IC Inbox for Ryslig

[certaininequities]

WELCOME TO YOUR PRIVATE CHANNEL, DR_OSBORN.

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<DR_OSBORN> You've reached Dr. Norman Osborn.
<DR_OSBORN> Please leave a message: I'll respond as promptly as possible.

Other Handles:
[Back2Formula] regular anon * [Pierglass] trolling anon * [LutinVert] Goblin/Alton Mode * [EpigaeaMemoriam] Support Group anon

Comments

[summonthesuit]

How about outside the 38-8 flats? That's a pretty central location I think. You know where that is, right?

We could go for this wednesday, if that works?

[certaininequities]

I do, one of my good friends lives there. You might know Tawna, as a matter of fact. She's pretty outgoing, I'd be surprised if she hasn't introduced herself to most of the people there.

Wednesday at six?

[summonthesuit]

Yeah, I know Tawna! She gave me a lift out of the sinkhole, actually. A literal, flying lift. She's one of my neighbours now.

I'm up for six. See you by the main entrance?

[certaininequities]

She's good like that, helped me out of a tough spot when I arrived, too. Six it is. I'll be the green guy with spider legs coming out of his back in the black jacket, which is still taking some getting used to to say.

[summonthesuit]

I'll be the very normal-looking guy, I guess. I don't know yet what monster I'll be. But since 38-8's mostly monsters, it makes me stand out in my own way.

See you then!

Action!

[certaininequities]

[he shows up promptly at the appointed time, on foot, hands tucked in his pockets until he sees the human standing around, and raises a hand]

Steven?

[he closes the distance between them quickly, smiling, a hand already extended in greeting]

Norman. Good to put a face to the name. Thanks for offering to talk.

[summonthesuit]

[Wow, yep, that's a green guy with spider legs, alright. Steven's not sure why it catches him off-guard. He had been warned. Now the best he can do is try not to stare, jog to meet Norman halfway and accept that handshake when it's offered with a firm grasp of his own.]

Hey! Ah, no problem. It's nice to meet you. [He withdraws his hand again, moving it towards his pocket instead.] Like I said, I never really got to talk to anyone else who's in the same boat either. It'll be... nice, maybe. Or helpful. [He chuckles awkwardly.] But we should probably head to the Arcade before dipping into all that, yeah?

[certaininequities]

[someone else who jogs up to handshakes? hooray, a fellow dork! Norman returns the handshake enthusiastically, already reaching into his pocket with his other hand to fish out his keycard]

You're absolutely right.

[he gestures to the clearly marked laundry room door nearby]

This'll do nicely. Wait till you see this, it's amazing.

[he holds up the black card, its holographic pattern flashing briefly in the light as he reaches up and swipes it through the door frame like a credit reader. green light envelops the doorframe, then it clicks faintly like a maglock. Norman will never, ever get tired of how amazing this little trick of Elias' is, and is smiling as he pushes the door open to reveal the front room of the Arcade, not the banks of washers and dryers Steven might have been expecting]

Go on in. You're my guest, and Elias doesn't mind guests in the least.

[summonthesuit]

[Steven watches with a curious gaze as Norman pulls off his little door trick. He's seen some crazy things before, even before arriving in Ryslig, but it still causes his eyes to widen. He approaches the open door somewhat cautiously, craning his head to peer into the Arcade as if expecting it to be some sort of illusion. But it's not, is it?]

Blimey... Is uh... Is that going to turn back to normal after we've gone through? I'd hate for everyone else in the building to carry a basket of their dirty socks and knickers into an arcade.

[Even so, he steps through the opening just fine. No reason to distrust it!]

[certaininequities]

[it feels good to laugh, and even better to be trusted. Norman feels something in his chest loosen at the feeling - relief? hope? gratitude - and follows Steven into the Arcade. Once they're both inside, he locks the door and opens it once more- now it's looking out over Lake Dala, the view from the front door of Hill House. he closes it once more, freeing it up for anyone else who might need it]

No, as far as I can tell it's portable quantum physics ... this door can connect to almost any door in the peninsula while it's open. When it's closed, the last door it connected to goes back to itself.

... Though if I start seeing stray socks around, I suppose we've solved one of the great mysteries of the world.

[summonthesuit]

[The door trick just keeps getting sweeter, doesn't it? For a split second, Steven considers pledging himself to the Fourth God. Then he remembers what sort of dealings with a god he just got out of back home, and shakes the temptation from his mind. He chuckles quietly at the joke.]

Hah, that would be something, wouldn't it? But it's uh... It's nice to know stuff like this exists around here. [With that, he finally turns around to take in the Arcade properly. Wow, it really is exactly what the name implies.] ...Is Elias here? Can he see us?

[certaininequities]

He is, and he can ... but he also sees everything on the Network as it's happening, so he usually doesn't pay too much attention unless one of us specifically needs him.

[he gestures toward one of the arcade cabinets, smiling]

Honestly, the time he tends to get most involved is when someone offers to play a game with him. He's just a kid, after all.

[summonthesuit]

[Even if Elias might not be paying attention, Steven still raises one hand in a hesitant waving gesture towards the Arcade, his eyes automatically flitting up towards the ceiling.]

Hiii Elias. Nice place you've got here.

[He doesn't expect to get a response, and part of him honestly kind of hopes he won't. He's had enough of gods speaking to him inside his head. After a few seconds, he turns his attention back to Norman.]

So did you want to sit down somewhere, or...?

[certaininequities]

Sure, there's a couch back here, by the workspace. If Emily's using it we can always sit in my space, but it's a little small in there.

[the workspace is, thankfully, unoccupied. and a plate of Elias' ever-present cookies are sitting out on a table by the couch, along with a cheese pizza that only has a few slices missing and looks fresh]

Help yourself, if you're hungry. This kind of stuff gets left out all the time. I can get us some water, too, if you'd like.

[summonthesuit]

[Delicious as the cookies and pizza look, it's just not in the cards for Steven. He shakes his head as he takes a seat on the couch.]

Oh, no, thanks. I just had supper. Couldn't have any of that even if I wanted to. Vegan. Funny story; Marc isn't, actually, but that's... [He trails off, running a hand through his hair.] Yeah. I'll tell you about Marc in a bit. Water's fine, anyway. Thanks.

[certaininequities]

Oh! Well, then, that just means that next time, I'll make sure there's something here you can have. Thank you for telling me.

[he smiles, though he'd had to bite down hard on an apology. he's found himself apologizing for so much lately that the words 'I'm sorry' are starting to sound ridiculous, even to him. Norman gets them each a glass of fresh ice water and brings them back to the little alcove]

Cheers. ... So ... where would you like to start? With all of this.

[summonthesuit]

[Steven's been conditioned not to expect apologies to begin with, so he doesn't note the absence of one. If anything, he appreciates that Norman's prepared to take it into account next time. The ice water is welcome as well and he accepts it with a "cheers" of his own, even if he doesn't immediately drink from it. Instead, he just holds it with both hands, feeling the cold sting against his warm palms.]

I reckon... I should start by saying that Marc's not here. At least, I don't think he is. I haven't heard from him once since I woke up here and that's... It's not like him. [And it's probably easy to tell from Steven's expression that he's worried, though what that might imply to Norman is entirely up for grabs.] Could be that he's just been locked away somehow, but... Yeah. Don't expect him to jump into this conversation, is what I'm trying to say.