another intro, yeeeeah

[malodorous]

WHO: Kristoff Bjorgman and OPEN
WHERE: Outside of Residence #005
WHEN: Thursday, February 13th
WHAT: Kristoff's unsure about going into this house. In fact, he is massively put-off by this entire thing. Hello housemates, neighbors, and any other passers-by.
WARNINGS: nah man.

When Kristoff had turned away from the massive doors of Arendelle's castle, he'd heard Sven snort and whine in protest behind him. He'd ignored it in favor of walking determinedly away from the whole situation, and now... Now he was here, and Sven wasn't. He'd been suddenly surrounded by utterly unfamiliar spaces and people, and he must've asked fifteen times about his reindeer. Maybe the idea was that, if he knew that one thing, had something familiar, this would somehow make a lot more sense.

But he still didn't know where Sven was, and this still didn't make any sense. He'd been deposited in front of a house, odd in construction, and wasn't exactly sure about going in. They said he could, that he was supposed to live there, but it was still an uncomfortable action to take. It wasn't his house, and nobody had invited him so much as they'd shoved him at it, and... This whole thing was just too much! Everything here was boxy and paved-over, the street so open and the land so flat, the people too pushy.

He'd been too overwhelmed to be able to hold on to anything very valuable about this, if there was anything. Outside of the house, with nowhere else to go, he rubbed a hand over his face and sat down heavily on the front lawn. The things that they'd given him were set down next to him, along with his mittens, and he began to wait.

He wasn't sure what he was waiting on, but something had to make sense eventually, right?

Comments

[boobwindow]

Karen was returning from another day at work, a large purse slung around her shoulder and in her hands a tiny box with leftover Thai food. (It wasn't authentic, but tasty enough.) She trekked up the pathway, noticing a large individual hovering outside her shared housing complex.

Weird.

"Can I help you?" she called, hoping he would turn so she could get a look at his face and clothes properly. They definitely weren't today's fashion trends, that's for sure.

[malodorous]

Kristoff did look up, not sure if it was him being addressed, specifically, but willing to look into it nonetheless. There wasn't anybody else around, just him and another stranger, so... Yeah. The question was probably for him.

He shifted but didn't stand, trying to find a way to answer. He might need help, but so far no amount of information given to him by these people had helped anything. Should he ask about the house? About Sven? About where this was, exactly? Grumbling out a sigh, he reached up to scratch his head, diverting his eyes as he finally answered, "I just don't... Why is this happening? This doesn't make any sense."

[boobwindow]

Karen slowed her pace as she stepped closer, arching a very curious brow before both settled into a more sympathetic expression. She motioned with her free hand to relax, looking back and forth between the area as if somebody else was about to come claim this lost fellow at her doorstep.

"Slow down." Her eyes focused on him again. "Are you... drunk?"

Those weren't usually the sort of questions she got asked, so she wondered.

[malodorous]

"What? No."

He moved to stand, as if being solidly upright might prove his sobriety. He wondered why it was even a question, why it was the automatic assumption. Was this so common that he wasn't supposed to question it?

Huffing, he gestured down to the documents that he'd left on the ground. "Just... They left me here. They took my reindeer. I don't understand why. I don't understand any of this."

[boobwindow]

That's when she finally noticed the folder. She couldn't smell alcohol on the guy and there seemed to be a hint of fir tree coming off him, as well as... something a little more foul. An animal? The reindeer he mentioned?

"Oh, you're... lost. But not that kind of lost." She was fairly tall for a woman herself, standing at 5'11", but she had to tilt her head upward to look at Kristoff properly. "Calm down, I know it's a lot to take in. I'm guessing you're our new roommate... so why don't you come inside?"

She stepped toward the door, snapping her purse open and shuffling around for her house keys.

[malodorous]

Well... Kristoff had to search for an argument for a moment. He couldn't figure out if her casual tone was agitating or comforting. He didn't much know how to calm down in the face of all of this, but it was hard to be riled up around somebody who was so far out of that mindset.

He picked up his things, the only things he had, and turned to face the house as she walked past him towards it. Pursing his lips, he gives the residence a sour look. See? He's still skeptical about all of this. "Look, I just... Were they for real? Nobody just gives away rooms."

[boobwindow]

Karen was just as skeptical as he was in all honesty, but she figured it wasn't the wisest idea to alarm him just yet, not with his head consumed with too many questions. And who knows how long he had sat out here in the sun?

"They were," she pushed the key into the keyhole and turned, a soft click heard before the door swung open. She gestured again for Kristoff to follow her lead. "The US government here does. In some ways, it's a decent apology for pulling us away from our homes."

Now she wondered if Lachesis had saved them or the military had something to do with their arrival.

"Come on, you'll get a heat stroke if you're out here too long."

[retropolis]

"Um, excuse me--"

Nelson hadn't had work that day, so when the burly blonde stranger deposited himself on the lawn it didn't go unnoticed through the front windows sometime that afternoon. Their German Shepherd, JR, sniffed curiously at the front door as Nelson opened it to address the man. He held a newspaper, folded, in one hand; the dog stepped out onto the porch for a better look at what was going on.

"You can't just sit out there on my lawn," he continued, a little warily. Then, thinking maybe that sounded a little rude, he added: "Uh, are you lost, sir? I can-- you should at least come inside, don't sit out there like a vagrant." (Unless he was one. That would be just Nelson's luck.)

[malodorous]

Kristoff opened his mouth to retort (Or apologize. He actally wasn't sure which.), turning to face the man now in the doorway. They hadn't given him anywhere else to sit, after all. What was he supposed to do? The arguement died in this throat, however, when the stranger's tone changed just so. He had to frown at the word 'vagrant,' though. He wasn't a vagrant. He's also still not sold on going inside, and this guy... Why would you just let somebody into your house like that?

The dog got his attention, then, sniffling and pacing. Almost like a voice in the back of his mind, but not quite, he knew what the animal was about. It was curious, but it didn't approach. It didn't act without being told to. It was a good listener, and it suggested, somehow, that Kristoff ought to try listening to this other man, too. It might get him housed and fed. Wouldn't that be great?

So another reply died before it got loose. Kristoff looked at the dog for a long moment, then back to the man, then back to the dog. Clearing his throat, he finally got something out, rolling onto his feet to stand. "What kind of dog is that?"

[retropolis]

The question caught Nelson off-guard enough to make his brow wrinkle slightly, more in confusion than anger. He gripped the paper in his hand a little tighter in an unconscious, nervous motion, looking down at the dog sitting obediently beside him.

"Er, this is JR. He's a German Shepherd," he said, taking a step backwards on the porch as if Kristoff standing was somehow a threatening motion. It wasn't exactly, but Nelson's instinct was to be careful until he knew better what this man was doing here. JR looked at Kristoff, not growling as he usually would intruders but rather wagging his tail.

"I can help you find where you're going if you are lost," Nelson continued, clearing his throat as if to bring the topic back to important matters. "Or try to. I haven't been here long myself. Where is it you're--?"

[malodorous]

The guy seemed a little nervous about Kristoff's existence, and he wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. He mirrored the step backwards, a subconscious attempt towards being non-threatening, because he needed a reasonable explanation more than he needed somebody annoyed with him. Kristoff was lost, after all, and he did need to find where he was going, and here was a ready offer.

The whole JR thing was really distracting, though. He kept looking back and forth between the dog and his owner, because this wasn't normal, and he hadn't absorbed what those people had been saying about extra-human... something-or-other, and-- "Just-- Relax for a second, okay?"

The words were directed at JR, rather than Nelson, and, oddly enough, they seemed to get through. The dog's movements stilled long enough for Kristoff to take a deep breath and answer properly. "Look. Somebody just brought me here. They said I'm supposed to stay, but... " He trailed off. There are a million reasons why he doesn't want to be here or why this can't be real. It just doesn't make sense.

[retropolis]

The dog relaxed, but in turn so did Nelson, also an obedient sort and assuming that Kristoff was speaking to him. JR's attention didn't falter, but he lay down on the porch and rested his head on his paws, eyes observant. His tail wagged slightly, but lazily.

"Right," he said, only glancing at the dog by his feet before looking more readily at Kristoff. There was no need to be nervous, which only became more evident as Kristoff went on. Nelson looked at him with some surprise then instead of wariness, as if the implication just dawned on him.

"Oh -- you mean you're supposed to stay here?" He could appreciate Kristoff's existence a little more knowing that. Maybe he was still a stranger (emphasis on strange, thus far) but a familiar kind, at least; they were all in this boat together. Nelson smiled, gesturing to the house.

"You can come in if you want."

[malodorous]

"I guess? I--" Kristoff still thought it was weird to just be given somewhere to live, an actual house that probably had furniture in it and everything. People just don't hand stuff like that out. They just don't. Further, and he didn't really want to admit it out loud, he wasn't really sure if he did want to go inside. He eyed the house as if it might decide to swallow him up, and...

He'd never been invited into somebody's house before, he realized. He was pretty sure about that. The thought made something in his stomach turn, and it tangled itself up with other thoughts that left him feeling empty. Sven wasn't here with him, he wasn't ever going to see Anna again, but here was somebody inviting him into a house. It was woefully inadequate for filling up those spaces, but... It was better than being alone in a place that he didn't know, at least until he had his head on straight.

He bent to pick up the items he'd left on the ground, eyeing the house and its occupant once more, a touch of wariness still in place. "Are you sure?"

[acclimatized]

Like Kristoff, John was deposited outside the house after he arrived. Armed with his file and communicator, he dithered for a bit outside the house before finally deciding to go for a walk. He needed some time to think and poll the network about the conflicting memories he had regarding all this hero business.

When he finally does return to the house, he spots the teenager in the same throes of indecision and walks along the path, stopping when he's opposite Kristoff.

"You okay?"

[malodorous]

Kristoff was more or less lost in thought at John's approach, trying to sort through a mess of events and his feelings about them while the background noise of the world was thoroughly off. He caught the question late, looked up at the other man like he hadn't noticed he was there (because he hadn't, really), and shrugged.

A split-second later, he realized that he definitely didn't want to give the impression that he didn't know if he was okay. He was okay. He wasn't helpless or hopeless or utterly lost without any idea of what to do. No, sir. So he amended quickly.

"Uh. Yeah. I'm great."

[acclimatized]

"... Okay then." John said evenly, although he didn't necessarily believe that was the case. If he didn't have any previous experience in this situation, he would have been feeling particularly adrift himself.

Or maybe he was just looking too hard into this and got it completely wrong. It wouldn't be the first time. He cast his eyes toward the front door and wet his lips.

"Do you live here?"

[malodorous]

Kristoff was doing a lot of shrugging at people today, he realized, performing the gesture once more at this other new face. Again, however, it wasn't really an adequate response, and he fidgeted before trying again with a small frown. "They, uh. They just sort of put me here. They said I'm supposed to stay, but... I'm not just gonna walk in, you know?"

[acclimatized]

"Yeah, I do get that." John bobbed his head in agreement. He had plenty of experience moving in and out of empty houses, but moving into one that was already occupied... well. He could understand his reservations and looked back at Kristoff.

"I'm supposed to live here, too."

[malodorous]

"Oh, yeah?" Kristoff reached up to scratch his nose distractedly, tossing the house yet another glance. He wasn't sure what he was meant to say after the little reveal, there, but after a moment he groaned in exaggerated aggravation and got to his feet.

"Should we just go in, then? See what's up ourselves?" Oh, and... He turned back to John. Since they were maybe apparently doing this, he might as well give his name. "I'm Kristoff, by the way."

[auntyquated]

"They hardly improve with continued observation," Sharon said, approaching from the sidewalk at the road proper. She was a petite young thing, looking all of thirteen or fourteen at the most, wearing a lighter dress that suited the present weather. She wears a pleasant smile on her face, eyes glancing over Kristoff to focus on the house itself.

"Though it could be worse. They could all be painted in obscenely brilliant colors."

When in doubt, talk about the most mundane of subjects: like the house's paint job.

[malodorous]

"Huh?"

Kristoff looked up at the girl, then back to the house as it dawned on him that it was what she was talking about. He shrugged, looking it over. They were... Off, just a little. Too square and trimmed with materials that he didn't recognize, but he hadn't even thought about the color of the houses. He had to admit, though, that she had a point, and he faced her again with another short shrug.

"I guess that's a good point."

[auntyquated]

She smiled, adjusting the strap of her bookbag at her side. Really, having to carry any of this nonsense around was still a thorn in her side, but it wasn't feasible to drag Gilbert along to and from "school," let alone elsewhere around Heropa.

"You're a new neighbor, Mister...? My name is Lady Sharon Rainsworth. I live next door, in the fourth house on this street."

[malodorous]

Oh. She had a title. He'd bumped into more titles recently than he'd ever expected to. Not that it was a big deal, right? People were people, especially when pulled away from their lands.

"I don't really know," he answered with a little frown. He wasn't sure about this neighborhood business, if he was really going to be stuck here or not. Either way... He could give his name. He knew that much. "I'm Kristoff. I guess I'm supposed to stay here."

[auntyquated]

"Lovely to meet you, Mister Kristoff. Did one of the officials from the place you arrived indicate that this is where you were meant to be? They wouldn't seek to fool you, not over such a thing as this." She smiled, moving her hand in a small wave to encompass his front door. "Have you tried knocking, to see if anyone is home?"

[malodorous]

"No," he answered, and he almost wanted to sourly ask her how she was so sure the people here wouldn't 'seek to fool him.' They'd already dragged him god-knows-where god-knows-how, after all, and left him here with a head full of questions.

"If somebody's there, it's their house, and I don't know them. I can't just..."

You don't just suddenly live somewhere, right?