And with the sweat of your brow...

[bathymetric]

Fun Fact: Did you know that if the multiverse is real, there could be an almost infinite square mileage of completely unexplored ocean out there?

No reason.

...

You wake in one of 25 rooms with a sense of unease that doesn't quite track with how nice the accommodations are. Maybe it has something to do with the giant window leading out to the sea. The temperature is low, which might make you wish you had woken up under the luxurious covers instead of atop them. The lights, too, are low. But next to your bed is a small personal radio, and it's playing a song for you. There's also a small note printed on folded cardstock next to it.

Dear Prospective Citizen,

Welcome to the Helios Suites at New Rapture. The time should currently be 12:00 PM. Please take a moment to get your bearings and become acquainted with your new environment, then meet in the hotel lobby at 1:30 PM sharp for an orientation with Mayor Fontaine.

With only that for guidance, there's only the one thing to do: get out there and start exploring... well, it's hardly a full city, but it's something! And in the halls (or on the wall of your suite or the lobby), you very well may find up to 24 other captives.

What you do until your meeting with Mayor Fontaine, well... that's up to you. Every room certainly gives you something to talk about.

Comments

[daimakaicho]

Really? It seemed pretty clear to me. [ beat ] What did you have problems understanding?

[kninja]

I understand most of the words individually-- [The bit about "circadian rhythms" aside.] --but I don't follow how it's supposed to fit together. What does exploring a dark city in the ocean have to do with "citizenship"? What kind of exercise is this supposed to be? ...What's a hotel?

[daimakaicho]

[ She starts counting the points on her fingers as she goes. ]

Well, I'm going off the assumption that their expectation is that we're meant to be permanent residents here. Thus the generous description of "prospective citizen."

[ 2. ] That particular rule at the end makes me think the exercise really has to do with that.

[ 3, with a vague wave around. ] As for a hotel, it's where we are now. Typically these are more for people who are visiting on vacation but, well. This isn't one I've ever been on.

[kninja]

Oh, like an inn.

[Okay. That's the easy one; Obi takes a little more time to chew on Hild's other two explanations.]

...Some citizenship exercise this is, then, if it makes an already miserable population even smaller. Twenty-five people's enough for a roving band, maybe, but I don't think we could even run this "hotel" with just that. I looked outside. Doesn't look like there's anyone else here.

[daimakaicho]

[ That gets her to laugh. ]

Speak for yourself, I am an excellent hostess. If I had my spells, I'd be able to run it all by myself, easily. [ pause, taps her chin ] Well, we wouldn't be here if I had them, so I suppose that's moot.

[kninja]

Spells? You do magic, too?

[The world is a stranger and more wondrous place than he even knew, wow.]

[daimakaicho]

In a sense. A large portion of my work revolves around granting wishes. So it's something I'm quite familiar with.

[ ... she's severely downplaying it, but whatever. ]

I assume the "too" means you do as well? Use magic, I mean.

[kninja]

Haha, nope, not me. One of the other guys in the suite I woke up in says he goes to a whole school for magic. I didn't even know magic was real until then!

[He's from a fantasy series with no explicit magic so far... I don't know...]

Granting wishes sounds like a pretty great use of it, huh!

[daimakaicho]

You learn something new every day, hm?

[ A lot of cases that secrecy is on purpose, so... it's really not that big of a deal. ]

It has its merits. It's certainly useful to those who're lucky to get the chance to use them.

[kninja]

Do you get to use it to grant your own wishes, or is it the kind of thing that only works for others? Like trying to tickle your own foot?