middaeg | MASQUERADE: Noveur 8

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MASQUERADE: Noveur 8

WELCOME TO THE MASQUERADE

I. Arrival

The event starts mid-evening, Noveur 8, thanks to the help of several hands. They had worked for a couple of days prior to the start to get the large ballroom decorated to everyone's liking. The day of the event, earlier on, a few may have appeared to do some final touches. Those who had stayed behind to help with some last minute decorating, Louis had cleared out and advised to leave so that they could get ready for the masquerade.

a. Outside

When you approach, you will find that the outside of the building is a perfect location for a masquerade. There's a large ballroom, granted to them for use by the Coven. They had been kind enough to allow them to have the space and necessary supplies in order to throw such a party. And, it's clear that they took every advantage of the granted space and land around them.

There's a gorgeous, outdoor fountain, and lights underneath the water to give it a pleasant, warm glow through the water. If you watch it long enough, the lights seem to shift colors. There's gardens surrounding the building, as well. The gardens, like the fountain, have low, warm lighting around them so that the plant-life will be clear well into the late night.

There's benches outside as well, with a clear view of the fountain - so if someone needs to step outside or take a break from the indoor events, they can enjoy the fresh air and the warm, calming feeling from the fountain and gardens. This is a perfect place to escape when you want to relax away from the bustle of a party.

b. Inside

The entryway has open curtains, gold - and tied back with a deep blue rope. There to make everyone feel as though stepping inside, they are making an entrance of their own. Once you step inside, you'll notice the large ballroom with high ceilings is fully decorated. It is clear that a lot of effort and time went into this, thanks to the help of many different people and several sets of hands. The colors that seem to be continually present are gold, deep blue, and dark purple. Though from time to time there may be splashes of other colors and personal touches from those who had helped in places - mostly in the form of masks hanging on the walls, or balloons scattered in places away from the main dance floor.

From the entrance, straight ahead, is the main dance floor and to the right - refreshments. Near the refreshments, there are a several standing tables to set down a drink or stand around to socialize with friends or people you've just met. In addition to the standing tables, there's a couple of dining tables and chairs so that you can sit and eat, drink, or chat.

There some seating nearer to the walls without tables, as well, for those who maybe wish to take a moment to themselves or need a few seconds to relax. There's also some standing room for those who maybe are there more to socialize and enjoy the company of others, rather than dancing.

c. Enchanted Masks

You're welcome to have brought a mask that you had picked out for yourself, or - if you prefer, you can pick up an enchanted mask near the entrance of the party itself. These enchanted masks will conceal all distinguishing features, whether they are as simple as horns and scales, or as large as a set of wings. The only obvious feature will be what a character is wearing, whether it is their attire, mask, or both.

You aren't obligated to wear them, of course, but they do provide the total anonymity that is often part of the excitement at a masquerade such as this. These effects are only present when one is wearing the mask. The moment the mask is off, any distinguishing features are immediately visible.

It's a perfect opportunity to have a little fun and engage with someone you may not have spoken with otherwise.

II. Refreshments

Away from the dance floor are several tables with matching, deep purple, table cloths. On top of the table are a variety of foods - some brought by the attendees, others brought in thanks to the aid of the coven. You can expect to find at least something that you'll absolutely love when exploring the options. There's everything there - from healthier options like fruits, vegetables, and dip - to less healthy options such as cupcakes, and truffles. Food on sticks, and easy finger foods seem to be a very popular options.

While many of the options wouldn't even require a plate, there are some plates and utensils in shades of blue and gold available to use.

Next to the food there is a table featuring three punch bowls with three different flavors. One seems to be a fruit punch, one seems be purely berry flavored, and one - seems to be a bit of a surprise. It tastes a little bit different to everyone who tries it, but so far - there have been no complaints. Next to them, if you would prefer, there's pitchers of water.

Near the back corner, there's a bar with a bartender, there to serve those who would like a drink. Ask for a surprise, or your favorite drink, and you can have something mixed for you. Next to the bar, there are rows of the most popular bottles of alcohol. Though you won't be stopped if you take one, please tell the bartender so that they can keep their stock replenished for the other guests.

Drinks, of course, come free to those who are able to legally drink.

III. Dance

a. The Lock Box

Maybe you want to find a new dance partner. Maybe you want to find a new Bond. Maybe you just want to talk to someone new. The Lock Box is near the entrance of the ballroom. It's inaccessible thanks to both a lock and enchantment that are on it.

It's set up neatly on a table, with only it, paper, and a pen so that names can be written and added to the box. When you enter your name, another name will be produced from the box. It is clearly enchanted, of course. Once you're given a name, you and your new dance partner will be compelled to be drawn together. This will last for about the length of a song - long enough to dance, or have a conversation.

Usually, only others who have put their names in the box will have their name drawn, but sometimes those who didn't put their name in the box will have their name drawn and will feel compelled to seek out someone who drew their name.

Sorry to those who didn't volunteer, magic isn't always the most predictable! Though you may get lucky and just find your next friend or Bond, so it's hard to get mad about it.

b. Song & Dance

Whether you picked your dance partner yourself, or were compelled to dance with your partner thanks to the Lock Box, the dance floor is ready for you. The music is softly enchanted, to provide a feeling of calm, relaxation, and joy. Characters will feel at ease, and even those who may not typically dance will want to get out on the dance floor. Thanks to the talent of both Elliot and Wataru on their violins, as well as people from within the city to provide the music.

There's a variety of music to play through the night. Most of the music is upbeat through the night, encouraging you to grab a partner and dance. Songs like waltzes are the most prominently played, as they're perfect for beginners and experienced dancers alike. And then, from there, there's some slower paced, romantic songs - though they are less frequent. Whenever those play, find someone you want to get close to and take a chance to dance and maybe even have a quiet conversation.

Whatever your mood, you will find a song that you'd love to dance to, as long as you want to dance.

IV. Late Night

The lights dim, just a bit more as it starts to turn into a late night, though there doesn't seem to be any sign that the party is ending. Small, glowing trinkets are brought out when the party seems like it should otherwise be dying down. These trinkets are - of course, to your taste, whether it's a bracelet, a ring, a necklace, or just simple something small that almost resembles a wand. This will glow up to a month, so you should like what you pick: whether it is for for you or is to act as a gift for someone of your choosing.

The music is meant now to entice you to go a little wilder than they may have been earlier in the evening. Most of the food has been replaced and only small, quick snacks have been brought out for those who were still wanting something a bit to eat. Alcohol is still readily available to each and every person who is able to legally drink, of course.

You're welcome to - quite literally - dance until the sun rises or until you just can't stay awake any longer.

Note: Please hit me up if you have any questions; ICly: This takes place on the 8th. Putting this up early is to help ensure everyone has a chance to enjoy themselves! And, if your threads need any warnings of any sort, please add them as you go! ♥ Thank you all!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Are you drunk? [ comes a familiar voice. Berserker is already halfway to drunk, though his mask is still firmly on his face. It's not enchanted, though, just creepy and good at hiding his eyes in the vacant holes of the skull. ] Is this how you're adjusting now?

[ As if he has any room to talk -- once his horns started coming in, he got drunk to dull the ache on a regular basis. ]

[ Then there's no room for judgment right? But when Trevor glances over at whoever it is that happens to be talking to him, he balks and nearly sucks his straw down because what the fuck?? ]

Ho-ly shit. You... are the creepiest sonuvabitch here.

[ Berserker can't help a smirk at that reaction, brief though it may be. He lifts up the mask and lets it sit around his neck. Nothing creepy underneath, just the same indifferent face as ever. ]

It keeps people away...I'm sure you can understand the benefit of that.

[ Squinting for a long second, he even comes to lean in a little closer before... oh. Dragon guy. The one he shook hands with. Right. ]

I guess I'm going to have to, aren't I?

[ Lest he feel the need to snack on their neck. ]

So what brings you here? Treasure around you plan to steal and keep for yourself in your cave?

[ He doesn't budge when Trevor invades his personal space for a moment. This is fine. There's enough alcohol he can tolerate a lot. ]

Are you? Afraid you'll make a meal out of someone you don't mean to?

[ He narrows his eyes for a moment at the question and shakes his head. ]

My lover likes these sort of events, so it's only fair I came along...but I lost track of him an hour ago, so I started drinking. [ He shrugs. The jab at his expense goes ignored, turning it on Trevor instead. ] Let me guess...you're here because you couldn't resist free alcohol.

Edited 2019-11-07 04:37 (UTC)

[ Lover? Oh, this is a bond thing, right? ]

Your bonded person, right?

[ To which Trevor rests his chin on his fist, straw dangling from his lips before he gives a rather nonchalant shrug. ]

Free food. Free alcohol. I'd be a damn fool not to be here, don't you think? Which-

[ And he catches the attention of the bartender then. ]

Get what you want. It's on me.

[ Because it's free. Yeah. ]

Right.

[ Berserker again narrows his eyes. He may be bordering on drunk right now, but come on. ]

Of course it's on you. It's free. I'd be more amazed to find you had any money at all. [ Though he's not going to turn down more drinks. ] Whiskey...don't care how it's served.

[ Whiskey on the rocks it is! Trevor though, straw still in his mouth, chuckles some as he goes back to his own drink, slouching over the bar some. ]

So tell me. If you're a dragon and dragons hoard things. What is it that you hoard?

[ He accepts the drink gratefully and has the sense to not just slam it all back at once. ]

Bones, skulls preferably. [ There are black chains draped from his horns and wings with blackened bone beads dangling from them. Some are more recognizable as teeth and finger bones. Seems he's made a hobby out of his bone problem. ] Why is it so important to know, though?

It's called. [ And he might just turn to look to his dragon companion here, straw flapping between his lips as he speaks. ] Making conversation.

[ As if that were the most obvious thing in the world. ]

You don't do friends much, do you? [ Dropping his straw back into his glass, he blows a few more bubbles before he enjoys a sip of it. ] Guess we have that in common.

No. I don't.

[ It's an adjustment period. Allies and enemies were all he knew, all his Madness Enhancement allowed him to know. Now that its influence is mostly stripped away, there's room for nuance and grey areas. There's also his emotions returning and the ability to actually care for people beyond their alignment with regards to his own. It's weird.

Berserker takes a drink and just sort of stares into his glass. ]

I'm used to keeping people away from me...and I don't understand why anyone wants to be friends with someone like me.

[ He's not expecting an answer nor does he particularly want one. ]

You're just a scapegoat and a black sheep, aren't you? [ That's how he understands what he's gotten out of their previous conversations, anyway. ] That's why you're used to not having friends...Aside from your personality, anyway.

[ Slurping up some of his drink through his straw, he chuckles for a moment before he signals for another round of the same for the both of them. ]

I'll have you know, I'm fucking nice, thanks. Everyone else is just a piece of shit. Usually.

[ Does that explain his constant fights he's had over the years? Maybe. Who knows. But maybe. ]

And now there's witches and monsters and who knows what bloody else here. It's not all that different from where I come from. Just, you know, I'm not a fucking monster myself. I just kill them.

[ Dropping his straw into his new glass, he blows a few bubbles before he looks over to his dragon pal. ]

You and me. We could probably disappear and no one would give a shit, right? Except there probably is and neither of us have a fucking clue why.

[ He knocks back the rest of his drink, pushing the empty glass aside. ]

As you say.

[ He won't fight Trevor's self-assessment. This whole conversation is vaguely amusing and he's okay with the push back. For once, he's not interested in seizing on a weakness -- he's far too drunk for that right now. ]

I used to do nothing but kill...I gave up everything for the strength to survive. I was a one-man war. My name alone meant death for anyone who heard it. But...that's no longer my path. [ Berserker finally looks over at his companion. ] You're right. I don't understand why anyone would miss me. But there are now...more than I'd ever expected.

[ Including the one responsible for most of the changes in him: his beloved Bonded. ]

I suppose we owe it to those who see gods knows what in us to do better, don't we?

[ Trevor's quiet as he listens to Berserker, idly chewing on his straw while staring down to the bottom of his glass. What number is he on for drinks again? Like it matters. Might as well enjoy it before blood is the very thing which he craves to slide down his throat. Just the thought is enough to depress him and so? Here he is. At the bar. Doing what he's done best for the past however many years: not giving a shit.

But he sighs then, looking up as he mulls over those words and he tries to figure out why either of the two on his mind would miss him and just what the hell it is they see in him. That, right there, is a mystery. But it's sort of... nice to feel wanted. That he would be missed. Or something. ]

To them I guess. Right?

[ And he holds his glass up some, straw dangling from his mouth. Yeah. ]

[ Berserker holds up his own glass as he reaches out with his free hand to try to remove that godforsaken straw from Trevor's mouth. ]

To those that see what we don't.

[ Despite his apathetic tone, there is somehow warmth to his words. Before coming to this place, there were only two people who wanted to spend any length of time around him and that was the woman whose selfish wish on the Holy Grail created him and his former Master. Now for reasons he couldn't fathom, he had people that considered him a friend and more than that...

What a bizarre place this is and what strange circumstances. ]

[ Excuse you get your own?? Just be careful there, Berserker, since Trevor tiddies on show Belmont has fangs now. ]

Get yer own.

[ It's muttered around his straw as he pulls his head back but if Berserker happens to snatch it away well, it is what it is. But there's also a slight chuckle under Trevor's breath despite his "angry words!!" thrown at the dragon. ]

So. Let me ask you something. Do you, uh, feel things from the person you're bonded to?

[ He fears no fangs. The straw (or rather, Trevor's behavior with it) is annoying him enough to push the issue and, once in possession of the (kind of gross) object, he flicks it away to another corner of the room. That's better.

That handled, the ... suggestively phrased question gets a brief eyebrow raise. ]

Yes. It's clearer the closer we are, but I can feel things from him. He can feels things from me, too.

[ Though it's...limited in that direction in most respects. He doesn't hide anything from his bonded, he's just not good at feeling things yet. ]

It's part of the reason I can even feel certain emotions again.

Is there a way to turn it off? Or is it just so much for privacy with your own thoughts and things?

[ Signaling the bartender for another drink, he leans over to whisper something to them before he looks back to his dragon companion... and is given another straw. ]

[ Of course his peace from the straw was short lived. It's fine -- he expects his pettiness to be met with the same. ]

You can't limit what's given to you, but you can limit what you give them. So if your bonded doesn't want to hide anything from you, you just have to deal with it. [ He shrugs. ] I don't hide anything from mine. But it's not like he can read my mind nor can I read his. I just know his general mood and he knows mine. Spikes of stronger emotion are felt more intensely, but it's just emotions.

[ Trevor hums a bit at that as he starts to chew on his straw, gaze wandering across the bar and seeming to be lost in thought for a moment. It hasn't even been that long??? since he did this whole bonding thing but he's definitely felt moods from the moody blond. Thankfully not twenty-four seven but still just... yeah. It sure is a thing. ]

It's not about hiding anything. It's about suddenly feeling annoyed or something when you sure as hell weren't five seconds ago.

[ The ice in his glass clinks as he finishes off his drink, ordering another one as he slides the empty across the bar. ]

I wasn't sure what you meant, but...yes. That happens. It's why I remembered what anything positive felt like. There's nothing you can really do about it, though. You just have to accept it for what it is.

[ Even if it makes you uncomfortable and breaks down layers of self-protection you built up carefully over years and years. ]

[ Oh you mean that's a thing?? Well isn't that just LOVELY?? ]

Great. That's what happens when I don't read the fine print.

[ It's muttered mostly to himself before he buries his face in his hands and brushes them through his somewhat unruly hair after. Elbows on the counter, straw between his lips, ice knocking around in the glass he idly tips back and forth. ]

What's with the whole not feeling any positive thing anyway? You're not some moody prick in disguise, are you?

[ It's not like Berserker really wanted that, either. He agreed from a purely practical standpoint and then things got complicated. Like always. ]

I gave up everything in the name of strength -- most of my emotions were sacrificed for that. Joy especially, but I felt nothing beyond brief flashes of anger, irritation, and resentment since then. Apathy made it easier to do what was necessary. I lost the joy for battle and even that became boring and routine...To kill without emotion is what I had to do to survive.

[ It's a sore spot and the only reason he's being so open with it is because he's drunk. It's fine. ]

[ Alright, so. That's not what he thought he'd be hearing when he asked? Not by a longshot. He stares to Berserker out of the corner of his eye as he listens, ice cubes still knocking against each other as he slowly tips that glass back and forth within his hand. Listening. Thinking. Wondering.

It's only after a moment that, with taking the straw away from his mouth, he knocks back the drink in hand and sets the glass down on the counter, straw back in mouth. ]

Sounds like you need all the drinks you can get.

[ Berserker idly runs his finger along the rim of his glass as a smirk quirks the edges of his lips. ]

They certainly couldn't do anymore damage to me. [ The embodiment of what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. ] You were expecting a different answer, weren't you?

[ It's not like anyone really expects to hear "I turned into an emotionless killing machine to survive", but he's making conversation. He's trying! ]

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