You file in with the rest of your party, getting a good look at the room.

The first thing you notice is that the lights are pretty dim, or rather they were, as soon after you all enter you see Wanderer fiddle with a knob, and the entire room gets much brighter. The room is very neat, it lookes much the same as yours did when you first moved in, before you got a chance to really make it your own. The only thing you notice that's different from the plain default are the many flowers around the room, and the larger bed that Wanderer is currently sweeping petals off of... ah.

Something that you are noticing now is that the only thing she has on is the scarf loosely draped around her wings. When you met her before you had been struck by just how many eyes she had stiched into her wings, all closed. Not that you are getting a more unobstructed view of her you notice one you had not seen before. A large glass eye, bigger than any you've seen on any toy, constantly looking around the room, barely settling on one thing before it turns it's attention elsewhere, takes up the lower third of her torso.

You shuffle awkwardly, no one else really wanting to interject on the nature of Wanderer's business.

You spot Roulette's lens opening a little wider,
but it quickly returns to normal, the robot glancing a few degrees in the other direction.

Devo's the first to speak up.

Tim rests a hand on the bear's shoulder.

You've seen a couple with Cross, enough to get the gist, but...

Devo nods, looking incredibly embarrassed.

Roulette seems incredibly reluctant,
but speaks up regardless.

Leaving the floor open.

It keeps its lens focused on different people in the room, switching every once in a while;
as if unsure where to put its focus.

You aren't sure who it's trying to convince.

You can hear its fans whir a touch faster.

It gestures towards a nearby armchair, looking at Wanderer.

Its legs seem mildly shaky, hardly noticeable at all until it pointed it out.

The robot carefully sits.

It shrugs with its shoulders, looking like it felt self-conscious admitting that.

It focuses intently, peering away at nothing.

The robot's cooling system runs another notch faster, more audible.

A quick shake of its head.

It taps one of its claws to the top of its head, keeping it there as its lens closed.

Everyone takes this in, with you trying to wrack your mind over whether you've seen similar.

Tim peers over at you.

He points at you, half excited and half anxious.

You didn't notice until Willow brought your attention to her, but some time during you all talking about the rabbit, her wings seems to have started fluttering. She stands there, head cocked to the side as she watches you all, before nodding.

Wanderer turns to face you with her usual, serene expression.

Before you have a chance to reply she turns to face Roulette.

Wanderer's wings begin shaking yet again, and this time you swear you can almost... hear something?

Roulette watches the stranger carefully.

Wanderer shifts a little bit backwards and her wings stop moving, the faint sound your were hearing disappearing as well. You get the feeling she would have blinked then if she ever opened any eyes other than her lower one.

She interrupts herself and lets out a small cough, before her face returns to her usual placid expression. Her tail, which you have only seen laying still, has begun flicking back and forth behind her.

It sheepishly sinks into its seat.

An eye on one of them flickers open and looks at you.

You do your best not to be unnerved.

More eyes on both wings open and fix their gazes on you.

You freeze.

She stops herself before she can gush.

She makes a confused beep.

Tim raises his paw.

His voice goes quiet.

Wanderer retrieves a large backpack from the closet and sets it on the bed, opening it.

You kind of forgot about that part.

No one speaks up, but a couple of your party members nod.

Wanderer stops rummaging through the bag, withdrawing her hand.

She crosses the room back to the closet and pulls a small, fragile looking, ceramic pot from the shelf, and places it gingerly on the bed next to the other items.

He looks down at the ground, thinking it over.

He doesn't seem as enthusiastic as he could be, but straightens up once he realizes his own tone.

Devo shoots you a tired look.

You sigh in relief.

You slump.

Tim makes a throat clearing noise, wanting to take a turn.

You feel the gaze of Wanderer's large eye settle on you a moment before it fixes its gaze on Devo.

Her words sink in like cold, freezing water, causing you to avert your eyes and focus on the bear in your party instead.

You feel like you must be seeing things-

Devo's cheeks and eyes seem to tint darker- almost black- if only for a moment.

When you blink, it's gone.

The robot in the armchair nearby is watching Devo intently, studying him. But, it averts its lens soon after; so as not to stare.

The rest of your party doesn't seem to notice.

You shake your head, getting a grip. Tim doesn't seem to have an answer either, by the look of it.

Sick...I don't wanna find out what that's like.

You fidget on your feet.

She moves back to her bag, rummaging once again.

You try not to immediately look at Devo.

Cross coughs, a harsh beeping sound.

He sighs, rolling his eyes.

Wanderer nods silently, and pulls a tied bundle out of her bag.

Devo reaches out and takes the bolas, weighing them in his paw.

He pockets them, perking up a little at the gift.

Wanderer's large eye glances across your party.

She leans in and whispers something to Devo. You can just barely make out the word 'take,' but the rest of the sentence eludes you.


This time, you don't think you're seeing things.

Another black flash, gone as soon as it came.

This time, Tim sees it, reaching forward-

-Only for Cross to hold his shoulder, shaking her head.

She saw it too.

Devo pulls back, his face conflicted.

Roulette glances at you, Cross, and Tim,
then steps over next to Devo, addressing Wanderer.

It gives a quick nod, then opens the door to leave.

You look back between Roulette and Wanderer, shuffling on your feet.

There's so much I wish I could ask, but...
Feels...like we should move on. Or at least, Roulette thinks so.

Cross steps forward and bows slightly at the yarn doll.

Wanderer shakes her head and waves her hand.

She lets out a grateful beep, heading for the door with you in tow, Tim holding Devo's hand and leading him off as well.

You linger in the doorway, for a moment.

Her small smile widens slightly.

Roulette is beside you, by the doorway; watching Wanderer, eye contact.

You make sure to say thank you again, and then-

-the door is closed, leaving the five of you in the hallway.

Tomorrow's the day.
Once we go-

There's probably no turning back.


What do I say?

Devo sighs, giving you a tired look.

You breathe a sigh of relief.

He shuffles on his feet.

Devo snorts, caught offguard.

He looks a bit more chipper, after that.

Tim interrupts by giving Devo a gentle pat, his face still concerned like earlier.

He leans in, squinting at Devo's cheeks.

Quickly moving along.

He doesn't tear his eyes away from Devo even with the topic change, the bear looking away nervously.

Roulette watches between Tim and Devo, expression inscrutable.

He sounds a little too eager, Tim's ears drooping.

The dog's expression doesn't change as he nods.

Devo starts walking, giving Tim's hand a squeeze before getting to Roulette's side.

The bear nods, gesturing for him and Roulette to start walking.

Roulette gives the other three a quick wave before making its way off with Devo.

Tim lets his posture slump down as soon as they're out of view.

You can tell even when he smiles with his eyes that it's a bit forced.

The dog heads down the hall, hands in his pockets.



It's you and Cross now, both of you starting to move towards your room.

Something in your chest flutters at the idea of helping Cross cook, clean things, even just getting comfortable in bed...

Her pixel character smiles at you, and you smile back.

When you reach your room, she gives you a peck on the forehead.

She pulls away, hesitating before turning to leave.

You unlock your door, opening it wide and stepping through before looking over your shoulder.

She lets out one last cascade of beeps, and then it's just you.





Tomorrow, you go on an adventure.
 

[INTERMISSION: DEVO]




The TV's on.

Devo's not sure when he turned it on, or why the screen's sticker displaying static noise, as if there's something wrong with the channel.

Must've fallen asleep...

Patting around doesn't get him anywhere, the bear sighing as each peek around the couch and side table get him nowhere.

Just my luck...gotta get up and turn it off.

He hauls himself to his feet with a grunt, stretching out his back before shambling over to stand in front of the television.

...

He lingers, for a moment.

The static continues to fuzz, making a light buzzing noise. The audiovisual combination seems to make his own head buzz as well, something unpleasant and unwanted.

And yet...

He can't look away.

Time passes, though how much, Devo isn't sure. It's enough to make his legs ache, and the buzzing gets louder and louder the more his eyes are locked on the television's sticker.

He can almost hear a voice, through the static.

This is weird, I don't-
Why am I-?

I won't hurt you like he did.
I promise.

Something about the way the voice says it-

He only manages to get one word out before a paw, so similar to his own, reaches out and takes him by the front of his shirt, surprisingly strong-



-pulling him into the TV itself, as if the sticker were a doorway he hadn't realized.




When he opens his eyes, he's...on something soft, but unfamiliar.

Blankets...is it a bed? They feel kind of silky...

The room is red, similar to the crushed velvet of Laurie's Place, but...different.

Wait, no, I do know this place-

Devo whips his head around to see-

Oh. Oh no.

Himself, but...sporting red accents, and thinner, more curved- the other bear sporting a natural bust even without a bra or form fitting clothing. With a bit of embroidery stitching itself into his cheeks, he notices the sheer stockings and gloves on her- how do I know that's what she uses?- legs and arms, her feet sporting deep red heels, just barely visible from the angle he's at.

Which...oh god, that angle.

He's laying on the bed, the only clothing on him being a bra and his usual nondescript underwear. It's nothing special, something he lounges in frequently-

But seeing this...bizarrely attractive-

He doesn't move from his spot, more embroidery crossing his face as she scoots a little closer.

He stops, his chest tightening as her face looks genuinely hurt.

The red-tinged bear pulls away from him, paws in her lap.

Devo makes a soft noise as he notices embroidered tears well up by the corners of her eyes.

She wipes her face, turning away as her voice grows cold, hurt and bitter.

She holds back what Devo's pretty sure is a sob, causing the blue bear to sit up and reach out for her shoulder.

As soon as he makes contact, she yanks herself away.

Her voice grows more and more frantic, her paws balling into fists as she whips around to face him.

Her bead eyes are full of pain, the tear embroidery running down her face at this point.

Devo's stunned at this point, frozen in place. With every word she says, he feels a sick feeling in his belly start to churn, feeling worse and worse.

Anything I could say right now-
I don't! I don't know her!!
I don't want to hurt someone I've never-
She's-
Why does hearing her cry make me feel like this...

She spits the word out, as if it's a horrible cuss.

Suddenly, the look in her eye changes.

Devo blinks.

She spits the name out just as vitriolically as earlier, making the sick feeling in Devo's stomach worse.

Devo stares at her, even more stunned than before.

She clutches at her own chest, Devo finally noticing the pattern on the left side-

A heart, just like mine-
But broken, taped up.

She leans in, her voice like ice.

No one speaks.

Devo can barely think, the world feeling cold and alien around him.

This playroom, once craved and desired, now feels like a cage.

Her chest is heaving, as if doing everything she can to keep from screaming.

Oh, god.

He can feel the embroidery streaming on his own cheeks, now.

Now I'm crying-
And I don't even know why-

He can't stop the tears now, his own shoulders shaking.

The red bear is silent, looking away again.

She whips her head back around, wiping away her tears and scooting in closer, as if he'd just said the magic words.

Devo shakes his head, looking up at her with what feels like the most devastated expression he's had in months.

She doesn't pull away, this time.

The red bear moves closer, until she's by his side, nearly touching him.

Devo hesitates, looking over the tear-streaked bear's face-

...she's beautiful.

-and pulling her into his arms.

She's warm, so warm, as if holding a sun.

It's intoxicating-








And then she's gone.

Devo opens his eyes wide, feeling around for her, for the playroom bed, but he's not there anymore. He's on his ass, uselessly flailing around a pure, black void, nothing to see or touch or-


He hears it first.

The sound of knife on wood, digging into a wall.


He freezes, recognizing the sound.

N...no...
I need to-
I need to get out of here, I can't-
I can't be here if he is-!

It's with an even deeper horror that he realizes he's naked, the heart patch Tim stitched between his legs as a repair missing, his loose seam exposed and ripped along the edges. Even just seeing it is enough to make him feel sick, but knowing that-

I have to go-!
B-before I get another fucking cut-

He scrambles to his feet, only to realize that despite the space he's in being completely featureless-

He's up against a wall. Trying to scramble along it smacks him into another one, and another in the opposite direction.

T-trapped! I'm cornered, trapped, I can't-! I can't get out!
It's a fucking hallway!

Devo hears the sound again, louder this time. He can barely contain his shaking sobs, only having just now realized he's crying again.

He sees the shape at the end of the hallway, now.

Tall, looming and heavy stepped, dragging a knife along the indiscernible void-wall.

Sharp claws, clenching and unclenching into fists.

A jagged mouth that opens and closes, breathing heavily-

W...wait...
That's...that's not Saddler-

As the figure grows closer and Devo shrinks back against the wall, his fear taking over every part of his body, he sees it more clearly now-

Another doppelganger, this one with black accents, twisted and changed into a monstrous form, as if warped from the bear he resembled.

Devo barely notices how the other bear tries to hide it- a loose seam, just like his, with a trail of pellets left behind in his wake.

This time, he remembers.


A knife, plunging into his plush chest, over and over. Carving into him, the beast in front of him barely able to contain his own cries of anguish and rage.

Devo chokes as the monster grabs him by the neck with a single hand, lifting him off the ground and raising him against the wall.

The knife flashes as it gets pushed against Devo's forehead, digging into the fabric there.

He chokes as the monster squeezes his neck, kicking his legs and desperately trying to get free.

The monster pulls the knife back, the handle clenched tight in his hand.

Devo looks him directly in the eyes, more out of desperation than anything.

...he's terrified.

The knife goes deep into his forehead, and all Devo can hear is his own scream as the world goes black.

He's still screaming when he feels a huge hand against his neck-

This time, gentle.

The voice he hears is deep, rumbling, and familiar.

He doesn't want to open his eyes, screwing them shut even as he catches his breath, stopping his screams.

No more pain in his head. Just the feeling of warmth underneath and around him, as a large, soft paw strokes his neck and shoulders.

Devo freezes, but not out of fear this time.

Devo makes a surprised noise as the surface underneath him shifts, causing him to open his eyes.

...oh.

He's not on a bed at all, sprawled belly-down on-

On a huge plush, twice as big as he was and wide enough to act as a huge, cushy bed.

To his relief, Devo realizes he's wearing his pajama pants- though the bear underneath him is very naked.

It doesn't seem to bother him, though, his yellow eyes closing in a pleased expression.

The massive doppelganger reaches one of his paws up to stroke Devo on the head, the touch feeling immensely soothing all at once.

The bear stops petting Devo for a moment, looking into his eyes with the most warm expression Devo's ever seen on a toy.

Even though he can't remember this bear, just as he couldn't remember the other two-

The name comes to him.

Scout's entire face lights up, wrapping Devo into a sudden, tight squeeze that squishes the blue bear entirely into his chest and stomach. All Devo can do is make a muffled yelp as Scout rolls back and forth, snuggling him in a ridiculously snug embrace.

Scout realizes how tight he's holding Devo, releasing him as the blue bear wheezes.

He pats Devo on the head, the blue bear looking at him with a dazed expression.

Devo can't help but have his face heat up with blush at that, giving the yellow-tinted bear a hell of a look.

Scout starts rubbing the blue bear's back, Devo sinking into his belly again.

The last thing Devo feels is a light kiss on his forehead, right where the knife sank in.

Devo's eyes open slowly, blearily, as he recognizes the ceiling of his bedroom.

Devo nearly jumps out of his skin, turning to see Tim sitting on the side of the bed, looking down at his paws in his lap.

His voice cracks.

The bear scoots over towards his partner, slumping against the dog's back.

Tim doesn't say anything, his shoulders falling as he sighs.

Winter sunlight drags over the city with a grand hesitation; lethargic and cumbersome, as if it knows it's expected to rise.
Bundled-up citizens yawn as they fix up coffee.
Watch the news.
Start their cars.

Today's the day.









The alarm clock reads: 6:24 AM

The faintest hint of dawn makes its appearance past the window blinds in the dim room.
Shadowy color bars of soft, grey-blue trickle in from it, coating the dark; fighting for space with the neon red otherwise lighting up the walls.




The alarm clock reads: 6:25 AM

Dull beeps and vibrations fill the air.
The room's clock buzzes at its occupant.

An eye stares back at it.
Already awake.



The robotic claw reaches over, shutting off the alarm, then flicking on the desk lamp.

The robot sits up, looking over the room.
Entirely bare, save for items on the floor: A backpack, some clothes, its key, and an open envelope with a note inside.

It stands up, getting ready.





The light from the window catches its lens.

Roulette can't help but pause, hearing the sounds of the city through the blinds,
one last time.












Change of clothes, out the door.
Placing the key in the envelope. Sealing it.

Off down the hall.








It passes Devo's door.

Twice.


not yet.

A third time.

the decision's been made.
i don't have time for this.



The stairs finally appear, and it makes its way down,
emerging at first floor.

It glances into the bar, spotting Laurie there,
then hurries nonchalantly to his office door.

It glances over, checking for anyone.
Only the key attendant.
They looked to be solving a crossword.

With a quick and quiet motion, it slips the envelope fully under Laurie's door, walking quickly back to the stairs, heading up again.







This time, it takes significantly longer to reach Devo's room.

knock it off.

Finding it at long last.
It takes a breath, and knocks.
Devo opens the door- almost too quickly, as if he'd also been awake.

He looks...frazzled.

He reaches to the side and hauls up his bag, getting it strapped to his back.

It tightly squeezes the side of its jacket, trying to settle itself.

He steps out of the room, carefully closing the door behind him.

Devo freezes, weighing its words in his own head.

He gestures down the hall.

He starts down the hall, hands on his backpack straps.

It follows along.

He pauses, realizing how he sounds.

It stares off down the hall.

Devo takes it all in, nodding to himself as Roulette talks.

It falters a step.

A tiny speckling of black, on the edges of his cheeks.

The stairs suddenly appear.

The pair descend down to the lobby, Roulette giving a subtle glance over at Laurie's door - making sure Devo doesn't see it look.
Still there. A relief.
Turning its attention back to the bear.

The speckling disappears.

It rummages through its bag, pulling out a little black present with a white ribbon.
Handing it out to him.

The bear looks at it for a moment with an almost stunned expression, picking it up and carefully undoing the ribbon.

As it opens, he finds:
A metallic choker - mostly a deep blue, but the metal was iridescent with a slight pattern burned into it in wavy shapes; the iridescent metal changing with many colors depending on the angle you looked at it.
And, a set of many metal tags in different shapes and colors: White, black, blue, purple, red, and several others, in plenty of fun shapes.

Devo blinks.

He looks like he's almost tearing up as he reaches to unfasten his current, simplified black choker, replacing it with the new one with great care.

It leans in slightly as if for a hug, only to hesitate, patting his shoulder instead.

He mirrors its shoulder pat, smiling with his eyes.

The robot glances away, fans running a little faster.

keep it together.
decision is made.

Sunrise flows in through yellow curtains, creating an array of color across the vibrant purple sheets of the bed.

It's not too crowded yet.
An occasional knick-knack here and there, but there's a noticeable clutter;
a telltale mark that someone, in fact, lives here.





The duck's phone plays a tune, signaling her to wake.

You stir, patting around the bed until you roll over and grab your phone, staring bleary-eyed at the time.

Fucking hell, so early...
...
Big day, though.
Cross'll be waiting for me.

You had already packed up your stuff last night, but it's good to get everything together one last time, rifling through things-

Cross calls you in the middle, and you have to spend a good minute or two trying to get her to chill out, and saying that you'll be right there.

Here goes...

Your girlfriend is running all over her apartment, your stuff packed and by the door. Lugging your pack up the stairs had been unpleasant, but you couldn't help but come over when Cross called you, sounding nervous and needing help getting the courage to leave.

She stops running around, leaning against the counter. You get close to her, unzipping her coat for a moment, smirking when she tilts her head in confusion.

You hum a little tune as you lift Cross' sweater up, exposing her buttons-

-and navigating to her screen's item menu, taking out a pixelated plush bird graphic.

It drops next to her character, the ghost on screen shimmying before picking it up and giving it what you assume is a squeeze.

You had earned it for her through playing games on her screen, something the two of you started doing before bed- it helped her fall asleep, bit by bit.

She puts her sweater back and zips up, planting a little kiss on your forehead as her character scoots around the screen.

The last of Cross' quadruple checking goes without a hitch, your virtual pet partner calming down significantly as she verifies everything's in its place.

Going down the steps to the bar is significantly easier than going up, but each step down feels heavy with the pack on your back- and it's not just the weight itself. You can tell that this is it, and...

Vine is sitting at one of the tables in the bar, not noticing you at first. There's a lump in your throat as you move to wave, stopping as you realize-

Oh god, Laurie's here too.
What the hell?
What's he doing here?

Cross also seems to tense up, reaching for your hand as she notices the tie dye bear. He'd been nothing but kind to both of you, but seeing your weird boss here-

As you step forward, Vine recognizes the two of you, getting out of her chair and walking to face you.

She pokes at your pompom hat.

Without warning, she pulls you into a tight hug, squeezing a squeak out of you.

She pulls away, clearly emotional.

She turns to Cross, the virtual pet straightening up.

She turns to sit back in her chair, sighing.

He sounds incredibly...strained, as if running on even less sleep than Cross.

He winks at Cross.

He leans back in his chair, almost enough to tip over.

Your face pales, remembering your dream from before.

Vine interrupts before you can ask for clarification.

You stumble over another attempt to ask what the hell he's talking about, only to hear a familiar dog cause another interruption.

He skids in, nearly knocked over by the weight on his back.

He gives a shaky wave, Cross returning it.

He wheezes.

You grimace.

It's barely a walk to the front door, getting one more hug for Vine out of your system before making your way over and finding the last two members of your party right where you expect.

The robot and bear sit on a bench in the lobby, idly chatting.

As you appear from down the stairs, the robot motions to its bear companion,
standing up and offering a small wave.

Devo gets to his feet fast, and Tim's eager to rush past you and see how he's doing.

He turns his head to better show off the blue, metallic choker on his neck.

The dog peeks over at Roulette, tail wagging.

The robot does its best not to glance away as the spotlight is placed on it.
Instead, it nods politely.

Swiftly changing topics.

The metal toy moves to the back of the group, ready to follow.

The first leg of the walk is quiet, nobody saying much as you walk on the slush-covered sidewalk.


Cross is the first to break the ice.

The party grows quiet again, watching the sun rise in the distance as you see it- The Gate.

It's a massive plastic wall, towering over even some of the nearby buildings- with a simple box-like opening in the middle, barely big enough to let a car through.

Cross takes the lead, approaching the opening and watching as a window in the gate rolls down. A toy truck leans out, his boxy head craning to see all of you.

His voice is deadpan, as if he'd been waiting here for some action for hours.

Without warning, the toy guffaws, leaning over in his window.

The truck stares at you for a few moments, his silence mysterious-

Until he breaks into snickering, unable to contain himself as he leans back in, messing with an unseen panel of buttons.

He nods at Cross, the virtual pet looking away uncomfortably.

The shorter robot steps to the front.

You exhale as Roulette steps forward, only just now realizing your wings are clenched into fists.

He makes a long, drawn out honk as he finishes fiddling with the controls, as if this is the most exasperating task in the world.

The gate rises up, leaving a path through the solid wall.

You shoot the guy one last dirty look, Tim doing the same.

Roulette doesn't bother looking at him.

As you make your way out into the wilds-

You're blinded momentarily by a swath of white, as far as you can see, before your eyes adjust.

When you get a grip on what you're seeing, you can parse it as a field of white snow, gently hilly and extending a large ways in front of you. There's more walls to your left and right, but not as high as the other ones.

The only way to go is forward.

He starts moving forward and trudging through the ankle-deep snow, Tim close behind.

Everyone's mildly startled at the sudden enthusiasm, Devo's voice getting notably more excited.

You get a peek at Devo's face-

Yellow cheeks...that's new.

Tim gives you a worried look as Devo shuffles even more ahead, the dog moving to hold his partner's hand.

You fall back with Cross and Roulette.

Your conversation fades into silence, the five of you trudging through snow as you hear Devo rambling excitedly to Tim about the biology and behavior of dusters. Tim seems to lighten up over time, his nervous clinging giving way to relief as it turns out that yes, Devo is fine, just....enthusiastic.

All of a sudden, Tim's ears perk up, the dog pointing ahead.

There's a worn down, gray stone structure up ahead, capping the end of the walled "hallway".

Roulette stops to look at it; staring, clearly thinking over something, though you don't have the faintest idea what.
It catches up moments later.

You follow suit, the five of you standing in front of the structure. The doorway is completely opened up, snow falling into the outpost itself.

Tim takes a step forward, peeking in.

Tim finds a claw on his shoulder, gently pulling him back.

It quickly removes its claw, as if the touch were somehow hurting Tim.

Everyone else gives quiet noises of approval, lining up accordingly.

Taking up the back end is...it feels nerve-wracking, but at least you have everyone's backs....

The robot carefully makes its way inside, surveying, sickle out of its holder and at the ready.

The first room isn't huge, the quarters made tighter by the presence of rubble littering the right side of it. A quick inspection above reveals that the ceiling had fallen in, revealing a second floor above in the process.

To your left, there's a stairwell, presumably going up to said floor. To your right...a bunch of boxes, some kind of storeroom.

Ahead, there's a hallway, lined with a tattered, raggedy rug.

Everyone freezes as a noise comes from the storeroom, from behind the boxes.

Something clattering to the ground.

Devo's eyes widen, the bear reaching into his coat pocket and holding his knife close.

His voice is quiet, barely a whisper.

Roulette stares.

It makes its way towards the storeroom.

The bear carefully steps after it.

Devo's eyes are full of pure excitement.

A small sigh.

It takes a deep breath, putting a claw to the side of its head, thinking.

Everyone nods, shuffling into place with as much tiptoeing around rubble as you can muster.

You press yourself against the west wall, looking around at the stairwell with your hammer at the ready.

Cross takes the north exit, trying to peer down the hallway- the dim light getting dimmer as it goes.

Tim stands in the middle of the room, looking wildly around for the first sign of trouble.

Devo aligns himself by the south edge of the storeroom, starting to wedge himself in between a large box and the wall.

Roulette takes another, silent breath, and makes its way as slowly and quietly as possible around the giant box near the north wall.
After a minor amount of struggling, it's on the other side.

Its lens squints in the near-dark light, searching.

There's something crouched in the corner, rummaging through a pile of plastic "cans". It occasionally taps at one, its back to Roulette.

Its visible arm is made of...stone pieces, from the look of it, similar to the walls of the outpost itself. It's hard to tell what's holding them together, thin rods of it connected by cube-like chunks at the joints. There's more "skin" exposed where the arm attaches, made up of more rocky material...but the rest of the thing's body is shadowed, the edges wispy and fuzzy, almost as if made of some kind of lint.

At its back, it sports a large, fluffy tail, a slightly lighter gray than the stone- a similar material around its neck. Paired with the torn, round ears on its head, it's almost...cute.

Roulette's lens widens for hardly a second, before narrowing,
focusing.

It slowly begins to back up.








Without warning, there's a loud shimmering noise, Tim whipping around just in time to see the open entrance to the outpost seal- a purple, iridescent miasma enclosing the party within.

He can barely keep himself from yelling out, quickly running to grab your shoulder and get your attention, doing the same for Cross while you're holding back a swear.

Before the three of you can react, there's a noise from upstairs- running, paired with a weird set of squeaks.

You ready your hammer, getting ready to pounce-

-as another monster, similar to the other one, jumps down through the hole in the ceiling, stumbling on the rubble before getting back to its feet-

This one is holding a sword.

[OOC: You can now MOVE, ATTACK, and PROTECT as any party member. You can only do one of these things per character, per turn.  

If there is a sealed Arena Exit, you can RUN with a character and have a chance to ESCAPE. Be aware that escaped party members will not be able to rejoin the fight and will be separated from the active party until the fight is over.

While Polka Dot will always do what you ask, you'll have varying degrees of success depending on which party member and what you ask them to do.  
 
Different characters may be more or less likely to follow your suggestions. Pay attention for best results...]

 You steel your nerves, take a deep breath-

The monster across the room turns to look at you, its mismatched eyes- one a circle, the other an X- blinking as it tilts its head.

The monster jumps out of the pile of rubble, making a startlingly fast rush in your direction.

Oh, fuck.

In the storage room, Roulette freezes up at the noise.
It swiftly slides into the shadows behind one of the large boxes, just as the monster lifts itself up from the pile of trash it'd been examining.

Roulette presses its back to the box.
Devo, across the room, watches the monster rush past Roulette before squeezing its way out of the storage room.
The robot takes a moment to breathe a silent sigh of relief, then begins making its way through the boxes to leave.

Devo shuffles in place, looking a bit more excited than he probably should even from just a peek-

Before squeezing himself through the boxes as well, poking out and spotting the monsters in action.

He has to keep himself from letting out a little "wow!", his yellow eyes alight with wonder- before he realizes Tim could be in trouble, shaking his head and regaining his focus.



In the same instant, the sword-wielding monster is rushing at you, only to suddenly swerve to the left.

It's going for Tim!

Thankfully, your canine companion is ready, bringing his sword down on the monster as it gets close, aiming for its mechanical-looking shoulder joint-

But it catches his blade on its own, eyes narrowing and letting out an irritated hiss.

Cross wastes no time darting around behind the sword-wielder, nearly tripping on some rubble before managing to catch her balance.

Fuck, I got them both into this mess-

You get ready to join the brawl before you hear pounding coming down the steps behind you.  You flatten yourself against the wall as a third, green-tinted monster- almost as if it has moss growing on its rocky sections- wielding a knife comes down. It looks around wildly at first, trying to find the source of all your ruckus, before turning to see you with a surprisingly aggressive squeak.

You stand your ground, raising your hammer in a defensive stance-

-only for the monster to mimic your movements, pacing around you in a wide arc and letting out more agitated hisses.

Fucking standoff....great, just what I needed.

Tim's similarly on the defense, but much more actively than you- he's got his sword clashing with the sword-wielding, rabbit-like monster, making noises of exertion as both parties hold their ground.

Cross raises her hatchet behind the monster, before swinging it down into its back. The blade sticks into the "seam" between the shadowy, fluff-like wisps and its rubble skin, the beast making a sound not unlike a tea kettle screeching.

Roulette's lens widens at the screech, and it quickly looks out from the boxes, finding the monster it had evaded setting its sights on Cross.
It makes quick work of stepping up behind, keeping silent, getting in range.

The weapon is lowered behind itself.
A step forward as it uses its bodyweight to flick the scythe up and across with blinding speed.
A strange noise fills the air; a combination of grinding rubble and ripping fabric as the monster's head comes clean off, tumbling to the floor.

Devo doesn't seem nearly as rattled by all the violence as one would expect him to be, giving Roulette an affirmative gesture after one last peek at the monster's body. He takes in the rest of the scene-

Tim and Cross seem to have their things handled, but....

You could use the help!

He immediately hops out of the rubble and starts heading your way, minding his step.