Started my daily ficlets to make the hiatus pass, then decided to keep going with a 2nd cycle, and then a 3rd, 4th, etc through 42nd cycle. Now cycle 43!
INTRODUCING "CHEAT SHEET" - If you want to know ahead of time when a certain series will be updated next, just reassemble the link below and check out the list, save it, print it, bookmark it, whatever you need!
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** UPDATED WITH CYCLE 43 CHEAT SHEET ** Check it out to find out about shift days!
This is a shift day [see above]. There was another upload this morning: The Customer You Are Trying to Reach..., chapter 3.
"The Long Aloha"
Kurt & New Directions
1. The Case of the Luau
He'd been scouring the costume and party shops for the last few days, seeing how much it would cost for him to pull off his latest murder mystery plan. Every one of them required some decorating, and prop acquiring, but this one was going to involve a bit more of an effort. This time he was going to take theme to a whole other level. It hadn't been all that long since their last dinner, with the circus. It was probably his fastest turnover, from one game to the other, but the truth was he kind of needed this. It kept him busy.
The invitation process was always easier once someone had seen the envelopes, started sending texts down the line, and people sought him out instead of him having to track them all down. The first he did find, of all people, were two of his most recent additions to the group. Sam and Quinn had gone and started dating now, so finding one right now meant finding both of them.
"Hey," Sam saw him, then saw the envelopes. "You're doing another one?" he stood up, looking almost anxious. Quinn just smirked, looking to Kurt.
"So what are we doing this time?" she asked. He pulled out two envelopes from his stack and handed them over.
"All I will say for now: hotel, and luau," Kurt revealed. Quinn's face twitched.
"I don't have to… with the coconut bra, do I?" she asked, and he wondered if she was concerned still, post baby.
"I have a few different costume options, it's all in the envelope," he promised. He knew some of the girls would have no problem with any sort of bikini-like costume, but not all of them, so he'd leave the way open for alternatives. "So, Quinn, you are Regina, the hotel manager. We're sort of co-anchoring this one, I'll be Murray, the assistant manager," he explained. "And Sam, you're Chase, the bartender."
"Sweet, do I get to flip bottles and everything?"
"Can you do that?" Kurt asked, intrigued.
"Sort of 50/50 on success, but I can practice."
"Alright, just remember if you break it you clean it, and also the budget is small," Kurt told him before moving on. He wasn't sure if the message would start making its way around quickly, but he carried on, and when he encountered Mercedes, he caught her mid-stride, hooking his arm with hers. "Morning."
"Envelopes?" she spotted them in his other hand.
"Nothing gets by you," he smiled, presenting the stack so she could use her free hand to pick out her own. "This time you're Sophie, hotel waitress, attending the staff luau." He could sense she was about to express 'wardrobe concerns' as well, but then saw Rachel and Finn approaching. "We'll talk later," he told Mercedes before moving ahead.
"Another one already?" Rachel asked, surprised but anxious all the same.
"Yes, well, I figured why wait," Kurt explained before presenting them with their envelopes.
"So what is it this time?" Finn asked.
"Hotel staff party, luau theme," he revealed. "Finn, you're Jon the bellboy, and Rachel, you're Evelyn the receptionist," he motioned to each of them in turn and did it again as he indicated them each, saying, "You're loud, and you're a gossip," to Finn and Rachel respectively. As always Rachel had entered thespian mode the moment he gave her any sort of information on her character. "Costume information is in the envelope," he told them before moving on, briefly catching a grain of uncertainty in Rachel's eye.
His next two people came at once, though not together. Kurt had just spotted Puck walking in his direction and started to go toward him when he was called out from behind.
"Hey, Kurt, wait up," he turned to see it was Artie, so he stopped, looking back to make sure Puck wouldn't miss him.
"Heard you might be looking for me?" he told Kurt as he neared.
"Yes, both of you," Kurt confirmed before picking out the envelopes and delivering them. "Got another murder mystery, I'm assuming I can count on you?"
"Sure. What is it this time?" Artie asked.
"It's a luau, basically," Kurt told them.
"Am I going to be wearing one of those straw skirts?" Puck asked.
"If the mood strikes you, sure," Kurt shrugged. "You will be Dave, bellboy and charmer."
"I can do that," he nodded, heading off with his envelope, leaving the other two there. Kurt turned to Artie, nodding to the envelope in Artie's hands.
"You'll be Marty the waiter. Now I know what you're going to read in there, just proceed with caution," was all Kurt would say, which left Artie scrambling to rip it open and get reading. With those he had left, Kurt could guess he'd run into them or be approached by them in pairs, and he split the envelopes in consequence. When he looked up again, there was the first pair coming his way.
"We're having a luau?" Tina asked, curious.
"Well the staff of a hotel is having a luau, but yes, technically," Kurt nodded. "Right, so here you go," he handed out the envelopes to her and to Mike. "Tina, you're going to be one of three maid characters, yours is Beatrice, the new girl, kind of clumsy and inexperienced."
"Oh, I can be a grade A klutz," she assured him, smiling.
"Just don't break anything too valuable, please?" he told her before looking over to Mike. "And you, you're Miles the shuttle driver, and as it turns out, Beatrice's secret boyfriend," he tilted his head back toward Tina.
"Yes," she cheered, holding her hand out, which Mike high fived with a grin.
"But everyone knows anyway," Kurt added, though that didn't change a thing in the couple's smiles.
With his last pair, Kurt ended up having to wait outside the girls' locker room for the two of them to come out after Cheerios practice. Even then, he knew they'd already know he was coming. "Hey, Kurt," Brittany smiled when she saw him. He split the remaining envelopes and handed them over.
"Am I the killer this time? I'm feeling like a little murder right now," Santana glared back at the locker door.
"Word of advice, not the kind of thing you want to be saying in these hallways," he pointed out.
"Sorry. So what is it this time, Mercedes said luau?" By the smirk on Brittany's face, he had a feeling she was one, unlike others, who was anxious for the costumes.
"Yes," he confirmed. "You're both slated to be maids. Brittany yours is Rose, she's like the lead maid, been there the longest."
"And then she dies?" she guessed, having died in all previous games.
"It's entirely possible," was all he'd say. "And Santana yours is Tina…"
"Why isn't Tina Tina?" Brittany asked.
"I had my reasons, and you'll find out soon enough," he promised them. "Dinner's this Saturday, contact information for costumes is in your envelopes."
TO BE CONTINUED (TOMORROW)