Stacia Hybrid (5)

They ordered six pizza’s at Dren’s request. The night was long, and the day had been so boring that they simply couldn’t let the evening slip through their fingers. With pizza boxes spread across the coffee table, accompanied by bottles of 2-liter sodas, the residents of the house began a fairly uncommon activity (for unsupervised teenagers): they popped in their favorite fighting game and commenced with the newly established "weekly Stacia Hybrid (5) tournament". It had become quite an event that many looked forward too. Everyone had one character that they specialized in, and the tournaments were always lively events. It was spearheaded by Seph's love for games and Dren’s hidden competitive nature. Having started this weekend tradition nearly a month ago, everyone had gotten obsessed with the game. Insulting one's character was always taken personally.

It all began when Seph wanted them to be some kind of (sisterhood + one guy) unit. They were all living together, so why not have fun together and make some memories out of it? This also fell into her long campaign to incorporate Dren into the group. Seph had played the Stacia Hybrid series since she was a little girl with the children at her foster home, and when the newest game came out she simply had to get it, but nobody else in the house had a following at the time. So she introduced it to Mai, who loved fighting in real life, and not being much a gamer, was surprisingly invigorated by the concept. She started to get obsessed with a particular character and she refused to give up in till she beat Seph one on one. She had to share this with Dren of course (for Mai loved to compete with him), who was already a gamer himself, and so the three of them played the game like mad, and it began to consume most of their free time. Slowly, Seph began to drop hints at a tournament between the members of the house. And because Mai wanted to have one as well, (and being the designated head of the house), it didn’t take long to coax Enja, (who was already well-versed with the lore of the game) to play with them and then by default Jessica was forced to play as well.

Then, by the power of insistence, Aara too was forced to pick a character and play with them. Sarah was the last one to convince to play (a stupid game, as she put it) but being the odd one out, she slowly but surely began to show interest in it, in till she became the most competitive of the group. The game had an interesting story, which was rare for fighting games, and it had a very powerful mechanic that continued to get better as new games were released. And each game was a continuation of the previous installment. The main character of the first game had even aged about eight years since the first game. The story essentially was about a cast of characters trying to put an end to a cataclysm which was going to destroy the world. With each game they continued on the story and cleverly never ended the cataclysm and instead made it very political by adding guilds with conflicting interests. They took the original black and white plot and elevated a very dark story with colorful and interesting characters. There was a core at the cataclysm which held a lot of power, and whoever got their hands on the power could change the fate of the world. With the newest installment, players could customize the costumes of their character, by designing the clothes, changing the colors of their outfits and dying hair. However, unlike other fighting games, this one didn’t allow players to make unique characters (like in Massively Multiplayer Online games).

It ran with a normal control scheme that had players press combinations of buttons to execute attacks with proper timing. Over time new techniques were installed to elevate the level of skill to play the game. The game didn’t have an auto lock-on for the characters so it required manual control to operate properly (very much like an action game, or MMORPG). Every character had a unique fighting style and a set of skills which were activated through preset button combinations that were simplified to remove technical error (such as A + up or B + down, X + up) and so on. That brought a level of planning to the games, as players had to pick seven different skills to bring with them to any particular match. Some characters even had different weapons to choose from as well (different skills associate with different weapons). The camera was set on the stage of the fight, but it took a slight angle from above. Whichever character lost its HP first was knocked out and the round was over, the first character to win best of three (standard mode) won the match.

Persephone’s character was Da’ath, the angel of wisdom. He never fought with his wings extended (which is explained in the story). As the lore described he was unable to die and he was once regarded as a harbinger of death. His style of attack consists of using his angelic powers of light, with his elegantly crafted broadsword as a weapon. Despite the weight of his blade he was fast and had a high vitality, but having a wide variety of skills in his arsenal, he was hard to play as for newer players. Seph was exceptionally skilled with Da’ath, and she loved him to death. He was a somewhat amusing character, who had the wisdom of many lives. He was soft spoken and yet when he did speak it was profound. Da’ath, as far as the story went, didn’t fight for the side of good or evil despite being an angel. Instead he wanted to see what the outcome would be of this long struggle.

Mai’s character was Jia Yun, who came from the fictitious country of Yan. Jia was distinctly Asian—and looked like a ninja version of Mai (which was one reason why she might have picked her). Jia was actually a normal school girl with abnormal genius. She has gotten perfects on all of her tests, all the way from first grade to graduation. She’s a very flexible character, albeit weak and based around dodging attacks instead of taking them directly. It took fast reflexes (which Mai had) to play a good Jia.

While Jia was entered in the third game, Sarah’s character, Alysaia was introduced into the most recent installment of the game and gave her an unexpected edge in combat (as veteran players such as Seph didn't know how to play against that particular style). This female character was a blonde, attractive young woman who had a fast play style like Jia. Her speed was hard to control as every single of her attacks had her darting around the screen. The girl was still a mystery in the story, but was depicted as a very lazy person who just lies about despite her high level of finesse, while carrying sly undertones. Alysaia's specialty was finishers, which were powerful, near-fatal attacks that took opponents off guard.

While fast paced characters were common place, Aara’s character was warden of the Great Library, a scholarly institution. His name was Daska, and he was an ageless being (or very long lived). According to the lore he was the second warden of the library, and got along with his fellow members who were all blonde females who's names all started with the letter C (in which two were playable). Daska didn’t have any physical weapons, but instead he was magic based. He was a dark haired young man who had a very formal air about him. (And much to Aara's dismay, didn't fare well against fast opponents).

Enja played a heavily armored knight character named Xoren. He was slow, and brandished a giant bastard sword, while also carrying a few arcane spells to give his skills some diversity. The red haired knight, who was loyal to his kingdom, was very powerful and power hungry. He spoke very intelligently and was seen as a scholar who had little regard for people in general. He's trademark move was to disarm his opponent and then helplessly crush them while showcasing their incompetence.

Jessica played a character who originated from the first game that goes by the nickname Sheriff. He had a very modern style of dress; the game was mixture of fantasy and modern elements. He was a dual gun wielding character that specialized in distancing himself from his opponents and unloading. His personality was very charismatic and open. He was one of the best friends of Stacia, the main character.

And on that note Dren’s character was in fact Stacia. In all meaning of the word, Stacia was a rapier wielding magic-girl who had two main costumes: one was her pact get-up which included a black and white dress with red ribbons—with her black hair tied in up into twin tails. Her normal get up was jeans and a white T-shirt. The history and personality of Stacia can be quite long as she is the main character of this fighting game, and had aged 8 years since the first game (aging from 16 to 24). 

Everyone in the tournament had a seed based on the previous exhibition. The first place seed in this game was Seph who had repeatedly humiliated her opponents with her years of expertise, with perhaps the exception of Dren who was the only other player present to have ever won a tournament, in the month of its existence. Despite this lopsidedness, every week they continued to get better at the game and it became more and more intense. In this case, Dren was the second seed and was placed on the opposite side of the bracket. Mai, and surprisingly, Sarah were the next seeds, with Enja, Jessica and Aara taking last in that order. Because there were seven people playing, they added a last seed in the form of an NPC, basically giving Persephone a free first round bye.

The first round then would be Aara fighting against Dren (Daska versus Stacia). As far as characters went, both carried moderate speed, but Stacia had the duality of her rapier skills and her magic abilities. Since Daska was a one-sided offensive character it went against Aara who had to spread her skill set to cover her weaknesses. The girl knew that this first round would not go well for her.

Those who were watching each had their own favorites to cheer for. 

“Come on Daska, show that bitch!”

“No, no, you can’t mess with the trademark of the series! Stacia is going to kill him!”

The match went underway, and each avatar began with an introductory phrase.  "My name is Daska Graye, I am the current Warden and Guardian of the Great Library." "...Prepare yourself..." 

It was evident who would win the three knock out match the moment it began. The spread of skills that Aara picked could not match the unique play style that Dren instilled: Stacia was supposed to be an all around character that players could easily warm up to and get their foot in the door; however, Dren played Stacia as if she were an Alysaia or Jia. He focused entirely on her rapier skills, while only bringing a single magic spell to compliment it. If a normal player tried that they wouldn’t have the timing to pull it off, but as Stacia raced across the screen, feinting and jabbing at the bumbling Daska, who could only teleport to get away from her for a brief moment. It felt as if Dren knew where Aara was going to direct her character and it wasn’t long in till it was over with shouts of disdain and victory roaring throughout the living room. "Shoot! Every single time!" Aara complained dropping the controller. "It's okay, you'll get better." Dren offhandedly remarked. "Maybe if she picked a different character..." Seph advised, but like everyone else, Aara was intent on becoming good with Daska. "No! Daska is MINE!" And the next match began.

Of course as the matches went on they got more intense, as Jessica went on to challenge Mai’s Jia. It was an interesting matchup as the gun style that Sheriff had was very hard to predict. He had a secondary set with throwing knives that could easily be mixed in as a ranged character. That range was going against the quick moving Jia who had her own set of throwing projectiles, and her main skills falling into hand-to-hand combat. Sarah who played Alysaia was very verbal against Jia (because more often than not they’d end up fighting each other in the semi-final). “Come on, Jia’s cool! And she’s Asian.” Mai defended with a laugh, and Seph nodded her head in agreement. “Yeah but Sheriff’s also Asian, and he’s got good fashion sense.” The veteran pointed out. “Yeah he’s cool!”

“But Jia’s got class.” Dren quietly commented. The match quickly came underway. The precision of Jia was notable; as she dodged the barrage onset from Sheriff’s mixed attack. It was a long drawn out match, which Mai ended up taking 2-1. There was little Jessica could do against the aggression, and more importantly the patience Mai’s Jia had. “I’ll shall avenge you!” Enja stated with confidence. “Oh no, not this time! I’ve got a score to settle with that china girl.” Sarah was extremely verbal as she held the controller firmly in her hand. “It’s on, it’s on, and you’re not going to take it away.” Xoren versus Alysaia was by far the most interesting matchup so far:

Xoren was thickly armored and had slower attacks as a result. Alysaia was weak and had a hard time dealing damage to such a defensive unit, but she was also one of the fastest characters in the game making her nearly impossible to hit at times, and her finisher move could creep up on players before they could properly counter it. They had gone 2-2, and a final match between the two was about to commence.

The match began. “Why are you here? You don’t belong here.” The conceited redheaded knight said coldly drawing out his sword deliberately. Alysaia stifled a yawn, “let’s get this over with…okay?” She said with a devious smile, wearing nothing but a bikini (Sarah’s custom costume for her). The battlefield, surprisingly enough was the demented half world that exists between the fantasy world and the modern world: the starless sky was a pure black; the buildings in the background matched the gray earth and skeletal trees.

The combatants raced at each other. Xoren struck downward, hitting nothing but air, Alysaia had vanished from in front of him to appear directly behind him. “I’ve got you!” Enja roared in a deep voice. Xoren turned with his open hand and a fireball emerged and struck Alysaia who was standing behind him. The girl was flung back but still managed to land on her feet. “Not bad.” Sarah replied, undaunted by the comment. Once again Alysaia rushed forward and vanished, Enja tried the same trick, but instead of appearing behind the knight, the flirtatious blonde reappeared in front of him striking his chest before retreating out of his sword range. “Ha! That barely did anything to me.” Enja smirked as she marched towards Alysaia with deceptively low speed. “Bad move!” Sarah retorted as Alysaia suddenly jumped behind him as if teleporting, but at the same time Xoren did a low sweep of his blade catching the girl from her legs and knocking her onto her back. Poised to strike Xoren was about to stab the girl in the chest with his wicked blade when Alysaia pulled her hands in a strange pattern that was all too familiar with Enja, “what, no, how did you manage to pull that off?!” It was Alysaia’s legendary finisher move, (string step snap finisher, also known as SSSF) which at Xoren’s chest and side suddenly exploded. The girl got back up onto her feet now that the knight was knocked prone and she struck him repetitively over and over again with her insane speed in till he was knocked out.

“I can’t believe it! You didn’t use the finisher in till the last round!” Enja howled falling over in defeat. “Ha! Take that! I’m going for you Mai! You’ll see!” As it was, Sarah would have to fight Persephone’s fearsome Da’ath, and Mai was off to match up against Dren’s Stacia. It appeared to be a similar turn out just as it was last week. In till Alysaia emerged victorious over Da’ath. “Ha! You got rusty Seph with that first round bye!” Sarah taunted and Seph sullenly tossed her controller aside. “Hmph, next week I’ll go out of my way to crush you.” She pouted retreating to her room. Though Dren wasn’t about to let Sarah get her revenge against Mai as his Stacia flawlessly decimated Mai’s decent Jia play style. For the first time, Dren and Sarah were about to face off in the weekly Stacia Hybrid (5) tournament.

It was a frightening precursor for Sarah’s Alysaia. Having watched Dren play so well against the quick Jia, it became evident that speed would not work so well against the magic fencer. She decided to change up her style, running a dual dagger style with her Alysaia in favor of her usual string finisher style, which was quickly phasing out. She had already changed to a different style as finishers never worked on Seph before (and most likely never will). The defeated girl emerged from her room with her arms crossed. Her fuming energy was overbearing in the room as she silently prayed for Dren’s success.

“Ah! How are you so good?” Sarah couldn’t handle it. She lost the first two matches significantly. 

“He’s a pro.”

“There’s no getting past that Stacia style.”

“There’s no hope for you.”

“Shut up! Shut up! I know, I know.”

Stacia ended up winning the tournament, and Sarah bemoaned her loss. Everyone was tired and their voices were hoarse from screaming. Another tournament had passed and Dren stood up with another victory under his belt. The festivities of the night had finally passed for the residents of the house. One by one they returned to their room to get ready for bed or other things. Mai was taking care of the inevitable mess they had made, and Dren remained upstairs of a moment, sitting at the kitchen table, looking tired, but not yet willing to retreat down into his lair. “How was your day?” He asked her, not having gotten the chance earlier, and being a little unnerved in asking her before in the presence of the others. The girl shrugged. “It was normal, a little slow given the weather, tomorrow will probably be the same.” She was tired as well. “By the way, have you figured out what you are going to do?” She asked wiping her hands off on a towel and turning to face him directly. There was a quiet expression on his face as he stared intently at his hands.

“I…I don’t know.” He seemed sad for a moment shaking his head. “What should I do?” He asked her looking up at her and she sat down and looked him squarely in the eyes. “Just stay here in till you know what to do.” She reached out and grabbed his hand and he smiled. “That make sense…maybe I’ll go to school in the spring.” His commented drifted off into silence and Mai stood up then. “I’m not much of an adult, but please stay here.” She insisted turning back to go to her room. Eventually he stood up, he was thinking of going out for a short walk. He could see the darkness under the doors of the bedroom, except for the one at the end of the hall. Seph rarely slept this early, even though it was already past midnight. He contemplated going and asking her to come walk with him.

Hanging about in the darkness between worlds he mused about his indecisiveness. He didn’t know her any better than she knew him. Would he ever learn to take a step forward? Everything he had ever owned, had come to him by chance. Nothing was by his will it seemed. Hanging his head in shame he retreated to the basement to mull over his thoughts in the cold darkness of his layer.

Next time on Dry

Why’d you come here? Isn’t it…awkward?” 

“Where are your friends?”

"You better be careful how you word such things.”

“But I’m being serious. Sarah’s a little…crazy. But hey, we all are. But what I really wanted to tell you is…I’m you’re go to girl.”

It's a boring Sunday.

A Dreary Saturday Icebreaker

The House

It was late September. The two trees in the yard which towered over the roof were washed in vibrant reds and yellows, which contrasted with the gray sky. The grass had already turned a lame brown, the air dry, and a chilly wind began to patrol the emptying streets. That’s how it was in the North Midwest; it was a sample station for extremes, and although it held the prestige of being severely cold during winter, many overlooked it's scorching hot summers.

The yard in front of the house was covered in fallen leaves. It sat on the end of the block, with the backyard facing an open park with a tiny pond just behind a cluster of trees. It was the plainest yard on the block. Their neighbors had blooming gardens during the spring and summer, which was now turning into a lifeless tangled mass. Others still had landscaped their lawn to emphasize their lifestyles, and what they (wanted) to represent. The members of The House had no interest in representing their identity. Only once did Persephone suggest that they pave their lawn so that they didn’t have to mow it in the summer. It was denied however because nobody was willing to pay for it. So aside from the two trees in the front, and the sparse forest which blocked the view of the park in the back, there was nothing that decorated the exterior of their home.

The house itself was a two-story home, with dark olive green siding and a white two-car garage on the left. There were just two vehicles the garage, one belonged to Mai, and the other belonged to Sarah, although she allowed Jessica to use it. From the front of the house, there was a wide window in the living room, a small window for the bathroom which was the on the right side of the living room next to the hallway on the main floor that accommodated the four main bedrooms. There were two windows alongside to the bathroom window, one was for Aara’s room which was the first and only room on the right), and Persephone’s room which was on the end. There was also two window wells, offering small openings to the basement, but weren’t used. On the upper floor there were two windows, and the upper level didn’t extend over the garage. These windows belonged to the same room, which had been converted into a twin bedroom.

In the back there was a long forgotten stone patio, which surveyed the slight decline that led to the forest and pond (and the playground beyond the trees). Another set of windows were on the back of the house; one from the kitchen, one from Mai’s room, and another from Sarah’s. The study, which was the upstairs room that faced the back, had a single window as well. There was also a window well in the back which looked into the den (where Dren lived), directly underneath Sarah's window.

The house on the outside looked quite old. The owner was an old woman who had retired to her summer home in Florida, and had since used the house (very loosely) as additional source of income. The suburbs were where she had raised her four children, who had all moved out of the house, and she had used them as her first tenants. Then, it was one of her older granddaughters, who first asked if Mai could live there for rent. That was a few years ago. The woman agreed amused at how her house had evolved over the many years she had spent in it. And eventually that granddaughter moved out with her mother (the daughter of the owner), and from there the other residents came. Persephone, who was a friend of Mai, left the foster home she was living in, and moved there after graduating. And somehow after that, it had become what it is today. 

The interior of the house had been more recently renovated by the mother (the youngest daughter of the owner) and her granddaughter. Upon entering the house, there was a sizable entryway, fitted with an open closest that was neatly organized to accommodate coats and jackets for visitors, and tenants alike. The carpet of the living room, which was a dark navy blue, had a section cut out that was more coarse and stretched out the length of the tiled entryway for removing shoes. The carpet itself was elevated from the floor a couple of inches and was soft and frayed, like a mop head. There was a couch, and a few chairs which were a dark red-brown color that contrasted with the carpet, and stood out against the beige, peach colored walls.

Instantly to the left was the kitchen through a tiny archway. The chairs in the living room were positioned across the open window, where the couch lay horizontally opposite of the windowed wall. A flat screen, HD TV sat across from it, to prevent glare from dimming the screen, and between the couch and the TV was a low-lying, glass plated coffee table. Looking straight ahead from the entrance, near the corner of the windowed wall was a door which led to the main floor bathroom. And not far from the end of the couch was the entrance to the hallway which housed the four main bedrooms. The bathroom had a shower and a tub, and of course a toilet, with tiled flooring, and adjustable lighting. Just above the marble sink was a gigantic glass cabinet that housed an enormous amount of product.

The kitchen was very basic, yet effective. The fridge and freezer were pushed against the far wall adjacent to the backyard facing window. Underneath the window and up to the side of the fridge was the black counter-top, equipped with a sink, microwave, and stovetop and oven. An uncommon feature of the kitchen was the wooden door on the right side wall, that led to Mai’s room. A circular table stood in the middle of the room, with booth seating that hugged the corner of the wall as a means of sustaining many guests without the clutter of chairs. Unlike most houses, there was an extension of the kitchen dedicated as the stairwell that went both up and down. The indoor entry to the garage was on this left wall (next to the oven) and was in fact on lower ground than the actual kitchen, which had artificial wood floors.

The basement had three distinct rooms aside from the main room. Instantly going down the carpeted stairs, (of a similar color to the living room), and immediately to the left (facing the back wall of the house) there was a pantry for storing food. It was a thin room that was lined with shelves. The room adjacent to it was the laundry room, with a drier and a washer. The third room was the den, which had since been converted into a bedroom. The basement area also had a TV in the main room, and was the designated game room (though due to the cold of the lower layer, most gaming occurs upstairs, and the downstairs TV has instead become regulated to those who want to watch something that the vast majority of the others, don't want to see).

The upstairs was comprised of three rooms. There was the study, which after ascending the stairs was to the left (again facing the backyard). Across the hall from the study was the twin room facing the front (and between and inside the twin rooms was in fact the upstairs bathroom). The twin room was also equipped with a sliding wall, that could split them apart. At the end of the hall was the attic access.

This summed up the anatomy of the house.

Unusual Congregation

It was Saturday, and a cold rain was falling. The house creaked, and rumbled softly as the furnace roared within the depths of house. A chilled wind battered against the sides of the house, whistling past the curtained windows. The front door opened, and there emerged Jessica, who folded her umbrella, shaking the water off before hanging it up. Her cheeks were red from the cold and she shivered as she discarded her jacket and welcomed the heat unto her body. Removing her boots, she stepped into the quiet house. The living room was unoccupied, and a nearly inaudible sound could be heard from the end of the hallway, indicating that Persephone was home and listening to music. She turned to the kitchen, which was also empty; the sink still had breakfast dishes in it, indicating that Mai was not home yet. She retreated upstairs, to her own room. Climbing the stairs, she took the first door on her right entering the twin bedroom, surprised to find it empty as well. It was rare for Enja to be out in such weather, especially without a ride—of course the girl somehow had her own contacts (despite being a foreign-exchange student). ‘She must be at the library or something.’ She thought with a small smile. It had become a habit of hers to identify who was in the house, as it brought easiness to her. Being cold, she fell onto her bed, still wearing her sweater, and taking the cold off her face and placing it onto her pillow. Aara was probably alone in her room. Nothing was on TV, and she had no reason to go downstairs.

Jessica avoided the basement if she could. The upstairs was her domain, though she didn’t mind sharing it with Enja, but she felt separated from the four who lived below her, and even more from the man who had be given the basement as his domain. It wasn’t that she was boy-shy; she had encountered a number of boys in her travels. But she didn’t want to think about them, or anything from her past for that matter. It was a tough ordeal thinking of the past. She dwelled on her thoughts for a moment. She didn’t know why she didn’t want to encounter Dren, if that was the reason behind her subconscious evasiveness. There was something about him that her peculiar senses had identified. He was different from the average person. But then again, she didn’t know anything about normal boys. In the terms of her own people, she felt that Dren was somehow cursed. She felt unsure of bringing it up with anyone (except for Enja), because she was worried that saying so would cause problems since Mai was very insistent in bringing him here. But Jessica also knew she didn’t know him very well.  So how could she possibly think of him as cursed? Still, it remained in the back of her mind.

She sighed and sat up. Time was slowly passing, and the gray day was wearing down on her. School on Monday would not be very pleasant she predicted. There was plenty that could go wrong. She decided to wait in till dinner, and on most Saturdays something would happen after.

Elsewhere, Aara was considering whether or not she should go outside of not. She had wrestled with the thought ever since she had woken up. At dawn, Mai had gotten up and left to go to work in till four. Then a few hours later, Jessica had left, and then Enja vanished. She could tell by occasionally popping her head out of the door and seeing their shoes on the mat disappear. At the present time, Jessica must have just gotten back, and had parked her car in the street as she didn't hear the sound of the garage door opening. Because of this, she wondered if Jessica was going to leave again. Sarah had come out only a few times this day, but she never left the actual house, and it wasn’t in till the afternoon that Persephone emerged from her room at the blare of music and took her daily afternoon shower. It was a gray and boring day. The only person she did not know of was Dren who probably was sulking in his room, if he hadn’t gone off with Mai to work. Aara had a very secret game she played by herself.

She played match-maker between the girls and this single boy over the summer and now into the fall making up her own scenarios and fantastic situations that would probably never occur. The strongest idea of course was that Mai had brought him there as her boyfriend, which there was no evidence of, yet. The love life of the girls seemed entirely absent (which she found utter surprising) and she once thought they were all robots (which is ironic considering her own profile). Regardless, Aara had an imagination of her own. She spent most of her time online chatting with those few friends she kept a correspondence with back home. This would be the first time she would experience the Midwest winter, and she was very excited for the snow but had no idea how to prepare...

These were the actual thoughts that passed through her mind on the weekends, where all her work was finished, and nothing remained for her to do but lounge around and wait for something to happen.She had a hard time articulating with her roommates at times. The closest girl to her age was Jessica and Persephone who were both Seventeen. And admittedly, she actually didn’t know Dren’s age, or anyone else's in the house. She never asked. She shared her secret love stories with her friends through online chat, but to make sure that nobody accidentally happened upon them, she renamed the characters and altered the settings slightly.

To sum up this boring late September day, racked with a cold bitter rain: Nothing important was happening. Uncharacteristic of the girls who were oftentimes loud and filled with jovial excitement; it was the midterm blues that loomed in the distance.

A sound broke the silence. Persephone’s door opened and her presence was marked with the melodic beat of Asian music that rushed out of her room. On light feet the girl passed Aara’s door and was making her way towards the kitchen, and as Aara predicted towards the basement to confront Dren. Ever since autumn started, Persephone had made it her goal to lure Dren out of the basement and upstairs to join them (the girls) in festivities. Naturally being curious, Aara opened her door slightly and noticed that indeed, the girl was descending into the basement. Never in favor of discord, Aara stayed upstairs, and hung about in the kitchen, straining her ears to listen for what was going to happen.

Then, a sudden clamor erupted from the basement in the form of extremely heavy, rhythmic bass. No voices could be heard, yet clearly this was all a part of Persephone's plan. From upstairs, Jessica appeared, who had also been stricken with incurable boredom, and was wondering what was going on. The two girls exchanged brief glances. They were both unsure if they should go down and take a look or if they should wait for them to come upstairs, though considering that the entrancing din had lasted for well over a minute, it didn't seem likely that anyone was going to surface.

After a while, their gnawing curiosity could not be ignored and they came downstairs. ‘Like moths to the flame.’ Thought the perpetrator of the scheme. Dressed in a thin, stripped black and pink hoodie and pink sweat Capri’s was Seph in the center of an open space. Dren was off to the side with his arms crossed. The girl was dancing, a particular dance (known as the Melbourne Shuffle). Aara and Jessica watched—the song had just changed. It began slowly at first, but then the bass began to pick up. She would cross her legs, and then once the bass climaxed she would seemingly slide across the floor, swaying her arms up and down with each footfall matching the insanely fast pulse of the music. Friction seemed to vanish for a moment as she glided across the carpet as if it were ice. When the song subsided she retreated to a corner and Dren took his place in the center of the floor.

He was dressed in a steely speckled hooded sweatshirt with baggy white khakis. He began with a move of his hands in a wave-like pattern. Then as the bass picked up he began to shift his legs in a similar fashion as Seph did before. Occasionally he would throw a kick as he spun around on a single focal point on the bottom of his foot. The song got even faster, and it was almost inhuman how he placed his foot and pivoted it in a swiping motion. Not only was friction absent for him as well he was like a tornado, with great emphasis on the ebb and flow of the song. This exchanged continued. The bystanders were impressed. They had always known (by the thumping of the floorboards) that Seph was a somewhat of a dancer, but to think that Dren and Seph had similar styles was surprising. Not only that, they were both good at it.

“See? This is exercise.” Seph explained, turning her colored eyes to Aara and Jessica who smiled. “That’s a stretch.” Jessica said tauntingly, and from that point on awkwardness followed with a deafening silence. “This young man is a treasure chest.” Seph eventually said placing a hand on his thin shoulder and he nodded to himself, his expression was still and unreadable. “This young lady is a lay-about.” He commented quietly placing a hand on her shoulder. “That makes two of us. When was the last time you did anything productive?” The pink haired girl retorted. “Probably the last time you did a chore around here.” He came back quickly. “If only Enja were here, she’d have something to say.” Jessica laughed, the queen of quips would have more than just something to say. But both Jessica and Aara wondered how Persephone could be so open with Dren, who was a master recluse? The two girls could only wonder. “All you have to do is open him up, and find out what’s inside.” Seph prodded him in the side. “You’re so persistent.” The young man responded, trying his best to feign annoyance.

“You know I’m Mai’s best friend, I’ll figure you out eventually.” She warned. “Best friend, hmm…” He trailed off thoughtfully, finally cracking a devious smile. “Hey! What’s with that?” She gave him a swift jab to the side. “Well, well, aren't you quite the flirt?” A weighted voice emerged from the darkness. The stout visage of Enja appeared between Aara and Jessica, with a look of amusement perched on her face. Dren met her gaze briefly. Through her glasses the girl inspected the scene. Seph was never one to take anything seriously, especially around the critical Enja. “Yep, I figure I might as well get ahead while I can.” She said slapping Dren on the side as if he were an item she had just bought at the store. “Please, don’t waste your time on me.” He replied, halfheartedly. “Mai’s got you taken already?” Seph asked slyly, and Enja scoffed. “As if, I don’t think anyone here can open  up Pandora’s box.” Seph quieted for a moment. Aara, sensing danger, retreated a ways, and Jessica came forward placing her arms around Enja from behind. “Please don’t say such things about our mistress.” She said in a pleading, innocent voice. “It’s best not to talk about something you don’t know anything about.” Dren suggested, finding his eyes looking in the general direction of Aara who was slowly making her way towards the stairs. “I don’t want you to get embarrassed later.” He added with a smile, and Enja’s smile slowly disappeared. Jessica dug her chin into Enja’s shoulder to distract her. “Hey baby I know you want my attention...but I’m not that upset.” Enja replied turning to Jessica’s ear and biting it on lightly. “Now who’s being flirtatious?” Seph sullenly remarked. “Don’t be jealous of our forbidden love.” Enja lightly defended.

“I wish I could get to know you better, but icebreakers were never my strong suit.” Dren commented after a while, and Jessica, who was empowered at the presence of Enja looked up at him with a brave smile. “It’s because you spend all the time in the basement.” She said. “It’s because he’s being polite.” A new voice wafted into the crowd, and everyone drew back as Mai, still wearing her coat stated with one of her trademark smiles perched on her face. “Oh it’s the boss.” Enja stated, not sounding all that enthusiastic. “Did you hear my rude comment about you?” She asked and Mai’s brow furrowed. “No, thank goodness. I was unaware there was a secret meeting going on.” Her eyes focused on Seph who was standing the closest to Dren. “Hey, they came down on their own accord, and it’s not like Sarah’s here.” She stated. “Yeah, I just got here.” Sarah said coming up with a tired expression on her face. “You woke me up.” She added crossing her arms. “Sorry.” Dren apologized. “You ought to be, you know a girl needs her beauty sleep.” Sarah, who was not one to shy away from him (as she disregarded almost everyone equally), replied, turning around to go upstairs. “I’m hungry. Make some food Mai, before I order a pizza.” Mai’s shoulders sagged as she turned away from the crowd. “A pizza sounds good, why don’t we? I too tired and too cold to make my own food.” She trudged after Sarah, and Aara followed like a wraith. “Come on angel, before they order a weird pizza.” Enja commanded, and like conjoined twins, she and Jessica departed for the upper levels of the house. “Come on Dren. Jess has a point, you’re too reclusive.” Seph said and he nodded slowly. “Just give me some time.” He said quietly, following after her upstairs. It was the first time everyone (however brief) had been in the basement at one time since Dren’s coming.

Next time on Dry...

"“Come on Daska, show that bitch!”

“No, no, you can’t mess with the trademark of the series! Stacia is going to kill him!”

“There’s no getting past that Stacia style.”

“There’s no hope for you.”

“Shut up! Shut up! I know, I know.”"

Everyone has fun. 

Prologue - Residents

(Persephone)


A lively girl occupied the room at the end of the hall. More often than not, from behind the wooden door there is the constant din of music and dancing. The music always had a pop to it, which could be heard thumping through the walls. She was a very messy girl, her room was always filled with clothes, and her bed usually had an assortment of garments strewn across it. She was a digital wiz in her own way, and had a terrible habit of staying up till the crack of dawn before sleeping.


The first thing about her was her bright and vibrant pink hair; and it was, as she claimed, to be completely, 100% natural. She had no qualms about being an orphan. Nobody had the faintest idea who her parents were so they couldn’t really tell if she was telling the truth (about her hair that is). The second thing about her was that her eyes had alternate colors, something that she took uncanny pride in. When facing her, her left eye was distinctly dark green, and her right eye was distinctly dark red...and because of these traits, (and being an otaku) Persephone often held the title of 'resident anime character'.

She spent a lot of time cooped up in her room, focusing on her various projects. Personality wise, she was as bouncy as the music she listened to, and when the time called for it, she was very forward; She basked in immaturity, and sometimes, on purpose. This would have driven most people away from her, except that she kept to herself more often than not. A charismatic shut-in, someone who had enough ideas to fill ten whiteboards at a university lecture, yet had no interest in academics. Someone once offhandedly commented that if she was old enough, she could hold office as a likable, female politician.


But Persephone knew that wouldn’t happen. She’d rather die than have obligations. When it came to things she simply didn’t want to do, she was the laziest of the girls. Her hobbies spanned more than spending time blogging, voice chatting, and gaming, however. She was a skilled hip-hop freestyle dancer. She was not all that tall, but weighed as light as a feather and had great control of her actions. This added on to her particular style. She enjoyed spending time trying on new clothes and seeing what worked and what didn’t.  (She had a acute style) that revolved around sweatshirts and jeans (which really only skims the surface of what it really entails). Makeup was in most girls arsenals, but she didn’t have much need for a trifling affair as that—seeing how little she spent time outside. By that token, she was considered pale, but it looked better because she had such light pink hair, that, despite her lack of enthusiasm for makeup, took very good care of. 


Her favorite food apparently was cereal, as she didn’t have the patience to learn to cook. (That’s why she’s so thin). Whenever she emerged, her hair was usually in disarray and she would march off to the bathroom like a sloth, her shoulders sagging and her eyes half open. By that time, all the other girls had spent their time in one of the two bathrooms, and there was no traffic. Her carefully ‘planned’ strategy of having unlimited shower time was only because she didn’t go to school and didn’t really have a job. Her source of income remained a mystery to those who live within the house; and it was another thing she took pride in. This was her time of transitioning, being a 17 year-old genius high school graduate.



(Mai)




Of the four bedrooms that were in the main hall, Mai lived in the first door to the left. She had just graduated from high school last spring and her eyes were dead-set on the future before her. From those who knew her, a strange intent existed just behind her every smile, and every gleam in her eyes. Some foolishly mistook it as being flirtatious, and yet others still, saw it as malice. Though nobody could say what went through Mai's head, she is accredited for having a lot of responsibility. She spent a lot of time away from home, working at her part time job, or at the community college she was attending. Classes were all week long and she had acquired the most common symptom of college: perpetual tiredness.


She had the distinction of being tall, and slender, and carrying her mother’s Asian traits. Her skin was a fair tan, her eyes were black wells and her hair was straight and charcoal black. 
Mai had trouble sleeping, and she worried often about (things), such as: Did she do well on that test? Was she exercising enough? Was she spending enough time with her roommates, whom she adored? These things ate at her, but she found reprieve in them from time to time, enough to keep her going, and overcome the past which had tethered her to buoy in a vast, dark ocean. 


Her room was simple. Her clothes were either in the small two drawer dresser or in the closest. Her bed was pushed against the window, and her nightstand only had a digital clock on it, and a reading lamp. Her lack of material items made it easy for her to keep track of everything and keep it clean. Most of her academic materials were kept in the study which was directly above her room. By this snapshot of her life, everything seemed to be order, and with her many worries she seemed to be a nitpick-perfectionist. But Mai was anything but a perfectionist. Her most common of moods was care-free and friendly, and she was a defined risk taker; she was what some would call dangerous, and also a bit of a klutz. She had trouble with spatial awareness despite being physically fit [beyond anyone's expectations]. The only time her senses seemed to sharpen were when she was in the kitchen, especially when she had a knife in hand; as when she wasn't focused on academics, she was in the kitchen letting off stress by supplying 'family supper' for the residents.


On one hand Mai was responsible, and on the other, she was overwhelmingly frisky. She had a wild cheeriness that often threw people off, and most of the time that happened, someone got hurt. By that nature, many people who were good friends with her had learned the signs and meanings behind those sadistic, desperate, confused undertones. She was as beautiful as she was healthy, though her charm was a sharp blade; her awareness was too narrow to comprehend the bigger scope of things. Humble as her living quarters may be, it was the den of a tiger.


Although ferocious, Mai was considered the mother and father of The House, as the brunt of the responsibility was handed to her by the deed holder of the establishment, who lived elsewhere. Mai could only laugh to herself when thinking of being a mother. Her child would probably need a stay-at-home dad, for she would be too ambitious and wild to nurse the baby herself. Although she had such thoughts, her tender, troubled heart prevented her from entirely believing it. 


To her, that was at the core of being a woman.



(Sarah)


The room occupying the back corner of the house, which was the second door on the left of the first floor hallway, belonged to a girl of Argentinean descent. Going by her light brown skin and her chocolate brown hair, she was of mixed blood, owing her beauty to her striking mother (who was fluent in English and a world traveler). She always thought of her parents in a 'dark-light'; they had given her a life of luxury, but they didn’t have the heart to share it with her. That was one of the many reasons why she was now spending her time in the house, (despite the fact that the house she technically owned was much larger and nicer).

A few months ago she had celebrated her eighteenth birthday and was finally reaping the benefits of freedom. She was a quiet girl whose comfort zone could vanish on command. As soon as her smile vanished there was no amount of coaxing that could get her to open. While Sarah was drawn up by her alluring features and apparent shyness the girl was what many described as aimless, or even listless. She was too restless and fidgety to be a daydreamer, yet she was pathless and had no idea of where to go next. It was as if she was purposefully throwing herself into an unending whirlpool, and lacked the willingness to do something with her life. She had become guarded, and kept to herself, which was often mistaken as shyness or tepidness. Despite her notion of being a recluse, she didn't let it get in the way of coexisting with her peers without entirely giving herself to them. She had become disillusioned to the point where the world was full of single track people—and the ones she trusted most were living with her now in The House.

As sad and as quiet as Sarah often was, she managed to put on a strong face and carry her burdens without the help of others. Yet this was often hidden entirely by the overbearing aura that Sarah knew what went inside of your mind. She seemed to be uncannily blessed with an 'old soul', as if she had walked the walk once before.


Her room was, by far the most exotic of the group. An array of strange artifacts lined the tables and dressers and any shelf space there was to cover. Sarah’s parents were world travelers, and rarely had time to spend with their daughter (and to some degree she resented them for that). While nothing could remedy the time she had once wished to have with her parents, she herself seemed to come about many strange things: painted masks, elegant, but ancient crafted blades; a woven rug of bright reds and dark blues. There was also an assortment of vials and flasks filled with all kinds of multicolored liquids. These were her treasures, and when asked where they had come from, she would simply smile and explain that she couldn’t quite say what their origin was. 


It was wrong to say that Sarah was always melancholy. Something in her past definitely bothered her from time to time, but she spent most of her time in the social areas of the house: Watching TV in the living room, or waiting for dinner to be cooked in the kitchen, or even spending time in the upstairs study or in the basement game room. She had no need to go to work, and there was some reason why she didn't aspire to attend school. She preferred not to do much. 


Just behind her careful smile, there was a glimpse of a girl who was beyond her years.



(Aara)

The youngest girl slept in the final room on the first floor, the only room that was on the right in the main hall. She was a freshman in high school and already had an impressive academic record. If not for the prestige of the school she was to attend, she may not have even come to live in The House. The owner had established it initially for students, even though some of the girls were inclined to do nothing; Aara was one of the few who was academically devoted with an intense vigor. Whether it was her strict upbringing back home, or her own self awareness of the importance of a good education, Aara was the perfect student. She was obedient, thoughtful and best of all, knew how to play the middle ground so well that nobody could ever blacklist her.

Her diligence at work enhanced her sense of tidiness and overall neatness. Though disciplined in her own mind, she never dreamed to impose on others, by that regard she was timid, and had no initiative. As strong as she could be during tests and working through the tedious tasks handed to her, she could not figure the path she was quickly racing down. She could never take the first step; she could only wait for the other party to respond. Around the other girls she was easily shifted by the mood, there was never a time when her presence dominated. At parties she would party, during times of remorse or depression she would be sad and evasive. This chameleon act was so natural she didn’t even realize it herself at times. How easily Aara tied her biorhythm to that of those around her.


However, those observations detract from Aara’s character as if she were some lifeless being, emulating the feelings and emotions of others around her. Instead, at the core of the girl there was a principal of freedom, and instead of taking a rebellious route of antiauthoritarian action, she took the path of temporary servitude, a road that was quickly turning her to madness; another reason why she had come to The House at her parent’s insistence.


She was usually a delightful girl. Her hair was wavy and black like ribbons. Her form was petite and she had a very sensible style of fashion. She was still growing, and many of the other girls thought her to be a beauty in progress, much to her embarrassment. Aara’s bipartisan mastery made her a likely sink for ill tempered residents, though being the youngest, she lacked the superiority of taking on the therapist role. It was a burden the girl had once carried, and didn't want to carry again.

Her room was a mixture of girlish necessities, and serious practicality. The amount of time she spent in room was equal to the amount of time she wasn’t at school, or on the rare occasion eating dinner with the others. 


She was early to rise, and late to bed. One said that she has thirty hours in her day, and in fact, many of the others worried about her not socializing enough.



(Enja and Jessica)


There was one twin room that was on the second floor of the house which had a single hallway that divided the room from the Study and the upstairs bathroom. The twin room was shared by two people in fact. Enja was a foreigner who spoke a variety of languages, English being her second. Despite that, she carried a very western air about her. Despite her looks, that being dark haired, richly tanned, and big dark eyes, she claimed to be somewhere from Eastern Europe. She wore glasses, and was rarely found without a book in hand. She was attending The House as it was cheaper than a dorm room, for she was a foreign exchange student (or so she claimed).


The western air she carried was one of subtle sarcasm. She wasn’t a very loud or vibrant person, but a quiet and somewhat devious girl who tended to degrade the actions of others with little snide comments that appeared from a suitable distance away. Sometimes these little quips came while she was traversing a page of a book without missing a beat. Though she knew when to be polite and when not to be, her comments were usually offered to a third party instead of directly confronting someone. 


Questions arose on whether or not Enja was even capable of school work (seeing that she claimed to be a student). She openly admitted to skipping class in favor of reading at home, or doing something else that was more interesting. The world didn’t matter to her, and her pursuits were as whimsical as they were controversial. Whenever a debacle blew up in her face she would use every trick in her hat to escape it, and then a long session of skulking would ensue. Once her dark moody side was drawn out, it would take a lion tamer to bring her back to her cheery self. A consequence of her dark moods, her comments quickly grew to cruel insults, and she rarely apologized. It was something most people simply had to accept. 


By that token, hardly anyone was willing to share a room with the girl. That was in till the depressed Islander came. Nobody at the house knew what that meant exactly, but Jessica, the tenant in question, merely laughed and said it didn’t mean anything, really. She was brunette, and everyone was wondering why there wasn’t a single blonde or red-head living in the house (but there was a pink haired girl). From her point of view, as being officially diagnosed with temporary depression due to post traumatic stress (from an event she disclosed to nobody), it mattered not how dark Enja’s mood was, or how cruel she could be, for it was hardly a drop in the vast ocean of her sorrow.

While she was grappling with a ferocious beast inside her, and juggling school all the while, Enja had jumped on Jessica like a child would a kitten. On Jessica’s account, Enja didn’t waste a single moment soothing her sorrows by touching her and whispering foreign, but comforting words into her ear. To that notion, Jessica was the only one who could possible withstand, or even cure Enja’s dark moods, and by principle Enja was the only one who could sooth the churning rapids inside of her roommate.


As an Islander, as she described it, she was of (like so many who lived there) of olive skin. She said she spoke two dialects, but the other was never actually heard. She was only seventeen and had missed a year of school; as such she was one of the few who still attended high school. (Even though Aara was still three years younger than her). In her new environment, Jessica was ready and willing to work for a new future, though she had to first work on smoothing the terrible pot holes that laid behind her. Her past life was so traumatic, that she almost expected things to go wrong at every turn, but she knew the power of hope, and never once thought to rain on someone’s parade with her sullen mood. Remarkably, she took everything at face value. Nothing could be determined in till the very last moment.


(Dren)


It was in April, towards the end of school year that Dren was dragged into the house by Mai, who apologized for the inconvenience, but the boy would be staying at the house, occupying the basement den as his room. This caused a murmur between the girls. A single boy was staying at an all girls house? The owner of the house, (who lived somewhere warmer) said that it wasn’t actually a girl’s house, it just happened to be that the first six tenants were girls. The old lady who owned the deed laughed at the prospect: “Who would’ve thought? The first six tenants were all girls? Let the young man stay!” The boy was a member of the same graduating class of Mai’s and a vague acquaintance prior to being brought to The House.


When he had come, he was fidgety, timid and reclusive. He made vague promises not to intrude upon their daily lives as best he could. Aside from Mai, he was a great unknown to the other girls. He said didn’t have any sisters, and he said he had just left home to live on his own. Throwing him down in the basement certainly made him a rare occurrence over the summer, which he spent most of the time outside, roaming around aimlessly. Once fall started up, he spent more time upstairs to avoid the cold and he became a more noticeable addition to the now fully inhabited house. There hadn’t been any complaints, aside from occasional grumblings that they (the girls) could no longer strut around the house naked (though most of the girls had no desire to do so). Maybe it was unrealistic to complain since the owner herself didn’t seem opposed, and Mai had naturally become the head of the house essentially and she insisted that he live there.

To an outsider, it would be unheard of, along the same lines if a girl was assigned a male roommate at a normal college dorm. This was however, cheaper than most dorms, and in some previous profiles, some of the tenants lived for free. The old woman who owned it was wealthy enough, and only required that at some vague point in time the rent be paid. Some of the attendants felt obligated to keep up with their dues.


Dren was an odd man. He was pale, weak (compared to other men) and had such great detachment from the world around him; he seemed to be a daydreamer. He was also very thoughtful, and had something to say about everything, but almost never spoke them out loud. He had trouble articulating his mind, and in the words of Mai, he had thrown away his existence for something unrealistic, because it was simply, more fun. But one look at Dren told you that he was not having any fun at all. In a previous life, he was a helpless romantic, a life he had thrown away. He didn’t care about himself, and was in poor health in comparison to average standards, somehow he managed to stay thin and yet cast a ghastly aura. He hid himself behind a hood or a cap, and kept his eyes downcast. That was how he had arrived, and that summed up his persona during the first half year he had in the house dominated by girls. 


His presence was so absent there was no conflict. Of course conflict is unavoidable. Whether it was him or someone else, the lives of these tenants were about to bound in different ways. There was a cohesiveness among those present that was unexpected and yet before anyone noticed, it was right before their very eyes.