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"Ah! In fact, I did. One moment." Horse Face reaches into his longcoat, searches around, and retrieves a black envelope. He hands it over. "I didn't peek inside, I assure you. The seal is unbroken."
The seal? Oh, it's stamped with a red wax seal— in the shape of one of those creepy spirals. There's nowhere that actually makes creepy spiral stamps, right? Surely? Henry must've—
Oh! Wait! The glowy lines had faded so quickly into background noise, like those floaters you get when you look at the sky, that you'd almost forgotten about them. Not entirely, though: when you squinch your good eye shut, they flare into life. There you go. The envelope is comprised of only a couple Laws, but they form a rigid geometry, like the criss-crossing of Pat's manse— and unlike Horse Face's and Pat's wild tangles. What does that mean? Uh...
Okay, you're not totally sure what that means. Also, Horse Face is still holding the envelope out. "Charlotte?"
You open your good eye back up, squint against the harsh overhead light, and take the envelope. "...My eye was itchy. Uh, yes. Thanks."
"Certainly!"
"Are you guys done? I think I am." Pat lifts her safety goggles. "It's been softened. If you <span class="mu-i">insist</span> on watching the final dip—"
"Yes," you say firmly.
"—then I can take this over to the vats, and you will <span class="mu-i">not</span> touch anything."
You hunch. "Did I touch anything last time?"
"That goes for both of you. I know he's going to want to watch. Anyway, it's down the hall. <span class="mu-i">Don't</span> try the other doors—"
—
When you exited Us's second dream, you had in your arms a quivering chunk of goo, firm to the touch, like one of your Aunt Ruby's gelatines had overset. The goo Pat wheels down the hall now is sloshy and slimy, like the one time your Aunt Ruby had spared no expense for her gelatines: she had obtained an exotic fruit called pineapple, and the whole thing had splashed right out of its mold. It was horrific. Anyhow, Gil is currently something like that.
The room with all the vats looks exactly the same as the room with all the vats looked the last time you saw it. Is there anything to say? There's vats. They have goo in them. Some of the goo is a slightly different shade of blue, and some is bubbling or moving, and you're sure all of this denotes important research-y distinctions. You don't know what they are, and you don't care. You were scared Horse Face was going to strike up another conversation, but he's just strolling around and peering into goo vats. It'd be really easy to push him in.
Not that you will or anything. The red stuff is still there, you're sure of it, but you guess Claudia has it good and satiated. Also, what if it made you absorb Horse Face into your brain? You'd rather die.
(4/5)
