st_huntermom: (Amused)
[personal profile] st_huntermom
"Thank you, Liz." Mary smiled to the girl who gave her the last ornament for the large Christmas tree that Thor that graciously brought in. Without Carolyn, the inn wasn't as quickly transformed for the holidays, although it seemed like the inn's magic had produced an intricate Christmas village in the lobby and a large menorah display kitty corner to it. There even seemed to be some decorations for Kwanzaa, though Mary admitted not knowing too much about the holiday.

She stepped back from the large tree, now lit up and decorated and smiled. She was thankful to have her kids here, grown as they were, and a man she loved, even if it wasn't John. She had extended family too with River and some of the other kids. Life was good. She glanced to Liz who was cleaning up. "I got that. You can go relax if you like." Mary knew Liz's life was more complicated than hers at the moment, though she didn't know all the details. The fact it was a small inn made it hard not to notice the tension between her, Peter, and the new arrival named Michelle.

Liz went off with a small smile and Mary turned around with her hands on her hips. "Okay. I think the last thing this place needs is some cookies."
st_huntermom: (Cut the bullshit)
[personal profile] st_huntermom
For the last several days Mary had been plagued with bad dreams. She wasn't unaccustomed to bad dreams, but these ones woke her up in a cold sweat and were keeping her up at night. Last night had been no exception and she found herself at the bakery early in the morning - earlier than normal. She was kneading bread. Kneading bread helped her with her frustrations, only she was so tired that the simple act was taking a lot out of her. She took a break from the bread to go fetch the bread that should be done in the oven. It should have been natural to put on oven mitts before grabbing for the bread pan. The unfortunate thing about being sleep deprived was that you missed simple steps.

Mary picked up the bread pan with naked fingers. The pan instantly seared her. She swore loudly as she dropped the heated metal. The pan clanged to the ground, bread breaking on the ground. There were angry welts on her hand now, too. She went to stick her hand under cold running water as she swore again to herself.
st_huntermom: (Welllll)
[personal profile] st_huntermom
As Mary made the lobby ready with baked goods, she did so with a quieter disposition than she normally did. She was well aware of man behind the check in counter sorting through room keys There were a lot people who must be gone, though she wasn't quite sure the number yet. She had, of course, already made sure Sam, Dean, River, and James were still around. It was a little selfish, but for her, those were the ones that mattered the most to her. Still, she couldn't help wonder if the hotel would be quieter now or if this was some major move on whoever was in control. If it was a move, she wondered what the move was working toward - hopefully nothing like the incursion several months ago.

She set down a basket of chocolate chip cookies and then stretched, arching her back. Maybe she should go get a drink from the bar today.
st_argateman: (who moi?)
[personal profile] st_argateman
Jack had taken up jogging as one of the ways to pass the time. The interesting thing about where he was stuck was it seemed like jogging different paths and directions always gave something new for him to see. It was the early hours of the morning when he took off on a jog. The weather was nice and the coolness of the morning meant that he wouldn't overheat while running. About an hour into his jog, he slowed to a halt. There was a baby deer that appeared to be trapped in some leafless bush. Its leg was bleeding, presumably from trying to get out of its entanglement. He slowly approached the deer and crouched, beginning to try and free the baby animal.

~*~

Ned was a-buzz since Peter mentioned the news of him going all the way with Liz. He finally had a friend that had done it. Peter Parker was both Spider-Man and not a virgin - he was living his ultimate life. This was what preoccupied Ned's thoughts as he sat in the lobby trying to program part of the video game he and Peter were working on. He kept making way more mistakes than he normally would.

Finally he decided to stop and switch projects. His other project required less thought since it was almost done. After several key strokes later, he placed a small homemade helicopter on the coffee table. He pressed ENTER. The propeller on the helicopter started to spin and it flew up a foot in the air. Ned grinned, pleased.

~*~

Liz sat on one of the lounge chairs outside by the pool with her journal beside her and chemistry homework out on her lap. On top of her chemistry homework was her sketchbook. She couldn't quite concentrate today, either, though she wasn't sure why. Perhaps it was what happened on the weekend with her and Peter or maybe it was the conversation she had with Mr. Stark. She decided that trying to draw, despite not having Piotr around, would be helpful. There were some flowers trying their hardest to bloom and she tried to draw them where she sat. Of course, she was still too critical on herself and she continuously erased her work and started over

~*~

Not too far away from Liz was Bo on a yoga mat. She was stretched out doing yoga int leggings and a work out bra and currently doing the triangle pose. She was stressed, but she didn't know why exactly. Maybe it wasn't stressed as frustrated, but she still couldn't pinpoint why. She moved to the downward dog, giving anyone who was paying attention a rather good view of her backside as she tried to stop her mind from wandering, but it was hard. She let out a little frustrated breath.

~*~

Alec was coming back from his own run. He still had energy to burn so he made a change in course and he headed toward the pool which seemed to be pretty busy, though no one was actually swimming. As he neared the pool he toed off his shoes and then pulled off his shirt, leaving a trail of his clothes as his pants where last and he dove into the deep end. He didn't come up right away either. He let the cool water hug his body. Finally, he pushed off the bottom of the pool and surfaced.

~*~

Mary wasn't outside. She was in the bakery trying some vegan recipes for brownies and cookies. It wasn't necessarily because she was vegan, but she thought that she should have some option for people who might be. So far there were two abandoned batches of brownies on the table - one wasn't sweet enough and one had used too much applesauce. She mixed the pumpkin mix into the new batch and poured it in, hoping the third time was the charm.
st_james: (pic#12194762)
[personal profile] st_james
Has anyone misplaced the ability to short electrical outlets, break plumbing and move everyday objects with an accompanying... light show?

And if so, might you be willing to tell me how to stop it before I destroy my room?
st_illfighting: (beer)
[personal profile] st_illfighting
Dean had been concerned when Jane felt nauseous and dizzy during the rides at the theme park. It wasn't like her at all, but when she'd told him yesterday that she might be pregnant - well then it had been his turn to feel nauseous and dizzy. Panic had also begun to creep in, but Dean had thought he'd done a pretty job of hiding it from Jane. Despite the panic, there had also been a really tiny part of him that was excited at the thought of being a dad.

It wasn't anything that he knew that should happen in his world. The hardest thing that he'd ever done was have Cas take Lisa and Ben's memories away about him. It had also been the right thing as much as it had hurt.

Could this be different? The inn was isolated, there really weren't any dangers here despite the one weird shit with the flying skull. Demons, vampires or Leviathans weren't gunning for him here. He scowled down into his beer, pretty sure that he'd just jinxed himself - or Jane with that thought.

Was he happy? Dean honestly didn't know. He was definitely scared as shit about it. This called for another beer or five.
st_unaligned: (Oh Really?)
[personal profile] st_unaligned
Dyson confirmed a week ago they found some sort of thing that could help with trial number two, but that was as much as he knew and they had to 'wait' for the trial to start. Apparently it wasn't just something Bo could press a button for and it happen. So for a week now, she had been walking around impatient. By the end of the week, she was sure it wasn't going to happen.

She found herself bored and walking into the infirmary - she was pretty sure Loki would be there.

NYE

Dec. 31st, 2018 09:00 pm
st_raighttovampire: (Golden girl)
[personal profile] st_raighttovampire
 If a thing done more than once could be said to be a tradition, then tradition was observed. The restaurant was set for a party, overflowing with whatever the cooks and bakers of the inn had chosen to create. The bar was stocked from the wine cellar. The bartenders had created a couple of special New Year's cocktails for the occasion in addition to the usual champagne: Blue "Drunk Jack Frosties", frothy pink "Mistletoe Margaritas" and warm boozy hot cocoa.
 
Caroline had tried to convince each of the guests she knew had musical talent to perform, at least a song or two, but had a playlist ready in case they didn't. For those without their own instruments, the karaoke machine was set up in the lobby, conveniently near the bar so one could find courage as needed first.
 
Between Christmas and today, the decorations had been changed out - the tree was still there of course, and the mistletoe. But now golds and silvers dominated the colors of the streamers. Sparkling snowflakes dangled and sprays of gold stars. A banner hung over Darryl's head, wishing any who glanced his way a Happy New Year! There was even a disco ball, dug out from some storage closest, turning slowly and sending little shards of light dancing over the pink rose carpet.
 
Even from the outside, the inn radiated good cheer and hope for the future, as if by sheer will, they could all make it so.
st_illfighting: (Dean & Crowley)
[personal profile] st_illfighting
Dean rubbed his face for what seemed like the millionth time. He needed a drink or five. People were getting friends and family from home visiting them, word was spreading fast and who did he get? Castiel? Nope. Benny? Nope. Bobby? Nope. Charlie? Nope. He got Crowley. His freaking ghost of Christmas future.

He reached over the bar and picked up a half full whiskey bottle, Dean didn't bother with a shot glass but gave himself a highball glassful.

"Gonna share?" A soft British voice said by Dean's shoulder.

"Go away." Dean didn't even bother to look.

"Now is that anyway to treat your bestie? I came all this way to give you the information so you could be prepared and this is how you treat me. I'm hurt." His tone indicated that he was anything but. Crowley reached over and plucked the bottle from Dean's hand and poured himself a nice glassful, too. He settled on the barstool next to Dean and spun to look at the place. "What do you do for fun around here?"

"Torture demons." Dean muttered.

Crowley's eyes lit up. "Really?"

Dean just shot Crowley a look.

"It's not nice to get a bloke's hopes up like that." A smile spread across his features as someone entered the bar. "Now, that's more like it."
st_ratagem: (frost giant)
[personal profile] 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_huntermom: (Welllll)
[personal profile] st_huntermom
Mary was helping Caroline with providing the sweets for the party - cupcakes, cookies, Rice Krispies, and a bunch of other things. There was 'real food' provided by the restaurant. there were alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks all themed for the event of Halloween and there is even music to. Caroline's decorating skills where again proven as the entire space looked as if it had been turned into Halloweentown.

Mary's at the last tray of cupcakes that look like they had spiders on them down on the table and sighed. Her work for the party was done and now she can relax. She was already in costume with some blue and pink streaks in her hair and a t-shirt that hung up one shoulder that had a skull in the front. Her makeup was indicative of a punk rocker and she even had a fake nose ring on. Now all she had to hope was that Hathaway was going to keep up his end of the bargain or else she might look up at silly.
st_andingtall: (bitchface)
[personal profile] st_andingtall
What: Sam and Mary visit Asphodel and things...go badly.
When: February-March 2017, because I suck

Sam invites Mom on her first Otherworld adventure

The only thing you need to remember is if a pale humanoid being calls you 'creature', ignore it and move on, and if you have to address it, don't call it anything but 'Ver'. )
Sam and Mary have a little chat about his, ah, love life.

Do you promise this stuff is edible? )
What happened to Sam? River, Mary, and Bo find out.

If anything happened to Sammy... )
st_abby: (paladin_wings)
[personal profile] st_abby
The damp, cool, chilly morning clouded with fog seemed to fit the mood about the Madonna Inn. Nobody had been quite right since the undead invasion. Definitely not Vax'ildan. But for him, it was less about their sense of day-to-day calm and safety shattered, less about undead specifically. It was a lot more to do with losing Scanlan and Pike, and the new memorials installed in the Temple.

He wondered about it, not for the first time, even as he readied for the fresh arrivals that might be coming today - or not, because they didn't always. What decided who came and went? Was there any sense in how many and when or why? Not so far as he could tell, but he'd never been the brains.

Gathering up the great heap of cloth and rope in his arms, the lean figure summoned the wings of his armor, the black of his silhouette merging with the other dark and shifting shapes skulking about in the first light of dawn. With a crouch and a lunge from the roof, he spread his wings wide and circled through the air right up to the face of the main building, unfurling the massive banner he'd sewn of spare bedsheets and painted with dark dye to tie it up taut:

WELCOME NEWCOMERS
YES, THIS MEANS YOU
NO REALLY WE'RE SURE


Life kept going on around you, no matter how confused or scared or fucked-up you were. And the best thing, the kindest thing, the sanest thing he could think to do in all this was to start up the coffee machine, stack some decorated pumpkin-shaped cookies on a platter in the lobby, and prop open the doors for whoever would join them in being confused and scared and fucked-up today.
st_hotflashes: (Study)
[personal profile] st_hotflashes
Liz was starting to get better at the whole check-in day stuff. She knew she hadn't seen 'everything' yet, but she was learning from watching Kitty and Caroline and the others how to approach distressed, confused, and even angry people. It wasn't always perfect, but she was getting better.

With the help from the bakery, there were muffins on trays in the lobby - Mary had insisted. She insisted on coming in every once in a while to restock the trays too.

Liz had helped bring another tray to the front desk and then moved to sit at one of the couches that had a view of the front doors. She had a complicated science essay for Kitty due in a week and Liz was having trouble finding the right wording to express her thoughts.

Every once in a while, Liz would look up to see if there was someone knew approaching. There could be no one today or there could be a lot. Briefly, she wondered if someone else from home would show up. A part of her was curious who that would be, but she found a larger part of herself was hoping no one else would.
st_james: (Default)
[personal profile] st_james
An impromptu day out in London. Don't call it a date. But it might have been a date. Don't tell her sons.

Read more... )
st_oneswidow: (Fae)
[personal profile] st_oneswidow
The woodwinds in her collection were for noodling mostly, and the violin was for memory of her family, but when Curnen really wanted to play she turned again and again to her guitar. This would probably always be her best instrument. It was the first of the month, she’d been here over a year, and it was probably a check-in day. So she sat on the lawn with her instrument in her lap, sending out a subtle magic to call anyone stranded in their little world this way.

At one point, though, she set aside the guitar and turned her face to the sky. For just a few minutes she required a different kind of magic.

It had been a week now since Scanlan had vanished in the battle. And Pike, too, though Curnen honestly couldn’t have cared less about her going away if she tried. Still. The two of them were family to people very dear to her, people who missed them. And Scanlan had been her friend. You marked something like that with a song.

Of all the money that e'er I had
I spent it in good company
And all the harm that e'er I've done
Alas, it was to none but me
And all I've done for want of wit
To memory now I can't recall
So fill to me the parting glass
Good night and joy be with you all


It was a traditional Irish goodbye, a farewell to friends said with love, drinking, well wishes, and the hope of meeting again. She couldn’t think of a better one for the occasion. And as she sang she twined her magic into her voice in a new way, sending the song to any ears that needed it, ears of those who knew and missed the departed. Not all of them might understand it, not all of them knew what she was, but she didn’t particularly care about that right now. The song was more important than the hiding.

Once the last note had dissipated she picked up her guitar again and resumed her work. If there were anybody out there, they had to know where to go.
st_huntermom: (Bloodied)
[personal profile] st_huntermom
Only a few days after a battle she had not been entirely prepared to fight in, Mary leaned against a currently low-on-goods bakery while she read over a journal of notes Liz had given her. This journal were recipes of Pike's intended to instruct Liz on how to bake, but now with Pike apparently gone - Mary felt the need for someone to take up the Gnome's mantel.

Some of the recipes were more complicated than others, but Mary was going to attempt each one. As she read, she reached for the ice pack on the counter and brought it up to her face. She was still nursing a wicked black eye and she had cuts and bruises over other parts of her body, but she couldn't bring it in herself to see Kash or another magic user. Despite accepting the people here weren't innately evil, she still felt wholly uncomfortable getting healed by magic.
st_aff: (Default)
[personal profile] st_aff
At the crest of the mountain, Coc'zac sat atop Nazu's head looking through a glass that Hotor held to his eye. Vokva sat beside them, little more than a pile of bones atop a pile of rocks, and Hafur paced behind them, holding the troops in check. They milled in the pre-dawn gloom, skeletons, wights, zombies, wraiths, and all manner of undead creatures. Periodically, Nazu swept the space behind them with their tail bowling over anyone who'd gotten too close.

The first pinpoint of light had Coc'zac's teeth chattering with excitement in his disembodied head. Today was the day he'd been planning for. Soon, soon the Inn and its occupants would be his. Nazu unleashed a heavy sigh tinged with poison and necrosis. Fortunately the troops were all dead already, and Coc'zac didn't have anything in the way of arms to hit them with.

It fell to Hafur to gesture the troops forward as punctuation to Coc'zac's 'rousing' speech, and together they crept through the portal, avoiding its fizzing and popping edges demarcated in what would be neon blue, if they could still see in color. They couldn't properly hear either, but they were aware of the noise and the danger it marked.

Once they were all through, the advance scouts, four bands of skeleton archers swept quietly as they could through the shadows to take up position around the main buildings, prepared to pick off anyone who exited--for example for a pre-sun jog. And once they'd settled into wary, silent waiting, occasionally interrupted by the pop of a joint or the clatter of toe bones on stone, the next wave rolled in finding shadows to hide in until the residents emerged with the wights taking point.The bone naga and three flameskulls slipped through the lobby doors and stealthed toward the offices, assuming to find the command center there.

It wasn't long before the invaders caught the notice of the residents, and then shouts began to echo through the grey light and journals filled with messages and reminders of siege plans. Several strongly worded messages urged the kids and those without weapons or fighting skills to head for the Temple where the Hallow spell would protect them from unholy undead things.

And so the battle for the Madonna Inn began...
st_igmatized: (Upset)
[personal profile] st_igmatized
So the door to Safari Room had been blown clean off its hinges and the remains of a king-size bed were on fire in the parking lot by building three, but Sunny was totally fine. This was fine.

It wasn't like she'd spent weeks tinkering at another idea to get the hell out of here that had completely failed just this morning. It wasn't like she was about to turn twenty-four in this place. It wasn't like she felt a chasm of misery and loneliness in her belly threatening to open wider and swallow her whole from the inside. It wasn't like she'd just thrown an unholy screaming fit and smashed anything that could take smashing before throwing that second goddamn bed that mocked her with its emptiness straight through the wall and then set it ablaze.

She was completely fine.

Of course, in the midst of all that it had completely slipped her mind until she saw an unfamiliar face or two that today was potentially an arrival day. And then for a flicker of an instant she was ashamed. But it died quickly.

"Shit." She needed a drink.

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