WHO: wesley + ciri WHERE: first floor shenanigans WHEN: backdated to after this WHAT: learning about Goldschläger and Foosball STATUS: completed WARNINGS: PG13
Ciri did not expect everyone to come in and immediately believe in others with magic. There were more than enough worlds out there that seemed to lack the recognition of the magic in everything. She would never say that any works or dimension was without, merely not tuned into it. For every dimension she had stepped foot into not a single one felt without power. Most merely focused on their own way to access small portions.
Having nothing better to do than to show a stranger a snippet into the wonders they would encounter in the hotel, Ciri pulled on a cotton tunic she bought in Tortuga and leather pants slit and tied up the sides. Brushing her fingers through her hair, she opened the portal to just after the pool entrance and hoped she wasn't too far off before stepping through.
She really needed to remember that there was a pool inside the building. Other than baths, she was not used to such a thing and needed to find herself in there more often.
---
He could bend bullets in the air. His last ‘family’ had been a centuries old cult made up of assassins with a twisted moral compass and almost super-powered abilities. Magic shouldn’t have come as much of a surprise. Especially after he’d just been picked up like a Monopoly piece off the board and dropped into who the fuck knew where. If this had happened to him a few years ago, he would have ended up in the bathroom with his head in the toilet.
Now, he was running his hands through his hair and making it stick out in a dozen different directions so he looked like a dirty Furbie.
At some point, Wesley started walking to his room. He’d gone through the phone that had been given to him and scoured through the network to get a better understanding of where he was and why he was here. It didn’t look like anyone actually knew what was going on behind the curtain but it also didn’t look like anyone was trying that hard to pull it back. Everyone was strangely content in living in ignorance. Or maybe they did know and just weren’t into sharing.
At least the people around here were friendly. So far.
He’d just started to pass the pool on the first floor when that message from came through from Portal Girl. Wes had stopped, like he’d said. He waited a moment, then another one, turning to look down both ends of the hall as if expecting her to walk around the corner.
A sharp crack and the sound of wind echoed in the hall and suddenly, as he stood there blinking with his jaw on the floor, she walked out of a swirling blue portal. As if it were nothing. Like she did it every day. Okay, cool.
“Wow. Uh. Hi?”
----
A look of triumph hit the sparkle in Ciri's light eyes as she saw the man in shock. A mischievous grin on her lips. The diversity of the guests made such reactions amusing. Even the god of thunder had had such a look. Back home Ciri did not much like feeling unique because that was what put her created family in danger. Here, those dangerous hunters could not sense her- seemingly.
Pushing her loose hair behind her ear uncovering the scar across her cheek, she laughed softly. "Hello."
Letting the portal close behind her, intent on making this more of a meeting then merely proving a point. "I told you I could create portals." She leaned on the wall beside him. Looking him over, she appreciated the rawness that came from him. The hotel was full of pretty people with a variety of styles that made for some of the best eye candy.
"I'm Ciri."
---
“Uh. Hi, Ciri. Wesley,” he awkwardly gestured to himself. “You just came through a portal. That’s normal? For you?” Because it wasn’t for him. But Wes had seen some strange things since that first crazy day when Fox had basically kidnapped him from that convenience store. As freaked out as he had been about being kidnapped again, he was feeling much better knowing he wasn’t the only one. It was all still kinda nutty to him but a nutty he could handle.
Unless one of those supposed ghosts started to come at him.
He had a thing about ghosts.
Hopefully he didn’t come off as creepy as he looked her over but Wes couldn’t stop himself from doing a serious double-take. Between the white hair and the pirate-esque outfit she was wearing, Ciri looked more like she had walked out Treasure Island instead of a portal. “I like color,” Wes gestured towards her head, fingers wriggling in the air.
---
The stuttering shock was actually very adorable, she thought to herself as he seemed to chug slowly forward in his connections to what happened in front of him. "Yes," she giggled, unable to hold it back. "Fairly normal. Being limited to what this hotel allows, and without worries from back home, I use my portals fairly regularly."
Back home every use pinged her location to the Wild Hunt like a fishing lure. Her portals held an intense amount of energy in and of themselves that a typical mage could not do. They used those moments to find her, taking everything out in their path once they got there. She felt safer to use her power as it was in the hotel environment.
Chewing her bottom lip in amusement, she moved more of her hair from her face. "Thank you. I like your hair too." She offered back. "Were you swimming prior or did I interrupt where you were headed? I didn't have much of a plan after proving the portals to you."
---
Stuttering was adorable, sure. But not sexy. Wes could count on one finger how many times he’d been able to get a girl to go home with him because of it. Big hint. He didn’t even have the one. Couldn’t really pull off the dirty talk when his tongue kept twisting over itself.
Maybe he’d been using his tongue wrong.
“Cool,” was all he could think of to say. The portal had disappeared but Wes kept staring in the empty space as if expecting it to appear again. “Does it hurt when you jump through?” He imagined it worked kind of like the teleporting beam in Star Trek. It had been awhile since he’d seen those reruns so maybe it was completely different.
Wes grinned and touched his own hair. He tried smoothing it out a little but he could feel it sticking up all over. “Nah, I was just kind of exploring, actually. I heard there was an open bar so um, that’s where I was headed.” He chewed his lip. “You been to it?”
---
Given half the chance and Ciri would not have minded seeing if he actually used his tongue wrong. For science.
Glancing to where his eyes kept staring into the nothing, she was tempted to open it back up. "Not at all. Though if you aren't used to it you can get sick like coming off a boat."
Stepping up to him while he messed with his hair, she tugged lightly at any that was smoothed down to re-spike it playfully. "Yes, it's quite nice to not have to worry about paying or getting in trouble if you start a fight. Would you mind company?"
Wes might have been tongue tied, but Ciri was extroverted enough to do the inviting herself.
---
“I do get seasick,” Wesley mumbled under his breath. But the chance to jump through a magical portal didn’t come along every day. In Wes’ world, it didn’t come along at all so seeing one now had sparked some curiosity.
His blue eyes widened and his lips cracked open in surprise when she mentioned joining him. But then the shock dissolved and his whole face broke out into a smile. Confidence was a hard thing to remember having when he’d gone so many years without it. Wes wouldn’t think himself model-esque or drop-dead-gorgeous but he did have some seriously nice hair. It was usually the first thing a pretty girl like Ciri noticed. “I would love some company. But only if you’re offering yours.”
But no barfights. Just because he had the skills to manage one or a handful of fists being thrown at him didn’t mean that he was in the mood for it. He had been hesitant at first but the longer he was here, the more he was into the idea of a vacation. Forced or not wasn’t the point right now.
“Can we go through one of those portals? To get us to the bar?” Wes had to ask. There was the chance he’d end up leaving his breakfast on the floor but damnit, it would be worth it.
---
“I have never thought to offer someone else’s company,” she winked. “But I do make requests at times.”
To be asked to use the portal came as soon much of a surprise that Ciri tiles her head to the side as if he has misspoke. "Really? You want to come with me through one even though you've never seen something like that before?"
She bit her lip and held out her hand for him to take. Her skin as warm as the fire that created the portal itself. "You're just going to trust me like that?" Ciri let the portal reappear, the swirling vortex an extension of herself.
---
He laughed. “Yes? I mean, how often does a person get the chance to travel by teleportation? As long as it’s not going to kill me, why not?” In another life, Wesley would have avoided taking that jump. In all honesty, a part of him was a little terrified of what might happen. Was the risk really worth the thrill?
But he’d spent too much of his life worrying about maybes and what-ifs. Worrying himself to death wasn’t going to give him a happy life. And if he did go through that portal and end up sliced into ribbons, well, at least he’d tried.
“Just like that.” Wes gave her his hand. His stomach lurched as she pulled him in but he ignored it.
---
Of all the things she could control of her portals, making them an easier ride for people was not one of them. Each new person willing to try using it so that they might have the experience made her unendingly happy. The amount of people that went through the portals that appeared because of some experiment had been interesting to watch and note which ones had absolutely no fear.
Magic swirling around them, pulling at the body like an undertow, Ciri lead Wesley through, keeping a tight hand on him. She did not believe she could lose people in what seemed like near instantaneous travel- except that the physical body would tell you it wasn’t- but she still held on to stabilize them once they were out.
On the other side, the bar opened up her portal in the back corner away from any would by bystanders. “You might wait a moment before we have drinks for your body to settle,” she smiled, leading them over to the bartop.
---
Being pulled through the portal was a little like riding the top of a train.
If the train was going the speed of a bullet.
Wes had to catch himself on the edge of the bartop for balance. His head was spinning and his insides felt like they’d been put into a blender on the highest speed but his stomach remained where it was thankfully. He leaned into the counter and hoped he didn’t look as horrible as he felt.
“Fuck,” he cursed quietly. A few groans later, he forced himself upright. At least it wasn’t an uncomfortableness that lingered. He could already feel it start to fade. And of course, as soon as it did, he was wondering about trying it again.
He kept taking in deep breaths for a few more minutes. Eventually, he laughed and grinned over at her. “You make it look so effortless. I think I left a part of me somewhere back in that hall.” Glancing to the bar, he licked his lips. “What do they got here?” No one was behind the counter so he slipped back there and started to loot through the bottles. “What are you into? Whiskey? Vodka? Shit, they got Goldshlager?” Wes pulled out the whiskey and dropped it on the bartop. “You like cinnamon?”
---
Ciri rubbed his back as he continued to take deep breaths. She figured it would be a lot worse for those that did not have portals anywhere in their world. Bucky had been generally fine because she was pretty sure the strange doctor was from his world and therefore portals existed. Or that was her theory.
“We can get that part later,” she teased.
No one ever seemed to be behind the counter much to Ciri’s dismay. She liked the interaction between her and tavern keepers. “I am not sure what Goldschläger is. In my world we generally drink meads and beers and Whiskey.” She smiled. “Everything here always has that sense that they’ve ripped all the taste out, filtering everything so much. But yes, I love cinnamon.”
---
“You’ve never heard of Goldschläger?” Wesley was flabbergasted. Had she been living out in the middle of nowhere? Her clothes suggested that she definitely wasn’t from anywhere near Chicago. Unless there was another cult he’d been aware of. He raised an eyebrow at her. “Where are you from?”
It didn’t matter. He was going to make the introductions. Ducking back down under the bartop, he disappeared for the briefest moments before finding what he needed. Standing back up, he held up two shot glasses and set both dramatically in the middle of the counter. “It’s good you like cinnamon because this is nothing but. And there’s no such thing as too many. Unless you don’t think waking up wearing your girlfriend’s clothes is a good time.” He over-poured for them both, a mess of alcohol spilling over the rim of the shot glasses and onto the counter.
“Don’t take this the wrong way but you’re over twenty-one, right?” Wes added as an after-thought. Again, it didn’t matter. She looked old enough and who was he to tell anyone else what they could or couldn’t do? Wes was pushing the shot glass towards her as he picked up his own. “Bottoms up!”
---
Shaking her head, she smirked. She did not have a very good answer for the wheres, as they called their planet earth as well, but it was very obviously not the same earth. “A place called Cintra, my grandmother ruled Cintra and Skellige. It is not from the world we seem to be on.”
Leaning over the bartop to watch what he was grabbing, she sat back when he popped back up. It was funny to see how comfortable people were jumping behind a bar and grabbing the variety of alcohols. “I prefer waking up without clothes on at all,” she teased, suggestively., chewing on the end of her nail as he poured them shots.
The flirtation turned into confusion. “My 21st birthday was last week, but I am not sure I understand why that matters?” There would be many things Ciri still had not run into when it came to the majority culture amongst the guests. Age rules had never been brought up in any of her conversations.
Taking the shot in a single unflinching gulp, she laughed. “That is delicious!”
---
His head was still rattled from the magic of the portal but he had definitely heard his new friend saying that her grandmother had ruled a country. Was she actually saying that her grandmother was a queen? Wesley had to bite his tongue to keep from asking outright. Mostly because he was distracted by the other weird thing she had mentioned.
“Other world?” He tried to think back to his history and geography classes. It hadn’t been that long ago but long enough that he wondered if he’d slept through a chapter because neither Skellige or Cintra sounded remotely familiar. Was she suggesting that she was from some other planet completely? “Never heard of those places,” he admitted after tossing the shot down his throat. “I’m from Chicago. I just started traveling around recently. There’s a lot of places I’d like to go. This place wasn’t on the list but I guess I can just make the best of it until I figure out how to leave.” If what he’d read over the communications board was true though, it looked like that wasn’t going to be easy.
He blushed. Just freshly twenty-one, huh? The casual mention of sleeping naked wasn’t lost on him either. “Too bad you’re not my roommate.” Did those words actually come out of his mouth? Wes grinned and lifted up the bottle again. “Delicious and free. My favorite kind of booze.” A second round was poured. “So are there any other surprises I should know about? Other than ghosts, I mean.”
---
“I have never heard of Chicago, so we might be even.” Ciri giggled. She did not wish to destroy his brain so quickly by explaining the vase amount of dimensions there were for this world in particular, not including other planets and other galaxies. It was a bit of a heavy subject for flirtation and drinks.
Ciri licked her lips. “Doesn’t mean I can’t visit your room,” she teased, loving the way he blushed at whichever part he had blushed for. She had a healthy respect for casual sex and casual nudity, seeing them as nothing to blush over. Wes might have a heart attack if he ever stepped foot into her room though as neither her nor Yenn slept in much of anything.
“Hmm, sometimes we wake up and the hotel is some strange location or the wild life goes crazy and starts attacking people. It never lasts long. Some things that the ghosts do can be downright cruel at times, but they are mostly merely entities wandering about like the rest of us.”
Taking the second shot quickly, she traced her fingers on his closest hand. “There are some days that absolutely nothing happens and we have to entertain ourselves.” Like she was doing now.
----
Wesley almost choked on the whiskey. That was an invitation. Definitely. Right? Now he wished he had already been to his room. Then he’d know if he had to kick out a roommate or not. He’d keep that mental note for the next time they met.
It seemed strange that so many people here thought this was normal. That being pulled from his small apartment by some invisible force and then being dropped in the same place as a whole bunch of other people who had the same thing happen to them ….that it was all just normal when it was so far from it. And they all just carried on living this strange life being trapped by a building.
Wesley knew how it felt to be trapped. Maybe that was why he felt so comfortable here.
She touched his hand and he smiled. He flipped his hand over and moved his fingers with her’s. “And what passes for entertainment here? I think I saw a game room down the hallway. Ever heard of foosball?”
---
It was most definitely an invitation that Ciri hoped he take up sooner rather than later. She wished she could invite him back to her room. Yenn's rules meant no one got to sleep in her bed with her.
The feel of his fingers on her palm with hers running over his was sensual in the midst of whiskey pumping through her veins. She really wished they had a place to go.
"There are several places of entertainment here, depending on how far you go down," she chewed playfully on her bottom lip. "But, I don't know what foosball is, no."
---
“You don’t know Chicago or foosball? Well. That is just fucking unacceptable,” he tugged on her hand playfully though before pulling away and coming back around the bar to her side. “I’ll forgive you for not knowing Chicago,” Wes warned her playfully. “But we’re fixing your game knowledge right now.”
He’d seen some sort of game room somewhere on this floor which had blown his mind. Between the two of them, they could find it again easily. After that fun experiment with her portal, Wesley preferred to walk to their destination.
“I saw a table down the hall. Would you be up for learning how to play?”
---
"Of course! I love learning new things." Ciri laughed. The two shots settling nicely in her system. Grabbing the bottle, she stood up.
"Games are better with drinks," she added, with a mischievous smirk. It would also allow a more even playing field of it was any kind of hand-eye coordination game. She assumed the word ball meant it was.
The day was turning out better than she could have hoped. Proving her powers had become drinking and games with a cute guy not afraid to swear. It was great and she wouldn't mind hanging out more after if just for the flirting.