[log] Inncoming [open]

[swatsflies]

Characters: Sad Losers and Guests
Location The Hotel (162)
Date: Various times during days 124 - 125
Summary: Hanging out, giving out keys, and being sad.
Warnings: Dumb Teens, Grumpire, Brian, a lack of symmetry, and anything else.



A hotel--the Norfinbury Inn. By hotel standards, it's not especially large, but it's the largest building in the downtown area. The lobby is mostly empty and seems a bit old-fashioned in design, with what appear to be wooden floors and fairly plain walls. There are a few cozy areas where people can sit, and a fireplace in the center that, while it has no wood, is in perfect working order. The front desk has nothing of note except for all the keycards to the various rooms of the hotel. It looks like there are a total of twenty rooms. There is no elevator--looks like you'll have to use the stairs the old-fashioned way.

There is a small dining room area, although there are no tables or chairs to be found. The room echoes uncomfortably due to its emptiness. It connects to a small industrial kitchen, although there is no longer any food or appliances to be found. It seems like the ovens and stoves were cut out of their places. The sinks still work, at least. There is also a door that unlocks with a management keycard that can be found in the lobby that leads downstairs.

The basement is very simple. It's colder down here than in the rest of the building, and utilitarian in style. There's a small break room, a laundry room that no longer has any of its machinery but does have large rolling baskets for moving clothes in bulk (that refuse to leave the hotel, unfortunately) and some cleaning carts devoid of cleaning supplies (that are just as stubborn as the clothes baskets). There's a small room with space for what must have once been a furnace--and an actual very old-fashioned incinerator. It's not on, of course, but if a fire were started manually, it would still function. There's nothing inside it.

The first floor of the hotel contains rooms 101 to 110. There are five single rooms and five double rooms. All of the plumbing works, though the water runs cold. The second floor, containing rooms 201 to 210, is identical to the first floor, except for one door that has no key, only a note on the front: "All at once, use the keys". There's no place to insert any keys, however.

Tied to the knob of the front door is various eating utensils, nails, screws, and a spare house key. Looks like someone rigged a doorbell to be alerted to newcomers. The fire is going in the lobby, and there appears to be a mattress close to it.

((OOC: Miiiingling. Toss up your own starters))

Comments

Night 125 or Wildcard - OTA!

[rattlingthestars]

[ There are four monsters outside.

It's not hitting Jim has hard as it usually does, since he wasn't the one having to run this time, but it's still a steady presence in his head that's difficult to ignore as he sits on the mattress by the small fire.

He's trying to keep an eye on the door and an eye on the people he doesn't know as well even when he's clearly working on something that should be taking up more of his attention.

That something is three or four cans of something called campbell's that he's emptying into a pot and holding over the fire. The cans had promised beef stew and for once he can't complain about the results, though he does keep hissing and cursing in an alien language every time his hands accidentally get too close to the fire. After one such incident he's looking around for help and thrusting the pot at whoever's closest. ]

Ow - can you hold this a second?

ON A SCALE OF ONE THROUGH TEN- let me know if this is okay

[swatsflies]

[Zell can tell just how on edge his boyfriend is. From how he keeps shifting his attention between guests and monsters. Thankfully he hasn't managed to cut himself on the open cans, but the cursing is enough to get Zell in motion to stand beside him quick.

Not exactly what he wanted Jim to thrust at him, but he'll take it. Shifting the pot over to one hand as he reached out to hook his his fingers in Jim's belt to keep him there.]

Hold on. [Leaning down to place the pot on the edge of the fire place. It'll probably be okay to stay close to the heat, but his priorities at to Jim first. Once he was sure the pot and boyfriend weren't going anywhere, he's pulling Jim close by his belt.

Inspecting his fingers until he finds the burnt one to place into his mouth. It's what he used to do every time he got any burns or wounds on his fingers. Lifting Jim's other hand to inspect each of his fingers to be sure it's okay. Then he'll set him free, but hold his own finger up.]

Stay. [He says it quickly as he leans forward to give him a quick smooch on the cheek before he's ducking away to his bag to grab a bag of snow. Thankfully he didn't have far to go. Once the snow was procured, he wraps it with a dish cloth. Taking quick strides back to Jim and holding it out.] Here.

/baps

[rattlingthestars]

[ Jim had been half-expecting a stranger; Zell's voice causes his mouth to turn up into a smile. Well, good thing it was Zell; anyone else trying to grab his belt would be in for a punch, and he's not too bad at throwing those these days. Jim tries to shake the sting out of his hand before handing it over to Zell for inspection and then -

Oh.

Well, that's nice. It's... yep. Nice. ]

- Or I could burn the rest of them! [ Jim calls after him, though when Zell gets back he hasn't actually moved to do any such thing. He accepts the cloth and wraps it around the handle. ] Better. Thanks.

I SEE THAT SOUP PROMPT

[bookofnope]

[It's the fire, more than the boy next to it, that keeps Beckett hovering at a respectful distance away. He's in a deep dilemma. Though the sight of it no longer sends him into a frenzy of terror, he's still deeply uncomfortable with fire, staring at it like a long-tailed cat at a rocking chair. On the other, the fire is warm, it's warm even at this distance. And whatever Jim is cooking over the fire smells like - oh, God - it smells rich and meaty and absolutely overwhelming.

Don't ask Beckett when or how he's started inching closer. He barely knows himself. He just does. He could not possibly care less about what Jim had to say about it. That is, of course, until Jim tries to hand him the pot. DON'T DO IT JIM HE'LL EAT EVERYTHING.]

What is that? [He doesn't hold out any hands to take what is offered. He knows he won't be able to resist it if he does.]

looking up the last time they talked and crying a little

[rattlingthestars]

[ Jim starts, sending a few drops of the stew sloshing onto the hearth, and glares up at Beckett as if it's his fault. He'd been expecting someone else, apparently, though he couldn't say who. Definitely not Beckett.

The sight of someone he doesn't particularly like does a lot to toughen Jim up; he puts the pot down by the hearth and shakes his hand without another comment about it even though it really stings. No showing weakness!

Jim glances down at the pot and back at Beckett and, in a mock-helpful tone, says: ]

On my planet we call it 'soup.'

WILDCARD Night 124: Closed to Jim

[swatsflies]

[ Zell takes the steps two at a time without any care for being quiet. He's fairly certain everyone but Mochi is up anyways. From where he stood, he catches sight of his boyfriend in the lobby. His face is lit by the flames and it's enough to keep Zell rooted to the spot to enjoy the view. All the tension from his conversation with Zack drains from him. Jim is still here and still alive. ]

Hey. [ He says it quietly as he crosses the space between them to sit down next to him. Zell didn't realize how cold he was until the felt the warmth from the fire close by. He’s in the shorts and a tank top, which might provide a sneak peek of a splash of color that’s brand new on his chest. Throwing an arm across Jim's back and gently leaning against him. ]

[rattlingthestars]

[ Jim wasn't expecting to see Zell for a few more hours, yet. He'd set himself up by the dying remains of the fire, both for the warmth and the light, and he's half-laying on the mattress with a book. He jerks into a sitting position when he hears someone on the stairs, but relaxes again when Zell comes into view.

Zell's bare shoulders are the first thing Jim notices. Frowning, he wordlessly retrieves his coat to put it around his boyfriend. It's when he's trying to settle it on Zell's shoulders that he notices the bruise. His frown deeps as he reaches out to run a finger over it - no pressure, just a brush of skin. ]

Sunshine?

Night 125, or make your own starter!

[deus_ex_phs]

A

[Indoors or not, it's still cold inside, so Kunsel's set himself up close to the fire with an array of things spread out on the floor in front of him. The flickering light helps him see as he sorts through the odds and ends - paperclips and nails, a spare key, some key chains, and a lemon - but he's not so absorbed in what he's doing that he fails to look up if someone gets close. Without his helmet on, he's just an average-looking man with brown hair that's starting to grow out of its last trim. His eyes might be his most striking feature, bright blue in a way that almost seem to glow. Or maybe that's just a trick of the firelight.

Either way, he smiles a greeting and lifts a hand.]

Hey. Plenty of room by the fire here.

B

Write your own!

A yyyye

[rattlingthestars]

[ Jim's been between the fire and the windows for most of the night, checking up on their 'guests' outside between getting - blissfully - warm and eating something hot for the first time since he's not sure when.

Right now he's hovering around Kunsel, leaning over to try and figure out what he's doing without actually doing something silly like asking. At the greeting, though, he drops down beside him and sits crosslegged to poke at some of Kunsel's supplies. ]

-Okay, you're going to have to help me out here.

Day 124!

[heroproceeding]

[ Not having much to do outside of waiting for some more of his clothing to dry after nosing around without luck for most of the day, it really shouldn't be all that strange for him to go find Kunsel. It shouldn't be strange at all for him to go decide to make small talk with him. It's nothing out of habit with him. In fact, it would be stranger if he wasn't bothering his friend. So, it's not odd. Not really- except for the way he almost seems to beeline.

No, that's definitely a beeline and he has this odd, almost too pleased look on his face. There's no greeting, no warning at all as he crosses the rest of the distance to his friend dressed in bloody t-shirt and that blanket skirt. Nope, instead his arms come around him suddenly, wrapping tight. Confident. Knowing. And not an inch out of place. ]

A

[0thingsonmymind]

*He hasn't really seen Kunsel--at least not in person--since the incident with Clayton. They've spoken over the network since then and its generally been okay. Non-hostile. But that's different than being in the same room with the man.

He watches the other carefully and shakes his head to the offer. He's okay over here, out of arm's reach.*

Any Night- OPEN

[swatsflies]

A.
[Come bother him option! Anyone hanging around the lobby will notice Zell sitting on the check-in desk wearing only a pair of shorts and a tank top. There are cuts still healing on his face and neck, and it appears to be he’s jotting things down in a notebook. Every so often, his body will get tense and he’ll lift his gaze to seek a familiar face out. As soon as he spots someone, he’ll visibly relax and go back to writing.

Every so often, he’ll set the notebook down and hop off the desk. Bouncing from foot to foot to jab and punch invisible foes. Someone is feeling a little restless and from a quick glance, it’s probably clear he didn’t get a whole lot of sleep the previous night.]



B.
[The young fighter can be found tending to the fire with a fire poker. Once he’s done with maintaining he plops down rather heavily on the mattress. Beside him is a book on horoscopes, sliced apples, cookies, and some marshmallows. Flipping open the book to start ripping out the foreword and introduction to the book to add to the fire. Looking up mid-rip to anyone in the room to give a grin as an idea hits him.] When is your birthday?


[Giving a tap to the book.] It’s a horoscope book.

C.
[Bring your own starter. Zell has a guitar, fruit, kazoo, and a cat if you need any ideas.]

B!

[eclecticbassist]

Uh, December first!

[ Jade also plops onto the mattress, but it's a very dainty flop in comparison because she is too smol for this bullshit. She helps herself to some apple after a moment of consideration. ]

B - I actually wanted to bother about the horoscope prompt anyway.

[heroproceeding]

[ Horoscope book, smoroscope book. Zack's honestly not paying attention. In fact, it seems like from the moment he entered Zell's line of sight, he had an idea in mind. And it's an idea in mind that comes to full motion when he comes to a kneel next to the young man sitting by that fire. There's this stupid, hopeful grin on his face and that's pretty much all the warning Zell gets before his personal space gets invaded. Before arms are curling around him in a tight embrace. A strong embrace that feels like Zack's playing the game 'Never Let Go!!'. And- well. He's not letting go any time soon.

At least not unless Zell protests. But... just as he needed a moment with Jim, so too does he need this moment with Zell. A moment to really know this isn't a fluke. To know that and to physically know their presence is there. So... yeah. Just give him this moment. ]

A

[0thingsonmymind]

*He's completely confused as to why Zell is wearing so little. Aside from his own dislike of having any part of his exposed (which at least he understands other people don't also have), its cold!
Also the cuts are sort of worrying, but he assumes those most be normal here. Here wasn't safe.

He's more interested in the notebook, though, so actually heads over to check it out/ask about it. And by 'ask about it' i mean stand there silently until Zell looks up from whatever he's writing and notices he isn't alone. Because that's the best way to do these things.*

Night 124- Puppy Punching | Closed to Zack

[swatsflies]

[He woken up abruptly thanks to the feeling of panic clawing it’s way down his back. His fingers reach for the spot beside him, but came up empty. His heart picked up as he reached for his tablet to check the time. Seeing the time assured him a tiny bit that Jim wasn’t whisked away somewhere. It should be his turn at watch.

Sliding off the bed as he taps against his own palm. He should locate Jim just to be sure, but before he could head off the snoring finally registers. It’s Zack’s snoring. It’s one of those things that used to be annoying back at Garden while living in the dorms, but was now a sense of comfort. It’s a reminder that the Soldiers were alive and with them again. It’s a reminder he wasn’t alone. .

He follows the sound to where he knew Zack was sleeping. Standing beside his bed as he watched the rhythmic rise and fall of his chest. In the past, that alone could put his mind to rest. This place has lied to him enough times. It has messed with what he sees and hears more than a couple of times. It’s not enough to remind him this is real. It’s not enough to spell out that Zack really was there with them still.

Reaching out and letting his hands over just over Zack’s chest for a moment or two. Moving his hand over to his neck to place his hand there to feel his pulse and warmth.]

Let me know if this is cool!

[heroproceeding]

[ Sleep hadn't come easy to him in a long time. Much less so when he'd been up and shivering in the dark... but even when the shivering had finally stopped, even when he was no longer hearing the screams and cries of people the moment he set foot outside, that hadn't been the end of things. He'd still been left unable to feel the warm bodies around him.

Until that night.

That night, he'd found the heat and life radiating off his best friend and taken full advantage of it, curled up close and no longer feeling so disconnected and alone. That night, he had unexpectedly found himself having finally fallen into a sleep that wasn't so unpleasant as he had expected it to be. His body had shifted, of course, through the rest of the night. Enough that it's easy for Zell to touch a hand to his chest when he's laying on his back as he is. Enough that it's also just as easy for the young man to reach upwards.

But that's when things take a sudden sharp twist. That's when he retaliates- and it's automatic with unforgiving force. Zack's hand comes snapping up to grab Zell roughly by the wrist to stop him while his other hand darts out to grab him by the shoulder. He yanks him forward as he curls up, himself, elbow out and nailing him hard in the chest, mako eyes wide and flaring. ]

Some time during 124 or 125 OTA

[heroproceeding]

{Axe Him a Question}

[ He'd been antsy since they'd gotten inside the inn. Antsy to search the place from the ground up, antsy to try and get what answers they were looking for if there were any to find for all the trouble they went through... antsy to know that through all of that, through all the others that had suffered through, that something would give.

But nothing does that night. Nothing at all. And it's frustrating.

So, he decides to keep himself busy. There's an actual fire they can light there. And actual fuel to burn around. It doesn't take much from there to make up his mind. He's stripped down somewhat as he works, wearing a bloody white t-shirt where he would usually have his coat on. Tied around his waist's a blanket that makes him look like he's wearing a skirt. Not that he seems to care as he hauls ass.

By hauling ass, down comes the axe again, ironically the same axe that got him in the head before. For anyone actually paying attention and who have seen him before, they might notice the new scar on his forehead compliments of it. Zack, himself's, too busy swinging again to notice if they stare though.

But not enough to ask: ]

Hey, you mind taking some of this over? The wood's probably getting low again.

{Bring Your Own Prompt!}

( Because your prompt might be way cooler than mine, bros. I mean sexy wood choppin' only goes so far. Maybe we wanna go to third base here. I dunno, man. )

orz

[rattlingthestars]

[ Jim is not, exactly, sneaking. Even he's not impulsive enough to sneak up on a man swinging an axe. He stops a few feet short of Zack, to the side but probably in his peripheral vision.

The instinct to be helpful wars with the desire for revenge long enough for Jim to come up with a plan, which is to ask: ]

Here, switch places. I want to take a whack at it.

Night 125!

[bookofnope]

A - this is a naked vampire prompt

[Seated on the bottom of the basement steps, huddled in his blanket-cloak, sniffling and grumbling in the cold, Beckett mentally adds laundry to the list of reasons why mortal bodies are the worst thing in all the worlds.

He is not a newcomer to laundry as a concept. Blood gets on clothes. It is just much easier, in the Kindred lifestyle, to get new clothes, or get a handy mortal to do the washing for you. But look at him now. Look at this mess. There's a nice fire upstairs, of course, but there are also people. A lot of people. Whom he is not about to sit around while covered in nothing but a raggedy blanket that could itself use a wash or five. Absolutely not. Leave him to his misery. He's just fine here.

As long as no one decides to come downstairs, that is.]


B - obligatory angstprompt

[There's blood on the handkerchief.

Of course Beckett notices it, the moment he pulls it from under the pillow where it was half-tucked, hoping that the folded cloth might hide something interesting. But all it hides are those spots of red. He rolls the cloth about in his hand, staring at the wall. There's not enough blood there to get a more instinct reaction out of him. Instead he thinks about what a spots of blood on a handkerchief mean. He's lived through the right times and places. He knows how it goes.]

Did you leave it just for us, I wonder.

[The words aren't aimed at anyone; he came into the room alone. But he voices them nonetheless. Talking nudges the never-really-gone itch of pain in his throat - or perhaps it's a psychosomatic response, he wouldn't be surprised. But either way he starts coughing. He tries to taper down on it, tries to hold his breath even, but the sound echoes down the corridor nonetheless. Probably psychosomatic. He's not coughing up any blood. Yet. My turn. All our turns.]

A

[deus_ex_phs]

[Even as rarely as they run across people, Kunsel still hasn't lost his habit of keeping tabs on the people around him. Usually it's just a mental note - Zack's talking to Zell, Jim's poking at the fire, Brian's been hovering around, alternately staring at people or recording with his tablet, and Jade's been in and out - and usually he just leaves it at that, willing to let people go where they want.

But Beckett has been trying to suppress a cough. Nothing terrible, but enough to catch Kunsel's attention. Enough to make him note that Beckett isn't at the fire, isn't taking advantage of warmth when he should. He's a grown man, older than Kunsel is. He knows how to take care of himself.

Even so, Kunsel still finds himself wandering away from the lobby at some point, concern leading him to the basement with his cat-printed cup in hand. And that's where he finds Beckett, huddled up and miserable. Kunsel eyes him, taking in the situation, then deliberately chooses not to address the obvious. Beckett's always been a little bit prickly. No need to poke at his pride.]

Hey.

[He nods in greeting, then comes down the steps far enough to hold out the glass in his hand.]

Hot water and lemon juice. Fresh squeezed. Figured you wouldn't want to miss out on hot drinks.

[And maybe he also figured that Beckett looked like he could use the vitamin C.]

B

[0thingsonmymind]

*He's wandering aimlessly carefully searching the hotel when he hears the coughing. He can't quite tell if its like the coughing he's used to or not but he follows the sound anyway. He pauses in the doorway when he finds its source.

Beckett was coughing before, but its been awhile. Or was it a thing that happened more often with him? He's not entirely sure. He can't help but wondering, though, if its connected to his cough. Tim thought it was contagious, didn't he? If it was...he's not sure. Beckett didn't really need that to understand.

After a moment of silent watching he reaches out and taps on the door frame. Just letting Beckett know he's not alone.*

A because why the hell not.

[heroproceeding]

[ Having been there for a few days now, Zack's found himself fully dressed again. At this point, he's just making occasional rounds- but it can't be hard to blame him, can it. Especially when the inn's no longer occupied by his usual crowd. It sets him on edge a bit, but... it's not so bad when he's at least there to prevent anything personally. It's not like way back when Beckett had tried to convince Jim to go get himself possessed and he had to rip him a new one between a tablet. Of course, Beckett also hadn't been around either of them then either.

Though it's really been a while since they'd argued since outside of that one time he, himself, had sprang from the bathroom on him.

Doesn't mean he'd ever go out of his way to actually talk to him.

But locate him? Locate him, sure. To know what he's up to, to know he's not trying to put ideas in Jim's head or Zell's. That's more than enough reason to find him. And he does not long after he starts searching. The inn's big by most standards back home outside of up-plate, but. Not that big. He would have left it at that, probably, except, well. He notes that state of dress or.. lack there of.

And he finds himself leaning against the doorway at the top of the steps with his arms crossed. ]

You enjoy freezing or something?

A!

[eclecticbassist]

[ Jade was going to check out the basement, but after realizing that the pitiful little gremlin at the foot of the stairs is actually a pitiful little sadpire, she runs to fetch a blanket that isn't encrusted with snot. She stands a couple of steps above him, holding it out. ]

Hey! You can use mine, at least for tonight.

[ The blanket is made of wool and is (in her opinion) unbearably itchy on bare skin, but it's pretty clean. It also smells faintly of the body spray she uses to block out weird scents. ]

B! Sorry

[swatsflies]

[ Thank you Beckett for revealing your whereabouts. Zell peeks into the room where he heard the coughing. ]

Still getting over that cold? [ Leaning sideways against the door frame as he lifts a plastic bag with samples of citrus fruit. Zell is still running around in a pair of shorts and a tank top. There is a bruise on his chest peeking out of the neckline and the cuts from Jewelry store trap are still healing on his cheeks and neck. ] Brought you fruit. Did you find anything?