The Midnight Hotel January catch-all

[gistful]

Characters: Anyone, everyone.
Date: Month of January, 2016
Location: The Midnight Hotel
Situation: Catch-all post! Feel free to use this post for anything that happens within the Midnight Hotel over the month of January, using the subject header to label specific rooms or for specific people. Please also see the OOC note at the bottom.
Warnings/Rating: None thus far.

The Midnight Hotel was among the few buildings which showed no sign of having been damaged by the invasion six months ago. That followed, of course; the Hotel hadn't even been present. But either way it stood out, and many of the kedan knew by now that the building, so different from the architecture of the rest of the city, was a safe-haven. Too many mistook it as a Foreigner safe-haven alone, but not all; even now there was usually one or two kedan present.

Some of them were gang-members, ones with whom Anton had forged closer relationships before the Foreigners' year-long disappearance or simply those who chose to visit in defiance of the general public's opinion.

Anton had taken great pains to give the Foreigners structure and normalcy. While the means of payment were, in some cases, not much more than an illusion, he gave as much in the way of purpose as he could. As a result there were now many Foreigners on staff at the Hotel, though of course the rules were still in strict effect. Anton himself was readily available at most given moments if needed for assistance, questions or otherwise.

There was also an oddity in the lobby: a construction in one of the corners where a long bank of three public consoles was being built. The Metalworkers responsible for its construction were generally taciturn and more concerned with their work than with interactions, but they didn't seem worried about being observed or by the close proximity of the Foreigners.


[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. Anton will manufacture means of payment until Foreigners are able to properly offer recompense or choose to move out, so you can assume they're 'paying' in some method.

If you have a specific job for your character to do around the Hotel (eg working the kitchen, security, house chores) please also note that so I can keep track of Anton's casual staff.]

Comments

[peacefullywreathed]

"I can't imagine why," Solomon said dryly, but the quirk of his mouth was wryly sympathetic. He had never exactly hidden his scars, though he hadn't flaunted them either, and it had always been easy to make sure no one looked deeply enough to see them. He picked up the book and closed it, and motioned to the bed.

"Please, go ahead. I'm sure Shudder has spare sheets somewhere around for me to borrow, to make up a bed." On the floor, though Solomon assumed that went without saying; Raine was the lady and the guest besides, so she got the bed. It was a pity there wasn't a sofa in the room, but needs must, and he couldn't very well leave Bakura alone, nor suggest Raine sleep here without company capable of response.

[ruinsprofessor]

She appreciated the unpronounced sympathy, no remark given to it but that very quiet acknowledgment. A kindness. "Familiar mana signature," Raine said, absent, the reason why exactly it would help close enough to hand that she didn't think about answering. "Or signatures, I suppose." Insensate, weak as it was, Bakura's was still definitely recognizable.

She glanced at the bed as he indicated it -- room enough for two, but she'd already taken a not insignificant step imposing in the first place. As he willed, then. "I don't mean to take your bed from you," Raine added, looking aside. "I can sleep well enough on the floor." In theory. The floor would not be the problem, at any rate, if her sleep was impeded.

[peacefullywreathed]

"Far be it for me to tell a lady their appearance is anything less than impeccable," Solomon said, slightly muffled because he had just opened the closet to see if there were any spare linens, "but you look more tired than I feel. The bed is yours."

Shudder was thorough. The main part of the closet was empty for the patrons' use, a fact of which Solomon had already taken advantage, but the top shelves had spare pillows and linens. Solomon brought them down to make himself a bed like the one they had used in the common-room. Not a very palatable comparison, and this one was going to be less comfortable, but Raine looked exhausted. She'd earned the bed.

"Besides," he added, shaking out the linens, "you're one of our few healing allies. The Foreigners and the city both need you at your best more than they need me."

[ruinsprofessor]

She hadn't thought she was quite that bad, but if he felt moved to say something... perhaps. Raine sat on the edge of the bed, watching Solomon as she tucked her shoes out of the way, and only then became fully conscious of the bone-deep tiredness, a dull roar for long enough that she'd mostly pushed it outside her awareness. "If you insist," she said, and any other day or situation it might well have been light, almost teasing, but here and now was just tired.

It still felt an imposition -- rightly, she supposed -- but she had neither presence of mind nor readiness enough to argue at the moment. "Thank you," she said instead, hating a little how small it came out.

[peacefullywreathed]

"Oh, there's no need for that," Solomon said lightly as he spread the sheets and blankets on the floor between the beds, in the event Bakura needed something in the night. Unlikely, but no less possible for its unlikeliness. "But if it helps ease the burden of guilt, we can say you owe me a favour."

He gave her that innocent smile, the one he used when he was teasing but still meant what he said, and lay down into the makeshift bed. He'd been right; the linens were too thin for the floor to be anything other than hard under his shoulders. Oh well. "Good night."

[ruinsprofessor]

"A favor, then," Raine agreed, finding that more or less equitable, and laid down herself, rested her head on his pillow. She curled on one side, and drew the covers over her, let her eyes fall shut. "All right. Good night," she echoed, mind already slowly drifting. "And good dreams."

This should be enough. The sound of breath, the presence of people she knew without even looking at them. One level reminded her she was not alone; the other, that she was in Keeliai, that everyone was where they were meant to be, more or less, that nothing had gone wrong in the middle of the night. Already she breathed a little easier, even.

[peacefullywreathed]

And for quite a while there was quiet, if not peace. Solomon almost managed to drift back to sleep--almost. It felt as though he had gathered just enough energy to get there before that energy petered out, and he lay on the very edge of it for an interminable amount of time before drifting back.

Then he was only acutely aware of the hard floor, and turned over to find a better position. And then again. And again. Each time he gave it a good amount of time, and each time he very nearly made it to true sleep--and then the floor laughing at him and he slumped face into his pillow with a muffled but nearly silent growl.

[ruinsprofessor]

And that Raine did catch, on the edge between sleeping and waking. It was guesswork at best, what sparked his constant shifting, but each time he did he caught her attention as well, and the rustle of fabric and the sound of each resettling kept nudging her back into wakefulness. Finally Raine herself huffed, and pushed herself up halfway, looking over at where he was. Impatience, and frustration, made her push where she had not, earlier. "Solomon," she said, not quite tart, "Chivalry at the cost of your own well-being is ridiculous, and there's enough room for both of us."

[peacefullywreathed]

"I'm not old enough yet to find this difficult," Solomon grumbled into his pillow. He didn't remember ever having this trouble sleeping on a hard surface before. Of course, 'before' had been as an acolyte, with no choice but to accept the uncomfortable cots, or during the war, when sleeping on the ground had been common. It had been at least a century since he'd been forced to do either.

He was barely four hundred. He shouldn't been feeling old yet.

In the end Solomon sighed and rolled over. "I shouldn't want to disturb your rest," he said, "but if you say I'm already doing so, I suppose in the name of pragmatism we can suspend the conditions of chivalry for tonight."

[ruinsprofessor]

"Don't be an idiot," Raine said, not unkindly, and shifted to one side, leaving room for Solomon. "Even if you were perfectly silent about it, it's pointless for you to simply toss and turn all night; I should have suggested this earlier. Come here." Her impatience with the entire situation, the desire to get back to proper sleep finally, made what might have been a polite request, earlier, a little more like a command, but really, there were limits. The bed was big enough, they certainly liked each other well enough, and there was no reason they should not share.

[peacefullywreathed]

Well, when she put it like that, how could he deny a lady her command? Solomon pushed himself upright and picked up his pillow, shaking his head wryly.

"If you insist," he said lightly, finding a place to put the pillow and the edge of the covers, and sliding underneath them--though slow enough to allow Raine time to adjust for his presence there, and dictate where he was allowed to move into the bed. For his part Solomon was fairly accustomed to sharing a bed with a woman, since owing to the relative openness of relationships within the Temple there was no need to sneak away before morning; but he hadn't had the impression that Raine was entirely used to the company abed.

[ruinsprofessor]

His impression had been, for the most part, correct; Solomon was the first adult male she'd had cause or desire to share a bed with in several years. It was just a shame she was too tired to properly appreciate his presence. Raine shifted a little more as Solomon settled himself, to make sure he had room, but that did not last long, and shortly thereafter she had dropped her head back to her own pillow and closed her eyes. "I insist," she said, meant it to be firm though it came out more tired than anything else.

And that, as far as she was concerned, was that. Raine curled against Solomon's side, one hand resting lightly on his chest in a wholly unconscious gesture, born of the unguarded space closest to sleep. Barring any further interruptions, that peace would see her to sleep soon enough.

[peacefullywreathed]

It was rather endearing, how firm Raine could try to be while being utterly exhausted. It made Solomon smile, genuinely if tiredly, and he lay back into the pillows and closed his eyes. Already, this was worlds more comfortable.

One thing to which Solomon was not accustomed was prolonged close contact after certain ... activities. Of course, the bed was much smaller than the one he had at the Temple or in his house in Dublin, so it made sense they would have to be closer--but still, it was a surprise. After a moment Solomon lay the hand caught between them across his chest and didn't disturb her, and closed his eyes.

In spite of the unfamiliarity, it wasn't uncomfortable. Without any reason for further interruptions, Solomon too found sleep that night.