[of our own device]

Who: Christian and OPEN.
Where: Butterfly Gardens.
When: Early afternoon.

There had been an anxious knot in his stomach all day that nothing had been able to shift or chase away. The dream had worked a number on him, putting him in a state of tense unease from the first moment he’d awoken and it hadn’t eased up in the hours since. The news Michael had relayed to them all across the hotel’s network hadn’t helped, but Christian couldn’t lie and say that the arrival of three new softies at once was the primary source for his anxiety. He certainly couldn’t convince himself of that fact, not when the real reason was still working its way through his brain, creeping like poison, infecting every other thought.

Like a few choice other members of staff Christian had spent time in the hotel before accepting a position as a member of staff. A long time ago though it had been he remembered it well, at least the times when he had been sober. As he bent to pick up the ball the aptly-named mongrel dropped at his feet he tried not to remember how he’d felt in the times between fixes, when his hands had trembled so badly that he’d barely been able to function, when he’d felt on the verge of a nervous breakdown because the need was so strong. So intense. Just briefly, as he closed his fingers around the ball, his hand shook. Christian thought he might drop the ball but instead he tightened his grip around it, picked it up as he tightened his jaw in a defiant clench, and straightened, drawing in a sharp, sudden breath.

Just a dream, he told himself, turning the ball over in his hand and then rolling it to his other. Just a dream.

Rusty hopped in front of him, making breathless panting sounds, eyes bright and ears perked, his tail sweeping furiously from side to side. Waiting, just waiting, for the ball to fly again. Christian obliged, sending it out across the garden in a powerful throw, feeling the pull of the muscles in his arm and through his shoulder and back, a rewarding flash of sensation that briefly derailed the disturbing thoughts about a past he very much wanted to leave behind.

When the dog came barrelling back towards him Christian recognised immediately that Rusty was too excited, that the animal wasn’t going to be able to pull up before crashing into him, and so he did the only thing he could think to do. He stepped aside. Too late he realised there was someone else there, behind him, and that part of Rusty’s enthusiasm was their very arrival.

“You might want to brace yourself,” he told them, as Rusty whipped past him. He hadn’t had time to grab the dog by the collar. Luckily, the excited mongrel was able to judge the distance properly and managed to apply the brakes in time to stop short of slamming into the new arrival’s legs, though he did greet them by dropping a somewhat damp ball on their toes, proceeding to look up at them expectantly, as if to say Well?

Who: Christian and Michael
When: Early morning
Where: Morning Star

Michael had been eating her meals in reverse for longer than she could remember. She supposed it wasn't particularly surprising - she'd been at the hotel for a long time, and most of that time she had been on a night shift. Oh sure, back in her front desk days she'd done filler shifts at all hours, but now she was a nocturnal animal. She'd wake up early in the evening and eventually have dinner before starting her shift, and after her shift she'd get breakfast and usually go crash. It was a good system. When she'd first started working night hours exclusively she'd tried eating breakfast at night and dinner in the morning, but eventually dismissed the idea entirely. She liked it better this way, and it was less work for the staff.

Maybe once a week Christian would join her for breakfast, and she was expecting him today. They'd had five check-ins in two days, and while it certainly wasn't a record, it was a lot. The last thing she'd done before signing off to the day manager was check her briefs, but she still had no warning of any new guests coming. That didn't mean there wouldn't be another check-in - stranger things had happened. Some people spent weeks or months leading up to their stay, but she had met those that seemed to have come in mere hours after their final turning point in the outside world. Those were always very interesting cases to Michael.

With a smile and a wave to those working in the restaurant, Michael breezed past them all and headed to her usual table. If they weren't busy she saw no reason to trouble whoever was playing host or hostess, and her table was free. Not that she particularly expected anyone to correct her, but it would have been amusing to see someone try. She smoothed the skirt of her simple black dress as she seated herself, and waited to see if Chrissy would show.