Chapter 77 - Day 79

Taking the Bearkin with us, we decided to return to our newly favored inhabitant of this wondrous Home. We're going back to the Great Grandfather Sama. He's good people, and I have a feeling that he might end up being our equivalent to a Foyer in the basement. Sadly, there's a massive horde of Zombies in the Boiler Room… And a freaking hallway that we'll need to cross in order to reach it. Having come to the conclusion that encountering the Scientist to gain access to the true Foyer of the basement would be too time consuming… We set forth on our way back. The Bearkin was too wounded to stand, so we ended up having Mr Scarecrow carry him. Returning to the hallway was painful, as we needed to endure looking at each of those held captive once more. Some of these people… They've likely been in these cages for decades… Centuries, even. They've been driven absolutely mad. Not to mention, they're all twisted in one way or another, be it insect legs, pumpkin heads, or uncontrollable acid vomit… The list goes on, and on… They've been mutated, beyond recognition. According to Cetilla, the Torture Chambers aren't usually this full… Meaning that some of these individuals are being assaulted by the Clock.

Ivand keeps groaning, and it's kind of annoying… Especially considering that we lack the means to heal him… And so we might be stuck with him like this for a whole damn week. I made sure to ask Hobgoblin Samurai Punk to try and keep a close eye on him, to ensure that he doesn't mutate into another race… Or die on us. He seemed happy to be of some use. It might have been a heavy blow to his confidence when he was forced into hiding behind a Barrier. Seriously, though… The Bone Wind Combo Barrier is incredible. It's nothing to be ashamed of, even I am powerless compared to its might. Cetilla, Wendel, Molag Dregora, and the Banshees can create one pretty intense Barrier if they work together. After asking them about it… Sadly, if they wanted to support my Barrier while I were enlarged by using their combo… They would probably be limited due to the sheer size of my Barrier. It wouldn't be as effective. They would need immeasurably more Bones, and due to that… The overall resistance of the Barrier would decrease, and the damage dealt to those which tried to surpass it would also decrease. The Wind would need to cover a larger distance, while still flowing at the same speed… Which would cost more MP. We're trying to be efficient while here, as when Cetilla runs out of MP… It's game over. I'll need to capture her as a Clansmen, and it won't be easy to heal her. It's going to cost a whole lot of Candy. I won't be able to release her until after we leave, and she's not about that life. She wants her own experience points. It's like that.

"When we get back upstairs, can we challenge the Chef?" [Budget Shark] asked with a perplexed expression as the group arrived back at the hallway.

"We need to make a decision." [Nero] groaned.

"Oh? What might be the topic of discussion this time?" [Cetilla] begged the question with a grin.

"We've saved the Bearkin worth 5000 Gold Coins. Do we want to try and steal from the Father to further increase our profits, do we want to challenge the Sphinx, or do we want to try and lay low near the Foyer?" [Nero] asked with a smile as he opened the door to the hallway and began to walk inside.

"...Let's lay low." [Hobgoblin Samurai Punk] declared after seeing what await them in the hallway.

"...I still want to slay the Chef." [Budget Shark] declared with a determined expression before he snapped his jaws while facing the hallway.

"If we rob their Father, we can earn more than mine does in a whole year." [Dutchess of Doom] declared with a twisted smile and flowing hair as she stepped forth, ahead of the others and began to unload a barrage of Wind Magic.

And so, we watched as hundreds of Zombies received the full might of Cetilla's horizontal Tornado attack. She was aided by the Wraiths, as they tried to pull all of the Zombies closer to the Sorceress. None survived her wrath, at one point… The doors to the hallway even swung open, revealing naive and outmatched monsters of varying kinds. As she destroyed everything in her wake, she walked forward. I was beyond impressed, but also exasperated as meow… Her MP is no certainly going to diminish far faster. Point proven or not, she's dooming our future. I fear for us. I truly do. Budget Shark and Hobgoblin Samurai Punk are following her lead as if it's no big deal, walking along as nonchalantly as possible behind her. Freaking Wendel picked up all of Cetilla's buckets and is also following along. I… I… I'm the only one who seems to see the problem here! Anxiously following the Cat Crew, I made certain to check each door that seemed to be slightly shut. I encountered around 30 monsters by the time that we had finished walking through the excessively long hallway… But made short work of them with the help of my Clansmen.

After we had finally reached the Boiler Room, we found that it was entirely barren. All of the Zombies had been fed to Cetilla. Safely, we were able to check the Janitor's Quarters to find that he held a Mop and a Whip most dear to him. Those were the only two things in his needlessly large Treasure Chest. If I had to say, neither of the items even seemed valuable. At all. As they were both basic, we left without saying a word. We were all speechless, and decided it best to leave the Janitor with what he cherished. Making our way through the Boiler Room, we discussed whether or not the Janitor would still be mad at us for picking a fight or stealing his Key… And I quickly remembered that he wasn't the only Zombie to notice the occasion. On arrival to the door, it was silent. No one was banging on it any longer, and I had a very bad feeling… But we opened the door to find that everything had calmed down. The two Zombies were sitting down, while one had his head in his arms… And the other was patting his back to comfort him. Throwing the Key back to the moping Janitor with a smile, I received a glare of killing intent from the Engineer… But the Janitor only began to slowly make his way back to his own side of the building.

Remembering that we killed all of his followers, I decided to nudge the others along… Gesturing that it was time for us to go… And so, we left. Entering the Mummy Quarters, we made our way through the Mummy Hall and up the stairs… To return to the Dining Hall. As we walked, we heard a scream of agony or anger from a particular Zombie… But it's fine. We're meow in the Pharoahdin's Hall, a place that he does not have access to. The Key system is incredible. Before entering the Dining Hall, we sat down to recollect ourselves. It's decision making time. I went off on Cetilla for wasting so much MP in the hallway earlier, but she didn't care. According to her, wasting MP doesn't matter because the Father doesn't actually have very many minions. He has powerful minions, but they're few in number. He can call on the Maids, the Jackal Scarecrows, the Butler, and his own Father. The Butler can call on the One Eyed Slimes, as well as some Haunted Books… But that's it. The Father genuinely does not have an army of any kind, but one of his followers does. If we catch the Father on the Balcony to the Ballroom, then we won't need to deal with any of his followers whatsoever… But potentially, his Wife might be thrown into the equation. Even so, we need access to the Clock. We need to know the time, if we intend to happen upon the Father. We also need the Chef. She kind of won the vote, because Budget Shark's and her own choice go hand in hand. I could vote to make it a tie, but then we'd be stuck at an impasse. The only one impartial enough to break the tie… Would be Ivand… The Bearkin who is incessantly groaning from beneath his paper bag mask. Hard pass.

"Luna~ Do you think that if you were to turn Ivand into a Vampire, he would stop groaning?" [Nero] asked with a smile.

"It's hard to say… But given how Chiffona-Cya-Macaroon and the Lion King received the Curse… There's a good chance that it may heal him." [Luna Pratz] explained with a nervous expression as she gazed at the paper bag headed Bearkin now groaning excessively louder.

"Do any of you think he's already began to mutate?" [Nero] begged the question as he held a look of disdain for the Bearkin.

"Definitely." [Cetilla] replied with a smirk. To which, the Bearkin began to attempt at escape from the Scarecrow's clutches… Only to fail.

"Do you think he'll turn into Food?" [Budget Shark] asked with a stupefied look on his Shark face while walking behind Mr Scarecrow and looking up at the paper bag. To which, the Bearkin began to act dead.

"I doubt it." [Hobgoblin Samurai Punk] sighed as he stopped to stand in front of the door leading into the Kitchen.

"Do you hear anything on the other side?" [Nero] asked as he brought his head closer to the door.

"...It sounds clear to me~" [Budget Shark] declared as he rammed his head through the door, slamming it open to reveal that it most certainly was not clear.

Sitting before us, are the Triplets and according to Cetilla who is whispering in my ear… Their Nanny… Not to mention, the damned Chef is standing beside the table… Serving the meal. It's breakfast. Waffles. Two of the Triplets are boys, while the third is a girl. The Nanny is dressed in a black, thin dress… And she's a Zombie… Sort of. She has hair, it's long and black… She has a thin coat of skin, making her appear to be more like a Skeleton. According to Molag Dregora, she's technically a type of Zombie which has deteriorated to an incredible extent. Normally, when a Zombie deteriorates, they begin to get stronger… But it's only an adrenaline rush. It doesn't last, and normally transitions a Zombie into a Skeleton… But it lasted for her, and so she's called a Ghoul. The Chef is dressed as a Chef can be expected to dress, but he's totally a Pumpkin… Well, he's a short… Stubby little guy, but his head is a carved out and lit up Pumpkin. Apparently, he's a Pumpkinkin. The boys are wearing matching violet denim overall shorts, and orange tee shirts. They both have black boots on, as well. The girl is wearing vertical striped orange and purple stockings… With a frilly, black dress, and black heels. The triplets all had white hair, so perhaps the Great Grandfather Sama's hair wasn't white due to age? They all have red eyes, glowing much more so than the Great Grandfather. They're all losing their sanity to the Clock. I've officially meow witnessed a Skeleton in a dress, and might I say… My life is complete. Take me meow, Janus~ I'm done. I've succeeded!

"Whaaaa?! Who are they?!" [Boy #1] begged the question while pointing at the group of individuals very obviously spectating them from eastern door.

"They're probably the ones that made such a huge mess for me…" [Chef] declared while raising a Knife.

"I find their presence to be highly inappropriate. Children~ Run along, now… Breakfast has been delayed." [Nanny] exclaimed as she took out a Fan and hid her mouth.

"But… But… It's already been served!" [Boy #2] cried while staring at his meal, about to take his first bite.

"Nonsense! I see nothing, do you?!" [Nanny] screamed hysterically after she frantically whipped the Boy's entire plate up into the air, splashing his food all over the ground. To which, the Boy only glared at her with a dejected look before getting up from his seat and walking away as his brother comforted him.

"You're overstepping your boundaries, hag." [Girl] sneered toward the Ghoul Nanny, without having left her seat.

"Oh… Don't be cross with me, Girl… You're going to ruin all my fun~" [Nanny] announced with a stern look before turning to face the intruders once more with a twisted smile as she resumed her combat stance.

"I've been waiting a very long time to protect that Sphinx… I hope you don't mind, but I'll be joining in." [Chef] declared as he whipped off his apron and grabbed his spotless Knife once more, assuming a pose as he lift his Knife hand to the sky.

"Get on with it!" [Girl] beckoned from her chair as if tired of the ordeal.

"Not even going to allow us a chance to speak?" [Witch of Night] begged the question with a wry smile.

"They seem intent on death~" [Dutchess of Doom] chimed in with a giggle.

"Agony awaits..." [Besmircher of Souls] declared solemnly. To which, the Hallowed Howl was heard, erupting from behind the Halloween Cat…

"[Pumpkin Bomb]! [War Meow]!" [Nero] screamed loudly as he threw the Pumpkin forth.

Numerous Shadow Balls were lobbed into the fold, blinding my vision… Flames engulfed the entire area, and I sat down to begin eating Candy. A particular Crowli could be witnessed flying through the Shadow Balls to surprise his victims. The Chef was quick on his feet, despite appearances. He had a strange fighting style, only possible due to being top heavy. He was even able to make it appear as though he were dancing. It was a magical performance, and it did a great many of my Clansmen in. The Nanny was wielding a Fan, and was also quite quick on her feet. She could jump pretty high, and she didn't appear to follow the laws of gravity. She was manipulating Wind, just as many of my comrades do. Rather than Wind Funnels or Tornadoes, this one was working with Slices. Quick, clean cuts… And something we really can't deal with, aside from using Barriers. It ended up being Leoric and Conrad focusing the Ghoul, while everyone else focused on the Pumpkinkin.

He was throwing out little tiny Pumpkin Bombs every few moments, they weren't dealing a whole lot of damage… But they managed to create smoke... He used the smoke to his advantage, allowing him to back up, avoiding even more attacks. It's annoying, but I think that both of these individuals may be a type of Rogue. They're very quick, and none of their attacks seem to deal incredible damage. They made short work of my weaker Clansmen, but the more sturdy of individuals don't seem likely to perish. Penny and Benji both lost, as did every single Scarecrow… But everyone else seems more or less okay. Likely noticing the stalemate, Cetilla has stepped into the field. She's whipping out mini Tornadoes in multiple locations, forcing the Rogues to choose different paths, allowing us to close in on them. It's a brilliant strategy, but at the root of the issue… It seems to be that we're actually needed. My Clansmen don't deal enough damage yet, sorry… I'm level 440, I have 1760 STR paired with 2640 AGI and more than 10000 HP if you count my Barrier. I won't be as powerful if I'm fighting without my Broom or Lantern on me… But I'm still a big deal. Cetilla's even worse. She's a monster of some kind, but she rarely shows it. She's a trump card, herself. Placing down my Candy, I asked my Clansmen to guard it. I'm going in. Turning to face the Cat Crew…

"Wish me luck~" [Nero] declared with a smile before turning to face the enemy once more as he dropped his Lantern and Broom before jumping off into the fold at incredible speed.

Okay… The ring is clear. I'm the only one up here, nothing is happening. They're both staring at me, with grins on their faces… They seem to believe that they've won. As if I'm the strongest one here, and they're competent enough to have warranted my arrival… Meaning that we don't stand a chance against the Sphinx or something… They're silly. We're honestly not even after the Sphinx yet. We haven't decided. I promised the Great Grandfather Sama that I'd help deal with the Clock, but the Sphinx is another story. I might be able to handle the Clock, but I don't know about the Sphinx. Either way, I probably can't handle either this week. I'll literally come back another week. I have too much riding on this week. I can't lose the Bearkin currently laying on my Candy, between my Clansmen. Well… Let's do this. Taking a glance at the Nanny, I decided to start with her. No offense, Nanny… But I think that Budget Shark actually wants to take on the Chef. I'll leave it to him. Leaping forward once more, I tried to punch the Nanny… And to my surprise, I landed the attack. She seemed about ready to dodge, so I didn't think that I would… But she's definitely puking her guts out this very instant. She's not a match for a level 440 Halloween Cat. Nope. Grabbing her hair in one hand, I lift her head up to face mine…

"Are you done yet?" [Nero] begged the question with eyes wide as he tilt his head to the side. To which, the Ghoul spit some Blood back into his face… And her own met the top of a plate on the table just moments later, which shattered under the weight of her face smashing into it… An instant before the table itself was utterly destroyed.

Her head… It's exploded on the ground, where the middle of the table was moments ago. Penny definitely returned from Halloween and slowed time down as it happened, but it still happened quite fast. I don't really know what happened to me, but for a brief moment there… I just lost it. I don't want to kill all of these potential Clansmen, I want to save them… But they're not making it very easy. The Nanny had a Key, and so that's mine meow… The Girl is staring at me with a blank expression, and the Chef… The Chef? Where's the Chef?! Looking around… I don't see him anywhere. He's gone… What?!

"You… You killed the Hag…" [Girl] muttered under her breath before exclaiming…

"You've done it! She's dead! She's finally fucking dead!" [Girl] exclaimed happily in a cheerful tone as she got on-top of the now absolutely ruined table, before dancing as she slid her way on down to point and laugh at the Ghoul's corpse.

"Well, now that she's dead… And the Chef is gone, what do we do?" [Nero] begged the question while ignoring the Girl and facing Cetilla.

"It depends… If she has the Key, then we can use it to get to the Ballroom… If not, we're better off to wait for the Chef or just go and find her Brothers." [Cetilla] groaned as she watched the cheerful young lady off in the distance.

"Wait a second… If she doesn't have the Key, then how is she even expected to return to her area?" [Nero] asked with a flat look on his face.

"Well, she had the Nanny… We have the Nanny's Key, so now… Technically, we're her quickest method of returning to her Brothers. The Nanny has access to their Toy Room, her own room, and their bedroom. Due to us possessing it and her needing it to return, normally… That would be reason enough for her to attack us." [Cetilla] explained with a nonchalant expression.

"So, this Girl..." [Nero] began to ask a question, but was brutally interrupted.

"Hey! You~" [Girl] sang as she poked Nero. To which, the Halloween Cat turned and faced the girl; allowing her to continue…

"Do you want to play a game?" [Girl] asked with a smile.

"That depends." [Nero] shot back with a blank expression.

"On what?" [Girl] asked innocently as she continued to smile.

"The rules, and prizes." [Nero] exclaimed with a smirk.

"I think the name is more important…" [Girl] declared while furrowing her eyebrows.

"Then what's the name?" [Nero] asked as if exasperated.

"Find Elly faster than she finds you, so that she gives you her Key." [Elly] explained while pointing her finger at the Master of Time.

"What are the boundaries?" [Nero] asked while squinting his eyes.

"All the way from her to the Foyer!" [Elly] declared with a wink.

"There's just a hallway separating here and the Foyer…" [Nero] said quietly as he visibly began to think.

If there's a hallway, and one person goes through it… All of the monsters should re-spawn, correct? If Elly hides first, then more monsters will appear in that hallway… But she probably won't deal with them, and I'll be left to do it? On top of that, her Brothers totally took that path to leave here… They probably took that path to come here, alongside the Nanny… So there's already 3 of each monster in that Hallway… At least. There's going to be 4 as soon as she enters the hallway, and 5 as soon as I follow after her… It's going to be a mess. 5 monsters in 300 rooms, is 1500 monsters. If Elly lives here, the monsters might not even attack her… I'm at an unfair advantage. Even if I start hiding first, she can just wait a little while… All of the monsters will come chasing after me, and she can find me in the midst of the chaos… The rule is that I need to find her quicker than she finds me, so no matter how you put it… I'd need to speed all the way through the hallway… But what if she doesn't even actually go to the Foyer? There's always the chance that she'll pick some random door in the hall… And camp out in it. If the monsters actually do attack her, then there would be only one logical solution. If I let her go first, I should just wait a minute, then check the first few doors before speeding all the way through to the Foyer...? It's hellbent on the monsters actually not liking her, either… I just… I need more information.

"I have a better idea. How about we play Two Truths and a Lie?" [Nero] asked with a smile.

"I've never heard of it." [Elly] replied with an innocent expression.

"The rules are simple. I ask you three questions, and you need to tell me the honest answers to two of them… But you can lie through your teeth for another. If I can decide which of your answers was the fake, then I win a round. If I fail, then you win a round. Then, you get to ask me three questions. Whoever loses twice, needs to do what the other says." [Nero] declared with a smirk.

"You're on." [Elly] exclaimed with a determined look on her face.

"Do the monsters of this Mansion attack you?" [Nero] asked with a smile as he removed his aviators.

"...Yes." [Elly] confessed while avoiding Nero's gaze.

"Why do you serve the Sphinx?" [Nero] asked with a dumbfounded expression.

"His promise is everlasting..." [Elly] answered quickly as she met Nero's eyes.

"Since my promise to you can also be everlasting, then will you join me and genuinely serve Halloween?" [Nero] asked while his eyes widened.

"...Yes?" [Elly] answered while tilting her head to the side in confusion.

"Very well. You lied for the very first question." [Nero] declared with a certain look on his face.

"Haahhh?! You lied for the entire premise of the third question, so obviously I chose to lie for the third one…" [Elly] exclaimed hysterically.

"But I did not lie for the third question. Even so, if you insist… " [Nero] explained before continuing…

"Please, prove it. Enter the hallway alone, and return 10 seconds later. We'll see if the monsters come chasing after you or not." [Nero] beckoned of the white haired girl. To which, she hesitated and proved his case.

"...Everlasting?" [Elly] asked with eyes wide, looking behind her shoulder as she held a hand to the doorknob, unsure of whether to twist it.

"Until the day that I die." [Nero] elaborated while placing his aviators back on.

"...Sometimes, when mom sleeps… I sneak out into the Courtyard, to visit Grandma from her balcony." [Elly] confessed while avoiding Nero's gaze.

"That's sweet." [Nero] exclaimed with a smile.

"We came here for them… Great Grandpa, Grandma, and Grandpa… We don't want them to die if we leave." [Elly] explained as tears began to fall from her eyes.

"They don't need to." [Nero] reassured the girl as he pat her shoulder with a knowing smile.

"...Who are you?" [Elly] asked with an unsure expression.

"I'm Nero Miki, the one True Allwe Halloween Cat… These are my Clansmen, and my prestigious Cat Crew… And that sorry state of a Bearkin right over there, is the reason why I'm here to begin with." [Nero] introduced himself and his motley band of creatures.

"...Then… What do you plan to do with him?" [Elly] asked while furrowing her eyebrows

"Protect him with all my might." [Nero] exclaimed while puffing out his chest.

"...You must have lied about the second statement. You explained too much information there, so it's probably not true in some way." [Elly] remarked as if absolutely certain.

"Wrong. I lied about the first statement." [Nero] shot back with a snide look on his face.

"Whaaa?! But if you lied there, then you can't actually keep us alive forever and you were lying in the first set of questions!" [Elly] slammed back frantically.

"Nope. The lie isn't that it can potentially be everlasting… The lie is that it must end the day that I die, when truly… I can continue preserving your state even after death, if you choose to follow me into Halloween." [Nero] elaborated with a smile before patting the girl's head.

"It's okay… You lost, and it happens. It was bound to happen to one of us, but I just so happened to win, which means… That you must do whatever I say." [Nero] declared with a light tone of voice as he continued to pat the girl's head.

"...I want Lena back." [Elly] shot back with a blank expression.

"She's probably dead already." [Nero] confessed with a nonchalant tone of voice before continuing...

"Anyways~ Which of your Brothers has the Key?" [Nero] asked while opening the door for the Girl and guiding her along.

"It's probably Mike." [Elly] declared while shrugging her shoulders.

"Where do you expect he is?" [Cetilla] chimed in with a groan.

"Class, probably." [Elly] sighed.

And so... We began to make our way through yet another hallway, this time... Leading us back to the Foyer. My Scarecrows ended up being the ones to lift all of the buckets this time, while Conrad was pulling the bags of Candy. I was preoccupied with my conversation alongside Elly and the others. As we talked and walked, Cetilla, Hobgoblin Samurai Punk, Budget Shark, Leoric, and White Beef Lady handled all of the monsters. Everyone else was talking, or singing. It's a good, old fashioned... Road trip. Yep. The 'M*nster Mash' has been performed numerous times, but we're alternating between 'This is H*lloween', 'Time W*rp', and 'I'm in Love with a M*nster'. It's just all of our group songs, really... Surprisingly, Elly had already known the 'M*nster Mash'... But she didn't know the other songs. My guess? Not all Scaraoke machine monsters come with the same tunes. At one point, just for fun... We did the 'Thr*ller' while in the hall, dancing along down the hall in tandem as we continued to open new doors and slay new monsters. It was a good time. I had reached level 476 by the time that we had reached the end of the hall... And opened the final door, to the Foyer.

On entry, the Foyer was empty... We were the only ones present, which is not only what we expected... But it's a good outcome, in my opinion. We can just wait along in here peacefully for the Brothers to return from Class, and continue to spend our time talking. It's a dream come true, considering how perilous a seven day quest without any contact with the outside world is. It was at this time, that I noticed... Even though it was currently daytime... My lantern remained orange. The clock showed that it was roughly four in the afternoon. Fifteen minutes past four, to be exact. After glaring at the clock for a few moments, I was invited to rejoin in the conversations of our evening... And shared a wonderful time relaxing as I consumed Candy to properly heal all of my Clansmen. Budget Shark was still held up about how we didn't stop to eat the waffles, Hobgoblin Samurai Punk was happy about being helpful in the hallway, Cetilla was having a slight rivalry with Elly, who was sharing details regarding the Mummy Mansion and its inhabitants, Leoric was getting to know Ivand who only answered in varying groans, and many of the Bandsmen were having a battle of the bands. Penny, Christina, and Conrad were acting as judges. The Scarecrows and Wendel banded up to form the 'Prairie Angels'. The Bats and Vampires banded up to form the 'Bloodsuckers'. The Wraiths, Skeletons, and Lich made the final band, the 'Rock Never Dies'. White Beef Lady, on the other hand... Was going solo. She was coming herself, as the 'Howling Cattle'.

According to Elly, her two brothers are named Mike and Ike. Seriously... They're almost inseparable, only ever splitting up if it's for a game. She usually spends her time in the Dollhouse or Theater, but those two enjoy the Maze of Mirrors, and the Toy Room. The Mother is always spending her time with the Grandmother, with the Arachnae, or with the Father. The Grandmother is always spending time with the Mother, the Banshees, or Elly. Elly doesn't know what her Father is usually doing, but she knows that he's usually seen with Bernard, the Butler. Sometimes, Elly enjoys going swimming in the Pool... And it's there that she gets a chance to see the Lifeguard... Clide. He's all sorts of handsome, according to Elly. She doesn't like the Maids, especially Merida... Because she thinks that Merida is after Clide. She also doesn't think that Clide will ever seek love with Elly, because Elly appears to be very young. Her Grandmother is always telling her to just go for it, which is why Elly adores her Grandmother. It's a whole thing. According to Elly, she doesn't get to see her Grandfather or Great Grandfather very often... But sometimes, she sneaks away to visit her Great Grandfather... And she always gets to see her genuine Grandfather during dinner, alongside her Grandmother... So dinner is her favorite time of the evening. It should be at 7, however... She probably won't be present tonight... Considering how late her brothers were appearing to be with leaving the Classroom.

By the time that she had finished explaining that much information, I begged the question of when we should give up and return to the Toy Room. There's always the chance that the Brothers both finished class earlier, and returned to the eastern wing of the Mansion, after all. According to her, class doesn't usually end until 6... But it can oftentimes go later than expected if the children aren't behaving... Or if the Teacher decides that more learning is necessary. Brutal... Correlating with what the Great Grandfather said, the Sphinx would occasionally join them for dinner, but he has not done so in a very long time. Elly has not been in contact with the Sphinx at all for decades, so there's not much to be learned. It's strange, but according to Elly... Her absence from class probably won't be very noticed. She's the most intelligent of the three siblings, and is considered to be the top student. Due to this, she's often times learning lessons far ahead of her brothers... Or just helping her brothers. Her absence from dinner will be an issue, though... So hopefully, Mike and Ike shall arrive before then. We decided to spend the rest of our time to wait, while watching the Bands have their little competition. They performed a mix between songs from the Scaraoke machine, and songs that they had devised on their own. It honestly feels as though this Battle of the Bands has been a long time and coming, considering how prepared everyone is behaving. They're all... Dramatic, and stuff. It's as though they had been waiting... No, they were TRAINING for an opportunity to have such a contest...