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

[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~!

[agleam]

Ha... I get the feeling he'll like you.

[he nods.]

I hope so, too. I bet everyone else'll be glad to get their stuff from back home, too.

[dms]

Well, I'm no Sumi, but I'm still a hit with the animal companions!

Mm, fingers crossed! It feels super weird not having my phone. I can't even take any pics without it!

[agleam]

Who's Sumi?

[he tilts his head slightly as he asks that, before moving on.]

Oh - you're from a world that had stuff like that, huh? I guess I shouldn't be that surprised.

[given his extensive meme knowledge.]

[dms]

He's my BFF back home! He can talk to animals, so I bet he'd love to chat with Porridge if he could!

Sure am! I take it you're not, though, right?

[agleam]

Wow... Really? That's a pretty amazing skill!

[he nods, though.]

Yeah. Before I showed up at the school, I didn't even know what... [give him a second to remember the name] What electricity was.

[dms]

Right?! It's so cool! Totes useful, too - some of the animals he's talked to have really helped us out!

Whoa, not even electricity? Wild! What do you think about stuff like that, then?

[agleam]

Yeah? In what kind of situations?

[his voice gains more enthusiasm as he continues]

It's really amazing! I wish I understood how it worked a little bit better... to me, it seems like a kind of magic, you know? But it sounded more like science when people tried to explain it to me, which makes me even more curious.

[dms]

Like... someone got stuck in a storage room once, and the cats he talked to helped us find them. Or when the monkeys on that island gave us constructive criticism on our acting.

Ohh, so there's magic where you come from, too... [ interesting! ] Couldn't it be a mix of both, though? Like, where I'm from, it's just science, but if you have magic, there's no reason you can't mix it up and make it work just the same - or better, even!

[agleam]

...The monkeys did?

[he looks briefly confused about that before he moves on.]

Probably! I wouldn't really know how, since we're not as advanced as a lot of places when it comes to science, but I bet it could make some really cool stuff happen in places that are.

[dms]

Sure did! Everyone has their own thoughts about what makes theater enjoyable, even the local wildlife. And it's all valid!

Mm, it's kind of the opposite where I'm from! We don't have magic, but I think it'd be really cool to see what you could do with it! I bet there are tons of useful applications, even if you didn't try recreating electricity and stuff.