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

[carjacked]

[ The set of Hook's jaw has Neal ducking his eyes awkwardly, scratching absently at his cheek with curled fingers. It had been a joke, something light to break the tension and break the ice, but judging by that reaction Neal figures maybe he didn't think it all the way through. It must've taken magic to get that hook swapped out for his actual hand, and by extra Killian probably means there's a price he had to pay for it. Magic always, well, you know the saying.

Whatever the cost, Neal hopes it was worth it. Usually it ain't.

The rest he already knows, though- he's met people that couldn't possibly be from Storybrooke, he's seen the lack of exits and the lack of answers firsthand, so he lets Emma process that new information with only the slightest touch of a concerned wrinkle to his brow. Emma takes point just as he figured she would, the strongest and most capable of any of them if he had to pick one, and he's prepared for just about anything she lays down.

Just about, except for what she actually says.

His lips part slowly in disbelief, in awe and wonderment. ]

He remembers me?

[ He echoes dumbly, that rush of happiness that hits him square in the chest is quickly followed by pain, because Henry misses him. Misses him because he's dead, gone, another kid stuck with an absent father. He won't get to see his son grow up, become a teenager, go to prom, graduate, become a man.

It rings through him like a tolling bell, a wave of ache so strong he has to tug his eyes away from Emma and Hook for a second. Has to pass a hand over his mouth and fight back the tide of regret rolling through him. ]

Emma, that's- that's great.

[ He says finally, voice a little husky, a few syllables cracking in a few places, and he might not sound as genuine or as enthusiastic about it as he probably could have to sell it, but...

He misses his son. Damn is he gonna miss his son. ]

[villainously]

[ is having his hand back worth the violent tendencies that it tends to inspire? no, probably not, but the Crocodile who was going to take it off (at a price, of course, isn't that how Rumpelstiltskin always worked?) is notably absent. this is not a good situation to be lacking control, crammed in a small space with tensions high. there's not much option, though, and he'll focus on getting out and worry about his hand on his own.

it's nobody's mistake but his, after all. he can manage it, can't he? just keep his distance and mind himself and when he gets back to Storybrooke, he'll get rid of the thing once and for all.

Hook might have answered Emma's inquiry, but she shifts into something else entirely and yes, this is a conversation built for two. there is a great deal more between these two that deserves consideration, and it's good that Neal knows his son misses him and mourns him, but it's a moment Killian doesn't feel a part of. it's familial, after all, and he hasn't felt a part of a family in centuries. not since Neverland, and that was a very long time ago. ]

He won't have to miss you once we get out of here. [ it's the only comfort he can offer. he knows how much Henry misses his father, hell, wasn't he the one who told the boy practically everything he knew? it's still a lacking comfort, though. like a stranger offering sympathies at a funeral. he doesn't linger on it, he can't. Hook has come to the conclusion there's nothing he can tell them they don't already know. usually when they sort out the newest problem or threat, he's always with Emma, but as much as he wants to be there for her? she doesn't need him half as much as he needs her. (never has.)

he'll keep looking, keep asking questions, give her this moment with Baelfire. that he can do for her. might be all he can do. ]

I haven't seen them, but I'll take a gander. They might be around somewhere. [ he rubs at a spot behind his ear, the widest hint of his discomfort, before looking at Neal again. seeing Milah's son again brings up all sorts of conflicting emotions, but no matter how it changes things... he's not enough of a monster to be unhappy to see him alive. he reaches out, not hostile, but a touch to the shoulder that says he's happy to see him again. Baelfire had given him the capacity to bring Emma back to her family, he'd died far too soon. the price for bringing him back would surely be great but he deserved to live. deserved to be with his family.

and then he let go, hand flinching back to his side. ] I'll keep asking around. If I find anything, I'll let you know.

[ it's as graceful an exit he can manage, and with that he turns to leave them to their conversation. he's of more use asking and searching, instead of standing by as a broken third wheel. ]

[sheriffing]

[It's not great, and Emma knows it. Losing Neal changed things for all of them. When she looks past her own loss and just sees her son's, it's enough to make her question everything she's tried to believe about her role as the savior. How does happily ever after still happen for Henry now that he has to grow up without his father? Storybrooke is their home because their family is there, but there's always going to be a piece missing for him. Two mothers isn't ever going to make up for him not having a father; it shouldn't and it won't. They might have only known each other for a little while, but they loved each other, and they connected. There's probably more of Neal in him than their is Emma. She's thought that all along.]

Killian's right, you're coming with us.

[Those are two words she doesn't get a chance to say very often, but no matter how hollow a comfort it is to Neal, it's the truth. They aren't leaving without him. They had to give him up twice and that was two times too many. It doesn't have to happen the same way here; they don't have to be fated to lose someone they care about all over again.

And even if they're still committed to making things awkward, Emma is through pretending that the two of them don't care about each other. This isn't going to be Neverland all over again. They're not allowed to waste her time and their own by being petty. Killian likes to talk a big game, but he's been on Neal's side ever since he chose to tell them about Pan having him caged in the Echo Cave. He doesn't show his concern very often, but maybe that's just the pirate way. It's stupid, and it sets them back, but Emma knows them both well enough to understand that when it matters, they'll have each other's back. It'd just be nice if they could see it, too.

She's not holding her breath, though.]

Let me know if you don't, too.

[He can have his graceful exit, but they still need to keep tabs on each other. There's nothing about this place that Emma is willing to trust. Being held here against their will (and without any explanation) has her dreading what's to come. It might be setup like a hotel but it's currently functioning as a prison, and she has a feeling that's because if everyone knew what these people have in store for them, they'd have been gone the second they arrived.

So they're stuck, for now. She tries not to let that thought nag at her when they need to be focusing on getting out, but between their capture and Neal being alive, emotions are running a little high. She nods to Killian and with a tight smile, excusing him from the conversation with a lingering glance in his direction as he turns away. Telling Neal about Henry couldn't wait, as awkward as it was to do it in front of Killian. It's the thing he needs to know, no matter what happens next, and the thing she wished he could have lived to experience for himself. The kid tried so hard to find a connection before his memories came back, but the only thing that helped was...]

I think Killian told Henry every story about you that he could remember, just to try to keep you alive for him. He's missed you too, Neal. We all have.

[carjacked]

[ Despite how awkward and tense things seemed to be between them, it hadn't actually been his intention to shift Killian into third-wheel status. This conversation, this- whatever this was, it wasn't like... that. It wasn't about wedging one another out of Emma's graces, or getting the upper hand on each other, or... whatever. As weird as things had been in Neverland, they seemed to have stabilized once all of them got out. Especially considering the last moment they'd had together before Neal bit the dust.

So he licks his lips as Killian retreats, hesitates, and then calls out: ]

Hook.

[ There's an awkward sort of pause wherein he's not really all that sure what to say. Finally, he shrugs a shoulder. ]

Thanks.

[ For, you know. Looking. Implying they'll actually bring him back with them. Letting him have a moment with Emma to talk about his son. Being a good guy, whether Neal likes it or not. There's a little more in his expression, but no other words come out before Killian makes his escape.

His attention turns back to Emma again, weary and frayed around the edges already. His head ducks, and he scratches the back of his neck with something not unlike guilt tugging at his shoulders. He knows it's stupid to feel guilty for dying, but it was his own stupid mistakes that lead to his early end anyways. His own stupid decisions that lead to Henry being fatherless, lead to Emma suffering through him abandoning her yet again. Lead to broken promises and empty potential. ]

Yeah, about that... He's a good guy. I think he's good for Henry, too.

[ Neal settles on, finally. It's not exactly what he wants to say, because it's not like there's any permission that's his to give, but... if he had to pick someone for Emma, someone that would be good to her, someone that could be involved in raising his son right... Well, the guy who raised him has some pretty good merrits. Neal might not be able to teach Henry the things he knows, but since he learned most of it from Killian in the first place...

Because he doesn't think he's coming back from this, no matter how confident Emma is. Magic can't bring back the dead. ]

[sheriffing]

[Permission isn't his to give, but permission is what it sounds like. She zeroes in on that thought for a moment, eyes narrowing and her head tilted to ask the question that she won't put in words. It's not supposed to be either/or; her son should have both. He should have Killian in his life and he should have his father back.

It wasn't possible before, but it is now. If they bring him to the present with them, they're not breaking any rules. Everything that happened before his death would hold. They'd know about Zelena and be able to defeat her. As far as Emma is concerned, it's entirely possible and isn't the same thing as bringing back the dead.

They weren't even the ones to do it. That makes a difference.]

Don't, Neal.

[She crosses her arms over her chest defensively, tempted to point out all of the impossible things they've made possible since she found Storybrooke. It's not as crazy as he thinks it is, but if he doesn't believe that he's going to get out of this alive, then how is she going to convince him to go back with them? Giving in five minutes into reuniting with them isn't an option. This isn't about getting some of them home. They're all supposed to go back together and there's no telling her otherwise.]

You don't get to make us grieve for you a third time. We're not going back without you.

[Emma rushes the words out to keep from letting too much emotion show, but it's in the quiver of her voice while she's trying to make her demands. She might not be able to speak for Regina, but she can speak for Killian this time. He's not going back to the moment he died, and he's not getting left behind. Neal gave up his life to save them, the least they can do is help him get it back. They've traveled through time, this can't be as hard as he's making it out to be.

And this time, no one is going to hate them for doing it. That counts for something, right?]

We're not doing this again. If you're here, then it's possible. Besides, we already defeated Zelena. All of that's over now, all we have to do is find a way out and bring you with us.

[Easier said than done.]

[carjacked]

Emma-

[ Her names spills out with the sound of protest behind it, because- no, believe it or not, he doesn't want them to grieve him again. Not again. Emma's done it enough, and it's part of the reason why he feels guilty for even dying in the first place. Back in Neverland, she made it clear how she felt about letting him back in just to lose him again, made it clear she couldn't. It's clear that every time he resurfaces in her life she comes a little closer to pushing out everything she feels for him entirely, because unlike her parents there's no...

He shakes his head, dismissing the line of thought entirely. He had time to accept his death. He had time back in the enchanted forrest, he had time while he was searching for his father, he had time in those last few moments in her arms. Everything in him says he should be dead right now, and it's not that he doesn't want to live. It's not that he doesn't want to come back with them, to be in Emma's life, to be Henry's father, it's just-

He just doesn't think it's possible, and he thinks fighting for it is only gonna bring Emma more pain. If fighting for her, if fighting for life means putting Emma through the ringer again when they inevitably find out it's impossible, he doesn't want to do it.

He's just so sick of disappointing her. He's so sick of being a disappointment.

But he's still so damn happy to see her, and there's a selfish part of him that desperately wants to believe that it's possible. A selfish part of him wants to think that this is just the climactic struggle toward his happy ending, because where he's from people who try hard enough eventually earn that.

So the protest dies on his lips before he can start an argument, and he bites his tongue. ]

Alright.

[ He says finally, quietly, hands coming up in surrender. ]

Okay. But first we need to focus on where we are. Find out who took us, figure out how this is possible, and then how to get you back. Then we'll see about... raising the dead or whatever, alright?

[sheriffing]

[The way Neal offers it up doesn't entirely work for her, and the growing frown on her face says as much. He's right about one thing, they do need to focus on this. They need to tear this place apart until someone owns up to bringing them here. They need to get back to Storybrooke, and to leave knowing that whoever started this isn't going to be able to do it again. And then, yeah, they'll see how the rest of it works. Except it's not raising the dead because technically - ]

You're not dead, Neal.

[Her hand moves to his arm to make her point, lingering there for a moment while she takes this in for a second time. He's alive. Body intact, heart beating, warm under her touch. There's no need to bring him back because that's already been done for them. Getting him to the right moment is what matters, now. He has to go back with her and Killian, and not on his own. Emma can respect his sacrifice, no matter how much she hates what he had to do for them. That can stick, but his death doesn't have to.]

You're here. I may not know where that is, but I know we have a chance to get you back where you belong. It might have taken me a while to figure it out, but I did. I figured it out. Storybrooke is our home.

[It's the place she misses when she's not there, and the one she'll fight to get back to. She gives his arm a gentle squeeze, unsure if he even remembers that talk. It's impossible for her to forget it, and that's not for lack of trying. She spent twelve years trying to lock away her memories of him, but it never really took. Even when she wanted to hate him, or just erase any memory of him from her life, some piece of her always held on.

The time they spent together led to some of the happiest memories of her life. Even with a broken heart, it was hard to close the door on what they had when it was good.]

I just wish I knew what would get us there. It's not like there's anyone around who can offer answers. I haven't seen a single person working here. It's like it runs on it's own.

[carjacked]

[ Maybe she's right. The way her fingers curl around his arm sends a warmth through his chest that certainly feels like life, it feels like a second (third? fourth?) chance, but he guesses that probably shouldn't be much of a surprise. Something about Emma always inspired that in him, the desire to fight, the desire to try harder and be better, to pick himself up and prove to her that he's worthy of every second she spends on him.

Maybe the solution here isn't to lower her expectations, maybe the solution here isn't to make sure she's braced for pain, maybe he shouldn't be making sure she feels as little for him as possible when he inevitably fails to be there for her again.

Maybe the solution here is to finally be there for her.

She won't be disappointed in him again if he doesn't disappoint her.

He swallows, eyes ducking down for just a second before they flit back up to her, brow knitting in earnest determination. He remembers telling her about how home felt, he remembers wanting to provide that for her so badly it hurt, and now he's overcome with the resolve to get her back there.

And it doesn't hurt that she called it our home. Like there's still a place for him there at the table, waiting. ]

I'm thinking we might have to slow down on this one. They're not gonna bring us here and leave us to our own devices forever, we just gotta settle in and make sure we're ready for them to show their face.

[ He tilts his head. ]

Call me crazy, but I'm pretty sure that's not gonna be tonight, not with everyone and their brother down here tearing the place apart. I think all we can do right now is settle in, try and wrap our heads around this, get some rest and wait them out.

[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.]

[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.

[sheriffing]

[The lobby? Yeah, thanks. Because this savior wasn't hoping to drag her feet or anything when it came to Regina. She's completely prepared for this conversation.

Good job, Neal.]

...I'll get right on that.

[She purses her lips together, eyebrows raising briefly before she concedes and takes a step in that direction. No time like the present, right?]

My room's 208. I should be just down the hall, if you need me.

[If he doesn't, too, but if she keeps talking this'll never end, so she nods and starts off toward the lobby. It can't go worse than the conversation she had at her brother's party. That's... something.]