[Midnight Hotel] Fourth-wall catch-all; 15-30 April 2016

[gistful]

Characters: Anyone, everyone.
Date: 15-30th April, 2016 (2017 in-game).
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!

Once more, it seems, the Dreaming has seen fit to lure in temporary residents. Luckily, the Hotel and its kedanese staff have done this before -- even accounting for the fact that it isn't exactly usual. If this goes on, they may start to predict the event!

It takes a day or so to sort things out, but once sorted the Hotel breaks out the same sleeping-bags as they had last time, and set aside as many areas of the common-room and even the lobby as sleeping areas. Any spare bed-rooms are also filled to the brim, though there aren't many of those these days.

The Hotel, like some of the other buildings around Keeliai, displays some occasional damage of the explosion-that-wasn't; in fact, seems to show it more obviously than most other places. Mostly it's cracks in frames or the smell of smoke in random areas, or some loose shingles; the worst that happens is the plumbing may be a bit unreliable until the wards can right themselves.

As before, Mr Shudder lets Foreigners without a soul-gem stay for free, as long as they follow the rules--which they are told upon entry. (Most notably, that's the 'no violence' rule.) Luckily, the new walk-in restaurant function means there's plenty to eat for everyone, and the cooking staff are on overtime this fortnight to make sure everyone is provided for.

Strangely, Mr Shudder himself is scarce for these two weeks. He does drop by in the evenings to make sure things are progressing well, but if anyone asks all he'll say is that some old friends have arrived and he and Erskine are helping them out elsewhere in the city. Anton will be around if anything untoward happens--but for the most part management is performed either by Anton's kedanese staff, or by Klaus von Reinherz.


[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

[purered]

Early in the morning, Klaus could be found in the kitchen brewing himself a nice cup of coffee.

Well, caffeinated sugar and cream, at least. For being so persnickety about his tea, the man was willing to do things to cups of coffee that were illegal in decent-thinking countries.

He'd never quite developed a fondness for the bitter taste, but he barely slept the night before and he needed to function. Thankfully, he wasn't attempting to cook.

"Ah, good morning, Mr Shudder. You're up early," he remarked lightly, in spite of the dark circles under his eyes.

[gistful]

Ah, excellent. No need to go searching.

"You, it seems, have not yet gone to bed," Anton observed as he put the bag of dry goods on the counter. "I've brought a few things which needed replenishing, so you did not need to concern yourself with refilling them."

Mostly sugar, teas, some tins and biscuits. The pot-plant he brought over to Klaus to offer it. "Along with a gift, and my thanks for assuming responsibility of the Hotel with such sudden notice."

[purered]

Klaus gave an amused huff.

"Not for lack of trying, but even my own thoughts betray me. They're intent on sabotaging any effort, so I figured I may as well get some work done."

He smiled - or at least the corners of his mouth turned up to bare his rather frightful fangs, but the corners of his eyes crinkled and and there was a softness to his expression that may have been due to Anton's presence or maybe it was lack of sleep.

He took the potted plant.

"It's lovely. Thank you, Mr Shudder."

He ducked his head, looking fondly on the gift and he was just a smidge red in the ears.

"The hotel seems largely to run itself. There was only a minor altercation and those involved were smart enough to take it outside. Have you been enjoying your time off?"

[gistful]

Ghastly's face may not have come with fangs, but Anton was adept enough in reading unusual faces to recognise there was a smile at work. That, and Hopeless was an eye-smiler. All the Dead Men were accustomed to reading those.

So he smiled back, not really noticing the faint blush on Klaus's ears. "The Woodsman who sold it claims it's a new breed," he said, "but I assumed that you would enjoy finding out, even if it turned out to be hyperbole."

He stepped away just enough to start pulling things out of the bag, thoughtful as he decided how to answer. "'Enjoying' is perhaps not the right word," he said finally, "though there are enjoyable moments, many of them. But it has been necessary--and, I think, beneficial. There are some old wounds festering which have been lanced. Perhaps by the end it will be enjoyable all around."

[purered]

"You're assumption was on the mark. I enjoy surprises."

Well, when they pertained to botany, anyway.

"Healing old wounds is not without merit. I truly hope there is good that comes of it."

Closure was usually the first step in healing, and he hoped the Dead Men took advantage of this opportunity to get it.

[gistful]

"As do I," said Anton, but beyond that he didn't dare hypothesise that it might--though it certainly seemed to be headed in that direction. The universe had ways of sabotaging efforts when spoken aloud.

Instead, moving some jars over to his counter to refill them, he observed: "I hope these thoughts sabotaging your sleep are not especially burdensome, Mr von Reinherz?"

It would hardly do anyone any good if Klaus was being pushed--or pushing himself--too hard.

[purered]

"No, it's nothing like that. I just have a tendency to overthink things," he explained as he added another spoonful of sugar to his coffee.

"It's a rather bad habit, and one I find quite the struggle to be rid of. Regardless, things are looking hopeful on the front of waking Tu Vishan."

[gistful]

"Have you tried breathing exercises?" Anton suggested, pushing a new package of sugar toward him. That jar must almost be empty by now. "I find them useful in stopping thoughts I would rather not be having. Perhaps they will help you with yours."

The news about Tu Vishan was useful, however. Anton had seen some of the coordination on the network, but hadn't much time to engage in it himself. "What steps are you taking?"

[purered]

"I have," Klaus affirmed. "They help most of the time. I've found meditation quite helpful as well, when I can spare the time."

Which, he considered, was more often in Keeliai than Jerusalem's Lot. Perhaps it was single-handedly responsible for how infrequent his stomach troubles had reared their ugly head.

"As far as steps being taken, I would like to find out who has similar abilities to Miss Zatana and Mr Kenobi and his associates. Then it comes down to speaking with Charako and the heads of the families to find something workable."

[gistful]

"Good," said Anton, raising an eyebrow at Klaus. "It would not be good for you to wear yourself into the ground, after all." Klaus was one of the most reliable people on the turtle, but it seemed even he had a tendency to ignore his own needs.

"You're working together well, then," Anton noted with a smile. It sometimes seemed that not many Foreigners thought to consult the kedan on such matters. "I have every confidence in you."