Arrivals - Beachville - OPEN LOG

[fluxscapemod]

Who: You and Jerry, the info booth guy!
What: Arrivals! Information! Money! New Homes!
Where: What's commonly referred to as the Information Hub.
When: August 15th, Mid Afternoon.
Synopsis: New faces arrive in Beachville. Jerry is a helper! Probably! Most likely, he isn't. At least, not as well as people wish. He can only tell people so much, see. But there are cookies, if you aren't a jerk.



It starts off simple enough. There isn't even any warning. No feeling like something's coming. No little instinct in the back of your head or what have you that tells you change is coming. You blink, your setting has changed. It's as simple and as quick as that. From where you stand, you're surrounded by tall palm trees. The ground beneath your feet is a mix of dirt and sand and you can smell the ocean. A clean, salty scent only found on untouched, tropical paradises. You can hear the sounds of the beach. People laughing, amusement park rides thundering in the background. And it's actually pretty peaceful. Even the weather is perfect. Just the right amount of Summer heat without being muggy or humid. There are tropical birds singing in the trees around you, and a light breeze in the trees, rustling the leaves. It's pleasant. Until someone clears their throat nearby. And this is when you notice you're not the only person standing there with a confused look on your face. You're part of a crowd, surrounding an information booth with an older gentleman inside.

Was that information booth always there? And how long has the man inside been watching you with that look on his face that suggests he's internally sighing at your presence? He seems friendly enough, however, and once all eyes are on him, he begins speaking.

"Can I have your attention please?" he says, voice calm, lightly accented. And certainly 'no nonsense.' "My name is Jerry Schiff and I run the information booth. I have several envelopes with names on them, so if you hear your name, please step forward and claim your money and information."

With that, he runs down the list of names. And what do you know, your name is on that list.

When you approach, you'll be handed a packet containing money, enough to get through the month, and an information pamphlet about Beachville, along with a note from the mayor welcoming you to town and telling you your stipend only lasts so long and there are many employment opportunities in town. There's also a map with an address and a set of keys. This is where you'll live. The last thing he says to you is to check the chest in your living-room, you'll know which one, before he hands the polite people a box of cookies. They smell amazing and the box is warm, like they're very, very fresh. You might even find your favorite cookies in the box. They've won awards and are delicious. Just as an aside, though; for anyone that's rude, no cookies. For anyone that tries to take a box anyway, they'll find the box is empty. Maybe even full of dead leaves and rocks. That's what you get for acting up, apparently.

Rude enough and he'll shut the information booth windows. No amount of knocking and screaming, magic or psychic abilities will get the doors open again. The booth is pretty resistant, as is the man inside.

Once everyone has their information, Jerry will thank everyone for their cooperation, close the booth down and head into town. Try to follow him. After rounding a corner, he'll seem to vanish and no amount of looking will find him again.

It seems as though the only things left to do are either talk to the people around you, or find your new home.


[ooc: please warn for anything triggery in your threads! thanks! ]

Comments

Alice Liddell | OU | OTA

[madcuriosity]

Arrival:

Alice blinked when she went from shaking the Red Queen and checkmating her, to well, just holding a red queen chess piece and a white queen chess piece.

However did that happen? She looked all around and was about to wander over to the beach, idly putting the chess pieces in her pinafore pocket before Jerry called everyone to attention.

And then her name was called and she was given an envelope. Curiosity got the better of her and she opened it up, her eyes widening at the sight of so much money!

"Goodness!" And then she's handed a box of cookies. Which is splendid because her stomach is growling and she's been starving since the beginning of the banquet.

She took a cookie and bit in, making a sound of content as she looked all about.

"You're all just people," she mumbled softly to herself. "No one looks like they're from the Looking Glass... Are we not there anymore?"

But there was something a bit more pressing to find out.

"Excuse me, do you know what sort of occupation do you think I might be able to get?"

Have a Jerry!

[fluxscapemod]

Jerry turns to look at the child and shakes his head some.

"Little one, you won't need a job. For someone your age, your stipend gets refilled at the beginning of the month."

It'll just show up wherever she's living. No courier. No messenger. It's just there.

"How are the cookies?"

YAY!

[madcuriosity]

"Oh! Ah, Mr. Schiff!" she smiled and offered a bop of a curtsy. "You may call me Alice, if you like, sir. And the cookies are splendid! I adore chocolate chip!" she held up the box to him. "Would you like one?"

Re: YAY!

[fluxscapemod]

"Let you in on a little secret about those cookies, kid," Jerry says, a faint twinkle in his eye. "I eat the less than pretty ones and box up the good ones I've made for everyone else. Those cookies are specifically yours."

[madcuriosity]

"Ah! Then, did you make these? The cookies, I mean?"

[fluxscapemod]

"I did." Look, this is a child. He's going to answer the childs questions because of this very fact. He'll be slightly impatient with everyone else, but never a kid.

"Are chocolate chips your absolute favorite?"

[madcuriosity]

"You're a splendid baker, Mr. Schiff! You could easily be a baker for royalty!" and she would know!

She tapped her lips in thought about her favorite.

"I think... I like gingersnaps! Or toffee! Or oh! Oatmeal raisin! All cookies are good cookies! Except if there are nuts!" her nose scrunched up. "I don't like nuts in my cookies. Whatever is your favorite cookie?"

[fluxscapemod]

"Ginger snaps. Those are my sons favorite," Jerry replies after a moment. He takes a few seconds to look around his booth, picking up cookie boxes and sorting through them before finding a smaller box with ginger snaps in them.

"Now, don't go eating all of them at once, okay?" And with that, he hands them over.

[madcuriosity]

Alice let out a soft gasp as she was given two cookie boxes and held them close, like they were precious treasure, and to a seven-year-old, they were.

"I can have two? Really?" she whispered.

[runs_on_batteries]

Tony's attention shifted to the familiar little girl nearby. It was a surprise to see her in something other than orange, but it was a very cute dress anyway.

He approached her and put a hand gently on her back. "Alice, are you alright? Where have we found ourselves?" Wherever this was, he hoped she'd know he was going to take care of her.

[madcuriosity]

She looked up at the gentleman, and then looked all around them.

"We're at a beach, sir." She tilted her head. "A very pretty beach, certainly the prettiest beach I've ever been to," she looked back to him. "But I think that's all it's called. Just... the beach. Which is a very fitting title. It would be much stranger if it were called The Mountains when it most certainly isn't that... unless it were to trick someone, that could be clever, I suppose."

[runs_on_batteries]

Tony laughed. He loved her simplicity. True, sometimes it flabbergasted him, like that thing with the whales and greeting food to be polite, but he still loved it. It was very 'her'.

"It would. I'd suspect they were trying to be ironic." He looked about and then back at her.

There was something a little off about how she was looking at him. There wasn't that warm, familiar smile he'd grown accustomed to whenever she saw him. "Alice..? Do you know who I am?"

[madcuriosity]

He looked so sad when he asked that. But, she also didn't wish to lie. She bit her lip and shook her head.

"I'm sorry, sir. I- if I forgot you, I'm terribly sorry. I don't mean to, I'm usually very good with names but it's been a very trying day. I only just checkmated the Red Queen."

[runs_on_batteries]

It was very hard to contain the disappointment and from her expression, he'd failed miserably at it. As bad as it might sting that she didn't know him, he wasn't about to guilt her for it.

Crouching down so he could be close to eye level, he gave her a smile. "Well, Alice, that means I need to re-introduce myself so we can be friends again. I'm Tony Stark. It's a pleasure to meet you. I just arrived here like you did, so we'll have to figure this out together."

[madcuriosity]

"It's a pleasure to meet you... again, Mr. Stark!" she offered a curtsy and a bright smile. He seemed like a very nice man, she was glad she had befriended someone so kind... but was terribly sad to know she had forgotten him.

"Have you spoken to Mr. Schiff? Isn't he very nice?"

[runs_on_batteries]

He glanced back toward the information booth, wondering again about the unusual man. Although, he hadn't been rude to Tony so he hadn't been given the 'Tony has an attitude' treatment.

"I have." Which reminded him.. He opened up the box of cookies in his hand and offered her one. He wasn't quite ready to eat one himself, but Alice was special. "He was helpful, yes. It looks like I have a key in here. Did you receive an address and key?"

[madcuriosity]

Alice was quick to accept the cookie, because it was a cookie, whyever would she not take one so long as it wasn't marked poison?

She bit in and, with the cookie hanging from her mouth between her lips, in a terribly unladylike way if her mother saw her but her mother was not here, she looked into her packet and pulled out only a blank key.

"There's no address here... and I've not seen a key like this before."

[miniholmes]

Shinichi is looking over the welcome packet he was given and squints at the few of the bills. He can't really tell if they're counterfeit though as he doesn't recognize the currency.

He hears the the girl nearby and looks her over-bright blue eyes pale skin and a ridiculously poofy dress. Ran would probably love it. "I wouldn't worry about a job." He states calmly-maybe he's trying to comfort her?

"I'd be more concerned about being kidnapped." Or not.

[madcuriosity]

Oh, it's a rude boy. Alice is quite used to rude boys, her school was full of them. She pressed her lips together. But perhaps she should give him the benefit of the doubt. He had at least been a little bit comforting. She looked out towards everything.

"How curious you say that," she tilted her head. "I've never heard of a kidnapper who gave houses, money, food, and a beautiful location to live at for wherever this is. Stories of kidnappers are always violence and evil plots." She pressed a finger to her lips. "I do not think we are Hans and Gretel, I very much further doubt Mr. Schiff is the witch."

[miniholmes]

Shinichi just raises an eyebrow at that, sure the scenery is nice-if you're into that sorta thing but that doesn't excuse the facts. "Just because the kidnapped is nice, doesn't make them not a kidnapper, you know. The Definition of kidnapping is defined as 'The taking of one or more peoples from from one location to another against their will' and I know I sure didn't agree to come here." He states arrogantly.

"And I wouldn't be so sure, I've read a lot of murder mysteries there the culprit lured the victim into a false sense of security. So you shouldn't trust anyone."

[madcuriosity]

"How funny," she smiled, and then giggled. For you see, Alice had begun imagining, Shinichi, suddenly in the likeness of a dictionary, a very big, very unpleasantly heavy, overburdensome dictionary. She pictured him with his arms the beginning and end cover of the dictionary, with his spine serving the same purpose. But instead of a mouth, as he spoke, he flapped, looking much the world like a bat, though nearly as cute or pleasant.

She was so taken by her image of him, that Alice had quite stopped listening to what he said and remembered to listen (though she didn't really care to what she was listening to, which is why she stopped in the first place) only to hear his last sentence.

"Then why should I believe you in the slightest?"

[miniholmes]

Shinichi just raises an eyebrow again. What exactly is she finding so amusing? She's a little odd, he decides as he gets a closer look at her. She's just a girl to him though-although her dress seems a little dated and she's obviously not Japanese.

Her question gives him pause though because honestly, she has a good point. "I'm not saying you have too, I'm just saying you shouldn't trust everyone that's nice. I find it's easier not to trust anyone at all."

[madcuriosity]

"Curiouser and curiouser, I would find it much harder to go through life not trusting anyone at all. You have to willingly decide not to trust someone, after all. You must terribly lonely too, no one wants a friend that doesn't trust them, after all."

[miniholmes]

He makes a face at that because he is not lonely, thanks. There are plenty of books in world to keep him buy and he has to hone his detective skills. But even Holmes had Watson.

"Hmm... well, I guess if you must know, there are two people I trust. Sort of. I guess it depends on the subject. -But I do know better than to trust a kidnapper."

[madcuriosity]

Alice often gave herself very good advice and very seldom followed... Shinichi must clearly have terrible advice since he is following it. It most certainly sounded like awful advice to Alice.

"Maybe we weren't kidnapped. Maybe we became lost and this is the place for found things and people. A place in-between everything."