Housemaiden (awkward2) Tears, here???

Researcher (worried3) There should be a crest somewhere.
We should look around...

First loop

(......)

(You forgot where the key is.)

(All you remember is that you shouldn't look at the plates.)

(You should look in this room...)

(Some plates and cutlery.)

(You push some glasses around and look towards the back...)

(There's a very tiny spider.)

(The key isn't in there...)

(You blink at the tiny spider.)

(Some plates and cutlery.)

(You push some glasses around and look towards the back...)

(Nothing except dust.)

(The key isn't in there...)

(You blink at the dust.)

(You open the closet.)

First time

(For a few seconds, you blank out on why you even opened it in the first place.)

(Ah. The key.)

(It's not in here.)

(There's nothing in here but

The conversation proceeds as if you clicked "(Don't.)"

Subsequent times

(You remember this time.)

("There's nothing in here but...")

• (Say the line, Siffrin!)

  (You say the line.)

  
  

  Kid (excited1) WHAT!!! LET ME SEE!!!!!

  Kid (annoyed1) ...Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww.

  Fighter (happy1) HA! Classic.

  
  

  (You smile.)

• (Don't.)

  Fighter (happy1) Skeletons!!!

  Kid (excited1) WHAT!!! LET ME SEE!!!!!

  Kid (annoyed1) ...Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww.

  Researcher (oof1) Please don't take Siffrin's place, I beg of you.

  Researcher (wondering3) One jokester on this team is quite enough.

  Fighter (ohfuck1) Sif wasn't saying the obvious joke, so I figured I'd give it a try!!!

  
  

  First time

  (...)

  (You missed your cue.)

  (No matter. You'll remember for next time.)

  
  

  Subsequent times

  Fighter (sad4) ...

  
  

  You get one weird point for this.

(The closet only contains kitchen supplies.)

First time

(It's the pile of plates you shouldn't look at for some reason you can't really remember.)

(You look at it.)

The conversation proceeds as if you clicked "yes"

Subsequent times

(It's a pile of plates.)

(You don't want her to be sad. Listen and try to help?)

• yes

  If you interacted with the plates one time before

  (You needed to help her, didn't you?)

  (Find the words to help her...)

  (You try your best to listen...)

  (Your eyelids feel heavy...)

  
  

  The screen goes dark

  
  

  (...)

  
  

  The scene proceeds as if you'd clicked no

  ---

  Fighter (embarassed4) SO TALL!!!

  Kid (excited1) WHY IS IT SO TALL???

  Housemaiden (determined1) Oh...!

  Housemaiden (smile4) It's just how the House's cook likes it!

  Housemaiden (smile4) "If we stack plates super high, then the meals we put on it are sure to reach divine status!!!"

  Researcher (oof1) Urgh.

  Fighter (happy1) Why not, right!!! How was the food?

  Housemaiden (awkward3) Room for improvement?

  Housemaiden (smile1) That reminds me! One day, the cook... ...

  Housemaiden (distressed1) ...Oh... I'm sorry. It's just-- seeing the kitchen... It reminds me of how the House used to be...

  Kid (ew2) Before it was a castle? Back when you were living there?

  Housemaiden (determined1) Yes!

  Housemaiden (distressed1) It was such a kind, gentle place... A place of learning, a place to create, a place to help you become the person you wish to be...

  Housemaiden (distressed2) The King... targeted the House first...

  Housemaiden (distressed3) ...I don't know... If everyone is okay... If I'll be able to bring everyone back...!

  Housemaiden (distressed3) The Head Housemaiden, my roommate, my friends... The cook, the librarian, the nurse, everyone...

  Housemaiden (cry1) What if they're all dead or gone so far I can't bring them back?

  Researcher (worried2) ...

  Fighter (worried1) ...

  Kid (sad1) ...

  
  

  first time

  (Ah. That's why you shouldn't look at the plates.)

  
  

  Subsequent times

  (There's a reason you don't like to look at the plates...)

  (There's nothing you can say.)

  
  

  Housemaiden (distressed3) ... Stay positive... I have to... stay positive...

  
  

  (Maybe next time you'll finally find something to tell her...)

• no

  If you interacted with the plates one time before

  
  

  (You know they'll notice if you ignore them...)

  (But you're just so tired.)

  
  

  Otherwise

  (No one will notice if you don't pay attention for a little bit.)

  (You close your eyes and think about nothing.)

  
  
  

  The screen fades to back

  
  
  

  ...frin...

  
  

  Siffrin.

  
  

  SIFFRIN!!!

  
  

  The screen comes back

  
  

  Kid (annoyed1) Were you not paying attention while she was talking? Pretty crabby of you.

  Housemaiden (awkward2) Oh n-no, that's okay! I- I know it's not the time to talk about this...

  Housemaiden (smile1) L-Let's just keep going!

  Fighter (worried1b) ...

  Researcher (angry2) ...

  Kid (angry2) (GLARE)

(It's a pile of plates.)

(...)

Without the Star Crest

(You steer clear of the tears.)

(You're too far to give up now...)

With the Star Crest

(Use the crest to clear the way?)

First loop

(Surprisingly, this clock still works.)

(You look behind the clock...)

(Nothing.)

Second loop onwards

(The key isn't there.)

(You count the seconds.)

Housemaiden (smile1) Oh! That's the pitcher one of my friends made!!!

Researcher (ew1) That's... a pitcher?

Kid (neutral1) It has little leggies.

Fighter (happy2) Oh!!! I've once been told what to do when you find something weird looking.

Fighter (proud1) "It has a great personality!"

Housemaiden (awkward3) Hahaha...

Housemaiden (smile1) Oh! That's the pitcher one of my friends made!!!

Housemaiden (distressed2) ...Actually, nevermind. Sorry, we can just move on...

(An empty pitcher.)

(One of the cooks, frozen in time.)

Housemaiden (distressed3) ...

(A table.)

Uses generic barrel text.

(A pot filled with bubbling food, frozen in time.)

(The steam is frozen in midair.)

First loop

The conversation plays out as if you'd clicked "yes"

Second loop onwards

(You don't mind crab, either as an animal or a meal.)

(You're getting tired of this, though.)

(Time may be frozen, but the smell still lingers.)

(Hair.)