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

[classmate]

Mm! [ A small nod. ] It's stock, basically, and we use it a lot for a majority of our dishes.

Ah, maybe there's something here that might have it? Would you like to try?

[agleam]

[he nods.]

Yeah, that sounds great! Trying new things is always good.

[classmate]

Okay! The easiest thing would be miso soup...

And then pair it with rice and crispy eggplant. [ And, probably because she's looking at the menu and suggested it, those items just seem... to appear on the table! How convenient. ]

Oh!

[agleam]

[he blinks, paired with a small noise of surprise as everything appears on the table. the actual food is getting forgotten for the moment.]

Wow... I wonder how they did that! Some kind of spell or enchantment?

[classmate]

I'd say it's a spell -- though it could be part of a simulation.

Though I do appreciate that food just appears before us... before, we had people eating stale hotdogs.

[agleam]

A simulation... Has something like that happened to you before?

[anyways, he makes a face.]

I don't know what a hot dog is and I'm definitely hoping it's not what it sounds like, but - stale anything sounds pretty unappetizing.

[classmate]

Unfortunately.

[ She giggles, clearly amused. ]

It's definitely not what you're thinking. Though I'm a bit surprised that you don't know? Where are you from, exactly?

[agleam]

If it's unfortunate, then... I'm sorry to hear that.

[there's a brief sympathetic frown as he says that, but it fades as he continues on.]

Well... I'm not sure how different the places we're from are, so let me start broad. Does Earth sound familiar? I know not everyone back in my last group was from there.

[classmate]

I'm familiar with Earth, yes! Where I'm from Japan is on Earth...

[agleam]

Oh, nice! Well, I live in—

[he says some continent that she won't recognize, which the writers will never reveal to us.]

[classmate]

[ LKASDFMADFAODFAKFJAFD I'M GONNA CRY ]

Oh... yes, I definitely haven't heard of that before. How strange.

[agleam]

Yeah. I'm going to guess that most of us come from pretty different places again... But that just means it's an opportunity to learn more about new worlds and people! I think that's pretty cool.

[classmate]

It is interesting.

My world isn't very interesting, though I guess what makes me different from most is that I spent a few years in virtual reality.

[agleam]

[tosses]