hotelcaelum | Event Log #002

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Event Log #002

EVENT LOG
number 002

The hotel humbly hopes that you're settling in well and are taking advantage of the various pleasures on offer for your stay. In Mr Bennet's opinion, things have been going quite well and he doesn't think that the guests are unhappy at all. New guests have arrived, some have left, it's all going along perfectly. So, of course, this is when the next troublesome thing pops up.

SHADOWS

One morning, characters will find the hotel to be a little dimmer than usual, a little more shadowy. Yet if anyone asks Mr Bennet about it, he will claim to not have noticed anything different than usual. Either way, as the characters move on with their day, they'll start to notice a few odd things start to happen.

PHASE ONE: Initially, characters will notice their shadow beginning to move a little out of sync with them. Discreetly at first until eventually, their shadow takes on a life of its own, mischievously playing with characters and enjoying their newfound freedom. Very Peter Pan, and completely harmless.

PHASE TWO: Now, shadows might disappear entirely, roaming the hotel to their own discretion and ignoring the characters they belong to. As the shadow takes on this free will, characters will begin to feel slightly off balance and have a hard time feeling whole without their shadow around. The shadow may become slightly aggressive as well if told they should return to their characters, fighting back in their own way from knocking things over to outright attacking other characters. It's a little hard to fight back though when your opponent is a shadow, isn't it?

PHASE THREE: The shadows have become fully aggressive now, fighting anyone who tries to get them to return to their original person. Characters will find themselves feeling weak and low energy as a result of losing their shadow. Eventually, the shadows will come back to their owners but the characters will find themselves sinking into their shadow, eventually changing places entirely with their shadow. The only way to rescue a character from this fate is for another character to pull them out of their shadow forcibly. The bright side is once a character is pulled out of their shadow, it all returns to normal and their shadow is no longer sentient.

These phases will last over the course of the week and it is quite alright to stay in phase one/two/three. Not all shadows will become aggressive, not all shadows will be playful. Feel free to manipulate your character's shadow in the way that's most fun for you.

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Is that something you’re able to do normally?

[ His own shadow hasn’t been able to replicate his abilities, but that doesn’t mean hers will act the same, and even if it can’t pass through objects, they can still slip through cracks in doors and under furniture, right?

They’ll need to be quick. ]

[ Then he sits, leaving her room enough to be horizontal if she wants. ]

Ha. Someone has to keep a level head, I suppose it may as well be me.

[And there it is. Precisely what he wanted to hear — that anger is so enticing to him, feels like it’s reflected in himself. Strange, how it almost feels a comfort; though of course he knows better than to say that.

Curious, though, what she said.]

You’re saying… What, then? Something had been conspired against the college?

[ The jig is surely up, as Gojo will swiftly make sure of it, unable to restrain the smile that splits his face. It's better they tell her now, right? Rather than leave her in the dark...or maybe he just wants to talk about what a good time they had. ]

Don't worry, it wasn't anything we couldn't handle, but your shadow wasn't afraid to pull its punches!

[ Literally or metaphorically. ]

[ After a moment, he exhales silently, offering a nod as the mask of a carefree smile slips back onto his features once more. It's over now, best if he just moves on from it. ]

You better. I don't wanna have to nag to remind you that I owe you one.

[ He doesn't like to owe debts, either. ]

[ Moody Blues doesn't seem to elicit a reaction, so having them out might be more of a hindrance than a help if he can't explain his thought process. For the time being, the Stand remains hovering just behind him, and he offers a small nod in response to her question. ]

Mm… with some of the chaos that has been happening, most definitely, though I don't think Mr. Bennet is aware of what is causing the shadows, or how to put a stop to them. Do you think he's all right?

[ Maybe there's a reason there was no announcement? ]

... Okay. Which part're you hung up about? [The machine part, the espresso part, the combination of those two words together, or the theft of such a machine?] Gonna make it a little easier to cut to the chase with my explanation.

I do hate to be nagged.

[ With that, he will big Gojo farewell... until he texts him later for help with Sumina's shadow.

Surely what transpired here won't come back around to bite anybody later, right? ]

[ It feels like the longest stretch of time, somehow, while they run for their lives towards the elevator. Gods, this all could have gone so poorly for them both, regardless of what Miss Giselle says about her injury. Sumina can see just how disheveled the maid's hair is becoming as strands of long, dark hair become entangled with the handle of the knife, too... What a mess, what a mess.

If only she could have been strong enough to take the shadows on without fear...

When at last they make it into the relative safety of the elevator, Sumina whirls on her heel, discontent to let her guard down until she sees those doors close decisively and with no trace of their shadows in sight. And that moment that holds true, she glances over at Giselle while she adjusts her braid, and then Sumina sinks to the floor, first onto her knees and then sitting fully, her grip on Giselle's hand gone knuckle-white. ]

We... We made it. That would have spelled the end of me if you weren't there, Miss Giselle.

[ Her free hand comes up to rest, though tremblingly so, over her chest where her heart beats thunderously fast. ]

Let's get you somewhere... [ She is still catching her breath. ] Where we can take care of that knife...

[ "I'm in your hands, Satoru..."

Ah, it may be something of a blessing in disguise that she's as out of it that it is. Maybe it's the emotional rawness that they've experienced these past few moments, but the implicit trust in her words stirs something fond in his heart, heat rising to his cheeks in an unfamiliar way.

Or...no, it's not familiar. Just...exceptional, the sort of thing that doesn't happen often, or hasn't in a long while. ]

Okey-dokey! Let's get you to your room before I go knock the daylights out of your shadow.

[ It's the least he can do, now...

With a gentle squeeze of his arms around her, the pop out of existence in the hallway where they had fought his shadow, and appear just inside the door of her suite. Normally, he wouldn't just, you know, go right in, but desperate times, and all that. ]

If you're concerned, we can always correspond with him. [They've got the server.] He seems to revel in some of that chaos, though.

[But what does she know? Their dear concierge is shrouded in mystery. She'll have to talk to him one-on-one sooner than later.

Moody Blues continues to go ignored. Sorry, buddy.]

[ On the one hand, there's Winter, who is clearly giving Satoru a look and choosing his words carefully, his demeanor the picture of calm. And on the other, there's Satoru, who does not seem to take heed of the aforementioned look and carefully-chosen words, his expression instead bright and unrepentant.

In turn, even in her exhausted state, her brow furrows as she levels a what did you do sort of look at them. One that Winter has surely seen given towards careless new Blues. The sort of unimpressed look that Gojo himself has sometimes been subject to when his rizz fails him. ]

...What happened. Explain it to me clearly.

[ oh, she's gone and said far, far too much. she snaps her jaw shut with a click and glances down at the handkerchief and its new spot of blood. deep breath. ]

Mammon, I don't know! I am tired.

[Ah, but Henry will remember that.]

I see.

[But if she’s going to clam up, then short of plumbing her mind, he’ll not earn much else. He can tell already.]

For what it’s worth, maybe this hotel can be a respite, if not a home. You’re off to a good start — the Tylenol hasn’t killed you yet.

No, but I don't quite know the properties of the shadows here.

[ But there's the split and she takes the designated direction at a run. She's light on her feet, despite all the armor. ]

...

Then perhaps we ought to lure it to you. You won't have to chase it and should be able to rest and once it arrives, I can contend with it.

[ Okay but how does one brawl with a shadow?? ]

Espresso is some form of coffee. I suppose it wouldn't be too strange for there to be a machine made to dispense it.

... But the theft of one... is it in popular demand here?

If nothing else, you won't be left unattended!!

[ ... Yeah we're going on a chase scene. Because the shadow is fleeing. ]

... There was a boy. He came into her life, right when she was at her lowest point.

[A very strange enchanted boy.

There's a faraway look in Amelia's green eyes as the words begin to weave themselves together and her voice continues to narrate in a more hushed tone.]

Was it fate that brought them together? Sheer luck? Who knows.

[A shrug.]

He was a pure-hearted child who saw how lonely the girl was and extended a hand to her. She didn't trust him at first. He was too innocent and his face shone too brightly. What would he know of the world? How could he ever look upon the weak and pathetic girl with any kind of warmth, whose heart was hardened after years of neglect? Why now of all times? Why couldn't he have been there earlier when she needed someone the most?

... But he took her hand anyway. And he helped her, no matter how difficult she was, no matter how much she lashed out. Together, hand in hand, they explored what it meant to be free. What it meant to be part of the world. Slowly, but surely... The girl finally learned, what it was like to be cared for.

[This is where the story should change. This is where the plot begins to descend into sorrow, a beautiful dramatic turn where hope turns into despair. That was how it turned out after all. That was the truth.

But Amelia goes on; this is just a tale after all. Something made up. Something make-believe.

Something she wished had happened instead.]

The girl no longer despaired. She wasn't alone anymore and she learned from the boy's example. She would help those who needed it most even if it didn't reward her, even if it was hard. She wasn't the only lonely person after all and it gave her purpose as she grew up, stronger and braver than ever.

... The end.

[ And from just inside the door of her suite, he would find... that her place is in a state of disarray unlike any other time that he's visited her here.

Her shadow, it seems, has terrorized and wreaked havoc upon this place above all else, and naturally, Sumina simply hasn't had the energy to tidy up after it. Strewn across the coffee table where they'd once had their big breakfast are numerous journals and parchments, the throw pillows and blankets and upholstery on each couch disheveled in a way that spells both the shadow's mischief and Sumina's tendency to take naps there rather than, you know, actually sleeping in her bed. Her actual desk, too, is practically buried beneath precariously piled books and stacks of paperwork, and that's to say nothing of the clothes that look like they've been flung from her dresser, all of the decorations just slightly adjusted out of place, and so forth. A veritable nightmare for Sumina, were she feeling whole.

But as it is, with each passing moment she is finding it difficult to stay awake, though the reminder that her suite is in shambles causes her to groan. ]

H..Here is good, Satoru. I can get to my bed from here...

[ She doesn't want him to have to walk or even teleport through this mess. ]

[ Well, they'll have to see what happens, won't they?

Good thing she moves quickly, at least, and so does he, even without cheating with his technique. Soon enough, they meet up near the elevators where the shadow seems to notice Barghest charging for it first. ]

[He's not that gullible.]

Swear that you won't bite first. Me or him.

There is someone around you can speak to, if you're really curious about the details, but honestly, I can't tell you if it's worth trying or not. For what it's worth, though, I haven't really picked up on any sort of malicious intent.

[This is worth almost nothing because Kaveh is a soft-hearted fool who has repeatedly gotten scammed because he just can't stop himself from trying to help people out.]

[ Oh...gurl u live like this

But no, Gojo has been to Sumina's room more than enough times by now to recognize that this is hardly typical for her. She's such a tidy and organized person, and this is...the opposite of that. No doubt the influence of her shadow, taking advantage of her malaise. They really do know where to strike them where it hurts, don't they? Hers has made her important space an absolute nightmare, like his had used Suguru's voice against him.

He doesn't make even the slightest move to set her down where they are. Is she kidding?

...No, of course she isn't. ]

I don't believe youuuu.

[ So he keeps ahold of her in his arms, stepping deftly into the air before just...walking right over the mess mid-air, with Sumina clutched close to him, making his way toward her bed.

She took care of him...now it's his turn to return the favor. ]

... I will additionally keep that in mind. [ which is a diplomatic way of saying "okay but you do seem like you wouldn't be able to tell". ]

Who is this person you speak of?

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Event Log #002

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