Chrono Crossover: The Funhouse
by Chronos Cat
Episode Twenty, Chapter Three
Round Six Part One conclusion & Part Two opening
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BONUS CHALLENGE: OUTFIT BUILDER
Soon all the players met in the Challenge Room. Crono, Ayla, Serge, Leena, Kid, Marle, Harle, and Magus had all changed into the white tunics the guards had provided them for the challenge. As they were not participating, Frog had put his normal outfit back on, while Lucca wore her robot costume and Robo his mummy costume.
Eleven booths which looked like they might be changing rooms had been set up (each with a name-plate of one of the players on the door), and in the center of the room there was a large bin full of clothing (much of it clearly from costumes). Next to them was a set of small carts. Off to the side was a big sign-board saying "Outfit List"; below those words six rectangular spaces were marked on it. Along the wall closest to the door were enough chairs for most of the players to sit.
Norstein Bekkler was there waiting for them, along with Chronos and a number of staff members (Including Vicks, Biggs, Wedge, Piette, Marian, and Annette).
Bekkler greeted them. "Welcome to the second Bonus Challenge: Outfit Builder. As you've been told, this Challenge is entirely optional; you may skip it or quit at any time without penalty. You must however start by wearing one of the provided tunics; I assume those of you not wearing them are going to pass on the Challenge?"
When they confirmed this, he continued, "In today's challenge, each of you will be assembling and wearing outfits using clothing from the bin over there. The winner will get to keep all the outfits they put together, even after the Funhouse is over. More important in the short term, you will receive a pass allowing you to end one current or future costume dare, and you will have a one time opportunity to exchange clothing rights for vouchers (if you have clothing rights you feel you don't need) and vice versa (if you would rather have clothing rights than vouchers). If that's not enough to let you wear what you'd like or you just aren't happy with your clothing list, you can also redo your clothing list.
"At the start of each round of the Challenge, a list of outfits shall be displayed on the sign over there. The outfit you put together must match one of the outfits on the list. This list will change as players successfully put together outfits from it, so check it each round!
"Once the round starts, you will have fifteen minutes to gather clothes from the bin, take it to your changing room, and change into your outfit. When everyone is changed or fifteen minutes are up, you will all be asked to step out of the changing rooms, and our panel of judges will decide if you have succeeded in putting together one of the outfits.
"Those who succeed move on to the next round. Those who fail are out of the Challenge. The Challenge shall continue so long as two or more players remain in it. If at the end of a round, only one player passes, that player shall win. However, if a round comes where no players pass, the Challenge will end without a winner.
"A few more important points: We only have so many clothes, so hording is not allowed. You may fill only one cart-load per round, and you should only take what you think you might need. Furthermore, anything you don't use must be returned to the bin before the start of the next round.
"When you put together an outfit, all visible articles must be from the bin. Conversely, you cannot put on articles from the bin only to completely cover them up, except in the case of underwear which will affect the look of the visible clothing. If you are unsure whether an article shall be noticeable, just try to use your best judgment.
"In each changing room is a laundry basket; this is to put your clothes after you change out of them. In the first round you'll be putting your tunic in it; in all later rounds you'll be putting your outfit from the previous round in it. The items in the basket are the ones you shall win if you win the Challenge. Please do not put any other clothes in the basket; anything you do not wear should go back in your cart so it may be returned to the bin.
"If you put on any swimwear or underwear from the bin, or if you wear something covering the crotch and buttocks area without underwear underneath it, and we ask you to put it back in the bin (either because it wasn't part of the outfit you passed with or because you did not pass), please tell our staff first. We'll put it aside to be washed, and put a replacement in the bin instead.
"A few outfits on the list and items in the bin are the sort one would normally have assistance putting on. Specifically, formal dresses, full-body animal costumes, catsuits, and zentai suits. For those outfits and items, a staff member can help you if you'd like.
"We are going to try to keep this Challenge from lasting longer than necessary, so when you have your outfit on and are satisfied with it, press the big red button in your changing room to let us know you are ready. If all players are ready before fifteen minutes is up, we will end the round early.
"To avoid disrupting the schedule too much, if the Challenge is still going after six rounds, we will break from it to perform the Bonus Dare assignments, then return to the challenge. Another intermission will be held for supper if necessary. However, we will run the Challenge all night if we have to.
"Any questions?"
Ayla held up her hand. "Someone help Ayla read? No read good yet." Bekkler agreed, and assigned Biggs to help her.
Kid asked, "What is a 'zentai suit'?"
"A 'zentai suit' is a one-piece suit made of nylon or spandex which covers the entire body from the head to toes, including the face. It's thin enough over the face to see out of and breath through."
After a few more clarifications of details, Bekkler told those not participating they could sit in the chairs by the wall, then he officially started the Challenge.
== BONUS CHALLENGE: ROUND ONE ==
Bekkler snapped his fingers, and the rectangles on the Outfit List board filled in. The outfits were, "Shades of Gray", "Crono, Kid, or Magus", "Swimsuit", "Formal Suit or Dress", "Animal Costume", and "Genie Costume".
Bekkler said, "To be clear, option one includes black and white; you may mix shades or you may wear just one shade. In option two you must choose just one of the listed players to dress like, but you may copy any outfit or costume they've worn in the Funhouse. For option four, any animal costume will do, including anthropomorphic animals. I think the rest should be self-explanatory.
"You have fifteen minutes to complete one of these outfits. Begin!"
The participating players grabbed their carts and headed to the bin.
Ayla decided she wanted to dress up like an animal. It took a few minutes, but she found a fuzzy cat costume that looked like it would fit her (it was quite similar to Serge's, down to the fingered gloves). She headed to her changing room to try it on. It looked simple enough to put on, so she didn't bother asking for help.
Serge decided to go with something simple. He had rather liked Lynx's outfit, so he decided to put together something similar, all in black. After a few minutes of digging, he found some black pants, black boots, and even a black trench coat. Pleased with his finds, he headed to his changing room.
Kid decided to dress as either herself or Magus, depending on what she found. She also decided to keep her eye out for a swimsuit she liked. Her first finds were brown leather gloves and boots, which could work for either her normal outfit or Magus' outfit.
Meanwhile, Magus was also searching for clothing like his normal outfit. However, when he spotted some red swim-trunks in his size, he tossed them in his cart as a fall-back. This proved a good decision, as a few minutes later he saw Kid pull out a red cape and purple pants (he smirked, guessing what she was going for). Figuring that there probably wouldn't be multiple copies of his outfit in the bin, he instead looked for something else he could wear if the trunks didn't fit.
The next thing Magus found was a brown leather top; he surreptitiously tossed it to the part of the pile where Kid was searching (she quickly noticed and grabbed it, then she glanced over at him and smiled in thanks). She headed to her changing room. After a bit more searching, Magus found a pair of blue shorts that looked like they might be a little large for him, and tossed them in the cart too (figuring that he could hold them up if he had to). Wanting at least one more option, he kept searching. When he found a gorilla suit, he tossed that in his cart as whim; it wouldn't be any less dignified than his chameleon costume, and would make a good last resort. Deciding not to linger any further, he headed to his changing room.
Marle wasn't sure what outfit to pick, so she started digging through the bin for inspiration. Her first few finds weren't helpful for the current set of outfits, such as a jester's hat like Harle's, and a purple nightgown. She also found what appeared to be a rubber hood designed to cover the entire face except for the nostrils; while it was black and thus technically would work for the "Shades of Gray" outfit, Marle was sure there must be better outfit options available, so she kept looking.
Soon Marle's persistence was rewarded when she found a white blouse and white stockings. She decided to find some pants or a skirt in gray or white to go with them. However, before she could find that, she came across some transparent green harem pants, and nearby a fancy green bikini-top. She tossed those in her cart too, thinking she might be able to put together a genie outfit; she just needed a bottom to go with that bikini-top, and maybe some other details to sell the outfit.
Harle decided she wanted to put together a Genie outfit; however the section she started her search in had nothing useful to her. She was quite annoyed when she saw Marle grab the transparent harem pants; they were just in Harle's style too! Continuing to dig through the pile, she came across a black one-piece garment that might be mistaken for a bathing suit except that it left the shoulders bare. Nearby was a pair of fishnet stockings, high heels, and a bunny-ears headband. Realizing they all went to the same costume and looked like they would fit her, she grabbed them all.
Meanwhile, searching further in the same area she found the bikini-top, Marle found the matching bottom. Since she still had a bit of time, she kept digging around. Her next find was a gray skirt like she had been looking for earlier; she grabbed it just in case her "genie" outfit didn't fit. Near the bottom of the bin she found a pair of bracelets made of thin gold-colored chain, which she thought would suit the genie outfit. With those in her cart, she headed to her changing room.
Crono decided to dress like himself. Digging through the bin, he was able to find tan pants in his size (though not as baggy as his normal pants), a green t-shirt, and green socks. He found a yellow scarf, which he figured would be close enough to his normal bandanna. He could not find a tunic like the one he normally wore, but he did find a light-blue vest which he thought ought to do. All this searching took time, and he started to worry he'd run out of time, so he decided to take a chance and not bother with boots. He rushed back to his changing room, leaving Leena the last one at the bin.
Leena decided to try to find a formal dress, as she'd love to have one. It took her far longer than she liked to find something she liked in her size (it didn't help that most of the clothing was costumes or every-day clothing, and the bin wasn't organized), but finally she found something and hobbled to her changing room as fast as she could on her crystal-covered leg.
As Leena made her way to her changing room, Bekkler warned, "Five minutes to go. Those of you not dressed yet should hurry up!"
When Leena made it to the changing room, Annette offered to help her put it on; Leena agreed.
A few minutes later, Bekkler called out, "Time! Everyone come out of your dressing rooms now."
Everyone opened their doors and stepped out, except Leena. Bekkler said, "Leena, if you don't open the door now, you will be disqualified."
She opened the door; her dress had clearly been thrown on quickly, and she was still adjusting it as she stepped out reluctantly.
Bekkler said, "Alright then. When we call out your name, tell us what outfit your outfit is supposed to be." He paused, then said, "Ayla?"
"Ayla wear animal costume!" Her cat costume was a little loose on her, and looked a bit wrinkled, but it was staying on.
Bekkler glanced at Chronos and Marian, who each nodded. "Ayla, you pass. ...Crono?"
"Myself," Crono said. The judges had to discuss this one, as Crono didn't normally wear socks without boots, but eventually Bekkler announced, "It's a little incomplete, but we'll accept it. You pass. ...Harle?"
Bekkler had said that any animal costume would do, so Harle figured her sexy bunny outfit ought to count. "I am ze animal, of course!"
Bekkler glanced at Chronos and Marian. Chronos shrugged and said, "Sure." Marian added, "Why not?"
Bekkler announced, "Harle, you pass. ...Kid?"
Kid flourished her cape and replied, "Magus, obviously."
The pants were a bit loose and bunched up at the boots, the cape dragged on the ground, and the top didn't fit quite right either, but the outfit still looked a lot like Magus' normal outfit, and the Judges agreed. "Kid, you pass. ...Leena?"
"Formal dress," Leena replied,
"You pass. ...Magus?"
Magus was wearing the red trunks; they were a little short on him (showing quite a bit of leg) but otherwise fit. "Swimsuit."
"You pass. ...Marle?"
Marle struck a pose, her left hand on her hip. "Genie."
"You pass. ...Finally, Serge?"
"Shades of Gray," Serge replied (even though the only shade was black).
"You pass."
Bekkler looked over the contestants. "I'm impressed, you all made it through the first round. However, we will be a bit more strict in future rounds. No incomplete outfits, and once you open the door no adjusting the outfit any further.
"Now, I'd like you all to go get any clothing you took from the bin but did not wear this round, and return it to the Bin, then we can begin round two."
== BONUS CHALLENGE: ROUNDTWO ==
Once they had done that, Bekkler said, "Now on to round two!" He snapped his fingers, and the Outfit List changed. The list now read, "Shades of Red", "Marle or Serge", "Sleepwear", "Royalty", "Dog", and "Mer-person or Naga".
Bekkler explained, "Shades of Red includes pink. As before, you must choose Marle or Serge, not both. Royalty can be King, Queen, Prince, Princess, Pharaoh, or anything of that sort, but it must be a formal outfit not just casual clothes someone royal might happen to wear.
"Now, begin!"
Ayla decided to look for a Dog outfit, clothing fit for royalty, or maybe an outfit like Marle's normal outfit.
Crono decided to go for either Serge's outfit or sleepwear, but he intended to keep an open mind.
Harle decided to look for Shades of Red, sleepwear, or clothing for a Queen.
Kid started looking for things in red.
Leena decided to look for modest sleepwear, or maybe Serge's outfit.
Magus decided that all the options sounded acceptable, but the ideal outfit would be clothing fit for a King of Zeal or the Mystics.
Marle had worn more than enough royal clothing, so she had no interest in one of those outfits. She was also getting tired of the Naga costume she'd been wearing for the past several rounds of the Funhouse, and didn't think the mermaid costume would be any better. Instead, she decided to keep her eyes out for an outfit like her own, or maybe a dog costume.
Serge decided to look out for his normal outfit or maybe some sleepwear.
The first person to put something in their cart was Magus, who found a shimmery blue-and-purple mer-person tail in his size. Not wanting to count on it fitting, he kept looking.
Harle soon found a crown and a red pajama top. She kept searching.
Crono found some gloves and a chain-mail vest which resembled the ones Serge wore. Serge found a bandanna like the one he normally wore, some red socks, and boots. Leena found a black t-shirt and blue shorts. Leena and Serge noticed what they had done, and agreed that whichever of them found something else to wear first would pass their parts of Serge's outfit on to the other.
It took a few minutes, but Leena eventually found a pretty and modest nightgown in her size. She grabbed it, gave the shirt and shorts to Serge, and headed for her changing room.
Around the same time, Ayla found baggy white pants like the ones Marle liked to wear, while Marle found a shoulder-less white top like her normal outfit. Neither realized the other one had the other part of the outfit.
A couple of minutes later, Marle found a fuzzy full-body dog costume. "Oh, this is cute!" It had paw-like mittens (without separate fingers or thumbs) rather than gloves, but Marle figured she could put up with that until she found her outfit for the next round. After checking it was a good size for her, she put it in her cart and tossed the white top in the bin. Her attention having been drawn by Marle's exclamation, Ayla quickly snapped up the top.
Ayla still had more searching to do, though – she needed an armored belt, sandals, and hopefully some arm-bands and a hair tie.
Magus found a purple cape fit for a king, but nothing else for a King costume. Instead as his backup to the mer-person tail, he grabbed a pair of black silk boxers. He put the cape back and headed to the changing room.
Harle grabbed the cape Magus had discarded, but still needed a dress or robes to complete her Queen costume. Instead she found some black silk pajama pants. She kept searching for a while for more royal gear, but eventually gave up. Discarding the crown and cape, she headed to her changing room.
With time growing short, Crono found a naga tail that would fit him. He put that in his cart and tossed the gloves and vest back in the bin. Serge quickly grabbed them, and headed back to his own changing room.
Ayla found some arm-bands, a hair tie, and sandals with plenty of time to spare, but time was almost up by the time she finally found a proper armored belt. She rushed back to her changing room.
With a few minutes to spare, Kid found a pink shirt, the last thing she needed to complete her all-red outfit (she had already found a red vest, red skirt, red bikini bottom (just in case someone saw under her skirt, though she would be pretty upset if that happened) and red sandals).
In the changing room Ayla discovered that the sandals she'd found didn't fit properly. Playing around with the straps, she managed to get her feet into them but it was uncomfortable and her toes stuck out the front. The armored belt didn't fit either, and she couldn't adjust it enough to fit. She hoped the costume wouldn't be considered incomplete without it.
As each player finished getting changed and pushed their button, a light lit up above their changing room. With a few minutes to spare, the last light came on, and Bekkler announced, "Everyone has pushed their buttons. You may come out now."
Once everyone was out, Bekkler announced, "Ayla, would you please state what your outfit is?"
"Ayla wear Marle clothes!"
Bekkler conferred with the other judges, then said, "I'm sorry, Ayla, but your outfit is incomplete. I'm afraid you've failed the Challenge."
Ayla sighed. "Ayla afraid of that..."
"Please go change back into your tunic, then return to the bin all the clothes you've taken from the bin, including your outfit from last round.
"In the mean time, Crono, what is your outfit?"
"I'm a naga." The tail looked a bit tight, but he had manged to get it on and crawl out of the changing room.
Bekkler, Chronos and Marian agreed. "Crono, you pass."
"Harle?"
"Yes?"
Bekkler sighed. "What is your outfit?"
Harle twirled around to show off her pajamas. "Why, sleepwear, of course!"
"You pass. ...Kid?"
Kid smiled and said almost proudly, "Shades of red." (It had taken a lot of work to find the red skirt and vest and pink shirt, and she also liked the fact that she'd put something together that clearly wasn't specifically designed to go together.)
"You pass. ...Leena?"
"Sleepwear."
"You pass. ...Magus?"
"Mer-person." The tail fit him well, and the colors seemed natural against his skin.
"You pass. ...Marle?"
Marle knelt in a classic begging position, and said, "Woof!" She giggled. "I mean, dog."
"You pass. ...Serge?"
"Myself."
"You pass. So everyone but Ayla passes Round Two. Please return your unused clothing to the bin, and we'll start round three." Ayla had finished getting changed by this point, so he added, "Ayla, you can stay in the default tunic for now if you want to stay and watch; otherwise you should go change back into your cavewoman costume (the actual costume from your dare, not your normal outfit)."
Ayla decided to stay and watch.
== BONUS CHALLENGE: ROUND THREE ==
When all the extra clothes were back in the bin, Bekkler announced, "Let round three begin!" He snapped his fingers and the Outfit List changed. "Royalty" remained, but the rest of the list now read, "Shades of Yellow-Orange", "Frog or Leena", "Underwear", "Cat", and "Sexy Animal-Person".
Leena complained quietly to Serge, "I knew something like this would happen..."
"You mean the 'underwear' option?"
"Exactly."
Meanwhile, Bekkler explained, "Yellow-Orange includes plain yellow and plain orange.
"The 'Frog' in 'Frog or Leena' is your companion, and you only need to reproduce his outfit, not his appearance.
"Underwear includes any level one articles but only level one articles. As with all the other outfits, you must use items from the bin; they are all clean. If you choose this outfit, you should leave your default underwear in the changing room.
"We put some specially-designed sexy animal-person costumes in the bin, but if you can put together something that is sexy and strongly invokes an animal, we'll accept that as well.
"And, begin!"
As the players headed to the bin, Crono was reminded how hard it was to move around in a costume tail like he was wearing, and Magus discovered it for the first time. Both regretted their outfit choices somewhat. Marle soon discovered that picking up clothes with her costume's "paws" was rather challenging; she didn't let it discourage her, but she did take a mental note to think carefully before accepting an animal costume dare.
Both Magus and Harle continued looking for clothing to fit their idea of "royalty".
None of the current contestants liked yellow or orange enough to want to build an outfit around the theme, though as usual Crono kept it in mind as a fall back option.
Leena kept an eye out for clothing similar to her normal outfit. No one looked specifically for a Frog outfit, but Crono kept an eye out for such clothing.
Marle decided to look for some underwear that would fit her and looked good; after the past day she rather liked the idea of having an excuse to wear only her underwear in public. Harle also kept an eye out for underwear she'd like to wear, but she specifically wanted sexy underwear.
Serge focused his attention on trying to find a cat costume. Kid also decided to focus on finding a cat costume, as none of the other options really appealed to her. They both started in the general area where Ayla's cat costume had been put back, but as the pile had been dug through since then it took a little bit to find it. Serge found it first, and holding it up decided it ought to fit him. He headed back to his changing room.
No one specifically looked for a sexy animal costume, but Harle did keep an eye out for one.
Kid kept looking for a cat costume, but after several minutes of searching the only thing she could find was a black rubber cowl with the molded ears and upper muzzle of a cat (the cowl had openings for the eyes and nostrils, and the muzzle ended at the upper lip, leaving the mouth and lower jaw uncovered). In case she couldn't find anything better, she tossed it in her cart. Nearby she found black rubber boots and mittens, all made to look like paws; she wasn't happy with the mittens but tossed them and the boots in her cart anyway. Finally, after a little more digging, she found what she assumed was the final part of the costume: a black rubber catsuit with a built in tail; she wasn't sure whether to consider herself lucky that it seemed roughly her size (she was a bit concerned by the chest area, which seemed a bit small for her breasts; on the other hand the rubber did have a bit of stretch, so it might work).
Not sure she wanted to wear this outfit, and not wanting to count on it all fitting, Kid kept searching through the bin for several more minutes.
Meanwhile, Crono found boots and gloves that would work for Frog's outfit, and began focusing a bit more on finding the rest of that outfit.
Harle found some lacy and daringly cut panties and a matching bra, both in red. She put them in her cart, but kept looking for a Queen's outfit.
Magus found some elegant and opulent purple robes, and a matching cape. He grabbed a crown for good measure. The final items for his outfit were some nice looking boots. With his outfit in his cart, he headed for his changing room.
Leena found a dress similar to her favorite dress, as well as some purple socks. However, finding the proper sandals and a shawl proved more challenging.
As he continued digging, Crono came across some bright orange pants. As a fall-back, he tossed them in his cart.
Leena came across a white sports bra. As it wasn't in her size, and she was still annoyed at the "outfit" suggestion of dressing in only underwear, she tossed it to the side with more energy than usual. It happened to land nearly in front of Marle, who quickly picked it up (or as quickly as she could with her costume's "paws").
Marle realized to her surprise it was close enough to her size that she ought to be able to wear it. Now all she needed was some matching panties.
Crono saw when Marle tossed the bra in her cart. He hadn't dared to hope she would go for the underwear outfit, but with this evidence he poked her to get her attention then pointed to a pair of white conservatively cut panties he'd uncovered earlier.
Marle smiled and said quietly, "Thanks". Examining the panties she found they too were close enough to her size for her to wear. Putting them in her cart, she headed to her changing room.
With time getting low, Kid decided to just go with the catsuit she'd found. As she headed to the changing room, one of the staff offered to help her put it on, and she accepted.
Crono, Leena, and Harle were still looking for articles for their preferred outfits when Bekkler warned them, "Five minutes to go. You'd better hurry up."
Realizing they'd have to go with their fall-back plans, Crono tossed the Frog outfit items back in the bin, Harle tossed what royal items she'd found in the bin, and the two headed for the changing room.
Leena began desperately looking through the bin for anything she didn't mind wearing that would fit one of the outfits. Finally she found the grass skirt, midriff-baring palm-print tank-top, and flower necklace of an "Islander" costume. It was a lot skimpier than she felt like wearing that day, but she had worn one in the Funhouse before, so it ought to count as a "Leena" outfit. She grabbed it and raced back to the changing room.
Unfortunately, she was too late. She had just closed the door and started pulling off her nightgown when Bekkler announced that time was up. With a sigh she put the gown back on and opened the door.
When everyone came out, most male eyes turned to Marle and Harle in their underwear. Crono focused most of his attention on Marle, even though she was actually wearing more than she had been most of the morning and previous afternoon. Meanwhile, many of the girls (and Marle in particular) were admiring Crono's bare chest. Lucca split her attention between Crono and Marle.
Kid felt a little ridiculous and a lot exposed in her form-fitting rubber cat costume. She was rather glad Marle and Harle were drawing much of the attention away from her. However, Magus wasn't distracted; with a slight smirk he commented, "Cute costume." Serge also seemed to be paying a lot of attention to her as well, and it was clear he thought it was more than "cute".
Leena scowled at annoyance, she walked over to him and coughed meaningfully. Serge gave her a sheepish grin.
Bekkler spoke up, "Time to judge your outfits. Crono?"
Crono gestured towards his pants and said, "Orange."
Bekkler chuckled. "Having the only thing you're wearing be the specified color does technically count. You pass.
"Harle?"
"Yes?"
Bekkler sighed. "What is your outfit?"
"I do not understand why you must ask. Zere is really only one t'ing it could be, no?"
"We don't want anyone passing by accident because we assumed they were trying for a different outfit than what they were. Now what is your outfit?"
"Underwear, of course."
"You pass. ...Kid?"
Kid figured her costume could count as either "cat" or "sexy animal", but it seemed more appropriate for the latter, so she told Bekkler, "I'm gonna call this 'sexy animal'."
Bekkler quickly checked with the other judges, but they all agreed. "You pass."
He turned to Leena. "Leena, that's the same outfit you were wearing last round, so you are disqualified."
Leena sighed. "I know, I ran out of time."
"Please get changed back into your tunic, and return the rest of your clothing to the bin."
Leena headed back into the changing room.
Bekkler continued, "Magus?"
"Royalty."
"You pass. ...Marle?"
"Underwear."
"You pass. ...Serge?"
"Cat."
"You pass. Everyone, please return any spare clothes to the bin, and we'll begin round four."
== BONUS CHALLENGE: ROUND FOUR ==
After returning her clothing to the bin, Leena went over and sat with the other spectators.
No one else had any clothing to return, so Bekkler said, "Let round four begin!" He snapped his fingers, and the Outfit List changed to "Shades of Green", "Frog or Leena", "Sexy Swimwear, Sleepwear, or Underwear", "Pirate or Ninja", "Rabbit", and "Rubber and/or Plastic only".
Bekkler said, "For 'sexy swimwear, sleepwear or underwear', you should pick only one of those options, unless the sexy sleepwear shows off your underwear. Not just any articles will do; they must be sexier than the average article and designed to be seen.
"For 'rubber and/or plastic only', every visible article you wear must be made out of rubber or plastic, and you must wear at least one article.
"Any questions? ...Then begin!"
Crono decided to look for a Pirate or Ninja costume, while also keeping his eyes out for a Frog outfit and clothing in green.
Harle started looking for sexy sleepwear or underwear, or a rabbit costume (she wished she could re-use her current bra and panties for the sexy underwear, or her previous rabbit costume for the current rabbit outfit).
Kid decided to look for a bikini or a ninja outfit, and also keep an eye out for green clothing as a backup. However, now it was her turn to discover the challenge of digging through and picking up clothing with "paws". She had an even harder time of it than Marle, as her rubber paw-mittens weren't very flexible; in order to pick up clothing she had to hold it between her hands. She just hoped the handicap didn't cost her the challenge.
Magus decided to look for a pirate or ninja costume.
Marle decided to look for sexy sleepwear or underwear, or possibly a rabbit costume.
Serge decided to look for Pirate or Ninja, with green as a backup.
Magus found a pirate cap and a fancy period-appropriate coat. Crono and Serge also found articles that could work for a pirate outfit, but none of them could find an entire outfit.
Kid found a black ninja-mask and with great difficulty put it in her cart. She kept looking for black clothing to go with it. Crono, Magus, and Serge all found a few articles that could work for a ninja costume, but none of them could find a mask.
Marle found a fluffy white rabbit costume, but it was a bit large for her. She put it in her cart anyway, but kept looking.
Kid's next find was a green full-body frog costume (designed so the wearer's face would stick out of its' "mouth"). Figuring it would work for a "green" outfit, she maneuvered it into her cart. Not super enthused about it, she went back to looking for ninja items.
Harle found a transparent pink teddy, and a bit later some lacy white panties. Deciding to call that good, she headed for the changing rooms.
When Crono found an armored breast-plate like Frog's, he excitedly dug back up the gloves and boots he'd found in the previous round. It took him several more minutes (during which time he had almost completed a pirate outfit), but he finally found white breaches and a brown cape. Putting the spare clothing back in the bin, he took the Frog-style outfit back to his changing room.
Magus and Serge quickly began grabbing the items Crono had put back. Magus managed to grab a pair of pants and black leather boots appropriate for a pirate, while Serge grabbed a striped shirt and an eye-patch.
Magus decided to make do with a simple white button-down shirt to go with the pirate costume. Putting it in his cart and discarding the ninja articles he had, he headed to his changing room.
Serge and Kid grabbed for the ninja articles; Serge got black sandals and socks to add to black pants he already had; Kid only manged to pick up a gi top, and hadn't yet put it in her cart when Serge went to grab it and saw her holding it. Realizing he had just taken things Kid wanted, Serge apologized.
Kid shook her head. "It's all part of the challenge." Looking at the clock, she realized that they were getting low on time. "You know what, you can have these too." She dropped the gi back in the bin, then (with some difficulty) fished the ninja mask out of her cart and put it back in the bin as well.
"Really? Thanks!"
"I wouldn't have had time ta finish the Ninja outfit anyway."
She headed to the changing rooms with her frog costume, and Serge headed there with his ninja costume. (A staff member joined Kid to help her get her catsuit off.)
With time getting low, Marle also gave up on her search for a better outfit, and headed to the changing rooms with her rabbit costume.
Despite so many players cutting things close to the end, they were all ready with a minute or so to spare.
Bekkler told them all to come out, and began asking about their costumes.
"Crono?"
Crono held up his fist and made a muscle, like Frog was known to do. "Frog."
"You pass. ...Harle, what is your outfit?"
"Ze sexy sleepwear."
"You pass. ...Kid?"
Kid was certain she looked quite silly in her costume, and couldn't stop herself from blushing. Distracted by her embarrassment, she almost told Bekkler she was in a "frog" costume; luckily she caught herself in time. Instead, she told him, "Shades of Green."
"A clever use of resources. You pass.
"Magus?"
"Pirate." He had closed his jacket up, in order to help disguise the fact that the shirt didn't quite fit.
It worked. "You pass. ...Marle?"
"Rabbit!"
"You pass. ...Serge?"
"Ninja."
"You pass. Looks like all of you will be moving on to round five. Please return any unworn clothing, and we'll continue."
== BONUS CHALLENGE: ROUND FIVE ==
"On to round five!" Bekkler snapped his fingers, and the Outfit List changed to "Shades of Blue", "Lucca or Pierre", "Accessories and Costume Articles Only", "Witch or Wizard", "Mouse", and "Rubber or Plastic Only".
Bekkler explained, "'Accessories and Costume Articles Only' means you can only wear articles we would count as accessories on the clothing lists, and articles which are part of a costume but don't count as regular articles on the clothing lists; no pants, shirts, shoes, underwear, and so on. Note you must wear at least one accessory or costume article to make this outfit."
Leena stood up. "That's it. Serge, come on, we're leaving."
"But I'm still playing the challenge!"
"Marle or Harle is probably going to go with that so-called outfit, and I don't want you around to stare at them. There aren't any consequences for forfeiting this Challenge, so you might as well just quit."
Serge with frustration in his voice, "I promise not to stare at them, okay?"
"I don't want you glancing at them naked either. Why does this Challenge even matter to you? I didn't think you were interested in clothes." Leena sounded a bit angry.
"I just don't want to quit in the middle of a Challenge!"
Her voice louder than it needed to be, Leena reminded him, "You said we would leave if we didn't like how the challenge went!"
"I didn't expect you to decide for both of us!" Serge practically shouted.
Leena shouted back, "Fine! You can keep playing dress-up if it matters so much to you! I'm going back to the Red Room." With that she turned and stormed off as best she could on her crystal-covered leg.
Bekkler coughed. "So, does anyone have any questions about these outfits?"
Kid held up a webbed hand. "Hold on." She went over to Serge and told him, "This challenge isn't worth it, Serge. Go after her."
Serge sighed. "I guess you're right." He turned to Bekkler. "I quit the Challenge."
"Fine. Go get changed back into your tunic and return your clothes to the bin before you go."
Serge did so, and headed out.
After Serge had left, Bekkler said, "So as I was saying, any questions?" There were none, so he said, "In that case, begin!"
Crono began looking for clothing in blue.
Kid started looking for articles she could use to put together an outfit like Lucca's ordinary clothes. As she searched, she was relieved to find that the webbing between the fingers of the frog costume's hands didn't interfere in her ability to hold things.
Marle toyed with the idea of dressing like Lucca, but she was also tempted by the "Accessories and Costume Articles Only" outfit; wearing so little sounded a little bit scary, but also exciting. She had came to enjoy wearing just her underwear once she'd gotten over the worst of her nervousness, and she suspected going without her underwear entirely might be the same way.
Harle started looking for some good accessories; she figured the Accessories/Costume Articles outfit would be a nice easy outfit to put together.
Amused at the thought, Magus started looking for a Wizard outfit. Crono also kept an eye out for one.
Crono and Marle both kept their eyes out for a mouse costume, though it wasn't a high priority for either of them.
As in the previous round, everyone ignored the "rubber or plastic" option.
After a few minutes of digging, Harle had found a chain necklace, a pair of sunglasses, and a rainbow-Afro wig. Deciding to call that good, she headed for her changing room.
As with the dog costume, the "paws" of Marle's rabbit costume made it harder to grab things, but not enough to be a major obstacle. After several minutes of searching, she found a couple of bracelets and a pendant. Not sure if she would be confident enough to step out of the changing room wearing only accessories, she kept looking for other options.
Crono found some blue jeans and a blue button-down shirt. Hoping for some footwear and maybe a jacket, he kept looking.
Kid found a green shirt and socks, and an orange tunic. However, she couldn't find shorts like Lucca wore, or a helmet like Lucca's. She also was hoping to find a pair of glasses, but couldn't find them either.
As Magus searched, he mused on the absurdity of the idea of there being a specific kind of "wizard outfit". He was a master magic user himself (a "magus", no less) so he ought to be able to just dress as himself. However, he knew the sort of things people tended to imagine wizards wearing, so that's what he tried to find.
After a while, Magus found a hooded black cloak. He felt this would work well, but he would need some robes to wear under it. He kept looking.
When she found a helmet like Lucca's, Marle realized she really needed to decide what outfit she was going to wear. Dressing like Lucca (or in a mouse costume) sounded fun, but if she was honest with herself she really wanted to do the "accessories only" outfit, even if it was scary. She now had a number of different types of bracelets, the one pendant, a gold necklace, and a tiara, so she had plenty of accessories for the outfit.
Taking a deep breath, she put everything but the accessories back in the bin, and headed for her changing room with her cart.
It wasn't too long before Kid spotted the Lucca-helmet, and grabbed that. She had also found some leather boots, so all she needed were shorts and hopefully glasses.
A few minutes later, Magus found some black robes. He hadn't found any foot-wear that would suit the outfit, but time was running short so he decided he would just go barefoot. He headed for the changing room.
In her changing room, Marle had taken off all her clothes and put on the jewelry she'd found. She had enough bracelets she even wore some as anklets. Now she was sitting there nervously, wondering if she was going to be brave enough to open the door when the time came. She found herself going back and forth between wishing she had gotten a backup outfit, and being glad she hadn't because it made it harder for her to back out of her decision.
When Bekkler gave a five minute warning, Crono headed for his changing room with his finds (in addition to the pants and shirt, he had found a vest; he had also found some blue-and-white sneakers but had decided not to risk them as they weren't completely blue).
Kid began desperately searching through the bin as fast as she could for some black shorts – or for parts for any other outfit she'd be willing to wear. With only a few minutes to spare, she came across a fuzzy full-body mouse costume. Figuring it was no worse than her current frog costume (the hands even had separate fingers), she put it in her cart and headed for her changing room.
She didn't even bother putting her "Lucca" clothes back in the bin; she needed every second she could get, and she figured if the mouse costume didn't fit she'd have it as a backup. Sure, it wasn't complete, but the tunic was long enough that the fact she wouldn't be wearing shorts wouldn't be immediately obvious, so the biggest issue would be lack of glasses.
It turned out she wouldn't have had time to put on the Lucca outfit anyway; her assistant (the maid Martha) was pulling up the zipper on the mouse costume (Kid needed the help because the zipper was on the back of the costume) when Bekkler called out "Time's up!". Martha got it up to the back of Kid's neck before Kid had to step out.
Once again, Marle and Harle were the centers of attention. Harle acted like she didn't even notice the attention, but Marle blushed and held her legs together and her left hand and right arm over her crotch. (She was tempted to cover her breasts too, but she couldn't do that with her petrified right arm, and if she switched she wouldn't be able to cover as much of her crotch. She calmed herself by reminding herself that everyone there but Chronos and a few staff members had already seen her bare breasts.)
Crono and Lucca stared at Marle the longest, and Lucca spoke for both of them when she said, "I can't believe she actually did it!"
Bekkler said, "Okay, let's get to judging your outfits. Crono?"
Crono tugged at his blue vest. "Shades of Blue."
"You pass. ...Harle, what is your outfit?"
Harle flicked her necklace, and adjusted her sunglasses. "Accessories and Costume things."
"You pass. ...Kid?"
"Mouse."
"You pass. ...Magus?"
Magus flourished his black cloak dramatically. "Wizard."
There was a brief conference between the judged, then Bekkler announced, "You pass. ...Marle?"
"Accessories only."
"You pass.
"Congratulations to all of you for passing round five! Please return all your unused clothes to the bin."
Kid was relieved that no one complained about her cart still being full of clothing. As she put it back, she made sure to take note where she put the Lucca outfit articles, as based on the way the Outfit List had worked so far that option ought to carry over into the next round.
o-o-o-o
Leena had just sat down after getting back into her pirate costume when the Red Room door opened. Thanks to the position of the couch and the fact that she couldn't turn her head, she had to twist her body awkwardly to see who it was; she was surprised to see it was Serge. "What are you doing here?" she asked with a bit of an edge to her voice. "The next round isn't over already is it?"
"No, I decided to quit after all. And I'm sorry about getting angry at you. I know how you feel about nudity, I just..." He trailed off then sighed. "Anyway, I'm sorry."
Leena considered his apology for a moment, then deciding it seemed heartfelt, said, "I'm sorry about getting angry at you, too." Getting uncomfortable with the position she was in, she returned to her original sitting position with her back against the back of the couch.
Serge went to get changed back into his cat costume, while Leena started reading her latest book.
o-o-o-o
== BONUS CHALLENGE: ROUND SIX ==
Bekkler announced, "On to round six!" He snapped his fingers, and the list changed to "Shades of Purple", "Lucca or Pierre", "Nude", "Angel or Demon", "Horse", and "Rubber or Plastic Only".
Bekkler explained, "Shades of Purple includes indigo and violet. Nude means no clothing whatsoever. Any questions?"
Kid said, "Yeah, how is 'no clothing' an 'outfit'?"
"Well, it does depend on how exactly one defines 'outfit', but Chronos argued that when putting together an outfit, what you don't wear is just as important as what you do wear. Since he is the creator and financial backer for the Funhouse, we decided not to argue too much."
When most of the players looked his way (some, like Kid, scowling), Chronos just grinned and shrugged.
Bekkler said, "Any other questions?" When no one had any, he said, "Then you may begin!"
Kid immediately headed to the bin and pulled out the Lucca clothing. She then resumed her search for black shorts and eye glasses.
Harle and Marle glanced at each other, and Marle shrugged. Not bothering to even go to the bin they both headed back into their changing rooms. Marle closed the door (it had been nerve wracking standing there essentially naked for everyone to see, and she wanted to use the opportunity to get a little privacy for a few minutes and regain her composure); Harle left hers open so she could watch everyone at work.
Crono wasn't sure what outfit to look for, so he kept his eye out for items that would go with any of them. He also toyed with going naked to show support for Marle, but he didn't think he was that confident.
Magus started looking for purple clothing, while also keeping his eyes out for angel or demon wings and any other articles that would go with those costumes.
Several minutes in, Magus had found a purple tunic and a harness with large white feathered fake wings. He figured that was enough to make either an all purple or angel outfit, however, wanting to have a more extensive outfit he kept looking.
Crono's lack of focus meant he wound up with a mix of articles for different outfits, but nothing he considered a complete outfit. With time getting low, he found himself with purple socks, a fancy shirt like Pierre might wear, a yellow plastic rain coat, and a headband with red horns on it.
It took most of the round, but Kid finally found the shorts and glasses she was looking for. With a little over five minutes to spare, she headed back to her changing room.
When Bekkler sounded the five minute warning, Magus headed back to his changing room without hesitation. Crono quickly dug through the pile for anything that would allow him to complete one of the outfits without leaving his private parts exposed (not only was he reluctant to let others see them, but if he was going to do that he might as well just go naked).
Finally, he found a pair of blue rubber pants. The label said it was his size, though he thought they looked a little small. Deciding to chance it, he tossed the clothing he didn't need in the bin, and headed for his changing room.
In the changing room, Crono undressed completely, as he could tell the pants would be too tight for him to wear his briefs under them. It was slow, hard work pulling up the pants, as they were so snug (it also pulled on his leg hair uncomfortably). It took a few minutes, but he finally managed to get them up all the way; they fit but were tight enough to be uncomfortable in places(and his private parts made a very apparent bulge in the crotch area, though at least the details weren't visible). He was still adjusting it to take the pressure off the uncomfortable areas (and to get enough give at the joints to allow him to move naturally) when Bekkler called "Time". He quickly pulled on his rain coat (not bothering to close it), and stepped out.
Crono and Marle looked each other over; there shouldn't have been anything new for Crono to see, since all she had taken off was jewelry, however Marle was a little bit more confident now and didn't cover her crotch this time (she didn't clench her legs together either, though she still did keep them fairly close together). Thanks to his tight pants Marle saw just how much he liked what he saw; she blushed and smiled as she admired his bare chest and the contours of his legs (not to mention his bulge).
Meanwhile, Kid called out, "What do ya think, Sis?"
Lucca called back, "Nice, but you should have gone with my upgraded look!" She gestured to her armor.
Kid chuckled.
Bekkler said, "Let's get judging. Crono, what is your outfit?"
"Rubber and plastic."
"You pass. ...Harle, your outfit?"
"Why, nude, of course!"
"You pass. ...Kid?"
"Lucca."
"You pass. ...Magus?"
Magus was dressed in a purple tunic, indigo tights, and violet boots. "Shades of Purple."
"You pass. ...Marle?"
"Naked." Her blush intensified just saying it.
"Technically, the term on the list is 'nude'," Bekkler pointed out.
"You know what I mean."
"Right. You pass.
"As I mentioned earlier, we're going to break now for Bonus Dare assignment. We'll return to the Challenge afterwards. If you have unused clothes please return them to the bin; after that we'll all head to the Dare Room."
Marle went pale. "You mean, dressed like this?"
"You can change back into your white tunic from the start of the Challenge if you'd prefer, but you'll need to change back into this 'outfit' (or lack thereof) before the next round begins."
Crono asked Marle quietly, "What's wrong?"
Marle replied equally quietly, "The thought of leaving the Challenge room naked makes it all feel more real..."
Crono reminded her, "The only people who will be there that aren't here are Leena and Serge."
Marle took a deep breath. "I suppose you're right... Of course Leena isn't going to be happy with me if I go out there naked..."
Lucca reached the two of them in time to hear this last bit, and she said, "If Leena makes a fuss, Crono and I will defend you. Also, don't forget that Harle is going to be naked too."
"Thanks... But I just don't know. I hadn't planned on being naked for that long..."
Crono said in a supportive tone, "Well, if you'd feel more comfortable with the tunic, maybe you should put it back on..."
After thinking about it for a few more moments, Marle dashed back into her changing room and pulled on her tunic and the default underwear. No one else bothered to change their outfit (but Crono did take a moment to discretely adjust his pants).
o-o-o-o
A knock on the door interrupted Leena and Serge's reading. Serge answered, to find Wedge there; he informed them it was time for Bonus Dare selection.
"I don't suppose they're done with the Challenge yet?" Leena asked as she got up.
"Not yet, it's just on hold until after Bonus Dare assignment."
"Please at least tell me everyone is fully clothed."
"Sorry, Harle is naked right now. Marle was naked too, but she was putting on the default tunic when I left."
Leena sighed. "Just great. We're not allowed to sit out dare selection, are we?"
"No, I'm afraid not."
"Okay, well I guess we'll just have to deal with it..." As they headed to the Dare Room, Leena told Serge, "I'd better not catch you staring at Harle..."
o-o-o-o
Once everyone had met in the Dare Room, Bekkler told them all, "Welcome to the Round Six Bonus Dare selection. In order to get back to the Bonus Challenge as quickly as possible, those of you who are still participating in the Challenge will be allowed to wait until after you're out of the Challenge to begin your dares. Everyone else will need to begin as soon as possible after Dare Selection is complete, as usual.
"However, before we get to dare selection, I have a few things to go over. First of all, as we have a new player, I should probably go over the rules of the Bonus Dare selection again..." Bekkler proceeded to describe the basics of Bonus Dare selection for Magus.
After that, Bekkler said, "Moving on, as Chronos mentioned yesterday, we've made some changes to the Dare Wheel, and completely reworked the dare list. We've also made some minor changes to the rules.
"I'll explain most of the changes as they become relevant, but there were a few things I wanted to cover in advance.
"Spinning a Jack now means that your dare is a 'Neo Serial Dare'. Just like the original Serial Dares that Robo and Harle are performing, these dares consist of a series of steps that you will carry out over a number of rounds; likely the rest of the game or close to it. However, Neo Serial Dares can be received as either a Bonus Dare or a Penalty Dare, and do not prevent you from receiving future Bonus Dares. If you receive one as a Bonus Dare you shall get six points for it no matter what you bet, and you shall get an additional six points for it at each subsequent Bonus Dare assignment so long as you are still performing it – however if you forfeit the dare you loose all points you won for it.
"Roleplaying dares now last for one round or until you get a new Roleplaying dare, whichever comes first. This will not affect Harle's Serial Dare, as those roleplays already lasted one round each.
"Starting this round, we are introducing 'Special Articles': a type of clothing article that is not part of your normal list, and which once you agree to wear you must wear for the rest of the game. If you receive a dare involving a Special Article, you may use a voucher to avoid it. Note that many types of restraint that are worn are now classified as Special Articles, meaning in some cases it may be possible to use vouchers to avoid restraint dares.
"Finally, we are making a change to how Team Dares work. In the past, except for certain roleplaying dares, each participating player would receive the exact same dare. However, from this point on while the basic dare will be the same for all the players, the details will be selected individually and may vary.
"Do you have any questions about these changes?"
Serge asked, "Can we use vouchers to end restraint dares we're already doing?"
"I'm sorry, but no; you accepted those dares with the understanding they would be for the rest of the game, and we're not going to change that now. For what it's worth, your cast dare wouldn't have qualified, anyway."
"Oh. That's too bad."
"Any other questions?"
No one had any, so Bekkler said, "In that case, the next item on the agenda is voting on Harle's 'dim witted' roleplay. That of course means you may stop that roleplay, Harle."
"Zank goodness. Pretending to be less intelligent zan I truly am waz very unpleasant."
The staff handed out cards for the players to vote, and then Bekkler tallied them up (adding in one extra card representing the staff consensus). "Harle, you got six out of eleven votes. A close call, but you may continue your Serial Dare for another round."
Harle shook her head. "Oh dear, it appears my performance was too subtle for some people..."
Bekkler said, "With that, we can finally get to dare selection. As she won the Escape Artist Challenge, Harle shall be Gray Team's representative. The Red Team player to perform the best in that Challenge was Ayla, so she shall be the Red Team representative. If you'd both come up and spin the Dare Wheel?"
Harle spun a "VI: Roleplaying"; Ayla spun a "VII: Activities".
Kid grumbled, "Great job, Harle. Ya like yer roleplaying so much that yer makin' all of us do it too..."
Bekkler told them, "Players, please place your bets on whether you'll perform the dares. As a reminder, Kid and Magus don't need to bet; since you have no points, you'll automatically receive six if you accept your dares. And of course Robo and Harle have classic Serial Dares so they don't need to bet either."
After the players wrote down their bets, Bekkler asked Ayla to spin for the Red Team's Team Dare.
She spun a "King", so she had to spin three more times.
"Ouch", Lucca commented.
The dares wound up being 6a: "Serve on the Funhouse Cleaning Staff for 1 round", 7a: "Lie in a bug pit (2-12 minutes)", 7b: "Lie in a snake pit (2-12 minutes)".
Lucca shuddered. "A 'bug pit'? As in, a pit filled with bugs?"
Bekkler said, "That is correct. Technically we'll use an open-topped box rather than an actual pit, and our 'bugs' include a variety of insects and arachnids. None of the bugs will have stings or venomous bites, nor will they consume human blood.
"The Snake Pit is similar, but with non-venomous snakes instead. The dares do not combine; you'll have to do one then the other.
"In both cases, each of you must roll a pair of dice to determine the number of minutes you'll need to spend in the pit.
"As for the 'Serve on the Cleaning Staff' dare, for the next round you will have a job on our staff, and be expected to put in up to eight hours a day if necessary to wash your team's laundry and keep the parts of the Funhouse accessible to you clean (except the other team's apartment). Of course, you will get time off for Challenges, Dare Assignments, performing other dares, and the like. Each player who accepts the dare will be expected to do the work of one staff member, and the current staff's responsibilities will be reduced accordingly – so don't expect them to do all the work for you.
"Oh, and if you find yourselves not wearing costumes when the time comes for you to work, you will be expected to wear a butler or maid costume on the job, similar to the ones the cleaning staff wears.
"Before we move on to Robo's dare, why don't you roll to determine the length of your dares?"
Bekkler handed a pair of six-sided dice to Crono. For the bug pit he rolled two fours, for a total of eight minutes. For the snake pit he rolled a six and a three, for a total of nine.
Lucca rolled nine for the bug pit, and seven for the snake pit. Ayla rolled six for the bug pit and four for the snake pit. Serge rolled five for the bug pit and six for the snake. Leena rolled seven for the bug pit (in the form of a five and a two) and another seven (in the form of a one and a six) for the snake pit.
Next Bekkler had Robo pick a card to determine the body part of his (or his Clone) that would be turned to plastic. He got "left arm".
Now it was time for the Gray Team to spin for their roleplaying dares.
Frog got a 4: "Act in accordance with a random alignment from the Character Alignment Chart". The card he selected was "Lawful Good".
Bekkler elaborated: "'This means you follow a strict code of honor and/or morality, and value the life and well-being of all sentient creatures. Unless they contradict your moral code, you should also obey the laws of the land, follow the Funhouse Rules, and respect tradition and authority.
"As following the rules is expected of all players, and chances to demonstrate good or evil are not guaranteed, to fulfill this dare you merely need to avoid acting outside your Alignment."
Frog croaked. "That should not be a problem..."
Marle got 2b: "Act like a random animal or monster (non-talking)".
Bekkler elaborated, "This means that in addition to acting like the animal, you can only make the sounds that type of animal makes until the dare is over. If you are lucky enough to select a creature capable of speech you may actually still talk, but only in the manner of that creature."
Marle commented, "That sounds kind of fun, but a bit inconvenient..."
Bekkler held out a set of cards, and she selected "Crocodile".
"That's not as fun as I was hoping... And what sounds do crocodiles make?"
Bekkler pulled a small pamphlet from nowhere, and tossed it to Marle. The cover showed a picture of a crocodile, and said "Animal Basics: Crocodiles". Bekkler told her, "Here, this should help you make your roleplay more accurate."
Next, Kid spun, and got a 2a: "Act like a random animal or monster (talking)".
Bekkler said, "Unlike Marle's dare, you will be able to talk mostly like normal – though you will probably still want to make sounds like that animal too."
The card Kid selected had a sheep on it. Kid couldn't help but laugh at that. "I think my points are going to stay at zero for another round..."
Magus raised his eyebrow at this. "You've been playing all this time and still don't have any points?"
"I've earned some points before, I just lost them all."
Before they could discuss this further, Bekkler prompted Magus to make his spin. Magus spun a 5b: "Act as if you hate a random player." The card he selected was "Serge".
"I can do that."
Bekkler told him, "Just keep in mind you aren't allowed to physically or magically harm him."
"That will make things a little more challenging..."
Now Bekkler had Harle spin for her next Roleplay. She got 9c: "Act like a clown or jester."
"Oh dear. At least I will look ze part..."
While the Gray Team were selecting their dares, Leena said to the rest of the Red Team, "I'm afraid I'm going to have to decline our dares. I wasn't about to lie in a bug pit back when I got it as a Penalty Dare, there's no way I'm doing it just for some points."
Crono said, "It's alright, we already have a lot of team points..."
Lucca breathed a sigh of relief. "In that case I think I might skip them too. Those pit dares really aren't my idea of fun."
Ayla asked, "What problem? Costume no protect you?"
"Well, the under-suit would protect most of my body, but the bugs could still crawl in through the opening in my faceplate. And even if they can't touch my skin, having bugs or snakes all over me would still be really creepy."
Once the dares were selected, Bekkler asked the Red Team for their bets and decisions.
Crono bet six points. He agreed to try the dare, so his points rose to 28.
Lucca bet four points, and declined the dare. Her points dropped to 19.
Ayla bet six points and accepted the dare, so her points rose to 36.
Serge bet five points and accepted the dare, so his points rose to 18.
Leena bet three points, and declined the dare, so her points dropped to 9.
Robo transferred his dare to the Robo Doll.
Meanwhile, Magus asked Kid, "Are you sure you want to skip this dare? It shouldn't be too much of a handicap, and you could use the points."
"Yeah, but I'd feel ridiculous actin' like a sheep..."
"Is that your pride as a Princess of Zeal or a Thief of Guardia talking?"
"More the thief, actually."
"And yet the six hundred GP those six points will convert to doesn't tempt you?"
"A little bit, but... there are better ways to make or steal that sort of money than acting like a sheep for three days."
"I can't argue with that."
Before long, Bekkler asked the Gray Team to reveal their points and decisions.
Frog bet two points, and accepted, so his points rose to 19.
Marle bet four points. Even when Bekkler asked her decision, she hesitated, before saying, "I guess I'll try it; if I decide to stop later all that'll happen is I lose these points, right?"
"That's right."
"Okay, I'll do it." Her points rose to 26.
Kid passed on the dare, so her points remained at 0.
Magus accepted his dare, so his points rose to 6.
"Now, let's begin the dare performances by transforming Robo's clone." He snapped his fingers; later when the players returned to the Red Room they would find the Robo Doll had a plastic left arm, just like it's plastic right arm, right hand, right foot and head.
"Setting up the bug and snake pits will take some effort, and most of my staff is going to be busy with the Bonus Challenge, so we'll wait on those until at least after the Challenge is over; depending on when it ends we may wait until tomorrow. The Serve on Cleaning Staff dare technically begins now for Ayla and Serge, but as you're not expected to work during Challenges, you don't need to worry about that yet either...
"Frog, your 'Lawful Good' roleplay begins now."
Frog bowed. "As you say, m'lord."
Bekkler said, "Marle, Harle, and Magus, your dares will begin after you are done playing the Bonus Challenge. Speaking of which, it's time to get back to the Challenge, so those of you still participating and those who want to watch should head back to the Challenge Room."
Ayla said, "Ayla think watch this Challenge boring. Ayla do something else."
Bekkler said, "Okay, but in that case you'll need to change back into your costume."
Ayla nodded. She headed back to the Red Room with Serge and Leena to get her costume. Everyone else headed for the Challenge Room.
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Next Episode: More fun and sexy outfits are worn (and there is more nudity) as the Bonus Challenge continues. Later, Crono, Ayla, and Serge find out what it's like to work on the Funhouse staff, and face the pits. An Individual Challenge shall be held which once again involves wearing very little clothing, then five players shall face the threat of eviction!