hariman said:
To each their own, if they're willing to help. (Which might take a little persuasion for Smoke, though it might not.) It's not our place to decide how everyone will help, but this does seem like the best option for lodging.

Hearty Gale's Help (+1) affects your roll. You roll a 9 +1 (required 10). Success!

After discussing with your party, you all agree to help; you as the laundry operator, Moonflower as a chambermaid, Apple Basket as the cook, and Smoke as the porter.

Receptionist: "Thank you so much for lending a hoof! Here are keys to the room one-sixteen. You can go there to undress while I call over the staff you will be assisting."

You get Norora Hostel Key 1-16! You are not wearing saddlebags, so you equip it instead.

Following the receptionist's directions, you walk to the end of a nearby hallway, and unlock the last door on the right. Then, you enter your room, and take a look around.

Inside, you find two cozy double beds, and a low, spacious drawer between them, doubling as a night table for both. The room is lit by the warm glow of an orb lamp atop the drawer, and by the gray remnants of daylight coming from the window behind it.

To your right is a doorway that leads to a wet room, which offers a shower area big enough for four ponies. Sealed, single-use samples of several hygiene products lay neatly arranged next to the sink, promising a healthful stay.

You store 4 Black Snow Boots, Blue Choker of Aquatic Respiration, Blue Striped Scarf, Charcoal Coat, Charcoal Ushanka, Magic Sword Scabbard, 2 Mirror Shin Guards, Tan Muffler, and Tempered Simple Breastplate.

You store most of your belongings inside of the drawer before promptly returning to the reception, not forgetting to lock the door again on your way out.

Four new ponies eagerly await your party there, one of them an athletic-looking, white-coated, brown-haired unicorn stallion who greets you with a confident smile.

Stallion: "Trailblazer? I'm Hearty Gale. You'll be coming with me, over this way."

Your group then splits in four directions, each following a different staff member. Hearty Gale leads you to a room on the ground floor packed with glass-paned machines, a couple of treadmills, and dozens of pipes linking everything together.

Hearty Gale: "Welcome to the laundry room. Our work here is simple, but that doesn't mean it's easy! It looks like you might just have the right legs for it, though."

You tell the stallion that he doesn't look half bad himself, and you both share a good chuckle at that. Then, he teaches you how to use the washing and drying machines, and how to operate the treadmill that powers them. You learn quickly, and soon, the room is filled with low mechanical hummings and whirrings.

Every now and again, a chambermaid delivers a cart of bedclothes to wash, and leaves with freshly dried sheets. With Moonflower helping them, the timing of their visits aligns near perfectly with that of the laundry cycles.

Your time spent working passes surprisingly quickly, and when nine o'clock arrives, you meet with everyone in the hostel's dining hall. The staff seems in high spirits, and pleased with the help your party has provided so far.

You chat over a generous dinner of roasted vegetable salad, complete with a slice of carrot bread, and a tall glass of fresh sugarberry juice. The tasty evening meal puts some energy back in your step, and now satiated, you feel ready to get back to work.

Come the end of your shift, you wish Hearty Gale a good night, and find your friends gathering in front of your room. As you unlock the door and enter, a yawn escapes your muzzle. All this hard work made you feel a bit sleepy.

Smoke: "Well, that was easy!"

Apple Basket: "I dunno about you, but I'm plumb tuckered out."

Moonflower: "Ooh, I could go for a shower! Wanna join? Heehee…"

The clock on the wall indicates five past twelve.

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