WEEK 4

[bathymetric]

Another trial, another week, and still you're probably running lower on answers than you'd like. And on people - you lost three since last Sunday. By the end of this week, you'll have been here for nearly a full month, yet still the days crawl on.

You wake up Sunday, again with no memory of Saturday, but this time with a simple message on your devices: You may resume requesting items, if you like. Enjoy. Guess it really was just a stealth motive after all, but at least it's being communicated that it's over! That's something, at least.

And when you leave your rooms on Sunday, there's another new area to explore! This one is... certainly more ambitious in its construction than the last one, to say the least. But hey, you have a pretty neat place to host parties, if you feel so inclined! That's... fun...

Hey, you gotta find the fun in situations like this where you can! Silver linings, right?



SUNDAY | MONDAY | TUESDAY | WEDNESDAY | THURSDAY

[ ooc: Welcome to Week 4! Remember to turn in AC here, threads for regain coins here, and if you feel so inclined you can visit Angel's office hours over here! ]

Comments

Investigation

[bolderfell]

[Immediately after the Professor's announcement, Therion can be found exiting the Area A men's restroom at a fast clip with a thundercloud expression. He does not pass Go, he does not collect $200. However, before the door shuts, the telltale sound of a toilet flushing can be heard.

His next stop is the laundry room. His cloak is dry, but it still smells like chlorine, and that is unacceptable. It's time to try to figure out how these damnable machines work. He shoves his cloak into one washer, slams the door with unnecessary force, and then stares at the instructions on the box of off-brand detergent pods as though attempting to set the thing on fire with his mind.

...He's gonna have to open that door again to add the cleaning agent, huh.

Apparently, laundry's going to take a while, and Therion still has plenty of furious energy to burn. Where else to take it but the fitness room? He doesn't even look at the punching bags, though. Instead, he heads to an open area with mats laid down, removes his shoes, paces with his hands in his hair for a couple minutes, and then begins, surprisingly, to dance.

With his cloak in the wash, his sleeves short, and his shirtfront perma-open, his collection of scars are perfectly on display. As are his abs. Like, if you're into that. And he stopped caring if people saw the iron band locked around his wrist a while ago. Dance practice doesn't seem to be doing anything for his feelings, if the unchanging tightness of his expression is any indication, but at least it focuses his energies.

Hopefully all those handstands and kicks are enough to calm him down before their usual weekly gathering.

Late in the evening, he's finally tired himself out enough to investigate the men's restroom in Area C. What're these lockers like, then, and when can he shove the Professor's corpse into one?

And then it's vending machine time. Therion's always cautious about his haul and tonight's no different, as he stows a few items at a time in a wastebasket to truck them back to Room 24. Sometimes, though, he stays a moment to inspect a particularly weird object, like this... juicy-flavored... something? Or the Incredible Soaking Device. What even is that?

He forgets all of it instantly when the machine deposits a large, round, ruby-red gemstone into his hand.

Finally.]

vending machine

[nothingcanstop]

[ Round of coins, round of coins!

Okay, no, Della already turned in hers this morning, but the wastebasket gives her pause, you see. It catches her attention. She finds Therion positively captivated by...something. ]

Oh, wow. That's certainly big and shiny.

[bolderfell]

[Therion's pocketing it even before he turns around to recognize who's there.]

Oh. Della. [Sigh.] Yeah. I've been looking for it for weeks. At least getting it now saves me the trouble of trying to barter it off of Rin later.

[He starts to collect everything else into his wastebasket. Water guns, Oxy-chews...]

[nothingcanstop]

Oh, so it's something shiny that you recognize, that's fun. [ She's not going to like, peak at his stuff! ...Not entirely. Just idly. ] Did you have this big ol' shiny ruby on you when you got here?

[ Idly... Idly... ]

[bolderfell]

[Della, what the hella.]

I should have, anyway. [He gives her a searching, sidelong look, then faces her fully, completely deadpan.] What are you doing.

[nothingcanstop]

[ hella duck ]

Oh, just thinking your whole set-up's smart. I always have to make a fewwwwwwww [ she's seen it, there she goes ] whyyy is there more of this stuff?!

[ Throws her hands up. Then gestures wildly at the wastebasket. Not specifying what's got her so animated. ]

[bolderfell]

More... [He glances into his goodies.] ...sweet pastries?

[Look, he's really enjoying these donuts, okay.]

[nothingcanstop]

More flippin' Oxy-chew!!!!!

[bolderfell]

[...]

What?

[nothingcanstop]

[ If he doesn't mind she's just going to reach in and snatch it up. ]

I thought when one pack of it popped out I'd be done with it, but no, noooooooooo, here it is! Again! [ She looks at it and immediately snaps: ] Don't give me that look Gyro, who the heck makes all-purpose survival gum the worst flavor ever!

laundry room

[pimpplan]

You know, you're going to need to open the door to get that gel thing in there.

[ For once, as he walks in with some of his clothes, he's not teasing. Was it because of the meeting? ... Is water wet? ]

[bolderfell]

[Therion holds his eyes shut for five silent seconds, then yanks the door back open, throws a pod in, and slams it a little more quietly than before.]

...Then what.

[Tasks. Tasks are good. Tasks never hurt him like people do.]

[pimpplan]

Uh...

[ He puts his clothes on top of an unused washer and walks over to look at the display of Therion's. ]

You press one of these buttons for... I dunno, the setting? I don't really know what the point of these all are... and then it should go, I think.

[bolderfell]

[Yeah, what, why are there so many choices. Angling a bit away from Zelos, Therion glowers at the buttons, jabs one at random, and seems only minimally gratified when the washer starts.]

Thanks.

[pimpplan]

[ Zelos steps back to let him figure out which button he liked best, swiping a pod from the container and going back to wash his own clothes. ]

Anytime! Always a pleasure to be of help.

[bolderfell]

[He doesn't bother hiding that he's watching Zelos go.]

...Is it?

[pimpplan]

[ He stops for a second as he throws his few articles of clothing in, pausing for a second or two before closing the door. ]

Why wouldn't it be? I feel like if it was actually a problem, I wouldn't hesitate to make you fully aware of it.

[bolderfell]

Maybe you would. Maybe you wouldn't. Do any of us really know one another well enough to say.

[Thanks, motive, for undoing (x) weeks of learning how to people in an acceptable manner!]

[pimpplan]

... No, I guess not.

[ Any sense of levity has officially left Zelos' voice, for a change. He presses the button to start the machine and turns, crossing his arms. ]

What'd you rather do, then? Keeping everyone at arm's length can only get you so far.

fitness room

[bogwife]

[Zerinda swears she had an agenda when she came in here. She was going to get some exercise and break in the new pants she'd made in one fell swoop, maybe have a closer look at the new pool. The tie-dye t-shirt is still taking some getting used to though.

She's still in the middle of tying up her hair with some scraps of elastic cord as she enters the fitness room and pauses when she sees Therion dancing. She stays still, watching his movements with no small amount of fascination. Lucky for him she's transfixed enough to hold her tongue until he finishes.]

I didn't know you were this much of a dancer, Therion.

[bolderfell]

[He glances at her--he was at least aware of someone else entering the room, though he didn't stop to greet her--and breathes out, wiping the sweat from his brow with one of his rag-wrapped forearms.]

...It's not my main trade.

[He left a bottle of cider by the wall. Therion picks it up now to have a drink.]

But one of my traveling companions thought I might get some use out of it.

[bogwife]

You're very good at it for it not being your main trade. [She finishes tying up her hair and approaches him, folding her hands behind her back as she does.] Do thievery and dancing usually go so well together or are you just special?

[bolderfell]

Heh.

[It's not quite a real laugh, too little actual humor in it, but he swallows his mouthful of cider and shrugs in her general direction.]

They use some of the same skills. Agility, speed, misdirection... Typically, I'm trying to direct attention away from me. A dancer does that in reverse.

[bogwife]

So you learned both...to be a distraction when you need to be along with being sneaky?

[bolderfell]

Made me lighter on my feet, too.

[He bounces a little on the mats as if to show her.]

And... learning how each dance is supposed to affect its audience makes me think differently about how I fight in a group. [He lifts a hand.] On my own, I look for weaknesses and exploit them, or hobble my enemies in some way.

[Now he glances away.]

But a dancer... looks to their allies' strengths and encourages them. Bolsters their strength, or inspires greater magic. [Shrug.] Also, Primrose could cast dark magic with her dance. Seemed useful enough.