ghxstgal:
Louise found herself in what looked to be … a ‘man cave’, if she was being blunt. The ping-pong table, the overcompensating television set, the shoddy couch. It looked like something you would find in the basement of a grown man’s house! But still, she couldn’t help but be drawn at the sight of the piano. Her train of thought was interrupted by that nearby door.
She braced herself as the door opened, and was surprised by the arrival of the short blue guy, who made her heart jump a little in her chest at the sight of him. There was an awkward feeling that washed over her as she took in the sight of him, one she couldn’t quite put her finger on. Whatever it was, it made her cheeks burn… after a moment, she finally caught her voice from the depths of her throat, and she spoke in response.
“Oh, yeah.”
Her attention turned to the second man to arrive. He towered over her, which made her feel a little uneasy — but not as much as seeing his face. He looked like he could be her long lost brother! Right down to the little details. She felt like she had seen him before, but she didn’t know where… she couldn’t help her concern when she heard that he was injured, though, raising her hands.
“No, I definitely feel it too… but did you really hit your head?”
Then there was the next boy, who was definitely a lot younger than the three of them. She felt bad, thinking that a kid could be in such a scary place like this… but then again, they were all here, and that made her feel worse. She offered him a friendly smile, which immediately dropped again upon mention of the green man’s name. Lewis…? No way! What a strange coincidence. That was awfully close to Louise.
“… Wait, do you two know each other?”
Finally, the arrival of the last man. Looks like Louise was the only girl here. If Louise was Purple Daphne, and Lewis was Green Fred, this guy must be Orange Shaggy. He too was… really familiar. Something that made Louise’s heart drop into the pit of her stomach. Why did she get such a bad feeling from these boys…? She didn’t want to feel bad, these were just strangers, right? Still, she offered him a friendly smile as well. In an unknown place, she didn’t want to make enemies. “Um… hi.”
She cleared her throat, clenching her fist before her mouth before putting her hands on her hips. “Well… uh… I’m going to take a shot in the dark and say you guys are new here too, right? So I don’t suppose… you have any idea what’s going on here?”
The scenery’s nothing he isn’t used to. It reminds him of the state of his dorm in college, often ransacked by roommates. There’s a distinct lack of empty beer bottles, which is a nice change. It smells like disinfectant. Artificial, lifeless, and entirely uncomfortable. It reminds him of his internships in forensics labs, stuffed to the brim with powerful scents. Chemical processes, old belongings, and the occasional bit of air freshener. All of it to mask the scent of death that came along with an autopsy.
Vinny takes in the others. Sure, he’s only the second-shortest person in the room, but with the Titan siblings towering over him in shades of green and purple, it doesn’t make much of a difference. His eyes linger a bit too long on the absolutely statuesque woman among them. Odd. He closes his eyes, pulling his scarf up around his mouth, hiding the dusting of pink on his cheeks. Staring at the jolly green giant next to her isn’t helping either, given how similar the two are in appearance.
The orange beanpole of a man with heterochromia is no better, as whatever elation he had drops off a cliff and into a pit of melancholy. Again, this is unwarranted. He tries to remember what the cause of this sudden mood shift is, but it makes his head hurt something fierce. Vinny puts a pin in it, but drops the subject for now. Seems that the only person who he doesn’t have an emotional reaction on seeing is the only person shorter than him.
Content to simply listen, he only speaks up when his initial question is answered.
“So, nobody here knows why we’re here, what’s in store, or where we are.”
Or any number of them are lying.
“Guess we’re gonna be here for a while, then, so we might as well get to know each other. My name’s Vinny. I trust you all have one of these too.”
He holds up his ID card, showing the name and picture, the other information covered by his thumb. Giving his name is a gesture of trust. If they’re going to get out of this alive, they’ll need to work together. To do so effectively, they need to trust one another. Vinny may harbor his doubts, but for now, their lives are in each others’ hands.
