It was a rather lazy night at the Hotel.
Four and X had just finished up on serving dinner to the *many* guests hanging around, loitering and goofing off. Having had their dreams so thoroughly and utterly crushed, forever confining them into this miserable building for pretty much the rest of their lives, the only thing that could distract them from that all-too-ominous fact is copious amounts of foodstuffs, and plenty of water to wash it down with. With all the delectable flavors and spices leaving a sense of fullness (literally, not metaphorically) to all the guests, it helps them *almost* forget the fact that they were denied participation in the Battle for Dream Island, that their lives for the following years and years was gonna consist of nothing but just *this*, yet more dread, yet more silently going through day after day, toiling while knowing that all they do will never amount to anything ever, so long as there aren't any cameras pointed in their direction.
The algebralians needed that sort of support to some degree as well. Having just recently finished hosting a tumultuous season of the BFDI, they came here looking for a more relaxing, more peaceful gig in order to calm down after all of... *that*. But the universe is funny, and the universe is cruel. Something that was immensely painful and horrific to get through in the moment becomes warped and distorted in memories, and looking at the past with rose-tinted glasses causes things to become more positive, more exciting and thrilling than they actually were in reality. And so, despite all the ups and downs the two had suffered from having to deal with all those contestants, of having to look at the worst versions of themselves directly in the eye, there eventually came a point where they recalled the Battle for Battle for (Battle for) Dream Island not with quiet reflection and regret, but with enthusiasm and joy, almost desiring to go back to those 'good' old days.
And unlike most others that are *far* past their prime, they have better, easier, more effective ways of reliving those cherished memories.
Once everything was cleaned up, once everything was nice and orderly once again, ready to be trashed as soon as the sun rose, Four and X would get comfortable and watch a few late-night movies. One or two episodes of the BFDI, perhaps a smidge of the later seasons, and then a *lot* of watching BFB. They'd constantly talk over the old footage, commenting and critiquing about what they had done, and how they could have handled things differently with the knowledge they now had. They also poked fun at the Announcer quite a bit, though they were sure he understood it was all in jest; it's a big unknown whether or not that machine can feel *anything*, anyway. On most nights it would just be the number and the variable, but in some exceptional circumstances the guests would also be allowed to join in, watching and wondering about what could've been.
Tonight was just gonna be another one of those nights. The blue numeral was busy thumbing through their archives of all the episodes, now duplicated and preserved thanks to their valiant efforts to ensure it wouldn't be lost to history. They'd probably watched and rewatched the whole thing around 2,763 times at this point, and so it was starting to become quite a struggle to figure out what they're gonna
The algebralian would encounter an unexpected entry in their records.
The Battle for Dream Island was poorly maintained from start to finish, and that was *especially* through for any archives of its footage. Always on the brink of cancellation due to a lack of funding, and with viewership figures constantly fluctuating but remaining on the low end, there wasn't any concentrated effort to preserve it all, especially in one convenient location. Four got the closest to a complete record, but even they had a few notable gaps; they were just one number, after all, and they couldn't *possibly* be up and awake in all hours of the day, always focused on recording this one show.
And so, when an unfamiliar video with an unfamiliar name caught their attention, it immediately stuck out like a sore thumb. That just *had* to be the thing they watched tonight. It was a big mystery! Nothing distracts them quite like a big mystery. Just what could this be footage of? Was it something to do with BFDI, much like everything else? Could it be something different, something that was able to slip past even the most attentive eyes? If so, just *what* could it possibly have in store?
