I USED TO DREAM THAT I WOULD MEET A PRINCE

[checkingin]

Who: Everyone!
Where: The initial arrival rooms, the main lobby, all over the place.
When: May 7th
What: Feed me, Seymour

ARRIVAL.

you wake up when you hit the floor in a dark room, and the air is knocked out of your lungs. the carpet is threadbare, worn with use, kind of dusty. and you're not the first person to endure this crash landing. nor will you be the last.

once your vision rights itself, you can see the well-lit hallway through the doorjam straight ahead of you. not to say there’s monsters in the shadows, but something propels you towards that door and out into the bright hallway beyond.

and once outside your room, you can hear it: the steady thrum of rain outside.

MAIN LOBBY.

there's a staircase at the end of the lengthy hallway you tumble out of. grab your suitcase and follow the dull green exit signs on the ceiling until you reach the disappointingly bland stairs that lead you down to the ornate old fashion hotel lobby.

to your left is an richly crackling, rather excessively smoking fireplace, to your right is a lobby desk. straight ahead are three large sets of doors, all three of them thrown wide open and welcoming. and outside the few (curtained, permanently dark) windows is the continually steady hiss of rain. once you leave the hallway you wake up in, you won't be able to return.

welcome to the hotel.

FRONT DESK.

though there is a bell and a plaque designating the desk to be the main desk, the customer service desk, there are currently no staff members behind it. none shall answer your calls, either. there is, however, a pad of paper and a pen neatly aligned with the desk edge. you know. for notes.

terribly sorry for the inconvenience.

SCREENING ROOM.

on a long pull-down screen, a silent version of alice in wonderland will be playing on loop. at the back of the room, between the neat rows of fold out chairs, mounted on a wobbly table is the old-timey projector, and mounted on the walls are some rather old speakers that warble out "terrifying" old music.

along the curtained windows is another long table, with a large bowl of chipotle cheese popcorn corn and a large hot drink dispenser full of hot water, with a few cups and some old looking packages of apple cider mix.

DINING HALL.

is tragically, painfully empty.

OTHER.

the ballroom is currently open, and the grand doors unlocked.

there is no main door leading to the outside, good luck trying to find one.

the doors to the courtyard are unlocked.

ROOMS.

you've a room key with your assigned room number on it. all the new guest residences will be located on floors one and two. while there is an open elevator in the main lobby, and the buttons light up inside, the doors will not close. all in all, you'll be better off taking the stairs.

while they're the same stairs you undoubtedly came down to get to the lobby, the door to the endless hall everyone woke up in will not reappear between the main floor and the subsequent residential halls.

there are twenty rooms per floor. feel free to get to know your surroundings; or your neighbors as they trickle in around you.

EXISTING GUESTS.

are you dreaming of omlettes and regretting complaining about the constant pancakes and weak ass coffee yet?

Comments

[avengeme]

No problem.

Just give me a holler if you need anything. Though the only thing I have of value is the ibuprofen.

[triplett]

He nodded. "I'm a little tech inclined but nothing like Skye." And Trip wasn't asking his teammate for any kind of research in the condition he saw her in. He might not have shown it but there was another jolt of excitement at hearing they also had the one and only Black Widow among them. All that were left to the Avengers was Banner, Stark and Thor. Granted, if the god of thunder and the Hulk were at the hotel, everyone would finally have a way out--no doubt.

"Any idea why they want us at all? Feels like some weird experiment. Smells like Hydra to me." After what the team had learned of Whitehall, it wasn't much of a stretch to think all the guests were really lab rats. Divide and conquer? Yet if Trip really had died then it would've made more sense for Hydra to leave him dead. Unless... Unless they wanted to extract information from him. Couldn't do that if he was dead.

Maybe it was time to ask Barton that question too. "Heard of anyone coming here that was considered dead?"

[vdova]

You'll be the first I talk to the next time I get a headache.

[deadlystar]

"Until later." But she's sure that won't be long. Unless he dies or something. Whoops.

Gamora heads back to her room in the meantime. She's got a lot of thinking to do.

[avengeme]

It's nice to feel needed. [he grins before adding a bit more earnestly] It's really good to have you here.

[his back feels a lot safer]

[notafraidofyou]

"Kind of an all-purpose pronoun," he admits. "As far as I've been able to figure, it's just us guests. There was a little 'note' from the mysterious 'them' a while ago on the network, but that was it, and no real contact since. They didn't even do the courtesy of replying when people asked questions."

[64th]

"It is what it is." She does realize all of it's fucked up, but she's also never known anything else. Until she met people at the hotel, she would have assumed that any other country out there would be exactly the same.

"Uh," she doesn't know, really. Panem's history is only what the Capitol wants them to know. Which isn't much. "Tradition, I guess. Some of it's geographic. We have diamond mines so we make luxury goods. Twelve has coal mines so they mine coal." And his assumptions aren't so far off. She's never been hungry at home, not the way she is now. Because she'd gone to the Academy she'd been given everything she ever needed.

"What are other places like?" The concept itself is fascinating. "All the countries get along?"

[triplett]

At least they shared the same lingo. Her initial response was a saying he often used. He nodded his understanding. Not many had much of a say over what their governments did. Cashmere received another nod when she attempted to explain how the districts were set up.

"Countries all don't get along, no. There's unrest within some and wars between some. And some have treaties where the people travel easily between their countries. There aren't global wars at least."

[pajarita]

[Food is food, even if it were mouldy now she'd take it. The facts are, she'd take it because she has othes to share it with. But...that's rude. Or something.]</small< Three months and still going. Yay.

[vdova]

Thanks. I'm not glad to be here, but I appreciate it.

[64th]

"If they don't get along, why are you allowed to go there?" She's still trying to wrap her head around that. People can't even freely move between districts in Panem. The idea of other countries existing, much less going there, is baffling. "Your president lets that happen?"

[triplett]

"The U.S. is built on democracy. People have a voice and help create the laws. Some travel to war torn countries to help the people there. Or maybe they have family there. Our President has to answer to the people... if that makes sense."

[64th]

Cashmere laughs like he's said something truly ridiculous. "Democracy? And that works?" She finds that hard to believe. "Why would a president listen to the people? He's the President."

[lesson]

( frick you charlie, stop rubbing your height and superiority complex in his face.

...not...like that matters here. eggsy's got a quick, succinct message for the other man and then he can leave and they can both be happily seperated by a door. charlie's sneering at him, but it's somehow offputting how petty it is; there's no outright vehemence that might lead to, say, sharp things against delicate parts of anatomy. and that's weird but also filed away for a later time. so he plants his feet a little further apart, squares his shoulders to project assurance, and jerks his jaw. )

We're tailors here. ( there's a telling, lengthy drawl on that. tailors, charlie, you get me? ) Just like we was back home. Don't ruin it.

[cgrades]

If this place is as twisted as everyone's saying, chances are they'll just re-light it.

[ But he'd not fault the guy for trying. The smoke could be a very big problem, especially in a place with sealed windows and no doors out. ] But good luck, really. Good to know the true nature of this place. Lovely.

[cgrades]

[ Charlie expects him to say all manner of things, but when he mentions being a tailor? well. that's not exactly what he's expected at all. but Eggsy's comment stings and he frowns deeply. what had been mere arrogance before is now turning into something akin to anger. ]

Yeah, right, won't ruin it for you and your mates, don't worry. But I'm not a tailor, I won't play under cover with you. [ well, he wasn't as spy like they were, was he? he'd been thrown out just as quickly as some of the others. Eggsy might be a spy, Harry might, Merlin might -- but not Charlie. ]

So, trust me, I won't ruin it for you. Play at what you want, I've other things to concern myself with.

[triplett]

He held an questioning but amused look at her laughter. "Yeah...we have a different view of what a president is. Someone in charge who doesn't listen to the people is more of a dictatorship than democracy. A tyrant's usually a dictator or king--not president. Where I come from, a president's the voice of the people."

[villainously]

( it's very far from his job to be the bloody welcome wagon. as he so sarcastically noted not too long ago. Hook doesn't fancy himself villainous these days and yet, if he's ever going to get closer to good, he'll need to stop being a shit to strangers. and this one in particular has been stranded in a strange, unfortunate place, and apparently has gotten little in the way of answers.

fact is there aren't many answers to give, yet the pirate really ought to try. somebody had to, anyway. ) So you've asked around, then. If you've got questions, you might as well ask, but I don't promise any answers. ( they were very few and hard to come by around here, after all. it was an improvement over glowering and snipping... though it wouldn't last if the gesture of good will was thrown back at him. )

[lifewithoutrest]

Fortunately, Helen is rather accustomed to the unusual. And while it doesn't really explain to her why his symptoms so resemble a dangerous case of the flu, it does confirm her recent suspicions that it isn't an ordinary illness. That at least gives her something to work with, and reassures her that it likely isn't contagious.

"Interesting," obviously referring to the bit about cosmic consequences affecting the body on a subatomic level. Though, admittedly, she is rather curious to know how he'd ended up trying to close the gates of Hell, especially since she's not even certain she believes that Hell exists. And then, thinking out loud, "I wonder if it's similar to the radiation Adam and I were exposed to." But that damage had been at the cellular level. This poses a much greater concern. She only hopes it won't prove to be quite as deadly.

"Tell me, why were you trying to close the door? Is that what did this to you?"

[unpurify]

Adam. Adam as in Eve? Crap. He's not really sure he trusts his perception right now but at least the room has gotten marginally less dizzy and, yeah, maybe some R-and-R is good right now. That seems about right. He'll adjust to everything else as soon as he adjusts to the fact that his own head seems intent on trying to kill him.

"Uh. Close the Gates of Hell." Hey, honesty is a good policy when you feel like you're dying. "Shut 'em out permanently, no more demons. Seemed like a good idea at th'time." He cracks open one eye ruefully. "Until it starts killing you. No one ever said that was a side effect."

[lesson]

( other things, he says, and eggsy doesn't resist the urge to roll his eyes. he's been here for two months; there's very few other things to do around this place other than suffer and concern yourself with people. )

Whatever. You don't wanna affiliate yourself with us, fine, I don't care. But I'm serious. ( point to eyes, point to you serious. except eggsy only goes so far as to jerk his chin and glower. ) Don't go running your mouth.

( and when he feels like that's squared, eggsy turns to leave. only to let curiosity get the better of him a few paces from the door, and does a complete 180 on his heel to stalk back into the edge of charlie's personal space. he's a hand raised like he plans to prod him in the chest to make a point, but curls his fingers in and just sort of gestures with his fist. )

'N what's the last thing you remember?

[lifewithoutrest]

Lacking focus he may be, but she has to admit, when he puts it that way, it does seem logical. She doesn't even think to question the apparent existence of literal angels and demons, heaven and hell. She comes from a world with abnormals. By now, she thinks, it seems only natural.

"Well, it would make the idea rather less attractive, wouldn't it?" She's severely cursing the lack of proper medical supplies right now. Even something as simple as being able to find or grow natural remedies would be a tremendous help, particularly if they're going to insist on continually bringing in the ill and injured or tormenting them all in ways that threaten their health. Then again, that's probably the point. "I assume you didn't succeed?"

Otherwise, from what she's gathering, he'd already be dead by now.

[unpurify]

"Nope." One big red 'X' in the column denoting Sam Winchester's many failures, coming right up to join the legions of others. "Just made all the angels Fall. Unless that wasn't us."

No, Cas, Dean has whispered, but Sam's not sure if it was Cas. It might have just been the Winchesters, tipping the cosmic balance to an unsustainable extremity yet again. Wouldn't be the first delicate system they've irreparably broken.

On the subject of delicate systems, sitting down seems to be helping. At least the room has courteously chosen to stand still again.

"I think I'll be okay," he adds, completely unconvincingly. "Gettin' there. I think."

[cgrades]

In position to help?

[ Though all of this is terribly vague, which makes it both more alluring and more dangerous all at once. There are a million and one red flags going up, but at least it's keeping his mind off of his current situation. ]

What do you plan on doing? [ Loaded question, and he doesn't exactly expect an answer. ]

[cgrades]

I hadn't planned on it, actually. But if it will get under your skin so terribly much perhaps I will.

[ What good are spies when they're trapped? No less, what good are tailors in a place like this? Charlie folds his arms over his chest and frowns, a rather resolute sign that no, he won't tell anyone about Kingsman. He has some little pride left, after all.

He doesn't think twice when Eggsy goes to leave, and he rises from his place on the bed, moving to dig through his suitcase and get the turkey and dog biscuits out. Already he can feel his stomach growling, and from what he's heard today? There's been no food for days. Weeks, maybe. He pauses though, considering Eggsy, considering what he should tell him. ]

I was on a train home after, incidentally, being tied to train tracks. Why's it matter?