strangetrip | [GP/EP] Check-in Day

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[GP/EP] Check-in Day

The woodwinds in her collection were for noodling mostly, and the violin was for memory of her family, but when Curnen really wanted to play she turned again and again to her guitar. This would probably always be her best instrument. It was the first of the month, she’d been here over a year, and it was probably a check-in day. So she sat on the lawn with her instrument in her lap, sending out a subtle magic to call anyone stranded in their little world this way.

At one point, though, she set aside the guitar and turned her face to the sky. For just a few minutes she required a different kind of magic.

It had been a week now since Scanlan had vanished in the battle. And Pike, too, though Curnen honestly couldn’t have cared less about her going away if she tried. Still. The two of them were family to people very dear to her, people who missed them. And Scanlan had been her friend. You marked something like that with a song.

Of all the money that e'er I had
I spent it in good company
And all the harm that e'er I've done
Alas, it was to none but me
And all I've done for want of wit
To memory now I can't recall
So fill to me the parting glass
Good night and joy be with you all

It was a traditional Irish goodbye, a farewell to friends said with love, drinking, well wishes, and the hope of meeting again. She couldn’t think of a better one for the occasion. And as she sang she twined her magic into her voice in a new way, sending the song to any ears that needed it, ears of those who knew and missed the departed. Not all of them might understand it, not all of them knew what she was, but she didn’t particularly care about that right now. The song was more important than the hiding.

Once the last note had dissipated she picked up her guitar again and resumed her work. If there were anybody out there, they had to know where to go.

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"Not people exactly?" Steve asked. He wasn't sure he liked the sound of this--he'd dealt with evil people before, and he'd dealt with evil not-people before. Actually, sometimes the not-people were easier than the people. There was something decidedly more evil about the people doing evil things than the not-people. The idea that humans could turn on each other in such a way. Steve had a much more optimistic view of human nature.

"So, I'm a new person here? This is old hat to you?" He asked. "You do this twice a month?" His head was spinning over it all. Kidnapped, but not quite? And this was normal to the people who were already here. He gave his head a gentle shake to clear it, then sidled up to the bar beside the pretty, blonde girl. He set his napsack down beside him, and the basket on the bar.

"I suppose I should offer to buy you a drink, Caroline." He said, giving her a smile. "What's your poison?"

"Whiskey, neat." She didn't see any of the bartenders around at first, but shortly after, a blonde knockout appeared from the back carrying something in her arms. Molly. Caroline waved her off and leaned over the bar herself, picking up a couple of glasses and a bottle of Johnny Walker. "There's not a lot of staff, just five. Everyone else, even if they're working, is a guest."

She offered him the bottle. "I've been here since last New Years. It's September, by the way. Sometimes people arrive from different points in the year."

Wow. Were all the women here so absolutely stunning? Steve turned from the woman beside him to the woman behind the bar, and back again. Surprised. Not that he was expecting women to be horrible, but seeing so many people who were so ... perfect... kind of like him?

Steve wasn't about to say no to the bottle. He accepted it with a gentle, "thank you," and then poured himself a rather full glass. "September? But it was..." He frowned just a little. "People come from different points in the year," he repeated. Steve didn't like having time taken away from him. He'd lost so much when he was under the ice. "But what year?" Had he gone forward or backward?

Caroline sighed and crossed her legs. "That's the other thing. The hotel itself seems like it's stuck in 1995. For me, it was Christmas, 2012. But there's no rhyme or reason to it. Some people here aren't even from the same world. And...how do you feel about non-humans? Not non-people, like the staff. But elves and gods and monsters?"

So, back in time. Steve had gone back in time this time. He lifted a hand to run it over his face, gently pinching the bridge of his nose as he did so. This was irritating and confusing. He wanted to get back on his bike and ride the heck outta here, but his bike was gone. Maybe he could phone the police. Or Tony, or Nick, or Sam, or Sharon. He thought for a brief moment about Sharon, then shook his head again.

"I've spent time with a God." Steve said, thoughtfully. He himself wasn't exactly human anymore, either. Normal humans didn't look the way he did when they were a hundred years old. "What kind of monsters?"

Yes, Caroline, what kind of monsters? a mocking voice in her head asked. Terrifying vampires, perhaps?It sounded vaguely British. She picked up her glass and sipped it.

"Monsters isn't really the right word," she said firmly, more to the voice in her head than the man she was sitting with. "Aliens, sometimes. Other races that aren't human. People with powers, like magic or other stuff." She smiled a bit. "It's a good sign that your immediate reaction wasn't 'there's no such thing'. That will make your life easier. Whatever they are, though, the thing to remember is that they're stuck here just like you."

Steve understood people with powers, people with magic. He knew Wanda, and Bruce. He'd met others with super human powers. They were different from human, but not monsters. And he'd met his fair share of human monsters, too.

"I see." Steve was both intrigued and relieved, not the tiniest bit scared. It was good to know he wasn't alone. He wasn't the only super-human, or not-quite-human here.

"No, I definitely know there are non-humans out there. And that they run the same gamut as people do when it comes to empathy and selfishness." He paused. "How many people are here? At the hotel?"

"Including you and the other new arrivals today?" Caroline thought about it for a moment, "Just under 60. It's a lot for a small space, honestly. When you can't get more than a few hours away from someone, everything seems magnified after a while."

Caroline inclined her head toward his key, "Which room did they give you, did Darryl say?"

Steve held up the keycard. "I think he said... the Independence room." And then he decided it was time to pocket the card. He slipped it into his jeans pocket, then picked up his glass for a sip. "I'm sure I'll have to find it eventually."

If everything he'd been told was true, Steve was going to be stuck here for a while. He wasn't yet entertaining that idea entirely--he wanted to make sure. He had to walk, to find out on his own, to make a few phone calls and try to get to the bottom of things.

"Independence." Caroline pictured the room map in her head. "That's building 2. Oh, that's a double, so I should warn you about the ghosts."

"...Ghosts." Steve repeated after her again, eyebrows raised. It was a common expression for this conversation, though he hadn't realized he was doing it.

In all his years believing weird things, ghosts had never been one of them.

His expression made her laugh, even though it was completely reasonable as a reaction. "Yeah. Spirits, ghosts, shades, whatever you want to call them. All of the rooms that have more than one bed but only one person have...roommates? Most people don't seem to mind them and they usually behave themselves but...well, it's only fair to tell you about it beforehand."

She refilled his drink. It seemed necessary. "You know, you still haven't told me your name."

It was absolutely necessary. Steve gave her a soft, "thanks" when she filled his drink. Then he sipped. And nodded. "Steve. Steve Rogers."

There was something a little refreshing about someone not knowing who he was. He smiled as he sipped again, then set the glass down. His body's metabolism was so fast thanks to the super soldier serum, that he didn't really feel much from the alcohol anymore unless he drank a ton. So he was still perfectly sober, even a large glass and a half in.

Interestingly, Caroline was too, despite quite nearly matching him drink for drink. The whiskey took the edge off the ever-present hunger, but no more.

"Welcome to the inn, Steve." Caroline saluted him with her glass. "You can get meals in the cafe - if it's not chicken, a guest cooked it, probably Emma. There's a store and a gift shop for clothes and toiletries. You've got the basics of those in your basket. And if you ever want to find me again, I'm usually in the office here. Regina and I keep the admin side running. There's more I could tell you about the place but that's where I usually feel like people have a good enough base for the next 12 hours."

"Thank you." Steve lifted his own glass in a toast. "I'll keep all that in mind." He'd have to do a bit of exploring, experimenting. He wanted to see if he couldn't find his ~~damn~~ gosh darn bike. They must have it around here somewhere.

"I don't want to keep you. Sounds like you've got a busy day." Helping all the new people figure out what the heck was going on. Even if Steve didn't believe it exactly. He was coming around slowly. "It was really nice meeting you, Caroline."

Caroline grinned, "Oh it's okay. I never sleep anyway." But she tossed back the rest of her drink and slid out of her chair. "I'll be around. Don't be a stranger."

...never sleeps?? Steve didn't ask, though. He simply smiled at the beautiful woman.

"Thank you for the welcome, Caroline." He shook his head to communicate he had no intentions of being a stranger.

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[GP/EP] Check-in Day

Re: Assigned Threads - Steve Rogers & Caroline Forbes

Re: Assigned Threads - Steve Rogers & Caroline Forbes

Re: Assigned Threads - Steve Rogers & Caroline Forbes

Re: Assigned Threads - Steve Rogers & Caroline Forbes

Re: Assigned Threads - Steve Rogers & Caroline Forbes

Re: Assigned Threads - Steve Rogers & Caroline Forbes

Re: Assigned Threads - Steve Rogers & Caroline Forbes

Re: Assigned Threads - Steve Rogers & Caroline Forbes

Re: Assigned Threads - Steve Rogers & Caroline Forbes

Re: Assigned Threads - Steve Rogers & Caroline Forbes

Re: Assigned Threads - Steve Rogers & Caroline Forbes

Re: Assigned Threads - Steve Rogers & Caroline Forbes

Re: Assigned Threads - Steve Rogers & Caroline Forbes

Re: Assigned Threads - Steve Rogers & Caroline Forbes

Re: Assigned Threads - Steve Rogers & Caroline Forbes

Re: Assigned Threads - Steve Rogers & Caroline Forbes

Re: Assigned Threads - Steve Rogers & Caroline Forbes