[Death by Mirrors]

"Put us to rest?" blackfoxette laughs nervously. "Okay, who else thinks this sounds creepy? Are you alright, Lee?" She eyes the window, but makes no attempt to flee. After all Rainbowfox Ari is still locked up somewhere in the mansion. "Let's try and open the door."

Meanwhile Kaderin and Death have both reached into the tub and picked up one of the items. Kaderin inspects the tarnished pendant closely, while Deaths fingers trace carefully over the blade of the dagger - and then the silver snake coiling its handle. He spins around and points the tip at the live snake. "Brave guardian, I hereby command you to pass me your keyring!"

Stifled laughter in the background. "Do you really think this works?"

"Why not? It's worth a try." Besides, the dagger seems long enough to push the keyring away from the beast with a quick movement. And one of the cabinet doors might suffice as a makeshift shield for some extra protection. Sure, maybe it's crazy.

But for a Ghost crazy doesn't equal impossible.

[Ghosts attempt to get the keyring from the snake]

[Rainbowfox Ari]

Surprisingly, or may Unsurprisingly, the ploy works, and the snake retreats from the sink to the top of the mirror, then seems to vanish into the wall. Perhaps there's a hole up there that it slithered into. The keyring is free, and it is HEAVY. Heavier than it should be, one would expect, bearing only four keys. There is a silver-gold key that has a wolf's head on the top, a plain partially-rusted iron key - a little large for the ring, a tiny silver key on a long golden chain, and a bronze key that boasts a skull at the top with rubies in the eye-sockets. Mr. Dead-and-Spooky is saying nothing else, and has gone back to slumping in the tub - but the racket in here is drawing someone else's attention.

THROUGH the wall comes a very pretty pink-glowing head, shoulders, torso [with some rather large 'tracks of land'] and then the body. The woman is curvaceous, gorgeous, and dressed in what would have been considered 'late evening wear' back in the twenties. From tip to toe, it leaves very little to the imagination, and consists of a tight, fringed bra, some matching panties, and a sheer night-gown that barely tints the form it's draped over. One can see right through that form, though, and it is... a lovely form. If slightly on the irate side at the moment.

"Can't anyone get any sleep around here? Virgil! You didn't tell me you had guests!"

The lady is obviously speaking to the skeleton, who rattles his bones once more, then separates from them entirely, becoming a pale blue glowing figure sitting on the edge of the tub - unable to completely leave what's left of his physical form. "Minerva. What a surprise. These guests are unplanned."

Apparently, the ghost can talk perfectly fine when out of his... well, "body" is stretching it. Both ghosts have the cultured, refined tones of aristocracy - although they are both CLEARLY from different time-periods, judging by their clothing.

"Oh, how wonderful! Surprise guests. The Captain will be pleased!"

Virgil, the glowing-blue young man, raises his hand in a protest. "DON'T! ... Don't wake the captain. Are you so eager to add to our ranks?"

Minerva scoffs. "Oh come now. You're just jealous because that swain of yours killed you and left you for dead, and my precious Captain is still with me."

The young man puts his head in his right hand. "After seventy-five years, you'd think I'd get used to this." he grumbled. Then, his attention turned to the guests that had been rattling his bones. "The keys you picked up lead to four doors at the base of the mansion. They're behind a spelled wall that requires a three-fold key-puzzle to open. I can't help you any more than that. I also can't tell you which key leads to the right crypt. But once you're there, you'll know. The Master of this Mansion requiescat in pace below. He will know where your friend is. But beware of the danger in getting there. You are... not where you think you are. That is all I can say without risking all our lives and undead lives. Minerva is... endlessly annoying, but she is harmless. There are others trapped here that are NOT so harmless."

Minerva scoffs again. "You say the strangest things, Virgil my dear." Her arms cross over her ample bosom. "You are perfectly safe, my loves." Her pinkish glow seems to brighten slightly. "Come, come, my loves - you MUST meet my gorgeous captain."

Virgil reaches out to try and touch one of the Ghosts, but only a cold shiver is felt. "DO NOT run into the Captain! DO NOT. Whatever you do in this mansion, there are certain entities that resent their long imprisonment. My ex is one of them. The Captain... is entirely another. If you see either of them - RUN."

With that, Virgil seems to have lost the last of his strength to remain out of his skeleton, and sinks back into it. Minerva pops back through the wall, huffing indignantly, and the handle jamming the door shut cracks in two with a loud snap, as both pieces of what now looks to be the tail-end of a fire-axe fall to the ground, leaving the door to swing wide open into a pitch black room. The Ghosts are alone.

YOU MAY:
- Enter the pitch black room
- Attempt to talk to Virgil again

[Serra Britt]

Illusion seems to be very proud of himself for following the tracks, and more or less preens himself while the rest of the Pumpkin Patch team puts the puzzle pieces in place.

Action taken:
- Use the puzzle pieces in the puzzle

[Rainbowfox Ari]

The Patch walks back to the bathroom, and slots the pieces into place. There is a three-fold chime - three different notes [A,C♯,and B♭ to be specific]. After which, the entire wall next to which the shower was opened on both sides like a stone curtain at show opening. The passageway that was revealed led to a staircase of stone, and a long, winding, downward spiral.

[Assuming you're going to want to go in, since it's the only thing you CAN do]

At the end of the downward staircase - which is cold, and very, very dusty - there are a set of four doors. One is bronze with a skull embedded in the door. It looks as if a real one was coated in bronze and shoved into place. Another is an old, rusty iron door without adornment. The third is a smaller wooden door with golden threading on the outside. The last one is ornate white wood, and is set with a wolf's head done in gold and silver. To either side of these doors are corridors - each one clearly labeled, but it is in another language.

One says Loco coeptum, and the one across the way says
Qui manet in me both done on plaques attached to the sides of each wall corridor. Since you have keys to none of these doors...

YOU MAY
- Go Left
- Go Right

[tsukiko]

i think maybe we should go right...*waits for team*

[Serra Britt]

We're kind of rushing at this point so...

Tsukiko and I lead the team towards the right.

Action taken:
- Go Right

[Rainbowfox Ari]

The Patch chooses to go right. The corridor winds on for a very long time. The walls are dry, though, and it gets warmer as the steps progress. Path leads down the stone corridor, then abruptly turns into what appears to be a wooden hallway. It changes again into a marble-floored passageway, surrounded by smooth stone walls, and torches set into the wall every so often. The corridor ends with a large wooden door that is slightly ajar. The Patch can hear singing coming from within - a high-ish tenor, male, and singing in nonsense language.

YOU MAY:
- Turn around and go the other way
- Talk to whoever's inside

[Serra Britt]

Ooo...I think we should talk to whomever is inside XD

If any of the rest of the Patch agrees, go ahead and post our taken action XD

[Death by Mirrors]

Okay, while I'd surely enjoy an extended chat with Virgil, I think if we still want a chance to use any of these keys during the event, we should probably leave him rest and move on. What do you think, fellow Ghosts?

[Kaderin Triste]

I feel like I have been such a slacker at helping my team. But I agree. We should probably move on.

[mdom]

WHY
That's what the scratch on the piano said, and also what that undescribable hanged apparition screamed loudly on the room. The Belfry Bats couldn't move for a while, moments that felt like days, even. All of them felt scared to the bone - Mimi Rei-Lotus, who was a step ahead, got a really painful headache as a result of that encounter. She needed the support of Dragoness to walk, such was the throbbing in her head. SparX went to check on the piano again, to find it pristine, with no scratches. Instead, she could barely see in the darkness of the room a parchment with some sort of drawing in it. While SparX tried to decipher the drawing, mdom found the silver key that apparently dropped out of nowhere. Things were getting more confused than ever. Why was really the word in their minds - why did the scratch vanished? why was there a really creepy ghost that causes headaches? why was there a parchment and a key when there was none? why did Ari decide to vanish in such a creepy mansion?
But they couldn't stay undecided forever. Together, they decided to talk to the man at the bar. Had he seen what they just seen? Or had he at least seen Ari?

[Death by Mirrors]

Clutching the keyring, Death still stares at the exact spot in the wall where Minerva had vanished through. What a pretty ghost, even though - just like Virgil - her words raise more questions than they answer. Who is that ominous Captain? What exactly has happened to those two? Both slain by a lover? Or merely Virgil? Who else is trapped here in the mansion? At least that last question can be answered. "Alright, guys!" A nod towards the pitch black doorway. "I hope you all brought a flashlight."

The adjoining room's darkness doesn't seem much more inviting than a neglected bathroom, but at least it allows the Ghosts to leave the mold behind for now. With dim cones of light they enter the next room. "Let's see if there is a light switch somewhere", Kaderin whispers, her flashlight gliding over the walls. Even though no one directly told them so, the Ghosts only talk in hushed voices. Better not alert any dangerous being too soon.

[Ghosts move to the next room]

[Rainbowfox Ari]

The man at the bar looks up as the Bats approach, and motions to the bar. There are plenty of seats available. He smiles, and listens to their story, face slowly falling as they mention the apparition that he did not see. From the expression he's wearing, it's clear that this is not an unusual occurrence. Sighing, he puts down the drink he's nursing, and leans toward the Bats.

"That was Caspian. I'm sorry K didn't warn you about him. The rumors of this mansion being haunted are far from fictional, I'm afraid. Caspian was... a good friend of K's, before he hung himself in the upstairs bedroom that sits on the top of those stairs."

He motioned vaguely to the twin staircases outside of the bar and the ballroom.

"Nobody knows why he hung himself, but people do still see him on occasion - usually when messing with his piano out there."

With a shake of his head, he picked up his drink, and sipped it, listening to their next question.

"Ari? Oh, a fox-boy? Yes, I saw him. K escorted him in here to have a chat and a drink - some cockamamie Nox scheme or the like. I don't know where he went afterward, but K mentioned something about taking him out into the garden while they waited for people to be gathered for some game or another. A couple of hours after that, K comes in here like a whirlwind, looking for Ari, can't find him, and stomps off in a huff. Seriously, that's all I know."

The man blinks, and looks at the one Bat who asked who he was.

"Ah, me? I'm nobody special. I'm K's boyfriend of the moment. That doesn't really mean much. Boyfriend doesn't equate to lover, I'm afraid. That's what you get for dealing with a centuries-old vampire. They don't have much tact left."

[Due to the lack of time, this is the last interaction you may choose, and I'll wrap everything up within your next interaction post]

The BATS May:
- Move to the Garden
- Go Upstairs

[Rainbowfox Ari]

The Ghosts find a light-switch on the wall. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to work very well. The light that the two hanging lamps in the room casts seems to be ineffective to explore, and the flashlights are still very much needed. Virgil and Minerva are left behind - although Minerva seems to be singing or laughing from another room. This place isn't much better than the bathroom, to be honest. The wallpaper is done up in an old Victorian style, and is very clearly peeling. The light shines across it in a sickly brown-green reserved for the very wealthiest of people back then. The crown and base molding on the walls is missing in places, and the carpet that was once a rich, vibrant brown has seen better days. There are several articles of furniture in here. There is a four-poster bed that at one time had pink bedclothes - all of those now appear to be.. burned? On either side of that, scorched dressers with a charred grandfather clock on the left side that will never keep time anymore. The walls, ceiling, and parts of the floor are blackened with fire and smoke-damage. The windows, too, are busted out.

This seems a bit on the strange side, because when Death and the others had viewed the house from the outside, there was no evidence of broken, burned, or otherwise damaged exterior. Including the windows. A fire this bad would have left SOME sort of mark... Regardless, the room they now stand in has been torched somehow, and there's very little left in here. The heavy wooden door that leads out of the room is charred too, and there is really no need for a key to head out into the inky blackness, as it's partially ajar as it is.

Out in the hallway, there appears to be a dim, pale-gold-ish sort of light shimmering off to the right.

[Same situation as the Bats. You may choose one, but this choice is your last. Time necessitates things, and I will continue the exploration of the house as an optional sort of 'game' for those who are curious. Only ONE TEAM has to find Ari, and all of you win. ^^]

The Ghosts May:
- Explore the room for further clues as to what happened here
- Head out into the hallway.

[Serra Britt]

Okay since my team is not weighing in XD
---
The voice, especially the singing, grabs my attention. I push on the wooden door, hoping to find someone inside who may have an idea where Ari is.

Action taken:
- Talk to whoever's inside

[Rainbowfox Ari]

Inside, the Patch finds a pre-pubescent boy sitting on a large four-poster bed. He appears to be chained there from a golden anklet around his left ankle. Whatever he is singing, it's in a language that you don't recognize, and he stops when he hears someone else in the room. He is blonde, and has long bangs, which he blows out of his VERY pink eyes as the Patch enters the room. In his lap, and being - unwillingly - brushed with a golden comb... is Ari in his fox form! The poor black-and-white animal is sitting there tolerating being combed, brushed, and... having a pretty pink bow stuck on his ear. He looks absolutely mortified.

"Well, you guys found me." He says, waving the tail a bit. A tail which also has a pink bow tied to it. "You found me, and all the teams win, but please, PLEASE get me out of here!"

[CONGRATULATIONS! The Pumpkin Patch has found Ari, which means that ALL teams who have entered the mansion are winners! Your exclusive items will be sent out to you in short order. Thank you for playing! If you'd like to explore the mansion at your own pace, earn points to spend on clues, and solve clever riddles from within the mansion - Please look forward to when I start the adventure! It will be within a few weeks, and there will be more riddles, more ghosts, more scares, and more choices than you can shake a stick at. Remember to drop me a line on my profile if you plan to check it out!

THANK YOU! HAPPY NOX!]