How many goodly creatures are there here! :: GAME OPENER

[synergismus]

Welcome to Baedal.

These are the first words newcomers hear when the door opens and they are invited into their new world. Some fuss, some fight, some need time before they have the courage to step outside. Others, shell-shocked or jaded, go quietly along with the proceedings.

They are given brief instructions; a repeat of what's described in the pamphlet and a door key.

Please stay in your room. There will be dinner soon.

It's been almost a day for some. For others, only an hour's wait. The latest newcomer is lead straight from the arrival room to the dining hall where candles and lanterns have been set out to compensate for failing electricity. (Those who have been here longer explain about rolling blackouts.) The food, however, is warm, varied and plentiful. Seating is open, and less conventional chair are available to those who need them.

There are many strange faces around the table, the majority of these recent arrivals. The proprietor of the Valhalla Inn is here, as is some of her staff. The Sheriff of Mog Hill is introduced, his function detailed. The reason for the dinner is explained:

It's a celebration. A new cohort has finally been officiated; CeidaryBlue523. Your cohort. Please. Introduce yourself. Mingle. Get to know your fellows, they will be your brothers and sisters for as long as you live in this city.


((OOC post for discussion and coordination.))

Comments

[coffeeking]

Ianto nodded, making a subtle gesture to the spot where his gun was holstered under his jacket. He didn't say anything, in case anyone was listening or watching, but his meaning would be clear to Jack. "I don't like it either. But the sooner we get the lay of the land, the sooner we can escape. Shall we meet back here in say, an hour?"

An hour sounded like sufficient time to talk to at least a few people and compare notes. Everyone would likely be readily talkative, in any case.

[51stcentury]

Jack nodded. "Yeah, alright. From there we can go back to one of our assigned rooms and compare notes." He didn't like the idea of talking about it in the hallway where they were. It was just like Ianto was figuring. He didn't want anyone listening in that might not like the idea that the pair of them weren't exactly enthused to have been uprooted and planted here like this.

Jack didn't know what this exploring of the inn would entitle, or what sorts of people they might encounter on the way. That being said, he felt entirely justified in stepping forward, cupping Ianto's cheek in his hand and kissing him soundly, stroking where his hand lay on Ianto's face for a moment before pulling back. "Be careful, alright? No offending the locals, or anything like that. At least this place seems to be a little above roasting people over an open bonfire, but let's not take our chances..."

[coffeeking]

The kiss was comforting, grounding Ianto and helping him focus on the task at hand. All his scattered thoughts and looming worries faded under Jack's touch. He had a job to do and Jack was there, relying on him. That was all he had to worry about right now; the rest could wait.

"I'll be on my best behavior," he promised. "And the same goes for you. I don't want to find you dead because you were rude to some out-of-sorts alien." Everyone here was likely to be on edge, and Jack could be less than tactful at the best of times.

[51stcentury]

"I can't make any promises, but I'll try," Jack said, with a wide grin that said exactly what he was saying, that he was equal parts business and mischief. "At least you know that if I get myself in trouble, number one, I'll be alright, and number two, I'll have you here to come and find me and rescue me out of it."

He sobered a little bit. "But yes. I'll try." He shot a little salute at Ianto after that, grinning wider again. "Do me proud, yeah?"

[coffeeking]

Ianto shook his head, smiling despite himself, resigned that Jack was probably right. Things often tended to go pear-shaped despite Jack's best efforts, so all Ianto could ask for was the attempt. And it was genuinely appreciated.

"Always," he promised, and then turned on his heel, shooting a wink back over his shoulder. "See you in an hour, then."

[51stcentury]

Jack grinned at the wink, watching the other man head down the hallway away from him with a smile. "In an hour! Don't be late!" he called out after him, knowing full well that he would probably be the one not to show up on time. Ianto was nothing if not punctual. After a moment of watching Ianto head down the hallway, Jack turned in the other direction and continued that way, on the mission to find out just what the hell was going on there exactly...

AN HOUR LATER...

[coffeeking]

Ianto arrived back at the location he'd left Jack, having spoken to fewer people than he'd hoped, but having gathered more information than he knew how to deal with. If he allowed himself to dwell too long on any of it, he began to feel queasy.

"Christ..." he muttered, leaning wearily against the wall as he waited for Jack.

[51stcentury]

Jack walked up a few minutes after the time he said he would, because he never really got anywhere when he said after all. Even from a distance, the way that Ianto was leaning against the wall was a bit concerning, and so when he got to him he put a hand out on his shoulder, rubbing it slightly. "Hey," he said. "You alright?"

[coffeeking]

"Define 'alright'," Ianto said a little dryly. But reassuringly, he took a steadying breath and made an effort to stand up straight again.

"I didn't talk to many people, but the few I did talk to gave me more than enough to chew on. Shall we go somewhere less public?" He glanced down the hallway. There was no one there, as far as he could see, but one never knew.

[51stcentury]

Jack nodded, rubbing Ianto's shoulder gently, absently, as he held out his other hand to motion down the hallway. Something in Ianto's behavior said that he'd found something pretty big out, and Jack was ridiculously curious to find out what it was to have shaken the other man so. "Sure," he said. "Your room or mine? Those are really the only places where I think we're the safest having no one walk in and interrupt us."

[coffeeking]

"Mine's just down the hall." It didn't make much different which room they chose, and although he had no idea where Jack's was, Ianto's was just around the corner and down a few doors. He moved as Jack prompted, leading the way and trying not to think too much about the headache he was developing.

When they came to the correct door, Ianto stepped inside and held it open for Jack. The room was sparse and not terribly inviting, but with any luck, neither of them would have to stay in the inn long.

[51stcentury]

Jack nodded and followed him there. His own room had been a little further off--he'd done a bit of walking before he'd run into Ianto in the first place. Stepping into the room behind the other man, he let Ianto close the door behind him before he turned to the other man.

"Sit down," he said, motioning to the bed, "you look like someone walked over your grave, there. What happened?"

[coffeeking]

Ianto obeyed without protest, sitting on the bed and opening his mouth to tell Jack everything. Then he closed it, hesitating, looking vaguely self-conscious. He brought up his hands in a helpless gesture.

"...I'm sure this is going to sound utterly mad, even considering this is us and we deal with utterly mad things all the time." He took a breath, and then continued, aware that Jack's patience was not infinite. "The first person I met was Cassandra. Of Troy." Insert significant look here.

[51stcentury]

Jack raised his eyebrows at that. "...you mean the Cassandra of Troy?" he asked, with a significant look. He wasn't really the biggest on ancient history, especially given the fact that he himself was from so far in the future, but he knew enough to recognize the name. "Ianto, what... What does that mean exactly? Is this taking people from all different times too, then?"

[coffeeking]

Ianto nodded solemnly. "Different times, and different worlds. Even parallel worlds. She knew me, Jack. She knew two other versions of me, and two of you as well, from the two other worlds she had been previously brought to that functioned just like this one, snatching people from their lives."

Ianto scrubbed at his face, unable to shake the feeling he'd had since his conversation with Cassandra. The feeling they wouldn't be leaving here anytime soon.

[51stcentury]

Jack walked from where he was to look out the window, crossing his arms over his chest as he did so. "...shit," he said, emphatically, after a moment, before turning to look at Ianto. "Ianto, we're talking different dimensions, here. As far as I know, in our universe, we haven't even begun to mess around with cross-dimensional travel, and that's in my time. It's not something that you're supposed to do. There's a chance it could rip a hole in the fabric of reality if you start messing around with this stuff..."

He chewed his lip for a moment. "Whoever the hell is behind this place, and those other ones, they've gotta be one hell of a superpower."

[coffeeking]

That was exactly what Ianto had been afraid of. He swallowed hard and forced himself to continue. "There are other people, a good number of them, from yet another world like this one. That's three that we know of, and there's the possibility of more. Jack...none of them were able to find any escape."

And he's terrified they'll fare no better. Three other worlds, at least two with other versions of he and Jack, and no one had been able to get out.

[51stcentury]

Jack made a noise of frustration before whirling around to Ianto. "We'll get through this, Ianto," he said, because he was the leader and he was supposed to say things like that and make the other people believe his words even when he didn't really believe them himself. "We'll get through it, and we'll figure something out. This isn't a dead end, alright?"

He ran his hand over his hair, thinking quick on his toes. "It's just not going to be as fast as some of the other things. We've just got the two of us, and whatever tech we had with us in our pockets. But we'll think of something. There has to be some sort of connection between all of the people who were brought here..."

[coffeeking]

Ianto straightened and nodded with conviction he didn't feel. He knew a defeatist attitude wouldn't help, even if he found it more realistic at this point than a positive one. But he wasn't going to just give up without a fight, no matter how hopeless. And with Jack by his side, he always felt he could accomplish so much more than he could alone. So with a little effort, he calmed himself and gathered his thoughts.

"You're right. I'll start doing some research, see if we can find any common denominators. If we can figure out the why, maybe we can figure out the how -- and how to reverse it and send us back home."

[51stcentury]

Jack nodded, pleased that Ianto wasn't insisting on being pessimistic about this. There was only so much optimism he could offer up at that moment, and he was pretty sure he'd kind of reached his quota already.

"I'll see what I can find from talking to people, gathering information. They got us here pretty easily, right? How bad could it be to find a way out?" he joked.