[GP] Réveillon & New Year's Eve & Check-In

[st_rangepalette]

Emma had said, during Winter's Crest, that she missed a tradition from home called réveillon. She seemed also to miss her cousin, as Lillith missed hers. Since she wished both to learn to cook and to be of comfort to her friend, it had been decided they would make a réveillon dinner for New Year's Eve.

Yet when Emma began to lay out the courses -- oyster soup and potato & leek soup, salad, a gumbo, venison roast, cheeses, and creme brulee, plus several hors d'ouevres not yet decided -- Lillith quailed at the size of the undertaking. Surely she would wish someone to assist who could contribute more than roasted rabbit, wheat or potato flour dumplings, and koláč.

Since Sunny likewise missed her family and would certainly wish a distraction, when she entered the cafe where they were planning, the other two seized upon her almost at once. Sunny could hardly resist their dual entreaty, even had she wished to, and Lillith thought she seemed even more ready for company than previously. Of course Sunny had offerings of her own: jolloff rice, peppered chicken, and fried plantain.

Between they three, the planning and the cooking were very nearly merry, and Lillith kept them liberally supplied with champagne (her personal favorite), too. By late afternoon of the eve of the new year, they had begun lining tables with dishes, and enlisted the help of other friends to make the evening event widely known.

Of course, in addition to the réveillon feast that took over the steakhouse, alcohol flowed freely, lights sparkled brightly, the nightclub had music for dancing. And at some point the Inn or Caroline or Regina hung mistletoe from several of the primary entrances and exits so that unless one wished to or was unaware of the tradition, no one (not even any new arrivals) need greet the new year unkissed.

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[st_illfighting]

Dean watched Charlie leave the Men of Letters bunker for a few steps before turning back to the building and Sam. Her question rang in his ears, what about him? Was he ready to let go? The answer was the same now as when she'd asked it. No. Dean would never let Sam go while the Trials were screwing with their lives. Would he let Sam go after they won? That was another question all together and not one he was ready to face just yet.

From one breath to the next, Dean's senses went on high alert and in the next instant it clicked as to why. He wasn't in Kansas anymore but a desert. The only times things like that happened it was connected to either angels or demons. "Cas?" The word was said through gritted teeth, then louder. "CAS!" Still nothing. The next word became a growl of anger, "CROWLEY!" The only thing that greeted Dean was silence and it pissed him off even more. He turned to see what he could find, any clues that would help him figure out what was going on. That's when he saw the monstrosity of pink in the distance.

"Shit, I am in Hell. CROWLEY!" Dean walked, or more rightly stomped toward the Inn, his fingers itched to grab the Purgatory Blade that was always strapped to his back under his shirt. He would kill Crowley this time and enjoy every minute of his slow death. The gun strapped to his ankle would do for the demons that he would likely encounter before then. For the King of Hell, he was reserving his blade.

When he pulled open the door to the lobby, Dean was greeted by a sight that he wasn't expecting. Clearly a party was going on and where there was party there was alcohol. He could kill two birds with one stone, get some answers and get some booze.

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[st_igmatized]

Sunny had made a point of memorizing the faces--and if possible names--of everyone she saw around here and this was one she'd remember if she'd seen it before. And while she wanted to leave the new face to someone who had been here for more than a month... well. She wanted to keep busy for one thing, and she was basically a hostess tonight for another. And part of that was checking in on people.

She strolled over to the new guy, her stride long, easy, and confident. There were few situations she couldn't handle, regardless of who or what it turned out she was dealing with. "Can I help?"

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[st_illfighting]

Nice meatsuit. Dean was good, since he only thought that instead of speaking it outloud. Leave it to a demon to find a pretty woman to inhabit before coming to talk to him. He could appreciate the gesture. For now. "Well, learning where I am would be a nice start and telling Crowley that I'm here would be another one."

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[st_igmatized]

Sunny chewed her lip. Revealing things supernatural to Lambs was already not something she did, but explaining them? She sighed. "So, that's kind of complicated. But to be blunt about it, we're in a pocket universe that as far as anybody can tell used to be in San Luis Obispo, California. As for the other, I don't know who that is."

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[st_illfighting]

Dean had an excellent bullshit detector, especially with Crowley's demons and this one really had never heard of Crowley. Which meant not a demon because even the lower levels would have heard of that douchebag.

"So I'm in a pocket universe?" His mind quickly worked through what he knew of them, which wasn't much. "That's just great. I go from a damn Djinn nightmare to some damn pocket universe that looks like it spewed Franken Berry everywhere."

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[st_igmatized]

Sunny winced in sympathy, refusing even to let the memory of her three days in the basement with the djinn come to her mind. She had nearly died, and her mother would never have known. "It's a shit deal," she agreed. "And... nobody's found the way out yet," she finished, softer and more apologetic than she had originally intended.

She couldn't let herself go there, especially not tonight. If she let herself be sad, she'd never come back.

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[st_illfighting]

Dean had to admit, he liked that she used the word yet. It showed that whatever was happening in the pocket universe, the rest of the people weren't just taking it. "Just have to figure out their weakness and everyone has one." Too bad he didn't have his 'baby' and his grenade launcher that was in the trunk. He could probably make a hole with that.

He looked at her curiously, "how long have you been here?"

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[st_igmatized]

"About a month." She said those words far more casually than she felt them. "Though some have been here for a year now."

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[st_illfighting]

"A year?! Damn." Dean couldn't wait that long to get back to Sam and to find Kevin. "That sucks." A month wasn't all that great either but hell he'd spent a few of those in Purgatory. If he could get out of there, Dean was confident he could get out of this place.

"So, what's there to do here besides figure out a way out and party?" He motioned to the people that were milling about with his chin.

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[st_igmatized]

"We find ways to keep the hotel and all of us running," Sunny answered with a shrug. "Even if what that amounts to is keeping each other from dying of boredom."

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[st_illfighting]

Dean rubbed a hand over his jaw. "That sounds like a special kind of hell. The boredom part." He nodded toward the bar, "I get why the party and alcohol. Nothing kills boredom like that. So, I'm gonna guess no one's figured out who's behind this."

Next best thing to figure out if you couldn't figure a way out.

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[st_igmatized]

He was taking this remarkably well, which given he didn't seem to be a fool told Sunny that he played his cards very close to his chest. She shook her head. "Not that I'm aware. And not for lack of trying."

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[st_illfighting]

"Well, that just sucks." Dean said honestly. "But not really surprising. The head douche bags like to be hands off. There has to be a flunky down here somewhere to report back what's going on and carry out order. Just have to figure out who's the mole."

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[st_rayed]

Wyatt had spent longer on his ride than he'd meant to. He hadn't noticed the sun sinking until he felt the cooler breeze against his skin and he headed back to the stables. Wyatt, as always, took care of his own mount before he turned to see what other horses needed his attention.

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[st_illfighting]

Dean had made a vow to spend as little time as possible in the monstrosity of a room that had been assigned to him. He was killing two birds with one stone with exploring the area. It was a very effective time suck to keep him away from the room. As soon as he learned about the stables, Dean made his way over to him. He would always be drawn to horsepower rather it be mechanical or animal.

He raised his chin in greeting to the man that was tending the horses. "You gonna offer me a towel or are you a normal person that got yanked here like the rest of us?"

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[st_rayed]

Wyatt chuckled softly, "you might not turn down a towel if you get closer while I muck out he stall, but yeah, I'm just a normal person that got yanked here. Name's Wyatt." He held up his hands, his smile grew wider. "I'd shake but - no towel."

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[st_illfighting]

"Eh, what's a little bit of horse shit." He'd been in worse. Dean held out his hand, "Name's Dean. Nice to meet you. So what's your deal? How'd you get yanked?"

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[st_rayed]

Wyatt shook the other man's hand, and smiled wryly. "Believe it or not, I was leaving the Alamo before I came here." It seemed like another life and in a way it was.

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[st_illfighting]

"Dude! Seriously? Like THE ALAMO? John Wayne fighting - uh yeah, you wouldn't know John Wayne. Never mind. That is AWESOME!" He was like a kid in a candy store - or Dean in an armory or strip joint.

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[st_rayed]

Wyatt chuckled, he'd been the exact same way when he learned they were going to the Alamo. "Actually, I do know who John Wayne is. I time traveled before I arrived here." He watched his reaction but since Dean seemed to handle the Inn, Wyatt assumed that he could handle learning about time travel.

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[st_illfighting]

"Get out! You actually went back to the Alamo? Dude that is awesome. I gotta ask,what was Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie like?" As much as Dean thought that was awesome, it would also suck knowing that you couldn't change anything or there wouldn't be a 'Remember the Alamo'.

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[st_rayed]

Wyatt's expression faltered as he thought about his friend, Jim Bowie and the knife that he gave him. It had been hard to leave the others for certain death, especially after reliving the other time that had happened in his life.

"He is as amazing and heroic as you'd think." He said after a moment. "I didn't really get to know Davey as much as my fried Rufus did, but he was full of stories and jokes."

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[st_illfighting]

"Damn. Sorry. That was a dick move. Unintentionally dickish, but still dickish. Didn't mean to bring up bad memories." Dean winced at his blunder but on the other hand, he'd just met someone that had met Jim Bowie and Davy Crockett. That was still awesome.

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[st_rayed]

"No, it's okay." Wyatt assured him. "I would have asked the same thing and as hard as it was to leave them, knowing what would happen, I wouldn't change anything. Well if I could bring them with me, I would, but the experience was wroth the pain."

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[st_illfighting]

"I hear ya, man." Dean nodded. "I've had a few of those, too. Not with someone as awesome as Jim Bowie though. So, time travel huh? How'd that happen?" He was pretty sure it wouldn't have been from an angel.