hotel: lup

[shaft]

Comments

[shaft]

Chemistry? A student of science, are you?

[evocationary]

Fantasy science, for sure.

[shaft]

I just didn't take you for a nerd.

[evocationary]

[SHE IS TAKEN ABACK BY THIS

and then she like, laughs? loudly, like it got startled out of her.]

I'm the coolest nerd you'll ever meet, boy.

[shaft]

[ He grins back at her. ]

I think nerds are cool as a general rule, so you might need to prove it to me.

[evocationary]

Yeah? And what exactly do I have to do to prove it? Or is that a surprise?

[shaft]

Be yourself.

[ hehe ]

[evocationary]

Oh, that was sickeningly sincere. [she says, with a little grin.] Can do.

[shaft]

You called me a charmer, I should live up to it.

[ this only happens in a blue moon. he will inevitably put his foot in his mouth again.

for now!! he raises a champagne flute. ]

Cheers?

[evocationary]

Cheers!

[she clinks her glass against his and just downs the whole thing in one go. that's not how you're supposed to drink that but ok]

To uh, to avoiding death until at least week five.

[shaft]

[ He doesn't comment, even as he sips his champagne a little more delicately. ]

Assuming we're here that long. Could be one of those shorter ones. [ ... ] Though they sound kind of hellish.

[evocationary]

It could be. I don't know if our terrible overlords are going to get enough entertainment out of a short run, though.

I'm also not uh, exactly an optimistic person. So you know.

[shaft]

I don't think there's any reason to be optimistic.

[ grimly drinks champagne ]

They know we've all been through this before, which is why... they arranged for additional bargaining chips. Speaks to intention and foresight.

[evocationary]

[a sigh, as she sinks back in her chair.]

... Yeah. It wasn't just a surprise, you're here, it was calculated. And they picked important people, too, I assume. Mine - I can't lose him.

[she rubs at her face.] So it's kind of just... what are they gonna make us do, what hoops are we going to have to jump through. The logical conclusion is kill someone or your hostage dies, right?

[shaft]

That is the logical conclusion, given that's what we all have in common...

[ He pinches the bridge of his nose. ]

And not to be a downer, but it means that we can't just look for an escape. We have to find a way to rescue our hostages and also escape.

[evocationary]

Not to be a downer, he says. [she says, amused.] It's uh, the unfortunate truth.

[...] We'll just... have to see what we can salvage together, I guess.

[shaft]

We will.

[ Sips his champagne. ]

Everything you went through at your previous incursion... do you think what you got out of it was worth it?

[evocationary]

[she chews her bottom lip.]

... It had to be. So yeah.

[shaft]

[ he nods, no judgment in his expression. ]

It's the same for me. [ ... ] Sorry, not sure why I asked. I didn't really have a point to make.

[evocationary]

[a huffy laugh.]

Misery loves company.

[shaft]

... It is pretty miserable. [ rubs a hand down his face ] I'd like to put on a strong face but there's no getting around the fact that this is going to suck.

[evocationary]

Yeah.

[well. listen, she's a tactile person, so she reaches over to take his hand.]

It will. It's going to suck and we're going to lose people we care about, but the thing about these places is that all of us got out, the first time. We got out, with the things we came for. So uh. I think it'll be okay, eventually.

Just gotta weather through it.

[shaft]

[ ... Oh!

He looks a little surprised, and then a little embarrassed, before settling on grateful. ]

That's not a bad way of looking at it. We'll weather it because we have to. [ He nods. ] In the mean time... what is a "furby"?

[evocationary]

[i'm glad claude immediately ruins the moment

no, the switch in conversation makes her like - barklaugh? in surprise.]

Fuck. Uh. Depends, do you mean the 90s toy or like, the thing that lived in the vents during my thing? Probably the latter.

[shaft]

[ honestly it would be ic

he just cocks his head to the side. ]

I'm assuming you weren't chewed on by a toy, so yeah, the latter.