interstellar5555 | ☆TRACK V: I WILL TWIST THE KNIFE PT. 1

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

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.”

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

HIIIIIIIIEEEEE!!!!

[He can't stop wailing. That's pretty much a reflex. But it's really impressive that he can make such high pitched sounds. Seriously though, that might have just taken years off Tsuna's life. He nearly faints with relief when they don't plunge to their doom.

And now he's staring helplessly downward, shaking with fear but afraid to move again until he's back on solid ground.]

[You know, this is probably the first time anyone's seen Nia actually crying. It's big ugly sobs as she scrambles to grab onto Xanxus's arm.

This was a terrible idea and Nia is terrified.]

[ It's going to get even more terrible and terrifying. Because obviously the sobbing brats haven't had enough yet. So, he grins at them both. It's got all the charm of a car crash. ]

Have you two seen the pool yet?

[ Then he's carrying them down to it. He manages to keep from getting caught this far. And then he's just tossing the two of them in. ]

Nice, isn't it? Stay in there and cool off a little.

[ Then Xanxus is limping away, laughing all the way. Of course he has no idea what's going to happen later in the night. What they're going to do to him as soon as he's alone in the kitchen. ]

HIIIEE!!!

[He squeals yet again as they get tossed into the cold water. Tsuna can barely swim, but even so his first thought is for Nia. Is she okay? Struggling to keep his head above water, he looks around for her frantically.]

Ni-! Ugh!

[And now he's coughing up the water he just inhaled. Way to go.]

[Nia squeals as she's thrown in. She can swim, really well, actually, but she's soaked now and her dress is soaked and her hair is soa--

Oh god her hair.

It's gonna be a disaster.

She makes her way to the side of the pool, coughing as she inhaled water when she dropped.]

I-I'm fine... [She coughs a few more times, and shivers in the cold air.

She offers a hand out to him, almost as if she hadn't thought about it at first. But the way he's splashing, can he even swim?]

Here. I'll help.

[Like as much as the poorly groomed equivalent of Cousin It can help.]

[Tsuna was going to help her, but let's face it, he's the one who needs help here. He can only swim just barely well enough to tread water, so her hand up is really appreciated.]

Th- thanks....

[At the very least, he manages to get out of the pool with her help and flop onto the ground.

Well... that didn't go well. They're not dead though. That's good. After he catches his breath, he turns his head in her direction.]

Sorry, Nia. I'm the one who got you caught up in this...

[Normally he'd be giving up by now. Tsuna has a naturally defeatist attitude that would serve him well right now if brainwashing music wasn't pushing that aside. But right now his mind is working on a plan B. He's not letting Xanxus get away with this.]

It isn't your fault. That was terrible of him.

[Nia you guys tried to push him off a balcony.

Nevertheless, she wrings out her hair and skirt, still kneeling at the poolside. Then she crosses her arms over her chest.] I wonder if there might be clothes that would fit us inside.

You should ask. I'm sure Miss Rivers must have something she could lend you.

[He glances back at the pool thoughtfully.]

And maybe we could ask for a bucket too....

[Tsuna has figured out his plan B.]

A bucket? [Her scowl fades as she tilts her head curiously.] For what?

That pool was cold. And I think Xanxus deserves a taste of his own medicine.

[And he's slowly putting together an idea that will dish out just that.]

The bucket will be a good start. Then all I need to do is figure out how to get him into the kitchen....

We should find towels first. You're going to get sick.

[Nia you're literally talking about murdering someone and that--you know what.

Okay. C'mon, she's tugging on Tsuna's hand to get him cleaned up.]

We'll get him when we're done.

Oh... right.

[He got so caught up in figuring out a way to get back at Xanxus that he forgot he was soaking wet and outdoors in the middle of December. Somehow, now that he does remember, it feels even colder. But he smiles as Nia leads him inside. She's really sweet to worry about him like this.]

Thanks, Nia.

[Towels are easy enough to find, and they even have the bucket Tsuna wanted. So convenient.]

[Dang what luck they have!]

What are we going to do? [Nia is still toweling off her hair. There's just... there's just so much of it...]

[He lowers his voice, in case anyone might be nearby.]

Back when we were setting up the party, I got lost in the house. I wandered through the kitchen on my way back and I noticed they have a walk in freezer. It's got a big heavy door with a pretty tough looking lock on the outside. If you got locked in there, it would be tough to get out...

[He pauses, to see if she can tell where he's going with this.]

[Understanding dawns on her.] It's perfect! No one could ever blame us for it.

[NIA YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT KILLING A MAN.]

But why the bucket?

[Tsuna chuckles in a way that is very unlike himself.]

Like I said, a taste of his own medicine. The freezer is bad enough on it's own, but imagine being soaking wet with pool water first.

[Nia is like seeing him in an entirely new light.]

That's brilliant! How will we get him there, though?

[A new light of mildly competent murder plans? Awesome.]

That'll be tough. Unless...

[He pauses, thinking it through.]

Maybe we can get one of the staff to pass him a message. If one of the other Pride people asked to meet him in the kitchens, he might go.

[Except they'll just be lying in wait. The freezer door will be ajar.... this could work.]

We have to make sure that it's someone who he won't be able to find, though...

[... Nia's gonna have to get someone else out of the way first, huh?]

And while they all plan this, Xanxus has gone and made himself comfortable out in the open. He's pretty much lounging against a wall. It shouldn't be too hard to lure him into that kitchen. Hell, he might just go there on his own when he eats the last little snack on the table.

Hopefully, they'll realize that their window is only going to be open a short amount of time.

[Tsuna is well aware that they won't have much time. After all, it'll only be so long before the Pride people figure out what's going on.]

We'll just pick someone who is already occupied. It's not as if this ruse has to hold up for long. Here.

[He hands her the bucket.]

Go get the water and meet me in the kitchen. I'll handle the rest.

[Tsuna is careful to give her the safer side of this scheme. Given the sorts of things going on at this party, it shouldn't be too hard to take note of when some of the Pride people wander away from the main party. Once he's done that, he can approach one of the staff about delivering a message. It's pretty simple, a vague 'meet me in the kitchen' kind of thing. Then he heads to the kitchen himself.

It's.... not a terribly good trap. But maybe it doesn't have to be.]

Edited (I can type.. orz) 2015-12-10 05:13 (UTC)

[Xanxus doesn't exactly seem smart. Nia rushes off for the water, careful not to call attention to herself, or spill it either as she returns to the kitchen.

She sets the bucket down and joins him.] Where should I be?

Hide over there, behind that shelf.

[That will put her on the open side of the door, with Tsuna himself behind the open freezer door. His reasoning is that if you arrive to meet someone, and they aren't there, the first thing you do is look around the immediate area. And if there's an open door, it makes sense to check there first.]

When I say 'now,' you splash him with the water and I'll close the door. Then we just lock it and leave. Okay?

[He says casually as if they aren't talking about trying to freeze someone to death. ~~He is gonna be sooo freaked out when this is over.~~]

[Nia does as she's told. It's good to see Tsuna taking the reins at something.

Like, too bad it's murder, but... It's a start.]

Please be careful. I don't want you to get hurt.

[Evil brainwashing works wonders, doesn't it?]

Don't worry, I'll be careful. And we'll be hidden anyway, so if he doesn't fall for it, we can always just stay hidden until he leaves.

[Failure is always an option, and something Tsuna tends to plan for. Which may actually be a good thing. At any rate, he opens the freezer door and hides behind it. The trap is set. Now they play the waiting game.]

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