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

[mygame]

[The Nogitsune listens politely, nodding a little as she speaks. Its fingers tap the front desk in an aimless pattern before stilling.]

I do understand, ma'am. Unfortunately, our financial records keeper isn't here at the moment, or I would do my upmost to get that information for you.

Due to the rainstorm we've been having, [it gestures to the water-streaked windows with a small shrug] our telephones are also currently nonfunctional. I do apologise for the inconvenience. The moment service returns, I can have one of our bellboys find you if you care to leave a name. It shouldn't be too much longer. I understand the repairmen have found the outage and are working on it.

Is there anything else I can do for you, ma'am?

[It loves this place. Although, it may not love it so much if and when the real owners found out what it was up to.]

[hacker]

[ Her eyes dart over to the lobby doors, and she listens at the rain for a moment, silence sweeping between her and who she believes to be the concierge clerk. Reaching up, Skye rubs her hand over her forehead. This isn't going to get her anywhere, and she doesn't have it in her to just wait around, so she fixes her gaze back on him. ]

Skye. I'm in 114. I need to know how long the weather's been like this, and how long that room's been occupied. You have to have some kind of record of that, right? I just want to talk to whoever was on duty when I got here.

[mygame]

[The creature's line of sight follows hers to the window, wondering briefly if humans hear something it doesn't. She isn't the first to be taken with that. To the Nogitsune, the pattering is noise, nothing more.]

I'm glad to meet you, Miss Skye, [it says with a small dip of its head before giving a small sigh of regret. It could stay here all night and enjoy the misery.]

The guest register is locked in the concierge's office, Miss Skye. He won't return until tomorrow morning. Again, the best I can offer you is to have him contact you when he arrives. With the weather, we're somewhat short-staffed.

[The smile it gave her was empty, as if it were an automaton giving preprogrammed answers. This trick had been tried earlier on another guest with brilliant results.]

I am sure that he will be able to help you.

[hacker]

You don't get it. I'm not staying until morning, okay?

[ It could be the freaking apocalypse outside and she'd still suffer through it to find her team. Short of being physically incapable, nothing's stopping her. She backs away from the desk, turning to head for the main doors with the vibe that she's definitely not getting anything useful out of Stiles over there. ]

[mygame]

I am afraid that leaving is impossible, ma'am. The Hotel California is cut off right now due to flooding. There is no way to reach the outside world until morning. Perhaps after a good night's sleep, you can start fresh in the morning. Concierge Chris Argent will have returned by then, and I am sure the phones will be back in working order. Transportation can be easily arranged then.

[The Nogitsune leans against the front desk and watches her with a deadly sort of patience. There was no main door, but the three sets of doors that were there were locked except for the one that led to the screening room. The locked ones were unbreakable as were the windows. But, it did so enjoy watching frustration among the guests when they couldn't escape.]

We are showing a movie tonight if you'd prefer to pass the time that way, ma'am! [it calls after her]

[hacker]

[ While he speaks, she tries to pull at the locked doors, yanking with all her strength, shaking them against their locks with mounting frustration until finally she kicks out at one, throwing her hands up and backing off.

He's not innocent. Not some innocuous clerk. Skye rounds on him, hands gesturing out wildly. ]

I don't care what the weather's like, and I don't want to watch your movie. What I want is out of this damn hotel. Unlock the doors.

[mygame]

I would appreciate it if you didn't vandalize the property, Miss Skye. Our repairman has already left for the night, and I am not the best with tools.

[Still quiet, still polite. That much doesn't change. Well fed and content, it doesn't mind playing on. Its hands spread out before it with a helpless shrug.]

I am sorry, but I can't do that either. Concierge Argent will do that when he arrives in the morning. It's for the safest tonight with the storm and all. One can never tell what might be out there.

[Or in here for that matter, but the Nogitsune doesn't mention that.]

[hacker]

If what you're saying is true, then it means whoever kidnapped me is still in this hotel. And you're not gonna let me leave?

[ Truthfully, she's actually feeling pretty good about that—it means that she can figure out who it was, narrow down her suspects, and get information out of them. On the other hand, it means playing a spy game in the confines of a hotel. ]

[mygame]

No, Miss Skye. The weather is not letting you leave right now. I am sure there will be a break in the rain tomorrow. It can't be like this all the time. Although there has been - well, I'm sure that won't happen now.

[It points upwards and frowns a little.]

Your room was ready, wasn't it?

[hacker]

No, you're not asking the questions. I am. [ She advances on the desk. ] There has been what?

[mygame]

[At her approach, the Nogitsune took a half-step back as if afraid of her. It wasn't in truth, but it never hurt to give the impression that it could be frightened.]

Miss Skye, I'm only staff here, like the others. I'm limited with -

[It looked upwards, a flicker of fear running over its face before it wrung its hands together. Its black swung back to her.]

Really, Miss Skye. I mis-spoke. I didn't mean to alarm you. Everything is fine here at the hotel. We're here to see to your needs.

[hacker]

[ Picking up on cues that she thinks are signs that someone is listening in or controlling his actions, Skye's eyes briefly widen, then her expression darkens. Slowly, her head tilts, and she does some quick mental math. Her gaze drops to take stock of the tools at her disposal, and she raises her tablet, typing away on the notepad as she speaks. ]

You know, you're right. Maybe I should cool my heels a little while, get comfortable.

[ Raising the screen, she shows him a message typed out in large print: IF SOMEONE IS KEEPING YOU FROM TALKING, CONTROLLING YOU, OR LISTENING IN, JUST SAY YES. ]

Is the movie they're playing in the screening room any good?

[mygame]

[The Nogitsune's fingers twist together again as its eyes move over the words she's typed out and back to her face. Its bland smile slips a little to reflect a small spark of hope before descending back into nervousness.]

[It studies the words again, swallowing thickly before answering her in a falsely bright voice as if to fool anyone listening.]

Why, yes, Miss Skye. It's a wonderful movie... although some find the theme of people being brought and killed to become staf-

[Its mouth snaps shut as if shoved, eyes widened in surprise. A quick step is taken back as if the Nogitsune were trying to escape someone invisible grabbing at it.]