[PRP] Blue Oyster Cult (Horace & Ruth)

[The Semblance of Unity]

Horace walked slowly, measuring his steps from hallway to hallway. Having determined that Reapers were among the most deadly, it made sense to take a look into their dorm. Carefully, he noted down the number of dorm rooms he'd encountered. Most of the doors had been looked. One had not, and it had led to a very dusty room. It was clearly unused. Still, he made a note of its location as a place golemed hunters could take rest. Footsteps echoed down the hallway, scores of them as though a whole slew of students approached, He cursed softly under his breath and slid his notebook away.

There was not enough time to make it back to the designated 'all-clear' room, so he twisted a few knobs in vain. The footsteps were getting closer and he thumped into a closed door. Closer, closer, and... did not come down this hallway. Horace let out a sigh of relief, still leaning against the door.

Huni Pi

8D

 

[Huni Pi]

After that mafia class, Ruth was looking forward to a simple, straightforward activity. It wasn't often but she did enjoy the plain truth in small doses, which was why she was attaching a leash to her invisible dog Blank. She clicked her tongue, indicating to the minipet to follow and she started to open the door, not realizing there was someone on the other side trying to get in.

Instinct had her stepping back in a blur, while Blank's instinct took over and the minipet lunged at the intruder. Unfortunately it was not to bite them to (un)death but to rather slobber them into submission. Ruth was content to have her minipet deal with the trespasser, though she had summoned her steel pipe just in case.  

[The Semblance of Unity]

Great, he thought as he unceremoniously hit the floor, R.I.P. one Horace Nokoni, trainee - clumsy division. Something invisible was on top of him; it was... it was furry and slobbering all over him. If Horace closed his eyes, it felt dog-like. He'd read about this before. Halloweeners often kept invisible pets as guards or something. But it didn't feel like it was eating him. He looked past the dog-thing (such a feat was not hard, since Blink was, well, invisible) and saw the reaper from the mafia class. Blondie.

"Get it off of me," he rasped, hands trying to shove the thing off of him. If there was a way to get monster diseases (aside from that crotch one), it was likely through fluid exchange with the beasts. Of all the monsters to run into, he had not really wanted to see here again: she was likely the most duplicitous of anyone he had met. But Horace was curious.

"Is it going to eat me?"

Huni Pi

 

[Huni Pi]

Ruth recognized the plague doctor from class but did not dismiss her pipe. Instead, she smacked the weapon against the steel frame of her bed, and the loud ring alerted Blank to sit at attention. Unfortunately, the invisible dog did so while still on top of the undead. At the concern whether the minipet was going to consume them, the blonde reaper looked almost thoughtful, as if she was contemplating on letting her pet do just that.

For all of two seconds before she hid a silent chuckle behind a hand and proceeded to click her tongue twice. The non-verbal command had the minipet trot to her side and sit down. The only indication (apart from the lifting weight) was the leash hovering in the air. Ruth remained standing in place, proffering the end of her weapon within the plague doctor's reach.

She had questions for the undead, but they would have to wait until there was the semblance of unity composure between them. As much as she liked the idea of interrogating a prone individual, her persona was less than enthusiastic about it.

The Semblance of Unity

hurr hurr hurr

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

Horace flinched, just a little (not a lot), at the ringing noise. The slobbering abruptly stopped, although the weight did not move. Horace could only surmise that he was still in the clutches of some invisible attack dog. The breath whistled out of him slowly. His fingers itched to take notes - he could see a leash hovering in the air, presumably attached to a creature, which meant that invisibility was not conferred on objects that touched the creature. He wondered if it was the same for every invisible thing... Which could mean if he ran into an invisible student, that student would be nude. Gross.

He looked at the pipe, and he looked at her. Slowly, he rose to his feet, brushing out his robes. He did not touch the pipe, although he was sorely tempted to grab hold and attempt to knock her down with it. "Thank you," he said, because monsters were courteous to each other, even if he did not care about her. "-for not letting your... pet attack me. Is this your room?" He looked aruond and blinked. It was bare, barren even, with nothing but the most simplistic of necesseties. It did not seem normal.

Huni Pi

i see ur pun xDD

 

[Huni Pi]

Ruth whistled a command to the minipet, although what it meant exactly was left uncertain as the leash did not appear to move away from her. She gave the plague doctor a thoughtful look, or it could be one of incredulity it was hard to tell with her eyes and brows obscured by her bangs and the bill of her newsboy cap.

With the pipe, she gestured to the stark-white interior, then to the bare, white-tiled floor, then to the steel bed and its gray bedding and cardboard-thin pillow before finally pointing to her own drab, monochrome self. Her head was tilted to the side and she seemed to be asking can't see the resemblance?

The pipe's end was once again in Horace's face, her other hand resting on her hip as if demanding he explain his presence. Turnabout is fair play, she seemed to recall him saying in class.

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

"Mmm," He placed one hand on the pipe, a safeguard to knock it away should she try to use it on him. Golems were surprisingly fragile, unfortunately. The silent reaper seemed to want an explanation of sorts from him. "Regretably, I found myself quite lost. As for my intrusion here, I was resting against your door when you opened it with a lotta force." His free hand cocked on his own hip, mimicking her posture.

"So you do not speak? Incapable or do not wish to?" His head tilted as he stared as her, seemingly unpeturbed by the pipe still in his face.

Huni Pi

 

[Huni Pi]

Ruth looked askance as she directed the end of her finger from her throat to the undead before finishing the gesture with crossed arms. The invisible dog growled in reaction to its owner's less-than-open reaction to the question regarding her voice (though it was also entirely possible that Ruth had trained Blank to growl whenever she crossed her arms, it was a gesture she did not often make.)

Deciding she did not like where the conversation was going, the reaper shuffled to her wooden study desk. There, she retrieved her sketchpad lying beside the only hint of a personality, which was a polished lighter. She quickly scribbled in a neat, practically type-faced handwriting: Explain the presence of an undead in the reaper dorms.

After all, it wasn't as if the school didn't label the dorms, and even then wouldn't the lack of decaying smell tip it off? Oh, wait, mask, alright that made sense. The leash didn't move from its spot, though the sound of panting had replaced the earlier growl.

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

He folded his hands into his sleeves (plague robes were so useful in their sheer voluminousness) and watched her shuffle around the room. His fingers itched to take notes - not because they would be useful, but because it was interesting and he liked to record interesting things. Ruth was interesting. Horace did not like her, but that was alright. She was a monster and not here for him to like.

At her note, he raised his brows, not that she could see it. "The dorms are not restricted access. Many students visit friends within the dorms. Also, some students may become turned 'round in those unfamiliar dorms. I'm sure it ain't uncommon." He moved slightly, just enough to lean against one wall in her room. "Why do you care?"

Huni Pi

omg i thought i tagged you D8 sorry about lateness

 

[Huni Pi]

Ruth tilted her head in consideration to the plague doctor's explanation. Her brows furrowed, not that the undead would see the reaper's expression either (tit for tat.) Her pen was back to writing things down, and it was a few minutes before she flipped the sketchpad so her fellow student could read: For any given value of serendipity, it is not uncommon. However, if your purpose is to locate your friend, it would be best to alert them on their skellularphone that you have gotten turned around and would instead meet them in the lobby. I can escort you there together with Blank.

Neither the paper nor her stance indicated that she had a different suspicion for his presence in the reaper dorms and especially in her room. The fact that he had literally fallen in was not proof enough to derail her train of thought.

The Semblance of Unity

S'alright. Sorry this reply took a bit.

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

Awww, he was being summarily kicked out, more or less. Horace swallowed a huff of annoyance. The tone of voice on her sketchpad reminded him vaguely of the Doctor - unsurprising, he supposed, given they were both creatures of Halloween. "Who is Blink?" he asked dryly, making no move to exit the room.

"While I said I could be looking for a friend, I did not say I was. Perhaps I was only curious about the differences in dorms. Perhaps I do not have my ...skellyphone." What a weird term. He frowned and pulled his hands from his sleeves, displaying their emptiness to her. "That doesn't really matter, does it?" Of course, he wanted to look around more, but if she was determined to escort him out, so be it. Horace shifted, rolling his shoulders. The golem felt stiff, gangly. It was a pain to not be here in his own body.

Huni Pi

 

[Huni Pi]

Carefully, and in much larger letters, she wrote BLANK, is my minipet. She whistled and the floating leash padded over to her, the sound of panting still ever present.

She folded her arms across her chest, hugging the sketch pad protectively to her as she seemingly stared at the undead. As a Paranoia Agent reaper, Ruth was capable of incredible mental gymnastics. What was a logical explanation was filtered and sieved through all sorts of possibilities (imagined and experienced) before the blonde ghoul came to the conclusion of why the plague doctor was in the reaper dorms.

Specifically her room. She did not think it a coincidence, Or perhaps you are here for a specific reason. Perhaps you are here... Yes, she wrote those ellipses.

To see me.

The Semblance of Unity

She is now unintentionally trolling.

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

Blank as a name for an invisible minipet made sense, he decided. He would've called it 'Mu' or something, but he wasn't very good with names after all. Once, as a child, he'd tried to keep a pet squirrel. It had been named 'Mr. Brown', because it was... brown. Horace stared back at Ruth, waiting for her next move. He was the picture of nonchalance, lounging against her wall in an affected fashion. Snapping his robe out, he crossed his feet.

{do not dawdle aimlessly, horace-]

He ignored her as he read Ruth's next words. Immediately, he stiffened. Did this monster think he had come here specifically for her? Horace ground his teeth. He was interested in reapers as a race and in her - insomuch as it was a sort of violent fascination. His spindly fingers tapped along the wall. As always, he remained acutely aware of who he was speaking to - they were all monsters here, no matter how human they seemed.

"And why-" he drawled out dryly. "-would I wanna see you?"

Huni Pi

 

[Huni Pi]

There are numerous thespians both on the small and large screen who were trained in the ways of expression. Many could cry and break down into a sobbing heap at the drop of a hat until the scene was done. Ruth, while equally able, was also capable of blushing on command.

A skill she was using in full force as she looked down, shuffling her boots for effect before writing on her sketchpad, chewing on her bottom lip the whole time.This situation we are in is similar to several scenarios I have studied from the works of Boodith McKnot. However, maintaining pretenses and acting unnecessarily coy appear to be part of courtship rituals.

Blank chose this moment to bark, prompting Ruth to add on It is rather unfortunate that I must decline your advances. You do not meet my prerequisites.

So sorry, Plague Doctor, you are neither Ruth nor Blondie's type.

The Semblance of Unity

I could not come up with another pun for Judith McNaught

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

She blushed. He narrowed his eyes. She shuffled her feet. He uncrossed his arms. She bit her lip. Boodith McKnot.... It sounded vaguely familiar, just like the name scrawled across his copy of Until You. Sudden, awful realization dawned over him and his fingers clenched. But. at least Ruth was no plucky Sheridan and he was no Earl of Langford.

{it is of no matter - she is unworthy of your affections, if you must have affections.}
{Thank you, Doctor. I am aware.}

And then she summarily rejected him. "I will have you know I am a right paragon of my species. Unfortunately for you, I am interested only in science and possibly vivisection, so unless you can provide those, we will remain un-entangled in romance." Then he shot her a very hard stare because he was offended. The sheer arrogance she had was interesting and, once again, he was struck by an urge to somehow deliver her to Life. Possibly for the previously mentioned vivisection. Instead, he settled for glaring haughtily at her.

Huni Pi