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

ota!

[trepidations]

[ arrival ]

[ He remembers the force of magic against his chest, a spell from the tip of a death eater's wand sending him across a damp, decrepit room for his failed attempts to provide more secrets from the Order. When he hits the floor, his vision goes black and the air whooshes from his lungs. The floor is not the rickety, splintered wood he had envisioned, though, not cold and dank and dusty.

Instead, it's carpet. It's almost warm, if not miserably dark. He shoves himself up, crawling away from where his previous attacker might have been, but when he turns, he sees nothing but the too-bright outline of a door, in a too-small room. It's too quiet -- not the riotous meeting he had been at before, but a dark, silent room.

The hair at the back of his neck prickles and immediately, he reaches for his wand, fumbling inside pockets, shirtsleeves, any of the odd places he sometimes tucks it, but it's gone. Gone. ]

W-what? [ He scrambles to his feet, stumbling over something (a suitcase?), and reaches for the door, flinging it open, wincing immediately as he stumbles out into the corridor, blinded, lost, and still desperately looking for his wand. ]

H-hello?


[ lobby ]

[ He's wandless, trapped in some strange place that maybe he was sent to for punishment. Maybe he stumbled into a portkey? Maybe this is just the Shrieking Shack, a part he doesn't quite remember, maybe?

The contents of his suitcase weren't helpful -- he needed his wand, first and foremost, and someone here must have it. He could lose a lot of things, but that he always kept track of. Among clothes, chocolate frog cards, a chess set -- he also had a wire rat cage (though he's sure the lable said sanctuary) and rodent feed.

Whoever did this had a terrible, awful sense of humor. The place had terrifying decor -- it has the look and sounds of something in a muggle horror film, doesn't it? His hear is racing to fast, which doesn't help when, as he is backing up to look around the corridor, he practically falls over someone else, letting out a shriek of surprise.

He wasn't alone. ]

[totheright]

((Three things happen in quick succession. First, Kaoru lets out an incredibly unattractive yelp, a sound that he would later claim never came out of his mouth. Second, he registers that a boy a little older than him has crashed into him, which was the cause of said yelp-that-never-happened. And third?

He was dressed horribly.

Kaoru barely manages to stop himself from blurting out, "what are you wearing?!" Instead, he takes a breath and raises an eyebrow at the guy.)) Can't you watch where you're going?

[trepidations]

[ Well, isn't this just like Hogwarts all over again? He staggers back from the strange boy and blinks, red faced and overwhelmed ]

W-what? Who are you? I don't even know where I'm supposed to be going.

[ Hopefully not some new death eater recruit, because as far as Peter knows, his wand is lost somewhere in this place and he's never been much of a fist fighter. ]

[totheright]

You were moving. Wherever you were going while moving, you could've watched yourself while you were doing it. ((The way Kaoru talks when he's defensive is just like his twin brother's - loud, sarcastic, and dismissive.

But he isn't a mannerless heathen, so he'll reply-)) I'm Kaoru Hitachiin. ((And he won't ask what this guy's name is, because he's not really sure he actually wants to know.)) Have you been brought here too?

[trepidations]

I could have ---

[ His face goes red, because he's dealt with people like this his whole life, and he's really, really not in the mood for it. ]

I'm Peter Pettigrew. And I'd say so -- I definitely didn't come here on my own. What... what is this place?

[totheright]

I don't know. I'm trying to figure out. ((He shoves his hands in his pockets, looking around themselves curiously. It might also be to avoid looking at this guy's fashion sense.)) You just woke up in a room upstairs like I did, then? Do you think we've been kidnapped?

[trepidations]

[ Peter has never been one for excellent fashion -- especially in the rough jacket and jeans he's wearing now. They're not the cleanest of clothes. ]

I... don't know why we've been kidnapped if we have. I mean --

[ Probably not the best time to mention the death eaters, and he keeps his mouth shut, anxiety rising in a bubble in his chest. ]

I... I literally just woke up and and was here. It was dark, in that room, and then there's the suitcases.

[totheright]

Right. I suppose you're not wealthy. ((Or he could just be someone wealthy with no sense of presentation, but that's too horrific for Kaoru to consider. Safe to just assume that he's a commoner.))

Maybe they mistook you for someone worth ransoming? ((It's happened to a friend of his before, after all.))

[trepidations]

Er -- what?

[ Wealthy? What is this guy on about? ]

Ransoming? I doubt it. [ Not him -- he wasn't valuable to anyone, of course. ] But you're here. How did you get here?

[mygame]

[This is just brilliant. Food is literally bumping into it, overflowing with fear.]

Can I help you, sir?

[The Nogitsune offers a hand to help Peter up, black eyes watching him intently. Humans. They were such silly creatures in its opinion, but it was fun to wind them up and watch them go. While it does prefer a grander scale to work on, pretending to be hotel staff is a start.]

My name is Stiles. Is there something unsatisfactory about your room?

this tag is perfection.

[trepidations]

[ Well, it's certainly easy to wind Peter up, because he yelps again when someone speaks up to him. He blinks at the newcomer, surprised by the casual way he speaks. ]

W-what? Yeah, yeah you can. How -- Where is this?

[ The little englishman is flustered, and this is certainly not at all where he had come from. He can feel the beginnings of bruises on his chest, stomach, from the spells. Could this man be a death eater, too? ]

And that's not my room.

[mygame]

You're in the hotel, Sir.

[When its offered hand isn't taken, the Nogitsune folds them at the small of its back. For now, it is the picture of wanting to be helpful. How that goes, no one knows. Not even it just yet.]

As I said, my name is Stiles, and I am part of the staff here. Why don't you come sit in front of the fire? It might help you relax.

[Friendly polite smile in place. What's to mistrust from this sickly looking teenager?]

[trepidations]

The hotel?

[ Peter didn't even noticed the offered hand, because he's too busy being confused, and staring wide eyed at this new person. They don't exactly look healthy, and it makes him worry. It could be a trick, a punishment, couldn't it? ]

I'm Peter, but I... I think I'm okay. I don't even know how I got here -- and you're the staff? Then... then you should let me out! I didn't ask to be here.

[ He seems nice enough, but Peter knows just as well as anyone how easy it is to trick people into thinking what you want. ]

[mygame]

Yes, the Hotel California.

[While the Nogitsune's voice may not be particularly soothing, its manner is calm and polite. That may help or not.]

I am glad to meet you, Peter. I am sorry, but with the rain storms, the roads have flooded out. Even if you were to go outside, everything is gone and you might end up drowning. When the rain stops, we'll gladly help all of you get on your way.

[It tried for a comforting smile, gesturing to the warm fireplace.]

Why don't you sit down for awhile? You seem tense, Mr Peter.

[trepidations]

Hotel Cali -- what? I'm in California?

[ That's in America, right? That land that should not be named? ]

Everything is gone? What do you mean by that? I mean, I can see things from the window fine, but I don't know how I got here, I was in a room and there was a suitcase and --

[ He's getting worked up by this strange place, and even more so by the strange, sickly looking person talking to him. ]

I think I'm okay, I'll stay standing.

[mygame]

Not in California, no. At the Hotel California.

[The Nogitsune has to wonder about kids these days. In Stiles' mind, that was a well known song.]

I didn't mean 'gone' as in vanished, but gone as in the rain has washed out most of the roads or smaller bridges. There really is nowhere to go.

[The subjects of how Peter got here and when are completely ignored. For a creature such as the Nogitsune that engages in emotional vampirism, Peter is quite the meal.]

Things will be better in the morning, I'm sure. Sunlight often makes things less frightening. Are you sure you're all right?

[trepidations]

If it's not in California, then where is it?

[ Sorry, he's a bumbling little wizard boy, the muggle pop culture hasn't caught up with him yet. ]

Yeah... er, I'm fine. [ He can feel the anxiety crawling up the back of his throat, filling his chest, making his hands wring nervously together. ]

So I have to stay here? There's no way I can even try walking? I can walk in the rain, you know.

[pronged]

Merlin. Wormtail?

[This is just like old times, isn't it. Wandering around the castle in the middle of the night. Doing "research" for the map even after they created it because you never know what might need to be added. James is even having the air crushed out of him by Wormtail, a wonderful recreation of the time in third year when they found one of the passages to Hogsmeade and then proceeded to get trapped in said passage until morning when Remus finally came looking for them.

That was a laugh. This, this place, ending up here with a wand that doesn't work, it's not broken he just can't do any magic, this isn't a joke. But he's James Potter and he doesn't scare easily.

At least. He's not going to show it.]

I know that girly shriek anywhere. But please, get off me. You're crushing my spleen.

[trepidations]

Prongs?

[ Sorry, he's not quite expecting that, and even more so to go tumbling into the ground. He shifts and rolls off of his friend, sitting up and staring at him with wide eyes. ]

You're... you're here. I didn't know if... well. I mean, I thought I was the only one. A bad prank or something, you know.

[pronged]

I don't think so, mate.

[That's better, thanks Pete. Now he can breathe and his spleen won't explode. He really appreciates that.]

You alright? Have you seen Lily or Sirius or Remus? Hey-- let me see you wand for a second. Mine's acting funny.

[trepidations]

I'm okay. I... I haven't seen anyone I know. I mean there are other people, but --

[ His wand. He frowns almost immediately. ] You... still have your wand? mine's not been -- I can't find it.

[ If James had his wand, then where was his? Why didn't he see it in the room, in the suitcase? Everyone else has things like that, but not him. This really is a cruel joke. ]

Does... does it work?

[pronged]

Actually-- no. It doesn't. [James slips his wand out of his back pocket where he usually keeps it despite warnings that he's going to loose a buttock someday for it. It looks fine, intact and shiny but it doesn't thrum with magic like it used to. And he can't even cast a simple accio with it.]

Why would you ask that? What do you know that I don't?

[trepidations]

I...

[ He hasn't always needed a wand to transform, to take the form of the rat he's often scurried around as. No less with James at his side, helping their friend. But now, he can't feel even the vaguest tinge of magic, not even the tickle up his spine he feels right before the transformation starts. ]

I can't, well, do it. I mean, transform. I tried, because I thought maybe I could get out, but. What's happening, Prongs? I'm...

[ He stops himself. He shouldn't tell anyone he's scared. ]

[pronged]

[Shit, James hasn't even tried to do that yet but he's going to hazard a guess that he can't either. If Peter can't, and his wand doesn't work here, there's a good chance no one will be running into Prongs in the near future.

This has to be seriously dark magic, to completely cut them off like this. He can't think of anything else it would be.]

I don't know. [His voice is quiet and small and for a moment he looks just as lost. And then he pushes that aside.]

But it's going to be alright. Promise.

[trepidations]

[ It's never a good sign when even James seems a bit surprised. James is his unflappable, marvelously brave friend. Nothing could frighten him, right? ]

Yeah... yeah, of course it is.

[ He had to believe it for now -- they wouldn't be stuck here forever, surely. ]

I-- there aren't even any doors that lead out, Prongs. Er, not out out, anyway, and I haven't tried the windows. I'm afraid to.