angryhearts | it's getting hot in here

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it's getting hot in here

SO (PLEASE DON'T) TAKE OFF ALL YOUR CLOTHES

Days are almost meaningless, here in Wonderland. With the eternal twilight outside the windows and many of the hotel's amenities open around the clock, it can be hard to keep track, can't it? But you must sleep, or at least return to your room, some time. It's on one of these times that you may begin to notice a faint sound coming from inside the walls. Or is it the ceiling? The floor? Something that sounds like scratching, or tapping, or the strained whir of machinery. Then it fades away. Whether it's moving on to another room or stopping entirely, it's hard to tell.

After a few nights, or days, of this happening, it suddenly stops. There's a brief period of peace, and perhaps you even get some rest. Then there's a series of thumps, sharp clicks and a loud stuttering sound that signals the hotel's air conditioning unit giving out.

At first it's not so bad. It's dark out, right, how hot can it really be outside? The air itself still seems to be circulating, albeit more slowly, but it's enough that you can breathe. But the heat seems to keep building, and building, the air hanging heavy and thick and leaving a lingering feeling that it's pressing down on you. Even sitting still no longer becomes enough to ease the suffocating heat.

The staff don't know what's happened to the air conditioner, when you ask. "Oh, that finicky thing", they say, as if it's a minor inconvenience. They assure you that the Queen's mechanics will have it fixed in no time — they always do. In the meantime, can they interest you in a refreshing iced tea? Perhaps a dip in the pool?

Is it your imagination, or do a few of the staff seem a little uncertain as they try to brush off your questions? A little less confident than they always have been before? Whatever their demeanor, it seems they still have no answers to give. The astute may notice that after a conversation with one of these staff, they can't seem to be found again.

As if that weren't enough, the scratching in the walls starts up again. With the oppressive heat, the rising tension and frayed nerves, is it any wonder that the staff might seem more apprehensive?

THINGS THAT GO BUMP IN THE NIGHT 06/11 - 06/13

Sleeping is probably hard enough, in a hotel where the activity never seems to cease. At least it's generally quiet in the upper floors, at least Oysters can turn out the lights in their own room and find some peace.

...usually, anyway.

At first it's only the faintest sounds, something only noticeable to those who sleep lightly. The staff, if asked, don't acknowledge hearing anything and seem politely concerned about anything disturbing the rest of their guests. Oysters may be offered ear plugs, or a device to listen to music, or a trip to the spa for relaxation.

Then it grows in both volume and frequency, disturbing even the heaviest of sleepers at night. Some staff still say they haven't heard anything, other staff acknowledge the sounds but brush them off, unconcerned. Every building has its quirks, after all! There does seem to be an increase in staff milling about, however, making it difficult for those who may want to look into things without being seen.

CLICK CLICK... THUMP
06/14 - 06/21

The fourth day of the event begins with a short period of blissful silence, quickly ruined by a loud, persistent clicking sound, audible in all parts of the hotel... And then an even louder THUMP as the air conditioning unit gives out.

At first, it's not terrible — the air is still circulating, and while the heat is uncomfortable it's not unbearable. As time goes on, though, the heat builds and builds, until not even staying in place will provide any relief.

The staff profess ignorance to whatever happened to the air conditioner, if asked — some more convincingly than others. They all offer iced teas for relief, and suggest a dip in the Pool of Tears, though those who seem uncertain when answering any questions will try to leave the conversation faster, and won't be easily found again.

While the iced teas are incredibly effective at helping to beat the heat, they once again seem to offer some strange effects — enough glasses, and Oysters will be overcome either with anger and irritation, or a sense of serene calm. Any little thing could set off an Oyster who's been affected by the anger-inducing tea; an Oyster who drank the calming tea is utterly unflappable. These effects persist for just as long as it takes for the cooling effects to wear off, at which point Oysters are left with a choice — deal with the heat, or take their chances with another tea?

And to top it all off, the scratching noise in the walls has started up again. The few staff remaining at this point are as unhelpful as ever, but they don't have the same infuriating calm to their answers — but who could blame them being a little nervous?

QUEEN'S ADDRESS
06/21

And finally, the tenth day brings relief in the form of a loud shuddering sound, and then the quiet whoosh of a working air conditioner. Over the course of the day, the Hotel gets progressively cooler, until it is once again at the comfortable, cool temperature Oysters had grown used to in their first month here in the Hotel.

It also brings an address from the Queen.

"Oh, my curious Oysters, when you try to play with that which you don't understand, you break things! Not to fear, all has been set to rights now that our dear Dormouse has fixed what some careless guest disrupted. If you wanted to play games, you should have simply said! I have a dear companion for you who is so eager to join in the fun."

The Queen will not respond to any messages sent back to her.

If you have any questions, please direct them to the OOC post here. RNG results for the off limits areas will be going out tomorrow, so if anyone would still like to sign up for those that hasn't yet please do so tonight!

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

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Lan Wangji sinks to the carpet to look at Wei Ying, in the middle of this hallway one cloud of pure white and one of inky black. Anyone who comes near, he won't even glare at; he just flat-out ignores them in his worry.

He wipes away the tear track on Wei Ying's face with his thumb, his fingers tender, movements of them slightly jerky from how destroyed they are. "You are all right," he answers tensely, tentatively, realizing that his tears and his fall are not from pain. Then, with more assurance: "You are all right."

In relief, he presses his forehead to Wei Ying's, letting them take a moment to breathe and recover.

The soft touches are reassuring, tender in a way that he can't quite describe, but that reminds him bittersweetly of his Shi-jie. Wiping his tears and offering words of comfort. For a moment he just breathes, taking in the soothing scent of sandalwood and the steady voice. Lan Zhan is safe, he's right here.

"I thought they might've..." he can't even finish the thought, withdrawing to shake his head. It's not until he looks down that he even sees the state of Lan Wangji's hands. He knows he must look pretty rough with wear himself, without sleep or food, bruises given just enough time to bloom colorfully on his hands and cheek.

"We're a pretty sorry pair, hm?"

"I am not sorry," Lan Wangji responds resolutely, though he knows that's not what Wei Ying means. But he refuses to feel bad for themselves, for fighting against the men sent purposely to overpower them.

At the very least, they fought alongside one another.

He takes out his key card and presses it into Wei Ying's hand. "I will go to the mess and retrieve food. You should go upstairs." Lan Wangji at least, was able to meditate, so he looks tired but not exhausted. Wei Ying looks wrecked, so he should get back to the place they now call home.

"Right, what was I thinking," a hint of a smile returns to his face, "Hanguang Jun fought valiantly against superior numbers, of course. It can hardly even be called a defeat."

He looks down at the key in his hand, but as soon as Lan Zhan mentions separating, he shakes his head. The last thing he wants is to be alone right now. Even if he has to rally his strength a bit to follow along.

"I'll come with you," he insists, pressing the key back and trying for a bit of humor. "Besides, if I let you go alone, it'll all be bland, nothing exciting."

At a time like this, Wei Ying can still be picky about the things on his plate. So Lan Wangji will acquiesce, and let him come along. If he should fall, Lan Wangji will be here to carry him.

But he stays close, shoulder to shoulder, not wanting to let go of this contact.

He had considered, some time during those twenty four hours, that he might have missed his second chance. Perhaps the hotel was going to take him away forever, and he would never see Wei Ying again.

Thinking about it, he looks to the side, his eyes glassy with water, trying to keep himself calm. He cannot afford to lose Wei Ying again.

At the mess, he really does fill up his bowl with nothing but boring, strictly vegetarian food. There's so much kale. Of course Hanguang-jun would like kale.

Food is the last thing on his mind. Sure, it might be nice, but he's a lot more concerned with Lan Zhan trying to run this errand alone. It could wait, rest felt much more immediate a concern. Still, he follows, keeping pace with Lan Wangji, and smiling because it's easier than letting on how worried he'd been.

The knot at the back of his head aches dully, and he's keen to collapse on Lan Zhan's floor and sleep until he feels moderately better. And maybe work in a cool bath at some point. The scent of food when they enter the Pig & Pepper does remind him it's been hours since he last ate though, and he keeps Lan Zhan in his sight as he puts a few fresh-made rolls on his plate. Despite his complaining, his food isn't all that much more exciting than Lan Wangji's, though he adds some spicy chicken wings just to keep him from worrying.

He's not sure how to take it, when a helpful staff member informs him that if he's ever too tired to leave his room, it can be delivered to his door. Does he really look so rough? He bumps sluggishly into Hanguang Jun's shoulder, looking over the mostly-green selections and makes a face.

"I know the Lan clan is fond of rabbits, but do they have to eat like them as well?" he sighs.

"Hm," he answers, because he knows Wei Ying already knows that they were founded by a buddhist monk and they keep to the diet, keep to the segregation of sexes, strict schedules, all that. He's copied all the rules countless times, surely even Qiren wouldn't have doubts.

But, to make Wei Ying happy, he plucks a single rib from one of the stations, and places it into his bowl. They are not at Cloud Recesses, so it is not strictly forbidden.

He takes such a modest amount of food for having not eaten anything for twenty four hours, but he had also not exerted his usual amount of energy. Lan Wangji is ready to help Wei Ying carry what is doubtless a bounty of all the things he'd like to eat before he passes out.

Which, speaking of. "My bed will fit two." He is thinking that they are both wounded and hungry. There is no room to be so formal and so appropriate in a situation like this.

He's still not used to it, how Lan Zhan will give in to his teasing or silly requests rather than return him flat stares. Good, a little meat will help him heal all the faster. Wei Wuxian smiles his approval, even if it feels thin around the edges, and keeps pace beside Lan Wangji, his plate also surprisingly modest for his usual appetite.

Wei Wuxian's eyes are already starting to flutter sleepily as they leave, and it's just a small relief that the room isn't far. The mention of sharing a bed startles him out of a yawn though. They haven't really talked, not since the spa, and the idea of sharing a bed... tired as he is, will he be able to sleep with Hanguang Jun right beside him?

"It's not much softer than the floor," he mumbles, but doesn't refuse.

He does notice that Wei Ying's spirit is a little bit dampened, his usual ebullient mood missing some spring in its step. His selections of food are even a little sparse, so Lan Wangji has picked up some extra items that he will later sleight of hand into Wei Ying's bowl if necessary.

He had not considered that perhaps Wei Ying would not want to share a bed with him, that maybe he had thought their last meeting at the spa was too... awkward. It really was an inconvenient time to talk about such matters, but he doesn't think it should matter. His heart aches a little, that they should even have to consider distance, but he shelves it. They can speak when they are well-rested. Everything else -- feelings, old wounds, heartbreak -- that can all wait until Wei Ying's eyes are no longer red-rimmed and his smile is bright and sweet again as late summer honey.

"It is merely an offer," he explains, in case Wei Ying is deciding right now of all times to be polite and be an esteemed guest and not his friend and soulmate.

The walk isn't terribly far, but he's definitely feeling the fatigue by the time they reach Lan Wangji's door and stumble inside. He makes a face at Lan Zhan's reply though, and sets his plate down on the low table, grabbing a roll and putting it in his mouth with one hand, while he grabs Lan Zhan's sleeve with the other, pulling him toward the bed.

This back and forth again. Admittedly, there's a lot to say between them, but he's too tired to put up much resistance.

"Lan Zhan," he sighs, though his tone is light and teasing, "let me play a little bit coy, won't you?"

How is he so exhausted that he's nearly falling asleep into his bowl, and he still manages to find a way to be flirtatious? Lan Wangji's heart can barely stand it, the way he takes him by the sleeves and pulls him over. He sets the bowl down on the table before letting himself be dragged over to the bed, grabbing two plain white buns off the top with deft fingers.

There is no eating in bed at the Cloud Recesses, it's rule two thousand something, but honestly as much as this place looks it, it's not.

So there Lan Wangji is, lying in bed on his side, steamed bun in his mouth, one in his hand. He rips off a piece of it and offers it to Wei Ying, because if he doesn't finish both they will be cold. He doesn't mind the rest, but the steamed buns are best eaten fresh.

He finishes taking a bite, and then as if tacitly agreeing to this little game of keeping up a polite appearance, he says, "Don't talk while you eat."

Wei Wuxian wastes no time in making himself comfortable, letting Lan Wangji's sleeve go just so he can situate himself and thoughtfully finishes his roll as Lan Zhan does the same. He lays on his side, and it's still too hot for blankets, so he's content with just a pillow. As Lan Zhan joins him on the bed, he can finally feel the worries and anxiety from earlier start to fade.

He takes the offered bun, hungry enough that he doesn't hesitate. It's warm and soft and he's halfway through it before he glances up to meet Lan Zhan's eyes, his own already heavy with anticipation of sleep.

"Lan Zhan," his voice is softer, barely stifling a yawn. His head barely hit the pillow and already the weight of the day sits heavy on him, sleep within much easier reach than he thought.

"Stay with me... okay?"

Lan Wangji nods and looks after him, resolving not to move from this spot even if he doesn't need to sleep.

Even closing his eyes and meditating silently while lying down, he does drift off, slowly like ice melting in spring, listening to the soft sounds of Wei Ying's breaths, his whole body tired from the stress of the last twenty four hours, overtaking his clear understanding that he doesn't need to sleep.

Curiously, while he is sleeping, he is unconsciously drawn to Wei Ying, even though it is so warm already that he didn't even put a blanket on over himself. He hadn't realized that he'd do this, somehow thinking the last nap he'd taken was a fluke.

He dreams of rabbits, of being buried under dozens and dozens of soft, fluffy gray rabbits, softly shifting against him, curiously poking their furry little noses underneath his chin. He dreams he reaches out and feels the velvet of one's ear. And in the dream, he is smiling. Not just one of his little smiles, but wide, showing a string of teeth and half-moon eyes. He laughs in this dream, and it's a foreign sound to himself.

He's asleep within moments, breaths coming slow and steady. This new body isn't accustomed to Wei Wuxian's tendency to run himself into the ground, only to be laid up for days recovering. But with little sense of time and nothing urgent to wake him, he lets himself sleep deeply, despite the sticky heat.

His dreams, as ever, are heavy with memory, scenes that leave him empty and clinging for any small measure of hope through dark times. So if his fingers happen to reach for whatever is nearest as he sleeps, he hardly notices, at least until the warmth gets to be stifling, and he blinks blearily awake several hours later. He starts to roll, to pull himself up, but there's a weight around his waist, and he startles a bit when he realizes it's Lan Wangji.

If not for the heat, it would be pleasant, he thinks, and smiles fondly at Lan Zhan's peaceful sleeping face. The dream must be nice because there's a flicker of a smile on his usually stern mouth. But now that he's awake, his stomach decides to remind him that half a bun and bits of bread in the last 36 or so hours is probably not enough. Now, if he can just untangle himself without waking Lan Zhan...

Unfortunately, while Wei Ying sleeps like a rock, Lan Wangji sleeps like a baby, which means he's blinking awake in a second, roused from his slumber, having not realized he's holding Wei Ying in his arms.

Oh Gods in Heaven, Eight Immortals and Nüwa's Stones, he has Wei Ying in his arms.

"Sorry, I--" he starts, and has a bit of a panic as he starts to sit up, but then accidentally headbutts Wei Ying in his rush. His own head is not too damaged, but the area around the metallic piece of the headband smarts a tiny bit.

He reaches up to the matching slightly red mark on Wei Ying's forehead as if willing it to leave.

Well, on the bright side, now at least they both know why Wei Ying hadn't been invited into Lan Wangji's bed before and now there won't be any hard feelings once he tells Lan Wangji he'd rather never been invited back into it.

He's about to sneak over to the table, and ow. He sees white for a moment when their heads make contact. Lan Zhan's is reinforced, of course, but Wei Wuxian has no such defenses. He makes a startled sound and rolls over onto his back beside Lan Wangji, fingers tentatively brushing his new red spot.

"Is my face that scary in the morning? I'm hurt Lan Zhan," he whines. First the waiter at the buffet and now he'd startled Lan Zhan badly enough to earn a solid headbutt. What a way to wake up!

"No, I--" he starts, but then hears that Wei Ying is hurt and misunderstands. Perhaps he has a harder head than he thought. He sits up and leans over Wei Ying to inspect, brushing his hair behind his ear to get a better look as he casts a shadow over Wei Ying.

"It's fine," he says. Nothing lasting. Won't even leave an indent or a bruise. His face softens from how alert it just was, and he looks down at Wei Ying from where he is.

Because of his hand injury, he has to be propped up on his elbow, so they are a fair bit closer than they would normally be. "Did you sleep well?" he asks, hoping that he's now fully awake and feeling better. There's unfinished food on the table, and there is a large bathtub with the warmest, fluffiest towels.

He's still reeling when Lan Wangji leans in to check on him. He manages to hold still, if only just, and that's mostly because Lan Zhan is so... close. Lan Zhan makes a quick assessment of his injuries, which while a rude awakening, no real harm done, but then he lingers, and carries on the conversation at this intimate distance.

"I... um..." he starts, because he knows he should be answering the question, but it's so difficult to focus when Lan Wangji is looking at him with such a soft expression.

"Y-yeah! It was a good suggestion. Much more comfortable than the floor," he assures, meeting his gaze for a moment.

"Did you... that is... did they lock you away too?"

Wangji is about to suggest that Wei Ying take the bed more often, particularly as he nurses these injuries back to health, but in typical Wei Ying fashion, he's already moved on.

"In a small room with no doors, alone."

He sits up then, to carry on this conversation. He wasn't sure, at first, how long they were going to keep him. Or what they were doing to Wei Ying. When no one came to further interrogate him, he'd hoped it was the same. And when they'd just left him to rot - he wondered, would they leave him here to die? Was this going to be a coffin?

He looks down at Wei Ying with sad eyes, as he ponders his own mortality. He had always assumed that if he did not ascend to nirvana, that he would die in battle, or be deemed unworthy and die of old age. He did not want to be starved and die alone in a dark cage, but that paled in comparison to his thoughts over Wei Ying who had only been alive for a few scant weeks. They had both been given a second chance, but Lan Wangji has been able to live theirs for months.

"We cannot let that happen again," he resolves.

And just like that, the moment has ended. Wei Wuxian is left laying on his back, looking up after Lan Wangji, and he stretches a little before doing the same, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"Mm, the same for me," he nods. He wasn't keen on it happening again anytime soon, but even if it'd been terrible at the time, knowing it was only temporary, a punishment... Wei Wuxian was adept at both tolerating and avoiding those.

"They only tried to subdue us. And then returned us as if nothing happened. They don't want us dead, they want to use us, don't you think?"

They had value, at least. Enough to push back. Why else would they keep them here like livestock; fed, content, and docile.

Lan Wangji shoots Wei Ying a look of incredulity. How could he trust them to use them for their worth? This was a soft version of sticking them in a cave and trying to execute them via tortoise.

Wei Ying had once been exalted, admired, his antics tolerated for his whip-sharp mind and endless talents. And look how quickly they turned on him and decided his unorthodox ways and hard truths were too inconvenient to let him live.

As victors of their war, they spun such narratives about Wei Ying that they teach their children, ingrain in them what an evil and cowardly villain he was. How does he explain to Wei Ying, that in the grand scheme of this hotel they are currently esteemed guests, but in a blink of an eye could be vermin to them?

He takes a breath.

"It was merely a warning. They will not issue another."

That, of course, was another possibility. But in his experience, most warnings like that came with the obvious threat of physical violence. The people in uniform had struck them, sure enough, but they hadn't attacked with weapons, hadn't punished them with any lasting marks.

"Then we proceed with more caution," he shrugged, already wondering if there was a way to test the theory. If the punishment would be the same or if it would escalate. There was the vague threat of losing one's head, he supposed...

"I know you don't like breaking rules, but the rules here deserve to be broken! And if there's a force resisting them, shouldn't we seek it out?"

"Of course we should," he responds, and then looks at Wei Ying. "But we must be careful." That's something that Wei Ying doesn't regularly consider: his own personal safety. He just charges forward, whatever the first draft of plan A is. He is a man of action, uncaring of political landscape or others' power.

Lan Wangji is the opposite, and he is out of his element, because he doesn't know how to behave. He doesn't know how to greet the others, what etiquette to use while eating, what rules there even are to break. It drives him mad, that he wishes not to expose their hand too quickly, but he doesn't even know the rules of this game.

But as long as Wei Ying acquiesces to being more subtle - that's all he can hope for. He doesn't want to argue with him, not over this. He knows, ultimately, whatever Wei Ying decides, he will come along. He takes a breath and reaches over for Wei Ying's wrist, looking at him with a sympathetic gaze. This will be difficult to traverse. He knows.

But he also knows this place that bears the banner of Cloud Recesses, and Wei Ying's room. They are copied as if directly from memory. Which means they already know, no amount of physical violence against his personal form would matter. They have already demonstrated they know it's separation he fears. It's what they do to the one he loves he fears... How is Wei Ying the last person to know this?

"Mm."

Careful and caution rarely got things done. But it shouldn't be hard to be more careful than a blunt attack. They'd had chances to retreat or back off, they just hadn't taken them. Now was as important a time as any to press their luck, especially if staff were still in short supply.

Lan Zhan is still injured, but his own are rather minor in comparison. As if reading his thoughts, a heavy hand grips his wrist, but he's not sure what to make of the look Lan Zhan gives him. Worried maybe? Frustrated? He breaks into an easy smile, as if to reassure him, whatever it might be.

"I'm not going anywhere just yet," he offers, seeing he's once again let the topic grow too serious.

They are in more danger than Wei Ying realizes, or perhaps he does and just foolishly believes that they are Gods and not men.

Lan Wangji lies back against the headboard, though whether he accepts Wei Ying's words and easy smile or whether he is still thinking about it, is hard to tell.

Eventually, he gets up out of bed. "We should eat," he says, changing the topic. And also, he needs to wash the dry blood from his hair and his hands, and clean himself and possibly get into different clothes. These ones could use a wash.

"Do you have another set of clothes?" he asks, suddenly. They probably won't have enough between them to change into new ones, unless they want to wear the white fluffy robes again.

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sadflutenoises - 2020-06-20 18:53 (UTC) - Expand

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Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

it's getting hot in here

SO (PLEASE DON'T) TAKE OFF ALL YOUR CLOTHES

THINGS THAT GO BUMP IN THE NIGHT 06/11 - 06/13

CLICK CLICK... THUMP 06/14 - 06/21

QUEEN'S ADDRESS 06/21

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CLICK CLICK... THUMP
06/14 - 06/21

QUEEN'S ADDRESS
06/21