a gent of good intent who's content to be ( OPEN )

[checkingin]

Who: Everyone!
Where: The initial arrival rooms, the main lobby, all over the place.
When: March 3rd
What: Welcome, newbies.

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 a warmly crackling fireplace, to your right is a lobby desk. straight ahead are three large sets of doors, though only one of them is open to the public. 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.

terribly sorry for the inconvenience.

SCREENING ROOM.

on a long pull-down screen, a silent version of the phantom carriage 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 popcorn and a large hot drink dispenser full of hot water, but without any tea or hot chocolate packets around.

OTHER.

the ballroom is currently closed, and the grand doors locked.

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

the doors to the courtyard and breakfast hall are unlocked, but looks like you've missed the morning meal. sucks for you.

ROOMS.

you've a room key with your assigned room number on it. all the new guest residences will be located on floors three and four. 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.

it's late when the newcomers arrive, there's a good chance you'd been about to go to sleep (or just waking up, who knows, your mom's not here to tell you when to go to bed or get up). but if you're paying attention, you might hear the hustle and bustle in the lobby below; or maybe you're just drawn there because your gut told you to go join the commotion. whatever the case may be, go mingle!

Comments

[greenarrowed]

rooms / lobby ;

[First thing Oliver does when he finds the room with his name on it-- tear that shit apart. He's not looking for a way out, that's on his mind but his priority is to defend himself first and then search. Not the first time Oliver's been taken against his will and forced to a place he doesn't recognize. Whoever is behind this will show their face eventually, sooner or later, it'll happen and when it does-- he'll be ready.

The hotel room doesn't have everything he needs and so he sets out again. Doesn't matter that it seems to be the middle of the night, not like Oliver ever actually sleeps.

So if you see a shirtless man with a myriad of scars and tattoos over his upper body trying to pull down a curtain from the main lobby, then deal with it. It's happening. He needs the rod and he could use the material for a shirt too. If he can find a needle.]

[alifetime]

[For a man who stands six foot tall easily even without the greatcoat, Jack Harkness can be quiet when he wants to be. That 'quiet' part involves right now watching this stranger attack the hotel curtains.]

[He doesn't understand and he doesn't need to. All Jack feels he has to do is appreciate the expanse of bared skin offered to him and wonder what those scars would feel like under his fingers or tongue. Maybe what those tattoos mean.]

[Look, it isn't everyday he gets to see something other than Welsh skin stripped bare for his enjoyment.]

You know, if you're looking for bondage material, I would suggest the sheets torn into strips instead of those curtains. If either part has allergies, it's going to be more sneezing than fun.

[Benefit from the wisdom of Jack Harkness, people.]

[greenarrowed]

[Oliver stills, glaring at the wall for a few seconds. Of course. He should have thought of this earlier, since one of the last things he remembers is Malcolm telling him and Thea that they needed to learn to conquer their fears.

He drops the curtains and turns around to face Merlyn, stone faced and cold and hating that he needs this man. Hates that he can't beat Ra's without him and that the idea of Ra's Al Ghul won't leave him alone. Hates that he's strong enough to pretend like nearly dying didn't affect him because the lies come so easily now that sometimes he doesn't even know what's real. Hates that out of anyone in the world, no one else understands that but Malcolm Merlyn.]

This is hardly what I thought you meant by conquer our fears, Merlyn.

[alifetime]

[That might be one of the firmest backsides Jack has seen since he was dating those twin acrobats, and whatever higher power it is that dropped this man here shirtless has a new follower.]

[Oh wait, that wonderful sight goes away as Oliver turns. Okay. That can be lived with because in Jack's opinion, the front is just as good as the back. Whatever workout regime this stranger is doing, Jack heartily approves and would happily show his appreciation.]

[Damn it, why does he have to ruin it all be speaking? He looks and sounds pissed too. Jack can feel his chances of charming this one out of the rest of his clothes going down. What a waste.]

Merlyn? Uh, no. Captain Jack Harkness. At your service. [pause, beat] In all ways. [GRIN!]

[greenarrowed]

[This is the face of a nonbeliever. And the one of a man who is thinking about whacking Merlyn with a curtain rod until he tells him the truth and how to get out of here and if Thea is safe.

But that wouldn't get him anywhere with this man. He's learned that much.]

I'm not in the mood for this.

[notafraidofyou]

[Going to bed early didn't suit Tim's style before he was Robin, and the vigilante lifestyle definitely hasn't changed anything about that. Even here, he still can't bring himself to get to bed any earlier than really late, so it's not a surprise to find him wandering the hotel at all hours.

What is a surprise is seeing a shirtless, beat up looking guy trying to take the lobby apart. This guy has as many scars as Bruce, and while Tim's not going to automatically assume that means he's doing the cape and mask thing (especially given all of the alternate universes around here), it's definitely caught his attention.]

You know, in the interest of full disclosure, this hotel doesn't break easy.

[greenarrowed]

[Bruce Wayne has nothing on Oliver Queen's manpain.

Oliver rolls his eyes were the kid can't see it because he doesn't turn around to face him because he's busy right now, can he not see that.]

Good thing I'm not trying to break it then.

[notafraidofyou]

[Error: Irreparable invalid markup ('<small.[excuse>') in entry. Owner must fix manually. Raw contents below.]

<small.[Excuse you, Bruce's manpain is epic. Just ask him.]</small>

Oookay...

So what are you going to do with the curtain? Make yourself a fancy shirt? Not sure that's really your color. You look more like an autumn.

[greenarrowed]

[No he doesn't want to talk to Bruce Wayne.

Or you.]

Who the hell are you?

[dislocked]

[ Well, here's a man who doesn't have qualms about tearing the place apart. Bucky had stripped his hotel room down completely when he first arrived, paranoid, furious and ready to kill, sweeping for hidden mics, cameras, anything that functioned out of the ordinary.

And he assumes this particular person is going through similar compulsions, considering the scars and tattoos he sports (indicative of a hard, brutal life). He pauses twenty paces behind him, sizing him up in silence before he finally speaks. ]

Try twisting it to the right. Push it upwards before tugging it down.

[greenarrowed]

[Oliver could feel someone there before he spoke and readily ignored him until he didn't have a choice.]

You sound like you know from experience.

[usedtoit]

[ She's been loitering in the lobby for some time now, talking to various people, trying to get some sort of information. She hasn't come up with much, really. But it's hard to miss Oliver once she turns around and catches sight of him, and she's so so relieved to see someone she recognizes that doesn't look like her dad.

Even if he seems intent on destroying parts of the lobby, for some reason. Whatever.

She crosses the room quick, stopping short just behind him. She's seen all the scars before, but it's hard not to focus on them. ]

Where's your shirt?

[greenarrowed]

[Thea is a perfectly acceptable reason to pause his mission. When she wasn't there when he first woke up, he assumed that Merlyn had brought them to separate places. Face their fears alone and all that. But he was wrong and here she is and his plan to arm himself now extends to arming her too.]

That's really what you want to focus on right now, Thea?

[usedtoit]

I've already focused on everything else.

[ Like the guy who looks like her dad and the fact that there's no door to the outside nor is there any hotel staff to be seen anywhere. Some people have been here for at least a month and it apparently never stops raining. She's learned some things, she just hasn't found any of them to be particularly useful yet. ]

Did you just ditch it? Nobody else showed up shirtless.

[greenarrowed]

[Thea might recognize the look on his face. It's frequently the one he has around Roy and/or Barry. Like why would you even ask that.]

Thea, when have I ever taken my shirt off and walked around a strange place just for the fun of it? [Okay, well.] In the last two years.

I woke up like this.

lmk if this isn't ok!!

[hacker]

[ When Skye notices the newly accessible floor, she heads upstairs, nosing around. The commotion from inside his room while he turns it over is hard to miss, so she presses her ear to the door and knocks three times with her knuckles. ]

Hello?

this is so ok!! also lmk if this isnt~

[greenarrowed]

[Inside the room falls silent almost immediately as Oliver stops. He doesn't have a bow yet, or anything like an arrow because he hasn't had the time to properly work on it yet. But he will. For now, he picks up the curtain rod and intends to use it as more of a bow staff to defend himself with. It's not his strength but he's done it before.

He's not the kind to ask questions first and attack later. Which means when he opens the door, he surges forward, swinging the rod with the intent to knock her down.]

you're golden!

[hacker]

[ The opening door is her only warning: luckily, Skye has been training. This isn't like last year. She isn't some unprepared, civilian tag-along. She's an agent, trained by Melinda May, and she's actually passable at unarmed combat. (Key word: passable. It hadn't stopped 33 from being ready to kill her before Hunter crashed.)

For all these reasons and more (like, for example, the creepy hotel she's been living in for the past month setting her on constant edge), her arms immediately cross up over her head to block the curtain rod, taking the brunt of the blow on her forearms and giving her the chance to duck and twist out of the way, taking three short steps aside into the hallway.

If nothing else, it'll give her more room for this fight. Her hands move in front of her, palms splayed: despite the gesture of surrender, her feet remain planted firmly beneath her shoulders in a readied stance in case he comes at her again. ]

Whoa! I'd hate to see what your pizza delivery guy puts up with. Let's bring it down a notch.

<3

[greenarrowed]

[Oliver recognizes her stance for what it is, can tell that she's had some training but is definitely nowhere near the same level as him. He could take her out if he has to, but he doesn't. Not right away. The gesture doesn't fool him, he's not letting his guard down around her but he's willing to talk.]

Who are you?

[cisskabob]

[New people. There are new people in the hotel and Cissie is physically incapable of staying in her room when something like this is going on, and who could blame her for wandering around to see who's shown up? Or if a door has suddenly appeared. Stranger things have happened--here, even. She spends some time out in the courtyard getting rained on, and enjoying some fresh air for the first time in a month, and then goes back inside... Where she spots a half-naked, scar-covered man carrying a curtain rod.

Well. That's different.]

Welcome to the Hotel California. If you're planning to try to break a window with that, let me spare you some pain--they don't break.

[greenarrowed]

[Oliver's actual superpower is the way his eyebrow can convey 95% of what he's thinking without him actually having to say a word and oh boy look at the sass on that boy.]

I wasn't. But thanks anyway. I guess.

[paauuuuuuse]

Hotel California?

[cisskabob]

[Cissie is unaffected by your sassy eyebrows, stranger. She just spent enough time in her first days here throwing a useless baseball at windows to make her arm sore, that's all. She shrugs.]

That's what I call it, anyway. You know, like the song? [She hums a bit of the chorus--the only thing she's ever failed at other than baseball are voice lessons, so she's not about to sing it. But humming, sure. Unless he's from the future or another planet or a really depressing alternate reality without the Eagles, she can't fathom him not recognizing it.

Unless her humming is that bad, too.] If you figure out how to leave, let the rest of us know. What did the curtain do to you?

rooms, let me know if this is kosher, also, need this cr, amiright

[engender]

[ Derek's tried this before.

A few sweeps of the upper levels and he'd run into both Scott and Lydia. Allison had been the only fun he'd found downstairs. With his Chris Argent sighting downstairs, he knows his best bet lies in the newly opened upper levels. He uses what's left of his extra senses, hearing people in their rooms, knowing that knocking would only give them the wrong idea, that someone would think he knows they live there, or would expect answers. He has neither. Yes, he'll help in any way he can, but that would mean he could in some way.

Despite all that, he's not suspecting Oliver (or anyone for that matter) without a shirt wielding a - curtain rod. ]

Congratulations, you're the first person who was able to break something in this hotel. [ Not a helpful introduction, no, but it at least means that they can move parts from room to room. Glass might not shatter, windows might not break, but curtains? THEY CAN BE CHANGED OUT. Glory be. ] As of yet, there's nobody here you need to protect yourself from. Unless you're afraid of crying ghost girls that run away. [ And if he is, who is Derek to judge. He's been here a month, his sense of humor has slowly leveled off. His sense of frustration, however, never really goes away. ]

so freaking kosher

[greenarrowed]

[Funny.

Oliver's face is unreadable in response to Derek's sudden appearance. Not that he totally believes that there's nothing to defend against here. Better to be prepared than to be sorry.]

Crying ghost girls?

[Are you high?]

great, i'll grab the hebrew national, you bring the gefiltefish

[engender]

[ Derek can be funny when he wants to be. Not that anybody ever appreciates or acknowledges his humor, the asses.

He gets the need to defend yourself, he gets being on edge but nothing besides the Nogitsune and the dropped temperature indicates anything outright hostile. Which, like everything else is frustrating and leaves more questions than answers.

Right. You're new. ]

Several residents reported seeing a crying girl. When they tried to approach, she'd run. In the blink of an eye she'd disappear. People assumed. [ You have walked around, haven't you? More than the - lobby? ] They didn't pack you a shirt.

[ Obviously, right? It's a question but it doesn't sound like one. More like an observation. ]