Andrea smiled at Lee, "Let's hope this rain lets up soon." She said to the boy before looking at Jervis who started rambling. She furrowed her brows as he started talking about Selphy living with a ghost and a dog. Andrea assumed he was talking about her dog and she frowned as she didn't see that the girl was afraid of dogs. It was also odd with how Jervis knew this information, unless she confided in him. Before Andrea could say anything to the girl she was gone. "It was nice meeting you." She told Lee before leaving the lobby and going back to her room. It may not have been the best idea to go after Selphy but she wanted to reassure her that it was alright she was afraid of her dogs. When she entered Mara was still reading one of Adnrea's books but now Riley was curled up on her bed. "That sure took a while." Mara commented as she watched Andrea take out two books from one of the shelves. "Some one just checked in. He and his sister own the car that beeped. It's a '70's Chevelle." Andrea told Mara "Great? Where are you going now?" Mara asked, "Up to room 14. I want to loan some books to Selphy. You can come if you want." Andrea offered to the girl. She shook her head, "No thanks. I'm probably going to take a nap or something." She refused as she didn't want to interact with anybody. "Are you sure?" Andrea looked to Mara, "Maybe later." She spoke without looking up from her book. Andrea smiled before exiting her room.

Andrea made her way up to room fourteen with the three books, The Ghost Files, Is Your House Haunted?: Poltergeists, Ghosts or Bad Wiring and I Think My House Is Haunted!. She lightly knocked on Selphy's door, "Hey, I brought some books for you to read...to help with your ghost situation." She started, "They have tips on what to do if you are being haunted. Also it's okay if your afraid of Riley. If you ever wan to get over it we can take baby steps, okay?" She smiled even though she had a door in her face.

Jervis' face fell approximately three and a half miles when the girl on the sofa started at his words, leaping up as if she'd been stung by a bee. He watched with wide eyes as she babbled in terror, her own words making very little sense to him - 'Dogs are, well, you know, they have tails, and paws, and they...um...they bark...' - and her demeanor that of one who was clearly a few seconds away from panic. Jervis himself was having trouble finding words, finding himself standing there like a useless lump as she spoke. Should he butt in and apologise? Try to explain? Make something up and say that he was thinking of someone else entirely? Haha, silly Jervis, talking nonsense again - just like usual - he can't tell people apart at all...

But before he could summon any words, the girl stuttered out her goodbyes and rushed past him to the door. Soon after the tattooed lady left, perhaps going off to comfort the other.

Jervis replayed the scared girl's last words over and over in his head. Her excuse was transparent and his heart filled with remorse at the hurt he'd accidentally caused. He never wanted to hurt or scare anyone, not ever again, and he'd done just that. Oh, I truly am just the worst, aren't I? Shameful tears gathered in the corners of his eyes as he hung his head, staring at the floor. Jervis clasped his hands in front of him and began compulsively twining his fingers as if he was washing his hands. That was something he did whenever he was upset.

"This always happens. I always hurt people." he mumbled, sniffing welty. "I shall order myself a pizza and then cry into it."

((OOC: I just want to give Jervis a big hug. D: Poor guy.))

"Do you want to play a gaaaaaaame?"

"No..."

"Do you want to watch televisiooooooooon?"

"No..."

Buttons floated down next to Selphy, nearly touching the ground (assuming he could actually touch things, which Selphy doubted). "Is there anything I can dooooo?"

Selphy was so distraught that Buttons' moaning, ghostly way of speaking wasn't even giving her the creeps at the moment. "I don't think so, Buttons...I'm okay."

Buttons turned on his side, as if to say "you don't look okay," but a knock on the very door that Selphy was leaning against made the girl bolt up onto her feet before either of them could say anything else.

"Hey, I brought some books for you to read...to help with your ghost situation."

Selphy glanced nervously at Buttons at the phrase "ghost situation," but he seemed more confused than upset, so she let it go. She had to, in fact, because what the voice on the other side of the voice said next made Selphy's mind go blank.

"Oh...um..." After taking a deep breath, Selphy pulled her door open to reveal Andrea's smiling face. Selphy glanced down at the floor, lightly clasping her hands together. "Thank you..." She accepted the books gratefully (although it was slightly awkward with Buttons right there). "Um...I'd like that..." She was really okay with Selphy being afraid of her dog...? Huh. That encounter had gone a lot worse in her head. "I mean, dogs usually don't like me very much, but...if you were there, I guess it would probably be okay."

She was standing there awkwardly, trying to decide whether or not she should apologize for earlier, when Buttons floated up next to her head to peer out of the open door, making her jump.

"Selphy, whoooooo is this?" He sounded very eager to meet a new potential friend.

"O-Oh...right." She looked from Buttons to Andrea, hoping the latter wouldn't be scared off by her otherworldy roommate. "This is Andrea...Andrea, this is Buttons..." She blushed. "Well, I call him Buttons...he doesn't actually have a name, so...I think you can call him whatever you like..."

Buttons bobbed slowly up and down in front of Andrea, excited. "It's nice to meet yooooooou~!"

"Well the good thing about Riley is that he likes everyone." She reassured the girl, "We'll start small and work our way up." She smiled before seeing the ghost behind her. Andrea's smile grew as the ghost was no doubt adorable. "I like the name Buttons. It suits him with his appearance and all." She told Selphy before looking at Buttons, "It's nice to meet you! When I think of someone being haunted I picture more of a person, but your form is quite adorable." She complimented the ghost. "I don't mean to pry but how long have you been around as a ghost?" Andrea asked Buttons, intrigued about his story. If she knew any sooner about the ghost situation she may have tried to find any information about any deaths in the motel. Ghosts had always been a fascination to Andrea ever since she was young. She couldn't wait to tell her roommate about her encounter! Even though the redhead would probably care less.

If you want to hop in with Babs, I think this is as good a time as any!

OOC: Sorry I'm a bit behind. I've been out all day and haven't been able to post anything.

BIC:

Diana smiled at Lee as he took a couple of blankets from her basket before turning her attention back to Selphy, seeing her in a small state of paranoia before it seemed to vanish. "I'm glad you're feeling warmer, Selphy. It would be bad if you caught a cold," she said before looking up at Andrea as she spoke. "Sounds like Riley had a great morning so far!" She giggled at the thought of a muddy pup, amusement gracing her features.

In the next few seconds, everything was a blur as Jervis said something that seemed to upset Selphy, causing her to leave the room in a hurry. She blinked in surprise when Andrea also left after the girl. She debated about following but decided against it when she saw Jervis hanging his head and clasping his hands. She stood up, pausing to fold the blankets, before making her way over the him. She placed a hand on his arm as she caught him mumbling something about always hurting people and crying into pizza. "Hey Jervis. Everything's going to be okay. I promise. I think there was a miscommunication between you two, which happens all the time," she said hoping it'll help him. Before she said anything else, an idea popped into her mind as she rushed over to grab the two blankets sitting on the couch. "Maybe you can take these to her. She seemed to have left these as she fled the scene, so to speak." Diana handed Jervis the blankets and smiled up at him one last time before going to collect her basket of blankets. "I hope you and your sister enjoys the blankets Lee. If you need anymore, feel free to stop by anytime to grab more. I'll be in room 5." She said farewell as she made her way out of the lobby and into the cold rain.

Once she left the comfort of the warm room, Diana quickly flew back to her room to seek warmth again. As soon as she reached her room, she set the basket down on her bed and grabbed the wastebasket to prop open the door. She moved to the right side of her bed to grab her bag of yarn and needles and curled up on her chair. She draped one of her blankets on her lap and set out to make more for the guests.

((I'll wait (read: go to bed) and let others catch up before I post. Until then, I decided to throw one of my OCs into the fray:

OOC; I literally love Buttons so much, omg.

I'm sorry for the late response! I only woke up a short while ago. :)

Good character! It's going to be interesting to see how anybody reacts to a face like that. Plus, I think Ahua's going to be evading them a lot. Can Babs call him Eddy as a bit of a pet name?

IC; Much of the paperwork consisted of ticking boxes and filling in generic information about the motel. It wasn't strenuous work, but it was tedious, and after about ten minutes, Barbara was finally able to look up. In the time it'd taken her to fill in the administrators' section, Selphy, Andrea, and Diana had left. The blonde grabbed a chocolate bar from beneath the reception desk, heaved herself to her feet, and then moved to Ashley. The girl seemed to be basking in the heat of the radiator, no doubt sluggish from the cold and the rain. Barbara dropped the chocolate bar onto Ashley's lap, gave the girl a reassuring pat on the shoulder, and then made her way back to Lee.

"Hope ya don't mind if it's my turn to steal ya away," she said brightly, nudging the teenager with her elbow and gesturing to the door of the reception. "I gotta move quick around here or another'll swoop in and distract us both." She laughed a hearty laugh and wiped a tear out of her eye. "Ain't no shortage of friendly sorts 'round here. But would ya like to see ya room now? You can fill in this form in yer own time."

Despite still making eye contact with Lee, she was already walking backwards to the door, skillfully avoiding the dip in the floorboards and the slight ledge in the doorway. The motel had flaws that had been there since she was a little girl, after all.

Lee was even MORE confused when Jervis suddenly became very upset with what had gone down. Maybe the two of them had some kind of issues with each other he didn't know about. Thankfully, the owner reappeared from the back before it became anymore awkward. "Yeah, please." He told her. The boy managed a small wave and a "see ya around" to Jervis, motioning to Babs who was leading him out of the door, following her lead around the dip and watching his step as went back outside. It was still raining lightly, and Chevelle was also still talking to the man - maybe not so much a man, he could see now that he was closer - but Chevelle was apparently not worried by his appearance at all. She looked over her shoulder at him. "Finally. I thought you went to the bathroom and fell in or something." She regarded Tim again. "Looks like I have a room to check out. We'll see each other later, I'm sure." She smiled and nodded to him before she got back in the car. Herself. Whatever. Rolling down the window, she called out to Lee and Babs. "Tell me where to go and I'll head over." Chevelle feigned turning the key and chuffing before roaring to life. "Looks like you got a demonstration anyway!" She laughed, pulling herself half out of the window. He seemed to like waving, so she gave him a small wave before dropping back into the driver's seat.

((OOC: Ahahaha, I'm so glad! x'D He's a sweetie.))

Selphy nodded, trying to calm herself down by forcing herself to believe that. "Oh...okay...well, I'll have to stop by sometime..." Andrea really was a kind soul; Selphy didn't need to be scared around her. She was even considering actually following up on her invitation sometime.

She was equally relieved by her response to Buttons; maybe seeing someone else so comfortable around him would make her more comfortable...or maybe not, but still. She gave a small smile, a little embarrassed. "Oh...Buttons was the name of my cat..." She'd barely gotten this out when Buttons began speaking to Andrea, as excited as he'd been on the day that Selphy had moved into Room 14.

He was clearly delighted by Andrea's response. "Ooooooh, thank yooooooou~!" he moaned excitedly, doing a little loop-de-loop in midair. "I quite liiiiike this appearance...I've been told that it's not toooooo scary..."

At her question, he became more still, floating with his face up towards the ceiling thoughtfully. "Ooooooh...hm... You knoooow, I'm not sure...I woke up one day, and eeeeeeeverything was daaaaark...my booooody was floating doooooown into nothingness...but then I heard a scream, and when I oooooopened my eyes, here I was, in Rooooom 14..." He slowly sat back up, looking at Andrea morosely. "I'm sooooorry if that wasn't helpful...I always tryyyyy to be helpful..."

-viola

"Hey Jervis. Everything's going to be okay. I promise. I think there was a miscommunication between you two, which happens all the time,"

Jervis looked up at the sound of a voice and the feeling of someone touching his arm. Dianah (Was that really her name? He still wasn't sure.) was talking to him, obviously feeling sorry for him and attempting to soothe his hurt feelings. Not sure exactly what to say in response to that he merely nodded mutely, but the gratitude he felt was obvious on his face. He took the blankets that were handed to him and folded them up carefully, wary of any chance of creases or dropping them; he held them close to his body, almost hugging them like a teddy bear. Alright. he thought, his mood lifting ever so slightly. I'll do that. Then I can apologise to the poor girl and explain that I never meant to hurt her feelings or upset her. We really started off on the wrong foot but perhaps I can make it better.

By the time Barbara came and took Lee away Jervis was feeling quite a bit better. His moods - especially the bad ones - had a tendency to be intense but fleeting, with anger or upset arriving like a brief thunderstorm that doesn't even last half an hour. His "Goodbye!" to Lee then was almost cheerful, and he left the room without a hint of his earlier moping.

Jervis headed to room 14 with a sense of fresh purpose, pausing a few metres away from the two women and clearing his throat to warn them of his arrival. He raised his arms a little to make his cargo and hence reason for being here a little more obvious. Jervis couldn't see Buttons from the angle he was approaching at, though he did hear a little of their voice as he walked up. He did wonder who could possess such a voice, though part of him did think it might just be the pipes groaning.

"Ah, hello. I... Dianah asked me to bring you these blankets. I also wanted to apologise. For earlier. I was..." he paused, clearly searching for the right words. ("I didn't mean it!" pleaded poor Alice, "But you're so easily offended, you know!") No, he certainly couldn't say that. "...Probably thinking of somebody else. I didn't mean to cause any upset. I'm sorry. I hope we can, ah, put it behind us and start on a better footing."

Meanwhile, someone - or something - skulked around outside, almost on all fours with their nose sniffing along the rain-soaked ground. The Wendigo was hungry again even though had eaten a rabbit not an hour ago, its blood and fur were still decorating their face. Then again, the Wendigo was always hungry and lately they'd been even hungrier. Humans were getting smarter, it seemed, and they were pressing further and further into the wild places the Wendigo called home; their cars were noisier, their guns more hurtful, and the light from their towns lit up the sky for miles. The Wendigo's usual prey was dying out or getting stolen by humans, forcing them to stray into the towns and villages to keep their belly full.

They sniffed around for the scents of food, catching a whiff of car exhaust, sweaty human bodies, food rotting in bins, a hint of fish, and - ah! What was that? They smelt a dog, a fat little puppy-dog. The Wendigo began to drool at the mere thought of it. A fat little puppy-dog was one of their favourite meals, up there with a handful of fresh radishes or a slice of warm, crusty bread with chocolate. But those things were rare and fat little puppy-dogs were everywhere, which made them far better to eat. They could gobble them up by the score and not have to worry about running out.

They raised themselves up from their crouch and began to lope towards the building, head held high as they sniffed the air. Ordinarily they wouldn't dare stray so close to humans in daylight like this, but the hunger in their belly was almost overwhelming. They soon tracked the enticing smell to one particular room, ducking under the windowsill and peering within to spot their prey. And there it was, curled up on a bed next to a human woman.

The Windigo scratched at the glass with their claws, testing its strength, and worked at the window fastenings. A little rattle came out and the window shook a little. That was promising. They worked at it some more, the rattle increasing in volume.

((OOC: Just a quick note to myself and others: it's W-E-N-D and not W-I-N-D. A WINDigo is something from My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic and a typo. They're the WENDigo. Just like Jervis' surname is actually spelt Dodgson, not DodgEson. I just can't spell sometimes.))

Selphy had been content to simply watch and listen to Andrea and Buttons' conversation, but a sudden sound from down the hall made her glance away. The sound was someone clearing their throat; the throat belonged to her neighbor, Jervis, and Selphy paled immediately.

Ooh, that's right! Of course you'd see him so soon, he lives here! And you made him so angry, oh no, what're you going to do...?!

Selphy stared blankly when Jervis began talking; her eyes flicked down onto the blankets, the very ones she'd been agonizing over forgetting. But the mention of the word 'apology' made her blink back up at him in surprise, eyes wide behind the thick lenses of her glasses.

"I was..."

Super offended? Angry? Furious?!

"...Probably thinking of somebody else."

Selphy blinked again. Oh. Oh wow. She'd really misread this guy badly, huh? For the second time that day, a conversation was going way, way polar opposite of how she'd thought it would. When he mentioned his hope for them to get along, she gave a small jump, realizing she was still staring at him in shock, and hurried to action.

"Oh! Um...one second..." She ducked back into her room, setting the books Andrea had brought her on the dresser. Then she hurried back to the doorway, accepting the blankets from Jervis. "Thank you for bringing these...I felt so bad for forgetting them. I hope Diana wasn't mad," she added anxiously. Before giving him a chance to respond, however, she realized with some panic that it was more important right now that she respond to the rest of what he'd said, and so she hurried on.

"A-Anyway...you don't need to apologize...you were right. I...I am scared of dogs..." She glanced at Andrea guiltily, but felt a little better knowing that she wasn't mad. Her eyes moved down to the floor as she continued, clutching the blankets close. "I was just surprised...you didn't do anything wrong. ...I'm actually the one who should be apologizing...I just p-panic sometimes, and do stuff without really meaning to." The memory of herself climbing out of a window came to mind, and she tried to dismiss it.

She forced herself to meet his eyes again, doing her best to offer a tiny smile. "If you're not mad at me, then...I also hope that we can get along."

It was unfortunately at that moment that Buttons could no longer hold back his excitement for yet another new friend. He came swooping into view, right in front of Selphy's face, causing her to let out a short scream of surprise.

"Helloooooooo~!" he said cheerfully, now facing Jervis. "I'm Buttoooooooons~!"

So I'm not the only one who's nervous about this... The thought almost made Jervis chuckle, but he managed to suppress all expression but alert and polite attentiveness as the scared girl talked. She seemed to beating herself up for harmless little things far more than he ever did, though he severely doubted that someone so sweet and shy - and young, to boot - could have as much reason for guilt as he.

Pity filled him and he nodded sympathetically as she apologised over and over. What had happened to make her assume that everyone's first reaction to her was hate and anger? Jervis had the urge to gather the poor little thing in his arms and assure that it was going to be alright and that nobody was going to hurt her ever again, that he wouldn't let them hurt her. But he knew that would be barging straight over several boundaries and definitely wouldn't end well.

Jervis let her take the blankets from him without a word, letting her talk. It was the most he'd heard her ever say and he had the feeling that she didn't talk much. "It's quite alright." he muttered at some point. He was about to reply in the positive to her offer of friendship - or, at least, friendly acquaintanceship - when something small and white came swooping out of the door and right up to him. He and the girl let out a synchronised scream of surprise, and Jervis lept back, raising his arms defensively before he could even think.

At first Jervis thought it was a bird, or a small plastic bag caught on the wind, but it then spoke - in a rather cheerful tone, at that - and a few second's inspection revealed that it was more like a little white sheet with a face. A little ghost, just like something out of a cartoon or a cutesy Halloween card. Jervis blinked for a few seconds as it sunk in. So this was the famous ghost of room 14. Not a bloodstained spectre, wailing of death and vengeance, or a ghoulish figure with sunken eyes and a chilling touch. No, it was a rather precious little blob named Buttons.

He swallowed, a small and stunned giggle escaping his throat. It still was the first time he'd ever been face-to-face with a departed soul and it had given him quite a shock besides. "A g-ghost! Dear, dear! How queer everything is to-day! And yesterday things went on just as usual!" he babbled before he could stop himself, his mind going into autopilot.

OOC: You know the door is open with a puppy gate in front of it?

Andrea smiled at Selphy, "Oh your cat must have been the cutest!" Andrea exclaimed, "And I'd be happy to have you over anytime or I can bring Riley here if Mara isn't up for company or she is sleeping." Andrea told the girl before turning her attention to Buttons. "No! That's quite alright. You were very helpful, though there may be some clues to who you were in room 14 or maybe Bab's could give us some insight." Andrea reassured him before titling her head and rattling off ideas. "So does this mean you have another form? I'd like to see it sometime, if you can show it. Of course in private company, if that's okay with you Selphy. Ghosts can be kinda scary when you aren't used to them." Andrea looked at Selphy before noticing the short blonde man from the lobby. "Hi Jervis. That's your name, right?" Andrea asked the man, "I don't think we've ever met. I'm Andrea." She introduced herself.

Mara was getting a bit sleepy before Riley started barking. "Riley, calm down. There is nothing out there." Mara tried to reassure the puppy as she took him in his arm but he persisted barking. When the window started to rattle she became uneasy. She got up slowly with Riley still in her arms and peered out the window to see a creature trying to get in. She let out a blood-curdling scream as this grotesque thing was trying to get in. She quickly ran into the bathroom with Riley and a cryptozoology book. She had been flipping through the book before landing on the Wendigo. Andrea had talked about this thing before. It was during one of the episodes of the show she loved. 'What was the name of that show?.....Supernatural!' Mara had thought. Honestly her roommate knew so much about the show that she swore that if this was a different universe or whatever she would be on the show hunting with the two main characters. Mara just couldn't rack her brain of how to get rid of it. All the while Riley was still barking in hopes that it would stop the creature from entering. Maybe being in the bathroom wasn't such a good idea when Mara had a moment to collect her thoughts. She grabbed the book and threw it on the bed before running out of the room with Riley in her hands.

Andrea turned around as she heard the scream and saw her roommate and her dog coming towards them. Something had to of spooked her for sure. "What happened?." Andrea asked as she went to Mara so Riley wouldn't get too close to Selphy.

((Just to clarify: the Windigo is approaching from outside the hotel, from a field, and hasn't entered the hotel proper. Is there an door going going from Andrea's room directly outside and not into the corridor? If so, my post makes absolutely no sense at all.

I'll edit this with my real post once I'm not in an architectural tangle.))

((OOC: There are corridoors? So the doors don't lead directly outside?))

(( Posted by Gylphie on page 2, along with a diagram of your average room (for two).

Imagine that the Windigo was approaching from where the little square is near room 1. Jervis, Andrea, and Selphy are standing near room 14, around the corner from room 1 (which incidentally can't be seen from their vantage point). I don't know if there are doors going directly into the rooms from outside but going off my limited motel knowledge, and security concerns, they might not. I'm not sure.))

((OOC: Fixed))

((OOC: I was waiting to reply until Andrea had a chance to catch up with the conversation, but would it make more sense to have another Wendigo post before mine? Let me know, I'm flex. c:))

((Doing as little as possible so others don't have that much to reply to.))

The Wendigo was still testing the window when the dog started to bark. They hissed with alarm and annoyance, but weren't too bothered by the noise; all dogs barked, but they were taller and faster and stronger than a dog, not to mention a lot smarter. There was no threat here. As soon as they got their claws into the dog's throat it would be all over and they could finally have a good meal.

But the woman's scream was a different thing altogether - a far more unpleasant thing. The Wendigo took a step back in shock, flaring their wings and letting out a screech of protest at the sudden noise. How dare she make such a racket and hurt their head like that, their poor head already pounding with dog's barks and hunger pains? How dare? The dozens of souls inside the Wendigo's head snarled, wailed, and howled in concert, their simple, angry thoughts of challenge and of claws and teeth stained with blood.

Then they stepped back to the window again, angry as well as hungry now, and redoubled their efforts to get inside. Claws clattered against the glass as they beat the window with their hands, once even lowering their head to butt against the glass; a spiderweb crack appeared, which just encouraged them.

"Shkkkh... Hungry... Hungry... Food!" they rasped to themselves.

"Yes, I'm Jervis. Jervis Dodgson. Pleased to meet you, Andrea." Jervis confirmed; he managed to calm down a touch, enough to speak coherently now. "I'm staying in room 14, as it happens, just over there. Though I never-"

What Jervis never did would never be known, as just then he was cut off by the sudden barking of a dog and a woman's scream from nearby. Panicked thoughts broke out from that direction, thoughts of fear and anger and something like hunger audible under the motel's usual buzz. He bolted upright, eyes wide and hands flying to his mouth in shock. "Oh, my! Did you hear that? Has there been some sort of accident?!" he gasped, looking from woman to woman to ghost as if expecting them to know any more than he did.

As if to answer his question, he heard an inhuman wail and a woman carrying a small dog came running around the corner. Andrea went to her - they must know each other - and asked the question Jervis so desperately wanted to know the answer to.

He balled his hands into fists into front of his mouth, whimpering in fear as he awaited what the newcomer would say.