WEEK 1

[strangerpeople]

WEEK 1

[The train wouldn't stop. Not until very early the next morning. The few who might have been awake would be able to exit the train, entering the cool twilight of the dawn. The star is dark, and few stars can be seen in the sky as a cold breeze begins to blow from the mountain beyond. You can see some chunks of rock floating idly nearby, far away from the station that it won't hit trains, but near enough that one can see they are larger than the train they just disembarked.

Lastly, laid out in front of them, the first port of call: Menahoven. The mountain: The Throat of the World.

But which world? Who knows. Not any of yours. Maybe it doesn't matter. Not when you are so far from home. Not when you have no way to get off this rock without the aid of the trains-and they will not let you pass.

It looks like you're stuck here until the Conductor decides to leave. In the meantime, everyone will need to get comfortable.


There are fifteen strangers left in this place.]

Comments

[biddentodance]

[Well, the baggage claim was fun. He's leaving it with his haul. Please do not be alarmed by the slight smell of blood, there are scratches on his upper arms and a couple on the left side of his jaw. They're not terribly deep, but they are starting to bleed.

Of course the little jerk is following after him, crying for attention. He's also playing with the throwing knife a little as he heads back to his room. This is a terrible idea, for two reasons.

First, he doesn't actually know how to world a knife, let alone a throwing knife.

Second, his hands make this a disaster waiting to happen. It might not, he's not trying to play with it in a particularly flashy way, just feeling out the weight of it a bit, but. This is still stupid. He'll stop when he sees someone if he's not stopped first.]

Know any good cat names?

[Anyway, so, the lounge has TVs, yeah? Presumably this isn't too hard to set up, idk what format it is.

Minato got a video. He got a bunch of popcorn. He got.....a soda??? He thinks it might be soda? Anyway he's gonna watch himself a movie. Please feel free to join him. Or claim your stuff. The sword is sitting next to him. So is the knife (he's cleaned it off), unless someone took that away from him earlier.

Or you could catch him wandering basically anywhere. He's likely to be out late - maybe stargazing.]

Lounge

[eternaldivide]

[ Mithos is in the lounge and ... finds himself staring at the sword. Very intently. In fact after a moment he looks.... frustrated?

In fact he's doing it so much he hadn't even realized that Minato is ... right there.]

[biddentodance]

[It takes a minute, but he'll notice the staring.]

Something wrong, Mithos-san?

[eternaldivide]

[ Mithos was looking so intently at the sword he nearly jumps when he hears Minato speak ]

Ah-- No... yes ...

[ small frustrated noise ]

I remember seeing this sword. When the pact was created. When I asked him to make it. But after that...

[ No amounts of staring it helping him recall and it's so frustrating. ]

[biddentodance]

[Hmm.... Well. It's worrying, how out of it Mithos seems. The sword? Is it the sword that's bothering him?

What kind of "pact"...?]

Who's "he"?

Lounge

[notthebreakman]

[Proto Man hasn't had much of a reason to talk to Minato until now, but the sight of a familiar bright blue can sitting next to the mountain of popcorn is enough to grab his attention.]

You really don't want to be drinking this. I can get you some tea as a replacement, if you'd like.

[biddentodance]

[Oh, hey. Someone he hasn't spoken to yet, but has been meaning to.]

Why, what is it? [It looks like it should be soda...]

[notthebreakman]

[Nope, not soda. Not unless soda comes in a bright florescent green--wait, there are energy drinks like that, aren't there? Shoot...]

You know those healing potions Eliza brewed at the Apothecary? It's basically the same thing, but for robots. These aren't meant for human consumption.

[biddentodance]

Ordinary soda worked fine for healing Aigis... Other curatives, too.

[Still, that. Is good to know? He offers the can to Proto Man.]

Hallway

[katzenpfote]

[He spots Minato with blood on his arms and sighs, grabbing him by the shoulder.]

We're going to clean those up. I... I can help you wrap them.

[biddentodance]

Ah... Don't think they're deep.

[It's not a protest. He's not so stubbornly against his own well-being that he'd avoid or refuse getting them taken care of.]

Cat must have been really upset about being cooped up.

[katzenpfote]

I don't blame it. Most creatures dislike that.

[Just gonna lead him down the hallway towards the washroom. Frumpkin trails close behind him.]

[biddentodance]

Me neither..... Bet it's hungry. [No wonder it was so angry. He should see about getting food for the brat. He smiles at the familiar.]

Hey, Frumpkin.

Hallway after baggage claim

[charmingheroine]

Morris is some sort of traditional, isn't it?

[She responds to the question before she's fully processed what that is Minato is playing with.

He has a knife. Not just any knife, either. She knows that knife.]

Where... where did that come from?

[biddentodance]

Is it? Morris... [He looks at the orange asshole. It's trying to claw the hem of his pants.

And then looks back at Charlotte, then follows her gaze to the knife.]

Baggage claim. Seems like stuff of ours is in there.

[charmingheroine]

It wouldn't be mine, if that's what I think it is, but... could I see that?

[But before he's had time to answer, she's going to try to cover up the awkwardness by jumping back to The Proper Naming Of Cats.]

"Morris", specifically, might just have been after Uncle John, and then my mother kept using it... but "M" names for tabby cats really are. They've got the initial on them already, after all! But - you're bleeding....

[biddentodance]

[He offers the knife without hesitation, like there's nothing awkward at all.

And continues the topic without missing a beat.]

The 'M' is a thing, for tabbies? [Listen, I didn't know that until this thread, he doesn't either.] M... Mochizuki? [There's a very quiet gasp.] No, that's no good... Yeah, cat was pretty mad when I got it.

Baggage claim

[telecosmetic]

[Eliza lets out a loud gasp when she sees Minato's scratches, reaching out with a worried expression.] Minato! What happened? Did the cat do that? [She turns to give it a disapproving stare.]

Minato's a nice person! Don't hurt him like that! [Of course, it probably isn't going to pay any attention to her demands.]

[biddentodance]

Yeah. Think it was mad about being stuck in baggage claim.

[The cat, for its part, stares in response to the scolding, and then meows loudly. The tone is nothing short of bitchy, like a petulant child.]

[telecosmetic]

I guess I would be too... [Eliza gently reaches out to take his arm and get a better look.] You should...get those looked at. Or...you have the health potion I gave you, right?

[biddentodance]

Yeah, can't blame it any. [They're not very deep, but bleeding. Shouldn't need much in the way of care.]

...have it, but....kind of a minor thing to use it for, isn't it? [Part of him wonders if it'd help his hands any, but if they really have been altered, maybe not.]

STARGAZING

[strangerpeople]

[There isn't much to see.

There are stars. But there are not many of them. In fact-

did one of them just disappear?]

Re: STARGAZING

[biddentodance]

[...Wait, what?

How much light pollution is there around here, anyway? Even the boonies might have stadium lighting.]

[strangerpeople]

[There's really not that much, out here.]

[biddentodance]

[Any familiar constellations? And he'll pick a star at random to stare at. Maybe the one disappearing was his eyes playing tricks on him.]