By and by we'll defy a little bit of gravity

[the_death_card]

While Jack knows it's good for him, doing a lot to stretch how far his magic will go before he's exhausted, playing with the door trick is also fun. He's been picking locks for so long now that it's almost boring, especially when his actual magic has progressed to the point that, increasingly frequently, doors will unlock themselves before he even knows they were locked to begin with.

Using the Eye's network is something different. It's a constantly moving lock that, if he hits a slightly different pin in a slightly different way, will open a door to somewhere completely different. He's already found a dozen different places across the United States and a half-dozen more outside of it that have all led to some fascinating afternoons. Every time he finds somewhere new, he thinks to ask Jacob or Max or Andrew for a list of connected places, but so far, he's forgotten to actually do it. Finding them randomly is more fun anyway.

Things have mostly calmed down around the suite, now. He knows most of them have returned to their normal sleeping habits, helped along by their brand new connection. That's still new and something he's getting used to, but like someone said, it feels like a natural next step after the year they spent living on top of each other and how close they've all become since then. It is still something they're all figuring out, though, which means that they're still taking it easy on rehearsals. Normally, that's not something he would mind, but today, it's lead to some restlessness that he knows no jog or trip downstairs to the gym will do anything to help.

When he catches himself rereading the same paragraph in his book for the third time in a row, he groans and levers himself into a sit, setting his book to the side and leaning down to grab his boots where he kicked them off earlier. There's an inquisitive ping at the back of his mind that he brushes off as he stands and grabs his jacket, heading out of his room and toward the stairs.

"I'm going out for a while," he calls to the suite at large on his way downstairs. "I've got my phone."

Merritt doesn't look up from behind his book but he does wave a hand at Jack in acknowledgement, and there's an accepting nudge from someone through the connection. Jack flips a wave back at Merritt as he slips out of the suite, closing the door behind him and heading for the elevator. He pauses once he gets there to run his thumb over his middle and index fingers, calling up a spark and touching it to the keyhole set between the standard call buttons. He can immediately feel the pins that make up the Eye's network, and he drifts over a few of them before settling on one. He nudges it into place with his magic and then pulls his hand away and hits the down button to call the elevator. It comes almost immediately, and Jack steps inside, hitting a button at random and leaning back against the wall to watch the numbers drop - and then stands straight again when it slows to a stop with the usual quiet ding.

For everywhere he's been so far, what he finds is entirely unexpected. If he didn't know better, if he hadn't already seen the Peninsula's lobby dozens of times, he would think something had gone wrong with the magic and he had just been taken downstairs. Ahead of him is another hotel lobby, and he stops just outside the elevator, trying to figure out where he is. Just ahead of him is a small desk bearing a stylized sun - and when he looks at it for more than a moment, the paint seems to shimmer, revealing an equally stylized eye set into the paint. The desk is attended by a dark-haired woman in a blue shirt with a name badge pinned to it, and she looks up at him after a moment, smiling immediately. "Good afternoon, Mister Wilder. Checking in?"

"Uh..." Jack begins intelligently, and her smile turns a little less polished and a little more truly amused as she stands up, smoothing her shirt out automatically.

"Or did you just happen by?"

"That one," Jack returns, a little relieved, and she laughs.

"You aren't the first," she assures him, "but welcome to the Sun Veil Resort. We're located on the Yucatan Peninsula with access to the amenities of Cancun with our own specific brand of privacy for our members and their guests." It's clearly a standard speech, but Jack gets well enough what she's saying - or, rather, very carefully not saying.

"You mean this is for the Eye."

"Of course," she returns before her smile fades into something more solicitous. "Would you like a tour? We do have open rooms at the moment, and I'm sure you and the other Horsemen would enjoy a visit."

Even if this isn't where Jack intended to end up, Jack doesn't even need to think about it before he nods. "Yeah, that'd be great." Saying they would all use a vacation and change of scenery after everything that's been going on is puttting it really mildly.

"Give me just a moment, then," she returns with another smile. She turns her attention back to her desk, hits a few keys on her ocmputer, sets a small bell on the desk, and then rounds it, gesturing for him to accompany her. "Right this way."

Comments

[the_lovers]

Daniel appreciates Jack not busting his balls about Chicago pizza, right now. For all that his heart's a little bit on display, right here, right now, he probably wouldn't have taken it well.

"Okay," he says instead, something pleased in that one word. "Great."

[the_death_card]

They all like to pick at each other, but they also all know when not to bust each other's balls at this point.

Jack just offers him another grin - and then looks up toward the suite's second floor. "So should we start taking bets on whether Henley or Merritt'll be ready next?"

[the_lovers]

Mood shifting away from the serious, Daniel follows Jack's gaze up the stairs. He effects a mock-thoughtful look before he answers, "My money's on Merritt." A beat, then he clarifies, "You realize that Henley's room has become, like, this walk-in closet-slash bunny hutch, right?"

[the_death_card]

"Yeah, I take it back. Not betting against you on that one," he agrees easily. "Also, Merritt basically wears the same thing everyday."

Not that his wardrobe has a lot of variety, but that's beside the point at the moment.

[the_lovers]

"Yeah, that really doesn't hurt, either," Daniel agrees. This time, when he pauses, it's mostly for effect. "You think he actually owns any shorts? Or is it all, like, khakis or whatever?"

[the_hermit]

"Are you saying you actually want to see me show some leg, Danny Boy?" Merritt asks from the second floor of the suite, amusement in his tone, and Jack grins as he tilts his head to watch the other man make his way down the stairs.

[the_lovers]

"Oh, God," Daniel groans, as if he hadn't thought about shorts entailing skin. He takes a moment, clearly trying to will the mental image away. "Please don't."

Don't have shorts, Merritt. Please don't wear the shorts.

[the_hermit]

You started it, Daniel.

"We're going to a beach, right? You know that involves bathing suits. What if all I have are Speedos?"

[the_lovers]

Daniel takes a moment to consider that, before, "You know, I don't think that'd be so bad, actually. I mean, you're pasty enough under all the -- " He gestures to himself, bodily. Merritt is, as a whole, just pasty. " -- that it'd probably keep anyone from being able to look at you for too long."

The beacons are lit and all that. Not that he has any room to talk.

[the_hermit]

Merritt pauses for a moment - and then just nods. "Alright, that's fair. I think Jackie over there and our fearless leader are the only ones that aren't going to come out of this trip ready to be dipped in some melted butter."

You know, because they're going to be lobsters.

"Which is another reason why we need a beach vacation," Jack agrees, still amused. "You'll need less make-up to keep from getting washed out."

[the_lovers]

"He'll just need more to keep from looking like actual Satan," Daniel shoots back.

"What are you guys fighting about now?" Henley groans, as she pads down the stairs, finally.

"He started it," Daniel insists. He'll be disappointed if Merritt doesn't declare the same, the other way around.

[the_hermit]

"He started it," Merritt returns almost in time with Daniel, because yes, he has to do that.

Jack just snorts, rolling his eyes, but he can't stop himself grinning, either.

[the_highpriestess]

Daniel looks away, quietly pleased, when Henley rolls her eyes. A pause follows, largely to clear the air, and then more seriously, she asks, "So, I take it everyone's ready?"

[the_death_card]

Jack's smile fades a little as he nods. "Just waiting on you," he confirms - and he says it without accusation. He's not saying she took too long, just that yes, everyone's ready to head out whenever she is.

[the_highpriestess]

"Well, here I am," she shoots back, posing dramatically. When she relaxes again, she glances towards the door, before, "Guess we're good to go."

Has she mentioned how much she's looking forward to this? To the point where he anticipation would be near-palpable, even before the addition of the connection.

[the_death_card]

Jack makes a little trumpet noise as she poses, and Merritt snorts as he begins to lever himself up out of his seat. Jack is quicker about it, pushing himself up and reaching for his bag. "Yep," he agrees immediately - he's just as excited as she is, honestly, and it definitely would have been obvious to anyone with eyes, let alone a telepathic connection.

[the_highpriestess]

"Okay," Henley starts, readjusting her hold on her bag as everyone starts to get to their feet. "Danny, grab Jacob's suitcase. Merritt, you want to text Agent Dray and let her know we're getting ready to leave?"

She figures they can go to Cancun, drop off their stuff, and then one of them can double back and get Alma. Better to let her know she only has about ten, fifteen minutes before one of them shows up, though.

[the_hermit]

"Can do," Merritt agrees as he aborts his move toward his bag to unlock his phone and send the promised text. "And done," he says after a moment, returning his phone to his pocket and picking up his bag.

"Everybody good?" Jack checks once Merritt joins them, starting toward the door to the suite.

[the_highpriestess]

"I can go get her, once we're settled," Henley tells Jack as an aside, not wanting to leave him to do all the heavy lifting. A pause follows, then with a glance at Daniel to make sure he has her baggage, she nods. "Ready when you are, Mister Wilder."

She's practically dripping excitement.

[the_death_card]

"Let's go," Jack returns in answer to that, his own excitement just as palpable as he turns toward the door of the suite. He leads the way out to the elevator, reaching out to hit the button. As he does, there's the usual spark of magic, and, a few moments later, the doors slide open. He leads the way inside, the doors close - and when they open again, it's to the front desk of the resort.

It's not Lillie behind the desk this time, but a young man with brown eyes and hair in the same uniform. He looks up as Jack steps up to the desk - and then smiles. "Ah, the Horsemen," he greets them. "Checking in?"

[the_lovers]

"Yeah, hi," Daniel answers, stepping up to the desk. "I'd wave or whatever, but someone made me carry all her bags." He throws a glance back at Henley, mostly for effect. The lady doth protest too much.

"It's one bag, Danny," Henley shoots back, also mostly just because.

[the_hermit]

The clerk manages not to actually laugh at Daniel, but he's definitely doing it inwardly even as he offers, "sincerely", "I can call for someone to take care of that for you," he offers.

"No, it'll do him some good to carry his own bags. Work out those noodle arms," Merritt interjects, reaching out to squeeze Daniel's bicep.

[the_lovers]

"You do realize that I have enough upper body strength to use Henley's bag as a weapon, right?" Daniel shoots back, pulling himself out of his reach.

"You break it, you buy it, Danny," Henley tells him.

"Okay, my bag," he amends, apparently less concerned about his things.

[the_hermit]

The clerk chuckles. "Why don't I save you the trouble and call for a bellhop?" he offers, reaching for the phone, and Merritt nods.

"We'll save the floorshow for later," he assures him.

[the_lovers]

"Probably for the best, yeah," Daniel agrees, almost in time with Merritt. He sets his own bag at his feet, making a show of taking some of the pressure off as they wait, and then lapses into something more serious, silent, taking in the lobby.

"Wait 'til you see the rest of it," Henley tells him after a beat, sensing his -- well, awe isn't quite the right word for it, but he's definitely impressed.