Welcome to the Cybernetic Arms Apartments

[Glitch Girl]

(this is a bit of an experiment.  Basically, open up something to a bunch of characters (namely you guys) and see what happens, very free form.  Kinda like Xstream's Apartment if we're lucky.  If not, it just sits here and collects dust.  Anyone can post, as long as they stay in the spirit of the game/setting and don't ruin things for everyone else.  Above all, have fun with it. )

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It is a grand looking building set in the middle of the city*, obviously restored (and less obviously reinforced) to a classic, yet somehow utilitarian design that stretches up a good ten stories. In fact, if you stand on the roof, you can see the Abamdoned Warehouse district from here, and way over there is the wrong side of the tracks, the (dum dum DUUUUM) bad part of town. Despite the retro style though, the building seems to have very modern wiring, wi-fi, and so forth, not to mention decent parking.   
(*- well actually a little off center of the city, since city centers tend to drift over the years.  More like "walking distance from the center of the city at a brisk pace, weather permitting..." but I digress).  

Over the double doored entrance, a sign made of large polished steel letters set reads "Cybernetic Arms Apartments". 

A smaller sign reads "Rooms for Rent, Inquire Within.  Pets Allowed.  Metahumans Welcome (by order of the Equal Housing Administration) Damage Deposit: Yes"

[Alaric]

A figure stands outside the door, reading the sign, holding a suitcase in one hand and a cat carrier in the other.

So here I am... Kicked out of my apartment... And this place is right here... My gut feeling is, I should just keep walking, but maybe I should...



(

In fact, if you stand on the roof, you can see the Abamdoned Warehouse district from here,

I vote we continue to refer to it as "the Abamdoned Warehouse district"!)

[Reepicheep]

A shadowy man with a large sword stands on top of the roof of the building, overlooking the abamdoned warehouse district. He's not sure how he got there, but according to the narration he is there.

[Gremlin]

A short, slender purple man in a jarringly white polo sits behind a desk in the front lobby, fiddling with a pen, the sound of the wi-fi buzzing in his pointed ears. It had been two weeks since he'd started working in the Cybernetics Arms Apartments, and he'd loathed nearly every moment. Still, it was difficult getting work anywhere with his [expletive deleted] appearance. And he got free room and board as long as he stayed, which meant he no longer had to huddle in a dark corner in some abamdoned warehouse.

He saw a man standing inquisitively outside the door and took out the paperwork for an apartment, and the paperwork for pets. Just in case.

[PreRaphaelite]

Meanwhile, a small group led by a haggard and badly aged Tour Guide was bumbling in delight just a few blocks down the road. The Guide, a gnarled woman whose gaunt face and emaciated frame led to a vulture-like appearance, had once been a professional tap dancer before the oft used phrase 'break a leg' took it's toll, leading to her retirement and subsequent career change. Hobbling with the support of a varnished oak cane to the front of a richly clad, highly elaborate building with decorative arabesques finished with gold leaf, she launched into a highly detailed account of Art Nouveau Architecture.

"And as you can see, the figures themselves are redolent of..."

Trundling along at the back of the group, hands fidgeting with every word, a man with an average frame and slightly below average height tries his best to take in the sight of the building.

"The arches are composed of..."

The man is bored. He is very bored. This has been the fifth Art Nouveau building he has seen today. He knows enough about the arches, the figures, the natural beauty of the building. He's leaving.

"Perhaps the best part of the...
Excuse me... Excuse me, Sir. The tour is not yet finished, if you leave now it will be difficult for you to rejoin us la...Sir?"

By the time her last words had been spoken, the man had turned a corner, which universally, and perhaps detrimentally meant he was not going to return.

"Oh bother." She exclaimed, before continuing with her talk.

The man had been walking for several minutes, getting himself quite lost before finally finding a wall to sit upon and relax for a moment. He had been in this city for only a few days, staying with distant relatives whilst trying to find a place to live. The tour was supposed to be a way of getting to know the sites, learn the ropes and, well, explore. Instead it had been rather tedious, and he was ready to call it a day.
Standing up, he started to walk down the road before, inexplicably, and rather loudly sneezing. A little confused, he looks around in bewilderment. Was there a cat nearby? That was what usually led to such volatile sneezes. Removing a tissue from his pocket, he moved to blow his nose before woefully hearing, from around the bend, the distinct voice of the his tedious ex-tour guide.

Arg!

Darting for the nearest building, almost Purist in it's utilitarian design, he ignores the little sign, the strange people - everything - as he darts for the door.
As the group finally turns the corner, the man is (thankfully) gone.

[Glitch Girl]

OOC:

(

In fact, if you stand on the roof, you can see the Abamdoned Warehouse district from here,

I vote we continue to refer to it as "the Abamdoned Warehouse district"!)

A shadowy man with a large sword stands on top of the roof of the building, overlooking the abamdoned warehouse district. He's not sure how he got there, but according to the narration he is there.

And he got free room and board as long as he stayed, which meant he no longer had to huddle in a dark corner in some abamdoned warehouse.

I hate you all. 

--------------------------
In Character:


"Hey watch it! Careful there!"

The man narrowly avoid bumping into... a talking stack of boxes.

No wait, that's not right.

On second glance, it becomes obvious that there's someone behind all those boxes (which are labeled "Kitchen Utensils",  "Towels & Sheets", and "Stuff" in big black marker).   That someone is a young brunette woman in a pale yellow sleeveless shirt and brown pants who seems to be determined to take the whole stack in by herself. 

She staggers over to the business desk in the lobby and the purple person manning it, balances the load on the edge of the table and produces a very folded and slightly mangled set of papers from her back pocket.

"Here's the last of it, Pet fee and contract, room 312 all signed and dated and everything.  Check's in there too -WHOAH!"

She barely manages to catch the top box as it begins to tip.  As she does, the lights in the room flicker briefly.

She freezes, gives a small nervous laugh, and adds "So... um.. I can bring my cat in now, right?  I don't want to leave her in the car long."

[kkhohoho]

A helicopter flies through the blue sky, for hours and hours on end...until it reaches the Abamdoned Warehouse district. It stops, and a moment later, a rather rotund man sporting a white beard is thrown overboard, whereupon the helicopter promptly flies away. However, this man is not ordinary. He is actually a freak of nature, technically speaking. Because of that, he is able to pick himself up, and notices a sign reading "Cybernetic Arms Apartments". Seeing that he's obviously not wanted in what may soon be his old home anymore, he decides that he'll need a new place to stay, and decides that at this point, a questionable apartment is as good as an unquestionable one. Clad in a red Santa suit, a red Santa cap, and black gloves and boots, he moseys into the apartment seeking residence.

[Gremlin]

The purple man winces as the brunette walks in. The wi-fi noise bombarding him, normally merely an irritating whine, rose in volume and pitch, bouncing ecstatically throughout his skull. A pity. She's pretty cute, but that infernal noise!

He looks over the papers, nodding quickly, and scribbles something on a couple sheets.

"Absolutely, ma'am. Looks like it's all in order here. Looks like you're in..." He glances through them again. "312. I can show you there and...er, do you need some help getting your stuff up?" He silently prays for a no, so he can get away from the bizarre noise as soon as possible.

As the man in a Santa outfit walks in the door and beelines for the desk, the purple figure rolls his eyes, breathing a heavy sigh. He picks up a phone to call for some quick aid--but finds it's garbled by static. He frowns at the brunette and presses his finger against the frayed length of wire going to the wall. The line clears. He focuses on the number while he's at it.

"Hello, this is Liam at the front desk. I'm gonna need someone to show a tenant to her apartment. And she's got a cat. And, er, don't send any of the robo-suit guys."

[Alaric]

The figure swallows hard and looks around himself, grounding himself. He takes in the sights around him- the pigeons on the sidewalk, an abamdoned warehouse vaguely peeping out from between some buildings in the distance, a couple waiting to cross the street, the barbarian on the rooftop,  a crushed soda can lying nearby- and comes to a fateful decision. He lifts the suitcase and cat carrier and walks through the door.

He enters the building- a fairly average-looking man wearing a long coat and a hat, pulled down somewhat over his face, hiding his features. Don't know what I'm getting into, here- need to be ready, just in case... A buttoned brown shirt can be seen under the coat, and, strangely, peeping out from under that shirt, a hint of bright green.

He walks up to the front desk, then stops.

Purple. He's... purple.

The hesitation doesn't last long. He smiles, and says, "Hi! Can I get a room?"

From the looks of things, maybe I should have shown up in costume...

[Gremlin]

The purple man sets the phone down off the hook and turns to the figure before him. He looked just a little too average and the hat obscured his face just perfectly between casual and concealment. Probably another cape. There were a lot of those here. The brunette, for instance, had checked the box for "additional storage"--biz lingo for some kind of hidden compartment for equipment and costumes and whatever. 312's was a sliding wall, if he recalled correctly...that opened to a compartment next to the router.

Fantastic.

"Yes, sir, we've got plenty of available rooms." He grabs the forms he'd pulled out and hands them over. "There's a standard rental agreement, and if you have any questions, just let me know." He turns back to the girl. "Sorry about that. Hold on." He puts the phone back to his ear. The sound of static is the only thing he hears, and he sighs as he reaches for the fray again. Today was going to be a long day.

[bearded]

  As the sun set a backdrop , shadows from the tall apartment building slowly covered the abamdoned warehouses.  The weary man, the traveling man, baert, walked with the slow steady pace of one who has traversed a great distance, and knows he has much farther to go.  The sight of the inn gives him pause however.  He rubs his hand over the stubble on his face.  The sword on his back his only razor, maybe it was time to rest for a while.  This would be his hostel, for the moment.
  He steps in, and lets his pack slide to the floor, head down, looking around slowly.

[PreRaphaelite]

The man finds a seat in the lobby, sitting down to recover his startled disposition. Light haired, he was dressed simply in a grey v-neck t-shirt and a pair of straight-legged jeans held up by some thick, black and white striped braces. Nothing can be glimpsed under his shirt, and you'd best not look under anything else either, for your own sanity.

Oh dear. I definitely almost caused an accident. That woman may be a little annoyed. But really, my mind must be playing tricks. Talking boxes? Ha ha ha... Is that man purple?

He sat and stared particularly curiously at the man at the desk. 

I'm just a bit panicked still. I'm sure it's nothing to worry about. Better sit for a bit longer to compose myself

Just sitting and watching, he witnessed the woman/boxes hand over some forms before saying something about a...contract? Literally a few minutes later, the presence of a respectable looking man in a coat and a ...less respectable man in a Santa Suit further peaks his attention. The man in the coat asked the (still purple) man at the desk about a...room?

A santa costume...? a contract...? a room...? This must be an apartment block!... or a bordello... Excellent. Judging from the amount of people here already, this must be prime real estate! The eccentric proves it!

With that, the man makes a winding path to the desk.
Along the way, he travels between feeling a little bored, a little restless, a little frantic and a little nervous. Odd. At the desk, the man in his coat is still conducting business, so he waits his time to ask about availability. He also chooses to ignore the fact that the man behind the desk is still purple. Too preposterous.

[kkhohoho]

The technical freak of nature waited patiently (or not so patiently...) in line, hoping to speak with the purple...thing. He'd have to think of a better name at some point. He noticed various other figures as well, who must be looking for rooms like himself. He then got bored of waiting, so he took out a candy cane from his sack on his back and started licking it.

[bearded]

  Seeing the expressions on the faces looking to the innkeep, Baert decides to speak up.
  "He be a demon, fellows, if I be right in me thinking, from the 9th level, ye ken?  And his kine adores gold, so hold yer money pouch close.  If ye ha' no gold, methinks, with the disparate travelers I sight, we be for sitting in front o' the fire and sharing our stories, canteberry style.  Or, you're for cleaning the stables, mayhaps."

[The Hitman]

Suddenly, a blue- skinned man of slightly exagerated proportions and an apparent lack of style, judging by the garish Hawaiian shirt he's wearing, pops into existance in a bright flash and impressive CGI effects, seemingly from nowhere.

Of course, no one has noticed, since he's apparated into the lobby's public restroom. Chuckling to himself, he instantly made his way over to the farthest stall from the door, and begins frantically digging.

[Glitch Girl]

The woman takes a deep breath and visibly relaxes.  Coincidentally (or not ), Liam hears the static on the phone clear up.

"Thanks, but I got it," she says to Liam.  "Only got a few more things in the car and the movers have the rest, they should be here in an hour. Just send them up if I'm not down here. Name's Lauren," she smiles and holds out her hand in handshake.

Then, she quickly snags the keys from the desk and after rebalancing the stack of boxes, picks it up and starts to go.

The lobby has a few more guests of varying degrees of normalcy since she got here.  Of course, she kind of expected this after the last apartment she lived in (after her cat got possessed by some unspeakable evil and the upstairs neighbor's nuclear chill ate through her ceiling for the second time, she'd decided it was time to start looking for new digs) but some unrealistic optimistic side had hoped for something more... mundane.

She stops next to the man in the long coat and hat and cat carrier and says "Awwww... aren't you cute, yes you are" obviously addressing the occupant of the carrier and further proving the Theory of Cat Proximity.

She looks the owner in the face, smiles embarrassed, and says "Sorry.  Cat person.  Oh shoot, I gotta hurry!" 

With that she and the boxes dart off into the waiting elevator (funny, no one remembers seeing anyone push the call button).

[PreRaphaelite]

In the background, the occasional sneeze is heard from the man in the queue, who has yet to adapt to, nor particularly notice, the presence of the nearby boxed cat.

"Oh, excuse me."

Hearing the ravings of a somewhat crazy man behind him, mentioning 'demons' and 'gold', along with 'Santa' chewing on a candy cane, he decides it's quite alright that he may have spewed a bit of spittle with that last sneeze. Ignoring the disappearance of the woman and her conversation with the man in the long coat, he cleans himself up a little with a tissue.

Leaning around to get a view of the (perhaps vitamin deficient?) man at reception, he asks:
"Will this take long? I need to start looking for a job as soon as possible."
In the meantime, he leans forward from his position in the queue to grab from an assortment of free pamphlets a map of the nearby area, abamdoned warehouse district included.

This would have been much simpler than that tour.

Stepping back into the queue, he may have accidently stood on the foot of the person behind him, but turns forward and hopes it wasn't noticed.

[Alaric]

She seemed nice, the man (let's call him Al) thought, completely failing to notice the apparently-autonomous elevator behavior. Seemed a little... hapless, though. He avoided looking directly at the man in the Santa Clause outfit (Much too early for Christmas) as he worked on filling out the forms. Forms... I hate forms... "Um... excuse me... uh... Liam, was it? Could you explain this part here? The part about the Unusual Occurrences Clause? And over here where it mentions about pets- what's the exact policy? And what's this part about a "Sanity Clause"?" He looked apologetic as he asked.

While he heard the oddly-anachronistic speech of the man with the sword, it didn't seem particularly unusual or noteworthy to him. In the back of his mind, he simply assumed that the man was either a performer of some sort or a member of the League for Anachronistic Creativity.

[bearded]

(OOC:  that's awesome!  ok, i'm forming a group called the League of Anachronistic Activities.  who's in?)
  Baert looks around for a place to start a fire, so he can sit and tell his story.
  "We shall sit then, and tell our stories.  I'm looking for the Gray Man, and I will tell you that tale, as to why, what he did to me and mine.  I see the firehole, methinks, but there be no wood, and no kettle o'er it.  Someone set that and tell your tale afore me, and all be well."

[DireWolf]

The door bangs open and two more figures walk in. One a large man in along brown leather trench coat, the other a smaller, hyperactive kid with spiky red hair.

: "Ge DW, I think we found it!"

: "yeah, maybe this time we can avoid getting kicked out. Your little escaped with the water heater will *not* be repeated....

: "Uh, yeah.... I wonder if they have cookies or at least mints?'

: "Sigh... go get the bags, I'll see if we can get some rooms."

[Gremlin]

  Seeing the expressions on the faces looking to the innkeep, Baert decides to speak up.
  "He be a demon, fellows, if I be right in me thinking, from the 9th level, ye ken?  And his kine adores gold, so hold yer money pouch close.  If ye ha' no gold, methinks, with the disparate travelers I sight, we be for sitting in front o' the fire and sharing our stories, canteberry style.  Or, you're for cleaning the stables, mayhaps."

Liam twitches a little and steels himself against a harsh rebuke. He should be used to this kinda thing by now, really, but it doesn't make it much easier. He keeps his attention on the dead phone and the man leafing through the contracts, glancing nervously at the steadily-lengthening line.

"Hey, everyone, this is...well, a lot busier than we're used to here. But if everyone could just hold on while we get everything taken care of, we'll be with you shortly."

The woman takes a deep breath and visibly relaxes.  Coincidentally (or not ), Liam hears the static on the phone clear up.

The wi-fi's erratic whining clears up too, much to Liam's surprise. He dials the back again. "Guys, sorry about that. We have a big line here, and I really need another guy or two to help me out here. And I'm still waiting on someone to show Ms....er..."

"Thanks, but I got it," she says to Liam.  "Only got a few more things in the car and the movers have the rest, they should be here in an hour. Just send them up if I'm not down here. Name's Lauren," she smiles and holds out her hand in handshake.

Then, she quickly snags the keys from the desk and after rebalancing the stack of boxes, picks it up and starts to go.

"Right. Well, third floor, down the hall! Welcome to Cybernetic Arms!" he calls after her as she scrambles away.

Great. One down, four to go...

Leaning around to get a view of the (perhaps vitamin deficient?) man at reception, he asks:
"Will this take long? I need to start looking for a job as soon as possible."
In the meantime, he leans forward from his position in the queue to grab from an assortment of free pamphlets a map of the nearby area, abamdoned warehouse district included.

"Er, that depends. I can give you some information on the apartments and a standard renter's agreement while you wait, though." He shuffles through the file cabinet and pulls out a pamphlet and some triplicate forms and hands them over. "If you have any questions, feel free to ask me."  He leans over to the phone and speed-dials again. "Guys, it's Grem again. I really really need somebody else down here pronto."

"Um... excuse me... uh... Liam, was it? Could you explain this part here? The part about the Unusual Occurrences Clause? And over here where it mentions about pets- what's the exact policy? And what's this part about a "Sanity Clause"?" He looked apologetic as he asked.

"Unusual occurances means...well, if there's something that occurs outside the, er...usual insurance provisions, you know. Normally for things that are caused by a third party that we have no control over. Just eliminates our liability for stuff like that, and gives a guide for how much property damage causes rates and insurance premiums to go up, and how long that lasts. There's more information here," he says, handing over a hundred page or so hastily-bound book that reads "Unusual Occurence: Insurance and Liability Information" and in smaller letters, "Policy revision for 2009."

"Pets are allowed as long as they're kept in your own room, unless you're taking them out for a walk. It's a $50 fine if we find them roaming the halls. It's a $100 fine if you're allowing them to roam the halls, since that's a violation of the agreement. The Sanity clause is...er...complicated liability insurance. Hang on." He ducks underneath the desk and pulls out another book, thicker this time and bound in dark leather and metal clasps, with strange red Arabic script on the front and an almost sinister feel eminating from it. Liam looks at it oddly, shakes his head and puts it back. "Wrong book. Hang on." A little more shuffling and he brings out another book, about as thick but far less malicious, and hands it over. "There you go."

Baert looks around for a place to start a fire, so he can sit and tell his story.
  "We shall sit then, and tell our stories.  I'm looking for the Gray Man, and I will tell you that tale, as to why, what he did to me and mine.  I see the firehole, methinks, but there be no wood, and no kettle o'er it.  Someone set that and tell your tale afore me, and all be well."

"Sir, the fireplace is for display only. And tenants only. And it's gas."

The door bangs open and two more figures walk in. One a large man in along brown leather trench coat, the other a smaller, hyperactive kid with spiky red hair.

: "Ge DW, I think we found it!"

: "yeah, maybe this time we can avoid getting kicked out. Your little escaped with the water heater will *not* be repeated....

: "Uh, yeah.... I wonder if they have cookies or at least mints?'

: "Sigh... go get the bags, I'll see if we can get some rooms."

Sigh...Six...

[The Hitman]

As the blue gentleman finishes the hole to who- knows- where, he thinks to himself:

Dag, man, I should totally get a raise for this kind of work.

...

Do I get paid? I can't remember. Oh well, I hope the Waffle House has their "Blueberry- Chocolate Chip Cholesterol Supreme" on sale today. I could totally go for a few of those...

As he continues to talk to himself about waffles, he reaches into his pocket, pulls out an object that resembles a miscolored quarter, and carelessly tosses it in. There is a brief flash of light, then nothing. He quickly replaces the removed floor tile with a sort of trap door, and rigs it to the toilet handle plunger. He then pops out, possibly for lunch.

[vamp]

The phone vibrated harshly against the cold stone floor. It was the second time it had gone off it mere minutes. A large dark hand slammed down hard against its plastic surface, nearly destroying it in the show of obvious annoyance.

"Hello. Yeah, I'll be there in a second. Well then how about you come and fix the plumbing?"

The large wrench suddenly became apparent as the figure maneuvered his way out of the dark sink, his large bat-like ears knocking over various objects. The wrench shone brightly as the filtered sun reflected of of its metallic surface. His dark brown fur added to the contrast. He wore nothing but a white muscle shirt and some blue jeans.

Damn it Grem. I am working here to avoid contact with people. What kind of honey did management lay out for these flies anyway?

His annoyance rose to rage for a split second, but that was enough time for him to destroy his cell phone...again. The man slowly walked to the door, intentionally taking all the time he could. His paced slowed as he found his way to the elevator. It had been five minutes since he first pushed the  button, but nothing was happening.

Great. Another problem for me to have to fix.

His slow steps down the stairs were at a steady pace. He cared little for the job, and less for talking to people. But it was the only place that would hire him, and he wanted to gain his money by legal means.

He worked his way around the desk, avoiding eye contact.  Finally looking up at the people, he suddenly felt better about himself. And I thought I was a freak...

"Oh, Grem. I'm gonna need another cellphone."

[Gremlin]

Liam blinked. "Er, alright. Can you help me with passing some more of these leasing forms out? And get some keys ready. Looks like we're gonna need five or six rooms."

[kkhohoho]

After finishing off the candy cane, the Santa doppelganger decided to see who was currently present, since there was not much else to do. He would have taken a walk through the building if there wasn't a chance of losing his spot in line.

What do we have here? A...Gremlin, I guess, a brunette who walked into an elevator moments ago, a man in a trenchcoat who tried not to notice me, a man and his boy, another man, and some bat...thing. I guess. The ordinary being might have been rather shocked by all of this, but this being had been through some strange circumstances of both the mundane and the extraordinary, enough to be mostly unphased. Mostly. The man who spoketh in such strange tongues was of the most interest. For him, it wasn't the looks; it was what's under the hood, and this quacks' engine seemed to be quite fried. Things here would likely get strange as well at some point as they often did, especially with this crew.

Could be fun.

[Glitch Girl]

Apartment 312 was empty save the standard major appliances in the kitchen.  It felt big at the moment, but Lauren knew the moment she started moving furniture in, it was going to shrink a lot. 

She kicked the door shut behind her and carefully set the boxes down on the floor. 

A quick inspection revealed it to clean and basically pet-safe and a not very remarkable view of the city (and some guy with a huge sword standing on the rooftops a few blocks away for some reason, possibly for dramatic effect)  Satisfied, she nodded to herself and proceeded to pull open the box marked ""stuff", remove a catbed which had a liberal coating of fur, and set it on the bathroom floor. 

Just then her cell phone rang.

"H'lo?  Oh hey, Ellen...  Moving in right now actually..."

She headed out the door, still talking, pausing only to lock it behind her.

"No real trouble so far.  Wanted to make sure everything was okay before I brought Kitty up... Oh, it was worse!  She's been on edge since I started packing everything up.  Took FOREVER to get her in the carrier.  I was so frazzled I think I almost shorted out the building.  I swear, give me clones any day over a freaked out cat..."

She didn't feel like taking the stairs just yet.  With a flick of her mind, she called the elevator from its former target so that it was waiting for her by the time she made her way down the hall. 

"Nah, it's fine.  I'm going to leave her in the bathroom until the movers are gone, and then she'll have a nice bed to hide under until she gets acclimated... Of course I will... Listen to you!  Are you going soft on me Ms dark-and-scary-avenger?  Haha ha..."

The elevator doors opened on the lobby and she stepped out.

"Probably order delivery after everything's settled.  Might try that Smilin' Buddha's Chinese Soul Food I saw coming in..."

The crowd hadn't abated much, if anything it had gotten bigger. 

"...No it goes 'if Buddha ain't happy, ain't nobody happy..."

There was a large, batlike being who looked like he'd rather be anywhere else talking to the purple guy ('Liam', that was his name) who was passing around sheets and sheets of paperwork among what she guessed were perspective renters two of which, the guy with the cat and another man, looked mostly normal...

"...Ugh, no. No.  I don't care if they're supposed to be good, I am not ordering the Kung Pao Chitlins..."

The man with the sword was poking at the gas fireplace, and that probably wasn't good.  The guy dressed for Christmas was busily giving himself a sugar rush...

"...No. I'm just going to settle in for at least one quiet night, that's al-Oof!"

She looked down.  There seemed to be a strangely familiar hyperactive child attached to her leg.

"Hi!  Remember me?  I'm DireCub," he said brightly.

Lauren looked at him with surprise mixed with a little horror which she tried unsuccessfully to hide behind a forced smile.  "Ellen," she said into the phone with an exaggerated calm, "I'm gonna have to get back to you later on that last bit."

She turned off the phone and then addresed the kid," Hi Direcub, didn't expect you here.  You can stop hugging me.  Now."

[GrizzlyBearTalon]

"BWAHAHAHAHA!"

An earthshaking explosion is heard coming from somewhere in Abamdoned Warehouse District. A shiny golden metallic form crashes through the wall of one especially rickety building that proceeds to crumble down. The metallic form skids along the alley and crashes into an abamdoned truck, one that hasn't moved in tecades, the sound of metal twisting tears through the air as he finally comes to a stop entangled in the truck's remains. Out of the rubble of the collapsed building a huge brown form emerges, it is obvious upon first glance it isn't human, human shaped perhaps but definitely not human. Whatever it may be is simply too big and too hairy.

"You cannot stop me!"

"Seriously man... shutup... I mean what are you 90 years old? 100? Why don't you retire, seriously retire and I'll just walk away."

"DIE FOOL!"

"HA! I knew it!"

With a burst of speed the hairy humanoid leaps the 100 feet from the rubble to the metallic man extracting himself from the old jalopy in a split second and brings up both his hands over his head to slam them down into the chest of the man of metal. KRONG! A metallic boom echoes out across the area once again shaking the ground.

"You've damaged me irreparably! YOU FOOL! YOU INCOMPETENT FOOL! YOU YOU.... furry... FOOL!"

"RAWRGH!"

The furry being had enough of this banter, especially if he was going to keep repeating himself!

"I'm gonna rip yer head off and beat you with it!"

With that he grasps the cylindrical metallic skull of the metall man and twists then jerks freeing the metallic fellow of his head.

"NEVER WILL YOU DEFEAT ME FOOL! MY FINAL PLOY IS REVEALED! FOOL!"

"Bwa?"

With that final statement the head of the former metallic man pops open revealing a timer, at the same time its body slides open at the chest revealing a very large *insert fancy science fiction word here* bomb.

"HAHA FOOL! HAHA FOOL! HAha foooo...."

The head begans to rattle on and on before powering down.

"Seriously? AGAIN!?!"

Acting quickly he picks up the body and prepares himself. With a great roar he heaves the shiny metallic form into the sky as far as he possibly can manage to get it.

"Heh, when in doubt throw em' into space."

Whether that is a joke or merely an exaggeration is unclear as the bomb explodes nearly 9 seconds later. A brilliant purple flash can be seen cascading across the sky that day. So intense that for a split second it blots out the sun casting a dark purple hue over the entire city, but just like that it turns back in on itself and is gone.

"Geez Grizz you go looking for apartments and end up fighting another whackjob villain. *sigh* I love my life! You know I didn't even catch that ones name, pretty sure it was a clone of the real one or was it always a robot... cause it is ALWAYS a clone or a robot. Bloody rantin' villains got me talking to myself."

Dusting himself off he turns toward the nearby apartment building, bends his knees and with a quick thrust of his legs goes sailing through the air to land across the street from it with a heavy thud. Deciding to walk at the established crossing (for a change of pace) he crosses the street and heads through the double doors. He sniffs the air and notices some familiar scents but he's got other things on his mind.

"I need a room!"

He bellows loudly and roars to follow up his entrance.

"I've got da money so gimme something to sign!"

He thumps his chest and roars again. Then calmly heads toward the front desk to take his place at the back of the line. You'd think he was on a rampage but sadly he's not trying to intimidate, he's just that way, loud... very loud.

[Glitch Girl]

"I need a room!"

There was no mistaking that bellow.  She'd heard it many times at the old apartment complex, usually right before something amazingly and often accidentally destructive.

"Crud," muttered Lauren under her breath, "Not even one day."

[PreRaphaelite]

"Er, that depends. I can give you some information on the apartments and a standard renter's agreement while you wait, though." He shuffles through the file cabinet and pulls out a pamphlet and some triplicate forms and hands them over. "If you have any questions, feel free to ask me." 

"Oh great, thank you kindly", the man said as he took the forms.

Withdrawing a small chequebook pen from his pocket, he began to make notes, jot down details and eventually began to ask himself inane questions in short, ineffable whispers. "Scenic view perhaps?...No Garden... Storage?... Candelabra..."

After a few minutes scribbling, the man felt a slight sense of elation, slight annoyance and slight... exuberance(?) from all angles. Looking up, he saw a bat-like man come into view infront of the desk.

Oh dear, how long was I staring at those forms?

Glancing around the room in confusion, he suddenly remembered his folly. He had yet to make contact with his great...great....great grandchildren(?) to let them know of his find.

Rifling through his jean pockets, he pulls out a brick of a mobile phone and begins to text a telegram.

"William STOP Found Accommodation STOP Will Move Out STOP Receive Costs Soon STOP Tour repetitive STOP"

This is probably for the best... It seems like a nice enough living area, and it wouldn't be fair to keep torturing them with my presence. They haven't known me long, but it must be like having a ghost around, I'm sure.


Feeling a slight chill, and a sudden burst of adrenalin, the man turns to see the arrival of...what may look like a giant...bear...man approach the end of the queue - also wanting a room. The man cringes slightly.

What in the world is going on...?

A vibration in his hand returns his open eyes to his phone.

"Murray, for the last time, this is a 'text', not a 'telegram'. Look, we told you we would give you enough money to pay for some digs for a few months, but then you're on your own. You've found a place? Good. Then this is the place we will pay for. I will transfer the money asap. Remember how to use the card? No need to return. Best."

As each section of the text arrived, the man became less concerned with the bear, the bat and the purple man, and with mixed feelings prepared to rent a room. Hopefully he may be able to at least get a good view.

[Gremlin]

Liam shudders at the nauseatingly loud furry thing that has just crowded through the door.

He's been walking around the room, passing out forms and explaining the contractual minutae, and is about to tell the bear man to leave...but hesitates. He knows how hard it is for someone of a...non-hominid normative appearance to find a place to live. He grits his teeth and hands him a contract.

"Don't get too loud," he mutters. "Some people here keep odd hours."