MICE AND MAZES ROOM TWO

[hereyouare]

[You wake up on a cold metal bed in a room that is unfamiliar to you.

How long have you been out for? Why does your head hurt? Why can't you remember how you got here?

Before you find the answer to these questions, you might want to check out that hand-written note. There's one in every room.

Dear [NAME],

Thank you for volunteering to participate in the experiment. With your help, this project should be quite successful. My name is Huey Laforet, and I am the one responsible for this experiment. I will be here observing and the point of my project will be revealed by the end.

Your goal today is to find the exit. To do so, you'll need three card keys. However, to activate them, you will need the item listed on the card to move forward. You might not be able to find everything by searching, but certainly, there are other ways to get what you need. I've left them scattered about,

If you fail to escape by the time the experiment is over, you will have to participate in further experiments with me. If you succeed, then you will be able to successfully leave the maze.

I wish you luck. Try to stay alive.

-Huey Laforet]

[contact|instructions]

Comments

Re: THE SWIMMING POOL

[stungun]

[ JOLTING AWAKE with a gasp. ]

Where — where is this? Hello?

[ She's panicked, clearly.... ]

[depicted]

[Dorian wakes up more slowly. He's a lazy shit like that. He blinks at the ceiling, slowly pushes himself up. Ew, is that grime on his hands? So gross. His face feels the need to express that.

And then there's a voice. Dorian's head turns, takes in the looks of the girl, and then makes himself smile. No need to be a dick to a random teenager.] No idea. Are you all right?

[stungun]

[ She slowly turns to look at him, taking comfort in the fact that he wasn't Takano. But that revelation was horrifying in its own sense. She nods and swallows, then decides to speak again. ]

Yeah. Unless this is... a dream. No... a nightmare?

[ Was she hallucinating? Was that part of Oyashiro-sama's curse? That was supposed to be a lie but. But. ]

[depicted]

In my experience, it's usually more often a nightmare than a dream.

[A+ reassurance, Dorian Gray. He seems to realized that 'resigned antihero' is not actually the best way to respond to a confused young woman, because he he tries to laugh it off.] But I'm sure this will be all right. Uh— [Right, he should get to his feet. When he does so, he introduces himself.] I'm Dorian. If you feel up for it, we should probably use the ladder and head out of here.

[At some point, he'll notice the note.

Probably.

They didn't immortalize him for his observation skills.]

[stungun]

[ She isn't sure whether to answer — her paranoia is returning. Slowly, and subconsciously, but it's there.

But then she gives him a very small smile. ]

I'm Shion. [ She's bouncing back fast, all by pushing her fear to the back of her mind. Who knows whether that will be a good thing or bad?? Well, either way, she's pushing herself to her feet, dusting off her skirt and looking for her weapon. ] I can do it, yeah. I think.

[depicted]

[It's the best he can ask for. Sometimes, Dorian forgets that other people find this sort of thing troubling for more than about thirty seconds.] Then let's move. [So he's heading immediately for the ladder, yup.]

[stungun]

[ She's a bit more cautious, making sure to scan everywhere first before following him over to it. The drain is normal, but it reminds her of the swamp. ]

...Be careful.

[hereyouare]

[If you look closer, you can see that there is actually something moving under the drain.]

[hereyouare]

[The ladder is kind of slimy and rusty, but it looks like it'll hold your weight. Climb?]

[depicted]

I always am.

[This is a lie, but hey! Immortality makes you careless. So up he goes, not looking back to see if Shion is behind him. He just assumes if there's something murderous at the top, it'll kill him first and she can have that forewarning to prepare herself.]

[stungun]

[ She pauses, staring at the drain for another moment. ]

I'm just going to look... at something. And then I'll follow you, okay?

[ She doesn't approach the drain quickly, but rather edges towards it until she's about three feet away, staring at it with one hand on her modified taser. ]

[hereyouare]

[There's a glass lid covering the drain but it looks like you can flip it open rather easily.

If you look, you can see sea lampreys swimming about. There's something floating around them as well.]

[stungun]

[ OPENING AFTER A MOMENT.

And then staring. If she uses her taser on the water, it could kill them maybe. But she's not a biologist or anything, and doesn't really want to kill some fish. And then there might be something else in there that could get fried with the electrical circuits.

So she grits her teeth and plunges her hand in towards the item, trying to grab it. ]

[depicted]

[Well, he'll have fun investigating the upper area later, because when he hears Shion speak, he turns back around.]

Shion? What is it?

[Oh fuck she's sticking her hand in the drain that looks like a huge mistake]

Wait, don't!

[Too bad he's too far away to physically stop her]

[hereyouare]

[Yeah, IDK. Sea lampreys.]

[hereyouare]

[Well.

They're definitely going to latch on fast. It seems they haven't been fed in a while and it's not going to be pleasant. :') But at the very least, you'll find you can grab a card key.]

[stungun]

— Ughh... [ She doesn't scream. She must not scream. Not yet. ]

Ahh... sorry. Hold on.

[ She drags her bleeding arm up out of the drain with one keycard and ?????????? HOW MANY LAMPREYS. ]

[hereyouare]

[There might be like...three still stuck on the arm, but the others are stuck in the drain. You might want to get rid of those. I don't think they'd make cute pets...]

[depicted]

[Holy shit, Dorian jumps back into the pool (not the most graceful landing, oh well) and runs over to her.] Let me—

[He doesn't know anything about lamprey removal don't let him do anything.]

[stungun]

...Hah, thanks. But I think — [ Picking up her taser and setting it to the KILL FISH NOT PEOPLE setting (who knows it probably has that) and then dropping the card onto the pool bottom. ] This should be okay.

[ Even though it's kind of neat that a guy came to her rescue again. ZAP. ZAP. ZAP. ]

[hereyouare]

[UNSURE.

I mean, they sure did die...

Good going.

UNSURE.]

[depicted]

[Oh well that's... a thing....

Dorian is silent a moment at this girl who sticks her arm into lamprey-infested waters and then tasers the lampreys. Like, really. Not what he expected today.

Then, his conscience (what little there is) steps in.]

I'm . . . glad you have that. But please, let me take that kind of risk in the future. I [beat] heal. Quickly. From anything. [yup kind of awkward] So if one of us has to get their arm bitten up by the ocean's answer to demons, let it be the one whose wounds will close up a moment later.

[Now time to pick up that card and look at it?]

[stungun]

You... heal. Are you sure you're not just trying to sound tough?

[ YEP LOOKING AT THE CARD. And wiping her bloody arm. ]

[hereyouare]

[It is a picture of an ear :>]

[hereyouare]

[AND THEN YOU DIED.

No, just kidding. Actually, you climb up and you find yourself standing in...well, the top of the pool. The walls are crusty and breaking down and it's rather dark. There's something written on each wall, but you'll have to get up close to see what they say. The only light that's shining is the light coming from the south side of the room. You can see a door over there as well.

On the north side is the diving board as mentioned earlier and also a window of some sort. The right side has several lockers and two sets of benches. On the left, where you just climbed out of, there's actually a treasure chest.

There's also some things dangling from the ceiling but it's hard to see what exactly it is.]