61.07-Tea parties are fun

 Previously on the Smole...

Ambrose: "Don't you have a husband and children?"

Eris: "Children, yes. Husband, no."

Ambrose: "I respect you. Being a single mother is tough."

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Harper: "We look back on the good times and laugh."

Hyden: "Yeah...but I rather not bring up the past again."

Harper: "Why? Sure it was the wrong thing to do, but it's not really that shameful."

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Danny: "I was posted here to teach for a few years before I got a more fitting job at Sims University."

Laron: "Woah. So you must know lots of peeps here."

Danny: "For better or for worse."

Laron: "What does that mean? Got many enemies here?"

Danny: "Me? No. But there are some disgruntled ex-students. Like the bartender."

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Micah: "No. Instead of seeing happiness as a form of gratification, or a rush of serotonin, we should be seeing happiness as peace and contentment instead. Some things are just beyond our control and the moment we tell ourselves it's impossible, once get out of the productivity trap, we will truly find ourselves free and happy."

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Landon: "WOAH!"

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Yvon: "I've been kicked in the head and trampled on by horses before and I didn't even break a bone so this is nothing. I always survive."

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Danny: "I'll use a bug on Micah. He seems the smartest and most likely to figure it out. That's no good for me."

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"Micah Myrrick, that unfortunately means you are the next to be executed."

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Danny: "Hey you can't blame me. Nobody actually expected the bug to cause an execution. Eris and Bridget and Laron and Yvon were all bugged and they survived. If anything, it's the problem of the twist. I won't be held responsible."

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Eris: "I'm positive it was Ambrose who bugged me. He can't even man up and admit it? I'll have my revenge, but it's gonna happen when he least expects it."

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"We just said goodbye to Micah but there's no time to rest. It's time for your next mission. I need two contestants with sensitive ears, two with sensitive eyes and two with sensitive tongues."

Yvon: "I'm very sharp and observant. I volunteer to be in the eyes group."

Hyden: "I as well."

Harper: "We're splitting up?"

Hyden: "We don't always have to be together you know."

Ambrose: "I'm a photographer. I think I'm a better fit. We probably need to find something hidden."

Yvon: "Fine. I have sensitive ears as well. I can hear my horses galloping from miles away."

Harper: "If sensitive tongues mean taste-testing, I don't mind."

Danny: "I don't mind either. It's always great to try the latest food trends."

Danny: "We need one more to join Yvon."

Landon: "What are the rest going to do?"

Laron: "We probably need to do something in this concert hall. I'm no good at that. I think you should join Yvon, Eris."

Eris: "My ears are unfortunately not as good as they used to be. I'll pass."

Landon: "I'll do it then. It's my second chance to prove my reliability to Yvon and all of you."

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Yvon: "Do you even know how to play the piano?"

Landon: "I'm an actor. I can do anything."

Yvon and Landon will stay in the Royal Opera House. Landon will play 5 songs in a specified key, which Yvon must identify. Each correct performance and identification earns 5 points for the pot.

Landon: "Here is the first song."

Yvon: "Pink Pony Club. Hmm...I guess....F?"

"It's F#, but we'll give it to you."

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Hyden and Ambrose are at Tote Modern. They have 25 minutes to take a tour of the art gallery.

Ambrose: "25 minutes isn't a lot of time. This place is huge."

Hyden: "Let's be systematic about it. We'll start from here and then make our way up."

Hyden: "It's blue with white feathers."

Hyden: "I'm trying to remember all the details, like the angle and the number of feathers."

Ambrose: "I think that's overkill."

Ambrose: "I really don't think they'll be that devious to add a square."

Hyden: "It pays to be safe than sorry."

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Danny and Harper are at Forkley Golf and Country Club. They will spend the afternoon enjoying a favourite British pasttime: high tea. They have to identify 5 cups of tea correctly to earn 25 points, 5 per cup.

Danny: "Is this the teacup? Why is it so heavy? Oh wait that's the teapot."

Danny: "Is this the cup? No that's the spoon."

Harper: "Hehe silly you. Let's wait to be served."

Danny: "What a tiny little cup. This is for old British women. Yuck! It's so bitter."

Harper: "Tea parties are fun! Hmm, it's not that bitter."

Harper: "It has a light and refreshing taste."

Danny: "Are you a tea girl now?"

Harper: "Oh not really. But I had my fair share."

Danny: "Lat's go with Earl Grey tea. It tastes like that to me."

Harper: "Okay."

"That is incorrect. It is green tea."

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As the two Sims with insensitive eyes, ears and tongues, Eris and Laron have to jog while blindfolded and wearing noise-cancelling headphones. They are also not allowed to speak to anyone. Their route will form two Strava maps which the rest must later use to deduce their ending point.

Eris and Laron can also lose points. For each time they bump into something, they lose 1 point from the pot.

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Ambrose: "It's a blue plumbob. That's easy enough to remember. To its diagonal is a black abstract statue."

Hyden: "The devil is in the details. Now be quiet as I try to memorise."

Ambrose: "I think we're wasting our effort and our time by sticking together remembering every minute detail. We're more likely to remember things if we have less to remember."

Hyden: "That is true, but it doesn't hurt in case one of us misremembers."

Ambrose: "Fine fine."

Hyden: "Okay, I think I still remember it all. Let's continue."

Ambrose: "Why are there golden fire hydrants? I bet this is something we need to take note of, like them being replaced with chess pieces or the direction of the fire hydrants."

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Danny: "Yuck. Give me my coffee, not some fancy tea."

Harper: "This is even more bitter than the last one."

Danny: "Really? I don't feel that way."

Harper: "Don't gaslight me."

Danny: "It's not that bitter! No cap."

Danny: "I'm thinking of Oolong tea. What do you think? Can't you taste it? The Chinesey vibes of it. And it's bitter to you but not me, which means the taste is quite ambiguous."

Harper: "You may be right. Oolong tea it is."

"That is incorrect. It is actually generic black tea."

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Yvon: "Oh what an old song. But what key is it in?"

Yvon: "It's a lower pitch than the previous song...I'll just guess somewhere in the middle. C?"

"That is correct. It is in C major."

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Along the way the two joggers have a chance to make their run worth something: up to 30 points in total. For 5 points, Eris must jog in a straight line across the road.

Eris: "Piece of cake."

Eris: "It's only a crossing. How hard is it to follow a straight line?"

As it turns out, very hard. Eris doesn't realise it yet, but she has failed to earn 5 points for the pot.

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Hyden: "Argh!"

Hyden: "Ow..."

Ambrose: "Hyden! What are you doing laying on the floor? Get up. Come on now."

Ambrose: "Do you see this? This is awesome. A rooftop club in the art gallery!"

Hyden: "Looks like there's no art here to note."

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Laron: "The run was actually quite relaxing. I could tune out to everything and just focus on my breathing and my pace. I may be out of shape but I still got it in me to run. I didn't have to worry about safety too as there were crew members who would help to direct traffic so that I wouldn't get hit by a bus or something."

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Laron has arrived at his first task. He has to retrieve something from the trash can beside him and identify what is it to add 5 points.

Laron: "Oh hell no. Who knows what kind of diseases I can contract just by touching Vendon trash?"

Laron: "Shit! I hit the trash can!"

Laron: "Shit! I hit something again."

Laron: "Damn these blindfolds. I'm so disoriented."

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Yvon: "Take my hand among the stars, fly me to the moon~"

Yvon: "I think that's a lower key. A B?"

"That is incorrect. It is in C Minor."

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Harper: "This has a subtle sweet aftertaste."

Danny: "Jasmine tea?"

Harper: "I think we have to simplify our thinking."

Danny: "Can we move on already?"

Harper: "Let me have another sip. Why the rush?"

Danny: "This is so not lit. I hate not being able to see and know what I put into my mouth."

Harper: "It's so smooth if that makes sense. Shall we guess white tea?"

Danny: "Go for it."

"That is correct."

Harper: "Yes!"

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Ambrose and Hyden now have 10 minutes to identify 10 differences that have been made. Each difference correctly spotted earns 2 points.

Hyden: "Aha! Very obviously the painting has changed. It was blue before."

Ambrose: "Were there always two teddy bears here?"

Hyden: "Yes. This looks fine. Unless there is a blood splatter that shouldn't be here. I do think it moved a little closer."

Ambrose: "Let's circle back to that later."

Ambrose: "I think the base of this statue has changed. It was blue previously."

Hyden: "I think the shade of this rock statue has changed."

Ambrose: "I think it could be both."

Hyden: "I think the orientation of one of the hydrants changed."

Ambrose: "I think so too. Something feels off."

Hyden: "Which one do you think changed?"

Ambrose: "It's either the black one or the one beside it. I don't remember which one."

Hyden: "Shall we go for that middle one then?"

Ambrose: "Fine by me."

Hyden: "Do you think the interior of the elevator changed?"

Ambrose: "I doubt it. That would be so evil."

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Ambrose: "I could feel Hyden testing me, so I tested him back. This is worth much more than 2 points."

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Eris has reached her second task. She must circle the lamppost 5 times and be at the exact same point as she currently is. She will still lose points for knocking into the lamppost or anything else.

Eris: "2..."

Eris: "...3..."

Eris: "...4..."

Eris: "I'm getting dizzy."

Eris: "5! I hope I ended up at the same place. Oh who am I kidding? Most definitely not if I didn't hit the post once."

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Yvon: "I never heard of this song."

Landon: "It's an old song."

Yvon: "I think...A?"

"That is correct. It is in A major."

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Harper: "Ooh, spicy."

Danny: "Can't handle a little spice?"

Harper: "This is so familiar. I had this before."

Danny: "It's Indian chai tea."

Harper: "Ah yes! Chai tea! It's so flavourful and rich."

"That is correct. It is chai tea."

Harper: "We're making a comeback!"

Danny: "This is lit."

Harper: "For real."

Danny: "For real."

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Ambrose: "Do you see it?"

Hyden: "One of the fairy lights became a flower. It's so obvious."

Hyden: "Achoo!"

Ambrose: "I think something has changed with these flowers."

Hyden: "I think so too. I think these tulips have been rotated."

Ambrose: "I think the fluid levels of the yellow one dropped. It wasn't that low before."

Hyden: "That's possible, yes."

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Landon: "A classic."

Yvon: "I never heard of it. You like this?"

Landon: "No."

Yvon: "This sounds a bit higher than the previous one, but I don't know if I would classify it in the same key as the earlier songs...maybe a B."

"B major is correct."

Yvon: "I'm such a good guesser."

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Danny: "Our last cup of tea. Finally."

Danny: "This is so smooth and silky."

Harper: "I sense some floral notes too."

Danny: "Chrysanthemum? Jasmine?"

Harper: "Let me take another sip."

Harper: "Hmm. It's slightly sweet."

Danny: "Could also be from sugar."

Harper: "That's possible, but I think it's a natural sweetness."

Harper: "I don't know what flower it is."

Danny: "Then let's pick one at random. Jasmine tea."

"That is incorrect. It is yellow tea."

Danny: "What the hell is yellow tea? Why is everything coloured?"

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Ambrose: "We are missing two differences."

Hyden: "I told you, there is an extra square over there, beside that purple stroke."

Ambrose: "I believe you bud, even though I can't see it. Let's find the last one."

Hyden: "We need to hurry."

Ambrose: "Let's start outside again and see if we missed anything."

Ambrose: "Oh my god! Haha! Hyden, come look at this!"

Ambrose: "There are apples in the fountain! That's so silly. There's no way that can be right."

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Laron is at his last task. For 10 points, he must jog on the spot for 7 minutes without stopping.

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Ambrose and Hyden have submitted 10 differences. Here are the right ones.

One of the painting became grey. This has been identified.

One of the photo frames changed to wood. This was overlooked.

One of the fire hydrants has been rotated clockwise by 90 degrees. Unfortunately they identified the wrong one.

There are now a pair of shoes hidden within the seats. They failed to spot this.

One of the mummy teddy bears has been shifted to face a different direction. This was missed.

Some of the windows have been painted white and this again was overlooked.

The rocks in the fountain outside have been replaced by apples. Ambrose spotted this in time.

One of the fairy lights upstairs has been replaced by a flower. This was also identified.

One wall was wallpapered. The two missed this.

Finally, the pattern on the gobo lights changed. This was also not spotted.

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Laron: "And that's time. Now I just need to make a turn and jog a little bit more."

Laron: "In the end zone."

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Eris: "Don't doubt fat Sims. If there's one thing we have, it's stamina."

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Ambrose and Hyden have earned 6 points, Danny and Harper have earned 10 points, and Landon and Yvon have earned 20 points. The jog of Laron and Eris is worth something, but to add their winnings into the pot, the rest must identify their final location on a map based on a Strava map.

If the sensitive eyes had succeeded completely, Laron and Eris could remove their blindfolds and observe them, and possibly make signals with their faces. If the sensitive ears had succeeded completely, they could remove their headphones and hear the rest. If the sensitive tongues had succeeded completely, the rest would be given one extra guess per jogger, to which Laron and Eris could reply "yes" or no. Unfortunately, the two of them still do not get to speak, listen or see.

This is Eris's Strava map.

Ambrose: "What is with that curl in the end. She got lost or something?"

Harper: "They started from here. She went south."

Landon: "Maybe it's rotated."

Harper: "We'll consider that later."

Hyden: "That big area at the bottom should be the park so it's the right orientation."

Landon: "She ended up more north than here."

Harper: "I think she's at Embankment Alleyway. This looks quite clear."

Danny: "I think that's too high up. I think she's at the station instead."

Yvon: "The majority thinks otherwise. I think she's at that point too."

Ambrose: "Now for Laron's Strava map."

Danny: "It looks like he travelled further."

Ambrose: "He must have crossed the bridge."

Harper: "I think he went one big round over here...oh, he must have been following the river."

Hyden: "Is she at Queensbridge or the Private Gardens?"

Ambrose: "I think Queensbridge."

Landon: "I disagree. I think he went across the bridge."

Yvon: "He could have crossed back."

Danny: "Look at where it ends. It's only halfway, which means he's at the gardens."

Yvon: "But halfway means he stopped on the bridge, right?"

Harper: "I think Danny is right. That long horizontal line is the main bridge, then he went down a bit more but not enough to reach Queensbridge. So he should be right...here."

"You have identified Eris to be at Embankment Alleyway and Laron to be at Odelyn Private Gardens. You are incorrect about Eris, but fortunately or not she brought nothing to the pot. As for Laron, his jog was worth 10 points and you got his location right. However, each of them bumped into something thrice during their run, so 6 points have been removed from the total earnings of the mission, which is now at 40/100 points."

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Pot: 161/390