Dante's Abyss 2007 Sign-Ups

[Bujin]

(OOC: Continued from here.)

The voices came and went.

Throughout the forty-or-so minutes that Bujin had been in the jail cell, the voices of the pair sounded with inconsistent timing. Sometimes it was just the male voice, and sometimes it was just the female voice. Either way, the sudden confusion that had amassed in his mind began to make him dizzy. The voices would talk about the weather, or about the room they were in, and sometimes even about Bujin?s personal life. Never, however, did they once talk about themselves. The certain unconfident tones in their voices made Bujin convinced that they didn?t even know much about themselves, and were probably just in his mind.

The dizziness remained, and would often give way to different shapes and colors. The hearts and stars that were plastered on the walls began to move violently and in no particular pattern. Other times he would see openings in the bars that weren?t there. He knew this simply because he ran into them several times, and the knot in his head told him to simply stay in one place until the dizziness ended.

Forty minutes he waited, and nothing happened.

The ringing that was prevalent in his head slowed to a low buzz as the shadow of an oncoming person was cast on the wall that he could see through the window of the door outside of his cell. As the figure began to unlock the door, the buzzing stopped, and the voices ceased to exist. As what turned out to be a scrawny man came through the door, Bujin sighed with much-needed relief. The man slowly walked to the middle of the hallway, turned toward the small blue man inside the jail cell, and rubbed his hands in the awkward silence that ensued.

?So?? the thin man said, straightening his tie after running his fingers through his silver hair, ?How?s the bump on your head??

?Hurts,? Bujin smiled, ?That?s what tends to happen when someone clubs someone on the head.?

?Yes, well?? the old man sighed, and straightened his tie again, ?They thought you stole my wife.?

?So you?re Mr. Velveteen. Gotta say, that?s an awfully?weird name,? Bujin stated with raised eyebrows.

?Let?s not waste more of each other?s time,? Velveteen started, suddenly sounding angry ?I know you didn?t do a damned thing. And honestly? I don?t care. You?re now here for my personal entertainment, whether you want to be or not. Normally, I?d place you in a tournament of my own design, but??

?But?what?? Bujin asked as the thin man paused momentarily.

?But?I want to make things interesting. You?re much stronger than you appear, so I want you to take place in something?bigger.?

***

Hours later, Bujin found himself standing in line waiting to speak to a receptionist of some sort. The ?game? that the old man had spoken about was something very familiar, and yet very different. Bujin vaguely recalled entering something with the same name ? Dante?s Abyss ? but he remembered the game being much different. In any case, he was here to work for his freedom, or so the man-with-a-stupid-name told him. The line was long for something that was so involved with death, but it slowly began to thin with time. Suddenly, as Bujin found himself a few people away from the receptionist, he once again found an annoyance in his mind.

Wow, this looks exciting, the female voice perked up, You?ll have fun. Don?t look like such a downer.

?I?m not a downer,? Bujin whined, causing some of the people around him to stare at him awkwardly. Shrugging, the blue man continued, ?You know, I don?t even know your name.?

?name? she asked, sounding genuinely confused. Bujin laughed softly.

?You know, something people call you when they refer to you,? Bujin explained, surprisingly finding himself getting used to the voice.

Oh?oh! That. I don?t have one, I guess, she said apathetically.

God, my imagination sucks, Bujin thought.

?Okay,? Bujin began with a finger on his chin, subconsciously progressing through the line until it was his turn, ?I?ll call you Rae.?

?Excuse me?? the receptionist inquired with a cocked eyebrow. Bujin widened his eyes and looked down at the woman?s face, and chuckled nervously.

?Haha?nothing,? he grinned sheepishly, but quickly dropping it as he tried to climb out of the metaphorical hole he had dug for himself, ?Uhh?I?m here to sign up for Dante?s Abyss.?

?O?kay,? she nodded, ?First, what?s your name??

Bujin! Rae answered excitedly. Bujin snarled.

?I know!? Bujin shouted.

?What??

?What? Oh?uhh?Bujin. My name?Bujin?? his voice trailed off as she rolled her eyes and scribbled something down on a pad of paper.

?Okay?age??

Uhh?19? 20? Bujin heard Rae guess softly.

?21,? the blue man answered, flashing another grin.

?Okay?show me something cool,? she continued, looking up with a bored facial expression.

?Uhh?okay??

Bujin clicked his tongue and thought about what he could show her. Finally, the thought occurred, and he lifted a hand slowly into the air. Gathering his energy into his hand, he created a sharp blade around it. As he stared at the crimson blade, he began to chuckle and turn to slice the air. After a show of speed and accuracy, he made it disappear, and he gave the receptionist yet another cheesy smile.

That was awesome! Do it again! Rae cheered.

?Yeah?that?s my favorite one,? Bujin nodded in satisfaction of himself, ?I also do this thing where I practically throw up an energy beam, but?well, it?s gross and we?ve only just met.?

?Right?well, based on your?somewhat peculiar actions, I filled out the rest. Does this look right?? the woman held out an important piece of paper. Snatching it, Bujin read over it. Twice.

?Yeah, that?s about it. You?re good at this,? Bujin laughed.

?Yeah, yeah. Go away,? she said as she waved on the next person in line, ?Go through the tele-tube and await the start of the game.?

So Bujin did. The door slowly creaked open, and practically screamed for Bujin to go through. So, with a hesitant step and a deep breath, Bujin vanished into the void, unaware of what he could possibly expect.