Happy New Year, folks! The Hotel is settling into the New Year with little fanfare. Mr Bennet remains at his post behind the hotel desk and helps check guests in and out daily. The Hotel continues to hustle and bustle and nothing seems to be going too awry beyond the usual shenanigans. In fact, one might even call this the slow season for the Hotel.
THE FLOOR IS LAVA
That is until the second week of the month where the intercoms start with Mr Bennet's pleasant voice coming through.
"Hello, hello! This is just a small warning that one of our floors, the current 79th floor to be exact, has had a small... malfunction, I suppose, and will be affecting the other floors of the Hotel. No word yet from maintenance when this will be over, so stay on your toes, my dear guests!"
And that's it. No indication of what the problem is, or anything like that. It's up to you to figure out what's going on! And what is going on? Well, it'll become obvious very quickly when wherever characters happen to be in the Hotel, they'll soon start feeling a very obvious warmth on the floor below them. It'll increase the longer they stay standing in one spot until it's almost burning their feet.
The only salve for this will be hopping onto a nearby piece of furniture and getting their feet off the floor. It'll soon become obvious that the entire Hotel has been wrapped in a game of The Floor is Lava, including the floor turning into actual lava on some of the floors.
SAFETY SLEEPOVER
Of course, the Hotel is not cruel enough to make the entire Hotel unsafe and soon enough Mr Bennet's voice will come through on the intercom again.
"For those looking for respite from our current Hotel wide game," because clearly it's a game now. "We'll be serving tea and cake in the lounge on the ground floor. Maintenance has been able to fix the lounge for now so feel free to come by when you can if you'd like to rest. We have sleeping bags!"
As folks enter the lounge, they'll find that Mr Bennet is true to his word. The lounge has been converted into a giant sleepover, with sleeping bags lining the floor and a long table off to the side where people can eat their tea and cakes. Mr Bennet is near the food table, handing out pajamas, toothbrushes, and sleep masks to those who request them. There's some new doors off to the side leading to some restrooms, at least, so guests can change in private.
Though, one thing to point out is when Mr Bennet says there's tea and cakes, the cakes happen to be lava cakes. He thinks he's funny.
THE FLOOR IS ICE
It'll take about two days for hotel maintenance to fix the Hotel and return it to normal. So that's two days of living out of the lounge or hopping around the Hotel to get places. What a headache. Mr Bennet will make another lively announcement on the intercom.
"We are back in business, folks! I've just been given word that everything should have return to normal now. Though, there is a warning to make sure not to walk around barefoot for at least another day or so while the Hotel settles. Thank you for your patience!"
What that means becomes obvious soon as anyone walking around now will feel that the floor is especially cold. That's a bit better than the heat, at least, but still kind of a pain in the ass. Anyone who tries to walk around barefoot will find that their feet quickly start to freeze but any permanent damage is easily avoidable by putting on some socks or getting off the floor entirely.
Though that said, the ice does lead to some furniture sliding around and even with shoes on, characters might find themselves sliding too.
What a lovely end to the holidays.
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caelumstaff) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
hotelcaelum2024-01-12 09:44 am
ii
Can't sleep, huh?
[ He (probably) doesn't mean the "can't" part literally. The fact he's positioned far away from everyone else, sitting on top of his sleeping bag, with one knee drawn up to his chest and zero sign of having made any actual attempt to sleep himself... that's just a coincidence. ]
no subject
I simply would like to help guests settle. The day's events were quite harrowing.
[ Which doesn't answer the question, but she returns his smile with a knowing one all the same, remaining where she is standing above him, rather than joining him immediately. Her hands fold properly in front of her, wondering if perhaps the hotel's strange occurrences are the source of his lack of attempts to rest. ]
...Does something trouble you?
no subject
[ Awful. And definitely not just an attempt to distract from her question. ]
I've just been thinking, I guess. Doing the whole "brooding hero" thing. But now you're here, so... sit with me?
no subject
Brooding, you say...?
[ It's an interesting word choice, particularly for him, she thinks — not one she'd attribute to him right off the bat. But, he invited her to sit here, so she feels extra motivation to be helpful if she can, looking over at him from the corner of her eye. ]
If something is the matter, perhaps I can assist.
no subject
[ The sky in his memories never existed. The sky in the Moon Cell was a simulation. The sky outside is... well, space. He wouldn't call it depressing, but for him to mention it at all, it's clearly something; if not the entire reason for his mood, then at least part of it. ]
Not the most important thing, I know. Sorry if you were expecting more kingly concerns, but I try not to worry about the heavy stuff.
no subject
I understand.
[ Giselle keeps her voice quiet, barely above a whisper — and it really does sound like she understands to some extent; it isn't a hollow comfort offered. However, as she elaborates, she doesn't meet his eyes to make a connection. There's almost something distant about the way she goes on, as though trying to keep the focus fully on him. ]
You feel trapped in darkness in its absence, do you not? And the longer time spent without it, [ She leans her back flat against the wall, resting one hand atop another. ] The more you begin to question what it truly is like.
[ a beat. Then, more lightly: ]
Or perhaps it is simply that you miss the clouds? Hehe.
no subject
Better to play the game for as long as he can. He knows that she knows, just as she must know that he knows, but as long as neither of them address it... they can keep talking like this. So rather than confirm or deny her suspicions, he just takes a sip of his drink with a thoughtful noise. ]
Hm... I don't see any darkness here though. Maybe because I've got something bright beside me?
[ If she looks his way, he'll flash her a thumbs-up. ]
no subject
Now, it is not a maid's place to correct a guest, but... perhaps you mistake your own brightness for mine. Hmm?
[ Which is said with some level of assuredness, because — her? Bright? She's probably anything but. Even the varnish he wears, with something much more complex underneath, seems brighter by comparison to the darkness that stains her spirit, figuratively and literally. ]