I can't wait to start! *vibrates in excitement*

Day 1

She ran down the hall, each step ringing out a relentless late, late, late. Her... partner? Associate? He waited for her at the end, at the entrance. As she drew nearer, she saw his face.

”Put on your mask!” she hissed. “They’re going to be here any minute.”

”I don’t see the point,” he grumbled, pulling out the shiny masquerade mask. It was the same as hers, glossy silver adorned with white lace, and the hidden seams itched around his eyes. “They already know who we are.”

”Yes, we’re the proprietors. And we have to pretend to be professional. Remember the setup!”

She swept past him and through the door, full skirts swooping in an unbroken curve. Following her down the steps, he saw the last of the guests arrive. 

—

Agent Winter looked out her window that morning to see butterflies. Hundreds of them. And another perched at the end of her bed, which fluttered off as soon as she had her feet on the ground. Absurdly, it had left a note behind, written in the same cool purple as the form she’d filled out the other day, telling her it was time.

The butterfly led her to the front door, bags already packed and covered in more butterflies, which burst away when she reached towards them. Scraps of color whirled around her head as she stepped outside, following paths more erratic than her eyes could track. One landed on her foot.

And with that, she was walking toward a cloud castle, with nothing but cloud beneath her feet. It felt spongy, like cake rather than water vapor. It smelled like water, though, and it was cold. She could feel it even through her shoes.

She hurried onto the shining stone walkway in front of the castle. Around her, other figures emerged, some slow and stooped with luggage, some making better time than her. Nearby, she spotted Rogue Wilding.

”Hi, Rogue! You got the letter, too?”

Rogue nodded and fell into step with Winter. Around them were twenty other CBers and AEs. She had counted, and already identified Jwyn with her serious step, Abigail’s glasses and pixie cut, Starseeker in high Ravenclaw-colored fashion, green-haired Dewy trailing behind dragon-winged Soren, and Applejaguar struggling with an oversized bag.

And now, emerging from the improbably fancy double doors of the impossibly tall castle in front of them, came a gray-gowned girl who was clearly Viola?, followed by a boy whose mask indeed did not disguise the fact that he was Catsclaw. 

—

She scanned the approaching guests—yes, all accounted for—and slowed her pace so that she would reach the bottom of the steps at the same time most of them would. At the moment both of her feet were level with theirs, she began her speech.

“Hello, and welcome to the Hotel in the Sky!” Viola? shouted, throwing out her arms. “I trust you all had a safe trip, aside from Tuxedo Kitten, who due to an unfortunate error in her paperwork did not have a trip at all?” 

“What was wrong with her paperwork?” Ella asked, and blushed. 

“She didn’t fill it out,” Viola? said, an icy note briefly entering her voice, but melting away with the next breezy words. “We the proprietors of the Hotel in the Sky are delighted to have you. In the many upper floors of this marvelous hotel you will find stargazing domes, luxury baths, indoor rock climbing and bungee jumping, an extensive library and more, including your suites. And now that you’re all here, Soren, Dewy, Ella, Bella, Micearenice, Mortifero, Leeli, Devin, Leo and Fleet, please follow me.” She paused a moment before whirling away to let Catsclaw lead the others. He stepped forward with a scrap of paper in his hand and read aloud. 

“Rogue Wilding, Agent Winter, Applejaguar, Abigail, Alice, Jwyn, Moonlight, Starseeker, Quill, Little Reader, Secret and MJ, please follow me.”

The guests and their hosts entered a grand entry hall with marble floors and crystal chandeliers. Everything, it seemed, had some tone of white or grey or blue, from the ceiling painted with skies to the two carved staircases branching away from the central fountain to the plush rugs beneath their feet to the very leaves on the potted plants sitting in urns that flanked every door.

“All keys are in the locks snd meal times are on cards inside the rooms,” Viola? announced. The two groups filtered away to either side, Viola?’s to the left and Catsclaw’s to the right. 

Viola? walked evenly and unhurriedly down a wide hall with a pearly grey carpet and began waving to various doors. “Ella, Bella, you’re in the Skylark room. Leeli, Devin, the Sparrow room. Mice, Mortif, the Eagle room. Soren, Dewy, the Owl room. And Leo, Fleet, you have the Robin room.” 

In the other wing, Catsclaw announced rather more unusual names. “Rogue, Agent Winter, you’re in the Umbrella Bird room. Abigail, Alice, you have the Green Heron room. Moonlight, Starseeker, you have the... Roseate Spoonbill room. MJ, Secret, you’re in the Sanderling room. Little Reader, Quill, you have the, uh, Pileated Woodpecker room.”

”Who named these rooms?” Alice asked.

”Viola? did,” Catsclaw said. “Have a nice stay.” 

Alice watched him walk off before entering her and Abigail’s room. 

—

Each room was identical save for the birds. They were the subject of embroidery, wallpaper, lamps, the carvings on the furniture, and what-have-you. 

- 

“This is great” Soren said. Dewy kept a noncommittal silence. Owls were beautiful, but being perfectly silent hunters, they spooked her just a little. 

- 

”They’re black,” Agent Winter commented.

”Mh,” Rogue replied, already onto the business of choosing a bed. 

- 

Alice did not hear Abigail’s first “Whoa.” But she heard several more as her CBer discovered the beauty of the absurdly made green heron.

- 

“These are eagles?” Mortifero asked, who was used to the easily recognized symbol of America and not these light brown birds.

”Yeah, golden eagles,” Micearenice smiled, coming over to the wall where her AE stood.

-

“This is a pretty alarm clock,” Leeli said, admiring the carven device. When her back was turned, Devin set it to three in the morning. 

-

“Skylark! Skylark!” Bella shouted, running in circles. Ella began to quietly name the ones on her bedspread.

-

“First robin of spring?” Leo suggested.

Fleet laughed. “The groundhog was right!”

-

“These are cute,” Secret said. “I’m Secret, by the way.” She wasn’t sure if MJ knew that. 

“I’m MJ,” MJ replied. If she hadn’t before, she did now.

-

“Maybe a little pink,” Starseeker remarked. Moonlight conceded.

”Just a little.” 

-

“Cool,” Quill said, examining a lamp. After fiddling a bit with the switch, Little Reader turned it on. 

-

“Ow,” said the murderer, being pricked on the finger. And then they said, “Oh. Okay.”

~*pretending she isn’t already late* And that will have to do for today. Part 2 coming soon! 

Mexi says yuud! Reminds me of Yuudai. And that sounds like ‘you die’... 

They all suspected there would be a murderer.

How could there not be, as this was a ski lodge lodged in a place prone to accidents, namely:

#1. Falling.

#2. Asphixiation from high altitudes.

#3. Being carried off by giant birds/dragons/other large flying creatures.

Yes, the sky was the perfect place for murders...

"Geez, does this guy know anything
about modern taste?!" someone asked, flipping through the music on the
ipods Catsclaw had distributed to them all, which was full of:

A) classical music, no later than the 18th century,

B) U2, no later than 1992, and

C) other old music Catsclaw didn't actually listen to, but had been popular in the 1960s through 80s.

Apparently Catsclaw liked making lists, because on the walls there were lists of:

A) Rooms in the Sky Hotel,

B) Games that they had in the gameroom, and 

C) Miscelleneous other lists.

Also
on the walls, over the bunks, hung picturings of each CBer, drawn by
Viola?, in the Skylark, Sparrow, Eagle, Owl, and Robin rooms, Catsclaw
in the ones i'm not going to list, as their names are way too long.
Anyway, the music selection was rather old. Also old-looking were the
tapestries that hung on the walls, depicting heroes triumphing against
hideous monsters. (Viola? got to name the rooms, Catsclaw to decorate
them). The murderer started playing "Drowning Man" on their Ipod, but
immediately stopped when everyone looked at them suspiciously.

All
of a sudden, a whirl of stars appeared in the entrance hall, and then
solidified into Stardust, who greeted them all before talking briefly to
the other two proprietors and dissapearing again. Applejaguar got out a
gramophone and started playing something on it. Catsclaw called down a
few people to the game room to start a DnD campaign, and everything was
nice. The murderer looked around for the Cloud Solidifier, and pulled
out a MD (Magic Disruptor), disguised as an ipod. They actually didn't
know it was an MD device, and just wanted to see how the Solidifier
worked...

Oo, Owl Room! Dewy, look!

I dunno... I mean, their eyes are so big...

This is great! 

Ahhh, I love this! Can't wait to see how it goes!

I suppose setup thus far is adequately engaging.

Excellent so far!

Just a small detail... did you forget to assign a room for Applejaguar and me? Or was that intentional? 

TopTopTopTopTopTopTopTopTopTopTopTopTopTopTopTopTopTopTopTopTopTopTopTopTopTopTopTopTopTop

TopTopTopTopTopTopTopTopTopTopTopTopTopTopTopTopTopTopTopTopTopTopTopTopTopTopTopTopTopTop

TopTopTopTopTopTopTopTopTopTopTopTopTopTopTopTopTopTopTopTopTopTopTopTopTopTopTopTopTopTop

TopTopTopTopTopTopTopTopTopTopTopTopTopTopTopTopTopTopTopTopTopTopTopTopTopTopTopTopTopTop

T