YOU'VE JUST CROSSED OVER INTO -

[nightaudits]

HAPPY HALLOWEEN from HOTEL MULTIVERSE AT THE EDGE OF THE COSMOS BETWEEN CANONS™ Guests who find themselves partaking in the Hotel's amenities quickly find some tricks afoot. The decor is first, neon lights changing to autumnal oranges, garish greens, and ghoulish purples overnight. Those who peruse the shops will find them stocked with masks and costumes, and the ambient music which plays throughout the ship is punctured by blood-curdling sound effects such as screams and anxiety-inducing musical stingers. This is Halloween. Those who utilize the Hotel-provided devices will find an ad splashed across their screens. Similarly, TVs, phones connected to the network, and flyers posted will read: "FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT OF OUR GUESTS, HOTEL MULTIVERSE AT THE EDGE OF THE COSMOS BETWEEN CANONS™ IS HAPPY TO PROVIDE HALLOWEEN-THEMED ENTERTAINMENT." Staff members' uniforms change, with employees adding costume pieces to them as the weeks wear on. Guests are strongly encouraged to put together a costume with pieces from the shops, but those who opt out will instead find one of the standard options (listed at the bottom of this post) and chosen at random (by googling "rng 1-19") in their wardrobe. After dark (or, what would be dark), the ship transforms into a hotel of horrors, the following chaos breaking loose: TRICK-OR-TREATING Costumed guests are welcome to partake in trick-or-treating with the ship's staff, who can be found with carts of candy in common areas. Guests are also offered flags for their doorknobs to indicate that they have candy available in the rooms if they would like to partake as well. SCAREZONES Grab a map from the concierge or walk the halls at random, but don't be surprised if a staff member jumps at you from the shadows! HAUNTED HOUSE Guests using the hotel app will find numerous ads alerting them to a haunted house that's overtaken one of the hotel floors (and honestly, the ads are impressive, opening as an emergency alert to a runaway alien), and the hotel itself plasters the attraction across its screens and walls overnight as well. Obviously, a haunted house is a great thing to do after you've had a ton to drink, or a great way to meet fellow guests (whether or not you're reaching for their hand in fright). However, to ensure the safety of all team members and guests, do not make physical contact with any member of our cast. Remember: the actors' intention is to frighten you. HORROR MOVIE MARATHON Guests hoping to keep things a bit more low key might find what they're looking for in the hotel's movie theater and lounges, which offer 24/7 horror movie marathons ranging from the classic to the avant garde. A programming guide can be found outside of each respective screening or on the app. Film buffs will be delighted at the hotel's library, but don't be surprised if your niche fave is banished to a graveyard slot. MASQUERADE The hotel's ballrooms are open late for those guests interested in keeping the revelry going night after night. Just don't let the anonymity of your costumes take you too terribly far (or, I mean, do what you want, everyone has a room, after all). If you aren't able to purchase a costume or aren't feeling inspired, no problem! Our courteous staff have taken the liberty of providing you with a courtesy costume, free of charge, to allow you to participate in the event. You will receive one of the following at random: 01: Ghost 02: Alien 03: Devil 04: Superhero (Your Choice!) 05: Skeleton 06: Pumpkin 07: Zombie 08: Vampire 09: Clown 10: Mummy 11: Werewolf 12: Black Cat 13: Pirate 14: Frankenstein's Monster 15: Witch 16: Spider 17: Bunny 18: Bat 19: Angel

Comments

[brokeassgoing]

[oh, maybe he didn't....but he could have sworn--
either way, there's a note]

The shoe place? It's on this same level of this ship, actually. Wanna go now and look?

[solitarynote]

[Omori glances at the screen again. The rest of the movie was probably going to be boring. Red tape, the killer getting away with the act, investigations. He nodded, looking as stone-faced as usual, but… feeling like something was bubbling inside him. Excitement.

He bounced on the tips of his toes, trying to find some way to spend the extra energy while Badou got up.]

[brokeassgoing]

[Smiling, Badou also hops to his feet]

Alright, kid, let's boogie. We'll get some bitchin' shoes and you can run around without worrying.

[he shifts to move to the door]

[solitarynote]

[Two nods. Very good. The next part of their enjoyment awaited.

Omori alternated between following after Badou and taking the lead. He didn’t know where to go, didn’t know which place the man was leading him to - he hadn’t paid that much attention to the shops - but he was so unused to following someone else without being Tagged to do so.

The boy had no trouble keeping up though. It wasn’t energy, it was just that he didn’t tire, like most people. Dark gaze somewhat alert for their objective.]

[brokeassgoing]

[for a boat or ship or whatever, there are certainly plenty of stores. is this what it was like on the titanic? minus the death (hopefully...)? Grinning again, after a few minutes they come to the right store-- all shoes, all the time]

Here we go. Whatcha think?

[there certainly seem to be enough shoes to fill a store]

[solitarynote]

[It really was an incredible boat/hotel/planet. Almost infinite, though Omori hadn’t checked to find the boundaries of this place. He didn’t need to. It was quite convenient that whatever they needed was in relative distance. Even the walk from the theater to the shops wasn’t meant to be exhausting. No fights either Though Omori felt a bit lost on that front. He was used to encountering enemies outside of safe havens.

Whoever had dreamed this place up really thought it through.

The child’s dark gaze scanned the storefront. Yup, those were shoes. Lots and lots of shoes. He looked to Badou.

What… happened next?]

[brokeassgoing]

[if asked, Badou also feels a little weird without a lick of violence around them. it makes him a little...paranoid.

but they're here for shoes. he just smiles again]

We'll go in and see if anything catches your eye. That a good idea?

[solitarynote]

[Then they were like two fish out of water… or two rabbits in space. Paranoia waiting just around the corner, ready to strike with a “i told you this couldn’t be safe.”

Still… that plan sounded agreeable. Omori nodded, relaxing a bit. He walked a bit further into the store, seeing the various shelves and racks filled with shoes. All shoes.

So many choices.

Omori had never been given a choice before. Sunny had made the decisions while inhabiting his shell, so he had mostly allowed the information to wash over him. But now?

There was so much, it was almost frightening. Omori didn’t get afraid. He wasn’t capable of it. But he did feel something like a tightening in his chest. A discomfort.

Why? The child looked to Badou for guidance with a small frown.]

[brokeassgoing]

Oh, we gotta check what size you are too...

[he says this almost to himself, also sort of stunned by how many kids shoes there are. he's a bachelor who's never taken a kid shopping before, so sue him!

and when he glances back at Omori, it seems he's also sort of overwhelmed. okay. OKAY]

How about this, we first use that little thing to check your shoe size...then we pick maybe three to try. To start. That's not too bad, is it?

[solitarynote]

[For never having taken a child shoe shopping before, Badou is doing wonderfully.

Especially with this confused child.

Omori’s posture settles a bit as he nods, his restless behaviors calming.

That… sounded doable. One step, and then three options. Much better than the plethora of choices in front of them.]

[brokeassgoing]

[whew, alright ALRIGHT

he fetches that little device for size and pats the inside of it] Put your foot in here, and it'll show you what size you are.

Omori just Confused by the whole process XD

[solitarynote]

[Omori stared at the strange device for a few moments. It… wasn’t anything the child had seen before. And he was used to seeing abnormal looking creatures. But… Badou seemed to think the device was safe…

It only took a moment of Omori standing there. Size six. His feet were smaller than someone ‘his age’ but… there wasn’t really a way for him to know that.

Dark eyes looked curiously back at the man. How did that help?]

i understand bc i had to dig DEEP in my memories

[brokeassgoing]

Okay, that's your size. 6. Not bad, little man! [he smiles encouragingly, reaching over on impulse to ruffle his hair]

Now we've got what we've need to go look. Sandals, right?

[solitarynote]

[Omori simply blinked at the hair ruffle. Even if some sections of the dark fiber were now sticking at odd angles, he didn’t move to fix them. The boy just turned his gaze towards the racks of shoes.

Labels like size 6 and Sandals guiding the way like quest markers.

It was strange - no matter what he looked at, Omori could easily identify things that fit his Sunny’s friends. A pair of tennis shoes in bright orange, comfortable slip-ons with a floral design, dainty formal flats with pink bows…

And yet, Omori wasn’t sure what he wanted.

The child took forever in that aspect. Walking up and down the row, again and again, looking at the same shoes. Three choices… and yet he couldn’t choose. He did seem to slow near sandals that were white or black in orientation.]

[brokeassgoing]

[maybe asking him to choose was not a wise decision? he didn't think it'd be that difficult-- whoops. Okay, he can work with this-- every time those dark little eyes linger on a pair of sandals, particularly the white and or black pairs, Badou just yoinks up that pair. No big deal!

He'll wait about 15 minutes before he asks:]

How you feeling, kid?

[solitarynote]

[Omori gives a thumbs up in response. It might have been confident, it might have been an automatic response… especially because he hadn’t actually gotten any further in the process.

But the child’s head tilted slightly as he noticed the pairs of black and white sandals in Badou’s grasp.]

[brokeassgoing]

[he, too, can't interpret the sign, but it's not...bad, right. it seems okay. when the kid notices the sandals, Badou grins]

Figured I'd grab a few you had your eyes on. We can stop and try 'em now if you're tired of wandering?

[solitarynote]

[Oh, that’s what Badou had been doing? The child took a few more moments to stare at the sandals in the man’s grasp before he just… sits down on the ground.

Never mind the fact that there are comfy benches to try shoes on, Omori just sits like it’s the most natural thing in the world.

He didn’t really tire - that wasn’t the problem, but some part of him wondered if they grabbed too many choices that he wouldn’t be able to settle.]

[brokeassgoing]

[oh he-- alright, the floor it is then. groaning exaggeratedly, Badou settles on the floor before him, lifting the lid of the first box and sliding it over Omori's way]

Try these.

Badou’s poor knees XD

[solitarynote]

[Omori nods again. A simple instruction: try them on.

Except, it became quickly apparent that Omori didn’t know how sandals worked. Or shoes in general.

He knew you had to wear them on your feet. That much was apparent, as the child was attempting that much, but the straps and laces and openings were giving him some pause.

People didn’t wear shoes in Headspace. well, Omori and his friends didn’t. Captain Spaceboy had some pretty cool ones And normally anything else that needed ‘put on’ was easily done via an equipment menu.

So Omori sat on the ground, one foot partly stuffed into the wrong hole of a sandal while the actual strap had somehow gotten latched to his dark socks (that he hadn’t taken off), looking a bit… lost. Expression still muted, arms at his sides as a minute frown turned the corners of his mouth downwards.

He wouldn’t ask for help, but clearly he was going to need it.]

his 21 year old old man knees

[brokeassgoing]

[he watches for a moment, wanting to again give the boy space, but it's apparent he's never worn shoes? that's pretty strange....but Badou doesn't let it bother him. gently taking one of Omori's ankles, he takes the sandal off, drawing his foot from the wrong hole, and righting it until the foot's snugly in the shoe.]

Maybe we'll get ones that are flat-- so you can just stick 'em in.

NOT THE OLD MAN KNEES T.T XD

[solitarynote]

[Omori froze at the contact. Still as death… until he realized Badou’s touch was gently guiding his foot into wearing the shoe.

The child nodded.

Attempting to follow what the man had just done, he looped his other foot through the opposite shoe. Standing up felt… weird. But he did feel somewhat accomplished.

Omori hopped up and down a few times. Weird.]

old and wobbly

[brokeassgoing]

[oh he also-- pauses after a moment, realizing he should have asked before even touching him jeez]

Ah, sorry about that.

[he stands too, after a moment, gaze on the kid's feet]

Try walkin' around.

[solitarynote]

[Omori shakes his head. The apology wasn’t necessary, really, when the act was already done.

It was just - for the briefest of moments, Omori had considered jabbing Badou out of sheer habit. But… then their fun would have ended (in more ways than one). That would be a shame, wouldn’t it?

So, the child focuses on repairing what he can of the moment by doing what was asked of him. Walking. He didn’t have much trouble with the act itself but…

It was weird. It felt weird. He knew his feet were solidly still hitting the ground, but to have the feedback of what he felt be so muted. It caused him to frown slightly. Stamping one foot on the ground and… yep… the ground just wasn’t as solid beneath his feet.]

[brokeassgoing]

[he may have forgotten about the knife, and what knives are for!!! he remembers it now, and there's a moment he feels some dread. but it eases when the boy is walking in the shoes]

How's it feel? Bad? Good? Looks....like you feel bad?