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The mirror did nothing, until Isaac held up a tiny reflective object and told it that it could see itself. It was surely preening, by its tone: "Even though that item is tiny, I can still see my brilliance is timeless~"

The mirror melted. It just sort of gave up, and silvery ooze hissed over the branches. Didn't seem like it would be a good idea to touch that. And it looked like the other infants wouldn't have to fret over making it to the next area.

Their guide stood on the other side of the obstacle, his hands on his hips. "THERE you are. Why would you make me worry like that?? Where did you all get to!? I thought you had died, do you know what it's like to feel so worried? I didn't even know infants could die in Wonderland how could you make me feel so terrible?" he ranted at them, his little mouse ears soggy and his freckles obscured by rain which had gathered across his cheeks. Suddenly, his face brightened, "But I was still on time, so let's keep going!"

He led them down more twisting corridors, walking with a considerable bounce in his step. They finally made it to a round clearing in the hedge maze, not very large mind, with a gilded fence about as tall as the infants making a circular pen right in the middle. Inside the pen, there were boxes.

Their guide picked a box up, one by one, and handed it to each infant. "Every pair makes a key, and every key for a lock! Go ahead, work it out amongst yourselves~" It became apparent that there was a single infant-sized door. If opened, there was another door behind that one, but it was locked: clearly they had to do something with their boxes, right?

But their guide was no longer helpful, as he was rubbing his face against the cold, wet leaves of the hedgemaze and singing about how soft and fluffy they were. Good luck, kids. I think his ship has sailed.


♣║ɠɐϻE ʈ𝔦ϻE▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

So they found their guide, and Isaac figured out the mirror riddle to progress, but it looks like their guide has totally lost his mind again. He said something about each pair being a key, but what did that mean? Maybe if you can figure it out...

[[ 1} There will be no rolling for this portion of the game.
2} Please RP your infant's reaction here at any time, but PM YOUR RESPONSE to the riddle to Alice Oracle. Why? Because whoever gets it first will be led into their reply by an NPC post in order to progress. And we don't want the riddle answers to be given away just yet in public! However, since this is a paired riddle, feel free to interact with infants until you think you have an answer to PM... you can try to work through it together ICly here before PMing an official response!
3} All boxes were given out in-thread via quotes. If you did not receive a box when the others did, please quote Face Your Demons and you will be given one. Ty!
4} This is round 2/3. Good luck! ]]


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xxOrnate Box :: Your box is probably the most ornate box of all. Except when you slide that pretty gold ribbon off... there is only a slip of paper. It says He'd like to show you that he loves you. What does that mean, do you think?
xxJingling Box :: If you shake this box, it makes a pretty jingling sound. Inside is a silver bracelet with an inscription on it: Keep old friends, but new ones could be enemies.
xxRound "box"? :: An apple-shaped box about the size of a balled fist, full of tiny weird junk like you'd get out of a Christmas cracker. They all look so cheap.
xxVarnish Box :: This box is varnished wood, like a cigar-box. The contents are a little strange, given their home. A rabbit-eared headband sits within, white with pink on the inside of the ears. Along with it is a slip of paper, which reads Ever wanted to play dress-up? Maybe be the hero from a book? Can a rabbit really be the hero?
xxTiny Box :: A tiny box, the kind any lover might be happy to receive, and this time its contents are not deceptive: a thin gold band with one diamond on it.
xxLonely Purple Box :: The box you've received is wooden, painted purple with sloppy, uneven strokes. The metal of the clasp is well-used, and takes a bit of working to pry it open. Within the box... exciting! It's a Tummy Coin! But wait... this one is a fake! Rather than the bright red gem at the bottom, it's a deep purple one. A slip of paper included reads An empty promise... Guess I'm worthless. Nobody wants a fake coin! This coin feels all alone... How sad.
xxAdorable Box :: Inside this cute blue box is a single piece of dried apricot. Excuse me? Dried apricot? That's so weird...
xxOak Box :: This box is heavy, made of finely-crafted oak, the splendor of which is no doubt lost on you. The clasp, ingeniously worked from wood and seamlessly blended with the design of the box, opens to reveal a six-sided die, made of similarly hefty oak. A slip of paper included with the die reads Roll the dice, get lucky, win a prize! You've got nothing to lose, and everything to gain! But what could you win?
xxHand-made Box :: Your box is simple. It looks to be handmade, even, as if it was a project for a child, put together from pre-fabricated parts. Inside it is a laminated page, and you recognize it to be from a popular children's picture-book, The Little Rabbit Who Could! The picture shows a rabbit who is hopping around... looks boring.
xxCheckered Box :: This box has been painted quite well! On top is a red-and-black checkerboard pattern, and lifting the lid reveals... Yay! A Tummy Coin! It's shiny. There's a slip of paper included, which reads Ever gambled, kid? You should give it a try, sometimes you win something nice. Gambling...?
xxThin Box :: A very flat box with a stylized sun on the top. When opened, it contains a piece of card depicting the sky and a single round blacked-out spot where the sun should be.
xxCheap Box :: This box is bright red, and looks to be made of plastic. It has a simple clasp, the kind that easily gets bent out of shape with repeated use, and opening it reveals an empty bottle, made of deep purple glass. A slip of paper within reads I'm empty now, and that means I'm worthless. But what's value, anyway? I just want a friend. A sad, spent bottle, just looking for a little bit of companionship. Hmmm...

Malo looked at the box and prized it open, unable to float with such a load in his fingers. He opened it slowly and examined the dice inside. Listening to the guide and not paying much mind to what was said prior, he rolls it a few times. Every...pair makes a key? Maybe he had to roll each number twice...?



Firefly examined his box, frowning as he withdrew a large pair of ears and slipped them onto his head. Well, he had a pair of ears now? What on earth was he going to do with these. Curiously, he began to look around to see what other kinds of presents people had received and hoping someone would trade.

Isaac glanced at his box, reading the bracelets tag. Slowly, he turned to Zale, head tilting.

"Zalesters? Want to see if we're a pair?" Zale's eyes lifted, head tilting as the two watched one another. The Treecko considered it, gazing down at his box.

"....Okay." He moved closer, head tilting, much like Isaac's. "How... exactly do we pair up?"

Isaac, not one to admit he was unsure, simply thrust his chest out and grinned widely. "I'll tell ya when the time comes!" He chirped, comforting Zale in two seconds. He couldn't stand to admit he actually didn't know. However, their boxes seemed compatible, one warning about friends and the other seeking friends. Though, he fretted briefly, unsure.

Bigsby had, after being slapped over the head, travelled along with the group of infants in uncharacteristic silence. Not out of upset at being bopped one by their guide, but because he had realized that the umbrella was best used to protect his hat from the downpour. He paid no real attention to the maze as it passed by, and when it came time to duck under the hedges to arrive at the first riddle, Bigsby barreled through, quickly opening his umbrella as soon as he had room to. He didn't really phase back into the realm of awareness until the guide had handed him a box.

Bigsby looked at the box for a long time, unsure of what to do with it until he realized he was supposed to OPEN it. Carefully, resting his umbrella on the crook of his elbow to retain protection, he opened it, and stared with equal befuddlement at the contents within.

”Eh? What's this, then?” Bigsby asked, to nobody in particular, holding the card contained in his box up, his position growing ever-more perilous as he tried to keep balanced with everything in hand. It was... a card, depicting the sky, but the sun had been replaced by a black dot. He looked around, hoping to get a look at something that might make sense with his card.


–


Viktor's breathing was labored as he struggled to keep up with the group. His umbrella, though not particularly heavy, still gave his weak arms a bit of trouble as he fought to hold it up above himself while protecting a tiny pack he had on his back. It was filled with batteries for his mask, which was known to act a little funny outside of clubs where the technology didn't work as well. He'd switched out the batteries before leaving the ferry, though, which meant he wouldn't have problems for a while. It puffed in and out with his breaths, filtering air to keep it clean as it entered his weakened system.

Upon receiving his box, the extraordinarily tiny boy looked around the clearing he'd entered into with the other infants and their guide. Viktor had nothing against other children, he just... didn't trust them, and the idea that he might have to interact with them now, after spending nearly the entire trip out of the eyes of anyone, intimidated him the slightest bit. Better to just get it over with and move on. He opened his box and looked inside, and immediate recognition flooded into the eye capable of sight.

It was a page from a picture-book he knew, The Little Rabbit Who Could. He'd learned to read with book such as this, and he knew the scene printed upon the laminated page well enough. The rabbit was hopping up a hill, showing the whole damned world that he could... Viktor looked around for anything that might make sense with his page.

His eye fell upon a boy in a dress who looked to be wearing exactly what he needed: Bunny ears. Viktor approached slowly, taxed under the weight of everything he was carrying, and tentatively offered to the boy, ”... I think you should try hopping around.”

Belial popped open his box, plopping down on the ground unceremoniously among the other infants. He cocked his head at the item inside and squinted, frowning.

"Rocks and metal." Bel looked at it again from a different angle. "Nope. Huh."

He put the box down, looking around. All the other kids seemed to have something interesting at least. He saw rocks and metals and stuff like that all the time back at his house. Sure, maybe they weren't that pretty and clean, and Bel had to admit that he did like the presentation, but he couldn't get why it was presented in such a well-decorated box.

Nudging a boy with an umbrella and a top hat, Belial cocked his head and showed the boy his small box. "Hey. You get anything good?"

Skyler blinked at the key that dropped out of his ear and backed off of it, heart thundering. He stooped lowly and picked it up, looking at the other and shifting his eyes a bit.

"Um..." He slowly approached, looking at the page the other had in his hand, careful not to get too close. He didn't want to get SICK. He examined the page for a moment, then read his other slip of paper. "Can you..um...maybe..." He hopped towards the door, motioning for Viktor to follow him, hopping on the spot. "Can you read the page out loud and maybe I have to act it out when I unlock the door?"


Malo rubbed his chin and looked to the other as a key dropped out. They were close, rightly so, he could almost smell it. He wanted to try again, a slick smile coming to his face. "Hey, Mac! Roll the dice, get lucky, win a prize!" Leaning over, he saw the other's paper. "Step right up, step right up!" He was trying to imitate the big boys he saw in clubs with their dice.

The two stared at one another, and suddenly Zale moved away. Isaac blinked, his mind reeling at the fact that his potential partner was leaving. He was stopped from his questioning when Zale spoke.

"How do you tell when someone is your friend...." He whispered, voice trembling gently. His eyes didn't meant Isaac's, head turned away. Isaac wasn't sure what was happening, unsure why the boy had even asked that question, and so.... randomly. That is, until his eyes drifted to view the purple empty bottle clutched in Zale's hand, and the paper. Could that be it?

"Where is this comin' from? Don't we gotta game?" His eyebrow raised, lowering his stance slightly to try and see Zale's eyes. The kid stepped away, flipping his hood up, gripping his bottle still.

"Maybe you should find a different partner." Zale whispered, flinching when Isaac touched his shoulders.
"Zalesters? What's up? I don't like this, what's wrong?" All thoughts of the game was pushed aside as he tried to look at Zale, thwarted once more.
".....The bottle is empty, and no one wanted to be it's friend because of it."

The sheer absurdity of it all almost made Isaac laugh, however the boy shuddered as he spoke, striking Isaac mute. Was it bothering him that much, the status of a bottle? Yes, it was, and that meant it bothered Isaac, too.

"The note never said it don't have a friend. Just that it didn't feel like it did. Maybe it has all the friends and doesn't notice? Whats makin' you upset bout that bottle?"
"It's because it doesn't have anything to offer. It's just an empty bottle with nothing to give but itself, but no one wants just itself."

Isaac fancied himself pretty damn clever when he figured it out, kneeling before the boy and touching Zale's hand. The Treecko jumped, alarmed, tensing even, and stared at him,

"Then those people are little shits, kay, and the bottle doesn't need them. Give me your hand." He felt dumb talking about Zale using the bottle, however, at the same time he wanted to make the boy smile. He didn't give a s**t who was watching and judging. The Treecko blinked at him, a hesitant smile wavering on his lips as he extended his hand. Isaac slipped the bracelet onto Zale's hand, calmly taking the bottle away from Zale, clutching it in his hands.

"I'll keep the bottle, even if it's empty." He smiled wide, lifting the bottle and viewing it before opening it, taking one strand of his own hair, and slipping it in. "Now it isn't empty. It has me." He grinned wide, lifted his head, and expected a heart warming moment between him and Zale....

Zale was shaking the bracelet on his wrist, fascinated with it. Frantically shaking his wrist, actually, forgetting his previous worries. Twirling, the Treecko set to work shaking his wrist and switching it from wrist to wrist, ignoring Isaac.

"..... Least you aren't sad anymore..."

(( This wasn't really done for a key, I'm still trying to figure that out. I wanted to have a sentimental moment. WHEEE. ))