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

The 14th Doctor | HG Room - in a cave | Razzle Dazzle --cato phoenix <Raintalon>

(Doctor: Ah yes! Highly dangerous blinker!
Doctor a couple seconds later: Ah yes. Floor. Sleep. Good.)

The Doctor dropped the strand of hair she was holding and finally seemed to catch up with some of the things which were happening.
It seemed to her like a usual way of life for one regeneration to pick up after another and this seemed no different.
Other than the fact it was. Two almost strangers to her life, in the grand scheme of things, were looking at her as if she was a stranger.
Well.
She was.
It was only then that she caught up a bit and tensed. Stupid brain. It had forgotten that now wasn't the time to wait around. Someone had stabbed her after all. And had likely killed a man.
She turned, said sharply to Ononoki, "Of course I do."
And then she was after Nico ...
For about two seconds.
Then she tipped forward, flat on her face. It was almost comical, as her arms attempted to push her up into a sitting position or at least any position other than one where she was flat on her face. She failed, but the attempt could at least be recognized. Maybe it would have been better if she wasn't already softly snoring.

Kelsier | Trust Exercise Room | strider

Maybe the difference between Nico and Kelsier, and the way they cared, was that Nico hid it. Nico made sure no one knew he cared, he made sure he didn’t show it, because if he did then he was opening himself to danger. Kelsier, too, opened himself to the possibility of being hurt, every time he loved someone, every time the cared. He couldn’t simply not show it, though, because for him it would ruin the whole point. He loved and laughed and cared because it was worth the risk. It was worth the chance that it would blow up in his face, and he had to show it, and he told himself he wasn’t afraid. Sometimes, though, he did worry. He did wonder whether he would be safer not caring at all, not risking his heart at every turn. He worried, but he didn’t act on it, because he had made up his mind to give his love and his trust as freely as he could. To not hold back. Because what was the point in having a heart if you didn’t use it?
That was, perhaps, why he had already given Nico his heart. No, they weren’t quite friends yet, but they were far from enemies. They were far from hating each other, and they were far from the moment Kelsier had killed him. They had saved each other since then, or at least, they had trusted each other not to drop them to their respective deaths. That was progress.
Kelsier didn’t really believe that the House was better than his world. He didn’t believe that, because both places seemed determined to push them past their breaking point, and even if he swore he wouldn’t let it succeed in changing him, it could still hurt him. Them. It could still hurt them both.
The thing was, he knew what Nico had done. He knew the secrets the boy didn’t want to tell, and he knew the things he tried so hard to bury, to protect himself. And it didn’t change anything. Kelsier was still willing to give Nico a chance, because he had done things too. He understood that it wasn’t so easy just to do the “right thing”, and he knew that some of the things he did almost daily...well. He was, by a certain definition, a serial killer.
He even had a damn type.
“I’m telling my own story.” He answered simply, because he was. He didn’t need anyone else to tell him whether what he was doing was right, he didn’t need anyone to judge him. Yes, he was a killer. Yes, he didn’t seem to have any hesitation for what he did. But he didn’t think he was a bad person. He was a hero to his people, wasn’t he? Didn’t he offer them hope?
“Fair enough.” He added, because Nico was right. You did the best you could, and you found out later whether you were right or wrong. You couldn’t predict the future. You could only try, and keep trying.
The thing was, Kelsier didn’t want to fight the boy. He didn’t want to be at odds with him. What he wanted was to move past it, to find out what they could be if they just gave each other a chance. If he admitted he was wrong and promised to try harder. To not use the secrets he carried against Nico, to not hurt him again. Could he promise that?
He could promise to try.
No.
He could promise to succeed. The Survivor lf Hathsin wouldn’t make promises he couldn’t keep. He wished he knew what the house wanted, so he could fight it, but if the House wanted them to become friends, then...well. He wouldn’t let the House win. But maybe he wouldn’t fight this particular thing, either.
Maybe, at some point, they would get to see each other’s powers in action. Kelsier had to admit he was curious, curious about what all Nico could do. Because under everything there was a certain confidence to the boy, something that made you sit and wonder why he thought he could win this….well. Whatever it was Nico expected to win. His impossible war. Kelsier knew all about those.
“Of course.” He said loftily, as if he didn’t know Nico was joking. Which he did know. Nico had a very good sense of humor, when he wasn’t hiding it behind the wall he hid himself behind, too. Nico could say the most ridiculous things with a completely straight face, and Kelsier loved that about him, because everyone needed more humor in their lives but he had a feeling that Nico did especially. Nico, who was fighting his impossible war, who was still just a kid whether he admitted it or not.
Perhaps the reason Kelsier could bring out the childish side of Nico was that he was childish, too, in a way. He laughed and played, he ran around and he didn’t listen to anyone. Nico deserved to be able to laugh and play too, and not just because he actually was a kid, but because he was a person. Everyone deserved time to goof off and mess around and do nothing at all. Everyone deserved to have a childhood.
Slamming into someone while on the ice was probably not the best idea ever, but Kelsier didn’t mind. He looked up in time to see Nico skid backwards and fall, catching himself much better than Kelsier himself had. He was either used to falling, or had remarkably good instincts for it. Kelsier wasn’t sure which, though he suspected the former.
The Mistborn finally managed to get control of his laughter, and he realized Nico was laughing too, which made it even harder to stop, it was so contagious. He pushed himself into a sitting position and looked at Nico, and he was grinning like a five year old, completely immersed in this room even if he did hate the House. He wouldn’t thank this place for anything, but he was going to enjoy what he could, because that was as much fighting back as throwing a punch was. He was smiling.
He was winning.
“Better than fine.” He agreed, and began the difficult task of getting to his feet. First he got on his hands and knees, then carefully got his feet underneath him. Finally he pushed himself up, and grinned at Nico, clearly quite proud of his accomplishment.
Then Nico shared a bit of his past, and Kelsier filed it away to be remembered, because he knew how fragile this connection they had was. And he found he didn’t want to lose a single thing that made it stronger. Things told willingly, bits of their past given freely...it made them closer to friends than enemies. Even if they were still somewhere in the middle.
“I don’t think ice skates even exist in my world.” He replied, offering his own bit of personal information. Give and take. Even exchange. “I wish they did. I so want to see Dockson fall on his face.”

Vincent | Hell Maze | Shadepelt15

Vincent blinked in, staring blankly inside his fridge when the room suddenly darkened. He was lucky to have not stumbled backwards, as the limited light in the distance came to illuminate the fall he’d of taken if he had. He seemed surprised to say the least, as seen through the slight change in expression and quiet curse he said under his breath, but he stayed calm as he found stable footing.

It would seem he was going to be stuck in his sweats and oversized T-shirt for this blink...so he could at least appreciate the darkness for that reason. The pale light made it easy to distinguish his white socks against the dark surface, and he watching his feet carefully as he moved his way towards the light. Quickly after starting his decent, he found another reason to dislike the darkness; as a familiar figure was waiting in its midst. He said nothing to Archie as he came up behind him, though he gave him, and his curious outfit, an expectant look.

"How do you use it?" asked Sam, curiosity overriding the squirm of awkward embarrassment that had come with the mis-recognition of who the scepter had been from.
"Does it light up or something?"
He would admit, if asked later, that he really didn't grasp the idea of people in the House coming from other worlds yet. He'd had experience with the clones, of course, but that had seemed a lot like House stuff. The idea that Nico might be something other than normal hadn't come up yet. It just wasn't something on his radar. But it was an interesting enough idea that, after a second, Sam's brow furrowed and he asked, feeling foolish for even suggesting it, "It isn't magic or something, is it?"
If Nico was a wizard or something, Sam was going to feel very embarrassed about that too. He didn't have any idea what Nico's world was like. He didn't seem like he wanted to talk about it.

Ravohyr | beach room | ononononoki

Less than convincing indeed. As she spoke against him that she wasn't afraid and marched over, he only grinned. He was vaguely reminded of a younger sister he was pretty sure he once had, and chuckled quietly when she dipped her fingers in. "Ah, yes. Well, perhaps you're afraid of deeper water? Understandable, I myself get mildly intimidated from time to time," he said, offering a bit of potential relatability in case she was afraid. He doubted it, she seemed very capable and sturdy in her oddness, but she responded pretty well to it and he didn't want to be in the water himself. Sooo...

Humming at her query, he nodded slowly and suppressed a shiver. "The provinces where I come from... and where I live now. I used to live in Cyrodil, and the water there is clear and beautiful but infested with Slaughterfish. They get about this big," he held his hands four feet apart to show her, "and they have horribly sharp teeth. Varying lengths, probably as long as your fingers. Where I live now, Morrowind, the water is murky and muddy and filled with ash and infested with Slaughterfish," he explained, sitting himself down in the water so it came up to his chin. 

The sensation was utterly the most pleasant thing he'd ever experienced; like the perfect bath. Dipping under for a moment, he swished his hair about then resurfaced without thinking first about how it would cover his face, leaving him looking like something you'd pull out of a drain. Perhaps more appealing, though. 

Archie | Living Room | mintedstar/fur

He watched him, still incredibly thrilled to be given so much unwavering attention. And further was his delight when he continued that stream of conversation even after he'd given his explanation. It had been so terribly long since he'd had someone not blow him off immediately... Not only that, but this was delightfully interesting. 
For a hot moment he was drawn away from his own excitement by the empty pack of what appeared to be cigarettes and he blinked slowly, cocking his head just a bit to one side. Feeling suddenly generous from the amount of already delightful conversation about himself he'd received, he swept his hand in a low wave and an identical pack of cigars appeared between his fingers, only this one was full, and he held it out to him. 

"Well..." he looked thoughtful, and gradually as Commander Vimes continued to speak, a bit more uncomfortable. His own limitations were not something he preferred most people be familiar with, and he hated to directly mention them at all. Slowly, he smiled again and shrugged. "Depth of the infinite. I have yet to find a true end to what I can do, hence the 'unfathomable' analogy. This place does restrain me though, I've no shame in admitting. I have blown worlds into oblivion and brought them back with my own hands, created pocket dimensions all their own and manifested entire species from nothing. I can't do any of that here." It was all rather frustrating really, but yet he found some aspects of excitement to it. Not being able to do what he wanted constantly... It woke him up in some ways, brought back his alert and attentiveness. Some day, he hoped to best the confines of the house. Despite his hopes, however, he doubted it would ever be possible. 

Looking back to his company again, he pressed his lips into a line. 

"Hmm... This place is locally referred to as The Paradox House. The locals are blinkers. Blinking being what you're experiencing now," he said, gesturing to him, "you  blink out of your own world, time, universe, whatever you'd call it, and blink in here. Everything stops in your world while you're in this place, and when it returns you it will resume. This place is a world all its own, contained in the form of a house, hence the name..." Turning, he gestured to the door leading out of the living room. "Beyond that door is the hall way. There is an infinite number of doors in the hallway, and they all lead to something different. You may find yourself in a room filled to the brim with old socks, or in a grand garden. Endless possibilities. I should say however, that you can die here, and some of the rooms are extremely dangerous. Best watch your head."

Archue | hell maze | ~∂єѕтιиу

He paused, mulling over the response he got then shrugged. "Thats a very good point, I concur," he said eventually. 

It was still a bit frustrating how unyielding Vincent was to conversation, but at this point he dared not complain; any company was welcome in this instant. Not just because he was irritated, but because this room gave him some instinctual reason to believe being alone would be worse. "Though, I will say that most rooms don't bother me very much. This one is... more unnerving. I can't quite put my finger on it..."

His eyebrows bounced up and he looked over at him after hearing the gentle chide, which made him grin. "Oh no, you look fine. Perhaps a bit more approachable than normal, even," he chuckled, "I just hadn't expected it, you seem very high class and posh, " he explained. But with Vincents eyes on him, oh he was absolutely smitten and dared to strike just a bit of a pose. "Lovely, isn't it? It was a gift, I believe. I'm quite fond of it- some sort of... ceremonial garb." As he moved, the intricate gold chains jostled and jingled with each other, and the sparse silken cloth was so delicate it blew in a breeze that wasn't even there. The decorative shawl he had draped over his arms was less petite, but still elegant in the designs embroidered onto it. To make the design more visible, he shrugged it up onto his shoulders. 
After his moment of modelling glory, he became quite frustrated again. "Beautiful, isn't it? Just the epitome of fantastical clothing. But can you believe it! Someone tried to set me on fire and ruin all this while I was walking through the streets! Damn bastard, I wanted to set him ablaze right there and watch him burn to a screaming crisp. I wish I'd killed him on the spot," he said heatedly. 

Archie | Hell maze | ~∂єѕтιиу

Another shrug, and the hints of a genuine smirk. "I don't know, nothing? It hadn't really crossed my mind before. Not judging, you do look incredibly comfortable and everybody can agree with that, I think," he said quickly, finding that bit of a reaction to be incredibly amusing. 

But back to his distress... He had turned about and started walking along the path that was visible to them, curious as to where it might lead. From what he could tell, it led nowhere besides the black edges of the vague light source. Still, he thought it warranted a bit of exploration and gave him the excuse to stomp about. 
"Because I can't, goddammit!" he hissed, gesturing his anger with his fists and too caught up in his fit to realize that Vincent might be too intelligent to take that any way besides literally. 
Continuing to march forward, it was only a few seconds later that he stopped mid step, stiff. Oh f**k. Thinking quickly, he tried to amend the damage that hopefully hadn't even been done yet and turned to face the blond with a smile. Still frustrated, but smiling. "I have an image to maintain, of course!... I can't just kill locals." That was a very blatant lie, and his smile was wavering. Even his hands were getting a bit shaky in his worry. Unrealistic worry perhaps, given how people usually blew off his zany comments, but he hadn't ever let himself slip like that before. Not in front of someone important that he couldn't do away with.

He would never genuinely care that much about public appearances, and if he did he could just very well eradicate the memory of it from peoples minds. Hopefully, Vincent wouldn't be able to put that together. 

Ravohyr | beach room | Ononoki

He wasn't surprised when she didn't take the tease like she had before, but then it didn't bother him very much and soon enough she was further in anyways. This was nice, he hadn't gotten to just hang out with someone non-hostile in a good while. "I do like it here," he agreed, sitting himself up a bit straighter and completely unaware of the approaching danger. "Not because of the shallows, though they are nice. But there are no Slaughterfish to be wary of here, and its so clear and beautiful you needn't worry about mud." 

Slowly his eyes closed again and he sighed, repositioning himself and taking in a deep breath, letting his chest pull the rest of him to the surface until he was floating on his back. Ononoki was quite good company, he thought; not particularly aggressive, and a good conversationalist from what he'd experienced. Though she was a bit odd, he thought it made her interesting. 
Oh yes, interesting indeed.

Ravohyr raised an eyebrow and peered at her after the cryptic statement, frowning slightly. "Well, you're someone, are you not? So I wouldn't be alone, unless you yourself intend to kill me. I'm not particularly afraid of death, though, since I can't imagine it would be of importance. And the Nine will guide my spirit," he said with confidence. After he'd said it he did wonder if they could see him in this strange place. He hoped so, hoped they could reach this far. Surely they could, they were all powerful. 

The water around them began to ripple a bit more, and initially he thought nothing of it. A gentle breeze, he figured. It seemed fitting for such a peaceful place. But something brushed his back as he laid floating in the water and he opened his eyes again, looking over at the blue headed girl. Still in the same place, as far as he could tell. "Did you bump me for something?" he inquired, lifting his head to sit himself up again.

Ravohyr | beach room | Ononoki

"I suppose you could say that... Its not a wonder you haven't heard of them, though, some in the other provinces haven't encountered them either. They are the divine gods of Tamriel, the continent I live on, along with the Daedric princes, also gods but in less of a 'divine' sense, from what I gather... I don't worship them, so I don't know much. There are more Daedra, though, each with titles of their own. The people of Morrowind are more inclined to them, and Cyrodil, where I'm from, lean towards the Nine," he explained, finding that through his explanation he grew more curious about the details of it all. Perhaps when he returned he'd have to look into it more, find a religious speaker or something. He hadn't thought about it much before. 

But with her confirmation she hadn't disturbed him, a bit of worry did eek at him and he found it more difficult to relax in the water. Still, he brushed it off under the logic that there were probably fish in the water. Not Slaughterfish, probably, but still fish. Just as there were vegetation. If there was one life form, why not another? "No, I don't think so... I very much hope they stayed where they belong and didn't follow me here," he said. The statement struck him as.. something? Maybe a chide, or some sort of taunt? But as he eye'd her, he couldn't distinguish any such intent and decided, just like her talk of 'posed looks', that it would just be another odd thing and not to take any particular offense. Instead, he just half smiled and shook his head.

Shifting about again, he returned to floating on his back. This time he did not close his eyes, and instead stared up at the perfectly lovely sky. "I don't care much for fish in general, or crabs," he went on. "Bit too slimy for me."

Vincent | Hell Maze | Shadepelt15

Vincent said nothing as Archie tried to save himself from the deep hole he was digging under himself. He certainly was comfortable, probably more so than triangle t**s over here. 

He started following as Archie marched off, hands still hanging in his pockets. He was careful to keep his eyes on his feet, watching Archie’s heels at the top of his peripheral. As the god started stomping around in frustration, he stopped his decent and waited patiently for his company to continue. He didn’t seem to give any mind to the comment, and didn’t seem to plan on answering, but that was before the god suddenly froze in place. 

He lifted his eyes now, annoyed - though his expression softened as the skinny bastard started spitting random excuses. He glanced at the god’s wavering hands and tight smile, his own smirk masked within the darkness that failed to illuminate the other side of his face. “What does public image matter?” He challenged, though his tone was casual. He wasn’t sure what yet, but Archie had just let something slip...something important.  

Vince | Hell Maze | Shadepelt15

Vincent could see the stress held in Archie’s expression. It was amusing to watch the god try and dance his way around whatever mistake he’d just made, but the blond’s expression was stern as Archie spat out some more gibberish. He hummed slightly at his words, head tilting slightly as he turned heel. “How is that going for you?” He continued, his uncharacteristic eagerness for conversation acting as a clear sign that he knew something was up.

As the light went out, he paused, then continued as he heard Archie do so. He slid his feet carefully, dragging his feet in a careful berth around and in front of him before putting any weight down. It was slow, but he trusted that he wouldn’t fall.

At Archie’s suggestion, he slid his foot so his toe found the edge. He hadn’t seen a bottom even in the light...and he wasn’t sure how safe it be for either one of them to try throwing themselves over. “Try it.” He said with a shrug.

Myrnin | Ice Sculpture Room/Living Room | Numquam

"Couple miles across and wide," Myrnin said dismissively. "It's small. Large enough to serve the purpose it needs to." It was large enough for Myrnin too.
"Suppose you could say that I only leave for missions," he said, hesitating a bit. "But I honestly hardly ever do any of those either."
He didn't elaborate more, just because he didn't think it was important. It seemed likely that there just wasn't a lot more for him to say, since he didn't think along the progressing line of logic that way.

Myrnin didn't mind sliding down the ice. Breakneck speed had never really terrified him, particularly since it probably wasn't going to break his neck. He tended to go fast anyway. Fast was just part of being a vampire. But he didn't usually have so little control. That was what made it exhilarating.
His brain could pick out movement a lot better than a humans, so he saw Eises disappear in what to him felt like several seconds before he was due to. There was time to prepare, at least a little, as he tumbled through the ice and into the warmer confines of the House's living room. That was fun, at least for him. He hit the floor in a roll, tumbling a bit before crashing into the back of a couch. He still found himself laughing, even as his elbow stung. It was with a bit of effort that he made it to his feet. But he did make it.
"You okay?" he asked Eises.

Kelsier’s outlook on life seemed… not simple, exactly, but far less complex than Nico’s was. Saying it was simple would have been disparaging, and the truth was that Nico had to respect the way Kelsier saw the world. Like he could take everything from life that it hadn’t given him freely. That he could fight his way out of the House, no issue, that he could choose his own friends without the House’s influence. Nico may not have agreed with that way of seeing things, but he wouldn’t deny Kelsier the chance to view it like that. It was much more optimistic than Nico tended to be. Kelsier could win his impossible war simply by saying he was going to, but Nico’s thoughts about his own were… well, much more practical. Much more planned out. It didn’t mean that his way of dealing with the weight on his shoulders was any better than the way Kelsier did it, but it was different. And he envied Kelsier the confidence to look at something impossible and say ‘well, I’ve faced worse.’
Perhaps that was why, even after everything, Nico found he liked Kelsier. They were both stubborn as hell, they were both willing to do everything it took to save their worlds, and neither seemed inclined to back down, even when it was in their best interest. Funny, how similar they were, when they had started out as enemies. Perhaps the House had known that they were in very similar positions in their worlds. Perhaps it had known that they both had secrets to hide. Perhaps they were going against the House’s expectations by discovering that, or perhaps they were just playing into its hands. Nico found he didn’t care either way. This… this easy conversation with Kelsier, while terrifying in a way, was much better than being enemies.
“I’d say I’m writing my own story,” Nico began, crossing his arms, “Only I doubt the name of the author matters when it’s a story that nobody will ever read.” The thought wasn’t as cynical or nihilistic as it sounded. If everything went well, nobody would need to tell Nico’s story after he was gone. Nobody would need to recount every time he faltered, or the horrors he lived through. If everything went well, it would be like the world had never been in danger, and Nico could go back to being a normal kid at Camp – or… as normal as he could get. Maybe he would be mentioned in stories of the Seven, but he wasn’t banking on it. He would help where he could, but he preferred to stay in the shadows anyway. He didn’t need recognition so much as he just needed… friends that weren’t scared of him. Friends that didn’t still hold his betrayal against him, even if he never forgave himself for that. Friends who would let him take his second chance. He didn’t need to be a hero, he didn’t need people saying his name after he died.
If Nico knew the sort of promises that Kelsier made to himself, he would have slapped him. Promises were sacred to him, they were unbreakable, which was why he was trying so hard to fulfill his own promises. He knew what the pain of a broken promise felt like, and he also knew what the House could do. Any promises Kelsier made to himself, the House could snap in two. It was far better to avoid making promises you weren’t absolutely positive you could keep. Of course, that made Nico a hypocrite.
That was an easy enough thought to let slide when there was so much else to think about – when there was really no need to worry about anything. If Kelsier were just going to up and kill him, he would have done it by now. That didn’t mean that Nico’s walls fell entirely, it just meant that… perhaps the layer of barbed wire around them had been removed.
It had been too long since Nico had let himself be a child. It had been too long since he’d played anything, even War Games or Capture the Flag. He’d sworn to himself that he was done being a frightened little boy when he had sat alone in the Labyrinth, keeping warm by the fire he’d built from the Mythomagic cards he must have collected for decades. Yet another broken promise, but laying in a heap on top of the ice, laughing so hard it hurt, Nico wasn’t sure he cared about this one. Perhaps that had been a promise that was made to be broken, a promise that held him back rather than pushed him forward. But if he thought like that, Nico di Angelo was a hypocrite. In this moment, however, he didn’t mind.
“Good,” Nico managed, his pale cheeks flushed red from the cold. The benefit of falling once before was that Nico had already gotten good at getting back on his feet. Kelsier didn’t seem to struggle though, which was probably a good thing. Quick learners, the two of them. Though Nico could tell that, without a doubt, Kelsier was far more graceful than Nico himself was. Perhaps that was part of being Mistborn. Nico would have to ask later, when he wasn’t seconds away from dissolving into laughter again. It had been… years since he felt like this.
“You could make them,” Nico suggested quietly, “If you’ve got frozen lakes around. I… I’ll admit, I don’t know what the climate of your world is. If it’s warm all year round I’m not sure that would work as well. But if it ever gets cold enough to freeze… I’ve heard of people who just throw water out onto the ground and skate on that.” Nico shrugged, looking up at Kelsier. He wanted to ask who Dockson was, but he didn’t want to push it. They were – no pun intended – on very thin ice with each other. If the wrong questions were asked, then everything they had begun to build could crash down. Nico wasn’t sure he wanted to take that risk.