august mingle;

[thecommissary]

This is the general mingle log for August. Feel free to post open top levels for: new arrivals, job duties, general hanging out in common spaces, bonding with your block, and anything else you can think of. There will not be a catch all for the event, so you can put event starters here or in their own separate log!

Comments

Michael Langdon

[spawnofsatan]

i;; Dominon
[ The home is certainly beautiful, boasting a Victorian style and custom Tiffany stained glass windows. If it weren't for the blood-red sky and the crows flying overhead, it would seem like an idyllic place to live. You feel compelled to move inside, out of the weather which could be nothing more than an afternoon shower, or something more sinister. Inside is just as beautiful, but the atmosphere of foreboding doesn't get any better. There are several rooms to visit and just as many people wandering around. If you try to talk to them, they don't seem to acknowledge you, and if you get too close, they disappear almost as if they'd never been there in the first place.

There are mirrors throughout the house, but don't look too closely. It may take your notice that there is a door under the stairs that's slightly ajar, a red glow, and a staircase leading to some sort of basement. Michael can be found in one of the large, lavishly decorated rooms and he looks up when you enter, nodding in greeting. ]

Make yourself at home, though it's best you not touch anything.

ii;; Wildcard
[ Michael spent an entire week in SHU so uh, have fun with that one. ]

[violenti]

[ The first thing Rook notices is the red sky. It makes him uncomfortable at once, reminiscent of things he'd rather forget. It's enough to push him to step into the house in front of him, barely taking time to admire it.

He's not sure why- or how- he's here. A dream, he assumes, though it seems awfully real. He wanders slow through the house- he's never seen anything like it. He grew up around trailers and old cabins, some row houses in the nearest town. But this... it's beautiful. He stops by what he thinks is a mirror first, but he sees instead of himself a different young man. It almost... looks like Michael? A painting, then. But then he moves, and so does the man. ]

Jesus-

[ He stumbles back through a doorway, and turns, only to find the Michael he recognizes. ] Oh- uh, alright. [ Wait, does that mean he shouldn't sit down either? But then he remembers something else that distracts him from that thought. ]

Hey, I haven't seen you in a while. You uh- you been alright?

[spawnofsatan]

[ Michael straightens, motioning for Rook to sit with him. He has his choice of furniture, but everything looks like it came out of a magazine. There is an ornate marble fireplace nearby, crackling merrily.

He hums, offering Rook a smile, though fatigue lines his features. His fingers twirl a strand of his hair, pushing it into place. ]

I couldn't be better. You make it sound like I've been gone for so long. Did you miss me?

[violenti]

[ God, but he is out of his element here. Rook perches uneasily on a chair that probably cost a month's worth of pay for him (or more, though the thought only makes him more uncomfortable). He folds his hands together, elbows on his knees, and watches Michael. ]

Hah. Yeah, sure, let's go with that. I mean it's been a- what, a week or something, I guess. Where'd you go? Just didn't feel like socializing?

[ The discordant fact that he's casually talking about prison while not considering where he is doesn't seem to occur to him. ]

[spawnofsatan]

[ Michael brushes away a stray bit of lint from the crimson velvet of his sleeve. He raises an eyebrow inquisitively. ]

What? No, nothing like that. I was in solitary.

[ He says conversationally as if discussing the weather. ]

[violenti]

[ Rook's brows raise. ] The hell did you do to get yourself tossed in there?

[ He makes a face, mouth tugging into a thin line. ] Do I want to know?

ii

[callhousekeeping]

[ The Countess has been expecting Michael's return. Randall had shared with her what happened and why, and she knew he would be a bit worse for the wear from his first visit there. The mother in her cannot let Michael recover on his own, and so she appears in B Block, her red uniform sticking out amongst the orange ones.

She hunts down Michael and she's brought him ramen, already prepared. She's even managed to sneak an egg from a friend on kitchen duty to add to the noodles. In her pocket is a hairbrush and her "cosmetics", like a traveling makeup artist. She takes a seat next to him and offers the soup. ]

How are you, darling?

[spawnofsatan]

[ He isn't difficult to find, laying in bed in his cell and trying to abate the bone-deep fatigue he feels. There hadn't been much sleep during his time in SHU, and finds he doesn't feel like himself. Like there's a buzzing just below the surface of his skin.

Michael at least has the decency to sit up when he hears her and offers her an awed smile. ]

Better, now that I've got perfect company. [ He takes the bowl from her with a quiet thanks. ]

[callhousekeeping]

[ She coos and hands him the soup, reaching out to stroke his hair and wrap her arms around him. Though she would not voice it, she thinks Randall was too harsh, asked too much. Michael is not some random newbie lured in by charm -- he's special. She is a big believer in celebrating the special, elevating it past normal treatment. ]

You must be exhausted. The SHU takes it out of everyone. But you're back now, sweetness. It's over.

[spawnofsatan]

[ He takes a spoonful of the ramen, humming at the warmth hitting his throat. The fingers in his hair feel nice, but it's so untamed it can't be a joyful endeavor. ]

I don't know that I slept more than a few hours all week. [ He goes silent, contemplating whether he should tell her of what he experienced. ]

But I wasn't completely alone. There was someone else in the cell next to mine.

[callhousekeeping]

It's difficult in there, even for those of us who aren't so easily daunted by this place.

[ She pets his hair a few more times, but frets over causing him pain by catching his knots with her fingers. Instead, she takes the hairbrush from her pocket and begins to gently brush his hair out, untangle and smooth it like she might a small child. ]

Oh, you met Tobias? He's been in there almost as long as I've been at Obsidian, you know.

[souille]

[ Abigail wanders through the house silently, treading carefully and definitely feeling like she's intruding. She tries to apologise to one of the people wandering around for just walking into their home unannounced, but to her surprise they don't seem to see her at all.

It's a welcome relief when she finds Michael. ]

I wouldn't dream of touching anything, it all looks far too expensive.

[spawnofsatan]

Grandmother always had a particular style. It feels more like a museum than a home.

[ He gestures for her to join him in the sitting area in front of one of the six marble fireplaces the home contains. ]

[souille]

This is your house?

[ Abigail looks impressed, not to mention a little bit intimidated - this is as far from her rural Minnesota upbringing as she could imagine.

She sits at his invitation, one leg crossed over the other and her hands clasped on her knee. ]

[spawnofsatan]

My grandmother's house, yes. Or it was. I'm not certain what's become of it now.

[ Definitely never a home, but it's where he spent his younger years. Still, his tone suggests that he's not entirely bothered by the idea of it. Seeing Ms. Mead in this place would make him uncomfortable, he thinks. Hers had always felt like home to him. ]

[souille]

Okay, wow. [ She isn't sure what else to say, though she realises she must sound pretty lame. ] Seems like a nice place to grow up.