happy new year! (party edition)

[unrequite]

WHO: Anyone who saw Midnight's network post about Seventh Hell's grand opening!
WHAT: Happy New Year! We survived! (At what cost!?)
WHERE: Seventh Hell
WHEN: New Year's Eve, starting at 6 pm.
WARNINGS: Alcohol! Maybe more, please mind individual thread warnings!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

SEVENTH HELL WELCOMES YOU!

It's been a rough half a year. Kidnappings, atmospheric horror, murder (technically), aesthetics, disappearances, reappearances, and the creeping sensation that you aren't alone...

Hey, at least there's drinks.

When you descend the stairs to the underground club, there's music playing, the lights are low, but boy, are there a lot of them. The bartender welcomes you in. Order something, make yourself comfortable! The booths along the mirrored walls, lined with chandeliers and discoballs, are decorated with a sprinkle of shining confetti and host a variety of simple party snacks. (In fact, if your character arrived with some food to share, a bartender will guide you to the tables to help you set it up. They'll get you a drink for your trouble. How thoughtful of them!)

Grab a snack and a drink! It's no planetarium, but there's a variety of party activities to engage in. (Or make up your own! Seriously, this is a pretty casual affair.)

Every guest will receive one ticket for a raffle. There will be three winners, and each winner can choose one out of 3 prizes:

1) One date with one participating host club staff member. (If your character is a current host club staff member who would volunteer for a blind date, please PM me so I can add their name to the list.) Current list of participants: Midnight, Don Quixote, Astarion, Armand
2) One specialty drink named in the winner's honor.
3) One 12 in x 12 in square on one of the mirrors of the Host Club to leave a permanent mark! The winner will be invited back at any time to take paint markers, paint, permanent markers, etc, to leave a short message, work of art, or anything that can fit in a square foot of mirror space in a discreet, aesthetically pleasing area of the host club. (Kaveh chooses where.)

Winners may choose prizes previously chosen by other winners. Winners may forfeit for others to have a chance at a prize, but may not give away their prize to someone else specifically. In the case that one chooses the third prize but lacks the requisite skill or confidence to create a permanent fixture, one can outsource the space to a willing artist or writer within reason.

!

OOC: RAFFLE DETAILS

I will be rolling the results of this raffle on January 2nd, before the start of Alba's player plot! Don't worry about keeping up with the results, I'll PM winners individually. The only requirement for entry is to participate in one thread on this post! If your character would forfeit their prize, please let me know via PM so I can remove their name from the pool! EDIT: All prizes have been claimed! Congratulations to Hob, Yi Sang, and Altria! 🎉

MAIN SEATING (PARTY GAMES)

The back booths of the establishment, along with the standard decorations, have been supplied with small cards. The rules of two different party games are written on each:

NEVER HAVE I EVER

A getting to know you game! For groups of 5 or fewer players, begin with 5 points. For any more than that, it is suggested to start with 10. The goal of the game is to be the last person with points remaining.
1) Everyone in the game starts with five points each. Keep track of your points with your fingers!
2) The first player describes a short scenario that they have never experienced.
3) The other players must put a finger down if they have experienced said scenario. If they, too, have never experienced the scenario, their points remain unaffected.
4) Move onto the next player and repeat steps 2 through 4. The last person with points remaining wins!
5) BONUS: Drinks may be substituted for points. Simply take a drink when you have experienced the scenario! (Please drink responsibly!)

KING'S GAME

This game requires straws, chopsticks or a deck of cards. Please ask a bartender for supplies!
1) For the amount of players in the game, arrange the same amount of straws or chopsticks. For the card version, please use one suit.
2) Assign one chopstick/straw as the "king". For the card version, use one King of your chosen suit. The rest of the cards, chopsticks, or straws should be numbered from 2 to 10 (or however players choose to play.)
3) All players choose a game marker at random. Do not show the other players your number.
4) The King must first reveal themselves. For that round, they must issue a dare to up to two numbered participants. (e.g. Numbers 2 and 5 must end their sentences with "meow" for the next two rounds. The King can choose themselves as one of the participants.)
5) Shuffle the game markers, choose a new King, and repeat!
6) For a challenge, add points for completed dares and drawing the King! The first player to 10 points wins the game. For this mode, it is suggested to add a punishment of a drink for anyone who refuses their dares.

(Please drink responsibly! For the sake of tonight's festivities, we ask that all time based dares end before midnight.)

!

OOC: THREAD SUGGESTIONS

For the purpose of these prompts, feel free to handwave other participants, or to use these prompts as jumping off points for any specific threads you want! For example, one might like to use the King's Game to get into a scenario where one's character has to hold hands with another character for a few minutes for a dare. Please be creative!

THE STAGE (PERFORMANCES)

Eddie Munson (thefreak) will be headlining, with Midnight as backup whenever he can wiggle free from his bartending duties. In between sets, anyone is free to pick up an instrument and a microphone and try their hand at ringing in the new year with a bit of song.

THE BACK ROOMS (NO, NOT LIKE THAT)

There are currently three rooms available for formal guest activities! The rest of the rooms are locked and will require permission for entry. (They're all empty!)

THE GREENHOUSE (featured host: Fearne)

You were... You were underground just a second ago, right? Pull up a seat, settle in, and enjoy being surrounded by plants, a mildly hydrated atmosphere, and light, friendly conversation between fellow guests. There are no activities here, but it does seem like people are free to start up their own round of party games in this somewhat quieter environment... It would be a nice place for a game where one might want to be heard over all that music. (Suggested games: Word Association, 2 Truths and a Lie, 20 Questions.)

THE COFFEE SHOP (featured host: Chesed)

For anyone who needs caffeination to start their new year right. Featuring nondescript coffee shop music, a mildly chill vibe, and comfortable seating, come grab an espresso and pretend you have some important project to deliver by some very specific deadline next year. For this occasion, board games and cards are available for those who want a little more involved with their gaming experience for the new year. (Suggested games: Poker, Uno, Jenga.)

THE PET STATION

Congrats, you printed yourself a dog! Or a cat! Or something! For the purposes of showing off one's pet and getting them some proper socialization, for one night only, there is a pet area monitored closely by one of the club's staff members where one can drop off their furry friend. Get that pet socialized! Get yourself socialized! Please, make a friend before the year ends. It's good for you.

code

[ ooc: If any part of this post is in error, PLEASE do let me know! I made this in like two days in between work and I barely know left from right. Also, host club members especially are encouraged to PM me with any details or updates about this event they'd like for me to add. Thank you, and please enjoy your IRL new year! ]

Comments

[unrequite]

[ Those smiles are getting a bit more common now. Midnight started his stay in this city all those months ago drunk, a bit disoriented, and steeled to be quite alone. Constancy isn't something he gives, so to receive it unconditionally... Well, it hasn't shifted the axis of his world, but one can't help but respond in the face of such things.

Which is why he leans in for a kiss, because he's right there, but when he leans back into his own space, he's a bit confused. When that nudge shifts him gently along like a balloon on a string, he looks back, surprise and dismay as gentle as the happiness they replaced. ]

Bed...? Darling, it's just an hour, I can kip later.

[ He isn't resisting, per se, but he is wondering what he's done to be ousted so unceremoniously... He is, as always, oblivious to what he looks like from the outside. ]

[fussiest]

And it's just an hour, which means there's no better time. If you can do it later, you can also do it now.

[ says kaveh, extremely reasonably. midnight starts and stops much in the way of an automaton that is on its last leg of a corroded battery. the surprise and dismay washes onto midnight's shores. kaveh looks at him, and gently leans in to return the kiss to his lips. ]

Come on, now. To the right. [ he pulls open the bar door again, and ushers midnight towards the backrooms where the cot still sits. ] Don't argue with me, hm? You won't be able to put up much of a fight the way you are now, and that wouldn't be sporting for me. Are you hungry?

[unrequite]

Kaveh...

[ Midnight cranes back, and sure enough, Netzach's there, quietly filling his space... He frowns, trying to tug from Kaveh's grip, but with the tipsy confusion of a man who is trying to put a puzzle back in order. ]

Shouldn't I... I have the keys, and my terminal, so I'll wake in time, but Kaveh, the guests...

[ The guests, Kaveh. It's opening night, the party host can't literally sleep on the job. That's why the idiom exists... ]

[fussiest]

[ netzach fills in the gap. kaveh meets netzach's eyes as they pass, giving him a solid nod, before he checks midnight's shoulder with his own. just a gentle nudge down the right direction you would with a slightly confused sumpterbeast. ]

Don and Astarion have the guests enraptured. I haven't seen a crowd pay such close attention since they conned some first-year Spantamads into attending a conference with the promise that Lisa Minci was going to be a guest-speaker. She never was, that was the con, but it got everyone in the room, didn't it? I'll wake you in time, and you know I'm good for my word.

[ kaveh toes open the door. the gradient shadow of the room falls in lightless slant. ] Go on.

[unrequite]

[ Midnight grumbles, but allows Kaveh to herd him into the empty room, its little cot and the dark. Who is Lisa Minci? ]

I won't be able to sleep a wink, there's a party and I must be with it... Stay with me for a bit. Keep my mind from wandering.

[ All true things, of course, but being alone during a party is also incredibly depressing, and Midnight knows how his mind does unseemly things in the dark. ]

[fussiest]

[ kaveh's smile softens around its edges. in the dark, kaveh has always known, the unnamed third person has always lurked. its name is sorrow. its name is grief. its name is guilt. he gently nudges midnight towards the cot proper. ]

Well, how can I leave you alone? You're too hopeless to exist on your own. Go on, get in bed.

[ kaveh leaves a sliver of the door open. from the other room, the sound of laughter intermingles with the spider's thread of light, warm and replete. he leaves his pale jacket on a chair by the door. one knee presses into the bed proper, his weight sinking down next to midnight. ] Make room for me?

[unrequite]

[ And down Midnight goes, fancy outfit and all, with only a brief pause, a shuffle to remove his shoes. He pushes back in bed, reaches for Kaveh, helpless and demanding, curling him hungrily into his arms, his face planted firmly into his hair. He breathes in once, sighs. Jasmine and oil and the liquor they serve in the club. He's tipsy, so there was little tension to speak of, but he's practically boneless around Kaveh. Molded in the exact shape of him, every dip and valley. ]

It's a good party.

[fussiest]

[ midnight wraps around him. he makes space the shape of him. kaveh allows it. from the bed, kaveh toes off his shoes, gentle clicks of sole against floor where they fall. ]

Mm, it is. You outdid yourself, Midnight. Did you see the smiles? The year ends not with a whimper, but with a laugh.

[ he runs his hands up midnight's sides, removing keys and devices from his pockets, then up into his hair, where he gently slips the hairtie from the wild, untamed mane of it, the dark strands of that spider-spun galaxy. ] There will be more like these next year. Lovely, warm and kind.

[unrequite]

[ Midnight breathes out. More relief, contentment. ]

I saw. No one leaves unhappy...

[ He smiles, shifts a little to let Kaveh fuss over him, but returns to his hair as soon as he can, breathing him in. Simple pleasures, simple man. He's glad the party is functioning as intended, even if the peace lasts just one night. ]

More like this. Mm. [ ... ] When's your birthday, my darling...?

[fussiest]

[ kaveh's eyes lid. gently, he begins to tweak apart the tangles in midnight's hair, one strand at a time. it is futile, or will be futile. if midnight so much as shifts a muscle, the hair returns to being untamed. but kaveh picks his way through anyway, humming a tuneless song. ]

Oh, I've kept myself sober tonight, so I know where this is going. Tell me yours first, Midnight.

[unrequite]

[ Midnight chuckles, presses a kiss to Kaveh's head, but keeps his eyes closed. The goal is to sleep, after all, and the little tugs in his hair are very soothing. ]

May 20th. Your turn.

[fussiest]

[ kaveh looks. he wonders if ambient light bothers midnight. an eyemask, perhaps; soundproof headpieces. there is no shutting off the mind, but you could potentially shut off the world. just for a little while. ]

Hm, you're far more agreeable than usual today. [ kaveh smiles. ] July 9th. You know, you've asserted that you've been a vampire longer than I've been alive, but it's moments like these that make me feel as if you're the younger one after all.

[unrequite]

[ Perhaps? Nothing can beat a good old fashioned snuggle with Netzach, but he could try it. He isn't good at being separated from the world either, though... ]

Haven't lived a full adult vampire lifespan, darling. I'm young, naïve. Think I can change the world.

[ He grins. ]

Or perhaps you're the one who's aged before his time, hmm?

[fussiest]

Oh, I don't think the issue is with me.

[ kaveh's eyes glint. ]

I'm hardly casting a jaundiced eye around the world right now. If the world still holds surprise and wonder for me, then aren't I still young?

[unrequite]

Mm. I see. Would you consider yourself a part of the world?

[fussiest]

I would. I am. It's only through interacting with the world that we know ourselves. Why?

[unrequite]

Just wondering if you hold any surprise or wonder for yourself. Stands to reason, after all.

[fussiest]

Midnight, if we're going down the rabbit hole of my issues, you realise you're opening the door to yours. [ with a fond, exasperated nudge: ] Did you want to sleep or argue, hm?

[unrequite]

Neither. I want to be out celebrating the new year, I want to kiss you again, I want another melon vodka. But I want you to be happy most of all...

[ Midnight hums. ]

So I'll sleep. Or argue, bit by bit, until the happiness self-perpetuates. One thing at a time.

[fussiest]

Truly, if you can get a good hour's worth of sleep, I'd be the happiest man in the city. You might even see me smile a genuine smile, Archons-forbid.

Awful, however. If you ask me what I want most of all right now, it's also that I want you to be happy. What a circular conversation this makes.

[unrequite]

Mm. Good. I like your smile.

[ Midnight breathes deep. Pliant, obedient, kind. ]

Kaveh. I am happy most days, most hours. Not always, but here and now, certainly. I am happy simply by being near you...

[fussiest]

Your bar is still terribly low. Have a higher one. Tell me, how did you like Netzach's outfit today, hm?

[unrequite]

[ His laugh is small and floating and helpless in its love. ]

Speaking of surprises and wonder... I admit to thinking that you were trying to goad me in some way. He takes me to pieces already, Kaveh... Were I a better man, I would take him to see my mother.

[ ... So yeah, it was pretty good. ]

[fussiest]

[ kaveh's smile is slow, and warm, and pleased. that is a lovely laugh. that is a laugh that kaveh will remember. ]

Why would I need to goad you when you clearly goad yourself just fine?

But good. I wasn't sure if your culture in Higashi was at all fully congruent with ours in Inazuma, but I had Yuu help me flesh it out regardless just in case there was enough overlap. It seems that it worked out well. I'm glad. You are taking him home, yes?

[unrequite]

[ Good, because that was for you, you mustard and ketchup looking moron!!! ]

Yuu... Thank them for me, as well. Ah, the advice about the flowers for them, wasn't it.

[ Midnight nods very firmly. Up and down, one and two. ]

I've been compromised, darling. Netzach has told me that I'm not to clean the club after everyone's left, that I'm to take him straight home. What's become of principles, my love... It won't be clean in the morning.

[ The world's smallest violin plays in the background. Midnight's just mesmerized by his own helplessness, honestly, he's not actually too upset. ]