The hat was sort of comfortable, in a strange way. He almost forgot it was on his head. Almost. The voice startled him and he should've been spooked but he was much too tired for that. Looking around, it took him a few seconds to realize that it was coming from the hat. That ridiculously old hat that shouldn't move or think or do anything was talking at him,...or to him, actually. He blinked several times, in awe that a sentient piece of cloth was attempting conversation. Or maybe it was just trying to fill in the silence after having been stuffed into a piano. Amazing. "I suppose this is the part where I thank you for your vote of confidence," he replied casually, making quick work of the stove and forgetting the hat altogether.
Detecting a hint of movement, Jesús turned his face to the right and caught sight of some rats roaming around, acting as if they owned that section of the house. He shook his head and went back to fussing with the stove. Rats weren't a concern for him. Plus, those rats looked like bugs compared to the ones he'd encountered his entire life back in New York. Completely underwhelming. As he turned the knobs, he thought about the probability of him being wrong about the location of the second item. This didn't stop Jesús from testing out the knobs, however; it only made him that much more determined to getting the riddle right.
One of the knobs seemed off (in the same way that that lone piano key upstairs seemed off,) so the sixth year paused and wiggled the knob more. He contemplated blasting the stove (that would've been one way to get the brooch,) but he considered the consequences of doing so and stuck to wiggling the knob more. It didn't feel stuck, but it wasn't coming out easily either. Jesús let go momentarily before adjusting the hat on his head so that it wouldn't fall. He then went back to tugging on the knob, making sure to twist and pull hard. Jesús felt ridiculous, pulling at the knob with both of his hands, but he would do anything to get himself out and he refused to come in last. The sixth year continued to hold onto the knob tightly, and pulled as hard as he could.
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