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Trespass is knowingly entering another owners’ property or land without permission, which encroaches on the owners’ privacy or property interests. Trespass may be lightly or severely punished depending on the difference in haemocaste between the trespasser and the owner of the property being trespassed on. Light punishment typically tends towards the loss of one or multiple limbs.
- Penal Code Section 187.A by the Decree of her Imperial Majesty the Empress, Conqueror of Stars, Beneviolent Tyrant of Trolls, etc etc etc, to be applied to the Homeworld.
======-> Be the cowgirl with a secret.
You feel like you're going to go insane. What is it with getting various instructions from different people with clues and hints as to where to find someone. You're not a video game character. Nevertheless, you've committed, and so you guess you have to make your way over to a clown mansion.
First, though... it's getting late.
You make your way back to your hive, taking a different line than you rode in on all the way out west, and then the scuttlebuggy back out past the subgrub into the middle of nowhere where you live. Zhanne living in the southwest of the city near Kiarig and Arsonn is nice, but the quest you got sent on for Dirack put you all the way in the southeast, the opposite side to where you live.
It leaves you a lot of time to think about things. You're not sure about [LA] yet, as she seems to be quite.. brusque. If you're not mistaken, Kiarig is getting more openly hostile to you the more often you visit, which isn't good. Zhanne is.. elsewhere. Moreso than when you first met her.
But hey, you've got something to do! Beats filling out job applications they don't want to hire you for considering you'll be headed off-planet soon, right? You relax into a contented slouch as the scuttlebuggy trundles on and the fields roll by. You hum along to your music.
The next day, you're up before noon. You're energised! You're doing this! You fist-pump the air a little, cheering yourself on for this stupendous feat. Then you realise your room is still a mess, and you set out to clean all of that off the power of an energy drink on an empty digestion sac.
Two hours later, you have several missed messages and shaky fronds from a caffeine crash. You finally sit down to eat something in your nice and clean environment at your desk, and catch up on your group chat. You'll check your DMs after.
=> #general - /HE SI/E OF PROGRESS IN DIRACKQUES/! [3 notifications!]
LG: @affableLapse SO WHEN WI// YOU BE HEADING OU/? at 9:06
...
LG: @affableLapse ARE YOU AWAKE YE/? at 10:17
SG: Somememe people sleep iiin, beloved.
LG: OH, YES, I FORGO/
LG: HOW IS WORK?
SG: Samememe as ever, darliiing.
LG: BE//ER /HAN /HE A//ERNA/IVE!
SG: That's true.
...
LG: SURE/Y YOU'RE UP BY NOW RIGH/? @affableLapse at 13:23
GL: i_ have to say_ she usually isn't up before 12_
GL: so_ don't hold your breath_
GA: that's so late, though?
LA: >being employed
LA: some of us are normal(lol) desu
SG: Hm? What does that mememean?
Ah, so it's turning into a difficult situation. You're right on time!
AL: good morning everyone!!!
AL: how is everyone doing?
AL: and don't worry @lividGarishness i will be moo-ving soon! hehe
AL: does anyone want to come with me?
You cast your net without delay, hoping to catch at least one volunteer. In your pusher you know that this won't grant you any results, but better to try and fail than to never try at all!
Predictably, though, everyone has reasons they're busy.
LG: I WOU/D IF NO/ FOR /HE FAC/ /HA/ A /EA/ SNIFFING AROUND WOU/D BE BAD FOR A SUB//E INVES/IGA/ION
LG: ANYONE E/SE?
GA: i'm busy with my job, unfortunately. :(
LG: OH, WHA/ WORK DO YOU DO?
LA: im not going to a fucking clown mansion
LA: are you insane desu
GA: oh, i'll tell you later, i have to go do something! i'll be back!
GL: i_ will have to decline_ for the same reason as LG_
GL: too_ high profile_
Kiarig is at work, so that rules her out even if she won't reply to you. The other recent member of the chat hasn't said anything at all yet, so you're wondering if maybe they've got some sort of important job that keeps them really busy? That's probably it.
Well.
You've stalled all you can, really.
You can do this Bonnie, you've got this. You're gonna do great.
You're spending a lot of time travelling. It's a lot of dead time, and you don't have data, so all that's left to you is listening to music you've already downloaded. Now that you're not listening to anything themed after the people you're visiting, you're playing your own music. To hype you up! So it's a full album of My Chemical Quadrants.
You don't really relate to the protagonist of THREE REPETITIVE SOUNDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT FOR MOTIVATING THE PURSUAL OF AND REVELRY IN RETALIATION, as you haven't lost anyone, but you sure are on a quest. You guess you've lost Dirack, sort of? But you didn't really lose them, that was others. You're still looking for them, though.
You play out the whole album, and then put it on again as you get off the third connection you've had to take all the way out here. The station is barren, and you now have to trek into the woods beyond the town, down the singular path. The mansion lies at the end, the only building permitted in this managed nature area that exists solely for the benefit of the high haemocaste.
The town it connects to is the wealthiest in the province. Perhaps on the planet, considering its proximity to the capital. This doesn't explain why it has the inane name of FLOWERVALE, but you guess not all names can be winners.
You check around you briefly to see if anyone's around, but it's the middle of a workday. Not a soul in sight. The gravel path was well-maintained, but now seems to be slowly losing its flawless state, as plants have grown up in and around it, not well-trodden enough to keep them down. Your moobeasttroll-style boots crunch the loose stone and flatten the occasional weed. It's the only sound other than your music, which you pause. There's not much to see here but trees, and the path winds, twists and turns deeper into the woods, but for some reason you feel like you should be alert.
Upon arrival, you walk up to the gate of the mansion, and decide on a whim to simply push it. Why not see if it's open? Sure enough, the rusty hinge creaks and groans but eventually allows the gate to swing wide open, as if grumbling about having to admit you. As you step onto the premises, your phone pings.
You've connected to... the internet?
Hey, maybe this means the building has lights too, when you go inside! It'd make your careful preparations of a flashlight, rations and other assorted items unnecessary, but you wouldn't complain.
You stare out at the grounds of the mansion. There wasn't a name on the gate, so you don't really know what to call it yet.
> ping!
You fish your phone out of your sylladex, breaking its associated bottle, and see you have:
> 1 notification from graveLecture [GL]! 3 notifications from lividGarishness [LG]!
You open up Zhanne's message first, and corpse is still in the middle of typing.
GL: bonnie_
GL: i'm_ sorry i can't come with you_
GL: but_ i did want to express my support_ for what you're doing_
GL: it's_ not something i would personally do_
GL: but someone has to_
You decide to surprise her by replying.
AL: boo!
GL: huh_
GL: wait_ what_
GL: didn't_ you not have internet_
AL: the standard abandoned clown mansion package includes an open wifi network! apparently
GL: huh_ well_ keep me updated_
And you decide that yeah, maybe you will. It'll be nice to have someone "with you", even if she can't be here. You upload a picture of the front of the mansion to her to see what she thinks.
> affableLapse [AL] has uploaded an image! img9405.jpeg
AL: so, is it haunted?
GL: immensely_
GL: i can see_ the spirits_ crawling through my screen_
GL: all the way_ from yours_ via the haunted internet_
GL: they're telling me_ in seven days_ your life is forfeit_
You mime a theatrical expression of shock, before realising she can't see you. You're not on call and she isn't here. It also doesn't work quite as well with the mask you have on, so maybe it's better no one saw that.
GL: on a more serious note_
GL: there_ really is no one visibly there_
GL: i can't see_ anything interesting_ from the outside_
Unfortunately for you, Zhanne points out the obvious for you, meaning you can't exactly waffle about outside for too much longer.
AL: doesn't seem that way!
AL: which kind of sucks
AL: i was hoping there'd be a visible clue?
GL: maybe_ if you go up to the door_
Corpse also very helpfully cuts to the chase of what you have to do. Well, with a smile unseen and a spring in your step, you will hesitantly make your way past the unmaintained gardens overrun with wild plants. These plants themselves are remarkably pristine, with none of them flattened or eaten by wildlife, which seems... kind of weird. But hey, what do you know. Maybe the fence keeps them out?
You gently approach the door. There's no graffiti on it, which does strike you as weird. Surely if Dirack's apartment had a giant purple face spraypainted onto it, this should as well, if it's related?
Your musing is interrupted by the front door swinging open.
You didn't touch it.
Well, it's clearly unlocked and maybe there's a draft? You guess the closing mechanism must have weakened or rusted or broken at some point. The lights obviously aren't on, and you noticed outside that some of the windows were boarded up, so it's pretty dark in there. You break the bottle containing your prepared flashlight and flick it on, casting a beam across the foyer. You looked up what the entrance would be called before coming here.
AL: well the door just opened!
AL: so i can see inside the foyer
AL: other doors are closed, though
GL: spooky_
AL: nothing notable really inside... no footprints or paint or anything?
GL: huh_
GL: if_ the door was unlocked_ surely you'd expect squatters_
Zhanne makes a great point. You did notice this, in the back of your mind. However, you are not going to think about that, and quickly mentally paper over any reminders of anything you don't need right now.
It's eerily quiet.
You step inside, hesitantly.
AL: no traps in the entryway!
GL: well_ i guess you had to figure out_ somehow_
AL: time to explore!
You make sure to flip the STRIFE MODE switch in your specibus to ON, double-checking you have enough pirated STRIFLY LARVAE available. You might get into a couple of fights with overeager furniture, as this thing is probably too sensitive, but it's better than being caught unaware. The trials you've had to go through to get these to the brink of maturity are their own pain, but it's worth it.
You enter the foyer fully, and half expect the door to slam shut behind you. No such thing happens, and you let out a sigh of relief.
AL: stepped inside and the door's still open!
GL: your offering_ pleases the gods_
GL: you are permitted_
AL: permitted to what?
GL: permitted_
You shake your head slightly at Zhanne's antics as you cast your flashlight from side to side. Nothing of note here, just a couple of closed doors to the north, east and west, a table dead centre with an empty vase on it, and another table to the west that bears a picture. You walk up to the table with the picture and decide you should inspect it like this is a key item.
You pick up a WEATHERED PORTRAIT.
It seems to depict two trolls of roughly equal height and masculine build, but one of the faces has been ripped out. The other has a half-face mask, and the part of their face you can see is smiling, while the mask is frowning. Their horns seem unwieldy.
They're both standing in front of a mansion - this mansion, you realise - and the greenery is better tended to. You think you even spy some roses off in the corner. Purple. Sure is a clown mansion.
As an experienced amateur sleuth, you snap a picture of the picture, adding it to your EVIDENCE DOCUMENTSHEATH on your palmhusk.
> affableLapse [AL] has uploaded an image to DIRACKQUES/ and graveLecture [GL]! evidence1.png
You post that to the group chat and then in Zhanne's messages, and go back to ignoring the group chat.
GL: seems interesting_
GL: do you think they_ owned the mansion?
AL: gotta be, right?
AL: they're in front of the door and everything
AL: looks like they had a falling out though
GL: good_ clown suffering_ is good suffering_
You put the portrait back on the dusty table. Out of curiosity, you squat down next to it, and try to see how thick the dust layer is.
Looks like this place hasn't been touched for quite a while.
You file that away in your mental EVIDENCE DOCUMENTSHEATH. Which is less reliable than the one on your palmhusk. It'll have to do, though.
Time to choose a door. They are all different colours, but all shut. You're severely confused as to why a purpleblood mansion would include an orange door here to the west, but you're going to choose it anyway. It matches you! You leave the green and purple doors to the north and east alone for now.
You enter into a hallway, and you seem to hear the masonry and wood and plaster and all the other materials grind into place around you as you step in. But nothing's moved.
Huh.
AL: mansion's got some odd noises going on!
GL: vermin?
AL: like the mansion is shifting
GL: well_ it is purple_
GL: lingering_ psionics?
Yeah. Probably just amplified anxiety.
You turn behind you just to double check this door didn't close behind you. But it hasn't. Something makes you hesitate to go back through it, though.
You gaze into the corridor ahead. Seems like there's an exit straight ahead of you, and one to your right - the north. You pull out a notepad and start drawing a map. Always prepared! Well, often. You map out the entrance with a little drawn door icon with an E, and put an open door where you went through, with doorways to the north and to the west. You also draw in the remaining doorways from the foyer.
There's furniture in this hallway, but it's underneath dust covers. Another table stands by the side, and it has a note on it, as well as a loose iron key. You pick that up and stuff it into your pocket before reading the note.
OPEN YOUR TATTERED MIND AND THERE IS ONLY GOD TO CRY TO
Huh. Well, you pocket that too, except this one goes into your sylladex, into a bottle. After taking a picture of it with your palmhusk, of course.
AL: how trustworthy do you think old notes written in clown cursive are?
GL: what_
AL: if you were to hypothetically find one lying around?
GL: o_o
GL: that's_ probably cursed_
GL: you probably cursed yourself_ picking that up_
GL: i will_ prepare_ for a closed casket funeral_
AL: no but really
GL: well_ it was probably meant_ for lowblood staff_
GL: so make of it_ what you will_
Dubious authenticity! Your favourite kind of authenticity.
Time to pick another door. These aren't colour coded anymore, so you don't have an easy choice to make. You do note that this hallway sure is orange, though, so maybe that has something to do with it?
You go through the westward door, and enter a cuperoom. It's purple. Well, of course it's purple, it's a cuperoom in a clown mansion. You don't hear that weird shifting noise when you step into this room, so that's probably a good sign. You just imagined it the first time. That's what you're deciding happened.
Unfortunately the cuperoom doesn't have any more portraits in it, although it does look really relaxing. It has a state-of-the-art cupe, albeit entirely empty and sparkling clean, and a... recreational platform.
The covers are quite soft.
You casually swipe a jewel that's present on one of the shelves.
Dead end, though, so you back right out and head to the north. This odd sequencing of interlocking corridors, cuperooms, and various others - there's an entire room dedicated to an indoor water area, which is very odd for anyone who isn't a fish - eventually starts wearing you down. You're just going through door after door after door. You stop paying proper attention.
One of the rooms you stumble into does eventually lock behind you, and when you try the doorhandle, the lights go out.
AL: zhanne?
AL: this room closed on its own..
No signal. You're still holding your flashlight, so you flick it back on. You thought you were still looking at the door, so you scare yourself witless when you see something, blind yourself, and then realise in one go that that's a mirror and that it's just you. Mask, horns, and all.
You spin around slowly, looking in all four directions, and realise that there does not seem to be a door. Just you, staring back at yourself, still blinding yourself a bit as the warped and tarnished silver breaks your visage into weird, distorted falsehoods.
You start your second revolution on your own axis, but are interrupted by a hand clapping you loudly on the shoulder.
??????: SAY, aren't YOU TRESPASSING?
A masked clown has found you, and is currently breaking down in a delighted fit of giggles.
You need to get the fuck out of here.
So you run.
You don't have a great idea which direction was the one you came in from, but it doesn't matter, as you pick the direction you're facing and run straight through the mirror blocking your way, shattering it and its reflection into dozens of shards.
??????: DON'T be LONG!
??????: SEE you SOON!
You're not sure if you're being followed, as the clown's voice bounces down the hall alongside you, echoing, occasionally sounding like it comes from your left, then your right, or from right behind you. Whenever you hear them cackling from a room you're about to enter, you change course, dashing through whatever door you can get to quickest.
You go through dining rooms and foyers and garages and indoor water features and several gardens.
The hardwood floor means you clatter loudly with every step you take, the hard soles of your boots attempting to drown out the laughter. The spurs on the back of them have probably scratched the wood.
You go through various different antechambers that don't lead into anything befitting their decorations.
You've knocked over several statues, vases, plants and their pots, and you've even obliterated an oil painting, but you don't have time to feel bad.
While scrambling through doorways you occasionally hit your hips, your elbows, your knees, everything on the frames, bruising you, but you don't ever fall.
You don't slow.
After a frenzied run that feels like it lasted both minutes and hours, you exit into the main foyer, the one that has the door that leads outside, and you burst into the remnants of the cool darkness outside. It'll be light soon.
Once on the grounds again, the laughter stops. It stopped the moment you stepped over the entryway, making the entire place eerily silent again. Gravel crunches under your boots as you make your way up to the gate at a jog.
It's shut. You don't have a key, it won't budge, and you can't climb over it or the remainder of the fencing, as it is producing a faint hum.
You turn back to the garden, and make sense of its trampled remains now that you've seen the interior of the mansion.
It looks like you're going to have to camp out until the following day.
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