Halloween Party, Creepy But Nowhere Near Abandoned Mansion, Tuesday Night

[deathsmajesty]

After basically being dared to do it by Tony Stark (and putting in six weeks of renovations, bless Hannibal for the contractor), Liliana, dressed as an empress, hair pulled back in a profusion of curls by her angelic headpiece, was ready to throw her first Fandom party. Sure, it was for a holiday she didn't really understand, but she'd heard enough about it to make due: there was supposed to be candy and people were supposed to be in costume. Done. Everything else was just the same as a regular party, right?

Granted, the last party she'd hosted had actually been for a bunch of vampires and that had been seventy years ago on a completely different plane, but bah, details. You had food to eat, music to dance to, dark corners to sneak off to, and either enough witty people or enough alcohol to keep the conversation flowing. Liliana was hoping that there would be plenty of the former showing up, but just in case, she'd made sure to stock plenty of the latter.

Though her newly refurbished ballroom was actually very light and airy, she had done her best to recreate some of the spookiest elements she'd seen in her travels. The dancefloor was covered in about a foot of heavy fog that swirled and eddied with every movement. While most of the chandeliers were shrouded in fabric and false webbing, she personally found the main chandelier was decorated in something she much more unnerving. Black and red candles flickered about the room held by ghostly hands, dripping skulls, and the occasional elegant standing candelabra. One of the few concessions to magic she'd used tonight was to have the candles lit with tongues of false fire, which provided light but no heat. And they glowed blues and greens and purples, which was a nice effect. Red roses were placed upside down in vases, while more questionable arrangements sat in decorative vases. Out of deference to her guests' squeamishness sensibilities, all creepy critters, skeletons, and dead bodies were all cunningly crafted fakes, not a single real bone or drop of blood in the place.

Other than, of course, what her guests brought in with them. And should they leave with fewer of either than they'd come in with, well, that was hardly her fault. Probably.

Arrive and Mingle / Photos / Dark Corners [NFB] / Refreshments / Dance / Gardens / OOC

[Please hold for OCD up! Do the thing!]

Comments

Re: (Eventually) Arrive and Mingle

[deathsmajesty]

An excellent question indeed!

"I had a reason to go out and purchase an atlas recently," Liliana said, that reason being 'wanting to know where New Zealand was.' "So it still means relatively little, but at least I have a general idea of where and what you mean. And how did you enjoy your trip?"

Re: (Eventually) Arrive and Mingle

[deathsmajesty]

"Alas, we have discovered one of the limits of my power," she said, studiously ignoring the corvid on Margo's shoulder. "I have yet to be able to successfully intimidate shops and inanimate objects into submitting to my whims. But now I have a new goal."

Re: (Eventually) Arrive and Mingle

[deathsmajesty]

"Skywalker?" Liliana asked. "Like...Luke?" He had been wearing all black when she'd met him.

Re: (Eventually) Arrive and Mingle

[heroic_jawline]

Well, Steve was married to Tony "Let's Build a High Rise on Teeny Island" Stark, so he more than appreciated people who were...he'd say "exuberant."

"Mornings are the best part of the day," he said with another grin. "You're missing out. Sunrises, not a huge line at the coffee place yet--"

Re: (Eventually) Arrive and Mingle

[deathsmajesty]

Liliana blinked in surprise. "Fascinating," she murmured. She almost seemed inclined to ask more questions, but then remembered she was a hostess more than a necromancer right now and stepped aside. "Please do come in, Eric," she said, gesturing inside. "The party wouldn't be the same without you."

She paused. "Hmm. I procured some refreshments for you, but now I have to wonder if there are other ways you differ from the vampires I know best."

Blast. Was she going to have to offer him a bartender to sip on for a bit?

Re: (Eventually) Arrive and Mingle

[deathsmajesty]

"Oh no, darling, are you having a stroke?" she asked, all false concern. "You're babbling nonsense. Should I sit you down and bring you over a refreshment?"

Who needed sunrise? Sunsets were the same thing but in reverse. And waiting in lines sounded like something other people did. People who didn't have staff.

Re: (Eventually) Arrive and Mingle

[mylandmyrules]

"Oh no," Nell said with a laugh. "Cowboys are the people who take care of cows. They ride horses and herd cows where they need to go. I didn't know what to wear, so Gladio had me wear the hat."

Re: (Eventually) Arrive and Mingle

[pocketpretzels]

“Immensely,” Watts confirmed. “We saw many historical sights of interest, and enjoyed good food.”

Yeah, the fallout afterwards had been… complicated, but that was not for discussing with a stranger.

Re: (Eventually) Arrive and Mingle

[hasaknightjob]

It was fine. Just Steven questioning the nature of his reality. Nothing to worry about. Totally fine.

"You must throw events like this all the time, be so good at it," Steven said, looking around with admiration. "Oh - and your home is lovely as well."

Almost the kind of place that in another version of the world Steven and Marc might have moved into with Liliana, if anyone could imagine such a thing.

"Do you mind if I take photos of the decorations and the like?" Steven asked. "I like to keep mementos of things I've done, but I understand if you'd rather keep your home private."

Re: (Eventually) Arrive and Mingle

[mylandmyrules]

"Oh, I have teas for that, and I can customize them so that the flavor is palatable for whomever buys it," Nell said. "It's the beauty of making them yourself. And there's nothing wrong with being choosy about teas. I definitely am."

Re: (Eventually) Arrive and Mingle

[hasaknightjob]

Steven touched his mask. From the inside it didn't feel like it covered too much because he could still easily talk and breathe. But as he touched it he realized that Llewellyn was right. The beak did get in the way.

"I could lift it?"

Re: (Eventually) Arrive and Mingle

[texted3times]

"What sort of refreshments?" Eric asked. "I can drink synthetic blood."

Re: (Eventually) Arrive and Mingle

[mylandmyrules]

"She certainly has," Nell said. "It's particularly kind of her because I'd told her I found bg parties rather overwhleming and she remembered and did a nice thing so I'd feel better."

Re: (Eventually) Arrive and Mingle

[heroic_jawline]

Steve laughed. "I'm not sure the dragon tail is made for sitting, but I would love a drink and a chance to reflect on my advanced age."

Re: (Eventually) Arrive and Mingle

[hasaknightjob]

"Seems to be a good crowd so I'd call it a big party," Steven said. "And you're well? Oh! I forgot to ask you how your holiday in New Zealand went."

Re: (Eventually) Arrive and Mingle

[not_a_goddamn_princess]

"A costume that'll fuck up somebody's day?" Margo asked, tilting her head. "Okay, I'm interested."

Re: (Eventually) Arrive and Mingle

[not_a_goddamn_princess]

"You just gotta foster some rage," said Margo, who had at least once been described by someone as 'anger and armor, all the way down', and was happy to live up to it. "And focus it into whatever you wanna do."

Re: (Eventually) Arrive and Mingle

[stykera]

Stark, still shirtless and occasionally regretting that choice, offered a nod and a "Hello, Margo," in her direction.

"You have a bird?"

He had a random bow and arrows, so.

Re: (Eventually) Arrive and Mingle

[suitably_heroic]

Atton rolled his eyes. "No, the older irritating one who thinks he's scary."

Re: (Eventually) Arrive and Mingle

[pocketpretzels]

Watts sighed. “I realise, of course, that obscuring of one’s identity is part of the holiday. But it makes it very difficult for me to spontaneously offer you a show of my affection,” he grumbled. “Lifting it would solve the problem, but at the expense of either the purpose of the mask or the spontaneity of the act on my part.”

Re: (Eventually) Arrive and Mingle

[deathsmajesty]

In fairness to Beaker, though, who could blame him?

Liliana looked down at him, troubled. "I'm sorry, darling, could you say that again?"

Re: (Eventually) Arrive and Mingle

[mylandmyrules]

"It was wonderful," Nell said. "It was so nice to be able to spend time with Gladio, but also be able to go off and do my own things. Then If we found something we thought the other would like we showed them later. It was perfect."

Re: (Eventually) Arrive and Mingle

[hasaknightjob]

"I do like you being spontaneous," Steven said. He couldn't help it. Llewellyn being grumpy about not being able to kiss him made Steven smile. "I don't mind lifting it. Say here?"

Steven pushed the mask up so that it rested more on his forehead, with the beak now coming down towards the top of his nose.

Re: (Eventually) Arrive and Mingle

[meepmeepmeep]

"Meep meep meep--" helpful hand gesture to demonstrate her dress, "meeeeep."

Re: (Eventually) Arrive and Mingle

[not_a_goddamn_princess]

"A crow," Margo agreed, eyeing the bow and arrows and coming to a conclusion. "I'm Odin, but better. You Cupid?"