WEEK ZERO: MINGLE

[guestservices]

W̴͍̎E̴̝̊E̸͚͝K̸͕̿ ZERO: MINGLE

(35 ḡ̴̻u̷͌͜ê̴̯s̶̢͑t̵̻͝s̴̡̐ ̴c̴h̴e̶c̴k̷e̶d̸ ̶i̴n̴)

Needless to say, marble isn't exactly the most comfortable surface to sleep on. Do you even remember falling asleep? Maybe not, but the moment your eyes flutter open and the lingering stardust fades, you come into consciousness with the distinct feeling that your dreams were very important.

You vaguely remember a shadowed hand, the pen and the scroll in its grip as the terms and conditions glow softly before you. You can't quite remember the details, the words blurring and fading fasting the longer you try, but you come to a conclusion rather quickly:

-Someone you care about is in trouble and their life is now your responsibility.
-You have signed a contract to provide entertainment to the Host in exchange for their safe return.

Your other memories begin to settle now that you're more awake. You remember that this isn't the first time you've been swept away for a game by someone else's design. You remember what those games entailed, too, but as the pieces click together you get the sense that murdering everyone around you isn't a solution. It won't get your hostage back sooner. It will only end tragically for everyone involved.

So instead, perhaps it's time to take in your surroundings. Where the hell even are you now? The marble floor of the lobby is still cool to the touch, and the front desk is before you with several keys on hooks against the wall. Each of them includes a keychain with two small, clear star-shaped crystals embedded at the bottom. Too bad you can't seem to remove the keys just yet! Guest accommodations aren't quite ready.

Ah, right. About that. You aren't alone! After all, what's the fun in playing a game by yourself? Should one try to actually count the keys hanging on the wall, you'll find there are 35 in total. You can also learn more about them should you look at the leather-bound book bolted to the front desk. Though some of them may look a bit different, seeing how everyone gathered in the lobby is dressed to the nines. What happened to your other clothing? Worry not. You do want to be presentable at the front desk, don't you?

Speaking of the front desk, while you aren't able to retrieve your keys or even leave the ground floor right now, you will find small gift boxes scattered around the desk as a complementary gift for each guest. Inside these boxes, you will find:

-A flask. Those of legal drinking age will find it filled with a sweet wine, and those underage will find juice of some kind.
-A shaving kit
- A single aspirin
-A keychain
-A condolence card
-A sheet of temporary tattoos
-A small bag of jerky
-A compact mirror with a cute pattern on the outer casing

No other items are on your person even if you were holding onto them prior to your arrival. Perhaps the bellhop has already taken your luggage for you?

But despite the front desk hosting a small cluster of bells, ringing them doesn't seem to draw the attention of anyone. The bells cannot be removed from the desk, but the hotel staff appears to be occupied with other tasks.

It looks as though you're on your own for now until maintenance is finished. But it's just like the first time, isn't it? Get to know the other guests, start asking questions, and settle in for your stay.

You can check-out any time you like, but you can never leave...

N̸A̵V̴I̶G̶A̶T̴I̴O̸N̷.̷

█ LOCATIONS █ STATUSES █ PROFILES █ AUDIENCES
█ REPORTING █ PRIVATE CONVOS █ MURDER

Comments

[dms]

You're totally right! But if those are the only ones you know, then you're way behind on your meme education!

[agleam]

[with a laugh:]

Are they all as long as the eagle thing?

[dms]

Nope! Only some of them. There are all kinds, you know, so it really just depends on what you're trying to say and the format you want to use!

[agleam]

[he blinks]

There are different formats? It's not just stuff you say?

[dms]

No way - that'd be way to boring! A lot of them are things you can say or do like yeeting or dabbing, but then there are ones where you can, like, edit an image or a song for something. But like I said, there are all kinds, so you can make almost anything a meme, if you try.

You can make fetch happen!

[agleam]

Wow... Memes are a lot more complicated than I realized...

[dms]

Haha! I wouldn't say it's complicated, so much as you can just let your imagination run wild.

[agleam]

[nods]

Well, I learned a lot today! Thanks.

[dms]

Hehe, no problem~! Professor Miyoshi is at your service any time, any place!

[agleam]

Oh - right, that reminds me! I forgot to introduce myself. My name's Rupert. Despite... everything going on, it's nice to meet you!

[he gives him a smile.]

[dms]

Kazunari Miyoshi. Nice to meet you, too, Rupes! Sorry we had to meet like this, but I hope we can still make some good memories while we're here, anyway!

[agleam]

[he nods.]

Yeah. We don't know what's going to happen yet, but - it can't be all bad. There's a lot of new people here to meet, at least!

[dms]

Right?! Meeting new people is always the best part! And there's already a bunch of things to do here, even if we don't have rooms yet!

[agleam]

Yeah. I'm hoping that's soon, though... I can live without a bed for a few days, but assuming we'll get the stuff listed in that book back at the same time - I really hope someone's taking care of Porridge in the meantime.

[dms]

Me too, me too. It's way harder not having a bed...

But I thought "porridge" meant the food. Is it actually a friend of yours?

[agleam]

[he shakes his head, grinning.]

Porridge is my dragon! And my friend.

[dms]

[ GASPS?! ]

You have a dragon?! That's so cool! What are they like?

[agleam]

Yeah! Um, he's pretty big by now, so that might get a little complicated...

[he hasn't realized that he'll have shrunk.]

He's really great, though. Really friendly, really affectionate. He can be... kind of stubborn and sometimes he misbehaves, but I've been working really hard to train him!

[his scaly dog...]

[dms]

Ohh... Well luckily, this place is pretty big, too, so maybe he'll be okay! Or maybe they'll have, like, dragon stables?

[ is that a thing ]

He sounds super adorbs, though! I can't wait to meet him! I've never actually seen a dragon before, you know?!

[agleam]

[nodding]

The courtyard is probably big enough... And if this is anything like last time, we'll get more space as time goes on, so I think it'll probably be fine.

[his smile grows at that next part, though.]

Yeah! Actually, before we met him, we kind of thought they were extinct back home? But then we were traveling through a forest and found his egg, and it hatched pretty quick after that. It really freaked us out at first, before we realized he wasn't that dangerous.

[dms]

Right! Maybe he'll get a whole area to run around in, or to fly! He can fly, right?

[ stop making assumptions ]

Oh, so you're, like, dragon conservationists now! How sweet! I bet he really appreciates you for taking care of him, too! But I hope he's not too lonely, if he's the only one you know about.

[agleam]

Yeah, he can! It's really cool to watch. Hopefully you'll get to see it soon.

[he shakes his head, though.]

Oh, no, he's got lots of... [a beat.] Well, he's not lonely, at least. Like I said, he's always been pretty friendly to everyone.

[dms]

That's awesome! I hope we can see it! Can I get a pic, if we can? Everyone back home would love to see it, too, especially Kumopi!

Hehe, that's good, then! It would be a shame if someone that special didn't have tons of friends.

[agleam]

Oh, yeah, of course! But be careful with that. If you give him too much attention, he'll never forget about it and probably never leave you alone.

[that's punctuated with a laugh, but he pauses for a moment at that last part, uncomfortable, before he moves past it.]

...Yeah. So, I bet he'll be pretty glad to meet everyone here.

[dms]

But if it makes him happy, I don't mind at all!

[ hmmm. kazu can tell he's said something wrong, but it's hard to tell exactly what that is. ]

I bet everyone will be happy to meet him, too. I just hope he doesn't have to wait too long! I bet he misses you~!