a smelly man and his smelly pet

[malodorous]

WHO: Kristoff Bjorgman (and Sven) and OPEN.
WHERE: Options for Heropa proper and Residence #005
WHEN: Saturday, September 20th
WHAT: Kristoff returns from a canon/power update and brings and friend along.
WARNINGS: None.

Option A, OPEN, A Man and a Reindeer in Heropa:

Kristoff, overall, did not presently find himself in the best of moods. He'd been through more of an emotional workout in the past few days (however that works here, all things considered) than he had in over a decade, and finding himself in another world again? Getting his mind back around everything only served to exhaust him further, and that was before he’d even made his way into the town. He'd only been home for several hours, but the strangeness of this place seemed to rush back in with a vengeance.

So. Here he was, dressed again in clothing too warm for the weather, tired and trailed by a reindeer who was at least as tired. He had one hand loosely around the base of one of Sven's antlers, trudging down the street and looking perfectly surly and out of place. How much time had passed here? How did all of this fit into place together? Just… ugh.

He'd considered going to the grocery store before heading to the house, but remembered when he got there that he didn’t have this world’s currency on him. After this realization, he finally gave up on just about everything for the time being, collapsing into the first unoccupied bench he can find. With a loud snort, Sven settled heavily onto the sidewalk in front of him, which took up a good deal of the walkway. Kristoff amended any funny looks at this with a stern look of his own, plainly not in the mood to deal with fussing about his reindeer. Never mind that it’s something of an inconvenient spectacle.

Is Christmas coming early? Is there a petting zoo in town? Sometimes the 'Porter makes funny choices.


Option B, Residence #005, Where do I park this thing?:

Having decided to make his own way back to the house (and having wasted a little time on the way), it was late afternoon by the time Kristoff found himself standing on the front lawn again. He wasn't worried about going inside, much as he had been when he'd first arrived here, but… Well, there was Sven.

Kristoff took a moment to squint at the door until he concluded that Sven could get into the house, if he tilted his head the right way to get into the door, but that didn't mean he should go into the house. So, you know, where’s his loyal companion supposed to go?

Finally, he settled for opening the door and peeking in before calling out, "Hey! Anybody home? It's Kristoff. I kinda have a problem."

Comments

A

[enigmaestro]

It was an unusual sight, this probably incredibly overheated man and his accompanying reindeer. Even Eddie, who considered himself rather accustomed to oddity, slowed his step to stare. A quick glance around the area informed him that, in fact, a lot of bystanders were doing the same -- stopping, staring.

Eddie disdained being part of the crowd. He soon excused himself from across the street, jogging a bit to catch up with Kristoff. The bench was already occupied by this fellow when Eddie could even begin to speak to him.

"I've seen you on the Network," he said, his opening line breathed a bit too quickly. It wasn't easy, running in Floridian heat. He imagined his company was feeling much worse.

"Do you need a change of clothing?"

[malodorous]

Both Kristoff and Sven looked up at the voice in their general vicinity, which caused Kristoff to receive the sharp poke of an antler to the knee. He flinched, frowned, and got his mind around the question a little late. Taking a moment to eye Eddie as if he were very suspicious (which... somebody offering you something right off the bat was suspicious, in Kristoff's book), he huffed out a breath and answered, "I have cooler clothes at my house, unless my stuff's been cleared out. If you just happen to be carrying around something in my size, though, I'd take you up on that."

As it stood, he was pretty sure this guy didn't just incidentally carry around bulky-guy summer wear.

[enigmaestro]

Eddie gave Kristoff a look over, once, and then a second look over. Eddie, reformed Gothamite villain and accustomed to tight getaways, possessed a slim (some might argue muscle-deficient) build. Kristoff, newly returned, looked like a lumberjack comparatively. Built, strong, in possession of muscle. Probably preferred red meat, that type.

Was he a lumberjack? The question lingered, unasked, for half a moment. Would he appreciate plaid more? Unlikely.

"Unfortunately, I happen to not carry around additional clothes for men who have a size or two on me." It was true. "But I have money."

Enough money, actually, now that he was working on the sly for a particular imPort industrialist.

"You look like you could easily be a J. Crew kind of fellow, am I right?"

[malodorous]

"I don't know what that means," Kristoff admitted flatly. Still stuck between various and increasing agitations, he affixed Eddie with an openly skeptical look (which was only fair if this guy was going to blatantly look him over like he was some sort of oddity). "And people don't just offer money to random strangers."

Even now that he was probably more prone to believing in human charity than he'd ever been, he was still sure that free stuff just wasn't a thing, especially when people go out of their way to offer it. Ergo, this guy must want something, and Kristoff doesn't have anything, so this was all just silly.

[enigmaestro]

"You're not a stranger, are you?" Eddie posed the question, rhetorical and light, with a halfway smirk. "I mean, certainly, you might be stranger than some -- but you're still an imPort. And we've got to stick together, haven't we?"

It was unclear if he was asking for confirmation, or if indeed this was just a mirrored rhetorical. Eddie shrugged, animated in his interaction. An audience was always desired, even one as skeptical as Kristoff.

"Come now, you can't be too comfortable in that, and you're likely unwilling to shed some of it."

[malodorous]

Kristoff didn't shed his doubting expression as Eddie explained his viewpoint on the matter. Even while being a person who might try to help those in need, he remained hard-pressed to assume those same courtesies applied to him, that other people maybe genuinely want to help for no reason other than the sake of it.

"So, what? You're saying you'll buy me clothes, and you don't want anything in return? Are you serious?"

Because that couldn't be serious. That was a sucker's deal.

[enigmaestro]

"Can't that buy friendship?"

Friendship. The moment it came from his mouth, he winced. First rule of bullshitting: never visibly admit when a ploy sounds, in its own right, kind of lame. This self-criticism was an acknowledged blow to the former villain's ego -- after all, was this not evidence suggesting that he had, indeed, spent far too much time in "polite" society? That even a scoundrel's smile came harder now?

"Look," said Eddie, while rolling his eyes. "One never knows when one might need a favor, and you're a pretty big fellow. I am, as you can see, somewhat challenged in the manner of physical self-defense. You see where I'm going?"

[willthaw]

Since so much of her necessities were taken care of by the government, Anna found saving money was easy. She'd relied on Hans' generosity upon arrival and that had gotten her a lovely wardrobe and all sorts of random stuff a girl needed. While there were still things she needed from time to time, for the most part Anna was set. As a result, she'd eventually bought herself a little scooter. It was under the CCs that required a proper driver's license but far faster than her traditional bike.

As a result, when she went tooling by the boys Anna went clear on by. She saw Sven first and Kristoff second but that didn't mean she could slow down any faster. She slammed the brakes, skidding in an exaggerated slow motion and practically tumbling off in her haste to get back to the pair.

"Kristoff!! Ohmygosh it's you! You're here!"

Anna all but shrieked, abandoning her scooter half on the sidewalk in the most unimpressive parking job to date. It didn't matter how hot or exhausted he was, Kristoff was rewarded with Anna's arms thrown around his neck and a huge hug.

"And Sven is here too!" she exclaimed, grinning over his shoulder and giving the reindeer a tiny wave.

[malodorous]

Looking down at the sidewalk, Kristoff heard Anna coming before he actually saw her, and he'd only managed to get halfway up from the bench before being confronted with her slight weight around his neck. Sven was on his feet quickly, too, letting out a friendly bray of greeting and drawing closer to nudge at Anna's ribcage in an attempt to get pats. Kristoff, for his part, squeezes the princess in a return hug easily enough before his mind catches up with him and starts reeling again with trying to consolidate Arendelle and Heropa.

The streak of white is still present in Anna's hair. Unless something's changed since he's been gone, Anna's heart is still frozen in this place, with her powers keeping her alive. He knows, then, that he has a lot to tell, but he doesn't know where to begin. Apart from the time discrepancies, even, he hasn't really gotten a chance to speak with her since he left her at the castle, so... At this point, there's just a lot of things that ought to be said, and communication's never been one of his strong points.

He released her, taking a little step backwards. It's respectable distance, and he also can't imagine how bad he must smell right now. Not knowing where to start, he finally settled on a somewhat breathless, "Hi. How's it going?"

[willthaw]

Anna let Kristoff take his steps back, turning her attentions on Sven. There was an affectionate scritch up between his ears and several pats as well. She has clearly missed him in spite of the short time they'd spent together all those months ago before she first showed up in Heropa.

"Sorry I haven't got anything to eat," she informed the reindeer apologetically. "Next time I'll be better prepared."

Her focus was back on Kristoff quickly enough, smiling all the while.

"Hi! It's, you know, going." Anna realized after the fact that she probably ought to give a better answer. "It's okay. Better now, definitely! I didn't know if you were ever going to come back. I'm glad you did though."

[malodorous]

"Thanks. I'm glad, too." Or, well-- "That is the say, I don't think I would've known the difference if I ever came back or not, but... You know. I guess I don't mind it."

With a shrug, and feeling suddenly a little more awkward, Kristoff sat heavily down on the bench again and raked a quick hand through his sweat-dampened hair. He looked up and down the street, trying to re-familiarize himself with where he was and re-adjust his sense of direction.

After a moment's pause, he tried to start up again. "I was only back in Arendelle for a few hours, maybe. It's been much longer here, right?"

[willthaw]

"Don't sound too excited," Anna teased playfully. "I mean it is insanely hot and sunny and you are totally overdressed for the weather but."

The princess felt awkward too, though was trying her best not to let on. A nervous laugh escapes her mouth at her own babbling before she clams up and glances to the side. Sven looks as friendly as ever and that's not particularly helpful when she's trying to find a way to not look like a complete spaz.

"Only a few hours? Wow okay I was thinking maybe it'd be the same at home..." And, you know, he'd know if she died or not. Plus whatever happened in the weeks after. "It's been a month here? ...Ish?"

[malodorous]

"Wow, really? A month?" He'd known that time tended to be off in these matters, but experiencing the whole thing... Anyway, yeah. He'd rather not think about it at all, so he wasn't going to. He shrugged and let it go with a simple thought of conclusion. "That's weird."

There were more important things to be turning over here, after all. Fussing over time could wait. He leaned forward, elbows to knees, and looked just optimistic enough when he asked, "So, do you want to know how things turn out or what?"

[willthaw]

"Just about, give or take?" Anna wasn't entirely sure when Kristoff had left. "It felt like longer though."

Far too long, really. Especially considering the fact that she didn't know he would return. Accepting his absence had been difficult, more so in the early days.

Blinking, she returned her focus to Kristoff's words. He had a telltale smile, one that hopefully meant Anna did, indeed, survive as she'd hoped. Perhaps it meant Kristoff had gotten even further than she did.

"You... you know?" There was hope glittering in Anna's eyes then. "Tell me!"

actionspamming it as it's near 4am

[boobwindow]

[ Karen's on the other side of the house in her room with the door mostly shut, going through more paper work (mainly legal papers) that have covered nearly the entirety of her bed. She's moments away from calling it an afternoon when something else catches her acute attention: the sound of Kristoff's voice. She immediately rises from the bed, a couple of papers floating toward the bedroom floor as she exits quickly, heading to the front door.

She honestly didn't believe she would be hearing, let alone seeing Kristoff again. She's even begun wondering what she needs to do with his stuff.

The door swings open and Karen skids to a halt, facing not just her housemate, but an animal she's certain isn't native to Florida. ]

... It's too early for Christmas, isn't it?

it's all good in the hood

[malodorous]

Christmas? [ What's Christmas have to do with anythi-- ] Oh. Right. Um... No. This is Sven.

[ Cue said animal nodded vigorously, almost as if confirming his identity. He then turns to Kristoff, looking expectant. The human responds as if the creature had spoken, which maybe isn't that weird here considering that he could understand animals. (Or... He used to, at least.) ] I'm getting there. Geez. Sven, this is Karen. She's one of the people in the house.

[ As Sven goes in for shameless attempts at getting pats from this new person, Kristoff goes back to the issue at hand. ] Do you think there's anywhere here that he can stay?

[boobwindow]

It has a name.

[ Like a pet.

Oh god, is that what this is? Karen's eyes widen, bouncing from the reindeer outside their house to Kristoff, who is very much not an illusion because it's not exactly possible for Karen to experience overheating. She does blink a few times, however; maybe the reindeer will go away. ]

What? [ She cants her head to the side, narrowing her eyes at first before she sets it straight and begins waving her hand back and forth. ] What? Kris, you can't be serious. That's... it's a reindeer.

I'm certain you'd need a permit to keep it anywhere on the property alone.

[malodorous]

A permit? But-- [ Kristoff frowns and looks over his shoulder at the animal, seeming to mull that over before frowning deeper still. ] He came in with me. They let us leave the base without any trouble. What do we need a permit for?

[boobwindow]

No, I don't —

[ She makes a note to try and lay off the sarcasm for the moment. ]

Never mind, but seriously, Kristoff; are you trying to put your reindeer in the house?

[ And it's already full with a dog and a cat that don't get along. Adding a reindeer into the mix is definitely trouble. ]

[malodorous]

Well, maybe not in the house. [ He wrinkles his nose, at a bit of a loss, tilting his head again as if to measure the doorway and observe how tricky Sven's getting through would be. Then there's the fact that it's so very inside. The floor would get scratched up, the carpet dirtied, and there was nothing to eat that was easily-accessible for a reindeer. Plus, there's the other animals to consider, and... Well, he's pretty sure telling them to try and get along isn't going to be as effective as it was before. ]

I just-- I don't want to have to just leave him somewhere. I mean, there's the stable, if I'm not fired, but... Sven and me stick together. That's how it's been since, like, forever.

[boobwindow]

[ She looks the reindeer up and down again, mulling over the options herself. Cute as it is, she's mainly clueless as to what to do with her housemate's pet reindeer in the middle of Florida. At the tip of her tongue is the suggestion that they take Sven to some kind of shelter specializing in large animals like him, but she gathers enough sense Kristoff wouldn't take to it so well.

She steps away from the door, closing the distance between herself Kristoff and Sven, scratching the back of her head with her mouth twisted in uncertainty. ]

I... guess the stable might work. Do I even wanna know why you have a pet reindeer instead of a dog or cat?

[acclimatized]

John is standing in the kitchen and twirling his fork around his pot noodles when he hears Kristoff's call. He's been home for roughly around thirty minutes and he feels famished. One of the merciful things about clinical hours at the weekend is that they are optional shifts and short ones, but he drew the short straw today.

Chewing on a mouthful of noodles, he ambles leisurely through the house and nods in greeting when he sees Kristoff poking his head around the front door.

"You alright mate?"

[malodorous]

"Oh. John. Uh... Yeah?"

He's mostly alright, anyway. It's hot, and Kristoff is exhausted and a little irritated as a result, but he's physically fine and content outside of the extenuating circumstances of being brought into another world. The upside to that was seeing familiar faces, though, and he's able to smile quickly at John for that thought.

Then he opens the door wider to reveal Sven, nose to the ground on the front lawn, snuffling about.

"I just have something of a parking issue."

[acclimatized]

Chewing on his noodles, John smiles before the lines on his face become furrowed in thought. Now that he thinks about it, he hasn't seen him for a while. For as long as he's known him, Kristoff has kept mostly to himself. Someone had to drag him away from that mountain range he retreated to a few months back, something which John still hasn't heard the full story behind.

Before he can ask him where he's been, Kristoff opens the door and reveals his reindeer on the front lawn. Dumbfounded, John pads along to the doorway and stares at Sven, who is oblivious to the man who is staring at him with disbelief.

"I'm looking at a reindeer."

[malodorous]

"Yeah." No shit, right? "Yeah, that's Sven. Sven came back with me."

At the sound of his name, Sven lifts his head and looks towards the humans on the porch, tilting his head in curiosity at the stranger. Kristoff waves then shrugs a little hopelessly, turning back to John. "I don't think he can do in the house. He might be fine outside, though. I mean, it's hot, but the weather's bound to turn soon, right?"