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

[checkingin]

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.

Comments

[technologist]

[ The mention of magic sparks his interest, expression lighting up slightly — only for him to immediately second guess playing it fast and loose with government secrets when Neal levels a direct question about it. ]

Um. Yeah, sort of. Or I used to. [ A pause while he considers saying more, then opts to deflect. Or just be nosy, since he is genuinely curious. ] What do you mean about it being more likely?

[64th]

[ she nods. ] It's called Panem. Have you heard of it? [ she's assuming his answer will be no, though she's still having trouble understanding how that could be possible. ]

[64th]

[ she shrugs. ] Unless there's some hidden section of the hotel, I don't know where else we can look. The front desk is empty, we can't get back to the rooms we woke up in, and no one knows anything useful.

Sorry to be bearer of bad news, but it's starting look like we're stuck here.

[kirking]

[Kirk just laughs and takes another swig from the flask before he hands it back over. Now it's even. Two drinks for a trip on a starship. Totally equal.]

Yeah, you got yourself a deal, Killian.

[kirking]

[Maybe they did just crash through the ceiling. If everyone here was from the same time, if they knew of the things he knew of, he'd be tempted to say that they were all beamed in here. And yes, he's dealt with time travel but he doesn't believe that a transporter can be used that way, to steal people from different times.

If it could, Scotty would be the one person who'd know about it.]

What do you mean, a portal? Like a wormhole?

[withbread]

[ he still feels like he's reeling from the explosion, from losing katniss, from everything. he squeezes her hand back and let's her take the lead. he nods at her question. ]

Yeah, I carted it around to use as a weapon for a while. I dropped it when I heard you.

[sheriffing]

Yeah, I guess.

[There are probably a few different versions of the same idea - getting pulled out of your world and dropped into another. Maybe it always works the same way, maybe it doesn't. The thing is, Emma's pretty sure they have to let go of the idea of walking out of here. It's going to take something more than that.]

There were ways to open them up where I'm from, it just usually took some kind of magic object to do it. And if there's one thing this place seems short on, it's magic.

[sheriffing]

That makes us two of about twenty, up here. Assuming they're all filled. Let me guess, you showed up with a suitcase full of things from home?

[That might be one of the creepiest parts of this place - the idea that someone went through their lives to see what and who they should take. She smooths over her dress and slips her hands into the pockets.]

[sheriffing]

[Would Gold make sure they'd be together? No, not necessarily; not if he could send the rest of them out to get Neal and have that create the same result. Still, Regina has a point when it comes to people from other worlds. This isn't an enemy of Storybrooke, it's bigger than that. The people who were dragged into this aren't specific to one place.]

You know, it'd be easier if it was him.

[Which all but guarantees that there's something or someone else pulling the strings here. If there's one thing their lives aren't, it's easy.]

Neal thinks we need to take it slow. Settle in for the night, avoid the chaos of everyone rushing around, see what we have to work with in the morning.

[Just makes Emma wonder if he forgot how hard doing nothing is for her.]

[unforgives]

[she nods her head, her suitcase was actually right along with her which she was lugging with her with one hand] Yeah, seems like that's what happened to everyone from what I've seen.

[ivolunteer]

We should grab it.

( it's like a parachute, right?

in their new game, with their new sponsor. )

[gloriouscurse]

[Regina can't help but share a look with Emma. Neither one of them sit and do nothing well, for very long.]

I don't know what else we're supposed to do.

[Just because she doesn't like it, doesn't mean Neal isn't right. Taking a deep breath, she lets it out as a frustrated sigh.]

We'll figure it out. Hopefully.

[pajarita]

Probably -- I'm -- [bumping into a very solid, won't-budge screw so just give her a second. there we go.] A mechanic, you give me engines and I'll fix them for you. Give me a hundred thirty-two year old escape pod and I'll fix it -- the point is, I don't generally sit in a room with a blackboard debating the possibilities of the universe.

[here she looks back at fitz.] But it's gotta be something like that, considering how I'm from almost two centuries ahead.

[sheriffing]

[She's tempted outright call him crazy for what he's suggesting. Contributing to the madness might not get them anywhere, but at least they'd be doing something to fight the situation they've been thrown into here. What are they supposed to do, just settle in and take it? Unpack the bags they didn't pack for themselves in the first place and act like it's alright that someone is keeping them here against their will? No matter how many times they've been trapped like this before, the first order of business was always to start looking for a way out of it. What he's suggesting goes against every instinct she has.

It makes sense, but that doesn't mean Emma has to like it. Being reasonable in an unreasonable situation is more likely to screw them over than it is to save them the trouble.]

Yeah, I guess.

[She makes a small noise of frustration, her hands falling to her sides helplessly. They have a home that they can't get to and a son who's going to wonder what the hell happened to them this time. Henry expects to never see Neal again, but Emma? Regina? Killian? He's going to question it when the three of them vanish into thin air, and he won't be the only one. They'll have people looking, maybe that counts for something.]

If nothing else, I should probably check in with Regina. We weren't exactly getting along back home, I need to know if that applies here, too.

[See where she stands and let her know that, even if she hates Emma for what she did, she still has someone here for her.]

... What room are you in, anyway?

[Walking away from him right now is going to be hard enough without knowing where to find him. If she has a starting place, at least she'll know where to go when she starts questioning whether or not she just imagined this.]

[pontificus]

[It is hard to fathom such a number, and Lucrezia steps back in awe, a hand upon her brow.]

It seems we are far dated then. You must forgive me if I seem uncouth to you.

[pontificus]

From Rome, in the south. But my father is from Spain so we are Spaniard. [Italy itself is not yet whole, and regardless of how Italian she truly is, no one regards her as Italian.]

[unforgives]

[she briefly glances at cashmere as if trying to determine how much of this she even believes. she is still skeptical but she just nods in response for now] So we're stuck here with no answers either? That sounds impossible but—

[she lets out a sigh only to just barely attempt a small smile] It's okay, thank you for telling me.

[sheriffing]

[Emma should be happy that someone in this place is willing to tell her what she wants to hear, but it's too soon for the assurance to feel anything more than hollow. She can appreciate whatever logic led Killian to tear the place apart for answers, but in trying to maintain her sanity, she'd agreed with Neal's suggestion of settling in for the night. That means unpacking, taking another useless walk around, and maybe looking over the crap they'd put in with her clothes. They just got here and she's already restless, and theres nothing that anyone can do about it. It's like she said, this is what they have to work with.

They should probably be moving on to talk of some kind of plan, but she's out of ideas. There's no suggestion she can think of that doesn't involve waiting around to see what happens here. They need to know their enemy before they can fight it. If they're going to find a way out, then they need to know where they are and what pulled them in. Their magic is either gone or blocked, and they're going to have to find out which one it is. Right now, playing it smart means collecting the pieces and seeing how everything fits together.

It also means there's time to let themselves be distracted, so -]

... You still haven't said what you have on him.

[Is she supposed to believe that Gold gave him his hand back for free? Because he could taunt him with the suggestion of a cursed hand that's probably the same as the other one? The Dark One doesn't offer up freebies. Whatever Killian did to get the hand must have taken more than a friendly conversation and an offer to bury the hatchet. If he's a threat to them, even from a distance, they need to know it.]

I know that we'll get out, and I know that we can't do it tonight.

[She's resigned to that now, looking more tired than she has a right to be and pushing a hand through her hair. Hopefully they'll get home sooner rather than later, but right now, there are no guarantees.]

Which means there's plenty of time for you to tell me what you used to get him to put your hand back in the first place.

[That thing about him being a changed man was bullshit. It'd be one thing if they were the only ones who are going to have to deal with whatever Gold is up to, but they're not. They have a chance to bring Neal home, and he deserves to know what he's going to be walking into.]

[sheriffing]

We've done it once before, we can do it again.

[Makes her wonder, though, about once before. Are they sure Pan's dead? She tilts her head toward the staircase and shrugs.]

I'm going to keep looking around. Right now, that's the best we can do.

[64th]

I'm sure we'll get answers eventually. I just don't know that we'll like them. [ Cashmere's not even convinced that any of this is real. ]

Well you should at least be caught up to the same level of confusion as the rest of us. [ a smile tugs at the corner of her lips. ] I'm Cashmere, by the way.

[carjacked]

[ Sorry about your frustration, Emma, but there isn't a whole lot he can do about it. That's kind of the point, actually- now that they've searched the place, now that they've tried picking locks and breaking windows, there's nothing left to try. He wants to break out as much as the next guy, but a couple hundred years in Neverland taught him the virtue of patience when it comes to escape, and a transient lifestyle makes settling down into a relatively clean and unthreatening environment not that terrible of a prospect.

Especially when his alternative is not being alive anymore. ]

Second floor, first room. 201, swing by whenver you need to, I mean it. Door's always open, even if it's not.

[ His casa is her casa or whatever, right? He's got all the time in the world if she decides she's got the time for him. Meanwhile, she's got some unresolved issues with Regina, so he nods his head toward the lobby. ]

Last I saw her's through there. Probably hasn't gone far, if you hurry you can catch her.

[withbread]

It might have something we can use it in.

[ It's too much to hope that his sword from the arena is in there. he turns to lead the way back down the hall to where he'd dropped the suitcase. ] Have you opened yours?

[warring]

An eater of death. [ don't mind her, looking at you like you've asked the stupidest and most obvious question to ever be asked. ]

[warring]

[ the war, is what war. unfortunately, it doesn't seem quite so common sense to this girl, so after a moment she elaborates. ] It was an exchange of thermonuclear missiles, just over a century past. [ yes, the grounder commander knows thermonuclear missiles. just because they live amongst the trees doesn't mean they're all of a sudden completely uneducated. ]

It has no name. It's the only war that matters by now.

[pronged]

[James does like to be the one with all the answers but unfortunately-- this isn't one of those times. He pushes his glasses up his nose as they're starting to slide down before answering.]

England. Specifically London the last I remember anything. You?