Empyrea

[NativeForeigner]

((For the sake of my actual sanity and to reduce strain on your eyes and comprehensive abilities, I'm going to continue with Maria's accent implied.))

"Well, you know how to play Charades, don'tchya?" Maria began, her accent still holding strong, "We split up into two teams, we do, and we begin!"
Her hand suddenly shot into the air, "Queen!" she suddenly called.
Martin's hand rose in a more casual manner, "King." he said coolly.

"I pick her!" Maria said, pointing an gloved finger towards Ton'yell.

"I pick him." Martin announced, gesturing at Jasper.

This continued until everyone was on a team.

It was Ton'yell, Alex, Elian, and Lyon against Jasper, Rebeca, Rebeca, and Tom.

"Alrighty, king, we're ready, we are." Maria said to Martin, "Every point a team gets is a question they get to ask whomever they want, it is." she quickly added.

"Very well, we'll start." Martin told his team as he removed his hat and held it upside down. He waved his open hand over the hat and extended it to his teammates. It was filled with several pieces of paper, "Who wants to start?"  

[NativeForeigner]

Before any such gameplay could begin, the door labeled as "1" creaked open. Then it slammed shut as a brief blur burst through.

Quite suddenly, Carpenter was standing as far away as he could possibly manage from the two Dukes.
"Hey." he said, smooth as ever, "What the hell do you guys think you're doing? These kids don't have a clue what's going on and you're playing games?"

Carpenter wasn't exactly the most welcoming character, several of the guests backed away.

"Hey! What are you doin' here?" Maria blurted out, "Why I oughta knock you a new one for ruinin' our game, I oughta! Get the hell outta here before Martin and I kill you, we will!"

Carpenter shook his head, doing his best to remain as confident as possible, "Not until you give them a damn chance! You're just leading them on, Maria, let them have a choice."

"Why the hell should we let you take 'em? You'll jus' feed them lies and such, you will!"

"The only lies around here come from yours and your sibling's mouths."
Carpenter quickly turned his attention to the obviously confused guests, "Listen, my name's Carpenter, I'm a Workman. They're MADmen. Just take it from their name. They'll lie to you just to get you to help them.

I may look scary, but inside, I'm really just a big teddy bear" he added almost sarcastically, "You won't survive in this place for long unless you pick a side, and I really do recommend our side. In just a few minutes, another Workman and some people just like you should show up that can testify for me."

"What a load of bull honky!" Maria interjected, "He's lying to yeah, darlings, he really is. I mean, just look at him! He's a bloody zombie, that's what he is. Don't listen to him, please..." she seemed to be almost pleading.
"We'll get you out of here as soon as we can, we will, but I bet they can't say the same."  

[Isa-sama]

Ton'yell was happy that she was able to stay on the same team with Alex. This way, whatever happens, at least we'll be together. She was waiting patiently for the game when some strange looking person came through a door. His skin...what's wrong with it? He looked like he was pieced together with rotting flesh. For a minute, she thought this man was another one of those crazy people that she'd fought in Corona.

She listened to the zombie - Carpenter, as she would now need to remember - argue with the siblings. Workman? MADmen? Pick a side? And both were claiming that the other one was a liar. She curled her hands into fists. Who can tell who's telling the truth. All I want is to get Alex and myself back home. "Will you please explain to me what's going on? I want to hear the two sides of this story," she firmly asked.

The arguments were flimsy at best - there was no proof to tell who was being truthful. And for that, she was extremely tense on who to ally herself with (should she even ally with either side). Ton'yell looked at the others to see what they thought of the situation. They seemed just as confused as she was.  

[SiberDrac]

Alex nodded at the idea of charades. He could live with that. Hopefully. He had three guessers just by himself, anyway. It was with tremendous relief that he learned he was on Ton'yell's side. At least he knew someone he could trust would be near him.

And then a zombie appeared. Jesse thought the zombie was cool.

We should definitely go with Carpenter.

You are a cretin!

Zombehz!

Jesse, please be reasonable.

Zombehz!

Alex didn't stand a chance. He blinked rapidly, slowed, and dropped his shoulders as an impish smile spread across his face. "Tony, we should trust this zombie. He's, um - yeah, he's an upstanding man. A worker. See? You can trust people like that. Zombies." He looked over at Maria. "Sorry, Miss." He jerked a thumb at Carpenter. "You're bat-s**t crazy, and he's a zombie. He wins."  

[thegoodsamaritan]

Jasper's conciousness didn't take kindly to Carpenter's patchwork appearance. Where is his mouth? Dear God, WHERE IS HIS MOUTH?? He would have turned and run, right then and there, if not for two reasons. Firstly, he was still in this madhouse of a manor- if he tried to run, he'd probably be digested and spit out. And secondly, besides the man's appearance and demeanor, Carpenter mentioned something he had that Jasper desperately wanted:

Information. Leading tham on... meaning she's not being straightforward. Meaning... maybe he will! There was something else, as well. Something didn't sit right with Jasper about these two. Maria, was maybe all right, even though she was a tad childish. It was Martin. He barely knew the man, true... but there just wasn't something right about him...

Still, this presented yet another dilemma. How should he go about convincing the others? His answer came when Alex decided to follow the zombified individual. Perfect, said his colder, logical side. Ton'yell will never let Alex out of his sight. One down... He stepped back mentally for a moment, and wondered: Why do I care...? Why did he care, indeed? The two were free to choose whatever they wanted, as was he. Why was he so devoted to staying with them?

Because I need them, he decided. None of us can survive without each other, and we all want to see ourselves through this... Yeah, let's go with that.

He walked up to Alex and Carpenter. "I'm going with you two," he said. He glanced back at Ton'yell for a half-second, not even long enough to realize that he had. "It's time I get some straightforward answers about this place."  

[Isa-sama]

Oh no. No no no no NO. She was NOT going with the Carpenter just because Jesse thought the zombie was cooler than the crazy lady. She wanted to hear both sides before doing anything else - who's to say who's trustworthy? Rather than say that outloud, she went with a more tactful approach. "I really think we should wait, Jesse. I want to hear their sides--" Jesse didn't seem to pay attention.

Jasper then followed Jesse's footsteps. Oh shoot. Now it's gonna be even harder to get him to stay put. She loved the boy, she really did, but if there was one thing she wished Jesse had, it was for him to keep his mouth shut at times. "Jesse. We don't know anything about these people. I want to get some answers before going anywhere - don't be hasty." She walked over to the three males, ready to drag Jesse back. While she had a feeling that the Carpenter would be more open about information, she only knew him for what, a few seconds? Patience was key.

She looked at Jasper with a little bit of pleading. "We should get both sides of the story before going off with anyone. This is a good opportunity to get information from all of them."

The little orange bug from before started crawling up around the Carpenter's foot before going up the man's pants. Ton'yell watched as the bug got up to thigh before mentioning to the Carpenter, "you have a bug on you. Mightn't you want it off?" As soon as Ton'yell finished her question, the bug froze in place before zipping down the pants and onto the ground. She stared as the bug started circling her - not doing anything to climb her or hurt her, but certainly staying around her. Why is it checking me out? While it was slightly unnerving to have a bug watch her, so long as it didn't climb on her, she wouldnt' do anything to it. Who knows, it might be one of these strange peoples' pet; like Hell if I wanna get any of them mad.  

[NativeForeigner]

Carpenter looked at Alex with a cocked eyebrow, "Hey, kid, I like your attitude. Not really a zombie, but yeah." he looked at Jasper and nodded.

"Hey! You can't go with him!" Maria interjected sharply before quickly cooling, "He's a zombie, what if he bites you? You don't wanna turn out like him, do ya?"

Carpenter sighed and rolled his eyes, "I won't bite you, I don't have a mouth, and you won't turn out looking like me."
He looked down at the beetle on his thigh and tilted his head. His eyes followed it as it scurried to Ton'yell and studied it for a few seconds. "Seems to like ya, kid." he said quietly before returning to the current matter, "Listen, lady, you have a point, and a very good one at that. I'm sure you all want answers and to know what the hell is going on, but that can't happen here.

The manor may be neutral ground..." he glared momentarily at the Dukes, "But we can only tolerate each other's presence for so long."

The Dukes silently nodded as they both glared hatefully at Carpenter as he spoke.

"You'll just have to follow your instincts." Carpenter began again, "Like I said, there will be a few just like you coming into this room through the same door I did. Any minute now...They'll give you testimonials, then you can decide for yourself."

*

Shepard was first through the door into the room. He saw Carpenter, the abundance of guests, and the Dukes. "s**t, God dammit." he swore under his breath as he strolled over to Carpenter, the smoke from his collar thickening.

Ro was next. He walked casually through only to freeze the moment he actually enter the room.
He looked around the crowded room, "********?" he said quietly as he nervously made his way to the Workmen and pressed himself against the wall. There were way too many people in this room.

The others were quick to follow, Gregory made a bee-line for Shepard the second he made it through the door.  

[Isa-sama]

Where the Hell did all these people come from? They were about 20 people now in the tiny room. So now they were rather crowded. And she was currently surrounded by...males. This was slightly awkward, but she could deal with this. Easy girl. This is not the time to get panicky. She looked at everyone as they came in the room, trying memorize their faces. She did not want anyone of them near Jesse should they be crazy.

She unconsciously held Jesse closer to her - and well, this wasn't really a good thing to do to a young teenage boy. Especially since he was rather short and she was rather tall. However, she wasn't paying attention to this at all - she was more concerned with the small amount of space between people. "Would it be too problematic to get to a larger room? I believe we're all a bit uncomfortable crowded like this." I need space, damnit.

The bug that was crawling around her was trying to get on her now. It would settle itself on her foot before she'd kick it off; however, it would just go right back to her and stay on her foot. Great. Now even the bugs are out to get us. Either it did not like being on the ground where there were a lot of feet for stomping, or it just liked her. Isn't the Carpenter its friend? She wished it'd just go to him. Until there was more room though, she'd just have to deal with a bright orange bug on her shoe.  

[NativeForeigner]

"I agree!" Ro blurted out, "We should...really move..."

Carpenter looked about the crowded room and nodded, "Yeeeah, that might be a good idea, let's go to the theater to decide this." he waved a hand towards the Dukes, "If you wouldn't mind leading the way." Carpenter added coyly.

Maria growled, "Damn right we will."

*

The entire group was now headed for the nearby Dukes up front and the Workmen holding up the rear, both keeping an angry eye on each other.

They shortly arrived in the Dance Hall. It seemed empty for the moment, but eery music could be heard. But it was much roomier. As soon as they had situated themselves in the center of the dance floor, several ghosts faded into existence and began their loop. (outlined one the first page of this thread under "Dance Hall")

The Workmen and MADmen continued on as though nothing was happening.  

[SirBayer]

Arthur followed behind. His weapons were losing potency... but forks would work just as well. He grabbed one from his pack, preparing to maim as necessary. He was getting exhausted. This was just one more obstacle to a night's rest that Arthur just didn't need.

"Let's finish this up fast," Arthur requested of the Workmen. "I'm low on energy and I'm going to hit rock-bottom, potentially to the point of injury."  

[SiberDrac]

Jesse was simply ecstatic. This was something he could enjoy. Not so much the stupid quantity of people. More, the presence of horror film-style horror, rather than the sick madness of the men, woman, and child from Corona. Additionally, the sudden proximity of boobs.

Boobs.

Jesse, I swear to everything that is holy-

You ain't been religious since Alex made you up, woman.

Alex, tell him why this is wrong! Jesse, get your hand away from them, you scumbag!

Guys... come on, is there any way we can... cooperate? Like we were back in Corona?

Nah. I wanna poke her boobs.

God-awful piece of sh-

Chris is just jealous because you don't have any, Alex.

And then, just as Jesse was about to fondle the objects of his desire, they moved out of reach as the exodus from the cramped space began. WIth a quiet, "Aw, damn," and a snort of disappointment, he slowly drifted back towards the workers and just watched them with a silent, boyish glee. For a little while. Jesse had never been particularly good at "silent."

"Hey," he said to Carpenter. "I'm Jesse. Well... kind of. I'm also Alex, and Chris. It's complicated. You'll get used to it. I hope. But, lemme just tell you guys, I am not stayin' with that crazy broad. Is it cool if I hang with you?"

Once in the dance hall, he continued to associate himself with them, refusing to get too close to Maria or Martin and making it absolutely clear to Ton'yell that nothing and no-how was he staying with people who were visibly insane. Visibly corrupt, visibly decaying, visibly possibly a flasher, was all fine. Maria did not sit right with him, and Martin looked like a first-class *****. Besides, the workmen embodied every form of cool he knew.

You know, I kind of like Maria and Martin... they're, y'know - stately.

Shut up, Alex.

As the ghosts went through their routine, Jesse could help but sit and watch in awe. It was like... it was like being in an awesome horror show. He didn't have an ounce of sympathy for the people who seemed to be reliving their final, gruesome moments. As the one man on stage got squished, he said in a voice not used to discretion, "Oh! Splattered!" He used every ounce of self-control he had not to laugh out loud when they started pulling themselves together and contented himself with a mischievous giggle. The music was a little troublesome, but the accompanying show was well worth the creepiness, for him. The import and reality of the situation at hand had left him entirely.  

[OiM-Martin]

Martin, silent to this point, quite suddenly exploded on the Workmen.

"YOU!" he roared, causing conversation to cease. "HOW DARE YOU COME IN HERE AND INTERRUPT OUR PROCEEDINGS WITH SUCH SLANDEROUS SPEECH?! I knew you Workmen were no good, but to interrupt so smugly, and with such abandon and crass? I cannot allow it to drag on, sirs; indeed, at this point I believe I must declare us in combat."

He swung his umbrella up, its point hovering at the knee level of the two Workmen. Martin's pale face was twisted in rage.  

[Jokerman-EXE]

Henry took in the proceedings coolly, his eyes betraying nothing as he observed the MADmen and the Workmen.

Shepard, in the meantime, puffed a few more times on his cig before saying, "Listen, little British boy, we don't really have the time right now. How about you go back to your daddy, and take your sister with you? We don't need you corrupting these kids."  

[Isa-sama]

Ton'yell moved along with the others to the Dance Hall, paying attention to the surroundings. Such a curious house...and such interesting characters. That was her rather polite way of saying, 'this is messed up.' Her shoulders slightly sagged; after fighting a crazy kid, falling to what should have been your death, and dealing with the insane vs. zombie, she felt like she should have been used to such weird things by now. They're only going to get worse from here on out, I bet.

For one thing, Jesse kept giving her not-so-subtle hints about wanting to stay with Carpenter. Tch. I bet he'd still think it 'awesome' if he got bit by said zombie. She paused for a second, feeling guilty for thinking such a thing. No...I'm sure Carpenter means us no harm. He's been courteous to us this entire time. And unlike the other two, he's actually promised us answers - not made us play games for them. Still, she kept her thoughts to herself. It was wise to remain impartial until it was shown that either side was dangerous to Jesse's welfare.

Then came the music. She was not fazed by the spooky tune, but she was surprised at the sight of the ghosts. I wonder what caused this horrible scene. It was sad to see such a scene repeat itself constantly. She heard Jesse's giggle and looked at him with disappointment. This wasn't something funny to laugh at - this was something to pity. "I thought you better than that, Jesse," she muttered. I'm sure he'll grow out of this detachment. Besides, this isn't the time to be scolding him.

And of course, here's the fighting. Martin exploded, surprising Ton'yell out of her thoughts. Mmkay. Their issue is not with with us. Hopefully, they won't drag us in this fight. She frowned at this thought. At least that Workman seems to be calm. That won a point in the Workmen's favor.  

[thegoodsamaritan]

This was not going at all the way Jasper intended it to. Ton'yell seemed dead set on keeping her and Alex as far away from Carpenter as she could, even though, clearly, Alex thought it was the right thing to do- as did Jasper. Dammit, can nothing be simple anymore? He was just about to reason with the hard headed woman when the tower room suddenly became very crowded, as more of Carpenter's "witnesses" showed up.

Long story short, Jasper was one of the first to leave for the Dance Hall.

Why can't she see reason? he thought angrily. Do we want to wander around this madhouse our entire lives, chasing answers and playing silly games? Carpenter, and his companion, who as yet was nameless, promised them answers- straight ones. And they had all these others to back up their claims. Real people, outsiders, just like them! Who did the MADmen have but themselves?

Jasper was shocked out of his mental debate by two things; the first was Martin's outburst against the Workman. Knew that guy was mad as a spoon. At least these guys are lucid... The second, of course, being that he was now surrounded by ghosts, most of which seemed to be caught in a self-perpetuation of their grisly demises. Jasper felt bile rising in his throat, and fought it down. How horrible. He looked over at Ton'yell; she still seemed uneasy about this whole situation. Jasper sighed, but in sympathy rather than exasperation. She's just worried, that's all.

He walked over to her, with what he hoped was a soothing expression on his face- though it was hard, what with the suicidal ghosts on the stage. He smiled in a concerned way. "Are you alright?" he asked, with genuine concern.