Caora was rolling back on his heels, waiting for the door to open when Miss Too Pretty for Plastic called over to him.
Suspicious! She could very well be the one who planted the book! You never knew with the pretty ones.

"What are you doing, honey? I think the others are heading to the Break room." Quill smiled at him. "We should go with them."

More suspects! Hmm... He could question everyone at the break room. But he had to deal with... Whoever lived next to him first!

"Thanks, Quill, but I really need to do some investigating first!" he gestured to the book in his hands. "I'll be there in two shakes of a lamb's tail!"

Her outfit looked pretty. Very Sihk.
"Oh, and Quill? Do you think you can give me some fashion tips later? I wanna look as pretty as you!"

Back to the investigation! The Mystery of the Super Mysteriously Mysterious Book would not solve itself! Only he and Fang could possibly face up to this challenge. For all he knew, the fate of the world depended on it!

Whoever was behind the door sure was hesitant. It was almost like they were hiding something! Had he struck lucky? Had he found his perp? Oh gosh, he could feel his little heart soar! No, no, act natural Caora! Just like all the TV programmes and movies taught us! Stone face, calm voice. Dont let him intimidate you!

The door opened as a face appeared. It was the person the Bear had called a spider. A-hah! Criminals ALWAYS associated themselves with evil beasties like spiders! It wasn't looking to good for Shaun!
"U-um, h-hi... Can I h-help you?"
Stuttering, flushed cheeks, an inability to look him in the eye - it just screamed guilty!
"Hello, Mr Spider" Came the woefully unsuitable voice of Caora. He was trying to sound stony and scary, but it just didn't work. He sounded more like Shaun had just stolen the last cookie when Caora wanted one.

Holding up the book, he frowned and tried to look Shaun dead in the eye. It was his Super Serious face. Not just his Serious face, but his Super Serious face, a face only reserved for Super Serious moments. It was like his Serious face, but Seriouser. And his Serious face was really serious, so you can imagine how serious his Super Serious face would be.
"You're, um... C-Caora, right? The... Infinite Tr-Trap..?"

He knew him? By name? Who gave him this knowledge!? He must have known he was coming, but how!?
"H-how do you know that!? Who told you!?"

Panic set in as he realised how disadvantaged he was. He was too small to fight him, he knew less about him than he knew about him, and he didn't have much evidence to convict him! The only upside was there was two on Caora's side and only one of Shaun...

"AAAA, COOKIEEEE!~ IIIIT'S HUGGING TIIIIME!~"

I take it back. He was doomed.

Where did she come from!? Did she know he was here!? How did she find him!? By was she running at him full speed!? Think, think, think!

There was only one thing for it! He would very bravely..!

RUN AWAY!

He thrust the book into Shaun's hands and barged past him into his room. There had to be somewhere he could hide in here! Liiike... The cupboard! He threw himself in and shut it behind him! Ha-ha! Catch me now, Miss Death by Double-D's!

In his haste, however, he had dropped someone quite important. Fang now sat in the hallway, ready to be picked up by anyone who needed to get some leverage over the boy. Like, for example, a woman who wants to give him a hug but he's hiding from her..

@Ariamis@Vocab@FantasyChic

“I hope Telling Mondatta about this was the right thing to do.”

There was a lot going on in the break room, but Shona was able to keep up with most of it. It was a shame that everyone wasn't more supportive of Mondatta's speech. At least there were still positive voices like Kara and Cyrus. Maybe even Ice would be more supportive if he could see everyone trying to help him out.

The knight looked at the bottle that had been left in her care. Bottle was probably the wrong word, it was almost as big as a keg. Its contents would last quite a while... usually. A shame Mary didn't want to stick around. With an exception to Davis and Cyrus, Shona hadn't had a chance to speak in length with anyone. Calvin had shown some interest in drinking with her, but looked like he was tied up with Cyrus at the moment. Shona decided the best thing to do was to take a table and set up a few glasses. Surely someone, if not calvin, would join her for breakfast soon.

---

Davis's room was filled with gilded tools of conquest. His room didn't have a single decoration that Davis himself hadn't brought with him. The infinite Conquest was very serious about his title, and liked to be surrounded by his treasures. Each one was a purchase made after one of his many victories. He purchased a golden crossbow after he won a national archery competition in Spain. He purchased himself a shield after he won a jungle survival contest. Davis even purchased a pair of golden boots to remind himself of a beauty competition. The feat was more impressive in his eyes because it was intended for female participants. The only thing in his room that wasn't coated in gold (or made to look like gold) was a very ordinary looking chest. It had a metal frame with wooden walls, and was locked tight. He hadn't put his tie back on, and had actually removed his shirt and undershirt in an attempt to get dressed. But he got caught up staring at the ugly chest.

A knock at the door, followed by Mondatta's voice. Or at least the voice of that armor.

“Great. Guess you can't even count on an infinite knight to keep her mouth shut.” Davis stood up and opened the door. “Come on, get in.” Davis waited for the monk to enter before closing the door. “First, I'd like to say that I'm only entertaining this meeting because I know how stubborn you monks are. Secondly...” Davis scratched the hair on his chest. It was thick and unkempt. “...Did you ever find it strange how you were always encouraged to boo the bad guy during live performances?” Davis folded his arms. “ Before the calamity, I think I was nine, my father took me to see an air show. It was a good show. The acting was pretty bad, but they flew around in real planes. They battled by throwing rolls of toilet paper at each other. The concept was amusing, and for kids.” Davis adjusted his footing. “A trick when dealing with kids is to make them be loud, which makes them quiet later. That's why a lot of shows like this encourage energetic responses during certain parts of the show. For this air show, we were asked to clap for the hero and boo the villain.” Davis chuckled. “I mean sure, the villain wanted to kidnap a dame and force her to marry him, but behind all that we have two people paid to do an air show. Just one is met with praise and another scorn. Does that sound fair to you?” Davis didn't wait for a response. His smile faded and he continued on. “That actually doesn't have anything to do with the current situation. I just wanted to let you know that I too am filled with wisdom that I can impart at any time." Davis fret his brow. "Now what do I have to do to get you to piss off already?”

Calvin listened carefully as everyone spoke. After his previous outburst, he was trying to keep a lower profile. Cyrus’ message was somewhat sensible. Cooperation would be important, but it needed to be forged through the fires of conflict and relationships, not artificially constructed by a bunch of lovey-dovey teens. After he was done talking, Cyrus came towards Calvin, and Calvin leaned his head to the side, indicating he wanted to have the conversation on the side.

“Well everyone, this has been a fucking blast. Guess we’ll be seeing each other every good old morning!” He plastered a dumb grin on his face, and it disappeared with a roll of his eyes. He turned to Cyrus.

”I think this one was meant for you.” In Cyrus hand was some sort of ingot, with a light purple hue to it. ” I give it to you with the same message, though whether or not you decide to take it to heart is up to you.”

“I get what you’re saying, but you gotta understand. These fucking kids, if they go around trying to trust everyone, bad shit can happen. Bad shit happens on a good day, and this may be one of the worst.”

Cyrus handed the ingot to Calvin, and he took a moment to take a deeper look. It was lighter than the average alloy. He held it up to the light, and nearly fainted.

“Holy shit.” He was stunned. It couldn’t be. No fucking way was Killgood handing out shit like this. “Fucking Orichalcum. This is for me?” He looked up at Cyrus, and there were tears in his eyes. “Is it genuine? Do you know? Oh, what am I saying. Of course it is. You can’t replicate the good shit like this.” He was grinning like a madman, and couldn’t control himself. He reached out, and embraced the Infinite Politician.

“I can’t believe it. Thank god you didn’t fucking hand it off to one of the other fuckers. They would have used this thing as a paperweight.” He was glowing. He looked over to Shona, who had laid out several glasses.

“Look. I gotta drink, but you have no idea how much this means to me. I appreciate it man. If you every want some of Ice’s candies, come and get them. He doesn’t need all of them, I’m sure.” He was smiling, but this time it was genuine.

“You should have a drink. It’s early, but what the hell. Today’s a good day, and I don’t think things are going to stay that way for long.” The smile began to fade. “Thanks man. I know we all saw each other’s names, and all that. But, once again, it’s good to meet you. Calvin.” He pulled off one of his gauntlets, and offered his hand.

Regardless of whether Cyrus accompanied him, he walked over to Shona’s table, the grin still on his face. He had the ingot in hand. “Recognize this?” He said, unable to contain himself. He placed it on the table.

“If I had someplace to smelt it, I could maybe- No. I don’t want to get caught up in possibilities when I may never get to use it.” He was a bit sad, and looked at Shona.

“Still, pretty amazing gift.” He pocketed the ingot with great care, and gestured towards the ale. “Mind if I have a drink?”

@BrokenPromise @Melo

Daimyon took a slight detour from the source of the increasing noise to get a better feel around the area. Yesterday he did not even have the chance to explore the, otherwise not too spacious, floor they were on. The rooms—there were more than seventeen as he had seen a few empty rooms on his way, but he has not counted them yet—took up about one third of the entirety and the second largest area was a laundry room. Not a very exciting development. Further prospects were not quite hopeful either: a storehouse, a place for trash and some lockers no one has taken up to using yet. He took some notes on his e-handbook about them nonetheless; it came in handy to know a good deal about the place one was temporarily staying at, even if it was mundane.

In the end Daimyon was only confirmed in his belief that the people were what would make this experience worthwhile...or at least bearable. He entered the break room and felt reinvigorated, if a bit overwhelmed right away. Almost everyone was present; some chatted, others drank, a few were still trying to find their place in the bustle. He gave a wave and a quick hello to the robotic monk Mondatta who walked past him and out of the room. He could feel the resolve radiating off the old man—at least he hoped it was resolve, not actual radiation—and hoped he would succeed in whatever he has just set out to do.

Once he was firmly inside and immersed in the atmosphere, something that was very important for artists, he surveyed the gathered people more throughoutly. He saw Cyrus, technically his oldest acquaintance among the Infinites, just stepping off some makeshift podium and making his way to...Calvin, yes. Calvin the metal-smith. Daimyon suddenly regret taking so much time exploring the dull floor; he missed what was probably an inspiring speech about the values of unity and how people were meant to come together the strongest in the face of the bleakest crisis. He made a mental note to ask the politician about the details later.

Talking about details, he would have also loved to be made aware of what had happened with Isaiah—a particularly wonderful name with rich history, the poet loved when names were meaningful—who was lying motionless on the ground, attended to by Felix and Rika, who both somehow made it here before Daimyon, and...Krista! Well, she mostly just stood there giggling about something. Another thing to find out. He really did not want to miss out any fun.

He saw a woman whose name he should have also recalled instantly: she was the Infinite Knight in shining armour. She was first quite often: she had the first room in the hallway and Daimyon wrote her name on the top of the list he hastily scribbled down in the elevator shortly after waking up. And somehow, he has not managed to slip a word in with her yet and seemed to even forget her name in the heat of the moment. Embarrassing, to say at least. He pulled to the side and opened his notebook to solve the mystery because none of these people deserved to be disrespected like that: Shona Moffett. Shona. Moffett. He would not forget her name again.

In the poet's defence, he had to memorise no less than sixteen names all of a sudden, no small feat when there were hundreds of other variables—his dangerously uncertain future, for example—at play. Still, he had been through worse. One of his poems gave a humorous account of that one time a good couple years ago when he was part of a (very much alive) poets' society where people addressed each other by their pen names. Now that was madness. Instead of sticking to their names or at least parts or variations of it like Daimyon did, many of these aspiring artists chose names longer than the title of a king. That or they went for abstract terms—like ‘Revelation’ or ‘The Seeker’—which fit a spaceship more than a person. And the lengths they would go to explain the sheer brilliance and depth of their decision to go in the writing world as ‘Poppyseed’...

He lasted for a month.

So yes, he could consider himself lucky now. With that positive thought in mind, he chose one of the many goals he put up for himself for today—most of which were attempts to get back in the loop on everything—and approached the people around the downed Isaiah.

“Well that doesn't look healthy.”
He crouched down to the man for a quick examination. His chest was moving up and down slowly, which meant his breathing was stable. Daimyon took a bandaged arm and put his finger on the inside of the wrist to check for a pulse, which was also there. Thus concluded his first-aid knowledge. Nevertheless, he liked to feel useful for reasons other than entertainment, so he once again took every small victory he could take.
“What happened?” He turned to the others with the inquiry he has been wanting to make from the moment he spotted the scene.

“Oh and, Krista. I...couldn't finish my introduction the last time, so I'm here to make up for my little crime. I'm Daimyon and it's a pleasure to meet you!” He smiled at her. Perhaps the current situation was not the best occasion for this, but he did not want to leave matters unfinished, even if they were as small as introductions. “Before I forget...do you still have your violin with you?”

“Of course you can drink, Calvin.” Shona seated herself at the table. “Anyone who would like a refresher is welcome to it. It wouldn't be very good if I tried to finish it by myself.” The knight managed to say that without cracking a smile. She turned her attention to Quill. “It is customary to offer your own name before asking another for theirs. If you want to get to know people better, you need only tell them about yourself. Like so...” Shona took a sip of her ale. It was a bit sweet for an ale, but it still had a strong flavor that made it impossible to chug. That was just the way she liked them. The knight pushed away the glass and continued her story. “We were all scouted by Infinity Initiative at some point. Someone was, unbeknown to us, tracking our movements and accomplishments. This story is about the day Dexter, my recruiter, confronted me. It was during a renaissance festival in France. As it is the birth place of Joan of Arc, there was a lot of exitement to see a reknown reinactor like myself participating in the event. Of course in armor, you could hardly tell if I was a woman or a man.” Shona looked down at herself before lifting her head back up again. “I wasn't wearing this clearly. Real armor covers the body more compleatly, and isn't designed to exagerate a woman's curves.” She sighed before continuing. “Something else you should know is that I wasn't the only woman in the group. I believe her name was Tonya. She put in a lot of training, but she was still new to a lot of things. This would be her first live jousting contest against a real opponent, which was me. It was noon, and I was fully armored and mounted on my steed. Tonya's crew was a bit slower. She was very pretty, which I suspect slowed her squire down.” Shona sat up a bit straighter and placed her hands on the edge of the table. “When they had her fully armored, they dropped the flag and we charged each other. Tonya made a valiant effort, but I had every advantage over her from hight to skill. I threw her from her horse on the first blow, and this is when Dexter first appeared before me.” the corners of Shona's lips were flexing. She really didn't want to smile. “He immidiately pulled off Tonya's helmet, asking her over and over again if she was alright. She was of course. It was a clean fall, and the leather padding inside the armor works pretty well to dampen a fall. But he was so mad! He hounded me. 'how could you?' he said over and over again. 'how could you do this to such a talented young woman?' I wanted to speak up, but he gave me no room to interject. Finally he told me that I had no right to call myself a man. To which I removed my helmet. He nearly fell over in suprise.” The knight grinned as she reached for her glass. “Aparently he forgot my name, and was asking everyone where the 'woman knight' was. Because I was already in armor, everyone thought he was talking about Tonya. Once I was off my horse, Dexter told me that he had been folowing my exploits, but had never actually seen a picture of me. He asked me if I'd be interested in joining Infinity initiative, and I said yes. The rest, as they say, is history.” Shona took another sip of her ale. It seemed to get better the longer it was exposed to the fresh air. “I'm going to finish my drink and start exploring the resort later. In the meantime though, does anyone else want to share a tale?” She eyed Ice. “If you need help moving him back to his room, I am willing to assist.”

Krista's efforts to lighten the mood worked like a charm on Felix, and he already liked Krista's attitude, They would get along just fine. When Felix looked up, he put a satisfied smile on his face; everyone was getting all cozy and friendly with each other and that makes him feel comfortable. A few were even starting to drink. The only problem was that there was an unconscious man in the middle of all of it, supposedly named Ice. Instead of taking him to his room, Rika and Krista seated him in a chair. Did they expect Ice to just sit there until he wakes up? Mondatta gave Felix the task of taking care of Ice, and Felix would probably have done so without the order anyway. So when Daimyon and Krista began their conversation, Felix had to say something.

“I don’t mean to interrupt your introductions…” He pointed at Ice, “but I don’t think putting ice in a chair will really help him, will it? I don’t mind taking him to his room, but it’d be easier with more people. And it’s not like you can’t talk while we are bringing him to his room anyway. Hold on a sec…” Felix walked towards the mini fridge and grabbed a few sandwiches to stuff in his wide pockets. He then returned with a big smile on his face. “I brought enough food for any who wish to join me cause I want to explore the hospital once I’ve taken care of ice. And I’m sure he would want a snack once he wakes up, and so do I.”

@Aewin @Mateotis @Spriggs27 @AimeChambers

Rika watched as some of the others began drinking together and she let out a soundless sigh as she stared at them, she even heard one of the guys talking about stealing some of Ice's candies that he kept." Theft can lead to 12 months in prison or up to three years depending on the cost of the item." She played a tape at one of them only for them to probably not hear it. The mummy looked away from the growing crowd of drunkards who thought drinking instead of working together was the best idea Rika awkwardly stood still staring at the group before Daimyon walked over to the now seated Ice, the poet began doing his best to see if Ice was still alive, the man examined Ice's chest then took one of Ice's arms to see if he had a pulse.

After checking his vitals, Rika held up her cassette play with a fresh tape inside the device." The cause of unconsciousness, falling." She stopped then fast forward the tape." Face first." The voice coming from the player was an assertive female voice, similar to the one that spoke of Rika's disability. When Daimyon changed his attention onto Krista, Rika sat on the floor of the room wondering what she could do next, but then it almost seemed to be thrown at her when Felix began talking about how they can't leave Ice in a chair to wake up overtime. The mummy grabbed Ice's legs and dragged him out of his chair, just getting him onto the floor took a lot out of the heavily bandaged girl, despite the guy being thin, Rika didn't have the muscles to drag a near thirty-year-old man down a hallway and around a corner without sweating into her bandages, and having them slip off her body.

When Felix grabbed some sandwiches and had one in his hand, Rika dropped Ice's legs and rushed over to him and snagged a sandwich from him without asking. The mummy moved the bandages from around her mouth revealing her pale lips and the damaged skin at the corner of her mouth from her past injury, Rika sunk her teeth into the sandwich chowing down and finishing it before Felix could probably ask for it back or comment on how fast she took it. Once she finished the off the food, she went back to attempting to drag Ice out of the room and held up her cassette player once again." Assistance is required when moving heavy objects." A processed voice spoke from the device as she pointed to her thin arm."Fourth degree burns ruin muscles and bones." The processed voice continued.

@Aewin@addamas@Mateotis@AimeChambers

His panic was the first sign the boy was out of it. Had he already forgotten that they had been introduced to each orther by Dr Killgood less than twenty four hours ago? If that were true, it was pretty remarkable; to be able to forget something truely scary - especially considering how much the mechanised bear seemed to know about his unwilling "participants".

As he went to open his mouth and explain, shouting caem from down the hall. Shaun turned to look, spotting Mary impersonating Road Runner - and headed straight for the Trap himself. Without a moments notice, his hands were wrapped around an interesting looking book, and he was spun in a circle from the force exerted by Caora as he bolted.

Glancing back down the hall once more, Mary was steadily gaining on the room - likely furious that her precious... "Cookie"... Would ever abandon her. Looking down in a sigh, Shaun spotted the little stuffed animal the boy had been carrying. He couldn't leave it out there, on its own... Mary would steal it and use it for ransom!

Knowledge in hand, he quickly snatched up the stuffed sheep and turned on a dime - shutting the door behind him as he ran into the room.
"U-um, Caora... I have your Sheep... I-if you come out, I-I'll give it back to you. A-and the book..!" now he was using it for ransom... Great. Where did he even go?! There weren't many places that could easily fit a person, but considering his height... At the very least, they were safe from Mary. For a streamer, she was stupidly fast - though maybe he was just stereotyping. But with those melons?! There was no way she could move that quickly! Was the power of the Trap truly so compelling..?

Perhaps soon he would find out...

"Cookieee!" Mary screamed out as she saw him burst into the room of someone else, and saw that it was Shaun, who snatched his teddy bear before also running in. Mary was so shocked by this sudden turn of events that she didn't realize she was still running straight for the door. She attempted to stop, but her heels simply skidded across the floor, and with a resounding thud she collided with the door.

"Owww..." She groaned as she touched her forehead, and found that she managed to hit face first: her bumpers absorbed most of the impact, but now she was sore all over. "Oh Cookie...Such a shy little boy..." She hummed to herself as she picked herself up. "I guess I'll have to catch you next time, then~" Then she thought: But I wonder...Are him and Sho-Sho friends? Hmm, this could be troublesome...Nah. Sho-Sho's not gonna be any trouble, that's for sure~ She went closer to the door and loudly declared: "No need to be scared Cookie... MaryPie just wanted a huggywuggy! I'll see you later~" Having said that, Mary left the area, walking back towards the break room and find someone else to 'befriend'.

---

Mondatta took a glance around the room once he entered the room, glancing at the various trophies. "I appreciate your offering of prajna, or wisdom, but that is not why I am here. I don't see any reason for you to stay in here; such cowardly behavior is not what I imagined of the man of a countless victories. If you choose to stay, I will mend your spirit by reciting the Mahayana Sutras; a long session of prayer helps anyone who has become lost."

“Is that what you think?' Davis grit his teeth, letting out a low growl that seemed to weaken over time. It eventually became a sigh with a tilt of his head. The once proud conqueror was looking between his feet. “I'm afraid most people view me as a coward. They say my talent is nothing more than manipulation. But enough about that.” When Davis lifted his head again, the anger in his face had left. “What do you mean you don't see a reason to stay in here? Shona told you right? I'm the reason everyone's in this mess.”

The monk's eyelights blinked. "How is that so? Are you affiliated with the people who have captured us?"

"I guess I should tell the full story to someone. It was during anger management...” Davis placed his hands on his hips. “One of the other infinites said I didn't have real talent. I was able to keep it in, but they kept hounding me, all of them. I was very angry when I left.” Another sigh escaped his lips. “I remember getting an unknown text, daring me to mess with the patients attending the anger management course. I just had to lower security so that I could go into their rooms. All I had to do was get the camera watching guys to leave the surveillance room. It was easy, I just got them some donuts and filled them with laxatives. Then I had a hot little number carry them in to them. It's a trick I've employed in the past, and it worked pretty good this time too. I was able to lift the surveillance room keys off of them as they came out to do their business.” Davis momentarily smiled, but it faded as he continued recounting the event. “With them gone, and the recording devices turned off, I knew I was free to do as I pleased. I didn't know what I was going to do yet, but I was walking towards their rooms. Those infinites were going to pay for mocking me. I don't even think it was five minutes before a smoke bomb was thrown at me. I remember it hitting me in the back. When I turned around the hallway was filling up with smoke. There were some punks with gas masks on.” Davis shuddered. “I know it was me. They sent me that text to get me to lower security just long enough for them to take over. And you know what the funny part is? Those other infinites that were arguing with me aren't here. I bet they set me up right from the start!” Davis lowered his head again. "But I was still an instrument in all this. Not really a good position to be in during a 'killing game' is it?"

Mondatta continued standing still, and simply sighed at the reveal that would have shocked any other person. He clasped his hands together, and then said: "That does explain how a renowned place of restoration such as this one was turned into a mockery of it's true purpose." He moved closer and placed his hand over his shoulder. "You are not to blame for this, as you did not know this would happen.
I am grateful you confessed of your "karma", and in return I won't speak a word of it to anyone else; building trust is the first step on the path of unity. However, I encourage you to not keep it a secret, and confess to the others as well."

“W-what!?” Davis's eyes were as wide as saucers. “Are you bar. Fucking. Mad? I would kill me for this even if it didn't grant escape!” The conqueror stepped away from the monk and took hold of his own head. “W-why? Why tell anyone about this? I mean aside from the fact that Shona...” His hands fell to his sides. “Oh god, why did I tell her anything?” Davis shook his head. “A-anyway, wouldn't telling everyone just make them even angrier with me? Isn't keeping quiet more the monk thing to do because it keeps everyone at peace?”

"True harmony comes from unity unclouded by lies and deceit." Mondatta turned towards the door. "You must choose your path on your own. Goodbye." The monk then left, the sound of heavy steps disappearing into the corridors.

“Wha? Hey wait!” Davis dug into his pants pocket and pulled out the prayer beads. But before he could say anything, the monk had already left. “I had something, for... Well, shit!” The infinite conqueror promptly started getting dressed.

Mondatta returned back to the break room with the palms of his hands together, quietly reciting a mantra that sounded like a curse due to his distorted, unnatural voice. He then stopped it, and put his hands to his sides, looking at Shona. "I just spoke with Mister Davis; he is currently searching for himself, but he should join with us in a short time. For now, I suggest we search this area, and share of our discoveries back here in the afternoon. If anyone wishes to join me, I would appreciate the company." With that said, he slowly, but surely, stepped forth towards the F1 Resort, picking the room labeled Study.

@Vocab@BrokenPromise@Brithwyr

Cyrus followed Calvin to the side, nodding as he talked. ”Don’t see it as if you’re being forced to stick to us, see it as a chance for a breakfast made by our fellow infinites. I am actually quite interested in Mason’s coffee.” He responded before handing the ingot. ”I don’t entirely disagree, hence why I don’t suggest blind trust. Trust and cooperation must be tampered with caution and time, but we can’t go around suspecting each other at every move, we’ll go paranoid.” He was sure Calvin didn’t really dislike the rest, and it was quite natural to be on edge. He had to admit the… calmth some of the others were showing had him slightly worried as well. A blindly trusting victim is, indeed, an easy victim.

He showed the smith a charismatic grin as he could see how happy he was with his present. Though he was somewhat surprised by his sudden hug.”I don’t know more about metals than the basics, the economical matters and stuff.” He replied. ”But I am happy I convinced you in my ability to give a rare ingot to a metalworker.” He chuckled a little. ”It’s good to see you like it.”

He nodded in agreement to Shona and Calvin for a drink. ”It’s good to meet you as well. The name is Cyrus Brandon.” He said and accepted his hand. Then, he too joined Shona.

He listened diligently with drink in hand as he listened to Shona’s story. ”Well, if we’re sharing our infinity initiative stories… Cyrus said, rubbing his chin a little as he formulated his story. ”I think I was fifteen maybe? I was working as an advisor with a group that tried restore the government of the states, shortly after the tragedy…” He started. ”We were doing rather well, and I used the policy plan and experience from there to publish a paper on post-apocalyptic policy processes. It’s one of the papers that is currently used as a guideline for the reformation of governments and governmental institutes.” He then smirked. ”My scout sought me out based on the name and address in that paper… let’s say I never saw someone’s jaw drop so quickly as him when he learned of my age.”

After his story was finished, he announced that he would like to join the exploration as well, just in time for Mondatta to walk in. ”I think I will join you to the first floor, there is a place I want to check out there. He told the monk and joined him upstairs. Instead of the study, however, Cyrus stopped at the mono stands that they had previously passed by on their way to the theater. He had a feeling the coin Monokuma had given him would work on these slot machines. Cyrus picked one of the coin machines and put the coin In it, interested In what would come out.

“I see.” Daimyon nodded, listening attentively as Krista summarised the happenings in the busy break room while he was away on his little exploration. “Thank ye. I agree with him, fully. So long as we give these gifts away with a kind heart, we have nothing to worry!”

Pleasant exchange this was, even when the topic at hand was heavy. The poet has never seriously believed any of his fellows would be driven to take the sacred life of another because of simple gifts. He quickly suppressed any thought that suggested otherwise—his mind was dangerous to let loose, in a way that it had a tendency to imagine the absolute craziest scenarios in any given situation—and instead let out a short chuckle at the violinist's wordplay.

“I don't know how our dear doctor thinks we'll get in trouble because of these little things... He must have an extensive imagination, though I guess it's not surprising. He's the mastermind, after all.”
Right back at cha, Krista.

He made a mental note to up his pun-game because they had a champion in town, and Daimyon would not take any contender to his mastery of words. He was already wondering how he would organise the championship round where they would face off with wit so sharp it could cut steel, to standing ovation from the other Infinites. They would stand in a circle in tense silence, waiting for the two contenders to finally drop their final bars and end the other's whole career (even though neither of them were rappers).
Krista's answer to his second, more important question ended the silly train of thought.

“Ah, yes! I merely asked because my gift,” he did an elegant hand motion that accompanied a quick bow, “is for you.”
This would have all been that much more effective if he actually had the violin care package with him and did not forget it in his room. Not like he let such small discrepancies get him down as he recovered swiftly.
“I'll bring it here right away...” He turned, only to see Rika desperately tugging away at Isaiah's inert mass at one side and Felix approaching with a plate of sandwiches and a similar suggestion from the other. There were, as always, more pressing matters to attend to. “...as soon as we get him out of here. Thanks for the pick-me-up, my friend.”
He took a sandwich from the plate and ate it in a few quick bites. Not his style as he liked to savour the taste usually, but the urgency did not allow him for that.

“Well then! I propose the following: I and Felix carry our downed friend to his room. Krista, you bring the food. Rika, you bring the cassette player.”

He sprung to action quickly, hoping to make up for his earlier fumbles. Approaching the situation however needed some care as the man was full of bandages and of potentially considerable weight. Daimyon had no idea how many of those sheets covered recent scars—and just lifting him up through his arms or whatever he found easiest had the risk of waking him with an extremely painful sensation. This would have...

A) Made Isaiah pretty mad
B) Made the poet drop him, causing even more pain and another potential blackout

Rinse and repeat the cycle of pain and clumsiness. Daimyon looked at Felix with a puzzled look. Perhaps the Infinite Free Runner had a better idea on how joints and limbs worked and in which shape they were safe to be bent...

After some trouble—which fortunately did not include any iterations of said cycle—, they managed to lift the blood donor up and carefully move out of the break room with him. The two girls were close behind.

“Ugh...” Daimyon grunted every now and then. He was no muscle man, even though sharing the weight with the athlete made the ordeal easier. “We're almost there, right? Let's plan ahead. Where do we want to go from here?”

Calvin took a sip of the ale, and swished it around in his mouth for a second. It was certainly high-quality, and he nodded appreciatively as he held the drink in his hand. He listened quietly while Shona launched into her tale, but was shocked at the lengths the Infinity Initiative had gone to track her. There was something off about that organization, but Calvin was still thankful for them. Much like many of the talents here, his was a dying art. He would not have been able to hone his craft without them.

Cyrus’s story was equally impressive. “I’ve heard about that paper! My sister was a buff on that stuff.” He took a gulp of the ale, and scowled a bit. “It’s a sipper.” He realized that eyes were on him.

“So. Infinity Initiative.” He put down his drink for a moment. “Back when I was starting up, I just was using a makeshift forge I had set up outside of my house. Wasn’t anything special, but it did the job. Needed money to pay for all my shit, so I began to take commissions. Some lady named Theresa came by my forge one day. I’d never met her before. Asked for a statue, and I’m not a huge fan of that stuff, but the pay was good so I took it up.”

“Worked on it for a few days, and when she came back, she was impressed. I’m pretty fast at that shit. Told me she was working for the Infinity Initiative. Wanted me in it. I initially told her to fuck off. But she was uh-“ He took a pause mid-sentence to drink. “She had some persuasive arguments. Plus, my sister thought it was the coolest thing in the world when I told her.”

Flashes of bloody bodies went through Calvin’s mind. He shook his head. “Those guys know what they’re doing. Don’t know how, but they’re keeping an eye on everything.” An uncomfortable thought went through his head.

“Fuck. Me.” He stood up, slamming his drink on the table. “What if they’ve set this up? The Infinity Initiative?” His eyes were wide, and he looked at Shona and Cyrus. “They’re obsessed with us hitting our full potential. What if this is some joke? Some fucked-up way of pushing us?” Breathing heavily, he finished the rest of his drunk in one gulp. “Fuck!" He wanted to throw his glass at the wall, but settled on pacing instead.

After a moment, Mondatta entered. Calvin needed anything to distract himself with, and the opportunity to explore the rest of the resort was compelling. He felt his stomach clench up, and turned to Mondatta. “I’ll come, but I think I’ll check out the ER.” It was an easy excuse to check out the crematorium, provided no one came along.

Shona listened to Cyrus's tale. “You can certainly tell you were involved with things at a young age. It surprises me how easy it is to shock the recruiters. Of course things could have changed since we were recruited. Infinity Initiative is no longer a fledgeling organization.” Calvin had an interesting story as well. He ended it by adressing the possibility that the organization had set them up. “Cyrus had some thoughts about that as well. It's certainly not a possibility we should rule out, but I think it's a bit early to draw such a conclusion.” Shortly afterward, Mondatta arrived to tell Shona the news about Davis as well as his idea for an afternoon regroup. “That is good news, and a sound plan as well. I'll accompany you.” Shona stood up and turned towards Calvin. “I would like to speak to you at a later time. If it's not too late, maybe I'll catch you around the ER room before returning here.” Before Shona could follow Cyrus and Mondatta, Mary walked into the break room. “Oh!” Shona looked genuinely surprised. “I'm sorry, if I knew you were going to return I would have waited to drink with you.” The knight gave an apologetic nod. “Let's reschedule for the afternoon. Hopefully more people will be up for drinking then. Alright?” Shona started to walk after the monk and politician.

---

“Ugh...”

Davis might have been dressed now, but his situation wasn't favorable. Now Shona, the monk, and everyone else Shona talked to would likely be trying to kill him. Well, Shona seemed a little miffed about it, but he was quite sure Mondatta wouldn't do anything to hurt him. So long as he spilled his guts to everyone else that is. Perfection had watched his fair share of martial art movies and knew monks could get violent if you did something bad enough. It really didn't matter though. In telling Mondatta his story, Davis knew it was only a matter of time before that stupid bear told everyone. However, telling everyone at once seemed like a bad idea. He needed to address this the right way.

When Davis opened the door and looked down the hall, he could see Cyrus and Mondatta walking towards the resort wing. He wondered if Cyrus knew already...

“Davis?”

Alarmed, Davis spun around, banging his head on the door frame. “You Cuhhh-couldn’t have have maybe warned me sooner?”

Shona blinked. “We're about six feet apart. This is what most consider a comfortable conversation distance with strangers.”

The conqueror stood up and dusted himself off. “What do you want?”

“I just wanted to tell you that I'm sorry I didn't speak with you earlier, but I'm very happy that you're not locking yourself away.”

It was nice to receive praise from the knight for a change. He wasn't entirely sure if she was capable of expressing humility. “Well, you're forgiven.” Davis leaned against the frame of the door and folded his arms. “Did he tell you any of the specifics?”

The knight just shook her head. “I have no idea what you told him, only that Mondatta said you would be coming out soon.” Her eyes locked with the conqueror's “Davis, I'm not sure how responsible you really are for our situation, but Mondatta and Cyrus both felt that a reasonable amount of cooperation will be necessary for everyone's survival. I'm aware your talent makes you distrust others, but cooperation can benefit everyone, especially you.”

Davis gave Shona a sideways glance. “I called the TP girl something bad.”

“Rika? You called her...”

“The C word.”

The knight groaned. “Just do what you can to make sure you don't make any more enemies. I'm sure it's not too late to apologize.”

“Yea, I'm not doing that. She-”

“Honestly Davis, I don't care.”

“Hey! You didn't let me finish!”

“Because I knew it wasn't worth listening to.”

“Come on!” Davis growled. “You know you could have talked to me about the stupid bear's regulations. Why did you go talk to the damn politician?”

Shona sighed. “Because while you were my first choice, he continues to display more humility and a willingness to work with others.”

“...What?”

“I have more pressing matters than your ego Davis. I hope you join everyone for our afternoon get together in the break room.” Shona walked away.

Humility huh? A willingness to work with others? These certainly weren't typically Davis's style, but he could do them. He was infinite conquest after all. If he put his mind to it, Davis could be more humble than the pope. He would show her, he'd show everyone just how much team spirit he really had. Mostly because Davis knew it would be the key to making sure nobody wanted to kill him.

---

Shona and Mondatta both entered the study at the same time. It was true to its name in that there were a lot of books and a desk to study at. However it was clearly not a private office. One of the desks was tall enough to be used as a counter top, and had a cash register on top of it. This place had never been a study, but was a bookstore themed after a study. Or at least that was the most logical conclusion. There wasn't a lot of signage on the outside of the room, but it was possible that all of that had been taken down.

“Curious...”

Strangest of all was perhaps the large vault that spanned the entire length of the wall. It looked quite durable, and there didn't seem to be any way to open it. A glance at the map showed that there was a room of near equal size on the other side. It seemed pointless to try and open the vault, so Shona moved her attention to looking at the rows and rows of books. The knight would occasionally pull out something that caught her interest. Most of which pertained to her own interests and possibly the interests of others in the group.

---

Davis had wandered into the break room and puffed out his chest. Oh yes, he was going to make so many friends today! He could just feel it. Everyone ignored him, but not this time. They would have no choice but to succumb to his friendly nature. The woman, and some of the men, would likely be fighting for his attention once he was done. Okay, that was enough pumping up the ol' self-esteem. It was time to rock.

“Hey there handsome.” Davis put his arm around Mason's shoulder. “As the two best looking guys in this room, what say we blow this popcorn stand?” After an uncomfortable amount of time passed, Davis nodded. “No homo.” He added before releasing Mason and approaching Quill. “Well, clearly I've died and gone to heaven.” Davis pulled the prayer beads out of his sleeve. “Because you, are clearly an angel. This bracelet with thoughtful inscriptions is clearly for you. Someone who's beauty can invoke the same level of mental clarity.” He gently curled her fingers over the beads. “Or wear it as a necklace. You look like a smart girl.” Davis turned around to look at Mary. “Well, I just got a lot more interested in videogames. Hold on a sec...” Perfection took a picture of Mary with his E-handbook. “Ah, the resolution still doesn't quite catch the glamor of the real thing... but it's close.” Davis then approached Kara and Aleecia. “My goodness.” He knelt down beside them and placed his hand on their shoulders. “God wouldn't dare curse a graceful creature like you with blindness. Clearly your eyes were overwhelmed by how adorable this little girl is.” He patted Kara on the head. “That, or they simply couldn't take how enchanting your reflection was.” She really was blind. Hmmmm. Davis considered his beauty to be one of his better features, but maybe she would like him moreif she didn't know his exact age. “Oh.” He had just noticed Calvin. “You're not too bad either, hammer boy. No homo of course.” Davis cracked his knuckles and started to walk towards the door. “So yea, I'm surrounded by a lot of attractive faces. I plan on checking out the Hospital. Specifically the neurology room.” He scratched the back of his head. “I don't suppose anyone wants to accompany me on my little adventure, do they?” Perfection used his thumb to pop out a button on his shirt, further revealing the extent of his untamed chest hair. Davis's grin was so broad, he had to close his eyes.

@Katakon@Ariamis@Pudding@FantasyChic@AimeChambers@ThatCharacter@Melo

It took Caora a solid minute to work out uust what he had done wrong. The logoc was long winded and fraught with errors, but I'll break it down.

1) He left his only companion outside.
2) He had backed himself into a corner with no means of escape
3) He was hidden in enemy territory, rather than somewhere safe.

So it was hard to feel like he hadnt, as you say, "dun goofed". Poor creature was having a mild panic attack.

"Oh gosh..." he whispered to himself. "Oh gosh, oh gosh, oh gosh..."

Wait, what was he doing!? He couldnt afford to hide away! He needed to show his bravery and stand his ground like a man!
And face a slow, painful death by suffocation...
Yeah, on second thoughts, the cupboard wasn't that bad. It was warm and dry and had some... Interesting articles of clothing. Look, this one had a moth-hole! And this one had a funny pattern and this one...

"U-um, Caora... I have your Sheep... I-if you come out, I-I'll give it back to you. A-and the book..!"

That monster! He had Fang! H-he had to save him! Failure was not an option!

Caora burst out of the cupboard with a flourish. "GIVE HIM BACK, YOU BIG, DUMB MEANIE!!!"

Unfortunately for the trap, he snagged himself on a stray jumper. Instead of pulling a Big Damn Hero moment like he wanted, he stumbled and fell flat on his face.

From his place on the floor, he looked up at Shaun with a frowny face. Much like his Super Serious face, his Frowny Face was not his regular Frowny Face, but a Super Frowny Face. Fang being taken certainly warranted a Super Frowny moment. What was the difference between Frownh and Super Frowny? Well, the Super Frowny face had a little frowny pout as well as angry eyes. It was the physical equivalent of your dad saying "I'm not angry, I'm just disappointed" - you knew he was angry, but he was trying to pass it off as being upset.

"Mr Spider." he began. "You will unhand my stalwart companion, then you will escort me to the Break Room, where you will stand trial for being the Culprit of the Mystery of the Super Mysteriously Mysterious Book."

Nailed it!

@Vocab

A lot was going on. Many voices spoke, gifts handed out, and opinions given. She didn't quite know what to say, which was a first in her life. She was hoping that the others would start introducing themselves first, given that they should know who she is. She heard a few names given, so at least she could put names to faces now. She still held on to her own gift, unsure of who would like it. She'd have to talk in further detail later.

The Infinite Knight walked up and talked to her, expecting her to say her name first. She was a bit miffed that it seemed Shona didn't know who she was. They would have seen each other before, after all, but she let it slide. She smiled with the award-winning mouth she had, "Fair enough. I expected people would know me already, but for those that don't, the name is Quill Kennedy. Now, that's out of the way." she said in an almost flippant matter.

Davis was quite the flirt, it seemed, going to both men and women with advances. She took the beads he offered with a small grin. She wasn't sure it was the right gift for her, but she accepted it none the less. If anything, she could re-gift it for bonus points. Is that how it worked here? Regardless, Davis mentioned going somewhere else and she didn't want to sit here anymore than she had to, so she stood up and followed him, "I'm game for a little adventure. Lead on, pretty boy."

As the mummy made vain attempts to move Ice's limp body to his room, she soon gave up on her attempts when one of the boys decided to help, Daimyon first gave Krista a violin, it must've been the gift that she needed to get from someone. After some thought, Rika wondered if anyone would give her a gift anytime soon, then the poet came over to take over for the mummy saying for her to get the cassette player even though she already had it.

After hearing that Felix would be helping with carrying Ice, Rika took the tray that the parkour runner had stolen from somewhere in the break room and claimed it for herself. While Rika had the tray in her hands, she quickly put the platter onto her head balancing it almost flawlessly, but on occasions, she would put a hand up to catch it. While they all walked out of the break room with their new unconscious body and a stolen food tray with several snacks, Krista began introducing herself to Rika, telling her full name and showing off what she does, playing violins.

If she remembered correctly the black and white bear said that Krista probably was simple. Rika stared at her for a long second almost to the point where it got awkward then lifted her cassette player filled hand up." Hello, I am Rika. Professional burn victim." It played in a processed voice, then rewound and played."It was nice meeting you. Please watch your step as you exit the shuttle, Doors are closing." Several voices played one after the other all with the same feminine voice.

After making the situation probably more awkward, Rika managed to pop in a different tape." Rika Roux is a constant visitor of Axis Mundi and knows several different chemical compounds and materials that burn and harm human beings, her infinite is Firebug." An authoritative man's voice spoke from the cassette player. Rika hit the pause button then began to zone out thinking about her mother for the first time she was here, even though she wasn't here for more than a single night, she surprised herself by gaining some form of concern for her mother, the mummy expected to see her mother pop up from around some corner and say she was paying these people to be her friend her or this was some kind of really weird social experiment.

Another part of Rika was beginning to think that her mother would soon call her and say that she loved her for the millionth time. Rika let out a silent sigh before memories of her mother coddling her filled her head. But before it could get worse, Krista's babbling about finding a music room in a hospital broke Rika away from her thoughts, if she didn't have her bandages she'd give Krista a kiss, but then she probably wouldn't be here, to begin with, she simply thanked Krista by holding up her cassette player." Thank you for." She abruptly stopped and did a quick fast forward." Disturbing the quiet zone, please enjoy your flight." The mummy thanked the violinist for what seemed like nothing at all.

While Felix was walking back towards the group, he noticed Rika struggling to drag Ice across the room. Obviously they listened to what he said which made him smile, it’s always good when people can take advice from each other. Felix’s eyes scanned the room and he saw the start of groups forming up, and that was a good sign. Being alone at a time like this could be fatal.

When he looked at the plate again, he noticed the disappearance of a sandwich which surprised him. Looking at Rika showed him where his sandwich went, apparently Rika had the stealth skills of an assassin…or Felix wasn’t paying attention. Soon after, she asked for help, which he kind of expected already since her body is not in good shape. He felt a bit sorry for her, it must be tough to life like a mummy all day. If Rika ever looked troubled, he was sure to help out. In fact, that goes for everyone. If he was to life and persevere in a place like this, he would need the trust and support of all of the infinites.

Felix was about to help Rika, but as he set one foot forward, Daimyon grabbed a sandwich too. At least he had the courtesy to say thanks, and he offered to help pick up ice so the girls can bring the food. Daimyon probably had good intentions, but he kind of made it look like he said, “let the boys handle it.” which made Felix chuckle, as he knew that females could be a force to be reckoned with.

Felix fully expected Krista to just take a sandwich as well, but was pleasantly surprised for a question first. “That’s what I brought them for, right?” He lightheartedly said as he lowered the plate. With all of the snacks taken care of, he turned to Ice, still awkwardly placed in a chair and he clapped his hands.

“Alright Daimyon, let’s get Ice to his room.” The only thing he hoped was that Ice didn’t wake up while being tugged through the building, that would be awkward. After leaving the break room, Krista introduced herself. It was a standard introduction and it showed pretty much everything that the bear told albeit slightly less diminishing.

after introducing herself, Rika seemed to be lost in thought. He was amazed at how awkward she made a simple introduction. Felix knew that it wasn't her fault, but awkward silences are his weakness, so his face cringed up in a struggle to come up with a topic. but His life was safed just in time by Daimyon and Krista's question and Rika seemed to be thankful as well.

Krista’s answer to Daimyon excited Felix, if there was a music room, than he could retreat there to enjoy his second best hobby, playing the piano. “We should totally search for a music room, although an obstacle course would be even better.” His words sounded like they were jumping of excitement, and if he wasn’t carrying Ice, he would be jumping as well. Maybe it wasn’t the best time to be happy, but in his eyes, being joyful eased almost every situation. “Also, I’ve never played a duet before?” he suggested towards Krista.

Taken a-back by the sudden burst of energy from the young looking chap, Shaun attempted to keep his composure whilst the boy yelled. However, as he exited the cupboard in which so valiantly hid, Caora proceeded to punctuate his tantrum with complete disregard of dignity - and fell forwards at a 90 degree angel, bumping his nose against the floor. Not that it would hurt much, considering his stature in relation to the ground.

As the boy looked up and frowned upon him from the awkward and embarrassing position he found himself it, Shaun regained himself, knelt down, and placed the stuffed toy before him.
"I-I dunno why keep c-calling me Spider..." he said, standing back up before sitting himself down on the bed, "Nor what this... B-book, is..." he turned it over in his hands; reading the blurb and reviews from newspapers and authors alike, "B-but I'll come with you to the br-brake room... I-I need an excuse to g-g-get out of my room, a-anyway..."

From there, he stood - offering a hand to Caora for support standing up in case he had gotten hurt in the fall. Whether he took it or not, he turned and opened the door, and gestured for him to exit first.