The Silent Script - Bungo Stray Dogs

Passcode

The Solstice held two hundred expansive suites in total, each so lavish and intricately designed that guests could easily lose themselves in its luxury. Though the hotel was fully booked, it never felt crowded. Each floor housed seven or eight grand suites, ensuring that every guest had ample space and privacy. It was if the building itself swallowed them whole.

At the very top on the thirtieth floor, the Elysian Hall stood as the crown jewel. It spanned the entirety of the floor itself, offering the perfect venue to host the two hundred self-important egos slowly beginning to fill the room.

Below ground was the mezzanine level, where staff operated seamlessly behind the scenes. The kitchens, storage, and all the unseen workings of the hotel were contained there, ensuring that the grandeur of the Solstice remained undisturbed by the bustle below. Even at full capacity, the hotel felt empty, its elegance never diminished by the presence of so many.

Charlotte had opted to get to the Elysian Hall well before ten o'clock when the official buffet was set to begin, both to calm her nerves and because her mysterious friends hinted that they might find it useful to peruse the atmosphere.

She could tell the gears of their heist were already turning. Even as they'd stepped off the elevator directly into the hall, neither of them had seemed the slightest bit taken aback at the sheer opulence the Elysian Hall had on display. Each surface shimmered with the quiet but cold visage of wealth. Charlotte was almost afraid to step inside should the soles of her shoes dirty the sparkling ground, but a quick glance at her companions told her neither had been affected in the slightest. Almost as if they'd seen it before.

They had been idling around the far table for a good half hour now. Perhaps they were waiting for someone? Charlotte kept a curious eye on them as she moved across the floor, greeting people and deflecting small talk with polite smiles. The hall was slowly starting to fill with dignitaries, nobilities, and key political figures. Charlotte was quite shocked to see a few of them. How had Fyodor pulled such names?

But then, it was only natural that they'd be here. The gates to Yokohama had been sealed shut, with all travel routes either decimated or blocked off by its new dictator for a whole year now. The timing of this ball was everything. Half of the people in this room, including Charlotte, would never have attended an event like this one if it weren't hosted under these special circumstances.

Fyodor had intentionally built up intrigue around himself over the years, and those calling him a child playing with a new toy had promptly been shut up when Yokohama was declared a member state. Curiosity had reached a fever pitch all throughout the world. Nothing attracted people like power and secrets, and Fyodor promised both.

A secret hotel,strange invites, Obsidian Key Passes... It was all strange and mysterious, like walking through a mirror maze with your eyes closed. 

That was probably why the tension in the room was so palpable. Charlotte herself had immediately been hit with a wave of nerves as soon as the elevator doors had opened and the air of the hall had hit her. There was no denying it; under the fake, cool demeanor everyone portrayed, they were all on edge.

Soon, all two hundred guests who had received invites would be in the room with her. She vaguely knew that the people at the hotel did not make up the entirety of the guest list for the masquerade ball tomorrow night, and that a select few would be getting their passes delivered personally, though she had no idea how many. 

The last of the guests started to arrive, and the tension in the room heightened as the mass of bodies thickened. It wasn't that the hall was crowded. No, it was the shared feeling of apprehension that everyone in the room felt, amplified by their feigned interactions.