Not a Date
"Ooh..." Darko listens to the brief lesson on amoebology with great interest. This is all completely new information, which is always very exciting! It's not something he's ever really considered, but then again, he's pretty sure that there weren't slimes or oozes on his world.
Unless slime molds counted, but those were tiny and he has never gotten to see one.
"Okay, yeah, that is a big difference! Probably really good to know for delving purposes, thanks for explaining. So you're a slime, right? In that case I agree, slimes are definitely cuter than oozes." He smiles, then his face sets as he realizes that could definitely be taken in a flirty way. Did he mean it that way?
Oh god, maybe he did.
"Do slime molds count?" he asks quickly, "Or are they just a kind of ooze?"
At Bismuth's laughter, the Chrysalis strikes a silly pose before launching into her Quest Hook. "There's a series of tunnelunnels beneath the Theatre, and most of them are too small for me to fit! But last time I was here I left something down there, back when I was smallallal." She puts one paw to her chest dramatically. "It's my heartalart, I took it out for safekeeping and now I need it back."
"Oh... I don't love the tunnels," admits Darko. They're cramped, and dark, and kind of spooky. "But that sounds important. I can do it." He looks questioningly at Bismuth.
The Theatre
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quillpleasant
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Re: The Theatre
horses can attack and eat me
Re: The Theatre
[Not a Date]
Everyone needs to know cool things about goopy creatures! Allegedly.
"Yeah! I'm a white slime. Slime dragons can be any of the slime colors," Bismuth replies, then glows a little brighter when Darko says slimes are cuter. He'll definitely notice a little bit of a chill. "Aaww, thanks! I'm glad you think I'm cute. You're cute, too!"
Darko's definitely cute, too, Bismuth thinks. Not the super handsome sort but more like a cute puppy you want to pat on the head.
"Oh, yeah, slime molds are just really small simple slimes," Bismuth confirms. "Kind of like how sponges are really simple animals."
Has Darko successfully distracted Bismuth from calling her cute? Or maybe it's Chrysalis that pulls it off.
"That sounds mysterious! The tunnels aren't dangerous, are they? Should we be worried about anything?" Bismuth asks. If it's just dark and cramped Bismuth doesn't have to worry TOO much. She has tools for lightning things up AND she can fit through some pretty tight spaces!
Everyone needs to know cool things about goopy creatures! Allegedly.
"Yeah! I'm a white slime. Slime dragons can be any of the slime colors," Bismuth replies, then glows a little brighter when Darko says slimes are cuter. He'll definitely notice a little bit of a chill. "Aaww, thanks! I'm glad you think I'm cute. You're cute, too!"
Darko's definitely cute, too, Bismuth thinks. Not the super handsome sort but more like a cute puppy you want to pat on the head.
"Oh, yeah, slime molds are just really small simple slimes," Bismuth confirms. "Kind of like how sponges are really simple animals."
Has Darko successfully distracted Bismuth from calling her cute? Or maybe it's Chrysalis that pulls it off.
"That sounds mysterious! The tunnels aren't dangerous, are they? Should we be worried about anything?" Bismuth asks. If it's just dark and cramped Bismuth doesn't have to worry TOO much. She has tools for lightning things up AND she can fit through some pretty tight spaces!
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quillpleasant
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Re: The Theatre
Not a Date
The multicolored nature of slime dragons is something Darko remembers from their lunch conversation. Interesting how both dragons and slimes on their own are usually categorized by colors- of course a combination would be too. He'll have to learn about all the different types at some point.
But he's a little distracted at being called cute. Mainly because no one has ever called him that before. He manages to smile before looking away, his face red.
"Sponges, right. Yeah, that makes sense. You really know a lot about this stuff," he says quickly. Science was never his best subject but hearing smart people talk about it is always fun.
"No, there's nothing down there that can hurtalurt your body. But there are old things that live in the tunnels that will try to trick you and make you lose your way," says the Chrysalis, quite seriously. Then she flops down onto the stage with a laugh. "But I wouldn't worralorry! You'll be just fine as long as you stick together!"
Darko considers this. The Wizards have never given him any mission that was too dangerous, so this one can't be that bad. Right? "I've been down there and haven't seen anything," he offers.
"That's because you didn't go deep enough!" confirms the Chrysalis.
The multicolored nature of slime dragons is something Darko remembers from their lunch conversation. Interesting how both dragons and slimes on their own are usually categorized by colors- of course a combination would be too. He'll have to learn about all the different types at some point.
But he's a little distracted at being called cute. Mainly because no one has ever called him that before. He manages to smile before looking away, his face red.
"Sponges, right. Yeah, that makes sense. You really know a lot about this stuff," he says quickly. Science was never his best subject but hearing smart people talk about it is always fun.
"No, there's nothing down there that can hurtalurt your body. But there are old things that live in the tunnels that will try to trick you and make you lose your way," says the Chrysalis, quite seriously. Then she flops down onto the stage with a laugh. "But I wouldn't worralorry! You'll be just fine as long as you stick together!"
Darko considers this. The Wizards have never given him any mission that was too dangerous, so this one can't be that bad. Right? "I've been down there and haven't seen anything," he offers.
"That's because you didn't go deep enough!" confirms the Chrysalis.
horses can attack and eat me
Re: The Theatre
[Not a Date]
Is Bismuth blushing too? That opalescent glow is a little stronger around her cheeks, like someone shattered a prism and stuffed the shards full of soft light. She's definitely having a nice time! Darko is fun and friendly and she likes both of those things. And being called nice things by people is nice, too! It's great to have friends that make each other happy.
All in all, she's feeling giddy and bouncy, but that's pretty normal for sapient slimes.
"My parents taught me a lot and I had these fun books about animals and slimes and mushrooms and lots of things when I was little. And I've had some biology classes at PREP, too," Bismuth says, bobbing her head. But now. NOW! It's time for something else! "Oooh! Like the will o the wisps in swamps! I met one of those once! Well, I didn't really meet it. It tricked one of the other heroes I was going to a delve with and he walked off the trail face first into a pond."
Which was really funny at the time.
But only because said hero had friends to pull him out before he drowned.
"Okay, well, it sounds like potions won't be that helpful. Except maybe some chem lights? But I always keep a few of those ready all the time anyway," Bismuth says, giving her head an enthusiastic bob. "So... let's go check it out! We'll stick right by each other! So is there a hatch we have to go through to get to the tunnels?"
An ominous looking hatch in the floor sure SOUNDS like the right sort of entrance.
Is Bismuth blushing too? That opalescent glow is a little stronger around her cheeks, like someone shattered a prism and stuffed the shards full of soft light. She's definitely having a nice time! Darko is fun and friendly and she likes both of those things. And being called nice things by people is nice, too! It's great to have friends that make each other happy.
All in all, she's feeling giddy and bouncy, but that's pretty normal for sapient slimes.
"My parents taught me a lot and I had these fun books about animals and slimes and mushrooms and lots of things when I was little. And I've had some biology classes at PREP, too," Bismuth says, bobbing her head. But now. NOW! It's time for something else! "Oooh! Like the will o the wisps in swamps! I met one of those once! Well, I didn't really meet it. It tricked one of the other heroes I was going to a delve with and he walked off the trail face first into a pond."
Which was really funny at the time.
But only because said hero had friends to pull him out before he drowned.
"Okay, well, it sounds like potions won't be that helpful. Except maybe some chem lights? But I always keep a few of those ready all the time anyway," Bismuth says, giving her head an enthusiastic bob. "So... let's go check it out! We'll stick right by each other! So is there a hatch we have to go through to get to the tunnels?"
An ominous looking hatch in the floor sure SOUNDS like the right sort of entrance.
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quillpleasant
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Re: The Theatre
Not a Date
Bismuth's bouncy personality is infectious, and Darko can't help but feel similarly excited. He's also a little taken by how pretty her glow is. Having friends is cool! And for once the Wizards don't seem to be making things too weird.
Hopefully that doesn't change.
"Oh, I've heard of will o' wisps! I have a book that talks a little about them." In fact, there's a lot of things that he's only read about that Bismuth has experienced, which sure makes her seem cool, if just a bit intimidating.
"And yeah, there's a hatch, I know how to get there," confirms Darko. He has been in the tunnels before, just not extensively. If you're a kid without supervision in a building with tunnels, you're definitely going in them at some point.
"Good luckaluck! I'll be here when you get back," says the Chrysalis, bowing low. Which looks a little comical with her bunny proportions.
And then she suddenly folds over and flies backwards, disappearing behind the curtain in less than a second. It's a very jarring and strange movement, looking for all the world like she's just been grabbed by a giant invisible hand and lifted out of view. The curtain ripples and stills.
Darko takes a step back, startled. He's still not quite used to the mannerisms of this new Wizard. But he's seen weirder. "Well... she was nice, I think. Are you ready to check out the tunnels?"
Bismuth's bouncy personality is infectious, and Darko can't help but feel similarly excited. He's also a little taken by how pretty her glow is. Having friends is cool! And for once the Wizards don't seem to be making things too weird.
Hopefully that doesn't change.
"Oh, I've heard of will o' wisps! I have a book that talks a little about them." In fact, there's a lot of things that he's only read about that Bismuth has experienced, which sure makes her seem cool, if just a bit intimidating.
"And yeah, there's a hatch, I know how to get there," confirms Darko. He has been in the tunnels before, just not extensively. If you're a kid without supervision in a building with tunnels, you're definitely going in them at some point.
"Good luckaluck! I'll be here when you get back," says the Chrysalis, bowing low. Which looks a little comical with her bunny proportions.
And then she suddenly folds over and flies backwards, disappearing behind the curtain in less than a second. It's a very jarring and strange movement, looking for all the world like she's just been grabbed by a giant invisible hand and lifted out of view. The curtain ripples and stills.
Darko takes a step back, startled. He's still not quite used to the mannerisms of this new Wizard. But he's seen weirder. "Well... she was nice, I think. Are you ready to check out the tunnels?"
horses can attack and eat me
Re: The Theatre
[Not a Date]
Well that was kind of Juiblex' dream, wasn't it? To spread the jiggly joys of goop over the whole world? Bismuth is still doing that, just on more of a personal level.
She DOES look a little concerned when the wizard gets yanked behind the curtain again. That was a bit strange.
"Alright then! I'm ready! Let's go find a giant toy rabbit's heart!" Bismuth says. She'll fall in line to follow Darko. It'll be neat to see how he deals with adventures! As she trots along she pulls out a pair of vials, pulls the corks out, and then screws both mouths together. She gives the mixture a good shake and soon it's glowing with bright yellowish light!
She's ready to go!
Well that was kind of Juiblex' dream, wasn't it? To spread the jiggly joys of goop over the whole world? Bismuth is still doing that, just on more of a personal level.
She DOES look a little concerned when the wizard gets yanked behind the curtain again. That was a bit strange.
"Alright then! I'm ready! Let's go find a giant toy rabbit's heart!" Bismuth says. She'll fall in line to follow Darko. It'll be neat to see how he deals with adventures! As she trots along she pulls out a pair of vials, pulls the corks out, and then screws both mouths together. She gives the mixture a good shake and soon it's glowing with bright yellowish light!
She's ready to go!
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quillpleasant
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Re: The Theatre
Not a Date
"Alright, cool," says Darko, more confidently than he feels. The last time he went on any sort of quest, he had been mainly following along with everyone else. Now he's faced with nominally leading an expedition, and even worse it's with someone he wants to impress. That's a lot of pressure!
But it's also fun, for those same reasons. Funny how emotions work like that sometimes.
Darko will lead Bismuth across the stage and over to the curtain. He battles with the heavy fabric for a couple moments before finding the seam in the middle and pulls it to the side, making an opening. Rather than some magical other dimension as might be expected, it's just a normal backstage area- albeit dark and cluttered.
Strange props, broken set pieces and costumes are jumbled in haphazard piles among sandbags and ropes that extend up into the darkness above. It's as if a few dozen productions had all their chaff dumped back here without any kind of organization, almost forming a maze. Bismuth's light will be very helpful here.
"I scrounged most of my clothes from here over the years," says Darko conversationally, "Costumes can be surprisingly comfortable. So most of what's left is broken or just weird."
A looming Pinocchio mask with a drooping nose and cracked eyes seems to drive that point home.
"The trapdoor should be around here somewhere- it changes locations sometimes. I think it was made to access underneath the stage. For... I guess I don't know, I've never actually seen a play. Have you?" It's quite ironic, but it's not like the Theatre is putting on regular productions.
"Alright, cool," says Darko, more confidently than he feels. The last time he went on any sort of quest, he had been mainly following along with everyone else. Now he's faced with nominally leading an expedition, and even worse it's with someone he wants to impress. That's a lot of pressure!
But it's also fun, for those same reasons. Funny how emotions work like that sometimes.
Darko will lead Bismuth across the stage and over to the curtain. He battles with the heavy fabric for a couple moments before finding the seam in the middle and pulls it to the side, making an opening. Rather than some magical other dimension as might be expected, it's just a normal backstage area- albeit dark and cluttered.
Strange props, broken set pieces and costumes are jumbled in haphazard piles among sandbags and ropes that extend up into the darkness above. It's as if a few dozen productions had all their chaff dumped back here without any kind of organization, almost forming a maze. Bismuth's light will be very helpful here.
"I scrounged most of my clothes from here over the years," says Darko conversationally, "Costumes can be surprisingly comfortable. So most of what's left is broken or just weird."
A looming Pinocchio mask with a drooping nose and cracked eyes seems to drive that point home.
"The trapdoor should be around here somewhere- it changes locations sometimes. I think it was made to access underneath the stage. For... I guess I don't know, I've never actually seen a play. Have you?" It's quite ironic, but it's not like the Theatre is putting on regular productions.
horses can attack and eat me
Re: The Theatre
[Not a Date]
It's an opportunity for growth and getting to know someone fun. That's what Bismuth thinks, anyway. She's enjoying herself, helping a strange rabbit, and getting to know Darko better. And Darko is definitely a fun person to be with! It reminds Bismuth of when she was first trying to get her feet under her as a Cursed Hero. She'll be able to help!
While Darko is flailing at the curtains Bismuth decides to help, poking and prodding at it to find the seam. Curtains are always tricky to find a way through. Thankfully they don't get tangled up in them! She gives a somewhat disappointed, "Aaww..." when nothing fantastical is behind them. But that's probably to be expected, right? The curtain is a SYMBOL of the world's curtain to the Wizards. That doesn't mean it's the same thing to she and Darko.
"That's kind of how delves are. You never know what kinds of things you're going to find and you make do with what comes up. Like this coat! It was in the same box as a chef hat and some other things," Bismuth says, holding up her chemlight to the mask and making a silly face at it. When the trap door doesn't reveal itself right away Bismuth begins searching, too. Her vision isn't great, but the halo of her hood is pretty sensitive as the are 'horns' on her head. Usually dark, dank cellars have a particular aroma to them and she's sniffing for any strange breezes.
"I've seen a few movies but I've never been to a play before, either. I think they were probably more common before movies became popular," Bismuth reasons.
It's an opportunity for growth and getting to know someone fun. That's what Bismuth thinks, anyway. She's enjoying herself, helping a strange rabbit, and getting to know Darko better. And Darko is definitely a fun person to be with! It reminds Bismuth of when she was first trying to get her feet under her as a Cursed Hero. She'll be able to help!
While Darko is flailing at the curtains Bismuth decides to help, poking and prodding at it to find the seam. Curtains are always tricky to find a way through. Thankfully they don't get tangled up in them! She gives a somewhat disappointed, "Aaww..." when nothing fantastical is behind them. But that's probably to be expected, right? The curtain is a SYMBOL of the world's curtain to the Wizards. That doesn't mean it's the same thing to she and Darko.
"That's kind of how delves are. You never know what kinds of things you're going to find and you make do with what comes up. Like this coat! It was in the same box as a chef hat and some other things," Bismuth says, holding up her chemlight to the mask and making a silly face at it. When the trap door doesn't reveal itself right away Bismuth begins searching, too. Her vision isn't great, but the halo of her hood is pretty sensitive as the are 'horns' on her head. Usually dark, dank cellars have a particular aroma to them and she's sniffing for any strange breezes.
"I've seen a few movies but I've never been to a play before, either. I think they were probably more common before movies became popular," Bismuth reasons.
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quillpleasant
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Re: The Theatre
Not a Date
Darko is glad for the help on the curtains- they're quite heavy! And it's also nice to have company- although the Theatre isn't usually creepy (at least to him), the part of it where they're going decidedly is.
As for what lies beyond the curtains, fantastical is relative. To some, a massive tangle of old stage props might be pretty fantastical. At least, it was to Darko as a child, before seeing more amazing things on the daily in the Nexus. It takes a bit more to impress you when your roommate is a god and you're on a not-date with a dragon.
"Wow, that coat is a great find! I've scavenged a lot of cool stuff over the years, but I've never managed to find a magic item," says Darko, quite impressed. He peers over a pile of furniture with peeling gold paint, then shakes his head. No trapdoor there.
Bismuth, however, is having more luck. There is a faint smell, a cool draft that carries the scent of clay and spiders. Following her nose will lead her around a massive chest with a rusted padlock, past a battered mannequin dressed like Napoleon...
"The only movies they had in my world were all gray and silent, except for music. I could never sit through one. But I've heard they're a lot better here," says Darko, from somewhere amongst the piles.
Over a pile of floral dresses strewn across the floor, under the arms of a large wooden troll cutout...
"And I haven't seen many plays, but I've read a lot of them. I'm actually going to try out for one at PREP, performing is really fun so why not, you know?"
Around a broken fog machine and... under a rolled up sheet of decaying foam... Bismuth discovers the trapdoor! It's about five feet square, with a metal handle that protrudes out from it. Seems like it would be a tripping hazard, but then again the backstage has more tripping hazards than bare floor. This is clearly the source of the smell, and it doesn't appear to be locked.
Darko is glad for the help on the curtains- they're quite heavy! And it's also nice to have company- although the Theatre isn't usually creepy (at least to him), the part of it where they're going decidedly is.
As for what lies beyond the curtains, fantastical is relative. To some, a massive tangle of old stage props might be pretty fantastical. At least, it was to Darko as a child, before seeing more amazing things on the daily in the Nexus. It takes a bit more to impress you when your roommate is a god and you're on a not-date with a dragon.
"Wow, that coat is a great find! I've scavenged a lot of cool stuff over the years, but I've never managed to find a magic item," says Darko, quite impressed. He peers over a pile of furniture with peeling gold paint, then shakes his head. No trapdoor there.
Bismuth, however, is having more luck. There is a faint smell, a cool draft that carries the scent of clay and spiders. Following her nose will lead her around a massive chest with a rusted padlock, past a battered mannequin dressed like Napoleon...
"The only movies they had in my world were all gray and silent, except for music. I could never sit through one. But I've heard they're a lot better here," says Darko, from somewhere amongst the piles.
Over a pile of floral dresses strewn across the floor, under the arms of a large wooden troll cutout...
"And I haven't seen many plays, but I've read a lot of them. I'm actually going to try out for one at PREP, performing is really fun so why not, you know?"
Around a broken fog machine and... under a rolled up sheet of decaying foam... Bismuth discovers the trapdoor! It's about five feet square, with a metal handle that protrudes out from it. Seems like it would be a tripping hazard, but then again the backstage has more tripping hazards than bare floor. This is clearly the source of the smell, and it doesn't appear to be locked.
horses can attack and eat me
Re: The Theatre
[Not a Date]
Juiblex was pretty accustomed to oddities even before their hometown got eaten by slime and ended up in Apocalypse Junction. After all, they originally came from one of those fantasy kitchen sink worlds. Which means magic and wonder was just the norm. The city was big enough that adventurer types came through pretty regularly and that was always fun. When you live in city that's mostly humans and dwarves seeing all the crazy sorts of different adventurers is a real treat.
"Well it's a little different when you're scavenging regular ruins and searching a delve," Bismuth says as she trots from one collection of oddities to the next, following her 'nose'. "The first one is usually just full of junk and broken things. But delves have magic in the air that you can FEEL when you get there. You'll find gold stashed away in old barrels or enchanted rings on the tails of giant zombie rats. I think the magic of delves just becomes because of how much extra magic there is."
That sounds an awful lot like Darko's excess magic, doesn't it? Maybe that idea won't sound so strange to him.
"Trying out for a play DOES sound like a lot of fun! Do you know what play you're going to try being in?" Bismuth asks. The drama club is probably fun, right? She keeps pretty busy with the Baking Club and the Pranksters club, though. But then again... there ARE more of her now so who knows?! Maybe she could find the extra time and one of her could check it out? Juibi would probably have the most fun with it especially since she's the most polymorphous of the three of them. She could just make her cytoskeleton human shaped no problem!
Bismuth trots across the stage, over dresses and under frightful fake trolls and around broken down machines until at last! She pushes the foam aside and calls out, "Hey! I think I found the door!"
Juiblex was pretty accustomed to oddities even before their hometown got eaten by slime and ended up in Apocalypse Junction. After all, they originally came from one of those fantasy kitchen sink worlds. Which means magic and wonder was just the norm. The city was big enough that adventurer types came through pretty regularly and that was always fun. When you live in city that's mostly humans and dwarves seeing all the crazy sorts of different adventurers is a real treat.
"Well it's a little different when you're scavenging regular ruins and searching a delve," Bismuth says as she trots from one collection of oddities to the next, following her 'nose'. "The first one is usually just full of junk and broken things. But delves have magic in the air that you can FEEL when you get there. You'll find gold stashed away in old barrels or enchanted rings on the tails of giant zombie rats. I think the magic of delves just becomes because of how much extra magic there is."
That sounds an awful lot like Darko's excess magic, doesn't it? Maybe that idea won't sound so strange to him.
"Trying out for a play DOES sound like a lot of fun! Do you know what play you're going to try being in?" Bismuth asks. The drama club is probably fun, right? She keeps pretty busy with the Baking Club and the Pranksters club, though. But then again... there ARE more of her now so who knows?! Maybe she could find the extra time and one of her could check it out? Juibi would probably have the most fun with it especially since she's the most polymorphous of the three of them. She could just make her cytoskeleton human shaped no problem!
Bismuth trots across the stage, over dresses and under frightful fake trolls and around broken down machines until at last! She pushes the foam aside and calls out, "Hey! I think I found the door!"
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quillpleasant
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Re: The Theatre
Not a Date
"Giant zombie rats? Cool." Darko likes rats. He'd also like the giant zombie variety, at least from a distance. "Now I really need to go on a delve with you."
And he does seem to understand what she's saying about the treasure thing. Excess magic causing manifestations is something he's well versed in- plus his Narrative class had a section on adventurers and how the story tends to saddle them with excessive riches in order to provide both motivation and the power to succeed. Doesn't sound like a bad life at all.
"I don't think the Drama club has decided what play they're doing yet, so I'm not sure. But I'm hoping it's not a musical. I really don't like singing." For reasons that certainly don't have anything to do with voice insecurity. "When I find out more I'll let you know, I think you'd be great in a play!"
Upon Bismuth's discovery, Darko comes hurrying out of the darkness, hopping over an old metal bucket and ducking under the troll. "Whoo! Great job!" He kneels down, gripping the handle. It's heavy, but he doesn't really want to ask for help, so he plants his feet on the floor and heaves. With a loud creak, the trapdoor opens. Carrying Asami to class has paid off, he's getting a little stronger!
Or maybe that's just wishful thinking.
The trapdoor opening releases a strong draft of chilly air, although it's not as biting as the outdoors was. This is more along the lines of cave temperature, air that has never seen the sunlight. There's only a short drop, about five feet, down to a dusty floor that leads under the stage. The space below is broken up by numerous support struts, and it splits into several side passages that all seem to lead off downwards in various directions.
"So last time I went down here I used..." Darko rummages in his bag and then pulls out a large bundle of lavender yarn. "This stuff! Just to help find my way back." He begins tying the yarn onto the trapdoor handle.
"I know you have a really good sense of smell- can you track stuff with it? Like a dog? Not that you're anything like a dog. I just mean... like, could you smell the scent of the Chrysalis down there?" Inwardly, he curses himself. That did not come out how he intended it to at all.
And the Chrysalis did have a scent. Like a faint, dusty vanilla.
"Giant zombie rats? Cool." Darko likes rats. He'd also like the giant zombie variety, at least from a distance. "Now I really need to go on a delve with you."
And he does seem to understand what she's saying about the treasure thing. Excess magic causing manifestations is something he's well versed in- plus his Narrative class had a section on adventurers and how the story tends to saddle them with excessive riches in order to provide both motivation and the power to succeed. Doesn't sound like a bad life at all.
"I don't think the Drama club has decided what play they're doing yet, so I'm not sure. But I'm hoping it's not a musical. I really don't like singing." For reasons that certainly don't have anything to do with voice insecurity. "When I find out more I'll let you know, I think you'd be great in a play!"
Upon Bismuth's discovery, Darko comes hurrying out of the darkness, hopping over an old metal bucket and ducking under the troll. "Whoo! Great job!" He kneels down, gripping the handle. It's heavy, but he doesn't really want to ask for help, so he plants his feet on the floor and heaves. With a loud creak, the trapdoor opens. Carrying Asami to class has paid off, he's getting a little stronger!
Or maybe that's just wishful thinking.
The trapdoor opening releases a strong draft of chilly air, although it's not as biting as the outdoors was. This is more along the lines of cave temperature, air that has never seen the sunlight. There's only a short drop, about five feet, down to a dusty floor that leads under the stage. The space below is broken up by numerous support struts, and it splits into several side passages that all seem to lead off downwards in various directions.
"So last time I went down here I used..." Darko rummages in his bag and then pulls out a large bundle of lavender yarn. "This stuff! Just to help find my way back." He begins tying the yarn onto the trapdoor handle.
"I know you have a really good sense of smell- can you track stuff with it? Like a dog? Not that you're anything like a dog. I just mean... like, could you smell the scent of the Chrysalis down there?" Inwardly, he curses himself. That did not come out how he intended it to at all.
And the Chrysalis did have a scent. Like a faint, dusty vanilla.
horses can attack and eat me
Re: The Theatre
[Not a Date]
"They aren't as cool when they're trying to bite you," Bismuth wisely points out. "But it wouldn't be a delve without SOME danger. The magic attracts monsters, too."
Is Bismuth a monster, though? Usually slimes would be considered monsters. And so would dragons! But she's definitely not a monster.
Why?
Because monsters are signs and omens, that's why! They're a sign that something has gone wrong. Or some place is wrong. Or that something wrong is about to come to pass.
And Bismuth DEFINITELY isn't a sign of anything going wrong, right?
"Oh, I don't know if I would be great in a play," Bismuth replies, turning her head away from Darko to hide the fact that her cheeks are flush with opalescence again. Considering she's mostly transparent it really doesn't help much. "The parts are usually all for human-shaped people. I don't know if I would be able to squish myself into a human shape like Juibi can."
Thankfully she finds the trap door and allows for a subject change.
With the door open Bismuth splays her hood wide, making it look like she has a crystalline solar halo surrounding her head. Mostly it's just so she can taste the air better but it looks neat! "I can track smells like a slime," Bismuth laughs. "Maybe."
She climbs down into the understage, dragging the end of her tail on the ground behind her to leave an easily followed scent trail. It isn't that she doesn't trust Darko's yarn. It's just that having a backup isn't a bad idea!
"It depends on how long ago she was down here. And whether she went right to where she hid her heart or wandered around. But let's find out!" Bismuth says, holding her chem light aloft as she waves her head back and forth a little, the 'ears' sticking through her hood swiveling this way and that.
"They aren't as cool when they're trying to bite you," Bismuth wisely points out. "But it wouldn't be a delve without SOME danger. The magic attracts monsters, too."
Is Bismuth a monster, though? Usually slimes would be considered monsters. And so would dragons! But she's definitely not a monster.
Why?
Because monsters are signs and omens, that's why! They're a sign that something has gone wrong. Or some place is wrong. Or that something wrong is about to come to pass.
And Bismuth DEFINITELY isn't a sign of anything going wrong, right?
"Oh, I don't know if I would be great in a play," Bismuth replies, turning her head away from Darko to hide the fact that her cheeks are flush with opalescence again. Considering she's mostly transparent it really doesn't help much. "The parts are usually all for human-shaped people. I don't know if I would be able to squish myself into a human shape like Juibi can."
Thankfully she finds the trap door and allows for a subject change.
With the door open Bismuth splays her hood wide, making it look like she has a crystalline solar halo surrounding her head. Mostly it's just so she can taste the air better but it looks neat! "I can track smells like a slime," Bismuth laughs. "Maybe."
She climbs down into the understage, dragging the end of her tail on the ground behind her to leave an easily followed scent trail. It isn't that she doesn't trust Darko's yarn. It's just that having a backup isn't a bad idea!
"It depends on how long ago she was down here. And whether she went right to where she hid her heart or wandered around. But let's find out!" Bismuth says, holding her chem light aloft as she waves her head back and forth a little, the 'ears' sticking through her hood swiveling this way and that.
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quillpleasant
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Re: The Theatre
Not a Date
"I think I can handle a little danger," says Darko, more confidently than he really feels. It's not that he's brave, it's just that he's been in dangerous situations pretty frequently by dint of living in the Theatre and going to PREP.
As for monsters, it's a broad category. The Wizards could be classified as monsters. And some would even call Darko one. But if someone asked him, he certainly wouldn't call Bismuth a monster.
She's just a kid like him! Who happens to be a dragon slime sea slug. Still a kid.
And speaking of, Darko seems oblivious to her blush as he lowers himself down into the trapdoor. "It doesn't matter if you can change your shape! Plays are mostly just standing around talking anyway. Why couldn't, say, Ophelia be a dragon? That's what suspension of disbelief is for." If humans can play dragons, why can't dragons play humans?
He pauses to let Bismuth focus on her scenting. And there is certainly a lot to take in down here. Amongst the low wooden tunnels, the artificial scent of mud is prevalent, and there are clearly a lot of spiders down here. They have a very distinctive smell. There's no hint of that vanilla, however.
From where they are, the space opens up slightly as the boards slope down under the stage. There's a few props that have made their way down here, a large wooden duck, a pile of coats on hangers, and a fake bookshelf with the book spines peeling off in long strips. A full five different tunnels peel off from here, each leading in a different way.
The two lefthand tunnels have no notable scents, but one of them seems to be where the draft is coming from, and they both burrowed through the floor and into dirt. The tunnel directly ahead has the brackish smell of standing water and mold, but it's made of wooden planks. One of the righthand tunnels is made of dirt and has a distant odor of fresh blood, while the last one seems especially dry and well lit, cracks in the wooden ceiling allowing the Theatre's spotlights to shine through.
All of them are fairly cramped, and Darko will have to crawl to make it through here. Bismuth's body plan is a lot ore suited to this endeavor.
"Okay, got any ideas?" says Darko, peering around in the glow of Bismuth's chem light. "It's always different- last time I was down here there were only three tunnels."
"I think I can handle a little danger," says Darko, more confidently than he really feels. It's not that he's brave, it's just that he's been in dangerous situations pretty frequently by dint of living in the Theatre and going to PREP.
As for monsters, it's a broad category. The Wizards could be classified as monsters. And some would even call Darko one. But if someone asked him, he certainly wouldn't call Bismuth a monster.
She's just a kid like him! Who happens to be a dragon slime sea slug. Still a kid.
And speaking of, Darko seems oblivious to her blush as he lowers himself down into the trapdoor. "It doesn't matter if you can change your shape! Plays are mostly just standing around talking anyway. Why couldn't, say, Ophelia be a dragon? That's what suspension of disbelief is for." If humans can play dragons, why can't dragons play humans?
He pauses to let Bismuth focus on her scenting. And there is certainly a lot to take in down here. Amongst the low wooden tunnels, the artificial scent of mud is prevalent, and there are clearly a lot of spiders down here. They have a very distinctive smell. There's no hint of that vanilla, however.
From where they are, the space opens up slightly as the boards slope down under the stage. There's a few props that have made their way down here, a large wooden duck, a pile of coats on hangers, and a fake bookshelf with the book spines peeling off in long strips. A full five different tunnels peel off from here, each leading in a different way.
The two lefthand tunnels have no notable scents, but one of them seems to be where the draft is coming from, and they both burrowed through the floor and into dirt. The tunnel directly ahead has the brackish smell of standing water and mold, but it's made of wooden planks. One of the righthand tunnels is made of dirt and has a distant odor of fresh blood, while the last one seems especially dry and well lit, cracks in the wooden ceiling allowing the Theatre's spotlights to shine through.
All of them are fairly cramped, and Darko will have to crawl to make it through here. Bismuth's body plan is a lot ore suited to this endeavor.
"Okay, got any ideas?" says Darko, peering around in the glow of Bismuth's chem light. "It's always different- last time I was down here there were only three tunnels."
horses can attack and eat me
Re: The Theatre
[Not a Date]
"They would have to make costumes just for me, though," Bismuth objects. "I don't want to be a bother."
There couldn't be that many costumes made already for quadrupeds.
Resistance to plays aside, our heroes descend! Bismuth slowly turns her radar dish of a head from one tunnel to the next in search of that tell tale scent of giant toy rabbit. However, much to her surprise, there's nothing.
Well, the alarming scent of fresh blood isn't nothing. But it isn't what they're looking for, either. They probably shouldn't go that way.
"There's no trail. She must have been down here a long time ago," Bismuth surmises. "The breeze is coming from this way. Let's check here first."
Bismuth definitely isn't a big dragon, but she'll still need to crouch a little to fit down the dirty tunnel.
"Rabbits like burrowing, right? So it makes sense to check out the burrows first."
"They would have to make costumes just for me, though," Bismuth objects. "I don't want to be a bother."
There couldn't be that many costumes made already for quadrupeds.
Resistance to plays aside, our heroes descend! Bismuth slowly turns her radar dish of a head from one tunnel to the next in search of that tell tale scent of giant toy rabbit. However, much to her surprise, there's nothing.
Well, the alarming scent of fresh blood isn't nothing. But it isn't what they're looking for, either. They probably shouldn't go that way.
"There's no trail. She must have been down here a long time ago," Bismuth surmises. "The breeze is coming from this way. Let's check here first."
Bismuth definitely isn't a big dragon, but she'll still need to crouch a little to fit down the dirty tunnel.
"Rabbits like burrowing, right? So it makes sense to check out the burrows first."
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quillpleasant
- Reborn Elder Poster
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Re: The Theatre
Not a Date
"All costumes have to be custom fitted," reasons Darko, "And I don't think anyone could think you're a bother, you're too sweet." But he won't press the point further- stage acting isn't for everyone.
Even though it kind of is.
"It makes sense that it was a while ago. I mean, it would have to have been at least five years, since that's when I came here," he says thoughtfully. Setting down his bag, Darko drops to his hands and knees before following Bismuth into the tunnel. He's actually quite unbothered by crawling, and dirt, so this isn't as big a deal as it would be for some people.
The tunnel slopes down, but not too fast as to be hazardous. The dirt soon gives way to hard packed clay, and then smooth limestone. As they proceed, both Bismuth and Darko will notice that the breeze is getting stronger and more consistent, and there's a faint whirring noise that grows louder as they proceed- it sounds almost like a fan.
"You know," says Darkly thoughtfully, "None of these tunnels are anywhere big enough for the Chrysalis. I wonder if she's able to change shape? Or compress herself?" Plushies can be squashed pretty tiny, but she's a very big plush.
Then they're out, as the tunnel abruptly opens up, with a three foot drop below it!
What's revealed is a small natural cavern, about fifteen feet at its largest point. The walls are smooth stone, looking almost drippy from being shaped by countless years of water, which has pooled into a small murky basin in the middle of the room. A second tunnel veers off to the right, this one a little taller than the one leading here.
But the source of the noise, and the breeze, is a bizarre... object? That's floating in the air about three feet off the ground. It's a series of black cylinders, eighteen in total, each about thirty inches long and two across. They're shifting and circling around each other, moving in a weird, coordinated dance that never seems to slow or falter. Every few seconds, they release a puff of icy air, mimicking the feel of a natural breeze.
"Oh cool! I haven't seen this thing before," says Darko, clambering into the chamber and brushing dirt from his hands.
"All costumes have to be custom fitted," reasons Darko, "And I don't think anyone could think you're a bother, you're too sweet." But he won't press the point further- stage acting isn't for everyone.
Even though it kind of is.
"It makes sense that it was a while ago. I mean, it would have to have been at least five years, since that's when I came here," he says thoughtfully. Setting down his bag, Darko drops to his hands and knees before following Bismuth into the tunnel. He's actually quite unbothered by crawling, and dirt, so this isn't as big a deal as it would be for some people.
The tunnel slopes down, but not too fast as to be hazardous. The dirt soon gives way to hard packed clay, and then smooth limestone. As they proceed, both Bismuth and Darko will notice that the breeze is getting stronger and more consistent, and there's a faint whirring noise that grows louder as they proceed- it sounds almost like a fan.
"You know," says Darkly thoughtfully, "None of these tunnels are anywhere big enough for the Chrysalis. I wonder if she's able to change shape? Or compress herself?" Plushies can be squashed pretty tiny, but she's a very big plush.
Then they're out, as the tunnel abruptly opens up, with a three foot drop below it!
What's revealed is a small natural cavern, about fifteen feet at its largest point. The walls are smooth stone, looking almost drippy from being shaped by countless years of water, which has pooled into a small murky basin in the middle of the room. A second tunnel veers off to the right, this one a little taller than the one leading here.
But the source of the noise, and the breeze, is a bizarre... object? That's floating in the air about three feet off the ground. It's a series of black cylinders, eighteen in total, each about thirty inches long and two across. They're shifting and circling around each other, moving in a weird, coordinated dance that never seems to slow or falter. Every few seconds, they release a puff of icy air, mimicking the feel of a natural breeze.
"Oh cool! I haven't seen this thing before," says Darko, clambering into the chamber and brushing dirt from his hands.
horses can attack and eat me
Re: The Theatre
[Not a Date]
Oh no. Bismuth is blushing again.
Good thing she's in front of Darko where he can't see it.
They can just focus on crawling around through the dirt. Then the clay. Then atop the limestone. If it were Juibi or Lex the rock would be fizzling slightly at their touch thanks to the weak acid that coats them. Bismuth, however, isn't caustic in quite the same way. Which is good! It means she can be touched without having to wash your hands afterwards.
Of course, she's still kind of goopy so you probably want to wash your hands anyway.
"When she left the stage she got pulled away like an invisible hand was holding her," Bismuth reasons as she squeezes through a narrow space in the stone without much trouble. "Maybe she isn't really the Wizard. She might just be a prop the real Chrysalis uses to talk with people."
That seems possible, right?
But then they find...
A cave!
Bismuth easily hops down to the cave floor before turning and putting her front feet on the wall to reach up with her tentacles to help Darko out. Once they're both clear Bismuth says, "I'm going to light up the room a little more."
And then?
She sort of... puffs up a bit? The cavity in her chest begins filling with luminous white fluid and balloons larger for a few seconds before she spits a big blob of slime straight up into the ceiling! It splashes over the stone and rains little phosphorescent drops all over the floor below. Everywhere it touches spiderwebs of frost begin creeping away as it illuminates everything around it with a cold, soft glow like the light of a full moon. Bismuth wipes a bit of remaining slime away from her mouth with a tentacle before trotting toward strange machine in the middle of the cavern.
"What do you think it is? Some sort of wind machine like they would use in a play? It looks more complicated than a regular fan," Bismuth wonders aloud.
Very mysterious!
Oh no. Bismuth is blushing again.
Good thing she's in front of Darko where he can't see it.
They can just focus on crawling around through the dirt. Then the clay. Then atop the limestone. If it were Juibi or Lex the rock would be fizzling slightly at their touch thanks to the weak acid that coats them. Bismuth, however, isn't caustic in quite the same way. Which is good! It means she can be touched without having to wash your hands afterwards.
Of course, she's still kind of goopy so you probably want to wash your hands anyway.
"When she left the stage she got pulled away like an invisible hand was holding her," Bismuth reasons as she squeezes through a narrow space in the stone without much trouble. "Maybe she isn't really the Wizard. She might just be a prop the real Chrysalis uses to talk with people."
That seems possible, right?
But then they find...
A cave!
Bismuth easily hops down to the cave floor before turning and putting her front feet on the wall to reach up with her tentacles to help Darko out. Once they're both clear Bismuth says, "I'm going to light up the room a little more."
And then?
She sort of... puffs up a bit? The cavity in her chest begins filling with luminous white fluid and balloons larger for a few seconds before she spits a big blob of slime straight up into the ceiling! It splashes over the stone and rains little phosphorescent drops all over the floor below. Everywhere it touches spiderwebs of frost begin creeping away as it illuminates everything around it with a cold, soft glow like the light of a full moon. Bismuth wipes a bit of remaining slime away from her mouth with a tentacle before trotting toward strange machine in the middle of the cavern.
"What do you think it is? Some sort of wind machine like they would use in a play? It looks more complicated than a regular fan," Bismuth wonders aloud.
Very mysterious!
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quillpleasant
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Re: The Theatre
Not a Date
Bismuth's analysis of the Chrysalis makes sense to Darko. "Yeah, that could be. They're all different, so a puppet Wizard wouldn't be too weird."
A pause.
"Puppets have always kind of freaked me out. I found a word for that in an old encyclopedia- pupaphobia. Kind of a coincidence if the 'Chrysalis' is a puppet, then." He wouldn't have thought the Wizards would indulge in puns, but stranger things have happened.
Darko smiles at Bismuth as she helps him down. Whoever said chivalry was dead? Then, as she conducts her luminous slime shower, his eyes go wide.
"Wow! That's so cool, I didn't know you could do that," he says admiringly. A natural born poker, he kneels down to prod at some of the glow frost that's splashed onto the cavern floor. "Ooh, it's cold." Fun. She's probably great at keeping cool in the summer.
The machine is indeed mysterious, especially since there's nothing holding it in the air, and the rods never actually touch each other. That's clearly magic... or sufficiently advanced technology. Darko peers closely at it.
"Could be a wind machine, but why's it down here?" He purses his lips. "Of course, it might just be another nonsensical occurrence without rhyme or reason. The Wizards love those." He goes to rummage in his bag- but he left the bag outside the tunnel. Oh no!
"Well I was gonna poke it with a stick and see if anything happened, but I don't have my sticks. And it looks kinda... pinchy? So we probably shouldn't just touch it." The rods aren't moving too fast, but they do look hard, and machines have a long history of eating careless fingers.
"What do you think, should we try to figure it out, or keep going?" Bismuth is the delving expert, so Darko is happy to follow her expert opinion.
Bismuth's analysis of the Chrysalis makes sense to Darko. "Yeah, that could be. They're all different, so a puppet Wizard wouldn't be too weird."
A pause.
"Puppets have always kind of freaked me out. I found a word for that in an old encyclopedia- pupaphobia. Kind of a coincidence if the 'Chrysalis' is a puppet, then." He wouldn't have thought the Wizards would indulge in puns, but stranger things have happened.
Darko smiles at Bismuth as she helps him down. Whoever said chivalry was dead? Then, as she conducts her luminous slime shower, his eyes go wide.
"Wow! That's so cool, I didn't know you could do that," he says admiringly. A natural born poker, he kneels down to prod at some of the glow frost that's splashed onto the cavern floor. "Ooh, it's cold." Fun. She's probably great at keeping cool in the summer.
The machine is indeed mysterious, especially since there's nothing holding it in the air, and the rods never actually touch each other. That's clearly magic... or sufficiently advanced technology. Darko peers closely at it.
"Could be a wind machine, but why's it down here?" He purses his lips. "Of course, it might just be another nonsensical occurrence without rhyme or reason. The Wizards love those." He goes to rummage in his bag- but he left the bag outside the tunnel. Oh no!
"Well I was gonna poke it with a stick and see if anything happened, but I don't have my sticks. And it looks kinda... pinchy? So we probably shouldn't just touch it." The rods aren't moving too fast, but they do look hard, and machines have a long history of eating careless fingers.
"What do you think, should we try to figure it out, or keep going?" Bismuth is the delving expert, so Darko is happy to follow her expert opinion.
horses can attack and eat me
Re: The Theatre
[Not a Date]
Darko's explanation of puppets and wizards leaves Bismuth puzzled for a moment, regarding Darko with that funny head-tilt that's so popular with quadrupeds. But then! A flash of realization!
"OH! Because pupaphobia sounds kind of like pupa! Since chrysalis is another word for bugs that are transforming?" she replies, only now getting the pun. Maybe the wizards ARE being punny? A sense of humor would definitely make them less unapproachably alien and little more understandable.
Darko's antics with the glow frost manages to get a laugh out of Bismuth. "It isn't just cool, it's ice cool!" she says, supplying her own bad pun since that's apparently the order of the day. She also strikes a pose which she thinks is pretty cool but mostly just looks kind of silly. "Most slimes have some kind of slime spit trick," she says, trotting over to the wind machine to examine it more closely. And of course, because of how her senses work, she's trying to identify what the object's made of by its smell.
Hmm!
It's definitely mysterious!
"I've got a poking stick in my bags," Bismuth says, reaching back with a tentacle into her hip bags and pulling out a rod that's about a foot long. She grips it with both tentacles and twists, causing it to SPRONG! out into a ten foot pole! She offers it to Darko since he's an expert poker. "The first rule of Delves is to never touch something mysterious with something that you don't mind losing."
And she can always get a new extendable poking stick.
Getting a new Darko finger would be much harder.
"Maybe it's just another prop? Like the big wooden duck? Only more unusual," Bismuth suggests.
Darko's explanation of puppets and wizards leaves Bismuth puzzled for a moment, regarding Darko with that funny head-tilt that's so popular with quadrupeds. But then! A flash of realization!
"OH! Because pupaphobia sounds kind of like pupa! Since chrysalis is another word for bugs that are transforming?" she replies, only now getting the pun. Maybe the wizards ARE being punny? A sense of humor would definitely make them less unapproachably alien and little more understandable.
Darko's antics with the glow frost manages to get a laugh out of Bismuth. "It isn't just cool, it's ice cool!" she says, supplying her own bad pun since that's apparently the order of the day. She also strikes a pose which she thinks is pretty cool but mostly just looks kind of silly. "Most slimes have some kind of slime spit trick," she says, trotting over to the wind machine to examine it more closely. And of course, because of how her senses work, she's trying to identify what the object's made of by its smell.
Hmm!
It's definitely mysterious!
"I've got a poking stick in my bags," Bismuth says, reaching back with a tentacle into her hip bags and pulling out a rod that's about a foot long. She grips it with both tentacles and twists, causing it to SPRONG! out into a ten foot pole! She offers it to Darko since he's an expert poker. "The first rule of Delves is to never touch something mysterious with something that you don't mind losing."
And she can always get a new extendable poking stick.
Getting a new Darko finger would be much harder.
"Maybe it's just another prop? Like the big wooden duck? Only more unusual," Bismuth suggests.
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quillpleasant
- Reborn Elder Poster
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- Joined: Feb 27, 2023 7:23 am
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Re: The Theatre
Not a Date
"Yeah, you got it!" beams Darko. He's quite pleased she picked up on the pun. Wordplay brings him entirely more joy that it probably should.
Which means that Bismuth's own pun, and pose, get a giggle out of him. Having someone to laugh with certainly makes these tunnels less intimidating than they usually are. "It's a pretty... nice trick." Which is even worse, but that's part of the fun.
"Oh hey, extendable rod! I have one of those, for magic tricks," says Darko, taking the stick and examining it with a satisfied nod. The collapsible rod he has is pretty awful and flimsy, but this seems more like the real deal.
"And that's a pretty good rule. On my last Action Archaeology trip I poked a plant that tried to eat my hands. Never doing that again." It's a lot harder to be a good magician without hands.
Carefully aiming the stick, Darko reaches forward slowly to touch the spinning cylinders. The moment the stick touches them, they go absolutely crazy.
It's as if the contact has knocked them out of the carefully attuned orbit they were in, and now they begin to thrash around wildly, losing all coordination. There's a rapid hollow knocking sound as they zoom around, slamming into each other, the pole, and the floor. They start to distend, stretching out into strange oblong shapes as the frenzy of movement continues.
Then there's a loud clicking sound and the floor opens up beneath them, revealing a three food wide shaft glowing with white light. The cylinders immediately cease thrashing, instead lining up in a circle and slotting neatly down into the sides of this new passage. It looks like the shaft leads down a couple feet before opening into what looks like a bare white room below.
"...I don't think props do that. But hey, some plays are just weird like that," says Darko nonchalantly.
"Yeah, you got it!" beams Darko. He's quite pleased she picked up on the pun. Wordplay brings him entirely more joy that it probably should.
Which means that Bismuth's own pun, and pose, get a giggle out of him. Having someone to laugh with certainly makes these tunnels less intimidating than they usually are. "It's a pretty... nice trick." Which is even worse, but that's part of the fun.
"Oh hey, extendable rod! I have one of those, for magic tricks," says Darko, taking the stick and examining it with a satisfied nod. The collapsible rod he has is pretty awful and flimsy, but this seems more like the real deal.
"And that's a pretty good rule. On my last Action Archaeology trip I poked a plant that tried to eat my hands. Never doing that again." It's a lot harder to be a good magician without hands.
Carefully aiming the stick, Darko reaches forward slowly to touch the spinning cylinders. The moment the stick touches them, they go absolutely crazy.
It's as if the contact has knocked them out of the carefully attuned orbit they were in, and now they begin to thrash around wildly, losing all coordination. There's a rapid hollow knocking sound as they zoom around, slamming into each other, the pole, and the floor. They start to distend, stretching out into strange oblong shapes as the frenzy of movement continues.
Then there's a loud clicking sound and the floor opens up beneath them, revealing a three food wide shaft glowing with white light. The cylinders immediately cease thrashing, instead lining up in a circle and slotting neatly down into the sides of this new passage. It looks like the shaft leads down a couple feet before opening into what looks like a bare white room below.
"...I don't think props do that. But hey, some plays are just weird like that," says Darko nonchalantly.
horses can attack and eat me
Re: The Theatre
[Not a Date]
Bismuth's only regret is that she doesn't have any shades to go with the pun.
Not that she really needs shades for anything, but style points are important!
She does grown at the continued ice puns, though. That one was REALLY bad.
"That's why a ten foot pole is always standard gear for adventures and delves," Bismuth explains. "You never know when something strange and mysterious might try to eat your hands."
Or infect them with mummy rot. Or lop them off. Or turn them into a mess of snakes. Or anything!
Then careful poking happens, which results in a terrible racket! Bismuth's ears fold flat as she scrunches her neck down, clearly not enjoying the awful noise. "Wow it REALLY doesn't like being touched, does it?" she says, watching it retract into the luminous hole in the floor. She peeks over the edge of the hole into the room below, partly to get a better look and mostly to get a better whiff.
She definitely knows better than jumping into a mysterious hole that just opened up. That's ranked with touching mysterious objects with your fingers.
"I think a normal stage fan would be easier to work with," Bismuth surmises, turning her attention to the ceiling ABOVE the strange contraption just in case there's evidence of another trap door they can ascend through.
Bismuth's only regret is that she doesn't have any shades to go with the pun.
Not that she really needs shades for anything, but style points are important!
She does grown at the continued ice puns, though. That one was REALLY bad.
"That's why a ten foot pole is always standard gear for adventures and delves," Bismuth explains. "You never know when something strange and mysterious might try to eat your hands."
Or infect them with mummy rot. Or lop them off. Or turn them into a mess of snakes. Or anything!
Then careful poking happens, which results in a terrible racket! Bismuth's ears fold flat as she scrunches her neck down, clearly not enjoying the awful noise. "Wow it REALLY doesn't like being touched, does it?" she says, watching it retract into the luminous hole in the floor. She peeks over the edge of the hole into the room below, partly to get a better look and mostly to get a better whiff.
She definitely knows better than jumping into a mysterious hole that just opened up. That's ranked with touching mysterious objects with your fingers.
"I think a normal stage fan would be easier to work with," Bismuth surmises, turning her attention to the ceiling ABOVE the strange contraption just in case there's evidence of another trap door they can ascend through.
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quillpleasant
- Reborn Elder Poster
- Posts: 1626
- Joined: Feb 27, 2023 7:23 am
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- Pronouns: Any
Re: The Theatre
Note a Date
"Yeah, and I need my hands. For shuffling cards. Probably other things too I guess," says Darko, nodding understandingly. Really none of those other things are as important as shuffling cards though.
Peering into the hole will reveal that the room below seems to be some kind of sterile white art gallery. Bismuth can just make out a pedestal with a glass case on top of it, containing some sort of weird spiky sculpture. Presumably more art lies out of view from their current vantage point. There's a scent of strangely fresh paint, and the faint hum of electric lights.
"Yeah, I can't imagine it's meant to be touched. But then again, it can't really be a fan, can it? If there's even any purpose at all." Darko follows her gaze down into the hole. Sometimes things in the Theatre just... don't follow any sort of logic. At least not human logic.
There's no trap door on the ceiling, but there is a stalactite, with a large drop of water pooling on the tip. As Bismuth watches, the droplet falls down, threading directly into the hole. As it hits the white floor below, there's a faint echo.
This hole sure is suspicious. But on the other hand, there is a normal cave passage that leads out of the room they're currently in, so they could avoid the hole entirely. And the cave passage is actually quite wide and tall, much less cramped than before. It also has a nice dry, flat floor, unusual for a cave. Really, this route just seems so much better than that weird creepy hole.
"Yeah, and I need my hands. For shuffling cards. Probably other things too I guess," says Darko, nodding understandingly. Really none of those other things are as important as shuffling cards though.
Peering into the hole will reveal that the room below seems to be some kind of sterile white art gallery. Bismuth can just make out a pedestal with a glass case on top of it, containing some sort of weird spiky sculpture. Presumably more art lies out of view from their current vantage point. There's a scent of strangely fresh paint, and the faint hum of electric lights.
"Yeah, I can't imagine it's meant to be touched. But then again, it can't really be a fan, can it? If there's even any purpose at all." Darko follows her gaze down into the hole. Sometimes things in the Theatre just... don't follow any sort of logic. At least not human logic.
There's no trap door on the ceiling, but there is a stalactite, with a large drop of water pooling on the tip. As Bismuth watches, the droplet falls down, threading directly into the hole. As it hits the white floor below, there's a faint echo.
This hole sure is suspicious. But on the other hand, there is a normal cave passage that leads out of the room they're currently in, so they could avoid the hole entirely. And the cave passage is actually quite wide and tall, much less cramped than before. It also has a nice dry, flat floor, unusual for a cave. Really, this route just seems so much better than that weird creepy hole.
horses can attack and eat me
Re: The Theatre
[Not a Date]
Bismuth, likewise, nods. She doesn't really have hands as such. She has the manipulators on the ends of her tentacles which are SORT OF like hands. They splay open in a starfish sort of shape! They're still good for picking things up, though, and that's what really matters.
"I can smell fresh paint down in the hole. And I think I can see some kind of sculpture? Maybe it's just a piece of kinetic art?" Bismuth guesses. Why would there be an art gallery under the Theater? That really doesn't make much sense. And while looking at art can be fun that isn't the reason why they're down here. "Maybe it doesn't like being touched because it's art; usually you aren't supposed to touch art in galleries."
Unless it's one of those pieces that you ARE supposed to touch. But clearly the weird spinning puffing thing wasn't one of those.
"Chrysalis didn't say anything about her heart being in an art gallery so I don't think it's going to be down there; let's check out the next tunnel," Bismuth suggests, holding out one of her 'hands' to accept the poking stick back from Darko before setting out once again. "Have you ever been in an art gallery before? I'm guessing you've never seen the one down there."
She gestures vaguely at the hole in the floor as she climbs into the next tunnel.
Bismuth, likewise, nods. She doesn't really have hands as such. She has the manipulators on the ends of her tentacles which are SORT OF like hands. They splay open in a starfish sort of shape! They're still good for picking things up, though, and that's what really matters.
"I can smell fresh paint down in the hole. And I think I can see some kind of sculpture? Maybe it's just a piece of kinetic art?" Bismuth guesses. Why would there be an art gallery under the Theater? That really doesn't make much sense. And while looking at art can be fun that isn't the reason why they're down here. "Maybe it doesn't like being touched because it's art; usually you aren't supposed to touch art in galleries."
Unless it's one of those pieces that you ARE supposed to touch. But clearly the weird spinning puffing thing wasn't one of those.
"Chrysalis didn't say anything about her heart being in an art gallery so I don't think it's going to be down there; let's check out the next tunnel," Bismuth suggests, holding out one of her 'hands' to accept the poking stick back from Darko before setting out once again. "Have you ever been in an art gallery before? I'm guessing you've never seen the one down there."
She gestures vaguely at the hole in the floor as she climbs into the next tunnel.
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quillpleasant
- Reborn Elder Poster
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Re: The Theatre
Not a Date
"Weird." Darko stares down the hole for a few more minutes before shaking his head and hurrying after Bismuth. He's used to the Theatre's quirks, but that doesn't make them less confusing.
"I think I went to a museum when I was a little kid? But I don't remember much, that time was pretty fuzzy." Everything before the Theatre is kind of a blur. "And I haven't seen this one. But I have a theory," he says, unconsciously lowering his voice as they head down the suspiciously nice passageway.
"I think the Theatre might just be the entrance to an even more extensive space or series of spaces. Maybe it's just the one that's most easily accessible or understandable by mortals. Maybe the gallery is another weird place that's connected to this one somehow." It would make certain cryptic phrases from the Wizards make more sense in hindsight.
The new tunnel curves gently to the left. Then to the left. Then it curves a little more to the left. An observant explorer might note that this path should undoubtedly have curved back into itself by now, but it just seems to keep going.
Until suddenly it ends in a T junction, one passage going up to the right, the other down to the left. The righthand passage seems to get brighter as it goes, and there's a comforting warmth to it. It feels somehow calming, and the faint scent of vanilla comes wafting through the air.
The downward path is dark and narrow, and cold clammy air emanates from it. The strong iron scent of blood hangs heavy in the air, and there's a distant irregular thumping sound. Ba BUM. Ba ba BUM. Ba ba.
Darko peers at it with trepidation. "Well, there's no way we're going that way, right?"
"Weird." Darko stares down the hole for a few more minutes before shaking his head and hurrying after Bismuth. He's used to the Theatre's quirks, but that doesn't make them less confusing.
"I think I went to a museum when I was a little kid? But I don't remember much, that time was pretty fuzzy." Everything before the Theatre is kind of a blur. "And I haven't seen this one. But I have a theory," he says, unconsciously lowering his voice as they head down the suspiciously nice passageway.
"I think the Theatre might just be the entrance to an even more extensive space or series of spaces. Maybe it's just the one that's most easily accessible or understandable by mortals. Maybe the gallery is another weird place that's connected to this one somehow." It would make certain cryptic phrases from the Wizards make more sense in hindsight.
The new tunnel curves gently to the left. Then to the left. Then it curves a little more to the left. An observant explorer might note that this path should undoubtedly have curved back into itself by now, but it just seems to keep going.
Until suddenly it ends in a T junction, one passage going up to the right, the other down to the left. The righthand passage seems to get brighter as it goes, and there's a comforting warmth to it. It feels somehow calming, and the faint scent of vanilla comes wafting through the air.
The downward path is dark and narrow, and cold clammy air emanates from it. The strong iron scent of blood hangs heavy in the air, and there's a distant irregular thumping sound. Ba BUM. Ba ba BUM. Ba ba.
Darko peers at it with trepidation. "Well, there's no way we're going that way, right?"
horses can attack and eat me
Re: The Theatre
[Not a Date]
Bismuth definitely isn't use to the Theater's quirks, but she's been on quite a few delves and oddities are more or less normal in there. There are always puzzles and traps and peculiar machines. Sometimes you find something mysterious that you won't discover the use for until later! The best thing to do is to remember where you've been and what you've seen.
Thankfully they have yarn AND a scent trail to find their way back.
"Ooh, I see. Or maybe the Theater is just the easiest one for you to get to because of the Wizards? It's the one they're connected to. But maybe if you had been picked up by the... I don't know... the Muses? Then you would have ended up in the Gallery instead," Bismuth guesses.
Would the Gallery have been a better place?
Considering how bright and sterile smelling it seemed to be there probably would have been less mold to worry about.
Bismuth is definitely curious about the coiling passage. Is it a trick of space or are they in some sort of spiral? Maybe both! You never know with a place like this. At the T in the path she perks up, swinging her head in one direction and then the other.
"Well, the bright path smells a little like Chrysalis did. But the dark narrow path sounds like a heart. I guess it depends on how literal Chrysalis was being when she said she left her heart down here? I don't think I would expect a big stuffed bunny to have a meaty heart, but then again the Wizards ARE pretty strange, right?" Bismuth surmises. "I think we should check the path that smells like Chrysalis did first. If what we're looking for isn't that way then we can always double back, right?"
Hopefully the Theater doesn't change the path behind them.
Bismuth definitely isn't use to the Theater's quirks, but she's been on quite a few delves and oddities are more or less normal in there. There are always puzzles and traps and peculiar machines. Sometimes you find something mysterious that you won't discover the use for until later! The best thing to do is to remember where you've been and what you've seen.
Thankfully they have yarn AND a scent trail to find their way back.
"Ooh, I see. Or maybe the Theater is just the easiest one for you to get to because of the Wizards? It's the one they're connected to. But maybe if you had been picked up by the... I don't know... the Muses? Then you would have ended up in the Gallery instead," Bismuth guesses.
Would the Gallery have been a better place?
Considering how bright and sterile smelling it seemed to be there probably would have been less mold to worry about.
Bismuth is definitely curious about the coiling passage. Is it a trick of space or are they in some sort of spiral? Maybe both! You never know with a place like this. At the T in the path she perks up, swinging her head in one direction and then the other.
"Well, the bright path smells a little like Chrysalis did. But the dark narrow path sounds like a heart. I guess it depends on how literal Chrysalis was being when she said she left her heart down here? I don't think I would expect a big stuffed bunny to have a meaty heart, but then again the Wizards ARE pretty strange, right?" Bismuth surmises. "I think we should check the path that smells like Chrysalis did first. If what we're looking for isn't that way then we can always double back, right?"
Hopefully the Theater doesn't change the path behind them.
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quillpleasant
- Reborn Elder Poster
- Posts: 1626
- Joined: Feb 27, 2023 7:23 am
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Re: The Theatre
Not a Date
Darko listens thoughtfully to Bismuth's theory. If it's true, it's a fascinating look into an alternate path he could have gone down. Perhaps the Theatre did originally manifest because of him. What if painting had been his obsession instead of performing? What if it had been singing or sports?
The thought of a spooky baseball field is pretty amusing.
"You might be right, maybe I'll see if I can get an answer out of the Wizards. Ooh! Or what if different aspects of them live in the Gallery? The same but not?" Like the Greek and Roman pantheons, in a way.
Darko can't smell anything here, but he trusts Bismuth's nose. However, a meaty heart is exactly what he thought they were looking for. The Wizards tend to be a bit ghastly like that.
"Well, if it smells like her, that's good enough for me!" he says cheerfully. Plus the dark passage is a little creepy. Clearly that's an important consideration. "Although I wouldn't count on doubling back- this place does change sometimes."
The wider corridor continues for a fair ways, slowly curving this way and that but with little to mark the distance save occasional rivulets of water-melted limestone that form pillars on the walls. Whatever ancient river carved this passage is nowhere to be seen, as it's bone dry. As an experienced delver, Bismuth would know how unusual that is for caves. They're very damp places.
Then the kids will find themselves entering an open space. It's a cavern... or is it a room? It's about the size and shape of a cozy parlor, with two arm chairs, a bookshelf, and a fireplace against the opposite wall. A globe stands in one corner, and the other contains a drink trolley laden with unusual looking bottles.
What's strange is that all the furniture seems to be shaped roughly out of the same cavern stone that makes up the walls and floor. Very roughly shaped- there's no tool marks, and it looks for all the world like this is a natural formation that somehow perfectly resembles an inhabited locale. The fireplace even has jagged orange and yellow crystals within it, giving the illusion of flames.
Despite this, not everything is stone. The trolley bottles appear real, as do the books on the bookshelf; and the globe, despite being lumpy stone, definitely has hinges on the side.
The scent of vanilla is strong here, so much so that it's impossible to tell if it's coming from a particular spot.
"Coool." Darko looks around admiringly. "Feels like a place you'd find gnomes, maybe. Like old school Paracelsus style gnomes."
Darko listens thoughtfully to Bismuth's theory. If it's true, it's a fascinating look into an alternate path he could have gone down. Perhaps the Theatre did originally manifest because of him. What if painting had been his obsession instead of performing? What if it had been singing or sports?
The thought of a spooky baseball field is pretty amusing.
"You might be right, maybe I'll see if I can get an answer out of the Wizards. Ooh! Or what if different aspects of them live in the Gallery? The same but not?" Like the Greek and Roman pantheons, in a way.
Darko can't smell anything here, but he trusts Bismuth's nose. However, a meaty heart is exactly what he thought they were looking for. The Wizards tend to be a bit ghastly like that.
"Well, if it smells like her, that's good enough for me!" he says cheerfully. Plus the dark passage is a little creepy. Clearly that's an important consideration. "Although I wouldn't count on doubling back- this place does change sometimes."
The wider corridor continues for a fair ways, slowly curving this way and that but with little to mark the distance save occasional rivulets of water-melted limestone that form pillars on the walls. Whatever ancient river carved this passage is nowhere to be seen, as it's bone dry. As an experienced delver, Bismuth would know how unusual that is for caves. They're very damp places.
Then the kids will find themselves entering an open space. It's a cavern... or is it a room? It's about the size and shape of a cozy parlor, with two arm chairs, a bookshelf, and a fireplace against the opposite wall. A globe stands in one corner, and the other contains a drink trolley laden with unusual looking bottles.
What's strange is that all the furniture seems to be shaped roughly out of the same cavern stone that makes up the walls and floor. Very roughly shaped- there's no tool marks, and it looks for all the world like this is a natural formation that somehow perfectly resembles an inhabited locale. The fireplace even has jagged orange and yellow crystals within it, giving the illusion of flames.
Despite this, not everything is stone. The trolley bottles appear real, as do the books on the bookshelf; and the globe, despite being lumpy stone, definitely has hinges on the side.
The scent of vanilla is strong here, so much so that it's impossible to tell if it's coming from a particular spot.
"Coool." Darko looks around admiringly. "Feels like a place you'd find gnomes, maybe. Like old school Paracelsus style gnomes."
horses can attack and eat me
Re: The Theatre
[Not a Date]
It has been said that if you build it they will come.
How would Darko feel about a bunch of ghosts that just want to play baseball.
That would be kind of strange, right?
"Kind of like how Juiblex and Abhoth are the same god but also kind of different?" Bismuth surmises. "I think that happens quite a bit with otherworldly beings. What we see is only part of them. Oh! Like the old parable about the blind men and the elephant!"
She's assuming here that Darko knows about the elephant parable. Her parents had used that one to describe different aspects of the Faceless God.
"Well, we can still try anyway. If we can't backtrack then I'm not sure how useful your yarn or the scent trail I've been leaving would be," Bismuth admits. But! Now they have some furniture to examine! Bismuth laughs at the sight of the stone chairs and tables and even the silly fake fire! It's so fun! The crown of tentacles riming her hood are waving in the air as she looks this way and that, failing utterly to pick up a direction. "The smell is definitely strong here, but it's coming from all over! Maybe Chrysalis likes lounging here?"
Makes as much sense as anything else, right?
"Let's look around for anything that looks like it could be the heart of a giant toy rabbit," she suggests, heading straight for the globe. Since she's a seasoned delver she takes out her pole again, extends it, and pokes the globe.
Just to make sure it doesn't do anything weird.
If it seems inert she'll use the pole to deftly lift the hinged globe open to check inside. Inside a hinged globe seems like a good place to hide something important to her!
It has been said that if you build it they will come.
How would Darko feel about a bunch of ghosts that just want to play baseball.
That would be kind of strange, right?
"Kind of like how Juiblex and Abhoth are the same god but also kind of different?" Bismuth surmises. "I think that happens quite a bit with otherworldly beings. What we see is only part of them. Oh! Like the old parable about the blind men and the elephant!"
She's assuming here that Darko knows about the elephant parable. Her parents had used that one to describe different aspects of the Faceless God.
"Well, we can still try anyway. If we can't backtrack then I'm not sure how useful your yarn or the scent trail I've been leaving would be," Bismuth admits. But! Now they have some furniture to examine! Bismuth laughs at the sight of the stone chairs and tables and even the silly fake fire! It's so fun! The crown of tentacles riming her hood are waving in the air as she looks this way and that, failing utterly to pick up a direction. "The smell is definitely strong here, but it's coming from all over! Maybe Chrysalis likes lounging here?"
Makes as much sense as anything else, right?
"Let's look around for anything that looks like it could be the heart of a giant toy rabbit," she suggests, heading straight for the globe. Since she's a seasoned delver she takes out her pole again, extends it, and pokes the globe.
Just to make sure it doesn't do anything weird.
If it seems inert she'll use the pole to deftly lift the hinged globe open to check inside. Inside a hinged globe seems like a good place to hide something important to her!
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quillpleasant
- Reborn Elder Poster
- Posts: 1626
- Joined: Feb 27, 2023 7:23 am
- Location: Somewhere cold
- Pronouns: Any
Re: The Theatre
Not a Date
"Yeah, I think that elephant thing is spot on," says Darko, pleased that once again Bismuth just gets it. Since the Wizards do, apparently, live in a higher dimension then she's correct that only part of them would ever be visible.
Much in the same way that a third dimensional creature would appear as a cross section to a second dimensional observer.
"I'm not worried about the way back disappearing so much as side passages changing," elaborates Darko as he peers at the bookshelf, pulling out a book at random. Huh, these are weird. They're not in any language he recognizes, and they have lots of odd medical diagrams depicting very alien looking creatures.
"Yeah, maybe this is like, her old room? I guess I don't really know where the Wizards go when they're not talking to me." Wait, does that make Darko a bad friend? Since he's never asked?
The globe seems pretty passive, and upon being flipped open it's revealed that it's actually a giant music box. It depicts a small village, all carved delicately from stone, with tiny individual buildings in bas-relief on the lid and crystal lights along the rim that illuminate it. A small figure of a person dressed in black slowly dances through the town square, the lights casting a dramatic shadow behind them. With each turn, the shadow seems to change, switching between human and wolf. The music contributes to the dance's eeriness.
A close examination will show that there's a small, tightly rolled piece of paper that seems to be attached to the little figure's back with some kind of adhesive. Getting it off without damaging anything might be tricky- the stone figure seems quite delicate.
"Okay, these books don't seem to have any hidden compartments or anything," says Darko, glancing over curiously at the music box, "But I did find this?"
He presents one of the books, holding it open to an illustration. It appears to be an anatomical drawing of the Chrysalis, depicting a zipper on her back and a compartment within. A drawing of a human is on the opposite page, with a similar opening in their back. Curved lines lead between them, giving the impression of some kind of cycle or exchange.
"Yeah, I think that elephant thing is spot on," says Darko, pleased that once again Bismuth just gets it. Since the Wizards do, apparently, live in a higher dimension then she's correct that only part of them would ever be visible.
Much in the same way that a third dimensional creature would appear as a cross section to a second dimensional observer.
"I'm not worried about the way back disappearing so much as side passages changing," elaborates Darko as he peers at the bookshelf, pulling out a book at random. Huh, these are weird. They're not in any language he recognizes, and they have lots of odd medical diagrams depicting very alien looking creatures.
"Yeah, maybe this is like, her old room? I guess I don't really know where the Wizards go when they're not talking to me." Wait, does that make Darko a bad friend? Since he's never asked?
The globe seems pretty passive, and upon being flipped open it's revealed that it's actually a giant music box. It depicts a small village, all carved delicately from stone, with tiny individual buildings in bas-relief on the lid and crystal lights along the rim that illuminate it. A small figure of a person dressed in black slowly dances through the town square, the lights casting a dramatic shadow behind them. With each turn, the shadow seems to change, switching between human and wolf. The music contributes to the dance's eeriness.
A close examination will show that there's a small, tightly rolled piece of paper that seems to be attached to the little figure's back with some kind of adhesive. Getting it off without damaging anything might be tricky- the stone figure seems quite delicate.
"Okay, these books don't seem to have any hidden compartments or anything," says Darko, glancing over curiously at the music box, "But I did find this?"
He presents one of the books, holding it open to an illustration. It appears to be an anatomical drawing of the Chrysalis, depicting a zipper on her back and a compartment within. A drawing of a human is on the opposite page, with a similar opening in their back. Curved lines lead between them, giving the impression of some kind of cycle or exchange.
horses can attack and eat me
Re: The Theatre
[Not a Date]
Hopefully they don't get mad and rip up people's scooters like elephants do sometimes.
"Oh! So the path you take stays, but all the paths that you didn't might change?" Bismuth guesses. "I think I smelled the creepy blood room earlier when we first came down here. But I didn't want to go that way unless we ruled out some other paths first. Since gross blood rooms are gross."
Very true!
If a blood room is gross then it is definitely gross.
When it's clear that the globe definitely isn't a mimic Bismuth stows her poking stick and moves in, focusing her vision to get a better look at the globe. Even her sharpest vision is still a little hazy and the tunnel vision she suffers when she's using it is pretty acute, but it's really handy if she needs to actually see things.
She probably wouldn't have noticed the changing shadow OR the paper if she was using her normal all-around vision.
With steady handed care, Bismuth reaches out with her 'hands' to try to carefully pry the note off of the dancing figure.
And then Darko!
Her attention turns to the book, giving the images a quizzical examination.
"Weird... it looks like this is showing a person that comes out of the rabbit and a rabbit that comes out of the person?" Bismuth surmises. "Maybe that's why she's named Chrysalis? The rabbit is a chrysalis for a human and the human is a chrysalis for a rabbit?"
That seems exceptionally weird.
"Are there any books that have any of the other Wizards in them?"
Hopefully they don't get mad and rip up people's scooters like elephants do sometimes.
"Oh! So the path you take stays, but all the paths that you didn't might change?" Bismuth guesses. "I think I smelled the creepy blood room earlier when we first came down here. But I didn't want to go that way unless we ruled out some other paths first. Since gross blood rooms are gross."
Very true!
If a blood room is gross then it is definitely gross.
When it's clear that the globe definitely isn't a mimic Bismuth stows her poking stick and moves in, focusing her vision to get a better look at the globe. Even her sharpest vision is still a little hazy and the tunnel vision she suffers when she's using it is pretty acute, but it's really handy if she needs to actually see things.
She probably wouldn't have noticed the changing shadow OR the paper if she was using her normal all-around vision.
With steady handed care, Bismuth reaches out with her 'hands' to try to carefully pry the note off of the dancing figure.
And then Darko!
Her attention turns to the book, giving the images a quizzical examination.
"Weird... it looks like this is showing a person that comes out of the rabbit and a rabbit that comes out of the person?" Bismuth surmises. "Maybe that's why she's named Chrysalis? The rabbit is a chrysalis for a human and the human is a chrysalis for a rabbit?"
That seems exceptionally weird.
"Are there any books that have any of the other Wizards in them?"
-
quillpleasant
- Reborn Elder Poster
- Posts: 1626
- Joined: Feb 27, 2023 7:23 am
- Location: Somewhere cold
- Pronouns: Any
Re: The Theatre
Not a Date
"Yeah, the changes are usually subtle, or they try to be. Like the upstairs Theatre- it's never quite the same twice." Darko has a theory that the changes are in some way intentional, but there's no real basis for that speculation. "And yeah good call- I'm not a fan of blood."
Bismuth's attempt to get the note off is successful, as it seems to be attached by some kind of clear white gum that can be slowly pried off. But just as it comes off, there's a slight crack, and the figure lists to one side. Although the globe still seems to work, somehow this changes the figure's shadow, as it appears to permanently resemble a wolf now.
"Huh... like the Chrysalis swaps back and forth, maybe? Wouldn't be that much stranger than the others, and Mister Slug and Mister Bat already look mostly like humans anyway," ponders Darko. It's kind of strange how little he knows about the Wizards, considering how long he's spent with them. "I'll check the other books!"
While he's occupied doing that, Bismuth can unroll the little paper. It seems to be some kind of strangely written poem in purple ink.
i wantt to shed my skin
at night, when the moonmouuth opens silver and the gables close their eyes
i want to rrise
annd peel myself from head to tooe, until i'm lying on the fffloor
lying no more
and i wantt to look into the mirror at my perfect crystal bones
my hheart of stonee
whille my skin gets up and dances out the wiindow to the sky
i'll watch it fly
in the morningg i'll have crumbled into dust and nothhing more
itt will come knock on my door
i don't want to let it in
There's a drawing of three purple eyes below the words, all in a row. The middle one is closed.
"Hey, most of these books are just blank," reports Darko, leafing through a couple to demonstrate, "The pages are a little creased, but there's no words or illustrations."
"Yeah, the changes are usually subtle, or they try to be. Like the upstairs Theatre- it's never quite the same twice." Darko has a theory that the changes are in some way intentional, but there's no real basis for that speculation. "And yeah good call- I'm not a fan of blood."
Bismuth's attempt to get the note off is successful, as it seems to be attached by some kind of clear white gum that can be slowly pried off. But just as it comes off, there's a slight crack, and the figure lists to one side. Although the globe still seems to work, somehow this changes the figure's shadow, as it appears to permanently resemble a wolf now.
"Huh... like the Chrysalis swaps back and forth, maybe? Wouldn't be that much stranger than the others, and Mister Slug and Mister Bat already look mostly like humans anyway," ponders Darko. It's kind of strange how little he knows about the Wizards, considering how long he's spent with them. "I'll check the other books!"
While he's occupied doing that, Bismuth can unroll the little paper. It seems to be some kind of strangely written poem in purple ink.
i wantt to shed my skin
at night, when the moonmouuth opens silver and the gables close their eyes
i want to rrise
annd peel myself from head to tooe, until i'm lying on the fffloor
lying no more
and i wantt to look into the mirror at my perfect crystal bones
my hheart of stonee
whille my skin gets up and dances out the wiindow to the sky
i'll watch it fly
in the morningg i'll have crumbled into dust and nothhing more
itt will come knock on my door
i don't want to let it in
There's a drawing of three purple eyes below the words, all in a row. The middle one is closed.
"Hey, most of these books are just blank," reports Darko, leafing through a couple to demonstrate, "The pages are a little creased, but there's no words or illustrations."
horses can attack and eat me
Re: The Theatre
[Not a Date]
Is anyone really a fan of blood?
Aside from leeches and ticks and things.
But nobody likes those because they like their blood to stay in their body.
"It's what the book looks like it's a picture of, right?" Bismuth asks, since while she CAN see fine details are hard for her to make out. As soon as she gets the note off she's left worried that the globe is broken, but it looks like it just altered the dancing figure a little? Whatever was making the shape of its shadow change seems to have snapped.
Bismuth has no idea how that would even work but the Theater is strange, right? Maybe there doesn't need to be an explanation.
She unfolds the note and carefully caresses the words with one of her 'fingers'. The ink tastes different from the paper and her senses of taste is acute enough that she can make out the shape of the letters. This works just fine with actual writing but it's totally useless with smart phones. They're the bane of Juiblex' existence.
"I found a strange poem? I think Chrysalis might have written it," she calls out, holding up the sheet of paper for Darko to examine. "Is says something in here about a heart of stone, but I don't know if that's literal or poetic."
Hard to tell with poems sometimes.
Is anyone really a fan of blood?
Aside from leeches and ticks and things.
But nobody likes those because they like their blood to stay in their body.
"It's what the book looks like it's a picture of, right?" Bismuth asks, since while she CAN see fine details are hard for her to make out. As soon as she gets the note off she's left worried that the globe is broken, but it looks like it just altered the dancing figure a little? Whatever was making the shape of its shadow change seems to have snapped.
Bismuth has no idea how that would even work but the Theater is strange, right? Maybe there doesn't need to be an explanation.
She unfolds the note and carefully caresses the words with one of her 'fingers'. The ink tastes different from the paper and her senses of taste is acute enough that she can make out the shape of the letters. This works just fine with actual writing but it's totally useless with smart phones. They're the bane of Juiblex' existence.
"I found a strange poem? I think Chrysalis might have written it," she calls out, holding up the sheet of paper for Darko to examine. "Is says something in here about a heart of stone, but I don't know if that's literal or poetic."
Hard to tell with poems sometimes.