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Post by ~∂єѕтιиу on May 25, 2021 11:42:18 GMT -5
Hook | Amplifier Room
Hook gave Czeslaw a cold look, ignoring the blabbering of L as he took a moment to respond to the immortal. “Careful not to antagonize me right now,” he warned in a low voice, leaning slightly over him. He sat back upright with a deep sigh as L’s voice came back into focus, and raised his index finger at Czes to signify that he give him just a moment.
He then faced L with a tired expression, his eyebrows slightly raised as he let the man finish his spiel. His right hand had formed a fist hanging loosely at his side, though he remained patient and even curious to hear what L wanted to say to him. Once he was done, however, a small smile hit the captain’s face and he immediately followed through with blow to the side of the detective’s face. He pulled the punch just slightly, mostly because he didn’t want L to lose consciousness yet, but the follow through still led him into a forward motion as he grabbed L’s shoulder, leading them towards the wall a few paces.
“If this were my world, your smart mouth would’ve been split open and beatin’ into the f[oops]ing brick the first time you disrespected me.” He spat out, “This ain’t my world, but it ain’t yours either.” He pushed him forward into the wall a bit, giving the both of them a moment to collect themselves if L was bold enough to try and retaliate. “Your standards mean nothing to me, if you don’t like that, stay the hell out of the way.”
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Post by Razzle Dazzle on May 25, 2021 12:48:27 GMT -5
Czes - Amp Room - Orpheus, L, Hook
Not to antagonize? What a task, when apparently even playing music was antagonizing. The kid still upheld his comment that Hook was particularly aggressive, but even as someone who usually shied away from such aggression, he stood his ground. From Czeslaw's perspective, they were both wrong. He hadn't thought Orpheus's music was helping, and he hadn't thought it was hurting either. In his opinion, Hook and L were just making things more troublesome than they needed to be. They were overreacting. Had they not developed the capacity to completely ignore whatever was bothering them? It was a useful skill; Czeslaw could tell them all about it.
Technically right when Orpheus suggested 'figuring out' the room, he graduated to being wrong as well. But at least he was doing what Czeslaw expected. He had planned to go into this room and watch him flounder to solve the Paradox House's trials. There was no attachment to this person. In fact, he had only just learned based on what L said that his name was Orpheus.
Admittedly, he jumped when the punch struck. But instead of cowering, Czeslaw advanced. Why did he care? Normally he would let things play out, but he couldn't seem to control his own legs as they strode forward.
"All you're doing is proving the point," he snarled, with an inflection too close to that of an adult. He stood there expectantly, with Hook's back to him, waiting to see if the violence would escalate. This time he certainly wouldn't be startled by it. An unexpected thumbtack could strike fear into this kid if only for a moment, but he could convince himself a stabbing was comfortable as long as he knew it was coming.
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on May 25, 2021 13:01:55 GMT -5
L heard what Orpheus was saying, but it wasn’t what he paid attention to. No...what he heard was the way his voice raised too high. The way he was clearly trying to help in a situation where someone was not having it. There were people who didn’t seem to know how to listen. There were people who didn’t think before they acted. If Hook had been ten, eleven, thirteen, this would have been...not acceptable, but understandable behavior, and L had certainly dealt with worse. Mello, for example, was very good at acting impulsively and had gotten into plenty of fights. Then the punch landed and L’s head snapped to the side, a grunt of pain and surprise escaping him as he reeled and tried to catch himself. He was a little bit off balance, and he realized he’d been right to be wary of Hook’s fighting skills. This was clearly far from the first time he’d ever hit someone. He managed to stay upright as his shoulder was grabbed and he stumbled into the wall, his hands braced against it as he caught himself. Czeslaw’s voice was heard, and as with Orpheus, he analyzed the tone, noting the mature voice he used. He wasn’t wrong, either. This wasn’t conducive to their escape. Hook wasn’t going to stop, though. He was an active threat now, as far as L was concerned, and he’d rather deal with that before someone got stabbed. There was that, a lovely, reasonable side to the equation. There was also the fact that L really hated to lose. He decided he wasn’t losing his temper, after all. He felt fairly calm, if not deeply irritated with the pain on the side of his face. He suspected he’d have a bruise, and considered whether that would make it harder to stay undercover. “My standards…?” He repeated in a low voice. Anyone who knew him would feel the annoyance pulsing through it. “You may be right about that. Yes, I suspect my standards are meaningless to you. However…” He ducked and his foot shot up in a practiced kick aimed for Hook’s head, not hard enough to knock him unconscious but hard enough to hurt. His dark eyes were narrowed and focused and his mouth was set in a thin line. “...if this is the language you understand, I happen to speak it, as well.” |
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Transgender
strider
No mourners, no funerals
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Post by strider on May 25, 2021 13:46:09 GMT -5
Okay, so trying to negotiate peace wasn’t working. It wasn’t that he wanted to get out of the room, it was that he wanted to see what the room had to offer, and Hook was making it very, very difficult. He wasn’t sure what to expect until he saw Hook’s hand fly, saw L’s head snap, saw how he staggered backwards… no, he decided. He didn’t like violence. And he most certainly didn’t like violence among his friends. He could try to intervene, but that would just create more violence, and that wasn’t ideal… he frowned, remembering the last time he had tried to punch something. He’d ended up with a broken thumb. He shook his head, glancing at Czeslaw to see if the kid was going to do anything. The one blessing was that L knew how to fight. He could hold his own, though it would be difficult if Hook decided to use his hook as a weapon… Orpheus didn’t want to wait and let that happen, especially since it seemed more likely now that L had retaliated (though Orpheus didn’t judge him for that in the slightest. In fact, he found himself hoping that the kick landed, though he would never admit that to anyone). The point was, he needed to find a way to stop this before it got serious. Before someone was irreparably hurt. He shifted his guitar back to a playing position, hoping that Czeslaw wouldn’t take issue with it (as he was likely the only one paying any attention to Orpheus at the moment). His fingers landed confidently on the frets and he strummed down as hard and as loud as he could. A discordant collection of notes, loud enough and awful enough to draw attention. “Enough!” Orpheus said, voice barely loud enough to be heard in the ensuing silence from the chord. “We should not be fighting each other here. I understand that working together isn’t likely, but other blinkers are not your enemy!” |
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Post by ~∂єѕтιиу on May 25, 2021 15:11:30 GMT -5
Hook | Amplifier Room
Hook flexed his fingers as he carefully watched for L’s next movements, his eyes narrowed dangerously on the man. He glanced to side irritably as Czeslaw spoke, knowing there was some truth to his words. He’d been trying to prove a point for the past two years...if he kept going now he’d definitely lose whatever sliver of progress all that effort had gotten him. He seemed to contemplate responding before L brought the attention back into himself with his attack.
The pirate sucked in a breath as pain flooded through his temple, but the man’s feet managed stayed mostly planted as he reeled in the direction of the blow. He braced his weight on his toes and through his knees, then sunk back to his heels, one eye slightly more squinted as he grinned back at the detective. “[oops] it,” he chuckled to himself before lurching forward. The heaviness of his natural stance shifted drastically as he advanced, his left arm up defensively as he struck with his fist in a slight downward motion towards L’s face. Breaking a nose or even slicing through some skin with a ring would be a plus, but it wasn’t the pirate’s goal; he’d dragged the detective to the wall for another reason. His defensive side shifted as he dropped his weight and drove his left elbow up and into L’s ribcage.
He wond back for another blow when the loud noise of Orpheus’ guitar cut through the air, causing him to cringe slightly. In the moment of hesitation his good hand grabbed for the detective’s throat, planning to pin him. If the musician wanted them to work together then his friend would have to learn to watch his mouth first.
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Post by Razzle Dazzle on May 25, 2021 16:39:59 GMT -5
Czes - amp room - Hook, Orpheus, L
And now they were full-on fighting. He wished he had some kind of weapon. Not that he was a good fighter, but he might at least be able to stop them. He only occasionally carried a knife for self-defense but it wasn't on him today. Just as Czeslaw was reaching out toward the two locked in combat, not knowing what he was about to do, the sound of the guitar strum shook the room and he reared back.
Well, Orpheus was at least proving that music was doing something. Whether it would be a solution, it seemed more and more doubtful.
Even he wasn't used to being annoyed by music. Seeing other people cheerful... sometimes. But he did feel more irritated by it than usual. Just like the knot in his stomach was growing and growing.
"Aren't you going to stop them?!" His frustration boiled as he half-turned to Orpheus, his ears still recovering from that strum.
Curse being a child... I can't do anything here.
"Rather than playing music, why not actually do something useful?" He yanked on the neck of Orpheus's guitar suddenly, and in one smooth motion tightened one of the strings to the point he knew would be enough. He admittedly had to turn his head away so that it didn't strike him, at least not in his face--stringed instruments were no joke--and broke the string with a loud horrible snap. Whether it hit Orpheus, he hardly checked to see. It would be for the better really, because maybe it would wake him up to this mess.
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on May 25, 2021 17:03:50 GMT -5
L hadn’t liked Hook much before this room. It would even be safe to say he’d disliked him since their first meeting, which had been a long time ago, now. Long enough that he didn’t remember every word he’d said and every reply he’d gotten, anyway. It didn’t matter. He doubted there was a sentence in any world or any language that would get through Hook’s thick skull. At least his kick had landed, as he’d expected it to, though he hadn’t been completely sure after seeing Hook fight. This wouldn’t be a simple win by any means, especially not with the look in the pirate’s eye. You could tell a lot about a person by how they reacted to something like this. Somewhere, L was quite sure he was pleased that he’d been correct about Orpheus’ probable reaction, and somewhere, he regretted being at the center of more violence in his and Czeslaw’s life. He knew Orpheus had enough to deal with on his ship already. And there was Hook’s second attack. L backed away a little, not to escape but to give him a moment before the blow landed. And this time, his arms flew up to block it, his forearms creating a wall for the punch to land and his head ducking in case it made it through. He was about to make another kick and try to get the pirate down, but he was a moment too slow to block the elbow and sucked in a sharp breath as it connected, pain flooding his vision as he doubled over. Another bruise, most likely. The awful sound of Orpheus’ guitar cut through his thoughts as he forced himself to straighten up, and he paused, trying to clear his senses for a split second too long. Then suddenly he was pinned against the wall with Hook’s hand roughly pressed against his throat L Lawliet stopped moving. And stopped thinking. And stopped breathing. Logically, Hook looked nothing like Myrnin. He was taller...no, shorter...no - L couldn’t remember. And his hair was shorter - not so much anymore, though, Myrnin’s hair was short now, he reminded himself - well...they wore different clothes, then. And their eyes were different colors. Hook’s eyes were not the bright green sadness that had stared into L’s as his life bled away. But it felt like they were. He was paper white and shaking now. His eyes closed. It didn’t help. He couldn’t breathe. Logically, that was probably the panic. But then, there was also a hand against his throat. He couldn’t tell how hard Hook was pushing. He didn’t hear Czeslaw’s attack on Orpheus. Green, green, green. |
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Post by Razzle Dazzle on May 25, 2021 17:48:23 GMT -5
??? - Living Room - Nobody
A pair of placid brown eyes opened, and when they shifted slightly to find a stain in the ceiling, the reddish tones within them flashed. The teen's arms were crossed over his chest, but loosened when he gained consciousness.
A dream.
He opened his mouth, then closed it. That was odd. Usually in dreams, he had trouble speaking. But here he seemed to have complete control. Now it was time to stand up and explore. He moved his jacket from its purpose as a blanket, onto his shoulders. Nothing seemed particularly odd about this place, other than that he was alone, and that he couldn't remember how he had arrived here. If he had been kidnapped, it had been a terrible job. Not to mention the perpetrators would, without a doubt, be in trouble with the mafia because of this.
After making a full circle around the room, he reached the door and turned the handle.
Leaning out into the hallway. He was on one foot as he did so and gave a curious, chipper look to the nobody who was there.
Empty. No, that was wrong. There were doors on either side, in a pattern extending both ways. He had never seen such a terrible hallway.
Now, he closed the door. With all the information that was presented to him, he only had one thought.
What do I want to do now?
After all, he could do whatever he wanted. Well, not cast magic spells or anything too fantastical, but otherwise, anything he could think of. He wondered what this place had to offer.
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Asexual
Lark
Hello, its just, me, and 1567396558397583479 larks
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Post by Lark on May 25, 2021 18:44:02 GMT -5
Dipper - Living Room - Razz
(He's about to enter the hallway)
A young, brunette boy blinked into the somehow silent living room wearing the same old, same old outfit. Bits and pieces of grass draped over him, a layer of dust smeared across his black strap-on sneakers. Dipper adjusted his hand with one hand that was still shaking and the other dangled lifelessly. Images of the Pterodactyl flashed in front of his eyes, a ghostly sense of its jaws ensnaring them right then and there. After all this time he couldn't help but steal a wary glance around him like that would be any assistance to him. His brown eyes searched the room cautiously yet seeing nothing had changed, bean bags were strewn about one part of the floor and the bookshelf untouched.
After quite a while of fright and adrenaline, the boy caught his breath and heard the sound of a doorknob turning just around the corner. Creaking ever so slightly, his curiosity peaked at what might as well be a figment of his imagination. Then again this was the house - anything was possible here. He walked towards the doorway, pondering what or who he would face? Maybe he'd been plucked to an active room? Dipper shook his head to no one but himself, stuffing his scratched-up hands into the never-ending pockets of his navy blue vest.
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Post by <Raintalon> on May 25, 2021 19:03:42 GMT -5
Vincent - Living Room Vincent chuckled at her response - only assuming she was being disingenuous due to her lackluster tone. Being nameless wasn’t impossible in the House, but if the girl wanted to be sarcastic then he wouldn’t bother pressing further. “Call me Vincent, or Vince, should you prefer.” He gave a modest shrug. He took note of her look of distrust, but couldn’t think of reason to try and make friends with her just yet. He’d just be himself for now. "Okay, man," said Sol, still with her nose scrunched up in an expression of general disdain. She crumpled up the empty oreo packet with her un-knifed hand, and stuffed it in her pocket before reaching up to wipe the crumbs on her mouth with her oversized sleeve. "So," she began, plopping herself down on the couch and pulling out a small rock to sharpen her knife with. "You been here before?" |
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Post by <Raintalon> on May 25, 2021 19:18:30 GMT -5
Sol | Living room w/Toriko, Claire, and Dipper | dawn Razzle Dazzle Lark |Sol blinked into the living room(yes, again), holding a very bloody knife tightly in one fist and gasping for air as if she'd just run an Olympic marathon. Her clothes and face were streaked with blood and dirt, although it wasn't clear whose it was - and her hair was even more disheveled than usual, sticking up in matted chunks instead of its usual puffball. The second she felt her surroundings changed, she collapsed, sprawling flat on her back and heaving deep, chesty gasps as she tried to get her breath back. "This sucks," she managed, between breaths, the knife still clenched in one hand.
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on May 25, 2021 19:25:16 GMT -5
Setting up the board was as natural as breathing for L. He didn’t need to think about it, his fingers did it instinctively. It was something he’d been practicing since he’d been tiny, after all. He glanced up at Orpheus, his expression curious as he met the other person’s eyes. He wanted to try things that Orpheus liked, too...he wanted to learn what he enjoyed doing, and try it too. Maybe the House would let them...maybe the House would allow them this. Maybe they could grow closer that way. Danger had brought them together. Trust had begun when Orpheus could have left L to die in the snow and he hadn’t, and here they were...he reveled in the feeling of trusting another human being who wasn’t Watari. It had gotten even harder after the arena room, too, and yet he was pleased to find it was still possible to do. He was pleased to discover he was still capable of trust. He nodded, understanding the way he spoke about Eurydice. He hadn’t met her that many times, it seemed, and he had to consider that she could be dangerous - this was the problem with trusting someone, you had to start worrying about everyone else even more - even though he trusted Orpheus’ judgement. Besides, he hadn’t met her. He couldn’t form much of an opinion until he had. “Keep making this place even, then. That would be a bit of weight off,” he replied quietly. “For her, and everyone. If this were a sanctuary instead of a trap, she’d probably have to worry less.” He looked down at the board again, his eyes watchful as Orpheus made his move. Ah...a different approach. Common when you lost your first game. You wanted it to be as different from last time as you could make it. “How it’s not frightening for you, I don’t know,” he admitted, picking up a piece and studying it thoughtfully. “It’s...terrifying. I don’t trust people. Even those I work with, I watch constantly, in case they find a better reward than I can offer if they only stab me in the back.” He set the piece down in a different spot, making his move, “I trust two people, now. Watari and yourself. That’s all.” He couldn’t help his small smile as Orpheus continued, one eyebrow raising a little bit playfully. “I’d prefer to be a bird, anyway,” he mused, “they’re certainly odd enough, and they can fly. I can fly a helicopter, as you know, but I can’t fly without it.” |
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Post by ~∂єѕтιиу on May 25, 2021 19:47:56 GMT -5
</div>Vincent | Living Room Vince watched the girl work with a quirked eyebrow, biting back a sigh that she hadn’t put the knife away yet. He chuckled at her attempt to start a conversation, feeling as though the answer was obvious for the both of them. “Do you have questions about it?” He asked instead, answering her in the easiest way he could while still prompting further discussion. |
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Post by Razzle Dazzle on May 25, 2021 20:03:04 GMT -5
??? - Living Room - Dipper, Sol, Toriko
The red-headed teen turned and jumped with fists raised when he saw Dipper approaching behind him.
"Aaah!" He grabbed the kid by his shirt, acting thoroughly on instinct. "Who brought me here?" he asked in a rather strong New York accent. "You'll be hearing from the Gandor family." It was a threat that probably meant absolutely nothing to Dipper. In fact... what were these clothes the kid was wearing? He had never seen them before.
Then he jumped again, when Sol blinked in. Blood. What was going on? Next, someone appeared right next to him, and he released Dipper to raise his fists anew.
"O-Oh... Excuse me, miss." He relaxed his aggressive posture as quickly as he could, showing his manners. "I could ask you the same thing. See, I just woke up here, and I don't quite remember what happened beforehand. What's more important, I think we've got somebody in trouble..." His russet eyes shifted back toward Sol, and then his feet started moving in that direction too. He knelt at her side and tried to assess the damage just by looking, without getting too close.
"Hello there... What's your name?"
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Post by Shrike on May 25, 2021 20:18:14 GMT -5
Starling blinked his eyes in surprise as another figure materialized in the living room out of nowhere, quickly shifting his stance so he was standing upright. That was definitely going to take some getting used to. He tilted his head in confusion for a second, hearing something unfamiliar. It floated over the air, drifting from the strange object the other blinker was holding. Was it "music"? Starling's eyes widened and he drew in a breath. That was new, too. He'd only ever heard of music in stories. "Hey, there," Starling replied as the other blinker--Orpheus, he'd said--approached and extended his hand. The name didn't sound like part of a squad team, and the music made Starling doubt that Orpheus was from the same world as him. Star reached out and shook the other blinker's hand with a smile. As crazy--(and probably dangerous)--as this whole situation was, at least all the people he'd met here so far seemed friendly enough. That made him a little more relaxed about figuring this whole thing out. And making allies. "I'm Starling. It's going to take a little getting used to, honestly, but I'm glad no-one here has felt dangerous yet. Powers or none." Starling paused for a moment, itching with curiosity. "Hey, um-- what's that?" He couldn't help himself. He had to ask, pointing at the unfamiliar musical device across Orpheus's back. He squinted to get a better look. |
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Transgender
strider
No mourners, no funerals
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Post by strider on May 25, 2021 22:31:17 GMT -5
“That makes sense,” Orpheus murmured, following Eurydice’s lead and cutting a few strips at a time instead of the way he had been trying to do it before. Eurydice was right. It was more efficient – he was able to make the strips a little bit more even, and the ones he had already tied didn’t get in the way. It was a smart way to do things… Eurydice was smart. He looked up, sending her a soft smile as he set the scissors down and began to tie a few of the ones he had cut. He looked up at the soft “oops.” He hadn’t been expecting that, but when he looked up he saw what Eurydice had meant. “Well…” he murmured after a moment, studying it, “maybe you can combine it with the next one you cut. If you cut that one thinner on purpose. And either way… I still think it’s perfect, even if it’s a different measure of perfection. The value of an object isn’t its seamlessness… that lacks humanity. It’s… well, it’s the effort someone put into making it, and the proof that they learned while doing it.” |
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Pansexual
Cloverleaf
For certain as our banner flies, we are not alone. The people too must rise.
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Post by Cloverleaf on May 25, 2021 22:50:51 GMT -5
| Eurydice | Blanket Fort | "Oh, I see." She answered, holding the scissors over to make the next strip. She held them close to make a thin strip, then slid them over to visualize a regular sized strip. Yes, the two little ones together would probably work. It would just have one tassel that was different, but like Orpheus was saying, that was fine. She'd pointed out the way to cut multiple at once, and he'd pointed out the way to fix a too-small one. She smiled softly as they worked together. She cut the next strip, leaving it thin like the other one. "Well, if they're all messed up we wouldn't have a very good blanket. I think the value of an object is its usefulness, mostly." Eurydice answered, pausing in her work to tilt her head as she thought. Her bangs shifted with the movement, and she blew a breath upwards to keep them out of her face. |
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Transgender
strider
No mourners, no funerals
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Post by strider on May 25, 2021 22:53:56 GMT -5
Orpheus was no fighter. He only knew what little self-defense L had taught him in the room where they had watched others fight. He had never needed to fight himself – it wasn’t so much that he had been coddled as a child as that he had found other ways to solve his problems, and more often than not he was able to choose not to associate with people who were violent. That had recently changed… he felt a sick feeling rise in his stomach as his thoughts shifted towards Lemnos, but they had left there… and they had left a trail of bodies behind them. Orpheus grit his teeth as he pushed the thought away. Nobody was going to die here if Orpheus had any say in it. The music clearly had an effect on everyone in the room, but it wasn’t as dramatic as Orpheus had hoped. He just needed them to direct their attention to him… and the only person’s attention he had was Czeslaw’s. That… hadn’t been the intent. Orpheus gave a tiny cry of protest as his guitar was once again manhandled, and his eyes widened as he saw what Czeslaw was about to do. The snapped string flew up, a trail of red slicing across Orpheus’ cheek. It was the shock more than the pain that made him freeze. Strings were replaceable, thank goodness, and he’d made sure to bring spares on the ship, but he hadn’t expected it to break like that. He stared at Czeslaw, mouth gaping as he floundered for something to say. There were no words. “That… was unnecessary,” he murmured, voice hoarse. He tried to think of something else to say when his gaze caught on L. When his gaze caught on the sheer panic on L’s face. Orpheus was not prone to violence. In fact, he avoided it as often and as much as possible. It would take a lot to motivate him to strike – even the snapping of the string, though unkind, wouldn’t have been enough. But L’s expression… Orpheus’ eyes narrowed and he didn’t think as he moved forward, hand balling into a fist without him even asking it to. His aim as he swung was less than ideal, but he hoped it would be enough. He aimed the punch right at Hook’s face, putting as much power into it as he was capable of. |
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Transgender
strider
No mourners, no funerals
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Post by strider on May 25, 2021 23:10:59 GMT -5
Orpheus | Living Room | Shrike Orpheus gave a wide smile as Starling shook his hand, letting it drop to his side just a moment later. “Pleasure to meet you, Starling,” he replied, and the way he said it made it sound genuine. It was genuine. Orpheus didn’t tend to say things unless he meant them. He didn’t see the point of that, didn’t see the point of pretending to be pleased when you really weren’t, or pretending to care when you didn’t. He was genuinely pleased to meet Starling – he liked meeting new people, even if he didn’t always know how to talk to them. He lied hearing their stories and seeing what made them smile. “There are some people who are dangerous,” he replied after a moment’s thought, the last room he had been in ringing in his head, “but for the most part, I think everyone here does their best to be kind. Or, at the very least, tolerable and tolerant.” Orpheus was grateful this newbie seemed friendly as well. He could understand why some people would be standoffish, especially if they hadn’t been coming for very long, so Starling was a pleasant surprise. “Hm?” he asked, following the point of the other blinker’s finger to his instrument. He gave another soft smile, carefully lifting it over his head so Starling could get a better look. He could recall the snap of the string as Czeslaw had broken it, but he also remembered the first time he had met L. The fact that L had pinpointed him as a newbie because he had been willing to hand his guitar to a stranger. He had been blinking in a while now, but that hadn’t changed. “It’s a lyre,” he told Starling gently letting his fingers drift over the strings. “I’ve been told it looks like a guitar when I’m here, though.” The word ‘guitar’ was said with a heavy accent. “It makes music… would you like to hold it?” |
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Transgender
strider
No mourners, no funerals
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Post by strider on May 25, 2021 23:35:25 GMT -5
Orpheus gave a small smile, his gaze catching on L’s as his friend gave his sort of advice. It was something he could – and would – keep doing, though he hadn’t made that much progress, yet. “I’ll keep trying,” Orpheus replied, lightly tapping a pattern on the arm of his chair. “I don’t know how even I’ve managed to make it, so far… I don’t think I’ve done very much to combat the bad rooms, but I’m doing my best,” he admitted, letting his gaze drift down to the board. “I think if I keep trying, if I can make one person’s experience better, if not perfectly even… then that’s a start. I’d like to be able to help her like that. And I’d like even more to be able to keep my promise to you. I don’t… know if I can do it on my own, but maybe I don’t need to. This place is full of so many amazing people, and I’ve only met a handful. I just… I think we can all make it even, if we put our efforts in the right place. I just need to figure out how this place works, first. So I can make it even when I’m not there to try to balance it out. I can help when I’m here, when I can play and try to take the pressure out of rooms, but what about when I’m not?” he shook his head just a little, gaze drifting back up to meet L’s. He hadn’t considered that L might not trust very many people. Of course Orpheus knew that trust was dangerous in his field, of course he knew that there were precautions L had to take, and of course he knew that he didn’t trust anyone who might find him other than Watari, but he had thought that was just because of the situation. He hadn’t actually considered that L wouldn’t trust more than one person. “There’s less risk for me, if I trust someone,” Orpheus admitted, scratching at the back of his neck. “The absolute worst-case scenario I can think of is someone I trust just using me to steal my music to make money off of it without actually caring about me. In my world, there are very few situations I can think of where trusting the wrong person could lead to my death. But… I can see why it’s frightening, if that’s your every day.” He was pointedly ignoring the fact that trusting the crew he was with was dangerous. He didn’t think he would be killed. They still needed him. And deep down, Orpheus thought they were probably good people. “What?” Orpheus whispered, everything else suddenly forgotten. “Me?” His brow furrowed, eyes widening as he searched L’s. “I didn’t…” Orpheus took a moment, trying to gather his thoughts before they scattered across the room. “I didn’t know you only trusted Watari. I suppose… I thought there were more people, people here perhaps… you’re friendly with a great many people that I’ve seen, and…” he broke off again, giving a tiny shake of his head. “I don’t know if I’m worth that,” he admitted softly, gaze not moving from L’s. “I mean… I would never hurt you or intentionally do anything that would lead to you getting hurt, but… one of two…? You’re my best friend, but I’m not sure I deserve that.” |
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Transgender
strider
No mourners, no funerals
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Post by strider on May 25, 2021 23:48:46 GMT -5
Orpheus glanced over, watching as she took his advice. Truthfully, he didn’t know if it was going to work, but it seemed to make sense to him. It wasn’t perfect, and the fringe wouldn’t match all the way around, but he found he would much rather have a blanket like this than one that had been made by people who had spent years and years and never made a mistake. If he were to learn about machines, he would much prefer a blanket like this to one made in a factory. That lacked the human element entirely. “That makes sense,” he allowed, tilting his head as he regarded Eurydice. “It seems like some sort of balance must be struck… I think it would be boring to have things that are just perfect, that don’t retain any of the human creativity and even human error that went into making them. But if they’re completely unusable, then they may not be worth as much. But… if a potter were to create a pot at the beginning of his career with dozens of holes in it on accident, and then create one near the end of his career after everything he learned… well, then I think that first pot still has an unthinkable amount of value. The potter wouldn’t be where he ended up if it weren’t for that first misshapen attempt.” |
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Post by Shrike on May 26, 2021 1:15:08 GMT -5
"Hey, you too." Starling smiled at the friendly gesture and gave a little salute, not sensing any ill intentions coming from Orpheus's direction. It was majorly relieving. He did feel a bit unnerved, though, hearing about the dangers of the other blinkers--Arlo had mentioned that the House didn't tend to have a "type" of person it chose to spirit away. So it made sense that there would be some difficult individuals in the mix. Still... Starling decided not to let it get to him--for now at least. I'm sure that will come later."Can I seriously?" he asked in surprise, eyes wide after hearing Orpheus' offer. He was a bit shocked that someone he had just met would be so open to letting him touch his things. But it was a pleasant surprise, really. Star hesitated for just a second before reaching out to gingerly take the instrument into his hands. "A lyre, huh...? Wow." He grinned. Although Orpheus mentioned that it looked like a guitar, Starling had never heard that word either. "These are what make the music?" he asked, timidly plucking one of the strings. When it made a sound, his eyes widened again. "Wow!" He had never heard anything like it. "That is seriously cool. Where do you learn to use something like this?" Starling gently handed the instrument back in Orpheus' direction, already worried he would somehow manage to break it. His eyes glimmered with curiosity. |
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Post by --cato phoenix on May 26, 2021 2:28:48 GMT -5
[[ Arlo || Living Room 2.0 || @kyochikotalz ]] “Yeah you could say that- I was the first one to come here, and that was a bit over ten years ago in my world.” Well, that was close enough to being accurate. Arlo wasn’t quite sure how to go about explaining the fact that she’d been blinking since she’d been ten despite being around fourteen when the ‘first’ blink had happened. Time travel was weird like that, even to someone from a world like her own. “I’ve met quite a few people from worlds like that actually- the no magic part I mean, not the Specra. Multiple people can come from the same world but no one’s mentioned them before.”“It’s…” she trailed off, her gaze thoughtful as she tried to decide how to describe it. She wasn’t sure when the last time was that she’d told someone about it. “Not what I used to think it was. In most of Xaphorda people don’t believe in magic, but there’s a small continent that was believed to have been destroyed centuries ago… it’s concealed by magic and hard to get to, but magic is still fairly common there. Magic users and non humans are called ra’Seirri. There’s groups of humans- the ones without magic- who’ve taken over some areas and are trying to capture what’s left of the ra’Seirri, and I’ve heard the mainland is loaded with Shades.” She’d probably be finding out how much truth there was to it sometime soon… though hopefully things would improve for Jasper and herself before then. Death wasn’t usually a good way to start anything. His next question pulled her mind back from thoughts of her world, her slight smile returning. “Well actually,” she tugged the fabric scrap free from one hand. For a moment, the only things unusual about it were the scars on her palm and fingers and the edges of the dark tattoo like marks creeping just past her coat sleeve, but with a wave of her hand, green tinted light crackled over her skin, strands jumping between her fingers and to a point where they connected, floating just above her palm. She watched it for a moment before letting the energy fade away and returning her focus to Starling. “ Oh, no problem. It definitely takes awhile but you do get used to it eventually if you blink in more.” Granted, her own life had been full of enough sudden changes that she was pretty unfazed by the unusual, but she was fairly certain that most of the others had gotten used to it as well. Arlo tilted her head again at his response. “ Designation… hmm, your world seems to work a bit differently from mine.” Although… a place where humans were hunted, and others chose what you did with your life… it didn’t sound entirely unfamiliar to her. “ Oh! Another Earth. I haven’t been to one- heard about one like that yet,” she tried to fix her slip up. He’d taken the explanation about the House well enough so far, there was no need to mention the fact that the House had a small chance of dropping you in another world quite yet- especially since it hadn’t happened in a long time. Well, to her at least. “Huh, that’s new to me… I haven’t reached the mainland of the lost continent yet but I think I would have heard by now if there was anything like that there, and I don’t think I’ve met anyone else from an Earth that has them either.” Earths sounded odd… there were so many, but they usually didn’t sound very similar to each other. She started to rewrap her hand, then paused and jerked her head in the direction of the hallway door. “Did you want to try looking in one of those?” The fabric scraps she’d torn from the bottom of her shirt were a poor replacement for her gloves and would be ruined if she needed to use her powers without taking them off. If they were going to try a room, she probably shouldn’t rewrap it until she saw what was actually in it. |
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Transgender
strider
No mourners, no funerals
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Post by strider on May 26, 2021 2:34:03 GMT -5
Orpheus | Living Room | Shrike Orpheus hoped he didn’t scare Starling too much by mentioning that there were sometimes dangerous people. He couldn’t help but think of Hook, though he had started out somewhat civil, before things escalated. For the most part, everyone Orpheus had met was nice. Well… there had been the boy who had pulled the knife on Eurydice, and there was Sol, but Sol at least was nice when she realized you weren’t a threat. “Of course,” Orpheus murmured, watching as Starling took it. He was careful as he handed it over, making sure to keep an eye on the way Starling was holding it. If he moved to break it or anything like that… Orpheus didn’t think he would, but he supposed it was probably better safe than sorry. “Exactly,” he explained. “I can show you how to make different notes, if you’d like.” He took the instrument back, carefully slipping the strap over his shoulder once more. He didn’t know if Starling was interested in learning, but he figured he might as well put the offer out there. “I was taught by my world’s god of music,” Orpheus admitted after a few moments, reaching up to awkwardly scratch at the back of his neck. “But anyone can learn, really. And anyone can get really good if they practice for long enough. Once you know which string produces which note… you can really play anything.” |
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Pansexual
Cloverleaf
For certain as our banner flies, we are not alone. The people too must rise.
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Post by Cloverleaf on May 26, 2021 12:10:58 GMT -5
| Eurydice | Blanket Fort | "So if the poorly made ones didn't exist, the good ones wouldn't exist later." Eurydice said. "Alright, I can see that. But the hypothetical potter probably shouldn't fire that terrible pot- he should just reuse the clay. But as long as they basically work, it might as well have some personal touches." She thought back to her heavy coat, patched in the elbows, ragged at some edges. It kept her warm, but it was also familiar, comforting. She shifted the House-provided blanket that was wrapped around her shoulders. "I wonder if anyone made this one. It seems generic, impersonal. Does the House take things, or create them?" She asked, but she wasn't necessarily asking Oprheus for a concrete answer- more musing aloud, pondering. She set down her scissors and started tying the knots. |
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Lesbian
dawn
"I'm such a tiny constellation... but thank you for noticing I'm here."
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Post by dawn on May 26, 2021 12:16:56 GMT -5
Nico | Playground Obstacle Course | dawn “Probably,” Nico echoed, letting himself smile just a little. “I’ll take those odds.” He pulled himself up towards where he could reach the monkey bars, grateful that, though it had been raised so that they could use it without scraping their feet in the dirt, it wasn’t so high that he couldn’t reach it. That would just be embarrassing. He glanced back down at Rae, something light in his expression as she cautioned him against slipping. “I think I’ve probably done more dangerous things in the past twenty-four hours than monkey bars!” he replied, but there was no anger in his tone, just a touch of lighthearted teasing. He reached up, catching hold of the first of the bars, then glanced back at Rae before swinging himself forward to grab the second. “Coming?” he asked, swinging towards the third to make room. Rae | Playground Obstacle Course | strider "Which is why you can't let your guard down now." Rae continued the light banter, then followed up to the landing before the bars. She watched as Nico easily swung himself off, and interlocked her hands together as she gave her arms a good stretch. Time to test those muscles and not make a fool of herself on monkey bars of all things.
Rae grabbed hold of the first bar and waited for enough space. "Right behind you!" she said, hyping herself up as she tightened her grip on the metal and let her legs dangle above the ground. She grunted only slightly as she bore her weight, and carefully made momentum to get her to the bar right behind Nico. |
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Post by ~∂єѕтιиу on May 26, 2021 15:47:39 GMT -5
Hook | Amplifier Room
The room went eerily quiet the second L was pinned... or at least it felt like it did. The pirate could still hear Czeslaw and Orpheus talking back and forth somewhere behind him, but his attention was trained on the look of fear in L’s expression. Something about the detective had changed unexpectedly the moment his throat was grabbed - something that made this feel almost suspiciously easy.
The captains expression hardened once more and he tightened his grip, pressing hard until the tips of his fingers were touching the brick on the wall behind him. If L wanted to trick him into letting go, then he’d have to become a better actor. He kept his hold firm as he watched the detective’s pale face eventually turn red, still stubbornly waiting for some kind of reaction. He was aware that L would lose conscious soon with how hard he was pressing, but he figured it would be a minute before the man actually suffocated to death - so he wasn’t worried. The fear of crushing something important, on the other hand, was a concern he was actively choosing not to prioritize - making it somehow difficult to find it in himself to loosen his grip. He hardly even knew this man, what would it matter if something irreversible happened? He could even hold him there until he did suffocate, maybe then he’d learn to appreciate the laws of a world he didn’t understand. It wasn’t like anyone was closer to tolerating him in this damn place anyways, a little more blood on his hands wouldn’t hurt anything if he wasn’t any closer to washing off the blood that was already there.
Orpheus’s punch caught him off guard well enough that he dropped the detective, even though he likely could’ve kept his grip on the man if he’d really wanted to. He stepped back a few paces, attention still focused on L as he lightly touched where the hit had landed on his cheek. The pain was unpleasant, but it didn’t feel like any of his teeth were loose so it obviously wasn’t too bad. There was a feeling of brief unease that struck him upon realizing how tempted he’d been to kill L just then, and that he easily would’ve done it if it weren’t for the others in the room, or for that punch. He glanced towards Orpheus, seeing the train of blood on his face and squinting. “The hell,” he muttered, “I would’ve dropped him,” he lied blatantly as he looked over to Czeslaw. Something was off here...he didn’t like it.
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Post by Razzle Dazzle on May 26, 2021 20:47:46 GMT -5
Czes - amp room - Orpheus, Hook, L
Czeslaw showed no remorse for the string striking Orpheus in the face, and didn't retreat any more than he needed to to let the musician pass. If anything, the blood was satisfying. He was just glad to see this guy moving, and doing what Czes couldn't. What Czes wanted to do. Which was punch Hook as hard as he could. Even if it were to be a failure, it was a relief to see it happen.
Finally, after what felt like forever, the detective was released.
"He wasn't planning to drop him," Czeslaw told Orpheus from behind him. He had plenty of experience in this position--well, to be more specific, L's position. But L wouldn't have been all right.
If you want to get your anger out that badly, I'm right here, he wanted to say. But he knew he didn't actually want that. And Hook shouldn't be his responsibility. It would only make this dumbass feel validated if the others tried to solve his problems. No, Orpheus, L, and Czeslaw should all abandon Hook right here.
"I have a knife," he bluffed to the pirate, "and enough sense to know where to slice. If you make this any more of a pain, you're gonna find yourself one against three." That was a bluff too, seeing as L was on the ground. Oh well, the boy was still fed up enough to do something drastic, with or without his imaginary knife.
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on May 26, 2021 21:10:55 GMT -5
L couldn’t tell whether he couldn’t breathe because he was panicking or Hook was actually strangling him. His heart raced too fast in his chest, and still he didn’t move, didn’t speak, didn’t breathe. It might as well have just been the two of them in that moment. He didn’t see Czeslaw or Orpheus anymore. He didn’t see Hook, either, if he was being honest. Hook didn’t have green eyes, after all. He wondered why it was that that had always stuck out to him. The eyes. Myrnin didn’t even always have green eyes...technically speaking, he was much more dangerous when he didn’t. He lost his train of thought again, the panic forcing anything that wasn’t pure fear out of his head. Thoughts became something of the past, at least, thoughts that made sense and didn’t fly away as soon as he’d thought them. Hook was killing him, he realized, as the back of his neck pressed into the bricks and his brain struggled to operate without oxygen. Panic stabbed deeper - no, no, no, he couldn’t die like this. Not again. Not again. Not again. Not again. Not - He was back in the arena, sand under his bare feet, the taste of chocolate strawberries on his tongue. And, as always, green eyes holding his own. He didn’t beg. There was no point. A child’s blood had already turned the sand to mud. The worst had happened, and L wasn’t going to convince anyone of anything. And also, he couldn’t speak when his windpipe was being crushed. His mind was going fuzzy around the edges. He wondered whether he’d pass out from panic or oxygen deprivation first. When the pressure left, it left suddenly, and he collapsed against the wall as the only thing that had been holding him up vanished. He didn’t move from where he’d fallen - he didn’t notice it was an awkward angle, and he couldn’t have moved if he’d tried - and sucked in breath after deep breath, coughing violently as his body attempted to put things right. Which was stupid. There was nothing his body could do. He didn’t open his eyes. His body felt frozen and limp and stiff and fragile all at once, like he’d shatter if someone touched him, and might shatter even if they didn’t. His brain tried and failed to come back online. Panic was a circuit breaker unlike any other. His face was drained of any hint of color. He still couldn’t really breathe, which made everything worse. He couldn’t stop shaking. |
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