[OPEN] Residential Halloween Party

[fanstheflames]

WHO: EVERYONE.
WHAT: Resident run Halloween Party, as well as after party!
WHERE: District 2 restaurant, and also around the city.
WHEN: October 22 to October 31
WARNINGS: To be warned in character threads!

FLIERS GO OUT with the announcement of the university's Halloween Party, and the final preparations for the resident Halloween Party are put into motion. Word is put out that they'll start their party on the exact day of the university's, and on that day, fliers are put around today with a location and time, and message.

THEY'RE TESTING YOU. STAY AT HOME.
IF YOU WANT TO TEST THEM BACK, COME TO OUR PARTY. SEE WHAT THEY DO.
STAYING BACK IS ALWAYS SAFER.
People will do what people will, and in this place, intentions matter most.

But it's just a little party, right? What's the worst that could happen?

... AT THE PARTY.

The Halloween Party takes place at a restaurant with an open courtyard, a high wall to give some privacy, but the sky above is clearly visible, every door opened wide. Precautions even taken, with cinder blocks by the courtyard's double doors leading in and out, with a blanket and pumpkin on top for decoration, of course.

Your typical Halloween decor covers every inch, inside and out, and even on the outer wall to make clear you've found the right place: fake cobwebs cover the walls, there are glowing orange lanterns strung from the ceiling, dotted every now and then by hanging bats (yes, these are also fake) and there are jack-o-lanterns making all sorts of weird and delightful faces at you on countertops and on top of some of the tables. There’s even a skeleton in one of the corners gesturing to the bar! He’s got a cool top hat! He also has a sign propped up against him that reads PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY.

There’s food! There’s drinks! There’s merriment!

It should be the most inoffensive Halloween Party, by all accounts. And for some--who intend to go to the university's event--it will be. But for those who intend to stay away....

1. COMPULSION. It starts out small: you think about what's happening at the university. Sure, you may wonder what's happening and about the other people there, that's normal, but sometimes, you find your mind drifting: why aren't you there? It would be good to go, wouldn't it? You're not even sure why you wouldn't want to go, and you may even find yourself abruptly bringing it up in the middle of another subject to the person you happen to be talking to. Hey, why don't we go to the university? Don't they have a party going?

But then, you may catch yourself, or need another person to snap you out of it. And then you might become more aware of how insistent the thought is becoming...and how you're talking about what's happening at the university, even while trying to watch out for it.

2. IN COSTUME. You've come in costume--what's a Halloween Party without one? From your zombie outfits to your vampires (um, rude? Call the local vampires), maids to cats, there's nothing too serious nor silly for Halloween. You could even just have something simple for the mood--a pair of ears on, or a pumpkin pin.

Whatever you're wearing, over time you start to feel...let's say in character with your outfit. Are you just feeling giddy from the drink? But small instances start to become more insistent: This isn't just a costume, this is who you are. And maybe a person or encounter can make you snap out of it...

But what will happen before then? And how long will you be your regular you?

3. TRICK OF THE EYE. It's reasonable to be worried. There's an expectation that the city will find some way to screw with this party, but is it just your anxiety making you see things out of the corner of your eyes, or is something playing tricks on you? These visual tricks can continue through the night, either staying as small scares to catch you off-guard, or...

...they can become more than tiny glimpses: where you start to see people, figures science-like in nature, faces that appear to be watching you. People who aren't there when you try to approach them, or are gone when you blink. Or are they there? Is it other residents staring at you? Though they might insist they don't have a clue what you're talking about--or accuse you of doing the same.

4. PARANOIA. Slowly but perhaps inevitably, you feel a prickling on the back of your neck. And you can’t shake the insistent feeling that something terrible will happen if you stay here. But where is that feeling coming from? Did Robby put something in your drink when he handed it to you? Is Tsuruno’s smile concealing something more sinister? Can your hosts really be trusted? They might be throwing you under the bus here. Or maybe they were working for the City all along…

In that case, maybe it’s best to distance yourself as quickly as possible?

5. HAUNTINGS. It’s a nice party, you’re enjoying yourself, maybe bobbing for apples, maybe making out with that cute vampire in the corner (contain yourself, Midnight). Or you could be a killjoy and you’re just waiting to see what will go wrong, in which case you might be able to duck the caramel apple that comes soaring at you. Or the plate. Or a chair? While you won’t be able to pick up on anything supernatural beyond a chills and the distinct feeling that Someone is watching you…

It’s a little hard to ignore when things keep getting tossed at you with increasing regularity with no real source behind it. And you may find yourself being tossed–

Right out of the party. Wow, maybe the university party has bouncers that are a little more polite.

... IN THE CITY.

The party has ended! The one at the university is, apparently, going strong for multiple days! But you’ve resisted! You decided to go along with this experimental idea and made it through thus far! But the horrors persist, don’t they?

And maybe they’re a little more stubborn than you are.

1. COMPULSION. You went to the party, or you never did--it doesn't matter. For some reason, you can’t get the thought of going to the university party out of your head. And maybe it’s light, at first. Just a passing thought. Or maybe you find yourself unconsciously heading in the direction of the university, or even start having it come up in conversation.

“Hey how are you” totally sounds like “Halloween party at the university”, right? Doesn’t this actually sound like a good idea, the more you think about it?

2. DISORIENTATION. Something feels… off. You only paused for a few seconds, so why has it been an hour? Despite your best efforts, your focus keeps slipping away in increasing intervals, and the more frequently this happens, the more time you feel like you’ve lost, even if that person you’re with helps you fill in the blanks. And if no one’s there to assist? Well, you felt like getting lost today, surely!

3. TRICKS. As the day drags on, you may find yourself turning on your heel at the sound of… a familiar voice or a bit of nostalgic conversation, the joyful sounds of a party. But no matter which direction you hear it from, when you turn around, there’s no one there.

It gets worse. You start to see things, flickering across your line of vision, suddenly there. But it’s nothing friendly or warmly nostalgic. They’re flashes of your worst fears, more and more insistent, and these will only increase in frequency the longer you hold off on going to the university party. Is it really worth being stubborn over? This could all be resolved so very quickly.

4. IN COSTUME. If you were at the party, you find it difficult or even undesirable to take off the costume. If you weren’t at the party, you’ll still find yourself dressing up to get into the Halloween spirit, which maybe you didn’t actually give a damn about before? Such is the magic of the holidays.

But it’s more than just a different outfit. You’re starting to acquire characteristics of that outfit. And maybe you can feel those fake vampire fangs digging into your lip with increasing sharpness. Wow, that face paint for your zombie costume is starting to look alarmingly legit! That growl that just came out of your throat might have been wolfish and convincing, but surely you’re not actually turning into a wolf–right?

Don’t worry, it’s not actually real. But you should really go check out the university! Haven’t you been through enough?

Comments

[matermali]

[ There's something to be said for the power that a gaze can wield, how it can invite and yet also trap. Vanessa's victims may not turn to actual stone, but she has long been able to hold beings captive with her eyes alone—people, demons, monsters. Whether they manage to spy something Other behind the mirrors in her eyes, or whether the truth of their reflection has compelled them to stillness, even she couldn't say.

In this case, there's suspicion that something else is already at play with his attention just as much as it is with hers. It's a bit worse to know that she's startled a youth, at least once Vanessa has stared for long enough to assure herself that he is who he seems to be. ]

No, forgive me, I—

[ Despite the apology, her jaw is tense when finally looking away, turning so that she can see if whatever she's witnessed is creeping up behind her. ]

Have you seen anything strange this evening?

[strongroots]

[ She turns her head, and Robby's eyes follow to only see other people, but the lack of a figure to decide as trouble doesn't particularly put Robby as ease--even the apology doesn't really change much about his expression. He latches onto her question instead, his brow furrowed, lips rolling together. ]

--I think the city's done something, [ is his answer instead, even if he follows it up with: ] I mean--something's not right. I don't think so. We knew something might happen...

[ And yet he's telling himself that, forcing himself to believe it's--okay? He's meant to be okay with this. ]

[matermali]

'Something' always happens.

[ At least it does in Vanessa's not-so-little world, and little has been happenstance.

At the moment, nothing unusual is teasing at her senses, but she isn't soon to forget what she just saw. The dread it inspired will also linger, though her expression remains little but tense as wariness keeps her ever scanning. ]

There was someone here.

[ Turning back around, she's bound to begin circling Robby as if she'll spot some minute detail that explains why he was part of the vision. ]

You saw no one?

[strongroots]

[ He doesn't move from his spot, but Robby follows how she moves from it, twisting to look at her, but not the entire circle around. There's a way that she does it--or is it his heightened anxiety?--that makes him on edge; that when she asks what she does: ]

What? No--I wasn't talking to anyone, I wouldn't do anything.

[ It's defensive, seeing an accusation where there might've been none. Does she suspect him? comes across in him, and would she think that of him? ]

The city's playing tricks on us.

[ Surely, rambling by making excuses will help his case. ]

[matermali]

[ Her steps are predatory—there's no imagining that. But she isn't hunting him. Someone else is responsible for this, of that she's certain, but there could be some connection to the boy. There isn't enough to go on just yet to know.

In frustration, she'll stop to look beyond him and scan the courtyard before glancing to the restaurant. ]

More than mere tricks. These games that devils play are always dangerous.

[ There's nothing to see now. Not even any shadows taunting her, as if now they hope to have her question her sanity. It wouldn't be the first time. ]

Is the building warded in any way?

[strongroots]

[ He sucks in a breath, knowing he should be so on edge, but Robby doesn't know how well that helps. He's had nerves for a while, some he's admitted to, but then pushed down. The worry of what could happen due to this experiment, and now--what more could?

But a question. Focus. He's the kind to look aggravated in his concern, eyebrows dipped and his lips pinched. ]

Someone put up a barrier so she knows if anyone comes in and out of the party who shouldn't be here. I don't know how it works, but--you wanna talk to her?

[ It's maybe worth seeking her out to see if something hasn't tripped with her. Or has something happened to her? Robby hasn't even thought to look. ]

[matermali]

It includes this courtyard, then? Mm, I do think I ought to still speak with her, yes.

[ While there's a mild relief that they were wise enough to put up a ward, she doesn't know what sort it is. If it allowed something like her entry without permission, then what is it that this ward protects against? Who counts as shouldn't?

Her attention returns to him to ask, but on actually taking a proper look at the boy and not the risk, Vanessa takes a pause. She is barreling ahead and not considering that these are not the sort of threats that everyone is used to confronting on a daily basis. Youth does not suggest innocence, but lack of experience cannot be scorned.

Stepping to his side, her voice is much softer in her whisper. ]

Though, perhaps it can wait. There seems to be no immediate threat. Merely shadows, and I fear no shadow. Would you prefer to sit for a time?

[strongroots]

[ There's an indecision in her offer, or question, whichever it simply is; not because of the tone she presses it with, but more of how the action can be taken. Like he needs a moment, when he's the last one here who should need one. Reap what you sow, or whatever, right?

It's a matter of responsibility Robby's had to dealt with, once the high of spite wore off for him, and he had to face the consequences that would occur as, well--they were directly said to him. He should've learned about this unfortunate habit of his, but biting on his lower lip momentarily, that's the thing about unfortunate habits, isn't it. ]

I'm the one who suggested this. [ He looks at her, his own voice low, but there's something trying to be defiant in there. A young man--or boy--trying to learn, to teach himself against a foe he doesn't know. The inexperienced trying to gain experience. ] I can't run from shadows--they can do worse. We know they can.

[ And sitting and being weak would be giving it too easy, wouldn't it? Maybe it's stubbornness for stubbornness sake, but Robby doesn't know how else to be. ]

[matermali]

[ Her hand falls away before it can settle at his elbow in any attempt to guide him away, raising her eyebrow at his fortitude. One could say it would be expected of a young man, but Vanessa has been one to relate just as much as any man with something to prove.

She is not one to tell a young man to stay away from danger, and his youth on its own is not as problematic for her as it may be for some of his more contemporary elders, but she wonders at his experience when it comes to mortal danger or the supernatural. That is always cause for concern. He is right, however, that hiding away will impart no lesson, and in this city it would be foolish to think that anywhere is safe.

In this, she speaks more in the general sense rather than this particular night with a sharpness to her rasp. ]

I believe your claim to be sincere, but I am not certain you can comprehend how much more terrible such trials can become. While it may not be possible to hide from a city you are imprisoned in, you need not seek out the enemy's tricks at first opportunity.

[ Slowly, she'll step back around to face him again. ]

It is a world I have long known, the one hidden in the shadows, and it is not a world for heroics. Once your eyes are opened to the darkness, they can never again close. Not even a blink. [ The edge to her voice does soften again now. ] I would not like to see you harmed.

[strongroots]

[ There's a twitch around his mouth when she speaks not seek out enemy's tricks--not strong enough to impart mirth, and far from imitating a smile. Humourless even in the attempt, but there's something to be said about being warned against what you actively try not to do, for the most part.

But he's not playing by his own rules tonight. Robby knows that, scraping his thumb along his nails as he hears her warning, and tries to discern where in any of this he gets a choice. Maybe the choice is simply when he gets to hold back, before even that's taken from him.

It makes him quiet for a moment as a result, and this actual attempt at a smile is as weak as the unintentional. ] I don't want to be a hero--I just want to survive. Find out what that means when they can make us do stuff we wouldn't. [ His gaze narrows, thoughtful, struggling; attempting to speak truthfully while trying to hold back at the same time, his voice softer as a result. Because maybe there's shame to it, too--not even pride that has him wanting to stay and stand. ]

How do you protect yourself against that? When the people you care about get trapped in the city's games?

[ The cowardice of staying back just makes it harder. ]

[matermali]

[ How do you protect yourself?

You need to learn to protect yourself.

She is still figuring it out. Vanessa has never escaped the dangers in her life, not for long, and everything she has managed thus far has been from hope and spite. She knows survival, only scarcely, but some want more to protect. ]

To survive, you may find yourself capable of things others could not dare fathom. Such things as many would not recover from. That is the only way I have been able to protect myself at times. There is brutality in that life that would not suit you, Robby. [ What would dear Joan have said? ] You must be true.

[ Again she'll move to his side, this time to follow, whether he leads her to a reprieve or to an opportunity. ]

Rather I would be the one to protect you, but there is still power for you in knowing. Ignorance is worse than injury. Whether or not the knowledge is something to use now or later is how you may consider what your role will become in this prison of misfits. That manner of wisdom I do think befits you.

[strongroots]

[ It wouldn't suit him, he must be true. True to himself? Robby hates that he knows who he wants to be, who he's always attempted to be, and who he couldn't, though tried--rather, didn't want to. Because does that mean he shouldn't be more? That he can't fit in, follow where others seemingly go so easily.

It's a complicated mess. One that doesn't make Robby move immediately, but he will. He told Miss Ives he'd find her Miss Yuki to speak to, so--he'll keep his eyes open, search out for her, even if that means a bit of wandering. ]

You got some faith in a guy who knew a few things about coffee because he's from a different place than you. [ Faith, or ideas. It's a light-hearted comment anyway, or meant to be, even if there still feels like there's some truth to it. She's got some idea about him as a person, it seems, that he's not sure he's earned.

Robby fiddles with his fingers at his sides, wanting more than he has. But he looks at Miss Ives, stops nibbling on his inner lip. ]

Is that what you want to do? Protect others? Put yourself in danger so others don't have to?

[ There's nothing sarcastic about the question, or even joking this time: because she said about protecting him, and so Robby wonders, against the others he's met here and their own personal goals driving them. ]

[matermali]

[ If he worries that she judged his character too quickly, he would be shocked to learn how soon she clocked Ethan's character when first meeting. The poor man barely had the chance to get comfortable in his seat before the presumptuous grin had been wiped from his face. ]

Those important to me, yes. The beast at my back has risked loved ones before and I would not have it happen again.

[ As she said earlier, heroes do not work in the shadows within shadows. It is for sad and lonely monsters. Vanessa has never tried to save the world—only her soul. She only wants to be free, to keep her loved ones near, and to discover if she can ever find something that might resemble peace.

Not normalcy, but…a home. ]

Here, until we have unveiled the puppetmaster and freed ourselves, we are all in danger. You want to help. How would you protect them? If you could do anything within your power?

[ There's nothing accusatory there, just an earnest inquiry. ]