The voice of your sister... [And they got flung to the upper floors to fall back down, meaning...] It was in the basement, then?
[Was that the intention behind the voices down there? A defense system to stop people from poking around, one that had failed during the blackout? But no, if that were the case then it would be trying to keep people out, not draw them in. He lets out a single humorless laugh.]
Typical, to try to lure you down there only to punish you for following along. [Everyone he's tried to talk to about this has blown him off, but he might as well give it a shot-- again, he's paying. Matter-of-factly, as if he has every expectation that she'll be willing to share, he asks] What was the penalty?
What do you think it was? It's ever-present and sexual in nature, unsurprisingly. If you want specifics you'll have to do better than lunch.
[So it's on the table, for a price. For now she'll grab at the complimentary water and busy her mouth with taking a sip. She already knows what she wants for lunch, and she won't hesitate to order if a waiter even glances at their table. Fortunately for Natori that'll be a few more moments away.]
But someone else I spoke with posited the idea that the suits work independently of The House and the resort. If that's the case you could say my own suit is a bit rebellious. Prior to this there was a "Clubs Game" that revealed a bunch of secrets about this place.
[Ah, well. It certainly confirms that the punishments were deeply personal, even for a place like this where overt sexual nonsense was very much the norm. He shrugs one shoulder in a "can't blame a guy for trying" gesture to let it go; the lizard isn't impacted by the movement, as if it were really just a tattoo.]
Mm, I heard something about that-- that Clubs was able to take advantage of an earlier moment of weakness from the House, maybe? [So she's Clubs, huh. Natori can't help but remember the way Matoba had presented the suits to him, as selecting for common themes or traits amongst the new guests on arrival, and wondering what exactly that meant she had in common with the other people he's met who have been chosen by Clubs.] From what I understand, it seems that "the House" is something like a parasite or curse on the resort itself. [He glances at her for confirmation or correction; as he does, the lizard scurries further down his arm with a quiet slithering noise, just audible over the sounds of the restaurant around them.] In your opinion, which of them is the entity that we're sustaining? Meaning, is it the House or the resort that is obsessed with sex? Or both, I suppose.
[—Oh. He catches on quick, and is fairly well-learned about the subject already. Sure she's been pretty vocal about her knowledge if she feels like she's being properly compensated for it, but she wonders what other informants he's had the pleasure of speaking to prior to herself. As an Exorcist he's likely to have plenty of background that lets him not sweat the small stuff, but she's still quite impressed by his ability to keep pace.]
That's a good question. My guess is that The House is the one orchestrating everything and ultimately benefiting from it. Our "container" is likely to be something similar to a 'living haunted house' which may be sustained by whatever "left overs" The House may be able to spare it to continue the facade. If The House is low on harvested energy then our residence suffers.
So you're guessing that we're primarily fueling the House, and the Golden Peacock-- as our "container"-- is getting whatever the House doesn't take up itself? [Very much like a parasite, if that was the case. The idea of being inside of a sentient building clearly isn't new to him and wasn't even before he arrived, nor is the idea of another ayakashi tapping into an existing energy source and leaving the original one with crumbs. It's also why he conceives of each of the suits as their own sentient ayakashi, each an independent sentient creature that manifests across multiple people but still fits into the existing ecosystem; maybe it's not so surprising that he'd jump to that, when this isn't the first time he's had an ayakashi living on his skin.]
Then how do the suits come in? As you say, they seem to operate independently and at times cross-purposes to the House, as Clubs demonstrated, but they also seem to be the primary enforcers of the "harvesting." If not the mechanism by which the harvesting is conducted. [It seems natural to assume that the suit marks are the conduit for that energy, whether it's emotional or sexual as they've debated before; again, maybe that's a projection of how he's used to thinking about the lizard currently crawling down his bare arm.] Symbiosis? They've each decided to make do with what they can get while serving the House, but some or all of them are willing to take another option if it presents itself?
I'm not quite certain myself. The involvement of suits was an idea proposed by someone else. Parts of it make sense, but I haven't been able to wholly understand how their involvement shapes our current predicament. Each suit seems to do one of two things: select someone who seems to be lacking what they impart, or someone who embodies their traits. Rebellious, calculating, and dishonest people tend to align with Clubs. Those who struggle outwardly expressing their emotions lean to Hearts. People who have dark ambitions, amoral stances, or otherwise shady behavior but sweeten it with a smile or a joke are favored by Spades. The most stubborn and reluctant of us all tend to slot into Diamonds.
It's weird. Sometimes I jokingly think of them like horoscopes with how frequently these trends align. It's not a perfect sorting, but I think it encompasses a decent majority.
[When the waitress finally shows up, Rin orders... reasonably. An economic lunch plate with an entree, vegetable side, and some xiao long bao at the side. Comes with complimentary tea.]
[He's encountered the idea that the suits are selecting the guests and that those guests have some traits in common, but this is his first time hearing it articulated as including traits that they lack. It makes intuitive sense, at least with his own experiences with both Spades and ayakashi in general-- a targeting of weak points in the heart, of trying to subtly and not-so-subtly influence their behaviors, not exclusively for sexual purposes. Not just a favorite type of person or a common theme in what they like to feed off of, but potentially supplementing what the ayakashi see as a deficiency.
He doesn't react visibly to any of her descriptions of the different suits, but they're certainly amusing. And blunt.]
Haha. I can't say I disagree with your characterization, at least from what I've seen. [Not that he'd say he knows all that many people in the hotel, but it certainly fits for him. He pauses as the waitress comes by, pleasantly surprised by Rin's restraint, and orders his own lunch set (an entree with a bit of spice, veggies, the same tea). When the waitress walks off, he picks up like they hadn't stopped.]
It makes sense. If the suits each have a particular 'type' that they prefer to target, and they're given the chance to choose amongst the incoming guests, of course each one would select for what would maximize their benefit. No one's ever switched suits, as far as you know?
Not as far as I'm aware, but I doubt it's impossible. A person is complex, so more than one suit may be applicable to their various [mental illnesses] behaviors. Or perhaps we're seeing patterns where there aren't any? Maybe it's all just another game of roulette.
[With a shrug Rin reaches for the complimentary water again. In truth she doesn't believe the last bit of what she said — always more willing to put her money on the fact her opponent can and does have a reason for everything. Complex systems, organization, and overly involved rituals are all part of life when it comes to being a mage. Why shouldn't it be the same of some being with more power?]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
paperpusher) wrote2025-06-08 09:26 am
no subject
[Was that the intention behind the voices down there? A defense system to stop people from poking around, one that had failed during the blackout? But no, if that were the case then it would be trying to keep people out, not draw them in. He lets out a single humorless laugh.]
Typical, to try to lure you down there only to punish you for following along. [Everyone he's tried to talk to about this has blown him off, but he might as well give it a shot-- again, he's paying. Matter-of-factly, as if he has every expectation that she'll be willing to share, he asks] What was the penalty?
no subject
[So it's on the table, for a price. For now she'll grab at the complimentary water and busy her mouth with taking a sip. She already knows what she wants for lunch, and she won't hesitate to order if a waiter even glances at their table. Fortunately for Natori that'll be a few more moments away.]
But someone else I spoke with posited the idea that the suits work independently of The House and the resort. If that's the case you could say my own suit is a bit rebellious. Prior to this there was a "Clubs Game" that revealed a bunch of secrets about this place.
no subject
Mm, I heard something about that-- that Clubs was able to take advantage of an earlier moment of weakness from the House, maybe? [So she's Clubs, huh. Natori can't help but remember the way Matoba had presented the suits to him, as selecting for common themes or traits amongst the new guests on arrival, and wondering what exactly that meant she had in common with the other people he's met who have been chosen by Clubs.] From what I understand, it seems that "the House" is something like a parasite or curse on the resort itself. [He glances at her for confirmation or correction; as he does, the lizard scurries further down his arm with a quiet slithering noise, just audible over the sounds of the restaurant around them.] In your opinion, which of them is the entity that we're sustaining? Meaning, is it the House or the resort that is obsessed with sex? Or both, I suppose.
no subject
That's a good question. My guess is that The House is the one orchestrating everything and ultimately benefiting from it. Our "container" is likely to be something similar to a 'living haunted house' which may be sustained by whatever "left overs" The House may be able to spare it to continue the facade. If The House is low on harvested energy then our residence suffers.
no subject
So you're guessing that we're primarily fueling the House, and the Golden Peacock-- as our "container"-- is getting whatever the House doesn't take up itself? [Very much like a parasite, if that was the case. The idea of being inside of a sentient building clearly isn't new to him and wasn't even before he arrived, nor is the idea of another ayakashi tapping into an existing energy source and leaving the original one with crumbs. It's also why he conceives of each of the suits as their own sentient ayakashi, each an independent sentient creature that manifests across multiple people but still fits into the existing ecosystem; maybe it's not so surprising that he'd jump to that, when this isn't the first time he's had an ayakashi living on his skin.]
Then how do the suits come in? As you say, they seem to operate independently and at times cross-purposes to the House, as Clubs demonstrated, but they also seem to be the primary enforcers of the "harvesting." If not the mechanism by which the harvesting is conducted. [It seems natural to assume that the suit marks are the conduit for that energy, whether it's emotional or sexual as they've debated before; again, maybe that's a projection of how he's used to thinking about the lizard currently crawling down his bare arm.] Symbiosis? They've each decided to make do with what they can get while serving the House, but some or all of them are willing to take another option if it presents itself?
no subject
It's weird. Sometimes I jokingly think of them like horoscopes with how frequently these trends align. It's not a perfect sorting, but I think it encompasses a decent majority.
[When the waitress finally shows up, Rin orders... reasonably. An economic lunch plate with an entree, vegetable side, and some xiao long bao at the side. Comes with complimentary tea.]
no subject
He doesn't react visibly to any of her descriptions of the different suits, but they're certainly amusing. And blunt.]
Haha. I can't say I disagree with your characterization, at least from what I've seen. [Not that he'd say he knows all that many people in the hotel, but it certainly fits for him. He pauses as the waitress comes by, pleasantly surprised by Rin's restraint, and orders his own lunch set (an entree with a bit of spice, veggies, the same tea). When the waitress walks off, he picks up like they hadn't stopped.]
It makes sense. If the suits each have a particular 'type' that they prefer to target, and they're given the chance to choose amongst the incoming guests, of course each one would select for what would maximize their benefit. No one's ever switched suits, as far as you know?
no subject
mental illnesses] behaviors. Or perhaps we're seeing patterns where there aren't any? Maybe it's all just another game of roulette.[With a shrug Rin reaches for the complimentary water again. In truth she doesn't believe the last bit of what she said — always more willing to put her money on the fact her opponent can and does have a reason for everything. Complex systems, organization, and overly involved rituals are all part of life when it comes to being a mage. Why shouldn't it be the same of some being with more power?]