Voyd walked down the corridor of the hotel, his expression glum. His dinner with firemagic had been going quite well, he thought - he'd managed to actually get out several complete sentences, and firemagic had even smiled at him. But then DawnFire had showed up, saying something about 'the flames of our passion', and the table had become... quite uncomfortable for Voyd to be present at.

So now he was walking through the hotel in what he refused to call a sulk. Along the way he'd picked up a follower: Tomash was walking close behind him, dressed in what looked to be Ancient Greek dress and carrying a strange double-flute. When asked, he'd refused to answer to any name but 'Euterpe', and claimed the instrument was called an 'aulos'. Voyd had no idea why.

Now 'Euterpe' raised the aulos to his lips and began to play. The notes plucked at Voyd's heartstrings, and without even meaning to, he found himself singing:

"Each morning I get up I die a little
Can barely stand on my feet..."

The door to the room Voyd was passing stood open, and he glanced through...

~

KittyEden looked down at the girl who seemed to have set out to lick every inch of her body. "You know, I don't think we've been properly introduced."

The girl glanced up at her and gave a breathless smile. "I'm TheShyIon," she said. "Iximaz said you... speaking of Iximaz, hang on." She let out a gasping cry, staring down at where Iximaz was crouched by the edge of the bed, and reached out to touch her Big Sib's shoulder.

"Don't let me interrupt you," Iximaz said, flashing her a grin and licking her lips. "In fact, I'll stop a minute to let you talk..."

"You'd better not!" TheShyIon protested, then whimpered as Iximaz relented. "So... yeah," she said, looking back up at KittyEden. "Iximaz thought we should... meet." And she returned to pressing her lips and tongue to KittyEden's body.

KittyEden ran her fingers over TheShyIon's shoulders, then reached past her to stroke Iximaz's hair. "Nice to meet you," she murmured. "And very nice to be back."

~

With a sigh, Voyd walked on. Tomash lowered the flutes for a moment to sing a line of his own: " (Take a look at yourself) "

"Take a look in the mirror and cry, " Voyd continued, hearing Tomash add his own " (and cry). " They were drawing close to another open door, and Voyd peered in even as he breathed the next line: "Lord, what you're doing to me..."

~

Fasoula looked around the room, trying to find some inspiration. Every single object was subject to intense scrutiny, until finally an answer presented itself. "... lamp."

"Wrong! It was ladder." sjosten pointed out the window to where the edge of said ladder was just visible. "Off with it."

Muttering, Fasoula pulled off a sock and threw it at sjosten's head. "I still think you're cheating. Okay. I spy with my little eye, something beginning with... c."

sjosten rolled his eyes. "Easy. Carpet."

"Wrong." Fasoula made certain to roll the 'r' out as long as it would go.

sjosten looked down at himself. "I, uh, don't have anything left to take off."

Fasoula's grin grew wider and wider. "Then I think that means you have to pay a forfeit..."

~

Voyd felt tears begin to form in his eyes as he walked on. It wasn't fair: nobody wanted him, they were too busy with each other! He wailed out his anguish in song:

"I have spent all my years in believing you
But I just can't get no relief, Lord!"

Through the next open door was a large bed, and something moving under the covers...

~

Out of the tangle of sheets appeared in quick succession a slender arm, a shapely leg, and then a head that looked a lot like Edhelistar's. Only it wasn't Edhelistar's, as the green hair atop it and the voluptuous chest below it amply demonstrated.

"In the name of the Valar!" Ellethistar gasped, and then vanished back into the tangle. Moments later, another body emerged briefly from the energetic mass, and this one was Edhelistar.

"Why did we ever want to be shipped with other people?" he asked, reaching his hands back under the covers.

Ellethistar let out a squeak. "Don't know, don't care, get back here!" And with a whimpered cry, Edhelistar did as he was told.

~

Voyd sobbed to himself as he turned away. "Somebody!" he wailed, hearing Tomash repeat the line.

"Ooh, somebody!
Can anybody find me... somebody to love? "

He trailed off into muffled weeping as he reached the last door on the hallway. Once again he looked inside, expecting to find even more heartbreaking romance (or something like romance) going on inside.

Instead, he saw a scantily-clad Scapegrace lying on a neatly-dressed bed, twirling something between her fingers. She looked up and nodded at Voyd. "Evening."

Voyd couldn't help it - he had to ask. "Why are you by yourself? Are you as ignored as me?"

Scapegrace chuckled. "No," she said. "I suck."

"I'm sure you don't!" Voyd protested. "You look-"

"No." Scapegrace swung her feet to the floor and walked towards Voyd. "That's not a complaint. It's a proposition. Get in here."

Voyd's eyes went wide. He looked over his shoulder at Tomash, who played a quick trill on his flutes. Then the choice was out of his hands - Scapegrace grabbed his wrist and tugged him inside. He managed to reach back and kick the door closed, and Tomash leant close to hear.

"You know," said Scapegrace, "everyone else left their doors open. They're going to wonder why we haven't."

"So we should explain." Voyd's voice caught, and when it came back it was distinctly breathless. "Maybe I could write a note... I'm good at those."