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

“I see,” Orpheus replied, though he didn’t really see. It took a few moments for him to finally understand what Λ was saying. The brown powder was just one ingredient, but people called it by the same name as they called the actual… bars of chocolate. Cuisine in Λ’s world was obviously very different than it was in Orpheus’. Perhaps it was because Λ was from the future. Perhaps they had discovered new ingredients and ways to combine things that Orpheus’ people hadn’t tried yet – it seemed possible. Likely, actually, especially if Λ was from a different part of the world. Different parts of Greece grew different crops, it seemed entirely possible that different parts of the world had ingredients that would seem very, very foreign in Greece. He’d have to ask Mr. Hermes if he had any clue where “chocolate” might be from. Perhaps it did exist, just not in Greece.
He let the topic die, watching Λ with a soft smile on his features. He truly was interested in what the detective had to say. Everything he had to say was fascinating, and he seemed to give equal weight to everything Orpheus had to say. Conversation wasn’t often easy. Orpheus had learned that already on the Argo – and before he’d joined the crew, a lot of people thought he was too forward when speaking. He could be… intense, he knew that. He said what he thought, and the line where he started considering someone a friend was… well, when they said something back to him that didn’t contain much (if any) malice. Most people were slower to trust. Λ was one of the first people who didn’t seem to mind the difference in how they viewed the relationship. Somehow, Λ even managed to consider him a friend in return, though Orpheus knew trust was something different. He couldn’t ask for that – trust wasn’t something that could be demanded, only accepted when the owner chose to give it.
He gave another small smile. “Something being difficult has never stopped me from doing it before,” he managed, tying the bandana back around his neck. It was dusted with a fine layer of snow, but that had already begun to melt. Orpheus didn’t mind if the fabric was damp. It almost always was anyway, given the sea spray on the Argo. A little bit of snow wasn’t going to make much difference.
“Of course I’m willing to teach you,” Orpheus replied, tilting his head like he was surprised Λ would even suggest anything to the contrary. “You were quite good when I taught you those first couple of chords. I’d love to teach you some more, if we ever have a few free moments in the living room.” Or, if Λ was right about the lodge usually being a reprieve, then perhaps for a little bit while they were here. “I think it could help,” he added after a moment. “I think… any effort will help, even if it’s not musical.” He gave Λ a broad smile before it softened back into something gentle and familiar.
He searched Λ’s expression. It was hard to tell whether his friend believed he could actually do it. That… didn’t matter, though, he realized as he let Λ’s words soak in. What he was trying was worth doing, even if it was all for nothing. Any effort to make things better helped, in Orpheus’ eyes, even if it didn’t completely even out the House. The House was a cruel thing. It would take a lot of good to make it fair. But it wouldn’t take that much good to make it even a little bit better.
“I think,” he murmured, clutching the strap of his guitar, “That I will be happy if I even make a little bit of difference. I won’t stop trying when I reach that goal, but… it seems a little more attainable than perfectly even. And any good is better than none at all.”
He finished off the cookie, then looked towards the one Λ was holding.
“Which one did I just try?” he asked, swallowing and taking the chocolate chip one. He broke apart the cookie, trying a bite of it altogether before he managed to get a chocolate chip free on his own. He tried that, too, then appraised it for a moment. “I think you’re right. Chocolate seems to be better when it’s in things.”

| Loki | Inside the Lodge with Myrnin, spying on Sol and Kel |

Contemplating the lodge burning down entirely- in the hypothetical of course- Loki turned from the fireplace and joined Myrnin in seeing the new arrivals. They squinted out the window at the influx of blinkers just outside the lodge- a girl laying defeated in the snow, holding a knife. A man, concerned and covered in blood next to her, also holding a knife.

Not wanting to be left out, Loki summoned a knife in their left hand, just in case. "There seems to be a theme starting up."

Speaking of new arrivals, the sounds of conversation drifted in from various parts of the lodge, that Loki could have sworn wasn't there before, but it didn't sound like folks had just blinked in. They blinked their green eyes a couple of times, trying to clear their head and focus their attention despite what they assumed was the House redirecting it at first. They glanced away from the window, green gaze skating over the four others in the room. Spooky, House. Very spooky.

The lodge was suddenly a lot more crowded, and Nico was grateful for the chance to get outside. He dipped his head to Myrnin as he followed Sam out the door, staring at the snow with at least a little bit of childish wonder still glimmering in his eyes.
“I can’t remember if I’ve ever played in snow before,” he admitted, shivering a little bit against the chill. He was glad it wasn’t night yet – as overcast as it was, Sam couldn’t be hurt by the sun, but it wasn’t so dark that they couldn’t see. He moved forward, kneeling down to press his fingertips into the snow. Cold.
He looked up and hurried after Sam, trying to zip up his jacket while he ran. The cold was already beginning to turn his pale nose and cheeks red, but he found he didn’t mind as he bent down (supposedly to tie his shoe), and covertly formed a snowball instead. He hid it behind his back as he followed Sam, looking as innocent as he could manage.

Myrnin | Christmas Baking Room | ®Hawkpath®

There was just a small, sympathetic glance from Myrnin. He would have liked to explain more. But now just didn't seem the time. He wanted to explain why they'd needed to - that they had been stuck in lives that weren't even their own. But he shook his head. Then laughed as Kelsier pointed to the red flower.
"Oh that is completely real. I can smell it. It's poisonous to people I think? It is to pets at any rate. Meeeeeee on the other hand."
He strained across the counter, ripped off a petal, and randomly stuffed it into his mouth. "I am fiiine."
He chewed and swallowed it as if it was nothing.
Nah. He just wanted to see if he could either impress Kelsier or make him laugh.
"It's a flower that represents Christmas. Called a poinsettia." Then he waved at the holly. "That represents Winter. It's holly." At the garland. "Evergreen for the promise of life through Winter." Then the mistletoe (no, it wasn't actually positioned near them, just as decoration in a different part of the room). "And I don't know about that one. It's a parasitic plant called mistletoe. But humans get under it and then if two end up under it they have to kiss."
He seemed to be done with the botany lesson and turned toward the cookie making items. 
He didn't seem very concerned with Kelsier and  the oven being in close proximity. Instead, he took out some items from a nearby cupboard and started dumping them across the counter.
"I vaguely know how to bake. I know the principles, anyway. Mix things together, put in oven, done. Sounds like what I already do."

Myrnin | Lodge: We're all in this together

"Toss knives at me!" Myrnin said excitedly, spreading his arms as if it was the most fun idea he'd ever had. He jumped up and down, shifting from foot to foot. He could move fast and honestly knives weren't really a problem for him in the long run. He thought he had a fair shot and that Loki would have fun with it. Two birds with one stone. He'd probably have fun too.
"Or," he said grudgingly, since he supposed some people had qualms with using a moving, talking person as target practice, "could challenge you to a contest of hitting things. I have stellar eye-sight and reflexes. But that's really up to you."
He seemed quite amused with himself, honestly. 

Since they were outside and Sam was fairly certain that things were supposed to be cold. He wasn't, so he didn't bother trying to bundle up at all. He just turned back to Nico and grinned widely. While he could have spoken, it wouldn't have produced any sort of cloud in the air. Instead, it seemed like it was just a normal day for Sam, even while the rest of the world was cold and dead.
"How do you snowball fight?" he asked, glancing around. He knew what happened, but he'd never made a snowball before. How did that work?
He leaned over and started poking at the snow. Would stuff like this really stay together? He tried pushing it this way and that, trying to make something that was like the smooth round snowballs in the TV, but what he got was very lumpy and small. Would it really be tossable like that?

Myrnin | Lodge

Well, Myrnin didn't see it as an illusion. Even if he had recognized it as such, he would still have reacted the same way.
The lodge was an interesting place, particularly since it had the upper balconies. The vampire jumped without a second thought, avoiding the knife and spring toward the ceiling where he caught and hurriedly hoisted himself into a position he could easily move from again.
Of course, the fact that the knife wasn't real was understood now.
"NICE!" he said. "Hey, if you really don't want to know when you hit me, you can keep doing that too!"
Then he gently dropped back to the ground, clapping his hands together. "Seriously though. Keep the knives. I just want to have fun. I ain't human, remember? Knives wont do very much. Ruin my shirt is about all."

L | Lodge | strider

L nodded, letting the topic of chocolate go as well. He considered Orpheus, noting the soft smile, the way he seemed genuinely interested in having a conversation with his friend about things that didn’t really affect him. He found it easy to exist as himself around Orpheus, as though the expectations that surrounded him had just...somehow faded away completely. They hadn’t really, of course, but Orpheus didn’t seem to expect him to be anything other than exactly what he was. It was oddly liberating.
Not that he exactly minded the pressure of his world. Still, sometimes it got to be a lot.
He tilted his head very slightly. Yes, he considered Orpheus a friend. One of the few he had, in fact. Orpheus was also correct in thinking that he hadn’t yet given his trust, and he probably wouldn’t, not for a long time. He didn’t give that easily. There was exactly one person in all the worlds who currently carried it.
He nodded slightly. He knew that much about Orpheus already. Coming back for him, for example, couldn’t have been easy, and yet he’d done it, and seemingly without hesitation. Making the House fair, though...that felt more than difficult. It felt impossible.
He watched Orpheus quietly for a long moment as he tied the bandana back around his neck. Why did he want to believe in this man, this man who was his friend, whose chances of betraying him had dropped significantly after he’d gone back for someone who was no longer of use to him? Why did he want to say yes, yes I believe you will make it fair, somehow I believe you can do the impossible.
The detective blinked, and a sliver of surprise showed in his eyes. “Thank you.” He said after a moment. He hadn’t thought of himself as particularly good at music. He had been trying, of course, but he doubted it was possible for him to reach the level of skill with which Orpheus played, not without a lot more practice than he was likely to get. Still...he didn’t think Orpheus was lying. He seemed to genuinely believe that L had been decent at it.
He smiled back, just a little bit. Somehow, Orpheus had a way of getting that expression out of him. He didn’t know why, really. It just...kept happening without him meaning to.
Maybe he didn’t know why he wanted to believe Orpheus could succeed. But he did know this: Orpheus would try, and he probably wouldn’t stop trying even if the House were to retaliate. That opened up a whole new line of thinking, one that L had considered but not yet mentioned.
“I know it won’t stop you, and you may have thought of this already, but it’s possible the House will retaliate in some way.” He told his friend, a note of worry slipping into his tone. “The House may decide to push you, to see how far this attempt will go. It may give you terrible rooms, worse than you can imagine, just to see if it can break you. There will be good rooms, as well, naturally...rooms that make you almost believe it’s fair. It isn’t fair. It’s far from even. And it may...no, it will...test your conviction. You are right, though. It may be better to start small.”
His expression was serious. He didn’t want to see his friend hurt, but he did understand that it was likely to happen regardless of whether he chose to continue or not. And he didn’t think that was much of a question. As he’s said already, it would take more than it being difficult to persuade him to stop.
“Snickerdoodle.” He answered immediately, nodding to the rest of the same type. It was much easier to talk about cookies, though L was still willing to discuss how the plan as needed. “Some people adore chocolate by itself. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t dislike it, it’s just not quite as good as cake.”
He glanced at the table. Would it be safe to eat it now that Orpheus had? No, there still could be long term effects. He shook his head slightly. “Do you have any sweets in your version of the world?” He asked, turning his head to stare at Orpheus again, his expression curious.

Hyacin ~ Outside the Lodge ~ Iceclaw

Hyacin continued to poke around the other blinker's armour with the tap tap tap of his curious claw. The markings and smudges on the armour gave him the idea that this man had seen quite a few battles. "Oh sure, it burns and it's annoying. Can't move your arm for a while too." He can almost feel the healed wound on his shoulder throb in response. "What about magic? Have you been set on fire? A big rock landed on you?" The young dragon realised that this soldier probably never has to worry about hair being set on fire accidently. "Are you a mercenary, mister?"

Sasha | Lodge | Cloverleaf strider Lark

A boy who appeared to be about eleven (but who would have been very annoyed if you told him that) blinked in, crouched on one knee, one hand balancing himself against the ground, the other holding a long, black dagger.
His light blue eyes were narrowed with concentration and his messy white blond hair fell over his face, almost obscuring his left eye, which would have been bad as he wore an eyepatch over what was left of his right one. He was wearing soft black clothes that immediately made him a target against the white snow, and his boots slipped a little, alerting him to the change in his surroundings even before his brain caught up to him.

He straightened up slowly. Then he turned, glancing behind him. He didn’t like being in the open like this, and he didn’t understand what had just happened, but he knew he needed to figure it out, fast. Then his eyes caught on another boy and he tensed, his dagger immediately coming up in a defense position.
He didn’t speak. Fear flashed though his features but he shoved it down and forced himself to keep steady, the way he was being trained to. Whoever the other boy was...he would regret it of he attacked.

Orpheus found it very difficult to interact with people only in ways that were useful to him. In fact, it didn’t even cross his mind most of the time unless someone else brought it up – he interacted with people because they were worth interacting with, because they had a unique perspective on every situation, because… well, for a lot of reasons. If he stopped talking to people when they stopped being useful to him… what kind of person would that make him? People were worth more than what they could give to others. If that weren’t the case, then Orpheus would be forced to admit that, with the exception of his music, and perhaps his friendship, he was useless. That wasn’t a very nice thing to be, and Orpheus found he couldn’t think of other people that way, either. The man who lost all of his crops because of neglect or bad luck could still provide comfort and love to his children and friends, still had thoughts buzzing around in his head that were meaningful, if only someone were to listen. He could still wake up and appreciate the sunrise, he could give a lost stranger tea in spite of his own failing house. But if Orpheus were someone who viewed the man’s worth entirely on the success of his crops – entirely on how the man could help Orpheus, then he’d certainly be missing out on a lot.
He blinked, seeming to remember where he was, and that now was not the time to get lost in his own thoughts. He offered Λ a small smile, trying to show him he wasn’t afraid. He could do this, if he set his mind to it, and he had already done that. And teaching Λ music… that was easy. That was fun, something he likely would have continued to do if Λ wanted even if he wasn’t trying his hardest to make the House even. His own smile widened as he noticed the one Λ gave in return. It seemed like an expression his friend wasn’t too used to using, but one that looked natural and right on his features. Orpheus shook the thought away, instead looking around at the rest of the Lodge. The House gave them nice places like this (assuming the food wasn’t poisoned), but Orpheus was no longer naïve enough to believe that the House bore any good will towards the people it ensnared. He didn’t know if it had malicious intent, but the whims of a bored god could often be more striking and deadly than those of a cruel god.
“Ah.” The word left him in a quiet, contemplative sigh. He hadn’t actually considered whether the House would want to retaliate, but it was a risk he would have to take.
“Perhaps it’s arrogant to consider myself unbreakable,” he mused softly, hazel eyes meeting Λ’s dark for a long moment. “And I can’t pretend to be stronger than anyone else, but… I do have a conviction that this will work. And I have my own world to give me a reprieve from anything the House can do to me, and I have… friends, here. If the House wishes to challenge me and push me down…” he hesitated for a moment, then gave a smile – smaller than his other ones, but somehow more genuine. “Then I’ll just have to get back up, won’t I?”
He glanced down at the chocolate chip cookie, very carefully breaking off another piece to try. It was phenomenal, really.
“If I’m not mistaken,” he added after a long moment, voice small but unshakable, “The House is likely to try to push me down even if I weren’t attempting to make it even. I might as well try to do something about it.”
Orpheus tilted his head, looking at the large array of cookies. He liked the chocolate chip better than the snickerdoodle, but both were good. The chocolate chip just had more texture.
“Hm?” He looked up, smile growing again. “Yes. They’re most often made with sugar and nuts and pastry. And very often we eat fruit drizzled with honey, which, while not quite as sweet, is also very good.”

Kelsier | Outside the Lodge | <Raintalon>

Kelsier watched the kid get up, making a note to ask Nico about clam chowder later, if he got the chance. He raised an eyebrow at her as she continued, and he nodded, more for his own benefit than hers.
“Yeah, there’s a house.” He told her, glancing over at it once again. There seemed to be people inside it already, though he couldn’t tell who. He burned tin, enhancing his vision (and also the cold against his skin) and caught sight of Myrnin.
He turned, about to answer her again, when his eyes caught on the sight of Nico standing with another boy. He was just in time to see Nico throw the snowball, and he smiled a little.
Good. Let him have some fun. Maybe later, Kel would join in.
He turned his attention back to Sol. “Nice to meet you. I’m Kelsier.” He told her, still smiling.

Harue | Inside the lodge | Stri Hark

A young girl roughly around the age of eleven years old blinked into the house in a short uniform. She wore a bright yellow jacket and another black jacket around that one, a black pencil skirt, and black frilled shoes. Within her hands was a yellow gem one that she held tightly in her cold grasp. The change of scenery made her blink her eyes, confused and oblivious to what happened. This certainly could not have been a witch's labyrinth, her head would been pounding like a drum. She pursed her lips turning her head to see two boys doing boy stuff? She stared at both, they were certainly taller than her, and it looked like they meant business. Her bright eyes flickered towards Zuko then to Sasha expectantly waiting for their movement yet not a noise escaped her.

This would be interesting.