Just Keeping Swimming | March Planet Mingle

[thespaceopera]

Who: Everyone!
Broadcast: If you want!
Action: Anywhere on Mafik
When: The month of March



[Welcome to Mafik, the water world! Hope you brought your best swimming gear and don't have a paralyzing fear of water, because that's all that's here! So get out those wet suits and enjoy life under the sea!

In other words, it's a mingle! ]

> System Information

Comments

[ahappylie]

Then let's begin.

[He nods and then pushes the temple doors open. The room beyond is simple looking enough, moss and kelp grow from cracks in the walls and there appear to be glowing gem torches lining the walls at spaced intervals in four different colors. There are also a set of pressure plate switches on the ground, and a single door on the opposite end, currently closed.

Okita steps inside and scans the room, but he can't see anywhere else that a sea monster might hide.]

It looks like we have a puzzle first.

[He gets closer to one of the pressure plates and cautiously taps it with his toe. One of the torches turns to a different color.]

Ah, definitely a puzzle.

[shamisens]

[ Kubo takes a long look at the torches. ]

So we have to match the colours?

[ahappylie]

It would seem so.

[He moves his foot off the plate and the color of the torch remains. Another careful tap of a second plate changes a second torch to a different color.]

So as long as we walk carefully, we should be able to change them into the ones we need. Why don't you work on the right side and I'll work on the left?

[shamisens]

[ Kubo eyes the chamber once more before moving on the right. His fingers are on the shamisen and the paper in the bag trembles. He's not scared but he's understandably wary.

Like he expects a giant skeleton to pop up. ]

[ahappylie]

[To be fair, a giant skeleton might pop up.

Okita, however, has no idea about giant skeletons and so he just focuses on figuring out his side of the room. Apparently if he steps on one panel it'll light up the torch one color, but if he hits it again it'll change colors? So he has to cycle through a few times until he can figure out how to get the two torches to be the same color.]

You seem nervous. Have you been to something like this before?

[shamisens]

Kind of? I was on a quest once. We ran into a place like this.

[ He hops onto the next step. ] It had a giant moving skeleton.

[ahappylie]

Well then.

[He pauses, mid-cycle, as he looks over at Kubo. That's definitely an unusual enemy to run into.]

How did you defeat it?

[shamisens]

There was a magic sword stuck on its head.

[ Kubo points to the top of his head to demonstrate. ]

I pulled it out.

[ahappylie]

[Man, Kubo's adventures sound so much cooler than anything he's ever been on.]

How did you manage to climb to the top? I don't imagine it was an easy task.

[shamisens]

Oh, I kind of fell on top of his head. It was a hectic battle.

[ He hops onto the next tile. Two down! ]

[ahappylie]

[He laughs a little and steps on another tile - the two torches on his side are done!]

It sounds like it. Although, all battles tend to be hectic, at least you landed in the right place at the right time.

[shamisens]

It was actually kind of fun.

[ Having people around him, helping him - working together. It meant a lot. ]

[ahappylie]

Perhaps we'll be able to have some fun here then.

[He starts making his way carefully toward Kubo's side of the room. He doesn't want to accidentally step on the wrong tile and reverse all his hard work.]

Perhaps without the giant skeleton though. I'm not sure if I could throw you high enough to reach it's head.

[shamisens]

It's fine. I'm not looking for a repeat anyway.

[ He waits. The door slides open and he whoops, ready to move on. ]

[ahappylie]

[Okita follows him into the next room and it's?

A room full of mirrors. On the floors, the ceilings, the walls, everything is mirrored. They're old, dirty and cracked in places, with seaweed growing on them, but the first thing Kubo will see is himself moving forward.

Mirror maze, go.]

...Well, that definitely gives a bit of a headache, doesn't it?

[shamisens]

[ Kubo droops. ]

There's more? How much of this do we have to do?!

[ahappylie]

[He laughs a little and starts moving forward, edging cautiously until he finds a corner to turn.]

Well, if it were easy to find the prize at the end, would it really be worth it?

[shamisens]

We don't even know what it is!

[ahappylie]

But won't you be happy to see it after all this work?

[He reaches out his other hand and finds another corner, leading Kubo through.]

[shamisens]

[ Abruptly, he stops. Would he be happy? Could there be something in this temple that can do that? ]

[ahappylie]

[When there isn't an answer, Okita stops and looks back, seeing Kubo's face. The burden on the child's shoulders is something no one can lift but him, though it doesn't stop Okita from wanting to try.

He reaches back and taps Kubo on the head, smiling at him.]

We'll just have to see, won't we?

[shamisens]

[ He nods, his eyes hardening with determination. ]

Let's keep going.

[ahappylie]

[He nods as well and goes back to edging his way through the maze. Occasionally he has to back up and find a different way, but overall it isn't too hard. The pathways do seem to be getting more and more narrow, however.]

What do you think you will find in there?

[shamisens]

It could be the sword. Or the armor. I don't know. My mother and I never had a lot of . . . stuff.

[ahappylie]

[He checks another side pathway and comes back - dead end that way.]

So you said. The sword or armor though - was that part of the quest you lead?

[Down a different way and? Yep, this pathway is clear - although now he has to turn to his side to pass through the narrow opening.]