route_1065 | Cue sax of the yackety variety.

Current Location: Goldenrod City Hotel

Entry tags:

Cue sax of the yackety variety.

Who: Anyone in the Goldenrod Hotel
Where: The Goldenrod City Hotel
When: Starting at 5:00 PM on December 19th and ending at 4:00 AM on December 20th.
Summary: POWER OUTAGE IN THE GOLDENROD CITY HOTEL. See here for details!
Rating: Probably PG to PG-13.
Log:
A pair of deep, enormous red eyes sat in front of the receptionist and stared, intensely.

The receptionist pursed her lips and frowned, staring back through a pair of horn-rimmed glasses.

Claudy's enormously fluffy feet were reflected neatly on the glossy countertop, as were the wickedly-sharp talons that stuck out of them.

Those were the main things keeping the unfortunate receptionist on duty from shooing the owl Pokemon, although the beak wasn't much of an incentive, either.

"Um... young lady," she said hesitantly, trying to lean around the large bird, her chair creaking. "The lobby is intended to be a space for EVERYBODY..."

"And it still IS a space for everybody," Heather said, unloading a shoulderful of soft, folded blankets onto one of the lobby's sofas and dusting her hands off. Several other blankets had already been partially tied up over the back of the couch and stretched out to attach at the corners to rows of chairs that were painstakingly arranged in aesthetically-pleasing, tunnel-wall-like patterns. There were also the beginnings of several pillow-built barricades, and even some large cardboard boxes standing by on reserve, should the pillows run out before construction was complete. "It's just a COOLER space for everybody."

The receptionist's frown grew and she sighed, rubbing her temples and trying to ignore the Noctowl's unblinking stare. She was fairly certain that it had been placed there SOLELY to distract her from stopping the construction of 'New Lobby'-- and it was doing a fairly good job.

Why did the difficult visitors ALWAYS come downstairs while SHE was on desk duty?

Meanwhile, the wind howled outside, piling snow against the glass doors to the outside and plastering against the windows-- not that there was much to see out there, besides flying snow. It blotted out even the rest of the city's lights, which normally lit up the plaza outside like daylight even after dusk.

"Miss, I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to take all that down," she said for the fifth time in the past half-hour, and as usual, she was completely ignored as the scruffy blond girl tied a few more blankets up (with some difficulty due to her bandaged hands).

Biting her lip, she started to stand up.

Maybe if she just went over and started... taking all the blankets down herself--

And then suddenly, there was a low mooooooan of electricity deciding spontaneously that life wasn't worth it anymore and turning itself off.

The lights went out.

Silence reigned in the lobby.

.... for about five seconds.

"Oh my goodness..."

"WHAT THE HELL JUST HAPPENED--"

"/OLD WOMAN OWL SCREAM"

_{[Feel free to make your own threads! They can be down in the lobby, they can be up in the rooms, they can be anywhere! Is your character in the bathroom plucking their eyebrows when the lights go out? WE WANNA HEAR ABOUT IT, SO GO FOR IT. Are they falling down the stairs? POST THAT SHIT.]

[Threadhopping/jacking is totally encouraged, so TAG AROUND TO YOUR HEART'S CONTENT, MY DUDES. If your own thread isn't getting replies right away, go ahead and jump in somewhere else! Look out for other characters in the same areas as yours-- lobby, hallways, staircases, etc! Have fun!]}

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...do I really WANT to know, Heather?

yes :D

YOU KIDS AND YOUR SMILEYS. Phoenix does not understand, so he just raises his eyebrow at the Gear.

Let me guess: you're going to drag me down there even if I say no, right?

That is your reasoning for everything Heather makes you do, huh, Phoenix?

Edited 2010-12-20 18:04 (UTC)

SHE'LL TEACH HIM. He can't be nearly as obtuse about understanding ~*~NEW TECHNOLOGY~*~ as Harry was.

yeah, basically.

come on, I promise you'll like it.

She was gonna get him to lighten up no matter what.

Hey, Phoenix could use his cell phone fine!

...it was those tricky computers that'd always tripped him up, okay.

Alright, alright. I'll be down in a bit.

While, in his mind, there were little mini-Phoenixes fluttering around singing It sucks to be meeee~ It sucks to be meeee~

...which is pretty much the story of Phoenix's life the past few months. BUT ANYWAY.

Phoenix...generally doesn't go back on his word, right? So it might strike you as a bit odd that, even though the power's gone out, he isn't coming down there like he said...

AW PHOENIX. Do you REALLY think it'll be that bad to see what Heather is up to? She's not gonna eatcha!

But yes, it does strike her as a little odd. And she's kind of worried he'd gotten LOST or something. She wouldn't entirely put it past him to have wandered blindly down the hallway and mistaken a broom closet for the doorway to the staircase. And then gotten locked in it. He was just that sort of person.

So she sends off another text a little while after the lights went out.

Whoa, blackout.

You okay up there?

Luckily or unluckily for you, Heather, Phoenix has not stepped out of his room since the blackout because lol, crippling fear of the dark. He's too busy being curled up pathetically on the bed and trying not to have a panic-induced breakdown when his Pokégear vibrates beside him. He jumps, startled, and fumbles around for it.

...well. He wasn't dead, if that's what she meant...so he manages the rather short reply;

fine

...the lack of proper capitalization and puncuation should be rather worrisome, Heather...because whenever Phoenix does not pay attention to his grammar, it's either when he's being attacked by Missingno. or giving himself a guilt trip. WELL.

Edited 2010-12-20 18:58 (UTC)

.....

Yeah okay. She had spent the last week or so more or less in Phoenix's company-- whether it was him hovering over her with blankets and whole lot of concern, or whether it was just the subdued silence that they had probably sat there in following the night she'd received news of Harry-- and that made you get to know a person better.

Mr. Fancypants I Use Proper Capitalization At All Times would not simply say 'fine'.

... hang on, I'm coming up.

AND SO SHE WOULD.

She's leaving her fort defenseless for you, Phoenix! This had better be something important!

Heck, he might as well have moved in with her given the amount of time he'd spent with her the past week...if not for the fact he had a ten-year-old to look after and a lot of accusatory looks he would have surely been given should anyone have found out that he was rooming with an 18-year-old girl. He never meant to make Heather worry with that message -- his sirens were going off all over the place and he wasn't in much of a coherant state of mind to worry about how his actions might be interpreted by others -- but he doesn't acknowledge her reply, either. Which should definitely be setting off even more signals, Heather, whatever ones haven't gone off already.

When you reach his room, you'll see that the door is oh-so-slightly ajar, the chain hanging loose. Not smart, Phoenix. Inside, the lawyer is curled up on the bed with whatever blankets he has left in the room, a soft yellow light flickering from where Mia the Mareep is radiating static next to him, trying to both warm her trainer up and fight of his panic. It may or may not be working, judging by the head he has in his knees and the barely-noticable shake of his shoulders.

Edited 2010-12-20 19:37 (UTC)

True on all counts-- though at least the accusatory looks probably would have been mitigated a little by the fact that said eighteen-year-old girl was Heather Mason, who hung out with company FAR more questionable than the mild-mannered lawyer on a regular basis. Needless to say, though, they HAD spent a lot of time together over the past week _{[which we've gotta play more of, dagnabbit]} and if Heather had learned ONE thing, it was that when Phoenix said he was going to COME DOWN IMMEDIATELY OH GOD, he would.

So between that and the further lack of reply, she IS a little worried.

It's quite a hike up all those stairs, what with the elevator not working (thank god Edgeworth wasn't on that...), but Heather makes it up eventually. When she reaches his door, feeling her way along the wall with her bandaged hands, she's a little out of breath.

"... Phoenix?"

... Oh. Oh man. The sight she'd just walked in on didn't look good.

She already knew the guy was sensitive, and ... kinda wimpy, but she hadn't actually see him go into fetal position mode before.

"Dude, are you all right?"

That and the fact that Heather was a lone wolf by nature, and Phoenix respects that -- to a point, of course, because that had obviously not stopped him from fawning over her ever since last Sunday. Although, given the very real possibility that Edgeworth would be running off with Shelly and Ken within the next month or so...Phoenix does not like being alone, and wihle he will fight forward on his own as best he can, it'll eventually become painfully obvious that he really likes having someone, anyone to room with.

Not that any of this pertains to the situation at hand, of course. What DOES matter is that, at the sound of Heather's voice, Phoenix's lifts his head up to stare warily at Heather through wide, deer-in-headlight eyes. There weren't tears -- he wasn't has horribly phobic of the dark as he was of, say, thunderstorms -- but it looks as if there's a pretty damn near possibility that there might be in the near future.

"...Heather?"

Mia, from where she's curled up next to her trainer, lifts her head as well, welcoming Heather to their humble abode with a loud "Maaa!" and a little shake of her wool.

Poor boo. Heather might not be willing to sacrifice her lone-wolf room, but... after everything the poor lawyer had done for her, she would most certainly be there for him. Because she was damn sick of not being there for the people she cared about when it mattered. And if she owed it to ANYONE, it was to Phoenix. He'd been there for her when she needed it so desperately.

... And it looked like she'd be repaying part of that debt right NOW. Because he did NOT look like he was in good shape.

"Yeah, s'me. What the heck's wrong with you?"

It sounded almost accusatory, but Phoenix could probably tell by now that this was just Heather's default mode.

She headed over to the bed, looking down at the sad ball of lawyer and the little Mareep.

"It's just a power outage-- are you sick or something?"

He looked terrified-- that much she could tell in the dim light. But why?

He wouldn't expect her to, but...don't be surprised if he asks to move down to the room next to yours, Heather. Phoenix is sort of helpless like that.

"Um."

So, how is he supposed to explain to tough-as-nails Heather that he has a crippling phobia of the dark without her laughing at him? The answer was that he couldn't actually, so he just sort of settles for, "T-This isn't what it looks like--"

This is exactly what it looks like, Phoenix. He hugs his knees tighter, and Mia cuddles up to him even more, raising a stubby paw at Heather, as if to beckon her over. "Maa ma! D:"

Poor thing. Given his reaction to the blackout tonight, it ... it probably WON'T surprise her, actually.

Heather stands at the bedside, hands on her hips. She actually is quite worried-- but at least he just seems SCARED, not hurt. At his reply, she raises a brow.

"... It looks like something grabbed your feet from under the bed and now you're too scared to set foot on the floor again."

Edited 2010-12-20 20:49 (UTC)

...if Phoenix could deadpan stare in his current condition, he would. Unfortunately, though, he's too busy trying to convince himself that there actually isn't anything lurking under the bed to form his usual, snarky response.

After all, his DOES have a bit of a legitimate concern, considering who might be lurking in the shadows...

"N-no, no." He blinks, trying to get a clear look at Heather in the dark -- Mia certainly helped, but it still wasn't the most opprotune lightning situation. "I just. Er."

...he glances away. "I don't-- _{I-I don't like the dark, okay?}"

He takes a breath, biting his lower lip. "Especially not--not now, of all times..."

Edited 2010-12-20 20:58 (UTC)

Heather had been all set to give a snarky reply of her own if he talked back, but his answer just made her siiiigh, shoulders going slack. It would be way, WAY too easy to make fun of that. It's not even sporting. It would be like drop-kicking a baby.

She lifted a hand to her temple briefly.

"Phoenix... look, c'mon downstairs. They're lighting candles and stuff down there. You can't just hide up here in the dark."

She doesn't even KNOW that Dahlia's here yet-- guess who missed that post to the network, what with all the turmoil she's been going through? But her advice is sound anyway-- Phoenix is probably safer down there in the pillow fort than he is curled up in bed, alone. At least downstairs he'll have people to look out for him.

She holds out a bandaged hand and, with surprising seriousness (although there is of course a teasing edge to her voice), says "Don't worry. I'll protect you from the monsters."

EVERYTHING Phoenix did was usually pretty easy to tease him about, truth be told. And Heather had already compared him to a puppy on more than one occasion, so he's actually rather glad that she doesn't make a jibe at him this time. He's...not particularly in the mood for it, for once.

...he eyes her hand somewhat warily, sort of hovering half on and half off the bed, not sure if he should be followed her advice or not.

"But..."

He practically gnaws on his lip, not looking Heather in the eye. He knows he's shaking, and it's damn well near mortifying to let the girl see how pathetic he's being right now, but he really, reallyDoors everywhere. Doors where ten billion different brands of things could come popping out at you -- and no, Heather, telling him about Silent Hill has not exactly alleviated his phobia much. If anything, he's only reacting so badly because he knows that somewhere, hell-monsters exist.

...and Dahlia, of course, but he's still debating whether he should tell this to Heather or not.

Don't worry, Phoenix. She'll wait until they're DOWNSTAIRS and in the safety of Fort Blanket to start waxing nostalgic over her previous (and extensive) experience of wandering around pitch-black buildings with no power whatsoever.

"Seriously. Either come with me willingly, or I'll CARRY you."

... Ignoring the fact that she probably couldn't carry him, she COULD drag him, so...

Reaching down, she lays a hand on his shoulder. The fact that it's shaking tugs some heartstrings, but she doesn't hesitate.

"Besides, I won't have any fun in my awesome fortress down there if I have to constantly think about how you're huddled up here shaking like a teacup chihuahua."

Okay, she couldn't resist making at least ONE puppy-related jab. But at least it wasn't mean-spirited.

"What do you say?"

And do you think that huddling amidst a bunch of teenagers in a flimfy blanket fort is going to be any better an atmosphere to tell those tales in?

...actually, it probably is. But that's beside the point.

"D-do you always have to find some way to compare me to a dog...?" is the first thing that comes out of his mouth, and the fact that his usual sarcastic undertones have started to slip back into his speech indicate that he might be getting over this a bit -- but he's still shivering as he sighs with defeat and stands up, Mia hopping off of the bed and IMMEDIATELY going to sit on his feet once they're on the ground. He flashes a grateful smile at Heather and reaches down to pry Mia off, plopping her in front of him as she turns around to give him her best 8( face.

"Maaaaa."

He straightens up completely, rubbing the wrinkles that had started to form in his dress pants (which he still wears around the hotel room like the dork that he is) from sitting in a fetal position for so long. "I guess you're right," he finally concedes, reaching over to grab his sweatshirt, as well, because it's starting to get pretty cold in here without the heating... "I, uh. I'm sorry for making you worry." Sheepish rub of the back of his neck is go.

Mia, meanwhile, has waddled over to the door by now, plopping down to wait for the two to follow her. Her wool lights up brighter with more electicity, causing the hallway outside to become partially illuminated. Which means shadows. Which means a compulsive shudder from Phoenix, not that it's noticable due to the fact that he's constantly shuddering at the moment...

What are you talking about? It's the BEST atmosphere to tell those tales in! Haven't you EVER been on a camping trip, Phoenix? EVER?

Heather grins as he sits up. THERE'S a little of the normal Phoenix!

"Yes," is her cheerful reply. "And psh. Don't worry about it." Jerking her thumb over her shoulder, she heads on out after Mia, grateful for the sheep's glowing wool. It'll make it much easier to walk down six flights of stairs, shadows or no. She does notice his shivering, though. Poor guy. How had he even SURVIVED this long?

"It's kinda warmer down there, too."

Not that that was why he was shivering...

Maybe when he was, like, five? Does Phoenix REALLY seem like the outdoorsy type to you, Heather? The man's a LAWYER, for crissakes!

He still looks a bit apologetic, though, and trots along behind Heather, his sense immediately going into red-alert the minute they're in the hallway. You'd fit right in at Silent Hill, Phoenix! Now all you need is a radio and the balls to defend yourself.

"Y-Yeah." He IS rather cold, terror-shivering aside. He wraps his arms around his chest, trying to converse the warmth he'd gained from the covers of the bed as they tromp through the freezing hallway.

WELL, NO, BUT-- ... STILL.

At least his nerves are probably a good tool for survival. But yeah, as stated-- gotta be able to throw your weight around, too.

"C'mon. Careful on the stairs, though."

SIX FLIGHTS OF THEM.

Assuming neither of them tumble to their deaths at any point, though, eventually they will make it safe down to the lobby. Where... well, it's actually not THAT much warmer, given the big glass doors and windows to the outside... but LOOK.

LOOK AT THAT FUCKING AWESOME FORT.

LOOK AT IT.

SEE. WHAT DID I TELL YOU.

If there's anything Phoenix is good at, it's being incredibly high strung. Whether this is due to his inherant edginess or the obscene amount of coffee he drinks is unclear. Not that he's had to have much caffiene in Route, actually, but back at home...that poor coffee maker. He really needs to stop pulling all-nighters for his cases.

And, well, after stepping into the lobby and realizing that Heather was a lying dork and he will so get this for her later, he just...stares.

It really IS a blanket fort.

"It's really..." Phoenix appears to be searching for the right word, arms clutched tight around his middle because goddammit he is cold. "...something."

WHAT, LYING? WHAT? Heather was honest as a newborn child! ... Well, okay, maybe that was exaggerating.

In any case, she turns to look up at him, beaming, and gives his arm a pat.

"Now all your blankets have not gone to waste."

Over by what was probably the entrance to the fort, Claudy turned her head, red eyes glimmering in the dim light.

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Cue sax of the yackety variety.

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