(no subject)

[jarodrussel.livejournal.com]

Time: 10 May, early evening
Place: On the road outside the manor
Status: Public
Summary: Another new guest


For the past few days, Jarod had been drifting. He had completed his self-imposed mission on this island and gone looking for something else to strike his fancy. For a hint of another place where injustice had been done and needed someone to right it.. However, nothing had caught his attention just yet, and so he had aimlessly wandered. taking whatever train looked promising, letting himself be taken along in a car or truck for a few hours, then walking a bit.

Soon he came to realise that no matter how randomly he tried to pick his direction, he always ended up moving towards the same area.

It was almost as if some invisible force was calling out to him. He had never quite experienced anything like it.

Well, that was as good a thing to investigate as any.

He was in no particular hurry, though, and so it took him another two days to finally arrive at the place that seemed to exude that pull.

The small town was named Lower Tadfield. On the way, he had seen that there also was an Upper Tadfield, and he had passed an airbase. He smiled in fond memory of flying one of those jets, followed by the not so fond memory of crashing a plane on an island with a blizzard coming up. That he had survived that hat been sheer dumb luck, nothing else. Someone had claimed god had watched over him. He laughed at that.

Now that he was here, he had to decide what to do. He was quite aware that he wasn't looking all that respectable right now. He was wearing leather pants of the kind motorcycle riders often used, knee-high boots and a scuffed leather jacket over a bleached-out t-shirt that had at some point been blue. He carried smarter clothes in the bag over his shoulder, but before he put on a suit he really should take a shower. And shave. And wash his hair.

Not too long back he had come across a man whose motorcycle had broken down. He had helped him fix the thing and in exchange been taken along the last forty miles, almost all the way to Lower Tadfield. But now he had motor oil onhis jacket, on his t-shirt and in his hair. He had not crossed a mirror since then, but he had an idea that there might be some on his face, too.

So, what he needed was a place to get clean and change into proper clothes. A cheap hotel might have done the trick, but it appeared that Lower Tadfield had no such thing.

Comments

[safehouse-guest.livejournal.com]

Oh dear, he'd seen Gabriel and Michael, and probably Raphael; she'd seen all of them going past. They really should keep their wings in, but considering their condition, the poor things didn't have much choice at the moment. Honestly, leave for a few days and you came back to find chaos.

"Oh, those three," she laughed, wondering why he didn't seem more fazed. Perhaps he wasn't entirely human either, after all. "They're rather odd in their own way; they've travelled a lot and know just about everyone, especially in Gabriel's case - he's the one with black hair. Well, the rooms on the first floor are the most spacious. The ones on the second floor are slightly smaller but they're also closer to the library, on the same floor - Gabriel's the librarian, by the way - and there are mansard rooms on the third floor with some lovely views."

[jarodrussel.livejournal.com]

"I'll go for the view," Jarod said.

So they at least kept them busy and feeling useful. That was something at least. On the other hand, he had been busy and useful, too, and still kept as a slave.

He reached for his money to give her a downpayment on the room. He knew most people used VISA these days, but paying by credit card was just about the same as inviting the Center to his doorstep.

[safehouse-guest.livejournal.com]

Now for the question that would definitely get her funny looks, especially since this one was a psychiatrist. "You are human, aren't you?"

[jarodrussel.livejournal.com]

"Doesn't it say so on my ID?" Jarod asked with a forced grin. The woman probably thought she was being funny.

"I have no wings attached to my back if that's what you mean."

Referring to those poor men as non-human, though, was something he very much objected to. Still, making an enemy during his first ten minutes here by saying so was probably a bad idea.

[safehouse-guest.livejournal.com]

Well, if he was going to stay here, he'd find out sooner or later.

"Dr. Russell, dear, we have a lot of guests, and all of them pass themselves off as human most of the time. Most of them aren't, though. You've already seen three of the angels, and there are demons around too, though they'd probably avoid you just because of your profession, the poor dears. There are gods, and immortals, and others who weren't very specific. I'm just running the Manor, but the one in charge is Adam - he was such an adorable baby, him and his toesie-woesies - and his rule is that those with powers cannot use them to harm the town or anyone in it or the surrounding area. He does love Lower Tadfield so." Her smile was rather fond; it had been so pleasant to see the Antichrist as a grown man, after having held him as a baby.

"And no fighting, too. You get free rooms in return for following those rules."

[jarodrussel.livejournal.com]

Jarod was quickly developing a headache. Apparently he was in fact renting a room in a kind of hospital for the insane, from one of the inmates. Oh wonderful!

"Can I speak to this Adam?" he asked. "And I fear that I have no powers to boast of, nor wings, and I can't claim any particular deity's title either. I'm just a normal guy."

He smiled patiently. "However, I promise not to fight."

Oh my. What was he getting himself into here?

[safehouse-guest.livejournal.com]

"Adam's not here at the moment, dear," Mary responded, filling in the necessary paperwork. "He turns up when he feels like it, and if you like I can tell him you wish to speak with him. And you'll have to pay for the room, I'm afraid."

She laughed at the last bit. "I should hope so! Most of them would be far more powerful than you are and have weapons. You might even see a couple of them training, every now and then." She handed him the key to 310 and a little sign to hang on the door. "A lot of our guests value their privacy, so if you wish Rose to clean your room, just leave the sign on the door knob."

[jarodrussel.livejournal.com]

Jarod read the amount on the papers, signed them and counted out the money for her.

"And Rose is..?" he asked her carefully. He preferred not to have people in his room if he could avoid it.

Also, while physical exercise was certainly good, he almost blanched at the idea of the blonde man being allowed to handle a weapon.

[safehouse-guest.livejournal.com]

"Rose Heerkens. She's a lovely young American girl who came here as a guest, and the poor dear was rather short of money and wanted a job. Admirable work ethic, really." Mary smiled fondly again. She'd be sad to see Rose leave eventually. "She does the cleaning, and takes over the reception desk sometimes too."

[jarodrussel.livejournal.com]

That sounded even frighteningly normal.

"I'm from over there, too," Jarod told Mary, even though she would have read that on his ID. "Say, do those rooms come with showers?"

[safehouse-guest.livejournal.com]

Mary laughed. "Of course they do, dear! This is a hotel, and no offence meant but you do look like you could use one. You're lucky Rose isn't here or she'd have been a little annoyed, poor girl. Enjoy your stay!"

At least he didn't seem to think she was mad.

[jarodrussel.livejournal.com]

"I think I'll first enjoy the shower," Jarod said with another smile, took the keys to his room and nodded to the woman as he made his way to the stairs.