kingdomdaze | (no subject)

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(no subject)

Who: Everyone
When: Day 5, bright and early in the morning
Where: Labyrinth!
What: A daring labyrinth

[you somehow land into this labyrinth with a hard thud, sending clouds of dust flying everywhere. what you're in now is a stone room that has a flickering torch placed on each wall. it smells a bit dingy in here, like what one might picture an actual labyrinth or dungeon to smell like.

there doesn't actually seem to be much worth investigating in this room, aside from a sign and three old, wooden doors before you. the sign reads:

"If you risk it all, you gain it all. If you risk nothing, you gain nothing."

somehow, very inexplicably so, you get the strange sense that the riskier you play, the better the prize.]

(( RULES — PRE-MINGLE — WHICH DOOR DO YOU CHOOSE? — POST-MINGLE — TREASURE ))

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[yep, no need for the gas mask anymore where you're going.

eventually you find light at the end of this tunnel. you have arrived in the middle of a tall hedge maze. for some reason, red apples are growing on these hedges. the air here is fresh, and the sky is bright blue.

in the distance you can see a very large tree... but no immediate way of accessing it. there are two paths. one that, when you stand before it, you can hear water running. the other, when you stand before it, allows you to smell apple pie.

...but by all means, if you have a way to get through this maze without using the paths, be my guest.]

[...Well, I could transform and jump over the hedge maze, but that doesn't exactly help the skeletons any.]

You guys said you were searching for some kind of food, right? In that case, we should probably head on this path.

[Which is to say, the apple pie path.]

[the skeleton group grows excited as they follow you down this path of grass and hedges.

"Apple pie! Leader, you might be right! I even see apples everywhere!"

this seems to be the path that leads you straight to that giant tree. numerous vines hang overhead, attached to one of the tree's highest branches. it's hard to make out, but there is a large hole far up the tree, leading in.]

[...Well then, the choice is pretty clear, isn't it? More vine climbing!]

[there are many vines, so there's no mambo line to climb the vines—hooray!

once you're up the tree, you do stand before a person-sized (not person-shaped) hole in the tree's trunk opening to a spiral staircase inside the tree. you can DEFINITELY smell the apple pie in here!]

[Well then, let's head inside and see if we can find the pie scent.]

[the smell of cinnamon apples increases tenfold as you descend down the spiral staircase inside.

at the bottom, or what can be assumed is the bottom since this is your stop, is... a quaint, antiquated kitchen! there's an oven with its timer set—this is the source of that apple-cinnamon scent. there's no door in plain sight, but there is a small window with cute lace curtains. there's a small dining area for four off to the side, settled on top of a handwoven rug, and, of course, what is a kitchen without a fridge covered in pictures?

interestingly enough, there's also a young woman with her hair tied up and an apron on. she sees you (though it's hard to say what she sees you with—she has no eyes) and gasps.

"Oh! A guest—many guests! Let's see... Are either of you interested in staying for pie?"]

Yeah, that sounds good... Really, all of them have been on a search for something "warm and delicious", and they seem to like apples.

...Is there anything I can do to help out? I know it's kind of a pain to have to feed a bunch of random strangers, so if you want me to do something for you, I'll help out however I can.

"Oh, really? And... huh! Anyway, that's so kind of you! Since you're offering, and I believe it is only polite to accept a kind offer, you can begin with wiping the counters."

the skeletons shrug and settle down at the table—a couple have to stand. meanwhile, the woman offers you a dish rag. and as she does, a cockroach slips out of her sleeve.]

[...Let's just. Ignore that cockroach. Cockroaches have survived my world's apocalypse, so there's no way to escape them. For now, let me just focus on wiping the counters, yes.

Hope you guys enjoy your pie.]

[don't worry—after the timer's dinged, she's placing a plate of pie in front of you, too, somehow. the skeletons also got their own slices, and they struggled to think of the best way to devour this thing. but the woman speaks to you—and is it just you, or is she also missing a tongue?

"Thank you for helping... I really hope you like my pie. I made it the way my granpa used to!"

there's also a cockroach on the plate. you just can't get away from those.]

It should be great, then.

[Looking at that cockroach and sighing, though. There'd better not be cockroaches in the pie, at least.

So I guess I'm having a slice, too.]

["Oh, I hope so!"

no cockroaches IN the pie. and it actually tastes like a good pie, with its nice apple-cinnamon filling and lightly crunchy crust. meanwhile, the woman continues speaking.

"You know... This is the first time anyone's tried my pie. That is, in a long while. My family's been missing these past couple hundred years, so it's just been me. It's so nice having guests!"]

Of course it's going to be a long time to have guests when you live in the middle of nowhere!

[...No wait, I need to suppress my tsukkomi.]

T-this is good pie! right, everyone?

[she laughs at that retort.

the skeletons, however, have another say on the matter.

"Leader, she looks familiar. This pie tastes familiar. Could that be... Clarissa?"

whatever that means.]

...I can't really say, I've never met Clarissa myself, so...

[Well, let's ask the ghost woman!]

Hey, is your name Clarissa?

["Huh?" well, she seems confused. "I don't know a Clarissa..."

but one of the skeletons jump up.

"But it's you! I remember now... you're my child! Why is it that I can look at you and remember... but you can't look at me and remember?"

this woman who they have dubbed "Clarissa" looks... even more confused.]

Okay, let's do this one step at a time here... First, I'm pretty most people can't identify a person by the shape of their skeleton, so even if she is Clarissa, which we don't know, it's not a surprise she doesn't remember.

Next... What is your name? Since you let us have your pie and all, it's only fair that we thank you by name, right?

[She's referring to the pie lady in this case.]

[the pie lady cocks her head to the side.

"It's fair, but... I don't have a name!"]

Then, what did your granpa call you?

["I could have sworn he called me Clarice. That is very different from Clarissa!"

one of the skeleton's drops their jaw. literally. their jaw is chilling on the floor now.]

Hm, that's true, they are different.

[I'm sorry, did you expect anything less from someone whose native language has names that are pronounced identically but have completely different meanings?]

Still, it's possible that Clarice is a nickname.

[she's glad you understand! however, the skeletons are not. the one slams their hand on the table, nearly dislodging it.

"Listen here! I love the name Clarissa! Why would I nickname my own daughter 'Clarice' if I loved that name so much! You're out of your mind, Leader!"

the pie lady just stares at this yelling skeleton with a very blank expression.]

She said that her grandfather called her that. You said you were her father, right? It wasn't you that called her that in the first place.

[the skeleton shouts, pointing an accusatory finger at you. "I wouldn't let my father call her that—"

they're cut off by the pie lady's giggling. the shouting skeleton... awkwardly lowers their finger]

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