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

[engender]

[ derek watches the screen on her chest, before moving beside her and taking a look himself. she's right. one roll unspools, the film finally coming to an end. he turns to face where the film has resumed on the screen, waiting with less trepidation. he doesn't see how what the movie does all much matters. yes, it means somebody put it on - and maybe that's a glimmer of some kind of hope. maybe.

but, the movie doesn't end.

his frown returns, looking back at the projector. ] They usually run out. [ the film just flies off. he watches as the credits in the beginning replay. ] Someone locked us all in here. It's not a stretch to think they could [ his eyes travel upward, trying to find a digital projector. the one on the ground could be for show. but, he finds nothing. he looks behind them at the back wall. of course, he doesn't share his thoughts with the class. so, he might look crazy.

not that all of this isn't crazy. his gaze falls again. ] Could it be configured to play over again? [ he's not some film projector expert ]

[pajarita]

[that look that she directs at him states clearly you're not pretty well, although it's a reasonable question. she pokes the side of the projector, gently. it's warm.]

These old-school things don't come with microchips you can configure to do anything for you. Which I guess doesn't exactly explain how it's looping, but that's tech for you. I could take it apart and see...[and for a moment there's the temptation, a project; but no, she has bigger priorities and bigger needs.]

But I won't.

[engender]

[ he shoots her a look back, he knows. he looks to her again when she offers the possibility to take it apart, then declines. ] Can the film be looped.

[pajarita]

Evidently. [she points how to the screen, where the film has looped.] How it's doing that, I don't know yet. [probably some dumb overly complicated engineering.]

[engender]

I don't think finding out will lead to any big revelations. [ finally, he's done with the projector as a source of conversation. he should probably introduce himself to the next person who's going through the exact same thing. he's trying to decide to offer his name or not. it probably comes off more like he's staring at her. because that's polite. finally -- ] I'm Derek.

[ sometimes, he's still light on the social skills ]

[pajarita]

[if it's any comfort? she's not looking to make friends today either. introductions aren't on her mind. but she does it because he did.]

Raven.

[engender]

You don't have any more answers than I do, do you?

[pajarita]

[slow exhale and something like bitter smile.] If I did, I wouldn't be here.

[engender]

Neither would I. [ he looks back to the projector, than returns his gaze to Raven ] Do you know anyone here?

[pajarita]

No-one I've ever met before today. [she knows some prisoners like her, though. a thomas with a sharp knife sharp like her knife; a derek.]

[engender]

Me neither. [ he wonders if he should mention that there's someone he recognizes that claims not to be who derek knows he has to be. ] Where are you from?

[pajarita]

Mecha Station. [nnno she doesn't think he'll know that. try again.] The Ark. [still probably not going to ring a bell, it didn't to thomas.] Space.

[engender]

[ not registering. ... still not registering. ... wh- what? ]

Space. [ picture little red riding hood in into the woods (the obc) speaking to cinderella, 'you talk to birds?' his tone is dry, if a little bit skeptical. ]

[pajarita]

[and derek is...cinderella or little red? in this scenario.]

Space.

[engender]

[ little red. because cinderella talks to birds. apparently ]

You're from space. Outer space.

[pajarita]

[rude -- just because she's sort of dirty.]

I was from space -- I lived in space. I'm not an alien, for the record.

[engender]

[ nope, it's more about the absurdity. ]

I didn't say you were.

[pajarita]

Just in case.

[engender]

How did you [ ... ] make it down? [ to earth? ]

[pajarita]

I built an escape pot out of a space bucket.

[engender]

You built a pot out of a bucket.

[pajarita]

Not a pot -- [simple terms, raven, simple terms.] I rebuilt a fucking rocket.

[engender]

And then you flew it back to Earth.

[pajarita]

You're just repeating everything I say now.

[engender]

Then you know how it sounds.