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

Orpheus himself was lost in thought for several long moments. There was a lot to think about, in a place like the House, and even more so in a place like the lodge, that seemed so nice. It was welcoming in the way the living room wasn’t, what with the fireplace and the snacks, and all of the comforts Orpheus most associated with having guests over. Why was the lodge kinder? Was it, really? Did the rooms branching off lead to the same places as the rooms in the hallway did? He wasn’t keen on checking, at the moment. The lodge itself seemed nice and warm, and Orpheus found himself rather reluctant to risk his life at the moment.
If he had known what Λ was thinking, there were a number of things he could have said – would have wanted to say. Trust was not a prerequisite to friendship. Trust was a gift you could give, but caring about someone wasn’t conditional on whether or not they trusted you. He may have assumed that Λ trusted him at least a little bit – they were friends, after all – but he wouldn’t have minded if he’d known the truth. He could trust someone while knowing they didn’t trust him. Besides, he didn’t believe that trust was all or nothing. You could trust someone to be kind to you without trusting them with your life. Did Λ distrust him down to the most basic level? That might have been a bit more discomfiting, but still not a dealbreaker. The issue was Orpheus had no way to know what Λ was thinking. He couldn’t read minds. He could barely read his friend’s expressions.
He smiled, pushing away his curiosity about what his friend was thinking. “Of course,” he murmured softly, “I’m glad it’s worth something to you. My belief… I suppose it’s worth something to me, because it’s mine, but… I think it must have some sort of value if it’s worth something to you, as well.” He smiled, reaching for another cookie. He was going to have to be careful, he’d already eaten several, but they were very good. And, at first glance, they didn’t seem to be poisoned. Still, Orpheus didn’t blame Λ for not partaking in the enjoyment of the cookies. With those odds… Orpheus himself was surprised he’d tried some.
“I understand,” he murmured softly, dusting any potential crumbs off himself. “I wouldn’t expect you to eat anything I brought, of course. You wouldn’t know the cook, you wouldn’t know who else had touched it, and if there’s any risk at all I would feel terrible having put you in danger. But… I believe a great deal could be learned just from looking at it, yes? At least to determine if we have some, if any, of the same ingredients?”
Orpheus seemed about to say more, but he hesitated for just a moment. “I… appreciate that,” he managed softly, his smile widening of its own accord. “I’d like to taste a lot of the things you’ve mentioned, especially now that I’ve had a taste of the House’s versions – versions that I’m not terribly convinced are correct. It’s the House… perhaps it swapped the taste of chocolate chip and… what was the other one you mentioned? Snicker-doodle?” His accent came through a bit on the last word, as his language had no equivalent. He tried to echo it exactly as he had heard it. “I wouldn’t know. I’ve never tasted either. Your food, though… I would believe the taste to be right. And I’d think it would have a much smaller risk of being dangerous, right?” He gave a small smile. The world of calculating how dangerous things could be was new to him, but that was what seemed to work for Λ. Orpheus could function in that framework if it made it easier for his friend.

Sol | Lodge | ®Hawkpath® |

"Tastes like dust packets," said Sol incomprehensibly, through a mouthful of buttered rolls.  What she meant, of course, was that she'd had hot chocolate before without knowing it - in the form of packets of powdered chocolate and freeze dried marshmallows that she'd inhaled indiscriminately upon finding it.  She'd never been totally sure it wasn't concrete dust or something, but it hadn't seemed to make her sick, which was good enough for her.

"Why're you still here?"  she asked suspiciously, grabbing a handful of Hershey's kisses and beginning to impatiently work on unwrapping them.

"I'm loving these questions of yours to questions," Myrnin purred with absolutely no concern to how Vincent was hindering his walking. 
"I think you're being evasive. I think you're afraid of answering with the truth because it might show that you actually have a soul. You ask questions instead of exposing yourself. Because that would be making yourself weak, would it. And you want to do that to other people. You search around for their weak point, the edge you can have over them. And it's fun and games and you might never use it, but you'll have it. You'll have it, and that means something to you."
Myrnin stopped dead. If Vincent ran into him, tough luck for Vincent.
"So not rude, no. But by gosh are you making a strong attempt to have as much character as a cardboard cut out antagonist."
He shrugged. He didn't care. He thought he didn't, anyway.

"Poetic is the only option I have," Arthur muttered with annoyance in every syllable. Vincent didn't seem like he was particularly interested in the room or much in general. But as far as Arthur cared ... this was strange. Really strange. Strange enough that he was beyond unnerved.
"Go on what?" he asked.
But he did step further into the room, looking around as if he expected a glass vial or bundle of plants to bite him. Nothing in here looked like it would, if you ignored the occasional animal skull. 
He approached the door to the front, which was closed. Considering the last door had not lead where he expected, he didn't touch this one. He just looked back at Vincent and pointed to it. "You open it."

(Did you want more Arthur stuff behind door number two or did you want to try to unnerve Vincent? Or alternatively just unnerve Arthur more.)

L | Lodge | strider

L wasn’t actually certain whether the rooms were the same as in the regular House. He didn’t actually think he’d ever been in one. Probably for much the same reason Orpheus hadn’t, though perhaps he just hadn’t had the opportunity to try it yet. For all the times he had been in the Lodge, he hadn’t really had much opportunity to explore. Inside, anyway. He still remembered when someone had decided to burn the place down and forced them all to wander around outside.
If he had been more likely to explain how he thought without being prompted, then maybe he would have mentioned that he didn’t trust Orpheus, that it wasn’t personal, that he didn’t trust anyone, that he wasn’t sure he could. If not for Watari, he would suspect he was simply incapable of trust. As it was, he was forced to accept the fact that he could, he just didn’t. It kept him alive. Usually, he amended wryly, it kept him alive. How many times had he been killed in the House now? Twice? And Myrnin had been the cause of both, though only directly of one. Still, L had been walking towards the vampire when he’d been blown up. He didn’t actually blame him for that, but he did count it as a time he’d died because of him. And Myrnin was a friend.
He seemed prone to making friends with dangerous people.
Orpheus didn’t seem dangerous. He seemed kind and gentle and careful and so very human, but in a better way than L was used to. Still...he remembered Myrnin’s hands choking him. Was it any wonder, really, that he didn’t trust easily? Was it his world or the House that made him so wary, so careful?
“Yes, I would agree.” L nodded, considering Orpheus for a moment. “I’m still unused to the experience have having friends, but I think that may have something to do with why I find your belief in me and my work to be so valuable. Still, I think everyone’s ability to believe in someone else has value.” He watched carefully as Orpheus took another cookie, and he brightened a little. If he’d had any concept of how much sugar most people could tolerate, he might have warned his friend, but he didn’t, so all he said was “ah, frosted sugar. One of my favorites.”
He nodded as Orpheus continued, and he actually gave a small smile as his friend understood. “Yes, precisely.” He agreed, “I would be very interested in looking at something from your world. Besides the fact that it would just be interesting, it would also help me figure out whether we really are from the same world. Assuming the House allowed me to bring it back to my world. I could also study it and figure out what time period you’re likely from.”
He fell silent, letting Orpheus speak, his eyes wide and curious. “Yes, I would only bring you safe food. That is, only food I myself would eat. There are many things you could try…” he trailed off, thinking, head tilted just a little as he considered what he could bring. Then he looked back at Orpheus. “There are more things than merely cookies, though I’d be interested to find out if the food from my world tastes similar to food from the House. As I don’t trust it, I’ve never found out for myself.”
What could he bring? Strawberry shortcake, naturally. Maybe a blueberry muffin. Cookies, obviously, so Orpheus could compare them. What else? Maybe some Japanese snacks, he liked those a lot. Oh! A doughnut, he’d nearly forgotten that. What kind? Maybe he’d need to bring a few to pick from.
He looked back at his friend, seeming to remember he wasn’t actually alone. His back was to a wall, so he didn’t have to worry about anyone sneaking up on him - probably - but he was still keeping an eye on everyone else.
“I heard your accent a bit when you said ‘snickerdoodle’.” He continued. “I like it. That is one thing about the House, you tend to lose accents.”

Asami | bby room | ®Hawkpath® strider |

"Please explain the misunderstanding."

Asami blinked into the room, one eyestalk extended and slightly tilted in her version of a tonal question mark. The concept she'd been trying to grasp before blinking was soon forgotten, though, as she found herself once again transported to the irregularity.

"Again," she noted to herself out loud, and then, abruptly realized there was another presence nearby. Her body pivoted, and her dominant eyestalk swayed back and forth for a moment, until finally, she spotted the human she'd sensed. But no...this one was different?

"Small," she noted, and she sat down, crossing her legs as her eyestalk stretched out towards the boy, wide and curious as she attempted to look him in the eye. "You are too small. Is this an 'illness'?"

| Victoria | Classroom | Asami, L, and Will |

Victoria blinked into the classroom, appearing on top of one of the rickety desks with a peeling calendar sticker on it. She wobbled as she regained her balance, then hopped down onto the thin brown carpet, stained and fading in some places, similar to the living room. Taking in her surroundings, Victoria wagged her tail softly upon seeing the other people. However she stopped as Will reacted in alarm, positioning himself between the creature and the small boy. She trotted over, alert and cautious as she looked up at Asami. It didn't seem... quite threatening, but Will was scared. Not wanting to be the one to call the shots, she simply pressed her head into Will's hand for comfort (and to get some pets, because priorities).

Asami | bby room | ®Hawkpath® strider Cloverleaf |

Asami pulled back a little, surprised as another small human appeared, larger than the first but still not the size she'd come to expect. Her second eyestalk weaved its way near her first, one of them fixed on Will, and the other fixed on Victoria. Dog. That was a dog. But what was wrong with it? Dogs did not usually have metal pieces. Yet another irregularity.

"Dogs are not for eating, even though they are made of meat," she quoted absently, parroting what her humans had said to her when she'd tried to eat the neighbors' canine. She still didn't understand, but it seemed that it was a rule to be followed.

She then turned her attention back to the two small humans, still about a foot further away than she'd started.

"I will not," she said slightly impatiently, as the one in front barked orders at her. "You are both experiencing physiological changes, including changes to the surface of the skin, elevated heart rate, and tremors. Is the temperature in this room unsuitable for humans?"

| Victoria | Kindergarten classroom |

"That's right!" Victoria barked in alarm at Asami's statement. "Dogs are not for eating." She pressed up against Will's leg, taking a step back from Asami as Asami backed up from them as well. It seemed both sides were... cautious. So far so good- perhaps they would all come to an agreement.

"Or people." She seconded Will. "Eating others is not nice."

She looked back at the younger boy, who was still quite terrified, and wagged her tail softly at him. Hopefully he wouldn't be scared even further by her.

Asami | bby room | strider ®Hawkpath® Cloverleaf |

Asami continued to stare, her left tentacle contorting in excitement as Will confirmed her statement. She was doing a good job, she decided. She had made a correct assumption in not eating the metal dog.

"Then what is the reason for your tremors?" she asked, moving to point to Will's shaking hands, then to L's small, trembling form. "Humans tremble when they are cold."

Then the metal dog spoke, and her entire mass of tentacles contorted in surprise, drawing back and spiking at first, then moving forward with her left eyestalk(the one not fixed on the two humans, waiting for an answer to her other question) to examine the animal.

"Dogs cannot talk," she stated loudly, staring Victoria straight in the face, her eye wide as she looked over the creature(dog?) in an attempt to figure out where she had gone wrong in her reasoning.

| Victoria | Kindergarten classroom |

As L expressed fear from Victoria's movement, her tail lowered a bit, bummed that she had accidentally scared him. She turned her gaze away from him, content to leave him alone. Later, she could tell him that she wasn't actually scary.

"Oh, yeah, no, not usually." Victoria answered Asami. "Not really in my world, anyways. But like, I do, so yeah. Just how it is."

She looked between Asami's multiple eye stalks, tilting her head a bit. Was the creature listening to the two conversations at once? Must be a pretty smart creature. Which meant that it could be nice. "I think they're kinda scared of you but you're not gonna hurt anyone, right?"

A young boy blinked into the active and tense kindergarten room blissfully unaware of what was going on standing between a large walled-off section of the room, two cabinets that held books and plastic bins covered his left and right side. In front of the boy was a neatly placed poster of a kitten dangling on a thin tree branch labeled, "Hang in there!" pinned up on the wall. He was wearing a mildew green jacket, puffed up sleeves that overshadowed his rugged black pants, blue hoodie, and red shoes. Around him was some noise but that was the norm for hectic classrooms. Raising his head, his beanie tilted slightly almost covering his eyes. Maybe it was not the best outfit to pick for picture day but it was way better than being cold.
Everything looked pristine and untouched, almost as if nobody was there, to begin with. Luckily he and his twin would just have to wait for the line leader to walk them outside the classroom. Then they'd have to sit out in the cold leaving Dipper to frown but he sighed in relief now that everyone was packing up. Although he can't remember how it got this peaceful, absentmindedly he grabbed a blue bin peaking inside of it, all the while trying to adjust his beanie with his other free hand.

Julius ~ Outside the Lodge ~ strider


Julius blinked outside of the lodge. “What the f---,” He scowled as he brought his arms closer against his body. He closed his eyes tightly before slowly blinking them open, they stung at the white mounds shining all around him. “This shit is going to give me a f----in’ cold,” It was cruel of the house to blink a viper from the rainforests into a snowy landscape. He wrapped his tail around his torso, hoping to give it any warmth that he can.

He lightly bit into his cigarette as he looked around. “Of all the rooms you can come up with, you choose a bloody winter hell,” He muttered, unaware of the fact that this was not actually a room. Running to warm his body up sounded tempting, but he hesitated, unsure of what the house could throw at him. It might be smarter to find another blinker first.

Julius ~ Outside of the Lodge ~ strider

“Where’s a fire elemental when you bloody need one,” Julius slowed his smoking so that his cigarette could last longer. He wondered if his lighter would work in the house. He didn’t want to use it to warm himself up, it wouldn’t do much for that, it would be a waste of lighter fuel. Instead, he wanted to light another cigarette whenever he finished this one.

The corner of his eye picked up sudden movement, and he cocked his neck to get a better view. He sighed through his nose at the sight of the figure, cigarette smoke streaming from his nostrils. Julius’ shoulders felt tense, but his face looked indifferent. The other blinker’s wave seemed friendly enough, but Julius knew better than to fully trust a stranger right away. The viper stayed in place as the other blinker approached him.

Julius lifted his head in a nod and grunted a greeting. There weren’t any squadmates to do the talking for him this time around, much to Julius’ silent discontent. He supposed it would be good to get to the point. "So the quicker we finish this bloody room, the quicker we can get back to the living room, yeah?" His voice shook from the cold.