Take flight and break away (Closed)

[birdstheword]

Who: Add (subtract), Jakob (gentilitea) + Hajime (birdstheword)
What: Meeting a loyal butler, exploring a over the top temple and a symmetrical play date
When: May 13th; backdated
Where: Henir’s (Add) Temple
Warnings: TBA



As much as she had to resist heading right over, Hajime waited for things to settle and for Messy to calm down. They had just be reunited but the alien cube was acting a bit strange even for her. She couldn’t figure out if there was something wrong or maybe this place was just that new. But once Messy seemed to relax and act to how she remembered she had made her way to Add’s temple as promised. She skipped along, humming a upbeat catching tune. Messy followed along, bouncing up with each of Hajime’s steps as if mimicking her pace as it floated above her head.

The temple was hard to miss. Like a huge pillar. She came to a stop in front of the building, tilting her head back to look up towards the top. This thing was huge! It must really be a maze inside. If anything that made it more exciting. With a big smile, she diggs her phone out of her back pocket and texts the pair about her arrival. Jakob was suppose to meet her at the entrance right? She could probably find her way about but he seemed to have his heart set on it so who was she to take that from him. Pocketing the phone, she clasps her hands behind her back and shifts from heel to toe patiently. Messy swirls about next to her getting a giggle from the hero.


“Messy-chan, are you excited?”

Comments

[gentilitea]

Jakob emerged from the entrance in short order, looking slightly ruffled and wearing an expression of grim determination that only softened almost imperceptibly at the sight of her.

He had to be polite with visitors, after all.

With a sweeping bow, he addressed her solemnly: “I am happy to note that you appear to be in good health, Milady.” Which will be important, at least to him. He tried his best to ignore the cube floating beside her.

“Before we begin, I strongly advise you to remain close behind me, as we will face the most harrowing experience of our afterlives the moment we set forth.”

[birdstheword]

Wow. What a gentleman!

Hajime's smile grows at the sight of Jakob, the bow getting a bit of a giggle. She steps towards him and holds out her hand open out to him and tries to take his hand for a bouncy hand shake.

"I'm Hajime! Nice to meet cha, Jakob!" She says sweetly, before gesturing back to the cube that is staying behind her. "That's Messy. Let's have fun, okay? I'll stay by yourside no matter what!"

She gives a salute with her free hand, standing taller.

[gentilitea]

“Lady Hajime…” Might as well keep this ridiculous charade up. “It is…an honor.” Being able to keep up his dignity is also going to be very important for the insanity they’re about to face in Add’s crapsack temple.

That bubbly first impression from her is already promising him a hell of a lot of trouble once they’re in there. He gives her a stern gaze this time around: “Please rest assured that I will bring you to his side shortly, but the success of this mission will depend on your cooperation, as well as your capacity to keep Messy in line. Is that clear?”

[birdstheword]

"Success of this mission?" She echos the words curiously. They were here. At Add's temple. What kind of mission was it just to go through the temple to find Add? She blinks a few times, her head tilting to the side as she watches Jakob. He was pretty serious about this wasn't he?

"Messy-chan will be fine. Lighten up a little Jakob!" She smiles at him, giving a good few pats on the back as she steps closer and goes around him. "I'll follow your lead, 'kay?"

[gentilitea]

Yes, mission. Because Add provoked him into betting that he could bring Hajime to his master within ten minutes. He’s pretty much doomed.

So yes, this is a completely serious situation and he hopes she will be t—“I am afraid that is impossible.” To that comment about lightening up a little, that is. Yes it would kill him. Or at least he generally thinks so. Which is why he flinches a little when she gives him that pat on the back.

But he takes a deep breath to calm his nerves, before finally, and with due gravity, he opens the front door. And it is very dark inside, and throbbing faintly even.

[subtract]

Add, meanwhile, has been waiting patiently inside the temple, floating aimlessly among the cubes with Apocalypse. When they do (finally) decide to enter, he seeks out the illusion they've ended up in, pressing his face to the face of the cube before remembering he can spy on people remotely now. It would be a pretty lousy power if it didn't work in his own temple, right?

The scene inside is strikingly familiar, though. Of all the places in Elrios it could choose to simulate...

In addition to being dimly lit and pulsating, it's also incredibly humid within the fleshy corridor they've landed themselves in. Although, the air smells surprisingly fresh despite the grotesque surroundings, and there's a gentle breeze blowing in and out of the hallway, as if the room itself is breathing. A wind spirit needs to have good air circulation, after all.

"Well, well. I'm glad I'm nice and dry out here, kekek." Add's voice echoes from somewhere vaguely above them. Yeah, okay, he considered jumping in despite Jakob's insistence, but now he's definitely not going in there. Once was enough. "Consider this your warm welcome to Henir's Time and Space. I look forward to meeting all of you in person very soon."

As in under ten minutes soon. He's absolutely timing you right now, Jakob. Better get moving.

[birdstheword]

Hajime gapes a bit as she follows Jakob inside. Her eyes are wide as she looks around the fleshy corridor in amazement. Never before had she ever stepped inside something quite like this, she takes a few bouncy steps away from Jakob so she can get a closer look at one of the walls, she even leans in and reaches out to touch it.

"This place is amazing...is it breathing? Did this place eat us?" She seems way so excited by that thought then she should be, her voice getting louder as she glances back to Jakob. That's when Add's voice echos around them making her perk up that much more. "Adddddddd~! Don't worry, we won't keep you waiting long! You better have something sweet to snack on for us when we get there, OKAYYYYY~?!" She cups her hands around her mouth, making her voice that much more louder in case Add can't hear her.

[gentilitea]

Ugh, it is most definitely not a hospitable venue for perky young goddesses such as she. Sometimes he has to wonder if the temple is indeed reflective of Add’s true intentions to whatever poor sap has to stumble through these fucking illusions.

“My lady, please don’t touch—” Speak of the devil. All nice and dry while they have to stumble through the innards of some strange creature and it’s a wonder that he doesn’t feel all that queasy at all. The fresh air is most definitely helping. So is having to keep Hajime from running off into danger.

So much for staying behind him… Sighing, he looks up at the throbbing ceiling to address Add: “No interferences, or that wager is moot.”

And to Hajime he’s trying to gently lead her away from the freaky pulsating turtle guts. Man, speedruns are hard when you have to do escort missions at the same time.

“This way if you please, Milady. I can prepare you some snacks as soon as we safely reach Add’s side.”

[subtract]

Hajime truly is completely unflappable... it's kind of a marvel in and of itself. Perhaps that's another topic he should start researching, hmmm.

"Interference? Of course not. You haven everything under control, don't you?" You can practically hear the smug grin on his face. At least Add and Hajime are having fun with this? "Everything you see here is an illusion, but I would still recommend being cautious of your surroundings. I haven't had a chance yet to test if the illusions can be fatal or not. Unless you'd like to become a test subject, try not to touch anything strange."

Though he'd likely be quick to jump in if anything did go wrong... it hasn't happened yet, though, so hopefully things stay that way.

[birdstheword]

"If you need help figuring out stuff Add, I'll always help you. But okie dokie, we'll play it safe I guess. Next time though, I wanna explore more!" She calls to both Add and Jakob before he pulls her hand back and bounces back over to the polite shinki. She had heard something about a wager but she doesn't bother questioning it. There's probably some game the two of them are playing. What good friends.

She takes Jakob's hand in her own, giving it a squeeze. "I'm not Milady. I'm Hajime." She smiles before giving a playful tug to his arm in the direction he was trying to escort her in. "Let's go~!"

[gentilitea]

Everyone is having fun with this except for Jakob. Who is silently fuming over here, although he’s trying his best not to show it. The nerve of his god sometimes…

But he doesn’t get a chance to protest—at either Add’s gloating nor Hajime’s shocking willingness to be a test subject—before Hajime’s holding his hand and tugging him away, and…it’s really hard not to get swept up in her energy. He’s already dreading the prospect of her getting a sugar rush from all the sweets he’s still planning on serving them later—it’s either that, after all, or he chooses not to be hospitable and avoid serving her and Add a decent array of gourmet snacks like some kind of uncouth savage.

“Lady Hajime, then,” he manages, trying to wrench his arm away from her grasp. She’s supposed to stay behind him, dammit! At least he doesn’t have to tell her to stay close?