finchwoodacademy | VELVET ROOM PARTY

Entry tags:

VELVET ROOM PARTY

VELVET ROOM PARTY

All of the students who RSVPed on Khalil's journal post fall asleep surprisingly early Saturday night, some recognizing their own fatigue and calling it a night early while others drift off accidentally on couches or at desks. Regardless of how difficult they normally find it, this sleep is deep and comes over them quickly and completely. When their eyes open next, they're not in their dorms anymore. Instead, they're... in an old school roller rink? The rink itself is large and has a disco ball suspended above it; music is pumping through the speaker system, though the DJ booth off to the side of the rink is vacant. There's a concession stand stocked with various snacks, different kids of booze, and soda, alongside which there are tables to sit at. Off to one side there's a circle of low, ottoman-like seats for Spin the Bottle, and nearby is a utility closet, complete with broom to totally get in your way, for Seven Minutes in Heaven. There are also a few 'party rooms' if you need a little bit of privacy, but the doors don't lock and there are windows in the doors, so, you know. Everything looks pretty typical, except for the blue door at the far end of the building where the entrance would be.

As at the other parties, the students find that they're not wearing what they were when they went to bed. Now, they're dressed in (primarily blue) clothes that are a little bit retro. Like, 80's and 90's retro. There's an abundance of neon, tight fitting materials, and loud patterns, all of which, honestly, look pretty great under the lights on the rink. The party's host, meanwhile, wears a striped referee shirt with deep blue instead of black stripes, and has a whistle hanging around his neck that's going to be a little ineffectual, what with his mask and all. When the partygoers arrive he's standing behind the counter at the skate rental area, arms spread out and braced on the counter. Come check out a pair of skates and get to skating! Or, like, whatever you want to do, he guesses.

Early in the evening, Khalil approaches Thalia Mitchell with a request... can she name his friend? Alongside him is the mysterious Velvet Room denizen Thalia had seen before. Though her body language suggests she's not entirely pleased with it, they settle on Joni (Mitchell) as her name, and she spends most of the party wandering around and avoiding speaking too much with anyone. Meredith Rhydderch overhears a conversation with Khalil and Joni, where Khalil suggests she personally apologize to Marzio Sarno, Slade Winchester, Russell Reeve, and Luke Pokorny for scaring them. She refuses, but does at least take the time to sneak a glance at each of them.

StB & 7MiH

Adam Ho StB #1: Rose StB #2: Sullivan 7MiH: Dustin	Atticus Starling StB #1: Lyle StB #2: Neal 7MiH: Slade	Blake Hasenkamp StB #1: Dustin StB #2: Monet 7MiH: Josephine	Clarissa Day StB #1: Pearl StB #2: Sullivan 7MiH: Venus
Conway Loxton StB #1: Kodi StB #2: Slade 7MiH: Justice	Dustin Espinosa StB #1: Blake StB #2: Marzio 7MiH: Adam	Eli Gardner StB #1: Liam StB #2: Thalia 7MiH: Petra	Flint Chambers 7MiH: Sullivan
Hadlee Loxton StB #1: Henry StB #2: Meredith 7MiH: Rose	Hamsi Khan StB #1: Jude StB #2: Noah	Henry Arany StB #1: Hadlee StB #2: Neal 7MiH: Lyle	Josephine Linville StB #1: Petra StB #2: Slade 7MiH: Blake
Jude Tobin StB #1: Hamsi StB #2: Venus 7MiH: Thalia	Justice Bishop StB #1: Lillian StB #2: Luke 7MiH: Conway	Kodi Hansen StB #1: Conway StB #2: Zinnia 7MiH: Martin	Liam Blumenthal StB #1: Eli StB #2: Lyle
Lillian Armstrong StB #1: Justice StB #2: Petra 7MiH: Suzy	Luke Pokorny StB #1: Mason StB #2: Justice 7MiH: Noah	Lyle Hemmings StB #1: Atticus StB #2: Liam 7MiH: Henry	Martin Geary StB #1: Marzio StB #2: Pearl 7MiH: Kodi
Marzio Sarno StB #1: Dustin StB #2: Martin	Mason Chambers StB #1: Luke StB #2: Venus 7MiH: Meredith	Meredith Rhydderch StB #1: Hadlee StB #2: Noah 7MiH: Mason	Monet Romilly StB #1: Blake StB #2: Zinnia 7MiH: Neal
Neal Valentine StB #1: Atticus StB #2: Henry 7MiH: Monet	Noah Dressler StB #1: Hamsi StB #2: Meredith 7MiH: Luke	Pearl Kline StB #1: Clarissa StB #2: Martin 7MiH: Zinnia	Petra Warren-Yates StB #1: Josephine StB #2: Lillian 7MiH: Eli
Rose Chapman StB #1: Adam StB #2: Thalia 7MiH: Hadlee	Slade Winchester StB #1: Conway StB #2: Josephine 7MiH: Atticus	Sullivan Sinclair StB #1: Adam StB #2: Clarissa 7MiH: Flint	Suzy Choi 7MiH: Lillian
Thalia Mitchell StB #1: Eli StB #2: Rose 7MiH: Jude	Venus Rosales StB #1: Jude StB #2: Mason 7MiH: Clarissa	Zinnia Howe StB #1: Kodi StB #2: Monet 7MiH: Pearl

» SKATE RENTAL: Khalil is handing out skates when he's not 'policing' the rink! Fill out the form to see what, uh, unique skates or blades you get!

» THE RINK: No one will yell at you if you walk out in your sneakers to dance in the center, but it is more fun if you skate, you know? The DJ booth alongside the rink has a computer hooked up with access to a lot of music, if you want to pick some beats.

» CONCESSION STAND & TABLES: Stocked with just about anything you could want food-wise and drink-wise. As usual, a couple of the items are blue that shouldn't be, like the popcorn. Right next to the concession stand are tables where you can take a seat, chill out, and stuff your face with everything you grabbed.

» PARTY GAMES: A small circle of ottoman-like seats has been set up for party games off to the side of the tables! Spin the Bottle and Seven Minutes in Heaven are the mainstays, but it's easy enough to start your own games, too! Nearby there's a tiny utility closet that's a tight squeeze for two people.

» PARTY ROOMS: There are three side rooms set up with tables and lots of blue balloons, like they've been set up for birthday parties. The doors on these rooms don't lock, and there are small windows on the doors, so they're only slightly private.

» END OF THE NIGHT: At some point (god, how long has it been?), there's a feeling of restlessness in the air, as though night is coming to a close and they'll be waking up soon. Best to get your last hurrahs in!

» OOC - QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, CONCERNS!

Please note: Students arrive with nothing they had on them in the real world (including their journals) - so no journaling while here! If you can find Khalil, you can ask him for things, though.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Noah, in a good mood from the disco lights and peppy music, grabs an empty bottle and settles himself in the Kiss Corner for the Finchwood party tradition. Little does he know, this bottle will lead him to several cursed encounters with the younger class.

"What would you say your kissing skill level is?" Hamsi asks Noah after the bottle has paired them, like this is a job interview.

Noah assesses the girl in front of him—terrifying facial expression but quite pretty, probably a sophomore—and turns on a smile.

"Oh, I don't like to brag," he lies. "But some people have rated me the best kiss they've ever had."

"You're going up against some stiff competition." Hamsi also lies, boisterously confident in the number of her many imagined suitors. She leans forward, into his space, beaming. "I'm going to need you to give it your best tonight."

Noah is a cute boy, but also an intimidating one. In her normal life, she doesn't ever get close enough to him to even consider kissing him. She doesn't like being flirted with. It makes her feel like a cagey animal.

So with none of Hamsi's brisk professionalism, she stares at Noah, wide-eyed and unmoving like a rabbit that just got spotted by a predator.

Noah smiles back at the girl, doing his best to look only a little threatening. Like, sexy threatening. Kind of cute bad boy vibe. (Noah knows, after living with Marty Geary for two years, that he could never really pull off cute bad boy.) Anyway, this is... a sophomore. A Support. Merry? Doesn't Dallas have a crush on her? Oh, well.

He moves over to Merry without hesitation, stopping just a couple inches away. "It's okay. I don't bite."

Ugh, Meredith thinks. He's like a sexy panther.

This annoys her, more than anything. Before he can pounce on her, she leans over and pecks him on the lips, chastely and very quickly.

These are the things Luke knows about Noah: Noah is popular; Noah is tall; Noah is a good actor; Noah is attractive, especially as a pirate; and, finally, Noah is to whom the bottle points.

Luke suddenly falters. Why did he think this was a good idea?

His psyche retorts, Because everybody does it.

So he needs to be like everybody.

... Easy!

He'll be like Marzio!

"'Sup?" He intones, standing and nodding his head at the closet. You know, confidently.

Noah laughs, and heads for the closet. After so many weeks of rehearsals, he's grown rather fond of his pirate crew, and most of all Luke, who's been an even more enthusiastic pirate than Noah could ever claim to be.

As soon as the door closes, Noah grabs Luke by the front of his shirt. "It would make me Jolly," he quips, "if we could Roger."

Having someone this close and holding his clothing is a completely alien experience. His normally expressionless facade breaks for a moment of confusion with a twinge of panic before he realizes what Noah's trying to do, and the pirate jargon pulls him back to somewhere more familiar: pretending to be someone else on top of Marzio.

Then again, he doesn't have a clue what Noah means by Roger. Is it an actual term? Rogering sounds like... a lot.

"Shiver me– er– Aye-aye, cap'n."

The bottle spins and spins and spins and when it slows, Eli feels dread. This is the worst case scenario, but not because he doesn't want to kiss Noah. Oh, no, quite the opposite.

"Oh No-ah," Eli says, and then begins to drunkenly laugh at his own, very bad joke.

The smart thing to do would be to pass. Or maybe just pretend that he doesn't know this is a 7MIH spin, and kiss Eli on the cheek and sit back down. Or maybe kiss Eli anyway, but in a completely platonic, non-sexual way. He could pull that off.

Instead, Noah stands, and starts stepping towards Eli. "Closet?"

"Closet." Eli's still sitting, but offers his hands to Noah to pull him to his feet. When Noah leverages him up, they're standing close. Eli doesn't care, but pretends he just doesn't notice. "Lead the, uh, way."

Noah playfully waggles his eyebrows at Eli, and tugs him towards the utility closet, one hand on Eli's. It's not in Noah's nature to overthink anything. The few times in his life he's questioned what he's doing, it left him feeling resentful and moody. And who wants that? Especially from Noah Dressler.

"Hold on." He reaches past Eli's hip to grab the doorknob, and close it securely behind them. It's a tight squeeze in here, enough that Noah's face is barely inches away from Eli's. "No second thoughts, birdy?"

Eli stops to think through the haze of cocktails and beer. A part of him knows he'll regret going "no strings attached" with Noah, but he's done stupider things. Although actually, there is one thing that's bothering him.

"Back when we... when it ended, you were like, hey Eli it's cool to still use me I don't respect myself, or something like that." Eli's positive the quote was very different, but he can't remember exact wording, only what he interpreted. "I don't want it to be like that, you know?"

Edited 2019-01-21 01:58 (UTC)

Noah didn't quite put it that way, but it's not like he didn't say that either. He'd been joking, really. Another joke is on the tip of his tongue. Several of them, actually, all along the same lines, which have been delivered with such frequency over the past few years that deflection has become an automatic reflex for Noah.

But Eli's voice is soft and close, and Noah's hand has come to a rest on Eli's waist, his thumb right on the seam of Eli's dreadfully unromantic shirt; and he doesn't want to be pushed away just yet.

"Then what?" Noah asks. "What do you want?"

Eli lets his hands rest on Noah's biceps, clearly not interested in squirming away. What does he want? So many things he shouldn't.

"A lot of things you don't," Eli murmurs, "some things you do."

It's a small closet. If he wasn't touching Eli, his shoulders would be against the wall. But Eli's hands on his arms feel like an invitation, even as Eli's words weave between a yes and no.

Noah leans in, his lips brushing against Eli's ear. "You know I'm not about to change." His voice is soft, his tone not quite a promise. Maybe a warning, but even that is too decisive. This school keeps pulling at him, and even Noah suspects that he'll have to give in to self-improvement sooner or later. It's childish to push for later, but if he accepts it's time to grow up, he'll have to accept everything else too.

Eli's arms snake around Noah's shoulders. He heard the warning, but he's not heeding it. Adam would be so mad if he knew this was happening, but Eli can't help himself. He wants to be here, with Noah, drunk and flirting. Neither of them are thinking about tomorrow or the future some of them might not get.

"That's good," he whispers back into Noah's ear. "I know what you're, uh, what you're actually talking about. But I like you. I don't want you to be... some, I don't know. Some guy my parents or friends would pick out for me. I don't want a Suzy or a Scout or a Dustin. They're great, but... but I want..."

The bottle didn't land on Noah, but since when does that matter. "Cool skates. We're twins," he comments as he approaches.

"Oh, darling, I always knew we were soulmates." Noah grabs Marty by the waist, rolling himself closer. "I should've spent more time in the rink. You must be a terror on wheels."

"Maybe if I had a soul," he jokes. Marty leans into Noah's grasp, which makes them both start to roll a little sideways. "You know I'm a terror, period. Wheels just make me more mobile."

Edited (u can't escape me im everywhere) 2019-01-21 03:24 (UTC)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

VELVET ROOM PARTY

Noah + Hamsi, Meredith, Luke, OPEN++

Noah + Hamsi

Noah + Hamsi

Noah + Hamsi

Noah + Merry

Noah + Merry

Noah + Merry

Noah + Luke

Noah + Luke

Nautical Noah + Lost Luke

Noah + Eli

Noah + Eli

Noah + Eli

Noah + Eli

Noah + Eli

Noah + Eli

Noah + Eli

Noah + Eli

Noah + Eli

Noah + Marty

Noah + Marty

Noah + Marty