To the Nereid Hotel!

It seemed that twilight was the time when the Nereid Beach saw it’s greatest lull. Now that the sun was fully set, those few scattered groups that had been chatting among themselves or setting up amenities for the coming night had matured into their full intended purpose.

Far across the sand, some scantily clad elven women in clothes so dark and shredded that they might have been begger’s rags had set up instruments on a cobbled together wooden stage. Bright lights seemed to shine down from nowhere as their lead singer--a tall, willowy figure with an undercut of white hair--riled up the crowd gathered in front of them.

Elsewhere, small gatherings around campfires had turned into full on tribal dances, circling chaos which ringed the flame with all the wild abandon and reckless disregard for humility and clothing that Fuu might have expected from one of the smaller, equatorial island civilisations found west of the Aranillan coast.

Though, with her home nation of Naha being on an entirely different side of the Amnistlants, Fuu had never visited those tribes in person. Who knew if her impression of those people held any truth? If her journey had taught her anything it was that the monastery’s textbooks were outdated at best.

Soon Koa had led them back up through the beach and onto one of the grassy hills that ringed the sandy expanse. The circle of hotels that encircled the resort’s edge like a crown was just another way of cutting the beach off from the rest of the world. Another architectural trick to help it feel like the beach really was a secret paradise. Now that they were cresting the hill to the hotels propper, Fuu could see out over the stretch of open plains that marked the Mercian flatlands. Suddenly, all those problems people set out on vacations to hide from didn’t feel quite as distant as they had before.

“The front desk can get you sorted,” Koa said. The olive skinned, muscular woman couldn’t have been older than her early twenties, with a face that still felt round and youthful in hard contrast to her well trained body. She stood by the pair of carved dark wooden double doors that lead into the hotel proper with her arms crossed and her weight shifting uncomfortably from foot to foot.

She met Fuu’s eyes, then, as if sensing the monk’s question, hurried to speak. “I’m not good with all that bureaucracy nonsense,” Koa said.

“Who is,” Kiera said with a snort.

“Your help is appreciated,” Fuu said. She led the group forward, and Koa slipped out of the way to let them pass. “Please let Narissa know that we look forward to working with her.”

“Yes,” Emmaline said with just a touch of sarcasm. “Please do.”

As Koa disappeared into the night, the Bravos parted the heavy wooden doors only to be blasted with a wave of light and sound so brilliant it sent a few of them nearly tripping backward into the sand.

The Nereid Hotel was opulent. It was extravagant.

Brilliant golden white light shined out from a multi-layered silver chandelier in the center of the entry hall like a second sun. So many different lights shone from the shimmering crown of lights in slightly different colors, but each one was far too bright to get a proper look at it, especially with the chandelier slowly spinning in place. From the side eyed glances Fuu got at it, the whole mess of lights blended together until each little candlelight was just another dazzling angle of the illuminating whole, and the whole thing was a blurred mess of incredible solar brilliance.

Purple velvets decorated the floors and walls, creating light-siphoning accents of royal depth between stretches of purple stone so pale it was almost alabaster. Numerous plants sat in vases all about the space, adding both the sight and the faint perfume of dozens of exotic flowers to the mix.

Tables were set out in the midst of the space, covered in platters of savory delicacies and sweet deserts while any number of well dressed servants flitted about, collecting empty dishware and replacing them with new dishes.

Honestly, it looked more like a ball than the lobby of a hotel, especially with the few dozen people milling about in levels of dress that ranged from ball gowns to bikinis to pajamas and sleeping shifts.

“It’s amazing!” Robin half gasped, half whispered.

“How are we supposed to sleep?” Becky groaned.

“There is likely another enchantment upstairs,” Kellissendra explained. “To keep the sound from reaching that far.”

“Most likely,” Skye echoed in an awestruck dase.

“I won’t order any of you to head to sleep at once,” Fuu said. “Even if we do have a mission to begin in the morning, I am not your prefect any more than I am your mother. Feel free to enjoy yourselves.”

Fuu turned to face them and cast her eyes across their number. For the most part, she did seem to have their attention. At least, as much as one could expect to in a place like this.

In the background, Fuu heard someone cheer, then an eruption of applause and she turned her head to see a group of swimsuit clad young men and women gathered around some sort of gambling game she had never seen before, with red and black dice cast out onto a grid of numbers.

“Still,” Fuu continued, turning back to the group. “I believe it would be best if we were all well rested come tomorrow. We don’t know what awaits us.”

“Resting is always good,” Robin chimed, though Fuu noticed the way her eyes had magnetised to the dice game.

“I will speak to the front desk and let you all know when our rooms are arranged,” Fuu said. It was as if the very thought of rest had turned a key in her psyche and unleashed a tide of exhaustion. Soreness seeped into her limbs just a mirroring slowness seeped into her mind. “Then… I’m going to go get some rest.”