by Miriam Bell » Mon Nov 27, 2017 1:52 am
Getting to the roof had been trivial while everyone was fleeing the building in a panic. Somehow she'd stayed calm, or maybe detached and empty would be more accurate. She pretended that she was being aloof and in control, but in reality she just didn't really care that much about the possibility of going up in a blaze along with the building. Still, she made it up to the fresh air, ditched her heels and leaped over to the next building. There she stood a while, watching the flames flicker behind the windows as vampires scattered into the darkness. She'd told herself she'd try to find Alessia who surely is fleeing as well, but Instead she'd been looking at her hand and the vague mental impression of a mask she's holding on to and the feelings coming off of it that stung more than any flame could. When she noted the sirens and the blue flicker of fire-engines playing in the urban canyons she tore herself away from the latest location of her life going up in flames.
The hotel concierge in front of the Sheraton briefly raises his eyebrows at the pale woman in a torn dress, reeking vaguely of smoke that walks up, but quickly 'decides' that this is not worth making a fuss about, he should just do his job and open the door for her. There's too many people in the lobby to suppress the whispers and hushed outrage among the guests, but the receptionist only opens his mouth without managing to make a sound before the woman makes eye-contact with him and her blue eyes pierce his as his mind is overwhelmed. He turns around with mechanical movements and reaches for one of the keys hanging on the wall behind him, jerking himself back around and handing it over to the strange woman. Somehow he knows she's not to be disturbed and that he would regret it if she was. He doesn't question how he knows this, because somehow he feels like she would know. Instead he just quietly turns away and updates the computer, noting that the woman has checked in and paid the room for a week.
The few people unfortunate enough to be between the reception desk and the elevators find themselves shying away as the woman stalks past them and the elevator cabin she takes up remains empty save for her, a number of people suddenly deciding they will wait for the next one. Behind the reception desk one of the monitors showing a grid of tiny black and white images shows elevator doors closing on an empty cabin and a button seemingly pushing itself.