foundationmods (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
foundationmods) wrote2019-01-04 06:05 pm
foundationmods) wrote2019-01-04 06:05 pm
???
"Haaaamng....Oops. Looks like I overslept, huh?"
From the bed in the Master Suite, the Guest rubbed her eyes.
Normally, she wasn't so sleepy in the mornings, but she'd spent the last few days enraptured with the story playing out in front of her.🗈
From the bed in the Master Suite, the Guest rubbed her eyes.
Normally, she wasn't so sleepy in the mornings, but she'd spent the last few days enraptured with the story playing out in front of her.🗈
A story full of pulse pounding twists, excitement, and even a happy ending...anyone would want to keep on watching, like how someone could easily get lost in a show, and keep right on watching one episode after the other...
However, the Guest had things to do today.
As a Guest of the Hotel, she also had to finally check out after all the chaos that had happened.
Not that she truly needed to - it was more of a formality than anything else, but she felt it was good manners to wish your host a farewell when they'd had you over.
Plus, she would never snub a friend.
Getting ready was easy, as always - with her power, she could do more than just instantly be washed and dressed perfectly, but using a little magic to look like how a Guest like her should look wouldn't harm anything.
With a wave of her hand, she also cleaned up the remains of her furious snacking, and any leftover bits of dust or debris.
The Hotel normally was meticulous about cleaning, but she felt she owed it to them to clean up after herself while they were still recovering.
Stepping into the common area, the Guest looked over at it one last time.
There had been so much excitement in this place - so many tears and anger had been expelled here, but now it was silent as the grave.
The Guest felt satisfied, and yet had a pang of regret as she made her way to the door - feeling the same kind of feelings someone does as they put away the board after an intense game, happy with the outcome, but also wanting to relive the thrill of that moment again.
But that was the way of games, wasn't it?
They were momentary diversions, and you could look back at them fondly, but you could never have the exact same game twice.
In that way, it was a beautiful, if fleeting feeling. 🗈
They were momentary diversions, and you could look back at them fondly, but you could never have the exact same game twice.
In that way, it was a beautiful, if fleeting feeling. 🗈
Truly addictive, but an old hand like her knew all the pitfalls of losing yourself to the game and letting yourself be caught up in the moment, because it was then that you would often lose.
But losses often led to unexpected windfalls, and she was also no stranger to those.
That being said, she didn't have that much to lose if everything had ended poorly. She would have just lost a friend and a place to relax occasionally, and while she would have missed them dearly, she could have lived without it. But it was the Hotel's insistence, their will on trying to continue living, even when it would make them suffer that made her step in at the end.
Ah, what a good friend she was. Surely, if there was a god of friendship, they would be applauding her for her efforts at saving someone she cared about, right?
The audience, of course, being The Staff of the Hotel, watching her every movement down the stairs, flanking The Lady who was patiently waiting for her down at the bottom.
Not a muscle moved, or a single person stepped out of place - the effect was like soldiers, awaiting their orders, or the faithful listening to a hymn or pulpit speech.
The clack of the Guest's shoes hitting the tile floor of the lobby echoed loudly in the quiet space, and The Lady smiled, her beautiful face all the more radiant for it.
"Thank you, our most treasured friend."
"Huh? Aw, come on - you don't have to thank me! All I did was make sure that everything ran smoothly and made up a plan of action, is all."
The Lady shook her head.
"No, without you...I'm certain we would have perished, and our dear spouse would have been without a place to stay and a precious partner...to say nothing of the poor Guests who would have been stuck inside of our corpse. You have our eternal gratitude."
The Guest grinned, reaching out to slap at the shoulder of a nearby Staff member as she spoke.
"Well, I guess I really am amazing, no doubt about that...So if you want to praise my name to the skies, who am I to stop you? But you're right - my plan this time even surprised me ☆ It worked out absolutely perfectly, almost like I wrote it myself! Ah, but, don't think I made this place a gameboard or anything. I respect your territory and our friendship too much to do that to you."
The Lady relaxed upon hearing that, as she'd been a bit stiff, as if expecting the worst. While her dear Guest was quite powerful, there was only so much she could do without flexing more of her abilities - and that could have lead to terrible consequences for the Hotel.
By respecting the territory they were on, the Hotel wasn't drawn into the world the Guest resided in.
Not that the Hotel would malign the career path the Guest had chosen, of course.
Every being, no matter what they were, had the right to choose how they wanted to live and work.
But like most of it's kind, the Hotel's heart belonged to the service industry, along with it's dear spouse.
And while the life the Guest led certainly looked very interesting and exciting, the Hotel was content to provide a safe, comfortable environment for those that needed it.
Barring the Pests, of course.
"Thank you very much. Will you be staying for breakfast?"
"Nah, I don't think so. I know you're still recovering, so I think I'll just get back to my place and work on some other things I've got planned. You have enough negative emotions to heal, right?"
The Lady winced a little at that, though it didn't mar her beautiful looks at all.🗈
"Nah, I don't think so. I know you're still recovering, so I think I'll just get back to my place and work on some other things I've got planned. You have enough negative emotions to heal, right?"
The Lady winced a little at that, though it didn't mar her beautiful looks at all.🗈
"Ah, yes. Though you didn't have to set up that game with the other Guests just for us...we could have purchased what we needed from a vendor."
The Guest shook her head, placing her hands on her hips in a way that was quite familiar to the Lady.
It was one of the Guest's 'charm points', as she would often put it when they had a long chat, and The Lady had agree that it made her look quite disarming.
"And you would have gone broke, wouldn't you? Plus, you needed the positive emotions you still had, so giving those away to a vendor would have left you just as weak. And also, those guys are always sooo late! It's terrible just how lazy they are at their jobs, so you definitely would have died if I didn't step in and create that game for you! We had to be aggressive in our treatment plan, because you were starting to go at a pretty fast rate.
Besides, it all worked out in the end, riiiight~? They all went back home happy and healthy, and even stronger mentally in the bargain, so there's nothing for you to worry about! It's totally, absolutely, 100 percent fine! They should be thanking us for the experience, you know?"
Despite the Guest's urgings that everything was alright, The Lady still looked as if she wasn't sure about what the Guest was saying.
Puffing out her cheeks, the Guest looked a little annoyed for a moment, before deciding it was a lost cause and changing the subject.
"Hey, so, I heard that one of your kids came to visit you. How've they been doing?"
At the mention of family, The Lady immediately straightened up, a smile crossing her face again.
"Oh, The Great Wolf Lodge has been just fine, despite the fact that they insist on housing Pests inside of them. Really, we worry about the example they're giving our grandchildren - they're still only young enough to be minor haunted houses, you know."
The Guest nodded, closing her eyes and speaking with confidence, as if she'd had grandchildren of her own to worry about.
"Well, you know how it is, right? Kids are going to do what they want to do, after all. All you can do is just watch and try to give them your point of view when they come to visit, and spoil them like all grandparents so they'll do things for you, *giggle*.
Aah, but it's not like I also don't see where your kid's coming from. Humans may be pathetic, but there's a lot of them. ▷
Aah, but it's not like I also don't see where your kid's coming from. Humans may be pathetic, but there's a lot of them. ▷
If you open your doors to them, you've got a guaranteed supply of food and entertainment. I get it myself - I sometimes listen to the wishes of humans, and if they don't entertain me, I turn them into black tea! ...Ah, speaking of, would you like some when I come next time? I've got some great cookies to go along with it too♪"
"Hm...that sounds wonderful. We would like that, and we look forward to your next visit, Milady."
The Guest waved an arm around, in a manner that seemed to say 'don't worry about it.'
"Hey, hey, there's no need for you to call me 'milady'. We're old pals, right? And friends do things for other friends! You also let me have a great time watching everything go down, so I'd say we're even~ It helped alleviate my boredom for a bit longer than I thought it would, so there's no debt or anything. Oh, but, if you have more negative emotion than you need, you could just give it to your grandkids. I think even the Great Wolf Lodge wouldn't complain about that, you know?"
The Lady nodded, and the Guest smiled again, this time beginning to float in the air.
"Well, I've got to get going~ I'm sure there's a surly cat waiting for me back home, though she'll probably act as though she didn't miss me the entire time...Mm, but that's just her lovable charm, isn't it? Aaah, I could just...Hm, well, that'll have to be continued later! See ya~"
With a wave, bright, colorful sparks began to come from the Guests, slowly teasing away at the edges of her form.
The Lady and The Staff bowed to their Guest, even as the sparks covered her entire form, making her body so radiant it hurt to look at.
With a loud crack, akin to something from a fire cracker, the sparks suddenly fizzled out, leaving only fading bits of shimmering confetti behind...and a single konpeito landed in The Lady's palm, colored a pale, faint pink.
With a gentle motion, The Lady - No, The Hotel California itself - embraced the sweetness of the leftover candy, savoring the deliciousness of that condensed, sugary ball of joy and happiness and love, all the emotions that it fed on packed in one small treat.
"Delicious," they murmured as one, before they quietly dispersed, going back to their normal roles, making their Guests happy.
---
BGM: About face
The room that the once-Guest appeared in looked like something out of child's dream; colorful candies of all shapes and sizes and flavors lay scattered on a big, soft, feathery bed with all kinds of fluffy pillows, so large it seemed as if you could sink into them and drown in their softness.
Cutely ferocious toys were scattered around the room, all pastel colors or sweetly fearsome creatures like dragons with black button eyes, or a yeti with candy corn teeth and fangs.
Various cakes and drinks were placed haphazardly on the nearby side tables, sending a sweet and sugary scent into the air.
In this room, the owner of it sighed and sat on a nearby chair, stretching her arms out in the air in an exaggerated fashion before turning her attention to the desk in front of her.
Much like the entire room, the desk itself was cute and fanciful - the gentle pastel yellow mixing well with the bright orange inlays, a small painting of a jack o' lanturn grinning cheekily at her from the side.
BGM: Fishy Aroma (Vocals)However, on the desk itself were a pile of envelopes - ten in all, gold embossing on them in the shape of an exaggerated 'L', waiting for their letters and the red wax to seal them in and complete the look.
And in front of the owner herself was a half completed letter, written with a quill pen in black India ink. 🗈
And in front of the owner herself was a half completed letter, written with a quill pen in black India ink. 🗈
Picking up the quill from where it lay, the owner turned her attentions back on it.
The only sound that could be heard afterwards was the scratching of pen against paper...
'To the one who has found this letter,
A very important opportunity has been afforded to you. You have been granted the privilege of testing out a new kind of game, one that has never before been open to the public before.
All that will be asked of you is the will needed to see the game through to it's completion - and an open mind to see the wonders before you and not shrink back at the tasks asked.
No permanent injury will come to you, and the one that wins this game will be granted a single wish - whatever wish their heart desires.
Soon, you will be taken to the playing field after completely reading this letter. As the host of this game, I only hope that you will have a wonderful time and enjoy yourself to the utmost, along with your fellow competitors.
Lady Lambdadelta, Witch of Certainty.'
'TEA PARTY: TRIAL RUN OF THE WITCH'
BEGINS FEBRUARY 9TH
WELCOME BACK TO ROKKENJIMA