[author's note: ahh, sweet, excessive dialogue. my favorite.]

Luke: i’ll admit i’m a little worried for them.

CLICK. a narrow scrap wood door opens in a marble room. a paperclip flies through the opening and returns to a teen boy’s pocket. the boy’s name is Luke, and he’s wearing sweatpants, a t-shirt labeled MAZZON’S BAR & GRILL, Nd a thoughtful expression.

Luke: however, we are in a huge House that is actively trying to trick us.

Luke: it’s really only a matter of time before people start getting lost.

Vera: ain’t no one else been lost yet.

Luke: no one’s been lost, yet.

Luke: there’s a first time for everything. we’ll probably see a few more cases of missing friends before we escape.

Vera(they/them) is a teen wearing a v-neck and baggy pants. you couldn’t care less about the physical descriptions of these kids here.

there’s two other boys in the group— a teen named Duff and a 7ish year old named Leo.

Vera: fun.

Leo: that maybe won’t be so hard.

Duff: excuse my dissent, but i disagree.

Leo: um, dissent?

Duff: i’ve been under the suspicion that out trials in this House will be more strenuous than we believe.

Duff: that the Old Man is more of a prevaricating asshole than we thought, and he’s been withholding the true extent of our strife here.

Duff: that, essentially, everything will go to shit, and this search is the rendezvous at which everything waits for us to join it.

Leo: what?

Luke: nice play on words.

Luke: i completely understand your worry.

Luke: but there’s nothing we can do about it.

Luke: if things are about to go to shit, you have no choice but to follow.

Luke: we’ll shovel the shit when we get there.

Leo: wow that was smart.

Duff: indeed very sagacious.

Luke: thanks.

Leo: i hope Bree doesn’t zap me again when we find her.

Vera: oh that little shit betta not.

Vera: there’s STILL spidas comin outta that hole ya put in tha wall.

Leo: i know! spiders are super—

Leo: super annoying.

Duff: insects and arachnids in totality repulse me.

Duff: i’d be flayed by the farming implement of Death himself before i allowed myself to be a victim of Bree’s power.

Leo: what’s a farming implement?

Leo: i thought death had a scythe.

Duff: a scythe is a farming implement.

Leo: like a hoe or, um… a rake?

Leo: or maybe a shovel?

Vera: how do ya know watts hoe is?

Leo: i don’t know.

Leo: maybe i read a bunch of books.

Leo: but the Old Man made us so…

Leo: i don’t know.

Luke: i would guess that the Old Man gave us a small knowledge of the world when he created us.

Luke: as well as our personalities and the qualities that make us people.

Luke: it probably takes a lot of thought to create a complete human, and not just an emotionless puppet.

Leo: oh. yeah that makes sense.

Leo: it’s, um, kind of…

Luke: uncomfortable?

Leo: a little.

Luke: i get it. everything we know is fabricated. it’s weird.

Luke: and the same person who fabricated our lives, wants to fabricate our future as well.

Luke: do you want to follow the Old Man’s Quest?

Leo: um, no not really.

Vera: i ain’t going ta listen ta that prick.

Duff: i would have to agree.

Duff: your point?

Luke: i suppose i’m just saying that i don’t want to allow others to control my life.

Luke: i’m really only thinking about this because the conversation made me think of one of Vera’s poems, '''Old Man'''.

Vera: oh.

Vera: so ya read it?

Vera: and, ah, what pages?

Luke: the ones you dogeared.

Luke: i’m sure that for each of the good poems you showed me, there’s a dozen bad ones that you’d rather not have me see.

Luke: i overlooked those, ‘cause a them’s gotta have their secrets, right?

Vera: ahhh yep. no shit.

Vera: so ya liked em?

Luke: yes. they were strong and well written.

Luke: on that topic, i saw you writing while we were planning, Duff,

Luke: what we’re you writing?

Duff: i keep a chronicle of the events that take place here.

Duff: however, little emotional energy flows through this outlet. i plan to turn it into a diary, which i believe would be more mentally salubrious.

Luke: i would like to read it later.

Leo: me too!

Leo: if we don’t die.

Duff: Leo, do you know what the word '''salubrious''' means?

Leo: slobbery?

Leo: wait no!

Leo: loyal?

Duff: no, you would not be able to read my diary.

Leo: i’m not dumb!

Duff: no, you are not.

Duff: in fact, i think that you are exceptionally observant.

Duff: but you are not an obnoxious asshole who uses obscure words for fun.

Leo: oh, ok.

Luke: there’s a cockroach on the floor.

Duff: disgusting.

Leo: Bree’s here!