strangetrip | Check-in May 15

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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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It was a habit of hers, going to look at the rubies.

There were a number of reasons why Corbie shouldn't do that, starting with the fact that she came to the Nullity to look at the Automaton of Corybant and not old oddities, and ending with the fact that she knew Felix would probably bend himself completely out of shape if he knew she was drawn to them. The girl could hardly help it, though. These had belonged to her teacher's teacher. These were, in a sense, her history. Besides, Felix had left Esmer. It wasn't like he was going to find out unless she told him so in a letter, which she wouldn't, or Hutch did, which he couldn't as he didn't know.

She was safely alone. Hutch had said he'd be back in a minute after Cyriack called down to say Virtuer Ashmead wanted something, but Corbie knew from experience that a minute meant anything from a quarter of an hour to an hour whenever the virtuers had something to hash out. And so when she went to carry out her strange compulsion of a ritual, she had no reason to think that anything out of the ordinary would happen.

Which was of course why she found herself stepping onto a road.

For a moment, Corbie stood there stupefied, nose and brow wrinkling in what could mildly be referred to as confusion and more honestly as utter disorientation. The new reality of her situation sank in piece by piece. She could feel her magic. She knew she shouldn't be able. She could feel the sun, which she absolutely knew she shouldn't, not a couple of storeys underground. The girl looked over her shoulders, first her left, then her right, then spun herself in a circle so quickly that she nearly tripped over her own feet. The grip she had on her satchel went white-knuckled. Perhaps it was a reflex to grip anything in panic, or perhaps the wizard in her absolutely refused to lose her work on top of everything else.

"What the fuck," she gasped. "What the fucking fuck."

The only way to go, it seemed, led to a building so fucking pink that Corbie could hardly believe it. Nothing that gaudy would be in Esmer, or anywhere in Corambis.

Stepping into the lobby, she put up her head and went to the desk to ask for help... only to quietly but insistently be offered a key and a room for "Miss Gartrett Corbie," which had sent her scurrying away from the guy in a panic.

Immediately the shutters came down behind her eyes, and her magic was all but snuffed out to anyone who didn't know exactly what they were looking for. If this was a warlock it was probably too late already but like hell she was getting kidnapped and enthralled.

Another fifteenth, another check-in day. Sam didn't want to do the whole Welcoming Committee thing, but he did like to know who had arrived if anyone did. He was just on his way through the lobby to get some coffee in the cafe when a tiny blonde girl spun away from the desk in a panic and headed his way.

He put out a hand to catch her before she collided with him, and said a gentle, "Hey," to try to arrest her progress. She didn't look dangerous, but looks could be deceiving. Besides, she looked terrified.

Edited 2017-05-16 01:17 (UTC)

If she had accidentally teleported herself through the Darkforce, awake and in broad daylight, and then blocked it out or something… no, that made no sense at all. Something else had clearly happened. Laynia took a deep, slightly unsteady breath and continued to walk down the road that didn’t look at all like the trail outside Duninnean she’d been traveling en route to a quiet solo picnic. This definitely wasn’t any part of Scotland she’d ever seen. and there was nothing at all to be seen except for a very… pink building in the distance.

Reminding herself that she was far from defenceless, even if, God forbid, she’d wound up in American or otherwise hostile territory, Laynia continued down the road. Her lunch had been lost somewhere in transit, apparently, but she was still carrying the book Moira had loaned her, oddly enough.

Some sort of hotel? she thought as she got closer. Certainly, the lobby she eventually found seemed to bear that out. It was mildly creepy that the person at the desk greeted her by name and offered her a key. Okay, more than mildly creepy. And yet, no one was leaping out of a corner to collar her or worse. It should have been worse, if whoever was responsible for this had bad intentions and knew who she was. Wearing a slightly quizzical expression, Laynia retired to an unoccupied corner where she could put her back to the wall - Nathan’s lessons were well-ingrained at this point - and consider her situation.

Edited 2017-05-16 01:26 (UTC)

Her impression before her mind caught up with the instincts of her body was that she'd nearly crashed into someone pretty solid. But that was only the half of it and Corbie looked up... and up. Her eyes were naturally wide, but now they went enormous. The guy was taller than Felix and built like Angel Vyell, a man who could really only be described as an ox. "Holy shit."

Determined to make the most of the day and not get caught up in the emotional whirl or pool partying of the first, Regina stopped into the cafe to get coffee and one of Dot's pastries on her way to the office. She hadn't intended to stay, but Caroline had a thoughtful, determined look and Regina had learned not to let that pass by unattended.

"Good morning, Caroline."

Sam found himself agreeing with that assessment, almost shrugging in acknowledgment. He half-smiled down at her and said, "As first reactions go, that one's pretty tame." She was probably talking about him, but it applied to the Inn too. "I'm Sam. This is the Madonna Inn. You might want a drink for the rest of it."

Being a watchman was all about paying attention to the right things. Being able to walk down a street and pick out all the little things, sometimes without realizing it until they became important. So it was easy for Angua to notice that not only was the blonde in the corner of the café a new face, but she was a new face that had gravitated instantly to a seat in the corner with a decent view of the main entrance. Also, she had an expression like she was waiting for the world to make sense.

Angua could relate, certainly, but since the Inn's answers - such as they were - weren't readily guessable, she grabbed a couple of beers from the bar in passing (bottles, still sealed, and an opener as well) and took a seat across from the new blonde. "So, you're a new face!"

Laynia tilted her head a little at the woman who'd suddenly appeared, and managed a somewhat tentative smile. Friendly enough, she told herself. No need to jump to conclusions. "Would it sound too terribly crazy to ask where I am?" she said. "Because the last time I could answer that question, I was in the Scottish highlands. And this definitely isn't Scotland."

Annemer. He was annemer, and that was enough of a relief that she pulled herself together and smoothed her skirt--her dress was sober, a severe gray thing softened only by the dove shade it was--rather than her hair--even as pale curls were threatening to escape from the knot she'd tried to tame them into. Her chin lifted a little, the gesture of someone who had been spooked and was now refusing to lose her shit. "I'm Corbie," she said. "And... yeah, I think a drink might be a good idea."

She really hoped he hadn't heard that guy call her Gartrett.

"I will take your word for that, because I honestly don't know what either of those are," Angua replied cheerfully, smiling back and sliding one of the sealed beer bottles and the opener over. "This place is called the Madonna Inn. I'm not entirely sure of the, you know, quantums or what-have-you involved, but we've all come here from all kinds of places, and we're stuck here."

Laynia studied the beer for a moment and then picked it and the opener up, almost diffidently. Opening it gave her something to do with her hands, to make sure her nerves didn't result in any stray strands of Darkforce appearing. Didn't mean she had to drink it. "Looks kind of nice to be a prison," she said, her voice a little flat despite her best efforts. "I'm guessing the situation's a little less straightforward than that."

While she smoothed her skirt, Sam used the moment to sort out his impressions. Tiny stuck, so did scared, but there was a real steel in her spine. The clothes were severe, hairstyle too, sort of Puritan or Victorian, he thought. She spoke English, too, which was good. It would make the transition easier.

"Good to meet you Corbie." He tipped his chin in the direction of the cafe. "Bar's this way. What do you want to drink?"

Corbie had always had to be able to make snap judgments about men in her work, and most of the time she was pretty good at it. She couldn't have quantified exactly what it was that made a guy okay or not okay, but for the moment she figured Sam was all right. Given she had no idea where the Lady had dumped her or how or why, she had to start somewhere.

Though, y'know. Sam was still a giant and he could fuck her up without even thinking.

"Bourbon," she said as she followed him that way. She didn't even have to think about it. It was Felix's drink, and she needed the moral support.

Caroline blinked and then smiled. "Hello, Regina. How are you doing today?" She spoke with the same chipper good will that she habitually used with authority figures who weren't Alaric or her mom. Polite, eager to help, and just a little bit too try hard.

River was sitting on the floor, possibly she was impeding traffic, she hadn't noticed. She had a cup of tea next to her, cookies on a plate, and was hunched over busily making notes in a notebook.

It was pink. Not a preferred color but that was what the shop had.

Occasionally she would look up, stare at someone for a long moment and then go back to her writing.

"Quite possibly. Not really my strong point, quantums and continuums and things. For that, you want a wizard." If you could pry him away from his third lunch long enough to answer any question like a reasonable person. Which meant, "Actually, no, they're useless. As far as this goes, it's quite nice. The weather's generally good, we don't run out of food or anything, and you got your room key at the front desk, yes?"

They'd both taken a beating, he and Z, but Thordak was dead and they were alive. Vox Machina was alive, too. Apparently all of them, wonders never ceased. He chalked it up to his plan and Pike's good influence.

"Well, baby. Was it worth it?" he asked the heavy weight leaning into his side. His hand slipped in blood when he stroked her back and he didn't know if it was his or hers. Even knowing it was Z's if not his, his stomach twisted slightly the way it always did when someone else's blood was on his skin. No memories flooded his mind, though, and Z wasn't evil. Z was everything but evil.

"You know it," she was saying, when a breeze kicked up and the light changed and he was abruptly alone on a dark road.

"Now?" he demanded of the darkness. "Ten fucking years and you want to do this now?" Fine. As long as she left everyone else out of it, he'd go. "I'm not fifteen anymore, bitch. Do your worst."

Kash planted his spear in the dirt and waited. The wind blew past him, but nothing came. Minutes ticked by and still nothing. He knew he wasn't dead, because if he was dead, she would be here.

Ten minutes passed and no Vesh. No Z. No Vox Machina. No dragons. "Seriously?"

Loathe spend what remained of his spells, Kash hefted his spear and trudged in the direction of the bright lights on the darkened horizon. He was all but falling asleep on his feet, battered, bleeding, and exhausted when he arrived...

"Shorthalt, someone's been fucking with your interior decor..." It had to be Scanlan's magic mansion. Where the hell else could it possibly be?

Every time Caroline used that tone, Regina winced internally. Whenever she hadn't been terrified of her mother, or furious with her, she'd used a similar tone. Please love me. "Better than last check-in day," she replied with an equally politic smile. "And yourself?"

Caroline looked up with her automatic smile, which faded in an instant as she took in the state of the inn's most recent arrival. A moment later, she was off the sofa and by the newcomer's side, sliding her arm around his waist to support his weight. "Whoa. It's going to be okay. You're safe. I'm Caroline." He smelled of blood and she closed her eyes, fighting the automatic reaction. Control was second-nature, but she was still young, as vampires went.

Finally, she opened her eyes again, blue and unclouded. She glanced over at Daryl, mimed a key with her free hand. Then she looked up at the new man. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?" She ran through the residents in her head. Joanna knew some medicine, MacCready had some kind of med but she didn't want to use it except in an emergency.

Of course, if all else failed, she could give him some of her blood then compel him to forget.

Fortunately, Sam spotted River before he tripped over her -- a real possibility, with as quiet as she was when she got busy doing things and not paying attention to the world around her. Which... actually, was most of the time.

He crouched down, strategically still significantly higher off the ground so that people would see him and not crash into her. "Hey, River."

Sam added that to the pieces of the puzzle that were "Corbie" and nodded. He had no idea what any of it meant yet, but if she wanted bourbon, she could have bourbon.

None of the usual bartenders seemed to be around when they got into the cafe, so he gestured to stools in front of the bar. "Here. Have a seat if you want, while I grab that for you."

Maybe he should've asked questions or offered answers, but Sam thought most people did better if you just acted normal, did normal stuff, and waited for them to settle down enough to start asking.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa..." Kash fended off the arms trying to wrap around him like tentacles. He didn't like being touched at the best of times and this was so completely not the best of times. "I'm fine."

He glanced around, blinked, shook his head to try to clear the bright pink after-image.

"Okay. I'm not fine. Obviously, I'm not fine. I'm beat to shit, covered in giant blood--" He hoped it was giant blood. "--I'm pretty sure a couple of my ribs are broken and you are definitely not a spiritual servant. Don't take this wrong, what did you say your name was? Caroline? Caroline." He nodded to himself, satisfied he'd got that right. "But who the hell are you?"

"I'm Caroline," she repeated, then shook her head, because he didn't actually mean who are you. He meant where am I and what is going on. So she answered that instead. "You're at the Madonna Inn. I'm a ...guest? I guess we're guests." Prisoners, while accurate, seemed like the wrong thing to say to a freaked out guy covered in giant blood. "It's...complicated. Come sit down and I'll try to explain."

She ignored his attempts to push her off, because most people didn't know what was good for them, especially when they were beat to hell, like he said. "So you're right, I'm not a spiritual anything. I'm a college student. Drama. We have someone hang out here on arrival days. You're kind of late, you know?"

Corbie sat down, letting the satchel slip from her shoulder and onto the floor by her feet. Much as she wanted to clutch the thing to her churning stomach as if that would stave off all the things she had to ask and didn't want to know.

Okay. So she'd just been offered a room by a complete creepy guy (who knew her name, but she didn't know what to do with that piece of information just yet), a room that she definitely couldn't pay for with the few hermits and pennies she had in her pockets, the decor was gaudy as all get-out, and it was the middle of the day and kind of dead.

"This is a brothel, ain't it?" The idea didn't horrify her, though. If anything she was... resigned to the idea.

The world let her play at being a wizard for a while and decided nope, never mind, back where you belong little girl.

Rey is sitting on the floor of the lobby when kash comes in, tinkering with the heating assembly she pulled from of one of the inn's refrigerators.

She didn't normally go around pulling random parts out of the inn's appliances, but the fridge had frozen over completely; remembering her talk with Piotr at the pool a few nights before, she had elected to try and figure things out herself.

Truthfully, Rey could have done this in her own room, but her room's lighting wasn't particularly good. It was probably intentional; caves generally weren't brightly lit, and Rey's room was very much a cave. Almost by necessity, the lobby had far better lighting.

Rey looks up from her work when he approaches Caroline, taking in the sight of him with the same discerning eye she used when surveying for salvage. There was something about his appearance that reminded her of Han. His hair, she decided, as he sat down. Caroline was probably giving him The Talk. Rey is not really sure how she does it. Explaining what this place would probably be impossible for her.

While they talk, Rey turns her attention back to the device in front of her. The technology here was radically different from what she was accustomed to; perhaps even most disturbingly, it was becoming increasingly clear to her by the seal that this part was never intended to be fixed -- simply replaced; it took considerable effort for her to break it open, and even then, she wasn't entirely sure how she was going to seal it up again. It didn't feel right to weld it back together with the lightsaber -- with Luke's lightsaber. It was never intended for that.

Hunched over the part, she continues to work with the few tools she was able to find in maintenance until she hears Kash stand, and Rey stands too, wiping her sweaty palms off on the front of her slacks.

"Hey," she calls out to him before he can make a swift departure. "You're new here, aren't you? Did you need help finding your room?"

Edited 2017-05-16 21:05 (UTC)

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Check-in May 15

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