interstellar5555 | wonder whose arms will hold you tight

Entry tags:

wonder whose arms will hold you tight

Who: EVERYONE'S INVITED
What: Maxxie's Super Amazing and Truly Spectacular New Year's Eve Party
When: Dec 31st - Jan 1st
Where: One of Vista City's most decadent night clubs, æther
Warnings: Mentions of alcohol, drugs, sex, all that good rock 'n roll stuff. If there's going to be anything else just throw it in the header or let me know and I'll add it!

The night club Maxxie rents out is in the heart of the downtown, sticking out like a sore thumb with its front entrance looking more like a museum than a club. There's a red carpet leading up the steps, with bodyguards littered about to keep the paparazzi and troublemakers at arm's length. No one with a recognizable face will be turned away from entering the club, and even through the giant, heavy doors there's a distinct baseline and a hint of flashing lights from the dance floor.

Said dance floor is the first step once you're inside. After an extravagant coat check and quick access to the downstairs bar, there's a wide open dance floor with the DJ on stage at the opposite end. There are bodyguards lining the walls, of course - after Naomi's stunt at the solstice party there's no losing them - but there's only one rule at this party: absolutely no one is to touch the mic except for the DJ and Maxxie. The music all night is a blend of genres, but every song is appropriate to dance to. Obviously there are some Flashstep songs thrown in for good measure, but rest assured that every band will probably hear their music in some form or another, whether it's the song itself or a remix to make it a bit more suitable for the mood of the party.

On the two upper levels there are balconies overlooking the dance floor, and it's a bit quieter up here due to some innovative architecture. One may actually be able to have a conversation in the comfortable lounge, and there's another bar here with a few more options for mixed drinks. It's a place to rest up, have a few drinks, and enjoy the music at a more reasonable volume before you head back out to the party. There's even waitstaff floating around making sure everyone has anything they want, and as always the bodyguards are hanging out at the edges of the space to make sure no one starts any trouble.

Finally, there's an entrance to an outdoor balcony on the top level, high enough up to get a nice view of downtown and still be sheltered from the nosy paparazzi down on the street. The temperature has dropped with the arrival of winter, but it's a calm, clear night in Vista city and the alcohol should be enough to keep you warm.

The bars are fully stocked with a few thousand dollars worth of alcohol to keep everyone properly buzzed, and there are a few dealers floating around upstairs ready to sell anything to anyone with a charming smile. The host himself will be bouncing around, enjoying himself as if it was all catered specifically to his idea of the perfect party (it was) and saying hi to anyone and everyone.

[OOC: This is party style! Throw up a toplevel and get tagging! You can get up to any shenanigans you want, but please keep in mind the bodyguards are plentiful and on high alert since the solstice party. Maxxie has, of course, tried and failed to get them to join in on the fun, but they don't seem too overbearing unless trouble starts brewing. The Countdown is here, but please continue making toplevels and threading pre- and post-countdown shenanigans!]

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[Nariko, who could throw herself into people's laps and invade their personal space as if it was her right, wouldn't be bothered by a cute gesture like that. Especially not when she was really taking a look at him.]

You - You're really cute! [... And normally she'd be a lot smoother than this.] I'm Nariko!

[.....] And I'm sorry if I met you before, I probably don't remember because. Y'know. I didn't have enough opportunity to look at your face! Or something.

[Stop her Finnick this is already terrible.]

[The problem is that Finnick is drunk and he is secretly very charmed by small excitable women, so he smiles down at his shoes bashfully.]

I'm Finnick. And you are...

[He pauses, like it's right on the tip of his tongue. But that's only for drama.]

Nariko. Cosmic Indulgence.

[How is any of that a problem when he's got such a nice smile? If it's actually a problem then it's a great one for Nariko to have. And he even knows who she is! How great is that!]

Exactly!!! You've earned a prize!

[Although she hasn't decided what it'll be yet - give her a little while longer.]

What are you doing up here all by yourself? [Excuse her Finnick she's gonna sidle right up to you and hold onto one arm. He's probably stuck with her for at least the next few hours.] Aside from rescuing women in need.

[The repossession of his arm doesn't seem like that big a deal, though he suddenly thinks that if his band saw this they'd tease him like they always do. He's glad they're not around, so he can smile at Nariko without anyone around to call him fake.]

[Because he's not. The charmed smile he gives Nariko is real, even though he doesn't know her that well.]

Oh, I was just getting some fresh air. The rescuing part was pure luck.

[Even if they did tease him she'd probably just smack them all and then go back to nearly smothering Finnick with attention. It ... Might be something of a blessing that he doesn't have the opportunity to see that side of her as it's not as appealing by any means.]

So I guess you wouldn't want to go dance, huh? [Instead of just holding onto the one arm she faces him and takes both his hands, because apparently she can't stand still for very long.] Not that we couldn't do that up here!

[Do you hear the 'don't go, you're cute!' in her tone?]

[Finnick gives her hands a squeeze and grins at her.]

With a beautiful woman like you? I'd love to dance. Anywhere you want.

[Ahahaha .. ha!!

This is the kind of innocent routine that wouldn't usually get her heart jumping in any way, it's too easy for that. But part of being out of it means being far more vulnerable - or stupider. So she smiles like an idiot at the hand squeezing as much as his grin, but she's apparently retained enough of her confidence to try to pull him closer so that it's far more reasonable to get her arms up around his neck.]

In that case right here works just fine!

[Finnick laughs and puts his hands on her waist, swaying a little at a pace that vaguely correlates with the music inside, although the music's much faster.]

So how did your ears end up going over the balcony anyway?

[Maxxie was a great planner but he couldn't have possibly known to include some slow tracks! It's kind of a shame but, personally, she's just happen to be able to hold onto someone. Nariko's usually the most social of butterflies but being alone is nice. Especially when it involves a cute guy.]

I put them on the banister while I was trying to put my hair up. [Which was ... Incredibly stupid. Of course they would fall off, and it's probably a miracle they hadn't made it all the way down to the street.] They're really cute but my neck was getting hot!

[She pouts up at him a little.] It's not a complete outfit without the ears!

[Sigh.]

[Finnick laughs, sympathetic but amused.]

Well, who says fully dressed is better anyway?

[FINNICK.

Excuse her while she laughs nervously because boy did her thoughts go South.]

Absolutely no one. Definitely not me. Ever.

[... Just splash some water on her.]

[Finnick grins, and it's a bit smug but that's just how his face is, alright?]

You know, we could get in real trouble here. Two incredibly attractive lead singers from competing labels having a romantic dance on the balcony. It's rife with scandal.

[He sounds like he's excited at the prospect.]

They'd have an absolute field day with it. Cue all the comparisons to a modern day Romeo and Juliet, except now with eighty percent more music included!

[... She's probably not supposed to sound just as excited by the idea but it is a little romantic. And Finnick is cute. And right about now pissing her label off sounds like a great idea. Not one that would allow her to live for very long but sometimes it's better to go out with a bang.]

Well, we could give them something to talk about.

[He's still grinning, conspiratorial.]

If you and I walk out of here arm in arm, the tabloids will go crazy.

Not a bad idea!

[She's for this! But also consider:]

Imagine how they'd lose their minds if they 'caught' us kissing.

[... That and she just kind of wants to make out with him.]

What, you mean like this?

[He wraps one arm a little tighter around her waist and brings his free hand up to the back of her neck, lowering his head to catch her lips in a chaste but lingering kiss.]

[Oh, well then, Finnick! He just goes right for it and it's difficult to not fall into the guy a little. He's tall and he's cute and he's kissing her, which she can appreciate on multiple levels right about now. There's some kind of approving noise that occurs before that's over and done with, and when they do part she's a little more breathless than she'd like to be - but it's a good problem to have right now.]

That's a good start, I'll admit. But also consider this.

[And again! Except this time she isn't so starstruck, she's a little more aggressive, and she lets her tongue play at his lips, but she won't force anything. This is far more passionate and involved and clearly more scandalous as a result.]

[It's a bit of a surprise, but only because he's so drunk and a little slower on the uptake. His arm tightens around her and he kisses her back just as aggressively. When they part from that, he looks a little speechless, but he recovers quickly.]

You make an excellent argument.

[He looks around the balcony, still with enough wits about him to realize that there are people who could easily see them if they looked.]

You know, I don't think we have quite enough privacy out here, do you?

[Right about now Finnick is the only one of them to have any sense, Nariko just wants to kiss a whole lot more and if there are other people in this building they might as well not exist.]

I guess not! So what would you suggest?

[They're at an incredibly packed party, so for as much fun as she's having with this whole back and forth verbal play it's also a genuine question. She can't imagine where they might go.

But then again Nariko would dive off the balcony for a pretzel right about now.] Just this one time I'll follow the leader, in part because he's tall and cute and has a gorgeous voice.

[He grins at the compliment, and then continues on thoughtfully.]

Well, I'm not entirely above bathroom trysts, but I would much rather we leave this party behind all together. There are hotels all along this street.

[ ... It's not like she hasn't gone to hotels with guys before. It's usually a lot better than trying to go back to the Pride HQ which, in this case, would be impossible anyway.]

That's an awful lot of risk, Finnick. [Well, it's probably not all for her, though, she doesn't doubt how effective the ~scandalous angle is for him.]

Let's make it worthwhile.

I like to live on the edge.

[He steals one more brief kiss and then looks toward the door back inside.]

Shall we?

Okay.

[One more kiss, and then ... Well, it's about time to be as good as her word, and that doesn't require talking, which is really just a stroke of irony. She pulls away but takes his hand so that she can almost lead the way, they'll have to make it downstairs and then through the party itself and ... They'll still be followed by bodyguards, won't they?

But he's right that there are hotels all over the place, so they only need to make it that far.]

[A couple suits follow them, one from each label, and Finnick tosses them a grin over his shoulder as he follows Nariko out onto the sidewalk.]

[She mostly just raises a brow, surprised that they're really following and ... How much of the conversation did they hear? Not that their destination won't be immediately clear.]

Hey, can I ask you something? [This is a trick question because she'll ask anyway.] Why are you going to a room with a girl you hardly know?

[This might be a safer question to ask when they're already half-naked, and yet.]

wonder whose arms will hold you tight

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