smash_logs | HOTS CLUB I MEAN HOST CLUB

HOTS CLUB I MEAN HOST CLUB

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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Look, most folks don't want to admit they're impressive. People who're willing to stick up their hand and say 'Hey, I'm pretty great' are few n far between and people who can say it and be accurate are even fewer n further between. But, sometimes you've gotta just trust the folks around you when they tell you you're impressive. And you know I'd never lie to you. Not in my nature."

Yes, he was more than willing to deflect her modesty with his own honesty. She'd asked him, after all.

"But look, I could talk about it all day and chances are high you're not gonna change your mind. That's fine. Let's just go getcha something to drink and make sure you're staying hydrated, huh?"

"Yeah, I know."

Knuckles was always truthful if she had to describe him as something. She liked his honesty, though. It meant she could rely on him. It meant that he'd be her support and while she might not have expected him to often hear her out, just knowing she had him at her back was good enough. At least for the time being.

"You sound like Bulba, did you know that?" Voile laughed a little. "When he saw me moving all over the place and checking on him, he asked if he could get me something to drink. Do I look like I'm not drinking enough or something? Maybe you guys are just afraid I'm going to overwork myself."

"Hey, Bulba's a smart guy. He knows how important proper hydration is. It's easy to let your hydration slip when you're real busy. Can cause fainting, dizzy spells, nausea. Bulba plays football so he knows how important it is."

He walked her to the refreshment tables, intending to make sure she had at least a little something to drink.

"What can I get you?"

"I didn't know he played sports..." But then Voile wasn't that close to Bulba either. She cared about him and wanted to get to know him better, but... They both needed more time to do precisely that.

"I guess that's a good point, though. If I get too preoccupied and forget to drink anything, I guess it'd end up being a really silly spectacle. Seth wouldn't be letting me help anymore, that's for sure." She scratched at her cheek shyly.

"Uhm... Why don't you surprise me? I'll drink anything you'll give me."

"Really? Yeah - Bulba's a pretty great player. Fast, y'know? Spry. Strong."

Knuckles enjoyed playing football, and he enjoyed Bulba's presence in pretty much any capacity, but especially sporting.

He set about getting her something to drink. There were a few options, but he opted for fruit punch.

"How's this? Fruit punch with a little ice - You like this stuff? If not I can get you somethin' else." he said, offering her the glass.

She thought about what Knuckles had to say, even as she watched him move to get her something. When he returned, she inwardly decided that she'd have to go find Bulba later and ask him about his pastimes.

When he offered over his glass, she took it with a smile, "Oh... Thank you. I'm sure it's perfect." A bit of a blush and she took a sip, but still managed to speak into her glass a mite shyly. "Thank you for worrying over me, too."

"Pssht. C'mon, buddy. What kinda useless guy would I be if I didn't worry a little, huh?" he asked with a chuckle and a wink. "You're one of my best friends. It's my job to take care of you at least a little bit every so often."

"Take care of me," she echoed with amused interest. "I'll have you know I'm the nurturing Pokémon. I should really be the one taking care of you."

Which brought of a good point.

"And speaking of taking care of you..." Voile gestured around, "Is everything going well for you? Are you enjoying yourself? Do you mind giving me some feedback? Letting me know what you think of the setup? The food?"

"Well, you might be the nurturing Pokémon, but I'm the.... Huh."

Nope. He really didn't have a smooth follow up for that. He was just The Echidna. Frankly, more known for smashing boulders than being anything close to nurturing.

"...I'm still your buddy so I gotta make sure you're doin' OK."

There.

"I'm doin' just fine! The atmosphere is really nice, everyone seems like they're having fun - it's a change of scenery and gives me an excuse to spend my day someplace lighthearted and nice as opposed to spending time in the city where everything is roundly terrible. And the food is awesome - Glad there's plenty of fruit and vegetarian options."

She grinned at him knowingly, a little pleased she had stumped him in just such a way. Usually Knuckles had an answer for everything, so in the moments that she had him cornered, especially with a valid point, she felt just a tad more smug. And even better, she felt like she had a right to be smug.

But she did surrender in a way. He was her friend. And friends were meant to look out for other friends.

Voile nodded along as she listened to him, pointedly interested in talks of vegetarianism options. Because frankly, she preferred fruits and vegetables herself and that wasn't always convenient. "Good. Sounds like is accomplishing everything I wanted it to. At least for you. That really pleases me."

"I'm glad to know you're happy. I mean, you've got every reason to be. Look at all these folks having fun. It ain't just me enjoying myself."

And it was true - He couldn't see anyone who didn't look like they were having fun.

She chuckled, "You'd think so, but..."

As she looked around, her tone softened, "Marie's having a hard time." Then she gave a softer smile. "But this isn't really his scene. He came to support me and I know he's really uncomfortable. I'm very grateful that he's here, though. I wish I knew how to make him happier, though."

Tapping at her chin, "How do you make Goombella happy when she's upset?"

"Marie, huh - never spoke to him. But he's Red's Wartortle, right? Sashas little brother."

Knuckles wasn't sure how close those two were - many (Many.) of the things he did to help Goombella when she was feeling upset were things that might not be appropriate for those who weren't too involved. So, that at least left him with a shorter list.

"Depends - If it's ME she's upset with, I cook somethin' or clean somethin'. Or fix somethin' around the apartment. I mean, I'm actually really lucky because she's a pretty chill person to begin with? But every so often I do something dumb that requires me to make it up to her. Like... tumbling stones in the clothes drier."

That hadn't been a great day.

"But if it's just being upset at something else or about things in general, I take her someplace fun and make sure she knows it's all about her. Her favorite bookstore or restaurant or any other place she might'a mentioned in passing she'd like to see. I take a more active interest in the stuff she likes - I'll put in one of her Anime DVDs and watch it with her. Even the girly ones with the sparkles and the skirts and the guys who don't look like they could bench twenty pounds."

"Yes, that's right."

As she listened to him, she gave a slow nod. His ideas were good, of course. Problem was... Marie wasn't too open about things he did like and he didn't exactly make it any easier to make anything 'up' to him. But she supposed it was a communication issue and there wasn't too much she could do on his end regarding that.

"I wish it were so easy," Voile admitted. Tilting her head, she tapped at the corner of her mouth with her forefinger, "I have a hard time with him. Sometimes. And I don't mean he's a bad person. Nothing like that. Just that oftentimes it's a guessing game. I don't necessarily know what to say to him, or how to say it. Or what he wants or needs me to say. I think I'm very difficult for him to put up with."

Because it hadn't dawned on her that she'd not talked to Knuckles prior to the present about her potential relationship troubles.

"Not someone who does a lot of talkin', huh? Must be tricky to deal with. Maybe ask other members of his team about stuff he likes to do? Or his Trainer guy? I think Red is here at school."

That's what Knuckles would have done, anyway.

"Sasha is good people - she's pretty talkative. Bet you could get a couple ideas from her."

Though - that DID raise a question for him.

"So, what's the deal with you and this guy anyhow? I mean is this just a friends thing or a... Friends... thing?" he asked, unable to hide a small smile. It would be nice for her if she'd found someone she was interested in considering how things with that other guy went.

Except she couldn't ask him, because she knew if she did... Well. It would raise a lot of questions. It would look unseemly on them both, regardless of how they'd kept things quiet. Neither went and spoke about the other and Voile understood very well why that remained a silent idea.

"I'll keep it in consideration," she found herself replying politely, even knowing that she couldn't put his good ideas to fruition. Not... yet. If ever.

But Knuckles was a neutral party and if there was anyone other than Watt that she could talk with, then Knuckles seemed to be it. (Phoenix had been another possibility, but the man busy with his own curriculum had prevented her from piling atop him her emotional burdens.)

"That's a good question," Voile admitted. She folded her arms over her chest, "He and I don't talk about it. We like to spend time with each other and that's about as far as either of us will discuss, I guess. The situation's a little complicated, so I think we're... We're trying to keep things simple. Maybe."

"Sounds complicated. I mean, I can only talk about my own preferences? But I guess I'm a fan of knowin' where I stand with folks. I like things to be as clear cut as possible. Goombella's great at that. Even when we were first going out - never had to guess at what she wanted. And you know me. I'm not a real ambiguous guy. I think most folks get an idea of where I'm coming from pretty quick." he replied with a smile. "I hope you guys can get to a point where you can talk about it properly."

Because if he was upset with her and she had no idea why, and if she couldn't tell one of her best friends whether they were dating or just friends... well. That was more uncertainty than he could personally deal with. But she wasn't him and maybe she liked a little uncertainty? Who knew?

"Ah..."

Voile rubbed at the bridge of her nose. "Marie's not much like Goombella at all. He's really quiet. Easily stirred to irritation, I think. Bashful. And you know, around someone like me, who seems to get a lot of decent attention, that's got to be hard for him. He and I just talked about that tonight."

Then she shifted to settle her hand upon her waist, "I'm not so sure it's uncertainty that keeps us from talking about it, but more that we both know whatever's between us could be interpreted as a bit... 'unseemly,' I think is the word. Scandalous, I guess. People might draw incorrect conclusions and it'd look bad on us both, so it's easier not to label anything."

Easier to hide something than it was to wear it so openly. But in time, she imagined people might understand why she was approaching the situation so carefully. Although she found herself more than a little confused over the whole ordeal.

"Unseemly and scandalous?" Knuckles asked, quirking an eyebrow and looking a little bemused. "Why? You're a pretty girl and he's a guy and this is school. It's not really unheard of for things like that to happen. I mean... if I can be in a relationship with a teacher and no-one says a word, I'm sure whatever barrier is there for you two can't be so hard to break down."

Really, he couldn't understand what they were worried over.

"Question really should be as simple as Does he make you happy?"

"Well, no. It's not-"

How did she even talk about it? Pinching the bridge of her nose, she heaved a sigh, "You see, he's like... a brother of Sonny, right? And it wasn't even something that was expected." A pause, "We haven't done anything." As if she needed to somehow clear that up, because Voile's innocence was something she felt couldn't come into question.

And her innocence was probably very obvious with how she reacted to flirtation.

"So. It's complicated. Because of that. It feels like... It'd be offensive and insulting. And I'm not really his 'type,' if you know what I mean." Giving a casual shrug, she found she couldn't stop blushing. "I like spending time with him and I'm sure he likes spending time with me. But I'm just not sure either of us can consider each something... more, you know?"

Oh. Sonny. That guy. Considering what happened there... well. Knuckles had no fondness for the Snorlax.

"OK, I get that the two were, or are, part of the same team and regard each other like family. Got that much from Sasha and I been pals with Green Team long enough to know how it works..." But what? The guy bailed. Dine and ditch. Became a non-entity without even the courtesy of a Dear Jane letter.

"...you shouldn't worry so much about that. I mean, again, can only give you my point of view. But whatever offense folks get from you and this Marie guy is their own problem. Not yours. You deserve someone who's gonna make you happy, treat you right and it shouldn't matter where you find that person. Right? I mean, that sounds pretty reasonable?"

For many moments, she simply stared at him. Not because he was wrong, because she found the logic in what he had to say. But because women and men were different and thought differently.

"But I..."

I still love him. That hasn't changed. My heart still aches when I think of him. And I want to see him again. I want to see his smile and hear his voice.

Her head inclined, a bit with shame and as she laced her hands together, she looked all things uncertain. "Sonny never mistreated me. Please don't think he did. He was good to me. He was kind and thoughtful. He worried about me. He cared about me. I never want to dishonour him, or his memory. Even I feel like it's indecent of me to get into anything so serious with someone who's family to him."

"That might sound silly. And I'm sure if he heard me say it, he'd tell me I worried too much, that he only wanted me to be happy. If I could have changed one thing about him, he was too passive. It'd be nice to have someone who fought for me, who genuinely wanted me in his life. And wasn't afraid to say so."

...wow. She really DID still care about him, didn't she? He felt a little ashamed at himself. He'd just assumed she was over the guy if she was looking into something else with another guy - team mate or not. He'd cared a lot for Roselia, but even Roselia had sent him a letter explaining why he had to go. And he'd visited Roselia once or twice but it was never going to work that way. So Knuckles had moped for a few months in private, picked himself up by the bootstraps when he was done and had eventually met Goombella. The idea that he'd still be that conflicted a year later was hard to fathom. Life was about moving forward, even when it hurt. Still, that didn't mean he was unsympathetic.

"Look, I didn't mean to speak out of turn." he said. "I'm sure he was a good guy - I doubt you'da been so into him if he wasn't. But hey, I care about you too! I want to see you happy and doin' OK. That's all."

He placed his hand on her elbow. "Nothing you said sounds silly. I guess I just figure if somethin's gonna make you happy, you should do it for yourself. Not because it's OK for others. If you think Sonny would be alright with it and would want you to be happy, it don't matter if he'd have fought for you or not. He ain't here to do it either way. Maybe he would'a if it came down to it. Heck - my opinion? He'd be crazy not to."

Of course he wanted to see her happy. Knuckles was her closest male friend, though she'd never really discussed much in the way of girl things with him. For the obvious reason. But it had never escaped her that if someone did something to her that she didn't like, he'd quickly get involved to defend her.

Idly she wondered how far that would go. In a way, it was almost as if he was a Pokémon and a member of her team. And she had to admit that to some degree, he was family. What would she have called him, however? She didn't know. At the end of the day, Knuckles was Knuckles and that was the only way she could title him.

She found herself halting almost immediately when he reached out for her. "If I knew what made me happy, I likely would have gone for it much sooner. How do I really know when I'm happy? How do I know that whatever I feel isn't what everyone around me feels?" She shook her head, "That's not convenient for me to find out. It's not like I'm the only person in the world. I'm always going to feel whatever that person over there is, or whatever you feel, even when you're down the hall."

Knuckles would likely feel very flattered if he knew her thoughts on the matter. He definitely considered her something akin to family too - He had no blood relatives so his friends had all been adopted as family, basically. And she was entirely right - if something was happening to Voile and he knew about it, woe betide the person doing wrong by her. One of the reasons he'd helped her get that cellphone.

"Yeah.... yeah. That's a pickle, huh?" Knuckles replied. He really couldn't relate at all - he had very clear definitions of what made him happy. And sad and angry and jealous and all those other things. "Gotta wonder, with all the stuff in this place, if there isn't somethin' to help with that. Some kinda... I dunno. Emotional Earmuffs to block out all the white noise."

He thought on it for a second.

"...emotional earmuffs just sounds bizarre. But you get what I mean. Right?"

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HOTS CLUB I MEAN HOST CLUB

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