citylogs | [open] a birthday celebration

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[open] a birthday celebration

WHO: lestat & all of you~
WHAT: lestat is hosting a party for a certain someone's birthday!
WHERE: a bistro in district 3
WHEN: october 4th
WARNINGS: N/A so far. will update as needed!

[ In the early morning hours of the 4th of October, a photograph of a handwritten notice goes up on the network. It’s in flowery but surprisingly legible script, as if he’s learnt to create letters purely by reading them and has jumbled together an amalgamation of different typefaces to make each letter he writes as interesting as possible. The details are as follows: ]

This is an invitation to any and all, to attend a soirée this evening, in celebration of my companion’s birthday.

I’ve attached a photograph of the location; a fashionable little bistro highly recommended to me by someone who clearly knows a thing or two about style. Festivities start at 6 o’clock this evening, though you are more than welcome to be fashionably late. We will go until sunrise. The dress code is: eye-catching.

There will be food, there will be wine, there will be merriment. Games, dancing, live music. Who amongst you could turn their nose up at a free bar and the chance to boogie? I know that technically this entire place is a free bar, what with the distinct lack of economy, but I’ve acquired the assistance of a bartender, just to tempt you…

And, failing all else, there’s the certainty of stunning conversation - and isn’t that something that we all can enjoy, even those of us who don’t groove with the party scene?

Be there, or be square.

xoxo

[ Some of you might remember him posting asking for help planning this little get together, and it’s going ahead with all of Lestat’s best intentions for a night to remember. Whether you know him or don’t (and haven’t been put off by his hip use of old slang he still thinks makes him sound cool) you’ll be welcomed to the festivities with open arms and a warm, sharp smile.

Come on down, don’t be shy. Have a little dance with the devil. ]

The Bar

[ Gleaming in hard wood painted a stunning chic black, the bar is the first thing to delight your eyes with upon entering the bistro. Bottles line the back wall, shining in the low amber lights, and so too the bottles lined up in front as your gracious bartender for the evening, Daan, sets up shop. Perhaps you have a drink in mind, or would like him to surprise you (with varying results), or maybe you’re here for the crowd gathered around and chatting amicably as they nurse their chosen poison.

Lestat himself has taken up prime position there, often with a rather steadfast arm around Louis, whose expression isn’t exactly dour but isn’t particularly placid, either. He gives off the very clear expression of someone who’s been tricked into coming here under false pretences. Probably because Lestat had been positively evasive of even mentioning the B word (birthday) all evening, even going as far as to ignore completely any mention of Louis discovering his plotting before tonight… though whether that be from embarrassment over failing to make his post private despite Armand’s very clear instructions, or simply down to his impish nature, isn’t clear.

What is clear, is that Lestat is having a lovely time in wonderful company, and is a veritable font of energy. He’s usually pretty upbeat, of course, but tonight there’s a particular vigour about him that is clearly different, though not in a strictly bad way. When he’s not hanging off Louis’ side or parading him around to introduce him to people he hasn't met yet, Lestat is leaning over the bar to watch Daan work, or perhaps butting into a nearby conversation or starting a fresh one up with someone looking a little too quiet. ]

The Stage & Dancefloor

[ Great care and attention has been made to stagger the assortment of tables in the room so that each one has a perfect view of the man-made stage and its attached square of space serving as a dance floor. It’s nothing more than a few flat platforms on which the players can stand along with a wall of lined up instruments and some speakers Lestat found at the music store in the mall, but it’s unmistakably the intended highlight of the evening's entertainment.

A dark blue electric guitar beside an acoustic one, a simple spruce violin, a small drum set, a standing keyboard and three microphones is his haul, and they are left available for anyone who'd like to jam. If Lestat sees you looking with the barest hint of interest, even if there is not a single musical bone in your body, if he will pull you over to try something out - what better way to learn than in a room full of people watching you? :)

Toward the middle of the evening, Lestat will take Louis' hands in his own and kiss them, and then kiss him, and leave to climb up onto the stage himself. He’s dressed in a burgundy corduroy jacket over a crisp black shirt; the collar undone to reveal a host of twisted chains at his throat, his sleeves rolled up to his elbows and his wrists and fingers adorned with similar finery. Tight leather pants, and black boots with a red sole. His nails are painted black, and there’s a smudge of dark red around his eyes, which makes the pale silver-blue of them look almost eerie in the spotlight. (Well, he did say eye-catching was the dress code.)

He’ll take the microphone, lift the electric guitar into his arms and begins to play, and to sing. It’s a cover arrangement, of course, as anyone who enjoys 70s rock music will be able to tell.. but he sings it well, with a practised and enchanting stage presence that is hard to look away from; snaking hips, spectacular crowd work. No, it’s not his vampiric thrall (probably), it’s just that Lestat really was born to perform and he knows it.

He also picks out another song to play a little later on, assuring the crowd very loudly that they must keep this song's existence a complete secret and then "accidentally" name-dropping Steve Tyler as the guy he was jamming with when the song was created. ]

Party Games

[ Lestat has assigned a little space toward the back of the room and has littered the tables with a handful of silly party games, packages of cards, even a small set of plastic chips for gambling (though what exactly the ante will be is entirely up to you). It looks very much like he’s raided the toy aisle in a supermarket which… isn’t untrue, but he’s done so with at least a little care and attention for what kind of party he’d like this to be. There’s no board games, put it that way.

Who Am I?: Take a sticky-note and ask someone to write the name of a famous figure on it, and stick it on your back. You must walk around and ask the other patrons of the party yes/no questions in order to figure out who you are.
Treasure Hunt: Take a paper from the table; on it you'll find a series of descriptions such as "Someone who's favourite colour is blue" or "Someone who has siblings", "someone who's broken someone's heart" etc. Talk to party goers until you find a person who matches each prompt. You may only use one person once. The winner gets a prize!

Bulla has graciously offered to host a round or two of games for all in attendance; the assortment will be varied and both she and Lestat will be no doubt open to any suggestions of things to play. If you aren’t the type to get involved in such things, it’s quite unfortunate because oh, it looks like this one needs a partner and here is Lestat without one! ]

The Veranda

[The way outside through the large glass doors at the back of the bistro is lit in an almost storybook manner, with lights pinned from the doorway to the exterior fence in loose criss-crosses. The furniture has been moved to accommodate a large table running down the centre of the floor, full to bursting with plates of food. It seems the intention here is similar to a “pot-luck” - a concept that has Lestat gleeful as a child over the absurdity of such a thing - only as this place has no real necessity for cooking and as Lestat has no idea what kind of food typically is seen at parties, the guidance is simply to go into the kitchen and take advantage of its seemingly unending capabilities in order to emerge with a bowl, plate or tray of whatever you deem appropriate for a party such as this.

Obviously, this has resulted in the table being full of an incredibly disorganised array of treats in all shapes and colour - which naturally has attracted Lesat into staring at it all like a magpie, asking questions of every meal that people pick at, questioning the flavour and the method of preparation, all the while twisting a glass bottle of some thick scarlet substance around and around in his hands. ]

--
[ happy birthday louis!!! feel free to mingle, thread-hop, eavesdrop, do whatever you'd like. go wild. it's a party!

lestat is down for anything, so if you want to assume your character has made a playlist, brought a game along, has suggested a party game and is bullying people into playing it, or even if you want to assume that lestat saw you in the street nearby and whisked you in to the bistro against your will, please go for it. literally anything goes, i am SO easy and so is lestat. :) ]

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It's gone off pretty well, don't you think?

[ He bristles at the praise like a bird might, his feathers rustling, his expression pleased. He casts an eye around and is able to spot many a happy face in the sea of people around them; some laughter here and some conversation there, it really is a proper party. Perhaps the promise of a bartender had been more tempting than he'd first imagined it might be.

He can see Louis by the bar, talking pleasantly with someone Lestat can't quite see from this angle, but that doesn't matter much. Even Louis is warmer to this idea than Lestat thought he might have been. And Armand is here and smiling at him. Everything is good. He feels good. ]

I hope there can be more nights like this in the future. Not parties, necessarily, though I won't be disappointed by the idea, but more opportunities to come together like this. I think gatherings like this do more for the soul than they appear to.

[ Armand silently inclines his head 'Yes'. No words, but it's approval at Lestat's effort nevertheless and it's true - much like the faire ground, this is exactly what Armand has been missing. ]

This strange place has stripped us of any ambiance or culture - making it ourselves is certainly most preferable to the damnable silence of most evenings..

[ What Armand wouldn't give to be stumbling down the streets of the Village, into a club or a bar to get drunk off of a stranger and spend the night drenched in noise and sound. In his darker moments these past weeks, he's felt trapped underground again in silent crypts - tonight has been a welcome reprieve. ]

I'm sure you will own your own establishment before long...I've never known you to be idle.

[ Armand does have a point, of course. Even though they are brothers in darkness together, and their experience and desire for nightlife has an entirely different meaning to what it might for a regular human, he can't deny the urge they both undoubtably feel to fall into the overstimulation that is a tightly packed club or restaurant that you can hear from blocks away.

He can imagine it now if he casts his vivid imagination into some nearby future; a bar not unlike this one, an attractive bartender, a permanently open stage, a large dance floor, a network, a hub, a community. A coven, but not only of vampires. What a salacious idea. ]

I can't lie, I have been thinking of it. There's so little entertainment of nighttime, and at first I thought it the fault of the people - that perhaps they were all simply just too mild - but I know now that it's more down to the lack of opportunity.

[ His eyes sparkle as he looks around; a dog with a bone, a mind partial to planning armed with yet another thread of inspiration. ]

It is a worthy endeavour certainly, much like the plans for the Diner - if this place is hell bent on cutting us off from culture, we will bring culture to it.

[ Armand watches Lestat as he looks around, smile small and vague. At least it is a project that isn't likely to get them annihilated this time - and if only for selfish reasons - he will always encourage another place for mortals to gather. ]

I can only presume that you've kept yourself in Louis' good graces since our last conversation? You both seem..at ease, at least.

[ Lestat curls a finger by his lips in thought as Armand speaks - he knows for a fact that he's much too fickle with his desires to make a real go of it, but perhaps with the mind of the little businessman before him.. Perhaps it really could become a reality. After all, Armand has done it before, and Lestat has the vision already in place...

He's torn from such musings by that question, and Lestat can't hide the surprised raise of his eyebrows. Did they seem at ease? Moreso than usual? Lestat can't quite tell, but if anyone would notice a change in them following the blossoming of their relationship, it would be Armand. He's also probably the only person Lestat could potentially speak to about said blossoming without getting a look of confusion, so he can't resist elaborating. ]

... Louis and I reached a new milestone in our relationship recently, you see. I fed from him a few days ago, and we talked through some of the things that have been bothering him; the things I told you about. I think it has improved how we are with one another.

[ He looks like a dog might while wagging it's tail; he's clearly excited to finally get to divulge this information. ]

[ Armand's hands stop in their idle play with the glass before him as he digests this new information. So it had finally happened then - Louis has his wish and so to does Lestat if his demeanour is anything to go by. It makes him feel...complicated. Happiness for his kin, fervent jealousy and envy, pleased and empty at the same time. Satisfaction that he has finally been proven right after all these years, that they find the most comfort in their own kind, that Lestat has finally found it in the original creature of his affections...yes, long over due. ]

Ah, that explains it then. I am glad it is so. Certainly you have both waited long enough..

[ He is, he truly is. The other emotions? He locks tightly away, crushes them quiet because now is neither the time nor place. He keeps his expression placid, warm - the sweet faced thing that always summons affection in Lestat - Louis and Lestat are both working towards happiness here...he can't watch their faces fall like the faire ground, not tonight. ]

[ Lestat feels instant and all-encompassing relief to hear understanding in Armand's voice. He can't resist the small smile that tugs at his lips, almost childish in the way he has to fight to restrain it. Of course he's just admitted to the greatest intimacy a pair of vampires can find in each other, and he has no idea of the kind of conversations Louis and Armand have had before now, but more than that he feels a kind of hopefulness in his chest; if he and Louis can find common ground in this way, perhaps things will be alright between him and Armand, too.

He looks at that cherubic little face, and has to actually resist reaching out to cup his cheek. ]

It didn't come easily, I'll be honest. I'm sure if we had any neighbours, they would have been be banging on the roof with their brooms, no doubt about that. There is still plenty of work to be done between us both... But we reached an outcome in the end.

[ He presses his hands into the glass, feels the condensation gather and wishes he could drink from it, if only for something more to do with his hands. Harmony between Louis and Lestat can only spell good things for them both and perhaps an easier time of whatever this place has in store for them. Would he take the same opportunity were Daniel here? He's not sure. Their frayed edges haunt him all the more in their absence and he prays silently that he'll have the chance, one day, to make that decision.

He responds to Lestat in the expected humour, smiling, shrugging into his shoulders, weight on his elbows and nods. ]

Indeed, it's never a smooth path, but the results are tangible enough, no?

[ Even in an environment that he naturally avoids, Louis seems more settled or simply content. Immediately obvious to those that know the difference...or whom spent a small life time trying to decode the mans moods. ]

Tangible...

[ Lestat sounds the word out, thinking of the last few days; Louis had been much more understanding around the handcuffing issue, had even gone so far as to talk to him throughout the ordeal instead of closing himself off, had been relieved to see him home but without any of the rawness the first time had brought about... and now, even, Louis is behaving practically pleasant despite Lestat going exactly against what he wanted for his birthday (which was.. nothing) and in the moments where Lestat glances at him without him realising it.. he almost seems happy. ]

Yes, that's the word for it.

[ He thinks back, suddenly, to the interaction the three of them had shared at the fair, the things Armand had showed him and the lost feeling that had rested like a stone in his heart at the look on his face when he realised it hadn't gone the way he'd hoped for. Lestat firms his lip a little, then - so quick it's more like a twitch of movement than a spontaneous decision, despite that being exactly what it was - he reaches out for Armand's hand and takes it in both his own. ]

Will you read my cards, ange? I've been so interested. Now seems as good a time as any.

[ Armand blinks at the sudden contact, looking down at Lestat's hands dwarfing his own and back up, expression gone blank in the effort to keep up with the other Vampire's ever changing focus. ]

Yes?

[ He's quietly pleased that Lestat had listened, the roll of French, so familiar between them and bringing the smallest pleased flush to his cheeks. Armand reaches with his free hand, unwilling to let Lestat's grip drop just yet, drawing the abandoned deck of cards towards himself once more and replies, quietly, like a secret between them in perfect old French. ]

What do you want to know?

[ Lestat is such a physical creature by nature, and yet he can count on one hand the amount of times he's been easily so physical with Armand, despite how nigh consistently he burns for it while he's around him. He traces his thumb-pad over one of his rings, twisting it a little and then pushing it back into place, watching his other precise little hand pull the cards toward where they sit.

He can't remember the last time he'd had his cards read - someone had offered it to Tuff Cookie once, and she'd urged him to have a reading himself, but something about the whole affair gave him a strange feeling that forced him to decline. Was it doubt in the skill of the one offering the reading, or a fear of what he might find were they of true talent? Who's to say. But with Armand, now, here, it feels different. ]

Let's see... [ He murmurs back in the same old French, his eyes lighting up at the sound of it from Armand, so nostalgic. ] How about.. My luck in the future; is there anything I should be doing to bring myself more good favour than bad?

[ He tilts his head, considering the question and nods. He pulls his hand from Lestat's grasp with visible reluctance, but he needs both to fulfil the request. Armand taps the deck on the table between them, neatening the pile before shuffling them with easy precision. He then sets the deck down in front of Lestat and gestures to it, explaining as he does so. ]

Shuffle it yourself until you are satisfied, then cut the cards three times.

[ He's not spoken French at length in some time, but the Parisian dialect rolls so easily from his mouth - 300 years of a language will do that, he supposes - and it's...nice. Intimate. ]

[ When Armand separates their hands, Lestat actually gives a little playful pout of his mouth and settles instead for sliding a foot against his ankle, as though he really can't function without some kind of physical contact between them all of a sudden. Armand can brush him off should he wish to, of course, but if Lestat can chance this little self-indulgent attempt, then he will.

He takes the cards when Armand sets them down in front of him, obediently shuffling them and separating them into three even piles.

He doesn't believe he's ever seen a reading done with plain cards like this - most of his experience comes from the wider known tarot, or from the old women who would work out your future by taking numbers from your name, or from those that would simply take your hand and read from it as though reading from a book. This is entirely different, but it seems to be giving Armand an opportunity to speak with him in a tongue he's clearly missed, so Lestat watches with a pleasant expression for what he'll do next. ]

[ Armand doesn't move away, though he does still at the touch - eventually relaxing once more as he watches Lestat shuffle. Once he's cut the deck, Armand reaches out to stack the three piles, left to right - past, present, future - before gathering them together in both hands, knocking on the top of the deck with his knuckles and beginning to deal out the cards.

He's clearly done this before, something practiced as a little parlour trick, much like the reading of palms, taught to him by the sweet ladies of the brothels he endeared himself to. The other apprentices too, his brothers, delighted in fortunes, so perhaps it is especially apt that he is reading them for Lestat.

Armand places them face up, counter clockwise from 11, chuckling to himself when the first card is the Joker, before continuing, until 12 cards sit between them in a neat circle.

11: Joker, 10: 7 of Spades, 09: 4 of Clubs, 08: 2 of Clubs, 7: 7 of Hearts, 6: 5 of Diamonds, 5: 9 of Clubs, 4: 7 of Clubs, 3: 3 of Clubs, 2: 4 of Hearts, 1: 8 of Diamonds and 12: Ace of hearts.

His brow furrows in concentration as he sets down each card, reading them silently before setting the deck in the centre and tracing around from left to right. ]

Well now, this is quite the journey.. [ The corner of his mouth quirks up and he glances at Lestat, before tapping the Joker. ]

The person the cards are for - Foolishness or in this story, a new beginning. [ He smirks, taps the 10th, 9th and 8th card ] Your past is here - deceit, a betrayal, obstacles to be overcome- [ his finger follows the path to the 7th and 6th card ] -followed by a period of elusiveness, from the situation or person in question. But the five of Diamonds speak of reconciliation - trumping the negativity of the past. Rather apt, all things considered.

[ Lestat folds his arms and settles his elbows on the table, leaning in to watch Armand's careful, measured manner as he sets down each card in their proper place. Lestat can pick up on the theme of a clock and each hour holding some kind of symbolism, but he wonders if this kind of structured tarot where each hour relates to something in a person's life still works when the person in question has a much longer life than what might be considered typical; is this reading for the human in Lestat, or the vampire he has become, or both?

He refrains from asking because soon Armand starts to explain. He's only a little put out by the smirk on Armand's lips as he gestures to the joker, but what he says next is enough to evaporate his ire almost entirely.

Deceit, betrayal and obstacles; could these be his turning, or his struggle to find his place in the world? His relationship with Nicki? Or the deceit he'd held in such a tight fist when he'd been with Louis, the betrayal of his fledglings turning against him, the obstacles he'd overcome to get Louis back? It would make sense if it were about that, given this 'period of elusiveness' leading into his reconciliation. The concert had felt like that, even if ultimately it had ended in disaster. It had served its purpose.

He nods his head, to show that he understands or is at the very least following, and to encourage Armand to continue. ]

[ He continues at Lestat's behest, moving on to the 5th card. ]

From the past we move towards the present. New opportunities present themselves, but with them they bring...trouble in love or with someone close to the heart [ His finger slides to the 4th card, considering, before tapping the 3rd card ] but the present speaks of success in this partnership regardless - eclipsing the betrayal of the past [ His hand moves from right to left, indicating the 3rd to it's opposite the 9th, before moving it back to move onto the 2nd card.]

This is the future, far or near, it is not clear to me, but a change in love or the heart will happen, not negatively but [ Armand indicates the 1st card ] an unexpected alliance? Not a replacement, but 'more', paired with this [ The 12th card, finishing the clock face ] the beginning of a new relationship...

[ He sits back, staring at the arrangement for a moment, before reaching out to turn over two more cards, placing them to overlap the 12th card and 3rd card respectively. Two or more distinct relationships - not unusual - but he's seeking clarity.

The Kind of Clubs for the 12th card and The Jack of Hearts for the 3rd. Interesting. ]

The successful partnership, the resolution of betrayal, involves a romantic person, and this new future alliance is with someone frightfully stubborn...

[ He shrugs. It does not surprise him in the slightest that Lestat has become embroiled in multiple relationships and connections since arriving here and that there are more on the horizon. Armand looks up at the other Vampire, expression clear, curious. ]

Is it what you hoped for?

[ There's a little crease in Lestat's brow as he watches the process of the card reading. He's not a stupid man by any means - sure, he can be a little thick-headed at times and slightly obtuse in his understanding of finer detailed things, but he certainly isn't without a capable and quick thinking mind - but things such as this that subsist on vagueness and inference cause him a little trouble to truly wrap his head around.

If he assumes that the first half of Armand's reading culminated with the concert, then he can assume that this part of it is more about his life in the City, which would make sense. Trouble in love obviously refers to his recent rocky situation with Louis, and he supposes it's gratifying to know that they will at the very least come out the other side of it feeling like it was worth it.

But that comment about love changing gives him more than enough reason to pause. A new relationship? Immediately Lestat feels equal parts excited and anxious; while a new relationship could be exciting, in the shadow of thinking of repairing his current one with Louis, he feels almost like he doesn't want anything new - but the way Armand phrases it, as something more, a future unexpected alliance... he can't help but be curious.

He exhales slowly through his nose at Armand's final question, then settles back in his chair. ]

Honestly, I'm not sure. I'm interested in what you have to say, of course, though I've no idea where you got the information from in these symbols and numbers, but... [ He looks at Armand then, his expression fond, a small smile curling his lips. ] I believe your interpretation. I only wish the cards were a little less opaque about it all. What I wouldn't give for a straight answer.

[ A little shrug. ]

But I suppose that ruins the surprise, doesn't it?

True divination requires more sensitivity than has ever been gifted to me- I know the symbols, their meanings and relationships- it would take a true worker of the craft for more clarity perhaps.

[ He's not being humble here, Armand knows the mechanics, knows what to do and how to read what falls, but that extra gut feeling, pictures in his mind or something more have always been distant to him. Perhaps if he'd had more time while mortal to fine tune that internal mechanism, then he would have retained it in death, but without that, it is simply a sweet parlour trick with varying results. ]

It felt rather accurate for your past - the future, as you say, do you really wish to know before it's here?

[ Lestat considers that question. While it's true that some aspect of the future is better left to the unknown - the doom and gloom particularly, the choices he'll make in his hedonistic way, the impulse in his spur of the moment decisions where some of his best and worst choices have been made - there is still a part of him that thinks he might have enjoyed a forewarning. What might have happened if he'd been aware of his inevitable future with Akasha, or with Claudia for that matter? Would he have acted differently? Would he have changed anything? What might his world look like now? ]

Yes, it felt very accurate, of course. I'm trusting that your knowledge from my book didn't sway your reading. And I suppose I don't want to know all the details of what tomorrow might bring, but... A warning might be nice, you know? To avoid any more mistakes.

[ He taps his foot a little, against Armand's ankle. ]

Are you telling me you wouldn't like to know what is around the corner?

Perhaps.. but then I have always seen the future with pessimism - I need no portents of doom or pre warnings - they arrive on their own in due course.

[ He begins collecting the cards back into their deck, shuffling them with a practiced hand. ]

The light of Spring should not distract from the preparations for Winter..

[ The idiom feels awkward in both French and English and not for the first time, Armand curses the lack of adequate words between languages, but it will suffice. ]

[ Lestat tries to resist rolling his eyes and ultimately fails. Armand has always been a little like this, so ready to believe that things are the way they are and unwilling to change his view until he's forced to — Lestat knows that much through personal experience. A stark contrast to Lestat's hopeful demeanour, both of them terrifying in their absolution when put alongside Louis' steadfast uncertainty in either direction. What a trio they make, what a strange little coven.

He smiles, warm enough to be sunlight through the trees in winter, and lets his hand drop to the table as if in deference. ]

Well then, I hope for your sake that the coming winter is mild.

Hope? In a place such as this? I would be wary to put my trust in it. When your homeland has never known a mildness, you always prepare for the storm.

[ Armand watches Lestat's expression shift, basks in the warmth of that smile and offers a sardonic twist of his own. ]

Someone has to.

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[open] a birthday celebration

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