Check-In Day: Around the Inn

[st_oriedqueen]

Finished with self-imposed paperwork and emergency planning for the week, Regina permitted herself a leisurely ride on this absolutely gorgeous spring day. After a good gallop, Grace was content to walk, cropping at dried scrub and new shoots when Regina gave her rein. Regina steered the mare gently toward the west; she could teleport, of course, but she appreciated the quiet of riding toward the beach. She found, in the wake of Henry's Christmas visit, she more often craved the scent of the salt air and ocean breezes. Of course, the Pacific never quite smelled like the Atlantic, always warmer and less bracing somehow, but it soothed the wildness in her just the same.

Back at the Inn, Kitty busied herself with stocking the pool bar and generally setting up for the warmer seasons. The pool had been skimmed of winter detritus and chlorinated by the staff-spectre she rarely if ever saw, and there were fresh towels set out like a proper resort. Since the choice of music was hers, the air around the bar filled with dance beats, Afro-Caribbean today, and Kitty moved right into it. She didn't usually dance at work, but she felt bright today and maybe Lara would come down and work with her and they could goof around Cocktail style.

Sam passed through the Copper Cafe in search of a cup of coffee and a salad, or one of the two gorgeous women he'd somehow wound up involved with. His brow scrunched like a caterpillar hurrying away from a predator while he semi-consciously outpaced thoughts about babies and brothers, and possibly babies and girlfriends. His mild scowl wasn't helped by the pack of spirits trailing him and chatting at him about the lives of his family members. He'd asked them not to gossip about people he wasn't close with, but as a consequence, they talked rapidly and often about River's most recent oddness or his mother and Hathaway acting like...well, like him and Molly and Bo, and no thanks. Ditto on Dean and Jane. For all that he looked a little bothered, there wasn't anything menacing or aggressive about it. If anything, the slight tilt of his head as he strolled through the Inn looked thoughtful, as though he listened to something somewhat distant.

Lillith had come to a bit of a routine for arrival days, and around noon, she sat for tea with River Song. They spoke little, and it was difficult to tell whether the women even liked each other. But for all that, Lillith was content with the ritual. If Curnen sang, she would go out to the lawn next and listen. In fact, on such a sunny day, she would undoubtedly flop on the lawn with a sketchbook and a practice notebook, letting her mind float between image and spellcraft as it would. Out here, she would quickly veil herself at the approach of anyone new, but she often was distracted enough that they might catch her in her true form with her all unaware.

Around them, the Inn hummed and buzzed with the happy energy of winter giving way to spring. The most patient and subtle would undoubtedly note the undercurrents of tension, fear, frustration, and boredom that built up over time. But for day, at least so far as this four were aware, the worst of it had been suspended, in favor of enjoying warm sun and the company of friends.

[OOC: GP. It's a gorgeous day. Come and play! All four of mine can be available. Ping me if you're inspired to tag. <3 Welcome, Carol, Toby, and Number Five!]

Comments

Re: Five and Liz

[st_hotflashes]

"You've been in worse?" Her eyebrows went up a little, but then she didn't think it polite to pry so she just nodded. "Well, I'm Liz. I help out here sometimes. Sometimes in the infirmary or in the bakery."

Re: Five and Liz

[st_illfive]

“Number Five.” He nodded and, for lack of anything else to do with them, stuck his hands in his pockets. Might as well lean into the kid thing, a bit. Preserve some element of surprise for later. “I don’t do anything yet. I’m new, like you said.”

Re: Five and Liz

[st_hotflashes]

"Number Five?" That didn't seem like a great name as it sounded more like a designation. Still, it wasn't her place to judge. Liz felt kind of bad for him. "Did you want to keep studying? There's a few people here who teach classes and stuff, if you're interested."

Re: Five and Liz

[st_illfive]

“I would rather blind myself with a pencil.” Taking ‘classes’, being stuck where people thought he should be? Doing basic algebra or reading... what did children read? Winnie the Pooh? God, no.

Of course, that hadn’t been a kid thing to say. Time to salvage? “I mean... I’m used to independent study, I’ll just keep doing that.”

Re: Five and Liz

[st_hotflashes]

She almost laughed, though it just manifested in an amused smile. "Don't worry. You're not the only one to think taking classes is a stupid idea. I know a lot of people here try to use this time as a little vacation. I guess I just have a hard time relaxing or something."

Re: Five and Liz

[st_illfive]

“Oh, I’m probably not going to relax.” Five shrugged slightly. It was true. He wasn’t eight days or less from the apocalypse anymore, but the lack of original problems just meant he had a new set of problems. “I’m just not inclined to waste my time writing book reports on Winnie the Pooh or whatever timewaster is on the table.”

Re: Five and Liz

[st_hotflashes]

She looked a little sheepish. "Well... mostly I've been dealing with string theory, physics, and chemistry, but English isn't that bad." Liz might not be that good at creative writing, but she enjoyed a good book now and again.

Re: Five and Liz

[st_illfive]

In response, Five pulled his composition book out of an inner pocket of his blazer, opened it to the third page, and showed it to her briefly. The equations and work written there, in tiny precise handwriting filling about one-fifth of the page, was the complex random-seeming nonsense mishmash of quantum physics and chaos theory that was temporal mechanics. It was also, of course, nothing useful yet, but you had to start with nothing to eventually end up with something. “This is what I deal with. I’ll stick to my independence, thanks.”

Re: Five and Liz

[st_hotflashes]

Her expression became keenly interested and felt a little bit of disappointment when he took the book away. "You wouldn't want to study some times... would you? I mean... never mind." She paused. "Have you met Mr. Stark yet?"

Re: Five and Liz

[st_illfive]

“I might have? It’s not like I’d know, not everyone tells me their name.” And he didn’t always pay attention, honestly. Though if he really was stuck here for a while, he’d probably have to. In turn, that thought reminded him it would be best to at least make gestures in the diction of ‘nice’ on occasion. “Sometimes I work out equations on walls. I don’t think collaboration would do anything for me, but I don’t exactly mind an audience.”

Re: Five and Liz

[st_hotflashes]

"I wouldn't want to get in the way..." Though she was really curious about the math she had quickly seen. She wondered vaguely if that made her more of a nerd? She was sure Maria would let her know. "But, um. Mr. Stark... he's a brilliant engineer and scientist. He's trying to find a way out of here. He might be helpful to you. I mean, if you want."

Re: Five and Liz

[st_illfive]

“No offense,” and for once that was mostly the truth, “but I doubt it. Anyone who’s a ‘mister’ is someone who’s going to try and teach me something. Usually something I already know. I get further on my own. Historically speaking.”

Re: Five and Liz

[st_hotflashes]

"Oh.. okay." Liz somehow felt like she was out of her depth with the boy in front of her. She couldn't quite get a read on him, though she took it as a fault of her own rather than something different about him. "Well... if you ever need anything, feel free to ask. Even if it's just for a sandwich or something." Liz offered him a smile at her small joke.

Re: Five and Liz

[st_illfive]

“I’ll probably be okay. But i’ll Keep it in mind.” She seemed like a textbook people-pleaser. Telling her a flat-out no would just make her worry she’d made a bad impression, and thus end up being more annoying in the long run.

Plus, Five didn’t know what would be helpful and what wouldn’t, yet.