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

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

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!

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[ Wait is he checking her out?

WHY IS HE CHECKING HER OUT?

She takes a step back, looking something between affronted and confused. ]

Excuse me? I'm not your lovely lady, I'm not your anything. We've been over this, I'm--

[ That. Is not his name. Is it? She has no idea what's going on, she's suddenly a million times more confused than she was upon waking up. Which she didn't think was possible, actually. ]

Captain what?

You're not my anything yet, no. We should get to know each other a little more before that. I'd like to know who's dress is on my floor in the morning. I hate those awkward morning afters when we can't remember each other's names.

[That easy grin never changes as he leans against the front desk like a lazy cat. He loves it when they get all flustered. Now if she'd only blush, the image would be perfect.]

Captain Jack Harkness. Didn't catch your name.

[ And she does blush, her face heating at the mention of her dress in his floor. She is his daughter, whether she wants to be or not, and this is totally wrong and inappropriate and gross. Her arms cross over her chest to keep from hitting him, if only because she knows he can knock her on her ass if he were so inclined. ]

Is this some kind of test? Another training exercise? Because this-- [ She gestures to him, to the lobby around them. ] is beyond too far.

[Even Jack is a little confused at this point, and he's usually the one making others confused. He's missing something here, and he knows it.]

If this is a test, it's one of the worst. I was thinking more another reality television show. Other races eat this sort of stuff up.

[A finger is tipped towards her and then back to himself.]

Do we know each other? That level of hostility is something I expect from an ex-girlfriend, and I would remember you if that was the case. You've got that kind of fire and flash that would be hard to forget. It's not a good look on you. There's a vase over there if you want to throw it at the wall or somewhere other than at me.

[ Somehow, despite everything, she can't help but be a little bit offended. Not a good look on her, as if. But that is probably the least important part of what he said, so she shoves it aside. ]

If I wanted to hit you, I would've done it by now.

[ She takes a breath, trying to coax herself away from the fury. Logically, there's no reason for Malcolm to pretend to be someone he isn't. Especially not towards someone who knows him. Maybe Malcolm's actually an evil twin. It wouldn't be the most ridiculous thing to happen. ]

You look exactly like my father. Except my father's name isn't... [ She pauses, frowns. ] Captain Jack Harkness.

Glad you didn't. Haven't been a bad enough boy to earn that yet.

[The rest of what she says does knock the feet out from under Jack some. He lives forever, or believes he will, and at some point he'll get his vortex manipulator fixed. Is it possible? Yes. Likely? Well, likely is a subjective term when one is Captain Jack Harkness.]

Okay. I can say right now that I don't have any kids. [He does, but Jack never ever admits it.] What is your father's name?

[He's really hoping that it isn't one of his old aliases.]

You talked about getting me naked. I should've slapped you awhile ago.

[ It's a weird thing to say to a dude that looks like your dad, but she's decidedly come to the conclusion that this is not, in fact, her father. Now, his not-as-evil twin is a different story. She's working on that theory.

She's relaxed a little, her complexion beginning to fade back to normal, but her arms are still crossed and she still doesn't look the least bit happy. ]

Malcolm Merlyn.

[ It's a name that carries a lot of weight where she's from, and most of it is very bad. ]

I think you'd look good naked. Most people do even if they don't think so. Lot of fun can be had naked.

[A lot of what spills from Jack's mouth is just patter, the same kind of talk a magician does when they want a person to concentrate on what's going on with Hand A instead of Hand B.]

[He nods at the name although there is no recognition on his face for it.]

Can't say I've ever gone by that name. What year are you from?

[Doesn't mean he won't. Changing names and lives is what Jack does. She looks like she's from around the twenty-first century but there was a resurgence in the thirty-fourth with fashion and all that made it popular again. At least on Earth.]

Please stop.

[ She sounds a little bit panicked. Because, okay, it's kind of flattering, but he also still looks like a marginally younger version of her dad and it's weird.

The question makes her pause, brow creasing a little. It strikes her as a strange question, but she supposes if this entire situation is happening in the first place, then it's not all that far fetched. ]

Twenty-fifteen. [ Her head tilts. ] You don't have any evil twin brothers wandering around?

Sorry. Force of habit.

[All right, so he'll try to rein it in. No promises.]

[A frown comes at the year although that could mean absolutely nothing. If his vortex manipulator is fixed, he could be anywhere and anywhen. When he looks up at her this time, its more of a cold and calculating examination instead of the laughing flirting. It's the sort of look one gets down a gun barrel.]

No, I don't. Only child. [Another lie, but an easy to tell one.] What's he like, your father? You said we look exactly alike or just sort of alike?

[ Now that is the look she's used to getting from her father. Without the grin, he looks even more like Malcolm than ever. She's not sure whether it throws her of or grounds her, but it does something. Her spine straightens and her arms drop back down to her sides and her posture grows tense. She almost looks like she's ready for a fight. ]

You look a few years younger. Other than that, it's exactly the same. [ She pauses, then continues. Everything she says is on public record back at home anyway. ] Malcolm isn't a good person. He's responsible for a lot of deaths and a lot of damages.

A few years younger.

[Not good news. At all. Jack knows he ages, a grey hair or two showing up over the span of a hundred years. What kind of man would be in another century? Two or three? Could he have gone back and be this man? He doesn't know. Jack had been the sort of man who did horrible things before, a monster some said. And they were right.]

What I wouldn't give for the ability to run a blood test. [Thoughtful and considering a moment before he's back with that flash of a grin that loosens lady's panties and men's boxers.]

But that's not who I am now. I'm Captain Jack Harkness. You're not a Harkness, are you? [He doubts it since the daughter he does have goes by a different last name.]

[ The words 'blood test' make her still. They imply that he seems to think there might be some possibility that he's her father, even if she's done determined that there's no way. It throws her back into the realm of doubt, and she's uneasy again. Malcolm Merlyn is a high profile man with lots of money and lots of publicity. If there were any chance that he'd ever had a different name, a different life, the public would know, right? She should know, at least. It doesn't seem like something that would be easy to hide.

The thought doesn't do much to ease her discomfort, though. ]

Thea Queen. [ She never took up the Merlyn name once she found out who her biological dad was. Malcolm had never offered. She's suddenly glad she didn't; she wants nothing to do with him now. For all intents and purposes, Robert Queen is the only dad she's ever known. ]

I am pleased to meet you then, Thea Queen.

[He even gives her a bow.]

I'd really prefer you call me 'Jack' because I don't think I look much like a Malcolm. I'd never get a date with that sort of reputation following me around. Maybe the man you're talking about could be me in another dimension. Never know what the Rift can do.

[His smile dims some as he looks her over, a little more true instead of flash.]

I bet you're an amazing daughter though. You had me worried for a few minutes there.

[ It's a bit theatrical and a bit charming at the same time, which just makes it a bit weird. ]

Another dimension? [ Oh, so now they're dealing with more than on dimension. It only seems marginally weirder than her evil twin brother theory, really. ] If that's the case, I hope you're a less awful version of Malcolm Merlyn.

[ She blinks at him, and her expression softens. She's never been good about keeping her emotions on lock, not the way Ollie is. So, like usual, they're playing across her face. There's a little bit of surprise, like maybe she's never been told that before. Then she's smiling, dropping her gaze. ] Thank you.

[All of terms described Jack exactly, making one of the strangest blends ever.]

It is possible. We have a thing where I'm from called a 'Rift'. It takes and leaves things. Sometimes those things are from other places or times or... well, it gets complicated.

[The anger draining away from her with the tenseness. She is a pretty girl, no denying that, but he's had enough girls with daddy issues although this is the first time it's been actual daddy issues.]

Would it help me be a much less awful version if I said I was one of the good guys where I'm from? I can even prove it. I have witnesses here!

[He grins at her, hoping to coax out another of those smiles.]

[ That is so totally and completely ridiculous and she believes every word of it. Maybe that's how they ended up here, who the hell knows. She's decided not to rule anything out. ]

I am so familiar with complicated.

[ It's not even the whiny teenage drama brand of complicated, either. She totally objects to the phrase 'daddy issues' though. One dad's dead and the other's a manipulative dick, but her issues have long since been resolved. ~~At least that's what she'd like to think.~~

She's pressing her lips together, trying not to smile, but it's hard. He's mostly charming and seems like the polar opposite of Malcolm, and though she's wary, she's starting to like it. ]

I guess somebody's gotta balance out all the horrible things Malcolm's done. [ The last part catches her interest, though, and she tilts her head. ] Like people from your home?

Good thing. Chances are it'll get a lot more complicated sooner rather than later.

[He's already talked to one girl that mentioned spirits. Then there's the Doctor and Clara. If they're here, who knows what else might be lurking around the corner?]

[A HA. He sees that tiny beginning of a smile and is willing to push for more.]

People I know, yeah. 'Home' is one of those weird words that changes constantly. Time and all that. But they could tell you that I'm usually one of the good guys. Protecting the planet and all that. It's a big job, but someone has to do it.

[Or he might be bullshitting her with that wide grin of his. At least it's an honest amusement in him instead of a lie.]

I didn't expect anything less.

[ She's really gotta start preparing herself for more, though. Without a weapon, she seriously needs to brush up on her hand-to-hand.

His efforts are rewarded. Her lips curl at the corners, the beginnings of a smile. She doesn't know if he's bullshitting or not. She doesn't know what to believe. If it's a lie, it's a little white one, not big enough for her to get her feathers ruffled over. She crosses her arms over her chest, looking mock impressed. ]

The entire planet, huh? What from?

[ Part of her is still focused on the fact that he has people from home. Theoretically, that means she could have people from home too, right? It makes her hopeful. ]

Good girl. It's those that can't see it coming that there might be problems with.

[Not that Jack plans on doing anything such as leading or control. Nope. He does that back at Torchwood because someone needs to. This place is bound to have some natural leaders about. Besides, he's lacking his gun for those important conversations that need to be had at gunpoint.]

From whatever or whoever it needs protected from. Let's leave it that you think I'm sane right now. I start talking about other things, and you might not. I don't think our relationship is strong enough for you to break my heart like that.

[Said with that same teasing grin, her smile relieves Jack more than anything. Or at least what little he's gotten so far. Might not hurt to find out more about this Malcolm though. The question is how to do that without her closing back off.]

So, not going to throw a vase at my head or anything, yeah?

[ She gives him a look, and it's not an unhappy look, but maybe a faintly scornful look at the 'good girl' remark. It doesn't really sound all that condescending coming from him, though, and that's what keeps her from being more annoyed at it.

She tilts her head at him, her smile growing a bit. ]

And what makes you think I think you're sane right now? All this talk of time and the Rift and alternate dimensions. It's a little far-fetched, don't you think?

[ She's more relaxed now, and willing to give him the benefit of the doubt now that she's more or less determined that there's no way he can actually be Malcolm. She still has her suspicions, and there are a hell of a lot of questions unanswered, and she probably actually should not be trusting him in any way, and Oliver would be criticizing her so hard if he were here. But she's not ~~as far as she knows~~, so she's left to make her own decisions. ]

Right now? No. [ Still smiling! ]

Because you're still standing here talking to me. If you thought I was insane or talking nonsense, you look like the sort that would bash me over the head and take off. You're not the shrinking violet sort that's standing here because she's afraid of me or humoring me. When I used my 'Authority' voice on you, you snapped to. You didn't flinch or back away.

[A wink and Jack stretches out some, shakes off a little of his own tension. It's more than that to him, but he's not going to think about that right now. Or ever.]

[And that look? So easy to ignore. He's withstood an Ianto Jones Level Are-You-Serious glare. Threats of coffee loss too.]

Good. I'd hate to have a surprise projectile hitting me in the back of the head. Be even worse to have to explain it that a pretty girl did me in although most people who know me have been expecting that to happen.

[Jack sighs dramatically.] Hate to prove them right.

Edited (It just read badly to me and needed a few more words added.) 2015-03-05 07:02 (UTC)

[ He's right, of course, and it makes her thoughtful. She stands angry and defiant more often than not nowadays, and she's not sure where exactly the turning point was. She thinks, maybe, it some combination of being brought fully into the fold and learning of her brother's secrets and how Malcolm had selfishly manipulated her. Maybe that's when she decided she was tired of being pushed around. Maybe it was earlier than that.

Maybe she's shaping up to be a bit of a soldier. She's not sure whether or not she likes that thought.

So, yeah, maybe he's right, but she's not gonna confirm or deny.

She arches her brows, looking amused. ]

So that happens to you a lot? Pretty girls throwing things at you?

[ She absolutely does not doubt it. ]

[Jack has no idea what it is, but there's something hard and bright in this girl. Reminds him a lot of Gwen, a lot of Ianto. After all this time, he's gotten to be more of a judge of character than he'd like. But damn, she's a pretty and smart girl to be how he sees her.]

All the time. Men and women. Can't say I'm particular.

[He shrugs with a boyish grin, the sort that does charm most. Doesn't hurt that he puts off enough pheromones to drag most right into his ~~clutches~~ hands.]

I'd ask about you but given who you think I look like, that might be edging into bad territory again. So, in the interest of keeping the vase whole, how about I offer that we try to track down something to eat instead. You can protect me from anything that might be hiding. Sound good?

[He's teasing. Probably.]

I feel like I shouldn't trust you if all the boys and girls are finding reasons to throw things at you.

[ But, she's still standing here, smiling, looking up at him. She probably shouldn't have dated the boy who stole her purse either, but that's sure as hell something she did. She does a lot of things she shouldn't do, even now that she's older and smarter.

She tilts her head, pursing her lips thoughtfully. He's not entirely wrong — there are certain things he could ask that would put her straight in the territory of uncomfortable and unhappy because she still partially sees Malcolm when she looks at him. But he mentions food and her belly rumbles and she doesn't want to pass that up. ]

Okay. But only because you obviously need protecting.

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