peckenpaugh | THE UPPER LEVELS

up into the balconies

you climb The breathing boughs of that nightmare tree crowd into the upper balconies of the ruined auditorium. You have to duck and bend to get by them in places, sometimes through spaces that seem to grow smaller as you press through. These branches are warm to the touch, some of them uncomfortably so, pulsing with something that isn't quite life.

You've climbed these stairs more than once in your time here; to take your place after your sorting, to watch new students find their House, or perhaps just for an assembly. This building always seemed so sturdy, so safe. It was a place to go for shows, for celebrations, and hell, to just get out of class. Now, the floorboards creek precariously, split and splintering where vines have crept through. Benches are broken, overturned and tossed aside to make room for the auditorium's new king: the malignant maple. Up here, the glowing blue seeds hanging from branches are close enough to pluck. Those that have ripened litter the floor and railings, filling the balconies with an eerie blue twinkle.

The air is muggy, clogged by falling ash. It stinks of coal and sulfer. But you keep moving, anyway. Keep opening portals and pushing on. Just a little bit higher, and then maybe you'll be able to plunge into the depths.

and you fight By now there's a plan, and with it, a slowly growing brigade of people, of beings, of bugs, who are gathering to push back against inevitability.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

The candle seems to sparkle ever so slightly when Merlin's fingers near the flame, but perhaps that's just the flickering of the light.

Recognizing the pout for what it is even before it transforms into that familiar smirk, Merlin huffs and watches the girl wander over to the spoon mirror. "When all this is over, we can get as shitfaced as you want," he tells her, meaning it. By then, they'll probably have earned that. "Peach schnapps or otherwise."

Then he turns back to the table. He'd seen that...sparkle when he touched the flame and his mind is slowly coming back around to it. Had that meant anything? Or had he imagined it? Just grabbing the flame outright had seemed counterintuitive, but what about this is intuitive, anyway?

Not knowing that his own memory had sent Imogen chasing stars, he calls over to her, "...Hey. Are these things always...I dunno. Solid?"

Edited 2020-06-07 02:26 (UTC)

Imogen perks, indeed thinking of the stars. Draco. A tattoo idea if she's ever had one.

She peers at Merlin with eyebrows raised, then crosses back over to his side, satisfied in her somewhat ragged appearance and immediately distracted by promises of spectacle and victory.

"Touch it again." She reaches out herself, prodding the candlestick roughly with her index finger.

Edited 2020-06-08 05:11 (UTC)

Taking that as a 'no', Merlin reflexively reaches out to steady the candle and gives Imogen a nod of acknowledgment. Done with hesitation, he then reaches out to grab the flame. He does, however, brace himself. If it somehow burns in him this state...he doesn't intend to do more than flinch in front of her.

Sticking a hand in frozen flame is uncomfortable, but not strictly painful. Holding it there for long might cause a burn, though. Be careful!

Every poke and prod of the (contextually) giant candle causes it to glow gold. Looks like Merlin and Imogen have found the linchpin!

"That's the glow we're looking for," Imogen crows proudly. Probably, anyway.

She bats Merlin's hand out of the fire to see how it feels on her own skin, then threads her fingers into his.

"This was like, the easiest one I've done so far."

Merlin doesn't even have time to complain about Imogen swatting his hand away before her callused fingers are slipping between his in an unexpected gesture of affection that renders him momentarily silent. He smiles at the floor before shrugging and retorting as casually as he can, "Yeah? Think we scared the monsters off or what?"

Edited 2020-06-08 17:54 (UTC)

The scene begins again around Merlin and Imogen. Through the cutout in the shoebox's side that serves as a door, the lovely pioppini muscheron enters. The russula glows with affection and adoration. The size of the love, it seems, has nothing to do with the size of the heart that feels it.

Behind the pioppini, the cut out in the cardboard box now leads somewhere else.

[MEMORY COMPLETE! Linchpin acquired! You can continue to thread here or head back to Peckenpaugh through the portal.]

Edited 2020-06-08 18:02 (UTC)

With the scene back in motion and the muscheron preparing for their romantic evening, Merlin suddenly feels a bit ridiculous. They're not here for a double date. They've got work to do. He gives Imogen a small tug before reluctantly slipping his hand from hers and focusing on maneuvering the oversized candle toward the door.

Imogen and Merlin completed the memory "Dinner Date"!

Upon emerging from the memory out into the auditorium, the portal snapped shut behind them.

Elsewhere in the auditorium, a Lovelorn Muscheron and clovers, a magimagicicada were freed!

Imogen and Merlin each earned 5 Tokens for completing the memory!

They earned an additional 2 Tokens for finding the linchpin before the cap!

They earned an additional 2 Tokens for just sticking their hands in fire! Sick!

You can check your token totals in Pouch's shop here, and maybe see if there's anything worth grabbing while you're there!

THE UPPER LEVELS

MEMORY: Dinner Date

MEMORY: Dinner Date

MEMORY: Dinner Date

MEMORY: Dinner Date

MEMORY: Dinner Date

MEMORY: Dinner Date

MEMORY: Dinner Date

MEMORY: Dinner Date - COMPLETE!

MEMORY: Dinner Date - COMPLETE!

MEMORY: Dinner Date - COMPLETE!