01 - Audio & Action - take your pick! Phone call or gun to the face...

[swooshycape]

[audio]

[ Vincent isn’t normally one to just try calling out of the blue, but he really wants some intel on this place - enough that he is willing to at least try, even if he is quite suspicious of, well... everything about this place. ]

Where is this? And to whom... am I speaking?

[ His voice is deep and quiet and mostly toneless - though there is a dark edge to it. He wants answers, and he expects to be given them. However, he has one last thing to add... ]

Yuffie, if this is your doing... [ ... well, if she’s listening, he’s pretty sure she can imagine the unspoken threat. ]


[action]

[ But even as he waits for any sort of response, Vincent doesn’t keep still. Instead, he carefully explores the mansion, moving quietly as he swoops down hallways, checking rooms and keeping to the shadows. You wouldn’t expect someone in a red cape to be particularly stealthy, but he manages it very well - unnaturally so.

However, stealthy or not, he is expecting a fight, so if he opens the door to a room someone is in, his gun is out and aimed right at them. ... really, he’s too used to a world where every space that isn’t a town or city is crawling with hostile wildlife. Don’t worry, though. He won’t shoot on sight. .... probably.

But you’d also better be careful if you meet him in a hallway - or more likely, he sneaks up behind you - as he is armed and dangerous and isn’t the friendliest looking person...

In either case, he won't waste time in asking questions. Unless he's already had the basics from someone else, in which case he'll probably lower the gun if he's sure you're not a threat. ... probably. ]

Comments

[petabytes]

That's good... you're taking this a lot better than I did when I first arrived... I know it's a lot to take in at once, and it's hard to believe, but it's all true.

[swooshycape]

[ He shrugs slightly. ]

There is little point in panicing, and I have seen strange things before...

...How long have you been here?

[petabytes]

...Quite a while... a few months, actually...

Some people have been here for years though... but others end up vanishing not long after they arrived in the first place...

[swooshycape]

Years...

Do you know who has been here the longest?

[ that is something he definitely wants to know... ]

[petabytes]

I don't know who's been here the longest... but I do know that Yosuke Hanamura-kun has been here for more than a year... he would probably know better than me...

[swooshycape]

Yosuke Hanamura... I will look for him.

Thank you.

[petabytes]

You're welcome!

[ Hooray for being helpful! ]

I'm sorry for getting so startled earlier... I'm Chihiro Fujisaki. If there's any other way I can help, I will!

[swooshycape]

[ He shakes his head. ]

Do not worry about it. I realize I can be... startling.

My name is Vincent Valentine.

[petabytes]

Ehehe! It's all right. You're not the most startling person who's been brought here, after all...

It's nice to meet you!

[runningfromhell]

[ He is just giving her nothing to work her sarcastic magic on. Man, hardly anyone in this place gets all offended with her anymore. Maybe she needs to go on about hunting wolves again - that got her some attention.

Yes, she craves attention at times. Mostly the negative kind, but that's always the most fun. ]

You're just one hodgepodge of experiments, aren't you? Bet you've got some good memories from that. [ Actually no, she doesn't believe that. ] Can't say I've heard of science getting involved with shoving demons inside people, but hey. Different folks. I take it you're not from planet Earth, are you?

[action] holy crap what was that last sentence I wrote? /headdesk

[cetra]

[ There's no small amount of relief to hear that they do succeed. A part of her wants details, of course, but they can always wait. ]

I'm assuming Sephiroth here is from before that time then...

[ Because he's alive and well and still a bucket of sunshine. Unless they didn't kill him, which would be surprising, to say the least. It's just always been something assumed, that they will fight Sephiroth and defeat him, and defeat would mean death for him. ]

It's strange, for a couple of months I was the only one here, and then Sephiroth showed up. Now Zack and you arrive on practically the same day. I wonder if anyone else will show up soon?

[neverbeamemory]

If there is anything here even worth my effort.

[He allows that grin to melt into a knowing smile. Sure, Wonderland looks picture perfect but Sephiroth doesn't know how this world works. It would be premature to abandon his ambitions for Gaia and it's not clear even if this place has the same characteristics. Logically all worlds have a Lifestream but he'd rather not be fumbling in the dark for the light switch until he knew where it was.]

[swooshycape]

.... likewise.

... I apologize for interrupting your earlier conversation. I will... leave you in peace.

[selfrespecting]

Vincent Valentine... sounds like a name from a romance novel.

[Martha isn't afraid to say that, though the man himself doesn't really look like he'll be gracing the covers of any books like that. Not that he's bad looking, but with his hair all in his face like that -- it doesn't make for the most appealing picture.]

Anyway, you'll need to prepare for a long stay here. Getting home isn't as easy as you might expect.

[swooshycape]

... no. We call our planet Gaia. [ And the scientists on Gaia are quite interesting! Most of them seem to be mad.

But rather than saying that, he simply shrugs at her assessment of science. ]

[action] It was a sentence about stop coming to a halt. :3

[swooshycape]

Mm...

[ She can assume away, and he'll just grunt non-comittally instead of answering outright. But the prospect of others showing up... he wonders, as well. ]

I suppose we must wait... and see.

[swooshycape]

[ He makes an amused noise at her comment on his name. ]

... you're not the first person to say something like that.

But... getting home rarely is, when you're far away... Has anyone succeeded in the past?

[runningfromhell]

[ She's clearly in the position to be judging science and puzzling over it's involvement in the supernatural where he hails from. What an opposite world. ]

Gaia as in the goddess? [ Meh, too foofy of a name for her. Weird how they have a name from Greek mythology for their planet, though. ] Guess there's more that unites us than divides us, isn't there, mopey?

[ That's who he is for her - some mopey, line faced guy in a red cape. Hard to take him seriously when his hair is longer than hers and he has a damn claw for a hand. ]

I swear i know how to word properly most of the time

[cetra]

[ She frowns at this because waiting can be excruciating when there's the prospect of her friends finally joining her.

But, there's no choice in the matter. ]

That's all we can do at this point, isn't it? [ This is more to herself than anything and she gives herself a little shake, giving Vincent a bright smile. ]

So! Have you decided where you're going to room yet? This place has an endless amount of rooms, I'm sure we can find you the right kind.

[ Or maybe that basement, but it might not be damp enough for it to truly feel like home. ]

xD Aerith plz... the *real* problem with the basement is not enough bats

[swooshycape]

[ He blinks at that and then simply shrugs. ]

No... not yet. I haven't really thought about it...

they can just grab a few out of a closet, bam! insta bats

[cetra]

Well, now's the time to think about it!

[ It's Vincent's lucky day, because Aerith loves making people do things. Like pick out a room. She'll just tap a finger on her chin, looking toward the staircase. ]

Do you have any preferences? I mean, you could move into the basement. [ Mischievious smile in his direction at this. ] But I believe there's a few people already down there, if you don't mind company.

spiders too! :< I do wish he'd willingly live in the basement, though.

[swooshycape]

[ w o w he is really not amused by that, Aerith. And so he frowns at her. ]

I have spent more than enough time in basements already.

... what are the rooms here like?

[cetra]

[ She only wrinkles her nose at his frown. Nobody went wrong trying to lighten the mood, Vincent, don't be a crabbypants. ]

It really depends on the person, actually. The rooms seem to orient around whoever is staying in them. Mine changed as soon as I claimed it, I suppose. [ Not that she put up a flag and declared it for the world - it was more of a silent decision on her part. ]

It's also changed, depending on what I need at the time. If I need more light, a new window pops up. It's actually a little nice.

[swooshycape]

[ Nope. Too bad. His middle name is 'crabbypants.' ]

hn... It sounds both nice and... somewhat disconcerting.

SORRY, VINCENT, but that name...

[selfrespecting]

[Oh, she's not at all surprised to hear that. It's a ridiculous name no matter what way you look at it, and while Martha knows that wasn't by his choice, it would be impossible not to comment on it.

She twists her mouth to the side at his question.] Not that I know of. People do go home, but I don't think anyone's decided that on their own power. The mansion just does it.