A Chaotic but Perfect World: In the Epping Forest

Finding out more

The next morning, after getting ready, Serly enters the thinker's room.
Emily and Selena were doing research about the ball and having breakfast.
-If it has a password, where do we write it?
Selena asked Emily.
-I don't think we're supposed to write a password.
She kept doing deep research.
-Then how does it work?
She was impatient.
-I don't know yet...I need more time.
Serly came up to the table.
-What did you find out?
She asked sternly.
-Good morning. So...this ball, turns out to be something that has a password. Emily thinks the password is with a voice, word or picture...we don't know yet. That's all we found out.
-How about you draw the map today and I do the research?
Serly suggested.
Selena sighed.
-We will draw the map today. But you won't do the research.
Serly's emotionless face slightly frowned.
-Why not?
-You already did a lot of work yesterday. It will be unfair if you did the research too.
Selena explained to her.
-B-But research is fun in my opinion. And besides, let me work and something will be done. Why should I waste time doing...
She was clearly stressed and upset.
-...nothing?
Selena chuckled.
-Oliver will do the research and after that, you two will discuss and draw the plans. You'll draw the plans.
-Oliver?
Now she was definitely upset. She looked down, then looked up at Selena and asked with annoyance on her face.
-Why him?
Selena shrugged.
-Now go wake Oliver.
-Yes ma'am...
Said Serly sarcastically and left.
She went to Oliver's tent and listened for a sound for several seconds. She heard no sound, so she quietly entered...not expecting to see him dress. He had his back turned to Serly. Under his broad, masculine shoulders, his muscular back was...deeply wounded. The wounds didn't look like the result of knives, daggers or that types of weapons. It kind of looked like it was a result of a chainsaw accident...
Serly quickly and soundlessly left the tent. She went and sat on a log and waited for him.
At last, Oliver came out. He greeted her with a light head shake and an expressionless face, then went to the thinker's room. Serly was thinking about his back.
-It probably happened during a dangerous attack on some case...
Oliver returned and exhaled.
-Looks like we're stuck together...once again.
Serly stood up.
-What did she tell you to do?
-I'm going to do research about that ball and you... you're going to do nothing.
-Nothing...
She repeated sadly.
-But now we're going to eat.
Serly went inside the thinker's room with Oliver.
-You go in while we go out.
Selena smiled.
-Why are you going out? Don't you need a table for drawing maps?
Serly asked suspiciously.
She waved her hand no and left with a smile on her face and Emily next to her.
Oliver and Serly looked at each other questioningly and walked towards the table and chairs.
She organized the ipads and necessary items on the table, and he watched her do so, different thoughts were singing loudly in his mind and without giving each other turn.
He cleared his throat and slowly walked closer to her.
Her eyes swung to him, her head remained unmoved.
Oliver came up from behind and lied his hands on the table, blocking the potential escape holes.
He lowered his head and whispered in her ear.
-What do you think about making breakfast instead of doing nothing, that's oh so terrible, for some reason?
She turned her face to his, several milimeters away, bit her lips, lowered her eyes to his lips and smirked, making him smirk.
-What are you doing?
She lightly chuckled and whispered.
-Talking.
He kept smiling, his eyes caressing her lips.
-And do you think talking in this way is acceptable?
She raised her eyebrow, lips parted.
-Why not? Is anything specifically making you uncomfortable?
His mocking voice lowly reached her ear, breath washing up on the shore of her jaw.
-If this is acceptable, then so is this...
Her body turned back slowly, caressing his, and faces stopped in front of each other, hands sensually slipping up and sleeping on his manly shoulders, whilst eyes rowed around his mouth, which was parted and crooked.
He took her wrists and gently placed them on the table, and spoke at the same time.
-You mean it's sexual? I thought that's acceptable for you, since you performed a striptease for me yesterday.
Oliver whispered in her ear, sending a shiver down her spine.
-That was for strategic purposes...
Serly's voice got weaker, and a lopsided smile appeared on her face.
-Oh, was it, now?
He continued, smirking in length.
-You just happened to be lucky for being partnered with me and experiencing that...
She sarcastically said, making him chuckle.
-Lucky for being partnered with you, eh?
His face returned before hers and eyes looked at eyes. He talked again.
-I wonder what else you've got stored for me...
An imaginative smile broke down and shattered, getting spread around on her expressionless face.
-That's entirely up to you.
Oliver chuckled and began playing with the end of her low, long ponytail.
-You sure are captivating...but I still don't believe you began working a highly dangerous job simply for the money.
Her smirk widened, and she, without a word, pulled his hands away and sassily walked away to prepare food.
While she was doing so, Oliver, still wearing his handsome smirk, sat and took all the necessary objects then began researching.
-This is definitely not a future teller's ball, or a question answering ball...
He thought loudly, atmosphere's heaviness not affecting him.
-Selena and Emily said this ball has a password, but it's not with typing. According to Emily, it's with a voice or word...or picture...but do you know what really makes me curious?
She turned to face him.
Oliver looked up at her.
She continued.
-Why would they leave this outside like that? If it's important, they'd keep it somewhere safe. This is either an unimportant object or an object that will lead us to a trap.
Oliver bit his lip and thought.
-She's right...but we still have to take the risk and find out what it is.
Serly brought the food and sat down next to him. She looked at him with a questioning face.
Oliver looked at the ipad and sighed.
-Okay, let's start digging.
The first question he typed was "Balls with passwords".
-I'm quite sure it's stimulation, excitement and anything that increases the blood flow.
Oliver stayed silent for a moment, smirked then snickered at her inappropriate joke, and also face, which tried hard to get him to understand.
He cleared his throat and finally stopped his laughter.
-Alright, that was...that was funny...so...according to this, balls with passwords, I can't see it in the same way anymore thanks to you, can be different types and have different purposes. Emily was right, this can be with a voice or sound, word, picture. But how can we figure out which type of ball this is?
Serly looked at the ipad then at him.
-Can you give the ipad to me for a minute?
-No.
He answered without hesitation.
She stood up slowly and ran her hand over his arm, seductively, landing it on his shoulder.
-I'll find the answers, if you give it to me.
Her voice was lower and thicker with want.
Oliver turned his irritated yet smirking face to her.
-And what will I do?
-Nothing. The thing I'm doing right now.
She blinked at him.
-Interrupting?
He asked her bluntly.
Serly looked at him "confused".
-How did I interrupt you?
-Correction, am I interrupting.
They looked at each other, smugly.
-Fine, I'm interrupting you, but how, exactly?
Her voice was coy, her fingers slid over to his back.
A chuckled exhaled from his lips.
-Is this how you're going to get me to do what you want?
Her body leaned over him, and she spoke in his ear.
-Any way that I find acceptable will be used to get what I want. The ends justify the means.
His smirk grew.
-I'm not complaining, but I'm just curious...would you have used this method for anyone else too?
Her face paused in front of his.
-No. It's only specially for you.
Oliver felt her left hand gliding over his chest.
-And I'm just curious too. Why aren't you complaining?
She went on.
-Oh, my strength isn't enough to fight against this kind of...temptation.
He answered, voice much lower and rumbling than before.
Her smirk grew wider and a chuckle escaped.
-Temptation...I like the term you use to describe me. But I'm quite surprised...you're openly stating, that I tempt you.
-A fact is a fact, like it or not. You're a temptation, but that doesn't really mean I'm going to give in, darling, now does it?
His answer shot back.
-At least type what I tell you to.
She sassily tried to convince him.
-You're underestimating my research capabilities?
He raised his eyebrow.
-Well, no...but kind of...
She bit her lips.
Oliver sighed and failed to completely hide his smile.
-Ok, well here's the deal, if you find nothing, you'll give it back to me and get out of here, but if you find something, then congratulations.
She smiled widely.
-Okay! Great.
She snatched the ipad and sat down, then began typing with a child's enthusiasm, surprising Oliver and recreating a smile on his face, soft, this time, yet trying to appear irritated.
First thing she typed was "Ways to figure out a ball's password type".
-Every ball has a way to enter a password in. You can figure out a ball's password type by first trying all the ways to enter a password. For sound passwords, knock on the ball with a small and pointy thing, like a pencil, three times. For typing passwords, rub the ball. For picture passwords, flash a light on it ten times. The results to all these will be a certain colored light light in it. If a password is shown, heard or written more than 3 times and it's wrong, the ball is locked forever.
Serly finished reading.
-Let's see if the color inside has meaning.
Oliver looked at her annoyed, but extremely amused.
She typed "Colors lighting up in a ball and their meanings"
-The colors lighting up in a ball can be purple or blue and green or grey. A purple light means the ball has not much information in it. A blue light means it has a bit more information in it than when a purple light lights up. A green light means it has a lot of information in it and a grey light means there is no storage in it for more information. If the ball has no information in it, sparkles will appear inside it.