say hello to our new arrivals, and goodbye to the departing

[vivariummods]

T H E  W A R E H O U S E 【 day 23 】 Hello newcomers, welcome to the 【 Warehouse 】. Once you escape your elevator, you will find yourself here. It's strangely empty for a warehouse. Aside from the elevators you've come out of, there's nothing else here. In fact, the longer you look around, the stranger everything looks. Every window has been bolted shut, with no way of removing the steel coverings. The only source of illumination comes from the florescent lights above. Along the walls are numerous amounts of surveillance cameras, watching every bit of movement and listening to the sounds of everyone and everything. Every door is locked up tight, with no clear way of opening them, and there's one giant door with a 9 painted on it. It's a rather strange place, and there seems to be a lot of people here, so go introduce yourselves? For the "old-timers" and "newly-become-old-timers", come meet your new fellow test subjects. You haven't had more than one person arrive in a long while, so what a surprise! This also means that there are two elevators that you can jump into and have a nice, long, cold bath in! How generous of Calhoun.

Comments

[puzzlinglad]

Hershel just raised his brow. "How much have you collected now?" He asked a touch dryly. Heiji and his collection of odds and ends was something else.

"My-" He stared for a moment before, shockingly, flustered. "Why are you asking that? What about you?"

[detectiveofthewest]

"Aww, come on! You can tell me, I won't spread it around!" Now Heiji was leaning up against the table, chin in his hand.

"Also, I asked first!"

[puzzlinglad]

Hershel sighed, pointedly, tapping his pen. "Didn't you say that about the singing?" And look what happened with Snake, dude.

He shifted uncomfortably. "Well... I don't know, I certainly don't remember having a love life. I um, I doubt I dated anyone before this." Look at him does he look like a casanova to you. "I haven't... really thought about things like-" He seemed embarrassed to even say it. "-preferences."

[detectiveofthewest]

Come on, Hershel, the singing was fun!

"So then think about it now!" said Heiji. "I mean, you gotta have some idea, right? Like someone into archaeology, or someone who likes cute stuff, or someone you hold hands with when ya go to the park."

GIVE UP YOUR SECRETS.

[puzzlinglad]

He's literally going to die of embarrassment is that what you want.

"I guess... I don't think they'd need to like archeology, but an interest would be nice." Hershel finally said, glancing to the side. Holding hand in the park listen to you. He sighed again, glancing around before looking to Heiji. Then the ground. This was too embarrassing. "Well, I don't know... someone who's intelligent, probably. Not necessarily book smart, intelligence has so many different faces after all. Maybe someone with a strong personality, people who stand by their ideals are admirable, I think."

And a good counterpart for doormat city over here. "... Red hair is nice too." He can't believe he even admitted that, kill him. Can't help it though, Claire and Janice, got a thing for red heads. Have some more fluster. "Why are you asking- don't you dare tell Ema any of this either, she'll never let me live it down."

1/2

[detectiveofthewest]

2/2

[detectiveofthewest]

Wow, this was so much better than what Heiji had expected. He grinned so broadly that his face seemed on the verge of breaking. "A redhead, huh? I never woulda pegged you for that one!"

Yes, that was unbridled glee in his voice. "Don't worry; your secret's safe with me! Anyway, I bet if a cute red-haired girl were around, she'd totally be into you. Since you're such a great guy and all. And I didn't have a real big reason for askin'. Just occurred to me, that's all."

[puzzlinglad]

You're the worst. Hershel looked put out. "D-don't laugh, you asked!" His secret was forever out now, what a horrible life. "Besides, you never told me yours! Come on, it's only fair."

He sighed AGAIN it happens a lot, but goes back to being just incredibly flustered. "Well... thank you that's a nice thought. I'm not sure how I'd feel about finding a date in what amounts to a deadly game, but..." Hey if Heiji and Snake could have their weird thing who knew.

[detectiveofthewest]

IT WASN'T A WEIRD THING. IT WASN'T EVEN A THING. SHUT IT HERSHEL

"I ain't laughing!" Heiji protested, both hands up. "Let's see... y'know, I don't think I ever really thought about it before." This was what happened to you when all you thought about was murder cases.

"I guess someone who wouldn't worry about me too much. I mean, it seems like I get into jams a lot..." Present situation INCLUDED. "...so I wouldn't want to worry 'em to death."

He paused and thought hard for a few moments -- wow, he was really giving this one some serious thought. "I guess it don't really matter if they're as smart as me. I mean, it's kinda unreasonable to expect someone to know all this random stuff, right? But the number one requirement is they have to be a real cutie! Y'know, like when they smile, it's super cute."

[puzzlinglad]

Sure it wasn't not even a little bit not at all..... Hershel can't help an amused smile. "Yet you go around asking things like this..." Yeah, that's Heiji in a nutshell.

He nodded, frowning a touch. "Hm, I think it'd be hard to find someone who cared about you and didn't worry... but I think I see what you mean. Someone who trusts you to be able to take care of yourself when it counts?" He gussed.

And another amused look. "I see, cute smiles, that's quite the criteria." Shut up Hershel you have a thing for red heads. "So cute rather than beautiful, someone like that?"

[detectiveofthewest]

"...'Beautiful'?" Wow, Heiji was totally taken aback there; he even drew back a little in surprise. "Well, I hadn't really thought about that one. Man, I'm surprised you can just toss it out there like that -- ain't it embarrassing?"

"A-anyway, yeah. Someone who knows I ain't a pushover. I mean, I wouldn't want to keep anyone up nights wondering if I was okay."

[puzzlinglad]

"W-what, I just mean-" Well now he's embarrassed, then again it didn't take much. "I just mean you keep saying cute, so that's different, isn't it?"

And he nodded. "That's fair, though the fact you need to look for that quality in a partner makes me wonder what you plan on doing after all this." He sounds more dry than anything, Heiji's life. "Do you think you'd be able to do the same for them though? If they lived the way you did."

[detectiveofthewest]

"Well... it's not like they gotta be a beauty pageant winner or anything," said Heiji. "I was talkin' more about the inside. Like they think about ya when you're not there, a-and you're the only one... for them..." Gosh, his face was red right now.

"Anyway, it doesn't matter how they live, 'cause I'm not gonna let anything happen to them! If anyone tries to mess with 'em, they'd better answer to me!"

[puzzlinglad]

Hershel couldn't help a sincere smile at that, brightening a little from his flustered bullshit. "Heiji, who knew you were such a romantic at heart. That's really-" Adorable. No that's probably a rude thing to say, so he changed it hastily. "It's really not that surprising, I guess." You giant nerd.

"So if they got themselves into dangerous situations a lot you wouldn't get mad sometimes?" He's pretty curious about this. Being a motherhen meant this was a foreign concept to him, this ridiculous life Heiji lived.

[detectiveofthewest]

"Y-y-you...!" Heiji said, recoiling a little when Hershel called him a romantic. "This is revenge, ain't it?"

J'ACCUSE, SIR.

"Well, of course I'd get mad, but... you can't keep someone in a cage or anything. That's messed up." He looked at Hershel. "What about you? If your sweetie was doin' dangerous stuff all the time, what would you do?"

[puzzlinglad]

Have an INNOCENT look haha completely innocent. "Well... maybe a little. But it's true! There's nothing to be ashamed of, being a romantic." He honestly believes that, stuff this nerd in a locker. "It means you have a good heart, right?"

"That's true..." Definitely, no caging. He considered the question a moment before replying slowly. "I'd just go with them, I guess. I can't say I wouldn't worry and wouldn't ask them to be more careful, depending, but if it was that important to them than maybe I could help." He frowned. "Then again I guess there are some things I just wouldn't be able to help with... I suppose there's more than one way to help, though."

[detectiveofthewest]

"I... guess?" And Heiji really was guessing about that; he'd never really thought either way about being a romantic.

"Ha, you'd better be careful they don't end up draggin' you right into danger with 'em, then," said Heiji. "Then again, maybe it'd be better that way. I mean, you could probably inject some common sense into the situation."

[puzzlinglad]

You are dude, remember Hershel knows the kimono girl story too. You're reputation is ruined. "Do you think you have anyone outside of this place?" That was always a weird thing to think, the people waiting for them they couldn't remember.

"That would be the plan." Hershel answered a touch dryly. "At this rate I'll know kendo coming out of here too, I could give those thugs what for." He said in the most stupidly British way possible. Also he was clearly kidding, if it wasn't obvious he wasn't really one for badgering thugs for fun.

[detectiveofthewest]

"I sure hope not," said Heiji, frowning a little. "I mean, I'd hate to worry 'em like this. What about you? You find any red hairs on ya when you woke up here?"

Dohohoho.

"Thugs? So you're gonna date someone in law enforcement?" The alternative was, of course, dating a criminal, so...

[puzzlinglad]

"Heiji." The implications, you monster. Once his fluster was out of the way he answered dryly. "I sincerely doubt it, as far as I can tell I recently moved before ending up here, I doubt I know anyone let alone well enough for... well, romance."

"Hm, I wouldn't mind, it's a very respectable profession." He answered after a beat. "I'm not sure who else would get into trouble so often... I very much doubt archeologists have daring adventures around old, dusty books." Ha ha.

[detectiveofthewest]

Don't front, Hershel, we all know you've kissed at least two people, where's your scarlet A.

"Well, maybe ya could have left your sweetie in your old hometown, right? It's a possibility."

Heiji smiled. "Well, maybe if you're an archaeologist like in the movies. All ya need is a fedora and a bullwhip, right?"

[puzzlinglad]

He's ruined for marriage and it's your fault I hope you're happy with yourself.

"I suppose... Honestly I get the feeling from my memory with Clive that there weren't many people sad to see me go there." What a depressing thing to say, yet he seemed merely thoughtful about it. Amnesia.

"Please Heiji, you know that sort of thing is nonsense. I'd hardly be running from boulders or fighting off enemies." Ha ha. Ha. Ridiculous.

[detectiveofthewest]

Look Akiko took his first kiss okay after that Hershel was already ruined

Heiji just... looked sort of sad when Hershel said that. "Hey, well, what do they know? I bet you went to London and made loads of new friends, showed 'em what they were missing!"

"Anyway, with your fencing skill, ain't you perfect for having adventures? You could challenge someone to a duel, maybe fight 'em on the ramparts or somethin'."

[puzzlinglad]

You're still in very real danger of being blown up for kissing him, Heiji, remember that.

Hershel looked a little surprised- ok yeah now that he thought over what he said that was pretty depressing whoops- and offered Heiji a smile. "Well, I made you as friend here, so I guess that's a start?" Is he for real, shounen friendship bullshit.

"What would I be fighting, mummies?" Ha ha ha ha ha. "Do you think you ever fought someone on something dramatic like ramparts?"

[detectiveofthewest]

Heiji grinned. "Exactly! Things are looking up for ya!" Run, Hershel, you're doomed!

"Well, why not? Then again, when I looked, you didn't have a real scar on ya. But I'm tellin' you, that fancing thing would be really handy for facing off hordes of mummies or vampires or whatever else!"