october: free for all | ❝ lurking in the shadows ❞

[quickfingers]

WHO: EVERYONE? Anyone. (And Peter.)
WHERE: X-Fam House, Nonah.
WHEN: Friday the 13th!
WHAT: Giant ass Halloween party. On Friday the 13th. YOU ARE ALL INVITED.
WARNINGS: tbd, probably some disaster.
NOTES: So this party's invites are pretty scattered so if you have CR with Peter, you can feel free to assume you've been invited (if he hasn't literally ic inboxed you) or found an invite/ heard about the party from anyone else and are still welcome to have fun! Feel free to plurk me (valleyheart) if you have questions but aside from Peter's top level, it's free game to do what you want!



The Invitations

[If you're a friend of Peter you might've been invited personally, but even so you might find one of these bad boys slipped your way, in your mail or taped to the inside of your next pizza order leading up to the 13th. On the back of the invitation is a hand scrawled address in Nonah, the home of Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr - if you're familiar, you're familiar. If not, doesn't matter, 'cause it's Peter's disastrous party about to go down and you're still welcome.]

The House

[The party takes place at the "X-Fam" house in Nonah, which some of you may remember hosted a bbq not too long ago. Yeah, the place where Erik and Charles live - not that this party's sponsored by them in any shape, way or form. In fact it's more of a "while the cat's away, the mice will play" type scenario because asking permission to hold a killer party is not something Peter did.

He was responsible enough however to use caution tape to cross off the doors of the bedrooms in the house, preserving the privacy of his housemates to a degree. The other rooms aren't off limits and neither is the backyard, all of which are decorated festively for the occasion. Cobwebs litter corners and hallways, weaving through the banister rails complete with fake spiders nestled in them. The curtains are somber, as a variety of stick on decals are covering windows and mirrors alike. Decorations sit on mantles and door frames, with each window sill featuring a lit candle or something equally spooky.

The backyard is lit by dim orange lights, featuring seating and open night air for those who wish to get out of a hot, loud house and admire the stars. Just mind the witch legs and don't litter cigarette butts everywhere, alright?

The door's open and a variety of tunes are playing, audible from the street.]

The Party

[So you were invited (or not,) and you found your way to the right house. The lights are dimmed and the music's loud, so come in and get a drink from the fridge or the creative yet nerdy 'keg'. Peter's no Martha Stewart nor is Wanda really in a mood to make a lot of cute treats so you'll have to put up with standard party fair: potato chips, pretzels, a huge stack of pizzas and a few large bowls of candy corn. That shit is everywhere, there's no escaping it. You need ice? Just don't choke on the critters.

Rooms not cordoned off are yours to wander and get wasted in, same with the stretch of grass in the back yard. Wander with your goblets of definitely spiked punch and a handful of candy corn. Because if you're not eating it then you suck.

At some point there will be a cake pulled out because Peter's drowning in sisters and Lorna's birthday is this month. Clearly the thing to do is to (monster) mash it in to the Halloween celebrations with a creepy cake. Say a spooky happy birthday to the girl with green hair when you get the chance.]

Comments

[heisenbitch]

Maybe in a terrifying, Goliath-sized diva kinda way, sure.

[ Amusement is still playing around the edges of Jesse's smirking lips. A nod of his head at Ronan's almost empty cup. ]

Want me to grab you a refill, Tinkerbell?

[nightmarist]

[Jesse apparently knows the way to Ronan's heart. He drains the rest of his cup and hands it over.]

Good man.

[heisenbitch]

[ Jesse takes the cup and disappears briefly inside. When he reemerges, he's carrying two cups, lit cigarette dangling between his lips. Joining Ronan's side again, he holds one of the cups over to him. ]

One refill for the giant pixie fairy. [ With his hand now free, he quickly takes his smoke from between his lips and gestures with it at Ronan's weird jewellery. ] Man, aren't all those bangles and everything annoying the hell outta you?

[nightmarist]

[Ronan gratefully accepts the cup and immediately takes a drink. He had, in fact, mostly forgot how much jewelry he's wearing, and glances down as if he's surprised to still find himself adorned in it.]

No. I hardly notice them. I'm just grateful this costume doesn't require heels. Bangles are much less painful.

[heisenbitch]

Wouldn't catch me dead wearing any of that stuff, gotta say.

[ Says the guy with guyliner smudged around his eyes (which is something else Jesse would also never usually be caught dead wearing, yet here he is). More power to you, though, Ronan? ]

There's gonna be like another Halloween party where you are, right? The Meadows or whatever?

[nightmarist]

[Ronan isn't particularly surprised that Jesse's afraid of sheer fabric and jewelry, even as a Halloween costume.]

Is there? I'm not planning one.

[heisenbitch]

Alex? The girl in the hot Morticia dress. [ A quick scan of the party to see if he can spot her and point her out. No dice, though. ] Her and I think that sorta hippie looking guy, Magnus are planning it.

[nightmarist]

Oh. That sounds right.

[Like something Alex would do, anyway. Magnus not so much.]

[heisenbitch]

[ Jesse goes weirdly silent for a brief moment, while still surveying the party as if he's still looking for Alex. He's been talking trivial shit at Ronan, putting on an appearance that everything is fine and that he's not coming apart at the seams; his problems and how much of a depraved mess he is lately aren't things a kid needs to be saddled with, and so he's been putting on a coping act while talking to Ronan. That mask slips for just this tiny blip of time, though. He is, in that moment, distracted and troubled by what's lurking beneath how disconnected he is from the fun everyone is having around him. Mentioning Magnus makes Jesse think of asking Ronan something about magic, something that's been on his mind for the better part of a week now, being Ronan seems far more familiar about it than Jesse is. Something Magnus offered Jesse that he's not been able to quite stop ruminating over.

The moment passes, however. Snapping back to the present and quickly forcing a lighter expression back onto his still slightly strained face, Jesse looks back up to Ronan. Back to less troubling shit that Jesse doesn't have the energy to actually give a single shit about, like Halloween parties. ]

Well. Gonna be there, right?

[nightmarist]

[Ronan, unlike Jesse, doesn't let his gaze wander idly. In fact, his eyes remain fixes on Jesse the whole time, observing the cracks in his facade. Something's troubling him, clearly, but Ronan never asks the question. He only ever waits for the answer to be offered unprompted.]

Assuming they don't tell me to get the fuck off my own property.

[heisenbitch]

Why, 'cause they wouldn't be able to handle your asshole ray of sunshine self being the life of the party?

[ Small joking quirk of his mouth despite himself. But then, he tilts his head at Ronan slightly, appealing to him: ]

Nah, c'mon, though, you are gonna be there, right?

[nightmarist]

[Interesting. Jesse's terribly invested in his presence.]

I'll be there. I would never leave you to brave our teenage wilderness alone.

[heisenbitch]

[ Small snort of amusement. ]

You're talking to a guy who almost always had cops showing up at parties during my teen wilderness years.

[nightmarist]

That hardly means you're equipped to handle us.

[The raven boys alone would be A Lot, and they've managed to collect so many other weirdos.]

[heisenbitch]

Well... yeah, okay, fair point.

[ Jesse glances down, scratching the back of his neck. He won't argue that point. Ghosts and demigods and whatever the hell Ronan is, and... yeah. ]

[nightmarist]

[Ronan cocks his head, examining Jesse in a manner that's exceptionally raven-like.]

Relax. Like I said, I'll be there.

[heisenbitch]

[ Jesse glances back up and... yikes, okay, you don't need to look at him like that, kid. Jesse tries not to appear uncomfortable at that intimidating stare, throwing what he's attempting to make seem like a casual look around at the party instead, while that hand scratching the back of his neck takes to briefly, slightly awkwardly rubbing it. ]

Yeah, well, anyway... [ Hand dropping away from his neck to switch his cigarette from his other hand over to that hand. A quick drag. ] Might need your help, maybe, I dunno. With the cartoon things.

[nightmarist]

[Ronan will keep looking at him like this, because it's the way Ronan looks at things.]

I can't keep adopting your rejects.

[heisenbitch]

No, I mean— [ A small roll of his eyes because that is not what he meant. Jesse shifts on the spot, ashing his cigarette as he looks back up to Ronan. ] I volunteered to help out with Halloween stuff. Like, cartoon ghosts and ghouls and all that.

[nightmarist]

And?

[He's not sure where he comes in.]

[heisenbitch]

Well, I mostly got 'em under control, but sometimes...

[ Sometimes, not. Sometimes, he wishes he had someone to teach him how to embrace it rather than... not know how to handle it. How to make them fear him, or love him, as Ronan had said that night at the Swear-In. Really, deep down, he wishes he knew how to embrace everything about this bizarre new life he's in, rather than feeling endlessly out of control and way out of his own depth. But between the way Ronan is staring at him like that, and Jesse not actually wanting to impose, at least not on a kid, he dismisses the rest of what he was going to say with a small shake of his head as he looks down and takes a final drag of his smoke. He drops the butt to the ground and crushes it under his shoe. ]

It's cool, I'll figure it out. [ Moving on. ] Where exactly is the Meadows, anyway?

[nightmarist]

[Ronan understands what Jesse's getting at. But he's not a qualified teacher. He's not even a qualified dreamer. He'd needed Kavinsky's help, himself, and he still had no idea what he was really doing after their lessons. Especially when it comes to creating life, he's lacking, because he hasn't even figured out how to craft a soul. If he were inclined to offer help at all, he wouldn't know what to do.]

Sometimes what?

[He wants to hear it, anyway.]

[heisenbitch]

[ A small, offhanded shrug, an equally offhanded little shake of his head as he looks away, lifting his cup to his mouth to take a long sip. There's something restless in everything Jesse does, like the truth of how untogether he actually is, keeps trying to work its way to the surface, no matter how offhanded he might try to pretend to be. ]

Ah, it's... I dunno, sometimes I wish this place came with some kinda instruction manual or something, is all. Almost two months in, still haven't figured shit out. [ Which... goes admittedly deeper than just asking for help with dumbass cartoons, but. Not the kid's problem. Lifting his cup to polish the rest of it off, though adding with deliberate aloofness just before he does so: ] Whatever. It's nothing, don't worry about it. Was asking you about the Meadows, anyway.

[ Drink now sculled back. ]

[nightmarist]

I'll text you the address.

[It's hardly urgent. Ronan's much more interested in Jesse's personal dilemma. Not that he thinks he can help.]

Is it that they still won't obey you? That's not really strange. You're creating something with its own mind. It thinks and it wants and it lives, all without you. You aren't very worried about what God wants you to do, either. Right?

[heisenbitch]

[ Not urgent tonight, no. Urgent in that... Well, it's on Jesse's mind to follow up Magnus' offer of help, although he supposes Magnus could tell him where to find these meadows. Ronan's remark about God, though - that has Jesse swinging a cynically skeptical glance back up to him. ]

That's a big leap, going from guy with cartoon problem, to God.