Flora Puzzes - RPLOG
Participants
Date
20/8/480
Log
It's a nice, sunny morning, and Flora seems to be instructing a few servants to get everything ready for her planned event. The large, imposing clock at the front of the room has been dusted off meticulously, and all the various Longtail artifacts, from the carefully reconstructed portrait of Lady Alessa, to that of Reginald and her own, photographic portrait have been sorted out. Even Reginald's pocketwatch has been wound oh-so-carefully. Enough to make it work, not so much as to risk any damage to the ancient parts... And then, there is the large table in the center of the room, and the few chairs set up nearby. Tea, coffee, various biscuits... A vertiable, if small banquet.
And of course, there's the small ball of light, the Spark, buzzing from object to object, as if observing, blurting out the occasional question about the various items.
At just the exact moment that each and every servant has left the hall on one errand or another, something about the quality of the light coming through the windows changes subtly and the hands of the ornate clock begin to spin wildly until they stop at exactly Four O'Clock. Then, Flora and the wandering spark are no longer alone at the table.
Three new arrivals have suddenly appeared. The most notable is a fox in a strange, green and purple suit, wearing a wide brimmed hat with a long feather. He seems to have gotten his hands on a teapot and is pouring tea into a large, clear bowl occupied by the sourest looking goldfish that Flora has never seen. Then, beside these two is Fenris. For some inexplicable reason, he is wearing evening dress and a top hat with huge, white rabbit ears. The tiger looks rather confused and blinks around until his gaze settles on Flora.
"This is... More company than Flora was expecting, yes," the she-cat offers, her expression a curious mixture of smile and frown as she moves her eyes across the three new entrants in the room. "Ah. Mister puzzlefox, yes. Please. Coffee, tea. Fruit-juice. All sorts of drinks available. Please, have a drink, yes... A snack, too," the she-cat offers with a smile on her lips, as she gestures at tails flicking behind her. "The spirits of the outside court do drink drinks, yes? And eat snacks... If not, Flora could get something else, maybe?"
And then, there is the little wisp of the spark, floating around the fish in its bowl. "I've never seen you before! Who are you? Do you like the tea? Why are you here?"
"No, dear girl. That's not the way. There's only tea, this time of day!" The fox nods pointedly at the clock, set exactly, and silently, at 4 o'clock.
"Hell no!" the angry little fish says, his voice somehow unhindered and unaffected by the mostly tea flavored water and bowl that he sits in. "Green jeans here didn't say anything about being social with the zoo animals AND an easily excited star fart. Count me out!" There is a sound like someone blowing raspberries and the fish and his bowl are gone, leaving a disappointed Puzzler pouring tea on an empty spot of table.
Fenris hesitantly raises his hand. "I wouldn't say no to some tea," he says, "Why am I here again?"
"Friend Fenris is here because Flora asked Friend Fenris to bring mister Puzzlefox here, yes? And Friend Fenris is free to have tea, yes," the she-cat offers with a smile on her lips, tails swaying behind her, ears flicking lightly atop her head. She's quick to put a cup under the stream of tea, avoiding all too much in the ways of spillage.
"Oh well! I'll have to discover more about him later. Plenty to discover now. A friend of yours? Been a while! Seen anything interesting? Any discoveries?" the 'easily excited star-fart' offers, as he swirls around the Puzzler... Seems they know one-another.
The Puzzler sets his teapot down with a clatter and flops into a chair, propping his feet up on the table and waggling a finger at the Spark. "You know the rules, and know them well, the things I learn I rarely tell." He turns his smile on Flora. "Forgive the fish, he is not nice. I only thought he'd break the ice. Your striped knight gave me a call, so here I am, to grace your hall. While tea is nice and snacks are good, I know that nothing's free. I was in the neighborhood, what do you want from me?"
Fenris, for his part, tugs at his hat, finds that it is firmly stuck to his head, then shrugs and reaches for a tray of canapes.
"Friend Fenris is not a knight, no. He refused," the she-cat offers, still smiling, as she pours her own cup of tea, grabbing a plate of various cookies, and moving to take her own seat nearby. "A while back, there was another caller, yes. A miss Snowfeather, yes... Caller of not one, but two spirits," the she-cat offers, tails twitching behind her. "Flora was... Wondering what would be required for such a pact, yes... Purely hypothethical, yes," she offers with a smile, before extending the platter to the Puzzler. "Cookie?"
The spark, for his part, seems to have taken a keen interest in the conversation, hovering above one of the chairs, and slowly but surely morphing into something that is, perhaps, a bit more 'mundane,' a young creator child, bright-eyed, and observing the conversation with interest.
The Puzzler raises an eyebrow at Flora. "I know the owl," he says, "I've heard her name. But for someone like me, it is not the same. I'm not interested in politics or in the two courts' favorite picks." The odd fox nods toward the metamorphosed Spark. "Old Sparky there's an okay kid. We get along okay. But if your putting in a join-up bid, just go ahead and say."
"Flora is... Wondering what that would take, yes," the she-cat offers with a smile. "Mister Spark already explained that Flora would probably be expected to do more than for example friend Fenris, although Flora would like to know specifics before suggesting something with lasting consequences, yes."
The Puzzler sits and looks at Flora.
Then he takes his feet of the table and frowns at Flora.
Then he leans forward as far as he can over the table.
"Why?" he asks.
"As far as Flora knows, miss Snowfeather is the only dual dedicant, yes. Flora does not know what price she paid. And while Flora does believe that puzzles exist to be solved, and Flora did contemplate mister Puzzlefox before, a pact on uncertain terms is a dangerous thing to agree to, no?"
The fox tilts his head and considers Flora. Then looks at Fenris.
The tiger, who has a mouthful of pastry only shrugs.
The Puzzler then looks to the Spark. "Did you give her this idea? It's not a thing that's often done," he says, turning his attention back to Flora, "A caller's role is no small thing. You think we choose you just for fun? If you want to join my clan, I won't dissuade you, won't deride. But Sparky here deserves attention. Why ask to walk on Puzzler's side?"
"You are aligned, Flora was told? Mister Spark seeks the discovery, while mister puzzlefox prefers what the road to it may hold?"
"The same coin, another side. One the destination, one the ride?" Flora purrs out with a smile, seemingly pulling the rhyme from thin air.
"Flora does not see why a dedication to learning," she offers, gesturing at the puzzler, before moving on, and gesturing towards the spark "Should detract from the discovery's earning."
"Reasoned it out all on her own, she did!" the spark offers, beaming with a hint of pride.
The Puzzler shakes his head. "It's not learning that I advocate, Seeking is my caller's fate," he says, "That's not my point, though fairly made. Why would you join in MY crusade? Tea is fine, your cooks are able. What do you bring to Puzzler's table?" He turns to look at the child-like form that the Spark has taken. "Sparky, friend, what do you say? Has Flora followed in YOUR way? Has this Spark-touched cat kept up her end? Is she worthy to be called Spark's friend?"
Fenris takes the opportunity to tug at one of the white rabbit ears sticking out of his hat and frowns when he finds the whole thing firmly affixed to his head. The tiger sighs and pulls another tray of treats close. "The rhyming gets old fast," he says, "I wouldn't worry about it too much if I were you. Unless you think of something particularly clever, at least."
"Seeking, yes. Seeking knowledge, seeking answers? Questioning? A key part of learning, no?"
"What Flora can offer is Flora's mind, yes. Flora's way of solving puzzles. Different insights.
"She's not ready for a greater pact with me. Or anyone. Not accustomed enough to the way of the courts. No-one is," the spark offers, looking thoughtful for a moment. "That does not stop her from acting like I would expect her to, if we would form one. Look where you are! So many people working on discoveries! And the fair! So many discoveries in one place! New ideas! You even went there. Did you look around? Did you see anything interesting?"
And it seems the Spark is ever so slightly distracted again with his constant hunt for discoveries.
The Puzzler shrugs. "The fair was fun to see, it's true," the fox says, "But not my sort of thing to do. It's not results I care to see, but PUZZLES that appeal to me." He considers Flora again. "Here's the deal, my dear young cat. You want my pact? I don't mind that. You'll need a test. It's not too rough. Just show me that you've got the stuff. I'll need a puzzle out of you. A proper riddle, maybe two. A reason meant to match my rhyme, show me that you're worth my time."
"A riddle? Flora can do that, yes. Does Flora tell them to friend Fenris? To someone else? Does mister Puzzlefox come when Flora calls?" the she-cat offers, taking another sip of her tea. The gears in her head are clearly, visibly turning, as she tries to figure out a proper riddle to ask of the Puzzler.
"We will see," the Puzzler says, "We will see. I'll come to you, don't look for me." The strangly dressed fox produces a fluffy, purple feather with a flourish of his hand. "A token," he says, "Of my faith in you. I can't wait to see what you can do."
There is a chime from the clock on the wall, a loud, sonorous BONG that it does not normally make and the hands start to spin once more, settling on a short time after the servants left.
It seems that the Puzzler took advantage of the distraction, and nothing is left of him but the feather, placed carefully on the table. Well, and the well-dressed Fenris.
"Flora will have to contemplate, yes. Ideas to work out. Thoughts to formulate," she offers with a smile, before moving to flag some of the servants, and instruct them to set up some signs to note to the various employees that there are tea and biscuits upstairs. Soon enough, though, Flora is left to contemplate the feather.
The Spark, similarly, seems to have vanished from his seat.
Fenris is left alone with Flora and idly munches a pastry off another tray. He must have been hungry today. The big tiger reaches up to tug on one of the rabbit ears sticking out of his top hat. "Any thoughts on getting this thing off?" he asks.
"Flora assumes that is a riddle mister puzzlefox left for friend Fenris, yes," the she-cat offers with a smile. "Asking Flora would be cheating, no?"
