A blocky sun is high in the sky, surrounded by blocky white clouds, and blocky mountains with blocky trees are as far as the eye can see. A female mouse, who is very much out of place in terms of her organic design, bounces up the mountain side. The mouse is an avatar, wearing an explorer outfit with a whip, safari hat, and short sleeve shirt and pants, and carrying a backpack. Floating above her head is “MS. FRITZ BEE.”

“Alright, hopping along. Just hopping along. I know I'll find it eventually,” says Ms. Fritz Bee, who sounds suspiciously like Claribel,

Ms. Fritz Bee gets to the top of the mountain where there is blocky snow, and she looks around.

“Where is it?” wonders Ms. Fritz Bee.

Ms. Fritz Bee stops and stares ahead, and a ring of emotions appear over her head before a smiley face is selected. Then the mouse smiles.

“There it is!” she says.

Ms. Fritz Bee runs and jumps to a chest partially concealed by a bush, and when she is in front of it, she stares at it. And keeps staring... And keeps staring.

“Why won't it open?” says Ms. Fritz Bee.

The mouse sways in her spot, and hard clicking emits from her, but she does not reach for the chest.

“Why won't the chest open?” says Ms. Fritz Bee, irritation growing in her tone.

The hard clicking intensifies, but Ms. Fritz Bee keeps staring at the chest.

“OPEN!” yells Ms. Fritz Bee.

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*****

Claribel, wearing a full body pink bunny pajama suit and a gamer headset with a microphone, is rapidly pushing a button on her keyboard. Her tail rattles and she hisses.

“What is wrong with you? Open! Open!” says Claribel.

Claribel furiously right clicks her mouse. The mouse breaks in half.

“Oh, come on!” cries Claribel, pushing the broken tool away.

Claribel uses a hotkey to pause on her game, and she takes a deep breath and rubs her face. Then she inspects her keyboard and broken mouse. A few seconds later, she sets them down hard, and her tail rattles again before she takes a deep breath and adjusts her headset.

“I'm sorry, ladies and gentlemen, but I am going to have to exit the game for a while. I need to buy a replacement keyboard and mouse. So... I'll be back whenever. Good day.”

Claribel exits Block World, which her computer has a Block World desktop background, and she rubs her face again.

“It just had to be on my day off,” grumbles Claribel.

A moment of silence passes before she sighs and pushes herself up from her gaming chair. She sheds her pink bunny pajamas, folds them neatly and places them in her drawer. Then dons her usual attire: a crisp white dress shirt, dark tie, gray vest, and tailored dark pants. She puts on her long coat and sets her repaired stetson atop her blonde hair.

Claribel makes her way downstairs, her polished black shoes thumping softly on the stairs. The safe house is unusually quiet, devoid of the usual banter of Rolland and his crew. And she finds out why when she enters the living room.

Rolland is sprawled face-down on the couch, one arm dangling off the edge. Soft snores emanate from his prone form. Dacre is lying on floor, drooling all over the carpet. Cyrus is on his back on top of the coffee table with thawed out pea bags on his eyes. Lastly there is Shae. He is curled up in an armchair, his blue hair a tousled mess, dark circles ringing his eyes. He cradles his head in his hands and when he sees Claribel, his bloodshot eyes bulge.

“Hi. Don’t mind us. We’re just suffering,” says Shae.

“What happened to you?” asks Claribel.

“We sinned!” says Shae dramatically. “We gave in to the temptations of alcohol and lust! And now we have no money!”

“Oh… Okay.”

Claribel walks past the group.

“It’s all vague, but I remember going to the Loaded Hare and getting trashed, and then we went to a club and got trashed and ate nachos and there were dancers-”

Claribel ignores Shae’s rambling and locks the door when she exits the safe house. Then she starts her walk towards Bliss Town.