Scaredy-cat though she may be, Maisy has been to some wacky and out-of-hand seances in her day. Sure, maybe most of them were elaborate shows put on by Aunt Orla to con tourists out of a few dragots, but she has the spirit of it (no pun intended). And if there's one thing she knows about an unruly ghost, it's that you should be firm with them.
"You stop that!" she announces as the box shoots across the room. Momentarily torn, she eventually decides to go retrieve the planchette before investigating the cloyingly-scented box.
Audrey is the one to let out a strangled little shriek, because that smell. It's a memory all its own. "Weeds!" She warns, and runs up to kick the box away as far as she can.
A vine whips out as Maisy as she moves toward the planchette, but it's dark down here and Maisy (ROLLED 10) scampers across the basement floor unscathed.
Audrey (ROLLED 3) isn't so quick, and the vine starts to wrap around her ankle.
It takes Maisy a second to fully register the fact that she's in danger, but once she does she turns into a cartoon cloud of flailing limbs and panic. She makes a dive for the planchette, clutching it to her chest as she rolls over to look back at the vines.
An exact copy of the planchette stays on the ground, the one clutched to Maisy's chest glowing at the edges. Maisy has found this memory's linchpin! Better keep a tight hold on that.
Audrey, unfortunately, is a little distracted, and does not notice the soft golden glow. "...Um!" comes her very informative reply. She stomps and stomps with her boots at the vines, suddenly very aware this is a bad thing. She knows how to freeze these, and she has a Patronus, but neither are available because neither is her wand. She reaches blindly for the bookshelf, or something heavy, hoping to knock it down to smash the plants. An inelegant solution is still a solution.
At the suggestion of destruction Imogen powers forward to assist Audrey, tearing her skirt audibly in the process. She pulls with all her might at the back edge of the bookshelf, growling down at the squirming things on the floor. "Fuck you!"
Audrey's heels strike true (ROLLED 7) but it just makes the vine angry. It coils even tighter, pulling her closer to the boxes, drawing her who-knows-where.
But then Imogen (ROLLED 10) crashes onto the scene, and the bookshelf rips free. The cluttered shelves slam down onto the boxes, scattering shoes and whatever else you keep in a bowling alley basement to the ground.
There is no more movement. The girls have defeated the vines!
Maisy scrambles to her feet and skitters her way over to Audrey to help her up. It's only once she's gotten there that she realizes that the planchette she's holding is glowing.
"Uhmmmm," she says, holding it out for Imogen and Audrey to see. "Is it suppos'ta to do this?"
"Kyle!" Geri hisses. "That was my—" But she doesn't get to finish. The door opens, light spilling down the steps, and all six teens freeze right where they are. Lir Liu, with a head full of bleach blond hair, sticks his head in.
"Hey kid!" he yells. Kyle can't move. Heโs frozen. There's no way they aren't all in perfectly plain sight right now. "Grab the mop and sawdust will ya? We got a barfer up here."
Lir closes the door again, with no mention of the five girls in the basement (or anything, really). Kyle shoves his glasses out of his face and pinches the bridge of his nose. "Just—donโt leave all at once. Be discreet, okay?"
"Kyle, what about my board?" Geri whispers.
"I'll find it later." He climbs to his feet and starts toward the door. "Please don't get me fired from another job."
At the top of the stairs, the sticky old basement door clicks and pops open, just barely. Neither Kyle nor any of the girls notice; it seems to be an exit to somewhere else entirely.
[MEMORY COMPLETE. The criteria has been met, the linchpin acquired. You may continue to thread here or move back to Peckenpaugh through the portal.]
As they watch the memory play out, Audrey pulls herself up on to Maisy's arm. "Poor Kyle." She muses, but her eyes follow him up the stairs. That doesn't go to the bowling alley anymore. But she looks around for the board, first. "...We should still close their session out. So the weeds don't follow." This is wishful thinking, but she doesn't want to take any chances. She chances a grin at Imogen, and it's grateful. "Can't make you carry a bookshelf around. I guess."
MEMORY: Mr. The Dude
But before any of the girls can grab it, one of the fallen boxes shakes once. Twice.
It shoots across the floor, knocking into the bookshelf, and the sickly sweet floral scent fills the air.
MEMORY: Mr. The Dude
"You stop that!" she announces as the box shoots across the room. Momentarily torn, she eventually decides to go retrieve the planchette before investigating the cloyingly-scented box.
MEMORY: Mr. The Dude
MEMORY: Mr. The Dude
Audrey (ROLLED 3) isn't so quick, and the vine starts to wrap around her ankle.
MEMORY: Mr. The Dude
"AUDREY!" she shouts. "ARE YOU OKAY?"
MEMORY: Mr. The Dude
MEMORY: Mr. The Dude
MEMORY: Mr. The Dude
MEMORY: Mr. The Dude
But then Imogen (ROLLED 10) crashes onto the scene, and the bookshelf rips free. The cluttered shelves slam down onto the boxes, scattering shoes and whatever else you keep in a bowling alley basement to the ground.
There is no more movement. The girls have defeated the vines!
MEMORY: Mr. The Dude
"Uhmmmm," she says, holding it out for Imogen and Audrey to see. "Is it suppos'ta to do this?"
MEMORY: Mr. The Dude
"Kyle!" Geri hisses. "That was my—" But she doesn't get to finish. The door opens, light spilling down the steps, and all six teens freeze right where they are. Lir Liu, with a head full of bleach blond hair, sticks his head in.
"Hey kid!" he yells. Kyle can't move. Heโs frozen. There's no way they aren't all in perfectly plain sight right now. "Grab the mop and sawdust will ya? We got a barfer up here."
Lir closes the door again, with no mention of the five girls in the basement (or anything, really). Kyle shoves his glasses out of his face and pinches the bridge of his nose. "Just—donโt leave all at once. Be discreet, okay?"
"Kyle, what about my board?" Geri whispers.
"I'll find it later." He climbs to his feet and starts toward the door. "Please don't get me fired from another job."
At the top of the stairs, the sticky old basement door clicks and pops open, just barely. Neither Kyle nor any of the girls notice; it seems to be an exit to somewhere else entirely.
[MEMORY COMPLETE. The criteria has been met, the linchpin acquired. You may continue to thread here or move back to Peckenpaugh through the portal.]
MEMORY: Mr. The Dude
MEMORY: Mr. The Dude - COMPLETE & TOKENS
Upon emerging from the memory out into the auditorium, the portal snapped shut behind them.
Somewhere in Elflock Falls, Kyle has been freed, and immediately takes a fat rip off his vape.
You can check your token totals in Pouch's shop here, and maybe see if there's anything worth grabbing while you're there!