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

[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 :>]

[depicted]

[Well since Shion's checking that out, Dorian will just demonstrate by shoving his arm into the pit of lampreys. He winces and draws the arm out, and then he just yanks the lampreys off and tosses them back in.

While the blood stays, the injuries heal up immediately.]

Not just trying to sound tough.

[a beat]

Is that an ear?

[stungun]

[ ... So he was serious.

This does two things. Reassures her, while also feeds into her paranoia. But for now she just swallows it and and looks back at the card. ]

Yeah, it's definitely an ear. Does it mean anything to you? I don't know what it means.

[depicted]

[He shakes his head.] Perhaps that we should be 'keeping an ear out.' We can look around on the top level for more to work off of. Do you need to wrap up your arm?

[He is trying to hold back a frown, however. If this is just something in decay, then fine. But if they're here for a reason—and he can't think of how two strangers would end up in a place like this randomly without it being someone's design—then whatever it is, it can't be a pleasant one. You don't make people stick their hands into lamprey infested drains to get cards if you are a nice person.

This better not be some John Kramer shit.]

[stungun]

[ She studies the marks on her arm for a moment, then nods. ]

Yeah, just in case. I don't want to be dumb again. Especially if things get worse.

[depicted]

[Dorian looks down—oh, no, this is one of the shirts he really likes—but resigns himself. He tears off a sleeve and extends a hand to you.] Then you can have the best in field triaging the British army has to offer.

[His lip quirks a little, and he affects a stage whisper.] Maybe not the best, truthfully, but good enough to work, I promise.

[stungun]

[ She may have been nervous before, but she laughs at that and takes it. ]

Ah, thank you! Don't worry, I won't tell anyone that it's not the best. I'll even back you up.

[depicted]

[It's good to see her relax, if only to keep this running smoothly.] I appreciate it. [And, with care, he does indeed wrap up her injuries as he was taught to during his time in the army.]

[stungun]

Hey, you're much better at this than Kasai was!

[ Suggesting that things like this MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE HAPPENED BEFORE. ]

Much better! Thank you!

[depicted]

[He gives her a bit of a look.]

How often do you end up in situations like this?

[SERIOUSLY GIRL.]

[stungun]

That is a secret!

...I will admit, being attacked by some sort of fish is a new one. That was a fish, right?

[depicted]

No idea. I'm going to assume 'hellspawn' isn't a valid class of animal, so let's go with 'yes.'

[He really dislikes water-dwellers that try to eat you ok.]

[stungun]

That works! Lets leave the pool.

[ Now she's climbing up the ladder — gross — and checking out the area. ]

Hear, hear... hmm.