maskormenacelogs | (no subject)

WHO: Everyone!
WHERE: De Chima
WHEN: Feb. 16
WHAT: This month's swear-in!
WARNINGS: Possibly some violence

A spiraling new skyscraper has just completed construction in De Chima and, to celebrate, the owners and several of the businesses renting space in the modern wonder have elected to host this month’s swear-in on the top couple floors. These floors can be reached be elevator, slowly strolling up the winding ramp that circles from the bottom to the roof or, if you can, fly or leap or use whatever other superpowers you have to get to the top or to reach one of the many open balconies and gardens available along the sides of the tower.

Though it’s a few days late, the theme of the gathering is still an unsurprising one for this time of the year: love. And, really, after the past couple of months who doesn’t need that in their lives? There are several activities available to celebrate the many stages of romance, all available in different subsections on the top couple floors. On the second floor from the top is where you enter and houses the business end of the swear-in, what you typically find at these gatherings. A lovely ballroom decorated to the nines in red, white, blue (and pinks) with an open buffet of finger foods, drinks, and various information pamphlets about local businesses, the government, and job opportunities for new imPorts.

Branching off the main ballroom are gorgeous balconies looking over the city, as well as a few indoor/outdoor gardens. These gardens range in themes from tropic jungle, to evergreen paradise, to desert oasis. They are all only about 600 square feet each, but they are a nice break from the socializing and whatnot of the main gathering. There are also special drinks provided by the Color Me Cupid company making their way around, both in alcoholic and virgin varieties. They have no clever names, sadly, but rather are labeled after the bright, almost glowing colors each is. A few sips just leads to a fizzy feeling on the lips, but have at least half of the drink and you’ll feel a few effects for the next twenty minutes or so:

Pink Drink: Sentimentality. You’ll feel a fondness for people, places, events, or even a nice piece of furniture. Cozy on up with this soft puppy love or platonic general desire to be near that person/item of interest.

Blue Drink: Melancholy. Alas, love isn’t all butterflies and sunshine. But this isn’t just being in a bad mood, wanting to go home. No, this is artistic, bohemian angst. The kind of mellow drama the poetic soul feeds on. Drape yourself over a table and opine on your lost loves, or stare tragically at the stars, sighing loudly until someone finally asks you to reveal your dark, mysterious past. Follow your tortured heart in getting that attention you suddenly need, just make sure to make a show of your inner turmoil.

Red Drink: Passion. Whether its for a person, a sports team, or a favorite hobby, you suddenly feel the need to share your enthusiasm with the world. Talk for an hour about a baseball game, or shout your love from a roof top. Or challenge someone to a duel over the hand of your loved one- or a balcony you really wanted to stand on. How ever passion works for you.

Green Drink: Jealousy. It’s an ugly part of love, but hard to escape. Depending on the person, this could induce feelings of neediness for attention from people you care about, to paranoia that others are out to steal what is yours.

Scattered throughout the main floor, a couple of the balconies, and along the twin ramps spiraling up to the top floor are two person tables, set for enjoying those finger foods and drinks. Also on each table is a stack of brightly colored note cards. These are important because, you see, the Loose Lips communication service is showing off one of their newest innovations in dating technology: Speed Honesty. When two people sit at a table, a small force field is suddenly erected around them. It won’t suffocate you or anything easy like that, no. It will simply stay in place, keeping you two at the table, until you pick up a note card and, worst of all, each of you must answer the question on the card. The speaker hidden in the table will evaluate your tone of voice, as well. No sarcastic answers accepted and, unless you’re a skilled liar, dishonest ones won’t do the trick either. The table’s AI needs to believe both parties have sincerely answered the question picked, then the force field will lower. Then you can either run or, if you wait more than ten seconds without moving, the forcefield will reactivate and you have to do it all again. This will happen every time two people sit at any of the tables, and sometimes an unwitting third standing too close may be trapped and must answer as well. Good luck, guys.

[[Questions for the cards can be found here or here, or you can OOCLy make them up for fun.]]

The top floor of the building is owned by the With Your Best Shot company and, trying to keep with the theme of the night, they have opened the (bullet proof) glass enclosed training areas on the roof of the building for duels. Hand to hand, with (dulled) swords, (paint ball) pistols, it’s all open for use so long as you declare your grievance against the person you are about to duel and declare what the winner will gain. These can be anything from traditional romantic items- the hand of the maiden fair- to silly things, like who gets the last soda in the fridge back at the apartment after this. Seconds are encouraged, but not required. There are viewing spaces for people to enjoy both the fights and the amazing view of the city below.

Enjoy the evening, imPorts. This month's swear-in appears to be going well until, later in the evening, the shadows seem to grow darker. Attendees might assume there's been a change of lighting to facilitate a romantic mood until hundreds of Heartless emerge from the darkest corners, intent on attacking imPorts and capturing as many hearts as possible.

Quite a few of the unwelcome guests are of the Shadow variety, stronger in swarms than they are individually, but still dangerous. The more fearsome Neoshadows are also in attendance, as are more colorfulvarieties -- some of which may have been people imPorts knew, before their own hearts were claimed.

Whoever they were and wherever the Heartless came from, attendees have three options: fight, run or hide. Whatever they do, they'll want to guard their hearts closely, or they may find themselves becoming the enemy.

[[OOC: Please ask any questions here!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[It's fine this is fine nothing weird happening here]

Then we well fight them.

[a withered whimper.] I was afraid of that... Ugh. Fine. Just--let me--urgh--! [it's hard to dig through a purse while being dragged along, but she does manage to scrounge out her wand, and in good time, too!]

GYAH-!

[she flicks it at one of the creatures dropping out of the ceiling ahead, setting it afire.]

Nice work!

[He doesn't stop. The Heartless will burn up or it'll have to take the time to quash the flames, but right now he's pretty sure Cecelia just needs to get out of here.]

Have you always been good with fire magic?

I-I guess? I mean-yes? I'm-- [gods, hustling and talking is not easy and it's weird that movies make it seem so.] I'm predisposed to fire stuff? I--oh! Elevator, elevator! [pointing.]

It's really cool!

[And that's about all he has to say about that as he veers toward the elevator.]

Okay, let's get gone!

[leave it to Roxas to offer up compliments at a time where Cece really has no chance to properly field them...on account of being out of breath. that's weirdly frequent; magic track races, elevator runs...is this a thing? it's becoming a thing.

she really wishes it wasn't a thing.]

Guh...! [she immediately drops to her knees upon reaching the elevator, letting herself sag when the doors close.] Gods. Gods why does stupid stuff like this happen every time they arrange these things?!

[It occurs to Roxas that he could just open a corridor now and get them safely out of here, but Cecelia looks freaked out enough that he decides not to.]

I dunno. Bad luck?

Luck. Pah! [she scoffs, quieting for a moment to catch her breath.] It has to be, like...some magic effect. When enough imPorts are gathered together, some...something triggers or something... I kind of thought that whole fates-thing would be the end of it?

Oh. Huh. I never thought about it like that before.

[He shrugs.]

If that's the cause, I guess we're stuck with it, then.

[she makes an unhappy sound at that, then sighs, fidgeting before climbing back up to her feet.]

...What are you going to do? Go floor to floor, exterminating those things?

Maybe. I hadn't thought about that yet—I just wanted to get you out of here.

[He shrugs again. What a shruggy boy.]

Someone has to deal with them.

[shruggy and relatively chill with all of this! like this is a thing he's dealt with a lot! gosh.

another shaky exhale, and then Cecelia moves to actually press a button on the elevator keypad to get them moving down.]

Yes, true enough. I suppose if you're capable and willing, it may as well be you..

It used to be my job, so I can probably do a better job at it than anyone else here.

[He gives her a crooked smile.]

Later, though. After you're safe.

[his job. slaying little shadow-blobs and shrugging at the prospect of danger, that's his job.

why is everyone so much better at being cool in adversity...

Cecelia doesn't manage a comment before the elevator signals the arrival to the lobby; she hesitates leaving even as the doors hang open, casting a doubtful glance between there and the boy.

gods, she's pathetic. she can catch lightning from the sky, and she's too scared to help with this?!

after a quiet gulp:] Well, just...call me. After this, okay? Or, like, just send a message that, like, all is well. So I know. Okay? So I'm not having to sit up and be all worried about it forever.

I will. I promise.

[The last thing he wants is to make a friend worry about him again.]

Okay.

Okay, good.

[maybe she can be heartened by that? a bit?

well, in any case, she needs to get out of this elevator -- out of the building. she'll do that, hesitating partway to glance over her shoulder before offering an awkward:] 'Bye, then. [before heading out and leaving him to his battle boy things.]

Bye, Cecelia.

[He watches her until she's out of sight. Just to be sure.]