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Post by Leafy on May 18, 2019 12:17:59 GMT -6
The door itself was unassuming. One might have found it in any normal house. It was painted white and had a brass doorknob. It was excessively normal. The sense of normalcy made Leafy feel a whole lot better about the situation. Antony waited patiently while Leafy placed one hand on the doorknob and turned it. The door was light to open, operating like a normal door in every capacity. She hoped the room would be the same. A bright light filled her vision as she stepped into the new room. It was a pure white light which made it excessively harsh on her eyes. Kuru was unaffected, but Antony lowered his head as he fought to avoid accidentally looking at the light source.
“I sure hope there’s a light switch,” he muttered.
Leafy was inclined to agree with him. She wished she had a pair of sunglasses or something that would reduce the harshness of the light. She would have to do without though. The room was spacious. Each was stretched up high and was painted a deep blue. White speckles were painted to mimic stars and Leafy thought the effect looked a touch amateur. She could have replicated the effect and she was not much of an artist.
(Antony 10 2/5, 19 2/5 | Kuru 8 2/5, 13 2/5)
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Post by Leafy on May 18, 2019 12:25:45 GMT -6
Leafy decided she would take a quick look to see if she could find the source of the bright light. It was risky to the health of her eyes, but it might be worth the risk. She briefly looked up and her eyes met with the bright light of a chandelier. It was much more intense than any regular light should be. The tiny crystals hanging off of it illuminated the effect tenfold. The shape of the light source indicated that it was certainly a possibility that she would be able to turn it off if she found the correct light switch.
Leafy complied and set him down gently. Out of the three of them, he had the least amount of issue with the new room. Her first order of business was going to be to find a way to dim that exceedingly bright light. Searching for a light switch seemed like the most logical place to start. She stepped close to the wall and began to feel around the surface of it. A light switch might not be immediately obvious. In fact, it might even be painted over to match the rest of the wall. Antony sulked as the light continued to bother him.
(Antony 10 3/5, 19 3/5 | Kuru 8 3/5, 13 3/5)
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Post by Leafy on May 18, 2019 14:55:49 GMT -6
The wall was cool under her touch. It felt almost though it were made of glass despite the fact that it looked otherwise. Antony tilted his head as he watched her. He contemplated heading into another direction to canvas the rest of the room. The light was affecting him a lot worse than it was her. Perhaps it had something to do with him being based on a Cave Vulticus. He lay down and buried his face into his paws. Leafy couldn’t blame him.
“I’ll try my best to get that darned light turned off. You just sit tight for now,” she said. “If I can’t turn it off, I’ll try to find an exit as well.”
Antony grunted in acknowledgment. Leafy figured that was a good enough response for her to go ahead and act out her plan. The walls would take a little while to search while blinded by lights. Kuru followed her as she moved, wanting to help her accomplish whatever task she had set out. The room had this amateurish feel to it. It seemed like it came out of a child’s imagination rather than the real world. The floor underfoot was made entirely from hardened glitter.
(Antony 10 4/5, 19 4/5 | Kuru 8 4/5, 13 4/5)
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Post by Leafy on May 18, 2019 17:32:03 GMT -6
Glitter seemed like a poor substance to craft a floor out of. Leafy leaned down to see if it actually was hardened glitter, or if it was simply floor tile made to mimic glitter. As she scraped the surface with her fingernails, tiny sparkles flaked off and coated her hand. It seemed to be exactly what she’d thought it was. Kuru seemed less enthused with the small sparkles than she was. A clump of glitter stuck to his nose and made him sneeze. Antony ignored it, choosing to shut the world out as he kept his head buried in his paws.
“Don’t worry, I’ll try to fix the lights soon,” she soothed him.
She turned back to the wall, trying to see if there were any obvious light switches she could try. The walls were tall enough that it would be impossible for her to reach if they were located higher up than normal. For now, she would bank on them being at a reasonable height.
“I think I maybe see something on the other end of the room. I’ll go check it out,” she said.
Antony grumbled in acknowledgment and Leafy crossed the length of the room with Kuru following at her heels.
(Antony 11, 21 | Kuru 9, 14)
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Post by Leafy on May 18, 2019 17:42:11 GMT -6
Her eyes scanned the walls until she narrowed in on the strange white panel that she was fairly confident was a light switch. As she drew close enough, she reached up with her hand and felt the panel with her fingertips. It definitely seemed to be some kind of a switch. The panel had a dimmer on it which Leafy hoped controlled the lights. She pressed the tip on her finger onto its surface and moved the mechanism downwards. The lights immediately dimmed to a more reasonable level. Antony gave a great sigh in relief and finally raised his head.
“There that’s a lot better, isn’t it?” she asked.
Antony nodded and moved to join her. Now they could both get a much better look at the room. The room appeared as though an entire arts and crafts centre had exploded within the mansion. Bits of construction paper were mixed into the glitter floor, making the entire thing appear rather silly. Kuru was trying his best to avoid touching the stuff. He clearly didn’t like how it felt underfoot. Leafy could empathize with him. The glitter felt strange and it clung to everything it touched. It would take weeks to get rid of it.
(Antony 11 1/5, 21 1/5 | Kuru 9 1/5, 14 1/5)
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Post by Leafy on May 18, 2019 17:56:11 GMT -6
Getting out of here looked like it was going to be tricky. There appeared to be a large, double doored exit. However, it was very apparent that it was locked. She would need to find a key first if she ever wanted to leave.
“To bad you aren’t strong enough to break it open,” she teased Antony.
The Vulticus grumbled at her and turned away to start looking for the key. Kuru stuck close by her, appearing to not like this room very much. He shook himself, trying to get the glitter free from his fur. It was an endeavor that clearly wasn’t working very well.
“Alright Kuru, let’s see if we can find that key!” she exclaimed.
The little Felusine flicked his tail once in acknowledgement of her response. He walked forward, his feet moving carefully to avoid touching the glitter for more than he had to. Leafy wondered if she should try and carry him, but he seemed to want to remain on the ground despite disliking the glitter. She could empathize with that. The baby Felusine was steadily growing older and he appreciated having his independence when it came to those sorts of things. Leafy could definitely relate.
(Antony 11 2/5, 21 2/5 | Kuru 9 2/5, 14 2/5)
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Post by Leafy on May 18, 2019 18:08:22 GMT -6
Leafy wondered if there was any real purpose to the mansion. Perhaps some secret treasure buried within, or maybe even a legendary monster lurking deep within the depths of the basement. The prospect was thrilling to her. She loved learning secrets and finding new things. For now, she would be content discovering what the secret to this room was. Antony appeared enthralled with the way the glitter sparkled in the light. Leafy couldn’t blame him, it was rather distracting.
“Perhaps we need to dig for the key,” he suggested.
Leafy considered his words for a moment, it seemed like a reasonable place to start. “Sounds like a plan,” she said.
Kuru appeared appalled at the thought of touching more glitter. Leafy figured he would be sitting this one out. She wished she had some mining tools to help her dig, but it appeared that her hands would be her only tool for this situation. She grimaced as she thought of them being covered in glitter for weeks. She kneeled down, deciding that she preferred to be comfortable over trying to avoid the glitter. After all, she was going to be covered in it no matter how careful she tried to be.
(Antony 11 3/5, 21 3/5 | Kuru 9 3/5, 14 3/5)
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Post by Leafy on May 18, 2019 18:41:22 GMT -6
She felt around with her hands. The glitter was looser in certain areas and if Leafy tried, she could pry it free in chunks. The biggest issue with that however was that the second the glitter was free, it exploded in her hands. She frowned as she tried to shake the tiny flakes of sparkles free from her hands. It was an effort that was entirely futile. Kuru growled as she got glitter on his fur.
“How can you even tell? You’re blind!” she exclaimed.
He continued to growl and turned away from her. The sooner they got out of this room the better for him.
“Are you having an easier time over there?” she asked Antony.
“I don’t think much better than you. Breaking this feels like slow, messy work,” he replied.
It would take them a while to find a key if there was one to find. Leafy continued to break away at the chunks of glitter. The more she broke off, the easier it got. If there was a key to be found, Leafy felt certain that she could find it. Underneath the solid glitter floor, remained a pretty regular floor. The regular floor was covered in smooth, white tiles.
(Antony 11 4/5, 21 4/5 | Kuru 9 4/5, 14 4/5)
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Post by Leafy on May 18, 2019 20:10:35 GMT -6
At least the floor tile would have been white if it wasn’t tainted by the speckles of purple glitter. She glanced down and tried to see if she could spot a key hidden underneath the glitter. Once chunks of solid glitter had broken off, it was a lot easier to break off the gaps where they had previously been attached. In fact, it seemed like a good idea to kick the chunks of solidified glitter now that there were obvious weak points. Antony appeared to have had a similar idea.
“I think even just standing on the edge of the glitter chunks will cause them to break,” he commented.
Leafy leaned down and picked up Kuru. She doubted the Felusine wanted to be on the ground for this part. He squirmed a little bit in protest before settling down. Leafy set out to work on breaking through the rest of the glitter until she could uncover the actual floor. It took a little while and each broken bit of solidified glitter added to the pile of glitter that was steadily growing underfoot. It was similar to sand at this point. Which meant there would be no cleaning it up now or ever.
(Antony 12, 23 | Kuru 10, 15)
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Post by Jack on May 18, 2019 20:27:13 GMT -6
 Almost as an apology, a nightmare comes to haunt your dreams. |
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Post by Leafy on May 18, 2019 21:14:12 GMT -6
With one last kick to the glitter pile, Leafy and Antony had finally cleared the whole thing. Before she could relax, a strange black creature floated up from the mess and grinned menacingly at them. Leafy would have screamed if she didn’t see the creature holding a key. It dropped the key into her hand and then disappeared into her backpack.
“Well at least that thing seems friendly,” Antony commented.
Leafy nodded in agreement. Now that they had the key, they would be able to leave this strange, glitter room. She debated whether to put Kuru down, but the tiny Felusine appeared pretty content to be held for the moment.
“Alright time to go,” she told Antony.
The two of them made their way over to the door. The door itself was even larger than she had thought it was at first glance. It stretched upwards well above her head. She would need to lean up onto her tiptoes if she wanted to reach the lock. She did exactly that, making sure not to drop the key as she fit it into the lock. It turned with ease and Leafy let out a sigh of relief. They could leave the room now.
(Antony 12 1/5, 23 1/5 | Kuru 10 1/5, 15 1/5)
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Post by Leafy on May 19, 2019 11:11:48 GMT -6
Thankfully, the door wasn’t heavy to push open. It helped that Antony pushed it open with her. The next room was dark thankfully, though there was enough light for her to make out the vague shapes of different objects in the room. This room appeared almost as if it had come straight out of the mines. Everything appeared to resemble a giant cavern. The walls were constructed entirely of smooth rocks. The ground underfoot was stone as well. Water dripped from the ceiling, emerging from a source that Leafy couldn’t see. It pooled in areas where the ground dipped. Antony padded over and sniffed at the water.
“It appears safe to drink if you’d like,” he said.
“I think I’m good for now, but thanks,” Leafy replied.
“Suit yourself.”
Antony leaned forward and lapped at the water. At the sound, Kuru stepped over and joined him in taking a drink. Leafy shook her head. Her pets might be okay with drinking strange mansion water, but she certainly wasn’t. The girl glanced around the rest of the room. Everything appeared natural except for the door at the other end of the room. Even without going over to examine it, Leafy was sure it was locked.
(Antony 12 2/5, 23 2/5 | Kuru 10 2/5, 15 2/5)
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Post by Leafy on May 19, 2019 12:35:13 GMT -6
Leafy wondered for a moment what the purpose of this room was. At first glance it looked like a simple cavern, constructed merely of rocks and water. In the mines, she would have tools she could use to chip away at the rocks and find gems. Here, she had not brought any of those mining specific tools. The most she had brought was a flashlight that she liked to use in the mines as well. Once Antony and Kuru had finished drinking, they joined her in exploring this new room.
“I don’t suppose that door over there is conveniently unlocked?” he asked.
“I haven’t actually tried it, but it looks as though it has some sort of locking mechanism on the front of it,” she said.
“Perhaps you should maybe try it? That way we can be absolutely certain that we won’t be wasting time trying to solve it,” Antony suggested.
Leafy considered his words for a moment before deciding that they sounded reasonable. She conceded and walked over towards the door. The door itself was made entirely out of iron. It looked like it had appeared straight from a fantasy novel, one where dragons and unicorns still roamed the earth freely.
(Antony 12 3/5, 23 3/5 | Kuru 10 3/5, 15 3/5)
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Post by Leafy on May 19, 2019 12:50:54 GMT -6
Leafy knew that logically it was a bit strange to consider dragons and unicorns creatures that had any sort of control over the earth at any point in time. However, the lab created creatures must have had some basis in reality with their designs. She wished she could see some bones from the creatures that roamed long ago, but the oldest things she had ever seen had been the occasional fossil she had dug up within the mines. As she dwelled on that fact, Antony leaned over and nudged her with his muzzle. That shook the girl free from her daze. Kuru also prodded her with his front leg.
“It’s not going to open itself you know,” he teased.
Leafy nodded and placed on hand onto the door. It felt rough under her touch, as though it weren’t sanded properly when it had been made. Though it wasn’t like anything in the mansion was made through conventional means. She would’ve thought that the magic of the mansion could at least make things symmetrical. Perhaps they were misshapen on purpose, as though a reflection of the impurities in the regular world. Or perhaps it was a simple door and Leafy was analyzing it to the point of pure insanity.
(Antony 12 4/5, 23 4/5 | Kuru 10 4/5, 15 4/5)
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Post by Leafy on May 19, 2019 13:19:20 GMT -6
The door itself didn’t have any obvious handle to turn or doorknob to twist. Instead, there was this strange, intricate lock that had a swirling maze indented into its surface. There was a metal bar over the top of the lock and it appeared like it could be twisted around and slid back and forth. Was Leafy meant to figure this out through trial and error? She glanced around the rest of the room, hoping for some sort of clue that would make this easier on her. All she saw was Antony looking at her expectantly and Kuru rolling around on the ground. Neither of which was particularly helpful.
“You know you’re not helping me when you keep staring like that,” she commented.
Antony shook himself and looked away sheepishly. Kuru growled as he swatted at something that was floating around him. Was it an insect? Leafy didn’t care enough to go over and check. She searched beyond her pets, looking for anything that could maybe do all the work for her to open the door. However, the rest of the room appeared to be just smooth stones and water. It looked like someone had take a cave from the mines and polished it to make it appear clean and shiny.
(Antony 13, 25 | Kuru 11, 16)
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