[kit's quest]

[dramatispersonae]

[you are suddenly at the bottom of a pile of heavy, square-cornered objects. it is rather hard to breathe and they're jabbing you in uncomfortable places. you may want to move.]

Comments

[dramatispersonae]

[you land on the platform

man it's hot down here.]

[blackjacked]

[SAFE-- and man it sure is, let's work quickly. pulls out those gears and bird pieces and starts putting them together]

[dramatispersonae]

[it looks like the cogs and springs go inside the casing and the wings and head and feet peg on

both eyeholes in the head are empty]

[blackjacked]

[blinks at the eyeholes, before fishing out that red stone from earlier. does it fit?]

[dramatispersonae]

[it fits in one of them and locks into place!

. . . unfortunately you do not have another one]

[blackjacked]

-- seriously?

[thiiiiinking as he reaches up to wipe a bit of sweat from his brow. this stone came from the tapestry dog after the box contents were burned. or. . . was it the dog, or the burned box contents that produced it. . .?

wraps his hand in another strip of cloth and pulls out the cotton from earlier, leaning over the edge of the platform and holding it toward the flame so it catches alight. the cloth is to buffer his hand from his heat, but-- it isn't exactly fireproof]

[dramatispersonae]

[THE COTTON...JUST BURNS NORMALLY, UH-OH]

[blackjacked]

[WELP. lets the cotton drop into the flames, then]

. . . damn. So it was the dog.

[pushes himself up a bit to see if there's a clear path toward the hallway door that doesn't involve fire-roasted Corals]

[dramatispersonae]

[there is no way back to the door -- hell, the fire is so high you can't even see the door anymore.

possibly you should think of something else.]

[blackjacked]

[slumping back down a bit]

. . .

[places one-eyed bird in the hot copper nest]

[dramatispersonae]

[another click, and the fire lowers about halfway, so it's not so punishing. the floor is still totally inaccessible.

the bird sits up in the nest with a series of mechanical jerks and begins to cheep demandingly, head swiveling towards its blind side every few seconds]

[blackjacked]

[relaxes as the flames die down (is so covered in soot and sweat at this point). let's try talking to our little mechanical bird :|a]

Oooooi, I know, I know. I kinda missed collecting your other eye somewhere out in the hallway. But I can't exactly leave this room with the-- [gesturing to the fiery floor] . . . y'know.

Is there a way for me to get it in here?

[dramatispersonae]

[CHEEP CHEEP CHEEP

CHEEP CHEEP CHEEP

CHEEP CHEEP CHEEP]

[blackjacked]

[. . . NOT HELPFUL]

Oh c'mon! You could at least point the way or something.

[dramatispersonae]

[it drags itself out of the nest and waddles towards you]

[blackjacked]

[o-oh. blinks, then leans forward and holds his hands out for the bird to climb on]

[dramatispersonae]

[it pecks hard at your thumb and draws blood.]

[blackjacked]

[aspdoj withdraws sharply]

Hey! That's not how you treat the guy who put you back together again.

[dramatispersonae]

[CHEEP CHEEP CHEEP HEADSWIVEL]

[blackjacked]

. . .

[uses his uninjured hand to take a hold of the bird (careful to avoid anymore pecks) and position it so he can drip a small drop of blood into that empty eye socket]

[dramatispersonae]

[there's a somehow more final clicking noise and the fire below goes out. the cages it touched have been melted into so much slag, but you can still get out of the door once it cools down.

the bird croons and then turns into a red fire materia.]

[blackjacked]

[wiiiiiide grin as he scoops up the materia, lifting it up to inspect it triumphantly]

Gotcha.

[he clutches the materia tightly in his palm before securing it into his pocket and making his way back through the hallway door (after waiting for the floor to cool a bit, of course).

ONE DOWN ONE TO GO]

[dramatispersonae]

[you are only mildly roasted! hooray!

all the torches on this side have gone out.]

[blackjacked]

[MY TEAM WOULD BE SO PROUD OF ME.

only giving the torches a passing glance though as he continues down the hall. what is on the left side, I wonder]

[dramatispersonae]

[a nearly identical setup.

the hunt scene tapestry is on the right wall this time and the torches are on the left wall. three torches in the very middle of the wall are lit. the door at the end of the hall is pitch-dark.]