{"submission_id":"2569965","keywords":[{"keyword_id":"211","keyword_name":"bat","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"28287"},{"keyword_id":"35617","keyword_name":"chimpanzee","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"264"},{"keyword_id":"18073","keyword_name":"cockatiel","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"219"},{"keyword_id":"603","keyword_name":"cow","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"8698"},{"keyword_id":"932","keyword_name":"death","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"7430"},{"keyword_id":"21","keyword_name":"dragon","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"111287"},{"keyword_id":"2937","keyword_name":"elephant","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"3238"},{"keyword_id":"123","keyword_name":"female","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"773948"},{"keyword_id":"1239","keyword_name":"ferret","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"7738"},{"keyword_id":"511","keyword_name":"hyena","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"13061"},{"keyword_id":"165","keyword_name":"male","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"890874"},{"keyword_id":"17164","keyword_name":"moth","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"2102"},{"keyword_id":"420","keyword_name":"mouse","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"39588"},{"keyword_id":"1516","keyword_name":"murder","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"1424"},{"keyword_id":"526","keyword_name":"panda","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"14619"},{"keyword_id":"2819","keyword_name":"peril","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"1669"},{"keyword_id":"186","keyword_name":"rabbit","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"96655"},{"keyword_id":"152","keyword_name":"raccoon","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"27410"},{"keyword_id":"1063","keyword_name":"shark","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"13061"},{"keyword_id":"3031","keyword_name":"sheep","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"9313"},{"keyword_id":"268","keyword_name":"tiger","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"30711"}],"hidden":"f","scraps":"f","favorite":"f","favorites_count":"1","create_datetime":"2021-10-31 02:19:01.766909+02","create_datetime_usertime":"31 Oct 2021 02:19 CEST","last_file_update_datetime":"2021-10-31 02:17:42.18024+02","last_file_update_datetime_usertime":"31 Oct 2021 02:17 CEST","username":"CharlieC","user_id":"504789","user_icon_file_name":"221104_CharlieC_charliechibi.png","user_icon_url_large":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/usericons/large/221/221104_CharlieC_charliechibi.png","user_icon_url_medium":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/usericons/medium/221/221104_CharlieC_charliechibi.png","user_icon_url_small":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/usericons/small/221/221104_CharlieC_charliechibi.png","file_name":"3789317_CharlieC_killing_game_chapter_1_part_3.doc","file_url_full":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/files/full/3789/3789317_CharlieC_killing_game_chapter_1_part_3.doc","file_url_screen":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/files/screen/3789/3789317_CharlieC_killing_game_chapter_1_part_3.doc","file_url_preview":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/files/preview/3789/3789317_CharlieC_killing_game_chapter_1_part_3.doc","thumbnail_url_huge":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/huge/3789/3789317_CharlieC_killing_game_chapter_1_part_3.jpg","thumbnail_url_large":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/large/3789/3789317_CharlieC_killing_game_chapter_1_part_3.jpg","thumbnail_url_medium":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/medium/3789/3789317_CharlieC_killing_game_chapter_1_part_3.jpg","thumb_huge_x":"300","thumb_huge_y":"300","thumb_large_x":"200","thumb_large_y":"200","thumb_medium_x":"120","thumb_medium_y":"120","files":[{"file_id":"3789317","file_name":"3789317_CharlieC_killing_game_chapter_1_part_3.doc","file_url_full":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/files/full/3789/3789317_CharlieC_killing_game_chapter_1_part_3.doc","file_url_screen":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/files/screen/3789/3789317_CharlieC_killing_game_chapter_1_part_3.doc","file_url_preview":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/files/preview/3789/3789317_CharlieC_killing_game_chapter_1_part_3.doc","mimetype":"application/msword","submission_id":"2569965","user_id":"504789","submission_file_order":"0","full_size_x":null,"full_size_y":null,"screen_size_x":null,"screen_size_y":null,"preview_size_x":null,"preview_size_y":null,"initial_file_md5":"38887de946ac79a6dd7131d9e00225f3","full_file_md5":"38887de946ac79a6dd7131d9e00225f3","large_file_md5":"","small_file_md5":"","thumbnail_md5":"1b130f62579c17b299b38260fb6676ed","deleted":"f","create_datetime":"2021-10-31 02:17:42.18024+02","create_datetime_usertime":"31 Oct 2021 02:17 CEST","thumbnail_url_huge":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/huge/3789/3789317_CharlieC_killing_game_chapter_1_part_3.jpg","thumbnail_url_large":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/large/3789/3789317_CharlieC_killing_game_chapter_1_part_3.jpg","thumbnail_url_medium":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/medium/3789/3789317_CharlieC_killing_game_chapter_1_part_3.jpg","thumb_huge_x":"300","thumb_huge_y":"300","thumb_large_x":"200","thumb_large_y":"200","thumb_medium_x":"120","thumb_medium_y":"120"}],"pools":[{"pool_id":"74837","name":"The Killing Game","description":"Everything for this story -- character references, necessary diagrams, and of course, chapters!","count":"9","submission_left_submission_id":"2569102","submission_left_file_name":"3787914_CharlieC_killing_game_chapter_1_part_2.doc","submission_left_thumbnail_url_huge":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/huge/3787/3787914_CharlieC_killing_game_chapter_1_part_2.jpg","submission_left_thumbnail_url_large":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/large/3787/3787914_CharlieC_killing_game_chapter_1_part_2.jpg","submission_left_thumbnail_url_medium":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/medium/3787/3787914_CharlieC_killing_game_chapter_1_part_2.jpg","submission_left_thumb_huge_x":"300","submission_left_thumb_huge_y":"300","submission_left_thumb_large_x":"200","submission_left_thumb_large_y":"200","submission_left_thumb_medium_x":"120","submission_left_thumb_medium_y":"120","submission_right_submission_id":"2572188","submission_right_file_name":"3793031_CharlieC_killing_game_chapter_1_part_4.doc","submission_right_thumbnail_url_huge":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/huge/3793/3793031_CharlieC_killing_game_chapter_1_part_4.jpg","submission_right_thumbnail_url_large":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/large/3793/3793031_CharlieC_killing_game_chapter_1_part_4.jpg","submission_right_thumbnail_url_medium":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/medium/3793/3793031_CharlieC_killing_game_chapter_1_part_4.jpg","submission_right_thumb_huge_x":"300","submission_right_thumb_huge_y":"300","submission_right_thumb_large_x":"200","submission_right_thumb_large_y":"200","submission_right_thumb_medium_x":"120","submission_right_thumb_medium_y":"120"},{"pool_id":"74838","name":"The Killing Game - Just The Story","description":"This alternate pool is for anybody who wants quick access ONLY to The Killing Game's chapters, and not any associated character art/references or diagrams.","count":"7","submission_left_submission_id":"2569102","submission_left_file_name":"3787914_CharlieC_killing_game_chapter_1_part_2.doc","submission_left_thumbnail_url_huge":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/huge/3787/3787914_CharlieC_killing_game_chapter_1_part_2.jpg","submission_left_thumbnail_url_large":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/large/3787/3787914_CharlieC_killing_game_chapter_1_part_2.jpg","submission_left_thumbnail_url_medium":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/medium/3787/3787914_CharlieC_killing_game_chapter_1_part_2.jpg","submission_left_thumb_huge_x":"300","submission_left_thumb_huge_y":"300","submission_left_thumb_large_x":"200","submission_left_thumb_large_y":"200","submission_left_thumb_medium_x":"120","submission_left_thumb_medium_y":"120","submission_right_submission_id":"2572188","submission_right_file_name":"3793031_CharlieC_killing_game_chapter_1_part_4.doc","submission_right_thumbnail_url_huge":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/huge/3793/3793031_CharlieC_killing_game_chapter_1_part_4.jpg","submission_right_thumbnail_url_large":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/large/3793/3793031_CharlieC_killing_game_chapter_1_part_4.jpg","submission_right_thumbnail_url_medium":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/medium/3793/3793031_CharlieC_killing_game_chapter_1_part_4.jpg","submission_right_thumb_huge_x":"300","submission_right_thumb_huge_y":"300","submission_right_thumb_large_x":"200","submission_right_thumb_large_y":"200","submission_right_thumb_medium_x":"120","submission_right_thumb_medium_y":"120"}],"description":"Following their search of the Hotel Paradise, the residents all reunite to share their findings. After the debrief, young love begins to bloom for two of the residents... but given their circumstances, can it last?\n\nNOTE: The species list in the tags will not be modified as characters are written out of the story. After all, if there's only one walrus (there are no walruses) and that tag disappears after a certain point, it kind of gives away that the character in question is now dead, doesn't it?\n\nI will also be applying the \"Strong Violence\" rating and the \"death, killing, murder\" tags to every chapter, again to prevent spoiling when the murders occur. This story DOES keep all three concepts as a constant theme if not an immediate presence, so I hope this is okay.\n\nI apologize for any confusion this creates, but I would like to make sure that the story can remain as spoiler-free as possible.\n\n(I'm also kind of sad that the reader doesn't translate any of my alternate font choices, including color and size. I'd recommend downloading the actual file if you're able to, as it does improve the readability a bit.)","description_bbcode_parsed":"Following their search of the Hotel Paradise, the residents all reunite to share their findings. After the debrief, young love begins to bloom for two of the residents... but given their circumstances, can it last?
NOTE: The species list in the tags will not be modified as characters are written out of the story. After all, if there's only one walrus (there are no walruses) and that tag disappears after a certain point, it kind of gives away that the character in question is now dead, doesn't it?
I will also be applying the "Strong Violence" rating and the "death, killing, murder" tags to every chapter, again to prevent spoiling when the murders occur. This story DOES keep all three concepts as a constant theme if not an immediate presence, so I hope this is okay.
I apologize for any confusion this creates, but I would like to make sure that the story can remain as spoiler-free as possible.
(I'm also kind of sad that the reader doesn't translate any of my alternate font choices, including color and size. I'd recommend downloading the actual file if you're able to, as it does improve the readability a bit.)","writing":"Dustin's head was still reeling as his team returned to the lobby. In the end, they hadn't managed to find anything on the ground floor of the hotel, but Edison's revelation was still gnawing at him.\n\n``Out of the sixteen people that woke up in this room, one of us... is The Host.''\n\nHearing voices ahead, he stopped and turned in place. His eyes lingered on Elena, Edison, and Jamie. ``Okay, so, I don't think we should tell anybody about what Edison said. About one of us being The Host, I mean.''\n\nElena paused. ``I think it's important that we do. They deserve to know, don't they? It does count as information we found during our investigation.''\n\n``No.'' Edison shook his head. ``If I'm right, then we need to keep this between us, and not let The Host know that we're on to him... or her... whoever. Honestly, it was enough of a risk for me to tell the three of you - I can't rule anybody out at this point.''\n\nJamie's eyes narrowed behind his huge glasses. ``We can't rule you out either, you know.''\n\nEdison rolled his eyes. ``Please. If I were The Host, would I really have brought it up as a possibility?''\n\n``You would if you want us to be suspicious of each other.'' The mouse said, crossing his arms. ``What better way to break our mutual trust and make us commit murder?''\n\nThe ferret scowled. ``And remind me, which of us is the tech genius who could conceivably build an army of robots?''\n\nDustin clapped his hands, drawing their attention to himself. ``Okay, okay, cut it out! See, that's exactly why we can't tell anybody. It's already got the two of you at each others' throats, imagine how the others would react.''\n\nThe two of them exchanged suspicious glances with each other, then nodded. ``For the record, I agreed with you to begin with.'' Edison muttered before tucking his hands in his pockets and walking back to the lobby. Jamie simply followed without a word.\n\nWith a sigh, Dustin turned to follow them, but stopped when he felt a heavy hand on his shoulder. He turned to see Elena, smiling again. ``There's that natural leader again.'' She said. He was a bit surprised when her hand moved from his shoulder to grab his own, squeezing tight as she pulled him forward. ``Come on, let's not keep the others waiting.'' She said, releasing her hold as she stepped into the lobby.\n\nFor a moment, Dustin couldn't help but watch as she walked away. Shaking his head, he slapped himself once in the face. ``Pull it together, man. Gotta stay focused.'' He whispered to himself before following.\n\nThere were already six people waiting in the lobby when Team B arrived. Lorena, Bao, Gregory, and Barad from Team A were present, along with Zoe and Jo from Team C.\n\n``Finally, we were about to go looking for you guys. We thought something might have happened.'' Jo said, not moving from her spot sprawled across one of the lobby's couches.\n\nDustin shrugged. ``Yeah, sorry, but we had a lot more ground to cover. But where are Rex and Kick? Weren't they with you two?''\n\n``Well, Kick was refusing to leave the restaurant, so we left him behind. Rex said he was gonna stay there and wait for him.'' Zoe said.\n\nEdison raised an eyebrow. ``And you honestly thought that was a good idea? What if one of them kills the other?''\n\nA deep laugh from Dustin cut off whatever reply somebody may have made. ``Man, trust me, neither of them are any risk to the other. They couldn't have been left in safer company.''\n\n``I don't know...'' Barad said quietly. ``Kick does seem a bit... psychotic.''\n\nThe tiger shrugged. ``That's just `cause you don't know him. Anyway, where's Ginger and the rest of her team? They were just checking the greenhouse, right? They should have been back before us, too.''\n\n``Oh, they were!'' Bao said, standing up from his own couch. ``But they already went ahead to the restaurant.''\n\nGregory nodded. ``Yes, we decided that since - since Kick and Rex were waiting, we would simply debrief at the restaurant instead of the lobby. I wanted to accompany - to accompany them, but...''\n\n``But I told you, you're not going anywhere near Ginger unless I'm there too.'' Zoe said, showing her teeth aggressively. Already separating himself from the crowd, Gregory stepped back a little, closer to the corner.\n\nThe repeated mentions of the word `restaurant' caused Dustin's stomach to growl, and loud. With an embarrassed look on his face, he gave it a gentle pat. ``Well, now that you mention it... maybe the restaurant's the best place to do this anyway. As long as there's food there, I mean.''\n\n``Wouldn't be a restaurant without food.'' Edison said, motioning for the moth to leave the corner and join them. ``Come on, then, if we're not waiting for anybody else... hang on.'' He raised an eyebrow as Gregory took a few steps closer, noticing the water dripping from his clothes. ``Why are you wet?''\n\n``Oh. Lorena tried to - tried to murder me.'' Gregory said, casting his eyes away from the bat. Everybody else turned to her.\n\nLorena threw her hands in the air with a huff. ``All I did was push you into the pool!''\n\n``After I told you that I - I can't swim.''\n\n``I was just being playful! Come on, guys, back me up here!'' she said, looking back and forth between Bao and Barad, both of which simply stared at the floor and scratched at the back of their heads. ``Oh, whatever.''\n\nLorena set off down the hallway, in the direction of the restaurant. Jo immediately jumped from the couch. ``Hang on, we agreed we were going to go as a group! Wait up!'' she said, following at a light sprint. The others followed as well, except for Zoe; she waited around the corner until Gregory left the lobby, thinking he was the last one, and walked side-by-side with him, keeping her eyes firmly planted on the moth.\n\nUpon arriving at the restaurant, everybody was surprised and thrilled to see that the tables had been set with all manner of boxed meals and drinks. Kick had even left the kitchen he had made his sanctuary, sitting across from Rex in a booth and laughing loudly as he ate a packaged salad, the tension from earlier obviously forgotten.\n\nSpotting Ginger sitting at a table with the other girls from her team, Dustin couldn't help but grin. Elena, taking notice of the happy look on his face, stepped up next to him. ``I assumed you would be smiling like that because of the food.'' She said.\n\nNot taking his eyes off of his sister, Dustin shook his head. ``Nah, the food's great, but... I've never actually seen her do that before.''\n\nElena looked over in confusion. ``...eat lunch?''\n\n``Exactly.'' He said, then turned to the elephant next to him. ``Or at least not in a cafeteria with other people. Ginger... didn't exactly have the best high school experience. She was bullied a lot because of her stripes.''\n\n``So that's why she hides them...'' Elena said, shaking her head sadly. ``I suppose we all have our demons, don't we?''\n\nDustin nodded. ``Yeah. But hey, don't say anything, okay? It's still not something she likes talking about.''\n\nElena smiled, and nodded. ``Of course. And for the record, that's very sweet of you.'' She said. Dustin raised an eyebrow, and she giggled. ``Feeling happy on your sister's behalf, I mean.''\n\nRealizing that everybody else had entered the room, Kick and Rex left their booth and joined them at the central tables. Lorena was picking through the drinks with a frown on her face.\n\n``All I see here is water and soda and energy drinks and junk.'' She said, then looked up at Kick. ``There's no tea in this hotel?''\n\nKick motioned to the kitchen. ``Nah, there's tea in there, I just didn't feel like making any. It's all individually packaged like the rest of this shit, though. You can only make one serving at a time - that's way too much hassle when I didn't know who wanted any.''\n\nTapping her foot impatiently, Lorena crossed her arms. ``Well, I guess that's... understandable. I'm gonna go make some, don't start the debrief without me, okay?'' she said, before heading into the kitchen.\n\nThe rabbit shook his head. ``Oh what, so now the rest of us have to wait because she's too good to have a Big Donk Energy?'' he said, picking up a can of the energy drink off the table and popping the tab open.\n\n``To be fair, it ain't like that much caffeine's good for ya to begin with.'' Mae said, her attention drawn away from her table. ``That's the third one you've had since we showed up, it's gonna kill ya, Kick.''\n\nKick laughed mockingly as he took a big, long swig. ``Well, at least none of you have to worry about murdering me if I do it to myself.'' He said, glancing around at the horrified faces all around him. ``What? Can't I make a fuckin' joke?''\n\nThe atmosphere in the room quickly turned awkward as everybody waited for Lorena to finish making her tea and rejoin them. Once she emerged from the kitchen, holding the steaming cup in her hand, the rest of the group slowly came together around the same table, the one occupied by Ginger and the rest of her team.\n\n``Hey! Stalker! You get over here, too!'' Zoe yelled, getting the attention of the moth who had isolated himself in a corner booth. Grumbling, Gregory stood up and joined the others.\n\nTaking charge again, Dustin did a quick head count to confirm that everyone was present, and leaned forward. ``Okay, let's all recap what we've found. Who wants to go first?''\n\n``Well, we might as well, since we're in the restaurant anyway.'' Rex said. ``So, we got here, and... there's nothing. Just a bunch of food and tables. No hidden doors or anything. Kick checked out the kitchen for a while, and he didn't find anything either, right?''\n\nKick shook his head. ``Nope, just boxes of food and drinks. Looks pretty stocked up, too. Also got dishes, sinks, everything you'd expect.''\n\n``But you were the only one of your team to actually check the kitchen, weren't you?'' Barad asked. ``Are you sure you were able to check everything in there?''\n\n``The FUCK does that mean?'' The rabbit's gaze swung over to the dragon, and he locked eyes. ``Are you saying that I can't search a fuckin' kitchen?''\n\nSurprisingly, the powerfully-built dragon flinched, shrinking away from the much smaller rabbit's stare. ``N-no, that's not what I... I wasn't trying to imply that - ''\n\nLorena cleared her throat. ``Well, I can back Kick up on this. I took a quick look myself while I was in there waiting for my tea to brew, and just as he said, there's nothing in that kitchen besides food and appliances.''\n\nKick grit his teeth. ``I didn't ask you to double-check my work, Princess. But... guess there's no harm in that since you were making us wait for you anyway.''\n\nSensing the rising tension in the room, Ginger chose to cut off any further arguing before it could begin. ``The greenhouse is also clear!'' she said, raising her voice to be heard over Kick. ``Well, um, mostly.''\n\n``Only `mostly'? Didn't you check all of it?'' Edison asked. ``I mean, that is what you went there to do. So why didn't you?''\n\nThe sheep slumped in her chair. ``There were, uh... a few problems.''\n\n``I was allergic to something.'' Charlene spoke up, tapping her fingers on the table. ``No idea what it was, but as soon as I stepped too far in there, I started sneezing and couldn't really breathe. We had to evacuate me, and Mae decided to stay in the hallway with me to make sure I was okay.''\n\nSummer chirped. ``Yep! I feel terrible about bringing her in there, by the way. Had I known she'd react like that, I wouldn't have been so hasty. But Ginger and I checked out the rest of the greenhouse by ourselves, and it was all clear! She searched the walls and I took a look at the plants. There's nothing suspicious in there.''\n\nGinger perked her head back up. ``That's... that's not true, Summer. What about the - ''\n\nThe cockatiel girl's eyes went wide. ``Oh! Yes, you're right! There was that door we couldn't get open. It's either stuck or locked, but the two of us weren't able to budge it at all. In fact, we were hoping a few of the bigger folk here could give it a try later. Other than that, nothing to report.''\n\nGinger began to object again, but her enthusiastic brother interrupted her. ``Of course we'll give it a try! We've got to see what's behind it, right? Anyway, if both the restaurant and greenhouse were a bust, how about the pool?'' he asked, turning to the other end of the table.\n\nWhile he spoke, Ginger cast her gaze over to Summer, raising an eyebrow at her. The cheery bird girl simply turned and winked at her, subtly raising a feather to her beak in a shushing motion.\n\n``The pool's... pretty big, I guess. Definitely enough for all of us to fit at the same time.'' Bao began his report. ``There are also a few locker rooms for changing, a sauna and a hot tub, and a snack bar. Other than that, we didn't find any kind of clue or means of escape.''\n\nLorena set her tea cup down and clapped her hands excitedly. ``I do, however, think we should have a pool party! If for no other reason than to unwind and have a little fun. That's going to be important moving forward, I think.''\n\n``Sounds more like a waste of time to me.'' Edison said with a sigh. ``We should be focusing on escaping, not on enjoying ourselves.''\n\nRex shook his head. ``Nah, man, you've got it all wrong! Lorena's absolutely right, if we're just doom and gloom all the time, we're gonna go nuts and just start fighting each other. And if we don't want that to happen, we've got to keep our stress levels down, and party like... well, animals!''\n\nJamie chuckled. ``Hate to tell you, Edison, but Rex of all people just made himself sound a whole lot smarter than you there.'' He said before returning to the meal in front of him. Edison turned and scowled at the mouse, while Rex simply grinned and enjoyed the somewhat backhanded compliment.\n\n``Yeah, it sounds like a good idea, but there's one problem with a pool party.'' Jo said, crossing her arms. ``All I had in the closet in my room were exactly what I'm wearing. The same outfit over and over. I didn't have a swimsuit or anything, how about the rest of you?''\n\nLorena slumped. ``Oh. Now that you mention it... I didn't think of that.''\n\n``Then we'll simply just have to swim without them.'' Elena said, smiling. Noticing all the shocked stares, she giggled. ``What? Did you all expect the religious girl to object to a bit of skinny-dipping?''\n\nGregory tensed up. ``You mean swimming without - without any clothes at all?'' he said, his eyes drifting over to Ginger. Zoe leaned directly into his line of sight, baring her teeth, and he dropped his gaze back to the table's surface.\n\nBarad raised a hand. ``It... might not need to come to that. While I did look inside the locker rooms, I didn't actually look inside the lockers themselves. There might be swimsuits in there for us.''\n\n``Sounds like it's worth a look! I'd love to have a pool party with everyone!'' Summer said with her signature cheery chirp. ``Okay, so that just leaves one more team to report, right?''\n\nDustin nodded. ``Yep, good ol' hardworking Team B. We searched the entire downstairs, every single room. But we didn't find anything at all, either. The whole ground floor is set up like a school for some reason, and We did figure out one important thing, though.'' He said, then stopped. His eyes darted around as he realized that he just did what he had warned everyone else not to, and said too much.\n\nEverybody else was looking at him, waiting for the tiger to continue speaking. He could see the angry look in Edison's eyes, the panicked look behind Jamie's glasses, and the surprised look on Elena's face.\n\n``...Well? What the fuck did you figure out?'' Kick asked.\n\nMae nodded. ``Yeah, don't go keepin' us in suspense, now!''\n\n``Well... we figured out that, um...'' Dustin stammered, not sure how to salvage this. He let out a sigh, deciding it was better to just get it out in the open at this point. ``We figured out that - ''\n\n``That this is some sort of shelter.'' Elena said. Dustin looked over at her in surprise as she took over the conversation. ``It had occurred to me last night that there were no windows in any of the rooms I had seen yesterday, and I didn't see any when we were searching other rooms today, either.''\n\nGinger hummed in thought, then nodded. ``Huh. You know, you're right. Even the greenhouse had concrete walls behind the glass ones.''\n\nThe elephant nodded back, and continued. ``And the fact that each floor of this hotel we've seen follows a different theme, and the size of this `restaurant' and the way the food is packaged... I believe we're in an underground fallout shelter of some sort. One designed for far more people than our group.''\n\nBao exhaled, shaking his head. ``That's... that's crazy. Why would they make a fallout shelter that looks like a hotel?''\n\n``Or put us in here to kill each other, for that matter.'' Lorena said, her voice sounding deflated.\n\n``And... if we're underground... that means we're never going to see natural sunlight again.'' Summer said, her head crest dropping down in disappointment.\n\nTaking note of the depressing tone filling the room, Dustin slammed his hand on the table. ``What are you all talking about? It doesn't matter where we are! We're gonna see the sun, and nobody's gonna die, because if they got us in here that means there's an exit somewhere. And we're gonna walk right out of it, all of us at the same time!''\n\nThe others around the table all nodded and voiced their agreement, some more enthusiastically than others. Elena simply continued to smile, her eyes lingering on the take-charge tiger who had now, in her eyes, firmly cemented himself as the group's leader.\n\nAfter the debriefing ended, everybody spread out in the restaurant again, breaking into smaller groups for conversation. Some of them left to return to their rooms, or deal with other tasks that had come up during the meeting; Barad was returning to the pool to look inside the lockers, while Dustin had recruited Zoe, Barad, and Elena to join him in the greenhouse and pull the door open - Zoe insisted that Gregory join them too.\n\nGinger kept a close eye on Summer, waiting for her to be alone, and then approached with a clearing of her throat. ``Um, Summer? I... I want to ask you something.''\n\n``Of course!'' Summer said, that cheerful chirp back in her voice. ``What do you need? I was just going to go and find something to mark the dangerous plants with.'' She said, dropping her voice to a near whisper as she mentioned the plants.\n\n``That's... actually exactly what I wanted to ask. I thought we agreed that the others needed to know, so they wouldn't touch them? So why did you stop me from mentioning those plants?'' Ginger asked.\n\nSummer's head crest drooped back down. ``Oh... sorry, I should have told you before the meeting. I realized that it's more dangerous for them to know... if they knew there was deadly poison at their fingertips, somebody might decide to use it. Or curiosity might get the better of them, and they just... touch a plant they shouldn't.''\n\nTimidly, Ginger nodded. ``Yeah... I guess you're right. I just felt blindsided, I guess. But do you really think anybody would actually kill anyone else?''\n\n``To be honest, I don't know. And that's why those plants have to be our little secret, okay?'' Summer said, chirping again. ``Just between the two of us!'' With the matter settled, Summer gave Ginger a light peck on the cheek, catching the sheep girl off guard on her way out of the restaurant.\n\nAfter the lights had dimmed, most of the hotel's residents had returned to their rooms to get a good night's sleep. Three of them, however, instead chose to loiter in the restaurant.\n\n``Did you end up getting that door open?'' Rex asked, seated on top of one of the tables with his feet on the bench. ``The one in the greenhouse. I really want to know what's behind that thing.''\n\nDustin shook his head, taking a drink of the soda he had in his hand. ``Nah, it wouldn't budge. All five of us tried at the same time, but it's no good. Whatever's in there, we won't find out unless The Host decides to show us.''\n\nKick opened up another can of his energy drink. ``My bet? It's the exit. Not like there are any other locked doors for us to try, so it makes sense, right?''\n\n``Sure, on these two floors.'' Dustin said. ``Nobody tried the elevators, did they?''\n\nRex let out a short, but loud, belch. ``Actually, I was talking to that Charlene girl - you know, the biker girl? The one who's kind of hot? Anyway, we were talking while waiting for everybody else to show up at the restaurant, while Kick was still in the kitchen. She said that they don't work.''\n\nDustin frowned. ``Huh. So they're either also there for show, or just not on yet. So the exit could still be - ''\n\n``Hold the fuck on!'' Kick said, half shouting, half laughing. ``Let's not just skip right past the fact that he just said that chimp's hot. Rex, you dog, you.'' Still laughing, Kick quickly ducked out of the way of a thrown soda can.\n\nRex's face turned red. ``Oh, shut up! I'm allowed to like people!''\n\nKick took one of his own empty cans and threw it back. ``Never said you couldn't, dumbass. If I'm being honest, she's not a bad pick. If she were more my type I'd probably be into her myself.'' He said with a grin. ``But you know I only have eyes for you two, so don't worry about any competition.''\n\n``Really?'' Dustin asked, a grin spreading over his own face now. ``Not one other guy here's your type? I mean, I can understand you not liking somebody like Jamie or Greg, but I thought for sure someone like Barad would have your attention.''\n\nThe rabbit shrugged. ``Yeah, he's hot enough, but under all that hot he's actually kind of a pussy. Took a minute for me to see that, but once you notice it, it's a real turn-off.'' Taking another long chug of his energy drink, Kick let out his own belch and turned his attention to the horned tiger next to him. ``Alright, Rex and I admitted our crushes or lack thereof, so how about you? Anyone been stuck in ol' Dustbin's head?''\n\nNow it was Dustin's turn to blush and avert his gaze. ``Well, I guess there is someone, but... you guys wouldn't get it.''\n\n``Uh-uh, don't cop out on us! We showed you ours, so show us yours!'' Rex said.\n\nWith a sigh, Dustin reached up to give one of his horns a rub. ``If I'm being honest... I kind of like... Elena.'' He said, taking a quick drink of soda to avoid saying any more.\n\nKick nearly fell off the table as he started laughing. ``What, the religious chick? She's not your type at all! Someone like Lorena, a hot bat who likes punk music, sure - but a moon-obsessed elephant who probably just listens to gospel?''\n\n``I guess it's just that she... you know, she makes me feel... good.'' Dustin said, clutching his soda can with both hands now. ``I just feel like I want to be around her.''\n\n``And her ass is pretty nice, too.'' Rex said, and Kick started laughing again. ``What? It is!''\n\nDustin tossed his can across the restaurant, standing up from the table. ``See? I told you that you wouldn't get it. I'm going to bed.'' He said as he made his way to the door, his hands balled into fists.\n\nKick rolled his eyes. ``Oh, fuck off and get back here, we'll stop making fun of your church girl.'' He said, gritting his teeth as Dustin just wordlessly stepped through the door. ``Okay, fine, actually fuck off then!''\n\nDustin's head was pounding as he stomped down the hall away from the restaurant - his two best friends had put him in a terrible mood. He almost didn't notice it when he returned to the lobby, and Elena was there, down on her knees and facing away with her hands raised in the air. Held in her hands was the tree branch that she always carried on her back, and she was waving it in small motions while whispering something to herself.\n\nHe watched her in silence for a time, enthralled by what he assumed to be a prayer. Once she finished, placing the branch on the ground and lowering her head, he cleared his throat to get her attention. She turned with a loud gasp, her face full of surprise and a bit of fear, but that expression softened as she saw the tiger standing on the other side of the room. ``Oh! Dustin! I'm sorry, you startled me.''\n\n``My bad. I just didn't want to interrupt.'' He said, hands in the pockets of his vest as he stepped closer. ``That, uh, was that a prayer you were just doing?''\n\nElena nodded. ``Yes. I was... hoping that the moon could still see and hear me, even here. Usually I'd be able to make direct visual contact, but...'' She trailed off as she cast another gaze to the concrete ceiling above her. ``...that's not possible. I don't know if it's hearing my prayers or not. Without the moon's guidance and love, I feel... lost. Alone.''\n\nHe kept approaching until he was right next to her, taking one hand out of his pocket and placing it on her shoulder. ``But you know you're not alone, right?'' he said with a grin. ``And if the moon won't talk to you, you can talk to me instead.''\n\nShe looked back to him with a smile, placing her hand on top of his. ``You're absolutely right, Dustin. Thank you.''\n\n","writing_bbcode_parsed":"Dustin's head was still reeling as his team returned to the lobby. In the end, they hadn't managed to find anything on the ground floor of the hotel, but Edison's revelation was still gnawing at him.
``Out of the sixteen people that woke up in this room, one of us... is The Host.''
Hearing voices ahead, he stopped and turned in place. His eyes lingered on Elena, Edison, and Jamie. ``Okay, so, I don't think we should tell anybody about what Edison said. About one of us being The Host, I mean.''
Elena paused. ``I think it's important that we do. They deserve to know, don't they? It does count as information we found during our investigation.''
``No.'' Edison shook his head. ``If I'm right, then we need to keep this between us, and not let The Host know that we're on to him... or her... whoever. Honestly, it was enough of a risk for me to tell the three of you - I can't rule anybody out at this point.''
Jamie's eyes narrowed behind his huge glasses. ``We can't rule you out either, you know.''
Edison rolled his eyes. ``Please. If I were The Host, would I really have brought it up as a possibility?''
``You would if you want us to be suspicious of each other.'' The mouse said, crossing his arms. ``What better way to break our mutual trust and make us commit murder?''
The ferret scowled. ``And remind me, which of us is the tech genius who could conceivably build an army of robots?''
Dustin clapped his hands, drawing their attention to himself. ``Okay, okay, cut it out! See, that's exactly why we can't tell anybody. It's already got the two of you at each others' throats, imagine how the others would react.''
The two of them exchanged suspicious glances with each other, then nodded. ``For the record, I agreed with you to begin with.'' Edison muttered before tucking his hands in his pockets and walking back to the lobby. Jamie simply followed without a word.
With a sigh, Dustin turned to follow them, but stopped when he felt a heavy hand on his shoulder. He turned to see Elena, smiling again. ``There's that natural leader again.'' She said. He was a bit surprised when her hand moved from his shoulder to grab his own, squeezing tight as she pulled him forward. ``Come on, let's not keep the others waiting.'' She said, releasing her hold as she stepped into the lobby.
For a moment, Dustin couldn't help but watch as she walked away. Shaking his head, he slapped himself once in the face. ``Pull it together, man. Gotta stay focused.'' He whispered to himself before following.
There were already six people waiting in the lobby when Team B arrived. Lorena, Bao, Gregory, and Barad from Team A were present, along with Zoe and Jo from Team C.
``Finally, we were about to go looking for you guys. We thought something might have happened.'' Jo said, not moving from her spot sprawled across one of the lobby's couches.
Dustin shrugged. ``Yeah, sorry, but we had a lot more ground to cover. But where are Rex and Kick? Weren't they with you two?''
``Well, Kick was refusing to leave the restaurant, so we left him behind. Rex said he was gonna stay there and wait for him.'' Zoe said.
Edison raised an eyebrow. ``And you honestly thought that was a good idea? What if one of them kills the other?''
A deep laugh from Dustin cut off whatever reply somebody may have made. ``Man, trust me, neither of them are any risk to the other. They couldn't have been left in safer company.''
``I don't know...'' Barad said quietly. ``Kick does seem a bit... psychotic.''
The tiger shrugged. ``That's just `cause you don't know him. Anyway, where's Ginger and the rest of her team? They were just checking the greenhouse, right? They should have been back before us, too.''
``Oh, they were!'' Bao said, standing up from his own couch. ``But they already went ahead to the restaurant.''
Gregory nodded. ``Yes, we decided that since - since Kick and Rex were waiting, we would simply debrief at the restaurant instead of the lobby. I wanted to accompany - to accompany them, but...''
``But I told you, you're not going anywhere near Ginger unless I'm there too.'' Zoe said, showing her teeth aggressively. Already separating himself from the crowd, Gregory stepped back a little, closer to the corner.
The repeated mentions of the word `restaurant' caused Dustin's stomach to growl, and loud. With an embarrassed look on his face, he gave it a gentle pat. ``Well, now that you mention it... maybe the restaurant's the best place to do this anyway. As long as there's food there, I mean.''
``Wouldn't be a restaurant without food.'' Edison said, motioning for the moth to leave the corner and join them. ``Come on, then, if we're not waiting for anybody else... hang on.'' He raised an eyebrow as Gregory took a few steps closer, noticing the water dripping from his clothes. ``Why are you wet?''
``Oh. Lorena tried to - tried to murder me.'' Gregory said, casting his eyes away from the bat. Everybody else turned to her.
Lorena threw her hands in the air with a huff. ``All I did was push you into the pool!''
``After I told you that I - I can't swim.''
``I was just being playful! Come on, guys, back me up here!'' she said, looking back and forth between Bao and Barad, both of which simply stared at the floor and scratched at the back of their heads. ``Oh, whatever.''
Lorena set off down the hallway, in the direction of the restaurant. Jo immediately jumped from the couch. ``Hang on, we agreed we were going to go as a group! Wait up!'' she said, following at a light sprint. The others followed as well, except for Zoe; she waited around the corner until Gregory left the lobby, thinking he was the last one, and walked side-by-side with him, keeping her eyes firmly planted on the moth.
Upon arriving at the restaurant, everybody was surprised and thrilled to see that the tables had been set with all manner of boxed meals and drinks. Kick had even left the kitchen he had made his sanctuary, sitting across from Rex in a booth and laughing loudly as he ate a packaged salad, the tension from earlier obviously forgotten.
Spotting Ginger sitting at a table with the other girls from her team, Dustin couldn't help but grin. Elena, taking notice of the happy look on his face, stepped up next to him. ``I assumed you would be smiling like that because of the food.'' She said.
Not taking his eyes off of his sister, Dustin shook his head. ``Nah, the food's great, but... I've never actually seen her do that before.''
Elena looked over in confusion. ``...eat lunch?''
``Exactly.'' He said, then turned to the elephant next to him. ``Or at least not in a cafeteria with other people. Ginger... didn't exactly have the best high school experience. She was bullied a lot because of her stripes.''
``So that's why she hides them...'' Elena said, shaking her head sadly. ``I suppose we all have our demons, don't we?''
Dustin nodded. ``Yeah. But hey, don't say anything, okay? It's still not something she likes talking about.''
Elena smiled, and nodded. ``Of course. And for the record, that's very sweet of you.'' She said. Dustin raised an eyebrow, and she giggled. ``Feeling happy on your sister's behalf, I mean.''
Realizing that everybody else had entered the room, Kick and Rex left their booth and joined them at the central tables. Lorena was picking through the drinks with a frown on her face.
``All I see here is water and soda and energy drinks and junk.'' She said, then looked up at Kick. ``There's no tea in this hotel?''
Kick motioned to the kitchen. ``Nah, there's tea in there, I just didn't feel like making any. It's all individually packaged like the rest of this shit, though. You can only make one serving at a time - that's way too much hassle when I didn't know who wanted any.''
Tapping her foot impatiently, Lorena crossed her arms. ``Well, I guess that's... understandable. I'm gonna go make some, don't start the debrief without me, okay?'' she said, before heading into the kitchen.
The rabbit shook his head. ``Oh what, so now the rest of us have to wait because she's too good to have a Big Donk Energy?'' he said, picking up a can of the energy drink off the table and popping the tab open.
``To be fair, it ain't like that much caffeine's good for ya to begin with.'' Mae said, her attention drawn away from her table. ``That's the third one you've had since we showed up, it's gonna kill ya, Kick.''
Kick laughed mockingly as he took a big, long swig. ``Well, at least none of you have to worry about murdering me if I do it to myself.'' He said, glancing around at the horrified faces all around him. ``What? Can't I make a fuckin' joke?''
The atmosphere in the room quickly turned awkward as everybody waited for Lorena to finish making her tea and rejoin them. Once she emerged from the kitchen, holding the steaming cup in her hand, the rest of the group slowly came together around the same table, the one occupied by Ginger and the rest of her team.
``Hey! Stalker! You get over here, too!'' Zoe yelled, getting the attention of the moth who had isolated himself in a corner booth. Grumbling, Gregory stood up and joined the others.
Taking charge again, Dustin did a quick head count to confirm that everyone was present, and leaned forward. ``Okay, let's all recap what we've found. Who wants to go first?''
``Well, we might as well, since we're in the restaurant anyway.'' Rex said. ``So, we got here, and... there's nothing. Just a bunch of food and tables. No hidden doors or anything. Kick checked out the kitchen for a while, and he didn't find anything either, right?''
Kick shook his head. ``Nope, just boxes of food and drinks. Looks pretty stocked up, too. Also got dishes, sinks, everything you'd expect.''
``But you were the only one of your team to actually check the kitchen, weren't you?'' Barad asked. ``Are you sure you were able to check everything in there?''
``The FUCK does that mean?'' The rabbit's gaze swung over to the dragon, and he locked eyes. ``Are you saying that I can't search a fuckin' kitchen?''
Surprisingly, the powerfully-built dragon flinched, shrinking away from the much smaller rabbit's stare. ``N-no, that's not what I... I wasn't trying to imply that - ''
Lorena cleared her throat. ``Well, I can back Kick up on this. I took a quick look myself while I was in there waiting for my tea to brew, and just as he said, there's nothing in that kitchen besides food and appliances.''
Kick grit his teeth. ``I didn't ask you to double-check my work, Princess. But... guess there's no harm in that since you were making us wait for you anyway.''
Sensing the rising tension in the room, Ginger chose to cut off any further arguing before it could begin. ``The greenhouse is also clear!'' she said, raising her voice to be heard over Kick. ``Well, um, mostly.''
``Only `mostly'? Didn't you check all of it?'' Edison asked. ``I mean, that is what you went there to do. So why didn't you?''
The sheep slumped in her chair. ``There were, uh... a few problems.''
``I was allergic to something.'' Charlene spoke up, tapping her fingers on the table. ``No idea what it was, but as soon as I stepped too far in there, I started sneezing and couldn't really breathe. We had to evacuate me, and Mae decided to stay in the hallway with me to make sure I was okay.''
Summer chirped. ``Yep! I feel terrible about bringing her in there, by the way. Had I known she'd react like that, I wouldn't have been so hasty. But Ginger and I checked out the rest of the greenhouse by ourselves, and it was all clear! She searched the walls and I took a look at the plants. There's nothing suspicious in there.''
Ginger perked her head back up. ``That's... that's not true, Summer. What about the - ''
The cockatiel girl's eyes went wide. ``Oh! Yes, you're right! There was that door we couldn't get open. It's either stuck or locked, but the two of us weren't able to budge it at all. In fact, we were hoping a few of the bigger folk here could give it a try later. Other than that, nothing to report.''
Ginger began to object again, but her enthusiastic brother interrupted her. ``Of course we'll give it a try! We've got to see what's behind it, right? Anyway, if both the restaurant and greenhouse were a bust, how about the pool?'' he asked, turning to the other end of the table.
While he spoke, Ginger cast her gaze over to Summer, raising an eyebrow at her. The cheery bird girl simply turned and winked at her, subtly raising a feather to her beak in a shushing motion.
``The pool's... pretty big, I guess. Definitely enough for all of us to fit at the same time.'' Bao began his report. ``There are also a few locker rooms for changing, a sauna and a hot tub, and a snack bar. Other than that, we didn't find any kind of clue or means of escape.''
Lorena set her tea cup down and clapped her hands excitedly. ``I do, however, think we should have a pool party! If for no other reason than to unwind and have a little fun. That's going to be important moving forward, I think.''
``Sounds more like a waste of time to me.'' Edison said with a sigh. ``We should be focusing on escaping, not on enjoying ourselves.''
Rex shook his head. ``Nah, man, you've got it all wrong! Lorena's absolutely right, if we're just doom and gloom all the time, we're gonna go nuts and just start fighting each other. And if we don't want that to happen, we've got to keep our stress levels down, and party like... well, animals!''
Jamie chuckled. ``Hate to tell you, Edison, but Rex of all people just made himself sound a whole lot smarter than you there.'' He said before returning to the meal in front of him. Edison turned and scowled at the mouse, while Rex simply grinned and enjoyed the somewhat backhanded compliment.
``Yeah, it sounds like a good idea, but there's one problem with a pool party.'' Jo said, crossing her arms. ``All I had in the closet in my room were exactly what I'm wearing. The same outfit over and over. I didn't have a swimsuit or anything, how about the rest of you?''
Lorena slumped. ``Oh. Now that you mention it... I didn't think of that.''
``Then we'll simply just have to swim without them.'' Elena said, smiling. Noticing all the shocked stares, she giggled. ``What? Did you all expect the religious girl to object to a bit of skinny-dipping?''
Gregory tensed up. ``You mean swimming without - without any clothes at all?'' he said, his eyes drifting over to Ginger. Zoe leaned directly into his line of sight, baring her teeth, and he dropped his gaze back to the table's surface.
Barad raised a hand. ``It... might not need to come to that. While I did look inside the locker rooms, I didn't actually look inside the lockers themselves. There might be swimsuits in there for us.''
``Sounds like it's worth a look! I'd love to have a pool party with everyone!'' Summer said with her signature cheery chirp. ``Okay, so that just leaves one more team to report, right?''
Dustin nodded. ``Yep, good ol' hardworking Team B. We searched the entire downstairs, every single room. But we didn't find anything at all, either. The whole ground floor is set up like a school for some reason, and We did figure out one important thing, though.'' He said, then stopped. His eyes darted around as he realized that he just did what he had warned everyone else not to, and said too much.
Everybody else was looking at him, waiting for the tiger to continue speaking. He could see the angry look in Edison's eyes, the panicked look behind Jamie's glasses, and the surprised look on Elena's face.
``...Well? What the fuck did you figure out?'' Kick asked.
Mae nodded. ``Yeah, don't go keepin' us in suspense, now!''
``Well... we figured out that, um...'' Dustin stammered, not sure how to salvage this. He let out a sigh, deciding it was better to just get it out in the open at this point. ``We figured out that - ''
``That this is some sort of shelter.'' Elena said. Dustin looked over at her in surprise as she took over the conversation. ``It had occurred to me last night that there were no windows in any of the rooms I had seen yesterday, and I didn't see any when we were searching other rooms today, either.''
Ginger hummed in thought, then nodded. ``Huh. You know, you're right. Even the greenhouse had concrete walls behind the glass ones.''
The elephant nodded back, and continued. ``And the fact that each floor of this hotel we've seen follows a different theme, and the size of this `restaurant' and the way the food is packaged... I believe we're in an underground fallout shelter of some sort. One designed for far more people than our group.''
Bao exhaled, shaking his head. ``That's... that's crazy. Why would they make a fallout shelter that looks like a hotel?''
``Or put us in here to kill each other, for that matter.'' Lorena said, her voice sounding deflated.
``And... if we're underground... that means we're never going to see natural sunlight again.'' Summer said, her head crest dropping down in disappointment.
Taking note of the depressing tone filling the room, Dustin slammed his hand on the table. ``What are you all talking about? It doesn't matter where we are! We're gonna see the sun, and nobody's gonna die, because if they got us in here that means there's an exit somewhere. And we're gonna walk right out of it, all of us at the same time!''
The others around the table all nodded and voiced their agreement, some more enthusiastically than others. Elena simply continued to smile, her eyes lingering on the take-charge tiger who had now, in her eyes, firmly cemented himself as the group's leader.
After the debriefing ended, everybody spread out in the restaurant again, breaking into smaller groups for conversation. Some of them left to return to their rooms, or deal with other tasks that had come up during the meeting; Barad was returning to the pool to look inside the lockers, while Dustin had recruited Zoe, Barad, and Elena to join him in the greenhouse and pull the door open - Zoe insisted that Gregory join them too.
Ginger kept a close eye on Summer, waiting for her to be alone, and then approached with a clearing of her throat. ``Um, Summer? I... I want to ask you something.''
``Of course!'' Summer said, that cheerful chirp back in her voice. ``What do you need? I was just going to go and find something to mark the dangerous plants with.'' She said, dropping her voice to a near whisper as she mentioned the plants.
``That's... actually exactly what I wanted to ask. I thought we agreed that the others needed to know, so they wouldn't touch them? So why did you stop me from mentioning those plants?'' Ginger asked.
Summer's head crest drooped back down. ``Oh... sorry, I should have told you before the meeting. I realized that it's more dangerous for them to know... if they knew there was deadly poison at their fingertips, somebody might decide to use it. Or curiosity might get the better of them, and they just... touch a plant they shouldn't.''
Timidly, Ginger nodded. ``Yeah... I guess you're right. I just felt blindsided, I guess. But do you really think anybody would actually kill anyone else?''
``To be honest, I don't know. And that's why those plants have to be our little secret, okay?'' Summer said, chirping again. ``Just between the two of us!'' With the matter settled, Summer gave Ginger a light peck on the cheek, catching the sheep girl off guard on her way out of the restaurant.
After the lights had dimmed, most of the hotel's residents had returned to their rooms to get a good night's sleep. Three of them, however, instead chose to loiter in the restaurant.
``Did you end up getting that door open?'' Rex asked, seated on top of one of the tables with his feet on the bench. ``The one in the greenhouse. I really want to know what's behind that thing.''
Dustin shook his head, taking a drink of the soda he had in his hand. ``Nah, it wouldn't budge. All five of us tried at the same time, but it's no good. Whatever's in there, we won't find out unless The Host decides to show us.''
Kick opened up another can of his energy drink. ``My bet? It's the exit. Not like there are any other locked doors for us to try, so it makes sense, right?''
``Sure, on these two floors.'' Dustin said. ``Nobody tried the elevators, did they?''
Rex let out a short, but loud, belch. ``Actually, I was talking to that Charlene girl - you know, the biker girl? The one who's kind of hot? Anyway, we were talking while waiting for everybody else to show up at the restaurant, while Kick was still in the kitchen. She said that they don't work.''
Dustin frowned. ``Huh. So they're either also there for show, or just not on yet. So the exit could still be - ''
``Hold the fuck on!'' Kick said, half shouting, half laughing. ``Let's not just skip right past the fact that he just said that chimp's hot. Rex, you dog, you.'' Still laughing, Kick quickly ducked out of the way of a thrown soda can.
Rex's face turned red. ``Oh, shut up! I'm allowed to like people!''
Kick took one of his own empty cans and threw it back. ``Never said you couldn't, dumbass. If I'm being honest, she's not a bad pick. If she were more my type I'd probably be into her myself.'' He said with a grin. ``But you know I only have eyes for you two, so don't worry about any competition.''
``Really?'' Dustin asked, a grin spreading over his own face now. ``Not one other guy here's your type? I mean, I can understand you not liking somebody like Jamie or Greg, but I thought for sure someone like Barad would have your attention.''
The rabbit shrugged. ``Yeah, he's hot enough, but under all that hot he's actually kind of a pussy. Took a minute for me to see that, but once you notice it, it's a real turn-off.'' Taking another long chug of his energy drink, Kick let out his own belch and turned his attention to the horned tiger next to him. ``Alright, Rex and I admitted our crushes or lack thereof, so how about you? Anyone been stuck in ol' Dustbin's head?''
Now it was Dustin's turn to blush and avert his gaze. ``Well, I guess there is someone, but... you guys wouldn't get it.''
``Uh-uh, don't cop out on us! We showed you ours, so show us yours!'' Rex said.
With a sigh, Dustin reached up to give one of his horns a rub. ``If I'm being honest... I kind of like... Elena.'' He said, taking a quick drink of soda to avoid saying any more.
Kick nearly fell off the table as he started laughing. ``What, the religious chick? She's not your type at all! Someone like Lorena, a hot bat who likes punk music, sure - but a moon-obsessed elephant who probably just listens to gospel?''
``I guess it's just that she... you know, she makes me feel... good.'' Dustin said, clutching his soda can with both hands now. ``I just feel like I want to be around her.''
``And her ass is pretty nice, too.'' Rex said, and Kick started laughing again. ``What? It is!''
Dustin tossed his can across the restaurant, standing up from the table. ``See? I told you that you wouldn't get it. I'm going to bed.'' He said as he made his way to the door, his hands balled into fists.
Kick rolled his eyes. ``Oh, fuck off and get back here, we'll stop making fun of your church girl.'' He said, gritting his teeth as Dustin just wordlessly stepped through the door. ``Okay, fine, actually fuck off then!''
Dustin's head was pounding as he stomped down the hall away from the restaurant - his two best friends had put him in a terrible mood. He almost didn't notice it when he returned to the lobby, and Elena was there, down on her knees and facing away with her hands raised in the air. Held in her hands was the tree branch that she always carried on her back, and she was waving it in small motions while whispering something to herself.
He watched her in silence for a time, enthralled by what he assumed to be a prayer. Once she finished, placing the branch on the ground and lowering her head, he cleared his throat to get her attention. She turned with a loud gasp, her face full of surprise and a bit of fear, but that expression softened as she saw the tiger standing on the other side of the room. ``Oh! Dustin! I'm sorry, you startled me.''
``My bad. I just didn't want to interrupt.'' He said, hands in the pockets of his vest as he stepped closer. ``That, uh, was that a prayer you were just doing?''
Elena nodded. ``Yes. I was... hoping that the moon could still see and hear me, even here. Usually I'd be able to make direct visual contact, but...'' She trailed off as she cast another gaze to the concrete ceiling above her. ``...that's not possible. I don't know if it's hearing my prayers or not. Without the moon's guidance and love, I feel... lost. Alone.''
He kept approaching until he was right next to her, taking one hand out of his pocket and placing it on her shoulder. ``But you know you're not alone, right?'' he said with a grin. ``And if the moon won't talk to you, you can talk to me instead.''
She looked back to him with a smile, placing her hand on top of his. ``You're absolutely right, Dustin. Thank you.''
","pools_count":2,"title":"The Killing Game (Chapter 1, Part 3)","deleted":"f","public":"t","mimetype":"application/msword","pagecount":"1","rating_id":"2","rating_name":"Adult","ratings":[{"content_tag_id":"5","name":"Strong Violence","description":"Strong violence, blood, serious injury or death","rating_id":"2"}],"submission_type_id":"12","type_name":"Writing - Document","guest_block":"t","friends_only":"f","comments_count":"0","views":"27"}