Topic: Welcome to the Cybernetic Arms Apartments

[GrizzlyBearTalon]

He grits his teeth and hands him a contract.

"Don't get too loud," he mutters. "Some people here keep odd hours."

He takes the contract from the purple fellow.

"HAHAHA! Sure thing Barney! I wuv u! Yu WUV ME! We're..."

He begins to sing aloud trying to get others join in but realizes he sings alone then admitting defeat he stops... for now...

"Bah..."

He reaches into his pants pocket and produces a strange writing utensil, it appears to be made of bone... it appears magical in nature... it appears... to be a pen. Most interestingly is that the pen is large enough for his massive furred hands. Muttering to himself to remember random factoids to fill out the form he hurriedly fills it out.

"DONE!"

He reaches for his right wrist and moves some fur aside then presses a button on what appears to be a very large silver watch. It has a blue H logo embedded in the top of it.

"Whatya need fuzzy?" the watch spats out. Interestingly no one else can hear the watch but Grizz those perceptive enough or possessing strong senses might detect the signal it gives off though.

"Send a *M.A.R.M.O.S.E.T. with my stuff please." Grizz replies seemingly to himself.

"Roger roger, ETA is two hours including loading time. HAMSTER out."

"So who do I give this thing too? I know somebody here wants my money!"

*Mobile Armored Robotic Multipurpose Oncall Airborne Supersonic Transport

[Alaric]

Al finished filling out the forms, barely noticing the various new arrivals. He handed the completed forms to Liam, then looked around. Things had gotten very busy. This could take a while.

"I need a room!"

He looked up, saw the large, bear-like figure. He smiled.

Well, I'll be-!

He caught himself before he could wave at the man-bear.

Have to remember, I'm not in costume...


...



Meanwhile, outside the building, another man stood, also wearing a long coat and a hat, though noticeably different from those worn by the first man. He held a suitcase in one hand and, in the other, a laptop case. A flash of red peeped out from beneath his shirt, and there was something indefinably unpleasant about the way he smiled as he looked around.

Yes, this will be perfect, he thought. Near the center of town, ideally placed as regards the bad part of town and the Abamdoned Warehouse district... And, best of all, none of those ubiquitous costumed do-gooders would pay any attention to a place like this...

He stepped toward the door.

[The Hitman]

"Don't get too loud," he mutters. "Some people here keep odd hours."

*POP*

"And some people are just ODD!!"

The big, hairy bear-man jumped when he saw the brightly- shirted guy appear from nowhere. Whithout a hitch, the blue man walked up to the counter, where Liam was begining to look exhausted and peterbed.

"Al- righty boss- man, I've changed all the lightbulbs out front, vaccuumed most of the rooms, and even installed that 'wink- wink- nudge- nudge- little- project- we- may- or- may- not- have- talked- about.' Have I done enough work to cover this month's rent, or is there anything else?"

[GrizzlyBearTalon]

"Don't get too loud," he mutters. "Some people here keep odd hours."

*POP*

"And some people are just ODD!!"

The big, hairy bear-man jumped when he saw the brightly- shirted guy appear from nowhere. Whithout a hitch, the blue man walked up to the counter, where Liam was begining to look exhausted and peterbed.

Truly Grizz was taken aback by the sudden appearance of the blue man especially when he noticed the shirt.

"Never have I seen so large a smurf...or one with such terrible taste in clothing. Like some sort of technicolor nightmare."

He muttered to himself, somewhat annoyed at being startled. He sniffed around several familiar scents about, then he began to wonder if you had to be of strange coloration to work here but still first things first.

"GRIZZ...HAVE...PAPER...

GRIZZ...WANT...ROOM...

MONEY...GRIZZ...GIVE...PURPLE...MAN..."

[bearded]

  Reflexively reaching for his sword, Baert relaxes when he sees no immediate danger.  Speaking to the monster itself, "Aye, ye be a bugbear, but ye be tamed.  Someone's pet?  Freindly bugbear, are ye?  Want some food?" 
  Baert holds out some travel rations, a lump of something that has no discernable type.  "Shy, boy?  Here ye go."  He tosses the foodstuff at the beast, hitting him in the chest before it drops to the ground.  "Whilst sorting, I found this."  So saying, he pulled out a small bow and a thin stick.  Placing the stick in the fire hole, and wrapping the bow around the stick, he proceeded to pull the bow, spinning the stick at a great speed.
  "Aye, we'll start a fire in here anow!"

[Gremlin]

He takes the contract from the purple fellow.

"HAHAHA! Sure thing Barney! I wuv u! Yu WUV ME! We're..."

He begins to sing aloud trying to get others join in but realizes he sings alone then admitting defeat he stops... for now...

"Bah..."

He reaches into his pants pocket and produces a strange writing utensil, it appears to be made of bone... it appears magical in nature... it appears... to be a pen. Most interestingly is that the pen is large enough for his massive furred hands. Muttering to himself to remember random factoids to fill out the form he hurriedly fills it out.

"DONE!"

He reaches for his right wrist and moves some fur aside then presses a button on what appears to be a very large silver watch. It has a blue H logo embedded in the top of it.

"Err...thanks." Liam scampers away when the big bear thing begins to talk to itself.

"Al- righty boss- man, I've changed all the lightbulbs out front, vaccuumed most of the rooms, and even installed that 'wink- wink- nudge- nudge- little- project- we- may- or- may- not- have- talked- about.' Have I done enough work to cover this month's rent, or is there anything else?"

"Thanks. Yeah, help me gather up these contracts and initial rent payments, will you? Then help Vamp give everyone a room. Make sure the bear guy has one far away from other guests."

"GRIZZ...HAVE...PAPER...

GRIZZ...WANT...ROOM...

MONEY...GRIZZ...GIVE...PURPLE...MAN..."

"Well, we'll need to run a quick background check, but we should have that stuff cleared up by tomorrow at the very latest. Or...er...we can get it done before tonight." He turns to the oversized Smurf. "You take care of these guys. I'll run this guy through, then we'll..."

"Whilst sorting, I found this."  So saying, he pulled out a small bow and a thin stick.  Placing the stick in the fire hole, and wrapping the bow around the stick, he proceeded to pull the bow, spinning the stick at a great speed.
  "Aye, we'll start a fire in here anow!"

"NO YOU WON'T." Liam jumps over and kicks the bow away before anything more than some smoke can come off the wood. "Gas! Tennants! I...ugh. Hang on." He reaches down, pokes the gas tube, and the tiny fire pops into existence. "Okay. Don't play with it anymore, ok?" he says, closing the glass facing. "I don't want anything to burn down."

[bearded]

  Baert somberly, sadly looks at the tiny flame.  "It be a wee fire.  I'll chop some wood for it in a bit.  Tho, the trees outside are mighty peculiar looking.  No branches, except at the very top."
  He looks at the ensemble.  What a colorful group.  The Grey Man has not touched any of these lives.  Not yet.

[Reepicheep]

Reep the Barbarian has lost track of whats going on, so he punches someone around the face.

[Glitch Girl]

Wow, glad I don't have his job, Lauren thought to herself after seeing the exchange between Liam and the swordsman. 

"Look Direcub," she said carefully trying to pry the hyperactive sidekick off, "I'll talk to you later, but first, there's some stuff I really have to take care of. Um...  Hey look, a huge distracting thing!"

"Where?"

Take your pick she added mentally and quickly darted out the front door.

A few minutes later, she returned carefully carrying a cat carrier.  Inside a small black and white cat with an expression that was the epitome of "not amused" huddled in a ball of puffed out fur and glared at the chaos going on in the lobby.

[The Hitman]

Reep the Barbarian has lost track of whats going on, so he punches someone around the face.

"Ahh, so you know the 'Punchy- Punchy' game as well. Well played. You just wait... you won't see me comin'! Hey, you done with your form yet?!"

[Gremlin]

  Baert somberly, sadly looks at the tiny flame.  "It be a wee fire.  I'll chop some wood for it in a bit.  Tho, the trees outside are mighty peculiar looking.  No branches, except at the very top."

"This is a gas fireplace. Gas. It doesn't need any wood, ok? I'd turn it higher but it's kind of warm out."

He turns and sees a small hyperactive child running from the brunette with the wi-fi thing to the giant bear guy and cringes. He knows nothing in their interactions will be good, but he can't do anything about it now. The manager was going to tear him a new one if he screwed anything up with so many clients...

Reep the Barbarian has lost track of whats going on, so he punches someone around the face.

"Ahh, so you know the 'Punchy- Punchy' game as well. Well played. You just wait... you won't see me comin'! Hey, you done with your form yet?!"

"HEY. No assault and battery!"

[PreRaphaelite]

Watching the interplay between the swordsman and the purple man; the purple man and the bear-man; and the arrival of a blue man, Murray gets a little lightheaded and very tired. Still sneezing on occasion, he moves to the purple-man whilst he's hopefully available and presents to him his completed forms.

"Thank you for your assistance. I hope I have filled out all the details correctly and that I will be assigned a room as soon as is convenient. If there are any problems, please do let me know..."

Why can I not just get this over with and lie down? This has been a very long day. I should have stayed with the tour. I should have composed myself better. I'm all over the place! Oh dear, I forgot about the deposit. 

"Before I forget, how much is the deposit? And would you accept a personal cheque?"

Reaching into his back pocket, he pulls forth a chequebook, accompanied by a badly aged black and white photograph which appears to resemble a slightly older version of himself... He quickly returns this to his pocket and returns to the cheque to scribble in the basic details - the signature highly elaborate with a slight pause midway through, as if he is trying to recall something...

[vamp]

A small vain rose by Vamp's left temple as the ongoing chaos ensued. He had never been one for large crowds, especially ones that contained loud bears who's voice was driving him insane.

"EVERYONE SHUT UP!"

His chest heaved as he seemingly tried to calm down, but despite this he was waving around his wrench.

"Give your forms to the purple man, then ask for room assignments from the blue man. Got that purple, then blue. For anything else you can come talk to me."

For some reason, his last sentence didn't seem as if it were in a helpful tone. Still heaving, vamp felt his adrenaline and testosterone lower all at once.

What did I just do? Damn it, this is why I work fixing things not with people.

With a sigh of repentance he was ready to open his mouth again.

"Sorry everyone. As you were."

[bearded]

  Everyone seems to worry about the bugbear, so Baert passes him a dagger.  "Tis passing to arm bears?  Or be that agin the rules?  The right to arm bears."
  "Right. So, I sit me down and prepare me story.  Any join me?  Whilst I think, mayhaps I will hear other tales.  What be ye name, and ye bearing?  What bring ye to this?"

[kkhohoho]

He finished the last part of his contract. Feeling accomplishment, he lifted his paper into the air, and said "Hey, purple thing. No offense by the way. Anyways, I'm done here. Do you come to me or do I come to you?" As personal experience showed, it was better to think then to act without hesitation.

[Gremlin]

"Thank you for your assistance. I hope I have filled out all the details correctly and that I will be assigned a room as soon as is convenient. If there are any problems, please do let me know..."

"Before I forget, how much is the deposit? And would you accept a personal cheque?"

Reaching into his back pocket, he pulls forth a chequebook, accompanied by a badly aged black and white photograph which appears to resemble a slightly older version of himself... He quickly returns this to his pocket and returns to the cheque to scribble in the basic details - the signature highly elaborate with a slight pause midway through, as if he is trying to recall something...

"The deposit is one month's rent plus a $150 sign-in fee...looks like you're in for a one-bedroom...sooo..." He calculates it quickly in his head and tells the man. "And yes, we do accept checks. Thanks you...Murray. Talk to him...er, we call him H. For your room and key, that is. I'm Liam, and welcome to Cybernetic Arms." He smiles wearily, taking his forms behind the desk.

He finished the last part of his contract. Feeling accomplishment, he lifted his paper into the air, and said "Hey, purple thing. No offense by the way. Anyways, I'm done here. Do you come to me or do I come to you?" As personal experience showed, it was better to think then to act without hesitation.

"I'd prefer to be called by my name. Liam Morrison, thank you. Just give me the forms and the deposit, one month's rent plus $150, and H over there can show you to your apartment."

[kkhohoho]

"Thank you for your assistance. I hope I have filled out all the details correctly and that I will be assigned a room as soon as is convenient. If there are any problems, please do let me know..."

"Before I forget, how much is the deposit? And would you accept a personal cheque?"

Reaching into his back pocket, he pulls forth a chequebook, accompanied by a badly aged black and white photograph which appears to resemble a slightly older version of himself... He quickly returns this to his pocket and returns to the cheque to scribble in the basic details - the signature highly elaborate with a slight pause midway through, as if he is trying to recall something...

"The deposit is one month's rent plus a $150 sign-in fee...looks like you're in for a one-bedroom...sooo..." He calculates it quickly in his head and tells the man. "And yes, we do accept checks. Thanks you...Murray. Talk to him...er, we call him H. For your room and key, that is. I'm Liam, and welcome to Cybernetic Arms." He smiles wearily, taking his forms behind the desk.

He finished the last part of his contract. Feeling accomplishment, he lifted his paper into the air, and said "Hey, purple thing. No offense by the way. Anyways, I'm done here. Do you come to me or do I come to you?" As personal experience showed, it was better to think then to act without hesitation.

"I'd prefer to be called by my name. Liam Morrison, thank you. Just give me the forms and the deposit, one month's rent plus $150, and H over there can show you to your apartment."

He performed a short leap, landed in front of Liam's desk, and reached into his sack, pulling out the the adequate amount of money. "Here you go, Purp--Liam. The forms and the payment." After paying the fee and handing in the forms, he leaped over to the blue freak and held up a finger. (Not the middle finger of course.) "Room please."

[The Hitman]

"EVERYONE SHUT UP!"

"Whoa V, I didn't know ya had it in ya!"

The blue gentleman quickly walks over to the visibly ill man and grabs his bags.

"Geez, guy, you don't look so hot. Know what you need? One of ol' Vinnie's World Famous Egg Sammiches..."

The purple one shoots him a cold stare, the bat- like one feverently shakes his head.

"...Maybe later on the sammich. Let's see- single room, western orientation... Room 711. Now I normally don't do this, but I can see you might need a little help with your stuff. Grab on, this'll only take a sec."

The blue man takes a second to ready himself, then shouts.

"I'll be back for you, Santy Claus! Don't put me on the naughty list yet!!"

*POP*

And with that, the two were gone.

[Alaric]

(just to speed things up a bit, I'll assume that Al has dealt with the payment and everything and has received a room and key by now)

Upstairs, Al stood in front of his new door looking around. He noted that each door was surmounted by a coat of arms- looked like cybernetic tentacles under either a gear or a robotic hand- hard to know which- in which was inscribed a Greek kappa. He put his suitcase down, juggled the cat carrier- from which some impatient meowing had begun issuing- to his other hand, and tried the key. It worked.

He stepped inside, finding a small apartment- a small living area, a small bedroom (complete with a small bed- the only piece of furniture already there), a small kitchen (with refrigerator and oven), and a bathroom. He let the cat out of the carrier, opened the suitcase, and got out a couple of bowls, filling one with water. He pulled a small bag of cat food out of the suitcase as well, pouring some into the non-water-filled bowl. Then, after placing both bowls on the kitchen floor, he pulled out a small litter box- wrapped in plastic, which he discarded- and small bag of litter out, and set the box up in the bathroom.

Once he was done serving the cat's needs, he sat down on the bed, let out a sigh, and lay back for a moment, still wearing his coat.

It had been a long day.

The cape was a little uncomfortable under his shirt, though.



Meanwhile, downstairs, the newcomer walked into the building. So focused was he on his scheming that he failed to notice the unusual nature of the people around him. He walked up the the desk, and said, "Lackey! I require service! NOW!"

When an annoyed Liam turned to look at him, the man added, "I need an apartment, you subhuman gargoyle!"

[PreRaphaelite]

"EVERYONE SHUT UP!"

"Whoa V, I didn't know ya had it in ya!"

The blue gentleman quickly walks over to the visibly ill man and grabs his bags.

"Geez, guy, you don't look so hot. Know what you need? One of ol' Vinnie's World Famous Egg Sammiches..."

The purple one shoots him a cold stare, the bat- like one feverently shakes his head.

"...Maybe later on the sammich. Let's see- single room, western orientation... Room 711. Now I normally don't do this, but I can see you might need a little help with your stuff. Grab on, this'll only take a sec."

The blue man takes a second to ready himself, then shouts.

"I'll be back for you, Santy Claus! Don't put me on the naughty list yet!!"

*POP*

And with that, the two were gone.

Before Murray could say a word otherwise to the quickly-spoken, blue man known as 'H', he found himself with a *POP* outside his new abode. Feeling his stomach turn, he looked at the man in Hawaiian shirt with a pale, slightly noxious look on his face. His right hand moved quickly to his mouth, whilst his left motioned to the door.

Trying to hold onto some form of dignity, he mumbles desperately through closed lips something which may sound like "Moo moo mave mhe mey?", subsequently miming an unlocking motion with his left hand.

[The Hitman]

Trying to hold onto some form of dignity, he mumbles desperately through closed lips something which may sound like "Moo moo mave mhe mey?", subsequently miming an unlocking motion with his left hand.

"A key? Why would I need a key, I can just pop in and ou...Oh boy."

A look of desparation came over the pale man's face.

"Oh boy... okay... okay... hold on a sec, let me see..."

The intrepid azure avenger (good one, eh?) reaches into his pocket and produces a large ring of keys of varying shapes and sizes.

"Okay... front door, back door, side door, doggie door, The Doors, work closet, play closet, Abamdoned Warehouse... here we are! Room 711!!"

As soon as the colored- shrited one unlocks the door, the weary traveller runs in and slams the door.

"Alrighty, if you're good, your key'll be at the front desk"

He thinks for a moment, then exclaims, "Oh no! I left Santy Claus down there! No presents for me this year for sure!" and *POP*s back down to the lobby.

"What the...?"

[DireWolf]

Direwolf reached up and rubbed the spot between his eyes, right where his black mask covered. It hadn’t been a good morning. After the fact, he’d been able to figure out what had happened. It was the souvenir Direcub brought back from the last battle with some of Mister Mechanical’s latest creations. He’s stored it by the water heater in the basement of the brownstone, in what DC called his “Secret lair” (made out of packing crates and some very well worn sofa cushions in a range of clashing color schemes). The thing had been some sort of assembler seed. Direwolf had ended up fighting the reconstructed heating system as well as the boiler. Direcub had to contend with the water heater. The poor kid hadn’t taken it well.

Now he had a stack of forms to fill out just so they had a place to stay and the purple guy with the pointy ears kept getting distracted. Having Grizz bellowing (or talking at his usual tone, it was hard to tell the difference) sure didn’t help.

Direwolf concentrated on trying to fill in on the blanks in the application form. It was tough to know who to list for ‘references’

“Safe bet Silver Scarab wouldn’t be a good one, though the way my luck is running, I’ll bet she or Doc Manbot, turns out to be my wacky room mate, “ he muttered.

He passed over the more or less completed forms, and then realized that Direcub had disappeared.

[kkhohoho]

Trying to hold onto some form of dignity, he mumbles desperately through closed lips something which may sound like "Moo moo mave mhe mey?", subsequently miming an unlocking motion with his left hand.

"A key? Why would I need a key, I can just pop in and ou...Oh boy."

A look of desparation came over the pale man's face.

"Oh boy... okay... okay... hold on a sec, let me see..."

The intrepid azure avenger (good one, eh?) reaches into his pocket and produces a large ring of keys of varying shapes and sizes.

"Okay... front door, back door, side door, doggie door, The Doors, work closet, play closet, Abamdoned Warehouse... here we are! Room 711!!"

As soon as the colored- shrited one unlocks the door, the weary traveller runs in and slams the door.

"Alrighty, if you're good, your key'll be at the front desk"

He thinks for a moment, then exclaims, "Oh no! I left Santy Claus down there! No presents for me this year for sure!" and *POP*s back down to the lobby.

"What the...?"

Noticing that the weird one was back, the rotund one took action. "Ahem, sir, I understand that the argument between Liam and the rather rude jerk is quite fascinating, but can you please help me out here?"

[GrizzlyBearTalon]

Grizz makes a mental note to bathe after having the food thrown at him. His next thought is... Bugbear? I've been called a lot of things but bugbear that is a new one, gonna have to chat with D&D knockoff later if just to see if he is crazy or the real deal. You never know in this business.

He walks over to the purple man... err... Liam....

"So how much longer till we get all this cleared up so I can move in? I'd like the biggest room you have available, economy sized doesn't really work as an option for me. Also do you have rooftop access or should I have the M.A.R.M.O.S.E.T. just land at ground level?"

Grizz feels a strange tugging on his pants after handing off his forms to pur...Liam. He glances down at his leg.

"Ayes? Oh... you..."

Grizz looks down to see a very very excited direcub attached to his leg. While he didn't dislike Direcub he didn't wish to be stuck alone with him for an extended period of time either, he just hoped that the very strange boy hadn't ran away again. Reaching down and gently patting him on the head and hoping he didn't get bit he then asked.

"Please... please tell me you are here with DireWolf. DW come get your boy, sidekick, entourage, lackey... thing... PLEASE?!"

Just then he realized that the child that was attached to his leg was gone... and that his belt pouch was a bit lighter. Pausing a moment to check he breathed a sigh of relief that his wallet felt intact.  Glancing around he tried to see if DireWolf was around or if he could spot Direcub anywhere, then another realization came to his mind.

"OH man... what did I pack in here today... was it explosives? Random gadgetry... this could be bad... of course with him an electric toothbrush could blackout a city!"

[Gremlin]

Meanwhile, downstairs, the newcomer walked into the building. So focused was he on his scheming that he failed to notice the unusual nature of the people around him. He walked up the the desk, and said, "Lackey! I require service! NOW!"

When an annoyed Liam turned to look at him, the man added, "I need an apartment, you subhuman gargoyle!"

Liam stops where he is standing, hunched over the growing stack of forms. He slowly stands and turns to the voice.

"Sub...human?"  His eyes have narrowed to thin green slits as he takes a step towards the man. "Subhuman?" His lips part to reveal sharp teeth tightly clenched together. "I have been called a freak. A demon. A monster. And perhaps that is true. I'm not human anymore. But I am NOT less of a person because of it." Standing next to the man now, his short stature is forgotten with his sudden transformation into something feral, intense, terrifying. "Do you really have the inmitigated GALL to come into this complex and not only insult something I have no control over, but tell me that you're %^&*ing BETTER THAN ME BECAUSE OF IT?"

A deep growl comes from his throat.

"Get out of this building."

[vamp]

With a slight smirk, Vamp came from behind the desk and put his hand on Liam's shoulder.

"This falls under my category of 'anything else'". He began popping all his joints in an effort to intimidate the rather rude man. His eyes, usually an abysmal of black, turned into a glowing yellow. He openly bared his teeth as he snarled at the man.

"I'm going to give you ten seconds to get out of here. Unfortunately for you us subhumans can't count very well; I started counting ten minutes ago." 

[PreRaphaelite]

As soon as the colored- shrited one unlocks the door, the weary traveller runs in and slams the door.

"Alrighty, if you're good, your key'll be at the front desk"

Emerging from the bathroom a few minutes later, Murray's introduction to his new room was not what he'd expected. However, having shared quite an intimate time with the once-vacuous sink basin he was quite pleased that, though small, the facilities weren't terrible. In fact, he remembered with a grimace, the water pressure was quite powerful.

My word it was good to get away from that gaggle of a group. Some people are far too full of energy.
He rubbed his temples, now much lighter and far less confused.

Looking around, he saw the basic necessities he expected. In fact, he found it quite grand in its simplicity. Though not elaborate, and seemingly looking out over a...moderately derelict area of the city... the windows let in a grand amount of light. Simple.

A little more furniture would be good, and I may be able to ask for some financial aid from William, if I am lucky. I do need a job though. I should start looking today, but I am quite tired. Perhaps I should collect my key before...
Mid-thought, his stomach rumbled angrily.

Food would probably be wise... but maybe I should give it a while. I hope some of the crowd has dispersed by now...

On the cusp of his last thought, Murray left the noble accommodation of 711 and took the elevator to return to the lobby. 
However, amidst the sound of elevator jingles, he felt his heart speed up a little at every floor. His head got heavy again, he started to get extremely anxious, and he felt his nails digging into his hands in an oft practiced attempt at keeping calm. With each floor he felt a little worse for wear.
Floor 3: He sweats profusely.
Floor 2: He bites his lip with effort.
Floor 1: He paces the elevator whilst scowling.

Ground Floor:
As the door opens with a 'ding', Murray stands, barely composed and highly disheveled, taking in the full sight of the 'feral, intense, terrifying' once-purple-man along with an equally snarling man-bat.

"...Key?"
The word is virtually inaudible, escaping his mouth in a whimper.

[Glitch Girl]

"Do you really have the inmitigated GALL to come into this complex and not only insult something I have no control over, but tell me that you're %^&*ing BETTER THAN ME BECAUSE OF IT?"

Lauren cringed.  If this were the old west, the streets would be clearing and shutters would be slamming shut all over the place.

"Hang on Kitty," she murmured to the carrier, "We'll see if we can avoid this."

With that, she hurried across the lobby keeping as wide a radius as she could from the pending blowup.  She did manage a quick "Hello" wave to direwolf  and Griz  (please don't let him be the upstairs neighbor, my ceiling couldn't take it last time), though she wasn't sure if they saw her and...

"What is he doing? Is he nuts?"

The man in the grey v-neck and jeans that she'd seen earlier was timidly approaching the pending altercation with a questioning look on his face.  He didn't look well, he was pale and sweat was starting to bead on his skin. 

Without breaking stride, she caught his arm as she passed on her way towards the elevator, and tried to gently lead him out of harm's way.

"May not be a good idea to bother them now," she quietly told him, "they look really busy."

[kkhohoho]

"On second thought, why don't we see how this affair plays out?" As he predicted, things did get strange, and this probably wouldn't be the last time, or the only kind of strange. Observing the situation, he noticed that Liam and the brown bat creature were threatening the man in the red shirt, who had started this little stand-off.  They were only creatures and things on the outside though. The true monster here was that man. You don't be to be a human to be human, and you certainly don't need to be a human to be a monster. As for the situation at hand, it looked like Liam and the bat creature could handle it, so he went to the side of the wall near the elevator, but stayed there in case things got out of proportion. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed a tyke holding some sort of device darting off to who-knows-where, but that wasn't important right now.

[GrizzlyBearTalon]

Meanwhile, downstairs, the newcomer walked into the building. So focused was he on his scheming that he failed to notice the unusual nature of the people around him. He walked up the the desk, and said, "Lackey! I require service! NOW!"

When an annoyed Liam turned to look at him, the man added, "I need an apartment, you subhuman gargoyle!"

Liam stops where he is standing, hunched over the growing stack of forms. He slowly stands and turns to the voice.

"Sub...human?"  His eyes have narrowed to thin green slits as he takes a step towards the man. "Subhuman?" His lips part to reveal sharp teeth tightly clenched together. "I have been called a freak. A demon. A monster. And perhaps that is true. I'm not human anymore. But I am NOT less of a person because of it." Standing next to the man now, his short stature is forgotten with his sudden transformation into something feral, intense, terrifying. "Do you really have the inmitigated GALL to come into this complex and not only insult something I have no control over, but tell me that you're %^&*ing BETTER THAN ME BECAUSE OF IT?"

A deep growl comes from his throat.

"Get out of this building."

Grizz hears the exchange... he is not pleased. He doesn't roar... he doesn't growl... he just walks up behind the man very slowly and deliberately with determination. Once he is behind the man he will look down at him, and then he will roar ferociously. If the man doesn't move at the sound of the roar he will attempt to grab him by his head and throw him through the door that leads back outside.