"Yeah! And if they touch any incorrect ones it resets."

"Hmm. That makes sense!" she agrees. "A puzzle of memory and dexterity. Is that the full puzzle, or are there any hidden pieces?"

Kose makes no particular move to complete the puzzle herself.

"Nope, that's the full puzzle. Do you think it's enough, or I should add other stuff to it??"

While Kose is busy being distracted, Aestrix will take this opportunity to create and install the stainless steel tube, off in her core room, set inside the pedestal itself. It's not very big, but it's wide enough to fully encompass her crystal thing. She makes a small cover to place overtop of the cylinder if she so happens to need it. The mention of magic sensing items kind of implies that the best way to hide something here is just genuine subterfuge, not any clever tricks with invisibility. Even though, no really, she does want to play with that, just as soon as her to-do list stops growing exponentially.

"No, I think that looks like a full challenge," she agrees. She turns to walk back into the core room, up the little flight of stairs which Aestrix added. "Hopefully the Adventurers will be back soon and we can get a better idea of how it will work in practice."

"Yeah. What do you want in your room, by the way? I don't think I have the spare extent to make it yet, I kind of... uh, spent it on materials, sorry, but. I want to make some place you'll like!"

"Don't worry about it!" Kose replies. "I'm used to it taking a little while before my partner can make me a room. Usually, I like to ask for just a little sleeping nook with a soft bed."

She ponders for a moment. "Do you think you could do decorations like my dress? Like a faux-vine curtain, a leaf bed-spread, etc."

"Ooo!! Yeah, I bet I can! That'd probably be a good place to put the wood, too." It is of course still sitting there awkwardly, in a pile. She has mostly been sourcing her carbon from the large amount of dirt she hasn't been able to put to much use.

"What would you use the wood for?" she asks. "Part of the structure of the bed, or decoration?"

"Decoration, but I can add it to the bed too, if you like? I'm open to suggestions. It'll be your room, it can be whatever you want."

Kose isn't very picky about designs, but that's mostly because she usually does her own decoration of her room. Aestrix is unusually good at putting together pretty rooms, so she's willing to give it a shot. They discuss floorplans and materials. They're talking about designs for a wooden writing desk when the next set of adventurers poke their heads in.

"... out for anything threatening," Tanth says, leading a pair of women older than himself.

"Oh, don't baby us, Tanth," one of the women complains. "We were adventuring in dungeons when you were still in nappies. We know very well what to look out for. I'm just glad we can be of use doing something other than spinning for once."

Oh man, you know what dungeon powers would be so incredibly good at? Spinning yarn. And thread. And then weaving textiles. She thought that when she first got them and she still does, thank you, just. ... She's a bit too nervous to bring this up yet. Look, they're strangers, and she's shy. She'll just be oh so quiet and watch. And notify Kose that they're here, but still. So quiet!!!!!

Kose moves to watch their progress from the door of the core room.

The adventurers examine the picture of the puzzle floor, with its selected tiles, and then walk past it into the room itself.

The old woman who has not spoken yet turns and gives Tanth a smack on the arm. "Ha! You picked the wrong people for a challenge like this, my lad. I don't think my old bones are up for hopping across a floor like this."

"I'll keep watch," the first woman offers, turning to watch the rest of the dungeon.

The second woman plants herself in front of the map and starts describing tiles to Tanth, who takes up the task of stepping between them. Occasionally she leans her head into the doorway to get a better view of where Tanth is.

They have a few false starts -- "No, the squiggly one. Did your mother never teach you what a squiggle looks like ..." -- but eventually manage to guide Tanth through stepping on all and only the selected tiles.

Aestrix giggles quietly, where only Kose can hear her, at the banter.

After the puzzle is complete, the door to the alcove containing their prizes opens. Normally, she'd push past her social anxiety to properly congratulate them, because she has a sense of dramatics and wants to fulfill the aesthetic properly, but. ... It seems tactically smarter to be shy. More nonthreatening. Much closer to the good shy cute nerd who just wants to hide in a corner and make pretty things and neat artifacts.

"Congratulations," she says softly, all shy awkwardness. "I, um. Made communication artifacts as a reward. Kose, can you, erm. Explain how to work them, please?"

The funny part is that she does sincerely want to go hide in a corner, too. Just, well, this is not how she usually tackles her social anxiety. It's kind of weird to lean into it instead of away from it.

Kose takes one of the pendants, and shows them the shutter and the diamond channel selection.

"And more pendants can be added in later," she mentions, giving Tanth a significant look. "The dungeon isn't sure how long they will last, exactly, but since more can be added in, it shouldn't be too much of a problem to come get new ones when they wear out."

Tanth strokes his beard. "Quite remarkable," he agrees. "A very useful reward. We should go test them to ensure they work as expected."

"I want one of those water purifiers my granddaughter got," the second woman interjects. "You know I have my doubts about my well."

"You're well is fine," the other woman tells her, rolling her eyes.

"I ... suppose we can take a look at the first puzzle as well," Tanth agrees.

The second woman quickly declares that moving the rings is too difficult for her and gets Tanth to do it.

While the others occupied, the first woman quietly addresses Kose and Aestrix. "You'll have to forgive Tanth, he has no manners," she tells them. "I'm Lomon. My mother always said that people are either beautiful, or they have a lovely personality. My friend Rokat over there is the good-looking one."

   "I heard that!"

"Anyway, it's good to see a dungeon that doesn't jump straight in with the monsters. I like your arches. Very decorative."

Aestrix giggles at this banter, too, but this time where they can hear her.

"Thank you!" she says brightly. Ah, yes, the 'ask a nerd about her favorite topic' in, now she has a good reason to display a personality besides 'shy.' "Also structurally sound! The weight is distributed well so that it can better hold things up. ... Should I make the ring puzzle easier to move? For in the future?"