WEEKEND ZERO: MINGLE PT2

[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

hope

[highestheim]

( original tl, continuations and new tag-ins both equally welcomed! )

rupert

[highestheim]

( cont. )

[ a small, almost wistful nod ]

About thirteen years since I last spoke with anyone from Wiwaldi.

[agleam]

Jeez... And I thought it had been a while for me. I can't imagine how weird it must feel.

[highestheim]

About how long has it been for you? From the people I've spoken to thus far, it sounds like my case is something of an outlier—most have reported either a few weeks or a year.

[agleam]

About four months, give or take a few weeks. So - on a way different scale.

[there's a small pause.]

Well - hopefully it means you got a lot of chances to rest between then and now.

[highestheim]

[ he lets out a quiet chuckle ]

You're not the first person to have said as much. Unfortunately, I haven't. While I haven't been in physical danger in a long time, I've spent almost every day since leaving the school working to further my goals.

flayn

[highestheim]

( cont. )

Personally, I didn't think so, but my dormmates enjoyed it. At Claude's expense, of course... though the incident is likely fresher in his mind than mine.

[fishingforcompliments]

[


uh]

"Claude"...? [she knows only one claude. he's from another murdergame. the chances are slim, and yet...] Claude von Riegan?

[highestheim]

[ that was more of an aside on his part, but there's almost a !! popping up over his head when she asks for clarification ]

Yes, the very same. [ he gives her a quick look over ] You weren't at Wiwaldi... have you met him—or a version of him—elsewhere?

[fishingforcompliments]

[hm.]

We both hail from Fódlan... I knew him before ever getting entangled in situations such as these.

[highestheim]

I see. Does that mean you're familiar with Byleth and Dimitri as well?

claude

[highestheim]

( cont. )

[ hope is mortified but i don't have the chance very often to be on this end of the gag so let me have this ]

That was... unprofessional of me. [ clears his throat ] A-anyway, it's interesting that this seems to be the case. This Dimitri is younger, yet in Wiwaldi, he had no prior memories of being in a similar "game"... could there have been some sort of divergence in the timeline that resulted in the Dimitri here and the one we're familiar?

[shaft]

[ i support u andie ]

Even in Wiwaldi, Byleth, Dimitri and I had completely different memories, even though we came from the same world, so it wouldn't surprise me if that were the case.

... It's kind of weird to think about. There could be other versions of ourselves running around out there.

[highestheim]

At one point, I may have agreed with you on that. However, given our experiences... the existence of alternate worlds and timelines can't be too out of the question, could it? Of course, these sorts of divergences would probably be indicative of spacetime instability... but I don't think that's the case, here.

[shaft]

[






he just reaches forward to tug on hope's cheek. ]

[highestheim]

[ HELLO? ]

—H-hey!

[ his voice loses some of its professional cadence as he bats claude's hand away SIR ]

lup

[highestheim]

( cont. )

[ he's about to comment on her ponderings when he looks around at the other statues and notices... ]

Is that a statue of you?

[evocationary]

[... sweats.]

Theoretically. It could be someone else. [lup,]

[highestheim]

[ he gives her a little smile ]

Would you happen to have an identical twin?

[ the punchline is that he was in a game that didn't have taako or lup in it ]

[evocationary]

[she purses her lips.]

It's funny that you ask, because yes.

[highestheim]

Oh.

[ awkward. ]

Sorry if that was... a sore spot. [ beat ] I'm not making a very good first impression, am I?

mikazuki

[highestheim]

( cont. )

Yes. Time travel is a recent phenomenon in my world, and my research mostly focuses on how to correct discrepancies that affect the course of history. [ ... he looks away, hilariously not knowing how relatable that is for swords. ] While resolving these paradoxes is and always has been my priority, I admit some of my efforts into studying the spacetime continuum have been a little more... selfish.

[unsaid]

[oh this is so funny help me. mikazuki continues to look amused]

Is that so... Well good, good. I am pleased for your selfishness - I am very sure that there are others who would like to meet you again as well.

Your work sounds very impressive indeed. [stop] The flow of time must be awfully lucky to have you.

[highestheim]

[ yeah it only hit me after i started typing the explanation and i got really upset ]

Please—it's nothing to praise me for. For the most part, I can only theorize. I don't have the ability to fix anything by myself.

[unsaid]

[officially one of my new fav threads]

No...? If I could ask - how does the matter of handling discrepancies in time happen in your realm? What causes these disruptions?