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

[cisskabob]

[Cissie's been loitering in the lobby, watching the new arrivals and hoping to see anyone she knows. No luck on that front so far, but she can't just ignore everyone else while looking for her family or friends. When she spots Thea by the window, she can't help but feel for her. She looks sad, and Cissie knows how it feels when the reality of their situation starts to sink in. She's been there, and had her fair share of sleepless, tearful nights.

She's found that friendly faces help, though, so she makes her way over to Thea and looks out the window with her.]

...You get used to the rain after a while. I can't say I'd mind some sunshine, though. [She gives her a smile and offers a hand.] Hi. I'm Cissie.

[usedtoit]

[ She notices Cissie's reflection in the window long before she speaks. It's weird; it's not something she would've thought about doing, checking for people sneaking up behind her in reflective surfaces, had this been several months earlier. A lot changes. She only turns when Cissie speaks, and it's with a a faint smile. ]

I didn't think sunshine was something I'd end up having to miss. [ She gives Cissie's hand a firm shake. ] Thea.

[cisskabob]

[Cissie laughs at that--friendly, polite, not laughing at her, but with her, knowing that she's not actually laughing along yet.] Yeah, me either. The weather here hasn't actually changed since I got here though, but it's not raining indoors, so--can't complain, I guess?

[usedtoit]

[ Thea can definitely tell the difference, and her smile grows some. It's nice to find somebody who isn't absolutely despairing, honestly. It makes her hopeful that this place can't be that awful. ] A silver lining if I ever heard one. How long ago did you get here?

[cisskabob]

[That question makes Cissie pull a face and shrug a little apologetically.] ...About a month now. Thirty-one days. Not that I've been counting, [she says, grinning a little. She's absolutely been counting. It's hard not to. Sooner or later she'll give that up, but for now... It's working for her.]

Oh! By the way, don't let the jerk at the front desk fool you. He's not actually staff, he just pretends to be. I don't know what his deal is, but--I'm pretty sure he's not good news. Also, there's breakfast every morning, and I recommend grabbing extra food for the rest of the day because the room service isn't actually very room servicey.

[usedtoit]

[ 'About a month' is as long as Thea's been hearing from everyone else she's talked to. She's beginning to think it's safe to assume that this entire thing has only been going on for a month, then. It's what she'll assume until she hears otherwise.

She leans a little to see past Cissie, to eye the guy at the front desk. ] Yeah, that guy looks pretty skeevy. I'll be sure to steer clear. [ She looks back at Cissie again, smiling. ] This place is definitely note getting a good review on Yelp when I get home.

[cisskabob]

[It's a safe assumption that Cissie would encourage, if she were a mind reader. As it is, she grins at Thea's remark about Yelp. Oh, she misses the internet.] Right? I'd love to see Gordon Ramsey do an episode of Hotel Hell here. ...I'd love to see Gordon Ramsey at all, really.

[She watches someone walk by them, and turns serious again.] I don't know what else you've heard about this place, or the people here--but we're kind of an eclectic bunch.

[usedtoit]

Oh, what I would give to see that. What I would give to see him. I never know whether to be kind of terrified of him or kind of awed.

[ Thea tilts her head a bit, her expression shifting into something that matches the more serious topic change. ] What do you mean?

[cisskabob]

[She grimaces a bit, and hesitates just a few seconds before deciding to jump in with both feet. Better to tell her now and get it all out of the way--rip off the band aid.] Well... My neighbor is an Elf from like the middle ages or some high fantasy type world, for one thing. And there's someone here from some far off future where they live on spaceships and explore the universe. And Captain Hook here is, and he ha does not actually have a hook for a hand... Some people here were complaining that their magic was taken away--I don't have any magic, so I can't speak on that one. And--it's weird. Some people here have found all kinds of other people from their homes, like this one guy mentioned that his wife is here with him. And then I found someone I know from home, but he's... not actually the guy I know at all. Just someone who has the same name and is like him, but kind of from a different reality. If any of that makes sense.

[usedtoit]

[ Thea listens, brow creased, but not in a disbelieving way. After all, she's mysteriously woken up in a hotel that nobody can seem to get out of. It's not like what Cissie is saying is all that more far-fetched. Plus she's pretty sure her neighbor is an alien, so. ]

The guy who lives next to me is from like, two hundred years in the future and has pointy years. His name is Spock and he suggested I should use butter knives as weapons.

[cisskabob]

[Cissie grins again, relieved that Thea's not fighting too hard on this front. It's hard enough being here without being in denial about the whole thing.]

I guess I'd prefer a bow, but since we don't have any of those... Butter knives would work. Or hand-to-hand. Running's good. I have a baseball and really good aim? Fortunately, I haven't needed any of that yet.

[usedtoit]

[ The word 'bow' noticeably grabs her attention, but she doesn't comment on it right away. She smiles a little to match Cissie's grin. ]

According to my brother, spoons are a better choice than butter knives, apparently. [ She tilts her head a bit. ] So aside from the initial kidnapping bit, you haven't had a reason to defend yourself?

[cisskabob]

[Cissie raises an eyebrow and laughs a bit, because... wow, intense brother you've got there, Thea.]

Spoons would be... a lot more painful, I bet. Probably best for eye-gouging, and isn't that cheerful?

[She grins, and shrugs a shoulder.] Not yet. The heat went out for a while, and it was ridiculously cold? But... there were fewer of us until today.

[usedtoit]

[ Yeeeaaaah, no kidding. ]

That's pretty much what Ollie said. Or at least implied.

[ So it's like, what, indirect torture? That's awesome. ] I hope they don't do that again, they didn't give me near enough sweaters for that. [ She purses her lips. ] But if that's as bad as they get, I guess we can be kind of grateful, right?

[cisskabob]

[Ollie. Interesting name. Cissie's eyebrows raise.]

...Do you and your brother discuss improvised weapons regularly? Because I might really not be as sad about being an only child after all, if that's the case.

[She's teasing, and it shows when her tone changes again and she grimaces. Don't say things like that, Thea. Cissie is totally superstitious enough to believe that's just an invitation to things getting worse.] So far? I mean, I know we'd all rather not be here, but. There's a roof, and beds, and one meal a day? I am pretty grateful for hot water again, though.

[usedtoit]

[ She almost never calls him 'Oliver'. ]

Only very recently.

[ She's grinning a little, taking to the teasing well. She pulls a face, though, at the mention of hot water. ] Cold showers are not pleasant things. My heart goes out to you, really.