[SAPPHIRE]

[dramatispersonae]

*You find yourself on the floor of a massive, hanging copper cage.  It’s large enough to fit all of you, with room to walk around.  The single door out is at ground level, but it is locked.

Through the bars, you see only empty, flickering white space.  The chain the cage hangs by leads up into the same white space, until it’s lost to sight.  It’s oppressively warm.

In the center of the floor are two things of note: a large lit firepit, with no discernible source of fuel, and a box containing three objects.*

Comments

[dramatispersonae]

*Your items are: a pillowcase, a sizable bundle of straw, and a bucket.

In the firepit, an image forms in reds and golds.  An incest, leaping.*

With only the items in the box, and your knowledge of this creature, how would you capture it?  What sort of pursuit would you take, or what kind of trap would you craft? Be imaginative.

You must use everything provided, and you have one hour.

When you are ready, throw your objects in the fire and then tell me your answer.

[pit_peach]

Fill the pillowcase with straw to lure it in, whack it over the head with the bucket.

[FINAL ANSWER]

[dramatispersonae]

[exchanged]

[frowns at the image.]

... do they eat straw? What is that, anyway?

[pit_peach]

Probably. What's what?

[exchanged]

The... thing. With the ears. I saw a few hopping around earlier.

[gestures at the picture of the incest.]

... I'm Flame, by the way.

[pit_peach]

An incest.

Dr. Fallout. Nice to meet you.

[haveaniceday]

Nice to meet you, Flame-san. My name is Glass. Thank you for joining us for this game... These animals are called Incests, or so we have been told.

[willheblend]

What sort of creatures are they?

[exchanged]

Nice to meet you too. So... we have to figure out how to capture an incest, huh.

[haveaniceday]

Well, they are very fast, they are usually in pairs and I think they can be tamed, but I don't know much more that.

[willheblend]

Do they eat straw?

[exchanged]

I already asked. Seems like they probably do. In which case, Dr. Fallout's idea sounds like it would work.

[haveaniceday]

That's right. And with these items, too. So I suppose we will really have to be creative if we are going to use them all.

[haveaniceday]

I wasn't aware of that... Who did you ask?

[exchanged]

[... points at Excel.]

[willheblend]

Perhaps, though what happens if the bucket doesn't knock it out? Then it won't be captured.

What about using the bucket to store the straw, and as it eats, snatching it up with the pillow case?

[pit_peach]

I said probably.

[pit_peach]

That works too. You can hit it while it's already bagged up.

[exchanged]

It's not like I'd know.

[haveaniceday]

. . . I see. Then it's as likely that they don't.

[willheblend]

I'm glad to be of service...!

I call myself Confession, by the way. I apologize for not introducing myself first.

[exchanged]

[shrugs.]

I don't know anything about them. So if you have a better idea...

[haveaniceday]

We should think of something to do to lure them closer too, in case the straw isn't enough of a reason for them to approach our trap.

[haveaniceday]

Don't worry about it, we did not introduce ourselves either... I am Glass. Nice to meet you, Confession-san.

[willheblend]

Nice to meet you as well.

Now, for something else that could lure it closer... What about making a trail of straw?

[haveaniceday]

I don't, but it might help to add some details about the pursuit to make it less dependent on their interest in the bundle of straw.

[lablueboy]

[FWOOSHED IN]

[exchanged]

We could try to surround it. There's only four of us, though.

[haveaniceday]

That could work. And since they asked us about the pursuit, that trail of straw could lead into a cave or a similarly closed space, to make it more difficult for it to escape when we tried to catch it.

[exchanged]

Right. We'd block the entrance once it was inside, and then try to get it into the pillowcase.

[willheblend]

That seems sound enough to me.

[haveaniceday]

We could try to chase it and make it run towards a place where there was a trail of straw like Confession-san said... That trail could lead into a closed space, and it would be easier to catch it in there.

[exchanged]

Sure, that could work.

Re: [FINAL ANSWER]

[haveaniceday]

[throws the objects in the fire]

We would set a trail of straw leading into a closed space, like a cavern or a similar place, where there would be a bucket of straw waiting for it. To get it there, the four of us would corner the incest, trying to chase it so it would find the trail of straw, be lured inside and find the trap. Then we would catch it with the pillowcase while it was distracted by the straw. And if it was able to tear the pillowcase to get away, we would put it inside the bucket... Or knock it out with it, I suppose.

Re: [FINAL ANSWER]

[dramatispersonae]

*the objects--even those that shouldn’t burn--are consumed instantly.

there’s an abrupt click and whirr somewhere high above.  your cage begins to move sideways.*