Intro

[seventhsong]

[Characters]: Lorelei and anyone who wants to play.
[Setting]: Lots of places. Room 2-08, the floor outside. Floor 95, 73, Cafeteria.
[Format]: Starting prose, can switch to action on preferences.
[Summary]: Lorelei's arrival to the tower, and some minor explorations.
[Warnings]: It's the Tower. There might not be violence and horror right now but that could change suddenly.



Waking up at all is strange and disorienting. 'Sleep' isn't something that happens to Aggregates for the most part, fonons don't sleep. So waking up in a strange place, on a bed, in clothes, in a physical form, is deeply unsettling. If any of his new roommates have ever encountered any of the Lukes or Asch, Lorelei's appearance is immediately recognizable, just ... a little older than they. He sits up abrubtly, the note left nearby picked up.

Reading it ins interrupted by marveling at the fact that he has fingers and really shouldn't. But there's no surprise at what the note says, only resignation. It's tossed aside, and almost immediately later he tries to get up.

This doesn't go well. Lorelei hasn't exactly tried to walk in a long time. He knows how it's supposed to work, knows how it worked before, but actually pulling it off and managing to do so in a smooth and graceful manner simply doesn't happen. Leaning on the bed keeps him from falling over at least, and frowning fiercely, he sets to work figuring out his own coordination. This might take a bit.

---



Just passing through! Having figured out how to manage this walking thing again, Lorelei's not really going to hang around this particular floor too long, it's just not as interesting as what must surely lie elsewhere. But if approached or spoken to, he'll likely stop.

---



Lorelei could have taken the elevator. Instead he chose the stairs, and had poked in to each floor as he went. But only this one actually stops him and lures him inside. There were multicolored balls, everywhere. Everywhere. The other floors at least made sense to what he was familiar with, but this is a new thing. Ball pits were not something he's ever encountered, or even directly dealt with the memory of from others.

So he wades in. Walking on balls is not an easy thing to do, but it's interesting, and there's nets and trampolines and it's not that hard to completely bury himself in the multicolored orbs. Lorelei's going to be here a while, part because trampolines and nets and balls are a real challenge to navigate around when he only dimly recalled ever walking before, and part because it's simply ... fun.

---



Eventually Floor Ball Pit loses its interest, and off he goes again. This particular floor seemed familiar somehow, in a way he wasn't quite sure about. Snow and ruined castles. Auldrant had plenty of both, depending on the season. His long coat and scarf provided some protection against the bitter cold, so exploring a while before it gets too chilly even for him surely can't hurt.

---



The oatmeal is dealt with. Eating it still hot means it doesn't actually taste all that bad honestly, and with it finished with, Lorelei's waited a little while and then gone back for pumpkin seeds.

Except he's no longer in the easily recognizable humanoid shape anyone familiar with his isofons would be able to identify. No, there's a small furry vibrantly red creature determinedly picking its way across the floor now, with a bowl of pumpkin seeds balanced neatly on his head. The tower had monsters, and one might think this one had escaped, but no, it's collared as well. The shape of a cheagle is small, unassuming and to most people incredibly cute.

But it comes with its own challenges. Like trying to get into a seat or onto a table, with a bowl full of pumpkin seeds, without spilling any of them.

Comments

[Cafeteria]

[kindofademon]

Well that sure is a cute... whatever it is. It's definitely cute, and it's definitely wearing a collar, which means that he won't look completely silly talking to it like he would with a monster.

Ryuunosuke sits next to where Lorelei had been trying to climb onto. "Need a hand?"

[seventhsong]

And it (well he) actually understands being spoken to! The migratory bowl of pumpkin seeds stops, and very carefully is set aside, the little fuzzy thing that had been carrying it studying Ryuunosuke with bright, thoughtful green eyes. Lorelei has no problems at all with comprehension, and isn't really expecting his seeds to get stolen, but well.

He's way down here.

After a moment the bowl is offered with what looks awfully like pleased cheerfulness. He does in fact need a hand! This place just isn't designed for foot tall cheagles.

"Could you?"

Not a word was actually said, there's no mouth moving. But that sound definitely came from the little red cheagle, and it wasn't telepathy, but still perfectly easily understood. And appropriately high pitched for something so teeny.

[kindofademon]

Weirder things have happened than not-telepathic fuzzy things. Ryuunosuke is hardly surprised at all.

"Sure thing!"

Ryuunosuke picks up the bowl and sets it on the table, then goes to lift the cheagle and set it next to it.

[thinkwisely]

When Ivan had awoken that morning, he had been quick to notice the new, unfamiliar body in one of the beds. Of course, not knowing exactly when the redhead would wake up, he had gone about his morning routine--dressing and cleaning himself up in the restroom before heading back.

Apparently, he hadn't arrived a moment to soon. A quick examination of the names on the door proclaimed his new roommate as Lorelei...and it looked as if Lorelei was having a bit of trouble standing.

Alarmed, Ivan rushed forward and reached out with both hands to study the taller, older individual.

"Are you alright?"

He didn't mask the concern that came with the question. If Ivan didn't know better, he'd think that Lorelei hadn't walked a day in his life. It was more likely, he told himself, that the fellow was simply suffering from shock and disorientation.

[seventhsong]

It's amazingly awkward. The last time Lorelei had legs was before the Score was written down, and re-coordinating after that long was going to take some work. ... And a little help, apparently!

Being suddenly stabilized by a complete stranger earns a brief appreciative grin, and a shift in stance that makes this standing thing less likely to result in suddenly falling over. "Yes. I'm sorry for the trouble, I just haven't .. done this in a very long time."

He never says a word, in spite of sounding grateful. Or at least, it doesn't involve normal speech as in his mouth's moving, but that's definitely an aural sound and not telepathy. "It's easy to lose skills you don't really use." Like walking?!

[dorm halls]

[bloodyashes]

[Seeing red hair isn't so terribly uncommon in the Tower these days, with two Lukes and some redheads from other worlds as well. So Asch isn't paying too much attention as he passes the first time - red and white isn't so interesting, even when it's taller than him.

Then he stops and takes a few steps backwards to get another look, because there was something just a little too familiar in that posture, the face he saw out of the corner of his eye. And then he's staring himself in the face, an older, happier himself, and there's not actually any doubt in his mind as to who it is.

That doesn't make it make any sense, though, even by Tower standards.]

What the hell!!?

[seventhsong]

[Red, white and black. Same general shape, though the age is probably a bit off. Same a lot of things really. But not another replica, there might be some gratefulness for that. Asch didn't much like any of the replicas did he.

Lorelei's primarily occupied with making sure he's got this walking thing down. He does for the most part, it's not something one really forgets, but a lack of practice really interferes. It hasn't dimmed his good mood even a little. Finding out Auldrant had finally died did a bit, but he wasn't thinking about that. He was thinking about walking.

Something that stops completely as something very familiar is nearby. As Asch rounds on him, the Aggregate beams at him in obvious, unmistakable delight.

Then pounces. If Asch isn't careful and quick, he's going to be snagged up and given a fierce hug just shy of breathtakingly tight. Coordination works when you really, really need it.]

My isofon! It does me good to know you are alive!!

[Sheer, unmitigated, overpowering glee. It probably won't really be a surprise to Asch that Lorelei's not exactly talking, but still perfectly audible.]

[ ball pit ] because sjdgsgh lmao that's adorable.

[melodyoftheabyss]

[ Tear somehow ventures to the floor without realizing. It's the usual thing she does because she wanted to learn more about the tower. Everyday she will move around from floor to floor, taking int he different rooms and the different surroundings. She stares at the strange ball pit for a moment, eying the small plastic multi coloured balls that were in it.

It seems rather childish and something that children used. She's not quite sure what it's there for but that doesn't really register anymore when she caught a sight of red hair. That red head looked completely identical to the two Lukes she knows of but dressed in something completely different from the other two boys.

She's rather confused on what's going on. She's aware that people are taken from different points in time and different locations in time, but just watching this red head maneuver his way through a multi coloured ball pit happily like a child seemed rather off, so she calls out to the person in the ball pit. ]

Luke?!

[seventhsong]

[Ball pit! It's a new sort of thing to deal with. Likewise trampolines; once one's found it's given an experimental bounce or two; if anyone else is in the vicinity, Lorelei is completely oblivious. At first.

If this is Luke, he's got a good five years on the one Tear's familiar with! Her sudden calling out catches him mid bounce. There's a startled squawk as he hits the trampoline wrong, bounces right off, and disappears into the ball pit in a shower of multicolored balls.

It takes a minute for his head to slowly lever back up, a bright blue ball nestled in amongst the spiky top of his head. Tear is regarded for a long several moments before one ball is picked up and tossed in her direction, good cheer almost instantly back in place.]

Hello! I'm not the isofon you are looking for, but hello all the same.

[That's not Luke. Or Asch. He's not actually talking, for one.]

Floor 73

[seekinganswers]

It's cold. Sheba knows that the cold is something she should expect on this floor, but it never fails to surprise her just how cold it really is. Still, sometimes she needs a distraction, and exploring this place is just as good a distraction as any. She isn't expecting company, though, so when she catches sight of Lorelei - from behind; she hasn't yet seen his face - she pauses and draws her cloak around herself.

"Asch?" She sounds a little uncertain; Lorelei seems a little taller, but the general shape is about right... She remembers how the Tower had changed him, made him seem older, not too long after their first meeting, and so she reaches out with her Mind Read Psynergy to try and figure out if this is him or someone else.

She's probably going to regret this.

[seventhsong]

It IS cold. And there are foot prints all over, some of them in little shapes as Lorelei realized that his prints weren't fading and he COULD leave footprints. It's a little childish maybe, but it's fun. As someone else arrives, he's eyeing a crumbling floor just out of reach and debating if perhaps he can actually reach it.

As she calls out, expecting someone that isn't there, the redheaded man turns neatly. Touching his mind is probably ... unwise. There's nothing like a retaliatory attack. Indeed he's unaware of it at all, but the mind of the Seventh Fonon isn't human, and is predominantly pure sound. Each changing thought is a melody its own, weaving into a symphony of raw noise with no volume control whatsoever.

His own isofons often find it unpleasant or downright painful. But unaware of it, there's only a bright, cheerful smile that might seem a little foreign on his features if one is used to only Asch's usual scowly grumpiness. "Hello? I am not who you are looking for."

He's easy to hear. But he doesn't actually say anything.

Dorm Hallways

[ambassadorasshat]

['Sup Lorelei, here's a redhead who wouldn't otherwise notice you if you didn't look slightly different from the other Auldrant redheads currently residing in the tower. The other Luke has shorter hair, and the clothes are wrong for Asch.

Hope Lorelei doesn't mind a few seconds of staring before Luke says anything.]

...Another replica?

[seventhsong]

[Staring is JUST FINE. Lorelei returns the regard with a thoroughly pleased expression that has nothing to do with the environment and everything to do with having +1 isofon nearby. He really did like them.

His bearing is completely off for anyone even remotely Aschlike. As Luke struggles to come to his own conclusions, Lorelei struggles with not giving into the urge to just grab him and give him the same hug he'd earlier inflicted on another certain grumpier redhead.

It's a failing struggle.]

'Another'? Are there many?

[He seems thrilled by the idea. Let's see how fast Luke picks up on the fact that Lorelei just said something without opening his mouth (or inducing a migraine by speaking in his head). And there is an immediate tangible sense of the older-looking redhead reaching out with things beyond touch to find out exactly how many there actually are.

And then laughs, a sound of unadulterated joy.]

Perhaps I should be renamed Legion, for we are many! This is wonderful!

[Yep. Luke's going to be snatched up in a hug too, unless he's really quick about dodging it.]

Ball Pit

[alae]

[It takes Dark Pit a moment and a little bit of backing up to realize that the person jumping around on this floor isn't Asch, or any of the Lukes. He doesn't look like any of them despite also looking like them. He waits until the person's head is above the multicolor balls before calling out to him.]

Hey!

[seventhsong]

[It's a fun sort of place, but didn't seem to serve any purpose beyond goofing off. Which Lorelei was very happy to do, especially with the trampolines.

Which means waiting for him to come up might not take all that long, at least. He's just not paying attention to whether or not other people are there. He's in the process of heading for another trampoline when someone actually shouts at him. It's not a voice he recognizes though, and Lorelei swivels around, orienting on where the sound came from.

Instead of actually responding aloud, Dark Pit is cheerfully waved at instead.]

Snooooooooow

[notachickenhawk]

[Sometimes Tobias likes to use one of his lesser-used morphs. It helps, given that there's no telling what's going to happen in this place.]

[But the form he spots in the distance is familiar - and as he walks closer, he squints a bit, looking at the figure.]

[Congratulations Lorelei, you've got a polar bear walking up near you. He calls out mentally as he nears.]

<Who's that?>

sn0

[seventhsong]

[Lorelei's working on dragging small blocks of stone and pieces of wood over so he can get to a second floor; he COULD just make something to stand on through hyperresonance but this took more effort and he needed the coordination practice badly.

Very badly.

At least he's learning to pay a little attention to his surroundings, so when a bear begins strolling in his direction, he does take notice. And watches alertly and intently; Auldrant had its form of bears and body language often suggested whether or not it was hunting or merely curious.

Just to be certain, he picks his way up his small rubble pile and onto the broken second floor. It's not out of the reach of a big polar bear but it'll give him a small head start. This is all well and good until he's spoken to in a fashion nothing but his isofons should be capable of. So startled is he that the Aggregate nearly topples right off his perch.

The bear is pointed at accusingly.]

Who's what? Don't do that when someone's climbing!

[He's not using his throat and mouth to do the speaking like a proper person, nor is he using telepathy, but the sound's still there.]

Floor 75

[repeatingsun]

[It's been the first time in ages that Solas has just been wandering around, and she finally - finally - has discovered the ball pit.

At the same time that another nonhuman-that-looks-human is there, though to Solas it's all one and the same - company! She blinks and kind of swims over. It's awkward, mainly because she hasn't had to swim before. Moving, yes, she figured that one out, but the water was always Zeph's domain.]

Hello!

[seventhsong]

[Swimming in a ball pit is a little different than swimming in water too, which might be why Lorelei's having a grand old time over here. It's just so different!

And they're getting kicked around now and again in a shower of rainbow spheres. The rustle of someone else through the ballpit stops this short pretty quickly, and the new stranger rummaging around with him is spotted in short order.

Anywhere a ball can stick, it's stuck. His collar, his hair, a pocket. This doesn't prevent him from grinning at Solas when she speaks up.]

Hi!

[Well, it's sound, even if he didn't actually speak.]

Isn't this neat??

Cafeteria

[fragileprophet]

Though Ion wasn't particularly hungry at the moment, he figured it would be a good idea to keep himself from losing his energy, and was milling about among the wide array of pumpkin-themed goodies when something skittering happily across the floor caught his attention. Turning his head to focus his gaze more fully upon the creature, the Fon Master immediately forgot his aforementioned task and, wide eyed, hurried to follow it.

"A cheagle!" Ion made the exclamation before he could stop himself, excitement lighting up his eyes and his often-forced smile. He'd never imagined that he'd see one again. Sometimes he liked to fancy, as he walked through the forest floors, that he'd find one...but it was so unlikely he had given up actually hoping to see a familiar creature. Besides, he wouldn't dare wish such a setting upon the friendly cheagle folks.

"I see you found something nice," he observed as he caught up with it, voice soft, though enthused, as one hand gripped gently at the tuning fork hanging from his neck.

[seventhsong]

The oatmeal had taken care of most of the hunger issues, honestly. Lorelei was expecting this 'food' thing to be far more memorable than it had been. But pumpkin seeds might be more interesting. He has high hopes. Especially since salt is involved, that was supposed to make everything better.

Unfortunately getting around at a foot tall with a bowl on your head takes a lot more doing than when he's human sized, and Lorelei's progress is a bit slow. Can't lose a seed. Eating things off the floor seemed like a bad idea. That's where feet go.

The exclamation from behind him nearly upsets this precarious balance of bowl full of seeds and cheagle in a mad scramble to try to not fall over, lose the bowl OR any seeds.

He manages! Barely! And stares up at the boy who WOULD be small in comparison were he not currently a foot tall. Oh. Well. Any surprise vanishes in favor of cheerful happiness, and the enthusiastic waving of small forepaws. He recognizes the symbol of Fon Master of course, but that's not what's important here. What's important is someone is almost as enthusiastic as he was.

"Hello! I did!" It's a rare cheagle that can speak. The high pitched voice appropriate to the form doesn't actually come in the form of anything /said/, but it's audible anyway. Probably something like a certain ring, just invisible?? "Would you like some?"

73

[desireforchange]

Wrapping the blanket from his bed around himself, he makes his way through the snow. The redhead had decided to take a moment to wander one of his favorite floors. He isn't actually sure why this is one of his favorites, ...it just is. Exhaling, he stares off to the side a moment--until he hears someone else's footsteps. Turning to look in the direction of the other person, he blinks. Asch?

... Wait.

No...? Blinking once, twice, ...three times, he frowns just a little. Who exactly is that person? Slowly, he approaches the other redhead.

"You must be... new around here." No, he's not going to give him the same 'oh, another one' he had received.

[seventhsong]

Perhaps it's the unique, crisp scent of snow on bare earth, the faintest tinge of decaying leaves beneath it a constant reminder of pending spring. Lorelei rather liked the smell of the air after a good snowstorm, and it was everywhere here.

And there were things to climb on besides.

Still, Lorelei is more or less completely occupied with this task of figuring out how to get further in without getting completely soaked in the process (snow melts, as he's discovered, when something warm is on it for long), which is something he really needs to stop doing. This not paying attention thing is going to get him killed.

Just not killed by Luke, so it's probably for the best the replica isn't a monster or something. This in no way prevents a bit of a start when he's suddenly spoken to, but by the time he turns around all that startledness is back under control.

Third him! Lorelei's keeping count. "Oh yes. New as the morning." .. it's probably a trick of the light that he said that without seeming to actually say anything.

The more of him (or them, they outnumber him three to one so far) the merrier, as far as he's concerned, and discovering this Luke thrills him just as much as stumbling across the other two had. Knowing neither had reacted very well to being hugged isn't going to save this one either! Lorelei's grasp of personal space is not very good. If Luke's quick or paying close attention he might be able to evade suddenly being snatched up, but the odds might not be in his favor.

"It's wonderful there's so many of you! We should all visit the floor with the rainbow colored plastic balls." And goof off, for hours, just like he did earlier. There may be fewer in there now than there were before; it's possible he felt the need to test them versus hyperresonance.

Late To The Party Knight is here! Cafeteria!

[gradosfinest]

It's new person time once again in the Tower and that means Amelia's prepared to see people down in the Cafeteria that she doesn't recognize, and as usual she's also prepared to help them with their initial confusion. What she's not prepared for is her first encounter with a cheagle.

Amelia is a soldier. A tried-and-tested knight, proven in dozens of battles. And while still friendly, this has given her a strong sense of discipline and restraint when need be as well.

And it takes every last ounce of it to avoid making an incredibly undignified squeal when she spots Lorelei's cheagle form wandering across the floor balancing a bowl on his head. As it is there's still a huge grin on her face as she approaches. And the collar does not go unnoticed either, which means... that must be a new resident? Only one way to find out! Crouching down in front of him she smiles warmly. "Hello there! You must be new here!"

[seventhsong]

At least he'd figured out the oatmeal thing earlier. There would be no incidents of sudden illness, which are probably commonplace after new arrivals happen. It would interfere with the possible tastiness of a good pumpkin seed. But so far nobody's decided Lorelei must be a bad sort of monster, so he's just doing his own thing, heading for a likely looking table even though he has no idea how he'll get onto it.

Up until he's appropached. The Aggregate-turned-cheagle stares up at Amelia with wide, wide green eyes. This place is so full of nice, helpful people! He didn't know why everyone didn't like it!

"Hello!" Hey, that little thing can talk. Kind of anyway, though its squeaky voice is perfectly audible it doesn't seem to speak by moving its mouth. Maybe cheagles work differently! "I am! I woke up here today."