hotelmultiverse | welcome, new visitors

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welcome, new visitors

There isn't much fanfare for the new crop of visitors who have come in this month, but what they encounter is quite wondrous. Is it a cruise ship? Is it a hotel? Is it a tiny planet? No one can give them a straight answer, but all are encouraged to take part in the buffet, where visitors may find an assortment of foods both familiar and unfamiliar to them. There is an open mic night happening in one of the lounges on site, featuring staff and visitor performances. Or there are a handful of shops to browse if you're amenable to trading.

Visitors will find that the Hotel Multiverse at the Edge of the Cosmos between Canons (its official name) is very much alive beyond the bustling crowd. In fact, it might just be listening to you and anticipating your needs.

As for the rest? Well, that's up to you. You may as well socialize, right?

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[ ari's dancer reflexes come in handy here, and she's almost feline when she hits the ground. dramatic, yes, crouching to all fours to steady herself, and she turns back and fixes her assailant with a glare. ]

Seriously? What was that even about?

[ bestie the innocent act is very cute but you are also not subtle!!! ]

[What was that even about? He unlaced his fingers to tap them together, blatantly unable to look her directly in the eye as he suddenly found himself just enthralled with the ceiling. Wow, look at that, all the way up there. It's a ceiling, haven't seen one of them before.

Naturally though, no answer wasn't going to suffice. With a silent motion that would suggest a deep and awkward sigh, he separated and raised his hands.]

Wanted to look closer.

[With his hands and not his eyes, much like how he was speaking presently. Though the gestures had no clear connection to any traditional sign language, the words were regardless as clear as day, though his stitched lips made no more motion outside of an embarrassed frown.]

[ ari follows his gaze up to the ceiling (really, she can't blame him - those shooting star lights are delightful), then takes a closer look at him, tilting her head as his hands move. ]

At me?

[ she takes a sliding step back, more out of surprise than anything - and yes, she's assuming a lot.

but then again. he did put her down. and, don't get her wrong, she's not entirely sure what the vibe is, but it doesn't seem like he wants to hurt her.

she steps back in, looks again at her fallen dessert, and then back at him. ]

Do you wanna check out the dessert bar, too?

[He doesn't immediately wave off the question, contrary to what he probably should have done immediately. Though the hesitation looks more as if he may have forgotten precisely what he wanted to look closer at.

He glances to the food on the floor, then back to her... And instantly latches on to the change in subject without a second thought.]

Yes.

[That sounded eager, and he visibly perked and brightened, both furry black ears snapping forwards.]

I would like to have dessert. That must have been what I was looking at.

[ ari very quickly decides that, if he's that interested in desserts, he can't be that intimidating. it really doesn't take much to win her over. she deposits her dropped plate in a bin before grabbing two more, passing one to him, and the thing is, she really doesn't understand the concept of a poker face. or tact. ]

So, what's all — [ she gestures around her own head in gestures that she assumes communicates branches. ] Can you not take that off? It might make things a little easier.

[He mimics her motions, tapping on the apple branches about his head, before returning his hands to the front of him.]

They do not come off. But I can make them vanish, should it please you.

[The fae gestures with both hands, motioning towards the antlers. In response, they shiver and creak. Just as he'd said they'd do, they seem to simply shrink away, leaving nothing but a few dried blossoms and a smattering of withered leaves still drifting towards the floor.]

Would you prefer a more mortal appearance?

[It was asked as an afterthought, something that sprang to mind now that he took the time to actually think about it. Well if the antlers were a bit much... stood to reason maybe the rest of the look was too.]

I have not gone out much in quite some time, forgive my impropriety.

[ excuse her, she is absolutely gawking.

ari's not exactly sure what to say about the magic, but who would she be to complain about flowers. she's a little clumsy as she scrambles to catch one of the dried ones before it hits the floor. she's trying to tuck it into her headband when he asks his question, and her eyes widen. one of her hands flails. ]

Oh! No! That's totally okay, I didn't mean anything like that!

[ ari laughs. she didn't mean to be rude, and besides. they're in the final frontier itself.

so, appropriately, she leans closer and whispers: ]

You can be real with me. Are you an alien?

[Maybe there was some part of him, maybe louder and more conscious than his expression permitted, that was damn well aware what he just did was pretty wild looking. Maybe, he still looks faintly apologetic and politely confused.]

If you are certain. It would not trouble me to do so.

[She leans in, and he copies her, though it's a bit of a long stoop for him considering the height of Ari in comparison. He looked like he was prepared for a fascinating secret, both ears rolled forward, and the question prompted a long pause for a few reasons.

That is not a secret, and what is an alien. Pawing through his memory for the word, he could almost swear he'd heard it before. ... Ah, yes, for strangers in a foreign land, wasn't it? Well then that's a super easy question to answer!]

Yes of course.

[And he looked so confident saying it too.]

[ that is pure, undiluted joy that crosses her face, and no, this is so much more important than the buffet line right now. ari bounces excitedly on the balls of her feet, hopping between the tile squares. she legitimately cannot contain herself. ]

Are you serious? I've wanted to know what aliens look like since I was a kid, this is wild!

[ girl. ] I mean — not you! Just the whole situation, y'know. We — humans, I mean — didn't even know this kinda stuff was possible until basically right now. What planet are you visiting from?!

[He had no idea this would make her that happy, if he did he'd have admitted he wasn't from around here way sooner. Maybe she was looking for other travelers? Surely she wasn't from here either after all, he couldn't blame her for wanting company.

But the verbiage used was a little confusing. His head cocked as she spoke of never knowing what an alien looked like. What did that mean? Maybe she didn't get out much? The more she spoke, the more confusing it got, and the fairy's expression began to smooth out into one of friendly but apologetic befuddlement.]

What is a planet?

It's a — [ let it be noted here that this does not catch ari off guard in the slightest, and she tries to gesture what a planet is, holding her arms like a giant O, first out in front of her and then above her head. she spins once before releasing the gesture. ] — you know? Like Earth? Or Mars, or Venus.

Basically, absolutely massive chunks of rock that have some kind of orbit around the sun, I think. I don't know. I'm not with NASA, or whatever. There's probably a ton of planets that the government hasn't told us about. [ she doesn't say this conspiratorially, but simply accepting that this is the way things go, right? and then she turns to him with a sympathetic look. ]

Nobody's told us that aliens exist, where I'm at. They haven't even told you all about other planets Wow.

[As she explained, a look of dawning realization began to spread across his face. He visibly perked as the names "Mars" and "Venus" came up, and as she finished he hurried to respond, beaming as much as he could.]

I know them now, they are the heavenly bodies. I had forgotten what else they were called. Mars influences the tide of war, Venus is the morning and evening star and holds dominion over love and beauty. I do not believe anything could live upon them, they are surely but perfect spheres that spin about the firmament.

[Very confident with that one, he looks so proud of himself.]

I know not why your rulers would not tell you of others, should they exist. Their positions are necessary to the daily functions of life, it should be public knowledge.

But aliens are quite common. This place after all, is full of them. So too are you one, after all.

Yes! [ okay, perfect, he gets it, and she is delighted by this. ] I mean. When you look at it like that, I guess the gods and goddesses would be aliens, too.

[ oh my god, stop the presses, they literally just discovered ancient alien theories. something overcomes ari's expression between realization and inspiration, but she's quick to file it away, and turns instead to the dessert bar. she gathers two plates if she hasn't already, passing him one, as she finally surveys the offerings, clearing a space on the line for him to join her. ]

So — planets, vocabulary established. We got it. Tell me about where you're from!

To leave home is to inevitably become an alien to someone. Should they travel, even deities would be as much.

[He has not picked up on any kind of incongruity here in this conversation, they are definitely both on the same wavelength for sure.

He takes the plate, longingly passing a look at far more solid treats before settling on a selection of cookies, and prodding at a chilled bin of ice cream. Maybe? Maybe he could make this work? He really wants to. Of course in order to speak, the plate must be set down again, along with the glass he was going to fill with wine, if he could find it. He could have waited until he'd finished but the concept of speaking with someone new took top priority, so novel an idea it was.]

Where I am from-

[The gestures simply stopped after that, leaving him looking at his hands for a moment as his brows knit in an expression of deep consideration. After a time, he started again,]

Is not terribly interesting. There is nothing that happens anymore. I believe it would be far better to hear more about you, as interesting as you are. There would be far more to talk about.

[ ari is briefly distracted by the overwhelming selection, and she's plucking an eclair with tongs when he talks about his world, however briefly. she turns to him, tilts her head, ginger hair spilling to the side, and frowns just a bit. ]

Nothing?

[ that doesn't make much sense. she places the eclair onto her plate and returns the utensil.

and then she shrugs. he did ask, after all. ]

Well! My name's Ari. And... I guess I'm on Fall Break! I mean, I don't really remember choosing this place or anything like that, but that's why everyone else is here, right? I thought a dance college was on a wonky schedule compared to everyone else!

[He nods, the smile on his face wane and thin.]

Nothing happens anymore.

[The words seemed emphatic, tainted just slightly with some gray sort of feeling. Sadness? Remorse? It didn't matter, he'd not let the mood hang there for long and mercifully, neither did she.

The words were a bit hard to parse of course. Wonky? College? He's a little sluggish, but some of these are put together.]

College is [he gestured without anything coming of it, searching for the correct word until he finally picked one that seemed to make the most sense.]

schooling, correct? You are learning to be a dancer?

[It's something that makes him visibly brighten, forgetting entirely about the dessert.]

If it would not be too much of an imposition, would you show me some of the dances you have learned some time?

Yeah, that's right! I guess they don't have schools and universities on your planet. [ ari takes a moment to let this settle, sighing almost wistfully. ] That's so lucky.

[ it's a strange disconnect, her flippancy over education versus her excitement over her art. ari is in the middle of plucking a chocolate cake slice off of the buffet trey when he makes his request, and she spins back to him, a dance move in itself. ]

What? Just — right here? Wait — no! [ she's so excited. she totally would, as evidenced by the way she seemingly vibrates with energy. in a swift movement, she deposits her plate unceremoniously on the buffet line, looks around, and then begins to shuffle off. she looks at him over her shoulder and gestures for him to follow. ] There's a stage this way.

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welcome, new visitors

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Sorry for the wait!

no worries at all, friend!