C-MOP10 (Oct 20, 1995)
Puzzle
“Avoiding triumph with this serpent’s kiss.”
Research | 1 Word
Clue
Hover over the clues if you require!
Clue 1: What's a 'Triumph' in relation to Rome?
Clue 2: Link Rome - and Triumphs specifically - to a serpent.
Clue 3: Which Roman died due to a serpent's bite? What was that serpent?
Answer and Explanation
Answer: Asp
Explanation: “Triumph” refers to the Roman version of it, which is a parade after a hero returns from a war overseas. That and snakes link to Cleopatra, who was killed by an asp to avoid getting paraded around.
Summary of Receipt
35 and the Owner delve into 35’s dreams again. This time, they run into that snake she saw at the graveyard (MOP03), who introduced himself as Hermes Trismegistus. He appeared out of nowhere and introduced himself, but when he saw the Owner, he bit 35 on the leg. Other than her leg feeling a bit weird in real life, she’s fine now, with the only noticeable change being that her second-vision has gotten much clearer. She plans to use this to figure out what Pleasant was up to in September.
Transcript
RECEIPT #010
FILED UNDER: CAFE-MOP
DATE: 10/20/95
EMPLOYEE #35
That was… unexpected. Uh, I don’t know if you guys remember that snake thing that I saw at the graveyard? It was like a birch tree that sort of turned into a snake, and then it lunged at me, and then I passed out. Well, I saw it again in my dreams. We were doing another delve into my dreams after #71 made his adjustments, and whatever he did worked. But maybe it worked too well as this time, things were way different. It didn’t feel like it was my dream anymore. It felt like we were back in the neutral space or astral plane or whatever, even when we went into my dream. And when we entered the dream, we were met by a “foreign entity” calling himself Hermes Trismegistus.
He sort of just appeared out of nowhere, and then he started to introduce himself, but once he saw the Owner, he bit me. It felt like a sharp pain, and then I felt super numb. Like all my limbs just faded away, and then I woke a little startled and confused but otherwise okay. There wasn’t a bite mark in real life or anything like that, but my leg still feels a little… weird. I don’t know if it’s just my mind playing tricks on me or if it really happened. I mean, as far as the Owner was concerned, this customer, Mr. Three, he was actually there in my dreams. He’s apparently some sort of Ouroboro-something or other. The Owner said he’s mostly harmless, but he has a habit of meddling.
Besides the weird feeling in my leg, I’ve noticed one other change since getting bitten by Mr. Three. My second sight seems more consistent. Before, when I looked at the Otherside through my planchette, it was sort of hazy and distorted, almost like the image was trying to merge with the Flipside. But now, when I look through my planchette, I can see the Otherside almost like it’s there in front of me. At least for a few seconds before it starts to go hazy again. The Owner suspects this has something to do with Mr. Three’s bite, and #71 is going to run some tests. But, with my powers now stronger, I think I can help the Owner look into what Mrs. Pleasant was up to last month with her disaster. The Otherside should be in the same position on the 26th.