TEST DRIVE MEME 002

[happyheartsstaff]

HAPPY HEARTS HOTEL

You wake up in a padded box. It rocks, gently, as though suspended in mid-air. You begin to stir, confusion or distress pushing you to try to sit up — and then the air begins to smell sweet, and you fall back asleep.

You wake up in a padded box. For a moment, you are beatifically calm. You don't know how you got here, or why, but that isn't really all that important. You don't need to know where you are. You're just... here. And here is a wonderful place to be.

But there is a niggling suspicion growing in the back of your mind. A suspicion that here is not somewhere you wanted to be. That it is not where you're supposed to be. You remember... chasing a white rabbit (or was it a person)? A mirror? Bright light, and green ivy crawling over your skin... Before you can worry too much, the box jolts, and then settles, and after a long moment the walls fall from around you to reveal —

A hotel lobby?

"Welcome to the Happy Hearts Hotel and Casino," says an attendant behind a desk. "We're so pleased you could join us. We have your room keys and Empathies here, please make an orderly line and we'll hand them out once we've confirmed identities. After that, feel free to explore the hotel! We highly recommend starting with the casino. Everyone's a winner here in Happy Hearts!"

Is this normal? It doesn't feel normal. And hey — you could swear you had shoes before!

I. THIS IS OUR GET ALONG SHIRT

You haven't been at the hotel long when you run into another Oyster. Hardly unusual for the hotel, after all. But there's something about this person, something that draws you in. Do you know them? Perhaps they're from your world, perhaps you've seen them around the hotel before, or perhaps you've never met at all?

No matter. Hopefully you enjoy this person's company, because suddenly you're unable to go more than a few feet away from each other. Maybe it's like a cord that snaps you both back together when you try, invisible but somehow there all the same. Maybe it's a feeling, a desire to stay together, a fear of being apart. Maybe it's physical pain when you're separated, and the sensation of comfort or pleasure when you're together. Maybe it's any combination of the above.

Whatever it is, looks like you'll be getting to know each other very well. The connection doesn't appear to be going away any time soon.

II. HONORARY STAFF FOR A DAY

It seems the hotel is a little short-handed at the moment. Why? Oh, no particular reason. These things happen to every establishment, of course. But since you're here, would you mind lending a hand? It's a two person job, and the staff member giving out assignments is just far too busy to help. Find a partner and report to your assigned area! They're preparing for something very exciting the Queen is putting on for guests. And of course, you'll be rewarded for your assistance.

There are a number of possible tasks that you could be assigned to.

Perhaps you'll be asked to assist with food preparation. You and your partner will be granted temporary access to the back area of the buffet to work with the kitchen staff — you can cook, can't you? Well. Perhaps you can put together some sandwiches. It will soon be clear that the food you're helping to prepare is all things that would be perfect for a picnic. Staff members will cheerfully inform anyone asking questions that the food is for the Queen's special surprise.

Or perhaps you'll be put to work sorting and cataloging a large inventory of items. Sleeping bags, tarps, pillows, toiletries, first aid kits, fire starting materials; all must be counted and sorted. A staff member will hand out a number of backpacks, and request that each be packed with one of every item. Not to worry about the size — each pack will have exactly enough room to store all the items.

Still others may be placed in a room lined with bookcases overflowing with books and loose leaf pamphlets. Examination of these will find that all are related to identifying native Wonderland plant life. Some are about edible plants, some discuss those that are medicinal, or poisonous, or likely to try to eat you should you get too close. Buried in all of that, you may even stumble across a particular poem. You will be given heavy card paper, pens and water colors, and tasked with condensing the information into portable, easy to read info packets.

At the end of the work shift, anyone who assists will have the expressed gratitude of the staff members they supported. They will also find an additional item from home, aside from what they were carrying with them, waiting for them in their room.

III. TIME TO UNWIND

What better way to unwind after a long day of work than with a massage? A staff member will hand you a token for the hotel spa. Yes, yes, all services are free, but this is an enhanced service. Premium massage oils, access to a relaxing tea, the devoted attention of the most skilled massage therapist, all for you.

When you arrive to take advantage of the offer, you'll find another Oyster waiting there as well. Did the staff member not mention it was a couple's massage? Oh dear, it must have slipped their mind. Or perhaps they just assumed, given how so many of you Oysters seem to be in pairs. Well, you're both here, you might as well take advantage of it.

Or perhaps something that gets the heart pumping is more to your speed than relaxation. A staff member may excitedly tell you about a rave occurring at the The Rabbit Hole nightclub. Invitation only, of course, but the staff member is happy to tell you the code to get in.

There is indeed a party in full swing at the club that night. Live music, flashing lights, alcohol flowing freely, the works. You may find that the alcohol packs more of a punch than you're used to. You may even find that drinks that are supposed to be nonalcoholic, ones that you've had before in other parts of the hotel, suddenly pack quite a punch as well.

It's all in the name of enjoying yourself, right? Hopefully you won't be too hungover in the morning.

IV. WELCOME HOME

Maybe you just want to be alone — well, that's what you have your room key for! Oysters room on the second and third floors of the hotel, one to a room. You were assured your room would be exactly what you'd always wished for — and for some, that's right! It's exactly as you would have decorated it yourself. But for others, their rooms are totally wrong. A grizzled cowboy can't have a pink room! Hotel staff are firm, though: every room is exactly as its owner wants it to be. Search your feelings, Oyster. You know it to be true.

On each bed are the Oysters' personal effects, minus weapons, as well as a towel folded in the shape of a heart, and a single foil-wrapped chocolate. If eaten, the chocolate is delicious, and incites a feeling of tender warmth in Oysters — not lust, but a desire for closeness. Why spend time in your room, when you could go find a new friend in the casino?

For purposes of the TDM, you're welcome to play with having more than one linked partner! If you choose to app in the next round after playing on the TDM, there will be an extra add on to the application for you to claim your additional item from home. Please direct any questions to the first comment on this page, and happy playing, Oysters!

PREMISE RULES FAQ TAKEN RESERVES APPLICATION MOD CONTACT HIATUS & DROPS WORLD INFO NPCS CALENDAR AC REWARDS

© tessisamess

Comments

Lannistia Lavellan | Dragon Age

[worldtosave]

Honorary Staff for the Day
Lannistia was nothing if not helpful...and terribly curious about what sort of 'camping gear' they might be needing to pack. Especially when they were, supposedly, not allowed out of the hotel. This seemed like the best way to do some snooping.

Of course, she didn't quite expect the entire mess of supplies that awaited her. She stepped softly around everything to place herself in the sort-of middle as she pulled the first bag towards her. A system would be more helpful, one where each person packed one thing, but it was just her and a pile of stuff for now.

"I hope they didn't expect this done by a certain time." She muttered to no one, but began gathering one of each of the various things she could see. After she had one of each, she inspected each of them before putting them into the pack.

"A fire starting kit, but no hunting knives. That seems both ridiculous and overly cautious..." Today was a day for talking to herself, apparently.


Time To Unwind
Being a Dalish elf, Lannistia had never had the opportunity to indulge in a massage before. Well, rather she'd never taken it. Josephine had offered to find someone and Vivienne swore she knew the best 'masseuse' in ALL OF Orlais, but Lanni had never seen the point. Besides, there were surely better things to do with her time as Inquisitor.

Here, however, those things were not in play, as much as that fact tore at her. She couldn't do anything about it right now. Might as well try something new, right?

She got to the parlor and the attendant seemed nice enough, showing her where to go to change and providing an (admittedly fluffy) towel to wrap around her small frame, but then she was asked to wait. Wait for what? For her partner. And she surely didn't like the implying tone the attendant used when she said that word 'partner.'

So she waited, fingers toying with the hem of her towel and a bit self-conscious that she had very little but small-clothes on underneath it as she sat in some unknown room for some unknown person she'd been 'matched' with.

This was a mistake.

Time to Unwind

[equivocations]

An opportunity for relaxation sounds like exactly what Lan Xichen needs right now - the massage therapist, less so, but he's confident in his ability to politely decline any services that he isn't comfortable with. He'd seen the sauna room in the hotel spa when he and Meng Yao managed to find their way into the back room to speak to the staff, and he couldn't help but be intrigued.

So he's at the spa, asking questions about the services to try to better understand what he's in for - this place is very different from his world, after all - when the staff spot his token and light up.

And he gives in, because he is tense and it does sound wonderfully relaxing, when they talk about the healing properties. Who's to say he can't try new things? He'd spent over a week wearing clothes that were decidedly not traditional. Granted, he's back to wearing his usual clothing now that the cooling system is functioning again, but still.

He isn't entirely convinced to completely undress before he enters the room, though, so when he's ushered in he's only stripped of his blue outer robe and is carrying it and a towel over his arm.

Only to find that he is absolutely not alone as he had anticipated, and that -

That is a whole lot of skin oh no. His eyes immediately find a spot on the wall to look at just past her.

"Please excuse me, I - They must have directed me to the wrong room, I meant no disrespect."

[worldtosave]

Oh, Creators, save her. He looked as uncomfortable as she felt and she could feel a small tinge of color bloom on her cheeks. She wasn't overly self-conscious of nakedness, it was necessary when you were out camping for a long period of time and you finally came across a suitable river, but his embarrassment amplified her own. That on top of feeling out of her element with this whole thing just made it worse.

"No, no! You're fine!" She stood, which granted her maybe another inch of modesty, but it was something. "They said...well, apparently, it's supposed to be a 'partner' massage? They told me to wait until my partner arrived, so I assume that's you."

Lannistia crossed to the other man so he'd have an easier time simply looking at her face than anything else and offered her hand. "I'm Lannistia. Sorry you were dragged into this too, I just wanted to see what all the fuss was about with this massage thing."

[equivocations]

You might think that someone who actually spent some amount of time living in a brothel would be less flustered by bare skin, but, well. He basically just invited himself in without so much as an acknowledgement, and he's reasonably sure he wasn't expected or welcome. He's a little out of his depth here.

When she stands to come closer to him, he automatically starts to raise his arms, clasping his hands in front of him to move into an apologetic bow - but catches himself before he completes it, switching instead to grasping the hand she offers. His handshake is unpracticed, but at least he's learned what it's for and how to do it.

There's definitely some relief that he's able to resolutely look at her face, and a little bit more when he hears that she had at least been expecting someone, if not him.

"Lan Xichen. I'm here for the same reason, as it turns out, they made its healing properties sound appealing. It's unsurprising that they neglected to mention exactly what it entails." There's a hint of a smile. "I'm afraid I've already made it less relaxing than was likely promised."

He's debating simply turning to take his leave, but, well. The staff had assured him that they'd come to collect him when the session was over, and with what he knows of this place, he suspects that means the door he came through may simply no longer be accessible.

[worldtosave]

His aborted bow made her extra self-conscious. She should have considered there may be some other way to greet people than a handshake here. Josephine would be appalled. Although...bowing as she was currently 'dressed' may not have been the best move either. But he takes her hand anyway and Lannistia smiles brightly.

"It's nice to meet you and I'm sorry if I offended you, I forget myself." She sort of awkwardly raised her hand to indicate the handshake as best she could.

"You haven't done anything, I'm just as at fault as you, if you have." She paused a moment and glanced back at the door behind them before looking back to him. "I know it might not be exactly what we signed up for, but we're already here, so would you like to go ahead and try it anyway? We don't have to look at each other, if that will help."

He seemed nice and she could use the company. It would surely be no different than calling out to her friends from behind bushes as they bathed, or talking with Gianni as they lay under the sun, letting the empty sky carry their words to each other.