[ closed ] i'm sure you've heard it all before

[lyingheart]

WHO: HOUSE 001, NONAH, NC HOUSEMATES
WHERE: ... House 001, Nonah, NC
WHEN: August 18th - August 31st.
WHAT: What happens when three titan shifters, a demi-goddess, a clone, and an alien live together? Let's learn.
WARNINGS: None yet, will update as necessary.

Most days were probably normal, in that the sun rose from an Easternly direction, it tended to cross over the sky regardless of precipitation or cloud coverage with a remarkable degree of steadiness, and each later afternoon, spanning into the evening, it found a way to sink beyond the Western horizon, chasing down a further shore. Nonah, being Nonah, bustled with business and people, trains sounding as they ran through downtown, as ever perpetually in motion. Even the fear of months earlier with the monorail crash has faded from the forefront of memory, outside of extra signs and warnings, and officers who chase away those who loiter near supports of all sorts of road and travel structures.

In Government Townhouse 001, the days run like they always do: absolutely senseless, in the way that five (no, six) completely unique individuals getting along in their attempt at normalcy in handling school, work, and the various details of living together.

Go forth, housemates. What's your adventure today?

[ ooc: Set up your own top level comments and tag around as you can! ]

Comments

AUGUST 19TH

[soldiarity]

( A. ) MORNING

[ Reiner is usually up early in the mornings, having taken a liking to getting the bulk of his exercise for the day done right when the day begins; he can usually be found arriving back home at around 7 or 8 AM after having run a couple miles, just how many depending on the morning and state of the weather. He's used to routines more vigorous than this but doesn't want to overdo it, either, when it's this hot -- that, and he's at least partially self-aware enough to know that he can't run his problems and guilt away, no matter how far he goes.

This morning he gets back home at 7:30 after running four miles -- two out and two back -- and shucks off his sweat-damp shirt as he walks inside, letting the shirt hang off his shoulder as he heads into the kitchen to refill his water bottle and to grab a quick and easy breakfast in the form of a banana. He'll make something else in an hour or so probably but for now is avoiding anything that might wake anyone else in the household up.

One thing he misses about Heropa is the pools some houses had in their backyards; not that his and Annie had one but their neighbors had, and he misses how refreshing the water had felt against this heat of summer. For now, he opens front door to let some air circulation in and sits down on the porch with his banana and a book from the library, Jules Verne's A Journey to the Center of the Earth. He'll be there a while, working his way page by page but not scratching the novel's depths markedly enough that he can't be distracted from it. ]

( B. ) LATE AFTERNOON/EVENING

[ Despite it being a Tuesday, Reiner is still at home when afternoon rolls around, being able to negotiate his hours at his job. Today he has nothing of consequence to do or anywhere to be, so despite his pent-up energy and the restless way his emotions try to avoid any prolonged focus, Reiner has been trying to force himself just to sit down and relax. Energy conservation is important, as especially the incident in Colorado had taught him, but there are other things -- things about his mind, his feelings -- that he should reign in and figure out how to attend to rather than constantly avoid. Reading now might be something of a distraction, but it does get his mind wandering. Maybe answers are hidden in these pages.

Maybe indeed, but he'll find out another day; by the time afternoon rolls around Reiner has relocated from the porch, coming back inside to read on the couch where he still is now, asleep, the book open on his chest. ]

[huitzilin]

[ it's not until around nine that she finds him. what's unfortunate about Aracely sneaking up on anyone is that she hardly makes a peep when she's levitating, and she's never really one to keep her feet on the ground. she floats up closer, closer and closer. the steadiness of his thoughts and intense focus doesn't save him, either.

she floats up just above him, looking much like the shadow of a cloud, before reaching down and yoinking the banana out of his hand. ]

Finders keepers!

[soldiarity]

What--?

[ Normally Reiner's reflexes are quite good, but Aracely has both the element of silent surprise as well as Reiner's determined concentration on his book working in her favor; he reads slowly even with less dense texts, but this one he finds himself having to re-read paragraphs in order to follow the plot.

But now that's cost him his breakfast. ]

Hey, do you mind?

[huitzilin]

Nope, but you mind! I g~ot you!

[ being in a house with someone that can float definitely made for interesting companionship, as well as some getting used to. ]

Share your banana, okay?

[ she turns in the air and peers over his shoulder at the book, and without waiting for the okay, she's peeling the banana and handing half of it to him while she inspects the passage that he was just reading. ]

What's that?

[lyingheart]

[ Day two of school over, and Annie has even gotten ahead in the homework due on Thursday. Who knew everyone would be so gung-ho to hop right in and start shoving expectations of busywork down everyone's throats? Annie rubs at her face, coming down the stairs in search of water. As long as she keeps taking one day at a time, things aren't so bad.

She sees Reiner, watching him for a few seconds, turning away in pursuit of water in the blue glasses she enjoyed. Standing at the sink, reaching up to the cupboard, her fingers hesitate, shy of touching the glass.

In the end, she pulls down the clear glass tumblers. Two. With muted clinks, she set them to the side of the sink, taking a moment to appreciate the ready availability of clean water through pipes as she closes the cupboard and gets back off her tiptoes to set her feet flat on the floor. The post it note declaring which way produced hot water, versus which way produced cold, is faded and stained, taped up above the sink. She thinks the paper was originally yellow. It's since faded, but it almost makes her smile. Kaine and Aracely had found all sorts of notes like this through the house. Reminders they all wrote for each other to remember everything that seemed vaguely important, in a homey sense.

She fills both tumblers, fingers gripping around the rim as she turns and starts back toward the living area. The television sits blank, like it does preferentially for Annie; she doesn't like the engrossing nature of television, even less after Colorado. Looking away hadn't seemed like an option back then.

She comes to stand by the couch, balancing on one leg and carefully using her foot to push at Reiner's thigh. ]

Reiner. Wake up.

[soldiarity]

Hm?

[ Instincts are strong; there is a moment or two where Reiner is disoriented with nap hangover after his eyes open, but only a moment. He sits up quickly, arms up and muscles spring-loaded to react in case of thread.

It's just Annie, but he doesn't relax. ]

Hey, Annie. Sorry, I'll make room if you want to sit down. [ He's already moving as if to stand, then notices her waters. He jokes: ] Expecting company?

[lyingheart]

[ Annie doesn't move until he has himself consciously under control. She knows what to expect out of people with their training, and she's not looking to spill water all over the place. At his joke, more than even him standing, she holds out one of the glasses to him. ]

Only what was already here.

[ That, or she was expedient and lazy in how much water she carted around where-ever she went. ]

[huitzilin]

all day, every day.

[ nothing really ever seemed to dim Aracely's enthusiasm. she was a ball of energy when she got up until she rolled over into her bed. (well, "rolled" was a bit of an understatement. Aracely had the slight tendency to levitate upside-down and glow some nights. it seemed erratic enough that those who were either heavy sleepers didn't witness it at all, or those who were light enough to wake up during the event could pass it off as a waking dream.) despite that, between offsetting Kaine's grumpier moods, she seemed very willing to help.

she had never been this far north before, and most of her time (at least that she could remember) was spent in drier, hotter climates. the large trees and variances in weather, greenery and humidity are all new to her, and there are several times a day that everyone becomes acquainted with it. ]

Hey, did you see that tree? It's all spiky! It's a fir but it doesn't feel like fur! Do you think it's a Christmas tree? Will we get snow?

[ it doesn't stop there. she announces whenever the local train stops. ]

Everyone the train came by again!

[ not to say that she didn't pay attention to the details. ]

I think a bunch of raccoons are talking outside!

[ of course not. ]

There's this awesome tree that I saw! Let's go, let's go!

[ and then there's the whole "eating all the food" thing she's been doing.

the night of the 20th.

[ there's been a hint of concern festering in her ever since Lunatic's dramatic announcement over the network. ever since then she's been crawling onto the roof at night, in Hummingbird garb, oddly still. (with a fidget here and there, but no one can ask her to sit properly.) his conviction had bothered her, and what bothered her even more, is the implication of such a message and what it may have on the people here. their current housemates ("don't get to close," Kaine always seemed to warn) had put themselves on the line with leaving themselves vulnerable.

they were superheroes, which meant that they should do their best to save people. so she concentrates, because this is important, to open up and see if she can feel anyone with a malicious presence approaching. ]

[lyingheart]

[ Annie looks up from the textbook she's been reading, palm resting on the open page as she glances toward Aracely. This level of excitement still seems unreal. Even Eren didn't act like this all the time - how could she keep up that much energy? ]

A what tree? And yes, Nonah gets snow. I haven't seen it, but all the locals have.

[huitzilin]

[ she hurries in a three-sixty before taking a little leap into the air, floating upside-down before looking Annie in the face. everything about being this far north seems to thrill her. ]

A fir tree!

[ upside-down jazz hands!! ]

Fir but not furry!

We should plan to make a snowman. We can save a carrot for the nose.

[lyingheart]

[ Yes, this is giving her a headache, and she feels it's only just getting started. Annie closes her eyes briefly, squinting when she opens them again. ]

Has anyone said you're very disconcerting lately? Being upside down like that... you make my head spin. What does a carrot have to do with a snowman?

[ What's a snowman... ]

the night of the 20th

[darkspider]

[For Kaine, the announcement itself had been too similar to things he used to say before. When he was clearly out of his mind, his way of communicating, of approaching the situation with Peter, had been crazed. Does that mean he discounts the danger of Lunatic? It's quite the opposite, actually: he knows anyone with those thoughts and ambitions cannot be trusted. He knows it, and he knows he has to be careful.

But he hadn't approached Lunatic. Hearing it and responding to it would have given too much away. He couldn't do that.

But he does worry. He worries about the kids in the house. While he goes to work every day (with some weird hours, considering his new position), he doesn't hesitate to hide his alternate identity from the kids. What's the point?

For this reason, he joins Aracely on the roof, body positioned to easily crouch over the edge without toppling down. Being a spider person makes life easier.]

Feel anything?

[huitzilin]

[ she levitates just slightly above the shingles, caught in a rare bout of unprovoked focus. she can feel his intent before he approaches, and she's not surprised when his presence turns up beside her. she makes a faint "mm" noise and her brow furrows as if she's trying a little too hard. ]

No ... not yet. He's not even in the city, unless he's good at hiding. He could be good at hiding--but that was a really crazy mask.

[ she opens an eye to look at him without turning her head. ]

It was really loud.

[worrior]

[ Bert, also reading, looks up from his book. He spots the train go by and smiles faintly. ]

That's the ... [ He looks up to no where and holds a hand up, counting with his fingers. ] third train you've pointed out.

[huitzilin]

That's because three trains passed!

[ she turns a circle in the air and then floats above above him, watching him tick off the trains she's counted with his fingers. if there was a lingering sense of peace in this building, it was already broken by Aracely's enthusiasm. ]

What are you reading?

post its

[lyingheart]

[ ooc: a thread for all our post it needs. you can find one generator here, but any generator works! ]

on the wall by the landing on the stairs heading to the second floor

[lyingheart]

[huitzilin]

[lyingheart]

on the loaf of white bread...

[worrior]

[darkspider]

nights (all time)

[Kaine is not a man who sleeps soundly. He is a man who is full of nightmares, and there are times when he fears that he will wake up as The Other. These are the times when the voice is especially loud, guiding him through his dreams toward a moment in which one thing is needed: prey. He must find his prey.

These aren't the only nights that he has poor sleep, though. Haunted by the memories of the people he's killed, he sometimes leaves his room and heads down into the kitchen, taking out a box of cereal to stare at its front before he decides not to eat anything. Other times, he heads outside, up to the roof to let the warm, North Carolina air hit his face. At least in the summer, it remains warm at night.

Either way, he is not a restful sleeper.]

evenings (all time)

[Though there are considerations toward Peter's secret identity, Kaine knows it's almost fruitless to try, what with his talks with Speedball being public. If people are going to know that he's Scarlet Spider and related to Spider-Man, it's going to happen. He just hopes it happens slowly.

But when it comes to the house, he doesn't hide it before long. Slipping off to change into a different set of clothes instead of just coming in in costume is a pain in the ass, so he starts to arrive home as Scarlet Spider, red and black costume intact, before he heads to the kitchen.

There are some days where he's torn up, where parts of his costume haven't managed to repair themselves yet. It's obvious that on these occasions, he had a fight of some kind, and while he came out the victor, they weren't easy. They happen. He's probably not keen to talk about it.

Either way, he doesn't keep his identity a secret as he retrieves his favorite box of cereal to stare at.

Then again, odds are that he's going to be interested in doing takeout.

Again.]

[lyingheart]

Do you ever plan on eating anything out of it?

[ He's not the only one who can't sleep, but for the memories of past deeds. Annie finds they come to mind more readily of late; snippets of movements and faces she barely saw before she dispatched them. More striking is the face of the dead woman, crushed underneath her, surrounded by the other living and dead. That man, staring up at her in horror.

The Cult of the Wall wasn't ready for a Titan to be tossed down on top of them. Funny, when one considered the Walls. ]

[darkspider]

If I'm ever hungry when I grab it. Actually hungry.

[The fact of the matter is that he's not usually hungry. He's not sure what to do with himself on these nights. The familiar scratch of prey in the back of his head becomes louder as he looks at Annie.]

Are you hungry?

evening

[worrior]

[ He's been slowly adjusting to life here. He's still getting used to the idea of... well, superheroes. He suppose saving someone's life marks them as a hero, but what's a superhero.

Apparently, it's people who wear really tight costumes. Kaine's suit is torn in places and Bert is quiet in the kitchen, watching the man pick out a box of cereal and stare at it. It's not that he's afraid to break the silence, but he does wonder if he'd be breaking some kind of ... well, custom. So he stays quiet for a while longer, then finally he pipes up from the kitchen door way. ]

... Do you need any help? Bandages?

[darkspider]

No. [Though there are stretches of skin that are visible underneath his uniform, they all seem to be in pretty good shape. There's hints of scratches, but not anything that is worrisome. Kaine can feel the aches and the pains from his fight, but none of it is worrisome. Some part of him enjoys the pain, even if he doesn't think of the implications of it. He'd rather not.]

This happens a lot. It was a good fight.

[It was something to do, anyway.]