finchwoodacademy | 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

Magic monsters be damned, Liam still doesn't see tarot as anything other than a tool for telling stories. That said, the sorts of stories he finds himself telling with a spread often speak volumes. And that, he's found, is where the value lies.

Seated at an isolated table, bottle and wine glass filled with something blue at his elbow, Liam shuffles the lovely deck Khalil had lent him. The thrumming music and loud laughter of his peers makes it hard to seriously concentrate on the questions he wants to ask for this particular spread, but it's also a relief to hear laughter to begin with. So, it's hard to mind. Before he lays the top card out, he pauses to lift the glass to his lips for a drink, staring out into the middle distance, instantly distracted by the flow of bodies around the rink.

In the seat across from Liam materializes a drunk, prickly creature in plaid: Lucille Simon, looking smaller than usual in her Clueless-inspired blazer and skirt and thigh-high socks. Baby blue has a way of washing her out, yet it's the only color she's ever been assigned at these somnambular soirees.

Tonight she's wandered at the edges, inserting herself into small and forgettable moments with friends as she considers fate and swallows half a bottle of wine. It's still in her hands now. She drinks, watching Liam and the card he has yet to lay, and nods, wordless, as if to encourage him.

Edited 2019-01-20 00:02 (UTC)

With a new presence, Liam's eyes come back into focus, settling on Lucy. There's a faint twitch at the corner of his mouth. It's nice, this sort of company. His gaze dips to the cards and as he lays the first one out, horizontal, he says. "Khalil likes to get a little adventurous when picking your outfits."

It's the three of swords. Over top of that, making a cross, he lays the ten of cups. He lists his head to the side, examining it, and snorts a loud, bemused laugh. Continuing with this spread seems suddenly more difficult than it was before. His eyes tilt up again, lingering on the bottle in Lucy's hand. "How's your night going?"

"Don't you think I pull them off?"

Lucy leans forward a little, looking at the cards. Liam's laugh is joined with a little sound of mixed pity and interest. The Ten of Cups is a pleasant card. The Three of Swords is a sting with perhaps the promise of salve after.

She notices the way he looks at the wine, and tips the neck at him just slightly. It's an offering if he wishes. Her free hand gestures lazily in the air, then runs itself through her bedhead and down to rest on the table.

"It's fine," Lucy answers at last, fingernail tapping as if to underline the cards. "How's yours?"

The smile offers her is small but genuine, eyes wrinkling at the corners. "Absolutely can. I like it. It's very different though, isn't it?"

Liam raises a hand - thank you, I'm fine - then reaches for his own glass, supernaturally blueberry-colored merlot. "Confusing." He admits, after taking a drink. "The party's a good distraction, but...trying to sort out which thing in the recent chaos has been upsetting me most and..." what to do about it seems like the thing he should say here, but his eyes fall to the cards again and he changes his mind. "How to forget."

A pause, he sets his glass down. "Think Khalil has inspired a change in your clothing choices?"

A slight deadening of the eyes is all the answer Lucy needs to give.

She listens to him, though, with consideration, despite the pounding music and throngs of passing laughter. How to forget. It would be hard to describe her true feelings and thoughts about the aforementioned chaos -- in many ways she welcomes it -- but she never minds forgetting, because to forget is a rare delight. She even lifts the bottle in a weary salute.

"Look in the mess," she suggests, "and pull on one thread. See what it does." That is her own mission tonight, actually. Apart from getting destroyed.

Lucy shakes her head solemnly at the next question. "You can pry my fishnets from my cold dead hands."

"Mm." Liam nods and taps the deck in his hands on the table, feeling all the cards fall flat against each other. Neat. Nothing is ever neat, anymore. "Unravel things."

He keeps his eyes on the table, snickering at Lucy's refusal to adopt Khalil's suggestions as he lays out another card. It's the four of swords, and his smirks at that, too. "The cards don't agree." He mumbles, resting his elbows on the table and looking back up at Lucy. "But, I think there're a few strings worth pulling at. Maybe I'll topple a teen soldier ring." Because the prospect of that seems easier than dealing with any personal problems.

"You can build them up again," Lucy suggests, despite never having done that a single time in her life.

The Four of Swords. A smile around the lip of the wine bottle: she likes that card, solemn as it looks. The knight is at rest. Not dead. Liam can interpret it as he likes, though.

"Oh. Do you have any leads?"

"Make something new from the mess?" He asks. It's a nice sentiment. One he likes in an artistic sort of way, but isn't quite sure it's in his wheelhouse. He is an agent of entropy, he thinks, and not one of creation.

Liam presses his finger against the card and moves it around. He likes this deck, but misses his own. Which is weird, because it's just in his room. Not far away at all, right? "Nothing really solid." he licks his lips. "I struggle with seeing...others' perspectives in this." In general. "So, it's been hard to not let myself get carried away with thinking the school's run by evil megalomaniacs." A pause. "They aren't, though. I know."

Lucy half-grins. "Doesn't that sound nice?"

"Do you struggle," she continues, watching Liam shift the little Swords around, "with someone's perspective in particular?"

A curious smile.

She asks another question:

"Are you sure?" It's not something Lucy believes, herself. Her tone says as much, and she waves the idea away, interesting as it is. The hand musses at her hair again. "I think they learn as they go. I mean, as we go."

"I should've gone to a trade school. Could've learned how to build stuff instead of..." Fighting? Destroying? "This."

Liam lets his head lean to the side, watching Lucy from over his glasses, feeling suddenly fuzzy from all the wine. Her next question he answers with just one word, "Yes." No elaboration. The other topic? That stings less to turn over in his head. So, he focuses on it.

"I'm not sure about much, anymore." Liam admits, resting his cheek in the palm of one hand and scooping up his glass with the other. "But, people are just people. I don't think it's malicious, even if it's unethical. Don't like being a guinea pig in this. Do you?"

VELVET ROOM PARTY

Liam & Open

Liam & Lucy

Liam & Lucy

Liam & Lucy

Liam & Lucy

Liam & Lucy

Liam & Lucy

Liam & Lucy

Liam & Lucy

Liam & Lucy

Liam & Lucy