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

[Tiger barely looks at him, as Greg tries to make eye contact. Instead, his eyes stay lowered, only furtively looking up for a moment before retreating again. He can't deal with seeing Greg holding that knife, even if he knows he isn't...he knows he won't...

Tiger starts trying to scramble off of the bed, taking the pillow with him, sliding off onto the floor and trying to get as far away from them as possible.]

[ Yeah, that's fair. Get somewhere safe, Tiger, he'll handle this. ]

We should calm down. It's okay, there's no need for anyone to get hurt. What's this got to do with music, huh? Nothing.

[Her hands are shaking now, and she looks at him like he's crazy before--

She looks like she's absolutely horrified. The tears start spilling.] W-why did I--? Who di--

[And then even more horror.] There's people--I pushed them--

[Oh god, Tiger's not even the first one she went for. Ohhhhh this is bad. What's he supposed to do. Oh no.

Swallowing hard, Greg puts the knife on top of a dresser, out of easy reach, before he rests his other hand on her shoulder.]

It's not your fault. You didn't mean it, I know, it's gonna be okay.

No, I--I pushed someone--[Straight off a balcony. Into a pool. She tried to poison someone.

She just tried to stab someone.

Stab someone who's still in the room. She jerks back from Greg, and away from Tiger.]

I--I'm sorry! I didn't--Why did I--? [Coherency?]

[Ohhhh man he's going to have to go look for bodies, oh man, please let everyone still be all right, he can't deal with this.

Right here, right now. Panicking children. This, he can deal with. Maybe. Greg spreads his hands downward, still speaking soft. ]

Shhh, hey, listen, it's not your fault, okay? Someone--someone's screwed with our heads, it's making people... that wasn't you, okay? You got... you got tricked.

[She covers her face with her hands.]

Why is this happening?

I...

I don't know. I'm sorry.

[He wants to tell her it will be all right, but he doesn't know if it will. What if she really did kill someone? What if more people are getting killed right now? He has no idea.]

Nia... look at me. Okay? You're all right. Back in reality. We're all right.

[Well, unless... He looks around, for the one who's actually been physically attacked.]

T...Tiger? Are you...?

[He backs off from her a step, looking to the other teen. He doesn't want to turn away from Nia, but he doesn't want Tiger to feel like he has to get close to his attacker. Oh man why is everything so awful.]

[Tiger isn't in the main bedroom anymore. During Nia's period of distraction, he's crawled into the small bathroom connected to it, and locked himself inside. He can't just go out to the rest of the party now. Not knowing that they'll...they'll...

He finds himself curled up in the bathtub with that pillow, trying to stop shaking. But he can't.]

[ Oh man. He needs to see if Tiger's hurt, he didn't get a good look before dealing with Nia. He doesn't want to leave her crying, but... ]

All right. Nia? Just... get some rest, all right? Find someplace safe. It's going to be okay, I'll come talk to you later.

[ That's the best he can offer her right now, before he knocks at the bathroom door. ]

Hey. Tiger? It's me. Is it okay if I come in?

[He doesn't want to get up. His stress at what just happened has already started derailing into the totally irrational, and the idea that something terrible is going to happen if he opens the door is overwhelming. He rubs his tear-stained face against the pillow, shivering.]

No.

[Were things ever not like this?]

Okay.

[ Instead, he leans by the door, arms clenched around each other. ]

Did you get cut or anything?

[He wasn't actually sure, but a while there, but it doesn't seem like it. It was lucky. Way too lucky. The kind of lucky where you can't help but feel terrified by how close it was to something truly awful happening - if he'd done anything differently, he could have been...

He hiccups out a sob, shaking his head to himself.]

No.

[ He lets out a breath he hadn't been aware he was holding. ]

That's good.

[ He has so many things he wants to say, and no clue how to say any of them. ]

I'm really sorry I didn't get here faster.

[This whole thing seems crazy, but some of the stuff Nia said are sticking with him, even though she was clearly in some kind of mental distress and is now apparently crying just as hard as he is. It takes him a long few moments to speak.]

Why are you guys doing this?

[His voice is almost too soft and frail to hear through the door.]

[ His throat aches. Why? He wants to know, too. Why is any of this happening? Why does it keep happening, one thing after another? Why to them, why like this? ]

I don't... really know. Someone messed with a lot of peoples' heads. I don't think they really know what they're doing.

[ He swallows around that painful lump. He'd looked down on how Pride handled things in the past, thought that for all Virgo's problems, at least they weren't as bad. But now there's this. This is his label, this is what he works for. ]

I'm sorry, Tiger. I never thought anything like this could happen. I knew things were bad, but I never thought... I'm so sorry.

I don't...I don't even want to be here. I don't want to do this.

[Because he doesn't. He hasn't wanted to be in Pride for a while now. He hasn't wanted to be doing any of this, even if it feels like the only thing he has.]

It's not fair.

[ His voice, when he finally speaks, is small, and shaking. ]

Remember what... that guy... at the festival... what he said?

[ They were too strong to be held back, together. Apart, however, was all the more scary for it. ]

When I realized what... what was happening... all I could think about was finding you. I was so scared you could get hurt, or...

I don't know what I'd do if something happened to you. I don't know if I could... a-all I care about is finding a way to get you out of here.

[Silence lags after that confession, what's happening on the other side of the door a total mystery. Until, finally, there is the some of something moving on the other side - and then the door cracking open a little bit for Tiger to look at him through it.

He's quiet for a moment longer, his eyes pink and shining with wetness, and then he pulls back, leaving the door open for Greg to come in if he wants.]

[ Greg rubs at his own wet eyes, gulps, and slips in through the opened door. He casts one last look in the room, just to check on Nia, before he closes the two of them in.

For a moment, he holds back, looking at Tiger. His intent had been to stay back, and give the kid space, but now that he's looking at him, he can't help himself. Greg pulls the teen into a tight, desperate hug. ]

[Tiger is scared, for a moment. Everything is frightening right now - even the embrace of one of the few people he actually trusts. Or wants to trust, anyway. His body tenses instinctively when Greg pulls him into that hug, reacting with fear regardless of what's going on in his head. He's still shaking, the adrenaline in him refusing to leave.

He feels different, physically, in dozens of subtle ways. A bit shorter, a bit more slight, a bit more soft - like the last year has suddenly been undone along with its transitional changes. His manager hasn't noticed, but Tiger has been keeping to himself, and him and Jin have never done something as intimate as hug.

This has gotten weird, he thinks. There's no reason that Greg should care about him this much. They've only earnestly interacted a handful of times, but yet, Greg is talking like he was the first and primary object of his concern tonight, and...the rest of the time too.

Tiger isn't a nice person. There's no way he could have earned this level of affection so quickly. But yet, if what he feels in his gut is right, if they really are...if what he remembers is real...

He buries his face in Greg's shirt and cries softly, wishing that these feelings could stop.]

[ Greg holds him tight, tight as he can without hurting him, as if he hugs hard enough he can squeeze out all the pain and sadness, as if he can become a shield if he wraps around him well enough.

He'll always, always refute the idea that Tiger's a bad person, and it's only natural for him to care; Tiger's loneliness and fear has been obvious since the day they met. Yet, he can't deny that his protectiveness goes beyond what makes sense fully. Tiger's not the only child hurting here, but he's all Greg can think about. It's natural, isn't it? Wanting to protect this small, shaking person in his arms?

...Very small. Greg hadn't realized how physically affectionate they'd gotten, but it was plenty enough for him to feel how much smaller Tiger had suddenly become. ]

Tiger... you've changed. [ Physically, and more. ]

[Tiger tenses again, immediately on guard again despite his otherwise trusting actions. It's silly to be afraid to be honest about this, after what he and Greg did together. Maybe it's just that he doesn't want to admit that it's obvious enough to notice.]

What do you mean?

[His voice is soft and fearful. He's being obtuse, and it's pretty obviously the case, with all the things that have been happening recently.]

[ The feigned ignorance is apparent. Greg doesn't pull away, just keeps holding Tiger close. ]

You can trust me, Tiger. It's okay.

[He's quiet for another few moments. Greg didn't seem like he knew about the masked person. Should he tell him?]

I...I dunno. A lot of stuff happened. There's this person...and I think I got smaller...right?

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