towerofanimus | ★ tutorial stage

Entry tags:

★ tutorial stage

characters: henry cooldown & you

setting: dorm floor, then just sort of all over

format: anything is fine

summary: henry enters the game

warnings: none so far, except mild language

▶ dorm floor: room 1-04 ~ hallways.
he woke up to an empty room and found himself wearing an atrociously tight bodysuit. who hates one piece body suits (and bad fashion in general)? this guy. he searches the room for his clothes until finding the chest of things next to his bed and to his relief, a lot of spare clothes of his are inside. the fact that his cross saber is also safely tucked away in there is double reassuring, seeing as the panic of awakening without anything to defend himself in a strange room had been enough to render him pretty damn useless. once dressed, he exits the room, deactivated saber in hand, to do some recon.

▶ floor of your choice.
the man is pretty quick on his feet, and when he feels threatened or imprisoned, he'll do whatever it takes to at least get the legwork finished before sitting down to think of a game plan. if there is a floor, he will be there to give it a good look around, even the ones that are creepy and suspicious. don't worry, he doesn't scare easily, being the epitome of cool and all...

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[There's a head full of mussed black hair and two very prominent orange horns that look kind of wavy poking from one of the doors in the hallway, apparently trying to be stealthy.

...Eridan Ampora kind of fails spectacularly at stealth, for the record.

Then the head turns around for a face full of grey skin and sunglasses. And the troll startles somewhat at the sight of the man. Clearly, he was intending to go unnoticed, somehow, and now he doesn't know whether he should go back into his room or stick around for a bit.]

Uh.

[For a man who is quite adept at stealth and sneakiness, he can only shake his head mentally and think to point out a few things to fix his blunder. But there's no time for that! There's a gray skinned boy or something in front of him, uttering an unintelligible 'Uh' sound, and he needs to catch up to him before he decides to change his mind and run.

He tucks his weapon -- which looks absolutely harmless and not very weapon-like right now -- into his duster's pocket, and raises his arms in a peaceful gesture. The last thing he wants is to upset a weird humanoid thing that may either be a very good cosplayer or an unidentified alien race with a penchant for unnecessary eyewear.]

Hello.

[Eridan relaxes a bit, still jumpy given the circumstances, but more comfortable dealing with humans first hand now. He shuffles out of the room, cautiously, and raise his hand to wave back.]

Hi.

[Oh, thank god he speaks English. That lifts a lot of worries off his shoulder already and puts his hands down, making his way over to the alien with deliberate slowness. Not too slow to dawdle, but slow enough to appear calm. He doesn't want his own impatience to rub off on other people.]

Are you a resident here by any chance? [His silly Irish accent might be a little weird sounding, but he might not feel so awkward about it once he hears Eridan's......]

Not really, I just got here a wwhile ago.

[He looks a bit wary, but not exactly about to bolt anymore.]

Still gettin the hang a this place, sorry.

Aye, just my luck. [hands on hips, he gives the troll a very subtle once over before speaking again.]

Excuse my obvious rudeness, but what are you, exactly? Some sort of demon or horrible cloning experiment gone wrong?

[...wow, rude.]

No.

[Eridan scowls.]

I'm a troll.

[Tiniest hint of a smirk, ever.]

Of course. [Takes out the note that he found nearby his bed and presents it.] Did you get a note like this too, then?

[There are two types of humans, in Eridan's ~~terribly limited~~ experience. The cool dudes, and the smirking smug douchebags. Guess which category Henry is edging towards. Go on, guess.]

Yeah, evveryone gets one a those. Though no one can really confirm how truthful they are.

[poor eridan. ♥ he is definitely more towards the smirking smug douchebags category. just ask his bro.]

Christ. I sure hope not. [He mutters to himself then stuffs it back into the pocket.] My name is Henry. I apologize for the delay in introducing myself.

Eridan Ampora.

[He shrugs somewhat.]

It's okay. Though I havven't been here long enough to get an opinion, some a my friends aren't really convvinced either.

[Eyebrow rises] You believe this is all just...some kind of a ruse?

[Blank look.]

Ruse is not the wword I wwould use.

Hm. Care to share what you make of this situation, then?

Not... really sure.

[He shrugs.]

I havven't been here for long but. The wwhole set up is pretty complicated to be just a ruse. Evven if evverythin they say turns out to be a lie.

Yes, I see what you mean. [expression hardens just a smidgen.] Guess it doesn't really matter, though.

...wwhat are you goin to do?

[Cautious, always cautious. But also... well. Curious.]

I mean. Havve you looked around at all?

[Then he's all fake smiles again.]

No. I quite literally just woke up a few minutes ago. You are the first living being I've run into today.

[He nods, though the smiles do not go unnoticed.]

I just got here myself, but I ran into some a my friends. And I explored a little so...

[He pauses.]

I could help out a bit. If you wwant.

[Oh, he wasn't exactly expecting the offer, considering how he hadn't...really...been very nice.

But he just nods, his stance relaxing a little. What Eridan said about running into his friends caught his interest as well, but he tucks away that line of thought into the back of his mind for now.]

Well, that certainly is something that I would want, yes. I'd appreciate it if you could at least point me in the right direction to a proper starting point. I intend to explore this place quite thoroughly.

[Eridan nods again, shallowly.]

Just don't do it at night if you're unarmed. The others said there's all kinds a monsters roaming about wwhen its dark.

[He shrugs.]

Other than that, I guess you should start at the stairs. There's a lot a floors an they're all different an stuff. I havven't really seen them all.

[An eyebrow perks up at the mention of monsters and dangerous stuff at night. His hand instinctively go to his pocket where his saber rests.]

I'll keep that in mind. [He looks off to the side to see if he could see the stairs from here.] So, how many of these bloody floors do you think we're looking at here?

Three dormitory levels and twenty five wweird theme rooms. Some are nice though.

[Which implies the rest are not.]

That's a good handful, though I must be honest: the not-so-nice ones are the rooms that intrigue me most.

Dropped on by to any of them recently?

Not particularly?

[Eridan is giving you a look that says you're crazy. Like, real, honest to god crazy.]

I kind a like livvin, so I'vve been tryin to avvoid them actually.

[Thoughtful chin rubbing goes here.]

That bad, aye?

From wwhat I'vve heard? Yeah.

[He shrugs.]

I'm not exactly dyin to find out if the rumors are true.

[He just does this airy little chuckle like Eridan's just the most precious thing, and takes a few steps in the direction of the stairs.]

I take it you're not much of a risk taker.

[...bastard. Eridan snorts.]

Oh, I am. I just figure I'vve already filled up the quota for one lifetime.

[Hehehe]

Sorry, I didn't mean to assume otherwise. [then with a small wave, he turns to leave.] Thanks for the help, Mr. Ampora.

I'm sure.

[Eridan waves almost on reflex, watching the human go with a slight frown and the vague notion he'd been insulted somehow.]

[Chidori's wandering the art gallery on the twenty-second floor, her sketchbook out, making careful notes and quick sketches of some of the paintings as she passes by. She doesn't wander too far though, and occasionally she returns to the entrance to take a break and look over what she's drawn.

She doesn't really take note of them in the moment, but afterward...

Well, she's beginning to notice a theme, the further she gets.]

[He's walking briskly through the gallery, glancing at the pictures on the walls but only offering the slightest of eyebrow raises. These are kinda freaky somewhat...

His concentration is broken when he passes by a girl in a flowing white dress, sketching.]

Excuse me?

Hmm...?

[She'd sensed him coming, of course- Medea hardly let her down in that respect. She blinked when she saw the kind of person he was- not the sort she was used to, in her time in the tower. Then again, this place did tend to take all sorts. She set her pencil down carefully and looked up at him with the barest raise of her eyebrows.]

Hello. May I help you?

Actually, yes. [Takes a few steps closer so that he doesn't have to raise his voice.] My name is Henry, and I am sort of at a loss here. I honestly don't know where to start with questions, actually.

You have just arrived.

[It's not a question, just a statement. Most of the tower's residents get over the 'questions' phase relatively quickly. She inclines her head to the fee part of the bench, closing her sketchbook and settling it in her lap.]

Allow me.

This is The Tower, you have been brought here and cannot, under your own power, leave- or so we have been led to believe. As no one has yet accomplished it, I believe it safe to presume that much is at least true. They tell you that your world has been destroyed- this is not inaccurate, at least in my experience.

If you do not wish to make yourself sick whenever you eventually grow hungry, eat the oatmeal before anything else.

[A pause, and then blithely-]

You have more specific questions however, I presume?

[He takes a seat on the bench, keeping a good distance away from her as possible, mostly because he doesn't do too well with being that close to strangers. For all he knows, they could be dangerous, as pretty and unassuming Chidori may seem. Force of habit is another good excuse, too.

He folds his arms loosely while listening to her, chuckling softly at the bit about the oatmeal.]

Yes, but upon listening to your explanation and seeing how vague all the information about this place is, it seems my questions may remain unanswered. I had just been extremely curious about these floors and what purpose they served.

[Considering the ladies he's probably used to, and the fact that Chidori's probably much more dangerous, it's the smart thing to do. Still, her expression lightens a little in mild amusement as she notices, and gives her shoulders the barest of upward movements in an awkward shrug.]

Giving us anything concrete might give us a means to do something against them. It is not behavior I am unfamiliar with. However, I can still attempt to help.

[He rubs his chin thoughtfully.]

Then I suppose we could start from right here! So. What do you know specifically about this floor, and does it hold any purpose other than to offend an individual's aesthetic senses?

[She makes that faint shrugging motion again, eyes finally rising all the way from her sketchbook.]

As of this moment, I have yet to discover anything other than that. All it appears to be is increasingly-gruesome paintings. But then again, sometimes in this tower, taking things at face value is highly dangerous. I would not recommend coming here past what is considered 'dark' in this tower.

Edited 2012-02-17 21:13 (UTC)

I've got a curfew now, I see. [He smiles, his curiosity perked. Then he turns a little to face her again in his seat.] Oh, I'm sorry, I don't believe I caught your name, Miss...?

Unfortunately.

[She blinks, and then inclines her head the slightest bit, holding out a hand.]

Chidori. Chidori Yoshino. And you are?

[He takes her hand, a single firm shake, then releases it.] Henry. Just Henry is fine.

Henry then.

[She settles her hands back onto her sketchbook, and considers him for a moment before speaking again.]

Aside from what I have already mentioned, you should be careful on the level with the forest. The further in you go, the nastier the wildlife becomes. Oh- and do take care in the aquarium level. The bigger ones may try and jump the gap.

My, there are some terrible things lurking within this tower, isn't there?

[But his voice sounds carefree, almost. Then he pushes himself off the seat with his hands on his knees, then looks down at her with a smile.]

That was extremely helpful of you, Miss Yoshino. I hope to see you around the tower some time, and please be careful yourself.

Only if you let yourself fear them.

[Chidori doesn't- but then some people can't tell the difference between fear and caution.]

Of course. Likewise try and keep out of trouble, Henry.

That's good advice. [He tips an invisible hat and nods.] Thank you for the friendly warning, sweetheart.

[And with that, he's off!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

★ tutorial stage

[dorm floor]

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

Floor 22

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject