Her Way or the High Way Archive

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There are places that are, and places that aren't. And then, there are places that move between others, nebulous and flowing. Spaces between places are like that. If you find yourself in a hallway, or on the road to some other destination, or in some other misplaced space, chances are, you've wandered into a space between places.

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||Continued from HH Jake's Room||
Jake didn't know where he was but he damn well knew it wasn't HOME. And he wasn't about to get trapped in "his" room. He was finding a door and getting the hell out of this place. He refrained from shifting to his were-form, as not knowing where he was or why he was there, he would rather not show his full hand until absolutely necessary. His human mind was racing, but he opted to tap into his more lupine thoughts, focusing on the single-mindedness that had served him well in the past. Find an exit. Find Nina. Run. Hide. Be safe.

||Continued from HH Soren's Room||
There was a moment where Soren's mind started to panic. But he calmed it even before he saw the other person. Wearing the strangest clothes. This man appeared as if he had forgotten the remainder of his wardrobe elsewhere. But this was still a person and he needed answers. Without Ike to protect him from physical confrontation, Soren prepared himself mentally for whatever lay ahead. He was an apt dodger, able for the most part to move out of the way even as he cast devastating spells on his opponents. He didn't know if this man was a beorc (human) or laguz (beast), but it barely made a difference, so Soren approached him slowly, methodically, one hand balancing his tome just in case.


Jake's determined pace down the hall slowed as soon as the child came into view. He moved to one side, a slightly unconscious desire to hide in the shadows. Almost everything was shadows here, though, what little light there was filtering in from covered windows at either end of the hall. His back straightened as he neared the child-- for what else could it BE but a child, at such a size? His nostrils flared, smelling for something familiar, but this kid, much like everything else here, was alien to Jake. While he knew better than to trust kids (who could be every bit as dangerous as adults), his inclination was still to treat the kid in a comforting sort of way. No reason to freak...him? her?... out. Not that they looked freaked out.

"H'llo," He called out, his voice perfectly human, and raising one hand in a motionless wave. "I don't s'pose you're from around here, are ya?" Jake's felt his southern drawl cut through the quiet, wincing ever so slightly.


It took a moment for Soren to work out what was being said. Between the appearance of the man in front of him, the why he was glancing around, and the way he looked at Soren, the Archsage was certain he was being judged by his own appearance. Which was misleading to everyone involved. He was no child, even if he appeared as such. Tightening his grip on his book, Soren slowed down to a stop, watching this man with an intensity that could rarely be matched.

"No, I am not," he said quietly, cursing his voice for not being deep enough. "It seems I am lost, same as you." Although he didn't want to be lost with this man, it was better to at least be with someone than to wander around on his own.


Cocking his head to the side, Jake listened carefully the the quiet child. He mirrored the boy's pace, slowing and stopping around six feet away from him. He'd seen eyes like that before. They were almost predatory, the way they followed him so closely, and he had no interest in provoking a predatory response. If his time at the R-complex had taught him anything, it was that dangerous things often came in small packages.

Still. He, himself, was regarded by many people to be a "dangerous thing." That didn't mean he was some sort of brainless monster, and he would be damned if he would treat anyone, let a lone a child, with such a prejudice.

"Shoot," Jake looked around, slightly helpless. "Then I reckon you probably don't know th' way out. Or-- how we got here?" He sniffed the air again, unsure still if this kid was a boy or a girl.


He didn't like the way the man was sniffing the air. Soren knew that is was an animalistic sense that led to such a reaction. And that meant only one thing. "Laguz," he said under his breath, narrowing his eyes as he looked at the man. Soren felt his heart beat grow faster as he took a step back, angling his body slightly so to provide the narrowest target. If this creature decided to attack him for speaking back, he was well prepared.

"I haven't any idea how we got here or how to leave again," Soren said quietly, his eyes never straying far from this man. He wanted nothing more than to head in the opposite direction, but turning his back on someone he couldn't trust was foolish. And without Ike, he was vulnerable to laguz attack if the creature managed to shift.


"Beg pardon?" Jake didn't quite hear the first part. Oh, what he wouldn't give for his wolf-ears now. The kid's sudden defensive posture told him that probably wouldn't be such a good idea. He held his hands out to the side, palms facing the child. A very lose, casual form of 'hands up' or 'I have no weapons.' "Look, my name's Jake, and I just want to find a way outta here," He paused, wondering if he was doing the right thing. "You're welcome t'join me, if you want." All alone, lost-- the kid was probably just cautious.

Smart kid.


"Laguz," Soren said a bit louder. "Beast." He didn't want to be ignored again. Didn't want to be treated with disdain, cruelty, pushed aside like so much offal. Taking another step back, Soren inhaled sharply, flicking his wrist a little so his book opened. "If you so much as shift, I will have no hesitation in killing you," he stated clearly.

There was no way he could trust someone who was part animal. They had too much wrong with their minds. But since there was an introduction, he could only do the right thing and quickly introduce himself. "Soren," he said quickly. "My name is Soren."


Jake raised his hands further, a more earnest 'hands up' now. "Woah, woah there, Soren! I don't know nothin' bout-- Laguzes, but I don't mean you no harm! I told you, I just wanna get outta here. I don't want no trouble!" Clearly, Soren had pinned him- though HOW Jake wasn't sure. He wished he had any sort of idea of what Soren was, or what he was dealing. Maybe he was just some sort of zealous werewolf hunter. Or maybe she was a witch. Jake didn't even know what gender this kid was, let alone how serious to take the threats.


"Not 'laguzes'. Laguz." Soren could see that he was dealing with someone who was less learned than he was. That made things more difficult. He didn't even know his own people. Clearly Jake was undereducated. "You say you do not mean me harm, so I may believe you for now." Relaxing slightly out of his defensive stance, Soren snapped his book shut, lifting his head a little higher. He wouldn't come near the beast's height, but at least he could appear less diminutive.


"'preciate it," Jake said with a nod, noting the shutting of the book. Vampire hunters usually carried holy books with them, he'd noticed, but werewolf hunters stuck more to guns. He got the feeling that whatever this kid was, the book was important to him. He lowered his hands, though not entirely. Kid was on a hair trigger, it seemed. "What's a 'laguz,' if you don't mind my askin'?" He wanted to continue his search for the exit, but he didn't want to make any sudden moves, either.


Soren finally tore his eyes away from Jake. He glanced down the hallway for just a split second before his eyes snapped back to the person in front of him. "A laguz is a member of one of the beast tribes. Or bird tribes. Or dragon. You are a laguz. A shape shifter." He seemed perfectly calm and reasonable about this, especially given his earlier reaction. "My guess would be you are one of the beast tribe. You do not carry the usual attributes of either the bird or dragon tribes. You change into a four legged creature."


Dang this kid was sharp. "Well, whatever you want to call me, I don't mean no-body no harm," He wouldn't insult the kid by denying it. But he wasn't exactly jumping to own up to it, either. "Especially not you." He glanced around as well. Nothing but doors followed by more doors down the hallway. At either end was a staircase- the staircase behind Soren led down, while the staircase behind Jake led up. And of course the windows, with their heavy looking curtains, drawn loosely shut. "Why don't we see what's outside. Maybe recognize somethin' familiar."


"The inside is unfamiliar therefore the outside would be as well," Soren said, pretty sure that common sense wasn't Jake's strong suit. "However if we do look outside, we may see whoever it is that brought us here." He took a few steps back until he could feel the wall behind him. "Undoubtedly your other form would be more use to us if you can keep your human mind intact." This was said with a slight wrinkling of his nose. Soren didn't want Jake to shift, but he did need to know where he was so he could return to his best friend.


"As y'say. But you also said you'd kill me for 'shiftin',' and that ain't somethin' I have any interest in." Jake carefully walked towards Soren, slowly, as to not alarm him, intent on going to the window at the end of the hall. "'sides. Outsides have things like the sun and stars. If you know things, they can help you tell where y'are." Not that Jake HAD these sorts of celestial cartographic skills, but that didn't mean he couldn't look out the window, see the Space Needle, and know he was in Seattle, despite having never been there. "Though by the sounds of it, th' rain's gonna make that a bit tricky."


Soren pushed back against the wall when Jake came closer. Maybe this creature was a liar. Maybe he was preparing to attack. But when he didn't change, Soren forced himself to relax from his tense posture. "If you can retain your common sense and not become some sort of feral killer, then I will not attack you," Soren said reasonably. "As I doubt the stars will assist you in placing where we are. Even should they be visible, we could still be lost."


Trying to not feel insulted, Jake continued on to the window, stepping down to the landing where the dusty, but grandiose window stood. Soren's attitude was understandable. There were plenty of werewolves who DID enjoy hunting just for the sake of feeling something die in one's mouth. One of Jake's brothers was such a person. Still-- 'retain your commen sense'? It was just belittling.

"Doesn't hurt t'look," Jake countered, as he surveyed the view out the window. The rain was coming down in such sheets, it made it hard to see very far. He could make out the dismal looking garden, and what he assumed was a tall fence around the property, but beyond that, everything was sheeting gray. "I'm 'xactly the same person I always am, regardless of what I look like, by the way. I don't loose no reason, nor gain none. This is just how I always am." He glanced back at Soren, "What about you?" It was a bit of an open ended question. Soren could take it as he liked.


"What do you mean?" Soren asked sharply, turning to watch Jake as he passed. "I do not change. I do not have that ability." Despite being a half breed, he didn't shift. At least not that he knew of. His mother couldn't either because she took on a beorc lover, giving up her beast abilities in favor of a human life. "How I am now and how I am tomorrow will be the same." Oh, he remembered Titania telling him he should be nicer. And the many comments from Boyd saying that he should lighten up. And the one time that Oscar had lamented that Soren never complimented his cooking and didn't like anything. But that wasn't going to change the way he treated people.

Stepping away from the wall, Soren clutched his tome in both hands as he inced forward, more than ready to turn tail should Jake change his mind. "You cannot blame me for being cautious. I have seen what the laguz do to those unable to protect themselves."


Shaking his head, Jake stepped to the side of the almost floor-to-ceiling window, pulling back the curtain so Soren could see. "I don't blame you. I've seen it too, you're smart t'protect yourself. All I can do is reassure you that's not the kind of, er, laguz." Something was gnawing at the back of Jake's skull. He had, at one time or another, encountered what he figured had to be the majority of the world's words for 'werewolf.' 'Laguz' was new to him, not to mention the kid's strange dress code. "You see anything out there that looks like home? Cuz none of it's familar t'me."


"I have had your type as companions before," Soren said as he slid closer and made one quick glance out the window before pulling back. "No, nothing looks familiar. My home is undoubtedly far away from here." Soren backed away from the window and looked at Jake before looking down the hall again, towards the stairs. "It seems to be in our best interest to find out if anyone else is here." He looked at Jake and took a deep breath. "If you can look past my flaws, I will look past yours. As you can probably see, I am not one who can easily defend myself when it comes to physical combat. And you can use someone to watch your back. I propose an alliance between us. We work together and maybe we will both be returned to our respective homes."


Jake couldn't help but smile, despite himself. It was just so surreal, this serious, no-frills language coming out of such a small kid! "Hey. I make it my business t'look out for people who can't take care of themselves, whether they're watchin' my back or not. You just promise not t'murder me if I have t'shift, and we'll call it good, ok?" He glanced down the stairs, sniffing. The smells were still all alien to him. No way of knowing if one of those was another person or not. "Let's head down. In the very least, that's where we'll prob'ly find a door out of this place."


Taking a deep breath, Soren gave a nod, agreeing to both of Jake's suggestions. "I will refrain from attacking you while shifted," he said quietly. Finally showing some semblance of trust that didn't fully exist, he turned his head away from Jake and towards the stairs, his eyes narrowing. "It would seem that down would be the best place to head. From what I can tell, we are on one of the upper floors." Although he did not want to go outside, there would be little choice if this house turned out to be empty.


"Alright. Off we go, then. Or, down, I guess," He said, as he started descending the creaking, carpeted stairs. The walls were some darkly stained panneled wood about three feet up, and a deep red wallpaper the rest of the way to the ceiling. "You said you've had my kind as companions b'fore. What were they like?"


Soren followed him down the stairs, his footsteps lighter and less noticeable. "For the most part I had little actual contact with them apart from directing them in battle." He descended the steps a little faster than Jake, so caught him up before they were all the way down. "They were often times angry. And thought themselves above everyone else. Selfish. Arrogant. Easily distracted." Although he knew that not all the laguz were like that, the ones he got stuck traveling with were. "There were those who were less so, however they were few and far between."


Hitting the landing of the next floor down, Jake peered through the darkness. This hallway seemed almost identical to the one above it. Sadly, in population levels as well as decor. "Sounds like my brother, Elwood. Some folks are just mean wrapped up in a body. Ain't nothin more to 'em."

On a whim, he tried the handle of an especially large door located near the landing of the steps. It's framing was more elaborate than those that spotted the hallway. Finding it unlocked, he pushed the door open a bit. Hearing no protest from the opposite side, he gestured with his head. "Let's see what's in here.

||Continued in HH Library||


Soren took a moment of to look around before he followed to the door. This house was definitely strange, and he wanted nothing more than to find someone who could help him find a way home.

||Continued in HH Library||


||Continued from HH War Room||
Soren took a step out of the war room, feeling the comforting weight of his spell tome in his satchel as he walked away from the door. One of the things he could not stand was being ignored. He had survived too much of that when he was a youth, and now, here he was, once more losing the much fought for respect he had earned from the mercenaries. He would have to fight to get it back, which might prove too much for the ill-tempered mage. He walked slowly towards the stairs, just in case Jake was actually following him.


Well, Remy wasn't Jake, but he did leave the room right after Soren, offering the boy little more than a raised brow and a bit of a smile as he stuffed his hands into the pockets of his jeans. He planned to head back to his room, wherever that was. He wanted to arm up, grab his coat, weapons, and figure out how the hell he was going to pull off this mission before this world and his new team drove him crazy.


Jake ducked down the small half stair way that lead up to the War Room just a beat behind Gambit. "Hey-- where y'all goin'?" He asked, resting a hand on the wall. He meant it to address Soren, but it could easily be interpreted as speaking to Remy, as well.


Already at the stairs, Soren stopped and turned, sidestepping Remy and giving the man a glare. He was past annoyed, bordering on angry, and it was easy to tell by his face. "I am going back to my room and going through this book in peace, away from those who would treat me with less civility than a feral." His hands tightened around the heavy book, his arms already shaking to keep the thing in his grip.


"'Less civility than--'" Jake cocked his head confused. "If you need some time t'your self, that I un'erstand, but for a kidnapping, everyone here's been down right pleasant, seems t'me. Who wasn't bein' nice t'you?" He approached the boy slowly, hands out to the side in an open gesture of compassion. "Seems t'me, if there's a problem, it oughtta be addressed. Sooner druther then later!"


Soren let out a huff of air. "They completely ignored what I was saying. As much as I should be accustomed to that, it still bothers me." His tone was like ice, cold and brittle. And his posture looked as if one good wind would snap him in half. Soren growled under his breath. "I would surmise that to them, even being in a mad king's war means nothing."


"Ya need to step off that high horse ya have put yaself on boy," Remy interjected as he paused on his decent down the stairs. "Ya may be prince from ya own world, but ya ain't here. In fact, we're all more or less at equal peggin' here, despite what we may be back home." That and it was nice to tease the boy, get him more riled up. "Let everyone calm down for a bit, then say ya piece."


Jake's brow furrowed in confusion, trying to think back quickly over the little get together they had all just been pulled into, trying to figure out when Soren had been ignored. Lots of folks had been talking, but it seemed to him that everyone's points had been addressed, for the most part. He shot a look at Gambit. Needling someone was never a good way to get them to calm down. "Mad King? These the, uh, nations you said you defeated?" He shook his head. "Look, Soren, everyone's goin' every which way right now. I'm sure no one meant to ignore you."


Soren looked apoplectic as he stared down Gambit. It was bad enough that as a master tactician, he knew more about war than anyone else here, but to be accused of acting above his station, of acting royal...Soren dropped the book he was holding and quickly pulled out his wind tome, letting it fall open and quickly readying his spell. He was furious. He was indignant. And as he cast the wind spell at Remy, the Archsage fell backwards as a humanoid figure made of vapor appeared in front of him. The vapor man solidified into a creature of plain appearance and looked back at Soren, who was sitting on the floor completely stunned. "I am Eurus," he stated carefully. "Tell me your will, young master." Soren was too surprised to say anything as he stared at the wind god.


It wasn't the boy's actions that set off warning bells in Remy's head, it was his expression, the way he held his body, which caused Remy to switch into fighting mode. His hands instantly fell to his pockets, reaching for the cards he realized he lost during the meeting, but were curiously back. Slipping a pack into each hand, he flipped open the tab of each with the tip of his finger, keeping them hidden in his palm... for now.

"Great, a kid wantin' to get into a pissin' match. This how ya prove yaself, boy? Lettin' ya temper get the better of ya?" Remy wasn't keen on taking on the... thing Soren had summoned, but he wouldn't go down without a fight. "If we be at war, ya think it smart to be causin' tension between the group?" He tried to keep the tension from his body, get ready to move if needed, but Remy's tone turned serious. "Ya think ya be the big shot, 'cause ya done this all before? Ya don't even know what the hell is waitin' for us out there. Ya assumin' this world be the same as ya's, and that the rules be the same. Ya got somethin' to say, great, but don't be thinkin' ya the only one who's been through war, hell, 'nd high water."


Oh, well wasn't this just dandy. Jake's shoulders hunched, as he partially shifted, wanting to be ready for whatever was about to go down. "Everybody, calm down!" He snarled, stepping quickly between Soren and co., and Gambit, hands out towards each faction. "Gambit, you got more than a fair point, but needlin' the kid ain't no way t'go about it. Soren, I don't know what you're doin' but I'm damn well sure it ain't nothin' 'propriate t'be doin' now!" His face had gone long and shaggy, teeth and nails pointed, his ears having started their accent back towards the top of his head. He was still more human than anything else, but he was ready.


Getting his bearings back, Soren pushed himself up and gestured for the wind god to stand aside. The last time he had moved to attack a new ally, Ike had put himself in between Soren's spell and the laguz soldier. Now Jake was doing the same exact thing. The parallels were uncanny, and made Soren take and unsteady step back. "I just want to go home," he said in a quiet voice before turning and stalking off, the wind god vanishing back into the air as he took the stairs two at a time.


Watching the boy leave, Remy sighed, "So do I..." It more under his breath, so not to rile Soren up again. Flicking the tab on his card cartons closed again, he pocketed them in his jeans, tucking his thumbs into the belt loops as he turned his head to glance at Jake, the peace-keeper in all of this. "Startin' to wish I be right the first time, 'nd this all be one big booze or drug induced hang over." And he could use a smoke. Rifling through his pockets, hoping he had left one in there from the previous night, Remy pulled out a cigarette that looked like it had seen better days. Straightening it out as much as he could, he placed it between his lips and lit it with a touch of his finger.


"Seems t'me that'd be too easy," Jake sighed, his features straightening out again. Gambit's actions intrigued him. He wanted to know more, to talk to this fellow Southerner-- or at least, that's what it seemed like, given the accent. But then again, the big purple lass sounded like she hailed from Russia, and given he was pretty sure that wasn't the case. It could be a fluke.

However, given Soren's dislike of begin ignored, and his current temperament, Jake didn't think it was wise to let him go off on his own just now. "Maybe we can talk later. Seems like we'll have the' time." He gave a melancholy nod to Gambit, before taking after Soren.

"Soren-- Hey...!" He called after, gently. "Are you ok?"


Soren was already heading down the hall, feeling completely lost but not slowing until he heard his name. Turning with his hand up and tome open, he let his arm fall when he saw Jake and snapped the book shut. His anger was gone, in its place was sadness. "No, I am not okay." It took a moment for him to remember again that this wasn't Ike. This wasn't the boy who had rescued him, this was Jake, the man he had latched himself to because he happened to be the first person that Soren had run into. A bit of color flooded Soren's cheeks as he blinked and stared hard at the floor.


Jake slowed up his pace, as he came up along Soren. "D'you- want me to leave you alone? This is all- a lot. I know. I don't--" He ran his hands up through his hair, looking distressed. "I don't even think I'm comprehendin' everything just yet. It ain't yet sunk in. I don't wanna be here. I don't wanna be- some tool in someone else's fight!" He took a deep breath. Now wasn't the time to let in the panic, the distress. He'd been in worse situations before, and he'd made it out. He just had to do it one more time, that's all.


"The war does not bother me," Soren said, dismissing Jake's offer of leaving by not even acknowledging it. "There was someone with me when I disappeared, and he is not here. I promised I would not allow anything to happen to him and now I have no choice." Soren took a deep breath and released it slowly. The color in his cheeks was slowly dissipating and he could finally look up at the other man. "We have no choice at this point." Part of his mind was on what had just happened with his powers. He had never summoned someone before so it was a little shocking. Another part was trying to reconcile that this was Jake, not Ike. The remaining bits were piecing together what he had learned of the war with what he had been through already.


"You're not the only one who left someone behind. My girlfriend, Nina, will starve without me 'round." It was a slight exaggeration. She could always go back to feeding on humans. Or maybe she'd go the less glamorous route of animals, but he knew Nina. She wouldn't feed on animals. So it was either starvation, or back to hunting humans, and... he hoped she wouldn't take that route. He shook his head, trying to free it from the distressing thoughts. "None of us had a choice in comin' here, near as I can tell." He sighed. He was re-hashing old material. "We should all probably take the evenin' to cool off. Doesn't sound like we'll be going home very soon, no matter how much we may want, or need to."


Soren raised one eyebrow at Jake and took a deep breath, nodding. "Of course," he said. It would be a good idea to take a little time and become accustomed to the idea of being in a new group of people, who didn't know him at all. Letting his gaze fall to the floor, he let out a sigh. "I wonder if there is a quiet place to go. Other than my room, of course. Because, really, I do not need the reminder of home."


"Yeah. Yeah I get that." Sometimes being remind of home was more painful than it was comforting. "That library we found were pretty quiet. Maybe there're other rooms like that." He shrugged, "Or, you kin stay in my room, but I'll warn you in advance, I don't got no bed, not in the traditional sense, leastwise."


Taking a deep breath, Soren quickly thought about it. "Your room doesn't have moving shelves, does it?" While the library would probably be the better idea, it didn't seem like the safer alternative. He took another breath, forcing his mind to let go of the hope of going home, getting back to Ike. There was no way he was going to be able to help him without first helping here.


"Huh, my room barely has what could be called "shelves" at all," A brief, sardonic laugh forced it's way out of Jake's throat. "Nina and me, we aren't exactly 'high class' society. We got what we need, and that's about it. Still, it's a place t'call home, and you're welcome to it, if it'll make you feel better."


"My room has second hand furniture and nothing else," Soren said quietly. "I doubt your room can be much worse." Taking a step backwards, towards the stairs leading upward, Soren swallowed against the sudden nervousness he felt. He was never alone with people in any private room. Unless it was Ike. This would be a first for him.


Jake hooked his thumbs into his belt loops. "C'mon. Let's get you situated, then." He gestured, with his head, then started down the hallway, before pausing. "Er... if we kin find it. Lost my own sent trail when we got teleported, I'm afraid..." He smiled, tired, but not above finding some humor in the situation, somehow. "I'm sure I'll pick it up again, once we get close enough." Until then, it would be wandering the halls, until something looked or smelled right.


With a nod, Soren moved to follow him but stopped when he paused. "Once we get on the right floor, should you be able to pick it up? Do you need to shift?" His arm twitched a little with the urge to wrap it around himself. "Should we head upstairs now?"


"Yeah. Once we get close, shouldn't be no issue. I'll be fine the way I am, got a keen nose for my own sent." He smiled, kindly, as he started walking, keeping a nose out for his own room. "What about you though-- what, er, who was that guy?"


Soren followed Jake slowly, frowning as he remembered his summoning. "I...have no idea. That's never happened before." He glanced back towards the stairs, biting his lip hard as he resisted the urge to try it again and see what would happen.


"Wait-- so that wasn't you?" Jake looked back at him, suddenly concerned.


"Sort of," Soren said with a firm frown in place. "It was my spell, however I have never been able to summon anyone before, especially not a wind god."


"A wind god?!" Jake stopped and looked fully at Soren. "What makes you think that was a god?" It had been Jake's experience that gods were usually some sort of trouble. They got cranky when not given what they thought was the proper respect, and they were very hard to deal with.


"He said his name was Eurus," Soren said. "That is a wind god. At least in my world it is." Looking up at Jake, Soren's expression wavered between scared and determined. "I am uncertain if it is limited to just my wind spells, either. If my other spells do the same..." He couldn't even fully comprehend summoning gods, no matter how minor.


"Jeeeezzeee..." Jake rubbed his hands over his face. That was kind of huge. Maybe it was just a case of mistaken identity. There were a lot of guys going by 'Jesus' in his world, but that didn't make them all gods. But then again- it did seem like a bit of a coincidence. "I'd be careful, then. Gods can be- temperamental. Least, that's been my s'perience with 'em. Ahh. Here we go." He finally picked up on his own sent, and moved to his own door. From the outside, it looked just the same as all the other doors in the hallway, but he could smell it-- he had been here. He pushed open the door with no trouble, and headed back into the oddly out-of-place room within.

||Continued in HH Jake's Room||


Soren wasn't as quick into the room as Jake. Still contemplating the god thing, he paused at the threshold before crossing into the room, careful to blank his expression so any surprise he might feel was hidden.

||Continued in HH Jake's Room||

Remy's decent of the stairs was a slower one, casually working on his smoke as he stood back to allow the two time to talk. Jake seemed to have a way of keeping the boy's nerves in check, and he appreciated it as the last thing he wanted was to start a full on fight between the group so early on. Ruffle a few feathers, sure, but that was his own form of stress relief to deal with the situation.

Letting the two move off further into the house, Remy reached the bottom of the steps, and came to the same conclusion as Jake. How the hell was he going to find his room? He didn't have Jake's super sniffer, so guess he was just going to have to go by luck. Hell, Lady Luck was normally on his side, shouldn't take too long, right? Since Remy hadn't spotted Jake or Soren when he had left his room, he could assume he wasn't on the same floor as them... unless they had awoken earlier or later than he had... Eh, details. Moving to one side of the hall, he started trying all the door knobs, trying to find an open one.


||Continued from HH Jake's Room||

For Remy, none of the doors were having it. He was met with locked door, after locked door.

Jake was sniffing around the halls, slowly working his way through the house, and down the various staircases. The smells were all strange and foreign, though now he knew what his new housemates smelled like, he was starting to pick up on them, here and there.

As he stalked down yet another hallway, his bare feet light on the carpet runner, he narrowed his eyes, seeing a figure in the dim lighting. He sniffed, and the combination of cigarettes, and the burning ember he could see made him think he had stumbled upon, "... Gambit?"


Well so much for that idea. Drawing deeply on his cigarette, Remy debated if he should try blow the doors open and see what was inside. However, as he heard Jake approach him, then call his name, he tilted his head enough to catch sight of the man out of the corner of his eye. "That I be." Keeping his place in the hall as he waited for the man to approach him. "How's the kid?"


Jake shrugged, in a slightly helpless way. "Stressed. Nervous. High strung. Sorry he tried to attack you, earlier. I only jus' met him today, but I still feel like I should apologize, for some reason."


"Sure my actions didn't help none." Remy admitted, still casually taking his time to check the other doors around them, without completely turning his back on Jake. "Should had given out a map, or signs to help point towards where our rooms be."


"I could find it for you, if you wanted," Jake offered, opting to not comment on Remy's admission of guilt. "I had to sniff out my own room, t'find my way back."


"Will take ya up on that." If Jake was offering, and had the skills to do it, who was Remy to argue? Stepping aside, he allowed Jake to catch up with him, eyeing the man as he finished his smoke, throwing a charge down it before flicking it out into the air. As he let out the last lungful of smoke, the cigarette exploding in a loud 'Pop!' as Remy continued his pace down the hallway. "So," He started as he stuffed his hands into the front pockets of his jeans. "Werewolf, hein?"


Jake's eyebrows went up at the sparking, popping cigarette, but since it wasn't thrown at him, he didn't react in fear. "Yeah. An' you sound Cajun. Neighbor to the west, mebbe?" As they walked, He subtly took in the smells, focusing, now, on matching Remy to a door.


Remy gave a nod of his head as he allowed Jake to do his thing. "I be." The werewolf thing was interesting... hell, the giant elf girl and the purple alien was also interesting, but at least werewolves weren't as strange to him. "Never met one of ya kind before. Vampire, oui, zombies too, but no wolves." Unless you counted mutant kids that could turn into a wolf.


"I'm datin' a vampire. Was engaged to a zombie, once. Well-- zombie of a sort, leastwise. If you don't mind my askin', what are you, exactly? You smell human, but you got them sparky fingers... A pyro-mancer maybe? I met one of them, before too." He sniffed, "You were definitely on this floor, b'fore."


"Well that be something at least." Remy commented on Jake's declaration of being on the correct floor, pushing the man's comments on supernatural beings to the side for the moment. Leaving his own sniffer dog to seek out his room, he allowed Jake to drift forward into the lead. "I be outside ya typical supernatural realm, I guess. Go by the term 'mutant', 'nd we ain't that restricted in numbers as I be guessin' wolves be."


"Mutant, huh? Heard the word b'fore, but not so much as a real thing, more like-- another word for freak'a nature, no offense meant. Not my own definition, just how it seems t'be used, around me." He followed the scent trail to a specific door, and stood to one side of it, 99 percent sure this was Gambit's room. "There be a lot of your kind, then- with your sparky fingers and dark eyes?"


"Well, none with mon good looks 'nd sparklin' personality." Remy replied. "Powers alter between mutants, 'nd not all got a physical appearance linked to it. I just be one of the lucky ones." There was possibly more than a little sarcasm linked to his last statement. "'nd we be pretty high in number far as I know, from all corners of the earth."


"From all over the planet, huh? Wull-- I ain't gonna say there ain't werewolves all over the planet, but so far, I've been related to all the one's I've met. We're a big family, but we're still just one family." He gestured to the door he was leaning next to. "Think this is yours."


"Merci, l'homme loup." Remy offered to Jake as he tried the handle to the door, finding it swing open easily compared to any others he had tried along his way. "So, how ya think we should be dealin' with this all, hein? Not like those two gave us a lot to start with, 'nd seems we just goin' to have to do it the hard way with questionin' locals."


"They didn't give us nothing to start with at all," Jake grumbled. "No idea what to expect out of the locals, after seein' their song an' dance up there." he rolled his eyes towards the ceiling, looking off in the direction of the War Room. "I guess we just gotta look around, and see if they're tellin' the truth, first of all. Of course, if we find someone who kin send us home, that wouldn't be so bad neither."


"That it wouldn't." He said as he stroked a finger down his goatee, glancing towards the innards of his room. "Well, be no time like the present. We could go scoutin', unless ya be babysittin'." Remy gave a smirk at his comment as he thought over the events. Better to start getting information as soon as possible, knowledge was power and a great asset to have on any job, either to get this Alice out or to get out of this world by themselves. However, not knowing anything about the area didn't help, they could stick out like sore thumbs and have no warning with Gryphon's sudden disappearing act.


"Not babysittin', no. Not sure how much good I'll be in this storm though. Rain washes away all the smells." He shrugged. "We could always look though. No harm in lookin'." This was not necessarily true, he knew, but specifics be damned.


Jake did have a point, heading out into this kind of weather was not going to be fun. "This all 'ssumin' this kind of weather not be normal 'round here. Could have been thrown into a monsoon season, hein?" Hell, the South got bad enough with its rain and humidity mix in the summer, areas with a wet seasons was just a damn pain in the ass to work in. "Unless the house has somethin' in it that be helpful." Remy let out a chuckle. "Guessin' they don't have internet 'round here."


Jake groaned. "Hnn, didn't think of that. I hope this weather ain't normal. Ain't nobody likes the smell of wet dog." He muttered, grumbling. Speaking up, he continued, "All I found b'fore we got whisked up to that meetin' was the world's biggest library. But it seemed a might... dangerous. Things movin' around when you weren't lookin' at 'em and such. I ain't even seen a light socket, let alone a computer." Not that he really knew how to use them. That had always more been Arn's area of expertise.


"Library, hein?" Could be useful, or could be a pain in the ass to try and sort through all that material to hopefully find something useful. Remy wasn't a fan of researching that way, left it up to Theo, he rather get his hands dirty and go and scope out the area of the job instead. Jake's mention of the light socket was another valid point, one Remy hadn't noticed but now it was mentioned had noticed the suspicious lack of electrical related items as well. "So not only we fell into 'nother world, mais it got no power either?" That was going to be damn annoying. However, none of this changed the fact he was standing out in the hallway wearing only jeans. Pushing into the room Jake identified as his, Remy left the door open enough to act as an invitation if Jake decided to take it.


||Continued in HH Remy's Room||


Jake took the invitation, following Remy into his room, with an "Ayup," in way of response.


||Continued in HH Remy's Room||

||Continued from HH War Room ||


Feeling the reassuring weight of her Scimitar return to her hip, Lyanth was happy to be out of the War Room. While she didn't mind meetings or councils, she preferred to be out in the land, fighting and learning. With a sigh, she wandered along the halls, seeing if she could locate an unlocked door. After a bit, Lyanth began to hear voices, the two male Humes if she was not mistaken. Pausing, she stopped a few paces from the door she thought contained the Humes. Perhaps they would not mind her company this late in the evening.


||Continued from HH War Room ||

Yalaa's own steps were not that far behind Lyanth, and the return of her own weapons was more noticeable both from the sudden additional weight, and the glow they both produced. Resting a hand on the hilt of her mace, her tail reaching up to reassure her that her shield was firmly in place on her back. Taking her helmet from where it was threaded around her tail, she planned to pass Lyanth to return to her own room then remembered she had no idea how to find it again.

Reaching into one of the pouches around her belt, Yalaa pulled free her hearth stone, a white stone with a blue glowing spiral design on its surface. Would it even work in this place? Maybe it would even return her home, as she had it set to the Exodar. One way to find out. Sparking it up with a flash of magic, a green mist engulfed her, shadows of leaves floating around her in a whirlwind before she vanished in a flash of light.

||Continued in HH Yalaa's Room||