You can check out anytime you'd like.. [Hotel Corona Mingle]

[thespaceopera]

Who: The Fleet!
Broadcast: If you want
Action: Hotel Corona or Planet Ikke
When: December 7th onward



[After the mystery and isolation of their last destination, the Marsiva seems determined to head to brighter, busier territory. After a long journey through remote, nebula-painted space, speeding along at a brisk pace for the Host ship, the Marsiva brings her Fleet to a sudden and prominent point of traffic.

It seems that the Fleet has happened upon some sort of vacation destination! Maybe Atroma thinks that the passengers deserve some rest and relaxation... or just wants to distract them with something huge and shiny.

Welcome to Hotel Corona! Feel free to enjoy yourselves and enjoy the sites! If a hotel resort isn't your thing, you can head on over to the nearby planet and explore it's icy wonders.

In order words: it's a mingle!! Everyone get in! ]

[>> Plot Post]

Comments

Kirito | OTA

[huaaaaagh]

( a. Mini-Golf: a hole in one-million attempts. )

[Sports have never been Kirito's forte, but games call to him, as always, so he goes to give the golf course a try. It turns out the weird and nonsensical rules are right up his alley - no holes in one, but he sure racks up the points in the abnormal rounds since he doesn't actually know how to play that well, allowing him to stay more or less par with some of his golf-y rivals. He can't make heads or tails of it, but it's fun and interesting, so what the heck. Might as well keep trying to see what the victory scenario is.

That doesn't mean he's not skeptical of the whole thing, mind you.]

I feel like calling this "golf" is kind of false advertising.


( b. Hotel Roulette: where good feelings go to die )

[Kirito's a bit of a cheapskate, not to mention a late-nighter, so he figures he won't need anything like a fancy hotel room. The roulette option sounds like a good way to experience some weird and interesting stuff by spending the least amount of money, so he goes for it.

Uuuunfortunately his luck stat must be in the negative, because each roulette nets him a progressively more terrible option. If it was the decor, that would be one thing, but... some things you just can't sleep through.

Either he's low on available funds, or reception is closed, or the Paisley is temporarily inaccessible- whatever the reason, he needs a new place to crash for the night. So shipmates or fleetfriends might get a knock on the door at stupid o'clock, with a bleary-eyed and miserable Kirito standing outside with a hotel blanket wrapped around his shoulders.]

Can I use your floor for a few hours?

[Or, you know, maybe he got the room number wrong. Maybe you don't know him at all. That's not awkward at all, is it?]

c. The Wildest of Wilds )

[Gimme a prompt, have a Kirito.]

B!!

[stefanged]

Of course.

[Good thing Stefan's awake at stupid o'clock, huh?

He steps aside, motioning for Kirito to come inside. His theme room, unsurprisingly, is set up like a library: bookshelves with prop books (and some real, old and worn books) stacked up high and wide, comfortable leather couches by a fake fireplace, and even a large bed with another bookshelf on top.

(For an extra fee, of course, he can even take some of these books home! Corona's staff thought of everything.)

Reaching into one of the closets, he brings out some snacks he'd purchased from the shopping district.]

Let me guess: your theme was weird even for this place?

[huaaaaagh]

[Kirito wearily drags himself into the room, nudging the door shut behind himself. Thank goodness Stefan's a nighthawk; he doesn't have to feel quite so guilty about showing up at this ungodly hour.]

Yeah, it... whoa.

[His response is derailed as soon as he gets a better look a the room. IS THERE NO JUSTICE IN THIS WORLD.]

What the hell, this room looks awesome!

[stefanged]

It was also crazy expensive, on account of all the books I could theoretically steal.

[Stefan rolls his eyes, pouring the snacks into a paper, disposable bowl for him.]

Nevermind that half of them are fake, a fourth of them are disguised attempts at advertising the hotel, and the other fourth are so-bad-they're-good. [beat] I think a couple were legit, though.

[huaaaaagh]

Ugh, still. Serves me right for trying to budget.

[Maybe he can bribe Stefan to committing to a roommate dealio. He can be quiet, promise!

He will help himself to some of the snacks, though. Nothing wakes him up better than that.]

[stefanged]

Maybe, but I also don't need to eat or sleep or... you know, spend my money on normal human things.

[If anything, that might be an argument for Stefan to budget. He certainly doesn't need that giant bed.

Go for it, bro: the packaging is standard space-weird, but it's a delicious assortment of vegetable chips, seasoned pretzels, and maybe some strange outer space varieties of nuts. Stefan's a snob about his food, after all.]

[huaaaaagh]

Lucky.

[Well, in a way. The trade-off of immortality and eternal youth is so-so, but the eating-blood part isn't great.]

My room was really... festive. Like it was decorated for the holiday, you know? All red and white and green...

[Which is already like, NAH, considering his feelings on Christmas.]

This one side was covered in little plush dolls you find in toy stores that sing when you squeeze them. I swear to god I never touched a single one of them, but at midnight on the dot they start singing carols. And they will. Not. Stop.

[stefanged]

What.

[It would've been one thing if Kirito had willingly chosen that theme, but the budget roulette was no guarantee. If it weren't stupid o'clock, he would've reached for his jacket and marched down to the lobby too.]

Okay, you're staying here until we get this sorted out. I'm pretty sure that would fall under "cruel and unusual punishment," or at least a noise violation.

[huaaaaagh]

[The relief on Kirito's face is obvious, and he tucks the blanket more closely around himself, shoulders slumping comfortably.]

You're a true hero, Stefan. I mean, technically I could've gone back to the Paisley, but...

[The hotel blankets are actually more comfortable.]

[stefanged]

No way. We're at a hotel - you should stay and enjoy the place as long as you can.

[Especially since it's one of their nicer stops. He pauses, making a mental note at Kirito's blanket.]

I'll see if I can persuade the clerk into giving you a different room.

[huaaaaagh]

Well, it's a roulette. It'll probably be different tomorrow, and I'll check it earlier than, uh, 3AM next time.

[Really it's his own fault.]

[stefanged]

That would do it.

[The night shift clerks tended to be the more apathetic ones, too. Not that Stefan could blame them.]

We just uh, have to make sure the odds are more in your favor.

[huaaaaagh]

Or I could cough up the cash for a fancier room. It's not like I'm poor.

[He does blow most of his budget on upgrades and engineering parts, but he has a buffer fund for emergencies. He just has to be creative with what he defines as "emergency".]

a.

[robitussin]

[Meanwhile, a ways away from him, it looks like Opal is having Struggles with this game.]

Normal mini-golf is lame enough, but at least it's the kind of lame that makes sense. I have several complaints.

[She makes a face.]

Do you understand any of it, at all?

[huaaaaagh]

Noooot a bit.

[Kirito gives his club an overzealous swing, his ball flying past the next hole by several feet. It bounces off a flagpole and rolls into some fake orange goo that's meant to signify lava or something, never to be seen again. Inexplicably, his points go up by 10.]

Are those points for hitting the pole? Or the goo? Or were you supposed to miss this hole?

[WHAT ARE RULES]

[robitussin]

I don't know, but no matter if I try to do well or horribly I keep getting points taken off, so I think I'm legally required to resent you now?

[She watches his points go up with the deadest expression.]

Try it again so I know it was just a lucky shot.

[huaaaaagh]

[Kirito shoots her a skeptical look, because if she thinks for a second that he can replicate that one, she's fooling herself. Still, he swings anyway, aiming for the post this time. It fires past the pole instead, completely avoiding the lava, and rolls around a few times before falling to rest mere inches away from the hole. In a normal game, it would be a spectacular success of a shot.

His score goes down by 20, completely negating his progress, and he rests the club on his shoulder.]

Yeah, they're definitely screwing with us.

[robitussin]

Nice shot. Well, knowing they don't only hate me makes me feel better, at least.

[That's definitely the correct thing to take away from this. Anyways!]

So, what do you think of this place?

[huaaaaagh]

It's not bad, as far as stops go. I like when they bring us to places where we can get real food and stretch our legs for a while. I've been thinking of going down to the planet, too, but I'm not sure how well I can move once I'm bundled up.

[It works a bit differently IRL than it does in games, so he's curious.]

What about you?

[robitussin]

You could probably manage it with enough practice. You might look like the Stay Puft marshmallow man, but that's okay.

[not to mention that the mental image is hilarious to her. a pause, though, as she thinks about his question.]

I really like not having to sleep on the shitty beds Atroma gave us on the ships. That's pretty great.

[huaaaaagh]

Might depend on the hotel room you get, though. Trust me when I say to avoid the roulette discount.

[He's been soured on the whole experience, already missing his bunk.]

[robitussin]

I shelled out for one of the nicer ones. Might as well enjoy it while we're here.

[Though it does make her wonder...]

What did you get? Like, how bad is it on a scale of one to ten.

[huaaaaagh]

For me, it was at least an eleven and a half.

[Do not get the roulette. Do noooooot.]

[robitussin]

Oh, now I definitely need details.

[So she can tease him about it forever.]

[huaaaaagh]

[There was probably no escaping this...]

Okay, well- have you ever been to, like, those Santa displays at malls during the Christmas season, over-decorated and sickeningly cute, with music and little singing toys...