☆TRACK V: I WILL TWIST THE KNIFE PT. 1

[interdimanagers]

Who: Everyone that isn't an opt out!
What: Naomi Rivers throws a terrible holiday party.
When: December 7th, 2054
Where: Naomi's ocean side mansion.
Warnings: Violence, poisoning, various murder attempts, mind control, general uncomfortable lack of consent. Also, probably drug use. Maybe sex? Who knows what you'll get up to.

“I will burn for you; Feel pain for you. I will twist the knife and bleed my aching heart, And tear it apart.” ☆I WILL TWIST THE KNIFE The first two hours of the solstice party are surprisingly normal. Members of both labels arrive by private sky shuttle, and are invited into the ballroom for food and drink. It’s even more surprising when both Lesedi Santiago and Edward Blanche arrive as well, and spent most of that first period speaking quietly in a nearby lounge area. Lesedi’s body guards and Juno watch the space around them, keeping anyone of lesser important from interrupting what looks to be quite the serious discussion. After food, the ballroom stage is taken over by a number of increasingly impressive entertainment pieces. It seems to be obligatory for everyone to stay and watch (not that it’s a struggle – the talent involved is unmistakeable), but not long into it Lesedi and Edward can be seen disappearing outside together, and show no immediate signs of returning. And that’s when Naomi Rivers takes the stage. To the Virgo that have heard it before, the song is more viscerally familiar than anything you’ve only heard once should be, and it awakens the ideas that were implanted there the night before. You have a job to do here, tonight. One that is only fair – almost righteous. Lesedi Santiago and her ilk will suffer for her transgressions. The performances end, and everyone is released out to the rest of the grounds, to mingle and celebrate at their leisure. While things may seem civil on the surface, beneath that something dark is brewing. You gradually begin to notice that almost none of the more veteran members of either label are present. ► BALLROOM: The central nexus of the party, the ballroom is the location of the buffet table, the stage, and the dance floor. There will be music available all night, even after the official “performances” have ended. There are tables set up around the edges of the room for eating and relaxing. ► LOUNGE: Where Lesedi and Edward were having their meeting earlier, the lounge is filled with comfortable chairs, classic art, and a large, ornate fireplace. If you figure out who to ask, there are a number of chemical vices available to all guests. ► BALCONIES: There is a generous series of balconies that line the exterior of the upper floor. The ocean can be seen from one side and the gardens can be seen from the other. ► GUEST ROOMS: Down the halls from the ballroom there are a few generous guest bedrooms that have been left open for use. ► GARDENS: Out towards the back there are a wide variety of plants, and a well kept stone path and manmade waterfall. The plant life is on the sedate side due to the winter, but it’s still green. ► OUTDOOR POOL: There’s a pool out front with a shallow and a deep end. The water is clear and artificially warmed. ☆OOC CONSIDERATIONS Please remember that any attempted assassinations are meant to remain covert, and if your character is incapable of being stealthy then you must assume that any attempts you make are happening towards the end of the evening – let’s say around 11PM. The spell compelling people to do this does not want a riot or a bloodbath – what it wants is for people to die before the rest of the group can realize that anything is even going on. Of course, this isn’t exactly going to work out, but if you are finding yourself getting into the realm of intense physical violence you might want to stop and slow down a little. Virgo members that didn’t hear the song the night before are free from any compulsions, and so are all members of Pride. If non-mind controlled characters start clueing in to what’s going on and start trying to evacuate in large numbers, that is where you’ll want to wrap up threads and wait for Part 2 of the log, which will contain the end results and will be triggered by any large amount of chaos. If any characters attempt to escape earlier in the evening, they’ll find that the shuttles have all been grounded, and wandering in the woodland nearby just seems to result in them getting lost and ending up back at the mansion. It’s a real pickle. If you’ve got any question about what’s going on please leave them on the original plot post and they’ll get answered! The opt out event will be posted ASAP. “I will lie for you; Beg and steal for you. I will crawl on hands and knees until you see: You're just like me.”

Comments

01

[thelittlemerman]

Finnick meets Johanna at the drink table by chance, hoping that a little more liquor will help with all the socializing he has to be doing right now. He barely recognizes her at first, but after a glance up and down he smirks and takes a sip of his drink.

"Nice dress," he says, in a way that is only slightly leery. That's on purpose.

[wickedlyable]

"Yeah." Because it is nice, okay? Johanna is more amused than anything as she finishes topping off her drink before looking at Finnick. When she sees how he's looking at her, though, the smile drops off her face. "Ew, Odair. I'm not one of your groupies. Don't look at me like that."

[thelittlemerman]

He does as he's told, but he laughs as he looks out at the rest of the party. "You certainly aren't," he says. It's a bit of a relief, actually not to be surrounded by fans. It's an entirely different environment, which means it's slightly more relaxing. He can give Johanna a hard time without a fan overhearing and losing their mind over this or that.

"It really is a nice dress, though," he continues. "Are you having fun?"

[wickedlyable]

Oh, that's weird. A little. Johanna frowns, surprised that he's not clinging to his politeness as much as he was last time they spoke. She eyes him more curiously than before as she speaks. "Um. Yeah? There are free drinks. Who the hell wouldn't be having fun?"

[thelittlemerman]

Well, Finnick, for one. It's not that he's having a bad time, there's just nothing particularly fun about it. He makes a noncommittal sound to communicate the precise level of his apathy.

"It's still kind of work, isn't it? Showing off for and rubbing elbows with the competition. We can't really let loose," he says, with a touch of remorse. It might be hard to picture Finnick really letting loose, but he does theoretically know how to have fun. Theoretically.

[wickedlyable]

"What would really letting loose even be like for you, Odair?" she asks, but it's more with amusement than her normal derision. This is a marked difference from the other time she's spoken to him, after all.

[thelittlemerman]

Finnick raises an eyebrow in an annoyed expression. Maybe Undyne is right and he really isn't any fun. "I am capable," he says, just a touch defensive. "Just not with the bosses looking over my shoulder, like they seem to be doing wherever I go."

[wickedlyable]

Oh, this is funny. Johanna laughs almost sweetly, taking a sip of her drink. “I didn’t say you couldn’t have fun,” she responds in her defense. “I was just wondering how that looked on you. Considering that you don’t actually seem to be as pretty and vapid as I thought you were, after all.”

[thelittlemerman]

"I guess that's supposed to be a compliment," Finnick says dryly, dropping the defensive attitude. He really shouldn't be so paranoid that everyone's out to expose him for... whatever he is, but it's easy when everyone in this room wants the same thing he does and they can't all have it. This is a party though, so it's time to put all that behind him. He quirks an eyebrow at Johanna again, continuing on in the same dry tone.

"If you could, try not to tell anyone I'm not pretty. It's kind of my whole thing. If that cat got out of the bag..."

Finnick gestures vaguely to indicate some unthinkable chaos that would occur.

[wickedlyable]

"Gimmicks are stupid, just so you know." She rolls a shoulder, looking around briefly at the crowd. "Which means I don't give a fuck about them. Which means I won't tell anyone. Your unimportant secret is safe with me."

After a moment, she nudges his elbow. "You still haven't answered my question. Are you into ragers? Knitting circles? Or just anything that doesn't involve the label over your shoulder?"