#odyssey

She smells tea

Brow furrow.

to the right... tea

And to the right.

Ever to the right... damn it.. another rotating tunnel. She ends up nearly falling on her face or crawling... but she makes her way..

and sees four large steaming cups of tea in a HUGE Chamber

Symon finds himself wedged in feeling a bit..well, like a sauna.. if it had leaves over the vents

He watches down below - and around...

She squints up at the cups.

A black smudge wrapped around one of the handles!

Mmm

Clinging, and occasionally releasing one hand to flap and cool from the heat, then switching off.

One of the cups IS steaming differently... like there was blockage?

Dagmar heads closer, standing beneath.

And Symon hears.. footsteps?

He peers down. And up, for that matter. Physics is WEIRD here.

Indeed it is.

And.. Dagmar might see a face squeezing out of a tea pot spout. Familar despite it's distortion

"Sy!"

And yes, Symon knows that voice.

Tea pot? how did Symon get.. is there a TROD in the cups?

More likely a portal passage magic effect

His mouth moves, unheard.... watching the path as they cups rotate around, and around - maybe he can time a jump down?

And.. he does

To his ineveitable dea-

Dagmar spreads her arms to catch him.

He holds up 3 fingers to Dagmar as he makes a pass. 2 fingers on the next pass... 1 finger.... and then he goes for it! With warning hopefully understood.

A grunt. "Shoulda known the last was fake."

He climbs down. "What took you so long? That was WEIRD." No idea what she just went through, of course.

And down he ends up in her arms .. because it's just cuter that way

"Clown sent me to a... thing.." Frown.

"C'mon, let's find the map and go."

"A thing?" He frowns as she frowns, thinking back about the last "thing" it showed her. "Doesn't matter. Yeah, let's find it..." Looking for a route that may lead to their prize, paid for, but yet to be won.

"You've entertained me, and I am a thing of my word... you may have ONE Prize in the next room"

Scowl.

Curtains from a wall move, revealing a door

Through the damn door.

Hup.

And there it is, like a gameshow display....

"on stand number one... the map piece you've worked so hard to get... "Lolly's voice fills the room "Frustration rewarded, patience too"

"Hmph."

"On stand two.." Symon sees a familiar looking chain "Whats this? An item from the Varich collection?"

"And on on stand three, the draught of thirteen winters gone. One drink, and your favorite grump can be thirteen years younger. Your favorite mortal a teenager.. or for real fun and gags give it to a 13 year old kid and just watch them deconcieve!"

"Yeah, cool." She starts towards the first stand.

"You two may take one, and only one... item"

"Uh-huh." She reaches for the map fragment.

"Think long and hard.. for the... oh poop" As Dagmar just.. grabs the map

Snort, eye-roll.

"C'mon, Symon."

He STARES at the (suspected) Varich chain. Then nods to Dagmar. "Let's beat it."