The Creepy And Now Holiday-Appropriate Mansion, Thursday Evening

[deathsmajesty]

Once again, the gate that blocked off the bottom end of Phoenix Way was opened, inviting everyone to the creepy (though much less abandoned) mansion. This time, however, instead of being guided around to the gardens, the lit path led them to the front door, where the a tall figure in a tattered robe and deep cowl gestured for them to step inside the door and get onto a...boat? Once people had climbed in settled themselves, the ferryman began to guide the ship down the River Styx. Or, okay, their long entrance hallway, with blue lights to either side of their boat to mimic water and bathing everyone in an eerie blue glow. (Yes, okay, the boat perhaps wheeled down the hallway rather than floated, but they had not refinished this house just to flood the hallway for verisimilitude. Even if Liliana had considered it for a few minutes.)

The double doors leading to the ballroom were opened, with thick fog rolling out of the doorway. And through that doorway, people could descend the stairs into the Underworld proper. Black and gold were the prevailing color, with deep red nods to a pomegranate motif. Gold coins and loose gemstones added to the decor, a nod to Hades' wealth - but even amidst all the dark opulence, touches of other colors could be seen: tucked away in various corners and small niches were flowering plants, a surprise kiss of springtime to be found in the least likely places. Rather than one large chandelier, they had several, creating areas of both light and shadow around the ballroom.

Welcome to the Underworld, dear friends.

Comments

Re: Arrive and Mingle

[deathsmajesty]

"I do hope you kept that wig around for special occasions," Liliana replied with a wicked grin. "And, darling, you know the answer to both of those is yes! We've finally finished renovating the house - some time I must have you and Tony over for poker so we can see who cheats the best - and I am like exquisite jewelry. I only get better."

And it had NOTHING TO DO with being like...stupidly happy or anything like that. Certainly not being in love. That was nonsense talk.

"I have been wonderful," she said. "I took this semester off from teaching, but I plan to teach next semester again." She smirked at Irene. "Ethical Dilemmas. Should be fun. And how about you? You know how this island is, it's either nonsense or it's the same every day. Tell me about what you've been up to!"

Re: Arrive and Mingle

[begmetwice]

Look. When one was at a party as the goddess of love -- and, perhaps more to the point, when one had recently committed in a fairly life-altering way to one's own beloved -- one was inclined to, perhaps, read into one's friends' happiness.

Which was to say: sure, Liliana. JenniferLawrenceSure.gif.

"I shall have to wear my sleeviest gown for the occasion," Irene noted, wiggling the fingers at the ends of her very bared arms and grinning at Liliana. (Please. As though simply having a literal ace up her sleeve was all she'd attempt at a poker night. Child's play!) "The place -- and you, of course -- looks marvelous, darling. Thanks for having us. And honestly, I've hardly been up to anything -- Daventry is a bit of a culture shock, no matter how brilliant Amaya is and how much indoor plumbing and electricity she's figured out for me, so it's been a lot of getting my feet under me."

And taking long walks to counteract the piles of carbohydrates she was now encountering, given her newfound round-the-clock proximity to Wente Fey.

Re: Arrive and Mingle

[deathsmajesty]

Just sell your soul to four demons, Irene. No more exercising. If you could no longer be an energy projection of how you liked to imagine yourself best, the Four Demon Regime couldn't be beat.

"Well, darling, any time you get bored, feel free to give me a ring. With an entire Multiverse at our fingertips, we can certainly get up to something."

Re: Arrive and Mingle

[begmetwice]

"I'll keep that in mind -- especially since now I have a comparison point beyond Fandom and my own native lands," Irene replied with a slight widening of her smile. "Fandom is a bit like having a sampler platter of all sorts of things that exist in other places; actually living in a spot where I might see a troll, and not the internet sort, is more of an adventure."

Not that she'd run afoul of a troll personally (yet), but still.

Re: Arrive and Mingle

[deathsmajesty]

"Let me know if you'd like to, darling," Liliana said with a laugh. "I know several planes we can visit for that, too. Ravnica, even. Shopping in the afternoon, talk to some trolls in the evening, head back to the Millennium Platform for dinner and drinks."