La Catalina

[Flare]

Felecia stopped talking before moving around the room, running her hand along the walls covered in curtains. "Jerk went into a diner. I followed him, and fought back against his jerkishness. Jerk had a whole gang in there, that tricked the non gangsters into seeing me as a villain, and him as a complete and harmless victim." She turned back to Sam and moved up to her. "So, lot's of people hate me already."

 

Solar sighed and looked around the rather barren streets again. "Despite the amount of houses here there seems to be a surprising lack of people." He stopped, noticing two people fighting. "And an even bigger lack of friendly ones..."

[Monokuma]

Sam started to push the queen size bed against the wall, noting the decorations in place already. "It's only the first day, hon. You'll be fine here." After the bed move, she places her arms around Felecia for a brief kiss before starting to move her dresser. "In a neighborhood like this, you might be bound to find someone who's high on whatever drug lies around here."

Wolf and Kimari completed the work needed to sort the Guest Suite, touring the entire house, discovering the wine room for a brief moment.

 

[Zaphyr Stone]

Jolene relaxed next to him, having a few handfuls of the sweet treat. The mixture was a perfect coating-to-popcorn ratio, and she did a little dance in her head praising her success. As the movie progressed, she shared a few laughs at the punchlines. The humor was nice and fresh. After a while, though, her eyes grew heavy. The sofa cushion had settled perfectly against her curves and cradled her nicely. Bohdan was surprisingly warm, and she was worn out from unpacking. She yawned silently, and she found it harder and harder to keep her eyes open. Pretty soon, she lost the energy to stay awake, and nodded off leaned gently against the dragon.

----

"Ah!" he fumbled for his phone, "Of course, of course." he chuckled, opening a new contact slot and passing her his phone, "Go ahead and type in you number. I'll do the same for yours."

[Arminius H O Fiddywinks]

Bohdan had spread his arms across the width of the sofa, with his right one draped behind Jolene's head. As the movie progressed, Bohdan noticed Jolene looking tired. He occasionally glanced to ensure her well-being, but then returned to the movie. He, however, took notice when she leaned her whole body against his in sleep. Bohdan looked at Jolene, who was now fast asleep. He reached for the remote with his left arm, and paused the movie at a scene where the main protagonist was riding a bicycle through a burning building. Placing the remote back down onto the table in front of him, Bohdan leaned back, sighing. He, too, began to tire. Bohdan had no wish to fight it, and soon fell to the unstoppable force that was sleep. He closed his eyes, and laid his head beside Jolene's, their snouts touching.

 

"Alrighty, Ezra," said Elizabeth, holding Ezra's phone. She punched in the numbers to her cellphone in his contacts list, and placed them under her name. She put the phone down onto the table, and gave her phone to Ezra, patiently awaiting its return.

[Zaphyr Stone]

Jolene wasn't sure how long she had been asleep, but she gradually became aware of the warmth of another presence very close to hers. She cracked her eyes curiously to see the blunt of Bohdan's snout pressed softly to her nose. Her heart raced, a soft blush on her cheeks at how close they were. Something about how he slept, though. He was so...peaceful, but it was so much more than that. Whatever guards he had up were down now, and she could see a new side to him that would otherwise be carefully locked away. His relaxed features were inlaid with a subtle sadness, something she couldn't place, and yet there was immeasurable strength there too. He was vulnerable, but he wasn't weak.

She supposed she acted more in impulse, but the urge to reach out and gently run a hand over the scales of his cheek bone was irresistible. They were smooth, like the scales of a fish.

----

Ezra followed suit, saving his name and number in her contacts. "There we are." he smiled, passing the phone to her and taking his back.

[Arminius H O Fiddywinks]

Bohdan yet again had the same nightmare: him in a completely bleak landscape. This world was flat and barren, completely void of all vegetation. It was not a desert, but it was as desolate as one. There is no shining sun, only cloud cover. There are only four steel coffins within this dark place, bathed in blood. One was burnt. One had a single plasma hole. One had multitudes of plasma holes. One was impaled with a Cerinian broadsword. As Bohdan approached the coffins, a low whispering could be heard by him. When he came close, the whispering morphed into loud talking, and eventually shouting. It was almost totally unintelligible, although the voices were of the four bodies in the coffins. They spoke in Ruthenian, and only one name could be deciphered: Bohdan. Then, the burnt one began to leak blood from its creases, the ones with plasma holes had blood flow from those holes, and the damage inflicted by the Cerinian broadsword overflowed with blood. Bohdan collapsed onto his knees, and grasped his head, shaking.
Suddenly, an overwhelming calm swept over the landscape. Bohdan released his grasp, and saw Jolene crouching down to him, and touched his face. The sun was shining behind her. Bohdan then awoke from his slumber, and saw Jolene caress his cheek. "Thank you," he said softly, before catching her off-guard with a kiss.

 

Elizabeth took her phone and buried it in her pocket. "Thanks," she said. She looked out the window, noticing the bright afternoon sun blasting La Catalina with its warm rays. She then peered into her ice cream cup, and noticed that it was empty. Elizabeth eyed a trashcan behind Ezra, walked up, and threw her cup away. As she sat back down, she asked Ezra a question. "So, which neighborhood do you live in, Ezra?"

[Gestalt]

Back at home, Harry dumped cold water over his body in his spacious multi-headed, walk-in shower. Feeling refreshed, he then traded his trench coat and tie, for his leathers and a colored tee. There wasn't much to do in these empty walls. Even the Internet had yet to be installed. And so, Harry grabbed his brief case and slid into his sleek race car. He wasn't much of a racer. The Shelby Cobra had been one of the only cars he was able to smuggle out of his dad's collection before the auction, but he was proficient in the art of shifting and was no stranger to a weekend at the track.

On the flick of the key, the side pipes asserted their presence in the neighborhood, and he was off, spitting thunder. He shifted up a long, empty stretch out of his neighborhood and advanced toward what would be community clubhouse. All the while, he kept both hands on the wheel for as long as he could manage, keeping his steed and it's power from having it's way. He finally cruised into the parking lot and put his ride to rest then hopped out in hopes that his time would be better wasted here.

[Zaphyr Stone]

Bohdan's eyes snapped open with such speed that Jolene jumped slightly in alarm. She didn't even have enough time to pull her hand away.

"I-I-" she stammered before she was suddenly silenced with a kiss.

The act itself floored her. She had not seen it coming at all, and yet, for a moment there was nothing but pure unbridled bliss. She hadn't felt this happy in a long time, not since...

An uneasy feeling bubbled in her stomach, a nagging sense of dread. She pulled away, breaking their kiss prematurely. "I-I'm sorry, Bohdan...I..." she pulled away from him, "I shouldn't have done that."

----

"I live out in Mercedes." he explained, "It's a great neighborhood, very pretty, very quiet." He smiled, "You should come by and have a look sometime. And you said you don't live in this area, right?"

 

[Arminius H O Fiddywinks]

Bohdan, recoiled by Jolene pulling away, shook his head, gathered himself, and explained his actions. "No, it is I who should be apologizing," he said. "After all, I sort of blitzed you with that." He leaned forward, his elbows touching his knees and his scalie hands rubbing together. He stared at the half-empty bowl of cookies and cream popcorn. "The reason I thanked you was because of this nightmare which goes back twenty years. It is a haunting and terrible one, one that has caused me to dread sleeping. It has been the exact same thing every night." As he went into detail, he turned to Jolene. "I am in this barren plain, with no one and nothing else, except for four steel coffins. One was burnt. Two had plasma holes. One had been impaled by a sword. When I go near them, there is this.... this whispering. It gets louder the closer I go, until it gets deafening. Then, the coffins start to bleed." At this point, Bohdan's voice began to break, and his eyes started to well up with tears. "And I can only hear my name being said. Everything else is just noise." He looked away, wiping the tears from his eyes.
"But when you touched me..... Suddenly everything became quiet." Bohdan was now calmer in describing this part. "You were there. You smiled, an almost ethereal glow emanating from you. The coffins were gone. The voices were gone. Everything before was gone. It was just you." Bohdan looked back at Jolene. "You..... Jolene. That I why I thanked you. You had broken it entirely." He chuckled, leaning back on the couch. "You might think it strange that I tell you, a neighbor whom I have known for a day, a personal detail like this. And I do not know exactly why I did. Perhaps it is because... I sense you are a person I can trust."

 

"Right," said Elizabeth. "I've always wanted to live here since the end of the Aparoid Invasion, but I've never had the money to. Now, after some funds from a recent job, I'm thinking about moving in. After all, the rest of my buddies bought homes to live out 'ordinary lives' and wait for everything to cool down." She scratched an itch that bothered her from the area behind her left ear, and continued speaking. "And yeah, I'll take a look at your place one of these days."

[Flare]

Felecia sighed and dropped down onto the carpeted floor. "They're rather viscious around here. Makes me wonder how that kid got rich. Must be a spoiled brat." She yawned and stretched herself out, getting comfortable. "Rug comfy." She starred up at the ceiling, listening to the sound of Wolf and Kimari's footsteps. "Need more rugs upstairs."

Solar and Rena looked away from the two random fighters and continued on. Upon passing a restaurant that had been quite rowdy earlier that day Solar pulled out a map of the entire neighborhood. He quickly pulled out a pen and marked where there house was before tracing a line from there to where the two currently were. "So...according to this we've explored a lot of the downtown..." Rena poked her head around Solar's shoulder catching a peak at the map. She noticed the club house on the map and pointed to it attracting Solar's attention. "Hmm...Clubhouse eh? There's sure to be plenty of people over there I guess. So we might as well go." He then folded up the map and placed it in his pocket, turning to the street that led to the clubhouse. "Let's go." A fair bit later they arrived at the building, watching someone else drive up before heading inside.

 

[Monokuma]

"True on that account, hon, the upstairs is quite loud." Sam took off a shoe and felt one of the rugs. "True on the rugs too, actually." She rubs her foot on the rug a bit more, but then belly flops on the bed she finished moving, taking off her other shoe. "People get money anyway they might, dear...Somewhat sad, somewhat genuinely happy...But in brighter note, almost finished in this room and you need to get your butt on the bed, more comfy anyways." 

Wolf and Kimari took a bit of time in the wine room, leaving one entire bottle empty. As the duo proceeded to tour the rest of the house, Wolf passes out in the Foyer, while Kimari sits calmly next to the elevator, laughing, he not having any of the wine.

[Gestalt]

"Fancy meeting you here, Miss Karat," Harry said. She, his rabbit friend - Lacey, had caught him by surprise. She was sitting next to a window in the lounge, and Harry and had went over after grabbing some water. There she sat, always dressed in something that could pass as professional, with her precious hung hears. The left ear held three rings at the tip - one platinum ring between two golden rings each of which he had gifted her over the last three years. She stood and greeted him before they both sat.

"Is it really that much of surprise Harry? I don't live too far from here, but you wouldn't know that. You've become a recluse! Yes, I was due for visit at that new house's house of yours to talk business, but now that you ccme to me..." She pulled out her tablet and pen.

"Do you always make it a point to carry business with you, dear."

"As a matter of fact, yes. Now, remember the old outpost well [...] and we recovered a store of [...] but it's all in pieces, just barely salvageable. You need to sign here to release the property for liquidation, authorize these two checks for expenses, and... If you not returning to school you'll need to fill out this withdrawal form as you've already been registered for the following semester."

"I trust your not wasting my money, Miss Karat, and heh... here I was hoping I could just not show up at the University of Minds." Harry authorized the electronic documents without further question then set back and opened up a dialog, that wasn't strictly business, with his friend.

[Flare]

Felecia slowly shook her head. "People like him...they don't deserve this kind of life. Those that deserve it will almost never have it, and those that have it almost never deserve it..." She sighed and glanced at Sam and the bed before rolling over on the rug. Refusing to move.

Moments after the conversation the other two "important" people in the Clubhouse finished Solar and Rena stepped into the room. Rena hung back a little, but Solar stepped forward, taking a look around the room at the small groups of people hidden within. "Hmm...everyone seems to be in their own little cliques. They barely even noticed us come in." He turned back around to face Rena. "Maybe coming in here wasn't the greatest idea. It doesn't like their too ready to meet new people in here."

[Monokuma]

"People don't know what they've lost until its gone, hon. Money is no exception, at least not to those types of people." Sam leans off the side of the bed to face Felecia, smiling. "But, enough of old and new money hell demons and demonizers, how's the house to you? Anything fun, like in any secret spots, the rooms, the games, heck even the pool?"

Kimari dragged Wolf around the home like he was a dead body, to the pool, where Kimari planned to throw him in to wake him up, shouting into the basement to try and get the females into helping him throw.

[Gestalt]

"So that's it? You're not going back to school." she said.

"Nah, it's not me." Harry shrank in his seat.

"...Hey, did you noticed that guy, Harry?"

"Yeah, I heard light foot walk in and turn around, what of it."

"Aww, I think him and his girl wanted to join in but don't know how."

"Tch. If they don't have the gut to walk in this rent-a shack, let them be."

"Come on, pup. Get out of your cave more and be social." She yanked Harry up out of his seat and put him close. "You're not doing anything. I'm off. Let's break 'em in." She strutted over to the door with Harry in tow. "Hey, there!" She let Harry go and paced forward waving her hand at the wrist. Upon arrival, she shifted hips and combed her hair asking: "Are you guys new here?"

Harry straggling behind soon caught up. "Mmmf."

[Flare]

Felecia stretched again before standing, looking over to the stairs upon hearing Kimari's voice. She slowly moved over to the bottom of the stairs and stuck her head out in view. She grew a fake smile on her face and waved at him, before simply saying "No." her smile then turned into a frown and she walked back into the basement, flopping down onto the bed and on top of Sam with a loud thud.

Solar blinked and turned back, facing the two people that had decided to talk to them. Though the boy didn't look too happy about the situation. Solar then spoke. "Oh, ya. We're new, just finished moving in about an hour ago, we decided to wander the city looking for people to talk with, but the city was pretty barren." He then pulled out his map. "This thing said this place was a clubhouse, so we figured this place would have people.." He glanced around the room again. "Everyone seems pretty unwelcoming to newcomers though, so were just gonna leave." Despite Solar's long explanation Rena merely nodded along, waving at the end to the quiet male.

[Monokuma]

Sam's entire body was slammed by Felecia, smiling. "Hehe, hon. Why'd ya say no to throwing Wolf in? Even Kimari might of loved the help. Plus, it'd get ya in the pool, make ya look cute." Sam kicked her legs casualy as she attempted to kiss Felecia on the cheek, still smiling. "You didn't even answer my last question, dear. How do you like the house so far?"

Wolf was lightly grunting by the time Kimari dragged him to the pool, spun him, and let Wolf go into the pool, belly up floating. 

[Gestalt]

"Welcome to La Catalina, where everyone is full of their lives. You have to be the least bit assertive if you expect to interject." She put a hand forward. "Luckily, we have assertiveness to spare," she said while elbowing Harry who was shrugging off the girl's wave.

"Eh, take her word. I wouldn't know, I just arrived myself." Harry took off his jacket and threw it over his shoulder. "Well, bye if you're leaving so soon."

"Oh, but don't, we'd love to have you. I'm Lacey Karat, some take to calling me Karat but the choice yours, and the stick here is Harry Huffington, a longtime friend of mine."

[Flare]

Felecia looked down at Sam and poked her in the face. "Waste of money." She scowled at the thought of how much money was wasted on the building, how much of it could have been given to people who actually needed the money to get out of their situations.

Solar spoke again once Lacey finished. " Well, this neighborhood does that snoddy feeling about it." He stuck out his hand to shake with Lacey, as Rena did the same to Harry. "I'm Will, but I tend to prefer when people call me Solar." He pointed at Rena with his other hand. "That's Rena, she's a mute, so don't expect any talking from her. She's quite chatty with the sign language though."

[Monokuma]

"True to that, hon. Tell Deon about that and threaten to eat him, hehehe...But in all, this is supposed to be Wolf's present for his birthday, and even this is too much being forced on him for such a present, dear...How's about an afternoon somewhere to help ease off and have fun?"

Wolf floats aimlessly in the pool, Kimari watching over him, taking out a pocket map of the neighborhood, and trying to discern the two houses to his left and right.

[Gestalt]

"Nice to meet you Solar, Rena. I'm sad to say, I have forgotten nearly any signs I've been taught."

"Ah, and I only know some of the alphabet." Harry contorted his unpracticed fingers for an H and I.

"So, I'm a busy bear, but you two seem nice enough. There is no reason for you to go on being left out." Lacey reached for her device offering to trade contacts. "Don't shy away from contacting us." While readying her own transfer she pressed her shoulder against Harry. He hardened his brow at that.

"I am... a champion of self, but if Lacey insists..." He too reached for his contacts. "My schedule is pretty flexible of late. If anyone made to bother me, I guess I'd go uninterrupted."

[Arminius H O Fiddywinks]

Sandor sat leaning forward on his leather couch, examine his automatic blaster sidearm he dropped on the floor a few minutes ago due to the shock of seeing his parents.

"So, you have become a killer of men," said Sandor's mother, Katalin, with a feeling of sadness as she sat staring at Sandor's weapon. She spoke softly in Magyar, as did her husband, Attila. They were starting to slowly learn Cornerian, although it was a very lengthy process. Sandor placed his blaster down onto the coffee table in front of him, with the gun making a clacking sound as he gently laid it on its side. "What happened to you? What happened to my little Sandor?"

"I was unlucky," Sandor replied in Magyar. He could not look either of his parents in the eye, what with who he had become. He stared at the blaster, and placed his elbows on his knees as he sat.

"There is no such thing as luck," stated Attila in Magyar. "There is only your actions and the consequences of those actions." He placed his right hand onto Sandor's left shoulder, but Sandor nudged him away. "I understand that our presence unsettles you. You did run away from us after all. But we are here for you, and we still love you." Attila tried once again to place his right hand on Sandor's left shoulder. This time, Sandor made no attempt at removing his father's hand.

Edited August 9, 2015 by Arminius H O Fiddywinks

[Zaphyr Stone]

Jolene's smile was warm and sympathetic. "Bohdan...I'm sorry you have to suffer such an awful dream. I'm touched that you see me as someone, or something, that can save you from that. The fact that you trust me that much...well, it's amazing to me. I would be lying if I said I didn't feel the same about you. I don't come by trust easily, you know." she gave a small sigh, leaning back with him, "Don't be sorry about the kiss." she looked over at him, "But I think we should wait and get to know one another better before we get to that part."

----

Ezra smiled brightly, jumping as his phone buzzed on the table. Recognizing the name on the phone, he smiled sheepishly. "Gah, I'm sorry. I should take this." he picked up the phone, "Hello? Hey, girlie, what's up?" his fond smile dropped into a look of alarm, "What!? Why are you there!? No, sweetheart, I'm out and about right now........All right, all right, all right, you've made your point." he sighed, "Just....just hang on. Hang out in the back yard or something....It's not breaking in if I allow it.....then tell them I, the homeowner told you to come in and wait....then put me on the phone, and /I'll/ talk to them....Lily, just find somewhere to sit and wait. I'll be right there. Okay...bye." He hung up, grinning nervously at Liz, "Sooooo...looks like we'll be making a quick stop at my house. Is that okay with you?"

[Arminius H O Fiddywinks]

"Of course," Bohdan chuckled. "After all, we have only known each other for a day!" He grinned, rubbing his forehead in slight embarrassment. He leaned back on the couch. Sighing, he began to speak. "It has been exceedingly difficult for me to adjust to Cornerian life. Wearing Cornerian clothing, eating Cornerian food, speaking the language, obeying the laws; almost nothing is similar on Ruthenia, my home world." Bohdan looked out the window. "Although most people do not stare at me, I can sense them taking quick glances at me. They are curious of the 'exotic foreigner', of his height, his wings, his accent, and his religious necklace." Bohdan gestured to his necklace, which had an Ogniemite religious symbol on it. It was as large as a hockey puck. He looked to Jolene. "I have friends to help me, but it is still a struggle."

 

"Sure, Ezra, sure," replied Elizabeth. She stood up, the chair under her squeaking horrendously as she pushed it out. "After you."

[Zaphyr Stone]

Jolene rested her chin in her palms, an amused smile lighting up her eyes. "Well, you're definitely an out-of-the-ordinary sight for most." she laughed mildly, "I tell you what. How about we help each other? You help me settle into life here in this upscale neighborhood, and I'll help you sort all things Corneria out. Deal?"

She held out her hand to him.