Beth might have bristled at their lukewarm welcome, but as quickly as she clenched a fist, she reminded herself that all of these people had been through unthinkable terror. Just a few short months before she would have been one of these poor, hapless people. Sometimes, she felt more like them than the divinely chosen. If she and her family had been vacationing here when this happened....It would have been beyond bearing.
So she let it go, only dwelling on it after she felt she had done something useful. But perhaps not useful enough. She knew that there were useful things to be scavenged from other rooms, whose guests were...indisposed, in one way or another. Beth didn't exactly want to go alone, so she paused in one of the hallways. Randomly picking people she'd never met seemed to be going all right so far, so she waited for someone whose stride did not hint at a focused purpose or urgent errand.
When such an individual presented himself, she tried not to be disappointed by his small stature--barely taller than herself. Perhaps he was hiding more muscles underneath the puffy jacket they had been given at the Prytaneum. "Excuse me! Hi, yes, have you managed to get upstairs? I'm sure there are lots of useful things we can find to help shore up our position." Her chipper cheerfulness might have needed some work, but she felt confident that her unorthodox style of making friends was succeeding in spite of it.
andbeblue
Beth is so subtle. cool
grasshopper pie
It's here, if you want it!
Posted: Mon Aug 08, 2016 7:20 pm
Asher's nose was pink and his hair -- always tousled and curly around his face -- was all the worst due to time spent out in the snow. There were tears in his collar across one shoulder, and his boots were still damp. He hadn't been inside for long; had done some kind of exploring outside, and still had a somewhat shellshocked look about him as Beth caught his attention.
Slowly, though, his eyes came into focus on her and he raised both eyebrows slowly. One pause, and he looked around them, like he thought maybe she was talking to someone else.
Brain had just come inside recently himself. The cold still rolled off of him in waves and he snuffled against a runny nose. The hotel did very little to keep everyone warm. They'd have a better chance in a penguin huddle.
He watched a young woman approach an even younger-looking man and wondered if they knew each other. The young man answered that for him; apparently not. It was odd, how everyone was functioning on their bond as Chosen rather than as friends to help solve this. He was used to dealing with strangers. That wasn't what bothered him. It was the expectation to up and trust these people. He had been trained to be skeptical.
"If you're heading upstairs, I'll come with you. I need a break from battle." He turned toward the young man and nodded toward the stairwell. "Come on. They can use the help, and nobody'll throw s**t at you up here." 157
Yekaterin
and be blue
Posted: Sun Aug 14, 2016 4:19 pm
Despite her best efforts, Beth had remained rather shy and reserved upon coming to the Prytaneum. Her parents always pushed her to make friends and be the center of attention, but too many faux pas while in the lime light had made her more than a bit introverted.
Beth was used to rejection. She was not, however, deft at dealing with it. So when the boy responded to her with something just approaching hostility, she was at a bit of a loss to reply. She went a little red at the ears and opened her mouth a few times, hating the feeling of gaping like a fish. "I suppose not, but we Chosen have to stick together?" She finally managed, eyes dropping to take in his jacket, which looked a bit worse for wear.
She was rescued from having to persuade him--a task she knew she ought to do, but had no clue where to start--as a man interjected into the conversation. So many Chosen she had never met! Perhaps snapchatting her Washington buddies as often as she did really was affecting her success.
Beth nodded, smiling brightly and with more than a little relief. "Wonderful! The more the merrier!" She started towards the stairs with more of a bounce in her step. "I'm Beth, by the way! Chosen of Hera!" She paused, wondering if that was supposed to be a secret or something but figured that she'd already blabbed about it, so might as well not worry. "It's nice to be able to do something useful for a change." She tossed a glance over her shoulder. It looked like the taller man had been out in the snow as well...and in battle apparently. "You guys look like you've been out in it. Are the birds...tough?"
Beth had not been tempted to go out into the storm except for the occasional rescue. She again mentally kicked herself for not focusing on combat while she had the chance. She was, however, eager to get a picture of the whole. What had she been missing while holed up in the hotel?
and be blue
grasshopper pie
Yekaterin
Offline
and be blue rolled 4 10-sided dice:
3, 6, 1, 2Total: 12 (4-40)
Asher didn't follow immediately. Instead, for a moment, he lingered where he was -- attention sliding over the Chosen and civilians filling the hotel -- before blowing out a sigh and giving in to peer pressure. He adjusted the coat on his shoulders and then, slowly, eased up after Beth.
"It's cold as ******** out there." That was Asher's main concern, at this point. "You know as much about the birds of any of us. Unless they miraculously avoided you on your mad dash between buildings."
He paused, at an empty doorway, frowning into the darkness. Someone's suitcase lay open on the floor, clothing strewn wildly around in. Much of it had been pillaged, but there were some very nice ties among the mess. Asher hesitated just a breath, then reached in to grab them.
grasshopper pie
I rolled so that I know what Asher finds through RP:
Plastic shower curtains, surprisingly sturdy. 8 mens' ties of very good quality. A mattress with half the stuffing torn out. A couple smashed chairs.
Brian offered a weak smile and nodded. At least this woman was well into helping, right? He hadn't seen anyone so enthusiastic to help like this. Everyone had that grim frown of worry and a furrowed brow. Until they figured out how to get rid of these birds, though, he imagined that the expression was here to stay.
"Definitely," he agreed. The more the merrier. "I'm Brian, Chosen of Zeus." He sounded like a comic book hero, and he hadn't gotten used to it yet.
The officer was almost expecting to go upstairs and find shambling undead. Why not, right? Metal birds shouldn't be flying just as much as zombies shouldn't be walking the earth. Luckily he couldn't remember any particular myths about zombies. He turned back to look at the young man as he spoke and nodded again. "Well, they're a little more difficult to kill than dodge, but it can happen." He was probably going out again after a bit of a break, actually.
Seeing that Asher had been able to find anything at all in the pillaged mess, he ducked into the room as well. He slid the closet door open, hoping that some clothes hangers could be helpful, but they were all wooden. Instead he found a suitcase and, popping it open, found women's evening wear.
More bandages, right? He doubted whoever it belonged to was going to care much about galas until they got out of here and recovered a bit. He closed the suitcase and took the entire thing back into the hall.
"Did you find anything?" he asked Beth. 435
Logs from one of the fireplaces x2 A mattress with half the stuffing torn out A suitcase filled with formal women's clothes
"Nice to meetcha, Brian!" Beth shuddered at the thought of fighting the birds. "I imagine you'd have to be very brave to go out there and try to kill them. The feathers look sharp!" She paused. "And the beaks." She paused again. "And the claws, of course." She found her way into the bathroom. She wasn't sure if they could find anything of use--she'd never had to barricade herself into a location for fear of her life. She wasn't sure if she'd recognize something useful even if she found it. Luckily, she had her new companions to help in the search. She always felt smarter in a group. Safer, too.
"I'm not sure what's colder, out there or in here!" Beth laughed a little, but she knew the answer to that. She just wanted to make conversation. "There aren't any birds in here, though, so I guess that makes it preferable!" She wanted to stop chattering--no one liked a nervous talker--but though she knew the surroundings of a fancy ski lodge, she'd never been in one under attack by mythical creatures.
As she stared around at the fixtures, her eyes caught on the plastic shower curtains, layered behind the gauzy decorative fabric hanging on the outside of the tub.
Calling her companions attentions to the curtains, she chirped, "I bet these would make good tarps! If they keep out water, they'll probably keep out snow!" She stepped up onto the tub and started painstakingly removing them from the curtain rod, ring by ring. She teetered a bit back and forth but seemed more intent on keeping the curtains intact than her own personal safety.
It was just as well. If she had known Brian's intended use for the woman's lovely formal wardrobe, she would have cried.
"What do you think?" She held out her finds for Brian to inspect, still standing precariously on the edge of the tub. Their friend was pilfering some ties of very nice quality, a good idea as rope seemed to be scarce.
3: Plastic shower curtains, surprisingly sturdy. 6. 8 mens' ties of very good quality. 8. A cleaning cart, half-stocked with standard supplies. 10. Something of your choice, appropriate to a hotel.
Asher stood in the bathroom doorway winding ties around his hand for a very long moment -- watching Beth fight with the shower curtains -- and then he let out a slow hum and disappeared into the hall.
A moment later, there was a banging as he set to stripping down the next room's shower curtains, as well. Not that he'd admit it was a good idea, or that he'd stolen it from someone, but he made use of it all the same.
He reappeared with it thrown over one shoulder like an epic cape. Or, perhaps more appropriately, like a halfway done up toga. "Done in here?"
grasshopper pie
I rolled so that I know what Asher finds through RP:
Plastic shower curtains, surprisingly sturdy. 8 mens' ties of very good quality. A mattress with half the stuffing torn out. A couple smashed chairs.
Posted: Mon Aug 15, 2016 4:46 pm
Brave? Sure. He'd take that as a compliment. The observation that the birds were sharp, however, was cause for pause. Why, yes. They were made of metal. Everyone had been clawed and pecked on their way in here. Of course they were sharp. He smiled and nodded nevertheless and walked with the others.
Beth was nervous-talking. It was something he was used to, especially as a police officer. When certain people got scared or anxious they talked ceaselessly, and not always about relevant information. For example, Beth was now gabbing about how how the snowy mountain and post-apocalyptic hotel were cold. Of course they were. Reflex, however, told him to respond. Never leave a nervous-talker talking alone.
"That's a good idea," he agreed. He appeared with the suitcase in-hand and peered up at Beth. "You can just rip them down. I mean, the hotel is a loss." He hovered behind her just to be sure she wasn't going to smash her head open on the tile, all the while listening to their young companion tearing them down in the next room. When Beth had produced an entire unharmed curtain, he offered her a smile. "Very nice. No holes." Hopefully that was what she wanted to hear.
Sure now that Beth wasn't going to hurt herself, he turned to hear Asher and nodded. "Yeah, I don't think there's much left." He offered Beth one last smile and nodded for her to follow.
He stopped in the hall then, eying the elaborate fireplace at the common area at the end of the corridor. It was still stocked with wood. It wouldn't be economical to heft it all the way down the stairs, though, just to come back up and start the process all over again, never mind the fact that the rooms were less fortified and more likely to be the victim of break-in bird attack. They could be used to board windows and doors, and then if nobody had an axe maybe they could make a small fire to keep the wounded warm? His face didn't betray his thoughts, but his jaw set a moment.
Alright, he'd find something eventually. He nudged doors open down the hall until he found one partially obscured by a toppled dresser. If the birds had done it, he was impressed. Otherwise there might still be people inside.
"Help me get this open?" 852
and be blue
No survivors, I assume? But feel free to have whatever in there.
Yekaterin
Just ripped it up well enough to have a torn mattress.
bobaTJ
Offline
Yekaterin
Offline
Posted: Tue Aug 16, 2016 7:28 pm
Beth beamed at Brian's approval. “I mean, it won't really help if there are treats in it, now will it? It's like stockings--a single tear will become a major run, and then you have to throw the whole thing away. $50 down the drain.”
She stepped down delicately from the lip of the tub, taking more than a moment to find a safe way down. She grinned at Asher’s fashion choices. “Now you look like a real superhero!” She tried to think of a witty name on the fly, but all she came up with was “Super...tie man?” She winced a bit at her own attempt. She hoped the obvious thoughtlessness was charming.“I'll work on it, I promise.” Beth's expression grew thoughtful as she looked at Asher’s wrapped hand. Tired--provided they were good quality--could indeed make handy ropes. Perhaps she could keep an eye out for them.
As they walked on, Beth folded her curtain neatly and tucked it under her elbow. They didn't find much in the following rooms, though Beth would occasionally dart into rooms once Brian had cleared them, humming to herself as she picked through discarded clothes items for ties that met her could-possibly-be-used-for-rope standards. A thought occurred to her after a successful venture and she couldn't help but joke, “These will at the very least make for a fun time, don't you think?” Of course, after the words left her mouth, she felt awkward for the off-color comment. Still, she laughed it off. She tried to tell herself that she didn't care if they took it as vapid flirtation, so long as they got a laugh out of it.
She managed to accumulate enough to make carrying them in her fist problematic, so she tied all eight into a knot and draped them around her neck in a scarf-like fashion. It wasn't this season's haute couture, but being near brand names she recognized brought a kind of calm to her. It was strange, what she could find to be comforted by.
It wasn't long before they came upon a door blocked by a dresser. As Brian suggested they shift it, Beth eyed it with trepidation. “Are you sure we should do that? Maybe they blocked off the door to keep something out. Or in.” Her only weapon, her whip, had been stuffed into the hood of her jacket and tough she knew she'd be able to do some damage if pressed, she wasn't sure who would get the brunt of it--the birds or her fellow Chosen. She made no move to assist Brian in his attempt to force the door open.
and be blue
grasshopper pie
WC: , Total: 1356
Posted: Wed Aug 17, 2016 3:00 pm
"It doesn't really look worth the effort to me..." Asher hesitated as he looked over the toppled dresser, and then the room beyond -- until, all at once, his expression bloomed into something thoughtful, instead, eyebrows raising. Maybe, if this room had been blocked off, there was food inside. Something they could use to make something to eat --
Still. He sighed heavily as he stepped forward to help Brian move the dresser, the two of them in tandem probably still barely strong enough to move it. Help from Beth would topple them over into the capable side of things, instead of fumbling.
The room beyond wasn't even preserved. Its windows smashed in, the far side was soggy with snow. Asher sighed, just pausing to gather up pieces of smashed chairs.
"Definitely not worth the effort."
grasshopper pie
I rolled so that I know what Asher finds through RP:
Plastic shower curtains, surprisingly sturdy. 8 mens' ties of very good quality. A mattress with half the stuffing torn out. A couple smashed chairs.
Brian's brows raised at the comment about the ties. He wasn't sure how to react to that, really. Was she being bizarrely sexual because of her nervous chatter or was she considering playing tug-o-war once they got back downstairs? She laughed, though, and even if it again seemed more worried than genuine he couldn't help but smile. She was an odd duck for sure; happy, but odd.
When it came time to shove the dresser, he was grateful that the young man was at least humoring him.
"It's blocked from inside," was all the reasoning he could give as he and the boy pushed hard and toppled the dresser. Nobody yelped from inside. He wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.
The young man made it in before him and expressed his displeasure. Brian didn't comment, instead deciding to try the door to the attached bathroom. It was unlocked. Nobody was inside. So who ever had been in here had blocked the door for... what? To keep the birds out? Had they already gotten inside? He eyed the broken window and frowned. No, he wasn't going to bother looking out of it. He didn't want to risk what he might see.
"Yeah, well..." he said and turned to the mattress. It had been torn open and half of the stuffing lay on the carpet. He tilted his head and approaching, reaching inside to pull out the rest. It'd make a decent vessel for the wood at the very least. He could get it down the stairs with minimal effort if it was totally stuffingless, and some of the springs had sprung already. Without another word, he dragged it down the hall and began to stuff the thing with wood. Maybe they could actually get a fire maintained downstairs! It'd be good for the wounded.
Yekaterin
Posted: Thu Aug 18, 2016 5:06 am
Despite her misgivings, Beth finally squeezed herself in beside the boys to give it the one last push it needed to rock the obstructive drawers back. When they discovered it to be devoid of both birds and anything useful, she gave a relieved sigh and said soothingly, “Well, they can't all be winners.”
She skirted the room entirely, keeping to the relative warmth of the hallway. A few doors down she found a cart of cleaning supplies upturned by the entrance to a room. ‘ Looks like someone needed more than just the regular housekeeping.’ she thought to herself, smirking a bit at the thought. Her smile became a frown as she realized that she had no idea off hand what any of the bottles and brushes did. “Not sure if these will help,” she called back, grabbing a plastic tub with what she assumed was the most useful chemicals and some rags to bring with her. “Maybe the bird's one weakness is Mr. Clean.” She was suddenly struck by a vision of spraying a giant metal bird in the face like a cat who had climbed onto the table and chuckled lightly to herself. “Ah yes, Frebreeze, the other pepper spray.”
Despite wandering off, she quickly responded the group. Though one hotel was generally similar to another one in the chain, when one was beset by killer avians, it was best to stick together. “I don't know about you, but I don't think I can carry much more.” She glanced at the mattress and its now unconventional stuffing. “Neither do you, it looks like.” She tilted her head toward Asher. “You might be able to grab something light. Not that I'm telling you how to live your life or anything.” She quickly added, offering him a peaceable smile.
Asher frowned at Beth, eyebrows pulling down at the tone of her voice and then even more at the implication of no offense and a smile that was, perhaps, meant to be peaceful. It's not how he took it. Maybe Asher, at barely over 5 feet tall, was used to people condescending, and saw it in everything. It fuelled a contrary nature; just to proof her wrong, he set down his chair pieces for a moment and then, pointedly, stripped out another mattress to hoist it up over one shoulder.
That'd show her that he could carry plenty. Even if it weighed him down and, maybe, it was smarter to use it how Brian was: as a sled for his supplies.
"I'm going to go add these to the fortifications," He said, with a tip of his chin upward. And he waddled, ungracefully, out past her.
grasshopper pie
now just to say how we use these things and we'll be done!
