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

[alifetime]

Fortunately, Jack didn't greet Red the way he did the last person he saw in a suit. Was it really his fault that he'd mistaken that backside for one errant Welshman's? Could have happened to anyone! Point was, he didn't wander up behind Red and grope him.

No, instead he launched into a story as he came into view. Needless to say, that famous Harkness charming grin was at full force.

"I was at a place like this once. Empty, creepy and all that. Turns out it was being used for this reality show."

He didn't mention that it had been an alien pornography on humans reality show, but that was just a small detail.

"Ended up running around that place for three months before they decided to let us out. Turns out that we weren't as good for their network numbers as they thought we would be. I did my part though."

Yep, he had. Again and again and again.

[suspense_kills_me]

The last time Red was in a place like this, he was brokering a deal for hell fire missiles and packing up a briefcase full of three million dollars for a brief trip to Cameroon. Not that he planned on sharing any of that information with anyone here.

"The last time I was in a place like it, it had a front door."

[alifetime]

"The lack of a front door is what makes it interesting."

That was the best Jack could do under these circumstances. He was trying for an upbeat outlook on matters.

"A mysterious hotel with unseen staff. What more could one ask for? People pay a lot of money for these murder mystery weekend tours. Although, given the décor, it might be more of a haunted hotel mystery."

Jack prodded one of the armchairs.

"I suppose it's too much to hope that this will be a makeover show despite how badly this place needs it."

[suspense_kills_me]

"I suppose."

Though right now, Red was more concerned with finding a way to deal with the situation than finding a way out of the situation. That could come later.

"Considering they don't have the decency to provide a lobby staff, I doubt the decor matters much."

[alifetime]

"I'm still putting my money on an alien porn reality show. Real popular these days."

Jack stretched out in his chair, putting his feet up on the just as old looking coffee table. His hands folded over his middle as his eyes turned to the windows where the rain fell endlessly.

"At least without a front door I don't have to wonder if I'm missing girls in bikinis or men in speedos down at the beach. No television or computers either. This could be a good thing if one wants a no-technology retreat."

He grinned at the stranger, finding him more interesting than the rain.

"Captain Jack Harkness. And you are?"

[suspense_kills_me]

"Alien pornography would not be the top of my list."

Though for someone abducted like he was, Red noticed that the other man was remarkably at ease. He was going to have to remember that for the future.

"Raymond Reddington."

[alifetime]

"You'd be surprised how often that's the answer. That or game shows where they kill the losers. Never understood their popularity. There's this one where the watchers get to vote on who they throw to the... well, they're sort of like earth sharks except for the whole ability to teleport."

Jack shrugged, turning fully away from the window to face Red. The down and up of his line of sight wasn't something he bothered to hide. He liked what he saw, and he didn't mind the other party knowing it.

There was, however, no recognition in his face at hearing Red's name.

"So what do you do when you're not exploring creepy hotels with fabulously handsome men?"

[suspense_kills_me]

"Sharks that teleport?"

That was something he hadn't heard of before. But, like Leela, Red assumed Jack wasn't from the same place he was. That was good. That meant there were people here that didn't know who he was or what he was capable of.

"I work in international shipping," which was true. What he shipped was neither here nor there, but he did cross international boarders often.

[alifetime]

"Like I said, sort of like Earth sharks except they can breathe air and the whole teleporting thing. Can really ruin your day when they start popping in and out."

Jack waves a hand vaguely. That tends to be his go-to gesture for anything that seems to weird to explain to someone else.

"International shipping? Huh." Jack sighs there. "Why are the handsome ones into paperwork? Must be due to the suit. It automatically sucks the fun out of any career. No man should wear a tie unless he's into bondage."

Putting his feet up, Jack dug one of the oranges stolen from the breakfast buffet from his pocket.

"Well, welcome to Hotel Hell. May we not freeze like a couple have told me they did last month. Kind of glad I missed that although it would have been a great reason for a threesome or moresome."

[suspense_kills_me]

Red would assure Jack that there was a lot about his career that was a lot of fun, but he didn't want to get into much more than international shipping. The smile he gave him though, said he was perfectly amused.

"Who says I'm not?"

Though the tie had nothing to do with his behavior in his bedroom.

"I take it we're whoever brought us here's amusement?"