GRAVEYARD.

[guestservices]

GRAVEYARD

Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today...

...to be super dead. No, did you think you were getting a funeral? Sorry.

When you wake up, no matter how you died, you'll find yourself all in one piece, inside of a fairly large box that upon further inspection may in fact be a coffin. However, throwing the lid off isn't too difficult, and as you step out of your own grave, you'll find yourself standing in a cemetery behind a large mansion, where an iron gate stands between you and the entrance. Thankfully, the moment you approach, dirty and tired as you are, the gate swings open, and you're allowed immediate entrance into the mansion.

The mansion itself is a little dusty, and the furnishings are vintage at best, but... hey, it's home. Why don't you explore a little?

★

FIRST FLOOR.

★ On the first floor is a parlor and sitting area. On one of the tables is a phone, which as of Week 3, Saturday has a dial tone and can be used to contact hotel staff. In addition to that is a kitchen stocked with food - not to mention a large wine cellar full to the bursting with every kind of wine you could imagine. Vintage!

★ Walking down a long hallway, you'll find a laundry room with a washbin and a washboard, a few closets full of dusty old clothes, a large library, and an ornate dining room with a crystal chandelier.

Of note, the dining room in particular has a very tall wall of what look like portraits to one side. If you walk closer, however, you may notice that the portraits are moving - and appear to actually be holding black and white images of your friends (and enemies?) back in the hotel, so you can monitor their activities. That's nice!

★ At the very end of the first floor hallway is another door - this one is locked with a padlock. It has a message painted on the door.... Don't dead? Anyway, it seems you can't check just stroll in there! From the looks of it it would be ill-advised to attempt to break in. Occasionally there are muffled shrieks coming from beyond the door. Hmm!


1, 2, 3

★

SECOND FLOOR.

★ On the second floor of the mansion is a series of bedrooms. Just like the hotel, you'll find a room already booked with your name on a nameplate on the door - and a portrait of yourself, as well as your hostage, hanging just above the nameplate. The inside of the rooms are simple - a bed with red covers, a desk with a typewriter, and a small bathroom with a toilet and a clawfoot tub. Provided that you didn't give your belongings away, you'll find all of them on your bed, waiting for you upon your arrival.

★ A dumbwaiter sits at the end of the hallway of bedrooms. Inside of it is a typewriter, and a golden bell labeled as Virgo's. A small sign above the dumbwaiter says: PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CONTACT STAFF BY LEAVING A MESSAGE. VIRGO MAY ALSO BE SENT A TIP AND RUNG. PULL THE LEVER TO PRESS SEND. - STAFF

It seems you can reach out to the hotel staff by leaving a message or ringing the bell, though your options are limited for the latter. Sure enough, a lever in the wall next to the dumbwaiter is currently set to the "down" position. Push it to "up" and watch your message disappear.

★ Beside the dumbwaiter is one last bedroom. This room is marked with a plaque that says "Dream Suite", and has several familiar constellations decorating the door. Occasionally, when you ring the bell by the dumbwaiter while thinking of a member of Hotel Staff on the living side, the corresponding constellation on the door will light up, and you'll feel as though you should walk in. Inside, there is a line of comfortable beds. Lie down in one, and you'll have a dreamlike "in person" audience with the NPC you had attempted to contact.

★

OUTDOORS.

★ Outside of the mansion is a small garage. The ground here is worn down and thin, and you can almost make out what look like railroad tracks embedded in the dirt. Inside of the garage is a rattly old car that moves along those little railroad tracks, from the garage to the mansion front, and then back all the way around to the cemetery.

★ The cemetery where you first awaken is a direct copy of the cemetery outside of the hotel - right down to the placement of statues, mausoleums, and the creepy atmosphere. Your grave remains after you wake up in it, in case you want to take a dirt nap.

1, 2

N̸A̵V̴I̶G̶A̶T̴I̴O̸N̷.̷

█ LOCATIONS █ STATUSES █ PROFILES █ AUDIENCES
█ REPORTING █ PRIVATE CONVOS █ MURDER

Comments

[illomened]

I'm afraid I don't recall it clearly...

[Said with a mildly apologetic tone. Sometimes... you're just an amnesiac. It's fine. But that is so true and valid bestie he's the exact same way when things go bad for him!]

I can explain the plan later. For now, would you like to get a little more acquainted with this side?

[agleam]

...It's okay. You don't have to force yourself. But - whatever happened, I'm sorry.

[he nods, though.]

Probably a good plan. We'll be here for a few more weeks at this point, right?

[illomened]

[There's just a quiet little barely-there laugh, and a nod.]

You're very kind. Thank you. [HE'S SO SWEET. Souji can see why everyone loved him...] But, yes. It would appear that the average amount of time spent in these places roughly equates to two month's time... It should be a little less than half of that by now. Shall we?

[He'll gently guide sweet Rupert's way from their cemetery!]

[agleam]

Oh - right, if you didn't spend a lot of time in the hotel, I'm guessing you didn't get to read the contract... It specified eight weeks.

[he nods, though, following along.]

[illomened]

I don't remember any details about the contract at all.

[NO ONE TOLD HIM THEY DO REMEMBER IT. No one asks him details about anything or shares any information with him honestly, it's so funny. They just accept that this random dude is here.

Anyway!! Once inside, he'll gesture to various places.]

That's our garden. We've tried to send bouquets to a few people, but I don't know if they've gone through... Here's our parlor! The living can apparently call to this side with that phone. Our dining room is this way - it's where we can watch the others. Ah - and I'll need to show you a record sooner rather than later, but its contents are a bit grim.

[agleam]

Are we allowed to talk to the staff, here? If so, you could probably ask one of them to let you read it. That's what I did.

[a beat, before he nods.]

The bouquets? Yeah, Mikazuki and Estelle got them, at least. If you sent them to anyone else, they didn't mention them, but I can't see why those two would go through if the rest wouldn't.

[he tilts his head at the description of the phone, but he pauses at that last part.]

...I'd rather know what it is sooner rather than later, too, if that's alright. But thanks for the warning.

[illomened]

Ah - we are, yes. Upstairs, you'll find your own room - your things will be there. You'll find the dream suite, too. You can use it to have something like in-person meetings, and you can change it to suit your thoughts. I'd suggest that! But we also have a typewriter, and the phone will go through to a random staff member, too.

[Their varied ways of contacting the sweet staff... He nods at the rest, though, tucking that information away for later where it will promptly be buried by the deluge of shit they get up to today.]

That's good, though! I believe those were the ones we sent out... Ah - no one really talks about much publicly, so we have no way of knowing what does or doesn't make it through. We didn't know that our letters weren't being sent for weeks until Tsurumaru-san called recently and told us that you were getting worried...

[This comedy of ERRORS HELP. After a beat, he just nods.]

Would you like to hear it now, then?

[agleam]

Oh - that's great! I'll have to take advantage of that tomorrow. A few of them are probably worried.

[he blinks, though.]

Tsurumaru called you guys? Is there a limit to how many people can call per week or something? If there isn't, I'd expect that he'd have told a lot of people it was possible...

[he nods in turn, expression shifting into a frown as he thinks about what this mystery record might be.]

Yeah, I would.

[illomened]

Please do! If they're as fond of you as the living are, then I'm sure they're looking forward to hearing from you for themselves.

[As for that, he simply shakes his head.]

I don't know, I'm afraid... If he hasn't mentioned it to anyone and left that note from us anonymously, I'm assuming that it must be limited? Both in terms of who can use that phone, and what they can say later.

[But he'll just give a little nod at that, and gesture for Rupert to follow him to the parlor. There's a record hidden here, scrounged from Sieghart's grave as per custom on Sundays. He'll place it into the record player.]

Then... I'll play it now.

[And so he does!]

[agleam]

[well! the first part is flattering and the next is concerning, but it's the record that really takes his attention, unsurprisingly. after a moment:]

Why are they always so smug...

[illomened]

[Rupert is so relatable help. This is genuinely his favorite reaction to date though, and he gently stifles a little laugh.]

Oh, my... You aren't wrong at all, are you? There really is a certain air about these types.

[agleam]

[in a very stereotypical villain voice, clearly designed to be mocking:]

Ohhhh, their despair is going to taste so sweet, I'm reveling in the fact that I've won even though literally nothing has happened yet...!

[and then back to normal......]

What a jerk. Obviously we're not going to let that happen.

[illomened]

[Rupert is fastly becoming a fav.]

You'll find yourself in very good company with that opinion, at least. It would seem we're all quite the stubborn bunch!

[Which is probably something that will work in their favor except when it comes to opening doors they have been told not to open!]

[agleam]

[he nods.]

Glad to hear that hasn't changed, then. We've got a while to figure this out, so... We'll make sure to get it done. We just need to find a way out and make it to the lobby by the time we're all supposed to leave.

[illomened]

If anything, I'd imagine it's worse than before.

[Death either destroys you or it makes you a more annoying terminator-like version of yourself...]

But yes... That goal should be somewhat relatively easy to maintain.

[agleam]

[a small nod, as he also considers how their rage has probably made them Stronger.]

Then - I'll look forward to working with you! And helping to get us all out of here.

[illomened]

[Souji just. BEAMS!! Because even though he'd never say it out loud he's just like "Rupert always seemed like a really good guy to be friends with and now I get the chance to be his friend hehehe".]

The same to you, Rupert-kun! If there's anything that I can do for you, please don't hesitate to let me know, alright?

[agleam]

Oh! Um, for starters - you can just call me Rupert, if you want. But, back at you!

[friendship.......]

[illomened]

What about Ru-kun?

[ALREADY JUST THROWING AROUND NICKNAMES. RuRu feels more like a nickname Kazu would give or he'd suggest that, too...]

[agleam]

[a beat.]

Sorry - anything but that. Uh, my fiance's the only one back home who calls me Ru, so...

[awkward]

[illomened]

[Only awkward for sweet Rupert since Souji, who has never experienced an Awkward Vibe in his life, just simply goes:]

Oh! Goodness, how sweet. I'll have to think of something else, then... I'm still not very used to shortening Western names.

[agleam]

[gmail agreed that it was awkward because i never got this notif hello]

Okay! Well, that's the only thing that's off limits. I mean, assuming whatever else you pick isn't too weird.

[he's joking probably]

[illomened]

[HELP gmail said absolutely not]

It won't be! You seem like the sort of person who's too sweet to really want to bully.

[He says, knowing fully in his gremlin heart that he also bullies very sweet people.]

[agleam]

Oh, that's definitely not true, but thanks!

[he is constantly bullied as he should be]

[illomened]

The part where you're sweet, or the part where you're too sweet to be bullied?

[RUPERT'S BULLIES.]