Intro/ No Event/ BYOA
The mirrors, red decorations, plush pillows and beds straight out of a cheesy 70s porno made the message clear enough to the lanky thief-excess, debauchery, greed, and lust reigned king here. Lust at the top of them all. His lips curled into a goofy grin when the realization hit him.
Lupin III, international thief, master of disguise ( Read more... )
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A part of him wondered how many balloons it would take to lift the place from the ground and steal it. His calculations numbered in the millions and millions of millions so far.
In his wanderings from room to room so far, stumbling upon people in various states of undress and ecstacy, the one constant that helped him keep his mind clear was his cigarettes. He'd gone through half the pack so far, with no regrets. The acrid smoke was comfortable, familiar.
Just like a voice that caught his attention.
Lupin III, international thief, would recognize that voice even if he were in the pits of Hell. He grinned that cheshire grin.
"Jigen-chan, it's been a while!"
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Seeing his partner smoking reminded Jigen of how long it had been since he himself smoked. Maybe he was starting to get 'comfortable' in that place and didn't need to be comforted by cigarettes... Nah, he couldn't be accepting that place so much, right?
"So you finally ended up here?" Again... Jigen added mentally. Why everyone seemed to be able to go back home but him? What was connecting him to that place so much?
"And you bet your ass it has been a while! I haven't seen you in months!" The gunman said, in an almost scolding tone. Really. Why does he have to stuck in that place without any familiar faces?
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"I've been undercover, planning a job for myself. Just a little one, really, but it keeps me busy."
He sighed, and took another drag of his cigarette. The smoke really did help him feel grounded, all things considered. The thought of drugs being in the air, the food, the water was uncomfortable even to him. Even if it was sex, sometimes there needed to be something beyond just fucking.
"And what do you mean by 'finally', Jigen-chan? How long have you been here? This doesn't seem like a place I'd normally find you."
Unless Jigen, like himself, had been hauled here mysteriously from God-knows-where. Then...well, it made sense.
He hoped the liquor cabinet was stocked. He might want to use that later.
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"And I'm saying 'finally' because, of all the people I know, you would be one of the very few that would be able to 'enjoy' this kind of situation." Not that 100% of Jigen's experiences there were terrible. Some of them were quite... liberating for the lack of a better word, but he could have gone his entire life without those and that wouldn't make a difference.
And yes he was hauled there. It seemed like yesterday when he woke up dizzy from a hangover and found himself there. And then Ema told him there was no way out and things just went 'downhill' from there.
"Well, at least I found you before something truly bad could happen to you." Because... The hotel had a nasty habit of putting people on strange and deadly situations like exploding collars and such. At least that place never tried to kill him. Just humiliate him beyond belief.
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But the thief knew he complained too much--he probably would enjoy this far more than he'd like. That didn't stop him from feeling a pang of sympathy for his oldest friend and partner. Jigen's luck with women always had been terrible--they either betray him, die on him, or both. This history combined with what Lupin heard of the Hotel's effects on its occupants must not have been a pleasant combination for Jigen during his stay.
...It was a good thing that Lupin arrived when he did.
But Lupin sobered at Jigen's following words. "...What do you mean by 'something bad?'"
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Anyway, strangely enough, no women died on him, yet, and he wasn't all that unlucky with them either. Made him wonder, sometimes, if going back home was a good idea.
And he was glad that Lupin took notice if his semi-warning about the nefarious things that could, sometimes, in that place. The thief usually didn't pay attention to him when he was trying to warn him about things so that was certainly a good thing.
"Well, bad things like being tied up to people and not being able to get free from them unless you do what this place tells you to, or having an explosive collar around your neck, or being stripped from your clothes and tied to a bed, or maybe losing one of your senses..." The list went on and on, but Jigen wasn't in the mood to describe every single event that hotel could throw on someone's lap.
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Even if Lupin acted indifferent to the warnings his friends gave him most of the time, it wasn't like he didn't hear them. He usually decided that his course of action would be the useful later on, or at least be the most interesting.
Consciously or not, he rebelled at the very prospect of choosing the 'easy'or 'safe' route. He craved the thrill, the challenge...and not listening to warnings was usually the best way to achieve that goal.
If there was a list of things which Lupin III feared, monotony would top the list. However, losing the grasp he had on his actions and awareness was a close second. It was what gave him pause, what made him smoke through half a pack of cigarettes since his arrival.
His smile concealed his concerns. "Facing such things is usually better with a friend by your side. ...Sorry if you had to experience anything less than pleasant before I arrived."
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Yet.
It was a frightening word in its own right.
Lupin shifted his focus from that thought and onto other, more pressing matters. Since his wanderings with that kid Tsutomu earlier that day, Lupin lost track of his location. But, he recognized that look on Jigen's face--that deep unspoken concern which his hat only partially obscured.
He took a drag from his cigarette, and smiled brightly, confidently. Jigen-chan of all people should understand that Lupin III was a big boy who could take care of himself.
"How about you and I get a drink, Jigen. We haven't done that for a while either."
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A drink sounded about right. It had been forever since Jigen did anything to 'loosen up'. He always kept his guard way too high when in that place and only two or three times he really let himself go. and that was because the hotel made him lose his mind, so that really didn't count.
"I guess that's a good idea. There's this room where I'm staying. There's stuff to drink there." Which made him wonder why he never had any of those while sitting there alone. Maybe he didn't feel the motivation needed for such a thing.
"Alright, let me just remember where that stupid room is..." Jigen hated those damn hallways that looked the same. He was always getting lost on them, no matter how long he stayed there.
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Leave it to the gunman to know how to play it safe. Of course he would have access to a private liquor cabinet in a love hotel. It also must have been a good way of maintaining his defenses too--take people into private quarters, do it preemptively before the Hotel decided to play with its guests again.
It was smart.
Lupin let out a sympathetic sound when Jigen grumbled. "Yeah, it is easy to get lost in this place, isn't it...?"
He stayed mum about his predicament. No need to make Jigen worry.
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But with Lupin, it was different. He knew his partner well and was aware that he was able to handle difficult situations just fine. And even have a smile plastered on his face as he did so. In a way Jigen couldn't help but envy the thief on his outlook of life.
At first he tensed at the arm around his body but then let out a sigh. That place had made him so jumpy that everything was an excuse for him to tense up.
"It I remember right it was this way. If all else fails we can always find a new room." Jigen shrugged. Looking for an alternate room became a regular thing for him, since he first arrived. "As far as I know pretty much all rooms are stocked with drinks." And... they couldn't be unlucky enough to find the only one without those, right?
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Lupin couldn't help but grin at the thought of sneaking up on the showering hotties in the building. Maybe he could steal a purple bra, just for Jigen.
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"Not really all of them are identical, but a good amount of them is pretty similar." Jigen explained. Sometimes rooms were extremely bare, with only a bed and drawer. Others were highly complex with many rooms, almost like small apartments. He was never fortunate enough to find one of those to stay inside.
Although, by a strike of luck or something, Jigen actually went the right way and they found his room. The gunman was relieved that they wouldn't have to hunt for a new room. That sometimes proved to be quite tedious.
"Finally, we are here." Jigen got inside, while Lupin still had that arm around his shoulders. He didn't really bother telling his partner to cut that out. It wasn't like Lupin was going to move away anyway, so he wasn't going to waste his time on that.
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"Whoa. Nice digs," Lupin said when they entered. It wasn't very elaborate, but it was simple enough and comfortable enough. It suited the gunman.
Lupin pulled away, and flopped himself onto the bed. "So, what now?"
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