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]

[ hundreds of worlds away and still it follows her. people know her name. they know.

it aches in her chest, her heart and her soul, and up into her throat which seems to squeeze shut in the silence after he speaks. shaky breath; painful, too. even here, a library is somewhere she has to leave in a rush. she has to rely on someone else to pick up the pieces before it gets out of control.

maybe it's the tiredness talking, or the misery in general. but she's very quiet, and eventually, despite the iron-knuckle grip she's trying to keep on herself, there's also a little warm, wet spot on his collar. ]

[icyspicy]

[ That little spot of dampness soaks through his shirt, and he glances down at her, scrutinizing but silent. Soon enough, his gaze slides back up to fix on some random spot on the elevator wall. ]

If you were to want a good dream, Sprezzatura, what would it look like?

[velluminous]

[ when he looks down, her eyes are steadfastly closed, a tight pinch between her brows. there's a fragile tenseness to the set of her jaw. she isn't so stupid that she doesn't know she's been caught, but the floodgates are already flung wide, and she never learned how to close them again after. only to never let them open in the first place. ]

To have no dream.

[ her voice is as low and quiet as midnight ]

[icyspicy]

I see.

[ Not quite the answer he was expecting, but a reasonable one all the same. He can shape the dreams of another, but he can't take them away entirely.

Well, he'll figure something out.

The elevator dings as they reach their destination floor, and he steps out into the hall. This place looks like a craftsman's dream, with little alcoves for everything from woodworking to paint and so much more. How interesting. ]

Room three, you said?

[velluminous]

[ for Sprezzatura to suffer from no dreams at all—the only way to be free of nightmare, yet not long for a love and happiness that only exists when she is dead to the world. how else can she survive? ]

Mmh. Room three. Next to that... spider enthusiast.

[icyspicy]

[ There's a beat, and then a low laugh. ]

Ah, I see you've met Henry as well.

[velluminous]

[ ... while he's laughing, she brings a hand up to wipe her eyes. subtly, she'd hope, but. well. gestures to how she's in his arms ]

I've met Henry Creel.

[icyspicy]

[ If he notices what she’s doing, he has the good grace not to look or draw attention to it. ]

He’s an interesting sort, isn’t he?

[ This is probably fine for a change of subject, right? ]

[velluminous]

Everyone here is.

[ and she, so not a social person, feels overwhelmed ]

[icyspicy]

That we are, aren't we?

[ It's not a long walk from the elevator to the third room on the floor. He pauses at the door. ]

You you have your key?

[velluminous]

[ wordless, she produces her key card from her pocket and holds it up to the lock with her tail. her eyes still feel hot and watery. ]

Alright.

[ moving in his arms as though to get down ]

[icyspicy]

[ Well, he won't stop her, but he also has to quip a little— ]

That eager to escape from my embrace, are you?

[velluminous]

[ down she gets, with a little sway of imbalance ]

What is this? Is this sincere? These... come-ons.

[ because she is in no condition to assess that for herself. ]

[icyspicy]

Ha, well... I'd keep you company, if you desire it. For anything more, perhaps we can reassess when you're feeling more yourself.

[ It's not a no, though. ]

[velluminous]

[ she always desires company, even when the thought of it exhausts her. life's hard for Ms Vaux. ]

Mayhaps you could... stay... for little while.

[icyspicy]

As the lady wishes.

[velluminous]

[ in that case. she pushes open the door. her room is surprisingly small, lush in jewel tones, and absolutely replete with the floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, baubles, astrolabes, maps, candles, swag lamps, gramophones, gemstones, crystals, mirrors, tomes, scrolls, chests, globes, hourglasses, regular glasses, drinking glasses (abandoned and forgotten), drapes, anatomical models, planetary models... clothes draped over the arms of the chairs, over the desk, over the foot of the bed. looks, uh. like a depression nest, to be honest? ]

You can sit.

[ the divan is, at least, mostly clear. ]

[icyspicy]

[ Winter is hardly phased by the decor – or what passes for it. This is about what he expects from a wizard, and especially a wizard having a rough go of it. The models catch his interest briefly, but he lets it all pass without remark for now. ]

And you? You’ll be laying down for a bit, I hope.

[velluminous]

[ also please note she has a photographic memory of every single item in here and stealing is fruitless (lying) ]

I am having company now.

[icyspicy]

[ Winter isn’t here to steal her shit, okay! ]

You nearly fell asleep in my arms on the way down here.

[velluminous]

[ she goes to sit heavily on her divan and sighs out, deeply. ]

Well. It was comfortable.

[icyspicy]

I've been told I have quite the comforting presence.

[ If there's a spot mostly free of stuff, he'll sit next to her. ]

[velluminous]

[ there's space. she sleeps on the divan more often than her own bed, some weeks. ]

You are grounded man. Very "even keel", as they say.

[icyspicy]

[ 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.

[velluminous]

Spoken as someone who has had to take this role more than once?