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

[oceanborne]

[ Is she all right? The question startles a laugh out of Annie, though it's not by any means a happy sound. She drags her gaze up from the rope in her hands to look at the boy speaking to her, bewildered and not even trying to hide her suspicion. Why is he being so kind? What's his motive?

(It's an arena, of course it is. Everybody has ulterior motives in the arena.) ]

Fine. I'm fine. [ But it's a little late to be feigning strength, if someone's already seen her without the mask of a Career-trained victor. She shrugs one shoulder, looking past him to the assorted others milling around the lobby. ]

As fine as anybody else in here is, anyway.

[totheright]

((He falters a little when she doesn't take his hand, letting his arm drop by his side again and leaning against the wall next to her.)) So... not fine. ((Because let's be honest - everyone there right now is confused at best and distressed with a heavy dose of angry at worst. He sighs, gesturing to the other people in the lobby.)) Are there people that you know here?

((That would make things better, right? He hasn't seen anyone from Ouran, but he's sure they're around... somewhere... maybe they just haven't been brought yet. Yes, that's it.))

[oceanborne]

Hm. I guess not. [ Safer to agree for now, until she knows more about him and about their surroundings. Never mind that for as terrifying as this is, it is better than where she came from. There are no Peacekeepers here, no "questioning" about her knowledge of Finnick and the rebellion, no... no anything, really.

She tenses minutely when he leans against the wall next to her, though the gaze she sweeps across the other people is apparently calm. After a moment's search, she shakes her head. ] No. Nobody I know. [ And she hopes it stays that way, that they all stay safe and far away from this. ] Have you had any luck finding your people?

[totheright]

((He lets out a sigh, shoulders slumping a little as he looks down at his feet.)) No. I'm sure they're... around. Somewhere. Just... not here, I guess.

It doesn't matter. I'll find them some time. They'll get here. ((They just have to. He shakes his head, then turns back to her.)) I'm Kaoru. It's a pleasure to meet you. What's your name?

[oceanborne]

[ The idea of wanting anyone else to get here is kind of baffling to Annie. She gets it, she does, because in an environment like this a familiar face would undoubtedly be a comfort. Who wouldn't want a trusted ally in a locked-up hotel full of strangers? But the more people that remain free outside of here, surely that means the more people who can help them escape. ]

Maybe there's a way to keep track of who's here, and whoever might still arrive? A... census, or a roster, or something?

[ She offers the tiniest hint of a smile when he introduces himself, pausing in her determined knot-tying. ] Annie. Nice to meet you, too.

[ As nice as it can be to meet anyone in here, at least. ]

[totheright]

((Though he knows objectively that it's better for them to be outside and Not Here, he can't help but want their comfort. He cares a lot about his friends. Like, a lot. It's hard to even think about being stranded somewhere without them, let alone having to actually face that reality.

Better instead to give some thought to the idea she's suggested.)) That's... a good idea, actually. I had a sketchbook in my suitcase - I could keep a list of everyone who's here in there.

Where are you from, then? ((She still seems a little tense - especially with the way she's tying and untying those knots. So he's trying to be as soothing as possible, not leaning closer to her or invading her personal space.))

[oceanborne]

[ It is a good idea, if for no other reason than it gives both Annie and her new acquaintance something to distract their minds. She nods eagerly at his suggestion, pleased at the development of her notion. ] Maybe take down everybody's names, where they're from, and... and anybody they're looking for?

[ His studious attempts to remain at a distance she's comfortable with don't go unnoticed, and it makes Annie a little more amenable to the question about where she's from. ] District Four, in Panem.

[ She would have left it at her district, but she's realized that some of these people have no idea where Panem is. It's confusing and kind of alarming -- when she thought this was an arena, it was so much simpler. But how can it be an arena if half the tributes don't know about the country they're not in? ]

[totheright]

Yeah, that would be nice. That way, if anyone came, we could get them in touch with whoever they'd like to see pretty quickly. We could announce it over the tablet networks or whatever, too.

Panem? ((He asks, then shakes his head. It's probably one of those small inconsequential countries that he's never heard of.)) I've never heard of it. I'm from Tokyo.