scotch tape and glue

Enzo is behind on the times so to speak; being dead for a million years will do that to a guy. Not that you’d be able to tell by looking at him (and not just because he’s hot, thank you though) given he struts through Wildering House like he owns it. Which, he does. It was his idea, and he at least co-owns it as Flora’s twin at bare minimum. So every door is his to open. Even if Flora exasperatedly reminds him that many of the rooms are set up for specific friends of hers. He died young, he cheekily blames it on his brain not developing in Mort’s realm. Plus, it’s like a surprise! He opens a door and maybe it’s an empty room, maybe he can snoop through a diary, and sometimes - “Oh, you’re a person!” It comes out more delighted than surprised, a dog pricking its ears at the sight of a cat. Sauntering in without a care, Enzo eyes the young woman shamelessly. He tries not to flirt too much in Wildering while he’s still learning what faces belong to all the names Flora has shared (she’d been clear some are super duper off limits) but it doesn’t mean he can’t enjoy the view. “So, who’re you? Really, we should get name plaques on these doors don’t you think? It would make barging in so much easier,” he muses, standing in the middle of the room and spinning leisurely, eyeing all the fun personal changes in a room that’s definitely not his. enzo enzo

How deeply are you sleeping or are you still awake?
A good friend told me you've been staying out so late

Soh was exhausted.

She’d been ferrying Breakers to and from Torchline, each sweep of the city taking more and more out of her, until at last she found herself quite without meaning to at Wildering House. She was alone, depressed, and tired, and she snuck into her room without announcing her presence, very much intending simply to take a nap and get back to work. She’d managed to make it to her room, halfway out of her clothes, and onto the plush, comfortable bed, and then she’d fallen unceremoniously to sleep.

And sleep she did, until she was rudely awakened by the sound of her door opening.

Probably a spirit, she thought, half-awake and ready to roll over and go back to sleep.

Just in time for an unknown voice to say, Oh, you’re a person!

Soh sat bolt upright in bed, eyes flying open to land on a young man she’d never seen before in her doorway. He had tousled brown hair and intense green eyes that seemed quite keen to take her in - and it was about that moment that Soh realized she’d fallen asleep on top of the covers, dressed in nothing but her most boring (but comfortable) bra and a set of underwear in a completely clashing color and pattern. Shrieking with surprise, discomfort, and, quite frankly, a fair bit of anger, she barely registered what he was saying (something about plaques?) and settled on, ”Oh my gods, did you even knock?”

Soh practically fell off the bed in her sudden lunge for clothes; she yanked on the tank top she’d been wearing earlier, covering the horrific scars across her abdomen and most of the burn that curled up her back in one fell swoop. Then, grabbing a pair of pajama pants strewn over the chair at the desk, she turned to glare at the intruder, perhaps hoping that if her bark was worse than her bite, he wouldn’t hurt her. ”Please tell me Flora did not make the house spirits corporeal?”

Be careful, oh, my darling, oh, be careful what it takes
From what I've seen so far, the good ones always seem to break

Sohalia

It’s a good thing she’s not a deep sleeper, or this would’ve been a lot less entertaining and a little more creepy on his part. Not enough to inspire any kind of guilt or regret, but dear readers might take up arms. Sort of the way the blonde does as she shrieks like an electrocuted cat and rips a shirt on over her head. “Nope!” he pops the ‘p’ like bubblegum, smiling brightly, sea glass green eyes bright and seemingly innocent. “Would it make things more fair if I stripped too? Just say the word.” He grins and gracefully sinks long limbs down onto the desk in the room, reclining against it and picking up the first thing he sees to fiddle with it. Nobody needs to know it’s so he naturally takes his eyes off her and lowers him more to her level physically - can’t have people thinking he’s soft or gentlemanly or something.  Her outcry makes him genuinely bark a laugh, setting the trinket down and crossing his arms with a mischievous grin that drips approval for her unintentional wit. “I mean, she kinda did. I got special treatment though - I’m Enzo. Who are you? See, I told you we need nameplates.” enzo enzo

How deeply are you sleeping or are you still awake?
A good friend told me you've been staying out so late

Soh stumbled over herself in her haste to dress, nearly falling as she shoved first one leg, then the other into the pajama pants she’d grabbed. Her cheeks flamed as the young man offered to strip down; she’d had a few propositions by now, but none quite like this. ”No, no - clothing stays on, please.” She watched as he reclined gracefully onto the edge of her desk, picking up a paperweight in the shape of an owl to fiddle with as she righted herself. Without even realizing it, she began to calm, her racing heart slowing and her blush beginning to fade.

Only to leap right back onto her cheeks as the stranger introduced himself as Enzo - Flora’s elusive twin, only recently brought back from the dead.

”Oh!” she exclaimed, her eyes widening in an almost comical way. ”Enzo! I’ve heard so much about you!” Realizing belatedly that this was very much not the first impression she’d have liked to have made on her best friend’s twin, she added, ”I’m Sohalia. You… might be onto something with the nameplate idea. Or maybe a house party, where we could all get to know each other and who rooms where. Or maybe both?” She paused, thinking for a moment, then dismissed the rambling thoughts in favor of studying Enzo.

Now that she’d spent a moment talking to him, she could recognize certain traits that he shared with Flora - the mischievous little grin on his lips one of them. ”So,” she said, plopping back onto the edge of the bed and tilting her head to one side. ”As you can see, this is my room. The books and the maps give it away.” She gestured around, an invitation for Enzo to take a closer look if he’d like. ”Just so it’s fair, what kinds of things might I find in your room?”

Be careful, oh, my darling, oh, be careful what it takes
From what I've seen so far, the good ones always seem to break

Sohalia

A broad shadow passes lazily across the sand, soft-edged and slow-moving, despite the absence of clouds overhead. Looking up reveals the source: a single Cloud Manta drifting through the air above, its vast, translucent body undulating as though swimming through an invisible sea.

It moves with an almost playful ease, banking gently as it catches unseen currents, its long fins trailing wisps of vapour behind them. Every so often it dips lower, close enough that the air stirs faintly beneath it, before rising again in a wide, looping arc. There is no urgency to its movements, only a quiet curiosity, as though it is enjoying the simple act of being seen.

After a time, the Cloud Manta begins to climb, its pale form thinning against the sky until it becomes little more than a suggestion of motion. Whether it lingers overhead or drifts on beyond sight is impossible to say, its presence as fleeting and gentle as a passing breeze.

---

Cloud Manta Areas Found: Torchline, Maria Mundi — Common These plantimals have flattened, ray-like bodies, narrow, delicate heads with two large dark eyes, and flowing-finned or leaf-like tails similar to bettas. They are equally comfortable underwater and flying through the air. Large green splotches across the upper surface of their bodies are filled with chlorophyll and photosynthesize both food and oxygen. They also make meals of mosses and lichens. As they age a colorful crystal grows in the middle of their foreheads, comprised of excess minerals that they purify out of their bodies. If worn pressed against the throat these crystals are rumoured to allow someone to breathe underwater. Challenge Rating: Moderate | Mythical HP: 1,078 | To Hit: +25 | Dmg: 25 Movement: Swim 40 ft.; Fly 40 ft. SPECIAL SKILLS Breathstone: a harvested forehead crystal worn against the throat may allow underwater breathing; Oxygen Bloom: in bright light they enrich nearby water/air with extra oxygen, easing exertion for companions; Buoyant Escort: can support a small creature beneath their fins, aiding calm passage across waves

TRAITS Amphibious Drift: equally comfortable underwater and in open air; Photosynthetic Patches: chlorophyll-rich splotches produce food and oxygen in sunlight; Silent Glide: broad fins move with near-silent grace through water and sky; Moss & Lichen Grazer: gentle feeders that favour simple flora over live prey; Crystal Growth: a mineral crystal slowly forms at the forehead as impurities are purged ACTIONS Updraft Sweep: fans fins to raise a soft updraft or current, nudging companions and clearing mist; Shade Veil: spreads fins to cast a cool, drifting shade over travellers beneath; Mineral Purge: releases trace minerals that encourage reef growth and subtly purify the surrounding water

The red of her face - certainly more than just the cheeks from what he can see past her flurry of hair as she shoves on clothes - is enough to keep the grin affixed firmly to Enzo's mouth. There's a fine line between chaotic humor and meanness, and Enzo loves to toe lines. His eyes widen slightly at her renewed exuberance as she seemingly forgives and forgets all in one breath by virtue of his name. He'd be drunk on power if her own name didn't immediately make him understand why - this is Flora's best friend. You know, aside from yours truly. Surely his twin talked him up to kingdom come in all the time he was dead. A mercy, really, or he'd be a boring nobody trying to peddle the coolest backstory on the street corner without success.  Instead he has a captive, adorable audience! Setting the owl figurine down, Enzo scoots the chair out from the desk with his ankle and drops onto it backward, long arms dangling over the chairback to put them on even more equal footing. Plus both of them standing awkwardly in her bedroom is gonna get old real fast. Something she must agree on given how she flops back onto her bed, now shamefully clothed. "That's not a party, that's a business team-building nightmare!" His laugh is bright but skirts gracefully away from any notes of meanness. "Nameplates are fancier versions of nametags anyway - which is why breaking into rooms is more straightforward than a mixer with cheap 'Hi My Name Is' stickers and bad handwriting." Not that anyone else should be breaking into rooms, no no. That's the point - Enzo is unique. AKA untouchable.  "Oh darling I'm not the guy to talk to about fairness," he croons with a dimple-edged smirk. "I have to keep up my mysterious air, you see. No nameplates for me - invite only. If you want to know, you have to see for yourself. Sorry, I don't make the rules!" Enzo sighs dramatically even as the rest of his face exudes glittering mischief. Daring her to challenge him, or to barter, maybe even plead. Everyone picks a different approach and that's what makes strangers so interesting. Lazily waving a hand at the maps on the walls, Enzo's eyes stay riveted to Sohalia as he asks, "So, is it a hobby or a job, the maps? Flora's said a lot about you, but she's not the type to list the basics." enzo enzo

How deeply are you sleeping or are you still awake?
A good friend told me you've been staying out so late

"It's certainly a unique way to meet people, I'll give you that," Soh agreed, laughter bright. She leaned back on her hands, regarding Enzo with a new curiosity. Breaking and entering certainly wasn't on her list of things to experience in life, but somehow he made it not quite so horrifying as it might have been, were it anyone else. Maybe it was because Flora had spoken about him often enough that she felt as though she knew him already. Either way, she felt herself relaxing into the conversation.

As for the topic of fairness, she pretended to ponder for a moment. "Well, maybe you'll find an unexpected visitor sometime in the middle of your nap," she said mildly, eyes glittering with a mischief usually reserved only for Flora. "See how you like it." There was no venom to it, though; it was clear that she was relatively unbothered, now that things had settled. And besides, it was incredibly unlikely that Soh would ever go opening random doors in the House - one never knew what they might walk in on, after all.

Silver eyes flicked to the maps on the walls, softening into something almost affectionate. "Both, I suppose. It was a hobby first, and then a job, and now... I'm not really sure," she said honestly. "I haven't really thought past evacuating Stormbreak." Where she might go, what she might do... it was all up in the air for now.

Be careful, oh, my darling, oh, be careful what it takes
From what I've seen so far, the good ones always seem to break

Sohalia

“Exactly,” he gushes in undertone like it’s an overeager secret, leaning over the back of the chair until the back legs pull off the ground, eyes glittering like polished sea glass. “It leaves an impression! And people can’t lie half as well when they’re on the back foot, you know. Masks, facades…not so easy to keep on when you’re startled in your small-clothes.” Enzo winks, one dimple popping cheekily at the brief memory of Sohalia’s that he’d seen.  Laughing at her slyness, Enzo rocks backward, the wood legs of the chair thumping against the floor. “You’ll have to find it first,” he taunts. And if she takes it as a challenge, all the better - it just means a pretty young woman in his bedroom, all because she found him interesting enough to hunt down. “And I’m not much of an actor, so what you see here? Is what you’d get.” Enzo pauses for what is admittedly dramatic effect, lifting a hand to pop another button on his shirt below the open collar, shrugging with a sigh as if it’s loose enough to shrug off his shoulders (“grandma, it’s me, Anastasia”). “Maybe less clothing, but that would just make us even!” But for all his teasing and inherent mischief, Enzo isn’t cruel or truly disinterested, so his eyes follow hers easily to the maps and figures on the wall. Right, she was a Breaker wasn’t she? Used to be leader, he thinks, though he’s learned so many scattered facts from Flora concerning half a thousand people that it’s hard to keep it straight sometimes. Precisely why it’s of such benefit to meet those people, to put names to faces and stories to skin.  “Crisis will do that to you,” he hums, more than understanding given such a crisis had been his literal death. “But one crisis will always lead to another, days or years down the road. Then it’s suddenly your whole identity!” He spreads his hands wide, imparting wisdom with enough levity to make it palatable - and to ensure he doesn’t seem like anything more than a lackadaisical fool. “Take it from a dead man, sweetheart - if you don’t find time to be Sohalia in all this Stormbreak business, you’ll end up in Mort’s realm wondering where all those days went when you could’ve been her instead.” And maybe he’s reading too far into this given she doesn’t seem too sad around the eyes (more tired, though exhaustion conceals much) but from what he’s heard of the Luminary she isn’t lacking in melancholy or unfortunate fates.  Standing with a jaunty swing, Enzo strides to the wall with all its pinned pages and traces th hand drawn lines of one appraisingly, turning to Sohalia over his shoulder with a winsome smile. “So, not to take you further by storm, but how about you teach me today? Let’s grab some paper and go find something to draw! Er, map. Whatever.” An idea lights up his face with nearly manic glee, and he spins fully back toward her. “Maybe we can map some of these rooms by breaking into more of them! And if we get chased out, we can go draw the grounds. What do you say?” Jauntily extending a hand, full of whirlwind energy and purpose now that the dog has found its bone for the day, Enzo beams encouragingly and wiggles his fingers to try and coax Sohalia into agreement. enzo enzo

How deeply are you sleeping or are you still awake?
A good friend told me you've been staying out so late

"Do people often lie to you?" Soh asked, raising a brow and smiling mischievously. "But you're so very charming." She lifted a hand, tapping a finger against her lips as though in thought. "Nope, I think you just like the thrill of startling poor, half-naked people." And, honestly? Right at this moment, she was tired enough that she might could see the appeal. Maybe there was something to be learned from Enzo in this moment. He seemed to be a free spirit, if nothing else, and she could do with shedding a bit of the baggage that she'd taken to carting around like a skyship porter.

And maybe Enzo agreed with that sentiment, because suddenly he was giving her life advice. Sohalia tilted her head, studying him for a moment, because if this wasn't the strangest conversation she'd ever had with a man she'd only just met, she wasn't sure what was. It was oddly reminiscent, in some ways, of her first meeting with Jude - she felt similarly at ease, though she couldn't quite put her finger on why.

But before she can think of a proper response, Enzo was striding over to a wall of maps, seemingly appraising them before turning back to Soh with a rather interesting proposition. She hesitated for only a moment before shrugging a shoulder and placing her hand in his. She had some time to kill, after all, before the next skyship back to Stormbreak for more evacuations, and gods knew she needed the distraction. "Alright, but if we walk into any, er... intimate scenes that scar me for life, I'm blaming you."

Then she was moving, gathering up supplies and materials and shoving things at Enzo. "You'll need some paper, and some charcoal -" and a handful of measuring utensils, which Soh tucked into a small bag that she slung over her shoulder. "And that's it, really. It's not all that complicated, once you get the hang of it."

Be careful, oh, my darling, oh, be careful what it takes
From what I've seen so far, the good ones always seem to break

Sohalia

“People lie all the time darling, doesn’t matter if it’s me or anyone else.” Little white lies, big lies, lies of omission - “Appearances are all that matter to most people, whether they admit it or not. Not even just the vain; people want to control how someone sees them, like what if they think I’m a dick but I’m not? I have to be extra nice, or overexplain myself!” He affects a high pitched, worried voice to mimic some nameless genre of person, then laughs as he fiddles with the edge of one of her maps. “You ask questions that make me sound way too wise the second I get to answering, you know that? Quit it, pinky.” Though he doesn’t forget her teasing, grinning unrepentantly. “More to the point, yes. It’s quite fun by itself to scare half naked people. Plus then I get to see so many different kinds of sleep clothes! Or lack thereof.” It hasn’t bitten him in the ass yet either, so he’ll just keep doing it, like a rude toddler who needs his hand slapped.  Ah, but she enables him instead, so that won’t be happening today. Enzo graciously holds everything she picks up, content to be piled high so long as he gets what he wants. A bit of juggling is necessary, but he has long enough arms for what she decrees they need. “Perfect! So, let’s start with this hallway then since we know your room already. Do you know your next door neighbors or should we bust their doors down first?” Already striding out of the room, on a mission to startle more unwitting guests. enzo enzo

How deeply are you sleeping or are you still awake?
A good friend told me you've been staying out so late

Soh hadn't meant to enter a philosophical debate, but here she was in one anyway. Wrinkling her nose at Enzo, she stuck out her tongue in his general direction. She didn't want to admit that he was right, and that she was exactly the kind of person to worry about how others saw them. That she would lie by omission - and had done before - to keep their perception of her just so. So instead, she honed in on the new nickname. "Pinky?" she asked, raising a brow. "Why pinky?"

She gathered the supplies they'd need and handed half of it over to Enzo, making sure to use her second-best materials since this was for fun and not a particularly serious activity. "Honestly, I haven't spent much time here yet. I'm basically crashing in between skyships back to Stormbreak, so... no, I don't know my neighbors." She followed along behind Enzo, making a mark on a sheet of paper. "So, you'll need to mark a starting point, and then decide on a measurement - for a house, each grid line could probably be a couple of feet, to give you an idea of scale - and then, for a house, we'd just go door by door."

Looking dubious, Soh shook her head. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all, but she'd committed to it now. "After you," she said, indicating the door to the left of hers.

Be careful, oh, my darling, oh, be careful what it takes
From what I've seen so far, the good ones always seem to break

Sohalia

Enzo was dead for most of his life (weird thing to say) so half his yapping is just catch up - and that includes wildly vacillating between introspection and empty-headed stupidity. The latter being the source of sticking his tongue out at her immediately after seeing her do it first. "You give a pink vibe, so you're pinky. You blush pink and you're all soft and feminine and sugared peaches and sweet cream," he ends on a dramatic, lilted sigh in a higher register as if he's a fragile debutant. "Anyway, pink. It's a vibe, not a science."  No, science is more befitting the grid paper he stares down at while she educates him on how to actualize this impromptu dream. "Hmm. How about we get the layout and geometry out of the way first for the general area, then go snooping after? A shame to put it off, but if we get thrown in the ocean we won't have names or a map to put them on." Plus, it seems like she could use a bit more time to warm up to the idea of breaking and entering. Maybe a bit more time to wake up too given how he'd found her.  Enzo counts out a four-square section on the left side of the paper, since there's nothing past that border of Sohalia's room to map anyway. He confidently traces the faint lines, making a simple square, and begins loosely tracing out the exterior halls they'll be walking along shortly in faint strokes that can be easily erased later. He tilts the clipboard, angling it down to account for their height while he leans in, eyebrow rising expectantly. "Good enough start?" enzo enzo

How deeply are you sleeping or are you still awake?
A good friend told me you've been staying out so late

A pink vibe? What did that even mean? But at the same kind, she could kind of see it, so she didn't really have an argument against it.

Shaking her head, utterly bemused, she changed the subject to give Enzo a basic rundown of how to start a map. There was, of course, much more of a science to it, but honestly, half the time she operated on vibes with her maps, anyway, so this was sure to be an interesting venture.

Enzo's idea to get the layout down first and then snoop was met with a thoughtful hum. "But if we don't explore the rooms as we go, how will we know if there are any hidden doors or anything to add to the layout?" Were there hidden doors? She wasn't entirely sure, but given that the House was very much haunted and that she hadn't a clue about the layout aside from the pool, the kitchen, and her room... well, anything was possible.

Still, she followed along as Enzo began to sketch out a decent map of the area. Soh made her own, which looked a little different - she had her own shorthand and such that made her maps unique, after all - but when Enzo stopped for her to check his work, she was honestly a bit impressed. "You're a quick study," she said, brows raising. "Careful of your spacing here." And she pointed out a few areas where things didn't look quite accurate. "But otherwise, it looks great."

Be careful, oh, my darling, oh, be careful what it takes
From what I've seen so far, the good ones always seem to break

Sohalia