Hotel Obsidian | Morning

[apocalypsehow]

"Wha---? What did I get up to last night?"

How Five ended up in the kitchens of the hotel was an honest to god mystery even as fuzzy parts of the alcohol soaked evening filtered into his brain. Which included a speech about how surprised he was about Luther's getting married and way too much thought about his weird simian DNA thing.

But the most important thing he remembered was seeing his father talking to someone about a deal.

"What was the old man up to?"

Five	And enough thought put into it, and another bottle of alcohol, found Five outside of the hotel on the remains of the street. Sitting on the edge of the universe. "Reginald," he said, glancing back at him as the man approached.
Reginald	"I take it you know why I'm here." Certainly not cuddles, if that was what you were thinking.
Five	Try that one on Luther instead! "How about I save some time and give you the 'no' up front?" Five suggested. "I'm not the least bit interested in the bullshit plan you've been cooking."
Reginald	"It's not, as you so colorfully called it, bullshit." There were cool little diagrams and everything! "Mind if I join you?"
Five	He could and would. "Actually appreciate some solitude--"
Reginald	Well, tough shit. Reginald was plopping his bony ass right next to you, Five. Classic Hargreeves move.
Five	Five let out a annoyed little sigh. "It seems I won't get any," he said, offering the bottle in his hand over to his father.
Reginald	Well at least that was polite! Until Reginald took a swig from the bottle. "Dear god."
Five	"Louis XIII, it ain't," Five replied, taking the bottle back to drink from.
Reginald	"I've had worse," he replied, handing the bottle back to Five. "Impressive, isn't it?" He was, of course, referring to the apocalypse before them.
Five	"All the ways we could have screwed the pooch, this way is the most complete," Five said in a sort of agreement. "I'm relieved, actually. This time everything goes." That was dark, Five. "There's no Commission, no leaping away. No life spent going mad with the desperation to see a familiar face..."
Reginald	"I've seen worlds end in ways that would knock your socks off, old man." Normal things normal humans who weren't aliens said.
Five	"Wow! Reginald Hargreeves, you never cease to amaze me." Was he drunk or sarcastic or both?
Reginald	"That is some comfort." Lying? Not lying? Who knew! "You know, they all run together after a while. But you never forget your first. Your home. Your original sin. You never stop wondering, Did I do enough to save the people I loved?"
Five	"Did you?" Five asked. Reginald had always been odd, but there was something that prickled at the back of Five's brain at that.
Reginald	"No, but I was hoping you children would help me with that." Whether you liked it or not.
Five	"And there it is," Five said, upset with himself for almost falling for it for a moment there. "Sorry, Reg. I got a message from the future."
Reginald	"What future?" Reginald asked, gesturing to the abyss before them.
Five	"My future self told me very explicitly not to save this world." And he trusted his stupid, cryptic self over you, old man.
Reginald	"You're an arrogant son of a bitch, aren't you?" Almost like he was the child that acted most like him, weird. "Future you. Present you. The past is as much a mystery as the future. You ruined your life once before by not listening to me. Are you prepared to do that again?"
Five	Wow, way to toss that in his face. "Fine. I'll attend your stupid meeting."
Reginald	Ha, he knew that'd get you. "Excellent!"
Five	"If--" Five cut in, not at all willing to give him too much time to feel proud of himself. "If you tell me what happened with you in the Buffalo Suite last night. Who were you talking to? Was it Klaus? Was it Ben?" He was onto you!
Reginald	"No one. I was alone." Talking and shaking hands with himself. "Though I doubt you were in any condition to remember. We should go. Don't want to be late for the meeting." He got up from where he was sitting, looking down at Five. "I would move if I were you."
Five	"What, are you threatening me?" Because he was onto you? Was that it?!
Reginald	You'd know he was threatening you when he offered to hug you! Hm. Foreshadowing. No, in this case it was a legit warning, seeing as the ground rumbled and started to crumble beneath them. "Shall we?"
Five	Five scrambled up to his feet, watching as the edge he'd been sitting on crumbled away to be sucked into the universe destroying ball over there. And then to look at his father warily before he followed him back to the building. For a roast. Just a real roast of his loving nature. You assholes.

Luther	Should it be a surprise to anyone that Five was greeted with claps and whistles for surviving a truly impressive bender. "There he is!" Luther shouted.
Diego	"That speech last night, wow," Diego said, wiping a fake tear from his eye.
Annie	"Five, I've never seen you so affectionate," Annie told him with a smile, maybe intentionally just sincere enough as to make him wonder whether he'd actually hugged her or something last night.
Lila	"Brought me to tears, you big softy," Lila contributed, nodding right along. Maybe laying that on a bit too thick there, actually.
Viktor	Viktor nodded in agreement. "I especially like when you referred to us as a family bound by destiny and love."
Five	Ugh, he hated every single one of you right now. "Okay, enough. It was the booze talking. In the light of day, you're all still deplorable."
Reginald	"And your day's about to get worse." You could always count on Reginald for some optimism. "The Norse had seven sleepers. The Blackfoot, seven stars. As a boy, I heard the legend of the seven bells. All these stories are the same." Stop him if you've heard this one before. "The village is under threat, by flood, by fire, by a night that never ends. A shaman brings his disciples to a sacred cave. He tells them if they can ring the seven magic bells, the village will be saved, and all will be restored just as it was."
Lila	"Reggie?" Somewhere over the course of the prior evening, Lila had bonded with this old weirdo enough to decide she was calling him that now. Probably because they both liked some gross British food or something. "Can we get a little less-- Brothers Grimm, and more 'What the hell does that have to do with us'?"
Reginald	"There is a truth to these myths. None of you can deny what's going on around us," Reginald continued. "All of existence will be gone by the end of the day, but whoever or whatever wove together space and time, they left a way to put things back together if the universe ever faced total annihilation. There is a portal in the universe." Which was probably not as surprising to the Fandom Hargreeves as everyone else. "I built this hotel around it, and on the other side is the answer."
Luther	Luther did not look impressed. "So we're supposed to, what? Just stroll in there, ring some bells, and fix this shit?"
Reinald	"Sarcasm aside, you are mostly right," Reginald said. "Except for the guardian."
Viktor	Uh, the guardian sounded bad to Viktor. "What kind of guardian?"
Diego	"The kind of guardian that does this," Diego said, lifting up the hand that was short three fingers. "He had a sword."
Reginald	"It's a force to be reckoned with," Reginald admitted.
Luther	"See?" Luther said, knowing there was a catch. "This is where he loses me."
Lila	"This is where he loses you?" Lila asked in disbelief. "I checked out at the sacred cave." This was all a little much. And Lila was a time-traveling agent who'd been raised out of time by a woman who dressed like an insane paper doll, so, that was actually saying something.
Viktor	"Why would the builders of this back door need a guardian?" Viktor asked.
Sloane	"Oh!" Sloane perked up. "To protect it from people who want to use it for nefarious means."
Reginald	"Correct, Sloane." Well, at least one of you was raised right.
Allison	"So it's going to take all of us to defeat the thing protecting the bells," Allison said, nodding along as she understood the plan because this was the first time she heard it.
Five	Oh, and what Reginald wanted wasn't nefarious? "You actually buying this crap?" he asked Allison. Because he honestly thought she was smarter than this.
Allison	"How is a guardian and bells any crazier than time-traveling briefcases and assassins with cartoon masks?" Allison asked.
Luther	"She's got you there," Luther admitted.
Ben	"I'm in," Ben said, back to hating you all now that he was sober.
Diego	"Me too," Diego said. "But I think some of us should stay back. Like Annie." Smooth.
Annie	Oh, Diego, you were getting such a look for that. "Bullshit," Annie replied, shaking her head. "We need to stick together." She got what you were doing, Diego, but the idea of staying back without him was even scarier than actually confronting that guardian again.
Allison	"Yes, that," Allison said, pointing at Annie. "It has to be all of us
Reginald	"You, my children," And fake children and fake in-laws. "Are the only thing standing between us and oblivion. Are we ready to go?"
Viktor	Nuh-uh, absolutely not. Viktor smelled bullshit. "I say we vote."
Ben	"This isn't a democracy," Ben said. "Dad's calling the shots." A dadocracy, if you will.
Five	You were such a little suck-ass, New Ben. "I'm with Viktor. We vote."
Reginald	"The world is ending and you want to count hands?" Reginald was disappointed in all of you. Even you, suck-up Ben.
Luther	"You're asking us to risk our lives," Luther said. "I think it's only fair you give us time to discuss it. Privately." Reginald could take a hint like that, and went off in a huff. Kids these days.

[NFI, NFB but OOC is great. Taken from TUA 3x09 Seven Bells and preplayed with knife_bender and defenderofdesmoines]