leave her behind with the kids —

[happyheartsstaff]

THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT

Does anything in this hotel ever stay put? Those who go looking for the gym, the hotel spa, or the nightclub are out of luck one day, as they're simply no longer there. The hallways themselves go topsy-turvy, only staying put when one looks directly at them. For those who've been here long enough to have seen the last time the hotel shifted like this and remember how unhelpful the hotel staff were — it seems little there has changed. The only difference is the manner in which they are useless. They will acknowledge the shifting hallways, of course, and even provide direction back to the lobby, but profess they are much too busy to provide an escort.

Eventually, the hallways settle. Gone are The Caucus-Race, the Pearls Within, and the Rabbit Hole in favor of new amenities. Where once there was a gym, there's now an indoor playground. The nightclub has been replaced with an arcade, and the spa is now a massive movie theater. Were there always quite so many kids items on the restaurant menus? When did This Elegant Thimble get such a large children's section?

If asked, the hotel staff will shrug. Some will insist things have been this way for as long as they've been working there. Others will state that, like their wonderful Queen, the hotel will always know what's needed for any occasion and make suitable preparations.

ARCADE

9/11 - 9/23

The arcade, if possible, seems even larger than the nightclub that once stood in its place. There are rows of pinball, action games, shooting games, driving games. An entire room of air hockey, and another of dancing games. Clusters of skee-ball, whack-a-mole, and claw machines. The floors seem to be eternally sticky with spilled soda, and the smell of pizza and sugar permeates the air. No matter how many patrons are within sight, the sound of laughter and excited shrieking somehow seems to echo throughout the arcade.

Token dispensers are scattered amongst the games. Hotel staff will be stationed at the snack bar and the prize counter, ready to hand out tokens or trade tickets won from the games for small prizes.

Occasionally, one of the games will spark and short out. If asked, hotel staff will say it's out of order and put up a sign proclaiming it so. They don't seem all that concerned about fixing it. Soon enough, it will seem to fix itself and switch back on. It will still spark every so often, and something about the music will seem off. Anyone who decides to play one of these games anyway will find themselves feeling slightly dizzy. Is the arcade spinning around them, or is that just them?

When the spinning stops, they will no longer be where they were before. They will find themselves in the middle of the game they had previously been playing, regardless of what it was. Welcome to the other side of the arcade — where the game play is more realistic than ever! Hopefully they had a partner brought in with them, or someone else comes along to try to play who can help them win the game to get back out.

MOVIE NIGHT

9/11 - 9/23

The entrance to the movie theater is lined with concession stands. Snacks and drinks of every kind can be picked up here before going into one of the theater's two auditoriums. Films will be playing round the clock in both, a different one on each screen. Oysters may find the same movies they would have seen on their own world, movies one might find on modern day Earth, or even movies about old folktales or traditional stories that might have been told where they were from. The only thing that will not be showing is any version of Alice in Wonderland, or any story set in Wonderland itself.

At times, particular showings may be billed as interactive. These will be of all genres: musicals, adventures, mysteries, romance, comedies, even horror. Oysters who attend these will be encouraged to dress up, and will even be shown to a dressing room with a selection of suitable clothes. It will only be after they've been seated and the film starts that what is meant by interactive will become clear.

The musicals will have sing alongs, with people from the audience being pulled up to participate in the dance numbers. The adventures and mysteries will have characters on the screen turn to the audience as though they are part of the story, inviting them along in the investigation or interrogating them as a suspect. Protagonists and antagonists alike will walk off the screen of horror movies, seeking help from or looking to torment the audience until their story is completed and they are sent back to their film world. Comedies and romances will find those in the audience being pulled up to act out parts of the story — and may find themselves transported into the setting until they do.

DAYCARE AND PLAYGROUND

9/11 - 9/23

The front of the daycare is small, with a place to check in and drop off or pick up kids. This is the only area that Oysters who are not either helping out at the daycare or being dropped off themselves will be able to easily access. Behind this are sectioned off areas for quieter activities, with materials such as books, art supplies, toys, etc. There's a small kitchen that will be off limits to the kids, and an area for snack time and nap time. Hotel staff are very present and interactive in these areas — reading to children, making crafts with them, telling stories, fixing snacks. Some will be taking a quiet break for themselves in the kitchen, and may be willing to talk to Oysters helping out at the daycare.

The back of the daycare is an expansive indoor playground. Here, the children are mostly left to their own devices. There are some hotel staff out there to keep an eye on the children as they play, but they tend to cluster together for conversation. Oysters helping out at the daycare will be somewhat warily included in this if they approach. These hotel staff will mostly be dismissive of any children coming to them unless they are injured or crying. There are multiple parts of the playground that can be used to sneak in and out to the hotel area at large, if one is looking carefully! Any children who are not supposed to be there have a low risk of being caught unless they draw attention to themselves or try to enter the other area of the daycare.

The other children in the daycare fall mostly between the ages of 6-11, with three or four outliers who appear to be toddlers or in the 12-13 age range. Astute Oysters likely to observe the behavior of the children will notice that there are clear social groups among them, as though they have known each other long enough to have friends they're accustomed to playing with. There are some who seem friendly and popular, some who seem to keep to themselves, some who seem to have good relationships with the hotel staff and others who seem determined to cause trouble, those who are bullies and those who are picked on. Their willingness to play with or answer questions from Oyster children or adults is equally as varied.

There will be a posted list of Oysters banned from helping out at the daycare. It will not be easily seen from the front of the daycare, but hotel staff will identify who is on it if asked. It will include the below names:

• Lan Wangji (novel)
• Wu Xie
• Wei Wuxian (novel)
• Crowley
• Commander Shepard
• Matthew Murdock
• Lan Wangji (TV)
• Sam Wilson

Characters on this list who have been de-aged will also find that hotel staff are reluctant to accept them into the daycare. They will be allowed only if someone not on the list vouches for them, and otherwise will have to sneak in through the playground.

If you have any questions, please leave them over here! For those interested in asking questions or interacting with the daycare staff, please reply to the first comment on this page, and the second comment for the other children!

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

© tessisamess

Comments

[hashira]

[Give him a moment to try to break through that language barrier with that thing he ended up having to take along. It seemed he had no choice, most people here didn't share a language with him which made this whole place even odder. He nods more to himself as he gets an idea of what was happening and nods more enthusiastically in agreement as he look at the bat he held in his hand.

It was a useless thing with no weight and it certainly could not be compared to an actual weapon but it has him once again thinking of the sword he lost along with the heaps of trouble he would be in for that.]

Is there a way out? [He means more along the lines of getting out of this whole building rather than just the daycare.] But I have to find my sword first. I had it before... [It's tempting to ask for help but for the moment he hopes he can get some information. Maybe this kid knew where they put away such things as it seemed the people here stored away anything they deemed dangerous and that was turning out to be a wide category.]

[shootthesun]

[ The translator device - and he still hasn't figured out how it works, and doesn't really care anymore, since it does work - its weird, but he's been getting used to it, with as often as the staff in the arcade are sternly telling him to stop kicking machines, stop sneaking out snacks, stop demanding that they tell him about his brother -

The point is, he's been hearing a whole lot of translation, and he's getting used to the slight delay in speech. It's a lot better than pointing and drawing would be, like the time they'd had visitors from Dongying. ]

Out of this play place, sure. Out of this prison? No.

[ His cheeks puff out as he says the word, frustrated as he is, but that all leaves in a flash as the boy mentions his sword. ] You have a sword? My Baxia was taken too! Maybe if we look together, we'll find them.

[hashira]

[Much like this new found companion he had to get used to the delay between translations. It was something he had never once experienced as everyone he knew spoke the same language. Still it was such a strange contraption. He did not know what to make of it other than finding it useful. Giyu nods once understanding that perhaps he wouldn't be getting anywhere aside from finding an exit out of this place with overly fussy people.]

Well... [Not technically his own sword, but it would serve him during that last exam and then he would have his very own sword crafted for him once he passed. If he passed... but he isn't going to explain all that.] Yes. I know I had it before I found myself here.

And I know the people here won't help. They're set on treating me like a child.

[shootthesun]

Yeah, the people here just pretend like nothing's wrong, even though everything is wrong.

[ It's the most frustrating thing about this place, besides Baxia being gone, and his brother being gone, and being away from home, and - well, the point is, it was somewhere on the list. That's why he was sneaking out of at least the most dull part of being kidnapped. ]

I only ever come in here to see if they're going to bring out my little brother. But they're still saying he's at home, so like I said, I'm getting out. If you want to come, come! Two pairs of eyes are better than one.

[hashira]

[That was true. Aside from having found himself here everything about this place was an oddity. There were things he had never seen before or imagined. Even the foam bat he held which he would now look at. The colors and materials of the thing were unusual, unknown to him, it was a toy but an odd one. He isn't looking at the boy his gaze still fixed on the bat even while he speaks.]

They don't seem too willing to let people out but they're usually busy with the children. [They probably won't be noticed or missed.]

I'll come along. I'll help search for your little brother. But maybe he really isn't here. Or anywhere. I've walked all over this place and I haven't seen anyone I know.

[shootthesun]

I know. Maybe he isn't. I can't find him, and it's been a few days.

[ He both likes and doesn't like the idea; his little brother being safe is an undeniably good thing but he misses him. It would be very selfish to want A-Sang to be in danger, and no good older brother would want that.

He is a very good older brother. ]

But I still have to look, you know? The people here pretend like they don't know anything about why we're here, or they're just like us and they don't know how they got here. If there's some secret place they're keeping some of us - I have to make sure.

[hashira]

[That was a reasonable assumption to make. There was no reason for any of these people to be honest with them and anything they said could be dismissed by them. It's why he does his best to be wary of his surroundings no one has said anything but it was still possible there were dangers here. He won't speak of his worries, he had not been believed once and even this boy before him was a stranger who might think he is a little off if he shares.]

I get it. That's why I'm going to help and if anything we might even be able to find something to defend ourselves with.

[While he wants to give this boy his full aid, it would help to be prepared just in case. It just seemed actual weapons were hard to come by.] Let's get going.

[shootthesun]

Follow me!

[ They're decided on a path then and there's no reason to keep talking about it - he knows the way out, after all. At the very back of the playground, there are a series of tubes and slides and all kinds of 'fun things' - and between them, there's a grate, just big enough for someone to slip through. ]

This will take us right back into the main area of this place. But we have to crawl a bit.

[hashira]

[A short nod from him and he would be following after the boy he just met. It's only then he realizes he knows very little about this boy, well he knows he has a brother but he hadn't even gotten a name out of him. It might have been that the conversation didn't flow easily given they had to use that thing to figure out what they were saying to one another. After a moment of thinking about it he picks up the pace to walk beside the other boy to attempt to initiate further conversation. Maybe get a chance to introduce himself but more instructions are given.

After going through those tubes and slides, which were easy enough to work his way through they come to a stop at the grate.] That shouldn't be hard. I thought it would be a lot more difficult to escape. [It's rather puzzling how easy it turned out to be. Maybe they really didn't care if they got out or not. But he sees his chance now.]

Before I forget. I'm Tomioka Giyu.

[shootthesun]

[ Oh, right! He should - really get better at that, his parents would scold him for being so careless. Introductions were important, after all! ]

Nie Mingjue, heir to Qinghe Nie! It's good to meet and escape with you, Tomioka Giyu. They don't really - care to stop us, because they think we can't get out of here. But they're wrong.

[ There has to be a way out. ]

[hashira]

[Perhaps they were both just a bit slow because it had taken Giyu this long to realize he should share his name. At least they were young now. They could only improve, or not. He would nod slowly hearing the name, there's a look of surprise on his face when being told this boy was an heir. An heir to something that he had no idea what it was but from the way it was said it had to be important.]

Nie Mingjue. [Maybe his pronunciation isn't the best but there is obvious effort being put there.] I think you're right. There's no enough of them to keep watch over everything but this place is all strange. It's wrong.

[He doesn't just mean the modernized areas and things he had come across but even he didn't feel much the same. He knew he wasn't the same. He should be stronger, quicker, yet he wasn't.]

[shootthesun]

[ He'd made his declaration with the mind that they would prove their captors wrong, that they were not and would not be trapped - but he doesn't correct Tomioka Giyu or contradict him. He's not wrong he realizes, with a moment of thought. ]

Yeah, exactly. It's weird, and the people are weird, and the way no one really remembers getting here is weird -

[ Everything is weird. Wrong. ]

But we'll figure it out. I'm sure of it.