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Nikola Tesla (thisisprogress) wrote in rooms,
@ 2014-04-28 16:10:00

Entry tags:

!hotel, *log, helen magnus, nikola tesla

hotel, open }
Who: Nikola Tesla & OPEN
What: New friends?
Where: Passages Hotel.
When: Late April
Warnings/Rating: None yet!

There was something about the hotel that appealed to Nikola. It wasn’t as new or as shiny or as technologically advanced as his government funded lab back home. It wasn’t as new or as shiny or as technologically advanced as much of anything back home. In some ways, it was better. It was a reminder of better times, when things were simpler, and he was still easily ahead of every scientific advancement the world had ever known. If you asked him, he still was, but even he couldn’t deny that the world had changed. And not all for the better.

He started at the top of the hotel, slowly working his way down, occasionally pausing to admire an interesting door or a particular piece of craftsmanship from an almost forgotten time. Being forgotten…he knew what that felt like.

A look behind the bar gifted him with an excellent bottle of red, which instead of pouring, he took with him, ‘borrowing’ a glass as well before continuing his journey through the hotel’s halls.

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magnustic
2014-04-28 08:46 pm UTC (link)

Helen was no stranger to surprises, nor was this the first time she found herself in a mysterious situation. The thing was, everything seemed ordinary at first. Except the house was empty and intact, a surprise for her all things considered, and she quickly read over the strange new item that was waiting for her. None of it made much sense, but she had every intention of delving into it deeper later on. She went exploring instead, seeing exactly how similar her not-home was, and she walked right through a door and into an unknown hallway.

"Bloody hell ...." Helen peered down one side and then the other, and she was far too curious to walk back inside. She used her journal to hold the door open, in case she had trouble finding her way there again. Her gun was left in its holster, but it was a comforting weight at her side, she had no way of knowing what was going to come around the corner. Still, wandering around big drafty buildings was normal for her. She relaxed the more she stopped at each door and studied their differences.

She rounded a corner and saw someone walking in the opposite direction. Drawing her weapon would probably start off on the wrong foot, so instead she took the direct approach. "Hello there, do you work here?" It looked like a hotel, a business seemed the obvious answer. Helen's sharp eyes took in a few details and she sighed, folding arms across her chest. Of bloody course. "Nikola."

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forgive my slowness! i was terribly distracted by dragon age.

thisisprogress
2014-04-29 05:03 am UTC (link)

He had been quite enjoying his little jaunt through the hotel. His nice quiet jaunt. And the wine. Nikola was enjoying that too. He had to give credit where it was due; they had excellent taste. He'd known it was too good to be true.

That familiar grin spread across his face as he turned to greet her, arms outstretched in a gesture clearly meant to express that he had nothing to do with this. When last they'd spoken, she hadn't been exactly happy with him. Something to do with betrayal and working for the enemy.

"Helen. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

In his defense, this time, he really was innocent. He'd been as surprised to find himself here the first time as she must be.

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Log: Nikola/Helen

magnustic
2014-04-29 03:13 pm UTC (link)

Helen gave him her typical unimpressed look, the one that said I'm-not-falling-for-it. Or I-don't-have-the-time. Or any number of exasperated reactions to the vampire. He'd given that gesture a number of times when he was responsible. "Perhaps you should tell me."

The last time they saw each other for her was far different, and it was because of that she was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. If Nikola was going to whisk them off to some alternate universe, he would likely take credit for it, bragging about whatever he did to succeed. "No, this is not you. You'd pick a better hotel." His taste was much too snobby for the strange sort of emptiness of these hallways.

She approached him, her expression turning thoughtful. "Someone brought us here. But for what purpose, I wonder?" Helen liked mysteries, but she hated surprises, especially since the majority of them turned out poorly for her and her people.

[ooc: no problem, I love that game!]

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Log: Nikola/Helen

thisisprogress
2014-04-30 03:26 am UTC (link)

"Helen. I'm hurt that you think I would bring you here for my own selfish purposes." Oh. Wait. That actually sounds exactly like the kind of thing he would do.

He waited patiently for her to come closer, letting her work through the facts of their little predicament on her own. After all, he'd already had time to process. "That's the question of the hour."

Not that he was in a terrible hurry to find the answer. Was it so bad, really? Having an escape from it all, time to think about his next project while the world as they knew it disintegrated around them.

"It does have a certain charm, don't you think?"

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Log: Nikola/Helen

magnustic
2014-05-01 03:07 am UTC (link)

"Are there other kinds of purposes you have?" Helen was skeptical to say the least, but their acerbic back and forth was old habit. They'd been bickering for over a century at this point. She was never certain where they stood at a given time. She revamped him, and then he turned around and betrayed the Abnormals for his own gain. But he helped at the end, and that made a difference.

"Charm? We've been captured by something or someone unknown and put in a replica of my house, only to walk through a doorway into this." She was starting to wonder if they were back in the computer, and Adam Worth was going to show up at any moment now. She'd killed him enough times by now. "It looks like the house, except for the lack of people and personal items, and you know, not blown to bits." It still stung, but she wondered now if there were other places here that mimicked what there was at home. She'd have to explore and see if her pans were still there.

"Trust you to find wine anywhere."

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Log: Nikola/Helen

thisisprogress
2014-05-03 05:12 am UTC (link)

His grin widened at that. He loved the bickering. It was the hallmark of their relationship. He'd worry when they stopped. Contrary to popular belief, he could be serious about problems that weren't his own. Though, admittedly, he did tend to care more about the outcome as it directly related to his current and future existence.

He tilted the bottle of wine he still held in his hand as if to say, 'this?' "You'd be surprised at the selection." He'd almost be impressed, considering the current state of the place, but it was less remarkable when one took into account their unnatural arrivals.

"I admit, it may be lacking in some areas, but honestly, Helen, must you be so dramatic." He paused mid-argument, expression turning serious, her words finally having caught up to him.

"Say that again." He'd heard her fine the first time, but it still required repeating.

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Re: Log: Nikola/Helen

magnustic
2014-05-05 02:39 am UTC (link)

His serious moments were few and far in between, and her light spirited moments were the same. She was rustier now, with much more time under her belt, time in isolation she was still trying to break out of the habit. Helen sighed and took a look at the bottle, reaching out to pick it up. After a beat, even she had to shrug. "Not bad." She'd give it that. Whatever this place was. Nikola was far more discerning about his wine than she was, strange since he was incapable of getting drunk.

"I'm dramatic? The man who makes death rays and moans about being fired in my office. Stones. Glass houses." He was a sulker, back from the old days until now. All of the Five had their own unique personalities and skills they brought to the table, and in general, they worked as an excellent team. Before John went mad, Nikola faked his death, and Nigel died for real.

Helen was getting distracted by one of the doors again, her hand running along the wood, she wondered what the markings meant."There's a version of my house still standing. It reminds me of the bug in our system we took care of, everything's there but not quite right. Didn't you go through it to get here?"

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Log: Nikola/Helen

thisisprogress
2014-05-09 05:33 am UTC (link)

Yes, well, he'd be happy to explain all the subtle differences in taste and why he was more qualified to pick them out than most, but he doubted anyone actually cared and there were more interesting ways to spend his time.

"What bug? Helen, you aren't making any sense." He was beginning to worry about her. A feeling he'd never liked. Of anyone, Helen Magnus might just be his greatest weakness. He tapped a finger against his glass, watching her a minute before trying a different line of inquiry.

"When last we spoke, you were quite upset with me. It seemed we had differing opinions on the matter of betrayal."

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Re: Log: Nikola/Helen

magnustic
2014-05-13 04:22 am UTC (link)

Helen's eyebrows were drawn together in though, confused at first, but instead of asking more questions, she thought about it. After spending another few lifetimes in the world, she was rather accustomed now to being out of time. It took extreme precision to return to the Sanctuary when she was meant to. "Ah. Right. SCIU. I don't think it was differing opinions so much as you having shifting loyalties, as usual."

But there were few people in the world who knew her the way Nikola did, and so she knew he wouldn't leave it there. He would pick up on her holding back even if she did her best. As much as she hated to admit it. So Helen faced him with arms crossed. "I'm from the future. Your shifting loyalties brought you back to us, at least for a short time." Helen should have known he was from the past. If it was her version, he would immediately taunt her about the kiss. "And my house was blown up. It made sense at the time. And now we're here. Time and space, all messed up."

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Log: Nikola/Helen

thisisprogress
2014-05-16 04:24 am UTC (link)

The benefit of knowing someone for over a century. They become predictable. No matter how hard they try not to be, it always came back to the same habits, the same tells. Nikola, of course, liked to pretend this didn't go both ways, but even he had a pattern. And holding back would likely have made him even more difficult than usual.

"My loyalties were never in question." At least they hadn't been for him. He may have had different motivations and his methods might have been questionable, but he would always end up on her side. It just might have taken him a little longer to get there. "We're on the same side." He abandoned his wine bottle on the nearest flat surface; it might be best for future gesturing if he had at least one free hand. "Or we were."

The last was said slowly, making it clear he was trying to fit all the pieces together, figure out exactly where they were. Apparently, coming to a conclusion, he brought his hand to his hip, once more giving her his full attention.

"What did I miss?"

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Re: Log: Nikola/Helen

magnustic
2014-05-22 03:51 am UTC (link)

"So you say, but I had my doubts." By the time they left Helen was more secure that he was on their side, at least enough to feed them information. Henry was right. Her faith in Nikola was tested there. She thought they were on a better path, and the idea of fighting against him was not comfortable. She wasn't about to tell him as much. He'd get too smug. "We are," she finally confirmed. "You were fired, by the way. So enjoy that." If it was to bother him a little, she was satisfied.

"A great deal. I'll tell you on the way back to the Sanctuary, if you'd like to join me. I'll explore the rest of this in more depth. With notes." She had nothing with her that would jot down all of the doors and their differences. Helen had a sharp mind, but this was much more extensive than she expected. It was comforting to see some kind of familiar face, no matter what the source. "It's empty of people, but the supplies are still there, including my wine cellar, if that's enticing enough."

She would need his mind on this. They worked well as a team, whatever uneasiness there was between them.

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Log: Nikola/Helen

thisisprogress
2014-05-28 01:21 am UTC (link)

He did probably owe her an apology for their last encounter, but admitting he was wrong wasn't exactly on the agenda. It just wasn't in his nature. Besides, his intentions were sound, even if there were better ways to go about it. Sometimes progress required sacrifice.

His eyes narrowed slightly when she mentioned him being fired. Now she was just being mean. "Impossible."

So he broke the terms of their agreement and used their money and resources for his own gain. What reason could they possibly have for firing him? He was doing the best work he'd done in years.

It did make him wonder, though, how things had played out. And more importantly, what was going to happen now that time had apparently veered off course. If they did manage to find their way out of here, where would they find themselves? They were definitely going to need more wine.

Setting his glass next to the abandoned bottle, he gestured back down the hall. "After you."

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