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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[ His own, at least, had seemed wholly focused on doing him harm near the end of the week, had it not been for someone else stepping in he surely would have gotten a concussion at best. ]
The floor, getting hotter and hotter, until it's capable of causing burns. In both instances, things started out as an annoyance, before gradually increasing in their hostility towards the guests. So, what then, if it starts with hostility right off the bat next time.
[ As far as what he pictures, he hasn't thought much on specific circumstances so much as he has the idea that things will just seemingly get worse, and steadily. It could simply be paranoia on his part, but… He shrugs. ]
When dealing with something like the hotel, I don't think anything my imagination could come up with would even be close. Maybe we'll all wake up one day, drifting through space. That'd be pretty bad.
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Why yes, that would be quite the inconvenience.
[ She says, lightly and with a chuckle, in response to his comment about space. ]
Though I doubt the hotel will simply disappear, casting us off into the ether. Perhaps it is my imagination, but I believe the hotel itself plays a large role in the trials we face, rather than any actor.
[ Yes, actually in the sense that the house has a level of sentience, she means. Or, that something (or someone) is sentient through use of the house, like a haunting. She knows it sounds preposterous, but her lips quirk up into a clever smile, all the same. ]
Personally, the hotel feels... unpredictable, I would say. The effects that appear within these walls seem more to me the whims of a child who wants to interact with guests, not unlike playing with toys or observing ants, than the actions of a malevolent force. Were the intent the latter... I believe our circumstances would be very different.
this ended up weirdly meta
Still, she says something that has him thinking. ]
I'm not entirely sure that it is just the hotel, but… Maybe it is a child. The shadows, the lava— they started out just like playground games, didn't they? The mistletoe was meant to cause problems, and I can imagine a child would see it like that — especially younger ones. Floors have moved around as though someone didn't like where they placed them. What are we if not dolls in an overly large doll house.
[ or like, Sims. ]
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She chuckles, the sound familiar and amused. ]
And do you object to being such a doll? If it is the price for your wish.
[ She has to assume that's why he's here: it's why most of them are. That, or he's among those that had no other choice but to come here. Either way, she's sure she'll get a sense for which it is, in his reaction. ]
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[ The force, Passione… he's always been nothing more than a cog in someone's machine, hasn't he? Always beholden to the wants or needs of somebody else. And he's fine with that. This isn't that different, really, other than the fact he's acting in his own interests. Which… is weird. ]
Besides, even if I did object, [ a beat of hesitation, before he glances back towards her, tilts his head from side to side in thought. ] I don't think I can just… leave. So, why not work towards something.
[ That wish… If he could attain it, things can be put right, mistakes undone. ]
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You "cannot" leave, or you do not wish to?
[ There's a huge difference; there are those here who simply are in a terrible situation in their home realm, and thus do not want to return until the hotel can provide them with something to make matters better. But, then, there are also those who could not leave even if they wished to — departed souls with nowhere to go. Despite the supernatural implications, her expression remains clever and calm, apparently not bothered by the idea that there would be those who are stuck here permanently. ]
Is there not a place for you to return?
no subject
… A little of both, I suppose.
[ Admittedly, it frustrates him, that he can't simply wander out and check on how things are going. For all his aloofness, he does (did?) give a shit. Or maybe he can. Would he be allowed to simply observe? And what all is there even left to observe? Bucciarati is here. Fugo can take care of himself without a doubt, and Mista and Giovanna will probably be just fine. Narancia… well, he doesn't particularly want to dwell on that. ]
I guess, if I left, there's no guarantee I could come back. I don't want to be the one to test it out and leave, only to have my soul… pass on, or whatever.
[ He'd been halfway there already, he's pretty sure. Pointedly, he doesn't look at her as he says it, picks at a loose thread on his sleeve and watches that instead, like it's the most interesting thing he's ever seen. ]
no subject
[ She offers that thoughtfully, respectfully, even if her faint smile lingers. Looking closely, her grin is a little knowing, as though she understands completely what he means — not a hint of confusion or concern in her expression. The pointed way in which he averts his gaze practically confirms it all for her. ]
While I am of the opinion this hotel exists between the realms of the living and dead... I would not recommend testing leaving. As you have said, who knows what may become of your soul?
[ In her understanding, a departed soul takes a long time to reform — risking losing the form he has now would be to risk not being whole again for hundreds of years. Who knows what the hotel might be like, in that time. ]
...Are you intent on returning to the world of the living?
[ It's a hugely personal question, but she asks it as mildly as one would ask about the weather. ]