As it Was | Hange x Reader

Chapter 31: Late Night Talks

The hotel was located at a 30 minute drive away from the convention building where the research symposium was being held. It was a fancy hotel, paid for by the Brain Games committee, a hotel unlike any of the ones (Y/N) had stayed at before. The lobby had an entire marble statue attached to a fountain, and various little shops and cafes scattered about. (Y/N) eyed the expensive prices on the water bottles, glad that she had packed herself a lot of snacks and drinks.

"Checking in for (Y/N) (L/N), two rooms," she stated once she approached the check-in desk. The receptionist smiled at her and nodded, typing away at her computer to sign them in.

Pieck stood near the fountain, taking a picture of the intricate marble design.

The receptionist spoke up after a minute, a slight frown on her face. "Oh...it seems that we only have one room prepared for you all. We seemed to have overbooked, but the room has two double beds," she glanced towards Pieck and Yelena. "I'm sure you all would be able to fit in."

(Y/N) blinked. "Oh. Uh, well, that works?" She winced, unsure of how to approach the situation. Sharing a bed with either Pieck or Yelena would be awkward, but she had no other option. She'd just have to make do. The receptionist checked them in and slide the room key towards her.

"Guys," (Y/N) approached Pieck and Yelena. "We're going to have to share one room apparently."

"That's fine," Pieck waved a hand. "I'm used to bunking with others."

(Y/N) motioned for the two to follow her and she led them to the elevator. She wondered where Hange was staying. Would it be this hotel if all the participants stayed here? Her fingers twitched and she wanted to reach for her phone to send them a text, but she didn't know if the two were at that level yet.

"This place is so fancy," Pieck marveled once they reached their floor. The floors were lined with a deep maroon carpet, and they walked down the hallway to their room. When (Y/N) swiped the room key and opened the door, she and Pieck let out a collective gasp. The room was almost a suite with how big it was. The beds were gigantic and the wall had floor to ceiling windows. The TV attached to the other wall was the biggest TV (Y/N) had ever seen.

"I guess we'll have no problem sharing," (Y/N) marveled at the beds. She hesitated, wondering if she should begin to ask who would be sharing since there were three of them and only two beds.

"Pieck and I will share," Yelena spoke up. Her eyes caught (Y/N)'s, and (Y/N) smiled.

"If you're sure about that," She placed her suitcase near one of the beds. "Let's start unpacking quickly. We still have that dinner we need to go to."

-

The dinner passed by smoothly, with no hiccups in the event. (Y/N) attended, accompanied by Pieck and Yelena. She had worn her most formal outfit and had conversed with her friends for the most part. The host of the event had introduced himself as the founder of the Brain Games, which had surprised (Y/N). She hadn't anticipated that the founder would have been there.

The host had gone over the rules for the symposium again. Throughout the three days, various judges would be stopping by the projects to give their rating. Each participant would present their project in front of a panel of at least five judges as well. Lastly, each participant was also required to give an interview before their presentation—which would be televised. There weren't many rules; towards the end, all of the points would be tallied to determine who the winner would be. And the winner would be announced at the awards ceremony four days from now. It was all pretty simple and straightforward—nothing like the stresses (Y/N) had to carry from the jeopardy or scavenger hunt.