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[ The first thing they saw was… nothing. ]
[ Well, that wasn’t exactly true. A small sliver of light beamed down from what one would imagine is a wall, illuminating a bit of the room they found themselves in. CALI’s screen also provided a small amount of light. But outside of that, they were left in the dark. ]
[DEILE]: …Ugh. Did it just get way colder in here, or do I just need a better jacket?
[CALI]: It’s… cold alright. Where even… are we?
[ CALI follows the light on the wall to some window blinds, which she promptly opens. All she can see is white, the sky, the ground- it’s hard to even tell if there’s even a difference .]
[DEILE walks behind her, looking out the window.]
[DEILE]: Man, it’s snowing pretty hard out there. Do you think this is that isolated cabin Abacaxi mentioned? Could be a ski resort or something…
[CALI looks out the window again.]
[CALI]: Hm. I don’t think that’s snow, but- I’m not sure what else it *could* be.
[DEILE]: Probably like, a weird outdoor curtain or whatever, who cares. I just know one thing about ski resorts: They’ve got some hot chocolate, and a nice cozy fireplace somewhere. I say we worry about warming up before trying to head outside.
[CALI]: …That’s two things. But you’re right, we should find someplace away from this chill.
[ The duo use the light of the window to identify another door- this one leading into… well, a very similar room as the last. A window, some suburban furniture, and a few more doors. ]
[ However, clearly this wasn’t the one with the warmth, so they kept on looking. They walked through door after door, at first avoiding the windows, assuming they would lead outside, until they entered a room with a window on every wall. After that, they had just been guessing at random. ]
[ DEILE is shivering, his breath showing in the cold air. ]
[DEILE]: How many rooms d-does this place even have?
[CALI]: I don’t know. We’ve probably just- been walking in circles. We need to focus on some sort of- thing, an object, or a landmark- just so we know if we loop around.
[DEILE]: How about that?
[ DEILE points up at a gigantic steel tower, rising up into the impossibly tall room they currently found themselves in. ]
[CALI]: …Huh. Did not notice that before.
[CALI]: Well, that works great. If we see that thing, we’ll know we’ve been there before.
[ The duo leave the room, and after only 5 more rooms, end up in the same place… ]
[CALI]: Huh. Wwweird.
[ DEILE peers up at the tower. ]
[DEILE]: It is weird, why would they have two of these?
[ CALI glares at DEILE. ]
[CALI]: That’s not what I meant. We didn’t make a single turn that time, yet we ended up back here.
[DEILE]: Yeah, I know that. I’m not stupid. That’s why it only makes sense for them to have two of these.
[CALI]: In what world does that make more sense? This place isn’t normal.
[DEILE]: Yeah, meaning that maybe the less sensical option is more likely? Look, just-
[ The computer woman groans, frustrated, putting her mouse hands to her screen. Any more statements between them, however, would be halted. ]
[???]: EN AVEZ-VOUS BIENTÔT FINI AVEC CES INÉPTIES?
[???]: (WILL YOU TWO STOP YOUR CONSTANT ARGUMENTS?)
[ The duo jump at the sound of the voice. DEILE steps behind CALI, frantically searching for its owner. There’s a pause, before CALI speaks up. ]
[CALI]: W-we deeply apologize for disturbing you, uhm… whoever you are.
[ DEILE whispers from behind CALI. ]
[DEILE]: (…you can understand that thing? How?? It was in some sort of ancient language…)
[CALI]: (…It was in French.)
[DEILE]: (…the point still stands.)
[CALI]: (I read sometimes, okay?)
[ There’s a metal creaking sound, then the sound of flesh. The cultists look up to see a gigantic eye staring down at them from the middle of the metal structure. ]
[???]: JE N'AI POINT BESOIN DE ME PRÉSENTER AUPRÉS DE PESTES COMME VOUS.
[???]: (I NEED NOT INTRODUCE MYSELF TO PESTS LIKE YOU.)
[ CALI looks up into the eye. Staring at it as it stares at her. It almost seemed familiar for a second, a second that filled her with a deep sense of dread. The Specula has eyes everywhere, she knows that. This thing clearly had immense power. The thought crossed her mind that she could have angered the one being she set out to make happy. But, she started to rationalize a much simpler explanation. There’s no way the deity they worshiped would end up in a random ski resort, and it certainly wouldn’t primarily speak French- this must be something else entirely. ]
[ DEILE’s thought process is much simpler. As soon as he realizes it’s from the tower, DEILE stops using CALI as a shield. ]
[DEILE]: Oh, it’s just a talking tower thing.
[EIFFEL]: "UNE SIMPLE TOUR"...
[EIFFEL]: (“JUST A TOWER”…)
[EIFFEL]: INSOLENTS QUE VOUS ÊTES, VOUS NE SAVEZ PAS A QUEL POINT VOUS ÊTES LOIN DU COMPTE.
[EIFFEL]: (YOU FOOLISH SHEEP COULD NOT BE FURTHER FROM THE TRUTH.)
[DEILE]: …What is it saying, anyway?
[CALI]: A few things. Right then it called us fools.
[ DEILE crosses his arms, looking up at the tower. ]
[DEILE]: Hey, just because you’re extremely tall and made of some sort of strong material, doesn’t mean you have to be all high and mighty.
[DEILE]: At least we can leave the room.
[ CALI glances up at the tower, concerned. ]
[CALI]: Maybe we shouldn’t- insult it?
[ DEILE rolls his eyes. ]
[DEILE]: Yeah right. What’s it gonna do? Stare at us some more?
[ There’s more metal creaking. The tower’s metal bars move and shift, the top part leaning backwards to reveal a large mouth of razor sharp teeth. Suddenly, a spiked tongue lashes out of it, stabbing the ground directly in front of the duo. ]
[EIFFEL]: BIENTÔT, VOUS SOUHAITERAIS POUR QUE CE SOIT TOUT CE DONT JE SUIS CAPABLE.
[EIFFEL]: (YOU BOTH WILL WISH THAT WAS ALL I CAN DO.)
[CALI]: BOTH of us?? What did I do??
[DEILE]: Let’s rearrange the blame later, okay? I think we just need to GET OUT OF HERE!
[ They both take one look at the tower’s true true form, and instantly book it in the opposite direction. ]