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

[roughup]

The lack of bars didn't make this not a cage, as she had stated. If anything not being shoved into a cage or locked away in some small unsavory room and tied up was all together worse, like they had to look over their shoulder, expecting it at any second.

"Considering everything? Trust is the last thing I have right now."

[thisisgood]

"Then we are on equal footing with this place," Leela said, her expression grave. "Trust is difficult when you know no one, but I have been in stranger places than this and have survived them. It is good to establish allies. It is a sound tactic."

He had the stance of a hunter, she could see this in the way he moved, in the way he observed his surroundings. She, too, had the same about her. It was in the way she stood, making herself a difficult target, holding herself at an angle so as to make her harder to strike. Arrow, bullet, it did not matter.

"I am called Leela, warrior of the Sevateem, bodyguard to Lady President Romana of Gallifrey."

[roughup]

Well, she's not wrong about needing allies. As far as he knows, at the moment, he's here by himself. Hasn't run into anyone else he knows yet. Though her observation of him would make him laugh if she told him, a hunter? Kind... of. She certainly looked like someone who was ready to put up a fight if she needed to, which is made even more a sure thing when she introduces herself.

Warrior? Her full title is a bunch of nonsense to him, and kind of ridiculous to be honest, but he's in no place to make fun of her or it at this point in time. Not that he would, maybe just think she's got a screw loose.

"Leela... right. Uh, name's Donald." We'll just stick with a first name for now. He could give her the whole Special Agent Donald Ressler of the Federal Bureau of Investigations, but he's not so sure playing that card here would be at all wise. Highly likely not.

[thisisgood]

"It is fine. Just Leela, yes. Now I will watch your back, Donald." And that was really that. He was capable, she was capable, and now she would not let him get hurt. It was a good solution to a situation that did not inspire her with much beyond needing her own eyes everywhere.

Leela had made two allies now and she would have eyes out for both of them, though Capa could use more than her eyes.

[roughup]

So he'd made an ally without even meaning to it seemed? This Leela was an odd one, but she seemed 'okay' for just talking with her so far. Maybe she was one of those people who got really really into roleplaying? Didn't like breaking character... or heck, a method actor?

Whatever it was, she'd be on his list of people to keep an eye on, that's for sure.

"Seems like we could be here for a while, until we find someone with some real answers. Think we'll all have to have each others backs."

[thisisgood]

"It is the best of choices," she said with a slow nod. "If we do not have all the facts, we must assume this is a hostile environment and react accordingly or we may be harmed. Even if we do get these real answers, I do not feel right here. It is...perhaps just a feeling, but I am not pleased with this place, Donald."

[roughup]

"Feeling is mutual, on all fronts. Lack of any exits or even an entrance is weird enough. Like something from the Twilight Zone." Like some weird nightmare. Something he should be waking up from soon enough and just brush off, roll back onto his side and fall asleep again.

So far no dice.

[thisisgood]

The Twilight Zone reference went straight over her head, but Leela frowned and nodded, figuring it was probably as creepy as no exits sounded. It made her feel as if she were pinned down like a butterfly, like she had seen on the cork boards kept by her ancestors.

"Everything about this place is strange and alarming," Leela said, her voice low.

[roughup]

"Get the feeling that's only gonna get worse." As it seems to be a running thing for him. Always worse before it gets better, better being a strong word to use.

"You gonna wait here to see if anyone shows up?" Cause if so, at least he'll have some company. Strange company, but so far not 'bad' company.

[thisisgood]

"I had thought to wait, yes," Leela said, her expression pensive. "I do not know how many of us there will be, but I will wait with you in this place. Hopefully, none of them are dangerous people. If they are and if we are attacked, we will be fine. They may have taken my knives, but I am as much as weapon without them."

[roughup]

"Someone has to show up eventually." Lackeys for some big bad nutjob or whoever is running this weird kidnapping scheme. Can't just drop people in a place like this and leave them to run around without some semblance of what's going on.

Tell them why they were taken or anything. For money, power, influence, bargaining, or hell some crazy experiment. Maybe they're in some bad horror movie, who knows at this point. Anything is up for grabs, though right now Ressler's ideas are still grounded in the reality he knows.

"Hopefully we won't have to make a mess of things." But if they had to he can handle his own. Maybe. Sometimes.

[thisisgood]

"It would be normal for someone to show up," Leela said, her eyes scanning the exits. "I do not think this is normal. But we shall see." And then she shrugged a little. "I do not mind it if I have something to hit. It would be much more pleasant than having nothing at all."

[roughup]

"I've heard beating a pillow can help with that urge." Ressler please, now is not the time for jokes. Especially bad ones. Maybe it's easier to feel at ease without a bunch of guys with guns or threats ushering them around. A very easy false normalcy to fall into. He doesn't like it.

[thisisgood]

"Never as satisfying," Leela said dryly. The joke itself flew straight over her head, as usual. "And it doesn't hit back." There was something to be said for a fair fight and pillows just did not have the stuffing in them for it. Oh. That was an amusing thought.

[roughup]

"Kind of the point. You can hit it as much as you want until you don't feel like it." Fair fight is great and all, but Ressler really doesn't like getting hit, or hurt at all. He's had more than his fill in his lifetime, thanks.

....wow

[thisisgood]

Leela made a face.

"I would ruin the pillow long before I did not feel like hitting it." Was that not true? Hitting a pillow did nothing productive for her. "I would rather hit a sparring partner or an enemy. A pillow is no challenge."

shh it's okay /patpat

[roughup]

"Guess if we find any one running the place here, we'll have to ask about punching bags. Sounds like you could use one." Or maybe just punch a few heads in of the bastards who brought them here. Knocking some heads about could be useful.

[thisisgood]

"I will try not to hit them until we have answers or bags to punch," Leela said, sounding as put out as possible. She did, really, really want to just tear into whomever was keeping them there and convince them of their error.

"I do not promise this thing."

[roughup]

To be honest he's kind of amused by Leela's whole... thing. She's different, but not in a bad way. He can't help but try not to smile as he replies.

"Luckily I'm not asking you to promise." If anything he wants the same thing as her, but his way of tearing into people would be a bit different.

[thisisgood]

"Good," Leela said with amusement and then fixed him with a sharp look. "I do not enjoy breaking promises, Donald. When I do break a promise, it is because there is no other option."

She nodded a little and relaxed, her laugh soft.

"I think I enjoy threatening violence more than the act. It does not excuse the frustration this place brings. Perhaps I will kick a door." The last part? It was a joke, poorly door, terrible actually, but there was definitely joking in her tone.

[roughup]

"That's pretty admirable." But he feels the same way about promises. They're not something to throw around lightly, unless he knows he can keep that promise.

And thankfully he can tell she's joking about the door bit, but just the way she says things is so odd. Not in a bad way. He's just not used to people talking the way she does.

"Just make sure no one is behind that door, otherwise you'll have a problem on your hands." Not that they need more problems.

[thisisgood]

"I will try," Leela said, her smile small. "It seems, though, that there is a problem behind nearly every door in this place. If I keep kicking them, perhaps I will eventually solve the problem."

[roughup]

"Guess that's one way to think about it. Just be careful, could be more than you could handle." Not that this already wasn't. For all of them.

[thisisgood]

Leela looked very mildly offended at the suggestion something might be too much for her, but she just smiled at him. It was absolutely not remotely ladylike, it was the sort of smile that said she would defeat anything that came through or stood in her way.

"I am always careful," Leela said very, very dryly.

[roughup]

And if looks could hurt a man, he'd probably be on his knees at least, begging for her to stop. Sooo he'd offended her? Good first impression, Ressler.

"Hey I'm not saying you can't handle things, I mean we just don't know what's going on here. Better to err on the side of caution, a little."