So, we're going with option one! I'll post the next part soon.

I will post the next part, I promise, but I have a quick question first. Is anyone super competitive?

Day One, Part Two

The CBers vote quickly, with five votes for option one and only one vote for option two. The Traveler of the Ages invites them to get settled into their pods.

In pod three, SopranoTwo, Kate-the-great, Mudge, Brian, and Cardinal find a dark orange pod. The five beds have yellow and orange stripes on their comforters and plain orange pillowcases. While the pod looks small from the outside, it is really quite spacious. Aside from the beds, they each have a dresser with a fold-down desk, and there is a communal bookshelf filled with dozens of time travel classics.

In pod two, Silverwaxwing, Key, Storm, Lock, and Killim put their things on red-polka-dotted comforters with pale pink pillows. Their walls are a deep scarlet, and each desk has a red edge to the white surface. They, too, have a full bookshelf, although theirs has different, while still good, time travel books.

In pod one, General Waffleson, Kilp, Nighthawk, Briar, and Wheeler look around at a dark blue pod with navy and white swirly comforters, pale blue pillowcases, and light green-blue shelves on their bookshelf.

Each adventurer quickly dumps their suitcase, admires their pod for a moment, and then heads outside for the promised games. Once everyone has arrived, the Traveler of the Ages walks over.

"I'm glad to see you like your pods! Your groups will be your main teammates throughout our adventure, starting today. We'll begin with a simple memory match game. You will flip over two tiles. If they are a match, they will stay face up. If they are not a match, you will flip them back over and try agaoin. The first pod to have all their tiles face up wins. Pod one, you'll be on the left, pod two, the middle, and pod three, your game is on the right. Any questions?"

Nighthawk's hand shoots into the air.

"Yes?"

"Will there be a prize?"

"Whichever pod wins the most games today will get a prize."

"Can we actually time travel?" General Waffleson calls out.

"Tomorrow."

There are no more questions, so each pod walks over to their table and begins on the word 'go'. At the beginning the game is pretty even. Pod one finds a match, then pod three. Pod two apppears to be having a bit of an argument about what to do, but Silverwaxwing calms down her AEs and they find a match. Soon they all find more matches in quick sucession.

The murderer glances at their watch and smiles briefly, then goes back to playing the game.

Pod two flips over their fourth match. Suddenly their smiles turn to fear as an explosion rocks their table. The other groups rush over concernedly. "Who's hurt?" the Traveler asks.

"Storm," says Silverwaxwing anxiously, pointing with a burned hand toward the ground. The Travler studies him. "He's unconscious, but he's alive. We'll have to be rather careful with him, though. Can I have two volunteers to carry him inside that don't have burned hands?" SopranoTwo and Nighthawk immediately run forward, pick Storm up, and gently carry him inside.

"I know you want to be with him, but we need to care for you," the Traveler says to pod two, "Everyone stay here." The Traveler disappears and is gone for a minute. They return with a round modern-looking item that they press to the burned areas on the hurt peoples' skin. It immediately heals up.

"What is that?" asks Briar as pod two runs inside.

"A device from the future. And before you ask, no, we cannot go there right now," replies the Traveler. 

--

So, Storm is alive, but barely. You'll learn more about his condition in the next part, which I have mostly written but am saving to keep you from having too much at once.

The time traveling starts on the second day. I have a plan for where you're going to travel, but if anyone has special requests for after that I will take them into consideration. 

But not to the point where it will drive me mad. 

By the way, you can guess me if you want.

The Traveler of the Ages pulls off their cloak, revealing a girl with orange cat ears, long curly brown hair, purple glasses, and a windy tail. "You have guessed correctly. I am Kitten!" she says.