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

[usedtoit]

[ 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.

[alifetime]

[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.]

[usedtoit]

[ 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?

[alifetime]

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.]

[usedtoit]

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. ]

[alifetime]

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?

[usedtoit]

[ 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! ]

[alifetime]

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.

[usedtoit]

[ 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. ]

[alifetime]

[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.]

[usedtoit]

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.

[alifetime]

I said men and women, not boys and girls. Even I have standards, no matter what anyone says.

[And Thea has been relegated to the 'girls' part and beyond the reach of Jack Harkness. He's not particular on who fills his bed, but again, the daddy issues on this one make some of the others seem like nothing.]

[Like a gentleman, he offers her his arm to take if she wants.]

At this point, I'm usually running, so I take it that nothing has leaped out with big teeth and claws to be a good thing.

A last question though, but Thea, this Malcolm... is he hard to kill? Comes back alive from impossible things? Like when he should have clearly been dead?

[It's the question he must ask, must know the answer to.]

[usedtoit]

[ She just rolls her eyes a little. ]

Semantics, Jack.

[ As long as being in the 'girls' category keeps him from hitting on her too much, she's perfectly okay with that. The less he does that the better. ]

Somebody's gotta teach you to fight instead of flight.

[ His question gives her pause, makes her smile start to fade. That's a very specific question with a very specific answer. Her smile has faded, but she does tuck her hand into his arm, more than okay with being escorted. She is a Queen, after all. ]

He was supposed to have died once. [ On that rooftop, by the Arrow. Who she now knows was her brother, wow. ] But he's not dead.

[alifetime]

I can fight. I just choose not to when I can avoid it. Not much is solved at the end of a gun barrel or a fist.

[Jack's free hand touches lightly on hers around his arm, enough to draw away quickly if she seems disturbed by it. For all his womanizing ways, Jack is capable of being a decent person. He just usually chooses not to be.]

I know it's hard, Thea, but it's important. More than that? Or just that one time? Tell me this, and I promise you that I won't ask you anything else about him tonight. I will do my best to be a good escort, show you the few things I know and even go try to wrestle you a bucket of popcorn from the thieves.

[Because one time could be a coincidence.]

[usedtoit]

Guess that depends on who you're aiming for.

[ Sometimes she finds that a lot gets solved at the end of a fist (or a gun barrel, or a sword, or an arrow) when you're aiming it at the right person. And then sometimes, you end up unwillingly murdering your friend because you're dad's a dick. Oops.

It is hard, but she wears a brave face, something quiet and determined and blank. ]

I only know of the one time.

[alifetime]

The fact that you even say that tells me you're not my daughter, Thea. Were you mine, I would have walked on hot coals to keep you from even having that thought.

[Those words are quietly said for her ears alone, nothing that anyone else needs to hear. Jack is a big believer in no one else needing to share in private sorrows.]

[For Jack, it was fine and well that he was in the trenches fighting some war or another, but never his daughter... not Alice or his grandson. Not that he knows of at least, not until he's called upon to murder his own grandson to save the world.]

Thank you, Thea. I know that was hard, but I had to know. I wasn't sure. Come on. Let's get you something to eat before you take over the hotel in one fell swoop.

[usedtoit]

[ If there was any lingering thoughts left in her mind over the possibility of him being Malcolm Merlyn, they're gone as soon as he says that. Because that is the exact opposite of what Malcolm has done. He's trained her to fight and be brave and be strong. And he's manipulated her into doing his bidding, took away her free will and forced her to kill. She's held onto her humanity as tight as she can, refusing to willingly become the killing machine he wanted her to be. Malcolm is selfish and cruel and has only wanted Thea to be just like him

Somewhere deep down in a place she refused to acknowledge, she almost wishes Jack really were her dad instead of Malcolm. Just for a second.

She doesn't say anything, but she tightens her hold at the crook of his elbow, an acknowledgement. Maybe a thank you, but she doesn't know what she's thanking him for.

She takes a deep breath, steadying herself, shaking away all the thoughts of Malcolm Merlyn. When she looks up at him again, it's with arched brows and the barest hint of a smile. ] I don't think I could take over the hotel on an empty stomach.

[alifetime]

[His free hand pats hers gently. The callouses on his are all wrong for a man who would use a bow. Those along his fingers are patches where handling a handgun wears, the places were they would curl to pull a trigger. The arm strength for pulling a bow back is lacking as well.]

Then our next mission is food. I heard they had popcorn in the theater here, but that others had overtaken it. Think we can reclaim some area?

[The smile he gives her is mischievous and full of fun, a lark instead of a test.]

I'll smile and look pretty while you sneak in behind and grab it all. We can outrun them. I'm good at that.

[usedtoit]

[ She can feel the differences — they're subtle, but they're there. She might not have noticed if she were just comparing them to Malcolm's hands, but she's familiar with the callouses that come with using a bow, seeing as Oliver and Roy have them too, and she's far more familiar with their hands (Roy's especially) than she is with Malcolm's.

Her own hands, long and thin and delicate, support the sort of roughness and nicks and scars that come with swordsmanship. ]

I feel like I should be offended that you're the one smiling and looking pretty, but-- [ Her smile grows and she shrugs. ] There's a reason my brother calls me Speedy.

[alifetime]

[A lifetime as a conman has taught Jack to look for all sorts of signs. Becoming immortal hadn't lessened his skills, only sharpened them. Especially when it came to the possible dangers of bedmates.]

Speedy? Is this a kind nickname or the sort you give a sibling that steals your stuff constantly? You're not a teddy bear ransoming type, are you? I would have to be a little disappointed in you if that's the case, Thea. That poor innocent teddy bear.

[A dramatic sigh follows, Jack shaking his head.]

I've ended up being led astray by someone who stole her brother's HotWheels cars. I can feel it. I know about these things.

[usedtoit]

[ He has her laughing before he's even finished, head tilted down and away as she hides it in her shoulder. Minus his face, he's the polar opposite of Malcolm, and it's sort of comforting. She likes it. ]

I may or may not have been responsible for stealing Ollie's cookies and running away with them when we were little. I could always outrun him and his cookies always looked better than mine.

But innocent teddy bears? [ She places her free hand against her chest like she's deeply offended, mimicking his dramatics. ] I would never.

[alifetime]

Running is a valuable skill that's often overlooked these days. Learned that well from a friend of mine.

[Meaning the Doctor. Lots of running involved there.]

[Jack finds himself liking the sound of the laugh as much as he did her smile. What he wouldn't give right now for the ability to run a genetic scan. She's exactly the type of woman he likes.]

Well, it was cookies. Who doesn't love those? A long as no bears were hurt in the process. They have feelings too, you know.

[usedtoit]

I was taught to survive, so if surviving means running-- [ She gives a shrug. ] Then I run.

[ Which she doesn't necessarily like to do, but she's self-aware enough to know when she's going up against something she can't beat (AKA the time the Arrow busted through her fucking window). So if push comes to shove, she'll book it. ]

It was always Ollie who crossed the line into bear-napping. Sometimes it escalated into full-blown wars. It was serious business.

[alifetime]

[The hand that rests over hers in the crook of his elbow tightens fractionally. Quiet displeasure crosses Jack's face before his usual smile overtakes it. Nothing he's heard from Thea's mouth tonight makes him very happy. If this Malcolm is him in a hundred or two hundred years from now, maybe that can be changed. Maybe there's still a chance.]

Full-blown wars? Does this mean nerf gun darts littered the walls or did you escalate to Lego brick traps?

[usedtoit]

[ His hand tightens on her's, but by the time she glances up at him, he's smiling again, so she's smiling too. ]

Not so much nerf guns as lots of sabotage and booby traps. It drove our parents up the wall. [ She sighs. ] But Oliver was older and bigger and smarter, so he almost always won.