[closed] i don't know if i'm dead or not

[soulshard]

Who: Ardbert & others
Where: Panorama; the Fringes
When: Throughout April
What: April catch-all

Warnings: None for now, will add if needed.

Comments

jasnah; later in april

[soulshard]

[ While Ardbert has turned their cat, Dropsy, into something of an adventurer in his own right, there are still supposed to be rules. He doesn't let Dropsy simply go too and fro; this was the case at the motel, and it's also the case here at the dormitories. For one thing, Panorama is a dangerous place for a little cat. For another, they have neighbors who might not necessarily want to be bothered by an over-curious cat, especially now that they're in the Sanctum among scholars.

He takes Dropsy out on trips into the Fringes plenty, with a harness that he uses to ensure that he doesn't get lost. But still, when he's in the city? Dropsy is supposed to stay in the room.

Sometimes, though, it can be hard to control him. Ardbert's fumbling with his keys and a few bags of groceries and other times as he reenters his shared room, which means that the moment that the door opens a crack, Dropsy darts out, taking his chance while he's distracted. ]

Hey—

[ He has to go in and put his things down to free up his hands, and in that time Dropsy explores briefly up and down the dormitory hallway before he approaches the door across from theirs and starts scratching at it, going on up on his hind legs to do so.

Surely these other rooms are interesting. Let him in! ]

[elsecall]

[ It has only been a few days since Jasnah has taken up the room across the hall and in that time she's made no effort whatsoever to meet her neighbours. This isn't so strange. Even under ideal circumstances, she wouldn't be inclined to knock on a stranger's door and exchange pleasantries. And these are not ideal circumstances.

She thinks, distantly, of Sciel and her tarot cards — when she'd humoured her on a street corner weeks ago, asking what she ought to do about more permanent lodgings. Jasnah doesn't believe in such things. And yet, as she settles into this room — this deliberate choice — she can't quite dismiss the memory. It lingers.

The room itself is satisfactory. The lock functions. That alone places it leagues above the motel. The first day, she had done little more than sit within its quiet and appreciate the absence of any intrusions. She hasn't slept yet — not truly — but the stillness and hush has been wonderful. The mattress is firm enough. The window is functionally useless, pressed so close to the neighboring brick that it admits neither light nor entry. The floor is crowded; the shared facilities questionable. But the room suits her fine and she's arranged her few few few belonging with precision. In the end, it's an improvement.

She's seated at a cramped built-in desk, pen moving steadily across paper, when the sound begins. A faint scratching. At first, she assumes it's nothing. Perhaps an echo of her own work or some trick of acoustics within the narrow space. But it continues.

Jasnah stills, listening. Then rises, following the sound to the door which she opens. Something small and fast bursts past her. And she startles with a sharp intake of breath breaking into a bitten-out storms—!! as she pivots. Tracking the movement too late to intercept it. The creature is already inside, a blur of motion and fur.

It's — Jasnah doesn't know what it is. Low to the ground, but elongated. Sleek. A kind of mink, perhaps? But taller. She turns sharply, glancing out into the hallway (empty) before snapping her attention back into the room. The tall mink has vanished. Jasnah stands very still for a single, assessing beat. ]