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

Well, that answered that.

Not really wanting to stand around with this cargo taking up an arm which he might need, Sandalphon walked over towards the couch and put it down. Ignoring the way the poor piece of furniture's legs audibly creaked from the all the weight, he turned back towards the girl and leaned against the crate.

"You were going about your business as usual, when you suddenly ended up here, right?" The Primarch began, stopping for a moment as yet another human blinked in and instantly started asking questions.

Right on time for an introduction then.

He was still relatively new himself, but he'd learned enough about how the house functioned to at least give a basic explanation of it.

Or, his version of one anyway...

"The same thing is happening to me as well, along with many others. Those others, 'blinkers' as they refer to themselves, call this place 'The Paradox House'.
The master of this plane, another Primal I'm presuming, has taken to casually plucking anyone it feels like, from any time and place, and dropping them into this realm in the shape of a mortal abode. I haven't ascertained why exactly, be it for entertainment, or some sort of test. There is no obvious rhyme, or reason to any of it, from what I've seen."

He didn't stop to think if the other blinkers would even understand what he was talking about, as he really wasn't one to mince his words. He did add in a bit more, albeit with a hint of hesitation thanks to his last blink however, in case that wasn't enough.

"If you have more questions, feel free to ask. I'll try to answer them to the best of my abilities-"

Sandalphon cut himself off.

"As long as they have nothing to do with playing any childish games..."

"Is that so?" Sandalphon's brows rose in response to the human girl's reaction, as he crossed his arms and tilted his head to the side, hints of amusement lightly playing at his face. Deciding to humor her, he returned her snark with a bit of his own. "Whether you do so or not doesn't matter to me. Just remember, if you can't take others seriously, expect to receive the same in return."

Hmm, if they ended up in a room, things would be... Interesting to say the least.

Getting back on track, he shook his head while he addressed the pair's questions about leaving. "Hmph. Believe me, I don't care to be here either. But no, we can't return home. Not until our host decides to send us back anyway." Which in his case, was always after facing some fresh hell or another. "Once it does, you're returned to the exact moment you left. No time will have passed."

Part of the Primarch wanted to leave his explanation at that, but catching sight of it in his peripheral vision, he knew that cursed door sitting off to their side wouldn't go ignored forever. It already wasn't, judging by the way the older one was side-eyeing too. It was best they knew what dangers might lay beyond.

Begrudgingly, he went on. "Well there is a way out of this room, although I highly suggest staying away." He said, pointing a thumb towards the living room door. "That doorway leads out to a hallway filled with even more doors. Each one of those then leads somewhere different, from relatively normal things like abandoned temples, to more... undesirable destinations, such as alternate versions of our reality. Once you enter one, there's no coming back until you either find the 'exit', or are simply sent home."

One could easily hear the disdain behind that last example, the way Sandalphon clenched his jaw only serving to make his feelings more obvious. It had been a while since that room, but the horrific sight of a blue sky tainted red, accompanied by falling islands still haunted him to this day. Not to mention how the whole thing had not been dissimilar to having salt rubbed into a raw wound.

Ononoki - hunger games room - sachiko, the doctor

The dim light of the cave struck Ononoki's face, as if illuminating the lifting of her eyelids while The Doctor left. Was she surprised? Or just settling in to a new placated pose? The doll girl stepped out of this light at once and started after the other blinker. She didn't want to leave this new Doctor to their own devices, especially with a questionable memory. Still not knowing if this person really remembered her, she was prepared to protect them. Even to protect Arlo, someone she hardly knew.

And so Ononoki walked quietly, with steady feet and nothing to say. For someone potentially hurrying to save someone, she lacked any pep in her step, instead acting completely calm.

Kelsier | Hunger Games Viewing Room | mintedstar/fur and strider

Kelsier heard Myrnin’s murmur, but chose not to respond, mostly because he thought it made him seem more mysterious. Whether it actually did or not was another matter entirely.
They were getting along fairly well, he thought. If only they could have continued.
He’d really expected his plan to work. That was what was supposed to happen, right? His plans were supposed to work, he was supposed to figure out how to make them work. Nico was supposed to laugh and realize that this was a game, he was supposed to take hope from Kelsier’s life.
But that wasn’t how it went.
Kelsier watched Nico walking, and nearly punched the screen, but stopped himself. That wouldn’t solve this. That was probably what the House wanted him to do, to ruin his only chance of helping the boy. He had no proof the House wanted any such thing, but he held onto the thought, because it soothed him, if only a little.
“We have to try again.” He said flatly. There was no way he was stopping now. The House could go right to hell if it thought he was done.
He looked at Myrnin, and as much as he hated to admit it, the vampire was right. Nico had assumed it was the House playing tricks on them, because all their interactions were in the House, and therefore fair game for whatever the House decided to do. They were playing on the enemies property.
Well, that was what Kelsier did for a living.
He looked sharply at Myrnin as the other blinker nearly fell over, his sharp hazel eyes not missing the expression - or lack of - on his face.
“What?” He asked, then paused, getting it. “Oh. You aren’t going to zone out and try to kill me again, are you?”
That was seeming slightly more likely than Kelsier liked. He narrowed his eyes slightly, but he didn’t think it was worth pursuing too much right now, when they had other things to think about. His eyes followed Myrnin’s fingers, and then he looked at the screen just as the words vanished.
He shook his head, puzzled. He had no idea what that was. But if Myrnin thought it would help Nico, then Kelsier was willing to give it a shot.
“Good luck, whatever that is.” He muttered. “You’re gonna need it.”

L | Hunger Games Viewing Room | same

L considered that answer. Yes, he supposed. It was true that it depended on your definition of real, and it was true that that varied between people. Sam also made a good point when he talked about independence and thought. Maybe the House made people were real. It was something he had considered before, too.
Especially since the clones. But before that too.
Of course, that raised several more questions, but maybe now wasn’t the time for them. L simply nodded, and left it at that.
“Yes, it does.” He agreed, satisfied with the answer. “Thank you. And I suppose if there were two of us, which there likely are at least that many, then it wouldn’t change much. After all, why should it matter if there are two of you?”
He paused, then nodded again.
“I know him.” He offered, pointing to the man with the guitar. “His name is Orpheus.”

"Yes, that's usually the case." Sandalphon confirmed. He unfolded his arms and leaned further back against his seat, gaze momentarily wondering off. "Most of the time any- Hey! Hold on!" He couldn't say it surprised him that the girl decided to completely ignore his warning, opting to abruptly take leave of the conversation and have a casual stroll towards the living room exit.

Not this nonsense again... At least the other one was being more cautious, which was somewhat relieving.

Before the archangel could get up to follow after her, his attention was stolen downward when he heard a loud crack from the couch beneath him. It'd held out as long as it could, but the weight of the crate bearing down on it, along with the Primal sitting on top, was proving too much.

The back legs went first, sending both a wide-eyed Sandalphon and his box of beloved products tumbling over backwards with a loud thud. About a dozen packages containing various types of coffee beans were scattered across the floor, thanks to the impact breaking the crate's seal.

What a paltry piece of furniture. How did its creator expect it to hold multiple people, when it couldn't even withstand the weight of a single load of cargo?

Cursing under his breath, the Primarch rose to his feet, unable to resist giving the ruined couch a nasty glare, like him crushing it were its fault. All those perfectly good ingredients he was forced to leave behind... Turning away, he swallowed the disappointment budding in his chest to focus on the events at hand.

"Sated your curiosity now?" He asked, passing by Steve so he could stand closer to the door frame. His left arm was now resting on the hilt of the sword hanging at his waist, one finger idly tapping against the pommel.

Nico | Hunger Games Room | ~∂єѕтιиу but also mintedstar/fur and ®Hawkpath® and anyone else who’s watching Nico in the viewing room

If Nico had been a little less out of it, he would have sensed life ahead of him. He would have swerved and tried to find a new way to go to get where he needed. He would have thought. But he didn’t notice Hook anywhere near him. He was exhausted, both mentally and physically, and his mind was focused on nothing but finding a way out. He’d lost everyone in the room that had mattered to him, after all. He didn’t want to hurt anyone else – the guilt from killing the woman from before (even though she wasn’t dead? He couldn’t tell) was still eating at his heart. He hadn’t meant to kill her. He hadn’t meant to.

When he suddenly found himself cornered, Nico’s body froze before his mind could process any of it. All he was aware of was a hand like a clamp on his shoulder and the feeling of a person far too close. The grass underneath Nico’s feet began wilting and dying, a circle of death spreading around the boy. The metal glint of a hook caught Nico’s gaze and his throat went dry. Hook.

Nico knew Hook had killed him before. He didn’t remember it, but that didn’t change the fact that it had happened. It didn’t matter, though. What mattered was the feeling of a hand against his shoulder and the way his breath quickened in response to it. The way his powers flared to life, seeping out of him. The air temperature dropped by several degrees and fear and death radiated out of Nico. He couldn’t reign it in, he couldn’t think straight, and then Hook said his name. The world seemed to snap into clarity and Nico tensed against Hook’s grip.

“Let go of me, Hook,” he muttered, voice low and threatening. He looked up to meet the pirate’s gaze, his breath still coming in quickened, ragged gasps. He was close to the edge of panic, close to unleashing his powers entirely and taking Hook down in a blaze of anguish. He managed to keep calm, just barely beating the memories and feelings back from the part of him that could still make decisions.

Finally, Hook let go. Though it felt like he was careening through the air, Nico found he could breathe again. He lessened the impact of his powers, though he knew his control was still fraying at the edges. The demigod managed to regain his balance before he fell backwards, and he met Hook’s dark, panicked gaze. For a heartbeat, he was afraid Hook would attack. They watched each other for several achingly long seconds before Nico realized Hook was just… letting him go. Or perhaps waiting for Nico to attack first. Nico didn’t have enough left in him to give Hook that particular satisfaction.

Hook wasn’t the patient type, Nico knew that. He didn’t tend to be wily or clever about the way he attacked – he attacked because he was angry, and Nico… gods, Nico understood that. He didn’t understand what was happening here, but he got the sense that if Hook was going to attack, he would have done it by now. Slowly, exhaustion began to wear at the edge of Nico’s fear, and he glanced at Hook for another few seconds before making his decision.

“I’m willing to bet,” Nico grimaced, “That we’ve both had a long day.” The tone of his voice was unreadable, weighed down by the magnitude of everything that had happened in the short period of time since he'd found himself in this room. It was time to keep going, and thank whatever gods were in Hook’s world that the pirate had, for whatever reason, decided that this fight wasn’t one worth fighting. His steps were slow and unsteady as he passed Hook, but he didn’t look back. They’d known each other for long enough to know, more or less, how the other operated. Stabbing someone in the back wasn’t either of their styles, particularly when an outright fight could be had.

Perhaps, Nico should have looked back. If he had, he would have noticed the parachute heading for where he’d been just moments before. He would have seen the sign Myrnin decided to send, and he would have elbowed Hook out of the way to get to it. Instead, Nico kept his eyes fixed on the horizon, and he kept moving forward.

Orpheus | Viewing Room | mostly ®Hawkpath® and mintedstar/fur but also still the viewing room as a whole

Orpheus’ music wasn’t working. It didn’t stop the deaths from happening, it didn’t stop the way the people in the room were looking at the screens, it didn’t change anything. Despite that, Orpheus kept playing. He pressed his fingers harder against the frets, trying to erase his own fear and uncertainty with the calm, quiet tones of the guitar. He couldn’t sing, not when he wasn’t sure if he could even manage to speak. People died. That happened, and he was aware of it, and he’d seen people close to him go through it. This, though, was barbaric. It was hard to watch, and Orpheus was worried he would start fraying, that he wouldn’t be able to do anything at all. That wasn’t an option here. He played a little louder, hoping it might spread the calm magic of the song a little bit further. He dreaded to see what the room might be like if he weren’t there to take the edge off the people who… who had died. Almost everyone here knew, now, what it was like to die. The thought felt like a dagger in Orpheus’ chest. He couldn’t save anyone. He couldn’t do anything he had promised L he would. Part of him wanted to talk to L, but he was occupied, at the moment, and Kelsier had found someone else to talk to as well.

It was harder to look away from the screens than Orpheus cared for. There was still so much pain and suffering that could still happen, and desperation rose up in Orpheus’ throat. No. It wasn’t his place to be upset about this. His job now was to help everyone who can who was dealing with this room. The people who had closer connections here, who had friends and loved ones still fighting and dying.

Orpheus’ attention shifted att he sound of his name. His playing became quieter again, and he nodded in recognition at L and the boy he was speaking to. Hesitant about whether the name had been an invitation or not, he edged closer, still playing for the room, but ensuring he was in earshot if there was something L had wanted to say.

Archie | Hell maze | ~∂єѕтιиу

"No, not really. It would be interesting though,  I've met a few sentient robotic creatures and they were all very entertaining company. Guess you could chalk it up to my aimless curiosity, and my need of a distraction of course," he said, lifting a hand and twirling it about in a dismissive manner. How could someone possibly be so up tight all the time, he wondered? Then again he didn't know what his home life was like, and in theory he should respect all life forms... But it was just so much fun to pick and nag all of them...

But for now he supposed he may as well let the blond bastard relax and take a break from being his wall to bounce conversation off of. Apparently that too was exhausting for some people. Shame Adrian wasn't here, that would be significantly more entertaining, although more dangerous for his small friend. Frowning, he retracted that thought. Better to be fidgety than to wish his young friend into harms way. 

Recalling himself to the task at hand,  feeling about in the darkness hadn't proven much of anything he didn't already expect; the path continued on beyond their vision in the darkness, shrouded but still present. Why didn't the light reach it here? The light flickered off and the stop watch in his head stopped with it, stashing away the time. Nothing could come of the observations yet, he needed more times to compare. He continued in the direction he was going before, hoping to make some semblance of progress without being hindered by darkness.

When it flickered back on, however, he found himself within its beam again. Drawing his eyebrows together hard, he stood up and looked back behind him at Vincent, then where he was standing, then forward again. Archie hadn't felt himself move, he was certain. And yet, the void he had been encroaching on was about twenty feet further down the path again "Well, this is perplexing. Do you suppose the path moves itself in the dark?" he inquired to the air, raising one hand and popping a cane into his grip. "Or could it be the light itself is moving about, do you think?"

Hook | HG Room | strider & the observers

Hook’s gaze narrowed, waiting for the demigod to react to him. His words had seemingly no affect on the pirate, earning nothing but his long hesitation and a cold look before he shoved the kid backwards. His finger tips felt cold and stiff as he pulled away, though he made no effort to differentiate what was the effect of his own panicked senses compared to that of the boy’s powers. His gaze shifted downwards briefly, and his expression hardened in response to the decay spreading around the demigod’s proximity.

His jaw was set when he lifted his eyes back to Nico’s expression. He seemed tired, and pissed about it. Surely his expression looked similar... After several seconds spent gawking at each other in silence, the man allowed his weight to fall back on his heels, his anxious preparation finally settling into an uneasy stillness. His expression stayed stony, lifting into a slight sneer as the other blinker started to speak. He didn’t say anything, but his chin lifted in acknowledgment when he finished. It wasn’t much of a nod, but he seemed to be agreeing.

His muscles tightened when Nico took the first step forward, jolting sharply as if to react; though his feet stayed firmly planted. Distrusting eyes followed the demigod’s every step, and the man slowly shifted his weight to the opposing side when Nico started to make his way around him. He didn’t turn with him, paranoid that any kind of movement would initiate unwanted conflict, so he turned his gaze forward as the boy slipped from his peripheral. Fear was crawling across the side of him that Nico had moved towards, the nerves in his neck twinging in anticipation as he could hear the demigod shift towards his back.

He could hear vegetation rustling as the other blinker moved forward a couple of strides, just starting to cusp the end of his range. The man was beginning to contemplate letting out the breath he’d been holding when Nico capitalized on his advantage. With no sound of warning, something collided with the back of the pirate’s head, and he whipped around in a second.

He didn’t have the time to wonder why Nico had decided to attack, or to even feel if the blow had been painful or not - because he knew that if he didn’t respond to the initiative immediately, he’d be dead in an instant. Unfortunately for the demigod, the pirate’s first blow was often fatal if his opponent didn’t block it...or wasn’t prepared to. With only the thud of one step to signify his approach, the pirate had reached his left arm towards the front of Nico’s throat, then ripped backwards across the fleshy side of his neck. His other hand planted on the boy’s opposing shoulder, pushing him forward and around as his arms moved together to spin him to face him, all while forcing his weapon deeper into the wound.

The pirate leaned back defensively, though he was certain his retaliation had finished the job. His...retaliation...
His good hand moved to his head, where’d he’d felt the attack, and his expression went slack as he realized just how light the contact had been.

Sam didn't mind the awkwardness. He got the awkwardness. It sounded like Nico had just dumped a whole bunch of it. Now Sam was just trying to multitask in his head to work out what to process and when.
One thing at a time hardly worked at all and he ended up remaining silent for several long seconds as he tried to work this all out. He started from the back of what Nico said forward. After all, that was the level of how personal things got.
The "Doors of Death" were open. And there were monsters. He'd known the latter part already, but now he just felt less inclined for Nico to find out what he was. It sounded like the undead monsters were a problem. He couldn't help feeling bad, like he wanted to turn away after hearing that. How could he be expected to react any other way?
But he didn't react like that and instead ended up processing what he could.
Nico was a Greek summoning Roman dead.
But he got lost a bit anything further than that.
"Wait," Sam said, feeling guilty he had to ask. "You have Romans? Living Romans? And your father is Death?"
Sam wasn't sure if he'd followed that correctly or not. The thought of a room was drifting a bit. But he ever so slowly gestured to the hallway, shifted position, and slowly started going that way. He didn't take his confused attention off Nico though. Not so much that Nico was this as much as he hadn't even gotten past the details yet.

Nico heard a sound behind him, and his entire body tensed. What- he didn’t have time to finish his thought before pain, hot and cold at the same time, lanced through him. He tried to breathe in, but found he couldn’t, his surroundings spinning around him. Or perhaps he was spinning, he noted disjointedly as he found Hook’s face suddenly leering at him. His face froze in an expression of shock, surprise, and – surprisingly – betrayal. And then it was over and Nico dangled on the edge of the hook for a few moments before his body dropped limply to the ground.
Nico opened his eyes fully expecting to find himself in a room with other dead-eyed people who had been waiting there for a while. Nico wouldn’t have to wait, of course – he wouldn’t even need to pay Charon if he didn’t want to. Opening his eyes, he found he wasn’t entirely wrong. He was still surrounded by the dead, but only in a sense. They all were alive… well, as alive as someone like Myrnin or Sam could be. Sam? He hadn’t even been in the room, or else Nico hadn’t felt him die… no, he cared about Sam, he should have felt it… his breath was coming in ragged gasps as he pressed himself further into the corner he’d blinked into. The room was bright, too bright for Nico’s liking, and he squeezed his eyes shut, lightly twirling Victoria’s chain around his wrist. She was here too, it seemed, though Nico didn’t feel like opening his eyes again to check. He could feel the energy that always followed her.
Breathe, he had to remind himself, none too gently. The air seemed to catch in his throat. Hook. He wasn’t particularly surprised to have died at the pirate’s hand – it wouldn’t be the first time – but he hadn’t expected it. He’d always had more tolerance for the pirate’s violent side than most of the others anyway. It seemed that most of it was directed at him, for some reason he couldn’t comprehend. Perhaps he was just unlucky.
It wasn’t his death that was bothering him most, though. It was the burning feeling of Hook’s hand on his shoulder, and he couldn’t get away from it. He’d pushed the thoughts away when it had happened, but now there was nothing to run from. Other than the inevitable conversation he’d have to have with Kelsier about the grave he’d dug – he’d seen the screens when he’d opened his eyes briefly. He knew he’d been seen. Or the conversations he’d have to have with anyone else, for that matter. He wasn’t sure he was up to talking to anyone.
He clutched at tufts of his hair, trying to get some of the awful feelings to just go away. Everything felt like way too much at once, and Nico would have shadow travelled elsewhere if there were anywhere to go. Did the others know he was here yet? Myrnin would, Myrnin could tell certain things because he was a vampire, but he hadn’t said anything yet. Nico couldn’t have been there for more than a few seconds anyway, it was just that his mind had gone into overdrive, trying to keep him safe long after the danger had passed.



Orpheus fully made it over once it was clear an invitation had been extended. He didn’t know what, exactly to say. He’d only met L twice, but that was enough for Orpheus to at least start considering him a friend. He’d met a few other people as well, but he didn’t know anyone. Not like Kelsier seemed to, giving the fact he’d just punched the screen through – the boy. The boy who had considered Kelsier a hero. A tiny smile came to Orpheus’ face at that. Kelsier had said he didn’t deserve to be seen as such by the boy, but with how much he seemed to care? How could the boy see him as anything but?
He turned his attention back to Sam and L, surprise flickering across his face as he heard the question.
“Yes,” he replied softly. “Yes, I am sad. This is…” he shrugged helplessly. “Nobody deserves to be thrown into something like this.” He meant the room on the screens, not the room they were currently in.
L’s question, once he had processed it, was blunt. But necessary. He shook his head, letting the chords build for a moment as he figured the best way to phrase his response. “I came here when you all… were out there. I heard the instructions, but they weren’t directed at me.” It seemed like a cruel joke, but he didn’t say that. He just wanted to help people, and all he got the chance to do was watch them die.
“Nice to meet you, Sam,” he forced some levity into his voice. He almost added ‘I’m Orpheus,’ but L had already covered that bit, and he stopped himself before he could make a fool of himself. Not that he minded making a fool of himself, just that… it wasn’t what they needed to be focused on right now.
His gaze turned back to where L was looking, at Kelsier and the other man and the shattered glass. Suddenly his smile from before seemed a lot more coldhearted than he’d intended. The boy had died.
“He was a child,” Orpheus whispered, stricken. So far everyone who had died had been an adult, but there were kids in that room. Suddenly, the fact that they were all going to die pressed even harder against Orpheus. Even if they came back… it didn’t make it right.