VELVET ROOM PARTY

[finchmods]

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.

Comments

Gregory and Hamsi

[monsterseekingmonster]

As she listens, Hamsi puffs her cheeks and sighs it all out. It's the only response she can think to formulate, even if it's not a response at all. Gregory includes her in this trip down memory lane, but she's not sure she likes being included. She's not sure she likes thinking about this much at all. About dying (or not dying, but maybe something worse) when he- when she- when they were being carried off to who knows where. Lingering on it makes her skin prickle.

So as her shoulders tighten, she follows his words listening for something that seems like a detour from the path they're currently winding themselves down. And she does. "They wanted to, yeah," she suggests, sounding surer than she feels. "But they couldn't. Because..." Our friends protect us. "We're badasses, Gregory." She picks up a baby carrot and takes a large bite out of it for emphasis.

Gregory and Hamsi

[de_leon]

"Huh." He chews on this theory like a cooking show judge trying to decide whether or not an odd flavor combination works. "We're badasses," he repeats, getting on board. Gregory is not one to swear, but 'badbutts' or 'badbums' or 'badbottoms' somehow sound worse. Plus, they've already established that the rules of the real world don't apply in this space.

A thought occurs to him. He tilts his head up in an attempt to look down his nose at Hamsi. But because she's taller than him, this proves extra difficult, and he ends up craning his head way back. It's more than a little awkward. But once he's got her in his sight, viewed down the barrel of his nose, he informs her: "Maybe it's not an accident we were taken."

His tone is one-part cockiness, one-part conspiracy theory, five-parts get ready for this. "Maybe we were chosen because we're the most powerful," he continues. "Maybe we're the most important."

He enjoys thinking like this. Theorizing about their strength and power that can certain death into near-death experiences. "What do you think?" But even as he asks for confirmation, he's begun doubting himself. Maybe it was just luck. He hopes this confidence doesn't fade in the morning, the way dreams seem to slip away as he hops out of bed.

Gregory and Hamsi

[monsterseekingmonster]

Gregory's words are a buttress to Hamsi's boastful claim of their own awesomeness. It certainly makes it easier to take off running in this direction - to keep that purple file folder empty - but a part of it still nags at her, quiet, like mice chewing on plaster in the walls. Easy to ignore when there are other things going on, perhaps less so later, when it's quiet.

Now, though, there's plenty of noise, plenty of distraction. So she comes by the confident grin she returns to Gregory easily. "That sounds exactly right. Why else would they nab us? Take out the biggest threat first, right? But they couldn't even do that." A pause. "So, it's really not worth worrying about." Really. Really really.

Gregory and Hamsi

[de_leon]

"No, nothing to worry about!" Gregory replies so quickly that even he wants to wince. He brings the cup to his mouth, discovers it's empty, and then sets it down on the table with a gentle thud. He may have even pretended to swallow air to cover up the awkward act, but we'll never know. Because we're moving on.

"Hey," he looks up at Hamsi, "Even though you're super powerful and talented and blessed with natural power and skill--" he lowers his eyes "--please be careful in there." And then, with the sincerity and bluntness you'd expect from young Gregory de Leon: "I'd be really sad if you died."

Gregory and Hamsi

[monsterseekingmonster]

The puckish smile on Hamsi's face mutes itself. Teenage immortality complexes are difficult walls to topple, but the knowledge that the kids that had preceded are largely dead now is one hell of a siege weapon. "Hey, I'll be fine," she reassures him, again, this time with a spirited slap to the shoulder. "And you will, too." And so will her squad, and Mason, and Marina and Cecilia and Marzio and Tal and Zinnia and and and...

"But we're going to be more careful anyway, right?" She gnaws at her tongue a bit, words feeling a bit mealy, now. "Because nobody wants to see anybody... get hurt."

Gregory and Hamsi

[de_leon]

"Okay," Gregory responds plainly to Hamsi's declaration that they'll be fine. He nods, and then keeps nodding a second too long, but that's what it takes for him to believe what she's saying. It's almost like his bobbling head is the engine to his internal belief system, and it needs a little extra juice to get going today, like an old car on a cold winter morning.

But he's all revved up now and his trademark smile is back and brighter than ever. "I'll be brave," he vows. And then as he moves to take Hamsi's hand (whichever has less cool ranch on it), he adds, "Let's both be brave."