funnyhearts | TEST DRIVE MEME 005

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TEST DRIVE MEME 005

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. INFESTATION

It starts with soft squeaks echoing in the hallways, the lobby, even Oysters' rooms. There's no accompanying scratching or the scurrying of feet that would usually signify an animal in the walls, only incessant squeaking that never seems to let up. Less than a day after it begins, the first squeaking creature makes its appearance. It is quickly followed by another, and another, and another, until one can't take more than a few steps without encountering one.

They range in size from no longer than an inch to almost a foot in length, and can be found everywhere from the pool area to the buffet to crawling beneath the blankets at night. Aside from their constant presence, they seem harmless. The creatures are soft and squishy, warm and dry to the touch, and don't seem to have any claws or even teeth. If they are treated with kindness, they may even become attached to certain Oysters, who will begin to find they can tell the creature apart from the others.

They can also be killed quite easily. They are resilient, and will bounce if dropped, but they have no defense against anything sharp and the smaller ones will not recover if stepped on.

The hotel staff view the little green creatures with varying levels of distaste, from mild irritation to shrieking at the sight of one.

"It always happens this time of year," one staff may say if asked. "The weather changes, they come in from the garden."

"They're hiding," another may state. "Who wouldn't? It's much safer in here."

Safer from what, you may ask?

The hotel staff give no answer to that.

After only a few days, the small creatures will begin to change. Those who have been shown kindness will become softer, fluffier. Prolonged contact with them will invoke feelings of happiness, will bring daydreams that feel real, though no one else can see them.

Those who have not been treated kindly will become more resilient, with spikes sharp enough to prick skin at the slightest touch. Stumbling over one of these will cause terrible hallucinations, waking nightmares that can only be dispelled with assistance from another.

II. THE QUEEN'S GARDEN

The creatures have been in the hotel over a week when a new archway appears in the hotel lobby.

It is nearly October, hotel staff will say. There is a wedding to prepare for, and the yearly harvest festival. The Queen does so love her Oysters, of course, that she is opening up her gardens for both.

The garden itself is expansive, spanning multiple acres. There is a winding path lined with neatly manicured rose bushes in all colors, another overgrown with ivy, another leading through trees with leaves of reds and golds. Groves of fruit trees are heavy with apples and pears. Elaborate water fountains and delicate streams flow between small ponds, each bordered by different types of water plants and filled with everything ranging from goldfish to koi. There is a chill in the air, and scattered throughout the gardens are stone fire pits, a stash of blankets, bags of marshmallows and cartons of fresh pressed apple cider.

It is the only place aside from the pool that Oysters will be able to see the sun instead of the eternal twilight outside of the hotel windows.

Night will fall here, too, and with it all the fire pits are lit. Lanterns line the paths, and some glow from the thick of the gardens themselves, though there are still shadowy places that one can retreat to if desiring privacy.

III. HEDGE MAZE

The garden is bordered on all sides by a massive wall of shrubbery — a hedge maze, hotel staff will say. They may even warn that those who go in without an escort will find themselves hopelessly lost.

There is nothing stopping Oysters from trying anyway, of course. The entrance to the hedge maze is difficult to find, but not impossible for those who are persistent. No matter what time of day it is in the garden, it will be night in the hedge maze, with no lanterns to guide the way. The entrance back to the garden will glow warm and bright for only a few moments after stepping inside, and will then disappear entirely.

It seems there is no way to go but forward.

The deeper into the maze, the darker it gets, as though even the moon and stars are growing dim. Oysters may catch sounds of soft breathing in the night, and may even observe that the hedge wall itself seems to sway as though something just beyond it — or in it — is moving. Those who enter the maze will find themselves wandering for what feels like hours, days. Does that turn look familiar? Have you been down this way before? Who can tell, when nothing about the maze ever seems to change.

Eventually, Oysters will find that they have been lead back to the garden, exhausted and hungry, though no time at all has passed for everyone else.

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?

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

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Huaisang has had an encounter with the other Wei Wuxian and it had been tense, there had been no easy genuine smile. As always, Wei Wuxian's smile is contagious and so Huaisang finds himself smiling back. He doesn't often smile as easily as he did when he was younger but this is the Wei Wuxian he knew and he could be happy about that.

"I heard that you were here," he says getting up and carefully making his way over to him and he manages to move more gracefully.

"Are you well, Wei-xiong?"

In his case, ignorance certainly is bliss, as he'd only been revived a short time before being brought here, and neither Lan Wangji or his other self had been terribly forthcoming with the details of what was to happen later in their journey. For all this Wei Wuxian knew, he was meeting an old friend, one who's actually pleased to see him and not trying to murder, maim, or imprison him, so he'll count it as a win.

"I'm well, very well, all things considered," he laughs, "who'd you meet?"

"The...other you? And Zewu Jun," Huaisang answers, his expression darkening for a moment and he wonders what this Wei Wuxian knows...If he's as suspicious of Huaisang as the other was. It doesn't seem so but sometimes, there's more going on with Wei Wuxian than what meets the eye, Huaisang knows better than to make assumptions he can't prove.

"Aah," he nods his understanding.

He has to wonder how well those meetings went, since Nie Huaisang's expression isn't so bright and exuberant as it'd been just moments before. It was hard to talk to himself, honestly, half the times he relished having someone who understood so thoroughly the way he thought, and whom he could throw ideas off of. On the other, it was easy to be irritated by his own idiosyncracies.

Zewu Jun though, he was fairly sure it would be hard to rile him up, no matter the topic. Then again, Nie Huaisang couldn't be terribly pleased about being brought here in the first place. Most conversations with newcomers were difficult, to say the least.

"It's strange, right? And there's two of Lan Zhan here, did they tell you?" he says, picking his way through the creatures, trying not to step on anyone.

"Circumstances might not be the best, but you can ask me pretty much anything," he offers, fairly proud of what he's managed so far and glad for any chance to cheer up a friend, especially one he hasn't seen in so long.

They both had been very emotionally arduous conversations in very different ways.

"Yes... others were also mentioned... that is only part of the strangeness isn't it?" Huaisang smiles, the typical mask slipping back in place. It's not as thorough a mask as it once was, after all, he had agreed to no pretenses here, so he's working on that. He still is processing the feeling of knowing Meng Yao is alive here and not only that so is some version of his brother.

"You're doing well here?" Huaisang asks in response to the offer, a deflection from what he really wants to ask What do you know.

Edited 2020-10-06 09:51 (UTC)

If Nie Huaisang seemed a little off, he could hardly blame the man, given what he'd arrived to. Showing up here was a series of frustrating and incredibly confusing conversations, so he could empathize.

"A small part, honestly," he sighs, settling in to sit, "there's a lot more to it. How much did they tell you?"

He doesn't want to worry his friend needlessly, but he should know the risks, at the very least. After what happened to his soul-twin while he'd been left alone, he wouldn't wish that on anyone else, especially not those he cares about.

"Doing well, ah... surprisingly well, I guess, for what's basically a luxurious prison," he admits. Yes, they're still trapped here against their will, but he has Lan Zhan, he has A-Yuan, and even Jin Ling and Lan Xichen here. It's more family than he's had in a very long time, and he's glad for every moment he can spend with them, but there's no ignoring the dangers present here either.

"We mostly spoke of things at home," Huaisang explains, there had been very little about this place. He's sure that will change, at least with Lan Xichen but the first conversation had been intense. "I do get the idea that one must be careful here, though."

Huaisang nods and he is glad that the other is doing that well. It could easily be a different story he's sure. Huaisang isn't sure how well he, himself, is doing in this place. It's all so much.

Nie Huaisang hardly seems in the good spirits he remembers in his past life, but then, he doesn't know what sort of things have happened in the decade or so he's been gone. Lan Zhan's summary was brisk, touching on the things Wei Wuxian would consider important, but he knew little of the effect they'd had on his friends.

"Mm," he nods, "that's a start."

Where to even jump in? Sizhui had been a bundle of questions, and Jin Ling had been just the opposite, refusing advice unless he asked for it.

"I've been here a while, so I can probably answer whatever you need, Nie-xiong," he offers, "did anyone show you how to work your Empathy device?"

Huaisang is worried that they might end up in a conversation about home as well and he isn't sure he's ready for another one so when the other offers him help -- help that he could honestly use he latches on. There's a quick smile as he shakes his head.

"I don't understand it at all."

Much as he wants to tease his friend for his lack of technical know-how, Wei Wuxian had been in very similar dire straits when it came to figuring out technology, especially when he'd first arrived.

"Since none of our spells or talismans work, these are used for communication. They're pretty handy in a pinch, but you'll want to be careful what you say or write in them. I'm pretty sure the people who brought us here can listen in," he explains, pulling his own device out to point out how the touch-screen works, how to send a message, and how to find contacts.

"Honestly, even if you don't use the Empathy, you'll want to be careful of what you say."

It makes a little more sense after all of Wei Wuxian's explanations but Huaisang still finds the device strange and cumbersome. It'll certainly take some getting used to for him to have any sort of real comfort level with using it.

"They have ears everywhere then?" he questions, brow raising. He still hadn't truly figured out what sort of place he has been pulled into, just that it is unsettling and many impossible things are possible here.

"To be blunt, yes," he crosses his arms, looking thoughtful, "when we tried using Inquiry, we found that there are even spirits here that are listening and watching."

There were ways around it, if they were careful, but there seemed little in the way of planning they'd managed to do anyway. Not since the other Wei Wuxian had died horribly in the midst of one of their attempted infiltration missions.

"We've been passing notes," he grins, "we were always good at that, right?"

"Ah, hm," Huaisang hums thoughtfully but then just smiles. "It's not as if I have anything important to say."

He smiles at the mention of notes and the memories that came with. That was so long ago now but he remembers it fondly.

"I was anyway."

Nie Huaisang hardly seems to have changed, just as reluctant to get involved in danger as ever. There was plenty more he could say, but not without putting his old classmate at risk as well.

"You should still know, just in case," he insists, though he doesn't necessarily trust Nie Huaisang to remember it.

"What else, ah... did anyone tell you about the teas?"

Nie Huaisang will remember it. He's more clever and resourceful than he lets on after all.

"No. What about about them?"

"Mm, none of the tea here is just tea," he shrugs, settling in and making himself comfortable.

"It's a coin toss whether they'll help or hinder you. Some will give you power you didn't have before, or return your cultivation. Others make you feel emotions, but really strongly. And sometimes the staff will hand them out, just for kicks. I'm not telling you not to try them, just to be aware, it's never going to be a plain old cup of tea."

"What a surprise," Huaisang says with a dramatic sigh and couldn't anything be sacred? He couldn't just have a cup of tea without worrying about it?

"There's no way to tell before hand?"

Nie Huaisang seemed up to his usual theatrics. There was no telling if he'd actually remember all the details if Wei Wuxian told them to him, but at least he could say he'd tried. And then laugh mercilessly if he still managed to get himself cursed with some tea or another.

"Ah, sort of. The ones that return your power to you are labeled. They come in bottles, show up in your room sometimes. Sometimes they give us the emotion-altering ones in bottles too, as if we'd want to use them for fun and recreation I guess," he shrugs.

"As for the rest, could be anything. That's why Lan Zhan usually only drinks tea he's prepared himself."

It's only a matter of time before Huaisang got cursed with some tea. The time will come.

"And you? Do you like to take chances with the teas?" It sounds like something that Wei Wuxian would do and something that Huaisang would end up doing as well. Curiosity and the cat or something.

He was gathering a pretty decent collection of the emotion-altering teas, and even a few extra of the powerful ones, but the ones the staff passed around were always hit or miss. It wasn't that he didn't try them anyway, but Lan Zhan had gotten rather particular about how often and in what company he tried them out.

"Hmm, sometimes," he looks thoughtful, and puts a friendly arm around Nie Huaisang's shoulder, "but take my advice and don't try it around anyone you don't trust, Nie-xiong."

Huaisang feels a small quirk of his lips at that and he supposes he wouldn't particularly be apt to try very often then. There are very few he would trust completely.

"Would some harm come to me if I didn't then?"

He supposes perhaps this Wei Wuxian seems like one he could trust, though. He is so much like the close friend, instead of the one that knew everything that had happened, that no longer trusted Huaisang.

"If you didn't? Ah..." he rubs his nose thoughtfully. The first tea he'd tried had made him a sobbing mess, reliving his final moments in the Nightless City. And of course the first person he'd run into after drinking it was Lan Wangji. Not his Lan Wangji, but Lan Wangji all the same. Another time, it'd made him so short tempered he'd been even more argumentative than Jiang Cheng. And that one time he'd spilled the one that caused lustful feelings all over himself, well...

"I guess if you're alright with crying on people you don't know, or running screaming into the arms of a stranger, or kissing someone out of the blue, it's probably fine," he waves a hand.

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TEST DRIVE MEME 005

HAPPY HEARTS HOTEL

I. INFESTATION

II. THE QUEEN'S GARDEN

III. HEDGE MAZE

IV. WELCOME HOME

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