tushanshu_logs | [Midnight Hotel] August catch-all

Entry tags:

[Midnight Hotel] August catch-all

Characters: Anyone, everyone.
Date: Month of August, 2015 (2016 in-game).
Location: The Midnight Hotel.
Situation: Catch-all post! Feel free to use this post for anything that happens within the Midnight Hotel during the month, using the subject header to label specific rooms or for specific people. See also the OOC note at the bottom.
Warnings/Rating: Mark your threads if content warnings become applicable, please!

After Erskine’s temporary promotion last month, Anton is back in charge with a vengeance. While he isn’t asking anything extra of his staff, and those who offered to help out in the interim receive a very nice thank-you note, there’s still a few things to catch up on. At least, Anton feels the need to catch up on them, with the result that it won’t be unusual in the first part of the month to see him persistently cleaning. Especially the dusting. While he's recovered, he might still need to be reminded not to push himself, and the observant may notice some persistent weakness in his grip as he carries things.

For much of the month Anton will also, without explanation, be wearing heels. They’re old-fashioned, very clearly actually old—several centuries old—and rather dandified, and he wears them as if he’s worn them every day of his life.

As the heat sets in, patrons will also notice a spider infestation at the Hotel. They’ll turn up mostly in corners, in closets, behind the fridges; places which are dark and cool and near the Hotel’s internal magical plumbing. Anton can be readily available for help in that regard, though he is just as likely to refer anyone having troubles to Erskine. The spiders are being dealt with -- one of those 'cleaning duties' Anton is trying to overcome -- but are being rather persistent, the little buggers.

Otherwise, much like the heatwave in August two years’ previous, the Hotel will be booked solid this month. The Hotel’s internal atmospheric wards will keep the Hotel at a comfortable temperature in spite of the highs outside, and many kedan are once again taking advantage. Like before, rooms are filled and double-booked, with spare linens offered for those who want to bunk down in the common areas. Anyone who isn’t a long-term resident, and is merely seeking a respite from the heat, has a limit of two days in which to stay before they must vacate the room for someone else.

That being said, the previous heatwave was when the Hotel was new, with gangs still testing the boundaries of the proprietor’s rules and kedan suspicious of the building. Before, there was some amount of tension. This year there is very much a feeling of camaraderie, with kedan quite willingly making room for families with small children, sharing food, shuffling around and taking the close quarters with good grace.

[ooc: The Midnight Hotel’s status page is available here, with the rules at the top and ongoing status at the bottom. PLEASE POST TO THE STATUS PAGE IF YOUR CHARACTER WOULD LIKE A ROOM, JOB OR AREA IN THE GARAGE, OR ARE MOVING OUT. Anton will manufacture means of payment until Foreigners are able to properly offer recompense or choose to move out.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

A) Go Get Your Wounded Heart

Last month, Erskine was in charge of the Hotel--more or less. He was active, he was visible, and he was getting things done.

This month is almost a complete reversal of that. He's back to being just the janitor of the Hotel, and Anton is even stealing some of those chores with his manic need to clean everything. Normally Erskine wouldn't mind a lessening of his cleaning duties. This month, however, he really needs something to keep himself occupied. To stay focused on.

The cleaning isn't enough, and it's not working.

There are too many people in the Hotel. Too many bodies, too many eyes. It's unnerving.

Last month he was sleeping better--not great, but better. This month it's getting worse again.

If you spot Erskine at all this month, good on you. It's a bit like a Where's Waldo puzzle. Between his chores he's actively trying to hide, ducking into vacant hallways or even closets when the number of people around becomes too great, or when whatever it is that's going on in his head overwhelms him. He definitely seems distracted whenever he's around.

In fact, the only reliable way to find him is by asking Anton, or...

B) Seeing Spiders I'm Told They Never Lie

Erskine is indeed available to help with the spider infestation, should anyone require the assistance. More than just being on-call for spider retrieval, however, Erskine is taking an active interest in the well-being of... the spiders?

See him at any point ferrying spiders from the dark recesses of the Hotel out the doors and back to freedom. Carrying spiders in cups, in jars, or even in his hands--either letting the spiders hang from their own threads, tweezed carefully in his fingers, or letting them hitch a ride on his hands or arms. He certainly seems more invested in the welfare of the spiders than that of the sudden influx of new Hotel patrons, whom he's very studiously trying to avoid.

It's also possible to catch him from time to time seemingly mesmerized by a spider building a web, even though he technically should be getting rid of the spider and the web both. On at least a few occasions he'll lose a good chunk of time just watching the spider weave, heedless of what's going on around him or what he's supposed to be doing.

And woe betide the person who tries getting rid of spiders by killing them.

C) Choose Your Own Adventure

Got an idea? Hit me up on plurk or drop me a line via DW message. ♥

She could feel it. Something--someone, rather-- was off in the Hotel, and she could shake it, despite her lifted mood. Someone hadn't benefited from the party, it seemed.

It was only by chance that she finally happened upon that pretty face, and though her first reaction was to smile and begin to approach for the lighthearted banter she had grown accustomed to, she stopped midway, and instead watched him as he stared at what appeared to be a spider's web at the corner of one of the doorframes. He was off..and something deeper within her told her not to be surprised. He did always seem a little weary, even given his 'cheerful' disposition. But no... something wasn't right.

She approached him, stopping just short of giving him too much space, and tilted her gaze to the spider on the web. "Amazing what they can do, hm?" she ventured, inwardly focusing now to get a better feel. "They're very talented... even if they are super creepy..."

The guilt and despair that Erskine always carried with him had lessened somewhat, last month. Though he wasn't self-aware enough to realize it--or at least not at present--taking charge of the Hotel had been good for him. Good for Anton, certainly, but it had given Erskine a focus. Erskine was a man of no small ability when he put his mind toward a cause. Going back to dusting and vacuuming the Hotel, however necessary and deserved, felt like losing something he couldn't define.

And so the despair and the guilt had begun creeping back in. The nightmares had worsened, despite Anton's continued, steady presence. His memory had started failing more frequently.

So if he radiated these things... well. He didn't mean to, Dove. Honest.

In fact, watching the spiders was calming, and watching them weave even more so. Erskine heard someone approaching, heard Dove's voice, and didn't let it stir the strange sort of peace he'd settled into. He liked Dove, even if they didn't talk often. She was even complimenting the spiders, look at that-

-a low surge of anger welled inside him, quick and then gone, at the mention of them being creepy. It didn't even register on his face.

"Very talented," he echoed with a slight nod. "Better than I ever was."

Her eyes widened and she might have leaned back the smallest bit at the sudden flash of anger. So he liked spiders... oops. The prick of anger was gone as quickly as it had come, and only opened the floodgates. Now that she was closer, she knew it was him; she could feel it.

Forget the spiders.

She reached out to lightly touch his arm, her gaze gentle but searching as she waited in hopes that he would turn his attention to her. "Are you alright?" she asked, softer, so as not to draw attention from anyone else passing through the lobby. Something was more off--something more than just irritation or disappointment. Something very much worth her time.

What a question. How did he even begin to answer that?

The same as always, of course. I'm fine. It's nothing. I'm just tired. There's so much work to do. He could recite the platitudes by heart, without even having to think about them. Whether anyone still believed them or not... well. No one was paying that much attention, were they? Anton had a Hotel to run, and he'd missed almost a solid month of work. Anton was preoccupied.

Dove...

Erskine turned toward her, finally breaking off the concentration he'd had fixed on the spider's web. "I'm fine," he said, giving her a small smile. "It's nothing. I'm just tired."

The weight of it was crushing him, faster than it had been. He'd been ignoring it but he couldn't ignore it now, couldn't gloss it over or pretend it wasn't there. The guilt and the remorse and the loss were crushing him.

She didn't return his smile. Instead, she met his eyes with a solemn and concerned gaze, until it hit her.

Her gentle grip tightened the smallest bit around his forearm as she passed a bit of her warmth to him. Her face went white.

Through the window of the soul, she felt it all, the crushing, suffocating weight. This was something that might be beyond her expertise, despite her high rank in Guardian. Her gaze went almost blank as his emotions overtook her for the few seconds she stared, until she tore her eyes away, lessening the connection by not looking for it. There was no shaking what she had felt, though; it was still stronger than her usual, unblock able read.

Horrified that he was in such pain, she shook her head, refusing to mind her own business-- really, it was for his own good, she thought. "Erskine... You don't have to lie to me," she told him softly, both calling him out and offering her support. Her touch continued to leak warmth into him.

He recoiled, stopping just short of taking a full step back and away from her. though he didn't break the contact on his arm just yet. She knew. How much, he couldn't tell, but she knew some of it. How the hell...?

Not a mind reader. Hopeless would have known it all the instant he'd been within a mile of Erskine, and Erskine had spoken with Dove too many times--albeit never in any great depth--for her to have just now noticed. Was it the touch? Or was she just now concentrating enough to notice?

His mind raced, and he shifted his gaze away, down to the floor. Anywhere that wasn't Dove.

Valdis. Valdis could sense emotions.

"You're an empath?" Erskine croaked, his throat gone dry.

She didn't hold him back, but let her hand rest on his arm when he didn't remove himself completely from the scene. The shock was clear, and her expression added the slightest hint of her own guilt.

She nodded, still searching his face. "Yes," she admitted softly, as if afraid he might leave upon the revelation. She still had him there for now, though. "I've known from the beginning that your smile wasn't...always honest, but..." But it hadn't been that bad until now. "...I didn't want to pry..." Her brow furrowed worriedly. "It's worse now..."

With everything else that had been happening on the turtle, she hadn't had a spare moment to think, let alone sort out what might be trivial problems for the others she knew. Her newly founded sensitivity to certain emotions, though, couldn't allow her to relax now that she had pinned Erskine's. Not when they were this strong and there were no immediate stressors that she could identify. Things had just begun to settle... so why was he feeling like this so much more profoundly now?

It's worse now.

Was it worse, or was it just that he wasn't pushing it down as well as he had been? Wasn't pretending as well anymore? Either way, she... wasn't wrong.

He didn't know what to say to that. Dove was in the extremely unique position of knowing without knowing. Anton had taken Valdis aside and told her everything before she'd been able to question any of it on her own. That choice had been taken out of Erskine's hands.

He didn't particularly want this one, either.

None of this was addressing Dove's unspoken question, however, or that worried look on her face. Ravel closed his eyes for a moment before speaking. "I won't chastise you for not noticing," he said, unable to muster up a smile but at least able to blunt the edge of his voice with a little kindness. "I've been hiding it for a long, long time. Most of it, anyway. It's just... I'm having trouble hiding it, now. Ever since Anton started feeling better. I'm not sure why."

Wherever Klaus spent any significant amount of time, potted plants tended to turn up. Mostly the man bought the ones that were wilting, the ones that needed a careful hand to nurse them back to health. Already the office had a pot of geraniums and another of mint leaves, both of which looked markedly better. A third to join them was a pot of rather dilapidated lavender. He hadn't expected to see Ravel in the lobby, scooping up spiders.

Klaus hadn't seen much of Ravel in the past two weeks. There had been a few greetings exchanged, usually when a stack of missing receipts miraculously turned up, but otherwise, the man was like a ghost.

But there he was, carrying spiders around. Odd.

"Good afternoon, Mr Ravel," Klaus greeted with a wave. "They may find they'll catch more to eat in one of these than the corners."

He offered over the pot of lavender, as if to emphasize his point.

Edited (forgot to write the subject line) 2015-08-05 15:48 (UTC)

Erskine was toting around a small cluster of spiders in a Mason jar when he heard his name. Only the fact that he instantly recognized Klaus's voice saved him from openly cringing as he was hailed, though there may have been a wince that flickered across his features momentarily. He couldn't say for sure.

He returned the greeting with a wan smile, veering off his course toward the doors to move closer to where Klaus stood. The Mason jar was cradled in the crook of his left arm, with his right hand bracing it at the top for stability.

The suggestion clearly caught Ravel by surprise--both eyebrows lifted. How often had someone in the Hotel actually bothered with any sort of help for the spiders, short of offering to smash them? Not often. "Maybe," he answered slowly, "but I think Anton might punch me if I start leaving them near the office."

"Ah, I take it Anton isn't too fond of spiders?"

He tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Perhaps it's for the best. The flowers outside make good homes for them. Plenty of insects to eat, and at least its shady, if not as cool as it is indoors."

He looked Ravel over, his thoughtful expression turning into one of concern. The man had a certain hunted look about him.

"Are you doing alright, Mr Ravel?"

Klaus received a noncommittal shrug in response to the first question.

"He's not afraid of them," Ravel replied with a shake of his head. "But I can't imagine him being too happy with me letting them live in the office, right next to the bedroom." Shudder had an indulgent streak a mile wide, so long as you didn't push his buttons, but the Hotel was prime on the list of those buttons. The Hotel, and the safety and well-being of his guests. Ravel knew the spiders weren't a threat, but the patrons of the Hotel didn't seem to share his opinion on that.

At the second question Ravel hesitated a bit longer before replying. "Fine," he said at last. "Just getting back into the swing of cleaning. Plus...." He tipped the jar a bit to indicate his spider-ferrying. "Keeping busy. You?"

"Likewise. I prefer being occupied."

Out of propriety, Klaus didn't pry. He didn't know Ravel well enough, but something about the man seemed exhausted. It was far from the cheery and upbeat personality he'd had when Klaus first arrived.

"Your friends seem to be in good hands, at least. If I find any, shall I hand them off to you, or just carry on putting them outside?"

He'd kept a few in the flowers he'd got back in his room. Not that Ravel or his roommates needed to know that. Spiders were simply nature's way of keeping away parasites.

The smile Ravel gave him was small, and entirely less cheerful than intended, but it was a smile. More or less.

"Putting them outside is fine, thanks. Unless you'd rather I did. I just don't want them getting stepped on or swatted just because they're not pretty or cuddly."

Bitter? That might have been a trace of bitterness in there. Maybe.

He was of half a mind to simply nod his thanks to Klaus and be on his way, but... maybe he ought to say something. Be polite. They were co-workers now, after all. Even if Ravel was back to washing windows and scrubbing toilets.

"Were you able to figure the books out?"

Klaus could sympathize when it came to crappy smiles. At least Ravel's didn't put him in danger of traumatizing small children.

"Just because something isn't pretty or cuddly doesn't mean it's not beneficial or good. I suppose some are quick to judge by appearances."

Klaus surveyed Ravel with growing concern. The man had seemed flighty when they first met, but there was shiftyness to him that wasn't present before.

"The books weren't much of a problem. Mr Shudder has been most gracious in regards to the ones with languages I don't know."

He tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Some of your doodles are quite amusing."

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[Midnight Hotel] August catch-all

Erskine | Early August | OPEN | Possible Spoilers for SP

B. (actually a little bit of both)

Veering gently into spoiler land take heed friends <3

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