checkingout | sit yourself down, and meet the best inn keeper in town ( O P E N )

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sit yourself down, and meet the best inn keeper in town ( O P E N )

Who: Everyone!
Where: The initial arrival rooms, the main lobby, all over the place.
When: February 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.

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 tall pull-down screen, a silent version of nosferatu 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 timey music.

along the curtained windows is another long table, with a large bowl that looked like it once would have held popcorn. but is now unfortunately empty. same for the large hot drink dispensers labeled "hot chocolate" and "coffee".

OTHER.

the ballroom and breakfast hall are currently closed, grand doors locked.

there is no main door leading to the outside, good luck trying to find one.

the door to the courtyard is locked.

ROOMS.

you've a room key with your assigned room number on it. all the new guest residences will be located on floors one & two. 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'd 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.

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[ it's off.

and allison doesn't think that much of herself to say she knows scott completely. there might have been a time, some months ago, that she would have - but not now. not since everything. they've grown apart and the fact in and of itself is enough to eat at her chest. but she does know him well enough to see the pain in his face, the forced smile. he's hiding something, or hasn't told her something, and she can see it written in his features as plain as day.

whatever it was she had thought was so important a moment before is gone. the whole issue with why are they here and how did they get here and where is lydia falling away like rain off her shoulders. scott looks older, too much older, and allison doesn't like the look on him. doesn't like the weight on his shoulders, the way it draws them down.

the panic and fight and urgency she'd been harboring when she stepped in is gone, now, replaced instead with a different kind of panic. cold and hard and deep-rooted somewhere in allison's chest that tells her something is wrong. scott is massaging the bridge of his nose and allison frowns. ]

The last...? [ her brows are still drawn together, but she lets out a breath instead of finishing the question. ] We were going to find Lydia and the Nogitsune. You, me, Isaac and Kira. We were standing out in front of the gate and then when we walked in I must have blacked out. I woke up here.

[ she waits, her breath caught in her chest, like the moment before you someone tells you they didn't make it. she stands strong, because she has to, because that's what argents do, and waits for scott. ]

Why?

A hotel with worse weather and less room.

[ He gives a polite nod to the introduction, then chews on his lower lip slightly like he's mulling over the answer to the question. Confidentiality is kind of a big part of working for SHIELD, but he's not entirely sure how much of that applies now. ]

I don't think they're impossible. I've seen portals before, or at least the damage they've caused, so... you think that's why we're here? Portals from other dimensions, maybe.

[ That gets his attention, expression lighting up slightly at the possibility. ]

Really? [ A beat, the follow-up a little hesitant. ] And where's that? Your home. If it's alright to ask.

[ Fitz's eyes skip up towards the ceiling as the lights settle, and he's quiet as she speaks, quiet as she lets go and heads for the door. There's one more uncertain glance around the room before he follows, pausing just long enough to retrieve the small toolkit from the bed.

It's just a coincidence, the earthquake back in the caves and the tremor that'd just passed through the hotel; or if they're related, it's because of whatever's brought them here. He'd say it was whatever they were hunting in those ruins, but that doesn't explain everyone else. ]

Have you tried the lifts?

[ Oops. Fitz withdraws slightly under the scrutiny, expression guarded and one hand scrubbing back over his hair, restless.

There's a delay while he considers the question, then a noncommittal shrug. ]

Maybe. I don't know what they're doing, exactly. It's a... it was a government experiment. But it's over, now. Whatever the magic ingredient was, they've lost it.

[ A beat. ] Not actual magic. Probably. But the important thing is that it can't be what's brought you back, in any case.

Nah. Didn't want to risk it with the way the lights have been going.

[ She gestures around with a finger at the sconces in the hallway as they dip out of Fitz's room. ]

Took the stairs down, though. Creepy kid at the desk doesn't seem to know anything, and there's some movie on, but Fitz … There aren't any front doors down there.

Well, they don't work, anyway. I tried to fix the wiring. [ Well. ] Someone else did. A girl named Raven.

[ His own gaze trails over the hallway lights as they make their way down the corridor, as if they're somehow responsible for all of this. Except one comment catches his attention, enough so for him to bulldoze past the rest of it. ]

There was someone at the desk?

[ Doors: duly noted. First thing he'd noticed, actually. ]

Yeah, this lanky kid. White, probably 16 or 17.

[ Moving to the stairwell, she pushes the door open before glancing back at him. Her worry is apparent, even if she doesn't give voice to her concerns. He's a rocket scientist, and he can't fix an elevator? Sure, he's been having a rough go of it lately, but still, she ... She didn't realize it was still this bad. After what happened with the bus, she'd hoped ... ]

Thinking he might be brainwashed. It seemed like he was under duress to keep his mouth shut on anything useful.

Everyone else too? [she frowns slightly, looking in thought for a moment] Where have people looked? There has to be someone in charge if this place is still running.

Well whatever helps right? [she looks at down at her own outfit before looking back up at emma] I know I could use a change of clothes too.

But yeah, it seems like we are neighbors. I'm just a couple doors down in 211.

[He could be dangerous. Isn't that way he tried so hard to prove back in the days when he'd ally himself with Regina's mother to get what he wanted? Her lips twitch up at the thought, not a smile - not when he's worried, but there's still warmth in her eyes when brushes the pads of her fingers across his knuckles affectionately. It's not that she blames him for being scared. Killian being afraid of his own hand isn't that different than the way she hesitates when it's time to use her magic. She has something inside of her that could help or hurt people if she isn't able to control it. Sometimes it feels like a gift, but others... it's not all that different than the cursed hand that Killian is claiming to have.]

You're Captain Hook, you're definitely dangerous.

[She's seen him in a fight, been the opponent, and realized there's a reason for the reputation. Although if breaking someone's nose is what makes a person evil, she might have to rethink her past as a bailbondsperson. Bones were broken in the pursuit of a paycheck, although usually the other guy did something to deserve it. Whatever Killian did to Will doesn't sound all that reasonable - but isn't an evil hand an excuse to be unreasonable? Especially to a pirate.]

And so what if it is the hand of the man you used to be? It's just a hand, it's not your head and it's not your heart.

[One of these things is usually in the right place, even if the other's been infected by Rumpelstiltskin's lies. Emma wishes he hadn't messed around with trying to get his hand back to begin with, but she can't tell him that he's wrong to want it. It wasn't her loss, so as poor a choice as this was, it's not her place to judge. Now that he has his hand back, she doesn't want to see him do something stupid for the sake of protecting her. An evil hand is the least of their worries here, and it's just about the only problem she's been presented with today that she knows how to deal with.]

I trust you. Hook or hand, it's never mattered to me.

[She releases his hand but not his gaze, holding on to that on the chance she might get through to him.]

This is what we have now, so we'll work with it. It'll be okay.

We said time travel was impossible too, Regina.

[In Storybrooke, things are impossible until someone makes them possible. She feels the same way about Neal now that she did when she lost him - she loves him, she always will - but it's not just her wanting to believe he's his old self again that makes her believe he is. If something was wrong with him, she'd know.

Regina's right, there's nothing. It's like he never died. He's exactly the way she remembers him.]

You don't think Gold found some kind of loophole, do you?

A way out isn't going to be an exit that leads outside, it's going to be a portal.

[They didn't come in through a door, alright? As far as Emma is concerned, they could've just crashed in through the ceiling.]

I could be wrong - but I think if it was as simple as finding the right door, we wouldn't be kept anywhere near it.

[ You gotta be kidding him, the government's experimenting with the whole bringing back the dead crap now, too?

You know what, that shouldn't even be surprising. What is surprising is that they're evidently pulling it off. ]

Believe it or not, actual magic might be more likely than you think.

[ He mutters unhappily. ]

So what- you work for the government or something? How do you even know that stuff?

[ her request, despite the gravity and sadness of the situation, makes a smile tug at the corners of his mouth. ]

But that's what I do so well. Take that away and I'm fairly useless [ he's teasing her, trying to divert the conversation to something a bit lighter hearted. he understands why she wants him to stop talking. he's absolutely okay with her holding onto his hand, he twines his fingers with her and squeezes, nodding a bit at her question. ]

We ought to at least know where we're staying.

( he is dangerous, he hsn't forgotten that. he's quite capable of causing damage if and when he wants to. that's just the thing, though, he feels as if he's no longer under his own power and that is what terrifies him the most. he does want to be a better person, and the idea of a hand he asked for that would constantly undermines his efforts, that will make him back into the man he no longer wants to be? he can't shake that fear, because he's already seen it at work.

he wants to believe her. he does. Killian has an easier time believing in Emma than he does in anyone else, he'd certainly rather believe in Emma than Rumpelstiltskin. he just can't entirely shake the concern. perhaps because he knows the Dark One and that he'd take any opportunity to ruin his happiness. cursing his hand would do just that. and perhaps he just doesn't want to wrap his head around the reality that if his hand isn't evil, that means he is the one to blame for all the terrible thoughts in his head, and the awful things he's already done at the behest of an evil hand. more like an evil head, wasn't it?

they do have a knack for reading the other for the truth. he's never been able to hide much from Emma, and he does like to think he can read her decently. better than most, in fact. he'd know if she was saying it just to say it. he can see reflected back that she means what she says, she trusts him. and if she trusts him, he needs to try and be worthy of it. he's already betrayed her trust once, after the witch, he'd be wise not to do it again. whether his hand is cursed or not, he needs to work with what hand he's been dealt (pun unintended).

if he hurts someone because of a cursed hand, it'll still be at least partly his fault, because he wasn't strong enough to prevent it.

he nods, slowly. the last thing she needs, besides, is to worry about him. ) As you wish, then. ( there's at least a slight weight off his shoulders, knowing that she has the truth; even though she doesn't seem to believe it. it's a problem they can't solve right now, anyway. she might even be right, it's just hard for him to accept at the moment. ) It's far from our most pressing concern. ( he pauses to look at her, try to read off her face and off her posture how she's feeling. he's more worried about her than he is about an evil hand. )

We will be all right, Emma. We'll get out of this, all of us. ( he can only guess how much she misses Henry, her parents... but they'll get back, and they'll have Baelfire in tow. for all the awkward and discomfort this place has brought them, it has also delivered a great gift. )

I mean, there's... one that might lead somewhere outside, but it's locked. I mean, there are doors to rooms and stuff but...

[ Sorry, he doesn't quite realize he's being dragged along until he's tagging along after James. ]

We don't know if they open or... or if this place is hexed, you know, like... like the Shrieking Shack! Don't want to go... go trying anything er, dumb?

I'm not -- I don't know who he is! We don't have that guy where I am. We have a Prime Minister, The Queen, and a Minister of Magic!

[ Cowering back a little, he wants to try and put as much space between them as possible. ]

What the hell-- are you even from Panem? ((But he's not lying. She can tell that much. He's genuinely scared of her - which she doesn't mind - and he's genuinely convinced that a President Snow doesn't exist.

What the fuck.))

( then be useless, the tight squeeze of her hand tells him as katniss stares next at the carpeted floor between them, snuffling and kicking at it. she's stalling, summing up the nerves to go out there and fight whatever horror this game has for them. it doesn't take long — part of her is still primed from their last fight — but taking the lead and tugging him along after her for a few paces, katniss realizes they've forgot something.

and sure enough, when she looks back to her door, her suitcase is splayed there where she's inadvertently kicked it over in her mad dash to meet him in the hallway. )

Did you get one too?

[Oh now he has the kid's attention, and Gabriel ca see that curiosity notch up at the mention of making it a game. So definitely something similar to a trickster perhaps, but definitely not one. This one was too nervous, and most of the tricksters in the world were more brazen and defiant than anything. That or Gabriel just brought the worst out in them.

Brown eyes glint in amusement at the idea of a priest being a magic user. And despite saying he would mention hot or cold, Gabriel is going to neatly mentally sidestep that one. Being stuck in a place was one thing, but people finding out his identity? That had gotten him shivved in the first place.]

Cold. I'm obligated to ask just what kind of priests you know that are magic users.

Bringing back the dead isn't impossible. Whale did it.

[She goes quiet and still for a moment at that, but then she shakes her head and takes a deep breath, letting it out.]

No. If Gold did this, if he brought Neal back, he wouldn't do it without knowing they'd be together. That'd...be the point, right? To have his son, to be with him. There are too many people here from other places. He has a wide reach, but not that wide.

[That imp isn't as important as he likes to think he is, and she won't entertain the thought even when he isn't here.]

I wanted to believe it was him, and I did, until I saw Neal here and no Rumple.

Er. No, I don't even know what Panem is?

[ He's definitely as confused as Johanna, blinking at her with a general look of ignorance. ]

I live in England, in the UK. I'm rubbish with geography so... so maybe we have a Panem, I don't know.

Reapers?

[That's a new one. He's heard Death Eaters call themselves a lot of things but never that, so he doesn't make the connection that she does.]

What the bloody hell is that?

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sit yourself down, and meet the best inn keeper in town ( O P E N )

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