SCION: CHAOSIUM! "Awakening"

[Malachite]

Valentine's head was still spinning with the thousands of miles and total climate displacement. "Stick close," she said to Kamala and Karam - as much for Karam's benefit for translation as for her own sense of security. She didn't know exactly what to say to the others about how they got there. The truth was insane and unbelievable, but a lie would have to be remembered and likely have large, gaping holes in it pretty quickly. She'd think she was hallucinating, but the other two were here and the few times she'd been delirious it had been this coherent. 

Food. Food sounded good and was a good way to stall while she tried to process. She heard the comment by a man that the menu looked good. Turning to her to two companions she said, "Why don't we go get something to eat and we'll try to sort out exactly what happened on a full stomach? Maybe things will make more sense then. And we can see if they have some warmer clothes we can borrow afterwards."

[Exile_Jeane]

So. They were in America. At a ski resort. This was reality.

 

Kamala was pretty sure of this much at least. Walking through an endless stone corridor into a snowy mountain valley only to be rescued not a minute later? Pretty dreamlike. A dizzying trio of disorienting flashes and sounds and odors as she looked at the other three passengers of the craft, it's kind something she'd far too long associated with frantic cries of 'Hide! Hide! Hide!' in anticipation of gunfire or disgorging soldiers. Also dreamlike. But the Ski resort itself and the hospitality extended without a word or a doubt or even the whisper of authorities? Not so much her dreams.

 

She'd have dreamed of images of New York or LA or the glittering hotels from Al Jazeera specials in her teens, not... This.

 

The impression of dreaming was reinforced as they warmed up in the lobby, another kaleidoscope of flickering impressions that made her wonder if she was having a stroke or was dosed with God knew what during their long-yet-impossibly-short hike through the tunnel to... Denver, was it? In any event, much as she wanted to curl up until the sensations stopped happening, she couldn't. That'd beget questions, and questions would beget interest, and interest would beget troubles that turn this into one very very bad dream. Not just for her, but Karam, and Karam didn't even have English beyond a handful of phrases. For him, she'd fight through it, at least long enough to get some food in their belly.

 

...Food. Her stomach, catching onto what her ears were picking up, rumbled like an impatient dog. That cast the deciding vote, and through a sickly, forced smile she responded softly to Valentine in Arabic, keeping Karam in the loop, "Food and warm clothing. That sounds like a good idea."    

[Shameless]

Tenchi had nodded in response to Juno.   "We understand."   They did make her their bodyguard, and they'd listen to her "For now, let's just go enjoy the dinner they've offered us. "  He smiled, more than willing to pay if needed, but since it was on the house, he wouldn't have to.   He'd already arranged for a room for their pilot, for however long their stay had to be due to the weather.  He would see to the three they'd found in the blizzard as well.  Their story would be worth it, as far as he was concerned.

They were shown to a table and provided menus.  Tenchi held out Raiko's chair for her.  He heard one of the other patron's comments, and smiled.  Someone wasn't used to this level of resort, and was in for a treat.  He gestured for Prentis and the trio they'd rescued to join them, making them the largest of the occupied tables.  "Do not worry about the costs, order whatever you like.  They have comped our meal at least, and if they don't for you as well, then I will handle it."   He said to the mystery trio.   

"Allow me to start a round of introductions, since we've not really had time, and the helicopter was a bit too noisy.   I am Tenchi Shirahara, this is my sister Raiko. Miss Reyes is our bodyguard, and Miss Prentis of course was the pilot of our helicopter for our flight here.  I hope all of you are alright, and I'm very glad we were able to find you and bring you in.  That Blizzard is almost otherworldly. "

 

[Nina]

The Snowfield Ski Resort had its genesis in the mid nineteen sixties. At the time, all that was present at its current location was a wind-swept snowy peak, no roads not even trails, and certainly no town. The land was purchased from the state and construction began. Roads were built, and a small village was constructed to house workers during the construction and supply their needs.

 

The resort opened to modest fanfare in 1974, but the resort saw only mediocre success, strangely the town of snowfield, original a company village, grew into a prosperous community over the next two years and in 1976 the resort blossomed when it was discovered that it was the highest elevation ski resort in the state a distinction that remains to this day. Skiers flocked to the resort, professional and amateur alike even though the slopes were difficult and could be dangerous. By the 1980’s it was the celebrities that fueled the flames.

 

The town grew, the resort flourished, and mountain responded.

 

Stacy sensed a sort of shyness in Ali, and to be honest she found it attractive. He was good looking man and  like Jim, was not her usual type. If she really had a usual type, considering her line of work. As they made their way down to the dining room, she, being always observant, took in her surroundings. The resort had not changed physically since she had been here with Jim at the end of the last ski season in April, but she did notice something a little peculiar, she didn’t recognize a single one of the staff from that visit or the ones she had made here before.

 

Now there is always a high turnover in hotel/restaurant/club staff, but unless management and owners change, there are always some who stay put in what  they deem a safe employment environment. And that is doubly so here at The Snowfield, after all most of the staff are from the town below and have lived here most of their lives.

 

She also took notice of the extremely attractive young man that had come out of the suite between Ali and hers, right after they had passed his door. An attractive fit young man, early  to mid-twenties, it aroused her suspicions and she let her instincts take over. She led Ali, to the stairs instead of the elevator, and sure enough the man followed them. She considered confronting the man as they reached the lobby but was distracted by the strange tableau she beheld there.

 

There in the lobby were seven striking figures, women, and men all fit and attractive and none of them recognizable celebrities although the two with Asian features did look somewhat familiar. The rest however were such an odd mix and then there was the concierge.

 

Danial Gregg was a middle-aged light skinned blond haired effete gentleman who had been with the Snowfield for many years, long before Stacy had begun frequenting the place, and he had been here in April and would remain here forever she would have thought. The Snowfield was his home.

 

This concierge was not Danial Gregg.

 

It took only a second for her to notice all of this and process it. Ali led her to the dining room where while they waited to be seated the young man from upstairs and the seven people from the lobby joined them.

 

She leaned in close to Ali, it was a move that to any observing would have seemed an intimate public display of affection. “Ali, something is wrong here,” she whispered  so low only he could hear, her breath tickling his ear, “None of the staff are right, I have been coming here for years, that man is not the concierge, none of this is right.”

 

 

[Kaoleth]

Raiko for her part, offers a crisp nod at Juno's read on the situation. She hadn't wanted to say anything, but she had been feeling strange since they arrived at the resort. Something had the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end. Maybe it  was just the method by which they had received their invitations catching up with her again, but then again....

 

Her gaze flicked over their companions for the trip. She could have sworn she had heard some murmured Arabic passing among them, and their attire was all wrong for the area. The clothing was clearly rough and ready, the patched nature of the dress (A dress at this altitude?) and the (presumably) Doctors garb led credence to this, but if nothing else, they were wearing about three layers too few for the local weather. To say nothing of the dust all three were carrying around. A mystery, to be sure, lucky them they had been in the path of the Chopper, or they would have frozen to death.

 

She is distracted for a moment as try and the final pair arrive, a brief shiver dancing along her spine as the final woman crosses the threshold and they are all in the same spot for the first time. A sense alike to something clicking into place. It just felt right. It was weird. She eyes the final three, giving them a brief once over. Not to hard on the eyes. The men were comfortable in themselves, but the Woman was selling it. She hummed appreciatively before forcing herself to refocus. Oggle the eye candy later. Focus on companions for now. Don't be rude.

 

As they are led into the dining room and she takes her seat, she offers her brother a quick smile, nodding along to his introductions, pausing at the mans apparent confusion.

 

"أخي يقول أن تأكل ما يحلو لك. سوف نغطي السعر."

Spoiler

My brother says to eat what you wish. We will cover the price.

She offers the man a smile, lips quirking in amusement at the almost gobsmacked silence at the faintly Mesopotamian accented Arabic. Never got old. No one ever expected it.

 

[Nina]

The dinning room was elegant and luxurious but not ostentatious, tables were spread with enough distance to provide privacy, there were no booths. On one side there was a small bandstand and a small dance floor, the other side was a western style bar, fully stocked and with a stylishly uniformed bartender. The bartender was the largest oddity any of them had seen so far, he was Asian, Raiko and Tench would recognize him as Japanese, older than anyone else they had seen with close cropped, almost shaved, gray hair that had once been black and his face was scarred. He was slicing lemons and only looked up once right at Raiko.

 

 As the parties were being seated, the Shirahara party along with their passengers at two table slid together, Ali and Stacy at a table near the side where Tenchi and Raiko were seated, while Try was seated alone at a table near the side where Valentine and Kamala sat, they could see that there were few others dining, only three of the twenty-two tables were in use. As the waiters handed out menus the Lights blinked a couple of times.

 

“Pay no mind to that,” the deep voice of the concierge’s voice came from the dining room entrance as he entered. “To assure that we don’t lose power we have gone ahead and switched to our own generators. According to the weather advisory they have upgraded the storm. They expect power outages and road closures across the state. Rest assured you are perfectly safe here in the resort, we have plenty of essentials and fuel. And you will be compensated for the disturbance to your vacations.”

 

 

 

[Gabe OOC]

Ali frowned. "That can't just be all for us, can it?" He whispered back to Stacy. They weren't the only ones present, an eclectic bunch of others present, some who seemed to fit the air of wealthy travelers, some who didn't. Ali nodded politely at those he saw, though his brow wrinkled in curiosity when he heard Arabic being thrown around (given who his father was, the Badren household was by definition, multi-lingual), from the party including people with tanned skin and dress.

 

The new concierge's promise seemed awfully generous, adding compensation to the mix, but Ali had never been to one of these places before. Either standard practice, or something else. Ali decided to turn his attention to the menu. They had to be patient, Ali decided, and wait to find out what was going on. That, and his stomach sent him signals food would be appreciated.

[Veral]

On 3/17/2021 at 2:17 PM, SCION STORYTELLER said:

The dinning room was elegant and luxurious but not ostentatious, tables were spread with enough distance to provide privacy, there were no booths. On one side there was a small bandstand and a small dance floor, the other side was a western style bar, fully stocked and with a stylishly uniformed bartender. The bartender was the largest oddity any of them had seen so far, he was Asian, Raiko and Tench would recognize him as Japanese, older than anyone else they had seen with close cropped, almost shaved, gray hair that had once been black and his face was scarred. He was slicing lemons and only looked up once right at Raiko.

 

 As the parties were being seated, the Shirahara party along with their passengers at two table slid together, Ali and Stacy at a table near the side where Tenchi and Raiko were seated, while Try was seated alone at a table near the side where Valentine and Kamala sat, they could see that there were few others dining, only three of the twenty-two tables were in use. As the waiters handed out menus the Lights blinked a couple of times.

 

“Pay no mind to that,” the deep voice of the concierge’s voice came from the dining room entrance as he entered. “To assure that we don’t lose power we have gone ahead and switched to our own generators. According to the weather advisory they have upgraded the storm. They expect power outages and road closures across the state. Rest assured you are perfectly safe here in the resort, we have plenty of essentials and fuel. And you will be compensated for the disturbance to your vacations.”

 

 

 

Try had been feeling on edge for a while, and the unidentified smell wasn't helping at all. When he was finally seated and handed a menu he relaxed a little bit. Looking over the menu, he decided on a nice New York strip steak, cooked medium rare and a baked potato. While waiting on the wait staff to return to take his order Try heard the little spiel that came out of the concierge's mouth.

 

"Wait a minute," Try said as soon as the implications sunk in. "So what you are saying is we are basically stranded here, in the heart of nowhere, Colorado, with only your assurances we'll be fine. While I thank you for the comp, and the food, I have a job I was hired to do, and a short time to do it in. I hope my boss is understanding when I don't show up on time with her car. Oh, and one more thing... I don't want to seem ungrateful, but what the hell is really going on? Don't give me any corporate doublespeak or what you think I want to hear. How bad is it? I think we can handle the truth. I know I can." Try realized that at some point during his tirade he had stood up and even raised his voice a bit. He blinked, looked a bit sheepish and sat back down, waiting for the concierge's response. His left leg started bouncing rhythmically and quickly, as if Try was agitated. 

Edited March 19, 2021 by Veral
correction of typo.

[Exile_Jeane]

"Thank you," Kamala offered to the young woman who had spoken in Arabic, good Arabic at that, not the kind foreigners would pick up out of a book in an effort to impress locals into being better sources.

 

She then settled into the seat next to Karam, reading the menu and leaning in to point out the items that didn't contain anything expressly forbidden, softly translating the names with an air of hungry reverence mixed with disbelief at some of the calorie amounts listed. It was a real struggle to not just ask for the first thing she saw that she remembered, stomach rumbling as her memory conjured phantom lamb stew into her nostrils and onto her tongue. Oh, God. No wonder so many Americans succumbed to fat if this was the fare they had available all the time.

 

By the way his stomach occasionally rumbled in an off-tempo duet with hers, Karam was in the same vibe, even without the occasional wordless eye contact between items, the please-don't-let-this-be-a-dream look in his eyes she knew was mirrored in her own. 

 

Survivor's instincts had her looking up from their fascinated exploration of American ski resort cuisine as Try had his little episode, his words bringing her out of her hyper focus, the nearly-deserted dining room obvious even through the distracting flickering of stimuli whenever she glanced at a new person or picked up a new one. He didn't look like a man who could handle it. It made her laugh a little, the sound melodic in the wake of Try's outburst. So so many things she could say if she wasn't worried about being taken by someone and locked into a storeroom to wait for the storm to break and the authorities to interrogate. She'd need to be careful.

 

"All will be well," she offered to the flustered American with one of her reassuring Yes-We-Do-In-Fact-Have-Medicine-Today smiles, "I'm sorry if I missed your name. I'm Kamala Jamil."   

[Nina]

Everyone in the dining room had focused their attention on Try as he had his semi-outburst and some, Like Stacy, shifted their attention, to Kamala when she spoke reassuringly the near panicked young man.

 

Stacy's earlier worry that Try might have been involved in the plot whatever it was, was pushed aside by his reaction to events. Unless he was a good actor, which was possible. But the woman who was calming him down was something else. Languages were a a specialty for Stacy, she spoke many fluently, and several more passably. She had an ear for accents and dialects. She had heard the woman speaking Arabic to the man with her and the other woman wearing the Doctors Without Borders jacket, and identified the dialect as Levantine Arabic spoken mostly in Lebanon and Syria, but her English was very good as well and was spoken with an slight underlying French accent not many would pick up.  

 

She gazed around the room but mostly at the tables nearest to her and Ari. Such an eclectic group of individuals all gathered together and trapped by a sudden blizzard, like something from a mystery or a spy novel . Or a Horror novel.

 

"Hey," she said with soothing tones to match the ones the middle eastern woman had used, "my name is Stacy and this is Ali, why don't you join us. There is no need for you to eat alone."  She gave him a warm smile as she indicated the chair across from Ali.

[Veral]

On 3/20/2021 at 3:55 PM, Kamala Jamil said:

"Thank you," Kamala offered to the young woman who had spoken in Arabic, good Arabic at that, not the kind foreigners would pick up out of a book in an effort to impress locals into being better sources.

 

She then settled into the seat next to Karam, reading the menu and leaning in to point out the items that didn't contain anything expressly forbidden, softly translating the names with an air of hungry reverence mixed with disbelief at some of the calorie amounts listed. It was a real struggle to not just ask for the first thing she saw that she remembered, stomach rumbling as her memory conjured phantom lamb stew into her nostrils and onto her tongue. Oh, God. No wonder so many Americans succumbed to fat if this was the fare they had available all the time.

 

By the way his stomach occasionally rumbled in an off-tempo duet with hers, Karam was in the same vibe, even without the occasional wordless eye contact between items, the please-don't-let-this-be-a-dream look in his eyes she knew was mirrored in her own. 

 

Survivor's instincts had her looking up from their fascinated exploration of American ski resort cuisine as Try had his little episode, his words bringing her out of her hyper focus, the nearly-deserted dining room obvious even through the distracting flickering of stimuli whenever she glanced at a new person or picked up a new one. He didn't look like a man who could handle it. It made her laugh a little, the sound melodic in the wake of Try's outburst. So so many things she could say if she wasn't worried about being taken by someone and locked into a storeroom to wait for the storm to break and the authorities to interrogate. She'd need to be careful.

 

"All will be well," she offered to the flustered American with one of her reassuring Yes-We-Do-In-Fact-Have-Medicine-Today smiles, "I'm sorry if I missed your name. I'm Kamala Jamil."   

 

On 3/22/2021 at 11:09 AM, Stacy Rene McQueen said:

Everyone in the dining room had focused their attention on Try as he had his semi-outburst and some, Like Stacy, shifted their attention, to Kamala when she spoke reassuringly the near panicked young man.

 

Stacy's earlier worry that Try might have been involved in the plot whatever it was, was pushed aside by his reaction to events. Unless he was a good actor, which was possible. But the woman who was calming him down was something else. Languages were a a specialty for Stacy, she spoke many fluently, and several more passably. She had an ear for accents and dialects. She had heard the woman speaking Arabic to the man with her and the other woman wearing the Doctors Without Borders jacket, and identified the dialect as Levantine Arabic spoken mostly in Lebanon and Syria, but her English was very good as well and was spoken with an slight underlying French accent not many would pick up.  

 

She gazed around the room but mostly at the tables nearest to her and Ari. Such an eclectic group of individuals all gathered together and trapped by a sudden blizzard, like something from a mystery or a spy novel . Or a Horror novel.

 

"Hey," she said with soothing tones to match the ones the middle eastern woman had used, "my name is Stacy and this is Ali, why don't you join us. There is no need for you to eat alone."  She gave him a warm smile as she indicated the chair across from Ali.

Try looked very sheepish at the responses his outburst had generated. He smiled weakly at the response from Kamala, "I'm Tryfon Burton, but call me Try. I'm sorry about that, but this reminds me too much of a movie I love and hate. The Shining. It always creeps me out, but I love it anyway." He shakes his head, "Maybe I just need to eat something... probably a lack of sugar, or caffeine or sleep. Or all three. Anyway, again, sorry about the outburst." 

 

He then turned to Stacy, "Thank you for the invitation. I don't like eating alone in restaurants." He stands up, and moves over to the table with Ali and Stacy, "I'm Try. Thanks again." He turns to Ali, "Do you mind if I join you two? Hope I'm not interrupting anything." As he moves closer, he notices the smell he smelled earlier getting a bit stronger, and wrinkles his nose jut a bit in reaction. 

[Nina]

Polly sat next to Juno She had intended to drop her charter off and fly back racing the storm. She hadn’t counted on the uptick in severity, nor the added time spent rescuing the Arabs.

 

Polly have served in Afghanistan, one of the few female British pilots allowed to fly combat missions. She had never thought of herself as a racist but she now realized that she was lumping them in with the Islamist that she had learned to mistrust and all because they were from the middle east. She felt ashamed.

 

She set her menu aside and stared across the dining room at the large windows, it was dark outside, and the lights penetrated no more than a couple of meters in the snow. She hope to god the Helicopter was tied down tight She had had to act quickly after they landed and from what lieel she could see the winds had gotten even strong. There would be no flying out probably for at least a day maybe longer. She glances at her patrons, the two rich Japanese-Americans.

 

“Looks like you picked a bad time for a ski trip, mate. Which reminds me, why were there no skis in your luggage? Nobody goes skiing with the intent of borrowing their gear at the resort, not even rich blokes.

 

And where the bloody hell did you three come from dressed up like that in the middle of the bloody Rocky Mountains?”  That last bit Polly turned in her seat and directed at the three they had rescued.

 

Try had joined Ali and Stacy they had ordered and had started some small talk when the small woman who was apparently English rather spoke rather loudly and accusingly to those she was sitting with, loud enough that those at the adjoining table heard clearly.

[Shameless]

Tenchi smiled.   "We didn't come here to ski, actually."   Tenchi said softly.   "We have some important business that wasn't something that could wait another day or two."   He wasn't planning on spilling the beans completely.   "This opportunity was quite unexpected, and you know what they say.   We had to make a decision quickly, to arrive by the appointed time."

He looked to the trio they'd rescued.   "I would like to hear that story as well, if you don't mind.   Those aren't the clothes one wears to go out in a blizzard like the one howling outside.   I'm just glad we spotted you and were able to bring you with us."   He looked to Raiko, then Juno and Polly.   "Very glad we didn't go with the other option."

[Kaoleth]

Raiko offers a nod of agreement, though appears somewhat distracted, gaze darting once more over to the Barman. "It was all rather last minute, unfortunately, and there really was no moment to pause once things were in motion. A shame though, we haven't been skiing in a number of years." she shrugs. "Always something else to be doing."

 

She hums in agreement with Tenchi. "It was serendipitous that you were along our path." she pauses for a moment, eyeing the Trio "If you'll pardon my saying so, I doubt you would have gotten far in the clothes you're in, especially with the Blizzard blowing in." And that really was the rub. No matter which angle she came at it from, she couldn't figure out how, let alone why, they would have been where they were. Her gaze once more strayed over to the Barman, now focused on his work. Giving him a considering look.

[SalmonMax]

Juno only knew a few words of Dari, and some Pashto profanity, but she knew Arabic when she heard it. Hearing it here and now put her hackles up a little...not so much just because it was Arabic as because it was very out of place in a Colorado ski lodge. That, combined with the also-very-out-of-place clothes they were wearing made her suspicious. In her former line of work, details that were out of place usually didn't mean anything good.

 

"I've gotta agree," she said. "Cards on the table, there's some weird shit happening right now. I'm thinking we all need to break the ice, so I'll go first."

 

"My name's Juno Reyes, from LA." She nodded at Tenchi and Raiko. "I'm with them, security detail. Polly here," now she nodded at the pilot, "flew us in, short notice, just as this storm was rolling in. Jury's still out on whether or not I'm thanking her for that."

 

"Alright, who wants to go next?"

[Malachite]

Valentine hesitated as the questions came rolling in. It all still felt surreal to her, but in your dreams people don't question the weird. So this being some fever dream was probably out. She glanced over at Try, then to the ones that rescued the three of them, then bit her lip. Finally, she shrugged. Worst thing is they'd think her nuts and not believe her. Heck, she'd been called worse in her time with the Doctor's program, or before that doing activism with her parents. 

 

"I'm Doctor Valentine Adama, and our clothes look out of place because twenty minutes before you rescued us from the blizzard here we were in the countryside on the Turkish border," she said succinctly and with faked confidence. "I'm not sure how, but we went from there to here walking through some sort of ancient city and through a dark tunnel. It doesn't make any sense," she said forthrightly, "but that's the truth. Cards on the table, but who knows what game's being played? Because I'm still trying to figure out half a planet from a short stroll."

[Exile_Jeane]

"I've lost track of the number of times someone I've known, seen, or treated should have died and didn't," Kamala added, leaving out the grim other half of the balance when someone who should have lived died, often for the stupidest, petty things, "And every time it was a miracle. Not the big violent miracles the fanatics of the IS like to brag about whenever they hurt someone, but a small one I was lucky enough to be there to witness or help make possible in whatever small way I could, God Willing. On a good day, that was the nature of things."

 

She took a breath, gathering her composure around her, "Today though... Today I was awoke up in my refugee camp with word of a man dying from strange burns and fever speaking in tongues. I could not help him, so I called for help, and Doctor Adama answered. A small miracle. As soon as she arrived, the man spoke sense, of a sort, *only to her and to me* despite Karam hearing the same nonsense."

 

The Syrian Medic looked down briefly and chuckled, glancing at her fellow refugee with an apology for not speaking so that he could understand, "Not so small a miracle. And we followed his words to a Sufi, a holy man, called the Guardian, and he led us through an old dusty impossible tunnel to your Denver in time to be rescued and brought here. Although the constant flashes and sounds and smells I get whenever I look at any of you make me wonder how 'real' here is. Too many strange things for one day, a dream I fear might end with me dragged off by your... CIA, is it?"

 

She massaged one temple, thoughts meandering aloud, "You have so many things on this menu, but I would very much like coffee so I can focus."   

[Gabe OOC]

Ali opened his mouth, but then closed it. After a moment, he remembered the dream and the premonition on the plane. "All things are as God wills, and I won't question it." He decided out loud. "Not when anyone can contact Doctors Without Borders to confirm. Stacy and I have been dealing with strange things of our own all the way here."

 

He shrugged, "As you say, survival and life is a miracle in itself. Allah Akbar, Amen." With an Islamic father and a Roman Catholic mother, the Badren household inevitably incorporated some syncretism into their religion. Kamala's words though, these simply happy instances reminded him of why he'd gone to medical school. You mean because they made you - a voice whispered inside, one Ali quashed hard.

[Kaoleth]

Raiko sits heavily back into her chair, with a "huh", blinking once. Whatever had been distracting her till now seems to have been banished with the outlandish tale, her attention now wholly focused on the trio in front of her. They were right, it was a ridiculous story. And yet.

 

She takes them in once again, taking in the clothes and the dust. It did go a ways towards explaining things. In any other circumstance, she would have dismissed it.... but here her mind flashes to a Samurai appearing in two places hours apart at near enough the same time as made no difference and she can't help but shiver.  Without taking her eyes off the trio, she flags down one of the alarmingly blond waiters, requesting a carafe of Coffee to start. Paying no more mind to him as he scurries off to fulfill the order.

 

"CIA is right, and they would certainly have an interest in you. If only because of your Ethnicity and the unlikeliness of your tale." she shakes her head. "It sounds like Madness. Turkey? Truly? And yet I'm finding myself hesitant to disbelieve you at the same time." She pauses as the waiter comes back with the mugs, allowing him to set up and leave the carafe behind before starting again. "There you go." she allows a moment for those with interest to help themselves.

 

"There's no chance that you were drugged or some such?" It would be the only way she could think of that something like this was even remotely possible, even if she felt that she was grasping at straws. Her mind flickers once more to the rain soaked samurai and the sense of surety that they were not lying.

[Nina]

Everyone was anticipating the answers the three travellers would give to this line of questioning when a new voice broke in with heavily accented English.

 

“You are a religious man?”

 

Ali was surprised even more than anyone else for the voice was directly behind him. He spun in his seat to find the Japanese bartender standing there with a tray holding several small bottles and tiny porcelain cups.

 

At the big table, a few feet away, Raiko along with everyone else looked at the bartender standing behind the young man, Ali,  sitting next the redhead. Stacy, and across from the other young man, Try, who had made the initial outburst. Raiko was bewildered again and looked away back to the bar almost expecting to see the same bartender still slicing limes and lemons. He wasn’t there. Raiko’s brow furrowed, that was impossible she had just looked at him no more than fifteen seconds ago… how?

 

“No matter, this is Saki, compliments of the house.” He set a small bottle in the center of the table and three small cups, one each, in front of Ali, Stacy, and Try.

He stepped to the bigger group and repeated the process this time placing two bottles as well as a cup for each guest. He did not go to any of the other tables.

 

“I am to inform you that the storm has worsened and that the weather service,” he smiles crookedly, “ has announced that all roads have been closed. The town has lost power and the hotel has offered to take in residents, until the crisis is over. This will not effect you  or the service you as guests will receive.”

 

“How are the towns people supposed to get up here in this,” asked the redhead as she picked up and sipped the Saki?

 

The bartender who was now behind Raiko, nodded, “Snow-cats, the resort has three, that have been dispatched to the town to transport any who wish to come.” 

[Veral]

On 3/29/2021 at 9:37 AM, SCION STORYTELLER said:

Everyone was anticipating the answers the three travellers would give to this line of questioning when a new voice broke in with heavily accented English.

 

“You are a religious man?”

 

Ali was surprised even more than anyone else for the voice was directly behind him. He spun in his seat to find the Japanese bartender standing there with a tray holding several small bottles and tiny porcelain cups.

 

At the big table, a few feet away, Raiko along with everyone else looked at the bartender standing behind the young man, Ali,  sitting next the redhead. Stacy, and across from the other young man, Try, who had made the initial outburst. Raiko was bewildered again and looked away back to the bar almost expecting to see the same bartender still slicing limes and lemons. He wasn’t there. Raiko’s brow furrowed, that was impossible she had just looked at him no more than fifteen seconds ago… how?

 

“No matter, this is Saki, compliments of the house.” He set a small bottle in the center of the table and three small cups, one each, in front of Ali, Stacy, and Try.

He stepped to the bigger group and repeated the process this time placing two bottles as well as a cup for each guest. He did not go to any of the other tables.

 

“I am to inform you that the storm has worsened and that the weather service,” he smiles crookedly, “ has announced that all roads have been closed. The town has lost power and the hotel has offered to take in residents, until the crisis is over. This will not effect you  or the service you as guests will receive.”

 

“How are the towns people supposed to get up here in this,” asked the redhead as she picked up and sipped the Saki?

 

The bartender who was now behind Raiko, nodded, “Snow-cats, the resort has three, that have been dispatched to the town to transport any who wish to come.” 

Try sighed, and leaned back in his new chair. He just shook his head at the new announcement by the bartender, "There goes my job. My dad's gonna kill me for wasting my time up here." He slumped even further into his chair, then reached out and filled his little cup. Once the cup was dangerously close to overflowing, Try began sipping the Saki. 

 

He turned to Stacy, "It'll probably take them a while to get everyone that's willing to come here. Sno-Cats aren't exactly known for their speed, especially in this weather." 

 

After finishing his cup of Saki, Try smiled a bit, then looked around the room. "Still, if I'm gonna get trapped up here with a maniac, it's a nice place for that to happen. "

 

'That should be what they put on my gravestone if it happens.' thought Try worriedly, not letting it affect the weak smile on his face.

[Malachite]

Valentine had been about to answer Raiko when the bartender had appeared so abruptly. "Uh, thanks." After the sake was set down, she poured herself a drink and sipped at it, her eyes widening at the strong alcoholic bite. She set it back down carefully, resolved not to get shnockered when strange things were afoot.  

"I suppose anything's possible," she said to Raiko after another heartbeat, "but my phone says it was less than twenty minutes after converting for time zones. I don't know what happened because either this is some really elaborate prank, a hallucination, or a miracle. I don't think any of us-" she gestured to herself and the other two from Surac, "are rich or important enough to have this elaborate of a prank pulled on us. So that leaves hallucination, which can happen in groups but don't usually include fancy meals at snow-bound resorts, or miracle. Which is pretty much what I'm going with. I'm not a hugely religious person, but I've seen and done things in my time with the Doctors that have defied probability and in a few cases biology and physics. Little miracles I've seen. Something like this? I wonder why but I'm over questioning that it happened."

Explaining herself to Raiko had let her work through her own thoughts. People might think she was crazy now, but she was much more centered and sure of herself at the end of her little monologue and it showed in her demeanor. 

[SalmonMax]

"Okay, well one of you is talking about flashing lights whenever she looks at us," Juno pointed out. "That sounds like it could be a drug reaction to me. Losing time is another thing...maybe you got knocked out at some point and didn't know it."

 

She looked around the room again and added, "But this whole setup smells bad. Feels like someone behind the scenes was pulling strings to get us all here, right before a big storm hit. Now, I don't know any of you guys except my bosses here, and as far as I know I'm only here because they decided at the last minute to bring me. But if you weren't picked at random, then there must be something you all have in common. Maybe someone you know, or a place you were all at."

 

"Someone put a lot of work into getting us right here, right now, and they're holding the cards. Lets see if we can get a few of our own. So...does anyone here recognize anyone else, other than whoever you came here with?"

[Kaoleth]

Raiko sucked in an almost startled breath as the Bar-man appeared almost from thin air. There's no way he managed to clear the length of the room in the time since she last glanced in his direction. IT takes a moment to unwind from the surprise of it, but she eventually reaches for one of the small vessels and turning back to the others. She may not be able to see him anymore, but she can feel the man flanking her position.

 

She clicks her tongue, clearly thinking over Valentine's reasoning, nodding slowly. "It does seem extremely elaborate.... and I don't see the profit point of the excercise. An awful lot of investment for something with no apparent return." she reaches and pours herself a cup of sake, mind clearly not focused on her current task and takes a sip. Blinking in surprise at the familiar taste. Her gaze flicks back over to the barman almost accusatorily. Not at all creepy to be served her favoured blend out of the blue. She sighs, replacing the cup.

 

She shakes her head at Juno. "Beyond you and my brother, I don't recognize anyone here.... Could be we came close to one another on a trip here or there, but most of my trips to the middle east have been focused on negotiations. Little time spent in the areas Doctors Without Borders would tend to focus...."

[Shameless]

Tenchi looked at Juno and also shook his head.  "The last time I was in the Middle East, i was still in the Army.  Like Raiko, I don't recognize anyone here that didn't come with me."   He was sipping a coke, and sighed.  "Our host will show themselves eventually.   As things stand all we can do relax, and enjoy the hospitality shown us as best we can.   Since we cannot help those in town, and we cannot leave, our options are somewhat limited."