Joonie's Quest!
-8 months to infinity-
the birds are chirping, screaming some might argue; your toes are freezing though you swear you wrapped them in your blanket and your sheet; you feel a harmless tiredness settle in your limbs despite sleeping.
at least, you think you slept.
or passed out...
maybe you knocked your head at some point?
it's hard to tell, but you feel restless...
`
THE DAY DEMANDS YOUR ATTENTION,
WHAT WILL YOU DO?
your pillow is lumpy in all the wrong places and traps heat until it burns enough to make you roll over, leaving you vulnerable to the afternoon sun's wake-up call.
reaching out to the usually occupied spot beside you leaves your hand patting across warm sheets.
you swing your hand up and grab nothing but a cool pillow, you drag it down across blankets and sheets;
all empty.
it's difficult to lift your head, harder yet to force your eyes into a squint while searching the room, but your efforts reward you with a note set at the edge of the bed.
upon picking it up, you discover a messy scrawl:
TURN ME OVER TO BEGIN YOUR QUEST!
you flip the note, squinting at the messy scrawl across the page and its contents.
_________________
hi baby! happy 243+ days!
this time around, i thought it'd be nice to try something new with you, so... i tried... to set up...
a scavenger hunt!
it won't be anything wild like looking through the city, or even the neighbourhood. there'll just be a little something in the places we... usually are? at the dorms.
think of them like key items, like a game!
there were four... i think,
i know my clever baby can find everything, but finding even one thing will make you my winner!
you could even say it'll affect your destiny!☆
Love, Your Questmaster.
_________________
you sit up with the note in hand, folding it into a small square then rubbing a hand over your face.
there are only so many places to hide things, right?
whatever you ought to find wouldn't be anywhere unreasonable... right?
right...
`
WHAT WILL YOU DO?
you make your way to the doorway and shift between leaning on the doorjamb to propping yourself against the wall.
with a deep breath, you settle against the cool surface long enough to gather your thoughts.
`
WHERE WILL YOU SEARCH?
the curtains glow with sunlight, brightening the room just enough to get by without stubbing your toes.
some light catches the edge of the bed, scatters across the sheets invitingly, but you steel your heart against temptation.
look away. you can't crawl back into bed just yet.
in a final attempt to resist wrapping yourself in the sheets, you stretch your legs, drop into a squat (or ten) then set about looking through the room.
where would he hide something he wants you to find?
CHECKPOINT ACQUIRED!
FILE 1.
your eyes settle on the little cloud of an RJ pillow atop your pillow pile even as you grab for the closest one.
that's too obvious, right?
halfway through your pillow-searching quest, as you shake and lovingly punch the pillow RJ once resided, a note shimmies out.
it's crinkled from pillow-punching,
but legible in the dim light:
_________________
did you accidentally find this, are you looking? i'm so glad you're really looking for them!
i was worried it'd seem like a pain...
hehe, since you've begun,
i can't wait to see what you'll find!
good luck to the best...! uh,
bounty hunter!
_________________
bounty hunter? you secure the note and give the remaining pillows a quick search via fluffing.
doesn't look like there's anything else in the pillows... time to check the rest of the room!
you pat your hands along the blankets, lifting and looking through them until you're comfortably tangled.
it's warm, the scent of musk and shampoo clinging to it, but there's nothing hidden in the soft fabric.
you remain comfortably wrapped in them, shimmying free after some quiet moments.
if only bed were so comfortable when you need to sleep. ah well, back to searching the room!
the sunlight fades some steps away from the closet, leaving shadows to hug the corner and swallow the few dulled streaks of afternoon light creeping across the room.
it's always a little creepy, more so with the irregular creaking coming from the closet- does the closet always creak like this?
why didn't you notice?
everything draws your gaze twice, and odd shivers skitter up your spine to curl in your chest.
as you shuffle closer, a sticky note on its door catches your eye. you tug it into the light and read:
leave closed for the day.
sounds reasonable. most of you is happy to oblige; considering the note, there probably isn't anything you need in there.
but another part of you can't help wondering...
what would happen if you look in the closet?
`
DO YOU WANT TO LOOK IN THE CLOSET?
you've made your choice: bravely yank the door wide open!
no matter how many times you mentally recite your victory cry, you shuffle to the closet and
ever so carefully
take hold of the handle.
with a final, brave breath, you tug it wide open...
a soft but firm impact muffles sharp shrieking once, twice, and the third one follows you on the way down.
fabric eases your landing despite leaving you winded.
was your nose the target? your cheeks? were you just viciously sweater-pawed?
your body resists every effort to scramble to your feet, but you manage to force an eye open.
in the dark, you barely see the outline of a figure dashing off—after stepping over you, patting through your pockets, and leaving cool silk draped over you.
no matter how you struggle to keep the world in focus, your vision fades until the dark sticks your eyes shut.
there are footsteps, going and coming; all of them fade into a distant static within moments...
BUT YOU CAN'T LIE HERE MUCH LONGER.
you make your way to the end table on your side of the bed, settling on the mattress to inspect every corner.
shifting a card sends something tumbling to the floor with little knocks.
you peek into the space between the wall and the end table, your hand squeezing into the space until it encounters something small and cold.
it's smooth to the touch, glinting proudly in the sunlight when you retrieve it.
╍╍╍╍╍╍╍
KEY CHAIN acquired!
a key chain shaped like a pine tree, attached to two copper keys by a thin green ribbon. smells like smoke.
╍╍╍╍╍╍╍
this must be one of the key items mentioned in the note, right?
finding one makes you a winner, but the note mentioned four...
`
WHAT WILL YOU DO?
you tuck the key chain into your pocket, fingering the soft ribbon thoughtfully.
what is the key for?
it's not likely you'll find out just yet, and this is just one item...
one item is good, but multiple items would be better, right? and you didn't raise yourself to be a quitter!
you shuffle in place, glancing about the room while sifting through your thoughts.
NICE TRY BABY!
but you get a lil smoochie for your diligence!
♡ muah! ♡
all you need to do is explore!
