waking up in vegas

[eta_carinae]

At this point, Yuri was pretty sure he'd raised his eyebrows so high that they'd become part of his hair. He'd be willing to bet that even Estelle had never read any stories that involved getting kidnapped to...be part of a family.

He could say that it was the weirdest part. Weirder than waking up in a strange city with all its too-neat rows of houses, neat enough to be a nobles' quarter but far too samey. Nobles liked to stand out as gaudy centres of attention, not all blend in to each other.

The papers were crumpled in his hand as he turned his back on the house to look around instead. What he ended up finding were some answers, but none that really pleased him: people in the same situation, some happy, some resigned; the big guy's house, which he couldn't even break into; and boundaries that couldn't be passed.

He sure felt like someone's toy right now.

The searching had tired him out a little--more mentally than physically--so he made his not-so-triumphant return to..."his" house. Well, fine, he'd play along for the moment and check the place out.

He used his new set of keys to unlock the door, waltzing in without removing his boots, and started poking around. He doubted he'd find anything useful in here, though.

Comments

[blackshadow]

With leaving his boots on, it would have been easy for Tyr to know someone had come in even if he hadn't heard the door open. Gremio was gone, along with Riou this time, and while his heart momentarily skipped a beat, he knew better than to get his hopes up that one of the new arrivals would be Gremio--or anyone he'd know. Meet Ted and Gremio again had to have been a single, temporary miracle.

Nevertheless, it wouldn't be right for him to just stay in his bedroom and sulk. Even if that was exactly what he had been doing in his home world before arriving to Holly Heights, things were different now. Barring the person being one of the least subtle burglars ever, they'd have to live together. It was better to play friendly.

Taking a breath, he brushed off his outfit before leaving his room and shutting the door behind him.

At the moment, his new guest - spouse? - seemed more interested in the contents of the "I don't know where this goes" drawer with the flashlights and reusable, plastic, picture frame hooks than finding his lone housemate. Tyr guessed that was fine, really, and maybe a little less overwhelming than meeting the person he'd be living with for a possibly indefinite period of time. Given how late it was now, it wouldn't have surprised Tyr if that was exactly what he had been putting off.

Well, he couldn't just stand there, Tyr decided. "Hey," he called out, almost gently but loud enough to hopefully get the other man's attention.

[eta_carinae]

He didn't think he'd find anything useful, but now he almost wondered if he'd even know in the event that he did--some of these things were recognizable enough, like the hooks, but others? He had no idea what they were.

He was turning over a heavy, metal cylinder (a battery) in his hand when he became aware of someone approaching, but he only straightened up and turned after the person called out. Casual as can be, he put the cylinder back and made a lazy wave as he eyed the guy up, and couldn't help but think he looked more like a kid.

There had only been one another name on those papers, though, so Yuri could take a guess...if he'd bothered to remember the name. Which he hadn't. "Hey there," he said instead, then added cheekily, "Sorry I missed the wedding." They were supposed to be 'married' and all, for whatever reason.

[blackshadow]

At the very least, he wasn't distressed or angry, and that was always a good thing, honestly. It was a wonder he wasn't a little cold with an open shirt like that, but he guessed Kasumi wore the same thing and never seemed to mind.

"It's fine..." You haven't missed having our first child yet, he thought, but he didn't really want to start them out like that even if it was the first thing to come to mind. For all Tyr knew he'd take him seriously.

...But he could say, "Welcome home, sweetie."

[eta_carinae]

Likewise, Yuri was glad that he didn't have to deal with getting interrogated for coming in. He wondered how long Tyr had been there, if this kind of thing was just something he was used to. Personally, he would've preferred not to get accustomed to it.

The corner of his mouth turned in a slightly wry smile as he shot back, "We already close enough for pet names? Or do you always skip the first date?"

[blackshadow]

"I thought we were fine since we were already married..."

It was about time he stopped joking around, though. No matter how relaxed he seemed, they had things they needed to get out of the way. Taking a breath, Tyr gave Yuri a short bow.

"I'm Tyr. There's no-one else living here right now, so you can have the room with the two beds..."

[eta_carinae]

"Heh," was his only response before they decided to get serious--and boy, was Tyr ever serious. Yuri didn't return the bow; he just put a hand casually on his hip instead. "Yuri. I don't really care about the living arrangements, so that's fine by me."

He went ahead and cut right to the question that was on his mind: "So how long have you been here?"

[blackshadow]

Yuri. That was normal and easy enough the remember, and it was all the better that he wasn't going to make a fuss about the way house was going to be divided. He did have to wonder if Yuri was going to be the type of person to spend more nights away from home than not, but if that was the case, Tyr supposed it'd be like nothing had changed between today and yesterday.

At Yuri's question, though, he had to pause and think for a moment.

"...About ten months...and always in this house. It's possible to leave sooner than that, but it's all a matter of chance."

[eta_carinae]

Tyr's name was easy enough that Yuri didn't even have to give him a nickname. Of course, maybe he'd come up with something, anyway. In any case, how often he planned to stay 'home' at night depended on the kinds of answers he could find soon.

"Ten months," he grumbled, not bothering to hide his distaste. "Can't say my luck's been stellar lately, so that's not exactly great news." He sighed, then looked to Tyr and added, "No offense, but I'm not a wedded bliss kind of guy."

[blackshadow]

Tyr couldn't say he was surprised by Yuri's feelings; all things considered, they were completely justified. Not everyone was happy to be here just because they could see old friends again.

Not that Tyr could do that anymore.

It was easier to just focus on Yuri, though.

"The feeling is mutual..." That's why Yuri wasn't sharing his bed. "Most people here probably share your feelings... We might be married on paper, but you're not my husband."

[eta_carinae]

He'd be in for a surprise if he ever found out that they could meet dead people here. It was definitely far from his mind right now.

At least Tyr wasn't expecting them to actually act like a married couple. "Well, that makes things easier, then. This great and powerful landlord doesn't expect us to pretend, does he?"

[blackshadow]

It wasn't something Tyr thought to mention either. In the future, he might, but for now, he was concentrating on answering the questions Yuri brought to him.

"No. Some people are openly oppose their spouses, and..." Then there was Fushimi who was never at home at all. Tyr shook his head. "Even though we're in these units, the 'great and powerful' landlord hasn't forced people to act out their roles yet."

[eta_carinae]

"Just sticks people together but let's them run wild, huh? Guy's got some weird tastes." The situtation was more bizarre than he'd originally thought. Sure, he didn't want to play house, but that didn't make this any less weird.

But speaking of the landlord... "You ever seen the guy in person?"

[blackshadow]

Tyr almost laughed at that assessment, a half-smile coming to his face. This situation was so much more bizarre when someone else was talking about it.

"No. As far as anyone knows, no-one has seen him. He might not even be a man - or one person." Or a person.

"Sometimes people manage to find his house, but..."

[eta_carinae]

"But there's no getting in," he finished. Not yet, anyway--but Yuri wouldn't mind giving it another try. If only Karol was around to pick the lock for him...

For now, he just sighed. "Not very exciting for a kidnapping. I bet there wasn't even a ransom note." He wasn't going to think about what he'd do in the event that he couldn't shake up the landlord; that was something to come if (when) it happened.

[blackshadow]

"Someone already told you that?" he asked curiously, blinking up at his new "husband." There was no way he actually went all the way to the Landlord's house to check that for himself...

As for a note...Tyr couldn't even say if that was possible given how there was no known way in or out. A ransom note wouldn't be of any use even if one was left.

[eta_carinae]

"Something like that," was his vague answer. He didn't know yet exactly what kind of person Tyr was, so he wouldn't talk about his potential breaking-and-entering plans.

In any case, Yuri sighed. "If we were being held for ransom, things would be simpler," he mused out loud.

[blackshadow]

Something like that. There were sketchier answers to that question, but in either case, Tyr didn't care to push the issue. He chose to let the subject drop and focus on what Yuri wanted to talk about.

"If we were, we might be able to break out of here...but it could also just be a trap."

[eta_carinae]

It suited Yuri fine. He didn't like the idea of being here long, but he supposed if they were housemates, they'd probably get to know each other sooner or later.

"Heh. Maybe. But there's no point worrying about traps now." As far as he knew, at least. Sure, they were already in a cage, but it was a pretty fancy one. It could get worse.

[blackshadow]

"No..." Tyr agreed, though he trailed off. How much did Yuri know? How much did he need to be told?

It was better to be safe than watch Yuri fall into a pitfall, though. "If there are traps, the landlord will send them through the mail. He'll usually offer an award, but..."

[eta_carinae]

He turned his attention more on Tyr again when he heard that. So it was possible could be a few troublesome things going on. "But what?" he asked. "Did you ever get something different?" He was mildly curious about what the 'awards' entailed, but first things first.

[blackshadow]

He felt like he was making Yuri worry about this more than he should.

"...Sometimes there isn't an award, or the 'reward' isn't something the other person actually wants..." he explained. "So it's better to just ignore his offers."

[eta_carinae]

"Offers, huh?" he mused. It might be interesting to see what kind of offers he made; it didn't mean Yuri had to accept them. "Well, I'll keep that in mind. Thanks."

After a moment, he asked, "you ever accept any?"

[blackshadow]

"It's nothing," he replied, and he wouldn't have said anything more if Yuri hadn't given him that follow-up question.

And with that, he looked just a little more downcast on top of his usual serious facade.

"...A few times... I've been trying not to to see if there are any consequences to it..."

[eta_carinae]

"And so far so good?" He did have to wonder what the offers were like, but he figured he'd find out sooner or later. "Must be pretty tempting offers, though, if people take them."

[blackshadow]

"Ah, it's not like that... They're just not much trouble to comply with. Like giving away flowers or stickers..." he clarified.

[eta_carinae]

"Huh..." And it just got weirder. Yuri blinked, face betraying his perplexion. "Have to admit, it sounds too easy."

[blackshadow]

"That's what makes it a little suspicious..."

[eta_carinae]

"No kidding. Lemme know how that works out for you.

"Anyway," he waved a hand around at the hallway. "Do I get a tour of the place?" He could just wander around by himself, but he already didn't know what a lot of things he was seeing were.