The Home Invasion of FishieFish

Characters in this scene: Delilah, FishieFish, Dory, 163rd Barnaby

Editor's note: thestarsseall is the player for both Delilah and Dory, and EmV is the player for both FishieFish and 163rd Barnaby. Please pay attention to determine who is doing what.

thestarsseeall — 03/03/2021

In florida:

A young girl is peering through a window of a house.

thestarsseeall — 03/03/2021

EmV — 03/03/2021

The house is a small 1-story suburban setup at the end of the street. Nothing too remarkable, although the long grass and peeling shingles makes it clear that it's less than well attended to. The inside is dark, but the girl sees clutter. Tables with tanks stacked atop them, empty or filled with a variety of things. Bottles, snack wrappers, books. Oh, and there's some actual fish, too. Somewhere.

The girl's lucky to have this one window she can peek through. The shutters are drawn almost everywhere, but this window has no shutters, only curtains. There's a crack in it. She can press her face against the glass and try to see.

Wait, there in the back. A man is dragging himself through the room. He's getting closer to the window, but hasn't noticed the girl yet.

Because it's so dark, it's hard to make out many details. He's thin.

thestarsseeall — 03/03/2021

EmV — 03/03/2021

With a shaking hand the man brings a bottle to his lips and takes a long gulp of water. Then he jerks. He sees the girl and slow rage spreads across his face. He marches towards the window and raises his fist to bang on the glass. "Hey! Hey hey hey, you!"

thestarsseeall — 03/03/2021

The girl's eyes widen, and she jumps back away from the window, cracking it a little more, before running out of the field of view of the man.

EmV — 03/03/2021

The girl hears a shriek from the window, diminishing as she gets further away. The man retreats from the window. He rummages through a pile of garbage. He picks up a fishing pole. He approaches the front door.

thestarsseeall — 03/03/2021

As he prepares to go out the door, the man hears quick, firm raps against the door.

EmV — 03/03/2021

Taken aback, he hesitates. Then opens the door a couple inches. "Hellloo?"

thestarsseeall — 03/03/2021

A southeastern asian woman stands outside, wearing a sea blue sequined dress that glitters like fish scales, with lace frills like fins. "Helllooooo? I've been told by a very respectable company, of a man, with a \*very \* interesting collection of fish. Is this the right location, or should I find someone else to share my hard earned fish tales with?"

The bored look on her face shifts to something a little more eager and predatory. "You do go by the handle Fishiefish99, right? I'd love to come inside for a drink and a look at your collection, but we could also go outside for a walk first, get to know each other a little better..."

EmV — 03/03/2021

His entire demeanor shifts at "fish". "OF COURSE—" He clears his throat. Opens the door completely. "Of course your hard earned fish tales can be shared. And, and, and yes, that is the handle, yes, fish are good, yes. Do you want to..." He trails off, momentarily distracted by the dress. What a beautiful dress. He would like to have that dress in his wardrobe. "...you can come inside, because, you see, don't want to go outside very much right now the weather is hot and you look very nice?"

He's wearing extremely rumpled clothing with water stains all over it. His hair is dripping with water, for some reason. Disheveled is an understatement.

thestarsseeall — 03/03/2021

She looks him up and down. "Of course, of course. I was raised in Vietnam, but I understand not everyone is at used to the *heat* as I am, and it *is* very *hot* today..."

She steps towards him and the door, raising a hand for him to shake, perhaps. “You can call me Delilah. What’s your name?” As she moves, a few loose sequins scatter from her dress, dancing across the ground before disappearing in the area around the front door without a trace..

EmV — 03/03/2021

He drops the fishing rod so he can shake her hand. It clatters to the floor. His hand is also dripping with water, and you're not sure why. "Very hot, very, very," he says. He pauses for an awkwardly long time to take an enormous swig from the gallon jug. "And the name, right, uh, Brian. Brian." Then he takes the jug of water and dumps the remaining water all over himself. Huh. So that's where the water came from.

thestarsseeall — 03/03/2021

Delilah smiles, and motions towards the inside of the house. "Let's go inside, then?" As she steps forward again, she flips her hair, and a thin strand of seaweed falls behind her across the threshold of the house, unnoticed by Brian.

EmV — 03/03/2021

"Yes yes, yes. Yes. Sure. Of course." He nods, motioning inside. "After you." The house is filled with stuff. Hanging from hooks on the walls. Piled up in corners and on tables. Seashells, fishing poles, snorkeling gear, stuffed animals (mostly whales wearing graduation hats, for some reason), a waist-high mermaid plushie with pink hair and cartoony eyes. It's dim, since the shutters are drawn. A couple fish bowls here and there, half-filled with water, with fish swimming listlessly inside or floating belly-up at the top. A couple larger tanks that actually look like they've received some care. One enormous tank in the middle of the room with lights shining into it, decked with seashells and marine plants and plastic coral, which is full of water and absolutely no fish.

thestarsseeall — 03/03/2021

Delilah surveys the scene, raising a hand to the shoulder strap of her dress and twisting a fishing hook caught there around itself 3 times.

She raises an eyebrow at the scene, particularly the large tank in the center. “Wow, this looks… like you’ve put a fair amount of time into it.” She tilts her head, trying to figure out the right words to say, then gestures to the rest of the room. “How about you introduce some of your fish, and work your way up to what you intend for this display in the center?”

EmV — 03/03/2021

"FISH," he says. Clears his throat again. Points to a book entitled *Habit of Rivers: Reflections on Streams and Fly Fishing*. "Love goldfish. Goldfish bowl. Pretty." Then he realizes he isn't pointing to a goldfish bowl. He drops his hand and casts about for something else. Points to one of the well-maintained tanks, where a pink fish swims. "Heart heart love love fish. If you kiss this fish you will find true love, probably. Haven't tested. But is very hard to find." The fish smacks its enormous lips. Brian looks to Delilah, beaming with pride. He obviously expects her to be amazed.

thestarsseeall — 03/03/2021

Delilah desperately plasters a smile onto her face, managing to only look a little bemused. “Wow, the heart heart love love fish! You mentioned this in the DM to the Company that they forwarded. I… Was it hard for you to find? Would you like to share the story?” She move a little closer to the tank to peer at the fish.

EmV — 03/03/2021

"Am very glad you like it," Brian says. "It was, uh. Took, uh, a lot of searching. Was fished up from river. In the full moonlight. About 2 am. And you must eat a valentine's day card and cover yourself with sparkles." The fish swims, tranquil. It notices Delilah approaching and opens its mouth. It has rows upon rows of tiny fangs inside.

thestarsseeall — 03/03/2021

Delilah fixes her smile, steps away from the tank, and tugs the fishook in her strap to the left. “Wow. I’ve... there was a cult in Syrai dedicated to Atargis, who was a goddess of love and fish. I guess maybe there’s a chance they’re related!”

She takes a second look back at the fish, still baring its fangs at her, and steps closer to Brian. “So, uh, in the DM you mentioned a ‘dream dream beauty beauty fish’. How about you show me that next, huh?”

EmV — 03/03/2021

"Oh yes, yes, yes. Uh, yes. Yes. It's in, it's in the kitchen." He walks over to a hallway half-clogged with yellow pool noodles. "You'll have to go this way."

thestarsseeall — 03/03/2021

While his back is turned, Delilah turns and hisses at the pink fish, then scatters a few fish eggs inside an empty tank. Delicately raising her dress a few inches to step over a pool noodle, she gestures forward down the hallway. "Of course, lead the way".

EmV — 03/03/2021

The fish hisses back. It's a very un-fish-like sound. Brian pushes the pool noodles to the side, where they fall to the floor atop a cluster of other things, releasing a plume of dust. He walks on. Closer to the kitchen, you hear the sound of running water. It's the faucet, which hasn't been turned off. Besides that, the kitchen is much like the other room. "Dream dream beauty beauty fish is here," Brian says. With an eager grin on his face, he points at a marble fish statue on the countertop, one foot tall. "Pretty?"

thestarsseeall — 03/03/2021

Delilah smiles a little more genuinely this time, relieved that this fish does not appear to have either teeth or the ability to hiss back at her. “It is rather... nice. You must go through so much trouble to… acquire these. I’ve heard that you have a friend named… Pescator? Is he teaching you to find these fish?” She tugs her shoulder strap fishhook downwards.

EmV — 03/03/2021

"Very very very nice, yes. Thank you. Thank you thank you. Pescator—" He breaks off abruptly and rushes to the sink, dipping his head under the running faucet. Then he fills his jug with water and drinks it all. Fills it a second time. "Hasn't been helping," he says, inbetween chugs of water. "Think Pescator may be. Mad."

thestarsseeall — 03/03/2021

“It is so terrible when people are mad at you.” Delilah sticks a hand under the running faucet, feeling the water running over her skin.

“Do you know… what Pescator's mad about? Perhaps what went down in town, recently? Tell me more. Who knows, maybe there’s a chance I could help work things out with him. I am good at getting close to people, right?”

Her winning smile is back. She pours a palmful of water from her hand over his arm, then traces the water streams with her wet fingers.

EmV — 03/03/2021

Cold, clear water. Some fish would love it. "He," A flash of anger on his face, which disappears. "He said some things. Uhh. Uh. He, uh. Can we talk about dream dream beauty beauty fish? Dream dream beauty beauty fish is much nicer. See, it gives you beautiful, beautiful dreams. Fish dreams. Very fish dreams—" He cuts himself off. "But, if you really want to know. He said, uhh. Uhh. 'Myopic.' And 'imbecile'. And making deals online is, uh. A bad idea? Uh. Because, uh, people, uh, died. Now some of those people may have deserved it and maybe they were horrible people and maybe when they died it was justice and justice for the universe and justice for fish because Jasper bad and traitor and his fish bad and bad and bad. But, uh, other, people, died. Who, were maybe, good people. So, uh, mad. He was mad."

thestarsseeall — 03/03/2021

She nods her head along as he talks. “He sounds like a very rude person. Maybe you should get a better friend? Or perhaps I can pay a visit to him later, and talk to him about you? Do you know where he lives, perhaps, or his email?”

EmV — 03/03/2021

"Can't get better friend," he says despairingly. "Has done so much, uh. So much. So much. Must help him." His face lights up. "But if you could visit him and convince him to be happy again, then, very good day! A good day, a fish day. He lives in, uh. He, uh. Somewhere near, uh. Do you have Wooble Maps."

thestarsseeall — 03/03/2021

Delilah thanks the foresight of coming here with a phone, and pulls one out of a pocket inside her dress. She opens it to the Wooble Maps.

"So, he doesn't live nearby? How did you meet him?"

EmV — 03/03/2021

"Well, uh. Uh. It's been a while, uh. Uh, hard to remember, uh. "Oh, I know! So, uh, had, had this thing, and it looked nice, and then had dreams about a fisherman, and he said could have so many good and rare and beautiful fish. Was good. "And then, uh. Then magic. Can you give phone, will show you where he is, you can talk to him and tell him to be my happy friend."

thestarsseeall — 03/03/2021

The phone is passed to him. Water drips over its casing, and Delilah thanks foresight again, this time for getting a waterproof phone. "A... thing, huh? Do you remember what kind of 'thing' this might be? Does he use it with his magic?"

EmV — 03/03/2021

"No, uh, uh. The thing was, uh, was a fish tank. Very pretty fish tank. Had pretty fish inside. Don't know where it is now, uh." He looks around the room. "Might be somewhere. Can't remember." Brian leans close to the phone and squints. Water runs from his hair onto the screen. He thumbs over the phone and taps a location somewhere in the middle of rural Manatee County.

thestarsseeall — 03/03/2021

“Thank you.” Delilah takes her phone back, memorizing the location.

“A… very pretty fish tank?” She thinks back to the giant tank with the lights in the main room. “How about we go back to the main room and talk there? There were a lot more fish to see, weren't there? I'm sure you'd like to talk more about them" She steps back towards the hallway filled with pool noodles, loosely pulling Brian behind her.

EmV — 03/03/2021

"Oh, oh yes. Right. Right, right." Brian follows Delilah back to the first room. "Many fish, right, right. Beta fish, alpha fish. Pretty fish. One fish, two fish, dead fish, no fish." He stands in front of the tank. He drinks water from the jug and taps his fingers on the glass. Nothing happens. "Had more fish," he says. "Used to."

thestarsseeall — 03/03/2021

“Well. how about we put some fish into it?”

Delilah begins walking towards one of the relatively more intact and clean fishtanks, which she had dropped some fish eggs into earlier. Now, it is filled with tiny fish. She begins looking for a scoop or net to transport them with.

She gestures towards the tank. “Look at these little ones! Aren’t they cute? Soft, and white, and little Shiny! How about we put some of them into the main tank? That would look very nice, wouldn’t it?”

EmV — 03/03/2021

"Oh! Beautiful fish!" There's a pile of mesh scoops on a stack of fishing magazines. Brian ignores them as he starts running toward the tank with the cute white fish in it. He bends down and opens his mouth wide. "Mffhgfghaagargle." There are less fish in the tank now. He walks over to the large tank and opens his mouth again. Some fish plop into the tank. He chews and swallows. Still nothing happens. "Need more fish," Brian says, heading back towards the cute white fish again.

thestarsseeall — 03/03/2021

Delilah stares at him, open eyed, her smile gone. Her mouth opens, closes, opens again.

“Well.. I-I guess that works.” She steps back to let him have access to the small tank, reconsiders, then uses her hands to pick up some of the fish herself to put into the main tank.

EmV — 03/03/2021

Brian, barely paying attention to her, sticks his head into the tank and eats more. Water runs down his face. When most of the fish are gone, either into the main tank or into his stomach, he uses a mesh scoop to catch the remaining ones and dump them into his mouth. "Mmmmph." In the large tank, the water bubbles. Dark shapes move at the bottom, somehow ethereal. A tangled string of nets, lines, lures, hooks, and other fishing miscellanea starts to coil up from the water.

thestarsseeall — 03/03/2021

Delilah, about to dump a final handful of fish into the main tank, make a U-turn and dumps the remaining surviving fish in another empty tank outside of Brian’s field of view, plucking a few pieces of trash out of them.

As the tangled mess at the bottom of the main tank rises, she tries to figure out what to make of its connections.

EmV — 03/03/2021

A strong connection to Brian, and another strong connection, amplified through the tank, to a deep lake with an even larger tangle of fishing equipment at the bottom. Somewhere around the spot Brian picked out on the map. There are fainter connections to the various fish around the room, the fish tanks, the fishing equipment, and a whole lot of things, really. As Brian crunches down on the fish, he notices the ropey mass in the tank. He gasps and runs towards it, ecstatic. "You came back! You came back! Happy happy day!" The water bubbles more violently. The coil reaches towards him, and additional coils form inside the tank, snatching up the fish.

thestarsseeall — 03/03/2021

Delilah grabs Brian with one hand, trying to drag him further away from the main tank or at least slow him down. Her other hand readjusts her dress, then grabs onto the fish hook, still hanging on to her dress.

“What is that? In the tank? A fish? Pescator himself? Brian, what is it? Brian, can it get to us through the glass?”

As the little white fish disappear into the mass, she feels them creating a connection, like when she first dumped them in the tank, or when Brian ate them. She focuses on the connection, hoping that it won’t or can’t hijack the link.

EmV — 03/03/2021

"It's *him*," Brian says, enrapt. "Don't—" The water churns into white froth. Coils surge up from the depths, grabbing onto every limb of his they can reach. Nylon and twine and all kinds of string. They pull him down. Delilah has hold of one arm. He spasms, caught between the two of them. "Let me go!" The very distant sound of the kitchen faucet intensifies into a low roar. A nearby fishtank shatters.

thestarsseeall — 03/03/2021

Delilah’s other unused hand yanks hard on the fish hook on her dress, then pulls it off her strap, hooks it through one of the belt straps on Brian’s pants, then yanks it again. The signal to DY and Barneby to extract. A fishing line manifests, connecting the hook to the Practitioners outside. The pressure lessens slightly, as others take on some of the burden of pulling. Now free, she uses the hand to get another grip on Brian.

For extra strength, she calls upon every connection she’s forged since coming to this house. The connection to Brain from her fish that he ate. The loop of fishing line she dropped through the window. Another chain of seaweed linking her to the outside. Wires stretch across what little open space the house once hand left, connecting furniture, practitioner, Other.

EmV — 03/03/2021

More coils spill out from the tank. They dodge or cleave through the wires, brushing against the ceiling, splitting and splitting again into hundreds of tendrils. They wrap onto his neck. They loom high above the pair. Then they go slack. The vast majority of the coils tumble back into the tank and disappear. Bits of fishing net and twine remain, but devoid of animating energies. Brian tumbles into a pile of fishing poles. The door is open. It was never closed. A head pokes through, followed by the rest of a humanoid figure cloaked in red. A young voice calls out, "Are you done?"

thestarsseeall — 03/03/2021

Delilah tiredly waves them in. “Yeah, I think Fishiefish99, at least, is hooked and cooked.” She pulls another coil of fishing wire from beneath her dress, and goes to tie Brian’s hands together with them.

Dory Yu steps through the doorway, fishing pole tilted to avoid hitting the ceiling, still reeling in the wire connected to Brian. She surveys the destruction with a critical eye. “What an empty catch. There’s barely even any fish left.”

Shattered glass crunches underneath her thick rubber boots as she goes deeper into the house.

Delilah rolls her eyes. “He hasn’t been out in a while, ya? I think he ate most of them. Definitely ate the fish that I tried to use as Connections.”

She looks down at Brian, and kicks his body. “Wasn’t sure about this trip when the Company first sent us, but now? Blowing up people, eating *his own damn fish*, eating *my fish*? Holy Mackerel, what a catch. Barneby, you sure about not letting me eat him?”

EmV — 03/03/2021

The 163rd member of the Barnebys enters the house. Everything about this young woman is straight—her hair, her face, her posture. She wears a gray blouse covered with interlocking lines, which shift periodically. Despite her apparent fatigue, she holds herself well. The red-cloaked figure follows her, its face hidden in the shadow of its hood. "I'm sure," 163rd says to Deliilah. "Reparations have to be made. And he's required for that process. Besides, there may be something in the other rooms." By her side, Brian lays on the floor, spasmodically repeating "blub blub blub" over and over again. The gallon jug has tumbled out of his hand, and something rattles inside.

thestarsseeall — 03/03/2021

Dory walks up to Brian, the line gradually getting shorter and shorter until she loops it around Brian’s upper body a few times, tying him up even further. Delilah also adds another loop of wire, taking the ones she planted around the house and spinning them into another layer of binding.

“I don’t remember, did you talk about him needing water constantly?” Delilah says. She reaches into one of the still intact empty tanks, drawing out a handful of water and dumping on Brian's head. “See how he’s choking? He had to dump water on himself every now and then while we were talking, so maybe he’s turned part fish or something? Doesn't look very fishlike on the outside though.”

"No," 163rd says, eyeing the fallen man. "This is. I wouldn't say unexpected, but I did not know about this beforehand." She tilts her head. "The mechanics behind his, um, functioning are also unknown to me. I hope you have a productive time studying him." She picks up the gallon jug and upends it over her hand. Water trickles out, along with a small object she pockets. "Blub blub blub," Brian says.

Dory and Delilah both catch 163rd dumping out the gallon jug, and glance at each other. “Was that an item?” Dory asks. “Is it something important to Brian, or to his behavior in this case?” Delilah tries to step out of 163’s field of view to see if she can detect any meaning in the Item’s connections.

EmV — 03/03/2021

The item has a connection to him, but it's fraying. It's connected as well to various fish tanks in the room, including the large one in the center. "His Implement," 163rd says casually. "Which we are going to take. For various reasons I am not willing to explain in detail." She reaches a hand into her pocket, as if confirming that it's still there. "Is there anything specifically you need?" she asks. "Red Hood is. Trusted to watch over you, more or less." Red Hood nods. The bracelets on their wrists jangle.

thestarsseeall — 03/03/2021

Delilah shrugs. “Oh, his Implement? I was wondering where he put it. When I first heard about it, I was worried he might try to use it on me.” Dory nods. “A surprisingly large amount of people like collecting implements. I know the Company does it, on occasion.” Dory turns attention back towards Brian, turning his head to examine it back and forth, then looks up. “Some of the tanks nearby are still intact. How about we dunk him in one with no fish, so he doesn’t dehydrate or whatever, then pick him up on the way out? In the meantime, we can explore the house together, and see if anything else catches our eyes. Sound good?”

EmV — 03/05/2021

163rd adjusts her collar. Its pattern twists. "Putting him in a tank should work, if what you said is true. Where do you think we can begin? I don't see anything else here that would be exceedingly important."

thestarsseeall — 03/05/2021

Delilah points toward the fish tank in the center of the room. “Actually, can we take a second look at that, before we go anywhere? I got a location for Pescator from Brian down here, and when we got attacked earlier I could sense a connection between the tank and that location. Also had a monster spawn from it trying to do something to Brian, just before you guys came. I don’t want another one manifesting while we go through the rest of the house, attacking us or taking back Brian”

Dory nods, and steps closer to the tank to examine it.

EmV — 03/05/2021

The bits of debris have vanished, and the water appears pristine as before. Nothing else is in the tank. The lights are bright, the decorations colorful. The connections still exist, but they're fainter. Dormant.

163rd frowns at the tank. "It could play a minor role, but it isn't a key item. Not right now. Red Hood?"

From within the folds of their cloak, Red Hood withdraws a straw basket. It's full of eyeballs.

They drop in an eyeball. It sinks to the bottom. Nothing happens.

"What did the location for Pescator look like?" 163rd asks.

thestarsseeall — 03/05/2021

Delilah shrugs. “Well, if you’re sure it won’t bite us.”

She reaches into an inner pocket in the dress and pulls out the phone given to her, opening Wooble Maps and showing it to the others.

“Here, some place in the backwoods of Manatee County. Recognize it? Managed to get Brian here to give it to me before he… you know.” She gestures at his body.

EmV — 03/05/2021

"I don't exactly recognize it, per se. It looks like it could be the right place, based on the reports and other indices. I'll remember it. Very useful. Appreciated."

thestarsseeall — 03/05/2021

“The Dream Dream Beauty Fish is over in the kitchen. Not really a fish, it’s a statue that apparently gives dreams of fish. Apparently this tank in the center can do the same, and that’s how Brian first met Pescator, through a dream.”

“Also met that brat-” She points at the the tank with the pink fish. “the ‘heart heart love love fish’ that apparently grants true love when you kiss it. Sounds like some sort of Path creature or reward, based on how he says he got it.”

She pauses to hiss at the heart love fish once more before turning back to the practitioners.

“And that’s what I’ve managed to see so far. Where next?”

EmV — 03/05/2021

The fish hisses back, again. Loudly.

"Fascinating specimen," 163rd says. "Although I have no interest in, um. Acquiring it."

She pauses.

"Brian's magical items are likely stored somewhere. He may have a room dedicated specifically to them. That could be too much to hope, considering the state of his home. But we can try."

Red Hood has finished assembling the ring of eyeballs. They swivel in synchronicity, looking from one end of the room to the other.

"Will you be watching for trouble, then?" 163rd says. She takes a proferred eyeball and pockets it. "So, will Red stay here, while the three of us look around?"

You're in the living room. A cluttered hallway leads to the kitchen. You can also see what might be an opening into another room, which is blocked off by numerous stuffed animals. On the wall, there's one door you haven't opened. Simple, white, and wooden.

There was a second door with the same appearance in the kitchen, so you could head there instead.

The many items present make it hard to tell if there are other paths currently blocked or hidden.

thestarsseeall — 03/05/2021

“Sounds good.” Delilah says. She points towards the area filled with stuffed animals. “Let’s clear that out and make there isn’t anything else nearby to jump out at us. Then that way-”

Pointing at the white door, “We can check out that next, then there’s another door in the kitchen that we can check out last, since it’s the furthest away from us. Just gotta get Brian here out of the way first.”

Delilah and Dory work together, hefting Brian towards one of the larger remaining tanks, and carefully dump him in, causing some of the water and trash to pour out.

“By the line we caught you with, we bind you. By the water we give you, we bind you. By the tank we contain you and your water in, we bind you, like the fish you yourself caught and contained in these tanks. Stay in this tank and room until we return to pick you up to be tried for your crimes, and avoid dying.”

Having bound him, Delilah retracts her fishing line back to her rod, makes sure his head is close enough to drink from the water around him without drowning, and turns back. “Alright, let’s go!”

EmV — 03/05/2021

If the rooms before were tiny and cramped, this one is even more so. There's barely space enough for the three of you. Since there are no windows, it's almost entirely dark.

From what you can see, it's filled with just as much additional stuff as the other rooms, with a particular emphasis on clothing. Piles of wrinkled fabric everywhere. It's hard to tell if there's anything else here.

Dory rifles through her pockets to pull out a waterproof flashlight, which she casts around the room, while Delilah takes Dory’s pole, using the handle like a shovel to flip through the clothes, particularly near the sides of the room in search of anything interesting.

EmV — 03/05/2021

The flashlight illuminates four washing machines and a laundry sink against the wall, all littered with fish scales. The third washing machine shakes occasionally, leaking water. Hanging from the ceiling is a giant fish made of patchwork cloth. It resembles a piñata, but instead of eyes, it has two actual fish heads sticking out of its front. Delilah finds a "Living the REEL Life - Palmetto Fishing Championship 2018" t-shirt with a cartoony bass on it, grinning while a hook impales it from behind. Nothing of note. There's also a light switch on the wall. "Should we turn on the lights?" 163rd suggests.

thestarsseeall — 03/05/2021

“Sounds good to me.” Dory says, flashing her light between the pinata on the ceiling and the still running washing machine. Delilah gives Dory back her fishing pole, and Dory tries to bring down the ceiling fish while Delilah goes for the lights.

EmV — 03/05/2021

Delilah flips the light switch, but the lights don't turn on. Instead, the patchwork fish swivels to face you. The fishing pole bumps into it and bounces off with a *clank*. The two heads on its side gasp, mouths opening and closing. In unison, they say: "BBLPEALBHPELAHBLHBLAL."

EmV — 03/05/2021

You recognize the language as Eastern Uloinnan from the kingdom of the same name, based in the northern Atlantic. The heads are asking for money.

thestarsseeall — 03/05/2021

163rd looks at Dory and Delilah. “I don’t suppose either of you… speak fish by any chance?” Delilah glares at the fish. “Yeah, actually. I know some, being a fisherwoman, and Dory’s taught me a few more dialects. ” Dory is busy rifling through her pockets, flipping them inside out. “Eastern Uloinnan, from the North Atlantic. We visited the general area during the trip that I first found you, remember, Delilah? On the way from the UK, up to Iceland, before heading to the states. In this case, they’re asking for money. How typical.” Delilah closes her mouth and thinks. “Don’t really have a Irish accent, do they?” Dory pauses to look at her, before going back into her pockets. “You’re thinking of the Hy-Brasilian mer-colony, I believe, just before Eastern Uloinnan on the trip. Geologically distinct, although they’ve had contact with each other in the past. We’ll need to review that later.” The thought of more studying and reviews draws a groan and an eye roll from Delilah. Dory finally finds two one dollar bills in her pockets, among some Icelandic Kronur and Chocolate coins. She partially unfolds them from the origami she bent them into, hangs them from her fishing pole, and dangles them in front of the ceiling fish.

EmV — 03/05/2021

"BLEHBHABLH," the fish heads say. They thrash frantically, their eyes bulging. "BLEHBHABLHEBLAHB." This is an Eastern Uloinnan gesture of thanks. The fish twists its body to eat the dollar bills, snatching them up with its two fish heads. They gurgle blissfully and drool water onto the t-shirt covered floor. The lights snap on. You see a door at the far end of the room. Was it there before?

thestarsseeall — 03/05/2021

Delilah, Dory, and 163rd look back and forth between each other and the door. “I guess we’re headed in?” Delilah asks. She reaches for Dory’s pole, finding the hook, and once again fixes it to the shoulder strap of her dress, the line visually blurring and turning invisible. The three of them begin to walk towards the door, Dory and 163rd towards the back.

EmV — 03/05/2021

The fish regards you impassively as you open the door. Beyond it is darkness. Something glints in the center. You hear rushing water. The lights flicker on automatically. It's a garage, with a single car inside. The car is filled with water. It's leaking water constantly, which isn't a problem because more water constantly manifests from the diagram on the ceiling to pour into the car, whose top has been sheared off. Through the windows, you see cichlids, guppies, catfish, and myriad other species swimming to and fro in the water. Species that shouldn't be able to live together, much less in a water-filled car, of all things. "So there's some of his collection," 163rd says.

thestarsseeall — 03/05/2021

“Finally! Some actual fish!” Dory excitedly steps forward to examine the car’s contents. “I thought he’d eaten all his fish.” Delilah frowns. “What’s so special about these ones that he didn’t eat them?” She studies the fish a little more warily, pausing every now and then to check the rest of the surroundings.

EmV — 03/05/2021

As Dory approaches the car, its headlights turn on. An engine rumbles. The fish within leap out onto the ground, where they flop fruitlessly. Suffocating. On the floor, Delilah sees a fainter circular diagram drawn around the car. Although the ceiling diagram gives water to it, it appears also to be taking something away. Dory's right next to the circle on the floor. She hasn't stepped inside.

thestarsseeall — 03/05/2021

“Dory. Stop.” Delilah warns Dory, but Dory has already seen the fish flopping out the car, and begins taking a few steps back. The three of them analyze the diagram on the roof and ground.

EmV — 03/05/2021

The diagram on the ground is a binding circle. Though faded, it is multi-layered and its designs are elaborate. It's hard to tell what substance was used to draw the lines, but they appear dark and vaguely metallic. The diagram on the ceiling is harder to parse, because of the water pouring from its center. It involves saltwater, some kind of battery, and sending power to other locations.

thestarsseeall — 03/05/2021

Dory rubs her chin. “Gotta say, I’m out of my depth with big diagrams. I know the CC Company sometimes does stuff with batteries and diagrams, but I don’t really tinker with that stuff myself. The water fall part reminds me of some of the vanity displays in under sea cities, or in some really pretentious inland cult temples of the Sahara, but I really doubt that Fishiefi- I mean Brian, dipped his toes in either off those places.“ Delilah peers at it. “I can see it transferring power to other places. Maybe to pipe water here through the diagram? Can we skim by the diagram, and unlock the garage to come back here later, easier?” “163rd, wat’re your thoughts? Should we go explore the rest of the house, and come back later?”

EmV — 03/10/2021

163rd studies the circles. She rubs a hand on her sleeve, and the lines on the cloth squirm. "We usually work with smaller diagrams," she says. "And not in this setting. From what I can tell, power is being drained from the car or something inside, to fuel something else. And the upper circles are part of a set. There's not a lot more I could say about it, though. "As for leaving? I suppose we should leave if there's nothing useful we can do here." More fish fling themselves out of the car. They look at you with pleading eyes. As much as a fish can have pleading eyes, anyway.

thestarsseeall — 03/10/2021

Dory and Delilah share a glance, grimacing. Dory reaches her fishing rod to the garage door, doing her best to not go over the diagram, to try and unlock or partially open it, while Delilah scampers across the ground, trying to pick up fish so she can put them into one of the intact tanks in the main room. Delilah, despite being a Fisherwoman, is less fluent at fish languages than Dory, but does her best to burble fish sounds through her human mouth to reassure them.

EmV — 03/10/2021

The garage door opens with a shudder. Sunlight streams into the room. As the light hits the car, you catch a momentary glimpse of something. For one moment, the numerous species of fish inside are replaced with one giant white fish, its blank eyeballs rolling in enormous sockets.

thestarsseeall — 03/10/2021

Delilah scampers across the floor, but seeing that all the fish are inside the circle, gives up on collecting them.

[3:39 PM]

As the light hits the car and the white fish appears, Delilah and Dory both see it out of the corner of their eyes. Delilah pulls another strand of seaweed or rope from her hair, and tosses it underneath the garage door in case it falls back down, to ensure access later, and Dory retrieves her fishing rod back from the garage door. They then back away from the car. They examine the tank a little further. “Perhaps it’s some sort of bait?” Delilah asks. “Pretending to be real fish, in trouble, to lure people inside the binding circle?” Dory’s head is tilted. “Not sure if it seemed in any condition to do so. Nonetheless, probably a better idea to come back here later.” They head back to the main room to check out the white door.

EmV — 03/10/2021

You return to the main room. Brian is keeping pretty well in the tank. His eyes are wide open and he stares vacantly at the ceiling, repeating "blub blub blub" under his breath. Red is trying to balance an eyeball on Brian's nose. "Nothing wrong, Red?" 163rd says. Red shrugs. "I think that's a no." The door to the other room is partially open, but a pile of stuffed whales wearing graduation hats blocks the passage and prevents you from seeing what's inside.

thestarsseeall — 03/10/2021

EmV — 03/10/2021

As it turns out, there aren't that many stuffed whales. Beneath the initial layer is a four-foot tall Sparkle Mermaid Princess™ plushie with button eyes. They stare into your soul. "Nothing magical about the plushie," 163rd adds.

thestarsseeall — 03/10/2021

Dory sighs, still slightly disappointed from the general lack of actual interesting fish, and pushes beyond the plushie to move forward. Delilah, on the other hand, takes a few step back, and blurs. When she’s finished, she’s several inches shorter and several years younger than the woman who originally knocked on Brian’s door. Instead of the expensive, glittery, almost finned dress she wore, she now wears a straw hat, and khaki pants and a t-shirt. Fish insignia, rope burns and faint, dark stains cover the clothing. She runs forward and jumps, landing on the plushie. Reacting to the noise, Dory turns back to look down on her, and Delilah looks up defiantly. “I’m keeping this one”. Dory rolls her eyes. “Well, at least someone’s leaving here moderately happy. I thought you were going to complain more about not getting to eat Brian.” Delilah carries the plushy over to a slightly drier, cleaner area in the main room and sits it upright. Blurring again, she returns back into her adult form and goes after Dory and 163rd, who are both already ahead of her exploring the passage.

EmV — 03/10/2021

Red sees Delilah holding the plushie and gives her a thumbs-up. Their hand is covered with eyes. 163rd doesn't comment, but you see her smile. \_ The passage opens into a surprisingly normal bedroom. Compared to the other rooms, at least. Sure, there are piles of stuff all over the bedside table, and the dresser drawer, and the rug on the floor, but they're small piles. Mostly toiletries and hygeine products instead of large fish tanks. Instead of a normal bed, you see a bathtub with a pink pillow inside. It is a Sparkle Mermaid Princess™ brand pillow with frills and lace. On the pillow, the titular Sparkle Mermaid Princess is pictured eating a tuna sandwich.

thestarsseeall — 03/10/2021

Delilah sees the pillow in the bathtub, and has a brief moment of hesitation as she decides whether she wants it. On the other hand, Dory briefly scans over the room. Seeing little of interest to her, she immediately goes over to the next white door on the wall and opens it.

EmV — 03/10/2021

"There's nothing magical about the pillow, either. Or the bathtub. I won't stop you from taking them if you want to... Our family won't need them, I think." The white door opens into a tiny and dark bathroom. There are puddles on the floor. Various items, mostly body products, are haphazardly stacked atop the sink. Another patchwork fish hangs from the ceiling. This one has ten fish heads sticking out of its body at regular intervals, not just at its eyes. "I'm seeing some unusual numbers for the items on the sink," 163rd says. She pockets one. It's a fish food shaker labeled *ALPHA FISH NUTRIENT*.

thestarsseeall — 03/10/2021

Dory grins, a wide, openmouthed smile. “I’ve seen a variety of people trying to raise bigger fish. Some of them even try to use forms of fish food. Don’t believe I’ve seen this brand before, though.” She grabs a can and turns it over in her hand. “Want some, Delilah?” Delilah turns her head and sniffs. “Not really. Always been more fond of the open sea myself.” Delilah continues to drag the pillow from the bathtub to the passageway, while Dory fishes in her pockets for more money to give to the patchwork fish. After a minute or so of this, Dory loses patience. She snags her hook back from Delilah, and dips it into a pocket she’s already tried. Seconds later, she pulls out more origami fish bills. She repeats this until she has enough bills for the patchwork fish, then lifts them up to its mouths.

EmV — 03/10/2021

163rd pockets another can of *ALPHA FISH NUTRIENT*, because why not. Then she opens the bathroom cabinet, revealing rows of tiny perfume bottles. She takes some of those as well. The patchwork fish doesn't respond. It appears to be asleep.

thestarsseeall — 03/10/2021

Dory gently prodes the fish, hoping they wake up, but informs the group that perhaps it would be polite to wait for it to open of its own accord, so that there is no issue in getting it to open up to whatever secrets it may hold. Delilah is already dragging the pillow through the passageway to the main room.

EmV — 03/10/2021

Half the fish wakes up. The fish heads on one side tremble and start yammering in Eastern Uloinnan. Then they realize there's money right in front of them and quickly take it. "BLEHBHALHBLHBLHBLHBHLBLBHELELHBLHE," one head says, slurping down the origami bills. It wants you to wake up the other side as well. Apparently the other side is a heavy sleeper, and you might need something special. "So I don't know what they're talking about," 163rd says. In the main room, Red sees Delilah with the pillow and gives her a double thumbs-up.

thestarsseeall — 03/10/2021

“Heh, guess we won’t need to wait after all. The fish are saying they want us to wake up the other side!“ Dory goes to prod the other side awake with her money. Delilah returns Red’s thumbs up with one of her own, then goes back through the passageway.

EmV — 03/10/2021

The other half rouses bit by bit. It seems much more lethargic than the first half, and it takes in the money slowly. Ponderously. Eventually, all the origami bills are gone—except for the ones near a shrunken fish head half the size of the others, which is missing its eyes. The head says something which very roughly translates to: *Oh, him again. He's always the last one. Very heavy sleeper. It helps that he can't see.*

thestarsseeall — 03/10/2021

Dory frowns. “Hmm. Last head over there is a bit of a late sleeper, and is apparently blind to boot.” While prodding the last fish, she holds up the can of ALPHA FISH NUTRIENT she took and says “BLEHELBEHBALEHBE”, asking if the patchwork fish knows what it does.

EmV — 03/10/2021

The fish burbles excitedly. It tells you that ALPHA FISH NUTRIENT is best fish nutrient. Better than Beta Fish Nutrient. And it smells really good, too!

thestarsseeall — 03/10/2021

“The fish say that ALPHA FISH NUTRIENT is really good fish nutrients. Not much else, though it’s worth a shot.” Dory lowers her rod, dumps out a piece of fish food into the origami fish, and raises it back in front of the blind fish to poke at it again.

EmV — 03/10/2021

The blind fish nibbles at the fish food hesitantly, then a little more eagerly, then with relish. It doesn't even try to get the money. The lights click on. Not just in the bathroom, but also in the bedroom. There's a third door in the bedroom wall that wasn't there previously.

thestarsseeall — 03/10/2021

Dory looks around until she spots the new door in the bedroom. “Perfect!” Passing by 163rd and Delilah, she goes to the door and throws it open.

EmV — 03/10/2021

A second bathroom, even smaller than the first. Toilet, sink with bathroom cabinet and drawer, and a bathtub. Unlike the first, this bathroom doesn't have a window, and the entire floor is littered with scales, scraps of fish skin, and pools of a foul-smelling liquid. From a diagram on the ceiling, water pours down into the bathtub, which is filled with fish.

thestarsseeall — 03/10/2021

Dory prods at the piles of fish skin near the entrance with her fishing pole, but can’t get the entire 10 feet of pole inside the cramped second bathroom. She glares at the diagram around the bathtub. “I’m guessing here that these diagrams help keep the fish contained by splitting them into smaller, more controllable fish. That’s why they don’t attack each other.” She taps her fishing pole against her head, then stands up straight. “Please be patient, 163rd. We have preperations to make.” Dory plugs the bathtub and turns on the water, starting to fill it up. Delilah prowls around the room, dropping loops of wire and seaweed in the piles of trash and corners. Then, together they leave for a few minutes, then return dragging the large, heavy suitcase Dory brought with her to Florida into the main room near Red. It pops open, revealing that inside of it are nested Fishtanks, with small runes around their edges and surfaces. Delilah and Dory remove fishtanks until they manage to get a fairly large fishtank out. The interior is not visible through the tinted glass. This one gets dragged back to the bedroom. “163rd, Are you ready for a fight?” Dory looks very serious.

EmV — 03/10/2021

"I can't afford too much of an expenditure, but I think I will be able to help. A little, at least. What are you planning to do?" Distorted fish voices echo from the water. The fish within writhe and knock against the walls. Water splashes out of the tub and fish splash out with it, wriggling on the ground. The water pouring from the ceiling lessens from a steady stream into a trickle. In the bathroom, 163rd touches the wall. The shifting lines on her blouse migrate out of the cloth, over her arm, and then into the wall, which begins to distort.

thestarsseeall — 03/10/2021

Dory nods at the walls. “Battlefield control. Good. You might want to step back though. This might get a touch messy, though, because we’re going fishing.” Delilah squeezes by 163rd, looking more and more fishy by the second, sequins melting into actual scales, frills on her arms filling out with spiny bones, the smell of rotting fish growing stronger by the second. Holding onto the hook in her clothes, she approaches the tub, preparing to wrestle with whatever may jump out of it.

EmV — 03/10/2021

The bathtub is deeper than it should be. The fish that rears out of it has no eyes, only an enormous mouth with countless sets of jagged teeth. It slavers, snapping at Delilah, drooling gooey black liquid that puddles on the floor. Its arrival is accompanied by a cacophony of gurgling fish voices in a variety of languages, chattering nonsense. 163rd retreats to the bedroom. The bathroom walls curve outward, forming an arena of sorts for the fighters.

thestarsseeall — 03/10/2021

“You got it, Delilah! Go get’m! Ogre stance, activate! Ligament Bastion!” Dory’s body begins to split open as tendrils of red muscle erupt, connecting her to the floor and walls around her. Delilah yanks a fish bone from a still developing frill on her arm and holds it out in front of her like a shiv. Her other arm pulls out the fishhook in her shirt, now caught in scales. She drops it, but instead of hitting the ground it stops a few inches above it, suspended by the string now in her hand. Trying to provoke the fish further, she spits in its mouth.

EmV — 03/10/2021

The shiv pokes through the fish's mouth, and it reels. A multitude of voices shriek in agony. The fish bites back, twisting in the air with a feral rage. More of its body emerges. It is long and slender, ropelike, resembling an eel more than a fish. Drool pours from its mouth, forms pools and eats away at the red tendrils. The pools seethe and gaping fish mouths emerge from them to snap at the food above. The area above the bathtub shrinks. The area around the bathtub expands, to give the two more room to maneuver. The bathroom tiles have dissolved into infinite intersecting lines.

thestarsseeall — 03/10/2021

“Okay, got to give it a little more room” Dory backs up, hopping awkwardly, forming new ligaments further back from the fish. The expanding room gives her the opportunity to fully pull her fishing rod into the room, and she pokes the fish in the head with it, driving it further back away from the group. Delilah leaves her shiv in the fish’s mouth, circling around the fish and spinning the hook in her hand. “Dory, wanna bait me?” Dory reaches for her can of ALPHA FISH NUTRIENT, but stops and stomps on the ground first. A curl of flesh pulls a sock near to her, and she dumps most of the can into the sock first with one hand. “Almost gave you a full can, for a sec. Don’t wanna risk it with this guy.” She tosses the sock back into the bedroom and tosses the remaining half a can of fish food to Delilah, who impales it on the fishhook and begins spinning it above her head.

EmV — 03/10/2021

The babbling fish voices reach a frenzy. You can barely hear anything else. As the fishing rod hits its head, the fish whips its body from the tub. Its nostrils are miniscule, so you can't see them flare, but a steady flow of drool streams out of its mouth. It surges towards the ALPHA FISH NUTRIENT, intending to swallow the can and as much of Delilah it can get in a single bite. On the floor, fish made of black sludge leap out of the pools, grabbing at the ligaments and muscles to tear savagely at what they can reach. The bathroom has ceased expanding; it's reached its limit. A distant 163rd pulls something from her pocket and throws it into the bathroom, letting it roll.

thestarsseeall — 03/10/2021

Delilah lets go of the spinning can, letting it fly towards the left, and jumps to the right. The hook embedded in the can flashes, and strings of light connect it to the bone shiv still embedded in the fish and Delilah’s spit within its stomach, changing the can’s flight path directly towards the fish’s open mouth. In the meantime, in her new position Delilah pulls another bone shiv from her dress, now more skin than cloth, rolls to the side, and begins cutting at the black fish around her. Dory curses at the fish eating at her ligaments. “Fortification!” The ligaments bubble for a second, then the bubbles erupt into bone, covering most of her new ligaments and parts of her body in a patchwork array of bony armor, veined in red lines where bits are still just slightly visible. Delilah’s scales flutter in wake of Dory’s declaration, and when they settle they are thicker and more interlocking.

EmV — 03/10/2021

The fish swallows the can, hook and all. It crashes to the floor as its body bulges, flesh bubbling underneath its scales. Delilah's shiv slides in easy. Blood spurts out and mingles with the black sludge on the floor. Chunks of skin are ripped from the fish's body. On the floor, ravenous mouths open in the sludge pools. More drool-fish jump out and bite at the ligaments with less success, jaws locked as they dig in incisors and attempt to pierce the bone. They make for Dory and Delilah as well, but teeth gnashing against scales and armor. In the other room, a long distance away, 163rd digs fingers into her pockets and mumbles certain inaudible words. The object she has sent is still rolling.

thestarsseeall — 03/10/2021

“He’s been got, he’s been got!” The line connecting the hook to the rod reappears again, now leading into the fish’s mouth. “Reel One!” Dory bends backwards, ligaments popping and muscles straining, to the point where some of the drool-fish biting onto the strands are impaled by bone shards forced outwards by the contraction. With the shout, she pulls hard on the fishing reel, launching the black fish partially into the air and to the left, away from Delilah. This only works for a second though, as the fish suddenly receives huge burst of strength and lunges after Delilah again, snapping the wire taught. Dory is forced to lean forward and let out a little line. “I think you still used a little too much fish food!” Delilah calls, circling around the back of the fish away from its jaws.

EmV — 03/10/2021

The object, a soft pink ball, rolls in with a *squelsh* and immediately explodes into fine red mist. The fish staggers, bleeding from new wounds that have opened over its body. It strikes at Delilah, then falters, spraying blood and black liquid. Drool-fish are rising from the pools at an alarming rate. With each new fish, the babbling intensifies. A new voice is added to the chorus. 163rd sends another rolling object.

thestarsseeall — 03/10/2021

“Reel Two!” Dory takes advantage of the fish faltering to reel it in a second time, her back bending even further. This time, with Delilah having circled around to the other side of the fish, she jerks it to the right. More black drool and blood spills out over the floor. With cuts to both sides of its mouth from the fishing wire, the fish now does a passable Joker impression. “We have to take care of its mouth!” Delilah yells. Realizing that she’s the only one close enough to do it, however, she curses, and pulls a coil of wire, dotted with fish eggs, out her own mouth with her spare hand. With her other hand, she cuts down more of the drool fish surrounding her. She backs away from the fish, on the opposite side of it from Dory.

EmV — 03/10/2021

The floor is slick with fluids. Out of the froth drool-and-blood-fish leap, crawl, and feed on whatever they can find. Sometimes each other. The fish screams, and the scream is multiplied tenfold into a deafening roar. It thrashes, attempting to escape the line. The lines on the floor pulsate. Space distorts, and the bathroom begins to shrink again.

thestarsseeall — 03/10/2021

Dory grunts. Sinew is climbing up the sides of the fishing pole from her arms, red throbbing flesh contrasting with the white translucent material that made up the pole, covering the leather handle. Delilah tosses the coil of wire into the fish’s mouth. When it chomps down in its thrashing, the wires get tangled up in its teeth, restricting how far apart they can go, and the insides of the eggs gum up its mouth even more.

EmV — 03/10/2021

The fish tries and fails to open its mouth. It tries again, frantically, but still fails. With its mouth forced shut, the fish resorts to banging. Its tail jerks, and its head flails against the wall. Black foam bubbles from its mouth. The everpresent background burbling begins to quiet. The second rolling object is a white sphere, dotted with holes. It bounces into the middle of the floor, where the bathroom tiles are starting to rearrange themselves, and starts soaking up the pools of blood and saliva. The drool-fish are faring no better than their creator, their mouths hinging shut and refusing to open.

thestarsseeall — 03/10/2021

“Reel Three!” Dory heaves a third time, her body bending back into almost a 90 degree angle, every muscle from those on the ground to those on her pole straining. The pole itself, initially bent forward from the weight of the fish, turns straight with the muscles on it pulling. The fish almost entirely flips backward, flopping through the air towards Dory. As a parting shot, Delilah gives its long tail a final kick. The wire pulls the closed mouth of the fish up to the tip of the pole, and Dory leans slightly towards its upside down face. “Now, easy way or hard way. I can bind you now, or I can hurt you more until you cooperate. Your choice.”

EmV — 03/10/2021

Imagine, if you would like, little gears turning inside the fish's head. If it had pupils, they would be slowly dialating in fear. Somewhat hurriedly, the fish raises its tail and hits the rim of the bathtub four times. This is a traditional Sub-Meriquen gesture that means *please no more, you are alpha fish*.

thestarsseeall — 03/10/2021

“Very well then. By the three parts of my familiar that have been forced into you, spit, bone and egg, and by the three turns of my implement on you, left, right and back, I bind you into my service. Obey my commands, do not hurt or damage anyone or anything without my permission, and do not use your powers without my permission.” “For now, my standing command is to wait inside that tank, until I have new commands for you.” Dory gestures at the Matroyshka suitcase fishtank she brought into the bedroom, which is now filled with dark water.

EmV — 03/10/2021

The fish indicates assent with three more tail slaps, and then arches its body to place itself into the new fishtank. It curls inside and rests, tending to its wounds. The bathroom tiles fold back into place, returning the dimensions to normal. 163rd stands by the entrance, and the shifting lines that had dominated the room move back onto her blouse. Her white sphere has left the floor pristine. She puts it back into her pocket. "I think this hasn't turned out too badly," she says.

thestarsseeall — 03/10/2021

Dory laughs, long and loud. “A fish fight! I appreciate the chance to stretch my cartilage again! Thanks for the helping fin, 1163rd, that really made capturing it much easier.” Delilah walks by the occupied tank, and waves her hand. The mass of wire tangling the fishes mouth dissipates, and the fishhook flies out into her hand. She wipes the fishhook on some of the nearby toiletries, then hangs it back from her shirt, which has been slowly transforming back from scales. From within the dress, she pulls out the phone given to her, and snaps some pictures of whatever remains of the diagrams on the ceiling. “So then. Now that we know what these diagrams do, let’s head back to the garage and get that fish as well. Then we can check out that final room in the kitchen” Dory proposes. She grabs a few of the remaining cans of ALPHA FISH NUTRIENT in the other bathroom, just in case more is needed as bait.

EmV — 03/12/2021

"That's fine with me," 163rd says. In the main room, Red has successfully balanced two eyeballs on Brian's nose and is now trying to build a mini tower of eyeballs on his face. They wave to you as you pass by. The car is still at the garage, with water pouring in. The sun shines. The suffocating fish by the car have mysteriously vanished.

thestarsseeall — 03/12/2021

“Okay, so I think we all know how this goes.” Dory takes one of the extra cans of ALPHA FISH NUTRIENT and pops it open. Under the watchful eyes of Delilah, she puts one piece, and only one piece, of fish food on the hook of her fishing pole, then begins walking towards the car and the diagram. “Alright, unknown fishy. Take the bait, nice and easy. Listen to what I say, you’ll have a nice new enchanted tank, yeah?”

EmV — 03/12/2021

You see a series of small fish leap from the water. They are, in order: a strange fish that looks like a car. A strange fish that looks like a five-star luxury hotel resort. A strange fish that is quite indescribable, but communicates the idea of: *amenities*.

thestarsseeall — 03/12/2021

Delilah’s eyebrows strongly desire to reach orbit. Dory’s eyebrows are less ambitious, and would be satisfied with the stratosphere. “I’ve travelled the world and realms alike, and have seen a lot of fish, but even these are pretty strange by my standards. I’m guessing that this is a sign of cooperation?” Dory pulls forward one of the tanks, large enough to fit the fish in, drops 3 pieces of ALPHA FISH NUTRIENT in them, then pushes them closer to the jumping fish. Delilah is still pretty suspicious. “I feel like I saw just one big fish in this tank earlier.” She looks at the connections between the fish. Dory pauses. “Wait. Car, hotel, amenities.” She also looks closer at the car containing the fish. “Is this a message about the quality of the tank you expect, delivered through fish?”

EmV — 03/12/2021

Once fallen on the ground, the fish flop in pain with mouths gaping open and closed. Then they start to vanish. Delilah sees that the flailing fish have barely any connections at all, besides a fast-fading one to something in the deep reaches of the car. At Dory's question, another fish falls to the ground. This one vaguely resembles a green checkmark.

thestarsseeall — 03/12/2021

Delilah’s eyes are wide open. “Wow, you really are the fish-whisperer.” When Dory turns to glare at her, Delilah adds, semi sarcastically, “I see I still have much to learn.” Dory turns back to the tank, massaging her temples. “Alright… Look. This tank here, has been enchanted by a friend of mine. We’re good friends, so he’s tossed in a couple of cool ones. Bigger on the inside, air filtration, go hungry slower, fills with water when you or another fish go in. Cool, right?” “On the other hand” she waves to the car. “That’s literally a car. A broken, human car. Not sure how comfortable it is, but I don’t think it’s made for fish to live in. Your previous owner is kinda… not sure how well he’s going to be able to take care of you now, or feed you. You’re stuck here, in a suburban garage, in a house filled with trash. Your diagram is going to deteriorate over time too, with no one to maintain it, and eventually you’ll stop getting water. Not what I would call the lap of luxury. “Just bear with this temporary tank for a while, and I’ve got a place I’m setting up in Lousiana. I’ll get you a bigger tank, put some decorations in it, and we can negotiate there for specific items. Maybe change the scenery every now and then. Sound good?” She tosses in a few extra pieces of ALPHA FISH NUTRIENT in the new tank to sweeten the deal.

EmV — 03/12/2021

More fish leap out: Luxury hotel resort fish. Checkmark fish. One that bears a startling resemblance to the mouth-fish, with no eyes and an enormous mouth that takes up the vast majority of its face. One that resembles a question mark.

thestarsseeall — 03/12/2021

Delilah is quietly chanting “fish whisperer” under her breath at Dory, who shushes her. “Alright, so the commodities are good. I’m guessing… If you’re talking about the big aggressive fellow with the black spit summons or whatever, I wrestled with it and bound it into a seperate tank, where it’s currently licking his wounds. Your tanks might be next to each other on the way home, but I can put up a visual barrier if its a problem, and we can put your tanks on different sides of the house or whatever.”

EmV — 03/12/2021

The next fish is large, bloody, and bristling with razor-sharp scales. Its gaze communicates unspeakable hatred. Another mouth-fish, and a dead and rotting fish covered in flies.

thestarsseeall — 03/12/2021

Delilah frowns at the rotting fish. “Is this a jab at me, because I’m a fisherwoman?” “Hush, Delilah. Okay, okay… I might need some clarification here. Is this still about Mouthy? Or is this about another fish? I’m not going to gill- I mean kill Mouthy, now that I’ve bound them, but if this is going to be a big issue maybe I can make two trips, or call in favors to have someone else transport one of you two. I've also bound it from attacking anything without my permission, so you'll be safe from it.”

EmV — 03/12/2021

At "not going to kill Mouthy", the car shudders and two dozen dead and bleeding fish jump out of the water. At "bound it from attacking anything", the fish corpses disappear. Their replacements are a checkmark fish and a fish with a wide smile stretching down the length of its body, something like a zipper of teeth.

thestarsseeall — 03/12/2021

“Excellent, excellent. I think we’ve come to an agreement. We’ll work to keep you and Mouthy separate. We’re still exploring the house, so you can stay in the car a while longer, but when we get back you’ll go into this tank and we can transport you to your new home in Lousiana.” Dory pushes the enchanted fish tank closer to the car. She and the others prepare to go explore the last room in the house.

EmV — 03/12/2021

The car vibrates intensely. The fish that leaps out of it and into the enchanted fish tank is pale, sinuous, about six feet long. It has no visible mouth, but two white spheres circle within its dark sockets. It's also covered with blood—actually, as you look, the blood vanishes without a trace. Seeing it in detail, you may recognize it as a White-Eye Dream Haruspicel from the deep reaches of the Ante-Sub-Atlantic. An incredibly obscure subspecies of the Haruspicel, associated with illusions and dreams in more than one sense. "Oh, did you finish?" 163rd says. She holds one of Red's eyeballs, rolling it around in her palm. "I was wondering about the second fish. You seemed to be reacting to nothing, as far as I was aware."

thestarsseeall — 03/12/2021

Dory gives a tired grin. “Really? You might have missed out. The fish had a pretty… unique way to communicate. Manifested fish that embodied certain concepts. But we’ve managed to find an agreement, and from its looks I think I have a hunch about what species it is. Will need to check more once I get home, though. Anyways, we’ll pick up this tank and Mouthy in the bedroom later, after we’ve finished the kitchen, and finished clearing out the house.”

EmV — 03/12/2021

"Alright, then." She nods assent. In the main room, Red has finished their tower of eyeballs and is now playing with some Sparkle Mermaid Princess™ dolls they apparently discovered in one of the piles. The door in the kitchen leads to a simple closet with nothing in it. Actually, wait. A faded but complex diagram on the floor is built around two circles. Two spaces for two objects.

thestarsseeall — 03/12/2021

“Two objects? What have we seen that’s two objects? ” Dory asks. “There were the two patchwork fish gatekeepers we’ve seen so far. Or we can toss more money at this one too. Mouthy and the Illusion fish are the two remaining big fish, perhaps? ” Delilah tries to look at the connections for the diagram. “I have to admit, I’m not that good with diagrams. Mostly, I leave that work to the Company. 163rd, do you have any insights?” Dory turns to 163rd.

EmV — 03/12/2021

She bends down to take a closer look. "One is associated with eyes. The other is associated with mouths. The two fish from before could be required."

thestarsseeall — 03/12/2021

Dory groans. “Ugh, what a mess. Why did Brian make a diagram that requires those two fish? Was he ever able to actually get them both in this room at once?” They go back to the room to face the White-Eye Dream Haruspicel. “Okay, we’re going to need to talk a little more, and maybe do some stuff, before we transport you to your new home. Did Brian ever take you to the diagram, in the closet room, connected to the kitchen? Is that where the negative experiences with Mouthy come into play? And can you explain what the ritual actually does? I know you probably don't do Practice much, as a fish, but there must be some insight you can give. I'll reward more at your new home, if this helps.”

EmV — 03/12/2021

At the mention of the diagram, a checkmark fish flops out. At the request to explain the ritual, you see: A fish that resembles a key. A fish covered in blood. A fish that resembles a door.

Finally, a fish that resembles a can of ALPHA FISH NUTRIENT.

thestarsseeall — 03/12/2021

Dory closes her eyes and concentrates. "Okay, fish whisperer mindest." She opens her eyes. "Okay, so a key is required. That's probably you and mouthy. Blood is required. And that opens a door. And the door... leads to ALPHA FISH NUTRIENT. The production thereof or a store of it. I guess its a bigger deal than we realized." "May you allow us to use you and Mouthy for the ritual? I promise that I'll command them not to attack you, and if there's blood we'll try to come up with another way other than yours."

EmV — 03/12/2021

A checkmark fish leaps out. It's accompanied by two more ALPHA FISH NUTRIENT fish. The haruspicel waves its tail excitedly.

thestarsseeall — 03/12/2021

“Good, good. Let’s get to work, then!” Detachable wheels and rollers are brought out Dory’s pockets, and the tank glows with enchanting lines to make the transportation easier. The tank is carefully brought to the diagram, and left so the haruspicel can slip into the diagram. They go back to the bedroom, where Mouthy is still nursing its wounds in the tank they have for it. “Alright, listen up. I’m sure you know, there’s a ritual diagram in the kitchen closet that requires you. I’ve heard some things about you from the White fish in the garage. We’ll need your assistance to activate the diagram, but you’re not allowed to bite or attack the White fish, okay? Work with us. ALPHA FISH NUTRIENT awaits.”

EmV — 03/12/2021

The fish seems subdued, and it bares its teeth when it hears about its garage counterpart. Then Dory says "ALPHA FISH NUTRIENT" and it cheers considerably, beating its tail four times against the tank walls. Some drool slips from its mouth.

thestarsseeall — 03/12/2021

The team works together, using the same rollers and wheels on the tank to transport Mouthy, through all the stuffed animals, into the kitchen.

EmV — 03/12/2021

The haruspicel regards the tank with its permanently open eyes. Then it raises its head above the tank so one of its eyeballs is positioned above the *eye* circle on the diagram. The eyeball drops. Now missing an eye, the haruspicel curls up inside the tank and manifests a smiling fish above it. The mouth fish hisses and flings water into the other fish's tank. The haruspicel cringes. Satisfied, the mouth fish stretches its extremely long body to lean over the diagram and let drool fall into the *mouth* circle before returning. Nothing happens yet.

thestarsseeall — 03/12/2021

Delilah steps forward, but Dory pushes her back, shaking her head. Dory rolls up her sleeve, showing row upon rows of scars from previous battles, almost patterned like scales. With her other hand, she takes a shark tooth from the necklace around her neck, and jams it into one of the scars, piercing skin and drawing out blood. Drops begin to fall on the diagram.

EmV — 03/12/2021

Dark water runs down the back wall of the closet. A black door appears, like the previous doors in appearance, but with inverted colors. The two fish regard the door eagerly.

thestarsseeall — 03/12/2021

The team exchanges glances at each other. “Alright, you two be good while we’re gone.” Dory wags her fingers at the two fish. She puts her sharktooth and sleeve back in place, and readies her fishing pole. They open the door.

EmV — 03/12/2021

Beyond the door is a set of wooden stairs, leading into darkness. The room below is small and completely dark. It's flooded with a layer of water, and you hear more water trickling in, although you can't see where it's coming from. Piles of bones and cardboard boxes take up most of the space. Bone shards litter the floor.

thestarsseeall — 03/12/2021

“This place is filled with bones.” Delilah looks around the room suspiciously. “Be very, very careful.” She has the hook back in her shirt again, and is carefully edging forward, to see if she can reach or snag one of the cardboard boxes. “Got it. Going for the Patient Palm.” Dory flexes, and some extra muscles and bones swell around her, covering her front in the shape of a hand. She holds her fishing pole out in front of her, swinging it left and right to test out the areas to her sides. “I’m guessing that there’s no patchwork fish here, to provide light? Real shame.”

EmV — 03/12/2021

Some bones topple to the ground. They're a mix of fish and human bones. Nothing else happens. 163rd, who hasn't descended the staircase, calls down: "I'm seeing some important items there!"

thestarsseeall — 03/12/2021

Dory begins backing up the stairs, fishing pole still in front, with Delilah following. Both are still facing down into the room. "Uh, what kind of important things? How important are we talking about?"

EmV — 03/12/2021

"Some of them may be dangerous. But none are actively harmful, so if you don't touch the wrong thing, you'll probably be fine!"

thestarsseeall — 03/12/2021

"Alright. So traps, essentially? Can you see where they are?" Both Dory and Delilah try to avoid touching the walls to either side of the stairs, or anything else really. They begin going back down the stairs, but slower, this time.

EmV — 03/12/2021

"I can't exactly see that right now. I think there were some near the ceiling. There are more than a few items in that room. It's not easy to distinguish them."

thestarsseeall — 03/12/2021

"Okay, okay." Dory is careful not to hit the ceiling with her fishing pole. Delilah carefully reaches touches one of the carboard boxes, to begin drawing it towards her.

EmV — 03/12/2021

This cardboard box has "GOOD FISH BOX" written on it in permanent marker. Inside are several random items: \* A fish-shaped soap dispenser. \* A fish-shaped spray bottle made of blue glass. *Have you ever wanted to smell like an EXPENSIVE FISH??? NOW'S YOUR CHANCE! Platinum Arowana Perfume—Ladies Love It!* \* Some Ocèan brand shampoo and hair conditioner. \* A lotion bottle with a paper taped onto it. Scribbled onto the paper are the words: *OCEAN LOTION. Scented.*

thestarsseeall — 03/12/2021

Delilah laughs a little when she opens the box. She push-floats it over to Dory. “Guess this might be a little useful, on the days when I smell more like rotting fish.” Dory laughs as well. “Yeah, if you’ve been a ‘Good fish’, right?” She carries it up the stairs to get it out of the way, then comes back down to the room so that Delilah can go for another box.

EmV — 03/12/2021

163rd says, "Oh, this helps some. I think, if you do this several more times, the room will be decluttered enough for me to pinpoint the exact location of the relevant items." She examines the box. "There's something unusual about the spray bottle. The other items appear to have no magical features." The second box has "MIGHTY ALPHA BOX" written on it in permanent marker. It's just full of ALPHA FISH NUTRIENT cans. The two fish in the kitchen see the box and get very excited. They bang their tails against their tanks. Water splashes out.

thestarsseeall — 03/12/2021

Dory rolls her eyes. “You guys have *also* been good fish”. She takes the box up the stairs, and from one of the cans she took in the bedroom, pours out a little ALPHA FISH NUTRIENT into each of the fish’s tanks as a reward. She then goes back down the stairs to continue helping Delilah, who is reaching for another box.

EmV — 03/12/2021

This box is "HAPPY HAPPY BEAUTY FISH BOX". It contains: \* A hairbrush with fish scales caught inside it. \* A necklace of gold chain, with an enormous golden fish on it. \* Several Clay-Doh containers, empty. \* A 1992 edition of *Northern Florida Fishing Magazine*. \* A Sparkle Mermaid Princess™ mug. The fish eagerly consume the ALPHA FISH NUTRIENT. The mouth fish swells up in its tank and poses, showing off its new muscles. The haruspicel lets the food fall into its empty eyesocket, where it disappears.

thestarsseeall — 03/12/2021

Delilah floats this new box box over too, pointing out some of the items interesting to her. “I think this hairbrush might be useful to me. Maybe. Not sure about using someone else's hair brush though, with their scales still in it, and I’m not sure if removing them would remove any benefits. Also, fancy gold chain. That might be important.” Dory gives a comment as well, as she carries it up the stairs. "I really, really hope he's not making ALPHA FISH NUTRIENT out of playdoh. Even for magic fish, I'm... pretty sure that's not good."

EmV — 03/12/2021

163rd looks at the necklace. "Oh, don't put that one on. I'm seeing bad numbers for it. It's the only magical item in that box, though. "As for the hairbrush, it's the cheap plastic kind that you could get for less than twenty dollars. I wouldn't bother, but you can take it if you want." Three boxes are easily accessible: "DREAMY SWEETS FISH", "YUM YUM YUM", and "scuba".

thestarsseeall — 03/12/2021

Delilah looks over the boxes. “Okay, so we have ‘DREAMY SWEETS FISH’, ‘YUM YUM YUM’, and ‘scuba’ up next.” “We already have plenty of scuba gear at home, plus some enchanted stuff that might be better. Yum Yum is probably more ALPHA FISH NUTRIENT. Get that later. Maybe DREAMY SWEETS FISH is an actual fish?” Delilah looks back and forth between Dory and the box. “Well, I guess… but like. The ‘dream dream beauty beauty fish’ was a statue, and I’ve got a bone to pick with the ‘heart heart love love fish’. Plus Mouthy, who we had to fight. So I’m *really* not looking forward to this." She carefully reaches for the ‘DREAMY SWEETS FISH’ box, one hand at her shoulder fishhook.

EmV — 03/12/2021

Inside this box is a statue similar to the "dream dream beauty beauty fish" Brian showed you earlier. It is, however, much larger and more menacing, with a biologically impossible set of fangs.

thestarsseeall — 03/12/2021

Delilah very carefully pushes this box towards Dory. “Looks like the dream beauty fish I showed you in the kitchen, right? But scarier? Like, its a statue, but still. Be careful.”

EmV — 03/12/2021

You think you see the statue twitch, out of the corner of your eye. "That box you're holding contains something powerful," 163rd calls. "It's dormant for now, though. But if you get it out, I should be able to tell you more about the items in that basement room."

thestarsseeall — 03/12/2021

Dory looks askance at the dreamy sweets statue, trying to hold it far away from her. “Please don’t bite me.” She very very carefully carries it up the stairs. Instead of checking out the other boxes, Delilah watches her footsteps.

EmV — 03/12/2021

163rd says, "Alright. There are three more items down there that would easily be beneficial to you or me. The first two are in cardboard boxes somewhere, and the last is near bones. Right now, I can't see the specifics. But I think that if you spend too much time down there, something bad may result. Beyond that, I'm unclear. As to what could happen."

thestarsseeall — 03/17/2021

“Three more items, huh.” Delilah and Dory look at each other. “Well, logically, there’s probably 1 each in YUM YUM YUM and SCUBA. As for the one near the bones, we’ll probably need to get both boxes about the way so 163rd can detect it faster, without needing to search for it ourselves in all this junk.” Delilah nods. “Alright, let’s finish this quickly and get out of here.” She moves towards the YUM YUM YUM box, trying to be both quick and stealthy at the same time. Dress fins turn into real fins under the water so she can move faster. She grabs the box and passes it to Dory.

EmV — 03/17/2021

This box is full of marine-themed gummies. Seeing the box, 163rd says, "There's one of them." She reaches inside. Buried beneath the packs of Swedish Whales™ (Now With Whales In Graduation Hats!) and Sparkle Mermaid Princess™ mermaid gummies, there's a glass jar full of colorful, penny-sized gummy starfish. It's labeled STARFISH in a very nice but generic font. There's no other information. 163rd pulls it out to examine it more closely, then sets it on the table. "The gummies may be helpful, but I can't exactly tell how."

thestarsseeall — 03/17/2021

“Hmm.” Dory purses her lips. “Might test that out at home later, I guess.” Delilah has reached the box labelled SCUBA gear, and pushes it towards the staircase. “Can we hold off on evaluating what’s in this box, so I can grab the last item and get out? Not looking forward to being surprised by whatever “bad” thing is going to result.” She’s already looking at the major piles of bones to see if she can find the last item.

EmV — 03/17/2021

"That's fine with me," 163rd says. She looks into the room again. "So. The last item in there is near the back. It's somewhat vague to me. There is a skeleton nearby, and something about, um." She concentrates. "There's something about Sparkle Mermaid Princess. I think." In the basement, you see two items of note. The first is what appears to be part of a human skeleton. The second is a trail of slimy flopping creatures, each barely longer than a thumb, splashing in the water. The water that has been pouring into the basement all this time is coming faster.

thestarsseeall — 03/17/2021

Delilah grits her teeth. “Trouble, incoming! Some small, slimy things. Might be fish.” Nonetheless, she bravely pushes forward towards the skeleton, her lower body going back into scaled form.

EmV — 03/17/2021

More water pours into the basement, and as it does, more leech-shaped creatures fall in. They arrange themselves into misshapen rings, then perfectly round circles, that begin to cover the watery floor. You approach the skeleton. It's draped with wet strips of an unidentifiable yellow substance. It wears a rusted crown, and it has something small and dark within its ribcage. Words have been carved into its bones, but they're so small you'd need to really try to read them. One outstretched arm, sans hand, points in the direction of the stairs. The other arm is held coquettishly at its side, with a rusted ring on its finger. The skeleton is missing its lower half. It has been replaced with a mass of fish scales, hot-glued together.

thestarsseeall — 03/17/2021

“I- blast.” Delilah tries to disrupt the leeches by throwing detritus at them, careful to stay away. “They’re trying to make some sort of diagram, I think!” Dory is unable to see much, but she takes one hand and points it towards the center of the room. A large chunk of bone is launched from her arm, shattering in the water. She hopes it disrupts the leeches. Delilah reaches towards the skeleton. Another moment of hesitation, as she sees the crown, the ring, and the thing in the chest. She decides to grab the entire thing by the arm and neck, hoping it doesn’t fall apart around her hands.

EmV — 03/17/2021

Many leeches are blown apart, along with their structures. They start reforming the circles immediately, rerouting around the dead and dying leeches in the water. Water is filling up quickly. It's about to go past waist height. The strips of yellow appear to be keeping the skeleton's bones together. However, its bottom half is ridiculously heavy, slowing Delilah's progress considerably. As its skull lolls, Delilah hears a faint sound coming from it. "*...ons I t...d. My be...ed. Free... my...lost lo...e me, by my....*"

thestarsseeall — 03/17/2021

Delilah begins transforming further into her Fisherwoman form. Her entire lower body is now fully scaled, and her legs are beginning to fuse together into a powerful tail that churns the water behind her.

“I’ve got it! I’ve got it! Lords, it’s heavy! Pull!” She cries, with teeth that are turning to needles. She readjusts her grip for a second, taking the hand on the neck and sticking it into the stomach, clawing and grabbing, hoping that it might separate the upper skeleton from the fish scales at the bottom. The line between the hook in Delilah’s shirt and Dory’s Implement forms again. Dory backs up the stairs. She activates her Ogre stance, extra muscles granting her more power to drag Delilah.

EmV — 03/17/2021

The lower half of the skeleton's body is torn away. It was filled with dark water. At the very bottom, shining with an unnatural light, is a second ring surrounded by scales. You could reach it if you bent down and stuck your arm in all the way. Is the skeleton's skull moving? It looks towards the second ring. "*Aeo...nish...y begin...owned. Fr...st lov...ee m...y my los...*" The water is reaching chest height. More circles form inside it. You'd have to be very careful to avoid stepping through one.

thestarsseeall — 03/17/2021

Delilah looks in anger at the second ring. “Of all the stupid-” Her voice has a distinctly monstrous tint to it now. There is no more dress on her body, only scales. She reluctantly sticks her entire arm into the lower body, grasping for the ring. Gills on the side of her neck pump as she goes under the surface of the water.

EmV — 03/17/2021

Circles of pulsating leeches float in the water, along with various other objects. Stuffed animals, bits of plastic and cardboard, waterlogged books. Delilah weaves past the circles to reach the skeleton's "tail", pulling out the ring. The water is at five or six feet and steadily rising. Very soon it will reach the top of the stairs. The basement door shimmers, drops of water splashing onto its bottom. The skeleton's upper half has fallen into the water. The yellow substance that was holding it together is dissolving. Its bones drift apart, along with the other items that were there.

thestarsseeall — 03/17/2021

“BLULBULHBULBU” Delilah angrily bubbles into the water as she sees the dissolving skeleton. She has one ring in one hand, and is still being pulled by Dory towards the entrance. She lets go of the lonely arm bone she was holding on to and reaches towards the finger with the second ring, hoping that she can grab it on the way to the exit, even as she moves forward. Dory is still backing up the stairs, muscles forming and disappearing as she moves.

EmV — 03/17/2021

The finger is nearby, but it's past an underwater leech circle. Reaching it would require reaching through the circle. More water splashes onto the door and it ripples, beginning to fade. From the other side, 163rd says, "I think you shouldn't stay in that room for too long."

thestarsseeall — 03/17/2021

Delilah bubbles another curse, and turns away, focusing on swimming, closing what little distance remains to the entrance. Dory is past the threshold of the door herself. With another yank on her fishing pole, she lifts Delilah, fully in Fisherwoman form, out of the water and through the threshold.

EmV — 03/17/2021

Shortly after Delilah exits, dripping water, the basement entrance fades fully out of existence. On the floor, the diagram's fish eyeball and fish puddle of drool have disappeared. 163rd, standing by the kitchen counter with the special items arranged on top of it, raises her hand in greeting. "Hello. You've found the last item, it seems like. Although the numbers are different. It's hard to tell if you've left anything behind, because the door is gone now." The two fish in their two tanks flap their tails.

thestarsseeall — 03/17/2021

Delilah halfheartedly slams her hand against the side of a wall, slightly shifting back towards a human form. “I missed a few things. Valuable things, by the look of it.” She looks back at the door in the wall, then at the two fish in their tanks. “Suppose, if we gave them a little more ALPHA FISH FOOD to heal, and we opened up that door up again…” Delilah opens a can, shakes out a few more pellets, and looks questioningly at the two fish. "Are you two up for another try? Maybe in a few minutes, after Delilah calms down?" She tries to determine if this would be healthy for them.

EmV — 03/17/2021

The mouth fish thumps its tail, but the haruspicel curls up and cringes. A fish made of eyes appears.

thestarsseeall — 03/17/2021

Dory nods. “Okay, it looks like we probably won’t get another try at this anytime soon. Maybe after Pescator, maybe never. Don’t worry about it too much, Delilah.” She gives the extra pellets of fish food to both of the fish anyways for their contributions. Delilah has given the ring to 163rd. “So, what was in the SCUBA box? And do you know what this ring might do?

EmV — 03/17/2021

The fish accept the food eagerly. The haruspicel generates a smiling fish to swim around its head. 163rd places the ring on the kitchen counter. There are seven items on it, now: \* The dream dream beauty beauty fish, a statue. \* The platinum arowana perfume from the "GOOD FISH BOX". \* The golden fish necklace from the "HAPPY HAPPY BEAUTY FISH BOX". \* The STARFISH jar from the "YUM YUM YUM" box. \* The large statue from the "DREAMY SWEETS BOX". \* A snorkel. This snorkel is falling apart, with only the tube intact, and it's covered with bones and wire. \* The faintly glowing skeleton's ring. "I've arranged the items here. None of them appear to be the energetic kind, thankfully. The snorkel is from the scuba box." 163rd says. "As for the ring, I think it's connected to love somehow. But putting it on would be dangerous. "Are we done with the house? I think its most valuable items are here."

thestarsseeall — 03/17/2021

“Please hold, for a few seconds. A few more things I’d like to check on.” Dory goes to the bedroom and the washroom, and asks the patchwork fish there if they’d like to go with her. She also makes sure she transfers the Heart Heart Love Love fish to a tank. She then returns to the kitchen. “Alright, I think that’s everything magical. Do you have any more plans for Brian or this house?”

EmV — 03/17/2021

In Eastern Uloinnan, the patchwork fish in the washroom agrees with a great deal of enthusiam. The bedroom fish is asleep, but after some poking indicates that it is amenable to the prospect. The heart heart love love fish makes some very loud hissing sounds, and even attempts unsuccessfully to bite Dory. But the transfer succeeds. 163rd says, "The three of us don't need to do any more investigating in this house, I think. We should discuss splitting the magical items. I put seven on the counter, but what if I took four, and you took three? You've obtained a number of fish from this event as well."

thestarsseeall — 03/17/2021

Dory nods amenably, with Delilah a little more hesitant. “Sure, that sounds very reasonable to me. The fish were my primary interest, but these items are a welcome bonus. I was hoping to find the source of ALPHA FISH FOOD, but none of these look particularly likely. Other than that… I guess the STARFISH jar would be my first pick. Are there any that you’re particularly interested in, 163rd?

EmV — 03/17/2021

"I'm glad we could come to an agreement so quickly. In this case, I'll take the dream dream beauty beauty statue, the dreamy sweets statue, the ring, and the snorkel. You can have the perfume, the golden necklace, and the starfish jar. And with that, should we prepare to leave?"

thestarsseeall — 03/17/2021

Dory now hesitates as well, at the speed of this. Still, she has gotten quite a good deal. “Very well then. And on to Pescator?”

EmV — 03/17/2021

"Oh. We were going to investigate Pescator's territory directly much later, when we've finalized our plans and called allies for potential help. The excursion would happen after several days or weeks have passed. Of course you're free to participate if you want to. I can make a note of that. It just wouldn't happen today." 163rd takes a square of fabric from her pocket, and unfolds it into a cloth bag. She puts her selected items in the bag.

thestarsseeall — 03/17/2021

Dory and Delilah put their respective items in a spare fish tank, and begin moving everything to the front. Plunder, Pillows, Patchwork Fish. Mouth Fish, Eye Fish, and Love Fish. Dory eventually drives her pickup truck to the front of the house, from where she hid it during the infiltration. Together with Delilah, they load everything in, and prepare to carry everything back to Louisiana.

EmV — 03/17/2021

163rd says her goodbyes and returns to the main room. She has a brief wordless conversation with Red, where she returns the eyeball of theirs she had in her pocket. The two of them leave the house after Dory and Delilah have departed. Red is carrying Sparkle Mermaid Princess™️ merchandise. 163rd's bag is considerably larger, and it's bulging with more mundane, possibly-useful items she's taken from the house. 163rd makes a phone call. A blue car picks up Red, who hops in cheerfully before it drives off. 163rd waits. A black car with tinted windows pulls up. 163rd gets in. The car drives off.