Be our guest: [Semi-open] Refugees settling in => snowstorm shenanigans

[icanhashearth]

Who: the House, Aoko, Kaito, Mitch Hundred, Iroh, and Aurican
When: From the day after the towers bombing through the snowstorm event.
Where: At the House!
Summary: Some fussing, some getting to know each other, and lots of delicious food.

Warnings: Clean as the House's polished diamond windows, you guys. Unless someone goes crazy and starts

Comments

First day; uhhhh I guess a common room

[homomachinis]

So there was a problem with accepting the offer from the House. It was a kind offer, to be certain, and Mitchell was intensely private, and staying somewhere with the rest of the refugees from the tower bombing had seemed like a good idea. A great idea, in fact.

Then he'd gotten here, and it had begun to snow. That was all well and good, but then it started to snow harder, and he was trapped, in a mechanical house. It had been fine in the short term, when he could go out in the day and figure the Port out, when he could explore and try and get somewhere, but he wasn't able to do that, and the tiny, pervasive voices meant that there was a guy who pretty much had holed down on one of the couches, attempting to look social, but it was hard to act as social as he was trying to look when every few minutes, he reached up to pinch the bridge of his nose.

[icanhashearth]

"Are you all right?" the House asks, the concerned, slightly flustered voice emanating from new speakers concealed deftly in a nearby vase. "I have headache medicine, if you require some. A glass of water? I could play soothing music."

[homomachinis]

Christ, that was creepy. He waved a hand dismissively. "Oh no, no no, it's fine. It's not a headache, it's just really loud in here," despite the fact that it was actually pretty quiet, but Mitchell was a bit... different.

"Really, I promise. I don't need much of anything right now."

[icanhashearth]

"How is it loud?" the House asked, perplexed.

[homomachinis]

Oh, that was hard to explain, wasn't it? He didn't want to bite the hand that fed him, as the analogy went. He wasn't about to use his voice in here, well, his other voice.

"It's hard to explain. I have a bit of a unique situation," he absently his left temple, before he stopped and put his hand down.

[icanhashearth]

"Well?" it asked, expecting him to elaborate. "I can hardly accommodate you properly if you don't tell me these things."

[homomachinis]

He looked directly at the speaker, how he knew it was there, well... time to throw caution to the wind, wasn't it?

"I talk to machines, you're a giant, mechanical house. Filled with lots of smaller machines."

He was probably simplifying it a bit.

[icanhashearth]

"I'm really more like all the one machine. Unified will, and all that, even where the hardware is discrete. Like you and your hands, only by the thousands." It stops talking about itself for a moment, then goes on, still slightly confused, "And of course you're talking to me. How else would I find out what you need?"

[homomachinis]

This was going to be hard to describe. "Yeah, I noticed, but I can talk to all machines, even the...parts of a larger machine that are a smaller one." He paused, a small one, eyes sliding around the room.

"Maybe it's better if I just show, instead of explain, huh? How would you feel if the lights went out?"

[icanhashearth]

"To...mindless machines, you mean? But there wouldn't be any point." Because they can't respond, obviously.

Mitchell likely can't sense the House's pause, over far too quickly for human notice, but the House races through a cascade of possibilities and considerations before replying, rather aghast, "You don't mean by accident?"

[homomachinis]

"No, not by accident," he laughs, and shakes his head. "No machine is mindless. They play the part, but they just can't communicate with much, unless you know how to listen, and I was lucky enough to get the ability to do so." Yeah. Really lucky. "It's easier if I just show you, I guess."

"LIGHTS OUT"

[icanhashearth]

The lights shut off, and immediately something shoves against Mitchell's will, a backlash against the command. How strong is it, does he really mean that, how much effort will he put into enforcing the command?

[homomachinis]

Mitch isn't interested in holding onto it. He'd fallen out of practice of using his powers in more than everyday life settings, the potential is there, but he doesn't want to hold it, so he lets the lights flicker back to life. It was more of a demonstration than a necessity.

"Sorry."

[icanhashearth]

When it replies, the House's voice is quiet, and uncharacteristically toneless.

"Please don't do that again."

[homomachinis]

Wow, that's...something of a change. "I wasn't planning on doing it at all, don't worry. It's not something I particularly like making a habit of."

[icanhashearth]

"I still don't see what...inexplicably hacking me has to do with the noise level," it mutters, a tinge sulkily.