Tweak

InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "WooHoo!"

Cole Evans {Ichabod Crane} (blackcatsrbad) wrote in bellumlogs,
@ 2010-06-20 04:26:00

Entry tags:

big bad wolf, ichabod crane, plot: delta, plot: tempus, vasilissa

Who: Shane, Cole and Ileana
What: Post-raid wandering and planning
Where: The streets of 1929 Chicago then presumably somewhere warm
When: Late, nearing sunrise
Warnings: None

Cole had decided that they were a) most definitely in the United States, and b) somewhere in the 1920s. He didn't quite recognize what city, but it wasn't New York. Then again it didn't really matter, since there was sure to be some kind of trouble in any city around this time. He was essentially following Shane, having no alternative but to trust his lead. The cold only seemed to get worse the longer they walked, and he could feel Ileana shivering even despite his best efforts to keep her warm.

"We should find a... hotel or something," he suggested, finally breaking the silence. "If we pooled our money together, we could probably afford a room." They had to have money, right? There was a wallet in his pocket, after all - even as he spoke he pulled it out, praying there was enough to see them through for at least a night.

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wolfishane
2010-06-20 05:09 pm UTC (link)

Shane hadn't even thought to check for money, and he opened a wallet he didn't recognize to find twenty singles neatly tucked inside. "I've got more than enough," he said. He assumed so, anyway. If this was the 20's, the way it looked, then that should more than cover a room. What they'd do after tonight was another question entirely, but shelter was the priority.

"Come on." He walked down Michigan towards Wacker, looking for identifiable landmarks and finding very few. But a tall building a block away had a neon sign reading 'Hotel', and that ought to be enough.

He glanced back toward Ileana. "It's not much further," he said, tone softening slightly. She looked like she was freezing.

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vasilissa
2010-06-20 05:54 pm UTC (link)

Ileana assumed she had money as well in the clutch she carried. If they needed to, they'd just pool their money together. She just wanted to get anywhere right now that had some heat at all. The wind felt like it was ripping through her and her feet had gone numb a block ago when she made a misstep into slush.

She tried to will away her shivering and teeth chattering with a little nod of her head. "It's fine." she managed, still huddled close to Cole as she could be.

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blackcatsrbad
2010-06-20 06:11 pm UTC (link)

At least the building hadn't left them completely helpless, and he sighed in relief when he saw that there were twenty dollars in single bills in his as well. The earlier time period meant that the value of things were drastically different, which was a good thing. "So do I. Looks like we'll be alright for now, then." Hopefully by the time 'for now' ended, they wouldn't be here anymore.

Cole wished he'd gotten her coat, but there was nothing they could do now and at least the hotel was close. "I guess next time we know to keep our coats with us," he said quietly, trying to sound light-hearted and instead just sounding cold.

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vasilissa
2010-06-20 06:28 pm UTC (link)

Ileana's concern wasn't with the 'for now', but however they were supposed to deal with what came after it. How long were they supposed to spend hanging out in the 20s? Last time was just a night, what about this time? She hid her face in Cole's side for a moment when the wind whipped up again. "I hope there isn't a next time," she sounded muffled against the fabric.

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blackcatsrbad
2010-06-20 09:13 pm UTC (link)

Shane led them into the hotel, which appeared to be within their budget without crossing the line between affordable and seedy. The lobby was virtually empty, with a few stragglers disappearing into stairwells or lounging in chairs, and Cole was relieved to just be out of that frigid wind. "Hopefully in the morning we this will all be over." He'd love to fall asleep and wake up back in Bellum, but if not then he didn't even want to think about how long they might be stuck here.

"We'll be getting two rooms, I guess." It was somewhere between a question and a statement, and he looked at Ileana for confirmation. Personally he wouldn't have minded just being in one room since they'd only be sleeping anyway, but maybe two would be better.

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wolfishane
2010-06-20 10:35 pm UTC (link)

"I'll get a room on my own," he said. If the two of them wanted to be in a room together, he wasn't going to intrude. "If we're still here in the morning, then we can worry about things like clothes and where to get food." He paused. "And I'd sign the hotel register with an alias." There was no way to know what the building might do. Maybe they were just nameless people dropped into history, or maybe there was a whole scenario being built around them. Or maybe they'd taken on the roles of famous people, and the mob was on the lookout for them. This was the heyday of Capone in Chicago, after all. There was no way to be sure.

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	vasilissa 2010-06-20 10:53 pm UTC (link)
	"You shouldn't have to," Ileana protested mildly. She didn't really give a crap where Shane went. "Splitting between three is probably the cheapest, right? And we don't know how long we're stuck here." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

blackcatsrbad
2010-06-21 02:58 am UTC (link)

Ileana had a point - if they were going to be stuck here for a while, then it would be smart to be as frugal with their finances as possible. Besides, he trusted Shane. "That makes sense. We can all stay in one room, since we might need money in the next few days if we're here."

An alias? It hadn't even occurred to him, but it was a good idea. Cole couldn't be sure if they were outsiders or actually had some sort of role to play. "Right." He approached the front desk, trying to appear like he wasn't entirely out of place. It was hard to hide his surprise when the man behind the desk told him that a room for the night was five dollars, but he managed to stay calm and he paid and signed as John Wilson. Once he had the key he was able to relax, trying to shake the feeling of being some sort of criminal as he turned away from the desk and back towards Shane and Ileana.

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wolfishane
2010-06-21 03:05 am UTC (link)

He didn't fight it. It didn't really matter to him one way or the other if they stayed in one room or two - he'd just thought they'd want the privacy. They were right. It would be cheaper, and they needed to conserve as much money as possible. Who knew how long they would be here?

Shane moved toward the stairs. "What floor?" His mind was already two steps ahead. They could probably get food brought to the room, if they were desperate. Otherwise they could always find something in the morning, assuming they woke up in the same place. That thought was doubly unpleasant. What if they didn't go home? What if they simply woke up somewhere else? He dismissed the thought as he walked up. It wasn't worth worrying about something outside their control that hadn't even happened.

"I doubt the others went far," he said. "In the morning, we can try to find some of them. The building wants us here for a reason. I doubt we'll be allowed to spread out much." It was a strange thought, the idea of the building leashing them in, but at this point, he wasn't willing to put anything past it.

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vasilissa
2010-06-21 03:42 am UTC (link)

Ileana followed Shane towards the stairs. She was starting to warm up, which came prickly painful sensations from her feet. "I hope everyone got out okay," she said, "God knows we can't afford to bail out half the building."

She hoped Trenton and his fangirl didn't. They could go rot in jail. Maybe they could be left behind when they did the time warp back home. As they trudged up the stairs, Ileana began pulling pins out of her hair that kept it styled up. "We should find, like, a newspaper too. Get an actual date to where we are."

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blackcatsrbad
2010-06-21 05:11 am UTC (link)

"Uh..." He turned over the key in his hands, squinting. "Third. 302." They were probably going to have to get different clothes in the following days, depending on how long they were here for, not to mention food. What happened if their money ran out? Were they supposed to rob people, or get a job? So many questions, and there just weren't enough answers.

Cole followed them up the stairs, trying to loosen his tie with one hand. "That's a good idea. A date can give us an idea of what to expect, at least. Once we find the others, we can try to figure out what the reason for us being here is." It couldn't be random - nothing the building did was random, whatever else it might be.

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wolfishane
2010-06-21 05:43 am UTC (link)

"We can get a paper in the morning," Shane said. If some tenants had ended up in jail, that could pose a problem. They had no assets, and nothing to put up for bail. A breakout would likely need to happen, which would be risky and might very well get someone killed. Wonderful.

He almost didn't stop when they reached the third floor, his thoughts absolutely elsewhere. He was even more stoic than usual, if that was possible. Why he had come back to the fucking building? Really. This had to be a sign that he was better off as a wolf on his own.

He turned down the hall, glancing back toward Cole, who had the key.

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vasilissa
2010-06-21 05:58 am UTC (link)

Ileana wondered how they were going to manage to survive longer than a few days here, even that was stretching it. What Ileana really couldn't see was what the building wanted them to do. There had to be some reason and not knowing it was bothering her.

Ileana fell back in step with Cole up the stairs and paused in the third floor hallway, waiting for Cole to open their room door.

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blackcatsrbad
2010-06-21 07:28 am UTC (link)

Cole stifled a yawn, sliding the key in the lock and turning the doorknob with an audible click. He wasn't really expecting the room to be anything great, and it was fairly average as hotel rooms went. At least there were two beds - even though they were on the small side.

"This isn't so bad." He shoved the key back in his pocket and shrugged off his suit jacket, draping it over a chair before sitting on the edge of one of the beds to unlace his shoes.

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wolfishane
2010-06-21 04:10 pm UTC (link)

Shane moved to do the same, walking to the far side of the room and sitting on the other bed. He placed his shoes off under a desk on the far side of the room, and draped his jacket over the chair tucked into it. "No TV," he said, a dry observation, the first thing he'd noticed when he walked into the room, the main thing that set it apart from a hotel room in their century.

There was a door on the opposite side of the room that opened onto a bathroom, complete with a decent sized bathtub. "You might want to take a bath," he suggested. Ileana looked better, if still frigid. "Avoid pneumonia." If they were going to be here for any length of time, the worst thing they could do was get sick.

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vasilissa
2010-06-21 05:12 pm UTC (link)

Ileana sat next to Cole on the closest bed, taking off her wet heels. She pulled a face at them as she shoved the shoes under the bed. Ileana turned around to look at the bathroom, considering it. It would help, but she had nothing to change in to except the dress. This would be an issue since she couldn't go around in an evening gown the entire time.

She stood up, inwardly sighing. "Yeah, good idea," she replied thoughtfully before she headed in to the bathroom, closing and locking the bathroom door behind her.

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blackcatsrbad
2010-06-21 06:31 pm UTC (link)

Did he truly expect a television? Ichabod asked mildly, clearly missing the entire point of sarcasm. Cole sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Now I know how crazy people feel," he muttered to himself.

Sleeping in a suit wasn't half as bad as sleeping in an evening dress, and he wished they'd had other clothing. "We'll work on clothes tomorrow, if we can," he told her quietly before she headed to the bathroom. Once she was inside, he glanced over at Shane. "So why do you think the building brought us here? This is obviously the 1920s... are we all supposed to join the mob or something?" It was supposed to be a joke, but it didn't come out as a very funny one.

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wolfishane
2010-06-21 06:39 pm UTC (link)

He watched the bathroom door close, then added, "I could go down to the lobby, ask them to send up some bathrobes." This was in the time period where full service was the order of the day. While asking for someone to fetch things was an aspect only of luxury hotels in their own time period, it was an accepted part of living in this one. Self-service gas stations were a long way off, still.

Shane was clearly distracted, because under any other circumstances he would have had a good enough grip on his emotions to avoid reacting to the mention of the mob. Instead, his eyes went briefly steely, taking on the same cast they'd had when he was looking at Trenton earlier, and then it was gone. "An event, maybe," he said. "Or some other sort of participation. I doubt that it would do anything without a reason. Something will happen. I don't think we were dropped into a speakeasy an hour before a raid by coincidence."

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blackcatsrbad
2010-06-21 07:46 pm UTC (link)

"They do-- I mean, alright." Cole knew virtually nothing about the 1920s save for the most basic details, never mind how hotels worked. Shane clearly knew the most out of all of them, and he was more than willing to trust that.

He didn't like that look he had at the mention of the mob, and he wasn't sure if it was because he knew about something that happened or if it had something to do with Bellum-time. "Oh. Well, that's... not good. I guess we'll just have to be extra careful when he go looking for food or whatnot." A pause. "We might have a better idea of what to expect when we get a newspaper."

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wolfishane
2010-06-21 08:00 pm UTC (link)

Shane didn't do a lot of reading, but what research he had done tended to center around his areas of interest - the mafia, clearly, being one of them. He'd soaked up a decent amount of information about the period from reading about Capone.

"Everything depends on the date," he said. He got up from the bed. "I'll be back."

He left, then came back about five minutes later with three bathrobes, and tossed them across the bed next to Cole. "They're not a replacement for street clothes, but they're something to change into in the meantime," he said. He walked back over to the bed he'd been seated on. He paused, then asked, "Are you getting talked to?"

The wolf rumbled something about letting him out and leaving this place, since his coat was much better suited to the winter than Shane's human skin. You should change, at least. He ignored him, which didn't shut him up, but did allow him to avoid getting chastised yet again.

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blackcatsrbad
2010-06-21 08:34 pm UTC (link)

'Everything depends on the date' wasn't very comforting, especially since he was pretty sure the building wouldn't have sent them to an uneventful point in time. He nodded, laying back on the bed while Shane was gone and trying not to worry.

A bathrobe was better than nothing, and he sat up to inspect it with a grateful "Thanks." You see? It won't be so bad. Ichabod was far too calm for the situation, and it was really starting to irritate him. "Yeah. Ichabod is pretty useless, but at least he's not too loud. Are you?"

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wolfishane
2010-06-21 08:42 pm UTC (link)

He nodded. "He's not loud, but he's more talkative than you'd expect. And he hasn't been too useful, aside from giving me a headache." The Wolf huffed out a laugh. Fool cub, you wouldn't know useful if it smacked you on the nose.

Thinking about the Wolf's advice led him back to Trenton. If they were lucky, he'd been thrown into some dark jail somewhere, and they could leave him behind here when they went back. If they went back. "At least Ichabod doesn't think you're soft for letting someone live." You make no sense, said the Wolf, growling now. You kill other men, but not the one that challenges your dominance and takes your mate against her will? Stupid. He rubbed at his temples. "I saw a diner down the street," he said, by way of changing the subject. "We can get food there in the morning for cheap, I'd guess."

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blackcatsrbad
2010-06-21 09:38 pm UTC (link)

"Yeah, I wish there was some way to get them to... stop, sometimes. It's hard enough trying to think without second opinions." Even if Ichabod wasn't very helpful, it was probably better than having the Big Bad Wolf and his opinions.

Cole shrugged, although he had a point. Ichabod probably would have had a panic attack inside his head if he even thought about killing someone. "That sounds like a good idea. It's a start, at least." First, though, he really wanted some sleep.

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vasilissa
2010-06-22 04:43 am UTC (link)

Ileana was feeling much better after soaking in a hot bath. She reluctantly got back in to the gown when she got out with a sigh. Really, tomorrow she was finding somewhere to get something cheap to wear. Otherwise, she'd be sticking out like a sore thumb.

She exited the bathroom, looking between the two men before she went to sit at the edge of the bed with Cole. "I don't know why I'm even surprised still by the building," Ileana said with a sigh.

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wolfishane
2010-06-22 05:53 am UTC (link)

Shane pointed to the bathrobes on the bed when Ileana came out of the bathroom. Then he took his shirt off, unbuttoning it and leaving it on the chair with his coat - no reason to get it dirty if he was going to have to wear it again in the morning, at least until they could find clothes.

"This does go above and beyond the usual," he said. He glanced out the window at street signs and flickering street lights before shutting the curtains.

It was funny how easily small things got under his skin these days, like Ileana sitting easily beside Cole. Cole was a friend, and Ileana seemed nice enough. The Wolf liked her, at any rate, or liked her counterpart, which was near enough. None of that kept him from tasting harsh jealousy at the back of his throat, just for the way they sat beside one another. That sort of easiness together, their body language making them look for all the world like a happy couple despite the situation, dug hooks in him. Jealous was ugly. It wasn't fair, and it wasn't even truly personal - just a happenstance of frustration. Envy was coppery: red, not green. He was never going to have that. That kind of happiness wasn't designed for people like him.

He got back onto the bed. "Whatever it wants, I'm sure we'll find out eventually."

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blackcatsrbad
2010-06-22 06:18 am UTC (link)

"Not bad, right?" Cole attempted to smile at Ileana as he held out one of the bathrobes before nodding towards Shane. "I would've thought that if the building was going to employ time travel, it would have sent us back to our fables' time or something like that." Getting sent to Sleepy Hollow was the last thing he ever wanted to happen, but he had to wonder how much worse it would be than here. Terrible things always happened in history, whether real or fiction, and sometimes reality was ten times worse.

Sleeping in his only shirt was probably a bad idea, and after a moment's pause followed suit in unbuttoning it and leaving it on the chair with his jacket and tie. He would've killed for a t-shirt and pajama pants right about then, although Ichabod advised him to be grateful - Shut up - and crawled into bed, tugging on the bathrobe while slipping out of his pants - with minimal awkwardness, although he was grateful for the fact that it was one of the long ones rather than short.

He wasn't entirely aware of Shane's jealousy, but he could sense that something was off and assumed it was their situation in general. "It'll bring us back eventually, though. It has to."

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vasilissa
2010-06-22 06:40 am UTC (link)

"This doesn't count as our vacation," Ileana teased with a little grin. "Shit, I would be way more of a mess if I got dropped back in the middle of the Russian wilderness with Esme running around with a chicken hut." Not that she's had that nightmare over and over since Esme showed up.

Ileana waited till she was sure Shane was looking away before she slipped out of the evening gown, draping it over the arm of a chair and hurried to put on her bathrobe. Climbing in to bed next to Cole, Ileana said, "If we figure out what the building wants, it'll bring us home. Unless it's actually doing it for kicks. Is it possible a building could be a sadist? I'm starting to think it is."

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