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

[64th]

[ well! look who brought his a-game. it's actually kind of a relief. not to be outdone, Cashmere beams back at him. ] Exactly. It's a pleasure to meet you properly, Peeta. Has anyone ever told you you're just as handsome as all your posters? [ she almost mentions the baby - fake baby, she's pretty sure - but she's still pissed about that so bites her tongue. ]

Did you ever find Mrs. Mellark? [ there is a laundry list of things for her to be mad about, most of which she holds against Katniss and not Peeta. after all, Peeta plays by the rules and Katniss doesn't. so deciding who to be mad at is easy. ]

[withbread]

[ He'll relax and let things slip a bit after he's settled in and figured this place out. right now, he's still in arena mode, that means playing the game. this is the only way Peeta knows how to play the game. ] You as well, Cashmere. [ He smirks at the compliment and flushes a bit is it real? maybe it's real?spoiler alert: it's not real. ] I'm not entirely sure. I try not to listen to what everyone else is saying about me. [ Oh he'll play the baby thing up to anyone from Panem that asks. Otherwise, he probably won't mention it. He's not going to let the marriage thing go. In fact, he'll be over here playing the game until he finds out it's not necessary.] I did and she's doing as well as can be expected. What about you? Find your brother? Or anyone from One?

[64th]

There's no need to be so modest. You're one of us. Capitol favorites. [ if he's lucky, he'll never have to worry about what that fully entails. being in the arena two years in a row isn't exactly lucky, though.

then he mentions Gloss. she keeps her plastered on smile but he's hit on a weak spot and that shows in her eyes. ] No. I didn't find him. I'm still looking. It's you, me, Annie, and Johanna. [ and Katniss apparently but who cares about Katniss.] Why? Did you see him?

[withbread]

Am I now? [ He appears amused by this. In reality, he's disgusted by the idea of it. He's only had a glimpse of what that means and he wants no part of it. ] I'll have to take the word of someone so unruffled by it. Perhaps you can guide me along, show me the ropes? [ It might sound like he's flirting. He's really not flirting. And no, he would say that luck had not been with him the last couple of years, even though he talked about how fortunate he and Katniss were at the interviews.

He notices that chink in her armor, even if he hadn't meant to hit it. He had been curious, but it's good to know who is and isn't here. ] I don't know Annie well. [Johanna he's met and much to Katniss' dismay he likes her. ] Katniss is here as well. [ did you really think he'd let her go unmentioned? Silly Cash. ] No, I haven't, but if I do I'll let him know you're here. [ Provided Gloss doesn't try to kill him first.]

[64th]

[ Cashmere's pretty disgusted with being a favorite, too, but what's a girl to do? she made her choices a long time ago. she tries to hold on to what's fake and what's not. sometimes it's hard to tell. Peeta, right now: fake. herself: usually fake. the hotel: who knows? but there are probably cameras. ] I'd love that. Any time.

[ yeah, yeah. Katniss Everdeen. big deal. the only thing Katniss has going for her is that fact that she doesn't like Johanna but right now Cashmere even likes Johanna better which is just one more big hint that Cashmere is totally losing her mind. this place is terrible.] Thanks. [ she actually means that. Cashmere stiffens again. ] Some of these people haven't heard of Panem.

[withbread]

[ Peeta hasn't reached that point of resignation yet. eventually, he'll have to. yes, he's fake but she probably understands why right now. eventually maybe they'll both figure out who the real person behind that fake is. cameras are a good bet and the reason for the necessary facades. ] Thank you. That's kind of you. I hadn't any idea of what to expect from any of the victors, but I've been pleasantly surprised. [ You know, up until that moment when the Games started and everyone started killing each other.

sorry, she's still a big deal to Peeta and the one that he's playing this game for anyway. Peeta nods. The offer was real; if he sees Gloss he will let him know Cashmere is looking for him and vice versa, at least until the point that one of them tries to kill him or Katniss. Peeta's brow furrows at Cashmere's words. His expression is skeptical and that charming mask drops a bit. ] I thought maybe it was part of...do you think they really haven't heard of Panem? [ Or is it part of the Game?]

[64th]

[ no hard feelings, Peeta. it's how you play the Games. ]

That's what they said. [ you know, after she attacked them with no provocation and then demanded answers while semi-hysterical. Cashmere is not going to be voted most popular, that's for sure. ] And they don't look or sound like they're from Panem. But... [ she shakes her head. she doesn't know. ] I'm not going to trust them any farther than I can throw them.

We need allies here, Peeta. [ and while the kids from Twelve aren't her favorite, at least she knows the people from Panem. that counts for something. ] It still feels like we're in the arena.

[withbread]

[ Cash...let Peeta teach you how to win friends and influence people. That's not how you do it. Of course, rather than socialize, Peeta was with Katniss so...He flashes Cashmere one of those Capitol smiles] Abduction in the middle of the night, building full of people you don't know, why Cashmere, I don't know what about this situation wouldn't inspire trust.

[ He sobers and drops the Capitol facade a bit at her declaration. She's right. They need allies and at least Cashmere has experience. ] I'm afraid I don't have a bracelet to give you, but yeah...you're right. [ He'll be your ally, Cash. ]

[64th]

[ Capitol people and cameras? that she can handle. these strangers? well. she's going to need Peeta's help. she not exactly known for being the friendliest of the victors. she rolls her eyes at him. he really would have fit right in with the rest of the Capitol's darlings.

she wonders, briefly, if she can trust Peeta. bracelet or not. she watched him with the careers in the 74th Games - they had never even suspected that he wasn't actually on their side. but if she can't trust the people from Panem, who can she trust? all of them together is different than she and Peeta alone. because he would absolutely betray her to protect Katniss (and as much as she hates Katniss she couldn't hold that against him). he doesn't seem as likely to betray her when the others are complete strangers. ]

It's a deal, then. [ she closes the distance between him, and offers her hand to shake. maybe it would surprise people, but Cashmere is always good on her word. ]