TEST DRIVE MEME 001 (#2)

[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 for our grand opening gala. 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. THE CASINO FLOOR

As you pass through the entrance to the casino floor, an attendant passes you a small bag of chips. The casino is loud and bright and filled with games of every kind — you want to play poker? They've got a table for that. Sabacc? There's a table for that, too. Slots, pachinko, and bingo are just a few of the other games on offer. The attendant in the lobby wasn't lying, either — everyone who plays wins. Everyone, every time.

Servers wander the floor with trays of shotglasses full of multi-coloured liquids, offering them to every Oyster "Compliments of Her Royal Highness." If you're expecting alcohol, though, you'll be surprised — these drinks are teas made of the distilled emotions of every Oyster in the hotel. Each colour of tea corresponds to a different emotion, and as soon as you take a sip, you feel overcome with that emotion.

JOY — the distilled essence of happiness, this tea makes even the most rough and tumble of Oysters giddy with happiness — for a moment. The effect fades into a general sense of contentment and affability after a few seconds, and that itself fades away slowly over the course of twenty minutes.

ANGER — this tea, anger in liquid form, can make the most even-tempered of Oysters ready to absolutely blow a gasket. For twenty minutes, anyone who drinks this tea will find themselves much more easily annoyed, frustrated, and all around irritable and snappy.

SADNESS — distilled sadness is a potent tea, capable of turning a stoic, stalwart Oyster into a blubbering mess in moments. Events that may have previously only been a minor disappointment become the end of the world, every repressed unhappiness comes to the fore, and for twenty minutes, any Oyster who drinks a sadness tea can hardly keep themselves together.

II. MAKING WAVES

If gambling isn't to your interest, there are many other areas of the hotel to explore! For the moment, only The Pool Of Tears and the Pig & Pepper Buffet are available for Oysters to peruse, but the staff assure anyone who asks that the other facilities will be open by the next day. Unfortunately, that means no one can buy any swimsuits from This Elegant Thimble, but the staff aren't going to kick anyone out of the pool for jumping in in their clothes!

There are four main attractions to The Pool of Tears: the pool, the jacuzzi, the wave pool, and the lazy river. The water is always just the right temperature, clean and clear and refreshing. It feels as if the sun shines down from above you, warm and comforting. Scattered through the pool area are clusters of modern lounge chairs, just waiting for someone to come relax in them. The Pool is, in a word, serene.

But not for long. The waves generated by the wave pool begin to get choppier, and larger, until it becomes clear that the generator itself is malfunctioning — too late, however, to avoid the tsunami that crashes through the whole Pool and leaves it flooded. Thankfully, no water escapes into the rest of the hotel, and the hotel staff work quickly to rescue those trapped in the Pool and drain the flooding — but you better hope you can tread water until they get to you!

III. EAT ME, DRINK ME

The Pig & Pepper buffet serves lunch foods from across all different cultures, offering something for everyone, and some things you've never even heard of.

On offer with these lunchtime dishes are cookies and biscuits and scones of all kinds, held on tiered trays with signs that proclaim Eat Me! in delightfully whimsical calligraphy. Nearby, hotel staff man a small booth for doling out cups of fruit waters from large pitchers, which have Drink Me! painted playfully on their sides.

It takes a while to feel the effects — perhaps you've even left the Pig & Pepper by the time it happens — but those who eat the cookies and scones inevitably end up growing in size, whether a few inches or feet, and those who drank the fruity water similarly shrink. Eat enough and you might strain the ceiling; drink enough and you'll be the size of a thimble! It's not permanent — if no one else can help you figure out how to get back to normal, the staff certainly will — but it's definitely inconvenient!

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?

Welcome to the (second!) first TDM of Happy Hearts, a new panfandom roleplaying game here on DW! If you have any questions, please direct them to the first comment on this page. Happy playing, Oysters!

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

© tessisamess

Comments

[inquiryguqin]

"I'm glad. Then that means you have to eat more to grow."

It does indeed work. Wei Wuxian seems a bit bigger now, just the size of his entire palm of his hand that he can gently wrap his fingers around.

"Can you eat more or have enough? If you're full, I can save the cookie for later."

[scaredofdogs]

He's definitely eating it slowly but manages to finish off the rest of that crumb. "I feel like I just ate a full meal." But he holds out his hand for another piece so that he has it when he is ready.

"I think I'm going to need a minute to digest." And something to wash the cookie down but he quickly pushes that thought away. He has had enough with liquids for awhile.

[inquiryguqin]

"Mn." He hands over a small crumb for him to eat later. He observes when one is small, everything else is small.

Looking around, he can see he's in an establishment for gambling and games. It's time to search for information.

"Wei Ying, we seem to be in a type of inn."

[scaredofdogs]

"This is the wildest inn I've ever seen. This building is huge, Lan Zhan. Before I got small I wandered through some of it. There is a lake inside the building. And apparently everyone here has their own room."

It's quite the place and Wei Wuxian knows he has only scratched the surface. There is a lot more floors and rooms to investigate. "But no one seems to know how we got here or who brought us."

[inquiryguqin]

"It sure is. I remember a dream. I was chasing a white rabbit? Then stepping through a mirror. I woke up in a box and I am here. I was worried. I haven't seen a lake."

Comparing notes, "Neither do I."

Lan Zhan took a seat and rest his hands on his lap to rest. Meanwhile, a server passed by to offer them a glasses of multi-colored teas on a tray.

"Teas! Compliments of Her Royal Highness." The server said. Lan Zhan looks at the drinks warily.

Turning to Wei Ying, "Do you want a drink?" Even though he doesn't quite trust it, he's suddenly thirsty.

[scaredofdogs]

"Rabbit.." Wei Wuxian stifles a laugh. Of course Lan wangji would follow a rabbit. Reminds him of what he had said when he was drunk.

He stares at the teas a little uncertainly. "I don't know...I haven't had much luck with drinks." But the cookie has made him so thirsty..this is a terrible cycle. He's already small though so how much worse could it get?

[inquiryguqin]

"I like rabbits. You remember there's a lot of rabbits back home in Gusu?"

Lan Wangji takes the pink color tea, thinking it's some type of lemonade. "Let me try it." He took a sip for a taste test and slowly he feels strange as if he's filled with content and happiness, that his stoic expression eased up and managed to smile a little.

Since he hasn't changed in size yet. "This tea is all right. Here, have a sip." He tilts the glass toward him, ever so gently, so he can have a drink.

[scaredofdogs]

"Oh I remember.." He stares at the drink but will very carefully have a little. It's really hard to make sure he doesn't drown in the big glass but he manages.

"It tastes okay." And then he feels it. That is a weird little rush of contentedness. Suddenly he doesn't really mind being tiny and is smiling contently.

[inquiryguqin]

"Mn. It's all right. We don't have to rush home. We'll find the answers."

Wei Ying is maybe small, but he trusts in good faith, there's a cure for it. Leaning back against the comfortable sofa.

For now, basking in happiness, with Wei Ying and rabbits. "Back home, there are so many rabbits and I keep a black one that reminds me of you, so I wrapped a red ribbon around him."

[scaredofdogs]

Wei Wuxian relaxes against Lan Wangji's body, settling in his lap. He is still holding that little piece of cookie.

"You gave him a ribbon..Does he get to live with you and make all the other little rabbits jealous? Did you at least give him a good name?"

[inquiryguqin]

Wei Wuxian, small as he is, is safe. He can even grasp his sleeve to nestle as a blanket.

"Mm, I named him Daiyu. He's a very handsome rabbit. He's very sociable and gentle. He gets to live with me with the others. He's like to curl up on my lap just like what you're doing now."

As he speaks, his fingertips gently stroke through his long hair, the same way he strokes a rabbit between the ears.

[scaredofdogs]

"Smart rabbit." Why is this petting thing so enjoyable? It's no wonder the rabbits like it.

"He acts that way so he can be in your lap. Clearly he enjoys your attention." This rabbit sounds way too familiar. Wei Wuxian is almost feeling a little jealous of the rabbit despite the fact that he is the one getting petted right now.

[inquiryguqin]

"Mm. He is a very smart rabbit." He said, now remembering how distant their home should be.

He kept stroking his hair with a fingertip, not minding giving Wei Wuxian his attention. If anything, he has longed to do so, giving to him.

"You now have mine. You came back."

[scaredofdogs]

He thinks back to their last night on their world. He wonders what the juniors are thinking about what they saw..

"Yeah..you ever going to tell me how you knew it was me?" He doesn't look the same..or sound the same..he has certainly not been acting the same with how he has been teasing the other man. So what about that day on the mountain...he has a guess but he can't be sure.

[inquiryguqin]

Lan Zhan's memory is bad especially after he was drunk, so he doesn't remember what he did with him in front of the juniors, which is tying his forehead ribbon around his wrists.

Lan Zhan looks calm. Perhaps the tea of joy makes a warmth swell in his chest. Despite his calm marbled expression, his golden eyes seem to carry a spark.

"Do you want to know how I know?"

[scaredofdogs]

He tilts his head back to look up at Lan Wangji's face. "I have an idea but I want to know for sure! Please just tell me!" He even said please! Look at him being so polite.

His little hand tugs on the front of Lan Wangji's robes, hoping the fact that he is tiny and adorable will help him plead his case. Not to mention the fact that the drink has obviously made them so agreeable.

[inquiryguqin]

Lan Wangji only smiled mysteriously, observing his small tiny figure pleading for the answers. Wei Wuxian's pleading pulls at his heart-strings, but it's a smalls surge, a spark of joy in his heart that his heartbeat begins to rise even though his face expressed nothing.

Softly, "Wei Ying. You have a bad memory. You told me yourself already. Think about it."

[scaredofdogs]

Wei Wuxian groans and flops against the other man. He doesn't want to think about it any more! "My memory is bad which is why you should tell me!"

But he knows that once Lan Wangji refuses to say something, the only way to really get it out of him is to get him drunk. And Wei Wuxian's still trying to recover from the last time.

[inquiryguqin]

"..." Lan Wangji himself badly wanted to tell him, but he would like Wei Wuxian to think for himself and navigate through the maze of his heart and memories. It was something he cannot enforce him to remember.

He would get him drunk just like he did that night. He succeeded two times.

"Wei Ying, is there anything you wanted to see in this inn?" After some thought. "I think they call this place Wonderland."

[scaredofdogs]

He stops his small tantrum and looks up again, "Wonderland?" He isn't sure he sees anything too wonderful about it right now. It's noisy and things could step on him in his current state.

"Since it looks like this is our new home for awhile, we're eventually going to see all of it."

He picks up the little cookie again. "Which means i probably need to get big again soon." Although now he is quite enjoying this tiny body.

[inquiryguqin]

"Wonderland." He stated. "I haven't gathered much info other than it's a type of inn and gambling place."

Gambling is a type of vice. Coming from a sect that is entirely built on 4,000 rules that guarantee that anyone who follows the path religiously, will be virtuous with self-discipline.

With a nod, he hopes Wei Ying returns to his original size. "I think and suspect there's more to this place than it looks. I can't sense it, but I think this place is enchanted with a magic."

[scaredofdogs]

"Something must be magic if it can make people shrink. That's not exactly a skill I've ever heard of anyone having back home."

He starts to munch on the cookie again. Now that he has had a drink it makes it easier to eat a little more of it.

"Whomever it is must be pretty strong if they were able to drag us from our worlds. Either that or we are in some kind of strange group dream and the person has put us all to sleep."

[inquiryguqin]

His observation isn't wrong. Knowing Wei Ying also has a repertoire of spiritual magic and knowledge on his own.

"Mn, it's in the food as well."

Lan Wangji wished he could offer more, but he haven't discovered his spiritual powers is sealed yet. Sipping a bit on his tea.

"Still, I'm happy that I had found you and you're all right. If this ever happens again with you being small, at least call for my help."

[scaredofdogs]

"I'm going to be more careful about what I eat from now on. We'll have to just keep track of what each of us are doing at all times just in case we run into anything else."

Who knows what will happen the next time he eats something. It's a little concerning. He doesn't want to starve here.

"We'll figure it out. It will just take some time."

[inquiryguqin]

With consideration, Wei Ying's strategy works. "That's a good idea. If we're staying here for a while, then we need to keep track."

On that thought, "You have that device with you? It's how I call you and write to you. It's not a carrier pigeon."