middaeg | a hallway that keeps growing ( closed )

Entry tags:

a hallway that keeps growing ( closed )

Who: Giorno Giovanna (

digiorno), Kaede (

long_live_the_queen), Lady Maria (

whomthebelltolls), Oerba Yun Fang (

belligerentwarrior)
When: Shortly before the full moon; May 15-17ish
Where: The Haven; Fancy Housing
What: Three monsters and a monster hunter walk into a vacant mansion—
Warnings: TBA but something way well come up considering bad decisions house.

[From the beginning, Giorno had no particular intention of sharing housing with anyone. Sure, he filled out the signup sheet, but it was mostly because he noticed what happened to the people who didn't. He's almost as opposed to having false facts about himself announced to the waiting crowd as he is to having people know truths about him. At the very least, he'd like to be in control of his own lies.]

[The whole setup is just uncomfortable. So, after filling out his sheet and waiting what may or may not be a socially appropriate amount of time, he slips out the back of the crowd and goes house-hunting.]

[It doesn't take as long as he thought it might to find a house that satisfies. If he were more self-aware he might feel embarrassed at the fact that it's the one with the most dramatic available architecture and certainly the most columns, but he doesn't. Just sets his eye on it, does a walkthrough, and determines to move in the following morning.]

[As the suns rise, he wanders up the steps with his single bag in tow. Exhaustedly. He is so tired. He doesn't know why, and he's refusing to think about it. In the shade indoors, with the heavy door closed behind him, he breathes out a sigh of relief. It's good to finally be alone.]

[He'll definitely regret jinxing himself like that in a little while — when he comes across a few strands of pink hair in the shower drain; when he walks past a bedroom with the door just ajar and sees the flicker of movement from within, or hears humming from the kitchen that he certainly doesn't recognize. For now, though, he's feeling pretty smug. Fancy house get.]

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[This is ridiculous. It's straight out of a horror movie: finding foreign hair in the shower when you know you're the only one in the house. The only saving grace of this situation is that he's still dressed and not actually wrapped in a towel like the protagonist of a horror movie.]

[Still: he's staring at this pink hair in the stupid shower drain like it's going to come alive and attack him, and how does he know it won't? Calm as he looks on the outside, he's seething. If he had Gold Experience, no one would be able to sneak up on him like this. He wouldn't be so damn vulnerable. How long has someone been in his house watching him?]

[His house, which he basically stole. Whatever, it's fine.]

[He looks around the bathroom for a makeshift weapon, but all there really is is a plunger. He rustles through the cabinet and finds a pair of nail scissors, which will just have to do. Stalking out onto the landing, he leans against the rail and raises his voice.]

Whoever is in here, come out already. You're not as sneaky as you think you are, and I'm in no mood to play hide and seek right now.

[There's no response to his request, besides some dust stirring. Whoever the hair belonged to was certainly acting sneaky.

...or maybe they just didn't hear him. There was a lot of house here.

Now that he'd spotted one pink hair, though, others started cropping up. One on the carpet, another lying against a side wall with other bits of dust—and more, leading like an absurdly colored breadcrumb trail further into the house. A lot of them seemed short and broken—a few were even a bit...burnt? at the end. They seemed to be leading towards a discrete door almost hidden in the wall—a servant's door, or a secret passage??

No, probably for servants to pop in and out of to clean things and vanish again. But that's where the trail was heading.]

[So begins a very paranoid afternoon for Giorno. One of those days when it feels like every little stir, every shift of light, is someone preparing to attack him. It's hard to blame him, considering what he's been through, considering how vulnerable he is now, considering how alone he is — but it feels like weakness to be so afraid, and he resents it.]

[So he doesn't allow himself to recognize it as fear. Instead, it's irritation. He's being wildly inconvenienced, and he hopes someone is going to apologize for it later, but that seems pretty unlikely. He devotes himself to catching more clues, and as it turns out, that isn't difficult at all. The hairs are bright, and they are everywhere.]

[What he doesn't understand is the burnt hairs. Why would someone burn their hair and then not cut the burned parts off? Rubbing his temple, he follows the trail to . . . a very shady-looking door. Wow.]

Why are you living in the wall? There are plenty of serviceable rooms!

[He can't believe this. He bangs on the door a couple of times with his fist, as one might whack on logs with sticks to alert any hiding snakes that they should slither away, before opening the door and reluctantly slipping inside.]

I'd kill a man for a flashlight . . .

[The hallway beyond the wall was dim, as expected, and much simpler in design to the room just next door. There, sadly, didn't seem to be any flashlights. But a door further down the hallway to the right was just slightly ajar, with dim light spilling out of it..

And this time, Kaede had heard him. She had found a mirror, brush, and chair—somewhat in that order—and was still lingering in one of the servants' rooms, even though she'd woken up awhile ago. She'd been brushing her hair out the third time in a row in a vain attempt to clear up the scorched spots (scissors were something she didn't find) before she'd heard the battering at the hidden door she found. Kaede had felt rather smug about finding that, certain no one would find her that way.

But clearly someone had, if the very human muttering she heard just afterwards was any indication.

Kaede put down the brush and mirror on the mostly-empty vanity, and reached out to snuff the lantern's flame. She could still...sort of see, her red eyes reflecting the remaining light like green-gold disks in the dark.]

[He sees—]

[A light, and then the absence of a light. There's a brief, but creative curse as spots shine in his eyes, as they try desperately to see in what he's rapidly (belatedly) becoming aware is a dangerous situation. Whoever is here heard him, knows he is here, and doesn't want to be seen. Which should have been obvious, given that they're literally hiding in the wall. Stupid.]

[He palms the nail scissors, point sticking out between his fingers so that if he swings . . . and hopefully he won't have to. But there's no point hanging his safety on hope.]

[Since this other person knows he's here, it doesn't bother him much to speak. Sure, it'll show his position in the room, but as he feels his way along the wall from the hallway to the entrance of the room, he reflects bitterly that this person probably already knows where he is. They know this place far better than he does. He's at a disadvantage anyway. His chances will increase if they get closer to each other; that's all there is to it.]

I'm not here to hurt you, whether you want to believe it or not. I don't know why you've chosen to hide in the walls, but you can't just — be in someone's house secretly. Without even introducing yourself. It's rude.

[He is maybe a little freaked out secretly. Hence the babbling.]

Could you turn the light back on?

[The footsteps and the voice was getting closer, though turning off the light seemed to inconvenience whoever it was. Kaede stood quietly from the chair, one hand on the desk and the other curled tightly around the brush handle.

Some of what he said rankled at her; she wasn't hiding, let alone like a mouse skulking in the walls. But he was also close enough to answer now.]

Wasn't anyone here when I looked.

[Her voice was just shy of a contralto growl--not one with hostility to it (yet), but certainly some annoyance.

Kaede's voice is just like that.

She also does not turn the lantern back on.]

There wasn't anyone here when I looked.

[Rude. Definitely rude. If there was any doubt about it before, she certainly wants to keep him inconvenienced, off-balance. There's no response to his question about the light; nothing at all.]

[There's something about her voice. He can't put his finger on it. Is she just terse, or—?]

I'm not trying to kick you out.

[As much as he wants to have the house to himself. As much as he dislikes the idea of cooperating, of giving any ground, of sharing space with strangers — he's not trying to kick her out.]

[Fair enough, she supposed. It was a big enough place Kaede was surprised someone hadn't moved in already.

Now that she'd gotten time to settle herself, shower, and sleep off the worst of her fatigue and injuries, she was digging in her heels stubbornly. She wasn't going to leave, make her.]

Aren't you?

[(x) Doubt]

[Isn't he?]

[The question takes him by surprise. He wasn't expecting to be questioned about it, but — fine, it's fair. He lies as a matter of course. Not that he owes her an honest answer or anything. He doesn't even know her.]

[But he considers his answer, all the same.]

No, [he says eventually, sounding a little surprised himself.] I'm not. I was going to before I realized you were in the wall. Not now.

[A beat, before he adds sharply,] I'm not going anywhere either, though. So don't even consider it.

[...well. Maybe her cynicism was off today. That wasn't the answer she expected.

Kaede's grip on the brush didn't relax, but she did hmph audibly while she considered that.

She could correct him, at least.]

I'm not living in a wall.

[Slowly, and just slightly, Kaede turns the lantern on. The dim light spilled into the hallway again without aggravating her eyes too much.]

[At this point, he didn't expect her to adjust the lighting at all until he left, so he's somewhat blindsided by the spill of light down the hall. As he's been focused on the occasional flash of her eyeshine, he sees spots, even with such a slight increase of light, and squeezes his eyes shut, pressing his hand over them until he gets used to it. For the moment, he's confident that she won't attack him as soon as his eyes are closed or his back is turned.]

. . . Thank you. [He's not going to complain about her not warning him, at least not out loud. In the silence of his own head, he's grousing for sure. But it doesn't take that long to adjust, and when he opens his eyes again, he can see her properly.]

[She doesn't look human. But she doesn't look inhuman, either. Not like some of those he's seen here. Then she's new, like him, and . . . changing. Absently, he runs his tongue over his sore gums and doesn't think about the shapes peeking out over his incisors.]

What do you call it, then? [If not living in a wall.]

[Her still-glowing eyes blinked. Thank...you? Kaede froze up a moment, not...not sure how to answer that. What was he saying that for?

More importantly, what did she do with it??

The silence dragged on--and on, until it was conversationally too late to bring that up. Kaede's shoulders twitched, the gesture too awkward and small to be a shrug, and she broke eye contact momentarily to glance around the plain room. There wasn't much here--no wallpaper, a bare spot on the floor a simple carpet might have been in, a bed and a dresser--more than the bare minimum for a room, in Kaede's opinion. A bit dusty and cobwebby, but, well, most of the house was.]

Just a room.

[Well, there's certainly nowhere for him to sit. Ordinarily he wouldn't think to anyway; certainly not in front of a stranger, one he was concerned might hurt him a few moments ago. Even now, he really doesn't know that she won't. There's no reason to give her any ground.]

[It's just that—]

[She looked at him like he'd cornered her, just now. When he said thank you.]

[Hesitating only for a moment more, he slides to the floor and sits down cross-legged. It's a gesture of deliberate submission, one he is hyperaware of as he is aware of all cession of ground, every potential vulnerability. He has to look up at her now. He forces his shoulders, pressed back against the wall, to relax.]

There are nicer rooms. No window in this one.

. . . And I think you might have used my shower, so. You could find one with a shower attached. If you wanted.

[The first day, Kaede had taken the earliest opportunity to slip away from the meeting again. Miss Nessie had introduced them to their new homes—great, wonderful, now could Kaede go back to bed?

It was only a few blocks later that Kaede remembered she didn't technically have one now. And after an encounter with those fucking brats skulking around Haven, finding a change of clothes was added to that list. And a shower. And a brush. What was supposed to be an annoying bit of flame thrown by a bully had grown into a fireball as soon as it touched Kaede's skin, scorching some of her hair and igniting her sleeve. The bullies had departed promptly—something about a crazy lady charging at them while still on fucking fire—and she'd put the flames out before her burns got any worse.

Unsurprisingly, it put her in a vile mood. They could just move into any of these houses? Fine. Kaede stalked towards the nearest—some ostentatious thing with too many columns and a gate for her to slip through—but didn't go for the front door. No no, that wouldn't do. Too conspicuous, even if there weren't any lights glowing in the windows. She circled around to look for a less obvious door, and slipped through one that opened out to a gnarled, unmanaged garden.

It was dark and dusty in here, though not too dark that Kaede needed to scrabble around for a lantern. One would have made things easier, but nevermind that. She was in the house now, she wasn't going back out to find one. And the furnishings were simpler here—less to trip over in the gloom.

Eventually, the plainer hallway led to much heavier, more ornamented doors—whisper quiet on their hinges, despite how old everything else seemed. And the rooms suddenly changed to something more decorated and elaborate, more in keeping with the front of the house's design. Kaede tripped over a stool in one of those rooms. The horned woman just left it there, muttering darkly to herself.

But at last, she found a shower that worked—though the knobs needed quite a bit of experimentation to find a setting that wasn't frigid or boiling hot—and had cleaned the worst of the char and ash out of her hair. That awful burnt hair smell finally went away, too. From there, hair still wet but at least brushed, Kaede just fell into the nearest bed—one of the plainer ones. She was probably taking some absent servant's bed. But the simpler furnishings were more familiar to her, and the servant long gone.

And there was less to trip over.

By the second day, Kaede was in a much better mood. More willing to explore this strange new house, instead of single-mindedly finding one specific thing. She still needed new clothes, and the burns on her arms hurt. That needed attending to. Maybe there were bandages in this abandoned house. The horned woman paced the halls quietly out of habit, though she didn't pay much mind to any creaking floorboards. There shouldn't be anyone around to hear them.

And as evening fell, she started making her way to the balcony on the second floor—almost drawn there. The moons would be rising soon, and she wanted to see them for herself.]

[She hadn't actually bothered with the roommate listing. Maybe her own fault, but sticks and stones, no matter how much the board gleefully told the world she liked to double-dip hors d'eouvres at parties, or that her favorite hobby was brooding.

The second one was kind of true, anyway, though she was of nobility, so it wasn't like she hadn't been socialized.

What she had done was find a nice, big home, with a nice, big stable she could put a horse in. If the Cwyld was as big as the books said, she'd need the extra mobility. Yharnam was one thing - this place was much larger.

The house she found was big, and quiet, and sort of forlorn. Not entirely unlike her, so she claimed a bedroom upstairs, near the back, the biggest she could, and bunkered down with books and the remnants of her resurrection sickness.

Eventually, though, she was forced out of that comfortable little space, only to realize...

She wasn't alone.

The dust was different, the smell was off... someone was here.]

... They wouldn't leave well enough alone, would they? [She mumbles to herself as she returns to her room to grab the Rakuyo... and then ventures back out, properly armed.

It's likely she'll find her roommates before they find her, given her history, but sneaking up on her is always possible. If one wants to see that blade in action, especially.

Otherwise...] And who goes there?

[One intruder(?) was easily located; the scent of ashes kept clinging to Kaede, and she also wasn't making much of an attempt at concealing herself. A few strands of broken, singed-at-the-ends pink hair pointed towards the dining room.

Kaede was sitting at the empty table—hunched over, with her forehead pressed to the wooden surface and her hands curled by her temples, around the base of her horns. They seemed a bit longer this time, more tapered.]

Someone with a headache.

[She knew that voice. That...tall, pale woman. With the sword, which demanded respect in a place Kaede's power was silenced, and blood on her cravat, which sparked curiosity. But she didn't stir from the table and her voice sounded pained, like making words was a struggle.]

[Oh, the horned girl from the Coven. She remembers that one. They had a bit of an awkward morning, but ultimately... it was harmless. The growth of things not-quite-human still puts Maria on edge, but this one seemed relatively harmless otherwise.

... Or she'd be run through already. Instead, Maria relaxes her grip on her sword, and her dagger, a bit.]

And how did you find yourself in this place? [Admittedly, the house isn't actually Maria's, perse, but she knows there was no one else here when she first got here, so she assumed no one else would be coming.]

[It'd be a welcome reprieve from her head trying to split under its own power. But Kaede didn't hear the woman's voice or the tread or her boots getting closer, so there probably wouldn't be any steel headed her way yet.

Kaede stayed right where she was at the table. She could hear the pounding of her own blood in her head impossibly loudly already, and didn't want to aggravate that unnecessarily.]

Door was open. Didn't think anyone was in here.

[There were new burns on her left hand, some soot staining her sleeve, and a patch of burnt hair on the same side, which neatly explained the old burning smell.]

[Well, she looks sick. Not just sick, but injured, which is worrying in and of itself. What in the world happened?]

I see. Well, I suppose without an official registry, I don't really own this house.

Did you have a bad run-in with the bonfire? [She's used to the smell of burning, and blood, and things like that. A little too used to it. It doesn't much bother her, though perhaps the idea of someone she knows being injured does.

Even if this person isn't necessarily human.]

[Kaede snorted to herself at the thought; she'd barely been able to stand, then. She couldn't jump over the things if she wanted to.

...and she had wanted to, at times.

But fire seemed to be the theme of the month, even after that festival.]

No. It was with some little shits outside who kept picking fights with anyone they think doesn't belong.

[The headache—the worst of it—wasn't their fault, though. Her horns had grown like this, once before. But she'd been far too concerned with...other things, too suffused with adrenaline to acknowledge the pain of the moment.]

Edited 2019-05-21 01:15 (UTC)

So they used fire? [That's... unusually cruel for a children's game. Some little part of Maria approves of the method, though - the old Hunter in her, that acknowledges how effective fire is during a Hunt, how many of the Beasts would cower from it. But just as that thought strikes, she reminds herself she did give her word that she'd try to be on better behavior, especially where these... Monsters were concerned, and as of yet, this one hadn't proved to be much of a threat.]

... Are the injuries severe?

[Kaede muttered again—probably an affirmative?

She was cautious about answering the next question, though. Most of her paranoid mind insisted on hiding the extent of her injuries until she found somewhere safe to hole up, or a friendly face to hide behind. This wasn't quite either. The pale woman hadn't threatened her much, sword excepted—but Kaede's deep seated distrust wasn't laid aside so easily.

...she should look at her injuries now that there was better lighting, though. Reassess them, and all. The burns hurt. Her head hurt. A lot of her did and Kaede didn't want to mention any of it.]

...I don't— [she made the mistake of lifting her head up to look at her burned hand, and pain flashed from one temple to the next in an instant, settling like a bar behind her eyes. Kaede sucked in a sharp breath and dropped her head down to the table again with a clunk.

So much for hiding the "actually injured" part.]

—know.

The Coven has medical services, if you have need of them. I'm of little use for it, unfortunately. [She's quite good at causing injuries, and not very good at all at healing them, unless they're her own. But her Vileblood existence isn't transferable - only Annalise could do that - so Maria is left without much other options.] I'm not sure what is here that could be usable. If they left any supplies about, such as gauze, it's nowhere I've found any.

[An Attempt Has Been Made at Helping.]

[It was probably for the best. Even though this woman had notably not stabbed Kaede twice now and blunted a little of her prickle with curiosity, Kaede was still not sure about taking drugs from this person.]

Guess so. [She knew so, she'd spent a decent chunk of time in the infirmary until she didn't look like she was going to fall over and die again on the stairs.] Have to...get over there.

[Threat of stabbing is still technically on the table, she just has manners for now.]

You came here... are you having difficulty walking? [Maria looks the girl over again. Maybe just exhaustion for now.]

If so, perhaps a bit of rest will do good first. Unless any of your wounds are still bleeding. [At least there won't be much of a fight. The Rakuyo hisses softly as it slides back into its sheath; what little of it Maria pulled it out, of course.]

[So there had been a sword in the equation somewhere, by that sound. That was fair, Kaede supposed. It didn't seem elaborate enough to just be decorative.]

Not bleeding. [Probably. There wasn't any blood on the floor or the chair.] Legs still work fine. Just...my head that wants to explode.

[She kind of needed that to go anywhere of her own volution.]

[It's fancy, but it is definitely made for stabbing things. Lots of things.

The news is a bit both better and worse than Maria is expecting.]

If you walked here, do you think you could walk to the Coven? If not... there are plenty of rooms for rest.

[To her credit, Kaede did try to stand up again first. Her shoulders tensed, and she lifted her forehead off the table. So good so f--

There was the pain again, that pulsing trying to escape the confines of her skull. She didn't slam her forehead onto the table again this time, clutching at a temple until she'd regained enough composure to speak.

Her horns had gotten slightly longer than when this encounter started.]

...not right now.

[Ugh. She was quiet as long as possible, but she couldn't just leave the question unanswered.]

Can...you...

[Kaede didn't want to do this. The words were a struggle to say, grudging things dragged between her teeth. She didn't want to ask for assistance.

But there wasn't much choice, if she didn't want to sleep on this table. Not the most restful place.

She grumbled and sighed at the same time, rubbing her head with agitated circles of her fingers.]

...can you help me get to one?

[Early hunters were cursory doctors... which meant to say they didn't have anything approximating a medical license, but boy were they gung-ho about learning everything about human anatomy, even if it meant dissecting things and possibly committing crimes against humanity.

And, more importantly, it means at least Maria is noticing there are changes. But she's not quite sure how she wants to go about this yet.

Boy, that request for help sounds painful though. Maria takes a deep breath, then nods, even knowing the other can't see it.]

I can do that. [She can, but that doesn't necessarily mean she wants to, even though she steps forward anyway. Kaede's too short to put her arm around Maria's shoulders and be carried that way... but then Kaede seems to be particularly small in general. It might just be easier to pick her up.

... No, she'll let the girl have some dignity.] Try to get up again.

[The footsteps approached after her grudging, stilted request, and Maria's voice was closer--almost at her shoulder. That was as much as she'd asked, as begrudging as the request was.

Kaede pressed both palms to the table, gathering herself. And, slowly, she started pushing herself upwards. The pulsing thundered in her head, and her jaw tensed so tightly it ached.

But she stood, halfway, pushing the chair back with her legs.

And there Kaede stopped, breath whistling out of her nose and her eyes still squeezed shut. She was trying, but this hurt.]

...can't do any more.

[Maria allows her her time to get up, watching quietly, looking for any signs that this is just some ploy to get her closer to attack, and finding legitimate agony. Hm. The transformations before always looked so very painful, but the final stage was usually rather quick. This seemed to be taking its time...

Though, then again, this one wasn't really human to begin with, was she? Maria recalls the horns from before. With one hand, she reaches out, a firm grip - unyielding as iron, but not quite so tight - at Kaede's arm, near the elbow, and gives a little motion toward herself - a beckon to come her way. The first room down the hall with a serviceable bed should work, but it is going to be at least a short walk.] Take a step.

[Kaede made a little token mutter when her arm was grabbed, but the contact was more reassuringly stable than a restraint or hindrance. It wasn't yanking her off balance and Maria wasn't digging her fingers into any of Kaede's burns. That was good enough.

Cautiously, Kaede eased her eyes open, just enough to see the half-polished floorboards and faded carpet in front of her. She took a step, as instructed. The world wobbled dizzyingly, but Maria's unwavering grip was still there to hold her up--Kaede had to lean on her more than she wanted to admit.

...odd. The mad drumming of her own pulse in her head seemed a bit quieter now. Less distracting. The piercing ache in her head was still there, but the pressure that accompanied it seemed to be equalizing. Or...however blood pressure worked. That was what it was, wasn't it?

With a little shake of her horned (antlered?) head, Kaede ventured another step, a small one right in front of her foot. So far so good.]

[The sensation of touching the young woman is certainly a strange one. However, it also does bring to mind all the things that were said about Monsters and Bonds with Witches - certainly there's nothing so strong here, but it's almost like she can feel the magic within her leeching out... some kind of... overabundance of energy that's being siphoned into the woman she's touching. While that might normally be a cause for concern, in this case, there's a sort of... relief to it. Like she didn't realize the power was getting to be a bit much.

Forward she moves, though, quietly guiding her companion, since it's clear the other won't - or can't - raise her head to look around.] I'll leave you to the bedroom on the first floor. I don't know which one you claimed for your own in this home, but that is the closest one for now.

[She took a third step, and a cautious fourth. She hadn't toppled over yet, though...Kaede didn't want to admit it, but Maria would probably catch her if she did fall.

And each step eased the next; the throbbing in her head faded to a quiet echo, and her thoughts untangled from the snarled knot they'd been in. Like something was...soothing them, shooing away extraneous thoughts like one did for dust. Most of her unsettled mind remained so, but there wasn't so much clutter for her thoughts to get tangled up in and wind themselves into furious circles.

Kaede nodded quietly at what the pale woman said; though she was feeling better, she wasn't at all confident she could find that specific discrete door leading to whatever abandoned servants' room she'd been occupying.

And after another few steps, she looked up at Maria's face. Her gaze was still bleary, but the harsh lines of her usual scowl had smoothed away into a quietly perplexed expression.]

...what did you do?

Mm? I haven't done anything. [It's true - it feels like Kaede is leaning against her less and less, but it's a bit illogical to think she's feeling so much better just from being near to Maria.

... Then again, there was that thought about how Witches and Monsters exchanged energy, or something of that nature, and it was merely through-]

Could it be because I am a Witch, and you are a Monster?

[The befuddled curiosity in her eyes remained, but Kaede's breath hitched a little as she grimaced, averting her gaze.

Something about that stung. She'd known she was a monster. Not with any fancy capital letters--it was something reinforced since she was small. Some days it was easier to accept than others. She was fine. She was used to hearing that.

On a day like today where she felt more vulnerable, her armor just had more gaps in it than usual.]

...maybe, I guess.

[Her shoulders twitched, like she could shake the thoughts away.]

They did mention physical contact was part of the key to their Bonds. [She doesn't particularly care for all the implications of it, nor to be so close to things that all of her senses are telling her will try to kill her.]

We are almost to the room, and you almost seem capable of standing on your own. Will you be able to make it from the doorway?

[Oh, boy. People touching her. Especially if Kaede wanted to move more than a few steps when she was like this.

That being said, this time at least wasn't so...bad. Highly unpleasant intrusive thoughts aside.

Kaede's gaze fixed on the hallway and the door ahead. She didn't recognize it, but perhaps she would come to do so soon.]

I think-- [No, too tentative.] Yes. I can.

[Maria's pretty sure this is the door to the bedroom on the first floor. Proximity to the common area makes her think it might be intended for a higher-ranked servant or guest, but she's not quite sure. Either way, she quietly keeps the pace up until she can reach out, turn the knob, and open the door.]

Good. Then I recommend taking as much rest as you will need. [Maybe she should, too. Being on high alert can be exhausting even after a short amount of time.]

Since we're both here, try to find me if anything... worse happens. [That's. That's probably not as friendly of an invitation as it sounds.]

Someone who'd prefer not to be stabbed!

[He was just trying to go get a snack. This is getting ridiculous. He wanted a snack and a cup of coffee and that is it, and here he is in the hallway facing down a woman who, in this moment, appears to be 700 feet tall and made of knives.]

[This is exhausting. How many people are in this house?]

Could you please point that somewhere else. I'd appreciate it.

I'm sure most people would rather not be stabbed. It's what your intent is that makes the difference.

[To be entirely fair, she almost is like 700 feet tall and made of knives, and ultimately perfectly willing to use all of them.]

I will point them elsewhere when I decide if you're a threat. No sooner. Now, what do you want here? [Ultimately, she'd rather talk than stab, but home intrusions can be kind of... messy.]

I intended to live here, actually!

[He's a little shrill right now. Sorry. It's becoming clearer with every passing day how vulnerable and powerless he is here, how relatively unable to defend himself, how much more paranoid he needs to be — and here someone is, threatening him in his own home! That he just walked into and decided to live in, but still!]

[The point is he doesn't have a weapon. Despite his instinctive desire to keep his hands balled up into fists, he forces himself to open them and show her his palms. No weapons, see?]

I didn't know anyone else was here. You could have made your presence a little more obvious.

Live here? [She had it first!!!! ... Okay, that doesn't actually matter.] It seems we had the same thoughts. [Though hers might be for slightly different reasons than him - she wants a stable for horses. And room for a garden. And also she's just... nobility. He is also unarmed, and she is not, and she realizes that's a discrepancy. Perhaps she should fix this.

She considers for a moment longer, then slides the Rakuyo back into its sheath with a soft hiss of the metal scraping against the lining.]

I have a lot of research to do. Besides, it is a very large house, and there are no servants.

[For him . . .]

[He's nobility, too, after all. He's made himself so; he has no intention of backsliding now, no matter what kind of place this is. Until he's able to find his way home, or rebuild himself here if he absolutely must, he's viciously intent on living as he is accustomed to.]

[Never mind that he misses his garden, too. In this climate, he can't get it quite how he likes it — and without Gold Experience, it will take forever — but he wants to bring life to something, even if he has to go about it the traditional way.]

[The implication, whether she means it or not, makes the hair on the back of his neck stand up.]

I am not going to be your servant, if that's what you mean.

[He sucks his teeth. His head hurts. His gums hurt too. At least the weapon's gone; some of the tension bleeds from his shoulders at that.]

[A frown - that wasn't what she meant, just that there were no servants around to announce or ask who might be at home. They tended to know more than the residents of the house half the time, anyway.

... Though maybe someone should be. Sure isn't going to be her, much as she actually did the opposite and more or less abandoned the gentry.]

No. Just that there are no others here to warn who might be at home or to keep watch.

[Just gonna keep... staring at him, though; threat assessment, though he doesn't seem to be much of one to her.]

I suppose since this wasn't my house either, I can't stop you from doing as you like.

[Oh.]

[Okay. Maybe he's a little on edge. Not that he's feeling particularly critical of himself, given the number of people he's found in his house in the last couple of days. It's just embarrassing to lose control enough to snap, that's all.]

[She stares. He stares back, eyes narrowed.]

You're comfortable cohabiting with a stranger you just held at swordpoint? [Gurl.]

And to whom would I lodge a complaint to get you evicted? And how do we prove who was here first? Who has a rightful claim to this place? [Seriously.] But the real question should be... you know I have blades, and am unafraid to use them. Do you still wish to live somewhere where someone else does that will hold you at swordpoint?

Yes.

[The answer comes quickly, easily, and with confidence. He meets her eyes without hesitation.]

I'd rather your honest threat than something unknown. At least I know what you're willing to do, and I know how you'd do it if you were to try. I couldn't beat you as I am now, as much as I hate to admit it, but I know how you'd kill me if you wanted to. I wouldn't have to guess or fear.

Danger doesn't bother me. Liars bother me, because liars stab people in the back. I'd rather stay, then, if you don't mind.

Mm. You prefer a known threat over the treachery of the unknown. Then we also have that in common. I guess it's just a matter of knowing where each of us is planning on staying within the house. I don't foresee any problems if we don't... run into each other late at night. [THEN the swords come right on back out.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

a hallway that keeps growing ( closed )

kaede ☆

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