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  He met her quizzical look with one of his own; who didn't know what a pen was? Sensing some kind of cultural barrier, he watched as she disappeared briefly and could hear her conversation with Gamzee. It was actually kind of cute, how neither of them had any idea as to what he was talking about, but he came to understand that a quill, -which he had never heard of before, either- was the same thing as a pen. How bizarre!

  "Oh, a quill, wonderful, thank you," He shuffled all his belongings onto the desk, spreading things out and beginning his deciphering of the map. With a smile directed to her at the news of Gamzee's reading, Tavros nodded and set to work, "Thank you very much."

  2014-06-26 22:36:19
• 🌀

  Nothing of note happened for a while while Tavros worked on transcribing and translation. There were only small noises inside of the occasional page turning, or some small whisper of the Bibliosaurus moving around out of sight. Some noise drifted in from outside, especially as the sun rose higher in the sky and activity heightened in the street. No one, however, came in to the building; perhaps the place had a reputation for it's caretaker's attitude.

  A while later Gamzee wandered over, lying nearby out of sight of the door but in Tavros's visual range. He had a thick old book with him, and he was somewhere just past the middle. He settled comfortably and continued reading as Tavros was busy with his map.

  2014-06-26 22:56:38
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  It was a tad difficult, definitely laborious, and wholeheartedly tedious, but Tavros finally managed to translate everything and correctly take notes about the places he assumed he would have to stop by in. The riddles were translated, but he had yet to come to any answers about them.

  He set the quill in the ink well, then stretched his arms over his head. At the desk, he had adopted a rather comfortable position: one leg was tucked underneath him, his shoes having been taken off and set neatly to the side, his hair pulled back again to ease him in his focusing. Cracking his knuckles briefly, Tavros peered over the tiny map and the notes attributed to it with the sheets of paper, then turned his gaze to Gamzee, "Hey," He called, "I hate to disturb you, but I am finished, if you would like to see what notes and conclusions, uh, I have come to."

  2014-06-26 23:00:56
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  It took Gamzee a little while to properly register what was being said to him, he had been so deeply entrenched in his book. "Oh, sure," he finally replied, getting up and sitting in the chair next to his friend to look at what he had been working hard on.

  Looking over the map notes, he looked at the different places Tavros had written down. Some of them he'd heard about, but most were quite new to him. The riddles looked interesting, but also like they might take a lot of thought, and maybe some context from the areas they came from on the map. "Looks pretty slick, Tavbro, do you all up and do a lot of decoding? Didn't take you too long," he smiled at his friend.

  2014-06-26 23:14:37
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  Returning the smile, Tavros revealed that he wasn't exactly one for puzzles like this, but he found a pattern about halfway through that was helpful in other places. "It felt like it took forever," He admitted, flexing his fingers, which threatened to cramp several times, "But I am still not very far. There are still, uh, the riddles to solve. Like this one," He pointed at the one by the Screechlands, "What digs tricks, and also books, who is with something used by crooks?. Get both on good terms, you see, and indulge in a turvy tea party."

  The riddle made no more sense the hundredth time he read it than the first or second. Tavros, helplessly, looked up at his friend for some clarification, "Does that make sense to you, uh, at all?"

  2014-06-26 23:29:54
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  Gamzee looked just as confused as Tavros did. "Wow, that.... makes no fuckin' sense at all. I mean, riddles are all good and all but this shit's ridiculous. Maybe we're thinking too hard; maybe we're just too smart for our own good," Gamzee grinned. "I'm sure we'll figure that shit out eventually." He stretched, as he'd gotten a bit cramped up sitting still for so long, and yawned.

  "So do you wanna try to figure all these mad rhymes out now, or do you wanna do them as you get to 'em?" Gamzee asked. "And what should we do next?" He was totally cool with chilling and doing whatever Tavros wanted to, not having much to do himself besides living and keeping busy. Whenever he wasn't navigating the streets of the town Gamzee had to admit that things were pretty relaxed, so besides for having a new friend this whole adventure of Tavros's was pretty exciting stuff.

  2014-06-26 23:53:18
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  "I hope so," Tavros sighed, rubbing at his temples, "My thinkpan is undoubtedly fried; attempting to decipher, riddles, would not be helpful at all." A break was in order, perhaps with tea to soothe his headache somewhat. Rather than dwell on the map and all the intricacies that wove it together, he sat back in his seat and offered a smile up at Gamzee.

  "How about we just take a break, for right now. Maybe you could tell me about, uh, the book you were so engrossed in?" Personally, Tavros was not much of a reader, though he guessed that had to do with the fact that he rarely had time to indulge in reading and being transported to a faraway land. He inwardly scowled at his own thinking, finding his subconscious to be cruel for adding in that tidbit. "I hate to be a rude guest, as I feel that I have already asked for so much, but I am a little parched and I was thinking we could take a break for tea?"

  2014-06-27 00:00:24
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  "Sure Tavbro, um, I don't know any tea places, though. But if you can find one you like, that sounds nice," Gamzee smiled a little, trying to be reassuring that it wasn't at all rude. He hadn't ever spent much time in the city, but it had gone pretty well so far, and Tavros had already stood up to those yellowbloods, so it should be fine, no need to get nervous.

  "Oh, I wasn't reading anything real interesting, just this book about this chef who ventured all over the place finding different foods and stuff. She especially likes pie, and she found some whack berries in the part I was in, and was trying to figure out what could all up and go well with them...eheh, I'm rambling," he glanced away and pushed some stray hairs behind an ear, smiling a little embarrassed. He seemed interested in food, and genuinely intrigued by the account he'd been reading from the way he talked about it. "I just read parts of it every time I visit 'saurus. She likes the bit of company, I think, even if we aren't talking or anything."

  2014-06-27 00:17:55
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  He had kind of hoped that there was tea there, so as to avoid leaving the Bibliosaurus's place and venturing out into the city again. He hated being out there because he hated pretending to be some rude, stern man when he really just wanted to be sweet to Gamzee and hold his hand and finish up the journey he had been forced upon. More than anything, he just wanted to stay in the confines of the humongous library-esque location and talk about nothing important, like they hadn't anything to do. He would have preferred if life was that way.

  "That is awfully considerate of you," He commented offhandedly, swinging his feet in his chair as he looked around himself, contemplating. "I wish I could, buy us something sweet, a little treat of some kind. You know, just to indulge, uh, for a little while. But all I have are these four coins, and...and well, this may sound preposterous, but I feel like they are important," Tavros took the coins from his apron pocket again and looked them over, at their engravings and such, "Like I have to keep them for the, uh, impending journey. If I use them and spend them, I feel like I would be creating a great injustice."

  2014-06-27 00:30:08
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  "That's fine, I got some extra today from the mushrooms anyway," Gamzee dug through his deep pockets to get his coin pouch, emptying a few onto his palm. "Uh oh," he paled as a gold, more modern looking than Tavros's, rolled out among a few silver and copper. "Damn it old man," he muttered under his breath, "he forgot again... Tav, you'll have to take this one for me anyway, I can't be seen with it." He handed Tavros the gold coin quickly, looking around nervously for people who weren't there. "We can use it for stuff we'll need. Maybe a better pair of shoes for you? Seems there's a lot of walking to be done. And that won't take much of it at all. There's enough for tea and whatever else is needed too."

  He dumped the other few coins back in the pouch with some a few others and stuck it back in his pocket. He wasn't all that worried about money, as he had plenty of food around his house and growing in the land around it. He supposed they'd stop back there, but didn't really know what Tavros had planned for them, if anything. He was good at foraging though, so he figured he could scrounge up something to eat or sell on their way if they needed more.

  2014-06-27 00:46:35
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  "This is infuriating!" He exclaimed, taking the gold from him but clutching it in his fist with a kind of fiery intensity that he normally did not resort to, "This world of yours is so, completely discriminatory, that you cannot even be seen carrying gold?" Things were not that dire in his own world, which only made Gamzee's nervousness even more aggravating. "Don't worry," He grumbled, slipping on his shoes and grabbing his coat, pulling it on as he made his way for the door, "I will be, right back."

  He stood at the door, briefly considering if he should go through with what he intended; he was not going to make a scene or anything disruptive. Tavros, truly, was just going to do something sweet for Gamzee with the money he could not be seen wielding. "Just stay here for a little while, please." And with that, he left, pulling the coat close to him as he headed into town.

  It took some aimless wandering, but he found what he was looking for: a bakery. Heading inside, he browsed the selections and, because of his bloodcolor, was given a complimentary cupcake. Tavros would have roared to life and completely snapped on the employee, but he did not and thanked him, instead. The gold paid for two containers of chocolate cake balls filled with different flavors of icing, such as strawberry, vanilla, or fudge. Tavros thanked the man for his kindness and was on his way, the items in his arms as he walked back into the Bibliosaurus's business and set the confections on his desk.

  His mood, apparently, had drastically improved, and he smiled widely at Gamzee, "I got you something."

  2014-06-27 01:03:03
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  Gamzee drooped in his seat as Tavros went off in a huff. He hadn't meant to make his friend mad. He was used to how it was, and it wasn't much of a problem for him not to carry gold besides for being somewhat annoying. He slipped back onto the floor and despondently tried to read his book while Tavros was out, biting his lip and feeling as if he'd done something wrong, even if the reassuring words had made clear that it was the world they were in and not he that was at fault.

  Inflation rates were pretty low in the city so there was plenty of change, as gold was pretty damn valuable and it would be prohibitively difficult for anyone's blood sugar to get a gold's worth of baked goods, let alone carry all that.

  Gamzee glanced nervously over the desk when the door opened, relaxing a little when it was Tavros back from whatever errand. "Aww, you didn't have to do that, Tavbro," he said bashfully, looking up at Tavros gratefully as he hugged his knees to his chest for a moment. He slowly got up and sat next to Tavros again, excited and glad he was in a better mood.

  2014-06-27 01:18:07
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  Seeing Gamzee's changed mood was enough to make him smile even more. Slipping out of his shoes, Tavros took off his coat and sat down with a comfortable sigh, then looked over the containers of cake balls he had bought. Then, his gaze was brought shyly to Gamzee, and he fiddled with his hair some as he let it down, "Just because everyone else around here, treats you as if you are nothing does not mean you are nothing to me." He was going to milk his blood color's advantages for all they were worth if it meant he could assist Gamzee in any way or bring a smile to his face.

  The cake balls were in cylinder containers with a removable top that was held together with different colored ribbons that corresponded to the type of cake that was inside. Tavros, unsurprisingly, bought chocolate, and the ribbons were a cinnamon color with lacy, darker brown ends. The cupcake, on the other hand, was vanilla with a fudge icing and a piece of chocolate sticking from the top; the free little treat was his to nibble on, but the rest was for Gamzee.

  2014-06-27 01:24:48
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  At Tavros's statement Gamzee blushed furiously, and was kind of glad for the white mask he wore painted on his face, which otherwise would have been totally indigo. His ears were bad enough as it is, completely flushed. Thank goodness his hair was bushy enough to cover them mostly. He didn't the smile that brightened his face though, and glanced at Tavros bashfully through his lashes. "Thanks Tavbro, you didn't have to go through the trouble."

  He delicately untied one ribboned container, and equally carefully took out one of the cake balls, savoring a small bite of the confectionery. He randomly thought the ribbon might look better in Tavros's hair then the plain hair tie, and would have blushed worse at the thought if that were possible at this point. He concentrated on enjoying this rare treat, eventually able to say, "Thanks Tav, they're delicious." He savored it politely, eating slowly to lengthen the enjoyment.

  2014-06-27 01:43:13
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  "I am glad you think so," He giggled, chewing and swallowing his bite of cupcake as he took to the riddles again. It was not like him to just give up on something, and he, arguably, could consider his walk out to the bakery his break, even if he was not focused on relaxing but getting something for Gamzee.

  His gaze concentrated on the map again, wondering if there was some kind of hidden context that he was missing, or was hiding in plain sight. Perhaps he truly was overthinking it...At any rate, he felt some inward press for time. Whether or not that held any legitimacy was up for debate, but Tavros doubted that he had forever and a day to figure out the map completely, and he would like to understand the riddles before he arrived at the place with it. "This is horrendous."

  2014-06-27 02:03:42
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  Gamzee looked over the map and riddles again with Tavros, thinking over a rather guiltily enjoyed second cake ball. He closed the container so he wouldn't be tempted again. "Well, maybe it has to do with the old symbols of the four lands? Like, a spade is also a name for a shovel. And...of those four...I guess a crook could use a spade or a club maybe. I don't know about the books though." Something about the design of the map had made Gamzee think about the old kingdoms, the color scheme, or how it looked old.

  "And I don't know if there's any truth behind it, or even if they'd have anything to do with it if they do exist...but there's supposed to be this loony twosome who lives somewhere over there in that area and are supposed to throw weird parties? But it's only ever the two of them. ...I'm only throwing stuff out here, Tav, I don't know anything for sure."

  2014-06-27 02:25:50
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  He listened intently, taking the quill from the ink well and setting down an extra sheet of paper. Tavros copied the riddle down, then scribbled what Gamzee said and he paused for all of three seconds before it all hit him like a brick wall.

  His palm smacked against the edge of the table in excitement, and he grinned suddenly, "Gamzee, you are an absolute genius! Look," Tavros scritched and scratched on the paper with his pen, and once he was done with his work, he took to explaining. "In my world, there is a card game, called /Spades./ I do not know, uh, the entire ins and outs of it, but I know some of the terminology, which are 'tricks' and 'books.' Like you said, a spade is a shovel and it /digs./ A crook uses a Club for whatever dastardly deeds, he is up to! Oh my gosh," The glee was clear on his face, and he set down the quill in the ink well as he beamed at his friend, "I think the places, that I have to go to deal with those kingdoms you were telling me about. Do you know, uh, anything more about those two that throw parties? And what kingdom they belong to, if any?"

  2014-06-27 02:35:11
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  Gamzee jumped at the table smack and his ears turned indigo again at the compliment. He listened to Tavros's explanation, getting the gist when he explained the card game. "Well, I think that area was around the border of the Spades and Clubs territories... you see how close to the ocean the one side is? That's because the sea dwellers used to have more influence, and that was part of the Spades area...the one called the Mad Hatter if from there," Gamzee pointed out the area he was talking about on the map for Tavros to see. He was a little quiet when he mentioned the Hatter. "I guess the one called the March Hare might be from the Clubs territory originally, from the symbols in the riddle."

  His expression was a bit dark as he took another bite of cake. There weren't any nice stories about that area in present times. Maybe it was all hearsay, but it was pretty popular hearsay. And from what he knew of the history... Gamzee didn't like it one bit.

  2014-06-27 02:46:19
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  He jotted down more notes, nodding some at what he pointed out and committing most of it to memory. "So...do these two, the Mad Hatter and the March Hare, do they not get along very well?" If he had to get them both on 'good terms,' as the riddle described, he figured that something must have happened in the past that prevented any friendship to rekindle. But, that did not explain why they threw parties exclusive to themselves; was it some kind of kismesis ritual exclusive to Wonderland?

  Noting Gamzee's more solemn visage, Tavros pulled his knees to his chest, his small body fitting easily in the chair as he made a questioning noise. "Whatever is the matter?" He asked, a mixture of curiosity and concern in his voice, "You look rather...disgruntled with a dash of, worry."

  2014-06-27 02:57:06
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  "I don't know how they get along, but if you're talking about the riddle...I think it probably means YOU have to get on THEIR good sides. In stories they usually fuck with people," Gamzee explained.

  Noting Tavros's concern, he smiled a little to reassure his friend, "Nothing to worry about, just stories I'm sure. And history nonsense. It's not supposed to be the best area to travel in, but it's probably just a bunch of shitty ghost stories," he was avoiding something he didn't want to talk about, and tried to hide that as best he could. "I wouldn't want you to get hurt or anything out there," he said, glancing over.

  2014-06-27 03:07:47
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  "Ah, that makes much more sense, thank you," He watched as Gamzee began to assure him, but Tavros did not think it was very genuine. nevertheless, he did nothing to oppose him or force an answer out of Gamzee. He figured if he wanted him to know something, he would say so; he had been relatively open so far, and Tavros was not going to jeopardize the trust they were beginning just because of some curiosity.

  Of course, he could have guessed that it wasn't the best location, given the name was The Screechlands. He could only imagine what frightening screams and hollers were locked away in that section of Wonderland, but becoming scared would not assist him now, especially when they had not even begun seriously travelling yet. "I do not think I am allowed to get hurt, actually," Tavros began jokingly, a dramatic, thoughtful hum leaving him as he held his chin, "In fact, studies show that the chosen one has a ninety six point two chance of coming out of their entire, uh, ordeal, relatively unscathed on their physical bodies. Universe's rules."

  2014-06-27 03:16:00
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  "Well, you've got some pretty fucking staggering statistics there, Tavbro," Gamzee mocked twirling a mustache. "You might need someone along for that other three point eight percent though. Wouldn't want you get a run in your socks, now would we? Can't be a proper hero with runs in your stockings and messed up dress hems. Gotta look brilliant all the time for those fuckin epic paintings and shit," he tried to keep a straight face but his eyes smiled at Tavros. He was glad to be joking around again and off somewhat more serious topics, at least temporarily.

  He didn't remember if he'd really agreed at any point to go on this whole adventure, but Tavros was his friend and if he were going to travel all across Wonderland he couldn't possibly let him go alone. He hoped Tavros would want him along, though he wasn't all that worried about being accepted along, not with how caring the other had been so far.

  In the back of the stacks there was a pair of eyes that had been watching the two occasionally now from good hiding places, secretly smiling as she looked through the books. The more the Bibliosaurus saw the more she liked Tavros, and left them to what they were doing seeing things were going so well.

  2014-06-27 03:32:26
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  Intrigued, Tavros stood up, hands on his hips as a playful glint entered his eyes. It was good to joke around and be lighthearted every once in a while, and it definitely made things easier to grasp when they were not serious all the time.

  "Why, if I did not know any better, I would say that this is a request to join my party. However," He struck a pose,. nose upturned as he jutted out a hip and felt his skirts rustle accordingly, "My party is only joined, by the best of /dancers./ As you can see, I have not yet met, uh, any such dancer that is skilled enough to become a part of my travelling party. If you think yourself so daring, good sir," Boldly, Tavros took a step forward, one arm lifted up and the other out to his side, as if he were preparing for a waltz, "Then you will commence in the best dance, you have to offer in this lovely impromptu ballroom."

  2014-06-27 15:46:31
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  "Shit, I'm gonna fail, Tavbro," Gamzee got up anyway, willing to give it a try. He dusted himself off and combed his hair back a little in a show of making himself more presentable for this occasion.

  He stepped forward into the empty space where Tavros's imaginary dance partner was, slotting his shoulder under his partner's upraised hand, bringing one of his own to Tavros's mid-back, his other joining the one lifted to the side. "I don't know, maybe if you survive my dancing you won't need anyone to go with," he smiled awkwardly. Gamzee remembered he was supposed to be leading from this position so after they got properly situated he started moving them slowly in their small space.

  2014-06-27 16:39:41
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  "I am sure you dance wonderfully," He reassured, but Tavros did not pride himself on being the best dancer, either. Personally, he felt severely out of practice and figured that this entire situation would result in more than a few stepped-on toes, and something registered in the back of his mind that he should have put his shoes back on. With a straightened back and gentle hold to Gamzee's hand, he called to no one in particular, "Cue music!"

  The music itself was a piece Tavros heard often at the royal palace back at home, and he recreated it with hums and sweetly sung 'la la la's and other such noises. He may not have been able to dance very well, but his singing voice had been carefully groomed over the many days he spent singing in the gardens as he tended to them. They moved about the library, past desks and tables and chairs, fluid in their movements as Tavros faintly sang a song that he could hear lilting in his ears.

  2014-06-27 16:47:54

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