• F • R • A • C • T • U • R • E •

Who: Christer and Lindsey
Where: around the hotel
When: morning

Christer woke with a jolt, reaching for his gun, not finding it, but still feeling as if he was falling back against bed again. What a dream. He’d been helping track a bear. A big bear. It was invading campsites and stealing food and scaring campers. They were going to pull it back further into the forest to keep it and the campers safe. But he wasn’t there. He was in bed. Which...wasn’t his bed. Christer sat up, looking around himself and not sure where he was at all. He ran his hand through his hair, feeling out of place in his uniform in the bed hurrying out of it so he didn’t get anything dirty. And it was weird. How had he gotten here?

The bag was his, full of his things, but it all felt weird. He looked around the room then found the note. That was super strange. It left Christer changing into something less wrinkled and less official, just a t-shirt and jeans, then heading out of his room to see where exactly he was.

( Mary meets Dickon )

Who: Kyle and Ella
Where: Around the hotel
When: Around lunch time

Ella listened to some of her favorite songs on her iPhone for twenty minutes. She listened to forget where she was, to forget she had missed work and to wonder whether or not she was missed by her family. She couldn’t believe she had been plucked away from family so abruptly, but she was trying to make the best of it. Besides she had been arguing with them lately so some time apart could do a lot of good. A few minutes into her music marathon she heard a knock on the door and upon opening it realized it was lunch time. There was a cart outside her room with food on it and she wheeled it inside. It didn’t take her long to finish the tuna wrap, bottle of water and apple she had been provided.

Once listening to music grew tiresome she decided now was a good time to draw. Unfortunately as she rifled through her bag she didn’t see any newspapers. She would need them if she intended on sketching. The medium she loved using, charcoal, had a habit of staining surfaces if you weren’t careful and since she didn’t know who was paying for her stay at this hotel she wasn’t going to risk being charged for damages. She grabbed her room key and headed out in search of newspaper, taking her sketch pad and box of charcoal with her too. She hoped there was some available and that the lady at the front desk would be nice this time. She wasn’t in the mood for another rude encounter with her.

( in search of newspapers for artistic expression )

Who: Bianca & Kyle
When: Morning
Where: Kyle's room

Bianca was pissed off. On a serious level. She'd already been through waking up believing she'd been roofied again. Though it didn't feel like anything that wasn't consensual had happened. Except for the fact she wasn't even remotely near where she'd gone to sleep the night before. Which meant someone better have some fucking answers. After a truncated morning ritual she'd wheeled her suitcase down into the lobby, had one half of a screaming match with the lady behind the desk (only one half because the lady wouldn't even budge beyond a monotone), and now she was getting ready to trash her phone because she couldn't dial out. Without paying much attention, she hurried toward the front door, her focus on the display of her phone rather than what was ahead of her. She expected to feel a breeze or hear traffic and looked up after a moment to see she was in someone's hotel room. "Oh what the hell..." she asked in a low tone.

Who: Mai and Ash, later Ronin
Where: Mai’s Room
When: Early morning

Ash woke and almost startled to find someone else in the bed with him. Then the memories of the evening before flooded in and he felt a slow smile spread across his face. It was definitely strange to wake up spooning someone when he hadn’t shared a bed for years. But he liked it. Because it was Mai. She had awakened things in him last night that he’d thought were long forgotten or dead. And she’d definitely jump-started his libido again. He couldn’t wait to find out what else she would bring to the surface. It could only be good things. He lowered his face then and pressed a kiss to the back of her shoulder, not wanting to wake her but feeling the desire to bestow some sort of affectionate token on her while she slept.

Mai had fallen peacefully asleep, which was good considering just the afternoon before she’d been plotting the demise of her career with one missed photoshoot. But then there had been Ash. And he’d just taken all the fear and the worries away. How could she be worried when he was there, when he seemed to capable. When he kissed her shoulder she shifted in her sleep, stirring slightly. She stretched a little before turning to see him there. Unlike him, she’d shared a bed with someone recently, but didn’t always wake up as clothed as she was right now. Still, she wasn’t surprised to see him over her shoulder, just pleasantly amused that he was still there. “Morning,” she greeted softly, turning so she was facing him, head tucked under his chin.

( You're either shit at being a Rockstar or you're in love with someone else. )

Who: Adam and Kyle
Where: Kyle’s room
When: Early

Adam had barely slept. He’d tried. He really had. But the hotel thing was weird. And eventually he had passed out, at first surprised to wake up in the bed. Or the same bed at least. For a long moment he waited to make sure it wasn’t a dream and then he was up again, getting showered properly, putting in his contacts and getting dressed. His things were packed neatly, the way he always had and eventually he found the nicest shirt he had - something in a dark green plaid that he wore over an undershirt and his best pair of jeans. Really, he looked the same as he always did, even with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, but he felt like he looked nice.

The whole process took about fifteen minutes as he rushed through it and then rushing down to Kyle’s room, very aware that it was early. Really early. Yeah he probably needed to wait, but he didn’t want the dream to go away. He was very aware of another fact, the one that Kyle might not want a repeat of what had happened the night before. So all Adam could do was hope as he knocked on Kyle’s door, bouncing on his feet, too eager and nervous to stand still.

( you should have brought coffee )

Who: Norman and Adam
When: Late morning
Where: Lobby area

( Must explore. )

Events

All guests at the hotel wake to the delight (or curse) that all are still in the same place they fell asleep. They haven’t been transported again as some were, but they still have not been able to leave the hotel. There is still no way to exit the hotel or contact outside of it, but at least, for the moment, they’re all stationary.

Breakfast is provided via room service, trays left outside of doors at 8am.

New guest receive the following note, typed out neatly on the formal stationery of the hotel that says the following:

Welcome to the Regent Hotel!

We do hope you have a pleasant stay and want to reassure you that our staff is here to meet any of your needs that are deemed worthy of attention. As you will be staying with us for a little while, we suggest you make yourself familiar with the grounds and your fellow guests. You’ll need their help in the future.

The Regent Staff


Don’t forget:
- Phones, emails, carrier pigeons and other forms of contact with the outside world don’t work!
- Phone calls made out ring incessantly without any connection.
- Exits to the hotel won’t lead out, just to another random part of the hotel - including private rooms of other occupants.

Who: Ronin and Kai
Where: the bar, then Kai's room
When: late

Ronin was back in his room. It seemed the most logical place to be. He’d tried his phone again and again but had gotten nothing but endless ringing. He knew that meant his calls couldn’t be going out. There was no way, at this late in the game, that Kai wouldn’t have her phone on and waiting to hear from him. It just wasn’t like her. So he was pretty sure that things were FUBAR’d. Still he couldn’t sit still. He picked up his laptop and decided to find somewhere to listen and edit tracks without disturbing someone. He stuck the key to his room in his back pocket and went into the hall, taking the stairs downward. He didn’t expect to see anyone really. Instead he was singing “Even Want Her on Sunday” a bit loudly, listening to the acoustics of the hallway with a slight grin. It was a good song. He needed to thank Kai again for the thousandth time for suggesting it years ago.

Kai had been wandering the hotel. What else was there to do after discovering she clearly couldn't leave? The place almost seemed endless, though that probably wasn't true. Still, that idea was somewhere in her head as she wandered slowly, taking pictures as she went. When she heard a familiar song, she automatically drifted in that direction, thinking she hadn't heard this acoustic recording before. It eventually brought her out into what looked like a gorgeous courtyard, and she looked around until she spotted - “Ronin!” she cried, immediately rushing toward him. She wanted to bowl him over and hug him, but she curbed that, thinking of his back before she could hurt him.
( Ronin Is Cute Even While Fumbling His Way Toward Ecstasy )

Who: Mai and Ash
Where: Mai’s Room
When: Late

Mai had wandered with Kai for a while, trying to find a way out but eventually they got nowhere. Mai had given up and gone back to her room for a nap and maybe to mope some, but that only entertained her until it got dark and she realized she was stuck. Really stuck. Photoshoot missed, life possibly missed and there was no escape. She lay on the bed for a long while before Ash came to mind and as soon as he was there he wasn't going away.

It didn't take long for her to get up, dig an oversized sweater out of her bag and throw it on over the tank top and jeans she had and leave her room to head to his. He might not want to see her, but it was worth a shot.

Ash had settled in his room for a while with his journals. He spent a good deal of time refining several new non-profit plans. He really didn't need to but it was keeping his mind occupied and also precluding him from pacing endlessly through hallways or the lobby. He felt like a tiger in a cage and it was slowly burning in the back of his thoughts. He knew if he didn't defuse the situation he was going to cause some damage of some sort.

When he'd written and re-written and re-arranged and proofed until he couldn't stand to even think about the causes he was attempting to aid with the non-profits, he thought about eating. Something he hadn't done all day. He didn't really feel like doing that alone which was when he thought of Mai and wondered if she'd eaten. Maybe he'd go find her, make sure she was okay. Ask her if she'd like to join him for a late dinner or something. He left his room and took the stairs quickly, entering the third floor hallway as she was coming out of her room. He chuckled to himself at the fact they'd met this way the last time. "Hey," he said.

( Normal guy. Normal handsome, warm guy. )

Who: Harlow and Caleb
Where: her room/the bar
When: after this

Harlow had seen that letter that their new overlords had sent and she was none too pleased with it, so in true fashion Harlow decided they could all suck it and remained seated in her stupid room instead. She did not want to be here. She did not want to be closed inside four walls. If she had wanted that, she would have found a way to do that back home in Germany, but very obviously she didn’t want to if she choose to stay outside as much as she did.

Fuming, she sat down on the floor with her back to the bed and opened up her dufflebag to pull out a butterfly knife and immediately start flicking it open and shut, open and shut, open and shut while she plotted on a way to get the hell out of this place once and for all.

Caleb walked through the front door, but certainly didn't end up on the sidewalk like he wanted to. He walked out of what he saw was a closet in...an occupied room, as he was already speaking. “Lindsey?” he asked but as he laid eyes on the woman sitting on the floor with a knife, he was guessing Lindsey was elsewhere, eaten by the hotel. Apparently, for the second time that day. Well, shit.
( sociopathic? )

Who: Mai and Kai
Where: Kai’s room
When: midday

Eventually Mai had found her sister and Ash had left, giving the two of them time alone to sort through things. “So...I’m thinking we need to figure out how to get out of here and make up the time to get to the photoshoot...right?” Mai asked, hoping that Kai would have an answer for the questions that she didn’t have answers for herself.

“Mmhmm,” Kai said, distracted. She'd wandered around the hotel earlier, just taking pictures with her personal camera. God, this place was gorgeous! She loved it, and really was thinking maybe they needed to do a session here. Maybe on the way back, or something since they didn't have time today. “Don't worry. There's these new things called phones? I can totally use it to contact the others, and let them know we're running a little late! And this other newfangled contraption called 'gps' can even let me know just how late we'll be!”

( and how do we get out of here )

Who: Adam and Ella
Where: The Throne Room
When: Evening

After Ella spoke with Lindsey she felt she needed a drink badly. All of this was too overwhelming for her and it still didn't make any sense. She returned to her room to look through her bag and see if anything useful had been packed in there. The more she looked through the bag the more she realized she didn't remember packing it, yet another strange thing to add to the list of things she couldn't explain. Unfortunately there was nothing in her bag that could help her get out of the hotel. In fact she didn't even have her laptop in her bag, which she chalked up to her forgetfulness. She was always leaving it behind in different places and so it made sense that she wouldn't have packed it.

Luckily she had her iPhone on her and she proceeded to call her job to explain her situation, but the phone just kept ringing. Why was no one picking up her call? After a minute or two she gave up and dialed her parents. The same thing happened. She ended up calling two more before she realized there was something wrong with her phone or maybe it was the place she was in; either way she felt frustrated and so she proceeded to explore the hotel some more. It didn't take her long to stumble upon the ballroom and more importantly the bar within. She didn't see anyone around so she proceeded to make herself a sex on the beach. She usually drank cape cods but she was in the mood for a change in drink choice.

( unwinding one drink at a time )

Who: Ella and Lindsey
Where: Around the hotel
When: Afternoon

Ella woke up from her dream feeling startled. She had been dreaming she was swimming at her favorite beach then suddenly something pulled her under. She kicked and kicked but it wasn't doing her any good. She could feel herself drowning. The water was burning her nose and throat making her believe this was the end until she woke up. She groggily got out of bed and proceeded to the bathroom to wash up. She brushed her teeth then her hair and washed her face. The minute she exited the bathroom she realized she didn't recognize her surroundings. Ella's fear and confusion had distracted her from noticing she wasn't home. She quickly changed out of her pajamas, feeling relieved the minute she saw a bag with her belongings nearby.

She looked around the room for clues regarding her location. That's when she saw the note. She skimmed it then threw it down on her bed out of frustration. She didn't know what she was doing here nor how she got her. Worse yet she was pretty sure she was going to miss her shift at work if she didn't find a way to get out of here soon. She grabbed her hotel room key and headed for the door, but not before throwing on her favorite leather jacket. She walked briskly down the hall of her floor hoping to bump into someone who knew more than she did.

Who: Alyssa and Sullivan
When: Afternoon
Where: Lobby

Alyssa was sitting cross-legged on a couch or something. She wasn't sure what it was because it was so retro that she couldn't be sure it wasn't an ottoman or something. Whatever it was she was looking stoic. Her focus was on the front door. She was hoping someone came in through it because she'd tried going out and had ended up in the strangest places. Three times. She'd even tried climbing out through the internal courtyard and found herself in a stairwell. She probably should have freaked out or something. And she had. Internally. But she wasn't used to letting anyone see that side of her. So she sat calmly, hoping someone, anyone would appear. And that they would have some idea of how to get out of this place.

( So you're like that star in the sky that people make wishes on? )

Who: Adam and Kyle
Where: around the hotel
When: afternoon

This was the worst day of Kyle's life. He didn't know where he was, he didn't know how he got here. He hurt all over. And he was fairly sure that since apparently he wasn't dreaming, he really had had some kind of a psychotic break. The only thing which was nice about today was the bubble bath which he had taken. Oh, and the room number he had for Adam - who was the closest thing he had to a friend around here. That was assuming that Adam was even real and not a figment of his imagination. Either way, he was a glow of certainty in this uncertain world, and so Kyle was going toward that light. Even dressed as he was in a borrowed white robe, fastened over a towel which he had slung round his hips. He hadn't actually bothered to dry himself after getting out of the bath. He had nothing on his feet, and his clothes were bundled under his arm as he walked through the hotel and up to Adam's room. He knocked on the door.

( Better this time...kinda )

Who: Mai and Ash
Where: Wandering the hotel
When: Morning

Mai didn’t think this was the hotel they’d stopped in. Sure, it was late when they finally pulled over to find a place to crash, but hadn’t it been like a Holiday Inn or something? It definitely wasn’t a shithole, Kai had seen too many horror films and their parents watched the news too much to let them stay in really dumpy motels, but it was definitely a run of the mill hotel. That much, a sleepy eyed Mai remembered. She thought.

She’d gotten up when the alarm on her phone went off, heading straight for the bathroom, meaning to get ready, which meant doing her hair per the instructions the hair stylist had given her, then her base make up the same way and finding something comfortable to wear to the shoot, but the bathroom was different. Like fancy different. Giant claw foot tub, ornate shower curtain in gold, sink with brass handles and a giant mirror. Looking back at the room, that wasn’t much different, large four poster bed, an actual vanity with padded stool, as well as a small table and chair and dresser and closet. Mai looked around for the door that connected their two rooms, but didn’t see it and she was almost sure that had been there.

Finding it all too curious she went for her robe instead, a bright blue silky thing with flowers embroidered up one side throwing it on over the tank top and boyshorts she’d been sleeping in and heading for the door, being sure to grab her room key and the note next to it on the way. “Kai?” she called into the hallway, looking around.

( So that's all It would take to get you out of my bed? )

who: Monica and Justin (with a touch of Kyle)
where: around the hotel
when: late morning

Monica stumbled ever so slightly when instead of walking out into the dreary land of Ohio, she was simply in a long corridor that was clearly still part of the hotel. She pulled up short, hugging her bag to her stomach as she stared, wide eyes.

Justin almost ran into her as he stepped through the doors. He had been moving faster than her, but he hadn’t thought she would stop so soon. He stepped to the side as he stopped. A corridor. “Oh yeah - you know exactly where the doors are gonna lead.” He paused for a beat, then added. “Gotta say - of all the things I expected, this wasn’t even on the list.”
( also - Backstory! )

Who: Ellis and Marian
When: Late afternoon
Where: Halls, elevator


( And a smile to kill for )

Who: Justin and Adam
When: Morning
Where: Lobby, second floor

Adam had watched Kyle go and loitered for a little bit, like the other man might come back through the door and explain just what the hell had happened between them, but after a few minutes, no such luck. Sure Kyle had said stuff about liking him, like more than friends liking him, but at the same time he'd paired it with not wanting to see him ever again. Which was downright confusing and made Adam wonder if the liking him part was supposed to soften the leaving blow and not a real thing. If Kyle was going though, he was going and Adam didn't have much of a reason to keep dwelling too much. Not when there were more important matters at hand, like finding Jeffrey.

Adam went back to wandering the hotel, trying out the public rooms on the lobby floor, looking for his friend, calling out his name here and there, but so far no such luck. After going around in circles he found himself back in the lobby again, checking a phone with no messages, feeling panic starting to rise. How had they gotten separated? They never got this separated. Even if one of them hooked up with a girl, the other always messaged him to let him know where he was. And now Adam was wondering if Jeffrey was worried, or worse, if he wasn't.

Justin had risen early and it had taken him a few minutes to get to grips with what was going on. Waking up in a strange hotel room wasn't really an issue, since he had gone to sleep in a strange hotel room - though far less sober and far less alone. And he was fairly convinced that last night's hotel room had a view over white sands and palm trees with floor to ceiling windows to make the most of that far. This hotel room... Didn't. He wasn't one to panic though, and a quick look around revealed the note which... was weirdly cryptic. Still, it was what it was. He had taken a shower, found the bag of his things - all present and correct, he was pleased to note. He had dressed - knee length khaki shorts, collared t-shirt, shoes without socks, fleece jacket. He pocketed his folding knife which he invariably carried. Then he decided he was going to go exploring. He hit the lobby and was about to ring at the front desk for service when he saw another guy. "Hey," he called out. "You any idea what's going on around here?"

( This is the part where the axe-wielding maniac appears )

who: Monica, Justin and Adam
where: the lobby
when: right after this!

By the time she got down to the lobby, she was still freaking out. God, was he crazy? Were they going to have to haul him away in a straight jacket? She got to the desk and looked around, seeing no one. Finding the bell, she started ringing it hard. Once. Twice, three times. No one appeared. "I need heee-eeelp!!!" she shouted, going back to incessantly ringing the desk bell. "For real, people! Come on, I think there's an escaped mental patient in my room! Doesn't anybody work here?!"

DING DING DING DING DING DING DINGDINGDING!