Re: The Battle Royale S2 [Round 1: Grande Adventures]
07-18-2010, 03:58 AM
Originally posted on MSPA by slipsicle.
"Y'know I'm gonna go out on a limb and say we don't want to be anywhere near here right about now," Jeremy began to move past Geoff, "so iff'n ya don't mind, I think I'll open this door." He placed his hand on the doorknob, whispering "damnit there'd better be some booze behind this one", and pulled.
Geoff and Jeremy walked through into an atrium of sorts. A large central area illuminated by a skylight several hundred feet above them was dominated by an enormous tree, growing in a relatively small section of grass in the middle of the atrium. Relatively small being the operative phrase; it was still the size of a city block, but compared to the tree before them, it was quite tiny. A myriad of stairs lead to seemingly randomly-placed platforms and floors, scattered around the atrium. Sometimes the stairs wound up around the treetrunk, and if one squinted, one could just barely make out a complex cobweb of catwalks and platforms suspended in the tree's upper branches.
Geoff looked behind them, eyes narrowed. "Jeremy... where are we?"
Jeremy took a while to respond, gaping as he was at the view before him. "uhh... what? Oh, well, I just kinda... looked for the door that was farthest away, right? So that's where we are. It's kind of... leftish of where we were before."
"... 'leftish'?"
"Yeah, like, if you were facing the screens, y'know? It's uh, like, leftish and a bit... up... from that room."
"Ok... but how far, exactly?"
Jeremy turned around, slightly exasperated. "Hell I dunno, man! It's not like each door says 'HEY JEREMY BUDDY I'M EXACTLY FIFTEEN METERS, TEN CENTIMETERS, FIFTY MILLIMETERS AND TWO DUCKS AWAY FROM YOU, CHEERIO WOT WOT'" Geoff remained impassive as the faux-accent was lost on him. Jeremy made a face, "Anyways yeah, all I know is this door is farther away from that room than any other door I could find in this... uh... building... space... place. Yup."
Geoff sighed. "Right, well, could you take us back? Not too close, but... to a door where we might get a line-of-sight on the entrance to that room. I'd like to see if maybe we can watch the... event. From a safe distance, of course."
"You're the bossman, Bossman. Away we go!" Jeremy walked back to the atrium's entrance, once more placing his hand on the doorknob, and closed his eyes. "Ok, let's try this one," he pushed it open and stuck his head out. "Nope, can't see it from here." Jeremy opened the door again, revealing the inside of a room. He muttered "oops, wrong side..." before closing and opening it again. "Still can't see it." Geoff made a questioning noise, and Jeremy glanced back, smiling. "Yeah it's kind of a fifty-fifty chance whether I open to the inside or outside of a door, so you never really know what you're gonna-holy fucktheWHAT! PIE!" Jeremy had proceeded with closing the door and opening it again, and again hit the inside of a room. A room arranged somewhat like a storage room, and filled with various confections.
"DUDE! GEOFF! LOOK! FUCKIN' PIE, MAN!" Jeremy whooped ecstatically and bounded into the room. Geoff clenched his teeth in frustration.
"Jeremy..." his tone held hints of anger, and Jeremy turned, a slice of pecan pie halfway to his open, drooling mouth. He froze at Geoff's expression. "We're wasting time. We need to hurry if we want to catch that thing, and figure out what's going on here."
Jeremy put down the pastry, giving it a longing look before turning towards Geoff. "What's going on here is pie, man. I never turn down pie; both types, actually," said with a wistful grin, "but anyways, I don't really see a need to identify the... thingy in the cameras. I mean, if it's what's responsible for these buildings being empty, then I really, really don't think it's any of our business! I say were camp down here, where there's delicious food and safety, and just... I dunno, wait for the round to change again. Yeah?" Jeremy sat down against the wall, and reached back towards his treat, slowly bringing it back to his mouth, savoring the moment.
"Damnit boy! There's more at stake here than your leisure! If we want to escape this mad competition, we'll need to study the worlds around us, and that means figuring out the true fate of the people here! I've welcomed working with you so far, but... you have no sense of rigor!"
Jeremy paused, again, and smiled. He gave Geoff a look... that somehow made the Hattallan very uncomfortable. "First of all dude, I'm not just a 'boy', but it's cute you think of me that way. Secondly, I can indeed be quite... rigorous, and you'd just stay here with me for a while, maybe I could demonstrate my rigor." The grin he flashed Geoff was toothy and somehow... hungry. Geoff looked nonplussed. Then Jeremy chuckled. "Oh man this is gonna be fun." He finally took a bite out of the slice of pecan pie, and spent a minute chewing slowly. He swallowed, put down the rest of the piece, and stood back up, looking at Geoff. "Right, well, if it means spending more time with you than I guess exploring a little doesn't sound half bad." He stretched and headed back to the door.
"Why don' you scooch yerself up here next to me and tell me when you think I've hit a good vantage point, eh?"
Geoff sidled up to Jeremy and looked out as Jeremy opened and closed the door in quick succession, shaking his head each time. He didn't even notice that Jeremy had surreptitiously pressed himself up against Geoff, and when the Hattallan finally said "This one!" and headed out, he didn't notice Jeremy's eyes focused firmly on his backside.
The Hattallan and the human looked out over the railing of the platform they had found themselves on. They were a good distance above the surveillance office, far enough away that they'd have warning should... whateveritwas they were waiting for notice them, yet close that they could at least follow any approaching being's movements. The stood, and waited.
"Y'know I'm gonna go out on a limb and say we don't want to be anywhere near here right about now," Jeremy began to move past Geoff, "so iff'n ya don't mind, I think I'll open this door." He placed his hand on the doorknob, whispering "damnit there'd better be some booze behind this one", and pulled.
Geoff and Jeremy walked through into an atrium of sorts. A large central area illuminated by a skylight several hundred feet above them was dominated by an enormous tree, growing in a relatively small section of grass in the middle of the atrium. Relatively small being the operative phrase; it was still the size of a city block, but compared to the tree before them, it was quite tiny. A myriad of stairs lead to seemingly randomly-placed platforms and floors, scattered around the atrium. Sometimes the stairs wound up around the treetrunk, and if one squinted, one could just barely make out a complex cobweb of catwalks and platforms suspended in the tree's upper branches.
Geoff looked behind them, eyes narrowed. "Jeremy... where are we?"
Jeremy took a while to respond, gaping as he was at the view before him. "uhh... what? Oh, well, I just kinda... looked for the door that was farthest away, right? So that's where we are. It's kind of... leftish of where we were before."
"... 'leftish'?"
"Yeah, like, if you were facing the screens, y'know? It's uh, like, leftish and a bit... up... from that room."
"Ok... but how far, exactly?"
Jeremy turned around, slightly exasperated. "Hell I dunno, man! It's not like each door says 'HEY JEREMY BUDDY I'M EXACTLY FIFTEEN METERS, TEN CENTIMETERS, FIFTY MILLIMETERS AND TWO DUCKS AWAY FROM YOU, CHEERIO WOT WOT'" Geoff remained impassive as the faux-accent was lost on him. Jeremy made a face, "Anyways yeah, all I know is this door is farther away from that room than any other door I could find in this... uh... building... space... place. Yup."
Geoff sighed. "Right, well, could you take us back? Not too close, but... to a door where we might get a line-of-sight on the entrance to that room. I'd like to see if maybe we can watch the... event. From a safe distance, of course."
"You're the bossman, Bossman. Away we go!" Jeremy walked back to the atrium's entrance, once more placing his hand on the doorknob, and closed his eyes. "Ok, let's try this one," he pushed it open and stuck his head out. "Nope, can't see it from here." Jeremy opened the door again, revealing the inside of a room. He muttered "oops, wrong side..." before closing and opening it again. "Still can't see it." Geoff made a questioning noise, and Jeremy glanced back, smiling. "Yeah it's kind of a fifty-fifty chance whether I open to the inside or outside of a door, so you never really know what you're gonna-holy fucktheWHAT! PIE!" Jeremy had proceeded with closing the door and opening it again, and again hit the inside of a room. A room arranged somewhat like a storage room, and filled with various confections.
"DUDE! GEOFF! LOOK! FUCKIN' PIE, MAN!" Jeremy whooped ecstatically and bounded into the room. Geoff clenched his teeth in frustration.
"Jeremy..." his tone held hints of anger, and Jeremy turned, a slice of pecan pie halfway to his open, drooling mouth. He froze at Geoff's expression. "We're wasting time. We need to hurry if we want to catch that thing, and figure out what's going on here."
Jeremy put down the pastry, giving it a longing look before turning towards Geoff. "What's going on here is pie, man. I never turn down pie; both types, actually," said with a wistful grin, "but anyways, I don't really see a need to identify the... thingy in the cameras. I mean, if it's what's responsible for these buildings being empty, then I really, really don't think it's any of our business! I say were camp down here, where there's delicious food and safety, and just... I dunno, wait for the round to change again. Yeah?" Jeremy sat down against the wall, and reached back towards his treat, slowly bringing it back to his mouth, savoring the moment.
"Damnit boy! There's more at stake here than your leisure! If we want to escape this mad competition, we'll need to study the worlds around us, and that means figuring out the true fate of the people here! I've welcomed working with you so far, but... you have no sense of rigor!"
Jeremy paused, again, and smiled. He gave Geoff a look... that somehow made the Hattallan very uncomfortable. "First of all dude, I'm not just a 'boy', but it's cute you think of me that way. Secondly, I can indeed be quite... rigorous, and you'd just stay here with me for a while, maybe I could demonstrate my rigor." The grin he flashed Geoff was toothy and somehow... hungry. Geoff looked nonplussed. Then Jeremy chuckled. "Oh man this is gonna be fun." He finally took a bite out of the slice of pecan pie, and spent a minute chewing slowly. He swallowed, put down the rest of the piece, and stood back up, looking at Geoff. "Right, well, if it means spending more time with you than I guess exploring a little doesn't sound half bad." He stretched and headed back to the door.
"Why don' you scooch yerself up here next to me and tell me when you think I've hit a good vantage point, eh?"
Geoff sidled up to Jeremy and looked out as Jeremy opened and closed the door in quick succession, shaking his head each time. He didn't even notice that Jeremy had surreptitiously pressed himself up against Geoff, and when the Hattallan finally said "This one!" and headed out, he didn't notice Jeremy's eyes focused firmly on his backside.
The Hattallan and the human looked out over the railing of the platform they had found themselves on. They were a good distance above the surveillance office, far enough away that they'd have warning should... whateveritwas they were waiting for notice them, yet close that they could at least follow any approaching being's movements. The stood, and waited.