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| Ivan Belikov |
I'm back!
8: Hall of Leaves
(present)
Riot of overgrown shrubs, flowered and thorned
(!) Thorn trap. Trees saw at exposed limbs.
(past)
Perfumed garden, lovers' trysts in shady alcoves
9: Serving Hall
(present)
Collapsing sideboards.
(?) Broken dumb waiter chute leads way down to the kitchens in the fortress of doors.
(past)
Harried servants rush hither and yon.
10: Amusement Arcade
(present)
Manacles in a wheel of pine. A skeleton on the ground, alongside rusted hatchets.
(past)
(!) 3 drunken aristos throwing axes at a tarred & feathered person in tied to a spinning wheel. Participation is compulsory.
(?) The victim is Nil, a clerk, guilty of trying to smuggle victims out of the spa. he knows the layout of the palace.
11: Dressing Room
(past/present)
Statues of nude nymphs and satyrs, some serving as furniture, one proferring a golden pomegranate. Wall panel frescos showing people in various states of deshabille and playful poses, sometimes amorous. Changing screen of polished bronze.
(??) The fruit is fixed fast, but can be twisted to switch the wall panels to mirrors. One panel opens to reveal a secret passage.
12: Imperial Box
(past/present)
Luxurious couches and table, marble balustrade, overlooking the Courtroom on level 5.
13: Imperial Stair
(past/present)
Descending spiral of marble stairs.
(?) Connects to the imperial stair tower on level 8.
14: Rooms of the Youngest Princess
(past/present)
Hardwood four-poster, silk covers, the works.
(??) Under her mattress: the diary or Erhua. Inside cover holds two little brass keys, 1 for the imperial stair tower and 1 for the spa.
(?) Diary of a teenage narcissist with a thirst for blood. Finishes: Mama is up to something. I’ll keep these little keys as insurance.
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