☆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

[trustme]

"What?" Doctor spins around looking for Rei. The moment he hears her voice he slips his hand and the pills in it into his pocket instinctively. When he spots her he stops his wild searching movements and walks her way.

"What's the matter? You look upset." He notices.

[faithfulflame]

"Doctor..." Rei's eyes spin around the room dizzily, taking in sights and sounds and gradually come in and out of focus. "There's something wrong here. Everywhere I look I see something wrong. Can we go outside? I feel like I need air, and I'm not sure I'll make it alone."

[trustme]

"Of course, of course! Here. This way." He gently grabs her by the shoulder and leads her towards the door to the porch. He holds the door open for her and continues guiding her outside into the chilly night air. "What's going on? Do you have a migraine?"

[faithfulflame]

Allowing herself to be led is easy enough, and once they're outside, she leans heavily against the railing of the porch. It takes her a moment and several deep breaths to recover herself, but she nods. "I think I might. Or something close to it. I've...just got a bad feeling. Like something is wrong. Only it's a party, and it sounds completely insane to think that."

Is she just being anxious again? Or is she just a little melodramatic. "I just know something is going to happen, like...I guess it feels like there's a funeral shroud over everything. It's heavy, cloying..."

[trustme]

"Interesting... It isn't anything like the mood swings in the basement is it?" he asks. The party is proceeding smoothly to his knowledge but Rei seems so sure of what she's feeling. When he gives it some thought, there was one moment that seemed odd that evening.

"Naomi's performance was rather strange wasn't it? Did you begin feeling this way after she sang?"

[faithfulflame]

"No, no. Not like that. Just...something is wrong." Shaking her head, Rei takes a few more deep breaths, trying to push aside that cloying, nagging feeling. It's dangerous, whatever it is, and she's afraid but she's not so addled that she can't think straight. His words give her pause, and she nods.

"I think so, yes. That's about when it all started. When she sang. You noticed it too?"

[trustme]

"I've felt funny since then, though not the way you have. It's more like..." He rubs his chin. "Well it's more like I feel a little foggy rather than like there's a dark cloud over everything. But we might have been triggered by the same thing."

[faithfulflame]

"This is...weird. Two months ago this would all have seemed insane, but now I'm starting to wonder if this is normal. If we're...psychics or something?" Are her powers growing in? She's always believed in Magic and Psychics but, isn't it too late in life?

"Are you feeling like you're ill or anything? You say foggy but..."

[trustme]

Doctor chuckles in his throat, not laughing at Rei but laughing at their strange situation. "You might be on to something. Nearly any thing seems possible the way our heads have been acting up."

He folds his arms and bites his lip. "It's not the same foggy as the lockdown. No, that was a feverish dreamy fog. This is... This feels more like the dizziness of being blindfolded. Like Naomi sang while she put a cover on my eyes and now she's leading me around the room by the hand." Doctor bursts into laughter. "Ah that sounds so odd when I say it aloud! But they're the best words I can come up with right now."

[faithfulflame]

"It's alright, Doctor. I think I understand. I really do. But...do you think she did something to you?" Rei can't help but wonder that out loud, leaning against her surrogate parent a little more than usual.

"Is that it, you think?"

[trustme]

Doctor fidgets and leans his weight side to side as his eyes wander up towards the ceiling.

"Well... What can I say? She didn't make any direct contact with me. She simply stood on stage and sang. When people say they've been touched by a song they don't mean it touched them so much that it wrapped a psychic bandanna around their eyes. That doesn't make sense! ...Right?"

[faithfulflame]

"Doctor, with everything going on lately? I'm not so sure," Rei says with a little shiver. That's all that she really has so far, because she's confused and a little bit scared but...

"It's trouble. All of this is, but I don't know how it's trouble. I can just feel it."

[trustme]

"Music as hypnosis. I suppose it's possible but very dangerous. In so many ways. Not easy to do." He rubs his face. Was he the only one feeling like Naomi had done something to him? "But if there's some sort of larger power at work here... You're right. Anything is possible."

"What do you think? Is it all related? This and the lights in the basement, even the lockdown?"

[faithfulflame]

"I can't say." She smears a hand over her face and twirls a finger through her hair in a nervous gesture. It's confusing, ugly, and the whole mess is just bad. That's all she can think really, and it hurts her head even considering.

"Maybe? I mean, there's no link. But I don't like it. None of it. And I'm just worried if I say anything, they'll stop letting me play."

[trustme]

Doctor bows his head and nods silently. "I expected to be confused as a newcomer to Virgo but not nearly this much. It's hard enough to ask for favors- Angel has only given me blank stares when I try to ask about the strange things that have happened. And the thought that they have the power to bury our music careers... We're walking on eggshells."

He frowns and stares at Rei. "Too many odd things have happened though. This isn't a coincidence any more, it's a pattern. Virgo and likely Pride must know something about it! We know they're keeping secrets from us, like those photos of us on the computer in the basement. I'm sure there are entire files on each of us there."

[faithfulflame]

"Pride is dealing with similar things," Rei answers, staring back at him with a faint blush forming on her cheeks. She probably shouldn't be too forward with this information, since it wasn't hers to share, but at the same time? Doctor was her bandmate, her "father" and...someone she trusted too.

"My boyfriend has had weird things happen too. Visions like mine. And one of his bandmates as well. I also think...something's gone on with my friend Orion in Manticore. But that's just a hunch."

[trustme]

"I've heard similar things. Garnet and Pinkie weren't feeling well when I texted them during the lockdown. I think Garnet was experiencing confusion like I did. When I told Luci things looked bad at Virgo she said it was the same at Pride. 'Flashstep looks more like Zombiestep.' That sort of thing. Many of us were sick at the exact same time even though we were in different companies." Doctor wrings his hands. "Again. Not a coincidence any more."

"You haven't heard of anyone at Pride finding a big mysterious computer at their HQ have you?"

[faithfulflame]

"No, not a coincidence." Rei nods in agreement again, focusing on looking very hard elsewhere. He hadn't asked about the boyfriend bit, and that's good. The less said about that right now the better, even if she was a little nervous.

"And no, I haven't. Frankly, I think they've had less chance to poke around. Remember they didn't get hauled off to the basement, they just got to deal with being abducted by Predator."

[trustme]

"No one told me that! How many of them were abducted by Predator? Were they ever told a reason why?" Whatever happened it doesn't sound like it was a friendly kidnapping from Rei's tone. At least Juno hadn't dragged them kicking and screaming to the basement. Still, it sounded like something lawyers would have had a ball with suing Pride.

[faithfulflame]

"A good many, about the same time we were dragged to the basement. Yosuke thinks...it was some sort of hazing." Rei says with a worried frown. "Nobody was hurt, it seems, but it was definitely not friendly."

[trustme]

"They weren't asked to play music were they? Just like we did in the basement? -It can't be all for the same reason... Right?" Doctor rubs vigorously at his temples. He doesn't expect Rei to have an answer but he has to get his thoughts out of his head.

[faithfulflame]

"I don't think so, no" Rei replies with an uncomfortable rub of her shoulder. "But I didn't ask."

[trustme]

"You should ask him if any of them experienced strange feelings the way we did that night. The more of these odd things we can confirm happened to both labels, the more proof we have to confirm our suspicions."