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

[jarnsida]

( Now it is Björn's turn to wrinkle his nose, looking entirely the barely nineteen years of his youth. The corners of his mouth lift up, and suddenly he is smiling at her. )

You couldn't have known. Besides, that is only a recent development. In the beginning, we were farmers. Then my father won a duel and became an Earl. Another, and he became King.

( He is proud of this, that much is apparent. But it is all incredibly new, and her fine manners are lost on him in part. Tilting his head, he asks: ) Why do you do that?

( Ah, so he's right, too! His triumph lights up his eyes, and he grins. ) So you are Christian! A Saxon priest is all-but part of my family. He told my sister and I much about his God.

Would you speak of your land with me? I would like to hear more.

[pontificus]

He must be a strong man. I can see where you get it from, [She flatters with a look in her eyes, tilting her chin down to look up at him. He is certainly tall and broad, and she feels safer beside him.]

It is a curtsy, Your Highness. I do it as a sign of respect, acknowledging your power. Do not the northmen bow to their kings?

[His excitement makes her smile, watching him in wonder. So he knows some of her culture whereas she knows very little of his. It is outside the domain of her father, and many would look down on him, calling him a heathen. But his title speaks more, and he is too kind to write off. It is not in her nature anyway.]

A priest. He is governed by a bishop, and then a cardinal, and then my father, [She explains.] My brother is a cardinal as well.

[She steps in time with him as they begin to walk no where in particular, already captivated with one another.] As you wish. What would you like to know?

[jarnsida]

He is, in battle as well as wit. ( Flattery will get her everywhere. He grins. ) Thank you. Though I think I will not have his wisdom for a long time. And is your mother as resourceful as you are, my lady?

( Ah, so that's what it is. The corners of his mouth twitch upward in amusement. ) Yes. But Northwomen don't. Not even the slaves.

There is no need for you to bow to me. We are equal here, aren't we? ( Something he kind of likes, actually. So he has run with that. )

Not anymore, I think. He is making a life for himself, and learning how to fight. Changed his clothes. I wonder sometimes if he has accepted our gods, or still loves his own. My father says that if one listens to the stories Athelstan tells from his holy book that there are many similarities between them.

( So she has at last one sibling, whom is a priest of sorts, if an extremely high-ranked one. Unsurprising, but also interesting! )

Is your god one of love and compassion only, or are there other sides to him? I admit, I am curious to know if my father may be right.

[pontificus]

My mother is far smarter than the credit she is given, though I give credit to my father's mistress. Guilia Farnese and I are dear friends. My mother is humble, gracious, and steadfast where Guilia has all the grace and slyness of a fox. [She lifts her chin proudly, giving a wide grin.]

I bow to you to show you my respect, and I give it freely. It does not make me less of a noblewoman. [It is the station she salutes, and not his gender. Though it is certainly harder to gain power in Rome.]

There is much writ about our God. "Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love." And yet, "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." There is the tales of Noah, Sodom and Gamora.