Chapter 8: Hotel
Lost in Traverse Town, Sora had found his way to the Second District's Hotel. Roaming the empty hallway, he approached the counter and read the "closed" sign mounted on the window. Still, he rang the bell to see if anyone would answer.
He rang it a few more times, still getting no response. There was fine print on the "closed" sign, reading, "No vacancy".
"How about a brochure?" said the lone boy, taking one of the concessions from the counter. "Hm…an art exhibit, eh?" He saw a nearby painting on the wall, examining the art. "Hm…. 'The Autumn Dusk'. That's…autumn-y."
Apparently, the only other art exhibit was another painting on the opposite wall waaaaay down at the other end of the hallway. Taking a slow stroll, Sora reflected on what the word "dusk" meant. Was that the morning one, or the nighttime one?
Brainstorming, he said out loud, "Let's see. There's dusk and dawn…like that movie I was too scared—I mean, too young to see. Who knows what it could mean?"
Finally reaching the opposite end, Sora examined the second and last art exhibit on the wall. "That's 'Midsummer Dawn'—whoa, I knew it'd say 'dawn'!"
Suddenly, the front counter on the other end of the hall activated its intercom, revealing a mysterious person's voice, "Paintings are great…"
"HOLY CRAP!" Sora jumped in fright. Spinning right around, he huffed and puffed, "Hey, didn't they hear me ring the bell?"
Running back to the front counter, Sora furiously rang the bell some more. This time, the curtain behind the window moved slightly, accompanied with another intercom message, "Paintings are great…. If you ever stay the night…try hitting the clock."
"Uh…okay? How about letting me have a room?" Sora asked.
No response.
Frustrated, Sora grumbled before leaving the hotel, "Whatever. This place is creepy, anyhow."
But within that staff-only room behind the front desk, a man dressed in a long black coat with the hood pulled up sat reclined in the darkness, listening to relaxing music. Satisfied with whatever he'd accomplished that night, the Master of Masters commented out loud, "That kid's gonna thank me later for the free Mythril. Of course, he'll probably forget all about it until the One-Point-Five-Plus-Two-Point-Five Remix comes out. Silly kiddo."
