[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

[lupusintus]

Someone from home or here? Either way, we shouldn't be anywhere near here.

[ Ethan eventually puts both hands on her shoulders in an attempt to stop her from moving. If it's something that she can see and he can't, how is he supposed to protect her from it? Without waiting for her to say anything else, he takes her hand and starts walking in the opposite direction from where she was originally standing. Distance is good but not foolproof and, while he isn't sure if it will be effective, it's something.

Ghost, goblins and spooky creatures are a staple when it comes to Halloween, he isn't sure he wants to stick around to see what cruel trick this place plans on pulling next. Least of all when one such entity seems to be targeting someone he cares about, not that anyone here has any say in the matter. The City will do as it pleases, as it has, for as long as it sees fit -- they're pawns on a chessboard. His free hand falls to a pouch at his hip where he's hidden a set of knives. ]

Tell me if you see it again.

[matermali]

[ The attempt to physically pull her away is somewhat alarming, and Vanessa is quick to shake his grip off. Beyond puzzled, she steps back with a tip of her head to glance him over. He really has been acting odd since arriving; it isn't her imagination. ]

Whatever has come over you?

[ Did he forget how she first found him? What sort of woman does he take her for? Her visions have always guided them, one way or another. If it's to a greater danger, then that's where they need to be. Where else will they fight? ]

We face danger every day in what we do. Do you think walking a few paces away will keep the city from reaching us? You can either help me or you can cover your eyes, but if you wish for me to tell you of anything I see further, than you cannot treat me as if I were a small child.

[lupusintus]

What's come over me is the fact that we're standing in an open area, I'd feel better knowing whatever that was couldn't attack from all sides if it wanted to. Look across the courtyard, there's a wall over there and you can still see the surrounding area perfectly fine. I trust you and I trust what you saw but I don't trust this place.

[ The sharp retort to her little tongue lashing is on the tip of his tongue -- but he bites it back somehow. He doesn't have his weapons and her power has been limited, they can't afford to trudge through here recklessly or without a plan of action. Ethan has to remind himself that while he's seen things she has yet to experience she is still in the dark. Still, the fact that she thinks he intends to flee stings a little. ]

You said it yourself, that it looked familiar. From where? A friendly face wouldn't have unnerved you this much. I didn't see it but, come hell or high water, I will stand out here with you all night to make sense of it. I'm not walking away until I know it isn't a threat and I'm not covering my eyes.

I've thought of you as a lot of things, Vanessa, but never a helpless child. [ What does that mean? He momentarily yields. If she wants to stand in the middle of an open field then so will he, even if he doesn't agree with it. ]

[matermali]

[ The claim that he doesn’t think her a child is met with an incredulous stare. He had only just stopped her from investigating the person she had just seen, then attempted to drag her away against her will, all while claiming to know better than her the danger of her visions or where they might lurk. At a public party, no less, which would never have passed in London. Whatever protection he thinks he’s offering by standing her next to a wall is imaginary at best. Perhaps her visions are, too, but she won’t know if she hides and waits for them to come to her. ]

Then do not treat me as one. I have no intention of standing here all night, and neither will I continue to explain myself. How can you not want to find the one responsible for our entrapment?

[ There’s a lingering stare as she wonders what has made him so easily spooked. That sort of behavior is only a hindrance, no matter how well-meaning he is. The tension in her features soften, a flicker in her eyes when she speaks. Whatever this is for him, she knows he does it because he cares. He cared back at the cottage, too, when he taught her how to kill and then condemned her for doing it too well. ]

Do what you wish, but I will be the one to choose where I go.

[ The only way she’ll learn anything is if she follows the leads, and of course she doesn’t expect a friendly face. The hope was always to find the enemy. How else will they escape? So she slips past him to head back to where she was when she first witnessed the strange scene, hoping to pick up on any lingering energy. ]

[lupusintus]

What will you do when you find them?

[ Dear lord, just let the crass American man protect you in his own way, woman. The fact that she slips by him keeps her from seeing the face he makes, an expression torn between exasperation and resignation. She could banish him to the furthest reaches of the Earth and he would still find a way to watch over her, to be her protector even if she did not agree with his methods.

True to form, after allowing her to take a few steps forward, she'll find him catching up with a sigh. The idea of not having cover bothers him but the idea of her going somewhere alone conjures up unwanted memories and mistakes he isn't keen on repeating. So, for the time being, he chooses to follow her lead and scan the area ahead and to the right of them, searching for the one that she saw. ]

Where you go, I go. I might not agree with it, but I trust you implicitly. What am I looking for?

[matermali]

[ When his own way tries to control her own way, that is the sort of protection she will do without.

Stopping where she was before he pulled her away, she glances around to gain her bearings once more on everyone's location. ]

You? Nothing.

[ Which does include interrupting her. He has never been involved with this part of her work beyond being there should something attack, and sometimes even he can't help with that, such as with the Nightcomers. In this case, he may not be able to fight it, but a wall certainly isn't going to be the deciding factor in that. ]

What I do depends on what I find. Should the hope not be to speak with them? I promise you, what I saw would be more reminiscent of our good doctor than of anything you may be imagining.

[ Which does not mean they aren't dangerous, as she has intimate experience with dangerous doctors, but they didn't look ready to act on anything.

For now she can't sense anything, and it's strange for her to feel disappointment, but she does. She will walk a slow perimeter of the courtyard before stepping into the restaurant proper to glance around. She had thought to hear something within only a moment ago, but at least currently, there is no one else inside. ]

[lupusintus]

[ Did he just get relegated to the back seat?

A part of him is genuinely curious about her methods judging by the way he falls a pace behind her to both give her space and observe. But the other is keenly aware of the fact he's clearly at a disadvantage here and he doesn't like it. He can't protect her from something he can't see but that doesn't stop his eyes from scanning the area around them, preparing for the possibilities. ]

Even good doctors can wear masks.

[ He's at least lowered his voice to allow her to concentrate on what she's doing and he'll remain quiet for a time. Why does he feel so uneasy? Unconsciously, both of his hands fall to his hips where his gun belt would normally be, fingers catching against the pouch instead. Kitchen utensils aren't made for distance, they will be useless here if something darts out of the shadows an descends on them.

Will he even be able to see it if it does? ]

[matermali]

[ When it comes to matters of things hidden, her specialty, he ought to be used to remaining as back-up. She has no method here beyond hoping she can sense something, or even trigger another event. She didn't bring her Tarot with her, and she isn't going to set up an elaborate ritual in the middle of a party full of children.

However, anything happening is a sign of change, and anything is better than wasting away for the rest of her life because their captor just felt like leaving them alone. Confrontation is the only path to escape, so whether they will talk or fight, it makes no difference. There is no other way but forward. There never has been in any of their battles.

Following the noise, she finds that a napkin holder has fallen to the floor. On its own it's nothing. Anyone could have knocked it over and run off before Vanessa reached the door, but she had already noticed this sort of oddness tonight. ]

Things were moving about earlier. You may want to remain keene for flying cups.

[ No cups are flying now, but one certainly did try to bean her in the head earlier. ]