She reached out her hand as the four-winged sparrow fluttered atop it, chirping lightly. She smiled, a finger reaching up to gently stroke the feathered cheek. She could feel its soft delight and curiosity with her - not unlike the bond she shared with Lilith, although it was a little more distant and stranger. The lesser didn't think in the same way, not as complex.

"Hi there. Do you have a name?" She knew as soon as she said it that she didn't have to speak out loud, nor did the bird have a name, at least not one she could speak. "Then I'll call you Snowdrop. They're little white flowers." And she thought of what a snowdrop looked like and the bird understood.

Once it was their turn for the team challenge, they separated, the sparrow fluttering with a light song to the other side of the wall. Eleanora looked over the objects set in front of them and thought about picking something small enough for the bird to lift. Her eyes settled on the key and she picked it out from the wall. On the other side, the bird gave an affirming call and went for the puzzle piece. It seemed the first part had been communicated...but not the specifics.

Score: 0

As each unique pair of Gembound and familiar was called up to test their wits against the first section of the challenge revealed to them, the congregation loitering around the starting line drawn on the arena floor dwindled. Richter bided his time the best he knew how: through nervous fidgeting and making one-sided conversation with Harvey who patiently withstood his aimless blather. Every once in a while, he diverged from this routine, remarked upon simple topics easily broached with strangers like the weather and speculation on the next rooms to be shown. However, this was done sparingly, not wanting to dry out a well whose contents were already nearing emptiness; too many remaining participants were likely too focused on the task ahead to replenish the lowering reservoir of conversation points, and he hadn't the gall to break their concentration for the sake of a nice chat.

"Well," he said when at last motioned to join the imps surrounding the halved room, "I guess wish us luck." Regardless of whether anyone bothered to listen, his head dipped in acknowledgment of those still waiting for their turn to come.

The Walleye Rabbit loafing beside him swiveled eye stalks and, as soon as Richter began approaching his respective side of the set, tried to match hops with gradual bounds of his own. Sensing that fervent desire to stay attached to his flank, the kangaroo chuckled and pointed his companion away. "I, ah, think you go over there. Don't you worry though. I'm sure you'll hear me just fine anyway."

A paintbrush was what he discovered they would apparently have to find together once both arrived at their destinations. Not a novice, much less an expert, on the subject of fine art, he requested a little further elaboration on what exactly this did. Incredulous stares answered him, followed by the word being repeated but broken down through emphasis into two words instead of a compound. Ears pressed against his skull as he hunched in on himself at the blatant instruction to use common sense, and any more questions were smothered by silence, awkwardly wringing paws redirecting their energy to rummaging through the box sitting before him.

You'll need something with... bristles? he hazarded upon grasping the closest thing that fit the idea the given object's name presented in his head. And, uh, a handle. A straight one that's narrower at the end lacking bristles. Can you follow that, Harv?

No, came the unfortunate realization. As it turned out, this brief description shared too many similarities with another item deposited in the boxes. Although neither being had a passing acquaintance with the concept of dental hygiene, bristles and a handle just as easily belonged to the humble cleaning tool referred to as the toothbrush.

Score: 0

Oh, this was hard. They wanted Knightly to think? Well, se'll think as hard as se can! Stepping up to the challenge, Knightly in all sir little glory puffed out sir chick feathers, staring at the box. Se had to have a little bit of help even reaching it too, but hey, that came with the bonus of getting told what to point out while se was put on sir perch.

"We will WIN this, PERFECTLY!" Knightly's voice chirruped loudly as se inspected the pile of items. A puzzle piece? Knightly had never even heard of a puzzle! Ah, but the little weird-shape, that would be it.

The bat at the other side's hesitant to do anything. She's still, looking around and twitching ears this way and that, wing-walking about in inspection. Ah, the mental link snapped her to attention- it's weak, but it's there, particularly only noticeable because of how loud Knightly's thoughts are. With head tilting this way and that, Perfectly fluttered up to her own box and dove in, struggling to rummage about all the larger objects.

There. With a tiny squeak, she's started to tug at the wooden piece she'd practically had mentally thrown at her. The attendant's happy to just watch her for a second. She's determined! Ah, but she did get the right item, and so she's picked up along with it.

The preening praise from Knightly came through in stutters, but it didn't compare to sir actually whooping from the other side of the wall. "LET US GO!!"

Points: 1

Oh boy. What was that? It certainly wasn't happy here, mentally straining once she's even connected to it. She couldn't help but wince at the reaction. 'It'll be over soon.' A reassurance to it or her? Both, really, as she kept her distance and flicked her head towards the divider in urging.

The only way it'll go back to its pleasant solitude was to get through this torture for it. It didn't want anything to do with her, and she could tell. With her tail flicking uneasily, Tahlia ground her beak while she waited for its slow pacing, watching it as it slid out of view.

She couldn't help the relieved sigh that slipped out of her once it was in place. Maybe this would be easier than she thought. "Alright." With an ear flick, Tahlia arched her neck and waited for the attendant to bound up to her, a light cackle in their voice as they gave the instructions.

A paintbrush is easy. With a huff, she's sent the attendant off to deal with the Mirrorbeast while she nudged her beak through the box. Paintbrush, paintbrush, ah! Her beak clacked on the wood when she drew it out, laying it in front of her for a better inspection.

'Alright, so it's—'

Not happening. The Mirrorbeast's stubbornly sat down behind the barrier and refused fully to even touch the box. 'C'mon, please?' No-go. There's a sheer blockade up between her and its mental link.

Fine, she'll be patient, clacking her beak as she continuously struggled to just project the image of the paintbrush. All it looks like is very intense staring, compared to a rather uncomfortable Mirrorbeast.

points: 0

With the molemouse (that Rift had named Nettle) riding on his shoulder, Rift stepped forward when it was their turn for the challenge. He was mildly worried about their chances, considering the poor thing was quite blind. Would it be able to pick out which object he motioned for without the help of sight?

Nettle itself, with Rift's lack of confidence, felt similar anxiety, and a shred of sadness that it couldn't live up to the expectations set in front of it. When the cougar gently removed it from his shoulder and nudged it in the direction it was supposed to go, it sniffed and followed the trail where other lessers had already walked to, stopping where the scent was thicker. There was a small spark of hope from Rift at its sense of smell. Perhaps that would lead it on.

On the other side of the wall, Rift was quickly checking each of the objects in front of him, using his sense of smell to guide which one would be easiest for the mouse to pick out. He decided on the paintbrush - the woody smell of the handle and the bristles were unique among the other things. He gently picked it out in his mouth, also trying to communicate the flavor of wood against his tongue. He hoped it was enough.

Nettle was still for a moment, processing, before it darted forward, sniffing for wood. Wood and...something else. For a moment, it passed over the pencil and almost scrabbled for it to pull it out, but at the last moment it stopped itself. Not right.

Eventually, it made it to the paintbrush, sniffing and giving it the tiniest lick before scratching at it, trying to pull it from the box. This was the one it had chosen.

The cheers of approval had Rift peeking his head to the mouse with a smile. "Oh, good job! That was very well done!"

POCKET LESSERS!

Part II: Team Challenge!

Spotlights swept from pair to pair, and on the big screens above, broadcast to the audience (with a slight delay, for fairness' sakes) the hilarity was broadcast in high definition. Special attention was given to the failures, with strange and tinny laugh tracks plastered over Lesser Gembounds walking away from the challenge, or attacking fox-imps furiously, or dragging entire boxes around the barriers. The grinning or exasperated expression on the faces of Imps and Gembounds both were given close-ups.

Now and then a successful box-delve was given a close-up, too, and an overhead shower of pink-and-gold sparkles with a happy trumpet sort of sound effect.

Finally, when all was said and done, Nemean (who'd been laughing uproariously) cleared her throat and lifted the megaphone to her lips. "GREAT WORK, everyone. We've had comedy and tragedy all at once. NEXT CHALLEEEENGE!"

The cloth was unveiled by fox-imps hastening over to it (one limping from the battering East's new friend had given him). On one side of the barrier--the Gembounds' side--there was... nothing. And on the other? A simple puzzle like those given to children: a wooden box with various simple shapes cut out and beside it, a pile of five colored blocks that matched those shapes. There was a triangle, a circle, a rectangle, a square, and a star, all simple wood, small and brightly colored.

"When it's your turn, you stand on the right side! Your new buddy goes on the left! YOUR TASK is to guide 'em to solve the puzzle that they see, with nothing but your minds!"

The billboards of illusory light created a close-up of the puzzle, visible only to the audience: facing outward.

"AAAAND... GO!"

---

Team Challenge - Round 2!

This challenge involves Gembounds being divided from their linked Lessers by a dividing wall. They can't see through this, but the mental link with their Lesser remains. The second challenge presents a simple hollow wooden box with five shapes cut into it, and five blocks of matching shapes to one side. Greaters must, through only their link with the Lesser, guide the Lesser into placing the blocks into the holes of matching shape.

Players should roll Other (or, if their character is Other-path, physical combat--to keep roll thresholds fair) to see whether their familiar succeeds in getting a minimum of three blocks in, or gets confused or distracted.

Round 2 is a pass/fail: a Barely+ will net one point to the team's score, while a Failure or Crit Fail yields no points. Keep track of your characters' scores!

New characters may no longer join this thread, aside from as spectators. The next post will take place on June 26th, so please post by the end of the 25th. If anyone already in the thread missed posting in the last round, they may double-post this round: once for each round.

Note: these rolls cannot be used for character progression.

@Oliver @Mocha @Sair @Anala @East @Kaizer @Miriam @Eleanora @Richter @Knightly (Tahlia) @Rift

If you'd like your tags condensed, just give us a list of which characters you have in this event!

It would be lead to the next curtain, to the empty chamber. Siren would be as well, to the puzzle box on the other side. "Do we get at least a picture of what the puzzle looks like-" he starts to ask, but the imps are already running off.

Okay. Great. Just have to guide Siren through the puzzle. Even though I have no idea what the puzzle looks like. Uh. Buddy. Siren. If you can get them in the matching-

And the Skycaller is already matching piece to piece with frightening speed. Before Kaizer can even finish promising her some fish as a treat after this, she loudly squawks that she has finished.

"Oh, wow. Good job, girl."

2 points

Unless excitement for a Tunnel Runner translated to tossing one's head about to dispel the buzzing wings of an imaginary insect by their ear, it could be safely assumed, even without the insight of a familiar bond, that the next challenge met no better approval than the last from his deer partner. Well-educated on the hot temper they'd be dealing with once more, this time a whole gaggle of fox-imps followed behind heavy hooves as the Lesser snorted and tromped into his side of the revealed room. Naturally they kept a respectful distance, out of adherence to the puzzle's two being requirement as much as the desire to save their pelts from developing a few unsightly ragged-edged holes.

Though he'd never express it aloud, a cool relief settled over East's feathers upon glimpsing the sight moments prior to entering his own section to stare at blank walls. There had to be a limit to the Runner's overall cooperation, short as his fuse was; any help herding that spitfire personality might prolong it for a couple harrowing heartbeats longer. Past the point it ran out, who knew how much devastation the final explosion would create. He preferred to be long out of the deer's antlers before discovering the potential damage firsthand.

It was best the puzzle had nothing to do with color despite the blocks' differing vibrant hues. The image the reluctant familiar had projected his way, literally red-tinged by deep annoyance, would've made the task almost impossible to accomplish if that were the case instead of matching distinct shapes to their corresponding outlines. Neither blind or particularly low on brainpower, the real determination of success would be based on the ability to give orders or follow another's lead. No surprise little faith could be invested in the second of those with such a gigantic ego to direct.

Nevertheless he had to try. Pointing via thought alone, the first of the blocks, a star, was what he drew attention to. Once aware of the mental equivalent of squinting eyes following his gesture, a trajectory was traced out, leading the wooden block to the proper opening to fall through. He repeated this a few times more, slow and precise, then waited for a response.

The edges of Tunnel Runner's vision quivered, no doubt vibrating due to the force of some disdainful noise slipping past nostrils. However, using his snout, the block was picked out and pushed to the position indicated, toppling perfectly in. It seemed he'd come to the conclusion that demonstrating intelligence benefited pride more than refusal. When directed to take similar action for the other basic shapes gathered beside the box, he obeyed over and over again until no more pieces remained. Finished, he trotted out past the barrier, head held high as if expecting praise to be lavished on him as payment for the performance.

Probably hoping to avoid the same beating their coworker had been subjected to, a few imps politely applauded.

Score: 2

Another room, another chance to wow the audience with actual skill. If Miriam had her way, the pathetic blunder of the past her familiar had foolishly executed would soon be buried under the shining glory of a triumph. These expectations she made clear to the Kyte right before slithering forward and bundling her bulk into the side of the room lacking the puzzle that required solving, an unblinking stare leveled at him. So cold was her gaze that frost could almost be seen forming fractal patterns over her eyes, a small smile the one expression tempering this hostility into something decidedly more pleasant and neutral.

"Now, dear," she murmured to the empty space. "Do try to keep up. I'll only do this once, so you must pay close attention. The task, if you please?"

Despite how smoothly her request passed lips, through the link the Kyte detected a finely honed edge that identified it, in fact, as a demand. He offered his view of the box and its blocks without question, instant response the best option he could determine to quell whatever impatience was already threatening to bubble to the surface of her thoughts. Outwardly to any viewers this interaction didn't exist, the Lesser standing stoic and contemplative of the task at hand.

The Gembound was far more active of a participant even though her actions were marked by deeply ingrained laziness. Claws made long sweeps through the air while she sketched out the movements of her minion. "This goes here. Here to there. That one over there. And make no mistake, these go to those ones."

Utterly uninformative to those listening from the stands, but what did she care. Visuals were the thing that truly mattered in this task. They needed to see her familiar do well. Then accolades could come pouring in at the wondrous display witnessed.

It all rested on the Kyte's shoulders now. He'd have to show his worth to thousands of onlookers or crumble under pressure and incur his master's displeasure.

Indeed, he did successfully do one of these, the exact outcome she despised so much. Head swimming from too many details delivered at once instead of receiving slow guidance to the right result, building despair and frustration lead to a hint of rebellion emerging in tensed limbs. Rearing up, he lashed out with a wing and defiantly cast down the blocks stacked in front of him. Then the Lesser flopped onto the ground, silently awaiting her wrath.

"How adorable," she said, voice flat. Storm clouds were gathering on the horizon of her mind, but lightning had yet to strike. Two failures counted, a third might finally cause the practiced mask of composure covering her face to crack. Her familiar would do well to learn not to tempt such an unfortunate fate.

Score: 0

"All right," Richter said as he sized up the puzzle his rabbit familiar shared through their link. "Let's see how we can go about this one. Can't be much worse than last time. Isn't that right, Harv?"

Other than anxiously wringing together paws before beginning to deliver his instructions, the attitude which the kangaroo approached this scenario with was overall optimistic. Unlike others who had to wrangle strong personalities under control or felt a need to constantly impose authority upon their companion, the bond between this Lesser and Greater pair had no strain. They understood each other's motivations and found no existing conflict between them to feud over. Whether a fun challenge to undertake or an obstacle to a fulfilling meal, the path forward was clear: they'd give this room the best shot possible and take whatever results came with high spirits. After all, it wasn't like failure lead to extreme consequences here, so why not enjoy the experience instead of fretting.

While considering the sight given to him, Richter covered his mouth and mumbled to himself the rough outline of the process he wished to detail. This was mostly to avoid announcing disjointed gobbledygook to the audience when he hadn't entirely thought out the exact phrasing he wished to use for every step. Once confident enough, he removed the paw muffling his snout. A nod preceded launching into a slow drone of information relevant only to his Walleye Rabbit.

"Okay. Let's start with the, uh... The square. Yeah, let's start there. Bring that up to the box, and I'll tell you where it goes."

Harvey hopped immediately over to the blocks, front paws prodding at each one and eye stalks bending every which way to examine their individual shapes. Besides a moment of hesitation where his partner had to clarify the difference between a square and a rectangle, good time was made in picking out the first of the five to send through its respective hole. Grabbing the right block in his mouth and resisting the urge to sample the wood composing it, he leapt on top of the box and deposited his cargo in the opening pointed out to him.

"That's great!" Richter clapped. "Now let's do, ah, the triangle next. You see, that's the one with three sides."

This was how it continued for the remaining blocks. Each was briefly described in case of any confusion, and those words were revisited upon Harvey successfully finding them to better remind him of their proper place. The procedure likely turned out to cure insomnia for many an audience member due to the snail's pace at which this carried on. Nevertheless the duo had improved from the previous task, no miscommunication impeding their ability to solve the current one.

After completion and emerging from his section of the room, a gentle caress of the head greeted Harvey as congratulations for the work accomplished. "We sure did well, didn't we?" was the fond encouragement bestowed upon him, fingers trailing up the length of an ear.

The Walleye Rabbit leaned into the affectionate touch.

Score: 1