[She looks abashed once he gives her the advice about the spiked drink. Like she'd never considered the idea before. It pulls his lips into a small, sympathetic smile, and in the interest of being fully honest he tells her:]
There's no guarantee they'll listen, I suppose. But the higher-ranks are afforded some special treatment, so I wouldn't be afraid to milk that for all its worth.
[Still. This place is rough for everyone, including the higher-ranked guests. There are some fates even those guests can't escape, like turning to stone once they haven't had sex in a while. Like disappearing and turning into statues anyway, even if they were playing the game. Compliance may offer some protection, but it won't guarantee their safety. Nothing will, it seems, which is a really frightening piece of the puzzle.
He doesn't like talking about it. Or thinking about it. But it does no good to hide from the truth, so.
He looks at her seriously.]
Sorry to put the image in your head, but I've seen people strung up naked as "punishment" here. It happened to a friend of mine. He said it was because he refused to participate in some worthless competition or another. And they like messing with our bodies, so in addition to all the drugging, there was one "game" where everyone woke up with animal parts. But they also made everyone's suits "active," so our behavior was changed, too. Then some of the guests also have nasty personalities. I was at a party where us numbered ranks were all "servants," and I watched the higher ranks laugh at a Rank 2 who was collapsed on the floor.
[He says all this somewhat dispassionately, in the voice of someone who's Seen Some Shit. He used to be more shocked and outraged, but now...]
As a Queen, you should be protected from some of that stuff. And it's possible to fly under the radar much of time. I haven't been directly punished by the staff very much at all. But it does happen, and there's even something called "the Punishment Room" down in the maintenance level. I'd avoid that whole area, if you want to be safe.
[And now for the statue talk, which isn't any more pleasant. He takes a breath, breathing in more of that vanilla scent, and begins.]
As far as I know, there are two ways people become statues.
[He holds up a finger.]
First, they say you start turning to stone if you haven't had sex in a while. That can kick in once it's been over a month, or so I've heard. I'm not sure it happens at the same time for everyone, though. It sounded like something gradual, since I recall one person reporting that he'd started to turn to stone, but hadn't fully petrified yet.
Then there's the second way, where people simply disappear suddenly. Their room is cleared out, their name is taken off the list of registered guests, the staff claims to have no idea where they are, and they turn up later as a statue. Those people can wake up later, so they're not "dead." But they're not responsive either, and it doesn't sound like there's any way to forcibly wake them. It's almost like they're comatose.
sorry, must have marked this as read when it wasn't
There's no guarantee they'll listen, I suppose. But the higher-ranks are afforded some special treatment, so I wouldn't be afraid to milk that for all its worth.
[Still. This place is rough for everyone, including the higher-ranked guests. There are some fates even those guests can't escape, like turning to stone once they haven't had sex in a while. Like disappearing and turning into statues anyway, even if they were playing the game. Compliance may offer some protection, but it won't guarantee their safety. Nothing will, it seems, which is a really frightening piece of the puzzle.
He doesn't like talking about it. Or thinking about it. But it does no good to hide from the truth, so.
He looks at her seriously.]
Sorry to put the image in your head, but I've seen people strung up naked as "punishment" here. It happened to a friend of mine. He said it was because he refused to participate in some worthless competition or another. And they like messing with our bodies, so in addition to all the drugging, there was one "game" where everyone woke up with animal parts. But they also made everyone's suits "active," so our behavior was changed, too. Then some of the guests also have nasty personalities. I was at a party where us numbered ranks were all "servants," and I watched the higher ranks laugh at a Rank 2 who was collapsed on the floor.
[He says all this somewhat dispassionately, in the voice of someone who's Seen Some Shit. He used to be more shocked and outraged, but now...]
As a Queen, you should be protected from some of that stuff. And it's possible to fly under the radar much of time. I haven't been directly punished by the staff very much at all. But it does happen, and there's even something called "the Punishment Room" down in the maintenance level. I'd avoid that whole area, if you want to be safe.
[And now for the statue talk, which isn't any more pleasant. He takes a breath, breathing in more of that vanilla scent, and begins.]
As far as I know, there are two ways people become statues.
[He holds up a finger.]
First, they say you start turning to stone if you haven't had sex in a while. That can kick in once it's been over a month, or so I've heard. I'm not sure it happens at the same time for everyone, though. It sounded like something gradual, since I recall one person reporting that he'd started to turn to stone, but hadn't fully petrified yet.
Then there's the second way, where people simply disappear suddenly. Their room is cleared out, their name is taken off the list of registered guests, the staff claims to have no idea where they are, and they turn up later as a statue. Those people can wake up later, so they're not "dead." But they're not responsive either, and it doesn't sound like there's any way to forcibly wake them. It's almost like they're comatose.