A nutty but bitter artificial fragrance floated through the podium within this skyscraper. Now, the empty portrait spied on Florence, even though the young lady was no longer there.

From the corner of Florence’s eye, Mantidae rolled around, swashing the oil-painted floor. Jack chased Mantidae without any success.

Sam curled up into a loaf, hissing at the empty portrait.

Florence raised her eyebrows as she glanced around her with Yuze leaning onto Florence’s shoulder. Next to them, Stella rolled her eyes up and fell to the oil painted with a splash. The four packaging boxes slipped from Stella’s grip.

Aisling coughed, cupping her mouth.

Florence kneeled to the ground, pressing on the side of Stella’s neck. The thumps tingled her fingertips. Then she pushed Stella on her back to the floor.

Feno crouched beside them, rustling her own hair.

“At least she is not dead,” Florence said. She leaned close to Stella’s face.

Stella breathed with a quiet snuffling of air through her mouth, trembling her lips with every outlet of air. Each one tickled on Florence’s cheeks.

“It happened… again.” Aisling smiled, chuckling under her breath. “Cute.”

“Pardon me, did I just hear that correctly?” Florence asked. She pushed Stella’s legs above her heart.

Yuze smirked. “Crush.”

Aisling squinted at Yuze, whose cheeks turned bright red. Then, she pushed her bottom lip forward, avoiding eye contact.

“Definitely crush,” Yuze said.

“Nope,” Aisling said. “It’s totally not.”

Stella blinked, getting up into a sitting position.

“I think we should get going,” Florence said. She lowered Stella’s legs.

Yuze gave a side eye as she continued smirking. “Totally, yeah.”

“Nope, nope, nope,” Aisling said. “Get out of my head.”

“Who’re you talking to?” Feno placed her palm on her head. “You aren’t hallucinating, right?”

Florence brushed the skirt of her dress as she stood back up. The fabric of her clothes rustled together.

“Hey, kid,” Jack said. He breathed strenuously, stopping momentarily with his palm slapped on his knees. “Mantidae, come back. You’ll get hurt.”

Mantidae continued rolling. “Lol, no.”

“Who is this Lol that he is talking about?” Florence asked.

“It’s not who.” Feno sighed, crossing her arms. “It’s a… what do you call it again?”

“If I remember correctly, the young lady inside that portrait told us how to exit this place,” Florence said. “It was something about following the smell.”

“Yup, I’m sure this is what we’ve gotta do,” Aisling said.

“By the way, Jack and I will not be coming with you,” Feno said. “Since, you know… charity work.”

Stella fidgeted her skirt with one hand, picking up the four packaging boxes, then nodded.

“Alright then,” Aisling said. “I guess I’ll see you later, Feno.” She hopped towards Sam, wrapping her arms under his belly and picking him up.

Sam hissed, slapping Aisling’s hands with a clap. But Aisling didn’t flinch at all.

“Let me go, pleb,” Sam said.

Aisling breezed towards the exit with Sam in her arms. “Yup, sure thing, princess,” she said.

“Watch… what… you’re… saying, pleb.”

“Why did I even bother to adopt you?”

“Nay, you didn’t adopt me. I adopted you.”

Florence followed Aisling, tugging Yuze and Stella along. The door slushed open, letting them out of the building. They entered the pavement, their steps splashed on oil paint. A wind whistled across the street as Florence closed her eyes to absorb the nutty, bitter, artificial flavors up her nostrils.

“Pardon me, I don’t mean to be rude; where are the other NPCs?” Florence opened her eyes wide. “If I had to guess, then the tunnels and this place within the Walled City must be living quarters for the NPCs.”

“I don’t know,” Aisling said. “There should be more around this area.”

“Pardon?”

“I guess it’s kinda nothing, really. There used to be… more.”

Aisling shoved Sam onto Florence’s face. Sam hissed, clawing at Florence’s face.

Florence screamed, covering her face and pushing Sam away.

“What was that for?” Florence asked. “And you are… telling that now.”

Aisling shrugged. “You didn’t ask.” She cuddled Sam in her arms.

“Get away from me, pleb,” Sam said, suffocating.

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A red blur flashed past them.

Stella yelped, hiding her face behind the four packaging boxes.

Florence breathed deep, sucking up the nutty and bitter fragrance up her nose and down to her throat. From the corner of her eyes, the oil-painted glass of the skyscraper vibrated in a ringing sonata. Suddenly, that young lady in blue scrubs from the portrait manifested next to Florence’s reflection on the oil-painted glass surface.

“What’s up,” a young lady in blue scrubs from the portrait said. “Backflip.”

“Pardon?” Florence asked.

“So, anyways, good luck trying to find the exit.”

“You’re not helping at all.”

“Good luck.”

The young lady in blue scrubs melted away.

Stella pulled out her guitar, playing it with a symphonic rhyme.

Florence gasped. “Stella… how?”

Stella lowered her head, hiding her eyes behind her bangs. She plucked at the strings at the speed of light. But, still, she managed to play some sort of music despite going this fast.

“Yup, she did. Honestly, I almost thought that her heart was gonna jump out,” Aisling said. She placed her palm on Florence’s shoulder. “It’ll take some time to get used to it.”

“Well, what should I expect now,” Florence said.

“Nothing.”

“Absolutely.”

Sam sniffed the air. Immediately, he bared his fangs, jerking his head back.

“Tell me where the exit is, Sam,” Florence said. “Since you’re a talking cat.”

Sam yawned, stretched his body, and pointed his bottom up. “Exactly. I’m indeed an NPC, pleb.”

“This is absolutely not what I said. I said you’re a cat.”

“So, what am I?”

“A cat.”

“Exactly, an NPC.”

Florence slapped herself on the face, not believing what Sam said. What else could she do? Nothing.

“But… if you offer something of value,” Sam said. “I may consider it.”

Florence tugged her hands into the pocket of her apron. “You want catnip.”

“Nope,” Aisling said. “You can’t have it.”

“Catnip.” Sam meowed, widening his eyes and pupils. “Pretty please.”

“Absolutely, I’ll consider it,” Florence said.

“Nope, we aren’t gonna do that,” Aisling said.

Yuze smirked. “Broke.”

“Only if you give me catnip, pleb.” Sam inhaled before he sighed. “Catnip sounds nice.”

“Is it me, or does he sound incoherent,” Florence said. “Like if he got spifflicated.”

Aisling tilted her head, opening her mouth wide. “What now?”

Sam salivated, leaking saliva out of the corner of his mouth. “Catnip.”

Stella played rhyming notes on her guitar.

“See, even Stella agrees,” Sam said.

“Didn’t she say… pardon me, what did you just say?” Florence raised her eyebrows.

Aisling coughed, wheezing with every ounce of breath. “Nope, you aren’t,” she said. “That’s what he actually said.”

“Give me catnip.” Sam foamed, drooling from his mouth. His body shook uncontrollably. “I need… them.”

“Should we be worried?” Florence asked.

“Nope,” Aisling said. “He is just pretending.”

“Good acting,” Yuze said.

“Are you certain about this? To me, he looks like he is suffering from catnip withdrawal,” Florence said.

Sam placed his paws on his chest, gasping. “I… need… catnip.”

Aisling coughed, looking over her shoulder.

“How are we supposed to find the exit? I mean, there is only this consistent smell floating around here,” Florence said. “But why must we follow the smell to find the exit?”

“Let’s say it’s difficult to remember where the exit is. Just like every other haunted place that I’ve gone to.” Aisling turned the corner of a street. “Well, it’s better than nothing, though.”

Florence blinked with an itch in her eyes as the world around her suddenly spun. However, she and others somehow appeared in the same skyscraper lobby where Jack, Feno, and Mantidae were still.

“Because… of this,” Aisling said. “That’s why it’s impossible.”

“Oh, hello,” Jack said. He chased Mantidae, not managing to catch him.

Feno shrugged. “I really shouldn’t be surprised to see you again.”

Florence dropped onto her knees on the oil-painted floor, cupping her mouth. Her stomach twisted and turned. She clenched her teeth with the bile in her stomach rising up and burning. She swallowed that fluid back down. Then she inhaled and exhaled, standing up straight.

“I… I mean, I don’t want to be here.” Stella sighed, shrinking into herself. “I just want to deliver. Then get out,” she said, looking at the four packaging boxes she held.

“Pardon me, are we actually going to be able to leave this place?” Florence asked. “Because I can’t stand around and get stuck here. Also, should I be concerned about this?”

Aisling gaped her mouth open, jerking her head back. “Should I be worried about… you know.”

She pointed at Mantidae, rolling away from Jack, who chased after him.

“Absolutely,” Florence said, “but I guess boys will be boys.”

“Nope, that’s not what I meant,” Aisling said. “You know one of them is a fully grown male adult, and the other is still a child. Doesn’t that concern you?”

“How so?”

“I can’t tell if you’re too innocent or stupid.”

Florence and Aisling stared at each other silently for an eerie second. Sam was still foaming from his mouth, shaking uncontrollably. There was nothing Florence could do. Certainly, she could try to find the exit, but how was she supposed to get out? She could only sniff out this nutty but bitter artificial fragrance floating around the entire place with no change in the intensity of the scent.

“Catnip.” Sam rolled onto his back.

“How are you so addicted to catnip? You’re a cat. You’re not supposed to get addicted,” Aisling said.

“Then why is there the word cat in catnip?” Florence lowered her head, scratching her temple. “But I think we should try to figure out where the exit is… never mind… that was a stupid question.”

“Yeah,” Yuze said. “Can’t do.”

Florence sniffed the air, sending tingles down her nostrils to her lungs. This smell seemed familiar, like a cleaned patient’s room. Small conversations and alarms rang in her ear, returning her to that place. No… it couldn’t be that makeshift medical facility. Then her brain clicked, widening her eyes when she realized it.

“Catnip,” Sam said.

Florence glanced around her surroundings. “Is there a hospital nearby?”

“Both of you are insane,” Aisling said. “I will head out of here… if I could do it in the first place.”

Yuze tilted her head. “Who?”

“Seriously, where is the hospital?” Florence asked.

“Nope, no hospital for you.” Aisling clutched her abdomen, pulling the corner of her mouth upwards. “There is no reason to go there.”

“Nah, find,” Yuze said.

Florence sighed. “Absolutely not what I meant. I’m not asking someone else that here but also not here at the same time.”

“Didn’t I mention that this place changes?” Aisling pinched her nose, shaking her head. “Please, tell me that I’m not repeating myself.”

“No… I mean, yes,” Stella said.

“You know, that young lady.” Florence pointed at the empty portrait hanging on the oil-painted glass panel. “Right over there. The one who wore the blue scrubs or something that was there a moment ago.”

“I know,” Aisling said, “but she’s definitely going to help at all.”

Florence dropped to the ground. Her hand clawed her head, rustling her hair. What else could she do now? Ridiculous… absolutely mad. No matter where she went, she somehow did not find that exit. What was she supposed to do if the advice was to follow the smell? But the fragrance reminded her of a hospital, with coughs echoing through the hallway.

Now… where could she find the exit?