angryhearts | you want to hear it? well

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mo dao zu shi: wei wuxian

you want to hear it? well —

ONLY, MY SECRET'S MINE, AND I WON'T TELL

The garden may no longer be available upon return to the hotel, but there is still a bustle of energy. How fortunate all the Oysters are, to reside in such a renowned place! It's a great honor for those in Wonderland to be granted opportunity to teach their skills or ply their trade here, and the Queen permits only the best. Hotel staff themselves seem to delight in the presence of the traveling merchants. Many trade teas or favors for enchanted items, and will eagerly discuss their purchases. "Oh, it happens regularly enough," they will say if asked, "but you never know if the merchant you liked or the item you eyed will be back next time!"

The talk lingers after the guest instructors and merchants have departed, but it isn't the only thing left behind. Glimmers of green may catch your eye, tucked away in hidden places that seem almost impossible to reach without drawing attention to yourself. Those who manage it will find a scrap of heavy paper with a drawing of a stylized caterpillar, a series of numbers, and the words call a friend.

Are you curious enough to input the numbers into your Empathy? It will ring, if you do, until an answering machine picks up and asks a single question — How doth the little crocodile improve his shining tail? Do you dare leave a message? What will it be? Whatever you decide, the call will disconnect after a few minutes. It seems the only thing you can do now is wait for a call back.

But of course, the hotel is not in the habit of allowing such a thing as idle waiting. Her Royal Highness has noticed that some of her beloved Oysters seem quite reluctant to partake of the many splendors that the hotel provides, and she will be offering a special treat — indulgence.

QUEEN'S GAMES
8/12 - 8/22

What's more fun to indulge in than a little healthy competition? It's time for the Queen's Games, a truly dazzling spectacle. Competitors come from all over Wonderland, and this year for the first time ever, Oysters are invited to join! Announcements for the games schedule will be posted all throughout the hotel, along with directions on how to register to join.

The games will be held in either the pool area or the gym, which seems to have expanded to accommodate the number of spectators. Available games include:

archery
chess
croquet
artistic swimming
diving
gymnastics
flamingo flying
ice skating
ice sculptures

Of course, even the games that Oysters are familiar with may not be quite the same. Chess in Wonderland is a team sport, for example, with each member of the team filling a role as a chess piece and a coach as a strategist directing the plays. Attempting to capture one of the other team's pieces includes having to successfully win a fight against them. Gymnastics and diving competitors include growing and shrinking in size to their routines, ice sculptures come to life when they've been completed, artistic swimmers and ice skaters change costumes and swap partners in the blink of an eye.

If they're lucky, Oysters may find one of the competitors willing to show them the ropes. If they're even luckier, or more persistent, there may be a spot or two open on one of the teams that Oysters can slot themselves into. For the most part, team members will be delighted to have Oysters there.

"You all just feel so much," one may say, sounding a little awed.

"Show off those emotions, it'll get us points," another will add.

Although competitors are friendly, with Osyters and with each other, it's clear that most of them are here to win. Rivalries may flare up throughout the month, ex-lovers may be reunited and broken up again, infighting may spark among the teams — all things that can be soothed or exacerbated, for Oysters who may have inclinations towards utilizing such things to increase their chances of winning.

Or to fan the flames of drama for its own sake.

THE CALL
8/16

Starting in the early morning hours and continuing late into the night, any who left a message will get a call back.

Those who completed the poem will be greeted immediately by a friendly male voice, with an apology for the delay. "Ugh, our lines are backed up like crazy," the caller will say. "Where are you reporting in from?"

Those who somehow identified themselves as an Oyster, as residing in the hotel, from off world, being held by the Queen, or otherwise potentially against the Queen, will have their call returned by a cold female voice, guarded and wary.

"Show me your Oyster mark," the caller will request. "We can't risk giving you anything without proof."

Regardless of which caller contacts them, anyone who cooperates will receive similar information.

The friendly caller will readily provide assurances that the resistance base was not found, despite Mad March and the Order's attempt at reconnaissance in the old kingdom.

"Can't say much more than that over these channels, you know, but worry not! Everyone is safe. We have a follow up from the last mission — sorry about the air conditioning, you know, couldn't be helped — you ready for this? Keycodes. Access keycodes. Didn't get more than a handful, of course, and the intel is vague about what they access. Are we glad to get your call! How about it, you ready to try one out and see what information you can get?"

The guarded caller will allude to the Order not being able to find what they wanted out in the ruins.

"Did you think they took you out there to show you the sights? They're looking for us, obviously. No I'm not going to tell you more than that — just because you're an Oyster doesn't mean we can completely trust you. All right, look. Last time we broke into the hotel, we recovered a few access codes. We had to get out of there before we could find out what they accessed. How about a trade? We give you the code, you call us back and tell us what you find."

INDULGENCE
8/13 - 8/23

Throughout the event, there will be a number of activities available alongside the games designed to encourage unwinding. A concert set up in the hotel lobby will kick off the start of the games, at which indulgence teas will be made available for the first time. They will continue to be served readily at all hours of the day. Enhanced spa facilities will be made available as well — dazzling pedicures and manicures with nail polish that can do anything from change colors based on your mood to emit light so bright it can function as a flashlight; makeup that gives you a kiss that will literally stun the recipient; aromatherapy that will cure any kind of hangover; oils that double as aphrodisiacs, for those interested; healing massages that will take away your aches and pains, wiping away any bruises or injuries with no questions asked. A clean slate, ready to indulge again.

Then, of course, there are the less official activities. Whispers will begin to spread about another kind of competition being run after hours, when all good competitors should be sleeping. No one quite knows who's running it — one person heard it was the coach of one of the chess teams, eager to get her players extra practice; another heard it was one of the chess players themselves; still another will say it is an ice skater, a flamingo pilot, a gymnast. After all, it hardly matters, does it, as long as it runs, and there is a fight every night? Oysters are welcomed into this competition as well, where the only rule is not to kill your opponent. Teas of all kinds exchange hands as bets are placed on the fights, and the champion is rumored to receive a truly spectacular prize.

If fighting is not to your speed, fear not. All of the competitors seem to have different ways to unwind after the games are completed for the day, and all are happy to allow Oysters to indulge in attending the various get-togethers and parties they host. The knight on one of the chess teams has the most renowned wine collection, and he's brought some of his finest with him to be enjoyed alongside cheeses and poetry. One of the swimmers is a passionate musician, and has recruited anyone who can play an instrument to discuss musical theory and play together. A croquet player is known for hosting the wildest parties, with free-flowing moonshine and sips of ecstacy tea readily available. There is a flamingo pilot with a book club, an archer who is a fabulous chef, a diver who is a skilled debater with a wicked tongue — whatever you like to indulge in, chances are, someone's throwing a party for it.

The games will end on the 23rd, with a roaring celebration of all who participated in the competition. The pool area will be taken over for the farewell party, with music, food, alcohol, and dancing available. It is here that the winners of the competitions will be announced, and prizes will be awarded.

If you have any questions, please leave them over here! Results for the access code sign ups and the distractions will go out on the 14th, so players have until then to sign up. Characters can use the keycodes to access areas and cause distractions from the 16th through the 23rd — and beyond, but after the final party they may no longer have an easy excuse. If you wish to have your character compete in one of the competitions for the prizes, you can sign up here! Winners will be RNGed.

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

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Lil Apple sniffs her hand and then figures she isn't a threat so lets her pet his head. He doesn't mind getting the attention from a woman since he's used to being stuck around all guys all the time.

"Ah..ha..I managed to get him in the elevator but it wasn't easy and I'm pretty sure getting him back on it might be impossible."

It wasn't a fun trip..which means he is going to have to come up with a really smart plan to get him back into his room. He's going to make sure he grabs a lot of apples from the eating area to try and bribe him.

That's a fun mental image, so she'll think about that one for a moment, giggling a little while she pets her new friend's head. It certainly must've taken some work the first time around.

"I can imagine. I believe there's a saying about getting a camel through the eye of a needle, but that sounds like an equally difficult challenge. Perhaps trying to lure him with food? It might be easier than trying the stairs."

She had more or less the same thought there. It might be the only way.

"I just hope it works..otherwise he might have to live in the lobby." And he just can't see that going well. He doesn't want to have to make the staff deal with him and he certainly doesn't want anyone to see him as a nuisance and make him into a stew.

"But that is why I'm going to get him some food, so that I can fill his saddle bags with things to try and entice him with."

“Staying the lobby might not be so bad. If the staff can deal with us, I'm certain they'd be up to the task.”

Probably. She's not really sure on that one. The staff is...mostly okay except for when there's things like the air conditioning breaking or the weird robotic responses. Still, she figures Lil Apple would probably be in good hands for a good three-quarters of the month. But since that leaves the rest of the time...

“But your idea is most likely for the best. If you need help though, well, I don't have much experience leading animals, but I would be happy to assist if there's any way I can."

"I appreciate that! I can probably use all the hands I can get. Plus he seems to like you so you might be able to coax him."

He is always happy to have a little more help with it comes to Lil' Apple and his stubborn tendencies. He leads the donkey into the eating area and ties him to a chair so that he can go collect the food.

The staff gives the donkey a very strange assortment of looks, wondering how one even got into the hotel. Wei Wuxian smiles at them as he goes to collect a whole lot of apples.

She'll follow along while Wei starts collecting, figuring she can help with that as well.

"I'm glad I spoke up then. Judging from the expressions of the staff, it seems like they might not be up to the task."

Kiara's sure they'll get used to it eventually, but really is it any stranger than anything else that goes on around here?

"They better get used to seeing him. I don't want him to be stuck in my room all day, every day. If I can get him used to the elevator then hopefully I can keep bringing him down. And if we get to ever go back out into the gardens, I'm sure he would enjoy it."

He hopes to have his wedding out there so if they are lucky, the donkey will at least get to be out there at that point.

"I'm sure it'll be fine. I haven't seen any signs disallowing pets and if they can get used to us..."

Well, she thinks it's really more them getting used to the staff than anything else. But she's sure it'll work out for the best.

"Then I'm sure it wouldn't be to much trouble for them to get used to Lil Apple."

"They don't really have a choice anyway." He laughs and looks at the donkey. "The hotel brought him here so that means they have to deal with it. But the hotel also expanded my room to include a space he can be comfortable in. So even if I can't get him to come out, at least he has that."

He had quite the shock when he woke up to both a donkey and a room extension. He would say the gifts are to reward good behavior...except Wei Wuxian's behavior in the hotel has definitely been the opposite of good.

"Ah, then I suppose they really can't complain too much about it. That's good to know too though, I wasn't aware that our rooms could receive an upgrade."

Not that she really has any need for that, but still, more information about how things work here is never a bad thing.

"I didn't realize it either. But if the hotel rooms and other places can move at will like they did that one time..then I guess they can also change size."

The fact that the hotel almost seems fluid in that way, constantly changing, is a little daunting. He has never known a building to be able to just fix itself like this one seems to be able to do.

"It's certainly a curious kind of magic, that's for sure."

She'd love to know more about it, but as ridiculous as her normal skill set is, she doesn't have much experience with things like that. Sure she has some experience with changing the environment and the size of things, but the hotel has actual rules and she can't do whatever she wants here. So it's different and strange!

"I wonder if it's possible for rooms to shrink as well. Or be removed entirely. Hopefully not in a way that affects us, but it's something worth thinking about."

"Pretty sure anything and everything is possible here." He has stop questioning the how and just started worrying about the why. Like why would a hotel want to change its shape? Perhaps it has enough of a soul that it gets bored and likes to change things up a bit.

"Considering the rooms we are in are tailored to us, then it means when someone leaves that room either changes into something new for a newcomer, or disappears completely like the person who was in it."

“That does make sense. Not that I've seen the inside of anyone else's room to really know for sure that it's changed when they've been...ah, sent home? I believe that was it.”

She's still not entirely sure if that's really the case, but it's not like she has any reason to not believe it. Nor does she really have any reason to really care if it's not what's going on.

“But I suppose that's not entirely the point right now. It's more important than they can and in your case that they did than anything else.”

Kiara'll pick up an apple while she talks, figuring one more can't hurt.

“After all if they didn't, I assume it would be quite difficult to share space without annexing the next room over.”

"The room definitely wouldn't have been big enough for the two of us. He probably would enjoy being out in the garden but it seems we can't go out there either. It's a shame...I wish they would let us go outside again."

He enjoyed his time outside and had hoped that the gardens would open up to them permanently. But apparently they haven't really earned that yet.

"I certainly hope so. It'd been a while since I was able to go outside, and so I'd certainly like to do so again at some point."

She could've at Chaldea, but since it's in Antarctica, there's not a lot of reason to. Look here's some snow, there's some snow over there and hey look, some ice! Not too appealing to her.

"It's nothing too strange though, the building I worked at is in a rather...inhospitable location, so there wasn't much reason to. But here, knowing you could and then suddenly not being able to is an entirely different thing, whether you had a reason to go outside or not."

"Yeah I can understand not wanting to go outside if the location is bad. But here..we've all seen it! The gardens are great! There is no reason why we shouldn't be able to use them..."

Unless they can't keep an eye on the gardens like the rest of the hotel. And if they can maintain the visual on the oysters then some might get away.

"Hopefully we can at least use them for the wedding."

"Oh, I certainly hope so. It would be a lovely setting for it."

She isn't super interested in escaping, at least not yet. But any sort of possible blindspot in surveillance here is definitely something she'd be interested in.

"I can't imagine the staff have been terribly helpful when asked about it either. No mention of open dates in the future or anything like that?"

"We are still working on a date. Once we have that I am sure Lan Wangji will breach the subject with the staff to make sure it is okay and get the details on what we can and can't have."

He is hopeful they will be accommodating. Certainly a wedding isn't something they would want to hold back on. Even this place has its moments when it isn't all that terrible. And a wedding will be a joyous and fun event for everyone.

"Please share if there's any...interesting restrictions. I'm sure everyone would want to know what they are."

Though she really can't imagine what they would be, but she'd certainly like to know. Not to mention she would like for their wedding to happen with minimal problems. She isn't personally invested in it or anything like that, but it would be nice.

"Though I'm sure you'll still be able to celebrate without too much trouble."

"We will! And even if there are restrictions or we can't hold it outside, it will still be a nice ceremony and party. I'm sure of it."

He doesn't care if they get married in the pool wearing swimsuits. As long as they get to share the day with the people they care about and be able to give the other oysters a chance to forget about their troubles.

"I look forward to it. I can't remember the last time I've attended a wedding. It feels..well, almost like it was a lifetime ago."

And it almost certainly was, though she won't go into detail there. It's not important!

Lil' Apple is starting to get impatient and stomps his foot a few times. If he doesn't get food or get to leave soon he is going to be an even bigger problem.

"Okay okay..let's get you back to the room."

At least he was able to get the donkey out for a little while even if it was a bit of a hassle.

"Oh, of course. I'm terribly sorry for being a distraction."

She laughs a little, having got so caught up in the conversation she'd neglected to pay attention to the reason they were here in the first place.

"Still, it was a rather nice conversation. And as I said, I'd be happy to assist but now I'm worried we'd get off track again."

"You're still welcome to help! I'm sure I'm going to need it to get him back on the elevator. I don't think he likes tiny enclosed spaces."

Which isn't that surprising. But with enough motivation and perhaps someone besides him holding the apple, he might just be able to get him onto it.

ONLY, MY SECRET'S MINE, AND I WON'T TELL

QUEEN'S GAMES 8/12 - 8/22

THE CALL 8/16

INDULGENCE 8/13 - 8/23

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ahhh I never got this notif

I think I heard something about notifs being weird earlier this week

stupid notifs...

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QUEEN'S GAMES
8/12 - 8/22

THE CALL
8/16

INDULGENCE
8/13 - 8/23