🌹 OPEN

[recluserose]

WHO: Amelia Steinbeck (recluserose) and Others
WHERE: Throughout the hotel.
WHEN: October 25th-26this, varying times of the day.
WHAT: Acclimating to the hotel and floor explorations.
WARNINGS: N/A for now, also prompts in comments.



(X)

Comments

[recluserose]

[Amelia is more than ready with a quick snip back.]

And someone has never had a properly made espresso or any of these drinks to appreciate the artistry or taste differences.

[Grumbling, she pinches the bridge of her nose before waving away the projection.]

Look. I apologize for the snippiness but I've found myself rather impatient with the perpetrators who broke the machine and I'm still in the habit of waking up early even though I don't need to. Occupational habit.

[vecna]

[Well. She’s right about that, at least.

Henry has a mind to leave it at that, to stop arguing the point and let her wallow in her espresso-less life alone. But she offers a somewhat huffy apology, and that’s enough to leave him planted here for a little longer.]

“Perpetrators?” Someone’s broken the machine on purpose? That’s [funny, in a mean way] strange.

What’s your occupation that makes you wake up so early? I used to have one of those, too, and plain coffee was good enough for me.

[recluserose]

Worse. They broke the machine by accident. [She crosses her arms underneath her blanket.]

No, that's a poor choice of words. They broke the machine out of sheer buffoonery.

I am a high school teacher. I'm having an extended vacation for the time being.

[that explains so much]

[vecna]

[Ah, a schoolteacher. Maybe it does explain a little.]

I see. Well, as a high school teacher, you should be used to all kinds of "buffoonery."

[That's about the stretch of his sympathy for her, even if his words lack anything sharp bolstering them. Instead, Henry turns his head towards the continental breakfast area, and gestures with a hand in that direction.]

As you've pointed out, it's no substitute, but I'll make us some coffee and pour you a cup if you really want. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

[Another old habit he can fall into!]

[recluserose]

Well. I've seen and experienced a variety of senior-year pranks, but the execution has been much more masterful in comparison to this.

[Now she's just being mean... But Henry's offer causes her to glance and blink at him through her glasses.]

... If you're sure. [Amelia straightens her posture so she'll look less hunched over and more like someone wearing a cape. Yes.]

I accept your offer if you're also going to make a drink yourself.

[Because otherwise it kind of feels strange being catered to right after he saw how grumpy she is.]

[vecna]

Of course. Coffee's always a part of my morning routine.

[Well, it was for a long while. Maybe not much anymore.

But he's still familiar enough to know what to do, and he casts her a smile and a gesture for her to follow him into the cafeteria proper, where he can make them a pot of coffee with an old-school-looking coffee maker.]

I hope this level of thieving excitement isn't what I can expect from our stay here the entire time.

[He's going to gather up what he needs while he speaks. He recalls how to do this, doesn't he? Yes, he does.]

[recluserose]

I'm sure if you'll be able to find something that strikes your fancy once you step into the elevator and peruse one of the many floors this hotel offers. Also, the other guests are interesting for better or for worse.

[She stays close behind him and whether he's aware of it or not Amelia has been examining him. Many of the guests harbor a feature or two that wouldn't strike the average Joe back at home as normal. Even fully human guests like Gojo or Gale had a certain flair about them that made them stand apart.

This man who is offering to make coffee for her seems... Very normal. Nothing flashy and he wears a smile easily.]

Speaking of, you're a guest I haven't met yet. You can call me Amelia. And you?

[vecna]

I haven't done a lot of exploring yet. But I figured there might be a... "theme" to each level. The floor I'm staying feels more like an oversized studio than a hotel floor, you know.

[Henry does indeed seem very normal! There are no particularly strange identifying features about this tall, blonde twink; even his 001 tattoo is covered beneath the cuff of a long sleeve.

Though perhaps she could notice that his manner of dress is a bit vintage, but other than that, nothing noteworthy.]

Nice to meet you, Amelia. [Easy to say such things for him; he shuffles around a bit more, finds some coffee grinds.] My name's Henry.

[recluserose]

Is that so? Which floor number is it? I'm staying on Floor 07 and it looks like a finely aged library with some dim lighting.

[He is quite tall and lanky but paradoxically, this Henry gives off the impression that he could blend into the background should he choose to do so.]

And it's nice to meet you, Henry. Not the best day to do so, but I've had worse.

[vecna]

A library with dim lighting? You'll hurt your eyes.

[Not like he actually cares. Anyway-]

I'm on floor three. Room one, if you ever need anything.

[What a helpful guy!]

Don't worry, I'm sure you'll feel better with a little bit of caffeine in your veins.

[recluserose]

That's what book lamps are for.

[And glasses.]

Oh, floor three? I've been there before. Thank you for the offer.

[She'll put a pin on that... While Henry works to make coffee, some small talk isn't unwarranted.]

Henry, are you from the States by any chance?

[Not a West coast accent from him that's for sure.]

[vecna]

I see.

[He says, in a way that sounds politely dubious while yes, noting that she still needs glasses despite her book lamps. But he won't bring it up.

Eventually, he's got the coffee gurgling and brewing in the maker. The scent fills the cafeteria, and there's nothing to do now other than... wait. So he does, turning to face her, and clasping his hands behind his back; he's not the sort to lean on the counter.]

I am. [He very much has an American accent, after all, but he supposes that means little when multiple worlds are at play in this hotel.] I'm from Indiana.

[Kind......of.]

So you're from the US, too?

[recluserose]

[And the funny thing about Amelia is that she could either a) Use magic to improve her eyesight or b) Wear contacts. But the former she doesn't like physically modifying herself and the latter, eye contacts are itchy. She's a fussy witch.]

Indiana, huh? I haven't been to that state yet... I'm from California, the southern part of it in fact.

[vecna]

Well, I’ve never been to California before, either. But I’m sure someday I’ll visit.

[Someday, he’ll just be everywhere on his version of normal reality again—]

There’s definitely more to do there than small town Indiana, anyway.

[recluserose]

There's something for everyone there and we don't have snow except in the mountains.

[Amelia prefers to live in California precisely because there's no snow in the winter.]

So if you don't like the cities and large populations there's the California redwood trees, Napa Valley... Oh.

[She snaps her fingers.]

Poppy fields. That is, if you like flowers.

[vecna]

[He likes the cold, actually, even if he has no real opinion on snow itself. But there's no point in bringing that up right now.]

Who doesn't like flowers?

[Says Henry Creel, neutral on flowers, too.]

It sounds to me like you have plenty of vacationing spots in California alone. So why this hotel?

[recluserose]

The same reason as anyone else here. There's something in it for me as long as I stay here.

[There's a pause and she shifts to tug the blanket closer around her shoulders.]

That's what I remember agreeing to anyway. Wishes are tricky. Any magickind worth their salt wouldn't accept a premise like that at face value.

[vecna]

[His smile twitches.]

I suppose you're right. That's definitely why I'm here, too.

[Plus it's been a nice little... escape from the usual vista of vines, storm, and cold, untouched earth.]

So you're saying that you don't trust it completely?

[recluserose]

Correct.

[It may be because of the conflict her tangled desires cause in her heart when she goes over them with a fine-tooth comb. She's thought things over more than twice, perhaps over a hundred times, maybe even more. The outcome should be favorable, and life-changing. But she's learned to be suspicious and no matter how much optimism she sprinkles in, it is for naught.]

The stipulation sounds simple enough but as a matter of principle, I always practice caution when it comes to supernatural matters such as these.

[She sighs and makes a glance at the coffee to see if it's done.]

But that's how these kinds of circumstances are; they're never going to be clear from the start.

[vecna]

[The coffee's nearly done! Just a little more percolating and then he can pour them both their mugs.]

Well. I agree with you.

[He shrugs a little.]

Something like this isn't to be trusted at the start. In fact, I think it's only a matter of time before we might get to see glimpses behind the curtain; if there's a real reason behind us being brought here, we'll see it soon.

[Henry's a pragmatic sort. But he's also ambitious, opportunistic-]

But it's all a matter of weighing risk versus reward. And a wish is a very, very enticing reward.

[recluserose]

[Amelia looks back at Henry, studying him a little more carefully.]

Are you already set on what your wish is going to be by any chance?

[It's an innocuous enough question, one that was directed to her a while ago.]

[vecna]

[ :) ]

Yes. I think so.

[And now, he turns to retrieve the pot of coffee, ready to go!]

I've spent a lot of time traveling and found myself in a bit of a... pickle recently. ["Pickle" is an interesting word to use for being stuck in a hell dimension for seven years, transformed into a tentacle monster.

He pours the coffee in both mugs.] To put it simply, I'm stuck, and I want to go back home.

[recluserose]

[ :/ ]

... I see.

[Based on years of teaching and having to deal with her instructor, Amelia has gained some intuition on when someone is being purposefully vague or not. Should she choose to pursue a specific answer, she predicts running into a wall sooner than later.]

For the time being, you're fine with being here I hope? It's better than being stuck against your will.

[Doesn't she know it.]

[vecna]

[He chuckles lightly.]

It is better, in a lot of ways. [There's absolutely no getting around that, but-] But in the end, I'm still trapped. I'm still technically stuck, aren't I, if I can't go wherever I please when I leave this place?

[Just an extension of a prison; but the hotel is nice, at least!

He puts her mug on the counter and scoots it closer to her. The coffee's fresh and steaming hot.

It's also... really... really strong. Possibly a little too bitter. But maybe she's fine with that?]

1/2

[recluserose]

[Amelia accepts the mug of coffee. She takes a tentative sip and there's no change in expression as she contemplates it.]

... Hm.

[It's... Rather difficult to tell what she thinks based on her face alone.]