Discord
You're hesitating.
You hate that you are but
you aren't exactly thrilled to go back in again.
You do have other options.
You could experiment by trying to leave now, just to see what happens.
Or maybe you could finally check with the person in cabin #8.
But,
attempting to drive like this probably isn't a good idea, given how unwieldy your head is now,
and that you aren't really used to this body yet.
And you are Not really ready for more socializing with strangers after the mini mart.
You do have some potential questions for Mikki.
That's something to kill time.
ARC:\SPEECH "DID YOU TRY TO LEAVE WHILE YOU 'LOOKED DIFFERENT'?"
"Nope.
No way in hell was I leaving like that."
ARC:\SPEECH "HOW LONG EXACTLY HAVE YOU BEEN STUCK HERE?"
Mikki looks skyward, rubbing their chin.
"'Bout... a week and a half?
Maybe a week? Maybe two weeks? Somewhere in there.
Haven't exactly been keeping great track of time."
ARC:\SPEECH "HAVE YOU BEEN PAYING FOR THE CABIN THIS WHOLE TIME?"
ARC:\SPEECH "I IMAGINE THAT WOULD GET EXPENSIVE."
ARC:\SPEECH "IF WE'RE STUCK, THEN I'M WORRIED ABOUT MONEY."
"Yeah, I have been payin' for it.
Pretty much.
Money's not really an issue for me right now, is all."
ARC:\SPEECH "...WHAT DO YOU MEAN?"
"Means I'm payin' for it and don't worry about it.
Now are you going in or Not?"
You shoot up from your spot on the fountain.
ARC:\SPEECH "YES, I'M GOING. SORRY."
You walk around the fountain
and make your way up to the door.
The same two-story shack-like building,
the same light bulb outside - now off, with the sun up -
the same little wooden sign.
The outside still isn't imposing in the slightest
but you know what's in there.
Sensing your trepidation,
Mikki walks over by you.
"It'll be fine.
Probably.
Bet you'll figure it out. I apparently did.
And if anything bad happens, you probably won't remember afterwards, anyway."
They pat you on the back, as if that was somehow supposed to be reassuring.
"I'll wait around out here a little while.
After, I'm headed back to my cabin to pass out.
Just knock anyway if you really need me.
It'll wake me up."
Another pat, this time to your shoulder.
"Good luck and all.
I'm gonna stand back while I still have the chance."
They hurry past the fountain, leaning on the side wall of the mini mart.
Apparently content to stand there and watch you go in.
You grab the door's handle
and swing it open, stepping--
into the inside of a shack.
It looks about like what you'd expected to see the first time you came in:
It's a fairly cramped, single room with a handful of scattered exhibits around.
Cheap-looking rugs have been hung along a large portion of the walls, likely to hide the worn state of the walls themselves.
Even from here, you can see that the 'exhibits' on display aren't much to write home about:
A newspaper is propped up on a stand. An article is displayed,
one detailing a slice of toast with Wax - a high god of Taverne's - face supposedly on it.
From the picture, it doesn't look convincing at all.
There's also a glass case in the corner with a clearly-faked dried corpse of a "skritchimus";
a patchimus upper body with a skritter lower body. It looks to be made out of paper-mache.
Additionally, there's a plaster mold footprint of a 'real mothman footprint'.
It's just a pretty normal-looking footprint.
And those are only the ones you can see.
You don't exactly feel the need to look at more.
There's a tiny corner just by the door where you find a few shelves,
each lined with various knick-knacks labeled with the museum's name.
A cash register sits on a stand just next to them,
and a wooden sign labeled 'GIFT SHOP' hangs on the ceiling above the shelves.
The items themselves have surprisingly expensive prices on their tags.
You're still processing
everything
when you hear a noise from the back,
like steps being descended.
A black curtain behind the exhibits labeled 'EMPLOYEES ONLY'
is pushed back,
revealing a tall, white rat in a cheap, colorfully-patterned suit.
You can't quite pin down their species.
They look to be a corvice, like Mikki, but their striking purple eyes have visible yellow pupils.
Likely a hybrid, you guess.
They spot you, and practically run to greet you.
"Well, hello hello! Welcome in!"
They outstretch their arms to their sides with a little flourish.
You feel like you're talking to a birthday party magician.
"Tell me:
Is this your first time delving into the terrifying depths of modern mystery?
Or are you an experienced veteran of the unknown?"
You forget where you are momentarily
and realize just how long you've been staring at them.
It doesn't help that Tall seems to be an understatement;
they're taller than You, and given you're over six feet -
likely more, with the new, bulkier head -
that is NOT at all something you're used to.
It throws you off more than you would've expected.
They don't even seem thrown off by your silence.
They're wearing the same little smirk they walked in with.
"...Don't you worry, I get it!
Already awestruck by what's here, aren't you?
You must've taken a peek before I came down.
I can't really blame you for being eager; there's Lots to see!
Well, don't mind me!"
The rat gestures to the exhibits.
"Be my guest."
Before you even move,
they stop you.
"Oh, whoops.
Before I forget..."
They move over to the register,
and tap a stack of tickets just next to them.
"Only for the low low price of twenty-five cash.
Normally it's thirty-five, but you happened to get here during a rare Sale event.
Consider yourself very lucky, my friend."
ARC:\SPEECH "OH. I HAVE..."
You fish the free museum ticket you received out of your pocket,
and hold it up for them to see.
"Unfortunately, the free tickets are Night Tickets, specifically,
while these-" they tap the stack of tickets "-are premium, Day Tickets.
Different tickets for very different experiences."
You don't remember anything about that.
You hold your ticket up to your screen and do your best to examine it closely.
Sure enough, the ticket is light blue and says 'FOR NIGHT ONLY' in small text on it.
It has a picture of a moon, but
you must've thought that was just for theme purposes.
Truth be told, you aren't sure you even looked at it that hard.
The stack of tickets the rat has are light yellow, and have little suns on them.
You feel very embarrassed.
"Don't blame yourself, it's an easy mistake to make,
happens all the time!"
You
put the ticket back.
They wait for the cash,
watching you expectantly.
You know you don't have your wallet,
but you make a show of tapping your pockets regardless.
ARC:\SPEECH "...HA HA. I-"
ARC:\SPEECH "I MUST'VE--"
"Leave your wallet at home?
Or did you lose it?"
They give a fake sigh and scoot out from the register,
and retrieve a ticket,
stepping over to you.
"How about this:
Since you're new around here,
we can just say you owe me one,
and I'll spot you a ticket.
On the house."
They hold it out.
"Deal?"
You hate that you are but
you aren't exactly thrilled to go back in again.
You do have other options.
You could experiment by trying to leave now, just to see what happens.
Or maybe you could finally check with the person in cabin #8.
But,
attempting to drive like this probably isn't a good idea, given how unwieldy your head is now,
and that you aren't really used to this body yet.
And you are Not really ready for more socializing with strangers after the mini mart.
You do have some potential questions for Mikki.
That's something to kill time.
ARC:\SPEECH "DID YOU TRY TO LEAVE WHILE YOU 'LOOKED DIFFERENT'?"
"Nope.
No way in hell was I leaving like that."
ARC:\SPEECH "HOW LONG EXACTLY HAVE YOU BEEN STUCK HERE?"
Mikki looks skyward, rubbing their chin.
"'Bout... a week and a half?
Maybe a week? Maybe two weeks? Somewhere in there.
Haven't exactly been keeping great track of time."
ARC:\SPEECH "HAVE YOU BEEN PAYING FOR THE CABIN THIS WHOLE TIME?"
ARC:\SPEECH "I IMAGINE THAT WOULD GET EXPENSIVE."
ARC:\SPEECH "IF WE'RE STUCK, THEN I'M WORRIED ABOUT MONEY."
"Yeah, I have been payin' for it.
Pretty much.
Money's not really an issue for me right now, is all."
ARC:\SPEECH "...WHAT DO YOU MEAN?"
"Means I'm payin' for it and don't worry about it.
Now are you going in or Not?"
You shoot up from your spot on the fountain.
ARC:\SPEECH "YES, I'M GOING. SORRY."
You walk around the fountain
and make your way up to the door.
The same two-story shack-like building,
the same light bulb outside - now off, with the sun up -
the same little wooden sign.
The outside still isn't imposing in the slightest
but you know what's in there.
Sensing your trepidation,
Mikki walks over by you.
"It'll be fine.
Probably.
Bet you'll figure it out. I apparently did.
And if anything bad happens, you probably won't remember afterwards, anyway."
They pat you on the back, as if that was somehow supposed to be reassuring.
"I'll wait around out here a little while.
After, I'm headed back to my cabin to pass out.
Just knock anyway if you really need me.
It'll wake me up."
Another pat, this time to your shoulder.
"Good luck and all.
I'm gonna stand back while I still have the chance."
They hurry past the fountain, leaning on the side wall of the mini mart.
Apparently content to stand there and watch you go in.
You grab the door's handle
and swing it open, stepping--
into the inside of a shack.
It looks about like what you'd expected to see the first time you came in:
It's a fairly cramped, single room with a handful of scattered exhibits around.
Cheap-looking rugs have been hung along a large portion of the walls, likely to hide the worn state of the walls themselves.
Even from here, you can see that the 'exhibits' on display aren't much to write home about:
A newspaper is propped up on a stand. An article is displayed,
one detailing a slice of toast with Wax - a high god of Taverne's - face supposedly on it.
From the picture, it doesn't look convincing at all.
There's also a glass case in the corner with a clearly-faked dried corpse of a "skritchimus";
a patchimus upper body with a skritter lower body. It looks to be made out of paper-mache.
Additionally, there's a plaster mold footprint of a 'real mothman footprint'.
It's just a pretty normal-looking footprint.
And those are only the ones you can see.
You don't exactly feel the need to look at more.
There's a tiny corner just by the door where you find a few shelves,
each lined with various knick-knacks labeled with the museum's name.
A cash register sits on a stand just next to them,
and a wooden sign labeled 'GIFT SHOP' hangs on the ceiling above the shelves.
The items themselves have surprisingly expensive prices on their tags.
You're still processing
everything
when you hear a noise from the back,
like steps being descended.
A black curtain behind the exhibits labeled 'EMPLOYEES ONLY'
is pushed back,
revealing a tall, white rat in a cheap, colorfully-patterned suit.
You can't quite pin down their species.
They look to be a corvice, like Mikki, but their striking purple eyes have visible yellow pupils.
Likely a hybrid, you guess.
They spot you, and practically run to greet you.
"Well, hello hello! Welcome in!"
They outstretch their arms to their sides with a little flourish.
You feel like you're talking to a birthday party magician.
"Tell me:
Is this your first time delving into the terrifying depths of modern mystery?
Or are you an experienced veteran of the unknown?"
You forget where you are momentarily
and realize just how long you've been staring at them.
It doesn't help that Tall seems to be an understatement;
they're taller than You, and given you're over six feet -
likely more, with the new, bulkier head -
that is NOT at all something you're used to.
It throws you off more than you would've expected.
They don't even seem thrown off by your silence.
They're wearing the same little smirk they walked in with.
"...Don't you worry, I get it!
Already awestruck by what's here, aren't you?
You must've taken a peek before I came down.
I can't really blame you for being eager; there's Lots to see!
Well, don't mind me!"
The rat gestures to the exhibits.
"Be my guest."
Before you even move,
they stop you.
"Oh, whoops.
Before I forget..."
They move over to the register,
and tap a stack of tickets just next to them.
"Only for the low low price of twenty-five cash.
Normally it's thirty-five, but you happened to get here during a rare Sale event.
Consider yourself very lucky, my friend."
ARC:\SPEECH "OH. I HAVE..."
You fish the free museum ticket you received out of your pocket,
and hold it up for them to see.
"Unfortunately, the free tickets are Night Tickets, specifically,
while these-" they tap the stack of tickets "-are premium, Day Tickets.
Different tickets for very different experiences."
You don't remember anything about that.
You hold your ticket up to your screen and do your best to examine it closely.
Sure enough, the ticket is light blue and says 'FOR NIGHT ONLY' in small text on it.
It has a picture of a moon, but
you must've thought that was just for theme purposes.
Truth be told, you aren't sure you even looked at it that hard.
The stack of tickets the rat has are light yellow, and have little suns on them.
You feel very embarrassed.
"Don't blame yourself, it's an easy mistake to make,
happens all the time!"
You
put the ticket back.
They wait for the cash,
watching you expectantly.
You know you don't have your wallet,
but you make a show of tapping your pockets regardless.
ARC:\SPEECH "...HA HA. I-"
ARC:\SPEECH "I MUST'VE--"
"Leave your wallet at home?
Or did you lose it?"
They give a fake sigh and scoot out from the register,
and retrieve a ticket,
stepping over to you.
"How about this:
Since you're new around here,
we can just say you owe me one,
and I'll spot you a ticket.
On the house."
They hold it out.
"Deal?"
