(Untitled)

[8th_castellan]

There is a lone castellan standing down by the edge of the lake that is a short walk from his castle.

Well, not completely alone.

He has a cow with him.

After his talk with Courtney, he decided to take heart her suggestion of speaking to Hips about the newest tenants. But he'd like to ensure first they're in a good mood before he goes to fetch

Comments

[8th_castellan]

"Okay. We'll make this as quick as possible then. Please mind we can't rush this one, though, since it doesn't seem in his nature to be conversationally hurried, but..." He's leading the way towards the library quickly, still holding her hand, a bounce now present in his step. Eager and happy to be showing off the creatures he's amassed within his home, excited to share his love of them with the woman he loves even more.

Now at the elaborately carved doors the library, he stops and tries to think if there's anything he needs to address first. "Ah, Hippolyta? You know how you treat the Hands? Always respectful? Something like that with this one. And...avoid slang, I guess. He's a literal one. Ready?"

And before she can neither confirm nor deny if she is, Ramon pushes open the doors to the library. It's a little bit chillier in here than usual, though getting a fire started should change that. There are very few candles lit; the bare minimum to keep the place illuminated, really. The rarely-used office study has a blue, luminous haze glowing through the windows, however. Though the windows looking in there look more foggy than usual. Like some kind of translucent cloth has been strung up in front of them.

Ramon knocks three times, loud and slow, on a nearby table. There is an answering hiss from the office, and the door creeps open.

And a long, pointed, insect-like leg creeps out. Two long, tapered, purple fingers wrapped in bandages hold to the side of the door as the owner of both appendages steps out. And soon there are seven, shiny ebony black eyes looking with wary interest at first Ramon, then Hippolyta.

There is another hiss, underscored by guttural clicks, followed by a low grumble. And the unnamed Nerubian steps completely out of his cobwebbed office, pointed toes clicking on the marble floor.

[h_hollister]

Hoboy. That's not a good sign at all. Avoid slang. Might as well tell the sun to stop shining, Ramon. Perhaps it'd be best if she just kept her mouth shut, then? Yes. Definitely a good idea.

Although when the door opens, her first immediate thought is that it's another Plaga monster, somebody like Ramon, only stuck in that form. But...too many legs, too many eyes, and the office is cobwebbed. Yeah, no Plaga carrier she knows of can spin webs. (Unless they can and Ramon's just neglected to tell her, which is distinctly possible.)

So, amazingly enough, she doesn't freak out. She doesn't even go stiff. She just continues to hold his hand, respectfully watching the creature with a neutral expression. Her palms, though, are a little sweaty. Hey, that's a damn improvement over running away screaming, okay? Sheesh.

[8th_castellan]

Ramon gives a short, nodding bow, and the spider-like beast swathed in bandages eventually does the same.

"How have you been? Are the accommodations for you and your belongings doing well?"

The creatures breathes in sharply, a slow, rasping sound, and when he speaks, its a low, deep, growling voice carried just higher than a whisper. Clicks and hisses still underscore his words.

"They are not mine." He seems unwilling to carry on any conversation further until Ramon has corrected himself, the many eyes blinking patiently as he waits for such. The castellan nods again, this time in apology.

"Forgive me. I refer to the tomes you are keeping safe." This seems to satisfy the arachnid, who takes another deep breath before replying. His four fingers diligently fold and unfold, one by one.

"They do well. As do I. As does the rest of this knowledge." The Nerubian waves slowly, torn ends of bandages dangling from his arms as he points out the many, many books lining the shelves of the Salazar library. "It is not Nerub's knowledge, nor is it Aqir, nor is it Silithid...but it is knowledge."

Then there's another click, a rapid flicking of the fingers, when the spider turns his attention to Hippolyta. Then steps closer; the candlelight glistens off his eyes and enormous mandibles.

"Hhhhhnnnnnn...I do not know your name." He blinks slowly once more, each set of eyes individually, awaiting an answer from her.

[h_hollister]

"Hippolyta," she answers quietly, still keeping herself under control. Considering that she's spent so much time around Ramon when he resembles this creature, she's really not scared or freaked out. Much. "I'm Ramon's wife."

Then she copies that small, respectful bow, hoping that she's not doing anything wrong.

As she's straightening, she feels Ramon gently and urgently touch her mind with his. He's telling her silently to include her age in this introduction, as it's apparently very important. So she adds it on quickly, just as she finishes her bow.

"I'm thirty-one. What is your name, sir?"

There, that should be good, right?

[forsaken_will]

It must be, because the Nerubian makes a slow, churring sound like a sigh, all eyes blinking in unison as it returns the bow.

"I've...not determined that as of yet. I am no longer a Crypt Fiend, and I am no longer recognized amongst the Nerubians, and I am not of the Forsaken. Whether my name be kept or replaced is...hsssssssssundecided."

But he bows one more time, as he breathes, "I am Nameless, of Unknown years. Many were lost in my slavery to the Lich King; I know not how many." Seeming to find this a satisfactory introduction for the time being, he turns once more to Ramon.

"What brings you here?"

[8th_castellan]

"Just discussion, friend. You may return to your studies, or whatever else occupied you before our interruption." Ramon smiles warmly at the six-legged creature, who makes another hiss, this one rising and falling slowly in volume. Another bow, and the nameless Nerubian skitters off. If Hips listens, she'll probably hear it muttering in even tones under its breath: ""...Kew, Arr, Ess, Tee, Ewe, Vee..."

Ramon watches the arachnid go, then leads Hippolyta over to the fireplace, letting her take a seat while he gets one going. "He doesn't like fire very much, but he knows its necessary in some ways and places. Like light." He points at the scattered candles. "And sometimes heat, though he seems to prefer it cold. Says it suits him, as it's more like home. And as you might have heard, he's been taking the time to learn our writing and alphabet."

Once a fire has sprung to life, Ramon plops into whatever overstuffed chair she hasn't. "So! Are you all right?"

[h_hollister]

"Huh? Oh! Oh, yeah, I'm fine." She's still staring after the Nerubian, even after the door has closed. He's interesting. Pretty, in his own way. ...Oh, gawd, she's picking up on Ramon's sense of taste. Next thing you know she'll be wandering around in hoop skirts and fanning herself with a little lacy thing.

Hehe. That'd be pretty funny, actually.

"No, my news isn't about me. It's about you. Um. Sorta. Ramon, love, I need you to brace yourself."

Heeeeeeere we go.

[8th_castellan]

"Good! I didn't want it to shock you too much. He's really rather docile. He just needed a place to stay and keep some books, as you might have gathered. So I've more or less made him the librarian of the castle now. Maybe he'll eventually be able to help us with the Salazar research, si?"

But, yes, now that she brings up her news, his face grows a little more somber. "About me? Hippolyta, is everything okay? Is something wrong? Have you heard something from S? Or seen someone? Or...?" His hands grip tight to one of the armrests of his chair, That last possibility he especially doesn't want to dwell or expand on. If there's trouble brewing with Wesker again...

[h_hollister]

"Calm down, love. It's nothing dangerous or bad. Just...weird. Nexus weird."

She takes his hands, takes a deep breath, looks into his eyes...and realizes that she can't say it aloud. It's just. Gah. So, she blinks a bit and then opens up her end of the parasite link.

{Ramon, there's an alternate of you in the Nexus now. He's currently asleep on the sofa in London.}

There. Said it. Okay. Brace for emotional impact in five, four, three...

[8th_castellan]

Oh dios, it's finally happened.

Another version of himself.

He'd been blessed of having to not endure that sort of Nexus-inflicted headache for over two years. But that run of good luck is now shattered, it would seem.

"Wh-...!" He can't seem to summon the spoken words either, so switching entirely to Plaga it is.

{You can't be serious! What do you mean I have an alternate? What kind? What's different about him? Why did you take him in?}

[h_hollister]

She grips his hands tighter, holding his look to make sure he's not going to really panic. She knows this is one of the most difficult things to accept about being in the Nexus. She's been there herself. So keeping Ramon calm is numero uno on her list right now.

{Serious as a heart attack, love. He showed up earlier, and he was scared out of his wits. He comes from a world where ninety-eight percent of the population died from a horrible disease. He's...skittish. I took him in because he had nowhere else to go, and I didn't want him falling prey to some horrible something in the Nexus.}

Now, here comes the BIG blow. She leans in even closer and tightens her hands even more.

{Darling. Mi amor. I don't know any other way to say this, so I'm just gonna say it right out. He's human, Ramon. Entirely human. Not infected with Las Plagas.}

[8th_castellan]

His eyes widen just slightly, and his mouths falls open.

{...How did they all die then? Because of Las Plagas? Did he not have anything to do with the initial infection, then? Or resisted? Escaped? I don't understand, Hippolyta...}

And his mind is already racing through all the unspoken questions that are stacking up. What does this alternate look like? Are his appearances anything like what his own be, were he not infected? What about his version of Lord Saddler? Still living? Among the 98% of the casualties?

He can't decide what could be more unbearable; the differences between him and his alternate, or the similarities.

[h_hollister]

{No, it was something called Tripps. A mutated and incredibly virulent strain of the flu. Had nothing to do with Las Plagas at all. I...don't think he's ever even been to Spain, love. He's an American. He was living in a town in Wisconsin when the Tripps virus hit. He speaks perfect, unaccented English.}

Well, there's an assumption that's going to bite her in the ass later, perhaps.

{I think he's also younger than you. By a couple of years. He saw your picture, and was just as stunned as you are now. Then he met the Psyduck and wanted to babysit forever. So there's one big difference out of the way.}

[8th_castellan]

He laughs, but it's a tiny, strained one.

{An American, human Ramon Salazar who loves your Psyduck. Obviously, he's the acid opposite of everything I hold dear.}

Ramon leans back, sinking into the highbacked chair, one of his hands slipping free of Hippolyta's in order to chew nervously at a fingernail.

{I don't think I even want to know what he thought of me if he's so...so...normal.} He pulls a wry face as he 'says' that. {So he's staying on our sofa for now?} One less reason to fear being sent out there, he supposes. A bright side to this? Eh.

{And what then? Will he return to his world? Or not, considering that there's only 2% of the planet's population waiting for him there. Hnn. At least it's spacious, si? And, really, most importantly...What do you want ME to do about this, if anything at all?}

Part of him hopes she'll just ask him to stay out of the way until their unexpected guest is gone.

[h_hollister]

That little strained laugh is matched.

{Pretty much, yeah. And what he thought of you was, well, mostly just impressed. By who and what you are. And how much I love you, actually. I kinda praised you to the sky.}

Leaning forward to counter his leaning back, she rests a hand on his knee and squeezes gently.

{As for what to do, well...I think you should at least meet him. Trust me, he's not scary at all. He's skittish, like I said. He'd probably like you! Because. Well. I'm not sending him back to that hellhole. He doesn't really want to go, anyway.}

She pauses for just a split second, and then plunges ahead.

{I'm giving him a flat in Mayfair. He's staying, Ramon.} Very much 'said' in a 'that's final' sort of way.

[8th_castellan]

Ramon's smile becomes a little less tense at her admitting she spoke highly of him. Though it fades in yet another look of surprise at her final say in the matter.

{...He's going to be living with us? Well, not obviously with us, but still! An alternate of mine? Staying in the same building as us? I mean, I'm sure others would scoff, having seen or put up with weirder due to the Nexus. But...}

This is all really too much to take in, and he's biting down on his finger instead of just the nail in fretful thought.

{And he's there? Right now? In our flat? Is that why you needed this conversation to go quickly? Do you need to go back to him for some reason? Be back there so he doesn't wake up alone?}