~ Tнє Pαяα∂σχ Hσυѕє ~ now back to regularly scheduled chaos

Kelsier | Trist Exercise Room | strider

Nico may not have been joking, but Kelsier still chuckled. Overly helpful skeletons, huh? That sounded...interesting. He’d have to ask to see those whenever they weren’t trapped in a room. Which, judging by how things had gone for them so far, wasn’t going to happen anytime soon. He nodded, agreeing completely with Nico’s remark. “As long as I don’t have to die horribly again, I’m good.” He decided out loud, then stopped, because it was entirely possible he would have to die again before this was over. He was beginning to see why older members tried to avoid rooms and rolled their eyes whenever amateurs went for them.
He wondered how mad about their whole fight to the death Nico was. Kelsier knew he couldn’t blame him, as he had been both the one to attack and the one to actually kill Nico at the end of it. He supposed he completely deserved any ill will towards him at this point. Although he was planning to try and fix that, as much as he thought he could.
As Nico answered the question, though, his mind turned completely over to the thought of those...less than savory rooms. He imagines being forced to turn on his friends, or himself. Would he do it under any circumstances?
“How does it force people?” He asked quietly, not sure he really wanted to know. Because knowing meant knowing whether it could happen to him, and the thought made him feel a little sick. “I mean, does it just threaten you, or does it actually mess with your brain?”
That was an important difference to him. If it was a threat, your choices and actions were still your own, not the House’s. In that case, those lives were on your hands, and your options were limited, not gone. If it messed with your head...that was a completely different story. In that case it was the House who killed whose people, and you were as much a victim as anyone was. It felt wrong to prefer one over the other, but the truth was, Kelsier preferred to blame the House than his fellow blinkers for any lives lost.
At least it seemed to not be permanent. Or Nico hadn’t met someone who died permanently, and Nico seemed to be a pretty experienced blinker from what Kelsier had seen. He decided that if it happened, it was probably very rare, and filed that away for future use.
Then he blinked, surprised, and looked at Nico. “I don’t want to kill you.” He said, and even he could hear the surprise in his tone, as though there was no reason Nico would have asked that. As if. He almost snorted at himself, but he didn’t.
“I meant what I said about it being a mistake.” He added in a gentler tone, not condescending, just...almost humble, like he knew what he’d done. He smiled a little sadly, and not for the first time he wondered whether he could ever repair the damage he’d done.
“I won’t drop you. I swear it.” He promised, looking Nico in the eye to show he meant it. “And I’m putting my life in your hands, too, so hopefully we really are past all that.”
Then he listened, a bit baffled, as Nico continued to tell him about his past. Maybe they really were going to make it to trust someday, maybe somehow, Nico didn’t completely hate his guts.
No, he didn’t like Nico’s dad. From what he’d heard, that god was kind of a horrible person, and a whole lot like a nobleman. The sort of person Kelsier had vowed to destroy, actually, which was inconvenient, because there was no way to get to Nico’s world and kill him. Some battles weren’t actually possible to fight, apparently.
“That’s why you’re afraid of heights.” He realized as Nico went on, and it made sense. Of course that was why. Also, Nico had a really messed up family. Not that Kelsier could really talk of course, but still, what kind of uncles tried to kill their nephews for existing?
Oh wait. That wasn’t so unusual for Kelsier after all.
“Your uncles kind of suck.” He offered, pretty sure that I’m sorry that happened to you would sound a whole lot like pity, which Nico definitely wouldn’t want. “And all I have is a stupid brother. This is one time I will admit, you’ve defeated me when it comes to family drama.”
He thought he was funny.
“Well, me deciding to drop you is one less thing for you to worry about.” He continued, figuring Nico probably didn’t want to talk about his family any more. If he did, of course, the door was open. “Because I won’t.”
And he began to hunt around for something to anchor his rope, taking Nico’s outburst completely in stride. Eventually he found something; a small place to slide the rope into, that didn’t come free even when he tugged on it. He came back to Nico, grinning cheerfully as he handed over the rope. “All set.”

Nico | Trust Exercise Room | ®Hawkpath®
The mention of dying horribly seemed to almost freeze Nico where he was. Because that was the thing… they very easily could die horribly, and there was nothing they could do about it other than hope for the best. Hope that this was not a room that required it. He knew it was stupid and reckless to go into rooms, and yet sometimes he needed to be stupid and reckless to prove he was even still alive. And it got him into situations he didn’t understand and didn’t want to be in. What did that say about him? What did it say about him that at least once he had willingly gone into a room with Kelsier, knowing the likelihood that it would be a bad one? Why hadn’t he stopped the man from going. He could have. He really could have.
Kelsier’s question caught him by surprise. It wasn’t one that he would have expected from the man, but he had a feeling – not for the first time – that he had misjudged him based on their first meeting. The son of Hades, known for holding grudges, had actually managed to find respect for the man who had killed him. The people in Nico’s world would have laughed. He was supposed to be big and scary and not one for making friends or even looking at people like they could be his friend. There was a reason that he kept people at a distance. You couldn’t be hurt by someone’s death if you didn’t care about them in the first place. Deep down, he knew that wasn’t going to work for him now.
“Depends on the room,” he said after a moment. “There was one room and you walked in, and the person you walked in with… it seemed like they were your worst enemy. You felt this… this rage, and you didn’t think twice before you attacked. I walked in with a close friend and…” he shuddered at the memory. “We blinked out before we hurt each other too badly, but still. There have been other rooms, though, where there didn’t seem to be any other options. Rooms where the House threatened to blink in friends or family members and hurt them if you didn’t start killing. I got lucky in that one,” he admitted, staring over the edge of a cliff like it might actually be less scary than what he was thinking about in the moment. “I died before I had to kill anyone. I got close, though.” Nico’s jaw clenched. He knew Kelsier was no stranger to killing, but it was one thing to kill someone you thought was an enemy, and quite another to kill because you perceive it as your only option. He wondered if maybe he had a responsibility to tell Kelsier things like this before ending up in another room with him, but to be fair… they hadn’t actively chosen to do a room before ending up here.
He was grateful for the almost change in subject, though also a bit surprised. Why not? He’d proven he had done some bad things in his life, and he was technically noble, if you considered who his father was. And even if it was Minos, he had tortured a soul.
“How are you so sure you were wrong?” Nico asked after a moment. Surely the room they had been in wasn’t enough to prove that. “People in my world who have known me for much longer than you still aren’t certain.” Something in his gaze flashed like a challenge. It was too late to scare Kelsier, to convince him that Nico was too much of a force of darkness to be reckoned with, to try to ward him off. But that was one of the few weapons Nico had in his arsenal for a situation like this, and it was easier to pretend that this wasn’t going to end in friendship. To pretend that he could still protect himself and Kelsier. The mask dropped after a few moments, though, as tangible relief flooded Nico’s expression. He was still terrified, but somehow the assurance that he wouldn’t be dropped made it better.
“Yes,” he admitted quietly, not looking at Kelsier. “That’s why I’m afraid of heights.” And Kelsier already knew the reason he was afraid of touch. But the next comment jolted him out of that thought, almost making him laugh with the simple ridiculousness of it.
“That’s a matter of perspective,” Nico murmured, amusement glimmering under his fear. “Their dad ate them when they were born.” It was easy to forget, sometimes, that most people in the House didn’t have a solid grasp on Greek mythology. Or how messed up families tended to get when the gods were all immortal and all somehow related. “I think you’ll find I’m only getting started on my family’s drama,” he added, forcing himself to stand up straight. His heart plummeted down to his feet, but he closed his eyes and forced himself to remain calm. He’d faced worse than this. He’d faced much worse than this, and Zeus didn’t exist here. He’d be fine.
With trembling hands, he took the end of Kelsier’s rope and gave a sharp tug just to make sure that it wouldn’t knock the anchor point down. Not that someone of his weight and strength could really test for Kelsier, who was a good deal taller and probably heavier. Nico couldn’t remember the last time he’d eaten a proper meal. He’d been trying to ease back into it, but he just… wasn’t hungry half the time.
“For the record, I won’t drop you either. I swear on the River Styx.” Not that Kelsier knew what that meant. Not that Kelsier understood the weight of any promise at all in Nico’s eyes. He took a deep breath and handed Kelsier his own rope before taking in a deep breath. “Here goes nothing.” He would have liked to do something dramatic like jumping off the cliff and telling himself he’d find handholds, but that wasn’t happening. Not today. Not Nico. He did turn his back on Kelsier, glancing over with wide, frightened eyes to locate his first handhold. And when he found it he turned back around and gave Kelsier a small, hesitant smile before disappearing over the edge. There was something about Kelsier that made it easier to smile. Not that Nico would admit that out loud, ever.

(Hey Snow!)

How's it going? ))

(Glad to hear it! Heh, I'm currently in a down, but I'm hanging in there as well. Working out what I need to work out.
And thank you! Shade made it for me. )

(hey i'd say you're good to just jump back in snow! i'll try to remember to tell falcon so she can update or feel free to ping her for whenever she checks the forums <: )

The way that Eises pronounced his charge's name was amusing, if a bit odd. Myrnin's lips twitched. "I think the name is usual enough in some location. From the sense I'm getting, I'm pretty sure his parents just wanted something slightly more fancy than your average name. I've already known a "Samuel" other than him."
Only he was dead.
"Yes," said Myrnin, still finding what Eises to be saying slightly amusing. "They are real in my world. I am one. Though that isn't to say that everyone believes they're real." He thought about it for a second before answering, but finally said, "Names tell secrets. When you have secrets older than most of remembered time you like to keep them where they are. In time."
It was the best explanation he had. It just ... wasn't done.
He nodded at her question. "Humans exist. Maybe the House finds them interesting." He snorted at the suggestion that one of his parents was an animal. Not because he found it funny, but because lately he'd been thinking about his past and everything seemed to trigger it. Including remembering other small boys and their cruelty.
"No. No. My parents were both human as far as I am aware."
It had been a long time ago, though.
He watched Eises' eyes and his curiosity was expressed on his face. "Oh, I'm sure I'd be interested. Why would I freeze, exactly?"
He glanced to the side as she asked questions about his own eye color. "Red means I'm angry or hungry," he said. "Or in some cases sad. Black eyes means I'm depressed and feeling weak. White eyes means I'm feeling strong and powerful. If you ever see me with gold eyes ... run."
His voice had dropped in volume, but heightened in seriousness. He meant it. He really did.
He glanced back, however, after a second. "Yes, we can live forever. If nothing kills us. We can be killed. In a couple ways, at any rate. Vampires are more durable than humans. But yes. I've seen the world change a lot. From people living in small communities to large cities. It had been a very interesting experience." As if reading her mind - which he hadn't - he added, "I don't remember all of it. Or even most of it. But I'm a special case. My memory is not the best."
He snorted a bit as she suggested that mind-reading was good in an attack. If he got to the point where he could read as much as he had read from her head he wouldn't need to mind-read to stop an attack. All he would need to do would be to blink wrong. But he didn't say that.
"Not going for you?" he asked, sounding shocked. He blinked at her then turned around, ice sculpture animals on his shoulders and head. He waved his arms around at the House. "You have a whole world to explore. You're living. You have friends. I do believe you have many things going for you! Why not think of that, eh?"
He clearly was set on not letting it all just slip away when he mentioned a game. He didn't answer that question for several beats, just to be sure Eises was aware he wasn't dropping all their past conversations. Then he said, "Snowball fight? Just a suggestion. I seem to have many icy allies already."

(Hi guys! What's up?)

(Broken! Hey! Nothing much! I'm just off and on writing an essay while I RP. How are you?)

(Yeah, so do I. XD How did work go? Is it a fun job?)

(Ouch. I have that as well, come to that. Though I have one page drafted thus far. I have to write an essay analyzing my writing, so that's fun. What's your essay on, if you don't mind me asking?

Oof. I see what you mean. I work as an English tutor at my school. It has its ups and downs. Is it at least a fast food place with good food?)

(Oh yeah! I've done that before. Well, I can't remember if I've specifically done a philosopher, come to think of it. Not anyone recent at any rate.
And yeah, it's a bit tricky doing your own essay on yourself. It's been interesting.

Ouch. I'm sorry to hear that. I hope that you'll get a more interesting job soon. <3 )

(I was fighting with my computer all day, so only just got on + finished my essay.

I'd love to slow RP with you! Did you want anyone specific?)