We got no time for your silly toys {OPEN}

[heckblazer]

WHO: John Constantine and maybe you?
WHERE: Hotel Castille, Maurtia Falls
WHEN: X-Mas Eve
WHAT: Anti-Christ-Mas Party which is totally adults only, in theory
WARNINGS: Booze, smooching, naughty language



DOORS OPEN

[ The Hotel's usual art deco/macabre style already lends itself to the style John had in mind for his shindig. For the most part, the event fits in the hotel's bar/restaurant, making for a more intimate affair than the concerts and after-parties he manages for the Divine teenagers. Maybe because he planned this on a whim to deflect suspicion while trying to get the hotel's maintenance guy's attention. Such noble intentions, John.

There's mood lighting and the odd festive decor strewn about, albeit stylized for the theme. Inverted crosses, bleeding poinsettias, and a tree enchanted to look engulfed in flame. Somebody's clearly taken aesthetic pointers from a certain Goddess of the Underworld, hasn't he? ]

-

THE BAR

[ There's more than enough spiked eggnog to go around, as well as the usual hard liquor. This is where John spends the majority of his night, although rather than turning in towards the barkeep, he leans with his back to the countertop, a festive mulled wine in his hand and a smirk on his face as he watches people's comings and goings. Barflys might also notice the very large themed gingerbread house on display (don't be shy, break off a piece and eat it), with frosting and candies around to add your own decorations to it. ]

-

MUSIC

[ In a corner of the party room there is a jazz quartet doing low-key covers of Christmas classics - without, thankfully, any schmaltzy or overdone vocals. Maybe you'll stand by and listen to them, or slow-dance with someone special. Upon closer inspection, you might notice all four of them are minor demons of some sort, and don't move from their spots on the floor due to summoning circles binding them there. But don't worry, they're not here for your soul. They're reasonable and took stipends of food and drink as their payment. ]

-

MISTLETOE

[ Because of course. The ceiling is peppered with the stuff. Maybe you'll get caught under some with a new holiday sweetheart? Maybe you're avoiding it like the plague and systematically moving through out the floor so as to never be under it? Who knows. ]

-

CAROLLERS

[ Of course they had to put in an appearance. A gaggle of local citizens is going door to door singing festive jams, and made the hotel one of their stops. Doesn't look like they'll leave 'til someone makes with the figgy pudding. You can say bah-humbug, or maybe even join in with their songs, or record them and upload it to the social media of your choice for a lark. ]

-

MISC

[ Feel free to come up with your own prompts! ]

Comments

Dorian Gray | ota!

[brushoff]

SHOTS SHOTS SHOTS SHOTS but like in a sad way
[ Merry Christmas, Dorian is depressed! Yet again he's here, having Christmas by himself. At least when Toby was in jail he could visit him but no, happy Christmas Dorian Gray, your husband is back home, possibly ending up with his body being taken over by Satan, thanks to your boneheaded accidental awful decisions. Cheers, mate.

Needless to say, he isn't in the mood for festivities.

Dorian spends a worrying amount of time at the bar, nursing a few drinks. He looks absolutely miserable. Someone hasn't gotten the Christmas spirit, as shown by the fact that Dorian grumps about the band, grumps about the gingerbread and, most of all, grumps about the mistletoe. ]

I don't know why John put up the bloody stuff, [ he complains to whoever's in earshot, gesturing to a sprig of mistletoe with his drink. ] It's tacky as hell.

wildcard!
[ Dorian is boring and spends most of his night at the bar. That doesn't mean that he's there forever, though. Occasionally he engages in some half-hearted dancing or just lazily smokes a cigarette in the corner.

he's also in various stages of drunk throughout the evening. Sorry everybody. ]

TIME FOR BAD CHOICES

[heckblazer]

[ It's hard not to notice when John's favourite colourful narcissist is unhappy. Dorian's usual indulgent and "it's all a game" attitude is dampened, and he's complaining about everything, rather than the regular amount of complaining mixed in with his teasing. He's not antagonizing people for fun like usual, instead just being a mopey little bastard.

John is partially concerned, but mostly he's having none of THE Dorian Gray being a downer at his party. He slides up next to him, managing to be halfway-stealthy in spite of being several more drinks in than his mate. He waits 'til he's sure Dorian doesn't notice him before firing back: ]

Didn't think anything was too tacky for ya, mate. Bad day?

[brushoff]

Awful day. [ Dorian can't help but sigh a little as he looks over at John. He looks downright miserable as he states, ] Toby's ported out. I don't know how long he'll be gone or if he'll come back but...bad things happen to him back home.

[ Almost under his breath, Dorian adds, ] He might come back changed. I don't want him to be changed.

[ Dorian fiddles with the wedding ring slightly. He's still doing this, he still wants to be with Toby, but all he wants to do right now is throw himself in the arms of somebody else and not think about anything instead of a mindless fuck. ]

[heckblazer]

[ Usually always the type who can think of something to say, John is at a bit of a loss. Maybe because seeing something actually shake the amoral immortal man is cause for concern. But also, and mostly because John wrote the book on losing his loved ones, so none of his life experiences lend him to encouraging words.

Instead, he nods at the barkeep, whom swiftly and wordlessly slides two shot glasses down the length of the bar, stopping as if by magic in front of John and Dorian. ]


He'd change here too, mate. Not much y'can do to stop people from doing that.

[ And his shot disappears a second later, not bothering to wait for the morose Dorian to catch up. Maybe he'll take the suggestion, at least. ]

[brushoff]

We're not people, [ Dorian barks back, anger in his voice. ] Toby's a vampire and I'm immortal, we don't change. I've been the same for over a hundred bloody years and him longer than that. Other people change, other things change, but us? We remain as beautiful and as flawed as ever. And yet, back home—

[ Dorian catches himself in time. It's obvious that something bad happened to poor Toby back home. It's also obvious that Dorian is not going to tell anybody about it. ]

Forget it. [ he broods, taking his shot and throwing it back in one swift gesture. ]

[heckblazer]

[ Observant, John leans forward, scarcely offended by Dorian's anger. If anything he's mildly distracted, wondering if this "I'm not a person, the rules don't apply to me" bluff if this clumsy and obvious the times that John himself has done it to other people. He makes a mental note to stop doing it, if Dorian is any indication of how it must look.

But of course Dorian Bloody Gray married a vampire. What did you expect, John? ]


Havin' a pretty exterior don't mean you won't react when yer' cage gets rattled. Just looka me.

[ Another two shots appear in front of them, filled again with the cheap-tasting vodka. Not that John will complain. ]

[brushoff]

[ Dorian can't help but laugh at that, as he gives John a wry little smile. ]

You're not pretty, [ said as if it's obvious, as Dorian knocks back yet another shot. He's drinking too much and too fast and it's going to hit him sooner than he realizes but fuck everything. ] Pretty's reserved for attractive women and boy bands. I'm pretty. You...you're handsome.

[ It doesn't take an idiot to point out that Constantine's good looking. ]

Loki | OTA

[mischiefsmith]

Bar

[Loki isn't necessarily a barfly, but he did challenge a certain someone to a contest of endurance, sort of. What better time to initiate the challenge than on Christmas eve! In addition he's well out of his own supply and John is clearly stocked for the occasion, not that this should deplete the stores as he is expecting the competition to drop out well before then.

Aside from contests of drinking, Loki can be engaged casually, glass of wine in one hand, gingerbread house decorations in the other as he attempts to make this sad, burnt, little house resemble Valhalla. He's trying, but there's only so much Loki can do here. You can help him in his hopeless endeavor.

You can drink with him and help him get a head start.

You can ask him how he managed to trick the barkeep into thinking that he was 21+.]

Music

[Let's be honest, Loki is hardly interested in the music or the dancing, he's interested in the demons and the summoning circles, because Loki is Loki. He's a sorcerer, he knows what he's looking at and because he knows he has the irresistible urge to poke. It's a bit like a button that does something unknown, or the fire alarm, things you itch to engage just to see what will happen, but your wonderful brain keeps you in check. Instead, he'll just fold his arms behind his back and wind his way around these lesser demons, nothing holding his fascination more intently than this.]

Mistletoe

[By Odin's empty eye socket, Loki has been avoiding the mistletoe like the plague in a very obvious, very step on a crack kind of way. Loki is actually hyper conscious of the stuff, due mostly in part to his relationship with mistletoe. This isn't to say that Loki is impossible to catch off guard, it's possible. He can and should be trolled.]

Carolers

[As if Loki is going to be shy about carolers, if no one else is going to sing with them he will. Loki has a very spirited singing voice making him pleasant to listen to if nothing else, the only problem is that he doesn't know the carols, or rather, he doesn't know most of the words to them. Anything repetitive he'll match line for line, otherwise most of these carols are improves of Loki's own design. Expect many references to Norse mythology thrown in.]

Music

[heckblazer]

[ Like he isn't going to pay attention when the trickster god is eyeballing his demon band. He waltzes over and doesn't hesitate to give him a mildly-antagonistic hair ruffle: ]


Yeah, don't get any ideas on breakin' those circles. Those boys're on loan.

[mischiefsmith]

[Loki does this thing where he slouches and shrugs his shoulders a bit when John pats him on the head, ever wary, always expecting a punch or someone to lash out. It's the sort of thing one sees dogs that are used to being wounded do, brace for the impact.

He straightens up abruptly, however and throws on an excited smile.]

But they are demons and these are magic circles and they are here...playing music and thata's just brilliant! I just...want to poke one!

[heckblazer]

[ Don't think that John didn't notice the flinching. This is the man who grew up with an impoverished, beligerant, drunk single father in the dead-end north of England. Its a reflex John recognizes immediately and to hide the gut-punch feeling that goes with it, he forces himself to grin wickedly.

Sure, there's always the chance that he's being manipulated into letting his defenses melt - the whole "ancient trickster" thing, after all - but it's tricky to fake that sort of reaction to physical contact.

Instead John just shrugs and acts beleaguered for the laughs. ]


Fine, let me go fetch a bloody stick or something.

[mischiefsmith]

[It was something Loki had just decided for himself to take in stride, there were parts of him that he felt deserved what he got, it kept him grounded. If he could take the arrows every time it would be preferable to becoming Loki again.

There was another part of him that often felt disheartened and hid it with a smile and a snappy joke or some other lie.]

I have a chopstick! [Who carries chopsticks anyway? Apparently Loki does as he produces one with some kind of weird, probably disgusting, stain that merged with the wood. He was using it some time ago to poke at Dorian's disembodied soul that had been trapped in a mason jar. Short and stupid story about two young people...well young and youngish.]

[heckblazer]

Why d'you have a...?

[ John shuts himself up, mentally giving in to the chaos. He's too used to the other damn teenage gods in town and all their angst, which it usually becomes John's job to deal with. For once, he decides not to check a gift horse in the mouth. ]


Try the pianist. Maybe he's ticklish.

Klarion Bleak, because at least one teen had to sneak in - OTA!

[beneathbluerafters]

The Bar
[ The easiest way to make Klarion interested in doing something is to tell him that he isn't allowed to do it, so if there's an anti-Christmas party going on, complete with occult rituals and snack food? He is absolutely going to sneak in and check it out, even if he's well under 21 and definitely can't pass as an adult.

Klarion's being sensible and staying away from the bar itself - he isn't interested in the alcohol, and the longer he can stay out of Constantine's eyeline, the better - but he is lurking around the misshapen gingerbread house. He's broken off a piece of it, and is feeding the head of an unfortunate gingerbread man to his cat. ]


Carolers
For the last time, I don't have any of the stupid pudding, now get out of my way, or--!

[ The carolers, who apparently lack self-preservation instincts in the face of a tired, grouchy witchboy, continue singing. If anything, they sing even more enthusiastically, and worse yet, one of them reaches out to pet the cat in Klarion's arms. That's the final straw, and their singing literally grinds to a halt as Klarion scowls, flicks his wrist, and turns them all to stone.

After a moment or two of blessed silence, Klarion huffs. Stone or not, they're still blocking the stupid exit, he needs some fresh air, and his noodle arms aren't gonna be enough to push them out of the way. He rolls his eyes, lets some more magic crackle around his fingers, and prepares to turn the carolers into something smaller and easier to step over, like candy canes, or maybe Christmas tree ornaments. ]

Carolers

[heckblazer]

[ Klarion's concentration might be disrupted thanks to the grown man having a downright giggle fit somewhere behind him. John watches with unapologetic glee at the sight of the carolers getting cursed. Sure, he could be concerned about whether they'll be alright, but bugger it, it's too damn funny to stop the kid.

At least some of the brats were clever enough to sneak in anyway. Not like the doorman was that attentive. But then John had paid him well not to be. ]

[beneathbluerafters]

[ Ok, yeah, the giggling is a surprise! Usually people react to stuff like this with screams of terror, anger on behalf of the cursed idiots, or (worst of all!) stern lectures. Not... laughing fits. The magic sparking in his hands fizzles out, and Klarion gives Constantine a wary, challenging look over his shoulder. ]

... What? They were annoying, they deserved it.

[heckblazer]

[ John's mouth is presently full of gingerbread and brandy, with more of the treats in each hand as he raises them to respond to Klarion in a massive shrug, clearly not bringing himself to be offended at the witchboy's antics. He remarks with his mouth still full, sending crumbs flying in the process: ]


Jus' turn 'em back at some point, lad.

[beneathbluerafters]

[ Oh, eww. That's gross, Constantine is gross, and from what little Klarion's seen of it, even his magicks are gross, since they smell like the bottom of an ashtray. In conclusion? Gross.

Klarion wrinkles his nose in obvious disgust, waves a hand, and turns the carolers into a pile of wooden nutcrackers that clatter to the floor. ]

Maybe. Don't speak with your mouth full, it's repulsive.

[ They'll change back to normal within the hour anyway, but there's no need to let Constantine know that he has limits. ]

[heckblazer]

[ Unphased and uninterested in the shade that Klarion has thrown his way, John watches with more curiosity and amusement. Maybe he should be more skeptical of the boy's antics and see a threat in this, but... it's actually pretty goddamned funny.

He does, at least, wait until he's actually swallowed before he carries on, looking at the array of nutcrackers with an idea: ]

Can ye' enchant them to keep singing? It'd be funny.

Jack | ota

[neverdied]

The bar... just... the bar for basically his whole appearance.

[Parties weren't really Jack's thing. Neither were groups of people, Christmas, carollers, gingerbread houses, mistletoe or anything else about this set up, it didn't even matter how on fire things were. Although that enchanted tree has got his attention every now and then, staring over at the magic flames from his perch at the bar, but never going over to look.

The rest of the time he's just hunched over the bar, cradling a glass of water (or it could be vodka), and doing his very best to not make eye contact with anyone in the room.

John may have coerced him into venturing out of the comfort of his room to join the party, but Jack never promised he'd mingle or be social. At least he was prepared enough to eat before being around all these folk. Considerate of him.]

[heckblazer]

[ Oh no. John knows he's getting sloppy when it comes to this tall drink of water but he can't stop himself. And it's almost touching that they're in the same seats as last time they were here. ]

Flattered you came, mate. I seem to've snagged a very considerate fake spouse, hey?

[ He leans in through a puff of smoke and adds slightly less callously: ]

Thanks fer' not killing me or the lad for that, by the way.

[neverdied]

[Ugh, fake spouse jokes, John earns a silent and all too brief sneer as Jack glares down at his half-drank water. It's bad enough that Jack has likely had more partners and spouses in his lifetime than most other imPorts put together, but now he has to deal with constant jabbering from the old folk at the bingo hall and John bringing it up for personal amusement. Hardly fair.]

Didn't really intend to come, hard to avoid when it's right outside my room though.

[And he's not even going to acknowledge the thanks because he's not fully decided whether murdering the two of them is entirely off the table yet. Might still be an idea worth considering.]

[heckblazer]

[ There's already a long enough queue of people who want to murder John. Jack's going to have to take a number and wait his turn.

It's going to be a very long wait if John keeps up his usual levels of sarcasm, which he will. ]


Y'don't have to be shy. A bloke who liked to sleep as much as you do could do it through anything, am I right?

[neverdied]

Uh huh, and you'd have just let me sleep through it? After you followed me to my work?

[John, don't try and hide your stalker ways, Jack sees right through it! And also sounds like he can't quite bring himself to care too much about it. If this Brit wants to follow Jack around, then so be it, he's not the first one who's got curious, it'd be nice NOT to have to eat him though.]

[heckblazer]

[ Bad news is that Jack grumbling and being a hard sell just endears him further to the mage. Good news is that John's already well enough into the bag that he might pass out before he tries following Jack back to his room. ]


That. That'd be the boy's notion. He jus' needed a chaperone. Yer fanclub - those ladies're somethin' else, mate.