The Grand Naustis Hotel, large and extravagant in its own right. In comparison to the buildings situated over the middle District and it barely seemed as though it belonged, the structures entrance held itself on gleaming marble pillars with crystal glass doors at its end and the hotels name written above in cursive gold. The building itself was homelike, although supposed to be a hotel there was an air of comfort that exuded from its walls.
"Charm magic, the entire thing has been made to ease your nerves" Ronvel muttered beside her, perhaps noticing how she and a lot of others were ogling the place.
She shook her head at the mention of the magic and focused her attention back on the person who'd come to address them, a man whose appearance couldn't be explained as anything more than eccentric, bright pink hair, white gloves and although the weather barely suited for such attire but a thin long sleeve shirt and pants. His gaze shifted over the crowd of ogling participants and smiled warmly before bowing.
"It's with great gratitude that I find my abode so well received, You'll be staying here for the remaining night preceding the actual trials" he spoke, sweetly and softly, it was bewitching in a sense that Crusch was enraptured by the entire thing for a split second before shaking her head again.
"Who is he?" She asked, glancing at Ronvel who seemed concentrated elsewhere but heard her question clearly.
"Hubert Spencer, he goes by Hurb since it fits him a little more but he's an accomplished charm's specialist" Ronvel explained, still concentrated elsewhere.
"Charms huh…" She lightly grimaced, the memories of only a few weeks ago still prominent in her thoughts.
"This is of course your first time here, the Magus community understands and sympathizes with your fears and anxiety's and have given one night for mental preparation!!" He exclaimed, "As well as ensuring those staying tonight do indeed intend to participate on the knowledge that there may be lasting repurcusions"
He glanced over the crowd once more but no one seemed to move and he smiled, "You will each be receiving a room situated with a partner by random by picking from this container I just conjured beside me"
At those words did a table and a glass jar filled with gold balls appear beside him at the entrance, "You will call out your numbers one at a time and whoever holds a matching number is your new roommate"
Gazes from the crowd seemed to glance at one another as Crusch cast a hesitant look over the place, she hadn't had much time to assess the competition before but now that she did and she felt even less confident about herself. Many seemed sure of themselves, stood at least a foot or two above her and carried an air of superiority and a hunger for the trials that just wasn't present in herself. Of course, she'd already judged Ronvel from her elegant demeanor and clothes to which she'd revealed that she wasn't all that good, a beginner like herself but there wasn't any proof of that; how did she know that she hadn't simply lowered herself to accommodate for a partnership between them?
In any case, she made an effort not to show these bubbling worries. The competition around her seemed not only to be contemplating the reasoning behind Hubert's words when the Hotel itself looked as though it could house each of them individually but also an assessment of their soon to be competitors, the glances were steeled and calculative for what she was sure were a large lot of children. A few of them had gleamed over her and seemed to narrow, perhaps recognizing her or having already spotted her out as the weakest link?
She couldn't tell much but the silent sizing up had only lasted a few minutes or so before Hubert saw it fit to begin, the process was random indeed, one by one did they bring themselves to the entrance of the hotel and picked from the jar to which they'd call out the number engraved on its surface.
After about half an hours worth of this process was it Crusch's turn, she sidled towards the entrance where Hubert sat by the jar and beamed as she placed her hand inside.
"Veraina or Viktor, I truly can't tell who's features you've taken more off…" Crusch heard Hubert mutter as she pulled a number from inside and shot a curious look while he beamed.
"Th-Thirty Seven!!" She exclaimed aloud, casting a quick glance over the crowd while inwardly praying that she at least got someone nice and was delighted when a familiar hand shot itself into the air; Ronvel's.
She made her way towards her as another walked up the marble steps to take her place by the table while Ronvel shot her a beaming smile, "I'd hoped I'd get someone familiar!"
Crusch smiled while suppressing the fact that she'd indeed have preferred the same, the trials hadn't began and this wasn't the time to grow close.
'Don't fool yourself' She recited in her thoughts.
After about an hour did the process finally come to a close, instinctually were a lot of the crowd already standing in their respective pairs which Crusch found were a lot more comfortable with each other than she would've expected; some already in idle conversation.
"Marvelous, Wonderful that things have gone so splendidly" Hubert cast a laugh that yet again was enamoring but Crusch quickly shook her head to the effects, "what's left is to explain where you'll find your rooms and how to access them as well as the general rules of this place"
A gleaming bronze wand of seemingly metallic origin flickered into his grasp as he swayed it once and the balls in theit hands which Crusch actually found to be metal as well, nearly pure gold by the weight and look of it and decorated with beautiful engraves now begin to move and slowly spin.
"A room detector, a fun invention of mine!" Hubert exclaimed, "Those devices in your hands will tell you where your room is by spinning, the faster it spins the closer you are!"
Crusch raised a brow.
"A fun little game of seeking, I invented it to entertain guests" he smiled knowingly although no one seemed to recognize this procedure, not even the nobility she'd picked up from the crowd but it didn't surprise her much. To Crusch, Hubert's hotel seemed like the dining area for much more important figures, yet if that was the case then what important person would find it amusing to go running around a building looking for their room?
"In any case, your roommate's room detector will detect your room as well so should you by some misfortune lose your detector then it is very much possible to still find your rooms so long as one of you have it"
Ronvel glanced at Crusch who smiled wryly, "I'm not clumsy"
"I am though, so I'm counting on you"
Hubert once again gave his wand a light wave and the devices in their hands opened a small slit where a jewel encrusted eye that emitted a very subtle lime green color settled.
"I like to remind my guests that there are what you may call, ehem, room thieves" He smiled at the crowd who's gazes turned skeptical, "Some guest bode ill intentions, gaining access to your room through a lost detector and ravaging its contents"
Many gazes seemed to turn worried and suddenly there was an air of suspicion and skepticism among the pairs that glanced over the others, distrust had been sewn and Crusch felt Ronvel's own gaze become steeled.
"The jewels can help in finding a detector, your detector or your partners" he explained, "ranging from deep green to lime green and deep yellow to bright red"
He conjured a ball of his own and showcased these colour changes, "Deep Green to lime green will showcase how close or how far away you are from your detector while deep yellow to bright red will inform you of the presence of a thief, someone either holding your detector or having ill intentions towards you and your rooms"
He examined the crowds reactions and continued, "Now, I wouldn't want to bore you too much with the rules but their not much so please listen carefully if you will"
His gaze turned slightly less playful, "Please refrain from being out on the corridors at night, I do have other guests here after all who'd rather enjoy their sleep"
Everyone nodded to which the man became playful again, "And also, the reception is your greatest friend now please—"
Confetti and two attendants appeared at the now wide opened door with a bow as Hubert made for an eccentric ushering inside
"Welcome to the Naustis Hotel!!"
**
Was it due to the fact that she herself hadn't experienced much luxury for any portion of her life that she found the place a lot more extravagant than the rest of the nobility around her who seemed to pay the place no mind, as though it were normal?
The hotel's entrance Hall was tall and wide, the floor made of gleaming crimson and gold tiling tha reflected the reflections of those walking over it while accompanied with the occasional skidding of rubber soles on a polished floor. The ceiling was high above them, obscenely high with a chandelier at its epicenter while various exquisitely painted backgrounds behind it on the ceiling seemed to accentuate its look.
Crusch's gaze then turned in front of her to the reception hall where a man and a woman in crimson and pearl white tuxedos lacking in the blazer sat behind a desk with a small overhead green lamp beside it and waved at them, she sheepishly reciprocated while examining the place even further. There was a caged elevator system ahead while stairs lead to the upper floors as well, thankfully however was she not the only person ogling as there was a distinct and staggering amount of people who seemed more enamored at the place than even she.
Their eyes darted over the magnificent flooring, bewitched to the point that one child had seemingly become enraptured at her own reflection of off the crimson tiles. Others seemed transfixed over the ceiling, it was a little amusing although Ronvel didn't seem to be quite enjoying herself as much.
"We should try finding our rooms, I think" She glanced over at Crusch who looked back at her.
"They said this is a reprieve and its so early in the day, and her I thought I was the less humourous…" She chuckled but the gesture seemed to only spur Ronvel's seriousness even further.
"You don't understa—"
"Miss Ronvel!!" Crusch glanced over, noticing a person striding towards them as Ronvel's face grew grim, "It's been too long"
Crusch watched as a hand outstretched in Ronvel's direction, her own barely in the ready to receive it as she glared.
"Do we know each other?" Crusch raised a brow while glancing between the two but the man barely seemed offended.
"Ah, I see" He retracted his hand and smiled, "Arthur Rionhardt, my companions call me Arthur"
"Ronvel Van'heer" She responded but didn't answer in a smile, Arthur glanced over towards Crusch.
"Your companion I presume? Quite familiar…" He seemed to analyze her more carefully while Crusch admonished the fact that her spectacles stood out so prominently, she hadn't known a noble thus far wearing one and felt it now to be her most telling characteristic and even worse when her reputation felt so embarrassing.
"No one you'd know, is there a reason why you're here?" Said Ronvel stepping in between his gazs just slightly as the latter chuckled and shook his head.
"Ah, I thought it best to team up with others and you were my first option but it seems as though you've grown a little fond of that one" He cast a reproachful look at Crusch, walking away as Ronvel pulled her aside towards one of the caged elevators and spoke to her in a whisper.
"This isn't a resting area, the trials have already started"