Daichi: Welcome back to the Gallery, the place that takes your favorite masterpieces and turns them into horrors. Well, mostly.
Verity: We only own most of the class and certain pieces.
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The Gallery was… unusually quiet. Ib remembered when she'd first crossed over, the feeling of being watched… whether it was because she'd decided to go directly through, or something else, very little had happened in the in-between. She had been fine with that.
Sure, showing the others the life behind the paintings early on would have helped, but… if they had insisted they stop someplace on the way… would the artworks have recognized her, after all this time? Would Garry recognize her? And… even if he did… what could she say to him? Sorry I let you die and stole your lighter? Yeah… no.
It wasn't the quiet in the in-between that bothered her. Not one bit. It was the quiet in the true Gallery, the lack of even the feeling of being watched, that scared her the most.
"Everyone, keep close," She ordered. "Remember to keep your rose protected at all times. If anyone disappears, alert me immediately. Mr. Adams, if I disappear, you're the adult, so you're in charge. Do not touch anything unless I say so. And do not- and I really mean it- do not provoke any of the artworks. Just because we're not in range to be replaced doesn't mean they won't still kill us."
She approached the blue door. "It's unlocked… has nobody been through here since me, or…"
"There's a note, right here," Chris handed her the really old piece of paper.
To those that might be concerned,
Welcome to the Gallery. We used to call it the World of Guertena, but we've gotten several new arrivals not accredited to that artist, so… Anyway. Whether or not you already know the rules (Hopefully not, since who in their right mind would come back?) they are spelled out for you here.
1. Your rose is your life. Treat it as such.
If your rose wilts, you must kill another visitor to take their place if you want out. Sorry, that's how it is.
Several bits were smudged, and Ib tried to make it out the best she could. There seemed to be an argument developing swiftly in the margins over who got to hold the pen.
"The rest of it is badly smudged until about the end. I can't really make it out, but the last bit…"
There's probably entrances and exits we don't know of, but the closest one to you at the moment is 'Fabricated World'. This door has been unlocked for you. The rest you'll have to navigate on your own. Good luck.
"And that's all it says. Now, in the next room, follow me closely. Trixie, this means you. This isn't a place for exploration."
As they walked through the door, there was movement, and a small ant huddled in the corner. "Please don't hurt me!" It begged. "I haven't helped anybody in six years, not since I lost my painting!"
"Wow. I've never seen a crazy insect before," Hannah drily commented. Chris shoved her. "What? It's babbling and we haven't even tried talking to it yet."
"We really are in another world," Miguel breathed in. "I mean, I knew it before, but now…"
"We won't hurt you," Lavender promised. "We're just lost here, is all."
"That's one way to put it," David muttered.
"But… if you're visitors… what is she doing back here? And who are you?" He directed this to Miguel. "You look just like Puppet!"
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Miguel was sure he was staring in shock at the tiny creature. Puppet. "Puppet Self?" He asked. "Is that the Puppet you meant?"
"Are there any others?" It responded. "Wait. Don't answer that. There probably are. It's been weeks since I've seen anyone, anyway."
Ib sighed, and if he didn't know how calm and forgiving the girl normally was, he'd say she was trying to reign in her temper. "I'm really sorry about your painting. I was nine and didn't have much choice in the matter."
"Yeah, I know you're sorry," it mumbled. "That's why I'm so scared! You've doomed most of us here!"
"I don't know what you're talking about," Ib replied. "But- Trixie, I told you to stay by me!" She pulled the redhead back, and Miguel could see shadowy hands reaching out for the girls. "Did you lose any petals?"
"Just one. It really hurts, though."
"You just lost a ninth of your life force. I'd be surprised if it didn't hurt. Now, what did you say was my fault again?" She turned back to the ant, her face devoid of any emotion. Miguel knew that look. That was the look he had whenever he didn't want anyone to know what he was feeling.
He wondered what she was thinking, that could have her so on edge.
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Ib knew several things that the ant could blame her for. Breaking its painting was just one of those things, especially if it spoke to the other artworks. She was ready for anything that it might tell her. At least, she told herself that.
"It… it doesn't matter. The key to the next door is behind the butterfly painting." She smiled and nodded as Jade grabbed the key.
"Can we go now?" Hannah asked. She nodded.
"You should be safe so long as you stick to the middle of the hall. If, at any point, your rose loses petals and you see a vase, alert the rest of us. If possible, let me do whatever puzzles I can. Someone seems to be trying to make things easier for us, although with the ant's reaction to us, that may not be enough." She took a shaky breath. She had to keep telling herself she could do this, but…
"You know what, Ib?" Trixie asked. "Being able to handle this place when you were nine… you're actually pretty cool." She chose to take the compliment.
"Single file, everyone," Mr. Adams spoke up, clearly trying to maintain some illusion of control over the class. She took the lead, ignoring the hands that came out of the wall at her. They weren't scary to her at all. But there was still the feeling of being watched, or rather, the absence of such a feeling.
She hoped it was simply because of Mary's death. Of course, she also knew that it could never be that simple.
She opened the door, and saw a wall covered in scorch marks. Well. That was troubling.
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The other door to the room opened, and a small girl walked out, and through the rows of bugs, carrying a painting torn apart in the center.
"Oh, Ant!" She called out in a fake singsong voice. "I believe I have something of yours!"
The ant turned to face her. Red eyes shone at it, pupiless. When asked, the painting girl had blamed the limitations of watercolor. Well, that was back when she was sane. Now, she'd just laugh.
"Regrets, I-"
"Just let Ib and Lavender past? Just allowed nine perfectly good roses to move on, when they could have wandered over to me and let me grab them? You know what I do to my enemies, Ant."
"You haven't done it to all who've ever gone against you," it challenged, already knowing it was futile, as Regrets pulled out her lighter. "You let him live."
She didn't dignify it with a response, instead lighting the painting, and the ant, aflame.
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Verity: I get that you don't let me go through all of your notes, but… this is a new one. How crazy is she, exactly?
Daichi: Crazy enough to burn most anyone who gets in her way, with… notable exceptions. We'll be meeting Puppet and the Faded Girls later. They're a bit… less totally insane. They also aren't necessarily exceptions. ...Make that one notable exception.
