checkingout | 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!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Um— sort of." The question makes Fitz realize, belatedly, that this isn't old hat for everyone. He turns more fully to face Harry, leaning one hand on the stairwell railing. The gesture isn't very nonchalant; more like he's fidgeting, trying to find something to do with his hand.

"Alternate." Rather than launching into a rambling explanation, though, he gives Harry a curious look. "What's the last thing you remember? Not... personal, but bigger. World events."

He recognises what is intended to be a comparing of notes and considers his options.

"International mass disappearances of celebrities, royalty and political leaders," Harry says. "A recent announcement that the Valentine Corporation would be making cellular calls and data usage free worldwide. This - would be in the early summer of 2015."

None of which sounds familiar. It isn't surprising, but it still manages to be slightly disappointing.

"We haven't got any of that. No Valentine Corporation, no free data usage — and it was early 2015 for us, as well. The worlds in these different dimensions, they've barely got anything in common."

A beat, then he adds (for good measure, mostly, though also to be completely sure), "Have you ever heard of SHIELD?"

Harry smiles very faintly. It looks grim, in his bloodied clothes.

"I'd ask if you mean an organisation or a person, but that makes it clear enough that the answer's no."

The smile Fitz offers in return is just as faint, if more sympathetic.

"The first one. But it doesn't exist here, or wherever you're from, so." A light shrug, as if to imply it doesn't matter when it absolutely does. "But the... I mean, the hotel's not terrible. Your room should be quiet, and the heat's been fixed."

That's a fairly weak attempt at comfort, but it's true. Strange gifts and invisible hosts aside, the hotel hasn't been completely horrifying thus far.

"You seem to have settled in quite well," Harry notes, head tilting, and it's a completely open-ended remark.

Though if he was going to keep talking, there's something like ...for someone who's been forcibly extracted from their home and imprisoned in a vaguely sinister hotel with no exits that would fit neatly onto the end of that sentence.

Which is not something anybody would've said about him previously, ever. Fitz and change don't usually go all that well together, and he seems a bit surprised by the observation. One hand scrubs back over his short hair in a thoughtful, restless gesture, settling at the back of his neck.

"Well, it's not just me. From my world, I mean, I've got a— friend. She's here with me." Which makes all the difference in the world, and is as good a prompt as any for the follow-up question. "Have you seen anyone you know?"

"No, I haven't." Not yet. "Thank God for small mercies."

He is excessively troubled by the possibility. He barely cares about himself, but today, but if Eggsy or Merlin were to wash up here...

They don't deserve this.

Fair enough. There's a flicker of guilt at his own relief at seeing a few familiar faces, but he wouldn't wish this place on anyone who isn't already here; the sentiment makes sense. Fitz takes a second to mull over something else to say — something helpful, hopefully.

"Have you got a tablet? You should. In your case, with the— whatever else you've got. A change of clothes, maybe."

Vague references to the blood all over Harry's current suit? Maybe.

The reference is caught easily enough and Harry smiles thinly, self-effacingly.

"I certainly hope so. This isn't how I was hoping to look my entire time here. I was just on my way to my room - ah, I've noticed the case has a combination lock?"

And no indication on his key or anywhere else of what the number might be.

Right, about that. "It's... well, it'll be something you know. They have been so far, anyway— except it's not that we're setting them, it's that only the owner can guess the code right off."

Which is a little creepy, yes, but it's also very interesting. In some ways, it's a little more familiar than the rest of the weird occurrences here; there are tech explanations, anyway. DNA or fingerprints, something along those lines.

"I haven't quite worked it out yet, but... you shouldn't have any problems opening it."

"I see."

Curious, and certainly creepy, but it's only one of countless questions he needs to be answered.

"Well, I'd best go and investigate that further. We'll talk again when I'm more presentable, I hope."

Fitz offers him a polite nod, a little more confident and less generally antsy, now. That doesn't stop him from moving to head off with nothing but that for a goodbye, but he only gets two steps before he stops, glancing back up the stairs.

"And— sorry, by the way. About... being here."

Seems more apt than a welcome.

It is appropriate, and appreciated. Harry smiles faintly and nods.

"Much appreciated, Fitz."

And then they part ways, and he goes to puzzle out his suitcase.

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

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THIS IS V V LATE feel free to handwave friendly goodbye if you want!

we good, this thread seems close to a natural close anyway <3 but they need to talk more mmhm

yesss absolutely!! plot stuff maybe or i'll look for a chance to crash in

he has an ota in the current intro log, and I'll keep an eye out for Fitz <3