strangetrip | Check-in May 15

It was the 15th of the month and given the possibility of arrivals, Caroline decided that something should be done to make new people a little more comfortable.

So she was sitting in the lobby, wearing a bright yellow sundress and surrounded by a riot of materials. Her feet were bare, as her sandals were lying off to the side, and her toenails were blue. She was creating Inn survival kits. There was a little pamphlet of explanations: people call the guy at the desk Daryl; yes,everything is free; no, you can't leave; just be firm about towels. A basket of sundries - snacks from the gift shop, sunscreen, guidebook, toothbrush etc. There was a towel, because obviously.

She considered adding a bottle of alcohol, but not everyone drank - she'd noticed at least a few of the current residents who didn't - and if they did drink TOO much, she didn't want to encourage it.

Maybe chocolate?

Caroline jotted down that as a note and resumed chewing on the end of her pen. The lobby door opened shortly thereafter and she looked up with a smile.

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Kash rolled his eyes and shifted Caroline's 'welcome basket' so it wasn't digging into his armpit. "I was on my way there when you decided I needed help," he said pointedly and started walking again.

And kept walking until he'd reached the desk. "Kashaw Vesh," he said to the gaunt figure behind the desk. "You have a key for me?"

"A moment, Brother Kashaw," said 'Daryl', which was either creepy or impressive-as-hell since he hadn't called himself Brother Kashaw since he got here. He couldn't remember the last time he had, actually. So, yeah. Creepy.

"Hey," he asked--pointedly ignoring the girl for the moment. "Did Vanessa set this up? Is this like a Slayer's Take chapterhouse or something?" He couldn't imagine the Huntmaster in this excruciatingly pink place, but it took all kinds.

"I'm sorry, Brother Kashaw. I have no record of a 'Vanessa' or the 'Slayer's Take'. You will be in room 197, the Crystal Room," he said and gave Kash a folded paper with a small flat rectangle in it.

Kash sighed and pulled a gold piece from the pouch at his belt. "May as well keep that and run a tab. I'll take the key."

"No need for the tab, Brother Kashaw. The key's in the envelope. I'm sure the young lady can explain. Do enjoy your stay and don't forget to call if you need more towels."

Of course he did. Kash exhaled, took the gold piece, and turned to face the girl who'd been trailing him. "Kashaw Vesh. If you can explain this 'key', I'll take it from there. "

Rey folds her arms over her chest, listening quietly as Kash speaks with Daryl. Daryl says all the thing she expected him to -- which is to say, not much at all. Aside from Kashaw's name and room number, there's more to be gleaned from Kash's half of the conversation than from Daryl's.

When Kash turns to her, Rey doesn't give him an immediate answer. Instead, she tries her hand at answering the questions he directed at Daryl, as best as she could understand them.

"Almost all of us came from different places or different times. If you think someone you know sent you here, it's unlikely."

She directs a finger out the window, and towards building one; it's nested between the two other buildings with rooms, and it's easily the largest, towering four stories high.

"Your room's going to be on the second floor. The key's going to open it. It won't open any other rooms, so don't try it. If you go up the main staircase, your room should be midway to down the hall on your right."

Rey turns back towards Kash, her gaze flickering briefly down to his leg before settling back on his face. "If you don't need anything else, I should get back to it."

Most of what she said, he'd already heard twice. Hearing it a third time didn't make it any more credible. As far as he could tell, they believed it. Which also made arguing pointless. He nodded the way he did when he wanted Keyleth to think he agreed with her but he just wanted her to stop talking, noted what she'd said about his room--and that she hadn't explained how this little card could be a key.

He considered asking, but he'd already ticked her off and whatever tolerance he had for snippy women had been left at the feet of an angry fire giant. Sometimes civility was the better part of valor.

"Thank you."

And as soon as he said it, he moved in the direction of the front door.

Rey watches wordlessly as Kash moves for the door, still not entirely sure what to make of him. As soon as the door closes behind him, she walks back to her makeshift workstation on the floor of the lobby and continues her work.

Fixing this thing was proving to be a frustration -- but a broken heating assembly was still easier to handle than other people.

At least for today.

Check-in May 15

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