Upon returning, it appears Little Dipper is still open though nearly empty due to the time. Past that, while walking down Ursa Major, she notices the numbers on the buildings rising. Little Dipper toys would've been 2512 Ursa Major, for example. Reaching the end of the road and the Guild building, the address is 2704 Ursa Major Way. The doors leading inside of the Guild are open. Before going to the Guild, Patrice walks into Little Dipper. The employee, despite her apparent exhaustion and snuck in yawn, waves to Patrice with a bright smile, "hello, welcome to Little Dipper Toys! How can I help you?" The display case containing the Meowmos is nearly empty with only a couple left. The mascot who was standing outside waving in guests is not there.
Patrice waves back. "Yes, hi. I have a pre-order here under Scarlett, two Ts, that I want to pick up now."
The employee types into her computer and her eyes light up, "Ah! Under 'Riko Scarlett' with two T's correct? I'll have that out for you in a jiffy. Be right back" She walks through the doors in the back and into storage.
The toy store, for as happy and jolly as it may be - BGM not helping - feels rather ominous with its faded colors, older starry carpet that looks right out of the 1990s, and silence aside from the happy music. There is absolutely no one else there aside from Patrice and the employee. The toys all look fun and completely kid-friendly. A minute or so later, the employee walks back out of the storeroom with a box that looks somewhat like a crate you'd put a cat in to bring it home from the vet except made of cardboard. The box logo has the word Meowmo in a whimsical almost Barbie-like font with the tagline "All of the cat, none of the mess!" on the back. She smiles to Patrice, "Ah! Here you go, Ms. Scarlett. I'd better start closing up shop unless there's something I can help you with?"
Patrice shakes her head no. "No, I think that'll be all. Is the box heavy?" The employee hands the box to Patrice, "Try it and see.” It is so incredibly light.
The employee then begins to close up shop, turning off the music, turning some of the lights out in the back, the Meowmo display gets a sheet placed over it, and she seems to be waiting for Patrice to leave, "Alright, have a wonderful night Ms. Scarlett."
"You too!" Patrice leaves the shop then enters the Guild. Returning to Borealis Adventurers' Guild, the people who were inside before are mostly gone. The gentle piano playing in the atrium has been replaced by what sounds like Vaporwave music piped in the speakers. It's still just as silent and chill, not trying to be the center of attention but instead a mood-maker with the art taking priority. The art is still just as varied as before, and the stained glass windows seem to react to the full moon's shine as it allows colored lights to bleed through the otherwise stuffy atmosphere. Rebecca is seen sitting in a nearby chair and yawning slightly. She notices Patrice and waves, "oh hey. I'm still waiting for this Thomas Pyre to arrive. Not entirely sure what's the hold up. Maybe he went to bed?"
BGM - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JELt1jxJsHQ
"Mr. Pyre has yet to arrive?" Patrice asks. She sits down on a different chair and puts the box down near it.
"Correct. I made sure to respond to his Request using the tools we have as a Guild, but he's not here." She then looks over at the box, "What's that?"
"Apparently it's a toy. Think its name is Meowmo or something like that."
Rebecca seems thoughtful for a moment, "Meowmo? Can I see that please? I won't break it."
"Yes, of course." She opens the top of the box.
Rebecca kneels in front of the box to read it over. She doesn't seem to care what's inside, but rather more caring about the details. After a few moments, she sighs and points out a part of the box. "I knew it. A robotic cat that's also connected to Nova. And it's... dad’s fault. I don't like the implications. Does Luna know about this?" The part she points out is Proudly created at Lunar District's Adventurers' Guild near the bottom of the box. Before Patrice can respond, the lights turn out and a spotlight is shone at the back of the wall nearer to the Museum's main entrance. The man who greeted Patrice earlier, ADMIN Polaris, walks out and gives a bow. "Hellooooo Pegasus and Guest to my Museum of Wonders and Excitement!"
Rebecca groans, "Polaris? What are you doing?"
"Heh." he grins, "Do you not know my real name? It is Thomas Pyre."
A clean SMACK! is heard from Rebecca’s palm hitting her forehead, "No, I can't say I've learned it. You've never told me it in the three weeks I've been here! How was I supposed to know that?"
Patrice nods. "Oh, that makes sense now. I was wondering why it's here."
Thomas grins widely, "Indeed. I wanted to show Pegasus this place, but she would never answer my emails. So I devised this little quest to bring her and a guest here. It was genius!"
Rebecca tilts her head, "My email? I told you to call my phone if you wanted to talk. I don't like email, especially not one that Antares can spy on."
Thomas blinks in confusion, "Wait... y-you did? I mean of course you did! HAHAHAHAHA!! Well uh. Hm, first off, before we go further, let me just--" He presses a button on his phone. "There we go, quest complete. I've given you a lot more Credits than that quest was worth. 500 instead of 50 for all of the trouble I’ve caused. Next, I do plan to open up this museum to the public soon, but it's not currently ready, unfortunately. That said, if you would like to peruse it yourself as a treat, be my guest. Otherwise, I will be heading to bed because it is rather late. You also get lifetime access to the museum, free of charge!”
Patrice smiles, "I shan't keep you up any more than needed. Good night, sir." She stands up from her chair, gets the box and starts looking through the museum.
Thomas nods and follows. Rebecca does as well, curious of the art pieces in the area. Most of the pieces showcased are rather abstract though they seem to be based on certain legends within Capital City and The Magickas. One of the paintings over in the corners depicts something called the Flamebearer, a massive gold and vermillion phoenix with various shades of red and yellow in its plumage. It does not seem to have a face of its own, but perhaps that's just how the artist wanted to paint it, focusing more on the wings than the smaller features.
A plaque underneath the painting describes how the artist saw this creature in a dream once and painted it. It was such a vibrant dream for them, it even felt real. They saw themselves deep in The Outskirts forest with the trees ablaze and the wrath of the Flamebearer brought upon them. It changed their life for the better, instead of doing what they were doing, they committed their life to good instead of bad.
Another piece nearby is a sculpture made of plaster and clay depicting a jester-like purple and black puppet that seems to be taller than the trees, holding two marionettes' controls. They don't have a name for this according to the plaque underneath, but just like the Flamebearer painting, they saw this one in a nightmare as well. They felt like were unable to move under their own will and were being puppetted themselves. They mention how real it felt, but when they woke up, they were in their bed.
The next one seemed to have been drawn by a 4th grader of what looks like a blue whale fighting a massive spider with three beady green eyes. The plaque doesn't seem to have much information about what happened, but the phrase "the whale saved me from the spider" can be read on the drawing itself. The title of this painting, which is closer to a scribble comprised of markers and colored pencils in an art class is, "Dreams vs Nightmares."
Lastly, the final piece in this collection is a highly detailed sketch of the moon in charcoal. The plaque underneath it says, "The Lunar Nightmare - the source of the Magic of the Moon. Do not stare into it lest your soul corrupts and your mind theirs. It is our peaceful watcher and our most dangerous enemy. The moon empowers. The moon betrays. The moon watches all. The moon isn’t right. The Lunar Contradiction."
Instead of heading directly to bed, Polaris notices the two of them perusing his collection and asks, "So yeah that's all I have so far. How does it look? Any questions for me?"
Patrice, "It's definitely interesting how, it seems, a lot of them are based out of dreams. Is this a common occurrence?"
Polaris nods and explains, "It is. Most Creatures of Legend will never show themselves to people while they are awake, hence their status as both Mythical and Legendary. They exist, I can guarantee you this as an ADMIN of Nova Heart, but the majority of people will never meet one. They are incredibly rare. There are two main types of Creatures of Legend: Those that come in dreams. And those who come in nightmares. The nightmarish types are the typical villain type monsters or those you'd find in horror, such as evil puppets, spiders, and devils. And the Dreamy types are closer to mythological beings like the Phoenix, Santa Claus, or the Flying Sky Whale."
Rebecca tilts her head and asks, "wait whale? Doesn't Luna have one of those?"
"Correct Rebecca. She is the only one to have not only met a Creature of Legend, survived to tell the tale, but also keep one as a pet." He says as he stifles a yawn, "ugh sorry."
Rebecca writes that in her notes. "I think that's all I needed to know. Patrice, do you have anything else to add?" Patrice shakes her head and wishes Polaris a good night.
"Thank you. Then I will take my leave. Thank you for coming by, and I apologize for not just calling you Rebecca." He begins to walk out of the museum and over to his office to presumably go to bed. Rebecca follows him out.
While walking out, Patrice notices a photograph she hadn't seen before. It is a black and white portrait of an older gentleman probably in his 70s or 80s with a very long beard. Underneath, a small gold-plated plaque is displayed:
Sigmund Ferris - The Original Curator
1895 - 1972
Died doing what he loved. He will be missed.
"Sigmund Ferris..." she muses as she walks out of the museum and the guild.
Rebecca yawns a bit while waiting for Patrice to come outside. Upon seeing her, she smiles, "Well I better head back to Solar District. Or maybe I'll go spend a night with Jan and Tsukuyomi at their house. Thank you for coming with me to this. Did you have anything else to ask before I go?"
Patrice lifts up the box. "Should Luna know about this, you reckon? I was thinking sending it to her as a present."
Rebecca stifles a yawn, "Hrm.. that's up to you. I know the person who made it, so it shouldn't be an issue? That said, it is really cute. I might have to pick one up myself." The Meowmo is currently sleeping still in its box as it lets out a very small mew. "I uh better get going. If you ever need me, just uh hit me up in Luna's Mind. I'm still connected in there. I'm sure d-- Cygnus will be happy to know I'm out here too. See ya Patrice." Rebecca waves and fades away until she is gone.
Patrice smiles and nods. Double-checking the surroundings to make sure nobody is watching, she disappears in a pop of electric blue.