PAINKILLER
Current Weather: The second day approached with the blazing morning sun. The sky was fully clear save for a couple retreating clouds. The night's coolness still lingered into the morning, creating the ideal morning to trek outside, even after the raging sandstorm from the night before.
Current Time: 8 AM
Will add a post for my characters here later
Life is hard, that's why no one survives.
[room 106 - Tsadro, Arthur]
Tsadro's night ran a bit longer than he anticipated. He almost jumped straight into his scheduling requests on his tablet, but stopped when he recalled the virus scare Arthur's team mentioned earlier. Setting his implants' malware scan to 'thorough', he disconnected them from his nervous system, letting them run through his systems and reboot when they needed to. In the meantime, he sat very straight in the chair and took a nap, that sort of very light, resting-your-eyes nap that blurred the line between meditation and sleep. The scan fortunately came up empty, but lasted only a 'mere' two hours. Diving straight into what turned out to be a not-so-long backlog of scheduling requests and other emails took him to... one o'clock in the morning. Great!
The rest of the night was alternated between reading news, scrolling through the resource monitor utility source code he was working on for his implants, and dozing. Having left the curtains cracked for the sun to wake them, Arthur got to awaken to Tsadro dozing over his tablet, the prototype resource monitor's circular, watchface-sized GUI open and being tested. Tsadro awoke with a start when he heard the bedcovers rustle, but not before he was seen 'sleeping' despite denying himself a bed the previous night.
"Jack, you have debauched my sloth."
First, the JJJ group. Amy and Maya will come after this.
[Hotel-Room 204]
Morning had arrived, but James barely had time to register it before he felt someone shake him.
"James. JAMES! James, please please please wake up." the voice begged.
James abruptly woke up and saw a panicked-stricken John standing over him. He sat up, deeply concerned.
"Hon?" he said, "Honey, what's wrong?"
"It's Joseph!" John said, "I woke up, a-and I saw rags on the floor and I looked at the other bed and he's not there! He's gone!"
"Gone?" James said, "What do you mean he's...?" he looked over at the bed, noticing that it was now empty, minus a confused Pancake who was sniffing the bed for her friend.
"I...I knew he said something about this last night but I thought..." John sat down on the bed, "Oh God, no no no. He's probably hurt somewhere!"
James blinked. "What did he say? What happened?"
"W-When you left...he said he might vanish because of the time traveling thing. I thought if he was with us that wouldn't happen but now...oh my god..."
James lightly held his fiance's shoulder. "Look, don't panic. Please. This isn't going to help. Listen, we'll look for him in the Frontier. He probably isn't far. Just try your best to stay calm, ok?"
John was still unsure. Joseph mentioned he ended up in other places in time. For all he knew, Joseph could end up in another timeline, far beyond their reach. Still, he had to hope he was still somewhere in the Frontier. It was the only thing he could do at the moment.
"I'll...I'll try." he said, standing up. He walked over to the other bed, gently picked up Pancake, and went out the door, his fiance right behind him.
edited 3rd Feb '16 12:31:09 AM by Masterofchaos
[Mountain Pass - Campsite]
Suela needed her morning tea, and would struggle to offer any comprehensible words until she had it. She dressed, crawled out of her tent, and began to set up a new fire to boil water for her traditional morning Yoth tea. (It did not contain tea leaves, though the coca leaves it contained might be mistaken for such at a glance. Of course, the real kick came from the fern fronds, unique to Suela's continent.)
Brin was already up, watching the pass for any further intrusions from the military force stationed below. "Morning," she said. That was all she had to say, knowing full well how little Suela cared for conversation at this time of morning.
edited 2nd Feb '16 8:19:32 PM by KillerClowns
Professional Recluse
Katya
She opened her eyes slowly, the morning sun streamed through the thatches in the blinds. Waking up normally, for that she was grateful. The dinner the previous night was lovely but her purpose came back and threatened her with a headache. The last thing she wanted to do was amble around under the sun on her own looking for someone who may or may not be there. She gave a grunt of displeasure and got up combing her fingers through her hair. Very well, this is what I'm paid for I suppose.
The sports bra went on first, she thought for a second and pulled on the lightweight ballistic vest, it wouldn't do much against anything big but if someone got antsy with a pistol she'd rather be a little hotter than dead. Another sweater went on, this one almost identical to the one she wore last night but white and thinner. The blockier parts of the vest showed through, she sighed. He isn't likely to accept a wandering woman in the middle of the desert anyway. she justified. The sweater made her appear ghostly but she would have melted in any of the more stylish colors.
The tan fatigue pants were next along with a storage belt and fanny pack. The right thigh holster with the TT-30 pistol and black NR-40 combat knife, and finally a shoulder rig with the Nagant and two wristguards full of needles of various compositions, most were silver but she'd sprinkled in a few cold iron, lead, and black steel. The sweater was long enough to cover the guards and most of the scars luckily.
Loaded for bear and hopefully not too much for the heat she locked the hotel room door. Enticing smells wafted from the dining hall. Breakfast did seem like a good idea for now.
edited 2nd Feb '16 9:55:20 PM by Slysheen
Stoned hippie without the stoned. Or the hippie. My AO3 Page, grab a chair and relax.
Paladin of Light
[Hotel - Kaito, Chisa, Trinity, Recon]
As he left the ladies to their room and went on into his own, Kaito found himself drifting into thought; he must have been more tired than he first thought. But as per procedure, he had to compose a daily report before retiring completely, of which he composed it quietly as he moved about the room. Kaito made sure to mention that Chisa was now under his protection and that he had also found assistance from other entities during the AI's retrieval, as well as their cooperation to help protect her until she was in complete protection of the UGN.
However, the agent came to find his mind drifting—his thoughts on how Chisa was going to take having these new found powers and how she'd learn to use them wisely. Not only that, but Kaito came to find himself worrying about how closely she should be protected. The young agent shook those troubling thoughts from his mind and came to finish the report with just a few more bits of intel before saving a copy in his memory bank and sending the report along as well.
Tomorrow would be a new day, he had to be sure he was rested and ready to tackle whatever came their way with all he had.
Drummer Boy
[Mountain Pass Campsite]
During the night, Kito alternated between quick naps and patrolling the area around the campsite, ears and nose alert for trouble. Once Cyrus woke up, however, he stationed himself in front of the tent entrance and guarded it while Cyrus went through his morning routine, which presumably consisted of medication and putting on his goggles.
Cyrus had stayed up for a while opening up his machines to make up everything was as expected. He hadn't used them heavily until yesterday, so it was important to make sure they were holding up. After confirming that everything was still in good condition, Kito insisted that he get some sleep. He emerged from his tent a little less perky than usual—even his cheerful disposition was no match for the challenge of waking up before noon—but still wearing a smile. However, it did seem rather strained.
Kito, they left you behind last night. Aren't you—
I'm letting it go. I'm sure they did what they thought was best at the time.
Sure they did.
You always knew we can only trust each other around here, right?
I do now. He finally answered Brin with a bright "Good morning!" and went to sit by the campfire, chewing on a piece of dried meat from his satchel. "What are you making, Suela?"
[Hotel Room 106]
The first thing Arthur did when he woke up was grab his tablet.
<good morning>
He was a bleary mess as he dragged himself to the bathroom. After washing up, he looked a little more alert.
<i don't remember exactly what you said about rivari and sleeping, but you looked like you'd dozed off? if you're tired you can take a nap here while i go down and get breakfast at the dining hall or restaurant or whatever they've got there. it's probably going to be a long day>
The last battle's curtains will open on stage!
Crazy Kiwi
Grand Hotel - Presidential Suite —> Downstairs Dining Room
[The Mad Bastards]Teri had pulled the second watch so it was she who had waited patiently as the light coming through the shutters brightened while Wolfe slept soundly in the bed beside her.
She didn't know exactly why James had given his oblique warning the previous evening - it wasn't much of a stretch to guess it had something to do with the chiming of Todd's formerly unserviceable communicator and the murmured conversation that followed - but she and Wolfe had taken heed and had taken turns keeping watch while the other slept.
Fortunately, nothing untoward had happened during the night, but that didn't mean the danger was over - wherever it might come from.
She nudged Wolfe awake and they made their way into the ensuite without saying a word and moving with the silent grace of hunters.
They changed into the clothes they wore the previous day and holstered their pistols before leaving their room.
Wolfe quietly scratched on the door of the room shared by Kris, Peggy, Karl and James, aware that at least one of them should be awake and alert for the sound.
The door opened noiselessly and Karl ushered them in with a jerk of his head and closed it quietly behind them.
The others were all up, dressed and kitted out with everything but their rifles.
Wolfe shot James a querying glance and got a nod in the general direction of Samuel and Todd's room in exchange. He nodded understanding and held his tongue.
Within a minute, they had let themselves out of the suite via the private staircase that serviced only the Presidential Suite and were on their way downstairs.
"I don't know how much you heard last night," said James once they were out of earshot of the suite, "but we can discuss it over breakfast."
"I di'n't hear much at all," said Teri.
Wolfe shook his head. "Nor me. I gather it must've been something for you to have invoked the name of the farm, though."
Once they reached the ground floor they made their way to the Hotel's Restaurant which was already serving breakfast.
They placed their orders and then found a table that offered a good view of the rest of the room in order that they could see and assess potential travelling companions.
PAINKILLER
[Grand Hotel - Presidential Suite] Vic -> Downstairs Dining Room, Samuel -> Hotel Lobby
Samuel awoke from hazy dreams and a bit of a headache. He looked to his side, where Todd was still fast asleep. Sam slid out of bed and went to his backpack. He put his hand in and grabbed a pill bottle. Only a few pills were left, but he still shook two into his hand and swallowed them dry.
He found his prosthetic nearby which he slipped on with ease. Only until he made it to the bathroom did he realize he was awake. With some splashes of cold water to his face and skin, he woke up with a start. He swallowed some of the water before emerging.
Samuel found the suite eerily silent.
Vic emerged from his shared room with his clothes on. He noticed Samuel's lack of clothes so he turned away. "Where did they go? I heard them get up."
The Colonel returned to his room for a moment. "Perhaps they got sick of us, heh."
Vic pouted. He crossed his arms.
"Did you sleep OK last night?"
With that question, he did remember Teri and Wolfe— and some voices. He wasn't sure if it was real or a dream. Still, the murmurings were troubling as he recalled. He wasn't exactly sure why. Vic asked in turn, "Isn't there a restaurant here? I'm hungry again."
Samuel returned with pants on. He appeared concerned with a quizzical look. "I would think so, kid."
Vic stood still for a moment before moving to leave via elevator.
"Hey, if you're thinking about joining them... Be careful, all right?"
The boy gave a small smile and nod. He hit the button to go down to the last floor.
Samuel went to sit down in the dining room, to which he realized they had left over cake. He grabbed the platter and an unused fork to go at it.
Then the communicator went off. Samuel stood and grabbed for it and out his ear up to it. Rescue team probably. Think the storm's gone and they got time to regroup.
Instead, he was given a voice that seemed familiar to him: "Commander Kimball, it would be paramount if you come with those scriptures first thing. It's 8 o'clock. We are waiting on the western side of town. We will take you back home." The call ended. Samuel first realized the voice belonged to General Harrow, Todd's second-in-command.
Samuel's heart skipped a beat. The Scriptures? The government doesn't know... He put a hand to his mouth. Suddenly he felt the urge to puke. He held it back as his stomach turned over and returned to equilibrium. He couldn't match it up in his brain yet what it meant. All he knew was that he had to get the hell out.
He quietly set the communicator down before returning to his shared room. He threw on his jacket and zipped it up. He got other clothes and items together as quietly and quickly as he could.
He glared down at Todd, who moved a bit in his deep sleep. He found his companion's coat, and saw the outlining of the book . It was underneath the coat. He picked it up, and pocketed it in his bag. Samuel murmured a Serenican curse at him.
He left the suite, leaving the door open and for the sun to wake Todd.
Samuel had no idea where he was going, but as long as he could keep the scriptures to himself and be able to return home safely. That girl, Irina, should be nearby, as she promised to meet with him when they got to northern Serenica. Obviously, they instead made it somewhere else. He hoped she was in town somewhere, and she could feel him.
If Todd wanted to steal the book, then truly, the Gardens Of Eden were real. He considered finding Vic and telling him, but he knew it would endanger the boy. He was safer with the Mad Bastards than if he were with him.
Meanwhile, Vic navigated to the hotel's own restaurant. It wasn't hard to find the Mad Bastards. His eyes lit up as he approached them. "Oh, hey. Is it all right if I uh, stick with you guys?"
Bed & Breakfast (Shared Room) (Irina, Connie, David)
Irina awoke shortly after sunrise, but laid in the bed for as long as she could. She was used to sleeping in sleeping bags or cots in travel encampments. A real, elevated bed seemed much like sleeping on a cloud or pile of cotton.
But soon enough, she fully awoke. She rose and put her clothes back on, especially wrapping her black headwrap around her hair. She looked to Connie, who was still asleep. Davey was nowhere to be found, but her eyes moved to the balcony, where light was pouring in. Irina stood and went for it.
She opened that door and felt a cool morning breeze. There was nothing like it—which was a reason she was able to wake up as early as she did. Irina said to the otter creature, "I'm glad I'm not the only one who likes waking up early."
edited 3rd Feb '16 7:17:47 AM by electronic-tragedy
Life is hard, that's why no one survives.
[hotel room 106]
He set his tablet on the nearby dresser where he had left his veil and wedding-necklace the night before. Clearing his throat, he spoke with his voice. "No, no, no. We nap when we're bored, too. I'm coming with, I'd like some tea."
Tsadro got up, carefully stretching his muscles for the day. He located a small bottle of makeup remover liquid in one of his pouches, then headed into the bathroom to clean his old eyeliner off and apply fresh, adding just a bit to the upper edge of his eyes, and a thicker, slightly more visible line to the lower edge. He removed a small, nearly flat pin decorated with mother-of-pearl from near the bottom of his hair, and his solid white, silk-thin hair went completely loose, falling almost to his waist. Working quickly, he brushed it back with his free hand and pulled it tight, performed a series of twists and folds that left it flat against the back of his head again, then delicately slipped the pin back in from below and closed it. Being the same color as his skin, his hairline was easy to miss.
He left the bathroom and put his boots and necklace back on, threaded his veil through the necklace so it'd be ready for him to slip back onto his head once they went outside, then added his gloves and collected the room key. While Arthur collected his remaining possessions and armor pieces, Tsadro gave the room a final check.
"Any supplies you like to have before we set out? Snacks, tools, your team?"
edited 3rd Feb '16 9:45:16 PM by CrystalGlacia
"Jack, you have debauched my sloth."
Hotel Hallway - Chisa and Trinity
Chisa and Trinity slept soundlessly, Chisa more surprising as thoughts of what was going to happen the next day. She guessed she would start training her powers somewhere around the area. But what if enemies showed up? 'Remember, there are others willing to protect you.' she thought and was surprised by this idea. They hardly knew her and already were willing to defend her. Was this what it was like to have friends?
Trinity woke up first with a yawn and a stretch before retreating to the bathroom for a shower. Chisa would have done the same except Trinity never mentioned if she could handle water. If she could drink water, she felt like she could swim in it, but didn't want to risk it for now. Instead she found a brush and brushed her short messy red hair and saw Trinity in the corner of her eye changing into her suit again. "Hmm, I'm thinking sometime today we should get better suited clothes. Maybe something cute for you to impress a certain someone?" her tone was teasing but also almost motherly which confused the AI as she had no idea who the older female was talking about.
"In any case, shall we grab the boys and have some breakfast?" Trinity added and Chisa simply nodded as the two exited their room to the hallway.
edited 4th Feb '16 10:15:51 AM by Sphinxyness
"Can you imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie?"
And now, Maya and Amy
[Main Street]
Now that the storm had long passed, both girls felt safe enough to walk back out and check their plane. It was parked not too far from the Saloon, but it was covered in a lot of dirt. The plan wasn't too big—it had enough room to fit in two or more people, after all.
"That's going to take forever to clean off..." Amy said as she swiped a bit off dirt off the plane. "Stupid storm."
If it can still fly, it's not a big deal. Maya signed, We can clean it later.
Amy sighed. "You're right...Hey, do you think Davey ever made it to the bar?"
Not sure. What brought this on?
"The storm seemed really bad, that's all. I would feel really guilty if he got hurt because of us."
It's not that deep, Amy. I'm sure he's fine. Maya looked back, How about we find a shop somewhere? We're gonna be here for a while after all.
Amy stretched her arms, then started walking away, Maya not too far behind her. "If anything has a huge plowing machine, hell yes I do."
edited 25th May '18 12:53:53 PM by Masterofchaos
[Mountain Pass Campsite]
Suela mumbled a number of words. Most of them were angrish, which, unlike Yoth, could not be translated. But mixed into it was "...tea..."
"It's no good," Brin said, "she's out of it for a while." Then, a hesitant pause. Brin had been thinking about the previous night for a while. So she took a breath and said, "Kito... I owe you an apology." She was briefly too ashamed to look him in the eyes, but forced herself. "And far, far more, but let's start with that. For last night. When we got spooked and abandoned you to save our own hides."
She'd thought of dozens of excuses. Some of them might have acceptable from a civilian, but Brin was a detective of the Republic City Police Force. Being vested with the power her badge gave her obligated her to accept nothing but the absolute best behavior from herself and her fellow officers. Even Lin Beifong did not hold Brin to standards as high as Brin held herself, and only her partner, Zhi, came close. And she had failed in her responsibilities. There could be no excuses. "It won't happen again. I'd offer you my word as a policewoman of Republic City, but I'd like to reclaim my right to call myself that first."
Perhaps if she had been coherent, Suela would have had something to add, but she was just now putting boiling water to her brew.
edited 3rd Feb '16 4:55:55 PM by KillerClowns
Attitude is prohibited
[Mountain Pass] (Campsite)
Hoshi crawled out of her tent - sans poncho, hat and belts, but otherwise looking very much like she did just yesterday - and yawns as she stands up and stretches. Casually striding over to the campfire, she sits herself down across from Cyrus. "Good morning!" She says, cheerfully, to anyone who would listen. "Ah, I haven't had a nap that long in ages. And it's so nice to wake up and see a blue sky!" She chuckles at the novelty.
Miyuki was already up, and by the looks of things, had been for a while. She stood at the edge of camp, facing away, her visor having extended into its mask-form. Seemingly, she was talking to someone, though her voice was fully concealed by her gear.
Not entirely dead.
Professional Recluse
People started filtering into the halls at the beck of breakfast. The clientele hardly seemed homogenous, after living in Capital it was....comforting was the best word she supposed. She kept reminding herself to stay vigilant, this wasn't a vacation and she had work to do. Sure she didn't expect the target to be just hanging around in an expensive hotel but there was a first time for everything right?
The universe almost seemed to oblige. Her heart leapt into her throat as she saw a woman in a suit and a human child ahead of her. She went over the mental description and picture over and over again. No. On closer inspection the child had short crimson hair, and even if they had gone to lengths to disguise her the facial structure and build were wrong. She was too young also. The reports also suggested it was a man who held her, not a woman.
Disheartened she continued to the breakfast line, hoping to salvage the remains of her morale with a good breakfast. She secretly hoped for kasha, butterbrots, and coffee, hopefully it wasn't too foreign. Well they did have borscht, so who knew?
Stoned hippie without the stoned. Or the hippie. My AO3 Page, grab a chair and relax.
Friendly Neighborhood Lich
((Note: I still have a post from the night before to do with Zuri and Lupin, but since it doesn't depend on anybody else's characters, I'll just fit it in after this Nemaforte post.)
Hotel - Room 205 (Nemaforte, Annie, Gregory)
Feeling fully rested, Nemaforte sat up in the bed, the still-sleeping Annie right next to her. Careful not to wake her, she slid off the bed and rubbed her eyes awake. She had had a very nice nap, with pleasant dreams of her mother's herb shop. ...Actually, it wasn't entirely pleasant, as she had not seen her mother for several years, and had technically been fired from the herb shop. However, in the calming haze of the potion she drank last night, it didn't seem to matter much.
But as she slid off the bed and walked over towards the bathroom, she noticed that something was not right. She could have sworn she turned the lights off, but the room was much brighter than she remembered it. In fact, there was a particularly strong light coming from outside the window... and when she went to the window to check it out, she had to throw her hands out in front of her face to shield herself from the glaring brightness of the sun.
"Daytime! This world has... daytime!" Panicking, Nemaforte grabbed the drapes and pulled them shut over the window, then turned around with her back to it and heaved a heavy sigh. "Da tui ra," she muttered to herself, trying to calm herself down. "Ata nya dria... ata tua nai dore-ya..." She gestured to Gregory and Annie, who were still asleep.
Suddenly she got an idea. Trying not to make a sound, she crept over to her bag and pulled out a few bottles, trying to find one particular herb. She examined every single one in her bag, and then examined them all again... "No..." She turned around, feeling dizzy again, and slumped down until she was sitting on the floor and leaning against the leg of the desk.
This is bad indeed... she thought. I didn't realize when they said "morning" that they actually meant that there would be a morning. I hope they don't make me go out there in the sunlight! Hopefully they won't wake up and I can just go back to sleep and wait for the night to return... if it does return.
And with that, she crept back into the bed next to Annie and pulled the covers back over herself.
Hotel - Sagebrush Suite (Rooms 305-307) (Zuri, Lupin)
[The night before]
The Sagebrush Suite was quite spacious. It consisted of a common room in the center, with a little kitchenette and a lounge area with couches and a TV. Two doors led off on opposite sides of this room, each to a hallway that led off to two little bedrooms and a bathroom between them.
The common room was completely empty save for the furniture and appliances, so apparently nobody else had arrived yet. So Zuri and Lupin decided to first check out the bedrooms, starting with the leftmost room off the leftmost hall, also known as room A. It contained a single queen-size bed, and much to their surprise, two suitcases sat on top of it.
"That blue leather one there is mine!" Zuri exclaimed. Immediately she went over and unzipped it... and the first thing that she saw there was her bag. A old beaten-up light blue satchel, with the edges of a textbook clearly visible beneath the large flap. About half the suitcase was empty, and she noticed there were no clothes and few toiletries in it.
"Oh look, there are clothes already in the closet," Lupin noticed as he inspected said closet. "That's odd... isn't this Vicky's coat?"
Zuri jumped off the bed and rushed over to the closet, and spotted the coat: a light blue one which looked like a fencing jacket at first glance with the triangular shape at the bottom and how it had a line of snaps down the side. Zuri's eyes widened. "That is Vicky's coat. And what... this is my dress! The one I wore at my grandmother's funeral!" She immediately recognized the long lacy white dress with dark blue flowery trim at the bottom, and the matching lacy parasol lying next to it.
"You wore a white dress to a funeral?" Lupin quipped.
"I don't look good in black," Zuri replied with a shrug.
After inspecting the other rooms, they found that the luggage of all eight members of their student group had been brought here, all their clothes hung up in the closet, most of their toiletries neatly arranged in the bathrooms. Rooms A and B came off the left hall, the former belonging to Zuri and her roommate Vicky, the latter belonging to her other roommate Ari and her brothernote . Rooms C and D came off the right hall, the former belonging to Lupin and his friend Merlin, and the latter belonging to two other girls in the group.
However, they didn't have much time to inspect the area much, for they suddenly grew very tired. It wasn't long before Zuri and Lupin went to their own rooms on opposite sides of the suite. But before drifting off to sleep, Zuri let out her astral projection again, and did a quick scan of the town and the area beyond it.
[Morning]
As soon as Zuri realized she was awake, she sat bolt upright and glanced about the room. To her slight dismay, she realized she was still in the same hotel and not back in Boston. Moreover, Vicky and her other companions had still not arrived, and a quick peek into the still-empty bedroom B confirmed it. And so, she hopped into the shower and got ready as usual. She wore the same blue sweater and white sandals over grey socks from last night, but now wore a knee-length white pleated skirt with buttons down the front, and a lavender blouse with white lace trim beneath the sweater. This time she picked a pair of blue crystal earrings, and a pendant consisting of a simple silver cross.
Before heading out, she replaced the psychology textbook in her bag with an antique-looking mini-tome with no title (just a faded inscription of a pentagram on the front cover). But as she stuffed it into her bag, she remembered something... something from her astral travels last night. She remembered how she hit a barrier while flying out to a camp of sorts in the mountains, as if a strange magical force was blocking her way. Immediately she knew that this would be worth checking out.
Feeling a bit more determined now, she left the bedroom and crossed the common room, and headed into the other hall to knock on Lupin's door. She knocked several times, but he didn't answer, or even make a sound. Quietly, she turned the doorknob and pushed the door open, only to find Lupin still in bed, sound asleep, wrapped in the covers and one of the hotel bath robes.
"Lupin! Wake up! I found something last night that might be worth investigating!" She placed her hands on his shoulders and shook him, first gently, then more and more forcefully, until she was making the bed shake as well. He still would not wake up. For a second, a tinge of fear filled her heart, and she felt for a spot on his neck... and breathed a sigh of relief when she felt a pulse. "Wow, you're in quite a deep sleep. I guess I'll go down to breakfast then - I'll bring you something too."
Hotel Dining Hall (Zuri)
By the time Zuri got to the dining hall, there was one person - a long-haired woman in a white sweaternote - waiting to order, but another waiter waved at her just then to help her out as well. She placed her order, and also asked if there were any to-go options for Lupin. The waiter told her she was welcome to being a pastry from the buffet back.
After pouring herself a cup of tea and grabbing two scones (one for herself and one for Lupin), she sat at a table for four, even though she was a party of one. She looked around hoping to find Iraal or Scents, but didn't see them - or anyone she recognized from last night for that matter. Oh well, looked like she might be eating alone after all.
Come, my child of the devil. Your mother is calling you. Hear my call in Hell's grand hall, where all our dreams come true.
[Grand Hotel (Iraal and Scents's Room -> Hallway)] I don't think I gave their room a specific number, did I?
Follows-Many-Scents blinked all three of her eyes open at once and came awake, feeling as if she had rocks in her head. It wasn't like she'd slept badly or something; the hotel staff had arranged her sleeping-pillows the way she'd wanted, and she remember a nifty if fading dream about space. But too many stimulants over the years made it hard to start the day without them.
She looked around for Iraal, and goggled. Sitting cross-legged on the floor, and already dressed in baggy blueish clothes similar to the ones she'd worn yesterday except for their color, the orl was sitting cross-legged on the floor reading a bit of datapaper she'd pulled out from one of the storage compartments on their robot.
"Did - did you even sleep?" Scents asked. "Look, seriously, doc - "
"I did, yes," Iraal said absently. "For a few hours. I feel fine now. We should probably go get something to eat, however."
Scents was somewhat annoyed, but it wasn't as if this was a new thing. Iraal had never been as... well, anything by most physical annoyances. She wasn't some kind of supermindkind or whatever, but she didn't care that much about being tired, or hot, or really anything but too much light.
Electing not to respond further - except for a moment or two of one of her usual blank stares - Scents pulled on a loose dark red vayen suit with white highlights. She'd wait to put on the armor suit until they left proper; while it was perfectly comfortable she didn't want to get any more dust in it than she had to if they wound up walking around town a bit.
Whistling tunelessly, she stepped out into the hall and lifted her snout in confusion. A weird smell was coming up one of the stairwells. It took a moment for her to place it, since she had almost no experience with it in real life: human distress. Not urgent - though she took a moment to flex her hands experimentally, in case - but genuine enough that it was worth a look. She headed down the stairs to the second floor, pressing one hand against her head as it throbbed for a moment, and stepped out again into the hallway. The human couple she'd met briefly earlier had just burst out, looking obviously distressed.
"Something wrong, zers?"
Iraal is still in the room for now.
Crazy Kiwi
Grand Hotel - Dining Room
James had hoped to be able to have a private chat with Teri and Wolfe to put them in the picture and was quite surprised to see Vic approaching but he showed no sign of surprise or disappointment. "Certainly, you're most welcome to join us for breakfast. Teri, Wolfe and I were just about to go and deal with some business before eating but I'm sure Kris, Karl and Peggy can entertain you until we get back." As he stood, he indicated a spare seat for Vic.Karl smiled at Vic and nodded. "Come sit with us. Shall we order some food for you?"
Teri and Wolfe came to their feet casually, as if they had been expecting to do so all along and had merely been waiting for an indication that James was ready to leave. They followed James as he led the way out the door onto the street.
There was warmth in the bright morning sun as they made their way down the street to a place where they wouldn't be seen or heard from the Hotel.
It took James very little time to convey what he and the others had pieced together of Todd's late-night communication.
When he was done, Teri pursed her lips thoughtfully. It certainly sounded suspicious. "If this girl he mentioned is another ex Nosferatu, perhaps Todd is organising something permanent to happen to her and Vic."
James nodded. "Precisely my thoughts. There is the remnant of some sort of 'Rescue Team' out there somewhere, no doubt military in nature given who Samuel and Todd are, and then there's whomever Todd was talking with - any one of whom may be seeking to kill anyone associated with the Nosferatu."
Wolfe shook his head slowly. It sounded bad. He found it hard to believe that Samuel would be involved in such a plot - he could have easily executed Vic on the spot out in the desert. Bringing the lad back and buying him food and giving him a good place to sleep and only to kill him later didn't make any sense. He voiced his opinion.
"You've got a point there," said Teri. "It could be something Todd is planning—" she grinned, " on his todd. He mentioned being violated; perhaps he's wanting revenge."
"But how would we broach the subject with Samuel?" Asked James. "He may be disinclined to believe that his comrade may well be planning the murder of a captive."
Wolfe grinned. "I think that someone with extensive military experience should be the one to handle that delicate situation."
James laughed. "Perhaps so."
They returned to the hotel and made their way back towards the table.
On the way through the dining room, Wolfe caught sight of a familiar face in the growing crowd. She was dressed differently but Wolfe had a good memory for faces and associating them with places. There was no doubt that it was the Russian woman he, Teri and Kris had met at the bar at the Mountain Resort.
His memory for names was nowhere near as good as his memory for faces and places but in this instance, he was aided by the fact that she had an exotic and unusual name - and therefore it had stuck in his mind. Katya.
He nudged Teri and pointed her in the direction of the Russian woman. Teri's gasp let him know that she recognised Katya as well.
With Teri hard on his heels, he walked over to where Katya was waiting in the queue, addressed her by name and said good morning to her in Russian - thereby nearly exhausting his entire vocabulary in the language.
Paladin of Light
[Hotel - Kaito, Chisa, Trinity, Recon]
Even before the sun had risen too high from the horizon, Kaito had woken up to start his day early, as was his routine. After stretches, push-ups, and sit-ups the young agent went for a shower before fully getting dressed only to round out his routine with a quick check of his weapons and equipment. Although he didn't feel it would be necessary to carry anything with him so long as he and his comrades were in the hotel. With this in mind he simply donned his coat before stepping out of his room.
Almost as soon as he did however, Kaito's eyes came to meet the eyes of both Trinity and Chisa who must have just come out of their room as well. He smiled softly as he greeted them. "Good Morning, ladies. Did you both have a good rest?" he asked, feeling it would be a nice way to start up the conversation. Instinctively though after he asked this his eyes fell to Chisa as he moved to speak to her specifically. "Are you feeling any better yourself, Chisa..?" he inquired, hoping to hear a positive outcome.
edited 4th Feb '16 10:22:22 AM by Gold_Paladin
Drummer Boy
[Mountain Pass Campsite]
Cyrus stared pointedly at Miyuki and ripped off his next bite of dried meat in the same exact manner that Kito would tear apart a fresh kill. I hope she's got something good to say for herself when she's done with whatever's going on over there.
Hold on, maybe I should handle this.
What's the difference?
Exactly. I want to see if that's part of the problem.
Now it was the Wolfram glaring at Miyuki, his eyes dark brown instead of amber. The human, now looking at Brin, revealed his golden eyes by briefly flipping up the lenses of his goggles. Dark circles indicated that he hadn't slept as much as he should have. "Brin—and I will ask Miyuki this as well—if you would be kind enough to satisfy my curiosity... if I had gone with you like this, would you have done the same thing?"
Arthur post coming later today, I have a lot of work to catch up on.
edited 5th Feb '16 12:32:12 AM by SnowyFoxes
The last battle's curtains will open on stage!
[Hotel - Kaito, Chisa, Trinity, Recon]
Recon strolled in behind Kaito, stretching periodically as he walked to work out some of the kinks in his muscles.
"Mornin' everyone. We ready to head out?" he asked, stifling a yawn.
edited 4th Feb '16 1:06:09 PM by gameknight102xx
Hotel Hallway - Chisa, Kaito, Trinity, Recon
Trinity and Chisa both turned to the blonde haired boy at his greeting. "Good morning to you as well. And yes, I slept quite well." Trinity greeted back with a smile. Chisa gave a small wave and said, "Good morning. I too had a good rest. And...I'm feeling much better." to him while playing with her short red hair. Recon came out not a moment after and the two waved to him as well. "I was thinking we should get a quick breakfast before we head out. If you guys are hungry that is." Trinity suggested to the whole group after Recon's comment.
"Can you imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie?"
[Hotel-Hallway]
John and James didn't get very far before they ran into Scents again. They would be surprised, but they were so caught up with other things that feeling quickly subsided. They needed help, and any sort of help would do.
"I-It's...Joseph..." John said, visibly shaking, "He...he's...h-he...oh my god..."
"I'll take it from here." James said, rubbing John's back, "It's Joseph. He disappeared last night, and we don't know where he is. One night he's here, and when we woke up he's just...gone. We're seriously on the edge right now."
Pancake gave Scents another sniff, but this time didn't hiss. Now that she was used to her scent, she wasn't scared of her anymore. Instead, she curiously tilted her head to the side.
edited 4th Feb '16 8:39:09 PM by Masterofchaos
[Room 205]
A sudden movement had disturbed Annie's sleep. She had fallen deep into a unsettling dream which involved her being chased by a giant version of her sister, and as she sleepily began to get a feel of her surroundings, the unexpected presence of another under her covers gave Annie a fright.
"GAH!" she let out a shocked screech, as she pulled back the covers to reveal Nemaforte.
The yell awoke Gregory, who jolted upright from the adjacent bed. "What? What's wrong?" he asked with concern.
"Nem just scared the heck out of me," Annie replied, before turning her attention to the young witch. "Why are you hiding under the covers anyway? What's got you spooked? And why my covers?"
Hotel - Kaito, Chisa, Recon, Trinity
Chisa watched as Kaito and Recon began to leave, Kaito taking the girl's hand one last time and she looked at him with a sudden small smile. "G-goodnight." she said happily. Trinity watched as well and turned to Recon who whispered something to her. "I'm sure we all will protect her if something were to happen." she replied with a kind grin, "Goodnight Recon." The two of them would settle in queen sized beds, one for each of them. Trinity had no problem getting to sleep though Chisa felt weird about it. She never really slept, more like powered off. But she supposed it was the same thing.
"Can you imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie?"