[Open Class] Dress-Up Time [Brenley]

[Smerdle]

attempt three

This time when he landed back in the warehouse, Brenley stood quickly, shucking off his ruined coat and furiously finger-combing his hair. The lengthier pieces that framed his face were knotted beyond repair and would have to go, but that would of course depend on whether or not he made it out of this place before he lost his mind. He thought about searching for another outfit on his own, but soon decided to appeal to the only other creatures he had seen in the warehouse so far.

"Bats? I know you're up there and I know you have access to some of those white coats." Out of all of the outfits he'd had on today, including the one that most resembled what he wore every day, he had been the most comfortable in the coat. When there was no response, the boil tried to soften his previously commanding tone. "If you... guys do me this one favor, I'll owe you." Bren shook his head slightly. What could a load of vermin possibly require of him in the future?

Surprisingly, this harebrained tactic worked. When the bats approached him for the third time, not only were they carrying a new coat, but a clean shirt, pants and shoes as well. "Thank you," the boil said grudgingly as he put his new clothing on. Had he known it would be so easy to sweet talk the bats, he would have done so sooner.

Quote:

1-10: You search the warehouse for a while, finding no costumes that interest you. But suddenly... LAB COATS. EVERYWHERE. You pick one out and put it on, mostly because they are the only articles of clothing for what seems like miles. And what's that in the pocket of your new coat? A rubber scalpel and some nitrous oxide! Now we're talking! You are a (bad) plastic surgeon. PLEASE PROCEED TO STEP TWO.

 

[Smerdle]

Feeling a little better now that he was somewhat presentable again, Brenley moved forward into the strange toy room with a bounce in his step and a knowing smirk. Although the pink bird he had chosen in distraction the last time he had been through here had served him just fine, he was drawn back to the white horned horse for this attempt. It had proven to be more than an adequate landing cushion after he'd been thrown back into the warehouse by Andy, plus it had maintained a level of pristine whiteness that seemed impossible after being dragged through the dirt.

He grabbed the stuffed animal by its arm and held it close as he moved on.

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6: What's that? A unicorn? You're so lucky to have found one! Not only may you proceed to Step Three, you may also have another life.

 

[Smerdle]

First hillbillies, then robots, now... detectives? Brenley ducked his head as he entered into a third mysterious world, this one cool and dry with a near-empty street stretching out in front of him. Maybe the horned horse had been a mistake. It seemed to him it was bound to make him stick out around here like an undead in a perfume shop.

Since he had failed so spectacularly at reaching home every other time he'd made it this far, the boil still had no idea what he was looking for, so as he picked up his pace and the passersby around him started to pay him some attention, Brenley began to panic. He turned into an alley, muttering a curse when he found it was a dead end.

"Excuse me, son. You lost?"

When Bren spun on his heel, a kindly-looking man in an understated brown fedora stood behind him.

"N... not lost, no. I'm looking for a way out of here."

"Oh," the man replied. "Yes, I can see that you're not from around here."

"You can? I... um... I don't mean you any harm. I just want to..."

The man slid his hand into the interior pocket of his trench coat, quickly pulling out a bright green fedora which he perched on Brenley's head.

"Too small, but it'll have to do. You should always remember to carry a spare hat when you visit us here. Bad things might happen if you don't."

Bren reached up to reposition his new hat, but when he touched it, he found it didn't move. The strange fedora was held on by even stranger magic.

"All right. Let's get you home."

Quote:

1 (North Door): Everyone on the other side of the North Door loves hats. Sure, you might stand out a bit at first if you don't have one, but either way they'll find you a fine chapeau soon enough, no questions asked. PLEASE PROCEED TO STEP FOUR.

 

[Smerdle]

The even-tempered human led the reaper and his unicorn through the streets of the monochromatic town, all the way to a door that looked suspiciously like the one on the side of Trixie's barn, the one that had led him... back to the warehouse.

"I'm sorry," he said, his eyes growing wider. "I think there's been some sort of—"

The door swung open in front of them, and Brenley almost laughed out loud when instead of a violet void, he saw the patchy grass in front of the reaper dorm stretching out in front of him like a well-loved, threadbare carpet.

"Is there something wrong?"

"No. No, forget I said anything," Bren replied. "I'm, um, I don't know how to thank you."

"For the hat? It's nothing. You can keep it." The man smiled, patting Bren on the head even though he was a full six inches shorter than the boil. "Just don't leave home without one again."

"Yeah. Sure. I won't." He stepped forward, fully expecting the door to slam shut or disappear, but it held, only starting to flicker once he was on the other side. Bren got one last good look at the man as he raised his hand in a wave, then the portal was gone.

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14-20: Your human act is flawless! Congratulations, you've passed!