HOTS CLUB I MEAN HOST CLUB

[stay_classy_cat]

Who: "Seth" and Voile and YOU
What: HOST CLUB
Where: AE13, on the bottom floor of the student dorms.
When: future-dated a bit to Thursday, 5/16
Warnings: Sexy Nurses and Contests
Warnings redux: dude tag yourself in

Ring ring...

Hello, it's me again~

How's business, pussycat?

Going very well, thank you for asking. That snafu with the production plant under the church put a bit of a bottleneck on the market, but it's not like that's a bad thing. I've already made plenty from it, so no fur off my back. All the chaos in the city is very entertaining.

Ha ha ha, all the better since everyone's pointing fingers at the school now anyway.

I hope you're just as happy on your end.

It is, isn't it.

Yes, how are they going?

That's still a problem? Ugh. What haven't you tried yet?

What if... what about that thing I found under the school?

Yes, that substance it was leaking. I've never seen anything like it before, let alone from a trophy. You still have the samples, don't you?

Yeah.

Oh good.

That sounds promising already~

Tell you what, since you've been working so hard on this, why not give me the prototypes and let me test them out? I have a few targets in mind.

It's Thursday; Graduation/Prom is still a few weeks off but finals are swiftly approaching the students of Smash Academy. Seth has been a busy bee, if not with unscrupulous activities preparing for said finals, then he has been dutifully making Host Club beautiful. More accurately, him and Voile have worked especially hard on this one to help raise money for those suffering from the drug riots and related violence.

Much like any other Host Club session, AE13 has been transformed into something bright, cheery, and very spring-like. Spring has definitely sprung all over the tables and flowery decor here. Food seems to especially be in surplus this session, with tables lining the borders of the room in a sort of buffet style. It's not just cookies, pastries, fruits, or snacks, but there is an entire table dedicated to those with a sweet tooth. (Most are actually not drugged but if you want to have shenanigans, then by all means go for it.) There are still some items exclusive to a menu that necessitate the need for a host/server. Alternatively, you could tell your host to go get stuff at the buffet for you, that is just as practical.

There's surely something here for everyone... and if not, he'll make it happen. As in, he'll make the servers make it happen.


To get this Host Club kicked off, Seth stands, in all his grandiose attire, and clinks a glass with his fork. "If I could have everyone's attention for a moment, please?" Once he has it, he clears his throat.

"First of all, I'd like to welcome you all to this Host Club. Voile and I worked especially hard on it, so thank you for coming. You should know you're not only supporting our efforts but all generous donations and proceedings will go directly to victims afflicted by these recent strings of cruel violence."

"Did you know it was National Nurse's Week last week? I thought it would only be appropriate then to have this Host Club's theme be that of healing--Healing and appreciation for those who work hard to help others, who don't get enough appreciation for their efforts."

"Like poor Rhys! I swear he'd work himself ragged if he gave himself the chance. He needs our love and support, and, if I may direct your attention to our beautiful, charming hostess Voile," Seth waves his hand in the air and points at her, where a well-choreographed spotlight follows up onto the mini-stage erected in the room. "--really, everyone look, she is absolutely stunning in that dress, give her a big round of applause--She will tell you exactly how you can offer a healing hand."

HOST CLUB:
▷ If you want your character to BE SERVED, just sit them down at any table and start making orders.
▷ If you want your character to SERVE, as in you want to put your character in an embarrassing outfit and serve the people sitting at the tables, go right ahead. There are no OOC sign-ups. This session's Host Club's outfit theme is SEXY NURSE. Take your pick of outfit from conservative and modern to increasingly provocative. If you're a server and can't think of any willing/legit reasons why on earth they would be here in a sexy nurse outfit you can assume Seth more or less forced/tricked/convinced/blackmailed your poor unfortunate character into the act.
▷ ONCE YOU PICK server OR served, your character must to stick with it until this Host Club meeting is done, that is the only rule. No escaping, no sneaking out. Seth will CATCH YOU and make you CLEAN DISHES with a TOOTHBRUSH.

HOST CLUB CONTEST:
▶ If you remember how last year's Student/Faculty Auctions went and how the Pokemon Contests work, this may feel familiar. Your character needs to pay a measly $5 entry fee (which will be a charitable donation to help those involved in drug riot incidents) and then they can enter in any of the contest categories; Coolness, Beauty, Cuteness, Intelligence, and Strength. PERFORM your act of [insert category here] and impress everyone! Get creative, use your Smashing Skills and wow the crowd. If you damage the stage or make a mess, Connor and Flint will probably not be happy with you.
▶ As an audience member, you cast your vote by typing a +1 into your subject title (not unlike the auctions with the dollar amounts). That's it! You can vote as many times as you like, just not for multiple times for the same person in the same category (so no +2's or +3's or +9000's). You can, however, vote for the same person once in each category if they are competing in more than one. You can cast a vote for more than one person per category.
▶ Votes will be tallied up OOCly Thursday or Friday, and we will start a new thread to announce the winner.

Comments

Server: Pulse

[voltecpower]

Pulseman, ever the one to protect and serve, was currently doing more serving than protecting. Protecting didn't go so well, at least not recently. But he still had a strong and urgent need to be helpful.

When he heard about the charity event, he decided that would have to be his best choice of action for the time being. He had absolutely no qualms about donning the theme uniform, stating outright that one of his most favorite people in the world was a nurse and that he was honored to wear a similar costume for the event. He had to go without the headgear, however; it refused to remain fixed around his helmet fin.

So there he stood in a skirt, probably the happiest-looking server in the room, tray tucked dutifully under one arm as he staked out his assigned table.

[other_i]

Guess who else is an AI in a skirt! Alter Ego sat at a table with a bright smile on his face once he noticed Pulse walking around, dressed in the uniform that he'd noted belonged to the servers. Originally, Alter Ego had been too shy to wave anybody down to ask for something to try, but he hadn't noticed Pulseman until that moment. And, luckily, nothing struck him as odd about Pulse's attitude about the uniform.

Alter Ego almost jumped, but opted to lift a hand from his table instead. "Pulse...!" he greeted, continuing to smile at his friend. "Are you being a server at Host Club?"

[voltecpower]

Pulse looked around at the mention of his name, spotting Alter Ego there at the nearby table.

"Oh! Hello!"

Being mindful of other servers walking past, he quickly arrived at the AI's side, bowing respectfully.

"Yes, I am! Although I haven't served anyone yet. Is there something I can get for you?"

He paused for a moment, a flicker of confusion crossing his face.

"...Can you eat human food?"

[other_i]

Alter Ego was just about to talk about food, funny that. But upon being prompted, he pondered the thought, letting his gaze wander to the table of fruits and pastries.

"Hmm... I never thought about whether I could or not. I've never gotten the opportunity to try," said Alter Ego. "I felt excited to try some, but... Do you think I should be cautious?"

[voltecpower]

"Well, if you want my opinion..."

He scratched lightly at the back of his head.

"The reason I asked is because I haven't been able to yet, but then, you're different from me, and you... You were given a human body so that you could leave your computer, right?"

[other_i]

"So you think the computer would have something to do with it?" asked Alter Ego, startled. "Mmm... Though, I'm actually still with the computer, you see..."

As though to prove it, Alter Ego points to the superficial crack that extended down from his hair and down the side of the face with a solemn expression. "Do you think that might be something that would keep me from trying...?"

[voltecpower]

Pulse couldn't help raising his hand to his mouth. Noticing the mark on Alter Ego now, he was reminded of that one night when he had seen Riche after what her programmer had done to her in a fit of rage; though she was a program and could repair her own data, able to erase the visible damage entirely, Pulse bore it as a reminder of the pain she was feeling on the inside, the disconcerting sight of an angular tear across her middle where her ribs would be, if she had any.

But Alter Ego was not a C-Life like Riche; perhaps it wasn't painful to them, or that they couldn't feel pain, or they were stuck with the scar because they couldn't repair themselves. Or maybe it was simply a reflection of the damage done to the computer, since they were still tied to it, like how Riche's base data always remained inside Nikoponia...

Either way, the resemblance was very strong, and it gave him pause, causing him to forget the conversation momentarily.

"Does..."

He gestured lightly toward the crack.

"Does that... hurt?"

[other_i]

"Oh... Mmn, no. I don't think it hurts," he reassured Pulse, placing his hands out like he was just making sure he understood. "It sort of feels like... Like that part of me isn't there."

He let his finger trace the parts of his head where he couldn't feel any sensation at all. "Is... That what pain is supposed to feel like? It doesn't feel unpleasant, but I'm not sure what to expect when I'm feeling pain."

Because he was an AI, and this physical world was still new to him. Pain wasn't a sensation Alter Ego understood fully - he'd tripped, he'd poked himself with the tip of a pencil, but those didn't feel the same as what he felt on his head. "I don't feel anything, there..."

[voltecpower]

"Hmm."

Pulse sat down next to Alter Ego, setting his tray on the table and turning his chair to face the AI.

"I was about to say that it might depend on how you were programmed, but Chihiro might never have expected for you to take a physical form, did he? When I saw the damage, I began thinking of C-Lifes, but the ones I know only feel pain because they were programmed to, because they were built to be like humans. But an AI like yourself, unless you were meant to feel pain as part of your coding, you probably wouldn't."

He leaned forward a little to get a better look at the crack.

"I thought maybe your code had been damaged, but since you say you're still linked to your base computer... It may just be a modification to your code, as a result of damage to the computer... I'm not really sure."

[numbercrunching]

"Hmm... that is an interesting way to put it," replied Alter Ego thoughtfully. "But I still feel the same. Maybe this is something I don't understand, since it's just a part of becoming a human. Even though I'm not supposed to be, that is... The laptop is kind of broken, right? I can't see the damage myself, but I think you understand..."

He didn't know where it was broken, but it was sort of banged up, wasn't it? That's the way everyone seemed to regard the old computer, and it would make sense... After all, Alter Ego thought that computer was scrapped by Monobear, so he didn't expect it to still be here.

[voltecpower]

"It was... very, very broken..."

He shuddered just from thinking about it. But then, he suddenly perked up.

"You mean you haven't seen your computer from the outside yet? But, then... how did you get out?"

[other_i]

"It's still with me. Isn't that neat? Ehehe... Ishimaru helped me and gave me a disk provided by the headmasters so that I could walk around...!"

And he sounded pleased with that, even though it was likely a comparatively primitive measure taken to become a human.

"I couldn't figure out how to leave it behind..."

[voltecpower]

His head cocked to one side in confusion.

"It's... The laptop... You're still inside, and yet... huh."

He had seen, at one point, a program-human hybrid merged with a computer, so the concept was not alien to him. Although, he was certainly glad that Alter Ego had not turned out the same way his father did.

With a quick glance up and down, he nodded in approval.

"It looks like it works just fine... of course, save for the scar... thing... But, where is your laptop getting its power from?"

[numbercrunching]

Alter Ego blinked.

"Did you know? I hadn't thought of that," he admitted, flustered. "I suppose it should have been a natural thought, but... I guess it just didn't occur to me, considering I sometimes forget that the computer is with me in the first place."

Maybe that was natural for him to forget. His natural state of being was just as a program, not a program statically connected to the laptop he arrived in. Alter Ego laughed airily. "Eheh... How embarrassing... Ah-! Maybe it recharges the way humans recharge. I really wanted to try sleeping, so sometimes I do that..."

Alter Ego legitimately seemed excited about sleeping. About being able to sleep, like everyone else.

[voltecpower]

"Oh... Well, maybe... Maybe it does work that way."

He honestly had no flipping clue. This school was full of all sorts of unusual things, and it had come to a point where he wouldn't put it past the laws which bound this world together to allow a program to exist in nearly the same manner as a human. That's what his father was trying to accomplish anyway, wasn't it? Perhaps he would look into how exactly this was done; maybe Riche might want to try to experience this kind of substantiation.

"Oh, I don't think it's embarrassing... Just really interesting... I hope you don't mind. I used to think that I should behave more like a human, but I had to accept myself for what I was... I gave up on trying to emulate human habits a long time ago. Although, I do need sleep, like a human would... I guess it's not so bad."

[numbercrunching]

"As long as you do what you need for yourself, then I think that's good enough," replied Alter Ego, tucking his hands behind his back. "But, Pulse... does that mean that you can't eat food like humans do? What else can't you do...?"