getting to know you

[lyingheart]

WHO: Housemates of Residence #016
WHERE: Residence #016, Heropa, Florida
WHEN: Tuesday, May 6th (onwards)
WHAT: Time to meet the housemates!
WARNINGS: None at this time!

Learning to live with people you didn't know was always an adventure in adjustment. When those persons unknown all came from widely different backgrounds and realms of experience, adventure might be the kinder descriptor. For some, the every-day mechanics of a modern kitchen or laundry area were far beyond their comprehension. Even modern plumbing was new and untread upon territory for some, prior to the first few days since their arrival at the Cape.

Now, how to explain the four foot iguana that'd moved into their backyard...

[ ooc: feel free to tag in with any set-up you'd like, then tag around! the iguana mention is for flavor, if anyone's interested in playing around with having an iguana in the backyard! ]

Comments

[naw]

[lying to herself and ignoring her fear only makes it somewhat easier to process everything that has happened so far. that feeling of anxiety isn't easy to look past, but Nah isn't unfamiliar with it. an old companion, one could say.

she really isn't sure where else to go aside from where she's told to be, so here she is. everything about this residence is a wonder of unfamiliarity, from the humming things in the kitchen to the glowing glass bulbs in the ceiling to every smooth surface she can brush her fingers upon. it's so clean. bright. solid.

the open air of the backyard is a welcome relief. a young girl with long pointed ears is squatting near the iguana, her cape loosely curled around her small stature. she tentatively reaches out with one hand. the iguana doesn't move.]

If you bite, I can't promise that I won't bite back.

[she sounds awfully serious about that.]

[lyingheart]

[ Annie feels more wonder now than she did before, having the testing grounds of Nonah under her metaphorical belt. The kitchen makes no sense, and she doesn't understand what the room with the metal boxes is for, but she knows how top operate most of the restroom. Annie counts that as a victory. She understands what a shower is, and she finds the decadence astounding.

She slipped out into the backyard, uncertain what to make of this plot of... land, really, without it being any set-up she's familiar with. The person she spies crouched down nearby is unfamiliar, but that's not so remarkable at this point. The strange protrusions from the other person's head are odd, while the cape isn't. Annie quietly walks closer, peering over the stranger's shoulder to see who they're speaking to.

Scratch that: to see what she's speaking to. ]

What is that?

[naw]

Ah-! [she practically falls upon the iguana but steadies herself at the last second. the iguana, to its credit, seems entirely unruffled by Nah's startled outburst.]

Who are you?! Don't- don't sneak up on me like that!

[someone might have mentioned something about other people living in this house. is this one of those people? she looks Annie over, sizing her up.]

[lyingheart]

[ She really did know better, but she hardly looked contrite. More accepting of the reprimand, inclinging her head forward and briefly closing her eyes.

Very briefly. ]

I'm Annie. I've been assigned to live here for now. Who are you?

[ Annie sizes her up in return, looking down her nose at the other girl... mostly because she's standing up.

Yes, those were definitely ears. Very, very long ears. ]

[naw]

Nah.

[a brief pause.]

N-A-H. Nah. That's my name. [gods knows how many times her name had drawn confused reactions. and at worst, pitying amusement.] So... we're supposed to live together, huh?

[she stands as well, standing at an impressive not-so-impressive height. and it suddenly occurs to her that she'd been asked a question before; Nah spares a brief glance at the iguana, which still hadn't moved from its spot.]

I think it's a lizard. A very, very large lizard. I've never seen anything quite like it.

[psychup]

[Hello, housemate! She's still exploring the new surroundings, when she steps outside and notices the girl looking at the lizard.

Anyway, she comes bounding outside, without any sort of awareness that maybe she should approach more quietly when the girl is trying to put an animal at ease.]

Wow! What is that thing? It's kind of cute! Did you tame it?

[naw]

[another person...! who seems friendly enough. she glances over her shoulder at Athena, her hand still offered out to the iguana.]

Hardly. He's been sitting here when I arrived and hasn't moved since.

[it is cute though. she doesn't know if the iguana lives here or is just passing through, but she hopes it's the former.]

I'm trying to speak to him, but he won't respond.

[maybe because... iguanas don't talk......]

[psychup]

[She comes over, a little more cautiously, trying not to scare away the iguana, but she's not the most light on her feet.]

He won't respond? Maybe he's sick?

[naw]

[it's like the iguana's on heavy sedatives, or something, with the utter lack of interest it has in either of them. Nah withdraws her hand, standing up.]

No, I think he just doesn't care.

[a small sigh. ah, well.]

Are you going to be living here too?

[soldiarity]

Hey--

[ By the time Reiner is at the house, he's not had a lot of time to walk around and inspect the place even in spite of wanting to -- he'd never been inside someplace so nice in his life -- before he glimpses grass from the background through one of the windows, as well as... something else.

Which is what they "hey" is for, because that lizard is huge, and he can't tell if the girl near it is having an issue. ]

Whoa, what nightmare did that thing crawl out of? Do you want me to get rid of it?

[naw]

No! Don't you dare hurt him!

[reptilians gotta watch out for each other, or something. she stands, taking a protective stance before the iguana. that guy looks tough... kinda scary. are her legs shaking? no way, no way (they are, sort of). stranger danger and whatnot.

she's not scared, nope!!]

He hasn't done anything wrong!

[soldiarity]

[ Reiner puts his hands up and takes a step back, indicating he won't touch the thing if she's going to be that adamant about it. ]

Sure thing, I was just asking. It's just an animal, right? [ He kneels, leaning his hands over his knees to look at the lizard, still a bit unsettled by its size, but not intimidated. He glances at Nah. ] Does that mean it's yours?

[naw]

[the gesture is somewhat reassuring; she relaxes a bit, but doesn't move an inch from where she stands.]

No. I found him like this when I arrived.

If he's going to be living here too, you'll have to learn to get along with him.

[their surprise fifth housemate. a big lizard.]

[lyingheart]

[ It's certainly one sort of convenient to have the market relocate entirely indoors. Outside weather didn't have much of a dampening effect on people's enthusiasm for shopping, but it'd also been so... sterile. There was no haggling, few individuals hawking their wares, and shelves on shelves of barely identifiable foodstuffs that Annie had ended up avoiding the headache in figuring out right now.

There'd also been fresh greens, and potatoes, and bread. Even meat, and tempting as that thought was (there was so much of it behind those glass displays), she avoided it for now. Things she knew would be easy on her stomach had the priority.

Only the fridge is a foreign concept Annie hasn't gotten around to exploring yet, so when she's taken her bagfull of groceries home (in one of the bags they had for sale, none of that strange plastic or paper stuff - "Want a renewable bag, miss?"), she lays them out on the counter surface in preparation for washing. She uses one of the pots scavenged from the cupboards to hold water for washing. It'd taken her too long to figure out how to get the turning faucets here to be functioning in a way she can use, reminding her of the mishaps in the hotel room from the weekend, but eventually she has cold water in the pot in the sink, and Annie sets to scrubbing the potatoes. ]

I should have sharpened the knives first.

[psychup]

[So she may be one of the only ones around who actually know how a kitchen works, but she hasn't quite caught onto that yet. Athena is still making herself at home, but hasn't really had a chance to introduce herself to her roommates yet.

Hearing Annie in the kitchen working on cooking seems like as good a time as any. She comes into the kitchen, or more accurately, just kind of barges in, without any of the awkwardness of making sure you're not interrupting you'd expect with roommates.]

Hey! Can I give you a hand?

[lyingheart]

[ Annie turned around, a potato and a paring knife in her hands. It isn't Nah this time. Another one of her bunkmates? Annie believes that's more probable than learning the custom of most people here is to barge in to homes that aren't their own to offer help in the kitchen to strangers.

Who knows. It might be! ]

Can you chop an onion?

[ May as well put eager hands to work straight off. Annie isn't inclined to do all of this on her own if she doesn't have to. ]

[psychup]

Of course I can!

[And she'll grab a knife and start chopping. A little bit messily, but it's fine enough.]

What are you making?

[lyingheart]

[ Annie returns peeling her potatoes, keeping the skins in a neat pile to the far side of the sink. ]

Vegetable stew.

[ It's easier to keep going for several days, or at least keep reheating and adding things to over time. If needed.

Even if she doesn't need to think that way, it's still her first instinct. ]

[soldiarity]

[ Compared to North Carolina, Florida is almost uncomfortably warm even for Reiner, who is someone built to withstand heat fairly well. So after coming to the house -- after allowing himself to explore every room, the upstairs and downstairs, turning faucets and switches on and off with careful fascination as if it were all so fancy he was afraid of what would happen if he broke something but still couldn't help himself touching it -- he goes back outside, hovering between the backyard and the air-conditioned living room indecisively.

He strips his shirt off and steps barefooted out onto the grass, brow furrowed in frustrated discomfort despite the amenities that surrounded. The house next door has a pool; Reiner walks to the fence and leans his arms over, looking curiously into the extraordinarily blue water in the other yard.

Can he swim? He's not sure, actually; attempts to recall the skill from experience go nowhere. He's almost certain he can, but-- ]

Why didn't we get one of those?

[lyingheart]

[ After North Carolina, Annie really figures she's best off not being surprised by anything, including Reiner in the backyard looking over the fence between this residence and the next. She has no idea what he's speaking about at first. She moves closer to the fence line without her usual hooded sweatshirt on, leaving her in a loose grey shirt and the sport khakis she'd picked up in Nonah.

Coming to a stop outside of immediate reach, Annie peered over the fence and evaluated what she saw. Furniture, which perhaps he's talking about, not the flora, they have enough of that of their own, and then there's the giant, blue, eye-catching expanse of water. ]

A pond?

[ Or does he mean something else, like sensible rooming arrangements? ]

[soldiarity]

Whatever that is.

[ He glances over at Annie, stepping back a bit from the fence; Annie's not as tall as him and perhaps might have a more difficult time seeing over it, but he's not against lifting her up if she requests as much. She sees enough to know what he's talking about, at least. ]

Just look how clean it is -- I don't think I've seen water that clear before. [ Which he sits down on now, crossing his legs in front of him and looking up at the sky, which is as crisply blue as the pool water next door, then at their house. ] Or a house as big as ours. This is fancy living, all right.

[lyingheart]

[ Sure, she's peeping over the fence by standing on one of the lengths of wood running along the inside edge, but it's enough to see the other yard. She steps back down, letting go of the fence and looking over the landscaped backyard. The humidity makes everything feel heavier than it actually is, which might explain a degree of the lethargy she feels creeping in.

It's beneficial to feel any sense of calming after the last few days. Has it even been a week? ]

I hear it's the same in any of the other military outpost cities.

[ Something she's paying attention to after her 'chat' with Levi. ]

The benefits of working for this government.

[psychup]

[She sees him looking over the fence and speaking, and she'll give it a look as well, standing on her tip toes to get a better view.]

Oh, no fair! We should sneak in.

[soldiarity]

[ He looks at her, a little surprised -- both by the suggestion and by the fact he hadn't been paying attention enough to hear her approach -- before he smirks, looking back over the water. ]

Should we? [ He steps back, feeling the fence to test its strength. The idea that someone might live there and they might get in trouble isn't really one that occurs to him, or -- if it does -- one that matters. ] Want me to lift you over this thing?

[psychup]

Heh heh, no big deal, I can climb it! Want me to lift you over?

[She's giving the fence a look over for the best way to climb it, but she makes the offer pretty seriously. She actually can give him a lift thanks to her new powers, but she's also forgotten about them.]