hadriel | 01

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Um. Hi. I'm Henry.

[ He knows full well how to use a smartphone so there's no awkwardness there, it's more the fact that he's addressing people he can't see and hasn't even met in person yet. They all do it so it's nothing new, it's just figuring out how to start this that has him fumbling for words for a moment. Some people might not even really care who he is and what his name is, but he likes to be friendly. Might as well be authentic, even in a place like this. ]

I've been here for a few weeks now, I...haven't met a lot of people yet. And I was thinking about where we all come from.

[ There's a lot to fear or at least be worried about when it comes to this place, so idle chitchat like what he's initiating might not be super welcomed by everyone, but messages like these are easy to ignore, he figures. He's curious and he wants to know people better; the ones who are willing to listen and respond, anyway. ]

I know of a lot of places, some of them...kind of bad. But I didn't know a place like this could exist. So. I was thinking maybe there are places even worse than this out there. Or maybe more places like where I come from, where things are more...normal. Ish. [ The 'ish' is because, well, his hometown doesn't even technically exist. But that's a story for another time. ] What's your home like? Is this place better than what you left behind?

[ And, because he is a teenage boy: ] What do you miss most? I miss really good New York pizza. And my family. I really miss my family, but at least my mom's here. Well, one of them, at least. [ Oh. Right. That's another story. That'll have to wait. ]

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[He's quiet several seconds at the first questions, mostly because he's trying to figure out a way to put this that's appropriate. It's all a super messed up situation at home but he also knows better than to talk to kids like they're stupid; he's just trying to decide how detailed to be.]

There's uh... This mountain. And on it are these spirits that possess anyone that's engaged in cannibalism, and it turns them into these... Really freaky monsters called wendigos. We didn't know they were there and we got kind of... Trapped on the mountain for a night.

[If this story sounds similar to Emily's, there's a good reason for that. There's a lot more to it, at least for his part of the night, but that's the main story.]

The spirits showed up here a few months ago, so they're something to watch out for, but I think Hope or Rage drove them off into the caves outside the city, so.

[Ohno stop with the pizza.]

Hey, at least we've got a chance now with Delight being here. She's the newest god in this place and she's been pretty cool about requests so far.

[ If Henry was the type to mutter expletives out loud, what he's just been told would more than warrant a holy shit, but as it is, those two words simply pass through his mind for a moment as this sinks in. He's heard of a lot of bad stuff, but this is...well, this is something else. The thing is, he's pretty sure things could potentially get just as bad here. In different ways. So...better to be prepared, he supposes. ]

I think...I think you really deserve some pizza. So. If we can talk her into giving us some, I'll get you the biggest one possible. [ Because...well...holy shit. ]

You were stuck on that mountain for a whole night? Did you - were you scared? [ That is perhaps a dumb question because Henry likes to think of himself as tough in a lot of ways, but he'd be scared. Without a doubt. Some people don't admit to that kind of thing, though, so he's curious. Maybe...maybe this guy really wasn't scared at all, though. ]

[He laughs a little at that, because he definitely appreciates the sentiment.]

Thanks. I won't turn it down. Me and a friend are gonna try to get some good coffee from her too; do you drink coffee, or...?

[Chris started drinking coffee pretty young but he knows a lot of teens hate coffee, so he's not sure.

His smile fades a little but doesn't disappear at the question, and he doesn't hesitate to answer.]

Yeah. We all were.

[There's no reason to lie, and no shame in admitting it. That night had easily been the most terrifying experience in his life, and he doesn't think he's felt unafraid since.]

[ Actually, Henry's never tried coffee yet. He's wondered about it and it always smells pretty good to him, but he hasn't snuck a taste yet. Now, though... ] Oh. Yeah. I've had it a few times. [ He's not sure why he doesn't just tell the truth. He doesn't like when people lie about big things, things that are hurtful, but this is just coffee, it's not a big deal, and...he might be trying to seem and feel older than he is. ] Yeah, I'd love to have some. If you get it. Thanks.

[ Hearing that he was scared is somehow strangely reassuring. It's normal to be scared of stuff like that, he thinks, but it's nice to know other people see it that way, too. ]

How did you...stay alive? Survive.

[Chris doesn't have any reason to suspect Henry isn't being truthful, and it's not like it's ultimately all that important either way; the only thing it really affects is that he assumes that means it's okay with Henry's mom if he has caffeine.]

Yeah, of course. I mean, we have some now but it's really crappy coffee, though you're still welcome to some if you want. If we get the good stuff I'll let you know.

[It takes a few seconds to respond to the next question and his gaze shifts offscreen a few times; the truthful answer--that a huge amount of it was luck--isn't exactly something to tell a kid in a situation like this. So instead he settles on an answer that's still true, if not necessarily the main reason.]

We um... We made the best decisions we could in the situation, and it worked out. The most important part was just... Working together, and not letting being scared stop us from thinking.

Same thing's important here.

[ Just trying any coffee at all sounds good to him, so he nods a little. ] I'll try some. It's better than nothing, right?

[ What he's telling him, it makes a lot of sense to Henry. In all the really stressful and dangerous situations he's already faced, he's seen how his family is stronger together. If they're not working together, if they're fighting, everything is worse. ]

I've seen what happens when people don't work together. Things get...really bad. Really dangerous. You're right, we have to be on the same team here. Do you think most of the other people here believe that, too?

Yeah, definitely.

[The caffeine is the most important part, after all; the taste matters, but it's the second priority. And okay, he doesn't mind bringing over some coffee or something, but--]

Is it uh, okay with your mom if I went over or you came over here?

[He is not about to get in trouble; he's only nineteen, but without knowing how old Henry is it could still be seen as super sketchy to meet him in person without his mom's permission, considering she's here.

Chris nods at the last question, more certain of his answer to this.]

Yeah. For the most part everyone's a little scattered and don't always agree on stuff, but when it gets dangerous... Yeah. People really help each other out here, even if they're total strangers.

Edited 2016-04-11 03:10 (UTC)

Oh yeah, she won't mind.

[ He'll give her a heads up, of course, tell her it's good for them to meet people here and that he's already made a friend. Well, sort of. Someone friendly, at least. ] Maybe you could come over and then she knows who you are so I can come over next time.

[ He thinks that's how it works with parents; that's kind of what they did in New York, anyway. ]

That's good to know. Have you been here for a long time?

Okay, cool.

[He'll bring enough coffee to give her a peace offering as well as for Henry to try.]

Yeah, that sounds good. Whenever's fine with me then; I'm not usually doing much here.

[Unless something serious is going down, anyway.]

Yeah. It's uh... Been about five months? It doesn't feel like that long though.

[ There isn't always much to do here sometimes. There are lulls, in which Henry tries to stay busy in productive ways. ]

You must be pretty good with some weapons, right? Do you know how to use a sword?

[ A sword because, well, that's what Henry's most familiar with, even having grown up in a modern world. ]

Do you have people here that you're pretty close to? I mean...if you went home again tomorrow, would you miss them?

I wish I was that cool.

[It's said with a small grin; he knows better than to try using a sword, because he'd probably end up impaling himself or something. However, he is good with other weapons.]

But uh, no on the swords. I was gonna try to learn to use a bow, but that was before I managed to get a gun, which is what I'm best at.

[Back home it had been an extremely fortunate talent to end up with.]

How about you? Are swords a big thing where you're from though?

[He nods at the question about friends, smiling again a little.]

A bunch of my friends from home are here, and I've made friends from other worlds that it'd uh... It'll suck to say goodbye to.

[He tries not to think about that too much.]

[ Henry would argue that facing what he faced on that mountain kind of automatically makes someone cool, at least in his book. ]

A bow would be cool. I think my mom would freak out if she saw me with a gun, but...it's really not much more dangerous than a sword. And I kind of know how to use one - my dad was teaching me, and my gramps. They were from a place that was kind of...medieval. [ That's the easiest way he can think to describe it. ]

I was thinking about that - we could all be here for a while, and it's hard not to get close to people. I want to. But then we leave and that's it. Maybe...maybe it doesn't have to be. [ He knows that's really just wishful thinking and not reality in any way. ]

A sword doesn't need ammo though, so if you can use a sword you're better off here I think.

[The lack of ammo is a serious problem, especially when the only way he knows of to get more is offer a dead monster to Rage. Which involves killing a monster, which is definitely not something Chris is super interested in doing unless he absolutely has to.]

Medieval?

[If he doesn't want to explain further he doesn't have to, but Chris is curious and has to ask.

At the last part he's quiet a few seconds, nodding.]

Maybe. I mean, this whole situation is really weird, so like... Ruling things out seems kind of ridiculous here. But unless we figure out exactly how people come and go it'd be kind of hard to try and change it or make something specific happen.

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