strangetrip | Entries tagged with bradley baker

The last check-in day had come and gone as quietly as most other days, but Tony had made it a point to linger around the lobby every two weeks. It was tradition, after all. You could only be cynical about a pink eldritch prison for so long before you felt the need to inject some decorum, however half-assed.

During a quiet trip to a Wisconsin suburb Otherworlds, Tony had snagged an old Harley-Davidson calendar at a garage sale (why not), unique in that the previous owner had filled every single square with national holidays. Today was National Linguine Day. Truly, the most hallowed of all holidays. To celebrate, he made an order to the kitchen to bless the inn with trays of pasta, inclusive to all diets. No gluten or dairy for him, see how long that lasted.

Despite the swift approach of fall, San Luis Obispo boasted sun and 70 degree weather, so Tony arranged a chair and table outside and fiddled with a little mechanical orb the size of a jawbreaker. He prodded at its insides with a screwdriver while his half-eaten pasta dish sat ignored, his glasses magnifying the orb's internal features.

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.

st_rongliketeflon

Her mother had always made pie making look so easy. Amy DeLuca's pie were the best in Roswell and a selling point in Liz's parents' cafe. Maria decided to try and make some of her mother's famous Keylime pie to stave off the homesickness she was starting to feel. So far her attempts were poor.

"Third time's the charm, right?" She said as she slide a pie slice over to Brad. He had volunteered to help her taste-test and hadn't died from her two previous attempts. "I promise I put less salt in this one."

Brad nodded and dug in. He chewed thoughtfully. He then smiled.

"This isn't half bad," He said. "It tastes like Keylime this time for sure."

Maria took a bite of her own and pumped her arm.

"Yes!" She said. "Not quite as good as my mom's, but it's edible."

"I'll take this one to go," He said, lifting the plate with a nod.

Maria nodded back and watched as Brad walked over to the table he had previously been occupying. There was a series of psychology books strewn about. They all seemed focused on depression or other behavioral illnesses.

Maria took another bite of hers and looked over her hand-written recipe as she tried to decide what to change to make it more like mom's.

st_ratagem

Thor and Loki got an early start, because there was a lot to do. Almost two weeks to the day since their first small-but-successful experiment with snow, Loki was confident that he'd improved enough for a bigger experiment. Still snow, because Thor wanted it and it did seem like a decent way to try something big-ish without causing Loki unnecessary grief with the other residents. (It was an arrival day, so there would perhaps be some grief with any new arrivals, but that was entirely acceptable.)

It was before dawn when they went out into the grounds. Thor called up clouds and loaded them with water so they hung low and heavy, covering the sky so that the sun, when it rose, wouldn't ruin the event. Loki took his frost giant shape and staff (now very familiar to his hand) and concentrated on dropping the temperature. Just around the Inn and grounds, but that was enough to be serious effort.

When the snow first started, the flakes were big and wet, and melted as soon as they hit the ground, which was still on the warm side. As they melted, they cooled the ground. After an hour or so, the flakes were smaller and more powdery - real snow, not glorified slush - and they were starting to stick to the ground.

By mid-morning, the Inn and grounds were covered with a thick layer of snow, and it continued to fall.

***

Meanwhile, indoors and inspired by the snow, Hurley and Xavin decided to try and make cookies. Cooking together was fun, since neither of them exactly knew what they were doing apart from 'follow the recipe', but since the point was 'try to make cookies' they ended up with a lot of cookies. Sugar cookies, gingerbread, all kinds.

There was no way they'd be able to eat all of them.

Instead, they loaded them onto trays and hauled them to the cafe, then brought out various frostings and candies for decorating. This had been completely intentional. Completely.

st_ayedhidden

st_randedinwinter

( Brad and Liz get stuck in a 10 minute rain pour and Brad is stupid )

st_rongliketeflon

Maria decided to take a page out of Liz's book and waitress. She enjoyed the casual attire and lack of uniform. She liked she could make her own hours. She liked that she could take breaks whenever she wanted. If only real life could be like this.

She was still learning the ropes of the Madonna Inn. She knew her way around now, but the quirks of each person was still a mystery to her. Her fashion remained the same which was the 90s with hints of hippie inspiration from her mother. Today Maria wore jeans and a tank top. She brought an order out and placed it on the table. "Here you go. Hot out of the oven."

---

Brad was also at the restaurant. He was working on some writing he had started when he first got here. What was first letters to his mom and brother were now stories of the Inn. The creative writing class had always been one of Bradley's favorite classes. He found writing about the Inn and the events that transpired calming in an otherwise nerve-wracking place. As he went to write on the next piece of paper, one of his full ones flew off the table and drifted away. On that paper was the beginning of the retelling of the attack on the Inn.

st_hotflashes

The microscope Peter and Liz had built from scratch might not be as powerful as fancy lab ones, but it was just as good as the ones you would find in school labs and that was enough to run basic tests. Whenever things were bothering Liz, she found that throwing herself into a project or studying helped - or maybe the truth was it kept the problems away. In any case, it helped. While she had come back from camping with clarity, it had seemed to be muddled again quite quickly.

Scanlan hand on his hand to her. "This isn't going to hurt, is it?"

Liz smiled a little. "Just a little prick, I promise."

"Been called worse before." Scanlan then winced just slightly at the pin-prick as blood was taken from his finger. Liz also took a swap from his mouth.

Liz took Scanlan's sample and labelled it. She was at one of the far ends of the restaurant, closer to the doors leading out than anywhere near the kitchen. There were a few other samples labelled including her own, Alec's and Zahra's.

~~~

After she thanked him and tried to explain whatever it was she was going to do with the samples, Scanlan took his violin to the lobby outside. He'd been thinking a lot about Kaylie lately and had yet to really play the violin he bought in Europe. Today, for some reason, he felt more homesick than usual and for the first time, lifted the violin out of its case. The three foot Gnome stood, closed his eyes, and began to play the violin. It wouldn't be familiar to anyone except those who were there when he had died. It was a song he remembered hearing as Vox Machina and his daughter pulled him from death. Kaylie's song to him. Somehow, even after all this time, it was a song he remembered deeply. And so he played. He played for her.

(ooc: Tag either!)

st_hotflashes

Caroline and Liz had worked hard over a few weeks to gather all the materials and organize everything for the art show gallery. People had donated pieces they wished to display - some more eager than others as the girls had gone around the ask.

There were sketches and paintings from various Otherworlds by Piotr. Mack provided sketches of people at the inn as well as a few scenes from his comic book while Lillith provided her own sketches of various characters from her graphic novel with some painting that ranged from some of the high color styles of the 20th century (Fauvism, Orphism, Abstract Expressionism). Thor, too, provided similar doodles of his own. There were photographs from Peter Parker and a few water colours of landscapes by him too. Liz's contribution had been mostly sketches of plants and scenes from the inn while Caroline had found some of Maya's art work in the Lost and Found. Her work, varying in mediums and styles, were put on displays beside drawings done by Jane. In the middle of the room were displays of stone workings by Kashaw and a few detailed weapons made by Zahra.

There was finger foods provided and punch, both alcoholic and not, and there were seats set up for viewing should people wish to sit and truly take in the art. A few stations were set up around the room for participation - one with some blank easels and paint, another wither water colours, one with charcoal and a fourth with clay. The signs encouraged people to try their hand at some art themselves.

st_randedinwinter

Bradley finally chose to venture out into the forest after being at the inn for weeks. It wasn't winter and there wasn't snow, but the forest still held bad memories. He was surprised when he came across Liz Parker by a small campfire.

( Read more... )

st_illsinging

Their lesson was muddled with some wise-ish words of wisdom, but Scanlan was pretty sure he hadn't given Liz entirely bad advice on how to be a girlfriend of a guy who had a kid. He directed her to Pike, though Kaylie wasn't exactly eight years old when she came into his life.

He watched as the girl set off to find a place to pluck at her homemade guitar - he was still really impressed Miguel was able to make something that sounded like a real guitar.

He pulled out his lute, sitting on a bench in the garden and maybe hoping to catch a glimpse of Pike at some point. He strummed. Under the bench was a violin case. He still was not yet able to open it. At least it wasn't spending all it's time under his bed?

~~~

Liz found a quiet place near the pond apparently formerly used for weddings. She sat on the small dock. She was feeling a little better after everything - Annie wasn't hurt or angry, Peter hadn't written her off. Still, the whole thing was confusing. Liz was starting to think almost dying under the rubble was affecting her more than she realized.

She tried to push those thoughts away and try to put the song she had finished writing to a melody, but it was hard. She still wasn't very good at transitioning chords. At least it gave her something to focus on.

(ooc: both are OTA, just tag whoever you'd like)

st_illavirgin

Carlos hated being back at the hotel. He had begun by trying to access the Nevernever but that had totally failed, then caught up with Buffy to go and visit both London and Edinburgh, for varying reasons, and the rest of the time he had headed to Spain - he may have been well travelled, but rarely got time to be a tourist - but his time relaxing and finding out about Spain had been unceremoniously cut short when he woke up and found himself back at the hotel. For a few moments he lay there, utterly fed up, and just feeling incredibly homesick.

That only lasted a few minutes; after that he was a man on a mission.

He hunted out Caroline, and had a long chat with her. Plans were set. Time to cook up a storm. They'd missed 4th July, this could serve as a belated celebration, as well as a 'things ain't all bad here' event. Posters went up throughout the hotel, giving notice of a cook out. Everyone was encouraged to attend. What could be bad about this?

Grills were set up outside to cook up as much meat as they could hold; non-meat options were there as well for variety; salads prepared... a vast array of food to try and cheer up anyone who needed it. Carlos took his place at the grills, brandishing tools, turning the meat over just at the right point.

All that was needed now was people to attend.

[ooc: Use as a general gathering post - if you want Carlos specifically, tag him in the subject line]

st_hotflashes

The homemade amusement park was far too fascinating to ignore and Liz thought it might be a good place for the kids in the inn to hang out. There was good food, too, should anyone be hungry, but it was the 'rides' that looked the most enjoyable. Unlike Disney or any other traditional park, none of the rides here were powered by motors or electricity. It was more like a giant playground, but for older people.

Liz found herself sitting on a bench watching two people spin on a big contraption as she waited for someone she trusted to go on with her. It wasn't that she necessarily thought a stranger would go too fast or anything, but she felt better if she were going to 'mess up' that someone who knew her wouldn't judge her too harshly. And then she remembered Corbie's words and pushed the thought away. Still, it would be nice with someone she knew.

(ooc: Feel free to head-canon whenever this works out for timeline. Anyone can tag, but the under 18s organized a meeting to hang out in Italy, as one does.)

st_hotflashes

Liz stood in the middle of the lobby with a quiet, panicked look on her face. She turned around a second time, surveying the scene around her, but the second pass didn't help any. She ran a hand through her hair and then headed for one of the couches. She pulled back the cushions, digging her hand into the crevice of the gaudy plush decor and when her hand emerged empty, she felt her chest tighten.

Liz's journal was missing.

She thought she had brought it back to the room yesterday after studying in the cafe, but this morning when she went to review her notes from the day before, she had discovered that the familiar book she had so many things in was gone. She had checked the library, the restaurant, the cafe, even the kitchen itself. It had to be somewhere, right?

(ooc: Find her pretty much anywhere. Also! Feel free, if your character would so choose, to find the journal and read all or some of it because I am a cruel mistress.)

st_alksthroughwalls

Kitty sat at the bar with a cup of coffee and her notebook, watching the 'welcoming committee' make themselves busy. Liz was here, as she'd promised Kitty she would be and Kitty gave her a quick smile of encouragement.

One of the worst things about Check-In Days was that you never knew whether it'd be a whole long day of no one arriving, one spectacular fall from the ceiling and dropping dead after another, or anything in between. It made it hard to know what to do with yourself. After awhile, you got used to it and just kept on with whatever you'd do otherwise, and know that if you didn't step up for a new arrival, someone else would. But for someone not used to treating it like a responsibility to be here, especially someone with Liz's anxious need to be perfect at it, Check-In Day could be emotionally exhausting.

So Kitty made sure to have milk warmed for hot cocoa and her plans for the obstacle course handy in case Liz needed something to do with herself. Otherwise, she was working on a modification of Cerebro to see if she could start detecting new arrivals.

[ooc: Regular check-in day gathering post. If you want Kitty, ping me.]

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Strange Trip

You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave

Entries tagged with bradley baker

[GP/EP] Check-In Day: Pastabilities

[GP] A New Month

[EP] Pies (OTA)

[GP] SNOW DAY

[Link Drops]

Mistakes

[EP] Maria and Brad - OTA

[EP] Cells - (OTA)

Art Show (Gathering Post)

[Log: Brad and Liz]

Music Time (dual pup OTA)

[GP] Food for the soul

Teens in Italy - GP

Missing (OTA)

Check-In: Not-Mother Hen

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December 2019

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