[GP] A New Month

[st_hotflashes]

When Liz woke up in the morning, she didn't think anything of the fact that Peter wasn't beside her - he normally went to make muffins the mornings they spent the night tonight. Liz knew, too, that it was arrival day and she was scheduled to work so it made sense for the early morning. After she showered and dressed and Peter still hadn't come back, Liz had gone to the kitchens. Mary was doing some baking for the day and told her she hadn't seen Peter all morning. Bo was going through the stock under the bar - she also hadn't seen Peter. When Liz went to Peter's room and Alec confirmed that he wasn't there, she started to get worried. Instead of continuing her search, she went to the front desk.

"I'd like to find out what room Peter Parker is in." She took a deep breath and when the man behind the desk said there was no 'Peter Parker' staying at the inn, Liz's world world closed in around her. She stood there staring at the man blankly - she stood there for a while until Alec showed up and asked about Peter. Liz was pretty sure she shook her head, but she couldn't be sure. A few minutes later, Liz forced herself to move and find Ned.

It didn't take a genius to figure out what was going on and Mary decided more baked goods would be better for today, again. It seemed like arrival day was turning into 'departure date' and that was troubling. Selfishly, of course, she made sure her boys were still here, including James, and even River. Once that was confirmed, she decided to take over most of Liz's duties today - she was going to be useless in her current state.

Comments

OTA

[st_hotflashes]

Liz was thankful that Alec had offered to tell Annie - it probably wouldn't have gone great coming from her, not that it was going to go great either way. Ned had cried and hugged and wandered off to grieve and Liz was left wandering. She hadn't cried yet - she was still numb. Her mind kept coming back to the magic journal, thinking about Tony who was on his honeymoon. She couldn't tell him right now, could she? He'd have to know, but if Peter was gone, would taking his bliss away be helpful?

She walked around holding a small gift basket that was apparently for no one, occasionally stopping and turning to choose another direction, but she wasn't really choosing any specific place to go.

Liz | Maria | Brad

[st_rongliketeflon]

Brad and Maria were walking through the halls completely unaware of what was going down. They laughed at a story Maria was telling.

"He couldn't breathe out of his nose for a week," Maria explained with a laugh.

Brad shook his head. He was silent, but clearly amused.

Re: Liz | Maria | Brad

[st_hotflashes]

Liz vaguely heard the laughter, but when she came around the corner and saw Peter's face, she froze and the basket in her arms tumbled to the floor. She stared at Brad like he was a ghost and then she couldn't hold it in anymore. Her eyes began to water, her lips pressed together - Liz was on the verge of crying.

Re: Liz | Maria | Brad

[st_rongliketeflon]

Both Brad and Maria looked shocked to see that reaction from Liz.

"I didn't do anything!" Bradley protested when Maria gave him an accusatory look.

Maria walked over to Liz almost automatically and reached for her best friend's hands. She ducked her head to make sure she could meet Liz's gaze.

"What's wrong, Liz?" Maria asked. "What happened?"

Re: Liz | Maria | Brad

[st_hotflashes]

"Maria." Her name came out a little cracked, though Liz was trying to keep it together - it was not working. She reached out and pulled her friend into a tight hug and just began to sob into her friend's neck. "He's gone, Maria. He's gone."

Re: Liz | Maria | Brad

[st_rongliketeflon]

"Who's gone?" Maria asked.

Brad walked over and quietly picked up the gift basket. He watched Liz crying and felt his heart break for her. He suddenly understood.

"Peter," Brad supplied. "Peter's gone..."

Maria sucked in a sharp breath and hugged her friend tighter.

"Oh Liz," she said. "I'm so sorry."

OTA

[st_guyinthechair]

Ned was on his sixth soda of the morning and thirteenth chocolate cookie. It was only 10:30 AM and Ned knew he should cut himself off, but it was hard when you just found out your friend disappeared from an alternate dimension hotel and went back to die. With that thought hitting him again, Ned reached for another cookie and started crying again - Ned was not too proud to hide his tears as he sat in the lobby eating his feelings.

Connor & Ned - Sugar Therapy

[st_abilitylost]

Keeping busy in service of humans was, at the end of the day, Connor's M.O.. The pitiful lack of discernible leads for his own predicament were compartmentalized away with as much efficiency as anything else--or so he'd maintain. Wheeling a water cart around for the beings susceptible to dehydration was as good as anything else, and not dissimilar from the coffee runs he'd been sent on back at the precinct. At least he'd decided on this 'mission' of his own volition.

The sounds of sobbing and crinkling from the lobby drew his attention, and Connor recognized the face huddled away in piles of foil and crumbs--Ned Leeds. Citizen of New York, 2018. Predisposition to computer science. No known criminal history. Visibly distressed.

"Is everything alright?" Connor called out with his professional sense of urgency.

Re: Connor & Ned - Sugar Therapy

[st_guyinthechair]

"No!" The outburst was in a loud, seemingly over-dramatic sob. He sniffled and munched on his cookie. "My best friend left and I didn't get to say goodbye and he's going to die back home and everything is terrible!"

Re: Connor & Ned - Sugar Therapy

[st_abilitylost]

Best friend—Peter Parker. Self-proclaimed superhero with abilities Connor was intimately acquainted with. Left—Inn departure, like many other residents past. Die—some unknown threat unable to be even speculated upon.

All that aside, the youth was beside himself with no clear recourse. Should he stay? Leave? Offer a platitude?

Connor wheeled the cart over behind himself, filling a tall glass with iced water and setting it to the end table at Ned’s side. “I can’t imagine how that must feel.”

Re: Connor & Ned - Sugar Therapy

[st_guyinthechair]

"Peter and I.. we do - did - everything together, you know? Like, okay, not everything because he already had his first kiss and stuff while I haven't but.... we're like. We were like brothers? And now... I mean, I can't even help him, you know?" Ned knew that even if he was back home, he wasn't really going to be able to help because he didn't have powers. "Why couldn't the inn just like, leave everything the way it was? Peter was safe here."

Re: Connor & Ned - Sugar Therapy

[st_abilitylost]

"I wish I could say." Connor folded his hands in front of himself, simply listening as Ned babbled. For humans, it was self-soothing. "Isn't it possible he could return?"

OTA

[st_x5_494]

Alec told Annie, which went over just about as well as one could imagine. After that, he dealt with his feelings one of the two ways he knew how - with alcohol. Maybe as a homage he should have beat the crap out of the vending machine, but somehow he kept picturing Peter's look and headed for the bar instead. Good luck to any new arrivals today - Alec was so not in the mood.

Re: OTA

[st_rongernow]

Clarice had been unaware of the drama at the inn, and to be honest she probably wouldn't have cared if she had heard more had left. People left. It happened. More in her life than probably others, but it was a fact of her life. It was why she never put down roots. . . . until now.

It was only when she heard who had left that she went looking for Alec. And Clarice went straight to the first place that she would have been, the bar. She slipped into the chair next to him and didn't say a word, just let him know that she was there and motioned to Molly behind the bar to bring her usual.

Re: OTA

[st_x5_494]

"The news spread, huh?" He had been aware of Clarice approaching - he was always aware of her when she came into a room. He looked down at the dark liquid in his glass and swished it around. "Shouldn't be surprised." But he was - he let himself get close and forgot to keep his guard up and then this kind of thing happened.

Re: OTA

[st_rongernow]

"Yeah." She was about to say that since there weren't as many anymore, rumors flew faster, but Clarice knew it was too soon for that.

"Okay, I'm not a glass half full person. But I am a I'll be damned if life kicks me in the teeth and I take it person." The edge of her lips curved slightly. "Another way of saying, maybe this is a way to figure out how the hell to make this place work for us."

She set her glass down and opened a small portal between her hands. "Portal girl here and Peter had to have gone through one to leave, right? Maybe we can figure out a way to use my ability and access the doorways here."

Clarice wouldn't offer that to anyone but Alec. She hadn't cared about the others leaving, but she did care about Alec and he cared about Peter leaving ... so....what the hell?

Re: OTA

[st_x5_494]

He looked up and over to her at her comment, his eyes moving to her portal for a moment and then back to her. Alec quietly considered that, his mind going over the options and outcomes. "I want to say yes." He really, really did. "But the chances of us finding the Peter that came here is pretty slim." He paused, then took another sip of his drink. "A week ago Peter and I ended up in a version of my world, but it wasn't the one I came from."

Re: OTA

[st_rongernow]

Clarice let the portal die away between her hands and then made a face at his comment. "Damn. Like the Europe that wasn't anyone's Europe? That's harsh that it's your world but not."

It would be both comforting to know that some part of you was continuing on but it would also highlight how much a part of that world you weren't.

"How did you figure out it wasn't your version of your world?"

OTA

[st_reakdwithgrease]

Leo was unaware of any drama. He had woken up early and found himself in the kitchen upgrading the fridge system. Did it need to be updated? Probably not, but if the fridge could get colder more efficiently, that would be good, right? Plus Leo always wanted one of those fridges that made ice and water so he was going to do that to this fridge.

As he worked on some of the tubing, his hand slipped and he got violently sprayed by water. "Ah!" He was drenched. He chuckled to himself. "Wherever you are Percy, thanks for that."

Re: OTA

[st_illfive]

Five popped into the kitchen, appearing from seemingly nowhere as usual. If the fresh disappearance of the day troubled him at all, he didn’t show it; he’d come to the kitchen to make a sandwich.

When confronted with a soaking wet kid... or soaking wet other kid, sigh... he had to smile a little. “Never met anyone who names tubes before. Or blames ghosts for’em.”

Re: OTA

[st_reakdwithgrease]

"What?" His Spanish accent was evident to anyone who knew dialects right off the bat. "Oh, nah. Was just sending a thought to one of my friends back home. He's the son of Poseidon so if anyone wanted to drench me in water, he totally could."

Re: OTA

[st_illfive]

"Uh-huh." Son of Poseidon was no more ridiculous than 'my dead brother had tentacles in his torso and lent them to my not-dead brother who talks to dead people'.

Five moved to collect stuff for his sandwich: bread, peanut butter, marshmallows, knife. As usual, he teleported through obstacles rather than walk around them. "God of the sea, huh. Is that a salt water tube?"

Re: OTA

[st_reakdwithgrease]

"Gods, I hope not. Talk about gross ice cubes!" He stood up and considered himself for a moment. He was drenched and it was getting uncomfortable. In a brief moment, Leo started to heat up. His clothing began to steam as the water in the fabric started to evaporate. "Whatcha making?" As if steam flowing from his body were completely normal.

Re: OTA

[st_illfive]

"Peanut butter and marshmallow sandwich." It was one of the few advantages of being a kid again: if you ate that kind of thing when you were an old man, you got judged. Kids were expected to eat junk.

Five didn't ignore the steam, though. He tilted his head, considering, then shrugged like it didn't matter. (Even though, technically, it did. Anyone with powers was interesting.) "Must be interesting being your own laundromat."

OTA

[st_artliving]

Xavin set up the coffee cart as usual, and if she was a little more subdued than usual, well... it wasn't likely anyone would be able to tell from her expression itself. Fortunately or unfortunately, her whole body was a much more obvious sign of distress: she was using Karolina's shape for the first time in months.

Peter had been a friend. Not a close one, admittedly - Xavin had found, in fits and starts, that she wasn't good at close. She'd gotten a firm grasp of 'calm' and 'pleasant', and there were many at the Inn he would agree were friendly with her. But 'close'... no. Peter's disappearance was sad, certainly, but it was also a sort of shock: it reminded her that this was temporary.

Sooner or later, everyone would go 'back', including Xavin herself, and the place she would return to required her to be Karolina. Therefore, practice was required.