"Correct! Team 1 scores a point!" Jack Jones clapped like an enthusiastic seal.
The success greatly boosted Klein and Azik's morale. Despite Azik's abstract artistry, their synergy carried them through, with Klein guessing several answers correctly in the following rounds.
Team 2, however, was a disaster. Their first word was "Tudor." Raven Amon, upon seeing it, flicked his wing, dipped it in ink, and sketched a few lines on the canvas. Perhaps due to time spent with Ouroboros in his youth, Amon's drawing was surprisingly good, capturing Alastair Tudor's likeness with remarkable flair.
The problem? Leonard, despite housing an old man in his head and seeming like a protagonist with insider knowledge, was a certified academic failure. He had no clue what Tudor looked like and stared blankly at Amon's portrait, completely stumped.
"Time's up. Team 2 scores zero." Jack Jones announced with a smile.
This was just the beginning. In the rounds that followed, rabbit Leonard proved that knowledge slid through his mind like water off a duck's back. After missing another question, raven Amon couldn't hold back. He lifted a wing to touch the white circle on his face, glaring at Pallez. "Pallez, is this how you teach your student?"
It was clear that losing to someone so clueless stung Amon deeply.
Pallez chuckled. "He's hardly my student."
Amon shot Pallez a look, then turned to Jack Jones in protest. "This isn't fair. The questions you gave us are beyond his comprehension. We can't possibly score like this... it's rigged!"
"Protest denied. The questions were theoretically within Leonard's knowledge. Why he doesn't know them, I can't say. Maybe your delivery's the issue." Jack Jones said with a smile.
It was true, if a bit of a stretch. The knowledge... like the Tudor family crest in the first question... should have been familiar to Leonard. Amon's glare at Leonard now carried the weight of someone staring at an idiot.
Team 3's atmosphere was far more harmonious, likely because Ouroboros could actually draw. Their first word wasn't a person: Aurora Order. Ouroboros pondered for half a second, then dipped his snake tail in ink and drew a man hanging upside down on a cross.
"The True Creator?" Sharon ventured.
Ouroboros shook his head quietly.
"The Aurora Order?" Sharon guessed again.
"Correct! Team 3 scores a point." Jack Jones announced.
Thanks to Ouroboros's impressive artistry and Sharon's decent knowledge base, they racked up points in the following rounds, standing in stark contrast to the other teams.
Team 4, the Brainless and Grumpy Team, got Rose Redemption as their first word. Not too hard, but not easy either. Lion Medici let out a soft scoff, dipped his paw in paint, and started scratching at the canvas.
Jack Jones watched silently, a question mark slowly forming above his head. Even as the question-setter, he couldn't make sense of Medici's mess of tangled lines.
If Jack couldn't understand it, beagle Mr. A stood no chance. Naturally, Team 4 scored nothing on their first question.
"What are you drawing?" Jack Jones asked, genuinely puzzled.
"A skeleton. Can't you tell?" Medici, annoyed at scoring zero, growled.
"Nope, not at all." Jack Jones said honestly, patting Medici's shoulder. "Medici, if you ever go broke, don't become a painter. You'll starve."
Lion Medici's expression soured further.
With such a naturally abstract artist and Mr. A's less-than-sharp mind, Team 4 followed Team 2's path to failure.
When the round ended, Jack Jones tallied the scores and addressed the animals. "In our animal charades game, Team 1 scored 7 points, Team 2 scored 0, Team 3 scored 9, and Team 4 scored 1. Congratulations to Team 3 for the win!"
All eyes turned to the languid white snake Ouroboros and ragdoll cat Sharon. Raven Amon and lion Medici looked particularly sour... not only did they crave victory, but one had zero points, and the other a pitiful single point.
"Me?" Ouroboros blinked, clearly surprised. He'd only joined for fun and hadn't expected to win. After a few seconds, he said, "So I can make a request?"
"Strictly speaking, both of you can make one request each, as long as it aligns with my principles and is within my abilities." Alaric, in his Lucifer guise, said with a grin, clearly in high spirits.
Watching everyone turn into animals and play games was immensely entertaining, satisfying his mischievous streak. He didn't mind footing the bill for this fun, especially since he'd set clear boundaries and trusted the group to keep their requests reasonable.
Ouroboros looked thoughtful, while Sharon seemed surprised, likely not expecting a reward for herself. She glanced at Reinette Tinekerr, seeking guidance.
"No need…" "to consider…" "me. This is…" "your chance." Reinette's four heads said in turn.
Sharon pursed her lips, resolute, and looked at Lucifer. "I hope, when I advance to demigod, you can assist me. Just once is enough."
Though she had an angel mentor in Reinette, her teacher's unique state meant spending most of her time in the spirit world, rarely visiting Backlund. Sharon and Maric had to fend for themselves there, making her demigod advancement challenging. Lucifer's help could ease that burden significantly.
As for saving the request for later... Sharon wasn't greedy. She knew greed could invite disaster.
***
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