She's showcasing her bravado as always

The warrior grabbed Chell’s wrist in one big scarred hand and yanked her forward.

“Come on, bunny. No time to stand around sniffing.”

“Dheris!” Roisin called after them, voice sharp with reproach. “That is reckless, wait for the rest of us!”

Dheris didn’t slow. Chell stumbled a step, ears bouncing, then found her footing as she was pulled through. The portal swallowed them without resistance.

Roisin huffed, tail lashing once, then strode after them with the stiff posture of someone who was going to lecture the brute once they met up again.

Genevive glanced at Elizabeth.

Elizabeth shrugged, pink hair bouncing. “No point standing here getting stared at by the creepy doll-girls. Might as well see what’s next.”

Genevive exhaled through her nose, the sound almost a scoff, then stepped forward. Elizabeth followed, orbs trailing behind her, viewer count ticking higher with every second.

The portal closed the moment the last of them passed through, leaving the grand entry hall empty again except for the twelve porcelain maidens standing motionless, smiles unchanged, waiting for the next group foolish enough to walk in.

As Genevive stepped into the room her guard was up, one hand already raised with faint blue light flickering between her fingers. She was completely prepared to have to fight a wave of orcs after their blood.

But as the glow from the magic portal subsided she was pleasantly surprised to find her party standing in a small lush indoor garden.

The air smelled of wet earth and green leaves, warm and thick like a greenhouse at midday. Vines curled along the mirrored walls, thick enough in places to hide the reflections completely. Flowers bloomed from cracks in the mirrored floor, delicate purple bells, fat red trumpets, tiny white stars that looked almost too perfect. The ceiling was a lattice of branches and glass, letting in soft diffused light that made everything glow without harsh shadows. Even the mirrors hadn’t escaped; ivy and moss clung to their edges, turning endless reflections into fractured glimpses of green.

Genevive lowered her hand slowly. They were still inside the same dungeon. The mirrors proved it. But nature had claimed this room anyway and that made her frown.

Roisin, meanwhile, was ecstatic.

Genevive had braced herself for the lecture, Roisin’s slow, proper voice laying into Dheris for dragging them through the portal without a second thought. Instead the tiefling was already moving between the plants, tail swaying gently, blue hair catching the light as she bent to examine a cluster of silver-veined leaves.

“Look at this,” Roisin murmured, almost to herself. “Moonwort. And over there, night-blooming heartsease. These shouldn’t grow together, yet here they are thriving.” Her fingers brushed a petal without picking it, reverent. For once the maternal worry was gone, replaced by pure delight.

Elizabeth’s orbs drifted away from her shoulders, floating higher to sweep the room in slow arcs. The little blue globes hummed faintly as they scanned.

“They’re good for more than streaming,” Elizabeth said, glancing at Genevive. “I can have them check for hidden traps, pressure plates or anything the dungeon might be hiding under all this pretty greenery.”

Chell tilted her head, ears perking up a fraction. “That’s clever,” she said quietly. “I didn’t think of that.”

Elizabeth flashed her a quick grin, bouncing and flashing a v sign with her fingers. “Gotta make the audience more useful beyond their coin somehow.”

Suddenly a paper scroll manifested in the air, thin parchment edged in faint silver light. It drifted straight to Roisin’s hands like it knew exactly where to go. She caught it without surprise, unfolded it and began reading out loud in her careful, measured voice.

“Welcome to Room 1 of your trial. Your task is to create the perfect tea fit for the master of the dungeon. All the ingredients you may need are available in the room but be warned, picking the wrong ingredient may have unintended consequences. Picking and brewing the perfect tea will unlock the door to the second room. Remember, all tea must be tasted to ensure quality.”

Dheris rolled her eyes so hard it looked painful. She planted the tip of her greatsword in the soft earth and leaned on the hilt.

“Tea?” she muttered. “We came all this way, walked through a portal that could’ve eaten us and the big impossible dungeon’s first trial is making fucking tea? This is a joke.”