locked to house #14

[burglarize]

Who: Ardyn Izunia, Aranea Highwind, Akira Kurusu, and Ann Takamaki. THE A-TEAM. (Post order is Ann > Aranea > Akira > Ardyn, it seems!)
What: GUESS WHO IS SHACKING UP.
When: IDEK.
Where: House #14 :)
Warning(s): I don't even know yet.



[ It's unfortunate that this housing arrangement happened. Ann has lived in plenty of different places when she's moved around with her parents — some houses, some penthouses, some tiny apartments with nearly 2k monthly rent... Places vary in their quality and space, but this? Ann was already inside the small residence she was designated to live in. Her bags of supplies were dramatically dropped and she's looking around in disbelief. ]

T-This is it? Jeez... They really didn't waste a penny here.

[ Not exactly spending a penny either. There's annoyed huff before she's off to look around. Ann's captured more by how dreary it looks — the light barely opening up the space of the room. It feels cramped at first. ]

Uh, hello? [ She does recall people mentioning getting roommates... so she doesn't want to impose. ] Is anyone here?

Comments

[ladya]

[ After spending a significant part of her life in the poverty and squalor of Gralea, Aranea’s not about to turn her nose up at their accommodations. In fact, she considers them to be generous. Her heart’s been instantly captured upon hearing the “free” part of the whole spiel. Finally, she can begin anew.

Sitting on the edge of the sofa, she’s taking off her talon-fingered gauntlets and placing them onto the coffee table when Ann enters and makes her series of musings. Aranea greets her by raising her bare hand into the air. ]

Hey, stranger. [ She says, recognition infused in her voice. ] Fancy seein’ you again.

[frizziest]

[ it's Akira that comes from the front door not more than a few minutes after. funny how that timing works. he hears the familiar voice of Ann, and to a lesser degree, Aranea's. his attention is instead focused on the house itself, doing a slow spin to look at everything from the walls, to the ceiling and all that is in between. with a thoughtful hum, he presses a singular finger to himself. ]

It isn't my attic, but it will do. [ what. is he seriously considering his attic as better than this place? maybe nostalgia is getting to him. who knows. only then does he actually acknowledge the ladies, and that is more because he almost tripped on Ann's bags than anything else. ] ―Ow. Well, this is coincidental. I'll be living with the both of you?

[ one glance at Ann and then Aranea makes him quite the happy boy. in reference to present company, he can't find much to complain about in regards to who he is stuck with. ]

[daemonized]

[This is all well and good, this making of a nice, cozy household. Sure, it may be lacking in a lot of ways, but it's the roommates that make for the best experience. It's about the company one keeps, after all. Right now, the synergy between the three currently in the house was positive. Even friendly.

Time to fuck that up.

The front door opens up once again, footsteps heralding the arrival of Ardyn. His mannerisms are as flippant as always, though there's a purposeful movement to his step, even as he takes in his surroundings for the first time. But more importantly, his eyes land on his roommates. All of them, hilariously enough, are familiar faces by some degree. A certain commodore, more so than the other two teenagers.]

Well, then. How lucky I am to have familiar faces as roommates.

[Theatrical as always, he spreads his arms wide as if to indicate to the whole of the house. Pointedly, though, his eyes land on Aranea.]

Hello, commodore. I thought we'd be seeing each other again, but who would've guessed so soon?

[burglarize]

[ Annnnd that's when she spots the woman with the candy bar — the one who helped her get the hell over herself back at the landing zone. They both cleaned up relatively nicely, all things considering, but imagine Ann's shock when she hears the woman. ]

N-No way! Hey! You got shacked up here too...?

[ Of course, why would she be here? Ann's a little starstruck for two reasons. One, even if the woman is blunt, she seemed formidable and pretty badass. Two, it's a familiar face — kinda. Those seem to be getting rarer and rarer when people start waking up and flooding their 'ranks'.

Of course, by the time Akira joins the fray, Ann hears her bags ruffle around and she's zipping back to fully see the open entranceway — an explosive amount of energy coming from the girl. ]

Okay, double no way! Being nice and going along with this shit with little complaint must have gotten me on someone's good side!

[ Oooooooor so she thinks. Almost as if a live studio audience sitcom began to boo him, Ardyn's appearance after Akira seems to bring the room to an awkward standstill. Her eyes shoot past to the older man greeting them and she's left stammering as well. ]

F-Four... There's four of us then?

[ If not more... ]

[ladya]

[ At the point in which Akira enters their humble abode, Aranea’s lips part open as she’s about to ask a question about just how old the pair of them happen to be. She’s not completely mollified by the selection of her roommates. They’re teenagers, which inherently spells trouble. Aranea was no picture of well-behaved at that age either— that’s when she met Biggs and Wedge, and together, they began their ride on the highway of hell, accumulating a notoriety that led to her position as a…

Commodore.

If looks could (literally) kill, Aranea’s face is sending a mixture of incensed fury and surprised mollification in their direction. Exiting a room is easily her favorite part of an interaction with Ardyn Izunia, but she can’t easily discern what’s her least preferred. Hands grandiosely gesticulating, in a similar fashion as he would before the emperor? The unique, somewhat eccentric style of oratory, no doubt a talent, but practically sandpaper against her ears at this point?

Aranea inhales deeply, and reminds herself… to have patience. Or something like that. Ann is the person she answers directly. ]

There’s three of us. [ As if sheer force of will is going to make what she says happen. Her eyes dart over to Ardyn. ] Familiar faces are… great. But, for you, the home for the retired’s just down the street.

[frizziest]

[ a lot of events unfold in the small amount of time everyone's convened in the shared living space. he's excited to find out he's rooming with someone he knows from back at home, not complaining in the slightest that someone as attractive as Aranea won't be too far away and just plain relieved that they have somewhere sturdy to sleep as opposed to tents and stranger's inn rooms. inn rooms that just so happened to include Aranea as well, but. alas.

he doesn't understand why it feels like their home had just dropped about ten degrees in temperature when Ardyn appears, however. there is something about the dramatic unfolding of his arms that reminds him of Akechi. that alone makes him tilt his head in perplexion, but it's the reaction Aranea gives to him both physically and verbally that makes him most curious. ]

Wow. We really did all meet each other before this, didn't we? How fateful. [ he knows a thing or two about that. ] Ann and I come from the same place, so I take it that you two did as well?

[ yeah, so what if the older woman seems to want to kill the older man? Akira just wants to befriend everyone. :) ]

[daemonized]

Three? I count four.

[The response to Aranea is immediate, showing no concern for her easy dismissal of his person, and he lets his gaze linger on the woman for a moment more before turning to look at his other housemates. If the atmosphere in the cramped little housing has become uncomfortable (it has), then Ardyn seems blissfully unaffected. Purposefully unaffected.]

True, the ceilings are a little-- low for my tastes... [He's a tall man and there really isn't much space in here at all.] ...but at least the company will make up for it.

[He glances over at Akira, and decides to answer his question more directly.] But yes, that's right. Aranea and I are both from Eos. I was her boss, you know. The Commodore, reporting to the Chancellor. Very fond memories.

[burglarize]

[ OH BOY, HERE IT COMES. Ann was going to just kind of take a defensive step towards Akira. She's spoke with Ardyn — nothing seemed out of the ordinary, even if he was curious so she tries to piece together some words between him and Aranea.

Ardyn, unfortunately, when he answers has a snarky attitude about him. The emphasis on fond makes her eyebrows furrow down. Instead of being responsible thing and ask for more details, she just kind of... squints. ]

Please don't tell me there's going to be some drama here. I'm so tired...

[ And hungry? And honestly, even cramping a bit? This whole past few days have been tough. ]