CYOA - W6

[afflictionmods]

ic date: thurdsay, w6
ic time: 2am - 5am

Comments

[afflictionmods]

[Thank you for doing me a solid.

And there is! It does do the slamming stuff, too. Just more gently, for some reason.]

[superstructure]

[ blows kisses

Is there anything he's able to catch a glimpse of before it closes since it's not as aggressive? Or is it kind of the same as the view from the upstairs window. ]

[afflictionmods]

[That rain looks worse beyond the front yard, as if it's storming just past where the lot ends while the house is surrounded by a gentle rain, but not much else that he couldn't see before.]

[superstructure]

[ Sounds good! He's gonna move over to the kitchen to make sure the Rays boys aren't causing trouble now. ]

[afflictionmods]

[Phantom has a knife now, which might be worrisome, but it also seems like they're having a Wholesome Bonding Moment. Kawaii.

So he's probably safe to move on to one of the closed doors!]

[superstructure]

[ how cute........... this is going right down in the shipping journal (no).

Sounds good! He'll move to the door furthest away first, then! ]

[afflictionmods]

[The boyfriends...

That door is hiding... a second bedroom! Though this one doesn't look like anyone is actually currently using it - a guest room, perhaps. But there's a bed, a dresser, and a closet.]

[superstructure]

[ :3

All right! Let's start with the closet first, this time. ]

[afflictionmods]

[does julius have anything he'd like to share with everyone,

In the closet there's a spare set of sheets and more blankets and pillows. You're basically set if you decide to take a break from investigating the spooky house to make a blanket fort. There's also a small wooden box resting on a shelf, just above Julius' head but still within arm's reach.]

[superstructure]

[ that he's not in denial like marcus????? the man wears a ring on his right thumb, he's fully aware of where he stands

Honestly, a blanket fort sounds kind of tempting... but the wooden box is probably the better move, so he'll go for that and inspect it. ]

[afflictionmods]

[but when will he come clean about julia...

Box first, then fort. The fort cannot come forst.

He has found a music box, though! There's a winding key on the back, and a metal latch holding the box closed. It doesn't require a lock, though, so he can open it and take a listen.]

[superstructure]

[ never. julia is a state of being.

Cool! He'll wind it up and take a listen through, then. ]

[afflictionmods]

[diversity win!

The song the music box plays is unfamiliar, but there's something incredibly melancholic about it. It seems more in line with the sort of music you'd hear at a funeral then in a music box, but at the end of it there's a mechanical clicking noise.

He might want to take a closer look at the box, now.]

[superstructure]

[ Spooky.

He'll give it another look around. Any false bottoms, or new compartments open up? ]

[afflictionmods]

[A drawer on the back has opened!

With another key. Julius is just nailing the hunt for keys.]

[superstructure]

[ ... yeah, sure. ]

No shortage on security, I suppose.

[ Actually, let's take a sidebar and look at the keys real quick. Are they..... is clear that they're for different things, or. Are they just like three copies of the same key. Or do they have a secret message engraved on them. idk. ]

[afflictionmods]

[They do all look slightly different, yes! And there’s number scratched into each one - Julius has one, three, and four.]

[superstructure]

[ Perfect!

Let's go over to the dresser, now. Anything sitting on top, or are there drawers to explore? õwõ ]

[afflictionmods]

[There are four drawers! On top of the dresser is a candle, a lamp, and a picture frame. There's no picture in the frame - or someone has stuck a black piece of paper in it, who knows - and the frame itself looks quite old.]

[superstructure]

[ Okay, let's start from the top. What's going on with this frame here... is the paper just sticking out? Or does he have to open the back to get to it? ]

[afflictionmods]

[Gotta go to the back, baybee. But it's just a normal picture frame, so he can open it up with no problems unless he finds picture frames incredibly confusing.

Inside of the frame there is a piece of black paper, but... it was being used to cover up another picture!

A picture of a bird.]

[superstructure]

[ no one will be seated for the three hours it takes julius to open up the frame (no).

But oh, score! Is the bird similar at all too the one he found in the couch? Is there... anything on the back of it? ]

[afflictionmods]

[i'd be riveted tbh

It looks like it might be a similar species, yes! Except this is a real bird - it seems like someone took a picture of their birdcage, a fancy gilded affair.

On the back is a handwritten note, same writing as everything else in this house, that says "Hello."]

[superstructure]

[ just for you, then 💖

Hm. Kind of an on-the-nose metaphor here, huh...

He'll look at the "hello" and just kind of. Stare for a moment. He didn't swipe a pen from upstairs, so for now that's just going to be sitting on top of the dresser as he starts poking through the drawers. ]

[afflictionmods]

[I'm trying to make this a solvable mystery here, okay? Let me have some hamfisted metaphors, as a treat.

The drawers are empty! The last item of note was the picture frame and Fantastic Bird Metaphor, so it's onwards to the next piece of the puzzle.]