Holly Perez and Fords' Golden Tour MirrorG Chapter 17: Azure Plays Ball Summary: In which Fords finally finds a stop that catches Azure's attention. After several more winding turns and switchbacks between daunting machines, the group emerged into a much broader clearing in the middle of the room. For the first time since entering the Inventory, and leaving the Packing Room, the ceiling became visible through the metallic canopy high above. A few desks and drawing boards sat scattered about, each one manned by wolpertingers in oversized lab coats and safety goggles. Some chattered to each other, while others frenetically operated the towering machines lining the edge of the clearing. These wolps chucked maniacally to themselves, and delivered the occasional arc of electricity between their antlers. In the middle of the clearing, standing apart from the rest of the mechanical forest, lay one, monolithic machine. It towered up to the ceiling like a pillar, and it connected to the rest of the canopy with a dense cluster of pipes, pulleys, and flywheels, all of which clattered with idle activity as the group approached. Fords trotted directly over to what Holly supposed must be the front of the odd contraption. There, she nodded to a wolp who had been operating a control panel from atop a wooden stool. The fairy woman beamed at the signal and promptly hit a large, flashing button on the panel. With it, the machine whirred into action. “We are now in the deepest region of my Inventory,” Fords explained, turning around and speaking over the din of mechanical work behind her, “which is where some of my oldest projects and ideas are stored so that we can continue to tinker with them. What I have just activated,” she glanced to Azure with a grin, “is a revolutionary device I’ve taken to calling the Hyperbolic, Universal Gummifier! H.U.G., for short.” “A big ‘hug’ machine? Cute!” Faye interjected. “What does it do? Make some kind of-” A set of chimes within the machine rang out a brief jingle from the H.U.G., cutting off Faye’s sentence just before it finished. “Would you look at that,” Fords said, reaching over to a push panel not unlike something on a vending machine. She reached inside of it, fumbling her hoof aimlessly about for a moment before retrieving from it a singular stick of off-white chewing gum, “it’s finished!” “So… what? It’s just gum ?” Azure asked, a brow raised in curiosity at the freshly-produced sweet. “Not ‘just gum,’ Miss Burle,” Fords replied, holding up the stick to the light of a display screen, though the better lighting revealed no special details on it, “but rather an idea that struck me some time ago. I was reminiscing upon a particularly pleasant dinner I once had weeks before then. I supposed it would be impossible for any other dish, even made using the same recipe, to give quite the same impression as the first. That is, unless they could all come not just from the same recipe, from the same batch, like anything else produced in the complex. Thus enters my H.U.G., which can capture the full experience of any meal and compress it down into a convenient pack of chewing gum! This stick happens to be that fateful meal which I’ve been attempting to recreate all this time: a formal, three-course dinner of appetizer, main course, and dessert.” Her explanation concluded, Fords proudly waved the stick of gum before the group. Azure glanced at the others, and Bridgette spoke up first. "Hold on, three courses, all at once? All the flavors are going to mix together, that’d be disgusting . How are you expecting to make something like that work?" Fords wagged the gum at the bear in a tut-tutting manner. "Unfortunately, Miss Grazeland, it’s still an industry secret, for the moment! At the very least, it will be until the girls finish fine-tuning our process into something we can transfer to the factory floor. Regardless, the idea still shows quite the early potential, and I’m sure you’ll be just as pleased to see the finished product as I will be! Why, just imagine how useful it may be for a child who hasn't learned to cook, in need of a meal while their parents are out." "Or maybe an adult who's hurrying to work and can't spare the time to get breakfast?" Holly suggested. Fords nodded enthusiastically. "Clever, Miss Perez, or perhaps even-" "A pitcher bored out of her mind as she cruises to a shut-out game?" Azure declared, stepping forward and swiping the gum out of the ewe's hoof before she could react. The fox gave it a closer look over, turning it over in her own grip, clearly unimpressed. "That it could! And in any meal you could be craving mid-game," Fords said, nodding confidently. "I'll have it, then," Azure said, spitting out the piece of gum she had been working on and disposing of it on the underside of a nearby table. Chapter 17, first illustration. Azure holds a stick of gum up and speaks, looking annoyed. She is standing in front of the H.U.G. a large machine with a computer screen on its front, and she is sticking a piece of gum onto the underside of a table with her other hand. At that point, the tell-tale furrowing of the sheep's brow returned. "I wouldn't recommend that, Miss Burle. As I said, these are all still under the purview of the girls in R&D for a little while longer." The arctic vixen rolled her eyes at the warning. "Look, Fords. I know you don't get out too much, so I'll make it easy for you to get. This is kind of my thing, alright? An endorsement from a star player can win you a whole lot of favor with people you didn't even know could buy candy.” “I certainly appreciate the generous offer, Miss Burle, however-” “You don’t need you to ‘however’ me, Fords. I’ve been trying to find something actually interesting in this place all day. Unless you wanna cut the innocent act and show us where this ‘grand prize contest’ is meant to be?” “I’m not entirely sure what you mean by that, but-” “Then I’ll take my free sample while you try to remember what your plans are, alright?” Azure took a step back and smirked. “Besides, giving out the first sample of this stuff to number-one , how much more perfect can you get?” Without waiting for Fords to answer, Azure stuck the gum in her mouth, and her jaws began their repetitive work once again. “Oh, great ,” Bridgette said, leaning against the same table Azure had just stuck her old wad of gum beneath, “we’re stopping for this, now?” She glanced to Faye, who looked just as disinterested with Azure’s dramatic ‘sample,’ but soon her eyes rested on the fox alongside the others. “Yeah, we’re stopping for this now,” Azure responded, her hands moving to her hips as she rolled her eyes at the bear’s impatience, “because it’s taking a minute.” She intently chewed at the gum for another moment before one of her brows raised curiously. “And there it is.” Another second passed, the air around the group filled only by the soft beeping and buzzing of machinery, now accompanied by the sound of Azure’s conspicuous chewing. That alone kept all of their attention squarely on the fox. She blew a bubble with the gum, and unlike the gray color it sported before, the bubble appeared to have shifted over to a rosy pink. “Some trick you’ve got here, Fords,” the fox said, looking over to the ewe as she stood restlessly at the back of the group. “How’d you get this to feel so real, not just taste like it?” “Well,” Fords said, the subtle shifting of her weight from one hoof to the other slowing as she explained, “I’m glad you appreciate us not cutting corners on the project. It’s not simply a flavoring, you see, but a real, fresh bowl of tomato soup that was compressed into part of that gum. If you wouldn’t mind ending your little demonstration here, however…?” “Pass,” Azure stated, and blew another bubble. Now the gum appeared to be far darker in color, with a reddish-brown tint. “What’s the main dish, huh? A steak or something?” “Roast beef, to be exact,” Fords answered. Azure chuckled at the response, and although Fords chuckled alongside her, it sounded forced to Holly. Faye rolled her eyes at the other three crowding around Azure. "Do you all really care about a little taste test that much? Can’t we just, you know, keep moving while she’s doing… whatever she’s doing?" She held her phone out in conspicuous disinterest, Holly still caught her glancing frequently at the arctic fox along with the rest. "I mean, should I not be? Miss Fords does seem awfully concerned about it," Holly asked in a low voice. "What, worried it'll taste gross? Whatever," Faye snapped back. Bridgette shrugged. "I'm just waiting for the moment she gags from this monstrosity." “Here, Fords,” Azure said, “would you feel any better if you got some feedback from this? You can start with the fact that it’s taking too long to get from taste to taste.” A moment later, the fox smirked. “Finally, there's dessert… awfully fruity, huh?” “Blueberry pie,” Fords said meekly, “and we’re planning on adding a side of ice cream to future iterations of the recipe…” “Well, that’ll be something, won’t it?” Azure blew another bubble, this one a bright blue. “Alright, show’s over. Did you finally remember what we’re supposed to be doing here, Fords?” Faye winced once again at the sound of the bubble popping, but unlike before her eyes hung on Azure instead of returning to her phone. For a second, she tilted her head at the sight of the fox’s face. Then, she grimaced at it. “ Ugh ,” Faye groaned disgustedly, “what’s that on her nose? Did she get gum stuck on it?” She shuddered at the thought. Bridgette, already facing away in a rush to continue, turned back around to get a look for herself. “It’s not stuck , Huffie, looks like something from it rubbed off onto her fur.” Just as Bridgette described, a blue splotch, the same color as the last bubble Azure blew, now adorned the fur along the end of her face. Every time Holly blinked, she swore it began to reach a bit further out from the vixen’s nose. Azure let out an unamused hum. “What are you all going on about, now?” Bridgette scoffed at Azure’s dismissive remark. “Seriously, have you seen yourself, Burle? Something’s got your face messed up, somehow.” Holly backed up from the scene to stand by Fords, who had returned to anxiously bobbing from hoof to hoof several paces away from the group. “Is it… spreading, Miss Fords?” The sheep nodded silently in response. “Alright, Fords,” Azure said, speaking up to reach the pair in the back, “what’s your game here? Is this supposed to be some weird part of your contest? Did you put them up to it, too?” A second later, the blue coloration spread all the way from her face down her neck and disappeared beneath the collar of her shirt. Her hair, too, shifted from jet black to a richer, more violet shade. The fox caught something out of the corner of her eye, and her gaze darted down to her arm and hand. Blue fur crept silently down it from her body. “ Fords ,” she said again, her voice more tense than before, “if this is some new prank of yours, you’d better cut out whatever it is right now!” Her jaws continued to chomp away at her gum even as she turned over her hand to watch it turn entirely blue, and even as she twisted about to watch the white fur steadily disappear from the tip of her tail. “Oh, dear,” Fords sighed. “Miss Fords,” Holly asked, “is there something wrong?” “Well, I’m sure it’ll be fine,” Fords assured her, “although it appears Miss Burle chews quicker when she’s stressed, which may complicate things, ever so slightly...” Before Holly asked Fords to elaborate, a low, growling sound emanated from somewhere within Azure’s middle. The noise pulled both of their attention back to the blue fox, now doubled over slightly from discomfort. “ Guh ,” she grunted, “that felt kinda funny-” Cutting herself off, the fox’s eyes suddenly shot open in surprise. She stood back up, and her trim, athletic figure suddenly swelled outwards, pinched tightly around the middle by her pants’ belt. Unlike Delouise before, who seemed to put on hundreds of pounds of fat in a minute, Azure looked as though she had some kind of ball trying to grow directly out from the middle of her body. “Fords, get back over here,” Bridgette barked back at the two, “what’s supposed to be going on with her, now?” “Well,” Fords began, trotting closer, but only to the very back of the group, “it’s an issue we’ve always had with the dessert in these formulas. We’ve tried it with a dozen different varieties of dishes, but this last one here always seems the most resistant to proper portioning.” “Uh, that doesn’t answer anything?” The bear glanced between Fords and Azure as the latter swelled wider and rounder, stumbling as her body’s balance shifted dramatically with new weight. “It means that the dessert course doesn’t exactly stop when it’s meant to, and,” Fords shrugged, “well, as they say, ‘you are what you eat.’” Bridgette blinked incredulously. “So, she’s what?” Holly spoke up to answer. “What, she’s as much blueberry as she is fox, now?” Fords nodded wearily. “It’s a common principle among the girls, for this reason. Now, it seems her body is adapting quite quickly to what it thinks it ought to be,” Fords added. “ Gross …!” Faye wailed. The rabbit retreated back with the others, but also pulled out her phone to train it on Azure. Holly tried her best to keep her eyes off of Azure’s predicament, but the spectacle became hard to ignore as the curve of her body stretched out to interfere with the fox’s limbs. Most of the length of her toned arms and legs still stuck out awkwardly from her middle despite her body’s bizarre transformation, but they steadily disappeared as her round core continued to grow. “Why didn’t you tell her about that before?” “It’s a rather embarrassing point, in all honesty,” Fords sighed. “Can you imagine a woman like myself being bested by dessert for this long? The tabloids would never let me hear the end of it, I assure you.” "Someone! Do something !" Azure whined and struggled against herself, but she continued to fill each space with yet more conspicuous chewing. "Well, if you insist, dear," Fords replied, “I was hoping to save this for later, but…” She flipped her cane upside down in her grip. A hoof waved over its bottom end a few times before, suddenly, it conjured a fresh bouquet of red roses which she plucked into her free hand. She smiled at her own feat, though the furrow to her brow remained. “That’s certainly ‘something,’ wouldn’t you say?" The other three looked at her in bewilderment for a moment before the loud snap of Azure's belt breaking pulled the lot back into the moment. Looking back at her, the vixen now appeared to be more circle than figure, her arms barely poking out from herself beyond the elbows. Her jersey and pants gradually parted without her belt holding them together, revealing a broadening expanse of blue middle. The ewe shuffled awkwardly at the incredulous looks. "Ah, it seems that lightening the mood won’t help things much, in which case,” she concluded, "that shouldn't be an issue at all, we have quite the well-drilled contingency prepared for precisely these sorts of situations, Miss Burle!" “Whatever you’re planning on doing, you’d better get to it quick, then,” Bridgette said, “your ‘guest’ over there is looking fit to blow, about now.” “Well, I wouldn’t be worried about that possibility in particular, Miss Grazeland,” Fords explained, “Miss Burle has quite some time before any blueberry buildup would become that explosive .” The assurance only made Azure’s eyes widen in panic. She now sat immobile on the Inventory floor, easily as wide as she was tall. With her legs entirely vanished, her bottom side rested on the ground, the tips of her toes only barely managing to make contact. Azure now looked as though someone squeezed a giant, vibrantly blue fruit into the stark white of the athlete's uniform, nearly unrecognizable as a fox save for the reminder her head and tail provided. Her figure settled into this near spherical shape, her own body pressing up into her chin and pinning her head in place while her hands and feet only barely managed to peek out impotently from her own circumference. Faye’s eyes widened too, though Holly swore she saw a flash of glee in them for just an instant. “You don’t really think she could… y’know ?” “Oh, I quite well know that she could, Miss Huffie,” Fords replied, “but it’s all as I told you. This problem has become so persistent over the years that the girls are quite used to solving it by now. Miss Burle is also far larger than a wolpertinger, I might add, so naturally she has a greater capacity than them as well.” “Well,” Holly continued talking to keep her mind off of the ominous noises of gurgling and creaking coming from Azure’s body, “what are they going to do to help her?” “A quick trip to Fruit Processing should be in order, naturally,” Fords said. “Excuse me, ‘processing’ ?” Bridgette repeated to herself before glaring at Fords. “You know, all of the food processors I know don’t exactly leave fruit in one piece at the end, do they? You said it’s supposed to help , didn’t you?” “Well, I’m not certain how the field may have developed outside of the complex, but I’ve found that the girls have become quite skilled with the large-scale presses we have located there,” Fords responded proudly. “Miss Burle should have nothing to worry about, they all have quite the delicate touch, when needed.” As soon as Fords mentioned them, a number of the wolpertingers from around the room sprang into action. Several doffed their lab coats to reveal black and white jackets in the same style as their usual costumes, while others emerged from behind machines and corners with lavender palettes to their clothes and fur. One of the black and white wolps fluttered up towards Azure while the others huddled closely together in some kind of secret discussion. The blueberry fox struggled in vain to kick her feet against the ground and push herself away, but her inconvenient shape and weight afforded her nothing more than rocking in place slightly. “Fords, you’d better get this thing off of me,” she demanded, her voice quivering despite her bold words. The wolp in question prodded at Azure several times, her petite finger bouncing back from the fox’s surface. Afterwards, she set one of her long ears against the surface of the fox, and after a moment of intense listening she turned and nodded to the others. At the signal, the remaining wolpertingers broke from their huddle with a cacophony of cheers. As they did so, the sounds of a rock song began to echo through the Inventory. It sounded distant at first, but grew clearer until it centered on the group. “Miss Fords,” Holly called out over the music, “what was that wolpertinger doing?” “Why, it seems that she was officiating,” Fords explained, “and concluded that Miss Burle is regulation size and pressure for a wolpball! I suppose we’ll get to see a game of it today.” “Wolpball? What’s that supposed to-” Faye began to ask, but was cut off once again. Gathering around Azure, the wolpertingers began to chant in unison with the music. Let’s go Burle, let’s go! Let’s go Burle, let’s go! The rabbit blinked at the display. “Are they… cheering? Nothing going on here right now is worth cheering for…!” Bridgette groaned in anticipation of the song to come. “Oh, please, not again with this.” All of the wolps continued undeterred, however, starting a new song as they converged to each of Azure’s sides and pushed at her, rocking her more intensely back and forth with each collective shove. Here’s a pitcher world-renowned! Undefeated at the mound! Striking fear ‘n’ striking out hitters! Won’t hesitate to leave them quitters! Azure Burle, the fox in question To her, losing’s no suggestion Only slackers could drag her down Without her carry, would the team drown? Finally, with one strong push the wolps rolled Azure entirely over onto her side, the fox’s ponytail whipping about from being spun. Taking advantage of her momentum,, the team of wolpertingers began rolling her around in odd patterns through the clearing, weaving between the workbenches and tables while lapping the H.U.G. multiple times. One of the officiating wolps traced their path around the floor in chalk, while another looked intently down at a stopwatch she held in her little paws. Having fun is what sports are for But Azure’s always wanted more Even since she was a beginner She’s always been the sorest winner! She tore through the ranks like some big league chew, The minors just could never do! She conquered all that they brought on, ‘Til her head was going, going, gone! Yet at the top, she stands alone She can’t let any share her throne All the credit, all the glory Acting like a solo story The team stopped Azure suddenly, then reversed their course and retraced their steps along the chalk path they had just made. One of the officiating wolps fluttered ahead and began marking spots along the trail with various symbols. Each time Azure passed over one of them, the wolp team scrambled to push her briefly off course until she rebounded back onto the track, groaning and yelping wearily with each collision. Every time the wolps returned their ‘ball’ from their latest excursion, numbers appeared on monitors, and lights blinked all over the clearing, though Holly failed to find a single one of them labeled like a conventional scoreboard. Her curiosity got the better of her. “So.. is there a particular goal to winning at ‘Wolpball’?” “None that I’ve found,” Fords explained. “For the girls, what’s more important is the spectacle of sport, and of increasing complexity as the game continues until it collapses under its own weight. I’ve seen games of Wolpball which lasted days before they finally fell apart.” “Uh,” Faye squeaked, stepping behind Bridgette again, “didn’t you just say that she doesn’t have days, Fords?” “Well, those are the longest examples I’ve seen,” Fords nodded, “but on average they’re brief enough that Miss Burle should have plenty of time afterwards to be escorted to Fruit Processing. Given the line of rulemaking they seem to be following today? This should only take a few more minutes, if we were to take the ‘ballpark estimate’, per se.” “Number one”’s her favorite phrase SHE’S her favorite source of praise “If you’re good, you’re good” on repeat But today we think she’ll meet defeat Does she remember how a team game works? They have this funny little quirk Where all the teammates work together And when they do, they act more clever! Bridgette pinched her brow. “Why are they wasting any time at all, if she’s actually in as much danger as you said?” She once again stepped aside to keep Faye from using her as an ursine shield. “I mentioned it before, but the girls just have quite the love for sport, and that goes doubly so for collaborative ones like Wolpball,” Fords explained. As the group talked, the wolps continued to increase the complexity of their game. Now, some of the stops along the chalk path resulted in the whole team reversing course and traveling the track backwards for several stops before suddenly switching back to traveling forward again with renewed speed. Other excursions resulted in multiple collisions, with the wolps ricocheting Azure off of several targets in complex trick shots before she returned to the line. The rate at which her tail flung around her rounded body showed how dizzyingly fast she rolled. Subsequent bounces sent her rebounding even further than earlier ones, and Holly worryingly suspected that was a sign of the fox’s internal pressure growing even higher by the moment. Other rules piled on almost constantly, as well as more wolps joining in to collaborate on their collective, nonsensical score. Some wolpertingers began rearranging the tables around the clearing to create more precise trick shots with Azure, and others simply began forming a small tower of themselves balancing atop her as she rolled. With each new diversion from the original course, another wolp topped the stack. Maybe then, we can remind What it’s like to be more kind To give a sample of the theme By playing a sport with just one team! Being at the peak, the one and only Sounds to us like it’d be lonely! So to save her from being best of all, She’ll finally get to “be the ball”! The game grew more convoluted until even the officials joined in the game in an active role with the rest of the wolps. Several of the makeshift scoreboards around the clearing completely abandoned displaying status or numbers, instead taking to simply displaying particular colors or designs on their monitors, further obscuring the ‘score’ Fords had mentioned the wolps were playing for. All the while, the tower of wolps above Azure grew. At least a dozen stood, balanced precariously on each other's shoulders in a single-file stack, though it became harder to keep an exact count as they stretched off towards the darkened ceiling far above. As the wolpertingers approached their final verse, the music rose in intensity. Almost all wolpertingers not already incorporated into the tower stopped pushing Azure for a moment and scattered across the room. They grabbed at the tables and desks, dragging them across the floor and quickly rearranging their playing field to form a clear track around the other ring of the clearing. Meanwhile, an officiating wolp began drawing a set of rings on the ground, each one larger and containing the last, while a few others turned over tables and boards to produce an improvised ramp pointing directly at it. So play along, you’ll be less bored Than only caring ‘bout wins you hoard You’ll see less sore winners to ruin your play And many less Azure Burles! Azure’s gone so far without doubt, So late to learn she’s finally struck out That you could’ve been playing AND having some fun, But at least when it comes to worsts, she’s still number one! Chapter 17, second illustration. Azure, now round and discolored, is pushed off of a ramp by a pair of wolpertingers. She appears dazed, while the wolpertingers celebrate their game. One of the wolpertingers is wearing a referee costume, and other wolpertingers are balancing atop Azure, one atop the other. With their new ramp constructed, the free wolps converged back onto Azure. Together they picked up the pace, using their open track around the clearing to build up speed with the fox in tow. They made two quick laps around their track before suddenly diverting course directly towards the ramp. Once they lined her up, they accelerated as quickly as they could manage before hitting the jump and sending Azure sailing through the air for a few seconds before bouncing down against the floor of the Inventory. The impact jostled the tower of wolps, and it tumbled to the ground as the wolps giggled and celebrated where on their target the blueberry fox had just landed. With their song finished, most of the wolpertingers scattered off back into the corners of the clearing and beyond, still laughing and chattering to themselves as the music died out. A few continued to roll Azure, clearly dazed from how quickly her head had spun about over the course of the game. They pushed her back the way the group had first entered the Inventory, and a moment later they rounded a bend, taking the fox completely out of sight. “That was even more elaborate than the last time,” Holly noted softly. “It’s like they were wasting time on purpose,” Bridgette remarked back in a low tone. “What do they gain, trying to make us worried like that…?” Fords waved off the pack of roller wolps before returning her attention to the remaining three. “For those who were concerned, I believe that was slightly on the shorter end for an average Wolpball game. Regardless, I’m glad you all got to see even that much, the girls simply knocked it out of the park once again!” Faye smirked at the pun. “So, where are they taking her now?” “A good question, I suppose I should see if they would appreciate some input,” Fords said, waving one of the officials from the game to come over. “If you don’t mind,” she said, “would you all care to use the narrowboat moored out by the Menagerie Wing to bring Miss Burle to Fruit Processing? Our guests here are concerned with her state being treated in a timely manner.” The wolp nodded excitedly, and fluttered off to catch up with the group rolling Azure. “If she’s going to be alright, then,” Holly said, “is there anything else we were supposed to see in here? I mean, before all of that happened?” Fords hummed in thought. “Well, even if we weren’t already behind on our itinerary, I don’t suppose there’s anything else in the Inventory that could have been quite as impressive as the show we just witnessed.” Bridgette pushed off from the table she had been leaning against and looked around at the twisting paths leading back out into the Inventory. “Where to next, then?” “I believe, to keep up with our schedule best, it’d be good of us to take the canal wing again to our next stop.” “Uh,” Holly noted, “ but didn’t you say that the boat we were on is going to be used for Azure, now? Probably going somewhere different?” Fords thought on it for another beat before nodding. “Ah, too right, Miss Perez! In that case,” she trotted over to some other wolps and spoke to them for a moment. The trio followed along, but by the time they caught up to Fords the wolps had already dispersed in different directions. “There! They’ll be fetching another boat for us, now. Until that’s collected, though, we’ll have a bit of time to ourselves with which we can see the sights in a nearby wing!” “Really?” Bridgette said, her arms crossed. “There’s not one better way to get around quicker than one of those old things?” “Not unless you’d prefer to take the bicycling trail, Miss Grazeland,” Fords shook her head, “and considering that the only bike we have on hand which would be able to accommodate all of us at once is a tandem bike, I suppose we don’t quite have the time today to put in all of the necessary practice to work something like that optimally. Instead, if you all will excuse me for just a moment,” The ewe stepped towards one of the workbenches in the clearing, and with surprising ease pushed it aside. Beneath, she revealed a panel of floor with a latch on it, which the ewe lifted using the end of her cane to reveal a trapdoor opening into a stairway downwards. Colorful lights shone from below, and she stepped aside to allow the remaining three guests to pass. “After you!”