH4T TH3 H3LL JUST H4PP3N3D

ROSE: We just left the game.

TEREZI: *the flavorscents have receded and welp, yeah it seems rose is right. terezi's nose wrinkles somewhat.* WH4T

TEREZI: HOW??

ROSE: Once the objective is reached, the game ejects you.

TEREZI: *sloooowly sits up.* TH4TS STUP1D

TEREZI: WH4T W4S TH3 OBJ3CT1V3 TH3N

TEREZI: R34CH TH3 TOP OF TH4T TOW3R?

ROSE: That seems to be it.

ROSE: If it wasn't, then we failed and the game ejected us for that.

TEREZI: *makes a "bluh" sound and takes a second to get up, grabbing her cane that probably fell in the commotion.* OK4Y TH4TS R34LLY DUMB

TEREZI: 1M NOT GO1NG 1N TH3R3 4G41N 3V3N 1F TH3 G4M3 W4SNT F1N1SH3D

ROSE: *shrugs and starts to get up off the floor* That's quite alright.

ROSE: I would rather not return to it either.

ROSE: Did anyone tell you why we had to play that?

TEREZI: 1T H4D TO B3 DON3 1N ORD3R FOR TH3 OTH3RS TO PL4Y TH3 ON3 TO G3T 4R4D14 B4CK

TEREZI: *that's all she really wants to say on that matter, though.* HOW M4NY R1NGS D1D YOU COLL3CT?

ROSE: *she takes out the rings she collected and starts counting*

ROSE: I have twelve rings.

ROSE: How many did you collect?

TEREZI: *extracts her shiny jewelry objects to do the same, leaning on her cane as she does* 1V3 GOT.... 3L3V3N

TEREZI: >:[

ROSE: *shrugs* I don't plan on keeping them.

TEREZI: *that is not the point, rose.*

ROSE: *U mad?*

TEREZI: *you wanna go son*

TEREZI: *terezi shrugs and re-pockets them anyways.* W3LL TH4T W4S 1NT3R3ST1NG

ROSE: Indeed it was, but that was enough exploring for me.

TEREZI: Y34H, 1LL GO L3T TH3 OTH3RS KNOW TH4T W3 F1N1SH3D TH4T G4M3 *sniffs, glancing at the portal once before turning to the exit with a wave to the other seer.* SM3LL YOU L4T3R, L4LOND3

ROSE: *nods* Bye Terezi.