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.
back, demon
...Though she can tell that sunlight is filtering in now, too... With a quiet groan, just this once, she shies away from the waking world, and curls into herself - and against him - just a little more, tucking her head beneath his chin as if to hide from the sun. ]
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Wait...huh?
His eyes open, just a crack, his heart slamming into the back of his throat. Oh.
...Quietly, still not stirring, because he doesn't want to: ]
...Mina. [ A beat. ] You awake?
1/3
...Wait. To... be snuggled up with someone...?? ]
Mmm...?
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S— Sorry!
[ Immediately splaying a hand on his chest and pushing away to try to sit up, but uh, in her haste, she only ends up losing her balance and ending up... effectively on top of him!? 🫣 ]
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Oh, this is...not how he expected to wake up today.
His eyes snap open wide, blinking rapidly at the scene before him — at least on some subconscious level he knew he wasn't in danger, so he hasn't flung out his Infinity to push her away, but her hand is warm against his skin and the thin fabric of his sleep tank, as is...the rest of her. There isn't much between them, is there?
He's quick as ever to find his voice. ]
Well. Good morning, you.
[ He's covering up his fluster with his usual teasing lilt, but it's still evident in his cheeks. ]
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Good morn—
[ Wait, no!? Why is her first insctinct always to answer "good morning" back to anyone who says it to her, no matter what the circumstance? Damn customer service reflexes...! With a gasp, Sumina withdraws her hand and sits up - properly this time - though she just can't seem to catch a break when, this time, her movements cause a bit of displacement in the structural integrity of this blanket fort... ]
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Well, it was a nice blanket fort while it lasted, he got to have some good times in here, not to mention how he got to snuggle up with Sumina for part of the night? How long was she there, anyway?? He was so out of it, he didn't even notice, which really just speaks to how easy and natural it felt. None of his typical defenses saw fit to rouse him even a little bit.
Anyway, down rain the blankets on top of them, and Satoru could stop this from happening by using his technique or at least give them a buffer, but...no. Instead, he watches with amusement as Sumina gets tangled up, chuckling to himself as a blanket flutters down to cover his head. ]
Ehehe...distress looks real cute on you, Momo.
[ Must be why he loves to fluster her as much as he does! ]
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Resigned to her fate, Sumina does nothing to extricate herself from the mess of blankets she has found herself under. It's probably for the best that he can't see how utterly red she's turned, too.
But still, she feels the need to explain herself: ]
I... You were having a nightmare last night, Satoru. I couldn't wake you up, and ended up falling back asleep...!
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Then my nightmares must've gotten better when you got all snuggled up to me! Ehehe, you're the best, Mina-chan!
[ Reaching over, he tugs a blanket that's landed around her shoulders over her head like a hood. He's making no move to help extricate her from the blanket tangle. ]
You don't need to be embarrassed. It was nice.