Lyra, Grayson, and Odette open the chest in their locked room and find a seemingly random set of objects: a Sonic cup, magnet poetry, quarters, a mirrored plate, a pouch of Scrabble tiles, and a red rose petal. There are no new instructions, leaving them with Jameson’s earlier prompt: they must insert answers without being told the question.

Grayson recognizes the setup as similar to Tobias Hawthorne’s childhood games for his grandsons, in which ordinary objects became necessary clues only as the larger puzzle revealed itself. Lyra remembers Grayson previously describing Tobias’s love of riddles and how he had interpreted Lyra’s father’s final words, but she shuts down the memory and focuses on the task.

Lyra surveys the Great Room for possible clues, noting the windows, ocean view, cherrywood walls, fireplace, chandelier, shattered hourglass, and oddly balanced seating arrangement. Grayson concludes that one object must be the starting clue, and Lyra notes that the three cursors imply a three-part answer.

The group begins dissecting the contents. Lyra initially counts six objects, but Odette points out that the bag and box may count too, and Grayson adds the quarters’ paper wrapper as another possible object. Odette’s attention to technicalities and Grayson’s puzzle expertise both shape how the group approaches the challenge.

When Lyra and Grayson reach for the poetry magnets at the same time, their hands brush, triggering Lyra’s memory of their earlier dance on the cliffs. She pulls back and turns to the Scrabble tiles, but Grayson advises her on how to narrow the possible letters. Odette subtly defends Lyra, and Lyra offers Grayson the tiles instead.

Grayson refuses and directly asks whether he and Lyra are going to have a problem during the game. After correcting his pronunciation of her name, Lyra receives his cool assurance that, for the duration of the game, Grayson will keep his hands to himself, making their unresolved personal tension part of the escape-room stakes.