#HOLY SHIT SOMETHING THT'S NOT SIFSTEM

[vulpixisananimal]

[A:2 C:4]

(Key time!)

(You open the door leading to the next floor. There were some stairs leading up, the smell of sugar growing a little stronger. Once you could see over the top of the stairs, you saw a large sadness blocking the way!)

“A sadness!!” (Mirabelle exclaims, you all run up to a few feet in front of it.)

“It seems to be guarding the rest of the house from us.” (Odile squinted at the sadness.)

“It feels strong, way stronger than any of the others!!” (Bonnie held their new wok in both hands, standing back.)

“Get ready, everyone!!!” (Isabeau took a stance.)

(Boss time!!)

(You snap your fingers and hold out your craft sign, [Make up the time]! Thin tendrils of craft energy radiate from your scissors sign and wash over you and your allies legs. You and your allies' speed increased!)

“Big ball head.”

“BIG BALL HEAD!!”

“Wait, something’s happening!” (Mirabelle paused her attack, a scissors sign flashed on the ball.) “Was that. . .”

“Scissors sign, huh?” (Isabeau squints.) “Does it mean something?”

“Well we can probably assume that’s its current craft type.” (Odile gives you a cheeky look.) “If you ever need a reminder which one it is, Siffrin, just ask.”

(Great, thanks Odile. Mirabelle holds out her signs and little discs of light encircled you and the others, boosting your strength!)

“Guess it’s my time to shine then!” (Isabeau dashed in, craft energy crackling around his fists as he [SMASH!!]ed the big boss sadness. Odile followed up with her own craft skill, [Rock III]).

(You smirk, this was gonna be easy.)

>>>

“Welcome back, Stardust! How can I help you on this wonderful new loop~”

(Well that was embarrassing, stars. . . You lost track of the craft type about halfway through the fight, and didn’t want to bother Odile for a reminder. You tried fighting it, got hit wrong, and it just snowballed into, well. . . Well, you were back again. So, questions. . . Questions. . .)

“How come I can see where the keys are?”

“Whaaaaaat? You caaaaaaan? How can that beeeeeeee~?” (Loop giggled behind their hand.)

(You squint.) “Is it, thanks to you?”

“Maybe~ I figured you already had so much to remember, you don’t need to worry about where a silly little key is.” (They lean in close, head resting on hands.) “No need to thank me~”

(You pinch the bridge of your nose and sigh.) “Are you getting on my nerves on purpose?”

“Yes, I actually manufactured this personality especially to get on your nerves, stardust!”

(Great. You shake your head. They were doing a really good job.)

“Anything else I can help you with, Stardust~?”

(Questions, questions. . .) “Do you think I could eat some of the frozen food in the house?”

“Oh I don’t know, how about you go and find out~!” (They giggle, then tilt their head.) “Why, getting hungry while saving the world?”

(Um. . .) “Maybe? I always wanted to try crab.”

“Crab?!?! Oh my STARDUST!! Don’t let your little housemaiden hear you saying things like that!!! Just WHAT will she say!!”

(Right. . .) “I’m just curious. . .”

“Don’t worry Stardust, I’m sure your little cook has quite the meal prepared for you!”

(Yeah, you bet.)

>>>

“Just a little more!!” (Mirabelle shouted as you dashed in and slashed with your dagger.) “I-I think we nearly beat it!!”

(Take two against the big ball head, and this time you didn’t get distracted. You weaved back jus in time to dodge its counterattack.)

“GO GO GO SIF GO!!!!!” ([YOUR TURN!!] You hear Isabeau shout, heh, you were about to end this, you held out your scissors sign and wispy slashes appeared across the sadness.)

(Jackpot!! You all take the moment and charge, and in one coordinated blow, the sadness is sliced into dozens of little pieces. You stumble back, panting, and then, you breathe in, and out.)

“CRAB YEAH!!!” (Bonnie cheered.) 

“We did it. . . !”

“Alright, let’s keep moving.”

(Adrenaline was rushing through your veins like white hot iron. Your heart buzzed, your legs twitched, ready to chase down whatever was next. No, calm down, stars Siffrin get ahold of yourself. You shake your head clear, and step forward. Leading the charge.)

>>>

“Okay, who wants snacks? I have SNACKS!!!!” (Bonnie ran over excitedly.) “Today, I have many snacks at your disposal. I have. . . Some PLANTAIN CHIPS!!!!”

(Bonnie presents a bundle of chips.)

“Oooh, did you use the last of those not-bananas to make them?” (Mirabelle asks.)

“Yes. Yes I did.” (Bonnie grinned.) “Crunchy. Delicious. And full of potassium. That's plantain chips!!!”

(You all clap. You never really like plantains, but they looked nice.)

“Second snack is. . . Some boring but delicious cookies!!!”

“Great sales pitch, Bonbon.” (Isabeau chuckles.) “Boring but delicious. Cookies, the taste of home.”

(Bonnie squinted at him.) “What kinda home is boring but delicious? Za, you're weird.”

(Isa just coughed into a hand. The cookies looked. . . Okay? You could smell the chocolate from here though, and it was tempting.)

“And for our third and final snack, we are proud to present. . . Some, uh. . . O-gi-ni-ri.”

“Onigiri.” (Odile corrects.)

“O-ri-ni-gi.”

“Onigiri.”

“Onion-geeree.”

“You messed that one up on purpose.”

“Yes!!!!!” (Bonnie cheekily laughed.) “I made a bunch, AND ‘Frin can have ‘em!!”

“Did you add some ‘Frin-compatible surprise then?” (Isabeau smiled.) “How thoughtful! You can eat rice, right, Sif?”

(You nod.) “Mhm, it’s not really filling, though. I think. “

“It’s not nutritious, but you can eat it without intestinal issues?” (Odile suggests. You nod.) “Fascinating. That opens up quite a few meal ideas, right, Boniface?”

(The kid cheered.) “YEAH!! Rice. I. Love. Rice.”

“You and every other kid on this planet, Boniface.”

(It’s nice that Bonnie looked out for you so much, even at what was maybe the end of the country. All the snacks looked delicious!)

“Now it’s time!!! To!!! Choose!!!” (Bonnie pumps their fists up excitedly.) 

“I’d love some Onigiri, Bonnie.” (You ask politely. Bonnie puts a few in your hand.)

“Here!! You!!! Go!!!”

(You open your mouth, about to take a bite, but pause. Sniff, sniff. . .) “. . . Beeeeef?”

“YEAH!!!” (Bonnie looks excited.) “I remember ‘Dile put a plum in there before but I wanted you to have some so I tried it with beef!!”

“How. . . Interesting.” (Odile looks suspiciously at the onigiri.)

(You take a bite. The rice dissolves in your mouth, and as soon as you hit the beef at the center you feel your shoulders relax. So, SO tasty!!)

“Is it good” (Bonnie looks at you all expectantly.)

(There’s a long pause. Odile is very good at hiding her expression.) “. . . . . . . .”

“. . . It’s okay ‘Dile, I know you’re old and not the biggest fan of change so! I made you a plum one!!”

“. . . Thank you.” (Odile takes the onigiri.)

(You gobble up the onigiri, savoring every last bite. You close your eye for a second, savoring it.)

“. . . S-so did you like it? Did I do good as snack leader?” (Bonnie has big shining eyes. You nod.)

“Yeah, this is good.”

“Mhm!”

“. . . . . . . .”

(. . . . . . . Oh no. DON’T MAKE BONNIE SAD!!!) “THANK YOU SNACK LEADER FOR THIS SUPER DELICIOUS MEAL!!!”

“SOOOO GOOOOD!!!!! Thank you Bonnie!!!!!!”

“I feel so ALIVE!!! THANK you Bonnie!!”

“. . . . . .” (Odile took a second.) “. . . Mm, good food, yum yum.”

“. . . Yesssss!!!”

(You take your time, finishing up your onigiri. It tasted so, so good but you were still hungry. Less hungry, now, but still hungry. But, that’s a later problem. You lay back for a moment, just take a second, then check in with everyone, then onwards and upwards.)

>>>

(Second floor!)

(You had just investigated the gardening room, and before that met a housemaiden frozen in time. Mirabelle had a bit of a moment, but, you had to continue. If you wanted to unfreeze them, you have to beat the King, after all. And each step through the halls brought you closer and closer to that goal.)

(The hall turned to the right, with a door on the wall in front of the turn. Well, in you go!)

“O-oh! It’s the Head Housemaidens office!” (Mirabelle jumps in.) 

“Someone like her definitely has some good stuff, right? Like keys! Or snacks!!!”

“Or information. Let's look around.”

(You do just that, big desk first. You open the drawers and start rummaging around, listening to your party as you look.)

(The Head Housemaiden. In charge of, well, everything here. Makes sure everyone’s happy, everyone’s healthy, that the kids get educated, houses get repaired, organising events, all of it. All on her shoulders, and on top of that is great at crafts too! Stars, you could never imagine doing something that complicated. The Head Housemaiden was supposed to defeat the King, too, but. . .)

(There’s nothing in the drawer, annoying, keep looking, there’s a childs drawings of the Head Housemaiden, random notes, a closet, bookshelf, not much. There’s some notes posted to the wall about the King.)

(Odile glances at Mirabelle.) “Why do you even call the King "the King"? Vaugarde isn't a monarchy. Isn't "King" just a title he chose?

“Yes, but he chose it. . .” (Mira says a bit awkwardly.) “Calling him something else would just be rude?”

“Yeah, that's just basic manners.” (Isabeau adds, Odile just lets it go.)

(Continuing around the room, there’s a pile of neatly sorted papers. Looking through them, there seems to be a bit of everything in here. A petition to serve more bread at lunch, notes about some recurring dream, a cheesy, mushy love letter. . . No, nothing here.)

(Welp, that was pointless. You lead the rest of the party out.)

(As you go to continue down the hall, the hairs on your neck stand up on end. You turn just in time to see a giant boulder crash down in front of the Head Housemaidens office. Blocking it off.)

“. . .”

“. . .”

“. . . There was nothing important in there, right? So this is fine?”

(Yeah, it should be fine. You lead the party on. Just a few meters down the hall sat a heavy metal door. You try the handle; locked.)

“. . . Sucks.” (You look back.) “Any idea where the key could be, Mira?”

“I’m, not sure. . .” (Mirabelle thinks, tapping her chin.) “It. . . Could. . . O-oh no.”

“Uh oh?” (Bonnie says in a questioning tone.)

“I-I, I think, I-I think it was in the head housemaiden office.”

“Uh oh!!!”

“Urgh. . .”

“I'm sorry!!! I'm sorry!!! I should've remembered, why didn't I remember!!”

“Hey, don't worry about it, Mira.” (Isabeau pat her shoulder.)

“Yes, you're not to blame here. If anything, it's Siffrin's job to look out for things.” (Odile glances at you.) 

(Hey. . .)

(You step away from the door, the others were already spitballing on how to get passed the door or the rock, what to do. . .)

(You hear a chime in your ear. Wh-)

[Hey stardust! Sorry to interrupt, but I am here in your head to beam you some amazing advice~ Did you hear that chime just now? That’s there to inform you that you are stuck in time! No matter what, you won't be able to progress further in the House in this loop.]

[Only thing you can do is find a way to loop back. Woopsies! Say, didn't you see some tears on the way here? That could work~ (Also come say hi sometime! I'm so lonely. . . Sob sob. . . Do you feel sorry for me yet. . ?)]

(. . . Great! Thanks, Loop. You look around, the others are still discussing what to do, and you could explore the rest of the house, but. . . No, looping time. While they’re distracted, you walk over to the tear and reach out.)“. . . Siffrin? What’re you-” (Mirabelle reacts too late, you touch the tear.)