○ dance studio

@Kai 'Click.'

Something clicks into place just when that metal hits right hinges and locks, Daehyun locks his eyes on that jaw sprayed in the color of molten dust - just barely brown but darker than anything fair. His own eyes fall for his own fingers and everything he owns he reasseses and he defines himself with the same color. He sees himself in different eyes and he is, so suddenly, watching himself grinning from another perspective and he swoons; so sudden. Very sudden. It clicks.

"Hey," he speaks, oblivious entirely of the casual 'hey, hyung' and the split second it took him to realize (the importance of doors and clicking and heys). "You know what?" His neck slightly cranes to look at the other. Damn, Kai's taller. He frowns lightly. "You know what?" He goes for a second attempt, clearing the clutter in his head. "We can't let our looks go to waste. And remember how rich we were when we weren't wasting?" It wasn't so hard to remember. Daehyun remembers everything especially if it involves money. And ladies and grins and laughters and gins...the list could go on. And the rhetoric turns into a ticking bomb when he places a foot forward, then another.

He walks and the question rings alongside with 10...9...8...

Daehyun feels the clicking on that closed door and again, he is brought back to seeing himself bowing, and waving his hand, and asking for a cup of tea. He turns to a corner, uncertain of a follower but more uncertain if Kai is seeing what he's seeing. A light crosses his sight like a buzzing arrow in flight it swooshes and it hits and his palms are on a large wooden door. Daehyun pushes.

The garden.

For another moment, it clicks - the crazy and the odd and the beautiful and the yes! and the god-damn-it-what-the-_____-are-you-doing?

The breeze welcomes him and it tells him, "Welcome to the Host Club."

[to the Zen Garden]

@Daehyun A voice.

Loud in this silence but not loud enough. Kai turns and sees another ghost. Daehyun is different now. Daehyun, who was once a loud and bouncy spirit, now just a lone soul, pale and probably clinging onto the last bits of memories. At least now Kai knows he isn't the only one left. He stares a second too long as Daehyun says something about the dust. Then, he smiles. That old lazy smile.

"I've already caught something," he chuckles. It sounds unfamiliar, laughter. For a second he pauses, hearing the echos. He closes his eyes. Eyebrows furrow. Something hurts. Aches. The voices are familiar but they seem so buried in the past that they are intangible. And then they disappear again, like reality created a vortex, a black hole, in all traces of laughter and keeping them from ever existing again. This is reality. The Host Club is gone.

But Kai moves toward Daehyun anyway, the sounds of his steps no longer making such loud echos now that he actually seems to have a destination. A little hope. He stands by Daehyun as he straightens his jacket and his smile and his thoughts. Daehyun is different now but at least he's here. The Host Club is gone but they can make it.

Kai closes the door to the dance studio. During his last glance he sees the ghosts; one with nice upturned lips and a voice of an angel; the other, endearing wide eyes and a frame that would look perfect in Kai's arms. Kai turns back to Daehyun and smiles.

"Hey, hyung." And he lingers.

( _____. )

@Kai Come to think of it---

---It's not over yet.

For when Daehyun steps in the dance studio, he sees flesh on bones and bones caging a soul.

Daehyun isn't alone.

Come to think of it, the whole place has gone flat since insanity had picked up and flushed everyone down the drain. Who would've thought that growing up, growing insane, and growing out of the madness this place has created could bring such a destructive downfall to a grace thought to be ethereal; eternal? Come to think of it, Daehyun had seen it happening behind his eyes. What he hasn't is the probability of seeing a soul still lingering in the ship even the captain had abandoned.

"Kai," he spoke and there is a question mark somewhere there that Daehyun couldn't add because he's afraid to ask, afraid to be so obviously surprised, so awfully unfamiliar. So he settles for a smirk that has jumped out of the corner of his lips like a rodent caught in a trap. He scoffs to mask the prickling sensation in his eyes - memories prodding him. No, they are probably just dust.

"Dust," he says, he adds, just for effect. "It's dusty here. You shouldn't be here. You'll catch some...thing here." And Daehyun has seen it, when he said it. Kai has caught on to himself and Daehyun is about to catch his own trail of time inside the place. Instincts make him step backward.

"Let's get out before we start sneezing." He smiles, hopeful. "Come." Hosting has become his reflex that without him knowing he has his arm stretched out, fingers flexed open, inviting, suggesting --- "Let's go."

Come to think of it---


---he isn't alone anymore.

Dust.

Kai sees them all, shimmering and sparkling in the air, drifting along under the sunlight. They look like stardust. Kai had inhaled stardust in this room once or twice. In fact, if he tries, actually, really tries, he might still find some of them in the corners of his lungs, not shining quite as bright. Kai sighs. They'll burn out pretty soon. He can feel it. He knows it. He knows it because with each breathe the urge to stop the next grows.

Echo.

Kai hears them all. With each footstep on those smooth wooden floorboards. Each sound bounces off the walls and resounds and rattles into his bones. He's heard echos in this room once or twice, the echos of erratic heartbeats. So fast, so messy, thrown everywhere and anywhere. Heartbeats that didn't sway the same way until they held hands and danced. Heartbeats that fell into harmony.

Kai realizes they are but echos.

Ghost.

He sees one in the mirrors, staring back at him with the same hollow eyes. He sees two more in the reflection behind him; one with an unfamiliar look in his eyes, a smirk that seems practiced, the other with trembling shoulders and wavering breaths. Kai watches as they swirve and twirl and in between seconds, he sees the flashes of happiness so blindingly bright.

Kai closes his eyes. He keeps them that way for a long time. Deep breaths.

He opens his eyes and sees two other ghosts; one in the middle of the room, dancing with bones so brittle, but the other still quite fascinated. Kai stares for a long moment, entranced by those wide eyes. Eyes so achingly familiar. Everything falls into all the wrong places. Kai can no longer do anything about it.

He closes his eyes again, tighter this time. Everything is gone. Everyone.

Kai opens his eyes and finds he's a ghost.

@Sanggil "maybe we have great chemistry." Luhan grins cheekily, trying to lead the dance. one step. two step. he notices the subtle glances and inwardly smirks. "so i either have something on my face or i'm just so handsome you can't stop looking." luhan says, slowly bring sanggil down for a dip. "and i hope it's the latter." he winks, bringing them back up.

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@Sanggil Luhan smirked as he mimics the other's gesture. After carefully putting down his tea, he gently drags the other towards the center of the dance floor. A soothing jazz song plays in the background. The beat perfect for a nice slow dance. He places a careful hand on his patron's waist, while he interlocks fingers with the other. Tugging him a bit closer, Luhan sways their body to the music, trying to get them a bit more situated with their new position. "Forgive me if I step on your feet. I'm not the best dancer." He chuckles lowly.

@Luhan As he thought about it the game sounded like it would have been fun and he frowned slightly wondering if the would ever get another chance to play. "Well...then how about we not waste the song?" Sanggil suggested taking one more sip from his tea before putting it down.

@Sanggil "Ahh Sanggil." The name rolled off so nicely on his tongue, he wouldn't mind saying it over and over again. And what a lovely name to match such a beautiful smile, he thinks as he sees the man grin widely. A sense of accomplishment washes over him. He catches himself smiling just as widely. "But guessing would be so much fun. We could've played a game like if i guess wrong then you would have to dance with me." He chuckles. "Such a pity because my favorite song is playing."

@Luhan Sanggil took a sip grinning from ear to ear "If you tried to guess we might bee here for a long while." He still debated if he should just hold off on his name but thought better of it "I'm Sanggil its nice to meet you."

@Sanggil "And that I am." He grins, bowing slightly, careful not to spill the tea. He hands his patron a cup of tea, hoping the other would enjoy it. "So what is your name? Or should I guess till I get it right?" Luhan smirks, taking a sip of his tea.

@Luhan Turning towards the voice Sanggil smiled bowing slightly "I guess I must be if your name is Luhan that is." They really knew how to pick hosts Sanggil thought as he watched the other coming closer. The smell of tea quickly filled their little area of the room and he wondered if he was lucky that he happened to love drinking tea right after hot chocolate of course.

@Sanggil Leaning on the wall across the other side of the room, Luhan observed the man who entered. Tall, slim and exquisitely beautiful he might add. Making his hosting job a whole lot easier. "Are you perhaps looking for me?" He grinned, carrying two cups of two over to the man. Letting his eyes roam over his patron once more, admiring how much better the man looked with every step he took.

@Luhan Sanggil walked in after being shown the way really more surprised at how big the place was. He stepped hesitantly towards the middle of the dance room not seeing anyone around. "Hello?" he called out his voice echoing off the high ceilings deciding to just wait as he walked over and looked out the windows.

A long sigh left Luhan's lips as he stepped into the dance room. It has been months since his last hosting job and he would be lying to himself if he didn't say he was nervous. yes despite his rumored title of the host's playah, he's actually quite soft hearted and misunderstood. Really he is just a regular host trying to make it through life. It's not his fault he's just so loved.

Noticing that he was actually quite early and that his patron wouldn't be here quite yet, luhan decided to go make some tea. hoping the soothing scent of green tea would win the heart of his new patron.

(otl i hate life)

@Sanggil Daehyun ushered the new patron inside, and waited for Luhan to take charge.

dongwoo walk through thw door dancing in a ghostly way..and suddenly shout " play with me if you're here " and start spinning .

Xiumin was walking around this place randomly exploring it. He's been here for a few days yet still not explored it. A grand door caught his eyes and his feet automatically bought him there. He pushed open the door to oly to meet with the emptiness of the elegant room. He decided to walk in and absorb the elegant-ness of the room, never had he seen a room like this. Mind you this was just the dance studio.

@Kai (kay ill post there)

@Kyungsoo There's a pound to his head when Kyungsoo gives his hand a squeeze, and it stops his heart and he doesn't know why. It's happened before, but Kai doesn't quite think he'll ever get used to the feeling of, he wants this, too. He's tied up to the realization of Kyungsoo's accepting him but he's never felt this great.

The shade over Kyungsoo's adorable expression is priceless, yet another one of those images that Kai burns into his being, a new colour to his world. Kai begins to tug Kyungsoo toward the door, excited and anxious, but he keeps control over his steps. "The rooftop," he answers quietly, biting back a grin as he shuts the door to the dance studio. It closes with a click.
Kai falls for Kyungsoo with a crash.

( to the rooftop we go! )

@Kai Pleasant tingles shoot up Kyungsoo's arm when Jongin links their fingers together, the act innocent yet carrying an air of intimacy. He likes it, if he's being honest. He feels shaky yet grounded and he gives a gentle squeeze to the younger's hand in his own to signal that it's okay, a nervous, shy smile making its way on to his own lips as he looks away from the other. He can't seem to keep eye contact for long, but there's a pleasant rather than embarrassed flush spreading across his cheeks.

When Jongin speaks, he's glad that he seems to have a plan. He always seems to have a plan, and that comforts the constantly disoriented Kyungsoo to no end. When he peeks up from under his lashes, the younger is grinning childishly, a youthful glint to his eyes. He nods his head in answer, willing to go anywhere that the other takes him. He's sure he'll love wherever they go, as long as he's with his host. "Where is it?" He asks curiously.

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@Kyungsoo There's a hint of a smile tugging on Kai's lips as he looks down at his hands, slowly lacing his fingers into Kyungsoo's and it's weird how he just suddenly wants to do it. He eyes Kyungsoo carefully, as if looking for any signs of rejection, and hoping he'll find none.

"Actually," he begins slowly, looking back down at their hands, taking a moment to burn the feeling of being so close to the other into his bones, "I have something in mind. Hopefully you'd like it. It's sort of a newer addition to this club." He looks back up again and there's this air of childish excitement around him, around the grin that splits his lips. "Shall we?"

@Kai Kyungsoo almost breathes a sigh of relief at Jongin's assurance that he didn't mind the extra weight. He still felt as if perhaps he should lose a few pounds if they were to ever do something like that again, but at least his host wasn't judgmental in the slightest. He looks in his host's direction, noticing that he doesn't seem to be overly affected by their dancing (if you could even call it that) as he simply straightened out his clothes. He supposes that it's mostly just him who finds all of this nerve-wracking. But then again, Jongin must have done this millions of times before.

He looks up at the younger as he presses closer, the host making it so they're standing almost uncomfortably close, but not so close that they're touching (and not nearly as close as they were only a moment ago). He feels his pulse picking up once more, and he can't help but to swallow hard as Jongin's questions him. "D-do you have anything in mind?" he asks timidly, wide-eyed gaze locked with Jongin's. Honestly, he's so nervous at the moment, that he is unable to think straight, and his host asking him to be decisive is just too much.

@Kyungsoo It takes a lot for Kai not to whimper at the loss of contact when his patron pulls away, but he manages to restrain. He only smiles and looks as if he'd forgotten. "It's alright, I didn't mind," he says slowly, straightening himself and adjusting his clothing. He takes a glance at Kyungsoo, red in the face and he thimks he looks adorable like that. Kind of makes him want to grab him and keep him in his arms forever, though Kai supposes he'd still want Kyungsoo in his arms forever any other way.

"Shall we stay here or do you want to do something else?" he asks softly, a whisper almost, as he moves closer to the patron, the tip of his shoes nearly touching the other's.

Himchan nodded and smiled at her again. "No need to be shy. We welcome you with open arms."

(To the Wish office)

@Himchan Sohee slowly looked up at him and smiled a little. She nodded a little. "A-Alright..." Sohee's voice was shy and gentle as she spoke.

His eyebrows marred on his forehead as he looked at her. "You're not a bother, my lady. It would be our pleasure to serve a lovely lady like you." He held her hand, smiling at her gently. "So? Let's go?"

@Himchan "I-I'm fine." She smiled at him reassuringly. Sohee bit her lip and puffed her cheeks. "I'm fine with not having one... I don't want to bother anyone or anything like that..." Sohee looked at her shoes. She didn't like bothering people it made her feel like a bother.