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

[obfuskate]

This one knew how to be convincing, that was for sure, but Shadow knew better. Yes, he agreed on the front of most of the school being terribly lacking. Yes, he agreed that everything was out of hand. No, he doubted this was Seth's genuine opinion. It showed, his ears having folded back and his tail having bristled from agitation.

This one was smart. It was no wonder he'd harmed Charlise and GLaDOS. He really had to be careful.

"I could easily believe your word," he began, "if it wasn't for your involvement with a certain church that had been burned down, one that was involved with the drugged candies. Not only that, but I can also testify that the goons residing there were quick to take the violent route."

His eyes thinned, fists clenching as he was starting to get fed up with being lied to in his face.

"Care to explain that, pussycat?"

[stay_classy_cat]

His lips pulled back and he forced a grin. It was obvious Shadow was testing his patience and resolve. How badly he wanted to just silence him where he stood. Just a little more... Seth just needed to bide his time a little more.

Further in the grass there was a boulder, tall on one side, lower and beveled on the other. It looked like it'd make a perfect sitting spot, which is where Seth went to go make himself comfortable.

"I don't have any control over the violent nature of people like that."

"...Not yet, anyway."

[obfuskate]

"Then if violence is such a problem for you, you should learn how to control your touchy cohorts." At any rate, he took this as a blatant statement that Seth was in control of the drug marketing. Shadow knew this was more than enough to arrest him on spot, but he had reason to refrain first. He wanted to hear more about what he had planned. It was certainly more than just drugged candy now.

"Enough of that," he digressed, approaching and looking as if he would be looming if he wasn't so shrimpy by comparison. "I want answers. What is this prototype? I know its purpose, but I do not know what it is."

Was it some kind of mind control ray or something? That sounded terribly Eggmanish, sure, but it made sense.

[stay_classy_cat]

At 5' 7'', Seth easily towered over the hedgehog while standing, perhaps not so much while sitting on the boulder. Either way, the blonde looked comfortable with himself despite Shadow's continued interrogation, fingers playfully drumming across the surface of the rock, purposefully delaying those answers that he sought.

Yes, this feels like the right boulder. You've very convincing, friend.

"Well then, perhaps..." Seth trailed off, the red gem on his forehead glowing sinisterly. At the same time, the rock under him started shifting and moving as if it had suddenly come alive.

"I could show you!" With that declaration two things happened at once, or more accurately two things were aimed at Shadow at once; a bolt of lightning from the sky, and the boulder that was apparently not a boulder, but now a looming fist-shaped rock looking to smash the ultimate lifeform into the grass.

[obfuskate]

"Wh--!!"

Shadow didn't even have a chance to react. He wanted his answer, and he got it tenfold, albeit not for the question he'd asked. Seth had to have been the murderer. The lightning, the boulder... It all made sense now, and he felt it. He knew it and became intimate with it in a way he hadn't wanted.

The electricity smashed into and coursed through his entire body, scorching him upon contact and drawing a pained howl out of him. It incapacitated him, leaving that bastard more than enough time to crush him with that mass.

Thud. Crunch.

Bone after bone had snapped within the rock's weighty bulk, and while he wasn't sure which ones, he knew for certain that they were all throughout his body. Arms, limbs, ribs... They'd been ruined beneath nature's fury.

The cold realization sank into him like a brutal blizzard day's frost:

He'd failed. He'd failed and he was going to die.

That Drifblim did. GLaDOS did. He was next on the cutting board, wasn't he? He couldn't save anyone. He couldn't protect anyone. Instead, he was going to perish, his death completely in vain.

Maria...

I'm so sorry.

He'd fallen, not yet unconscious by some miracle, but looming on the edge of passing out. His mouth had filled with the warm, metallic sensation of blood, and everything, goodness, everything ached. He laid on his stomach in the red-stained grass, unsure if the buildup of fluid in his eyes was from his blood or his tears.

That was just plain brutal.

[stay_classy_cat]

Satisfied Shadow had been thoroughly pulverized, the boulder raised up in the air, blood, grass and dirt drifting back earthward. Seth ran a hand through his hair to fix any strands that may have fallen out of place from using Thunderbolt. Seemed like he still had excellent aim.

Even better, the hedgehog was still alive! Just barely, which was fine by him. He folded his hands behind his back then sauntered over slowly.

"I'd like you to meet one of my fellow associates." The boulder became more gelatinous in shape, lighter and pinker in color until the ditto was in its natural form. It chirped adorably at introduction.

"You might not be familiar, but I can promise you my friend Ditto is more than acquainted with the school's generators. We had a good laugh about that, we did."

[obfuskate]

Shadow growled, or rather, that was his intent, but it came out as more of a strangled gurgle. He was so badly injured that his mouth and throat were coated with his own blood. He felt woozy. He'd surely pass out at any minute...

But now he was fine. Dizzy, but fine. Was it just dizziness, though? His memory was fleeing from him. He knew this kid, but what was his name again? Seth? Right. And he was... the... the murderer... was he?

He was so very out of it, so much so that it wasn't even funny.

"Y-You did it," he forced, fluid spilling from his mouth and down his muzzle, making his very speech a gruesome sight. "You... did all of it..."

His eyes narrowed, yet his body didn't move an inch. He couldn't. He couldn't make a single move. Everything was painful, and the light peeking through a few trees was a chore for his eyes to process. He wanted to just... disappear.

[stay_classy_cat]

"Oh I can't take all the credit. All I did was let everyone get in touch with their true selves--unrestricted my morality or societal conforms and expectations."

Cruelly, Seth jabbed his boot under Shadow's body and rolled him over so he could get a better view of him. What a beautiful, bloody mess he made.

"You never know what kind of individual you're dealing with until you strip away all their reservations."

The Ditto chirped a few lines in Dittoese before handing Seth a small black, purple and silver ball, about the size of a golf ball.

"Oh good, you got my message after all." It wasn't easy relaying it through his pocket, especially since Shadow caught Seth at a bad time. Either way, the blonde seemed very pleased with this turn of events. He pressed a button somewhere on the ball and it grew in size--the trained eye, one might recognize it as a Pokeball of some sort. Seth hovered over Shadow, rolling the device in the open palm of his hand.

"This is the prototype. I haven't tested it on anyone yet so if it doesn't work no hard feelings, okay? If it does, you'll thank me for this later."

[obfuskate]

Shadow wanted to lash out, grabbing onto his leg and shredding it with his bare hands, yet when he weakly flopped onto his back, he lost any and all motivation, all energy. He wanted to fight, and yet his body was unwilling. The slightest twitches of his fingers were all he could manage, and they proved to be nothing less than pointless.

This was pointless.

He was pointless.

Worthless.

What Seth was pulling was nothing less than curious, but he couldn't stop him. That ball he held, those wretched eyes, nothing could gouge them out and away. Nothing. Nothing.

When he'd healed -- that is, if he wasn't going to be killed right here -- he was getting one hell of a beating. He'd find him. He had to.

"It better not," he croaked, feebly heaving his chest with each and every breath, "or you will... r-regret it."

He couldn't possibly realize how wrong he was. It would prove to be quite the opposite.

Needless to say, he'd regret wishing for the prototype to be faulty soon enough...

... or he would, if he'd been capable of remembering later.

I WAS GOING TO DRAW A TAG but then I sucked

[stay_classy_cat]

I regret not doing this sooner.

With a simple teeter of his hand, the ball fell towards Shadow and hit him with a tiny little boop. Like any Pokeball, the weakened target was engulfed in a beam of light and sucked into the device.

The button on the outside of the ball glowed white with a positive capture. Then it dimmed, only to glow again in a purple hue. From the crevice running circumferential around the ball, a heinous purple mist/gelatinous-like substance oozed out. It congealed into a puddle then rose and gave shape to Shadow's exact form.

A perfect copy.

...still lying on the ground, passed out.

"..." Hm. This was a prototype, so of course Seth couldn't trust his minions to get it right on the first try. He gave copy Shadow a nudge with his boot. No response. For what it was worth, the copy was completely flawless, indistinguishable from the real thing. Even all the damage just dealt to him was still there; every scratch, every broken bone, every drop of fake blood where it should be. Perfect.

Except he was unconscious. Seth growled. Ditto said aloud what he was thinking.

"Yes I can see that. I can't work with this!"

(Maybe he's dead.)

"Maybe brain dead. Can't you turn into something useful and figure out what's wrong?"

Ditto complied and started shapeshifting, going through maybe one or two psychic type Pokemon before settling on the form of an Espeon. It's long, sinewy two-pronged tail touched copy Shadow's forehead so it could peer into his mind and see the state of the union was.

(...)

"Amnesia?! Are you kidding me? Are you serious?"

(...)

"I mean, it's not a bad thing, this is really great right now but not what I wanted. Did the fundamental concept work at the very least? Is his mind in there," Seth pointed to the ball, "and his copy body over here?"

Ditto nodded 'yes', then added in that it seemed like this was just a fluke. The cat balls were functional.

"Good. Do me one more favor. Leave his body somewhere less conspicuous. I don't care where, just get him out of here. I'll use him when the time comes."

mmmm cat balls

[obfuskate]

Shadow couldn't understand what was going on.

One moment, he was out on the ground, and the next... Nothing. Literally nothing. He couldn't see anything but darkness before him, as black as black can be. All sensations were gone. All sense of hearing, sight, touch, taste, smell, it was all gone away from him as if he'd died.

Had he died? He likely died.

He knew why, too.

...

He did know why, didn't he?

...

Did... he? No. No, he didn't. Someone had to have killed him, but who? Why? What for? What had happened to him? Who- Who was going to find his remains, if anyone? Was he going to have any worthwhile evidence on his corpse to catch the culprit, or was it all in vain?

Had he... failed?

He'd failed, hadn't he?

Dear Chaos. This was not according to plan.

Maria, where--

Where are you? Is this what death is?

Will this last forever? Is this what you are going through now?

Maria--...

Help me.