[OPEN] welcome home.

[appraiser]

WHO: Tuuri, Elliot, Akira, Yusuke, their two cats Morrigan and Katkat, ???, and kind souls like you who've gotten roped into manual labor- I mean, helping out your friends
WHERE: off-campus housing somewhere, close enough to the university to walk in good weather, far enough to bike if Akira wants to risk getting run over by a bus
WHEN: September 2nd, all day
WHAT: Move-in day! in which the house may or may not be haunted by a small child; rumor has it that he shows up in people's bedrooms at night and may disappear the moment you take your eyes off him (aka ??? is Pharos because I want to play roommate things too...)
WARNINGS: none

A.
[ It's a bright and early Saturday morning, and while each of the four roommates (the fifth being Ryoji, who is on "vacation" and it's an unspoken rule that nobody is allowed to talk about him) have already received their set of keys to the house, whoever gets here first gets first choice of bedrooms. Will it be Team Tuuri? Team Elliot? Team Akira? Team Yusuke? Fight it out, guys. Or be reasonable people and talk it out, idk.

There are five bedrooms to share or claim as your own, of various sizes and proximity to the kitchen and two bathrooms. There might also be a leftover dresser or coffee table left by the previous tenants, so if you want that, better sneak it into your chosen room and pretend that it was always there, before someone else comes along and accuses you of hoarding all the furniture.

Because unless you're bringing something from home, there is no other furniture. ]

B.
[ AKA IT'S IKEA TIME

Boxes lie in the living room— potential tables, chairs, desks, shelves, it might have been easier to ask friends for spare furniture they can donate, but at least the cats are having a blast jumping into the empty boxes (in the case of a little calico kitten, yowling to be let out immediately after, save her). It's like Christmas morning in here, except Lego instructions weren't this confusing and help would really be appreciated so everything can get put together in time for dinner without giving up and saying screw it all and just using the cardboard boxes themselves as chairs. But also please, for the love of all that is good in the world, only work on one Ikea furniture project at a time, keep close count of all the parts, and don't let the cats eat any screws. ]

C.
[ The house is a bit of a mess, but it's coming together. Someone still needs to make a grocery run or there's nothing in the fridge aside from like... half a gallon of chocolate milk, or a single stalk of limp celery, or a full ice tray that's decidedly not filled with ice because the cubes are opaque white and taste kind of sweet if you lick it (but don't lick or eat any of this stuff if you want to live). There are fridge magnets on the door that consist of an upside down V, a K, the number 1, an R, and another upside down V neatly lined up towards the bottom half of the door. There are no vowels anywhere to be found.

Mattresses are also pretty heavy and a pain to maneuver through the halls, so if you hear muffled shouting from inside one of the bedrooms and see a bed blocking one of the doorways, maybe save the poor soul trapped inside the bedroom and/or find whoever gave up halfway through and walked away from the job.

There's no toilet paper in either of the bathrooms, but there's a full bottle of black cherry merlot liquid hand soap that smells amazing.

The basement doesn't seem to have been aired out in years.

Nobody seems to know the wi-fi password.

This place isn't actually livable yet, but!! soon!!! ]

D.
[ Outside, there's a front porch too small to hang around in, but the backyard is open for everybody to take a breather as you take a well deserved rest/regret coming over to help. The lawn is kind of overrun with weeds, and the birdbath is dusty and empty, but otherwise, it's a fairly large yard. A pool could probably fit in the middle at the sacrifice of grass. A couple of apple trees line the fence out in the back, but while the fruit smile down at you all, it's hard to tell whether they're good to eat yet or not without grabbing them by the face and tearing them off the tree. Maybe test and see anyways, and there might be apple pie in it for everyone as a thanks for the help.

The front of the house features a driveway wide enough for two cars, or a single moving truck that hogs up all the space and forces everybody else to attempt parallel parking on the crowded streets. There's also a motorcycle propped up next to the porch, but it's still there after everybody else leaves. It's going to stay there for the next two-three weeks and nobody questions it because looking up the license plate will show it registered to somebody we don't talk about. ]

Wildcard
[ There are cardboard boxes everywhere, Helpers! Please take some home for your cats. And I know you or somebody you know has a cat, because Recollé is Cat City. Anyways, wildcard for anything else you'd like to play; make your own top-levels and meet up with roommates, friends, and neighbors. Roomies, thank you for getting all this hard work out of the way before Ryoji actually moves in, you guys are the best, ilu♥ ]

Comments

[fiddlestick]

[Elliot is not sure...why a child has been hanging around all day. He hasn't asked either though. The kid seemed happy here, so he assumed that maybe he knew one of the other roommates. It's fine, he was alright with children.]

Oh? Happy to see-

[He looks, assuming this is some kid playing make pretend when--]

-- Eek! Are those- are those faces?!?

[GOD WHY]

[appraiser]

[ Pharos laughs, apparently not bothered by the faces at all. He doesn't have to eat, so. shrugs. ]

Yeah! Do you know what kind of apples they are? I wonder if they're good for baking, or making into sauce?

[ He makes a jump for one of the branches, but can't quite reach... That's okay, though, the tree's been here long enough that some of the apples have prematurely fallen. He picks one of those up and trots back to Elliot for identification. It's a little rotten on one side, and a worm pokes its head out through the bruised mouth. ]

[fiddlestick]

[Elliot is distracted as he tries to figure out WHY THE APPLES HAVE SMILING FACES, but he gets sidetracked when Pharos brings a partly rotten apple to him]

Oh hey! That one's rotten. You don't want to eat that. Hold on-

[He's not sure why this kid is fine with eating smiley face apples, but you know what? Whatever!! Just accept it Elliot Craig!! He walks to the tree to reach up for an apple--

-- But being only 5'4", he's just out of reach of those delicious apples]

- O-oh. Nevermind. We might have to wait for someone else to get it...

[appraiser]

[ Pharos looks down at the apple in his hand. If it's fallen, then that means the fruit is ripe and sweet enough that a bird's pecked it off the tree? His mom used to tell him that the fallen ones are used in sauce for that reason. But this one's gone bad already, and there's already someone enjoying the meal, so he places it back onto the ground face-first so that the worm can burrow underground after its meal.

Straightening up, Pharos barely comes to Elliot's chest. But regardless, ]

I'll get it!

[ He jumps for the apple, hand swiping the air a good foot away from the lowest hanging fruit. He frowns a little at that, and moves around the other side of the tree to see if there's anything closer; he disappears from view behind the trunk, and reappears up high in the tree, standing on one of the lower branches. ]

Which one do you want?

[fiddlestick]

[Yeah that's cute kid go ahead and try it all you want, maybe youll tire yourself--

OH NO HE'S IN THE TREE NOW. OH NO. WHAT IF HE FALLS?? ELLIOT DOES NOT TRUST HIS STRENGTH TO CATCH HIM.]

Oh! Be careful!

[appraiser]

[ He's careful! Carefully, bending over where he stands, one hand on the trunk and the other one reaching for the apple near his feet that Elliot was trying to pick earlier. The apples on the branch dance in agitation, shaking the branch a little as Pharos tries to twist the fruit off by the stem. ]

This one's okay, right? I'll drop it down to you, so come closer so you can catch it!

[fiddlestick]

[THIS IS NERVE-WRACKING CHILD. But he seems to know what he's doing as he climbs? So okay, try to breath Elliot. Maybe he won't fall and you won't have to try to catch him only to inevitably fail because you're weak and pathetic-- ]

Y-Yeah, that one's fine.

[He'll step closer, as close as he possibly can to be under Pharos and holds out his hands. He is not at all sure about this catching thing, but maybe it'll work??]

[appraiser]

[ WHAT DOESN'T KILL YOU WILL MAKE YOU STRONGER

The recklessness that Ryoji has, it's seen in Pharos too, who can't quite get a good enough grip on the apple with one hand, so he uses both. It's not the twisting that gets the apple loose in the end, but the entire weight of the child's body as he careens forward and slips off the branch and comes tumbling down-- apple, branch, and all. ]

[fiddlestick]

Ahhh!!

[Elliot screams as he sees Pharos fall. This is bad!! He knew it'd happen!! He tries, but he doesn't so much catch Pharos as gets hit by Pharos's falling body and the branch- breaking their fall as he gets knocked to the ground himself with a thud.]

[appraiser]

[ At least Elliot doesn't get the full 60-70 lbs of Shadow child dropped on his head; Pharos blinks out of existence the moment he collides into Elliot, could have made himself useful by appearing behind the other boy and attempt catching him or pulling him back up, but instead decides to save the apple before it gets squashed by a wayward elbow. If it gets bruised, he'll have to go back and get another. ]

...Here.

[ The apple is presented to Elliot while he stares up at the sky. Something something about an apple a day keeping the doctor away, but that probably doesn't apply to broken bones. ]

I can't believe I rolled a 2 on this

[fiddlestick]

[While Pharos is polite to blink out of existence- the branch isn't. On the way down, it knocks into Elliot on the head, hard enough to daze him. As such, he doesn't quite notice that Pharos managed to blink out of existence. Heck, when Pharos presents the apple, Elliot is still dazed enough that he sees two apples being held by two hands]

Uugh...

A-Are you okay?

starts a betting pool for which roommate dies first

[appraiser]

I'm okay.

[ Pharos lowers the apple, blinking down at Elliot with a more serious expression, because he doesn't look okay. Eventually, Ryoji will return and have actual medical knowledge, but for now, it's just Pharos who crouches down next to Elliot and looks him over for anywhere he might be bleeding. ]

Where does it hurt?

it'd figure if the healer dies first tbh.

[fiddlestick]

H-Head...

[There's just a little bleeding, where the branch hit him on the forehead. But Elliot suddenly becomes very aware that he's lying out in the middle of the yard all useless. So he tries to sit up, playing down the injury, even as his vision swims.]

B-But it's fine! I'm fine Don't worry...

[appraiser]

[ Not convincing enough. Pharos' eyes go to Elliot's head at the mention, and he holds his palm out just sort of touching Elliot's forehead, as if he were a great mystical healer himself. ]

Pain, pain, go away!

[ A child's charm, but with good intention... Pharos even fills his lungs with air and blows hard at Elliot's face to metaphorically blow the pain away, something his mom does for him and now he gets to help somebody else. ]

[fiddlestick]

[That's...a little embarrassing for Elliot, honestly. Being given some kind of incantation that's clearly made to make a child feel better. Were Pharos older, he'd probably pull away. But since he is a kid, he'll...resign himself and play along]

T-Thanks....that feels a lot better.

[appraiser]

Great!

[ Yay, you're healed! Pharos stands up, shoulders back, and tosses and catches the apple in the air like a ball. ]

Let's try the apple. Do you have knives in the kitchen? I can get one, if you wash the apple. The hose is by the shed.

[fiddlestick]

[The hose?? Knife?? this kid is going to be the death of him.

But after the tree incident, he knows that he has to step up and be the adult. So he musters up his inner courage, stands up, and holds out his hand for the apple]

How about I take the apple and cut it up? You're really too young to be handling knives...

[appraiser]

[ Pharos frowns a little at being called "too young." He can use safety scissors? Scissors are like two knives. But he doesn't argue, instead, nodding solemnly and handing the apple over to Elliot. ]

Okay. Let's go!

[ He smiles, and in the moment that Elliot blinks next, Pharos disappears from his side and is waving to him by the screen door back inside.

Maybe Elliot should get his head checked for akinetopsia. ]

[fiddlestick]

[!!!!]

How did you-?

[WHAT. HOW DID HE GET OVER THERE???]

[appraiser]

[ waves more vigorously ]

Hurry up! I can't open the door until you're here, so the flies don't get in!

[fiddlestick]

[Of course...he doesn't explain it. Why would anyone explain anything? You know what, maybe teleporting mystery children are just part of his new, freaky reality.

He blinks for a couple second before before sighing to himself and heading to the door. His head is killing him, he should probably try to dig out one of those cold packs from the first aid kits in his stuff.

Because yeah you better believe his family gave him a lot of emergency supplies.]

[appraiser]

[ Those emergency supplies definitely won't go to waste in this household, don't worry. Pharos closes the screen door behind him after Elliot enters, and treks through the house properly instead of jumping from one end of the hall to the next. Despite the mess inside, he seems to know the layout of the house well enough that he takes the shortest route there without needing to stop and reorient himself.

The kitchen is barren, but clean, and the first thing Pharos does is head to the sink to wash the dirt off his hands. He pushes the faucet back and waits for the running water.

He'll be waiting forever because haha there's no running water. ]

[fiddlestick]

[Elliot meanwhile takes longer to get to the kitchen, as he takes a quick detour to grab his backpack and dig out one of the first aid kits. He pulls out the cold pack, and as he's walking into the kitchen, he's activated it and is holding it against his forehead with the hand not holding the apple. Ahhh, that feels good.

It's then he notices Pharos holding his hands under a faucet not running]

Is the water not on...?

[appraiser]

No... Maybe it's clogged?

[ Apartments don't shut off the water, and that's all he's used to. Who didn't set up the water? It was probably Ryoji, who spearheaded getting this particular house because he liked the backyard, trusted the actual house to be fine, and then left on vacation without making sure all the utilities were up and running.

They should figure out the electricity too, because night comes. ]

[fiddlestick]

[Elliot too, had never lived in a house before. There weren't houses in Queens, after all. Not unless you were very very rich. So it never occurred to him that the water could be shut off.

Until now, that is.]

I don't.... hang on.

[He sets the apple down on the counter and heads to go check in the nearest bathroom. When he comes back a minute later, he's looking mildly exasperated]

The water's off.