Mingle post: Haunted House Maze

[hellish_butler]

What: Sebastian opens a haunted-house maze
When: Open for the entire month of October 1 to 31, but the post is open forever. Open in the late afternoons to late nights, the haunted house is closed after midnight. If you visit the house after 9pm, the lights of the house will shut off and the house is completely dark, but flashlights will be given to guests.
Other information: Just put in your subject title if you're OTA or if you want to lock it if you have parties/CR involved in mind! There are convenient NPCs on the premises to serve as actors or security guards. Please don't injure or kill them, they are residents and locals from that valley Sebastian hired to maintain the house and as the manager, he protects them. Otherwise, feel free to accidentally break any props or furniture while on the property, but Sebastian will immediately replace them. More info and house layout on the ooc comm if you have questions to ask!

Video
"Good evening and greetings everyone. I am Sebastian, the butler of the Phantomhive Household. On the behalf of the Earl Phantomhive, I want to announce that we officially open a haunted house to celebrate this month's festivities. There's a fee for admissions so visit us during opening hours. If you have any questions, feel free to ask my staff on the premise or ask me any questions you may have. All are invited and welcome."


Action
The haunted house is a classic Victorian house, a small size manor that is located on a hill where everyone can see the decorations of pumpkins and ghouls being placed on the frontyard. A steep cobblestone step leads up toward the house. The signs outside on the front to make it look ominous and scary with stoney ridgeback gargoyles guarding the front gate.

The house is not really haunted, but Sebastian sure decorates and designed it to look that way. At the front desk, the clerk on duty handed out maps and everyone is given a map of the house's layout upon entry and the map shows the emergency exit signs. If the guests visit after 9pm, the house is completely dark and flashlights will be given to guests.

The house has four levels and the property is categorized into five zones: The first floor, the second floor, the third floor, and the fourth floor which happens to be the attic. The fifth zone is the hedge maze garden which is located in the backyard and is connected to one of the exits.

Comments

[hellish_butler]

After he closed down the house, Sebastian will walk by his side and escort on the road to make sure he gets home safely, especially when it's really dark outside at night.

The house is completely different during closing time. With the lights on, it's easy to see the props, the paints of blood and gore on the walls and floor, and the spooky décor in each room and how it was set up specifically to look terrifying. The lights reveal the set and the furniture. The house is no longer scary with the lights on, but it's easy to see it's all set up as part of the act.

"It's easy to do. Just check very room and make sure they're empty, and if you find someone, lead them back to the lobby. Leave the clean up to me and the staff. If you need help, just give me a call on the phone."

Overall, Sebastian did...find it fun to set up everything, considering it was a tradition back at the manor that Ciel is a host and Sebastian the servant did the rest.

[sweetlies]

Astre tucked his hands into his pocket, much more at ease now than he had been after their arrival. And with all the props and tricks revealed when the house is lit up, any lingering anxiety from exploring the haunted house melted away.

"I can handle that. Are you sure you don't need help cleaning though? It doesn't entirely feel right to just leave it to everyone else." And he'd done his fair share of chores in Riverview and since arriving here. Anything to make life easier for the lot of them, especially with the house here being smaller than anything he's ever lived in before.

At least this was a little more interesting than in England though. With the exception of all the traditions that the other servants had suggested mixing into the event.

[hellish_butler]

With the lights on, the house is revealed for Astre to view and tour. Everything else is an artistic trick, carefully painted and decorated. "Don't worry about it, my Lord. I'm pretty sure everyone else is capable of the clean up. I hired them after all. Just check the rooms once or twice if you have to." But he can see Astre wanted to be useful and helpful.

The butler enjoyed upkeeping the Phantomhive tradition, if not for the aesthetics. At least, his Young Master shall now be known for his reputation in fun and games for the locals to learn.

Grinning, the demon did nudge Astre to have fun while he works. "The house is empty now." So it's less scary. And the staff who plays the monsters behave normally as they doubled their jobs as the clean up crew. "Feel free to explore and have a look around. I will allow you to stay up late even though it's way past your bedtime."

Usually Sebastian is strict in maintaining schedule and curfews...but for now, he's being pretty lenient and laidback even for being the butler.

[sweetlies]

Oh, he had absolutely no doubts about the capability of those Sebastian had hired. The demon always had been thorough, even if the manor staff sometimes left one wanting. They were, at least, all very skilled in their primary task of protecting him and his household.

When he found himself being nudged, he couldn't help a little grin and a faint chuckle. "You must realize by now that Undertaker and I have stayed up late a few times." Although, Undertaker tended to be just as careful about Astre's health and making sure he slept enough. Especially after he had made himself sick once already, in Riverview, by denying himself sleep.

He'd gotten an earful for that and he didn't recount the incident to Sebastian. Another scolding for the precious year wasn't high on his list of wants.

"What would you suggest I see?"

[hellish_butler]

It seems the Undertaker has grown to be quite a guardian, despite there's a difference between the reaper and the demon in terms of core abilities. "I did. Staying up later past your bedtime...I suppose that means you had grown up."

With the butler around, he will make sure Astre will sleep on time. The demon is only learning how fragile humans can be, especially with human's weakness to disease and illnesses as the demon is immune to such fragilities, especially Astre's condition concerning his allergies and asthma.

At his question, the demon turned to look at the stairs, where the lights light up the stairs and up in the halls on the second floor. "Start anywhere you like. Though if you want to help with the linens and sweeping, you may check if there is anyone is in need of assistance on the second floor where the bedrooms are and check the empty bedrooms up there. That would be a start."

[sweetlies]

They were very different. And it had been odd, adjusting to how Undertaker had looked after him compared to how Sebastian had. He'd managed though, more quickly than he'd have thought, but the nightmares that had returned when his memories had left him trying to find company to ease the terror. And Undertaker had been all he had. And he'd never objected to looking out for him.

"I have had an extra year. A little more now though, I suppose." Not quite grown up but he'd grown more than he had been. He'd learned to cook, but that had become a necessity. Sort of. Undertaker had been appalled to find Ciel eating instant meals or take-out, when he'd moved into his apartment. He hadn't wanted to ask anyone for help or give any hints that he couldn't manage on his own.

"I could do that, I'm sure." A pause, and curious: "What are you going to do?"

[hellish_butler]

The butler is aware that whatever happened in Riverview, the Undertaker has his guardian since his absence and assist Astre in his place. Being a demon at his core, Sebastian isn't the one who can be of any help concerning Astre's nightmares, being during his entire time of serving him, Sebastian entire existence and his ties to the contract was one of the reasons why his nightmare kept recurring.

With Sebastian around and living in the countryside, he hopes Astre eats less of the processed, junk food and focus on the healthier foods that the valley has to offer when cooked right. It wouldn't make him any more appetizing. Souls are what they ate for one lifetime and he'll be damned if Astre tastes like instant ramen noodles or like greasy foods available, so the demon would be equally appalled but for a different reason.

"I'll check the rest of the house." Before Astre went up the stairs. "You'll be all right. The lights are on now and the staff are not monsters. They're the residents of the valley who wears makeup and costume, so that was all." As Sebastian is confident with the lights on, no one gets lost. "If you get lost, just come back downstairs and meet me and wait for me in the lobby."

[sweetlies]

He wouldn't lie and say that Sebastian hadn't contributed to some of his earlier nightmares. Or that removing his eye hadn't brought them back, his fear of the demons ire pushing to the front of his thoughts when he'd arrived in Starhue.

Astre might have argued though that sometimes greasy food or instant ramen was worth the lack of nutritional value. It was simply good for the soul, and he would realize the irony in that. A bit like the sweets he tried to indulge in a little too often.

"Alright." And then a cheeky little grin. "I'll try not to get too lost. You did a good job on all of this, I wouldn't be surprised to find a few tricks and surprises left over that no one found."