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

[gotbottle]

Rachel laughs, tension easing in gratitude that he didn't push the issue, didn't seem to realize what he'd asked. She is relieved--that could have been a difficult explanation. It is certainly one she didn't want to have to make.

"I guess you will," she replies, a hint of a teasing lilt in her voice. That fades, though, as she considers his question.

"Efficient," is the answer she settles on. "Like the staff here has dealt with this kind of thing before, a lot. I can't say I take a lot of comfort in that."

[51stcentury]

"You and me both," Jack says, with a grin that doesn't quite meet his eyes at that statement. "I mean. They've got a brochure. I don't know whether I want to think about what that means exactly, other than the fact that they were expecting us which. Well. Kind of really isn't comforting in the least, you know?"

[gotbottle]

"Yeah, I know."

Rachel sighs. She reaches up and tucks her hair behind both her ears, unable to stop the nervous tell. She looks up at Jack, face a bit grave.

"Do you think we're really safe here, Captain? I'm not convinced we are, even if they were like, completely prepared for us to show up."

[51stcentury]

Jack hesitates on what to tell her. Does he really think they're safe? He hasn't really got a clue. Is he going to tell her that she's in immediate danger by being there? No, because there's no evidence to that either.

"I haven't seen anything so far to say that we are in danger, no," he says, hoping that his answer is reassuring without outright lying to her or anything like that.

[gotbottle]

Rachel's quiet for a few moments, considering that. She has no actual idea if she's in danger or not, it's just a feeling, a general sense of unease and distrust over the manner in which she wound up here. But Jack--this is a man with military training, she can probably put some faith in his opinion.

"I guess that's better than nothing. I guess I can have a little trust--but keep my eyes open, too."

[51stcentury]

Jack nods. "Yeah, please do. You're definitely right to not trust everything about this place. I mean, for one, we were taken in against our will. That in itself is pretty hokey. But I mean." He motions around them. "As creepy as it is, they are accommodating for us, and there aren't armed guards or cells we're put into or anything like that. So I wouldn't worry too much about it, you know?" He gives her a reassuring smile.

[gotbottle]

She nods too, a faint smile returning to her lips. "I'll try," she assures Jack. And she will--but that distrust is going to take a while to get over, she's sure.

"I was thinking of checking out the rest of this building." She doesn't know that she yet has the nerve to try outdoors, maybe tomorrow. "Do you want to come with?"

[51stcentury]

Jack rocks on his heels a little, moving to check his watch. He's hoping she won't take it in the wrong way--he has to make sure that he's got the time to agree and go with her and be back to meet up with Ianto in roughly an hour. Well. Forty minutes from then. Still doable, though.

"Could do," he says, looking back at her with a smile. "Promised Ianto I'd meet up with him in a little bit, but I've got the time. And far be it from me to turn down a walk with a pretty lady," he says, with a wink. Of course they'll be checking the building out. That doesn't mean that he can't be a merciless flirt as well, though.

[gotbottle]

She doesn't take it the wrong way at all--Rachel's never been the kind of person who assumes the world will stop for her. She smiles as he glances at his watch, that smile growing wider at his agreement. But of course his compliment makes her turn pink all over again.

"Thank you," she says, glancing up at him, and it's clear she means for both the compliment and for wanting to come along. "So what have you checked out already? No point in, like, duplicating efforts."

[51stcentury]

Jack shrugs. "Only the hallways where we were led to earlier, really. And they're all full of rooms that are pretty much identical and most of them pretty empty, except for our 'new arrival' ones. Haven't really met anyone who's actually a local to this place either, or who's admitted to being one yet. Anyway, though," he continues, "nothing really of interest to be looked into up there. Might as well try somewhere else."

He cocks her a smile. "Where would you like to go looking, since we are on a bit of a time schedule?"

[gotbottle]

She's thoughtful for a few moments--okay, but a smile, in answer to his own, slides across her mouth before that--he's charming, what's she supposed to do? But then she's thoughtful, and after that she's looking up at him again with a tiny but determined lift of her chin.

"I think we should check out the common areas. First of all, we'll see just what kind of face this place wants to present to all its guests and all that. And I think we might, like, run into employees? Who are more likely to have at least been here a while if they aren't natives."

[51stcentury]

Jack nods. It sounds like a good idea to him. After all, he's looking to collect information to bring back to share with Ianto, and the more information he can collect, especially if there are employees or something to talk to, the better this expedition would work out for the pair of them.

"Sounds like a plan," he says, before he offers her his arm. "Shall we, then?"

[gotbottle]

Oh, an arm and everything. Rachel's taken aback, in a good way, by the gesture. It's certainly the most gentlemanly experience she's had.

She smiles, and slips her arm through his. "Thank you. So--what do you think? The lobby? That's the first point of contact with the outside world. Might be good for seeing how this place fits in."

[51stcentury]

Jack's lived through eras where not to offer would almost be offensive. Old habits die hard, apparently. He smiles as she accepts his offer and nods. "Sounds like a good plan to me." He winks at her, slightly. "You're pretty good at this whole exploration thing, then."

[gotbottle]

At this point she can't resist a bit of return teasing. "I'm good at all kinds of exploration when I put my mind to it." she says with the ghost of a smile.

A little flirting never hurt anyone, right?

"I saw a wider hallway down in that direction. I'm betting it leads to the more public areas of the inn."

[51stcentury]

"Oh yeah?" Jack says, with a grin. "Me too. It's a good talent to have, wouldn't you say?" He winks at her, and then looks in the direction that she's indicating.

"Alright. That works too. Lead on, then, if you're so good at this."

[gotbottle]

"It's served me well," she shoots back, and though she's smiling and the tone of her voice is confident, playful, there's a slight flush to her cheeks again. She's maybe not as skilled in this as she acts.

They walk down to the lobby, arm-in-arm. Once there, Rachel cants her head at a place for them to sit and watch all the activity, the comings and goings. "So far it's what you'd expect," she notes once she's settled in beside Jack. "I don't see anything that, you know, glaringly says 'kidnappings here'."

[51stcentury]

"Don't you?" Jack asks, teasing slightly, settling in beside her in their seat. He grins, showing that he's clearly only taking the piss, there. "I don't think that a place that has an established way to deal with those of us that it's stolen from our homes would be all that obvious about it, you know? It seems like it'd be more of a secretive, organized sort of thing than that..."

[gotbottle]

She responds to that teasing with a shoulder--hers, gently digging against his. She shakes her head, watching the people come and go.

"I guess if you're up to anything shady, you probably, like, do better not to drag it in and out the front door, right? I wonder if all these people actually have rooms here. Because if they don't they don't seem bothered by being here. So either they don't know about the arrivals or... they don't care, which is kind of a scary thought."

[51stcentury]

Jack nods. "If this is something that's been happening for a long time... I'm not sure that I like that very much at all. People being used to other people just being stolen from across space. And time, I'd imagine, from the look of some of those people back in that room where everyone was." He cocks his head at her, idly. "When are you from, out of curiosity?"

[gotbottle]

"Me?"

Different times. She hadn't considered that, but now that Jack mentions it, it makes sense.

"2007. It was June third. What about you?"

[51stcentury]

"June for me too. But in 2009," he says, with a shrug. "Funny how these things work out like that."

[gotbottle]

"Yeah. It is."

She settles back, eyes on the lobby for a few moments before they drift back to Jack. "Okay. So if you were using an inn as a cover for, like, nefarious doings--where would you hide the evidence? Where do you think we should look?"

[51stcentury]

Jack shrugs. "Empoyee's only places. The cellar, the attic, places like that. Probably they're locked and away from the public eye, seeing as well. They're hiding the evidence, and all," he says, smirking slightly.

[gotbottle]

"That makes sense. That'd be a good place to look."

She'll have to remember that, for later.

"I'd say we go now but your forty minutes are almost up, aren't they? I don't want to keep you from meeting your friend."