(open)

[siring]

CHARACTERS: Niklaus (siring) and OPEN
LOCATION: Oxygen Gardens
WARNINGS: None yet.
SUMMARY: Exploring. Looking for victims.
NOTES: Klaus is a vampire/werewolf hybrid thing. See here for an explanation before tagging in, and let me know if you would be okay with Klaus possibly compelling or feeding from your character. Thanks!


[Klaus has come to detest the quiet. He doesn't do well with boredom either, never has. It caused him trouble during his short time as a human, those days of harmless fun that were ruined by a man with no tolerance for such things. A thousand years worth of memories and it's those that he seems to think about with more frequency when he makes his way through empty halls on the ship. He blames it on the quiet, and the way it sometimes tastes like steel and ash on his tongue. No part of him misses those early days, and Klaus proved that to himself by spending the next thousand years indulging in entertainments that no one would consider harmless.

There's purpose to his steps as he walks down the corridor, fingers splayed and the tips brushing against the walls. He lacks one, but the devil finds work for idle hands. He's made his vulgar promises, as Elijah would say-- ones that held only as long as they suited him. Until he finds the werewolves he has no need for the doppelganger, and as for the requests not to divulge certain information, he saw no reason not to let them all lie to each other. Let them put each other at a disadvantage, it meant less work for him later.

The sound of his own footsteps echo across the hall. The vessel is impressive in size, but it fails to mask a strong sense of containment. The Oxygen Gardens are his destination, he only decides on that as he caught the scent of vegetation. Overgrown as the plants are it's a poor substitute for the outdoors, lacking in all the sounds that nature provides. The chaos that erupted the other week had begun here. His hand reaches out, tearing a leaf off a nearby plant and studying it.

Life support on the ship is a fragile thing, and only some of his needs are readily provided for.]

Comments

[onsilksheets]

[The feeling of being trapped did not sit well with her. Cooped up in a place where the only people she knew from home were ones she didn't trust and vice-versa. Making connections here had served a purpose but who knew how long they would last? Until the people she came to know would turn against her? Perhaps Bela was being a little paranoid but the thought had occurred to her on numerous occasions, mostly before she went to sleep.

Instead of going to the kitchen for a drink, Bela decides to pay the Oxygen Gardens a visit. It was somewhere she had yet to explore and well, curiosity got the better of her in the end. As appealing as a night cap was, Bela felt that she should widen her horizons and thoroughly explore what the ship had to offer.

She looks around the gardens, not quite sure where to look first. The area itself reminded her of hot houses, or botanical gardens where they housed exotic plants and the like. But these plants served a purpose on the ship and without them, no one on board would survive.

Bela hoped that nothing would happen to them.]

[siring]

[Klaus has made it a little further into the gardens, but his hearing is still able to pick up the sound of someone else entering the area. A woman, he thinks. Klaus doesn't have much interest in chatting with the poor, unfortunate souls of the Tranquility outside of sussing out werewolves and potential food sources. The latter is becoming a more pressing matter.

He moves to stand behind the woman, crossing the gap between them silently.]

Humbling, isn't it? To think that our lives depend on the survival of a few floors of plants and machinery that most of us lack a proper understanding of.

[Or he assumes it's humbling. Klaus only partially understands the concept.]

[onsilksheets]

[Not many people could ever catch Bela unawares, given the fact that she was quite observant and mindful of the environment she was in. Always on guard and ready. It didn't happen in this instance thought.

The sound of a voice-an unfamiliar one at that-startles Bela a little and she has to take a few moments to compose herself before she turns around fully to face the speaker, a calm look on her face, masking the nerves. She looks him over briefly before speaking up.]

Well, it's certainly something we shouldn't take for granted. I know how important this area is and what it means for the ship and her passengers.

[She might not understand all of the technology but she knew enough to not mess with it.]

[siring]

[There's a brief flash of something like puzzlement in his own expression when she turns to face him. It takes him a moment to recognize the face-- the one Elijah had once been meant to deal with, that stupid cow who had let Katerina slip through his grasp five centuries ago. The fact that he knows her to be dead is irrelevant, it's her reaction that throws him. Startlement, and a poker face to hide it. But no fear, or at least not at the level he would expect from someone who should be very much aware of what he would like to do to her for crossing him-- accident or not.

He has no more need for small talk with this one. Klaus locks eyes with her, pupils contracting as he attempts to compel the answer out of her.]

Do you know who I am?

[tumbleweeds]

[ There are some sounds of nature in the Oxygen Gardens; insects, mostly, but today there's something else. It's not wind and the light is artificial, the oxygen produced by the plants circulated through the ship, but there's something else in there today. A wolf, or a wolf on first appearance, sniffing through the plants. It's not making any attempt at hiding its presence, ears twitching once as it hears someone enter.

Hmm. Jaye doesn't recognize the smell, but there's something off about it, enough to make her hackles instinctively raise. Most people won't mess with a wolf, though, and she forces herself to calm down before padding through the plants a little more, circling back toward the exit. She'd rather enjoy the plant life alone, and it looks like time's up.

Hopefully whoever this is will let her out. She'd hate to mess up the plants. ]

[siring]

[The faint animal scent catches him off guard, standing out as almost completely foreign after weeks of his senses being assaulted by mostly artificial ones. The girl, Alayne, had mentioned a wolf pack wandering the vessel-- but this is the first time he's actually encountered any of them. Not werewolves, if what she had explained is true, but a convenient cover for one. Klaus has no idea if the magic that allows him to transition those beasts into hybrids works in this prison, but he sees no reason not to try.

He lets the animal circle around unmolested, but positions himself in front of the exit as it makes its way back around, its movements lack the blind aggression of the sort of werewolf he's used to. The leaf is absently twirls between two fingers as he waits before calling out.]

Hello there, sweetheart.

[tumbleweeds]

[ Jaye isn't part of that pack, though she has met Lady and Grey Wind -- Lady as both human and wolf, Grey Wind as just a wolf. The wolf just happens to be a form she enjoys, and when she's human her earrings are long, with silver feathers and silver wolves and onyx stones. By all rights she should favor the coyote over the wolf, but she doesn't.

The man's put himself in the way and Jaye's ears perk up, her head raising to look straight at him. It's a challenge, in its own animal way -- prey looks away, but predators stare, though rarely with the sort of intelligence that can be seen in her eyes. Likewise, her lips twitch, not quite pulling back over her teeth but enough to let on that she's considering it, if Klaus knows what to look for. She'll likely have a better chance as a wolf than a human, if it comes to a fight, but right now she's just annoyed that he's between her and the door. ]

[siring]

[With the twitch of her lips his hands go up, as though he means to surrender so soon-- although he doesn't break eye contact with her and makes no move to get out of the way. He can almost see the working mind behind the creature's stare.]

I mean you no harm. [Which he does not, he's only sought to make these particular victims into something more. And he says this with a bit of a wild grin, the veins near his eyelids twitch as they pump blood into sclera. The whites of his eyes turn a reddish black as two sets of canines extend in his mouth.

Show and tell.]

[shoyu]

[ he's not alone, though. it's probably shortly afterwards the niklaus might catch the faint clink of metal, the soft sounds of someone humming.

because soysauce is seated at the base of one of the larger trees, lovingly tending to his saxophone. he hasn't had the time or chance to touch it since ending up here, what with the difficult of getting used to the place and the hubbub of the 'fear gas' (that was what it was called, right.) but one can't live in a high-tension atmosphere forever, and soysauce has decided to spend some quiet time in the oxygen gardens -- he's never seen such lush greenery anywhere back home, and it's really quite amazing, sitting amongst all of these plants.

he's clearly not paying attention to his surroundings, sitting there with his open saxophone case lying beside him, slowly cleaning off each part of the dissembled instrument, but he's pretty content. not that he'd mind bumping into someone else, if they happened to approach. ]

[siring]

[The humming does catch his attention, and Klaus follows the sound out of boredom. There's no other signs of life here, and devil finds work for idle hands.

He makes his approach from the side, his gaze fixed on the saxophone as he moves closer. He recalls smoke-filled rooms and the shuffling bodies.]

A token from home? [He nods his head toward the instrument, a faint smile on his lips.]

[shoyu]

[ he looks up at the sound of someone approaching, giving a friendly grin as the other draws into sight. ] Good afternoon!

[ soysauce doesn't seem to mind the company at all, just giving a sheepish smile as he hefts up the saxophone part in his hand. ] A poor friend I dragged from home but have been neglecting somewhat as of late amidst all the hubbub.

So it's rather nice having a bit of peace and quiet here, isn't it?

[coarse]

[While Klaus detests the quiet, Bass welcomes it. His arrival to the ship was plagued with disorientation and a loose grasp on his ability, surrounding thoughts pouring in and slipping through his fingers before he could even attempt to organize them in his head. They've been used to his advantage since then, be it to search for signs of his sister or to find his way back from the darker corridors of this prison. One of those times had been more troubling than the other, with unexplainable sounds and a sense of dread that pushed Bass to leave and bring his accompanying travelers back to the more common area. One of those travelers so just happened to be his very unusual sparring partner for the day - Jaye from Detroit, a shape-shifter with no qualms about fighting with claws and teeth.

He walks through the garden, fingertips touching the corner of his split lip to make sure the blood is all dried up. Most of the bruises are covered up by a jumpsuit now in a mildly poor state, but those that are visible should be small enough to already show signs of recovery in their tone.]

[siring]

[Klaus follows the sound of the other man's footsteps. These floors are large, but relatively well-traveled. It isn't surprising, but Klaus didn't necessarily come here for the company of others.

He approaches the stranger from the front, hands behind his back as he walks. The healing wound on the stranger's lip catches his attention even from a distance, the state of the man's clothes. Klaus imagines that his own outfits will be in an equally poor state soon enough, he's only just recently given up on trying to wear the white shirt and pants suit combo from the night of the dance.

It stains much too easily.]

How does the other guy look? [He slips into his best attempt at an American accent, a good-natured quality to the tone of his voice.]

[coarse]

[Bass stops in his tracks, grimacing with a soft hiss before the question, expression then changed to a mild form of surprise. His hand is lowered to his side, tongue touching the bruise idly. It's one of those impulses he can't really help. His tone is light enough after an exhale.]

Girl, actually. So to speak.

[became]

[ neal likes the gardens. it's no white sand beach, but he doesn't take captivity well, and the lush greenery at least gives him a chance to pretend he's not trapped in amongst lines upon lines of stark, unyielding silver; there's a terrible, uncompromising beauty to the tranquility, but it's not a beauty neal would seek out himself. too sterile, too new. no texture or cracks or little bits of graffiti, left by young lovers a hundred years before: no obvious, careworn history to give softness to the unending metal.

so neal brings two of his sketchbooks, finds an out of the way corner where he's hidden from view-- he wants to draw something personal, and that needs a certain degree of solitude-- and lets the soft, familiar scratch of charcoal on paper help him clear his mind, try to ignore interpersonal matters and analyze the latest attempt at intimidation from their smiling friend.

he draws kate, mozzie, keller, alex-- then he starts in on el and peter, together, and loses himself in the scene instead of keeping an eye on his surroundings. ]

[siring]

[One could certainly call the ship a piece of art, but Klaus doesn't feel too appreciative of his prison's cold, bare aesthetics-- or the notion of most post-war modernists and all that came after them. They lost him around the time the Dadaists sprang up. Not all of is unappealing to him-- he likes to deconstruct the human body and psyche as much as the next psychopath, and it had all been a bit fascinating to watch great minds unravel in the face of mass atrocities at the time, but if Klaus were to visit New York he would prefer to stroll through the Met than the MoMa.

He is unyielding in his ways.

Klaus can pick up the sound of charcoal scratching against paper as quickly as he could the notes to a favorite song. He takes his time following it to the source, watching from afar for almost a minute before speaking up, nodding at the sketchbook and almost a sheepish look painted onto his face.]

I'm almost afraid to ask-- did those come with you when you arrived, or might I find extra supplies somewhere?

[became]

[ neal tenses, each muscle poised and ready; then he slowly, purposefully relaxes each one, waiting until the instinctive urge to move abates and he can look up without betraying anything. it's a flawless performance-- for another human.

he does look up, though, a politely vague yet welcoming smile on his face. ]

These ones showed up when I did, actually. But I have more that arrived later, so I wouldn't lose hope. [ his smile goes a little more real, and his eyes more thoughtful. ] You're an artist?

[swagneto]

[ Erik comes for the distraction, when at the end of the day the gym is only so useful and everyone else has still gone to bed. Chess games with Charles are slow and the tension is still there between them, now firmly entrenched on opposite sides of the field. Every so often he thinks he can handle it much like Erik tolerates the rest in stride, which is to say not at all. It leaves him uncomfortable at best, the amount of tension running through him and an absence of purpose beyond the greater goal.

He's selfish at best, with purpose driving him, but at this point Erik shrugs that aside in favor of boredom, leading him to the oxygen garden for the first time since his arrival. Erik has never been much of a plant person, seeing them as mere distractions rather than anything else. Catching sight of Klaus around the other side of the room, he pays no attention to him at first, focusing instead on the unfamiliar vegetation that pervaded throughout. ]

I wonder there's anyone to care for these. [ A casual start to a conversation, when Erik usually doesn't speak to anyone at all up front, unless its to bite back aggressively, or even retort for the sake of it. ]

[siring]

[Klaus is wondering a similar thing, but gives only a shrug at first-- not really paying the other man any mind. He casually tears off another leaf and spins it between his fingers before dropping it. The overgrowth makes him think that there must only be a few people, if anyone, for caretakers. He certainly hasn't run into any gardeners.]

People will take advantage of these things that we're freely given. [He turns to face the stranger, a careless grin on his lips, and his accent switches from British to an American South-like twang for a second.] Don't fix it 'til it's broke, or so they say. Even given recent events. [The madmen who released the gas. And still no one is guarding this section.]

[theshabbiestofmen]

[Remus kneels in the Oxygen Garden, carefully checking on the Wolfsbane he's planted there. He's no gardener, and honestly, he has no idea if this will grow-- but better to try and keep up a steady supply than give up altogether.

He glances up as he hears footsteps and smiles at the newcomer.]

Hello.

[siring]

[Klaus returns the man's smile before his attention focuses on the plant being attended to. Not vervain, but it's still something to be curious about.]

I didn't think anyone did any actual gardening here.

[theshabbiestofmen]

Oh, there are a few people, here and there. It simply depends what hours you keep.

[He stands, brushing the dirt off his knees, and extends a hand.]

My name is Remus.

[disparage]

[ caroline's really starting to hate this ship. it's starting to move in on her, with all the things she's keeping at bay when it comes to her friends' futures. she wants to tell them all, but she knows that keeping secrets is the mystic falls way, even if saying what those secrets are might help someone navigate their way away from death and to life. she's wandering around the ship to get away from it all in her room, though, she's finding that this walk isn't helping. she finds herself at the oxygen gardens, the scene of the crime when it comes to alaric's distress over jenna and elena. she wonders if the toxin still remains, but since no one's said anything - or made this room inaccessible - she assumes it has.

it's not much of a garden to her. sure, it's very bright in the colour green, but it lacks the openness she's become accustomed to. she misses home and the space of it. this room just makes her feel like she's back in that werewolf cage.

even though her vampire senses lack in sensing another vampire in the room, she can smell him before she ends up seeing him. he lacks the dumb cologne or aftershave or whatever it is he always wears and clouds her senses with whenever he's up in her business. the scent makes her stop in her tracks for a second. she's become accustomed to trying to using her super senses more, to help her in the cases of being potentially kidnapped again, as relying on her strength, the fear factor of her fangs and veiny eyes, are failing her time and time again. but she can't sense if he's in one of his crazy moods, or if he's going to be somewhat nice ... or whatever. she doesn't want to really deal with his crap today. she just wants to somehow find relaxation, if it's at all possible on this ship, and see if she can ease the stress she's started to accumulate.

she thinks about turning around and walking away. she's mad at him. her deal didn't end up being a proper deal like she had wanted. he'd ended up turning the tables, getting the upper-hand, and even more knowledge than he should've. she got no guarantee he'd leave her friends alone permanently, but she supposed that at least she could try and pull the string that was her offer to him if he happened to toe the line of potentially turning psycho-killer if the mood struck him.

but, whatever, she was allowed to be in this room if she wanted to, and it's not like he owns the ship, either. if anything, she hopes these plants are alive and will eat him alive. she ends up turning a corner, or navigating through the thick leaves, before she sees him. ]

Aren't you worried you might turn crazy if you stay in here too long?

[siring]

[He may as well own the ship, there are few other predators like him (no others, if you were to ask him so directly). Whatever powers that brought him here did not mean well for the other passengers.

There's a smile when he hears her voice. He's much less perturbed by their last encounter than she is. For now he is free to enjoy her presence.]

There's no danger here, not right now. [But does that mean she considers him sane? He turns to face her.]

Utilitarian, isn't it? [He spreads his arms out, clearly talking about the garden.] One day you should visit Giverny, see the water gardens. [It's gotten a bit touristy since he's last been there though.]

[disparage]

[ there may be no danger for him, but klaus is one of those ticking time bombs. it's always dangerous for her, even if he's not around. but she steps closer, finding that he's gotten over their little not-quite-a-tiff for now. ]

It's pretty ... and less goo-ey. [ the last part is said more to herself. however, she'll give it that. the ship is kind of nice, but it's too confining. the garden is pretty enough to distract her from that. with a glance upwards, well, the gardens have lost their illusion of being a garden. she wants to be able to look up and see the sky. ] I bet it's not as confined as this.