[Midnight Hotel] Fourth-wall catch-all; 15-30 April

[gistful]

Characters: Anyone, everyone.
Date: 15-30th April, ‘2016’.
Location: The Midnight Hotel.
Situation: It’s the fourth-wall event and there’s a sudden influx of patrons! Feel free to use this post for anything that happens within the Midnight Hotel during the two weeks of the fourth-wall event, using the subject header to label specific rooms or for specific people. Regulars should feel free to continue using the non-fourth-wall Hotel post for pre-fourth-wall threads! See also the OOC note at the bottom.
Warnings/Rating: Mark your threads if content warnings become applicable, please!

The Midnight Hotel is a magical place—which is fortunate, because Keeliai has magically doubled the number of patrons the Hotel is capable of holding. Where else is capable of catering to an extra fifty Foreigners? the kedan say. Where else would want to?

Unfortunately, for all the Hotel’s many qualities and all the proprietor’s many skills, he can’t conjure up enough rooms for fifty extra people on no notice.

The solution: giant slumber party.

For the next two weeks the ground-floor common-area and the dining-area beside the garage have been repurposed as sleeping areas. Blankets, sheets, pillows, bean-bags, sleeping-bags—Mr Anton Shudder has gone, quite literally, to town in order to cater to the new arrivals. No one is going to be uncomfortable, except by the prospect of sleeping so close to strangers—but there isn’t much to be done about that. The very few rooms still available have been reserved for those who well and truly require the privacy.

Catering is a little more difficult. Suffice to say Mr Shudder is outsourcing for a good part of the fortnight.

On the plus side, Mr Shudder is gracious enough to let those without a soul-gem stay for free. As long as, of course, they Follow The Rules, which are told to every newcomer nearly as soon as they’re welcomed through the door.

Although Anton does attend the festival, he can be regularly found throughout the Hotel for anyone who has questions or concerns. He will, most of the time, be dogged by a bouncy fellow with an indefatigable grin, and it won’t be uncommon to hear variations of the following conversation:

“Hey, Anton—”

“No.”

“You didn’t even—”

“No.”

“Excuse me, I was just going to say—”

“Absolutely not.”

“Anton, hey Anton, hey hey Anton?”

“No.”

And so it goes.

[ooc: The Midnight Hotel’s status page is available here, with the rules at the top and ongoing status at the bottom. PLEASE PM ME IF YOUR CHARACTER WILL PERFORM A VIOLENT ACT. The Hotel is a neutral-zone and the proprietor is very strict as to acts of violence, and it will receive a response.

It will not be necessary for fourth-wall characters to officially check into the Hotel during the event.]

Comments

[ruinsprofessor]

Her 'boy' was some four hundred years elder, but this was not a clarification currently worth making. Raine let that slide, instead smiled back. There was something about his smile, a shift in attitude perhaps, that made her glad for his approval, and that in itself was an odd thing. She moved on. "Thorough saves lives," she said, by way of explanation, and paid close attention once more.

She un-knotted her wool, pulling it between her fingers till she was satisfied it was smooth again, and repeated much the same process for this knot. She tested it with several tugs, was pleased when it performed as described. "Yes, I can see how that would be useful."

[larrikinism]

"That it does," said Larrikin cheerfully. "That's why Anton's so thorough. Although he can be thorough with killing people, but that can save lives too!" He shook out his wool again. "This one's a half hitch knot. Don't use it on his wrists--it tightens really easily and would wind up hurting him. On the other hand ..."

Larrikin demonstrated on the chair's back and gave a good tug. "It's great for tying him to things," he said. "He'll find it hard to get away from a bedpost or chair, if this knot's keeping him there."

[ruinsprofessor]

"So I've observed." Larrikin would get no argument from her on the front of Anton's thoroughness. Raine imitated the knot, tugged, and was not disappointed. "Understood; nonliving objects only." There she paused, not yet returning her attention to Larrikin, in favor of straightening her yarn out again and reviewing, one by one, the knots they'd been through thus far. It was still new knowledge, after all, and would require study to be sure she had it solidly. And practice. When she came back to the half-hitch she repeated that, too, before looking up. "May I ask why, exactly, you're being so helpful?"

[larrikinism]

"Oh, is there a reason I shouldn't be?" Larrikin demanded mock-angrily. "Are you one of those healers who calls themselves a healer and then goes around experimenting on people? There was one of them in the war, you know. Not human. Called itself Doctor Nye, but really, it was just out to examine things."

Larrikin shuddered and then relaxed his not-anger with a flashing grin. "Everyone deserves to have some bedly fun without ignorance getting in the way. Or worse, hurting someone. Especially ladies. Ladies, like yourself, society likes to think are even less good at controlling their urges then the men. You know, with all that 'hysteria' idiocy?"

He made quote marks with his fingers and rolled his eyes. "The only reason ladies are ignorant is because men keep them ignorant. That's dumb. Nothing can be done right if half the involved party aren't given enough rope--heh--to work themselves."

[ruinsprofessor]

That brought up a number of things to address, and Raine took them all in turn, not particularly worried about the mock anger. Somehow she was reasonably sure she'd know if she spotted Larrikin genuinely angry. She ticked her points off on the fingers of one hand as she came to them, firm but not particularly vehement. "First, I'm a healer, not a doctor; second, experimentation and study of sentients is to be done only ethically and with consent, or I'm little better than the Imperial Research Academy; third, I'm not human; fourth..."

That derailed her a moment. "I can't say I know about 'all that hysteria idiocy,'" Raine said, a little cautiously. "You should be aware, while many people here are from an Earth, and thus have common ground, my world has no such commonality. Many basic concepts translate, but the finer points of culture and technology often miss. Frankly, we have more of a problem with race than gender bias."

[larrikinism]

"It's stupid," Larrikin said vehemently but with all the delight of a man who found himself, unexpectedly, with an audience for a dearly loved soapbox. "I mean, yes, alright, in the later centuries we had a race bias too, but the gender one has been there longer." During Larrikin's youth, the 'race' bias had been more of a 'national' bias, which had been equally ridiculous but at least was bounded by country and territory rather than skin colour.

"Basically," he went on with a raised finger, "there was this thing going on where men thought that if a lady didn't get enough time between the sheets, her lady-bits would rise up and take her over and make her an unreasonable, shrieking banshee. That was called 'hysteria'. Any time a lady had a desire, it was 'hysteria' and obviously she was out of control! Stupidheads." He rolled his eyes. "By the time I--" Died. "--arrived there was more the view that ladies didn't have any physical desires at all and therefore she had nothing to actually know or understand about her own bits, which is equally stupid. If you're not human what are you?"

Though the last words were flung out, they were in pure vibrating curiosity rather than with any disdain or reserve.

[ruinsprofessor]

There was silence, briefly. "That is perhaps one of the most ridiculous things I've ever heard," Raine said, quite flatly, evidently in full agreement with Larrikin's view on the matter. Stupidheads, indeed. Though she might not have used quite that phrasing. "In either respect. And one of my students once tried to tell me fire was earth's natural opposite."

Gender bias existed, certainly, one only had to look at Zelos to notice that, but it didn't sound like it was near the scale of the problem their world had. Fascinating, and a bit alarming. Perhaps it was Martel that made the difference? Magic certainly couldn't be the equalizer, with how few humans could even approach it.

That honest curiosity in the final question and Larrikin's previous opinions meant there was very little of Raine's usual hesitation when she answered. "I'm a half-elf," she said, quite simply.

[larrikinism]

"I know right?!" Larrikin threw up his hands. "It's like men didn't want women to understand anything about themselves! And then they go around using and then condemning women who do know things? Hypocritical sacks of balls. Women who know stuff are amazing. And talented. And usually a lot more palatable to be around."

Prostitution and the safe process thereof was a subject near and dear to Larrikin's heart for many, many reasons, but Raine's simple declaration both took the wind out of his indignation and made him perk up, and distracted him entirely.

"Ah, elves," he sighed happily. "I remember when I used to be called an elf. I remember when I thought I was an elf! The Vikings called sorcerers elves, see, cos we live so long. They thought we were envoys from the gods. Are you an envoy from the gods, Madam Lady Lover Healer Sage?" He grinned at her.

[ruinsprofessor]

"I suppose, without the more visible targets that half-elves make, gender would be the next most likely difference to fixate on." It was thoughtful agreement, though not entirely happy. "Humans-- people in general, really, do tend to fear and distance those who are different. It's not right, but with effort, can be helped."

She might have picked up the underlying implications of prostitution if given a few more seconds to think about it, but Larrikin's sheer enthusiasm over the matter of her race distracted her near instantly. "You're the friend Skulduggery was talking about," Raine said, quite suddenly. The answer to a mystery she hadn't exactly been seeking. It was nice to have resolved, nevertheless.

The rest required deliberation. First: was it reasonable to try to talk him out of the increasingly complex title? "Raine," she repeated, not entirely hopeful for the outcome. At least he meant well, was doing it for fun rather than flirting, and in that respect again the experience was much more positive than dealing with Zelos.

Second: envoy from the gods? Her first instinct was no, but the thought that followed right on the heels was the affinity for mana that her bloodline gave her, and Martel's close bond to the Tree... hm. "That depends on how you define gods," she said finally. "I wouldn't say so myself, but it's true I have abilities and understandings that most humans in my world can't hope to grasp."

[larrikinism]

"Of course it was me he was talking about, did you doubt it?" Larrikin demanded, not knowing exactly what Raine was talking about and not really caring, either. It was just nice to know he'd been talked-about, as opposed to Anton, who could go a whole day without saying two words.

"Definitions." Larrikin waved a hand. "Actually existing would be a great start. Anyway, where were you up to? Handcuffs! Handcuffs are fun! Wanna learn how to make rope handcuffs? Too late, you're gonna!"

[ruinsprofessor]

"I didn't know of you at the time," Raine pointed out, reasonably. "Now, though, I wouldn't doubt it, no." Larrikin was a bright presence, practically guaranteed to leave an impression on anyone he met.

She agreed, certainly, that existing would be an excellent start. "There are beings in my world which are embodiments of the elements," she added, for clarity, "and some people might take them for gods, I suppose." A beat. "In any case, yes, I believe you promised that instruction as well." Raine was smiling properly by that point; his enthusiasm was infectious.

[larrikinism]

"So I did, so I did." Larrikin nodded sagely, holding out the wool. "Now, for this you'll need rope--a tie won't be long enough. First, have him hold out his arms like so." He held his arms up, elbows tucked in and forearms even. "Then you centre the rope over his arms and wrap them around like so ..."

The handcuff instructions weren't exactly complicated, but they did have a few steps. Larrikin used the chair-back as an example, weaving his 'handcuffs' horizontally around the chair-back's pommels. He finished with a flourishing wave and saying, "And there you go! Grab your own chair, give it a try."

[ruinsprofessor]

Solomon could probably be persuaded to hold still. Raine applied herself to focusing and memorizing, falling silent while she did. "All right," she said finally, dragging over her own chair as instructed, and she set to replicating the indicated arrangement, with grave, single-minded focus. It seemed simple enough, and she discovered it was just about as simple as it looked as she continued.

When she was done she continued staring for another moment or two before nodding to herself. "I've no doubt some if not all of this will be very useful," she said, focus finally redirected back to Larrikin. "Thank you."

[larrikinism]

The way Raine set about doing things, with that kind of focus--ooh, it was gorgeous. Kinda reminded Larrikin of Dexter, actually. Really, really gorgeous. He was grinning when she looked up. "You're very welcome," he assured her with a wink. "I hope you delight your boy with all the sights, sounds and sensations learned here today! Any questions, my good pupil?"

[ruinsprofessor]

"I hope so, as well," Raine said, a little wry. At least the earlier embarrassment had faded, and she had fresh knowledge to show for it. "Why, though? Connection to Anton aside, you hardly know me."

She ran her hand along the product of her work, thoughtful. Compared detail with Rover's, looking for any flaw. "And while it's not strictly relevant, if you have any advice on keeping Skulduggery and Anton out of trouble, that might also be useful. Skulduggery in particular doesn't seem to be able to help himself sometimes."

[larrikinism]

"Eh." Larrikin waved his hand. "It's like I said before. Everyone deserves to be able to ask questions and get them answered honestly and not have everyone go--gasp!" He put his hands to his face in mock shock. "How dare you have a libido! How dare you like doing things in bed which I don't approve of and wouldn't see anyway! How dare you want to know more about those things!" He relaxed and shrugged. "It's stupid. This is my contribution to the fight against stupid. If people were more open about things we wouldn't have nearly as much trouble."

[ruinsprofessor]

"You have a point." She watched him, thoughtful, one corner of her mouth pulled up in half a smile. It didn't seem likely at first, but she was starting to see how, exactly, he and Anton worked. There was a certain matter-of-factness they shared, she thought. "It would be useful if more people were so straightforward."

Why did Anton never speak of him? He was a private person, it was true, but somehow Raine suspected a little bit more underlying.