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

his father's name is worse, though...

[swooshycape]

Hm... I suppose no one has found a way to communicate with the mansion itself...

[swooshycape]

The goddess...? [ He is clueless about Greek mythology, okay... As far as he is concerned, it is probably just coincidence.

Also wow he does not appreciate the nick names but well, it's not any worse than Yuffie. And he's been called worse by plenty of people before. ]

FAIR POINT.

[selfrespecting]

... Not that I know of, no. That would be helpful, though. I wonder what it would say. [Martha has always felt that the mansion itself is sentient. She wonders if the Doctor might have an idea of how to speak with it. She'll have to ask him.]

[runningfromhell]

[ Typical. She'll make a show of rolling her eyes at this one. ]

Yeah, like Greek mythology. Read up on it, I'm sure there's some crappy book on it in the library.

[ Which begs the question of why the similar name? A puzzle to ponder over never because like hell she's going to put forth effort into research. ]

[cetra]

[ He has a good point, but compared to everything else that happens in the mansion it's actually very nice. ]

A little of both, but it's really convenient. I know you spoke with someone earlier, did they explain anything about the closets?

[ They seem to be the unanimous favorite for all who live here. ]

[petabytes]

Oh! All... all right...

I suppose I'll see you around, then!

[swooshycape]

Hn.

[ Vincent remains as he is for a few moments more, still debating whether or not Sephiroth merits a bullet to his face.

In the end, however, he slowly lowers his gun, though he doesn't holster it. If Sephiroth decided to pounce, Vincent is confident enough in his own dexterity to be able to get off at least one round. He's really not concerned about being injured - if it gets bad enough, he'll transform and wind up healing right up anyway - but they're in a very closed space in what is unknown territory for him. He would prefer not to get too many innocents in the crossfire.

Besides... a small part of him doesn't really want to fight Sephiroth, if it can be avoided. It doesn't seem right, somehow. Maybe because it's Cloud's fight more than anyone else's or maybe it's lingering sentimentality because of Lucrecia. Or maybe it's just that he's not sure it would really be productive at this point, anyway.

Really it's all of the above, but Vincent does not wish to acknowledge all his reasons for backing down just a little. Instead, he simply continues to gaze at Sephiroth flatly. ]

[swooshycape]

Who can say?

[ He glances sidelong at one of the walls. ]

Perhaps one day we may find out...

[swooshycape]

... never heard of it. ... probably just homophones.

[ But perhaps he'll read about it anyway at some point when he's bored. ... he's going to be bored here a lot, so really it's inevitable that he'll read up on it and probably all sorts of other fascinating things. like the Supernatural book series... ]

[swooshycape]

Not really... Is there something special about them?

[ Do they eat people?

He's expecting them to eat people. ]

[selfrespecting]

Any other questions, then? [Martha isn't all that enthusiastic about helping out someone who pointed a gun at her, but they seem to have moved past that and Vincent is going to need to get answers from someone. While she could send him off or advise him to use the PDA for that, Martha isn't all that good at turning people away. Even someone who started off the conversation with an active threat.]

[swooshycape]

... only if there is anything else I should know...

Otherwise... I apologize for startling you as I did. And thank you for the information.

[swooshycape]

Hm... I'm sure.

[ He turns back down the hallway, cape swirling dramatically behind him, but as he walks, he lifts a hand in a backwards sort of wave. ]

[neverbeamemory]

[Sephiroth doesn't move the whole time, he even opens both of his palms to Vincent to emphasize the fact that he's unarmed. Though he wouldn't need more than a split-second to launch an attack and he's fully aware that Vincent also knows this.

Green eyes follow the gun as it is lowered and then snap back up to the other mans face.]

Finally, logic prevails.

[swooshycape]

Logic? Hn.

[ He shakes his head and simply gazes at Sephiroth for a few moments longer before turning away, letting his cape swirl behind him, fluttering dramatically in his wake. He finally holsters his gun as he goes. ]

Don't flatter yourself.

[neverbeamemory]

[Hmph. Well that rubbed a little harder than Sephiroth had intended to take it. Having a gun pointed at you while you're not even doing anything to merit it is one thing, but did Vincent really want to go the whole hog and insult his intelligence as well? He's the superior being here.

Sephiroth raised an eyebrow as Vincent headed back down the corridor away from him. He's not impressed but it doesn't show outwardly. Until he raises two fingers and in a sweeping motion fires his telekinetic power to trip Vincent's next step.

Perhaps a taste of floor would suffice as a warning.]

[swooshycape]

[ Simply existing merits having a gun pointed at Sephiroth, all things considered. But there is nothing about Sephiroth that Vincent considers particularly 'superior' - except, perhaps, his persistent survival instinct.

Not himself being particularly telekinetic nor being sensitive to such things, Vincent does not notice what Sephiroth is doing until he feels the jerk against his leg. And then down he goes -- but if there's one thing (besides how to use a gun) he remembers well from his training so many years ago, it's how to fall and pop right back up again. So, as he hits the floor, he catches himself and springs back up in short order - though there's something almost... floaty about the way he gets to his feet, and the way his cape moves isn't quite natural for a moment.

But rather than acknowledge the warning, Vincent simply makes a mental note of it, glancing back over his shoulder once before continuing on. Interesting... ]

[selfrespecting]

It's... fine. I do think you might want to be careful about who you point that gun at, though. Not everyone's going to be as understanding as I was. [Not that she has anything against the other captives here, but she gets the feeling that they wouldn't all be so forgiving.]

As for what else you should know... well, you'll find a forest and an ocean that are easily accessible from the mansion, but neither one will really allow you any escape. You'll only end up passing out and waking up here again, so it's best not to waste your energy with it.

[swooshycape]

[ He makes a noise that is almost a laugh at her first remark. Understanding... right. He's unconcerned about that. But then he nods at her explanation. ]

... what about by air? ... or are we really in a bubble?

[runningfromhell]

[ She looks doubtful about his conclusion - coincidences just aren't a thing, but in the end she doesn't care that much. Just a passing curiosity and now she's over it. ]

Sure it is. [ Whatever you say, hellspawn. ] Not sure if I'm going for the tall, dark and broody thing you've got going on here.

[ Meg - judging people on their clothing choices since she was bored out of her mind in a bitchy, magical mansion. What else is she going to do? Knit? Pfft. ]

[cetra]

[ Sorry to disappoint, Valentine, but those closets are pretty harmless. Well, depending on what's being asked for. For example, if someone summons a rampaging rage lizard that could possibly eat people. ]

They'll give you whatever you want. Within reason. [ Because magical gift giving closets are so reasonable. ] You just open the doors with whatever you want in mind and it'll be there for you.

You can't actually summon a person, but you can get yourself a pet! [ She has a tiny kitten of her own, courtesy of an angel who popped in and handed it to her one day. Good times. ]

but meg there are thneeds to be made...

[swooshycape]

[ He just blinks at her, lifting his eyebrows. ]

Hn. Let me change my entire look just for you, then.

[ Since Meg is well-versed in sarcasm, hopefully she'll pick up on it... even if Vincent says it in more or less the same tone as he says everything else. ]

[swooshycape]

... is having a closet bring more living beings here really... a good idea?

[ He doesn't object to pets, but... where do they come from? Can the closet create life? Or is it pulling kittens and puppies from some other world? ]

she's had a discussion about thneeds before. it went as expected.

[runningfromhell]

Now, that's more like it.

[ Oh, she knows sarcasm even when it's delivered in such a manner. He's speaking her native language, okay? ]

See, bending to my whims is a quick way to ensure my friendship.

[ Insert smirk here. ]

Want my suggestion? Go with a suit. Chicks really dig a guy in a business suit.

[selfrespecting]

I'm not sure about how that would work, honestly, but I can bet that someone's already tried it.

[Then again, that would require someone building something that could fly, which would take long on its own. Still, Martha can only imagine that Vincent isn't the first one to have thought of it.]