Vacant Paradise

[Greenteeth]

There was once a time when the days had blurred, when life had stood still and ages had come and gone with the single beat of an eyelid. But no longer did the stays teeter upon the verge of the subconscious, and she did not count upon a hollow breast beating upon her bone. They were coming today. As prophetic as that sounded, it was the truth the girl could feel within her bones, and she fretted and settled with everything upon such a detailed eye one would have to wonder if she would not give herself an ulcer. She ran up and down the stairs, ensuring everyone's place was set, that nothing was misplaced, forgotten or lost. Indeed, she expected a few to come begrudgingly, and because of this she ensured that the place looked as welcoming and peaceful as the finest resort. Finally, upon the agreed hour of arrival, she placed herself before the doors, smoothing her dress and trying to look the embodiment of lovely hostess.

Vacant Paradise was a mansion of paradoxes, but today it filled the desire of its care-taker rather well. The new arrivals would be herded through two large French doors of carved oak, filled with fairy-tale scenes and the most delicate of flowers. Upon entering, they'd reach a large atrium, the "Greeting Room" as Azra fondly named it. The floors were a finely polished white marble, threads of blue and gray running through them like veins, giving the floor a strange sense of depth. It was a tall room, all three stories tall with the doors facing true north. Upon the right wall was a large entryway to what seemed a parlor or tea room, and to the immediate left was a pair of double doors shut for the moment. Further into the place were a pair of perfectly symmetrical staircases, forming a loose "U" to the same floor. There seemed to be a third floor above that, but so foreseeable way upward at the atrium's position. Beyond the staircases upon the ground level was a hallway leading south, deeper into the mansion.

Lovely pieces of artwork hung upon the wall, most of portraits of the previous care-takers, though some were gorgeous and fictional scenes. Everything was made of the most expensive yet durable surface, the woodwork all stained dark and the metal upon the staircase a wrought-iron black. But the walls all were painted a soft sky blue color, as if trying to breathe life into the enormous household. It seemed to do the trick, as light was abundant in the place, though that might have been the cause of the many crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. And Azra stood in the middle of it, dressing in oasis green, seeming to say she was the vibrancy of the extravagance. Her mahogany hair was worn loose, though curled into ringlets at the ends. Upon her hip she wore a keyring, and in one hand was a folder made of the same thick paper that the invitations had come in. The air of high expectancy ran through the whole place, radiating from their hostess, her brilliant eyes studying the familiar surface of the doors, waiting, hoping. They would come. They were coming.

The car-drivers would respectfully open the door, leading them through and setting whatever luggage there was to be had by the staircases. Then the men would leave back out the front door, pulling it closed with them. One by one, each guest would gather, and Azra would greet them. Oh, how she looked forward to greeting them! Nervously, the girl ran her fingers around her pearl necklace, a wide grin splitting her lips. For months and months she'd been planning their company. The girl had looked up what it was they enjoyed to do most, had even updated their gym so Mr. Griddock Leerman could work out should he choose to do so. And she stocked the bar for Mr. Joseph Laynes, for it was quite apparent about his addictions. Azra did not want to go through the unpleasantness of a man in withdrawal. She had more than some difficulty in achieving an ice rink, but nothing was as important as the approval of her guests, so the young lady had made it work for Ms. Kadira Mysilra.

The girl was positively beaming, the excitement making it hard to stay still, but she was a lady and would be patient for when they walked through that door. There was, of course, a plan of action beyond getting them all assembled here in the atrium. Azra Vase-Klem was expecting more than a little bit of frustration and confusion. She was so far as expecting threats and lawsuits, as she understood sometimes they had to be forcibly removed. This thought was a bit sobering, and she looked up to the ceiling of the mansion. Its surface was a bit disorienting, for upon the ceiling was hundreds of mirrors, seamlessly worked together. Azra stared back down at Azra staring up, and the girl had to admit she was, for the moment, grateful at not having gone with the reflective floor. Still, the grandeur of the notion would have been grate, and she mentally flagged it as a theme for the ballroom on a later date.

[Agnores]

Mark had decided a long time ago he would not ask questions.

He no longer cared if this was legal; it was different. He would probably be fired from work, it was true, but that didn't matter to Mark. His thoughts were filled with adventure, almost like a childs, but he made sure that his inner thoughts did not reflect on his face.

'Maybe,' he thought, 'this can make me into something more than that nerdy reporter.'

When the car finally stopped, Mark closed his eyes and let himself smile. 'The adventure begins.' The driver opened his door, and Mark climbed out. He saw the driver head towards the back of the car, and it occured to Mark that they must have gathered his stuff. Which was convenient, considering Mark had not thought about clothes or anything of the sort since leaving.

Mark looked around at the sound of more cars pulling up; he had not been aware anyone else would be coming. Inwardly, Mark felt his dreams of being the hero of whatever story this mansion would produce collapse. The appearance of other people would mean Mark would be his usual self: quiet, unimportant, and unnoticed.

Mark watched each car for it's passenger. The first person he noticed was a man with hair the same color as Mark's, but this man seemed a lot scarier. He had tattoos, and it seemed like a lot of them, and walked with the air of someone who just didn't care about anything. He made Mark feel uneasy; Mark made a mental note to avoid him.

The next person to appear did so in stark contrast to the first; the new person was pale, a tad shorter then Mark, and not nearly as tattoo-covered. He reminded Mark of some of his friends, who were all mostly gamers and the like, and Mark decided then that he would at least try to talk to this person. He didn't know how long he'd be here, so he might as well try to make friends.

The third person to appear was a tall, well-built African-American man, who immediately gave Mark the military impression. Mark quickly labeled him off as someone he wanted to avoid, but he noted that this man seemed more reliable then the first to have appeared.

To Mark's surprise, who had begun to assume only guys had come on this trip, a woman got out of the next car. She had long, blonde hair, and was decently pretty. Mark immediately cast that detail out of his mind; she seemed to be the athletic type, and Mark wasn't exactly the most active person in the world. He could only hope she actually had some brains to her, unlike most women of her...build.

To Mark's dismay, another man came out of the next car. He seemed equally as able to hurt Mark badly if he wished; the man had lots of knives on him, and seemed to carefully watch his surroundings. Mark sighed inwardly. What a fun trip. Only one girl, and around six different guys, most of them able to kick the shit out of anyone who gets in their way. Mark began to hope the pale one was friendly and able to fight.

Mark turned to the last car, half expecting a drug-dealing body-builder when he noticed the woman getting out. She was pretty, Mark had to hand her that. However, in an effort to keep his own thoughts in check, he labeled her away like the other girl: probably stuck up, and probably not worth my time. However, Mark couldn't help himself but notice she was tanned and dressed casually, a nice contrast to Mr. Knives and Mr. Army.

Mark closed his eyes. 'How fun. A bunch of men who can snap me in half, and a few women who probably won't give me the time of day. How did I get myself in this?'

[nona]

Kero was having the time of his life. Not only was the chick he was with loose, she was experienced and clean. She knew tricks he had not encountered yet and she knew them well! Not that he did not know a few of his own. Her cries echoing through his apartment were testament to that. This was truly the ebst sex of his life, and that was saying a LOT. It was truly a bachelor's pad, his place. One could see the pizza boxes and porno strewn about to know that. Normally in fact he would take chicks to a hotel but this one... this one he just couldn't wait! Between those legs... those... those...

He paused, but a moment, blinking. "Was that a damn car?" he asked, as he could have sworn he heard the sound of car doors in front of the house. Which should have been impossible considering what hour in the morning it was.

"SHUT UP AND PUSH HARDER!" came the reply. Kero grinned. Who was he, after all, to deny such a heartfelt request. His mind was on the here and the now, completely oblivious to anything outside of the bedroom as he tuned it out. He had, after all, completely forgotten the invitation he had been sent some time ago, leaving it crumpled beside the trashcan. Yeah, he had missed the basket. So what? It was junk mail anyways. Free trip? Right, hardly. And he was the Queen of Egypt!

And then the bedroom doors came open. The girl before him peered up, over at the older men. "...I didn't know this was to be an orgy..." Kero glared at the men.

"Woah woah woah! I have a strict no dudes in the bedroom policy! Hey! What are you doing? I- ack- SHIT!" he swore, as he found himself literally dragged off.

* * * * *

Thusly, a very cross Kero sat in the car as it drove, pissed at the world. He had no luggage, he was half-dressed, and his hair looked atrocious. He had ranted, he had raved, but the men did not listen. He could not escape the car either, he had tried. And apparently lewd behavior was not tolerated in the least either. Yeah he wanted to keep his penis. So, instead, he plotted revenge. In his mind he had laid out a dozen ways to kill off the bastards. The only trick was where did one obtain a flamethrower and about a dozen cans of hairspray? Before he could come up with the answer to this question however, the car had stopped.

He found he was not alone either, apparently. And he had no shoes on. How was he supposed to shove his shoe up someone's ass if he wasn't even wearing any shoes? He gave the others no mind at all, instead deciding he would take it up with management. They deserved a good beating for this, they really did. Wouldn't he have said if he wanted to go? Damn straight he would have! He made his own decisions, his own fucking choices!

"Lead me to the bastard! I'm gonna shove his fucking head into his own ass!" Kero ranted, fists clenched and dark eyes glaring. He followed the path given, finding himself so pissed off he had not even noticed the scenery yet. He hadn't noticed any of the faces, so focused was he. Any other time, and he would have had the distinct impression he did not belong, especially since the fanciest place he had ever been in before this was a Motel 8. He was more of a Hooter's back alley guy after all. But right now, right now he barely saw the front of his face.

"I am going to grab them by their damn testicles and hang them upon the ceiling fan! I... am... going... to... well shit. You're a GIRL," he said, blinking as he stared at their hostess. He had finally arrived at his destination, all puffed up and ready to kick some ass, and here there was a girl before him. He did not hit girls... EVER. This was the first time in his life he had even been remotely tempted. So, instead he glared as he started to pace with frustration, fists clenched but kept at his sides.

"What the HELL was that about?!?" he yelled. "I mean, I was having SEX for fuck's sake! Some of the best goddamn sex I ever had for FREE! And your creepy old dudes just barge into my room and... and... I don't even have shoes on! I left that chick hanging, begging for more, calling out MY name! Mine! All for... a... a vacation? I am perfectly fine with my life the way it is, I DON'T take time off. I have the best fucking job ever! I don't want to be fucking fired! So if you would kindly return me home I would GREATLY appreciate it! I make my own damn decisions, it is MY life. Not yours! No, seriously. Return me quickly and I just might not kick a hole in the wall of this place. I might have a change of heart and not punch one of those old farts in the face. I might, just might, leave peacefully without threat or lawsuit or whatever the Hell else I can think of! But the offer only stands for a minute so think quickly because I am really, REALLY pissed." He finally stopped pacing, arms folded as he glared towards her and waited for her answer.

...He felt slightly guilty, ranting at a girl like this. But seriously... what did she fucking expect? Roses? Hugs?

[Agnores]

Mark sighed.

The man that scared him at first was yelling and screaming about sex with some girl or another, and accomplishing nothing but proving that Mark wanted nothing to do with him. Mark hoped he calmed down, or the headache Mark could feel coming would probably never leave.

The mansion was extravagant. Mark had expected nothing like it, and when he noticed his own reflection in the ceiling, he instantly fell in love with this spot in the mansion. He had a feeling he would return here often.

His eyes fell on the girl being yelled at, whom he assumed to be Azra. Mark had been expecting some old woman, but this girl was...well, certainly not what he expected. Mark hoped this mansion was filled with more surprises like this. He might even enjoy his stay here. Now, as for his headache....

He seriously hoped there was a room full of ibuprofen.

[Bia]

Kadira sat in the car gazing out the window, still clutching the ice skates she had thrown at the man sitting in the drivers seat, holding his head in pain. Even though she didn't particularly regret throwing them at him, she still felt bad for hurting him. And she assumed this wasn't the best first impression.

Kadi (as she was usually called) glanced down at her appearance and was glad to see that she looked rather nice, they had caught her at a time when she was getting ready to assistant teach a skating lesson, thats why she was sharpening her blades. She was wearing a bright green tank top (that she would've put a sweater over had she gone to the rink) dark blue jeans, and her favorite black boots. Her bright blonde hair was left down. She glanced down at her arms "crap!" she said to herself, she forgot about scar #2. The long, very noticeable scar running from the top of her wrist to her shoulder. Everyone in her home town was used to it, but here, she didn't know anybody, and first impressions mattered. She also noticed with dismay that her hands were fairly well scratched up, which was typical for her, but not for other people. She clutched the ice skates to her chest and waited for the car to stop.

When they got there Kadira climbed out of the car, brushing some hair away from her face as she did so. She glanced around at the other people:

A fairly normal looking guy who seemed to be checking out everyone else, just as she was.

A sex-obsessed disgruntled looking guy, who looked like he needed a cold shower. She gave a look of dismay at him and quickly moved on to the next person.

A tall girl, who looked like she lived and breathed American Eagle. She looked closer, or sorry, Aeropostale. She sighed and shifted from one foot to the other, she didn't look like they would have so much in common.

There was a really brutish looking guy with thick muscles and a paranoid look about him.

The next was an equally brutish man, but he looked much less paranoid, more like he was sure of himself and his abilities to knock people around.

A shorter nerdy looking man was standing next to the first person she noticed, he looked like he spent all day at the computer.

She sighed and noticed she was still clutching her skates, and the cell phone the man had let her borrow. She quickly handed them off to the guy with her luggage and slowly made her way forward. She noticed a few people glancing at her scar and she smiled helplessly and quickly moved on. She stopped a few feet behind the tattooed sex-obsessed man and in front of the only normal looking guy there. She noticed that she was one of only 2 girls. Oh well, she was more comfortable around guys anyway, she was used to their teasing and rough nature. She could take the teasing as well as dish it out, and for that reason, she didn't really have a lot of "girlfriends" but she still maintained a little feminism with her ice skating, so she wasn't a complete goner.

Kadi smiled at everyone who made eye-contact and waited for the adventure to start...she hoped they had a rink here...

[Incubus Folly]

Griddock heaved a pretty heavy sigh as he opened his eyes. He wasn't sure about this whole ordeal. One moment he was in his bed, looking up at a turning ceiling fan, the next he was staring at the inside of a car. It almost seemed like his visitors knew exactly when to show up, right when he was in a very groggy state. It was too late for Grid to turn back now though, he had already agreed to come along and see what all the fuss was about.

He did however feel a little taken advantage of, and because of it he had nothing but his sack on his back. Not that that was a bad thing, it didn't own much else, but he would at least have liked to bring his shampoo. One of the few things he liked about having returned to civilian life, sure-fire hygiene.

He got over it during the ride however, and by the time he stepped out of his vehicle he was back to a passive, but observational pretense. He made a quick mental note of the others that had arrived with him, especially the man who was screaming and yelling like a child. He hadn't witnessed this man scream and bawl first hand, but you could here his shouts from inside the building. No one particularly caught his interest however, as all of them didn't seem to share any background he would have. He shouldered his bag from the trunk and began to progress towards the open massive wooden doors.

"See you all on the inside." He offered to the new arrivals and then proceeded to enter the building himself. It struck him, very plainly on his face, that this place was going to have just about -everything- he could possibly imagine as he pushed past the ornate doors. Instantly that unsettled him, even though the awe was just as overcoming. Places like this never gave out free invitations, and the fact that he'd never heard of it until now was just as unsettling. He decided to let it go for the time being, and instead brought his attention to the young woman who was standing in what seemed to be a housekeepers uniform.

"Thanks for the invitation."

[SikstaSlathalin]

Spur sat in the back of the car arms crossed over his chest tapping his right foot impatiently. Lucky for the guys that tried to collect him he was awake cleaning his gear otherwise he'd owe this Azra a couple of cronies. They must've had some background on him because they both came with sawed-off shotgun loaded with incendiary rounds and kevlar vests. He packed two duffels bags with his usual job gear, clothes, weapons, water purifier, matches, lighters, armor, and personal hygiene items. He laced up his boots and tossed both of the bags over his shoulders and waited for the men to leave first before he locked up, and swallowed the only key to his place. He'll get it back later.

He studied and scanned everything about his two escorts. Both were well built probably from military stock, they looked to be around 21 and 45. The older man had three long scars on his left shoulder they poked out from under his jacket a little and he had graying hair. The younger man had bright red hair and was missing a finger most likely from some stupid showing off around heavy machinery his cocky I'm so badass look alluded to as much. Neither of them seemed to be particularly keen on having a highly trained Mercenary behind them. Spur smirked a little at their uneasiness and just for the fun of it started looking for little things to make them more uneasy. Checking his weapons in public, cracking his joints, give little quips on how he could kill a man before he could blink not sparing any details. By the time they got to the mansion both men were sweating a little. Not waiting for them to open his door he did it grabbing his bags in his hands he stepped out and noticed first his fellow guests. Two women both pretty they should provide some nice distractions later.
"5 other men? He says with a southern accent. The last thing I need is some young bucks tying to have a pissing contest to impress the ladies." He gives his escorts a smile and says.
"Thank ye for the ride boys I'll pay y'all a visit real soon like. Have a nice day." His escorts swallow then get back into the car and speed off. He looks over the guests again listing them on a threat list.
The big black man, the whiney guy without his shoes, and the quiet guy never trust the unassuming they say. The others he wasn't so sure on their threat.

He followed the black man in and frowns at the shoeless man bitching and moaning about his abduction. With a roll of his eyes Spur drops his bags and looks around at the posh mansion.
A lot of high windows and open spaces could be a problem if worse comes to worse. He thinks crossing his arms after checking his knives. The whiny guy's voice was beginning to grate on the Merc but he wanted to avoid killing anyone here unless he had to. No need to make a mess if he wouldn't get paid for it.
"Will you please shut the hell up. The way you're screaming she must've worn the pants in that relationship."

[Bia]

Kadi had to throw a hand to cover her mouth to keep the laugh that was trying to escape under way. 1. She was not expecting the tough looking guy to have a southern accent and 2. Well..that was just plain funny.

She resisted the urge to smirk at the sex-obsessed guy and quickly looked away. She moved her gaze to the tall building. Wow, this place was nicer than that NASA building she went to when she was a kid (and she considered that to be the nicest place in the world) She smiled at the prospect of living here and was glad they forced you to come, she felt another pang of guilt for the guy she threw the ice skate at. She looked around and noticed the guy, still holding his head.

Oh my gosh she said suddenly aware of what she did I better make sure he's okay

she ran over to him and leaned down, saying awkwardly "Umm, about the ice skate....I'm really sorry about throwing it at you, I just wasn't expecting anybody"

The man snapped to attention and smiled forcefully "No worries miss, I'll be okay"

Kadi bit her lip warily but let it go and watched as the man got up and walked into the building....she felt really bad. She frowned and ran her hand through her hair nervously, just a lovely first impression.

Out of habit she started picking at her scar on her arm, rubbing up and down and just feeling it. She did that when she was nervous. She sighed and sat down where the man had just been sitting. She put her head in her hands and waited for the next thing to happen.

[Agnores]

Mark watched the girl as she approached one of the drivers.

"Umm, about the ice skate....I'm really sorry about throwing it at you, I just wasn't expecting anybody." she said. Mark to to surpress a laugh. She threw a ice skate at him!

When she sat down and put her head in her hands, seeing as how not everyone was ready, he decided to go over to her. If she threw an ice skate at someone, she had to be a hell of a lot cooler then Mark had initially thought.

He approached her chair. "Uh...uh...hm." He hated when he did this. He always got nervous talking to girls, especially ones he did not know. He swallowed, then tried again. "Uh....um....You okay?"

Stupid question, he thought...but at least he didn't stammer for an hour.

[Bia]

Kadira glanced up, surprised, then looked down sheepishly, "yeah, I'm fine, just feeling a little bad about hitting...that...guy. And you know...it's always awkward when you don't know anybody"

She smiled halfheartedly and held out her scarred arm. "I'm Kadira by the way, most people just call me Kadi though"

[Agnores]

"I'm...uh...Mark. Yeah, Mark." It took him a second to realize he needed to shake her hand. He did so tentatively, and afterwards, berated himself, thinking she probably thought he wasn't a true man since he handshake wasn't firm.

"So, you...um...threw ice skates? Is that normal? Is that what happened to your arm?"

[Bia]

She smiled inwardly, and outwardly too, he seemed kinda shy, which wasn't what Kadi was used too. Her brothers and their friends were always extremely cocky and sure of themselves. She was surprised at his slight handshake, surprised that he didn't try to jerk her arm off anyway, but that went with being shy she supposed.

"Umm...well..typically I only throw whats in my hands at the time. And since I was holding ice skates...." She trailed off, he got the idea "And my scars are from this tiger I met when I was 13, no big deal. They healed up fine and the main thing is that the tigers okay, so its all good..." She realized she was babbling and shut her mouth tight.

"So, did you get a letter too?"

[Agnores]

A tiger? Did she say tiger? Mark put that aside for now. Crazy tiger lady aside, she seemed completely different then what he inititally pegged her as. Maybe he could actually enjoy his stay here.

"Uh....yeah. I did. Today's my...uh...birthday. Yeah." He didn't know why he mentioned it, but it seemed like something to do. Afterall, she mentioned tigers.

[Bia]

"No way!" Kadira said excitedly "Thats really weird cause today is..." She stopped adrubtly, she was going to say because today is Clarisse's birthday too. (Clarisse was a tiger she had last year.) but realized that he was already looking at her like she was crazy, and she shouldn't just keep talking about herself like this, she hated people who did, so why did she keep doing it?

She realized she left her sentence open and finished lamely "the day we come here."

Couldn't come up with anything more clever? she asked herself You are such a dork.

[SikstaSlathalin]

Spur watched the scared girl and the quiet guy interact.
Ah ain't that sweet. He thinks grabbing up his bags stepping from the dorrway going to the middle of the hall at the base of the stairs. Spinning in a cirlce he whisltes not bothering to hide the awe in his voice.
"Whoo doggie this place is huge, I bet I can fit my hometown in here and still have room over left over for the neighboring town." He looks at the Hostess in her green dress she was another looker but he somehow doubted she'd let a guy get that close to her let alone in her bed.
So three women and 6 men all locked in a big house with no clear reason as to why we're all here, lovely odds so far. He scans this room pretty much the same thing as the foyer high walls and windows and open as a new corn field. He was beginning to dislike the geography of this place more and more.
"So Ms. Vase-Klen how will all ths work I assume ya got rooms for us all?" He looks at her carefully scanning her face.

[Agnores]

Mark looked at Kadi. "Yeah."

His reporter senses were kicking in. She was hiding something, and he put it together it had to do with tigers. But...maybe there was some reason why she avoided it? He knew that pressing for information people didn't want to reveal would usually end in disaster, so he forgot about it.

After all, tigers couldn't be that interesting.

[Bia]

There was an awkward pause as Kadira thought about what to say next. She assumed he either didn't catch her weirdness (which was doubtful) or he didn't want to pursue it.

"Well, happy birthday" she said "I think we will be seeing a lot of each other" she smiled and stood up, running a hand through her hair. She looked around and everyone else and saw they were starting to head inside "Should we head on inside then, take a look at this mystery place?"

Kadi didn't really wait for an answer and headed on inside, she was so busy looking around she didn't look where she was going and ran smack into the cowboy talking macho man she saw earlier. She hopped back and said "OH! I'm sorry!"

smooth moves Kadi, really smooth

[SikstaSlathalin]

Spur was looking around at the walls and such when he was bumbped and almost decapitated the scared girl as she ran into hm his bowie knife was out of it's sheath and ready to kill when he saw it was just the girl taking a breath he sheaths the knife and bows to the girl a little.
"Sorry miss didn't mean to scare you and it's alright accidents happen. I'm Spur." He puts his hand out trying to smile while his paranoia rips at his body.
Relax young buck don't kill anyoen right now.

[Bia]

Kadira eye's widened at the knife and she took a few steps back while he gave her a look that could turn water to ice. He seemed to recover himself though and held out a hand to shake. She took it warily and attempted a smile

"Umm, yeah, again, really sorry. My names Kadira, but most call me Kadi" she noticed he had a few scars too and thought well, at least thats one thing in common...but somehow I get the feeling he got them from different things

[Greenteeth]

Azra had expected screaming and threats, and as such when a shirtless, shoeless Mr. Laynes, she seemed to steel herself. His rant flew and seemed to barely touch her, except for his absolute crudeness when mentioning sex. Such statements brought a bit of color to the girl's cheek, and wordlessly she waved to one of the drivers. He went within the parlor, re-emerging not so later with a shirt and some rather fuzzy-looking slippers. Handing them to the hostess, the girl then passed them over to Kero. "Here you are, Mr. Laynes, a shirt and a pair of shoes to cover your feet." Her voice was well-cultured, without any accent, and sounded about as aristocratic as one could get. It only stood to figure, in such a grand building, that their hostess would have such a voice. "I am duly sorry about your circumstances, as well. Seeing as you are here, however, I hope you shall make the best of your time. If you are willing to wait for everyone to come inside, I shall show you towards our bar." Azra smiled, a cheeky and impish look that seemed to suit her face quite well, the look seeming to be less than pleased with her self and more trying to win him over.

"As for legal threats and harm to house, I would greatly appreciate it if you restrained yourself from such pursuits of action. I doubt you'd enjoy the repercussions." The girl's attention seemed to drift after that ominous statement, landing on Mr. Leerman as he came inside, and thanked her for the invitation. He seemed both awed and disturbed by the atrium, and secretly she was thankful she had picked out a room that was less lavish than the others. "You're wholeheartedly welcome. Trust me when I say it's a pleasure to invite others inside." And it truly seemed to be. When she wasn't being threatened or embarrassed, a thing Kero seemed naturally able to do simultaneously, the girl had a relaxed and welcoming aura about her. It was with little difficulty anyone could imagine Azra as their hostess. And then, Mr. Radd joined their group, his manners less than courteous, but the girl seemed to expect as much. "Thank you for your defense, Mr. Radd, but it's quite fine. Mr. Laynes finds it difficult to want more than he has, a quality we can all learn by."

As Mr. Radd continued to venture deeper in the home, she watched him, though not with the dubious and paranoid suspicion of one not wanting sheep to run off. Her eyes remained on him, as if an artist was eagerly soaking up the critique of their work. "Azra will be just suitable, Mr. Radd. And indeed, I have rooms readied for you up on the second floor," she gestured to the stairs. "After a tour and rules of the house, I will show you where each of yours is, and hand you a key." Here, she jingled the ring at her hip. "I have only the highest expectations that you will enjoy your visit here." That was about when Ms. Mysilra and Mr. Grieves joined them in the atrium, and for a few moments Azra watched them in the good nature she seemed to naturally possess. "It's to my delight that you two have made such fast acquaintances. Naturally, everyone here has received a letter. I would not disturb a person's life unnotified." But, apparently she'd disturb it even if they chose not to read or accept it.

"Mr. Grieves," she said, and that wily smile seemed to grow on her face. "I understand it's your date of birth this eve. I shall notify the cooks to make the most superb cake. Which flavor would you recommend?" Let it not be said Azra was not sneaky. It didn't seem to much matter how he answered, because the care-taker seemed to give the impression she'd already planned for this. A cake was then probably nearly finished. The girl beside him seemed to have some spacial awareness issues, but Azra made a point not to make fun of. At least she was making friends already, and the young hostess cast Kero a look that silently seemed to say, 'See? At least others are enjoying it here.' "Ms. Mysilra, it's a pleasure to see you've come." Not that anyone seemed to really have a choice, but by the purely innocent and naive way their caretaker spoke, it was hard to tell if she knew the truth. It did seem, after all, that she knew everything else. "I would have a spare jacket for you, if it would make you feel more comfortable."

[Agnores]

At being adresses, Mark snapped up.

"Uh, no ma'am...Nothing special please...um...just another day...haha..."

Mark sighed inwardly. He had a feeling a cake would make him center of attention, at least shortly, and he didn't want that. He wanted to be left alone. Quite frankly, he wanted just to go to his room. He would probably stay there for the remainder of this trip. He looked up at the ceiling again, and sighed inwardly yet again.

This mansion was so big, it intrigued his adventurous side, and though he would never tell anyone, he secretly wanted to explore the mansion. Exploration, however, was boring by oneself, so he scanned the room for someone to go with. Kadi wouldn't be a bad choice, neither would be the pale man he noticed earlier.

Mark stopped the thought before he got too excited. He couldn't have people see him get excited over something so...childish, could he?

[mrgameandpie]

Crazier than anything I could come up with. That was what Garry was thinking during his journey to the mansion. Did the info save from my PC to the Mac... Dang! Now I have to program that entire level again. Garry began to start programming when he realized that his door was opened. He left the vehicle and saw several people
Freaky tattoo guy cussing his head off, not good. Silent cloaked guy staring about, not as bad, but still probably not good. Two highly muscular guys that look like they could snap me in half within five seconds, at least one looks like he's military, those guys fight for peace... unless he's, like, rebelled or something. There are also two girls. They don't look like they will beat me up... though you can't be certain. Garry was within a cycle of fear when he entered the room with mirrors on the ceiling. He continued standing in one place not sure what to do.

[ｒａｂｂｉｔ]

“Holy crow,” the dark blond young woman murmured, peering up at the huge mansion before her. Delysia simply felt dwarfed by it and intimidated at the same time. This moment was the only time she’d been quiet throughout the entire ride from the college parking lot to Vacant Paradise; her two escorts must be thankful for the quiet, she thought. The car stopped at the steps up to the home and the men got out, one opening her door for her and the other retrieving her bags from the back of the car and taking them inside.

“Oh, thank you,” she murmured, the show of appreciation going unnoticed by the man as he stepped through the ornate doors. The blond felt eyes on her as the other guests got out of their cars, each looking around, sizing each other up. Great; more assumptions that she’s some high school prep.

Dell slung her bag across her body, the satchel style resting against her hip and took the time to notice the landscape; overgrown and not kept up. Poor first impression, she thought – hadn’t they heard of curb appeal? Out of the corner of her eye, as she was adding a duffle bag to load, the blond caught the shine of a patent leather coat. She held her breath and stepped into the mansion, taking in the grandeur of it all. Mirrored ceilings? Well, as long as they aren’t in the bedrooms, too. Dell smiled to herself before observing the rest of the room, then the people in it.

She hadn’t gotten a very good look at the other guests outside, so now she took them in; two other women and five men. One in a trench coat, standing next to the other girl, a pretty blond who seemed familiar, another shiftless and shoeless, apparently being offered such garments by their hostess, dressed in green. The others stood about casually and she tipped her head with a smile; the heavily armed man, well built, sizing up his surroundings and, to Delysia, practically radiating self confidence and “cool” was rather attractive, but none of the men were terribly unattractive, either. She figured it was the way he carried himself that made him stand out to her first; the other in the trench coat had slumped shoulders and long hair and seemed tentative; another tall, muscular type was dark skinned and seemed to be rather indifferent about the whole situation; the last seemed to have come in just before her, lanky, not too tall, and slightly pale – he seemed like he didn’t get out too much.

Her gray eyes shifted slightly to a sky blue, like the colors of the walls, something that people referred to as her eyes “lighting up” when she got excited about something or another, which was quite often. The blonde’s smile was bright and she set her duffel bag down by her feet, making a mental note that her other luggage was at the base of the stairs.

“Hello!" She piped up, "I’m not interrupting the meet-and-greet, am I?”

[Agnores]

Mark looked at the dark-blonde haired girl he had noticed earlier. She had spoken aloud, and so he labeled her as social. He was tempted to approach her like he did the other, but his mind returned to how quickly Kadi had left, and didn't think he wanted a second occurance like that.

He wanted everyone to hurry up and get here so the rules could be spoken and he could get to his room. He wanted to write down his thoughts of all the people. He suddenly realized he was staring, and hoping she hadn't noticed, moved his eyes towards the floor. He hated when he did that; zone out and stare at some person for no reason.

He sighed. Everything was starting just great. He really, really hoped he didn't get that cake now.

[Bia]

Kadi backed up from "Spur" and realized she had been fingering her scar over and over. "Umm, that's okay, I uhh..have a sweater in my bag..it's not that big of deal" she told the hostess. This was her first interaction with her and she tried to look pleasant. Azra seemed pleased enough an moved onto the next person.

Kadira smiled and inched her way over to Mark, the only person she really felt comfortable talking to so far.

"That was creepy" she said, meaning the near death experience she just had with the brutish cowboy. She looked over everybody else and noticed the tall dark blonde she had noticed before was looking around expectantly. Kadi smiled in her direction but noticed she didn't look very athletic, they probably didn't have much in common she remembered.

Then mostly to herself she mumbled "I hope they have a gym here, I'm in training I hoped they knew that."

[Incubus Folly]

Griddock was past everything he had initially felt upon entering the room, and given the event that had gone on around him. He'd essentially pegged everyone as hormonal young adults, all of which were probably a good fifteen to twenty years younger than him. Now that his judgmental streak had been and gone, he decided it was time to make his way to his room, which he was completely unaware of it's location.

"Excuse me, would it be too much to ask to be shown our rooms? I'd like to get settled in."

His gaze traveled from the rooms interior to the hostess, whom he assumed was Azra at this point. It's not that he didn't mind his company, but they were all... excited and riled up. After all of the days events, he just wanted to relax, catch up on some of the sleep he'd been missing. Maybe enjoy a nice warm meal at someone else's expense. Hell, if there was a hot tub or a sauna, he'd be all over that. But idle chatter and reckless behavior was not on the top of his list at the moment.

[SikstaSlathalin]

Spur nodded at what Azra said.
"And ya can just call me Spur, Mr. Radd was my Grandaddy." He crossed his arms again and went back to scanning the area and it's people. The staff seemed like statues the escorts all looked like the two that picked him up, ex military some of them even had handguns under their jackets.
Interesting, some attacks dogs. This could be a fun vacation yet. He thinks smiling a little. His eyes roveed once again over the group of people onyl this time he caught someone looking at him. One of the women dark blonde with a duffel bag was looking at him with a tilted head. She wasn't unatractive or threatenign more curious in his opinion so nothing to really worry about but he returned her smile then went back to recon walking a short distance so he could see down some of the hallways.

[nona]

Since when was a lack of shirt a problem? He honestly liked showing off his tats, and in some cases scars. It freaked people out, which was always awesome. Hell, getting any reaction from someone was awesome even if it was a blush like his hostess was doing now. Blushing? Over what? Shit, how prude was she? He had thought everyone was desensitized to sex by now!

...That poor, poor girl.

But... fuzzy slippers? What the Hell? He stared at the slippers a moment, trying to process the thought. You know what? Fuck it! He could be a man AND wear fuzzy slippers. Because, damn it, he was just that cool. Thats right. He was awesome enough to pull it off.

Besides, this house was freezing his toes off. With that thought in mind he slipped the fuzzy slippers on, when she made a mention of a bar. THAT got hs attention, as he regarded her with a raised brow. "NOW you're talking. Throw in some cigs and we'll call it even." He glanced back towards the other guests of the house, mind churning. Okay, so there had been a cute chick or two in the lot. Maybe they wouldn't be as good in bed as the one he left behind, but enough booze and he wouldn't even notice. There. Crisis averted.

She made the comment then about not wanting more than what one had, and he grinned. "Damn straight more people should be like... wait a tic. Was that a shot?" he asked, raising a brow. "Shit, nevermind. Can we just get this crap over with. You mentioned a bar and I'm holdin' it to ya to deliver." He wanted to be so smashed this seemed like some sort of dream after all. Maybe it was. Who knows?

Not to mention this chick... she creeped him out for some reason. "If you deliver the bar, I'll keep these babies under control," he told her, nodding towards each fist. Finally he took a step back, and as he did so he noticed the opulent scenery. It was... it was unsettling for a man used to cheap hotels and alleyways. He got the feeling of being in some sort of glass cage. "And... and it better not have any of that cheapass Boone's Farm stuff either," he added, trying to keep his mind off of his surrounds. It was unnerving. It was...

Shit. Was he so rattled he was letting a house have its way with him? Hell no! Taking in a deep breath, he closed his eyes and decided to try again. He was here. Great. Might as well make the most of it. Bang those two chicks, if he was lucky at once. THAT would make this stuffy place rock he bet! Get drunk, repeat. Maybe all at once! Slipping on his new shirt he kept it unbuttoned on purpose as one of the others it appeared had a birthday.

Oh well wasn't that just all fine and dandy? Sheesh. Like who really gave a shit about some random guy's birthday? He called out such useless trivia over the radio all the time! Now when were they going to get to the important stuff... like where the damn bar was!

[Greenteeth]

They were beginning to finally assemble, and it was entertaining, in the least, to see them interact and take assesments. The second lady-guest entered, and seemed to light up from within at the sight of the place. "Of course not. Welcome, Miss Alberts." They weren't even fully inside and one was asking for his rooms. Azra took her attention, perhaps to his relief, from Mark and turned it to Griddock. That smile on her face seemed endless, though her eyes showed that she was getting a bit tired of the atrium. She wanted to show them around the house! To hear their breathes become stolen by its beauty. "I ask you remain patient. I would gladly show you to your room, but I cannot be everywhere at once." One might have noticed that, by now, all the drivers and staff had all left. It was only the guests and their hostess. It gave the large room a feeling of loneliness, but this could have also been created by the way the room never seemed to end.

By that time, however, Kero was fussing about his promised bar again. The girl gave a brief, long-suffering look to the ground, before clapping her hands together to garner attention. "I would like to formally welcome everyone to Vacant Paradise. I am Azra Vase-Klem, the caretaker and your hostess here. If you would all please follow me, I will inform you about some mandatory topics about your stay." With a quick, easy step, she led them from the atrium, pausing only twice to ensure everyone was in tow, into the study. Its ceiling was lower, the walls painted in a thick brown that could almost be mistaken for leather. The furniture was made of green accents and redwoods. A fireplace stood off to the east wall, large and welcoming, and the furniture all revolved around it. There were two sofas and plenty of upholstered chairs. They all smelled like a million kinds of smoke and nuts, the thick and heavy aroma that seemed to stimulate thoughts and curiosity. There was a small section of the study that had no chairs, near the south.

A door stood on the wall, painted to match the burgandy-red carpet. To its right was a small bar, and to its left a bookcase. The bookcase followed didn't stop there, either, it wrapped around most of the room, only stopping to give ample girth for the fireplace. Azra insisted everyone take a seat after pouring Kero some brandy and bringing him cigarettes from the bar. She waited until all was silent, standing before the fireplace, though one might have noticed she took care not to get ash on her dress. One might have noticed there was, ironically, no mirrors in this room. Nor any windows. Lamps sat on tables that periodically accompanied a chair, though gave the place a hazy, dim glow, even with all of them turned on. "As you could imagine, this is the study, and the first room you arrived in was the atrium. If you find the atrium, you can find almost every room in the house. I will give you a brief tour of the downstairs, but first I must tell you the rules for living in Vacant Paradise.

"Breakfast is served at seven in the morning, but is cleaned up at nine. The cooks will ensure that the food does not run cold. Eating breakfast is optional. Lunch is served promptly at noon until two. Only on a few occasions will I directly ask you to attend lunch, but is otherwise optional. Dinner is at 5:30 in the evening, and is mandatory unless otherwise noted. Snacks and tea will be given at any point during the guest's kitchen, which I will show you later. Curfew is at midnight until five in the morning. Please, do not go down below the ground floor. We do have a cellar and wine cellar, but it has become rather dangerous to go down there. The third floor and above is off-limits. That is personal housing for the staff of Vacant Paradise-" who, seemed, oddly absent, "-and it would be trespassing to enter. Any door that is locked is not meant to be entered, so do not force entry. Any door that is open, apart from guest's quarters, is available to your amusement.

"In the event someone is unfortunately harmed, find someone on staff. There are usually first aid kits around the rooms." Azra paused a moment, walking to the bar and opening one of the bottom cabinets before pulling out a red box marked in a white cross. "If someone has been harmed by another guest, the event should be reported to me immediately. I will not tolerate it in my house." She returned the first aid to its place and glanced about the faces, her own holding a stern seriousness to it. "Now, then, I hope I was clear enough that you don't have any questions."

[Bia]

Kadira was interrupted in her thoughts by Azra talking in a loud, leader-like tone. Kadi looked at her expectantly and listened intently to everything she said.

She led them into a room that Kadi noticed was rather dim and without windows...that's too bad, Kadi loved nature and bright lights almost as much as she loved animals. Kadi kept close to Mark and sat in the chair next to him as Azra handed out alcohol and cigarette's to the sex-obsessed weirdo she noticed earlier. She couldn't hide the look of disgust on her face as he took them. Why was their hostess paying extra attention to this guy? And why did she encourage his horrible habits? Drinking and smoking were totally disgusting and Kadi couldn't stand it.

She quickly averted her gaze so she wouldn't seem rude and her eyes landed on the large bookcase, she ran her eyes over the spines, checking out any books she had read and smiled when she noticed a few she recognized, you always feel more special when you see someone else enjoying the same things you enjoy.

When Azra finally finished and called their attention Kadira was feeling better, but still keeping her eyes away from the drinking figure. She listened with earnest to the rules of the house and vowed to follow them, they were in someone else's house after all and any rules she had, it was only common courtesy to respect them. When she heard the meal times she smiled happily, that was perfect, she had enough time to wake up and get in a good amount of training before breakfast time (she assumed they had a gym, it was wishful thinking to hope they had a rink) with enough time to shower as well. Kadi ran her fingers through her bright blonde hair and couldn't wait to see her room.

[Agnores]

Mark was glad when they were called to move on, he didn't want the smoker making anymore trouble. Smoker, Mark thought, what an interesting way to label a person.

Azra led them into a room that Mark found both disturbing and soothing all at the same time. The dim lights, dark tones, and comfortable chairs all made Mark feel like he was at home, and writing a story. Oh, what a story he could come up for this place! He purposefully ignored Smoker, his gaze fixated on the bookcase. Although he wrote, he never was much of a reader. He preferred visual story telling to audio, but he felt he might change his mind if he stayed here for too long.

As Azra began speaking the rules of the house, Mark noted several things. One, the house workers Azra mentioned seemed to be absent. Secound, for whatever reason, dinner was mandatory. Thankfully, it was the only meal. Mark loved his sleep, and breakfast was way too early for him. He could think of days he might not ever make it to lunch. The third thing Mark noticed was Kadi.

To him, it was odd that she kept near him. He wouldn't say she was the only woman to ever do it, but definately the only one he noticed. He couldn't help but entertain idle fantasies until something else caught his attention. "Please, do not go down below the ground floor. We do have a cellar and wine cellar, but it has become rather dangerous to go down there."

Dangerous? How? If this was to be some sort of paradise, why would there be something dangerous here? Why was it just in the underground levels? Where were the workers? He couldn't help but feel she was being oddly specific about rules that kept secrets hidden.

"Now, then, I hope I was clear enough that you don't have any questions."

Mark felt bad for it, but his reporter side was kicking in. "Um...Yeah. Why is it dangerous...uh...below ground? Where are the...uh...workers?"

[SikstaSlathalin]

Spur followed Azra's little tour without a word, arms crossed, and senses scanning every inch of the areas they walked his quick mind cataloging everything. He's honed this after years of Black Ops work, it's more of a reflux now much like his hands and feet. Soon she pulled them all into the study he didn't like this room the moment he saw it, no windows, one door, low light. He knew most large old houses like this had numerous secret doors and corridors and he doubted they'd be made privy to them unless someone stumbled upon one. But so far the house and staff hasn't totally ruined his benefit of the doubt he gave some places. But that grace only went so far and it never comes back after it's gone. He sat himself in the chair facing the group and the door in one simple glance his back against the large bookcase. He was making a list of things to do the next day.

Explore some more of the house on my own, safe-proof my room, study my fellow guests and the staff, and find some fail-proof plan to escape if needed. He thinks sitting back in his chair studying the guests and hostess. So far no one really made him nervous the only one that came across as being able to throw a decent punch was the black man. The Whiner was more talk then walk in Spur's opinion and the others didn't look like they even wanted to be near a fight let alone someplace where folks could be killed. As for Azra the Merc trusted her well enough but he's been hired by too many spurned Duchess's to kill their husbands, to trust anyone in the upper crust of society very far. As she began going over the house rules he committed them to memory and filed away for later interpretation. Two things sent up red flags, first the fact that they have a curfew like they were on some high school field trip. Everyone here was a full grown adult or close enough to it and adults are trusted to keep their own hours and second the off limit areas especially the dangerous cellar. What were they hiding? And if anything in a house is dangerous the owner is asking for a lawsuit if something happens to a guest even if they warned said guest. He was just about to ask why the cellar was dangerous when the quiet guy voiced his thought.

" I second those questions and if we're supposed to tell the staff when someone get's hurt and we're not allowed on the third floor what do we do if someone get's hurt in the middle of the night? And where is this staff we're supposed to rely on?"

[Greenteeth]

Azra's mouth quirked a little, as though she'd been halfway expecting those answers, but hoping not to answer. "We believe a rat chewed through some wires in the wall. None of the lights in the cellars are working right now, and we do not want anyone who doesn't know the area attempting to navigate it. The ceilings can be unexpectedly low in some places. We're trying our best to fix it quickly, for we'd hate that anyone falls victim due to a mere light shortage." Their hostess paused a moment, as though considering their next question. She glanced to Spur, a look of mild exasperation on her face from his paranoia. It was clear he was generally distrustful, but his worries seemed a bit far-fetched to her. Either way, a question was posed, and it was her work to deal with them.

"Some staff are up all hours of the night. However, if you truly need assistance from the third floor, there is a bell at the base of the stairs one may ring. My staff are present right now, but I did not wish for them to be seen yet. I wanted you to become accustomed to the home before seeing those who work here. I'd imagine some are adding the final touches to your room, or carrying the last of your luggage up the stairs." Azra gave them a wane smile and excused herself. She took the door to the south, the one they hadn't yet gone through, that led deeper into the house. After a few minutes, the girl returned with an older man in tow. He was tall, and unusually skinny, his back naturally curving forward at a painful and awkward angle. He wore a rather casual uniform of the traditional black and white, though one might notice his tie was the same color as their hostess' dress.

"Everyone, this is Geoffrey, the Head of Staff. Geoffrey, these are our guests. They wished to see that our workers did exist," Azra introduced. The man's lips puckered in what could only be a disapproving manner. Beady eyes studied each of them from under large white eyebrows before the Head of Staff bowed, his back popping three times in quick succession, and the man walked out of the room, quietly shutting in the door. Nonetheless, it was evident he had no desire to be in their company. Azra looked from Spur to Mark, as if saying, 'There, now you have it.' "Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to show off Vacant Paradise. I'd made some gorgeous additions especially for you all. If you'd like, we can stop by the kitchen and get refreshments along the way, and then you can all go rest in your rooms. I'm sure it will feel like a long day by then."

[Agnores]

Mark sighed. He felt bad, like he had annoyed Azra in some way. He hoped he could make it up to her by being an especially good guest. He looked at Kadi, and smiled. If he came out of this situation with a few more friends, it would barely be enough thanks to be a good guest for Azra.

A few of her answers had been a bit dodgy, Mark had noted. The whole "falls victim due to a mere light shortage" bit was what really bothered him. Fall victim to what? A low ceiling? Something seemed out of place, but he didn't want to bother Azra anymore with his fears and reporter's knack for noticing things. He would, most likely, be drawn into checking into it on his own, despite her warnings...in his want to be a good guest, he would just have to make sure she didn't find out.

Mark really wanted to explore the house, and was suddenly eager to move on. He was interested in the various 'additions' she had mentioned, and wondered if there was one for him. He wasn't really sure what it could be, but he definately hoped it existed. It would be nice to have a place that felt more...homey.

[Bia]

Kadi perked up at the mention of "additions" to the house. What could Azra mean by that? Kadira stood on tip-toe, trying to peek up over the heads of the other people, to see what might be beyond. But Spurs big head was in the way and Kadi couldn't see a thing. She scoffed out of annoyance and turned back to Mark, who smiled at her. Kadi smiled back a nice friendly smile and went back to paying attention to what Azra was saying.

Kadi couldn't wait to see her room, if there was one place Kadira felt perfectly safe and secluded, it was the ice rink. But the 2nd most place she felt this way was her bedroom! Kadira loved modern and new, pristine clean rooms, she always kept her room at home that way, the only thing was it was always covered in tiger fur. Kadi had to admit, having furless things would be a nice change.

[SikstaSlathalin]

Spur nodded at what she said watching more red flags fly up but decided against asking them seeing the look Azra gave him. He found a spot in her armor duly noted with a smile he followed her with his eye as she left the room. Taking this chance he did a quick test of the walls around him testing for latches and the like but he didn't make much headway before she came back with a gargoyle in human skin at her side. He scanned the old man sneering back at his look and staring fully into his eyes as he studied him.

If all the staff is this warm and inviting I might just hang around long enough for them to poison my food. He thinks rubbing his chin slowly watching the gargoyle leave. He looks at Azra giving a smile cracking his knuckles.
"Lead on Miz Azra."