TINY CAT PEOPLE: THE MAZE TRIALS

[victorianflorist]

Don't lecture See on its choices. It's less than a day old.

See reacted naively because its naive!

[skinstealer]

 

You decide to pick up on some of these swear words. They’re good stuff- you mean shit.

SEE: Yeah, I mean- it did turn into a mess, but I’m only a day old- not even that much!
SEE: I stand by what I said, and I think I can handle it...Max was trying to get someone else to join his group, and I wanted to show her that she didn’t have to go along with everything.
SEE: He’d see me as a danger no matter what, considering I’m friends with someone he thinks is an enemy.
SEE: I just want to help people, and I don’t know why people have to get hurt and killed because of the overseers…
SEE: Why can’t we all just fucking help each other?
SAMSON: Yes, yes, good speech. I'm sure that will really help when you have to fi-
CAYDEN: Samson. Stop. It gets it. Stop yelling.
 

Samson huffs and walks faster, putting distance between herself and the group.

 
CAYDEN: I'm sorry about that. She gets really heated when it comes to matters of everyone's safety.
 

He sighs.

 
CAYDEN: Doesn't mean she's not right though.
CAYDEN: There were probably ways to accomplish what you wanted without putting yourself in danger.
CAYDEN: But sitting here talking about it isn't going to change that.
CAYDEN: What matters is what you do going forward.
CAYDEN: And for now, that means tackling this room.
SEE: Yeah...I guess. 
 

 

You keep heading down the stairs, reaching the next floor. There are buttons all over the place, and when you stop to count, you get five of them. They seem to be blocked by a variety of platforms...one that moves sideways to your right, one that moves up and down in front of you, a sequence of platforms to jump across,  one that spins and...there's one button across a large gap with no platforms, just a tiny ledge to stand on.

 
TODD: Looks like we have buttons to press in this chamber.
TODD: Which one do you wanna go for?

[Lilium Mortem]

do we have to do this? every chamber so far has let me out once I got an impression. also f*ck puzzle platformers, amiright, fellow gamers?

[smorzando]

The one that moves up and down sounds like it might be the easiest for you to safely get on, or at least not fall off of. I probably wouldn't go for the spinning one, sequence of platforms, or the large gap.

[knux400]

Either the up and down or the side to side ones seem like our best bet. Stubby limbs do not make for good platforming.

[Winds]

maybe if you push all five buttons at once you'll unlock an easter egg.

[skinstealer]

SEE: Do we have to do this?
SEE: Like...every other room I've been in has let me out once I do an impression.
TODD: Do we have to? Probably not, no. But as a gamer...
TODD: I know a puzzle when I see one.
ROXAS: Yeah, the overseers are usually very particular about how they like, put the rooms together.
ROXAS: I can't see the buttons existing for no reason or anything like that.
SEE: So...we have to hit these buttons or something to get out?
SEE: ...Maybe if we hit them all at the same time?
CAYDEN: There's one button for each of us, so I suppose hitting them all at once makes the most sense to try first, yeah.
SEE: I guess I'll take the one that goes up and down, then...
SEE: Platforming like this isn't great with my stubby limbs.
ROXAS: You got this!
ROXAS: Try not to fall though, I don't know if you'd like, shatter or whatever, but like...
ROXAS: Be careful.
 

You walk over slowly to the raising and falling platform, your nerves setting in as you get close. It's not that far of a gap between you and the platform, but it doesn't rest at the bottom for long before going right back up.

 
SEE: Uh...hm.
 

 

Samson glances over at you while jumping between platforms.

 
SAMSON: Todd, help it with that.
TODD: Sure thing.
  

You feel yourself getting hoisted off the ground by Todd.

SEE: W-whoa! Hey!
 

OH GOD THEY COULD DROP YOU AND ITS ONE OF THE MURDER ONES-

Todd gently places you on the platform, the force of it rising mildly jostling you.

 
SEE: Thanks! Th-thanks!
SEE: I got this now!
 
 

You reach the button in no time, and hitting it gets you a beep...but nothing happens, and the platform lowers shortly after.

You look over to check on the gamers.

  

 

You see that all the gamers but Todd have made it to their buttons, with Roxas having somehow disabled the spinning platform and the others simply sitting and waiting at their buttons. You resist the urge to call out to Todd, not wanting to distract them....besides, they probably got delayed as a result of helping you.

You wait patiently, the platform lowering and raising in a steady rhythm...faster than you want it to be, but it's fine. It's Fine.

Todd hops onto the platform that moves back and forth, calling out to the room.

 
TODD: Okay, ready!
SEE: Ready!
 

Once the platform reaches the top, you press and hold the button as long as possible.

Thankfully, with everyone at their places, a chime echoes through the room.

 
INTERCOM: All participants have made impressions.
INTERCOM: Predetermined rewards dispensing in rooms.
SAMSON: Predetermined? The hell is that supposed to mean? We don’t get to choose our rewards this time?
SEE: I guess not...that's weird.
 

 

You gather your courage and hop off of the platform as soon as it gets closer- but still high up enough to give you some room for error on the jump. 

Thankfully, you land just fine, only flopping on your face a little bit. You're getting used to that.

The gamers reassemble around you and help you get to your feet.

 
SEE: Thanks...
 

ROXAS: Hey,
ROXAS: Now that the trial room is done...
ROXAS: Wanna come hang out?
 

UHHH YOU ARE NOT SURE ABOUT THIS

[AceOfNothing]

Let's give them a chance! Plus maybe if you peek at their room you can see what they got. Maybe it will help you learn your predetermined award

[Winds]

Well, you probably wouldn't be able to win a fight against them, even if it weren't for the fact that gamers can't die. But if they wanted to hurt you they probably would have done it by now. Plus.... they've got games probably? maybe you could challenge them to racing monkey ball or something.

[victorianflorist]

I think if they wanted to hurt us they would have gone for it by now, this gaggle o' gamers already knows we're inexperienced and we've given them no reason to be aggressive to us. Let's hangout with them!

[Guest]

go smoke some of that fat B U N T

[King-Clod]

Yeah, let's go! And maybe see if they have Messiroom usernames while we're at it

[skinstealer]

Well...if the gamers wanted to hurt you, they probably would have done it by now- especially since they already know you're inexperienced. Going with them would also be a good chance to see what this whole predetermined reward thing is...
 

SEE: Sure, I can come along.
ROXAS: Alright, sweet!

 
The TCPs walk with you back up to the top floor of the room where the doors have reopened. Even if you didn't already remember which one was yours, the smoke billowing out of it made it immediately apparent which one was theirs.
 


 
You head along with them, the smoke blinding you a bit- but you finally reach it...the den of the gamers.

The first thing that strikes you as you enter is the smell, the smoke billowing out of the room carries a faint odor that gets stronger as you walk further in. Through the smoke, you can see what can only be described by your new knowledge as a 'gamer den,' with several setups for playing video games.
 

SEE: Whoa...this place is cool as hell!

 
Roxas stoops down for a high five.
 

ROXAS: Hell yeah it is!

 
You go for it, grateful that you didn't have to try to reach any higher. 
 

SEE: Are these all for gaming? I know I saw something similar in my catalog, but damn, this is a lot!
SAMSON: Tch, not everything we do is gaming.
ROXAS: Yeah, we do a lot of other stuff too, like recon type stuff. And also figuring out explosives.
ROXAS: Don't worry, we all have the skill for it.
SEE: ...explosives?

 
For some reason, that word makes you a bit nervous.
 

TODD: Don't worry about it, chat for another time.
CAYDEN: Well, now that you're here, what do you want to do? We can play games, smoke some weed, whatever.
SEE: I think I'm down for weed, actually.

 
 


The door behind you seals, startling you out of your chocolatey skin. You probably should have expected as much, but it looks like you've gotta commit to your decision now.
 

ROXAS: Nice! Let’s-
ROXAS: Wait, what’s that?

 
Roxas rushes over to some kind of basket that seems to have tumbled down the chute. They take a card that was tied to it.
 

ROXAS: “To my favorite band of feral gamers, I think you’ll get a real kick out of these. - J the Overseer”
ROXAS: Well shit. Looks like this is what they meant by ‘predetermined rewards,’ huh?
SEE: Who's J? 
SEE: I thought there was only one voice.
SAMSON: What made you think that? There’s a lot of us to keep track of, and they’re always so quick to respond, it only makes sense there’d be more than one person.
SEE: ...I guess that does make sense...
SEE: What's in the basket, anyway?
ROXAS: Looks like a bunch of boxes, and also they used loose weed for packing filler.

  

 
Roxas pulls out the boxes and hands one each to Samson, Cayden, and Todd, keeping the last one for themself.

Roxas rips open their box and pulls out a strip of red cloth and a note.
 

ROXAS: Lets see... wrap it around... stand like this and... no way.
ROXAS: That can’t... no...

Roxas quickly wraps the cloth around their arm, faces the wall, and puts their arms together.
  

 

ROXAS: Holy Shit! Did you see that? What the fuck?!
SEE: What the hell is that?!
SEE: How'd you do that??
ROXAS: I don’t fucking know????????
ROXAS: The note told me to do it and I did it????
ROXAS: Damn, I guess these overseers don’t joke around with this shit.

   
Samson glances at the rest of the gamers and gives them a look.
 

SAMSON: I think we should open the rest later. Just in case. 
SAMSON: If the rest are similar to this we wouldn’t want to accidentally put See in danger.
SEE: I wonder if my gift's anything like that...I don't think me shooting a fireball is a good idea, though- something tells me I'd melt.
SEE: Are you sure you don't want to check them out, though? Like...even just reading the notes?
SAMSON: I'd rather not go through all that right now, no.
SEE: ...fair enough, I guess.
SEE: So...weed, time?
ROXAS: Hell yeah!

   

 
They grab a handful of loose weed from the basket and begin wrapping it in papers from their pocket, passing out the completed joints.
 

ROXAS: Here you go, bud. 

You hold the relatively massive joint in your hand, weighing it. 
 

SEE: Here goes nothing.

  

 
You promptly and completely absorb the joint into your face.

All of the gamers stare at you wordlessly in shock.
 

SEE: What?
SEE: Did I do it wrong?
TODD: You were-
TODD: You were supposed to smoke it.
CAYDEN: You should probably sit down and take it easy for a bit, I don't know what eating that much will do to you.
SEE: Okay, uh...

 

 
You sit on the ground, feeling just fine. 
 

SEE: What's it usually supposed to do, exactly?
ROXAS: Uhhhhh that kinda depends on you, bud.
ROXAS: Different folks get hit different.
ROXAS: But generally, it makes you chiller.
SEE: Okay...chill. I can do chill.

 
You could probably ask some questions while you're here, waiting for the weed to kick your ass.

[Lilium Mortem]

what's in the cool chest? what kinda games do y'all like? do you all sleep in that one bed or do you even sleep at all? Isn't smoke supposed to be bad? Is there even ventilation in this room?, because boy that is a lot of smoke.

[sarcovyn]

remind them that you are a food type

[Winds]

promptly be unable to chill.

[King-Clod]

So...you know the overseers by name? Or at least by letter, like with Overseer J? What are they like, the individual overseers?

[skinstealer]

 

SEE: So…
 

You’ve got a lot of questions in mind, and you’ll be honest, it’s kind of making it hard to chill. You feel a little weird around the edges the more you start thinking about this stuff, but it’ll be fine, right?

 
SEE: You know the overseers by name?
SEE: What are they like?
SAMSON: Ha! By name? No, J is clearly just a pseudonym of some sort.
SAMSON: We don't know them at all.
ROXAS: We can make best guesses from what knowledge we have, but that's about it.
ROXAS: We have heard some things and the most likely thing is that there's... several overseers, each one watching a small handful of TCPs at a time.
ROXAS: We think.
SAMSON: We don't know anything for certain, though. 
SEE: ...is it possible to talk to mine?
SEE: They all use the same voice...
 

Samson scoffs.

 
SAMSON: If you want to waste the questions you get from impressions on that, sure.
SAMSON: I don't think you'll get anything worthwhile from that though.
SEE: Guess not...
 

 

You're definitely starting to feel something, but it's not strong enough to really pin it down. 

 
SEE: What's in that chest you have up on the shelf, anyway?
SEE: Is it games? What kind of games do you have?
SAMSON: Nah it's not games. The games we have are on the shelves below it.
SAMSON: In the like, little box case things.
SEE: Then...what is in there?
SAMSON: Weed. 
SEE: ...ah.
SEE: Sweet.
 

You start staring into space.

 
ROXAS: You uh, you doing good little bud?
SEE: ...did you know I'm a food type? I'm a food type.
 

 
SEE: Food...types.
SEE: People eat me.
 

Roxas sits down on the bed and nods slowly, the weed clearly hitting them hard.

 
ROXAS: Dang dude, that's messed up. 
SEE: If somebody, like...eats me...
SEE: Are they also eating weed?
SEE: Am I weed now?
ROXAS: Damn dude... weed and chocolate?
ROXAS: Sounds like a sweet combo...
ROXAS: People should like...
ROXAS: I think we stumbled on something great that no one else has thought about.
SEE: Wait, like, are you gonna eat me now?
SEE: I mean, other people have eaten me but not with weed. I'm a healer. It heals people.
SEE: Does weed heal people?
TODD: Nah we're not like, we're not hurt.
TODD: We could like, take some and store it for later I guess.
TODD: Weed doesn't heal, it's an adon- andonine- ano-
TODD: Painkiller.
TODD: Think it can be used by people who have like, flesh, for inflammation or somethin though.
SEE: So...through the power of weed...
SEE: I can make people feel better?
SEE: Fuck...I may have to add that to my medic plans.
ROXAS: I...
ROXAS: I guess??
SEE: Like...shit, I'm really onto something.
SEE: Maybe I could just...
 

You start spacing out again.

 

SEE: ...do you gamers like, sleep in the same bed? 
SEE: Or do you take turns?
CAYDEN: It's a tight fit, but we make it work.
SEE: So...all at once? All scrunched up?
CAYDEN: Well, it's not too scrunched, but yeah.
SEE: Cool...I bet it's like...one big hug.
TODD: Yeah.... basically
SEE: I've been hugged a few times, it's...kind of awesome.
SEE: Everybody keeps picking me up, though? Like, all the time.
SEE: Am I just...portable? Do people do this with chocolate?
SEE: Is everybody just constantly-
SEE: Picking people up...
 

You don't wait for a response. 

 
SEE: ...is the smoke dangerous? There's so fucking much of it.
SEE: Like, wow.
TODD: I don't... think so. I mean, we don't like...
TODD: ...
TODD: ...
TODD: ...Have organs or anything. So like, nothing to hurt with the smoke.
TODD: ...I think.
SEE: Yeah, like...I'm just...chocolate.
SEE: People aren't usually chocolate, right?
SEE: They're all, like, squishy. 
SEE: And full of that fluid stuff.
SEE: Man...
 

 

Okay, you're starting to feel way, way weirder now, and not necessarily in a good way. Thinking about fluid makes you think about Max and the stains on his bandages, the fact that something cut him open...

You don't like this train of thought one bit.

ROXAS: Yeah, us TCPs are just.... Sacks of weird squishy fluid.
ROXAS: ...Hey bud, you doin' okay?

[King-Clod]

No? No, probably not. Help.

[Winds]

define "okay" for me.