closed ★ hold on tight this ain't my fight

[shamanism]

Date & Time: Friday, August 24th, at around 8 in the morning.
Location: Unit 104 of the housing... building... thing.
Characters: Thrall (shamanism), Sayaka Miki (fortissimos), and Homura Akemi (repetition).
Summary: According to TV Guide: Two Japanese schoolgirls with polarized personalities find themselves in a fix when Shrek comes to live with them.
Warnings: I'm not being serious right now.


[Thrall finds himself longing for the sun as soon as he steps into the hallway. All of the buildings here are alien and florescent and sterile. They're unlike anything he's seen before, and the voices of the elements are equally quiet. It shakes him to the core and drives the point home. There will be no home, for him or for anyone, until this stranger's war is over.

He comes to a stop in front of unit 104. It matches the key he's been given. However, it looks like no one lives here. There's no plants or totems outside, nothing. Maybe there isn't anyone in this block yet. A couple quick knocks are the only warning he gives before letting himself in.

It's probably terrifying to anyone in the vicinity. The orc is big enough to fill the whole doorway. He's certainly taller and wider than an average human, and that's without taking into account his pointy ears, long braided hair, and tusks jutting out from his mouth. He's dressed vaguely like a Native American, right down to the sandals on his feet and the feathery fetishes around his waist. A gilded hammer is tied from his belt, and judging by the looks of it, it's gotten some use.]

Comments

[fortissimos]

[ It's strange, living with someone she still can't stand. There's an uneasy truce of a sort between them now, (Sayaka doesn't try to kill Homura again, and in return they can get by without the apartment being destroyed) but she still makes every effort to spend as much time either in her room or training as possible, just to keep a healthy distance between herself and Madoka's suspicious stalker.

After a few hours trying and failing to sleep, Sayaka's on her way out for the day (making every attempt to ignore Homura as she passes, as is usually the case) when the door opens before she even gets there - the result is something approximating a shriek until she can get anything more coherent out. Seeing things that don't quite look human on the network is different to having one show up completely by surprise in person, and it only takes her a moment to leap a good few feet backwards. ]

H, hey, transfer student! [ It's an improvement over a month ago, at least. The fact she isn't blindly attacking the guy by herself or leaving Homura to get eaten or whatever by him is a pretty big step forward. ]

[repetition]

[Though much has changed from when she lived in Mitakihara, repeating the same endless span of time over and over again, Homura still keeps mostly to herself when she isn't with Madoka or the others, scanning the network for new arrivals, for messages from the Initiative, for any clues as to what this place might throw at them next. She is hypervigilant, refuses to allow the good things that have come from being here to allow her to slide into complacency; enough bad has happened here too that she must always be on guard, for her sake, and Madoka's. And maybe... for the others. Here, perhaps she can save everyone. It is a distant hope she allows herself to entertain for only the barest moment each day, and as quickly as it comes, it's gone again.

She sits in her usual place at the table in a far corner of the apartment, painstakingly filtering through messages broadcast on the network, noting any interesting details to a pile for more careful scrutiny later, attributing the knocks at the door to someone (probably Kyouko) coming for Sayaka, when a shriek breaks through her concentration.

They typically ignore each other, an arrangement Homura finds a vast improvement from when Sayaka first arrived and attempted to kill each other, but there is always a bubbling undercurrent of resentment on the other girl's part that, now her relationship with the others has changed so drastically, manages to sting even beneath all the careful layers of distance Homura had cultivated over that repeating span of time. And so, it comes as a surprise to hear Sayaka call out to her in such a way as she does now, without the animosity that lies always just below the surface of their interactions. That Sayaka does not use her name is of no consequence - Homura recognizes this as a forward movement just as surely as Sayaka probably does not.

It is no time for rumination, however, and Homura is up out of her chair before Sayaka finishes her sentence, Soul Gem glowing as brightly in her hand as it did the day she arrived. She's across the room and to Sayaka's side quickly, ready to transform should the need arise. One can never be too prepared, after all, and Homura is always more prepared than most.

The sight that greets her is, of course, an unfamiliar one. She has seen strange things since being transported to the hold, and even stranger things in her own world, but never anything quite like the massive figure that blocks the entirety of the doorway. Her eyes narrow, but she does not give voice to any fear she might feel, however distantly. The logical conclusion is that this is another of the Initiative's transports, and the next step, the one that explains what it is doing here in front of their apartment, is that it has been assigned as their roommate.

Expression guarded, and prepared still to spring into battle at a moment's notice, Homura meets its gaze.] Who are you?

[shamanism]

[Thrall is most definitely not expecting to run into two little girls. Their outfits are strange to him, but that's no surprise; he's more concerned about the fact that he just appeared in their living space without much warning, and they're likely child soldiers and therefore armed.

He's also scaring children.

He stops where he is. After that initial moment of shock, he holds his hands up in a peaceful, surrendering type gesture.]

Forgive me, I didn't mean to startle you. I am Thrall. I was told that I would be staying here for the time being.

[fortissimos]

[ There's a moment between noticing Homura at her side and more words being spoken where Sayaka manages to feel something approaching relief - not a feeling she generally associates with the other girl, but if experience has taught her anything it's that Homura can certainly handle herself in a fight. The vague sense of respect alongside it might be grudging, but it's there, and that's enough to stop her from doing anything stupid until the man has time to speak up. ]

... Thrall, huh? So you're... [ ... Their new roommate, apparently. It's a good explanation as to just what he's doing here, which is a point in his favor - Sayaka doesn't lower her guard, but neither is she at the point of summoning swords just yet. ] What are you, anyway?

[ She's also the most polite and subtle person he's ever likely to meet. ]

[repetition]

[The few seconds between Homura's question and the newcomer's reply are tense; Homura knows of Sayaka's tendency to leap to conclusions, to act before she thinks, to do now and ask questions later, and she wonders for a moment if the appearance of this giant green man in the doorway will prove yet another point of contention between them.

As he raises his hands in a universal sign of 'I mean no harm' and answers, and Sayaka does not leap into some kind of idiotic action, Homura lets out a slow breath she did not know she was holding. She is not unable to fight, or unwilling, but neither is she quick to do so without necessity. So far, there is no reason jump into battle; his answer is the logical one, exactly what she was expecting, though why the Initiative chose to room them together was anyone's guess.

She, like Sayaka, does not drop her guard (does not ever drop her guard), but she steps to the side to allow him entrance all the same. If he can make it past the barrage of questions Sayaka is likely to throw at him, that is. They are not questions she is uninterested in learning the answers to, however, and so she is content to stand back and let Sayaka do the talking for now.]

[shamanism]

[Thrall's eyebrows raise at that incredibly direct question. Well, considering it's likely their first time seeing someone like him, it's an okay question. At the very least, they aren't calling him an 'it' or a monster. He'd rather not go down that road again.

He lets out a breath as well. He didn't think he'd have to defend himself within an hour of getting here, and he's thankful to the spirits for making sure things didn't get out of control. His arms return to his sides.]

I am an orc, [he answers patiently.] My people originally hailed from Draenor. [Whatever that place is, it isn't Earth. In an attempt to appear less uptight, he tugs his hood back, revealing pointy green ears and more black hair.

He gives Homura a nod and tries to go through the door properly. At least he's not the Hulk. Gosh, this is awkward. He's already wondering what his options are. Trespassing upon the space of children, even soldiers, is undesirable... but then again, maybe they need guidance. He's not sure. It's too early to tell, and he doesn't have the resources to find another place to stay this early in the game.]

I apologize for the intrusion.

[fortissimos]

[ A few tense moments pass before Sayaka reluctantly follows Homura's lead - she steps aside, still wary but reasonably sure this man is not an immediate threat. Had this happened a month or two ago things might have been different, but she's very slowly learning to not judge purely by first appearances. ]

... That's okay. It's just this place being weird again, right? [ Just like when she found herself stuck rooming with Homura. Just like the VR incident. It's not the first time; she shouldn't be surprised by now.

She hesitates for a moment, studying him more closely. ] I've never seen an orc before.

[ He looks like something out of show or a book, though his attitude doesn't match the rather imposing appearance. Sayaka still can't quite decide what to make of it. ]

Shit, sorry about the slow. I DIDN'T FORGET ABOUT THIS, PROMISE.

[shamanism]

I would be surprised if you had.

[He doesn't seem to mind being stared at. He has come to expect it by now, either because he's an orc or because he's /Thrall/. His notoriety-- or lack thereof-- is something of a relief so far, but he knows it won't last. He has talents and the Initiative will want to put them to use.

But for now... he needs to solidify this awkward truce between him and his roommates.]

What are your names? Also, if there are any specific house rules, I will heed them.

sob no it was my turn i just had a million things to do for work suddenly, so sorry!!

[repetition]

[Since Sayaka is, thus far, miraculously not jumping to fight their apparent new roommate, Homura turns her full attention to him. She's never seen an orc before either, but remembers the term vaguely from some program she had half-watched in the hospital, something about the development of fantasy literature over the ages. She hadn't thought them real then, but now, after everything, she's hardly surprised to be face to face with one.

He asks her name, and she bows, just low enough to be polite. She doesn't know the customs of his world, and so falls back on the social niceties of her own.]

I am Homura Akemi. [A beat.] It is nice to meet you, Thrall.

now who is the slow one, weh

[fortissimos]

[ Sayaka had almost forgotten about Homura entirely until she speaks - her default, almost subconscious reaction is to shoot the other girl a glare, but she shrugs off the urge to challenge her further. It's easier to ignore than directly antagonize, and so she turns her attention back to Thrall. ]

Sayaka Miki. [ Unlike Homura, there are no niceties accompanying her introduction; her tone is still somewhat tense, though not directly impolite. ] There aren't any rules or anything. We've all got our own rooms, so I don't really care what you do.

[ She halfheartedly waves in the direction of the spare room, not bothering to explain further. If she can ignore Homura, she can ignore him too, even if he's a little harder to look past. ]

STILL ME I'M PRETTY SURE

[shamanism]

[Thrall doesn't expect them to trust him immediately. Just having their names and their begrudging tolerance of his presence is more than he could hope for. He bows his head in return, painfully aware of the physical differences between them. It's been a long, long time since he was this close to a human teenager. Even then, he was big and oafish and awkward...]

Well-met, Homura, Sayaka. Thank you for your hospitality.

[A pause. And then, a peace offering.]

Have you eaten?