[ life had been so simple then... it was less carelessness and more a naive assurance life would just sort itself out.
but thinking about that is a real bummer, so he's just gonna pivot the focus entirely on her thanks. ]
how's it work?
you have to be born with it or can anybody learn?
but thinking about that is a real bummer, so he's just gonna pivot the focus entirely on her thanks. ]
how's it work?
you have to be born with it or can anybody learn?
[ God!! The heart freckles are so cute, he's losing his mind here. How are they glowing? They're definitely glowing, right? Maybe it's this guy's magic powers or something. He should ask about it after they play the game. ]
Hmmm, best two out of three?
[ One of them will win! Of course. And then he can go back to the girl he was talking to — wow he didn't even get her name — and tell her he did the dare. Easy peasy. ]
Hmmm, best two out of three?
[ One of them will win! Of course. And then he can go back to the girl he was talking to — wow he didn't even get her name — and tell her he did the dare. Easy peasy. ]
Yeah, that works.
[ honestly, he would have gone along with whatever the guy decided. it's his dare after all. who knows what kind of stipulations he has to abide by in order for it to count. (and thus, why oushi himself has sworn off dares throughout this entire game! can't trust none of y'all)
he glances around briefly, then starts off towards a cushioned bench he sees pressed back against a wall in a nearby hallway. he gestures for ryuji to follow him, before plopping himself down on one side of the bench. ]
Might as well get out of anyone's way, [ he says, by way of explanation. ]
[ honestly, he would have gone along with whatever the guy decided. it's his dare after all. who knows what kind of stipulations he has to abide by in order for it to count. (and thus, why oushi himself has sworn off dares throughout this entire game! can't trust none of y'all)
he glances around briefly, then starts off towards a cushioned bench he sees pressed back against a wall in a nearby hallway. he gestures for ryuji to follow him, before plopping himself down on one side of the bench. ]
Might as well get out of anyone's way, [ he says, by way of explanation. ]
[Vanitas would argue that a broken heart is a serious matter in the heat of the moment, but he doesn't want Oushi to think he's being patronizing, so he simply agrees.]
I'd tell you to just not be such a jerk and maybe you can fix things, but being here means it probably is too late to make things right with her now.
[It doesn't shot Vanitas at all. Oushi looks like someone who likes girls, but probably doesn't know much about them--maybe he's in a similar boat though.] It's not so strange. To like both..]
I'd tell you to just not be such a jerk and maybe you can fix things, but being here means it probably is too late to make things right with her now.
[It doesn't shot Vanitas at all. Oushi looks like someone who likes girls, but probably doesn't know much about them--maybe he's in a similar boat though.] It's not so strange. To like both..]
[ He'll follow Oushi when he realizes what he's trying to do, trying to get them out of the way and feel a little touched by his consideration. Okay, yeah! He can do this. So, when Oushi plops down on the bench, Ryuji will sit next to him, turning to his side so he can face him. ]
Hahaha, I wonder how many people have boned on this bench before.
[ sORRY THIS IS STILL GOLDEN PEACOCK, OKAY. He grins, a little cheeky, before fishing out one of the pocky sticks from the box. It's strawberry flavored! ]
You ready?
Hahaha, I wonder how many people have boned on this bench before.
[ sORRY THIS IS STILL GOLDEN PEACOCK, OKAY. He grins, a little cheeky, before fishing out one of the pocky sticks from the box. It's strawberry flavored! ]
You ready?
u must b soooooooooooooo fun at parties man
[ yosuke is booing wholeheartedly! and it only intensifies when he reads his truth.this guy! ]
woah i was so nice to u and this is how u treat me
r u a bully? a sadist? is that y u tell strangers to pick fights and detail their woes?
well u r in luck bc nothing embarrassing happened to me until today! and it was just
...
getting walked around the lobby on a leash
which
really isnt that bad in this place!
so! there u go! ure welcome mr S! truth or dare!
she's dating someone else
and as much as i can't stand the guy he seems to be really good to her
i fixed things as best as i could and all i can do now is try to be a better friend to her
whenever i get back, anyway
and no, it's not strange at all
[ oushi has never been one for labels, or one to think overly much about them, but if someone were to sit him down and ask him to be frank, he thinks he wouldn't feel too awkward to say he's probably bisexual. after all, there's no faking how he had reacted to vanitas, the very first time they met. ]
what about you?
and as much as i can't stand the guy he seems to be really good to her
i fixed things as best as i could and all i can do now is try to be a better friend to her
whenever i get back, anyway
and no, it's not strange at all
[ oushi has never been one for labels, or one to think overly much about them, but if someone were to sit him down and ask him to be frank, he thinks he wouldn't feel too awkward to say he's probably bisexual. after all, there's no faking how he had reacted to vanitas, the very first time they met. ]
what about you?
[ ...bruh? ]
someone dared you to get walked around on a leash?
[ see!! this is why he's always choosing truth! ]
that's pretty shitty man i'm sorry
[ ok he says it's not that bad, and maybe it was just something meant to be harmless between friends but. it's still pretty bad. ]
i'm sticking to truth
someone dared you to get walked around on a leash?
[ see!! this is why he's always choosing truth! ]
that's pretty shitty man i'm sorry
[ ok he says it's not that bad, and maybe it was just something meant to be harmless between friends but. it's still pretty bad. ]
i'm sticking to truth
Actually, it'd be helpful if you could keep us appraised of anything particularly unusual you come across! By which I mean, there's a background level of supernatural activity happening here that anyone can see, but if you experience something that seems to be less widely known, please share it. Even if you're over inclusive, it's better to make sure, right?
I guess what I mean is: if anything seems to contradict what the others have told you about this place, or if you end up in a conversation with someone affiliated with the hotel and they let something slip, let me know! Of course you can feel free to ask general questions too, but those are the things I'm most interested in.
Oh, what's your name? I have a better way of getting in contact in an emergency.
[those two things are connected, even if they seem like nonsequitors.]
Oh, what's your name? I have a better way of getting in contact in an emergency.
[those two things are connected, even if they seem like nonsequitors.]
Maybe by the time you get back, she'll be single and you'll be better equipped to not be a jerk.
[The words sound harsh when he rereads them but maybe that's for the best. A strong reminder that Oushi's still got time to be a better person--although Vanitas feels like he's already on his way.]
I think I've always liked both. I tend to be attracted to what someone has going on in their heads than what they look like on the outside. But.. the latter doesn't hurt.
[The words sound harsh when he rereads them but maybe that's for the best. A strong reminder that Oushi's still got time to be a better person--although Vanitas feels like he's already on his way.]
I think I've always liked both. I tend to be attracted to what someone has going on in their heads than what they look like on the outside. But.. the latter doesn't hurt.
[Natori doesn't reply on the watch. Instead, a few minutes later, a simple paper doll finds its way to wherever Oushi is-- flying through the air like it's propelled by its own individual gust of wind, circling around Oushi as if confirming his identity, and then hovering at eye level for him to read what's written on it.
On the front is Natori's extremely neat handwriting, with plenty of space for Oushi to write underneath:]
If you hold this and will it to find me, it will come back to me. You can write on it too.
[...If he flips it around to the back, he can see that this doll appears to have been made from the title page for an erotic novel called As the Hotel Turns: My Adventures in Hot and Sexy Wonderland.]
On the front is Natori's extremely neat handwriting, with plenty of space for Oushi to write underneath:]
If you hold this and will it to find me, it will come back to me. You can write on it too.
[...If he flips it around to the back, he can see that this doll appears to have been made from the title page for an erotic novel called As the Hotel Turns: My Adventures in Hot and Sexy Wonderland.]
maybe
but i don't think i'd deserve her, even if i manage to become the best version of myself
honestly it's for the best
[ he has... made his peace with it. entertaining the possibility of yuki ever falling for him feels like such a foolish dream. he likes to think he's grown up since then. but he supposes only time will tell. ]
i think unless circumstances are different, someone's looks is usually what draws someone's attention first
[ this is oushi's roundabout way of saying he finds vanitas attractive btw. you have to squint. ]
nothing wrong with that
i lost track how many rounds we've done
is it your turn or mine?
but i don't think i'd deserve her, even if i manage to become the best version of myself
honestly it's for the best
[ he has... made his peace with it. entertaining the possibility of yuki ever falling for him feels like such a foolish dream. he likes to think he's grown up since then. but he supposes only time will tell. ]
i think unless circumstances are different, someone's looks is usually what draws someone's attention first
[ this is oushi's roundabout way of saying he finds vanitas attractive btw. you have to squint. ]
nothing wrong with that
i lost track how many rounds we've done
is it your turn or mine?
[ ...............................................
before too long, natori will find the little paper doll floating its way back to him. just beneath his own handwriting is oushi's scrawl, somehow curt despite it all. ]
Please invest in a proper notepad.
[ that is to say: that was a really neat trick, and one quickly undone by natori's choice of paper. lowkey, oushi is convinced he had done it on purpose. ]
before too long, natori will find the little paper doll floating its way back to him. just beneath his own handwriting is oushi's scrawl, somehow curt despite it all. ]
Please invest in a proper notepad.
[ that is to say: that was a really neat trick, and one quickly undone by natori's choice of paper. lowkey, oushi is convinced he had done it on purpose. ]
[A fresh doll comes back soon enough! This one looks like an end chapter page of a different book, one equally as erotic but apparently set on a submarine. He's not got a lot of options for pages with at least one blank side of the paper.]
Your test worked! It came back to me as planned!
[because obviously that was why Oushi would immediately send the emergency contact doll back, right?]
Beggars can't be choosers.
[and weirdly enough, shortly after Oushi receives this second doll, he gets a new text from Natori, who clearly can tell when his dolls have arrived.]
Nice to meet you, Oushi-kun! What did you get from the hotel when you arrived here? I received an awful lot of gifts, so I'm happy to offload some.
[and he attaches a photo of a lot of gifts piled in the basement hallways. There are an astonishing number of trashy erotic novels in the pile.]
Your test worked! It came back to me as planned!
[because obviously that was why Oushi would immediately send the emergency contact doll back, right?]
Beggars can't be choosers.
[and weirdly enough, shortly after Oushi receives this second doll, he gets a new text from Natori, who clearly can tell when his dolls have arrived.]
Nice to meet you, Oushi-kun! What did you get from the hotel when you arrived here? I received an awful lot of gifts, so I'm happy to offload some.
[and he attaches a photo of a lot of gifts piled in the basement hallways. There are an astonishing number of trashy erotic novels in the pile.]
[ oushi is... far too sentimental to crush the little paper dolls in his hands like instinct would have had him do — those few trashy lines were already embarrassing, and it was hardly even a full paragraph! — so he just winds up... letting them hang around him. do they ever lose their magic and just turn back into paper? for the moment, he's set the last doll on the foot of his bed, keeping half an eye on it just in case it bursts into flames or something. ]
no offense, but i wouldn't trust anything in that pile
especially the supposedly edible stuff
i didn't get any gift or note or anything but
is it pretty common for people to get something from the hotel when they arrive?
if that's the case it might explain... something...
no offense, but i wouldn't trust anything in that pile
especially the supposedly edible stuff
i didn't get any gift or note or anything but
is it pretty common for people to get something from the hotel when they arrive?
if that's the case it might explain... something...
the one normal piece of paper he got and he destroyed it immediately
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
paperpusher
2025-06-14 04:03 pm (UTC)(link)
[The doll seems perfectly content to hang around; it just lies there like any old doll cut out of a romance novel. It'll hold its magic for a very long time-- but it's still a piece of paper, so. It'll need to be replaced if it gets wet or catches on fire or anything (Oushi isn't powerful enough to make it burst spontaneously into flames, but it has happened to the protag-tier powerful).]
I was suspicious too, but someone who has been here much longer than I have didn't seem concerned. The sweets are already gone, though.
Yes, it seems as though almost everyone gets something-- but it's not always a tangible item. Sometimes it sounds more like a curse.
I was suspicious too, but someone who has been here much longer than I have didn't seem concerned. The sweets are already gone, though.
Yes, it seems as though almost everyone gets something-- but it's not always a tangible item. Sometimes it sounds more like a curse.
[ ngl the doll is cute and oushi is content to let it hang around for as long as it likes (no he's not lonely or anything, shut up). no risk of getting wet or bursting into flames though — oushi is as mundane and powerless as they come. ]
yeah, okay
then i got one of those
a curse or something
[ it doesn't hurt and it isn't awful but it is EMBARRASSING AND ANNOYING AS FUCK so he's gonna grumble about it anyway. ]
tbh i'd rather have the porn
yeah, okay
then i got one of those
a curse or something
[ it doesn't hurt and it isn't awful but it is EMBARRASSING AND ANNOYING AS FUCK so he's gonna grumble about it anyway. ]
tbh i'd rather have the porn
[It's very obvious that Oushi did not specify the nature of the curse, which is presumably for a reason. Ultimately Natori only cares about it for one reason:]
I'm going to assume it's not the sort of curse that an exorcist could take care of? I received multiple copies of The Time I, An Introverted Receptionist At A Luxury Hotel, Saw My Movie Star Guest Changing?! if you want that one.
I'm going to assume it's not the sort of curse that an exorcist could take care of? I received multiple copies of The Time I, An Introverted Receptionist At A Luxury Hotel, Saw My Movie Star Guest Changing?! if you want that one.
kind of doubt anybody can do anything about this place
no offense
it's not terrible or anything
just embarrassing, i guess...
i'll pass, though
just because i'd rather have the porn than the rash [ oops ] doesn't mean i'll take one anyone
aren't you kinda creeped out these books seem to be about you?
no offense
it's not terrible or anything
just embarrassing, i guess...
i'll pass, though
just because i'd rather have the porn than the rash [ oops ] doesn't mean i'll take one anyone
aren't you kinda creeped out these books seem to be about you?
If it happens when you're impolite, I've actually spoken to someone today who had the same experience.
[Though he suspects it's a little more targeted than that; that doesn't seem like it'd be Oushi's problem.]
Not especially. This is to be expected. What you should know about ayakashi is that they feed off of vulnerabilities in the human heart. It's unsurprising that a place like this would try to unsettle us by using tools like that.
[Which he means as a gentle warning to Oushi more than anything else: expect something similar, so you're not caught off guard when it happens to you.]
Besides, I think a lot of this is just because the receptionists are fans of mine.
[Though he suspects it's a little more targeted than that; that doesn't seem like it'd be Oushi's problem.]
Not especially. This is to be expected. What you should know about ayakashi is that they feed off of vulnerabilities in the human heart. It's unsurprising that a place like this would try to unsettle us by using tools like that.
[Which he means as a gentle warning to Oushi more than anything else: expect something similar, so you're not caught off guard when it happens to you.]
Besides, I think a lot of this is just because the receptionists are fans of mine.
no it
[ hmm. ]
i think it happens when i see... certain people...
which i guess goes in line with what you're saying about ayakashi
[ 😮💨 ]
wish i didn't make it so easy for them
though it definitely makes sense why you just got items and not a curse
you're not exactly easy prey
[ hmm. ]
i think it happens when i see... certain people...
which i guess goes in line with what you're saying about ayakashi
[ 😮💨 ]
wish i didn't make it so easy for them
though it definitely makes sense why you just got items and not a curse
you're not exactly easy prey
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