The Puzzler - A Little Distraction - RPLOG
Participants
Date
2/3/480
Log
"Welcome friends!" calls out the fox pacing across a little stage draped in green and purple decorations, "Today's a the day! There's fun and games, no need to pay!"
Like his stage, the fox is draped in green, though the cut of his clothing is very strange. He wears a pinstriped, green coat with wide shoulders and a narrow waist, with wide, purple lapels and equally garish question marks dyed into the pattern. He also wears a hat with a wide brim, sporting a long, purple feather and carries a cane topped with another question mark.
Behind the stage, much of the square has been roped off and covered by a garishly striped tent. "Games and fun, and food aplenty, I'm sure we can feed more than twenty! First come, first served, until it ends. And the price is only this, my friends:
A riddle is the only fee, so answer this and all is free!"
The fox spreads his arms wide as if beckoning the crowd closer. It is remarkable how easy he is to hear over the sound of the murmuring crowd.
"A suit of circling rings I wear, Beneath my skin, my armor is deep, So, come and strike me if you dare! But if me you wound, tis YOU will weep!"
Then the fox waves to the stairs leading up to his stage, for anyone interested in answering his riddle.
Millicent didn't often come this far into the city at this time of day, but it was worth seeing what the commotion about, since the cafe was going slow today. The red furred woman standing with her arms folded a few paces away from the stage, tail flicking in slow arcs over the ground as she contemplates the riddle. She was never very good at these things.
Riddle games. Krove wasn't quite certain what he expected, but it was a curious thing indeed. This seemed to be something combat-oriented, which meant it must not be. Likely something simple, natural in origin. He doubted he would be the most clever with these foreign riddles, but he could think it out for a moment.
Standing in the crowd, he begins looking at his fingers, and can't seem to place what is happening.
Galve was in attendance, though more here to watch the colorful displays of wit than to go in to answer himself. He thought of what the answer to the already proffered riddle was, putting a hand to his chin as he thought.
Saint's square! Probably not somewhere where Cirrus would normally be, but, there they were, nonetheless. And there was entertainment, today, here, too! The snow leopard joins the small crowd of people who wandered over to take a look at the strange fox as much as she was. Cirrus wasn't the sort for riddles, but it'd be entertaining to see how this whole show turns out, especially considering that they're offering rewards and such. Maybe after a little time, she'd figure it out, but, likely not immediately.
A flick of her tails, a twitch of her ears, as Flora makes her way through the square. The news of a curiously-dressed fox can only mean the puzzler is around today, and she's curious what he has to say.
She's escorted by her usual golem, Bastet, the metallic beast guided with a gentle paw on her neck, as she weaves, quite efficiently, through the crowd, as she holds up her paw and offers her answer. Even though she doesn't seem particularly interested in the food.
Most of the curious beings crowding the square hesitate, many murmuring to others around them, though so far it seems that no one is willing to step up and take their chances yet. After all, who is this odd fox and why is he doing any of this?
While the crowd mills about uncertainly, a large tiger, probably familiar to many beings here, wades through the mob and hops up onto the stage.
The tiger grins down at the fox, who grins up at the tiger. If they weren't obviously two entirely different species and absolutely nothing alike, one might almost take them for brothers.
"You've put on some weight, and misplaced your hat," the fox says, "But answer my riddle and you're forgiven all that."
The big tiger leans down and whispers something to the fox who smirks and nods, stepping aside to let him duck inside the tent.
The odd fox then welcomes Lady Longtail to the stage, and gives her a rather insouciant bow and gestures her toward the tent after she whisters her answer.
Like the crash of a thunderbolt, the answer hits the doctor, who then shakes his head. Of course; it was his own fault for trying to overthink in the first place. But if Highlady Flora Longtail was so incredibly assured in her answer, then he would certainly have to show what a decent training at Cliffside could offer. Not that riddles were exactly what higher education was supposed to be used for, but it was the rhetorical analysis, the device of how to think, as much as what to think.
He trots up to the stage, very assured in his answer, and grateful for no small amount of experience which had helped him to come to such a confident conclusion. At least he wouldn't want for company, if Fenris was there as well. With that, he gives his own whispered answer.
Millicent glances over towards Fenris for a moment, ears twitching before she returns her attention towards the stage. While she starts to figure out the riddle, she finds herself with a rather sudden case of cold paws, and opts to remain where she's standing. Even taking a step back. It was all kind of odd. She didn't hear about a carnival in town- Perhaps it was the spirit she'd heard about. She was no stranger to them, after all, at this point.
Not too far from the crowd, a familiar reptile stands, paying attention to all the chatter.
Slowly, Cary trots closer and closer to the stage, his mind digging for possible answers and yet spinning in circles.. For now... Fidgeting, the ankylosaur brought a hand to his chin too, looking around for a bit. "Perhaps.. Hmm.. No.. Doubtfully." His thoughts and his glistening smile retreated a little as he looked for better answers.
Galve recognized the tiger as he mounted the stage and gave his answer.... an answer which was currently eluding the vespid being. He puzzled it hard and long, not confident enough in his answer to go up to the stage yet. He meanders over to Cary and offers her a 'I dunno' shrug in greeting.
Cirrus hesitates for a moment, before shrugging and approaching the stand, giving the fox her answer. It may have been wrong, and it most likely was, but. It's a food party, no? Surely, this bore some relation to the riddle...
What's the worst thing that could happen, anyways? Not get in? Plenty of others surely would've been in the same spot as her, then, anyways.
A smile, a short bow from Flora, and a flick of her ears. "Has Mister Puzzlefox been well? It has been a while, yes," she offers as she passes by, her tails flicking lightly while she moves past. She seems to be sticking to the edge of the tent with her golem for the time being, simply examining the food, and potential beings already inside the tent.
The fox winks at Flora as she passes and asks her question, also allowing Krove and Cirrus to pass.
"Welcome, welcome! Step right in. Wait just a moment and we'll begin."
A few more brave beings mount the stage, though several of them are turned away by the oddly dressed fox who only shakes his head at their answers and directs them away.
Inside the tent is. . . well. . . darn thing is bigger on the inside.
A grand dining hall stretches out in kingly proportions and the walls are lined by huge statues of the fox outside, three on each side of the hall. The centerpiece of it all is a long table covered in good food and drink, with a rather ridiculous ice sculpture of the same fox riding on what seems to be a giant swan, all to scale, of course.
What exactly the purpose of this festival was, Krove couldn't say. But 'Mister Puzzlefox' had already gotten the water deer to ponder what was going on quite a bit. He had been foolish to just go up and deliver an answer--but now he realized he had well and good stepped in it. This was not normal. And that would naturally explain why Flora was here--and Fenris seemed to have little issue with the situation either. Best to either latch on to either Fenris or Cirrus--either the noble, or the bard. And he wasn't certain which would be better. Perhaps having both around wouldn't hurt. "Fenris. Lady Cirrus." Keep the introductions short and sweet, and figure out what to do about being inside of a realm where one clearly did not belong. Fenris didn't seem to mind, but perhaps Cirrus would. "This... is not normal for Sweetwater, is it?"
Millicent furrows her brow. The fluffy woman was still unsure, but curiosity was strong. She waits for the puzzler to be engaged with another Being, before she tries to sneak into the tent by way of nonchalantly taking position next to someone authorized to enter, trying to make it look rather like she belonged there, rather than acting like she was blatantly sneaking around.
Cary says, "Ah! My vespid friend, I take it that you've rested well after that adventure last time?" Cary gently smiled, stepping a little closer. "To be honest, I'm having trouble too. I'd say a leek but.. A leek doesn't exactly make you weep. Following puzzle logic, I suppose I could be on the right track." %r Cary, however, stopped chatting for a bit to observe the new figures that were showing up. Important ones even. Turning back to Galve, the Ankylosaur gently asked, "What makes you cry, weep and etcetera?""
Give minutes, Galve.
"That was a silly rhyme." Cirrus says to Krove, entering the tent along with the smaller water deer. She offers a wave of greeting to both Fenris and Flora, looking around the tent with a bit of a dazed look. "Huh. So, it is bigger on the inside. I don't think it's particularly normal, no, but you'd be surprised at what people can do with magic. Might just be an illusion." The snow leopard wastes no time swiping a little bit of food to nibble on, however, gesturing to Krove with her free hand. "Fenris is here, anyways. He'll probably tell us if anything is on fire, figuratively speaking."
Galve nods in agreement. "It is perplexing.... and it's good to see you as well. How are your hands?" He asks the dino, before leaning over to whisper a strong hint to the answer into his ear then heading up to the stage to answer the fox.
A small smile, a tailflick, and a soft rumble, as Flora moves closer to her cousin, tails twitching behind her. "Flora would assume Fenris is a bit busy with mister Puzzlefox. He IS the spirit he dedicated to, after all, yes," Flora offers, as she takes a small, simple bit of food from the table.
"Mister Krove might remember the photograph Flora showed?"
The green clad fox does not even look up as Millicent sneaks by, intent on listening to another being answering his riddle. As she slips quietly in in the shadow of a large, honey colored grizzly, the red panda finds herself suddenly alone inside of an empty tent.
Well, not entirely empty. On a low stool sits the fox. . . that was just outside? He shakes his head and makes tutting noises with his tongue. "Come now girl, I had one rule! You can't play me like a fool. Answer quick, or you will find I need not always be so kind."
Galve is admitted to the impossible dining hall where the others are gathering. There are not many beings here, but all of them, with one notable exception seem leery of the table and its bountiful contents.
Fenris, for his part, seems to be very much enjoying the feast, gnawing happily on a large leg of some sort of bird and wandering around to examine the hall. He waves the drumstick happily toward Krove at his greeting.
Fenris was happy--and Fenris was a dedicant.... but this according to Flora. Besides, Fenris himself had said that there were always visible signs of dedication; Krove didn't see any such signs, but--something was still very, very fishy. "Yes, I'm certain that mystical spirits just love sitting still for extended periods of time to prove that they... like Fenris. Or something."
Still, he had to agree with Cirrus. "Unless fox is on the menu, I think Fenris is entirely devoted to the festivities, Highlady Flora Longtail." One of the best ways to be rude was to be polite, after all. And with that, he carefully, cautiously edges up to where Fenris is sitting. "Nice party?"
Millicent squints, pointing a finger at the fox. "I'll answer! But first!" If he liked riddles as much as he claimed... "Always running, never walking! Never sleeping, but always laying upon a bed of earth!" She thinked she had the answer, but she wanted to see how he'd react to having a riddle turned on him.
The ankylosaur tilted their head for a very brief moment as Galve whispered the hint, getting them to finally think of a proper answer to the riddle. Cary slowly lifted their right hand up to their cheeks, whispering. "How could I not.. Ugh. The answer was right -there-."
Cary finally walked up to the stage, bowing down to whisper the answer into the puzzling fox's ear.
Galve is quite wary of partaking in the food to begin with but sighting Fenris munching away puts his mind at ease. He takes a seat near to the large tiger and gawks for a little while at the magnitude of the room around him and the food before him. "Certainly quite perplexing, isn't it? I daresay it's positively puzzling."
"Of course. I don't think there's any reason to worry... and Fenris is a spirit dedicant? Huh! I never knew that. You learn something every day, I suppose. If we're talking about a puzzlefox, I doubt they could bend space." Cirrus shrugs ambivalently, before gesturing politely at Flora. "I haven't talked to you in a while, Flora. How've things been?"
"Spirits can summon their callers, much like callers can summon their spirit. Flora has considered mister Puzzlefox in the past, but... Flora has opted to contact the Spark, yes. Discoveries, rather than puzzles. Although Flora is quite fond of a good mystery, yes," she offers, gesturing at her bright mane of hair.
"Flora supposes. Mister Puzzlefox is an... Interesting spirit, yes. Not a very direct spirit, no. Prefers puzzles and riddles. Friendly, though, yes," she offers, as she takes a small bite of the food.
"Flora is doing quite well, yes. Things to take care of, of course, but otherwise doing well, yes."
Fenris is not sitting. Actually, he is standing in front of one of the massive statues.
"Party?" he asks, swallowing, "Oh, this isn't a party. It's a puzzle. Didn't you notice?" He waves his hand around the room. There is a table, lots of good food, the statues, several high windows that let in bright daylight. . . and no door. Rather, every few minutes a being seems to step into the room from nowhere. They don't even all show up at the same place.
The green clad fox raises an eyebrow and leans forward on his cane to consider Millicent. "Witty girl, you have some zing, but your riddle is a silly thing. The answer should be river, dear, but you no doubt have some trick, I fear. Your spunk wins you a one time pass, but don't test me again, young lass."
The fox snaps his fingers and Millicent finds herself suddenly with the others. And the others will no doubt notice the Puzzler's parting shot, as her fur is speckled generously with green and purple ?s in abundance. They will no doubt fade in a day or so.
There is one last tear in the air as Cary is admitted to the soirree, then there are no more appearing beings.
The doctor blanches with that realization. He had just unwittingly entered into a trap. And it wasn't even the proper kind of trap, one which was decent enough to break your leg so you knew exactly what happened. This one just laid out bait, and then more bait. That was plain rude. "So, you're looking for clues in the food? Following the trail of breadcrumbs, as it were?"
There had to be multiple ways to handle this--especially as simply trying to walk out the door wouldn't work.... would it? Well. Walk out the wall, at least. "Perhaps.... something to do with the riddle, as a hint. Layers, as it were, of armor. Does anyone see any braised onions, perhaps?" He didn't like being in here, but the best option was to do whatever was possible to get out. And if there was so much as a breath about Olloch, there was going to be some complimentary tooth extractions performed right on the spot.
Millicent flashes a smug little grin as she finds herself moved over. She catches the sight of the 'spots' on her tail, but she doesn't even mind it. It was practically a sign of pride for what she interpreted as winning her gamble. She was where she wanted to be, now, and sets off to help herself to the food.
As Cary was moved over to the tent, the dinosaur lost their balance for a second, almost falling on top of someone else, which could've been particularly tragic for the victim. Almost. Looking around, Cary gently waved to those inside, helping himself to some fruits before chatting.
Galve sighs. He looks to Cary as they make their entrance. "Not the first time we've been trapped inside a room by a spirit. But this time the door is nowhere to be found." He says and looks around the room, listening to the others. This was gonna be interesting at least.
"Relax, Krove." Cirrus says, somewhat exasperated. She motions a hand at Flora and the High Lady's guard. "Between her, her golems, her guard, and the Spyguard which surely stalk every place nearby Flora, there's likely nothing to be worried about. If there was, then we could surely do nothing about it. Relax! Eat some food. If there's Olloch about, I'll take a few sword thrusts at them, if it'd make you feel better."
"A puzzle? Is the puzzle how to get back, or?" Flora offers after a short pause, before gesturing towards her golem. "Just Bastet today, yes. And Mister Puzzlefox has been nice so far. Probably nothing to worry about. Flora doubts he'd like to keep people stuck here, yes."
"Does not really match what he does, normally," she offers, shrugging lightly as she opts to take another small bite of food. "Flora isn't worried, no. Though Flora figures it might take a bit for the other beings to notice the exit-issue, yes."
"Nah, the food is just food," Fenris says happily, "Even if some of it is weird. It is all good, though." He holds up a pair of cookies with white cream between them and some kind of creator symbols stamped on them as evidence. He grins at Krove and his paranoia. "I've already figured it out," he says with a shrug, "But I'm not ready to leave just yet. It is probably not a problem. Generally his puzzles reward those who solve them. He doesn't punish people for not figuring them out."
Other beings in the room are simply enjoying the good food and the lush surroundings. A hugely obese, opulently dressed boar with a tray overflowing with food stops next to Cirrus and Krove. "You called?" he asks in a slightly damp, though not unkind or unpleasant voice.
NOPE. Not again! The doctor immediately stumbles backwards, now entirely intent on not touching a thing. Perhaps it was foolish, perhaps it was too direct, but sometimes the direct answers would be the best. So he begins walking towards the wall, all while shivering at the appearance of the other spirit.
He was so careful, hadn't said a word, and he was entirely disinterested in anything to do with the situation, if that THING was going to be involved. Numbers. Numbers were needed. Three statues on each side, one in the center. Giant swan, ice sculpture--he wasn't going to get anything done unless he could make certain his appetite wasn't aroused needlessly.
But this did provide a bit of a tidbit for him--perhaps the spirits could be called much more easily from within their own realms. Worth pursuing, but later. "Surely ignoring his puzzle doesn't amuse him either--he worked hard to make it, after all." But walls might be permeable, were he lucky.
Millicent slowly sets her food down when Olloch appears. She suddenly trusted the whole thing a fair bit less. Eventually, though, she arrives at the conclusion the food is not his doing, and lets herself resume the casual nibbling. It was nice having the food already made by someone else for once.
"A puzzle within a puzzle. Not something I would see often." Cary nodded towards Galve, looking around the rom and waving over to the tigers and the other unfamiliar faces as they take a bite out of a simple green apple. "Huh. So.. A little mystery on the menu for the night. I don't mind. I haven't met this.. Puzzler until today, but they sure seem interesting already." The Ankylosaur looked around a little more, inspecting the tent. They had to.. 'think out of the box', or rather, think out of the tent. "Either way.. I wonder if more spirits would care to join us? It's good to get away from my forge for a while, as much as I like the heat and the sound of steel sparks."
"In hindsight, I should've expected this, honestly." Cirrus points out, eyeing Olloch somewhat amusedly. She recalls that actually saying the spirit's name can summon them out of the blue. She shrugs, takes an apple from the table, and starts munching it quietly, musing. "Am I right or wrong about the Spyguard thing, though, Flora? Actually, nevermind. You wouldn't be able to tell me, probably."
Galve decided to take Fenris' advice and tuck in, fortifying himself with some food and drink courtesy of the Puzzler. "I concur, at least on the interesting part." He says between tastes of the wide array of food on the tables, from simple to exotic. He eyes the spirit with a little incredulity but doesn't immediately recognize him as such
"Sure, yes. That would be counter to what he is looking for, yes," Flora offers after a short pause, a small flick of the ears. "Still, Flora sees no reason not to humor Mister Puzzlefox, no. He's been a good guest on Promise so far, yes."
As Olloch appears, the she-cat raises her brow, tails twitching behind her. "Flora... Flora assumes that was an accident. Flora is sure Mister... Olloch? Has his time spent better elswhere, yes. Then again, Flora supposes if Mister Olloch is responding to a non-caller... Unless Cousin Cerris has things she hasn't told Flora?"
Her attention focuses on the room at large once again, her tails flicking lightly as she leans back, quietly examining the room, and the beings and objects within. "Flora supposes Flora could call Spark over, but that woul be cheating, yes."
"Spyguard? Flora wouldn't know. Flora never asked Sirus for protection, no. He might've put a spyguard on duty to shadow Flora, but Flora wouldn't know. Flora just brought Bastet today."
"Jumpy little fellow, isn't he?" the big pig observes, looking around, "Huh. This one of the Puzzler's things? Haven't been in one of his little puzzles for ages." He looks at Flora and laughs wetly, "You think I would turn down an invitation to a spread like this?"
Krove will no doubt find the walls to be just as impermeable as any wall in the regular world. The way out does not lie that way.
Other beings have started to drift away from the tables and begun to examine the room, some looking at walls, others examine the statues.
It acted just like a tent. And it was not as easy as he had hoped, being confident in himself of the way. No, he just bounces off of it and lands on his rear, rubbing his nose. Asking to leave wouldn't be the puzzle--everyone would do that once the novelty of the situation wore off. It had to be something else. Swans. That was what the Puzzler himself was riding... was there something to that? Swans are... monogamous, by legend, if not reality... Very nasty, if bothered; but that didn't seem to be the key... perhaps related to the number of statues, and the direction of the centerpiece?
Fenris would just tell him to calm down, if he asked for the answer, and surely the Puzzler-in-chief would not be amused. Krove begins feeling the wall in the direction the Puzzler is facing. Go with the easy solutions first, then try more aggressive solutions. But waiting would solve nothing. Nothing whatsoever.
"Hmm." That's all Millicent has to offer on the situation, content to wait patiently while she nibbles away. She had to eat hearty to keep her figure, after all! That and, well, she could look at things from her spot at the table.
"Everything seems pretty solid, no other rooms though, so this is probably intended to be short." Cary exclaims, walking around and looking for simplistic things. Simplistic food, decorations, things slightly out of place considering the room's decorations and wondrous food. Whispering to themselves, Cary added, "Hmm. I wonder if Hephestia would like to participate in this little mystery. Long shot though."
Either way, the dino continues looking at their own pace, not looking too worried. Eventually, they face lady longtail. "Ah. Lady. How do you do?
Galve chorused shortly after Millicent. The food and drink were good, so he continued to eat. It was a wonder he wasn't ridiculously fat, but he kept his lean vespid form despite his usual caloric intake. Probably all the flying he did. Exhausting and made one fiercely hungry after extended periods of it.
"No, Flora. I'm not dedicated to anything, for that matter. No sacred families, no spirits, nada." Cirrus felt the need to set the record straight rather quickly, and that she did. And, the place did stop looking like a tent quickly after everyone had entered, which made sense, of course. A tent could only stand up under it's own weight so much.
A smile, a tailflick, a nod. "Flora sees, yes," she offers to Cirrus, before smiling up at Olloch. "Flora does not thing Flora has properly met, no. Flora, yes. Longtail, Flora supposes," she offers. No hand extended, nothing. Just a very plain statement of her name.
She's still eying the room as a whole, trying to get a lay of the land.
"Assuming Mister Puzzlefox can hear Flora, now might be a good time to explain the rules of the puzzle, yes, Unless Mister Puzzlefox wants Flora to call Spark? Flora would assume that would spoil the puzzle, though, yes."
"I'm here, my dear, no need to fear," comes a pleasant voice as the Puzzler himself seems to materialize from nowhere, "You need but call and I appear!" The fox raises an eyebrow at Olloch, but shrugs. "The Boar is welcome too, I guess. He's not so bad, I will confess. So long as he is kept well fed. Which is no trouble, with this spread. I would not call dear Sparky here, it's hardly worth it, Flora dear. See? Others have unmasked the game. If you could not, t'would be a shame."
A glance around the room shows that the Puzzler speaks true. There are definitely fewer people here than there were only a few minutes ago.
Krove detests spirits. He really does. But he also is not fond of Highlady Flora Longtail. Hearing her get a comeuppance at the hands of the puzzler elicits a immediate guffaw from his direction, and he continues to chortle quietly while looking for answers. He wasn't terribly clever, perhaps, when it came to the Spirit sorts of puzzles, but at least he didn't have to rely on a crutch, like her. His brilliance was his own alone, not augmented or adapted by any foreign influence. "Surely Highlady Flora Longtail doesn't need hints, does she? She's the most clever inventor of the age, isn't she?" Incredibly rude, but manners were rather in short supply when one was distressed with the possibility of being trapped forever with a boorish boar who liked eating things. Including beings, which he had no interest in witnessing.
Time to examine each statue in turn. Three on each wall, that made twelve. Perhaps investigating the one which the centerpiece pointed to would yield results, as the water deer begins wandering over there. He surely had enough time to figure it out.
Millicent does, eventually, pull herself away from the food, though she's carrying a mug of ale over towards the statues as she leaves. "What do you think of them?" She asks of Krove, whom she has ended up next to through no particular intention. "Are we looking for something?"
After looking around a little more, Cary notices something out of place. Closely inspecting it, they hold it, press it, push it and pull it gently to see if it assists in anything. As he did, the ankylosaur apparently whispered to themselves again. "Not to worry, I suppose that a fireplace, a good story and some tea are a lot more fitting of you. Don't get me wrong though, I love a good story."
Cary looks up to the statues, inspecting them a little more, looking for more clues. "If you don't mind me asking though, is this about Olloch?" Cary whispered again. Perhaps the reptile was talking to someone?
Galve pushes away from the table after wiping his mouth on a napkin. Seemed horribly improper to be eating when nobody else was. He did snag some of those cookies though. Delicious little things.
The wasp sidled up behind Cary. "See something?" He asks, trying to be useful...
"I'm not particularly good at puzzles, but, judging from the amount of food here, the Puzzler probably doesn't intend to let us starve." Cirrus says, peering at the statues with (another) apple in hand. It appears to be her default response when it comes to Olloch food, apparently. "I think it's probably something obvious, like the entry puzzle was "Onion". Should we ask for a hint?"
"Flora has not once claimed that," Flora reminds Krove with a shrug. "And all Flora asked for was for Mister Puzzlefox to explain the rules of the puzzle, yes. Hardly a fair puzzle without knowing the rules, no?"
"Besides. Flora doesn't see mister Krove having solved the puzzle, either," she offers, as she looks the various statues over.
"Flora likes a good puzzle, yes," she offers the puzzler. "But any good puzzle shows hints to its nature to those trying to solve it, yes. Whether it's a riddle, or the world itself, yes. A puzzle without any hints is just hidden information, yes. Not a puzzle," she offers, while simply examining the various statues, and their poses.
"What then is a Puzzle?" the fox asks while the Spirit Boar watches, "If not learning how to see? I only wish to find a bit of curiosity. If you cannot find this puzzle's clues, no need to chastise me."
Hmm. Mystical or mundane, the advice was interesting. "Highlady Flora Longtail, I'm also not crying out for help when the slightest challenge presents itself to me." Partially because he really, really didn't want to get in deep with this. "But I suppose this would explain your discoveries, when you can tuck your tails in and beg for help when things don't go exactly as you planned, I suppose. Much less impressive, the engineering feats you perform, when you have a spirit to give you the answers." Lazy academics, that. Probably explained why she thought so little through, in hindsight.
He looks to Millicent, then to the statue, straining his neck to look up. He had his clues; now was the goal of simply putting it all together. The stress of being with the spirits was much reduced, now that he knew some of their rules. Surely, a puzzle without a solution is not the goal. "I'm content to do my own heavy lifting, in the academic world... and in the physical realm. No need for a golem butler to cater to my whim."
For now, he merely sighs, and goes to take a look at the centerpiece. He could now just look for the exit, somewhere in the corner of his eye. He'd find it, at this point.
Millicent raises her brow as Krove wanders off, looking back to the statue herself. "Huh." Entirely out of the loop, was she. And just as happy to let people with more of an academic mindset work out... Whatever it was that needed working out. She did figure out the original riddle earlier, and that was enough for her. Sip.
"You don't need to answer that. Sorry for intruding." That was Cary's last whisper towards.. Apparently no one, really, it seems.
As Galve stood near them, Cary offered a polite, gentle pat on the wasp's shoulder, picking up a glass of honey wine before leaning in to softly whisper something into his ear and gently smile, even if that usually made their face a bit stiff. "You gave me a clue earlier, there's yours."
And so, Cary walked on towards.. Somewhere?
Galve looked perplexed. "See.... see what?" He muttered to himself, watching the others. Seeing as both Krove and Lady Longtail, along with his reptilian friend, had chosen the statues to examine... The solution was still illuding him for the most part, but he was starting to piece it together as he made to examine one of the statues as wel.
Cirrus was in, more or less, the same boat as Millicent. It was enough for her to initially solve the entrance riddle, due to a stroke of silly luck, but she likely wouldn't be of any help solving this puzzle without bumbling into something important. Everyone seems to bw magnetically attracted to the statues, though, so she begins to head in that general direction, if that's where the High Lady and the little doctor are.
"Butler? Bastet is a friend, yes. She doesn't say much, but she is a friend, yes," Flora notes, her tails twitching lightly. As far as asking for help. Flora does not wish to be given the solution. However, Flora does prefer knowing the rules of the games Flora plays, yes. As far as Flora's discoveries? The spark doesn't just -give- them to Flora, no. Besides. The spirits were barely here when Flora discovered photography. Flora went out to find the spark herself."
"Flora feels mister Puzzler has had better puzzles in the past, though. Ones both easier and more challenging at the same time," she offers the fox, shrugging lightly. "Although Flora supposes this works, yes. Not unlike researching things, yes. Flora supposes Flora just usually expects a different kind of puzzle from mister Puzzlefox. Unless there is more after leaving?"
The Riddler grins at Flora. "There are always more puzzles, where ever you are. And you cannot outrun them, run you ever so far. If I've puzzed out your puzzler? Then I've filled my role. If this task is different, well, its good for the soul."
Most of the visiting beings seem to have discreetly vanished, leaving only a few lingering around the table including Fenris, who seems to be having a pleasant conversation with Olloch, Millicent, who is gorging herself unrepentantly, and a few others who seem just on the cusp of figuring things out.
Krove waves dismissively, before leaving the affair. "Highlady Flora Longtail! Patron of the Spirit of Discovery! The one who clearly does all of her work herself, which is why she doesn't need golems to cart her stuff around, nor does she dedicate fruitlessly! A paragon of progress, a beacon of--" and then he's out, in the Square again, where pesky things like laws and nobles mean much, much more. Clearing his throat, he shuffles off to the Shrine of St. Alan, to read a bit, and ponder, before heading back home. He didn't much like what happened here, but it hadn't been a complete disaster--and he didn't have anything on his fur, did he?
Millicent stares intently for a moment, then at her drink. "I finally had it, you know," she mutters. She sets the mug down on a table, before making her way to the door. "You just saved me some steps, is all."
At this point, Cary is pretty much just sitting outside, in the square. The Ankylosaur was curious as to which beings would exit the puzzler's puzzle after them. Still holding that glass of wine, cary takes the last sip of it and closely inspects it, wondering if anything would happen to it. After all, that had been the puzzler's domain and one puzzle is certainly expected after the other. The dinosaur looked around and fidgeted a little bit, especially wondering if Galve could've made any sense of the clue they whispered.
Cirrus, outside, glanced about shiftily. That was an... interesting experience, to say the very least. The snow leopard adjusts her shirt slightly, makes sure her sword and coin purse is where they're supposed to be, before heading back off in the direction of the Freeswords. That's enough excitement for tonight, yes... No stabbing things involved, either.
Flora smiles, before shaking her head lightly. "Flora prefers the kind of puzzles that are puzzles, rather than just requiring looking in the right place. That is why Flora prefers working on improving existing knowledge, on making things with it, over finding completely new things from scratch, yes. Discover things about things being already have access to, instead of looking at the completely unknown. They lead the same place, yes. But one has more direction than the other. Although discoveries like that can be very exciting, yes," she offers, as she leans back a while longer, and takes another small bite of food. "Though Flora would still like to chat about some things with mister puzzlefox later. For now, Flora has other things to attend to, yes."
