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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hotelcaelum2024-01-12 09:44 am
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It wouldn't hurt to try.
[There isn't much else she can do at this time, so she turns around with slow, measured steps and heads for the wall, putting her back to the Maid for the latter's privacy.]
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You are graceful even on this terrain, [ She comments, mildly, trying to change the focus of the conversation onto her companion. ] I'm impressed.
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Traversing the floors is slower than I'd like, but there's no point in rushing here.
[It worked out, though. She might have passed through this floor a long time ago otherwise.]
You could say that I'm used to the cold.
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Perhaps you come from a cooler climate, then?
[ She wouldn't have guessed, given the way she dresses; or maybe these are just her vacay clothes? Either way, her interest about her origins seems genuine, and not just small talk for the sake of small talk, as she lifts her arm up press her hand firmer against the wallpaper as a start. ]
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[Sometimes it gets wet, too. She thinks the heat would be a little harder to tolerate, but she had her way around that earlier.
Glancing over her shoulder to confirm that they're both in place, she grabs onto the base of a light fixture on the wall, bends her knees, and extends her free hand with the palm up.]
Are you ready?
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[ She shuffles to get her feet underneath her, before reaching out to take her hand, her grip as icy as the floor is. Maybe she's just chilly? Who knows. But her hold is firm, her other hand scrabbling against the wall for purchase as she tries to stand up, clearly still tentative about the slipperiness of the floor beneath them. ]
I deeply appreciate your help — do let me know if you begin to feel unstable...
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Reiju's hand is cool—and hard—but nowhere near as icy as she balances on her heels and tightens her arm in order to provide leverage.]
Don't worry about me. I wouldn't have offered my hand if I wasn't sure that I'd be standing in the end.
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A-Ahh... I see.... what a fine servant you would make, being so reliable.
[ Uncharacteristically, she stutters, having difficulty keeping her elegant cadence while physically straining herself — it's not something she'd really ever have to think about doing, so it comes as a surprise to her too, had weirdly... flawed? The phrase comes out. ]
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Do you think so?
[She can't say that she agrees, but what does Reiju know about servanthood? Whatever the case, she looks as amused by the thought as she sounds. The fall must have winded the Maid in more ways than one.]
I just happen to have some convenient tools on hand.
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Convenient tools?
[ Briefly, her eyes lower to the woman's shoes — perhaps she has snow boots on? — before quickly raising back to meet her gaze. ]
Might I ask what...?
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Once they're both as upright as they can be, Reiju pulls her hand back and releases the fixture on the wall—slowly, so as not to tempt fate.]
I have something that lets me fly. If I fall, I can just use that to get myself up.
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[ The way she says the phrase implies she's not familiar with the term, but has heard of it. ]
I have found such enchanted things are more common in other realms than my own.
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My family isn't one for magic. Enchanted objects aren't exactly common in my realm, either.
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[ Because scientists in her time are few and far between, and generally, the practice is saved for the best and brightest — more importantly, those who could afford the equipment and time to study it. ]
Might you have invented it yourself?
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[ Who wouldn't want a dad who can build cool gadgets.... ]
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The whole kingdom is proud to have him. Our family wouldn't be as prosperous without his mind.
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[ She grins again, tilting her head. ]
Might you have any siblings? I have found that prosperous men often have more than one heir.
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[The odds aren't great.]
You sound familiar with their ways. Do you know many prosperous men?
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[ She confirms, quickly. The matter about her brothers does draw her attention — it would be standard, in her day an age, for the inheritance to go to the firstborn son, instead — but inheritance is a highly personal, and sometimes lethal matter. One that she knows to have discretion around. ]
An esteemed noble family from England, for example. I served the patriarch of the Rhodes family — and when he passed, I served his successor, as well. I'm sure you're familiar with the concept. Staff staying when the head of the house changes, of course.
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My father has been the head of the house since I was born, but it's not unusual for staff to stay on for generations. Are you the first of your family to serve those houses?