_*]:min-w-0 !gap-3.5" style="border:0px solid">Morning sunlight filtered through the living walls of their tree dwelling, creating dappled patterns across the wooden floor where Alexander had spread out his hastily drawn map of the vilge. Three days into their exploration of Floor 8, and they'd barely scratched the surface of the byrinthine community.

  "We need a system," Alexander said, marking the map with colored dots. "Everyone we've talked to knows something, but nobody knows everything. It's like they've deliberately split up all the important information."

  Elijah sat cross-legged on his sleeping mat, sorting through the medicinal herbs he'd collected yesterday. "That's exactly what they've done. The vilge healer told me it's their way of ensuring everyone depends on each other. No single person can navigate the paths alone."

  "A social security system," Lyra said, looking up from the small device she was tinkering with. "Pretty smart, actually."

  Alexander nodded, his tactical mind appreciating the elegance of the defense mechanism. "Okay, so we need to map not just the physical yout, but the social connections too. Who knows what, and who we need to talk to."

  He pulled out a notebook and began sketching a matrix. "I'm assigning each of us to different vilge groups. We'll cover more ground that way, and they might share different things depending on who's asking."

  "I've already made some progress with the healers," Elijah offered. "They're warming up to me after I helped treat that child's fever yesterday."

  "Good," Alexander said, making a note. "Focus there. Your actual empathy gives you an edge—they can tell you're genuinely interested in their well-being."

  He turned to Lyra. "You should connect with their craftspeople. Your technical questions seemed to impress that carpenter yesterday."

  Lyra's face showed surprise. She wasn't used to being assigned social tasks. "I'm not exactly... people-oriented."

  "You don't have to be," Alexander said. "Just be yourself. Ask about their building techniques, how they integrate with the trees. Technical stuff you're actually interested in."

  Riva, who had been quiet until now, spoke up. "I can help in the kitchens. People talk while they work."

  "Perfect," Alexander said, adding it to his chart. He gnced at Valeria, who sat slightly apart from the group. Their retionship had been strained since he'd confronted her about her communications, but she was still part of the team. "Valeria, you take the hunters and security people. Your combat background gives you common ground."

  She nodded curtly. "Understood."

  "What about you?" Elijah asked.

  "I'm going to focus on Elder Thorne and the leadership council," Alexander replied. "They're careful about what they say, but they've dropped hints about some kind of central path through the vilge that only opens under specific conditions."

  By midday, Lyra found herself in a corner of the vilge she'd never expected to enjoy. The craftspeople's workshop was a marvel of living architecture, with tools hanging from branches that had grown specifically to hold them, and workbenches that were actually shaped sections of the tree itself.

  "...so the resin seals it naturally?" she asked, watching the Master Carpenter demonstrate how he finished a join between wood and living tree.

  "Exactly right," he said, seeming pleased by her interest. "The tree provides everything we need, if we ask properly."

  Lyra tilted her head. "Ask... the tree?"

  The carpenter ughed. "Not with words, young one. With patience, with respect. We don't force the tree to our will—we suggest a direction, then wait for it to grow."

  This was exactly the kind of technical information Alexander had sent her to gather, but Lyra found herself genuinely fascinated. It reminded her of techniques she'd developed in Sector 17, working with salvaged materials that couldn't be forced without breaking.

  "In my..." she caught herself before saying 'sector,' "...in my home, we had to be careful with our resources too. Nothing could be wasted."

  The carpenter's eyes softened with understanding. "You're Unaligned, aren't you? I thought I recognized that look—always assessing, always calcuting what can be reused."

  Lyra tensed, but the man waved a hand. "No judgment here. The trees accept all who respect them."

  Something in his acceptance loosened something in Lyra. "We built shelters from whatever we could find. But nothing like this."

  "Would you like to see how we work with the saplings?" he asked, gesturing toward a smaller workshop area.

  For the next hour, Lyra forgot about information gathering as the carpenter showed her techniques for guiding young trees. In the process, she learned more about the vilge's history, structure, and paths than she'd expected—including hints about special routes that appeared only under certain conditions.

  Across the vilge, Elijah sat with an elderly woman whose hands were gnarled with arthritis. He gently applied a poultice he'd made from local herbs, earning a sigh of relief.

  "Bless you, young healer. My fingers haven't felt this good in seasons."

  Elijah smiled. "I'm happy to help. The pnts here are fascinating—simir to ones I studied, but with unique properties."

  "You have a gift," she said, studying him. "Not just for healing, but for listening."

  Trust her, came a whisper, clearer than most he'd heard before. Elijah startled slightly, then decided to follow the guidance.

  "Sometimes I hear things," he said carefully. "Voices, or maybe just impressions. They've been stronger since we arrived in your vilge."

  Instead of looking armed, the woman nodded knowingly. "The ancient trees speak to those who can hear. Few outsiders have the gift." She leaned closer. "If you listen near the Elder's Council circle when the light shifts, you might hear what you need for your journey."

  Elijah felt a chill run down his spine. "What will I hear?"

  "The path forward," she said simply. "But only if you come with the right questions."

  Meanwhile, Alexander had managed to secure a meeting with Elder Thorne, the vilge's leader. The older man had bark-like skin and eyes that seemed to shift color like leaves in changing light.

  "Your team moves with purpose," Elder Thorne observed as they walked along a high branch pathway. "Most newcomers spend their time gawking at our homes."

  "We appreciate the beauty," Alexander said diplomatically, "but we also need to progress. The Game doesn't allow for extended tourism."

  Elder Thorne nodded. "Direct. I appreciate that." He stopped at a viewing ptform that overlooked much of the vilge. "What do you see when you look at our home?"

  Alexander studied the yout carefully. "A community designed for interdependence. The physical paths mirror the social connections. No direct routes—everything requires cooperation and knowledge sharing."

  A smile crossed the Elder's weathered face. "You see clearly for one so young. Yes, our byrinth is both physical and social. To navigate it requires more than just a good map."

  "What does it require?" Alexander asked directly.

  "The right connections. The right knowledge. And most importantly," the Elder tapped Alexander's chest, "the right understanding of why we built it this way in the first pce."

  By evening, the team reconvened in their dwelling. Alexander had arranged leaves of different colors on the floor, creating a physical representation of the information they'd gathered.

  "This is really clever," Riva said, watching as he connected different leaves with strands of vine.

  "It was actually Lyra's idea," Alexander admitted. "A way to visualize the connections."

  Lyra shrugged, but looked pleased. "It's just a basic network diagram."

  "So what have we learned?" Alexander asked, looking at each team member.

  One by one, they shared their discoveries. Elijah revealed what he'd learned about the Council circle, while Lyra described the carpenter's hints about special pathways. Riva had gathered details about community routines from the kitchen staff, and even Valeria had useful information from the hunting parties.

  "There's a pattern here," Alexander said, rearranging some of the leaves. "Look—individually, these pieces don't tell us much. But when we combine them..."

  "It's about trust signals," Lyra finished, seeing the same pattern. "Each group has specific ways they identify trusted outsiders."

  "And the whispers seem to respond to these trust patterns," Elijah added.

  Alexander stood up, his decision made. "Then we need to focus on building these connections deliberately. Each of us needs to earn a specific type of trust from our assigned groups."

  As they discussed the details, Lyra found herself reflecting on how differently this was pying out compared to her solo Game experience. Before meeting the twins, she would have tried to hack together a technical solution, probably involving some risky infiltration. This methodical, team-based approach was new to her—but surprisingly effective.

  "Hey," Alexander said, noticing her thoughtful expression. "You did good today. That carpenter told me you're a 'natural listener' when I passed by."

  Lyra snorted. "I just asked about wood joinery techniques for an hour."

  "Sometimes that's all it takes," Elijah said with a smile. "People want to be understood, not just interrogated."

  Lyra hadn't thought about it that way. In Sector 17, interactions had always been transactional—what can you offer, what do you need. This more subtle approach was unfamiliar territory.

  "Let's map out what we still need to learn," Alexander said, creating a new section in his diagram. "Each of us has gaps in our understanding that the others might be able to fill."

  As the evening continued, they carefully cross-referenced their information, identifying patterns and contradictions. The social byrinth was becoming clearer—not just as a physical challenge, but as a test of their ability to build genuine connections with the vilge community.

  "Get some sleep, everyone," Alexander finally said, carefully preserving their leaf diagram. "Tomorrow we'll focus on these key knowledge gaps. We're getting closer to finding our path through this pce."

  As they prepared for bed, Elijah caught Lyra's eye and gave her an encouraging nod. Maybe she wasn't as bad at this people thing as she'd always thought.