ROLEPLAY HQ - behind-the-mask

The last bit of boxes were finally lugged upstairs to the 5th floor, apartment number 92. The annoying thing about some apartments, they had rooms ranging from 4-20 and he just had to pick one with 20. At least he was able to snag it. The only way he would have been able to get an apartment like this was if he had a roommate. The thing about roommates though, is usually it's someone you know. Janus on the other hand had to put up a 'looking for roommate' thing online. Something he really didn't want to do given his work. But it's already happened and he can't take it back. Standing outside apartment #92 was a tall-ish male with blonde hair and sky blue eyes. He wore a white shirt with a jean jacket, black jeans and a pair of dark blue sneakers. A pair of small hoop shaped earrings on each ear. He looked to be around _ in age. The male was fumbling with a key that he had in the keyhole, trying to get the door to unlock. I seriously wish they had keycards instead of fuckin key locks.. So much easier.. he thought to himself exasperated with it all. "God damn it.. I may as well kick the fuckin door in if it's gonna be a pain.." he mumbled to himself until finally the door allowed itself to be unlocked. "Finally. Shit.." The male reached down and picked up two big boxes, carrying them inside and setting them down in the living room. I am so glad that this place comes furnished. I don't have a lick of interior decorating prowess in my bones The blonde straightened himself, closing the door behind him. "Now, to move all my shit into my room before the roommate shows up.." The male picked up the boxes and moved them from the living room a ways to the left where a hallway stood, a couple of doors on either side. The one at the end of the hall was a closet, he knew that much. The doors on either side of the hallway were each bedrooms. The blonde moved his stuff to the room on the left. Inside there were a bunch of unopened boxes left in a pile in the corner. The room

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itself was rather basic in looks but once all that stuff in the boxes was brought it out it would surely look much better. All the boxes cluttering the corner of his room had one name labeled on them. 'Janus Marley' Janus was a unique name to say the least. His family had been fans of myths and legends with gods. So they were inspired to name their son after the god of beginnings, gates, transitions, time, duality, doorways, passages, frames, and endings. Which honestly was a lot to be the god of.. It would be easier to say beginning and ending. With a sigh, Janus took one of the boxes down from its pile and began opening it up. Wonder when the roommates suppose to get here.. @raptor

Quinnlyn worked as a kindergarten teacher at an elementary school only a little over ten minutes away from his apartment. It was, fortunately, the job he had dreamed of having since he was a child. He loved what he did, and didn’t care about how much work it was. Unfortunately, however, it did not pay worth a damn. He really had not wanted to put out an ad for a roommate. He was uncomfortable to stay with someone he did not know, though he really enjoyed his apartment, and how close it was to his work. It had been a miracle he had been approved for it, in the first place. He had an extra room, that he had made into an office, though more often than not he just ended up doing his work on the couch and falling asleep there, anyway. There had been a few people that applied; he wanted someone around his age, that he could potentially get along with. He did not want to feel awkward in his own home. Parent teacher conferences were that week, and he had stayed after longer than he had planned to. He knew his roommate was supposed to be moving in today, and he had lost track of time, so he gathered his things to drive home. He wanted to be there to greet him and meet him properly, considering he had only heard what his landlord had told him. He walked up to his apartment, unlocking the door, going to sit his bag down on the couch. “Hello?” he called out. His long hair was in a braid down his back, several gemstones in his ears, wearing a chunky knit cardigan and jeans, sliding off his shoes as he came in. He went to the end of the hallway, knocking gently on the hall to let him know he was here if he was. “Oh! I figured you’d be here. Sorry I wasn’t here when you showed up, I got caught up at work. I’m Quinnlyn.” @PunkPulse (Fauna)

Janus had managed to unpack one box so far, which had a bunch of knick knacks like various anime figurines that he had lined up on a couple shelves on the wall. "Well, it's a start" he sighed, tossing the empty box to the side. Just as he went to grab the second box and open it, he heard the sound of the front door opening and closing along with a voice he didn't recognize. The male stood up from the floor and went towards the door, opening it to see a guy standing there. Dark hair braided down the back, lots of piercings in the ears and a comfy looking cardigan. Janus, had what was called a 'resting bitch face' so he always looked mad even when he wasn't. Give it enough time and that face will match. "Very chipper, aren't you?" Janus said in a rather cold tone before extending his hand to shake the other male's hand. "Janus Marley" he states. "I have one rule.. by the way.. if we are to be roommates" he pulled his hand away, and motioned with it towards the rest of his room. "Privacy. Don't ever come in here. Even if there's a fire or the world is ending. Got it?" He raised his eyebrows, pointing a finger at Quinnlyn. Janus was considered to be a rather harsh individual. He spoke what was on his mind and didn't care if what he said hurt the others feelings. He wasn't a people person by any means and most certainly disliked the idea of roommates. But considering the circumstances, he had to take up on the latter. "I'm gonna continue unpacking. Bye" The blonde closed the door in Quinnlyn's face, turning back to his boxes and his peace of mind. @raptor

Quinnlyn didn’t respond at the mention of being chipper. He just assumed it was a result of working with only children for so long. He was going to offer to help him unpack, accepting his hand when he extended it, though he hesitated at what he said. “… Okay,” he said after a beat. He hadn’t expected to be best friends off the bat, though he had definitely expected something other than this, at least. He had a brief thought that maybe this was a mistake, and he tried to shove it down. It was only the first day. Maybe he was just stressed after the move. He gave a soft sound of objection when the door closed in his face, and he frowned at the wood. He really hoped that this was just because he was stressed, and not an everyday occurrence. “Let me know if you need help unpacking or anything,” Quinnlyn still called from the other side of the door, before he left to get his bag that he’d placed on the couch. @PunkPulse (Fauna)

Junas made a 'tch' sound when the other had asked to let him know if he needed help with his stuff. "I can unpack my shit just fine by myself.." he mumbled, opening the second box which held his stereo and a stack of CDs all from various bands. "Time to set this bad boy up.." he reached in, hoisting the stereo from it's packaging and putting it on top of his dresser. There we go, now to plug everything in.. It didn't take too terribly long to set his stereo up, but checking to make sure it worked and wasn't damaged in transit was important. "Hm, which song.." he sifted through the CDs until he landed on one. The blonde turned on the stereo and popped open the CD tray before taking the disc out and putting it into the disc tray. He turned the volume up a bit, at least enough for him to hear and for it to be barely audible outside his room. The CD in question had a picture of a guy wearing a tv head that looked to be falling from the sky. The words 'Punk Pulse' scribbled on the side. His music. The song that first came on was a song called 'The Color of Midnight' which he thought was a really well done and pretty powerful song. One that he wrote about his consttant insomnia. Honestly, a lot of his music he wrote during the night. Probably the most creative his mind could be during that time. "Like ink on paper the fear spreads, letting time tick away, pulling at threads.. Wishing for life to give me some insight.. But all I get is the color of midnight" he would sing to himself as he tossed the second box to the side, and began working on the third one. @raptor

Quinnlyn wasn’t sure what he would do if Janas was always like this. If he was, hopefully he would just stay in his room forever. Quinnlyn went to unpack his work bag, taking his AirPods out, putting one in while he went to go do the dishes while he waited to see if Janus would just stay in his room for the night. He was listening to the same song that Junas had put on. At first, he thought that perhaps his headphones had disconnected and it was playing out loud from his phone, though when he realized it was actually coming from the apartment he hesitated and turned off the water from the sink. He dried his hands off, taking the AirPod out, listening to the music he heard coming from Janus’s room. He put his headphones away, and after a moment of thought went to knock on his door gingerly. “I am about to order food,” he began, his voice slightly quiet at first. “Is there anything you’d like?” @PunkPulse (Fauna)

The third box contained a bunch of clothes, most of them being t-shirts and various band shirts. Taking the clothing out, along with the hangers that were tucked away in another box, the male began hanging his clothes up in the closet. The nice thing about his music was that it was all done with a voice changer. Janus was the only member within Punk Pulse. He was Punk Pulse. Nobody knew what he looked like since he always wore a tv head mask and a type of jumpsuit to keep his identity a secret. Add in the voice changer and he was unrecognizable. Just how he wanted it. That's why he didn't worry about singing his own music out loud like this. Nobody would recognize him which was perfect. Just as Janus had finished hanging up his clothes, he looked around the room to see it was becoming a lot more homey. There were only about 3 more boxes or so left in the corner but it was probably best to chill out for now. He could do the rest later. Suddenly, there was a soft knock at his door. This guy.. I told him to leave me be. Yet he's so persistent.. he huffed to himself before grabbing a small box that held his toiletries, opening the door a bit to stare at Quinnlyn. The other was mentioning that they'd order food and asked if there was anything he wanted. Being alone.. "Pizza is fine.. Pepperoni and Sausage" he sighed, opening the door a bit more so he could squeeze out of it, closing the door. "Where's the bathroom?" he asked. Despite arriving to this apartment, he never really got a thorough look around the place. He only cared about getting his stuff situated in his room. @raptor

Quinnlyn knew he had told him to stay out of his room, though he figured he’d ask, considering he was going to order food anyway, and it felt rude to eat in front of Janus without asking. There was also a large part of Quinnlyn that he had been trying to deny that was lonely. He put himself into his work—and while he did love it, it was hard to make friends. He had the people that he worked with that he would occasionally meet for drinks, though it was perhaps once a weekend in a month. Aside from that, a majority of his conversations these days were with children, teaching them to read and write. They were sweet, though perhaps not the best conversation. “Pizza works,” Quinnlyn agreed, stepping back so Janus could walk past him. He opened his mouth to ask about the music, before he closed it, and was turning away to get his phone to order pizza when Janus spoke again. “Oh—next to my room,” Quinnlyn said, pointing to it. “We don’t have a washer or dryer, but the complex has a laundry room onsite. Oh, if you want, I can just bring your clothes down with mine when I go, if you’re busy whenever,” he offered. Again, he paused for a beat, before continuing. “I really like Punk Pulse, the music you were listening to. Are you a fan?” @PunkPulse (Fauna)

Janus walked past Quinnlyn and towards the room that he had been directed to. The room next to Quinn's. Opening the door, he found the bathroom, where he began opening his little box and setting up his things. Mainly a brush, comb, hair wax that he used from time to time that smelled like citrus. Along with a few other smaller things like his toothbrush and toothpaste all of which he tucked away in a side drawer. "Don't need the help" he commented harshly at the mention of any assistance with laundry. At the mention of Quinnlyn asking about the music he had heard, the male paused. Despite that constant look of annoyance on his face, the male was thinking in his head before turning it to look at the other. "What of it? Lots of people listen to them" he states before moving himself to the living room and taking a seat on the couch. "Their music is fine I suppose" he waved his hand dismissively before pulling out his phone. Hm.. a text from my manager? the male thought to himself as he pulled up the text. Oh, a local show for once.. At Alister's Bar? Haven't been there for a bit.. Janus promptly started responding to the text before opening up Youtube and quietly watching something on his phone. The video in question was just some goofy gaming video. @raptor

It did not seem like they would be friends, if even acquaintances, though it was surely not from Quinnlyn’s lack of trying. He would understand it more if Janas was simply awkward. Being shy was understandable. Being a jerk was not. “Well, okay. If you ever need help getting around or anything, let me know. My phone number is on the fridge.” He had put it there beforehand for Janas’s arrival, as well as the number for the school he worked at, their landlord’s number, and a few numbers of nearby takeout places. He was silent however when Janus dismissed him about the music. He had tried to start a conversation, though it had ended before it even began. Instead, he went to get his phone, to order pizza while Janus watched the video on his phone. @PunkPulse (Fauna)

Janus wasn't really one to be super open to people. If anything, he didn't like strangers. Very rarely did he ever make friends. It would certainly take some time for him to open up to those he was interested being friends with. But with Quinnlyn? That was a different story. The other seemed to be trying to get closer to him, but any type of attempts would just anger the blonde. Maybe it was because of the move, or that he wasn't used to having a roommate. The male was a mystery for sure. For now, it seemed that Quinnlyn had stopped or rather given up on talking to the blonde. As for Janus, he was still watching that video. Every now and then he'd laugh or make a comment to himself about the video. I wonder what I should work on tonight.. A new song or just practice guitar.. Janus took a glance at Quinnlyn for a couple seconds before pausing his video and flipping through some texts in his phone. That Alister's Bar gig isn't til this Saturday.. So I've got a couple days to practice I suppose.. Hm.. I guess I can do that until the food arrives. The blonde tucked his phone into his pocket before rising from the couch and walking towards his room, entering it and closing the door. Now, where did I put it.. Oh.. here it is Janus found it behind the stacked boxes and brought it over to his bed. It was a Gretsch White Falcon guitar, probably one of his most prized possessions. Also quite an expensive guitar at that. Janus took a seat on his bed and started to play a few notes and chords from one of his other songs. This one was from a lesser known song of his called 'A Thousand Pieces', however since he didn't have his amp unpacked, it wasn't as powerful. Still, it was a powerful breakup song that he wrote. @raptor

It was true; at least for now, Quinnlyn did not possess the energy to continue trying when Janus was giving him absolutely nothing to work with. Not today, when he had already worked and has parent-teacher conferences. Maybe after knowing Janus for awhile, and when it was a weekend, he would be more inclined to did the out why he was getting ignored. Once he had gotten off the phone with the pizza place, he glanced up to the couch, to tell him he had ordered food. He hesitated when he did not see him there still however, and gave a small frown, until he heard the guitar playing from his room. He seemed good at it. Quinnlyn wondered why Janus would even accept a roommate, if he wanted to be left alone so badly. He wondered what kind of job he had, as well. He went to knock gently on the door. “I just ordered food. I’m going to lay down on the couch til it comes, if I fall asleep,” he told him. He didn’t expect Janus to wake him up, but at least then maybe he’d be listening for a knock on the front door, too. Once he’d told him he didn’t wait for a response, assuming it would not be polite, anyway, going to lay down on the couch. @PunkPulse (Fauna)

Janus heard the knock on his door, but he remained silent as he continued to play his guitar. Seems he ordered food and was going to lie down. Finally, some peace to himself. Once Quinnlyn had left, Janus went head to keep playing various songs of his. He wanted to make sure he had these memorized, given that whenever he performed it was wearing a mask that had now visibility. It helped to play with his eyes closed to better visualize the strings and chords in his mind. This went on for a little bit until he felt himself getting thirsty. Setting his guitar down on the bed, Janus rose from his seat and left his room, closing the door behind him and heading to the kitchen. Hm, where are the glasses.. oh, here.. Janus pulled out a glass and went to the fridge to see what there was to drink. Guess apple juice will do.. Not a big fruit person but.. he took the container and opened it, pouring himself a glass before resealing and putting the container away in the fridge. Leaning against the counter with his back, he took the glass and held it to his lips. The sweet smell of apple hitting his nose before he took a sip. His eyes narrowed slightly at Quinnlyn on the couch. Hopefully this guy wouldn't give him any trouble. So far he seemed very.. what was the word.. considerate. Which is fine, but constantly acting like it really pissed him off. Maybe it's because of the move that he was so irritated. But deep down, Janus just didn't want anyone knowing about him. Who he really was. A knock at the door pulled him back to his senses. The glass was now almost empty before he set it down, walking past the couch and opening the door, seeing the delivery guy there with the pizza. Janus took the pizza, giving the guy a small tip before closing the door quietly. His eyes shifted to look at his roommate on the couch before taking it to the kitchen and setting it down. I guess I should wake him up.. Janus walked back over towards the couch, leaning over the back of it to sta

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re at the resting male. He reached out a hand, index finger first and poked the other on the cheek rather harshly. "Wake up. Food's here. If you don't get up, you don't get any" he comments, before pulling his hand back and leaning back from the couch, making his way to the kitchen to search for plates. @raptor

Quinnlyn had gone to the couch, to lay down while he waited for the pizza to be delivered. He had already paid, and he assumed the knock would wake him up. It had been a long week, however, with parent teacher conferences, and as such he fell asleep fairly easily with one of the throw blankets from the couch over him. The apartment was clean; there was not a single dirty dish or old can of soda left out anywhere. The couch had multiple throw pillows, and the coffee table had a book and several candles; there were a few knickknacks on shelves, and on the walls were hung mostly drawings from his kindergarten class that he had kept. He slept through the knock, and only awoke to Janus poking him in the cheek. He gave a soft sound of objection at how harsh the touch was, slowly beginning to sit up. “Oh—I’m sorry. I thought I’d wake up when they knocked on the door,” he said, shaking his head. “The plates are in the cupboard above the dishwasher,” he told him when he saw him looking, getting up from the couch to get them out for them. @PunkPulse (Fauna)

Janus didn't say anything after the other male had apologized. It's not like it was a big deal or anything, but he kept that to himself. His attention focused to the cabinet above the dishwasher that Quinnlyn had mentioned, watching the male go over to it and get out a couple of plates. Janus took one, moving towards the pizza box sitting on the counter and opened it. He took out two slices of pepperoni and sausage pizza slices and set them on his plate. He moved himself from the kitchen to sit in the living room. He reached for the tv remote, flicking the tv on. One of the channels that popped up while he was flipping through them was a music channel. One that seemed to be talking about various up and coming artists. One of them was Punk Pulse. Geez, I should change the damn channel.. but I don't need that guy to be hounding me about shit.. * he thought, setting the remote down on the table before picking up his plate of pizza and leaning back into the couch. "Tonight we bring you another up and coming artist. This one is quite a mysterious one indeed! They go by the name Punk Pulse and are an alternative rock music artist. Nobody knows what Pulse looks like under the mask, but there have been lots of speculation from fans who have attended their concerts" one of the tv hosts, a woman, spoke. "That's right, Sarah, many fans have a difficult time trying to imagine what the artist looks like under the costume. It's quite an intricate design might I add. The gray jumpsuit, the voice changer, even the mask! Quite a lot of thought went into creating such an elaborate character" a male host spoke. *Bunch of bullshit again. Why does everyone need to know what I look like, seriously? he bit into his pizza, quietly munching as he listened. @raptor