[HANDSET; AUDIO]

[unetrustworthy]

[Midii very rarely used the Handset. In fact, she very rarely spoke out in public at all; her preference for conversation was usually face-to-face.]

[But a certain conversation the previous month was still weighing heavily in her mind, and with all this construction going on around the palace--she had seen it in passing several times in the last few weeks while running her delivery jobs--curiosity got the better of her. A single question she eventually couldn't help asking:]

What does everyone think of the Midnight Hotel?

[Overgeneralized for a reason. There were so many different opinions to take into account, and she wanted to hear them all.]

I know that there's work being done on the--[But she was cut off by a sudden bout of coughing. Dry, mainly, and lasting only a few seconds, though the subsequent clearing of her throat and audible sigh indicated this wasn't the first time she'd coughed like that today.]--sorry. Like I was saying...um...

[What was I saying again?]

...right. The Palace.

I wanted to know what made it so special, compared to the Hotel.

Comments

[solo_patria]

[Enjolras remembers that conversation, of course, so he's a bit more focused on the rest of the question as she asked it, and he CAN answer, a little.]

The Palace was the place soul lanterns were stored, once upon a time. And there was magic cast from there, I do believe, once upon a time. The hotel has magic but I believe it is of a different sort.

[And then, thee's a bit of a frown.]

Are you all right?

[unetrustworthy]

[The former part of Enjolras' response was hardly new information. Neither regarding the souls...nor the magic.]

Yes. I know. I've been hearing the stories as of late.

[Things appearing. Only in certain spots, but it was enough of an occurrence to warrant public discussions. She'd been following them from afar, because of course she had.]

And I'm...I have a cough. It's nothing serious. I've had it for maybe a week?

[solo_patria]

Those are...just about everything I have heard, sadly. I wonder, too. So much more corruption was dealt directly to the palace itself, wasn't it? Evandau and the hatchlings were killed on the steps, weren't they? And Eshai died inside. It may be nothing, but then, souls have factored so much into everything that they may have something to do with it?

[It's not a good idea, by any means, and rather awkward at best, and he'll be the first to admit to that one, straight away. And then something else occurs to Enjolras as he leans forward a bit.]

Actually, the hotel...Do we know if the required neutrality is to do with Monsieur Shudder's policies or with the building itself? I wonder if there is some magic of a different sort governing that instead. And we do not know, do we, how the hotel got those properties to begin with.

[As for the cough, he's nodding, though he still does look a bit concerned.]

Ah. Then that is good. I...may have spent a good deal of time in the company of an overzealous medical student. It does inspire a bit too much worry, sometimes.

[unetrustworthy]

[The greatest reaction he would get was the mentioning of the hatchlings. And he wouldn't even see it. The stiffening of her petite frame. Face paling ever so slightly. She had been far too connected to Riva not to feel that pain, even if it was second-hand. Emily-Helen....]

[It had been so long. Yet the moment be brought it up again, it all came rushing right back to her.]

But that was...Malicant, right? He was the one who killed them. [Though not Eshai. She knew about that as well, along with the shocking truth behind the former Emperor's demise.] And he's not here anymore. He can't hurt us now.

[In theory.]

[confirmationbias]

I have no plans to move out of the hotel, especially with all that weird magic stuff about. Well weird, unstable magic stuff. Curses and corruption and dust now?

Anyway I doubt the palace is going to have central heating anytime soon, and its placement is much less convenient than the hotel.

[A palace was just too much trouble without a large staff to maintain it for you]

[unetrustworthy]

[That voice.]

[She frowned at first, their last conversation instantly coming to mind...but her response was actually informative. And impersonal. So Midii remained quiet and listened. When the older girl first mentioned magic, Midii assumed she was referring to the strange occurrences in the kitchen as of late, but...no...she was talking about the palace, wasn't she?]

...what dust?

[She could deduce what the first two were referring to. But dust? What was so bad about dust?]

[confirmationbias]

I don't know the details, its like magical asbestos or something. You didn't hear about the quarantine?

[unetrustworthy]

[Yeah, okay, any lingering grudges she might have held were instantly forgotten. This was important information to learn.]

I...knew about the fact that was a quarantine.

I didn't know why. Or what areas were being affected.

Audio

[raavashing]

I like the gardens.

[Wan answered easily, honestly.]

They've gone wild in the last year and they're beautiful and peaceful. The hotel doesn't have anything like that.

Audio

[unetrustworthy]

[That was...not a bad answer, actually; she had seen the gardens (from a distance, of course) over by the palace area. There were very aesthetically pleasing. She was sure they smelled even nicer, given the variety of flora found among some local shops.]

Then what's stopping you from visiting the gardens whenever you like, but still staying at the Hotel?

Audio

[raavashing]

Nothing. I just prefer the wilds. It reminds me of home.

Audio

[unetrustworthy]

You used to live...in the wilds?

[Though, technically, for a time? So had she. During those months in which the caravans traveled through deep forests. Almost jungle-like terrane, if during the brutal cold of European Winter.]

Or do you mean there were forests near your home?

[radio]

[theideaguy]

Well, it's not like we really have any space to sprawl out and do anything with in the Hotel. Besides, it's not ours. If we're going to get some free land out of the deal, I don't see any downsides.

[There's a brief pause.]

Besides, do you know exactly where we are when we're in the hotel? How is it connected to all these places at once? Are you sure we're not inside of weird alternate universe surrounded by either nothingness or evil space mutants with jelly tentacles?

[confirmationbias]

How sure are you that Tu Shanshu doesn't exist inside a nightmare tentacle scape?

And technically, with the dreaming and all, doesn't it?

[radio]

[theideaguy]

[Somewhere, someone has intercepted his transmission! Sokka is actually slightly surprised by this... and then he remembers yet again that it's not like he's encrypting his replies to anyone in specific.]

Thank you very much, Sonja. Now I'm going to have that nightmare again tonight?

[Yes, these are among the random dreams that Sokka has already had in this world.]

I try not to think about what's you know, out there. I'd like to hope it's just space.

[confirmationbias]

Yes, but space has space aliens in it.

[all the aliens. all of them]

Its been proven.

With science.

[radio]

[unetrustworthy]

[Right then? Midii wasn't sure of anything.]

We are in an alternate universe.

[Stated so matter-of-factly; true, there was never 100% proof that this was the case for any of them--she hadn't exactly traveled the entirety of the globe in her own world. This could simply have been a different part of Earth. Or another planet. But when compared to the notes of others...the evidence was enough to convince her.]

[And as for the rest of his claims:]

No one ever said you have to stay there all the time, though.

I only go back to sleep and sometimes eat. You can live there and still explore the rest of the city whenever you want.

[radio]

[theideaguy]

[There's a moment of a frown at the first part because, well, he had walked right into that. Yeah, he's just going to ignore that and keep on walking right by it since it flew up in his face.]

I don't spend all day at the Hotel though!

[Then, slightly calmer:]

Though in truth, I would like to find a place to just call my own, you know. Some place that isn't entirely borrowed. Besides, why not? We could actually start up some good home-made Foreigner industry on all that land!

[radio]

[unetrustworthy]

[Well then why are you complaining about space?]

[Her room had a bed, a window, lights, a desk, and space for storage. That was more than enough for her.]

What kind of industry?

[skeletonenigma]

The Hotel only has twenty-four rooms. As long as people keep arriving here and we can't figure out how, we're going to need much more space. Some of us don't sleep and others have already found new places in the city, but we can't ask new arrivals to fend for themselves while dealing with the shock of inter-dimensional travel at the same time.

Have you seen someone for that cough?

[He'd explain why she should, but it sounds like others have already covered that.]

[unetrustworthy]

Not yet. But I will.

[She wasn't avoiding the subject; it had only too recently been suggested to her that she stop by the clinic. Along with probably causes as to why.]

[Of all the responses Midii had gotten thus far, this one was easily the most logical. Numbers were involved. She hadn't realized there were so few rooms available; mostly because her explorations had taken her around the city, and occasionally the Hotel kitchen or Lobby.]

That makes sense.

We can't go back to the Houses we used to have, can we?

[skeletonenigma]

Not unless someone can convince the kedan to give up that much space.

[Skulduggery himself tried one or twice, to no avail. With the population growth, he doesn't blame them, but that doesn't make it any less frustrating.]

audio;

[merb]

It could use some more work space... and less people.

Are you feeling all right?

audio;

[unetrustworthy]

[More work space. Of course. His answer made sense when she remembered their last conversation. In the dining room. Over a bunch of machine parts.]

I inhaled something by the Palace work site.

Not much, but...enough that it got into my lungs, I guess.

Re: audio;

[merb]

You should get that checked out. A cough like that could be a symptom of early onset Builzario poisoning.

Aqua works at the Healer's Guild... she's nice. Go and see her?