There's a frantic banging on the back glass door.
Claire walks in and walks up to the door and opens it. "Hi.”
Luna walks in.
Marigold stumbles in, its shadows seeming a bit more.. spiky? Less fuzzy, sharper. It's clutching something in its hand. "-̴̘̌-̷͕̀-̶̩̊ ̸͉̎-̸̨̒-̸̖̃ ̷̻͌-̴̬͠-̶͚̊-̴̘̌-̷͕̀-̶̩̊ ̸͉̎-̸̨̒-̸̖̃ ̷̻͌-̴̬͠-̶͚̊!"
Kade peeks in.
"Oh hey, it's... that shadow thing from Wisteria's, erm... Marigold if memory serves." Luna says, recognizing her.
Claire steps back. "Huh."
Marigold drops whatever was in its hand. A crumpled piece of paper hits the floor. "!̷̻͑!̷͈̄-̸̞́-̷̩͆!̶̦͗/̸̘͐-̸̟̄-̶̨̅-̷̪͂-̷͔̔!̸̛̲!̴͎̌"
While it's impossible to make out what it even could be saying, it sounds panicked.
Spider appears, looking over at Marigold. "Ok, that's new.”
Luna crouches down with some fear in their movements and picks up the crumpled paper, opening it up in the process.
Melody walks in and sees Marigold. "Hi, Marigold!!" She smiles and waves.
Just by touch, you can clearly tell that the paper is extremely old as if it would dissolve in your hand if you handled it wrong. It was ripped from a book, and it comes along with that old book, library smell. It's mostly covered with complete scribbles, unintelligible, barely even language. Though, there seems to be some sort of diagram. Something that looks like Marigold, holding its hands out over a black circle surrounded by tall candles, crude drawings of a tooth and eye falling into the hole.
Marigold looks at Melody and raises its hand in some sort of gesture, though it's impossible to see what it's meant to be.
Claire looks to Luna, and at the paper.
“Everything ok, Marigold?" Spider asks.
Luna tries to make heads or tails out of the book page but it's impossible. "I have no idea what any of this is."
Marigold looks between Spider and Luna, before pointing at the candles on the page. "-̶̨́-̶̯͛!̸̵̹͔̏͝-̸̷̫̠͊͒-̷̜̚-̴̨̎/̷̡́.̴͉̅-̶͓̈́!̸̪̑!̴̘̀"
Melody looks over, looking at the page curiously.
Spider glances over at the page. "A ritual?"
"I guess? Something to do with Marigold too, with teeth and some kind of eye." Luna says.
Marigold chirps loudly at Spider's assumption.
"Maybe a ritual to... talk to Marigold? Or understand them?" Melody asks, trying to figure it out.
“Maybe?" Spider repeats.
Another chirp from Marigold.
Isaac walks in quietly.
“So that's a yes, so first things first we need candles.” Spider snaps her fingers and candles like the ones in the image appear, the same amount as well.
"Well... I could give up a tooth! I wanna be able to talk to them better and a tooth isn't that bad..." Melody says, smiling a bit.
"Mel, I can snap one,” Spider says.
"Okie.” Melody replies.
Cole strolls in and stares at Marigold.
Marigold looks down at everyone with its unblinking eyes, expectantly.
"Only issue is who wants to give up an eye for this?" Luna asks.
"Can’t she snap one?" Melody asks.
“You lot are so fucking dramatic.” Spider mutters.
"Look, I'm just going off of the paper." Luna shrugs.
"My eyes are real sooooo-” Cole says.
"Oh, love a good ritual." Kade steps in fully.
Marigold chirps towards Cole.
"I'm not going to question why you all are doing a satanic ritual in the kitchen." Isaac mumbles
"So Marigold can talk to us!" Melody exclaims.
"Do we even have candles?" Claire asks.
"I believe Spider's just summoning all of the materials," Luna says.
“Right in front of you, Claire.” Spider chuckles, gesturing to the candles she's snapped.
“Chirp once at me if you want my eye.” Cole looks at Marigold.
Marigold chirps.
Isaac covers his eyes.
Luna turns away.
Melody covers her eyes.
Cole shrugs as he grips his eye and yanks it out, it's a camera with a silicone eye attached to it and a ribbon cable on the back of it.
Kade watches.
Claire stares.
“So, who's doing the tooth then? Cause I think I have one laying around somewhere, just need to double-check.” Spider says.
"I can!" Melody says, eyes still closed.
Cole offers his eye to Marigold as he closes his empty eye socket. "Here ya go.”
Marigold hands it back to Cole, before gesturing towards the picture, with the eye falling into the hole.
"Ah, I see. We gotta throw the eye into the hole." Luna says.
"What hole?” Claire asks.
"Circle with the candles I'm guessing?" Luna replies.
"if I'm remembering correctly Isaac's tooth should be in the sink.” Cole says as he strolls over to the picture.
“So you and Isaac will be able to understand her then. Though that is just an assumption.” Spider says.
"I want to be able to understand her..." Melody says, crossing her arms
“Well, if that's true then go ahead and rip a tooth out and toss it in,” Cole says.
"Can you help me I'm not strong enough-" Melody says, opening her mouth.
Cole glances over at Melody and sighs as he mutters. “Never thought I'd be doing this today.” Cole walks over to Melody.
Melody closes her eyes and waits.
Cole grips a random tooth. “On the count of three, one two-" Cole yanks the tooth out.
Melody screams a bit in pain but nods, grabbing a towel to put in her mouth to quell the bleeding. "Ow."
"You only counted to two,” Claire says.
"If I counted to three then they would have braced and it would have hurt more.” Cole walks back over to the picture. “Before I do this, any objections?"
Melody shakes her head no.
"Oh right, might as well start on creating the circle." Luna begins making the circle with the supplies Spider provided, not lighting the candles until the circle itself is made. Afterward, she grabs a lighter from her storage and lights all of them.
Spider sighs when the candles are lit. "So now what, cause I doubt Harm will like it if we dig a hole in her kitchen.”
Marigold moves its way to the edge of the circle and outstretches its hand over the floor. Any background sound seems to cut out, it's deathly silent. The flames in the candles begin to flicker for a moment, before the lights in the kitchen cut out, without sound. The flames seem to blow inward gently, like the breeze shifted for each one of them, directing them towards the center. Slowly, a shadowy circle begins to form at the edges, the same feeling of shadow given when trying to observe Marigold. It slowly begins filling in, until the entire circle made by the candles is covered by the shadow. Marigold looks up towards Isaac, Cole, and Melody expectantly.
Isaac uncovers his eyes "Huh?"
"Fucking wild" Claire steps back.
Luna scooches back from the hole, scared a bit.
“Fuck it, if we summon a demon then I guess it's time for me to become Doom Guy or whatever.” Cole drops his eye and Melody's tooth into the circle
"I'm a demon," Claire says.
"I'm sorry?" Spider says.
Claire growls like a Warrior Cat girl.
"Same here. Metamorphosis demon, but same difference." Luna replies.
"I will get the spray bottle,” Cole says to Claire.
"Easy tiger." Luna says to Claire, grinning a little bit.
Spider just shoots Claire an odd look before her expression goes neutral again.
Marigold chirps quietly, and the hole begins to close, starting from the inside, the floor becoming visible slowly, the ring of shadow becoming thinner, and thinner until it's all but disappeared. The lights flicker back on, and the flames go out.
Marigold looks down at everyone. "-̶͚̅-̵͈̊-̴̭͝-̶͔͂-̸̭́-̵̞͠.̷̭͝/̶̞͐/̶̡̑-̸̜̈́-̸̥̇.̵̡̚!̴͎̕/̵͚͋-̶͚́"
".......................what happened?” Claire asks.
"...so was the ritual successful?" Luna tilts her head in confusion.
"Woah!! I can understand her! She says... thank the heavens, she was worried she wasn't going to be understood at all.” Melody says with a smile.
“Right, so are we gonna do it again then?" Spider asks.
“What the fuck?" Cole is staring at Marigold in surprise.
"Do it again for what?" Melody asks.
"Cause I feel like all of us being able to understand her would be beneficial,” Spider says.
Melody looks at Cole. "What's up?"
"You all have fun with the gates of Hell." Isaac steps around everyone to get to the fridge.
".....they actually look like something comprehensible," Cole says.
"Wait, cause you took out an eye?" Melody asks, eyes widening.
Marigold makes a small hand gesture towards Cole.
“Yeah, I'm fucking assuming so.” Cole waves back.
Melody pauses as if thinking. "Are they cute?"
"Same question,” Claire says.
"......y’all some thirsty ass motherfuckers, I'm not telling you now,” Cole says.
"I'm gay, you can answer me," Kade says.
"Colon open bracket,” Claire says.
"NO, NOT THAT KIND OF CUTE!" Melody frowns.
Cole stares at Claire. “You are a bitch, you know that?”
Claire does a kawaii anime pose.
"Gods, she's more weeaboo than I am." Luna facepalms.
"I wanna see them now.." Melody says as if thinking. "Is there a way to take out my eye painlessly?"
"-̸̥̕-̵̘͑-̵̥̄-̸̩̿" Marigold says.
"I am not taking out your eye,” Cole says.
"I think we should focus on why they came here, right?" Kade says.
Melody giggles at what Marigold said.
"Like I couldn't understand them earlier, but they were definitely panicked," Luna says.
"Right, yeah. Marigold, what's wrong, why are you here?" Melody asks.
Marigold chirps softly before beginning to speak. "-̸̹͝-̵͚͑-̵̪͊-̵̧̉-̶̛̥-̴̥̚-̸͖͝ ̸͎͆-̸̙̾-̸̯̕ ̶̤͝-̵͔̾ ̴̃ͅ;̵̡̔ ̵̻͝/̵͈͐/̶̜́ ̶̦̄/̴̩̑ ̴̝̚" It points towards Spider. "-̸͈͊-̸̼̒ ̶͈͠-̸̞̂-̶̟̒ ̷͎̕-̶̣̊-̶̮̎-̴̝̑ ̶̟͠-̶̱̆-̸̩̌-̴̙̽ ̷̜̈-̵̥͒/̶̖̍/̵͇̉"
Melody looks to Spider, eyes widening. "Spider, did you bleed impurity around Wisteria?" She asks, fear seeping into her voice
“It’s not like I had a choice.” Spider sighs.
"I think she... she's impure now. Marigold says that the "lab" is all dark and corrupted... like Sondar’s domain..." Melody says, reaching a hand out to Marigold comfortingly.
“Because of course, she was that stupid,” Spider says.
Marigold takes it, it feels smooth, a bit angular. It chirps in protest. "-̶̧͝-̵̫͒-̵̭̑ ̴̖̌-̶̊͜-̶̤̕ ̴͉͆/̸̭͋ ̶̥͐!̸̭̋"
"She said that she's not stupid, they take precautions, it was an accident," Melody says. She looks back to Marigold. "I-I can heal her... probably... the last two times Sondar attacked me but maybe she won't this time?"
“If she does then I can deal with her.” Spider replies.
"What’s a "lab?" Melody asks, tilting her head in confusion.
"I assume it's the same one everyone's been to by now?" Kade asks.
"Yup. It's a place where science happens. Wisteria is actually pretty cool." Luna says.
“Eh,” Spider says.
"Oh, okie.” Melody smiles. "So, we should go help her?"
"Why should we?" Spider asks. "I told her not to mess with it and she did anyways"
"Because it may spread otherwise,” Claire replies.
"That's true, but she very well could become a problem down the line as well." Kade says.
"-̷̡͘-̴̨̽ ̸̞̿-̸̺͘-̷̭͝ ̸̻̈́/̷̭̕ ̸̹͒-̵̤̿ ̸̲̚-̵͚̒-̸̝̂-̸̘̓ ̵͔͋!̴͔͘ ̸̢̌"
"Why not strike while the iron's hot?” Kade says.
"Nip it in the bud, as they say," Luna says.
Spider sighs. "Fine.”
"Marigold says, if not for her, then everything else that lives there. Do it for Marigold," Melody says, hugging Marigold.
It returns the hug.
"Aww. Alright, let's do it then." Luna does an overexaggerated blink, which makes all of her weapons appear at her side. Her knife pouch and sword are equipped.
“Though if she's impure is it really gonna be safe for you lot?" Spider asks.
"...right, yeah I'd rather not get sick myself." Luna ears droop.
"I mean, all it did was kill me. What's the worst that can happen?" Cole asks.
"I'll be fine,” Claire says.
Kade shrugs. "I can take care of myself."
"I need to heal it! Though, can someone give me a crossbow?" Melody asks.
Luna shrugs. "I guess I'll take a chance."
Cole snaps and a crossbow with a quiver full of arrows appears on the floor next to Melody. “Knock yourself out.”
"-̵̲͐ ̴͇̏-̵̞̇-̸̪̊ ̴̞̔-̶̙͠ ̴̠̈́-̷̜̍?̷̻̑?̴͚͌"
Melody picks up the quiver and slings it over her shoulder, holding the bow. "Marigold asks if we're all ready?" Melody isn't bleeding from her mouth anymore.
Luna nods. "Yeah, I'm ready to dodge getting sick with the impurity."
"Ready,” Claire says.
“Ready.” Cole says.
“Sure whatever.” Spider sighs.
Kade nods.
"I'm ready!" Harmonia exclaims.
"-̷͇͆-̶̻̌-̸͎͆ ̷̣̽-̴̭̊-̸̗͗ ̷̞͆-̵͚͝-̴̙̃-̷̡̋-̸͈̉ ̴̲̇-̸̥͝-̷̬̾-̷͖͒ ̶̹̾-̴̛̤-̶͕̑-̸̠̚ ̷̖̓/̸͓̇ ̸͓̏-̴͚̃-̴̝̐ ̴̝͒-̵̈́͜-̴̺̑" Marigold outstretches its arms.
Melody's still hugging! "She can’t ensure we'll all be in the same place once in the lab, but well at least be there.”
Cole shrugs. "I can handle myself, plus we have The Kiss chat in case one of us needs help"
"I've survived this long. I should be okay." Luna says.
Everyone disappears.