Event Log #002

[caelumstaff]

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. NAV | PREMISE | RULES | FAQ | TAKEN hotelcaelum | caelumserver | caelumooc

Comments

[velluminous]

It is fact! Pure fact!

[ ouch. her jaw. she shuts her mouth quick after that, muffling her flinch down to a mere flutter of her lashes and a muffled groan ]

[fixtures]

[ Luckily, their route to safety goes undisturbed, and they're able to take a breather here against the wall, out of sight from the room they just fled from. In a strange way, it would be easier to deal with this situation if Odette was any level of freaked out or in need of comfort; that's how Giselle knows how to treat others, after all. Maybe that's the only way she knows how to treat people anymore. Accommodating them, assuaging their worries and needs. But Odette is cool as a cucumber, and it leaves her somewhat at a loss of how to continue. There's a pause after Odette asks what she does with that strange note of awe, before her face creases into her usual, practiced smile. ]

...Yes, that is correct. I assure you, I am quite fine.

[ Yes... this is preferable to a look of disgust, even if being reminded of this leaves a bitter taste in her mouth. A short exhale through her nose, and then — she can't help it, she laughs coldly to herself. ]

But perhaps if my head had been cut off, then I would have been harmed? Hehe... haha....

[ Which is offered with a strange sort of wryness, like she doesn't believe that would kill her, either. They're flippant and somewhat grotesque words to come from the prim and proper maid, but looking the condition of her body in the eye like this always puts her in a mood. At least they're still delivered with the same even tone as always, her hands moving to smooth down her apron and skirts. ]

On the other hand, you are still bleeding, my dear.

[ She produces a handkerchief from her uniform, eyes trying to inspect the extent of Odette's wound. ]

[cardsharked]

Like you wouldn't believe. [As one of the victims hit hardest by this completely victimless crime, Odette just barks a good-natured laugh over it. She has long ago released the espresso heist grudge, content with the interesting ruckus she got out of it. Maybe she'd been playing along with being upset at all in the first place?]

Only not by the people who went and stole it. I think they just wanted to see it all burn - and that's what they got. Broke the shit outta the thing. ...Oh, but seriously, it's usually pretty chill around here.

[fixtures]

[ As Sumina crumples to the floor, the maid goes with her, kneeling gracefully while keeping her braid from tangling further with her free hand. Sumina's distress is apparent... and so, she is adamant about keeping her composure, never letting her grip on her companion's hand falter or weaken. Thinking quickly, she presses a few more buttons below the floor they've decided to abscond to, thinking that it'll delay the elevator's return to the floor the shadows resided on. ]

On the contrary. Your magical talents were quite something...

[ There's a distant sort of appreciation in those words, almost like she can hardly believe Sumina was even capable of doing it. She comes from a world where magic like this does not exist — not in the wider world, anyway. In her eyes, Sumina seems so much more powerful, now. ]

But you needn't look so worried, my dear. Not a drop of blood has spilled from me, now has it?

[ And frankly, she might notice by now that compared to Sumina's own breathless talking, Giselle has hardly broken a sweat — her breathing is still steady and even. ]

[fixtures]

[ She'll sit politely next to him, pale hands smoothing down her apron as she goes. ]

Oh? Is that so?

[ An 'adventure,' huh? She brightens a bit at the word, her reflexive, usual smile easing back on to her face. The slightest note of eagerness bleeds into her voice, beneath her cool timbre. ]

I do regret to ask more of you, after all you have graciously done for me... but might you tell me a bit about this 'adventure?' [ A beat, as she resumes the proper folding of her hands. ] If you are amenable, of course.

[ Hearing about his life out in the wider world is something like getting to live vicariously through him, if for but a short moment. It'd just be nice to hear about what his life is like now after everything, she thinks, even if he sounded rather wry while bringing it up. ]

[vecna]

[That’s what you get, ma’am.]

Well, it doesn’t change the fact that you just can’t drink for now. You want a healthy liver, I assume.

[unliminal]

[ That's...right. He has to want to be free of the shadow to escape, doesn't he? That's how it's worked before, and logically, even with how lethargic he feels, he knows this, but —

This shadow, this voice...he cannot so easily escape from. If he could he would have done so long ago.

"Well? Are you able to do that, Satoru? Reject me, again?" ]

Urghhhhh, shut up —

[ His grip on Gale's hand redoubles, as he tries to focus. Tries to drown it out, even when the sentiment of this voice comes from himself.

Easier said than done. ]

/2

[velluminous]

I have healthy liver! I have healthy bones, and bile... and ...

[velluminous]

Oh, forget it!

[vecna]

[He smiles peaceably at her retort that doesn't do much to invalidate his point.]

...Just try to go to sleep, okay? No drinking, and no fussing.

[He's sore, too. This fragile body needs to recover as much as anyone's, now.]

If you can promise me that, I'll be out of your hair.

[icyspicy]

[ She's something of a criminal herself now, isn't she? ]

That's right. So rest assured that I am at least an upstanding thief.

[unfastens]

[ oh, good, she is conscious. He thought he was about to have to break a few ribs once they got back to land. It's easier to get back to the shore than swim out from it; the waves do a good job shoving the two of them inland, and when he responds with a faint shake of his head, he's already able to walk rather than swim, the surf hitting his midsection as he keeps her arm slung over his shoulders. ]

I wouldn't leave you out to drown, [ he answers, though he's rather short of breath from the continuing exertion. ] You're all right?

[velluminous]

Are you my mother? [ TURNABOUT, HA! ] I will go to sleep and not drink. If you knock and I do not answer, consider me ensnared in Tylenol [ pronounced tie-lee-noll ] coma.

[velluminous]

[ the way her eyes are, twin abysses of violet and black, it's difficult to tell when she's looked at you askance; a flicker of movement, maybe, or the angle of her face. she does it now, regarding Winter from beneath her lashes. a tired once-over, but a once-over nonetheless. the thing about thieves is you clock them less often than you'd expect. on obvious thief is a poor one. ]

...I have question for you.

[icyspicy]

And what might that be?

[ It's not a promise to answer, of course, but he is curious about what she might want to ask. ]

[velluminous]

Why have you come here?

[ she doesn't ask whether it's for the wish. she just presumes this to be true. ]

[icyspicy]

[ He laughs a little, a low, amused rumble. ]

For a vacation. And because my patron insisted.

[velluminous]

Ahhhh. You are pacted.

[unfastens]

[ somewhere... probably. They might have to navigate the weird pool maze for a little while. Bucciarati gratefully takes his hand, summoning all the strength he has left to try and stumble to his feet. He's not too proud to lean on someone else for help when he needs it; he pulls heavy on Akira to get himself up out of the water. It's a pleasant surprise when his shadow doesn't tug him back down, and instead remains a wobbly spot somewhere beneath the water.

He still doesn't trust that it's over yet. But at least he's no longer getting dragged into the tile. Sticky Fingers finally starts to fade away, only for Akira to mention it obliquely, causing both it and Bruno to glance up in unison. ]

Persona? [ huh. ] ... Is that what you call your Stand?

[icyspicy]

That's right. I suppose you've only seen me Levitate, but I have had cause to sling an Eldritch Blast or two around the hotel. What I am is hardly a secret.

what if i just left this gag up and didn't delete it

[cardsharked]

[unfastens]

Helping you isn't trouble, [ he responds simply.

If helping people was a burden to him, he wouldn't do it. Quite the opposite: if he knew she was struggling and did nothing to solve it, that would trouble him. Which is exactly the sort of attitude that landed him in such hot water in the first place. He's learned over the years that empathy's not the kind of personality defect one can easily overcome. ]

... Before we leave, I saw something strange in your shadow. Did you notice it?

[vecna]

[Difficult woman!!]

I don’t think that’s very likely, but I’ll be sure to break down the door if that’s the case.

[Henry please.]

[airdnd]

[ The moment that Giselle compliments her for magical talents that she doesn't actually have, Sumina is adamantly shaking her head, humming a dithering sort of noise. ]

No, Miss Giselle, I— That was magic you saw, yes, but I was merely using an item for it. My gloves.

[ The grip of one such gloved hand tightens against their still-joined hands. Perhaps her decisiveness in clearing this up even in the midst of her distress speaks to how core this is to her very being, that she has nothing but magical items to go on when it comes to harnessing the arcane.

Yet still, more important is Giselle's state. Though the maid has far from given any indication of pain or even being remotely bothered by this, it seems Sumina is doing enough fretting for the both of them. ]

In any case, I... Maybe I don't understand the reasons, Miss Giselle, but even if you're not bleeding, or if it's not painful, we need to make sure that you're taken care of, too. Please.

[velluminous]

[ if she hadn't seen such hard-edged spite in his face, she'd never believe it to be there. ]

Never mind it. You can leave me to die.