Willem couldn't peel his eyes off the guy. What the hell was Elias scribbling like a man possessed? Had to be riddle-crack, right? But as he craned for a peek, his peepers nearly bugged out of his skull.
Dude was scrawling blind. Eyes? Nowhere near the page. Even brush-dip ink? Zero glance.
All while room-roam scan, hawk-mode. Who brain-teases riddles with jitter-pen and wander-peep?
Wild horse stampede thundered through Willem's skull. Total brain-melt. He'd geared for solo-grind, no full Elias-lean, but this freak-show? Focus? Shot.
Elias? Zero hang-ups. Dicey chunk? Nailed. Proof-bust now? Nah. Room-glance? Distance-blind to sheets.
Blind-scrib? Prize no-stake. Weird-vibe spot? No dirt? Untouchable.
Luck-bump: proctor-light. Organizers? Self-snitch bet—who'd gift rival crib-notes?
Elias frenzy-fizzle quick. Repeat-ink loop-spot? Halt, note-shuffle tidy.
Dais-up, Lucius-Darian-Fisk seat-pop, hush-hall dip. Stature like theirs? Full-sit mute? Over-ask. Stroll-vent, zero side-eye.
Door creak-shut. Gone. Hopeful herd? Riddle-trap lock, zero peep.
Willem clock Elias chill-mode, but confu-fog thick.
Elias now scroll-squint, scrib-compare riddle-restack fresh-sheet neat. Left-right list, thirty-match order.
Done-drop? Snag-spot. Blank-gape. Note-re-scan. Zip.
Mid-scroll brain-tease: "Illusion." Solve-nope.
Silent curse-spit. Repeat-flood seen, how blank this? Self-crack try? Mind-wall. Frust-quit.
Crowd-vig re-up, brush-grab lock. Decode-loop, "Illusion" ghost.
Initial-rush miss-fear. Twenty-nine pass-Willem itch, but hold—final-puz fear-miss.
Incense-peep. Third-burn shy. Deep-drag. Steady.
Clever-brain horde unsolved? Tough-nut sure. Freq-pop? Easy-meat. Hall-scrib slow-drag now.
Hard-nut jam-all. Final-crack odds? Up-tick.
Willem? Lost-sauce total. No Elias-cue? Surrender, scroll-stare blank, brain-mash.
Elias? Focus-furnace. Brow-sweat sheen. Lesser Insight hold? Brain-drain no-outsider get—mental marathon raw.
Incense third-past tick, eyes front-row snap. Dome-slap classic aha-gesture.
County Prime Jameson Morrow.
Elias ticker-leap. Lock-vig, air-ripple brush-whis decode. Mind-ink form: "Illusion" short-hand, solve-tag: "Scrutinize" char.
Scroll-quick scan. Solo "Illusion" kick-off. Nail. Mull-link: Illusion... scrutinize... Peel fake? Scrut-deep dive. Fit-flawless. Thigh-slap near-miss excite.
Prime live-name.
No-dawdle, Elias blank-fill last-slot. Right-edge fold-strip Willem-face, left-scroll ten-dump quick-ink.
Done, brush-down, chin-hand think-pose, surround-secret scan.
Willem zone-wake, brush-drop clock, heart jack-rabbit. Go-time. Cue-lock.
Sheet-straight, ink-dip, left-flat scroll-side palm. Cue: Receive-ready.
Elias nab. Sure-peep no? Index-lift fold-peek, answer-col reveal.
Willem quick-sweep, steal-glance. First-five mem-ink, next-five sync-scratch.
All-lock? Left-fist curl. Cue: Nabbed.
Cue-pack Elias-brain. Willem? Dude unnerve-pro at this.
Elias cue-grab, flap-press, next-fold ten-dump. Swap-loop hush-slick. Final-ten smooth-pass.
Gig-wrap, Elias brush-snag, fold-ink smear-wipe evidence-ash. Stack-bot clean-sheet pull, note-cap, scroll-copy diligent-busy grind.
Willem no-sucker. Sheet-match riddle-sync easy. Thirty full-crack? Incense-peep. Half-burn shy.
No-drag. Fresh-sheet riddle-trace careful. Scrib-midt pang-regret. Elias cap-spot know? Riddle-prep blank-fill ready. Hindsight bitch. Caut-egghead draft-first rule.
Side-Elias? Silent-fume boil. Idiot what? Q-no-copy? Oaf-slow cost prize? Blood-cough rage.
Final, Willem trace-wrap, answer-slot fill. Check-last, name-county bot-form.
Brush-down, deep-drag, pause-hang. Weird-vibe raw. "Arthur Blackwood" fresh-meet, brazen cheat-co-con, Gov-nose under.
Dream-no such dirt. Catch-bust? Future-flame.
Strange-bold side-man peep, wonder-whis: Easy-talk how?