By the Hermit Shack, Saturday

[hasaknightjob]

The House hadn't been in Fandom for a full week yet and it was having a wonderful time! It had four whole guests now (well, five if you counted the subject of some ankle high signs around town).

Each guest was interesting and different and could be played with in their own way. What more could the House want, really?

Well, more, obviously. It was still so empty inside. More guests were clearly needed. Hopefully another would come by.

[Open! Signs are fine for broadcast, otherwise post and comments are NFB please.]

Comments

Interact With the House

[hasaknightjob]

If you're outside, take a look around. Knock on the door if you feel bold. If you're inside… well you know interacting with it isn't going to work out well for you. But we're certainly not going to stop you from trying. The House definitely won't.

[Outside is open to anyone, but only OOCly agreed volunteers get to open the door and go inside. Volunteers, this is where you ping in for capture and/or a new day's torment.]

Interact With Your Fellow Victims

[hasaknightjob]

You're trapped in a seemingly never ending dimension of the worst things you can imagine, but it's possible you aren't alone? Look around, maybe you'll bump into somebody.

[Ping in here if you're open to interacting with your fellow victims. It's like a Perk post, but the coffee sucks.]

OOC

[hasaknightjob]

This is entirely the fault of sword_chocobro and pocketpretzels. I disclaim all responsibility.

Re: Interact With Your Fellow Victims

[hashtag_chocobro]

For Prompto, that day, the labyrinthian nature of the house had taken on the distinctive form of the Niflheim laboratories in which he'd been created, weaving a complicated and ever-changing tapestry of What-Ifs. What if the facility hadn't been raided that one day? What if a different Unit had been recovered instead of him? What if he had been one of the Magitek soldiers pierced in the back by Noctis as he warped around during some Bust-A-Base? What if Verstael had succeeded in making him a daemon? What if he hadn't?

One minute, he was in Magitek armor, marching on Insomnia.

The next, he was desperately trying to tear off every last piece of it.

One minute, his body was shifting and changing, growing and expanding as the daemon pushed itself out of his skin.

The next, he was bent over, trying to get the black ichor of the Starscourge out of himself first.

When he fell asleep, he'd wake up enclosed in a tight tube of liquid, floating and suspended and waiting to be processed.

When he fell asleep, he'd wake up to the sound of Noctra crying and think he was finally, finally, back home, safe in bed with Liz, but the sound came from the intercoms overhead and not his baby monitor, and he'd wander the halls of the laboratories desperate to find her. Sometimes it was just her cries alone, but other times, there was Verstael's voice, or Ardyn's, sometimes just that tinny automated voice, droning on and on.

"Target detected. Eliminate compromised unit. Eliminate compromised unit. Eliminate. Eliminate. Eliminate."

Re: Interact With the House

[two_idiots_one_body]

Apparently, some people (and a chipmunk; did he count as a person? it was hard to tell in Fandom) were missing. And missing people were a specialty of Arthur's. So, with the theory that the police and the people's friends had started looking in the usual places, Arthur was going to start looking in unusual places.

This isn't just an excuse for a walk in the woods?

"No, John, it isn't. I'm not sure anyone really knows how big this place is or what's in it, so it makes sense to start here. Let's see what we can find. Be cautious."

I'll keep our eyes open.

Re: Interact With the House

[hasaknightjob]

Did Arthur want to get out of the heat and sunlight? Because there was a perfectly lovely - okay spooky looking, but some people liked that sort of thing - building right there. It looked like it had cool and comforting shadows inside. Why not pop in for a minute and take a break?

Re: Interact With the House

[two_idiots_one_body]

Arthur, there's a house.

"What, here?"

No, somewhere else out in the world. Yes, here!

"Is it on the map?"

I think so. I don't remember exactly.

"Well, what does it look like?"

It's wood-framed, with a peaked roof and a short spire on one end. Windows toward the top are gabled. It's worn-in but not rickety yet, as if it's been here for some time and doesn't see a lot of use. It reminds me of some of the houses in Arkham.

"Hm. Well, I suppose it couldn't hurt to check. We might find a clue, if nothing else."

Right. If there are bodies inside, we're leaving.

"Agreed."

Carefully, Arthur approached the door and tested the knob.

Re: Interact With the House

[hasaknightjob]

Well wasn't this interesting? This didn't feel like any of the visitors the House had seen so far. It deserved closer inspection, that was for certain.

The knob turned easily in Arthur's hand. The door would open fairly easily as well, though with the sort of creak one might expect from hinges that seemed as though it had been a while since they'd been used.

Re: Interact With the House

[two_idiots_one_body]

It's dim inside, the only light filtering in from the windows, John described. It highlights the dust in the air; it doesn't seem to have been used recently. I see two chairs and a low table, and a door to another room toward the back.

"Smells a little musty," Arthur noted. "Are there any tracks in the dust, or sign the others have been here?"

Difficult to tell, John answered. There are a few disturbances in the dust, but it could be from people or from animals.

"Hm. All right, let's try the other door." Arthur stepped inside cautiously.

Re: Interact With the House

[hasaknightjob]

At least one animal for sure?

As for that door - well the House could sense that caution. It could also tell that Arthur was attempting to figure out where the other guests had gone and that would not do. The House was still getting to know them all! Plus this new guest (guests?) seemed so interesting.

No, only one thing for it. As soon as Arthur was far enough inside the door was yanked out of his hand and slammed shut behind him.

Firmly shut. It wasn't opening again. Though Arthur was welcome to try.

Re: Interact With the House

[two_idiots_one_body]

Arthur!

"I know, I know! Fuck!" Arthur did try the door, pulling with all his strength. "What about the windows, John, where are they?"

Left! Follow the wall.

Arthur hurried that way, hand trailing over the wall until he felt the sill.

Re: Interact With the House

[hasaknightjob]

The window was dusty and cobwebby, as one might imagine from a place like this. There was a worn curtain hanging from it that did match the one seen outside, had John happened to note what the curtain looked like. The window also had a latch that could be flipped to try to unlock it.

Unlocking it wouldn't actually make it possible to open the window and escape, of course, but it could be done all the same.

Re: Interact With the House

[two_idiots_one_body]

That didn't mean Arthur wasn't trying!

Why isn't it opening, Arthur?

"I don't know; you tell me! Are there any other locks?"

Not that I can see.

"Fuck. Right. Okay, fine. Let's try the others. How many are there?"

Two more. Keep going left, then the other's across the room.

Re: Interact With the House

[hasaknightjob]

No, no, no. There was no leaving. The House didn't like it when its guests tried to leave.

Of course the House did like strong emotions. So as Arthur and John tried more windows, the House provided more windows. Though the more of them they tried the harder it would be to see any sign of hope of them working. For example, the last wasn't even a window at all. Once the curtain was moved aside it revealed a bricked up space with nothing to try to open.

Re: Interact With the House

[two_idiots_one_body]

"Damn. I don't like this, John."

Neither do I. Should we try the other door, or is that a bad idea?

"It's probably a terrible idea. But unless you see any other way out of here...?" He turned slowly, letting John get a good look.

Nothing, John grumbled.

Arthur sighed. "Right. The door it is. Does it at least look normal?"

I mean, yes, but so did the rest of the place.

"We'll just have to keep on our toes."

Metaphorically, I hope.

"Yes, John, metaphorically."

Turn left, then, and step a little right, then straight forward.

"Here goes nothing."

Re: Interact With the House

[hasaknightjob]

Good news! This door opened!

Oh, were they hoping it opened to the outside? In which case possibly not as good news then.

But it did open! It opened onto what looked like a concert hall. There was no audience, nor any performers. There was a piano on stage though. There was also music playing that sounded as though it might be familiar. Though it seemed to be coming from somewhere unseen instead of the piano itself.

Re: Interact With the House

[two_idiots_one_body]

They hadn't really been expecting the outside, no.

It's a big room with a lot of chairs, John described. Definitely bigger than would fit in the house I saw. There's a stage at one end with a piano on it.

"I hear the music," Arthur said.

No, it's not coming from there. Nothing's playing it.

"Not Kayne, then?"

Not as far as I can tell. There's nobody here.

"Any other doors?"

Hard to tell from here.

"Right. Forward cautiously, then."

Re: Interact With the House

[hasaknightjob]

There were no doors to be seen. Ironically this might make a great nightmare for Travis considering what a fire hazard that was but he wasn't in the House so oh well.

But one never knew. Maybe there was something backstage which could lead elsewhere? Not possible to tell from where they were given that the curtains obscured any views.

Around them a different song started to play.