Forum Thread

Xeraphina is about ready to have an emotional overload. She gulps again, putting a foot at the wall. “Hold your breath and close your eyes, okay?” She spoke loudly and clearly, making her mouth and throat dry up. The imp focused on the wall for a while, holding her breath and planning her action. Okay, Xera, you’ve got this. Three, two, one - with a sharp inhale and a forceful pound with her foot, she shoved her shoe against the wall with the aims of breaking it, hoping that the wall crumbled away under her force.

---

Judging by his reaction and mostly the time it took for him to reply,it seemed as though Darian was trying to avoid talking about himself in general. Pouting a bit in disappointment she let her hand slide across the different kind of cutlery and furniture the kitchen had. She couldn't really turn him down but she knew that she would probably share more stuff than him. "Well...as you can probably tell,most of these items are new to me.I'm a complete stranger to the softness and warmth of pillows,beds,sheets and so on. I've been living on the street for...almost all my life I would say. Getting by from stealing and eating others' leftovers,afraid of everyone...you get the picture... I hope you don't expect me to do the cooking!" She chuckled. She could only assume he got here under equally bad circumstances but that was no reason to let such mishaps dwell on them. She was hoping with the sudden change of emotion Darian would feel a bit better,happier even. Her inability to cook or properly operate basic home equipment would be an interesting subject to bring up if she ever interacted with other 'inmates'.

After finishing her tasty breakfast, Lin stretched on her bed, heaved a giant yawn and walked sleepily downstairs to where Leo was eating. She made herself a hot chocolate and sat in the kitchen, book in one hand and Fog in the other. Fog peered at Leo curiously and floated around his head. Lin laughed. "Fog, don't annoy him," Fog stopped his floating but continued to stare at Leo, which to anyone would be quite unnerving. Stirring her chocolate drink slowly, she thought of something to say, to be polite. "So, what are ya in for?" she asked, quite curious because he didn't seem like a criminal. She pulled out her shard of copper and started to sharpen it on a spoon, waiting patiently for an answer.

She stroked Fog on the head idly and continued to stir her warm beverage. Lin resumed her book, pausing only to take a drink. Her tail flicked from side to side and her wings fluttered occasionally. In the yellow light of the kitchen, her hair shone like the moon, with the occasional hint of gold. She paused for a moment and asked, "Oh and by the way, can you cook? Because this," she indicated to breakfast, "was only a one-time thing. If you can't then, oh well." Lin continued reading.

As the door slowly creaked open, Leo's apprehension grew tremendously. As the first son of the King, heir to the throne - supposedly - he'd never had time to spare for relationships, but now, he realised, he had no responsibilities and therefore a lot more spare time. Of course, there had always been people at home who'd watched him carefully, for on his home planet attractiveness was measured in height rather than looks.
At first, the light from inside the house gave the girl a rather disturbing silhouette; pointed ears, odd translucent wings and somewhat mismatched legs. As she opened the door further, though, he began to see rather a lot more of her, and his eyes widened as he did. She wasn't exactly what he was expecting, though he supposed he should be thankful that she wasn't on fire or made of slime. He listened to her talking, shock evident on his face as she announced she'd made him food.
Once she had gone upstairs with a smile that she was probably hoping Leo hadn't noticed, he followed her instructions, though it took an unfortunate while for him to find the kitchen. After prodding the omelette a few times - the food on his home planet looked nothing like this - he decided to take a bite, and found that it was rather good for a home-made egg pasty.

As he was finishing, the girl arrived again - he'd forgotten her name, though he was sure it began with an 'L' - with some cloud-like axolotl in her hand. Now that she was more illuminated, he could see her easily and absorbed her different colours eyes and hair; her echoed wisps of wings, her tail protruding from her lower back.
Unsurprisingly he tensed a little as the cloudy axolotl, whom he assumed was called "Fog", floated around his head, but quickly warmed up to him, though admittedly the staring was quite terrifying.
After sitting in a somewhat awkward yet tranquil silence for a while, casting sneaky glances at L.. Lan.. Lana to better understand her - who drank hot chocolate at this time? - the sound of her voice was welcome. The question that was asked, less so, but he didn't want to sound rude so sneakily danced around the question.
"Injuring someone," he responded, careful not to add any more detail. "And cooking was never something I needed to worry about, so.. not exactly." He smiled politely.

Lin smiled, "Okay, well. I'll let you off. I'll cook," She paused, "Oh wait, I never introduced myself, my name is Lin Mizayaki and this silly axolotl is Fog," She sighed a little, "I was starting to think you'd never arrive," She gestured upstairs, "Come on, I'll show you around."

Darian wasn't at all surprised, especially judging frim her reaction to nearly everything here. "I see... Well then I guess we aren't too different then." He said with a slight grin. His knowledge in materials was more widespread, yes, but some things still shocked him. He had never seen cushions or a mattress so comfortable before, a house this big (even though it was still quite small), or utensils this clean and new. He decided that what he said was plenty enough background to share with her, so finding a way to change the subject was currently on his mind. Now that he thought about it, he was getting a little hungry, and he didn't doubt Myrcine was too. He opened up the cabinets and marveled at the sight of fresh food. "You hungry?"

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Darian's suggestion actually took Myrcine by surprise. She finally got the slightest grasp of how it felt to be looked after,even if it was on a superficial level. "Uhm...N-No-" she said as she tried to humbly deny Darian's proposal for food before getting interrupted by her rumbling stomach. Breaking eye contact in embarrassment,she asked "What's in there?" Just from the sheer excitement Darian had on his face the food must have been very good. Well,truth be told,anything would be very good than what she was previously eating anyway. It was quite funny how even though Wy was a different species,a wyvern,meaning that there must be quite some non-human creatures in the workforce,there were almost no sorts of items meant for non-human creatures. It was a prison after all,not a fancy five-star hotel. "Do you know how to cook?"

Wy, still lightly shaken up from the encounter with "His Majesty", shakes his head and puts a hand on his hip. 'Guess some people show why they're in easier than others.' He pulls a cover over the tablet, putting it in his bag. He looks around, nodding satisfyingly as people begin scattering away to their respective houses. That's all the new prisoners for today, then. He squats, then jumps up and flies away for the night.

---

Geira nods eagerly at the supposedly Xeraphina's commands. She'll hold her breath. Yes. She can do that! She is very capable of doing that. She demonstrates as such as she takes a deep breath, puffs out her cheeks, and - you guessed it - holds her breath! She holds her breath so well, in fact, that when some of the wall cracks beside her, she nearly chokes herself on the remaining air in her mouth because of the sheer surprise.
Finally a little bit freer, Geira swings out her arm, throwing herself on the floor of her new home for the time being. It's... softer than she expected. She is used to sleeping on worse surfaces, but still... Oh right! She can see her spouse now! Wolf spouse! Wolf spous-
She glances up at Xeraphina. Xeraphina isn't a wolf. Much more... smooth in surface. She can't really spot her eyes, either... And where are her ears? Does she even emote with her tail?

With a blank expression, Geira lowers her ears so they look nothing more than an extra hair tuft. What.

The Imp froze, finding her limbs quite unmovable. “Geira? Are you.. Geira?” Xeraphina asked, her voice low and hoarse. Awkward. Her tail flicked across the ground, the tip twitching as she willed herself to move. As she.. willed herself to move. Was she stuck? Did this... wolf person.... make her stuck? She realised her hands were shaking again. Shaking aggressively. Oh, right, she wasn’t stuck, she was just socially awkward. Perfect. She rigidly moved one hand up in a shaky wave, her elbow staying at her side.

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Darian found that quite hard to believe, especially after hearing the low grumble of her stomach. He had trouble figuring out what made her reject his offer, but he didn't mind. "Suit yourself," he shrugged. He was going to make extra anyways, so her response would only change the amount of plates he got out. He took another good look at the items, still trying to figure out what some of them were. "Well... There's pasta, spices, bread, and a whole lot of other things... Wouldn't doubt that there was meat, vegetables, and drinks in the fridge..." He mumbled, seemingly talking more to himself than responding to Myrcine. He let out a deep sigh and grabbed some spaghetti noodles and salt from the cabinet. "Uh... Yeah, I guess you could say that."

---

She's being totally unreasonable here. She should've been prepared to not be paired with a person exactly like herself. She prepared herself for that! Why is it that she can't move?! While Geira shames herself in her own thoughts, her ears pick up a voice. From Xeraphina, right?
She now looks at her in the eyes. Yeah. That is her voice. Low for other standards, but it's fine, right? Her eyes dart down to the ground, seeing the opposite person's tail... move. Move? So she... can emote with her tail? What is she trying to say?
And now another movement! A wave! She knows that language, at the very least. She throws up a hand of her own, stiff and completely straight. She gets up on her feet, stepping aside to give Xeraphina some room.
"I am Geira. You are Xeraphina," she states. She hopes this girl really is her spouse. Otherwise, this moment would haunt her in her dreams.

"I am going... to find... a place to sleep," the wolf says, proceeding to walk into the house. She didn't dare to move around. The weird man said it was nighttime. That means she had to go to sleep now. Right?
She finds a room in her search. A sleeping chamber for most humanoid creatures, right? A bed, a nightstand and a closet. Yes. This is what normal people sleep in. She just... has to sleep in that... soft, feathery cradle of death... Just lay down, Geira...
With careful movement, she lays down in the bed, covers underneath her. Sure, this is comfortable. Mhm. Do humanoid creatures close the door, too? Does she have to do that?

Xeraphina stood rigidly on the ground as she watched Geira walk out of view. With that, she let out the breath she didn’t know she was holding. Oh my god. Xera walked into the house, scratching the base of her horn while her tail flicked furiously. She didn’t dare follow Geira, instead, planting herself on a sofa. It was pretty hard, but she was fine with that. She exhaled into the fabric, gripping the sides with shaking, clawed fingers. Everything sucks and she surprised herself by wanting to go home. Just stop thinking, it’s gonna be fine. Every action has an equal opposite reaction, karma. Karma will save her, right? It will turn right back around in her favour, she just needs to stop thinking.

---

"Are you...okay? You seem really out of it." She helped herself with some meat. "You could've ended up in a way worse place,alone,surrounded by cruel and dangerous people,leaving in a boring and dreadful cell all alone..." She shivered just by the sheer thought of that. "Perhaps...it's me that's troubling you. That's it,isn't it?" She begun slowly inspecting it,only to realise that thay she couldn't cook it. As much as she wanted to ask him to cook it and no matter her growling stomach technically begging for the piece of meat,she settled for a couple slices of fresh bread.

TIMESKIP - THE NEXT MORNING

An utter annoying harp can be heard from all over the sleepy town. As such, the player plays a wrong string on purpose. What better way to wake up?
"Good morning, people of Prison Borough! It is your darling and your beloved Myltiades bringing you all the daily announcements.
First of all, another heartfelt 'good morning' to those waking up in the town for the first time. I hope your rest was pleasant. You and your spouse bear the sole responsibility of getting ready and fed throughout the day, as we will not be providing meals nor naps on the job. There are plenty of resources in the kitchen, but if you feel hunger for an item from your home planet, you can ask our guard birdfolk and they will most likely provide.
Second of all... Welcome to another day of hard work! The true prison feel begins now. Hurry down to the job center and snatch yourself a duty for today. I've heard the 'Differencing Bottles of Poison from Witch Medicine' should be a hot occupation as of now! Do your best!"

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Geira wakes up mumbling. She'd fallen off the bed at one point, but she doesn't really care. Although the floor was soft, it's still infinitely better than whatever those other humanoid creatures sleep in. She scoffs. She hadn't stolen a glimpse of the harp man yet again. It's hard to listen to a person that you can't see.
Still grumbling, mumbling and everything inbetween, she makes her way to the kitchen. Now, if Geira was a good wolf and very polite, she would try to find Xeraphina and ask her if she'd like any food. But after that horrendous harp guy, she can't really be bothered!
She slams open the fridge, finds whatever raw meat they have, forces it out of the packaging with her bare hands, and plops it into her mouth.

Was that the sound of a fridge? Xeraphina’s tail tip twitched as she felt a claw of hunger. She poked her head up and felt pain coarse through her. What position had she been sleeping in? She groaned, putting a hand on her side and shoulders and rubbing at the aching she felt. Sleeping on a sofa? Clearly a bad idea. Why did she..? You know, it was good to avoid the social interactions. Xera raised her head to see a familiar wolf tail swaying. Oh great. And her hands were shaking again. Just perfect! She slowly lowered herself back onto the sofa and curled her tail around her in a more comfortable position, pretending to sleep despite having just made the noises of an awake-imp. She squinted her eyes shut and tried to stop the shaking, which she knew she couldn’t do.

---

June rubbed sleep from her eyes as she fumbled around on the endtable by her bed for her goggles. It wasn't like she really needed to sleep - she was a ghost, after all - but she'd made it a habit after realizing it was better than being bored for 12+ hours every night. As she swung her legs out from the covers (much better than the cold metal she'd been used to) June wondered what her partner was like. Somehow, they'd missed each other in the chaos of yesterday and she eagerly bounded downstairs to see if "Sakuna" was awake.

Finding the kitchen empty, June shrugged. At least she could eat! How long had it been...twenty...thirty...no, maybe fifty years since she'd last tasted food? Again not that she needed to, but she REALLY MISSED FOOD. Popping open the fridge, the ghost grinned as she plucked a carton of eggs from the shelf. Scrambled eggs were her specialty; a loaf of bread and some butter would go nicely with it as well. Ten minutes later, June was positive that the smell of her home-cooked breakfast had to be irresistible to her new roomie, and so she simply set the table, ready to wait.

As she stood, June's mind wandered to the announcement that weirdo harp person had made...something about jobs? Fiddling slightly with her goggles, her hands shook at the idea. She wondered if there were any engineering related tasks that she could stick to, something in her skillset; it was probably fascinating to be working with so many different creatures with a variety of abilities and accommodations to keep in mind.

Sukuna was sleeping in her own bed, being awoken by the commotion in the kitchen... but her brain hasn't gotten up yet, unlike her body. Which made her just waltz into the kitchen and ignore the beautifully arranged breakfast, instead just gravitating to the nearest coffee pot and preparing some low-brow instant coffee. "Caffeine..." She muttered, then looking over to June and just raising a hand, still tired as the coffee heated up. "Hey." Was the only thing she said, with rings around her eyes and blinking a little delayed.

It only took five minutes though, after her first cup of coffee and a refreshing splash of water in her face, when she bursted out every question she stored in.
"WhoareyouwhatisthisplacewhatsmellssogoodandIamSukunanicetomakeyouracquaintance!" The barrage of questions was followed by her grasping for air and for another cup for coffee...

---

June grinned as she took in the appearance of her partner, who had just come barreling down the stairs and straight for the coffee maker (oh man, she remembered the feeling all those years ago after late nights, so she didn't mind) instead of noticing her breakfast. Sukuna was significantly taller than her, she noted with a twinge of displeasure, but standing at a petite 5'2", almost everyone her age was taller. The woman looked somehow both very frazzled and very put together with a swooshy looking skirt paired with a white top (which had some suspicious looking stains, until June remembered "oh right, this is a prison"). But gosh...June couldn't help the slightly playful smirk that found its way onto her face. Sukuna was a catch. Especially those seriously green eyes, like, woah, she'd never seen what she assumed to be a human have such a bright eye color.

June was startled out of her thoughts by a landslide of questions that was on the verge of being able to compete with some of her own characteristic outbursts. Deciding that she was going to have a LOT of fun with the first human contact she'd seen in quite a while, June hopped up and in a swift motion, was hanging upside-down in the air, her body curved in a loose "C" shape as she floated with her face right in front of (but a safe distance away until she could be sure Sukuna wasn't the I'll-slap-you-if-you're-too-close type) Sukuna's. "Nice to meetcha," June said, stuffing her hands in the pockets of her skirt (which, thankfully, ignored physics when she was incorporeal.) "I'm June, your partner, this is our house I think, unless you mean this whole place-" she waved her arms around to illustrate that she was speaking about the universe itself, "-in which case I think it's like...a pocket dimension or something."

Returning to a much more normal position of hovering a couple of inches above the ground, right-side-up this time, June pointed to the two still hot plates of scrambled eggs and toast. "Ta-da~ The June Special!! Well, it's just eggs and toast, but, I think it tastes pretty good. Nice to meet you, too, roomie," the ghost finished, plopping herself down at one end of the small dining table and patting the seat to her right, where the other setting was made. "Help yourself! I'm a decent chef, so at the very least it's edible."

Darian didn't quite need the worst alarm clock in the world to wake him up, as he hardly slept in the first place. He wasn't quite sure why he couldn't sleep, was it last night's interaction, the unfamiliarity of it all, the numbness he felt since coming here, or something else? It didn't really matter in the first place, he had to focus on the task at hand. The announcement gave them all something to do, and he had a feeling it wasn't optional. Jobs weren't exactly something he did well with, he hated taking orders and it all just seemed boring, but if he wanted out of here he would have to cooperate.

Either he wasn't looking hard enough, or there just wasn't any, Darian couldn't seem to find a change of clothes. He shrugged it off and decided to start early, only taking a look at his assigned spouse before heading off. He found it best not to say anything to her after what she said, after all, he wasn't quite sure if he was just like she said or not. He took out his map and studied it for a bit, trying to locate the job center, having a little trouble doing so. God, what an embarrassment... He couldn't even read a simple map... Well, guess the "early" plan had to be scrapped for now. He looked at the couch behind him and headed over to it, deciding that a small nap wouldn't hurt until Myrcine was ready to leave.

---

Sukuna smiles, as her face slowly gained a bit of colour and complexion, taking her time with June and walking around her, inspecting every inch of her, while muttering. Hmm, ambery eyes... around 5 feet and a bit... She took a deep breath, then raising an eyebrow. A faint scent of copper and carbon, stronger physique than normal... a bit of a transparent body... She smiles, then straightening her back, now at her full height of 6'2".
"Alright, I've done my analysis. You're probably fine to talk to." She giggles, stretching out her hand then and fixing her coat with the other hand. "I'm Sukuna. Thanks for the breakfast, I'll make it up to you at noon, my dear."

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