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

Cashmere | ota

[64th]

-arrival-
[ Cashmere feels the breath ripped from her lungs as she collides with the ground. years and worlds away, she can still hear her trainer's voice echo through her head, screaming for her to get up! faster, faster, faster! there should be water, shouldn't there? that though comes secondarily. she should have fallen in the water. while she tries to work out the water situation (or lack thereof) she's moving on instinct, groping the ground for her knife and not finding it. she's on her feet before she can catch her breath. disorientation edges on panic when she realizes she's alone. where is Gloss? she has to find Gloss.

her surroundings make no sense. she quickly concludes the arena has changed. abandoned building instead of jungle. it will probably change again. ice mountain? desert? swamp? the Capitol's biggest hits starring it's favorite victors. typical.

is there anything useful in the room? she turns once and then again, eyeing it appraisingly but it appears to be just that: a room. what does catch her interest in the light from the hall. she stops before opening the door, listening. the other tributes could be on the other side but there's no sounds of a fight. Cashmere takes a deep breath and then she yanks the door wide open only to find more emptiness. down the hall seems to be her only choice, where she finds the suitcases - sponsor gifts already? she grabs hers, looks for Gloss' but doesn't find it, and has no choice but to follow the sign and hopefully find her brother somewhere along the way. ]

-lobby-
[ still dressed in her arena unitard, Cashmere moves like she isn't sure if she's being hunted or she's doing the hunting. when she reaches the lobby, Cashmere freezes. there are other people but none of them are dressed like tributes and at a quick glance she doesn't recognize any of them. the room is a lot to take in at once. fireplace - possibly useful, but she'd need a stick or a torch or something. the doors also appear promising, but Cashmere goes for option three, approaching the nearest stranger from behind, dropping her suitcase, and grabbing them by both arms all in one swift motion. Cashmere's fast and strong, but she's expecting a fight so it won't be too hard to pull out of her grasp. after all, aren't they supposed to be putting on a good show? ] Where's Gloss? [ please excuse the crazy look in her eyes. ]

-later-
[ the door to her room is open. anyone who happens by will find her methodically investigating every inch of the room and suitcase. the sheets are yanked off the bed, anything that can be opened has been opened. and the tablet? she noticed the camera immediately and threw the sweater from her suitcase on top of it. the contents of her suitcase are spread all over the room and she's still dressed in her arena unitard. her adrenaline high has faded and Cashmere's a little more willing to make nice with anyone who stops by, but it would be in everyone's best interest if those stopping by knocked first. ]

later

[oceanborne]

...Cashmere?

[ Annie had only meant to peer into the doorway from as far across the hall as she could, at first. Just to make sure there's no danger there, so that she can pass by and continue on to the room labeled on her keycard. But one peek gets her a glimpse at that painfully familiar uniform, and there was only one female tribute in the Quell with hair that color.

Strange, though. Annie's fairly certain that the last time she saw Cashmere was when Johanna's axe took her life, and yet she's here. Here and alive and the first familiar face Annie has managed to find, which all but ensures that she's Annie's new favorite person. Annie creeps closer, pausing in the doorway to look from Cashmere to the wreck of her room and back up again. ]

Find anything interesting yet?

[64th]

[ she's been keeping an eye on the door, but Annie catches her with her head down, trying to rip apart the lining of her suitcase. Cashmere isn't sure what she's looking for, but she'll know it when she sees it. her head snaps up at the sound of a familiar voice. ]

Annie?

[ she's suspicious, but only for a few moments before relief washes over her. she isn't alone. the hotel is strange, and unsettling, and they probably can't trust anyone, but at least she isn't alone. Cashmere forgets the suitcase and hurries across the room to throw her arms around Annie in a hug. a little more affectionate than she'd normally be - but with good reason. ] Nothing worth tearing my room apart for. Yet. [ she gets a better look at Annie, wrinkling her nose in confusion. ] What are you wearing?

[oceanborne]

[ The hug is definitely not what she'd expect from Cashmere, but complaining is the last thing on Annie's mind. She clings to Cashmere for as long as the hug lasts, desperate as much for the affection and familiarity as she is for the reassurance that she isn't entirely alone here. She's with another victor now, a better one than she ever was, and figuring this place out doesn't seem quite as daunting now that she isn't alone.

What is she wearing? A very good question, and Annie plucks awkwardly at a fold of the sheet she's managed to secure around herself with a few torn strips from the bottom and a bit of knot work. ] The very latest in Capitol couture, of course. Direct from the president's hidden prisons.

[ But they can discuss her fashion choices later, and she shrugs dismissively. ] Have you found anyone else yet? Gloss or Finnick or... [ Yeah, never mind. Those two are the only ones that matter right now, and maybe Cashmere's had better luck in finding them than Annie has. ]

[64th]

[ Annie in prison? why would Snow put her in prison? apparently Mags volunteering didn't do anything to save Annie. she has questions about that, better saved for later. once they've figured out where they are. once she's sure it's safe to ask. this is all Katniss' fault: the Games, the prison, the hotel. the stupid girl from 12 who ruined the last good pieces of their lives. ]

No. [ Cashmere shakes her head. not in the lobby, not in the halls. no suitcase for Gloss either which she knows in the back of her head isn't promising. ] They have to be here. They were just - I saw them. If I'm here, they have to be here.

[oceanborne]

[ It isn't anything she's keen to discuss, so Annie is just fine with keeping the details to herself for now. Besides, what piques her interest more is Cashmere's determined insistence that she just saw Gloss and Finnick. That was... okay, it was hard to tell time in her cell but she's pretty sure it's been weeks, if not months, since the end of the Quell. Of course, she's also pretty sure that Cashmere ought to be dead, so maybe she doesn't know as much as she thought. ]

Where have you looked so far? We should check everywhere, maybe they're lost. [ They're just disoriented from the arrival, surely. Annie turns to look at the doorway, like she expects Finnick or Gloss to just walk right in. ] It won't be a good show without two of the Capitol's favorites.

[64th]

If Gloss is lost I will kill him. [ she's kidding. but he's going to be in big trouble. she sets her jaw and tries not to let the grown dread in her chest settle in there. they're going to find the boys. ] Or he can have a pass this once. But I'm going to yell at both of them.

[ she nods to Annie. ] I looked, but we can look again. I couldn't find the room I showed up in again. Maybe the halls move. They do that in the arena all the time. Should we map it? [ Cashmere looks back at the mess she's made. ] We've got to have paper.

[ another glance to Annie. she frowns. ] Do you want to wear some of my clothes? [ sorry, Annie. Cashmere's a little scattered right now. ]

[oceanborne]

I don't know, Finnick might prefer facing death instead of you in a temper. [It's a weak joke, but she has to do something to distract herself from the thought of being here without Finnick. Being separated, that's something Annie got accustomed to a long time ago. She'd even made some kind of awful peace with the idea of him dying in the Quell, but after the abrupt way it cut off, and the long time she was locked up, she still doesn't know one way or another if he's even alive. And until they find him she'll never be sure, and the thought of it makes her sick with fear.

Mapping, that's a good idea. It's something to do, at least. ] We should mark where we've been, too. If the halls move, we need to track them.

[ She's just as scattered as Cashmere, honestly, so the offer takes Annie by surprise. ] Clothes? Oh. I suppose I should, yeah.

[64th]

[ it's not the best of Annie's jokes, but Cashmere smiles all the same. you really only have to bear witness to one of Cashmere's tantrums to find good reason to avoid them for the rest of forever. her anger has a way of getting the best of her. she knows that. ]

Yeah. [ and... apparently the tablet is going to be her best option for writing this down. great. the tablet is under her clothes, so she tosses pants and a shirt towards Annie. ] You're going to look very One. It's a dream come true, I know.

[ she picks up the tablet, examining it for the first time since she realized it had a camera. it's different than what she's used to in the Capitol, but similar enough that she at least doesn't feel stupid. ] So what was in your suitcase?

[oceanborne]

[ Catching the clothes with one hand, Annie nudges the door shut with her foot before she starts dressing. Sure, modesty isn't exactly a common ailment among victors, but that doesn't mean she wants anyone else in this place to catch her unaware. ]

You mean I'm going to look like a little girl who's been raiding her sister's wardrobe? [ She smiles like she's joking, but it really is true. Annie's always been one of the shortest victors, and her extended stay in the president's custody left her all angles and too-prominent bones beneath her skin. But at least she's wearing something more substantial than a sheet, so that's progress. Right now, she'll take whatever she can get.

She takes the discarded sheet and folds it up carefully, tucking it under her arm -- maybe once they've mapped this place, she can find some use for it. ] A piece of rope, this little scented squishy ball, and some kind of uniform, I think. I didn't really look too close, it seemed useless.

lobby

[villainously]

[ he's unsettled by this place and doing his best to watch and learn from the rest of the crowd. some are in various shades of panic and disorientation, but hopefully at least someone has a clue. he has no interest in chatting up strangers about how very odd all this is. the only thing that strikes him is how none of the faces look familiar. he was starting to think he'd seen every face there was to see in Storybrooke and now suddenly he doesn't recognize a single one.

granted he's not friendly with most of the town, but still, he's fairly certain he would at least recognize a few of them...

he's keeping to himself and watching when suddenly somebody grabs at him and unsurprisingly steals his attention. a bit bold to grab Captain Hook and make demands, isn't it? ]

Do I look like a Gloss to you, sweetheart? [ who would be so cruel as to name their child Gloss? he is strong enough to break her grip but he doesn't, just stares back at her wild-eyed expression looking vaguely annoyed. his left hand crawls a bit with all the ways he could make her let go, yet the desire is easily ignored. ] I don't bloody know, so if you'd kindly release me.

[64th]

[ it's a staring contest while she tries to decide if he's worth trusting. or at the very least bringing down her intensity a few dozen notches. he could have shoved her off, but didn't. if he was going to attack her he's missing a good opportunity to do so. in the interest of not being a complete psychopath, she lets go, but doesn't move back. ]

Somebody knows. [ she's wrong on that, but she won't believe it until she's interrogated every single person she finds. ] Who the hell are you? How long have you been here? [ as though she wasn't the one who ran up, got into his space and asked him questions with no context. ] Who's in charge?

[villainously]

[ well whoever that somebody is, it isn't him. he hasn't even heard of a Gloss before, but if he had to guess, probably a fairy. and honestly this girl doesn't look like a fairy and they tend to stick amongst their own, so he's back to not knowing what the hell is going on, which is pretty consistent of late.

she doesn't move back and he doesn't bother to. the pirate has never been too careful about personal space. if she's trying to intimidate him it isn't working, but he's at least wary. everyone is on their guard, including him, and it doesn't always bring out the best in people.

she asks him questions (well, more like makes demands for information) like he has some sort of clue. he frowns, never fond of being ordered, yet he answers anyway. ] Surely you recognize me. [ everyone in Storybrooke knows Captain Hook, after all, even with an extra hand. ] Just arrived, same as everyone else it seems. And if there's someone, haven't found them yet.

[64th]

[ staying close is less about intimidating him and more about looking like she isn't intimidated. she did already go all in with the whole being a crazy person so she might as well roll with it.

Cashmere looks him up and down. she's literally never seen him before in her life. his accent is weird. wherever he's from, it's no where she's ever been. ] You don't recognize me? [ that's... weird. right now her face is plastered all over the Capitol. kids have action figures of her. where the hell are they? ]

Humor me. Who are you?

[villainously]

[ he looks at her blandly. why would he recognize her? all right, he's seen quite a few faces in Storybrooke but he doesn't have names to match them. unless she's a charming or an evil queen, he's not exactly on name-to-name basis with most of the town.

it still hasn't occurred to him that he might not be in Storybrooke anymore. ]

No, can't say I do. [ it's more odd to him that she doesn't know his face, because like it or not, all of Storybrooke knows the villain that nearly killed them all in the past. his hook isn't present but he still looks like himself. ] Captain Hook, just without my namesake. Ring any bells?

[64th]

[ she assumes they must be in Panem, but only because she doesn't believe anything exists outside of it anymore. but if he doesn't know who she is, and she's never heard of this allegedly well known Captain Hook, then what the hell is happening? ]

Never heard of you. [ she shakes her head. is that disappointing for him? she likes being recognized it. she did earn it, after all. ] I'm Cashmere. Of Gloss and Cashmere. [ as though repeating the two things he's learned about her will help. she elaborates: ] The twin victors from One? [ this is the first time she's had to introduce herself in 10 years. this can't be real. ]

[villainously]

[ it's odd enough that she doesn't recognize Captain Hook — nobody in Storybrooke or the Enchanted Forest is unaware of him. he's not known for particularly good reasons, granted, he's still bloody known. his eyebrows hike more in confusion than annoyance...

and it only gets worse when she introduces herself, brings up this Gloss again, and what does the last bit even mean? ] Right, is that something from Storybrooke? Only arrived a bit ago. [ he missed out on twenty eight years of curse, that's the best he can guess. ]

[64th]

[ her brow furrows in confusion. being in the hotel with strangers is putting a lot of holes in her theories about where they and how they got to the hotel. ]

Is Storybrooke in Panem? [ she's never heard of it, but it doesn't mean that it isn't. Cashmere hates to sound clueless, and if he is from Panem she'll just come off as flippant. if he isn't from Panem - she's not what that will mean from either for either of them. ]

[villainously]

[ he feels a bit frustrated with the oddness of the situation. Panem? he's never heard of it, and yet that doesn't mean a whole hell of a lot. there's lots of places in the Land without Magic he's never heard of. the important part is she doesn't seem to know where Storybrooke is. ]

I don't believe so. [ he has no way of knowing... it's just a guess, really. ] I've never heard of it, but I'm sure there are many lands I've not heard of.

lobby

[kirking]

[Cool the crazy lady eyes, holy shit.]

Uh--

[Kirk seems to get his wits back about him and moving like he's expecting an attack from a rabid dog, pries her hand off his arm.]

What's a gloss?

[64th]

[ NEVER. but he pulls away and she lets him because he just asked one of the dumbest questions she's ever heard. ]

Who is Gloss. Gloss is a who not a what. Gloss is my brother He's - [ she gestures: taller than both of them, roughly house size. ] probably dressed like me. Looks like he could break people in half. He'll be looking for me.

[kirking]

[Well, she hasn't known him for very long because he's said way stupider things.

Kirk nods with understanding, a soft 'oh' escaping his mouth. The lightbulbs are on upstairs. Gloss is her brother's name. Kind of a weird name for a girl that looks human but hey. His mother wanted to name him Tiberius.]

Haven't seen him. Sorry about that, it's uh-- been a strange day.

[64th]

[ that wasn't the answer she was hoping for, obviously. she's disappointed and her anger deflates, leaving Cashmere looking vaguely sad. what's she going to do if she's alone? what are they going to do to him? ]

Yeah. I've had better ones. [ worse ones too. this is pretty far up on the list, though. she hesitates like she might apologize for being totally insane and attacking him but she doesn't. ] Are you alone?

[kirking]

[Oh she doesn't dress in a form fitting unitard and basically get kidnapped every day? How odd.]

I think that depends on what you mean by alone. Do I recognize anyone here? No. But I hope I'm not imagining you and talking to myself.

[64th]

[ he gets a smile out of her. ] Usually when people fantasize about me I have less clothes on. Maybe this is your thing though, I don't judge. [ wink. gonna go with the tried and true method of making friends. ]